Rickles shares some funny ones

On stage, Don Rickles took some potshots at the Emmy broadcast’s entertainment value and even gave one of co-presenter Kathy Griffin’s jokes the thumbs-down. But back in the press tent, seated in a director’s chair clutching his statuette and being called a “legend” by a fawning scrum of reporters, the caustic comedy icon -- a guy for whom “hockey puck” is a term of endearment -- played nice.

“Tonight was very entertaining,” said Rickles, 82. “There’s that British gentleman” -- he was referring to Ricky Gervais -- “Jon Stewart and Stephen [Colbert].”

“You have to work at it,” Rickles continued. “It’s not geared toward ha, ha, ha. There are times when it has to be serious. All in all, I think they did a good job. I really do.”

-- Chris Lee