Emmy Awards Recap and Neil Patrick Harris Sings “Put Down the Remote” (VIDEO)

By Amanda Pendolino on September 21st, 2009

The 61st annual Emmy Awards felt a bit like a repeat last night, with 30 Rock and Mad Men taking home top honors for the second year in a row. Each show also snagged awards for writing, and 30 Rock’s Alec Baldwin won Lead Actor in a Comedy (another repeat from last year).

Lead Actress in a Comedy went to the surprised and glowing Toni Collette for her work on United States of Tara, the Showtime series about a woman with multiple personalities. Though the show is a bit underwhelming, it certainly provides a dream role for Collette.

It was no surprise that Glenn Close won the Emmy for Lead Actress in a Drama for the intense FX thriller Damages. Close said the role might just be the role of her lifetime. Bryan Cranston of Breaking Bad won Lead Actor in a Drama, a bit of a surprise since he won last year. (I was pulling for Mad Men’s Jon Hamm.)

Supporting Actor in a Drama went to the humble Michael Emerson of Lost, while Supporting Actress in a Drama went to Cherry Jones of 24. Two and a Half Men’s Jon Cryer beat out Emmy host Neil Patrick Harris for Supporting Actor in a Comedy, resulting in a faux-bitter NPH (who was charming and adorable and often complimented on his great job). Teeny Kristin Chenoweth won for Supporting Actress in a Comedy, hilariously mentioning that since Pushing Daisies was cancelled, she’s now unemployed – and loves the shows Mad Men, 30 Rock and 24.

The show got a bit boring in the middle with all the miniseries awards, and since it lacks the prestige of the Oscars and the shameless spectacle of the VMAs, the Emmys will always be just a little eh.

Well, at least Neil Patrick Harris got the crowd going with his opening number, “Put Down the Remote.”