Moreover, it would have been nice—and fitting—if voters had paid due respect to two-time Best Actress Oscar nominee Mary McDonnell (Battlestar Galactica), as well. She’s no lightweight, and her performance in Battlestar has been consistently excellent since day one of the series—certainly worthy of Outstanding Lead Actress recognition after all these years.

Aside from The Sopranos, I would also wipe out every Outstanding Drama Series nominee and replace them with Battlestar Galactica, Dexter, Lost, Friday Night Lights, and The Wire. But Boston Legal, Grey’s Anatomy, Heroes, and House? I actually watch those shows and still don’t agree with their nomination.

Take last fall’s newcomer Heroes. I am a devout fan of the series; yet, I have in no way ever deluded myself into believing that it qualifies as an outstanding drama or anything else. Entertaining escapism? Yes. Exciting? Often. Creative? Definitely. But dramatically superior? Not in a million years. That voters deemed it and the other shows outstanding is an unfunny joke and only reveals that the people who determine the chosen few are too swayed by mass appeal. As we’ll no doubt be hearing over and over until long after the awards are actually presented on September 16, “Do the Academy voters even watch TV?”

Some of the good stuff that I personally care about includes:

• HBO’s movie Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, the most nominated contender with 17 nods.
• The Grey’s Anatomy ladies taking over the Drama Supporting Actress category, with Katherine Heigl, Sandra Oh, and Chandra Wilson all nominated.
• Masi Oka busting out a Supporting Actor nom for Heroes. Will he win, though? Well, with nominations like some of this year’s, anything could happen, I suppose.
• Jenna Fischer getting much-deserved kudos for her Office work in the Comedy Supporting Actress category, as well as my girl Vanessa Williams of Ugly Betty villainy.
• Tom Selleck sprucing up the Mini-Series or Movie Lead Actor category for Jesse Stone: Sea Change, not to mention my favorite actress Helen Mirren doing the same in the female version for Prime Suspect: The Final Act.
• Best Actor Oscar winner Forest Whitaker putting in some face time for his Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama stint on ER, and Elizabeth Reaser following suit in the female category for that other medical drama Grey’s Anatomy.
• Top Chef scoring its first of hopefully many future nominations for Reality-Competition Program.

Since no self-respecting TV blog would ever totally forego spitting out the master list, here are the complete nominations in the top categories, for what they’re worth. My preliminary picks are in bold with an asterisk afterwards. To review the official (really, really long) full list issued by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, just visit its Web site.

Outstanding Comedy Series

• 30 Rock
• Entourage
• The Office
• Two and a Half Men
• Ugly Betty*

Outstanding Drama Series

• Boston Legal
• Grey’s Anatomy
• Heroes
• House
• The Sopranos*

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

• Alec Baldwin for 30 Rock
• Steve Carell for The Office
• Ricky Gervais for Extras*
• Tony Shalhoub for Monk
• Charlie Sheen for Two and a Half Men

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

• Tina Fey for 30 Rock
• America Ferrera for Ugly Betty*
• Felicity Huffman for Desperate Housewives
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus for The New Adventures of Old Christine
• Mary-Louise Parker for Weeds

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

• James Gandolfini for The Sopranos
• Hugh Laurie for House
• Denis Leary for Rescue Me*
• James Spader for Boston Legal
• Kiefer Sutherland for 24

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

• Patricia Arquette for Medium
• Minnie Driver for The Riches*
• Edie Falco for The Sopranos
• Sally Field for Brothers & Sisters
• Mariska Hargitay for Law & Order: SVU
• Kyra Sedgwick for The Closer

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie

• Jim Broadbent for Longford*
• Robert Duvall for Broken Trail
• William H. Macy for Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King
• Matthew Perry for The Ron Clark Story
• Tom Selleck for Jesse Stone: Sea Change

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie

• Debra Messing for The Starter Wife
• Helen Mirren for Prime Suspect: The Final Act*
• Mary-Louise Parker for The Robber Bride
• Queen Latifah for Life Support
• Gena Rowlands for What If God Were the Sun?

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

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

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

• Conchata Ferrell for Two and a Half Men
• Jenna Fischer for The Office
• Elizabeth Perkins for Weeds
• Jaime Pressly for My Name Is Earl
• Holland Taylor for Two and a Half Men
• Vanessa Williams for Ugly Betty*

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

• Michael Emerson for Lost
• Michael Imperioli for The Sopranos*
• T.R. Knight for Grey’s Anatomy
• Terry O’Quinn for Lost
• Masi Oka for Heroes
• William Shatner for Boston Legal

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

• Lorraine Bracco for The Sopranos*
• Rachel Griffiths for Brothers & Sisters
• Katherine Heigl for Grey’s Anatomy
• Sandra Oh for Grey’s Anatomy
• Aida Turturro for The Sopranos
• Chandra Wilson for Grey’s Anatomy

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie

• Edward Asner for The Christmas Card
• Thomas Haden Church for Broken Trail
• Joe Mantegna for The Starter Wife
• Aidan Quinn for Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
• August Schellenberg for Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee*

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie

• Toni Collette for Tsunami: The Aftermath
• Judy Davis for The Starter Wife
• Samantha Morton for Longford*
• Anna Paquin for Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
• Greta Scacchi for Broken Trail

Outstanding Made for Television Movie

• Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee*
• Inside the Twin Towers
• Longford
• The Ron Clark Story
• Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy

Outstanding Miniseries

• Broken Trail
• Prime Suspect: The Final Act (Masterpiece Theatre)*
• The Starter Wife

Outstanding Reality Competition Program

• The Amazing Race
• American Idol
• Dancing with the Stars
• Project Runway*
• Top Chef

Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Series

• The Colbert Report
• The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
• Late Night with Conan O’Brien*
• Late Show with David Letterman
• Real Time with Bill Maher

The 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards airs live on Sunday, September 16, at 8pm EST on Fox

Emmy photo courtesy of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences

Tags: Emmys, Primetime Emmys, television, tv

“The White Cloud That Hangs Over the Emmy Awards” is an interesting read for anyone who cares about the enduring quality and legitimacy of the television medium—you know, stuff like Jericho fans’ recent victory bringing their fave series back from the small-screen dead, or the current glut of subpar reality series dominating what seems like every network’s schedule, at the expense of higher costing yet better quality scripted programs, many of which end up canceled before they can build a decent audience and, even worse, replaced by yet more of those aforementioned irksome reality debacles. Richmond presents clear information regarding people of color’s history of non-success in the TV industry when it comes to scoring the major awards that often lead to major clout and more major roles.

Careful to point out that the realities are not always an effect of direct and deliberate discrimination, Richmond’s article still manages to show how different the current state of largely superficial diversity on television appears when you take a magnifying glass to the cold, hard data. For example, if Arnold were to get (extremely, unbelievably, earth-shatteringly) lucky and receive an Emmy nod in the Best Comedy Actress category, she would be the first “minority” woman so honored since Phylicia Rashad of The Cosby Show was nominated and lost in 1986. In case no one’s counting, that’s twenty-one years ago, or one year more than two decades.

As a fan and frequent TV watcher, I must admit that it’s disheartening, to say the least, to walk around my present New England neighborhood just outside of Boston—a region that has an infamous reputation, true or not, for self-enforced homogeneity—and see more diversity of all kinds than I do on a wildly popular television show like Friends or Seinfeld, both of which are allegedly set in the epitome of United States diversity, my original hometown of New York.

If nothing else, I hope some of the people whose votes help determine the prestigious industry accolades, such as the Emmys, get a good whiff of both Chen and Richmond’s spot-on articles.

Related Post: TV and Diversity: Catching Up or Still Lagging Woefully Behind?

Tichina Arnold photo courtesy of The CW

Tags: diversity, Emmys, Ray Richmond, television, Tichina Arnold, tv

Two of the biggest events of the program will occur when actor-comedian George Lopez of the just-canceled, six-year-old ABC sitcom The George Lopez Show receives the 2007 ALMA Award for Special Achievement in Television, and the legendary Tex-Mex band Los Lobos—responsible for the hugely successful 1987 cover version of Ritchie Valens’ “La Bamba” from the movie of the same name, as well as one of my personal favorites, “Mas y Mas”—accepts the Pioneer in Music Award.

Desperate Housewives star and soon-to-be real-life wife Eva Longoria hosts, while such celebrated names as the still-grooving Prince, beatific Beyoncé Knowles, reggaeton hip-hoppers Calle 13, emotive Dashboard Confessional, and Tejano rockers Los Lonely Boys supply the musical accompaniment.

And how worthy would an entertainment-industry awards show be without a slew of famous celebrities to give viewers something delish to ogle? Not very. That’s why folk like film starlette Jessica Alba, (dead) Heroes hunk Santiago Cabrera, light middleweight boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya, versatile character actor Hector Elizondo, last season’s Dancing with the Stars runner-up Mario Lopez, Prison Break jailbird Amaury Nolasco (Michael Scofield’s trusted former cellmate and current fellow escapee Fernando Sucre), Ugly Betty pretty sis Ana Ortiz, Scrubs nurse diva Judy Reyes, Without a Trace lady FBI agent Roselyn Sanchez, and My Name Is Earl cleaning woman/stripper extraordinaire Nadine Velazquez will all be onboard to provide welcome visual diversions, not to mention loads of talent.

To peruse the entire field of nominees beforehand, take a look at the official list.

The 2007 ALMA Awards airs tonight on ABC at 9pm EST

Eva Longoria photo courtesy of WireImage.com

Tags: ALMA Awards, Eva Longoria, television, tv

His pending legal troubles aside, Lavandeira still managed to successfully work the Red Carpet with Australian actress-singer Sophie Monk, and the awards extravaganza came off without a hitch at Sydney’s Acer Arena. Notable winners, most of whom hail from the States, included cohost Fergie’s Sexist Video victory for the single “Fergalicious” and Good Charlotte’s Viewers Choice Award triumph for “Keep Your Hands Off My Girl,” Pink‘s double win for Best Female Artist (“U and Ur Hand”) and Download of the Year (“Who Knew”), and actor Jared Leto (Requiem for a Dream, Panic Room, Fight Club) and his band 30 Seconds To Mars‘ Best Rock Video *and* Video of the Year scores for “The Kill (Bury Me).”

American alt rockers Evanescence also took home the Album of the Year top prize for The Open Door, while a rare Aussie winner, Australian Idol first runner-up Shannon Noll, earned a Best Male Artist kudos for “Lonely.” And in the event’s main highlight, local rock trio Silverchair received the first Australian Video Vanguard Award ever bestowed for their “profound effect on the MTV culture.”

To learn more about who got what and what happened to who, take a peak at the official Web site for MTV’s 2007 Australian Video Music Awards.

Fergie photo courtesy of MTV Networks
Perez Hilton/Mario Lavandeira photo courtesy of News Limited

Tags: Mario Lavandeira, MTV Australian Video Music Awards, Perez Hilton, television, tv

Related News: ‘The Sarah Silverman Program’ Ends Season One

Sarah Silverman photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Times

Tags: MTV Movie Awards, Sarah Silverman, television, tv

Last year’s Primetime Emmys worked under a then new two-stage process. A blue-ribbon panel alone determined the final five nominees in the major acting and series categories, after an Academy-wide vote first established a preliminary group of fifteen (for performance categories) or ten (for outstanding comedy or drama series categories) candidates. All categories will have only ten first-stage nominees this year. Since the latest change introduces greater diversity to the final list of nominees, it should theoretically and ideally produce a field of candidates that represents a wider spectrum of preferences, while simultaneously providing a built-in safeguard against inappropriate nominations. Anything that gives a larger number of deserving contenders the ability to win is all good.

Explanatory Essays

Television actors and producers will now have the ability to explain their submitted work in a written essay of up to 250 words.

Requiring explanatory essays seems like a productive change, as well, because it will give those involved in serial-type and less transparent programs the opportunity to make the premise of their series and/or role clearer to voters who may not be familiar with the extended and underlying storylines. This also places the onus on actors and producers to pick and choose what information they believe is most relevant to voters. In other words, if you aren’t nominated, don’t complain that the voters didn’t understand your show well enough since it’s now your responsibility to wise them up via the essay.

Guest Stars

Guest-star nominees can now appear in more than six episodes of a series, as long as they are listed in the credits as a guest star.

This change is possibly problematic because it creates the potential for one-time guest stars to find themselves competing against performers who are designated the same, but occur frequently enough in a series for viewers to perceive them as recurring performers on a par with supporting/recurring performers or even series stars. Two visible examples from the current voting year that come to mind are James Kyson Lee and Zachary Quinto, who play Ando Masahashi and Sylar, respectively, on NBC’s hit sci-fi serial Heroes. Although both are technically billed as guest stars, no knowledgeable viewer would dispute that each actor is as integral to the series’ plot and success as the regular cast members, if not more so in Quinto’s case since he portrays the arch villain of the show.

Moreover, Lee has appeared in a total of nineteen episodes, the same amount as the series regular who has appeared in the highest number, Hayden Panettiere (self-healing cheerleader Claire Bennet). In fact, until very recently, Lee had appeared in the most episodes of any performer on the show, regular or not. Something is therefore clearly amiss when such frequent and essential performers are not only relegated to nominations in the same category as performers who appear in just one or a few episodes, but are also ineligible for the supporting performer categories that seem most appropriate given their prominence and large amount of screen time.

Minimum Screen Time

To counteract the fallout from last year’s nomination of Ellen Burstyn for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie based on her performance in HBO’s Mrs. Harris, a telefilm in which she appeared for only fourteen seconds and had just two lines totaling thirty-eight words, the so-called “Ellen Burstyn Rule” requires that miniseries and movie supporting performer nominees appear onscreen for at least 5 percent of the work’s total length.

Anybody who argues against the direly needed Ellen Burstyn Rule has to be confused or unaware. This one needs no clarification or commentary other than to again wonder how in the world Burstyn—who, make no mistake, is an extremely talented thespian and an American treasure in the entertainment field—was nominated in 2006 in the first place. Any modification that will prevent such a questionable outcome from occurring again is very much welcomed.

Miniseries Criteria

In an obvious response to last year’s lead and supporting actor nominations in the Miniseries or Movie category for Thief, a canceled crime drama on basic cable’s FX network, all miniseries nominees must now have a single theme or storyline that is presented under one title and resolved within the work in a single awards year.

The stricter definition for a miniseries will certainly prevent a repeat of last year’s Thief nominations. Yet, what will happen to anthology programs—for example, TNT’s eight-episode Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King presentation—traditionally promoted as miniseries despite containing distinct episodes with different themes? Foreseeable situations such as this must be addressed for the new rule to hold water.

Public Performances

Public performances that were not produced specifically for the medium of television—for example, halftime events during sports programs, awards shows like the Oscars and Tonys, and such taped events as concerts and Broadway plays—will no longer fall into the umbrella Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series category. Instead, they will go in a separate, new, non-competitive Special Class Programming category that may have no winners or more than one. In addition, programs in the new category are not eligible for nominations in the directing, performance, and writing categories anymore.

Of all the changes, the last one is probably the one general television viewers will care about the least. My lone bone of contention is the related development that nominees in the Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series category will now be selected by an Academy-wide vote only instead of last year’s blue-ribbon panel vote only. Why not make this area—not to mention acting nominations in longer programs, namely miniseries and movies, which are currently chosen by Academy-wide vote alone—a two-stage mixture similar to the major acting and series categories? Again, diversity of opinion would likely produce a more representative field of nominees. Perhaps if a dud selection arises from this year’s new rule, next year will see the instatement of a mixed two-stage vote here, too.

Nominations for the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards will be announced Thursday, July 19, at 5:35am PT

Emmy award photo courtesy of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences

The nominees and eventual winners selected by voting members of the NAACP come from a wide variety of specialties, as evidenced by the seven distinct award categories: literary, recording, television, motion picture, independent/foreign film, directing, and writing. Moreover, this year’s deserving special honorees are CNN journalist Soledad O’Brien, Irish musician Bono of the rock band U2, and actor-comedian Bill Cosby.

Not to take anything away from their achievements, but Bono and Cosby are kind of ho-hum recipients for me since their names occur so often in connection with these kinds of “show your love” events. I’m really psyched for O’Brien, however, who, in addition to being a fine journalist, is extremely dedicated to several notable causes, such as the Harlem School for the Arts.

The NAACP Image Awards began in 1969 and were televised nationally for the first time in 1974. Tonight’s 38th ceremony takes place at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California.

NAACP Image Awards statuette photo courtesy of the NAACP Image Awards

I’ll be watching, if only to root for the three nominees in the categories I actually give a hoot about. So here’s crossing my fingers for Jennifer Hudson of Dreamgirls to win one of those golden boys for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (suck on that, Simon!), Helen Mirren of The Queen to get her due for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, and Forest Whitaker of The Last King of Scotland to score big for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role. Since the television hostess with the mostest, Ellen DeGeneres, is the mistress of ceremonies, maybe her considerable comedic charms will make the six-hour wait until they finally get around to announcing the winners in those categories seem more like two or three. Ha! Don’t I wish!

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Other Good Stuff on TV Tonight

• The Amazing Race: All-Stars—BEAUTY IS SOMETIMES SKIN DEEP: More of the usual maneuvering to get one over on the other teams and move ahead of the pack. [CBS/8:00]
• Barbara Walters Oscar Special: The 2007 edition of Walters’ annual pre-Academy Awards tradition features interviews with Oscar nominees Jennifer Hudson, Helen Mirren, and Eddie Murphy, as well as this year’s host, funny lady Ellen DeGeneres. [ABC/7:00]
• Battlestar Galactica—DIRTY HANDS: Adama and Chief Tyrol go at it again when the latter decides to attempt instigating a strike on the ship. Incidentally, Adama—or rather the actor who plays him, Jamie Bamber—crossed over to Jennifer Love Hewitt’s Ghost Whisperer last Friday. [Sci Fi/10:00]
• Crossing Jordan—NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD: Acting veteran Ron Silver drops by to play a dead man walking … literally. [NBC/10:00]
• The Dresden Files—BAD BLOOD: Somebody wants a bloodsucker dead, and Harry gets the honor of nailing—none of several puns intended—the culprit. [Sci Fi/9:00]
• Hogan Knows Best—THE CANINE MUTINY: In the 3rd-season finale, it all goes to the dogs. [VH1/10:00]
• Iron Chef America—FLAY VS. CRAWFORD: Chefs Bobby Flay and Lynn Crawford duke it out cuisine-style to rule the kitchen. [Food Network/9:00]

All times are PM and EST/Eastern Standard Time
Ellen DeGeneres photo courtesy of Michael Caulfield and WireImage.com

The same goes for Jaime Pressly in My Name Is Earl for the category Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series. Pressly got my sympathy vote because of her undeserved loss (in my opinion) at last year’s Emmy’s, but the actual winner, America Ferrera of Ugly Betty, has been and still is my favorite comedic actress this season. I suspected she would win again, and I was thrilled when she did.

The one major disappointment for me among all of the winners was the selection of Little Miss Sunshine over Dreamgirls for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. I have yet to come to terms with the fact that Dreamgirls did not make the final cut for Best Picture at the forthcoming Academy Awards. On the other hand, they do call these early awards shows the “Road to the Oscars” for a reason. Why pick a film that has no chance whatsoever at the most renowned awards celebration of them all? I guess it just would have been nice for a monumentally deserving motion picture to receive a few more accolades to make up for the glaring snub. If I weren’t such a staunch supporter of Dreamgirls, I would have chosen Little Miss Sunshine due to its charming child actor Abigail Breslin, its magnificent adult cast, and its fresh and engaging plot.

The other proud new owners of SAG statuettes are:

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

• Leonardo DiCaprio, Blood Diamond
• Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson
• Peter O’Toole, Venus
• Will Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness
• Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
• I SAID: Whitaker took home the Golden Globe, and it’s generally believed he has a good chance of doing so with the Academy Award. Will he make it a potential three-peat tonight? The chances look good to me.
• WINNER: Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

• Penelope Cruz, Volver
• Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal
• Helen Mirren, The Queen
• Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada
• Kate Winslet, Little Children
• I SAID: Mirren is the hands-on favorite, both with me and those in the know (for example, the industry types who have been writing all of the glowing articles saying as much).
• WINNER: Helen Mirren, The Queen

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

• Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine
• Leonardo DiCaprio, The Departed
• Jackie Earle Haley, Little Children
• Djimon Hounsou, Blood Diamond
• Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls
• I SAID: Murphy got the Golden Globe, and I hope he gets the SAG, as well.
• WINNER: Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

• Adriana Barraza, Babel
• Cate Blanchett, Notes on a Scandal
• Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine
• Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
• Rinko Kikuchi, Babel
• I SAID: American Idol alum and Golden Globe victor Hudson is a deserving nominee, but I like ten-year-old Breslin, too.
• WINNER: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

• Babel
• Bobby
• The Departed
• Dreamgirls
• Little Miss Sunshine
• I SAID: After the recent Oscar snub for Best Picture, Dreamgirls is *so* my pick.
• WINNER: Little Miss Sunshine

PRIMETIME TELEVISION

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

• Thomas Haden Church, Broken Trail
• Robert Duvall, Broken Trail
• Jeremy Irons, Elizabeth I
• William H. Macy, Nightmares & Dreamscapes
• Matthew Perry, The Ron Clark Story
• I SAID: Although Irons snagged the Golden Globe for Elizabeth I, many people are rooting for Duvall in Broken Trail. I think I’ll join them, although I wouldn’t mind if Macy triumphed for his excellent work in the uneven Stephen King mini-series of adapted short stories, Nightmares & Dreamscapes.
• WINNER: Jeremy Irons, Elizabeth I

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

• Annette Bening, Mrs. Harris
• Shirley Jones, Hidden Places
• Cloris Leachman, Mrs. Harris
• Helen Mirren, Elizabeth I
• Greta Scacchi, Broken Trail
• I SAID: Mirren has been burning up both the big and small screens, so I pick her to repeat her Golden Globe win for Elizabeth I.
• WINNER: Helen Mirren, Elizabeth I

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

• James Gandolfini, The Sopranos
• Michael C. Hall, Dexter
• Hugh Laurie, House
• James Spader, Boston Legal
• Kiefer Sutherland, 24
• I SAID: Laurie picked up the Golden Globe, which was a nice comeback after not having been nominated for a comparable Emmy last year, despite the nomination of House as best drama. Some people also feel Sutherland was robbed at the Globes when he didn’t win for the hot, hot, hot 24. Still, I’m sticking with my Globe pick, namely Hall in the devilish Dexter.
• WINNER: Hugh Laurie, House

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series

• Patricia Arquette, Medium
• Edie Falco, The Sopranos
• Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
• Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer
• Chandra Wilson, Grey’s Anatomy
• I SAID: This is a hard one. Although I enjoy the performances of all five nominees, I usually root for Hargitay and Sedgwick, both of whose shows I avidly follow (Sedgwick won the recent Golden Globe). Then again, Wilson typically isn’t in contention because she isn’t nominated as much. Since I really think she deserves recognition for her thoroughly and consistently effective work on Grey’s Anatomy, Wilson’s my favorite tonight.
• WINNER: Chandra Wilson, Grey’s Anatomy

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series

• Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
• Steve Carell, The Office
• Jason Lee, My Name Is Earl
• Jeremy Piven, Entourage
• Tony Shalhoub, Monk
• I SAID: The Golden Globes had Zach Braff for Scrubs, while the SAGs have Piven for Entourage. Everything else is identical. My opinion remains the same, however. All of the nominees are excellent, but Golden Globe winner Baldwin is my pick for a repeat.
• WINNER: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series

• America Ferrera, Ugly Betty
• Felicity Huffman, Desperate Housewives
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine
• Megan Mullally, Will & Grace
• Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds
• Jaime Pressly, My Name Is Earl
• I SAID: Why’d they have to mess up things by nominating Pressly? I love the Golden Globe winner Ferrera, who was my pick then. Yet, I also think Pressly should have received the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series when she was nominated last year. Ergo, I must root for Pressly, with Ferrera a close second.
• WINNER: America Ferrera, Ugly Betty

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

• 24
• Boston Legal
• Deadwood
• Grey’s Anatomy
• The Sopranos
• I SAID: They got the Golden Globe, so why not the SAG, too? Go, Grey’s Anatomy (sorry, 24 fanatics).
• WINNER: Grey’s Anatomy

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

• Desperate Housewives
• Entourage
• The Office
• Ugly Betty
• Weeds
• I SAID: They got the Golden Globe, so why not the SAG, too? Go, Ugly Betty (but The Office would be a welcome winner also, in my book).
• WINNER: The Office

Screen Actors Guild statuette photo courtesy of the Screen Actors Guild