In just a moment, the 62nd annual Emmy Awards will begin. Jimmy Fallon’s going to make jokes! Jon Hamm’s going to dance! Awards are going to be handed out! Possibly one of these dresses is going to take the stage! Mad Men’s probably going to win best drama while a new episode of Mad Men airs over on AMC! And we’re going to be live-blogging the whole thing– plus, tweeting from inside the auditorium. Come keep us company.
(10:59): And scene. Lots of good folks won, lots of good energy, and Fallon was funny, but, still, a bit too long. For a more comprehensive assessment, check back with Vulture in a bit. Good night!
(10:58): Manny is wearing the best outfit in the entire auditorium.
(10:57): Best comedy series goes to Modern Family! The last award of the night! Both get exclamation points.
(10:52): “So, where was I,†says Matt Weiner, picking up from where he left off on the writing award. With Mad Men’s win, Hendrick’s dress finally gets on stage, and hmmmm. At least we can look at Hamm again!
(10:51): Tom Selleck, who just gave Fallon an awesome little dismissal, gives the best drama Emmy to… Mad Men! Third year in a row.
(10:48): Temple Grandin completes its rout, wins for best mini-series. Temple Grandin has her mom stand up, and gives a great, sweet, disruptive super hug.
(10:47): Like, do we need to see an award with only two contenders? I guess if Tom Hanks is the winner. He accepts on behalf of best mini-series The Pacific, which beats Return to Cranford in this highly competitive category.
(10:44) As predicted, we’ve really bogged down here in the mini-series/TV movies portion of the evening. Maybe in the not so distant future, they’ll make peace with not airing these awards, and can get the show down to a lean two hours.
(10:38): Lead actor for a mini-series goes to Al Pacino. He is even tinier than Stephen Moyer. Though his hair is very tall. He seems… sedated? The camera keeps flashing to Kevorkian in the audience, who, unlike Grandin, is not about to get a standing O gets to stand up and have people clap! Also, Pacino is not getting cut off either.
(10:34): “These presenters really suck†says Fallon, introducing the True Blood cast members. It’s getting late! Alexander Skarsgard really towers over Stephen Moyer. Temple Grandin wins another Emmy.
(10:29): Claire Danes wins best actress for Temple Grandin. Only gives Hugh Dancy a peck on the cheek. Says “wow†like a cat and thanks HBO “for serious,†which seems like something Angela Chase would say.
(10:25) Maura Tierney’s short hair looks adorbs. You Don’t Know Jack wins for writing of a mini-series. Winner says, “Jack Kevorkian, I’m so grateful you’re my friend. I’m even more grateful you’re not my physician,†which gets a laugh, but is really, really dark.
(9:39) The Emmy for best Variety show goes to last year’s Tony Awards. You can read something about them here. Jay Leno gets a thank you.
(10:14) David Straitharn wins best supporting actor for a mini-series, also for Temple Grandin. His tan looks like he got it from the sun. Temple Grandin herself, in a western cowboy shirt, stands up and gets a clap, once, awkwardly, a second time, less awkwardly.
(10:14): Claire Danes is made of gold.
(10:07) John Krasinski does something really weird with the teleprompter, seemingly not on purpose, and Julia Ormond wins supporting actress for a mini-series for Temple Grandin. Unlike Matt Weiner, she does not get cut off mid-speech despite going long.
(10:05) Oh, it’s the mini-series portion of thezzzzzz. Ok, fine, the show’s been going so well, we’ll give it a chance. That said, we are thinking about going picture in picture and having a drink whenever someone on Mad Men does. Good or bad idea?
(10:04): Clooney gets a standing ovation, starts being self-deprecating and charming immediately. He thought about “going to Sudan and having a wardrobe malfunction†to get attention for people who really need it. Now he’s hoping we can find a way to keep a “spotlight on heartbreaking situations after the cameras go away.†Good man that one.
(9:59): Julianna Margulies is presenting George Clooney with the Bob Hope humanitarian award. Doug and Carol forever. Squee. Really.
(9:58): PSA: Mad Men is starting.
(9:57) Sinking in: we really would have liked to see a Conan speech. Also, did Jon Stewart skip out so there would be a higher female to male ratio on stage? (Obvi not, but, did have that effect!)
(9:52): Seemed like it could just be Conan’s night, but Jon Stewart and The Daily Show win for the 7th time. Sadly, Stewart is not here to accept, but not because “he’s on Celebrity Rehab,†say the acceptors-in-his-stead, even though that would be the only acceptable excuse.
(9:50): Bucky Gunts wins for directing the Olympics, causing Gervais to let out a yelp of joy that we would also like to see GIFed immediately. Also, he thanks “BJ.†Heh. Getting to that time of the night ladies and Gs.
(9:47): “Mel Gibson. I’m not gonna have a go at him. He’s been through a lot. Not as much as the Jews.†Heart you Gervais, who is handing out beer. (Nice to see Matthew Perry is still sticking with the program: demurely turning down the brew.)
(9:45): Ricky Gervais! He’s “gonna keep it short and sweet and clean this time.†Sadface.
(9:39) The Emmy for best Variety show goes to last year’s Tony Awards. You can read something about them here. Jay Leno gets a thank you.
(9:39): We’re on to the variety show awards. Jeff Probst says “writing is essential,†which, ok, they probably could have found someone not known for reality TV to deliver that line.
(9:33): Matthew Morrison and Tina Fey come out to give the outstanding actress in a drama award. One downside of all the newcomers winning is we have yet to hear Fey give a speech, something she is ridiculously good at. The Emmy goes to Kyra Sedgwick! Which is a bit of a surprise, given that The Good Wife just won an acting category, making Julianna Margulies seem more like a lock. Lots of unpredictably tonight. In other news, Kevin Bacon has a tiny little mustache.
(9:30): Allegedly, we are now at the half way mark. So far, so pretty good!
(9:24): Boyz II Men. WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? Jimmy is doing song homages to shows that ended this year, 24, Law & Order and Lost, as Elton John, the Boyz, and Billie Joe Armstrong respectively. Very fast costume changes Mr. Fallon.
(9:23): Best directing for a drama series goes to Dexter. And, the Emmys tease, George Clooney will be here in 17 minutes.
(9:14): “My mom didn’t want me to be famous, she just wanted me to be happy,†sounds less sweet when accompanied by thick German/Russian accent.
(9:16): Lost got pride of place in the drama montage, but has been pretty seriously snubbed in the acting categories thus far. Lindelof just tweeted, “Do not give up hope!!!â€
(9:14): Bryan Cranston wins for Breaking Bad for the third year in a row, beating Michael C. Hall, Jon Hamm, and Kyle Channler. First non newbie win in a while. Sorry Coach.
(9:12): Best supporting actress in a drama goes to Archie Panjabi for The Good Wife. She’s very good, but sort of sad Christina Hendricks and her, uhm, dress didn’t get to take the stage.
(9:04): Best supporting actor for a drama goes to Aaron Paul for Breaking Bad. Ya’ll! What got into the voters? It’s like they watch TV! Also, Aaron Paul is adorable.
(9:01): Matt Weiner and Mad Men win best writing in a drama category. Awesomely, from the intro, we learn someone at AMC offered the writers $5 to get Rachel Mencken on season two, which, like, we would have chipped in $10 more for that. Weiner gets cut off.
(8:59): So apparently dramas are mostly about really disturbing, creepy people with guns and drugs. And Lost. Even the Friday Night Light clip makes it seem like it’s a show where people are scared of their neighbors.
(8:57): Julianna Margulies has a better voice than Kim Kardashian. Now you know. Onto the drama categories.
(8:56):This split face promo for NBC’s Chase is freaky. Not in a good way.
(8:51): Guys! Another first timer. Top Chef unseats The Amazing Race (which has won 7 years in a row) to win best reality competition.
(8:49): Kim Kardashian sings, not very well, to introduce reality TV categories. Awesomely, The Bachelor’s Jake Pavelka gets a bad edit. Also, Jersey Shore follows the death on Deadliest Catch. Not the most graceful edit ever.
(8:46): Emmys keep going with the new. Rock. Edie Falco wins for best actress in a comedy for Nurse Jackie. “This is just the most ridiculous thing that has ever happened… I’m not funny.â€
(8:44): Neil Patrick Harris makes a sort of low blow gay joke at Jimmy’s expense. “I want to thank the Academy for letting a gay man host the Emmys two years in a row.†Ok.
(8:39): Big Bang Theory’s Jim Parsons wins best actor in a comedy for the first time! We called it! He’s sweetly flustered. Got some tan on his cheekbones though.
(8:38): When will LL Cool J get older? VAMPIRE.
(8:37): Show opened with a big ad for Glee. Thirty minutes in, we get big ad for Modern Family, complete with George Clooney cameo. He ends up in bed with Eric and Cam. Nice of George to agree to do this.
(8:34): Emmy for best comedy directing goes to Glee’s Ryan Murphy. He says he’s shocked, but doesn’t seem it.
(8:32): The Chandler Bing was totally gay joke falls flat. Maybe because it’s six years old, at least?
(8:27): Jane Lynch has a bunch of lines in her speech that, if given by Sue Sylvester, would be totally nasty, but as given by Lynch are thoroughly sweet: “Though not a Buddhist, they do seem like a very calm people,†“Thanks to my Lord and creator Ryan Murphy,†“And to my cast. You’re young and you’re wonderful and fresh faced, and when I’m not seething with jealousy I’m so proud of you.†Big applause when she thanks her wife.
(8:25): Emmy for the best supporting actress in a comedy goes to Jane Lynch, duh. And Kristen Wiig had those nice birds on her shoulders.
(8:22): Steve Levitan wants to thank Steve McPherson and “everyone else who is still at ABC.†Burn! He’s got a nice tan, too. “Big thanks to our wives. Without whom, we’d probably be doing a lot of dating.†Then he gets sweet.
(8:20): Ok, this strategy to make the comedy writing category not boring is totally working. Modern Family wins the Emmy. Sofia Vergara yelps!
(8:19): The Emmys would like to remind you they are hip: they know what the twitter is!
(8:17): The Emmys led with a lot of Jon Hamm, giving him part in the opening number and a chance to present the first award: Emmys 4 Jon Hamm 4 movie star.
(8:14): Stonestreet is psyched. “Im just happy I haven’t gotten anything on my shirt yet. All I wanted to be was a clown in the circus.†Remembers to thank the ‘rents. Doesn’t have a tie.
(8:12): The winner of Best Supporting Actor in a drama is Eric Stonestreet! One of the three Modern Family actors nominated.
(8:08): “NBC asking the host of Late Night to come Los Angles to host a different show, what could possibly go wrong?†Fallon says, and… pan to Conan! Still with beard.
(8:06): Verdict on first number: Jon Hamm is really game. So is Tina Fey. Fallon’s bum looks pretty good in a pair of blue jeans.
(8:05): Jimmy Fallon feels up Sue Sylvester, during group number of “Born to Run.†Internet, can we have the GIFs of Jon Hamm’s singing and dancing yet?
(8:03): Did they sell Kate Gosselin on that by telling her the truth? i.e. we’re going to make fun of you to your face? It’ll be funny!
(8:01): Glee makes first appearance of the night. “It’s on bitches!†With Tina Fey, and Kate Gosselin. And Jon Hamm dancing! And Betty White.
(8:00): And we’re off!