The 59th Annual Emmy Awards

The 59^th Annual Emmy Awards will be held on Sunday, September 16^th at 8PM - 11PM on FOX. Ryan Seacrest of AMERICAN IDOL fame will be hosting the event. This event will be held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. If you want to catch the Red Carpet show you can see it on the "E" channel with Joey Fatone and Lisa Rinna as hosts. (both of DANCING WITH THE STARS fame). The Rivers girls who are absent this year, will no doubt be watching from a posh location that we will hear about later.

There will be a duet performance by Tony Bennett and K.D. Lang. Bennett recently celebrated his 80^th birthday and has been enjoying a revitalization of his musical contributions to the entertainment world. Additionally there will be a tribute to FOX's significant contributions to the world of animation.

This just in, Stewie Griffin from the FAMILY GUY will be making an appearance for all of you that are animation enthusiasts. Stewie and the cast of the FAMILY GUY will appear out of thin air on stage to perform a tribute in music to the 2007 television season.

Fox has distinguished itself as a leader in family animation with an adult edge, and this offering reminds us that FOX has made it's mark in the world of animation satire.

FOX opened the door to its particular brand of animation with Matt Groenig's show, THE SIMPSON'S. While this type of animation appeals to children because it is a cartoon, it also captures adult attention because of its dark satire.

The nominees for Best Animated Programs are:

AVATAR: The Last Air Bender: City of Walls and Secrets (Nickeleon)

ROBOT CHICKEN: Lust For Puppets (Cartoon Network)

THE SIMPSONS: The Haw-Hawed Couple (Gracie Films)

SOUTH PARK: Make Love, Not Warcraft (Comedy Central)

SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS: Bummer Vacation/Wig Struck (Nickelodeon)

While there are many categories the two that I am most interested in are Best Actress in a Comedy and Best Actress in a Drama. In the Comedy category the nominees are: Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives), Tina Fey (30 Rock), Julia Louis-Dreyfuss (The New Adventures of Old Christine), America Ferrera (Ugly Betty), and Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds).

Comedy is a hard one to judge because while you want a good comedic performance you also want to see a balance between well-written dialog, physical comedy, great timing, and an underlying irony. Comedy is not as easy as it looks. After looking over who is in the running and even though these are all excellent comediennes, I have come to a decision as to who it is I think should take home the Emmy and that is America Ferrera.

The character of Betty Suarez is very funny, yet very complex. Ms. Ferrera handles this part with a great deal of skill especially her physical comedy. She is very funny and endearing in her portrayal of Ugly Betty. It truly takes a special actress to act under the moniker of Ugly Betty.

In the Drama category the nominees are, Sally Field (Brothers & Sisters), Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer), Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order), Patricia Arquette (Medium), and Minnie Driver (The Riches). While I think these are all great performances I feel that Kyra Sedgwick provides us with one of the most fascinating female characters I have seen in a very long time. Brenda Leigh Johnson has more nerve than any man I have ever known and yet she is as much a southern lady as Ladybird Johnson.

Let's see if my predictions come true and if they don't, I am sure you, dear readers, will let me know.