Emmys 2014: Breaking Bad, Modern Family take top honours

Los Angeles: The popular comedy show Modern Family won a record-tying fifth best comedy series Emmy Award and a dominant Breaking Bad captured the top drama award and a trio of acting honors in the TV ceremony.

Bryan Cranston was honoured as best actor in a drama for Breaking Bad, proving that True Detective nominee Matthew McConaughey’s role as  philosophical  cop Rust Cohle, didn’t impress everyone.

“I have gratitude for everything that has happened,” said Cranston. His win puts him in the same place as  four-time best drama actor award-winning champ Dennis Franz. Cranston’s co-stars Aaron Paul and Anna Gunn were also honored in the category of best acting for drama in a supporting role.

“Thank you for this wonderful farewell to our show,” said Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan about the series which is about a chemistry teacher-turned-drug kingpin and the twisted machinations of his life.

McConaughey was subjected to many ’too handsome’ jokes and light-hearted ribbing  by the award presenter Jimmy Kimmel. He was also the object of adoration for Gail Mancuso, who was given the award for best comedy director for an episode of Modern Family.

“If you don’t mind, Matthew McConaughey, I’m going to make eye contact with you right now,” she said from the stage,  holding the actor’s gaze for the remainder of her speech.

Woody Harrelson and his True Detective co-star were given time to indulge in friendly banter before announcing that British actor Benedict Cumberbatch of Sherlock: His Last Vow as the winner of the best actor in a miniseries award.

“So you won an Oscar, (People magazine’s) Sexiest Man Alive and now you want an Emmy, too. Isn’t that a little bit greedy?” said Harrelson while teasing his fellow nominee.

The Emmy ceremony which honors the best of TV wasn’t shy about playing the movie-star card. “Six minutes to Woody Harrelson” flashed on screen during British director Colin Bucksey’s acceptance speech for best director for a miniseries for Fargo.

The ceremony took a somber turn towards the end as Robin Williams was remembered with restraint and grace by his longtime friend, Billy Crystal.

“He made us laugh hard every time you saw him,” said Crystal of Williams at the conclusion of an in memoriam section that functioned as a  tribute to all the TV industry members who died in the last year.

The Good Wife star Julianna Margulies won the Emmy for best lead actress in a drama series and said that it was a wonderful time for women on television in her speech.

Fargo was named best miniseries, and the award for the best actress in a miniseries went to Jessica Lange of American Horror Story: Coven fame.

Buffering the miniseries awards was a parody routine about the top nominees done by “Weird Al” Yankovic. Musical numbers usually look out of place at the Emmys, and this one was no different. Other scripted banter fell flat, although host Seth Meyers kept soldiering on.

CBS’ The Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons was crowned as best comedy series actor, giving him his fourth Emmy and putting him in league with all-time sitcom winners Kelsey Grammer and Michael J. Fox.

ABC’s Modern Family, which tied with Frasier as the all-time sitcom champ with five statuettes, also captured a best comedy supporting actor trophy for Ty Burrell. Allison Janney was honored as best supporting comedy actress for CBS’ Mom, adding to the trophy she’d already picked up as guest actress on Masters of Sex.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who received her third consecutive best comedy actress Emmy for the political comedy Veep, drew big laughs as she stopped to exchange faux heated kisses with Cranston, who earlier was her co-presenter and who appeared with her on Seinfeld.

Meyers kicked off the ceremony by teasing his home network, NBC, and other broadcasters for being eclipsed in the awards race by cable series and online newcomers like Orange Is the New Black.

Noting that the Emmys moved to Monday night in order to avoid a conflict with Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards, he said that MTV doesn’t really specialize in videos anymore.

“That’s like network TV holding an awards show and giving all the trophies to cable and Netflix. That would be crazy,” Meyers joked.

The ceremony’s traditional “in memoriam” tribute to industry members who have died in the past year flashed images of stars including James Garner, Ruby Dee, Sid Caesar, Carmen Zapata and Elaine Stritch as singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles sang “Smile.” It concluded with the tribute to Williams.

AP