Emmy Awards, Part I

So the Emmy Awards are coming this Sunday. Now unlike the majority of people in the world, I like award shows. I know that they are just patting themselves on the back but I don’t really care. But it’s not just the awards, it’s the way they present the nominations. Being a video editor, I enjoy how the graphics are used throughout the program. I also like making predictions and seeing how many I can guess right. But I’ll get to that in a later blog. First, I thought I’d address the complaints aimed at the Emmys this year, namely where the hell is Lost.

Well, the Emmys decided to change the voting structure by allowing the ten top nominees to stand and then have those narrowed down by a panel. This is why there are very different people and shows nominated, like 2 ½ Men and The King of Queens, not that they are bad shows, just rarely nominated. Numerous TV critics were hoping this new nomination process would allow the people from Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars to get voted in but to no avail. Now a couple of reasons as to why Lost isn’t represented: the first is that the producers stupidly submitted the second season premiere Man of Science, Man of Faith. Now the opening of this episode was awesome but there is a lot of back story involved and not all the voters have watched Lost as religiously as America. They should have submitted The Other 48 Days which has no back story but is still fascinating. And the possible reason why there are no nominations for the actors, is that with a large talented cast, they kept splitting each other’s votes. I mean if you had to pick one, who would you vote for? I’d probably say Locke, but I’m sure people like Sawyer, Jin, Jack, Sun, Sayid, and Hurley all got votes which essentially cancelled themselves out. As to why Desperate Housewives didn’t get nominated this year is pretty simple. It sucked. The second season was a dismal failure when compared to its stellar first season.

So if I were the one to create the list of nominees for the upcoming Emmys, this is what it would look like. (I’ve followed my list with the actual list so you can see the large discrepancies.)

My Picks for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series
Alias Victor Garber as Jack Bristow / House Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House / 24 Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer / The Unit Dennis Haysbert as Jonas Blane / Without a Trace Anthony LaPaglia as Jack Malone
Actual Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Christopher Meloni as Detective Elliot Stabler / Rescue Me Denis Leary as Tommy Gavin / Six Feet Under Peter Krause as Nate Fisher / 24 Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer / The West Wing Martin Sheen as President Josiah Bartlet

My Picks for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series
Big Love Jeanne Tripplehorn as Barb Henrickson / Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson / The Unit Regina Taylor as Molly Blane / Veronica Mars Kirsten Bell as Veronica Mars / The West Wing Allison Janney as C.J. Cregg Actual Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series
The Closer Kyra Sedgwick as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson / Commander In Chief Geena Davis as Mackenzie Allen / Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson / Six Feet Under Frances Conroy as Ruth Fisher / The West Wing Allison Janney as C.J. Cregg

My Picks for Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Alias Kevin Weisman as Marshall J Flinkman / Lost Terry O’Quinn as John Locke / Prison Break Robert Knepper as Theodore “T-Bag” Bagwell/ 24 Gregory Itzin as President Charles Logan / Veronica Mars Jason Dohring as Logan Echolls
Actual Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Boston Legal William Shatner as Denny Crane / Huff Oliver Platt as Russell Tupper / The Sopranos Michael Imperioli as Christopher Moltisanti / 24 Gregory Itzin as President Charles Logan / The West Wing Alan Alda as Arnold Vinick

My Picks for Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Alias Amy Acker as Kelly Peyton / Boston Legal Candice Bergen as Shirley Schmidt / Lost Yunjin Kim as Sun Kwon / 24 Jean Smart as First Lady Martha Logan / Veronica Mars Tina Majorino as Mac
Actual Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Boston Legal Candice Bergen as Shirley Schmidt / Grey’s Anatomy Sandra Oh as Cristina Yang / Grey’s Anatomy Chandra Wilson as Dr. Bailey / Huff Blythe Danner as Izzy Huffstodt / 24 Jean Smart as First Lady Martha Logan

My Picks for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
Arrested Developmnet Jason Bateman as Michael Bluth / Curb Your Enthusiasm Larry David as Himself / My Name is Earl Jason Lee as Earl / The Office Steve Carell as Michael Scott / Scrubs Zach Braff as Dr. John “J.D.” Dorian
Actual Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
Curb Your Enthusiasm Larry David as Himself / The King Of Queens Kevin James as Doug Heffernan / Monk Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk / The Office Steve Carell as Michael Scott / Two And A Half Men Charlie Sheen as Charlie Harper

My Picks for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
The Comeback Lisa Kudrow as Valerie Cherish/ Everybody Hates Chris Tichina Arnold as Rochelle Rock / How I Met Your Mother Alyson Hannigan as Lily Aldrin / The New Adventures Of Old Christine Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Christine Campbell / Will & Grace Debra Messing as Grace Adler
Actual Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
The Comeback Lisa Kudrow as Valerie Cherish/ Malcolm In The Middle Jane Kaczmarek as Lois / The New Adventures Of Old Christine Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Christine Campbell / Out Of Practice Stockard Channing as Lydia Barnes / Will & Grace Debra Messing as Grace Adler

My Picks for Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Arrested Development Will Arnett as Gob Bluth / Entourage Jeremy Piven as Ari Gold / How I Met Your Mother Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson / The Office Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute / Scrubs John C McGinley as Dr. Perry Cox
Actual Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Arrested Development Will Arnett as Gob Bluth / Entourage Jeremy Piven as Ari Gold / Malcolm In The Middle Bryan Cranston as Hal / Two And A Half Men Jon Cryer as Alan Harper / Will & Grace Sean Hayes as Jack

My Picks for Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
Arrested Development Jessica Walter as Lucille Bluth / Curb Your Enthusiasm Cheryl Hines as Cheryl David / My Name Is Earl Jaime Pressly as Joy / The Office Jenna Fischer as Pam Beesly / Will & Grace Megan Mullally as Karen
Actual Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
Curb Your Enthusiasm Cheryl Hines as Cheryl David / Desperate Housewives Alfre Woodard as Betty Applewhite / My Name Is Earl Jaime Pressly as Joy / Weeds Elizabeth Perkins as Celia Hodes / Will & Grace Megan Mullally as Karen

My Picks for Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series
Arrested Development • SOBs – The family tries everything to stay on the air, including 3D, deaths, and guest stars / Entourage • Exodus – Ari goes against the agency an it ends up badly, while Mansy may be cheating on Vince / My Name is Earl • Y2K – The gang think that the world has ended and they are the only survivors / The Office • Christmas Party – A gift exchange gone wrong with an expensive iPod and vodka shots / Scrubs • My Way Home – In an homage to Wizard of Oz, JD just want to go back to his day off from the hospital
Actual Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series
Arrested Development • Development Arrested / Entourage • Exodus / Extras • Kate Winslet / My Name Is Earl • Pilot / The Office • Christmas Party

My Picks for Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series
Alias • There’s Only One Sydney Bristow – Will returns with a bomb in his head as they try to track down Anna / CSI: • Rashomama – When Nick loses the evidence from a wedding murder, the crew must remember what happened / Lost • Two for the Road – Michael returns, Hurley plans a date and the biggest twist in the last dying seconds / Prison Break • End of the Tunnel – As they plan their ultimate escape, a new pipe causes problems / Veronica Mars • Not Pictured – A great 2nd season finale that includes a twist on the 1st season finale
Actual Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series
Grey’s Anatomy • It’s the End Of The World, As We Know It (Part 1 & 2) / Grey’s Anatomy • Into You Like A Train / Lost • The 23rd Psalm / Six Feet Under • Everyone’s Waiting / The Sopranos • Members Only

My Picks for Outstanding Comedy Series
Arrested Development / Curb Your Enthusiasm / Entourage/ The Office / Scrubs
Actual Outstanding Comedy Series
Arrested Development / Curb Your Enthusiasm / The Office / Scrubs / Two And A Half Men

My Picks for Outstanding Drama Series
Alias / Lost / Prison Break / 24 / Veronica Mars
Actual Outstanding Drama Series
Grey’s Anatomy / House / The Sopranos / 24 / The West Wing

The predictions are coming very soon.