As you're no doubt aware, given our ongoing Emmy FYCs, the Television Academy is voting this week on the nominations for the 67th annual Primetime Emmy Awards (Sept 20th, 2015). Apologies to the small screen averse among you but as the lines blur between all the performing arts, so must we! We'll be back to a heavier movie focus in July but you know how June is: Tony Season climaxes and then Emmy voting happens. Consider Elisabeth Moss your new bridge mascot since she was just a nominee at the Tonys and she's in an Oscar-hopeful movies this year (Truth with Robert Redford and Cate Blanchett) and could be up for a final Emmy for her signature role Peggy Olson (Mad Men).
Ack!
It's so easy to get distracted when awards of any kind are the topic. Here are a few observations about the ballots after the jump but first... please to enjoy this NEW CATEGORY PROPOSAL (We need 2 more nominees for this category so that's your job in the comments)
I've noticed that the internet still holds a lot of confusion about what qualifies as what these days. I share your pain. But the Emmy ballots which you can download or look at here, are actually a huge help. As I was digesting them, I thought "Why doesn't Oscar do this? Maybe AMPAS members wouldn't forget performances they loved earlier in the year if there was a quick visual reminder on their ballots? Maybe if there was a committee to determine categories or size of role (as with Emmy rules and the Tonys) we wouldn't have so much Supporting category fraud?
But these comprehensive huge documents (complete with actor photos and occasional synopses) are, like any tool, only useful if you actually use them. Their existence actually makes the Emmy nominations each year even more perplexing. You have these valuable reminders and you still just vote for the same people year in and year out?
Here is the only Drama Guest Actress contender I sufficiently care about this year. But will she even be nominated?
Good god was that ever a complex tour de force. Julianne Nicholson has really been stepping up her game these past few years (see also: August: Osage County) so will larger roles follow?
In Guest Actress Comedy, there are so many wonderful choices. Consider...
One curious and ironic note. The Emmy finally put a stop to the increasingly egregious fraud of series regulars pretending they were "guest stars" (Joan Cusack has been nominated there every season for Shameless despite being in nearly every episode and one suspects Orange is the New Black's dominance last year -- also with series regulars -- finally forced Emmy's hand) but lo and behold: Joan Cusack in Shameless is still eligible even after the rule change. As it turns out, she was in only a few episodes this year for a change so she can still rule the category.
Moving on. I'm still trying to whittle down the single most competitive category: Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. It's such a tough call as there are dozens of worthy contenders but these are my 8 favorites. Having to axe two of them fills me with sadness. Even more sad-making, I can't see a scenario wherein even half of them get nominated (despite a six-wide category) since Emmy likes to go with the usual suspects each year which probably means more Downton Abbey, Game of Thrones, & The Good Wife.
FTR: I actually enjoy Downton Abbey a lot, even though it's a shadow of its former self... but it doesn't really need any more acting nominations. All of its cast members have been better in other seasons.
I don't want to let any of these eight women go! How to choose?
And I'm so honored to have had Cara Seymour in house talking about her role, and Ann Dowd very soon talking about hers. I know some readers think there's bias going on when they see people who've guest starred or interviewed praised and FYC'ed and such but it's not like that. It's the other way around actually: Yours truly invites people SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE they're already in house favorites or because they are interesting actors that we think readers would enjoy hearing from or actors who are so talented that they need to be better known. Etcetera. Etcetera.
So Cara & Ann would have my (sadly imaginary) vote even if their response to a guest appearance was "No way. What the hell is The Film Experience?" is what I'm saying.
On a much lighter note to end with: the potential for The Hottest Best Leading Actor in a Drama Series shortlist ever is upon us. So many brunettes. So much handsomeness.
Etcetera.