I hope you all enjoyed the long weekend! The 61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards air Sunday, September 20th at 8 pm on CBS, less than two weeks from today. Let's take a look at how the Supporting Actor/Actress in a Comedy races are shaping up.
Outstanding Supporting Actor in Comedy Series And the nominees are:
Tracy Morgan, as Tracy Jordan, 30 Rock
Jack McBrayer, as Kenneth Parcell, 30 Rock
Kevin Dillon, as Johnny Drama, Entourage
Neil Patrick Harris, as Barney Stinson, How I Met Your Mother
Rainn Wilson, as Dwight Schrute, The Office
Jon Cryer, as Alan Harper, Two and a Half Men
My take: This is the third nomination for Cryer, Dillon, Wilson, and NPH, and the first for McBrayer and Morgan. For the repeat nominees, I'll bet they're all really happy that Jeremy Piven, who won the award from 2006 through 2008, isn't nominated this year. I don't really care for Cryer, but that's more because I don't like Two and Half and a Men. Dillon is fine on Entourage, but for me the race comes down to Wilson, McBrayer, Morgan, and NPH. Now, while The Office itself wasn't super-hilarious last season, the episode where Dwight gives the group a lesson in "fire safety" was an instant classic. McBrayer is consistently funny on 30 Rock, although not quite as funny as Morgan was this year (please see the episodes "Believe in the Stars," where Tracy dresses up as a white woman, and "The Natural Order," where he acts like a normal human being, for some examples.) But really for me, NPH deserves the win. He is consistently hilarious as Barney, and this past season we really got to see his character grow through Barney's unrequited love for Robin. Additionally, with HIMYM up for Best Comedy Series this year, I think NPH is the front runner. So....
Who should win: NPH Who will win: NPH
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series And the nominees are:
Jane Krakowski, as Jenna Maroney, 30 Rock
Kristen Chenoweth, as Olive Snook, Pushing Daisies
Amy Pohler, as everyone ever, Saturday Night Live
Kristen Wiig, as everyone ever, Saturday Night Live
Vanessa Williams, as Wilhelmina Slater, Ugly Betty
Elizabeth Perkins, as Celia Hodes, Weeds
This is the third nomination for Williams and Perkins, the second for Chenoweth and Pohler, and the first for Wiig and Krakowski. I don't watch Weeds, so I can't comment on Perkins, although I hear she's good. I like Vanessa Williams, but her performance as Wilhelmina will always be a little too diva for me. After all, this isn't the Daytime Emmys. Pushing Daisies was always too cutesy for me, and since Chenoweth is cutesy on her own, that's just far, far, far too much cutesy going on on the whole. So, for me, the race comes down to Krakowski, Pohler, and Wiig, and I have to say, as much as I love those SNL ladies, I'm giving the edge to Krakowski. It takes a very, very, very good actress to sell the distinct brand of crazy that is Jenna Maroney. Case in point:
Not everyone can be so unabashedly narcissistic and yet watchable. (Thankfully, I am one such person.) Additionally, I don't believe that the Emmys' love affair with 30 Rock is quite yet over. Not by a long shot. So...
Who should win: Jane Krakowski Who will win: Jane Krakowski
Check back Thursday for a look at the Lead Actor/Actress, Comedy races.
