Sunday, 19 July 2004
An exercise in obviousness: The 2004 Emmy nominations - THE COMMENTARY
By Joseph Planta
VANCOUVER - The Emmy nominations came out on Thursday, and again the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has not failed to disappoint with its nominations and the trends had. The most obvious trend is the juggernaut that HBO poses throughout the categories. Angels in America, the Mike Nichols helmed miniseries, has been critically acclaimed winning plaudits from critics even before it aired. Its lineage probably tipped all bets, considering it was a landmark Pulitzer Prize winning work by Tony Kushner that wowed Broadway over a decade ago. Angels in America is this year's most nominated program, garnering 21 nods in total, including a notable four nominations in the supporting actor in a miniseries or movie category. Of five nominations, actors Patrick Wilson, Justin Kirk, Ben Shenkman, and Jeffrey Wright are nominated, alongside William H. Macy for the odd Showtime picture, Stealing Sinatra.
Other obvious nominations were nods for the principals on Everybody Loves Raymond, and Sex and the City. The former, a perennial Emmy favourite, won best comedy series last year, and the latter, a favourite all the more thanks to its final season. In acting nods, it was no surprise in that Jennifer Aniston (Friends), Matt LeBlanc (Friends), Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle), Allison Janney (The West Wing), Kelsey Grammer (Frasier), and Martin Sheen (The West Wing) got nods for their series work. What's surprising is that last year's best comedy series lead actress Debra Messing was snubbed, as was her co-star Eric McCormick, whom NBC brass lauded last week on the press tour as underrated and largely forgotten. (Messing's diss is probably apt considering she was absent for a time on the series.) Also surprising were the snubs of Frasier and Friends from being nominated as outstanding comedy series. It's surprising for the former because it is the Emmy's most honoured program in history, and the latter, because its finale was the story of the year in the television industry. Then again, both series exits were so hyped by NBC, plus it is part and parcel of the trend that cable's HBO is putting out quality programming compared to the broadcasting networks, the big four, ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX.
Because of a new voting system and an opening up of the process there were some notable surprises. Amber Tamblyn of the freshmen drama, Joan of Arcadia, and Mariska Hargitay of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit both got nods in the lead actress in a drama series category. A surprise was that Law and Order, the franchise's flagship program, was shut out of nominations completely. Again, perhaps that's obvious thanks to its age, but surprising nonetheless.
A&E's recent Ike: Countdown to D-Day starring Tom Selleck as Dwight D. Eisenhower took six nominations, three short of the Larry Gelbart scripted and Antonio Banderas starrer, And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself, but Selleck himself for his portrayal of General Eisenhower was snubbed. In the acting category where Selleck was not nominated and Banderas was, included was James Brolin for his portrayal of Ronald Reagan in the controversial Showtime picture, which was to have aired on CBS before the controversy over its hatchet job on the Reagans, which was a while before the rapture over his death last month. Judy Davis as Nancy Reagan was also nominated. Banderas does face tough competition in his category; Al Pacino is nominated for his brilliant portrayal of Roy Cohn in Angels in America, for which he nabbed the Golden Globe earlier this year, as well as past winner Alan Rickman, and Mos Def, the latter two from another HBO film, Something the Lord Made. Davis faces stiff competition too in her category: Emma Thompson and Meryl Streep from Angels in America, Glenn Close in the Showtime remake of The Lion in Winter, and perennial Emmy favourite Dame Helen Mirren in Prime Suspect 6.
Great delight was had with the news that Arrested Development, the critical favourite from FOX, was nominated for seven Emmy nominations this year, tying it with Friends oddly enough. What's odder is that Arrested Development did what Friends did not do, and that's nabbing a nomination in the all important best comedy series category. Jeffrey Tambor was the only cast member to be nominated from Arrested Development, in the category of best supporting actor, which welcomes him back to the category he was once nominated in years ago for The Larry Sanders Show. Perhaps it's Tambor's year, because of his fellow nominees, save for Everybody Loves Raymond's Peter Boyle, they've all won Emmy's for the roles their nominated for this year. Boyle already has an Emmy anyway, for a guest turn on the locally shot Millennium; so for the only non-winner, Tambor might just win. Liza Minnelli, whose multi-episode arc was a critical favourite, was nowhere to be found in the Emmy nominations. At least, she deserved a guest actress nomination, but alas she didn't make the cut. It's too bad, she was deserving; as is Jason Bateman, whose track record at previous sitcoms never made it past the first season, or has received this much praise. He deserves it, he's good, not to mention at a relatively young age, a vet.
Curb Your Enthusiasm, a favourite of mine was nominated for eight Emmy's this year. Larry David was the only principal actor nominated, and it's surprising that none of the guest stars this season made the cut. I'm sure Ben Stiller, David Schwimmer, Mel Brooks, or Anne Bancroft would have been deserving. In the directing category though, Curb Your Enthusiasm took three of five nominations (the other two were for Arrested Development's pilot, and Sex and the City's finale).
Jay Leno's Tonight Show was snubbed in the important variety series category. Nominated this year are the oft-favourites Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Saturday Night Live, and last year's winner, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Making a big splash with first-time nominations is Chappelle's Show, which is actually pretty good. Dave Chappelle writes, produces, and performs in the comedy program. Chappelle, who apparently doesn't like doing the show, claiming both on and off the show, that it ruins his life, took nominations for writing and producing.
Chappelle did not receive a performance nomination, for which he deserves, which puts him in the same boat as Jon Stewart, who was nominated last year. David Letterman was also shut out, but he hasn't been nominated for a while anyway. As well, none of the SNL cast got nominations, which is a shame really. Those so nominated were: Bill Maher for his HBO talker, Real Time with Bill Maher; Ellen DeGeneres, who is soon becoming one of television most beloved personalities (for this year, at least), for her HBO comedy stand-up special; Tracey Ullman for her own HBO special, Tracey Ullman in the Trailer Tales, which was funny for a bit, but increasingly annoying as it went on; Billy Crystal for his hosting chores at the 76th Annual Academy Awards; and Elaine Stritch, for her HBO concert special, Elaine Stritch: At Liberty. Stritch is a Broadway favourite, not to mention legend, and this one-woman tour de force was filmed after a storied run on Broadway, where it won a Tony Award for best special show, and earned a profile on 60 Minutes. Stritch should only win, if for the fact that when she won her Tony she was played off the air during her speech, which got her so upset she was thinking of returning the award. Emmy director Louis J. Horvitz is advised not to play of Stritch should she win. Horvitz himself happens to be nominated this year as well, for directing the Academy Awards telecast. He's won a few times directing specials, such as the Oscars, and he also happens to be the guy who's directing the Emmy telecast. So when his name is called out, he cuts to himself in the control room, gives a speech, and holds off cuing the music until he conveniently finishes his own thank-you's.
The Sopranos was the year's most nominated drama series, and deservedly so. I really got into the show this season, and a lot of the year's brilliance is evident in the nominations had. For outstanding writing for a drama series, The Sopranos took four of the five nominations, while Deadwood, took the remaining. HBO swept the writing award, which essentially means, that the best writing for a drama can be found on HBO, and that 80% of that can be found on The Sopranos.
The actors from the show nominated include, James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli, Steve Buscemi, and Drea De Matteo. Buscemi was tremendous as cousin Tony, who appeared for the first time this season, and got whacked before season's end. He just might win in this category, but Imperioli really impressed this season especially in two of the four nominated best writing episodes. Imperioli, who has written an episode or two, wasn't nominated for writing, which he's probably deserving of. He's as good a writer as he is an actor, and as an actor, especially in the writing award nominated "Irregular Around the Margins," he was frighteningly amazing.
Dominic Chianese's character, Uncle Junior, was not nominated for a supporting actor prize, which was surprising. He was robbed, frankly, especially since the episode in which he was pivotal in, "Where's Johnny?" was singled out for a writing prize. It doesn't make sense frankly. Then again, other deserving Sopranos cast members Lorraine Bracco, Aida Turturro, and Tony Sirico, weren't nominated, as were, which was more shocking, some of the outstanding guest stars that appeared this year. I would have thought that Tim Daly and Polly Bergen would have gotten guest actor nominations, as would have Annette Benning, for appearing in a convoluted dream sequence, where she appeared in a dream that Tony Soprano was having. Alas, they weren't, and that's perhaps the big mystery of this year.
The guest performers who were nominated however boast a cast talented and noteworthy. In guest actor in a drama, there's James Earl Jones for a turn on the WB's Everwood; Martin Landau for a guest turn on Without a Trace; William Shatner for his shutting down of The Practice; and Matthew Perry for the time he turned up on The West Wing. The guy who'll probably win this award will be Bob Newhart, whose guest arc on ER, was remarkable for the comedian, as well as controversial. He dies. The way he dies, raised the ire of health professionals.
In the guest female in a drama, there's sitcom queen Betty White for a turn on The Practice; Oscar-winner Louise Fletcher for Joan of Arcadia; Sharon Stone for her arc on The Practice; and another Oscar-winner Marlee Matlin for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit; also nominated for Law & Order: SVU is Oscar nominee Mare Winningham.
In the guest actor in a comedy, there's the much lauded Fred Willard, for a turn on Everybody Loves Raymond; John Turturro for Monk; Danny DeVito for his stripper role on Friends; and John Cleese on Will and Grace. Anthony LaPaglia is nominated for his guest starrer on Frasier, for which he won an Emmy for a previous guester. LaPaglia is also nominated for a lead actor in a drama series Emmy for Without a Trace.
And of course, there are the reality nominations. There are two categories for reality programming. One for so-called reality programs, and another for 'reality-competition.' Notable nominations in the reality program category are Penn Jillette and Teller, of Penn and Teller, for their Showtime special, Penn and Teller: Bullshit!; who happen to go up against Ben Affleck and Matt Damon who are nominated again for their program, Project Greenlight. Also in this category are ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, PBS's Colonial House, and Bravo's Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. In the reality-competition category, those nominated include: The Amazing Race, American Idol, The Apprentice, Last Comic Standing, and Survivor. The Amazing Race won this award last year. Donald Trump is an Emmy nominee, in a category that includes of all people, Jerry Bruckheimer (who produces The Amazing Race), and Jay Mohr, who produces Last Comic Standing.
The 56th Annual Emmy Awards will be presented in a primetime telecast on Sunday, September 12, 2004, to be broadcast on ABC. ABC, by the way, did not come up with any major nominations, further indication of how bad programming has gotten at the Disney-owned network. Garry Shandling hosts, which will be good considering last year's fiasco with multiple hosts.
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An archive of Joseph Planta's previous columns can be found by clicking HERE .