Ryan Seacrest was surprisingly charming as the host of the 59^th Annual Emmy Awards and overall the show was one of the most enjoyable in the last several years.

The new format, presented ‘in the round,’ with breaks of comedic interjections from well-known comics and sassy musical numbers breathed some life into an awards show that had gotten stale after 59 years of hits, misses and questionable hosts.

Winners in the Big Categories:
Lead Actor Comedy: Ricky Gervais, Extras
Lead Actress Drama: Sally Field, Brothers and Sisters
Lead Actress Comedy: America Ferrera, Ugly Betty
Lead Actor Drama: James Spader, Boston Legal
Comedy Series: 30 Rock
Drama Series: The Sopranos

Among the surprise winners were Terry O’Quinn as Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Lost, Katherine Heigl for Best Supporting Actress for a Drama Series for Grey’s Anatomy and Jaime Pressly for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for My Name is Earl.

Another surprise was the shut out of The Sopranos in all the acting categories.

Cute Moments:
Katherine Heigl correcting the announcer for mispronouncing her name while she was presenting and again during her acceptance speech by saying: “My mother told me I didn’t have a shot in hell at winning this award.”

The montage that played to introduce the writers nominated in the Best Writing in a Comedy or Musical Variety Show.

The Jersey Boys giving musical salute to The Sopranos.

Comedian Lewis Black telling off television executives in an impassioned two-minute speech about the state of TV, missing credits and how idiotic the crawl is on cable news programs. Kudos!

Elaine Stritch: As per usual, simply fabulous.

The Office’s Rainn Wilson and Kanye West in a musical competition on The Songs of Kanye West to see who gets to present an Emmy. Wayne Brady chided West for pronouncing the last word of the song as You instead of Ya:

“You picked a bad time to speak properly.”

The winner: Wilson

Missable Moments:
A far too casually dressed Thomas Haden Church giving an overblown, pompous acceptance speech proving he’s an egomaniacal windbag.

Tony Bennett and a very pregnant Christina Aguilera singing “Stepping out with My Baby” – Yawn.

Teri Hatcher! Teri Hatcher! Teri Hatcher! Is her fifteen minutes up yet? She looks like a dancing skeleton from whatever movie had those dancing skeletons. Eat a muffin already.

The Emmy for Best Reality Competition show. WHO CARES! (If you do: The Amazing Race won)

Sally Field’s acceptance speech. It was right up there with “you like me, you really like me” – I think she’s taking too many of those osteoporosis pills.

-Linda Przygodski