THE EMMY SHOW: I loved it. From start to finish, the show moved like a fast train and I had a smile on my face for a significant portion of the three hours – which is saying a lot when it comes to any award show. The opening musical number, which was basically a 6BEE sketch, worked like a charm and kicked the show off in exactly the right spirit. Forget the naysayers who thought Jimmy bit off more than he could chew by trying to sing “Born to Run” but the idea of the sketch was not to sing perfectly but to camp it up, GLEE it up and have fun with it, and they did. From Joel McHale to Betty White to the GLEE kids to Jon Hamm and Tina Fey, everyone got into the fun and that’s why it all worked.
The ratings for the show were even with last year’s telecast with Neil Patrick Harris hosting. As much as I love NPH, Fallon topped him in the host role and did a better job of keeping the show moving. Three hours of any show is a very long time but Fallon’s energy and enthusiasm really kept the show moving at a brisk clip. It only slowed down when the miniseres awards were handed out in the third hour. That said, I was elated to see HBO’s TEMPLE GRANDIN rewarded over and over again because it was a fascinating story and deserved every award it received.
I was rooting for MODERN FAMILY so I was elated it won Best Comedy and that Levitan & Lloyd won for writing the pilot. A week ago, Ryan Case also won for editing the show. I think Jason Winer is deserving for the fine job he does directing the show but this year, that prize went to Ryan Murphy. I think everyone agreed Jane Lynch was more than deserving to win her Supporting Actress in a Comedy Emmy. I love Edie Falco and I love NURSE JACKIE but when you get right down to it, the show isn’t a comedy – it’s a dramedy at best. I think that Emmy belongs to Amy Poehler or Tina Fey. In the very tough category of Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, Aaron Paul was a nice surprise winner. I thought it would be one of the actors from LOST. Paul is a lovely guy and I’m very happy for his win. Another surprise was Archie Panjabi for Supporting Actress in a Drama for THE GOOD WIFE. She’s wonderfully mysterious as Kalinda and I was surprised to see her rewarded after only the first season. It wasn’t a shock to see Bryan Cranston win for Best Actor in a Drama but I have to confess that I was rooting for Kyle Chandler or Michael C. Hall; both have done fine work for many seasons and because Cranston has already won twice, I was hoping for a new winner. I was also surprised that Kyra Sedgwick finally won for THE CLOSER — the favorites were Glenn Close and Julianna Margulies and I thought Margulies had the edge this year because THE GOOD WIFE had such an outstanding freshman season and the show revolves around her. On the comedy side, it was lovely to see Jim Parsons win for Best Actor in a Comedy for BIG BANG THEORY; Parsons owns that role and he was genuinely touched when he won. I was also very happy to see Eric Stonestreet take the win for MODERN FAMILY – I would’ve been happy with Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Ty Burrell too because I think they all bring a lot of wonderful to their respective roles. Most of all, I like that the Emmy love was spread around to many different shows; that’s healthy for the industry and for everyone involved in the shows.
And now – onto the Emmy fashion and before I jump in, I want to point out a piece by Merle Ginsberg that was posted on Deadline.com – I don’t agree with the Emmys being “B-list” but Ginsberg’s take on the designers and the Emmys is interesting nonetheless:
THE EMMY FASHION RUNDOWN: this year’s trends: strapless gowns (way too many), midnight blue, pale creams and white
Sarah Hyland – gorgeous in a silver Pamela Rolland gown – she looked fantastic but I wondered if the look was too old for her age.
Jane Lynch – her fabulous height does wonders whenever she puts on a gown and this eggplant one shoulder gown by Ali Rahimi was beautiful and regal-looking – total win
January Jones – in a bright metallic blue strapless gown by Atelier Versace. Jones is model beautiful which is why she can even get away with wearing a gown like this. Very fashion forward with rigid shaping and blaringly bright color. I wasn’t crazy about it but I’m betting fashionistas lost their minds for it.
Giuliana Rancic – I liked her champagne David Meister gown with a heavily jeweled neckline but she had so much spray-tanner on that I thought it was going to rub off on the gown – points off for the orange
Kelly Osbourne – a complete wow in a black v-neck gown by Tony Ward – slim, blonde and gorgeous and very well-spoken
Rutina Wesley – in a grey and white gown by Paul Hannant – the gown struck me as art-inspired but I thought the overall effect was a full-on Monet
Kathy Griffin – in a body-hugging gunmetal grey (or was it brown?) Oscar de la Renta gown. Her body looked incred in this gown.
Jayma Mays – even prettier than usual in a navy strapless Burberry gown. So soft and lovely with gently tousled hair. Loved.
Kim Kardashian – she wore a white Marchesa “grecian goddess” gown and Lorraine Schwartz jewels. While many people raved about her look, all I could see were those giant boobs sheathed in white.
Lea Michele – in a midnight blue gown by Oscar de la Renta – very feminine and flattering, Michele knows how to wear couture and this was a great look from head to toe
Eva Longoria Parker – always very pretty and put together but I was a little bored by her black strapless gown by Robert Rodriguez. I like her when she wears color.
Claire Danes – super blonde and Grace Kelly stunning in a pale beaded strapless Armani Prive gown – she is model thin and model pretty and worked this dress like a mofo. Quite possibly the best dressed of the night.
Nina Dobrev – giving Danes a run for the money, she was statuesque and stunning in a champagne gown by Zuhair Muhad – the up-do and earrings were perfectly in proportion and the gown fit her perfectly
Sofia Vergara – curvy and bodacious in a gold strapless gown by Carolina Herrera – Vergara said she looked like a mermaid and I guess that’s a good analogy, if all mermaids have giant racks and heavy Columbian accents. But seriously, I don’t usually love gold gowns but this hugged her in all the right places and she looked totally comfortable in it.
Jon Hamm and Jennifer Westfeldt both wore Giorgio Armani – I liked Jennifer’s grey and black gown – I’m not sure if it had sequins or beads?
Amber Riley – wore a white gown
Julie Benz – very stark and simple in a white one shoulder gown and long straight hair in a ponytail – she looked amazing
Christina Hendricks – lavender gown with wispy feathers on sleeves by Zac Posen. I don’t mean this as a pun but there wasn’t enough shaping in the bodice of the dress so all you saw was cleavage and I think it made her lower half look big
Edie Falco – in a black one-shoulder gown by Bottega Veneta – nice but plain
Emily Deschanel – loved the shade of her Max Azria Atelier purple gown, still getting used to her bangs
Tina Fey – I loved this Oscar de la Renta gown – the design was cool and Fey complimented it nicely with a soft ponytail and makeup – this was one of my favorite dresses.
Anna Paquin – a very fashion forward gown by Alexander McQueen – the black gown had gold/red accents on the shoulders. I thought she looked like a wayward matador. And what the heck was goin’ on with the Bride of Frankenstein hair?
Julia Louis Dreyfus – immaculately turned out in a sexy black Narciso Rodriguez gown, her go-to designer of choice (and with good reason)
Betsy Brandt – looked fantastic in a red strapless gown
Heidi Klum – nearly showed all the goods in her SUPER short Marchesa dress
Amy Poehler – looked soft and pretty in her grey Max Azria gown that showcased her new mommy boobs nicely.
Julianna Marguiles – loved her midnight blue gown with silver paillettes by L’Wren Scott. Didn’t like the hair.
Jewel – one of the worst looks of the night: a strapless peach gown with a bow on it. She reminded me of a raggedy Easter basket.
Julie Bowen – wore a black gown by J.Mendel that was a funky shape in front. No.
Jane Krakowski – liked her midnight blue one shoulder gown by Escada and sky high blue heels
Kyra Sedgwick – I loved the burgundy/wine shade of her Monique Lhullier strapless gown. She usually wears her hair up but last night, it was long and flowing. I liked the entire look but many people didn’t like the hair.
Olivia Munn – only got a quick look at her lipstick red strapless gown and when I saw her, the dress pressed her chest in and made her look like she had no boobs. Isn’t she supposed to be a hottie of the moment?
Toni Collette – in a Valentino strapless gown that was soft grey on top and had a floral motif toward the hem – a really pretty gown.
Elisabeth Moss – much improved in pale cream satin one-shoulder gown by Donna Karan. Looks like she hired a stylist this time.
Jenna Fischer – in a coral strapless Valentino gown accented with pieces that looked like tiles but weren’t. A good dress. A nice look.
Lauren Graham – in an asymmetrical gown by Yigal Azrouel. Total misfire. Better luck next time.
Emily Blunt – softly gorgeous in a lavender Dior gown with silver accents. So very pretty.
Padma Lakshmi – in a beautiful blue gown by Carolina Herrera – I would’ve preferred it without the necklace but it’s from Padma’s new collection so she was in sell mode.
Diana Agron – I usually hate lace but she looked so pretty in this strapless lacy gown by Carolina Herrera
Keri Russell – a lovely shot of color in bright pink – it was a vintage gown by Jean-Louis Scherrer Haute Couture
Cheryl Hines – in pale grey Zac Posen draped gown – she glowed
Jennifer Carpenter – in a one-shoulder metallic grey gown that accented her slim figure
THE MEN: did you like the grey tux trend on Ty Burrell and Neil Patrick Harris? It was a softer look but I didn’t mind it at all. And I’ll say it here: Jimmy Fallon really knows how to rock a white tuxedo jacket.
Who killed it on the red carpet? Who embarrassed themselves? Tell me what you thought.
IN TOMORROW’S SURF REPORT: We’ll talk about MAD MEN “Waldorf Stories” installment which I watched late last night. I still need to see this week’s MY BOYS, DROP DEAD DIVA finale, TRUE BLOOD and ENTOURAGE. I also watched all four hours of Spike Lee’s New Orleans documentary IF GOD IS WILLIN’ AND DA CREEK DON’T RISE so I’ll talk about that too.
Tonight’s rundown:
ABC: 8:00 p.m. Bachelor Pad (two hours): Upcoming Dancing with the Stars contestants will be announced 10:00 p.m. Dating in the Dark
CBS: 8:00 p.m. How I Met Your Mother (R) 8:30 p.m. Rules of Engagement (R) 9:00 p.m. Two and a Half Men (R) 9:30 p.m. The Big Bang Theory (R) 10:00 p.m. CSI: Miami (R)
NBC: 8:00 p.m. America’s Got Talent (R, two hours) 10:00 p.m. Dateline
FOX: 8:00 p.m. House (R) 9:00 p.m. Lie to Me
THE CW: 8:00 p.m. 90210 (R) 9:00 p.m. Gossip Girl (R)
Showtime: 10pm: Weeds, 1030pm: The Big C
TNT: 9pm: The Closer, 10pm: Rizzoli & Isles
EARLY HEADS UP FOR TUESDAY NIGHT: ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox will broadcast President Obama’s Oval Office address on the current state of the Iraq war tomorrow beginning at 8pmET, pushing back primetime line-ups by an estimated 30 minutes in the Central and Eastern time zones.
That’s a wrap for now.
