Emmys Best Moments Ever

Aug. 25, 2014— -- intro: Before we begin debating our favorite moments from tonight's telecast of the 66th annual Emmy Awards, we thought it would be fun to look back at some of the more memorable moments in Emmy history.

From the opening monologues to the speeches to the unexpected, click through to see some of our favorite moments from the Emmys.

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quicklist:title: Ellen DeGeneres Hosting After 9/11text: The country was still reeling from the unimaginable when Ellen DeGeneres took the reins at the 2001 Emmys after two unprecedented postponements. She handled the assignment with poise and, yes, humor. "It's important for us to be here," DeGeneres said, welcoming the audience to the "53rd, 54th, and 55th Emmy Awards." Somehow she managed to make it one of the most inspirational Emmy telecasts. "They can't take away our creativity, our striving for excellence, our joy," she said. "Only network executives can do that."media: 25072465

quicklist:title: Outstanding Lead Actresses in a Comedy Rush the Stagetext: When Amy Poehler spontaneously bounded on stage as the nominees for outstanding lead actress in a comedy were being read aloud at the 2011 Emmys, her fellow nominees followed. By the time all six were standing on stage, they resembled contestants at a beauty pageant complete with their "please pick me" faces. In the end, Melissa McCarthy took home the prize, but the folks watching at home got a hilarious break from the usual award show format.media: 25071761

quicklist:title: Jimmy Fallon's 'Born to Run' Opening Numbertext: Jimmy Fallon is known for his song and dance numbers on his late night show and he didn't disappoint when he hosted the 2010 Emmy Awards. With a little help from the cast of "Glee," including the late Cory Monteith, Tina Fey, Jon Hamm, Joel McHale and even Kate Gosselin, Fallon sang and fist-pumped to Bruce Springsteen's "Born To Run."media: 25072783

quicklist:title: Kirstie Alley and the 'Big One'text: You've got to love Kirstie Alley for telling it like it is. When she accepted her award for best comedy actress in 1991 for "Cheers," she stunned viewers when she thanked then husband Parker Stevenson as "the man who has given me the big one for the last eight years." The joke didn't end there, though. Minutes later, when Burt Reynolds won best comedy actor for "Evening Shade," he thanked wife Loni Anderson for giving him "two big ones." media: 25072734

quicklist:title: Bob Newhart Held Captive text: In 2006, Emmy producers found a clever way to encourage winners to keep their speeches short: they put Bob Newhart in a glass cage. With a diabolical laugh, host Conan O'Brien explained that the comic legend had exactly three hours of breathable air before he would suffocate. Producers kept the gag running throughout the show, periodically cutting back to Newhart pounding on the glass walls. It seemed to work. The show ended three minutes early that year. media: 25072127

quicklist:title: Jimmy Kimmel's Opening Bathroom Sketch text: It was one of the edgier sketches in Emmy history: 2012 host Jimmy Kimmel pretending to hide out in the women's bathroom after some bad Botox work, while a naked Lena Dunham sat in a stall next to his, eating cake. Fortunately, Zooey Deschanel, Christina Hendricks, Mindy Kaling, Connie Britton and Kathy Bates had a solution for him: punching his face back into place. Just as he was ready to take his place at the podium, Kimmel realized his pants were missing. That's when Ellen DeGeneres appeared to loan him a pair of her own.media: 25075129

quicklist:title: Lucille Ball Forgets her Glassestext: We loved Lucy even more after the 1975 Emmys. About to announce the winner for the best comedy series, comic legend Lucille Ball realized she forgot her eyeglasses. "Oh, I'm really in trouble!" the 64-year-old star gasped. Milton Berle came to her rescue, leaping up from the audience and handing her a wineglass. "Here, look through this!" Berle said, before fetching a real pair of glasses so Ball could read the winner: "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."media: 25072027

quicklist:title: Helen Mirren's Colorful Speechtext: Even profanity coming out of the mouth of Dame Helen Mirren sounds proper. When she accepted the 2006 award for lead actress in a miniseries or movie, "The Queen" star slipped past censors with her opening line: "My great triumph is not falling ass over tit as I came up those stairs." The line was so funny that presenters Calista Flockhart and Craig Ferguson repeated it a few minutes later--and it went unbleeped as well. media: 25072331

quicklist:title: Brad Garrett and Garry Shandling Smoochtext: The 2003 Emmys couldn't resist poking fun at the highlight of that year's MTV Video Music Awards: Madonna and Britney Spears famous kiss. In the show's opening moments, Brad Garrett locked lips with fellow host Garry Shandling. Afterward Shandling quipped, "I just want to say to CBS, he's worth every nickel."media: 25072379

quicklist:title: Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart Presentingtext: You have to love when Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart are together on stage, like at the 2006 Emmys when they were presenting for best reality show. Colbert never broke character even as Stewart fought back laughs. When Colbert addressed the audience, "Good evening Godless sodomites," Stewart asked him what he was doing. "I’m bringing the truth, Jon. We’re in Hollywood, the belly of the beast."media: 25071933