American Hustle (Russell, 2013)

We all do what we have to do to get by in life, even if it means pretending we’re someone we’re not to our closest friends and family, and sometimes ourselves. Even if the masquerade is bullshit, people will never stop trying to hide their true selves in order to get by or get ahead. This is the underlying message of American Hustle, a movie that was once more appropriately titled American Bullshit.  Set in the 1970s, American Hustle stars Christian Bale as a portly, balding con man named Irving, a man who makes a living from the art of bullshit and hustling. As a child, he drummed up new business for his father’s glass company by running through the neighborhood throwing rocks at windows. Nowadays, he continues in his father’s footsteps with an extra laundromat empire on the side. He meets a kindred spirit named Sydney (Amy Adams) at a party and the two experience mutual attraction in its most intense form. Sydney will do anything to leave behind the life she once led as a stripper, conning her way to a good position at Cosmopolitan magazine while still looking for an excuse to reinvent herself. Irving presents Sydney with a new business endeavor involving the art of promising bank loans to desperate people, taking their down payments and giving them nothing in return. Sydney invents a new persona, Lady Edith of London, and a new business begins to blossom.

Top 10 Shows of 2013

2013 in television has been one of the greater years in recent memory, making it particularly hard to narrow the best shows of the year to just 10. From exciting new comedies to consistently amazing dramas, 2013 proved that television is no longer the younger sibling of movies. Some of these shows were better than most movies released this year, and many movie stars have noticed and transferred to television. 

10. Brooklyn Nine-Nine

It’s rare for television comedies to come out of the gate with a confident voice. When Fox premiered Brooklyn Nine-Nine in September, it bolstered recent SNL vet Andy Samberg and longtime television favorite Andre Braugher, both of whom I assumed would be hogging all the screentime. I was surprised to tune in to the premiere and see a strong ensemble, not just from the TV vets but from the relative unknowns as well. Samberg’s Jake Peralta is essentially Samberg playing Samberg, but his particular brand of humor works as a kooky but competent lead. Braugher’s take on the police chief is one of the more complex new roles on television, playing a traditional straight man (who ironically happens to be gay) in a group of wackos. 

The strength of Brooklyn Nine-Nine come from the interplay of the ensemble and the strength of the writing. Particularly strong is Joe Lo Truglio as Boyle, the awkward yet honest detective with a crush on the hardcore, enigmatic Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz). Though it is inherently a procedural, the show has gradually made the characters and their relationships stronger with each new episode. It’s fortunate to have a comedic ensemble work so well from the first episodes, and I can only see it growing stronger. More than anything else, though, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is like hanging out with your friends for a little while, and that’s one of the best things a sitcom can be, let alone a new one.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Lawrence, 2013)

Sequels of big-budget franchise films can be tough to get right for a mass audience. People who fell in love with the first film usually want that same exciting feeling again for the second film, which is unfortunately rare for many franchises. The first Pirates of the Caribbean film felt like the start of a exciting new series of movies but the franchise quickly devolved after introducing too many one-dimensional characters and unnecessarily complex plots in the sequels. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire had huge expectations riding on it, with 2012’s The Hunger Games becoming a huge, worldwide box office phenomenon and turning Jennifer Lawrence into America’s Sweetheart. Catching Fire not only had to please fans of The Hunger Games book series by Suzanne Collins, it also had to give non-book readers enough to properly enjoy it without prior knowledge of what was to come. As someone who was a fan of the books, I can say that director Francis Lawrence has created what may be the best possible adaptation of Catching Fire imaginable.

Thor: The Dark World (Taylor, 2013)

Marvel Studios has really turned into a well-oiled machine in terms of producing successful blockbusters. Their movies are simple enough to be enjoyed by all audiences with varying levels of intelligence but they’re also quick-witted enough to keep the adult audience engaged. Thor: The Dark World is largely another one of Marvel’s brilliantly packaged but ultimately disposable movies. It is like a fast food meal that you enjoy while you’re consuming but does not exactly stimulate you or enrich your life in any way. There are moments in Thor: The Dark World that deal with the complexities that come with relationships, whether they be brotherly or romantic, but those moments are not explored beyond a basic, surface level.

Kill Your Darlings (Krokidas, 2013)

It is notoriously difficult to create films about poetry and writing. Such a cerebral art form is tough to reproduce in a visual format without going fully pretentious and having the characters spout ridiculous, unrealistic lines of dialogue. The visual language of Kill Your Darlings, a film chronicling the early lives of some of the most influential poets of the Beat generation, is almost secondary to the writings themselves. This isn’t a film meant to dazzle with visuals and spectacle. At its best, Kill Your Darlings presents the young poets as they are developing their own rules and limitations for what language can do and discovering who they are in the process. It is a character-driven drama that wants you to feel the motivations of each of its many characters, even if its grander ambitions prove too much for it to handle.

12 Years a Slave (McQueen, 2013)

When looking at the subject matter of a film, it is tempting to judge its merits on the importance of the story its telling. Dramas about war are rarely bashed in the critical mainstream and historical epics are generally given good reviews as long as the subject feels important and necessary. I believe that this was the case in 2012 when Lincoln achieved exalted status despite being mostly speechifying men sitting in rooms and nothing else. If a film presents all the right parts: human struggle, evil oppressors, lots of crying, etc., it tends to be praised as one of the best films of the year. Underneath all those necessary parts, however, is sometimes very little of substance, making the film seem like torture porn just for the sake of it. It is for these reasons that I went into 12 Years a Slave with a skeptical eye. The film had been praised as the contender to beat at the Oscars and was being tauted as a life-changing experience by some critics. I wasn’t sure if I was going to have another Lincoln experience, in which people would make grand, overwrought proclamations about slavery set to a sickeningly sweet score.

Captain Phillips (Greengrass, 2013)

There are some moviegoing experiences that make it difficult to come out of the theater with a sense of satisfaction, regardless of the film’s quality. In these instances, the film’s director has usually made a movie that feels so unsettling and visceral that you are left haunted by it hours after the experience. Paul Greengrass is a director that specializes in putting the audience right in the heart of the action, with the general desire to make the audience feel like they’ve experienced something as it really happened. Greengrass’ Academy Award-nominated work in United 93 is a prime example of placing the audience in a dangerous, thrilling situation, no matter how uncomfortable it may be. Just as United 93 put us on a plane full of horrified people headed toward Washington, D.C. on 9/11, Captain Phillips places us on a 2009 ship off the coast of Somalia that just so happens to be taken hostage by pirates. 

Gravity (Cuarón, 2013)

     There is a temptation in filmmaking to create stories that reflect the current state of society. Conventional filmmakers just want to entertain the audience in a way they can understand while artistic types want to hold a mirror up to society and say, “See! This is what you’ve become!” This isn’t to say movies that provide a time capsule for film geeks to look back on are without merit. Movies like The Graduate, The Breakfast Club and The Social Network define their respective generations in different ways and provide a pretty good sense of American life and society. Other films strive to be timeless classics; though their filmic style may eventually become dated, their stories remain universal no matter when you sit down to watch them. Gravity falls into the latter category in such a way that’s rarely seen in modern moviemaking.

Breaking Bad - Episode 5.11 - "Confessions"

Walt (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse (Aaron Paul)                        Ursula Coyote/AMC

     Confessions can be incredibly difficult. So many of these characters have kept things from each other since the beginning of Breaking Bad, afraid of the consequences that might rain down on them if they were to tell the whole truth. The entire premise behind Breaking Bad is that a meek chemistry teacher turns to a life of crime to help pay his bills after being diagnosed with cancer. By its very nature, the central character of the show must keep his cards close to his vest. This is why "Confessions", the third of eight final episodes of the AMC drama, feels like such a relief after everything these characters have gone through. Jesse's confessing to Walt, Saul's confessing to Jesse, Todd's confessing to his uncle and Walt's creating a manipulative story that masquerades as a confession to the police. While some are bragging about their past actions (Todd), others are just trying to salvage what little good will they have left (Jesse, Saul). There is a cathartic moment for each of these characters in "Confessions", and it's fascinating to watch.

Top 50 TV Theme Songs of All Time - No. 10-1

     TV theme songs are a lost art form. That's not my opinion, that's the genuine reality of the current television landscape. So many series these days think it's enough to display a 5-second title card with a few musical notes and call it their theme song. Back in the day, TV theme songs used to introduce you to a show. Some of them would reveal the entire premise performed by an aging cruise singer. Others would simply use a really catchy melody to reel viewers in. Either way, theme songs have been an integral part of television as an art form and I'm here to give them their due.

     I will be counting down the top 50 television theme songs of all time over the next few days. The rankings and omissions found in the countdown are my personal opinion and not entirely reflective of the common television viewer. However, some themes are so iconic regardless of my own personal opinion that they deserve a spot on the list. 

Click here to view the shows that came in at No. 50-41.

Click here to view the shows that came in at No. 40-31.      

Click here to view the shows that came in at No. 30-21.

Click here to view the shows that came in at No. 20-11.      

Featured in this post will be what I believe to be the top 10 TV theme songs of all time.

Here we go:

10. Hawaii Five-O

The Hawaii Five-O theme song was way ahead of its time, considering it first premiered in 1968. The fact that the 2010 reboot series uses the exact same theme song and fits right in with the current TV landscape is a testament to how truly badass it is. The song has such a simple melody yet it's so memorable that it easily stands out among similarly-themed shows (Baywatch, China Beach). Everything from the drumming intro to the seamless octave change at the end makes the Hawaii Five-O theme song one of the best in television history.

Top 50 TV Theme Songs of All Time - No. 20-11

     TV theme songs are a lost art form. That's not my opinion, that's the genuine reality of the current television landscape. So many series these days think it's enough to display a 5-second title card with a few musical notes and call it their theme song. Back in the day, TV theme songs used to introduce you to a show. Some of them would reveal the entire premise performed by an aging cruise singer. Others would simply use a really catchy melody to reel viewers in. Either way, theme songs have been an integral part of television as an art form and I'm here to give them their due.

     I will be counting down the top 50 television theme songs of all time over the next few days. The rankings and omissions found in the countdown are my personal opinion and not entirely reflective of the common television viewer. However, some themes are so iconic regardless of my own personal opinion that they deserve a spot on the list. 

Click here to view the shows that came in at No. 50-41.

Click here to view the shows that came in at No. 40-31.      

Click here to view the shows that came in at No. 30-21.      

Featured in this post will be No. 20-11.

Here we go:

20. Happy Days

An unabashedly happy theme song, the theme to Happy Days is so positive and cheerful that you can't help but want to hang out with Richie, Fonzie and the gang. The song, which was actually a replacement for season 1's "Rock Around the Clock", is a fantastic theme emphasizing harmonies and the simple delight of happy days. 

Breaking Bad - Episode 5.10 - "Buried"

Skyler (Anna Gunn) and Hank (Dean Norris)                                                    AMC

     Oh, Skyler. You've gotten so much unwarranted hate on the Internet over the past few years, of no fault of your own. All you've tried to do was protect your family against the person who's supposed to protect your family, and thus far you've succeeded. Unfortunately, you've decided it best to break bad like your sociopathic husband and his partner-in-crime. The Skyler we see in this episode is not entirely out of character, but her behavior is shockingly disappointing. Early in "Buried," the second of the final eight episodes in Breaking Bad's final season, Hank calls Skyler and informs her that they need to talk. Paralyzed with fear, she enters a diner and sits down with Hank to hear what he has to say. He tells her to speak into a microphone and reveal everything she knows about Walt's criminal life, starting from the very beginning. Many emotions flash across Skyler's face as she contemplates her next move. She chooses to remain silent before boastfully shouting, "Am I under arrest?!" over and over to provide a distraction as she exits the diner. From this action, Skyler has decided to protect Walt, but she has also chosen to protect herself above all else. With this, Skyler has joined Walt in breaking bad, feeling that there is no way of turning back.

Top 50 TV Theme Songs of All Time - No. 30-21

TV theme songs are a lost art form. That's not my opinion, that's the genuine reality of the current television landscape. So many series these days think it's enough to display a 5-second title card with a few musical notes and call it their theme song. Back in the day, TV theme songs used to introduce you to a show. Some of them would reveal the entire premise performed by an aging cruise singer. Others would simply use a really catchy melody to reel viewers in. Either way, theme songs have been an integral part of television as an art form and I'm here to give them their due.

     I will be counting down the top 50 television theme songs of all time over the next few days. The rankings and omissions found in the countdown are my personal opinion and not entirely reflective of the common television viewer. However, some themes are so iconic regardless of my own personal opinion that they deserve a spot on the list. 

Click here to view the shows that came in at No. 50-41.
Click here to view the shows that came in at No. 40-31.      
Featured in this post will be No. 30-21.

Here we go:

30. Mission: Impossible

One of the coolest theme songs in TV history, the Mission: Impossible theme has become so widespread that it has almost become synonymous with secrecy and spying. The song actually manages to mimic someone trying to sneak up on another person despite its relatively fast tempo. Though it has been often parodied in commercials, it deserves a spot on this list for originality.

Top 50 TV Theme Songs of All Time - No. 40-31

     TV theme songs are a lost art form. That's not my opinion, that's the genuine reality of the current television landscape. So many series these days think it's enough to display a 5-second title card with a few musical notes and call it their theme song. Back in the day, TV theme songs used to introduce you to a show. Some of them would reveal the entire premise performed by an aging cruise singer. Others would simply use a really catchy melody to reel viewers in. Either way, theme songs have been an integral part of television as an art form and I'm here to give them their due.

     I will be counting down the top 50 television theme songs of all time over the next few days. The rankings and omissions found in the countdown are my personal opinion and not entirely reflective of the common television viewer. However, some themes are so iconic regardless of my own personal opinion that they deserve a spot on the list. 

Click here to view the shows that came in at No. 50-41.      

Featured in this post will be No. 40-31.

Here we go:

40. Batman

"Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na na-na-na-na-na-na-na Batman!" That's literally the whole theme song. And it's brilliant. It's one of the most recognized themes in all of television even for it's simplicity. Accurately matching the campy style of the series, the theme does not take itself too seriously.

Top 50 TV Theme Songs of All Time - No. 50-41

     TV theme songs are a lost art form. That's not my opinion, that's the genuine reality of the current television landscape. So many series these days think it's enough to display a 5-second title card with a few musical notes and call it their theme song. Back in the day, TV theme songs used to introduce you to a show. Some of them would reveal the entire premise performed by an aging cruise singer. Others would simply use a really catchy melody to reel viewers in. Either way, theme songs have been an integral part of television as an art form and I'm here to give them their due.

     I will be counting down the top 50 television theme songs of all time over the next few days. The rankings and omissions found in the countdown are my personal opinion and not entirely reflective of the common television viewer. However, some themes are so iconic regardless of my own personal opinion that they deserve a spot on the list. 

     To begin the countdown, I will reveal the shows that ranked No. 50 through 41 on my list, a YouTube clip of the song and a brief description of why they stood out as iconic themes.

Here we go:

50. Seinfeld

A bouncy, popping, bass-driven ditty, the theme to NBC's wildly successful Seinfeld is one of the most recognized of all time. The song accurately matches the sitcom's zany, erratic style while managing to be stuck in your head for hours after the show is over. Though it could be considered annoying, it deserves a slot on the top 50 list.

The Heat (Feig, 2013)

     So much of The Heat, the latest film by Bridesmaids director Paul Feig, should not work. And yet it does, almost exclusively on the strength of Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy as both comedic and dramatic actresses. It takes a very tired buddy cop premise, in which two very different officers are forced to work together, one by-the-books and uptight, the other crass and street-smart, and even though they butt heads at at first, they eventually learn to find the strengths in both of them! It's a cliched, formulaic storytelling trope used in way too many comedies (Lethal Weapon, Men in Black, Rush Hour, the list goes on and on). What separates The Heat from being just another spot under the "Buddy cop comedies" category on your Netflix Watch Instantly suggestions is how different it feels from the standard buddy cop film. Yes, there is a fair share of outrageous, slapstick-style humor, but there's also a great deal of heart. It's not the kind of "heart" Hollywood likes to awkwardly tack on to the end of raunchy comedies; it's a real, earned sense of female friendship that is rarely seen in a film industry that seems stubbornly committed to pitting females against each other.

Breaking Bad - Episode 5.09 - "Blood Money"

Walt (Bryan Cranston) in Breaking Bad                                      Ursula Coyote/AMC

     Few shows get the luxury of truly going out on top. Even the most classic shows get cancelled too soon (Arrested Development, Firefly, Twin Peaks) or they chug along way past their prime (The Office, Roseanne, The Simpsons). With the help of Netflix and the binge-watching phenomenon, Breaking Bad has become one of those few shows ending at the right time while also having its biggest audience ever. With the record-breaking 5.9 million viewers who watched the premiere of season 5B, Breaking Bad has broken through the culture in a major way. Vince Gilligan and company likely felt a lot of pressure to really deliver for the show's last eight episodes, but you wouldn't know it, given the quality of the premiere. Titled "Blood Money", the premiere episode of season 5B features many of those explosive moments that have turned the show into a mainstream hit while also featuring the understated character moments that made it more than just a modern-day pulp classic.

Fruitvale Station (Coogler, 2013)

     2008. New Year's Eve. 22-year-old Oscar Grant III and his friends go out to celebrate the new year in the city. 2009. New Year's Day. Oscar Grant is killed at Fruitvale BART Station in Oakland, California. The incident shocked the nation in the aftermath of New Year's Day 2009, and that incident is the ending of director Ryan Coogler's feature film debut, Fruitvale Station. Knowing the ending of a film usually prevents most people from wanting to see it, but Fruitvale Station isn't the typical Hollywood film that leads to an unexpected, unpredictable finale. Much like Titanic, most people going into this know exactly how it ends, but that doesn't lessen its impact or make the ending any less horrifying. Fruitvale Station ultimately becomes about the journey of Oscar Grant's life leading to that incident. 

1st Annual TeleFilmiest Awards - Winners (Part 2)

1st ANNUAL TELEFILMIEST AWARDS - WINNERS ANNOUNCEMENT

     Welcome back to the 1st Annual TeleFilmiest Awards. Click here for the first group of winners. I now present the winners for the final twelve categories:

The nominees for Best Comedy Ensemble are:

The cast of 30 Rock

Scott Adsit, Alec Baldwin, Katrina Bowden, Kevin Brown, Grizz Chapman, Tina Fey, Judah Friedlander, Jane Krakowski, Jack McBrayer, Tracy Morgan, Maulik Pancholy and Keith Powell

The cast of Arrested Development

Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, David Cross, Portia de Rossi, Tony Hale, Ron Howard, Alia Shawkat, Jeffrey Tambor and Jessica Walter

The cast of Girls

Adam Driver, Lena Dunham, Alex Karpovsky, Jemima Kirke, Zosia Mamet and Allison Williams

The cast of New Girl

Zooey Deschanel, Max Greenfield, Jake Johnson, Lamorne Morris and Hannah Simone

The cast of Parks and Recreation

Aziz Ansari, Rashida Jones, Jim O'Heir, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Amy Poehler, Chris Pratt, Retta and Adam Scott

The cast of Veep

Sufe Bradshaw, Anna Chlumsky, Tony Hale, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Reid Scott, Timothy Simons and Matt Walsh

And the award goes to...

THE CAST OF ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT

In my personal opinion, there hasn't been a single comedy ensemble in modern television history as strong as Arrested Development's. Though the fourth season may not have been as strong as the show's first three, the cast undoubtedly brought their A-game to every episode and performed as if the seven-year gap between seasons never happened. I singled out Jessica Walter as the MVP in my review, but the whole cast really does deserves recognition.

1st Annual TeleFilmiest Awards - Winners (Part 1)

1st ANNUAL TELEFILMIEST AWARDS - WINNERS ANNOUNCEMENT

     Welcome. This has truly been an incredible year in television. Some of these categories were incredibly difficult to decide. I will now present the best in television in 24 categories.  Let's get right to it.

The nominees for Best Guest Acting in a Comedy Series are:

Maria Bamford as DeBrie Bardeaux in Arrested Development

Melissa Leo as Laurie in Louie

David Lynch as Jack Dall in Louie

Parker Posey as Liz in Louie

Ben Stiller as Tony Wonder in Arrested Development

Elaine Stritch as Colleen Donaghy in 30 Rock

And the award goes to...

PARKER POSEY as LIZ in LOUIE

From the moment I finished watched the incredible Louie episode "Daddy's Girlfriend Part 2", I knew Posey would be my favorite guest star of the season. Representing the archetypical Manic Pixie Dream Girl, Posey expertly meshed charming spontaneity with genuinely psychotic behavior, and created a hauntingly memorable character in the process. Her rooftop scene at the end of the episode gives me chills just thinking about it.

The To Do List (Carey, 2013)

     Sometimes a cast of today's brightest comedic talents can't carry a film on its own. Such is the case with The To Do List, which unfortunately sacrifices an intriguing, edgy premise for a safe, toothless final product. Writer-director Maggie Carey drew from her own experiences for The To Do List, her feature film debut. Carey has a solid grasp on the particular era in which the film is set (it is very '90s), but the film does not add up to anything particularly original. Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation) stars as Brandy Klark, a tightly-wound, virginal valedictorian who takes her rigid work ethic and applies it to a checklist of sexual experiences to achieve before entering college. A guitar-playing college boy named Rusty Waters (Scott Porter) catches Brandy's eye at a party and she makes it her new goal to have sex with him. She becomes a lifeguard at a public pool where he works, where she also meets Willy (Bill Hader), the grungy, free-loading owner of the pool.

2013 Emmy Nomination Preview & Predictions: Drama Series

With the Emmy nominations coming up tomorrow, I am posting predictions and analysis of each of the top categories.  Each post consists of predictions and analysis for one category.

Here are my predictions and analysis for:

DRAMA SERIES

BREAKING BAD (AMC)

Breaking Bad has never been more popular as a cable drama and as a pop culture phenomenon this year.  As it goes into its final eight episodes in August, voters will be watching and keeping it in mind as a possible winner in September.  The show has gotten nominations in this category over the past three years and has gotten five trophies between actors Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul.  It's probably in the No. 1 or 2 slot at this point.

2013 Emmy Nomination Preview & Predictions: Comedy Series

With the Emmy nominations coming up on July 18, I am posting predictions and analysis of each of the top categories.  Each post consists of predictions and analysis for one category.

Here are my predictions and analysis for:

COMEDY SERIES

30 ROCK (NBC)

This 3-time champion aired its final season this year and remained funny up to its final episode.  Though it no longer gets the wins it used to, 30 Rock has been nominated every season it's been on the air and I don't see that changing now.  Granted, its last episode aired in January but there's a lot of shows this year that ended even earlier that I'm still predicting to get in.  Though the Emmys are notoriously unsentimental, I expect them to give one last nod to 30 Rock.

2013 Emmy Nomination Preview & Predictions: Miniseries/Movie

With the Emmy nominations coming up on July 18, I am posting predictions and analysis of each of the top categories.  Each post consists of predictions and analysis for one category.

Here are my predictions and analysis for:

MINISERIES/MOVIE

AMERICAN HORROR STORY: ASYLUM (FX)

American Horror Story's second installment was more critically acclaimed than its first and featured some of the best performances from the past year in television.  The first installment was one of the most nominated programs of 2012 and the Emmy love will likely continue here.  The fact that it's one of the most high-profile miniseries in the race makes American Horror Story: Asylum one of the locks in this category with a good shot at winning as well.

2013 Emmy Nomination Preview & Predictions: Lead Actress in a Drama Series

With the Emmy nominations coming up on July 18, I am posting predictions and analysis of each of the top categories.  Each post consists of predictions and analysis for one category.

Here are my predictions and analysis for:

LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

CLAIRE DANES as Carrie Mathison in HOMELAND

The reigning champion in this category, Danes is one of the biggest locks on Emmy nomination morning.  Though she didn't have as many standout moments in season 2 compared to season 1, she is still playing one of the most fascinating characters on television and deserves to have her frontunner status.  She'll probably win this category again this year and I can't say it wouldn't be deserved, much like her co-star Damian Lewis.

2013 Emmy Nomination Preview & Predictions: Lead Actor in a Drama Series

With the Emmy nominations coming up on July 18, I am posting predictions and analysis of each of the top categories.  Each post consists of predictions and analysis for one category.

Here are my predictions and analysis for:

LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

STEVE BUSCEMI as Nucky Thompson in BOARDWALK EMPIRE

Back in 2011, a lot of awards prognosticators had Buscemi pegged as the winner of this category after wins at the Golden Globes and SAG Awards.  He ended up losing to Bryan Cranston.  Regardless, he got nominated again in 2012 despite fading buzz for the show.  Now in its third season, Boardwalk Empire is probably going to get even less nominations this year but Buscemi is such a beloved actor in the industry that I really can't see them dropping him.  Maybe next year, but not now.

2013 Emmy Nomination Preview & Predictions: Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

With the Emmy nominations coming up on July 18, I am posting predictions and analysis of each of the top categories.  Each post consists of predictions and analysis for one category.

Here are my predictions and analysis for:

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

CHRISTINE BARANSKI as Diane Lockhart in THE GOOD WIFE

A perennial Emmy favorite, Baranski has gotten nominated every year for her role as Diane Lockhart since the show's first season in 2009-2010.  I don't watch The Good Wife but I hear she's better a standout in the show's dynamic cast this year, so she has an excellent chance of making it back in again.  She may not ever win, since The Good Wife's buzz is fading overall, but I'll predict her to at least get nominated every year until she doesn't.

2013 Emmy Nomination Preview & Predictions: Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

With the Emmy nominations coming up on July 18, I am posting predictions and analysis of each of the top categories.  Each post consists of predictions and analysis for one category.

Here are my predictions and analysis for:

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

JONATHAN BANKS as Mike Ehremantraut in BREAKING BAD

Banks had his best season yet as Walter White's business partner-turned-nemesis Mike Ehrmantraut.  Much like Giancarlo Esposito's nomination last year, I think Banks will get the breakout Breaking Bad supporting actor slot.  If enough voters are watching the show, they'll know that Banks was even better than co-star Aaron Paul this year, and if he submits the "Say My Name" episode he has a good shot of winning.  The nomination is the biggest hurdle, though.

2013 Emmy Nomination Preview & Predictions: Variety Series

With the Emmy nominations coming up on July 18, I am posting predictions and analysis of each of the top categories.  Each post consists of predictions and analysis for one category.

Here are my predictions and analysis for:

VARIETY SERIES

THE COLBERT REPORT (Comedy Central)

The Colbert Report has been notoriously snubbed of the win year after year in this category and that will probably continue this year.  It has been nominated every year since 2006 and won the Emmy for Best Writing in a Variety Series in 2008 and 2010.  Voters clearly like the show enough to keep nominating it for so long but it'll might have to take The Daily Show dropping out for it to finally get that win.