BLUE MAG

I’m going to do this before the nominations come out on Thursday, because TV is all about my hopes and dreams, so I want to compare who I hope will win the Emmy statuettes with the sad reality of who will actually probably maybe win. Although I am a terrible predicter of these things so we’ll see how it goes.

Don’s Emmy Hopes vs. Reality

Best Actor, Comedy
Hope will win: Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”
Think will win: Steve Carell, “The Office”
Alec Baldwin’s character on “30 Rock” is probably the funniest TV character in a long time. Well, probably just since GOB Bluth, so it’s really only a couple of years. He might actually pull this off, though I don’t know if his personal problems will dissuade voters. I think it’s still a good idea to cross your fingers that he even comes back to this show. One thing about “30 Rock” is that every time I read about it, I read that the pilot sucked and the show got much better. Watch that pilot again, it’s pretty great. I do think that show picked up steam and settled into a place where the laughs were flowing like beer at Judah Friedlander’s house, but the pilot is strong I tells ya. Strong!

Best Actress, Comedy
Hope will win: Julia Louis Dreyfus, “New Adventures of Old Christine”
Think will win: Lauren Graham, “Gilmore Girls” or America Ferrara, “Ugly Betty”
This is an odd category where in previous years I probably would have had Lauren Graham in the hope will win category, but after all is said and done the final season of “Gilmore Girls” was not very good, Graham phoned in her part, and I’m not really positive but it seems like the Emmys might give her the pity vote because her show is done and she was never nominated.

Ah, who are we kidding, you know Ugly Betty is going to win this one.

Best Comedy
Hope will win: “The New Adventures of Old Christine”
Think will win: “The Office”
I can’t say enough about “Christine.” This is a superbly written and acted show and deserves more attention. It is easily the best standard sitcom on TV and probably one of the best since “Seinfeld.” And as much as I love “The Office,” I don’t think it should win this award. It is a lovable show, and Steve Carell is great, but it doesn’t have that I-don’t-know-what to put it over the edge. “Christine” uses the classic sitcom approach and does it fantastically, and that makes it the best comedy out there in my book.

Best Actor, Drama
Hope will win: Kyle Chandler, “Friday Night Lights”
Think will win: James Gandolfini, “The Sopranos”
Weird ending aside, this is pretty much a lock for James Gandolfini. But Kyle Chandler is the heart and soul of “Friday Night Lights” and his performance as Coach Taylor is really powerful. If you’re not a fan you should be. You can watch it online at NBC.com.

Best Actress, Drama
Hope will win: Sally Fields, “Brothers and Sisters”
Think will win: Mariska Hargitay, “Law & Order: All Rapes Edition”
Listen. Sally Field’s acting ability can kick anyone’s ass. She is simply better at it than most other people, it’s a fact of life much like death and taxes and Danny Bonaduce’s drug use. If she is on a TV show, then she is the best actress on TV, ain’t no questioning it. But Mariska Hargitay has won this before, and her show doesn’t change and only gets more and more popular, so you know she’s going to win. But Sally Field could act her into submission reading from a cereal box. OBEY bitch!

Best Drama
Hope will win: “Friday Night Lights”
Think will win: “The Sopranos”
You know, I don’t watch “House,” but it strikes me that it is probably one of the better dramas on network, since it has a really odd mix of procedural and character-driven plot lines. But I still don’t understand what is going on — what kind of hospital is this? why do they only get very mysterious cases? does it normally take so much troubleshooting to figure out what is wrong with a patient? why is House anywhere near patients if they know he has a pill problem? what happened to George Clooney’s character? It is way too overwrought and contrived for my taste, and I watch “Supernatural” so that says a lot. (About me and about “House,” but I digress.)

I wanted to cast my hope vote for “Brothers and Sisters” because it has great acting and is a classic tv drama, but it’s most of the time merely watchable with occasional flashes of greatness. And honestly at times it’s rather silly.

So I’m voting for “Friday Night Lights.” It has some compelling story lines, football, great acting especially from Chandler and Connie Britton, and did I mention it has people playing football. It is one of the best network dramas, even when it wavers, and it did; it’s not perfect.

But I think it would be silly to vote against “The Sopranos.” I haven’t watched this show since they killed Meadow’s boyfriend in a season finale (what was that, like season 4?) but it is one of the finest TV dramas ever and it is over, so it is basically a lock.

We’ll find out when the Emmys air on September 16. Yay TV!