Start with The Last of Us

I'm giving you Emmy's homework here.

Our grown daughters came home for Christmas and got a peek at our streaming platforms. They didn’t say “okay, boomer” out loud, but they did, diplomatically, give us "Emmy's homework."

So last night, dutifully, we watched EPISODE 3 OF 'THE LAST OF US.' While we were watching it, guest actor and star of the episode, 53-year-old Nick Offerman, was winning his first Emmy for the performance!!!

You may recognize this stARTist from Parks and Recreation or hosting the creative show Making It or being married to Megan Mullally.

I'm a mere boomer, but friends, this episode is a must-watch! You have to brace yourself for some dystopian zombie shenanigans to get to it, but it’s the most complex, hopeful, human story I’ve seen…maybe ever. I’m so glad it was assigned as homework.

So…why did Emmy’s homework come up at baby Jesus’ holiday? Because our kids – our two daughters and their partners – love television. And because…I’M GOING TO THE EMMY’S next week!!! THE 75TH PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS!

To quote 5-time Emmy winner Tony Shalhoub in every episode of Monk, “Here’s what happened…”

My older daughter, Taylor Kay Phillips, a writer for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, was nominated for for an Emmy.

Her husband, Felipe Torres Medina, a writer for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was also nominated for an Emmy.

When you get nominated for an Emmy, you get to bring a plus-one. If your partner is ALSO nominated for an Emmy, you BOTH get to bring a plus one. So guess what! They’re BRINGING THEIR MOMS!

Felipe’s mom, Matha, is coming from her home in Bogota, Colombia, and I will be traveling fancy-style from my home in Kansas City. I guarantee you that Martha and I will be having at least as much fun as Nick Offerman. We adore each other, and we are so proud of our kids that we will be busting our buttons (aka Spanx) all night long.

This isn’t Felipe and Taylor’s first Emmys. Last year they were also both nominated, and don’t you know those sweetie pies took their sisters! Also last year, Taylor WON her first Emmy! Good thing her sister was there to take her picture crying in public.

And that wasn’t Taylor’s first Emmy’s, because Felipe took Taylor as his plus-one when his show won the Emmy in 2021!

I can’t talk about my kids winning anything or how to carry the statue home because that would maybe jinx something and it’s a thrill just to be nominated.

Also, they are nominated with teams of talented funny writers, and I guess if I jinx my kids, I also jinx the kids of other moms. As I understand it, I won’t be the only mom in attendance, so…it’s a thrill just to be the plus-one of someone who is nominated.

So what am I most excited about? I’m MOST EXCITED about emerging from the limo at the red carpet. Because it’s the Cinderella moment we all dream of, and because, as Taylor says “It will be fun because we will get out of the car and see the photographers be disappointed.”

So if you came here for creative inspiration, here are the stARTistic takeaways from this article of me bragging about the fact that I get to go to the Emmy’s.

• As writers, we must tell our stories. Please tell your stories. You never know when it will inspire someone to push their kids into show business so they can maybe someday play dress-up with famous people.

• When you get nominated for an Emmy, and you get to take a plus-one that is not your partner, your mom will understand if you take your sister first.

• You gotta watch The Last of Us.

• Also, consider watching these shows as homework. They’re recommended by Taylor and Felipe, who as nominees are now Emmy’s judges:

  • Bear

  • Abbot Elementary

  • White Lotus

  • Sucession

  • Barry

  • Jury Duty

• It’s thrilling to cheer on stARTists at the top of their game.

Stay tuned for my upcoming posts about THE DRESS and post-Emmy’s afterglow.

I’m off to find comfortable boomer mom shoes and spray them with glitter paint. You think I’m kidding.