The Emmy Nominations, Not As Groanworthy As Usual

Emmy nominations came out this morning and with all the extra nominations (6 picks for a lot of categories, 7 picks for Best Comedy Series and Best Drama Series), they STILL left off some favorites (that I knew would never get recognized in the big categories) like Friday Night Lights, Pushing Daisies, Privileged but on the other hand, so did the "regulars" (Grey's Anatomy, Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives, 24). All in all, not a horrible list this year, although Boston Legal (which I did like) STILL got nominations for William Shatner and Christian Clemenson (which I did not want to happen anymore). On the other hand, Justin Timberlake is now an Emmy nominated ACTOR? WOW! Who would have though back when N'Sync was still big.

Oh, and what will it take to get So You Think You Can Dance nominated in Best Reality Competition or Reality Host for Cat Deely? Sheesh. You think for taking 4 of the 6 slots in Best Choreography, it would beat Dancing with the Stars in the bigger categories.

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY
81st Annual Academy Awards • Musicals Are Back
Rob Ashford, Choreographer
Dancing With The Stars • Jive / Great Balls of Fire
Derek Hough, Choreographer
Julianne Hough, Choreographer
So You Think You Can Dance • Bleeding Love *
Tabitha D'umo, Choreographer
Napoleon D'umo, Choreographer
So You Think You Can Dance • Mercy
Mia Michaels, Choreographer
So You Think You Can Dance • Adam and Eve / Silence
Tyce Diorio, Choreographer
So You Think You Can Dance • A Los Amigos
Dmitry Chaplin, Choreographer

Dmitri Chaplin is nominated for an EMMY!!! Mia Michaels obviously. Yay for Nappytabs on what is my favorite dacne from last season. But Tyce Diorio? Really? (Which one was that one again?)

Here are the Emmy nominations and any reactions I may have had:
* Who I Want to Win

COMEDY

BEST COMEDY SERIES
Entourage
Family Guy
Flight of the Conchords
How I Met Your Mother
The Office
30 Rock *
Weeds

I never got Flight of the Conchords or Family Guy and I think Entourage and Weeds have lost a bit of their initial spark (though Entourage more than Weeds) but I'm happy for How I Met Your Mother and The Office even though both didn't have THEIR greatest season either. Only 30 Rock was consistently funny. I still say Ugly Betty is funny (especially the last batch of episodes this past season) though most people have written it off now, and I would have rather seen The United States of Tara and Pushing Daisies up there but I knew those were long shots.


BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Steve Carell, The Office
Jemaine Clement, Flight of the Conchords
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory *
Tony Shalhoub, Monk
Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men

Tony Shalhoub? Charlie Sheen? Groan. Again, I just don't find FOtC that funny so whatev. It's down between Alec Baldwin and Jim Parsons and while I'm sure Alec could eat Jim alive, I think this has been Jim's year.


BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?
Toni Collette, United States of Tara *
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds
Sarah Silverman, The Sarah Silverman Program

Even though I didn't think Samantha Who? was funny this year, I still thought Applegate held up the show based on sheer charm and lunacy. YAY COLLETTE though I thought there was NO WAY she could NOT have been nominated for that show (now if only the rest of her cast can get recognized). Personally I would have put JoAnna Garcia up there for Privileged but I knew that was NEVER gonna happen.


SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Kevin Dillon, Entourage
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother *
Jack McBrayer, 30 Rock
Tracy Morgan, 30 Rock
Rainn Wilson, The Office

NPH FTW!!! Chi McBride from Pushing Daisies is missing from the list. As is Keir Gilchrist from The United States of Tara. But I knew Gilchrist was a LONGSHOT just cause he's still a kid. And Michael Urie really should be up there too. But ah, they do love those "guy" shows don't they? The girly shows never get the respect do they?


SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Kristin Chenoweth, Pushing Daisies *
Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock
Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds
Amy Poehler, Saturday Night Live
Kristin Wiig, Saturday Night Live
Vanessa Williams, Ugly Betty

Well at least Williams and Chenowith got some love here. I really can't complain about this category actually.


GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Alan Alda, 30 Rock
Beau Bridges, Desperate Housewives
Jon Hamm, 30 Rock
Steve Martin, 30 Rock
Justin Timberlake, Saturday Night Live *

AH, the JT nomination! And apparently if you cast Jon Hamm in your show, you will get nominated big, no?


GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Jennifer Aniston, 30 Rock
Christine Baranski, The Big Bang Theory
Tina Fey, Saturday Night Live *
Gena Rowlands, Monk
Elaine Stritch, 30 Rock
Betty White, My Name Is Earl

Another great category. Fey? Anitston? White? Stritch? Baranski? Wow!


DRAMA

BEST DRAMA SERIES
Big Love
Breaking Bad
Damages
Dexter
House
Lost *
Mad Men

Okay, so this reads more like a list of the shows still on my list to watch, but I'm getting through Dexter right now (though haven't caught up to the latest season) and Big Love and Breaking Bad are still sitting right there to be next on the playlist. I've partially dropped House as regular viewing now because it was starting to get repetitive and I couldn't deal with it just to get to the inbetween character stuff anymore. I still haven't caught up with Damages season 2 (I recorded them all but waiting to do it in a marathon) yet but if it's like the first season, I can't wait! Still love Mad Men but Lost has just been spectacular, even if I don't understand anything that is going on anymore.


BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Simon Baker, The Mentalist *
Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie, House

Yah, I said it. I want Simon Baker to win. While the show is fun and clever, it's not genius or anything but Baker's performance lifts it to remarkable levels with his Sherlock Holmesian on an upper take of his lead character. Never gonna happen since his nomination will be the award itself but nice to see they saw beyond the pretty face.


BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Glenn Close, Damages *
Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: SVU
Holly Hunter, Saving Grace
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

Glenn Close just scares me. My default win would be for Moss who I think is the soul of her show.


SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Christian Clemenson, Boston Legal
Michael Emerson, Lost *
William Hurt, Damages
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad
William Shatner, Boston Legal
John Slattery, Mad Men

I enjoy my Boston Legal but SERIOUSLY? Groan.


SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Rose Byrne, Damages *
Hope Davis, In Treatment
Cherry Jones, In Treatment
Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy
Dianne Wiest, In Treatment
Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy

I really need to start watching In Treatment don't I?


GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Edward Asner, CSI: NY
Ted Danson, Damages *
Ernest Borgnine, ER
Michael J. Fox, Rescue Me
Jimmy Smits, Dexter

Or maybe Michael J. Fox.


GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Brenda Blethyn, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Carol Burnett, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Ellen Burstyn, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Sharon Lawrence, Grey's Anatomy
CCH Pounder, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency *

So is L&O:SVU the 30 Rock of guest stars? I'm going with Pounder even though I haven't seen her in that show, just cause she friggin deserves an Emmy by now.


REALITY

REALITY COMPETITION PROGRAM
The Amazing Race
American Idol
Dancing With The Stars
Project Runway
Top Chef *

Well, with the absence of SYTYCD, and the fact that TAR always wins, I'll share the wealth over to Top Chef, my latest obsession.


HOST FOR A REALITY OR REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM
Tom Bergeron, Dancing With the Stars
Phil Keoghan, The Amazing Race *
Heidi Klum, Project Runway
Padma Lakshmi (Host) and Tom Colicchio (Co-Host), Top Chef
Jeff Probst, Survivor
Ryan Seacrest, American Idol

Lakshmi and Colicchio and Klum and Probst are good. I'll give you that. But no one beats Keoghan's brow. (Since we can't count Cat Deely into the mix)


REALITY SERIES
Antiques Roadshow
Dirty Jobs *
Dog Whisperer
Intervention
Kathy Griffin: My Life On The D-List
MythBusters

Love Kathy but Mike Rowe actually has to do those dirty jobs and seems like he's cool with it. I'm willing to spread some Emmy love just for his attitude alone.


VARIETY, MUSIC, OR COMEDY

VARIETY, MUSIC, OR COMEDY SERIES
The Colbert Report
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart *
Late Show With David Letterman
Real Time With Bill Maher
Saturday Night Live

I feel it has been more Colbert's year but I think I still prefer Jon Stewart overall. SNL is still too imbalanced for me.


VARIETY, MUSIC, OR COMEDY SPECIAL
Will Ferrell: You're Welcome America. A Final Night With George W. Bush
Ricky Gervais: Out of England
Kathy Griffin: She'll Cut a Bitch
The Kennedy Center Honors
Chris Rock: Kill the Messenger

Since I only saw Will Ferrell's show, and I think I laughed twice the whole time, I'm going to assume Gervais, Griffin and Rock were far funnier, an assumption I could have made anyways without watching any of these choices.


MINISERIES OR MOVIE

MINISERIES
Generation Kill
Little Dorrit

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE
Coco Chanel
Grey Gardens
Into The Storm
Prayers For Bobby *
Taking Chance

Only saw Prayers For Bobby but it affectively made me cry. So it worked. I've heard Grey Gardens is great but more for the performances.


ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE
Kevin Bacon, Taking Chance
Kenneth Branagh, Wallander: One Step Behind
Kevin Kline, Cyrano de Bergerac (Great Performances)
Brendan Gleeson, Into the Storm
Sir Ian McKellen, King Lear (Great Performances)
Kiefer Sutherland, 24: Redemption

Just based on star quality, I'd love Gleeson, McKellen or Branagh to win.


ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE
Drew Barrymore, Grey Gardens
Jessica Lange, Grey Gardens
Shirley MacLaine, Coco Chanel
Sigourney Weaver, Prayers For Bobby
Chandra Wilson, Accidental Friendship

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Len Cariou, Into the Storm
Tom Courtenay, Little Dorrit
Ken Howard, Grey Gardens
Bob Newhart, The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice
Andy Serkis, Little Dorrit

Andy Serkis??!!! What is this movie? Why have I never heard of it?


SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Shohreh Aghdashloo, House Of Saddam
Marcia Gay Harden, The Courageous Heart Of Irena Sendler (Hallmark Hall Of Fame Presentation)
Janet McTeer, Into The Storm
Jeanne Tripplehorn, Grey Gardens
Cicely Tyson, Relative Stranger

Harden and McTeer in battle AGAIN? McTeer must want to stab Harden's heart this time around. NPH can referee again.

Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com