Thursday, July 17, 2008

2008 Emmy Noms: 'Damages' Makes History

2008 Primetime Emmy Award NominationsBy LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer


Last year, we swore off the Emmys.

This year, we might have to reconsider.

The best of television is now on cable - basic cable, that is - and the 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Nominations concur.

PTR Fave Damages made history this morning as one of the first basic cable programs to garner a nomination for best drama series. Additionally, our faves of Glenn Close (Damages), Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer) and Holly Hunter (Saving Grace) all earned nods in the best actress category.

True, there are still snubs. PTR Fave Annabeth Gish of Brotherhood still has not been recognized for her brilliant performance as Eileen Caffee nor has Kathryn Morris of Cold Case. Then again, this is the Emmys, so we can't completely avoid the snubbage.

2008 Primetime Emmy Award NominationsBut can I honestly say I'm sorry Desperate Housewives isn't included for the 9 zillionth time, or that HBO isn't dominating every single category? No. Better still, am I sorry that the best actress category doesn't actually just look like the cast of DH, or is stacked with every actor on HBO? Again, no. And, much as I wish Kathryn Morris would get her due, do I think the procedurals are churning out their best work these days? No ... except, perhaps, for Law Order: SVU's Mariska Hargitay, who is once again nominated this year.

Give credit to Katherine Heigl (Grey's Anatomy) for having the chutzpah to speak up and actually take herself out of contention this year because she didn't feel the material she was given to work with was anywhere near a nomination-worthy performance.

With this year's noms, consider the networks put on notice that their overkill on lame-arse reality series and beat-until-dead procedural formulas are not nearly as interesting as they once were.

Says Close: "I think [cable's] changed the landscape of television ... [and while] I don't believe in comparison among artists, given the amazing number of talented people in this profession, to be included with a distinguished group of people is a huge honor."

Amen Glenn.

Cable is where it's at.

And finally, this year is a set of Emmy nominations I can get behind.

The Emmy Awards ceremony will be held Sept. 21 and broadcast on ABC. Other Emmy honors, including those for technical achievement and guest actors and actresses in series, will be given at the creative arts ceremony on Sept. 13.


Nominees (bold indicates a PTR Fave):

Outstanding Drama Series:
Boston Legal
Damages
Dexter
House
Lost
Mad Men

Outstanding Comedy Series
30 Rock
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Entourage
The Office
Two And A Half Men

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series
Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters
Glenn Close, Damages
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Holly Hunter, Saving Grace
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Candice Bergen, Boston Legal
Rachel Griffiths, Brothers & Sisters
Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy
Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy
Dianne Wiest, In Treatment

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series
James Spader, Boston Legal
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Hugh Laurie, House
Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment
Jon Hamm, Mad Men

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
William Shatner, Boston Legal
Ted Danson, Damages
Zeljko Ivanek, Damages
Michael Emerson, Lost
John Slattery, Mad Men

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Tony Shalhoub, Monk
Lee Pace, Pushing Daisies
Steve Carell, The Office
Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Jeremy Piven, Entourage
Kevin Dillion, Entourage
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
Rainn Wilson, The Office
Jon Cryer, Two And A Half Men

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
Tiny Fey, 30 Rock
Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures Of Old Christine
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
Kristin Chenoweth, Pushing Daisies
Jean Smart, Samantha Who?
Amy Poehler, Saturday Night Live
Holland Taylor, Two And A Half Men
Vanessa Williams, Ugly Betty


Sources: AP; Emmys.tv

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think the Emmy People should really put Kathryn Morris up for an emmy she's long overdue, plus all her hard work on Cold Case is only noticed by her fans.


Are the Emmy people dumb or they just don't care about how good Cold Case really is. I think they owe the show several Emmys, it's been on long enough.


LII2

LillyKat said...

I think it's less about "owing" someone an Emmy vs. actually considering them because they've turned in a worthy performance. Yes, the Emmys get it wrong a lot, but this year, I think they've gotten a lot right. Along those lines, I commend Heigl for being so bold so as to actually say, look, the stories they gave me this year ... it's not fair to put my name in the hat. To some extent, Cold Case is doing the same thing to the Lilly Rush character. And while I agree that Kathryn Morris (very much like Kristen Bell) should've been recognized previously, I also think that in the case of Kathryn, her best work was done in the earlier seasons (especially during the second season with likes of "Mindhunters), when the show centered much more on her character. I often say that if she couldn't get nominated for something like "Mindhunters," (which was on the season two Emmy consideration DVD), she was never going to get nominated. IMHO, the show - and the character - reached a certain pinnacle at that moment, and they have yet to come back to that point. Now, nominating CC for other things - like production design or casting ... I still don't know why they are not getting that sort of recognition. They should be, IMHO.

TVFan said...

I agree that they got a lot more right this year. Of course, I still can't wrap my mind around the obvious Friday Night Lights snubs (both in Best Drama and the acting categories). There were other less obvious ones for me, but that's to be expected. Congrats to Kyra, though!! I hope she wins, but I have a feeling this one's going to Holly Hunter.

Regarding the Kathryn Morris discussion above -- as much as I adore Kathryn and think that she is brilliant, I have to 100% agree with LillyKat. The show isn't giving her stuff that grabs Emmy voters' attention. Plus, the procedural has been done to death and I think they are all canceling each other out these days. People are growing tired of the format. CC is the only one I still watch on a regular basis and even that has become a little tiresome.