It’s just a few days now until the 2011 Emmy nominations are announced on Thursday morning. If you want to watch – and you know you do – you can check out Emmys.com at 5:35am PDT. They’re being hosted by Melissa McCarthy of Mike & Molly and a personal favorite of mine, Joshua Jackson of Fringe. As for the following choices, I’ll explain again this year that these are my personal choices and therefore not my guesses. Also, I’m a bit of a comedy snob and I don’t watch too many dramas, so you can expect some niche choices in the comedy genre and some pretty broad picks in drama. Let’s get to it!
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
- Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
- Steve Carell, The Office
- Rob Lowe, Parks and Rec
- Joel McHale, Community
- Danny McBride, Eastbound and Down
- Louis C.K., Louie
Reasoning: Okay, listen, I love Parks and Rec to death, and I think that Rob Lowe is just supremely fantastic on that show (“Stop. Pooping!”), but he’s not even close to a lead character. Still, that’s how little I like the other nominees in this category that he made the list anyway. Jim Parsons, defending champ, is noticeably absent here, because I find that show almost unbearable these days in its broad comedy. McBride and C.K. are the true comedian’s choices here, but I can’t deny Steve Carell this win. The man shone brilliantly for years on The Office and his victory lap this year could have been poor but instead he sold the hell out of it comically and emotionally. Goodbye, Michael.
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
- Sean Bean, Game of Thrones
- Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights
- Jason Clarke, The Chicago Code
- Michael C. Hall, Dexter
- Jon Hamm, Mad Men
- Peter Krause, Parenthood
Reasoning: It’s Coach Taylor, what else can I say? The man is a force of nature in this role. Jon Hamm had a hell of a year on Mad Men playing out the soulless depths of Don Draper’s life, but Friday Night Light‘s Kyle Chandler can out act any of these fine gentlemen without even saying a word. Remember when he chased the creepy T.A. off his lawn with a glare and the handlebar of a tricyle? Eric Taylor, ladies and gentlemen. Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose!
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
- Courteney Cox, Cougar Town
- Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
- Tina Fey, 30 Rock
- Lea Michele, Glee
- Mary Louise Parker, Weeds
- Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
Reasoning: Listen, Amy Poehler just needs to win all the awards. Okay, seriously though, I love Cougar Town as much as Abed, but I’m not going to argue for Cox to win. Recognition? Absolutely, but not win. Falco was great again on Nurse Jackie, though I guess this is for last season and not what aired a few weeks ago, right? Or is that totally wrong? Showtime, your schedule confuses me. Mary Louise Parker, a long-time favorite of mine, absolutely deserves and will get a nomination, but that’s enough in my eyes. Last year I was up in arms over Glee‘s Lea Michele being included (I may have used a gif employing that great Fey-scripted line from Mean Girls, “She doesn’t even go here!”), but she a fantastic person and she plays her heart out as Rachel Berry, so join the ranks. Tina Fey has been my homegirl for years, but I have yet to come across more than one person who can watch Poehler’s enthusiasm on Parks and not be totally smitten with her and the show as a whole.
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
- Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights
- Lauren Graham, Parenthood
- Lena Headey, Game of Thrones
- Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men
- Ellen Pompeo, Grey’s Anatomy
- Anna Torv, Fringe
Reasoning: Aside from my winner pick, here’s an instance of my lack of drama producing some competitors that may seem a little bit out of left field. Pompeo and Graham are maybe the most out of their league here. Grey’s really experienced a renaissance this year, and Pompeo’s Meredith had some meaty scenes. And while Lauren Graham is a crazy good comedic actress, she really played the angst and heartbreak of her character this season too. Torv maybe should win this category based on the amount of heavy-lifting she had to do on Fringe this year as she played her own character, Olivia; the alternate universe version, lovingly dubbed Fauxlivia; and also the scientist William Bell, in a spectacular Leonard Nimoy impression. Kid’s got skills. But my FNL love cannot be tamed, and as good as Coach Taylor was this year, Mrs. Coach was even better. Her last two episodes were killers. Tami Taylor for President!
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
- Fred Armisen, Portlandia
- Ty Burrell, Modern Family
- Donald Glover, Community
- John Krasinski, The Office
- Danny Pudi, Community
- Adam Scott, Parks and Recreation
Reasoning: When I made my initial list of candidates here, there were 13 names, so any of these fine fellows could win and I would be happy. My first cut from 13? NPH. That’s how much I love the rest of these performances. We’re left with six very strong contenders. At the bottom of this list has to be Krasinski, but if he submitted the episode where he plays the intensely tortured Jim after Dwight suspensefully threatens him with a snowball to the face all day, he could win. Armisen’s performance on IFC’s Portlandia was so, so fresh that I almost want to give him the prize. Burrell is a constant source of laughter on Modern Family, as is the duo of Glover and Pudi on Community. But I can’t deny the pure joy that I had watching Adam Scott interact with the staff at the Pawnee Department of Parks and Recreation this year. He was sweet, and hilarious, and cute, and tortured, and defeated, and elated, and so perfect.
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
- Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
- Aiden Gillen, Game of Thrones
- Joshua Jackson, Fringe
- John Noble, Fringe
- Denis O’Hare, True Blood
- John Slattery, Mad Men
Reasoning: No one, on any show, on any network, has ever had as much fun as Peter Dinklage had playing Tyrion Lannister this year in HBO’s epic adaptation, Game of Thrones.
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
- Gillian Jacobs, Community
- Christa Miller, Cougar Town
- Aubrey Plaza, Parks and Recreation
- Naya Rivera, Glee
- Amy Ryan, The Office
- Merritt Wever, Nurse Jackie
Reasoning: This category is even worse than the male counterpart. There were 17 names on my initial list. Roll your eyes all you want, but Naya Rivera was a f—ing queen on Glee this year. She played her witty one-liners and take downs perfectly, as any viewer would expect, but what we didn’t see coming was the truly incredible emotional depth she imbued the bitch cheerleader, Santana Lopez, with this year (and let’s be honest, this character could have been seriously one-note. There’s a reason her name is nearly Satan). As she struggled to come to terms with her feelings for her best friend, Brittany (another great performance, from Heather Morris), she brought the house down with her raw emotion. Just google “Glee Hurt Locker scene” and you’ll understand. Still, I have mad love for Jacobs, Plaza, Miller, Ryan, and Wever, who were all beyond spectacular in their own regard this season. Just wow. These are funny and talented ladies. (If you need further proof of Rivera’s chops, look no further than Exhibit A: Ten Minutes of Santana Sass)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
- Kristin Bauer van Straten, True Blood
- Jennifer Carpenter, Dexter
- Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones
- Christina Hendricks, Mad Men
- Sandra Oh, Grey’s Anatomy
- Kiernan Shipka, Mad Men
Reasoning: Another weak category for me. I love Hendricks to death, but I think that Bauer ran away with the prize this year as the eternally sassy and uninterested vampire, Pam. Clarke was a great newcomer, and Shipka’s elevated role was great too. Carpenter and Oh are probably more of a legacy thing for me, as they’ve both been better in the past.
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
- Matt Damon, 30 Rock
- Zach Galifianakis, SNL
- Cheyenne Jackson, Glee
- Kyle MacLachlan, Portlandia
- Jim Rash, Community
- Ben Schwartz, Parks and Recreation
Reasoning: It’s hard to deny the humor of Schwartz’s douchey playboy Jean Ralphio, or the adorable enthusiasm of Matt Damon on 30 Rock, but Jim Rash steals every single scene he’s in on Community.
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
- John Corbett, Parenthood
- Michael Emerson, Parenthood
- James Frain, True Blood
- Zach Gilford, Friday Night Lights
- Jason Ritter, Parenthood
- Andre Royo, Fringe
Reasoning: Just, this: 
“Watch how fast I type, motherf—er!”
“Watch how fast I type, motherf—er!”Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
- Elizabeth Banks, 30 Rock
- Mo Collins, Parks and Recreation
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus, 30 Rock
- Megan Mullally, Parks and Recreation
- Gwyneth Paltrow, Glee
- Reese Witherspoon, After Lately
Reasoning: Another super difficult category. Witherspoon’s cameo on the mockumentary-ish After Lately was superb, as is every appearance by either of the Parks and Recreation ladies. Banks stayed strong as Jack’s baby mama, Avery Jessup, this year as well. The genius of the 30 Rock live show was made possible by Louis-Dreyfus standing in for Tina Fey in the show’s signature cut-away flashbacks, explained away as the fact that Liz’s memory has “Seinfeld money.” But the boundless enthusiasm that Paltrow showed in her three appearances on Glee this year was just beyond infectious. As the free-spirited substitute, Holly Holliday, Paltrow sang some great songs and dispensed some pitch-perfect advice “So, just remember, whenever you have sex with someone, you’re having sex with everyone they’ve ever had sex with…and everybody’s got a random!” Paltrow, Witherspoon, and Mullally all fully committed to their roles and went all-out, but Gwyneth is the winner in my eyes.
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
- Cara Buono, Mad Men
- Randee Heller, Mad Men
- Adrienne Palicki, Friday Night Lights
- Jessica Pare, Mad Men
- Melissa Rauch, True Blood
- Evan Rachel Wood, True Blood
Reasoning: Two words, “Alaska, Tim?”
