Primetime Emmys
by Laura Nachman
Delaware County Daily Times
September 19, 2005

 

Here’s my take on last night’s 57th annual “Emmy Awards.”

 

Red Carpet Show Scorecard – Joan and Melissa Rivers have their act down to a science, but E!’s replacements for the Rivers, scary-skinny Star Jones and Kathy Griffin got reinforcements with Bravo’s Carson Kressley working the carpet and E!’s Guiliana DePandi working as a straight-woman for Kathy Griffin.

 

Three Reasons It Was A Bad Night for Jay Leno:

  1. In the category for “Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program,” Leno lost to “Tony Awards” host Hugh Jackman.
  2. David Letterman was selected to narrate the tribute to Leno’s predecessor on “The “Tonight Show,” the late Johnny Carson.  To add insult to injury, at the end of the piece the camera cut away to Jon Stewart and Conan O’Brien, but not Leno.
  3. When Jon Stewart accepted his award for “The Daily Show” for “Variety, Music, or Comedy Series,” he compared the way comics of the previous generation respected Carson, to the way comics of today think of Letterman.

 

Looked Great – A Cindy Crawford-esque Mariska Hargitay, Marcia Cross, Mischa Barton, Camryn Manheim (yes, Camryn Manheim), Patrick Dempsey, Jimmy Smits, Adrian Grenier

 

Didn’t Look Great – It looked like Emmy winner Patricia Arquette forgot to take out her curlers.

 

Biggest Surprise – The general consensus was that a “Desperate Houswife” would win the Emmy for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy.  However instead of Teri Hatcher or Marcia Cross, Felicity Huffman won the Emmy.

 

Second Biggest Surprise – Presenter Whoopi Goldberg wore a skirt and high heels.

 

Me Against the Music – The Emmys should stick to TV and forget the music.  The Earth. Wind, and Fire/Black Eyed Peas opening was awkward and Donald Trump was embarrassing.

 

Orange Is The New Black – Mariska Hargitay, Eva Longoria, Frances Conroy, and Portia de Rossi all wore variations of l’orange.

 

For Next Year – Once again, presenter Conan O’Brien was one of the highlights of the show.  If this year’s host, Ellen DeGeneres moves to the “Academy Awards” one day, as she hinted she’d like to do, O’Brien would be great as an Emmy host.

 

Co-host Material – Brad Garrett, who won an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy for “Everybody Loves Raymond,” gave a funny acceptance speech.