OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Winner: "Mad Men"

JESSICA CHOOSES:
“Mad Men” - I was very torn with this one. "Lost" is one of my all-time favorite TV shows and pretty much any other year, it would be my choice. However, "Mad Men" is truly outstanding and "Lost" has already won this award. Therefore, I'm going with "Mad Men."

P.S. "Friday Night Lights" should have gotten a nomination in this category. Seriously, some of the best programming on TV. "Boston Legal" can't even carry the shoes (or should I say cleats...get it? Because they're a football team...cleats) of "Friday Night Lights."

ALISON CHOOSES:
"Mad Men" - I was very happy "Mad Men" won. But I wish that there could have been a tie between "Lost," "Mad Men" and "Dexter." Those are the three shows that both my TiVo and I worship. I also think "Breaking Bad" should have been nominated.

P.S. I am aware Jessica’s cleats joke is a pun, thus the lowest form of comedy, but it makes her giggle at her own cleverness every time she reads it. Sorry readers.

OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
Winner: "30 Rock"

JESSICA CHOOSES:
“30 Rock” - If I haven't yet made my love of all things Tina Fey-related known, then let me proclaim it now. Tina, I would give up my Sandwich Day-sandwich for you. This show is simply sublime. Episode 210 and Sandwich Day are some of the funniest things I've ever seen on TV. If you're not watching this show, I'm not sure we can be friends.

ALISON CHOOSES:
I agree with Jessica and that is why we can be friends. And if you're someone who has no idea what "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah" is, then I feel sorry for you and think you should take a serious look at your life and your taste in television.

Speaking of taste or lack of, is "Entourage" actually worthy of even being in this category? I'll admit I enjoyed this show the first two seasons, but it's not funny anymore. It's starting to feel douchey at this point.

To the fans of "Two and a Half Men" who helped get it nominated,
Really?
Alison

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Winner: Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad")

JESSICA CHOOSES:
Kyle Chandler ("Friday Night Lights"). Yes, I realize the academy did not even nominate him, but that is not stopping me from giving him the award.

ALISON CHOOSES:
Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad") I actually furiously clapped when Bryan Cranston won, despite sitting in an apartment with four other people (who were not clapping). I love this show and am constantly surprised and impressed with his performance in it. But if the world were a more magical place full of rainbows and unicorns (like it is in my head), I would also give an award to Michael C. Hall for "Dexter" and Jon Hamm for "Mad Men." I would also give Jon Hamm some kind of award for being kind enough to go with Regis Philbin to surprise his wife, Joy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHctRh8pY9Y

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Winner: Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock")

JESSICA CHOOSES:
Steve Carell ("The Office") - He manages to show the heart of a character that in anyone else's hands, might just seem like a dolt.

ALISON CHOOSES:
Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock") and co-winners Jermaine Clement and Bret McKenzie ("The Flight of the Conchords") – Alec Baldwin deserves to have Emmys coming out of his ass for what he does on "30 Rock." There's no question about that. But I'd also be super happy if Jermaine and Bret got a little notice for their wonderfully hilarious and original show.

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Winner: Glenn Close ("Damages")

JESSICA CHOOSES:
Connie Britton ("Friday Night Lights") - Again, I know she wasn't nominated and I know the women who were nominated have either won the award before or are big movie actresses, but I feel very comfortable saying Connie Britton is better in FNL than any of them.

ALISON CHOOSES:
Kyra Sedgwick ("The Closer") – I have to admit I haven't watched "Friday Night Lights," so maybe I would agree with Jessica if I knew otherwise. But I'm a fan of "The Closer" and think Kyra deserves recognition for her work.

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Winner: Tina Fey ("30 Rock")

JESSICA CHOOSES:
Tina Fey ("30 Rock") - Did I not make myself clear on this yet? If Tina Fey is eligible for a category, I'm picking her.

ALISON CHOOSES:
Tina Fey ("30 Rock") – Insert constant laughter and joy here.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Winner: Zeljko Ivanek ("Damages")

JESSICA CHOOSES:
Michael Emerson ("Lost") - What I marvel at here is that Michael Emerson is so skillful (with the aid of some pretty amazing writing) that he has not changed the way he plays the character of Ben, yet he has managed to make the audience go from seeing him as a villain to a hero.

ALISON CHOOSES:
Michael Emerson ("Lost") – There has never been a better, more complicated villain than Ben. The writers are due some credit for that, but Michael Emerson always delivers on the material.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Winner: Jeremy Piven ("Entourage")

JESSICA CHOOSES:
Neil Patrick Harris ("How I Met Your Mother") - I would marry him and make lots of adorable, witty babies...if only he weren't gay.

ALISON CHOOSES:
Jack McBrayer ("30 Rock") – If NBC put Kenneth's smiling visage on a pillowcase, I would buy it. There is no other character on TV who gives me the same warm, happy feeling in my tummy as Kenneth does. I feel like he and I would be best friends and warm the world with our positive outlook on life.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Winner: Dianne Wiest ("In Treatment")

JESSICA CHOOSES:
Evangeline Lilly ("Lost") - Admittedly, I'm not sure if she would really be up for this or the lead actress award, but I didn't want to pit her against Connie Britton in my head.

ALISON CHOOSES:
Evangeline Lilly ("Lost") – I'm gonna agree with Jessica.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

JESSICA CHOOSES:
Jenna Fischer ("The Office")

ALISON CHOOSES:
Kristen Schaal ("The Flight of the Conchords") – She's pure comedy genius in a cute, awkward bottle.

OUTSTANDING REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM
Winner: "The Amazing Race"

JESSICA CHOOSES:
"So You Think You Can Dance" - This and "Project Runway" are the only programs in this category where all of the contestants actually have talent and seem to have studied some sort of craft. You can't just walk in off the street, having never done it before, and be a good dancer. "So You Think You Can Dance" is a show tailor-made for me--the dancing, the costumes, my same-sex-non-sexual love for Cat Deely...

ALISON CHOOSES:
"Project Runway" – It's the only reality programming I can stand to watch.

OUTSTANDING VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY SERIES
Winner: "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart"

JESSICA CHOOSES:
"The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" - Come on, like there is any contest here.

ALISON CHOOSES:
"The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” – Agreed.

OUTSTANDING MINISERIES
Winner: "John Adams"

JESSICA CHOOSES:
"Roots" - Um...they still make miniseries? I guess I choose "Roots." That's the last miniseries I saw.

ALISON CHOOSES NOT TO CHOOSE:
They all sounded boring to me.

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES:
Winner: "Mad Men"

JESSICA CHOOSES:
"Lost" - I think there is a huge problem with the way this award is set up. Excellent TV writing has to involve both great stand-alone episodes, AND great story arcs that are spread out over a season or more. That fact that they vote on individual episodes only, I feel, can be the only reason that "Lost" hasn't won this award every year since it's been on TV.

ALISON CHOOSES:
"Lost" – Most. Amazing. Show. Ever!

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
Winner: "30 Rock"

JESSICA CHOOSES:
"30 Rock" - You can't be surprised by this at this point.

ALISON CHOOSES:
"30 Rock" - I have six words for you: "Boys becoming men, men becoming wolves."

But I am getting ahead of myself.  I got one of those last minute phone calls that you usually get for a party like this one, where it will be off the chain and knee deep in celebs.  This is where the whole night here on out seems caught between a dream and reality.

After shortly arriving, the host with the most was very kind and greeted us. He left shortly after with someone I was told was Bria Valente.  I am very shy at times myself so kind of avoided the contact.  I hope Prince understands I was not trying to be rude, I was just overwhelmed with the coolness of the moment.  My guest spoke with him and was cordial for me.  We saw some of the purple party crew through the night, talking with C.C. and saw Rashida there later on.

  Just imagine having a private intimate party with the best live performer out there.  Only your close friends are there.  Not a stadium full of people.  No crowded night club with that person who had one too many drinks.  That's what makes a party like this so special.  It is just one of the moments in time where you look back on it and it will bring a smile to your face.  I wish you could experience it. 

Prince kicked it off with Satisfied and having seen this person in front of 20,000 people, he was bringing it like it was the Staple Center.  He was slightly more laid back, sipping water, going over to his keyboard player Morris Hayes and sometimes to his bassist Josh Dunham or his drummer C.C. Dunham. He said we can all slow dance if we want and actor Chi McBride was one of the first to hit the floor as almost everyone followed suit.

Prince then went into Beggin' Woman Blues with some lyrics that just make you crack up.  We were cracking up so much he started cracking up.  lovineveryminuteofit!  Prince went into overdrive with Cream, U Got The Look, A Love Bizzare and covers like Crinsom & Clover & Wild Thing. Then he stuck on this groove and it turned out to be Lady Cab Driver.  Total flashback of funk for me I must say.  He did a few lyrics from it but that groove was contagious! They just went off and turned it out. There was not one person sitting down for that.

Prince said earlier in the night that it was gonna be karaoke night and he was gonna get us all to sing.  During With A Little Help From My Friends, Kristen Chenoweth was called up to sing and she brought her voice up to the challenge.  After the song, Prince called out Kristen and high fived her.  Kristen could not contain herself and went over to Prince to give him a kiss on the cheek.  Prince laughed playfully and said, "now my guitar is out of tune", an obvious reference to the song that was just performed. 

It was just a straight funky night.  At one time, after the crowd stopped clapping, Prince asked if we wanted to slow it down or keep it funky?  I think the crowd was kind of mixed so we voted by show of hands, and the funk won.  At this moment, we heard the woman next to us tell us this is the greatest night of her life.  Her man just smiled.  Ahh, another man getting credit for something Prince did.  Gotta love it.  Right?

Prince went into the funk jams such as Controversy and Sexy Dancer.  He then went into a groove getting Josh  to go off on bass and then C.C. on drums.  Prince then sang "We are part of the rhythm nation"  before proclaiming we like the original version of that song while going into thank you (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) which was straight cool.  More people arrived through the night including Dexter's Michael C. Hall and I think I saw Michael Emerson from Lost there as well and Mary-Louise Parker  (There were others but my mind is frazzled right now.)   Prince went into Play That Funky Music and Chi came up and rocked it.  It just got better as Prince went on the keys and played Superstition.

At one point, someone yelled out to play Chelsea Rodgers and Prince was like, yea o.k.  No requests came in but the person who requested it was a model, although this time no flower in her hair. 

Prince killed it with Let's Go Crazy and then cooled us down with Purple Rain which was the last song of the night.  We walk out of there trying to soak everything in.  Still not fully sold that what just happened...really did just happen!

You know, an Emmy is great, but if you were not at this party I must say it was its own award and its own reward and it is something that I may not be able to display on my mantle, but the memory is forever forged in my mind and something I would like to thank our host for providing.

We want to thank the person who was lucky enough to attend to sending this into us.-Dr.FB

5. Zeljko Ivanek winning Best Supporting Actor for Damages. I love Damages, so I thought this was well deserved--but I did not see this coming. I figured either Ted Danson (Damages) or Michael Emerson (Lost) and would have been happy either way (well, maybe less so with Danson). Nice to see the Academy is still capable of thinking outside the box.

4. Steve Martin's tribute to Tommy Smothers. Funny, witty, droll and wry, as only Martin can be.

3. Jon Stewart's save at the end of the Laugh-In tribute.  His remarks not only struck me as genuine, but restored some dignity to a talented cast of pioneers (Jo-Ann Worley, Ruth Buzzi, Gary Owens) after a bit that badly went flat.

2. (tie) The off-the-cuff remarks by Jeremy Piven ("What if I just kept talking for 12 minutes? That was the opening") and Don Rickles ("Let's read these funny lines they wrote for us"). Also glad that Rickles won an Emmy for his terrific HBO documentary special, Don Rickles: M. Warmth.

1. Ricky Gervais' Dos and Don'ts on Acceptance Speeches (and props to Steve Carell for playing along).

Ed Robertson
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There is no word if justice has been served and the Emmy was returned to its rightful owner.

Michael Emerson, right, and Carrie Preston arrive at the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2008.

For more about "LOST" star Michael Emerson, including the Gazette article "He's not creepy to Mom," go to earlier LIAI post: Cedar Rapids native nominated for Emmy.

Nunca vi o seriado Damages, mas vou tentar ver alguma coisa para poder falar com mais propriedade sobre o ator Zeljko Ivanek. Pelo que li, o ator representa um advogado pertubado na série.

Emmy Nominees

Here are who and what I want to win:-

Outstanding Drama Series - Lost

Outstanding Comedy Series - Entourage

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - Mary-Louise Parker

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series - Jeremy Piven

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series - Michael Emerson

The rest I don't really care about or are nominees from shows which I have never seen before.

I will put up the winners in this post tomorrow.

The Winners

You know what fuck the Emmys, I'm not bitter in the slightest that only one of my picks actually one, well done Mr Piven.  I can even excuse that Lost didn't win because it was just good to have it nominated again.  Though Michael Emerson not winning is disgraceful, I've not seen the actual winners work but Emerson acted his ass off in season 4 and seemed like the public number 1 pick.  So I'm just going to link you to IMDB to find out the results.

Emmy Winners

Last year, during this important period of the pre-Emmy festivities, I had a bit more time to really delve into some key issues. This year, things are busier, but that doesn't mean that I'm not going to make some prognostications about the end results. I'm going to be discussing more themes and the like tomorrow in my Emmy Preview, but for now let's get to what we really care about: predicting who is actually going to walk home with Emmy Awards.

Outstanding Drama Series

• Boston Legal (ABC)
• Damages (FX)
• Dexter (Showtime)
• House (FOX)
• Lost (ABC)
• Mad Men (AMC)

There is some wiggle room here, as each some has something (Pedigree, viewership, buzz, etc.) that makes it stand out, but there is nothing on this list quite as emphatically received and, more importantly, different from your standard fare than Mad Men. I'll discuss more of this tomorrow, but its combination of a small network, a small fanbase, fresh-faced actors and its attention to detail will be unstoppable.

Lead Actor in a Drama Series

• James Spader (Boston Legal)
• Jon Hamm (Mad Men)
• Michael C. Hall (Dexter)
• Hugh Laurie (House)
• Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad)
• Gabriel Byrne (In Treatment)

This is a category where only one thing is important: that James Spader finally loses. Either Hamm, C. Hall or Laurie are in a position to usurp last year's winner, and I've got my money on Michael C. Hall. After getting snubbed here last year, and with his show in the big race, voters might choose to recognize his brave and fantastic performance even when the show itself loses them with its dark atmosphere. But, this is maybe the night's most up in the air race.

Lead Actress in a Drama Series

• Sally Field (Brothers & Sisters)
• Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer)
• Holly Hunter (Saving Grace)
• Glenn Close (Damages)
• Mariska Hargitay (Law and Order: SVU)

This race, however, is not up in the air at all. Its highly serialized nature and red herring use might keep it from being the best drama series on television, but there is no way that Emmy Voters can ignore Close's pedigree with such a richly portrayed character (even if I'd argue that character isn't nearly as important as voters might think it is to the show's success).

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

• Michael Emerson (Lost)
• Ted Danson (Damages)
• William Shatner (Boston Legal)
• Zeljko Ivanek (Damages)
• John Slattery (Mad Men)

This is one of those categories where I've got to go with my gut - sure it might not be possible to stop Ted Danson's career resurgence playing so far against type as Arthur Frobisher, but Michael Emerson was such an acting highlight this season on Lost, and he and Ivanek have amazing material that shouldn't be allowed to go unnoticed. In the end, Emerson deserves this award.

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

• Dianne Wiest (In Treatment)
• Candice Bergen (Boston Legal)
• Rachel Griffiths (Brothers & Sisters)
• Chandra Wilson (Grey's Anatomy)
• Sandra Oh (Grey's Anatomy)

Yawn. This category is just very boring, there's nothing more to it than that. I'd argue that there's two major wrongs that need to be righted here: Sandra Oh's lack of an Emmy for her earlier work on Grey's, and Rachel Griffiths' lack of an Emmy for her earlier work on Six Feet Under. But, since the Emmys don't listen to me very often, I'll say that Candice Bergen pulls a Blythe Danner/Tyne Daly and waltzes away with the award.

Outstanding Comedy Series

• 30 Rock (NBC)
• The Office (NBC)
• Entourage (HBO)
• Two and a Half Men (CBS)
• Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)

30 Rock was the best comedy on television last season. It has the most critical buzz, the most high profile guest stars, the most clout amongst Television Elite, and after their surprise win last year have won almost everything under the sun (Except for the SAG, which The Office took home). With a bit of a weak 4th year from that show, though, Tina Fey should waltz off with at least one Emmy.

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

• Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)
• Steve Carell (The Office)
• Charlie Sheen (Two and a Half Men)
• Lee Pace (Pushing Daisies)
• Tony Shahloub (Monk)

It's the epic battle we expected to see put to rest last year until Ricky Gervais took home a stunning win, which means that it'll be at least two years before both Alec Baldwin and Steve Carell have their rightful Emmys. This year belongs to Baldwin, however: the oft-quoted and mentioned therapy scene really is as funny as people make it out to be, and when people are calling it "Alec Baldwin's Emmy Tape" the second it airs I don't think anyone can beat that level of hype.

Leading Actress in a Comedy Series

• Christina Applegate (Samantha Who?)
• America Ferrera (Ugly Betty)
• Tina Fey (30 Rock)
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus (New Adventures...Old Christine)
• Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds)

This is a tough category to call, but let's not get too caught up in it. It's really a race between Applegate and Fey, two people that Television really likes and who they enjoy seeing succeed. In this instance, I'd have to say that Samantha Who just wasn't on people's cultural radars enough to draw the type of support Applegate needed to get the win, while Fey just had a much higher profile. Tina Fey takes home the Emmy to match her SAG and Golden Globe Awards.

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

• Rainn Wilson (The Office)
• Kevin Dillon (Entourage)
• Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men)
• Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother)
• Jeremy Piven (Entourage)

I love Jeremy Piven, I really do, but he cannot win this award. Really, this should be a battle between Wilson, who continues to do amazing work as Dwight on The Office, and Neil Patrick Harris, who continues to be insanely funny. NPH got robbed last year for his amazing performance in Showdown, but even with a weaker tape this year I think that there has to be some sort of justice. I apparently have a thing about totally reckless supporting actor picks, but NPH it is.

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

• Kristin Chenoweth (Pushing Daisies)
• Amy Poehler (Saturday Night Live)
• Jean Smart (Samantha Who?)
• Holland Taylor (Two and a Half Men)
• Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty)

There are two schools of thought in this category: one is that Vanessa Williams' continued popularity and her loss last year make her the definite favourite. The others, however, point out quite rightly that Amy Poehler's tape is more varied, longer, and broader than anything else the rest of the category has to offer. It is so fundamentally different, in fact, that it's really hard to predict what's going to happen when voters cast thier ballots. So, I'm predicting the delightful Kristin Chenoweth and calling it a day.

Outstanding Reality Competition Program

• The Amazing Race (CBS)
• American Idol (FOX)
• Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
• Project Runway (Bravo)
• Top Chef (Bravo)

I'm predicting that it will finally happen: with numerous pop culture references, Heidi Klum's hosting nomination, and a great deal of public support behind it, I think that voters might finally end the five-year winning streak of The Amazing Race (my favourite reality show) by handing the award to Project Runway, a show for which I have definite appreciation.

Outstanding Reality Host

• Jeff Probst (Survivor)
• Howie Mandel (Deal or No Deal)
• Heidi Klum (Project Runway)
• Tom Bergeron (Dancing with the Stars)
• Ryan Seacrest (American Idol)

I feel as if Jeff Probst probably deserves this Emmy in some ways, but I honestly feel like Tom Bergeron has the toughest job in television: being funny on a show that is so cliched and gaudy is not something that just anyone can do, but Bergeron brings to Dancing with the Stars a lightness and, more importantly, a sense of self-deprecation that he is honestly often the show's redemptive figure.

The Other Awards

Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series

Alan Taylor (Mad Men - "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes") - Easy decision on this one, as the pilot's strength in direction is one of the things that makes it such a knockout when it comes to awards season.

Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series

David Simon, Ed Burns (The Wire - "-30-") - Sure, it's a bit of a sentimental choice, but with the two Mad Men episodes splitting the vote I think that there's a chance that it could be Simon and Burns finally winning one of the damn trophies that they've deserved for a while now.

Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series

Barry Sonnenfeld (Pushing Daisies - "Pie-Lette") - It's visually stunning, unique in its setting, and charming in many ways because Sonnenfeld directs it with such life. There's a lot of tricks to Fuller's script, and Sonnenfeld really kept them from spiralling into control (if that makes sense) as opposed to the organized chaos that defines the series' aesthetic.

Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series

Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies - "Pie-Lette") - If history tells us anything (See: My Name is Earl winning in this category), a show doesn't need to be a big nominee to get love from their own. With the other major shows getting most of their love from performers, it's Pushing Daisies that will find their appreciation in these categories. Fuller's script, in particular, was lauded the moment the pilot leaked onto the internet, and the hype hasn't died down in over a year. At least for me.

Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety Series

Stephen Colbert (The Colbert Report) - The man has been robbed of this award twice, and Don Rickles remains in the wings as the "Pedigreed Performer who Beats Stephen Colbert," but I'd like to think that the Emmys will soon realize the level to which Colbert has trumped Jon Stewart from a comic performance perspective. Also watch out for Tina Fey, here with her fourth nomination (Producing, performing and writing 30 Rock, and here for hosting Saturday Night Live).

Outstanding Variety, Comedy or Musical Series

Saturday Night Live - The Daily Show is running a five year streak on this award, and while it's entirely possible that it will continue that streak I have a feeling based on Fey and Poehler's nominations that SNL might break through (even if it doesn't at all deserve it considering that the show isn't any better than its been in recent years). As always, watch out for Colbert.

Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series

The Colbert Report - After Conan O'Brien got his legacy win last year, it's time to honour the hottest commodity in farcical fake news already.

Outstanding Miniseries

John Adams (HBO) - A total no-brainer, the miniseries has already won something ridiculous like 8 Emmys from the Creative Arts portion, so this award seems like the evening's biggest lock.

Outstanding Made for Television Movie

Recount (HBO) - I think it's a bit of a long shot to be honest, but I really enjoyed Recount and feel that its collection of wonderful performances (Laura Dern, Kevin Spacey, Tom Wilkinson, etc.) should be recognized, if not individually, by recognizing the strong production.

Whew. With that out of the way, I'll be back tomorrow with some general thoughts on the pattern of the awards and what they could mean for the future of television (Preview: Not that much, but maybe more than usual), and then back Sunday night for an epic Emmys LiveBlog.

• William Shatner, "Boston Legal"
• Ted Danson, "Damages"
• Zeljko Ivanek, "Damages"
• Michael Emerson, "Lost"
• John Slattery, "Mad Men"

Priceline Negotiator! While I salivate at the opportunity to pick Shatner as the winner just so I can post his awesome performance of "Rocket Man", alas, it will not be the case this year. First of all, I've never watched one episode of this show so I have no way of judging it. That being said, Shatner is awesome so I am sure that he is also awesome on this show. He just can't beat the other four guys this year.

Since I have also never watched "Mad Men" (which is probably a huge mistake), I can't really judge John Slattery either. I have read and heard enough about him to know he is considered to be phenomenal. There are just too many big names here for him to top.

Zeljko Ivanek? Doesn't he play left wing for Vancouver? I kid, I kid. Ivanek is greatness but this is not going to be a win for him. He may not top Shatner, just based on name recognition alone.

That leaves Ted Danson and Michael Emerson. Danson has two Emmy wins for "Cheers" and countless nominations. Is his performance as the massive scumbag Arthur Frobisher deserving of the win? You bet. Will he win? I would say it will either be him or...

...Michael Emerson. Yes, I am a huge "Lost" fan, so there could be bias here. However, Emerson is past due for some award recognition of his portrayal of Ben Linus, leader of the mysterious Others. His eyes alone convey the necessary amount of evil for the part and you actually believe that that little guy could and will kill you in a moments notice. Emerson has created one of the greatest television villains of all time and needs to finally pick up some hardware for it.

Should win: Michael Emerson, "Lost"
Will win: Ted Danson, "Damages"

Ted Danson (por Damages - Sem Escrúpulos) - Quinze anos depois do final da multi-premiada comédia Cheers - Aquele Bar, Ted Danson regressa finalmente à televisão com um papel imponente, depois de ter protagonizado várias séries de qualidade reduzida. Em Damages - Sem Escrúpulos, o actor, nomeado a doze Emmys entre 1983 e 1993, vive Arthur Frobisher, um homem de negócios, sem escrúpulos que ameaça e intimida quem quer que seja, para conseguir cumprir os seus objectivos. Infelizmente, Danson submeteu para análise dos votantes Jesus, Mary and Joe Cocker, um episódio no qual tem uma perfomance apenas mediana, nada comparada com o seu estupendo trabalho em "Sort of Family". Neste, Danson demonstra não só a habitual faceta mais cruel de Arthur Frobisher como também a solidão e a infelicidade que advêm da alienação da sua família, despoletada pela sua impetuosa personalidade. Ainda que os votantes possam querer premiar a lendária estrela de tv pelo seu aclamado regresso, não será para já que Danson receberá o seu terceiro Emmy.

John Slattery (por Mad Men) - "Smoke, drink and be marry" (tradução livre - Fuma, bebe e sê feliz). Este é o mote da personagem que valeu a John Slattery a sua primeira nomeação aos Emmys, após vinte anos de carreira. Após participações recorrentes em comédias como "Donas de Casa Desesperadas", "Will & Grace" e "Sexo e a Cidade", Slattery finalmente teve em Mad Men uma hipótese de demonstrar todo o seu potencial como actor. A sua personagem, Roger Sterling, é um mulherengo assumido, rico, sedutor e galanteador, papel recorrente na carreira do actor. O humanismo que Slattery deixou transparecer na sua despreocupada e pouco escrupulosa personagem garantiram-lhe boas representações no ano passado, mas nada fora do normal. Ainda que a série tenha imenso hype para estes Emmys, esta será uma categoria que Mad Men provavelmente não vencerá.

William Shatner (por Boston Legal) - Não há como não simpatizar com Denny Crane. Sim, ele é chauvinista, machista, republicano, homofóbico, milionário e um pouco muito alucinado, mas é também um homem triste e desiludido com um mundo que se esqueceu de si. Outrora um grande advogado, Denny vive agora ofuscado pelos colegas e amigos como Alan (James Spader), Carl (John Larroquette) e Shirley (Candice Bergen), que assumem casos mediáticos e cativantes, ao contrário de si, que é forçado a "co-pilotar" os seus casos com os colegas. Temporada após temporada, David E. Kelley, o criador de Boston Legal, recorda-se que Denny Crane é um homem incompreendido e desenvolve um episódio no qual Denny renasce das cinzas, assumindo as rédeas de um caso mediático, por norma um homicídio. Nesta quarta temporada, com estreia marcada para Outubro em Portugal, o episódio foi "Mad About You". Uma perfomance tocante e simultaneamente cómica, asseguram uma justa nomeação ao actor veterano. No entanto, ponderando a qualidade dos próximos nomeados, os votantes não podem (nem devem) atribuir este prémio a Shatner. Talvez para o ano.

Zeljko Ivanek (por Damages - Sem Escrúpulos) - Além de ter re-introduzido no horário nobre nomes sonantes como Glenn Close e Ted Danson, Damages - Sem Escrúpulos teve o privilégio de dar a conhecer actores igualmente talentosos mas muito menos afamados. Um deles foi Zeljko Ivanek, que brilhou durante a primeira temporada do drama no papel de Ray Fiske e que felizmente soube seleccionar o episódio em que a sua personagem mais se destaca. Esse episódio foi "I Hate These People". Deixo-vos com as sublimes palavras que o meu colega Daniel Carronha usou para criticar Ivanek:

De uma personagem secundária e sem grande expressão na série, Ray cresceu semana após semana, mostrando cada vez mais um pouco da sua personalidade danificada pelos erros do passado. Paulatinamente, fomos aprendendo a gostar dele e a realidade de que nunca mais teremos o prazer da sua companhia é um choque. E todos estes sentimentos devem-se a uma única pessoa: Zeljko Ivanek. Para mim, ele sim é a verdadeira revelação de Damages, e se alguém merece ver o seu trabalho reconhecido, esse alguém é ele. Ivanek contribuiu imenso para a humanização de Ray, conseguindo estar à altura de uma Glenn Close ou um Ted Danson; houve momentos em que o actor eslovaco deixou os seus colegas para trás. A sua partida será sentida, muita sentida.

É sem dúvida nenhuma, um dos principais candidatos ao Emmy, não só por ser um dos actores revelação da temporada, como também por ter conseguído suplantar várias vezes pesos pesados como os seus colegas de elenco Close e Danson. O factor novidade pode influenciar uma vitória nos Emmys, ainda que esteja a roubar o Emmy do nomeado que se segue.

Por último chegamos ao mais justo vencedor...

Michael Emerson (por Lost - Perdidos) - É unanimemente considerado como o melhor actor do vasto elenco de Lost - Perdidos, não só pela intrigante personagem que interpreta, como também pelas excelentes narrativas que lhe são dadas pelos produtores executivos e principais guionistas, que criam temporada após temporada, grandes desafios para Emerson. Na reduzida quarta temporada da série, Benjamin Linus teve menos destaque do que na temporada anterior, mas, ainda assim, foi responsável por alguns dos melhores momentos de sempre em Lost. Um desses momentos aconteceu em The Shape of Things to Come, episódio que o actor submeteu para analise dos votantes.

Neste, Ben é confrontado com a difícil escolha de se entregar ao inimigo  e perder a sua ilha, ou deixar a filha adoptiva morrer. A escolha acaba por ter consequências impensáveis para Ben (e para nós também), mas despoleta uma das mais estonteantes cenas que podíamos imaginar. O prémio tem que ser seu!

QUEM VAI GANHAR: Zeljko Ivanek (por Damages - Sem Escrúpulos)

QUEM DEVIA GANHAR: Michael Emerson (por Lost - Perdidos)

Abaixo há uma bela compilação dos grandes momentos de Ben Linus ao som de The Sound Of Silence, de Simon&Garfunkel

Esse post, que parece ter saído das colunas do Ego (que vergonha (!)) foi para não deixar o domingo passar em branco e como estamos em clima de Emmy é a nossa torcida por Emerson na premiação.Ele merece.

Antes de ir, mais uma vez, brasileiros: valorizemos nossa pátria pois só assim poderemos querer que as coisas melhores

Um bom domingo, e que a Força estaja com vocês.

Starting on Sunday September 6th, Preston takes on the role of “Arlene Fowler,” a small town waitress in the highly anticipated “True Blood,” a new HBO series from creator Alan Ball , alongside Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin.

We’ll sink our teeth into what we should expect from this new vampire series, find out how it relates to our current society and what its like for Preston to wake up to her husband Michael Emerson who plays Benjamin Linus,  the bug-eyed villain on the hit show Lost.

Also coming up on the #1 most listened to comedy/talk show on BlogTalkRadio, a 2008 NFL preview with New York Jets Gameday Host Jenn Sterger.

We’ll find out what exactly a “gameday host” is,  what qualifies this former Playboy and Maxim model to be a “gameday host” and hear how sportscaster Brent Musberger unknowingly launched her career.

All that, plus musician John Taglieri, Dangerous Lee co-hosts,  Vinny Bond drags his Big Leather Couch into the Radio Happy Hour Lounge to chat live with the listeners, Justin the Weatherman and we’ll take your calls at 646-652-4804.

He's the hero that Gotham deserves but not the one it needs right now. So we'll hunt him. Because he can take it. Because he's not a hero. He's a silent guardian. A watchful protector. A Dark Knight. 
                                                                        - Gordon

There are two aspects that I think we need to think about that should give us a better picture of what to expect from the third movie.

• The Main Theme
• The Villains that relates to that theme.

Batman Begins was about Fear. It ties with the origin of Batman as we see Bruce Wayne overcome his fear of bats and eventually adopt the identity of Batman. The villains are related to this theme with Scarecrow using the fear toxin as his weapon of choice and Ra's Al Ghul as the man who helped Bruce overcome his fears in the first place.

The Dark Knight was about Escalation or as Gordon puts it at end of the first movie, "We start carrying semi-automatics, they buy automatics. We start wearing Kevlar, they buy armor-piercing rounds." Batman's crusade against the mobs becomes a double edged sword as it only creates more trouble. The epitome of this escalation is the Joker, the agent of chaos, who wants to bring Gotham's citizens to their breaking point. Corresponding with the escalation theme is the rise of the idealistic Harvey Dent and his fall/transformation to Two Face.

Now comes the third movie and I have an idea for the possible theme of this one. Like how the theme of escalation was first hinted at the end of the first movie, the theme for Batman 3 was hinted during the final moments of The Dark Knight: The theme is Isolation. By the end of the second movie, Batman has finally become the Batman that we all know from the comics and the cartoons: a true outsider, a loner, the Dark Knight. He lost Rachel and Harvey Dent which means he lost his hope for a normal life. The police are chasing him thus he can't work openly with Gordon anymore.

I expect a darker and grumpier Bruce Wayne as he starts getting a more pessimistic outlook on life yet can't help to bring himself to stop fighting crime due to his hero complex (set this movie like 2-4 years after TDK to make it believable). And expect more detective work by the Dark Knight since he can't rely on the GCPD now. Meanwhile, the cops are still hopeless in finding out the identity of the Batman (remember that scene early in TDK where the cop had Elvis as one of their suspected candidates for Batman). Just like how the mobs turned to the Joker in their desperate times, the cops also turned to "a man they don't fully understand" for help.

Enter Edward Nigma aka The Riddler, a private detective/specialist hired by both the cops and the mobs (with both not knowing he works with them at the same time) to track down and find the identity of the Batman. He's smart, a child prodigy, anti-social and highly obsessed with Batman especially with the dark knight's detective skills. He finally find someone who can challenge him and is willing to do anything to achieve his goal, including creating an elaborate crime scene for Batman to solve.

Not only that, Batman has to face the idea that his privacy is being invaded as the Riddler slowly gets to know a lot of things about Batman (eg. Lucius Fox, batcave, identity). Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne starts dating Selina Kyle who leads a double life as the notorious thief, Catwoman. In the end Batman and Catwoman have to work together to stop the Riddler.

So how do all of this relates to the theme of isolation? In a way, the Riddler and Catwoman are the cure to Batman's feeling of isolation. Following my idea that Riddler is a crazy Batman fanatic, I think he would probably leave clues/riddles that he knows ONLY Batman can solve and no one else. Therefore, Riddler would be the only one, aside from Alfred, who really understand Batman's mindset. Unlike the Joker who just wants to mess with Batman's head, the Riddler, or at least a version of him that I want to see in the next movie, wants to play games with him. In that way, Batman doesn't feel isolated anymore.

As for Catwoman, well, that's really obvious. Bruce Wayne is mysteriously drawn to Selina Kyle; she's not Rachel Dawes yet she's not like any of those other super models he flirts with. And Catwoman operates outside the law and enjoying it which is a perfect foil for Batman's more serious attitude.

So yeah, I want the next movie to revolve around Batman's growing isolation and how both the Riddler and Catwoman proves to be the answer to that problem (Batman is lonely and finds a new friend to play with & a new girlfriend). As for the casting of the two characters, I want Michael Emerson (Lost) as the Riddler and Carla Gugino (Sin City) for Catwoman. Meow!

The main reason why I think they should get Catwoman for the third one, aside from filling up the female character void left by Rachel Dawes, is that to the average folks she is one of the most instantly recognizable character from the Batman universe. One of the reason why Dark Knight is doing so well is because you have the most famous Batman villain, The Joker. I'm not saying that they shouldn't put villains that haven't been adapted to the big screen (eg. Clayface, Mad Hatter, Man Bat, etc) but if they want to draw a lot of people, Catwoman is their best chance. It's also a chance to redeem the awful Halle Berry movie!!

So that's what I want to see for the third movie. What do you think?

The Dark Knight (pueden leer la crítica AQUÍ) ha logrado records por doquier en cuanto a recaudación y aún sigue en el primer lugar de las mejores películas de todos los tiempos en la IMDb. Eso, sumado a la increíble respuesta de los fans, ha producido que los rumores sobre la posible tercera entrega, protagonizada por Christian Bale y dirigida por Christopher Nolan, se hayan multiplicado en la blogósfera, situación que probablemente en un par de semanas se acreciente debido al estreno de The Dark Knight en el viejo continente, agendado para el 13 de Agosto en España y en Francia. Que El Pingüino, que Gatúbela, que El Acertijo, que de nuevo Dos Caras y El Guasón... los rumores no paran en relación a cuál villano hará de las suyas en Ciudad Gótica, mientras que la verdad sigue siendo una sola... en este momento no hay nada firmado para la realización de una tercera parte. Lo más probable es que se haga, tanto Nolan como Bale han indicado que les gustaría completar una trilogía (y nada más, ojo), pero aún ninguno de los dos ha firmado con la Warner para la realización de la nueva secuela. Sea como sea, los rumores no paran y ya dan nombres de actores que podrían asumir la villanía de turno, los cuales detallo a continuación. Recomiendo a quienes no han visto aún The Dark Knight, no seguir leyendo, ya que habrán spoilers.

The Riddler (El Acertijo)

En el universo hiper realista del Batman creado por Nolan, el Acertijo es uno de los villanos que podría asumir la batuta del caos dejado por el Guasón y Dos Caras en The Dark Knight. Conocido originalmente como Edward Nigma, el personaje es un tipo sumamente inteligente y egocéntrico, que gusta de jugar con la policía y Batman por intermedio de difíciles acertijos, de ahí su nombre. A diferencia del personaje interpretado por Jim Carrey en la infumable Batman Forever (1995), el Acertijo no es un payaso, sino que es un millonario (debido a sus robos) con un coeficiente intelectual enorme. En los últimos comics, luego de despertar de un coma, Edward Nigma decide ayudar a la policía a resolver algunos crímenes, convirtiéndose así en consultor externo y, eventualmente, aliado de Batman. De acuerdo a cómo terminó The Dark Knight, el Acertijo bien podría ser alguien que intenta atrapar a Batman junto con la policía y, de paso, realiza actividades criminales para beneficio propio y con la intención de inculpar al hombre murciélago. Podría ser, ¿no? Hay dos actores que la blogósfera indica que podrían hacer el papel, Johnny Depp o Hugo Weaving.

Catwoman (Gatúbela)

Debido a la muerte de Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) la saga cuenta con un gran déficit de personajes femeninos y por ende se piensa que eso podría significar la aparición de Selina Kyle (Gatúbela), quien además de ocupar el rol de villano serviría para llenar el espacio que dejó Rachel en el corazón de Bruce Wayne. Selina Kyle, originalmente una prostituta en los comics, ha sido retratada últimamente como una fina y sofisticada mujer que frecuenta el mismo círculo social que Wayne. Su aparición también serviría para quitar el mal sabor de boca dejado por Halle Berry en Catwoman (2004). De acuerdo a la rumorología virtual, Angelina Jolie estaría detrás del papel, de existir en una potencial secuela. La verdad es que veo difícil que veamos a Gatúbela en Batman 3, aunque no me parece loco pensar en ver una aparición de Selina Kyle, casi dejando entrever lo que podría ocurrir con ella más adelante, independiente que no se materialice una cuarta parte.

The Penguin (El Pingüino)

El Pingüino de Danny DeVito en Batman Returns (1992) marcó época y, por qué no decirlo, se convirtió en un personaje (o mejor dicho una interpretación) entrañable. Para quienes desconocen su historia en los comics, ese Pingüino ha de ser la imagen que tienen del personaje y así han de verlo. Nada más lejano de la realidad (mmm... realidad de comics). De acuerdo a los comics Oswald Cobblepot es un peligroso mafioso de pequeña estatura y desagradables rasgos faciales que responde al alias de El Pingüino. A diferencia de la versión de DeVito, Cobblepot es un tipo que vive en un lujoso edificio y se codea con sus colegas mafiosos y los millonarios de Ciudad Gótica. Es el heredero natural de las familias mafiosas Maroni y Falcone, luego de que estas fueran desarmadas por la aparición de Batman. La blogósfera nomina a Philip Seymour Hoffman para el rol. Aunque me encantaría ver a Philip Seymour Hoffman en el rol de un mafioso sin escrúpulos y violento, dudo que lo veamos en la secuela ya que el mismo Nolan indicó hace varios meses que veía difícil justificar la existencia de su personaje en el marco del universo realista que creó.

The Joker (El Guasón)

Será muy difícil ver a El Guasón en la tercera parte de Batman, pero no sólo debido a la muerte de Heath Ledger. La notable interpretación de Ledger en The Dark Knight contaba con el factor sorpresa, fundamental para el éxito del personaje en esta película, lo cual no ocurriría en la tercera parte (si estuviera vivo). Su aparición bien podría ser breve y circunstancial ya que opacaría el arco argumental de la cinta, la persecución de Batman como un criminal. De acuerdo a lo visto en The Dark Knight, el Joker se encontraría en prisión o en el Asilo de Arkham, razón más que justificada para evitar verlo en la secuela. A pesar de todo esto, el personaje podría volver, considerando que Rachel Dawes ya ha sido interpretada por dos actrices diferentes en Batman Begins como en The Dark Knight. Eso sumado a la gran cantidad de maquillaje utilizado, hacen posible (mas no probable) la reaparición del payaso. La blogósfera está nombrando a Johnny Depp como el reemplazante natural de Ledger (cosa que efectivamente ocurre en la película The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus de Terry Gilliam).

Two Face (Dos Caras)

El público está dividido. Para el 50% de los espectadores de The Dark Knight Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) murió, para el otro 50%, en el que me incluyo, Harvey Dent podría estar vivo. Eso se deduce de la conversación que Batman tiene con Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) cuando este le dice al enmascarado que tendrán que hacer público los crímenes cometidos por Dos Caras, lo cual destrozaría todo lo hecho por Dent y además dejaría en libertad a peligrosos criminales. Es por eso que Batman decide asumir la culpa de las muertes y así no manchar el buen nombre de Dent. En una breve toma se ve a Gordon haciendo un discurso delante de un cuadro gigante con la foto del ex Fiscal de Distrito, casi como si fuera una elegía, sin embargo todo eso podría ser parte del plan para ocultar la nueva identidad de Dent, quien podría estar encerrado en Arkham simplemente bajo el alias Dos Caras. Creo que es muy posible ver el retorno de Dos Caras para una tercera parte, si es que la mitad a la que represento está en lo correcto :D

Como ven los rumores claman por Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Hugo Weaving y Philip Seymour Hoffman, todos grandes e importantes actores, por ende, es muy poco probable que alguno de ellos sea el o la elegida. Si la historia nos ha enseñado algo es que Nolan no elige al más obvio, ni quien es un actor que por si sólo pueda poner sobre sus hombros la difícil tarea de protagonizar un blockbuster, es decir una super producción altamente popular. Lo vimos con las elecciones de Christian Bale para Begins y luego de Heath Ledger para The Dark Knight, ambos alcanzaron el primer nivel del estrellato mundial luego de haber sido elegidos para sus respectivos roles. Por otro lado, la historia en la que se quedó la película es sumamente interesante y se puede sustentar sólo con Batman y Gordon, haciéndo del villano un personaje más que secundario, un catalizador para la acción menor que lo que el Joker fue. Debido a esto, Nolan, quien ya ha hecho patente su interés por mostrar personajes de Batman pocas veces retratados en el cine, como fue el caso de El Espantapájaros (Cillian Murphy) y Ra's Al Ghul (Liam Neeson) en Begins, podría optar por villanos menos conocidos como Calendar Man, Hush, Deathstroke o Deadshot, este último retratado en una de las historias del animé Batman: Gotham Knight (cuya crítica pueden leer AQUÍ). En el caso de inclinarse por un personaje más conocido como el Acertijo, quienes podrían lograr unas interesantes interpretaciones son Paul Bettany, en quien originalmente se había pensado para el rol de el Joker o Michael Emerson el malvado Ben de "Lost".

Sea como sea, hasta el momento la realidad es que aún no hay nada oficializado en cuanto a una tercera parte de Batman, todo lo que lean en distintos blogs se basan principalmente en los deseos de los fans ya que el proyecto ni siquiera está en pañales, simplemente no existe, a pesar que David S. Goyer, guionista de Begins y The Dark Knight, haya comentado que tiene una idea para la continuación de la saga que le comentará a Nolan cuando esté más refinada. Esto puede ocurrir en un largo tiempo más, ya que Goyer se encontrará bastante ocupado los siguientes años con sus próximos proyectos; X-Men Origins: Magneto y The Flash. Mientras tanto, y ya que la espera desespera, lo mejor es volver al cine por segunda, tercera o vigésima vez, a ver la genial obra que nos presentó Nolan y redescubrir las novelas gráficas del hombre murciélago. Todo vale para hacer más corta la espera ;)

Ah y ni piensen en Robin, no tiene cabida en el universo de Nolan, además Christian Bale ya declaró que si llegarán a utilizar un Robin en una posible tercera parte, él renunciaría a interpretar a Batman. Es que sencillamente no tiene cabida.

Now that "The Dark Knight" has made $400 bazillion gazillion dollars, it seems like a perfect time for the rumors to kick up about the next installment of the franchise. After all, the online geek build-up for this release was so massive that there is a huge hole in the Internet that used to be filled with Pre-"The Dark Knight" talk. Surely, this void could be filled by reading a book or following the 2008 Presidential Race but...screw all that.

So what's the rumor? Warner Brothers is interested in getting Johnny Depp to play The Riddler & Philip Seymour Hoffman to play The Penguin. Insane? Pretty much. I really find it hard to believe that would ever happen. Personally, I feel like it would be a terrible idea. Almost as terrible as the rumor that Angelina Jolie wants to be Catwoman. Wait...that one isn't so bad actually.

Why are Hoffman & Depp (more so) bad ideas? Well, then the movie suddenly is all about them. The saving grace is that Depp & Hoffman are big time character actors & these would definitely be character roles for them. What do you folks think?

Cinematically Correct note: Here is who I think should be The Riddler:

I think I hurt myself laughing at this. Just ... stupendous ! (Made for youtube by RodimusBen) Warning : Audio might be a little bit on the loud side ;)

Oh this makes me so happy! No one deserves an Emmy more than Michael Emerson. Definately the best bad guy that you love to hate and hate to love on television.

Some of my favorite shows and actors were nominated! Check it out... (my favs in Red)

DRAMA SERIES:
Boston Legal
Damages
Dexter
House
Lost
Mad Men

DRAMA SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Ted Danson, Damages
Michael Emerson, Lost
Zeljko Ivanek, Damages
William Shatner, Boston Legal
John Slattery, Mad Men

COMEDY SERIES:
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Entourage
The Office
30 Rock
Two and a Half Men

COMEDY LEAD ACTOR:
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Steve Carell, The Office
Lee Pace, Pushing Daisies
Tony Shalhoub, Monk
Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men

COMEDY LEAD ACTRESS:
Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds

COMEDY SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Kevin Dillon, Entourage
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
Jeremy Piven, Entourage
Rainn Wilson, The Office

Who do you think deserves to win an Emmy this year???

picture, list

Nominees for the 60th annual Primetime Emmy Awards were announced today. "Lost" actor Michael Emerson, who was born in Cedar Rapids, was nominated for Supporting Actor, Drama Series. He's up against William Shatner, "Boston Legal"; Ted Danson, "Damages"; Zeljko Ivanek, "Damages"; and John Slattery, "Mad Men."

Emerson was also nominated for an Emmy in the same category last year but "Lost" co-star Terry O'Quinn received that award.

O'Quinn has an Eastern Iowa connection as well, having attended the University of Iowa.

Emerson won an Emmy in 2001 for his work as Guest Actor for "The Practice."

According to Gazette archives, Emerson graduated from South Tama County High School and Drake University. His parents live in Grinnell.

From October 2006 Gazette archives:

He's not creepy to Mom
Iowa-born actor lands full-time `Lost' role as leader of Others

By Rob Merritt
The Gazette

As the mysterious Henry Gale, Michael Emerson of Toledo has managed to creep out many viewers of the hit TV show "Lost."

Fortunately, his mother isn't one of them.

"People say, `He scares me,' " Carol Emerson, 72, of Grinnell, said Monday.

"But he plays such an opposite personality from what he really is."

A Cedar Rapids-born actor who graduated from Drake University in 1976, Emerson, 52, was originally brought on board "Lost" for three episodes last season. His role was expanded dramatically, however, after he made a huge impression with producers and viewers alike.

His character, who originally claimed to be a crash survivor, turned out to be the leader of The Others - a group that's been abducting characters on the show since its beginning.

As a result, Emerson was made a series regular on "Lost," which kicks off its third season tonight.

Emerson has found success playing the bad guy in the past. He's appeared on "Law & Order" and in the horror movie "Saw," and earned an Emmy for his portrayal of serial killer William Hinks on "The Practice."

"I never dreamed I would play so many dark roles," Emerson said by phone last week from Hawaii, where "Lost" is filmed. "I was always the funny guy onstage. Doing these roles that are so serious, I'm not sure how I got here."

Nor is he sure how long he'll be staying. Last year, Emerson saw his scripts only 48 hours in advance, so he had no idea about Henry Gale's plot twist until it happened. This year it's more of the same.

"The third season is highly dramatic," he said. "So it's not hard to imagine anyone getting killed at any moment."

There are still a few teasers Emerson can throw out. He says much of the third season focuses on The Others, who up until now have existed as villains in the shadows.

Also, Henry Gale is seeing a lot more action. The character spent most of last season imprisoned by the castaways; this year, Emerson already has filmed a fight sequence in the forest and a windy sequence atop a high cliff.

"I discovered I'm not as good with heights as I thought," he said.

Henry Gale isn't even Henry Gale. It was revealed last season that Gale actually was using the name of another man, whose body was later found buried on the island.

So what's Gale going by now? Emerson won't say.

"It's a plot point," he said.

Emerson hasn't yet had a chance to talk about Iowa with Evangeline Lilly, whose character, Kate, supposedly hails from the state (and has returned there in flashbacks).

"I spend less time with the other actors than you might think," Emerson said.

Instead, Emerson keeps in touch by phone with his wife, actress Carrie Preston, and his parents, Carol and Ron Emerson, back in Grinnell.

"He wanted to know what the weather was like here, and I said, `It really looks like fall,' " Carol Emerson said. "He said, `I wish I was there.' I said, `You're in Hawaii!' He said, `Yeah, but paradise gets boring after a while.'

He's a Midwesterner at heart."

Michael Emerson said he misses the Midwest, as well as his home in Manhattan, but he also knows he's landed what may turn out to be the role of his career.

"Sometimes I don't appreciate the place I've gotten to until I've been there for a while," he said, "but sometimes I sit back and I say, `Wow. This is an extraordinary job.' "

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