GLEE’s Jane Lynch, for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. In the hand of almost any other actor, an ultra-competitive cheerleading coach whose win-at-any-cost attitude compels her to not only separate the GLEE Club into competing factions based on the color of their skin, but ‘out’ a pregnant student’s ‘secret life’ would be both horrific and offensive. Yet in the hands of Jane Lynch, it’s funny. Really funny.
MODERN FAMILY’s Ed O’Neill, for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series. Now that William Shatner is no longer eligible for his annual Emmy nod, voters are going to need another rich old white guy they can shower with praise. Enter Ed O’Neill, who in MODERN FAMILY’s fourth outing of the season continued to set the perfect tone for the craziness that goes down in the Dunphey-Pritchett abode. With bonus points for his faux outrage towards son Mitchell upon ‘discovering’ that ex-wife Dede was a surprise Sunday-night dinner guest.
MODERN FAMILY’s Shelley Long, for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. And speaking of ex-wife Dede. Shelley Long’s performance as Jay’s sexually-frustrated uber-critical ex-wife who has yet to move on from the mortifying ‘incident’ that had her creating quite the scene at Jay and Gloria’s wedding not only had us howling with laughter (“I knew they were perfect for each other when I saw his wallet and her boobs!”), but had us checking Amazon for CHEERS DVDs. Seriously, we had no idea Shelley Long was that funny, or that she was capable of such a bang-on Gloria impersonation!
MODERN FAMILY’s “Do Me,” for Outstanding Music and Lyrics. Come’on admit it, you too haven’t stopped singing Dylan’s opus to girlfriend Haley. Which incidentally, you can download for free right here.
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES’ Drea De Matteo, for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. It ain’t easy being the new wife on Wisteria Lane, especially with everybody knowing you’ve got a dark secret because, well, doesn’t everybody? But DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES struck gold with De Matteo’s Angie, who is tough as nails and is exactly the type of woman the word “fierce” was invented to define. 