General Hospital's executive producer, Frank Valentin,i was subdued in speaking to the press about the show's unprecedented 13th win as Outstanding Drama Series.
"It's a little surreal," Valentini said. "But the best part was accepting from Gladys Knight. I'm a huge Gladys Knight and the Pips fan, and she was adorable. I have a picture with her and an Emmy, so it's a perfect evening."
Privately, several cast and crew members admitted that they were a bit surprised by the show's win. Still, the sole ABC soap continues to try to push the envelope. In fact, Valentini teased the forthcoming return of the Nurses Ball -- but would not commit to saying that the show would do another batch of live broadcasts.
"You never know, but the Nurses Ball is coming back, and it's awesome. We're halfway through shooting it. That's why we're hungry as well. We've all been working so hard on this year's Nurses Ball, and it's going to blow the rest of them out of the water."
The Nurses Ball was created in 1994 to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS. After more than a decade of being absent from the GH canvas, the Nurses Ball returned in 2013.
Valentini made sure to take a few moments to thank the show's biggest supporter -- the fans.
"Was there anyone I forgot [to thank on stage]? The only people I forgot to thank, I think, were the fans, and I thanked them last year. And I really want to make a special point to thank Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos), who is so incredible and so giving as an actor. The two younger actors who won tonight [are] amazing, but they won also because they [were] in scenes with him. He was all over their reels, and he plays their father, of course. But you guys know that."
General Hospital won its first Outstanding Drama Series crown in 1981.
