Ah, the Emmys. The awkward, red-headed step-child of the Oscars. Then again, television has been coming into its' own, with behemoths like Mad Men, 30 Rock, and nearly everything on HBO and Showtime nominated for a plethora of awards. Some say it's unfair that there are so many categories, or that Tina Fey has been nominated so much that she could build a spiral staircase of potential Emmys. Regardless, here are my predictions, for better or worse.
Best Comedy Series:
Should Win: 30 Rock
Will Win: 30 Rock
Referencing everything from B-list zombie slashers to Peter Shafer's Amadeus, I'm not the first to say it, nor will I be the last, but I want to go to there.
Best Drama Series:
Should Win: Mad Men
Will Win: Mad Men
Though its return was lugubrious, the payoff was well worth the wait. Season Two of this slick drama chronicles the complicated lives of the addies at Sterling-Cooper. Don disappears to California. Peggy discovers clothes that didn't belong to her grandmother. And we, the viewers, discover how much we love the unfolding intrigue. Can there please be a LOST/Mad Men hybrid, so we can all time travel back to the 1960's? (I'm looking at you, JJ.)
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series:
Should Win: Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper (The Big Bang Theory)
Will Win: Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy (30 Rock)
Jim Parsons, the slight, gangly Sheldon, defines "poindexter." With zero social skills and the uncomfortable burden of a genius IQ, he bumbles through life, stuttering physics formulas and committing faux-pas. Meanwhile, Alec Baldwin plays a slightly more egotistical version of himself.
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series:
Should Win: Jon Hamm as Don Draper
Will Win: Jon Hamm as Don Draper
Watch this genius SNL clip. And tell me you don't believe every word uttered by the once Dick Whitman.
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series:
Should Win: Mary-Louise Parker as Nancy Botwin (Weeds)
Will Win: Tina Fey as Liz Lemon (30 Rock)
Let's look at these characters academically:
Liz Lemon: Neurotic, over-committed brunette writer with fast food fetish, has to deal with incompetent co-workers, writers, and actors.
Nancy Botwin: Neurotic, over-committed brunette drug dealer with Diet Coke fetish, has to deal with incompetent co-workers, drug lords, and DEA agents.
Sadly, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences will go for the safe option. Not to say you're not brilliant, Tina, it's just...share the wealth, mmmkay?
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series:
Should Win: Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson, Mad Men
Will Win: Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson, Mad Men
Who would have thought that meek and dowdy secretary-cum-copywriter Peggy Olson would blossom into such a rich, complex stalwart of moxie and guts? Anyone doubting Moss' ability to exhibit this richness, watch season two's season finale, "Meditations in an Emergency." And then we'll talk. Marska Hargitay (Detective Olivia Benson of Law and Order: SVU) was, at one point, a contender, but already has a nod from the Academy, and has been so absent from the current season that it seems unlikely she'll get another statuette.
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series:
Should Win: Neil Patrick Harris (Barney Stinson, How I Met Your Mother), Jack McBrayer (Kenneth the Page, 30 Rock), or Tracy Morgan (Tracy Jordan, 30 Rock)
Will Win: Jack McBrayer (Kenneth the Page, 30 Rock)
While tempting to say all supporting actors are created equal (and only serve as foils for the lead characters), the truth of the matter is this year's batch of auxiliary funny men are as varied as Barney Stinson's collection of suits. Ultimately, McBrayer's earnest naivete wins out as accidentally hilarious. Sorry, Rainn, but Dwight just doesn't cut it any more. Fact.
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series:
Should Win: Kristin Chennoweth (Olive Snook, Pushing Daisies)
Will Win: Anyone's call
Chennoweth delights in the now defunct Pushing Daisies, as a jockey slash waitress Olive Snook, a pint-sized songbird and spy who helps the Scooby gang solve crimes. It doesn't hurt that this Broadway alum has some serious pipes, which she uses to great affect from time to time.
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series:
Should Win: Michael Emerson (Benjamin Linus, LOST)
Will Win: John Slattery (Roger Sterling, Mad Men)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series:
Should Win: ? (To be fair, I have not seen enough of any other show to give an accurate, angry rant over talent and the Academy being biased. It happens.)
Will Win: Sandra Oh (Dr. Cristina Yang, Grey's Anatomy)
Cristina has had a tumultuous season - first, getting impaled by an icicle, then falling for Lieutenant Night Terror who tried choking her in her sleep. There are only so many people who can pull off obsessive-compulsive neurosis with such likable charm, and Sandra Oh is one of them.
So, it's time to watch the magic unfold. Updates to follow as to how wonderfully/poorly I did. Enjoy!
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