With the Emmy announcements inching closer, one for your consideration caught me off guard. Patrick Dempsey is not a Lead Actor this year. He is throwing his name into the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category. Why is Patrick Dempsey announcing that he is a supporting character? I think several storylines this season of Grey's Anatomy(especially his breakdown and his proposal) are lead actor moments.
Is Patrick Dempsey scared of his competitors? Probably. ABC wants to get an Emmy in any form or fashion and they are probably clearing the path for Lost or Brothers and Sisters to make a stab for lead.
On July 16th when the Primetime Emmy nominations are announced, one name that is likely to appear in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series is Aaron Paul. As Jesse Pinkman on AMC's Breaking Bad, Aaron has done amazing work, revealing a character as fascinating as he is flawed.
His performance this past season on Breaking Bad has generated lots of talk about an Emmy nomination, but not to be overlooked is the fact that Paul is also doing great work on HBO's Big Love. On that drama, his character, Scott, is the antithesis of Jesse. It's a testament to Aaron's skill as an actor that I didn't recognize him at first from Big Love when I watched Breaking Bad. A search of his IMDB listing was one of those 'ah-ha' moments. Recently, I had to chance to speak with Aaron, and we started with the jaw-dropping season finale of Breaking Bad.
All the talk has been about Conan O'Brien taking over The Tonight Show and Jimmy Fallon taking over Late Night, but let's not forget Craig Ferguson over at CBS' Late Late Show. He might host the Emmys this year.
That's one of the changes being discussed by producer Dan Mischer. And let's be honest here: anything would be better than last year's horrifying hosting job done by the team of Ryan Seacrest, Jeff Probst, Tom Bergeron, Heidi Klum, and Howie Mandel. It was a train wreck from start to finish, with only one moment that was kinda funny (when they gave the award for Best Reality Host and dramatically went to a commercial before announcing the winner.
(S02E13) Cause and effect, random selection, grief, life and death... "My father is my hero, he's just decent." Breaking Bad covered all that and more in the season finale, setting up Walter White's life after successful surgery that bought him more time. The question was this when the end credits rolled, what will that life be for the New Mexico science teacher after all that's come before?
Anyone out there who thinks they know is lying because only creator Vince Gilligan has a handle on what's been going on and what's to come. What we do know after watching the season finale is this: Breaking Bad is as good as any other drama currently on television, and that includes Lost, Mad Men, House, 24 and the other potential Emmy nominees for Outstanding Drama Series.
Seth McFarlane is trying to break the Emmy barrier by having Family Guy compete with such shows as 30 Rock and The Office. For the second year in a row, Family Guy is being submitted as a nominee for the general comedy series category (as opposed to the animated 'toon category).
I'm ambivalent about this choice. On one hand, a lot of great comedy has come from animation that certainly is on par with the live-action television comedies. On the other hand, if a comedy series did compete against live sitcoms, I'd prefer it was The Simpsons or South Park which historically have been much better at intellectual humor than anything McFarlane has produced. It's also difficult to do a direct comparison since cartoon shows are more flexible storytelling vehicles than live sitcoms. It's like having an unlimited special effects budget.
I note that McFarlane and company have also jumped on the Obama campaign poster parody bandwagon. That's so six months ago.
What are the odds that this is the year that How I Met Your Mother makes it into that hallowed circle of Emmy nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series? If it were up to me, I'd rank HIMYM over Two and a Half Men, for instance, but I'm not the one filling out the ballot. One thing working in Mother's favor this year, though, is that on July 16 when the nominations are announced, there will be six nominees in each category instead of five.
The folks behind the HIMYM Emmy campaign must believe they have a good shot. Look at this trade ad that TV Week reprinted. It's a good ad; clever and memorable. The nod to Magritte is unmistakable, and attests to the wit of the show's creators. If this doesn't send a subliminal message to Emmy voters, nothing will.
They have feuds. They have babies (at least one of them). They have daily debates. But the ladies of The View have no sway with the Daytime Emmys. Well, that's not entirely correct. The ladies themselves, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Barbara Walters, Sherri Shepherd and Elisabeth Hasselbeck, received an Emmy nomination in the category of Outstanding Talk Show host(s), but their show was snubbed.
Whether it's deemed a Talk Show/Entertainment or Talk Show/Information, it's not deemed worthy. But The View's missing nomination is merely one of the many oddities of the 36th Annual Daytime Emmy nominations. Something is really bizarre in the batch of noms.
There's a real problem brewing for the Daytime Emmys. The annual broadcast which has been switching off from year to year between ABC and CBS, may not make it to prime time because CBS has decided to skip its turn...and ABC is not ready to step up and take on the award show.
To some this is simply a symptom of the decline of interest in daytime dramas, which dominate the awards. If you check out my post from last year's show, my assessment is not that the broadcast is the problem, but rather it's the nominations. There are too many repeat winners, too many actors who are overlooked in the nominating process, and too much sameness. The Daytime Emmys problem starts with the awards, not the show.
Still, what about the foreseeable future and the 2009 awards -- will they be shown on TV?
We've already seen the emergence of an Emmy category for Best Reality Show Host (and the awesome job those nominees did as hosts of the Emmy Awards - cough cough). Now they're going to give an award to the judges.
That's right, the Emmys have created a new category for Best Reality Show Judge. So all of you TV viewers who watch reality shows and say to yourself, "damn, that judge really deserves an Emmy award!," this category is for you.
Tina Fey is on a roll right now. She just won another Emmy for 30 Rock (and the show won for Best Comedy), she's getting rave reviews for her impersonation of Governor Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live, and she might even get a great deal on a new Florida condo from acclaimed director Martin Scorcese. She really has to learn how to hide her awards though.
On Tuesday's Late Night with Conan O'Brien, New Adventures of Old Christine star Julia Louis-Dreyfus was talking about losing out to Fey for the Best Comedy Actress Emmy and came up with the idea (with Conan's pushing) to go up to Fey's dressing room to steal the award (and this after Fey said some nice things about her at the Emmy ceremony!). It's clearly pre-staged, but still funny, and we get cameos from not one but two stars from 30 Rock.
Oh, and the Emmy isn't the only thing Conan takes from Fey's dressing room...video after the jump! How do women run in heels anyway?
I don't know how most of you watched the Emmys, but I watched it in a conference room with my colleagues, working on features for AOL Television's Emmys coverage. It was just like being at an Emmys party -- we even had jambalaya! (OK, there was that whole "work" thing, too.)
But Guillermo on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' -- well, he had the right idea. He took a bottle of tequila to the red carpet and convinced a ton of celebs to do shots with him. Then, if he was still conscious (and after 20 shots, I honestly don't see how), he got the opportunity to watch the Emmys drunk. Hey, that's one way to make the reality-show hosts seem funny.
Check out this clip of Guillermo on the red carpet. It's hysterical (particularly the faces the celebs make after they've done their shot -- that ain't apple juice, folks). Once again, Ricky Gervais proves the funniest man standing by a mile; and I love how Cheryl Hines comes back for seconds. That's my girl.
An average of 12.2 million viewers tuned in, which the L.A. Times says is the lowest number since at least 1990. That's down 6 percent from last year and, even worse, the show dropped 12 percent in adults 18-49 (the Laugh In and Dragnet bits didn't help, I'm sure).
11:00: OK, that's it for me tonight. Things have turned bold for some reason and I'm hungry. I haven't eaten since...well, I had a handful of almonds around 5:30, along with a Diet Coke, but that's it. Check out more Emmys on AOL, with a full list of winners, behind the scenes info, interviews, and a ton of pictures.
Over at the L.A. Times, Tom O'Neil has put together two teams to predict the Emmys. One consists of writers who cover TV, including our pal from AOL, Maggie Furlong. The other is filled with award nuts, like O'Neil. The teams found a lot of common ground, with overwhelming agreement on Mad Men for Best Drama and 30 Rock for Best Comedy. They also seem pretty set on Glenn Close (Damages) for Best Actress, Drama and Alec Baldwin (30 Rock) for Best Actor, Comedy.
Those all sound like reasonably safe bets. Things get a little more interesting when you look at some of the other categories. Best Actor, Drama looks to be a three way race between Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Hugh Laurie (House), and James Spader (Boston Legal). All solid choices, to be sure, but the most surprising part of the category is that Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), who should win, only garnered one vote. Read on past the jump for more of the categories.
On September 21, the night ABC broadcasts the big anniversary of the Primetime Emmys, producer Ken Ehrlich has tapped balladeer Groban for a four-minute medley of TV themes. The mind reels with the possibilities of how many memorable melodies he can fit into 240 seconds.
Some choices seem obvious: Cheers (where everybody knows your name), The Jeffersons (movin' on up to the big time), The Beverly Hillbillies (black gold, Texas T), The Flintstones (they're a modern stone-aged family).
Like I said, the possibilities are vast, and the promise of a something hilarious is sure fire.
With the Emmy announcements inching closer, one for your consideration caught me off guard. Patrick Dempsey is not a Lead Actor this year. He is throwing his name into the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category. Why is Patrick Dempsey announcing that he is a supporting character? I think several storylines this season of Grey's Anatomy (especially his breakdown and his proposal) are lead actor moments. 
All the talk has been about Conan O'Brien taking over The Tonight Show and Jimmy Fallon taking over Late Night, but let's not forget Craig Ferguson over at CBS' Late Late Show. 
Seth McFarlane is trying to break the Emmy barrier by having Family Guy compete with such shows as 30 Rock and The Office. For the second year in a row, Family Guy is being 
There's a real problem brewing for the Daytime Emmys. The annual broadcast which has been switching off from year to year between ABC and CBS, 
We've already seen the emergence of an Emmy category for Best Reality Show Host (and the 
Tina Fey is on a roll right now. She just won another Emmy for 
I don't know how most of you watched the Emmys, but I watched it in a conference room with my colleagues, working on features for 
In a surprise to nobody, ratings for last night's Emmys broadcast 
11:00: OK, that's it for me tonight. Things have turned bold for some reason and I'm hungry. I haven't eaten since...well, I had a handful of almonds around 5:30, along with a Diet Coke, but that's it. Check out 
Over at the L.A. Times, 
One of the highlights of this year's primetime Emmys is going to be musical. That's right, I'm psychic. I've looked into the future and can tell you without equivocation that 
TV Squad previews NBC's new shows (part 1)
TV 101: How ESPN controls the world and what the other networks can learn from it
TV Squad previews CBS's new shows
