Best Moments on TV of 2014... So Far
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| Ellen DeGeneres hosted the Oscars and got a bunch of stars to jump in. |
10. WORLD CUP: UNITED STATES VS. PORTUGAL (June 22) - CBS News reported that this game is probably the most watched soccer match in U.S. history at 24.7 million on ESPN and Univision. It's just a notch above the 2010 World Cup final match between Spain and Netherlands. CBS News gives plenty of reasons why Americans watched in mass. It was an exciting game that ended in a draw (2-2), but even if you're not a soccer fan, Cristiano Ronaldo played in the match for Portugal despite his knee injury, and Ronaldo is probably the best soccer player in the world. He is certainly the highest-paid. His popularity and appeal is one of the most highest globally.
9. SHARON OSBOURNE AT THE DAYTIME EMMYS (June 22) - If you weren't watching the World Cup, you might have been streaming the 41st Daytime Emmy Awards. If you did, you know the moment of the night was when Sharon Osbourne, nominated for co-hosting CBS' The Talk, commented on Linda Bell Blue, the winner of Entertainment News Program who gave an acceptance speech that went for too long. Osbourne swore and made it known that the speech was too long. Here's a video report of that night.
8. JARED LETO AND RYAN COOGLER AT THE SPIRIT AWARDS (March 1) - That one speech at the Daytime Emmys might have been long, but so were the speeches from Jared Leto and Ryan Coogler at the Spirit Awards on IFC. The key difference is their speeches were actually good. Unlike Linda Bell Blue or even Jill Farren Phelps, Leto and Coogler had something funny, entertaining and interesting to say, other than rattling off names of managers and agents. Here's the clip of Leto winning for Dallas Buyers Club and here's the clip of Coogler winning for Fruitvale Station.
8. ELLEN DEGENERES TAKES A SELFIE AT THE OSCARS (March 2) - It seemed impromptu at the time but it wasn't. It was essentially a Samsung product placement live on ABC, but it doesn't take away from the fact that it was funny and a humanizing moment both during and after for all the celebrities. It became the most retweeted photo on Twitter at over two million.
7. MASS SAME-SEX WEDDING AT THE GRAMMYS (Jan. 26) - Pharrell Williams' performance at the Oscars was also a highlight. He had already been honored a month prior here at the 56th Grammys where he debuted his Arby's hat to the world, but the most significant event at the music award show is the performance of Macklemore and Ryan Lewis along with Madonna, Miranda Lambert and Trombone Shorty of the song "Same Love." The song celebrates gay rights, so the CBS show had 33 gay and lesbian couples married live during the song, which was officiated by Queen Latifah.
6. MICHAEL JACKSON'S HOLOGRAM AT BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARDS (May 18) - Finishing off my list of award show spectacles, the one that takes the cake would have to be seeing a holographic Michael Jackson perform the song "Slave to the Rhythm" at the Billboard Music Awards.
5. COMMERCIALS FEATURE GAY DADS (Feb. 2 & Feb. 7 & March 10) - Coca-Cola released the "It's Beautiful" ad during the Super Bowl, which caused controversy on two fronts. The first was that it featured "America the Beautiful" being sung in different languages, which crazy traditionalists seemed to dislike. The second was that the ad also featured two gay dads. Less than a week later, Chevrolet released its "The New Us" ad for its new Chevy Traverse, which also featured two gay dads. The next month, Honey Maid released its "This is Wholesome" ad, which again featured two gay dads.
4. FINALE TO 'TRUE DETECTIVE' AND 'FARGO' (March 9 & June 17) - The final episode of the first season to HBO's True Detective garnered 3.5 million viewers, a record-breaking number. The demand and speculation about the ending to the crime drama was very high. The subsequent demand to watch the finale online caused HBO's streaming service, HBO Go, to crash. Similar demand and critical acclaim was built around FX's Fargo, an adaptation of the Coen Brothers film.
3. OPRAH WINFREY SPEAKS AT MAYA ANGELOU'S MEMORIAL (June 6) - The Oprah Winfrey Network simulcast the private memorial service for Maya Angelou at Wake Forest University in North Carolina where Angelou was a teacher. Many people spoke and sang on Dr. Angelou's behalf and in honor of her, including President Bill Clinton but the best comments came from First Lady Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey who had become incredibly close to the late author and poet.
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| Michael Sam and Vito Cammisano share a kiss on live ESPN television |
1. MICHAEL SAM IS DRAFTED TO THE NFL (May 10) - On February 9, 2014, Michael Sam announced publicly that he was gay. At the time, he was a defensive end for the University of Missouri football team. Prior to his coming out, it was predicted that he would be drafted. ESPN had cameras live on him, so once he was drafted, becoming the first openly gay NFL player, all of America, or at least those who care about the draft, saw him burst into tears and then immediately kiss his Italian swimmer boyfriend, Vito Cammisano.
Best Reality / Variety
Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)
The Colbert Report (COM)
The Talk (CBS)
Catfish: The TV Show (MTV)
@midnight (COM)
Hollywood Game Night (NBC)
Best TV Movie
The Normal Heart (HBO)
Louie: In the Woods (FX)
Aziz Ansari: Buried Alive (NETFLIX)
Mitt (NETFLIX)
Best Comedy
Orange is the New Black: Season 2 (NETFLIX)
Parks and Recreation: Season 6 (NBC)
Community: Season 5 (NBC)
The Middle: Season 5 (ABC)
Mom (CBS)
Baby Daddy: Season 2 (ABC Family)
Glee: Season 5 (FOX)
Best Drama
The Good Wife: Season 5 (CBS)
House of Cards: Season 2 (NETFLIX)
Being Mary Jane (BET)
Chicago Fire: Season 2 (NBC)
The Tomorrow People (CW)
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC)
Continuum: Season 3 (SYFY)
Best Individual Performance
Martin Freeman - Fargo
Vera Farmiga - Bates Motel: Season 2
Scott Bakula - Looking
Hayden Panettiere - Nashville: Season 2
Ursula Parker - Louie: Season 4
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