Emmy Impressions

This isn't exactly live blogging, but it's my impressions as a I watched the Emmys.  They were broadcast live, which is nice.  Often we get awards shows three hours late in LA.  Wonder if I should go to Wikipedia as I watch and update.

Afterwards I'll watch Breaking Bad.  Guess I'll write about that episode tomorrow.  The only thing I know for sure is this'll be the first time in four years that someone other than Bryan Cranston wins the Best Actor in a Drama Emmy.

We start with a Leonard Nimoy bit, who replaced Alec Baldwin when he walked.  Now Jane Lynch sings.  It's a big production number involving lots of other TV shows. (Including Weeds?  Does anyone care?) She even meet Sue Sylvester.  Very meta.

Okay, first award.  Supporting Actress in a Comedy.  Some divergent choices, and the likely winner, Jane Lynch, doesn't get it.  Julie Bowen does.  Good for her (even if it causes trouble on the Modern Family set).  I probably would have voted for her.   (No, I'm not a member of the TV Academy.) Now the question is how will host Lynch react.  Probably a good thing they got it out of the way early, but what if she's depressed now.

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy.  A whole bunch of guys from Modern Family versus the kid from Glee and Jon Cryer (and no one from Entourage).  A lot of people think it's Ty Burrell's turn, and sure enough, he wins.  Now the Dunphy family has two Emmys.  That'll make it easier on the set.  And he deserves is. So far, so good.

Back from commercial, Lynch makes jokes about losing.  But hey, the show goes on.

Ricky Gervais, of Golden Globes fame, makes a pre-recorded appearance which isn't a big deal and they're off to Comedy Director.  I don't really care about TV director awards much, this is a writer's medium.  The Emmy goes to (which means everyone loses) Michael Spiller from Modern Family (which to be fair is an interestingly directed sort of show).  Getting to be a Modern Family night.  As I've said in the past, it's a fine show, but it's not the only comedy around, or even the best.

Writing for Comedy.  This is the one that counts.  The nominees are one for 30 Rock, one for Modern Family, one for Louie, one for Episodes (interesting) and one for The Office.  Sure enough, Steve Levitan and Jeffrey Richmond for the Modern Family episode where the kids walk in on their parents and the other couple spill red wine on a carpet.  Louie would have been a braver choice but Modern Family is okay.

Looks like they're going to do comedy all in a chunk.  Won't that make the middle hour too serious?

Back from commercial and Jane Lynch calls them the Modern Family awards.  Not bad.  Better than her political joke.

Charlie Sheen comes on, always an event.  Part of his rehabilitation tour.  He's presenting Lead Actor in a Comedy.  But first he says nice things about his old show.  Totally serious.  Okay, the nominees.  Many are expecting Steve Carrell will win literally going away.  I didn't think he had a great season, but he's leaving.  A bit of a surprise, Jim Parsons of Big Bang Theory wins.  He won last year, though this time he had to beat his co-star to do it.  Since I think Sheldon is the show, it's hard to complain (though I still might go with Alec Baldwin or, even better, Louis C. K.  The latter probably can't win not just because he's a cult item, but because the Academy probably thinks he's not acting.)

Lead Actress in a Comedy.  A lot of people think it's Amy Poehler's year.  She walks right up on stage when he nomination is announced.  So does Melissa McCarthy.  And Martha Plimpton.  And Edie Falco.  And Tina Fey.  And Laura Linney.  Which five will do the walk of shame?  The winner is...Melissa McCarthy.  I admit that's a surprise.  I don't watch her show (Mike & Molly), but I suspect she was helped by her memorable work in Bridesmaids.  The Emmys worship the movies.

So the two big comedy actor awards went to Chuck Lorre shows.  Okay, I think we're done with the comedy awards.  I have to assume the Best Comedy they'll save for later (and it'll be Modern Family anyway.)

We're back.  An Office mash-up, including Breaking Bad.  Not bad.

Okay, looks like we're doing Variety and Reality, both bastard children of the Emmys.  Variety used to mean something, but now it's dead as Westerns on prime time.  As for Reality, do we really need another award for The Amazing Race?

Jane Lynch makes some gay jokes and the show goes on.  Time for Reality "competition" shows.  Shows about dancing (2), cooking, modeling, singing and the inevitable winner, The Amazing Race.  Why?  Is it that much better than everything else?

Now writing for Variety, which is sort of interesting, but Jon Stewart's show is the strong favorite.  Best nominations, since they get to do taped bits which are usually clever.  Colbert, SNL, Conan, Fallon, Stewart.  Yep, The Daily Show wins.  Why did they put the two such guaranteed wins in a row?

Some comedy music from SNL, done live (appropriately).

Directing in Variety.  Don Roy King for SNL.  It makes sense, since, if nothing else, directing this show is far harder than doing those talk shows and reality shows it's up against.

Outstanding Variety Show, which the Daily Show always wins. It's Conan, Stewart, SNL, Colbert, Bill Maher and Jimmy Fallon.  No Letterman or Leno. Daily Show wins for the ninth straight year.  Ho hum.  He's accepting the award and I can't stop looking at the tall guy in the back.  Which one is he?

When we return, drama.

Writing for Drama.  Two are from Mad Men.  There's Game Of Thrones and others, and the winner is Jason Katims from Friday Night Lights.  Hasn't this been canceled yet?

Supporting Actress in a Drama.  A lot of people are saying Margo Martindale in Justified.  The winner is...Margo Martindale.  Don't watch the show, so I can't say.  I've liked her in other projects.

Directing for Drama.  Scorsese did an awful pilot for Boardwalk Empire. Will the Academy be able to refuse him? Nope.  He wins.

Supporting Actor in a Drama.  Good category, with interesting choices, including John Slattery and Peter Dinklage.  Peter Dinklage wins.  I'd have preferred Slattery, but hey, Game Of Thrones deserves something.  (I was expecting shouts of "Half man! Half man!")

Best Actress in a Drama.  Julianna Margulies.  The Academy likes The Good Wife, so I suppose her win isn't a big surprise.

Best Actor in a Drama.  Exciting.  No Bryan Cranston.  Is it Jon Hamm's moment?  Hugh Laurie's?  The winner is...the four female presenters (the new Charlie's Angels and Drew Barrymore) scream the name and it's hard to understandsm but it's Kyle Changler, another Emmy for Friday Night Lights.  Wonder if Connie Britton feels passed over.

We're now in the final hour.  I wouldn't call the show thrilling, but with all the awards, it's moving along.

Time for TV movies and miniseries, which I believe have been combined.  Producers aren't thrilled, but for one night, it's making the audience a bit happier.

Writing for the whole deal.  We got Mildred Pierce, Too Big To Fail and others.  British Julian Fellowes for Downton Abbey.  He won an Oscar a few years back for more British stuff. (Let me add here there are these annoying "humorous" statements as the nominees walk up to accept their awards.  They've been going on for years and maybe should be reconsidered.)

Supporting Actress.  Some nice names, and the winner is Maggie Smith for Downton Abbey.  More love for classy, British, former Oscar winners.  She's not there so things move quickly.

Lead Actor.  Will they be able to resist William Hurt in Too Big To Fail?  There is Laurence Fishburne in his tour de force of Thurgood, and some Kennedy stuff and Idris Elba.  Barry Pepper in the Kennedy show wins.  Glad to see that won something.  He's no their, so the show might actually finish on time.

Director:  No love for Todd Haynes or Mildred Pierce.  It's Brian Percival for Downton Abbey.  The Academy sure loved that one.

Time to honor the dead.  These moments makes sense, and are generally better than production numbers.

Okay, we're back, and half an hour to go.  For some reason, we're doing Supporting Actor in a movie or miniseries.  Big names. Paul Giamatti. Guy Pearce.  Tom Wilkinson.  James Woods.  And one other guy from Mildred Pierce.  It's Guy Pearce from Mildred Pierce.  Sure, why not?  Too Big To Fail seems to have failed.  Guy talks about sex with Kate Winslet and gets some laughs.

Lead Actress.  Gotta expect Kate W to take this one.  I mean it won Joan Crawford an Oscar, so certainly it can win an Emmy.  There's Diane Lane and other names, but sure enough, it's Kate.  She's looking pretty good.

Okay, we're back from commercial and time for the biggies.  Some drama in drama, since Mad Men has been strong in the past, but hasn't scored that well so far tonight.

First, Oustanding Miniseries or Movie.  It was up against some big names, but the Downton Abbey road continues.

Okay, now Outstanding Drama.  Yet again, it's Mad Men.  Fourth straight.  Okay, why not (especially with no Breaking Bad this year.)  Certainly better than Boardwalk Empire.  And we get to see Christina Hendricks. The show is such an institution, I'm starting to wonder if they won't move it into the 70s.

Just one to go, Outstanding Comedy.  Tis is less even less suspenseful than Drama, as Modern Family takes it, as it did last year.  Steve Levitan claims his show makes people more tolerant, but thankfully turns it into a gag.

The show finishes on time and they start a repeat.  This is where I came in.