The Emmys are over, and my euphoria of indulging in frivolous stargazing is tempered with my despondence that Hugh Laurie of House, M.D. didn't win his much-deserved award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. I was grudgingly prepared to let him lose to Ian McShane of Deadwood if he must, but that's it. No one else.
Next year. Laurie will win next year. And I have that year for the intense therapy I will need to deal with this bitter loss, which I'm only justifying by thinking the two must have split the intelligent vote.
But this is not a round up of who won (James Spader) and who should have won (Hugh Laurie). The winners this year were often laughably irrelevant, neither critical nor popular favourites. So just what are the Emmys measuring?
As it turns out, the Emmys are much more entertaining when I don't care who wins in most of the categories and I can enjoy them as a television show. There were only two categories where I had an informed opinion, and I was half satisfied. David Shore won for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for the stunning “Three Stories” episode of House, one of the best hours of television ever, and the entertainment world is as it should be. Almost.
So until the cruel final moments, I was free to relax and enjoy it as a spectacle rather than taking it seriously as an arbiter of the best television has to offer. And taking the results of the voting out of the equation, it was an entertaining evening for us masochists who find three hours of self-congratulations and stilted humour an annual treat.
The theme seemed to be a recognition that the Emmys are about as unimportant as you can get when compared to world events, and to poke fun at the bloated egos of Hollywood. And that's exactly what makes the Emmys a guilty pleasure. If I want the depressing truth of what's going on in the world, I'll watch CNN. If I want to be transported to a world where Donald Trump dons overalls and sings the Green Acres theme song, I'll watch the Emmys. Tonight was a show that winked at us as it embraced all that is cheesy about awards shows and irrelevant about the entertainment industry, and gave us performers who let themselves risk humiliation for the sake of a laugh at their expense.
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Article comments
1 - Joanie
Well done! You did a great job on the Johnny Carson tribute. I'll disagree with you about House, but that's only because I haven't seen the show yet. I know, I know...no dinner, go to my room, grounded until next month.
2 - deekay
... with a copy of the House Season One DVDs to make you reflect on the error of your ways. ;-)
3 - Bob A. Booey
James Spader's obviously not a bad actor, but that role he plays on that horrible David E. Kelley show gives him every opportunity to over-act and balance moments of ubiquitous smugness with moments of ungrounded moral superiority and pathos in the courtroom. It doesn't help that the writers on the show are so poor and interrupt his stirring only-in-a-teleplay oratory against the evils of the death penalty with ridiculous closers like "And might I remind the Court that I'm from the home of the world champion New England Patriots, who would kick the ass of any team from Texas." David E. Kelly is an idiot.
So yeah, Spader doesn't deserve the Emmy.
It's a terrible show, maybe the worst on TV, and both William Shatner and Candace Bergen are absolutely horrid in their roles. Shatner's always been a horrible caricature of an over-actor, but Bergen seems especially uncomfortable delivering the ridiculous lines she has playing off Shatner.
That is all.
4 - Victor Lana
I think the EMMY Awards are a joke. Shatner won? He's like Kirk playing a lawyer on that show. James Spader? I don't even know what he said during his acceptance speech. Just zoned out. I wanted Kiefer to win; I think he's amazing in 24. Laurie is excellent too. But Shatner?
Stop...it...you're...killing...me!
Oh, and Ellen is BORING. She doesn't make me laugh. The audience didn't laugh. Please put someone on there like Chris Rock to shake things up.
5 - Bob A. Booey
How the hell did Shatner win two years in a row? He's Shatner and he's always playing Shatner, with the ... stilted ... delivery and the mock ... faces ... and the mugging ... for ... the camera.
That is all.
6 - Nancy
I think the only presenter at any awards show whatsoever who ever made me laugh was Billy Crystal. Even Whoopee, whom I like greatly, didn't give me more than a chuckle or two when she came out as QE I & the Shakespearean Man.
7 - Natalie Davis
I thought Ellen rocked -- unfortunately, there wasn't nearly enough of her. Amen on Hugh Laurie; he was robbed.
Shakespearean Man? Do you mean Hugh Jackman? He was in Wolverine mode.
8 - Sierram
AH,Hugh should have won,his performance outshown Spaders by a long shot.The man is a versatile actor,as those who knew him from Jeeves and Wooster and Blackadder can attest to.Oh well,I guess there's always NEXT year!
9 - Chris Beaumont
I actually hoped for a Keifer win, but Hugh was a close second.
"I didn't know we were doing British accents?"
10 - JOAN
I've come to the conclusion that LA only has twelve people doing award show judging who, in their off time sat on the OJ jury.
11 - Dru
I was seriously hoping for Hugh Laurie to win. Only awards I was like rooting for was his and that Jennifer Garner (just really because I like her and she maybe didn't deserve for ses. 4 but she sure as hell deserves one for ses's. 1 - 3 of Alias).
It was an ok Emmy, but still managed to disappoint me a bit. :(
There's always next year, right?
12 - NancyGail
James Spader is well known for his villainous roles. The Emmy meant a lot to him. So why do you watch Boston legal if you don't care for it?
13 - anamin
Totally agree. Stupid James Spader. What did he get an emmy for? And what were they smoking at the emmys? Whatever it doesn't matter now does it? We just have to keep thinking, next year. . .next year gorgeous, fantastic Hugh will win.
14 - contessa_maggie
Hugh Laurie is absolutely brilliant and by far the best actor on tv. I'm still reeling from the Emmy results, it's such a crying shame that he was robbed, and by Spader! Let the Emmy go to Ian McShane if it must, he was also excellent (though not as good as Hugh), but for a performance as varied, funny, smart, fascinating, surprising and flat-out magnificent as Hugh's to be passed over proves once and for all how irrelevant the Emmys are.
15 - Cerulean
There were a lot of wrong decisions at the Emmys. Someone mentioned the OJ jury. Also the MJ jury, now this. Something is going on in Los Angeles.