Naturally, the least surprising awards show of the season honored a slew of repeat winners ( 30 Rock, The Daily Show, Mad Men), but thankfully, a few new faces like Jon Cryer and Kristen Chenoweth kept things interesting. Here are the ten best moments of the 61st Annual Emmy Awards.
Family Guy's Red Carpet F-Bomb
What the deuce? Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane got the Emmys off to a classy start by dropping the f-bomb live on TV within a minute of E!'s Giuliana Rancic throwing a mic in his face.
The Obligatory Kanye West Joke
Neil Patrick Harris upheld the most important part of his hosting duties: delivering the inevitable Kanye West riff.
The Supporting Comedy Gals’ Ocular Antics
Amy Poehler convinced her fellow nominees for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series to don wacky eyewear as the nominations were announced. All but Vanessa Williams, who was apparently having none of that. The award went to Kristen Chenoweth, who reminded everyone that she’s available to act in, say, Mad Men or The Office, now that Pushing Daisies has been canceled.
Duckie Wins!
Considering how long Two and a Half Men has been on the air, and how much the Emmys love awarding middle-of-the-road fare like Two and a Half Men, you may be surprised to learn that this was Jon Cryer’s first win, despite being nominated four consecutive times.
A Great Speech From an Unexpected Source
Despite plenty of A-list talent snagging awards, the best speech of the night came from relative unknown Ken Howard, who won Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for his work in HBO’s Grey Gardens. In the course of his speech, he managed to zing Kanye West, Joe Wilson, and SAG—and thank his stuntwoman kidney donor.
Dr. Horrible is Kind of Awesome
Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, a musical webseries created by Joss Whedon and starring Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion, was the best thing to come out of last year’s writers strike, and Neil’s reprisal of his hilarious role was probably the best thing to come out of the Emmys. The wannabe evil mastermind Dr. Horrible makes a case for why watching television on the Internet is better than watching on an actual TV. Call us biased, but we totally agree!
The Daily Show Wins, and Wins, and Wins…
Jon Stewart’s had a busy year. Between sparring with Jim Cramer and breaking in a new administration, the funnyman still found time to put on a solid performance, helping The Daily Show net its seventh consecutive trophy. No, seriously, seven. Might as well pick this in your office Emmy pool from now until 2015.
Glenn Close’s Classy Victory
When Glenn Close won for Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Damages, she thanked the perpetual Hollywood creative underclass, the writers. It was a classy move guaranteed to win her a few friends on the backlot. It was also the best way to guarantee her character not get suddenly disfigured in an upcoming episode.
Newhart to Fey: I Want to Go to There
We never thought we’d be forced to imagine Tina Fey making out with Bob Newhart. But the consummate television veteran went there, conjuring up a mental image we’ll never be able to erase. Luckily, he veered his speech into the less terrifying (but no less hilarious) territory of the dismal ratings his earliest TV efforts received. No worries, though, we’re pretty sure the combined success of The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart eased the sting slightly.
“Whew, That Was a Nailbiter.”
Sure, 30 Rock’s win wasn’t a shock, but it was still satisfying to watch the show get recognition after a strong season. Tina Fey delivered a hilarious speech, singling out producer Robert Carlock, saying he’s the engine that keeps the show running and it’s clearly killing him. “I mean, look at him! Robert, I want to work with you every day until I put you in the ground,” Fey quipped, before closing with a jab at Jay Leno’s new show. Way to go there, Lemon!
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