September 21, 2005
Donald Trump sang the theme from Green Acres, dressed in bib overhauls and a straw hat. And once again, the closest Scrubs got to winning an Emmy was when star Zach Braff took the stage to present an award. But overall, this year’s Emmys was a move in the right direction.
We saw some new faces collect trophies. And the new competition, Emmy Idol, where actors sing TV show theme songs, was fresh and fun. So Trump can’t carry a tune. Who cares? He gets points for the pitchfork.
The Emmys had some highs and lows. Here’s a rundown of the best and worst:
- Best line of the night – Doris Roberts of Everybody Loves Raymond got the giggles while presenting an award with her former cast mates. After being chastised by Ray Romano that her joke “wasn’t that funny,” Doris deadpanned, “I’ve been drunk since the wrap party.”
- Best skit – Jon Stewart’s edgy rant about Hurricane Katrina’s fallout was hilarious. The pre-taped, cleverly edited piece illustrated why Stewart’s Daily Show is deserving of the two Emmys it won. The ending line, “George Bush hates black Sabbath” was priceless.
- Gone and apparently forgotten – After years of Emmy domination and viewer worship, NYPD Blue didn’t even score a clip in the opening musical montage. Showing even more disrespect, Blue wasn’t even mentioned during the Emmy broadcast. Somewhere, Andy Sipowicz is slamming lockers and punching perps in frustration.
- Worst snub of the night – David Letterman introduced the memorial tribute to Johnny Carson, instead of Carson’s successor Jay Leno, who was in the audience. Adding insult to injury, Jon Stewart later compared Letterman to Carson. Ouch!
- Funniest presenters – Scrubs star Zach Braff and House star Hugh Laurie were a riot. Laurie began the presentation in his normal voice, a proper British accent, and not the American accent he uses on House. Braff feigned confusion saying he didn’t realize they were doing British accents for their bit. Never one to be upstaged, Braff launched into his own version of a British accent that sounded more like Austin Powers than James Bond. Hilarious.
- Lost wins best drama – Finally, a great show gets its due. Yes, the story arcs are incredibly complex on this island drama, and literary and theological references complicate things from time to time. But this show is a fun thriller. Perfectly cast and enthralling, Lost deserved to be found by Emmy voters. The added bonus, we got to see Hurley, Sawyer, and Jack in formal wear!
- Apparently everybody loves Raymond – My apologies to Raymond fans, but I was pretty much praying for any show other than this one or the tired Will and Grace to win best comedy. Sadly, Scrubs was once again snubbed. And the heavily favored Desperate Housewives was overlooked, too. Never underestimate the power of Raymond with Emmy voters.
- Best speech of the night – S. Epatha Merkerson charmed the audience when she accepted her award for best actress in a miniseries or movie for Lackawanna Blues on HBO. The buxom actress put her acceptance speech in the cleavage of her gown and was horrified as she tried to dig it out in front of millions of viewers. Finally, she gave up, saying it had slipped on down. She played off her embarrassing situation with a sweet speech and then, still in shock, abruptly said “OK, thank you” as the monitor read, “Please wrap up.”
- Worst speech of the night – Patricia Arquette did the dreaded list of names when she accepted the award for best actress in a drama for Medium. The only thing I hate more than actors rattling off a list of names during an acceptance speech, is when they interject their political views. Reading a list of names is something done during roll call in a classroom, not on an awards show. These people are paid entertainers. Is it too much to ask that their speeches be entertaining?
- Weirdest moment – Alan Alda of The West Wing exhibited some odd behavior after he lost best supporting actor in a drama to William Shatner of Boston Legal. The camera caught Alda angrily ripping up what appeared to be the program. Was it a joke or outright disappointment at his loss? He was later seen smiling, as Shatner concluded his speech. Very presidential of him, wouldn’t you say?
- Emmy Idol – This fun competition was a hoot. From The Jeffersons’ theme song to Kristen Bell of Veronica Mars singing Fame, wearing a pair of leg warmers, this skit was a blast. Bell was robbed, however, not only of an Emmy nomination for her work, but she should have taken home the prize in this competition, too. She had the best voice of any of the actors and danced her heart out. And leg warmers never looked so good.
- Musical sketches – Ever since Rob Lowe danced with Snow White at the Oscars in the late ‘80s, opening musical numbers have been risky business. Earth Wind & Fire and The Black Eyed Peas’ opening number September fell flat, but did give us this gem of a lyric: “Martha Stewart went to jail and got a show. That’s the way entertainment goes.”
See, there are wackier things than The Donald singing in farm clothes.
For a complete list of Emmy winners, visit the Web site at http://www.emmys.org/
Originally published 9/21/05 in The Exponent Telegram newspaper.
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