Some winners, some shoulda-beens and some WTF??? -

“The TV Junkie” by Penny Landau ****Stephen Colbert seemed like the perfect choice for host of television’s grandest night and he did not disappoint! From his opening monologue, we all knew that this show was going where no show had gone before – into the nexus of political humor and how uniquely and creatively TV manages to get its point across. And yes, it was a Trump-fest and there was nary a performer, writer or director that didn’t take a swipe at the piñata that lives in the White House. Ok, there were those shots of Susan Sarandon looking unhappy, which seems to accompany her everywhere, but that aside from that, it was fun.
Best lines of the night came from Colbert. “Unlike the presidency,” he said, “Emmys go to the winner of the popular vote. Why didn’t you give him an Emmy?” he asked the room. “If he had won an Emmy, I bet he wouldn’t have run for president. This is all YOUR fault.” As for the awards, or should I say, “The Handmaid’s Tale/Big Little Lies Awards,” things went as I thought they would. Here’s the scoop.

Winners…
Forty-one years ago this wild, insane show won an Emmy in its first year. Who’d have thunk it? Last night, Lorne Michaels’ baby, “Saturday Night Live,” won another one, for a total of 68 Emmys and 221 nominations. SNL also copped a few statues, in addition to Best Variety Show, with the uber-talented Kate McKinnon and the one and only Alec Baldwin (his “Mr. President, here is your Emmy” was priceless) each taking home an Emmy last night with Melissa McCarthy winning hers in last weekend’s ceremony.

I have plugged “The Night Of” many times in my column and was delighted to see Riz Ahmed win for Best Actor in A Limited Series.

Elizabeth Moss, it’s about f#@*%$g time!
Sterling K. Brown, so well deserved. “This is Us” is my favorite new show of 2016-2017.

My guy, John Oliver, won three, count ‘em, THREE Emmys. Of all the satirical shows on TV now, his “Last Week Tonight” is the best of the lot. He always manages to find more absurd in the already absurd and does it with that delightful British accent.

Carol Burnett and Norman Lear – it doesn’t get any better than that, unless it’s Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton and Jane Fonda.

Lily Tomlin, Kate McKinnon, Lena Waithe (who made history as the first Black woman to win the Emmy for writing in a comedy series, “Master of None”) and RuPaul as Emmy – thank you for representing the LGBTQ community with class and dignity. Ok, those wings on RuPaul were a bit over-the-top, but otherwise.

Shoulda beens…
No question in my mind – Jackie Hoffman should have run home with that statue tucked under her arm. A Broadway favorite and a cabaret star for years before Broadway beckoned, her deliberately audible “Damnit!” after Laura Dern won, was priceless and so Jackie. Jessica Lange and the aforementioned Susan Sarandon should have tied. My feeling? It was the best limited series of the year with performances to match.

WTF…
I don’t know, but I still don’t get the allure of Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

I would much rather have seen Melissa McCarthy as Sean Spicer, rather than Sean Spicer as Sean Spicer.

And…
Loved, loved, loved the Audi commercials, complete with TV theme songs. Priyanka Chopra was stunning. Sarah Poulson’s lisp is utterly adorable. Aziz Ansari, I love you. Donald Glover, because of you, I now must watch “Atlanta.”
Until next time…

“The TV Junkie” was preceded in her family by a large mahogany cabinet that housed a small screen with a large speaker below. Thus began her love affair with the older sibling in the living room. Theirs was a tenuous relationship, prone to mishaps (forgetting to use the special “screen” for “Winky Dink”), joyous events (“Julie & Carol at Carnegie Hall”), sad moments (Clarabelle saying goodbye to the Peanut Gallery) and a wide range of emotions (the funeral of John F. Kennedy and the Inauguration of Barack Obama). From “Captain Video” to “Star Trek” to “Lost;” from “A Brighter Day” to “The Edge of Night” to “General Hoapital;” from “Peyton Place” to “ “Dynasty” to “Desperate Housewives;” there has never been a greater love, than that of “The TVJ” and the best friend a girl could ever have.