2008 Emmys

[Chickenman 9]

I'm bored as hell, so I'll pick my favorites (not the ones who I necessarily think are going to win) from the categories that I actually have the slightest interest in.

Outstanding Comedy Series

30 Rock (NBC)

Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)

Entourage (HBO)

The Office (NBC)

Two and a Half Men (CBS)

Prediction: I haven't seen Entourage (nor want to) and I've seen about 2 minutes of Two and a Half Men, which consisted entirely of the kid putting on funny hats. The Office and 30 Rock are both great, but Curb Your Enthusiam consistently brings the funny. The situations Larry gets himself into are great and the improvised dialogue is spot-on.

Results: Not surprising, as 30 Rock is much more accesible to mainstream audiences. Well, it is surprising that it beat the Office, but whatev. Curb Your Enthusiasm is still a better show.

Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series

The Colbert Report (Comedy Central)

The Daily Show (Comedy Central)

Late Show with David Letterman (CBS)

Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)

Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Prediction: Normally I'd say the the student as surpassed the master, but the Daily Show's election coverage has been absolutely perfect this year. The show's just been an better than Colbert. Bill Maher is funny but has turned into more of a pundit than comedian. SNL had a pretty good year despite the Writer's Strike, but the Strike certainly did its damage, depriving us of a wealth of episodes, and even when coming back, the episodes weren't as good as before the strike. Better luck this year.

Results: Bingo. Thank you very much.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Alec Baldwin for playing Jack Donaghy on 30 Rock (NBC)

Steve Carell for playing Michael Scott on The Office (NBC)

Lee Pace for playing Ned on Pushing Daisies (ABC)

Tony Shalhoub for playing Adrian Monk on Monk (USA)

Charlie Sheen for playing Charlie Harper on Two and a Half Men (CBS)

Prediction: Carell is good, but Baldwin's Jack Donaghy is a hilarious send-up of rich, conservative suits. The most Emmy-worthy moment of the season was this.

Results: Bingo once again. Seriously, this destroyed anyone's chances.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Christina Applegate for playing Samantha "Sam" Newly on Samantha Who? (ABC)

America Ferrera for playing Betty Suarez on Ugly Betty (ABC)

Tina Fey for playing Liz Lemon on 30 Rock (NBC)

Julia Louis-Dreyfus for playing Christine Campbell on The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS)

Mary-Louise Parker for playing Nancy Botwin on Weeds (Showtime)

Prediction: Tina Fey wins because 30 Rock is the only show I've seen out of the nominees. So congrats, I guess.

Results: Right again.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Jon Cryer for playing Alan Harper on Two and a Half Men (CBS)

Kevin Dillon for playing Johnny "Drama" Chase on Entourage (HBO)

Neil Patrick Harris for playing Barney Stinson on How I Met Your Mother (CBS)

Jeremy Piven for playing Ari Gold on Entourage (HBO)

Rainn Wilson for playing Dwight Schrute on The Office (NBC)

Prediction: I've never seen How I Met Your Mother, but was tempted to give NPH the Emmy just because of his performance in Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Instead, I'll give it Rainn Wilson because Dwight is such a weird character to play, it must take giant acting cajones. Or something.

Results: Neither Rainn Wilson or NPH? Boo, Emmys. Boo. Again, haven't seen Entourage, but it sounds like it sucks.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Kristin Chenoweth for playing Olive Snook on Pushing Daisies (ABC)

Amy Poehler for playing various characters on Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Jean Smart for playing Regina Newly on Samantha Who? (ABC)

Holland Taylor for playing Evelyn Harper on Two and a Half Men (CBS)

Vanessa L. Williams for playing Wilhelmina Slater on Ugly Betty (ABC)

Prediction: Amy gets it for the same reason her former Weekend Update coanchor, Tina Fey gets it. Though if I were to choose, it would have been Kristen Wiig getting it for SNL. Kristen simply has funnier characters, better impressions, and doesn't ham at the camera.

Results: No surprise there, there was no way an SNLer was going to win this time around. Amy's been phoning it in the past couple of seasons as well, so she wasn't going to get it. Although it's probably hard to get an Emmy for playing multiple characters anyway.

Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special

Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project (HBO)

Bill Maher: The Decider (HBO)

George Carlin: It's Bad For Ya! (HBO)

James Taylor: One Man Band (Great Performances) (PBS)

Kathy Griffin: Straight To Hell (Bravo)

The Kennedy Center Honors (CBS)

Prediction: Didn't catch any of these, unfortunately, but I'll give it to George Carlin for using the "Heath Ledger" method of gaining awards.

Results: Good for you, Don Rickles. You deserve it.

Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Special

Stephen Colbert for The Colbert Report (Comedy Central)

Tina Fey for Saturday Night Live (NBC)

David Letterman for Late Show with David Letterman (CBS)

Don Rickles for Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project (HBO)

Jon Stewart for 80th Annual Academy Awards (ABC)

Predictions: Also didn't watch the Academy Awards (noticing a pattern?) but I'd assume the tone of the awards doesn't fit quite as well with Stewart's comedy as say his work on the Daily Show, so he might not have been able to bring his A game. Colbert, however, brings A game every night.

Edit: Since Winters thinks hotness should be the only merit considered when voting for the Emmys, I'll explain why Tina Fey didn't get my nod. This is outstanding performance, so they're referring to the one episode of SNL where she hosted last season. In that episode, she played a main character in one sketch and needed Steve Martin to make her monologue funny. She did contribute a hilarious Weekend Update commentary, and a hilarious PMS commercial parody, but let's face it, it couldn't have been that hard. When she was SNL's head writer, there was a new PMS commercial every other week. Tina Fey is a funny chick, but she doesn't rank with David Letterman, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert or the legendary Don Rickles.

Results: Another congrats to Don Rickles, but a single tear shed for Colbert, who has lost to Barry Manilow, Tony Bennett and now Don Rickles. Someday, Colbert. Someday.

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series

Dan Attias for Entourage (episode: "No Cannes Do") (HBO)

James Bobin for Flight of the Conchords (episode: "Sally Returns") (HBO)

Paul Feig for The Office (episode: "Goodbye, Toby") (NBC)

Paul Lieberstein for The Office (episode: "Money") (NBC)

Barry Sonnenfeld for Pushing Daisies (episode: "Pie-Lette") (ABC)

Michael Engler for 30 Rock (episode: "Rosemary's Baby") (NBC)

Predictions: 30 Rock.

Results: Boo, Barry Sonnefeld! How dare you not direct a show that I watch and like???

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series

James Bobin, Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie for Flight of the Conchords (episode: "Yoko") (HBO)

Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky for The Office (episode: "Dinner Party") (NBC)

Bryan Fuller for Pushing Daisies (episode: "Pie-lette") (ABC)

Jack Burditt for 30 Rock (episode: "Rosemary's Baby") (NBC)

Tina Fey for 30 Rock (episode: "Cooter") (NBC)

Prediction: Sorry, Tina, but "Rosemary's Baby" was a lot funnier than "Cooter." Though mostly because it had a great guest star.

Results: 30 Rock still won, but come on! Rosemary's Baby had the greatest Carrie Fisher cameo of all time as well as Alec Baldwin's hysterical (and a little bit racist) roleplay therapy session. Jack Burditt wrote those. Shame on you, Emmys.

Outstanding Directing for a Variety or Music Program

Louis J. Horvitz for 80th Annual Academy Awards (ABC)

Lonny Price for Company (Great Performances) (PBS)

Don Roy King for Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Jim Hoskinson for The Colbert Report (Comedy Central)

Chuck O'Neil for The Daily Show With Jon Stewart (Comedy Central)

Prediction: I'll go with SNL just because it's gotta be harder to direct than the Daily Show and Colbert Report. It's on live television and has a lot more action than just people sitting at desks.

Results: I'm sure the Academy Awards came out beautifully, but come on, it's a stupid awards show. You know what else is a stupid awards show? The Emmys!

Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Program

Late Night with Conan O'Brien (NBC)

Late Show with David Letterman (CBS)

Saturday Night Live (NBC)

The Colbert Report (Comedy Central)

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central)

Prediction: This is a presidential election year. Nobody can beat Jon Stewart's cadre of writers during an election year. No one.

Results: Kept it in the family, good job, Colbert Report!

(Creative Arts Emmys)

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series

Tim Conway for playing Bucky Bright on 30 Rock (NBC)

Will Arnett for playing Devon Banks on 30 Rock (NBC)

Shelley Berman for playing Nat David on Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)

Steve Buscemi for playing Lem on 30 Rock (NBC)

Rip Torn for playing Don Geiss on 30 Rock (NBC)

Will Arnett made a few appearances on 30 Rock this season, as Alec Baldwin's rival for a promotion. The interaction between the two as they schemed to one-up each other was nothing short of hilarious. No offense to Tim Conway (a legend) or Steve Buscemi, who also had a pretty good cameo.

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series

Kathryn Joosten for playing Karen McCluskey on Desperate Housewives (ABC)

Polly Bergen for playing Stella Wingfield on Desperate Housewives (ABC)

Edie Falco for playing Celeste 'C.C.' Cunningham on 30 Rock (NBC)

Carrie Fisher for playing Rosemary Howard on 30 Rock (NBC)

Sarah Silverman for playing on Marci Maven on Monk (USA)

Elaine Stritch for playing on Colleen Donaghy on 30 Rock (NBC)

Carrie Fisher (the guest star in the aforementioned Rosemary's Baby) episode did a hilarious job playing what amounted to an SNL writer from the 70s who had fallen on hard times now that you can't do sketches about abortion all willy nilly on NBC anymore. Shame on you, Creative Arts Emmys.

Edited September 22, 2008 by Chickenman

[Chickenman 9]

Updated with the results and my reactions.

[Mara 29]

I heard the Emmys this year majorly sucked... esp. with all the reality show hosts.

Anyway, I was glad to hear The Amazing Race won for best reality competition show.

But Jeff Probst got an Emmy? For what? He's a glorified Dr Phil.

[Chickenman 9]

I didn't actually watch it, I just rooted on my favorites.

Yeah, way too many reality show douchebag hosts.

Jeff Probst is a glorified Dr. Phil?

Host of Survivor = "Doctor" that doesn't help people's problems and in fact only makes it worse by putting them on tv?

[Mara 29]

Well, I meant it more in the fact of the stupid questions he asks. :p

[Chickenman 9]

No. Not even close. :p