Cable's able to pull off drama sweep at 60th Emmys

The prime-time Emmys looked back on history in the 60th annual awards ceremony in Los Angeles Sunday night, but the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences acknowledged the undeniable present in allowing cable series to sweep the major drama categories.

AMC's "Mad Men" became the first basic-cable series to win as outstanding drama. Jon Hamm of "Mad Men" didn't win as best actor, but Bryan Cranston of AMC's "Breaking Bad" did.

Glenn Close of FX's "Damages" was named outstanding lead actress, and her co-star Zeljko Ivanek won as supporting actor. Dianne Wiest of HBO's "In Treatment" completed the sweep as supporting actress.

HBO's "Recount" also won as outstanding TV movie, and the premium-cable channel's "John Adams" won as outstanding miniseries, earning Emmys for leads Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney as well.

The major broadcast networks fared better with comedies. NBC's "30 Rock" repeated as outstanding comedy and earned wins as lead actress and writer for star Tina Fey. Co-star Alec Baldwin won as lead comic actor.

Academy favorite Jean Smart won as supporting actress for ABC's "Samantha Who?" Only Chicago's Jeremy Piven of HBO's "Entourage" broke through to repeat as supporting actor and prevent a broadcast sweep in the top comedy categories.

The three-hour ceremony ran on time on ABC's WLS Channel 7 but didn't really succeed in its attempts to recapture TV history. The gambit of allowing the five nominees for best reality-TV host to serve as co-hosts of the ceremony went flat after their opening bit flopped. But there were other high and low points.

Best couple: Kathy Griffin and Don Rickles presented the Emmy for outstanding reality competition.

Longest winning streak: "The Amazing Race" won its sixth straight Emmy as outstanding reality competition.

Best homage: After "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" was revived to present the Emmy for best variety show, winner Jon Stewart of "The Daily Show" said, "Verrrry interesting."

Best Hollywood lefty moment: Tom Smothers got an overdue Emmy for writing for "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" and thanked "all the writers who got me fired."

Second-best Hollywood lefty moment: Linney thanked "the community organizers who helped form our country" in winning best actress in a miniseries or movie for "John Adams."

Best red-carpet moment: David Boreanaz of "Bones" showed off his horizontal-striped socks on cable E!'s "stiletto cam."

Most honest moment of the night: Molly Shannon called the red carpet "a celebrity cattle drive."

Second-most honest moment: During a lame opening with the five reality-TV hosts that made a viewer pine for an overblown production number, Howie Mandel said, "The government can't even bail us out of this."

Lamest production number: Suicide might be painless, but Josh Groban's medley of TV theme songs was not.

Biggest host: Heidi Klum of "Project Runway" towered over her four other reality-TV co-hosts.

Now that's TV history: In winning as outstanding comic actor, Baldwin called "30 Rock" writer-creator Fey "the Elaine May of her generation."

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