The Strange History of Iconic TV Characters That Never Won Emmys.

by Eric Blume

It seems inconceivable that Brian Cox will not win an Emmy for his towering, iconic performance as Logan Roy, the heart and soul (relatively speaking) of one of television’s all-time greatest shows, Succession.  And yet, it appears he will not!  Cox only has a handful of episodes, far less a cumulative punch than his fellow nominees for Best Actor in Drama Series.  He simply didn’t have enough screen time in this final season to pull through with a victory. If Kieran Culkin and Sarah Snook win the lead Emmys (which I strongly believe they will), that means that all of Cox’s key co-stars will walk away from the series with the industry’s highest honor, while its central figure will go unrewarded.  It’s a great example of the randomness and silliness of awards shows.  It's not that his co-stars didn't absolutely deserve it, but it's crazy that the mighty Cox will go Emmyless.

Still, he’s in good company. After the jump let's look at a few other actors who created truly quintessential characters on major shows, but despite many nominations, never won the elusive Emmy for their creation...

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Happy Birthday, Jane Krakowski!

By Spencer Coile 

You’d be hard-pressed to deny the impact Jane Krakowski has made on stage and television. In recent years, no actress has been as deceptively successful as Krakowksi. Many still lament the fact that she never won her rightful Emmy for 30 Rock – and let’s face it, she was robbed. The countless memes and gifs her performance as Jenna Maroney has inspired in the past five years has been nothing short of astonishing.

That said, she has been working steadily for the past 30 years, and what a triple threat she has become. Garnering two Daytime Emmy nominations, a Golden Globe nomination, five Emmy nominations, two Tony nominations, one Tony win, and an Olivier Award in the span of her massive career, it’s safe to say that Krakowski’s talents know no limit. 

Today she turns 50, so let’s celebrate all the fabulous work she has done since she began performing professionally in 1981. What are some of your favorite Jane Krakowski performances, moments, musical numbers? My go-to is always her rendition of “Call From the Vatican” from her Tony winning role in Nine. 

Showbiz History: SNL, Jane Krakowski, Laura, Jerome Robbins

Jean Cocteau and Edith Piaf10 random things that happened on this day, October 11th, in showbiz history...

1918  Happy Centennial to Broadway giant and choreographer Jerome Robbins who won a well deserved Oscar for his genius contributions to West Side Story (1961) which we've just discussed at length (in case any of you missed it).

1944 Classic noir Laura,  nominated for 5 Oscars, hits movie theaters. 

1963 Influential queer artist and filmmaker Jean Cocteau (of the sublime Beauty and the Beast fame) dies, just one day after his friend Edith Piaf. Some myths say it was upon the news of her death that his heart failed him. 

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Streaming Roulette, April 2018

Can you believe it's April already! If only the weather here in NYC would commit to springtime (Sigh). A new month means new availabilty of streaming titles which means it's time for our streaming roulette. We spin (figuratively... it's really scrolling) and wherever the cursor lands we share that moment of the film. Do any of these screengrabs make you want to see the picture (or see it again)?

Drugstore Cowboy (1989) on Amazon Prime

Holy shit!

Holy shit is right. This is the first moment of a quadruple dissolve with a really strange comic tone. Gus Van Sant just can't help his inner cinema geek sometimes (See also Psycho, 1998). I don't remember this well (only saw it once) but was absolutely convinced at the time that Matt Dillon should have landed his first Oscar-nomination with ease. He had to make do with that year's Best Actor prize at the Independent Spirit Awards and wait another 17 years for the Oscar nomination (via Crash). Kelly Lynch is also excellent as his girlfriend (she had a brief heyday in the late 80s and early 90s but was never properly appreciated despite more than one strong performance).

Six more films after the jump starting with  Little Women (1994) on Netflix...

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Difficult People S3 E5-6: Golden Toilets, Jane Krakowski, and Gay Get Out

Chris and Spencer are back for more Difficult People! In "Cindarestylox," Marilyn asks Julie to freeze her eggs, Julie indulges in some Botox (to fit on a golden toilet seat, naturally), and Billy teaches an acting class for adolescents. 

CHRIS: The Ramble has been transformed into an outdoor yoga studio?! Is nothing sacred anymore!

SPENCER: And yet that Leather Queen who climbs out of the tree still wages the war against the women! Love that whole bit where people are telling our pal Julie to smile. Now that is real. 

C: So Billy starts teaching acting classes to help pay for his Madonna standup tickets. Strangely, Madonna as a standup comic was a joke that didn't work for me - watch any interview with her and she's an excellent shadestress! She'd make a decent insult comic.

S: Do you remember that one short clip where a fan brought her flowers and she mocked him for it? I mean… the shade is insurmountable, but it is equally hilarious... 

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