Highlights from the 2021 Emmy Awards!

The Emmys are back, baby!

Well, sort of. Even though we no longer had to sit through awkward, spotty Zoom calls of artists accepting their awards (and the losers having to even more awkwardly remain online to graciously listen to the winner's acceptance speech), this year's Emmys were still not completely COVID protocol-free. Yes, the ceremony was once-again an in-person affair, but this time it took place at a (kinda) outside venue with a limited number of guests as opposed to the full house of attendees in years past. Still, it was a refreshing step back in the right direction.

Here are some of the most noteworthy tidbits from last night's broadcast!

- Remember on "Game of Thrones" when Cersei Lannister had to take a Walk of Shame through King's Landing with a Septa yelling "Shame!" behind her the whole way and then later Cersei wine-boarded that same Septa and left her to The Mountain? Well, that Septa had the last laugh, because the actress who played her, Hannah Waddingham, is now an Emmy winner! The actress kicked off the evening -- and her show's night-long domination -- with a win for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for "Ted Lasso". Her co-stars Brett Goldstein and Jason Sudeikis also came away victorious, and, as expected, the show also won Best Comedy Series, giving them a total of 6 wins out of the 8 categories that they were up for last night. (Their two losses were for Writing and Directing, which they lost out to "Hacks".)

- On the drama side of things, it was a clean sweep for Netflix's "The Crown", winning all 7 of the categories they were up for last night, including every acting category (Lead Actress--Olivia Colman, Lead Actor--Josh O'Connor, Supporting Actress--Gillian Anderson, Supporting Actor--Tobias Menzies), as well as Writing, Directing, and, naturally, Best Drama Series. Admittedly it was a really good season... This was Gillian Anderson's second Emmy -- 25 years after winning her first! Back in 1997, she won Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her iconic role in "The X-Files".

- Evan Peters won his first-ever Emmy(!) on his first-ever nomination(!) for his role in HBO's "Mare of Easttown". Those exclamation points are due to the fact that I can't believe it's taken this long on both counts, after years of killing it on "American Horror Story" and basically anything else he's ever been in. Let this not be the last! Meanwhile, his co-star Kate Winslet beat out Anya Taylor-Joy and Elizabeth Olsen for Lead Actress in a Limited/Anthology Series, and Julianne Nicholson was the surprise winner in the Supporting Actress category. (Their co-star Jean Smart was also nominated but did not win--she won for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for "Hacks".) However, the combined acting prowess of Kate, Evan, and Julianne was not enough to beat "The Queen's Gambit" for Best Limited/Anthology Series.

- I know I have mentioned this in past years, but it bears repeating: All of the female actors who won last night were 45 years of age or older, with the youngest being Kate Winslet (who turns 46 next month) and the oldest being Jean Smart (70). Proving once more that television is where actresses-of-a-certain-age go to THRIVE!

- Jessica Hobbs became only the 11th woman in Emmys history to win an Emmy for Best Director for fictional programming. She earned the award for her work on "The Crown" episode "War". (2 of her 5 fellow nominees were also women!) About an hour later, Lucia Aniello became #12 when she won Best Directing for a Comedy Series for HBO's "Hacks" pilot episode. Congrats, ladies!

- Michaela Coel became the first Black woman ever to win an Emmy for Best Writing for a Limited Series/Anthology Series/TV Movie thanks to her work on HBO's "I May Destroy You" (which she also stars in). She joins the ranks of Lena Waithe, who became the first Black woman to win Best Writing for a Comedy Series (for "Master of None") in 2017.

- The legendary RuPaul became the winningest single PoC in Emmys history with his 11th win thanks to his mainstay competition series "RuPaul's Drag Race". Condragulations, Ru!

- Ewan McGrgeor took home his first Emmy for his role in "Halston". He adds it to his 2018 Golden Globe for "Fargo".

- It was a big, sad goose egg for both "WandaVision" and "Pose", two shows that came in with high hopes and lots of nominations but walked away empty-handed. However, both shows did pick up a trio of Creative Emmys each (fantasy costumes, production design, and music for "WandaVision; hair, makeup, and contemporary costumes for "Pose"), so it wasn't a total loss overall. Still, it would have been nice to see Elizabeth Olsen and Billy Porter recognized for their magnificent work.

And, of course, it wouldn't be an Emmys recap without mentioning the FASHION! Yes, I could go on and on about Kathryn Hahn's belted jumpsuit moment, Emma Corrin's swimcap, Elizabeth Olsen's gown designed by her sisters, or Anya Taylor-Joy's continued dominance, but this year's red carpet belonged to the mens! The plain tux is a thing of the past, folks, and we are so ready for this moment. The men BROUGHT IT to the carpet last night, and we would be remiss if we didn't shout-out these dashing, daring gents!

Jason Sudeikis had quite an improvement on last year's sweatshirt!

Seth Rogen officially declared it PSL Season with this Fall color palette!

Host Cedric the Entertainer brought a pop of blue to contrast with the red carpet!

Billy Porter did what Billy Porter does, wowing us all with this oversized black boa moment.

"SNL" featured player Bowen Yang gave us whiplash with this traditional suit paired with silver platform go-go boots. WERK!

Anthony Anderson kept it classy with this sleek, floral-pattern jacket.

"Hacks" star Carl Clemons-Hopkins ditched the suit altogether and slayed in this Christian Siriano pants suit featuring the non-binary flag.

Likewise, "The Handmaid's Tale" star O-T Fagbenle came decked out in an agbada, a loose-fitting robe traditionally worn by Nigerian men. Sharp!

...Okay so this is a pretty traditional Armani suit but we just wanted an excuse to feature Regé-Jean Page I mean LOOK AT HIM:

What were your favorite moments/looks from the night?