The 60th Annual Emmy Awards Are Handed Out
Last night the 60th Annual Emmy Awards were given out for outstanding achievement in television at the Nokia Theater in downtown Los Angeles, CA. I was not able to watch the show myself, since I am currently in Reykjavik, Icelancd on holiday, but the reviews are in and I understand the show itself was pretty unwatchable. Despite the shortcomings of this year’s Emmy Awards show, the whole reason for the shindig in the first place is to hand out awards to some very deserving folks … oh, and for the fashions on the red carpet. Here are a few pics of some of the folks who strutted their stuff down the red carpet last night:
Christina Applegate looked stunning on the red carpet, I’m so glad to see her looking so well. Heidi Klum and Julie Benz also looked pretty amazing … I threw in David Boreanaz so that there could be a little bit of Angel/Darla love going on here. I liked Brooke Shields’s pink dress and I thought Kathy Griffin picked out a nice wig to wear for the event. Here are a few pics of some of the winners in the Emmy Awards press room backstage … I also threw in some non-winners as well, cuz they were brave enough to pose for pics without having actually won anything last night:
The sleek ’60s drama “Mad Men” made Emmy history Sunday as the first basic-cable show to win a top series award, while the sitcom “30 Rock” and its stars Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin also emerged as big winners. “We’re all so very grateful to have jobs in this turkey-burger economy,” Fey said after accepting the best comedy series trophy for her satire about a late-night TV show. “This is the greatest job I’ve ever had in my life,” Baldwin said of his role an a network executive. He paid tribute to Fey, the NBC show’s star and creator, as “the Elaine May of her generation.” “I thank my parents for somehow raising me to have confidence that is disproportionate with my looks and abilities. Well done. That is what all parents should do,” said Fey, who also won for best actress and writing in a comedy series. Emmy voters rewarded quality, not ratings: Many of the winners draw relatively small audiences. AMC’s “Mad Men,” which looks at America through the prism of Madison Avenue, is lucky to get 2 million viewers. Glenn Close of FX’s “Damages” and Bryan Cranston of AMC’s “Breaking Bad” captured drama acting trophies. Close, honored for her portrayal of a ruthless attorney, complimented her fellow nominees, including Holly Hunter and Sally Field. “We’re proving that complicated, powerful, mature women are sexy in high entertainment and can carry a show,” she said. “I call us the sisterhood of the TV drama divas.” Cranston won the trophy for his role of a desperate man who turns to making drugs. Dianne Wiest of “In Treatment” and Zeljko Ivanek of “Damages” won supporting acting honors for the drama series. Jean Smart of ABC’s “Samantha Who?” was honored as best supporting actress in a comedy series, with Jeremy Piven her actor counterpart for “Entourage.” Piven took aim at the five reality hosts who helped open the ceremony in what could charitably called a rambling way, saying, “What if I just kept talking for 12 minutes — what would happen? That was the opening.” The crowd at the 60th annual Primetime Emmy Awards laughed heartily, not a good sign for the hosts, who included Ryan Seacreast of “American Idol.” … Jeff Probst of “Survivor,” one of the ceremony’s masters of ceremonies, claimed the first award for best reality series host. “We feel honored to be part of this family. Thank you for letting reality in,” he said … HBO’s “John Adams,” about the founding father, was named best miniseries and won other awards including acting trophies for Paul Giamatti, Laura Linney and Tom Wilkinson. The historical drama set a record for most awards, 13, including five trophies Sunday and eight previously announced. The record of 11 was held by HBO’s “Angels in America,” the TV academy said. HBO was the most-honored network, with 26 awards earned Sunday and at the creative arts ceremony held earlier this month. ABC was second with 12 awards, followed by CBS, NBC and PBS with 10 each; AMC with eight, Showtime with five and Fox with four.
Felicitations and congratulations go out to all of this year’s Emmy Award winners … but I am struggling to find nice things to say about last night’s award show. Since I didn’t get to see it for myself, I have to rely on what others are reporting … and none of it is good. After the jump, check out some of the scathing yet funny bad reviews of last night’s 60th Annual Emmy Awards — believe me, some of them are deffo worth checking out …
USA Today: “It was hideously awful from start to harried finish, dragged down by five amateurish reality anchors who would have been unwelcome as guests, let alone hosts.”
AP: “Are the TV writers still on strike?”
Fresno Bee: “You could take all the elephants in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus, feed them rancid chili and rotten boiled eggs for a month, and they could not create a bigger stinker … The night was supposed to be a tribute to 60 years of television. It ended up being a reminder that people grow old.”
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “Less than 15 minutes into the Emmy Awards last night the first negative review came in from one of Emmy’s own winners.”
Roger Catlin: “Worst Emmys hosts ever.”
LA Times: “Somebody at ABC should just cut Ricky Gervais a check. For 35 minutes the 2008 Emmys seemed well on the way to being the Worst Awards Show in the History of Television, including this year’s Golden Globes, which happened in the middle of the writers strike and wasn’t really a show at all … But no single man or presenter could completely save a show that showcased a medley of famous TV theme songs performed by Josh Groban.”
MSNBC: “The Emmy telecast offers quality that’s dismally lower than nearly anything else on television. “American Idol” and “Dancing with the Stars” deserve plenty of criticism, but even their worst episodes — typically their results shows, as they lack content and waste time — are more engaging and entertaining than the Emmys … The Emmys need to dump their producers and directors, hiring a team who knows how to produce popular television.”
Yikes! It sounds pret-ty bad … if any of y’all watched last night’s show and have anything pertinent to add, please do … I must admit, I’m pretty entertained by just the bad reviews that I’ve been reading :)
[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin, Wireimage; Source, Source]
Tags: 'Mad Men', Amy Poehler, Brooke Shields, Christina Applegate, David Boreanaz, Heidi Klum, Jaime Bergman, Julie Benz, Kathy Griffin, Lauren 'LC' Conrad, Neil Patrick Harris, The Emmy Awards, Tina Fey
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September 22nd, 2008 at 9:09 am
the one time i did actually laugh out loud was with Ricky Gervais….honestly, why didnt they let him host?? i thought his bit was really funny. there were a few other amusing moments, but the “hosts” were AWFUL. oh well..better luck next year.
September 22nd, 2008 at 9:13 am
It was pretty bad. It was so long and no one was really funny! I was suprised how slow and dull it was. I am not surprised but I am happy it was over. A lot of people looked great!! LC did and so did so many others. I was so happy that John Adams won so many awards. That show rocks (or is it a mini series since it is 5 total parts)? At any rate it was blah but these kinds of shows usually are so it wasn’t all that unusual to me!
September 22nd, 2008 at 9:21 am
I agree, Ricky Gervais was awesome…pretty much anything with the hosts sucked except when they did the best reality host award. in the beginning of the show the hosts kept interrupting each other. i just found everything extremely awkward. i think they tried to celebrate sixty years but their bits weren’t funny (i liked josh groban though). overall pretty much a FAIL
September 22nd, 2008 at 9:30 am
it was a big yawn.
September 22nd, 2008 at 9:31 am
It was ackward. I bit my fingernails to nubbins, I felt so anxious during all of the ackward moments. Poor Heidi, to be grouped with those raving idiots. And Howie, do us all a favor and fade away.
September 22nd, 2008 at 9:33 am
YAY…..Amy Poehler is really a “baby mama” now!! Congrats to all the winners and nominees!
September 22nd, 2008 at 9:36 am
I was actually excited to watch it until i ACTUALLY watched it. The funniest moment for me (and by funny I mean incredibly sad and pathetic) was when Josh Grobin sang a montage of classic TV theme songs. I was laughing out loud the entire time all while quietly thinking it was as painful to watch as have one’s teeth drilled. After he got off stage I stopped watching and I’m glad I did.
September 22nd, 2008 at 9:48 am
Christina Applegate looked amazing; Kathy G always looks trannyfied!! Josh Groban–yuk. I applaud him for the undertaking but his voice=my ears being severed. This show was a definite *yawn* fest and even the Rowan/Martin reunion was a sleeping pill. I love Lily, but it wasn’t working. If only Estelle was alive and healthy and they could do a Golden Girls reunion…that would have been icing on the cake.
September 22nd, 2008 at 9:52 am
i LOVED the Josh Groban part, are you kidding me? It was like his cameo in the “I’m Fucking Ben Affleck” video – completely inappropriate for him and his style, and therefore HILARIOUS. i love how they just interjected the “chung-chung” of the Law&Order theme song randomly into the medley – that cracked me up too. i’ll admit, i am pretty easily amused, so maybe that’s why i found it funny.
most of the acceptance speeches were pretty good too, and some of the bits the presenters did weren’t too bad. i was annoyed when they kept getting cut out though! You could tell the presenters themselves were aggravated too. It was awesome when NPH called out Howie for his ramblings…too funny.
in any case, i can definitely see why people were disappointed – there were definitely some bits that were a HUGE waste of time, like with all the sets from classic TV shows. So unnecessary. i didn’t even really notice the hosts parts, which probably speaks volumes about their quality.
but in the end…TOM BERGERON WAS ROBBED!!! Probst is the best reality show host?? are you forreal?? Nobody even watches that show!!! Tom Bergeron is hilarious, and he does it on live TV – that man is insanely talented, i mean that.
HA, also, Heidi completely butchered saying David Boreanaz’s last name.
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:25 am
It was a big fat YAWN\! Jeremy Piven- the first award of the night also got the first laugh- by criticizing the hosts’ ridiculous introduction. BTW Victoria Beckham better watch out, There’s a new robot in town and her (its) name is Heidi Klum… as a big fan of Television and expecting a big blow out for a 60th annual Emmy’s I was asleep on the couch within an hour.
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:32 am
I’m in the minority of those who thought the Josh Groban bit was hilarious – had he done it “straight” it would have tanked, but it was done with tongue firmly planted in cheek. That was a great highlight, as was Don Rickles, Ricky Gervais and Tommy Smothers. I was looking forward to the Laugh-In tribute, which was just painful. The pre-show Jimmy Kimmel/Salma Hayek stuff was great, too – hunt that down, Trent, you’ll love the musical number!
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:37 am
Josh Groban was the highlight of the night. Seriously, yeah he didn’t sound like himself and it was embarrassingly screechy at points…but that was the whole point right ? It was funny and completely out of his character :D
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:48 am
I thought the Josh Groban part was cute – pulling off the Southpark voices, c’mon people! It was meant to be funny, not a typical, riveting Josh Groban performance!
The hosts were terrible! In presenting the Reality Host award, Jimmy Kimmel might as well have just said “you producers are douchbags who should have hired me for the job instead of these awkward, robot-like hacks”! I was seriously hoping he would just host the rest of the show! I was astonished by the opening, I was seriously waiting for the “we don’t have anything” bit to just be a bit, but that’s all it was! They were the worst!
My fave Emmy look of the night was Tina Fey’s. She just looked so clasically beautiful! And Jeremy Piven looked great in his pin striped suit. Too bad he didn’t shave!
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:49 am
It’s not that the Josh Groban thing was bad..it wasn’t. I give him props for doing it. But, he just personally drives me crazy. I HATE his voice with a passion. He is one of those people you like or don’t like. Simple as that. I think he’s terribly overrated. Still, it was funny and it was nice to see a lot of shows in the number. Speaking of Tom Bergeron, is AFHV still on the air? If so, why? I would do anything to see that show killed, as well as Survivor. They’ve been on far too long. Time to move on.
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:51 am
I watched most of the awards, and it was BAD! However, Josh Groban showed he had a sense of humour and Tina Fey was great! Don Rickles got a little carried away and it didn’t go well from there. Better luck next time.
September 22nd, 2008 at 11:13 am
I loved Josh Grobans bit. It was fun. Ricky Gervais was also hilarious. They really should have given him the hosting gig. But neither of them could save the show, and I stopped watching and went to bed.
The reality tv hosts, all failed. It was way too fake and forced, and not once did they day anything of substance.
September 22nd, 2008 at 11:19 am
I thought the Josh Groban thing was hilarious and had to watch it over and over via the courtesy of Tivo. The hosts were TERRIBLE. Thank goodness I had other things to occupy my time – like cleaning the toilet – while the show was on.
The Ricky Gervais bit was also very very funny.
Yeah, thats about it.
September 22nd, 2008 at 11:38 am
The show was so boring. I forgot the Emmys was even on. I think I have a girl crush on Tina Fey because she looked amazing.
September 22nd, 2008 at 11:42 am
I’m going with Hannah on this one, Ricky Gervais was really funny and he should seriously be considered for hosting this shindig next year. Don Rickles was hilarious and I wish we saw more of him. Don did get carried away but I think he was just really excited to be there. Most of the show was bad and even if they didn’t have the 5 hosts, it would still have been bad. Although 5 hosts minus Howie Mandel would have definitely been better. But still all around, a big ol’ mess.
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Josh Groban was good. Ricky Gervais and Steve Carell were funny. Michael Emerson got robbed. Tom Bergeron got robbed too. Don Rickles was pretty good too. Not impressed with the rest. It was predictable. While I like all the hosts, I didn’t like them hosting this. They are better at their other jobs. Bring Ellen back as host!
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:46 pm
How can you hate Josh Groban’s voice? When you have “singers” out there like Miley Cyrus who can’t actually sing without the help of some amazing editing, it’s a breath of fresh air to hear someone like Josh.
I thought the bit last night was hilarious.
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Thank you for posting that photo of Amy Pohler. She looks so beautiful in her pregnancy. She’s about ready to pop! I LOVE IT!! What a kick ass mom and dad that kid is going to have
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:49 pm
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