Oh, to be in Nerd Heaven

I wish I could've spent the weekend bopping around the San Diego Convention Center instead of roasting in the open-air sauna of the East Coast. I'd still love to go in person someday, but the increasing presence of entertainment media means that you can cobble together somewhat of a virtual attendance from the safety of your air-conditioned home. I particularly love the snarky, self-aware videos shows will put together for their panels. Behold:

As time passes, I appreciate Jeffster in smaller and smaller doses, but this is pretty much the ideal use of their special talents.

Something about Zachary Quinto with the sandwich really cracks me up. (Do I need to say I love Ben Schwartz? I feel like I'm creeping ever-closer to embarrassing Lee-Pace-style gushing there.)

I wasn't a finale-hater, but I still love this. (How excellent is Titus Welliver? In the past TV season, he got sliced all to pieces and had his voice coming out of a stuffed animal. I feel like there should be some kind of special Emmy for something like that.)

Dream Emmy Ballot 2011: Lead Actor in a Drama

Sean Bean - "Lord Eddard Stark", Game of Thrones

Kyle Chandler - "Eric Taylor", Friday Night Lights

Jon Hamm - "Don Draper", Mad Men

Michael Imperioli - "Louis Fitch", Detroit 1-8-7

Donal Logue - "Hank Dolworth", Terriers

Timothy Olyphant - "Raylan Givens", Justified

So...who's got a chance in Bryan Cranston's year off? Is it fair that my love of Bean's performance is partly influenced by having read the books on which Game of Thrones is based? The deeply entrenched sense of honor that guides the Starks, for good or for ill, was firmly established by Bean in every episode of his appearance as Ned Stark, and it should resonate through the series. Chandler, of course, has always been great - the frustrations of intra-team discord and the ever-shifting scene in Dillon showed that he still found new layers in Eric Taylor even up until the end. When I rewatched the last season of Mad Men recently, I was struck by the way that Jon Hamm wore the weight of Don's disappointments in his weariness and shambling drunkenness. He had great showcases in individual episodes like "The Suitcase," but it's really an absorbing full-season performance. I almost hate Imperioli and Logue for making me fall in love with their doomed series; Imperioli showed impressive command over a series of quirks that might have buried another actor and Logue's performance was driven by an engaging charisma that infused every case the show covered with a sense of importance because Hank cared about them. Olyphant is another whose performance beautifully encapsulated the push and pull between a man and his ideas of honor as Raylan wrestled with his darker impulses and his past in Harlan.

Honorable Mention: David Boreanaz, Bones; Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire; Vincent D'Onofrio, Law and Order: Criminal Intent; James Badge Dale, Rubicon; Charlie Hunnam, Sons of Anarchy; Andrew Lincoln, The Walking Dead; Holt McCallany, Lights Out; Stephen Moyer, True Blood; Bill Paxton, Big Love

I wouldn't be surprised to see: Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment; Michael C. Hall, Dexter; Jeremy Irons, The Borgias; Hugh Laurie, House; William H. Macy, Shameless; Christopher Meloni, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit; Ray Romano, Men of a Certain Age; Tom Selleck, Blue Bloods

Dream Emmy Ballot 2011: Lead Actress in a Drama

Connie Britton - "Tami Taylor", Friday Night Lights

Julianna Marguiles - "Alicia Florrick", The Good Wife

Elisabeth Moss - "Peggy Olson", Mad Men

Katey Sagal - "Gemma Teller Morrow", Sons of Anarchy

Anna Torv - "Olivia Dunham", Fringe

Jeanne Tripplehorn - "Barb Henrickson", Big Love

Britton has always been wonderful, and the final season of Friday Night Lights was no exception - I particularly loved her scenes with Aimee Teegarden as Tami processed the fallout from Julie's romantic debacle. Marguiles was great all season, but she completely knocked it out of the park in the final episodes after Alicia learned about Peter and Kalinda. Some actors get a single-episode showcase so good that they deserve a nomination solely on those merits - I truly believe "The Suitcase" was an episode like that for Moss, showing Peggy with all her ambition and regret, her anger and wistfulness. Sagal served as an important connective thread throughout a season of Sons of Anarchy that sometimes felt like it was meandering off into tangents, always reinforcing the importance of family - both by blood and by choice. Torv gave shades and nuances that carefully defined the two Olivias as similar but not identical women, and then added a killer Leonard Nimoy impersonation to boot. (If this were the Daytime Emmys, she'd be golden - they love dual roles.) Tripplehorn was the saving grace of Big Love's final season, crafting a beautiful portrait of a woman struggling with deep ambivalence regarding her religion and her faith.

Honorable Mention: Mireille Enos, The Killing; Kathryn Erbe, Law and Order: Criminal Intent; Hayley Hasselhoff, Huge; Lena Headey, Game of Thrones; January Jones, Mad Men; Melissa Leo, Treme; Anna Paquin, True Blood; Ellen Pompeo, Grey's Anatomy; Maggie Q, Nikita

I wouldn't be surprised to see: Kathy Bates, Harry's Law; Dana Delany, Body of Proof; Emily Deschanel, Bones; Sally Field, Brothers and Sisters; Mariska Hargitay, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit; Angie Harmon, Rizzoli and Isles; Piper Perabo, Covert Affairs; Emmy Rossum, Shameless; Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer; Sarah Wayne Callies, The Walking Dead

Dream Emmy Ballot 2011: Supporting Actor in a Drama

Peter Dinklage - "Tyrion Lannister", Game of Thrones

Walton Goggins - "Boyd Crowder", Justified

Arliss Howard - "Kale Ingram", Rubicon

John Noble - "Walter Bishop", Fringe

Denis O'Hare - "Russell Edgington", True Blood

Michael Raymond-James - "Britt Pollack", Terriers

The category which, in my opinion, contains a significant share of the year's best work (A.K.A. the category of Liz's Endless Waffling, A.K.A. much of the reason why these posts are going down to the wire pre-nominations announcement). All six brought wit and a distinct spark to their respective shows. Dinklage did the best kind of adaptation work - the kind that makes you excited when you're reading to someday see the material embodied by the actor. Goggins let Boyd's struggle with his past flicker behind guarded eyes and never made his return to a life of crime feel like a foregone conclusion. Howard's cool made Kale Ingram TV's best espionage-affiliated gentleman since Jack Bristow. Much of Fringe's cast got to show great range in the dual roles dictated by the focus on the parallel universe, but Noble showed Walternate as a fierce villain, while keeping the original's distinctive loopiness. O'Hare pushed True Blood to its campy limits, devouring scenery with glee and making Russell a truly Big Bad. Raymond-James brought an easy charm, with hints of darkness, to Britt, ultimately making him - all apologies to Martin Freeman - the best detective sidekick of the year.

Honorable Mention: Scott Caan, Hawaii 5-O; Justin Chambers, Grey's Anatomy; Rockmond Dunbar, Terriers; Jared Harris, Mad Men; Joshua Jackson, Fringe; Michael B. Jordan, Friday Night Lights; Joel Kinnaman, The Killing; Taylor Kitsch, Friday Night Lights; Ryan Kwanten, True Blood; Matt Lauria, Friday Night Lights; Dallas Roberts, Rubicon; Nick Searcy, Justified; Brent Sexton, The Killing; Alexander Skarsgard, True Blood; John Slattery, Mad Men; TJ Thyne, Bones

Particular props to the ensembles of: Boardwalk Empire (Stephen Graham, Michael Pitt, Michael Shannon, Michael Stuhlbarg, Shea Whigham, Michael Kenneth Williams); Game of Thrones (Mark Addy, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Aiden Gillen, Kit Harington, Jason Momoa); Detroit 1-8-7 (Jon Michael Hill, Shaun Majumder, James McDonald); The Good Wife (Josh Charles, Alan Cumming, Matt Czuchry, Chris Noth); Sons of Anarchy (Mark Boone, Jr., Dayton Callie, Kim Coates, Tommy Flanagan, Ryan Hurst, William Lucking, Ron Perlman, Theo Rossi); Treme (Clarke Peters, Wendell Pierce, Steve Zahn)

Yes, this version of narrowing encompasses forty-five actors beyond the ballot limit.

I wouldn't be surprised to see: Andre Braugher, Men of a Certain Age; Billy Campbell, The Killing; Irrfan Kahn, In Treatment; Delroy Lindo, The Chicago Code

Dream Emmy Ballot 2011: Supporting Actress in a Drama

Khandi Alexander - "LaDonna Batiste-Williams", Treme

Emilia Clarke - "Daenaerys Targaryen", Game of Thrones

Christina Hendricks - "Joan Harris", Mad Men

Kelly MacDonald - "Margaret Schroeder", Boardwalk Empire

Margo Martindale - "Mags Bennett", Justified

Sandra Oh - "Christina Yang", Grey's Anatomy

Part of what made Alexander's performance this year so great is the strength she established in the first season of Treme - you could see that woman struggling to reemerge in the wake of the assault she experienced, which then made it feel like a triumph when she finally let her anger flow free in the finale. Clarke and MacDonald both made their characters' journeys away from innocence vital arcs in their respective shows. Hendricks continued to find new depths in Joan as she gained more power in the office but saw her means of handling business become increasingly obsolete. Martindale gave an unbelievably great performance across the season, masking simmering menace with grandmotherly warmth, capped off by a wonderfully Shakespearean exit. Oh got the best material coming out of the trauma of the previous season's finale, and capably handled Christina's emotional distance from the driven surgeon who she used to be.

Honorable Mention: Laura Allen, Terriers; Christine Baranski, The Good Wife; Michelle Fairley, Game of Thrones; Michelle Forbes, The Killing; Mamie Gummer, Off the Map; Lauren Hodges, Rubicon; Natalie Martinez, Detroit 1-8-7; Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife; Sara Ramirez, Grey's Anatomy; Kiernan Shipka, Mad Men; Maggie Siff, Sons of Anarchy; Jurnee Smollett, Friday Night Lights; KaDee Strickland, Private Practice; Aimee Teegarden, Friday Night Lights

Particular props to the ensembles of: True Blood (Kristin Bauer van Straten, Rutina Wesley, Deborah Ann Woll); Big Love (Ginnifer Goodwin, Chloe Sevigny, Grace Zabriskie)

I wouldn't be surprised to see: Lisa Edelstein, House; Amy Ryan, In Treatment; Debra Winger, In Treatment

Dream Emmy Ballot 2011: Guest Actor in a Drama

Michael Cristofer - "Truxton Spangler", Rubicon

Jeremy Davies - "Dickie Bennett", Justified

Jack Huston - "Richard Harrow", Boardwalk Empire

Lennie James - "Morgan", The Walking Dead

David Morse - "Jerry Raines", Lights Out

Eamonn Walker - "Ed Romeo", Lights Out

Cristofer, besides delivering one of the year's best monologues in the Tie Speech, made for an alternately magnetic and fearsome conspiracy-mongerer. Davies regularly made my skin crawl with his depiction of a man-child unafraid to resort to violence when his ambitions outpaced his intelligence. The mask made Huston stand out initially, but his haunted, hollowed-out performance was striking even within Boardwalk Empire's attention-getting ensemble. In a season with a lot of great drama pilots (with varying degrees of shows then delivering on the promise of those pilots), James gave a fairly perfect pilot-only performance, capably handling the task of introducing viewers to the new zombie-dominated world. Though Lights Out was short-lived, I feel like Morse and Walker's performances will stick with me for a long time. Morse embodied the tragedy the show saw in the threat of pugilistic dementia, and Walker continues to stun me with his ability to grant great humanity, spirituality, and depth to characters who in other hands would come across as "magical Negro" stereotypes.

Honorable Mention: Greg Antonacci, Boardwalk Empire; Raymond J. Barry, Justified; Nicholas Brendon, Private Practice; Reg E. Cathey, Lights Out; Bruce Dern, Big Love; Noah Emmerich, The Walking Dead; Jay R. Ferguson, Mad Men; Scott Foley, Grey's Anatomy; Michael J. Fox, The Good Wife; James Frain, True Blood; Zach Gilford, Friday Night Lights; Tim Guinee, The Good Wife; Brad William Henke, Justified; Hal Holbrook, Sons of Anarchy; Bill Irwin, Lights Out; Joe Manganiello, True Blood; Robert Morse, Mad Men; Mark Moses, Mad Men; Denis O'Hare, The Good Wife; Dallas Roberts, The Good Wife; Christopher Stanley, Mad Men; Joseph Lyle Tayor, Justified; Titus Welliver, Sons of Anarchy

Can you tell this was a tough one to narrow down? Mark Moses almost made it - I love Duck Phillips' ongoing downward spiral so much.

I wouldn't be surprised to see: Beau Bridges, Brothers and Sisters; Richard Dreyfuss, Parenthood; Michael Emerson, Parenthood; Paul McCrane, Harry's Law; Jonny Lee Miller, Dexter; Scott Porter, The Good Wife

Dream Emmy Ballot 2011: Guest Actress in a Drama

Maria Bello - "Vivian Arliss", Law and Order: Special Victims Unit

Cara Buono - "Dr. Faye Miller", Mad Men

Kaitlyn Dever - "Loretta McReady", Justified

Karina Logue - "Stephanie Dolworth", Terriers

Gretchen Mol - "Gillian Darmody", Boardwalk Empire

Alfre Woodard - "Ruby Jean Reynolds", True Blood

SVU's various guest appearances can often feel showy and awards-baity, but Bello's performance as an abrasive sort of alternate-reality Olivia was a subtle standout. Some shows with predominantly male ensembles can fumble introducing new female characters (it's something I've always felt Friday Night Lights hasn't done well), but Buono's dynamic performance asserted Dr. Faye as a force to be reckoned with, both as a professional woman in Mad Men's evolving world and as a woman who loves Don but is firmly uninterested in letting him off the hook for his crap. Time will tell whether she will ultimately become an established adult actress, but Kaitlyn Dever's work on Justified this season reminded me a lot of Mia Wasikowska on In Treatment a few years ago. I kept thinking during her appearances that the people casting The Hunger Games might've missed out on an ideal candidate for their leading lady. It's difficult to encapsulate what was so great about Logue's performance as Steph - the delightful rapport with her brother, the hyper-literal interactions with other characters - but I'll say this: she was introduced hiding in her brother's ceiling, stealing food and disappearing like a cat burglar, and that never once felt contrived. Mol handled Gillian with a combination of savvy and world-weariness that made her Boardwalk Empire's most self-assured woman by a mile. Woodard's character was sort of a funhouse-mirror version of what Frances Conroy did in United States of Tara, the mentally ill parent who grants previously unrealized depths to established characters in just minutes of screentime.

Honorable Mention: Kristina Apgar, Detroit 1-8-7; Elizabeth Ashley, Treme; Patricia Bethune, Mad Men; Ellen Burstyn, Big Love; Loretta Devine, Grey's Anatomy; Louise Fletcher, Private Practice; Ana Gasteyer, The Good Wife; Linda Gehringer, Justified; Marcia Gay Harden, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit; Randee Heller, Mad Men; Julia Ormond, Law and Order: Criminal Intent; Adrianne Palicki, Friday Night Lights; Jessica Pare, Mad Men; Melissa Rauch, True Blood; Anika Noni Rose, The Good Wife; Laura San Giacomo, In Plain Sight; Rachael Taylor, Grey's Anatomy; Ally Walker, Sons of Anarchy; Jo Beth Williams, Private Practice; Evan Rachel Wood, True Blood

I wouldn't be surprised to see: Shohreh Aghdashloo, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit; Jane Badler, V; Candice Bergen, House; Joan Cusack, Shameless; Christine Lahti, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit; Marlee Matlin, CSI; Mary McDonnell, The Closer; Sarah Silverman, The Good Wife; Jean Smart, Hawaii 5-O; Julia Stiles, Dexter

Dream Emmy Ballot 2011: Lead Actress in a Comedy

Toni Collette - "Tara Gregson", United States of Tara

Courteney Cox - "Jules Cobb", Cougar Town

Tina Fey - "Liz Lemon", 30 Rock

Laura Linney - "Cathy Jamison", The Big C

Martha Plimpton - "Virginia Chance", Raising Hope

Amy Poehler - "Leslie Knope", Parks and Recreation

As always, Collette demonstrated fantastic range in portraying Tara and all her alters - this season in particular, she made Bryce feel like an honestly scary, tangible threat every time he surfaced. Cox rode out the refining of her show's premise last season, and this year she took advantage of the second season in showing Jules in all her loving and crazy shades. 30 Rock as a whole feels less novel as time goes on, but Fey continues to do great work, especially in episodes like "Double-Edged Sword" and "TGS Hates Women." (Since it'll probably be a factor for at least some voters, sure: I'm totally giving her bonus cred for Bossypants.) Linney infused The Big C with energy even when the material didn't feel quite up to the standard she set. Plimpton was ideally suited to Raising Hope's combination of sweetness and weirdness. Poehler would get on this list for "Flu Season" alone, but the whole season really served as a showcase for Leslie Knope and her bottomless drive.

Honorable Mention: Lea Michele, Glee

I wouldn't be surprised to see: Kaley Cuoco, The Big Bang Theory; Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie; Patricia Heaton, The Middle; Melissa McCarthy, Mike and Molly; Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds

Who knows about Desperate Housewives? My gut tells me that even though it's still kicking, that its buzz, at least in the awards-relevant sense, is mostly gone.

Dream Emmy Ballot 2011: Lead Actor in a Comedy

Alec Baldwin - "Jack Donaghy", 30 Rock

Steve Carell - "Michael Scott", The Office

Zachary Levi - "Chuck Bartowski", Chuck

Joel McHale - "Jeff Winger", Community

Lucas Neff - "Jimmy Chance", Raising Hope

True Life: This is always the most difficult category for me. It seems that there are a lot of male-led comedies that I simply have no interest in watching. Or they're like buzzy arthouse movies - I feel more like I should watch them than I want to watch them. There were certainly performances I enjoyed, though. Baldwin did a great job with the art-imitating-life storylines with Kabletown and Jack becoming a father. Carell executed his final episodes as Michael Scott with both grace and humor. Levi did a lot of heavy lifting that carried some of Chuck's storylines (especially the one focused on Vivian Volkoff) through their weaknesses. McHale anchored Community with magnetic personality. Neff proved to be a great straight man among Greg Garcia's cast of wacky personalities.

Honorable Mention: Rob Lowe, Parks and Recreation

Not that I don't think Lowe wasn't delightful as Chris Traeger, or that I don't get why he or his agent or whoever decided on this strategy, but he doesn't belong in this category.

I wouldn't be surprised to see: Louis C.K., Louie; David Duchovny, Californication; Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory; Thomas Jane, Hung; Matt LeBlanc, Episodes; Danny McBride, Eastbound and Down; Matthew Morrison, Glee; Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory; Matthew Perry, Mr. Sunshine; Jason Schwartzman, Bored to Death; William Shatner, $#*! My Dad Says

Dream Emmy Ballot 2011: Supporting Actress in a Comedy

Yvette Nicole Brown - "Shirley Bennett", Community

Busy Phillipps - "Laurie Keller", Cougar Town

Aubrey Plaza - "April Ludgate", Parks and Recreation

Naya Rivera - "Santana Lopez", Glee

Yvonne Strahovski - "Sarah Walker", Chuck

Sofia Vergara - "Gloria Delgado-Pritchett", Modern Family

Pregnancies involving suspect paternity can seem awfully cliched, but Brown did great work with Shirley struggling to maintain her cheery optimism in the face of a situation over which she has no control. I think Phillipps might best embody what's great about Cougar Town - the show's capacity for both deep silliness and emotional heartbreak. Plaza's arid deadpan is becoming a trademark, but the way she shows the flickers of April's affection for Andy and her coworkers makes her performance great. Rivera got the best material of this season of Glee in communicating both Santana's razor-sharp snarkiness and her roiling internal conflict. Strahovski is always great, but this year in particular she did a great job with Sarah in both action mode and in coming to terms with embracing a domestic commitment she hadn't previously envisioned for herself. Vergara moderates beautifully, letting Gloria be big without feeling too manic or shrill.

Honorable Mention: Julie Bowen, Modern Family; Alison Brie, Community; Rosemarie DeWitt, United States of Tara; Gillian Jacobs, Community; Brie Larson, United States of Tara; Christa Miller, Cougar Town; Heather Morris, Glee; Amy Ryan, The Office; Phyllis Somerville, The Big C; Casey Wilson, Happy Endings; the Perfect Couples ensemble of Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Olivia Munn and Christine Woods

I wouldn't be surprised to see: Jane Adams, Hung; Eve Best, Nurse Jackie; Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory; Jenna Fischer, The Office; Anne Heche, Hung; Ellie Kemper, The Office; Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock; Jane Lynch, Glee; Anna Deavere Smith, Nurse Jackie; Betty White, Hot in Cleveland; Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live; Vanessa Williams, Desperate Housewives

Dream Emmy Ballot 2011: Supporting Actor in a Comedy

Keir Gilchrist - "Marshall Gregson", United States of Tara

Donald Glover - "Troy Barnes", Community

Nolan Gould - "Luke Dunphy", Modern Family

Nick Offerman - "Ron Swanson", Parks and Recreation

Danny Pudi - "Abed Nadir", Community

Jason Segel - "Marshall Eriksen", How I Met Your Mother

Gilchrist's performance has always been a highlight of Tara - this season he made Marshall's exhaustion and anger at his family's situation palpable without veering into what could come off as rote teenage pettiness. Glover and Pudi have a great wacky chemistry as Community's dynamic duo, but both also shone in some of the season's quieter episodes ("Mixology Certification" and "Critical Film Studes,"respectively). Gould makes me laugh more consistently than any other performer on Modern Family (and maybe including other shows, too). The things that make Offerman's performance so great are difficult to articulate...the basketball coaching to the mourning of the Indianapolis steakhouse to the Snake Juice dancing to Lil' Sebastian's funeral...it's Ron Effing Swanson, you know? The death of Marshall's father was one of the few story arcs that was consistently well-executed in this season of How I Met Your Mother (if not the only one), and a lot of that has to do with Segel's wonderfully understated work as Marshall contended with his grief.

Honorable Mention: Max Adler, Glee; Aziz Ansari, Parks and Recreation; Chevy Chase, Community; Chris Colfer, Glee; John Corbett, United States of Tara; Garret Dillahunt, Raising Hope; John Benjamin Hickey, The Big C; Josh Hopkins, Cougar Town; Chris Pratt, Parks and Recreation; Adam Scott, Parks and Recreation

With quality ensemble work in: Happy Endings (Zachary Knighton, Adam Pally, Damon Wayans, Jr.); Modern Family (Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Ed O'Neill, Eric Stonestreet); Perfect Couples (Kyle Bornheimer, Hayes McArthur, David Walton)

I wouldn't be surprised to see: Fred Armisen, Saturday Night Live; Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men; Ted Danson, Bored to Death; Peter Facinelli, Nurse Jackie; Zach Galifianakis, Bored to Death; Bill Hader, Saturday Night Live; Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother; Ed Helms, The Office; Ken Jeong, Community; John Krasinski, The Office; Jeremy Piven, Entourage; Andy Samberg, Saturday Night Live; Jason Sudeikis, Saturday Night Live; Rainn Wilson, The Office

Dream Emmy Ballot 2011: Guest Actress in a Comedy

Frances Conroy - "Sandy Gregson", United States of Tara

Dot-Marie Jones - "Coach Beiste", Glee

Megan Mullally - "Tammy Swanson", Parks and Recreation

Gwyneth Paltrow - "Holly Holliday", Glee

Parker Posey - "Lindsay Carlisle Shay", Parks and Recreation

Sherri Shepherd - "Angie Jordan", 30 Rock

Conroy brought a light touch and a loopy energy to Max's mother, providing a low-key counterpart to Tara while also suggesting a rich history. Jones sadly didn't get enough to do in the post-Regionals half of the Glee season, but she balanced the character's quirks with a real sense of pathos and a grounded adultness that isn't always present in the show. With a second appearance as the second Mrs. Swanson, Mullally elevated her character to the Parks and Recreation version of Event Television. I get why some people don't like Gwyneth, but I think she brought an appealing zaniness to her turn as Glee's wanderlust-driven substitute teacher. Posey's glorious snootiness as Lindsay Carlisle Shay was a great example of an actor playing an established niche to the hilt. I've always enjoyed Shepherd's performance as Angie, but this season in particular the "Queen of Jordan" episode was a highlight for 30 Rock.

Honorable Mention: Elizabeth Banks, 30 Rock; Carol Burnett, Glee; Margaret Cho, 30 Rock; Mo Collins, Parks and Recreation; Tina Fey, Saturday Night Live; Ashley Fink, Glee; Carolyn Hennesy, Cougar Town; Cloris Leachman, Raising Hope; Shelley Long, Modern Family; Amy Poehler, Saturday Night Live; Susan Sarandon, 30 Rock; Gabourey Sidibe, The Big C; Celia Weston, Modern Family

I wouldn't be surprised to see: Sasha Grey, Entourage; Melanie Griffith, Hot in Cleveland; Queen Latifah, 30 Rock; Julia Louis-Dreyfus, 30 Rock; Mary Tyler Moore, Hot in Cleveland; Jennifer Morrison, How I Met Your Mother; Elaine Stritch, 30 Rock

Dream Emmy Ballot 2011: Guest Actor in a Comedy

Robert Clendenin - "Tom", Cougar Town

Darren Criss - "Blaine Anderson", Glee

Timothy Dalton - "Alexei Volkoff", Chuck

Eddie Izzard - "Dr. Jack Hattarras", United States of Tara

Jim Rash - "Dean Pelton", Community

Ben Schwartz - "Jean-Ralphio", Parks and Recreation

I don't think there's another actor or actress who got a better introductory scene this past year than Darren Criss did with "Teenage Dream." It was essentially Glee telling America to meet their new Fake TV Boyfriend, and I think Criss rose to the challenge. (Tangent: The more I think about it, the more I really wish they would do some sort of bit at the Emmys involving Darren Criss, Jon Cryer, and Ducky's lines from Pretty in Pink musing on the name "Blaine.") Dalton was far and away the best thing about Chuck this year, and is probably the best villain the show's ever had, playing Volkoff with a twinkle in his eye that made even psychotic threats of violence seem positively delightful. Clendenin, Rash and Schwartz all proved to be vital oddball contributors to their shows' universes in the second season of all three - Schwartz always throws himself whole-heartedly into Jean-Ralphio's oblivious toolishness, and Rash in particular gets bonus points for multiple costume changes, some involving short shorts. Izzard played well off of Toni Collette, infusing Tara with gravity as he took Hattaras from skeptic to believer.

Honorable Mentions: Will Arnett, 30 Rock; Kevin Corrigan, Community; Matt Damon, 30 Rock; Matt Dillon, Modern Family; Buck Henry, 30 Rock; Ken Howard, 30 Rock; John Lithgow, How I Met Your Mother; James Marsden, Modern Family; Justin Timberlake, Saturday Night Live; Stephen Tobolowsky, Community

I wouldn't be surprised to see: Alan Alda, 30 Rock; Tim Conway, Hot in Cleveland; Richard Dreyfuss, Weeds; Will Ferrell, The Office; Zach Galifianakis, Saturday Night Live; Don Johnson, Eastbound and Down; Michael Keaton, 30 Rock; Nathan Lane, Modern Family; Liam Neeson, The Big C; Carl Reiner, Hot in Cleveland; John Slattery, 30 Rock; John Stamos, Glee

Idle Thoughts

I'm not sure that I understand what specifically it is that people think they're going to get from an Arrested Development movie that can't be accomplished by picking your six favorite episodes and holding a mini-marathon. Regardless, I wish the creative personnel would just go radio silent on the whole project until it is actually for real in production. The more time passes, the clearer it is that nothing is officially happening until a studio says so in a press release.

Dream Emmy Ballot 2011: Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie

Hugh Bonneville - "Robert, Earl of Grantham", Downton Abbey

Benedict Cumberbatch - "Sherlock Holmes", Sherlock

Idris Elba - "John Luther", Luther

William Hurt - "Henry Paulson", Too Big to Fail

Ed Stoppard - "Sir Hallam Holland", Upstairs, Downstairs

Bonneville and Stoppard both excelled in their master-of-the-house roles, projecting the kind of warmth and magnanimity that can make a viewer really want to glorify old modes of class stratification. (I kid, mostly. But they were pretty delightful). Cumberbatch and Elba fall under their own umbrella, that of the preternaturally intuitive detective; Cumberbatch embraced his character's quirks and made the modern-day update of Holmes work, while Elba drove Luther with his charisma even when its narrative arc faltered. Hurt projected calm and anger in presenting Paulson as the both the meteorologist and the eye of the storm that drives Too Big to Fail.

Honorable Mention: Jim Broadbent, Any Human Heart

I wouldn't be surprised to see: Kenneth Branagh, Wallander II: The Fifth Woman; Laurence Fishburne, Thurgood; Samuel L. Jackson, The Sunset Limited; Tommy Lee Jones, The Sunset Limited; Greg Kinnear, The Kennedys; Ian McShane, The Pillars of the Earth; Edgar Ramirez, Carlos; Patrick Stewart, Macbeth

Dream Emmy Ballot 2011: Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie

Hayley Atwell - "Freya Deverell", Any Human Heart

Keeley Hawes - "Lady Agnes Holland", Upstairs, Downstairs

Diane Lane - "Pat Loud", Cinema Verite

Jean Marsh - "Rose Buck", Upstairs, Downstairs

Kate Winslet - "Mildred Pierce", Mildred Pierce

Atwell seems to be establishing herself as the new master of the twentieth-century British period piece - she's the kind of actress where it doesn't ring false when other characters describe hers as magnetic. Hawes gave her lady-of-the-house just the right amount of snappy snarkiness. Lane's performance as Pat Loud made her seem like such a force of nature that when Cinema Verite ended I immediately wanted to search my local library websites for Loud's memoir. Marsh, in the rare position within the miniseries/movie categories of already holding an Emmy for playing her character, anchored Upstairs, Downstairs by tying it to the past while also keeping its flights of nostalgia from feeling twee. Winslet carried Mildred Pierce by making the protagonist always feel painfully human across all the emotional highs and lows of her travails.

Honorable Mention: Elizabeth McGovern, Downton Abbey

I wouldn't be surprised to see: Kate Fleetwood, Macbeth; Jennifer Love Hewitt, The Client List; Katie Holmes, The Kennedys; Hayden Panettiere, Amanda Knox: Murder on Trial in Italy

Dream Emmy Ballot 2011: Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie

Brendan Coyle - "John Bates", Downton Abbey

Thomas Dekker - "Lance Loud", Cinema Verite

Martin Freeman - "Dr. John Watson", Sherlock

Paul Giamatti - "Ben Bernanke", Too Big to Fail

Brian F. O'Byrne - "Bert Pierce", Mildred Pierce

This was a tough one to narrow down. Coyle shone in the kind of complex but essentially good-hearted "downstairs" role that seems to form the emotional core of Julian Fellowes' work like Downton Abbey and Gosford Park. Dekker's performance was one of the few in Cinema Verite that didn't feel overly reliant on the original series - slightly over-the-top, but undeniably charismatic. Freeman, more than any other actor who submitted in this category, is more like a co-lead than a supporting player. Wherever he's acknowledged, he deserves recognition for the way he played off of Benedict Cumberbatch's Holmes in his wonderfully even-keeled performance as a contemporary Watson. Too Big to Fail was full of great performances, but Giamatti's soft-spoken work as Bernanke commanded particular attention and helped reinforce a sense of portentousness in the events the film covers. O'Byrne did some of the best work in an adaptation that hewed closely to its source material - it would be easy for a character who dumps the protagonist in the earliest minutes of the piece to seem like a villain, but he infused Bert with a flawed but warm humanity.

Honorable Mention: Billy Crudup, Too Big to Fail; James Gandolfini, Cinema Verite; James LeGros, Mildred Pierce; Matthew Macfadyen, Any Human Heart; Guy Pearce, Mildred Pierce; Tim Robbins, Cinema Verite; Adrian Scarborough, Upstairs, Downstairs; James Woods, Too Big to Fail

I wouldn't be surprised to see: Donald Sutherland, The Pillars of the Earth; Tom Wilkinson, The Kennedys

Dream Emmy Ballot 2011: Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie

Melissa Leo - "Lucy Gessler", Mildred Pierce

Maggie Smith - "Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham", Downton Abbey

Morgan Turner - "Young Veda Pierce", Mildred Pierce

Ruth Wilson - "Alice Morgan", Luther

Evan Rachel Wood - "Veda Pierce", Mildred Pierce

Melissa Leo and Maggie Smith are the kinds of actresses that the television academy loves to nominate in the miniseries/movie categories: Oscar winners working in buzzy period pieces. Entirely coincidentally, they gave two seriously great, scene-stealing performances. Leo, in Drag Race parlance, served Sassy Thirties Character Actress Realness in every frame of Mildred Pierce she appeared in, while Smith anchored Downton Abbey's look at shifting class mores with regal bearing and amazing line delivery. ("What is a week-end?" rightfully becoming an instant classic.) I couldn't see putting forth Turner without Wood or vice versa; Turner provided the perfectly snooty base in the miniseries' first three episodes, from which Wood crescendoed to delightfully campy heights in the final two. Together their performances shaped one gloriously monstrous young woman. And Wilson brought a necessary energy to Luther with Alice's particular brand of sociopathic menace.

Honorable Mention: Eileen Atkins, Upstairs, Downstairs; Cynthia Nixon, Too Big to Fail; Mare Winningham, Mildred Pierce

I wouldn't be surprised to see: Gillian Anderson, Any Human Heart; Kim Cattrall, Any Human Heart; Patty Duke, Unanswered Prayers; Betty White, The Lost Valentine

Baking: Happy Fourth of July!

A festively red, white and blue dessert from the holiday weekend!

(Berry Pound Cake with Whipped Cream from Martha Stewart)