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- 07/02/08 11:19 AM
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Drama leads for both genders posted online; Breaking Bad's Cranston, BSG's McDonnell get their dues.
One of the great traditions of awards shows is the grand announcement of the nominees that will be competing for major prizes. Another great tradition of awards shows is watching said nominees squirm in their seats, bite their nails, and suppress their anxiety through liberal application of alcohol. However, with only five nominees per category, the entertainment factor of watching celebs sweat it out leaves us longing for even more razzled stars.
That's where Emmy shortlists come in! Ten Hollywood actors can begin developing nervous tics now, and five of those will come face-to-face with rejection sooner.
Another pair of lists of potential Emmy nominees has surfaced, courtesy of The Los Angeles Times' The Envelope, and these names cover the lead actor and actress categories in the drama division. A tradition each year, The Envelope releases the list of 10 (or sometimes 11) actors that have made the final cut for Emmy nominees--a list that will be cut down to five after Academy members check out their work and cast their votes.
We'll start with the leading ladies of drama, and who better to lead things off than President Roslin. Mary McDonnell, who plays the idealistic leader in Battlestar Galactica (which finally found its way onto one of these lists), has made the shortlist, according to the site. McDonnell was previously nominated for an Emmy for a guest role on ER in 1994, and also has a pair of Oscar nominations to her name.
McDonnell will be up against a handful of no-brainers, including Damages' Glenn Close, Brothers and Sisters' Sally Field, Saving Grace's Holly Hunter, and The Riches' Minnie Driver. That's stiff competition--that foursome has a dozen Oscar nominations and three wins between them.
Also in the mix are Medium's Patricia Arquette, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit's Mariska Hargitay, Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss, The Closer's Kyra Sedgwick, and Big Love's Jeanne Tripplehorn.
As for the men, Bryan Cranston is getting closer to another shot at Emmy gold, and all he had to do was take his pants off, run around the desert, and cook up some drugs to get noticed. The Breaking Bad star has reportedly made the shortlist, after going oh-for-three as a supporting actor nominee in Malcolm in the Middle.
Cranston is joined by familiar names including House's Hugh Laurie, Dexter's Michael C. Hall, Friday Night Light's Kyle Chandler, Rescue Me's Denis Leary, and Boston Legal's James Spader.
Also in contention are In Treatment's Gabriel Byrne, Grey's Anatomy's Patrick Dempsey, Mad Men's Jon Hamm, and The Riches' Eddie Izzard.
Sally Field and James Spader took home the Lead Actor in a Drama Series prizes last year.
It's important to note that these shortlists are not announced by the Academy, and are merely posted by The Envelope based on sources who spill the beans. The Academy, which officially released the shortlists for the Drama Series and Comedy Series categories this year, does not release the shortlists in the acting categories. They do get leaked, however, and the lists for Lead Comedy Actress and Supporting Drama Actor and Actress were outed yesterday.
The final Emmy nominees are scheduled to be announced on July 17. The 60th Primetime Emmy Awards show will be held September 21 in Los Angeles and broadcast on ABC.
To sum up:
Shortlist for Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Patricia Arquette, Medium
Glenn Close, Damages
Minnie Driver, The Riches
Sally Field, Brothers and Sisters
Mariska Hargitay, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit
Holly Hunter, Saving Grace
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men
Mary McDonnell, Battlestar Galactica
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer
Jeanne Tripplehorn, Big Love
Shortlist for Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment
Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Patrick Dempsey, Grey's Anatomy
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Eddie Izzard, The Riches
Hugh Laurie, House
Denis Leary, Rescue Me
James Spader, Boston Legal
Let's hear it--who deserved it and who got snubbed? Anyone bothered that Matthew Fox, Ellen Pompeo, and Calista Flockhart did not get recognized?
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COMMENTS
Flight of the Conchords, you were robbed
10/10/2008 22:20:32GO MARISKA GO!! she deserves this award!![BEST Lead Actress in a Drama Series]yeahhh!!!! whoaaaa
08/29/2008 11:31:33mariska!!!!
07/21/2008 09:45:02PATRICK DEMPSEY all the way Its about time he wins an emmy I love him and he play Derek Shepherd so well. I hope he wins
07/16/2008 10:35:14Michael C. Hall as Dexter deserves the Emmy.
07/13/2008 19:57:59Everytime James Spader is given an interesting topic to work with on Boston Legal it's been Emmy gold...I think he has the chance to repeat this year. If he doesn't win I would love to see either Michael C. Hall from Dexter or Bryan Cranston from Breaking Bad win. On the ladies' side, I love BSG, but I have to go with either Minnie Driver for The Riches or Gleen Close for Damages. There has been a swing where cable channels are putting out original material far better then the big three networks. They have more flexibility and their programming reflected by it.
07/08/2008 21:10:50Mary McDonnell all the way. Its about time BSG gets its due and she really does deserve a win.
07/07/2008 16:54:18:( I absolutey LOVE both Kyle Chandler and Michael C. Hall...you couldn't pay me to miss either show...but I have to say Michael...even though FNL could use the good PR
07/06/2008 22:01:44Mary McDonnell for the win! She's given, like, four episodes this season that deserve Emmy wins. Go Galactica!
07/06/2008 17:52:27Michael C. Hall, Dexter. For the win
07/06/2008 05:25:44Bout time Pres. Roslin got a nomination, can't you see she keeps us safe from the Cylons???
07/04/2008 09:56:16some good competition, Dempsey or Laurie are my best bet
07/04/2008 09:38:50I really hope Mary McDonnell gets nominated.
07/04/2008 08:56:35James Spader gave amazing performances each and every episode this season on BL, if he doesn't pull out the Emmy [again] it'll be a shame. It was truly his greatest season on the show.
07/03/2008 10:06:31ugh, nothing really, except for Hugh Laurie. Not a huge drama watcher though, so I don't really have any suggestions. All of my favorite dramas have been cancelled.
07/03/2008 09:54:09Michael C. Hall Should Get it.
07/03/2008 09:35:46Hugh deserves the award
07/03/2008 09:09:29Hugh and Kyra!!!!!
07/03/2008 05:48:15Hugh Laurie so deserves that award.
07/03/2008 04:25:06And the winner is Hugh Laurie :)
07/02/2008 22:50:39give Hugh his Emmy already.
07/02/2008 21:28:08Kyle chandler! I am so happy to see him on the list he is great on fnl
07/02/2008 21:08:53That is awesome for Mary McDonnell! Overall I'm pleased with the lists though I would like to have seen Christopher Meloni, Matthew Fox, and Edward James Olmos on the actor list. But as far as the current list goes, I really think Michael C Hall should get the win.
07/02/2008 21:02:31Michael C. Hall and Glenn Close should win. And Peter Krause not even making the top 10 is ridiculous.
07/02/2008 20:22:52If you do not count Patrick Dempsey then all the lead actors are truly great and deserving!!
07/02/2008 18:49:11Glad to see Hugh Laurie and Denis Leary on the list, obviously it's tough competition but this is one case where just being nominated really is an honor.
07/02/2008 17:54:45Gabriel Byrne really should win, and I'm hoping for either Mary McDonnell or Jeanne Tripplehorn for the ladies. List could still use some touching up however.
07/02/2008 16:30:11To be perfectly honest, it's a crazy year for all categories of Emmy nominations, with the writers strike and all, is it not? Who decides on the nominations? Do they just pick an episode the character was good in, or do the judges go through every episode of the season, like us viewers, to make an informed decision? Also what's the criteria, because it really seems like a popularity contest, rather than based on any acting ability or standard? Since my feeling is that it's just a cheering competition of who can make the most noise, I'll be cheering for Mary McDonnell and Gabriel Byrne. I've seen every episode of every season for the men but for the ladies I've only seen BSG, The Riches and Mad Men, so I can't say one way or the other about the ladies. That said, I still think Edward James Olmos was snubbed yet again, he's been amazing for the last 4 years on BSG. James Spader was phenomenal and he may run away with it again, and Bryan Cranston was terrific and really showed his range, however, as far as character development and subtle acting goes, Gabriel Byrne in "In Treatment" was the best for me, as I'm still interested in what his characters future will be. In sum, horribly difficult decision to make on a leading actor, as they were all amazing!
07/02/2008 14:26:10Go Bryan Cranston! I get that Hugh Laurie is GOOD but he already has 2 Golden Globes, he can have an Emmy another year. :)
07/02/2008 13:54:20FINALLY Battlestar Galactica is getting noticed for how great of a show it is.
07/02/2008 13:34:36Bryan Cranston should get it. The guy was amazing in Breaking Bad.
07/02/2008 12:59:23