Emmy Bids Rosie Farewell

In a fitting Hollywood ending, the soon-to-be retired TV funnylady earned departing statuettes--for Best Talk Show and Best Talk Show Host--at the 29th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards Friday night at New York's Madison Square Garden.

Rosie, who is exiting The Rosie O'Donnell Show next week, bid an emotional farewell to the crowd as her morning show won for the fifth time since its 1996 debut, while she picked up her sixth consecutive Emmy for top host.

"I have to say this has been an amazing six years. The best six years of my life," O'Donnell said upon accepting her trophy. She won every year she was nominated. (She shared the prize with Oprah Winfrey in 1998 and Regis Philbin last year.)

In non-Rosie categories, ABC's One Life to Live scored the evening's top prize, Best Dramatic Series, for the first time in its 34-year history. Meanwhile, CBS' The Young and the Restless took home two awards, Best Actor for Peter Bergman (aka Jack Abbot) and Best Directing.

With the exception of The Bold and the Beautiful, which earned Susan Flannery Best Actress and Jennifer Finnigan Best Young Actress, the awards were pretty much evenly divided among daytime's veteran soaps As the World Turns, General Hospital and All My Children.

And Guiding Light fans got a special treat when their fave soap received a special salute for its landmark 50th anniversary on the air--the longest-running series in broadcast history.

Price Is Right icon Bob Barker was named Best Game Show Host. It was his 15th trophy.

"I'm delighted [to accept this award] because our show did not receive an Emmy...and I thought CBS would've thought we were The Weakest Link," the 77-year-old Barker told the jovial crowd, referring to NBC's recent axing of British import Anne Robinson's cutthroat game show.

Though Price was wrong when it came to Best Game Show--that honor went to Jeopardy!, which recently aired its 4,000 episode--Barker did get to serve as host of this year's awards show. (At one point in the show Barker even launched into his, um, pet project, suggesting to the audience they help control the pet population by having their pets spayed and neutered.)

LeVar Burton nabbed Best Performer in a Children's Series for his work on Reading Rainbow, which he's been associated with for years.

"This [award] is proof positive if you hang around long enough good things happen to ya," Burton said.

Barbara Walters was also on hand to honor the late former president of the National Academy of Arts and Sciences, John Cannon, who died of a heart attack last June, with a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award.

Among the big losers: Kelly Ripa's family. The Regis cohort was a double nominee for (Best Talk Show host for Live with Regis and Kelly and Best Supporting Actress for her role on All My Children) but failed to win either category. Her husband and AMC costar, Mark Consuelos, also came up empty in his bid for an acting trophy.

Technical awards were handed out in non-televised ceremonies last weekend for 44 categories, including makeup, art direction, costumes and editing. Among networks, ABC and PBS tied at the top of the list, earning nine technical honors, while CBS followed just behind with eight.

Here's a look at the key winners:

DRAMA SERIES: One Life to Live

LEAD ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES:, Peter Bergman, The Young and the Restless

LEAD ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES: Susan Flannery, The Bold and the Beautiful

SUPPORTING ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES: Josh Duhamel, All My Children

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES: Crystal Chappell, Guiding Light

YOUNG ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES: Jacob Young, General Hospital

YOUNG ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES: Jennifer Finnigan, The Bold and the Beautiful

DRAMA SERIES, DIRECTING: The Young and the Restless

DRAMA SERIES, WRITING: As the World Turns

TALK SHOW: The Rosie O'Donnell Show

TALK SHOW HOST: Rosie O'Donnell

GAME SHOW: Jeopardy!

GAME SHOW HOST: Bob Barker, The Price Is Right

CHILDREN'S SPECIAL: My Louisiana Sky

PERFORMER, CHILDREN'S SERIES: LeVar Burton, Reading Rainbow

CHILDREN'S ANIMATED PROGRAM: Madeline

PRESCHOOL CHILDREN'S SERIES: Sesame Street

SERVICE SHOW: Martha Stewart Living