Emmy Predictions Part Two: "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad" Will Make It Another Big Night for AMC

The economy may be weighing heavily on the television industry but you wouldn39t know it from the everincreasing number of highquality dramas being produced for broadcast basic cable and pay cable networks The nearembarrassment of riches in this Golden Age of Drama amp8211 which began approximately ten years ago with the arrivals of The West Wing and The Sopranos and exploded with the arrival of The Shield in 2002 is never as obvious as on the night of the Emmy Awards Indeed the Drama categories this year are so full of extraordinary programs and performances that those of us on the outside looking in can only wonder how voting members of the Academy of Television Arts ampamp Sciences made their choices It39s a small wonder that with one or two exceptions the real excitement of Emmy night is largely focused on the categories belowHere are my predictionsOutstanding Drama Series AMC39s Mad MenEven with the increase this year from five to seven nominees in the Outstanding Drama Series category there isn39t enough room for all the shows that deserve recognition ABC39s Boston Legal HBO39s True Blood FX39s The Shield and Rescue Me DirecTV39s and NBC39s Friday Night Lights Syfy39s Battlestar Galactica Fox39 24 and USA Network39s Burn Notice were all left at the curb in favor of AMC39s Breaking Bad FX39s Damages HBO39s Big Love Showtime39s Dexter Fox39s House ABC39s Lost and this year39s likely winner AMC39s Mad Men Another Emmy would make it two in a row for this one of a kind show The buzz around Mad Men is simply too loud to ignore but I won39t be shocked if Breaking Bad ekes out a win here As grand as the sophomore season of Mad Men was season two for Breaking Bad included a couple of episodes that were some of the finest hours of dramatic entertainment including feature films during the Emmy eligibility period especially Peekaboo the one in which Aaron Paul39s deadbeat druggie Jessie was kidnapped by a drugravaged couple one of whom eventually was crushed by an ATM machine Regardless September 20 should be a great night for AMC Read onOutstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Bryan Cranston AMC39s Breaking BadJust like last year the media is beating its collective drum set on behalf of Mad Men39s tall dark and dashing star Jon Hamm And once again I am sitting here at a loss for words wondering how I can properly express my admiration for Bryan Cranston39s galvanizing performance as an everyman under extreme duress in Breaking Bad I realize that Mad Men virtually revolves around Hamm39s superstar turn as confident and conflicted advertising executive Don Draper but I believe Cranston a surprise winner last year is going to make it two for two All that said there will be no complaints from me if Hugh Laurie of House or Michael C Hall of Dexter takes home the awardOutstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Glenn Close FX39s DamagesThe repetition of it all may compromise the excitement of Emmy night but I think Glenn Close will join Bryan Cranston and the producers of Mad Men in the Second Consecutive Win Club As always my preference in this category is Kyra Sedgwick for her consistently entertaining turn in TNT39s The Closer But Close had even more dramatic material to work with during the second season of Damages than the first She has made her character Attorney Patty Hewes a lethal force of nature that the Academy can39t possibly overlook A long shot here is Elisabeth Moss for her perfectly modulated performance as the always surprising junior advertising executive Peggy Olson in Mad MenOutstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Walton Goggins FX39s The ShieldWhat39s that you say Goggins wasn39t nominated Even though he gave the performance of the year as murderous and increasingly desperate Detective Shane Vendrell I still don39t believe it Moving on amp8230My prediction and my preference in this category is Aaron Paul of Breaking Bad because his character druggie doofus Jessie was prominently featured in the best episodes of its stellar second season Jessie39s addiction to heroin near season39s end and his bottomless grief at the loss of his girlfriend were harrowing and heartbreaking But I can39t pass by this category without admitting that I would love to see the muchmissed Boston Legal receive one final honor before it forever fades from Emmy ceremonies With apologies to his costar and fellow nominee Christian Clemenson I39d like to see William Shatner enjoy one last walk to the stage There will never be another character quite like Denny CraneOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Dianne Wiest HBO39s In TreatmentNever underestimate the promotional power of HBO No other network puts more effort into championing its Emmy nominees almost always with spectacular results Wiest the best thing about the uneven talk fest In Treatment was honored last year and will likely be so again unless her wellreceived season two costar Hope Davis is the voters39 choice A win for the luminous Cherry Jones as President Allison Taylor on Fox39s 24 would be a pleasant surprise Fingers crossedOutstanding Miniseries HBO39s Generation KillThere are only two nominees in this category the other being PBS39 production of Little Dorrit I think the Academy will get behind HBO39s timely war story in part because it brought Alexander Skarsgard to the attention of the media even before his starmaking role as vampire Eric on True BloodOutstanding Made for Television Movie HBO39s Grey GardensHBO39s acclaimed drama about quotBig Ediequot and quotLittle Ediequot Beale an eccentric mother and daughter who were relatives of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis but lived in squalor and seclusion in East Hampton New York is the industry favorite though Prayers for Bobby Lifetime39s gutwrenching drama about a mother39s catastrophic homophobia could be a spoilerOutstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie Kevin Bacon HBO39s Taking ChanceTo the best of my knowledge the always reliable Kevin Bacon has never received a major acting award of any kind With the support of HBO and the possibility that voters might be split between Brendan Gleeson of HBO39s Into the Storm and Sir Ian McKellan of PBS39 Great Performances King Lear I39m thinking this might be Bacon39s big moment The timeliness and emotional impact of Taking Chance will also work in his favorOutstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie Jessica Lange HBO39s Grey GardensThe muchhonored Jessica Lange is one of our finest actresses and she was a marvel once again in the role of quotBig Ediequot Beale That39s the reason I39m going with Lange over her spirited costar Drew Barrymore who was equally wonderful as quotLittle Ediequot Of course if the Academy goes with Prayers for Bobby as Outstanding Made for Television Movie then Sigourney Weaver might just win this oneOutstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie Len Cariou HBO39s Into the StormLen Cariou would seem the likely winner for his solid portrayal of Franklin D Roosevelt especially if the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie goes to Brendan Gleeson as Winston ChurchillOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie Jeanne Tripplehorn HBO39s Grey GardensJeanne Tripplehorn has never been nominated for her acclaimed work in the HBO series Big Love so I think the Academy is going to seize this opportunity to honor her memorable portrayal of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in Grey Gardens But don39t rule out Marcia Gay Harden in CBS39 The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler I didn39t see this Hallmark Hall of Fame Presentation but Harden has been the toast of Broadway all year for her Tony Awardwinning work in the drama Gods of Carnage and all that buzz might influence Emmy votersCheck out the complete list of nominees for the categories mentioned in this columnClick to read Emmy Predictions Part One Big Wins for quot30 Rockquot quotThe Amazing Racequot and Emmy Host Neil Patrick Harris

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Emmy Predictions Part Two: "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad" Will Make It Another Big Night for AMC

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Ed Martin

"About That with Carl Mayer:" Alaina Donnellon (Episode 6) - By Carl Mayer

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Emmy Predictions Part Two: "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad" Will Make It Another Big Night for AMC

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