Emmy Nominations!

I love the day nominations for awards shows come out. I admit, I am one of those losers who gets up early, turns on E! and watches the live announcement. I just love witnessing the atmosphere of this room in LA packed full with eager publicists and journalists (at 5 AM LA time no less) ready to hear the good or bad news for their clients and favorite shows. And today it was great cause my imaginary BFF Neil Patrick Harris and Broadway vet turned Pushing Daisies star Kristin Chenoweth announced the noms and there was great spontaneous banter between them as they read off the nominees. Good times.

Now, onto the nominees themselves...I will say, that with the announcements of the top ten semifinalists in each category, I was a bit more prepared for the fact that some of my shows (my beloved HIMYM) weren't going to make the cut. While painful, it was a bit easier just knowing I wouldn't hear them called. Sigh. But it doesn't mean that I am still not outraged on some of my shows' behalf. :-)

DRAMA SERIES:
"Boston Legal," ABC
"Damages," FX
"Dexter," Showtime
"House," Fox
"Lost," ABC
"Mad Men," AMC

Well, in my earlier post on the semi-finalists, I correctly guessed 4 out of these 6 (there must have been a tie for the 5th slot, hence the 6 nominees). I should learn after all these years, to never count out Boston Legal. The Emmy voters LOVE this show...or at least nominating it, as it has yet to win. Mad Men got 16 nominations in total. I just started watching this show (a blog on it is to come once I finish Season 1), and let me just say that it is excellent, and may be a favorite in this race.
-Note that Mad Men, Damages, and Dexter made history today in being the first non-HBO cable shows to be nominated in the series category. Also for the first time in a LONG time, HBO is not represented in the drama category.
-Once I found out that Grey's only screened part 1 of their finale, I am not surprised they didn't get in. Way to leave the judges hanging in the middle of a story, Shonda...
-YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY Lost!!!! The episode they submitted was the instant classic "The Constant", so it may challenge Mad Men for that Statue.
-I am still bitter that Brothers and Sisters didn't even make the top ten. Clearly Emmy voters don't like Soapy dramas.

COMEDY SERIES:
"Curb Your Enthusiasm," HBO
"Entourage," HBO
"The Office," NBC
"30 Rock," NBC
"Two and a Half Men," CBS

Um, how unoriginal can you get? They must have blown their wads in the Drama category, cause these 5 were the same nominees as last year. YAWN. However, I called it, except I would have put in the wonderful Pushing Daisies over Curb Your Enthusiasm. Sadly, the Emmy Voters find that Two and a Half Men is one of the funniest shows on TV. Again, if anyone can explain this phenomenon to me, I would greatly appreciate it.
-30 Rock scored a record 17 nominations, so it has to be the current favorite. I really need to get into this show.

ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES:
Gabriel Byrne, "In Treatment"
Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"
Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"
Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"
Hugh Laurie, "House"
James Spader, "Boston Legal"

Once again, we have six nominees. Fricking Hugh Laurie has yet to win the Emmy for his brilliant performance on House. The episode he submitted, called "House's Head" is a tour de force performance, and hopefully he will finally triumph this year. But never count out James Spader, who has won this many times before. The Emmy Voters have quite a hard-on for his performance as Alan Shore, and he always gets to submit big grandstanding courtroom speech episodes.
-However, don't count out Mad Men's Jon Hamm, who won the Golden Globe. He had a speech in an episode I just watched, where he was pitching a campaign for LIPSTICK that almost moved me to tears...it was that good.

ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES:
Glenn Close, "Damages"
Sally Field, "Brothers and Sisters"
Mariska Hargitay, "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit"
Holly Hunter, "Saving Grace"
Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer"

YAWN. Same nominees as last year, save for Glenn Close subbing in for Patricia Arquette. Close looks to be the favorite here...although no one saw Sally Field's win coming, so who knows.

ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES:
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"
Steve Carell, "The Office"
Lee Pace, "Pushing Daisies"
Tony Shalhoub, "Monk"
Charlie Sheen, "Two and a Half Men"

This is also the list of usual suspects, save for newcomer Lee Pace for his delightful performance on Pushing Daisies. Remind me again HOW this show did not get a series nom? I would say that Alec Baldwin's name was already engraved on this, but they fricking LOVE Tony Shaloub. If Charlie Sheen wins, I may do something drastic...

ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES:
Christina Applegate, "Samantha Who?"
America Ferrera, "Ugly Betty"
Tina Fey, "30 Rock"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "New Adventures of Old Christine"
Mary-Louise Parker, "Weeds"

It's offical...Emmy voters are over the ladies of Desperate Housewives. I find it a bit surprising, as this season was a true return to first season glory for the show. I knew Christina Applegate would get in. She carries that entire show on her incredibly funny shoulders. She could be a dark horse to win, as Emmy can love a comeback story. Is this really the same girl who was Kelly Bundy on Married With Children? However, last year's winner Tina Fey has to be a favorite.

SUPPORTING ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES:
Jon Cryer, "Two and a Half Men"
Kevin Dillon, "Entourage"
Neil Patrick Harris, "How I Met Your Mother"
Jeremy Piven, "Entourage"
Rainn Wilson, "The Office"

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY for Neil! The episode he submitted, The Goat, is excellent, and gives him a really good chance at winning...if they don't go for two time champ Piven AGAIN. I was cool with it the first year, but really when someone wins multiple years in a row, I have a hard time believing that they really ARE the best in their field every single year. I more think that voters are just lazy and vote for the most recognizable name. Neil has been on an arudous publicity campaign for HIMYM (and himself), and he is incredibly likable, so hopefully that will pay off for him.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES:
Kristin Chenoweth, "Pushing Daisies"
Amy Poehler, "Saturday Night Live"
Jean Smart, "Samantha Who?
Holland Taylor, "Two and a Half Men"
Vanessa Williams, "Ugly Betty"

It's quite huge that Amy Poehler pulled off this nomination. Rumor is that the spin off to The Office is going to be built around her, so this could be a good send off for her days on SNL. This is a very strong category. I could see any of these ladies taking it.

SUPPORTING ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES:
Ted Danson, "Damages"
Michael Emerson, "Lost"
Zeljko Ivanek, "Damages"
William Shatner, "Boston Legal"
John Slattery, "Mad Men"

Michael Emerson MUST WIN this. That's all I am going to say about that. It's going to be a toughie though.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES:
Candice Bergen, "Boston Legal"
Rachel Griffiths, "Brothers and Sisters"
Sandra Oh, "Grey's Anatomy"
Dianne Wiest, "In Treatment"
Chandra Wilson, "Grey's Anatomy"

History dictates that when Candice Bergen is nominated, she usually wins. I would love to see Chandra Wilson take this though. Her performance as Miranda Bailey is a consistent high point on Grey's, and she was given great material this year. The episode she submitted this year (the one where her son almost died in a freak accident) was an uber tearjerker, and she was fantastic in it.

REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM:
"The Amazing Race," CBS
"American Idol," FOX
"Dancing With The Stars," ABC
"Project Runway," Bravo
"Top Chef," Bravo

Will one of these shows finally break the stronghold that Amazing Race has in this category? It has never lost in all the years they have given out this award.

REALITY HOST:
Tom Bergeron, 'Dancing With The Stars'
Heidi Klum, 'Project Runway'
Howie Mandel, 'Deal Or No Deal'
Jeff Probst, 'Survivor'
Ryan Seacrest, 'American Idol'

This has to be Ryan Seacrest's award to lose. The man is one of the hardest workers in Hollywood, and it may finally be a way for the Emmys to reward TV's highest rated show.

So, all in all, there were no real OUTRAGES this morning...but that is mainly because I had worked through all of my rage already, and had moved into the phase of acceptance :-)

Oh, to be an Emmy Voter...

Today, the Television Academy announced their top ten finalists in Comedy and Drama Series. This list will be whittled down to five this weekend, when voters go to screenings of submitted episodes. The nominees are announced on July 17th by my imaginary BFF Neil Patrick Harris and Minnie Driver.

And of course, being me, I have some issues with some of the inclusions and exclusions in these top tens. How I WISH I could vote! Let's take a look at the lists:

Top Ten Best Comedy Series:
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Entourage
The Family Guy
Flight of the Conchords
The Office
Pushing Daisies
30 Rock
Two and a Half Men
Ugly Betty
Weeds

1) Will someone PLEASE explain the appeal of Two and a Half Men to me??????? Seriously, I don't think I know anyone who watches it, yet it is the number one sitcom on TV. I do not get it, and I really wish someone would explain to me why it's funny, cause the snippets I have seen do nothing for me.
2) Hand in Hand with that...WHY do they not show any love for my beloved How I Met Your Mother?!?!?! Are they not submitting the right episodes? I think it (along with the Office) is among one of the best comedy ensembles on television, and has definitely filled the void that Friends left when it went off the air. It certainly deserves to make at least the Top Ten comedy series on the air. And you will hear me screaming in agony on July 17 if NPH doesn't get his supporting actor nod.
3) A HUGE snub definitely goes to Desperate Housewives, which in my opinion had a season equal to its much ballyhooed first season. I was watching with fervor again, and the show and Actresses had their mojo back. What happened?
4) Two much buzzed about new sitcoms failed to make the cut as well: The Big Bang Theory (which I do not watch, but hear is great) and the delightful Samantha Who. I would imagine both shows submitted their pilot episodes, as many new series do. Samantha Who should at least pick up a leading actress nom for Christina Applegate, who is just incandescent as Sam.
5) Um, it is QUITE huge that an animated series made the top ten.

My final five predictions: 30 Rock, The Office, Entourage, Pushing Daisies, and (UGH!! WHY?!) Two and a Half Men. Weeds could be a spoiler, but never has a non-HBO cable show gotten a series nom. Will that change this year?

Top Ten Best Drama Series:
Boston Legal
Damages
Dexter
Friday Night Lights
Grey's Anatomy
House
Lost
Mad Men
The Tudors
The Wire

1) Remember what I just said about non-HBO cable series? Yeah, that is probably going to change this year, with 4 of the 10 nominees being non-HBO cable shows. Golden Globe winning Mad Men has a great shot, as well as the buzzy Dexter, which got a nice fan boost by being aired on CBS during the writer's strike.
2) The oft-nommed too much Sopranos is finally gone, which most likely leaves a slot open for a new show to come in. I think 4 of the slots are locked pretty solidly. More on that in a moment.
3) WHERE IS BROTHERS AND SISTERS?!?!?!
4) Very nice to see ratings challenged Friday Night Lights make the cut. It really is a wonderful show, especially the first season. The second season was hampered a bit by some silly subplots that were a ploy to get ratings (they didn't work). But the acting on the show, especially by leads Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton as Coach and Mrs. Taylor, is probably what got this show through. Yay for them.
5) Lost better effing make the final 5, which it hasn't done since WINNING in its first season. Season 4 was spectacular, and they submitted the instant classic episode "The Constant", so I have to figure it's chances are pretty solid.
6) Grey's Anatomy submitted their two hour season finale, which was classic Grey's in top form. It should also pick up a handful of acting nominations, especially in the supporting categories.

My Predicted Final Five: I am pretty certain that Lost, House, and Grey's Anatomy are locks. Mad Men looks good after it's Globe win, and I expect some love to finally be shown to Dexter.

Tom O'Neill, who writes for the LA Times, usually finds out the acting top tens and posts them. If he does, I will be blogging about those. I have some faves I am dying to see make the cut. We shall see...