Top Ten: Emmy Wishes For Sunday Night
Tuesday, September 18, 2012 at 2:45PM I wish...
10 ...for Martha Plimpton and Jane Krakowski, who weren't nominated for the awards on the big night this year, to get a moment on stage somehow. Love them. While we're at it maybe Jane could win on a write in vote for arguably her best 30 Rock season yet!
09 ... for Homeland to win Best Drama Series if it can't be Mad Men again.
08 ...for at least one La Pfeiffer reaction shot even though David E. Kelley isn't the Emmy powerhouse he used to be. I mean there has to be some silver lining to that wasted Best Actress nomination for Kathy Bates on his bland Harry's Law show. Love the Bates and hope she gets well soon but that show is not her finest hour! And to think of the person they had to snub to include her (Madeleine Stowe in Revenge!)
click for Dexter Action Figure07 ...for someone to mistakenly say "And the Emmy goes to Claire Danes for Temple Grandin" when she wins for Homeland because there's only a .00000001% chance that she won't. Just for the absurd showbiz hilarity of it all. Another prize for Temple!
06 ... for Benedict Cumberbatch to publicy amusingly air his grievances with the new network Sherlock Holmes show.
05 ... for the industry to make a surprise announcement that all shows that are but shadows of their former selves are immediately cancelled and no further episodes will air. Good riddance: Dexter, American Idol, Survivor, all Law & Order and CSI spinoffs, etcetera.
Modern Family may stay but it shall be barred from any further Best Comedy Series wins until it deserves them again.
04 ...for Amy Poehler to win Best Actress in a Comedy for Parks and Recreation. I realize this is never going to happen (Lena Dunham has this in the bag I think) but I've seen the competition and Poehler has created one of the most singular fascinating comic leads in sitcom history and, even better, she fine tunes it every year rather than coasting on auto-pilot (which many people do at this point in a series run)
03 ...speaking of singular performances. Merrit Wever for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Can I get an amen? "Zoe" is such a funny inventive creation and she helps keep the comedy in the series even when it veers towards heavy drama. This season was particularly great for her with that frozen new expression Dr. Cruz caused, her hunt for a roommate "Wanted", her kimonos in the kitchen and her romantic confusion.
02 ...for Mad Men to finally win an acting Emmy.
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Five years in and it's still the best show on television and the actors have nothing to do with that? Please! (I realize wishing for another Drama Series win is foolish at this point with Downton Abbey, Homeland and Game of Thrones all very real threats for a win.)
01 ...to watch Julianne Moore finally win something on a massive glitzy awards show (Best Actress in a Movie or Miniseries, for Game Change... here's my full write-up). That one televised prize (Best Actress Far From Heaven, at the Spirit Awards) is an embarrassingly meager haul for an actor of her caliber.
Which of my wishes do you co-sign? errr... co-wish? Feel free to add your own as well. We'll live blog Sunday night.
Reader Comments (46)
Ooh that reminds me that I should watch this year's Emmys to see Julianne Moore win! Wish it was released in theaters instead. She would definitely win this year's Oscar.
FYI, Martha Plimpton won Best Guest Actress in a Drama for The Good Wife, so she will probably get to present an award on Sunday night as the Guest actor winners typically do.
ALL I WANT IS AN AMY POEHLER WIN. THAT'S ALL.
She needs to have Emmy to hold onto at night since she and Will Arnett are splitting up. Also, Leslie Knope is a damn perfect TV comedy heroine. Parks and Rec is one of TV's most unfairly underappreciated shows.
KNOPE 2012!
No question...or is that Knope question...Amy Poehler. Her work is funny as heck but also emotionally satisfying...without being on a drama series in 30 minute disguise.
I think Amy Poehler has a better chance than you think. I don't see Lena Dunham winning Actress for this (Ishe has a better chance winning in Writing, though I must say, I really dislike that show). Poehler's main competition in Lead Actress in a Comedy Series seems to be Julia Louis-Dreyfus (since she is an Emmy darling and in a Comedy Series nominee) and maybe Zooey Deschanel. Anyway, Poehler has another chance in the Writing category as well (she wrote the episode The Debate, which is nominated).
Let me ask, what is everybody's problem with Modern Family lately. It's still pretty damn funny, one of those half hours I enjoy the most every week. I try to watch every episode as if I've never seen the show before, and I find every episode to be incredibly memorable (it's one of the few shows where I remember the titles of every episode, that says something I think).
I'm also rooting for Homeland, although I would love a fifth straight win for Mad Men.
For Madeline Stowe to at least be a Presenter at the awards...
My god she is Brill !!!
I love Girls, but I don't think Dunham will win actress at all. It SHOULD be Poehler (or the inexplicably absent Laura Dern), but I think JLD has got this seen up. She's evergreen with the Emmys.
Martha should make an appearance during the main broadcast, as acting winners from the Creative Arts Emmy ceremony traditionally present.
Cancer's constant threat is nothing to your snide catty chatter Nathan. I know I'm one to talk but at least my Streep rage makes sense that anyone placed so high will have detractors who lean on the extreme side with their blinding dislike.
Oh god Will why'd you remind me that DERN was snubbed, now I'm angry again, even though I came here to express excitement about my beloved Claire Danes becoming a statue magnet. She's totally deserving - her work on Homeland is ASTONISHING. Almost as good as DERN dammit sigh et cetera.
I just saw Temple Grandin for the first time this weekend and I cannot for the life of me get Claire's Temple voice out of my head. ARE YOU A SCHIENTISHT?
Yup. Martha Plimpton is confirmed to present at the Emmys. Probably not Jane though since Tina Fey is also confirmed.
As for wish list... oh my...
- Julia Louis Dreyfuss to win for 'Veep'. Best comedic performance of the year.
- A 'Girls' shut out. (During the main telecast, I know it won 'Best Casting' last weekend already)
- 'Mad Men' keeps its streak alive by winning Best Drama Series.
- While we're at it, Elisabeth Moss for the uber upset.
- 'The Amazing Race' to piss everyone off and deservedly win again.
- A tie between Nicole Kidman and Julianne Moore only if both of them show up.
- Jimmy Kimmel is not going to be awful host.
- Will Arnett and Amy Poehler reveal that their divorce announcement was a prank and we were all punked.
- ABC uses their power and get the cast of 'Happy Endings' to present something, catapulting their ratings for the season premiere.
- An 'Arrested Development' onstage cast reunion for promote their return to "TV".
- No mention of the word 'Newsroom'.
I'm sorry, but I really want Mayim Bialik to win the Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy for "The Big Bang Theory"
Like most of your wishes.... but hate the cancellation o fDexter and CSI shows!
Amen for Madeleine Stowe!! Give her an Emmy for being the best bitch on TV!
Dexter only has two seasons left anyway and now that they have an endgame, maybe the last two seasons will get good again (remember that Lost and The Sopranos got their groove back when they knew their end date). I
I need Christina Hendricks to win that award. She's had loads and loads of good material this past season and she killed every moment. I still cheer when i think about how Joan threw her husband out and get sad at that whole incident with her becoming a partner.
Joan/Christina for the win.
"Modern Family may stay but it shall be barred from any further Best Comedy Series wins until it deserves them again"
Amen. I co-sign everything, but specially this one. And let's hope they let Stowe in next year, because I could not believe she wasn't even nominated.
SO HAPPY that Martha Plimpton won an Emmy! She is so great on The Good Wife, not to mention Raising Hope (I was quite sad that she didn't get a repeat Lead Actress in a Comedy Series nod this year). ALSO, I'm irrationally thrilled that Smash has now won an Emmy (for Best Choreography). SUCK ON THAT, HATERS!
I am also pulling for Julianne. That performance was uncanny. Almost as good as Claire Danes's performance in Temple Grandin.
And, as much as I LOVED Homeland, I'm pulling for Game of Thrones to win Best Drama Series. Just because its scope is so much bigger than anything else, and it is consistently the most compelling, fastest moving, compulsively addicting hour on television. And I say this as someone who has never read the source novels.
Also, Cat Deeley. Because she is a ray of sunshine in the dark, dark world of televised talent competitions. A perky ray of blonde, British sunshine.
I know it's impossible, but I wanted Elisabeth Moss to win best actress. Because, yes, she is better than Claire Danes and because she keeps developing her incredible part five seasons later to incredible effect (sorry Joan, but the big gulp of the season was that goodbye to Don).
Oh, and just so I don't seem crazy, I mean that each EPISODE of Game of Thrones is fast-moving. The plotlines of the series as a whole move slower than molasses, but each week I'm astonished at how fast that hour flies by.
My number one wish is a shutout for Hemingway and Gellhorn. God, that was so terrible, and the fact that it was nominated in so many categories over The Hour is just plain nuts.
That and Amy Poehler are the two that I really, really need to see.
I also hope that Homeland wins, should Mad Men lose. But I'm afraid it might be Downton Abbey, which was really dreadful in its second season. The only other nominated show I liked in its last season was Breaking Bad, although I don't think S4 was as good as S2 and S3, so Mad Men should win.
I think Christina Hendricks has a good shot at winning this year. She has a great episode to win with, so that's a bonus... also I feel that the competition isn't as strong as in the past.
I guess the other three don't really stand a chance against Cranston, Danes and Esposito or Paul.
And certainly Amy Poehler has to win for being great, as well as to make up for the egregious Best Comedy Series snub. It's baffling how a show can apparently have had two of the best written episodes of comedy last year, one of which was also among the best directed ones, and yet not be one of the best shows. Also, as good as the men on Modern Family have been in earlier seasons, they ought to throw Nick Offerman and Chris Pratt a bone. They're the most consistently funny male actors on TV, in my opinion.
Here's hoping It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia pulls out a single win next year. The Emmy's should have more "we've never nominated you before, but you were amazing" wins in the series categories.
No doubt! Mad Men finally winning an acting Emmy (Jared Harris I'll miss you desperately).
I don't get the praise towards Danes. By the end of the season she was overacting a lot. Damian Harris is much better in that show.
Nurse Jackie had the best season so far. I would be more than OK with Merrit or Edie winning.
The Schmidt is hot and Stefon is hilarious, but wouldn't it be nice to see O'Neil or Jesse getting one? I always fantasize with all the guys winning, just as the ones from The West Wing did.
I have no idea which shows are nominated, which actors and actresses, etc. So, I'm going with my crotch vote: I want to see John Hamm freeballing, just like he did recently. Men are boring in the red carpet, so give us something to look at.
I cosign your top wish, but I still think that Nicole Kidman is going to win. At least one overwhelming frontrunner goes home empty handed at the Emmys each year, and it would be consistent with Julianne's luck.
Kidman for the win!!!! Moore can take the Globe. She already has a Daytime Emmy, that's enough for now :p
Serious question: did anyone who's rooting for Kidman actually watch Hemingway and Gellhorn?
Sorry, cut myself off . . .
Serious question: did anyone who's rooting for Kidman actually watch Hemingway and Gellhorn? And also watch Julianne Moore in Game Change? I really have a hard time believing that anyone thinks Kidman's performance is superior to Moore's. Honestly, I think Kidman (whom I love usually) pretty much phoned it in for H&G.
I just wanna see Julianne Moore win, because I have been looking forward to seeing that happen for about 5 years. I agree that Nicole Kidman is no competition!
And Amy Poehler please, she's brilliant as Leslie Knope. Am I the only one who thinks Ann Romney looks and acts like Leslie Knope a lot? I can't take her seriously because of this!
Liz N.: I watched H+G and loved Kidman in it. Her voice and swagger were perfect and she had great chemistry with Owen (who I also thought was very good). I found her compulsively watchable, wholly consistent throughout, and totally different from what she's shown before. The movie as a whole had issues, only working in fits, but the acting was fantastic. I find it odd that some people can't separate the two.
That being said, I probably still prefer Moore for the win, as she was also fantastic and had a slightly higher degree of difficulty.
I didn't like Kidman in G+H but thought Moore was just not that great in Game Change, sorry. I'm rooting for an upset in that category but frankly I don't even know who to pick since those are the only two I've seen. If only Romola Garai was nominated... sigh.
Kidman was horrible in the movie .. Moore Must win !!!!!!
I totally agree with you about the amazingly talented Moore deserves a major award and she gave another brilliant performance in "Game Changer"
It's not really surprising that Stowe wasn't nominated when she mistakenly submitted as Lead Actress. She's great on the show, but she's not the lead, and she's at a disadvantage competing against actual leads.
My predictions:
Outstanding Drama Series- Mad Men
Outstanding Comedy Series- Modern Family
Outstanding Miniseries or Movie- Game Change
Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series- Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series- Claire Danes, Homeland
Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series- Louis C.K., Louie
Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series- Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series- Giancarlo Esposito, Breaking Bad
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series- Maggie Smith, Downtown Abbey
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series- Ed O'Neill, Modern Family
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series- Kathryn Joosten, Desperate Housewives
Outstanding Actor in a Miniseries or Movie- Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock
Outstanding Actress in a Miniseries or Movie- Julianne Moore, Game Change
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie- Ed Harris, Game Change
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie- Jessica Lange, American Horror Story
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series- Michael Cuesta, Homeland
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series- Lena Dunham, Girls
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series- Semi Chellas & Matthew Weiner, Mad Men
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series- Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series- The Daily Show
Outstanding Reality Competition Program- The Amazing Race
I don't think Lena Dunham has it in the bag at all. Amy Poehler is a bigger threat than you think, and she totally deserves it for completely giving one of the most satisfying comedic performances--in film or television--of the year. And it is unduly cruel that the series wasn't nominated for Best Comedy and none of its supporting cast, either.
Ugh, after seeing several episodes of Girls, I just don't understand the hype. Dunham's Hannah is one of the most insufferable characters on television, and frankly I think she's a very limited actress in general. Totally overpraised show, in my opinion.
Liz N. - "Serious question: did anyone who's rooting for Kidman actually watch Hemingway and Gellhorn? And also watch Julianne Moore in Game Change? I really have a hard time believing that anyone thinks Kidman's performance is superior to Moore's. Honestly, I think Kidman (whom I love usually) pretty much phoned it in for H&G."
I did! Well, Julianne has WAY more award-winning material in Game Change and i wouldn't be surprised if she wound up taking the Emmy. Plus, playing Sarah Palin was enough buzz for her to begin with.
Kidman was alright in H&G, but i thought her best moments were during the Old Gellhorn segments. The older voice was totally on point and the searing glares through the old makeup were pretty stellar. Other than that? Nothing really special. Not much "Emmy"moments. And it didn't help that the movie was lackluster and mostly boring.
I just look forward to seeing both of them on the red carpet looking pretty. Because you know, that's all that matters.
;)
AMEN!!
Liz N. - "Serious question: did anyone who's rooting for Kidman actually watch Hemingway and Gellhorn? And also watch Julianne Moore in Game Change? I really have a hard time believing that anyone thinks Kidman's performance is superior to Moore's. Honestly, I think Kidman (whom I love usually) pretty much phoned it in for H&G."
Ah, I hate people like this. Like, "my OPINION is so superior to everyone else's that it's fact". You have a hard time believing that someone has an opinion different to yours? Well grow up, it's going to happen a lot. I found H&G rather boring but Kidman was outstanding and brought life to the film which very few could have done. Moore did her best Tina Fey impersonation. Whoopee.
All spoken like someone who has clearly never watched Breaking Bad before. And I cannot agree with #5 and 4 more!
Liz N. -- I totally agree!
Of the five Miniseries Best Actress nominees, I've only seen the performances of Moore and Kidman, and I do have to say Kidman gave the more superior performance. She was multi-dimensional and her moments as the old Gellhorn were stunning. She may not be the frontrunner, but I think Kidman will win the Emmy. Better yet, let's just have a tie between Moore and Kidman. That would be great!
Am I the only one who has seen ALL of the nominees for Lead Actress in a Movie or Miniseries? I think Emma Thompson deserves it for The Song of Lunch. It was a really nice, very contained but wonderful performance. I will be really sad if Nicole Kidman wins. She's great normally, but that was one of her worst performances (and the movie was terrible). And Game Change was essentially just a bunch of really good impersonations. If Connie Britton or Ashley Judd (ha!) win, I will scream category fraud!!!!
Basically I hope ALL your wishes will come true because they are mine too :)
I do hope Esposito will win best supporting actor in the drama category because this is one of the best villains in TV history and also Breaking Bad to finally win best drama (if not Homeland) for its astonishingly dark 4th season.
Jon Hamm. Christina Hendricks. COME ON!
I’m glad to see so much Amy Poehler support! Her show already got snubbed for the Best Comedy Series award, so she better win the Best Leading Actress in a Comedy award! Leslie Knope is the best character on TV! Her lovable antics remind me so much of my boss at DISH (right down to the obsession with sticky notes) that I can’t help but root for her! I’m also hoping that Julianne Moore gets the recognition she deserves. I can’t wait to watch tonight and find out! The only problem is that the Emmys are on at the same time as my husband’s Patriots game. I’m just glad that a brawl for the remote can be avoided since our Hopper DVR has three independent tuners, so he can watch his boring football game without disturbing the Emmys! Can it be tonight already?!