The Emmy nominations came out today and I just had to get my three cents in.
Now, if you want to know who ALL the nominees are in every frakkin’ category, go here. I’m here only to speak about the categories I care about, as well as to say that 24 and Battlestar Galactica should win in all the technical and music categories, unless they’re up against one another. In those cases, tiebreaker goes to Battlestar Galactica.
By the way, WTF is wrong with the Emmy people that the BSG cast STILL got passed over for acting Emmys? Someone needs to explain this to me. Seriously. Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell deserve frakkin’ Oscars for their work on the show, nevermind Emmys, dammit.
OK, so nominees are listed below, with my commentary in italics:
Outstanding Casting For A Comedy Series
30 Rock, NBC
Californication, Showtime
The Office, NBC
United States Of Tara, Showtime
Weeds, Showtime
Should win: The Office. The cast of this show is just pitch-perfect. 30 Rock is a very close second. OK, I don’t have Showtime and have never seen the other three shows, so I’m biased and am completely talking out of my butt on this one. But I stand by my assertion.
Outstanding Casting For A Drama Series
Damages, FX
Friday Night Lights, DirecTV
Mad Men, AMC
The Tudors, Showtime
True Blood, HBO
Should win: Mad Men. Don’t they win for everything, anyway? But seriously, the casting for the show is astounding, and that’s from someone who barely ever watches it. I do watch Damages and True Blood. Damages is great and all, but True Blood – while extremely fun to watch – is not the best cast or best-acted show on television. Just sayin’.
Outstanding Cinematography For A Half-Hour Series
30 Rock, NBC
According To Jim, ABC
Californication, Showtime
Everybody Hates Chris, The CW
Weeds, Showtime
I only left this category in to say: WTF how did According to Jim get nominated in ANY category?
Outstanding Cinematography For A One Hour Series
Breaking Bad, AMC
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CBS
Life On Mars, ABC
Mad Men, AMC
The Tudors, Showtime
I left this category in because Breaking Bad should win every Emmy. Even the ones it’s not nominated for. It’s just that good.
Outstanding Comedy Series
30 Rock, NBC
Family Guy, FOX
Flight Of The Conchords, HBO
How I Met Your Mother, CBS
The Office, NBC
Weeds, Showtime
This one’s a tough call. But 30 Rock is the only show that literally makes me laugh out loud EVERY time I watch. Look, I love FOTC and The Office. Really don’t get all the hoopla over Family Guy, have never watched Weeds and have only occasionally caught eps of HIMYM. But really. 30 Rock is FUNNY. With a capital FUNNY.
Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series
30 Rock, NBC (3 separate episodes)
Entourage, HBO
Flight Of The Conchords, HBO
The Office, NBC
Did I mention 30 Rock is FUNNY?
Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series
Battlestar Galactica, SyFy
Boston Legal, ABC
Damages, FX
ER, NBC
Mad Men, AMC
Um, Battlestar Galactica. Duh.
Outstanding Drama Series
Big Love, HBO
Breaking Bad, AMC
Damages, FX
Dexter, Showtime
House, FOX
Lost, ABC
Mad Men, AMC
This is a tough call, because I positively adore Big Love, Lost and think Damages and Dexter are awesome. But Breaking Bad is so good, it’s scary. Really. Rent the first two seasons. You won’t be disappointed. You might want to kill yourself, it’s so depressing, but it’s really amazing.
Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series
30 Rock, Steve Martin, as Gavin Volure
30 Rock, Jon Hamm, as Dr. Drew Baird
30 Rock, Alan Alda, as Milton Greene
Desperate Housewives, Beau Bridges, as Eli Boggs, ABC
Saturday Night Live, Justin Timberlake, as various characters, NBC
Jon Hamm’s turn as a pretty stupid doctor who gets by on his looks on 30 Rock was great. He evolved over several episodes and his comic timing was great. That said, any guest star on 30 Rock is funny, and Justin Timberlake has had a great run on SNL. But I vote for Jon Hamm.
Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series
CSI: NY, Edward Asner, as Abraham Klein, CBS
Damages, Ted Danson, as Arthur Frobisher, FX
Dexter, Jimmy Smits, as Miguel Prado, Showtime
ER, Ernest Borgnine, as Paul Manning, NBC
Rescue Me, Michael J. Fox, as Dwight, FX
Meh. Don’t really care. Only watch Damages and Dexter. Ted and Jimmy were both good. I’ll let the Academy decide.
Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series
30 Rock, Jennifer Aniston, as Claire
30 Rock, Elaine Stritch, as Colleen Donaghy
Monk, Gena Rowlands, as Marge, USA
My Name Is Earl, Betty White, as Crazy Witch Lady, NBC
Saturday Night Live, Tina Fey, as Governor Sarah Palin, NBC
The Big Bang Theory, Christine Baranski, as Beverly Hofstadter, CBS
Elaine Stritch was so utterly believable as Donaghy’s mom. Perfect. Tina Fey was a great Sarah Palin, but Stritch was hilarious. So was Christine Baranski, actually. I could be pretty happy with any of the three, to be honest.
Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series
Grey’s Anatomy, Sharon Lawrence, as Robbie Stevens, ABC
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Ellen Burstyn, as Bernadette Stabler, NBC
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Brenda Blethyn, as Linnie Malcolm/Caroline Cantwell
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Carol Burnett, as Bridget “Birdie” Sulloway
The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, CCH Pounder, as Mrs. Curtin, HBO
Meh. Don’t care, but I love CCH Pounder, so I vote for her.
Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media – Fiction
The 30 Rock Digital Experience, NBC.com
The Dharma Initiative, ABC.com (uh, Lost)
The Office Digital Experience, NBC.com
Dharma Initiative. The others might be fun, but any online “experience” having to do with Lost is gonna make your head hurt. In a good way.
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
30 Rock, Alec Baldwin, as Jack Donaghy
Flight Of The Conchords, Jemaine Clement, as Jemaine, HBO
Monk, Tony Shalhoub, as Adrian Monk, USA
The Big Bang Theory, Jim Parsons, as Sheldon Cooper, CBS
The Office, Steve Carell, as Michael Scott
Two And A Half Men, Charlie Sheen, as Charlie Harper, CBS
Alec Baldwin. He’s frakkin’ funny. I can’t vote for Jemaine over Bret, and Bret’s not nominated. I love them both equally. Jim Parsons is very funny, and so is Steve Carell, but I go back to what I said earlier. 30 Rock makes me laugh out loud every time, and Alec Baldwin is a big part of the reason why.
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series
Breaking Bad, Bryan Cranston, as Walter White, AMC
Dexter, Michael C. Hall, as Dexter Morgan
House, Hugh Laurie, as Dr. Gregory House
In Treatment, Gabriel Byrne, as Paul, HBO
Mad Men, Jon Hamm, as Don Draper, AMC
The Mentalist, Simon Baker, as Patrick Jane, CBS
Bryan Cranston. That is all. He should win this every year. Just give it to him ahead of time, so long as Breaking Bad is on the air. Case closed.
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie
24: Redemption, Kiefer Sutherland, as Jack Bauer
Cyrano de Bergerac (Great Performances), Kevin Kline, as Cyrano de Bergerac, PBS
Into The Storm, Brendan Gleeson, as Winston Churchill, HBO
King Lear (Great Performances), Sir Ian McKellen, as King Lear, PBS
Taking Chance, Kevin Bacon, as Lt. Col. Mike Strobl, HBO
Wallander: One Step Behind, Kenneth Branagh, as Kurt Wallander, PBS
Duh. Kiefer Sutherland. What’d you think I was gonna say?
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
30 Rock , Tina Fey, as Liz Lemon
Samantha Who?, Christina Applegate, as Samantha Newly, ABC
The New Adventures Of Old Christine, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, as Christine, CBS
The Sarah Silverman Program, Sarah Silverman, as Sarah Silverman, Comedy Central
United States Of Tara, Toni Collette, as Tara Gregson, Showtime
Weeds, Mary-Louise Parker, as Nancy Botwin, Showtime
Have you not been paying attention? Oh, OK: Tina Fey. See every other freakin’ category with 30 Rock if you still don’t know why. (P.S. Christina Applegate is very funny.)
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series
Brothers & Sisters, Sally Field, as Nora Walker, ABC
Damages, Glenn Close, as Patty Hewes, FX
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Mariska Hargitay, as Detective Olivia Benson, NBC
Mad Men, Elisabeth Moss, as Peggy Olson, AMC
Saving Grace, Holly Hunter, as Grace Hanadarko, TNT
The Closer, Kyra Sedgwick, as Brenda Leigh Johnson, TNT
Wow. I really don’t care. Brothers & Sisters got really old and we stopped watching. Glenn Close is good and all, but she’s the same as last seasaon. Don’t watch the rest, though I hear Mad Men is really good.
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie
Accidental Friendship, Chandra Wilson, as Yvonne, Hallmark Channel
Coco Chanel, Shirley MacLaine, as Coco Chanel, Lifetime
Grey Gardens, Drew Barrymore, as Little Edie, HBO
Grey Gardens, Jessica Lange, as Big Edie
Prayers For Bobby, Sigourney Weaver, as Mary Griffith, Lifetime
Wow. I didn’t see a single one of these.
Outstanding Made For Television Movie
Coco Chanel, Lifetime
Grey Gardens, HBO
Into The Storm, HBO
Prayers For Bobby, Lifetime
Taking Chance, HBO
See above.
Outstanding Special Class – Short-format Live-Action Entertainment Programs
30 Rock’s Kenneth the Web Page, NBC.com
Battlestar Galactica: The Face Of The Enemy, SyFy.com
Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog • drhorrible.com
The Daily Show: The Daily Show Correspondents On Jon Stewart, ComedyCentral.com
BSG, of course. What, are you new here?
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
30 Rock, Tracy Morgan, as Tracy Jordan
30 Rock, Jack McBrayer, as Kenneth Parcell
Entourage, Kevin Dillon, as Johnny Drama
How I Met Your Mother, Neil Patrick Harris, as Barney Stinson, CBS
The Office, Rainn Wilson, as Dwight Schrute
Two And A Half Men, Jon Cryer, as Alan Harper
Tracy Morgan is off the hook funny. Jack McBrayer is off the hook funny. But I have a soft spot for Johnny Drama. I’d be happy with any of these guys. Hell, I’d be happy with Rainn Wilson winning, too.
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Boston Legal, William Shatner, as Denny Crane, ABC
Boston Legal, Christian Clemenson, as Jerry Espenson
Breaking Bad, Aaron Paul, as Jesse Pinkman
Damages, William Hurt, as Daniel Purcell
Lost, Michael Emerson, as Ben Linus
Mad Men, John Slattery, as Roger Sterling
As amazing as Michael Emerson is, Aaron Paul’s gotta win. Have I mentioned how amazing Breaking Bad is?
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
30 Rock, Jane Krakowski, as Jenna Maroney
Pushing Daisies, Kristin Chenoweth, as Olive Snook, ABC
Saturday Night Live, Amy Poehler, as Various Characters
Saturday Night Live, Kristin Wiig, as Various Characters
Ugly Betty, Vanessa Williams, as Wilhelmina Slater
Weeds, Elizabeth Perkins, as Celia Hodes
Gasp! I like Jane Krakowski and all, and would be happy if she won, but I’m in the Amy Poehler camp on this one. And not just because her name is Amy. OK, maybe just a little bit.
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
24, Cherry Jones, as President Allison Taylor, FOX
Damages, Rose Byrne, as Ellen Parsons
Grey’s Anatomy, Sandra Oh, as Dr. Christina Yang
Grey’s Anatomy, Chandra Wilson, as Dr. Miranda Bailey
In Treatment, Dianne Wiest, as Gina
In Treatment, Hope Davis, as Mia
Cherry Jones did a good job with an occasionally weak character, I thought. She carried the role with authority. OK, I don’t watch Grey’s Anatomy or In Treatment, either.
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
30 Rock (4 episodes)
Flight Of The Conchords
30 Rock, duh, though I’d be happy with FOTC.
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Lost
Mad Men (4 episodes)
C’mon. You think I’d vote for anything other than Lost?