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The Three Most Buzzworthy Moments From the Emmys — and the Stories Behind Them

Sep 19, 2011  •  Post A Comment

In the wake of a Primetime Emmys ceremony Sunday night with more than its share of memorable moments, a report in the L.A. Times singles out three as the most buzzworthy.

Charlie Sheen’s appearance, in which he wished well to his former show “Two and a Half Men” as it carries on with Ashton Kutcher filling in for Sheen, leads the list, the Times reports.

Sheen’s attempt at heartfelt contrition, the story says, didn’t quite succeed, probably in large part because it followed by only a few months the period when Sheen, who was fired from the show, was calling former co-star Jon Cryer a “troll,” “Men” boss Chuck Lorre a “sociopath” and the show “a driveling pukefest.” Nonetheless, Sheen did his best at the Emmys, saying, "From the bottom of my heart, I wish you nothing but the best for this upcoming season.”

Next up is the performance of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” by the Canadian Tenors, along with the “In Memoriam” reel dedicated to television industry professionals who died in the past year.

The choice of “Hallelujah” by Emmys producer Mark Burnett was an attempt to keep the memorial segment from being a downer by using contemporary music, the Times reports. But the story points out that “Hallelujah,” which first appeared on a Leonard Cohen album in 1984, isn’t all that contemporary — and more to the point, it’s overworked. The story notes: “Even Cohen himself is tired of it, telling one interviewer, ‘It’s a good song, but I think too many people sing it.’"

Finally, the acceptance speech by Matthew Weiner, whose AMC drama “Mad Men” won its fourth consecutive Emmy for outstanding drama, capped off a period of conflict and controversy for a show whose future was uncertain until recently.

Weiner’s claim that he was surprised by “Mad Men’s” win for best drama was probably genuine, the story says, even considering the show’s three-year winning streak going into this year’s awards. The story notes that talks between Weiner and AMC — which insisted on chopping a few minutes out of each episode to squeeze in more commercials — were so protracted that, even though an agreement was finally reached, Season 5 was pushed from its original target of summer 2011 until sometime in 2012.

One Comment

  1. Well, I haven’t heard “Hallelujah” all that often, but I thought the version by the Canadian Tenors was wonderful.

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