Hugh Downer: Why Emmys Didn't Make a House Call

Hugh Laurie as Emmys host? Pinch me. Alas, it wasn't meant to be, though TV's crankiest doc made the short list. A source tells the awards-show mecca GoldDerby.com that Laurie actually was several Fox execs' early No. 1 choice to emcee the kudos-cast, and that a standoff between the House star's supporters and those who instead wanted Ryan Seacrest is what delayed the reveal of the host choice. In the end, the powers-that-be believed A) Idol's frontman would bring in a larger audience, and B) Laurie as congenial host might be jarring to us stupid, stupid TV fans who cannot separate fiction from reality.