Yes, Stacy Haiduk (who plays Mary Jane Benson/Patty Williams a crazy woman who believes her dead cat is still alive after losing her mind a bit by changing her entire face in order to stalk and seduce Jack Abbott on Y&R) brought a stuffed cat with her as her date to the Daytime Emmys … but it’s okay cuz her crazy-ass character on the show made that stuffed cat a star! While there were a lot of awards handed out last night, the big enchilada went to The Bold & The Beautiful. After the jump, check out a few photos from the show itself and a few photos of some of the winners posing with their new Emmys in the press room after the awards were handed out — plus, read all about B&B’s big win which was 22 years in the making …

After 22 years on the air, “The Bold and the Beautiful” finally won its first victory as best drama series when the Daytime Emmy Awards were bestowed at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles. It had been nominated for the top Emmy several times, but many award gurus believed it might never win, being a half-hour program competing against one-hour rivals. Another big shock at the Daytime Emmys was the victory by “The View” for best talk-show host, a category that has never been won by a multiple-host program over more than 35 years. Historically, there’s a strong bias in favor of single-host programs winning in the separate category as best talk-show too, but “The View” did manage to break that jinx once — in 2003 when it tied with “The Wayne Brady Show.” This year Emmy watchers were outraged that “The View” wasn’t nominated for best talk show, only reaping a bid in the host race. Its stars, Joy Behar, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Whoopi Goldberg, Sherri Shepherd and Barbara Walters didn’t bother to travel from New York to Los Angeles for the ceremony. “We’re accepting it on their behalf,” presenter Jennie Garth said when no one appeared at the podium to claim the statuette for best hosting. However, co-presenter and “90210″ costar Lori Loughlin warned, “We’re not giving it back!” There were lots of first-time winners at the Daytime Emmys, including Tamara Braun (”Days of Our Lives”) as best supporting actress and “Days” co-star Darin Brooks as best younger actor. Accepting his trophy, Brooks got bleeped by TV censors, then gushed, “Ooo, did I swear? I knew that was going to happen!” That “Days” reaped two acting honors surprised many Emmy watchers. The program is often shrugged off by the conservative TV industry at awards time because it skews to a young, hipster demographic. First-time champ Vincent Irizarry (”All My Children”) shared the laurels for best supporting actor with another rookie victor, Jeff Branson (”Guiding Light”), who acknowledged cancellation of his program, gasping, “72 years! I give this to all of us.” Another first-time champ was Julie Berman (”General Hospital”), who exclaimed as she claimed the younger-actress trophy, “Oh, my God! Oh, my God! This is so scary. I haven’t shaken this much since I auditioned for this part!” Among repeat winners was Christian LeBlanc (”Young and the Restless”) as best actor. Susan Haskell (”One Life to Live”) won best actress for the first time, but previously triumphed in the supporting-actress race back in 1994. “Rachael Ray” proved that its upset victory over “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” last year as best talk show (entertainment) was no fluke. After Ellen’s program won the talk-show category four years in a row, Rachael’s yakfest took its second consecutive victory … The evening included a heartfelt farewell to the canceled “Guiding Light.” Betty White introduced the video tribute, saying, ” ‘Guiding Light’ started off on radio in 1937 and, in 1952, it became the first soap opera on TV and to this day it has become the longest-running drama in TV and radio history. But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end.” The ceremony included a grandly staged tribute to “Sesame Street” upon its 40th anniversary, which came at a curious time in its awards history. For decades, “Sesame Street” so dominated the race for best children’s show that, in 1995, TV academy spun off a separate category for pre-school children’s shows just to get it out of the way and let other juvenile programs share the gold. Ever since that new category was hatched, “Sesame Street” romped through it too — except this year when it was beaten by “Between the Lions” on Saturday night at the Creative Arts ceremony.

And here are a few of the winners:

CBS had themselves a great night … I have to say, I am very happy that B&B finally won the big prize. Having spun off from Y&R 22 years ago, B&B was the little half-hour show that could … they really brought out all the stops last year and deffo deserved their win. Congrats and love!! As for the rest of the awards handed out at the 2009 Daytime Emmy Awards yesterday, you can click HERE to see who else took home awards. Did any of your faves win?

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source, Source]

Civil rights group GLAAD honored the movie “Milk” and singled-out Reverend Gene Robinson and comedian Kathy Griffin for their work at a Saturday night gala highlighting issues such as gay marriage and equality. Talk program “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” was given a GLAAD Media Award for its episode “Ellen & Portia’s Wedding Day,” covering DeGeneres’ wedding to actress Portia de Rossi. DeGeneres dedicated the honor to Carl Walker-Hoover, an 11 year-old Massachusetts boy who killed himself earlier this month because school kids bullied him and called him “gay.” “In my opinion, we are not fighting for gay rights, we are fighting for equal rights,” DeGeneres told the black tie crowd at Los Angeles’ Nokia Theater. The 2009 awards marked the 20th year that films, TV shows, performers and others have been honored by GLAAD, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. “Milk,” about slain gay rights activist Harvey Milk, was named best film. “Desperate Housewives” was chosen best TV comedy, and “Brothers and Sisters” was named top TV drama. GLAAD President Neil Giuliano spoke to the audience about the impact TV shows such as “The L Word” and movies like “Brokeback Mountain” have had on introducing audiences to all sorts of lesbian and gay characters and issues they face. Giuliano touched on marriage and said that despite setbacks like the passage of California’s Proposition 8 which denied gay men and women the right to marry in that state, progress has been made in other states where gay weddings are now legal. “As we learned in Iowa and Vermont, ignorance and hate does not stop the march of social justice,” Giuliano said. While many of the night’s speeches focused on social and political issues — as expected for the activist group — the night also featured a lot of comedy and music. Comedian Kathy Griffin accepted the Vanguard Award for her work in the gay community. She dressed in a bikini with a white, gay marriage ribbon, pinned to the bottom. The makers of video sensation “Prop 8: The Musical,” a parody of the conservative campaign backing Proposition 8, were singled-out with a special recognition award, and the musical number was performed on stage. The Right Reverend V. Gene Robinson, the first openly gay Bishop in the Episcopal church, was given an honorary award for his work as a religious leader and activist. Last month, GLAAD held a ceremony in New York City where it handed out other media awards. A similar event is planned for May in San Francisco.

I really love that the GLAAD Media Awards are handed out in LA, NY and San Francisco … issues of GLBT visibility are too large for just one ceremony. Much love and congrats to all the folks who work tireless to help foster and spread positive images of the gay community, pushing the boundaries of discrimination further and further away. The work is long and hard and nowhere near complete … until justice and equality for all is achieved in this country, the work carries on. Again, congrats to those folks who keep on keepin’ on. Click HERE for a full list of award winners from the LA portion of the GLAAD Media Awards. My dear friend Darion was able to attend the GLAAD Media Awards yesterday and he managed to get a fun photo with one of his fave celebs:

Don’t they look great? Kathy Griffin looks stunning. Trust me, Darion was geeked beyond words. Woot!!

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]

Batman movie “The Dark Knight” soared away with five People’s Choice Awards on Wednesday including favorite movie and on-screen pairing for stars Christian Bale and the late Heath Ledger to kick off Hollywood’s annual awards season. Country singer Carrie Underwood, who rose to fame on television talent show “American Idol,” was another big winner, hauling in three People’s Choice Awards for favorite female singer, country song “Last Name,” and star under 35 years-old. “Fans and people voting for me are what gave me a career in the first place,” Underwood said, acknowledging the voting by music lovers. “This is an amazing night.” The People’s Choice Awards, in its 35th edition this year, are a widely watched measure of popular appeal for Hollywood stars and they mark a starting point for the industry’s annual awards season which runs through the Oscars, the world’s top film awards, that take place in February. Adam Sandler was named funniest male star, Reese Witherspoon favorite female movie star, and Kate Hudson top leading lady among winners in more than 40 categories covering film, television, music and even online entertainment.

Sandler, Witherspoon and Hudson all echoed a familiar theme of the night by saying People’s Choice honors were special because they were voted on by fans, as opposed to critics or members of industry groups. The ceremony also has a more casual atmosphere compared to TV’s Emmy’s or the film industry’s Oscars, where black ties and ball gowns are mandatory. Noting that difference, Katherine Heigl, who accepted the trophy for best comedy movie for her “27 Dresses,” told reporters backstage that she wore a pants suit because “it was after the holidays, so I didn’t want to wear anything strapless or anything I had to suck in my stomach for.” Among film honors, “Dark Knight,” which was 2008’s top film at box offices with global ticket sales of nearly $1 billion, also proved to be the No. 1 movie of the night. Along with best film and on-screen match-up, it hauled in awards for favorite action movie, superhero for Bale as Batman, and for its cast. “The Secret Life of Bees” was the winner of best film drama and favorite independent film, and animated “Wall-E” was the No. 1 family film for People’s Choice voters. In the TV arena, medical show “House” was named favorite TV drama, and “Two and a Half Men” was best TV comedy. “The Mentalist” was top new TV drama while “Gary Unmarried” was the No. 1 new TV comedy. “House” star Hugh Laurie took home the trophy for favorite male TV star, and Christina Applegate took the honor of top female TV star for “Samantha Who?” Applegate, who revealed earlier this year that she underwent surgery for breast cancer, said the award meant a lot to her after a difficult year.” “I feel great. I really do,” she told reporters backstage. “Each week gets easier and each week gets better.” Ellen DeGeneres was named best TV talk show host and “Dancing With the Stars” was the people’s pick for No. 1 competition or reality TV show. Along with Underwood, top winners in music included Kid Rock for favorite rock song “All Summer Long,” Rascal Flatts for favorite group, Chris Brown best male singer and Katy Perry with best pop tune “I Kissed a Girl.”

I love the People’s Choice Awards primarily because the winners are determined by the people … which is unlike any other major award show. I had tickets to attend last night’s show but couldn’t make it because of a last minute meeting I had to attend late yesterday afternoon. As much as it bums me out that I couldn’t attend, I’m very happy with the way other things are going in my personal life right now … but I’m digressing. Much congrats to the winners of the PCAs this year. Let’s see if The Dark Knight is able to secure any other nominations and awards as the Awards Season carries on. Click HERE to see a full list of this year’s People’s Choice Award winners.

[Photo credit: Wireimage, Splash News; Source]

I swear to all things adorable, I really love Ellen and Portia together. They make such a great couple and they *always* look so happy and content when they are together. They are the perfect portrait of what love looks like. They compliment one another so well and I have a very good feeling that they are going to be together for the rest of their lives. Seeing these two find happiness together gives me hope that true love can actually exist in Hollywood. Hands down, they are one of my fave couples ever … they are truly an inspiration.

[Photo credit: Splash News]

After the jump, check out a few photos of Ellen and Portia laughing, cuddling, sharing their wedding cake and enjoying a dance together …

These photos are just … beautiful. I am so happy for them both. What more can be said other than … congrats!!!

[Photo credit: Lara Porzak, Source]

Because Ellen has to begin work on the new season of her daytime talk show, the couple couldn’t jet off and enjoy a “traditional” honeymoon right after their wedding … but you may recall that the couple did enjoy a pretty extensive pre-wedding honeymoon-type vacay in Italy earlier this summer. Instead, the couple just stepped out together as wife and wife for lunch at Real Food Daily, which is a restaurant very near their home. I love it … they’re like an old married couple already ;)

[Photo credit: X17]

It was an evening of love, laughter, and a few tears for Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, who exchanged personal wedding vows in front of their closest family and friends on Saturday at their home in L.A. In an exclusive interview and photos, DeGeneres, 50, and de Rossi, 35, share the most romantic moments of the night with PEOPLE. “What can I say? I’m the luckiest girl in the world,” says DeGeneres. “She’s officially off the market. No one else gets her. And now she’ll cook and clean for me.” Amid candles and flowers by Mark’s Garden, both brides, wearing designs by Zac Posen, sat on floor pillows along with author Wayne Dyer, who officiated the ceremony. After exchanging Neil Lane rings, the couple and their guests sat down for an all-vegan menu prepared by their personal chef David Silberkleit while Sweet Lady Jane created a vegan red velvet cake for the celebration. “The love we felt from the people surrounding us, and the love we have for each other, made this the most beautiful and emotional day,” says de Rossi. “And one that we’ll never forget.”

Aww, it sounds like it was a beautiful ceremony, I can’t wait to see the pix in full. I just love Ellen and Portia together … they appear so right for one another. They both seem like such genuinely sweet people and I am thrilled that they can now be an officially, legal married couple. Much, much congrats and love goes out again to the happily wedded couple.

[Source]

Ring the wedding bells! Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi have tied the knot. “Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi were married tonight in an intimate ceremony at their home in Los Angeles,” their spokesperson tells PEOPLE exclusively. DeGeneres, 50, and de Rossi, 35, both wore Zac Posen and exchanged rings by Neil Lane during the Saturday ceremony. Their big day also featured arrangements by L.A. florist Mark’s Garden. The intimate ceremony was attended by 19 guests, including DeGeneres’s mom Betty and de Rossi’s mother Margaret Rogers (who flew in from Australia for the occasion), who witnessed the couple exchange handwritten vows. The couple have been dating since December 2004. DeGeneres announced her plans to wed de Rossi during a taping of her talk show in May after California’s Supreme Court ruled a previous ban on gay marriage to be unconstitutional.

Woot! This is amazing and very happy news! The doubter in me didn’t totally believe that Ellen and Portia were going to be wed this weekend until I saw the Party Planning trucks arrive at their Beverly Hills home … then I started getting excited that they might actually do the deed — and they did! I am so happy for our dear de Generossi … they seem so right for one another and now that the great State of California has ruled that same-sex marriage is legal, I am just thrilled that they can show the world how much they love one another by entering into this kind of commitment. Much, much congrats and love to them both. I wish them a lifetime of happiness together!

[Photo credit: INFdaily; Source]

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, 35, will wed this weekend in California, Usmagazine.com has learned exclusively. The pair are planning a small, intimate ceremony with only a few close friends and family.

Yeah, that’s pretty much all the info that US Weekly’s got … so you can see why I didn’t immediately believe that it was necessarily true. The party planning trucks, tho, seem awfully suspicious. It’s very reminiscent of the Wentz/Simpson wedding that happened earlier this year … rumor rumblings started up and then trucks and tents started appearing on the grounds of the Simpson manor and a wedding was had. Still … one can never be sure … do y’all think that the couple are planning to be wed this weekend? Are pictures of these trucks enough?

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]

But, the ladies saved the most exciting endeavor for when they got back on board their yacht … here are pics of a very excited and happy Ellen kicking her heels up in ecstatic glee …

… I wonder what Portia could’ve done to get Ellen so riled up. After the jump, find out what caused Ellen to fling her legs up in the air like this …

Woot! Portia took off her top so that she could sunbathe topless:

Hee hee! Anyone who’s ever watched The Ellen DeGeneres Show knows what an excitable creature Ellen can be … why, just hearing her fave pop song can get the woman bouncing all over the place. I imagine that getting to enjoy Portia de Rossi’s breasts whenever she wants to is the one sure thing that can really get Ellen agog with invigoration ;) It’s unclear how long the ladies plan to stay on their Italian getaway but by the looks of how much fun they’re having, they might stay overseas for quite some time yet.

[Photo credit: INFdaily]