The Week In TV: Parsons Emmy Win; Bristol Palin and The Situation Sadly Not a Band

First off, we love the above clip--Alec Baldwin refers to Houston's own Jim Parsons as "what's his name," and then compares Parsons to Argentine tennis star Juan Martin del Potro: "He's coming to the Open; he's gonna kick our ass." And he did.

Otherwise, we're all a bunch of Bucky Gunts here. This was the week in TV Land:

• Well, the Emmys happened. There were a few pleasant surprises (Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul taking awards for Breaking Bad, for instance), but most of the results were for safe, predictable entertainments. The Pacific won for best miniseries; Jim Parsons and Kyra Sedgwick won awards for starring in shows your parents watch. Ditto the main awards for drama and comedy series, which went to Mad Men and Modern Family. Those are both solid shows, if not quite as daring as other entries in the field, like Breaking Bad and the not-even-nominated Parks and Recreation.

But it was Jimmy Fallon who defined the show, and his hosting lived up to his reputation: strong start, immediate drop-off, awkward impressions, and a sudden end. The Glee-inspired opening with the cast and other stars helping Fallon out on "Born to Run" was legitimately cute; the same cannot be said of his dated and cringe-worthy quasi-impressions of Elton John, Green Day, and (somehow) Boyz II Men in a musical salute to recently-ended series. After a while, it was easier to remember that Fallon got his break on SNL by being an Adam Sandler knock-off who could never hold a straight face during a sketch. The best moments of the show were when better comedians were allowed to shine, however briefly, including Will Arnett and Ricky Gervais as presenters. Fallon did get in a great joke about Conan at NBC's expense, when he said, "NBC asked the host of Late Night to come to L.A. to host a different show. What could go wrong?" Nicely played, sir.

• Bristol Palin and The Situation, aside from being a good band name, will be coming to your TV screens soon on ABC's Dancing With the Stars. Palin, not quite 20, is famous for having a child as a teenager and providing a wacky do-as-I-say-not-as-I-conceive counterpoint to her mother Sarah Palin's divisive and illogical politics. Michael "The Situation" Sorrentino is famous for naming a body part and getting very drunk on television. That they're both going to make some extra money by participating in a dancing competition is not that surprising, and in fact it shows how shrewd they are. They both know that there's a definite horizon to their kind of fame, so it makes sense to grab as much money as possible on their way to the door. (Mr. The Situation is expected to earn $5 million this year, so think about that when you're doing whatever it is you do at work today.) To them, I say, have at it. I eagerly await the day when no one remembers this ever happened.