Emmys Backstage: Shock and Flaws

Sept. 19, 2005 — -- Felicity Huffman wondered if Emmy voters honored the wrong person, while Tony Shalhoub speculated that his success was pegged on his ability to annoy others and William Shatner spoke of Wheaties as if it were the breakfast of Hollywood champions.

With trophies in hand, this year's crop of freshly minted Emmy winners basked in their victories last night at the Primetime Emmy festivities in Los Angeles.

"A win for one is a win for all," said Huffman, who vied for best actress in a comedy with "Desperate Housewives" co-stars Marcia Cross and Teri Hatcher, and tried to put to rest rumors of dissension on the set.

When her name was announced, Huffman said she was so nervous, it felt like "an out of body experience" and that the Emmy voters "were going to come in and go 'oh, I'm sorry. We didn't mean Felicity Huffman. We meant Shmalicity Guffman.' "

As the show's haggard homemaker, Huffman had a lower profile than the other ladies on Wisteria Lane, perhaps because last season her character, Lynette, didn't have to get as dressed up as the others. But this season she'll have fewer slipper-and-pajama scenes, as Lynette goes back to work, and her husband tends to domestic matters.

On stage, Huffman was equally self-deprecating, giving a big nod to her husband, William H. Macy, "for taking a chunky 22-year-old with a bad perm and glasses out into a cow pasture and kissing me and making me his wife."

Romano: 'Admit It, You Thought 'Desperate Housewives' Was Winning'

"Desperate Housewives" failed to win best comedy, losing to old favorite "Everybody Loves Raymond," which aired its final episode earlier this year.

"It was a shock to win," star Ray Romano told reporters. "I know you hear that all the time. But, even you guys have to admit you thought 'Desperate Housewives' was winning. So it was a shock."

Everyone may still love "Raymond," but they apparently felt more strongly this year about his co-stars. Romano lost in the race for best lead actor in a comedy, but his on-screen brother and mother were victorious.

Winning for the third time as "Raymond's" brother, Brad Garrett cracked up audiences by thanking "Britney Spears … and our child." Doris Roberts, the show's matriarch, won for the third time, and proved to be just as plucky as her character after the show.

"Just because you're over 40 doesn't mean you're not exciting or talented or whatever," the 75-year-old actress said.

William Shatner, the first actor to the backstage podium after the show, kidded reporters about his rejuvenated career. Before winning his second consecutive Emmy, the "Boston Legal" star gave a musical salute to the theme from "Star Trek" as part of an evening-long celebrity singalong called "Emmy Idol."

"I'm an example of what can happen when you don't drink, don't smoke, exercise every day, eat carefully, love passionately and eat Wheaties," Shatner said "Wheaties are good."

Another "Boston Legal" star, James Spader, was also celebrating back-to-back Emmys, but he left the podium quickly, complaining that he'd barely eaten all evening.

S. Epatha Merkerson suffered the evening's biggest embarrassment, after tucking her acceptance speech into her gown, she had found that it slipped too far down her gown to retrieve it, once she got to the podium.

"I can feel it. It is right here," said Merkerson, pointing to her gown's midsection as she accepted the honor for her work in the HBO movie "Lackawanna Blues."

Huddled with reporters after the show, the former "Law & Order" star joked that she occasionally keeps a $20 bill down the front of her shirt.

Shalhoub: 'Everyone Feels Like They're Annoying'

Winning best drama, "Lost" creator J.J. Abrams refused to divulge any news on last season's cliffhangers, even as the show gears up for its second season.

"Our goal is to frustrate the hell out of you," Abrams said.

"To get this award right now, right before our second season kicks off, it's incredibly exciting and puts us in a really good spot," said "Lost's" Matthew Fox. The ABC show beat four-time winner "The West Wing'" and HBO's "Deadwood" to snag the evening's most coveted prize.

"Its sort of a wish fulfillment thing," said Abrams, describing the secret of the show's success. "Everyone wonders, 'What would happen to me if I were on an island like this? Could I survive?' Then, there's the mystery of what's happening on the island. Ultimately, though, it's these characters and the actors who portray them that make people come to the TV every week."

Tony Shalhoub offered a much simpler, but far more bizarre theory to explain the success of "Monk," which netted him his second Emmy for best actor as TV's most neurotic crime fighter.

"It's because Monk is such an irritating character, people can relate to that," Shalhoub said. "Everyone at some point in their life feels like they're annoying to someone else."

Stars are only asking for trouble if they predict winning an award, but "Medium" star Patricia Arquette had to address her psychic abilities after winning for best actress in a drama, beating out Glenn Close, Frances Conroy, Jennifer Garner and Mariska Hargitay.

"My psychic abilities said that I had a 99 percent chance of not winning," said Arquette, "and I was fine with that."