Chris Carlson, Associated Press photos Original "Charlie's Angels" Farrah Fawcett, left, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith, pay tribute to the late producer Aaron Spelling.

By Rob Owen
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Megan Mullally, again?

Tony Shalhoub, again?

Blythe Danner, again?

As usual, last night's 58th annual "Emmy Awards" had a maddening tendency to recognize the overly familiar for much of the evening, only awarding Emmy virgins ("24," "The Office," Keifer Sutherland, Mariska Hargitay) at the end of the night.

But during the early going, host Conan O'Brien deflected from the bad rerun picks, beginning with a sly, funny filmed segment, followed by a brief but pointed monologue and then a rousing song-and-dance number.

	Host Conan O'Brien kept things moving along. Click photo for larger image. More Coverage: Tuned In Journal: Too much good TV, not enough time Complete list of 2006 Emmy winners Red-carpet threads run lacy and racy

O'Brien showed both his skill as a comedian and a host and a sincere fan of TV who knew his audience, both in the Shrine Auditorium and watching at home.

The opening film segment began with O'Brien on the "Lost" island, encountering Hurley (Jorge Garcia), who reminded him (and viewers) that "Lost" didn't nab a best drama series nomination this year. From there, O'Brien climbed down the "Lost" hatch and turned up in "The Office," ran into "24," where he tangled with Jack Bauer (Keifer Sutherland) and Chloe O'Brien (Mary Lynn Rajskub) by cell phone, and then was on the receiving end of an examination by Dr. House (Hugh Laurie) and an interrogation by "Dateline NBC" "To Catch a Predator" reporter Chris Hansen.

O'Brien threatened to be a little too inside with his jokes, but honestly, who but the most devoted TV fan was watching last night? Might as well play to the audience that tuned in. He also took shots at his own network, NBC, which broadcast the Emmys, "which means halfway through the show, the Emmys will be canceled." He continued with a song and dance to the theme of "Ya Got Trouble" from "The Music Man," including the lyric, "I know you don't care, but our network share is just one dude." The tune concluded with nods to TiVo and YouTube.com and their influence on the changing television landscape.

The gag that kept on giving found O'Brien sealing Bob Newhart in a clear chamber and threatening to deprive him of oxygen if the telecast ran long.

"If the Emmys run one second over three hours, Bob Newhart dies, so keep those speeches short," O'Brien advised Emmy winners. "Mr. Newhart's life is in your hands."

The awards themselves were sometimes a disappointment, but the host was a standout. (Bravo will re-air the Emmys at 4 and 9 p.m. today).

Some other highlights:

Pre-show showdown: Among the three pre-shows, the coverage on E!, hosted by Ryan Seacrest, was the more entertaining than NBC's pre-show or TV Guide Channel's Joan and Melissa Rivers.

Seacrest's biggest gaffe: In talking with Tom Cruise defender Leah Remini, he said of Cruise's daughter, Suri, "You've seen it."

"Yes, I like to call 'it,' 'her,'" Remini replied.

NBC's pre-show, hosted by Billy Bush, moved quicker than the E! coverage, but Bush is difficult to take, and correspondent Maria Menounos revealed a terrible laugh reminiscent of Minnie Mouse.

Oh no! It looks like NBC's promotion department that routinely turns the Olympics into treacly, maudlin lifestyle features about the athletes is having its way with the NFL. During the Emmys, NBC aired a promo for the NFL about quarterback brothers Eli and Payton Manning squaring off against one another on Sept. 10. Cue the cute home movie footage of the Manning boys playing football as children!

Amusing anti-acceptance speech: A balding Greg Garcia, creator of "My Name Is Earl," won an Emmy for writing that show's pilot and went on to mention the people he didn't want to thank, including his eighth-grade social studies teacher and God, who he said was probably responsible "in some way, but you took my hair, and that's not cool, man. Not cool!"

Best joke on a stereotype: "This year 'The Sopranos' returned and Tony and his crew found out one of their fellow mobsters was gay," O'Brien said. "What gave it away was when he was around, the crime was really organized. Tidy."

Most heartwarming moments: Dick Clark, who appears to have made progress in recovering from his stroke since viewers saw him on New Year's Eve, received a standing ovation and spoke more clearly after a tribute by Simon Cowell and Barry Manilow.

Similarly, a tribute to the late television producer Aaron Spelling featured sincere testimonials from the stars of his shows, including the reunion of "Charlie's Angels" stars Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett and Jaclyn Smith, who noted, "I'm sure he's smiling down on us, seeing that he brought us together again as only he could."

Best shout out to a Pittsburgh native (we think): "Will & Grace" star Megan Mullally thanked the people who worked behind the scenes on her series, including "Tim." Tim Kaiser, one of the show's executive producers, is a 1981 graduate of Riverview High and a 1985 graduate of Westminster College.

Best uncomfortable moment for a network exec: Aside from O'Brien's whacks at NBC, Emmy winner Blythe Danner had kind words for those who canceled her series, "Huff."

"I guess I have to thank Showtime even though they canceled us," Danner said. "They're nice guys. They can't help it, I guess."

Best sore loser: "I lost to Barry Manilow!" Stephen Colbert whined jokingly. "I lost to the Copacabana. Singing and dancing is not performing. Wolverine [nominee Hugh Jackman] I could have lost to. He's got claws for hands."