best and worst (20 posts)

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Best Opening Song: OK, it was the only opening song, but Neil Patrick Harris brings a bit of his Tony Awards song and dance to the Emmys. Unfortunately, it was nowhere near as awesome as when he did that during the Tonys. Seriously, check it out on YouTube.

Biggest Letdown: The monologue, what there was of it, was a bit of a disappointment, though.

"I love that we're already running 27 minutes late. How did that happen?"
—Neil Patrick Harris, during his opening monologue

Biggest Surprise: Unlike past years, the show is divided up so that each category's awards—comedy, drama, etc.—are segregated in the same part of the show. Which is great if you only want to watch the comedy awards, so you could turn the show off after an hour. We, however, have to watch the whole thing.

Better Surprise: The addition of John Hodgman as the official voice of the Emmys. We always figured the winged Emmy creature would sound more like Wanda Sykes, or the actress who played George Costanza's mom, but he was good, too.

Biggest Meanie: Who made Kristen Chenoweth cry? One minute she's sitting there smiling, then they call her name and she's balling. That's so mean on her big night.

"Amy and I are honored to be presenting on the last official year of network broadcast television."
–Julia Louis-Dreyfus with Amy Pohler, handing out the Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Award

Best Scene-Stealer: Sure, Toni Collette won, but Sarah Silverman's moustache cemented her as the funniest of the funnyladies nominated. Well, except for Tina Fey.

What'd did you think? Did you like the song? Did you like the lumping together of comedy, drama? Did you like hearing John Hodgman? Sound off!

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See who's here in our 2009 Emmys: Arrivals gallery

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Heidi Klum stripped. Ricky Gervais badgered. Tina Fey scored. Get the highs, lows and in-betweens now!

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We give Jon Stewart high marks for good jokes, nice gestures and—get this—bringing the show in at something less than four hours. Here are some of the highlights:

• "Before we spend the next four to five hours giving each other golden statues, let's take a moment to congratulate ourselves."

• "Tonight we look beyond the dark days to focus on happier fare: this year's slate of Oscar-nominated psychopathic killer movies. Does this town need a hug? What happened? No Country for Old Men? Sweeney Todd? There Will Be Blood? All I can say is, thank God for teen pregnancy."

• "Congratulations to Mr. George Clooney for his fine film Michael Clayton. The movie is a little over a hundred minutes long, but since it's about lawyers, you can round that up to two hours."

• "Diablo Cody used to be an exotic dancer, and now she's an Oscar-nominated screenwriter. I hope you're enjoying the pay cut."

• "Oscar is 80 this year, which makes him now automatically the front-runner for the Republican nomination."

• "Democrats do have a historic race going. Hillary Clinton versus Barack Obama. Normally, when you see a black man or a woman president, an asteroid is about to hit the Statue of Liberty."

• "In case you're wondering what we all do here during the commercial breaks, mostly we just sit around making catty comments about the outfits you're all wearing at home."

• "This is the environmentally conscious Green Oscars. So, tonight, all of our presenters will be walking all the way to the microphones."

• "Jessica Alba is pregnant, and I saw earlier that Cate Blanchett is pregnant. And that's very exciting. Two pregnant women here tonight at the Oscars—then again, obviously the night is still young. And Jack [Nicholson] is here."

—Filed by Erik Pedersen

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So much heartwarming material, well, it'd make a good movie. Read on. 

Most Freaking Awesome:  Jon Stewart corrected what would have been a supremely cruel irony—the winner of Best Original Song being played off by her own composition—to bring 19-year-old Czech musician Markéta Irglová back onstage and let her give her speech. That was great on a whole bunch of levels.  

(Slightly) Missed Opportunity:  We were really wishing Irglová would have addressed the crowd in the Czech language, thereby making this one of the most multilingual of Oscars. But it was still awesome.

Memoriam Memory:  We actually like this part of the show, and this year we learned something pretty cool: Stuntman Bud Ekins was the guy on the bike during the iconic motorcycle sequence from The Great Escape.

Ball Room:  Did anyone else notice that right at the conclusion of Jon McLaughlin's performance of Enchanted’s “So Close,” a dancer’s head appeared to rise right from his crotch? We call that the magic of movies!

Best Guy Ever:  Who does the Academy call to deal with the politically charged documentary awards, potential Michael Moore appearances and a satellite linkup with our American soldiers in Baghdad? That’s right, Tom Hanks. They should make that guy some kind of ambassador or something—he's a uniter. 

—Filed by Erik Pedersen

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Colin Farrell's footloose, Marion Cotillard cuts loose and Jack Nicholson is, you know, on the loose. You've been warned.

Worst Safety Hazard:  Colin Farrell hit a slick spot on the stage that actually caused him to slide right up to the podium. The Academy might want to consider hiring those guys who wipe down the floor at NBA games before they get some A-list workers' comp claim on their hands.

Most in Need of a Translator:  Farrell mentioned he was “chuffed” about the film Once, and we were pretty sure that meant a fight was about to break out. Apparently, though, it’s a good thing.

Least in Need of a Translator:  Best Actress winner Marion Cotillard proved she speaks better English than we do when she ended her speech with the sweet tribute to the "angels" of Los Angeles. Who knew she was a baseball fan?

Hottest 80-Year-Old:  Jack Nicholson introduced a montage of Best Picture winners, proving that every once in a while he'll hang out with age-appropriate company. 

Most Moving:  The tribute to 98-year-old Robert Boyle was lovely, as were his comments about the value of the arts. As the audience stood to honor the man and his seven-decade-long career, he quipped, "That’s the good part of getting old. I don’t recommend the other."

—Filed by Erik Pedersen

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Javier Bardem speaks sweetly (we think) to his mom, Tilda Swinton gets saucy (we imagine) and Harrison Ford responds (we're moderately certain) with interest.

He Is a Killer!  Though he played a ruthlessly coiffed murderer in No Country for Old Men, Javier Bardem slayed the audience with a charming acceptance speech that was sweet, funny and largely in Spanish for the benefit of his sweet mother. Dreamy!

Lost in Translation:  First Bardem speechifies in Spanish, then the Short Film winner announces he is a bad student and speaks to us in French...Which is funny, because we were bad students and can only speak English.

Indiana Jonesing for Blanchett?  Calista Flockhart seemed to have something to say about the divine Cate Blanchett—probably totally sweet, we're sure—but her date, Harrison Ford, was so entranced he didn’t even notice. Or, you know, maybe he just couldn't hear her.

Most in Need of an R Rating:  Tilda Swinton managed to squeeze in the words buttocks,  nipples and rubber Batsuit into her speech, but we’re going to leave the actual context to your imagination.

—Filed by Erik Pedersen

©AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

Jon Stewart rocked the monologue, George Clooney has an "intimate" problem and Katherine Heigl wants us to know she's no easy reader.

Best Monologue:  Jon Stewart got the night rolling with a terrific monologue that touched on the writers' strike, self-congratulation and, of course, politics. Our favorite line? His taking a moment to mention the nomination of Norbit: "Too often the Academy ignores movies that are not good."

Best Keeper of Things in Perspective:  Katherine Heigl let the assembled billion people know she was incredibly nervous reading a prepared list of nominees...right before the awesome Amy Adams came out and sang the tongue-twisting "Happy Working Song" all by herself with no dancers or nothing.

Most Freudian:  Did you notice that George Clooney stumbled over the word intimate during his intro of the 80 Years of Oscars montagasm?

Most Trying Too Hard:  Perhaps stung by the fact that only one actor of color was nominated this year, the awards tried to prove its street cred by slipping in some shots of Isaac Hayes performing “The Theme from Shaft.”

Best Response:  The French dude who won the Best Makeup Oscar basically just said “Thank you.” But it’s the way he said it.

—Filed by Erik Pedersen

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The stars are seated, the show has started and Jon Stewart is slinging the funny. We'll be posting our best and worst reactions all throughout the telecast, but we want to hear from you, so don't leave us hanging. Post your comments below, or it's going to feel like we're the only ones here, okay?

Best Opening Montage:  The Academy Awards open with the kind of fun, pop-culture pileup of great characters—the Terminator is driving a truck, and hey, Darth Vader is dueling with Ben Hur!—that they’d totally sue you for if you tried it at home.

Best Reaction:  Good lord, Jack Nicholson laughs at everything, doesn't he?

So, you've seen the first five minutes. Are you in it for the full slog, or are you switching over to the Law & Order: Criminal Intent repeats on NBC? Hit the Comments.

—Filed by Erik Pedersen 

AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian

Where There's a Way, There's a Will:  Has Will.I.Am ever turned down a gig? This time out, the Black Eyed Pea-man rapped his way through 50 years of Grammy history, give or take most of it, and the audience reaction was overwhelming: blank stares, texting, gum chewing and one priceless shot of a sour-faced older lady who looked ready to give Will a knee to the peas. Watch yourself, man. 

Biggest Upset:  We’re not referring to the fact that Herbie Hancock won for his album of Joni Mitchell music, but how Kanye West must be feeling right now.

The Young and the Rest of Us:  Hancock is 67, but the surprise Album of the Year winner looks exactly like he did back when he played with Miles Davis in the early 1960s. How is that even possible?

The Longest Day:  You know how those big, outdoor music festivals go on and on and you get tired and want to leave but you can't because your car is stuck in the parking lot and you can't find your cousin because he met some girl from Vermont and he's totally trying to get with her even though she's totally not interested? The Grammys telecast felt like that.

—Filed by Erik Pedersen

AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian

Biggest Nail-Biter:  Did Amy Winehouse's twitchy stage moves and odd delivery unnerve the London crew taping her performance? They kept cutting away to the dancers, the band, a sign with her name on it and then, well, her crotch. Forget Wino, we're just glad the camera crew made it through okay.

AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian

Best Comeback:  Is it too early for Amy Winehouse to make a comeback? Probably, but it was sure nice that she pulled off not just a performance but also a speech. Let's hope she gets better.

The Song Goodbye:  From Hank Thompson and Joe Zawinul to Oscar Peterson and Luciano Pavarotti, the music world lost some amazing people this year.

—Filed by Erik Pedersen

AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian

Least Expected Comment from a Man Wearing a Reflective Jacket, White Sunglasses and Totally Messed-Up Haircut: As the speech-shortening police tried to play him off before he could mention his late mother (after some boasting, too), Kanye West said testily: "It would be in good taste to stop the music then."

Scariest Moment: Watching a nervous-looking Feist quietly sing alone with a guitar seemed like a recipe for some kind of horrible mishap. But instead, she just sounded like a real person singing a song. Who knew you could do that on the Grammys?

Craziest Performances: For pure weirdness' sake, nobody can beat the oddball archival performances by Cab Calloway and Louis Prima, but Kid Rock singing with Prima's partner, Keely Smith—and Kid seeming less sharp than this elder stateslady—was a close second.

AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian

Most Inexplicable: Does close contact with Ringo Starr eventually make people look like him? Because Starr's copresenter, Dave Stewart, has morphed into a dead ringer for Ringo.

Most Unlikely Rap Feud Contestant: After noting he'd just accepted a music award from one of the Beatles, the mild-mannered Vince Gill teased Kanye West with a sly tweak, "Have you had that happen yet, Kanye?"

—Filed by Erik Pedersen

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Most in Need of Help!  Despite a freaky staging of "A Day in the Life" involving a trapeze artist and an exploding VW, the Beatles still managed to win a Grammy.

Biggest Sideshow:  Legendary music figure and Silver Spoons star Jason Bateman rocked the crowds outside who had come for a taste of the Grammys' annual American Idol rip, My Grammy Moment—though this year featured the Foo Fighters, an orchestra led by John Paul Jones and a contest between three talented young classical instrumentalists.

Least Surprising:  The smoking-hot contestant won.

Biggest High and Low:  Kanye delivered a funktacular performance with Daft Punk, and then followed it up with a moving tribute to his late mom. 

Biggest Cher Moment:  Although Cyndi Lauper totally tried to swoop in on this category with her two-decades-old wacky stylings and fashion don'ts, the original Cher (or at least whatever original parts of her are left) won with her introduction of Beyoncé and Tina Turner.

Weirdest Disconnect:  The elder statesmanesque Andy Williams entered the stage to the strains of his own "Moon River," and concluded with the words, "Amy Winehouse for 'Rehab.' " Times change.

—Filed by Erik Pedersen