If you didn’t get to watch Sunday’s Emmys, don’t fret.
“Modern Family” swept, Lena Dunham was naked, and Tracy Morgan pretended to pass out. So if the three-hour long show is taking up valuable space in your TiVo, feel free to read ahead. These are the main things you need to know about the 64th Annual Emmys to get you through any conversation about it.
After the traditionally cheesy yet star-studded opening skit, the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards started right out of the gate with the comedy section of the award show.
(Emmy Statuette Trademark Property of ATAS/NATAS)
Giving special recognition to the star, writer and director of the hit HBO show “Girls,” Lena Dunham was nominated three times this evening. Even though she did not take home any awards, we should all watch for this rising star in the television world. Further strengthening the fearlessness that we all love her for, Dunham appeared nude in the opening skit, a scene that probably didn’t surprise any fans of “Girls.”
The first award of the night was for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy show. This category reminded us that everyone’s favorite comedy, “Modern Family” was once again hitting it out of the park, with four actors nominated in this category and Eric Stonestreet (Cam on “Modern Family”) taking home the Emmy.
Another star in the comedy world is Louis C.K., who took home two Emmys this evening for his comedy special, adding to the 16 nominations and two wins already under his belt.
Once again, “Modern Family” reminded us of their comedy power-house of a cast with both Julie Bowen and Sofia Vergara being nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Show. Bowen ultimately won the Emmy.
Other winners in the this portion of the show included:
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series - Steven Levitan for “Modern Family” - ”Baby On Board”
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - Jon Cryer for “Two and a Half Men”
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - Julia Louis-Dreyfus for “Veep”
Outstanding Reality/Competition Program – “The Amazing Race”
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series - Aaron Paul for “Breaking Bad”
Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series- Maggie Smith for “Downton Abbey”
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series- Damien Lewis for “Homeland”
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series- Claire Danes for “Homeland”
Before entering the awards for variety television, there was a quick piano version of “You Don’t Know You’re Beautiful,” sung by Josh Groban in honor of host Jimmy Kimmel, with memorable moments from his late night show playing on large screens behind.
The Variety portion of the Emmys is one of its more mind-blowing parts, where an award show can win an award for being an award show. It is also the portion that recognizes shows such as “The Colbert Report” and “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” which were both nominated this evening.
“The Daily Show” ended up winning the award for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Show, making it the winner of that category for the 10th consecutive year.
Other winners in the Variety Section included:
Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Special - Louis C.K. for “Louis C.K. Live at the Beacon Theatre”
Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Special - Glenn Weiss for the 65th Tony Awards
Winners in the Mini Series or TV Movie category include:
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie - Jessica Lange for “American Horror Story”
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie - Tom Berenger for “Hatfields and McCoys”
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie - Julianne Moore for “Game Change”
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie - Kevin Costner for “Hatfields and McCoys”
Outstanding Miniseries or Movie – “Game Change”
Outstanding Drama Series:
Nominees:
“Boardwalk Empire”
“Breaking Bad”
“Downton Abbey”
“Game of Thrones”
“Homeland”
“Mad Men”
Winner: “Homeland”
And Outstanding Comedy Series, where Michael J. Fox, presenter of the award, was met with a standing ovation.
Nominees:
“30 Rock”
“Big Bang Theory”
“Curb Your Enthusiasm”
“Girls”
“Modern Family”
“Veep”
Winner: “Modern Family”
Overall, this years Emmy’s failed to surprise many viewers with “Modern Family” and “Homeland” sweeping most of the categories they were in. Nothing shocking or very memorable happened during the show, even though host Kimmel sure did try when he had Tracy Morgan pretend to faint on stage, encouraging viewers to tweet about it so more people would tune in. Unfortunately, there were no weird outfits or random winners. This year was a very quiet and predictable Emmys, but it was still enjoyable to watch fan favorites, such as the cast of “Modern Family,” get all the awards that they deserve.
To contact CUI Staff Writer Ellie Patterson, email Elizabeth.N.Patterson@colorado.edu.
