Emmy Awards Hail Their "Crown"-ing Achievement

 The 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles Sunday was held inside a glorified tent with those who were nominated the invited guests, part of the COVID-19 protocol that put the ceremony one step above the Zoom-fest they had last year.  CBS televised the proceedings with one of its sitcom stars, Cedric the Entertainer ("The Neighborhood"), acting as host.

Amid the so-so comedy bits and rap music intro, awards were handed out.  Most of them went to "The Crown", Netflix's docudrama of Queen Elizabeth II and her family, and to "Ted Lasso" on Apple TV+, the story of an American football coach finding new life as a British soccer manager.

Like what "Schitt's Creek" did in the comedy category a year ago, "The Crown" dominated the Drama category with its sweep of the major acting awards:  Olivia Colman for Actress, Josh O'Connor for Actor, Gillian Anderson for Supporting Actress, Tobias Menzies for Supporting Actor, and the show itself for Best Drama.

"Lasso", besides winning for Best Comedy, did well in the acting categories:  Jason Sudeikis for Best Actor, and Hannah Waddingham and Brett Goldstien for supporting roles.

"The Queen's Gambit" won for Best Limited Series in a surprise over "Mare of Easttown", though the latter show did garner acting awards for Kate Winslet (Best Actress), Julianne Nicholson and Evan Peters (supporting).  Ewan McGregor won Best Actor for "Halston".

Netflix, long considered the standard for streaming services, set a record with 44 Emmys won, with HBO/HBO Max piling up 19.  The broadcast networks?  "Saturday Night Live", going into its 47th season on NBC, was the only one with an Emmy for Best Variety Sketch Show.

• Plenty of complaints about how the most diverse field of nominees in the history of the Emmys somehow resulted in white actors winning most of the awards.  The Oscars went through this a few years ago, and instituted a few changes to recognize the contributions of people of color.  Maybe this is something the Television Academy should take a look at.
• The Emmys ran well over three hours, which is typical for any awards show.  One of the reasons for the overrun were some of the winners taking too long to wrap up their speeches.  Scott Frank, who won an Emmy for directing "The Queen's Gambit", blew through several minutes and three choruses of play-off music to say whatever it was he had to say.  "White Man's Privilege", as some people have called it?  No, just another arrogant jerk.  The kind we've seen plenty of in the last few years.
• "Hamilton", the Broadway musical that put American history in an alternative universe, has now conquered TV.  It won an Emmy for best pre-recorded variety show.  Sounds like the Television Academy dreamed up this category for the sole purpose of saluting Lin-Manuel Miranda's work.
• Conan O'Brien ended his TBS talk show a few months ago, hoping the Television Academy would give him a going-away present in the Best Variety Talk Show category.  When the Emmy went to "Last Week Tonight" for the umpteenth time (no slight to John Oliver or his show), O'Brien reacted in mock outrage, heckling during the Academy President's speech and being in the background as Stephen Colbert accepted an Emmy for his Showtime (not CBS) election night special.  This is what happens when for half your career you've tried to overcome the shadow of another late night host whose ratings are better than yours, only to be exiled to cable and promptly forgotten.
• Awards shows usually mess up the "In Memorium" segment, and this one was no exception.  Saluting those in the entertainment world who have passed on since the last awards ceremony has taken a back seat to flying images and quiet music from up and coming singers, and whose name is big enough to be introduced last.  The honor (if you can call it that) this year went to Michael K. Williams, who was nominated for an Emmy this year.  And there's also nitpicking over who didn't make the list.  Maybe you should just ditch the music, and let everybody see the ones who are off to their final reward.
• The Emmy telecast's ratings on CBS improved 16 percent over last year's, which isn't saying much since the pandemic has wrecked the appeal of awards shows (and most everything else).  The Kansas City Chiefs-Baltimore Ravens game on NBC drew over 20 million viewers.  Time to find another night for Emmy?
  

9/11+20=America's Still At War--With Itself

 On the morning of September 11, 2001, a total of four planes crash landed into New York's World Trade Center, the Pentagon in Washington and a field somewhere in western Pennsylvania with nearly 3000 dead.  That includes the hijackers and passengers of those planes, as well as those who worked inside the buildings.  Since no one had a fancy name to describe what happened that day, it became known to history as a date:  September 11 or 9/11.

In the confusion and emotion of what just happened, President George W. Bush sent troops to Afghanistan with the intention of capturing Osama bin Laden (the man held responsible for the attack), and for removing the Taliban government there.  In March 2003, Bush decided to also invade Iraq on the basis of intelligence that said the country had more "weapons of mass destruction" than its leader Saddam Hussein was letting on.

Twenty years, four presidents (two from both parties), two wars, two disputed elections, mass shootings, a deadly pandemic, protests in the streets over police brutality, and general mistrust of government and the media later, America is at peace everywhere in the world except for within its own borders. 

Iraq was left in the rearview years ago.  Afghanistan is next, following the pullout of American troops and others desperate to escape the wrath of the new Taliban government, who took advantage of President Joe Biden's deadline of August 31 to quickly take over Afghanistan without much of a fight.  What's left are the country's remaining citizens watching helplessly as life for them is forcibly set back at least a thousand years.

But man, wasn't it worth it to leave behind a no-win situation where the Americans' focus shifted from capturing and killing bin Laden (in Pakistan) to propping up a week government that resulted in thousands of American soldiers dead and apathy at home as the war dragged on?  Well, OK.  Time will tell on that one.

After America was attacked, it was widely assumed that the country would rally and come together in the spirit of patriotism.  Instead, all 9/11 ever did was to divide it.  Pick your side.  Black Lives Matter vs. the Police.  Republicans vs. Democrats.  Gun reformers vs. the NRA.  Truth vs. Alternative Facts.  CNN and MSNBC vs. Fox News.  The Big Lie vs. settled election results.  To mask or not to mask.  The COVID vaccine vs. bleach and horse medicine.  Roe v. Wade on the ropes.  Those who believe climate change is happening vs. those who think it's just weather.  And so yawn.

On September 11, 2001, the terrorists who crashed airplanes into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in western Pennsylvania had no idea how successful their mission would be.  They couldn't have known that the United States would become, in two decades, a country full of divisions politically, socially, economically, and anything else you care to name.  Those who have died due to war, terrorism, crime and disease have become nothing more than collateral damage in the struggle to prove who's right.

We need to call a truce. Before another 9/11 happens.