Emmys post-mortem includes Douglas marriage news; Pompeo dissing show

Michael Douglas after winning the Emmy for “Behind the Candelabra” Sunday.

Along with a number of surprise winners at the Primetime Emmys Sunday night, the evening and the morning after produced some other intriguing news and comments.

†A number of stars at the awards ceremony were surprised when Michael Douglas accepted his Emmy for best actor in a mini-series or TV movie for his amazing portrayal of Liberace in “Behind the Candelabra.”

The actor’s gracious shout-out thanks to his estranged wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, brought smiles to many in the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. “Everyone was so pleased,” said a veteran TV network executive early Monday. “Michael and Catherine were — and are — such a popular couple out here.

“People really would love to see them reconcile.”

Douglas himself wore his wedding ring to the awards, and spoke openly to “Extra’s” Jerry Penacoli on the red carpet at the Emmys. “Catherine and I are fine. … The press tries to push it along a little faster. We’re taking a little break. We talk. I think everything will be great”

Asked about a reconciliation possibility, Douglas immediately said, “Certainly.”

A longtime friend of the actor told me Monday, “Michael is so deeply in love with Catherine and I know she still loves him as well. He is working very hard to save their marriage. They’ve been through so much already. Let’s hope they can make this work.”

†Many would love to see Tiny Fey and Amy Poehler again host the Golden Globes, and Fey told Ryan Seacrest at the Emmys that she and her former “Saturday Night Live” partner have indeed been offered the gig by the Hollywood Foreign Press — and planned to talk it over after the Emmys show ended. Stay tuned!

†While Merritt Wever’s shock at being a big surprise Emmy winner led her to deliver that 12-word acceptance speech, the actress told reporters backstage it was because she sensed she was about to cry.

Wever won best supporting actress in a comedy series for “Nurse Jackie,” but she did regret her, “Thank you so very much. Um, I gotta go, bye,” ended before she could thank her show’s star, Edie Falco.

†While the Emmys scored well with a big ratings boost, one person not happy with the show was “Grey’s Anatomy” star Ellen Pompeo who told the Associated Press she was “really disappointed” with the broadcast. “I didn’t see any diversity in the Emmys at all. The Emmys felt so dated to me. That dance number was embarrassing. Did you see one person of color in that dance number?”

The actress went on to say her own “Grey’s Anatomy” series is more reflective of the world today.

“I’m extremely proud of our very, very diverse cast which represents the world that I walk around in every day.”