THE 2014 EMMY AWARDS: THE BESTS OF THE BEST FROM TV’S BIGGEST BASH

It was the start of the work week. We’d just spent the day filling and refilling up on coffee to recover from the hangover that was the VMAs (had you ever seen that much ass cheek in one place before that night?) when lo and behold the DVR flicked onto the second awards show in two days. Wait, what? The Emmys are on? On a Monday??? (Just kidding. We’ve known for weeks that they were going down. We just like to be dramatic!) That’s right. The 66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards took place last night on a Monday evening for the first time in decades, and we were more than happy for the weeknight distraction. Here’s our take on the bests of the best from TV’s biggest bash…

Best Hair: Cary Joji Fukunaga

Woody Harrelson Presenting Award to Cary

Around 7:45PM last night, Cary Joji Fukunaga and his man-braids swept the internet off its feet. The 37-year-old Emmy winner had all of social media in a collective gasp as soon as he got up from his seat to accept his trophy for True Detective. “Who is THAT?!” we all exclaimed before Googling “cary joji fukunaga” and then “cary joji fukunaga girlfriend” immediately after. The bespectacled beauty’s Dutch braid pigtails made waves (pun totally intended) a la Jared Leto’s weird-bun-turned-ombre-masterpiece, and this morning we’re still talking about him and his ‘do. So what did we find out? He is half-Japanese and half-Swedish, he was romantically linked to Michelle Williams, and he can seriously snowboard. Oh, yeah, and the man’s an award-winning director. As if that head of hairwasn’t enough.

Best Going-Away Present: Breaking Bad

The critically acclaimed AMC series wrapped up its final season this past September, and Emmy voters definitely showed their appreciation. Breaking Bad nearly swept the acting awards (with Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, and Anna Gunn winning Best Actor, Supporting Actor, and Supporting Actress in a Drama, respectively) and beat out Downton Abbey, Game Of Thrones, House Of Cards, Mad Men, and True Detective to pick up the coveted prize of Outstanding Drama Series.

Best Introduction: Seth Meyers and Amy Poehler

Amy Poehler may not have been hosting last night, but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t join actual host Seth Meyers for a Weekend Update co-anchor reunion. And the best part of their bit together had to have been the beginning, his intro for her as she sat in the audience. With a straight face, of course, “Our first presenter asked to write her own introduction, so please welcome my beautiful and amazing and talented friend, Beyonce…” And Amy, who already had her eye on Camera Two, did her best sexy saunter to the stage.

Best John Travolta Impression: Gwen Stefani

Adele Dazeem may have entered our lives way back in January, but the internet doesn’t forget so easily. Gwen Stefani’s flub last night wasn’t nearly as bad John Travolta’s Oscar catastrophe, but her misstep (“Stephen Col-bort…”) began a series of events and became one of the most memorable moments of the night. First, Adam Levine’s reaction was pretty priceless, futilely correcting her as applause had already ensued. Next Jimmy Fallon took the miscue as his chance to Kanye the Colbert Report host (“She said it wrong, so there must be a mistake”). And finally, Colbert laughed off the incident backstage, saying “I think I might just change my name to Colborg,” while the rest of us wondered if Gwen Stefani can read / owns a television / knows if she’s the new Travolta, at least until the next awards night.

Best Reunion: Bryan Cranston and Julia Louis-Dreyfus

When Bryan Cranston and Julia Louis-Dreyfus presented together last night, we were already delighted by the Elaine and Tim Whatley Seinfeld mini-reunion. But it was even better when JLD acted like she couldn’t remember the now-prestigious Walter White actor, who mentioned quietly that they had had a kissing scene together. But then, moments later, all comic genius hell broke loose when the mustachioed Emmy winner was taken over by his Clark Gable persona and ambushed Louis-Dreyfus on her way to accept her Best Actress award and holding her in a looooong (Jimmy Fallon had to break it up) and now much-GIF-ed ~~kiss~~ makeout session. We can always look forward to a Julia Louis-Dreyfus win for nothing more than to see what she has up her figurative sleeves for an acceptance speech, and (nothing against the other nominees) we’re so glad she was able to triumph again last night. Because when she won, we all won.