THE DAILY NEWSLETTER - MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2021 

Media Winners & Losers

MEDIA WINNER:
Conan O'Brien

With his 6'4" height and distinctive swoop of red hair, Conan O'Brien tends to stand out in a crowd no matter what, but he absolutely stole the show at the 73rd annual Emmy Awards on Sunday night.

O'Brien didn't win any awards for the final season of his eponymous late-night show Conan, but he nevertheless ended up on stage, crashing Stephen Colbert's acceptance speech for the Late Show's election night 2020 special.

He also had a blast heckling Television Academy Chairman and CEO Frank Scherma, egging the crowd into a standing ovation for what Scherma undoubtedly expected to be a routine speech.

John Oliver, who took home two Emmys for Outstanding Variety Talk Series and Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series, said he was "rooting for Conan" but that O'Brien would have to pry his awards from his "cold, dead hands" if he wanted to share the glory.

O'Brien injected multiple moments of levity into the Emmy program, being the best of good sports and cheering on many of the comics he's inspired over his decades in the business. Watch and smile.

MEDIA LOSER:
Breitbart's John Nolte

Normally we wouldn't bother covering the angry blatherings of a Breitbart columnist but John Nolte slithered past all competitors for our Media Loser with an insipid little tantrum of a post blaming the left for tricking supporters of former President Donald Trump into not getting the Covid-19 vaccine. 

Nolte's article, peppered with childish insults ("CNNLOL," Dr. Anthony Fauci is a "scumbag," "China Flu," etc.), claims that the liberal media is using reverse psychology to convince MAGA world to think they can "own the libs" by shunning the vaccine.

Not mentioned anywhere in Nolte's screed: the absolutely insane firehose of misinformation about Covid and the vaccines that is originating from or being amplified by the right

Trump voters aren't vaccine hesitant because of a monologue from Jim Acosta. No, they're shunning the vaccine because Trump and GOP governors keep praising antivaxxers as celebrating "freedom" and right wing media keeps promoting garbage conspiracy theories.

Twitter users mocked Nolte with vicious abandon, and he deserved every bit of the ridicule. 

The A-Block

TV's big night

When the 73rd annual Emmy Awards weren't showcasing the comedic antics of a certain ginger-haired comic (see Media Winner, above), they managed to pass out some awards for the television programs that helped keep us entertained during the pandemic. 

“Let me start by saying, there’s way too many of us in this little room," Seth Rogen called out the lack of Covid-19 safety restrictions while presenting the first award of the night.

Stephen Colbert pilloried the expense of the recent California gubernatorial recall election, joking that "The Marvelous Mrs. Larry Elder" could be awarded an Emmy revoked from the original winner.

It was a big night for fan favorite Apple+ series Ted Lasso, with show creator Jason Sudeikis winning for Outstanding Lead Actor, Hannah Waddingham and Brett Goldstein winning for Supporting Actress and Actor respectively, and the show taking home the trophy for Outstanding Comedy Series. 

Sudeikis' acceptance speech for the show's award was a heartfelt tribute to the value of family members, mentors, and teammates -- and a humorous jab at his old boss, Saturday Night Live's Lorne Michaels

The Schitt's Creek cast reunited onstage to present an award, and turned it into a whole bit with Eugene Levy apparently angering the program's writers, the teleprompter going down, and the typical Rose family hijinks. 


In Other News...

WATCH: Children Tell CNN They Blame Tucker Carlson For Their Father's Covid Death

FBI Searches Brian Laundrie’s Home After Discovery of Remains Believed to Be Gabby Petito

Trump Reportedly Working to Oust McConnell as Senate Minority Leader, Trying to Find a GOP Senator Interested in Mounting a Challenge

Designer of AOC’s ‘Tax The Rich’ Met Gala Dress Owes Over $100K in Back Taxes, Accused of Being a Rent Deadbeat and Running ‘Sweatshop’ of Unpaid Interns: Report

Must See Clip

Myth busted!

Tom Brady gave NFL fans everywhere a fright earlier this year when he appeared inebriated during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Super Bowl parade and decided to toss the prized Lombardi Trophy from one boat to another.

But thanks to current ESPN analyst and former NFL wideout Randy Moss, we have more clarity as to how precarious of a situation Brady put the trophy through.

Guess what? It floats! See the proof here.

Links We Like

You Might Want to Wait to Get a Booster Shot
- Rachel Gutman, The Atlantic
Liquor-License Rules Are Crippling Restaurants at the Worst Possible Time
- Chris Edwards, National Review
Why everybody’s hiring but nobody’s getting hired: America’s broken hiring system, explained
- Rani Molla and Emily Stewart, Recode
The Justice Department May Have Found a Winning Argument Against the Texas Abortion Law
- Damon Root, Reason
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