My Dream Emmy Ballot: Outstanding Drama Series

As you can see, my Dream Emmy Ballot experiment took a backseat to real life. I still want to get these out before the Emmy nomination announcements on July 19, so I'm giving it the old college try. Next up is Outstanding Drama Series.

Remember, these picks are my "wouldn't it be nice" nominees and not real predictions because it's just easier to dream than try to face reality. If you want more legit insights, I'm sure you can find some online.

Boardwalk Empire
It's a period drama on HBO with a pretty heavy-hitting cast, so I'm pretty sure Boardwalk Empire will be getting another nomination.


Breaking Bad
Even though I'm wildly behind on my Breaking Bad catch-up, and I cannot watch more than one episode at a time, I can see that it's definitely one of the better shows on the air. I don't know if it's the "best" per se because being dark and twisted isn't enough to win me over, but I'm sure I'll get all of the hype once I'm further along. Regardless, not adding Breaking Bad to my ballot would be idiotic.

Game of Thrones
See Boardwalk Empire (sans heavy-hitting cast). Plus, it'd be nice if a genre show could catch on again to be an Emmy staple.

Homeland
This was one of my favorite new shows, so I just had to add it to my dream ballot. The thing is, it's worthy of the love and is a pretty safe bet. I don't know if it has enough juice to topple Mad Men and/or Breaking Bad, but it has a decent chance.

Justified
I'm probably in the minority because I didn't think Season 3 of Justified was better than Season 2, and it wasn't one of the best seasons of a drama, but it was still pretty great. And I actually watched it, so I felt obligated to add it instead of going for something like Downton Abbey.

Mad Men
It's Mad Men, did you really think I wasn't going to include it on my list?

So there you have it. Those would be my top six contenders for Outstanding Drama Series if I controlled the Emmys. Agree? Disagree? Who would your nominess be?

My Dream Emmy Ballot: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

As you can see, my Dream Emmy Ballot experiment took a backseat to real life. I still want to get these out before the Emmy nomination announcements on July 19, so I'm giving it the old college try. Next up is Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, and to be honest it's pretty straightforward.

Remember, these picks are my "wouldn't it be nice" nominees and not real predictions because it's just easier to dream than try to face reality. If you want more legit insights, I'm sure you can find some online.

Morena Baccarin, Homeland
Like I mentioned before, Homeland was one of my favorite new shows of the season, and while Morena Baccarin's performance was not as captivating as those around her, she started off strong as a women trying to deal with the return of her dead husband after she had finally moved on. It would've been easy to hate Jessica Brody, but Baccarin was able to make her genuinely sympathetic, which wasn't a small feat.

Joelle Carter, Justified
Justified's known for its amazing performances, but one that gets lost in the shuffle is Joelle Carter's Ava Crowder. Now, she didn't have too many standout moments early on, but Ava really came into her own during Season 3, and Carter was the main reason why things worked. Carter may not be as flashy as Walton Goggins or Neal McDonough, but she was just as effective.

Christina Hendricks, Mad Men
While I didn't love everything that happened to Joan Holloway (the whole prostitution angle still feels contrived), Christina Hendricks still nailed it at every turn. Heck, that scene between Joan and Don was by far one of the best things filmed this year, and I credit Hendricks more than I do Jon Hamm. I don't think she's actually going to win the Emmy, but she definitely deserves to be in the mix.

Lena Headey, Game of Thrones
Every good story needs a good villain, and Lena Headey's Cersei Lannister filled that role quite well during Game of Throne's second season. Some highlights include her speech to Sansa, her multiple clashes with Tyrion, and her story about lions and the rest of the animal kingdom. While I cannot say that she was as good as Dinklage, she was able to hold her own and was a strong second fiddle.

Beth Riesgraf, Leverage
Yes, I know that Leverage doesn't belong on any Emmy lists because it's not dark enough or realistic enough, and it's nothing but a fun, con-man procedural, but that's exactly why I love it and why it should get some recognition. While all five of the Leverage actors make the show work, Beth Riesgraf's Parker takes things to another level and has been the most well-rounded character of the bunch. Plus, she constantly cracks my shit up, and that should be worth something.

Maggie Siff, Sons of Anarchy
Katey Sagal gets the most Emmy buzz, which is well deserved, but Maggie Siff was able to hold her own during Sons' 4th season as Tara usurped the matriarchal role from the aforementioned Sagal's Gemma. It could be argued that Siff was a liability during the show's early seasons, but she's come into her own and cemented herself as a major player in Charming.

So there you have it. Those would be my top six contenders for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series if I controlled the Emmys. Agree? Disagree? Who would your nominess be?

My Dream Emmy Ballot: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

As you can see, my Dream Emmy Ballot experiment took a backseat to real life. I still want to get these out before the Emmy nomination announcements on July 19, so I'm giving it the old college try. Next up is Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, and to be honest it's pretty much all chalk.

Remember, these picks are my "wouldn't it be nice" nominees and not real predictions because it's just easier to dream than try to face reality. If you want more legit insights, I'm sure you can find some online.

Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Dinklage won this award last year, and I don't see why he wouldn't get another nomination despite the fact that he was clearly the lead of season 2. He's not on my dream ballot because he's a safe bet, but because he was one of the few highlights of a rather scattershot season of television, and he deserves the recognition.

Giancarlo Esposito, Breaking Bad
Even though I've only watched a handful of Breaking Bad episodes, all I heard from the so-called experts was how good Giancarlo Esposito was during this last season. Since he's pretty much a lock for a nomination, and unlike my decision to add the aforementioned Dinklange, I have Esposito on my list so I can look smart.

Mandy Patinkin, Homeland
Homeland was one of my favorite new shows of the 2011-2012 season, and it was mostly due to the fantastic performances. While Claire Danes and Damian Lewis will be getting most of the Emmy love, Mandy Patinkin deserves some too for his portrayal of Saul Berernson.

Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad
See my entry for Giancarlo Esposito.

Norman Reedus, The Walking Dead
Much like Peter Dinklage, Norman Reedus was the shining light of a somewhat messy second season. As much crap The Walking Dead got during Season 2, much of it deserved, Norman Reedus' Daryl was rarely on the receiving end of much (if any) of it. Sure, there was the ill-advised pairing with the short-haired lady whose name I cannot remember, but that wasn't Reedus' fault. He should get a nomination just for putting up with that stupid storyline.

John Slattery, Mad Men
While I cannot say that I'm the biggest fan of Mad Men, I fully admit that the acting on the show's phenomenal and every actor's deserving of a nomination. Well, almost... I still cannot get behind Pete Campbell's character no matter who hard Connor from Angel tries. Back to Slattery, he was great so he was a no-brainer for this list.

So there you have it. Those would be my top six contenders for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series if I controlled the Emmys. Agree? Disagree? Who would your nominess be?

The Small Screen Podcast, Episode 24: BEING MAD

"The Small Screen Podcast" is back for Episode 24. Since it was such a short turn around, Kristal and I didn't have a ton of news to talk about, but we did discuss Jimmy Kimmel being named Emmys host, Syfy's original movies, and another online preview of a debuting show. We also chatted about the season premiere of Mad Men, what we think of this season of Being Human, and of course what we're looking forward to. Check out the breakdown for more detail.

Episode Breakdown:

Intros: Start - 1:08

TV News: 1:09 - 14:34

• Jimmy Kimmel named host of 2012 Emmys: 1:09 - 6:09
• Syfy Original Movies Line-up: 6:10 - 9:00
• Don't Trust the B---- in Apt. 23 Preview: 9:01 - 14:34

What We're Watching: 14:35 - 36:40

• Mad Men: 14:35 - 31:29
• Being Human: 31:30 - 36:40

What We're Looking Forward To: 36:41 - 38:43

• Spartacus: Vengeance: 36:41 - 37:25
• Game of Thrones: 37:26 - 38:43

Closing: 38:44 - End

Check out the episode below, or download it over at iTunes:

For more, follow us on Twitter:
Kristal: @kristal_bailey
Marcos: @poppas2cents
Screen Invasion: @screeninvasion
Invasion Radio: @invasionradio

News: 2011 AFI Awards Announced

The American Film Institute released its Top 10 of 2011 lists, and I wanted to share my initial thoughts on the television category. This year, the AFI decided to recognize the following television programs:

• Boardwalk Empire
• Breaking Bad
• Curb Your Enthusiasm
• Game of Thrones
• The Good Wife
• Homeland
• Justified
• Louie
• Modern Family
• Parks and Recreation

I really cannot complain about the drama side of things since shows like Breaking Bad and The Good Wife have been critical darlings for years now, and I'm glad that Justified got some recognition for its vastly improved second season. I'm a little surprised that rookie shows, Game of Thrones and Homeland, made the list, but their selections are deserved. The only drama on the list that I'm not so sure about is Boardwalk Empire, but I haven't seen Season 2 yet, so maybe it's gotten better.

The comedies are another story. First off, I'm glad that Parks and Recreation was added to the list. I know that I don't write a lot about the show, but it is a consistently entertaining show that deserves more recognition. I started watching Season 1 of Louie, and I can understand where the love is coming from, so I'm fine with its inclusion as well. For the life of me, I don't get why Modern Family is listed once again because it's been struggling for the past two seasons. I'm not going to say that shows like Glee or Community are more deserving, but there has to be another sitcom out there that's better than Modern Family. Ah well.

What are your thoughts on AFI's list of the best television programs of 2011?

Show Review: GAME OF THRONES

After the somewhat disappointing Boardwalk Empire, I was initially hesitant to give HBO's next epic, Game of Thrones, a shot. I caught the pilot, thought it was OK, and kind of forgot about it. Last weekend, I caught up just in time for the Season 1 finale, and boy I wish I had stuck with it sooner.

The start of the series didn't wow because it felt like another slow-burning period piece, and Boardwalk kind of wasted all of my good will towards that kind of show, so I watched "Winter is Coming" more out of curiosity than anything. I do admit that I was initially intrigued by the first outing, but nothing stood out to me besides to beautiful landscapes and boobies. During my marathon, I quickly realized that the show was more than just that.

Most of the characters were interesting, the focus on medieval politics was gripping, it was amazing to look at, and the story had twist and turns without being convoluted and murky. I did have some issues with the pacing, like Dany's evolution from sex slave to warrior queen, but having to compress so many books into a small space dictated the move, so I went with it. I'm glad I did because I was sucked in by it all, and GoT became a serious contender to be one of my favorite new shows. It was just good TV, and I cannot wait for Season 2.