For two years, as the chairman of the TV Academy from 2001-2003, once every July the job meant getting up at 4 a.m. to drive into Hollywood. There, from the Leonard Goldenson Theater, I got to read the Emmy nominations with a couple of stars to make a live feed to the east coast (mostly to hit the Today Show, GMA). It was great fun, reading with the likes of Michael Chiklis, Eric McCormack and Jane Kaczmarek -- not to mention actually knowing who the nominees were an hour or so before we told everybody. These days, I don't get up that early to read them, or even to watch them, but I still like to see how things turn out.
So... the Emmy nominations are out for this year and the headline is that ABC, which was on life-support only a short time ago had a big year with Lost getting an "Outstanding Drama" nod and Desperate Housewives getting a nomination as "Outstanding Comedy."
Personally, I'm thrilled for Terry O'Quinn who got a "Best Supporting Actor" nomination for his work in Lost. O'Quinn has never been better -- this is the role of his career and it's great fun to see him in it week to week.
"Lost" is Found!
The other big headline is the re-emergence of the hour drama on broadcast television as a potent force. HBO still gets the most overall Emmy nominations but they've declined a bit from their incredible peak last year. This is probably healthy for the Emmy show, too. For years, the broadcasters have burned at paying the license fee for the Emmys, putting them on broadcast TV, and having them turn into an extended promo for HBO. This year they'll get a good deal more respect on their own turf -- and HBO can still feel good about their own share.
Anyway, the complete drama series nominees are: 24, Lost, The West Wing, Deadwood and Six Feet Under. This means I got three out of five in my prediction, which was: 24, Lost The West Wing, CSI and Grey's Anatomy. I confess to brain-fade on Six Feet Under -- I watch every episode and it's among my favorite shows. Why I didn't think it would get nominated escapes me now.
24 is another favorite series. So it's great to see Keifer Sutherland get another nomination for his work and to see the show itself get nominated.
By the way, sometimes there is real drama in the making of the announcements. The year I read those nominations with Will and Grace star Eric McCormack, he had won the year before but had to stand there on stage when the comedy announcements were made and realize he was passed over. He turned it into a great joke about saving on a baby-sitter at the Emmys that year. It turned into a classy moment for him, one that people who saw it will never forget.
I'm going out on a limb here... but I think Lost will win "Outstanding Drama" at this year's Emmys.
