Last year, the Daytime Emmys were held in Los Angeles but they didn't have a network. I'm betting that the Tony awards gets less viewers than the Daytime Emmys. CBS tried to put on a two hour show that was less than usual. The show began with a twenty minutes tribute to Dick Clark who deserved an honorary Emmy Award. The guest who paid tribute like Simon Cowell and Cher had been Pre-taped. There were other celebrities like Marie Osmond and the Spinners to perform for him but we were led to believe in the opening that Cher and Simon Cowell would appear live on-stage. If they want to pay tribute to Dick Clark, they should have a separate show or hope he gets the Kennedy Center Honors. Regis Philbin played host admirably. He still gets passed over for an Emmy with Kelly Ripa. Still the awards were a lot fewer than in previous years like children's programming and informational shows were placed aside at a less formal event. The show only focused on the soaps, talk shows, and the 2 game show categories. Apart from the lack of awards presented, there was a poor tribute paid to the As the World Turns who signs off this year after 54 years. I don't blame the presenters who have been on for many years but I blame the producers. In last year's telecast, they brought the cast of Guiding Light on-stage for one last appearance together after a montage of clips introduced by Betty White. Sadly, the producers showed only a portion of the show's legacy. The worst part about this show was it's lack of remembrance for those who passed in the last year. Two veteran actresses, Helen Wagner from As The World Turns and Frances Reid from Days of Our Lives died in recent months. Both women compiled over 90 years of daytime drama experience together. Sadly, they were forgotten at the daytime Emmy Awards and I doubt that prime-time Emmy Award will include them in their annual tribute but I hope that they will. They were remarkable matriarchs on their shows. Ironically, both women were childless themselves but they played maternal figures like Alice Horton and Nancy Hughes for decades.
