Emmy Post-Mortem: Well That Was a Weird Show Wasn't It?

So the Emmys are over. I have to say that was one of the more entertaining Emmy telecasts I've seen in a while. Also, my predictions were way, way off. I was 4 for 10 for the major categories, but to be fair, some of those acting wins were total "WTF?"s, so I don't feel too bad. Plus, one of my "should win"s did win, which makes me feel nice. Let's look at each race in turn.

Supporting Actress, Comedy: I called Jane Krakowski as my should and will win, and alas, she did not. Kristen Chenoweth from Pushing Daisies took home the award and she could not have been a more gracious winner, so I really can't complain. Also, that funny glasses bit with all the nominees was a hoot.

Supporting Actor, Comedy: I called Neil Patrick Harris as my should and will win, and he didn't. Jon Cryer from Two and a Half Men did. I know what you're thinking. You're asking yourself, "Wait, I thought he was just kidding about the Two and a Half Men guys having a deal with the devil? He is kidding right?" Damned if I know. All I do know is that I hate Two and a Half Men and I cannot understand the Academy's interest in it when in almost all other categories its tastes skew more highbrow. NPH was robbed. ROBBED.

Lead Actres, Comedy: I called Tina Fey as my should and will win, but she didn't. Nope, Toni Colette took home the trophy, which would be surprising except for one little fact: Colette plays a character with multiple personality disorder, and awards shows go ape shit for the kind of stuff. The only thing more effective is when pretty actresses make themselves "ugly" for a role (i.e., gain weight, wear prosthetics). So congratulations Toni, but Tina, you're still my girl.

Lead Actor, Comedy: Alec Baldwin was my should and will win, and he DID. Woo hoo! Well deserved, Alec.

Comedy Series: How I Met Your Mother was my should win, 30 Rock was my will win, and 30 Rock did win. I wasn't surprised, but there was a small part of me that thought the Mother upset might happen. Perhaps now that the show is on the Academy's radar, next year it might be able to do it.

Supporting Actress, Drama: Chandra Wilson was my should win, I had no idea as to who would win, but Cherry Jones did win. She's great, I'm sure it's well deserved, but can we give Chandra Wilson an award one of these days, please?

Supporting Actor, Drama: Michael Emerson was my should win, William Hurt was my will win, but in the end Emerson did indeed win. Can I get a woo hoo? Dude deserved it. He has created one of the most terrible and complex television villains in Benjamin Linus. He seemed a little subdued during his acceptance speech, though, so I hope he's perked up so he can enjoy his night.

Lead Actress, Drama: Glenn Close was my should and will win, and she did win. Was anyone surprised? She's fantastic. I know some of you out there were pulling for Moss, and I'm sure she'll get hers one day, when Glenn Close isn't nominated. I love that Close called Patty Hewes the "role of a lifetime" because given some of the memorable characters she's played over the years, that's saying something. (I still have nightmares about her sitting in the corner turning the lightswitch off and on.)

Lead Actor, Drama: Jon Hamm was my should and will win, but Bryan Cranston did win. I've got to start watching Breaking Bad to see what this guy is all about, because winning back to back awards in this day and age is very difficult to do. Kudos.

Drama Series: LOST was my should win, Mad Men was my will win, and Mad Men did win. Again, not shocked, but hoping that the Academy gave the award to Mad Men this year so that they could honor LOST's final season next year. Please?

Also, NPH was fantastic as host, and a tremendous improvement over the 5-host tag team from least year, and it was nice to hear Jeff Probst, who was part of that fiasco, say so. I also really liked the format change of doing all of the comedy awards together, all of the miniseries awards together, etc. because (1) it made easier to see how dominant some shows are (i.e., Mad Men, 30 Rock) and (2) it let me switch over and watch the Giants game while they handed out awards in categories I didn't care about.

All in all, it was a pretty satisfying and entertaining evening, even though I was wrong most of the time.

Check back tomorrow for a review of the How I Met Your Mother premiere.

Emmy Breakdown: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, or Why Glenn Close Strikes Fear in the Hearts of Actresses Everywhere

The big show is just two short days away. And with that, I'm going to address the last of the major acting categories, Lead Actress in a Drama. I think it's very hard for a category to have the same set of nominees (plus one new one) and get even more competitive in a year's time, but that's exactly what happened here. The nominees are:

• Glenn Close as Patty Hewes, Damages
  
• Sally Field as Nora Walker, Brothers & Sisters
  
• Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson, Law & Order: SVU
  
• Holly Hunter as Grace Hanadarko, Saving Grace
  
• Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson, Mad Men
  
• Kyra Sedgwick as Brenda Johnson, The Closer
  

This is the sixth nomination for Hargitay (one win), fourth for Sedgwick, third nomination for Field (one win), second for Hunter and Close (Close won last year and was previously nominated for her work on The Shield), and the first nomination for Moss. I think it's fair to say that this category is stacked with talent. I mean, The Closer, Damages, and Saving Grace wouldn't really exist without their lead actresses, and while I love the rest of the Walkers, Sally Field brings a special brand of old-lady crazy to her role without making the character completely unlikable, and I couldn't imagine that show without her. I'm not the biggest procedural fan, but I think Hargitay does good work on SVU. She's didn't get 6 consecutive nominations for nothing. Moss is a very welcome addition to this category, because her performance as Peggy is completely captivating and one of the two main reasons I watch the show (the other being the inscrutable Don Draper).

So, given the immense wealth of talent here, who's going to win? Hargitay went through some tense contract negotiations, and while I'm not sure how that will affect her chances, she's not on my short list to win either. I don't watch Saving Grace or The Closer, so I can't comment on their performances, although after four nominations, Sedgwick should get something. Field is Field, but I didn't care for the goings on over on B&S this season, so I'm not liking her chances. That leaves us with Close and Moss, the great dame and the ingenue, the lion and the lamb. The contrast between these two is stark. Glenn Close is a powerful actress. Every look, every grimace, every slight move is always loaded with meaning. I've said this before and I'll say it again, Glenn Close giving her death stare directly to the camera for an hour so without moving or speaking would make one of the greatest horror movies of all time. Let's contrast that with Moss's sweet, naive Peggy, who's just trying to make her way in the world with a few ideas and a lot of gumption. Moss' performance is much more subdued, but no less wonderful. That being said, I think the real difference here is that Close elevates the material given to her versus Moss being elevated by the material given to her. Plus, really who's not going to give Glenn Close an award? Lady is scary. So......

Who Should Win: Glenn Close
Who Will Win: Glenn Close (Unless Moss or Sedgwick manage to steal it away)

Check back tomorrow for a look at the Best Drama race.