Whether you agree on the winners or not, you’ve got to admit that the 58th annual Emmy awards that were held Sunday night passed quickly.
The show, notorious for running long, clocked in at two hours and 57 minutes. This could be due to host Conan O’Brien’s running gag about killing TV legend Bob Newhart if the telecast went over time.
O’Brien also provided acceptance speech guidelines, telling winners not to thank their parents, make political statements, or comment on the weight of the trophy.
“Don’t say, ‘Wow, this is heavy.’ Of course it’s heavy,” stated O’Brien. “It contains the shattered dreams of four other people.”
O’Brien’s self-deprecating and deadpan wit was the real treat of the evening.
“It’s my second time hosting. And as you’ll see tonight, the third time’s the charm,” O’Brien said.
The brisk pace of the show could also be attributed to time-saving tricks, such as having some presenters give out more than one award, thus cutting down on the time it takes to introduce other presenters. The running time was also trimmed by having a few winners present the next award.
Winners of the night include Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Kiefer Sutherland of “24” and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Tony Shalhoub of “Monk.” The win was a first for Sutherland, but the third win for Shalhoub.
In the category of Outstanding Lead Actress, Mariska Hargitay of “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” and Julia Louis-Dreyfus “The New Adventures of Old Christine” won for Drama and Comedy, respectively.
“I’m not somebody who really believes in curses, but curse this, baby!,” Louis-Dreyfus quipped, referring to the “Seinfeld curse,” which attempts to explain the stigma surrounding the casts of popular ex-sitcoms (like “Seinfeld”) that struggle to find work once the show is over.
Alan Alda of “The West Wing” won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, while Jeremy Piven of “Entourage” was given the award in the Comedy category.
Blythe Danner of “Huff” won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama, and Megan Mullally won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy for her work on “Will and Grace,” which aired its last episode in May.
“24” received the award for Outstanding Drama Series. Outstanding Comedy Series went to “The Office,” the producers of which acknowledged Emmy-nominated Steve Carell as their “meal-ticket” in their acceptance speech.
The ceremony didn’t end without a few surprises.
ABC, still puzzling over the lack of nominations for primetime powerhouses “Lost” and “Desperate Housewives,” must now contend with the shutout of “Grey’s Anatomy.” The popular medical drama didn’t win in any of the eight categories for which it was nominated.
Also odd was the Academy ‘s choice of Barry Manilow for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program, ranking Manilow over both Stephen Colbert and Craig Ferguson.
“I lost to Barry Manilow! Barry Manilow!,” Colbert jokingly screamed later as he presented an award with Jon Stewart. “I lost to the Copacabana! Singing and dancing is not performing!”
Overall, the 58th Annual Emmy awards went off without a hitch, and even included heartfelt tributes to Dick Clark and the late Aaron Spelling.
The ceremonies proved to be a success, mostly thanks to entertaining acceptance speeches and an energetic and hilarious host.
