What Were They Watching!?!?
Today's Emmy nominations announcement was supposed to mark a turning point in Emmy history. The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences revised the nomination process to ensure, in part, that some new faces got nods. Did they succeed? There certainly a was a lot of turnover this year, but the new nominees still leave a lot to be desired.
The list of those that didn't get recognized is surprising, for both good and bad reasons. Here are the five things that stood out most to us:
Forget last year...
"Lost," James Spader, Felicity Huffman and Patricia Arquette were all major winners last year - and not nominated this year. Kiefer Sutherland is the only lead actor nominated from last year in the drama category. Tony Shalhoub is the only lead actor nominated from last year in the comedy category.
What happened to the "Housewives"?
The show itself did not deserve to get nominated this year (it doesn't belong in the comedy category, but that's a whole other story). But to not nominate Marcia Cross (the best woman on TV, period) and instead recognize Alfre Woodard is a head-scratcher. Her entire storyline was never done properly and she never fit in with the show. She's a great actress, just not on this show.
"Deadwood" + "The Shield" + "Veronica Mars" + "Big Love" = ???
No major nominations. No Ian McShane (a f**king crime!!!), no Forrest Whitaker (are you kidding!?), no Kristen Bell and no Chloe Sevigny. No respect.
A few bright spots
Denis Leary ("Rescue Me") deserved his actor nod, same for Gregory Itzin and Jean Smart ("24"). "Scrubs" got its second straight nod and "The West Wing" had a great final season. "Splinter Cell" was great (though it has no chance going up against "Into the West") and Steve Carell is certainly as funny as it gets.
Best storylines
Can "The West Wing" pull off one last Emmy win? And what about Allison Janney, Sean Hayes, Megan Mullally and "Arrested Development"? Will "The Sopranos" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" win despite sub-par seasons? Oh, and no James Gandolfini or Edie Falco?
Sorry, one last rant ...
When in the world will the supporting cast of "Scrubs" get nominated? How about "The Shield"? Or "Deadwood"? Or "Rescue Me"? Or Lauren Graham? Or "The Wire" and Michael K. Williams (Omar)? Or Jennifer Love Hewitt? Ok, just kidding.
