Cinerant

Emmy Round-Up

This is the first year I can remember in a while that the Emmys were actually worth watching.

And not because of the awards (though it was nice to see the group from "24" finally rewarded for an excellent season). Maybe it was because there was so much self-spun controversy about the nomination process, but giving the awards was like taking the wind out of sails. Maybe it was also because there weren't any egregiously overlooked awardees. Sure, I completely expected Shonda Rimes to win for writing the post-Super Bowl episodes of "Grey's Anatomy", but "The Sopranos" always does well in the writing categories. And "Grey's" had two competing episodes in that category, so they probably cancelled themselves out.

The Spelling tribute could and should've been better. Unfortunately, the show didn't provide any context to help the audience understand Spelling's monumental achievements. (Or if they did, I didn't hear it. The people I was watching it with were too busy making snarky comments about how old some of the presenters looked.) Maybe it's hard to summarize in 5 minutes how singular Aaron Spelling was in changing the face of television. As dated as they now look, "Dynasty", "The Mod Squad", and even "Melrose Place" were landmarks of popular culture that changed the way that people perceived television and its relationship to the real world. The "Charlie's Angels" reunion was a great moment too that unfortunately, had no context, but it was great to see those three together again, no matter how uncomfortable or out of place they appeared.

But really, the highlight of the night was Conan. His "Music Man" riff was great and NBC should be patted on the back for allowing him to do it. His stint through "Lost", "24", "The Office", and "House" were great. Personally, I think it would've been funnier if Jin had met him and was trying to speak to him in Korean, but minor squibbles. The Bob Newhart gag was also absolutely hilarious. It made me wish Newhart was back on television in a regular role, but he's over 35, so I guess we'll really only see him in guest spots, so Marc Cherry, bring him back to "Desperate Housewives!"

Best presenters would be a toss-up between three pairings: Tina Fey and Tracy Morgan (actually made me a TINY bit interested in their sitcom); Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart; and my personal favorites, Hugh Laurie and Helen Mirren. Their riff was hilarious. (And by the way, if current buzz is correct, expect to see a lot more of Helen Mirren at awards shows over the next six months. She's starting to emerge as a frontrunner for the Best Actress Oscar for the upcoming Stephen Frears movie, "The Queen.)

And while the best shows on television ("Battlestar Galactica", "Scrubs", "Arrested Development", "The Shield") went home empty-handed, the choices weren't appalling. But nevertheless, let's get this new TV season started!

posted by cinegod @ 8:38 AM