Lawyer, cops vie for kudo credibility
Film stars bring new blood to tight race
More Articles:
Most Viewed:
Summit's 'Twilight' dilemma(7406 views)Spirit Award nominations announced(5418 views)Nicole Richie lands ABC project(1473 views)Steven Seagal Lawman(1359 views)'Hurt Locker' tops Gotham Awards(1245 views) |
Holly Hunter earned her nomination for "Saving Grace," her first foray into episodic television. She plays a detective who encounters a guardian angel, and the two often differ on how Hunter's character should live her life, but the banter between the two -- and the way she leads her life -- helps the show rise from strict procedural.
Kyra Sedgwick and Mariska Hargitay each have multiple nominations for playing detectives as well. Sedgwick's detective on TNT's "The Closer" is a Southern belle with bite, while Hargitay -- who won in 2006 -- continues to bring a street-smart sense in dealing with degenerates on NBC's "Law & Order: SVU."
After her nomination for FX's "The Shield," Glenn Close's recognition for "Damages" seems like a natural progression. Pleasant one second and vicious the next, Close brings an icy warmth to the high-powered attorney and master manipulator who constantly confused her own employees of her true agenda. Close always chooses strong roles, but few have been as complex as this one.
While last year's winner, Sally Field, doesn't play a lawyer, cop or high-powered professional, she's turned her character on "Brothers & Sisters" into a tiny tower of strength to her children and grandchildren.
GLENN CLOSE
Show: "Damages"
Emmy pedigree: One win plus nine other noms
Best scene: Close, after trying to broker a deal with opposing attorney Zeljko Ivanek, looks ashen after he commits suicide in her office. She begins to internally contemplate what part she has played in his death.
Why she might win: Close offers an engaging portrayal of a driven woman for whom the ends justify the means. Her manipulative ways make for addictive viewing.
Maybe not: While it's the first time Close is nominated for "Damages," her one-for-10 batting average with the Emmys isn't encouraging.
SALLY FIELD
Show: "Brothers & Sisters"
Emmy pedigree: Three wins plus four other noms
Best scene: When Justin (David Annable), a recovering addict, refuses to take pain medication following a severe, war-related leg injury, Nora faces a mother's worst dilemma: watching her child suffer while knowing the pain can be alleviated.
Why she might win: No sappy grandma, Field has turned Nora from just one of the show's many characters into the linchpin of the series.
Maybe not: Having won last year for the role, it may be difficult to repeat against such stellar competish.
MARISKA HARGITAY
Show: "Law & Order: SVU"
Emmy pedigree: One win plus three other noms
Best scene: Hargitay's Det. Benson poses as an inmate to smoke out an official who's been raping women at the prison, including a girl who was visiting her mother.
Why she might win: Many of Hargitay's storylines have quite an emotional pull, rather than rote police work, and those pulling of heartstrings could make a difference.
Maybe not: The only nominee here not to have nearly the bigscreen cred as the others; if voters go for the wow factor, she might be up against it.
HOLLY HUNTER
Show: "Saving Grace"
Emmy pedigree: Two wins plus three other noms
Best scene: After decades of silence and burying the truth, Grace tells her best friend the details of her childhood sexual abuse at the hands of their priest. The scene offers insights as to why Grace is so distant, promiscuous, self-destructive and bitter when it comes to the church.
Why she might win: Hunter brings a raw energy to Grace, offering up flashes of the broken child beneath Grace's tough exterior. It's a difficult balance that she pulls off well.
Maybe not: Grace's coarseness and unbridled lifestyle may prove a bit off-putting to some older voters.
KYRA SEDGWICK
Show: "The Closer"
Emmy pedigree: Two noms
Best scene: Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson investigates the abduction of an 8-year-old girl but makes no headway with the prime suspect. Once she leaves, Sgt. Gabriel gets the suspect to talk after beating him, leaving Brenda shocked that he would jeopardize the case by committing a criminal act. Her disappointment in Gabriel was palpable and lasting.
Why she might win: Ratings for "The Closer" have been stellar, and voters might want to acknowledge the show's popularity by marking their ballots for Sedgwick.
Maybe not: There are other cops here -- Hunter and Hargitay also play detectives -- and it might be difficult for voters to distinguish Sedgwick's work from them.
