The 65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were painstakingly blasé, Neil Drumming opines at Salon. There were a few eyebrow-raising moments related to "racial and sexuality politics," but nothing pushed the envelope.
My editor also suggested that I discuss the show's "racial and sexuality politics." As a whole, the telecast felt safely and thankfully apolitical to me. As far as race goes, Arsenio Hall looked good, got laughs, and greatly raised my expectations for his impending return to television. (I cannot say the same for Shemar Moore despite the fact that, as far as I know, he is still on television.) Diahann Carroll's appearance was a delight and not just because it reminded us of her historic significance as the first-ever African-American Emmy nominee, but because her wit and feistiness counterbalanced fellow presenter Kerry Washington's stiffness. (Is it me, or does Washington often evoke Tyler Perry-as-Madea's good morn-ting extreme properness when making a public appearance?)
Prior to dedicating the song "Home Again" to the memory of Liberace, Elton John touched ever-so-lightly on the musician's lifestyle, "which due to the tenor of the times had to be concealed." Um … like now? Whether the parties are openly gay, as in the case of Neil Patrick Harris versus Jane Lynch or just playing gay on HBO like Matt Damon and Michael Douglas, the only jokes that fly on network are still — apparently — limited to wink-wink innuendo.
Read Neil Drumming's entire piece at Salon.
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