https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/69th_Primetime_Emmy_Awards

They announced the 69th Primetime Emmy Award nominees yesterday.  I’m so far out of touch with television but a few things I’m still making time to watch did make the list.  My wife’s interests are definitely represented though.

Outstanding Comedy Series

I still need to watch Atlanta, as I do like Donald Glover.  I need to get get back into Silicon Valley, that first season finale was so good but we’ve been flirting with getting rid of HBO so much that I didn’t want to commit to the show, if I couldn’t finish it.  Which is silly, as I would have been done with it so long ago.  We’re still watching Black-ish and Modern Family, though Modern Family seems to be winding way down.  Still not enough Ariel Winters for me.  Alex is by far, the best character on that show.

Programs

Outstanding Drama Series

My wife watched The Handmaid’s Tale and Westworld.  James Marsden is on Westworld, so I really do need to make a point of watching that show.  We’re big fans of This Is Us, so it’ll be nice to see that show win.  I like how they got the series lasting until season three, that seems like a show that could have three great years and have told the story they need to tell.  We also enjoyed Stranger Things, and are looking forward to that second season on Halloween, this year.

Outstanding Variety Talk Series

Is there a reason Conan O’Brien can’t get nominated for this award!?!  It boggles my mind!  I would like to see John Oliver win it, but when that third season started off, and I knew it was going to be Anti-Trump like crazy but those first two episodes were hard to watch.  Like, I get it, not many were happy he become our president but our president he is, so I just can’t watch a show that is that extremely negative.  I barely have time to watch the shows I do like.

Outstanding Variety Sketch Series

Drunk History!  I can watch that show, all day!  Seemed like they were petering out with this latest season but still, the worst episode of that show is still better than most episodes of other shows.  I had to give up on Saturday Night Live too, just so Trump crazy and Alec Bladwin’s impression of him is a tad much.

Outstanding Limited Series

I want to watch Season Two of Fargo, just for Rachel Keller.

Outstanding Television Movie

I really do need to get caught up with Sherlock, finally got around to watching Doctor Strange, which I enjoyed.  On principle, I’ll be fine with Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors : Circle of Love winning.

Outstanding Reality-Competition Program

Now this is my category!  Which isn’t great, on my part, but like the Best Animated Feature category of the Oscars, this is the one that I’ve invested in the most.  We watch Amazing Race, American Ninja Warrior, The Voice and Top Chef – whenever Hulu updates with a new season – which feels like a while now.  I would love love LOVE American Ninja Warrior to win it.  That would be amazing!

Acting

Leading Performances

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Of the two shows, I’ll pick Hang Time alumn Anthony Anderson over the Mace.  Shameless is becoming a show that is harder to watch, with each new season.  Like, it isn’t even fun anymore.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

I guess Tracee Ellis Ross for her second win, for me.  Has Dolly Parton showed up on Grace and Frankie yet?  As a West Wing fan, I should watch that show on principle and I shout root for Allison Janney in this category but I can’t bring myself to do it.  Not yet.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Sterling K. Brown as Randall from This is Us, all day!  Such a great character!  Kevin Spacey’s character being listed as the President, Second Gentleman to First Gentleman, makes me want to watch that show.  Milo Ventimiglia as Jack from This is Us is another good contender.  My wife watches The Americans so I’m sure she’ll be fine with Matthew Rhys winning, so she’s not going to watch the Emmys.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

My wife watches How to Get Away with Murder, and I like Viola Davis, so I’m fine with a win from her.  Elisabeth Moss, another West Wing Alum, is up for The Handmaid’s Tale, a show my wife really got into.  She downloaded the book and said it was a pretty decent adaption.  Apparently the book and the show are rather hard to watch.  A win from her shows The Americans and Westworld would be good too.  I’ve barely heard anything from The Crown.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

HBO’s The Night Of sounds like an interesting show that I should track down.  Michelle Pfeiffer wasn’t nominated for The Wizard of Lies but I could watch a Bernie Madoff film, it has Robert De Niro in a credible role again so it has to be good, right?  Benedict Cumberbatch, I do like as Sherlock.  I’m like in the middle of the fourth episode, I should really try to finish that one.  Ewan McGregor was another reason why I wanted to watch Fargo.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

I didn’t watch Big Little Lies nor Feud : Bette and Joan – so that’s two thirds of the category right there.  I wouldn’t mind watching them though, though I was burnt out on Jessica Lange after two and a half seasons of American Horror Show.

Supporting Performances

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

I’m surprised to learn that Louie Anderson is still around!  Good for him, he’s 64 right now.  I rather Alec Baldwin did not win for being President Trump on SNL.  Imagine if he does!?!  It’ll be even more nonstop!  I should really watch Veep – everything about it sounds up my alley.  Ty Burrell is still hanging on strong in this category.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Good gosh!  I heard SNL was the best it has been in years but to have Vanessa Bayer, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon all nominated is pretty nice!  McKinnon won last year, and I would love to get Vanessa Bayer as this year’s winner.  I had to look up Anna Chlumsky, as the name looked so familiar.  She co-hosted the nominated ceremony, she’s the Girl in My Girl.  Which it looks like she’s been having quite the career in these past few years.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Ron Cephas Jones as William from This is Us, such a great character!  That one episode, oh boy!  I’m surprised they put Sterling K. Brown as Lead Actor, I thought that show would pull a Modern Family and consider everybody Supporting.  It does seem to be Randal and Jack’s story though.  David Harbour is pretty fun in Stranger Things, he had quite the character arc on that show.  Is Homeland still a thing?  Who still watched it after season three?  I tried season four’s first episode and was just done as I couldn’t watch Carrie anymore.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

I also gave up on Orange is the New Black, though I’m sure that had more to do with my wife wanting to really watch the show.  She’s home all day with Walker Dennis so whatever makes her life easier, I usually support.  Millie Booby Brown as Eleven on Stranger Things should probably take it.  I wonder if she would be a record winner or something.  I do like Chrissy Metz as Kate on This Is Us.  My wife would like that two people from The Handmaid’s Tale got nominated.  I guess, with Westworld, she has seen every show in this category – pretty impressive!

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

Alfred Molina is in Feud : Bette and Joan?  That’s really interesting.  I also learn recently that Alexander Skarsgard is in Big Little Lies and I’ll watch that man in anything!  I heard he is pretty cruel to Nicole Kidman’s character, on that show.  I use to be a giant Stanley Tucci fan, not sure what happened there, he’s like Olivier Platt, I would watch a movie just because he’s in it.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

Laura Dern is in Big Little Lies?  I was already tempted by Shailene Woodley (who is also nominated) but Dern being in it means I should probably watch that first episode.  I like how everyone is nominated in that show, I’m just not a big fan of Kidman and Witherspoon.  I’m of the mind that Nicole Kidman has only truly been great in Batman Forever.  That’s the most I’ve ever been attracted to her.  She was alright in Moulin Rouge! and Eyes Wide Shut.  She’s in that horrible The Others movie that I saw in the theater and that may have been the turning point with me and her.  Usually, she’s just in films I have no interest in.  Same with Witherspoon, outside of Cruel Intentions and that action romantic comedy film.  Oh man, and she’s in Pleasantville and Election – great films.  So I like early Witherspoon, I guess.  This Means War, I like to look up that movie’s title.  I forgot she’s in American Psycho and the good Twilight film.  Gosh, she’s in Fear too, a film that every father should show his daughter, just so she can learn the important lesson to listen to their fathers when they saw the boy isn’t right for her.  Perhaps, they might listen for just a little bit.

Directing

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series

Donald Glover directed an episode of Atlanta, they should give him the award!  I like MIke Judge directing an episode of his series, Silicon Valley, someone else directed the other episode the show got nominated for.  Veep got three nominations.

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series

The Handmaid’s Tale got two episodes nominated.  The Duffer Brothers got nominated for directing the pilot episode of their series, Stranger Things.  Though the first episode wasn’t the most amazing of the batch but it sets up everything.  I didn’t realize Westworld was Jonathan Nolan’s followup to Person of Interest, a show we really enjoy.  I see the last season of that show is finally on Netflix so we can finally finish it.

Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special

This was the other category that I would certainly have seen everything on it.  We’ve been dialing way back on our interest in celebrities, unless they are cooking, so we don’t see many award shows anymore.  Mostly, just the highlights on YouTube or the photos the next day.  These shows really are just interesting for the results.  I don’t really care about the speeches.  Especially if they are political.  And even more especially, if all the political speeches are from the same viewpoint, so they are just adding to their own side.  I do remember liking Samantha Bee from The Daily Show but I usually just figure the Oscar director wins this.

Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special

I really want Noah Hawley to win for Fargo, just for his work with bringing Legion to FX, alone.  Love that show!  Ryan Murphy is nominated for directing his show Feud : Bette and Joan.  Is there talk of doing another famous feud for season two?  I imagine that’s why they have the subtitle.  Ron Howard directing Genius, makes me want to learn more about that show.  I saw it nominated for a few other awards.  The Night Of got two nominations too.

Writing

Outstanding Writing for a Comedic Series

The Glovers got nominated for two separate episodes of Atlanta.  I watched Legion so I should be able to watch Atlanta.  I’ve heard of Stephen in Donald’s standup material before.

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series

The Americans got nominated as did The Handmaid’s Tale.  I like the Duffer Brothers being nominated for Stranger Things as well as Jonathan Nolan being co-nominated for Westworld.

Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special

I’ve been misspelling Outstanding, every single time. I think it is the two t’s being right next to each other that is messing me up.  Louis C.K. for his standup, is a nomination I can get behind.  Walker Dennis is all in on Secret Life of Pets so I’ve been hearing Louis C.K.’s voice a lot, this past week.  Plus, I keep getting Home Movies flashbacks as he isn’t doing a different voice.  If you cast Louis C.K., you want that distinctive voice.  Is Sarah Silverman still doing standup?  I’ve been liking her in her dramatic work, as of late.  The Tonys got nominated too.

Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series

Hey, Seth Meyers got nominated for an Emmy!  SNL is probably going to take this but I wouldn’t mind John Oliver too.

Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special

I should watch Black Mirror, I’ve been wanting too ever since Ryan Guy mention it on Turtle Soup.  Is Big Little Lies a David E. Kelley show?  Is he still married to Michelle Pfeiffer?  Yes and Yes!  One doesn’t divorce Michelle Pfeiffer!   I didn’t even realize Ally McBeal crossed over with his other shows Boston Public and Boston Legal.  They crossed over twice!  I should look those episodes up.  Also, I should stop looking at his Wikipedia page.  I should also donate three dollars to their cause, the next time that pops up.  There it is.  I wanted to confirm that he actually did work on To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday, as that was Freddie Prinze Jr.’s first gig and he told a story about seeing the two of them at the table read and they were pretty cute together, that morning.  Kelley wrote and produced that movie.  Probably shouldn’t read into the fact that she’s never done any appearances on any of his shows, right?  Like, that movie wasn’t a huge success, though it did give us Claire Danes as a movie actress and it gave us Prinze, so its legacy is secured in the annuals of time and important things.  Hey, he even created that Wonder Woman would-be show for NBC and he even created Sarah Gellar’s The Crazy Ones.  Heck!  He even co-created Doogie Howser, MD!   (Now, I’m just rewriting his Wikipedia page for your benefit.)

So Kelley should totally win an Emmy for Big Little Lies, as I’m not visiting anyone else’s Wikipedia page.  Hey, Noah Hawley is up for Fargo, so I’m okay with him stealing both categories!  That would be neat if he won a writing Emmy and a directing Emmy, on the same night.  That may be historic.  That Hawley, likes to be involved in all aspects of his show.  Which he totally should be.

Since there was a handy link to Feud  : Bette and Joan, I clicked on it and they totally are going with a new feud for season two.  Charles and Diana – which seems shitty to me.  Msn.com will still have articles about the princes being sad about their mother’s death (which was super tragic and fuck the paparazzi – who are still a pain, even twenty years later.  Are we 30 years later?  No, twenty years ago.  In fact, August 31, 2017 will be the twentieth sadiversary.  Which might explain those articles I saw a few weeks ago.  Anyone else see the headlines on msn.com and not be tempted to click on any of them?  Happens to me, all the time.

I guess I got bored with the Emmys, towards the end there, and started clicking on all the handy links on that page.  Shoot, the season season of Feud airs next year, that’s missing the opportunity to have synergy with this important year.  Maybe they are purposely delaying it for that reason?  Which won’t work, articles will just state that last year was sadiversary – so they were never going to escape it.  Not like that’s what they were hoping for, as they clearly created this show to tie with the reality of the situation.

. . .

The Emmy’s air on September 17, 2017 on CBS – so hopefully CBS All Access hosts the show or we won’t be able to watch it.  Awkwardly, CBS only got six nominations, so that doesn’t look great for them.  If it wasn’t for James Corden and Stephen Colbert (who is hosting the show) and their late night shows, CBS would be barely represented.  Amazing Race and Mom’s Allison Janney got the other nominations.  Oh, and CBS aired the Tony Awards, last year.  Colbert is nominated for two awards, even.