LOS ANGELES — Mad Men and 30 Rock led a pack of Emmy winners who successfully defended their titles at Sunday's show, but the snappy ceremony and a star turn by host Neil Patrick Harris made the evening far from a rerun.
AMC's glossy 1960s Madison Avenue saga Mad Men, which last year became the first basic cable show to win a top series award, won the best drama trophy for a second time.
"It is an amazing time to work in TV," said Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner. "And I know that everything is changing, but I'm not afraid of it because I feel like all these different media is just more choice and more entertainment. It's better for the viewers in the end, and I'm glad to be a part of it."
NBC's 30 Rock, a satirical take on life inside a TV variety show, was honored for the third time as best comedy series, while star Alec Baldwin won his second award as best comedy actor.
"We want to thank our friends at NBC for keeping us on the air ... even though we are so much more expensive than a talk show," said the show's creator and star Tina Fey, referring to Jay Leno's new daily prime-time comedy show, which NBC likes to note is cheaper to produce than a scripted series.
Glenn Close's performance as a ruthless trial attorney on Damages and Bryan Cranston's turn as a methamphetamine making, cancer-stricken teacher on Breaking Bad were honored with the top drama series acting Emmys, the second consecutive trophies for both.
Close called it a "huge privilege" to be part of entertainment community, then tweaked her show's writers.
Her role is "maybe the character of my lifetime, depending on what they do this season," Close said.
Michael Emerson, who plays the cruelly devious Ben on Lost, and Cherry Jones, the stalwart U.S. president on 24, were honored as best supporting actors in drama series.
"Wowza," Jones said. Emerson accepted his award forwhat he called "the role of my lifetime."
Toni Collette of Showtime's United States of Tara was honored as best lead actress in a comedy series for her role as a mother with multiple personalities.
Collette's victory deprived Fey of 30 Rock of winning a second consecutive award in the category. But Fey took the stage a few moments later to acknowledge a guest actor award she received for her Sarah Palin impersonation on Saturday Night Live.
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart won the trophy for best variety, music or comedy series, its seventh in a row.
Harris, a nominee as well as host, lost for his role on How I Met Your Mother but won on-stage accolades for his emcee work, including a heartfelt compliment from Jon Stewart.
Harris, who moved the show along with good-natured humor, started the evening on a lively note, performing "Don't Touch That Remote," a custom-made tune from Broadway composers Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman of Hairspray fame.
"I see legends galore, Lange, Barrymore," Harris sang to Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore, later adding, "But like next season on [American] Idol I'm not seeing Paula Abdul." Meanwhile, the camera panned to an empty seat at the Nokia Theatre.
Front Section, Pages 2 on 09/21/2009