A Lion in the House" wins in a tie

"A Lion in the House" shared a special Emmy Saturday night with Spike Lee's "When the Levees Broke" in a tie vote.

Co-producer/director Julia Reichert told the audience, "This is really a surprise. This is just a small film from Ohio."

Her partner Steve Bognar named all the children in the film and the staff of Cincinnati Children's Hospital. To get all his thank-yous to crew, family, friends and sponsors out, he had to raise his voice before the time's -up music drowned him out.

Among those joining Reichert and Bognar at the ceremony in the Shrine Auditorium were Cincinnati-based producer Melissa Godoy, Delhi native editor Jaime Meyers, and Karen Durgans of Yellow Springs, who is still involved in outreach and educational programs developed in concert with the film.

The families of the children featured in the film were represented by Northern Kentuckians Adam and Shelly Ashcraft. Adam's brother Justin is one of the five patients in "Lion."

The win came four hours into a ceremony that still had several categories to complete. Show producers promised the show would be cut to two hours before it shows up on E Entertainment TV in a week.