Bradenton's Wallenda wins award at Sunday's Emmys

   Apparently, Manatee County residents weren't the only ones who thought Nik Wallenda's walk across the Grand Canyon was the coolest thing on TV in the past year.
   The CBS Emmy Awards website invited the public to vote for the "Top TV Moment of the Year." During Sunday's Emmy broadcast, Wallenda's walk was announced as the winner.
   "He doesn't get an Emmy, but he does get the honor of winning this vote," said Wallenda's manger, Winston Simone. "And it's quite an honor, because he won over some really significant television moments, such as the last episode of 'The Office.' "
   The site gave the public 10 choices for best moment. Besides Wallenda's walk and "The Office," they were the Bob Marley Tribute at the Grammy Awards, the Boston Marathon bombing, the Superbowl blackout, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosting the Golden Globe Awards show, the "Mother" episode of "How I Met Your Mother," the "Red Wedding" episode of "Game of Thrones," Hurricane Sandy coverage and a Kristen Wiig's farewell on "Saturday Night Live."
   A comment about the poll  appeared on Wallenda's Facebook page Friday afternoon: "We did it! 'Skywire Live with Nik Wallenda' won Emmy's top TV moment of the year! Thank you friends, family, and fans for all of your support! I couldn't have done it without you guys! Never give up!"
   "Skywire Live" was the title of the Discovery Channel's live coverage of Wallenda's 22-minute high-wire walk some 1,500 feet above the bottom of the Grand Canyon on a high wire on June 24. He was the first person to attempt that crossing and about 21-million people watched and listened as he completed the walk.
   Wallenda's next scheduled walk will be with his sister, Lijana Wallenda Hernandez. They will perform a dual walk 140 feet off the ground prior to the start of the Bank of America 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Oct. 12.
   They'll begin from opposite ends of a 500-foot cable, crossing paths along the way.

   The speedway walk will be about one-third the length and one-seventh the height of the Grand Canyon crossing. But Wallenda, who lives in Bradenton, said crossing speedway carries its own challenges.

“We take every walk seriously, whether it's 20 feet off the ground or 200 feet," he said. "You can't let up for a second.”

    
  

UPDATED 6/2: 'Glee' star Jane Lynch in talks to host Emmys

UPDATED 6/2: It's official. Looks like I'll be watching the Emmy Awards show for the first time in years. Jane Lynch rocks!

Here's the press release:

"Emmy Award-winning actress Jane Lynch will host the 63RD PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS airing live from the NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles on Sunday, Sept. 18, on FOX. “We’re delighted to have Jane Lynch host the Primetime Emmys this year,” said John Shaffner, Chairman and CEO, Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

Continue reading at Deadline.com.

UPDATED 5/25: "The TV academy's board of governors is scheduled to meet today (May 25) and could give the thumbs-up to Jane Lynch as host then," reports the Baltimore Sun. "She would be the first solo female host of the Emmys since Ellen DeGeneres in 2005."

"Glee" star — and Palmetto High School Rowing Club super-supporter — Jane Lynch appears to be the top choice to host TV's biggest awards show.

"She may not be the most traditional choice, but she certainly is on brand for Fox: The network is in talks 'Glee' co-star Jane Lynch to host this year’s Emmys, sources confirm," reports Entertainment Weekly.

Lynch has won both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her portrayal of ruthless cheerleader squad coach Sue Sylvester.

“Kids of all stripes who feel different than everybody else tell me how the show helps them," Lynch told me for this story that ran last month. "The world can be cruel. If ‘Glee’ can do just that one thing, that’s really great.”

Deadline.com says pretty much the same about the actress with ties to Manatee County landing the high-profile gig:

"After 'How I Met Your Mother' co-star Neil Patrick Harris garnered rave reviews as Emmy host of the CBS-carried ceremony, word is that Fox is close to locking Glee co-star Jane Lynch for emcee duties this year," reports the online infotainment magazine.

Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester/publicity photo

Lynch and her wife Lara Embry are huge helpers of their pal Trish Jackson's Palmetto High School Rowing Club.

Lynch acted as emcee, using a megaphone to announce winners, during the first Chopper Dropper fund-raiser May 14 at River Wilderness Golf & Country Club in Parrish, I reported last week. More than an estimated $40,000 was raised for the rowing team, which just completed its first season, to purchase new equipment.

“We love Trish and they did so well in their first regatta boat race, taking a silver medal their first year when these other teams have been around for generations,” Lynch said. “We’re just so thrilled and jazzed about their success.”

The 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards air Sunday, September 18, on FOX.

My Lynch interviews for Bradenton Herald:

"Jane Lynch, of ‘Glee’ fame, coming to Manatee" (April 27)

"‘Glee’ star Jane Lynch gives local donation" (Feb. 11)


Watch Lynch video from Palmetto High.



Top photo: Last year, "Glee" lost best comedy series to "Modern Family," but Jane Lynch claimed a trophy in the acting slots. Credit: NBC via Los Angeles Times.