Opening number makes award show worth watching

For those working in television, the Primetime Emmy Awards is one of the most important nights of the year.

For an entertainment lover and dabbler in TV blogging like myself, the Emmys rank right up there with the Academy Awards because I can't decide if I love movies or TV more.

I can get so invested in TV shows that I sit nervously throughout the telecast like I actually know the actors.

The only part I hate about award shows is the red carpet because even though it should be about creative talent and performance, it just ends up being a glorified fashion show.

When I heard that Jimmy Fallon was going to be the host, I was ecstatic because I have been in love with Fallon since his Weekend Update days on "Saturday Night Live."

First-timer Fallon did not disappoint.  

Known for doing musical homages, the opening sketch paired Fallon with Chris Colfer, Lea Michele, Corey Monteith and Amber Riley of  "Glee" when they discover they are unable to get into the Emmys.

Hilarity ensues as they seek to form a glee group to win another regional competition and gain access to the awards show.

The eventual group, which also included Tina Fey, Jorge Garcia, Kate Gosselin, Jon Hamm, Randy Jackson, Jane Lynch and Joel McHale ended up on stage performing a glee-type rendition of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run."

All I can say is that the opening number, which also featured a cameo of the legendary Betty White as Jon Hamm's dance instructor, was nothing short of epic, and I highly recommend that anyone who did not see it should look for it online.

I was convinced Matthew Morrison was the front-runner to win best actor in a comedy/musical for his role as Spanish teacher and glee club leader Will Schuester. The momentum of "Glee" didn't seem to help as the award went to Jim Parsons of "The Big Bang Theory."

Despite my love of all things "Saturday Night Live," I am not a big fan of  "30 Rock" or "Parks and Recreation." I was pulling for "Glee" star Lea Michele or Julia Louis-Dreyfus of "The Old Adventures of New Christine" to nab the Emmy for best actress in a comedy/musical. Instead, the award went to Edie

Falco for her role in "Nurse Jackie." For some reason I had it in my head that this was a drama, but since it is classified as a comedy, I might have to check it out.

Although ABC's "Modern Family" had two nominees, Julie Bowen and Sofia Vergara, in the best supporting actress for a comedy/musical category, the award went to Jane Lynch for her role as "Glee's" resident bully and cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester.

This award was not a surprise. Lynch's character is essential to "Glee" and I don't think the show would be the same without the character's brazen, win-at-all-costs attitude.

"Modern Family" was also present in the best supporting actor in a comedy/musical with three of the category's nominees being from the show. The show is hilarious, so I figured it would be a toss up between Eric Stonestreet, Ty Burrell, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Stonestreet nabbed the Emmy for his portrayal of Cameron Tucker, one half of the show's gay couple who recently adopted a Vietnamese daughter.

I don't watch too many dramas, so I really had no opinion in any of the acting categories. As for the best series categories, I really wanted "True Blood" (my biggest obsession at the moment) or "Dexter" to win for best drama, but the strongly written "Mad Men" showed that it's momentum cannot be stopped when they won their third consecutive Emmy in the category.

"Modern Family" proved that the witty and honest mocumentary/sitcom is becoming a major player in the television world when it nabbed the Emmy for best comedy series.

The Primetime Emmys have succeeded in the last few years in producing an entertaining and hilarious telecast.

Whether it was Fallon's ingenious imitations and guitar playing to introduce genres, or George Clooney, who was awarded the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award, appearing in a sketch with the cast of "Modern Family," the 2010 Primetime Emmys were definitely worth the three hours it took for it to air.