BY ROB SALERNO – The 63rd annual Emmy Awards proved to be a regular gay fest last night, between lesbian host Jane Lynch and bigger winner Modern Family.
Lynch dazzled the audience with an opening song-and-dance number spoofing her own Glee character, Sue Sylvester, and carried the night with her trademark wit.
Introducing one set of award presenters, Lynch said, “A lot of people ask me why I’m a lesbian. Ladies and gentlemen, the cast of Entourage!”
Entourage recently closed its eight-year reign as the douchiest drama on television, but one fan has come up with a much better finale than the one that aired:
Early in the night, Modern Family proved the big winner in the comedy category, picking up five trophies and leading Lynch to dub the ceremony the Modern Family Awards. Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell took the trophies for Best Supporting Actress and Actor for playing harried marrieds Claire and Phil Dunphy on the show. After the show, they told reporters they’re proud to be part of a show that’s changing attitudes about gay families in America.
The show also picked up the award for Best Writing in a Comedy Series, for the episode “Caught in the Act” by Steve Levitan and Jeffrey Richman. Richman thanked his partner in his acceptance speech, as did executive producer Christopher Lloyd in his when the show won in the Best Comedy category.
For completion’s sake, I’ll include The Lonely Island, who performed a live mashup of their nominated songs, including the gay-panic number “3-Way,” performed by Ed Helms, Maya Rudolph and John Stamos. The Lonely Island lost the award to Justin Timberlake.
It was a great kickoff to a season of television that seems to have loads of queer to look forward to. Highlights this week include the recently transitioned Chaz Bono’s first appearance on Dancing with the Stars and the season premiere of Glee.
Oh, and over in The New York Times, Norman Sunshine remembers when the Emmys weren’t so queer-inclusive, to remind us all how far we’ve come.
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