Live-Blogging the Emmys

10:58 These things never used to end on time, and certainly not early. This was an alright ceremony, and Jimmy Kimmel was a rather subtle, decently effective emcee. I predicted 10/25 categories correctly, which is actually better than I did last year. The only true surprises were Jon Cryer and Aaron Paul, and I was very pleased that "Homeland" pulled off wins for Damian Lewis and Best Drama Series. The wealth didn't go around all that much, but it was a fine ceremony. What was your favorite moment or win? Post in the comments, and thanks for reading! Also, let me know if you'd like more live-blogging in the future! Good night, everyone!

10:55 Michael J. Fox is a great choice to present the final category of the night, and the audience really loves him, especially after Jimmy Kimmel introduces him as someone no one likes. No surprise, it's "Modern Family," which has now won three years in a row. Again, I have to remind myself that I really do still like this show.

10:47 Julianne Moore, a questionable choice to present Best Drama Series. Who will it be? And it's "Homeland"!!! I didn't think they could do it after its somewhat lackluster nominations tally. Series, writing, actor, and actress ain't bad. It's fun to see the whole cast up there, including Mike, Estes, Morena Baccarin, and Mandy Patinkin. "I don't know when they're going to me off, but I'm going to keep talking until they do." Great line, and it's the first Showtime Emmy win for Best Drama Series! What a spectacular series.

10:45 Andre Braugher! I'm stoked for "Last Resort." Now, will it be "American Horror Story," "Hatfields and McCoys," or "Game Change"? And, it's the latter, meaning that "American Horror Story" will be back next year to compete again, earning just one major win, for Jessica Lange. Now we get Tom Hanks and his slight mustache! Now just the big two categories to go!!

10:36 This late into the show, it would seem to make sense to be having other categories than miniseries or TV movie directing, which goes unsurprisingly to Jay Roach, who won this award a few years ago for "Recount," for "Game Change." He doesn't get very long to speak at all. What to pair with directing? Lead actor, of course! And the winner is...Kevin Costner. Good for him, I suppose, though I haven't always been too impressed with his acting skills.

10:27 Another odd pairing - writing and actress. "Game Change" wins for both writing and star Julianne Moore, neither of which is a surprise. I'd like to watch that TV movie, which premiered on my birthday earlier this year.

10:17 Ron Howard gets to introduce Andy Griffith, which segues into the real In Memoriam segment. Among others, Marvin Hamlisch, Sherman Hemsley, Michael Clarke Duncan, Lupe Ontiveros, Andy Rooney, Steve Jobs, Gil Cates, Whitney Houston, Tony Scott, Mike Wallace, Ernest Borgnine, Dick Clark, and, of course, a nominee tonight, Kathryn Joosten.

10:14 Seeing Kerry Washington reminds me about "Scandal," a show I had otherwise completely forgotten. And Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie goes to...Tom Berenger. I don't have any particular desire to invest in "Hatfields and McCoys," but I've heard only good things.

10:12 It's hard to make archived interviews sound entirely interesting, but they did their best, partially thanks to Ellen still not wearing pants.

10:06 Great to hear Steve Buscemi congratulate Tim Van Patten. Obviously it's Jessica Lange, but why such a rush through the nominees' names?

10:03 I've seen so few of the nominated miniseries or TV movies, save for "American Horror Story," which creeped me out way too much after too episodes, and "Missing," which is not a miniseries but an awful cancelled series that shouldn't be allowed to compete in these categories, let alone be nominated for Ashley Judd's performance.

10:02 Having your parents removed because they encouraged you to win an Emmy is one way to deal with hosting, but I don't think there's a need to give Tracy Morgan any mores screen time.

9:54 It's odd to group the variety series and directing categories together rather than the traditional duo of writing and directing. Jon Stewart wins for the tenth year in a row, but it's the most fun time since Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon try to subdue him on his way to the stage. It's hard not to like him, especially when he calls out the accomplishments on fellow nominees. Bonus points for use of the world ephemeral.

9:50 Ricky Gervais has made quite the reputation for himself, having a grand old time mocking the category he's presenting, as two of the nominees are in the process of working backstage. Glenn Weiss wins his sixth award for the Tonys, accepting from backstage and asking to be played off during his speech.

9:41 It seems strange that there's a whole variety montage for just a couple categories. Another marvelous pair - Aziz Ansari and Jane Levy together! Ansari pretending to be British was hilarious, and Clive Owen's face was priceless. "Suburgatory" doesn't return until the middle of October 17th, and I'm looking forward to it. I didn't even predict this category, but something tells me it will be Louis C.K. or the Tony Awards, most likely the latter. And the variety writing winner is... Louis C.K. They really like him. He's quite humble and unassuming, and it's a nice shout-out to live comedy.

9:39 Danes starts off by acknowledging that the writers got cut off delivering their speech. Sounds like a great show to work on!

9:36 The pairing of Tina Fey and Jon Hamm is superb. Fey was very funny with her inability to read the teleprompter. Huge spoiler in the "Homeland" clip. It always amuses me that the clips get longer as the show goes on when it should be the other way around. At least they're not cutting things short. And the winner is... Claire Danes! Go "Homeland"!

9:28 Lewis introduces himself to the crowd, requesting a round of applause for his fellow nominees, and praising his cast for being great to dine with before acknowledging his kids. Very sweet!

9:27 My mom loves Julianna Margulies' dress. Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series! Bryan Cranston again? No! Damian Lewis breaks the streak! He's very happy, and so is my mom!

9:25 A false start to the In Memoriam tribute with Jimmy Kimmel clips? A bit strange.

9:23 Giancarlo Esposito gets to present! He's very well-dressed, of course. It's the drama guest acting awards, with Martha Plimpton and Jeremy Davies as the winners! Davies still has crazy hair. Interviews with the directors - are they dramatic people? And the winner is... "Boardwalk Empire," the one nominee I thought had no chance. Sometimes these categories make no sense. A great episode, though!

9:17 Supporting actress in a drama series goes to... Maggie Smith. I guess episode submissions just don't matter that much anymore.

9:16 A delightful speech from the "Homeland" writers, and a real shame that they got played off so quickly.

9:14 Hayden Panettiere and Connie Britton presenting best drama writing. I do enjoy interviews with writers, and this montage was a lot of fun. And the winner is... "Homeland"! Woohoo! Such an excellent pilot, and such a weird main title theme.

9:12 Jimmy Kimmel was to play a prank on people that aren't watching the Emmys, and Tracy Morgan is his volunteer to pass out on stage. We'll see if anything comes of it.

9:04 A pregnant Claire Danes presenting the drama supporting actor category! And the winner is...Aaron Paul! It's a shame that it's not Giancarlo Esposito, but it's wonderful to see him get up and hug Paul as he's about to go up on stage. I've liked him more and more each year, so I suppose it's fine for him to win, but I wish it would have been either Esposito or Harris for this season. A wonderful, heartfelt speech from Idaho native Paul, ending with a shoutout to his fiancee!

9:02 Drama series montage!! Why does "House" get called out with a title card? And "Once Upon a Time" and "NCIS" too? A bit of a spoiler for "Homeland" and for "Grey's Anatomy." Glad to see "I am the danger" included in the montage.

8:58 Seth MacFarlane starts talking away from the microphone while presenting the reality host category. It's not Cat Deeley or Betty White; instead, it's Tom Bergeron! No comment from me on his qualifications, but a funny speech, with a great comment about Jeff Probst being snubbed.

8:56 I very much liked the "Big Bang Theory" clip with Sheldon praising the skills of accountants and Penny reminding him that writers are not popular.

8:51 Excellent ABC comedy representation by Damon Wayans Jr. and James Van Der Beek. I really just don't care about reality. "The Amazing Race" wins for the ninth time! Yikes.

8:49 I've never been fond of segmenting the show into genres, mostly because I don't like reality and haven't watched any of the miniseries or movies. It's better if they're spread out so the whole show is enthralling to any viewer.

8:46 I like that the comedy actress nominees like to have fun, as evidenced by Amy Poehler swapping speeches with Julia.

8:44 Stephen Colbert babbling on about women as he presents best comedy actress. And the winner is... Julia Louis-Dreyfus. No surprise, and a well-deserved win. She's now won for three different series.

8:42 After these repetitive winners, Louis C.K. excepted, it wouldn't surprise me if Melissa McCarthy, Edie Falco, or Tina Fey won. Some new winners please!

8:37 Mindy Kaling and Melissa McCarthy presenting best actor! Definitely the best reaction from Jim Parsons to McCarthy's comments. And the winner is... Jon Cryer? Seriously?! Even Cryer is in shock. I can't comprehend this win. Any explanations?

8:30 Matthew Perry announcing comedy guest acting winners, trying hard for laughter but not really getting it. Very matter-of-fact reveal of the winners. Fun to see Kathy Bates and Jimmy Fallon together - her dress is sparkling like crazy! The comedy directors aren't nearly as personable as the writers, and two mention of Jews as the ideal director! And it's a "Modern Family" win here too; hardly exciting or creative, especially for the lesser episode of the two nominees from that show, the season finale. A rather self-congratulatory speech, sarcastic in nature of course, and then cut to a pre-filmed "Modern Family" skit. All of this attention makes me forget that I actually love this show!

8:24 And Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series goes to... Julie Bowen again! That's two in a row for her, and my first correct guess of the night! It's truly wonderful to see costars cheering for each other, especially as loudly and enthusiastically as Sofia Vergara! I'm not sure why nipple covers are important, but her speech last year wasn't too memorable either.

8:23 Kat Dennings! I'm probably the only one excited for "2 Broke Girls" to return, though I honestly forgot all about it until this moment.

8:22 "Breaking Bad" before cable - definitely a humorous idea.

8:19 Jim Parsons and Zooey Deschanel - another superb pairing to announce Best Writing in a Comedy Series. I'm glad to see writers given the opportunity to speak in a short and sweet montage. And it's Louis, not Lena! The crowd loves him, and this bodes well for his chances in the directing and lead actor categories. It's great to hear Pamela Adlon, who plays Marcy on "Californication," acknowledged and thanked.

8:12 And the first award of the night goes to...Eric Stonestreet. Not a huge surprise, in retrospect, but I, like many others, thought Burrell would be the one to repeat if O'Neill or Greenfield couldn't win. It's great to hear that he and Jesse Tyler Ferguson are such good friends, and to hear him talk about getting to play a happy gay couple on TV. Terrific inspirational message to aspiring actors!

8:11 Fun pairing of Amy Poehler and Louis C.K., reunited after starring on "Parks and Recreation" together.

8:09 First montage of the evening! I love montages. Great "30 Rock" excerpts, but it's always bizarre to see shows like "Happy Endings," which got zero Emmy love, featured. The towel bit from "New Girl," the elevator scene from "Veep," and Andy running into an ambulance on "Parks and Recreation" were also hilarious.

8:07 Great joke about Jon Hamm not winning, which is quite likely to occur. Awkward but nice to see Lena Dunham singled out for being so young and successful.

8:05 A lot of "Downton Abbey" fans in the house, and a whole lot of Democrats too.

8:02 Fun choice of actresses to participate in the opening skit, and great cameos by Lena Dunham and the reality hosts (Ellen DeGeneres too). Not excessively funny, but endearing nonetheless.

7:57 "I couldn't agree" doesn't mean the same thing as "I couldn't agree more." In fact, it means the opposite.

7:54 Nothing worthwhile to report in the past ten minutes. Ready for the show to start!

7:41 Understatement of the year from the very endearing Aaron Paul: "Breaking Bad is going get really dark."

7:38 Glad to hear some support for the color orange! And nice to hear Stephen Colbert talking about being nominated with friends - competition should always be friendly.

7:32 Obviously Rico Rodriguez is charming, but hasn't he participated enough in bits like this at other awards shows over the past three years?

7:31 Leave it to Tina Fey to clarify that "30 Rock" is currently filming its final season, meaning that it could be nominated again next year. That particular show isn't airing now, but it's useful to clear up the misconception that the TV from this summer and this fall is not what's being rewarded right now.

7:28 The references to the large number of nominations accrued by "Modern Family" are getting excessive, but it's great to learn about Jesse Tyler Ferguson's advocacy for marriage equality. And to hear his careful pronunciation of "Vergara."

7:16 Always awkward when the interviewers aren't up to speed on Emmy facts, like the guest acting awards already having been given out, meaning that Michael J. Fox already lost both of his bids.

7:08pm I've never been one for pre-shows, since it just delays the start of the awards themselves, and the questions posed are so vain. A lack of personal interest in style doesn't help. It is fun to see likeable actors like Amy Poehler and Steve Buscemi, however, and quite embarrassing to see Zooey Deschanel's name misspelled initially then correctly only moments later when they showed it again.

7:00pm Stay tuned for live coverage beginning at 8pm here at TVwithAbe.com. Final predictions are available below, and enjoy the pre-show on ABC.