Crowned
RECORD: BLOOD-SPATTERED TALE IS THE MOST DECORATED FICTIONAL SHOW WITH 47 AWARDS
Award-winning director proposes to his sweetheart on stage.
HBO’s record-breaking fantasy epic Game of Thrones stormed back on to the Emmys stage on Monday, winning the coveted best drama series prize on a night full of surprises, including an on-air marriage proposal that stunned the audience.
The other big story of the Hollywood gala, television’s answer to the Oscars, was the huge success of The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, Amazon’s story of a 1950s housewife-turned-stand-up comic, which took home eight Emmys overall, including the best comedy award.
The Handmaid’s year’s best drama and an early favourite for more hardware in 2018 went home empty-handed from the star-studded event at the Microsoft Theatre, after winning three minor awards handed out a week ago.
The ceremony, hosted by Saturday Night Live (SNL) regulars Colin Jost and Michael Che, took on a decidedly political hue at the start, with a barrage of edgy jokes on hot-button issues from diversity in Hollywood to #MeToo and Donald Trump.
The gala also saw several sentimental favourites take home their first Emmys. Matthew Rhys won best drama actor for spy thriller The Americans, Claire Foy was named best drama actress for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown and Henry Winkler triumphed for supporting comedy acting on Barry.
But the coveted drama prize went to Game of Thrones (GoT), which was ineligible for last year’s Emmys and series star Peter Dinklage took home the best supporting actor prize for his portrayal of Tyrion Lannister.
GoT won nine Emmys this year, meaning the blood-spattered cinematic tale of noble families vying for the Iron Throne, which returns in 2019 for an abbreviated eighth and final season, now has 47 awards overall. That breaks the programme’s own record as the most decorated fictional show since the Television Academy first handed out prizes in 1949. Tale, last
Politics and #MeToo
The Emmys opened with a daring number poking fun at myriad controversies, including the problem of ensuring diversity in Hollywood productions.
“We solved it!” crooned SNL nominees Kate McKinnon and Kenan Thompson, with backup
Edgy jokes on hot issues gave show political hue
from pop stars John Legend, Ricky Martin and even RuPaul.
They then yielded the stage to Jost and Che, who let the zingers fly. “This year, the audience is allowed to drink in their seats. Hope you’re excited about that because the one thing Hollywood needs right now is a bunch of people losing their inhibitions at a work function,” Jost said, in a reference to #MeToo. An Emmy-winning proposal
Emmy-winning director Glenn Weiss, accepting his award for directing the Oscars, asked Jan Svendsen, who was sitting in the audience, to marry him.
“You wonder why I don’t like to call you my girlfriend? Because I want to call you my wife,” he said.
Svendsen then joined Weiss on stage as the director got on one knee and formally proposed. The