Chemistry Class

I managed to avoid watching the Emmys for an hour and a half last night. I went out to audition for a community theatre one-act (cross your fingers; callbacks are tomorrow) and then I stopped off at Barnes and Noble on the way home and busted out the laptop - to get the early emmy results. But I got home and from there on in, my weakness for awards shows sucked me in.
Anyway, a shout out to Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, who presented the award for best reality show. The presenter banter is usually excruciating and banter mocking that banter is usually even worse, but somehow these guys made it work. Colbert opened by cheerfully calling the crowd sodomites, reminding us that he is just speaking "truth to power." And Stewart egged him on, but then the real chemistry trick happened - Stewart read his "tribute to reality show" cue cards as if he was on the deck of the Titanic and sinking fast. Even as straight man, Jon Stewart managed to be as funny as the first banana. It was quite the balancing act, difficult to pull off, but quite successful I felt.
Of course they couldn't beat the best line of the night - the acceptance speech from THE AMAZING RACE, in which the producer said "I can't believe we've made it here three years in a row!" I know he wasn't trying to be funny, but suddenly the absurdity of an emmy for reality shows was crystallized into diamond hardness. And such a big bunch of people rushed the stage for that award... I wondered if the guy who reached the mic first got to make the speech? And if before the show they had to tie their bowties with catcher's mitts or something? Delirious.