Cynopsis Media presents:
The Daytime Emmy® Awards 2012
04.23.12

Good morning. It’s Monday, April 23, 2012. This is the second of two editions focusing on the Daytime Emmy® Awards.

In the category of “Talk Show Series”
by Daisy Whitney

Ellen DeGeneres has taken home a lot of trophies, and the big question surrounding this year’s Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Talk Show- Entertainment is whether she’ll add more gold to her collection.

“This category belongs to The Ellen DeGeneres Show, aka, Ellen. She’s to the 2000s what Oprah and Rosie O’Donnell were to the 1990s of the daytime dynamos,” said Erin Fox, the managing editor of pop culture site Snakkle.com.

But what’s a race without contenders? Some experts say Anderson Cooper’s freshman show has a shot for a talk show Emmy award, possibly in the entertainment category. Then there’s Wendy Williams, who has her share of fans as well. Live! With Regis and Kelly, Kelly can also make a strong case. Nominations are slated to be announced May 4.

In the informative slot, the so-called “doctor” shows of Dr. Oz, Dr. Phil and The Doctors will likely be leading contenders, with many prognosticators expecting Dr. Oz to be the show to beat.

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Talk Show Split

The talk show category, part of the Daytime Emmy Awards, was split into two categories in 2008  informative and entertainment. This year’s award celebration will be held June 23 and will feature the full range of daytime awards, including the two talk show categories, as well as the award for outstanding talk show host.

Entertaining Talk

In the talk show/entertainment category, it’s nearly a given that last year’s winner The Ellen DeGeneres Show, a six-time winner, as well as regular favorite The View, will be nominated.
“Ellen always makes us laugh, no matter who her guest is,” said Nikki Boyer, host of Yahoo’s series Daytime in No Time, who follows daytime closely. She’s also had stellar guests, others say.
“She makes news and seems like a sure bet for winning best talk show for the seventh time,” said Serena Kappes, Editorial Director at iVillage Entertainment.

Another top contender is LIVE! With Regis and Kelly, which will be a force to contend with since this past year was Regis Philbin’s last as host. Those three shows were all tapped in 2011 for nominations, along with Rachael Ray. The voters aren’t required to nominate four shows; in many years only three have been nominated, but Anderson stands a chance this year too.

The challenge is whether his show fits into Talk Show/Informative or Talk Show/Entertainment. “Given the popularity of Cooper, he might just be the dark horse,” said Lauren Swanson, Entertainment Editor for SheKnows.com.

His best chance could be in the informative category, though, because that’s where his star power would make it easier to stand out, said Al Norton, who writes the column Two Tivos To Paradise at pop culture site 411mania.com. “While Anderson Cooper does have celebrity guests, it’s much closer to Donahue than Ellen,” Norton said.

Wendy Williams could earn a nod this year. Yahoo’s Boyer thinks Williams is deserving. “[She] has such great energy and an amazing studio audience. I had the pleasure of being on the show and it was a blast,” Boyer said.

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Nostalgia Effect

Then there’s the possibility of a nostalgia vote for LIVE with Regis and Kelly because of Regis Philbin’s departure. Sentiment could sway the outstanding show award his way and perhaps the host trophy too. “He’s a legend and deserves to not only be nominated but to win,” Fox said.
In 2011, Philbin won the hosting award with co-host Kelly Ripa and Dr. Oz in a tie. On the other hand, Philbin’s departure has ushered in a new era of daytime talk and viewers are moving on, Swanson said. Many experts say Dr. Oz is a strong contender for the host award. He’s won twice already.

Doctors and Dr. and Dr.

In the informative category expect the doctors to dominate. Unless voters tap Anderson here, the nominees will likely be The Doctors, Dr. Phil and The Dr. Oz Show, which have been the three nominees for the last two years. The Doctors has won once and Dr. Oz once.

“America has become virtually fascinated by taking health care out of the doctor’s office and into their own hands, which is why we have seen doctor-centric talk shows crop up over the last few years,” Swanson said. “The Doctors has gained a large viewership in the last six months, while Dr. Oz has risen to almost godly status. Nominations for them are, no doubt, imminent.”

iVillage’s Kappes also likes Dr. Oz. “His show is definitely formidable. But former fellow Oprah Winfrey guest Dr. Phil could definitely give him competition in the informative talk show category,” she said.

Snakkle’s Fox would cast a vote for Dr. Oz. “If it were up to me, I’d go for Oprah’s main man, Dr. Oz. He’s direct, smart, charismatic and his researchers do a bang-up job of making sure he sounds like an authority on everything from PMS to athlete’s foot,” Fox added.

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All Eyes on The Fall

Where the talk show category gets really interesting is next year when syndication’s new crop of talk shows fronted by Steve Harvey, Katie Couric, Jeff Probst, Ricki Lake and Trisha Goddard debut.
Regardless of who gets tapped this year, the daytime talk show award may not be the flashiest of awards, but that’s because the goal in daytime talk is to win as wide an audience as possible, Norton said. “These shows have taken steps to foster a real dialogue in our country in ways their nighttime cable counterparts have missed out on,” he said.

Later —
Daisy Whitney for Cynopsis
04.23.12

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