2013 Dream Emmy Ballot

Even with TV currently in a new Golden Age, the run-up to the Emmys never quite hits the level of mania that surrounds its big screen equivalent (the Oscars). Even with two months between the nominations (announced today), and the ceremony, there's no frantic rush of televised precursor awards. It's a shame, because as one would expect of a Golden Age of TV, there are quite a few great shows and performances out there. 

So, even though it (obviously) counts for nothing, below is what my Emmy ballot would look like for the 2012-2013 TV season. This was made before the nominations were announced this morning, so and none of my picks have been altered to compensate for what I feel were glaring omissions (*cough*Tatiana Maslany*cough*). It's called a dream ballot for a reason.

Best Drama Series

Breaking Bad

Game of Thrones

House of Cards

Mad Men

Orphan Black

The Americans

Best Comedy Series

30Rock

Archer

Bob's Burgers

Enlightened

Parks and Recreation

Veep

Best Miniseries/TV Movie

American Horror Story: Asylum

Behind the Candelabra

Black Mirror

Parade's End

Top of the Lake

Best Actor - Drama Series

Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad

Hugh Dancy - Hannibal

Damian Lewis - Homeland

Jon Hamm - Mad Men

Timothy Olyphant - Justified

Kevin Spacey - House of Cards

Best Actor - Comedy Series

Alec Baldwin - 30Rock

Jason Bateman - Arrested Development

H. Jon Benjamin - Archer

Louis CK - Louie

Joel McHale - Community

Adam Scott - Parks and Recreation

Best Actor - Miniseries/TV Movie

Benedict Cumberbatch - Parade's End

Matt Damon - Behind the Candelabra

Michael Douglas - Behind the Candelabra

Al Pacino - Phil Spector

Daniel Rigby - Black Mirror

Best Actress - Drama Series

Claire Danes - Homeland

Kate Mara - House of Cards

Tatiana Maslany - Orphan Black

Elisabeth Moss - Mad Men

Keri Russell - The Americans

Robin Wright - House of Cards

Best Actress - Comedy Series

Laura Dern - Enlightened

Lena Dunham - Girls

Tina Fey - 30Rock

Julia Louis-Dreyfus - Veep

Amy Poehler - Parks and Recreation

Aisha Tyler - Archer

Best Actress - Miniseries/TV Movie

Hayley Atwell - Black Mirror

Rebecca Hall - Parade's End

Jessica Lange - American Horror Story: Asylum

Helen Mirren - Phil Spector

Elisabeth Moss - Top of the Lake

Sarah Paulson - American Horror Story: Asylum

Best Supporting Actor - Drama

Bobby Cannavale - Boardwalk Empire

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau - Game of Thrones

Charles Dance - Game of Thrones

Walton Goggins - Justified

Aaron Paul - Breaking Bad

Corey Stoll - House of Cards

Best Supporting Actor - Comedy

Donald Glover - Community

Alex Karpovsky - Girls

Nick Offerman - Parks and Recreation

Damon Wayons Jr. - Happy Endings

Mike White - Enlightened

Luke Wilson - Enlightened

Best Supporting Actor - Miniseries/TV Movie

James Cromwell - American Horror Story: Asylum

Peter Mullan - Top of the Lake

Zachary Quinto - American Horror Story: Asylum

Best Supporting Actress - Drama

Joelle Carter - Justified

Natalie Dormer - Game of Thrones

Michelle Fairley - Game of Thrones

Anna Gunn - Breaking Bad

Lena Heady - Game of Thrones

Christina Hendricks - Mad Men

Best Supporting Actress - Comedy

Alison Brie - Community

Anna Chlumsky - Veep

Eliza Coupe - Happy Endings

Jane Krakowski - 30Rock

Jessica Walter - Arrested Development

Casey Wilson - Happy Endings

Best Supporting Actress - Miniseries/TV Movie

Adelaide Clemmens - Parade's End

Holly Hunter - Top of the Lake

Lily Rabe - American Horror Story: Asylum

Best Directing - Drama Series

"Chapter 11" - House of Cards

"Dead Freight" - Breaking Bad

"Endless Forms Most Beautiful" - Orphan Black

"Ghost" - Justified

"In Care Of" - Mad Men

"In Control" - The Americans

Best Directing - Comedy Series

"Agent of Change" - Enlightened

"Follow Me" - Enlightened

"Hostages" - Veep

"It's a Shame About Ray" - Girls

"Last Lunch" - 30Rock

"The Key" - Enlightened

Best Directing - Miniseries/TV Movie

Behind the Candelabra

"Be Right Back" - Black Mirror

"Episode 3" - Parade's End

"Episode 3" - Top of the Lake

"Episode 4" - Top of the Lake

"White Bear" - Black Mirror

Best Writing - Drama Series

"Chapter 5" - House of Cards
"Dead Freight" - Breaking Bad

"In Care Of" - Mad Men

"In Control" - The Americans

"Kissed By Fire" - Game of Thrones

"The Better Half" - Mad Men

Best Writing - Comedy Series

"Agent of Change" - Enlightened

"All I Ever Wanted" - Enlightened

"Honeymooners" - Archer

"Last Lunch" - 30Rock

"Signals" - Veep

"Topsy" - Bob's Burgers

Best Writing - Miniseries/TV Movie

Behind the Candelabra

"Be Right Back" - Black Mirror

"Episode 3" - Parade's End

"Episode 3" - Top of the Lake

"Episode 4" - Top of the Lake

"White Bear" - Black Mirror

2013 Oscar WINNERS [Complete]

Correctly predicted 20 out of 24 Oscar winners!! 

We are now less than 24 hours from Oscar night (or, as it should be called for those in LA, Oscar afternoon), Hollywood's biggest night of self-congratulation, tears, and cheers. And, barring a few major categories, tomorrow night's show will conclude one of the most exciting Oscar races in years. The top prize may be all but locked for Ben Affleck's Argo, but plenty of other categories are, refreshingly, up in the air, including Best Director, and half of the acting categories. There are a handful of risks in my predictions for tomorrow's ceremony, but predicting these awards shows isn't fun without at least one gutsy choice. Come tomorrow night/afternoon, we'll know all of the winners, whether they be completely expected, or shocking upsets. And then we get to start the countdown to the 2013 awards season and 2014 Oscars, and go through the whole cycle of ups and downs all over again.

For a refresher on the nominees, click HERE. 

Best Picture
Front Runner: Argo
Alternates: Silver Linings Playbook, Lincoln
Winner: Argo

Best Director
Front Runner: Ang Lee - Life of Pi
Alternates: Steven Spielberg - Lincoln, Michael Haneke - Amour
Winner: Ang Lee - Life of Pi

Best Actor
Front Runner: Daniel Day-Lewis - Lincoln [99% lock]
Alternates: Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook [0.5%], Hugh Jackman - Les Miserables [0.5%]
Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis - Oscar

Best Actress:
Front Runner: Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook
Alternates: Emmanuelle Riva - Amour
Winner: Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook

Best Supporting Actor
Front Runner: Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln
Alternates: Robert DeNiro - Silver Linings Playbook, Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained
Winner: Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained

Best Supporting Actress
Front Runner: Anne Hathaway - Les Miserables
Alternates: N/A
Winner: Anne Hathaway - Les Miserables

Best Original Screenplay
Front Runner: Amour
Alternates: Django Unchained, Zero Dark Thirty
Winner: Django Unchained

Best Adapted Screenplay
Front Runner: Argo
Alternates: Lincoln
Winner: Argo

Best Editing
Front Runner: Argo
Alternates: Zero Dark Thirty
Winner: Argo


Best Cinematography
Front Runner: Life of Pi
Alternates: Skyfall
Winner: Life of Pi


Best Production Design
Front Runner: Anna Karenina
Alternates: Les Miserables
Winner: Lincoln


Best Costume Design
Front Runner: Anna Karenina
Alternates: Mirror Mirror
Winner: Anna Karenina


Best Animated Film
Front Runner: Brave
Alternates: Wreck-It-Ralph
Winner: Brave


Best Foreign Language Film
Front Runner: Amour [Austria]
Alternates: N/A
Winner: Amour [Austria]


Best Make Up
Front Runner: Les Miserables
Alternates: The Hobbit
Winner: Les Miserables


Best Original Score
Front Runner: Life of Pi
Alternates: Anna Karenina
Winner: Life of Pi


Best Original Song
Front Runner: "Skyfall" - Skyfall
Alternates: "Suddenly" - Les Miserables
Winner: "Skyfall" - Skyfall


Best Sound Mixing
Front Runner: Les Miserables
Alternates: Argo, Life of Pi
Winner: Les Miserables


Best Sound Editing
Front Runner: Life of Pi
Alternates: Argo
Winner [TIE]: Zero Dark Thirty and Skyfall


Best Visual Effects
Front Runner: Life of Pi
Alternates: N/A
Winner: Life of Pi


Best Documentary [Feature]
Front Runner: Searching for Sugarman
Alternates: How to Survive a Plague, The Invisible War
Winner: Searching for Sugarman

Best Documentary [Short]
Front Runner: Inocente (??)
Alternates: Redemption (??)
Winner: Inocente

Best Animated Film [Short]
Front Runner: Paperman
Alternates: N/A
Winner: Paperman

Best Live Action Film [Short]
Front Runner: Asad
Alternates: Buzkashi Boys
Winner: Curfew

2013 SAG Award Predictions

The only one of the major guild awards that has a televised ceremony, the SAGs are noteworthy more for how they indicate potential acting winners. Though there have been plenty of divergent outcomes (Viola Davis won the SAG trophy last time, only to lose the Oscar to Meryl Streep), SAG's awards still play an important role in the race to Oscar night. What makes this year so intriguing, however, is that there are a number of nominees who failed to make the Oscar list (Marion Cotillard, John Hawkes), and Oscar nominees who aren't present here (Christoph Waltz). On a broader level, the 2012-2013 awards season has been one of the most unpredictable in years, and is a logical step away from predictable results after last awards season. Where the past few years have been settled in the guilds (The King's Speech triumphed at the guilds and the Oscars, despite The Social Network dominating critics awards), this year the guilds could cement a potential frontrunner in Argo, or make the remaining weeks of the season even less certain than before. Below is my stab at making predictions for tonight's ceremony:

For a refresher on the nominees, click HERE.

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture:
Front Runner: Silver Linings Playbook
Alternates: Les Miserables, Argo

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role:
Front Runner: Daniel Day-Lewis - Lincoln
Alternates: Hugh Jackman - Les Miserables, Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role:
Front Runner: Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty
Alternates: Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook


Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role:
Front Runner: Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln
Alternates: Robert DeNiro - Silver Linings Playbook


Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role:
Front Runner: Anne Hathaway - Les Miserables
Alternates: Nope.

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series:
Front Runner: Modern Family
Alternates: Girls, 30Rock


Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series:
Front Runner: Homeland
Alternates: Breaking Bad


Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series:
Front Runner: Jim Parsons - The Big Bang Theory
Alternates: Alec Baldwin - 30Rock


Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series:
Front Runner: Damien Lewis - Homeland
Alternates: Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series:
Front Runner: Amy Poehler - Parks and Recreation
Alternates: Tina Fey - 30Rock


Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series:
Front Runner: Claire Danes - Homeland
Alternates: Nope.


Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a TV Movie or Mini-Series:
Front Runner: Kevin Costner - Hatfields and McCoys
Alternates: Woody Harrelson - Game Change


Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a TV Movie or Mini-Series:
Front Runner: Julianne Moore - Game Change
Alternates: Nope.

2013 Golden Globes Predictions

Say what you want about the HFPA, but you can't deny that the Golden Globes are quite the party. The organization's awards show, given extra promise by hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, is missing some suspense this year. For the first time in decades (possibly in the Globes' history), the ceremony is taking place after the release of the Oscar nominations. As such, there's room for some interesting wins to happen, as it's entirely possible that certain winners could accept their awards already knowing that their road to the Oscars is dead (Marion Cotillard, Ben Affleck, Kathryn Bigelow, Nicole Kidman). By and large, though, expect plenty of winners to be among the names announced on January 10th. Here's my best shot at predicting who we'll likely see up at the podium in a few hours.

For a refresher on the nominees, click HERE. 

Best Picture: Drama
Front Runner: Lincoln
Alternates: Argo, Zero Dark Thirty


Best Picture: Musical or Comedy
Front Runner: Silver Linings Playbook
Alternates: Les Miserables

Best Actor: Drama
Front Runner: Daniel Day-Lewis - Lincoln
Alternates: Joaquin Phoenix - The Master

Best Actress: Drama
Front Runner: Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty
Alternates: Naomi Watts - The Impossible

Best Actor: Musical or Comedy
Front Runner: Hugh Jackman - Les Miserables
Alternates: Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook

Best Actress: Musical or Comedy
Front Runner: Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook
Alternates: None.


Best Supporting Actor
Front Runner: Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln
Alternates: Leonardo DiCaprio - Django Unchained, Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained

Best Supporting Actress
Front Runner: Anne Hathaway - Les Miserables
Alternates: Sally Field - Lincoln, Amy Adams - The Master

Best Director
Front Runner: Ben Affleck - Argo
Alternates: Steven Spielberg - Lincoln, Kathryn Bigelow - Zero Dark Thirty

Best Screenplay
Front Runner: Lincoln
Alternates: Django Unchained

Best Original Song
Front Runner: "Skyfall" - Skyfall
Alternates: "Suddenly" - Les Miserables

Best Original Score
Front Runner: Lincoln
Alternates: Anna Karenina

Best Animated Film
Front Runner: Wreck-It Ralph
Alternates: Frankenweenie, Brave

Best Foreign Language Film
Front Runner: Amour
Alternates: The Intouchables


And let's not forget the TV categories...

Best TV Series: Drama
Front Runner: Homeland
Alternates: Breaking Bad

Best TV Series: Musical or Comedy
Front Runner: Modern Family
Alternates: Girls

Best Mini-series or TV Movie
Front Runner: Game Change
Alternates: Hatfields and McCoys

Best Actor: Drama
Front Runner: Damian Lewis - Homeland
Alternates: Brian Cranston - Breaking Bad

Best Actress: Drama
Front Runner: Claire Danes - Homeland
Alternates: None

Best Actor: Musical or Comedy
Front Runner: Louis CK - Louie
Alternates: Alec Baldwin - 30Rock

Best Actress: Musical or Comedy
Front Runner: Julia Louis-Dreyfuss - Veep
Alternates: Lena Dunham - Girls, Amy Poehler - Parks and Recreation

Best Actor in a Mini-series or TV Movie
Front Runner: Kevin Costner - Hatfields and McCoys
Alternates: Woody Harrelson - Game Change

Best Actress in a Mini-series or TV Movie
Front Runner: Julianne Moore - Game Change
Alternates: Jessica Lange - American Horror Story: Asylum

Best Supporting Actor (TV, Mini-series, TV Movie)
Front Runner: Eric Stonestreet - Modern Family
Alternates: Mandy Patinkin - Homeland

Best Supporting Actress (TV, Mini-series, TV Movie)
Front Runner: Sarah Paulson - Game Change
Alternates: Maggie Smith - Downton Abbey, Sofia Vergara - Modern Family

Personal Ballot: The 2012 Emmy Awards

I don't spend nearly as much time writing about TV on this site, which is odd considering the ludicrous number of shows that I try and keep up with. So, instead of merely commenting on just the Emmy winners and the show itself, I figured that this year I could spend a little more time on TV's biggest awards show, namely by offering up my picks for some of the main categories, along with my winner(s). Also, my friend Patrick has done this exact same thing over on his wonderful blog (link), and I'm once again tempted to steal his format again, just like I did for my Best of the Year/Oscar ballot a few months ago.

A quick word on the awards though. I'm generally trying to follow where shows are placed, which means that something like Sherlock will be left out (it was submitted as a miniseries). However, Downton Abbey, previously submitted as a miniseries, was submitted under drama series for its second season. Now, despite the amount of TV that I watch, I'm a little surprised at the categories that I'm unable to fill (the Emmys have 6 nominees in major categories, as opposed to the award show standard of 5). So, for certain categories, there may be a slot (or two...though I hope not) with a series of dashes. Clearly I'm still not watching enough TV, at least now when it comes to certain categories. Finally, as with my Oscars post, my picks are listed alphabetically, with the winner in bold/italics.

Outstanding Drama Series

Boardwalk Empire

Breaking Bad

Game of Thrones

Homeland

Justified

Mad Men

This was painfully close, especially because Breaking Bad's fourth season had so many breathtaking moments (remember the end of "Crawl Space?"). However, I'm giving it to Showtime's Homeland for starting off with such a stellar first season. The mystery, intrigue, and tension were handled in a way that many shows can only dream of doing in their first runs.

Outstanding Comedy Series

Archer

Community

Girls

Happy Endings

Parks and Recreation

Veep

Though season 4 marked a slight step down (the Tom and Anne subplot), Parks and Recreation was once again my favorite comedy. The characters are so well drawn and so fun, and the show knows how to be hilarious and still break out moments that are genuinely touching. Bonus points for excellent guest stars Kathryn Hahn and Paul Rudd.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Steve Buscemi - Boardwalk Empire

Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad

Jon Hamm - Mad Men
Jason Isaacs - Awake

Damian Lewis - Homeland

Timothy Olyphant - Justified

Another insanely difficult showdown between Breaking Bad and Homeland, and once again I find myself picking the freshman show. There was so much strong work in this category (even from Buscemi, who's show I have here almost as filler), but it really boiled down to Cranston and Lewis. The tipping point? Lewis' scene in the bunker in Homeland's season finale, which is such a tightly-coiled, emotional tour-de-force that it might be some of the best acting I've ever seen on TV.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Claire Danes - Homeland

Michelle Dockery - Downton Abbey
Kelly Macdonald - Boardwalk Empire

Elisabeth Moss - Mad Men

--

--

As the other half of Homeland's dynamite leading duo, Danes was on fire from episode one. Carrie wasn't always likable or sympathetic, but Danes made sure we always knew where she was coming from. Even when scenes called for BIG emotions (the green pen, watching her work dismantled, etc...), Danes ensured that it never felt over the top or forced, and in turn gave us one of the most powerful performances of the past season.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Alec Baldwin - 30Rock

H. Jon Benjamin - Archer

Louis C.K. - Louie
Neil Flynn - The Middle

Joel McHale - Community

Adam Scott - Parks and Recreation

Since joining Parks and Recreation at the end of its second season, Adam Scott has become one of the ensemble's most valuable assets. And as he relationship with Leslie developed even further in the show's fourth season, the actor only got more and more room to shine. Scott is, to a point, the show's straight man, yet he's never dull or the weak point. His facial expressions remain a joy to watch, and I'm often reminded of a less goofy/personable Jim Halpert. Well, before The Office started to collapse like a dying star.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Laura Dern - Enlightened

Lena Dunham - Girls

Patricia Heaton - The Middle

Julia Louis-Dreyfus - Veep

Martha Plimpton - Raising Hope

Amy Poehler - Parks and Recreation

Poehler has been on fire ever since Parks and Recreation's second season (when they stopped trying to make her a female Michael Scott). While the show's third season remains my favorite (for now), the fourth season gave us Poehler's best work to date. Funny and goofy, yet still completely human, Leslie Knope comes out on top in a season filled with strong work, from established shows and promising new ones (had it not been for Poehler, this would have gone to Louis-Dreyfus' outstanding comedic exasperation on Veep).

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Peter Dinklage - Game of Thrones

Giancarlo Esposito - Breaking Bad

Walton Goggins - Justified

Vincent Kartheiser - Mad Men

Aaron Paul - Breaking Bad

John Slattery - Mad Men

While I've had a little trouble filling out the leading categories, in supporting there's simply too much good work, this category included (Game of Thrones' Charles Dance is among the many not listed here). All of the work here is outstanding, and I gained a new found love for Slattery's work on Mad Men this year, but ultimately I have to go with Esposito, who created a cold, calculating figure of menace who was capable of making the room feel 10 degrees cooler. It's the sort of chilling work that calls to mind Javier Bardem's work in No Country for Old Men...if Anton Chigurh had been involved in meth dealing and fast food chain restaurants.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Anna Gunn - Breaking Bad

Lena Heady - Game of Thrones

Christina Hendricks - Mad Men

Jessica Pare - Mad Men

Fiona Shaw - True Blood

Maisie Williams - Game of Thrones

Another year, another wonderful season of Joan moments on Mad Men. Despite not having as much to do in Mad Men's fifth season, when the show brought out moments for her, Hendricks seized them and made her mark. In a season where so many new performances came forward and impressed me (especially Heady, who was so good in Game of Thrones' "Blackwater" episode), I've ended up going back to an old favorite. 

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Ty Burrell - Modern Family

Donald Glover - Community

Nick Offerman - Parks and Recreation

Adam Pally - Happy Endings

Chris Pratt - Parks and Recreation

Damon Wayans Jr. - Happy Endings

Though I remain a loyal devotee of Ron Swanson (Offerman should have won for one of his show's previous two seasons), it was Glover who really won me over this year. Though Community as a show can sometimes strive too hard simply to be different at the expense of humor, Glover remains one of the show's consistent bright spots. His mix of awkward non sequiturs and full-throttle hysterics remain one of the show's best sources of humor, even when the show is having an off day.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Alison Brie - Community

Eliza Coupe - Happy Endings

Jane Krakowski - 30Rock

Aubrey Plaza - Parks and Recreation

Eden Sher - The Middle
Jessica Walter - Archer

Casey Wilson - Happy Endings

Possibly the most jam-packed category this year (I'm sorry, Aisha Tyler, Julie Bowen, Anna Chlumsky, Zosia Mamet, etc...), and yet Eliza Coupe's type-A neurotics on Happy Endings still stand tall. In a year that saw Jane Krakowski do some of her best work on 30Rock to date, along with so many new performances and returning players, Coupe remains one of the funniest women on TV right now. Look no further than "The Kerkovich Way" for a demonstration of the actress' completely spot-on comedic timing, which possesses a nearly laser-like precision.

Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series

"Box Cutter" - Breaking Bad
"Crawl Space" - Breaking Bad
"Blackwater" - Game of Thrones

"Marine One" - Homeland

"At the Codfish Ball" - Mad Men

"Commissions and Fees" - Mad Men

Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series

"Documentary Filmmaking: Redux" - Community
"She Did" - Girls
"The Kerkovich Way" - Happy Endings

"Ron and Tammys" - Parks and Recreation

"Win, Lose, or Draw" - Parks and Recreation
"Catherine" - Veep

Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series

"Crawl Space" - Breaking Bad
"Salud" - Breaking Bad
"Valar Morghulis" - Game of Thrones
"Marine One" - Homeland
"At the Codfish Ball" - Mad Men

"Signal 30" - Mad Men

Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series

"Heart of Archness: Part 3" - Archer
"She Did" - Girls
"Documentary Filmmaking: Redux" - Community
"Subway; Pamela" - Louie
"The Debate" - Parks and Recreation

"Ron and Tammys" - Parks and Recreation

"Catherine" - Veep