Can you believe it’s been 10 years since Jimmy Fallon hosted the Emmy Awards? Four years before he’d go on to inherit “The Tonight Show” from Jay Leno, this ex-“Saturday Night Live” actor had been sitting at the “Late Night” desk for a little over a year when NBC tapped him to host TV’s biggest night on August 29, 2010. Fallon’s Emmy opening number is one of the best in recent memory, as he gathered several A-listers for an infectious and cheer-inducing performance of Bruce Springsteen‘s “Born to Run.” Watch the Emmys flashback video below from the 62nd ceremony.
Wearing a simple white T-shirt and blue jeans, Fallon intercepted four of the hottest stars in entertainment (at the time) outside the Nokia Theatre: “Glee” actors Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Chris Colfer and Amber Riley. The kids were seemingly inhabiting their comedy-musical counterparts, as they lamented not being able to afford the $300 tickets to let them into the Emmys. Fallon then took it upon himself to help them win a regional glee club championship, for which the top prize was a cool $1205.
The group set about trying to add more members to their haphazard glee club, coming across several personalities from the 2009-10 TV season: Tina Fey (“30 Rock”), Kate Gosselin (“Dancing with the Stars”), Jon Hamm (“Mad Men”), Betty White (“Hot in Cleveland”), Jane Lynch (“Glee”), Jorge Garcia (“Lost”), Nina Dobrev (“The Vampire Diaries”), Joel McHale (“Community”), Tim Gunn (“Project Runway”) and Randy Jackson (“American Idol”). Word is still out on whether Fallon’s glee club won the $1205 prize.
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The 2010 Emmys are also remembered for an exciting race between two freshman comedy series: “Glee” and “Modern Family.” The former was the hip water-cooler show of the moment, while the latter was a more traditionally Emmy-friendly series about an extended family. When the night’s final envelope was opened, “Modern Family” was named the winner, setting the stage for an unprecedented run of five wins in a row, tying it with the record “Frasier” set more than a decade earlier. Even though ABC’s family program took home the big prize, plus Eric Stonestreet (supporting actor) and Steven Levitan & Christopher Lloyd (comedy writing), Fox’s musical still won trophies for Lynch (supporting actress) and Ryan Murphy (comedy directing). Lead actor and actress went to Jim Parsons (“The Big Bang Theory”) and Edie Falco (“Nurse Jackie”).
Over on the drama side, “Mad Men” took home its third consecutive Emmy for series (of four total). The year’s lead prizes were awarded to Bryan Cranston (“Breaking Bad”) and Kyra Sedgwick (“The Closer”), with Aaron Paul (“Breaking Bad”) and Archie Panjabi (“The Good Wife”) claiming the supporting trophies. “Temple Grandin” won Best TV Movie and acting statues for Claire Danes (lead actress), David Strathairn (supporting actor) and Julia Ormond (supporting actress); Al Pacino won lead actor for “You Don’t Know Jack.” Meanwhile, “The Pacific” won Best Miniseries, beating out “Return to Cranford” — that’s right, there were only two nominees that year. Remember, this was the era before Murphy and FX reinvented the dying category, which is now known as Best Limited Series.
Be sure to make your Emmy nominations predictions today so that Hollywood insiders can see how their shows and performers are faring in our odds. You can keep changing your predictions as often as you like until just before the nominees are announced on July 28. And join in the thrilling debate over the 2020 Emmy Awards taking place right now with Hollywood insiders in our TV forums. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.
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