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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 25, 2019)
September 25, 2019 The Skanner Portland & Seattle Page 5 Arts & Entertainment By Lynn Elber AP Television Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Game of Thrones” res- urrected the Iron Throne at Sunday’s Emmy cere- mony, ruling as top dra- ma on a night of surpris- es in which “Pose” star Billy Porter made histo- ry and the comedy series “Fleabag” led a British invasion that overturned expectations. “This all started in the demented mind of George R.R. Martin,” said “Game of Thrones” producer David Benioff, thanking the author whose novels were the basis of HBO’s fantasy saga. Porter, who stars in the FX drama set in the LGBTQ ball scene of the late 20th century, be- came the first openly gay man to win a best drama series acting Emmy . “God bless you all. The category is love, you all, love. I’m so overjoyed and so overwhelmed to have lived to see this day,” said an exuberant Porter, resplendent in a spar- kling suit and swooping hat. Amazon’s “Fleabag,” a dark comedy about a dys- functional woman, was honored as best comedy and earned writing and top acting honors for its British creator and star, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, as well as a best director trophy. “This is getting ridicu- lous,” Waller-Bridge said in her third trip to the stage to collect the top trophy. Her acting win blocked “Veep” star Julia Lou- is-Dreyfus from setting a record as the most-hon- ored performer in Emmy history. “Fleabag’s” showing denied a fond farewell for its final sea- son. “Nooooo!” a shocked-looking Waller- Bridge said as Lou- is-Dreyfus smiled for the cameras. “Oh, my God, no. Thank you. I find act- ing really hard and really painful. But it’s all about this,” she said, her acting trophy firmly in hand. In accepting the writ- ing award earlier, she called the Emmy recog- nition proof that “a dirty, pervy, messed-up wom- an can make it to the Em- mys.” Porter, a Tony and Grammy Award winning performer, relished his groundbreaking mo- ment. Quoting the late writer James Baldwin, he said it took him many years to believe he has the right to exist. “I have the right, you have the right, we all have the right,” he said. English actress Jodie Comer was honored as best drama actress for “Killing Eve.” She com- peted with co-star San- dra Oh, who received a Golden Globe for her role and would have been the first actress of Asian descent to win an Emmy in the category. “My mum and dad are in Liverpool (England) and I didn’t invite them because I didn’t think this was going to be my time. One, I’m sorry, two I love you,” Comer said after saluting Oh. Bill Hader won his sec- ond consecutive best comedy actor award for the hit man comedy “Bar- ry.” Peter Dinklage, named best supporting actor for “Game of Thrones,” set a record for most wins for the same role, four, breaking a tie with PHOTO BY CHRIS PIZZELLO/INVISION/AP) ‘Thrones,’ ‘Fleabag’ Top Emmys, Billy Porter Makes History Billy Porter accepts the award for outstanding lead actor in a drama series for “Pose” at the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards Sept. 22 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Aaron Paul of “Breaking Bad.” “I count myself so for- tunate to be a member of a community that is about nothing but toler- ance and diversity, be- cause in no other place I could be standing on a stage like this,” said Din- klage, who is a dwarf. “Ozark” star Julia Gar- ner won the best sup- porting drama actress trophy against a field including four actresses from “Game of Thrones.” The auditorium erupt- ed in cheers when Jharrel Jerome of “When They See Us,” about the Cen- tral Park Five case , won the best actor award for a limited series movie. “Most important, this is for the men that we know as the Exonerated Five,” said Jerome, naming the five wrongly convicted men who were in the au- dience. They stood and saluted the actor as the crowd applauded them. It was the only honor for the acclaimed Netflix series of the evening; “Chernobyl” won the best limited series honor. The ceremony was brisk but, without a host, was overly reliant on the hit-and-miss jokes of pre- senters. It was ultimately the surprising wins such as Comer’s and the mean- ingful selections of Por- ter and Jerome that made the show. HBO retained its dura- See EMMYS on page 7