Television Review - The 2010 Daytime Emmy Awards

When I first heard about the star line-up announced in the press (names such as David Copperfield, the Osmonds, Cirque de Soleil, etc.), I feared that the 2010 Daytime Emmy Awards aired on CBS would be too Vegas-oriented and not enough about daytime television or the soaps. My concerns were valid, except that it was even worse than I had expected.

When David Copperfield did a cheesy magic trick revealing Regis Philbin as the host of the show…only to lead up to Regis beginning to regale the audience with the ten zillionth Susan Lucci joke ever told (Yes, she won an Emmy already, folks…so let’s move on!), I knew that this would set the tone for the rest of the evening.

Best Supporting Actress - Julie Pinson. I really thought Arianne Zuker had the best shot for the award this year; so I was surprised by the Pinson win but not really upset. I have no idea what any of the actors submitted for reels this year, but from what I saw of Julie Pinson on ATWT this year, she was always bringing in solid performances. Particularly from Brad’s death to Liberty’s battle with cancer, Julie was knocking it out of the park. So I can’t complain about her win. Her dress, on the other hand, is a different story, but that’s for another blog review at another time.

American Bandstand Tribute - Well, American Bandstand was actually a daytime show; so I have no problem with the tribute. But how cool would it have been to see talented singing actors from daytime get a chance to take part rather than all the Vegas lounge lizards? Jonathan Jackson, the Daytime Divas, Kurth and Taylor and Nadia Bjorlin are just a few people I could name from daytime that could have had a chance to showcase themselves. Particularly since the soaps are mostly too broke to pay for song rights, this would have been a special treat for soap fans nowadays.

Rachael Ray - When Ray enthused how the Daytime Emmys was one of the best shows she’d ever seen, I wondered if perhaps she should get out of the kitchen for a night or two, let a relative do the cooking for a change...and she should actually watch some good TV and see the error of her ways.

The Lion King - Did I accidentally switch onto the Tony awards and not realize it? How is this relevant to the Daytime Emmys?

Best Supporting Actor - Billy Miller. My choice was Jonathan Jackson, but Billy Miller is also terrific. This was probably the closest out of all the races this year.

Best Game Show - Cash Cab. I don‘t really watch game shows, so I‘ll just have to trust in the greater minds of the voting committee.

Best Talk Show - The Doctors. I don‘t really watch talk shows, so I‘ll just have to trust in the greater minds of the voting committee.

By this time, I was thinking that if I were a nominated actress on a soap opera; and that if I had spent hours giving a powerful performance on television, submitting a reel, spending time with my stylist, picking a dress, getting my makeup done, dealing with countless interviews, et. cet. -- only to find that most people were only going to see me on those paparazzi websites where you have to pay money just to see a close-up of a picture…I would be really ticked off.

Best Younger Actor - Drew Tyler Bell. Like everyone else, I don’t get it either. Drew Garrett was robbed.

As the World Turns tribute - Like everything else about this show, this was too rushed. A little less Las Vegas and a little more relevance about what the awards ceremony was about, please. Was this disrespectful to a classic soap opera that deserved a decent memorial? Absolutely, but probably no more offensive than what happened to Guiding Light at the Emmys last year.

Best Talk Show - Ellen DeGeneris. The first prediction I got right. Hey, she’s Ellen.

Best Younger Actress - Julie Berman. The second prediction I got right. Julie consistently gives solid performances on GH, whether she’s doing a comedy scene with Kristen Storms or a hot love scene with Dominic Zamprogna. In this case, the right one won.

At this point, the show was becoming so rushed that even Regis and Susan Lucci couldn’t keep up, failing to finish their silly little insert between commercials.

Best Directing - General Hospital. Absolutely the right show to win. I’ve only been consistently watching GH since the Carnival storyline but I find that I can’t miss a day of GH. The characters and stories grabbed me and grabbed me good, taking me from one fascinating storyline to the next. Kudos! Not so happy about the ridiculous Cirque du Soleil dance during the presentation however. A dancing crab hands an envelope to Wayne Brady...and it makes you wonder why the daytime industry is no longer respected. Go figure.

Life Achievement Award - Agnes Nixon. The one part of the evening done right.

Best Game Show Host - Ben Bailey. Again, I never watch game shows, so I can’t really comment about this.

Best Writing - Bold and the Beautiful. Maybe the episode submitted had good writing, but the show overall has not impressed me with such over this last year. My jaded opinion is it was a shout-out for CBS airing the Daytime Emmys at all.

Best Talk Show Host - Mehmet Oz. Don't watch, can't comment. You know the drill.

As Regis Philbin mispronounced Vanessa Marcel’s name...and Vanessa staggered her way to the podium, I wondered if the actors all had a little too much fun at the blackjack tables. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. I know, I know…

Best Actor - Michael Park. For me, the most predictable award. Park did a good job as Jack mourned for Brad’s death and blamed himself. Also, an ATWT sympathy award.

Best Actress - Maura West. I thought it would go to Crystal Chappell...but it was a nice little tribute to ATWT for both of the lead categories to win. Certainly a better tribute than anything the actual ceremony came up with for the canceled soap.

Best Show - Bold and the Beautiful. Why? Because of Betty White? B&B occasionally has really great moments...but the show is not consistently as good as GH.

Every year, there have been the same old concerns about how the Daytime Emmy Awards are going to be shown...or even if they will be shown at all. But I have to ask just how low does the industry have to stoop to be seen on a network? When daytime is selling its soul to Las Vegas, I wonder what’s the point. When neither the E Channel (airing a Cameron Diaz documentary) nor SoapNet (airing a GH rerun) can scrape up enough pennies just to do a little piddling red carpet pre-show, I have to wonder if the whole format should be majorly overhauled. For me and my soap buddies, our red carpet show consisted of frantically looking at all the hastily-taken pictures tweeted by websites that are actually concerned about the state of daytime. Let these folks like Roger Newcomb and Damon Jacobs of We Love Soaps or Soap Opera Source possibly band together next year and air both the pre-show and the actual ceremony on the internet itself. These people actually care that the actors are seen, know what the fans want and will treat the soaps with the respect that they deserve. I’d much rather settle with that than to see more televised Daytime Emmy shows like the one that aired last night.