Monday, August 23, 2010

It's EMMY Time...

...and I am not talking about my 5 year old. The Emmy Awards are this Sunday night, Aug. 31st, on NBC! Due to the fact that the outside temperature in Northern New Jersey did not get above 49 degrees from November until April, I enjoyed some good TV watching last year. In my opinion, network television has been in a drought the last few years, being challenged by HBO and Showtime and many of the cable networks that carry smart, well-written shows. All that changed last year, thanks to GLEE (FOX), Modern Family (ABC), and The Good Wife (CBS). I think this could be the year of the "network show comeback." I love making predictions, and do the same thing at Oscar and Golden Globe time. TV is harder, though, because people are attached to shows and characters. They aren't voting based on one performance. So, below you will find my "vote getters" from last year.


Outstanding Comedy Series

Curb Your Enthusiasm
Glee
Modern Family
Nurse Jackie
The Office
30 Rock

I am torn in this category. GLEE is an amazing show - the writing is great, the production numbers are great, and the ensemble cast is great. BUT - I think it paints with too narrow a brush to win in this category. Keep reading, though, because I think they will win in a couple categories below. MODERN FAMILY is that magical show with great writing, near-perfect casting, great execution each week, and the all-important relatable story lines. I have not talked to a single person who can't identify with one of the characters in this show. There have been numerous times during conversations that someone will repeat -VERBATIM - a line from an episode. You know you have a hit on your hands when my dad AND my husband will sit down and watch your show. Modern Family, I can't wait for you to be back.


Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series

Glee - Lea Michele as Rachel Berry

The New Adventures Of Old Christine - Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Christine Campbell

Nurse Jackie - Edie Falco as Jackie Peyton

Parks And Recreation - Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope

30 Rock - Tina Fey as Liz Lemon

United States Of Tara - Toni Collette as Tara Gregson

What does every smart, well-written show need? An actress like Edie Falco to deliver the lines. And she does, every week. Lea Michelle would be a shoo-in if she acted as well as she sings. She is great, but not in a best-actress way.


Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series


Glee - Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester

Modern Family - Julie Bowen as Claire Dunphy

Modern Family - Sofia Vergara as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett

Saturday Night Live - Kristen Wiig as Various Characters

30 Rock - Jane Krakowski as Jenna Maroney

Two And A Half Men - Holland Taylor as Evelyn Harper


Do I really need to say anything else? She is amazing. AMAZING. And, I hope they play MADONNA music when she walks up to the stage to accept her well-deserved award. You go, Sue Sylvester! And, for the record, I think Julie Bowen ROCKS as Claire Dunphy.


OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES


The Big Bang Theory - Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper

Curb Your Enthusiasm - Larry David as Himself

Glee - Matthew Morrison as Will Schuester

Monk - Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk

The Office - Steve Carell as Michael Scott

30 Rock - Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy

This is a hard category for me. Larry David is great, but he's tired. Tony Shaloub has won this category several times, and Emmy voters like to "share the love." Matthew Morrison is just riding the GLEE wave. Steve Carell is a combo of Larry David and Tony Shaloub. I don't know a thing about Jim Parsons. So, I am picking Alec Baldwin to walk away with a statue this year.

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Glee - Chris Colfer as Kurt Hummel

How I Met Your Mother - Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stins

Modern Family - Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell

Modern Family - Eric Stonestreet as Cameron Tucker

Modern Family - Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy

Two And A Half Men - Jon Cryer as Alan Harper

Eric Stonestreet makes me laugh. Out loud. Every week. I cannot get the picture of him in a clown suit out of my head. I smile when I think of him dancing at mommy & me class with Lilly. The Ave Maria scene at the end of the season had me in hysterical fits of laughter. I realize the success of Modern Family is the impeccable casting of the ensemble, but Eric Stonestreet is my favorite. And if loving him is wrong, I don't want to be right! :)


Outstanding Drama Series

Breaking Bad
Dexter
The Good Wife
LOST
Mad Men
True Blood

The Good Wife is CBS' trophy this year. The writing is smart, the drama believable, the characters relatable. The casting is impeccable. It has been a long time since I've said anything good about a network drama, but this year, it's all good. THE GOOD WIFE.


Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series

Breaking Bad - Bryan Cranston as Walter White
Dexter - Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan
Friday Night Lights - Kyle Chandler as Eric Taylor
House - Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House
Lost - Matthew Fox as Jack Shephard
Mad Men - Jon Hamm as Don Draper

He's a great actor and has all the buzz coming into the awards show...he won the Golden Globe and battled cancer last year. And that is why he will win. Oh, and his show? PHENOMENAL.

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series


The Closer - Kyra Sedgwick as Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson
Damages - Glenn Close as Patty Hewes
Friday Night Lights - Connie Britton as Tami Taylor
The Good Wife - Julianna Margulies as Alicia Florrick
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - Mariska Hargitay as Det. Olivia Benson
Mad Men - January Jones as Betty Draper

Julianna knows how to pick good material!!! Carol Hathaway, and now Alicia Florrick...she is amazing in this role. Every week she evolves her character to a new level. She is relatable and believable. People can empathize with her. She wins, no contest.


Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series

Breaking Bad - Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman
Damages - Martin Short as Leonard Winstone
Lost - Terry O'Quinn as John Locke
Lost - Michael Emerson as Ben Linus
Mad Men - John Slattery as Roger Sterling
Men Of A Certain Age - Andre Braugher as Owen

I never watched LOST. My husband downloaded it to my iPOD one year for me to watch on a plane ride across the Atlantic Ocean. About 30 minutes in,I was OUT. But, I know a ton of people upset it's over. So, for y'all, I vote for Terry O'Quinn.

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series


Burn Notice - Sharon Gless as Madeline Westen
Damages - Rose Byrne as Ellen Parsons
The Good Wife - Archie Panjabi as Kalinda Sharma
The Good Wife - Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart
Mad Men - Christina Hendricks as Joan Harris
Mad Men - Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson

I can't figure Diane Lockhart out. I love that she is interested in a man who is in every way her counterpoint. I love that she is struggling to save the law firm. I love that I don't know how she REALLY feels about Alicia Florrick. She had a not-so-great part to play (in my opinion), but has paralyed it into something I tune in to see. I watch The Good WIfe for Julianna, but I keep coming back because of people like Christine.


A couple other "notables"

BETTY WHITE totally wins for her guest hosting on SNL. I just love her.

NEIL PATRICK HARRIS wins for his guest role on GLEE. He is the male BETTY WHITE this year.

Enjoy the show, everyone!


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