"Welcome to the 53rd, 54th, and 55th Emmy Awards."
Host Ellen DeGeneres began last night's Emmy Awards ceremony with a sigh of relief - after being postponed two times due to the recent national crisis, the 53rd annual celebration honoring television's best and brightest finally took place at Los Angeles' Schubert Theater. Gone were the usual red carpet festivities, where stars parade the latest fashions and flashy jewels. Low-cut dresses and the glitter gave way for a slightly more subdued ceremony than usual, where West Wing took home top honors for direction, writing, and Best Drama Series. HBO's Sex and the City won Best Comedy Series honors.
DeGeneres joked frequently about the show's fated scheduling conflicts, but assured the audience that she had no intention of bailing out on her hosting duties.
"It's important for me to be here... what would bug the Taliban more than seeing a gay woman in a suit surrounded by Jews?"
She also spoke of television's power as a creative medium to turn to in times of strife. "They can't take away our creativity...only network executives can do that," she joked.
This creativity was awarded throughout the night. Major acting nods went to James Gandolfini and Edie Falco of The Sopranos, Patricia Heaton of Everybody Loves Raymond, and Eric McCormack of Will and Grace.
"I'm a Canadian and this is my American Dream," McCormack said.The evening was half tribute to stars and their craft, half tribute to America and the heroes of recent months. Festivities started off with a trumpet rendition of "America the Beautiful," followed by an emotional singing by Phil Driscoll, both met with a rousing standing ovation. A surprise ending of the evening found Barbara Streisand delighting a shocked audience with a tribute to Sept. 11 victims.
The Emmys also paid its own tribute to other countries that might be tuning in. A montage showing faces around the world mourning and showing their support for America became, in itself, a thank you note in tribute to foreign support.
Familiar television faces were called on to speak out. Famed journalist Walter Cronkite, live via satellite from Toronto, spoke of television's importance in the recent months, citing it as "the great common denominator... entertainment can help us heal."
Larry King introduced a montage showing how entertainers and entertainment itself can mean everything to troops abroad in times of strife. He spoke of veteran comedian Bob Hope, whom he assured was sitting at home watching the ceremony, and thanked him for his position as an American legend.
Chairman of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Jim Chabin came onstage to explain why they decided not to cancel the awards show - a practice that some might find frivolous during a war on terrorism, to some. "That would have been giving in," he explained. "Like baseball and Broadway, we are an American tradition."
The former tradition might have prevented people from enjoying the Emmy's - it's almost ironic that a show lauding television success had to compete for ratings against the final game of the World Series.
Degeneres, who promised score updates, ensured everyone that CBS was the place to be. "Don't think they're going to break in on the game and let you know who won for Best Supporting Actor."
