Lost Love at the Emmys!!

Lost has been nominated for 13 Emmys (!!) in its final season, which is almost unheard-of for a show this late in its run. Happily, the big noms went to Fox for Best Actor, the show for Best Drama, Best Supporting Actor nods to Emerson and O'Quinn, and even a guest actor nom for Elizabeth Mitchell for the finale, and, perhaps most importantly, a writing nomination for Carlton and Damon for the finale. Well done!!! Ab Aeterno even got some love in the art direction department, although Nestor Carbonell was sadly overlooked in the guest actor category for that episode (I thought he gave the performance of the season in that one).

In other nomination awesomeness, there was a lot of love for True Blood, Glee (with 19 nominations), Friday Night Lights (with Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton both getting nods, as well as writing and casting), Dexter, Breaking Bad, and Mad Men.

Despite my sadness for Nestor, I would say the biggest overlooked person was Zach Gilford in Friday Night Lights. I won't say what happens to him this season so as not to spoil anyone who hasn't begun watching this phenomenal show, but he turned in a performance that was ASTOUNDING. I thought he had Emmy written all over it.

Here is the complete list of Lost nominations:

Outstanding Art Direction For A Single-Camera Series
Lost • Ab Aeterno • ABC • Grass Skirts Productions, LLC in association with ABC Network and Studios
Zack Grobler, Production Designer
Matthew Jacobs, Art Director
Carol Bayne Kelley, Set Decorator

Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series
Lost • The End • ABC • Grass Skirts Productions, LLC in association with ABC Network and Studios
Jack Bender, Director

Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Drama Series
Lost • The End • ABC • Grass Skirts Productions, LLC in association with ABC Network and Studios
Stephen Semel, Editor
Mark J. Goldman, Editor
Christopher Nelson, Editor
Henk Van Eeghan, Editor

Outstanding Music Composition For A Series (Original Dramatic Score)
Lost • The End • ABC • Grass Skirts Productions, LLC in association with ABC Network and Studios
Michael Giacchino, Composer

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series
Lost • ABC • Grass Skirts Productions, LLC in association with ABC Network and Studios
Matthew Fox as Jack Shephard

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Lost • ABC • Grass Skirts Productions, LLC in association with ABC Network and Studios
Terry O'Quinn as John Locke

Lost • ABC • Grass Skirts Productions, LLC in association with ABC Network and Studios
Michael Emerson as Ben Linus

Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series
Lost • The End • ABC • Grass Skirts Productions, LLC in association with ABC Network and Studios
Elizabeth Mitchell as Juliet Burke

Outstanding Drama Series
Lost • ABC • Grass Skirts Productions, LLC in association with ABC Network and Studios

Outstanding Special Class Programs
ABC's LOST Presents: Mysteries Of The Universe - The Dharma Initiative •
abc.com/lost • ABC Digital Media
Christopher J. Powers, Producer
Ted Bramble, Producer
Agnes Chu, Producer
Gregg Nations, Producer

Outstanding Sound Editing For A Series
Lost • The End • ABC • Grass Skirts Productions, LLC in association with ABC Network and Studios
Thomas E. deGorter, Sound Supervisor
Joe Schultz, MPSE, Sound Editor
Paula Fairfield, MPSE, Sound Editor
Carla Murray, MPSE, Sound Editor
Maciek Malish, MPSE, Sound Editor
Lloyd Jay Keiser, Sound Editor
Geordy Sincavage, Sound Editor
Allen Mark, Sound Editor
Robert Kellough, Sound Editor
Chris Reeves, Sound Editor
Gabrielle Reeves, Sound Editor
Alex Levy, Music Editor
Adam De Coster, Foley Artist
James Bailey, Foley Artist

Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (One
Hour)
Lost • The End • ABC • Grass Skirts Productions, LLC in association with ABC Network and Studios
Bobby Anderson, Production Sound Mixer
Ken King, Production Sound Mixer
Frank Morrone, Re-Recording Mixer
Scott Weber, Re-Recording Mixer

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Lost • The End • ABC • Grass Skirts Productions, LLC in association with ABC Network and Studios
Damon Lindelof, Writer
Carlton Cuse, Writer

Dr. Horrible Hijacks the Emmys

If you watched the Emmys on Sunday night, you've already seen this. I, on the other hand, think awards shows are best watched on the PVR, jumping through the inordinate number of commercials in record time and reducing the length of watchable material to about one hour or less. So I watched it last night. While I'd already heard about this, it was still really hilarious to watch (especially Hammer saying his favourite show is CSI:Miami, haha!!) Can Neil Patrick Harris host the Emmys EVERY year??? PLEASE??



For me, the other highlights of the Emmys were:
-Jimmy Fallon singing through the auto-tuner: I generally can't stand the guy, but I was laughing so hard at the sound of his voice when he fell that I couldn't breathe
-the naming of the writing staff for the variety shows. HELLO?? That is usually the worst part of the night, as they say, "For The Colbert Report" and then list 17 people's names from the writing staff... but instead, the writing staff of each show came up with the way they'd present their names, from the Colbert Report writers standing in front of the Letterman marquee, to the Daily Show writers being represented by clunker cars, to Billy Crystal singing the writing staff names for Letterman, and, my personal favourite, Conan O'Brien clicking through the writer's names on his laptop, hitting Ignore for all their Facebook friend requests. HAHAHA!!
-Ricky Gervais. Isn't he always a highlight??
-NPH's reaction to being beaten out for the Supporting actor award by Jon Cryer (I'm sorry... that was just WRONG) and promising it wouldn't be awkward, then making it awkward
-the Big Bang Theory guys (and gal) presenting an award
-John Hodgman's fake colour commentary
-the writers talking about why writing is fun (and Matt Weiner telling one of his writing staff he doesn't care about them, while Carlton Cuse clocked Damon)
-pairing Angel and Bill as vampire presenters

Actually, MANY of the nominee lists were the best part of the evening! After the Oscars attempted a new way of listing nominees -- where former winners stood on stage and told them how awesome they were -- and it COMPLETELY fell flat and extended my already extended evening too long, this one got it right. Considering Neil Patrick Harris was a producer of the telecast, I'm thinking he came up with a lot of the bits.

This was probably the first award show where I really didn't care about the winners, and just watched the show for its own entertainment value. Who can say that about awards shows??

FINALLY!!!

Congratulations to Michael Emerson for FINALLY winning the Best Supporting Actor Emmy last night. It's well deserved and long overdue. Just rewatching him as Benry in season 2 makes me realize what a wondrous actor he is, and what the show was missing without him. Congratulations, Ben!!

Lost Gets Emmy Nods!

While it certainly hasn't gotten the attention of 30 Rock, with its 22 nominations (22!!), Lost has been nominated for Best Drama, and Best Supporting Actor in a Drama for Michael Emerson. PLEASE give that award to Emerson. The "What about ME?!" scene in the finale, where he faces off against Jacob, is worth the award right there, but there's just a subtlety to his acting, an evil laced with comic undertones, that deserves it. I adore him... and this is finally a year where he's not up against anyone else on Lost. Lost ended up with 5 nominations in total (scroll to the bottom to see the rest).

Here are the nominations in the most-touted categories:

Outstanding Comedy Series
Family Guy
30 Rock
Weeds
How I Met Your Mother
The Office
Flight of the Conchords
Entourage

**My pick: 30 Rock. While I LOVE The Office, 30 Rock was just consistently funny this year, with lines that rivalled any other series on television. I found myself quoting it week after week, and I think Tina Fey is some kind of genius. I don't watch How I Met Your Mother (I know, I know... I'm getting to it, promise); I thought season 2 of Flight of the Conchords was even funnier than season 1; I stopped watching Weeds in season 3 when it just got too serious; Entourage was consistently fun to watch week after week, but never stood out as the best thing on television; and while I'm thrilled that the Family Guy is in there, it's not consistently funny.

Outstanding Drama Series
Mad Men
Breaking Bad
Lost
Damages
Dexter
Big Love
House

**I think y'all know my pick for this one. Season 5 of Lost was stunning. Stunning stunning stunning, in its writing, acting, and directing. It deserves the award. I loved season 2 of Mad Men, and it's probably the frontrunner in this one; I'm partway through Breaking Bad (LOVE it); Damages was AMAZING; Big Love had a really excellent season; Dexter's third season was its best yet; and, okay, I'm not a House fan. So honestly, despite me ragging on the Emmys year after year, I think they've put together an excellent crop of shows here.

Lead Actor in a Drama
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Hugh Laurie, House
Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Simon Baker, The Mentalist

**What can I say: Gabriel Byrne. This guy has to carry In Treatment through 48 episodes, has to play the ups and downs, has to face off against every other character... there isn't a scene that he isn't in. That is a feat in itself -- and not only does he put in the time, he's brilliant. Unbelievably brilliant. I love Michael C. Hall (and admittedly, if he won it I'd be leaping off my couch in happiness) and Jon Hamm, but this one belongs to Byrne.

Lead Actress in a Drama
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men
Glenn Close, Damages
Sally Field, Brothers and Sisters
Mariska Hargitay, Law and Order: SVU
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer
Holly Hunter, Saving Grace

**My pick: Glenn Close. My love for her is boundless. And confession time: the only other show I watch here is Mad Men. Moss is amazing in it, but she's no Patty Hewes.

Lead Actor in a Comedy
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Steve Carell, The Office
Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men
Tony Shalhoub, Monk
Jemaine Clement, Flight of the Conchords

**Torn!! I'm always torn between Baldwin and Carell. They're both genius, both convey that insanity mixed with seriousness. I honestly can't pick one. It would be like choosing a favourite child.

Lead Actress in a Comedy
Toni Collette, United States of Tara
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine
Sarah Silverman, The Sarah Silverman Program
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds
Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?

**Tina Fey. And not just because she's the writer/actress on it (she can get her writing kudos in those categories) but because she's funny, and plays the perfect straight person in the midst of a bunch of psychos, and STILL manages to pull off some of the best lines in each episode.

Best Reality Competition
The Amazing Race
American Idol
Dancing With the Stars
Project Runway
Top Chef

**Damn you for not nominating So You Think You Can Dance!!!! Are you crazy?? Consistently the best reality show on television. But a close second is Project Runway, so I'm going for that.

Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series
The Colbert Report
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Late Show With David Letterman
Real Time With Bill Maher
Saturday Night Live

**While SNL had some truly outstanding moments this past season, they were mostly thanks to Andy Samberg or Justin Timberlake, so I'm going with Jon Stewart on this one.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
William Shatner, Boston Legal
Christian Clemenson, Boston Legal
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad
William Hurt, Damages
Michael Emerson, Lost
John Slattery, Mad Men

**Oh you know what I'm going to say (see above). William Hurt put in a crazy good turn on Damages, and John Slattery is brilliant on Mad Men as Roger, but Michael Emerson stole the show this year.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Rose Byrne, Damages
Sandra Oh, Grey’s Anatomy
Chandra Wilson, Grey’s Anatomy
Dianne Wiest, In Treatment
Hope Davis, In Treatment
Cherry Jones, 24

**Don't watch Grey's or 24, and Rose Byrne was great on Damages, but was often overshadowed by people who were better than her in each scene. So I'm with Dianne Wiest. That woman can fall apart like nobody else on television. When she and Gabriel Byrne are on screen together in In Treatment, there are moments when I feel like I can't breathe. Extraordinary.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Kevin Dillon, Entourage
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
Rainn Wilson, The Office
Tracy Morgan, 30 Rock
Jack McBrayer, 30 Rock
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men

**Oh Dwight. I could never vote against you. Rainn Wilson FTW!!

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Kristin Chenoweth, Pushing Daisies
Amy Poehler, Saturday Night Live
Kristin Wiig, Saturday Night Live
Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock
Vanessa William, Ugly Betty
Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds

**It's like they are MOCKING ME with nominating Pushing Daisies. Stupid $@^!ing awards shows. My vote is for Kristin. May she find another lead part in a drama to prove to everyone that her show should NOT HAVE BEEN CANCELLED.

And here are the other nominations for Lost. Does ANYONE else deserve that writing award? I didn't think so. Come on, Darlton!

Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing
Lost • The Incident • ABC • Grass Skirt Productions and ABC Studios
Stephen Semel, Editor
Mark Goldman, Editor
Chris Nelson, Editor

Outstanding Sound Mixing
Lost • The Incident • ABC • Grass Skirt Productions and ABC Studios
Robert Anderson, Production Sound Mixer
Ken King, Production Sound Mixer
Scott Weber, Re-Recording Mixer
Frank Morrone, Re-Recording Mixer

Outstanding Writing for a Drama
Lost • The Incident • ABC • Grass Skirt Productions and ABC Studios
Carlton Cuse, Writer
Damon Lindelof, Writer
**This actually has a good chance of winning, since it's up against FOUR Mad Men episodes and nothing else. The MM episodes will probably split the votes against each other (unless everyone votes for the finale) and Lost could shoot right up through the middle. :)

Stuff for a Monday

So much to say, so little time. When I'm not back at work I'm rushing to get dinner ready and then it's helping my daughter with her homework (in junior kindergarten?? Has the world gone COMPLETELY crazy??) and then getting the duo to bed and then working on Lost. Uh... wait, is there TV I'm supposed to be watching??

Heroes is on RIGHT NOW and I'm working on the Lost book. Argh. Here's hoping I can watch it soon. I'm behind on Gossip Girl, but last week's ep TOTALLY rocked. Loved it. I love Chuck Bass as much as I hated Edward in Twilight, and yet they're both jerks. Maybe it's because Chuck doesn't hide the fact he's a dick, and Edward's dickishness is something we're not supposed to notice.

I've seen the first episode of The Shield, and it's brilliant. (K, you must watch so we can discuss!) LOVE this show.

The Emmys were last night, and I was pleasantly surprised to see a new guard stepping up. 30 Rock won best comedy, which is great, Mad Men won best drama... I just finished season 1 and am beginning season 2, and I really love it. Connor Peter is a bit of a caricature, but that's what makes him funny. I still love how enamoured he was of the chip and dip in season one -- "The chips go here and in the middle it's this sour cream concoction with little dried onion bits, and you DIP the chip in!" I said to my husband that I MUST find a chip dip holder that is that horrific-looking. I can't imagine a world where chip dip didn't exist. Good god.

I'm actually pretty happy with most of the awards last night, with the exception of one MAJOR one. Gabriel Byrne did not win for In Treatment. The man carried -- CARRIED -- 43 half-hours of a show in a single season, and was in virtually every scene. And he's absolutely brilliant in every scene. He ran the gamut of emotions in this show and I don't think I've ever seen a performance like his in a single season. If he HAD to lose, I would have accepted Michael C. Hall for Dexter, but he didn't win, either. It went to Bryan Cranston for Breaking Bad. I haven't seen it, and now I need to check it out because that better be one helluva groundbreaking performance to take down those two men. It just seems impossible.

Michael Emerson didn't win it for Lost, which sucks, but it went to Zeljko Ivanek for Damages, and I must admit, he's pretty freakin' amazing in that. (And hey, he's Juliet's bastard husband, and the guy's a character actor legend, so I'll let him have it without bitching too much.)

Maureen Dowd of the New York Times let Aaron Sorkin take over her column today and imagine a meeting between Barack Obama and Jed Bartlet. The result is pretty funny, even for the way over the top writing of Aaron Sorkin:

OBAMA They pivoted off the argument that I was inexperienced to the criticism that I’m — wait for it — the Messiah, who, by the way, was a community organizer. When I speak I try to lead with inspiration and aptitude. How is that a liability?

BARTLET Because the idea of American exceptionalism doesn’t extend to Americans being exceptional. If you excelled academically and are able to casually use 690 SAT words then you might as well have the press shoot video of you giving the finger to the Statue of Liberty while the Dixie Chicks sing the University of the Taliban fight song. The people who want English to be the official language of the United States are uncomfortable with their leaders being fluent in it.

OBAMA You’re saying race doesn’t have anything to do with it?

BARTLET I wouldn’t go that far. Brains made me look arrogant but they make you look uppity. Plus, if you had a black daughter —

OBAMA I have two.

BARTLET — who was 17 and pregnant and unmarried and the father was a teenager hoping to launch a rap career with “Thug Life” inked across his chest, you’d come in fifth behind Bob Barr, Ralph Nader and a ficus.

OBAMA You’re not cheering me up.

BARTLET Is that what you came here for?

OBAMA No, but it wouldn’t kill you.

BARTLET Have you tried doing a two-hour special or a really good Christmas show?

OBAMA Sir —

BARTLET Hang on. Home run. Right here. Is there any chance you could get Michelle pregnant before the fall sweeps?

OBAMA The problem is we can’t appear angry. Bush called us the angry left. Did you see anyone in Denver who was angry?

BARTLET Well ... let me think. ...We went to war against the wrong country, Osama bin Laden just celebrated his seventh anniversary of not being caught either dead or alive, my family’s less safe than it was eight years ago, we’ve lost trillions of dollars, millions of jobs, thousands of lives and we lost an entire city due to bad weather. So, you know ... I’m a little angry.

OBAMA What would you do?

BARTLET GET ANGRIER! Call them liars, because that’s what they are. Sarah Palin didn’t say “thanks but no thanks” to the Bridge to Nowhere. She just said “Thanks.” You were raised by a single mother on food stamps — where does a guy with eight houses who was legacied into Annapolis get off calling you an elitist? And by the way, if you do nothing else, take that word back. Elite is a good word, it means well above average. I’d ask them what their problem is with excellence. While you’re at it, I want the word “patriot” back. McCain can say that the transcendent issue of our time is the spread of Islamic fanaticism or he can choose a running mate who doesn’t know the Bush doctrine from the Monroe Doctrine, but he can’t do both at the same time and call it patriotic. They have to lie — the truth isn’t their friend right now. Get angry. Mock them mercilessly; they’ve earned it. McCain decried agents of intolerance, then chose a running mate who had to ask if she was allowed to ban books from a public library. It’s not bad enough she thinks the planet Earth was created in six days 6,000 years ago complete with a man, a woman and a talking snake, she wants schools to teach the rest of our kids to deny geology, anthropology, archaeology and common sense too? It’s not bad enough she’s forcing her own daughter into a loveless marriage to a teenage hood, she wants the rest of us to guide our daughters in that direction too? It’s not enough that a woman shouldn’t have the right to choose, it should be the law of the land that she has to carry and deliver her rapist’s baby too? I don’t know whether or not Governor Palin has the tenacity of a pit bull, but I know for sure she’s got the qualifications of one. And you’re worried about seeming angry? You could eat their lunch, make them cry and tell their mamas about it and God himself would call it restrained. There are times when you are simply required to be impolite. There are times when condescension is called for!

OBAMA Good to get that off your chest?

It's REALLY funny stuff. Read the entire thing here. (Thanks to CJ for the link!)

Speaking of the election, if you've seen the Sarah Palin interview on ABC that sparked Tina Fey's impression of her, you'll love this straight parody of the interview (even better, watch the Palin interview right before it and you'll see that they're playing the parody really close and not making much up).



I read with my jaw sort of on the floor today the news that Jamie-Lynn Spears' baby daddy took pictures of her with the new baby, and in one pic she's breastfeeding it and you can see part of her left breast. When the guy took the pics to Wal-Mart to get them developed, an employee looked through them, saw the pic of the boobie, and immediately tried to sell it to the papers. It's gone missing, and an investigation is underway saying if that is published it's tantamount to child porn because of Jamie-Lynn's age (I am SO not making this up). Which led me to this thought: What's worse, the fact a low-life photo developer tried to pawn off pictures of a new mother while she was simply trying to feed her baby, or the fact that Mr. Jamie-Lynn Spears TOOK HIS PICTURES TO WAL-MART to get them developed???

Dude: GET A DIGITAL CAMERA.

UPDATE: I'm being told it was a memory card that he took to Wal-Mart, which actually doesn't change my shock at his stupidity. Did he really need to save money on processing those photos? Couldn't he have found a more discreet retailer, a photo developer to the stars or something? You can't tell me Jennifer Garner is taking her baby pics to Wal-Mart for developing.

The Emmys... PFFFT!!!!

I blogged on my excitement over the Emmy long list a couple of weeks ago here, and said I was glad to see The Wire and Friday Night Lights getting some attention. Well... forget I said that. For, The Wire -- a.k.a. THE BEST SHOW ON TELEVISION EVER -- was shut out. SHUT OUT. Completely. Yet Boston Legal (and yeah, I know you love it, redeem...) gets YET another nod.

Sigh.

And Kyle Chandler? Nope. Gone. Best frustration face on TV, but hey, who needs frustration face when you can ham it up with William Shatner, hey? Right? Am I right.

Sigh.

Connie Britton didn't even make the long list (ARRRGH!)

But let's look at the good... um...

Okay, wait, there's Gabriel Byrne for In Treatment. Duh. And Glenn Close for Damages. Double duh. And YAY! Michael Emerson's in for Lost. He had BETTER win. And now that The Wire isn't in Best Drama, I can wholeheartedly root for Lost. (COME ON LOST!)

But The Wire... I just can't believe it. And I'm thrilled to see Kristin Chenoweth in there for Pushing Daisies, but no Chi McBride?

You know... I don't want to say the Emmys are racist, but [*cough*] The Wire is about the inner-city drug trade in Baltimore, and has a predominantly African-American cast. Chi McBride is the life of Pushing Daisies, along with Chenoweth (and the two sisters, let's be honest) and he doesn't even get considered. Naveen Andrews was pretty stunning this year, and made the long list, but that's as far as he's going to get. And 30 Rock has every nomination it could possibly get (check out the guest actor and actress in a comedy category!) but no Tracy Jordan? Uh... I guess they throw a little sumthin' over to Raisin in the Sun and all is right with the world.

Anyway, enough of that. Here are all the categories. With a big WHATever from me.

COMEDY

COMEDY SERIES
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Entourage
The Office
30 Rock
Two and a Half Men

ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Steve Carell, The Office
Lee Pace, Pushing Daisies
Tony Shalhoub, Monk
Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men

ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Kevin Dillon, Entourage
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
Jeremy Piven, Entourage
Rainn Wilson, The Office

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Kristin Chenoweth, Pushing Daisies
Amy Poehler, Saturday Night Live
Jean Smart, Samantha Who?
Holland Taylor, Two and a Half Men
Vanessa Williams, Ugly Betty

GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Will Arnett, 30 Rock
Shelley Berman, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Steve Buscemi, 30 Rock
Tim Conway, 30 Rock
Rip Torn, 30 Rock

GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Polly Bergen, Desperate Housewives
Edie Falco, 30 Rock
Carrie Fisher, 30 Rock
Kathryn Joosten, Desperate Housewives
Sarah Silverman, Monk
Elaine Stritch, 30 Rock

DRAMA

DRAMA SERIES
Boston Legal
Damages
Dexter
House
Lost
Mad Men

ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie, House
James Spader, Boston Legal

ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Glenn Close, Damages
Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Holly Hunter, Saving Grace
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Ted Danson, Damages
Michael Emerson, Lost
Zeljko Ivanek, Damages
William Shatner, Boston Legal
John Slattery, Mad Men

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Candice Bergen, Boston Legal
Rachel Griffiths, Brothers & Sisters
Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy
Dianne Wiest, In Treatment
Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy

GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Charles Durning, Rescue Me
Robert Morse, Mad Men
Oliver Platt, Nip/Tuck
Stanley Tucci, ER
Glynn Turman, In Treatment
Robin Williams, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Ellen Burstyn, Big Love
Diahann Carroll, Grey's Anatomy
Sharon Gless, Nip/Tuck
Anjelica Huston, Medium
Cynthia Nixon, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

REALITY

REALITY COMPETITION PROGRAM
The Amazing Race
American Idol
Dancing With The Stars
Project Runway
Top Chef

HOST FOR A REALITY OR REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM
Tom Bergeron, Dancing With the Stars
Heidi Klum, Project Runway
Howie Mandel, Deal or No Deal
Jeff Probst, Survivor
Ryan Seacrest, American Idol

REALITY SERIES
Antiques Roadshow
Dirty Jobs
Extreme Makeover
Intervention
Kathy Griffin: My Life On The D-List

VARIETY, MUSIC, OR COMEDY

VARIETY, MUSIC, OR COMEDY SERIES
The Colbert Report
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Late Show With David Letterman
Real Time With Bill Maher
Saturday Night Live

VARIETY, MUSIC, OR COMEDY SPECIAL
Bill Maher: The Decider
George Carlin: It’s Bad For Ya!
James Taylor: One Man Band
Kathy Griffin: Straight To Hell
The Kennedy Center Honors
Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project

MINISERIES OR MOVIE

MINISERIES
The Andromeda Strain
Cranford
John Adams
Tin Man

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE
Bernard and Doris
Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale
The Memory Keeper’s Daughter
A Raisin In The Sun
Recount

ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE
Ralph Fiennes, Bernard And Doris
Ricky Gervais, Extras
Paul Giamatti, John Adams
Kevin Spacey, Recount
Tom Wilkinson, Recount

ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE
Judi Dench, Cranford
Catherine Keener, An American Crime
Laura Linney, John Adams
Phylicia Rashad, A Raisin in the Sun
Susan Sarandon, Bernard And Doris

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Bob Balaban, Recount
Stephen Dillane, John Adams
Denis Leary, Recount
David Morse, John Adams
Tom Wilkinson, John Adams

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Eileen Atkins, Cranford
Laura Dern, Recount
Ashley Jensen, Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale
Audra McDonald, A Raisin in the Sun
Alfre Woodard, Pictures Of Hollis Woods

Emmy 2008 Semifinalists

Y'all know I hate the Emmy Awards (SEVEN years and Buffy doesn't get a nomination? Bah on you!) but like a car accident, I find myself staring and wondering how it happened and why. This year we're getting a sneak peak at what the noms might be, as the semifinalists are announced. Not all categories are out, but most of them are. Each of these categories will be whittled down to five nominations, due July 17.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment
Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Patrick Dempsey, Grey's Anatomy
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Eddie Izzard, The Riches
Hugh Laurie, House
Denis Leary, Rescue Me
James Spader, Boston Legal

Interesting list. No Lost, which sucks. I'm hoping Chandler, Byrne, and Hall make the final cut, and when all is said and done, if Gabriel Byrne doesn't win this for In Treatment, the sham awards show will be even shammier.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Patricia Arquette, Medium
Glenn Close, Damages
Minnie Driver, The Riches
Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters
Mariska Hargitay, Law and Order: SVU
Holly Hunter, Saving Grace
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men
Mary McDonnell, Battlestar Galactica
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer
Jeanne Tripplehorn, Big Love

Yay Mary McDonnell! That said, I'm four episodes from finishing Damages, and Glenn Close is brilliant. (If you haven't seen her on season 4 of The Shield, you should.) So my vote goes to her.

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Kevin Dillon, Entourage
Justin Kirk, Weeds
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
John Krasinski, The Office
Jack McBrayer, 30 Rock
Tracy Morgan, 30 Rock
Jeremy Piven, Entourage
Fred Willard, Back to You
Rainn Wilson, The Office

I say this every year. And... I SHALL SAY IT AGAIN! Come on, Rainn Wilson!! (I'm sad to see Chi McBride from Pushing Daisies missing... he made me laugh just by being on the screen.)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama
Jane Alexander, Tell Me You Love Me
Candice Bergen, Boston Legal
Rose Byrne, Damages
Jill Clayburgh, Dirty Sexy Money
Sharon Gless, Burn Notice
Rachel Griffiths, Brothers & Sisters
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men
S. Epatha Merkerson, Law & Order
Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy
Dianne Wiest, In Treatment
Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy

Without sounding like a shill for In Treatment, my vote goes to Dianne Wiest for this one. (And again, I urge you all to check it out.) There are scenes where she's facing off against Gabriel Byrne that gave me goosebumps. She is extraordinary in this. That said, I'm pretty pissed that Connie Britton didn't get a nom for Friday Night Lights. Come ON.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Naveen Andrews, Lost
Bruce Dern, Big Love
Christian Clemenson, Boston Legal
Ted Danson, Damages
Michael Emerson, Lost
Zeljko Ivanek, Damages
T.R. Knight, Grey's Anatomy
William Shatner, Boston Legal
John Slattery, Mad Men
Blair Underwood, In Treatment
Jake Weber, Medium

Woo! Naveen AND Emerson! (And Zeljko, if you want to count Juliet's evil husband.) My vote (shock!) goes to Michael Emerson on this one. I think he is mesmerizing.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?
Marcia Cross, Desperate Housewives
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Anna Friel, Pushing Daisies
Felicity Huffman, Desperate Housewives
Eva Longoria Parker, Desperate Housewives
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, New Adventures of Old Christine
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds
Sarah Silverman, The Sarah Silverman Program

I'm happy to see a lot of those nominations, but I'm hoping America, Tina, and Anna make it through. I'd be happy with any of them winning.

Outstanding Comedy Series Finalists
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Entourage
Family Guy
Flight of the Conchords
The Office
Pushing Daisies
30 Rock
Two and a Half Men
Ugly Betty
Weeds

My dream list: Flight of the Conchords, The Office, Pushing Daisies, 30 Rock, and Entourage. With The Office or Pushing Daisies winning. Yay Pushing Daisies!

Outstanding Drama Series Finalists
Boston Legal
Damages
Dexter
Friday Night Lights
Grey’s Anatomy
House
Lost
Mad Men
The Tudors
The Wire

Wish List: The Wire, Lost, Friday Night Lights, Dexter, Damages. And I hope I don't offend any Lost fans when I say, "COME ON WIRE!!!!!!!!" (Lost can have it next year, since season 4 was stellar... and let's give a nod to Henry Ian Cusick, shall we?)

UPDATE:
Outstanding Supporting Comedy Actress:
Kristin Chenoweth, Pushing Daisies
Conchata Ferrell, Two and a Half Men
Jenna Fischer, The Office
Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock
Judith Light, Ugly Betty
Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds
Amy Poehler, Saturday Night Live
Jean Smart, Samantha Who?
Holland Taylor, Two and a Half Men
Vanessa Williams, Ugly Betty

For me, Kristin Chenoweth, hands down.

YAY, TERRY O'QUINN!!
Okay, I hate the Emmys, y'all know that, but I get sucked in like every other TV viewer, still hoping against hope that someone I like from a show I watch might actually win an award. I didn't actually watch the Emmys until the very very end, so I missed most of them, and only found out about the highlights in the paper this morning (or while googling last night while my husband watched The Usual Suspects on MPIX for the tenth time... actually the much better viewing choice). So imagine my surprise to find out that Locke had actually won the Emmy! (And is it just me, or does it look like a price tag is stuck to the bottom of his award in this pic?) And of course, I'm still going to complain -- I wish Michael Emerson had won, because this was his year -- but that said, just think of O'Quinn's performance at the end of "The Man from Tallahassee," where in the flashback we see him get plopped into that wheelchair for the first time and he sees the rest of his life in those four wheels and breaks down, and you know this man deserves an award.

I love Entourage, I love Jeremy Piven, I adore Ari, but I wish Rainn Wilson had taken it.

James Spader over James Gandolfini? Does ANYONE watch Boston Legal? Anyone?? (How sucky that they both have the same first name; I said to my husband, I bet Gandolfini was almost getting out of his chair until the person said, "Spader.") And what happened to James Spader?? He used to be SO hot. Now he's puffy and looks like he's been having donut-eating competitions with Shatner. Yikes.

30 Rock winning best comedy! I was rooting for The Office, but considering they were rock bottom in the ratings last year, I hope this helps. Then again, it didn't help Arrested Development, but we can still dream. I love 30 Rock.

The Sopranos won best drama over Heroes, and it comes as no surprise. But I think it was actually the right choice, too. Over all those other shows, The Sopranos changed the face of television and what we watch, how we watch it, etc. It's caused shows like 24 and Lost to experiment with January to May uninterrupted runs. It's allowed more profanity, violence, and nudity into prime-time shows (and I don't mean that as a bad thing). It's improved the soundtracks of most dramas. But most of all, it's shown us that television writing can be as compelling, daring, and groundbreaking as film writing. It deserved that award more than any show in the past year (with the exception of The Wire, but I'm not going to go there again... let me repeat: best season of ANY series, EVER).

By most accounts, the highlight was the lyric faceoff between Kanye and Rainn, and I watched it on YouTube and it was hilarious. Kanye West is an immensely talented performer, but a WHINER. He whines that he was robbed at the Grammys. He bitches when he doesn't get an AMA. He declares racism when he's beat out at the VMAs (by Rihanna, no less... uh... what?) But at the end of the day, he can still laugh at himself. So here's a competition that he should absolutely win... and he doesn't. I love it.