Let’s do this, people. Emmys coverage 2014. Making it happen. Our host last night was Seth Myers, the newest late-night host and all-around cutie. I’m including photos of Seth and his wife Alexi Ashe. She wore J. Mendel, a designer I always associate with Taylor Swift. I could see Taylor in this dress, couldn’t you? As for Seth as a host…people had mixed feelings, but I thought he did his job really well, if you believe his job was to keep things light and fast. I would have liked an even longer opening monologue because I enjoyed his one-liners so much. Here’s the video of his opening bit:
See? I thought it was funny. I appreciated that there weren’t too many “bits” and attempts at big production value set-pieces. You can see the full list of last night’s Emmy winners here. Some highlights from the show:
*One of the biggest highlights? Weird Al doing the only big song-and-dance number about the Emmy-nominated shows. The Game of Thrones part was the best:
*Ty Burrell won Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy. In real life, he just seems like a dorky, kind dad-type.
*Allison Janney won Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy for that weird CBS show with Anna Faris. I’m okay with it because Janney has gotten a lot of recognition for Masters of Sex too (Janney actually won Guest Actress in a Drama for MoS this year too).
*Jim Parsons won again! For the love of God, I like Parsons but they need to stop giving him awards. Ricky Gervais made fun of it too, rather brilliantly.
*Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ kiss with Bryan Cranston was amazing and surprisingly hot. They have a history – he guest-starred on Seinfeld back in the day and Julia pretended that she didn’t remember him until he kissed her. Julia keeps looking better and better, doesn’t she?
*Steven Moffat won a writing award for his work on Sherlock, “His Last Vow”. Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch were not in attendance which upset me at first but then THEY BOTH WON and then I was cursing the Gods. This is ridiculous. There’s no reason why Bendy and Freeman both were no-shows. I cannot even tell you how disappointing all of that was.
*Julia Roberts LOST in her category to Kathy Bates. It was amazing. Julia was really hustling for her Emmy and it got snatched by Madame Bates. LOVE IT. Favorite moment of the night. The Normal Heart actually got shut out of all of the acting categories (I thought Mark Ruffalo would have gotten it) but it did pick up Best TV Movie.
*A new show finally won something when Fargo picked up Best Mini-series.
*Stephen Colbert and The Colbert Report won the Variety Show Emmy. Gwen Stefani mispronounced “Colbert” but it wasn’t quite Adele Dazeem-level. Jimmy Fallon also tried to jack Colbert’s win. That was cute.
*As for the Drama stuff… it was mostly a sweep by Breaking Bad – Bryan Cranston, Anna Gunn, Aaron Paul and the show all picked up Emmys for BB’s last season. (CB will talk about that more, she was so happy.) The only category that went to someone else was Best Actress in a Drama, which went to Julianna Marguiles. The Good Wife had a game-changing season last year, but I lamented the fact that Josh Charles didn’t get anything for HIS final season. He was doing the best work of his career last year.
*The Robin Williams tribute on the heels of the In Memoriam part of the show was well-done. Billy Crystal was heart-breaking but I liked that they got someone to talk about Robin who actually knew Robin very well.
Okay. And now onto the fashion!
Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.
They played it very safe this year across the board
I liked the robin Williams thing, but (call me weird) I also didn’t like it. Why does he get a segment to himself and not other celebs that died? Were they not worth just as much to the people that lived them? Just include him with the other celebs. I’m sure not many people felt that way, and I’m overthinking because I’ve been up for 30 hours straight, but things like that bother me. Oh well, I thought it was a harmless awards show, and I love Seth Myers with a passion.
I felt the same way. James Garner had done as much, if not more, for television, as had several others.
I just realized we’ve lost a lot of good ones this year – James Garner, Shirley Temple, PSH, Bacall, Mickey Rooney. They didn’t even include Sir Richard Attenborough which was understandable.
I commented the exact same thing on the viewing post, I hadn’t realised we’d lost so many truly great stars. It’s pretty sad.
I usually don’t really like Seth on his talk show but I actually found him funny and bearable last night.
I loved the bit with Julia and Bryan, i always liked Tim on Seinfeld.
In the Robin Williams clip when they played the routine of him wearing a scarf to imitate women from the Middle East (and I think India), I was cringing because it just seemed weird of all the skits to have chosen that they choose that one. I’ve already seen a lot of people upset about that bit.
Overall I liked the show this year and I was glad that they finished early rather than going way overtime
I felt the same about that clip. Like, why….this is only going to piss people off?
Watching that clip of Robin Williams reminded me that I always thought more of his dramatic roles than his comedy. He was an amazing “serious” actor, but his stand-up always left me a bit cold for some reason. Still can’t believe he’s gone.
I thought he was a better actor than comedian as well. I missed the tribute portion while multitasking.
His role in One Hour Photo traumatized me. He was so good at being creepy that I avoided watching movies with him on it for years.
I agree, my favorite roles of his are all in serious dramas.
Mine too. He was able to communicate something special through his dramatic roles. His comedy was often a bit over the top for my personal tastes, but he certainly was iconic in the field.
VERY happy for Colbert…I wonder if that whole bit with Fallon was improved? Wish we could have heard the “swears”, but, by looking at Fallon’s face, THAT part was definitely unplanned…Stephen got him good. Also very psyched for Sherlock and that Brad Pitt won an Oscar and an Emmy in the same year!
Oh yeah, that’s right! He produced Normal Heart, right? That is so cool! That’s going to boost his production company’s level to another level! Amazing!
Interesting that it was Pitt that ended up being the movie star double winner for 2013 movies and TV and not McConnahey. He is quietly becoming a force in production, which is what he said he liked. Good on him.
@Jen2
Yeah, because his acting has never been up to snuff. Just kidding. He’s put in some fine performances (and some awful performances too). Good for him that he’s doing so well behind the camera (and expected. those who can, do. those who can’t teach). Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
Poor Kaiser, it was known in advance Cumby wouldn’t be there. It’s a Monday and he’s working (Hollow Crown I believe?). You should have had time to prepare. Those were some major upset wins though, wow!
My heart broke for Billy Crystal. Beautiful tribute and so clear they were not just “work friends”. So sorry.
Seth Meyers had some very funny one liners. I think he do id a good job. Loved the bit w Billy on the Street. Plus other comedians had funny bits as well (Kimmel, Colbert/Fallon).I was entertained.
Breaking Bad better have been a-freaking-mazing to not give Peter Dinklage an Emmy. He *killed* it this year, especially in that court room scene. (Saw one episode of BB, went “Meh”; don’t hate it but not itching to watch it either.)
Damn GoT won *nothing*, holy crap.
You can’t see one episode of Breaking Bad and come to any conclusions. The greatest quality the show had going was character development and interactions over time.
I have a rule about books. If I’m more than 100 pages in and It’s not holding my interest, I put it down. Same with tv shows. If it takes 2 seasons for it to “get good”, then it’s not worth my time. I also tried the first episode of BB. I thought “meh” as well. Didn’t have any driving need to watch another.
I actually was sucked right into BB and I rarely watch anything. But it went from, “hmm, this looks intriguing” to “holy effing crap” within just a couple episodes. Such depth of character and emotion, too. Sigh. Not sure if I’ll ever find something I love as much, although admittedly I haven’t tried that hard.
It doesn’t take two seasons for BB to get good. The person above watched one episode.
Which episode? In the middle, the first one? Out of total context? Reading one page and leaving, reading one page in the middle of the book?
What? No. I mean reading the first 100 pages, not random pages. And I watched the first episode of BB. Didn’t start in the middle.
Sigh((s)), I have a similar rule about books. I’ll give it a few chapters, and if I still find myself thinking “I don’t care what happens to these characters,” then I put down the book. Life is too short to invest hours in reading a book that’s only so-so.
When it comes to TV shows, though, I try to give a show a few episodes (FWIW, I start a show right from the beginning. You couldn’t always do that even 15 years ago!). The pilot ep for many American shows can be difficult to judge a show. The writers only have 22 minutes for a comedy or 40-ish minutes for a drama to introduce the characters, plot, setting and give you a reason to care about what happens to everyone this season. Networks like to tinker with a show between the pilot and the next ep, so it’s possible a TV show can change quite a bit just between those two episodes. So, that character who really annoyed you in the pilot may be written out of the show completely by the next episode.
Is it the premise of the show that’s offputting to you? And hey, I’ve never seen Breaking Bad, so I’m not saying this a diehard fan!
@green- I felt like Walt was supposed to be this sympathetic character, but I just thought he was a piece of crap from about halfway through the episode. He’s supposedly doing all of this for his family, but doesn’t seem to show a shred of affection towards them. He kills someone in the first episode and seemingly has no emotional reaction to it.I have no problem with violence, but I do have an issue when an entire show seems to be an excuse for doormat men to get their jollies from watching this @sshole go through a testosterone filled revenge laden rage. The horrifically weak women didn’t help it any.
I understand it’s supposed to be a character study, of sorts. I guess I already feel like I know where it ends, and I’m not invested in the character enough to take the journey with him.
Yes, I got all that from one episode. I didn’t hate it, I just didn’t feel remotely compelled to watch the rest.
I watched the first episode of Happy Valley the other day. Now that was compelling. I’d rather support art like that.
Trust me it was
Breaking Bad WAS amazing!!!! I am soooooo happy it won everything….it deserved it!!!!!!
Oh, c’mon they were deserving.
I’m not saying they weren’t deserving, I’m saying “I don’t know because I haven’t seen the show”. But I *have* seen/read GoT and it’s pretty good so that was my curiosity.
@MonicaQ, I absolutely adore Game of Thrones. Like, serious love but believe me every award Breaking Bad won last night was deserved. Especially the writing award. I can’t remember when I’ve seen a TV hour that matched “Ozymandius”. It was physically painful it was so good.
@Monica,
I have never seen an episode of Breaking Bad. Not one. But I have seen every season of GoT. They didn’t deserve to win anything. GoT is just a soap opera for men. Its dressed up (and down) because of all the violence and nudity, but its still a soap opera. The only thing its missing is a brought to you by Tide promo. The characters never get anywhere (Arya was basically walking for two or three seasons, Sansa is still a prisoner and people are killed off for shock value). Cersei is well on her way to being Erica Kane. GoT is overrated. IMO of course.
I agree, as an actor Dinklage is much more engaging than Cranston.
But BB is over so that’s why they decided to give them all of the awards.
I’m guessing GOT will win big in a few years.
I guess I’m in the minority but I thought SethMeyers sucked. He had a maniacal smile on every time they came back from commercial that I found creepy. Not to funny either.
I watch a lot of tv and Breaking Bad deserved to win every year. The best show I have ever watched
Totally agree with you on Breaking Bad….I couldn’t get enough!!!!!! Miss it terribly!!!!!
I also thought Seth Myers sucked. He seemed to be the only one laughing at his jokes. It felt like a long SNL skit. Dunno, maybe I’m the one with a crappy sense of humor, lol.
I dislike him so much that I only came here to see the recaps of things. I didn’t want my watching to be counted as a viewer for him. lol
And I clicked to read this post because of Weird Al. lol
Jim Parsons. Really? I can’t believe he won over those people (Gervais, Macy, Cheadle). Same with Modern Family. Should have been given to either OITNB or Veep. Not a fan of Chuck Lorre but BBT is better than MF.
I know. I was feeling uncharitably embarrassed for him when he won, like he didn’t deserve it. He seems like a good guy but it’s painfully clear that the quality of his show is nowhere near most others nominated.
He’s probably the best part of his show and I love him to pieces, but yeah. Its getting embarrassing at this point.
I get annoyed every time he wins or the show is nominated. He seems like a nice guy and I know the show has a lot of fans, but when you’re looking for excellence, the best of the best, I just don’t see it. Especially in this era of amazing television.
Same for Modern Family – I still enjoy the show, but it is not as good as it once was, and pales in comparison to some of the other comedies out there.
The problem too is that television has changed & there are so many great shows that it blows my mind that the same ones keep winning. These award shows need to evolve from the usual format. It’s tired.
I know humor is subjective & these award shows are one big circle jerk, but Modern Family & Jim Parsons again?! And can we please have a host that isn’t a freaking SNL alumni?
Whoa whoa whoa – we must have very different tastes because Modern Family is leaps and bounds better than BBT for me, haha.
I also cannot comprehend how anyone would think BBT is better than Modern Family. Whaaa…?
I’m just so happy for Ty Burrell! He’s an incredible actor and a very humble and amazing person!
Dear god, the Robin Williams tribute made me cry..
Agree with you about TB, I said something similar below. I missed the RW tribute, will have to look for a video clip.
He seems like a nice guy and I’m glad he won.
Kate Bates won over Julia Roberts of course: she can act.
Julia’s face when she lost was the best moment last night. And I LOVE that she lost to Kathy Bates, because she is amazing in every way. Julia doesn’t even come close to having the talent that Kathy Bates has.
The only thing better than Julia’s face at that moment was Kathy Bates’ face and energy. She was so surprised and flustered. So endearing. Kathy Bates is everything!!!
I saw that face when she lost to. She was clearly pissed and annoyed. Right down to the upset nose crinkle.
I’m so thrilled she lost- Cathy bates is awesome on American horror story
I would have loved to have seen that!
I loved the look on Jessica Lange’s face when Kathy won. Joy for her colleague plus a “take that, Julia!” demeanor.
I can’t comment on whether Julia should have won because I haven’t seen her performance (or those of any of the other nominees) but I think she and other losers should get a pass on whatever their facial expressions are at that moment. It’s gotta be really hard, knowing the cameras are zoomed in to capture your face whether you’ve won or lost. When Jim Parsons won, I thought a couple of the other nominees made weird faces that they were clearly trying hard to control.
Please someone make a gif of her expression so I can see it. lol
The only thing that could’ve made Julia Roberts losing even better for my snarky little heart would have been if Allison Tolman had won.
Julia was probably extra salty because Bates is the actress she lost the Best Actress Oscar to in 1990. Bates won for “Misery” and Roberts was nominated for “Pretty Woman”.
I enjoyed Seth’s opening monologue, and I thought all of the other comedians featured were entertaining as well. I was really disappointed with Parsons’ win, 4 awards for playing the same character is just unnecessary (I admit I haven’t seen a lot of The Big Bang Theory).
I thought the best part of the night was when Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey announced the nominees together on stage. Those two have so much chemistry, and I was shocked that True Detective didn’t win any of the big categories.
It did win for writing for one episode, and that was well-deserved. I remember my husband and I finishing that episode and looking at each other, both shocked at how well done it was.
Anyway, I didn’t watch Breaking Bad. I know I’m missing out on a huge piece of history there. I love Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul.
I also recently watched Dead Poets Society – do you all remember Josh Charles’ small part in that? He was excellent even back then.
I can’t believe that Matthew McConaughey or Billy Bob Thornton didn’t win. They both knocked it out of the park in their series. Shocked!
Ty Burrell is just amazing as Phil Dunphy. Very deserving, imo.
Martin Freeman wasn’t there because he’s appearing in Richard III on the West End, so he’s working. Same with Bendy. Be disappointed all you want but the men were fulfilling their obligations and no one expected them to win.
Right. According to some fan gossip Martin and Benedict may have missed the Emmys because they were BOTH busy playing Richard III, because Ben was spotted filming in a location with some nice medieval-looking buildings in it, which would suggest he might have been doing exteriors for The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses.
Oh but I should add I expected them to win though. :>
I have mixed feelings about Seth Meyers. I Farrah ugly cried during the Robin Williams tribute. It made me wonder what they’ll do for the SAG, globes and academy awards for him too.
Surprised oitnb and house of cards were shut out. Those are great shows but the voters get excited about one show and seemingly it wins everything.
Loved the weird al game of thrones part. Wow I miss that show. April??? Really???
Honestly,l was not impressed at all with the Emmy’s. It dragged on,Seth Myers was NOT entertaining to me,but then lve never really been a fan. The gowns were beautiful,and its great to see stars kick off their uncomfortable heels. As for the tribute, we lost a great deal of greats this year,and Billy Crystals tribute had me in tears. Love that American Horror Story got recognized,Kathy Bates is truly deserving! She plays crazy very well. Loved it when one of the first to congratulate her was Jessica Lange,showing true grace and friendship to her castmate. Weird Al was Weird and since l don’t watch most of the shows his silly song montage was lost on me. I was very glad when this show ended.
I can’t stand Seth Myers and he pales in comparison to many of the other hosts. Loved Julia’s bit with Bryan (she’s always awesome), and Ricky’s complaints about Jim Parsons. The Emmys have got to figure out how to stop doing that they thing were they get in a rut and vote for the same people/shows year after year. It’s embarrassing. Bryan Cranston’s acceptance speech was also funny. And maybe I’m alone but I can’t stand Matthew Mcconehey (I don’t even care to learn how to spell his name). He looked like an orange lounge lizard and sat there like the Emmys should be so thankful he showed up. Ugh.
We have known for weeks that Benedict and Martin wouldn’t be there. I’m still doing my happy dance that they won.
My biggest beef with awards shows is that they save the big awards for last and then they are out of time and they play them off. So ridiculous. Plan better, improv less. Did we really need a 4 min Key & Peel bit?
I wanted Alison Tolman to win her category, but I’ll take Kathy Bates. I also wanted Martin Freeman to win for “Fargo,” but then Benedict wouldn’t have won … I’m so confused. But pleased that actors and shows I like won some stuff.
I was so shocked and happy that Steven Moffatt, Martin Freeman and Bendydick Cumonmybaps won for ‘His Last Vow,’ which IMO is one of the best ‘Sherlock’ episodes ever filmed.
You could tell that Moffatt was stunned. Looked like you could have knocked him over with a feather! LOL and Mark Gatiss was crying a little. Awwww.
I was shocked that all of them won. pleased, but shocked. You could tell. Moffat was, too. I could see the WTF written all over his face.
I’m very pleased that the Sherlock crew won, shocked but please. If HBO had decided to submit True Detective under Best Mini Series instead of Best Drama Series I might be crying in my beer about Sherlock today.
It was the last season of Breaking Bad and whether you agree or not, it was one of the best shows ever produced for television. It deserved all those awards, unfortunately it winning meant True Detective being shut out.
When Kathy Bates won, I almost expected Julia to bum rush her on the stage screaming, “It’s a low Vera’s fault”!