[Ellen DeGeneres] will get the chance to defend her title as America's favourite TV personality after scooping two nominations for this year's (09) Daytime Emmy Awards.

Last year (08), the comedienne took home the title of Outstanding Talk Show Host, but her star-studded programme The Ellen DeGeneres Show lost out for the first time in the Outstanding Talk Show/Entertainment category since its first nomination in 2004.

This time around, she'll face competition for the hosting award from Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa (Live with Regis & Kelly), TV chef Rachael Ray, and The View talk show hosts Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, Elizabeth Hasselbeck, Sherri Shepherd and Joy Behar.

Meanwhile, DeGeneres and her show's producers will face-off against Live with Regis & Kelly and Rachael Ray to take back the Best Show title.

However, veteran actress Susan Lucci has been snubbed from the list of nominees, after missing out in the Lead Dramatic Actress category in favour of All My Children co-star Debbie Morgan. Morgan will go up against Maura West (As the World Turns), Susan Haskell (One Life to Live), Susan Flannery (The Bold and the Beautiful) and Jeanne Cooper (The Young and the Restless).

In the male category, nominees for Outstanding Lead Actors In A Drama include Thorsten Kaye (All My Children), Peter Reckell (Days of Our Lives), Anthony Geary (General Hospital), Daniel Cosgrove (Guiding Light) and Christian LeBlanc (The Young and the Restless).

Supermodel-turned-talk show host Tyra Banks will also have a chance to follow up her 2008 Daytime Emmy with another prize - The Tyra Banks Show is nominated alongside Dr. Phil and new programme The Doctors in the Outstanding Talk Show/Informative category.

PBS' Sesame Street will receive the lifetime achievement award.

The 36th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards, hosted by actress/singer Vanessa Williams, will air on 30 August (09).