M.E.

Random Emmy thoughts:

Ellen was very funny. Every time I watch one of these I'm surprised all over again at how much of the host's job is to do a funny monologue and then mostly disappear. Am I that dumb? I did like Ellen's attempts to add some quick comedy bits to the proceedings; the recurring gag with the director and the time check was pretty funny I thought. And her monologue was spot-on, especially the tongue-not-really-in-cheek request to host the Oscars.

The Emmy Idol thing, while worth trying, ended up falling flat, I think because the performances were unsure--are we mocking this song or paying tribute to it? If they bring it back next year they should either do good songs with good singers or bad songs with bad singers, to make the tone clearer.

The Emmy memories were a nice touch given their brevity. a few more and it would have gotten annoying.

Serious Letterman is off-putting, like watching Gilbert Gottfried try to do Hamlet.

Telling, and appropriate, that the clips submitted by the writing teams for the "Writing, Variety, Music, or Comedy Program" were the funniest part of the night, especially Conan O'Brien's hilarious mock-self-love. He was also the funniest presenter of the night. Next year, how about hitring these nominees to do the show? Let each have a half-hour to go nuts with.

Wins I was happy to see: Lost for drama; Raymond for comedy (never seen Desperate Housewives but doubt it's really a comedy, and as good as Arrested Development is in a "new and exciting" way, Raymond was equally as good in a "well-crafted, traditional" way--and one way isn't, by its very nature, better than the other, no matter what the critics may insinuate); Felicity Huffman (just because she was so good in Sports Night); and J.J Abrams' for his direction of the Lost pilot.

Wins I thought were undeserved: I did think the Raymond team deserved the writing one, just for how elegantly and simply they cracked the series finale nut that has bedeviled so mnay other writers; Raymond's Garrett wasn't so good as to overclipse co-star Peter Boyle again; I may have never seen Boston Legal, but I have to doubt that Shatner's work there was better than O'Quinn's wonderful Lost work; and Roberts on Raymond was getting stale, and the little I saw of Jessica Walters has me thinking she should have taken home that particular prize. Also--I am very intrigued to see "Three Stories," the House episode that won the writing award over Lost's "Walkabout." My wife saw it and assured me that it was great, so it may indeed have been worthy, but my jury will have to remain out.

Until Whenever