Will it be Modern Family or Glee… Lost or Mad Men? The show that revitalized the family comedy vs. the pop culture phenomena and the former winner looking for renewed glory vs. the incumbent on a role. Those are the two big battles raging as we get ready for Sunday’s big Emmy Awards ceremony. This year we could see a number of first time winners like Jane Lynch (Glee), Michael C. Hall (Dexter) and Ty Burrell (Modern Family) or possibly the old standbys like Tony Shaloub (Monk), Glenn Close (Damages) and Alec Baldwin (30 Rock) will be victorious. Either scenario could happen on the show hosted by Jimmy Fallon. What is certain is that the miniseries The Pacific will continue its Emmy winning ways from the Creative Arts Emmy Awards last weekend where it took home the most crafts awards and we also saw Betty White (SNL), John Lithgow (Dexter), and Ann-Margaret (Law & Order: SVU) grab Guest Acting Honors. Neil Patrick Harris even won two awards (Guest Actor for Glee & Special Class Program for Hosting The Tonys) and is a strong bet to add a third this weekend. So, just who will win and who should win? Check out my predictions below and watch the Emmy Awards Sunday on NBC.
Drama Series:
Breaking Bad, Dexter, The Good Wife, Lost, Mad Men, True Blood
Will win: Mad Men
Should win: Lost
~spoiler: Dexter (if the top two split the vote)
Drama Lead Actor:
Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights), Matthew Fox (Lost), Michael C. Hall (Dexter), Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Hugh Laurie (House)
Will & Should win: Michael C. Hall (finally on his 5th try, including one nom for Six Feet Under)
~spoilers: Bryan Cranston (had an amazing tape), Hugh Laurie (he’s 0 for 6 here and overdue)
-This is the most difficult race to predict. Matthew Fox is also deserving for his fantastic work in the amazing series finale of Lost. Only Hamm and Chandler are out of the running.
Drama Lead Actress:
Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights), Glenn Close (Damages), Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: SVU), January Jones (Mad Men), Julianna Marguiles (The Good Wife), Kyra Sedgewick (The Closer)
Will & Should win: Julianna Marguiles
~spoiler: Kyra Sedgewick (she chose a great episode submission and is overdue. So far she’s 0 for 5 at the Emmys)
Drama Supporting Actor:
Andre Braugher (Men of a Certain Age), Michael Emerson (Lost), Terry O’Quinn (Lost), Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), Martin Short (Damages), John Slattery (Mad Men)
Will & Should win: Terry O’Quinn
~spoiler: Michael Emerson
Drama Supporting Actress:
Christine Baranski (The Good Wife), Rose Byrne (Damages), Sharon Gless (Burn Notice), Christina Hendricks (Mad Men), Elizabeth Moss (Mad Men), Archie Penjabi (The Good Wife)
Will win: Sharon Gless (she has a great tape and industry respect)
Should win: Archie Penjabi (the most interesting new character and fascinating performance on a tv drama last year)
~spoiler: Christina Hendricks (somebody from Mad Men has to win an acting award sometime)
Drama Writing:
Friday Night Lights (“The Son”), The Good Wife (“Pilot”), Lost (“The End”), Mad Men (“Guy Walks into an Advertising Agency”), Mad Men (“Shut the Door, Have a Seat”)
Will & Should win: Lost
~spoiler: Friday Night Lights (or possibly Mad Men if it’s episodes don’t cancel each other out)
Drama Directing:
Breaking Bad (“One Minute”), Dexter (“The Getaway”), Lost (“The End pt. 1 & 2″), Mad Men (“Guy Walks into an Advertising Agency)”, Treme (“Do You Know What it Means?”)
Will & Should win: Lost (hello, it’s the brilliant finale)
~spoiler: Dexter (um, hello, that final episode was killer!)
Comedy Series:
30 Rock, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Glee, Modern Family, Nurse Jackie, The Office
Will win: Modern Family
Should win: Glee (ok, yes, I’m a gleek… but I’ll be totally happy with an equally deserving Modern Family win here)
Comedy Lead Actor:
Alec Baldwin (30 Rock), Steve Carrell (The Office), Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Matthew Morrison (Glee), Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory), Tony Shaloub (Monk)
Will & Should win: Jim Parsons (He is hilarious and I’m not even a fan of the show)
~spoiler: Tony Shaloub (he had a great and long tape and it’s the final year of his show)
* I’d love to see Steve Carrell win though (he’s 0 for 5 at the Emmys in this category)
Comedy Lead Actress:
Toni Collette (United States of Tara), Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie), Tina Fey (30 Rock), Lea Michelle (Glee), Julia Louis Dreyfuss (New Adventures of Old Christine), Amy Poehler (Parks & Recreation)
Will & Should win: Edie Falco
~spoiler: Lea Michelle (she submitted the “Don’t Rain on my Parade” episode)
* this category could go many ways with Poehler and Collette submitting great episodes too
Comedy Supporting Actor:
Ty Burrell (Modern Family), Chris Colfer (Glee), Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men), Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family), Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother), Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family)
Will win: Neil Patrick Harris (he lost the last 3 years in a row when he deserved to win and he just won 2 at the Shmemmys. He’s on a role!)
Should win: Ty Burrell or Eric Stonestreet or Harris or Colfer or Ferguson (oh heck anyone but Cryer)
~spoiler: Chris Colfer
Comedy Supporting Actress:
Julie Bowen (Modern Family), Jane Krakowski (30 Rock), Jane Lynch (Glee), Sofia Vergara (Modern Family), Holland Taylor (Two and a Half Men), Kristen Wiig (Saturday Night Live)
Will & Should win: Jane Lynch
~this is the ONLY slam dunk of the night.
Comedy Writing:
Glee (“Pilot”), Modern Family (“Pilot”), The Office (“Niagra Pt. 1 &2), 30 Rock (“Anna Howard Shaw Day”), 30 Rock (“Lee Marvin v. Derek Jeter”)
Will win: Modern Family
Should win: Glee
~spoiler: Glee
Comedy Directing:
Glee (“Wheels”), Glee (“Pilot”), Modern Family (“Pilot”), Nurse Jackie (“Pilot”), 30 Rock (“I Do Do”)
Will & Should win: Glee (“Pilot”)~ the one that started it all
~spoiler: Glee (“Wheels”)~ it’s arguably better than the pilot directed by Emmy winner Paris Barclay
Outstanding Reality Competition Show:
The Amazing Race, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, Project Runway Top Chef
Will win: The Amazing Race (um, that’d be 8 in a row. It’s a great show, but enough!)
Should win: Top Chef
~spoiler: Top Chef
TV Movie
Endgame, Georgia O’Keefe, Moonshot, Temple Grandin, The Special Relationship, You Don’t Know Jack
Will & Should win: Temple Grandin
~spoiler: You Don’t Know Jack
Miniseries:
The Pacific, Return to Cranford
Will & Should win: The Pacific
Lead Actress TV Movie/Miniseries
Joan Allen (Georgia O’Keefe), Clare Danes (Temple Grandin), Hope Davis (That Special Relationship), Judi Dench (Return to Cranford), Maggie Smith (Capturing Mary)
Will & Should win: Clare Danes (simply astonishingly good)
~spoiler: Joan Allen
Lead Actor TV Movie/Miniseries:
Jeff Bridges (A Dog Year), Ian McKellan (The Prisoner), Dennis Quaid (That Special Relationship), Michael Sheen (That Special Relationship), Al Pacino (You Don’t Know Jack)
Will win: Al Pacino
Should win: Ian McKellan
~spoiler: Jeff Bridges (he just won that Oscar you know…)
Supporting Actress TV Movie/Miniseries:
Kathy Bates (Alice), Catherine O’Hara (Temple Grandin), Julia Ormond (Temple Grandin), Brenda Vacarro (You Don’t Know Jack), Susan Sarandon (You Don’t Know Jack)
Will win: Julia Ormond
Should win: Brenda Vacarro (or the wonderful and subtle work from Catherine O’Hara)
~spoiler: Susan Sarandon (hello, she’s the big movie star here)
Supporting Actor TV Movie/Miniseries:
Michael Gambon (Emma), John Goodman (You Don’t Know Jack), Johnathan Pryce (Return to Cranford), Patrick Steward (Hamlet), David Strathairn (Temple Grandin)
Will & Should win: Patrick Stewart
~spoiler: David Strathairn (if there’s a “Temple” sweep)
