THE EMMY GOES TO … Ellen

Eric McCormack won for Best Actor in a Comedy Series, while his Will & Grace co-stars all lost at Sunday night’s Emmy Awards. The real winner overall was lesbian comic Ellen DeGeneres, who had style as well as substance in her hosting duties. It would have been no easy task for any entertainer trying to kick-start the twice-cancelled show, and Ellen was very much up to the challenge. Her own HBO comedy special won no honors, but Ellen herself won big-time. She opened with a series of tasteful jokes, including “What would bug the Taliban more than seeing a gay woman in a suit surrounded by Jews,” saying she just wanted to “do my part” in the war on terrorism. She also wore a mock-Bjork swan outfit, proving she can play dress-up with the big girls…as her mom looked on from the audience. At the end of the show, Ellen received a well-deserved standing ovation.

There were also tributes to those lost Sept. 11, including a closing song by Barbra Streisand, who had won an an Emmy earlier that night.

Sex and the City won for Best Comedy Series over Will & Grace and others, while West Wing won for the second year in a row for Best Drama.

Lesbian playwright Margaret Edson’s Wit, which starred Emma Thompson, won top honors in its category, and Judy Davis won for portraying Judy Garland. Peter MacNicol’s lawyer on Ally McBeal was enough to defeat Sean Hayes for Supporting Actor in a Comedy, while Megan Mullally lost to Doris Roberts; Debra Messing lost to Patricia Heaton.

Todd Holland, in accepting his award for Directing a Comedy Series (Malcolm in the Middle), kissed a Black man seated next to him and later thanked his “partner Scotch, my heart and soul.” We believe Scotch was the seat-mate.

In one ironic scene, Ellen went into the audience and reached over Steve Martin to interview a person acting as a seat warmer. She then spoke with Steve…but neither of them touched on their past “close relationship encounters” with Anne Heche in their banter.

Sir Derek Jacobi (for Frasier) and Sally Field (for ER) won Emmys for their guest-star turns. And best of all, the models were not wearing tight-fitting dresses, but classy suits. The third time was the charm, even though it got sappy at times and seemed a bit too late out of the blocks.