TV Patrol: My Emmy Picks!

The 61st Annual Emmy Awards are LIVE on CBS tomorrow night at 8pm.(est). That is unless the NFL football game runs over…. Neil Patrick Harris is a HUGE plus after last year’s disastrous “reality hosts” as emcees. Harris is also nominated for his own Emmy for his work on How I Met Your Mother. He said that he’s ready to go & stopped eating 2 weeks ago to fit into his dress & his lip injections have stabilized.
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This year producers are promising a more streamlined event, with the planned changes in structure — organizing awards by genres — and the look of the set changing for each act, it will feel like five small, separate shows. Paired presenters will announe more than one nomination category, thus spending less time introducing said presenters & allowing more time for acceptance speeches & clips. The nominees have been warned in advance, that they will NOT be cut off for heart-felt speeches, but will get “the music” if they’re speech becomes a ‘thank you’ list. I’m sure things will run smoothly & on time. Let’s get to my picks.

Everyone knows I’m a huge TV fan. I try to watch everything out there at least once so I can pretend I’m knowledgeable enough to form a valid opinion. This is one of those times. I have my “favorites” & I do want them to win. That doesn’t mean they will, they rarely do. So what you will see in bold print is what I want to win, not what I think will win. Once again, this year is dominated by cable shows that hardly anyone watches. They certainly aren’t ratings winners. Of all the hugely popular dramas on network TV (CBS), the Academy only has two on their list, Lost & House. The fact that NCIS, the most popular TV show on both network & in cable reruns is nowhere to be seen on any list, makes me wonder who the fuck is making up these lists in the first place. (I don’t watch the show, so what do I know. Maybe it’s crap.) I’m just hoping some of my picks are winners.

Okay, here goes:

Best Drama:
This is the hardest category for me to pick a winner in. I watch every show, except Damages. The winner will probably be the “cerebral” Mad Men, which won last year. I know they are never going to give an Emmy to a serial killer, so Dexter won’t win. LOST is too confusing to those who vote. Of course, Big Love goes against the country’s moral standard. House has a foreigner as it’s star. That leaves Breaking Bad, a show about a chemistry teacher making & selling meth. See what I mean, they are all so good!

Big Love
Breaking Bad
Damages
Dexter
House
Lost
Mad Men

Best Actor, Drama:
Only one network show in this category & it’s CBS’ new (highly rated) The Mentalist‘s hunky Simon Baker. Bryan Cranston won last year for his role as Walt, the chemistry teacher, turned meth dealer on Breaking Bad. I would be happy if he won again this time, but I’m still pulling for Michael C. Hall, as our favorite serial killer in Dexter. I think that Jon Hamm will win, as the whoredog Don/Dick, from Mad Men. A win by Simon Baker would really be a shocking surprise though.

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

Best Actress, Drama:
This is a tough category for me, because I must confess, I don’t watch most of these shows. Glenn Close won last year. I find Elisabeth Moss from Mad Men the most intriguing character of all of these choices. Her struggles as a 1960′s businesswoman just screams “women’s lib” in her future. Burn that bra Peggy!

Sally Field
Brothers & Sisters
Glenn Close
Damages
Mariska Hargitay
Law & Order: SVU
Holly Hunter
Saving Grace
Kyra Sedgwick
The Closer
Elisabeth Moss
Mad Men

Best Comedy:
Family Guy??? Are you kidding me? That is the most obnoxiously, unfunny, juvenile, piece of crap I’ve ever watched & it gets more idiotically, stupid every season! What moron put this crap on the list? It’ll probably win. I’m not a fan of any of these shows. I’m a Two & a Half Men lover & it’s been ignored again this season. I’ll have to go with our host’s show, How I Met Your Mother. It’s at least fun to watch.

30 Rock
Entourage
Family Guy
Flight Of The Conchords
How I Met Your Mother
The Office
Weeds

Best Actor, Comedy:
Well at least Charlie Sheen’s in this category. He’s not going to ever win, but it’s an honor just to be nominated, right? Alec Baldwin is back again for 30 Rock & he’ll probably win again. I’m personally over this show. The fact that you never knew when it would be on, made me lose interest last year. I’m picking Jim Parson’s Sheldon, from The Big Bang Theory. He has managed to make this geeky, brainiac into a scene-stealing phenom.

Alec Baldwin
30 Rock
Tony Shalhoub
Monk
Jim Parsons
The Big Bang Theory
Steve Carell
The Office
Charlie Sheen
Two & A Half Men
Jemaine Clement
Flight Of The Conchords

Best Actress, Comedy:
I’m hoping Tina Fey doesn’t walk away with this one, but I’m sure she will. For some reason, they all think she’s a comic genius , especially since nailing the Sarah Palin character. Sarah Silverman won’t get the award because she talks about female private parts. I watched United States of Tara & it’s one of those shows you just can’t stop watching, even though it makes you a tad uncomfortable. Toni Collette is a real long shot here. I’m choosing Julia-Louis-Dreyfus for the simple fact that she makes me laugh out loud. None of the others do.

Tina Fey
30 Rock
Christina Applegate
Samantha Who?
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
The New Adventures Of Old Christine
Sarah Silverman
The Sarah Silverman Program
Mary-Louise Parker
Weeds
Toni Collette
United States Of Tara

Best Supporting Actor, Drama:
I love William Shatner, but he’s already won one in this category & so has Christian Clemenson. This leaves me with Aaron Paul as junkie/dealer Jesse from Breaking Bad or Michael Emerson as Evil Ben from LOST. I really want it to be a tie, but if push comes to shove, I have to go with Ben. The show only has one more season, so it could be awhile before Michael Emerson is nominated again. Aaron Paul, on the other hand, has some time still. He’s on Big Love too. John Slattery from Mad Men will probably win though.

William Shatner
Boston Legal
Christian Clemenson
Boston Legal
Aaron Paul
Breaking Bad
Michael Emerson
Lost
John Slattery
Mad Men
William Hurt
Damages

Best Supporting Actress, Drama:
I don’t care one bit about who wins in this category. I don’t watch any of these shows, so we’ll just move on……

Rose Byrne
Damages
Hope Davis
In Treatment
Chandra Wilson
Grey’s Anatomy
Sandra Oh
Grey’s Anatomy
Dianne Wiest
In Treatment
Cherry Jones
’24′

Best Supporting Actor, Comedy:
Who, in their right mind, would or could think that Tracy Morgan is the least bit funny. If he wins this, I’ll throw a rock through my TV. It would be good TV to have Neil Patrick Harris win, seeing how he’s the host, but I’m going for Jon Cryer of Two & a Half Men. He makes this show funny. Kevin Dillion is going to win for Entourage because Jeremy Piven’s not nominated.

Kevin Dillon
Entourage
Tracy Morgan
30 Rock
Neil Patrick Harris
How I Met Your Mother
Rainn Wilson
The Office
Jon Cryer
Two & A Half Men
Jack McBrayer
30 Rock

Best Supporting Actress, Comedy:
Saturday Night Live is covered here, with two women nominated. Amy Poehler will probably win because she’s Tina Fey’s buddy. I’m surprised to see Kristin Chenoweth even getting on the list. I was a big fan of Pushing Daisies, but it seems I was in the minority since it was cancelled. This is where I pick another “no way she’ll win” actress with Vanessa Williams. Not only is she the most beautiful one on the list, she’s the classiest too. Does that count in comedy? Elisabeth Perkins from Weeds gets her first chance at an EMMY. She will be a long-shot surprise, if she gets it.

Kristin Chenoweth
Pushing Daisies
Kristen Wiig
Saturday Night Live
Amy Poehler
Saturday Night Live
Jane Krakowski
30 Rock
Vanessa Williams
Ugly Betty
Elizabeth Perkins
Weeds

Best Reality-Competition Show:
Amazing Race has won every year since this category was establihed 6 years ago. I’ve always been happy with that, but I think this year Phil needs to step aside & let someone else win. But I don’t see another show on the list that deserves it more. Top Chef is a good runner-up & American Idol is ratings gold every year, but I’m just wondering why Survivor isn’t even nominated. It’s the reason we have reality shows in primetime. I’m a huge Dancing with the Stars fan & there is a dance number during the show with former “DWTS” celebrities, but is that a sign it will win? I think not. I’m going to have to stick with a winner & pick The Amazing Race again.

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

Best Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Show:
Well now, if I’m not mistaken, Jeff Probst won last year. Maybe I should choose Phil Keoghan since I picked The Amazing Race in the last category. I’m sure one of these two will win, but which one? The long-shot would be Heidi Klum, don’t ya think & it would be great if Padma & Tom got the award. Ryan Seacrest has his nose up quite a few asses, so he could pull it out of his ass off. Tom Bergeron is just too generic to win. I’m going with Phil.

Ryan Seacrest
American Idol
Tom Bergeron
Dancing With the Stars
Phil Keoghan
The Amazing Race
Heidi Klum
Project Runway
Jeff Probst
Survivor
Padma Lakshmi & Tom Colicchio
Top Chef

Best Variety, Music or Comedy Series:
I never understood the title for this category. It makes for some unusual nominees over the years. This season, it seems pretty straight-forward for a change. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart won last time around, but you have to remember, it was a political year & he was hot! I’m going with David Letterman. He ‘s always been my choice for late-night. I guess because Conan & Jay were in transition, they opted not to even put them on the list. I would have liked to seen Craig Ferguson get a nomination though. I think he’s underrated.

Late Show With David Letterman
Real Time With Bill Maher
Saturday Night Live
The Colbert Report
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Well, that ends my picks for the EMMYS. I will check my scorecard tomorrow night during the broadcast & root for my favorites once again. I’m really hoping that Michael C. Hall walks away with “Best Actor” for Dexter. What are your thoughts? Feel free to disagree with me.

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chooch