Is Emmy any better in the round? Other than the fact that the awards telecast looked like an especially well-attended black-tie hootenany, no. Ray Romano got it right when he complained about the awkward, set-less set.
“What a great show this part of the audience has seen tonight,” Jon Stewart concurred.
“These are the worst seats I’ve ever had,” James Spader echoed.
The 59th Primetime Emmy Awards on Fox Sunday provided no hope that its ratings decline will turn around any time soon.
On the plus side, host Ryan Seacrest’s presence was minimal. Only when he donned Tudor costume (no comparison to Ellen DeGeneres’ brilliant swan suit) did he really derail.
The show was plagued by technical glitches and ridiculous censorship beginning during Romano’s monologue and through Sally Field’s adjectival description of war, when the camera cut to a canned ceiling shot of a glitter ball.
Katherine Heigl of “Grey’s Anatomy” had her name mispronounced as a presenter before picking up the best supporting actress Emmy. Al Gore had his name mispronounced before picking up the first interactive Emmy award for Current TV. (He got the ovation of the night.)
Oddly jarring was a segue from funny late-night one-liners into a Tom Snyder eulogy. Even a predictable high point, the 30th anniversary salute to “Roots,” didn’t feel powerful.
Presenters Glenn Close (“Damages”), Mary Louise Parker (“Weeds”) and Kyra Sedgwick (“The Closer”) noted the abundance of strong female protagonists on cable TV. In fact, that trend gave broadcast TV a black eye this summer, a dig on a night meant to celebrate television.
In a bizarre, rather hollow salute to the night’s big winner, “The Sopranos,” stand-ins for the original Jersey Boys lip-synched through Frankie Valli hits, before the “Sopranos” cast took the stage – with not a word for the audience.
There were plenty of awkward moments. Neil Patrick Harris oogled Hayden Panettiere. Englishwoman Helen Mirren came excruciatingly close to insulting the American character while trying to be gracious in accepting her award. Lewis Black’s angry rant about TV promos and clutter was received with discomfort by the audience. Felicity Huffman and Kate Walsh wore nearly frontless dresses while Joely Fisher managed to make a “nipple” joke at her own expense.
Ultimately, it was more embarrassing than fun.
TV critic Joanne Ostrow can be reached at 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com.
