Jeff Daniels was shocked to win the Emmy for his portrayal of news anchor Will McAvoy on HBO's The Newsroom, beating out the likes of Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston and Mad Men's Jon Hamm.
His first words out of his mouth when he went onstage to accept his award: "Well, crap!"
Moments later, a reporter mentioned that he looked surprised: "Did I?" he asked when he got to the microphone.
Daniels, who had never been nominated for an Emmy before this year, didn't have high expectations.
"I've been neutral about this whole thing," he admitted. "I've been nominated a bunch of times -- Google it -- enough to kind of not lean toward it, not to hope too much. You're glad to be invited to the party. There are six of us nominated, there easily could've been 10 other guys who could've been where we are. It's a really crowded time in television. It's a great time to be in television. I felt the work stood up to what the other guys were doing, but we're all doing different things. It's anybody's game. I was happy to win but surprised because it could have been anyone."
I am actually a fan of many of the nominees for this Lead Actor Emmy, including "Breaking Bad's" Bryan Cranston, "Made Men's" Jon Hamm, and the "House of Card's" Kevin Spacey, so for me it could have been any of them and I would have been pretty happy.
However it wasn't any of them, it was Daniels. And THAT is because the Newsroom is just about the best show on television right now, as demonstrated by this iconic scene.
My hope is that it will continue to attract viewers and build a huge audience so that we can enjoy more scenes like that in the future.
Just wondering if anyone watches Veep. Is that clueless character, who needs to have her people whisper things to her supposed to be Palin?
ReplyDeleteNo ever has ever suggested a comparison to that character to Palin.
DeleteWhen Veep started, there were a lot of innuendos that it was Palin. I still imagine it's her, but this bimbo seems SLIGHTLY more intelligent, but still incredibly stupid. Everyone has to cover for her gaffes in every single show.
DeleteDon't you wish we had one politician that talks like that - that THINKS like that?
ReplyDelete...further:
Don't you wish they ALL did?
YES!!!!!!!!!!!
DeleteThat is about the most incredible scene ever on a television series. I think that "The Newsroom" is absolutely the best that television can offer - from the acting to the story line to the writing to the directing. Superb. Intelligent television for intelligent people. There's not much of that about any more with all of the trashy bogus reality shows and the silly action shows that rely too heavily on special effects and on actors/actresses who look more like fashion models than real people. Congratulations to Jeff Daniels!
ReplyDeleteBeaglemom
I was surprised and pleased that Jeff Daniels won the Emmy. All the nominees were good choices, but The Newsroom is about the brightest and smartest show on TV right now. Glad that House of Cards won one as well for direction. Now if next year, Hell on Wheels gets a couple of noms, we'd be real happy, eh?
ReplyDeleteThe Emmy was for Season 1 which was better than Season 2 IMO.
ReplyDeleteStill, good call.
Thanks for sharing that clip. I will definitely be watching have to go back and see prior episodes and will watch from now on.
ReplyDeleteWow; I don't watch much TV but now I'll try to watch this show. I see why Daniels won. (I could have done without the chewing gum, tho)
ReplyDelete@12:32
ReplyDeleteWhen Veep was pitched, America was in the last throes of its fascination with Sarah Palin. So many people questioned if the show was based on Sarah Palin, that Julia Louis-Dreyfus responded on talk shows to say a resounding "NO". Veep shows that there’s a lot of BS that goes into being VP.
"The show’s writers clearly wanted to turn Vice President Selina Meyer into some kind of Sarah Palin doppelganger for us to laugh at every single week. Here’s the problem with that plan though. No one (who watches HBO) likes Sarah Palin."
http://www.crushable.com/2012/06/11/entertainment/veep-season-finale-selina-meyer-976/
Also, too, there's a lot of BS that goes into being Sarah Palin.
DeleteVIA HBO.....There have been many interesting "game changing" shows that make us laugh, educate us and give us a look at life that we don't need to experience. It's more than worth the extra fee each month. So, if we Palinphobes watch Veep it's really because we are thinking of Sarah. Serena is no Sarah. VEEP is enjoyable fun. Sarah is what Bill Maher called her......
RJ in Brownbackistan
What always struck me was that Nicolle Wallace's book "It's Classified" had a VP named Tara Meyers. I've always found that to be more than a coincidence between her book and the VEEP show, although Selina doesn't spend much time hiding out, depressed in her bed.
DeleteI'm a Newsroom fan. It's one of my favorite shows. I'm a Jeff Daniels fan, too. The show mirrors my frustration with the media and politics in a very satisfying way but it doesn't come close to writing, editing, or acting that's seen in the best of the best television dramas. In no way are the acting requirements and skill necessary to portray anchorman Will McAvoy anywhere near what Bryan Cranston has achieved in Breaking Bad.
ReplyDeleteI hope Cranston and Aaron Paul both win well-deserved Emmys next year.
Thanks for being the one who introduced this show to me! You could tell Daniels was caught off base, not expecting it at all.
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