Predicting the Emmy Award Nominations: Best Actor in a Drama

All this week I'll be predicting who will receive Emmy Award nominations, based on the Top 10 lists that were revealed by theenvelope.com. Stay tuned for more categories!

*Who will be nominated
+Who should be nominated

*Gabriel Byrne, "In Treatment"
+Kyle Chandler, "Friday Night Lights"
Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"
Patrick Dempsey, "Grey's Anatomy"
*+Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"
*+Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"
Eddie Izzard, "The Riches"
*+Hugh Laurie, "House"
+Denis Leary, "Rescue Me"
*James Spader, "Boston Legal"

Horrible oversights:
Matthew Fox, "Lost"
Christopher Meloni, "Law and Order SVU"
Dominic West, "The Wire"

PREDICTING THE EMMY AWARD NOMINEES: ALL CATEGORIES

TV Review: House Limps Back for First Two Episodes of Season

I loved last year's finale of House -- the possibilities seemed endless now that the cranky doctor had fired Chase, and Cameron and Foreman had walked out the door. What would happen next, now that those closest to House had either deserted him or had been pushed out the door?

Apparently -- not much.

Don't get me wrong, a half-good episode of House is still significantly more entertaining than most other shows, but the first two episodes of the new season, which Fox was kind enough to send me, are a bit of letdown. As complicated and interesting as House is on his own, it seems he needs a team around him to really let him shine.

Part of the problem in the season premiere is the case -- despite an unexpected twist in the final act of the episode, it's just not all that interesting, which means that the characters do the heavy lifting in the episode. Cuddy (the priceless Lisa Edelstein) has told House that if he doesn't solve the case on his own within a day, than he will be forced to hire a support team to replace Chase, Cameron and Foreman.

Of course, watching House do his brilliant thing is fun, but without worthy foils to play off, House's ill-humor just doesn't register in quite the same way. I, as the viewer, missed Jesse Spencer, Jennifer Morrison and Omar Epps as much as House missed Chase, Cameron and Foreman.

Each of the three docs does make a brief appearance in the second episode, but to be honest, it kind of made me just miss them more! House has chosen 40 potential doctors and is weeding them out reality show-style (not to mention calling them only by their number) to determine who will make his replacement team. Giving House three dozen hapless residents to play off gives Hugh Laurie ample opportunity to show off his way with a cutting one-liner, and the case in this episode, about a NASA pilot who doesn't want her bosses to know that something may be wrong with her, is definitely stronger, but the episode still doesn't feel like classic House. It might help if the potential residents had made stronger impressions -- as of now, Olivia Wilde's cool and knowledgeable #13 is the only one who's made much on an impression.

I'm guessing by episode 3, with most of the residents cut and Cameron, Chase and Foreman back in the picture at Princeton Plainview, that things will kick into high-gear for the rest of the season, but the first two episodes, while definitely worth watching, were a bit of a disappointment. I'm gonna hang in there, though -- he may almost kill you before you get there, but House always come through in the end to save the day.

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Predicting the Emmys: Leading Actor in a Drama

For the next two weeks, I will be giving my predictions for the 2007 Emmy Awards. Who was overlooked? Who should win? And who's gonna win?

BEST LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA
James Gandolfini, The Sopranos
Hugh Laurie, House
Denis Leary, Rescue Me
James Spader, Boston Legal
Kiefer Sutherland, 24

Overlooked:
Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights<
Michael Chiklis, The Shield
Patrick Dempsey, Grey's Anatomy
Matthew Fox, Lost
Michael Hall, Dexter

Should Win: Denis Leary

Will Win: James Gandolfini

Potential Spoiler: Hugh Laurie

This was one of the year's most competitive categories, with incredibly worthy actors like Kyle Chandler, Michael Hall and Matthew Fox missing the cut. Denis Leary gives a searing performance as Tommy Gavin on Rescue Me, and he'd be my choice to take the top prize, but can the voters really turn down the chance to recognize James Gandolfini for years of stellar work as the iconic Tony Soprano? The only way Gandolfini won't take home the award is if the voters try to correct last year's snub of Hugh Laurie by giving him the award this year. Never count out Dr. House!

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'House' Casting News: Kal Penn and Olivia Wilde Join the Cranky Doctor This Fall

At the end of last season, Dr. House had lost his entire staff, as Chase (Jesse Spencer) was fired, and Foreman (Omar Epps) and Cameron (Jennifer Morrison) showed themselves to the door. Well, it looks like the cranky doc (played geniusly by Hugh Laurie) won't be too lonely, because a slew of new faces are joining the hit medical drama.

E! Online is reporting that Kal Penn (The Namesake, 24), Olivia Wilde (The Black Donnelly's, The OC), Peter Jacobson (In Justice, Transformers) and Anne Dudek (Big Day) will be joining the cast for a minimum of 8 episodes this fall. While it is unclear exactly how the new blood will play into the show, both E!'s Kristin Veitch and TVGuide's Michael Ausiello have repeatedly stated that Spencer, Epps, and Morrison will be back, though likely not working under the Vicodin-addicted physician.

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Person of the Day: Hugh Laurie

As he has done on every episode for the past three seasons, Hugh Laurie managed to reveal even more layers of brilliant, cranky Dr. House on this week's season finale of House. For that, he is the Idol Thoughts Person of the Day.

I could have done without the Cuban refugee story, which was a bit unsubtle and over-the-top for my taste, but the rest of the finale, which found House firing Dr. Chase and watching Dr. Cameron and Dr. Foreman walk out the door, was top-notch, due in no small part to some fantastic acting from Hugh Laurie. He was hurt, he was proud, he was stubborn, and he was angry -- often all at once. If this performance doesn't at least earn him an Emmy nomination (if not the award), there is no television justice.

Watching House grapple with how to get Foreman to stay, only to see him realize that the change he has been resisting for years has been holding him back, made for fascinating television. His seemingly impulsive firing of Chase was shocking, as was his decision to let the Cuban man break down and hug him later in the episode. But as unsettling as the cleaning house (no pun intended) was, the episode ended on a hopeful note, with House unpacking the new guitar he had ordered to replace the guitar he had been using for 15 years. The joy and freedom on Laurie's face was palpable...and even somewhat moving.

Who knows what will happen next season, now that House no longer has a team surrounding him, but for three season's worth of complex characterization, Hugh Laurie is today's Idol Thoughts Person of the Day.

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