4 Thoughts on The Emmys

1. The Host - I honestly think it was a huge mistake to have Mariska Hargitay host this. I have nothing against her. I also don't really know much about her, other than she's Jayne Mansfield's daughter and she's been on CSI or SVU or whatever the fuck it's called for like 40 years (I've never seen an episode!). But I think that getting a relevant comedian to host awards shows is a *key* to them being successful (although it doesn't always work even then, but at least it's a start!). You know you've failed if the most used word to describe your opening number is "cringe". It's the first word I wrote down, but then literally every person I follow on social media said the same thing. It's sooooo awful, and I can see a lot of "non" awards watchers being like "hey maybe, I'll check this out" and then instantly shutting it off. It never gets better, either. Just bad sketch after bad sketch, with some terrible musical numbers in between. I will give her a slight thumbs up for getting Taylor Swift to do a pre-recorded sketch, but I think most Taylor fans had already checked out. 

2. The Show - I feel like I say "this is the worst Emmys/Oscars/GGs ever" and then every year it somehow...gets worse. The whole thing was a disaster - the host, the sketches, the presenters, the speeches...all of it, with one minor highlight: John Mulaney presenting for Best Actor in a Drama. First, it proves my point that a comedian should be up there hosting, and second, GOD DAMN he KILLED IT. And the thing is - he even dates himself with a Fonzie and DJ Khaled reference, but it's FUNNY. I also think Amy Poehler does a funny bit about bullying the winners. Otherwise, this whole thing was a bit hard to watch. I was disappointed that Rachel Sennott and Odessa A'zion completely bombed because I think it's actually these *it girls* that have a chance at saving awards shows. Like, if they killed it everyone would be talking about it today and younger audiences would be watching clips and consider watching the next awards show!!! But this whole show felt like it was geared towards a female audience of 60+ in age. It certainly wasn't geared towards television fans either - they cut important awards to make way for "fun" stuff, but I didn't feel like this had any more "fun" stuff than previous ceremonies. What was fun? The cast of the new Baywatch having no personality whatsoever (and what the fuck is up with the three lead actresses looking identical?? I literally can not tell them apart). I actually think the Emmys from a few years ago that recreated classic tv sets had more of a "this is for television fans" than any other show in recent history (and I don't think they cut awards to do it? I'm guessing it was very expensive, though). This year they did a few "reunions", but all mixed with tragedy???! Like Buffy and Angel!! YES! I was so excited! And then they did this weird "tribute" to the cast members they lost without even saying their names? How weird. Then the In Memoriam does a tribute to Catherine O'Hara featuring her co-star children (Macauley Culkin, Annie Murphy, and Dan Levy), which was nice but I would have loved a video montage of O'Hara's start in television. Then we cut to another tribute to Rob Reiner with Jamie Lee Curtis (who is sooooo *cringe*. I can't help but roll my eyes with every word she says. It all feels so fake and performative), and they don't even really talk about Reiner's relationship with television at all other than calling him "meathead" and mentioning his very minor role in The Bear. It's all so weird. Why aren't we talking about TELEVISION?? 

3. The Winners - Just like last year, I don't really have a problem with who won the awards - they are all deserving. The Pitt, Jean Smart, Matthew Rhys, Sally Field (!!), Rhea Seehorn, and Allison Janney???? I'm never going to be upset about those wins. I like that there were a few surprises too with Tom Pelphrey winning for Task (I knew The Pitt was going to split the votes, but I was rooting for Lowden) and Kate O' Flynn. I watched the first 3 episodes of Widow's Bay and...uh...I don't get it? I've heard that it gets better, but I just don't see what all the fuss is about. And it's is MOST CERTAINLY not a comedy. I do think it's funny that the creator of it is the woman that tweeted about being at a Halloween party dressed as The Babadook when nobody else is dressed in a costume (classic all-timer of a tweet). I also don't think everyone expected Rhys to win for The Beast in Me (he was a lock for Widow's Bay though). So he won TWO performance Emmys in one night and is now the only actor to win an Emmy for lead actor in a drama, comedy, and limited series!! I've loved him since Brothers & Sisters. He deserves the praise! And Jean Smart also broke a record for being the only actress to ever win an Emmy for every season of a show! That's cool. She's a legend. I do think it's *wild* that one of the best comedies in years went away empty-handed (Shrinking - it's also *wild* that I'm upset about Harrison Ford losing an award! But also how on Earth did Michael J. Fox also lose???). BUT, I'm happy that Love Story and Beef walked away with nothing also because those shows fucking suck. 

4. The Fashion - Hands down my favorite look is Chase Infinity. I do think the dress looks a little heavy on her, but it's cool, interesting to look at, and she's styled to perfection - the loose waves, the simple fresh makeup. She looks chic but also young and cool. There's a few other dresses I liked: Zendaya - just never misses - although she looked eerily like Halle Berry with this dress and that pixie cut (complimentary, obvi). Linda Cardellini's strapless shell/pearl dress is very pretty. I like Rachel Sennott's dress a lot, but her styling is awful (the high pony tail makes the look dated instead of modern). It was clear that red was the color of the night (other than the sea of neutrals and black dresses) - Rhea Seehorn, Mariska, Cailee Spaeny, Jackie Tohn, Fiona Dourif, but Neicy Nash-Betts is the standout red dress this year (love the Jessica Rabbit vibe). There were also some very bad looks too: Let's start with the obvious - Shailene Woodley. I actually appreciate what was being attempted here, but the fit is terrible and her hair back like that makes the look dowdy. Florence Pugh is SO GORGEOUS but the dress is very Disney princess (derogatory, obvi). Dakota Fanning's dress is fine, but I've seen it A MILLION times, which makes it offensive. Ayo Edebiri looked gorgeous from the front, and then there's this giant clashing red bow in the back that made the dress look like a superhero costume. Quinta Brunson's dress literally looked like it was falling apart as she walked (which is A CHOICE!). You know what's weird, though? When I google Emmy fashion, it's all "best Emmy looks" or "all Emmy looks" instead of "best AND WORST"?! Are we not allowed to talk about bad fashion anymore? I miss Joan Rivers so fucking much.