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Everybody Still Loves 'Raymond,' Gets 'Lost'
September 18, 2005
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| The cast of Everybody Loves Raymond goes out with a bang, capped their exceptional nine-year run with this year's Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series |
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| J.J. Abrams had a huge night, receiving the Outstanding Direction for a Drama Series nod and sharing the Outstanding Drama Series Emmy with his team from Lost. |
Desperate Housewives' Felicity Huffman is this year's Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. Her husband, Emmy winner William H. Macy, looked on proudly from the audience. |
Los Angeles, CA– Marked by numerous awards for veteran performers and emotional career-appreciation tributes, the 57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, featured playful musical numbers and heartfelt words of support on behalf of the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
In its ninth and final season, the CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond was named Outstanding Comedy Series. In its debut season, the ABC hit Lost took top honors as Outstanding Drama Series. Outstanding Reality-Competition Series went to CBS’ The Amazing Race.
The telecast's executive producer Ken Ehrlich, who has guided the Grammy Awards for the past 25 years brought his musical expertise to the fore with a rousing opening performance by Earth, Wind and Fire and the Black Eyed Peas, who blended their voices in service of the Earth, Wind and Fire hit “September,” reworked with new lyrics recapping the year in television. Setting the tone for an ebullient evening, Everybody Loves Raymond co-star Doris Roberts rose from her seat to dance in the aisles with bandmembers.
The television industry’s commitment to aiding the storm’s victims was evident throughout the evening, beginning with host and New Orleans native DeGeneres, who lightened the poignant comments during her opening monologue with zingers such as: “It’s times like this when we really need laughter. Look for me next month when I host the North Korean People’s Choice Awards.”
Many presenters and winners wore magnolias, the official state flower of both Louisiana and Mississippi. In addition, videotaped spots on behalf of the Television Academy’s designated charity, Habitat for Humanity, ran throughout the program.
Habitat for Humanity received an additional appeal toward the end of the show when Tyler James Williams, star of the new UPN comedy Everybody Hates Chris, took the stage to encourage donation to the rebuilding charity, accompanied by his "new friend" Charles Evans, a young Katrina refugee who appeared in recent news clips asking, "What is going on here?"
The acting categories included a handful of repeat winners, as well as several genuine surprises. For the second consecutive year, Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series went to Tony Shalhoub for his performance as obsessive-compulsive detective Adrian Monk in the USA series Monk. Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series went to James Spader for his work as ethically challenged attorney Alan Shore in ABC’s Boston Legal.
But in defiance of advance predictions by armies of pre-Emmy handicappers, Felicity Huffman was named Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance as beleaguered suburban wife and mother Lynettte Scavo on ABC’s Desperate Housewives.
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| Talk show host and Emmy winner Ellen DeGeneres hosted this year's Emmys. |
Geoffrey Rush is Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for his title role in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers. |
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| Marcia Cross and Eva Longoria have fun assuring Desperate castmate Huffman that they are going to be truly good sports about her Emmy win. |
Patricia Arquette, who said she was "99% certain (she) would not win," prevailed as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her portrayal of psychic crime solver Allison DuBois in NBC’s Medium. Huffman bested her Desperate co-stars Teri Hatcher and Marcia Cross, as well as Raymond’s Patricia Heaton and Malcolm in the Middle’s Jane Kaczmarek.
Arquette's category was widely assumed to be a close race between Glenn Close of FX's The Shield and Mariska Hargitay of NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, who were nominated along with Frances Conroy of HBO's Six Feet Under and Jennifer Garner of ABC's Alias.
Although clearly pleased with her unexpected win, Arquette deflected discussion of the award in favor of fervid advocacy on behalf of Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. Speaking to journalists backstage, Arquette expressed conflicted feelings about appearing in an elegant gown and jewels at a time of such suffering.
"I wouldn't feel right about telling people what they should do, but this is wartime," she said. "There's half a million people homeless overnight, all the working poor who live from paycheck to paycheck, and the middle class. I mean, I know Trent Lott's going to get a new house, but a lot of people aren't."
The Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series went to Everybody Loves Raymond’s Brad Garrett, marking his third victory in the category. Garrett began his acceptance speech with the quip, “I have to dedicate this to Britney and our baby.”
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| Three-nom recipient Blythe Danner won Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy for her work on Will & Grace. |
Celebrated director and Emmy nominee Quentin Tarantino with Emmy winner Tony Shaloub. |
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| Jerry Bruckheimer and Phil Keoghan won Outstanding Reality/Competition Program for The Amazing Race |
"Emmy Idol" hopefuls Donald Trump and Megan Mullaly performed a winning rendition of the Green Acres theme. |
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series was given to pop culture icon William Shatner for his role as loose-cannon lawyer Denny Crane on Boston Legal.
Backstage, Shatner, who won the award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for the same role, playfully reflected on his career longevity: "I'm an example of what can happen when you don't drink, don't smoke, exercise every day, eat carefully, love passionately and eat Wheaties. Wheaties are good.
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series went to five-time Emmy winner Doris Roberts, the meddling mother-in-law on Everybody Loves Raymond, and the supporting actress nod for a Drama Series was given to Blythe Danner for the role of Isabelle “Izzy” Huffstodt on the Showtime original series Huff.
Danner was also nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on Will & Grace, and for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for the CBS/Hallmark Hall of Fame production Back When We Were Grownups.
The feisty Roberts described an amusing interlude before she left for the Shrine. "I have four other (Emmys) at home,and this morning, I said, "Girls, move over. I'm coming home with another one.'"
Later, the 74-year-old actress reflected on the challenges women face in Hollywood as they grow older. "There is such ageism in our country," she said. "Just because you're over 40 doesn't mean you're still not hot or exciting or talented, or whatever."
The 62-year-old Danner peppered her acceptance speech with personal reflections. Seeing Kiefer Sutherland seated in the audience, she noted that he used to baby-sit her daughter, actress Gwyneth Paltrow.
Danner went on to inject politics into her remarks while evoking the memory of her late husband, director Bruce Paltrow, who passed away in 2002: "I think my husband Bruce Paltrow is up there, stirring this up for me," she said. "I know Bruce would want me to pay tribute to New Orleans, his favorite city, and all the Gulf Coast and our kids in Iraq. Let's get the heck out of there!"
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| Law & Order's S. Epatha Merkerson won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie for Lackawanna Blues. |
Multiple Emmy winner Jon Stewart of Comedy Central's The Daily Show. |
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| Esteemed actress Glenn Close on red carpet in elegant black. |
Presenters Mischa Barton and Rachel Bilson of The OC. |
Among movies and miniseries, four HBO productions took home acting prizes.
Outstanding Lead Actor went to Geoffrey Rush in the title role in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, while S. Epatha Merkerson won the Outstanding Lead Actress award for her work in Lackawanna Blues.
Living legend Paul Newman was named Outstanding Supporting Actor for Empire Falls. Jane Alexander took home the Outstanding Supporting Actress award for her role in HBO's poignant Franklin D. Roosevelt biopic Warm Springs, which also won Best Movie. In the Outstanding Miniseries category, however, PBS topped with Masterpiece Theater presentation The Lost Prince.
Merkerson, best know as "Lt. Anita Van Buren" of long-running NBC drama Law & Order, provided one of the most memorable and amusing, moments of the evening in the excitement of hearing her name called. She arrived onstage mortified to discover that her acceptance speech—which she had placed in décolletage for what she assumed would be ready access—had fallen into her cleavage and disappeared into her evening gown.
"It's down there! I can't get it," she said, tugging gingerly at her bosom. "My mother is watching and she is going to die."
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series was won by Mitchell Hurwitz and Jim Vallely for Arrested Development, while Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series went to David Shore for the Fox medical series House. Outstanding Writing for a Movie or Miniseries went to Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely for The Life and Death of Peter Sellers.
Hopkins, who is currently on location in Baton Rouge, where he is shooting the feature film The Reaping, starring Hilary Swank, echoed the Katrina commentary: "I came from there yesterday, and I'm going back there to shoot tomorrow and it's quite an inspiring place to see so much selflessness and see people really putting themselves on the line to help,” Hopkins said. “It's been a wonderful experience for me.”
In the directing categories, ABC’s two big hits took top honors. Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series went to Charles McDougall for the pilot of Desperate Housewives, and Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series was won by J.J. Abrams for the pilot of Lost. Meanwhile, Outstanding Directing for a Movie or Miniseries was won by Stephen Hopkins for The Life and Death of Peter Sellers.
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| Late night host Conan O'Brien with daytimer and Primetime Emmys host Ellen DeGeneres. |
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| Emmy winner Hugh Jackman presents with nominee and award-winning actress Whoopi Goldberg. |
Emmy nom Mariska Hargitay is "Det. Olivia Benson" of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. |
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| Acces Hollywood's Nancy O'Dell backstage with honorees Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw. |
Outstanding Variety or Music Program was won by the Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, which also took home top honors for Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Program.
Stewart elicited big laughs with a pre-taped segment addressing the federal government’s response to Hurricane Katrina. He said that he made the tape when producers requested something “topical and edgy,” but that in light of FCC scrutiny, they also requested a delay.
The segment itself was a brilliantly edited crazy quilt of political criticism masked by bleeps and overdubs resulting in hilarious non sequiturs, which culminated with, "Oh, and by the way, George Bush hates black..."—at which point a voice-over interjected—"Sabbath!"
Among other show highlights was the recurring “Emmy Idol” segment, in which familiar TV faces sang theme songs from classic TV series. CBS invited the viewing audience to vote on its favorites online or via text messaging.
Apprentice star Donald Trump and Will & Grace’s Megan Mullaly sang the theme from Green Acres, Kristen Bell of UPN’s Veronica Mars sang the theme from Fame, CSI’s Gary Dourdan and Grammy winner Macy Gray, who appeared in HBO’s Lackawanna Blues, sang the theme from The Jeffersons and William Shatner was joined by mezzo soprano opera legend Frederica Von Stade for an unlikely rendition of the theme from Shatner’s former series Star Trek.
The irony of New York City real estate magnate Trump singing the line “Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside,” while clutching a pitchfork and dressed in overalls rather than a Brioni suit elicited a huge laughs from the Shrine crowd, and helped the duo garner the most votes from home viewers.
The evening’s two major tributes included an unexpected appearance by David Letterman, who spoke warmly on behalf of his idol, mentor and friend Johnny Carson, who passed away earlier this year. Esteemed actor Alan Alda joined Television Academy chairman Dick Askin to pay tribute to former nightly news anchors Tom Brokaw, Dan Rather and the late Peter Jennings, whose image loomed above on a video monitor.
Brokaw and Rather spoke on behalf of the trio—hailed as "Mt. Rushmore"-like figures in the world of professional journalism—thanking millions for inviting them into their homes every night for so many years. Plus, they expressed great pride in the "next great generation of journalists for covering Katrina so brilliantly for the last three weeks." Where Brokaw, Rather and Jennings dominated broadcast news from conventional network chairs, the Katrina coverage saw the public relying heavily on the 24-hour cable news entities and internet for breaking developments.
The reverent Shrine audience rose in standing ovation, perhaps not only saluting these three trusted, iconic newsmen, but also looking hopefully with them into the rapidly evolving futures of news and entertainment television. Stay tuned.
- Juan Morales and Juliana Bolden; Photos: Mathew Imaging
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The cast of Lost found favor Emmy night with the Outstanding Drama Series nod.
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| Celebrity parents-to-be Ben Affleck and Emmy nom Jennifer Garner have a seat in the Architectural Digest Green Room. |
James Spader, winner Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Boston Public, presents Patricia Arquette with the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series award for Medium.
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