Emmy Nominations: Comedy. Ha-Ha

My favorite segment of the Emmy Awards, beside from the (hopefully awesome) opening segment for the event, which is in 2 days. Many of comedy's finest are nominated this year. Here they are.  I also included a few more funny clips.

COMEDY SERIES

"The Big Bang Theory" (CBS)
"Curb Your Enthusiasm" (HBO)
"Girls" (HBO)
"Modern Family" (ABC)
"30 Rock" (NBC)
"Veep" (HBO)

Who should win: Girls

My second choice: Veep

Who will win: Modern Family or Girls

Sin of omission: Happy Endings, Louie, Parks and Recreation

Of the three shows that should have been nominated for the top comedy category, it is still baffling that "Louie" failed to garner a nomination. its strong second season included some of the best half-hours of comedy in recent memory, even if it wasn't the ha-ha belly laughs that traditional sitcoms (The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family) churn out on an assembly line. (Line, funny joke, line, lame  joke, funnier joke, lame joke, line, funnier joke, laugh track). In retrospect, "Parks and Recreation'' failing to get nominated for the fourth season, which was dominated by Leslie Knope's campaign for city council, seems understandable, especially since the third season (which was nominated for Outstanding Comedy in 2011) is the series' best season (so far). ''Happy Endings'', which having a much stronger second season after an iffy debut (like ''Louie'' and "Parks and Rec") still has a way to go, but the chemistry between the cast and the show's often witty scripts could have at least been acknowledged. Or at least a nomination for Megan Mullally's guest turn as Penny's mom.

This is one of the best story lines from Season 4. Treat yo self!

I am sad that there are only 13 episodes (a short 7th season) left of this odd and beautiful masterpiece.

Why didn't they get nominated?

LEAD ACTRESS-COMEDY

Lena Dunham as Hannah Horvath in "Girls"
Melissa McCarthy as Molly Flynn in "Mike & Molly"
Zooey Deschanel as Jess Day in "New Girl"
Edie Falco as Jackie Peyton in "Nurse Jackie"
Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope in "Parks and Recreation"
Tina Fey as Liz Lemon in "30 Rock"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer in "Veep"

Who should win: Amy Poehler. She knocks it out of the park every episode, especially in the comedic yet heartbreaking "Smallest Park", "The Debate", and the season finale "Win, Lose, or Draw"

My second choice: Lena Dunham. Without a doubt one of the most rewarding and brutally honest actors on television. She's also not afraid to put herself in uncomfortable yet comically rewarding situations.

Who will win: Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Sin of omission: N/A

Louis-Dreyfus could win her 3rd Emmy for her role as the always brilliant yet increasingly unlikable second-in-command in this satire from the creator of the superior "The Thick of It".



Girls: A satirical take on "Sex and the City" or a study in the lives of post-college adults who are not-quite grown up.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS-COMEDY

Mayim Bialik as Amy Farrah Fowler in "The Big Bang Theory"
Kathryn Joosten as Karen McCluskey in "Desperate Housewives"
Julie Bowen as Claire Dunphy in "Modern Family"
Sofia Vergara as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett in "Modern Family"
Merritt Wever as Zoey Barkow in "Nurse Jackie"
Kristen Wiig as various characters in "Saturday Night Live"

Who should win: Kristen Wiig. The first female SNL player to earn an Oscar nomination, it was high time that Wiig had left her greener pastures (and maybe another opportunity to earn that shiny golden statuette). It's a bit odd to see her in the supporting category. Wiig, especially in latter half of tenure on "SNL'', was essentially the whole show in some weeks, even if some of her characters were growing stale.

My second choice: Sofia Vergara

Who will win: Sofia Vergara

Sin of omission: Gillian Jacobs for "Community", Zosia Mamet for "Girls"

Yes this is from a few years back, but this Kristen Wiig is a genius.



With host Channing Tatum

Here's why she should win.

LEAD ACTOR-COMEDY

Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper in "The Big Bang Theory"

Larry David as Himself in "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
Don Cheadle as Marty Kaan in "House of Lies"
Louis C.K. as Louie in "Louie"
Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy in "30 Rock"
Jon Cryer as Alan Harper in "Two and a Half Men"

Who should win: Louis C.K. All Emmy voters need to do is watch "Duckling" or that episode where bumps into his old friend who is contemplating suicide.

My second choice: Alec Baldwin. A gift from the comedy gods, week after week.

Who will win: Jim Parsons

Sin of omission: N/A

Louis C.K. is a genius.

SUPPORTING ACTOR-COMEDY

Ed O'Neill as Jay Pritchett in "Modern Family"
Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell Pritchett in "Modern Family"
Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy in "Modern Family"
Eric Stonestreet as Cameron Tucker in "Modern Family"

Max Greenfield as Schmidt in "New Girl"
Bill Hader as various characters in "Saturday Night Live"

Who should win: Max Greenfield. He should win just for this segment alone.

My second choice: Bill Hader. I am surprised that he didn't leave along with Wiig and Andy Samberg, but someone has to stick around for the remainder of the election season to play James Carville and/or various Fox News talking heads. But then there is Stefon, one of the best Weekend Update guests ever. 

Who will win: Someone from "Modern Family"

Sin of omission: Nick Offerman, Aziz Ansari for "Parks and Recreation", Danny Pudi for "Community", Tony Hale for "Veep"

Random note: Is it weird to consider James Van Der Beek's weird and hilarious version of himself in this category next year?

DIRECTING-COMEDY

Robert B. Weide, "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
Lena Dunham, "Girls"
Louis C.K., "Duckling"
Jason Winer, "Modern Family"
Steven Levitan, "Modern Family"
Jake Kasdan, "New Girl"

Who should win: Louis C.K.

My second choice: Lena Dunham

Who will win: Louis C.K.

Sin of omission: Amy Poehler for "Parks and Recreation" (for the episode "The Debate''), Fred Savage for "Happy Endings" (for the episode "Spooky Endings")

WRITING-COMEDY

Chris McKenna, "Community"
Lena Dunham, "Girls"
Louis C.K., "Louie"
Amy Poehler, "Parks and Recreation"
Michael Schur, "Parks and Recreation"

Who should win: Amy Poehler for writing "The Debate", which she also directed herself (as Leslie Knope) and Paul Rudd (as Bobby Newport) in a televised debate for the election for city councilman (or woman).

My second choice: Michael Schur for writing "Win, Lose, or Draw", the season finale in which Leslie Knope first loses then wins over Bobby Newport for the vacancy in city council.

Who will win: Louis C.K. for writing "Duckling", in which Louie discovers his daughters packed a duckling in his luggage when he flies for a USO show in Afghanistan.

Sin of omission: Daniel Libman & Matthew Libman for writing "The St. Valentine's Day Maxssacre" (Happy Endings), in which the six friends struggle to get through St. Valentine's.

Emmy Nominations: The Drama!

''We got drama!" shouts the inner drama queen that lives inside every TV junkie. Here are the nominees for the drama categories.

DRAMA SERIES

"Boardwalk Empire" (HBO)
"Breaking Bad" (AMC)
"Downton Abbey" (PBS)
"Game of Thrones" (HBO)
"Homeland" (Showtime)
"Mad Men" (AMC)

Who should win: Homeland. The finest drama America has to offer.

My second choice: Downton Abbey. The finest drama England has to offer That sounds like a tagline for the BBC.

Who will win: Homeland. Or Breaking Bad. A lot of people love that show. Like some of my friends who are always talking about it It is a very addicting show.

Sin of omission: My mom is upset that ''The Good Wife'' isn't nominated. Some other folks are upset that ''True Blood'' wasn't nominated. I don't normally watch drama, so I cannot complain. This is still a very excellent list of shows for Outstanding Drama. Comedy, on the other hand....(I have some issues with that portion of the Primetime Emmys.)

This is an excellent selection of TV dramas nominated for the top prize. But I'm sensing a three-way race for the shiny winged woman.

Plus, "Mad Men" has won four times already, already making history. Which might happen again on Sunday.

LEAD ACTRESS-DRAMA

Glenn Close as Patty Hewes in "Damages"

Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary Crawley in "Downton Abbey"
Julianna Margulies as Alicia Florrick in "The Good Wife"
Kathy Bates as Harriet Korn in "Harry's Law"
Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison in "Homeland"
Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson in "Mad Men"

Who should win: Claire Danes. This might sound bad and I do not mean it as such but I am so glad that her movie career never took off. Otherwise, she wouldn't be in this genius gem of a TV series. The best thing she has done since "My So-Called Life.'' Well, maybe the best thing since "Temple Grandin".

My second choice: Michelle Dockery

Who will win: Claire Danes

Sin of omission: Madeleine Stowe for "Revenge''

SUPPORTING ACTRESS-DRAMA

Anna Gunn as Skyler White in "Breaking Bad"
Maggie Smith as Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham in "Downton Abbey"
Joanne Froggatt as Anna in "Downton Abbey"
Archie Panjabi as Kalinda Sharma in "The Good Wife"
Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart in "The Good Wife"
Christina Hendricks as Joan Holloway Harris in "Mad Men"

Who should win: Joanie Froggart. As the head housemaid and now wife of the wrongfully(?) convicted and always slightly-mysterious John Bates (Brendan Coyle), she has had a lot to deal with throughout the second season (or series, as the Brits call them).

My second choice: Anna Gunn

Who will win: Anna Gunn or Maggie Smith

Sin of omission: Kelly Macdonald for "Boardwalk Empire"

LEAD ACTOR-DRAMA

Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson in "Boardwalk Empire"
Bryan Cranston as Walter White in "Breaking Bad"
Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan in "Dexter"
Hugh Bonneville as Robert, Earl of Grantham in "Downton Abbey"
Damian Lewis as Nicholas Brody in "Homeland"
Jon Hamm as Don Draper in "Mad Men"

Who should win: Damian Lewis

My second choice: Bryan Cranston

Who will win: Bryan Cranston

Sin of omission: N/A

SUPPORTING ACTOR-DRAMA

Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman in "Breaking Bad"
Giancarlo Esposito as Gustavo 'Gus' Fring in "Breaking Bad"

Brendan Coyle as John Bates in "Downton Abbey"
Jim Carter as Mr. Carson in "Downton Abbey"
Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister in "Game of Thrones"
Jared Harris as Lane Pryce "Mad Men"

Who should win: Giancarlo Esposito. I think the clip below should explain why he deserves to win.

My second choice: Jared Harris

Who will win: Giancarlo Esposito

Sin of omission: John Noble for "Fringe"

DIRECTING-DRAMA

Tim Van Patten, "Boardwalk Empire"
Vince Gilligan, "Breaking Bad"
Brian Percival, "Downton Abbey"
Michael Cuesta, "Homeland"
Phil Abraham, "Mad Men"

Who should win: Michael Cuesta

My second choice: Vince Gilligan

Who will win: Vince Gilligan

Sin of omission: N/A

WRITING-DRAMA

Julian Fellowes, "Downton Abbey"
Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon & Gideon Raff, "Homeland"
Semi Chellas & Matthew Weiner, "Mad Men"
Andre Jacquemetton & Maria Jacquemetton, "Mad Men"
Erin Levy & Matthew Weiner, "Mad Men"

Who should win: Julian Fellowes

My second choice: Anyone from Mad Men

Who will win: Mad Men (they have 3 out of 5 slots here)

Sin of omission: N/A

Emmy Predictions: Part 1

This is a three-part look at the Emmy nominations for the past year (or June 2011-May 2012). The live ceremony, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, takes place on ABC on Sunday.

Miniseries and TV Movies

When I think of TV movies, Lifetime always pops into my head. They are so good at creating such awful disease of the week features as well as anything involving a woman being involved in either a sex scandal, blackmail, some domestic dispute, a robbery, sex-related blackmail, or something kinda true but then becomes grossly exaggerated just to see if they can lure viewers in.

Fake titles that could have already been made by Lifetime, Television for Women.

Kidnapped: The Jessica Smith Story
Cheated Hearts: The Jan Samson Story
Baby for Sale: The Susan Lee Story
Bad Hair Day: The Tonya Lee Jenkins Story
Southern Fried Horror Show: The Shelley Becky Ann Allen-Carson Story


Luckily, the Academy acknowledges decent-quality TV fare. Often, the miniseries/movie categories are the only categories that they tend to not screw up.

MINISERIES OR TELEVISION MOVIE

"American Horror Story" (FX)
"Game Change" (HBO)
"Hatfields & McCoys" (History)
"Hemingway and Gellhorn" (HBO)
"Luther" (BBC America)
"Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia" (PBS)

Who should win: Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia. If you haven't watched this modern-update on Sherlock Holmes (a role that the wonderfully-named Benedict Cumberbatch was born to play), then you have not experienced Sherlock. Forget Robert Downey Jr. Okay, I kid. Don't forget him. He's too cool to be ignored.

My second choice: Game Change

Who will win: Game Change

Sin of omission: The Hour

LEAD ACTRESS-MINISERIES OR MOVIE

Connie Britton as Vivien Harmon in "American Horror Story"
Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin in "Game Change"
Nicole Kidman as Martha Gellhorn in "Hemingway and Gellhorn"
Ashley Judd as Rebecca Winstone in "Missing"
Emma Thompson as She in "The Song of Lunch"

Who should win: Nicole Kidman. I do enjoy her scenes as the elderly Gellhorn, though that could be because I am a sucker for actors in prosthetics for old age.

My second choice: Julianne Moore.  Her Sarah Palin tends to be gimmicky and strained at times, much like the real-life woman who almost became one heartbeat away from the presidency.

Who will win: Kidman or Moore (or a two-way tie. That would pretty cool.)

Sin of omission: Emily Watson for "Appropriate Adult"

Random note: I thought "Missing'' was supposed to be a TV series. When I saw a couple of movies at AMC earlier this year, I caught previews of the show in those behind-the-scenes featurettes they play before the trailers. Did the show even make it on-air? I don't remember when it aired. Did anyone see that show/miniseries/thing?

SUPPORTING ACTRESS-MINISERIES OR MOVIE

Frances Conroy as Moira in "American Horror Story"
Jessica Lange as Constance Langdon in "American Horror Story"
Sarah Paulson as Nicolle Wallace "Game Change"
Mare Winningham as Sally McCoy in "Hatfields & McCoys"
Judy Davis as Jill Tankard in "Page Eight"

Who should win: Sarah Paulson

My second choice: Judy Davis

Who will win: Jessica Lange. She seems more like a lead, though that could be the result of her effective scene-stealing throughout the first "anthology" of AHS.

Sin of omission: N/A
Random note: AHS is now an anthology. And "Downton Abbey" is now a ol' fashioned drama series. 

Last year (at the Golden Globes) their genres were the exact opposite. But those guys still think Laura Linney's "The Big C" is a comedy. What weirdos.

TV is weird.

LEAD ACTOR-MINISERIES OR MOVIE

Woody Harrelson as Steve Schmidt in "Game Change"
Kevin Costner as 'Devil' Anse Hatfield in "Hatfields & McCoys"
Bill Paxton as Randall McCoy in "Hatfields & McCoys"
Clive Owen as Ernest Hemingway in "Hemingway and Gellhorn"
Idris Elba as John Luther in "Luther"
Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes in "Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia"

Who should win: Benedict Cumberbatch. His name alone deserves to be said more than once. Say it with me. Repeat. He is also according to some people, "sexy as an otter".

My second choice: Clive Owen

Who will win: Clive Owen. The biographical performances always win. 8 out of the past 10 winners in this category went to portrayals of real-life men. His performance is remarkable. The man has a knack for portraying less than flattering men. (See "Closer", where he tries to become intimate with Natalie Portman at a strip club).

Sin of omission: Dylan McDermott for "American Horror Story". How a performance that involved crying while masturbating (in the buff) failed to get a nomination is beyond me.

SUPPORTING ACTOR-MINISERIES-MINISERIES OR MOVIE

Denis O'Hare as Larry Harvey in "American Horror Story"
Ed Harris as John McCain in "Game Change"
Tom Berenger as Jim Vance in "Hatfields & McCoys"
David Strathairn as John Dos Passos in "Hemingway and Gellhorn"
Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson in "Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia"

Who should win: Ed Harris

My second choice: Martin Freeman

Who will win: Ed Harris

Sin of omission: Ralph Fiennes for "Page Eight"
Random note: It's very eerily how Harris, one of the finest underrated actors of all time (how he hasn't won an Oscar yet is beyond me), does not mimic the senator yet doesn't pull a Daniel Day-Lewis and crawls into the man's skin. (I think this is how he became Lincoln in Spielberg's newest movie)

DIRECTING-MINISERIES OR MOVIE

Jay Roach, "Game Change"
Kevin Reynolds, "Hatfields & McCoys"
Philip Kaufman, "Hemingway and Gellhorn"
Sam Miller, "Luther"
Paul McGuigan, "Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia"

Who should win: Jay Roach

My second choice: Paul McGuigan

Who will win: Jay Roach. He won in this category for the superior "Recount", the 2008 telefilm about the 2000 recount in Florida.

Sin of omission: N/A
Random note: Did you know that Roach directed Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers, and all three Austin Powers movies?

WRITING-MINISERIES OR MOVIE

Danny Strong, "Game Change"
Ted Mann, Ronald Parker and Bill Kerby, "Hatfields & McCoys"
Abi Morgan, "The Hour"
Neil Cross, "Luther"
Steven Moffat, "Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia"

Who should win: Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia

My second choice: The Hour

Who will win: Game Change

Sin of omission: N/A

Tomorrow: We look at the drama categories.