Scandal at the Emmys
The Emmys — the TV community’s best
chance to slap itself on the back — typically get a bad rap in the
awards-show biz. First, they take place well outside of traditional
awards-show season, which is just so…gauche.
Second, since most of the awards go to continuing series, nominations often end
up going to the same old people for the same old awards every freaking year.
Yawn.
To address that last issue the academy changed up the voting
process this year. And bless their hearts, they predictably screwed it up. So
when the Emmys return this Sunday, August 27, 8 p.m. on NBC, we’ve got a little
bit of controversy to liven up the otherwise deadly-dull proceedings.
Notable snubs: ABC’s
Lost is one of television’s most
popular shows, a critical favorite, and won last year for Best Drama Series. This year? Shut out! Not a single nomination in any of the
major categories. Even if you quibble with the quality of the writing and the
overall pacing (and I do — it’s every bad comic book clichรฉ spread out over
weeks and weeks without any forward momentum), you cannot deny the quality work
by the show’s cast. And yet…nothing. Another big 2005
winner, Desperate Housewives, was
also roundly dissed. But everyone pretty much agrees
that’s because Season 2 sucked eggs.
Dubious nominations: Four
of the five nominees for Best Actress in a Comedy Series are from cancelled
shows. And given the ratings for the lone live program (Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ The New Adventures of Old Christine),
that one might not last long. But perhaps the biggest screw-up is the
nominating of the divine Ellen Burstyn for Best Supporting Actress, Mini-Series
or Movie for a role in which she appears onscreen for literally only 14 seconds.
Whoops!
This article appears in Aug 23-29, 2006.
