Random Musings

Not a funny Carlos story this week, but a kinda cool one.

In his job, Carlos works a great deal with the Hispanic community in our town, county and state. Last year, he also worked with the Mexican Consulate trying to help a lot of the undocumented workers get their papers together and get them on the road to citizenship. I joked that he should get a job at the Mexican Consulate where he could work all day and I could go to lunches with the spouses of consulate employs and plan fabulous parties for the consulate.

Well, now it appears that we — and it’s ‘we’ because of ‘he’ — have been invited to a cocktail party at the Mexican Consulate in Raleigh, North Carolina next month to celebrate 204th Anniversary of Mexican  Independence.

Maybe that goal of being a consulate employee’s spouse might work out after all? Maybe, you know, at the Mexican Consulate in some fabulous European capital?

Fingers crossed.

I joke because what I really am is very, very proud of Carlos and the work he does.

Oh, this could be good … It seems that My-Husband-In-My-Head, Matt Bomer, will be guest-starring on next season’s American Horror Story: Freak Show. AHS creator Ryan Murphy broke the news himself saying he was excited to reunite once again with the “amazing” actor, who was nominated this year for his performance in The Normal Heart, also directed by Murphy:

“I try to get him to do everything for me. I sent him a text that said, ‘First right of refusal, here’s the role.’ It’s very…warped.”

Murphy is even willing to work around Matt’s schedule for the filming Magic Mike 2 in order to make the appearance work.

Matt Bomer? AHS? Win.Win.

Has my watch stopped or is her fifteen minutes of fame not over yet?

Donald Sterling's former mistress/girlfriend/paid-whore V. Stiviano is now claiming that Sterling is gay and she was just his "beard" for three years before his wife Shelly Sterling filed a lawsuit against her.

Now, in response to Shelly's lawsuit, which accuses the model mistress of taking $1.8 million from the Sterling Family in gifts for sexual favors, Stiviano says that she “was not ever a sexual partner” of Donald. She is now claiming that Sterling is “homosexual and enjoys sexual and or sexual congress with males” and that she acted as his “beard.” She also says Shelly Sterling knew and “condoned” her husband's “sexual orientation” and approved “gifts of money and or properties” to Stiviano for acting as his beard.

Huh. So, racist Donald Sterling might be gay. Well, being gay is not such a bad thing, but … being a fame-whore who sells herself for cash is a whore of a different color.

Go away V. Seriously, you are pathetic.

Last season on Nashville there was a hot British guy on the show who had an affair with Hayden Panettiere’s character. Now, since I am a whore for an accent I always thought the character was hot.

Fast forward to this summer’s Extant and there’s a crew-cut wearing hot Brit on the show as a bad guy with a robotic arm and, well, the accent, and all, I was hooked.

Turns out the two hot Brits are the same guy: Charlie Bewley.

Bad guy with a crew cut. Adulterer with fine hair. I’ll take him either way.

This week a 9-year-old girl — that is not the girl in the picture … her name has not been released — accidentally killed Charles Vacca, an Arizona shooting instructor, who was showing her how to use an automatic Uzi.

Yup, a little girl with parents who thought it might be fun to teach their 9-year-old how to fire an automatic weapon and now she’ll live the rest of her life knowing she killed a man,

Lovely parenting skills that.

And now, just two days after that horrible accident—which wouldn’t have happened if the adults hadn’t put a gun in a 6-year-old’s hands, the National Rifle Association [NRA] touted new ways for children to "have fun" at shooting ranges by posting a Tweet to its NRA Women account that read "7 Ways Children Can Have Fun at the Shooting Range."

Except for that whole murdering people thing.

The NRA. What the ever-loving f%k is wrong with them that, on the heels of this horrific accident, they actually want people to bring children to a shooting range.

You know, all the haters are always saying that The Gays want to indoctrinate children to our “lifestyle” but who’s saying a word about the NRA trying to indoctrinate children to becoming gun-toting loons?

This post was written before Joan was hospitalized this morning. It appears she is now in stable condition, thankfully ... so here goes ...

This past Monday I posted a few pictures of what I thought were bad looks at the VMAs; that post is HERE. 

Beyoncé, looking like a tease before shaking her ass and breathing hard onstage … Taylor Swift looking like  a cheap plastic blow-up doll … and Gwen Stefani looking like a car hop.

I actually said, of Gwen: “Slap on the skates and roll out my burger and chocolate shake to my car.”

The next night, Tuesday night, watching the VMA/EMMY fashion roundup on Fashion Police, Joan Rivers said of Gwen: “She looks like she needs to be wearing skates and bringing a burger to my car.”

Did Joan plagiarize me? Or do great, sarcastic minds think alike?

Good news! Michael Sam is a still Ram having made it through the first round of cuts. Now, I am not a fan of the volleyball, so, well, I’ll tell you what ESPN said:

“That Sam made it through the first round of cuts is of little surprise after he posted two sacks against the Cleveland Browns on Saturday night. Through three preseason games, Sam -- the first openly gay active player in NFL history -- has five tackles and three sacks. Rams coaches' film review also credits the rookie defensive end with two quarterback pressures and a quarterback hit.”

I’m guessing that’s good because, you know, volleyball.

But then ESPN stepped in it big time when, in trying to discuss how Michael Sam, an openly gay man, fits in with his team, the network aired a segment from reporter Josina Anderson discussing Michael Sam's showering habits in the Rams locker room: when he's showering, which teammates he might be showering with, why he might not be showering with others, etc.

Seriously? This is news? This is reporting?

Rams coach Jeff Fisher was also angry about the report:

“I’m extremely disappointed in her piece. I think it’s unethical. I think it’s very, very unprofessional. Not only the piece itself, the content. (But also) the manner in which she did it. ... I’m disappointed for Mike. I’m disappointed for the players who she put in this position, and mostly I’m disappointed for her because she felt what she was doing was right — and it wasn’t right.”

It was stupid and feeding into that whole argument that gay players only want to be on professional sports teams so they can see nekkid mens in the shower. 

Stupid.Stupid.Stupid.

And so, ESPN issued an apology:

"ESPN regrets the manner in which we presented our report. Clearly yesterday we collectively failed to meet the standards we have set in reporting on LGBT-related topics in sports."

Ya think? This Tweet says it all ...

In Idiot News:

Gordon "Creepy Jazz Hands" Klingenschmitt, a Republican nominee for a seat in Colorado’s statehouse, has accused Democrats of lacking a sense of humor after he sent an email which said that Congressman Jared Polis, a Democrat from Colorado, will “join ISIS in beheading Christians.”

Oh, that’s high-larious! And so typical of the GOP and its wingnut faction.

In the email, Klingenschmitt wrote:

“The open persecution of Christians is underway. Democrats like Polis want to bankrupt Christians who refuse to worship and endorse his sodomy. Next he’ll join ISIS in beheading Christians, but not just in Syria, right here in America.”

Mark Ferrandino, Speaker of the Colorado House, condemned Klingenschmitt’s remarks and demanded that Colorado Republicans do the same. Colorado Republican spokesperson Owen Loftus said that Klingenschmitt’s comments “in no way reflect the views of the party.”

Actually, it does, because while it was offensive, it was clear what he said while the rest of the GOP couches their hate rhetoric a little better.

And so, naturally, "Creepy Jazz Hands" issued an apology … of sorts:

“This weekend I sent out an email alert to my constituents in which I used hyperbole. You know what hyperbole is. It’s a literary device where you exaggerate to make a point. Well, apparently some Democrats do not have a sense of humor and they were offended by some of the things I said using hyperbole this weekend.”

And then he continued saying that, while it was wrong to compare Polis to Islamic State extremists, the Democrat was “persecuting Christian business owners here in America.”

Seriously, Colorado, this man is up for a seat in your state government?

Only In South Carolina ...

Last week I told y’all about the woman arrested in a South Carolina grocery store for dropping an F-bomb in the bread aisle, but this story makes that one seem almost sane.

On the first day of school in Summerville, South Carolina, Tuesday, Alex Stone completed a writing assignment on making fake Facebook status updates. Stone wrote about buying a gun and killing his neighbor's pet dinosaur.

Fake. He said:

"I killed my neighbor's pet dinosaur, and, then, in the next status I said I bought the gun to take care of the business."

Fake; but Sumerville High School officials were so concerned about him using a gun in a fake status update on a fake Facebook page that they immediately called police, who came sirens blaring, tracked down Alex, handcuffed him and arrested him.

A search of his backpack and locker was pointless; the fake gun wasn’t found. Still Alex Stone, who was doing what he was assigned to do — create a fake status for a Facebook page — was arrested for disorderly conduct for arguing with the police.

Karen Gray, Alex’s mother, was also stunned by the arrest:

"I could understand if they made him re-write it because he did have 'gun' in it. But a pet dinosaur? I mean, first of all, we don't have dinosaurs anymore. Second of all, he's not even old enough to buy a gun. … If the school would have called me and told me about the paper and asked me to come down and discussed everything and, at least, get his point-of-view on the way he meant it. I never heard from the school, never. They never called me."

Now, I understand a Zero Tolerance policy on guns in school but Alex Stone never said he had a gun in school; he wrote a fake status update saying he used a gun to kill a neighbor’s pet dinosaur and BAM arrested. Investigators say the teacher who assigned the writing exercise contacted school officials after seeing the message containing the words "gun" and "take care of business" and they notified the police.

Alex Stone was suspended for the rest of the week, but says he doesn't want to return to Summerville High; he now wants to be home-schooled.

Where, presumably, he can write a fictional account of dinosaurs and not be handcuffed for it.

source

School Musical Canceled Becaue It's Gay

Back in May of this year, Principal Jesse Smith of the South Williamsport Jr/Sr High School in Pennsylvania dashed off a $1935.00 check to order the licensing rights for the musical Spamalot to be performed at the school next spring. Then, without warning, the play was off.

And when people began to question why the play had been cancelled, speculation arose it was because the musical contained a same-sex wedding scene and, you know, gay. Principal Smith, who’d sent the original check, vehemently denied that the cancellation had anything to do with homosexual themes except … lie.

In addition, Mark Stamm had claimed that, even though the play was cancelled, it was never really scheduled to be performed, even though the school had spent nearly two-thousand dollars securing the rights to perform the musical.

Then Keystone Progress, using Pennsylvania’s ‘Right to Know’ law found a series of emails between Principal Smith, school musical director Dawn Burch, and Superintendent Mark Stamm making it quite clear that the only justification Smith ever gave for canceling the Spamalot production was its “homosexual themes.”

In emails sent by Principal Smith to Dawn Burch, he voiced his concerns about two issues in the script: “a guy sending another guy a message on girl’s underwear and a gay wedding being performed.”

Dawn Burch, who had a copy of the script and had read it through twice, replied that there was no underwear-sending scene in the script, and, as for the “homosexual themes” she replied: “I am fully aware of their place in the script and am not certain what offense they create” since marriage equality had recently arrived in Pennsylvania.

Smith then made it clear that he was “not comfortable with Spamalot and its homosexual themes for two main reasons:”

1] Drama productions “are supposed to be performances that families can attend” and that “this type of material makes it very hard for that to take place.”

2] Controversial productions “put students in a tough spot.”

He said he didn’t “want students to have to choose between their own personal beliefs and whether or not to take part in a production.” He also said homosexuality does not exist in a conservative community such as South Williamsport.

Wow, then it must be the only place in the entire world that is queer free, eh? 

Dawn Burch, apparently aware that Principal Smith was pushing his own anti-gay agenda onto the production, reached out to Superintendent Stamm to tell him how shocked she was by Smith’s decision: “It is extremely disappointing that homosexuality would be the basis of not approving a show.” She also suggested that, by cancelling the show, that “this is how we raise children to be haters.”

Stamm, though, was firmly on Team Bigotry, saying “[Principal Smith’s] decision is sound” and so the play was off; the two grand flushed away.

Dawn Burch put away her plans for Spamalot and met again with Smith to select a new musical, but by this time the story had gotten out and a local news station, WNEP, as well as Think Progress reached out to Dawn Burch, Principal Smith and Superintendent Stamm for a comment.

Stamm apparently replied that the school wanted performances “to be appropriate for the student performers and audiences” and then asserted, again, that the play was only in consideration—the existence of that check had yet to be revealed. School Board President John J. Engel Jr. also claimed that homosexuality did not enter into the decision to cancel the production, but that they had merely decided it was not an appropriate show because … gay.

Look, let me make this queer for Smith and Stamm, et al: there was no issue with the play in the beginning; the school paid to license the rights to the play so it was planning to perform it; it wasn’t ‘under consideration’ because two-thousand dollars had already been spent and you don’t spend that kind of money on an ‘if.’ It wasn’t until Smith and Stamm got wind of the same-sex wedding scene that they decided, these two men and no one else, that Spamalot was inappropriate for the students and for a town where The Gays don’t exist.

And I’ll go back to what Dawn Burch said, because it’s true: by cancelling this play it sends a message to the students at the school that being gay is wrong, that same-sex marriage is wrong. This decision reinforces that sense of hatred, bigotry and intolerance on yet another generation.

It’s time that stopped.

via ThinkProgress

Architecture Wednesday: Des Grand Jardins

After a couple of weeks in the desert, I decided I needed to cool off a bit, and what better place than the Grands-Jardins home, located in Petite-Rivière-St- François, Quebec, close to the Massif ski station, on a mountainside overlooking the St. Lawrence River.

One of the major challenges of the project was to position the house to optimize the privacy and the views. The home is built parallel to the street and at a slight angle so as to look out over the south and the river and to make you feel, when on the inside, that you are in a ship’s cabin.

Since the house is located on a deep slope, passersby can only see the top level from the street, while on the river side, three above-ground levels reveal a façade interconnected by a play of angles and glass.

While the house is well anchored in the rock, the volume of white wood seems to lift from the ground with the lower level set atop a series of large cement pilings. A wooden walkway connects the home to the parking area and gives an even more aerial look to the structure, making the upper level seem to take flight with its galleries projecting into empty space. But the greatest space of all might be the immense overhanging living room that literally projects and opens onto the slopes of the Massif.

The home includes, on the lower level, an exercise room and office with large windows; a wine cellar blending into the staircase; a studio/workshop and access to the pool. The main entrance via the walkway features a spacious closet to store ski gear and other items, a multipurpose room with fireplace and the children’s bedrooms with bathroom. A staircase set in a tunnel of red cedar takes you up one level to a spacious, light-filled kitchen, dining room and living room, with windows on three sides. In addition to the terraces, this aerial level includes the master suite with bedroom, walk-in closet and private bath.

A house built to enjoy the outside from the inside, and the inside from the outside.

source

It's Time For Fundraising!

As many of you already know, having followed ISBL for a while now, Carlos and I recently helped to form The Will of the People Fund, a grass roots organization formed with a singular purpose in mind: to fight for marriage equality in South Carolina.

The catalyst for our group is the pending lawsuit by Katie Bradacs and her wife, Tracie Goodwin-Bradacs, against the State of South Carolina in Federal District Court. Their suit seeks an order requiring the state to recognize their legal marriage that was performed in Washington, DC in 2012.

Our mission is really simple: to raise funds for non-attorney costs in support of that suit and for any future marriage equality litigation in South Carolina; The Will of the People Fund hopes to provide assistance for ongoing costs such as filing fees, legal brief writings, clerical work, photocopying and binding, etc.

Again, no attorney fees will be paid from this fund as the attorneys in the current suit, Carrie Warner and John Nichols,are donating their time. 

Recently, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit struck down a similar state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in Virginia, which paves the way for South Carolina to allow marriage equality for its gay and lesbian citizens.

And this is where the money comes in ... please consider being a part of LGBT history by supporting The Will of the People Fund with a generous contribution. Since there is very little overhead, all of our work is being done by volunteers, 95% of what we raise will go towards those non-attorney costs in our ongoing fight for marriage equality in South Carolina.

If you wish to donate, please mail your tax-deductible donation check, made payable to The Will of the People Fund to:

The Will of the People Fund

P.O. Box 5006

Columbia, SC 29250

And help spread the word by liking us on Facebook [at The Will of the People Fund ... you can click our icon at the top right of this page] and sharing our story with others.

Carlos and I, as well as Katie and Tracie, and all other same-sex couples in South Carolina seeking equality, thank you.

Peter Tinsley Blames His Racism On being A Republican

With all that’s been happening in Ferguson, Missouri these last few weeks, you wonder what people are thinking about, in terms of race, and police authority and politics.

Will people learn from this … grow from this … move on from this?

Hard to say if they are anything like Poplar Bluff, Missouri Councilman Peter Tinsley who was called out during a city council meeting earlier this week for the racist photos of President Obama he posted on his Facebook page.

One was a photoshopped image of Obama on an Obamacare poster dressed as an African witch doctor; oh, the hilarity of it all! Another picture that Tinsley posted was of a car with a message in the back window:  

The L.A. Zoo has an African lion and the White House has a Lyin' African.

Oh, it’s too funny, because, you know, racism is fun, as long as it isn’t directed at your own race, right?

Now, these were not recently posted photos — they’d been up for a while — but after the events in Ferguson, many in the community felt that now was the time to speak up about Tinsley’s images and his sentiments.

The Reverend Tommy Robison brought up the subject:

“To come from the city council, a city government official, this is highly unthought of, even in Poplar Bluff Missouri. I'm highly upset over this, along with the residents of our ward." 

And, to be fair, Councilman Tinsley immediately apologized for the photos "from the bottom of my heart" and then said this, as if it makes everything all better:

"At one time, I was a very active Republican, very opposed to Obama."

Sweetheart, you can be a Republican and be opposed to Obama and speak out against Obamacare without resorting to racism. Or, didn’t they teach you that in GOP school?

It’s no surprise that Tinsley’s ridiculous apology, and even more ridiculous excuse pissed people off even more. Butler County Republican Chairman, Eddy Justice:

“It even got more intense when he proceeded to blame the Republican Party for him thinking like that. Republicans believe everyone should be judged on their qualifications, on their ability."

So, naturally, after a few days of people telling Councilman Tinsley what an idiot he is, and how stupid it is to blame his racism on his membership in a particular political party, he set about on Apology 2.0:

“I want people to know that I am very remorseful for it. It was inappropriate. I believe I got caught up in an emotional moment of sharing jokes. It seemed funny at the time but today it's very serious and it's not funny at all. Anything that I have said, that I referred to the activity because I was a Republican, that is not true. It's not an excuse."

And some folks accepted this apology because it sounded sincere. And maybe it is, but when are we, the constituents and those who represent us, going to realize that we can disagree with a particular party or particular politicians without resorting to racism?

I mean, until we realize that these jokes are not funny — if they ever were considered funny — how can we ever expect things like what happened in Ferguson to stop?

source

An Emmy Stream of Consciousness

Ah, the 66th Annual Emmy Awards … more pats on the back from the 1% to the 1% … I kid … kind of because I am an Awards Show Whore™ … 

Seth Meyers is our host and his opening bit was funny … jokes about holding the even on Mondays to avoid competition with the VMAs … Video Music Awards from a channel that no longer shows music videos … jokes about holding the event in August to avoid completion with football because … it maintains the actor’s tradition of running away from jocks … but the best of all was calling television the “booty call of entertainment” because, yeah, that’s what it is … it doesn’t care what you watch, when you watch, what you do while you watch … just watch … Seth introduces Beyoncé Amy Poehler to announces the BEST ONSCREEN ORGASM IN A CIVIL WAR REENACTMENT OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY … Ty Burrell … Modern Family … cute, slightly funny speech, but it seems to set the mood for an evening of the same old, same old … Zooey Deschanel presents with Alison Williams and has to fight to reach the microphone because of William’s hoop-skirted mess OUTSTANDING WRITING IN A COMEDY SERIES … Louie CK for Louie CK accepted by Louie CK … OK … I like Louie but is he the funniest writer on TV every year?

Jimmy Kimmel presents OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY and riffs on why Matthew McConaughey is there … All right all right all right already! … the award goes to Allison Janney … Mom … watched it twice … never more … I don’t find it terribly funny … OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTOR AND ACTRESS IN A COMEDY … Jimmy Fallon for SNL and Uzo Aduba for Orange is the New Black … Uzo helps Hayden Panitierre present OUTSTANDING DIRECTING IN A COMEDY SERIES … Gail Mancuso … Modern Family … same old … she stared at McConaughey so as not to cry … I would’a glued my eyes to Jon Hamm … or even Julianna Margulies’ husband … Matt Bomer … even Ricky Gervais would have been better than McConaughey who looks like a cartoon version of Matthew McConaughey … the Billy Eichner Billy On The Street bit could’a been cut … parts were funny but … why? … Bryan Cranston and Julia Louis-Dreyfus present ...  

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES … but first she says to Cranston … “Hold on Clark Gable” … and mentions how he looks like the dentist from a Seinfeld episode … he was the dentist and he reminds her that he kissed her … she shrugs it off… the award goes to … same old … Jim Parsons The Big Bang Theory ... meh … it's a funny show and he's funny in it ... but, again, every year? ... I think not ... Jimmy Fallon presents

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES … Julia Louis-Dreyfus Veep … Cranston leaps from his seat and plants a looooong wet one on her … now she remembers him from Seinfeld … John Mulaney presents with Mindy Kalling … he’s adorkable … OUTSTANDING REALITY SERIES … The Amazing  Race … again! … In a weird move, just before a commercial break, an announcer begins speaking about Julia Roberts being nominated for an Emmy for The Normal Heart  and how she’s there in the audience … it’s like they’re setting you up for her win … Seth returns and takes questions from the audience … Melissa McCarthy is the most high-larious woman … and the Emmy Bathroom Key joke was funny though ending with Fred Armisen was not … OUTSTANDING MINISERIES/MOVIE/DRAMA SPECIAL … Sherlock: His Last Vow … not The Normal Heart? … 

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS MINISERIES/MOVIE/DRAMA SPECIAL … even after the Julia Roberts plug the award goes to Kathy Bates American Horror Story: Coven … loved her but still kind of a shock even to Bates … Stephen Colbert comes out with his invisible friend … yes, it was as funny as it sounds … sarcasm font … OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR MINISERIES/MOVIE/DRAMA SPECIAL … Matt Bomer … Matt Bomer … Matt Bomer … WTF? Martin Freeman for Sherlock … my Husband-In-My-Head was robbed … OUTSTANDING DIRECTING MINISERIES/MOVIE/DRAMA SPECIAL … Colin Bucksey Fargo … not Ryan Murphy The Normal Heart … this isn’t good … I saw Fargo and it was a pale, paler than ice and snow version of the original … Seth and Beyoncé Amy Poehler return to introduce Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson … I thought they would do a take on their “Oh Really” SNL segment … it was a bunch … too many … lame jokes about pot and sex and boners … yeah, I know … McConaughey and Harrelson ... OUTSTANDING ACTOR MINISERIES/MOVIE/DRAMA SPECIAL … Benedict Cumberbatch … Sherlock … I like him in that but, seriously, not Mark Ruffalo? … Live Schreiber and Kerry Washington … damn he’s hot … and manly … hot manly … 

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS MINISERIES/MOVIE/DRAMA SPECIAL … Jessica Lange … American Horror Story: Coven … it’s about time … she’s brilliant in that show … every year … no matter what she plays … I.Love.Her. … Live helps her to the stage … hot manly … chivalrous … yum … Weird Al sings a montage of theme songs from today's television shows … it's a colossal waste of time … colossal … we could'a shaved off another five minutes and I could'a been in bed by 11PM ... OUTSTANDING MINISERIES … Fargo …I am not amused ... it's good …  not great ... 

OUTSTANDING TV MOVIE … The Normal Heart … Larry Kramer comes up onstage … hero … icon … rebel ... bravo … Ricky Gervais presents OUTSTANDING WRITING IN A VARIETY SPECIAL … first he riffs on losing to Jim Parsons … high-larious … did Parsons win because he’s “local” … it could have sounded crass, but it was totally Gervais and totally funny … Sarah Silverman wins for Sarah Silverman: We Are Miracles …or are we molecules hurtling through space? … Key and Peele … Key is hot … do a riff on the boring accountant introductions because … boring accountant introductions … Chris Hardwick … comedian … kinda cute … riffs on Internet trolls and there their they’re their problem with grammar … OUTSTANDING VARIETY SPECIAL … the 67TH Annual Tony Awards … an Emmy for Tony … m’kay … Gwen Stefani … looking better tonight than she did at the VMAs and Adam Levine … OUTSTANDING VARIETY/MUSIC/COMEDY SERIES … The Colbert Report … Gwen call it The Coal Bore … lovely … Fallon jumps onstage thinking he won because Stefani mispronounced it … not funny Jimmy … you aren’t the host … stay seated please … Sofia Vergara introduces the President of Television… or something … and it turns into glorifying Sofia Vergara because of her tits’n’ass … haven’t we grown beyond this? … but she shares some of the blame for letting them do that to her … seriously stupid … OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR DRAMA … Aaron Paul … Breaking Bad … he seemed kinda jittery, y’know … In Memoriam … Sara Bareilles sings mile” … breathtaking … Billy Crystal comes out to speak of Robin Williams … beautiful … “Robin Williams. What a concept.” … 

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR DRAMA … Cary Joji Fukunaga … True Detective … he’d be hot if he lost the braids … but that’s just me … OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS DRAMA … Anna Gunn … Breaking Bad … Katherine Heigl … so out of place at an acting awards show … OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTOR AND ACTRESS DRAMA … Joe Morton … Scandal … Alison  Janney … Masters of Sex … Morton presents OUTSTANDING WRITING DRAMA … Moira Walley-Beclkett … Breaking Bad … Viola Davis … love her … 

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS DRAMA … Julianna Margulies … The Good Wife … the best thing about seeing her win ... again ... is getting g to see her very adorable husband Keith Lieberthal … again ... yum … OUTSTANDING ACTOR DRAMA … Bryan Cranston … Breaking Bad … not a surprise at all … it seemed to have been in all the papers before the show ever aired ... still, a great speech about growing up as Sneaky Pete and learning to follow your dreams ... 

OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES … Modern Family … also not a surprise, though now it ties Frasier for most best Comedy Emmy wins in a row … still, Steve Levitan always gives great speech … and he’s cute, too … talks about taking his daughter to work one day and how nothing really got done … at home she thanks him for taking her then says to her mom, "It's a wonder we have a roof over our heads” … I like MF but I wish some of these shows would retire themselves from the nominations because some Emmy voters ... like Republicans ... always vote the same way every year ... 

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES … Breaking Bad … another non-surprise … sure, some people were sure it would be True Detective but again ... same voters ... same votes ... at least next year it won't even be nominated so maybe someone new can take home a statue?

MY TAKE … it finished right at 3 hours which has got to be some kind of record … no big surprises though … some upsets  ... Matt Bomer was brilliant in The Normal Heart … love that Jessica Lange won … it was a funny show … but Seth Meyers was outshone by both Jimmy Kimmel and Ricky Gervais … I know they could go off and riff on people because they weren't hosting but they really brought the funny ... perhaps next year … ?