2013 Emmy Nomination Preview & Predictions: Reality-Competition Program & Reality Host

With the Emmy nominations coming up on July 18, I am posting predictions and analysis of each of the top categories.  Today I'm posting two categories.

Here are my predictions and analysis for:

REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM

THE AMAZING RACE (CBS)

This awards hog will easily get in again this year after winning NINE AWARDS FROM THE PAST TEN YEARS in this category.  It's unclear if voters simply don't like/watch any other reality show on television, if they're just name-checking the show, or if it really is the best every single year, but there's no way it'll get snubbed this year.  It will probably win it's 10th award in September.

The Bling Ring (S. Coppola, 2013)

     There seems to be a trend in film this year involving the inherent horribleness of this generation of young teens and twentysomethings.  Spring Breakers showed how careless the MTV generation is in regard to their own lives, highlighting how quickly a penchant for danger and excitement can lead to life-altering consequences.  Most of the audience reception surrounding that film was negative, since many simply saw Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens on the poster, saw that it was about Spring Break and expected a good time.  They failed to understand that the film was holding a mirror up to the audience with the message of "look at what our young society has become."  I expect many of that same crowd went into The Bling Ring with similar expectations.  They saw Emma Watson acting sexy in the trailer, saw that it was about a group of teen burglars who rob celebrity houses, and assumed it would be some entertaining heist film, like Ocean's 11 meets Mean Girls.  Unfortunately for them, this is another film with a specific thesis aimed at the fame-obssessed subset of today's youth.

2013 Emmy Nomination Preview & Predictions: Supporting Actor/Actress in a Miniseries or Movie

With the Emmy nominations coming up on July 18, I am posting predictions and analysis of each of the top categories.  Today I'm posting two categories.

Here are my predictions and analysis for:

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE

JAMES CROMWELL as Dr. Arthur Arden in AMERICAN HORROR STORY: ASYLUM

A seasoned actor, Cromwell's role on American Horror Story this season was pretty one-demensional (evil doctor used to be a Nazi!) but he still turned in a great performance.  There aren't a lot of big contenders in this category, so a well-known actor like Cromwell on such a high-profile series should easily be able to get into this category.   He also may be one of the leading contenders to win, which wouldn't upset me but I doubt he would be a top contender in any other year.

Mad Men - Episode 6.13 - "In Care Of"

Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss)                                                                                            Jamie Trueblood/AMC

     I don't know why I ever doubted this show.  Maybe it's because most of this season has felt either meandering or repetitive.  Maybe it's because I went into this finale assuming it wouldn't resolve anything and leave me unsatisfied, like season 4's "Tomorrowland" and season 5's "The Phantom".  I was pleasantly surprised that "In Care Of" hearkened back to the classic Mad Men finales of the first three seasons that genuinely felt like the climax and resolution of their respective seasons.  Suffice it to say, "In Care Of" really feels like a finale.  Pete finally finds some version of happiness, even if it wasn't what he expected or intended, Don strives to make a change for the better and Peggy finally ends up in the position we were all hoping for since the series began.  In many ways, this could've been a proper series finale, since almost every character gets a resolution, but fortunately we have one more season to watch these characters as they finally transition into the 1970s.  Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves here, though...

2013 Emmy Nomination Preview & Predictions: Lead Actor/Actress in a Miniseries or Movie

With the Emmy nominations coming up on July 18, I am posting predictions and analysis of each of the top categories.  Today I'm posting two categories.

Here are my predictions and analysis for:

LEAD ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH as Christopher Tietjens in PARADE'S END

Cumberbatch was a nominee last year for the Sherlock miniseries despite being relatively unknown.  The actor starred as the main villain in this year's Star Trek Into Darkness, getting rave reviews for his performance.  In Parade's End, Cumberbatch plays a WWI soldier torn apart by his love for two women.  It's a baity role and his raised profile in Hollywood should propel him to his second straight nomination in this category.  Even though the miniseries wasn't highly publicized, actors have gotten in for even less viewed productions in the past.  I'd say he's in for now.

Man of Steel (Snyder, 2013)

     Let's face it, the Superman reboot was bound to happen sooner rather than later.  After the success of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy as well as last year's The Amazing Spider-Man, Superman seemed like the natural path to go in as far as DC Comic superhero adaptations.  DC Comic adaptations are traditionally much more serious-minded than their Marvel counterparts, treating their superheroes as flawed men just trying to do their best to do good.  That's what Nolan did with his vision of Batman, presenting his caped crusader as a man haunted by his dark past.  Then again, Batman never had superpowers, so it made sense to tell a more human story.  With Man of Steel, it's clear that director Zack Snyder worked with Nolan, who served as a producer on the film.  The film is deeply rooted in drama from start to finish, treating almost everything with such deliberate seriousness that you almost forget that this is about an alien who was shipped to Earth and subsequently flies around in a cape and fitted suit.  This isn't to say that the film's style and substance are incongruous, but it's interesting to see after films like Iron Man 3 and The Avengers, which could almost pass as action-comedies in comparison.

1st Annual TeleFilmiest Awards - Nominations

I hereby present the 1st Annual TeleFilmiest Awards, recognizing the best in television from the 2012-2013 season.  There was a lot of great stuff this year, so this was a tough venture.  Nevertheless, here are my nominations in 24 categories:

BEST COMEDY SERIES
30 Rock
Arrested Development
Girls
Louie
New Girl
Parks and Recreation

BEST ENSEMBLE IN A COMEDY SERIES

30 Rock

Arrested Development

Girls

New Girl

Parks and Recreation

Veep