This 2013 Primetime Emmy
Awards takes place on Sunday night at 8pm on CBS. Usually an exciting event for me and every TV junkie out
there, this year it just isn’t all that sexy to me. The nominees are ‘meh’ and much of the same old faces, and
to be quite frank it is up against the penultimate episode of Breaking Bad at 9pm, which, I’m sorry
Emmy, you will lose out to here on the East Coast. Still, below are my picks and perspectives and I will be
live tweeting during each as best that I can.
The other aspect is that
there really are not many Black folks nominated. As popular as Scandal is,
Kerry Washington‘s performance was more solid in the short season one, as was
the writing so I doubt she should win in what I consider the hardest category
this year to judge (Juliana Margulies of The
Good Wife was not even nominated!) after Best Supporting Actress. Still, she totally deserves the
nom. I am so behind on House of
Lies but from what I have seen Don Cheadle is highly deserving of his
nomination as well. After that…well, there is a dearth of Black talent to be
seen. Actually, in the other
popular categories, there are none. Why?
Well, the old and present
answer is Representation – on the popular channels and what shows on the others
even deserve attention. BET and TV
One have never had representation in primetime Awards, just like other niche
stations like The Discovery Channel, Disney Channel, and the like do not. But if FX (with Louie and American Horror
Story), USA Network (with Political
Animals) and Sundance Channel (with Top
of the Lake) and even Netflix (with House
of Cards and Arrested Development), which does not even get ratings, can
merit such high consideration why do BET, TV One, and the others do not? Some may say ‘star power’ and about
that they would be right. Emmy
loves stars! I can expand on this another
time.
PLEASE share with me who you think will win in the comments section following my picks. As mentioned, I will be live tweeting during the Awards so follow me at @MediaManWatch and share Emmy musings along with me.
Outstanding Drama Series
Breaking Bad – AMC
Downton Abbey – PBS
Game Of Thrones – HBO
Homeland – Showtime
House Of Cards – Netflix
Mad Men – AMC
The Winner: Breaking Bad
Say
My Name!
Always
a hard one to judge, Breaking Bad
deserves this more for the current season 5B, than the currently nominated
season 5A from earlier this year. It will still win as from most accounts Homeland was not as strong in season two
and Mad Men left audiences wanting. If there is a wild card winner, that
would be House of Cards, pun totally
not intended.
Outstanding Lead Actor In
A Drama Series
Breaking Bad
Bryan
Cranston as Walter White
Downton Abbey
Hugh
Bonneville as Robert, Earl of Grantham
Homeland
Damian
Lewis as Nicholas Brody
House Of Cards
Kevin
Spacey as Francis Underwood
Mad Men
Jon
Hamm as Don Draper
The Newsroom
Jeff
Daniels as Will McAvoy
The Winner: Bryan Cranston
Who Should Win: Kevin Spacey
Basically for the same
reasons I picked for Best Drama, the best actor in television right now is
Bryan Cranston, hands down. Still,
I actually feel Kevin Spacey deserves it even more. I guess like Emmy, I like
star power too. I wish I could day
that my man Jon Hamm deserves it, but he does not and with how unbelievably
fantastic Cranston is in season 5B of Breaking
Bad, Hamm won’t get it next year either. And Dan Stevens should have been nominated over Hugh Bonneville. I mean, really.
Outstanding Lead Actress
In A Drama Series
Bates Motel
Vera
Farmiga as Norma Bates
Downton Abbey
Michelle
Dockery as Lady Mary Crawley
Homeland
Claire
Danes as Carrie Mathison
House Of Cards
Robin
Wright as Claire Underwood
Mad Men
Elisabeth
Moss as Peggy Olson
Nashville
Connie
Britton as Rayna James
Scandal
Kerry
Washington as Olivia Pope
The Winner: Robin Wright
Definitely
the second hardest category to judge this year, I at first declared this one
too close to call. I actually think Abigail Spencer from Rectify was snubbed from being nominated. Nonetheless, as I need to pick one it would be Robin Wright
in one of the best roles of her career.
Long form storytelling works for her.
Outstanding Lead Actor In
A Miniseries Or A Movie
Behind The Candelabra –
HBO
Michael
Douglas as Liberace
Matt
Damon as Scott Thorson
The Girl – HBO
Toby
Jones as Alfred Hitchcock
Parade’s End – HBO
Benedict
Cumberbatch as Christopher Tietjens
Phil Spector – HBO
Al
Pacino as Phil Spector
The Winner: Michael Douglas
Who Should Win: Kevin Spacey
Yeah,
if you missed Behind The Candelabra
you are missing out on some fantastic acting from Michael Douglas as
Liberace. This is a
no-brainer.
Outstanding Lead Actress
In A Miniseries Or A Movie
American Horror Story:
Asylum
Jessica
Lange as Sister Jude Martin
The Big C
Laura
Linney as Cathy Jamison
Helen
Mirren as Linda Kenney Baden
Political Animals
Sigourney
Weaver as Elaine Barrish Hammond
Top Of The Lake
Elisabeth
Moss as Robin
The Winner: Jessica Lange
Who Should Win: Elisabeth Moss
Even
though Moss brought it this year in Mad
Men as the constantly evolving (and actually learning her lesson, um, at
least more than the other characters) Peggy Olson, she showed stronger acting
chops in Jane Campion’s Top Of The Lake as a police detective who comes back
home to a remote Laketop, New Zealand (actually filmed in South Island’s Lake Wakatipu) to visit her dying mother
and gets caught up in a mystery surrounding the impregnation and subsequent
disappearance of a young teenage girl.
She is my lock to win, but I have a funny feeling that Emmy will hand it
to Lange.
Outstanding Lead Actor In
A Comedy Series
Arrested Development
Jason
Bateman as Michael Bluth
The Big Bang Theory
Jim
Parsons as Sheldon Cooper
Episodes
Matt
LeBlanc as Matt LeBlanc
House Of Lies
Don
Cheadle as Marty Kaan
Louie
Louis
C.K. as Louie
30 Rock
Alec
Baldwin as Jack Donaghy
The Winner: Louis C.K.
Who Should Win: Alec Baldwin
Though
Louis C.K. deserves the award more for writing and directing his acerbic show,
Alec Baldwin really triumphed in the final season of 30 Rock. He deserves
this, and I am sure the other nominees will be glad that he will not be around
next year.
Outstanding Lead Actress
In A Comedy Series
Enlightened
Laura
Dern as Amy
Girls
Lena
Dunham as Hannah Horvath
Nurse Jackie
Edie
Falco as Jackie Peyton
Parks And Recreation
Amy
Poehler as Leslie Knope
30 Rock
Tina
Fey as Liz Lemon
Veep
Julia
Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer
The Winner: Tina Fey
Who Should Win: Amy Poehler or Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Last
year I correctly picked Louis-Dreyfus to win. This year I am giving her and Poehler a tie to win, but
think nostalgic voters will give it to Tina Fey for the final season of 30 Rock, which isn’t such a bad
thing.
Outstanding Miniseries Or
Movie
American Horror Story:
Asylum – FX Networks
Behind The Candelabra –
HBO
The Bible – HISTORY
Phil Spector – HBO
Political Animals – USA
Top Of The Lake – Sundance
Channel
The Winner: Behind
The Candelabra
If Candelabra did not air this would be a difficult category, but it
is a lock to win. Now if it was
not in consideration, as much as I enjoyed Top
Of The Lake, the History Channel’s The
Bible was excellently made and killed in the ratings. It may have won.
Outstanding Comedy Series
The Big Bang Theory – CBS
Girls – HBO
Louie – FX Networks
Modern Family – ABC
30 Rock – NBC
Veep – HBO
The Winner: Girls
Even
though Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin may win acting awards, I cannot see 30 Rock winning. I am not a fan of Girls, but one cannot deny its appeal and pushing of the
boundaries. Modern Family should not have even been nominated over Parks & Recreation. If it wins I’m
putting a boot through my TV (well, a virtual boot).
Outstanding Supporting
Actor In A Drama Series
Boardwalk Empire
Bobby Cannavale as Gyp
Rosetti
Breaking Bad
Jonathan Banks as Mike
Ehrmantraut
Breaking Bad
Aaron Paul as Jesse
Pinkman
Downton Abbey
Jim Carter as Mr. Carson
Game Of Thrones
Peter Dinklage as Tyrion
Lannister
Homeland
Mandy Patinkin as Saul
Berenson
The Winner: Peter Dinklage
Who Should Win: Bobby Cannavale
Cannavale seems to be able
to conquer all the dramatic arts expertly and did no less on Boardwalk Empire.
Still, you cannot deny how good Dinklage is. Aaron Paul will win again next year, but if Jonathan Banks
takes it, well…just read my expletive-riddled tweets if that occurs considering
that Giancarlo Esposito did not win over Paul last year.
Outstanding Supporting
Actress In A Drama Series
Breaking Bad
Anna Gunn as Skyler White
Downton Abbey
Maggie Smith as Violet,
Dowager Countess of Grantham
Game Of Thrones
Emilia Clarke as Daenerys
Targaryen
The Good Wife
Christine Baranski as
Diane Lockhart
Homeland
Morena Baccarin as Jessica
Brody
Mad Men
Christina Hendricks as
Joan Harris
The Winner: Anna Gunn
Who Should Win: Anna Gunn
I put her name twice for
emphasis. Any actress that so many
fans hate so much in a role, because she is that convincing as an actress (at
least that is often my reason) should win. Hell, Gunn was a great actress before this show but the
writing elevated her to award-winning levels. In a tepid half-season Gunn as
the long-suffering Sklyer was the best part of season 5A. Now if she just bought Walt some
boxer-briefs I know he would have handled things better.
Outstanding Writing For A
Drama Series
Breaking Bad – Dead
Freight
George Mastras, Written by
Breaking Bad – Say My Name
Thomas Schnauz, Written by
Downton Abbey – Episode 4
Julian Fellowes, Written
by
Game Of Thrones – The
Rains Of Castamere
David Benioff, Written by
D.B. Weiss, Written by
Homeland – Q&A
Henry Bromell, Written by
The Winner: Thomas
Schnauz Breaking Bad – ‘Say My Name’
Who Should Win: Thomas Schnauz for Breaking Bad – ‘Say My Name’
AND Julian Fellowes for
Downton Abbey – Episode 4
Why a ‘Should Win’
tie? A tie will not actually
happen, but episode 4 of Downton’s third season had it all: the Irish Civil War
affecting the Crawley’s directly as well as the women’s suffrage movement,
Sybil coming back home, the hiring of new conniving footman Jimmy, and Bates
finally gets a small but triumphant in-jail victory. Whew. If Walt did not go over the edge in the
‘Say My Name’ episode the way he did, Downton wouild take it – and still may.
Outstanding Supporting
Actor In A Comedy Series
Girls
Adam Driver as Adam
Sackler
Modern Family
Jesse Tyler Ferguson as
Mitchell Pritchett
Ed O’Neill as Jay
Pritchett
Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy
Saturday Night Live
Bill Hader as Various
characters
Veep
Tony Hale as Gary Walsh
The Winner: Bill Hader
Who Should Win: Tony Hale
I hate that SNL is even in
the main categories now, but Hader is a comedic master. But Tony Hale is so convincing as the
brownnose Gary is more deserving.
Outstanding Supporting
Actress In A Comedy Series
The Big Bang Theory
Mayim Bialik as Amy Farrah
Fowler
Glee
Jane Lynch as Sue
Sylvester
Modern Family
Sofia Vergara as Gloria
Pritchett
Julie Bowen as Claire
Dunphy
Nurse Jackie
Merritt Wever as Zoey
Barkow
30 Rock
Jane Krakowski as Jenna
Maroney
Veep
Anna Chlumsky as Amy
Brookheimer
The Winner: Sofia Vergara
Who Should Win: Mayim Bialik
Vergara showed a real
tenderness this year on Modern Family and is the only cast member nominated
that truly deserves to win, no offense to Julie Bowen. Still, Bialik steals
most of her scenes on Big Brain and
for no other reason is even more deserving. I never thought that the former Blossom would become one of my favorite actors!
Outstanding Supporting
Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie
American Horror Story:
Asylum
James Cromwell as Dr.
Arthur Arden
Zachary Quinto as Dr.
Oliver Thredson
Behind The Candelabra
Scott Bakula as Bob Black
The Big C: Hereafter
John Benjamin Hickey as
Sean
Top Of The Lake
Peter Mullan as Matt
The Winner: Peter Mullan
Though my instincts tell
me that the unimaginative Emmy voters will give it Cromwell, I smell upset with
Mullan, who after becoming a leading man with his movie Tyrannosaur in 2011, showed the world that he is indeed irascible
enough to be a star. He was the
biggest a-hole on television this year that made you feel for him as much as
you were turned off by him. This guy is the truth.
Outstanding Supporting
Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie
American Horror Story:
Asylum
Sarah Paulson as Lana
Winters
The Girl
Imelda Staunton as Alma
Hitchcock
Political Animals
Ellen Burstyn as Margaret
Barrish Worthington
Restless
Charlotte Rampling as
Sally Gilmartin
Steel Magnolias
Alfre
Woodard as Ouiser
The Winner: Charlotte Rampling
Who Should Win: Alfre Woodard
She
had the role with the most fun and with that Alfre Woodard, an Emmy darling
already, garnered the only nom in the Lifetime version of Steel Magnolias. I am a bit biased when it comes to her TV work, but oh well.
Sadly, she is the only Black actor aside from Cheadle and Washington that is
nominated for any awards this year.
But my instincts tell me that always fantastic Rampling will win.