Emmy Awards: Final Winner Predictions

This is a very exciting time for me, not just because it is the Emmy Awards, but because it is the first awards show to take place since I have had my blog. While I will not be commenting in a play-by-play fashion, I will certainly be on hand for a few comments immediately afterwards. More importantly, I hope to offer casual TV fans an easy and accessible summary of predictions and a guide to the nominees. On the left-hand menu you will find predictions for each category. For those without access to the live show, results should be readily available on http://www.emmys.tv/ and in the forums over at http://www.goldderbyforums.com/ as they happen.

My final thoughts are below in a predicted winner/runner-up format for each category. I have no real expertise on the reality/variety/mini-series/TV movie side of the show, but my enthusiasm for HBO's "Longford" clearly shows through in my multiple predictions for the film. I am hopeful that my predictions will be mostly correct, but then again, as the case tends to be, I am more wrong than usual. I do hope for an enjoyable ceremony with pleasant rather than vicious surprises.

My no guts, no glory predictions would have to be Battlestar Galactica winning both Directing and Writing.

Without further ado, my predictions:

COMEDY SERIES:
30 Rock (Winner)
The Office (RU)

COMEDY LEAD ACTOR:
Steve Carell, The Office (Winner)
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock (RU)

COMEDY LEAD ACTRESS:
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty (Winner)
Tina Fey, 30 Rock (RU)

COMEDY SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Rainn Wilson, The Office (Winner)
Jeremy Piven, Entourage (RU)

COMEDY SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Jenna Fischer, The Office (Winner)
Conchata Ferrell, Two and a Half Men (RU)

COMEDY DIRECTING:
Richard Shepard, Ugly Betty (Winner)
Will Mackenzie, Scrubs (RU)

COMEDY WRITING:
Tina Fey, 30 Rock (Winner)
Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant, Extras (RU)

DRAMA SERIES:
The Sopranos (Winner)
Boston Legal (RU)

DRAMA LEAD ACTOR:
James Gandolfini, The Sopranos (Winner)
Hugh Laurie, House (RU)

DRAMA LEAD ACTRESS:
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer (Winner)
Minnie Driver, The Riches (RU)

DRAMA SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Terry O'Quinn, Lost (Winner)
William Shatner, Boston Legal (RU)

DRAMA SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Lorraine Bracco, The Sopranos (Winner)
Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy (RU)

DRAMA DIRECTING:
Jack Bender, Lost (Winner)
Thomas Schlamme, Studio 60 (RU)

DRAMA WRITING:
Terence Winter, The Sopranos (Winner)
Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof, Lost (RU)

MADE FOR TV MOVIE:
Longford (Winner)
Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee (RU)

MINISERIES:
Broken Trail (Winner)
The Starter Wife (RU)

MOVIE/MINISERIES LEAD ACTOR:
Jim Broadbent, Longford (Winner)
Robert Duvall, Broken Trail (RU)

MOVIE/MINISERIES LEAD ACTRESS:
Debra Messing, The Starter Wife (Winner)
Helen Mirren, Prime Suspect: The Final Act (RU)

MOVIE/MINISERIES SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Thomas Haden Church, Broken Trail (Winner)
August Schellenberg, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (RU)

MOVIE/MINISERIES SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Samantha Morton, Longford (Winner)
Judy Davis, The Starter Wife (RU)

MOVIE/MINISERIES DIRECTING:
Walter Hill, Broken Trail (Winner)
Bharat Nalluri, Tsunami, the Aftermath (RU)

MOVIE/MINISERIES WRITING:
Daniel Giat, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (Winner)
Josann McGibbon & Sara Parriott, The Starter Wife (RU)

REALITY/COMPETITION PROGRAM:
The Amazing Race (Winner)
American Idol (RU)

VARIETY PERFORMANCE:
Colbert Report – Stephen Colbert (Winner)
79th Annual Academy Awards - Ellen DeGeneres (RU)

VARIETY SERIES:
Colbert Report (Winner)
Daily Show with Jon Stewart (RU)

VARIETY DIRECTING:
Daily Show with Jon Stewart – Chuck O’Neil (Winner)
Tony Bennett: An American Classic - Rob Marshall (RU)

VARIETY WRITING:
Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Winner)
Colbert Report (RU)

Enjoy the show!