My Emmy's (Part 2)

Last week I gave you Part 1 of what my ballot would look like if I voted for the Emmy's. Now, here's Part 2, which consists of Supporting and Guest Performances and Reality Shows. Winners will be announced in a couple of days.

Best Supporting Actress (Comedy)
Kristin Chenoweth, Pushing Daisies
Dana Delaney, Desperate Housewives
Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock
Becki Newton, Ugly Betty
Michelle Patterson, I Love New York 2
Wanda Sykes, The New Adventures of Old Christine
Vanessa Williams, Ugly Betty

This category was so overloaded with great performances that I just couldn't narrow it down to 5. Vanessa Williams is, to me, the main reason to watch Ugly Betty. Vain, self-centered, impeccably dressed and always ready to throw out a one-liner, Williams' Wilhelmina Slater brings the goods everytime she comes on screen. Becki Newton's Amanda is just as treacherous as Wilhelmina, if only more upfront about it, and gets nearly as many laughs being as silly and ridiculous as possible. As a comedienne, Wanda Sykes is severely underrated. Not only is she great at stand-up, but she's also a fantastic actress. She should have won the Oscar for her work in 2005's Monster in Law, her first TV show Wanda at Large was hilarious but canceled too quickly and she was the best thing about Evan Almighty. On The New Adventures of Old Christine, she often has me dying of laughter because of the way she doesn't put up with Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Christine's bullshit and calls her out on it all of the time. Kristin Chenoweth's character on Pushing Daisies could have gotten annoying over time. Thankfully Chenoweth keeps her light and ultimately charming in her own peculiar way. Dana Delaney's latest housewife brought the drama this season on Desperate Housewives and who didn't love her bitchfights with Marcia Cross' Bree? Again, I realize that I Love New York 2 is technically a reality show, but Tiffany Pollard had to get her craziness from somewhere- and that somewhere is her mother, Michelle ("Sister") Patterson. Admit it: you loved her reaction when she first met Midget Mac and thought it was hilarious every time she brought up her "third eye." Jane Krakowski's Jenna didn't get much face time this season, but when she did it was magical. Divas don't come any bigger (or more delusional) than Jenna and we love her for it. Best moment: when finding Liz's positive pregnancy test, her response is "Someone's going to get more attention than me."

Best Supporting Actress (Drama)
Rose Byrne, Damages
Jill Clayburgh, Dirty Sexy Money
Lisa Edelstein, House
Taraji P. Henson, Boston Legal (ABC)
Natalie Zea, Dirty Sexy Money

I gave up on Boston Legal this season after reaching the breaking point with it's preachy monologues in place of actual quality writing and the fact that I'm supposed to believe that all of these beautiful hot chicks would get with a bloated James Spader. The only reason I would go back, however, is for Taraji P. Henson's fierce newbie lawyer to the firm who isn't taking shit from anyone- not even Spader's Alan Shore. Jill Clayburgh is basically the emotional center of Dirty Sexy Money and another reason to trumpet her comeback to the big time. Natalie Zea's Karen is a characterization rather than a full-fledged character, but Zea has so much fun with her messy contradictions and unashamed forwardness that she becomes a real person. Lisa Edelstein, like Marcia Cross, is the most underrated actress on her show's cast and I don't understand why the awards groups continuously snub her. She doesn't have much of a life outside of the hospital, but her verbal battles with Hugh Laurie's House are the highlights of the show and it's fun to see how low she'll stoop to get back at him sometimes. Glenn Close may hog all of the attention on Damages, but over in the corner Rose Byrne is doing some great work as well. Byrne could have copped out and basically rode Close's coattails, but, at times, her work is nearly as brilliant as Close's.

Best Supporting Actor (Comedy)
Clark Gregg, The New Adventures of Old Christine
Jack McBrayer, 30 Rock
Chi McBride, Pushing Daisies
Tracy Morgan, 30 Rock
Michael Urie, Ugly Betty

Okay, I'm getting lazy and everyone knows that Supporting Actor is always the lamest category. Few word summaries for every nominee. Gregg: Strangely charming. McBrayer: Creeper, but funny. McBride: Deadpan hilarity. Morgan: Jenna looks less crazy next to him. Urie: Fabulously bitchy

Best Supporting Actor (Drama)
William Baldwin, Dirty Sexy Money
Ted Danson, Damages
Robert Sean Leonard, House
Donald Sutherland, Dirty Sexy Money
Ed Westwick, Gossip Girl

Baldwin: Makes tranny-loving heartwarming. Danson: Bad or good? Leonard: Right-hand man brilliance. Sutherland: Warden of the Darling insane asylum. Westick: Hated him at first, now unthinkable without him.

Best Reality Show (Competition)
America's Most Smartest Model (VH1)
America's Next Top Model (The CW)
American Idol (Fox)
Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School (VH1)
I Love New York 2 (VH1)

Apparently VH1 is the channel to get the best competition reality shows. America's Most Smartest Model really should have been retarded beyond belief, but leave it to VH1 to find the prettiest, craziest dumb people ever and put them in a house together. Andre the Soviet actually had me cheering for Communism. Tiffany Pollard and Michelle Patterson were back with another absolutely insane season of I Love New York. From Sister Patterson's freakout when meeting Midget Mac to the fight between Sister Patterson and The Entertainer's mother and New York's 2 minute emotional rollercoaster ride with Buddha in her hotel room, the whole season was brilliantly trashy. Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School was just another excuse to bring the fabulously trashy women of the first two seasons back together again. Unexpectedly, however, the show was really uplifting in the strangest ways and I felt better about myself after the season was over. Who knows if the changes stuck, but I was convinced at the finale. You all know I'm obsessed with American Idol so it's inclusion should come as no surprise. America's Next Top Model's two season were as fun and addictive as usual. The challenges were great, the women were refreshing and the judges were as hilarious as ever (Tyra talking about herself all the time and Miss J making fun of Dominique).

Best Reality Show (Non-Competition)
Hey Paula! (Bravo)
Flipping Out (Bravo)
Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List (Bravo)
Kitchen Nightmares (Fox)
Supernanny (ABC)

On the other hand, Bravo must be the channel for non-competition reality shows. I recently watched the entire first season of Flipping Out on a Bravo marathon and I was completely hooked. Where did they find this guy? He's absolutely crazy/hilarious and his assistants are just as fantastic. Hey Paula! was probably an attempt to show the normal side of Paula Abdul, but, in the end, it just proved to everyone how insane she actually is. Some of the stuff she did on that show was so unbelievably nuts I couldn't believe she approved to let it air. My Life on the D-List is always a treat, but Emmy-award winning comedienne Kathy Griffin got more personal than ever on this last season, dealing with her divorce and the death of her father. But it was also funnier than most shows that have aired in the past 5 years. Her best season by far. Kitchen Nightmares is a direct transfer of Gordon Ramsey's British show of the same name, but it's still as fascinating as ever watching him yell at moronic managers and try to turn these dying businesses around. Supernanny, along with Wife Swap, is growing a bit repetitious these days, but during the past few months it's getting a lot of spunk back due to Jo's increased bitchiness. She's not taking any more bullshit from these parents and I love her more for it: You go on and tell it like it is!

Best Guest Star (Actor or Actress)
Will Arnett, 30 Rock
Victoria Beckham, Ugly Betty
Molly Shannon, Pushing Daisies
Britney Spears, How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
Elaine Stritch, 30 Rock
Michelle Trachtenberg, Gossip Girl

Who makes fun of Victoria Beckham better than Victoria Beckham? Her inspired cameo on Ugly Betty was one of this season's highlights for me. Michelle Trachtenberg's Georgina was the cherry on top of the amazing first season of Gossip Girl. Her outrageous exploits in the final few episodes had me addicted in a way comparable to how Courtney Love feels about crack. Elaine Stritch returned this season on 30 Rock as Jack's mother and I loved the way she tried to crack the perfect facade of Liz's family. This woman still has it. Will Arnett also reprised an earlier role on 30 Rock and he matched Alec Baldwin raspy, businessman voice for raspy, businessman voice. Molly Shannon is an underrated comic genius and her murderous candymaker was another reason to love her. Most people will say that she doesn't belong within 50 miles of an Emmy ballot, but no cameo had America talking more than Britney Spears' comeback work on How I Met Your Mother. It may not be Method acting by any means, but who can deny her inspired comic timing.