Tuesday, July 12, 2011

2011 Emmy Watch [Part 1]


The nominees for the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards will be out this July 14 (early morning in the US while in the evening for us here in the Philippines) and and in lieu with that I've prepared a series of posts discussing my predictions on who will be nominated for the major categories. Please note that this is a list of who I think WILL be nominated and not who I WANT to be nominated. Let's start with the acting categories for a Drama series. Admittedly I haven't really watch a lot of drama shows the past season and I followed more comedies so my predictions is just basically based on buzz, predictions from "experts", voting trends in the past and threw out some wild guesses as well to shake things up. Anyway here are my predictions:

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife) [CBS]
Christine Baranski (The Good Wife) [CBS]
Christina Hendricks (Mad Men) [AMC]
Margo Martindale (Justified) [FX]
Kelly Macdonald (Boardwalk Empire) [HBO]
Alfre Woodard (Memphis Beat) [TNT]

Archie Panjabi was a 'surprise' nominee and winner last year and with a better performance (and more critical acclaim) on the second season of "The Good Wife" there's no doubt that she's a lock for a second nomination. Co-star Baranski is a lock as well as she is a 'suki' of the Emmy awards even with less remarkable roles. Hendricks got in last year so it's a safe bet that she's returning plus she's from "Mad Men". Martindale is a veteran character actress who received high critical acclaim with her role in "Justified". Emmy voters do like to vote for veteran and respected actresses that they have probably worked with so it would be slightly shocking if Martindale misses out. MacDonald comes from an admired HBO period drama and she already received a Golden Globe nod here so she's also a safe bet for a nomination. Woodard is my 'wild guess' pick, she has 12 Emmy nominations and 4 wins so even if "Memphis Beat" is not an "it" show her name alone could bring herself to a possible 13th nomination

Wildcards

Sharon Gless (Burn Notice) [USA]
Sandra Oh (Grey's Anatomy) [ABC]

No one was predicting that veteran actress Gless will be nominated last year but when her name was called people suddenly remembered that she's an Emmy favorite and that it was wrong to count her out. I'm not predicting Gless this year although she is still a likely nominee mainly because I think Woodard would get her slot. Meanwhile, Oh was nominated (but never won) ever since "Grey's Anatomy" debuted until last year when she was a surprise snub (along with co-star and perennial nominee Chandra Wilson). There's a chance that the voters forgot about her and the show for good but Oh had a great season that showcased Oh's acting skills. If the voters watched those episodes, she could get back in the game.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Allan Cumming (The Good Wife) [CBS]
Josh Charles (The Good Wife) [CBS]
John Slattery (Mad Men) [AMC]
Andre Braugher (Men of a Certain Age) [TNT]
Michael Pitt (Boardwalk Empire) [HBO]
Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) [HBO]

No Lost and Breaking Bad actors this year so this category at least has room for 3 new faces to get inside the nomination circle. Cumming got a guest actor nod last year for this role and now that he moved to series regular he will definitely get a nod this year. Slattery is a staple in this category so no way he'll be snubbed this year with lighter competition this time around. Braugher is an Emmy favorite, he already got noticed last year even if the show was barely watched so I have no doubts he will get a nod this year too. Pitt got nods in the Golden Globes and SAG so he'll definitely be "Boardwalk Empire's" representative here. I think one between Josh Charles and Chris Noth will get a nomination this year for "The Good Wife" but I'm betting on Charles who had more screen time and shared standout moments with Juliana Marguilles this year. And lastly, I just feel like "Game of Thrones" gained a lot of momentum during the nomination period and Dinklage will get noticed as he is the breakout character on the show.

Wildcards

Walton Goggins (Justified) [FX]
Chris Noth (The Good Wife) [CBS]

If the voters warmed up with "Justified" then it's a safe bet that Goggins will be noticed with his flashy role and acclaimed performance from the show's well-received second season. Like what I said earlier, I think one between Charles and Noth would get a nod so maybe it will come down it the voters are Team Peter or Team Will haha!


OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Juliana Marguiles (The Good Wife) [CBS]
Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men) [AMC]
Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: SVU) [NBC]
Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer) [TNT]
Kathy Bates (Harry's Law) [NBC]
Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights) [NBC/DirecTV]

Sedgwick is a perennial nominee and pulled an upset against frontrunner Marguiles last year and with "The Closer" ending its run soon there's not doubt she'll be back. Critics are pitting Marguiles against Moss for the award this year as they both had strong seasons with their respective shows so both are locks for nod. Hargitay will go for her 8th consecutive nomination while Britton will possibly get her second and last nod for "Friday Night Lights" although she's vulnerable as well with new challengers emerging but I think she still has the upper hand thanks to aggressive campaigning. With "Damages" not airing new episodes last season, Glenn Close is out of the running and I think Oscar winner (but Emmy loser) Kathy Bates will take her spot.

Wildcards

Melissa Leo (Treme) [HBO]
Dana Delany (Body of Proof) [ABC]
Emmy Rossum (Shameless) [Showtime]

Leo just won an Oscar this year so there's a chance that the love will be extended here at the Emmy awards for her barely-watched drama. Delany is a former winner who starred in a popular broadcast drama that showcased her great acting skills so she shouldn't be counted out. Lastly, Rossum is a young face from well-received performance from a Showtime show and voters has a thing with Showtime leading ladies although it was more on the comedy side so maybe Rossum will be the first lady from Showtime to crack the drama field.

Justify Full
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Jon Hamm (Mad Men) [AMC]
Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire) [HBO]
Hugh Laurie (House) [FOX]
Michael C. Hall (Dexter) [Showtime]
William H. Macy (Shameless) [Showtime]
Jeremy Irons (The Borgias) [Showtime]

This a very competitive category and I'm glad current champ and three-time winner Bryan Cranston is not eligible this year (since "Breaking Bad" didn't air new episodes during the eligibility period) because it makes this year's race more exciting. To be honest, Hamm is the only one perennial nominee that I believe is a lock for another nomination because while I think Laurie and Hall are still strong bets for nominations the competition is just too stiff that they could be vulnerable. Buscemi already won the Golden Globe and SAG for this role so he is a lock for a nomination and I think he's the frontrunner for the win. Macy has nine Emmy nominations and two wins in the past and it does not hurt that his role in "Shameless" is flashy thus improving his chances of scoring a nod. Aside from being a two-time Emmy winner, "The Borgias'" leading man Jeremy Irons also won an Oscar and a Tony, so yeah he has the acting pedigree that would be too hard for the Emmy voters to ignore.

Wildcards

Timothy Olyphant (Justified) [Showtime]
Gabriel Byrne (In Treatment) [HBO]
Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights) [NBC/DirectTV]
Tom Selleck (Blue Bloods) [CBS]
Sean Bean (Game of Thrones) [HBO]

"Justified" was well-received on it's second season and Olyphant got a lot of rave reviews for his role so if Margo Martindale will be nominated in the supporting actress category she could help Olyphant's chances as well. Chandler got a surprising but deserving first nomination last year but I think he is vulnerable for a snub this year even if their Emmy campaign for the final season of "Friday Night Lights" was aggressive mainly because of the competition. And we should never count out Byrne who already received two nods for this role and was only absent last year because "In Treatment" didn't air new episodes that time. If my hunch that "Game of Thrones" gained momentum during the voting period is right then lead actor Sean Bean has a shot. And lastly, never count out veteran and well-loved actor (especially the older crowd which comprises a good share of the Emmy voters) Tom Selleck for "Blue Bloods". This category is just way too competitive, with so many actors that have real chances of getting a nomination.

***

Tomorrow I discuss my predictions for the Comedy acting categories.

1 comment:

Nicole said...

Uy pareho tayong Josh Charles. Haha! Ang gutsy ng Alfre Woodard ah!

Tingin mo talaga either/or lang ang pasok sa Kyle at Connie. Feeling ko pag pasok yung isa, automatic yung isa din eh. Hehe.