Nothing makes my heart sing more joyously than a Hollywood awards ceremony. Call me ridiculous (most people do), but I live for the build-up – for nominations and snubs and prediction blog post after prediction blog post. Red carpet coverage sends me starry-eyed: I’m weak at the knees for “who are you wearing?”.
As a big fan of American television, then, the highlight of my ~awards calendar~ is the Primetime Emmys, which takes place every September, in LA. For those unaware (your lives are probably richer for it, dudes), the Emmys recognises the cream of the American broadcasting crop, with awards for all aspects of televisual achievement: acting, writing, directing – hell, even Outstanding Main Title Design is a legit category.
In recent years, the Emmys have annually attracted more internet punditry than you can shake a keyboard battered from one too many heated debates on vulture.com at, with professional critic and casual blogger alike attempting to analyse the nominations to varying degrees of success.
It has now been a week since this year’s Emmy nods were announced, and those among us who actually care about this shit have had time to digest the news. This year, there have been more surprises than usual, and the voters have taken a few more risks than we’d usually see. Luckily (unluckily) for you, I am on hand to give you a crash course on the finer points of the 2013 Emmy nominations – the next time your TV snob friend (probably not a thing unless you’re friends with me) tries to school you on Breaking Bad’s awards chances and “THE RISE OF NETFLIX!!!”, you’ll be totally equipped with the following Emmy facts:
1) New Girl didn’t get nominated for anything.
To the shock of many and the pleasure of few, FOX’s best comedy New Girl was entirely snubbed by the 2013 Emmys. Last year, the show garnered two nominations in the major acting categories, and its Emmy success was only expected to snowball after a stellar sophomore season, which had Zooey Deschanel as Jess and Jake Johnson as Nick poised for awards glory. Not even the show’s breakout star Max Greenfield, who plays Schmidt, could hold onto his nomination from last year. Tough crowd.
2) 7 for you Louis C.K. You go, Louis C.K.
The Emmys loves Louis C.K., and this year the voters have chosen to show it in a big way.
The comic/actor/writer/producer/director/everythinger has been nominated seven times – count ‘em – for various projects, including his magnificently left-field sitcom Louie and his guest turn as a host on Saturday Night Live.
3) Netflix is becoming a serious player.
Always eager to appear progressive (but not TOO progressive – let’s remember that this is a body which chose to award Jon Cryer for his turn in Two and a Barf Men only last year, you guys), the Emmys have this year embraced Netflix as a purveyor of quality television. A smattering of acting nominations, as well as a nod for political drama House of Cards in the prestigious Outstanding Drama Series category, cements the online platform as the place to be for emerging TV talent.
4) Sisters r doin it 4 themselves.
For the second year in a row, one of the major Lead Actress categories has been extended to seven nominations rather than the usual six. In 2012 it was the women of comedy who presented voters with a difficult choice, but this year it is the time for drama actresses to shine. With over half of the possible winners in this category being first-time nominees for their respective programmes, this race is the one which could deliver a shock come September 22nd.
I could go on, but I don’t want to bore you with my vendettas against Modern Family and Downton Abbey. For all two of you who have read to the end of this article, you’ll be pleased(-ish) to know that I’ll be keeping the OxStu updated on all things Emmy over the next couple of months. In between posts, you’ll find me trawling the internet for my fix of predictions, and petitioning for a nominations re-do which would have Mad Men’s 13 year old powerhouse Kiernan Shipka emerging victorious from the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series category. Awards season does things to a person.
