Academy voters had their chance last week. Now it's my turn. Overall, there were plenty of nice surprises in last week's announcements of Emmy nominations and just as many calls that had me scratching my head 'til the hair fell out. Here's my take on results in some key categories.
Drama series
- Nominees: "Boardwalk Empire," "Dexter," (right) "Friday Night Lights," "Game of Thrones," "The Good Wife," "Mad Men."
- Nailed it: "Boardwalk" was a shoo-in, but HBO's other period piece, "Thrones," could have been too gruesome for viewers. Instead, skittish voters thankfully shut their eyes during the beheadings and properly cast their ballots.
- Blew it: I'm a huge "Dexter" fan, touting it as the most deserving drama — two seasons ago. The latest nominees were fine but an overall letdown. I'd rather have seen "The Walking Dead" or "Parenthood" get recognition.
Lead comedy actress
- Nominees: Laura Linney ("The Big C"), Melissa McCarthy ("Mike & Molly"), Edie Falco ("Nurse Jackie"), Amy Poehler ("Parks and Recreation"), Martha Plimpton ("Raising Hope"), Tina Fey ("30 Rock").
- Nailed it: Indie film darling Plimpton showed she could handle mainstream comedy as the blue-collar woman exasperated by a grandkid, a small bank account and a naked Cloris Leachman.
- Blew it: If voters wanted to recognize a brilliant lead performance on CBS, why would they choose McCarthy over Kaley Cuoco of "The Big Bang Theory"?
Lead drama actress
- Nominees: Connie Britton ("Friday Night Lights"), Julianna Margulies ("The Good Wife"), Kathy Bates ("Harry's Law"), Mireille Enos ("The Killing"), Mariska Hargitay ("Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"), Elisabeth Moss ("Mad Men").
- Nailed it: Emmy voters proved Britton's nod last year wasn't a fluke. More important, they finally gave her show a slot in the outstanding drama series.
- Blew it: I can live with the snubbing of last year's winner, Kyra Sedgwick, but it's heartbreaking not to see the names of Katey Sagal ("Sons of Anarchy"), Mary McCormack ("In Plain Sight") and Maggie Q ("Nikita"), especially when the slate includes Bates in a bomb and Enos in a mystery that's as perplexing as this category.
Supporting comedy actor
- Nominees: Chris Colfer ("Glee"), Jesse Tyler Ferguson ("Modern Family"), Ed O'Neill ("Modern Family"), Eric Stonestreet ("Modern Family"), Ty Burrell ("Modern Family"), Jon Cryer ("Two and a Half Men")
- Nailed it: Some might balk at the idea of anointing four actors from "Modern Family," but it's impossible to defend snubbing O'Neill for the second year in a row.
- Blew it: Colfer might have the sweetest voice and heart in Hollywood, but he was all but wasted in a subpar year of "Glee." Nick Offerman ("Parks and Recreation") deserves that spot.
Supporting comedy actress
- Nominees: Jane Lynch ("Glee"), Betty White ("Hot in Cleveland"), Julie Bowen ("Modern Family"), Sofia Vergara ("Modern Family"), Kristen Wiig ("Saturday Night Live"), Jane Krakowski ("30 Rock").
- Nailed it: For the past two years, Wiig has been the bridesmaid and never the bride. Let's hope the third time's a charm.
- Blew it: I want to give White a hug as much as the next fan, but honoring her in a substandard sitcom is taking this love affair too far. How about some affection for Alison Brie of "Community" or Busy Philipps of "Cougar Town"?
Supporting drama actor
- Nominees: Peter Dinklage ("Game of Thrones"), Josh Charles ("The Good Wife"), Alan Cumming ("The Good Wife"), Walton Goggins ("Justified"), John Slattery ("Mad Men"), Andre Braugher ("Men of a Certain Age").
- Nailed it: Dinklage ruled "Thrones" with grit, pathos and humor, a much-needed combination that makes an otherwise bloody series more than bloody good.
- Blew it: Goggins was absolutely riveting — in "The Shield." How he got ignored for that performance and recognized for "Justified" is hard to justify. This would have been a great opportunity to herald Wendell Pierce, one of the breakout stars of "Treme," which was completely snubbed.
Variety, music or comedy series
- Nominees: "The Colbert Report," "Conan," "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart," "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon," "Real Time With Bill Maher," "Saturday Night Live."
- Nailed it: Conan O'Brien has yet another good reason to gloat over Jay Leno.
- Blew it: I admire the academy's desire to recognize a younger, hipper, video-savvy late-night host named Jimmy. But it should have been Kimmel instead of Fallon.
