That’s right, awkward.
From the moment the broadcast started with Ryan Seacrest’s introduction/monologue, things were off to an awkward start. Chosen as this year’s host, Seacrest left much to be desired.
Of course, no one expected him to deliver a great stand-up comedy routine. He isn’t a stand-up comedian. But his opening remarks and “jokes” (I use that term loosely) left an awful lot to be desired. And what’s more, could have been delivered in half the time.Speaking of half, where was Seacrest during the entire broadcast? Past hosts (including Conan O’Brien, Ellen DeGeneres and Garry Shandling) have all taken a more active role in the flow of the night. But rather than being moved along by Seacrest, this year’s award winners and announcers were awkwardly shoved toward the next item on the agenda by other announcers or the always-faceless “female voice.”
Oh, and while we’re on the subject of the ever-present “female voice,” why not bring up the extremely awkward presence of Grey’s Anatomy actress Katherine Heigl. When she and
fellow presenter Kyle Chandler stepped on stage to present the award for supporting actor in a mini-series, the “voice” mispronounced her last name. Heigl, who was a presenter and nominee, should have had her name pronounced correctly. But the fact that it wasn’t could have easily been ignored. But it wasn’t. Instead, Heigl’s sarcastic attitude was evident in her fake smile and her “Actually, it’s pronounced…”And while this little moment was awkward in and of itself, Heigl couldn’t just leave it at that. Later in the program, when accepting her award for outstanding supporting actress in a drama series, she started her speech with “Thanks for getting my name right…” Come on. We all know a mistake was made, but what are you, nine years old? Now you just sound like a petulant brat. Get over it.
And while we’re getting over it, maybe we could get over the idea of using the Emmys as a venue to state our political views. If we as viewers wanted to hear about the war, the
presidential race or even the political views of our favorite actors and actresses, we would tune into CNN or Larry King Live, not the Emmys. It’s an award show. One night a year is taken to honor the outstanding performances of those in the nighttime television industry. Let’s not ruin it with political crap. People like Sally Field who use their acceptance speech time (she won outstanding lead actress in a drama series for her role on Brothers & Sisters) to make comments about war should be censored for more than just her inappropriate language. Whether we agree with her views or not, it is neither the time nor the place for political statements. It’s an award show. Period. Censorship seemed to be quite common during this year’s Emmy broadcast. Ray Romano was censored while making a joke about his ex-TV wife Patricia Heaton “screwing” Kelsey Grammer in their new sitcom. Field was censored because of her use of the word “godd***” in her political statement/acceptance speech. And Katherine Heigl (can she do anything right?) was censored while mouthing the word “sh**” after hearing that she had won an award. The censorship was extremely awkward. But FOX is not the only one to blame for that. Yes, the network could have chosen a slightly better censorship plan. Rather than cutting to an outside view of the Shrine Auditorium, a simple logo could have been shown. But the actors themselves could have prevented the awkwardness. Do they not know that certain language is not permitted on primetime television? It seems like pretty common knowledge. Don’t use bad words when on an 8:00PM broadcast. There. Problem solved.
But unfortunately, the seating in the Shrine Auditorium was a problem that could not be solved. While the idea of theater in the round seating (a round stage with chairs facing it from all 360 degrees) may work well for plays and musicals, it proved awkward and disastrous for the Emmys. Rather than rotating the presenters throughout the program, she same section of audience seemed to always be the “front.” Which sadly, for the actors in shows like Ugly Betty, meant that there was always a “back.” They definitely gave a whole new meaning to the phrase “back stage.”
Overall, the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards were extremely disappointing. So much for showing off the best of television…
The only positive aspect of the broadcast was that next year has to be better... (Quick, give me some wood to knock on!)
1 comment:
Good columnists need strong opinions to be sure.
You have them! Good for you.
Two quick observations:
The complaint about starts using these programs to say something political gets said a lot. I think if you were to write something along these lines again, go into that deeper. I mean, what do you mean? What exactly are they to say? How many times can they thank their high school drama teacher, for example? You know what you mean, so, let the reader know.
The other thing is timing. These awards were Sept. 16 and here it is Sept. 22 and, well, I admit that although I didn't watch, I was satured with reading about it - by Tuesday morning...
Perhaps a good approach for this kind of piece would be to say, "Here's what I hope for next year.." or something along those lines.
And the award for best columnist goes to...
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