If there was a theme at this year's Daytime Emmy Awards, it had to be that the night was a night of firsts.
Three performers from The Young and the Restless won awards in various acting categories. The wins marked the first for all three. Though nominated a record 28 times, several of the "big prizes" on the night went to other soaps. One of the other things that the CBS soap had going against it was the fact that nearly every category featured multiple Y&R nominees.
Going into the evening, The Young and the Restless had already won three Emmys, all in technical fields. Among the technical awards captured were wins for Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Direction for a Drama Series, Outstanding Achievement in Multiple Camera Editing for a Drama Series and Outstanding Achievement in Technical Direction/Camera/Video Control for a Drama Series. These awards were all handed out in pre-Emmy night ceremonies.
The first win in an acting category came as quite a surprise to many experts. Shemar Moore earned his very first Emmy for his portrayal of Malcolm Winters. Moore has been with The Young and the Restless since 1991. Upon taking the stage, Moore pulled out a cellular phone and literally out accepting the Emmy award on hold as he tried to get a hold of the woman in his life --- his mom. Moore's mom didn't pick up, so he was forced to leave her a message. "Mom," he chirped, his voice cracking. "I won this damn thing!"
With four of the six Younger Actor nominees belonging to Y&R, it was a safe bet that someone from Genoa City would take the award. When the winner's name was announced, the Tom family has yet another award winner in its midst. David Tom, younger brother of Heather Tom (Victoria Newman) earned his first Emmy in his first nomination.
Sister Heather had her chance to win another Emmy statuette in the Outstanding Younger Actress field. However, this would be young Camryn Grimes' night to shine as the pint-size actress picked up her very first award win. Grimes, a three-time nominee, nearly hyperventilated as she took to the stage. Grimes is one of the youngest winners in this category in Emmy history.
Headed by Bill Bell and Kay Alden, The Young and the Restless' writing team was honored for its Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series. This was only the show's third win in this category, with previous wins coming in 1992 and 1997. In total, Y&R has racked up 15 nominations for its writing.
The final three awards of the evening went to shows other than The Young and the Restless, though, as with nearly every other category, there were plenty of Y&R nominees. Peter Bergman (Jack) and Eric Braeden (Victor) were among the nominees in the Outstanding Lead Actor field while Jeanne Cooper (Katherine) and Jess Walton (Jill) tallied up additional nominations in the Lead Actress category. General Hospital's Anthony Geary (Luke Spencer) and The Bold and the Beautiful's Susan Flannery (Stephanie Forrester) were the victors.
As the night concluded, The Young and the Restless had made good on seven of its 28 nominations, more wins than any other program on the night.
