TV with MeeVee: Emmys: Predictions and Liveblog Plans

September 15, 2007

Emmys: Predictions and Liveblog Plans

First, a reminder that I will be taking on the most awesome feat of channel-flippin'-bloggin' in the history of mankind on Sunday night, when the Emmys hit Fox at 8 p.m.

Secondly, a recap of my Emmy picks, the better for you to mock and revile me in the comments on Sunday night...

Best Supporting Actor In A Comedy: This should be a race between Neil Patrick Harris as the sparkplug of "How I Met Your Mother" or Rainn Wilson's insane Dwight on "The Office." If "The Office" rocks, it could be Wilson. But something tells me this is Harris' year.

Best Supporting Actress In A Comedy: I think the real competition here is between Elizabeth Perkins as the imperious, often soused suburban queen Celia on "Weeds" and Jenna Fischer's fantastic but quite subtle performance as Pam on "The Office." Fischer and John Krasinski as Jim are the sane heart of the "Office" madhouse, and he wasn't even nominated, so maybe this is Perkins' year. But I'm hoping Fischer wins. Call it a vote for romance.

Best Actor In A Comedy: Alec Baldwin of "30 Rock" could have walked away with the supporting-actor category - and that's where he should have been nominated. Besides, that whole domestic voicemail rant thing was not a vote-getter. Still, pretty much everyone agrees he's hilarious in this part, and he could win. Seems to me, though, that Steve Carell of "The Office" deserves this one and will get it on his second nomination.

Best Actress In A Comedy: Tina Fey would certainly be a deserving winner for her role as the supposedly sane center of the madness on "30 Rock." But my vote goes to Mary-Louise Parker on "Weeds" as a pot-dealing suburban widow coping with mounting crises on all fronts - she's funny and dramatic and still amazingly nuanced.

Best Comedy: This has gotta be the brilliant "The Office," unless there's some sort of Academy-traditionalist groundswell for the top-rated "Two And A Half Men." Dear Lord I hope not.

Best Supporting Actor In A Drama: T.R. Knight could win because of politically correct Hollywood support after the Isaiah Washington/"faggot" controversy on the set of "Grey's Anatomy" - but does anyone think he would have been nominated without it? Masi Oka is great fun on "Heroes," but it's a comic book adventure, and they don't give Emmys to sci fi, usually. I'm thinking Michael Imperioli gets it, as "The Sopranos" walks away with one last Cadillac-trunkload of awards.

Best Supporting Actress In A Drama: Love Lorraine Bracco. But Dr. Melfi's storyline on this year's "Sopranos" was disappointing. So I'd say this is a showdown between Aida Turturro as Janice Soprano - primarily for her memorable episode in the season's first episode, at the lake house - and Katherine Heigl, another PC hero in the Isaiah Washington controversy.

Best Actor In A Drama: James Gandolfini will probably win. But he wasn't any better munching on those onion rings in the finale than he has been any other season of "The Sopranos," and he already has three Emmys. So even though it's probably the best performance in the history of television, I say, GIVE IT TO HUGH LAURIE, M-------ERS! An English comedian playing a Vicodin-addicted genius-bastard American doctor with a handicap! Flawlessly! It would be an incredible technical feat even if he didn't burn this guy's tortured soul right into your flat screen - but he does.

Best Actress In A Drama: I'd say it comes down to the popular Kyra Sedgwick of "The Closer," who I expected to win last year, and the even more popular Field. Hollywood people love nothing more than a second act in a career, since they're all hoping to have one, and this is more like a third or fourth act for Field. Who's gonna win? It's close, especially given "The Closer's" recent ratings records. This is the one call I'm changing since I made my picks two weeks ago. I now expect Sedgwick to win.

Best Drama: "The Sopranos?" Much as I love "House," this is a no-brainer. Still, were Emmy voters too pissed off by the smash cut to black that ended the show in enigmatic fashion? Or will they vote for it to honor David Chase's creative independence? I don't freakin' know. Still, I think if I had to bet the rent on one show, this would be it. How can you vote against the greatest drama in television history?

Posted by Joel Brown on September 15, 2007 at 05:56 AM in 30 Rock, Emmys, How I Met Your Mother, Sopranos, The Office, Weeds | Permalink