I just have a lot of feelings...
So, I basically live-blogged the tail end of the Red Carpet & the Emmys on my Facebook this evening. I am going to repost my thoughts here (with some explanations added to the more vague thoughts) because hardly anyone on Facebook cares. (Not that I expect anyone on here to really care, either...) There were 40 comments, so be prepared. And, spoilers for the Emmys in case you care about being spoiled?
• Aziz on the red carpet! SO excited for the Emmys tonight!! :D
• Oh, Will Arnett and Amy Poehler. Never change ever.
• Sofia Vergara's dress is gorgeous!
• (This is going to serve as my Emmys live-blog status, except for the two statuses I will be making in response to Actress in a Comedy & Comedy Series awards. Hopefully they will be joyfully surprised responses...) Just a forewarning...
• Seth Meyers: "If there was an Emmy Jesus, I would pray to him for Kristen Wiig and Amy Poehler wins tonight."
• Dear Emmy Jesus, what say you make me and Seth Meyers happy people tonight?
• so... i know i'm probably going to be cursing the LOVELY laura linney later this evening. but trust that i really do love her. that being said... what the hell are you wearing, laura linney? when you're shot from waist up, it looks like you're wearing a black sweater from jc penney.
• Ron Fucking Swanson!!
• I love Jane Lynch. But the opening last year was so much better (JIMMY!). But I'm really looking forward to her hosting gig because she's hilarious :)
• not enough parks in that montage.
• I love you, Jimmy Fallon :) -wrestling w/ Jimmy Kimmel
• Dear Emmy Jesus, you can still make us 50% happy. But seriously, I wouldn't have been disappointed if *any* of those nominees won. -Supporting Actress Comedy (See below for more detailed thoughts)
• DUNPHYS FOR THE WIN!! :)
• Aww. No one laughed at "Gotta fix that step." That was funny. Modern Family is cleaning house!
• o.m.g. i love everyone! -Lead Actress Comedy
• so many feelings right now. let's do this! -right before announcing Lead Actress Comedy (See below for more detailed thoughts)
• Holy shit. Like... wow. Not what I was expecting at all. I'm so proud of Melissa McCarthy!
• I know she didn't win, but Amy Poehler is a fucking boss. She pulled that whole bit together. And this is why she's my lady hero.
• this is awesome!! lol -Comedy montage in The Office set
• oh, amy lol Amy's particular part in said montage
• ok, so i can eat now.
• "oh, my name? justin timberlake." -writers of SNL (referencing Adam Scott on Jimmy Kimmel lol)
• Lonely Issssssland!!!
• i love how ridiculous this is lol -just the brilliant absurdity of Lonely Island
• i just... really dislike jon cryer. so much.
• ROMANO & ADELE!!!!
• (And by Adele, I mean the fab Loretta Devine on Grey's. Not the fab British singer.)
• The ER fangirl in me is always so happy when Julianna Margulies is honored for... anything, really :)
• TBH, I wish it was Jaclyn Smith "passing the torch" on to the new Charlie's Angels..
• But I guess Drew Barrymore is a little more relevant to people who don't wish they lived in the 70s...
• Is that Elizabeth Keener in that commercial washing the monkey in the washing machine? -I see Dawn Denbo everywhere...
• These "Emmytones" intros are so weird. Even though I love Kate Flannery, Joel McHale, and Taraji P. Henson.
• Go away, Entourage. (But YAY for Maggie Smith!)
• anyone surprised I was rooting for the 76 & 77 year old ladies in that category?
• This category is so boring! But Amy and Melissa are beautiful!
• Can Amy and Melissa present every award? That would be awesome.
• Really? You're going to play Hallelujah? Break my heart, why don't you?
• These tributes always make me think of that episode of 30 Rock where they make commentary on how awkward it is when people clap for like Leslie Nielsen, but no one claps for writers/producers
• Kate Winslet, you are a gorgeous human being :)
• congrats, Mad Men! But this next award... holy crap. I'm so anxious. Melissa McCarthy's upset is giving me hope. But I can't even... I just want you all to know that I'm wearing my "I met Li'l Sebastian at the Pawnee Harvest Festival" t-shirt because I love this show so. much.
• This is not surprising in the least. Modern Family is 100% deserving of this award. And I love everyone on that stage right now. But I am so sad that Parks & Recreation did not win. So sad.
More detailed thoughts on a smattering of things... (Note: These are my opinions. I have many of them. It's possible you will not agree with some of them. I am more than happy to discuss this in the comments.)
The very nature of award shows are kind of weird to me. I could elaborate on that with several of my own words, but I think I'll sum it up with a quote from Ron Swanson, because it expresses exactly what I want to say: "I still think awards are stupid. But they'd be less stupid if they went to the right people." Surprisingly, I am not quoting this statement because Amy lost to Melissa or Parks lost to Modern Family. I'm quoting it because awards shows are just weird, and who they choose to nominate/award is a process that I don't necessarily understand. Comedy is subjective, I know this. And I suppose there are people who truly think Betty White is hysterical on Hot in Cleveland. It just seems to me like she was nominated for the sheer fact that she is Betty White, and she's 90 years old, and she's still a fucking bad-ass. I love Betty White. I love Wendy Malick, Jane Leeves, (Valerie Bertinelli I could take or leave...), and I love Betty White. But that show has made me genuinely laugh maybe 5 times, which is why I think the nom was given just because of who she is, and that doesn't seem right to me. I know she'd be an unlikely nominee, but I think Aubrey Plaza was a lot funnier this season than Betty White. I guess you could tell me to "Leave Betty Alone!" but I hope that you won't, as I've already expressed my love for her. And this isn't solely about Betty. It's just that I read a comment from someone that said "Julie Bowen won over Betty White; I am going postal!" and that's what caused me to choose her as an example. I could easily have made this about my feelings on Nick Offerman being snubbed and Chris Colfer picking up a nom because he's a gay actor bravely playing a gay teen. Kurt has had some very touching moments on that show (even though most of them have been aided greatly by Mike O'Malley), but overall, he's kind of an annoying character. His storyline is poignant not because of his acting skills, but because gay teens are killing themselves due to bullying and this show is, rightly, bringing awareness into homes across the world. No matter what I say, it's going to seem like I'm not a fan of Betty White or Chris Colfer, or that I'm bitter and picking on them (which is just dumb because they didn't even win, and I doubt Aubrey or Nick would have won even if they had gotten the noms instead.) But I really do believe that these two people got their nominations for reasons other than their acting talent in these respective roles.
Conversely, I have some thoughts about Melissa McCarthy's win. I do believe that she is on a heightened level of recognition because of Bridesmaids, but I don't think she was nominated/won because of it. She is genuinely funny on Mike and Molly (even if the show is less than a laugh-out-loud riot.) She is genuinely funny in any role she plays, in my opinion. Am I heartbroken that Amy Poehler lost? Yes. (Words could not ever express my feelings for her as an actress and a human being. If I were to try, it would be an embarrassment of epic proportions. See: previous attempts.) But I genuinely (using that word too much?) think Melissa deserved this award.
And that whole bit that Amy orchestrated? It makes me so incredibly happy that that happened (and aside from the Unbelievably Stupid US Weekly, every site is calling it the "delightful highlight" of the show.) I just love that Amy talks about loving these planned bits and then makes them happen.
I hope she goes on talk shows and talks about this year's bit, because it was so funny and so fucking touching. I am so glad that she is a person that exists. I always feel so dumb when I talk about my admiration of her, because it goes down to the basest level. It goes so far past the comedic talent and the acting talent. It's the fact that she's in the public's eye because of those talents and she doesn't for one second think "that's enough." She does something with her celebrity. I don't know why I even try to express my feeling about her. It's a futile attempt that will never fully do her justice.
I'm not even going to talk about the Best Comedy category. What I said above basically sums it up. I will say, though, that when I was at work a couple weeks ago, "5,000 Candles in the Wind" came on my Zune and I teared up. I was listening to the song, and hearing Amy Poehler saying what she has learned from Leslie Knope ("Protect your friends. You only have one hometown."), and seeing all these weirdos who fucking care... and I legitimately teared up. That is how much I love this show. It just means so much to me. So yeah, I have some conflicting feeling about this award because I knew Parks wasn't going to win and I absolutely cannot hate Modern Family for taking it away from them. They are both such amazingly good shows with great messages and great casts and I wish they could have tied. (Has that ever happened?)
And I think I'll wrap this up with some tweets:
I am a crazy, ridiculous, insane person who just has a lot of feelings. And on that note, take it away Tina Fey...
Lemon out.