When it comes to comedic performances, you kids like to award Academy favorites like Tony Shaloub and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. That’s all well and good, but this year belongs to Steve Carrell and America Ferrara. The country is smitten with The Office and Ugly Betty and these actors are the reason why. Trust me, Elaine and Monk will be fine if you give the awards to someone else. I promise.
The non-series nominations could prove to be an exciting bunch. I am not sure what awards you should give to Discovery’s awesome Planet Earth yet I do know you should just mail them out now. There is nothing like this show and it may be the greatest nature series in the history of television.
The same goes for NBC’s Tony Bennett: An American Classic. Directed with style and class by Rob Marshall, it single-handedly resurrected the musical variety special. Giving the octogenarian Bennett an Emmy would not only be the right thing to do but would also be a fitting tribute to a living legend.
Also, I hope you Emmy Elite can put aside your ambivalence toward Spike Lee to nominate his superb documentary When the Levees Broke. This unapologetic look at a nation's response to Hurricane Katrina and the citizens it affected is heartbreaking and uplifting without being preachy. Of all the programs I watched last year, this film had the biggest emotional impact on me.
Finally, I do realize that my last-minute campaigning might be a moot point as the ballot mail-in deadline was June 20. Still, I remain optimistic that this year’s Emmys will be chock full of fresh faces and groundbreaking shows. Or at the very least I won’t have to sit through another Doris Roberts acceptance speech.
Sincerely,
Sean Paul Mahoney
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