Cable Networks Dominate Emmys
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TAIPEI TIMES P A G E 1 6 TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2008 ith so much of prime-time rated Fox drama that was also a network television being nominee for best drama series, W taken over by so-called said the disparities in audience reality shows, it is no wonder rightly had little bearing on awards that the big winners at the 60th like the Emmys. Primetime Emmys — an awards “There are awards for that; show that mainly celebrates they’re called ratings,” Shore said. acting and writing — would hail “There are really good shows on from cable rather than from the cable, and even if only 10 people are broadcast networks. watching them, if they’re good they HBO, the perennial Emmy should be recognized. The shows powerhouse, took home the most they’ve selected are excellent.” golden statuettes on Sunday, Perhaps the biggest change winning 26 Emmys, including this year was in the assignment awards for its made-for-television of hosting duties. Traditionally, movie Recount, its mini-series the job has gone to a comedian John Adams, its comedy series who has some connection to the Entourage and its drama series network televising the Emmys In Treatment. ceremony, as Conan O’Brien did AMC, the cable channel formerly two years ago on NBC. known as American Movie Classics, In addition to showcasing one won three awards, two of them of the network’s big stars, the for its first-year scripted series, precedent usually had the added of Mad Men, which won best drama advantage of managing to keep the series, and one for Breaking Bad, audience entertained through what which, with only seven episodes, can be a tedious evening. Last was almost a mini-series. FX, the year, however, Fox bucked that cable channel that is a cousin of the precedent, giving the job to Ryan Fox network, also won two acting Seacrest, the American Idol host, awards for its rookie-season drama, who received tepid reviews. Damages, including one for Glenn Seacrest was back as a host Close, who was named best actress this year, however, joined by the in a drama series. other four nominees for a first- The viewers of all those shows time award, outstanding host for added together might not total the a reality or reality-competition number that watched the Emmys program. The other nominees were broadcast. But television executives Tom Bergeron, of ABC’s Dancing are nothing if not optimistic, With the Stars, Howie Mandel of and if anything, the performance NBC’s Deal or No Deal, Heidi Klum of the five reality-show hosts of Bravo’s Project Runway and Jeff who together played masters of Probst, the host of the granddaddy ceremony on the awards show of reality shows, CBS’s Survivor. Cable networks might inspire the executives not to None of those hosts opened abandon scripted television. the show, however; rather, it Broadcast television did was Oprah Winfrey, the queen capture some of its own accolades, of all media, who took the stage with NBC’s 30 Rock sweeping first and ushered in the hosts. It the major comedy awards. It won was all downhill from there, as dominate Emmys best comedy series for the second the hosts made a point of telling straight year, Tina Fey and Alec the audience how they were Baldwin took home the awards improvising, even pointing out for best comedy actress and actor, the blank teleprompter at the and Fey took home another award back of the auditorium — as if the HBO consolidating its reputation for her writing of the episode titled audience couldn’t tell. as a powerhouse of US television Cooter. “The government cannot even Fey, who last year thanked the bail us out of this,” Mandel said, by winning 26 awards, but “dozens” of people who watched like a stand-up comic who realized upstart network AMC won the the show, reminded viewers this too late that the audience was year than the show “can be viewed turning against him. most coveted prize on NBC.com, Hulu, iTunes, United “I thought we were being Airlines and occasionally on actual punked as an audience,” Piven said BY EDWARD WYATT television.” backstage of the opening. “It was NY TIMES NEWS SERVICE, LOS ANGELES ABC won three awards, a celebration of nothingness so I two of them for much-admired was confused.” first-year series. Jean Smart won Probst won the reality hosting best supporting actress for her Emmy, a victory that left some role as a straight-talking mother other winners nonplused. on Samantha Who?, and Barry Kirk Ellis, who won the writing Sonnenfeld won the award for award for his mini-series John directing a comedy series for the Adams, reacted angrily at the fact pilot episode of Pushing Daisies. that so few award winners were Those were two of the few new given time to say much of anything. comedy series to survive last “I thought it interesting that we year’s strike-interrupted television can have 30 minutes of a show season. ABC’s third victory was by devoted to reality show hosts, but Louis J. Horvitz for directing the the people who create the work 80th Academy Awards. don’t have time to talk,” he said Though the theme of Emmys backstage after the show. ceremony was a celebration of The Colbert Report won the the golden age of television, that award for best writing for a served only to highlight that much variety, music or comedy program, of the best work being done for while the Comedy Central show the small screen today appears not from which it was spawned, The on the networks but on cable. Daily Show With Jon Stewart, Matthew Weiner, the creator of won for outstanding variety, music Mad Men, said that the distinctions or comedy series. between network and cable mean Weiner won for outstanding he stars were hot, literally, on the red carpet wears,” said Klum’s stylist Maryam Malakpour, but little anymore. “If you did a show writing for a drama series for T at Sunday night’s 60th annual Emmys awards Armani won her over by sending a personal note to like LA Law right now, I think it Mad Men, the most talked-about — and that meant the sweeping trend on A-list congratulate her on her Project Runway nomination. would end up on FX,” he said in television series of the year. actresses were updos. Fellow model and reality host Padma Lakshmi an interview on the red carpet. Zeljko Ivanek won best sup- Heidi Klum wore one and so did Mariska wore a short gold Monique Lhuillier dress, showing “There’s nothing on my show porting actor in a drama series for Hargitay. Same ’do for Marcia Cross, Vanessa off her legs. “When you’re working with a model, that can’t be shown on network Damages. And Dianne Weist won Williams, Julia Louis Dreyfus and Sandra Oh. there is so much choice,” said her Stephenson, who television. It’s just they’re appealing best supporting actress in a drama The perfect accessory? Dangling earrings, worked with Lakshmi. “They rarely look bad in to a different kind of audience. series for In Treatment on HBO. such as Debra Messing in 19th-century diamond a dress.” Powerhouses Oprah Winfrey and Susan They have their audience and I have Jeremy Piven won his third fan-pendants from Fred Leighton. Sarandon, in a draped jersey look by her friend my audience, and I think it’s nice to straight award for supporting actor There also were many strapless gowns — on Donna Karan, both opted for red, and Hargitay was have something for everybody.” in a comedy for his portrayal of the likes of Tina Fey and Teri Hatcher — and, in in a soft one-shouldered, marigold-yellow gown by David Shore, an executive the brash agent Ari Gold on HBO’s a nod to an emerging catwalk trend, asymmetric Carolina Herrera. producer of House, MD, the top- Entourage. looks as seen on Christina Applegate and Still, there were plenty of neutrals. Vanessa Williams. Jennifer Love Hewitt — her hair in a bedhead But almost to a person the looks were anything bun — told E! that her white-with-black strapless but trendy, sticking instead to safe silhouettes, Fashion-wise, gown by Herrera was an easy choice, and Williams’ boldly elegant jewelry and flattering colors. splashy white-and-black print dress by Kevan Hall Take, for example, Oh, one of the night’s had a jeweled strap that went from her shoulder to fashion winners, who previously had done time on stars play it safe just below the waist. a few worst-dressed lists. She came in a retro- White was also worn by Kyra Sedgwick, whose style black lace dress by Oscar de la Renta with a dress by L’Wren Scott featured diamond embroidery. ribbon sash and a few sparkles on the skirt. They on the red carpet The black fan club included America Ferrera in matched her gleaming 5.5-carat (each!) emerald- a bubble-hem dress and Hollywood siren-style red cut diamond earrings by Bulgari. BY SAMANTHA CRITCHELL lipstick; Chandra Wilson in a gathered Tadashi Shoji Applegate didn’t disappoint in her much- AP, LOS AngELES halter gown; Kate Walsh in gown with alternating anticipated red-carpet return after breast-cancer rows of crystals to go with a complete set of surgery in a dramatic, sweeping gown in ice blue Fey liked the color too, leaving her glasses at diamond-and-platinum jewelry by Neil Lane; and with metallic patches.