Not that anybody cares, but if I hadn’t pursued baseball writing I would have tried to be a television critic. Boston has one of the best around in Matthew Gilbert in the Boston Globe. I also went to school with Tom Shales of the Washington Post and I’m also a big fan of Aaron Barnhart out of Kansas City. They are all good role models and have much better taste and a more sophisticated eye than I do. In spite of that, here are my Emmy picks for Sunday night.
Outstanding Drama Series
“Breaking Bad” (AMC)
“Dexter” (Showtime): The most exciting procedural on television. Twists, turns, and truly blood. A close second this year.
“The Good Wife” (CBS)
“Lost” (ABC)
“Mad Men” (AMC): Creator Matthew Weiner had a brilliant season and Don Draper’s life made me squirm. Each character represented pieces of a shattered mirror that reflected life in the early ‘60s.
“True Blood” (HBO): Another great season mixing suprises and humor.
Outstanding Comedy Series
“Curb Your Enthusiasm” (HBO): There is no funnier show on television and the Seinfeld non-reunion made it possible to watch Seinfeld reruns with a fresh eye.
“Glee” (Fox): I don’t like musicals and I don’t like musicals about teenagers with actors who play teenagers who look their age (mid to late 20’s). Better suited for the Disney Channel
“Modern Family” (ABC): The show is brilliantly written and acted with intersecting and parallel storylines in each show.
“Nurse Jackie” (Showtime): I love this show but I find it more sad than funny. I don’t see it as a comedy.
“The Office” (NBC): The single most over-rated show on television. Simply trite and unwatchable.
“30 Rock” (NBC): Always funny, always well acted, filled with great scenes and lines that are tossed in that are killers. It just doesn’t have the cohesiveness of Modern Family.
Outstanding Lead Actor, Drama
Kyle Chandler, “Friday Night Lights” (DirecTV/NBC)
Bryan Cranston, “Breaking Bad”’ (AMC)
Matthew Fox, “Lost” (ABC)
Michael C. Hall, “Dexter” (Showtime): My goodness, he is terrific.
Hugh Laurie, “House” (Fox): Laurie had a great season dealing with his character’s demons. You don’t watch House for the medical
plotlines, which are always: sick – what is it? – it must be this-it’s not that – he’s better – he’s going to die – try this – now, try this-nope, nope – cured. The reason to watch the show is to watch Laurie’s House interact with those he considers idiots and try to get interact with those he actually cares about.
Jon Hamm, “Mad Men” (AMC): Hamm deserves the Emmys he has won.
Outstanding Lead Actress, Drama
Connie Britton, “Friday Night Lights” (DirecTV, NBC)
Glenn Close, “Damages” (FX): Huge Mets fan and deliciously conflicted in this show.
Mariska Hargitay, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (NBC)
January Jones, “Mad Men” (AMC): They are kidding with this nomination, right? I think she is uni-dimensional and I’m not sure she can read.
Julianna Margulies, “The Good Wife” (CBS): I wished I liked her better, I’ve just never been a fan. I always feel that I can’t get underneath her façade.
Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer” (TNT)
Outstanding Lead Actor, Comedy
Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock” (NBC): Jack Donaghy and Alec Baldwin are the opposite of every character Steve Carell plays. Bright, multi-faceted, and really, really funny.
Steve Carell, “The Office” (NBC): ABC- Anybody But Carell
Larry David, “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (HBO): Yeah, I’m not all that certain he’s acting. If he is acting, his performance was pretty, pretty, pretty good.
Matthew Morrison, “Glee” (Fox)
Jim Parsons, “The Big Bang Theory” (CBS)
Tony Shalhoub, “Monk” (USA Network): Still gets the OCD vote
Outstanding Lead Actress, Comedy
Toni Collette, “United States of Tara” (Showtime): Another Showtime comedy that is really more 
sad than funny, but Collette’s split personality can be really funny. Her Barbra Streisand Prince of Tides shrink personality was brilliantly funny.
Edie Falco, “Nurse Jackie (Showtime): She is so good that it makes you wonder if she is the best actress on television.
Tina Fey, “30 Rock‘ (NBC): She’s great but not as good as her competition
Lea Michele, “Glee” (Fox)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “The New Adventures of Old Christine” (CBS): I heart her.
Amy Poehler, “Parks and Recreation (NBC): Please return to SNL, you are wasted here. Put Wiig on this show.
Outstanding Supporting Actor, Drama
Andre Braugher, “Men of a Certain Age” (TNT): I did not watch this series but I remember turning off the Emmys when Braugher didn’t 
win for Homicide. I would have given an Emmy to him this year for his appearances on House. Bottom line is that sight unseen Braugher always gets my vote.
Michael Emerson, “Lost” (ABC)
Terry O’Quinn, “Lost” (ABC):
Aaron Paul, “Breaking Bad” (AMC)
Martin Short, “Damages” (FX): Nathan Thurm was a character created by Short on Saturday Night Live. Thurm was a chain-smoker, paranoid, shady lawyer. Just like his character on Damages.
John Slattery, “Mad Men” (AMC): Another great actor who very likely will be nominated next year as well for his interesting work this season. He also directed an episode this year and showed a good eye.
Outstanding Supporting Actress, Drama
Christine Baranski, “The Good Wife” (CBS)
Rose Byrne, “Damages” (FX): Did you know she was born in Balmain, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia? Me either.
Sharon Gless, “Burn Notice” (USA Network): How can this very funny show be a drama? Cagney could win here.
Christina Hendricks, “Mad Men” (AMC): I can think of two reasons why I would give her an Emmy. Now before you call me a pig, I am
referring to ability to show self-assuredness and her ability show her insecurity.
Elisabeth Moss, “Mad Men” (AMC): I like her character better than I like her acting.
Archie Panjabi, “The Good Wife” (CBS)
Outstanding Supporting Actor, Comedy
Ty Burrell, “Modern Family” (ABC): Ty Burrell is everything that Steve Carell wishes he could be as an actor. He is a dimwit who tries so hard to not be. He also knows how to show genuine feelings and not be totally egocentric. He should thank the Academy for not nominating Ed O’Neill from Modern Family who is the real winner in this category.
Chris Colfer, “Glee” (Fox)
Jon Cryer, “Two and a Half Men” (CBS):
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, “Modern Family” (ABC): Like his character on the series, Ferguson is openly gay, not that there is anything wrong with it.
Neil Patrick Harris, “How I Met Your Mother” (CBS): Unlike his character on HIMYM, Harris is gay, not that there is anything wrong with it. Gets the “Whatever happened to Doogie Howser?” vote.
Eric Stonestreet, “Modern Family” (ABC) Unlike his character on Modern Family, Stonestreet is straight, not that there is anything wrong with it.
Outstanding Supporting Actress, Comedy
Julie Bowen, “Modern Family” (ABC): She was also great on Boston Legal
Jane Krakowski, “30 Rock” (NBC): You get the feeling that she will always be a runner-up because that’s the characters she plays. This year she was #1 for me.
Jane Lynch, “Glee’ (Fox): She will win and I don’t mind because her character also hates everybody on Glee.
Holland Taylor, “Two and a Half Men” (CBS): I also liked her on Bosom Buddies the sit-com with Tom Hanks
Sofia Vergara, ‘Modern Family” (ABC): You see if I were really a pig, I would have picked this actress.
Kristen Wiig, “Saturday Night Live” (NBC): ABW Anybody But Wiig.
Outstanding Reality – Competition
“The Amazing Race” (CBS)
“American Idol” (Fox): I don’t sing, but every week my family watches this show.
“Dancing with the Stars” (ABC): I don’t dance, don’t ask me. I don’t dance, don’t ask me.
“Project Runway” (Lifetime)
“Top Chef” (Bravo)
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