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Among the notable snubs, flat bits and even a supposedly sexist segment, the Emmy Awards had a fair share of highs.
Host Seth Meyers strategically — and successfully — called on comedy’s top names to help turn out major moments throughout the awards show, including a rant about perennial nominations, an educational stroll around New York City, and a moving tribute to the late legend Robin Williams.
The Hollywood Reporter rounds up the best 7 moments of the Monday night telecast.
Seth Meyers’ Opening Monologue
The Late Night host emceed the Emmys, kicking off his TV industry-targeted opening monologue by poking fun at the fact that the awards show was scheduled for a Monday, “which, if I understand television, means the Emmys are about to get canceled.” The Saturday Night Live alum also made jokes about Orange Is the New Black and True Detective‘s category controversy, How I Met Your Mother‘s not-so-well-received series finale, The Good Wife‘s and Homeland‘s decision to kill off main characters, and The Big Bang Theory cast’s million-dollar episodic paycheck, telling Jim Parsons, “You’re worth every penny.”
Jimmy Kimmel‘s Movie-Minded Rant
Before presenting the award for best supporting actress in a comedy, Jimmy Kimmel jabbed film actors Matthew McConaughey and Julia Roberts for being nominated for TV awards. “You just won the Oscar five months ago — no offense, but how many of those speeches are we supposed to sit through?” he joked to the True Detective star, adding that Ricky Gervais has “not really a television face, that’s a Netflix face!” He also gave a shout-out to Tracy Morgan, who was injured in a car crash earlier this year.
Billy on the Street: Emmys Edition
In a special Billy on the Street segment, Billy Eichner and Meyers walked around New York City to see how the Big Apple feels about TV’s biggest night. Unfortunately, a passerby mistook Meyers for Seth MacFarlane, and another called the statuette an “anniversary.” They also collected donations to meet the paycheck demands of The Big Bang Theory cast and raged over how Mindy Kaling had to get up at 5 a.m. to announce the Emmy nominations but wasn’t nominated for The Mindy Project.
“Weird Al” and Wordless Theme Songs
After Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Andy Samberg joked that he was co-hosting with Meyers, the two noted that today’s theme songs don’t have words to explain the plot of the show, like The Brady Bunch‘s did. “Weird Al” Yankovic then added lyrics to the wordless theme songs of Mad Men, Scandal, Homeland, Modern Family and Game of Thrones.
Ricky Gervais’ Pseudo-Win
The lead actor in a comedy nominee seized his award-presenting moment to vent about not winning for Derek. “I lost again. Twenty-one times I’ve been nominated, lost 19 times. … Well done to Jim Parsons though — I would’ve preferred to have won it. Also, I’ve come a long way; he’s probably local. Four years in a row seems unfair, doesn’t it?” He then chose to read his acceptance speech anyway: “Ha, ha, I won. I knew I would, because I’m the best actor.”
The Colborg Report Starring Jimmy Fallon
While presenting the variety series award, Gwen Stefani unfortunately mangled the name of the show The Colbert Report, mispronouncing the host’s last name as something closer to “Colborg,” a gaffe Fallon poked fun at when he ran onstage (just likewhen Kanye West rushed Taylor Swift at the 2009 VMAs) to accept the accolade. “She said it wrong, so there must be a mistake!” he said, and continued to make a speech on Stephen Colbert‘s behalf. Colbert then whispered his thanks into Fallon’s ear, telling him to thank the host’s family and refer to IMDB for the full list of people he’d thank.
In Memoriam; Honoring Robin Williams
After Sara Bareilles sang Charlie Chaplin‘s song “Smile” for the ceremony’s In Memoriam segment, Billy Crystal gave a heartfelt tribute to his good friend, the late Robin Williams. “He made us laugh hard every time you saw him on television, in arenas, hospitals, homeless shelters, and even in a dying girl’s living room,” Crystal said of Williams. “The relentless energy was kind of thrilling.”
What was your top Emmys moment? Sound off in the comments below!
Email: Ashley.Lee@THR.com
Twitter: @cashleelee
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