Spanning the Globes

OK, so the Golden Globe nominations came out last week. The TV nods are as follows:

Best Drama: Lost, Prison Break, Grey's Anatomy, Rome, Commander in Chief

Lost is the only returning nominee. I assume Deadwood and The Sopranos were ineligible due to their unorthodox (by network standards) schedules, but I'm a little surprised that Nip/Tuck and 24 got passed over.

Out of the new nominees, I'm probably most surprised by Commander in Chief, which isn't too bad but doesn't really strike me as being one of the best five dramas on all of TV.

I don't watch Prison Break or Rome, so it's hard to handicap this one. I'd be tempted to go with Lost, but the slow pace of the season is pissing me off. Leaving my choice as Grey's Anatomy, which I think is better than CinC but doesn't exactly feel like the best drama out there.

Best Comedy - Curb Your Enthusiasm, Desperate Housewives, Entourage, Everybody Hates Chris, My Name is Earl, Weeds

I still don't feel like Desperate Housewives is a comedy, though its comedy is probably less ham-handed than its drama, so I'll just have to accept it. I don't watch any of the shows that are on pay cable, and I've not yet gotten into My Name is Earl. Which makes my pick, more or less by default, Everybody Hates Chris. Not that I think it'll win. I figure one of the cable shows will take it, and I look forward to a Larry David - Jeremy Piven grudge match.

Best Actor, Drama - Patrick Dempsey (Grey's Anatomy), Matthew Fox (Lost), Hugh Lawrie (House), Wentworth Miller (Prison Break), Kiefer Sutherland (24)

For my money there's no choice - if you can make an insufferable bastard likeable and betray exactly no vocal evidence that you're not actually American, you win. Hugh Lawrie, come on down!

Best Actress, Drama - Patricia Arquette (Medium), Glenn Close (The Shield), Geena Davis (Commander in Chief), Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer), Polly Walker (Rome)

Pretty good group. Arquette has prior award wins in this role, Close and David bring star power, and Sedgwick has hugely popular press for her work. All of which means Polly Walker will probably win.

Best Actor, Comedy - Zach Braff (Scrubs), Steve Carrell (The Office), Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Jason Lee (My Name is Earl), Charlie Sheen (Two and a Half Men)

Uh, Charlie Sheen? Really? I'd have loved to see a nomination for Tyler James Williams, who plays young Chris Rock on Everybody Hates Chris instead, but OK.

I'll go with Steve Carrell.

Best Actress, Comedy - all the actresses from Desperate Housewives and Mary-Louise Parker from Weeds

At least we don't get the entertainment reporters hyperventilating over which housewife got snubbed. Continuing a theme, though, a nod for Tichina Arnold, who plays Rochelle Rock on Everybody Hates Chris would have gone down nicely.

I'll go with Marcia Cross here, on the theory that Felicity Huffman might get something for Transamerica.

Supporting Actress - Candace Bergen (Boston Legal), Camryn Manheim (Elvis), Sandra Oh (Grey's Anatomy), Elizabeth Perkins (Weeds), Joanne Woodward (Empire Falls)

As much as I like Oh's work, I'd have rather seen a nod for castmate Chandra Wilson, who plays senior resident Dr. Miranda Bailey. She gets a lot less screen time, but does great things with it. She's kind of a female House, but without the loathing and the stubble.

Supporting Actor - Naveen Andrews (Lost), Paul Newman (Empire Falls), Jeremy Piven (Entourage), Randy Quaid (Elvis), Donald Sutherland (Commander in Chief)

Hard to pick against Paul Newman, on legend appeal alone. And with the absence of Terry O'Quinn, I'm OK with that.