Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series<\/strong><\/span> Bryan Brandom:<\/strong> Anyone but Jeff Daniels should win. He’s a fine actor, but his Newsroom<\/em> part is too tired and boring of a character for the honor he received last year. Personally, I’d love to see Jon Hamm pull this out after a being shut out for the entirety of Mad Men<\/em>‘s epic run. But I couldn’t complain about Rust or Walt.<\/p>\n Honorable Mention: The entire cast of FX’s The Americans<\/em> is dazzling, but Matthew Rhys in particular is being overlooked. He deserves a nomination over Kevin Spacey’s overindulgent Frank Underwood and Daniels’ Will McAvoy.<\/p>\n Claire Mangan<\/strong>: McConaughey SHOULD because he\u2019s the intuitive \u201clittle priest\u201d, and was the most spellbinding part of True Detective<\/em>.<\/p>\n T.J. Macias:<\/strong> Who Should Win: I WANT to say that Kevin Spacey SHOULD win as his post-Keyser-Soze-ish (with\u00a0that factious southern accent dripping with pure distain) character Frank Underwood, but that’s just my captivating fear of the man\u00a0talking. Truth be told, he’s just pretty much playing\u00a0the same\u00a0character\u00a0Kevin Spacey unusually plays. Only, you know, more utterly terrifying. Who should actually win? Alright, alright – McConaughey.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series<\/strong><\/span> BB:<\/strong> She probably should win. But then again if Keri Russell were nominated or Tatiana Maslany’s Orphan Black<\/em> were on a channel other than BBC America, this might not be the case<\/p>\n CM:<\/strong> Robin Wright SHOULD win because she\u2019s Claire Underwood, dammit. And Claire Danes already won last year. And also because I\u2019ve never watched any of these other shows.<\/p>\n Claire Danes is great, but this most recent season of Homeland<\/em> was such an unrecognizable mess it’s barred from consideration.<\/p>\n TJ:<\/strong> Who Should Win: Buttercup…er, Robin Wright. Only because when I watch her in “House of Cards” I can’t, for the life of me, picture her famous character in “The Princess Bride”. Her brilliant portrayal of Claire Underwood makes you not want to turn off the lights at night. Her elegance helps mask her nefarious intentions, especially when she is put in a highly vulnerable position. I’ve never seen Wright so, well, smooth.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series<\/strong><\/span> BB:<\/strong> Although I’d argue against Louie<\/em> being a “comedy series,” the times Louis CK and his show decided to be funny still make for more net hilarity than any of these other characters’ season-long comedic efforts.<\/p>\n CM:<\/strong> Louis CK should<\/em> win, because c\u2019mon!<\/p>\n TJ:<\/strong> Who Should Win: Claire is dead on here\u2014Louis CK needs this, ESPECIALLY after this ground breaking season. I have never witnessed a male comedian tackle hot button issues with such\u00a0brilliance (watch the nerve-touching, double-standard\u00a0episode “Fat Girl” along with highly controversial “Pamela: Part 1”).<\/p>\n Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series<\/strong><\/span> BB:<\/strong> … even though it hurts me to see Amy Poehler get passed over again. Maybe she’ll get it next year with a last-season swell combined with the “she’s due” bump and JLD voter fatigue.<\/p>\n CM:<\/strong> Should Win: Amy Poehler. It\u2019s about damn time that Leslie Knope is rewarded.<\/p>\n TJ:<\/strong> Who Should Win: Uh, duh\u2014Louis-Dreyfus. I would say Taylor Schilling, but I spent half of my time watching Orange is the New Black<\/em> blinded by her amazing set of choppers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie<\/strong><\/span> BB:<\/strong> CM:<\/strong> Should Win: Idris Elba, because Idris Elba! (But really, I\u2019d be thrilled with a Chiwetel win as well. These are two of England\u2019s most talented exports.)<\/p>\n TJ:<\/strong> Who Should Win: Oh, AIDS \u2014AIDS all the way. Go, Ruffalo.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Outstanding Lead Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie<\/strong><\/span> BB:<\/strong> I thought Allison Tolman should have been submitted as a lead actress, though. Her Molly Solverson was more of a central character to Fargo<\/em> than Lead Actor nominees Billy Bob and Martin Freeman. If she’s in this category, she runs away with it.<\/p>\n
\nBryan Cranston – Breaking Bad<\/em>
\nKevin Spacey – House of Cards<\/em>
\nJon Hamm – Mad Men<\/em>
\nJeff Daniels – The Newsroom<\/em>
\nWoody Harrelson – True Detective<\/em>
\nMatthew McConaughey – True Detective<\/em><\/p>\n
\nMatthew McConaughey will win. Thanks mostly to his excellent performance, but also to voter fatigue. Like MVPs in sports, sometimes people get tired of same ol’, same ol’.<\/p>\n
\nTough, tough! Cranston WILL because Breaking Bad<\/em> is over.<\/p>\n
\nWho Will Win: We all know that Cranston will take it home because not many men can run around looking that pitiful in tidy-whiteys that hang halfway off his rear\u00a0and still be the most feared man in the room. Plus, it’s\u00a0Mr. White’s\u00a0final year. Plus, would YOU deny Heisenberg? I think friggin’\u00a0not.<\/p>\n
\nMichelle Dockery – Downton Abbey<\/em>
\nJulianna Margulies – The Good Wife<\/em>
\nClaire Danes – Homeland<\/em>
\nRobin Wright – House of Cards<\/em>
\nLizzy Caplan – Masters of Sex<\/em>
\nKerry Washington – Scandal<\/em><\/p>\n
\nJulianna Margulies will win. The show is a steamroller and she’s at the controls.<\/p>\n
\nRobin Wright WILL win.<\/p>\n
\nWho Will Win: I have a feeling that it will be Margulies since she’s been nominated a billion times and has only nabbed it twice. Plus, she was snubbed last year and members love <\/em>a good comeback in this category. I wouldn’t be surprised if Claire Danes\u00a0wins it for the umpteenth time for her portrayal as the annoyingly weepy Carrie Mathison, especially since her character a went through a wide range of changes this past season, including witnessing some key deaths, and stopping that damn\u00a0chin of hers from quivering for at least two minutes.<\/p>\n
\nJim Parsons – The Big Bang Theory<\/em>
\nRicky Gervais – Derek<\/em>
\nMatt LeBlanc – Episodes<\/em>
\nDon Cheadle – House of Lies<\/em>
\nLouis CK – Louie<\/em>
\nWilliam H. Macy – Shameless<\/em><\/p>\n
\nIn this pool, I can’t see anyone other than Parsons walking away with it.<\/p>\n
\nJim Parsons WILL win because he won the last few years and this is the sort of award the gets doled out to the same comedian. Plus Jon Crier is no longer in the running to throw an upset Parsons’ way.<\/p>\n
\nWho Will Win: It’s always Parsons. ALWAYS. While I do enjoy his character on the comedy and while you’d think it would get old (it truly doesn’t), I’d like to see some new blood take home the statue.<\/p>\n![\"veep1\"](\"https:\/\/www.hardwoodandhollywood.com\/pop-culture-spin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2014\/08\/veep1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nLena Dunham – Girls<\/em>
\nMelissa McCarthy – Mike & Molly<\/em>
\nEdie Falco – Nurse Jackie<\/em>
\nTaylor Schilling – Orange Is the New Black<\/em>
\nAmy Poehler – Parks and Recreation<\/em>
\nJulia Louis-Dreyfus – Veep<\/em><\/p>\n
\nI’ve got JLD pulling this one down …<\/p>\n
\nWill Win: Taylor Schilling, because everyone talks about this show all the time<\/p>\n
\nWho Will Win: Three words: President Selina Meyer. One minute she’s making sailors blush with her aggressive vocabulary, the next she’s sitting in\u00a0a corner, lost in a haze of dismal awareness. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is hilariously so\u00a0human in this off-the-wall series, that she puts Elaine to shame. She’s still utterly\u00a0the same\u00a0when it comes to her genius of physical comedy, but her range of emotion shines through Selina’s lows so much during the show, that you sort of hope her character loses from time to time so\u00a0you’re are presented with Louis-Dreyfus’ impassioned, yet subtle, dejected expressions. Plus, who hasn’t wanted to offer Buster Bluth a tampon to stop his bloody nose?<\/p>\n
\nChiwetel Ejiofor – Dancing on the Edge<\/em>
\nMartin Freeman – Fargo<\/em>
\nBilly Bob Thornton – Fargo<\/em>
\nIdris Elba – Luther<\/em>
\nMark Ruffalo – The Normal Heart<\/em>
\nBenedict Cumberbatch – Sherlock: His Last Vow<\/em><\/p>\n
\nBilly Bob absolutely haunted the entire season of Fargo<\/em>. Exciting, frightening, and hilarious all at once. He will win, as he should.<\/p>\n
\nWill Win: Mark Ruffalo, because AIDS.<\/p>\n
\nWho Will Win: I want to agree with Claire here and say Ruffalo because of her reason, but everyone thinks the sun shines out of Fargo<\/em>‘s ass and the show is expected to\u00a0win\u00a0Best Miniseries.<\/em>\u00a0But, I have to say, after watching a few episodes, I almost have to agree. I’m going with Billy Bob on this one.<\/p>\n
\nJessica Lange – American Horror Story: Coven<\/em>
\nSarah Paulson – American Horror Story: Coven<\/em>
\nHelena Bonham Carter – Burton & Taylor<\/em>
\nMinnie Driver – Return to Zero<\/em>
\nKristen Wiig – The Spoils of Babylon<\/em>
\nCicely Tyson – The Trip to Bountiful<\/em><\/p>\n
\nJessica Lange will and should win. She checks off two of the classic Emmys predictors: a movie star “coming down” to TV, and a previous winner.<\/p>\n