John Adams, Mad Men Lead Creative Arts Emmy Awards
HBO mini grabs eight of pay-cabler’s 16 awards as AMC drama continues winning streak
By Joel Topcik -- Broadcasting & Cable, 9/13/2008 8:08:00 PM
HBO’s John Adamspicked up eight Creative Arts Emmy Awards Saturday, helping the pay cable channel to lead the evening with 16 awards overall. AMC rookie drama Mad Men took home four statues, while NBC comedy 30 Rockwon three.
The largely technical-oriented awards, which were handed out Saturday at Los Angeles’ Nokia Theatre L.A. Live by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, set the stage for the Primetime Emmy Awards next Sunday, Sept. 21. John Adams, 30 Rock and Mad Men are the top program nominees, with 23, 17 and 16, respectively.
Among the networks, ABC and PBS followed in total awards, both grabbing nine each. ABC’s Dancing with the Stars and Pushing Daisies each won two, as did the network’s late-night Jimmy Kimmel Live, including the award for outstanding original music and lyrics for “I’m F**king Matt Damon.” (Click here to watch the video.)
Comedian Sarah Silverman, who co-wrote and performed the mock-confessional song for then-boyfriend Jimmy Kimmel, accepted the award, saying, “I’d like to thank Jimmy Kimmel, who broke my heart,” then added, “who will always have a place in my heart.” (The win marks the second consecutive year the music-and-lyrics award went to a bawdy, heavily bleeped video -- Saturday Night Live’s “Dick in a Box” took it last year.)
The evening also marked the second Creative Arts Emmy for Kathy Griffin, whose Bravo series, My Life on the D-List, won for outstanding reality program for the second year. Griffin -- who accepted last year’s award with a tart, “Suck it, Jesus -- this award is my God now!” -- was considerably more subdued in her remarks.
Other Creative Arts awards included several honors for guest actors. For drama series, former Sex and the City start Cynthia Nixon won for her guest stint on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, while veteran actor Glynn Turman won for his role on HBO’s In Treatment. Kathryn Joosten won her second award for guest actress in a comedy series for her recurring role on ABC’s Desperate Housewives, while comic veteran Tim Conway won for his turn on 30 Rock.
In the animated categories, Comedy Central’s irreverent South Park won in the hour-long category for its “Imaginationland” special, while the less-than-one-hour award went to Fox’s The Simpsons.
For a complete list of winners, click here.
