In this Special Edition Blog, tomorrow night is the 63rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, and we're going to preview for all. That's right, all weekend here at David Baruffi's Entertainment Views and Reviews," it's Emmys time! Hope you've already filled out your ballots, and there's a lot to preview for tomorrow night. For starters, and most importantly: The asshole(s) in the NFL League Offices, or in the NBC Sports Division that decided to put my Eagles in the night game on Emmy night, you better hope they win, 'cause I'm very angry and pissed at you, right now, and I have a tendency to get angry when they don't. Like "Incredible Hulk," angry if they don't, got it!
Okay, now onto other details. The Emmys will be on FOX this year, and the host, the only thing good about "Glee," the amazing Jane Lynch. To those who have been following her career for years, we know she'll be great as host, and that this is a long overdue and well-deserved achievement for her.
To those who don't know, I gave out my predictions to the Emmys in an earlier blog, http://davidbaruffi.blogspot.com/2011/07/edit2011-primetime-emmys-nomination.html,
there it is up there. I think I've basically stuck to those choices even at this late hour, and a few I've already missed, but, that's part of the fun. And speaking of the earlier awards, the Creative Arts Emmys were already given out last week, so let's take a look at some of the more interesting winners from there:
First off, OUTSTANDING ANIMATED PROGRAM, a bit of a surprise here, "FUTURAMA" coming back from the dead for four years, reviving itself on Comedy Central, now only won here, but it also took the OUTSTANDING VOICE-OVER AWARD for Maurice LaMarche.
One of the big winners, including a surprise victory in for OUTSTANDING REALITY PROGRAM, was "DEADLIEST CATCH," winning a total of 4 Emmys. Kathy Griffin was robbed! I have nothing against "Deadliest Catch," but I've watched it once, and that's about as long as I can watch a program about fishing without falling asleep. It's basically a nature documentary, and I expect better and more interesting from this category.
Winning the REALITY SHOW HOST Award for the 4th year in a row, JEFF PROBST for "Survivor," which once again, begets the question "Who watches 'Survivor', anymore?"
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, again a big winner, winning 2 Emmys, for "Saturday Night Live," GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY, and BEST ORIGINAL SONG (for "Justin Timberlake Monologue"), this is the 2nd time he's won both these Emmys.
GWYNETH PALTROW won the Guest Actress in Comedy Emmy for "Glee." In Drama, GUEST ACTRESS went to the LORETTA DEVINE for "Grey's Anatomy." I didn't see either of these performances, but Loretta Devine has been a wonderful and very underrated actress for years, I remember her from the short-lived David E. Kelley show "Boston Public," it's good to see her win something. In GUEST ACTOR, PAUL McCRANE, he was Rocket Romano on "ER," until a helicopter fell on him, and he's been around since the original film "Fame," gave a wonderful performance on "Harry's Law," a very well-deserved Emmy for him.
If there's any possible trend out of the Creative Arts Emmys, it's looking more and more like "Boardwalk Empire," is in position to take the DRAMA SERIES EMMY tomorrow night away from "Mad Men,", it's won 7 already, far and away the most of any show, so far. Other than that, it's looking like a rather interesting an unpredictable Emmy night. The most interesting Award this year clearly is the BEST ACTOR DRAMA category. 3-time winner Bryan Cranston is not eligible this year because "Breaking Bad," didn't air before the deadline, so there's going to be a new winner in the category, and it's a loaded category. Jon Hamm of "Mad Men," and Steve Buscemi of "Boardwalk Empire," are looking like the two favorites, Hamm, hasn't won yet despite "Mad Men," sweeping the Drama Series category three years in a row, but Buscemi's "Boardwalk Empire," is the hit show, and it looks like it has the momentum (Note: I haven't seen "Boardwalk Empire," yet, so I can't judge it as a show at this time.) However, Hugh Laurie hasn't won either, for "House," and probably the big fan favorite, Michael C. Hall for "Dexter," also has never won, and his losing streak goes back to being severely overlooked for his amazing work on "Six Feet Under," he's really due. Timothy Olyphant for "Justified," (Again, haven't seen it yet, can't judge) can also play spoiler, as can Kyle Chandler whose "Friday Night Lights," is going off the air this year, this could be a swan song win here. This is very much the most up-in-the-air this category has been in a while. Whoever wins here, barring a shocking upset in another category will most likely be the story of the night.
Now there's a few scenarios that can play out this year, some I'm hoping to see, others, not so much, and we're going to go over, some of the more interesting ones for me. First off, the BEST ACTOR COMEDY category, I think we all want to see STEVE CARELL, finally walk away with an Emmy. It's his well-publicized final season on "The Office," he was amazing this year, there's a few possible other scenarios, the most likely of which being "The Big Bang Theory"'s Jim Parsons winning for the 2nd year in a row, it wouldn't be undeserved, but it would be unfortunate, though. There's been a couple years where Carell was the favorite going in and lost, I would be very happy to see him finally walk away with the Emmy, in this his last year.
Also, in the SUPPORTING ACTOR COMEDY category, 4 nominations for "Modern Family," practically a guarantee that somebody from that show will win, (Although I'm not counting out Jon Cryer for "Two and a Half Men," out quite yet), but in particular, ED O'NEILL, this is his first ever Emmy Nomination; he played the iconic Al Bundy on "Married...with Children," for all those years, he was basically typecasted from that role for much of his career, the really cool moment would be for him to finally win a well-deserved Emmy, it might be a sentimental, career-vote, but this is one is worth it, though.
The final third hopeful thing I'd like to see at these Emmys, last year, after "The Amazing Race," won the category for the first 7 years in existance, "Top Chef," broke through, and won the OUTSTANDING REALITY-COMPETITION SHOW emmy, so now we know this its possible for someone else to win, I want to see "PROJECT RUNWAY," finally win this Emmy. I wrote earlier about my fandom of the show, but there's more than a few of those "Amazing Race," years when it should've won, and this last season was absolutely it's best yet. (In comparison, so far, this season has been in many ways disappointing) It's been nominated, every year, I think it is all in all the Best Reality-Competition Show on TV, if they are ever going to give it to them, this should be the year. Because there's been so few winners in this category, I'm still a little skeptical it will, I think "Top Chef," is somewhat more popular, I have a feeling it might win again, I love that show too, but I hope we see "Project Runway," finally winning this.
And, there's a few things that I don't particularly want to see this Emmys year. First off, in the OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES category, they got almost everything right this year in the category, picking the good shows, whether or not they were the popular shows, but then, for some reason, the absolutely unwatchable "GLEE," got nominated again. I do not think it will win, I genuinely think it's "Modern Family"'s to lose, even though, "30 Rock," "The Big Bang Theory," and I would not at all look past "Parks and Recreation," for an upset here, but if "Glee," wins this, it's going to be one of the bigger screw-ups in this category in a long time. "Glee," is unwatchable, I honestly have watched the show, I genuinely don't understand whether the show is trying to be satirical or play it serious, either way it doesn't work, even with Jane Lynch, around to make the only really interesting comments. That show is the most baffling series on TV, and I do not understand how anybody can sit through an episode of that show without being completely confused. I do not want to see "Glee," win, any particular Award, but the Best Series Emmy would really not be good for the show.
In that same vein, although not nearly as bad as "Glee," "FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS," despite being relegated to DirecTV, it's has a cult audience for a while, and I like Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton, they're good actor, this is it's final season, so this is the last year we have to worry about it, but this really isn't that interesting a show, it really doesn't compare to shows like "Dexter," "Mad Men," even a show that curiously didn't get nominated, "True Blood," it's not in this league, I don't think it'll win, but it shouldn't really be there, but that's not the worst nominee in the category. "THE GOOD GIRL," is a show I practically consider offensive. I like a lot of the actors, and some I'm even cheering for in their acting categories, but this show does have a legitimate chance at winning the BEST DRAMA SERIES, I think the show pushes feminism back about 30 years. It's bad, soap operaish melodrama, it's not a show progresses it's protagonist at all, she's still obsessed and stuck in this marriage, why is the Chris Noth character even around at this point. This must intrigued some people, I find it annoying, I think Julianna Margulies, is an amazing actress, but I don't buy her in this weak character, I'm going to be very disappointed if this show or "Friday Night Lights," wins BEST DRAMA SERIES, and for JULIANNA MARGULIES if she wins BEST ACTRESS DRAMA, there's better nominees out there.
The only other real "Really!" moment that could happen comes from the SUPPORTING ACTRESS COMEDY category, and this is hard to say, but, there's absolutely no reason for BETTY WHITE to be nominated in this category. I know, I love her, she is a legend, but "HOT IN CLEVELAND," is awful. I know what TV Land is trying to do, bringing back the traditional 3-camera, live audience show but it doesn't work here. I like all the actresses, they're all amazingly talented and doing the best they can with that show. Yet, this sort of fascination with Betty White that's occurred over the last few years, it's really getting tiresome. She was amazing on "Saturday Night Live," last year, and she's good in every part you give her, but she's really taking a spot here that she doesn't need to, there's other actresses on better shows that really are deserving in this category, Mayim Bialik's amazing work on "The Big Bang Theory," comes to mind, right away, I don't know how she didn't get nominated, she's not the only one though. This is waste of a nomination, and it's not impossible that she can get a sentimental vote here. As much as I love "The Golden Girls," and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," hell, I love her on old "Password," reruns with her husband, the late great Allen Ludden, but I really hope the Award goes to one of the other amazing talented actresses in the category. I understand awarding a good performance on a bad show, but not this way, not for this reason.
Come back to the blog after the EMMYS, there will be a Special post-Emmys blog, posted soon after the awards are over!
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