It was a good night for vice presidents, transgendered women, cranky New Englanders and the inhabitants of a mythical world called Westeros.
And it was a great night for HBO.
After
five seasons HBO's epic "Game of Thrones" won its first best-drama
award Sunday night at the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles,
besting the final season of four-time winner "Mad Men" in a mild upset.
The sprawling medieval fantasy show also won Emmys on Sunday for
writing, directing and for supporting actor Peter Dinklage, who plays
the scorned scion of a powerful family who is forced to survive by his
wits.
In the comedy category,
HBO's "Veep" finally broke the stranglehold of sitcom powerhouse "Modern
Family," which had won the top Emmy for the past five years. "Veep's"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus won her fourth straight Emmy for her starring turn
in the show, about an underestimated female vice-president who
nevertheless ascends to the Oval Office.
Her
castmate Tony Hale won best supporting actor in a comedy series for
playing her loyal political aide, and the show also won a writing award.
After
eight tries, Jon Hamm finally won his first Emmy for his now-iconic
role as the hard-drinking, womanizing Don Draper on "Mad Men," which
finished its triumphant run last spring on AMC.
"There's
been a mistake, clearly," Hamm said, giving credit to his felow
nominees. "It's impossible to be named with all of those extraordinary
gentlemen."
Moments earlier,
Viola Davis made history by becoming the first African American woman to
win an Emmy for best actress in a drama series when she was honored for
her work as a high-powered defense attorney in ABC's "How to Get Away
with Murder."
In an emotional
acceptance speech, Davis quoted African-American abolitionist Harriet
Tubman and alluded to the dearth of strong roles for minority actresses
on TV and movies.
"The only
thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity,"
she said. "You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there."
Actor
Jeffrey Tambor won best actor in a comedy for Amazon's groundbreaking
"Transparent," about a middle-aged dad who transitions to life as a
woman. Tambor, who had been nominated for six prior Emmys but had never
won, dedicated his award to the transgender community.
"Thank you for your courage. Thank you for your stories. Thank you for your inspiration," he said.
His
award came after Jill Soloway won an Emmy for writing and directing
"Transparent." In accepting the award, Soloway noted that despite recent
gains, many transgender people still face discrimination and violence.
"We don't have a trans tipping point yet," she said. "We have a trans civil rights problem."
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