Back in 1987, when Oprah Winfrey won Daytime Emmys for best talk show and host for the first time, Us Magazine reported that she celebrated by dancing "till the wee hours at two New York nightclubs."

Afterward, when she kept winning year after year, Oprah Winfrey no longer boogied up to the podium. She took herself and her show out of competition, quitting the race for best talk show host in 1999 and the series contest one year later.

Her reasons, Oprah being Oprah, were noble, of course. She wanted to let other folks get their share of Emmy gold and she still lets some of the staffers compete, including her directors, sound mixers, editors and makeup artists, for example. Oprah Winfrey's lighting directors can't seem to lose — they sweep their category year after year.

But by declining to compete for best talk show, she's denying her hard-working producers the chance to reap the recognition of their TV peers. Is that fair?

Right now Ellen DeGeneres is romping through both categories — program and host — apparently unbeatable, just like Oprah used to. It's not a fair and open contest anymore. No young newcomers are winning, which is what Oprah wanted to happen when she bowed out.

Memo to Oprah: Come back! Let's see the Emmy Battle of the Behemoths: Ellen DeGeneres vs. Oprah! No doubt Oprah's fans would like to see her return to the Emmy derby — and so would the Daytime Emmys, which are sagging in the TV Nielsens.

And hey, do you think Oprah even knows that she's got a pesky problem with Phil Donahue? While "The Oprah Winfrey Show" holds the record for most wins as best talk show, Phil has more Emmys for hosting.

Currently, here are the scores for best talk show: "The Oprah Winfrey Show" (9), "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" (7), "Donahue" (6), "The Merv Griffin Show" (6), "Martha Stewart Living" (5), "Ellen" (4).

Best talk show host: Phil Donahue 9, Oprah Winfrey 6, Rosie O'Donnell 6, Martha Stewart 4, Ellen DeGeneres 3.

Photos: AP, ABC