Emmy Awards Serve Predictable Fare with a Touch of Surprise

The 61st Primetime Emmy Awards was typical predictable fare, but there were a few surprises stored in as well. It was news to absolutely no one that "30 Rock" would nab the Best Comedy Emmy trophy but what was surprising was the fact that Toni Collette would beat out critical favorite, Tina Fey, for Best Comedy Actress in "The United States of Tara."

Other new faces were Jon Cryer, who won the Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for "Two and a Half Men" and Kristin Chenoweth as Best Support Actress in a Comedy Series for "Pushing Daisies."

Top Emmy contender, "Mad Men," only won three Emmys, after being nominated for 16; though it did win Best Drama Series, which was not news at all.

Yet the most surprising aspect about this year's Emmys was how sharp and funny it was. Host Neil Patrick Harris showed off his singing talents in his opening number where he urged viewers to put down the remote and stay tuned to the event. Afterward, he poked fun at events from the MTV VMA's, "Here's hoping Kanye West likes 30 Rock," he said.

Of course, the jokes did not stop at the host, winners also poked fun at current events during their acceptance speech, "I'll make my speech as brief as possible in the hope that it won't get interrupted by a congressman or a rapper," said Ken Howard, who won for his work in HBO's original film "Grey Gardens."

It remains to be seen whether or not the jokes and surprises earned the show the ratings it needed to still stay relevant.

Source: USA Today