Scandal at the Emmys 

Scandal at the Emmys

The Emmys --- the TV community's best chance to slap itself on the back --- typically get a bad rap in the awards-show biz. First, they take place well outside of traditional awards-show season, which is just so...gauche. Second, since most of the awards go to continuing series, nominations often end up going to the same old people for the same old awards every freaking year. Yawn.

To address that last issue the academy changed up the voting process this year. And bless their hearts, they predictably screwed it up. So when the Emmys return this Sunday, August 27, 8 p.m. on NBC, we've got a little bit of controversy to liven up the otherwise deadly-dull proceedings.

Notable snubs: ABC's Lost is one of television's most popular shows, a critical favorite, and won last year for Best Drama Series. This year? Shut out! Not a single nomination in any of the major categories. Even if you quibble with the quality of the writing and the overall pacing (and I do --- it's every bad comic book cliché spread out over weeks and weeks without any forward momentum), you cannot deny the quality work by the show's cast. And yet...nothing. Another big 2005 winner, Desperate Housewives, was also roundly dissed. But everyone pretty much agrees that's because Season 2 sucked eggs.

Dubious nominations: Four of the five nominees for Best Actress in a Comedy Series are from cancelled shows. And given the ratings for the lone live program (Julia Louis-Dreyfus' The New Adventures of Old Christine), that one might not last long. But perhaps the biggest screw-up is the nominating of the divine Ellen Burstyn for Best Supporting Actress, Mini-Series or Movie for a role in which she appears onscreen for literally only 14 seconds. Whoops!