Emmys 2017: 5 throwback moments from television's biggest nights

The Emmy awards are for television what the Academy Awards are for the movie industry. Both reward excellence in creative fields across sounds, lighting, casting, acting and both have given us some of the most memorable moments that make for great conversations with our television and movie buffs of friends and family.

With the 69th Primetime Emmy awards not too far away, let’s take a trip down memory lane to look at some of the most deeply emotional, hilarious, cringe-worthy or just plain scandalous moments through the years that have been etched in our memories for eternity!

1. The Jimmy Kimmel and Matt Damon face-off

Jimmy Kimmel and Matt Damon took their longstanding feud to the Emmy stage last year. After John Oliver took home the award, Damon sauntered on stage to roast Kimmel. The Bourne Ultimatum star heckled him for the loss, until Kimmel exasperatedly asked him, "Are you finished?" Damon hugged him and walked offstage with some cheeky parting words, "Oh hey Jimmy, tell your mom I like them apples."

For those of you who are gaping at the insensitivity of these barbs, this is a completely non-serious feud that started as a gag on the show and continues to amuse audiences till date.

Jimmy Kimmel Live has been nominated in the Outstanding Variety Talk Series this year.

2. All 6 ‘Outstanding Lead Actresses in a Comedy’ nominees take to the Emmys stage pageant-style

When Modern Family star Sofia Vergara and Rob Lowe set about announcing the nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy, they were pleasantly surprised when each of their nominees trooped up on stage, but continued announcing the nominees in good stead.

While the nominees held hands on stage to hear who would take home the award, the audience got up in a rousing storm of applause. But as Rob Lowe put it so eloquently, ‘I just wanna say girls, everybody’s a winner’.

The glittery line of female comedy stars essayed a first-of-its-kind comic bit on the Emmys, orchestrated by Amy Poehler.

3. Emmy Queen Julia Louis-Dreyfus breaking the records

Emmy queen Julia Louis-Dreyfus has won 8 Emmys for Leading Actress in a Comedy series, winning in this category every year for Veep, giving her five consecutive wins in a row. Is it any wonder that she has been nominated again this year, in the Leading Actress in a Comedy series category?

But she is a pro at keeping it real, with every riveting win livened up by her seamless comedy timing. Right from Tony Hale pretending to prompt her during her acceptance speech in a gag from the show to sharing a passionate kiss with Bryan Cranston on the way to collect her trophy and personally apologizing for the current political climate in her impassioned acceptance speech, Julia sure knows how to make every win indelible.

With the audience in splits even through her acceptance speeches, it is no wonder that she is snagging awards like hot pies.

4. Sterling K Brown’s ‘surreal’ Emmy win and shout out to St. Louis!

With big names such as Jesse Plemmons, Bookem Woodbine, Hugh Laurie, David Schwimmer, and Jon Travolta in the running, when a first time Emmy nominee - Sterling K Brown took home the Emmys, for his performance as Christopher Darden on The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, he received a standing ovation when he
went up to collect his award.

In his earnest acceptance speech, Brown thanked his parents. "Mama, I can hear you. I love you! Sterling Brown Jr., I changed what people called me at age 16 so I could hear your name every day of my life. I love you, daddy," he said tearfully.

Brown, who's been acting in film and TV since 2002 but hasn't been in the spotlight before The People v. O.J. Simpson, also thanked the Television Academy, for probably not knowing who he was, but "checking the box anyway." With a career spanning two decades, he understands the ephemerality of show-business.

Funnily enough, he had auditioned for Fargo and was morbidly looking through IMDb to discover that fellow- nominee Bookem Woodbine had got the job. Talking about the moment, he says, “I literally felt like I was going to faint. The feeling of walking up on the stage and seeing the people standing up— talk about being overwhelmed with love.”

The St. Louis boy has been nominated again this year in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama series category for his role as Randall Pearson in the family drama, This Is Us’ and is a definite favourite to win!

5. George R. R. Martin ambushed with a half-ton typewriter during Weird Al’s Emmys number

Can any list really be finished without mentioning the epic saga and its eccentric creator? Weird Al Yankovic took the stage to perform a montage of revamped theme songs from the most popular shows of that time.

With Andy Samberg parading around dressed as King Joffrey, Weird Al sang in perfect tune, “If you miss a big scene, you can watch it back …watch it over, watch it over…hope you paid attention to the map…you can pause that, you can pause that.”, also imploring the author to type faster to catch up with the TV show, which has sped way ahead of the books.

Samberg then left the stage to present the author George RR Martin with a medieval typewriter and proceeded to drink poisoned wine onstage in an enactment of the famed Purple Wedding. The gag was an allusion to the fact that George RR Martin writes the mammoth series on an outdated DOS machine.

Game of Thrones has broken all the records to become the most honoured TV show with 612 nominations and 212 awards. They missed the eligibility criterion for the upcoming awards.

With Stephen Colbert, nominated in the Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special category for The Late Show, all set to host the 69th primetime Emmy awards this September. 

The 69th Primetime Emmy Award ceremony will be simulcast live on Star World, Star World HD and Star World Premiere HD at 5 AM on 18th September with a prime time repeat at 8 PM.