Michael Emerson at the Emmys

[spicedogs]

Some people in my forum expressed that Michael Emerson seemed a bit upset at the Emmys. Perhaps he felt that the Emmy should have been his. Far from it! Here's a good possibility for Michael's misty eyes.

Terry hears that his name is called as the winner. Carrie Preston is overjoyed. Lori O'Quinn kisses her man.

Michael is happy as anything for his friend Terry. Look at Michael's smile.

Terry gets up to get his award and make his speech.

Michael is smiling. He does not look upset.

"...then I think about my cast- and crewmates, represented here by the great and glorious, Mr. Michael Emerson and …"  (Michael is listening to the speech. It hasn't hit him yet that Terry is actually praising him.)

Terry's words just hit him. He is proud and choked up by the admiration just bestowed on him.

He smiles back at Terry.

He is basking on the applause that is given to him, thanks to Terry.

No,  the man was not upset. He was choked up. Terry O'Quinn, you just went up a number of notches in my book.


Click on the pictures to see the larger versions.

My thanks to LOST-media.com for making these great hi-def captures. Without them, we would not be able to see how happy Michael Emerson was for Terry winning the Emmy.

Comments

[greenleaf-y.livejournal.com]

If I do not live in the USA it does not mean that I am the idiot. I understand in laws of show business and journalism. You know that Michael is the excellent actor and he can play any emotion including huge happiness for Terry's victory . But it not is true. All actors are naturally self-centered. I do not think that Michael is exception of this rule. But it does not make by his is bad guy and it does not mean that he hates Terry. I never considered that Michael feels the hostility to Terry, probably I was misunderstood. Or I have incorrectly written my idea in English. I think Michael smiled and applauded because it is laws of show of business and no more.

[maeve-lob.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry I did not mean to imply anything about you personally. I do not know if you are an 11 year or a 99 year old. I don't know how well you understand the intricacies of American life. I don't know how good your command of the English language is. I don't know enough about you to call you an idiot and to be blunt you don't know enough about me to be assuming I was inferring you were. You are only words on a page and I answered as best I could based on how I interpreted your original post.

To me the answer seem painfully obvious. Therefore, I assumed you did not understand the situation. I thought I was answering your question. I didn't want to be someone who jumped on you for flaming Michael when you innocently just did not understand. I erroneously (if I understand your present post) assumed you were not flaming Michael.

And yes it is very possible to distinguish between a genuine smile and one that is faked. Between a face that is happy and one that is pretending to be happy. The study of facial expressions is a science. One the FBI and CIA use. A real smile involves more than just an upturned mouth. It involves many other facial muscles. I can tell the difference. Yes, actors can fake a smile but they cannot replicate a smile.

[spicedogs.livejournal.com]

Since I know the poster, let me give you a bit of background:

1. She has a fairly good command of the language, but is not perfect at it. So you and her are having a bit of communications problem.

2. She was not flaming Michael. En contraire,she is extremely hurt that he did not win the Emmy. She thinks he deserved it a lot more than Michael did. Unlike we, who are aware of the Emmy and its politics, she views it as the absolute determinant of good and excellent acting skills. Of course, we know that at the level that both Terry and Michael are in their acting skills, it is very difficult to determine who is better. Sometimes, politics steps in.

3. She is interpreting the point where Terry praised Michael and Michael was choked up, as Michael showing his hurt at not winning the Emmy. No matter how much I try to show her that Michael was genuinely happy for Terry (you can see his genuine smile when Terry gets up from his seat), she refuses to accept it. I even showed her T.R’s fake smile vs. Michael’s smile, and she doesn’t accept it. I think that’s where the cultural difference steps in. We were raised knowing the true validity of the Emmy. She just sees it to be equivalent to a Nobel-type of prize.

4. Summing it all up, she is a true fan of Michaels. She is hurting for him for not getting the Emmy. Whereas we all know that Michael is in Hawaii doing his acting and not even thinking about the Emmy anymore.

[spicedogs.livejournal.com]

On #2, I meant to say that "She thinks he deserved it a lot more than Terry did."

[greenleaf-y.livejournal.com]

Dear Edith! You have correctly stated a state of affairs.Thanks you for it!! But I understand that business was damaged by a politics and a pity to me that exactly Michael became her victim. I understand your respect to Terry, but I think Michael all the same the best actor.
I hope he will show it to us his job on Lost.