SALON

Monday, Sep 24, 2012 6:45 AM UTC

Jimmy Kimmel hosts an efficient Emmycast

By

Topics: From the Wires,

Jimmy Kimmel hosts an efficient EmmycastHost Jimmy Kimmel speaks onstage at the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Nokia Theatre on Sunday, Sept. 23, 2012, in Los Angeles. (Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP) (Credit: John Shearer/invision/ap)

NEW YORK (AP) — What did we learn from Sunday’s Emmycast?

We learned who won the Emmys, of course.

But there were other lessons to be gained from the three-hour trophy handout, aired on ABC from Los Angeles’ Nokia Theatre.

For instance, when you win 10 Emmys in a row, you apparently get license to drop an F-bomb. Jon Stewart did, on accepting his annual statuette for “The Daily Show.” But it was bleeped. Social media yawned. Life went on.

A seismic shift could be felt by the audience as terrorism thriller “Homeland” seemed to shove aside “Mad Men” as TV’s reigning prestige drama, winning four trophies while “Mad Men” was shut out.

Though the Emmycast moved briskly, its efficient pace was partly explained by the trigger-happy music cues applied to acceptance remarks. This led to one act of defiance, from “Homeland” executive producer Alex Gansa accepting the award for best drama.

“I don’t know when they’re going to cut me off,” he said, “but this is the biggest night of my career. I’m going to keep talking until they do.”

Cheers from the audience as a new movement was born: Occupy Podium.

We learned for sure what we had previously only suspected, thanks to the gown worn by Kat Dennings that exposed much of what is only hinted at in her “2 Broke Girls” waitress uniform. Her bustline had viewers’ jaws dropping and tweeters madly tweeting.

Speaking of Twitter, we learned that fans of social media are game for a prank — and also are ripe to become victims of it.

Midway through the show, host Jimmy Kimmel instructed people to go on Twitter and Facebook and post “OMG, Tracy Morgan just passed out at the Emmys. Turn on ABC right now!” It was a joke, just to see how swiftly the alarm would spread (and maybe bring in new viewers). “30 Rock” star Morgan, who was in on the gag, complied by lying on the stage for several minutes. The message went viral, and presumably loads of bemused followers tuned in to check on Morgan’s condition.

And what of Kimmel?

Presiding over the glitz and tributes, he didn’t break a sweat. Nor did he break any records for laughs or memorable moments.

His opening monologue was routine, with a few political jokes not quite hitting the mark.

He compared the proper, regal world of “Downton Abbey” to “what it must have been like to grow up in Mitt Romney’s house,” and cracked that “being a Republican in Hollywood is like being a Chik-fil-A sandwich at the snack table at ‘Glee.’”

Later on, he offered up a spoof of the “In Memoriam” fixture that’s a part of all awards shows. This one, Kimmel explained, was meant to pay tribute to someone still living — “to the life and work of someone everyone in this room admires, respects and loves.”

That person, of course, was Kimmel, who was displayed in slow-motion video clips while Josh Groban sang “What Makes You Beautiful.” It was amusing.

But overall, to his credit, Kimmel kept the Emmycast focused squarely on the Emmys, resisting the urge as host to make the show about himself. His jokes weren’t standout, his comedy bits mostly felt pedestrian. But he got the job done in professional style.

And he seemed to have fun — especially when ousting his parents from the auditorium.

He had warmly introduced his mom and dad, telling viewers they had always been supportive of their son.

“They always told me I could do anything I set my mind to,” he said, “and this year I set my mind to winning the Emmy. And guess what? I didn’t.

“You told me I could, and I didn’t, and I’m devastated,” he said, addressing his parents. “You lied to me!”

With that, Kimmel summoned security to remove Mom and Dad.

“It’s OK if you Taser them if you need to,” he told the security men.

Kimmel set up the night’s funniest filmed bit by musing on what “Breaking Bad” would have been like had it been on the air in a G-rated, pre-cable era.

The answer: a spoof of the opening to “The Andy Griffith Show,” with “Breaking Bad” stars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, fully suited up to cook crystal meth, out at the lake with their fishing poles as the “Andy Griffith” whistling theme song was heard. As a punch line, they shot dead an unexpected witness: a friendly deputy billed as co-star Don Knotts.

And there was one final thing we learned: Don’t dismiss Kimmel’s skill at prophecy, even when it’s inadvertent.

In his monologue, he hailed “Mad Men” star Jon Hamm, once again nominated for best actor.

“You gave a tremendous performance this year,” Kimmel said, “and I for one am shocked that you did not win tonight.”

As a star who has been jilted by Emmy year after year, Hamm cracked up, along with everyone else. Maybe by the end of the show he didn’t find it so funny.

___

EDITOR’S NOTE — Frazier Moore is a national television columnist for The Associated Press. He can be reached at fmoore(at)ap.org and at http://www.twitter.com/tvfrazier .

___

AP Entertainment Writer Christy Lemire contributed to this story from Los Angeles.

More Frazier Moore.

Next Article

Related Stories

More Related Stories

Featured Slide Shows

The week in 10 pics

close X
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11
  • Lisa Montgomery embraces her nephew Thursday after a tornado tore apart her home in Cleburne, Texas. The twister killed six people and destroyed entire swaths of the North Texas town.
    Credit: AP/LM Otero

  • Jack McMahon, the defense attorney for abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell, speaks outside the Criminal Justice Center in Philadelphia Tuesday. His client was convicted of killing three babies in his clinic, and will serve multiple life sentences.
    Credit: AP/Matt Rourke

  • A photo taken Monday captures Vice President Joe Biden's response to a Milwaukee second-grader's innovative proposal to end America's epidemic of gun violence. This guy!
    Credit: AP/Jenny Aicher

  • Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., flanked by a grouper-eyed Michele Bachmann, addresses the IRS' admission that it targeted Tea Party groups in advance of the 2012 election. In an op-ed for CNN Thursday, the Kentucky senator slammed the president for his faux outrage.
    Credit: AP/Molly Riley

  • Ousted IRS chief Steven Miller is sworn in on Capitol Hill Friday. Miller testified before the House Ways and Means Committee on the extra scrutiny the agency gave conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status.
    Credit: AP/J. Scott Applewhite

  • Attorney General Eric Holder pauses as he testifies on Capitol Hill before the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday. Holder is under fire, among other things, for the Justice Department's gathering of phone records at the Associated Press.
    Credit: AP/Carolyn Kaster

  • O.J. Simpson sits during an evidentiary hearing at Clark County District Court in Las Vegas, Nev., Thursday. Simpson, who is currently serving a nine-to-33-year sentence in state prison for armed robbery and kidnapping, is using a writ of habeas corpus to seek a new trial.
    Credit: AP/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Jeff Scheid

  • Major Tom to ground control: On Sunday astronaut Chris Hadfield recorded the first music video from space, a cover of David Bowie's "Space Oddity."
    Credit: AP/NASA/Chris Hadfield

  • When it rains it pours. President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference Thursday with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, inexplicably inspiring an #umbrellagate Twitter meme.
    Credit: AP/Jacquelyn Martin

  • A smoke plume rises high above a road block at the intersection of County A and Ross Road east of Solon Springs, Wis., Tuesday. No injuries were reported, but the the wildfire caused evacuations across northwestern Wisconsin.
    Credit: AP/The Duluth News-Tribune/Clint Austin

  • Recent Slide Shows

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11

Related Videos

Comments

 0 Comments

Comment Preview

Your name will appear as username

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href=""> <b> <em> <strong> <i> <blockquote>

follow salon

Most Read

Popular on Reddit

links from salon.com

From Around the Web

Presented by Scribol
listener_new_rect The Listener: Chekhov's story mirrors Russia's own

Recommendations