EMMY WATCH 2008: Outstanding Reality Show Competition

I’m not a big fan of reality TV.  I watch a few really well produced shows, mostly on Bravo or CBS (though I do love me some SYTYCD).  Here are the nomineeds for Reality Competition:

Should Win: I think either THE AMAZING RACE (because really, how can you beat this brilliantly produced show) or TOP CHEF should take this thing.

Will Win: I’m hoping AMERICAN IDOL doesn’t pull an upset.  Otherwise, we should be looking at another straight win for THE AMAZING RACE.

Should Be Nominated: Maybe SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE or SURVIVOR but other than that, nothing really stands out as being forgotten.

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EMMY WATCH 2008: Outstanding Reality Show Host

I’m still a little bitter about this category….Here are the nominees for Outstanding Host of a Reality Show –

Clockwise from Left: Heidi Klum, PROJECT RUNWAY; Howie Mandel, DEAL OR NO DEAL; Jeff Probst, SURVIVOR; Ryan Seacrest, AMERICAN IDOL; Tom Bergeron, DANCING WITH THE STARS

Should Win: I hope Probst wins this thing.  He really grills his contestants, from the sounds of it, he has a hand in directing, producing, you name it.  I want him to win.

Will Win:  I believe I’ve been quoted as saying “If Ryan Seacrest wins, so help me God…” while shaking my right fist in the air.  Well, I have a feeling I’ll be doing a little cursing on Sunday when he wins this thing because he’s all over the GD place.

Should Be Nominated:  My two favorite hosts in the world – Phil Keoghan from THE AMAZING RACE and Cat Deeley from SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE were cruelly kept off the list.  Both are deserving of a nomination and a win in my book.  I also kind of think Tyra deserves it more than Howie Mandel for AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL, to be perfectly honest!

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EMMY WATCH 2008: Outstanding Supporting ACTRESS, Comedy

This is the first year where the SNL actors get put into the acting categories, versus the Individual Performance in a variety show category, and only one person managed to squeak in!  Here are the Supporting Actress nominees:

Left to Right: Amy Poehler, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE; Kristin Chenoweth, PUSHING DAISIES; Holland Taylor, TWO AND A HALF MEN; Vanessa Williams, UGLY BETTY; Jean Smart, SAMANTHA WHO?

Should Win: Well, I’m terribly partial to PUSHING DAISIES, so one of my votes goes to Cheno and her awesome Olive Snook.  She’s perfect in this role.  I have to cast my other votes (because you know me and my bad decision making abilities) go to Amy Poehler because I think it would be awesome if she won, and Jean Smart because she’s brilliant as Regina on SAMANTHA WHO?

Will Win: I think Vanessa Williams could take this.  Holland Taylor or Jean Smart might be the spoilers. 

Should Be Nominated: Everyone else might say Jenna Fischer (Pam from THE OFFICE, who I agree is great), but I don’t see how Angela Kinsey keeps going unnoticed.  She’s hilarious and she truly is playing a character because she’s the sweetest person in real life. Judy Reyes from SCRUBS was snubbed, once again.  And where is Elizabeth Perkins?  Sure, WEEDS had a strange third season, but I still thought we’d see her name.  Also, though EARL wasn’t so hot this season, Jaime Pressly still knocks it out of the park!

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EMMY WATCH 2008: Outstanding Supporting ACTOR, Comedy

Without everyone’s favorite sidekicks, the lead actors wouldn’t have much to bounce off of, would they?   Let’s look at the nominees!

Clockwise from top left: Jeremy Piven, ENTOURAGE; Jon Cryer, TWO AND A HALF MEN; Rainn Wilson, THE OFFICE; Neil Patrick Harris, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER; Kevin Dillon, ENTOURAGE

Should Win: I think Neil Patrick Harris is sublime as Barney on HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER.  He totally deserves this award.  I also kind of hope Kevin Dillon gets it, just to prove that it’s not the Jeremy Piven show.

Will Win: I feel like the voters are just going to cast for people who have won before, so I’m thinking Jeremy Piven will take it for a rather lackluster season of ENTOURAGE.

Should Be Nominated: Chi McBridge from PUSHING DAISIES.  His Emerson Cod is one of the best characters on TV!  John Krasinski from THE OFFICE, Jason Segal from HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, Ed Helms from THE OFFICE.

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EMMY WATCH 2008: Outstanding ACTRESS, Comedy

Time to talk about our favorite funny women.  There is no one in this group that I don’t like!

Clockwise from top left: America Ferrera, UGLY BETTY; Tina Fey, 30 ROCK, Mary-Louise Parker, WEEDS; Christina Applegate, SAMANTHA WHO?;(center) Julia Louis-Dreyfus, THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE

Should Win: I love Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Mary-Louise Parker.  I would be happy if either of them won, but to be honest, this is the hardest to pick from category!

Will Win: I think it might be Tina Fey’s year, though she’s not necessarily the funniest actress.  I could see Christina Applegate taking it, too, for her sublime work on SAMANTHA WHO?

Should Be Nominated: I’m sad that Anna Friel wasn’t nominated for PUSHING DAISIES.  I love her!

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THE CLOSER Season Finale – Your take?

I woke up a half hour early this morning, basically throwing off my whole schedule.  The good news is that I was able to watch THE CLOSER’s summer finale before heading into the office.  I think it was one of the funniest episodes I’ve seen in a while, but at the same time, it was action packed, scary, and made me a blubbering crying idiot by the last five minutes.

[SPOILER ALERT – don’t click for more if you haven’t watched yet]

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EMMY WATCH 2008: Outstanding ACTOR, Comedy

Today I want to focus some of my attention on the comedy nominees, starting with the lead actors –

Clockwise from top left: Alec Baldwin, 30 ROCK; Steve Carell, THE OFFICE; Lee Pace, PUSHING DAISIES; Charlie Sheen, TWO AND A HALF MEN; (Center) Tony Shalhoub, MONK

Should Win: I love me some Lee Pace.  He is brilliant as Ned the Piemaker on PUSHING DAISIES.  I also think that 30 ROCK wouldn’t be nearly as funny as it is without Alec Baldwin (It’s important to note that I would also be okay with Tony Shalhoub and Steve Carell taking this one).

Will Win: Four of my favorite people on TV and one of my least favorite.  It wouldn’t surprise me if the Emmys picked my least favorite, Charlie Sheen from 2.5 MEN.  I just don’t get the appeal of that show.

Should Be Nominated: I don’t get the appeal of MY NAME IS EARL, either, but Jason Lee does some great comedy work.  I’m also always pissed that Zach Braff is left off of the list for SCRUBS.

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EMMY WATCH 2008: Outstanding Supporting ACTRESS, Drama

We can’t talk about the men without talking about the women –

Clockwise from top left: Chandra Wilson, GREY'S ANATOMY; Rachel Griffiths, BROTHERS & SISTERS; Sandra Oh, GREY'S ANATOMY; Dianne Wiest, IN TREATMENT; Candice Bergen, BOSTON LEGAL

Should Win: There is no one better, for me, than Chandra Wilson from GREY’S ANATOMY.  Miranda Bailey is one of the greatest characters on TV.  Watching her deal with her falling-apart family was brilliant.  If I had to offer an alternative, I would say Dianne Weist as Gabriel Byrne’s psychiatrist in IN TREATMENT was also fantastic.

Will Win:  This one might be a battle between Murphy Brown and Miranda Bailey.  I think it’s Candice Bergen or Chandra Wilson’s to lose.  Rachel Griffiths was a favorite for SIX FEET UNDER, but I don’t know that she’s done “winning quality work” for BROTHERS AND SISTERS this season.  But still, she’s a familiar name, so it could work in her favor.  I’m so undecided in this category – Academy Award winner Wiest could take it, too!

Should Be Nominated: Since this is the field in which she submitted her name, Connie Britton should be on this list.  She is brilliant.  Calista Flockhart did some great work on B&S this season, and so did Emily Van Camp and Patricia Wetting.  I think the women on that show are terribly underrepresented in these nominations!  Christina Hendricks (Joan) from MAD MEN deserved this nom, too!

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EMMY WATCH 2008: Outstanding Supporting ACTOR, Drama

So this is another stacked field from which it’s hard to pick a favorite.  These characters totally run the gamut – sociopatchic businessman, woe-be-gone lawyer, mentally insane crazy lawyer, womanizing ad exec, and Ben Linus.

Clockwise from top left: Michael Emerson, LOST; John Slattery, MAD MEN; Zeljko Ivanek, DAMAGES; Ted Danson, DAMAGES; William Shatner, BOSTON LEGAL

Should Win: I love Michael Emerson from LOST.  I think that he does so much with just one beady-eyed stare at one of the other characters.  He has made it possible to totally understand where a crazy person is coming from and to identify with his need for support.  Zeljko Ivanek from DAMAGES is pretty freaking amazing, too.

Will Win:  I hate the idea that they might give it to William Shatner.  I also think John Slattery has a shot since MAD MEN is ruling the world right now.

Should Be Nominated:  I love Zach Gilford, and think he does so much with his character of Saracen on FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS.  I was hoping he would break through.  Last year’s winner Terry O’Quinn should be on here (I feel like he didn’t submit a tape), and I think, though the show was lame in its sophomore season, Jack Coleman from HEROES deserves a nom.

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EMMY WATCH 2008: Outstanding ACTRESS, Drama

Let’s take a minute to talk about the women – here are the nominees:

 

Clockwise from top left: Glenn Close, DAMAGES; Sally Field, BROTHERS & SISTERS; Kyra Sedgwick, THE CLOSER; Holly Hunter, SAVING GRACE; Mariska Hargitay, LAW AND ORDER: SVU

Should Win: I think Holly Hunter is mind blowing as Grace on SAVING GRACE.  She literally holds nothing back. 

Will Win: I think the Academy will give it to Sally Field again (for BROTHERS AND SISTERS) or Glenn Close for DAMAGES because she’s a movie star moonlighting as a TV actress.

Should Be Nominated: Connie Britton.  She should have been nominated for FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS and should have won (for the record, she submitted herself as a Supporting Actress, and wasn’t nominated there, either, but this is the category where she belongs). 

Coming tomorrow – Supporting Actor and Actress, Drama.

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