The Emmys: No Cause for Glee

Image by nasa hq photo via FlickrThe 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards on NBC was held this year on the final Sunday in August, because they wanted to avoid getting swamped in the TV ratings by pro football.  Nice try, but the NFL fought back by scheduling a preseason game between Pittsburgh and Denver on Fox.

You would have been better off with the football game.  The Emmys continued their tradition of putting on a lame show, hosted by the only late-night personality on NBC who WASN'T embroiled in controversy (that would be Jimmy Fallon), then rewarding those actors and shows that have won so many times before with yet another award. 

Falling into that last category were "Mad Men" for its third consecutive Best Drama award, Bryan Cranston winning for the third time as best actor in a drama for "Breaking Bad", and "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" for who knows how many times as best comedy-variety series.  Edie Falco won her fourth Emmy, this time as best actress in a comedy for "Nurse Jackie".

There were first-time winners, to be sure.  "Modern Family" won for best comedy.  Kyra Sedgwick got one as best actress in a drama for "The Closer".  A woman named Archie Panjabi got a supporting actress honor for "The Good Wife".  And "Top Chef" became only the second winner of the Best Reality Show competition, beating out "The Amazing Race".

Other things you should know from watching the Emmys:

• The opening number with the cast of "Glee" performing "Born to Run" makes one wish Bruce Springsteen had done it himself.
• Ricky Gervais, who offered free non-alcoholic beer to the audience, should host the Emmys next year.
• Jewel sang a nice tune during the "In Memoriam" segment, but the mild applause must have been distracting.  Next time, use an orchestra.
• For those of us who don't subscribe to HBO, that woman in the audience dressed as if she were a 1950s country music star was Temple Grandin.  She was the subject of a biography that won Emmys for best TV movie and best actress for Claire Danes, who portrayed Grandin.
• Dr. Jack Kevorkian was also in the audience.  Al Pacino won a best actor Emmy playing him in the HBO movie "You Don't Know Jack".

There's talk that this might be the last time the Emmy will be seen on broadcast TV, with the networks' contract coming up for renewal.  Given the fact that most of this year's winners came from cable (and thus unknown to most of the viewers), don't be shocked if the awards end up moving there.