Nod of the Head, Shake of the Fist: 2010 Emmy Nominations Edition

By: Adam Wright

Waking up today, it was like Christmas today. Woke up extra early, and waited on the edge of my seat for the moment I’ve been waiting for. That’s right folks, it’s Emmy time, and Santa brought us nominations this morning.

As usual, there were some obvious choices, some shockers, and some head-scratchers. And there’s only one way I can express my feelings on this year’s batch of nominations. To unleash my fury, it’s time for me to bring back my feature popularized from my TV Column on campus.

From The Aquinian on Campus at STU to TVDoneWright.com, it’s time for Nod of the Head, Shake of the Fist !

(Disclaimer: For the record this writer denies any similarities between this segment, and the one from a certain late night Report host. A wag of my finger goes to those who don’t buy it!)

First up let’s take a look at the Outstanding Reality Competition Program category. There are the usual suspects: American Idol, Dancing With the Stars, and of course the unbeatable The Amazing Race. However, I give a shake of the fist the unjustifiable omission of Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. How could this season be overlooked, it was among one of the best ever. Was this a plot to screw-over Russell Hantz once again? Not to mention this season of American Idol was widely hated, and yet still gets nominated. Of course, The Amazing Race will walk away with the Emmy again this year.

Next up, there was a category that screamed justice! No, not the short-lived law-drama “Justice”, I mean justice on this earth. In the category of Outstanding Variety, Music Or Comedy Series, NBC submitted The Tonight Show up for nomination….twice! Once for Jay Leno, and once for Conan O’Brien. I mean, why wouldn’t they submit Conan too after screwing him over, it only makes sense right?

Well folks, this morning, justice walked into the building. I give a huge nod of the head for The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien getting the nomination, and Jay Leno getting the snub. It was like justice and karma made sweet love and had a baby that was this nomination. And can it be any clearer for NBC which side are people on? First The Jay Leno Show flopping, then “I’m with Coco” campaign, then the lowest ratings in a long time for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and now this. Conan O’Brien faces off against Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert in a race impossible to predict. But can you imagine Conan’s acceptance speech, which will be on NBC, if he wins?

Moving onto the Supporting Actress in a Comedy category, a nod of the head goes for the obvious nomination of Jane Lynch. Let’s face it; from the pilot episode of Glee, she had the nomination in the bag. I commented on Twitter this past week wondering if she would accept her award as Sue Sylvester if she wins. Sure it’s not likely and wishful thinking, but how hilarious would that be. She faces off against two well deserved Modern Family actresses, which will make a tight race.

However, a shake of the fist goes to the omission of the highly underrated Merritt Wever of Nurse Jackie. “Zoey” is a fan favorite of the show, and this past season she had one hell of a performance. Edie Falco is the MVP of the Showtime series Nurse Jackie, but Merritt Wever is a close second. What makes this omission more painful is seeing anything from Two and a Half Men up there.

Next, a nod of the head goes to the LOST love. Sure, it’s not one of my favorite shows, however I will admit it deserved a proper send-off. The series got top nominations for Mathew Fox, Terry O’Quinn, and Michael Emerson. And of course nomination for Best Drama.

But if there was one show that deserved the proper send-off was Law & Order. A shake of the fist for not giving the 20 year old series one last shot. Not to mention the series was on top of its game. I understand that the “Best Drama” is crowded, but come on.

Speaking of omissions in the Outstanding Drama Series, I have not one, but TWO more shakes of the fists. The HBO series Treme and the FX series Justified were both left out of every major category, and that’s a huge injustice. As much as I like True Blood, it did not deserve the nomination this year over Treme and Justified. Same question mark goes to The Good Wife. Yes, great show, but more Emmy worthy than Treme and Justified? Not convinced.

Switching gears to Outstanding Comedy Series, a nod of the head goes to two newcomers making it big this year. Both Modern Family and Glee were huge during its first year, and got well deserved Emmy nominations. In my mind, it will come down to these two.

But who will take it? My heart wants Modern Family to win. I watched both shows, and yes both are good in their way, but Modern Family was more consistent this season. I also want Modern Family to get their recognition they deserve after being swept by Glee at the Golden Globes. However, my head says Glee will probably win. The series definitely took the TV more by storm and was constantly one of the most talked about shows. If Glee does win this year, Modern Family will next year.

Finally, the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama category. As a huge House fan it pains me to say this, but a shake of the fist goes to Hugh Laurie’s nomination. Let me explain, Laurie is brilliant no doubt, and we know that. But this season was not Emmy worthy, quite the opposite. If Laurie deserved the nomination this year, it would only be for his performance in the season premiere, and the season finale. And that’s not enough. Especially with the omission of Justified star Timothy Olyphant (or his hat).  Hopefully House does improve next year, stat!

This category is all about the tight race between Dexter star Michael C. Hall and Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston. Choosing who will win has kept me up at nights. Seriously, this is what I do for my readers! But if I had to pick, I would say that Michael C. Hall wins this year. After Cranston winning two years in a row, this year belongs to Hall. And he gets a huge assist from John Lithgow as the Trinity Killer this past season on Dexter. With Lithgow, Hall raised his game. He also did it under tough circumstances, while battling his cancer. Come on Emmy people, we know Cranston was brilliant on Breaking Bad, but this year belongs to Michael C. Hall.

Well folks, after dishing out all that fury, I’m exhausted. It’s time to refill on my coffee. But don’t think our Emmy coverage is over. We will be unveiling the details of this year’s Emmy Challenge in the next few days.

What do you think? Feel free to weight in below in comment section.

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Posted by Adam Wright on July 8, 2010. Filed under Features, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry