The 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards are set to air this Sunday night (SEPTEMBER 21 (8:00-11:00 p.m., live ET/delayed PT) on ABC and despite it being a weird year for TV, what with the strike and all, I think this year’s crop of nominees is a good one. I made my picks for the actors and shows that I hope walk away with a nice, shiny statue. Feel free to disagree with me in the comments section below !
Outstanding Comedy Series
Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Entourage (HBO)
The Office (NBC)
30 Rock (NBC)
Two and a Half Men (CBS)
Ok, I was genuinely torn on this one. I’m an Entourage fan but The Office definitely outranks the HBO comedy series. The problem is, 30 Rock was really good last season. MILF Island. ‘nuff said. But I had to go with The Office because it’s one of my favorite series. That said, if 30 Rock were to take it, I wouldn’t be disappointed. Anything but Two and a Half Men.
Outstanding Drama Series
Boston Legal (ABC)
Damages (FX)
Dexter (Showtime)
House (Fox)
Lost (ABC)
Mad Men (AMC)
I chose House because the series took a risk in introducing a whole crop of new characters and it paid off. With some of the previous regulars taking a backseat, and new characters brought in, the show actually managed to stay good. Plus, last season’s finale was outstanding. Damages is also high on the list as it was easily one of the best new drama series to air in the last year. I hear Mad Men is fantastic but as I’ve yet to get around to watching it, I couldn’t enter it into consideration.
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk - Monk
Steve Carell as Michael Scott - The Office
Lee Pace as Ned - Pushing Daisies
Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy - 30 Rock
Charlie Sheen as Charlie Harper - Two and a Half Men
Another tough one. Baldwin is hilarious in 30 Rock but I adore Steve Carell and last I checked, he has yet to win an Emmy for his hilarious performance as Michael Scott so he gets my vote! Then again, Shalhoub hasn’t won an Emmy for Monk in a year or two so he’s probably due for another one.
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series
James Spader as Alan Shore - Boston Legal
Bryan Cranston as Walt White - Breaking Bad
Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan - Dexter
Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House - House
Gabriel Byrne as Paul - In Treatment
Jon Hamm as Don Draper - Mad Men
Bryan Cranston, hands down. I didn’t even recognize him as the hilarious dad from Malcolm in the Middle when I was watching Breaking Bad week after week. Cranston portrayed Walt White with a mesmerizing blend of anger and desperation that truly made this new series worth watching.
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Christine Campbell – The New Adventures of Old Christine
Christina Applegate as Samantha Newly - Samantha Who?
Tina Fey as Liz Lemon - 30 Rock
America Ferrera as Betty Suarez - Ugly Betty
Mary-Louise Parker as Nancy Botwin - Weeds
Tina Fey is excellent in 30 Rock, America Ferrera is great and Christina Applegate delivered a stand-out performance as the amnesiac ex-bitch Samantha in the new ABC series, Samantha Who? but I recently fell in love with Weeds over the summer and as that series is freshest in my mind, my vote goes to Mary-Louise Parker. Again though, if any of the other nominees won, I wouldn’t be disappointed.
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series
Sally Field as Nora Holden-Walker - Brothers & Sisters
Kyra Sedgwick as Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson - The Closer
Glenn Close as Patty Hewes - Damages
Mariska Hargitay as Olivia Benson - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Holly Hunter as Grace Hanadarko - Saving Grace
I caught an episode or two of Saving Grace and The Closer and I must admit that Sedgwick and Hunter do deliver fantastic performances in their respective shows but Glenn Close is scary-good in Damages.
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Jeremy Piven as Ari Gold - Entourage
Kevin Dillon as Johnny Drama - Entourage
Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson - How I Met Your Mother
Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute - The Office
Jon Cryer as Alan Harper - Two and a Half Men
Love Rainn Wilson. Love Jeremy Piven. Love Kevin Dillon even more. But this is Neil Patrick Harris’ year. If he can’t get a nomination for Dr. Horrible then he definitely deserves to win for his role as Barney in HIMYM.
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
William Shatner as Denny Crane - Boston Legal
Ted Danson as Arthur Frobisher - Damages
Zeljko Ivanek as Ray Fiske - Damages
Michael Emerson as Ben - Lost
John Slattery as Roger Sterling - Mad Men
I’m pretty sure CB Head Honcho Josh Tyler would’ve voted for Shatner by default but I have to give this one to Michael Emerson for his role as Ben in Lost. He creeps me out but in an entertaining way.
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
Kristin Chenoweth as Olive Snook - Pushing Daisies
Jean Smart as Regina Newly - Samantha Who?
Amy Poehler as Performer - Amy Poehler
Holland Taylor as Evelyn Harper - Two and a Half Men
Vanessa Williams as Wilhelmina Slater - Ugly Betty
Again, I’m torn. Jean Smart is good in pretty much anything she does. Amy Poehler is one of the funniest comedians on SNL and Vanessa Williams dominates the small screen in every scene she’s in on Ugly Betty. But I really want Kristin Chenoweth to win for her performance as the adorable (and occasionally feisty) performance as Olive in Pushing Daisies. I can't picture anyone else playing her role and definitely think her performance is Emmy worthy.
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Candice Bergen as Shirley Schmidt - Boston Legal
Rachel Griffiths as Sarah Walker-Whedon – Brothers & Sisters
Chandra Wilson as Dr. Miranda Bailey - Grey’s Anatomy
Sandra Oh as Cristina Yang - Grey’s Anatomy
Dianne Wiest as Dr. Gina Toll - In Treatment
I’m somewhat indifferent on this category as I didn’t think Grey’s was all that great last season. I do think that of the cast, Wilson and Oh are the two best actors on the series though so if either of them won it, that’d be nice. I haven’t seen In Treatment but Dianne Wiest has always been a great actress, so if she were to win, I’m sure she’d be more than deserving of the award. Of the nominees, I think I'd prefer Oh to take this one.
Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality-Competition Program
Ryan Seacrest, Host - American Idol
Tom Bergeron, Host - Dancing With the Stars
Howie Mandel, Host - Deal or No Deal
Heidi Klum, Host - Project Runway
Jeff Probst, Host - Survivor
Seacrest is deserving of this award. I know some consider him to be kind of dorky-douchy as a host but in reality, he’s actually really good at his job. He keeps Idol moving along, which can’t be easy given that it’s a live show and during the audition episodes, he’s often on hand to make idle chit-chat with the Idol hopefuls. I still think Cat Deeley should have been nominated in this category for her hosting gig on So You Think You Can Dance. Eh, maybe next year. In the meantime, Seacrest FTW!
