Image Credit: Martin Crook/Comedy Central/Frank Ockenfels 3/Comedy Central/Mitchell Haaseth/NBCThis week, we’re considering two categories; unlike previous weeks, I’m asserting who I hope will win, since who will win may very well be different.
In the Outstanding Musical, Variety, or Comedy series category, we have:
• The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
• The Colbert Report
• Saturday Night Live
• The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien
• Real Time with Bill Maher
Who I Hope Will Win Jon Stewart plowed new ground this season, which is to say, he built up rage against so many worthy targets, and found fresh ways of expressing that anger through humor, that his show achieved a whole new level of comic effectiveness. He deserves the win.
Who May Win My colleague Lynette Rice has laid out an excellent argument for why Conan O’Brien’s Tonight Show may take an Emmy. Never underestimate Emmy voters’ desire to catch a wave of public sympathy for a man who was wronged. On the other hand, in an industry town like Los Angeles, a lot of voters look upon Conan as a business loser, and that may work against him.
Shoulda been contenders Where the hell is the nomination for The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson? And The Late Show with David Letterman?
The nominees for Outstanding Made for Television Movie are:
• You Don’t Know Jack
• Georgia O’Keefe
• Temple Grandin
• The Special Relationship
• Endgame
• Moonshot
Who should win Temple Grandin. Away and by far the best tv-movie, Temple Grandin featured a superlative performance by Claire Danes in the title role of the real-life woman with autism who became a significant inventor, and the film itself avoided any easy sentimentality and biopic cliches.
Who may win You Don’t Know Jack Never underestimate Emmy voters as suckers for a movie star: Al Pacino as Dr. Jack Kevorkian gave a fine performance; it’s just that Temple Grandin was a better production overall.
Shoulda been contenders The TV-movie genre is in such poor health, there should actually have been fewer nominees in this category; the excellence just isn’t there these days.
So what do you think of my picks? Do you think Stewart can win over Conan? Do you think someone else should win?
Follow: @kentucker
chelsea lately should have been nominated
I disagree Ken. I think Colbert should win. Stewart is great, there is no denying that, but Colbert has stepped up his game year after year and I think he deserves the award more. Both for best Variety Series and Best Writing for a Variety Series.
Yep, I’d like to see Stephen Colbert win, if only for the over-the-top acceptance speech.
I love watching Chelsea, but she’s just picking on people.
I agree to. Colbert is funnier than ever with his character during a Democratic run government. I’d give him the Emmy over Stewart.
There’s no denying Stewart is greaT? I beg to differ. The incredibly overrated unfunny assclown does not only not deserve to win, but he should hand back every undeserved emmy he has ever won
I think Colbert should win. Not only is he hosting a great show, but he’s doing it “in character,” which means he’s acting and hosting four days a week, week in, week out.
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Chelsea Handler is the second luckiest woman in show business. Completely unfunny and without any discernible talent. Only Lady Gaga has made more from less.
Agreed Chelsea Lately should have been nominated. Temple Grandin should definitely win for Made for TV Movie.
Conan does NOT deserve to win.
He really does, actually. His old time baseball segment alone deserves an Emmy. The problem with Conan is that his humor didn’t resonate with Leno’s audience, who are used to laughing at the same interchangeable jokes over and over (“OMG, that person on Jaywalking is so dumb!”; “Ha ha, there’s a typo in a small town newspaper!”). In contrast to repeating gags like Letterman’s Top 10, for instance, any Jaywalking interviews from any episode could be switched with no effect, since the actors are forgettable and the punchline (other people are dumb!) is always the same. It’s cotton-candy-comedy, all fluff without any substance or value.
Conan, on the other hand, did a lot of crazy, unconventional stuff that resonates with people who enjoy comedy over a Pavlovian laughter response. People who enjoy comedy are the people who will be voting, so a win wouldn’t be unexpected or undeserved.
He should have already won for his own show. He really shouldn’t win for a show that obviously didn’t connect with enough viewers to encourage NBC to keep him on, despite the public outcry to save him (granted, the choice came down to the network and not to any fans or viewers, no matter how numerous). He has a good shot of winning, though, if the industry sentiment is on his side. He would make a great speech. It all comes down to whether they view his nomination as reward alone.
I completely disagree. Conan did cutting edge stuff that had creativity and was not mean spirited. Chelsea smugly thinks she is relevant, but she is just mean. Stewart deserves nothing other than a dinner with Olbermann (his MSNBC alter ego). He thinks he is a journalist now. Now that’s funny! Colbert has eyebrows. Not enough for an award. Now who will win is Stewart because the liberal media elites drool over that garbage. Playing to your paymaster. Nothing more.
Between introducing the Go F*ck Yourself Choir to the zeitgeist and his unbelievable stints mocking Glenn Beck’s style (maybe the best bits of televised satire I’ve ever seen, particularly the one where he went for sixteen minutes straight), Jon deserves the win.
that WAS brilliant
Kudos! What a neat way of tihknign about it.
Word. I like Colbert enough but this year is Stewart’s year.
Agreed. I wish all three could win! However, Stewart brought it again this year and I think he deserves the win.
I still like Colbert better than Stewart.
I find Colbert more consistently entertaining, but Stewart has a higher ceiling in that, when he does things really really well, it can’t be topped.
Yes! Exactly! Stewart has a more serious tone than Colbert does typically so you aren’t constantly laughing. As you said though, when he turns on the funny, he’s out of this world.
I’m hoping Conan wins. His last weeks on Tonight Show were fantastic. ALTHOUGH if Craig Ferguson was nominated my heart would have to go to Craig and his puppet friends (Syd, etc.)
As for the TV movie, I agree with Ken. Some of these nominees I’ve never even heard of. I think the category needs to be shortened.
Temple Grandin all the way! Amazing! Don’t watch him too often, but Stewart’s brilliant. Like you said, a Conan victory would simply be a ‘sympathy’ vote for an average comedian.
How the he11 did SNL get nominated??
That Glenn Beck parady alone — Daily Show should definitely win this year
word.
It’s just Saturday Night Live’s way of endorsement. So what? Why does SNL have to be ictebjove? They make jokes about whoever they want all the time. The audience knows to take their messages lightly.It is free advertising for Obama, but that’s OK! Newspapers don’t go quite as far as SNL but they also endorse candidates.The last couple of candidates Hollywood has endorsed haven’t won anyway. It’s a nice plus for those endorsed but there are too many other factors at play that affect voter’s feelings on candidates.
The Daily Show has won this award 7 years in a row, so it’ll probably win again. My vote would go to The Colbert Report.
Good call Ken on the snubbing of Craig Ferguson. So his show is good enough to win a Peabody Award but not a freakin’ Emmy? How?
Agree on Colbert and Craig Ferguson is by far the funniest person on late night.
Stewart allll the way!
Colbert Report submitted the Iraq shows! Definitely the Report!
Conan HAS to win…that will show NBC that they did a huge mistake with taking Leno back to the tonight show!!
No, it really wont show NBC anything. They didnt reinstate Leno cos they thought he would win more emmys; They thought he would engage a more broader audience. Broad = critically despised. That means no emmys. They are not “showing” nobody you immature tool
I think the nomination embarrassed NBC plenty. In a way, Conan and Co. have already won by being told by their peers that his show was award-worthy.
jon stewarts glenn beck parody was the funniest thing on TV since conans last 3 weeks on NBC.
(you guys remember the porn title monologue?)
and craig ferguson should have taken bill maher’s spot, but david letterman is only funny for…
i dont even know.old people? people who fell asleep after the good primetime shows ended?
but it should definitly go to the daily show. hands down
Ferguson should have taken SNL’s spot, not Maher. SNL was only funny when Betty White was on.
I agree that SNL was terrible this year, but Betty White’s episode, as freaking awesome as it was, was not the only good episode. Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s was fantastic, not only for his amazing opening number to “Make ‘Em Laugh”, but the “Mellow Show” segment was hilarious!
I don’t understand how LLS/ Craig Ferguson wasn’t nominated.