supporting actress

The Best Supporting Actress award has become notorious in Oscars history for unexpected moments, and 'The 83rd Annual Academy Awards' (Sun., 8:30PM on ABC) proved no different. First, they brought out Kirk Douglas to present the award, and he proved that, at 94 years old, he's every bit the charmer he was during his film career.

"She's gorgeous!" he said upon seeing Oscars co-host Anne Hathaway, "Where were you when I was making pictures?"

He then gave Hugh Jackman grief for laughing, saying that everyone in Australia seems to think he's funny. "Colin Firth is not laughing," he told Jackman. "He's British."

Talk about a wealth of choices! When it comes to the Primetime Emmys in the supporting actor and actress categories for drama, there are a plethora of worthy candidates. Some shows, like Mad Men or Lost, for instance, have multiple choices in the supporting ranks, especially since these ensembles seem to have a hard time determining who's really the lead.

Earlier, I shared my wish list for the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama nominations, and I mentioned that Chloe Sevigny from Big Love would be a deserving selection. A TV Squad reader let me know that Chloe has actually been submitted in the supporting category. Good to know, and with that in mind, I'll start my wish list by talking about that category. (Remember, there are six nominees per category.)

Looking at the Emmy nominations announced this morning, one word comes to mind: BORING.

Or maybe two words, if you add "safe." I mean, come on. I don't usually watch Friday Night Lights, Dexter, or Battlestar Galactica, but even I know that those shows should have been nominated for something (beyond technical and writing awards). Instead we get...Tony Shalhoub again? He's fine, but there has to be someone else who they can plug in there. Grey's Anatomy and House for Best Drama? That's not to say that the shows nominated aren't good and solid, but when you take a look at the dramas that were left out...gah.

Beyond the major nominations (Best Comedy, Best Drama, Lead Actor and Actress, etc), there are other nominations where a lot of your favorite shows actually show up. After the jump, I'll highlight several.