A 'MAD' WORLD AMC SHOW COLLECTS TOP HONORS NBC'S '30 ROCK' WINS TOP COMEDY AMC show collects top honors; NBC's '30 Rock' wins top comedy.

Byline: Rob Lowman, Staff Writer

On Sunday night when television honored its best at the 61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, it also gave us something we see a lot of these days - repeats.

For the second year in a row, AMC's "Mad Men" was named best drama, picking up three Emmys overall, while "30 Rock" was picked as the top comedy for the third consecutive year.

Also repeating wins: Alec Baldwin of "30 Rock," which won five awards, repeated as best actor in a comedy series; Bryan Cranston of AMC's "Breaking Bad" won as best dramatic actor in a series; and Glenn Close, star of "Damages," won as best dramatic actress on a TV drama for the second year.

Neil Patrick Harris, host at the Nokia Theatre, started the show with the musical plea "Don't Put Down the Remote," written by "Hairspray" composers Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman. That may have been the prayer of the television community since last year's viewership for the award show fell to its lowest level in nearly two decades.

But there was a surprise - Toni Collette took home the award for lead actress in the comedy series for "United States of Tara" on Showtime. She beat out last year's winner, "Rock's" Tina Fey.

"Wow, this is insanely confronting," said the Australian actress, who thanked executive producer Steven Spielberg and series creator Diablo Cody, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of "Juno."

Cranston of AMC's "Breaking Bad" was humble about his win. "I'm a poor kid from the Valley. I don't know what I'm doing up here."

On stage, Baldwin acknowledged his co-star with a "Tina, Tina, Tina." After accepting the award from Rob Lowe, Baldwin joked, "I'll be honest with you. I'd trade this to look like him."

Fey, who accepted the "30 Rock" award ("That was a nail-biter"), however, wasn't completely empty-handed. She had already picked up a trophy at last week's 2009 Creative Arts Emmy Awards for her guest spot on "Saturday Night Live" in her parody of Sarah Palin.

"I'll be honest with you. I'd trade this to look like him," Close, in a smart looking black dress, echoed Baldwin.

"I want to salute my category sisters," said Close who plays the power lawyer Patty Hewes on FX's "Damages." Then she thanked her producers for "what may be the role of a lifetime."

The winner for best TV movie went to HBO's "Grey Gardens," which picked up six Emmys overall. The story of Jackie Kennedy Onassis' eccentric aunt and cousin who lived as recluses in a decaying mansion starred Jessica Lange, who picked up the best actress in a TV movie.

The Oscar-winning actress - still looking glamorous in a long green dress, called the trophy "a gift, and they don't come around that often for me anymore." (When asked backstage why she looks in such great shape, the actress laughed and said, "I don't know. I don't exercise.")

Broadway favorite Cherry Jones won as best supporting actress in a dramatic series for her role as the president on "24." And Michael Emerson won best supporting actor for playing a nefarious character on ABC's "Lost."

Ken Howard, who took home the best-supporting actor in a TV movie for "Grey Gardens," made one of the few topical references with:

"I'll make my speech as brief as possible in hopes of not being interrupted by a rapper or a congressman."

The PBS miniseries "Little Dorrit," based on the Charles Dickens novel, picked up two awards Sunday night and seven overall.

Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" picked up two awards - best comedy or variety series and best writing for the category.

Repeats also bested some of the reality awards. CBS' "The Amazing Race" won for best reality-competition for the seventh year in a row, every year the category has been in competition and once again topping America's top-rated show, "American Idol." Jeff Probst won for the second straight year as host of "Survivor."

"Upsets at every turn," cracked Harris.

Brendan Gleeson took home the award for best actor in a miniseries or movie for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in "Into the Storm."

The British thespian thanked the producers for allowing his mother to see the TV movie before she died.

Kristin Chenoweth won best supporting actress in a comedy for the canceled "Pushing Daises." In her acceptance speech, the actress slyly alluded to the fact that she'd "like to be on 'Mad Men' and 'The Office' and '24."' Backstage, she said she's actually busy, including a guest spot on Fox's "Glee" on Wednesday.

Jon Cryer of "Two and a Half Men" took home the award for best supporting actor in a comedy series, joking that he used to think awards were "shallow tokens of momentary popularity" but - as he stroked the trophy - now he realizes that "they are the only true measure of a person's real worth as a human being."

Since Cryer beat out Harris for the award, they cut to the press room where the "Two and a Half Men" actor got to say, "in your face."

Former Oscar nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo ("House of Sand and Fog") won as best supporting actress for HBO's "House of Saddam."

ABC's "81st Annual Academy Awards" won the award for outstanding original music and lyrics, giving the awards show four overall Emmys.

At one point during a presentation, Julia Louis-Dreyfus of "The New Adventures of Old Christine" remarked that this would be "the last official year of network television."

Later in the show Harris took on his "Dr. Horrible's Singalong Blog" online persona to make fun of watching television on the Internet.

The skit was somewhat amusing but smacked a little bit of desperation for the networks, who are launching many of their new shows and bringing back old ones this week. Ironically, "Dr. Horrible," a comedic musical created by Joss Whedon, of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Dollhouse" fame, won an Emmy last week for outstanding short format live-action entertainment program.

As usual HBO led with the most wins with 21, followed by NBC, 16; ABC, 11; FOX, 10; PBS, 9; CBS, 9; Showtime, 6; and AMC, 5.

[e-mail]

Rob Lowman, 818-713-3687

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8 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) Padma Lakshmi, host of "Top Chef," arrives for the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards. For more photos, go to dailynews.com.

David Crane/Staff Photographer

(2 -- color) The writers and cast of "Mad Men" were big winners at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards show Sunday after winning best drama series.

(3 -- color) Singer and actor Justin Timberlake won an Emmy for Guest Actor in a Comedy Series on NBC's "Saturday Night Live."

(4 -- color) The "30 Rock" ensemble surround actress and writer Tina Fey, holding their best comedy series Emmy award. Veteran actor Alec Baldwin holds his award for being named best actor in a comedy series at Sunday night's 61st Primetime Emmy Awards show at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.

Andy Holtzman Staff Photographer

(5 -- color) Jon Stewart makes his way to the stage to accept one of two Emmys he won for "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" on Comedy Central. Friend and fellow nominee Steven Colbert, left, of the "The Colbert Report," looks on.

(6 -- color) Neil Patrick Harris, hosting the 61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards held at the Nokia Theatre on Sunday, shows off his dancing shoes.

Hans Gutknecht Staff Photographer

(7 -- 8 -- color) Alec Baldwin of NBC's "30 Rock," left, accepts the Emmy for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series, and Glenn Close accepts for outstanding lead actress in a drama series for FX's "Damages."

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AND THE WINNERS ARE ...