O’Donnell Puts the Heat on Daytime

“The Rosie O’Donnell Show”--which has shaken up the ratings since its premiere last June--received seven nominations Wednesday in its first year of eligibility for the 24th annual Daytime Emmy Awards, amid a lineup otherwise populated by the usual suspects.

And yes, in terms of familiar faces, Susan Lucci was again recognized for playing Erica Kane on ABC’s “All My Children”--her 17th nomination despite never having won, in what has become the Emmys’ own long-running serialized drama.

On the flip side, Genie Francis for the first time made the lead actress ballot for “General Hospital.”

The syndicated “Rosie O’Donnell” garnered nominations as outstanding talk show and for its host. In both categories the program will compete with talk’s reigning queen, “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” which totaled nine Emmy bids. Winfrey claimed the Emmy as outstanding host five consecutive times before Montel Williams ended that streak last year.

“Donahue” was also nominated as outstanding talk show in its final season, though host Phil Donahue is not in the running.

Daytime’s most-watched drama, CBS’ “The Young and the Restless,” topped all programs with 20 nominations, followed by 18 for ABC’s “General Hospital” (voted best drama the last two years) and 10 for the NBC soap “Days of Our Lives.”

Each of those shows is nominated as outstanding drama along with “All My Children,” all repeat nominees from a year ago.

Another defending champ in its category, PBS’ “Sesame Street,” led public television’s cause with 13 nominations. Educational children’s shows, in fact, dominated that field, with seven or more nominations going to “Beakman’s World,” “Disney Presents Bill Nye the Science Guy,” “Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego?” and “Reading Rainbow.”

CBS, perennially the top-rated network in daytime, topped all channels with 57 nominations, followed by 50 for PBS. ABC got 41 and NBC accounted for 25 Emmy bids, while cable programs combined for another 25 nominations.

The Daytime Emmy Awards will be televised as a two-hour prime-time special, airing May 21 on ABC. That event will be held at New York’s Radio City Music Hall, with honors in technical categories to be handed out May 17 during joint ceremonies in New York and Los Angeles.

The awards cover a period from Feb. 6, 1996, to Feb. 5, 1997, and are presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The latter also presides over the nighttime Emmy Awards.

Some of the major nominations include:

Lead actress, drama series: Jensen Buchanan (as Vicky Hudson), “Another World,” NBC; Genie Francis (as Laura Spencer), “General Hospital,” ABC; Susan Lucci (as Erica Kane), “All My Children,” ABC; Jess Walton (as Jill Abbott), “The Young and the Restless,” CBS.

Lead actor, drama series: Peter Bergman (Jack Abbott) and Eric Braeden (Victor Newman), “The Young and the Restless,” CBS; David Canary (as Adam and Stuart Chandler), “All My Children,” ABC; Justin Deas (as Buzz Cooper), “Guiding Light,” CBS; Anthony Geary (as Luke Spencer), “General Hospital,” ABC.

Supporting actress, drama series: Eva LaRue Callahan (as Dr. Maria Santos Grey), “All My Children,” ABC; Jacklyn Zeman (Bobbie Cassadine) and Vanessa Marcil (Brenda Jacks), “General Hospital,” ABC; Victoria Rowell (Drucilla Barber Winters) and Michelle Stafford (Phyllis Romalotti), “The Young and the Restless,” CBS.

Supporting actor, drama series: Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos), Stuart Damon (Dr. Alan Quartermaine) and Brad Maule (Dr. Tony Jones), “General Hospital,” ABC; Ian Buchanan (as Dr. James Warwick), “The Bold and the Beautiful,” CBS; Aaron Lustig (Dr. Tim Reid) and Scott Reeves (Ryan McNeil), “The Young and the Restless,” CBS.

Children’s series: “Beakman’s World,” CBS; “Disney Presents Bill Nye the Science Guy,” PBS/syn.; “Nick News,” Nickelodeon; “Reading Rainbow,” PBS; “Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego?,” PBS.

Children’s animated program: “Animaniacs,” WB; “Pinky & the Brain,” WB; “Scholastic’s the Magic School Bus,” PBS; “Schoolhouse Rock,” ABC; “Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?,” Fox.

Talk show: “Donahue,” syn.; “Leeza,” NBC; “Live With Regis & Kathie Lee,” syn.; “The Rosie O’Donnell Show,” syn.; “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” syn.

Performer in a children’s show: LeVar Burton, “Reading Rainbow,” PBS; Kevin Clash (as Elmo), “Sesame Street,” PBS; Bill Nye, “Disney Presents Bill Nye the Science Guy,” PBS/syn.; Fred Rogers, “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” PBS; Lynne Thigpen (as the Chief), “Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego?,” PBS.

Game show host: Bob Barker, “The Price Is Right,” CBS; Al Roker, “Remember This,” MSNBC; Pat Sajak, “Wheel of Fortune,” syn.; Alex Trebek, “Jeopardy!,” syn.