This Year's Oscar Picks - Updated with winners

It's that time of year again, time to pick the Academy Award Winners. Although we've been rather negligent in our movie reviewing as of late, rest assured we've still been watching the nominees like fiends. Below are our picks for this year's Oscars (note: we've picked who we deemed most deserving of the Oscar and not necessarily who we think the Academy will honor):

Brandon's picks in blue, Sarai's picks in red, purple for agreement.

Performance by an actor in a leading role

Leonardo DiCaprio - BLOOD DIAMOND
Ryan Gosling - HALF NELSON
Peter O'Toole - VENUS
Will Smith - THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS
Forest Whitaker - THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND *WINNER

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

Alan Arkin - LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE *WINNER
Jackie Earle Haley - LITTLE CHILDREN
Djimon Hounsou - BLOOD DIAMOND
Eddie Murphy - DREAMGIRLS
Mark Wahlberg - THE DEPARTED

Performance by an actress in a leading role

Penélope Cruz - VOLVER
Judi Dench - NOTES ON A SCANDAL
Helen Mirren - THE QUEEN *WINNER
Meryl Streep - THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
Kate Winslet - LITTLE CHILDREN

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

Adriana Barraza - BABEL
Cate Blanchett - NOTES ON A SCANDAL
Abigail Breslin - LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Jennifer Hudson - DREAMGIRLS *WINNER
Rinko Kikuchi - BABEL

Best animated feature film of the year

CARS
HAPPY FEET *WINNER
MONSTER HOUSE

Achievement in art direction

DREAMGIRLS
THE GOOD SHEPHERD
PAN'S LABYRINTH *WINNER
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST
THE PRESTIGE

Achievement in cinematography

THE BLACK DAHLIA
CHILDREN OF MEN
THE ILLUSIONIST
PAN'S LABYRINTH *WINNER
THE PRESTIGE

Achievement in costume design

CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
DREAMGIRLS
MARIE ANTOINETTE *WINNER
THE QUEEN

Achievement in directing

BABEL
THE DEPARTED *WINNER
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
THE QUEEN
UNITED 93

Best documentary feature

DELIVER US FROM EVIL
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH *WINNER
IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS
JESUS CAMP
MY COUNTRY, MY COUNTRY

Achievement in film editing

BABEL
BLOOD DIAMOND
CHILDREN OF MEN
THE DEPARTED *WINNER
UNITED 93

Best foreign language film of the year

AFTER THE WEDDING
DAYS OF GLORY (INDIGÈNES)
THE LIVES OF OTHERS *WINNER
PAN'S LABYRINTH
WATER

Achievement in makeup

APOCALYPTO
CLICK
PAN'S LABYRINTH *WINNER

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

BABEL *WINNER
THE GOOD GERMAN
NOTES ON A SCANDAL
PAN'S LABYRINTH
THE QUEEN

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

"I Need to Wake Up" - AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH *WINNER
"Listen" - DREAMGIRLS
"Love You I Do" - DREAMGIRLS
"Our Town" - CARS
"Patience" - DREAMGIRLS

Best motion picture of the year

BABEL
THE DEPARTED *WINNER
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
THE QUEEN

Here is where the nominees for best live action and animated short films usually go, but they seem to be missing. I would like to say that The Danish poet should win for Best Animated Short (as A Gentleman's Duel cruelly didn't get a nod), and the hilarious West Bank Story should win for Best Live Action.


Achievement in sound editing

APOCALYPTO
BLOOD DIAMOND
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA *WINNER
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST

Achievement in sound mixing

APOCALYPTO
BLOOD DIAMOND
DREAMGIRLS *WINNER
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST

Achievement in visual effects

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST *WINNER
POSEIDON
SUPERMAN RETURNS

Adapted screenplay

BORAT CULTURAL LEARNINGS OF AMERICA FOR MAKE BENEFIT GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN
CHILDREN OF MEN
THE DEPARTED *WINNER
LITTLE CHILDREN
NOTES ON A SCANDAL

Original screenplay

BABEL
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE *WINNER
PAN'S LABYRINTH
THE QUEEN

Nior Lite

Hollywoodland- **1/2
The Black Dahlia- **1/2

Noir made a comeback in the 90s, first through its B-movie roots with films like The Last Seduction, and soon through better-quality movies like Seven and L.A. Confidential. While the neo-noir movement is as hit and miss as film noir was in the 40s (anyone remember Mulholland Falls? No? Good.), I find myself drawn to these movies. Once in a while you find a hidden gem among them, like last year’s Brick, but more often then not you get movies like Hollywoodland and The Black Dahlia. Movies that are going through the paces, but miss the point entirely.

These movies actually have quite a bit in common. They both take place in L.A. during the post-war years (although Hollywoodland takes place at least a decade after the “land” was taken off of the infamous Hollywood sign, an event that happens during the climax of the novel of The Black Dahlia), they both are fictionalized investigations into real murders, and both center heavily on old film reels of the dead bodies. Although Hollywoodland actually tells the story of George Reeves (Ben Affleck) side-by-side with the investigation.

And this is the big problem with Hollywoodland- neither story is terribly interesting. George Reeves was a minor star who got typecast as Superman. He wanted desperately to break into film, even starting a relationship with the wife (Diane Lane) of the head of MGM (a sadly underutilized Bob Hoskins), and unceremoniously dumping her when she doesn’t get him roles. This is the best part of the film- Affleck does his best work since Good Will Hunting, and the typical rise-and-fall story is thrown a new twist with a character who never really made it into the Hollywood system. While it never gets us too deep into Reeves, Affleck’s performance (I can’t believe I’m saying this) actually does more for the character than the screenplay ever bothers to.

And then we have the parallel story of Louis Simo (Adrian Brody), a down-and-out detective who gets involved in trying to figure out what really happened to Reeves. Suicide? Murder? An accident? But the story never goes anywhere. Sure, we get the typical scenes- Simo sees the murder site and finds things the cops missed (of course, none of this evidence is ever explained, or even used in any sort of relevatory way), he gets beat up by the bad guys, his cop friend floats him some evidence. But what’s the point if nothing means anything? It’s like the noir structure without any of the window dressing that makes noir enjoyable to watch. Simo is so down-and-out he completely unlikable, and he’s involved in a mystery the film makes no effort to explain. Instead we’re given three different scenarios, all fairly plausible, and the movie ends. It’s like ordering a beer on a hot day, only to find it warm and flat.

Now with The Black Dahlia, I’m admittingly biased. I first read the book after seeing L.A. Confidential and learning it was the third book in a series, The Black Dahlia being first. It has since become one of my favorite books, if not my favorite mystery of all time. It’s dark, psychological, brutal, and is one of the most well-structured books I’ve ever read. Ellroy doles out plot twists, hiding clues so well that each one is more jolting than the last. But when screenwriter Josh Friedman tackled the novel, he decided to just cut it all out.

Now, I’m not opposed to trimming a novel. L.A. Confidential completely disregarded the second half of the book, but still managed to make a movie that kept true to the spirit of the novel while making it filmable. Friedman tries the same trick, axing most of the second half (and some of the best scenes) of The Black Dahlia and attempting to squish all the revelations and twists into the final half hour. This doesn’t work, and just comes off as ridiculous. By the third time Bucky Bleichert (Josh Hartnett) rethinks his solution to the murder, you kinda wish the bad guys would just shoot him so the movie would end.

Even had I not enjoyed the book so much, this would be a lame screenplay. The slang that peppered the novel (and L.A. Confidential) shows up here and there, but it seems out of place, particularly being said by Hartnett, who always sounds as if he’s half-asleep. The screenplay includes references to characters all but cut out, like Koenig and Vogel, and chops down other major characters like Millard and Loew…so why even keep them in the movie? Friedman sometimes seems overly concerned with faithfulness to the novel, and sometimes seems to be making it all up as he goes. It’s a strange, mismatched work that never finds cohesion. This is a shame, since Ellroy’s work is so airtight.

And the performances. Dear God. Josh Hartnett plays the whole thing as if he thought being a noir anti-hero means being sleepy. Gone is the tortured, complex Bucky Bleichert who wants so bad to do the right thing and fails due to his own self-loathing. Now he’s just had a little too much red wine and is vaguely confused. Scarlett Johansson, an actress I used to like a lot, gives the same leaden performance she gave in Match Point. Her ever-present, tight cashmere sweaters lead me to believe they really just wanted to hire her tits and only begrudgingly brought along the rest of her. Not only are these two horribly miscast, but their lack of acting stops the move dead every time they’re on screen. Aaron Eckhart and Hilary Swank fare better. They are also miscast, but they at least act. It may be overacting, but hey, they gotta make up for the two leads. The most haunting performance is from Mia Kirshner as Betty Short, the Dahlia of the title. She is only seen in screen tests and skin flicks watched by the cops, but she gives her role a life no one else in the movie bothers to. Even director Brian DePalma, known for making lurid sex-and-violence epics, seems confused…almost like he’s playing it straight (except for one notable head-crushing scene that reminded me of poor Emilio Estevez in Mission: Impossible).

One thing The Black Dahlia has over Hollywoodland though is that it actually designates a murderer. It may dither around about it for a while, but it eventually gives us a solution. And it seems to move slightly faster than Hollywoodland, which keeps striding forward even though it doesn’t seem to have anywhere to go. It’s a shame to see one of my favorite genres used in this way. It’s a genre all about luridness. The characters are supposed to be flawed and difficult, pulled into their work despite their best attempts to climb out. Instead we get vague half-attempts. Nothing annoys me more than movies that don’t even try. I could even somewhat respect horrible movies for being SO horrible, as they at least elicit some sort of response from me. But these two movies just sit there on the screen, while you just sit there waiting for them to end.

Little Man- *1/2

Little Man is not a movie you watch. Little Man is a movie you reference in about 7 years in order to make your friends laugh at your random, forgotten references to past culture. There is no one I’ve talked to who even smiles or ask how it was when I told them I saw Little Man. Mostly I get asked if I’m okay. One person said she would no longer be my friend.

Let’s be honest, there are a couple funny moments. David Alan Grier as an obnoxious restaurant musician is funny. Well, for a little bit…the joke wears thin quickly. But the Wayans Bros. aren’t known for their restraint. Every dirty joke that you told in sixth grade is retold here. Of course the midget has a giant penis. Of course he has sex with someone’s wife and the wife thinks it’s the husband. Of course every single male character gets hit in the nuts at least once. Of course someone in the movie has to shit themselves explosively.

Calvin (played by Linden Porco and Gabriel Pimental, and faced by Marlon Wayans) has just gotten out of prison, and has to pull a heist for a mob boss (poor, poor Chazz Palminteri). When the cops descend, he ditches the diamond with a young couple, Darryl (Shawn Wayans) and Vanessa (Kerry Washington). To get the diamond back, Calvin poses as an abandoned child to infiltrate the house, and hilarity ensues. Well, theoretically. What really ensues is a lot of unfunny jokes, and everyone learns some heart-warming lessons. Vanessa learns that maybe a family is more important than her career. Calvin learns a family is important. Darryl learns…well, nothing. He does get hit in the nuts a lot, though.

This movie is really long sit-com episode. The jokes aren’t particularly clever and they’ve all been lifted from other movies (the football scene from Wedding Crashers, the explosive diarrhea from Dumb and Dumber, several jokes from Bad Santa, etc). Darryl is a wide-eyed, dippy character who says everything with the innocence of a bad dad on some CBS family sit-com. Calvin basically mugs for the camera so much he makes Adam Sandler look witty. The serious scenes are even worse, with Darryl talking about fatherhood, and Calvin making really unfunny faces while fighting back tears. And some of the other character’s schticks…my god. Someone needs to tell them that the old white lady talking black is a dead horse that’s only getting deader. The cops hating blacks get a few giggles, but that that horse is on its last legs too. I just wonder if maybe they had taken some time to really create a funny scene, some of this might have worked. But instead we get something that feels like it was hastily thrown together on one drunken night. It’s a shame, I like farts and nutshots, but I’ve never seen anything make them SO unfunny.

I look at this movie the same way I look at those skinny Gap models. They aren’t really attractive, they’re attractive because they have all the accoutrements (very tan, very skinny, very blond, lots of mascara, bra-buoyed boobs) and therefore we’re tricked into thinking must be. Little Man is a movie that will make a lot of people laugh just because they’re being cued to, even without the laugh track. Oh, nutshot, that’s supposed to be funny so I’ll laugh. I like a good low-brow comedy, but I don’t like to be insulted. And I can almost hear the Wayanses pointing at the audience and laughing, “Ha ha ha, sucker, you just gave us your money! HA HA HA!” Thanks, guys.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - ***1/2

Did you like the first one? Okay, then you’ll like this one. That’s about the best thing I can say. It’s more of the same, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It is also a sequel in every sense of the word- it has more in all the places there should be more, and it is lacking in all the areas sequels normally lack.

The plot picks up in some unspecified time after the first one. Both Will (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) have been arrested for their part in helping Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) escape in the first movie. A deal is made- Will and Elizabeth will be set free if they can steal a seemingly broken compass from Sparrow. Meanwhile, Sparrow has been cursed by Davy Jones (Bill Nighy). It seems he sold his soul to Jones a long time ago, and now Jones has come to collect. The only way to save him lies with finding Jones’ heart, which is buried in a secret place. But can they avoid the gigantic Kraken hounding their every step? CAN THEY????

To discuss the movie in detail seems a bit silly. So I’m just going to focus on its merits as a sequel. Where the movie is more is in terms of running time and action. There are more big action set pieces, including not one but TWO rolling wooden contraptions, two big kraken battles, various bar fights, sword fights, and lots of evil grimacing from the bad guys. We also get a strange group of antagonists. Jones is a squid-faced monster, and his henchmen all resemble sea creatures (my favorite being the hammerhead shark, hee hee). His crew, including Will’s father Bootstrap Bill (Stellan Skarsgård) are all people who have sold their souls, and are slowly being covered in barnacles. While a lot of this is cool and fun, the bloated 2 and a half hour running time does start to weigh on you by the final twenty minutes. And fair warning- it ends on a cliffhanger. So don’t expect a resolution.

Where it lacks is first and foremost in the performance of Johnny Depp. While I still laughed at his spinning and preening, the performance didn’t feel as fresh. His character also became much more selfish and less likable. I know, he’s a pirate, but he was likably mischeivious in the first one, and this time comes off much more selfish and uncaring. The other characters suffer a bit too, but it’s not like the first one was a character-driven piece. There’s also a bit too much action- all the action scenes go on interminably. This is fun at first, but slowly begins to make you wonder if there is anything else that might happen. Not to mention the cliffhanger ending. I liked the twist, and am looking forward to part 3, but to come so far and be given nothing? These minor quibbles may be eased in the third one, when we get to see how it all comes together, but Dead Man’s Chest is unfortunately just a connecter between the beginning and the climax. It feels like half a movie…which I guess it is.

But these quibbles are minor, especially for a movie all about pirates and jumping and gooey bad guys. I’ll just repeat myself- if you enjoyed the first one, you’ll have fun at this one. Now go enjoy yourself some pirates.

Miami Vice- ***1/2

My mom watched a lot of "Miami Vice" in the 1980s. I did not, preferring to maybe catch a second or two of guns blazing and then heading off into my own imagination where I saved Amy Woggerman from mean, but ultimately inept bad guys (I mean, honestly, what sort of bad guys allow a ten year-old to defeat them?). Now Michael Mann has resurrected the series as a film, and most people I know (particularly my age and younger) are just shaking their heads. They assume this must be some sort of joke. What’s next, Scarecrow and Mrs King: The Movie?

Luckily, writer-director Michael Mann still has some tricks up his sleeve. I find Mann notoriously hit and miss since his dry, measured style doesn’t always pay off (Ali, for example). Mann begins by throwing out nearly all references to the original and starting from scratch. Our two heroes, Sonny Crockett (Colin Farrell) and Ricardo Tubbs (Jamie Foxx) get a call from an old informant that something bad is going down. It’s an FBI sting operation gone wrong (due to an informant who only exists to jump start the plot), and the FBI decides to use Crockett and Tubbs to break the case. Of course, they get too deep undercover, and Crockett falls for the drug lord’s girlfriend, Isabella (Gong Li), and then in the end everyone has to shoot everyone else.

This is nothing you haven’t seen before, and in fact the movie tends to suffer a bit when dealing with our heroes getting in over their heads. You know they are because that’s how these plots go, but neither they nor the movie ever seems to worry too much about it. The characters are so gritty that they’re almost miserable, and one more set back is just another excuse for them to sigh and push on. Gone are the interesting characterizations of Mann previous film, Collateral. The plot feels almost like a (coincidence?) TV show stretched out to two hours. It seems too flimsy to support the entire running time, and slows quite a bit in the middle, particularly when Crockett is romancing Isabella. But never fear. When the guns finally come out in the last twenty minutes, you’ll forget how much time you spent wondering how long it was going to take for the guns to come out. We even get two particularly cheer-worthy bad guy deaths, both thankfully without snappy one liners.

Luckily, Mann’s style counts for a lot, and manages to make up for deficiencies in plot and character. Every shot looks fastidiously researched and expertly timed. A brief montage of a plane flight becomes almost epic, and night scenes feel like you’re actually standing with them under the streetlight. The movie is shot in HD video, and this only emphasizes the story’s grittiness. The only choice I didn’t like was an over-reliance on sludgy modern rock, which kept pulling me out of the movie and making me wish someone would turn off the top-40 radio.

Despite its plot and character shortcomings, Miami Vice succeeds almost in spite of itself. It manages to rise above the stigma of its TV show past in ways that shows like “Knight Rider” or “Riptide” probably could not. It’s a light action film, entertaining within its own limits and nothing more.

An Inconvenient Truth- ****

An Inconvenient Truth is a documentary about global warming. It’s based on Al Gore’s global warming slideshow which he’s given hundreds of times in cities all over the world. I realize those are two statements that will make anyone run for cover, but bear with me…

Surprisingly, Al Gore is lively and engaging. He comes off less like a lecturer and more like a regular guy giving you the straight facts about the issue. And his argument works. I’ve heard a couple reviews pointing out flaws in what he’s saying, and a couple people saying the evidence is faulty. These are minor quibbles, as Gore is not trying to preach or use scare tactics (he leaves that to FOX News…and with the scare potential of global warming, I’m surprised more neo-cons don’t jump on the bandwagon). He simply lays his case out and it works. And most of what I’ve heard against it is shallow and nitpicky.

Example- one complaint was how Gore shows the glaciers melting and water submerging Florida in an animated sequence. The complaint was he makes it look like it would happen immediately, and it gives people the wrong impression. The truth, though, is Gore is only trying to show the effect of melting glaciers, not the exact length of time it will take. He never states it’s going to happen tomorrow. Now I’m sure there are points in the argument that could be questioned and looked into deeper, but something like this just comes off to me as silly.

The downside to the film is that several times the presentation is interrupted by little glimpses into Al Gore’s personal life. This could work, but the glimpses are quick, unrelated to the topic, and usually accompanied by cheesy shots of Gore staring thoughtfully out of a window. I don’t know that much about Gore and his life, and I would be interested to see something more, but these parts just come off as extraneous. Luckily, they are few and far between.

Reviewing a documentary is hard because, at its core, it’s all about the subject matter. You can watch a very well-made documentary, but if you don’t care about the subject then what’s the point? This is the downside to An Inconvenient Truth. I personally believe in global warming (and have a hard time understanding how people don’t), so it’s not exactly made for me. The people who scoff global warming won’t bother to see it, and those are the people who should.

The Emmy Awards

Below are my picks for the emmy winners. Although, I have to comment on how crappy some of these nominations are! For one thing, no Lost? And how in the world Eddie Falco didn't get nominated for her work this season on Sopranos is beyond me, not to mention some of the great but overlooked comedic acting slights. Nevertheless, my picks are highlighted:

Drama Series: Grey's Anatomy, ABC; House, Fox; The Sopranos, HBO; 24, Fox; The West Wing, NBC.

Comedy Series: Arrested Development, Fox; Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO; The Office, NBC; Scrubs, NBC; Two and a Half Men, CBS.

Miniseries: Bleak House (Masterpiece Theatre), PBS; Elizabeth I, HBO; Into the West, TNT; Sleeper Cell, Showtime.

Made-for-TV Movie: Flight 93, A&E; The Flight that Fought Back, Discovery Channel; The Girl in the Café, HBO; Mrs. Harris, HBO; Yesterday, HBO.

Reality Program: Antiques Roadshow, PBS; The Dog Whisperer, National Geographic Channel; Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, ABC; Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, Bravo; Penn & Teller: Bullshit, Showtime.

Reality-Competition Program: The Amazing Race, CBS; American Idol, Fox; Dancing with the Stars, ABC; Project Runway, Bravo; Survivor, CBS.

Variety, Music or Comedy Series: The Colbert Report, Comedy Central; The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Comedy Central; Late Night with Conan O'Brien, NBC; Late Show with David Letterman, CBS; Real Time with Bill Maher, HBO.

Variety, Music or Comedy Special: 78th Annual Academy Awards, ABC; Bill Maher: I'm Swiss, HBO; George Carlin: Life Is Worth Losing, HBO; McCartney in St. Petersburg, A&E; The XX Olympic Winter Games: Opening Ceremony, NBC.

Actor, Drama Series: Denis Leary, Rescue Me, FX Network; Peter Krause, Six Feet Under, HBO; Kiefer Sutherland, 24, Fox; Martin Sheen, The West Wing, NBC; Christopher Meloni, Law & Order: SVU.

Actress, Drama Series: Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer, TNT; Geena Davis, Commander in Chief, ABC; Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, NBC; Frances Conroy, Six Feet Under, HBO; Allison Janney, The West Wing, NBC.

Supporting Actor, Drama Series: William Shatner, Boston Legal, ABC; Oliver Platt, Huff, Showtime; Michael Imperioli, The Sopranos, HBO; Gregory Itzin, 24, Fox; Alan Alda, The West Wing, NBC.

Supporting Actress, Drama Series:Candice Bergen, Boston Legal, ABC; Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy, ABC; Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy, ABC; Blythe Danner, Huff, Showtime; Jean Smart, 24, Fox.

Actor, Comedy Series: Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO; Kevin James, The King of Queens, CBS; Tony Shalhoub, Monk, USA; Steve Carell, The Office, NBC; Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men, CBS.

Actress, Comedy Series: Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback, HBO; Jane Kaczmarek, Malcolm in the Middle, Fox; Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine, CBS; Stockard Channing, Out of Practice, CBS; Debra Messing, Will & Grace, NBC.

Supporting Actor, Comedy Series: Will Arnett, Arrested Development, Fox; Jeremy Piven, Entourage, HBO; Bryan Cranston, Malcolm in the Middle, Fox; Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men, CBS; Sean Hayes, Will & Grace, NBC.

Supporting Actress, Comedy Series: Cheryl Hines, Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO; Alfre Woodard, Desperate Housewives, ABC; Jaime Pressly, My Name Is Earl, ABC; Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds, Showtime; Megan Mullally, Will & Grace, NBC.

Actor, Miniseries or a Movie: Charles Dance, Bleak House (Masterpiece Theatre), PBS; Donald Sutherland, Human Trafficking, Lifetime; Ben Kingsley, Mrs. Harris, HBO; Jon Voight, Pope John Paul II, CBS; Andre Braugher, Thief, FX Network.

Actress, Miniseries or a Movie: Kathy Bates, Ambulance Girl, Lifetime; Gillian Anderson, Bleak House (Masterpiece Theatre), PBS; Helen Mirren, Elizabeth I, HBO; Judy Davis, A Little Thing Called Murder, Lifetime; Annette Bening, Mrs. Harris, HBO.

Supporting Actor, Miniseries or a Movie: Denis Lawson, Bleak House (Masterpiece Theatre), PBS; Hugh Dancy, Elizabeth I, HBO; Jeremy Irons, Elizabeth I, HBO; Robert Carlyle, Human Trafficking, Lifetime; Clifton Collins Jr., Thief, FX Network.

Supporting Actress, Miniseries or a Movie: Kelly Macdonald, The Girl in the Café, HBO; Shirley Jones, Hidden Places, Hallmark; Ellen Burstyn, Mrs. Harris, HBO; Cloris Leachman, Mrs. Harris, HBO; Alfre Woodard, The Water Is Wide (Hallmark Hall of Fame Presentation), CBS.

Guest Actor in a Comedy Series: Patrick Stewart, Extras, HBO; Ben Stiller, Extras, HBO; Martin Sheen, The West Wing, NBC; Alec Baldwin, Will & Grace, NBC; Leslie Jordan, Will & Grace, NBC.

Guest Actor, Drama Series: Michael J. Fox, Boston Legal, ABC; Christian Clemenson, Boston Legal, ABC; James Woods, ER, NBC; Kyle Chandler, Grey's Anatomy, ABC; Henry Ian Cusick, Lost, ABC.

Guest Actress, Comedy Series: Shirley Knight, Desperate Housewives, ABC; Kate Winslet, Extras, HBO; Cloris Leachman, Malcolm in the Middle, Fox; Laurie Metcalf, Monk, USA; Blythe Danner, Will & Grace, NBC.
Guest Actress, Drama Series: Kate Burton, Grey's Anatomy, ABC; Christina Ricci, Grey's Anatomy, CBS; Swoosie Kurtz, Huff, Showtime; Patricia Clarkson, Six Feet Under, HBO; Joanna Cassidy, Six Feet Under, HBO.

Individual Performance, Variety or Music Program: Barry Manilow, Barry Manilow: Music and Passion, PBS; Stephen Colbert, The Colbert Report, Comedy Central; Craig Ferguson, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, CBS; David Letterman, Late Show with David Letterman, CBS; Hugh Jackman, The 59th Annual Tony Awards, CBS.

Animated Program (One Hour or Less): Camp Lazio, Cartoon Network; Family Guy, Fox; Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Cartoon Network; The Simpsons, Fox; South Park, Comedy Central.

Animated Program (One Hour Or More): Before the Dinosaurs, Discovery; Escape from Cluster Prime, Nickelodeon.

Nonfiction Special: All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise, HBO; How William Shatner Changed the World, The History Channel; Inside 9/11, National Geographic; Rome: Engineering An Empire, The History Channel; Stardust: The Bette Davis Story , TCM.

Nonfiction Series: American Masters, PBS; Biography, A&E; Deadliest Catch, Discovery; Inside the Actor's Studio, Bravo; 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed the World, The History Channel.