Most award shows tend to be self-serving, ego-driven spectacles that last longer than most PBS documentaries (and can be just as boring). The 2007 Emmy awards on Fox were no different. Well, almost no different. Clocking in at over three hours, the show had quite a few slow spots and more than enough awards that should have been filed under the “I could care less” category. With that said, however, the event was not without its highlights and more than a few surprises.

One surprise was that host Ryan Seacrest didn’t suck. In the past, with hosts ranging from Johnny Carson to Conan O’Brien, you knew from the start you were in for a few belly laughs. Seacrest, on the other hand, was proven only in knowing what the stars were “wearing,” not delivering punch lines. But to Seacrest’s credit, he did a fine job and was actually quite amusing. Another surprise was the lack of one award-dominating show. In years past, most of the awards seemed to be divided up between a few shows and that was that. This year proved to be quite the opposite.

James Spader took home Best Lead Actor for his role on “Boston Public,” and Ricky Gervais won Best Lead Actor in a comedy series for “Extras.”

Jaime Pressly grabbed her first win as Best Supporting Actress in a comedy series for her role in “My Name Is Earl.”

Best Supporting Actor in a comedy series went to Jeremy Piven for his role in “Entourage.”

“Amazing Race” took home the award for Best Reality-Competition series, while Terry O’Quinn locked down Best Supporting Actor in a drama for his work on “Lost.”

Sally Field also took home a much-deserved Lead Actress award for her work on the drama “Brothers and Sisters.” With the Sopranos coming to an end this year, many thought the mob-themed hit would take home a handful of golden statues, but the actors for the show were all but ignored. No Lead Actor award; same thing for Lead Actress. The theme continued for both Supporting Actor and Actress awards.

The Sopranos didn’t leave empty handed, however, ending the night with a big win in the Best Drama Series category. The HBO series also took home awards earlier in the night for directing and writing.

Another cast who I felt was given the silent treatment was “The Office.” The show did get an award for writing (which is more than deserved), but what about the characters who bring it to life?

I dare anyone to tell me who is funnier on TV than Rainn Wilson and Steve Carell. Jeremy Piven is pretty good, but funnier than Dwight Schrute? I think not. I guess I can give Ricky Gervais a pass for beating out Carell, only because Gervais originally created “The Office.” Maybe all is not lost.

Another surprise winner was the cast of “30 Rock,” which took home the night’s award for Best Comedy Series.

To much applause, America Ferrera scored Best Lead Actress in a comedy series for her starring role in “Ugly Betty.”

And in a stacked list of “Grey’s Anatomy” actresses, Katherine Heigl took home Best Supporting Actress for a drama series.

Speaking of Heigl, that brings us to some of the nights more memorable moments. Upon accepting her award, Heigl immediately informed the crowd she wasn’t prepared because her mother told her she “didn’t have a chance in hell of winning,” garnering more than a few chuckles from the crowd.

Heigl was also the source of one of the night’s funnier gaffes, when her name was mispronounced as she walked on stage to present the award for Best Supporting Actor in a miniseries or movie. With a toothy grin, Heigl promptly corrected the announcer, following it up with “don’t worry…it’s a hard name to pronounce.” I have a feeling there’s a certain announcer out there who will be having dreams about the blonde beauty tonight – just not any good ones. The Emmys also had brief flashes of brilliance as a few stand-up comics, including Ray Romano and Ellen DeGeneres, were given time on stage and in the crowd.

Lewis Black’s rant about TV executives was probably best, and rather poignant under the circumstances. More people need to stand up to the corporate pigs and let them know they are ruining television with their bombardment of advertisements and utter disregard for actual storylines.

All in all, the 2007 Emmys were extremely long, filled with too many commercials and too many awards were given to “Broken Trail” and “Prime Suspect: The Final Act” (shows nobody ever watched). But now that it’s over, I must admit, it was better than watching a PBS documentary and pretty much anything on the CW.