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| "Mad Men" continues its flawless streak in Best Drama | Credit: Mad Men |
Best Actor (Drama)
What I picked then: Jon Hamm (Don Draper of “Mad Men”)
Who Won: Kyle Chandler (Coach Eric Taylor of “Friday Night Lights”)
Prediction Record: 0-1
Aside from Jon Hamm, Kyle Chandler was the next best guy to win in the next category. It was great to finally see him get recognized after all these years. “Friday Night Lights” Season 5 was a great send-off to this pantheon TV series. However, I have to admit that I have mixed feelings on this result. Jon Hamm’s extraordinary performance in “The Suitcase” was one of the greatest acting performances in TV. Furthermore, he also had superb episodes last season that stood out more than Chandler’s work in FNL Season 5. It was Chandler’s last try to snag the award as Coach Taylor so it makes the win a great experience. As a huge “Friday Night Lights” fan, I should be very glad of the result. True. But this leaves me a question on Jon Hamm’s chances of ever winning an Emmy. If a performance like that of “The Suitcase” was not sufficient to win award, then what will be for him?
Best Actress (Drama)
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| Peggy was trumped by the Good Wife | Credit: Mad Men |
Who Won: Julianna Marguilies (Alicia Florrick of “The Good Wife”)
Prediction Record: 0-2
Another “The Suitcase” snub. And you know what, this is not the last of them. However, I have not watched “The Good Wife” so I cannot compare. This wrong prediction just goes to show that a consistently awarded show does not equate to sure-win individual achievements.
Best Actor (Comedy)
What I picked then: I was about to pick Baldwin but screw it, let’s go, Michael Scott!
Who Won: Neither of them. Jim Parsons (Sheldon Cooper of “The Big Bang Theory”) won.
Prediction Record: 0-3
If there would be a complaint that I will have on this year’s Emmy results, it is this one. I do not watch “The Big Bang Theory” on a regular basis, but I have watched some of its episodes before. I know how Jim Parsons acts. He is very good actor, but I think Carell was robbed here. If the Emmy voters would choose to give Kyle Chandler a send-off award, why not to Steve Carell?
OK, that was not supposed to be what an opening argument should be, so I will just list down the logical reasons why Steve Carell deserved an Emmy nod.
1) Michael Scott is one of the most unique and toughest characters to pull off. Yes, he is over-the-top (isn’t Sheldon Cooper over-the-top as well?). However, the way Steve Carell blends the emotional dimension to the cringeworthy attitude is tough to pull off. Of all the TV characters I watched, Michael Scott had the most cringeworthy moments of them all. However, I still found myself sympathizing and rooting for him.
2) Steve Carell’s performance in “Goodbye, Michael” was simply excellent. He got to blend all the different persona of Michael Scott through the years and still made it believable. It was the culmination of the character’s eventual growth. If voters do not want a dark story (i.e., Don Draper’s story), they would not have a problem with Michael Scott’s story.
3) Steve Carell is easily the most valuable actor in “The Office.” There are amazing actors like Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Ed Helms and Jenna Fischer in the show, but the loss of Carell was really felt in the last few episodes last season.
4) “The Office” may have lost its luster recently, but Steve Carell highly contributed in making the show strong again.
5) Jim Parsons already won a year ago so it is not like you are rewarding him for his past/overall performances.
It was sad not to see Steve Carell win, but at least it was not a travesty (i.e., Matthew Morrison of “Glee” winning an Emmy)
Best Actress (Comedy)
What I picked then: Edie Falco (Jackie Peyton of “Nurse Jackie”)
Who won: Melissa McCarthy (Molly Flynn of “Mike & Molly”)
Prediction Record: 0-4
I am bad at predicting that the awards dodge highly acclaimed actresses like Edie Falco. Please remind me not to do this thing again next year.
Best Supporting Actor (Drama)
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| Tyrion for the win! | Credit: Game of Thrones |
Who Won: Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister of “Game of Thrones”)
Prediction Record: 1-4
Wow! I finally got one right! This was one of my sweetest picks. It was like picking an underdog to upset and it became true.
Best Supporting Actress (Drama)
What I picked then: Christina Hendricks (Joan Harris of “Mad Men”)
Who Won: Margo Martindale (Mags Bennett of “Justified”)
Prediction Record: 1-5
Lesson: Do not pick a chick to win in Emmy’s because she is very attractive and has large boobs. I think the voters are biased against picking an attractive chick to win individual awards.
Best Supporting Actress (Comedy)
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| Congrats, Julie Bowen | Credit: NJ.com |
Who Won: Julie Bowen (Claire Dunphy of “Modern Family”)
Prediction Record: 1-6
Lesson: Same as the one in the Best Supporting Actress in Drama. Do not pick a hot chick. Oh wait… Julie Bowen is a hot chick. And yes, she can also flaunt her chest. If you have watched the Emmy’s, you know what I mean.
Best Supporting Actor (Comedy)
What I picked then: Chris Colfer (Kurt Hummel of “Glee”)
Who Won: Ty Burrell (Phil Dunphy of “Modern Family”)
Prediction Record: It is embarrassing
Funny Story: I wanted and felt that Ty Burrell should win the nod. However, I picked the gay guy in “Glee” because I thought the “Modern Family” actors would cannibalize each other. I should have went with who I wanted to win. Lesson: It sometimes pays to be biased. Unfunny Story: I am so bad at predicting, I could have fared better by choosing random winners.
Outstanding Writing (Drama)
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| Clear eyes, full hearts, the Landry Clarke All-Stars! | Credit: Friday Night Lights |
Who Won: “Always” (Friday Night Lights)
Prediction Record: Why did I think of keeping track of this in the first place?
I freakin’ love the final episode of “Friday Night Lights,” however “The Suitcase” still remains as the greatest episode last year. I think a lot of the voters got pissed on how blatant Matt Weiner wanted to win an Emmy via a single episode.
Lesson to Matt Weiner: Do not give the voters a reason not to vote for “Mad Men.”
Outstanding Writing (Comedy)
What I picked then: “Goodbye, Michael” (The Office)
Who Won: “Caught in the Act” (Modern Family)
Prediction Record: Thank God, I don’t do this for a living
I am a “Modern Family” fan and I liked how the Emmy’s recognized them. However, this seemed a stretch. The only thing I remember in this episode was the kids seeing their parents “do it.” The show has had a lot of other memorable episodes last year (i.e., “See You Next Fall,” “The Musical Man” and “Manny Get Your Gun”). But because the Emmy voters are a bunch of “Modern Family” fantards (just kidding), they forgot how great the last Steve Carell episode of “The Office” was.
Outstanding Comedy Series
What I picked then: Modern Family
Who Won: Hurray! I got it right!
Prediction Record: I got this one right but this is still embarrassing.
I felt that “The Office” deserved better, but I already sensed that the Emmy voters are “Modern Family” fantards.
Outstanding Drama Series
What I picked then: Mad Men
Who Won: Mad Men
Prediction Record: 3-9
It would have been a travesty if “Mad Men” did not win the Emmy Awards (except if “Friday Night Lights” won). Matt Weiner produced the best season that show ever had. Since the show has always been winning the past years, it leaves a bad taste if the only season that was snubbed is their best season ever. I will not expound on this because I already wrote almost 6,000 words about it last year. That was how huge a “Mad Men” fantard I was. Having said that, it feels great to be a fantard of this winning show.
My prediction record shows that I got 25% of the picks right. This means that I would likely have the same output if I randomly picked in a four-option multiple choice test.
TV Series Recommendations
It is Fall TV time again. If you are considering to watch some of the old TV shows, it is never too late to catch up. Here are my TV show recommendations:
Parenthood
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| My favorite network TV drama this year | Credit: NBC |
Rating: 4 ½ stars
The Office
It is a bummer that Steve Carell won’t be part of the cast anymore. There is still a lot of great characters in the show, but “The Office” had a tough time coping without Michael last year. Will it rebound this year? Tune in.
Rating: 4 stars. They are one less pivotal star anyway.
Modern Family
It swept the Emmy’s and there is a good reason for it. It is not the best comedy show last year but it still delivered above average as the characters evolved more. “Modern Family” is at its best when they provide reflections from slice of life realizations. Writing is witty and it is easy to relate to the characters (except for the gay couple, but at least you get to understand and empathize with them)
Rating: 4 ½ stars
How I Met Your Mother
I know that Ted and the gang have lost their magic the past two years with horrible episodes. However, this show is still a good watch for yuppies in my generation. Why? Because it is fun to watch their adventures that you can easily relate to. Whenever they incorporate realizations on social and relationship aspects, the episodes are great stand-alone material that you can replay in the future.
Rating: 4 stars
Grey’s Anatomy
“Grey’s Anatomy” actually had a good season last year, but I am starting to lose interest on the show. Its novelty has completely worn off and some episodes seem way too formulaic (it had these in the previous seasons but the novelty carried those episodes). New characters spice up the show every now and then, but I am afraid that they need to end the show before the next seasons destroy its luster. Shonda Rimes at the helm makes it possible that the show can be interesting again. There is a chance.
Rating: 3.5 stars
The League
If you like fantasy sports, football or you are a guy who does stupid bets or dares with his friends, you will most probably appreciate this show.
Rating: 4 stars
Boardwalk Empire
If you do not mind timeshifts and is interested in gangster shows. There is also good acting in this TV series
Rating: 4 ½ stars
Glee
I do not need to explain this anymore. And if you are asking why I still follow a show that I regularly bash because of his incoherent storylines, “Glee” is not all that bad. In fact, I liked the previous season (which was disliked by people ½ season late). This show is not on my top priority of shows to download but I will most likely watch all the episodes this year as long as I have time for those
Rating: 3 ½ stars
The Walking Dead
I almost forgot about this. Damn, I just realized I do not have time for all of these shows. But most probably, I will stop following 3-4 shows in this list and save them for the holiday marathons. Since “The Walking Dead” is a one-hour show, I will most likely save this for Christmas (I tend to follow the 30-minute shows more than the one-hour shows)
Rating: 4 stars
As for the new shows, I will try some. I have already watched the pilot episodes of “The Playboy Club” (has potential but comes off as a Mad Men copycat) and “New Girl” (a 30-minute show that I might follow). Just like last year, I stopped following new shows (except for “Boardwalk Empire” and “The Walking Dead”) so there is a good chance I will not follow the new shows this year. Aside from the aforementioned shows, I think I will try “Pan Am” (because I still miss watching “Mad Men”) and “Charlie’s Angels” (which I will most likely not follow just like what I did with “Hawaii Five-O” last year where I ended up watching 2 ½ episodes).
Why am I mentioning these? It’s because I would most probably write about some of these during the stretch of Fall TV. Most likely, I will be commenting on the 30-minute comedy shows (Modern Family, The Office, HIMYM and The League) and Parenthood. If Pan Am lives up to the expectations, it might be part of my regular TV write-ups.
Happy viewing, everyone.
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