Sunday, September 20, 2009

It's that time: predictions for the Emmy Awards


Well, it's late September, and we've come to it again: The Primetime Emmy Awards. I'm a little wary about watching this year after the 5-way-hosting disaster from last year, but chances are I won't let myself miss tonight's show, just in case there's anything as bizarre as the Kanye incident at last week's VMA's (although seeing as this is a real awards show, I doubt it). I've put my predictions below, but to save space I'm not listing the entire ballot of nominees. To see those, click HERE, and then go on a scroll down this post to see if you think I'm crazy or not.

From the Top:


Outstanding Comedy Series:

Will Win: 30 Rock
Should Win: 30 Rock
The Darkhorse(s): The Office, Family Guy

Expect 30 Rock's stellar third season to take home another top trophy. If it goes to anyone else, it will be The Office, a show that just started its sixth season, and is without a doubt close to setting a permanent end date. As for Family Guy? Realistically, I don't see it happening, but it made it this far, so anything's possible.

Outstanding Drama Series:

Will Win: Mad Men
Should Win: Mad Men
The Darkhorse(s): Breaking Bad

Expect a repeat in this top category as well, seeing as Mad Men's second season continued, if not improved upon the excellence from its inaugural run. Breaking Bad might stand a small chance, and hell, even Lost might, but chances are Matthew Weiner is going home happy tonight.

Outstanding Made for Television Movie:

Will Win: Grey Gardens
Should Win: N/A
The Darkhorse(s): Coco Chanel

The second most nominated program of the 08-09 season looks like a sure bet. Really, any of the other nominees will be considered a shocker if they win.

Outstanding Miniseries:

Will Win: Generation Kill
Should Win: Generation Kill
The Darkhorse(s): Little Dorrit

With only two nominees in the category, there isn't much room to choose, but I'll go with the war-themed Generation Kill, which was excellent (at least in those 2 episodes I saw...).

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series:

Will Win: Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock
Should Win: Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock
The Darkhorse(s): Steve Carrell - The Office

Another category likely to go the same route this year, and rightfully so. Baldwin continues to impress on 30 Rock, with this past season's Salma Hayek subplot creating plenty of shining moments for the star. However, though it's about to start its sixth season, The Office's Steve Carell has yet to take home an Emmy. Might they finally reward him for a season that saw Michael Scott show a slightly more emotional side? It's certainly plausible.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series:

Will Win: Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad
Should Win: Cranston or John Hamm - Mad Men
The Darkhorse(s): Hugh Laurie - House, Simon Baker - The Mentalist, Gabriel Byrne - In Treatment

Unlike their comedic counterparts, the men in the drama category are in a much less predictable race. Cranston was a slight surprise for his critically hailed work last year, and he could easily repeat...or the voters could give it to the understated Hamm, who was expected to win last year. And then there's Hugh Laurie who always seems to get one major award a year for House, Simon Baker for the surprise ratings hit The Mentalist, and Gabriel Byrne, who has earned his fair share of love as a therapist in In Treatment. It's anyone's for the taking.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie:

Will Win: Brendan Gleeson - Into the Storm...?????
Should Win: N/A
The Darkhorse(s): Everyone else

I haven't seen any of the performances, nor read too much about them, so I'm lost in this category. I only picked Gleeson because he played a real-life figure: Winston Churchill. And if the Emmys are anything like the Oscars, they love rewarding portrayals of real people.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series:

Will Win: Tina Fey - 30 Rock
Should Win: Tina Fey
The Darkhorse(s): Toni Collette - United States of Tara

Once AGAIN, expect a repeat, although there is the chance that Collette could sneak in a take home the gold. The role might be seen as more unique than that of Fey's Liz Lemon, and the voters may very well go for it.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series:

Will Win: Glenn Close - Damages
Should Win: Elisabeth Moss - Mad Men
The Darkhorse(s): Elisabeth Moss, Holly Hunter - Saving Grace

Close seems like a surefire bet for her commanding turn as an icy lawyer in Damages, but my heart hopes that Moss, who has done so well as the beleaguered Peggy Olsen, finally gets some Emmy lovin'.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie:

Will Win: Jessica Lange or Drew Barrymore - Grey Gardens
Should Win: N/A
The Darkhorse(s): Shirley Maclaine - Coco Chanel

It will go to one of the women from Grey Gardens, although if voters are too split on who was better, look for someone like Maclaine to sneak in a take it.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series:

Will Win: Neil Patrick Harris - How I Met Your Mother
Should Win: Jack McBrayer - 30 Rock
The Darkhorse(s): McBrayer, Tracy Morgan - 30 Rock, Rainn Wilson - The Office

As much as I would LOVE to see McBrayer take home an award for stealing scene after scene as Kenneth Parcell, chances are the award will go to Harris. If not, then it could go to Morgan, or Wilson, who has been nominated before as the demented Dwight Shrute.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series:

Will Win: William Hurt - Damages
Should Win: John Slattery - Mad Men, Christian Clemenson -Boston Legal
The Darkhorse(s): Michael Emerson - Lost

Damages will likely take home a second acting award tonight, though I'd like to see it go to Slattery or Clemenson, who took his upgrade to full-cast-member as a chance to do really superb work in Boston Legal's short but redemptive (after the messy 4th season) final season. And then there's Michael Emerson, who is supposedly creep-tacular on Lost, which made a big Emmy comeback this year.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie:

Will Win: N/A
Should Win: N/A
The Darkhorse(s): N/A

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series:

Will Win: Elizabeth Perkins - Weeds or Jane Krakowski - 30 Rock
Should Win: Kristen Wiig - Saturday Night Live
The Darkhorse(s): Wiig, Amy Poehler - SNL, and Kristen Chenweth - Pushing Daisies

Krakowski or Perkins seem likely, due to the general love of their shows by the voters, but I'd be ecstatic if it went to Wiig, who was the strongest of SNL's main cast this past season, and has been a standout for the past several. Poehler could get it, as could Chenoweth who may earn the sympathy vote, seeing as her critically beloved show was tragically cut short.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series:

Will Win: Dianne Wiest - In Treatment
Should Win: N/A
The Darkhorse(s): Hope Davis - In Treatment, Chandra Wilson - Grey's Anatomy

In Treatment has received praise not just for Byrne, but for its stellar supporting cast, with a great deal of attention going to Wiest. However, there's always a chance that the award will go to Wilson or even Sandra Oh, just because there are still some folks out there who still like Grey's Anatomy.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie:

Will Win: N/A
Should Win: N/A
The Darkhorse(s): N/A

Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Series:

Will Win: The Daily Show
Should Win: The Colbert Report
The Darkhorse(s): Saturday Night Live

As it has been the past few years, the award will go to either John Stewart or Steven Colbert, but there is a slim chance that SNL could score an award for one of its more consistent seasons in years.

Outstanding Reality Competition Program:

Will Win: The Amazing Race
Should Win: Project Runway
The Darkhorse(s): Dancing With the Stars

Once again, The Amazing Race will take home the trophy, leaving many of us groaning, and thinking, why hasn't Project Runway won this award before? Although to be fair, I have to ask, which season of PR is nominated this year? It seems like there's been too much time (due to the lawsuit) and that all of the previous seasons have been nominated. Maybe I've just forgotten how to count (math was never my strong suit).

Outstanding Host for a Reality Competition Program:

Will Win: Heidi Klum?
Should Win: No One
The Darkhorse(s): No One.

Easily the most pointless award here, I'm hoping that after two years it will be done away with. We watch these shows for the contestants and the challenges, not the people who judge them.

So there you have it, folks. How close/far off am I? We'll know over the approaching hours when the show unfolds live. Or, if the show is as bad as last year, we'll know as we constantly update the homepage of IMDb, which will update us on the winners as they are announced.
















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