Remembering Robin
The ceremony was tinged in sadness as Billy Crystal gave a touching and very personal salute to Robin Williams, whom he termed "for 40 years, the brightest star in the comedy galaxy."
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The ceremony was tinged in sadness as Billy Crystal gave a touching and very personal salute to Robin Williams, whom he termed "for 40 years, the brightest star in the comedy galaxy."
Slowing down Emmy
The Emmy broadcast washandsome and nicely paced, but there was still padding that could have been eliminated.
Do we really need to meet the accountants from Ernst & Young? Weird Al's weak theme song medley was two minutes we'll never get back. For that matter, all the variety show categories could have been sorted out off-camera. But the Emmys, as always, digress.
Drama awards get dramatic
The drama categories were more volatile than comedy, from the very first award: Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie went to Kathy Bates of American Horror Story.
AHS also gave us Best Actress in a Miniseries or Movie: Jessica Lange, a victory that seemed to take Lange genuinely by surprise.
Emmy host shines
Seth Meyers proved to be a very engaging host for the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards, in the Johnny Carson mold: hip, urbane and very funny.
His monologue was expertly tailored for the occasion. "We had comedies that made you laugh," he said, "and comedies that made you cry. Because they were dramas submitted as comedies." (Take a bow, Orange Is the New Black.)
He also noted, "The Emmys are on a Monday in August this year, which if I know TV, means the Emmys are about to be canceled."
Jimmy Kimmel used the pretext of presenting best supporting actress in a comedy to tee off on Matthew McConaughey, a presumptive favorite for Best Actor in a Drama later in the evening.
"You just won the Oscar, like, five months ago," Kimmel said, referring to McConaughey's award for Dallas Buyers Club. "How many of your acceptance speeches do we gave to sit through?"
The winners in the comedy categories were almost cliched. Jim Parsons won for the fourth time for playing Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory. Julia Louis-Dreyfus won for the third consecutive year for playing Selena in Veep. Come on, Academy; spread the wealth around.
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