Nominees are pictured and listed in alphabetical order. Submitted episode titles are in parentheses. Beware of minor spoilers for listed episodes.
**I made a colossal error and neglected to post these predictions until now, and it just so happens that the Creative Emmy Awards, where the guest categories are handed out, happened on Saturday night. Oops. The predictions were written well in advance, so see for yourself who I thought would have won and then get the instant gratification of reading about the winner. I'll try to prevent such errors in the future.**
Joan Cusack as Sheila Jackson, Shameless (Can I Have a Mother)
Cusack was nominated for this same part last year despite appearing in nearly all the episodes of both seasons, and she continues to be the only part of Showtime’s great wacky dramedy to be recognized by Emmy voters. In her selected episode, she gets to deliver a skewering toast at her daughter’s wedding. It’s hard to judge how Emmy voters will rate the two-time Oscar nominee since they clearly don’t care for her show.
Loretta Devine as Adele Webber, Grey’s Anatomy (If Only You Were Lonely)
Devine won this award last year for playing the role of the Chief’s wife. While she insisted in her previous submission that she didn’t have Alzheimer’s, here she comes to accept it after her memory begins to clearly fade. Voters rewarded her without any other love for her show last year, and there’s no reason they wouldn’t do the exact same thing again if her competition doesn’t have anything to say about it.
Julia Ormond as Marie Calvet, Mad Men (The Phantom)
Ormond, who won an Emmy for her part in the TV movie “Temple Grandin” two years ago, plays Megan’s mother and Roger’s latest catch in multiple episodes of the AMC drama’s fifth season. Ormond did not submit the ball episode in which she first meets Roger, but instead the season finale, where she has one final passionate rendezvous with him. She definitely has a strong chance, though the failure of any “Mad Men” guest or regular player to ever win an Emmy stacks the odds against her.
Martha Plimpton as Patti Nyholm, The Good Wife (The Dream Team)
It’s fun to see Plimpton, who was a nominee last year for her leading role on the comedy series “Raising Hope,” recognized here for her recurring part as a manipulative lawyer who brings her baby with her to depositions. In the season finale, she teams up with Louis Canning, played by fellow nominee Michael J. Fox, though she’s the less showy of the two, so I wouldn’t put her prospects high.
Jean Smart as Roseanna Remmick, Harry’s Law (The Rematch)
Smart has just about the most inconsistent Emmy track record there is, receiving four supporting nominations and four guest nominations over the past twelve years, winning three times – twice for guesting on “Frasier,” and once for her performance on “Samantha Who.” Now, she has the ultimate Emmy gig – a guest spot on a David E. Kelley Show as Kathy Bates’ rival going up against her in court. After Paul McCrane, who also appears in her episode, won last year in the guest actor category for the same show, I think she’s the clear frontrunner.
Uma Thurman as Rebecca Duvall, Smash (Tech)
Thurman represents the only non-musical nominee for NBC’s Broadway drama. Thurman, who missed out on an Emmy nomination in 2003 despite a Golden Globe win for her performance in “Hysterical Blindness,” now has her first nomination for portraying celebrity actress Rebecca Duvall, who adds considerable theatrics to the dynamic of staging a musical. The show didn’t win voters over enough, and I doubt Thurman will be able to either.
Who should win (based on entire season): Ormond or Cusack (but not in this category!)
Who should win (based on individual episodes): Cusack, Plimpton, or Smart
Who will win: My money is on Smart, but it could be Devine again or Ormond also.
And the winner was...Martha Plimpton. I suppose she was the showiest of the nominees, and it's good to see her rewarded for a fun guest turn, though strange that Michael J. Fox didn't also win for his similarly smarmy performance.
Next up: Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
1 comment:
As much as I love Martha Plimpton, I feel her win for this came a year too late. Last year she had so much more to chew on and she stole every scene she was in, but here she had to share that scenery-chewing with Michael J. Fox (who had more to do this season). Oh well, she's awesome either way, so it's great to see that she has an Emmy.
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