These have been really fun productive conversations, and I figure lets keep em going!

Ted Danson-Damages (Jesus, Mary and Joe ****er)
Michael Emerson-Lost (The Shape of Things to Come)
Zeljko Ivanek-Damages (I Hate These People)
William Shatner-Boston Legal(Mad About You
John Slattery-Mad Men (Long Weekend)

I am going to go in reverse alpha order for this one.

I saw John Slattery's tape and it was definetly his best and really only submission. I really love his character, and he is always a blast to watch. With that said in this episode Roger has a couple moments where he really shines when talking to one of the girls about his daughter, and he has spoiler his heart attack a good episode to submit, but will he win with it, probably not.

So far

1-John SLattery-Mad Men

the only reason why i'm putting emerson as the frontrunner is because of lost's drama series nomination, because i really don't appreciate his one note, wooden face acting... he's not even scary anymore. tape-wise, and in a fair world, ivanek more than deserves this

Danson's tape is not good at all. Some of these guys suffer because their episodes have to be edited down.

quote:

Originally posted by vozas:
the only reason why i'm putting emerson as the frontrunner is because of lost's drama series nomination, because i really don't appreciate his one note, wooden face acting... he's not even scary anymore. tape-wise, and in a fair world, ivanek more than deserves this

Damages got a drama series nomination too. And I think if Zeljko Ivanek, who is pretty much unknown, could make it in over more recognizable names, it shows that they loved it. I do find Michael Emerson a bit hammy at times but I have to admit that he was easily the MVP of Lost's fourth season. I think both Emerson and Ivanek deserve to win but the "root for the underdog" in me wants Ivanek to win.

Going by memory alone (not that reliable, I know), I can hardly remember anything about Danson's or Slattery's tapes, and I know I watched them when they aired. Shatner's I didn't see at all, but "Boston Legal" is an eye-roller, so I doubt I'd prefer him to the other two.

Michael Emerson and Zeljko Ivanek submitted the only tapes that made an impact on me, but I give the edge to Ivanek. Back when "I Hate These People" aired, I knew that Danson would be the Emmy frontrunner because of name recognition and playing against type, but that Ivanek would beat him if voters got a chance to scope this tape. I didn't think Ivanek would pull off a top-ten placement, and I most certainly didn't expect him to pull off a nomination, but now that he has, I think the strength of his episode makes him the frontrunner.

Ivanek had the 2nd best tape of the season(Underwood had the best, but alas, he is not here). He should win, hands down. If they really watch the tapes, this one is a no brainer(no pun intended).

Question for those who have watched the submissions: Ivanek and Danson play characters who are closely involved on "Damages." This means that, even edited down, their episodes probably include scenes with the other. Who does this help more? I suspect Danson would benefit more, but I don't remember the episodes well enough.

742 you bring up a very very good point these two share a lot of scenes together even edited down and I think it could one or the other who right now I am not sure.

My money in this category really is either on Emerson or Ivanek with Slattery as a spoiler.

Yep, you guys presented a lot of interesting points here! if it weren't for the fact that being ivanek a completely unknown actor managing to get a nomination, which is very rare, definitely shows that his tape was most certainly number one or two, and that is a great sign for him, this category would have emerson as the clear frontrunner.

quote:

Originally posted by 742:
Question for those who have watched the submissions: Ivanek and Danson play characters who are closely involved on "Damages." This means that, even edited down, their episodes probably include scenes with the other. Who does this help more? I suspect Danson would benefit more, but I don't remember the episodes well enough.

Ivanek's submission doesn't help out Danson at all, since they only share two scenes together and Ivanek is clearly better in both of them.

G'Day,
This is a really quality category (as this one usually is). Of the 3 tapes i have seen they would all make worthy winners.

I havn't seen Slattery but Mad Men has alot of buzz and his performance has gotten solid acclaim, he has a shot. They love Boston Legal and if Shatner's tape is good they could reward him again, but I doubt it.

Emerson has a powerhouse tape and although there are some sci-fi elements, that didn't stop O'Quinn last year.

Then you have the Damages men. It is worth noting that in the last 9 years, 7 of the winners in this category have been nominated alongside costars. This bodes well for Danson and Ivanek. Ivanek has a powerhouse tape. What I don't understand is the Danson negativity, he had a better tape (family), however the tape he did pick he has range, screentime and so empathy. It is one of the more subtle entries but in my mind powerful nonetheless and I wouldn't mind seeing him win.

quote:

Then you have the Damages men. It is worth noting that in the last 9 years, 7 of the winners in this category have been nominated alongside costars. This bodes well for Danson and Ivanek. Ivanek has a powerhouse tape. What I don't understand is the Danson negativity, he had a better tape (family), however the tape he did pick he has range, screentime and so empathy. It is one of the more subtle entries but in my mind powerful nonetheless and I wouldn't mind seeing him win.

I would love to see Danson win he went way outside the box with this role. I would be happy to see any of these men win except Shatner I love him but he has his trophy and there are better tapes than his.

Based on the tape, Zeljko Ivanek should and has a good chance of winning. Emmy voters like to give the award to supporting players who meet their end on their favorite series (Drea de Matteo and Joe Pantoliano come to mind in recent years) and given all the Emmy-love with the nominations, Damages is turning out to be a show that the voters are definitely keeping their eyes on. I do think however, that all of these men nominated have a good chance at winning. None of them have weak tapes (if I'm remembering John Slattery's tape correctly).

Ted Danson and Zeljko Ivanek were both amazing on Damages and like someone else here mentioned, its going to help tremendously that voters like to give the award to a show that has multiple nominees in the category.

John Slattery's tape is good. In it, he suffers from heart attack (I believe), which will register with the older voters and gain their sympathy for his character. Good, but not necessarily great performance overall.

Michael Emerson is the frontrunner in this category. He is the only returning nominee besides William Shatner and has yet to win for his role on LOST. His tape is excellent and he has an amazing scene that will shock voters. The only thing that hurts him is the likeability factor, which could also end up hurting Danson as well. Besides that though, its easy to see why Emerson is a frontrunner for the win.

I think people are underestimating William Shatner. I realize most people here on these boards do not like Boston Legal and think that the series deserves no notice, however, Shatner delivers a very strong performance in this episode. While yes, its mostly comedic, towards the end it becomes very dramatic, which hits the viewer even more so, given that the majority of the episode feels lighter. His character goes through a past-mid-life crisis of sorts and decides that he wants to have at least one last moment to shine in court and realizes that he might never get the chance to do so again, due to him beginning to lose his memory to Alzheimer's disease. I think a lot of older voters will connect to this tape and I don't think Shatner should be counted out just yet. I don't think he is in the lead, however, if there is a vote split, don't be suprised when Shatner walks away with another win.

As of now, my prediction is:

WINNER: Zeljko Ivanek - Damages
NEXT-IN-LINE: Michael Emerson - LOST
DARKHORSE: William Shatner - Boston Legal

24fanatic you aren't reading the posts closely enough most of us realize anyone from BL could win it is just that they may not be our first choice or in some people's cases they just don't want them to win. I think many people realize that Spader/Bergen/Shatner are all potential winners.

I just watched Shatner's tape and I was impressed. Right now I'm ranking him third b/c I think even though most of us don't like BL, I was pleasently suprise.

Maybe I'm just a little soft in the head, but I actually thought Danson's tape wasn't bad at all. Yes, "Sort Of Like A Family" should have been his tape, and he'd be a frontrunner for the win with it, but "Jesus, Mary, and Joe ****er" has some great scenes for him and it's a strong introduction to the character. That said, I really do hope Ivanaek can take this. Not only is his tape far and away the best in the catagory, but he's also been turning in years of solid work that has since gone unrecognized. That final scene in Paty's office is haunting, and it's easy to say it sticks with the viewer long after the episode has ended. I love Emerson on Lost, and he does have a superb tape, but having already won an Emmy, it'd be nice to see another character actor recieve some accolades.

1: Zeljiko Ivanek, Damages
2: Michael Emerson, Lost
3: Ted Danson, Damages
4: John Slattery, Mad Men
5: William Shatner, Boston Legal

I still can't track down Slattery's tape, but as of right now, I think William Shatner will win. Boston Legal can be ridiculously stupid, but I think the levity it brings will help Shatner (Lol, especially after Ivanek's episode!). Plus, he manages to deliver one of the most over-the-top performances to be nominated for an Emmy in the Drama categories, yet I think despite being a total clown, voters can sympathize with Shatner's character. There is still a human side to his character, and I do think that's the most successful part of Shatner's performance--it's all ridiculous but the moments that have to seem real are.

Predictions:

1. William Shatner, Boston Legal
2. Zeljko Ivanek, Damages
3. Michael Emerson (I don't get the hype about this submission--it's not the greatest thing ever)
4. Ted Danson, Damages
N/S: John Slattery, Mad Men

From the group, I guess we can count William Shatner off. He already won and I'm not seeing them rewarding him again in a category where previous winners are not repeated. Even with the love Boston Legal gets from voters...

I'm going to watch John Slattery's tape later today, so I'll give my opinion about him then. Ted Danson's submission, from what I remember, is good, but is not as good as Ivanek's and Emerson's, so he's out too.

Michael Emerson seems to be the frontrunner, but I'm pretty sure that Zeljko Ivanek will win after all. He has the better tape and there's a reason why they nominated such an unknown actor like him. Emerson is good, but I prefer the creepy Ben to the hero Ben we see in that episode. So the Emmy will definitely go to Zeljko Ivanek...

And yes, I still can't believe how Blair Underwood was not nominated... Couldn't they just nominate 6 actors like last year?

Already having an Emmy rarely seems to play a part in the voting.

Some people have mentioned that Zeljko Ivanek is an unknown actor, but I think that's not entirely true. He may not be famous but I assume he is pretty well known in the acting community. He has three Tony nominations and a very impressive resume. He has appeared in "John Adams", "24" (as one of the villains in the first season), "Lost" (as Juliet's ex-husband), "Oz" and "Homicide: Life on the Street". He has done a lot of work and is a wonderful character actor.