‘THE Ellen DeGeneres Show” snared 11 Daytime Emmy nominations yesterday to lead all talk shows – while “All My Children” led the soap pack with 18 nods.

“DeGeneres” will battle it out for Best Talk Show with “Dr. Phil,” “Live with Regis & Kelly,” “Soap Talk” and “The View,” with those shows’ hosts also vying for Best Talk Show Host.

Perennial ratings champ “The Oprah Winfrey Show” removed itself from Daytime Emmy eligibility in 2000 – a year after Winfrey took herself out of consideration as Best Talk Show Host after winning a raft of Daytime Emmys.

“Oprah,” however, still received four nominations in lesser categories (hairstyling, lighting, multiple-camera editing and art direction).

Among the soaps, “All My Children” faces competition as Best Drama Series from “As the World Turns,” “General Hospital” and “The Young and the Restless” – but not from “Guiding Light,” whose set functioned as the backdrop for yesterday’s nominations. “GL” did receive nominations in other categories.

For the first time in recent memory, there could actually be some controversy in the kiddie-TV arena, with PBS’ “Postcards from Buster” receiving a nomination as Outstanding Children’s Series.

That series, an offshoot of “Arthur,” made headlines last month by airing an episode in which Buster, a rabbit, visits a friend in Vermont with “two mommies” – drawing the ire of Education Secretary Margaret Spellings.

Among the networks, ABC received the most nominations (53), followed by syndication (49), CBS (47), PBS (32), NBC (10) and Disney Channel (9).

The 32nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will air Friday, May 20 on CBS (9 p.m./Ch. 2).

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Daytime Emmy Nominees

* Best Talk Show:

“Dr. Phil”

“The Ellen DeGeneres Show”

“Live with Regis & Kelly”

“Soap Talk”

“The View”

* Best Soap:

“All My Children,” ABC

“As the World Turns,” CBS

“General Hospital,” ABC

“The Young and the Restless,” CBS

* Best Actress:

Martha Byrne, “As the World Turns”

Susan Flannery, “The Bold and the Beautiful”

Nancy Lee Grahn, “General Hospital”

Kim Zimmer, “Guiding Light”

Erika Slezak, “One Life to Live”

Kassie Depaiva,”One Life to Live”

Juliet Mills, “Passions”

Michelle Stafford, “The Young and the Restless”

* Best Actor:

Michael E. Knight, “All My Children”

Roger Howarth, “As the World Turns”

Jack Wagner, “The Bold and the Beautiful”

Steve Burton, “General Hospital”

Grant Aleksander, “Guiding Light”

Christian Jules LeBlanc, “The Young and the Restless”