After my last Emmy rant, I swore I was going to boycott the entire Emmy process as it is just too aggravating. And, true to my word, I didn't watch. But that doesn't mean I didn't look up all the winners just to see how screwed up the voters got it this time around. Of course, just to spite me, they didn't do all that bad this year. I can't speak for the probably tedious broadcast (there were 5 hosts, including Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, and Ryan Seacrest, gag!) but when it came to most of the results, they were pretty damn savvy! Shocker!
"Mad Men" won Best Drama and "30 Rock" won Best Comedy. That's about exactly right! I mean, I'm an "Office" fan and wouldn't have minded a win for them, but all reports say that "30 Rock" deserved it, so good on you getting it right, people! Same for "Mad Men" - it was in a tougher category, and most of it's fellow nominees would have been worthy, but for me, "Mad Men" is the best, hands down. And given it's relatively low familiarity (not on a major network and all) I think it's great it was recognized like this after only it's first season!
The only major dud amongst the major winners was Jeremy Piven triumphing yet again for "Entourage" when that award so belonged to Neil Patrick Harris in "How I Met Your Mother." But Jean Smart won supporting for "Samantha Who", Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin both won for "30 Rock" (about damn time in Baldwin's case!), Glenn Close won for "Damages", and in the ultra-amazing Best Actor, Drama category, Bryan Cranston won for "Breaking Bad." This one tickles me because the man could barely get a nomination, let alone a win, for all his years of awesomeness on "Malcolm in the Middle." (Although I would probably be just as happy for "Mad Men"'s Jon Hamm or Hugh Laurie, who still hasn't won.)
I could crow about a few of the other winners (Paul Giamatti in "John Adams", yay, love him so much!) but I already addressed my greatest reliefs, and if you wanna look up the rest, just check here. Peace out!
I think I'm officially through with the Emmys. I tried to get on board the last couple of years - I was stoked to see "The Office" win Best Comedy for Season 2, I tuned in for "The Sopranos" swan song" - but the nominations just annoy the crap out of me. Unlike the Oscars, which feature different movies and performances every year, The Emmys are just the same also-ran shows from last year, the same actor getting his umpteenth nomination for a less-than-stellar show. And even when the Academy does something right and gets a great new show a whole slew of nominations, they invariably include a whole host of schmucks who don't deserve it. In no particular order, here are my beefs with this year:
- The Emmys reward "stand-alone" television. Each show submits one episode as en example. Each actor submits one episode that is judged. This kind of process rewards clip-worthy moments (like a breakdown, a crying fit, a mere one episode worth of credible story-telling) but it puts shows that tell long-term stories, build on mythology, and follow character arcs at an extreme disadvantage, especially for many actors whose arcs need to be viewed in their entirety to be fully appreciated.
- Mary McDonnell didn't make the final cut for Battlestar Galactica but Mariska Hargitay did for the bizillionth time for SVU. That drives me nuts! I don't see how this panel could watch a clip of McDonnell in her submitted episode ("Faith") and not be completely bowled over. McDonnell was that show's best chance at a nom and without her, BSG is once again criminally overlooked!
- The list of Best Comedy noms is ridiculous: Two and a Half Men? Curb Your Enthusiasm? Entourage? I'm sick of seeing all three of these shows show up (especially since critics have deemed each of these most-recent seasons some of their weakest). Even The Office, which I sincerely love, didn't have it's best year. It probably only won the nomination on the strength of the season finale, which was not indicative of the season as a whole. It would have made me happier to see other short-list contenders Pushing Daisies, Flight of the Conchords, or Weeds get the nod. Even How I Met Your Mother had a more consistent season. (Also, Charlie Sheen and Tony Shalhoub (6 noms, 3 wins!) got nominated for Best Actor again! Aaahhh!!!)
- I don't think Sandra Oh should have gotten a Supporting Actress nod. Like Katherine Heigl, her character was severely mishandled by the Grey's Anatomy writers this year, and she too was given little material worthy of a nomination. The only reason she's here is because of the ONE kick-ass speech she got, and delivered flawlessly, in episode 14. The nom should have been given to Mad Men's January Jones or Christina Hendricks, or In Treatment's Mia Wasikowska.
- The slew of nominations for Boston Legal? Who knew that show still existed? It may be decent, but in no way deserved it's Best Drama, Actor (James Spader), Supporting Actor (William Shatner), or Supporting Actress (Candice Bergen) nominations over many more deserving candidates. Most critics are of the opinion that Boston Legal is more of a comedy or farce these days, so giving away nominations that should have rightfully belonged to Kyle Chander or Connie Britton in Friday Night Lights, Robert Sean Leonard in House, Henry Ian Cusack in Lost, or Jill Clayburg or Donald Sutherland in Dirty Sexy Money is just scandalous! And how about giving the criminally ignored The Wire, Battlestar Galactica or Friday Night Lights a shot at the Best Drama prize instead?
- It was nice to see Amy Poehler recognized for her work on Saturday Night Live with a Supporting Actress nomination, but I think Dana Delany also deserved a spot for helping re-energize Desperate Housewives with her layered portrayal of Katherine Mayfair. I would have scrubbed Holland Taylor in Two and Half Men.
- The musical score of BSG wasn't nominated???? I know I give that show a lot of credit, but the one thing it does better than anybody is it's amazing musical score by Bear McCreary. Sets the tone for the entire show and is as good as any film score. Meanwhile, Family Guy and The Simpsons scored music nods. Travesty. (Although, I'll give the Academy some credit for giving BSG writing ("Six of One") and cinematography ("He That Believeth in Me") nods.)
I will give the show it's proper due in the drama category; with the exception of Boston Legal - Mad Men, Dexter, Lost, House, and Damages all had quality years. I also commend the recognition of Bryan Cranston (of "Malcolm in the Middle" fame) as Best Actor nominee for Breaking Bad, as well as the nominations for Michael Emerson (Ben on Lost), the many guest actor noms for 30 Rock (no other show does it better), as well as the acting noms for Pushing Daisies, Mad Men and TV-movie "Recount." However, these well-dones don't make up for a consistent delivery of rejections and disappointments that never seem to end. (Maybe I just never got over the terminal ignorance of Lauren Graham's amazing work on Gilmore Girls.)
Two sides of the same argument: Newsweek liked this year's noms (which were better than usual, not saying much), and TWoP, which had quite a few bones to pick. Click the links to read more. Also, The Envelope site has their Emmy wishlist, and their Alternate Award Categories. And for anyone who wants even more (who am I kidding - I'm the only one who reads this much crap!) EW's list of the Top 25 Emmy snubs.
After my last Emmy rant, I swore I was going to boycott the entire Emmy process as it is just too aggravating. And, true to my word, I didn't watch. But that doesn't mean I didn't look up all the winners just to see how screwed up the voters got it this time around. Of course, just to spite me, they didn't do all that bad this year. I can't speak for the probably tedious broadcast (there were 5 hosts, including Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, and Ryan Seacrest, gag!) but when it came to most of the results, they were pretty damn savvy! Shocker!
