If I Picked The Emmy Nominations, Vol. 3

I’m not sure what category some of these people are submitted to, so in cases where somebody is on the fence, I’m just guessing:

Lead Actress in a Comedy

Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Greene on Friends – Not her best season (Rachel may have caught stupid from Joey during their ill-advised fling), but nostalgia wins out again, and I did think she was very good in the one where her father had a heart attack.

Alexis Bledel as Rory Gilmore on Gilmore Girls – Not sure if she’s campaigning for Lead or Supporting, but since she doesn’t stand a chance of making it in either category in the real Emmys, I’ll put her in lead (it’s a weaker category and besides, she’s an equal to Lauren Graham on the show). Boy was she fantastic in that season finale (and in every other one of the series’ 86 episodes)!

Lauren Graham as Lorelai Gilmore on Gilmore Girls – If this woman were giving this performance on one of the real networks, she would have won an Emmy a long time ago. She’s quick, she’s witty, she can memorize large chunks of unwieldy dialogue and spit them out like a Gatling Gun. And when she does heartbreak, you feel it.

Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay on Friends – Most of what I said about Aniston applies here, too. But remember when she was really funny?

Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and the City – The heart and core of the series, she is every woman, and she is fabulous.

Runners-up:

Courtney Cox-Arquette as Monica Geller on Friends – I’ve never been a very big fan of Monica, or Cox-Arquette’s performance, but I must admit she softened the character up a lot this year, bringing her closer to first season, pre-uber-bitch Monica. Plus, nostalgia.

Jane Kaczmarek as Lois on Malcolm in the Middle – She also softened up her character some this year, keeping her from just being a screaming tyrant all the time.

Debra Messing as Grace Adler on Will & Grace– She’s always been my favorite part of the Will & Grace ensemble (her limited presence this season was a definite contributor to its steep decline in quality), and she did the best with what she had to work with (when she was there to work with it). But you wouldn’t give an Employee of the Month plaque to someone who was on maternity leave for half the month, would you?

Who I don’t want to be nominated:

Patricia Heaton as Debra Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond – I have no idea how she’s won so many Emmys. Even when the show was good, I felt like her character was the most underdeveloped and least well written. She’s a grating nag, a two-dimensional caricature who sets women and the institution of marriage back thirty years.

My No-Guts-No-Glory prediction in this Category:

I have this feeling that Cox-Arquette may sneak in there thanks to her baby drama (on-screen and off), her suffering through those awful things the Friends writers said about her being released in that deposition, and the fact that she’s the only one of the Friends never to be nominated before. So who might she bump out? I’d say the most vulnerable are Kaczmarek and Messing. Malcolm’s not so fresh anymore in Emmy’s eyes, and Kaczmarek’s support hasn’t been strong enough to win her the prize yet. And Messing had weak material and limited screen time this season (and remember, her co-star was denied a nom the year after he won), but then again, will they be so heartless as to oust another woman who went through some recent baby drama? As long as I’m going for No-Guts-No-Glory, I’ll go out all the way on the limb and say that both Kaczmarek and Messing get the boot while all three Friendesses make it in.

And now, Best Actor in a Comedy Series

Jason Bateman as Michael Bluth on Arrested Development – Shockingly gifted as the dry-witted straight man who managed to get plenty of laughs of his own amidst the craziness around him.

Zach Braff as Dr. John “J.D.” Dorian on Scrubs – Excellent comic timing (even when playing off himself) and totally believable in his most dramatic moments.

Tom Cavanagh as Ed Stevens on Ed - I almost forgot Cavanagh, who was great, as always. Shame on me.

Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Frasier Crane on Frasier – He was skating by for several seasons, along with the series as a whole, but when the time came, he roared back with his A-game.

David Schwimmer as Ross Geller on Friends – He had gone over-the-top for a couple of seasons, but he got grounded again this year and really made me feel the Ross and Rachel love again (especially in that same heart attack episode I cited for Aniston).

Runners-up:

Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani on Friends – For the first time in several years he wasn’t the MVP of the cast, slipping back into some of his old habits, but still good. Hopefully he’ll step it back up for Joey.

Bernie Mac as Bernie Mac on The Bernie Mac Show – The show may not be very funny, but there’s just something winning and charismatic about The Mac Man.

Eric McCormack as Will Truman on Will & Grace – I guess he did the best he could with what he had to work with.

Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing on Friends – Like Monica and Ross, Chandler started to get back to his roots and Perry started to get his snappy comic timing back. He even did well with the dramatic baby stuff.

Ray Romano as Ray Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond – I may not love the show anymore, but I still like Raymond.

Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk on Monk – He was still believable in the season under consideration, and still funny.

Who I don’t want to be nominated:

Larry David as Larry David on Curb Your Enthusiasm – Since the show’s all improvised, he’s gotta get most of the credit when it’s great, and the blame when it sucks hard core like it did this year.

My No-Guts-No-Glory prediction in this category:

There was a six-man race last year, which probably won’t happen again this year, meaning one man is already out. And then I’m predicting a return for Kelsey Grammer (remember when he was unbeatable?). So that’s two men out. While, I’d like to see Jason Bateman make it three, I don’t see that happening. So who are the two men out? Bernie Mac and then either Matt LeBlanc or Eric McCormack (but most likely LeBlanc, although if Schwimmer trades places with him, you can say goodbye to McCormack, too – but I’m not going so far as to predict that).

After these messages…

We’ll be right back!