Okay, so where am I? 


I’m at the Microsoft Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles taking in the 69th Emmy Awards and trying to get one of those drinks loaded with bitters that Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel are sharing.

No luck.

Speaking of luck…last year I waxed poetic (very much tongue-in-cheek) about flirting with the Emmy statuette and her going with a hundred or so other writers, producers, actors, and actresses. This year was different. Sometimes you get lucky a second time.

Flirt no more…

This year also saw my return to the red carpet, and honestly the two best parts of my night was watching Lena Headey and Sophie Turner (both of Game of Thrones) scarf McDonald’s fries and milk shakes on their way to the red carpet. At the end of the entertainment debauchery, it was a fantastic night for Hulu, which proved to be a late bloomer to the original scripted series game. Sunday, it became the first streaming service to win an Emmy for Best Series for The Handmaid’s Tale, leapfrogging Netflix and Amazon.

Hat’s off to the marketing folks at Hulu. Seriously, how much of the public do you think has seen The Handmaid’s Tale? Certainly the voters have (again a credit to Hulu marketers), but it goes into the category of the things that make you go “hmmmmmmmm.” Does this show have 1/100th the audience penetration of This Is Us? At the end, it was a triumph for not-widely-viewed series, led by The Handmaid’s Tale and Black Mirror (Netflix). It was also a big night for Big Little Lies and Veep which held onto the best comedy series and best lead actress in a comedy series titles. Women broke that glass ceiling through with wins for Lena Waithe and Reed Morano (you’ll have to look them up to know more, sorry. I didn’t know who they were before last night). 


Back to the red carpet…whatever you think the carpet is like, think again. Here’s a taste:

During the show, I decided to troll celebrity and celebrity-ish Twitter accounts looking for behind the scenes tidbits. I mean celebrities are people too. Right? Let’s see:

Red Carpet Gallery

Maybe because there’s no McDonald’s north of the wall…

Nice that Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman stopped their PDAs long enough for a few pictures.

Anna Chlumsky, robbed again.

Poor Justin Timberlake…

Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys of The Americans. In my world, these two would win every year.

Yeah, I don’t get this guy either.

Alec Baldwin. Genius. Pure.

Another win for Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

The new Dream Team (if you don’t know who these ladies are, watch more movies)

Just some serious eye contact with Reese Witherspoon is all…

This streak you have going is pretty, pretty, good!

The post Getting Social at the Emmy Awards appeared first on Media Guy Struggles.

Oh my lovely giant Emmy statuette. I flirted with you all night and after all that you went home with a hundred or so other writers, producers, actors, and actresses. And this morning, there you are. Face down after a wild night of partying and rubbing elbows with the television elite. Most of us would take the long walk of shame home, heads bowed, shirts inside out, one sock or sticking missing. But here’s the thing…walk of shame is only shameful if you let it be. So here’s how to turn that walk of shame into a stride of pride…

1) Before you tuck yourself back in that box for 300 plus days of hibernation, remember how much fun the night before was. You wouldn’t have done it if you didn’t want to. And let’s be clear Ms. Emmy: YOU KNOW HOW TO PARTY!

2) Hold your head high, shoulders back, and strut your stuff. Yeah, you had fun. Yeah, the next door neighbor might already know that. But who cares? They know already. There’s nothing to be ashamed of because next year they will be fighting to take you home again.

3. Enjoy the morning breeze. If you’re in last night’s golden party dress and you’re holding your heels as you walk barefoot, don’t let it stop you from enjoying the refreshing morning breeze. Breathe it in, and let it clear away any potential hangover. Look around and enjoy the manufactured beauty of downtown LA and the LA Live complex. They’ll be talking about last night for the next year…….Hold your head high Ms. Emmy. You’re still my favorite lady.

So okay, you already know where I am…

A happy Game of Thrones cast as their 34 Emmy wins.

I’m at the Microsoft Theatre in Downtown LA taking in the 68th Emmy Awards and snacking on a PB&J sandwich presumably made by Jimmy Kimmel’s mom.

I was expecting more Beyoncé as was a disappointed John Oliver:

“I thought Beyoncé was gonna be here. I saw a seating chart and I was supposed to be sitting two rows behind her and I was going to stare at her head and experience happiness in a way I haven’t felt before … so this evening is a bit disappointing.”

Jerry Seinfeld spoke out—in true Seinfeld-esque wit—about the current state of television: “I don’t know why I’m here, I’m not on television. My show’s on the Internet, but now they consider that television.”

Meanwhile Bryan Cranston did his best to convince the TV bigwigs that he should take on the role of Donald Trump, “I think it’d be huuuuuuuge.”


James Corden shared his insider paparazzi tips to take the best photos “I try to suck in my cheekbones. If you ever see me and it looks like I’m in a mood, it’s not because I’m being moody.”

In the Emmy lobby, people moaned about the ‘dry’ Emmys. Every star under the sun was inside the Microsoft Theater, but the one thing all of that star power can’t get inside the room is booze. The Voice host Carson Daly walked out to the lobby, Emmy in hand, and yelled to the bartender, “You guys selling beer out here?” Daly turned, disappointed and walked away. Iwan Rheon (Ramsay Bolton on Game of Thrones) also lost his mind berating a would-be bartender—life immitates art. Sorry boys, those juice boxes are all you got.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Emmy win breaks the record. By winning the Emmy—her sixth for lead actress in a comedy, and her eighth Emmy overall—the Veep star broke the record for most lead actress wins, breaking the three-way tie she held with Candice Bergen and Mary Tyler Moore.

Well, that’s all I overheard. After all I was there to flirt with the Emmy statuette and take pictures…so without further ado, here are the pics…

Tori Kelly with my favorite picture of the night.

There was a lot of kissing – part one with Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Jimmy Kimmel’s mom must have had writer’s cramp after penning 7,000 letters.

Cranston as Trump?

Jimmy Fallon crashed Corden’s interview. Ham!

There was a lot of kissing- part two with Patton Oswald.

Priyanka Chopra knows how to work the photo pit.

Yes, Sarah Paulson did have her lady engraved with Marcia Clark’s name on it!

Tatiana Maslany all smiles with her Emmy!

There was a lot of kissing – part three with Key and Peele.

The Governors Ball transformeds the L.A. Convention Center with over 700 floral arrangements.

The post Ms. Emmy: YOU KNOW HOW TO PARTY! appeared first on Media Guy Struggles.

Has it been that long? Over a year since I grabbed my
sack…of mail? As usual, I resisted and resisted, but the mailbox is overflowing
and alas, you need answers. So, without fanfare, here are the highlights of genuine
emails from my irreverent readers.

The Selena Encounter: click here

1. Get permission (which you’re probably not going to do,
   so skip to No. 2).
2. Retweet without commentary.
3. Say you’re flattered, and be transparent.
4. If they ask you to take it down, take it down.

The post The Media Guy’s Sack appeared first on Media Guy Struggles.