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This category is a bit more complicated since the list of top ten contenders is still unknown. I’ll take my best guess at a top ten and a top five among them. Episodes submitted by performers are listed in parentheses after their names. Beware of minor spoilers for the episodes described. My analysis may be somewhat more limited here as I haven’t seen a good number of the performers and their episodes. Nominees are pictured in order of likelihood of getting nominated, and listed below alphabetically.
Revising my previous top ten predictions, I’m booting Frances Sternhagen (The Closer) and Kate Walsh (Grey’s Anatomy) for Angelica Huston and Jaime Murray.
ELLEN BURSTYN, BIG LOVE (Take Me As I Am)
A similar situation to Peter O’Toole – a show I don’t watch, have heard good things about, doesn’t get much Emmy attention, but this highly respected performer should be able to get in. If Jeanne Tripplehorn can make her top ten (she also has the same episode submission), I think Burstyn should slide right in. And Bruce Dern made his top ten, so I think Burstyn is more than safe.
ANNE DUDEK, HOUSE (Wilson’s Heart)
Everyone loved the Wilson-Amber plotline in the “House” season finale, and while I don’t see it that much, people seem to think Dudek is wholly deserving of an Emmy nomination. I think she’ll make the top ten based on the popularity of the show, and should be able to get nominated, especially if David Morse could get nominated last year.
ANJELICA HUSTON, MEDIUM (Wicked Game, Part 2)
There’s already a “Medium” fan lurking around my blog hurling insults my way, so I’ll keep this brief. If Jake Weber can make it onto a top ten list, Huston can surely do so as well. I only saw part one of “Wicked Game”, but judging from that, I’m not sure she’ll be able to make it. I wouldn’t be surprised, just…disappointed.
JAIME MURRAY, DEXTER (Morning Comes)
Murray was incredibly amazing when she first appeared on the show, then entirely unbearable by the time of her departure. This episode comes somewhere in between. “Dexter” does well in the popular vote so it’s likely Murray made the top ten, but I think she would been better off with an earlier episode which showcased her incredible talent before the quality of her performance went way downhill.
CYNTHIA NIXON, LAW & ORDER: SVU (Alternate)
I haven’t seen the episode, but I believe Nixon plays a person with multiple-personality disorder, which sounds like pure Emmy bait. Nixon won an Emmy for the final season of “Sex and the City” and the release of the movie this year should ensure that Nixon is front-and-center in voters’ minds. “SVU” also tends to do well with guest acting nominations.
ROSIE O’DONNELL, NIP/TUCK (Rachel Ben Natan)
O’Donnell has appeared in guest stints on the show the past two years, and hasn’t managed a nomination either of those times. I haven’t seen her on the show, but I’m sure she does a decent enough job that some people love and others hate. As I noted in reference to Oliver Platt, only one performer from “Nip/Tuck” has ever gotten any Emmy nomination, and that was Jill Clayburgh, a far more respected actress, in this category three years ago.
ELIZABETH REASER, GREY’S ANATOMY (Losing My Mind)
Reaser got nominated last year in this category for her performance as an amnesiac patient who bonds with and ultimately falls for (I think) Justin Chambers’ character. I saw one of her episodes this year, featuring her descent into mental illness, and wasn’t too impressed. I think the character has gone downhill, and I think Reaser will miss out on a repeat nomination.
AMY RYAN, THE WIRE (Clarifications)
Ryan is on fire right now with her recent Oscar nomination for “Gone Baby Gone” and top ten placement in the comedy guest actress field for “The Office”. As far as I know, Ryan has been on “The Wire” for years and never gotten a mention, and my suspicion is that she’ll crack the top ten this year but miss out on a nomination due to a more limited role (from what I’ve been hearing). She could easily be a double nominee, though that didn’t work out too well for Stanley Tucci last year, when he got nominated for “Monk” but missed out for “ER”.
JURNEE SMOLLETT, GREY’S ANATOMY (Freedom)
Smollett seems to be this year’ hot “Grey’s Anatomy” guest star after last year’s Elizabeth Reaser. Smollett is prominently featured in her two-part episode, and delivers an impressive performance that makes you forget how young she is. My feeling is that if Christina Ricci was able to get nominated for a pretty lacking performance on the show two years ago, Smollett, who’s actually trying, should have no trouble.
MIRA SORVINO, HOUSE (Frozen)
Sorvino guest-stared in the series submission of “House”, which I think is an excellent choice for the show that should guarantee it a nomination. Sorvino is equally deserving for her portrayal of a mysteriously sick researcher in the South Pole who bonds with House as he helps to diagnose her. Sorvino’s performance is strong, and I’m fairly certain she’ll make the cut.
Current predictions:
ELLEN BURSTYN, BIG LOVE
ANNE DUDEK, HOUSE
CYNTHIA NIXON, LAW & ORDER: SVU
JURNEE SMOLLETT, GREY’S ANATOMY
MIRA SORVINO, HOUSE
1 comment:
As usual, Abe, you're waaaaay off the mark with your predictions. First of all, NO ONE from Grey's Anatomy is going to get,(nor deserves) a nomination, for ANYTHING. That show is crap on a stick. Same goes for L&O:SVU- no one other than Hargitay is even going to be considered for an Emmy. If they were, Meloni would have been nommed long ago. As for Anjelica Huston, the nomination is HERS, and so is the Emmy. Her performance was awesome, as is Arquette's and Weber's. It's clear from your blog that you only watch the "watercooler" shows and therefore think that every nominee should come from one of them. Get a clue and change the channel once in a while. There's a whole lot of better shows AND ACTORS out there than the ones you keep tubthumping. If you're gonna write a blog about television, maybe you should try learning about what you're writing about.
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