The Emmys were last night and if I had to sum up this year's show in one word, it would be surprising. They were chock full of award upsets, unexpected performers, well-placed cameos, and almost completely devoid of bloat (okay, the middle section got a little boring, but I digress).A tip o' the hat to the writers, producers, and host of this year's Emmys - Jimmy Fallon. The stage was set (so to speak) and the bar set high with an opening number featuring Bruce Springsteen's classic, "Born to Run". The sketch included not only Fallon and the Glee cast, but also Tina Fey, Betty White, Jon Hamm, Joel McHale, and...Jorge Garcia (!), all singing and shaking their money makers.
But don't just take my word for it - check out the sketch yourself.
Cameos ruled the night and were used effectively. The funniest one featured a faux conversation with the cast of Modern Family and the show's producer, who was pitching ideas of how to "spice up" the show. After a few suggestions were nixed, one that received a big thumbs up: When Phil dies, his widow Claire hooks up with Phil's dishy brother, played by none other than George Clooney. Shortly afterward, several "accidents" occur, with Gloria claiming George Clooney as her own (photo, above), and eventually George Clooney ends up in bed with--you guessed it--gay couple Cam and Mitchell.There was no monologue, but Jimmy Fallon did very short guitar riffs where he introduced each section of the award show: comedy, drama, mini-series or movie, and reality. He got people in the audience to sing with him, including Amy Poehler, Kim Kardashian (not a bad singer!), Julianna Margulies, and Steve Colbert.
He parodied Elton John, among others in a send-off for shows leaving the air. The inside, inside joke that probably only diehard LOST fans know is that Matthew "Foxy" Fox and Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day are very good friends. Apparently Jimmy Fallon also knows this (or it was a VERY freaky coincidence) because for his send-off to LOST, Jimmy dressed up as Billie Joe and sang his version of Green Day's "Time of My Life" (photo, left).Onstage, the presenters kept the banter short and for the most part witty. Co-presenters Jon Hamm and Betty White talked about their "sexual chemistry", with Betty hinting that things other than clothes got swapped in the changing area after the opening number.
The best presenter was my boy Ricky Gervais (slimmed down and looking, I have to say, quite hot), who very nearly stole the show with his banter. Amongst his riffs, one on Mel Gibson: "I'm not gonna have a go at him. He's been through a lot. [Pause] Not as much as the Jews, though." After he talked about his inability to get a beer backstage, he offered the entire audience a beer (The Office just went into syndication, drinks are on me, he explained). Waiters carrying longnecks on silver trays appeared out of nowhere and passed out drinks. Among those slugging back a cold one? Christine Baranski!While shows like LOST and Glee garnered lots of nominations, LOST was shut out (a shande, a shande, I say!) and Glee was only 2 for 19, getting wins for actress Jane Lynch and directing for co-creator Ryan Murphy.
Amongst other surprises/upsets: Top Chef beat out perennial favorite Amazing Race for best reality show and Big Bang Theory Sheldon Parsons won over favored to win Steve Carrell for The Office. Perhaps the biggest surprise was Breaking Bad actor Aaron Paul grabbing an Emmy over the two-way horse race of Michael Emerson and Terry O'Quinn, both favored to win for LOST. I'm thinking that two LOST actors on the ballot split the vote, allowing Paul to win. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
The show kept a brisk pace and the only section that seemed to drag were the awards for Mini-Series or Movie (mainly because I had never seen nor heard of most of them). Winners kept their speeches short and Al Pacino was the only one that seemed to ramble. But that, like using insipid Twitter comments to introduce presenters, were minor missteps and didn't ruin an otherwise entertaining and memorable evening.
Tomorrow: the fashions! :)
