Top 10 Moments from the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards

The 65th Primetime Emmy Awards, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, was filled with a lot of unexpected wins, memorable acceptance speeches and emotional tributes. During the three-hour award show that took place September 22 in LA, viewers not only got to see their favorite shows win, they also got to see the incredible gowns and stunning jewelry worn by the presenters and nominees. In-between the categories, there was singing and dancing, music to cut off the speeches and Kevin Spacey’s camera moments. Overall, the list below recaps the Top 10 Moments from the 2013 Emmys.

10. Julia Louis-Dreyfus needs support from Tony Hale

When Julia Louis-Dreyfus won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance in Veep, she brought along co-star Tony Hale (Arrested Development) to help her with her speech. And by help her, she meant having him hold her clutch. “I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to make people laugh...I’d like to thank HBO of course,” she said. Hale, who won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, reminded her to thank her family and to say that she loves them “so much.” This was Dreyfus’ fourth Emmy win and 16th Emmy nomination.

9. Carrie Underwood pays tribute to the Beatles

Before Carrie Underwood took the stage to perform a song by the Beatles, Don Cheadle took a moment to pay tribute to the 50th anniversary of JFK’s assassination and the 50th anniversary of the Beatles performing on the Ed Sullivan Show for the first time. "That [era] was the moment when the television generation came of age. More people got information from TV, such as Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic march," he said. "TV gave way to laughter from Dick Van Dyke, Andy Griffith and Lucille Ball — and soon after, they shared grief.” Afterwards, the country superstar sang a rendition to "Yesterday" while wearing a sparkling navy blue one-shouldered gown.

8. Host Neil Patrick Harris becomes the "song and dance man" yet again

Neil Patrick Harris brought some excitement to the award show by performing a musical number, which usually happens every time he hosts the annual Tony Awards. Joined by 16 male and female dancers, the How I Met Your Mother star sang to the song, "The number in the middle of the show." Castle’s Nathan Fillion and comedian Sarah Silverman surprised the audience as they joined Harris in the Broadway performance.

7. Jane Lynch’s and Edie Falco’s tribute brings emotion to the Emmys

Throughout the award show, various actors paid tribute to a fellow male or female actor who has passed away within the last year. One of the most emotional speeches was Jane Lynch’s when she honored Glee co-star Corey Monteith, who died on July 13th. "Cory was a beautiful soul. He was not perfect, which many of us here tonight can relate to," she said. "His death is a tragic reminder of the rapacious, senseless destruction that is brought on by addiction. Tonight we remember Cory for all he was, and mourn the loss of all he could have been." In addition, Nurse Jackie’s Edie Falco paid tribute to James Gandolfini, who was most known for his role as Tony Soprano. "His portrayal of Tony Soprano had such depth and dimension that a lot of people still have a hard time believing that's not who he really was," Falco said. "Well, I'm here to tell you, Jim was really quite different. He had tremendous warmth and heart. He was kind and uniquely generous."

6. Merritt Wever wins shortest acceptance speech ever

Merritt Wever, who won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in Nurse Jackie gave the shortest speech ever, literally. “Wow, thanks so much. Thank you so much. Um, I gotta go. Bye!” Whether it was nerves or complete shock, Wever became the first role model to other winners who didn’t have an acceptance speech prepared. According to Variety, Wever explained, It’s hard to do those [speeches]. I don’t know how to feel yet…I have therapy next week.”

5. Jeff Daniels gives the freshest, most improvised speech of the night

No one was more shocked than the winner himself, Jeff Daniels (The Newsroom). After the presenters announced Daniels won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Daniels brought along chewing gum instead of a prepared speech. ”Well crap, didn’t expect this. I usually don’t win anything. The last thing I won was a few years ago for Squid and the Whale. I won the Best Actor over 50 from the AARP. With all do respect from the AARP, this is better,” he said. Other nominees included Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey), Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Damian Lewis (Homeland) and Kevin Spacey (House of Cards). This was Daniels’ first Emmy win and nomination.

4. Neil Patrick Harris gets tips from past hosts during opening monologue

During the 15-minute long introduction, Neil Patrick Harris was joined on-stage by various past hosts. Jimmy Kimmel suggested he take it all in since he might not be asked back. Meanwhile, Jane Lynch defended herself by saying she wasn’t asked back because she was a “woman.” Afterwards, Jimmy Fallon attempted to show Harris how to tap dance, but Harris said, “I am not going to do anything like that. That is far too gay.” Finally, Conan O’Brien stepped on stage to share how different his experience was as a host. The act ended with Amy Poehler and Tina Fey munching on popcorn and wearing 3D glasses while telling Harris to just “twerk it.”

3. Will Ferrell forgets his suit and tie

Finally, a comedian chosen to end the night. The last presenter, Will Ferrell, looked as if he jumped straight out of a minivan and walked right onto the Emmys stage, winning Worst Dressed. Sporting shorts, a graphic t-shirt and sandals, Ferrell brought along his three sons claiming he couldn’t find a babysitter last minute. “Unfortunately Helen Mirren and Maggie Smith dropped out last second and they literally called me 45 minutes ago…I didn’t have time to do my hair.” While presenting the awards for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Drama Series, Ferrell told his boys to take turns playing Angry Birds on their tablet.

2. Michael Douglas shares Emmy win with Matt Damon

Even though Michael Douglas won the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a miniseries or movie, he thought his co-star from Behind the Candelabra, Matt Damon, deserved the award as well. “There’s one nominee in particular that I really have to thank...Matt, you’re only as good as your other hand. You're magnificent and the only reason I’m standing up here is because of you. And you really deserve half of this," he said. "So you want the bottom or the top?...The top, I figured that.” Douglas, who is rumored to be “taking some time apart” from wife Catherine Zeta-Jones, took a moment to thank her as well: “I want to thank my wife, Catherine, for her support.”

1. Best Choreography category gets Best Moment of the Emmys award

The best moment of the night had to be when the Best Choreography category was presented live by dancers. Prior to the show, the nominees choreographed a dance number to honor shows being nominated including Mad Men, Game of Thrones, American Horror Story and Boardwalk Empire. The choreographers included Dancing With the Star’s Derek Hough and So You Think Can Dance choreographers Sonya Tayeh, Mandy Moore, Tabitha and Napoleon D’umo and Travis Wall. Hough ended up winning the category and of course, his sister, Julianne Hough, was in the audience cheering him on.

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