- My Record: Admittedly, I cast a pretty wide net with the "Wouldn't Be Surprised to See" category, but nevertheless, I'm pretty proud of myself. Out of 94 acting nominations, I only missed four: Barry Pepper in The Kennedys (that miniseries did much better, nomination-wise, that I thought it would), Taraji P. Henson in Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story (love her, haven't seen the movie, didn't think she was "big" enough to capture the attention of the voters, who, in the past at least, seemed to disproportionately go for big names and hype independent of actual performance), Idris Elba in The Big C (thought Laura Linney would get that show's only recognition, Elba makes for a low-key odd man out in the category, and part of me thought Darren Criss was kind of a lock), and Kristin Chenoweth in Glee (I'm really disappointed in myself for missing this one - while I think "Rumours" was one of this season's strongest episodes, I think that the dialed-down nature of the writing for April compared to last year made me think that Chenoweth wouldn't get recognized, but that's no reason not to include her in the field. I'm not really sure where my brain was on this one, frankly.)
- My Best Categories: Supporting Actress in a Drama and Supporting Actress in a Miniseries/Movie, where all the actual nominees were either on my ballot or in the honorable mention category; My Worst Categories: Supporting Actor in a Comedy, where zero actual nominees were on my ballot, and Lead Actor in a Comedy, Lead Actor in a Miniseries/Movie and Supporting Actress in a Comedy, where only two actual nominees appeared on my ballot or in honorable mention
- Pleasant Surprises: I was kind of shocked by the number of nominations Justified garnered - obviously, I put a fair number of those actors on my dream ballots, but I never in a million years thought Walton Goggins and Jeremy Davies would actually for real get nominated. Also awesome: Cat Deeley finally receiving the nomination she's deserved since the category's 2008 inception for Outstanding Host of a Reality Program.
- Things That Make Me Go, "Hmmm...": I felt pretty sure it was going to happen (when I saw it on nomination morning, I may have gasped and said, "I KNEW IT!" aloud like a total psycho), and I certainly don't begrudge her the attention or, in principle, have anything against basic-cable procedurals, but I'm kind of bummed that Mary McDonnell got a nomination for her soon-to-be-spunoff role on The Closer and never got one for playing Laura Roslin.
- Unpleasant Surprises: Everyone has shows they love that get totally shafted - this year I'm mourning a bit for United States of Tara - final season, and transcended the trappings of its concept, which too few Showtime shows seem to do - and Community, which had great character work framed by inventive work across all the genres it showcased. But one batch of snubs in particular really get to me.
A few days before the nominations were announced, it suddenly came to me, floating up out of the recesses of my mind. "I bet Benedict Cumberbatch isn't going to get nominated," I thought. My increasingly Anglophilic, television-loving soul rebelled against the very thought. He's so good! I might have scoffed aloud at the theatrical trailer for the Downey/Law sequel because they are so clearly owned by Cumberbatch/Freeman! I might have moaned aloud as if in actual physical pain when I read that PBS's TCA presentation indicated that the new batch of Sherlock episodes won't air in the US until next May! However, my rational, knowledgeable-of-Emmy-history head couldn't forget the dominating performances the academy's voters have overlooked in favor of the comfort of familiar names in the past. And my head, tragically, was right. (Aside: Increasingly Anglophilic also, in part, means "increasingly appreciative of Steven Moffat's talent for genre-hopping." I'm not sure why he isn't more well-known in the US, outside of Doctor Who fans, that is - maybe if the Coupling remake hadn't flamed out the way it did?)
- This Gold Derby post of the episodes submitted for consideration by the nominated actors is very interesting. As much as I love this little exercise, I don't know that I could be an Emmy voter. Jon Hamm and Elisabeth Moss in "The Suitcase" versus Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton in "Always"? A choice I'm glad I don't have to make.
- I ran out of the necessary energy required to complete the ballot posts on the overall drama/comedy series and miniseries/movie categories before (or even shortly after) the nominations were announced, but will pull together some concluding thoughts on the shows covered by this eligibility period. To be continued...
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