a post without mention of stalking celebrities or ranting about something inconsequential? yep.

Emmy Redux, Part I (DRAMA)

Outstanding Drama Series --
i. LOST -- yes. wholehearted agreement. never before has a show made you so frustrated with it's great mysteries and never ending twists. love it. this season was so heartbreaking and so fulfilling, it certainly deserves the big E.
ii. Breaking Bad -- don't watch it, but people seem to like it. My dad loves it, and he's a pretty good judge of character. Although i have caught him watching Dancing with the Stars before, and that's unforgivable.
iii. Dexter -- i know i'm in the minority, but i don't looove this show the way others do. however, the twist in last season's finale was pretty epic, and all kinds of mind-fuckery. i'll allow it.
iv. mad men -- i'm over this one. the costume and set design is exquisite, but there's just not enough juice for me. i'm just bored by it all. each episode ends, and i'm left to wonder "what happened?" and not in the same "WHAT THE F JUST HAPPENED?!" way lost makes me feel.
v. true blood -- YES. sexy vampires. southern gothic-ness. many analogies to the struggle for gay/lesbian rights, which is a great message. all in all, the most bloody and crazy fun show on air.
vi. the good wife -- yes again. exceptional acting. and riveting drama without having to resort to things like bringing back dead people to have sex so someone can realize they have brain cancer. i'm looking at you, Grey's.

If I were Emmy-God, I'd: Get rid of Mad Men. Replace it with the most underrated but most infallible show on television; Friday Night Lights. Such a perfect cast that produces such heartfelt episodes. Love it. I may also take out Dexter and replace it with Fringe, which unfortunately is "too" sci-fi to get recognized by the straight-laced Emmys. And I'll go with LOST for the win.

Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series --
i. Juliana Margulies (The Good Wife) -- yep. deserves the nomination. I was never really into her on ER (or into ER for that matter), but I am loving her on this show. She's quick witted, which is so admirable.
ii. Mariska Hargitay (SVU) -- well, okay. I'm ambivalent. i love me those law and order svu marathons on TNT every once in a while, but I think L&O has overstayed its welcome, and I'm just over the expectedness of her nomination.
iii. Glenn Close (Damages) -- yes. Damages has really grown into a great show, and Glenn is spectacular as always. Even if my sister still thinks she's Meryl Streep.
iv. Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer) -- yeah, okay. I'm not super enthused, but you know, she does good work. she's always fun to watch as she solves murders, so I'll give it to ya, Emmy voters.
v. January Jones (Mad Men) -- ugh, no. I really want to like her, but I just find her duuuull. And her character is just annoying, even if she is a product of her time. I just don't find her sympathetic. She's too one-dimensional, and I don't like that dimension.
vi. Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights) -- YES. It is a travesty that she hasn't been nominated and WINNING every year FNL has been on. She is FANTASTIC. Her acting is so natural, so understated, and so powerful that you forget she is not actually Coach Taylor's wife. She is one hundred and ten percent believable and honestly, there should be like a parade in her honor. She's spectacular.

If I were Emmy-God, I'd: whip January Jones outta there, and give the spot to my girl Lauren Graham. Maybe I'm biased because I love LG, but she (and Mae Whitman) are the best things about Parenthood, which is really coming into it's own. And I'll weep if it's not Connie Britton with the Emmy.

Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series --
i. Jon Hamm (Mad Men) -- yeah, better him than January Jones. Not psyched, but whatever. He's at least interesting to watch.
ii. Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights) -- YES. not quite as emphatic a yes as Connie Britton, but Kyle Chandler is perfect as Coach Taylor. His portrayal is so sincere and so gut-wrenching that I often have to take breathing breaks during the show.
iii. Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) -- three peat? I'm against those on principle, but I guess you can't fault him for doing good work.
iv. Hugh Laurie (House) -- yes. the season premiere and the season finale were two of my favorite hours of television this season. I'm all for this nom -- Hugh Laurie makes House into such a meanie, but you can't help but love him too.
Michael C. Hall (Dexter) -- eh, okay. He plays a saintly serial killer well, and that can't be easy. Plus he had to do all that while battling cancer, which I'm sure was not easy by any stretch of the imagination.
Matthew Fox (LOST) - I mean, he did good work. I just don't like him. And I just don't like Jack. I was always a Team Sawyer kind of girl. Matthew Fox's performance in the finale was certainly solid, but does that make up for playing such an annoying character? And can i even fault him for that? eh, i do what i want.

If I were Emmy-God, I'd: re-write LOST so that Josh Holloway was the lead, and then nominate him for the Emmy. He's so much more fun to watch, and his character is a thousand times less irritating than Jack Shepherd's stupid savior complex. Over.It. This one's a toughie for me -- I'm pretty evenly split between Hugh Laurie and Kyle Chandler to take it home.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series --
i. Sharon Gless (Burn Notice) -- never seen Burn Notice. Never heard of Sharon Gless. Eh.
ii. Christine Baranski (The Good Wife) -- yeah, she's pretty great. And she was exquisite in Mamma Mia! She's super versatile, and I enjoy her facial expressions.
iii. Christina Hendricks (Mad Men) -- perhaps the only Mad Men nom I agree with. I really like her Joan. It's a sad, nuanced role and she really is great in it. Much more sympathetic and real than her coworker JJ. Plus, she is BOMB.
iv. Rose Byrne (Damages) -- yeah, okay. I really have nothing to say for or against this one.
v. Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife) -- yes. I'm loving all the nominations for the strong female characters on this show. I'm all about Girl Power! And her name is Archie which is fucking awesome.
vi. Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men) -- ugh, I find her so irritating. I just don't like her, and I'm sorry Ms. Moss but I still can't get over the fact that your character never knew she was pregnant even as she exhibited every.single.symptom of pregnancy, ever.

If I were Emmy-God, I'd: take out Sharon Gless (because I don't know who the fuck she is), and put Mae Whitman in her place. She makes her character on Parenthood sooo much more than a stereotypical rebellious teenager. It's her character and her acting that makes me cry every week (yeah...I'm a crier). I'd also get rid of Elisabeth Moss stat and replace her with Sandra Oh. Grey's has really done a great job of slamming itself downhill, but Oh's acting is the show's one saving grace, and she really is the only thing that preserves some of that long-lost integrity Grey's once had. And I'm going to go with one of the Good Wife ladies for the win.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series --
i. John Slattery (Mad Men) -- eh, whatever. Mad Men got hella noms, and I just don't care about the show. I'm not particularly invested in any of the characters, which includes John Slattery's.
ii. Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) -- yeah, pretty solid work. Nothing more to say.
iii. Martin Short (Damages) -- still can't see him as anything other than the ridiculous wedding planner in Father of the Bride. Therefore, cannot take him seriously as an actor or as a human. Hence, not feelin' this nom.
iv. Terry O'Quinn (LOST) -- Yes. He had to play not only his original character, but also his original character in an alternate universe, AND the body of his original character inhabited by a black smoke monster spirit playing an elaborate deadly game. Excellent.
v. Michael Emerson (LOST) -- again, yes. The character I most love to hate. Or hate to love. Also, Michael Emerson is married to the woman who plays Arlene on True Blood, which I just found out and blew my mind.
vi. Andre Braugher (Men of A Certain Age) -- no opinion on this whatsoever. Literally all I know about this show is that Ray Romano is on it, so I don't watch.

If I were Emmy-God, I'd: get Martin Short out of there lickety-split and slam Nelsan Ellis (Lafayette on True Blood) in there. Lafayette is one of the funniest, no bullshit characters on TV, and he is so ridiculous and flamboyant that he is a delight to watch. I'd also take out Andre Braugher (again operating on the fact that I don't know who the hell he is) and put in John Noble of Fringe, who is perfect. And I'm going to go with Terry O'Quinn for the win. And not just because it rhymes.

See ya tomorrow for the Comedy Redux.