Awards Archives

Emmy host Neil Patrick Harris tapped the same songwriting team whipped up his amazing Tony Award number to write his opening song for Sunday's 61st annual Primetime Emmy Awards on CBS.

Broadway composers Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman wrote "Don't Touch That Remote," which I initially thought was a rather pathetic way to beg viewers to watch the broadcast. I don't love it as much as the Tony song, but it would take a lot to top that one. Below are the lyrics courtesy of MEDIAite. Thanks guys! Listen to the song and tell me what you think. You like it more than the Tony song below?

The cast of AMC's "Mad Men" watch as creator Matthew Weiner accepts the best drama Emmy.

Here's a complete list of winners at Sunday's 61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards as provided by the Associated Press:

A look at the best, worst and Kanye West moments at the 61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards on CBS.

Tina Fey and Justin Timberlake accept their Emmys for guest starring on "Saturday Night Live." AP photo

Neil Patrick Harris and his partner, David Burtka, arrive on the Emmy red carpet. Getty Images photo

Neil Patrick Harris opened Sunday night's 61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony by begging viewers to stick with the three-hour broadcast the whole night.

"Put down the remote!" he sang.

Viewers who did were treated to a brisk, mostly entertaining show pulled along by Harris' unstoppable energy and obvious popularity with the audience at the Nokia Theatre in Hollywood.

Posted at 9 p.m. Monday, Feb. 23

Ron Howard confirmed that we’ll be getting an “Arrested Development” movie some day.

“It’s going ahead,” the executive producer told MTV News on Sunday’s Oscar red carpet, confirming that he met with series creator Mitch Hurwitz on Feb. 20 about the film.

What Howard wouldn’t confirm was who from the original cast would be in the film, and what sort of trouble the Bluths would be in this time.

“We’ve been asked to no longer divulge anything or get into the game of who’s in, who’s out,” Howard said. “People are going to have to see.”

Aww, Ron! Give us more scoop!

Posted at 5:20 p.m. Monday, Feb. 23

RED CARPET FASHIONS

Sam Kori George didn’t get an Oscar on Sunday, but he is a winner.

The Chicago fashion designer topped six other finalists for “Oscars Designer Challenge,” an emerging designer fashion competition. Model Lauren Gish wore George’s strapless, form-fitting platinum gown with handmade orchids on the Oscar stage. You probably saw it if you watched the ceremony or ABC’s Oscars red carpet pre-show. The two are shown at right (Photo by Todd Wawrychuk/AMPAS).

“I did not expect to win,” George told me Monday during a phone chat. “It’s pretty amazing.”

George, who faced fellow Chicago designer Maria Pinto in the challenge, was still in L.A. on Monday, recovering from Sunday’s Oscar festivities. He said he spent most of the day Sunday on the red carpet and inside the Kodak Theater for the awards.

“I’m so tired I need a day of rest to enjoy the glory,” he said. “It’s an unbelievable production, but a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

George said he didn’t get to talk to any stars on Sunday, but he did see a lot of them. “Jennifer Aniston was adorable,” he said.

He hopes that winning the challenge gives him and the Chicago fashion scene more exposure. It’s already gotten him one new fan, George said.

I got an e-mail from this guy who collects autographs,” he said. “He wants mine.”

You can see George’s collections at www.skgatelier.com.

Posted at 3:20 p.m. Monday, Feb. 23

Maybe Hugh Jackman did save the 81st Academy Awards on Sunday: An estimated 36.3 million people tuned into the broadcast, an increase of more than 4 million from last year’s ceremony.

Of course, last year’s show, when “No Country For Old Men” won best picture, was the least-watched Oscars ever with 32 million viewers. It is one of only two Oscar telecasts on record with fewer viewers than Sunday’s, Nielsen Media Research reports. The 2003 telecast during which “Chicago” won best picture was seen by 33 million people.

Jackman hosted Sunday’s show with a mix of charm, Broadway pizazz and self-effacing humor. “Slumdog Millionaire” won eight awards.

More viewers would likely have tuned in if last year’s mega-blockbuster, “The Dark Knight,” had earned nominations for best picture and director. It did win two awards, including the late Heath Ledger’s best supporting actor award for playing the Joker.

The last time a blockbuster film won top honors—“Titanic” in 1998—55.2 million viewers watched the show, the largest Oscar audience on record.

Click the links below for other Oscar coverage:
JACKMAN CHARMS OSCAR
SEAN PENN WINS ONE FOR GAY RIGHTS
WINNERS' LIST
OSCAR VIDEOS
DON'T MISS MICKEY ROURKE'S INDIE SPIRIT AWARD SPEECH

Posted at 11:50 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22

SEAN PENN WINS ONE FOR GAY RIGHTS
WINNERS' LIST
OSCAR VIDEOS

The Oscar crowd loved Hugh Jackman's opening Sunday; but the night's big production number with Beyonce (below) seemed out of place. L.A. Times photo; MCT photo (below)

Hugh Jackman bombed at the box office last year, but his Oscar opening was a big hit.

He should have quit while he was ahead. A second Broadway-style number slowed down a ceremony that wasn’t as different as it was promised to be.

The “Australia” actor, hosting his first Academy Awards, opened with a musical tribute to the best-picture nominees that he claimed to have come up with in his garage due to Oscar producers downsizing the ceremony.

The lyrics weren’t that clever—he didn’t really come up with them himself—but what the showman did offer was a loose, fun and charming kick-off to Hollywood’s biggest party of the year. He sang with Anne Hathaway and to Kate Winslet, bashed the Academy for not nominating “The Dark Knight” for best picture, danced with the “Craigslist dancers” and to techno music and, with armbands a la “The Wrestler,” plugged his upcoming film “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.”

Whew! People's Sexiest Man Alive then charmed the nominees, putting some, like 15-time nominee Meryl Streep, on the spot.

“When someone puts up numbers like that, it’s just hard not to think steroids,” he cracked.

He also handed those elbow pads back to Mickey Rourke, making a joke about the actor’s string of no-holds-barred acceptance speeches during this awards season.

“Say whatever is on your mind because you know we have a seven-second delay,” Jackman said, “but if you win, we switch to a 20-minute delay.”

Later, Jackman ate up what seemed like 20 minutes himself, when his big production number with Beyonce and others stopped the show cold. It wasn’t that it was that bad (I admit it, I do like musicals), it just seemed horribly out of place. No one needs to revisit “Mamma Mia” or “High School Musical” at the Oscars.

The Academy promised a different show, but it wasn’t. The set seemed smaller and more intimate, but the show was still laborious and overproduced—just like that second Jackman number.

Five presenters introduced each acting nominee. And although the mini-tribute to each actor was nice, they stretched the show too long.

Thankfully a filmed segment from “Pineapple Express” stars Seth Rogen and James Franco and the great Tina Fey broke up the monotony on a night when no surprises occurred among the winners.

And yes, once again the show went over its allotted time. But won’t it always? The Oscars ceremony is a big, extravagant and overdone beast, and not even Jackman is huge enough to corral it.

Posted at 11:45 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22

JACKMAN CHARMS OSCAR
WINNERS' LIST
OSCAR VIDEOS
DON'T MISS MICKEY ROURKE'S INDIE SPIRIT AWARD SPEECH

Oscar winners Kate Winslet, Sean Penn and Penelope Cruz celebrate after the show. MCT photo

Mickey Rourke was the sentimental favorite, but Sean Penn walked away with his second best-actor Academy Award on Sunday.

“You commie, homo-loving sons of guns,” quipped Penn, who won for his portrayal of slain gay-rights pioneer Harvey Milk in “Milk.” “I did not expect this and I want it to be very clear that I do know how hard I make it to appreciate me often.”

SAG winner Penn topped Rourke, who had taken the Golden Globe, BAFTA and Independent Spirit awards for his nearly autobiographical role as a washed-up wrestler fighting to come back in "The Wrestler." The once hot actor was in an acting wilderness for 15 years until this movie came along.

Penn’s was one of few surprises during Sunday’s ceremony, which saw “Slumdog Millionaire” load up on the statuettes, winning eight Oscars including best picture and best director for Danny Boyle.

A story of hope amid poverty in Mumbai, India, “Slumdog” came in with 10 nominations. “Just to say to Mumbai, all of you who helped us make the film and all of those of you who didn’t, thank you very much. You dwarf even this guy,” Boyle said, pointing to his Oscar.

Penn’s award was a big win for the gay rights movement in California, and he called out those who voted for the state’s ban on gay marriage.

“I think it’s a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect on their great shame and their shame in their grandchildren’s eyes if they continue that support,” Penn said. “We’ve got to have equal rights for everyone.”

Dustin Lance Black, the screenwriter for “Milk” and a fellow winner, also addressed gay marriage and growing up gay when he accepted his trophy for original screenplay.

“When I was 13 years old my beautiful mother and my father moved me from a conservative Mormon home in San Antonio, Texas, to California, and I heard the story of Harvey Milk and it gave me hope,” Black said. “It gave me the hope to live my life.”

Other awards went as expected, but that didn’t stop the winners from gushing.

Kate Winslet won best actress for “The Reader” and gave another in her long line of elegant, warm acceptance speeches.

“I’d be lying if I said I haven’t made a version of this speech before,” she said. “I think I was probably 8 years old and staring into the bathroom mirror, and this would have been a shampoo bottle. Well, it’s not a shampoo bottle now.”

Penelope Cruz, accepting the best supporting actress award for “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” said she was surprised.

“Has anybody ever fainted here? Because I might be the first one,” she said, although she has won several other awards for the role.

The family of the late Heath Ledger accepted his Oscar for playing the Joker in the Chicago-filmed “The Dark Knight” after they received a standing ovation from the crowd at the Kodak Theater in L.A. His posthumous award will be held in trust and given to his now 3-year-old daughter, Matilda, when she turns 18.

“This award tonight would have humbly validated Heath’s quiet determination to be truly accepted by you all here—his peers within an industry he so loved,” said Ledger’s father, Kim.

It was a touching moment on a night with few surprises.

AP contributed to this post.

Posted at 2:45 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22

WARNING: NOT SAFE FOR WORK. SO TURN DOWN VOLUME.

Mickey Rourke outdid himself with his best-actor acceptance speech at the 2009 Film Independent's Spirit Awards on Saturday.

After cracking up audiences at the Gold Globes and BAFTAs, the 56-year-old comeback kid and star of “The Wrestler” honored his friend Eric Roberts, his dead dog Loki, the Santa Monica Police department and a host of others with a profanity-filled, hilarious speech.

Those poor organizers of Academy Awards probably are crapping their pants that the Oscar front-runner will do the same thing if he wins Sunday. Maybe more viewers will tune in hoping to see it.

Rourke started his speech trying to get his old friend Roberts some work in Hollywood.

“Eric Roberts is the [bleeping] man. Like I got, he deserves a second chance, and I wish there would be one [bleeping] filmmaker in this room that would let him fly because he is something else,” Rourke said.

He went on to thank the Santa Monica Police Department.

"They gave me a bed to sleep in 10 years ago. And I thank them—I asked them for two pillows, they told me to [bleep] off. But anyway, thank you, Darren Aronofsky, for believing in me … He is one tough son of a bitch and he don't like it when I say that 'cause he goes, 'Mickey, you'll scare all the other actors away from me.' But Darren, you know what, if they ain't got the balls to bring it, then [bleep] 'em, you know?"

He also thanked the WWE and Vince McMahon for supporting the film despite it exposing some raw aspects of the sport, including “steroids and the cocaine and the bangin' the girl [bleep] in the bathroom."

Watch the video above. Here’s hoping Rourke repeats at Sunday’s Oscars.

Posted at 9 a.m. Monday, Jan. 26

The TV categories of the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards offered no surprise winners on Sunday.

Well, maybe one in “House” best actor Hugh Laurie, but that’s seems strange to type. Laurie’s been honored before for his grumpy Dr. Gregory House. But this year seemed to belong to Jon Hamm of the critical darling “Mad Men.”

“Mad Men” did win for best ensemble in a drama, the SAG equivalent of best drama. “30 Rock” swept the comedy awards, winning best ensemble, best actress in Tina Fey and best actor in Alec Baldwin.

For more SAG results in TV and movies, click the link below.

SAG RED CARPET PHOTOS.

Posted at 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 22

“THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON” SCORES MOST NOMS.

STARS REACT TO NOMINATIONS.

OSCAR NOMS PHOTO GALLERY.

NOMINATION VIDEOS.

I was so looking forward to an exciting Oscar knight this year.

But on Thursday, Oscar voters snubbed “The Dark Knight” as a best-picture nominee, thus mocking my love for the Bat and practically guaranteeing low ratings for ABC’s Academy Awards broadcast. After all, the most-watched Oscar telecasts have featured wildly popular movies—think “The Lord of the Rings” and “Titanic”—nominated for the evening’s biggest prize.

As bleak as these developments are for the network, all is not completely lost. Just as Batman always gets back up from the Joker’s beatdowns, I have a few ideas for ABC on how producers can use Oscars host Hugh Jackman to salvage the Feb. 22 telecast.

MEET WOLVERINE
Jackman is huge! And he’s starring in what is likely to be a huge movie this year: “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.” Not only could he plug that film, but he could take advantage of the popularity of two 2008 superhero movies, “The Dark Knight” and “Iron Man.” Here’s the skit set-up:

[Wolverine (Jackman) invites Batman (Christian Bale) and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) on stage.]
Wolverine: Sorry about your lack of nominations, guys.
Iron Man: All I care about is getting to the bar. Where’s the bar? The Golden Globes had free drinks.
Batman: It’s a dark day in Gotham City. I want vengeance. The Academy must pay for this slight.
Wolverine: If you had claws like mine, you could tears their heads off. It’s fun, really.
Iron Man: Guys, guys, relax. You’re downright depressing. Lemme mix you an Iron-tini.

WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE?
“Slumdog Millionaire” went from darkhorse to Oscar frontrunner with its 10 nominations, including best picture and director. Oscar producers should set up “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” with Jackman as host. He could quiz people picked from the crowd watching the red carpet arrivals with Oscar trivia. Imagine: “I won a million bucks, and met Hugh Jackman!”

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND
Jackman’s big-screen bomb of last year, “Australia,” is nominated for best costume design. But the film delivers its most memorable moment when Jackman, as an Outback horseman, strips down to take a shower outdoors. A re-creation of that scene would keep eyes on the TV, methinks.

PUNK’D PARADE
Yes, we can watch the red carpet arrivals before the Oscar ceremony. But really, horrendous fashion is what people want to see. So why not have a set of judges decide who looks the absolute worst, then have Jackman—luring the fashion offenders onstage under the pretense that they’re part of a presentation—parade them around for the ultimate “Punk’d.”

THE TWITTER OSCAR
RedEye’s Scott Kleinberg asked the Twitterverse what movies they thought were overlooked Thursday. Maybe more people would watch the Oscar telecast if regular folks had a hand in the voting. Compile Twitterverse votes, and then Jackman can hand out the first annual Twitter Oscar.

@dmruhl: I was really surprised that “The Dark Knight” didn’t make the best picture list.

@taterloyyd: Totally shocked that “Gran Torino” is not nominated!

@Krypto13: “Wall-E” not getting a best picture nomination is a joke. By far the best film of the year.

@FoxBrownFox: I know they gave Kate W. a nod for “The Reader,” but I thought “Revolutionary Road” was gonna get some kinda “keeps it real” nod.

Posted at 10:45 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 11

DON'T MISS THE RED CARPET PHOTO GALLERY, CLICK HERE.

HOW WERE THE GLOBES? CLICK HERE.

The film "Slumdog Millionaire" took four awards at Sunday’s 66th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills. Here are the winners, including twice honored Kate Winslet.

MOVIES

Posted at 10:35 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 11

DON'T MISS THE RED CARPET PHOTO GALLERY, CLICK HERE.

FOR A COMPLETE WINNERS LIST, CLICK HERE.

On a night of surprises, it was no surprise that Heath Ledger’s Golden Globe honor brought the Hollywood crowd to its feet.

Ledger was named best supporting actor, another of what is likely to be a string of posthumous honors for his role as the Joker in “The Dark Knight.” Ledger died a year ago, well before the Chicago-shot film opened. His director, Christopher Nolan (right), accepted the award Sunday.

“He will be missed but he will never be forgotten,” said Nolan, who spent part of his boyhood in Chicago.

Ledger’s win, which spurred a standing ovation Sunday from the crowd at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, was the most solemn moment during a breezy, loose evening full of stunned movie award winners.

Mickey Rourke continued his remarkable acting comeback, thanking his dogs among others for giving him a shot at movie star redemption—which came in the form of best actor honors for “The Wrestler.”

"It's been a very long road back for me," the actor, whose bad behavior had derailed his career for many years, said.

Kate Winslet, always the bridesmaid at awards shows, picked up two awards, for supporting actress in “The Reader” and lead actress in “Revolutionary Road.”

“I have a habit of not winning things,” Winslet said in accepting the first award of the night. Winslet has been nominated for Oscars five times, but never has won.

"Slumdog Millionaire" director Danny Boyle also seemed surprised that his underdog film set in India swept all four categories for which it was nominated, including his best director honor, plus best drama, screenplay and music score.

Ledger already has won the Critic’s Choice Award and is considered a contender for the Academy Awards, the nominations for which will be announced Jan. 22, the one-year anniversary of his death from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.

After a year off because of the writers’ strike last winter, the 66th annual Golden Globe Awards provided a no-fuss, no-muss awards show that actually proved fun to watch.

Unlike other big awards show in recent memory, the Globes ceremony had no host (or, thankfully, reality TV hosts, like last fall’s disastrous Emmys). Jennifer Lopez opened the show by giving a supporting-actress award to Winslet. The show moved at a nice clip after that, with no production numbers and very little awful banter among presenters.

Ricky Gervais (left) did take his time at the podium. But I’m not complaining about that.

“I’m not even nominated, which is a little bit annoying,” he said, holding a glass of beer. “I can’t believe I’m not nominated. What a waste of a campaign. That’s the last time I have sex with 200 middle-aged journalists.”

If that’s the case, Gervais slept with too many: The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, made up of only about 90 reporters, presents the Golden Globes. The Globes are given for both film and TV.

There were few surprises among the TV awards. “Mad Men” won best drama, while “30 Rock” continued its run of accolades, winning Globes for best TV comedy and for the acting of Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey.

Co-star Tracy Morgan accepted the best comedy award, saying he made a deal with show creator Fey that if Barack Obama was elected president, Morgan would become the show’s spokesman.

“Welcome to post-racial America," he said. “I am the face of post-racial America."

Accepting her award, Fey said she appreciates all her good fortune in the past year, adding that it’s been easy to stay grounded. “If you ever start to feel too good about yourself, they have this thing called the Internet," she said. "And you can find a lot of people there who don’t like you"

She told several people, using Web their monikers, to “suck it.” “Babs in La Crosse, you can suck it. Diane-fan, you can suck it. Cougar-letter, you can really suck it, ’cause all year you’ve been after me. All year.”

Click below for other Golden Globe moments.

Posted at 9:45 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 11

“Damages” star Glenn Close and “Saving Grace” star Holly Hunter aren’t among the Golden Globes TV nominees announced this morning, but only one was snubbed.

Emmy winner Close wasn’t eligible because “Damages” hadn’t aired the required number of episodes. But that doesn’t explain why Hunter, who does an amazing job as troubled cop Grace Hanadarko, didn’t make the cut.

Anna Paquin? Really? I’ve grown to like HBO’s vamp series “True Blood,” but I don’t consider her its strongest actress. (I just thought of something: Both Paquin and Hunter won Oscars co-starring in “The Piano” years ago.)

Anyway, the other actress I would have loved to see on this list is Katey Sagal for her fiercely protective biker mom in FX’s “Sons of Anarchy.” Who would I remove from the list to fit Sagal in? Mariska Hargitay from “Law & Order: SVU” or even Sally Field from "Brothers & Sisters." They're good in their roles, but Sagal is better.

There aren’t a lot of surprises among the rest of the list, with "30 Rock" and "Mad Men" scoring well-earned multiple nominations.

I would have liked to have seen “Pushing Daisies” and some of its actors in the comedy categories. I guess that recently canceled series—one of my favorites on TV—isn’t getting any breaks these days.

The 66th annual Golden Globes are scheduled to air Sunday, Jan. 11 on NBC. Find the complete list of TV nominees by clicking the link below.

Posted at 12:55 p.m. Monday, Sept. 22

Big wins for "30 Rock" and its stars Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin weren't enough to draw a big audience to Sunday's Emmys. AP Photo

The news keeps getting bleaker for Sunday’s Emmy Awards telecast. According to Nielsen Media Research’s preliminary estimate, the show had one of its smallest audiences ever.

That news follows the debacle of the show itself, where five reality TV hosts—Heidi Klum, Ryan Seacrest, Howie Mandel, Tom Begeron and Jeff Probst—lowered the bar for awards broadcast hosts. They were awful, as was the show.

Early estimates from Nielsen show that 12.24 million people watched Sunday’s show, which is less than the broadcasts from last year and 1990, which were both just under 13 million, according to the Associated Press.

That either says something about the nominees and big winners—“30 Rock” and “Mad Men”—or about the fact that viewers aren’t that into TV after the writers’ strike last winter. Both those shows and other winners earn critical acclaim but lousy ratings, which was evident as “30 Rock” creator Tina Fey, accepted the show’s best comedy award, essentially begged viewers to tune into “30 Rock” on NBC.

TV’s new season officially begins Monday.

Posted at 10:20 a.m. Monday, Sept. 22

Jimmy Kimmel stands with Emmy hosts and nominees Tom Bergeron, Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, Ryan Seacrest and Jeff Probst. AP Photo

I’m suffering a little post-traumatic stress this morning: I watched Sunday night’s telecast of the 60th Annual Emmy Awards.

A line from the film “Aliens” keeps popping into my head: “Did IQs just drop sharply while I was away?”

The “smart” idea for the broadcast was to have the five nominees for best reality competition show host—the first time the award has been given out—also host the telecast.

What a disaster. “Survivor” host Jeff Probst won in the new category over Ryan Seacrest, Heidi Klum, Tom Bergeron and Howie Mandel. I felt like I won a season of “Survivor” after making it through the awful broadcast.

The hosts stopped the ceremony dead every time they came onstage. Bergeron, who does a good job of hosting “Dancing with the Stars,” seemed completely embarrassed by the end of the night, when all five hosts were brought onstage by Jimmy Kimmel so he could reveal which one would be an Emmy winner.

The Drab Five opened the show—after Oprah Winfrey told viewers how great TV is—by making Winfrey out to be a liar.

They didn’t tell any jokes. Instead they stood around, chatting each other up, then insisted to the already bored crowd (and fast-declining home viewers) that they hadn’t prepared anything and the whole bit was unscripted. (We believe!)

Who among the Emmy show producers actually thought this through? Who thought it would work?

Eventually all but Bergeron and Klum walked off stage (I swear I heard applause) and the two of them engaged in more robotic chit-chat that eventually led to William Shatner coming onstage and helping Bergeron tear off Klum’s tux to reveal bedazzled hot pants.

Not even a supermodel’s legs could save the Drab Five’s introduction.

Even some of the presenters and winners commented on the unpleasant proceedings, with winner Jeremy Piven cracking that he could talk for 12 minutes. “What would happen,” he asked. “That was the opening.”

When Mandel wasn’t yammering on and on about nothing, he tried to tell jokes. But all of his so-called punch lines fell to the stage with a louder thud than Klum did when Bergeron dropped her to demonstrate the difference between drama and comedy.

Let me help you guys: What you were doing last night was not comedy.

Leave the comedy to the presenters and winners, who last night gave viewers some wonderful moments. That includes Ricky Gervais and Steve Carell, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, and Don Rickles.

All a host needs to do is introduce presenters and keep the show moving. Nothing more. Show us you even have an IQ.

Posted at 11:14 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21

"Mad Men" star Jon Hamm hugs producer Matthew Weiner after the show won an Emmy. AP Photo

"Mad Men" made history Sunday as the first basic-cable TV series ever to win a best series Emmy award.

In fact, basic-cable launched a mini revolution, winning several top awards for dramas. Besides AMC's best drama victory with "Mad Men," the network scored with another richly deserving drama, "Breaking Bad."

Bryan Cranston, who plays a teacher-turned-drug-dealer on the show, upset heavy favorite Jon Hamm of "Mad Men" to win the best actor in a drama award.

The viewer-challenged but thrilling FX show "Damages" took two acting honors as well, one for Zeljko Ivanek, who won best supporting actor for playing a lawyer on the show.

Glenn Close, who plays a ruthless attorney on the show, won for best actress in a drama. She recognized fellow nominees Holly Hunter, Kyra Sedgwick, Mariska Hargitay and Sally Field in her speech.

"We’re proving that complicated, powerful, mature women are sexy in high entertainment and can carry a show," Close said. "I call us the sisterhood of the TV drama divas."

For more on the Emmy Broadcast, click here. For more winners, go to the jump.

Posted at 10:20 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21

Tina Fey accepts the best comedy award for her show, "30 Rock." AP Photo

Reality hosts emceed the Emmy awards on Sunday, but the show would have completely bombed without Tina Fey.

The “30 Rock” creator, writer and actress offered some of the best moments of the night.

“I thank my parents for somehow raising me to have confidence that is disproportionate with my looks and abilities,” Fey said after winning for best comedy actress in “30 Rock.” Fey also won a writing award, and “30 Rock” won best comedy.

Earlier Fey and Amy Poehler offered the first real laughs of the 60th annual Primetime Emmy Awards when they presented the award for supporting actor in a comedy. Fey asked a pregnant Poehler when she was due to have her baby.

“How dare you,” Poehler said. “I’ve gained weight for a role.”

They created the first laughs in a show that started off slowly with Oprah Winfrey talking glowingly about TV. Then the five hosts—Ryan Seacrest, Tom Bergeron, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel and Jeff Probst—came out dressed in similar suits. They rambled on and on until Bergeron and William Shatner ripped off Klum’s suit to reveal hot pants.

The thud heard was the director’s head hitting the soundboard. I kid, but it could have been.

Presenter Ricky Gervais took the comedy baton from Fey and Poehler, and for a few minutes a very boring show soared. He offered advice about acceptance speeches: “Please keep it short, don’t cry, it’s pathetic, it’s just an award.”

After watching a montage of notable Emmy speeches, including Gervais’ win last year when he was not there to accept and Steve Carell took his award, Gervais demanded the award back from a stone-faced Carell.

“I made you what you are and I get nothing back,” he told Carell. “Have you been to see ‘Ghost Town’ yet? I sat through ‘Evan Almighty.’ Give me my Emmy.”

Gervais went off stage, then tickled, kicked and berated Carell until he got his Emmy back.

The show’s theme was 60 years of TV, and clips from old series often upstaged what was happening in the present. The embarrassment might have been greatest for Josh Groban, who goofed his way through a performance of several TV theme songs including “South Park,” “Cops,” “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and “Two and a Half Men.” While singing the “Baywatch” theme, he ran in place—in slow motion.

Simon Cowell would say Groban’s performance was as cheesy as a cruise ship concert. That would be appropriate, since Groban also covered the “Love Boat” theme.

Halfway through the ceremony presenters were told to get right to the awards because the show was running long.

The reality hosts did redeem themselves, sort of. Jimmy Kimmel presented the award for best reality TV show host, bringing them onstage and making them wait to learn who won. “The winner is going to be revealed ... when we come back after this break,” Kimmel said.

Jeff Probst, host of “Survivor,” won the award—the first if its kind.

Posted at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21

Before the 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards began Sunday, Kathy Griffin planned to bring her latest award to the ceremony on Sunday.

“I know it will look tacky and I’m not supposed to, but I really want to,” she told usmagazine.com. “I want to throw [it] at Ryan Seacrest for no other reason.”

Griffin’s Bravo show, “Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List,” won its second Emmy in a row on Sept. 13 for best reality program. Griffin will present an award Sunday night with Don Rickles. Griffin didn’t shock the crowd at the Sept. 13 ceremony like she did last year, when she said something about Jesus Christ.

“Well, well, well! Here we go again, [bleepers]. Here we go again,” she said, according to The Hollywood Reporter, “Hanks, Gandolfini—what the [bleep]! I'm not going to tell anyone to suck it. I would make love to this thing if I could.”

Other guest acting honors at the Sept. 13 creative arts awards went to Glynn Turman, for best guest actor in a drama for “In Treatment”; Kathryn Joosten, best guest actress in a comedy for “Desperate Housewives”; and Tim Conway, best guest actor in a comedy for “30 Rock.” Joosten, who plays Mrs. McCluskey on “Housewives,” earned an Emmy for the role in 2005.

Posted at 2:15 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 12

Britney Spears may have tanked at last year’s MTV Video Music Awards, but that hasn’t stopped the network from using her again.

The troubled pop star appears with VMA host Russell Brand in MTV’s ads for the Sept. 7 awards ceremony. She’s also negotiating to make appear on the awards ceremony broadcast, the AP reports.

In the show promos, Spears looks like she’s rebounded from last year’s robotic—OK, awful—performance at the ceremony. She’s seen joking with Brand, and is hopefully only pretending to get his name wrong (below). She looks very together, actually. Do you agree? Tell me what you think by leaving a comment at the bottom of the post.

MTV might be wise to have the singer appear on this year’s awards broadcast; last year she boosted the show’s ratings, which were up 26 percent from the 2006 broadcast.

In other VMA news, MTV has opened voting for nominees to viewers. On last Friday’s episode of “FNMTV,” the nominees for “Best New Artist” and “Best Dancing in a Video” were revealed after online voting at vma.mtv.com. The nominees are listed below.

Voting currently is open for “Best Rock Video” and “Video of the Year.”

Best New Artist nominees

Posted at 6:45 p.m. Monday, Aug. 11

DON'T MISS OUR BEST TV LINES PHOTO GALLERY!

Heidi Klum is expanding her repertoire.

The “Project Runway” host is temporarily ditching her trademark “One day you’re in, and the next day, you’re out” line for another famous TV catchphrase. Klum and several other celebrities are being filmed reciting the lines for a video montage to be shown during the 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 21, an ABC rep told me Monday.

“Celebrating the Academy’s 60th birthday will be an important part of this year’s Emmy show, but we wanted to do it in a way that tied several generations of television’s past to the present,” executive producer Ken Ehrlich said in an ABC press release. “By having many of television’s brightest stars of today recall their favorite television lines, we’ve been able to have it all, and we think this will be one of the most fun segments of a very exciting and fresh Emmy show.”

Many of the celebrities have their own now-famous catchphrases, including Jeremy Piven, Alec Baldwin, Ricky Gervais, Kelsey Grammer, William Shatner, Donald Trump and many others.

The ABC rep wouldn’t say what lines Klum or the others will speak, but did confirm four of the lines. The four are oldies, which is no surprise: the montage is celebrating the past 60 years of TV. They include: