Kate, Olivia and I will be in the chat room below starting at 7pm for some red carpet madness. We’ll go straight into the awards shindig hosted once again by Ricky Gervais.

Get your drinks and snacks ready, then prepare to cheer and jeer along with us!

The 2012 Golden Globe Awards begin at 8pm ET on NBC.

After glancing over the full list of nominees, my first thought was – well, this is much better than yesterday’s SAG nominations. Second thought was – Mildred Pierce is STILL around and kicking? I thought that was over and done with. Third (Fourth and Fifth) thought was -I’m sorry, what? Huh? Excuse me?

The thing to remember about the Golden Globes is that you can’t really take them seriously. I mean, come on. Last year The Tourist was nominated, just so Angelina Jolie had a reason to show up. And remember when Piper Perabo and Jennifer Love Hewitt got nominated in the same year? That alone should tell you all you need to know about the importance of these golden statues.

But regardless of its reputation for star power and pretty girls over quality, the Golden Globes are still a very fun show to watch. Film and television stars get photographed together and everyone gets drunk. Speaking of film, this year’s film nominations are actually pretty good, but since this is The Televixen, emphasis on the Tele, all my focus is going towards the television nominees.

What’s especially interesting about the timing of the Golden Globes is that rookie Fall shows can creep into the nominations. And they did in the form of Boss (Starz), Enlightened (HBO), Homeland (Showtime) and New Girl (FOX), which all picked up Best Series and Leading Actor/Actress nominations.

In the drama department, I can deem Homeland a worthy nominee, but I can’t vouch for Boss. I guess something had to take Mad Men’s place. But maybe it should have been, I don’t know, Breaking Bad over, I’m sorry, what? American Horror Story? Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying the FX series just fine, and think Jessica Lange is worthy of her Supporting nod, but the show itself is quite the stretch. Rounding out the Best Drama category is Boardwalk Empire, and Game of Thrones (Woo!).

The acting nominations are a mix of – good call (the men), and huh? Excuse me? (the women). Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) is back in the game after being ineligible for the Emmys, and joining him is Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire), Damian Lewis (Homeland), Jeremy Irons (The Borgias) and Kelsey Grammer (Boss).

Over to the ladies, I’m not surprised to see Mireille Enos (The Killing) or Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife), and am quite happy to see Claire Danes (Homeland), who was, for some reason, left off the SAG list. But let’s throw a big HUH to Madeleine Stowe for Revenge and excuse me to Callie Thorne for Necessary Roughness. Okay, I’ll confess. I’m not watching Revenge. I gave up after one episode. I know it’s popular, and my friends are quite enjoying it, but it is my understanding that this is a primetime soap, that actually, I thought aired on The CW. And my excuse me to Callie Thorne has more to do with the fact that it’s for USA Network’s Necessary Roughness. But I suppose, going back to my earlier point about not taking the Golden Globes seriously, I shouldn’t be surprised.

Moving onto comedy, Glee and Modern Family enjoy another year of being nominated, and are joined by the previously mentioned Enlightened, Episodes, and New Girl.

Glee is such a lazy nomination, as I don’t think it has been intentionally funny once this year, but hey, at least none of the actors got nominated, right? You know who did get nominated? Alec Baldwin (30 Rock), David Duchovny (Californication), Johnny Galecki (The Big Bang Theory), Thomas Jane (Hung) and Matt LeBlanc (Episodes). No strong emotions from me on any of these.

I’m really happy with the comedic actress nominations as once again Laura Linney is nominated for her superb work on The Big C. Amy Poehler continues to represent the NBC show that could, Parks and Recreation, and as long as 30 Rock is on the air, Tina Fey should always be present in this category. Newbies include the adorkable (sooooorry) Zooey Deschanel and Laura Dern for New Girl and Enlightened respectively.

Perhaps the most fun category to watch is the Supporting categories. Here the Hollywood Foreign Press Association lump all supporting players from drama, comedy and made-for-TV movie/miniseries in one category to duke it out.

It means I get to legitimately mention the names Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), Paul Giamatti (Too Big To Fail), Guy Pierce (Mildred Pierce), Tim Robbins (Cinema Verite) and Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family) in one sentence.

The fun continues with the ladies as Jessica Lange (American Horror Story), Kelly Macdonald (Boardwalk Empire), Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey), Sofia Vergara (Modern Family) and Evan Rachel Wood (Mildred Pierce) get to go head-to-head.

These categories are actually way too random to call.

And speaking of made-for-TV movies and miniseries, let’s not forget those nominees: Cinema Verite, Downton Abbey, The Hour, Mildred Pierce, and Too Big To Fail. Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey), Idris Elba (Luther), William Hurt (Too Big To Fail), Bill Nighy (Page Eight), and Dominic West (The Hour). Romola Garai (The Hour), Diane Lane (Cinema Verite), Elizabeth McGovern (Downton Abbey), Emily Watson (Appropriate Adult), and Kate Winslet (Mildred Pierce). Look for Downton Abbey to dominate.

And there you have them! Watch the Golden Globes one month from today to see who wins and who falls victim to Ricky Gervais’s opening monologue.

I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy for an awards show. Ever. Not even when Idina Menzel won her Tony. And that was damn good.

But KYLE CHANDLER! I really need footage immediately of when he went back to the mic to thank Connie Britton. I also wish he thought he would win, because then he would have given us the mother of all speeches.

I think the best parts of the FNL love was seeing my Twitter feed burst with pride, love and excitement and the cheers that came during the announcement of the FNL nominations. Just so much love.

I hope all those who haven’t picked up the show now do so, because it’s really that wonderful.

The only problem with Kyle and Jason winning was that I fully expected FNL to win Best Drama, so it was a huge bummer when it went to Mad Men. Also as if Matt Weiner said it was unexpected and thanked AMC. Somewhere Kurt Sutter is pacing back and forth furiously.

Other surprises of the night were my hopeful picks, Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell winning over Sofia Vergara and Eric Stonestreet. Very, very happy and Burrell’s speech was exceptionally wonderful.

Also a shout out to the fabulous leading women of comedy for that brilliant running-to-the-stage gag. I’m surprised they managed to get Edie Falco to participate. Laura Linney, too. But I call a little bushleague on Melissa McCarthy winning. That’s just leftover Bridesmaids love, right?

Also sad that Steve Carell didn’t win. I really thought they would have given it to him.

As for the show itself, I think Jane Lynch did a brilliant job. Some great jokes in there – notably the introducing of the Entourage cast – and the opening song and dance was really funny. And how about that Lonely Island number! I do wish they didn’t bother with Charlie Sheen.

Overall – one of my favourite years for the Emmys. Thanks to everyone for tuning into these blogs – it’s been really fun! Maybe I’ll be back for the Golden Globes, SAGs and People’s Choice (gag, right?). But for now, you’ll have to excuse me as I’m going to sit back and bask in the FNL glow for the rest of the year.

We’ll be getting things under way at 6pm ET for some fun red carpet commentary, then the awards begin at 8pm ET on FOX in the US, and CTV in Canada. Get those snacks and bevvys ready, then head on over here to join Olivia, Kate & me for our little soiree!

Olivia, Kate and I will be hosting this virtual Emmys bash, and some of our other contributors will be stopping by as well.

So get your drinks and snacks ready by 6pm ET, then head on over here to snark along with us during the Red Carpet, and then celebrate (or complain about) the winners in each category!

The Emmys, hosted by Jane Lynch, air at 8pm ET on FOX.

She’ll be giving us real time updates on the winners and who makes their way through the press room. Tune in here starting at 7pm ET.

I’ll be joining the conversation from home, and you can, too:

Olivia and I will see you at 7pm ET right here!

Photo Courtesy of CBC

Of course I’m talking about Best Drama and Best Comedy. Honestly though, I’ve never really gotten too excited over these categories. I am way more invested in actors and actresses, but these awards can mean big things.

30 Rock was struggling in its first season to find an audience and found itself on the bubble during renewal period. It got picked up for a second season and a few weeks later won the Emmy for Best Comedy. It won again the next two years after that, too, and now 30 Rock is set to enter its sixth season in early 2012.

Not saying there’s a direct correlation between those two things, but the statutes do carry some klout.

So who’s competing this year? Here’s a little reminder:

Best Drama

Boardwalk Empire, Dexter, Friday Night Lights, Game of Thrones, The Good Wife and Mad Men.

Best Comedy

The Big Bang Theory, Glee, Modern Family, The Office, Parks and Recreation and 30 Rock.

If you’ve read any of my posts you know exactly what I’m rooting for in the drama category.

If Friday Night Lights wins on Emmy night, someone may need to track me down and make sure I’m still breathing. I’m not joking. Lucky for those who like having me in their lives, I’ll likely be breathing just fine when they announce the winner.

This one is pretty locked up. It’s going to Mad Men again, or Boardwalk Empire. Or if we’re thinking upset, then look more towards The Good Wife instead of Game of Thrones.

Comedy is a bit harder to call. The Office and 30 Rock are no strangers to this category, so it makes sense they show up again. Let me put myself in the shoes of the voters. Say I don’t watch comedy. Say I’m so busy getting my own show off the ground, or pitching and writing or filming. Then I probably don’t have time to actually sit down and make an educated guess as to what’s the best comedy on the air right now. So I look to past winners (30 Rock) and long-running favourites (The Office) when making my selection.

So we take those out of the mix and we’re left with TBBT, Glee, Modern Family and Parks and Recreation.

We can eliminate Glee immediately. I haven’t read a single piece of literature that praises the second season of Glee. Underdeveloped story arcs, too many famous guest stars and tiresome tribute episodes.

Parks and Recreation is critically well-received, but I’m not sure it’s strong enough, like 30 Rock, to carry a win.

So now we have the safe, and likely choice of last year’s winner Modern Family or TBBT. The Big Bang Theory could upset Modern Family if the Academy is trying to send a “we’re cool, we know what’s going on vibe to the industry”, but I’d still go with Modern Family.

But we’ll see what happens.

And that’s the last I’ve got to say about the Emmys until the big night, when you can catch me live blogging the red carpet and awards right here. Spoiler alert: the entire red carpet will find me shouting GO AWAY GIULIANA as she asks every celebrity about their workout regime and how they keep so thin. You should join me, it’ll be fun.

Best Actor, Drama

Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire, Michael C. Hall, Dexter, Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights, Hugh Laurie, House, Timothy Olyphant, Justified and Jon Hamm, Mad Men

Best Actress, Drama

Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights, Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife, Kathy Bates, Harry’s Law, Mireille Enos, The Killing, Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order SVU and Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men

Best Actor, Comedy

Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory, Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory, Matt LeBlanc, Episodes, Louis C.K., Louie, Steve Carell, The Office and Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Best Actress, Comedy

Laura Linney, The Big C, Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly, Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie, Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreations, Martha Plimpton, Raising Hope and Tina Fey, 30 Rock

So the exciting thing. It’s the absence of three-time drama winner Bryan Cranston. If you remember from my first post, Breaking Bad didn’t air during the eligibility period this year so now the race is wide open. The fangirl in me is shouting KYLE CHANDLER, KYLE CHANDLER, KYLE CHANDLER. And really, Chandler is damn good and a w wouldn’t be uncalled for.

The leading actor race is stacked. With the exception of Timothy Olyphant, and only because I haven’t watched Justified, I can personally vouch that every nominee deserves to be there and win. Laurie continues to deliver a solid performance as Dr. House, even if the series is weakening. Buscemi is a legend. Hall has put in five impressive seasons as the delicious serial killer Dexter. And Jon Hamm … well … is Jon Hamm.

I think it comes down to Hamm and Buscemi. Hamm has gotten the most buzz, but Buscemi could ride his Golden Globe win right into Emmy victory.

If I had written this post two weeks ago, my comments on the drama actress category would be very similar to the above shouting, just subbing in CONNIE BRITTON. But in these past two weeks, I’ve caught up on two seasons of The Good Wife and now I’m torn. Well, not so much torn as accepting of and cool with the fact that Margulies will probably triumph over Britton (and everyone else).

I would be very surprised if Moss took this. Yes, “The Suitcase” was a great episode, but that’s one great episode, not a season’s worth of great, leading moments. Moss rarely carries the show so really, she shouldn’t even be in this category. Bates was thrown the “Welcome to full-time network television” nomination and Enos … well, actually, could be an upset. A sort of “congrats on your first successful leading role” because she was great in The Killing, even if I’m still rolling my eyes over the finale.

The comedy actress category is quite simple. It’s Laura Linney. Anyone who’s seen The Big C will agree with this. Falco and Fey have got theirs, and I doubt enough voters watch Mike & Molly, Parks and Rec and Raising Hope. But even if all playing fields were even, this would still go to Linney. She’s just that good.

The comedy actor category throws me. Don’t have much to say about Galecki or LeBlanc, other than, congratulations on the nomination, work that red carpet and enjoy the show. I haven’t seen Louie, but people are losing their minds over C.K., so he just may become the new Tony Shalhoub (aka the guy that always wins for that show I never watch and forget is on the air).

And then we have Carell, Baldwin and Parsons. Carell has been nominated every single year during his run on The Office. This was his last year on the series, so it would be fitting for him to win because he has done some really admirable work as Michael Scott. Baldwin is still going strong on 30 Rock and Parsons won last year, and the Academy really likes The Big Bang Theory, as evident by Galecki’s inclusion.

So who wins? I’m going with C.K. or Carell. Hoping for Carell. Michael Scott has secured his place in pop culture with his “That’s what she said” catch phrase and it’s only fitting to reward his creator.

So to round up, I have Hamm or Buscemi, Margulies, Linney and Carrell or C.K., but I will continue to cross my fingers for a Hail Mary win for Chandler or Britton, because that would just be the best thing in the world.

And if you disagree with that statement, do yourself a favour and go here.

Then click “add to cart”.

You’re welcome.

Thoughts on some of the nominees:

The competition is really tough in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role category. I’d be pleased with any of those nominees taking home the statue, but if I had to choose, it’d be a toss up between Hugh Dillon for Durham County and Michael Riley for Being Erica. I was very pleased to see Sam Witwer in that category for hsi performance as Aidan in the SPACE/Syfy series Being Human, although I’d probably say he’s the long shot.

I was pleased with Erin Karpluk‘s nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role for Being Erica. She was impressive this past season given the twist that the series took and how terribly wrong it could have gone if it didn’t have a solid anchor like her. I haven’t seen any of her opponents’ performances in this category so I can’t say with any certainty if Karpluk’s the frontrunner.

By far, the nomination I was most excited by is Ksenia Solo‘s as Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Series for Lost Girl. She is perfection as Kenzi, Bo’s human sidekick, and shines with every line she speaks. But she faces stiff competition in that category, which pits her against Rookie Blue‘s Melanie Nicholls-King and Enuka Okuma.

John Dunsworth was nominated in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Series category for Haven, although I think Colm Feore may take that one for his role in The Borgias. Haven is a series that I’ve grown to love, with its eccentric characters and “Trouble-d” small town setting, so I’m happy to see it get some love.

Could have/should have made the list:

Best Dramatic Series nod for Durham County.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role nom for Anna Silk in Lost Girl, Meaghan Rath in Being Human and Emily Rose in Haven.

Lucas Bryant in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role category for Haven.

Rick Howland and Kris Holden-Ried in the Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Series for Lost Girl.

A Best Performance by an Actor in a Guest Role, Dramatic Series nomination for Sebastian Pigott in Being Erica.

Random observations:

One thing I do have to note – genre TV performances were recognized again this year (last year’s Geminis had Robert Carlyle take home a statue for his role on Stargate Universe). I always see this as a victory for genre TV, considering this is roughly the Canadian equivalent of the Emmys.

Lots of co-productions between Canada & other countries were reflected in this year’s nominees - Being Human, Haven, Rookie Blue, and The Borgias, to name a few.

I was surprised by multiple nominations for Skins, which was supposedly an inferior facsimile of its UK counterpart, caused an uproar with advertisers, and was already been cancelled. Other cancelled series Shattered & Endgame landed several nominations as well.

The Best Dramatic Series category really baffled me, especially since Skins was included and Durham County wasn’t.

You can read the complete list of nominees here.

Which nominations are you most pleased with? And who, in your opinion, was left out in the cold?

The 26th Annual Gemini Awards air Wednesday, September 7th on CBC.

I realized in my initial snubs list, I failed to mention that NBC’s Parenthood was absent from the acting nominations. Not that people thought it was a sure thing, but Mae Whitman was thrown around on a few lists. 

So let’s look more closely at the Supporting categories to see why Whitman and others got passed over.

To recap:

Best Supporting Actor, Drama

Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones, Josh Charles, The Good Wife, Alan Cumming, The Good Wife, Walton Goggins, Justified, John Slattery, Mad Men and Andre Braugher, Men Of A Certain Age.

Best Supporting Actress, Drama

Kelly Macdonald, Boardwalk Empire, Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife, Christine Baranski, The Good Wife, Margo Martindale, Justified, Michelle Forbes, The Killing, Christina Hendricks, Mad Men.

Best Supporting Actor, Comedy

Chris Colfer, Glee, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family, Ed O’Neill, Modern Family, Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family, Ty Burrell, Modern Family and Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men.

Best Supporting Actress, Comedy

Jane Lynch, Glee, Betty White, Hot In Cleveland, Julie Bowen, Modern Family, Sofia Vergara, Modern Family, Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live and Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock.

Two things are clear by looking at this list again.  1. I need to start watching The Good Wife (for more than one reason) and 2. Modern Family completely pwned. Almost annoyingly so.

Panjabi won last year – and gave one of the more awkward speeches – so perhaps she’ll scoop up her second win, as her Kalinda did have quite a juicy storyline this season (or so the blogs say).  But if I had my way, this would be Forbes’s win.  Not only is Forbes a seasoned TV veteran who gave a heartbreaking and exhausting performance as Rosie Larson’s grieving mother, but she especially won me over in her response to The Killing controversy.  Anyone that straight up and tuned in deserves a trophy in my eyes.

I’d also be OK with Hendricks winning, but I’m struggling to remember a Joan-centric episode that blew me away. Anyone remind me?

Looking at the men, I can’t even make an educated guess as to who should win that. As a self-proclaimed TV junkie, I’m embarrassed to say I don’t know a thing about Justified or Men Of A Certain Age.  But didn’t the latter just get canceled? (Yes.)  Slattery had a few key scenes, but I would go ahead and give this to Dinklage.  He was one of the shining lights in Game of Thrones and as another TV veteran, it would be great to see him win.

On the comedy side I am almost too distracted by the Modern Familyness to even notice the other nominees.  On the female side a few things can happen.  Kristen Wiig may ride her Bridesmaids success into Emmy gold, Jane Lynch might be rewarded for agreeing to host the show or Betty White could be winked at – although I think we’re all over Betty White fever.

But I think it’s coming down to the Modern Family women, and I expect Sofia Vergara to edge out the more deserving Julie Bowen.  Why? Because while Bowen is pitch-perfect as the neurotic Claire, Vergara has a more award-friendly role as Gloria.

This argument also extends to my prediction that Stonestreet will probably pick up his second Emmy win as Cam even though I’d prefer to see Burrell collect.

Is Stonestreet excellent? Absolutely.  But Cam is the showiest male role on the show (and Gloria the showiest female role).  An in your face, stands out from the crowd, role.  Would Cam be as good of a character if it wasn’t Stonestreet playing him?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  I think probably though.  So should Stonestreet get the trophy for this when really, it’s the writers and show creators?

I’m hardly the first to make this point, but it’s a point I find myself making often when chatting with friends about some award winners. Is it really the performance, or the writing (like, remember when Doris Roberts won 3 years in a row? Like actually? I was so mad. Still mad, actually).

And while I’m a big fan, and I the only one who’s kind of annoyed that the supporting actor, comedy category is completely hogged by Modern Family? Is it going to be like this for the next few years? Will we never see Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) or Joel McHale (Community) grace the nomination list? What happens if Manny and the other kid get nominated next year and all 5 Mod Fam males compete against each other?

I’m stressing myself out. I need to stop.

It’s only an awards show …

It’s only an awards show …

It’s only …