Cookie Monster | Hispanically Yours

Maurice Benard has special plans this Friday…

The 57-year-old Salvadorian and Nicaraguan American actor and General Hospital star is set to appear on the 47th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards this Friday on CBS.

Benard, who has portrayed Sonny Corinthos on General Hospital since 1993, is a two-time Daytime Emmy Award winner, including a win last year in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series category.

Bernard joins a presenters and performers roster that includes Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest, Kelsey Grammer, Gayle King, Melody Scott Thomas, Kathie Lee Gifford, Cookie Monster, Scott Evans, Patrika Darbo, Kevin Frazier, Wayne Brady, Michael Strahan, James Reynolds, Jacqueline MacInnes Wood, Nate Burleson, Sunny Hostin and Eric Braeden.

The event’s hosts will be Sharon Osbourne, Sheryl Underwood, Eve, Carrie Ann Inaba and Marie Osmond.

This year, awards in the leading categories will be presented virtually, with recipients and other guests appearing from home. Additional categories will be announced on the Daytime Emmys’ social media accounts simultaneously with the CBS broadcast, with some immediately following the broadcast and others streamed in separate virtual ceremonies on July 19 and July 26.

The 47th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be broadcast Friday, June 26, 8:00 – 10:00 pm ET/PT) on CBS.

Categories scheduled for the CBS broadcast include:

Outstanding Drama Series
Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Outstanding Entertainment News Show
Outstanding Writing Team for a Drama Series
Outstanding Digital Drama Series
Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host
Outstanding Game Show Host
Outstanding Game Show
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show
Outstanding Informative Talk Show
Outstanding Younger Performer in a Drama Series
Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Program
Outstanding Special Class Special
Outstanding Culinary Series
Outstanding Morning Show
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

There are some new Amigos heading to Univision…

The Spanish-language network will begin airing Season 1 of Sesame Amigos, a new 30-minute Spanish-language program from Sesame Workshop, on August 1 at 8:30 am ET/PT as part of Univision’s Saturday children’s programming block “Planeta U.”

The network has scheduled 26 episodes featuring Elmo, Cookie Monster, Bert & Ernie and other familiar denizens of Sesame Street.

Along with signature segments promoting learning, cooperation and being nice, each show will also feature the characters interacting with a Univision celebrity, among them Sal y Pimenta hosts Carlos Calderon and Lourdes Stephen, Primer Impacto correspondents Tony Dandrades and Jackie Guerrido, Despierta América’s Maity Interiano and William Valdez and Univision Deportes’ Pablo “La Torre de Jalisco” Ramirez.

Non-Univision Hispanic celebrities will also appear, including Vahdir Derbez, Diego Luna and Leslie Grace.

“Sesame Amigos is a new and innovative show designed specifically for Spanish-speaking families in the U.S.,” said Alberto Ciurana, president of Programming & Content, Univision Communications Inc. “While versions of Sesame Street air in more than 150 countries, Sesame Amigos will provide Spanish-speaking preschoolers the tools they need to succeed in the United States.”