Emmy is a beautiful lithe but deadly woman. Look at the lines in her figure! Each year she holds the world of television in her tiny gold hands but unless you're the one holding her you get jabbed by the dagger like wings. Herewith the lucky official nominees of Emmy 2013 and the less fortunate players who should wear protective gear when approaching her.
DRAMA
OUTSTANDING DRAMA
Breaking Bad
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
Homeland
House of Cards
Mad Men
Series & Acting noms / commentary after the jump
Omissions: No broadcast network show managed to oust any cable offerings (sorry Nashville, The Good Wife & Scandal, all of which have their passionate fans) but Netflix did win a nomination for its first ever original series "House of Cards". Now, let's hope they notice "Orange is the New Black" next year. I'd expect a repeat win for Homeland since Emmy doesn't change course easily
Very Happy For: Mad Men. People have turned on it this year which is why we can't have nice things. It's still the most brilliant show on television but people turn on steady brilliance just as easily as they turn on anything when it becomes too familiar.
CASE IN POINT: Mad Men was snubbed for Costume Design again despite being the best costumed show in the history of ever.
OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Connie Britton, Nashville
Claire Danes, Homeland
Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey
Vera Farmiga, Bates Motel
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men
Kerry Washington, Scandal
Robin Wright, House of Cards
Omissions: Not many since they squeezed 7 actresses in here but previous Emmy darling Julianna Marguiles in The Good Wife was probably surprised to be absent. Genre fans will miss the presence of Critics Choice winner Tatiana from Orphan Black. I've only seen one episode but she's the kind of actress that Joss Whedon's "Dollhouse" needed - one with the technical facility to shift body language and vocal patterns on a whim (or plot turn).
Very Happy For: Connie Britton who is a brilliant TV actress and also sings beautifully. Yes, I want her to win if I can't have Moss and clearly no Mad Men actor is ever going to win a statue. (sigh)
OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A DRAMA
Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Damien Lewis, Homeland
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
Omissions: Previous nominees Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk) and Michael C Hall (Dexter) had to leave to make room for the newbies but I'm a bit surprised that Hugh Bonneville managed to stay in the field here since Downton is such an ensemble.
Very Happy For: Jeff Daniels. I don't really like The Newsroom but he's such a great actor and always has been. I've love him since Purple Rose of Cairo for which he so deserved an Oscar nomination 28 years ago.
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones
Christine Baranski, The Good Wife
Morena Baccarin, Homeland
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men
Omissions: I don't watch Game of Thrones anymore but I have to admit I never much cared for Clarke's performance when I did and think this spot would have been better suited for Michelle Fairley or Lena Headey
Very Happy For: Hendricks, who should've won long ago and Baccarin who gives me Firefly warm fuzzies
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA
Bobby Cannavale, Boardwalk Empire
Jonathan Banks, Breaking Bad
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad
Jim Carter, Downton Abbey
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Mandy Patinkin, Homeland
Omissions: No Mad Men supporting actors squeezed though I wasn't expecting them to. Still, it's a real shame that Vincent Kartheiser will close out that series never having been nominated for sneakily great work as the weaselly Pete Campbell. Perhaps his character is too whiny and unsympathetic for Emmy without the cocky villainous bravado that often marks characterizes "love to hate them" roles.
Very Happy For: Mandy Patinkin, HOLLA! Homeland's secret grounding weapon. Or secret to Emmy voters up till now at least.
OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Margo Martindale, The Americans
Diana Rigg, Game of Thrones
Carrie Preston, The Good Wife
Linda Cardellini, Mad Men
Jane Fonda, The Newsroom
Joan Cusack, Shameless
OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA
Nathan Lane, The Good Wife
Michael J. Fox, The Good Wife
Rupert Friend, Homeland
Robert Morse, Mad Men
Harry Hamlin, Mad Men
Dan Bucatinsky, Scandal
COMEDY
OUTSTANDING COMEDY
30 Rock
The Big Bang Theory
Girls
Louie
Modern Family
Veep
Omission: Emmy is still ignoring the genius of Parks and Recreation. But it's hard to argue with most of these nominees as quality television.
Very Happy For: 30 Rock which has ended but gave so many inspired gags and so much hilarious subversive joy during its run
OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Laura Dern, Enlightened
Lena Dunham, Girls
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
Omissions: A beautiful lineup though there was no room for Sutton Foster from Bunheads or Zooey Deschanel for New Girl
Very Happy For: Laura Dern, The Face
OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Jason Bateman, Arrested Development
Louis CK, Louie
Don Cheadle, House of Lies
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
Omissions: Jon Cryer who got a sentimental win last year for --- anyway. BEGONE. Jake Johnson and Garret Dillahunt, who are both really good on "New Girl" and "Raising Hope" respectively are having trouble scaling this height for Emmy recognition.
Very Happy For: Louis CK who I would love to see win.
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory
Jane Lynch, Glee
Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Merritt Wever, Nurse Jackie
Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock
Anna Chlumski, Veep
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Omissions: None that I can think of but 7 nominees gives you lots of wiggle room. I'm surprised to see Jane Lynch back but I guess with diversification (she's in "Annie" on Broadway) there's some fresh energy to her career after Sue was getting stale.
Very Happy For: Krakowski, who richly deserved the statue as a goodbye to one of TV's greatest characters ever, Jenna Maroney. People will be stealing from this performance forever.
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Adam Driver, Girls
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family
Ed O’Neill, Modern Family
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Bill Hader, Saturday Night Live
Tony Hale, Veep
Omissions: Eric Stonestreet who has won in the past from Modern Family is suddenly missing, as is last year's welcome nominee from "New Girl". And surely but what did Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) ever do to Emmy voters? He should have already been a multiple winner of this category and yet he was never nominated.
Very Happy For: Adam Driver
OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Molly Shannon, Enlightened
Dot-Marie Jones, Glee
Melissa Leo, Louie
Melissa McCarthy, Saturday Night Live
Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live
Elaine Stritch, 30 Rock
OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Bob Newhart, The Big Bang Theory
Nathan Lane, Modern Family
Bobby Cannavale, Nurse Jackie
Louis C.K., Saturday Night Live
Justin Timberlake, Saturday Night Live
Will Forte, 30 Rock
Happy For: Bobby Cannavale, the former Mr. Sutton Foster, is such a good actor and is a double nominee today for this and Boardwalk Empire
MOVIES / MINIS
OUTSTANDING MOVIE OR MINISERIES
American Horror Story: Asylum
Behind the Candelabra
The Bible
Phil Spector
Political Animals
Top of the Lake
TOP OF THE LAKE for the win please. What an awesome sticky series. It's still so vivid in the memory. Jane Campion is everything.
LEAD ACTRESS IN A TV MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Asylum
Laura Linney, The Big C: Hereafter
Helen Mirren, Phil Spector
Sigourney Weaver, Political Animals
Elisabeth Moss, Top of the Lake
Who can win this? Will it be Moss or Lange? or a surprise?
LEAD ACTOR IN A TV MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Michael Douglas, Behind the Candelabra
Matt Damon, Behind the Candelabra
Toby Jones, The Girl
Benedict Cumberbatch, Parade’s End
Al Pacino, Phil Spector
This seems like a done deal for Michael Douglas, no?
FINAL NOTE: I can't be bothered to talk about Reality Programming because Emmy makes such terrible stuck-in-a-rut choices there. Project Runway has lost so much of its magic and they've still never nominated the best, funniest, weirdest and most subversive competition show on television RuPaul's Drag Race. #sorryboutit
ALSO: No Teen Wolf. ;)
WHAT WERE YOUR FAVORITE NOMINATION AND MOST OFFENSIVE SNUBS?