The Emmys - the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (And I Don't Just Mean the Fashion)

I have been an awards show junkie for years. From the Emmys all the way down to the Oscars, I look forward to each show as if they were holidays. Even though I had not watched much TV this past season, the anticipation of the Emmys was still strong, and, as in past seasons, I had some jump out of my seat happy dance moments and well as a few "are you serious?" moments.

Highlights:

The two best wins, for me, were Thomas Haden Church for Broken Trail and Jamie Pressley for My Name is Earl. I have loved both since the early days of their careers and was so excited to see them both get the recognition they deserved.

Thomas Haden Church has been cracking me up since his days as Lowell Mather on Wings and then as the obnoxious Ned Dorsey on Ned and Stacey. He and Debra Messing were a great team, and I was disappointed to see the show end, although if it didn't we'd never have had the pleasure of Will and Grace.

I was thrilled not only to see Church nominated for Broken Trail, an excellent mini series, but I found it even more fun to see both Church and Messing nominated for awards this year. They have each come such a long way in their careers since the Ned and Stacey days.

Church gave a natural and funny acceptance speech, as he always does, and he proved to me once again why he's such a rare and unique talent. There are few actors who really make me laugh the way he does while still tugging at heart strings as he did in Sideways.

Jamie Pressely has to be one of the funniest actresses on television today. Pressley gives a creative and witty performance that has me in stitches each week. The last season of My Name is Earl was not as funny as the first, but Jamie Pressely made it fun enough that I continued to tune in, even when other aspects of the show were boring or too far fetched.

Jamie's speech was also one of my favorites of the evening. She was genuine and lovely and showed sincerity that not everyone shows during their time on stage. All actors thank their families during their acceptance speeches, but Jamie's thank you to her newborn son and fiancée were both touching and real, again something that I don't always feel from other actors.

In addition to the wins of Church and Pressley, I was happy that Broken Trail got such recognition. It was a heartwarming film with excellent acting and deserved the recognition it got. I was also thrilled to see America Ferrera win her statue. She's a beautiful, talented actress and a genuine person.

Lowlights:

The Emmys had some great moments, but there were also quite a few disappointments. I was really pulling for Heroes to win best drama, although I knew The Sopranos' last season would walk away with the win. Heroes is one of the most unique and innovative shows on television with an excellent ensemble cast and deserved to be recognized. Next year, I hope that without the Sopranos to dominate, they will have a better shot at the win.

I was also miffed by the 30 Rock win. It's a funny enough show, but it's not nearly in the same league as Ugly Betty or The Office. The best part of 30 Rock, Alec Baldwin, did not take home the win. I was pulling for him or Steve Carrel, but the Emmy ended up going to Ricky Gervais.

The only other major disappointment was the four millionth win for The Amazing Race. The show is good, but American Idol is far superior. So is Survivor, for that matter, and it did not even get a nomination.

Fashion:

Unfortunately I missed the red carpet and didn't see nearly as much fashion as I'd hoped to, but there were few hot dresses as well as fashion faux pas that did stick out for me.

I would have to say the best dress of the night was worn by Katherine Heigl of Gray's Anatomy. The dress was a lovely white design with short, capped sleeves. The dress was straight to the calf and then flared at the bottom. She looked stunning and elegant.

The most disappointing dress of the evening was Debra Messing's. Maybe if it had been on anyone else I'd have been okay with it, but Debra is usually one of the best dressed actresses in Hollywood, and this dress was not up to her normal standard. The frock was a pink dress, fitted at the waist but with a bell type skirt. It had black trim around the top as well as the bottom layers of the dress. It was not at all flattering.

The Rest:

Ryan Seacrest did a good job, although I didn't feel like his performance was any different than a typical night watching American Idol. He could have mixed it up a bit. I did love the bit by Ellen Degeneres. She's one of my favorite comediennes and it's always a treat to have her involved in anything.

Overall, this year's Emmys were fun at times but not outstanding. I found myself losing focus a few times and even wanting to leave all together at one point to go pick up my dinner. This is something I have never before contemplated during an Award's show. It would be like leaving Christmas dinner to get a burger! I was a bit bored, I hate to admit. I do think part of it was my lack of interest in television over the last season and the fact that the few shows I did watch regularly did not get recognized. But, the wins for Thomas Haden Church and Jamie Pressley made up for a lot, and I of course will be back next year.