This year’s Emmy’s felt like a wedding that no one wanted to attend. Let’s start with the fact that Joan and Melissa jumped ship to the TV Guide Channel, who's paying them a reported $6 million over the next three years. No one can work the carpet like our Joan. Yes, I had my TV on E! at 6 PM Sunday night but I was not watching, as I had work to do on my computer. Even reviews in yesterday’s New York Times were scathing: “What a bland night. Ugh. The shrewd cattiness associated with Ms. River’s red carpet has vanished like a wrinkle, and in its place is plain fatuity. While crowing at the industry sweeties and dawgs she was overjoyed to see, Ms. Star Jones kept it nice - too nice. She started off with a monologue of boneheaded puns from reality television and went on to ooze, boast and cross-promote.”

But don’t panic: Joan is appearing October 5th for the season finale of “Nip/Tuck,” as herself for a consultation so unusual that she flies to the surgeon’s Miami practice to avoid the glare of the paparazzi. In the clip, Ms. Rivers tells two plastic surgeons, 'My body is falling so fast, my gynecologist needs a hard hat.'

I did, however, think this year’s fashions were a vast improvement over previous awards shows. My five-shoe ratings go to these fabulous women: Mariska Hargitay (Vera Wang), Joely Richardson (Catherine Walker), Kim Catrell (Pamela Roland), Sharon Stone (Elsie Katz), Portia de Rossi (Givenchy), Heather Locklear and Kristin Davis (Prada). But would someone please call a stylist for Ms. Streisand? Isn’t Donna Karan one of her best friends?

Even before the show began, HBO seemed destined to dominate the awards. It earned 124 nominations, nearly double the 65 for second-place NBC. CBS had 44, ABC 33, Fox 31, PBS 27 and A&E 24. The HBO nominations included 21 for 'Angels in America' and 20 for 'The Sopranos.'

Not only did HBO shows like 'Angels in America' and 'The Sopranos' triumph, but 'Sex and the City,' which completed its run after six seasons, was also honored. Ms. Parker, who has repeatedly been nominated, finally won for best actress in a comedy series. 'It's a glorious finish to a journey of a lifetime,' she said. And so glad Cynthia Nixon won for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. 'The Sopranos' was finally given the award for best drama, after being overlooked for the last four years. I was overjoyed that Sopranos stars Michael Imperioli and Drea de Matteo won for their supporting roles.

I was embarrassed by Gary Shandling who was so not funny and Al Pacino made no sense whatsoever, rambling nearly incoherently. But thank goodness for Elaine Stritch who breathed some life back into the party. She won an Emmy for her performance on HBO, which was a repeat of her Broadway show, “Elaine Stritch At Liberty”. She understands that award shows are meant to be fun and entertaining. The 79-year old Ms. Stritch told reporters: 'To be recognized for what I do is magical. I've done a lot of things in life I haven't been recognized for. To win a big award like this at my age, hallelujah!'