We get it Emmys, we binge watch, we check out “Breaking Bad” on every screen except the old-school one: our phones, computers and … contact lenses? Okay, maybe 65th annual Emmy Awards host Neil Patrick Harris was exaggerating a bit during his opening monologue. But you can be sure that all those “Bad” fans were multi-screening it on Sunday night (September 22), because with the exception of long-suffering wife Skyler White (Anna Gun) early on, the stars of the nearly wrapped show went home empty handed.
(Spoiler alert: “Bad” won Best Drama Series to cap the night.)
And, let’s be honest, if it wasn’t for Kevin Spacey’s camera swatting and the explosion of WTF’s unleashed by the too-bizarre-for-words interpretive dance routine to some of television’s most beloved dramas, the rest of the evening was kind of a blur.
So, in case you missed it, or haven’t watched it on your watch yet, here are some of our highlights:
Remembering Cory Monteith
On a night filled with tributes to iconic TV actors, Jane Lynch’s remembrance of her late “Glee” co-star Cory Monteith was one of the most emotional. “From the first time you saw Cory he had a star quality and a genuine sweetness that made it impossible not to fall in love with him,” she said. “And millions did fall in love with Cory. And I’m here to say that all that warmth and that charm, that open-hearted quality we loved in Cory was no act. Cory was a beautiful soul.”
She also talked about the “rapacious, senseless” destruction brought on by addiction, which Monteith struggled with in life. “Tonight we remember Cory for all he was and mourn the loss for all he could have been.”
Amy and Tina save the monologue
NPH’s opening monologue was … long. As hard as Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Conan O’Brien and Jane Lynch tried, the bit about all the recent hosts hopping up to give him advice wasn’t great. Until, that is, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler stepped in to save the day. Sitting in the front row and munching popcorn while wearing 3D glasses, the ladies told Neil all he need to do to save the day was one thing: twerk.
“Yeah, we got some advice for you,” Poehler yelled. “Just take your pants off,” Fey said. “And twerk it! (‘Work that twerk!’ Poehler seconded.) I come to awards shows for the twerking.” When Harris said it might be degrading, Poehler had an answer for that, too. “It might be degrading, but we would be de-grateful.”
James Gandolfini, the man
“When you see really great art you can sometimes forget that behind it is a person with technique and skill for sure, but with an instinct, a perspective that is distinctly their own,” said Lorraine Bracco, who co-starred on the “Sopranos” for a decade with late great James Gandolfini. “One that moves people, pulls them in, makes them want to watch. James Gandolfini was one such individual.”
In the final of the night’s tribute segments, Bracco spoke of the depth and dimension of Gandolfini’s portrayal of Tony Soprano, a look and feel so real people often thought Gandolfini was the conflicted mobster of TV fame. “I’m here to tell you, Jim was really quite different,” she said. “He had tremendous warmth and heart. He was kind. He was uniquely generous … He was far more interested in turning the light on to people he considered more worthy.”
“You all knew James Gandolfini the actor, I was lucky enough to know Jim the man,” she said with a quaver in her voice. “It’s Jim, the man, the very dear man, I will miss most of all.”
Merritt Wever nails it
Emmy speeches can be sentimental, informative, goofy, full of hilariously unintended homoerotic puns about “two-handed” acting collaborations (thanks “Behind the Candelabra” winner Michael Douglas!) and sometimes, yes, a bit full of themselves. But when “Nurse Jackie” co-star Merritt Wever won her first Emmy in the Supporting Actress in a Comedy category, her speech was, well, just awesome.
“God, thanks so much. Thank you so much,” she said. “I gotta go, bye.” As NPH dubbed it: BEST … SPEECH … EVER.”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ bag man saves the night
Three time Emmy winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus was 100 percent in character when she accepted the award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Vice President Selina Meyer on “Veep.” As she thanked the cast and crew, her dependable doormat bag man, Gary Walsh (actor Tony Hale), was right behind her holding her clutch.
Hale was no doubt happy to step into character — down to whispering a reminder to Louis-Dreyfus to mention her family — since he’d just picked up his first Emmy a supporting actor in a comedy Emmy a short time earlier for his work on the show. “You love them so much,” he loudly whispered to Louis-Dreyfus about her husband and children.
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