Emmy Nominations: Full Of Glee And Dramatic Snubs

Not that they need a reason to break into song, but the cast of Fox’s musical juggernaut “Glee” got 19 new reasons to celebrate as the 2010 Emmy nominations were announced Thursday morning. Leading the show’s largess are nods in the Outstanding Comedy, Lead Actress (Lea Michele) and Lead Actor (Matthew Morrison) categories.

“Glee” faces tough competition going up against perennial winner “30 Rock,” as well as “The Office,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Modern Family” and the surprise entry Showtime’s “Nurse Jackie.”

Nominees in the Drama categories also face tough competition. The Outstanding Series category pits ABC’s departing cult phenomenon “Lost” against HBO’s current cult fave “True Blood,” AMC’s edgy “Breaking Bad,” CBS’ “The Good Wife” and two-time winner and my favorite AMC’s sophisticated, under watched “Mad Men.” I was hoping TNT’s sensitive, well-written, beautifully acted ensemble drama “Men of a Certain Age” would earn a slot. Maybe next year. For now, the show’s represented by the fabulous Andre Braugher’s nod in the Best Supporting Actor category.

Will “Mad Men’s” Jon Hamm finally inch out two-time winner “Breaking Bad’s ” Bryan Cranston for Outstanding Lead Actor? Or maybe Mathew Fox will join the grand “Lost” going away party with a parting trophy of his own.

The leading ladies of Drama make predictions in the Outstanding Actress category equally tough. Both “Damages” Glenn Close and “The Closer’s” Kyra Sedgwick have respectively gotten Emmys for their compelling roles as a complicated, manipulative lawyer and personally hapless, professionally brilliant cop. But this year Julianna Margulies as the scorned political wife turned family bread winner may have the edge. Not only does she offer a beautifully layered performance in “The Good Wife“, backed up by sharply crafted scripts and a fine supporting ensemble, she may coast in on the show’s cultural zeitgeist. Of course I made a similar prediction about George Clooney’s “Up in the Air” at least year’s Oscars, and the film went home empty handed.

The biggest snub may be in the Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series category. The usual suspects “The Daily Show,” “The Colbert Report,” “Real Time with Bill Maher,” and Saturday Night Live,” were all honored. Audible gasps ran through the live audience as the coveted fifth nomination was announced: “The Tonight Show with Conan Obrien.” So now we now what I’ve long suspected: Emmy is on Team Coco. Both Jay Leno and David Letterman were conspicuously absent from the pack. If Conan gets the prize it will surely be the television industry’s version of jury nullification.

On a brighter note, Betty White, America’s favorite octogenarian scored her 20th Emmy nomination with a nod in the Outstanding Guest Comedy category for her “SNL” hosting stint, which singularly resuscitated the late night stalwart’s lackluster season. Next year she may get her 21st for her new hit sit-com “Hot in Cleveland.” It would be fitting for the Golden Girl whose career has never been hotter.

HBO continues to dominate the cable contenders with a slew of nominations for its special series “The Pacific,” although none of its 24 nominations were in the acting categories. Other HBO films including “Temple Grandin and “The Special Relationship”: garnered nominations, as did the outlet’s acclaimed “The 25 Anniversary Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame Concert” Special.

The 62 Annual Prime Time Emmy Awards will air on NBC on August 29th. Find a complete list of nominees here.

Please follow Amy Beth Arkawy on Twitter. You can also read her other News Junkie Post articles.

Be Sociable, Share!