Emmys 2015: the year of heat and history

It was a night of sweat and sweeps at the 67th annual Emmy awards! Those poor, pampered TV stars spent all day getting made up and coiffed only to melt in steamy L.A. temps Sunday night.

The always-in-need-of-a-sandwich Giuliana Rancic claimed it was 106 degrees on the red carpet, prompting Allison Janney to swipe the sweat from her brow and declare them the Bikram Emmys.

But the show must go on so the stars persevered as they perspired down the carpet, fanning themselves and taking swigs of water from bottles held by eager publicists.

Who glistened:

–January Jones  aka Betty Draper was anything but 60’s conservative in a bright emerald green strapless jumpsuit with flared pants and pleated sash. She won the night IMHO. Three words: Fab U Lous.

John Shearer/WireImage.com

— I loved Taraji P. Henson‘s Alexander Wang dress. The black sheath had metal chain-link straps and a long sheer, patterned skirt. Edgy and different. Straight hair,  simple makeup, and little jewelry completed the minimal look. And her cheekbones are insane.

–Another winner for me was “Downton Abbey’s”  Joanne Froggatt (Anna) in a
romantic pink J. Mandel gown with black trim and cutouts and dramatic black chiffon trains on each side.  Perfect for her shape and complimented by long Juliet tresses with flowers pinned in. Unlike anything else on the carpet.

–If I were to ever hire a stylist, it would be whomever dresses Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Her simple black sheath with angular one shoulder top and big dramatic diamond earrings were simple, chic and looked amazing.

— I wasn’t sure if I liked Amy Schumer’s Zac Posen grey/green strapless dress and messy hair but it grew on me. She was very boobular and had no problem adjusting the girls on live TV. She also proudly told Ryan Seacrest she weighed  “a buck fifty” which made me love her even more.

–“Orphan Black” star Tatiana Masleny had a notable look in a very low cut white tuxedo suit.  Sexy, simple, sophisticated, sublime.

—Laverne Cox of “Orange is the New Black” got voted best body by many style watchers in a Calvin Klein green halter dress with cutouts and a bare back. I loved her long blond hair too.

–Another gal I can count on to kill it on the carpet is “Modern Family‘s”  Sarah Hyland, who looked gorgeous in a burgundy Zac Posen off the shoulder sheath  with cutouts, a low back, and a flared bottom that hugged her in all the right places. She paired the dress with cool bejeweled dangling earrings and a Hollywood tan. Very glam.

—Kerry Washington was channeling 1980’s Diana Ross in a beaded silver metallic mesh dress with shoulder pads and a sexy slit up her leg. It  looked like Halston but was actually Marc Jacobs and fit her beautifully.

–Probably the most shocking arrival was Lady Gaga, who seemed to be taking her role as Hollywood actress seriously in a very sedate but classic black off the shoulder sheath and Jean Harlow hair and makeup.

As for the men, there weren’t any standouts but Seth Meyers reminded me of Dean Martin in his navy tailored tux, and Anthony Andrews of “Blackish” looked svelte and handsome in his classic black tuxedo.  John Stamos doesn’t look like he should be starring in a show as a grandpa– he never seems to age. Great tux,  great dimples.

Who let the heat affect their fashion sense: 

Andy Samberg’s wife, musician Joanna Newsom’s ensemble was bizarro. My 12 year old son asked why she had a ring stuck on the top of her dress and I had no good answer for the giant appliqué on top and gauzy fringe curtains on the bottom. In different colors of pink. The Jane Eyre hairstyle didn’t help.

–“Happyish” star Kathryn Hahn‘s dress had a flattering shape, but the flowered velvet looked like a carpetbagger purse, and the style brought the Chiquita banana lady to mind. At least her hair looked pretty.

—“Mad Men” star and fashionista Kiernan Shipka had an oops with this yellow embroidered Barbie ballet dancer dress on top and black cigarette pants on the bottom. Huh?

Getty / Jason Merritt

–The gorgeous Nazanin Boniadi of “Homeland” wore a weird white long dress with a nude side panel that looked more Olympic skater than Hollywood couture.   One side long sleeve sheath, one side sleeveless, flowy panel. It was like two different dresses sewn together. No good.

–It was disappointing to see model and fashion show host Heidi Klum make the mistake of choosing  a canary yellow Versace with way too much going on.  It was short, it was long, it was sheer, and embroidered. It had one long flared sleeve and one spaghetti strap. She should tell her stylist Auf Wiedersehen!

For more Emmy fashion click here and here.

After sweating on the red carpet, the stars had to sweat it out inside to see who took home a statue. Several shows swept the night, winning in several categories and making for repetitive speeches. Here are my highlights…..

The goofy and talented Andy Samberg did a great job hosting. He was funny, just the right amount of bitchy, and comfortable in the role. His opening bit was a pre-recorded music video that managed to acknowledge almost every TV show  ever produced and poke fun at the industry. I LOL-ed quite a few times and the audience seemed to get him.

Fox

Viola Davis became the first African American woman to win for lead actress in a drama for “How to Get Away with Murder.”  In a tearful acceptance speech,  Davis said “the only thing that separates women of color from anybody else is opportunity.” She went on to thank all the writers and producers creating roles for black women on TV and for redefining “what it means to be beautiful, sexy leading women.”

The brilliant Allison Janney also made history taking home an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in “Mom.” She is now tied with Ed Asner for most performance Emmy wins, with seven.

“Game of Thrones” won best drama but leading actor went to the long suffering Jon Hamm, who had been nominated for his role in “Mad Men” since its first season in 2007 but never won. He earned that standing ovation.

HBO’s “Veep”  won for best comedy and also swept the best writing, actress and supporting actor awards.

Olive Kittredge won best mini-series, director, writers, actor (Richard Jenkins,) supporting actor (Bill Murray,) and actress– for the least vane celebrity in L.A. —Frances McDormand. With no make up or hairstyle, her speech was short and sweet: “My colleagues have thanked everyone. We are all here for the power of a story well told, sometimes that’s enough. Thank you.” I told Wilson we must watch it this week to see what all the fuss is about.

Jon Stewart’s team of writers on “The Daily Show” won their 9th and final Emmy with Jon at the helm. TDS also nabbed best director, and variety series. That’s a tough category, going up against Letterman, Schumer, Colbert, John Oliver, etc.  I love “TDS”  and already miss Jon, but I think Jimmy Fallon needs some props. He’s killing it every night with original skits, songs, games, and social media. Maybe next year Jimmy. You’ve got my vote.

“Inside Amy Schumer” won for best writing which made me really happy. Schumer’s speech was random, funny, and spontaneous like she is. I love her. Authentic. Hysterical. Smart. Girl power. Finally.

Other remarkable moments included Tina Fey and Jane Krakowski getting weepy as Tracy Morgan came on to give the last award of the night. He explained what he’d been through since a terrible car accident last year but he looked good and got a few jokes in.

Jimmy Kimmel had one of the funniest moments of the night making Jeffrey Tambor really work for his Best Actor in a drama award for Amazon’s “Transparent”. Before Kimmel read the nominations, he dared the Emmy producers to stop him from peeking at the envelope before he announced the nominees. He saw the winner’s name and then proceeded to cut the name out of the card, put it in his mouth and chew it up, claiming he could now choose whichever winner he wanted. (He picked Tambor.)

Show runner Jill Soloway won for best director of a comedy series for Transparent and took the opportunity to advocate for trangender civil rights in her acceptance speech.

Amy Poehler is quickly becoming the Susan Lucci of primetime, losing for the 16th time. She’s apparently been nominated for writing and acting in “SNL”  and “Parks and Rec” but has NEVER WON. How is this possible??  In anticipation of the loss, she donned a hoodie and sunglasses and slumped down in her seat when they announced the nominees. Buzzfeed called her the best loser of all time. Her day will come.

She was beat by six-time winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who won for Veep for the fourth year in a row. I’m kicking myself that I’ve never been able to stay with that show. Every time I watch it I laugh. I’ll try again. In her acceptance speech, Louis-Dreyfus shouted out thanks and kudos to her fellow nominees, saying ” I love powerful, funny women.”

Me too Julia, me too.

What were your favorite Emmy moments? Tell me in the comments.