My recap of the Creative Arts Emmys: Tina Fey wins for Palin spoof, Kathy Griffin hosts but loses twice

We had been backstage at the Nokia Theatre for nearly four hours watching the Creative Arts Emmys and chatting up some of the winners. All I needed to top off a very long day-  it also included two hours on the red carpet – was for Tina Fey to come backstage to talk about her Emmy win for outstanding guest actress in a comedy.

She never showed.

Oh well, can’t hold a grudge because her brilliant performance as former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live gave me so many laughs that Tina gets a free pass.

I do have some of Tina’s acceptance speech to share with you:

“I want to thank the cast and the crew of Saturday Night Live for letting me come home again,” she said. “I want to thank my mom and dad … wbo are lifelong Republicans for their patience. They thought the first four sketches were very funny and the last two were, in their words, ‘Enough already.’”

“And, of course, this would not be possible without Mrs. Palin herself,” Tina added. “Mrs. Palin is an inspiration to working mothers everywhere because she bailed on her job right before Fourth of July weekend. You are living my dream!”

Kathy Griffin hosted the event which she affectionately calls “The Schmemmys” because they are held a week before the Primetime Emmys and are not televised live. In fact, an edited version of the ceremony will air this Friday on E! at 1 p.m.

Kathy has basically put this ceremony on the map since she made news each year she has been nominated for My Life on the D-List. She made a funny scene when she lost the first year then when she won the next year, famously said: “Suck it Jesus! This award is my God now.” Kathy repeated the win last year but a three-peat was not to be as Intervention won in the reality show category. She was also up for outstanding variety, comedy or musical special for Kathy Griffin: She’ll Cut a Bitch but lost to Kennedy Center Honors.
But we got so see Kathy in her capacity as host. She did some funny filmed bits for the show and had a few funny lines at the beginning such was: “I know it’s an honor to be nominated but cut the shit, you all want to win.” Then there was this later on: “Sorry I’m late, I was just screwing Jon Gosselin backstage.And ladies, there’s plugs down there too!”

Among the famous faces who were nominated for one of the four guest acting categories and who showed up were Jon Hamm, Ernest Borgnine (He’s 92!), Elaine Stritch, Ted Danson, Betty White, Jimmy Smits, Carol Burnett, Brenda Blethyn, CCH Pounder, Sharon Lawrence, and Ed Asner.

But two of the four winners were not present: Michael J. Fox won guest actor in a drama series and Justin Timberlake won guest actor in a comedy for Saturday Night Live.

But guest actress in a drama series winner Ellen Burstyn was present and was genuinely thrilled to have won for her stint on Law & Order SVU. She has an Oscar and a Tony but had never won an Emmy despite four previous nominatioms.

“I loved doing the show,” she said. “You know, sometimes when you do television you get the feeling that you’re shooting the schedule instead of the story. That wasn’t true in this case. The fact that SVU has three actresses nominated in this category tells you what a fine show it is. I loved doing it, the people on it were wonderful.”

Another highlight was when the great Elaine Stritch took to the stage to present the Governors Award to Sheila Nevins, president of HBO Documentary Films. It was Nevins who encouraged Stritch to allow her one-woman show, Elaine Stritch at Liberty, to be made into a splendid Emmy-winning special.

“I’m very happy to be here, I am. Tonight, I am. I’m wearing these white gloves in case I say any four-letter words introducing Sheila – to compensate. Rumor has it that Sheila is receiving the Governors Award … but I don’t know what the hell the Governors Award is. … I don’t know if there’s as lot of governors, I don’t know if there’s just one governor … I don’t know what it’s all about and I did not take time to find out too much in detail because I’ve been thinking about [competing] against Tina Fey all week!”

“heila I know chose me to give her this hotshot award because, I can on occasion be funny and therefore it would balance all the seriousness of the Governors Award. Every time you say it there’s a moment of silence. But I’ve got to be serious for a minute. … When I did a show called Elaine Stritch at Liberty and Sheila Nevins came in the stage door and yanked me out of the theater and put me on HBO, it gave me the opportunity to do my show [on] television worldwide [for] however many millions of people watch television as opposed to the Neil Simon Theater … My God, what a compliment.”

“When  I got into Sheila Nevins I found out the body of her work, it’s just astounding. … She sits up there in an office at HBO, this sensitive woman to all walks of life, and tells us what it’s all about through her brilliant documentaries in which I have yet to see a lie – ever. She just is quiet about it, but she tells the truth and nowadays, that ain’t easy.”

What a tribute! Then Miss Stritch sang a short tribute and invited Miss Nevins to the stage. It was one of the parts of the show that had a lot of heart and no one dared try and play these women off the stage with hurry-up music.

Among the other winners Saturday night were: South Park (Outstanding Animated Program less than one hour), Dan Castellaneta as Homer Simpson (Outstanding Voiceover Performance), Wizards of Waverly Place (Outstanding Children’s Program), Tyce DiOrio of So You Think You Can Dance (Outstanding Choreography), Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony (Outstanding Special Class Program), and Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog (Outstanding Special Class – Short-Format Live-Action).

Coming Sunday: Backstage with the winners!