In the best drama category, the highly-acclaimed and perennial winner “Mad Men” will be facing some mildly tough competition. It will be up against HBO’s “True Blood,” Showtime’s “Dexter,” AMC’s “Breaking Bad,” ABC’s “Lost,” and CBS’ “The Good Wife.” Even though “Lost” just aired its final season, many expect that “Mad Men” will walk away with its third consecutive best drama award. Several of last year’s nominees for this category were snubbed this year (“House,” “Big Love,” and “Damages”) along with at least one departing show that had previously won this competition (“24”).   

In the best comedy category, there is a bit more competition for the other perennial winner “30 Rock.” “30 Rock,”,like “Mad Men,” has won its category’s top award since it premiered and already has three Emmy awards for best comedy. However, this year’s competition seems more exciting with three new series receiving nominations (“Nurse Jackie,” “Glee,” and “Modern Family”) along with “The Office” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Many television critics expect either freshman comedy “Glee” or “Modern Family” will take home the big award and end “Rock’s” winning streak but “30 Rock” still has a chance for another repeat win.

In terms of the lead acting categories for dramas, two new nominees have thrown more tough competition into the mix. I’ve been outspoken about my affection for the drama “Friday Night Lights” so I was excited to see Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton receive nominations for lead actor and actress in a drama. Chandler faces off against “Mad Men’s” Jon Hamm, “House’s” Hugh Laurie, “Dexter’s” Michael C. Hall, “Breaking Bad’s” Bryan Cranston, and “Lost’s” Matthew Fox. I haven’t seen all of the performances nominated but from my knowledge of the shows themselves, Chandler’s character seems to be the most realistic and down-to-earth one in the group and it would be nice if he was celebrated for his stellar work (although I have heard great things about Cranston’s performance on “Bad”).

In the lead actress in a drama category, there seems to be even stiffer competition and several of the actresses play extremely relatable and realistic characters. Britton will be facing off against “Mad Men’s” January Jones, “The Closer’s” Kyra Sedgwick, “Law and Order: Special Victim Unit’s” Mariska Hargitay, “Damages’” Glenn Close, and “The Good Wife’s” Julianna Margulies. Close has won this award for the past two years but some critics have suggested that Margulies will likely win for her role. (I’m rooting for Britton but I would be excited over a Margulies win as well.)

The lead acting nominations in the comedy categories showcase a wide variety of performances highlighting some well-known performers and a few welcome newcomers. Alec Baldwin (who has won for his performance on “30 Rock” for the past two years) will face “Curb Your Enthusiasm’s” Larry David, “Monk’s” Tony Shalhoub, “The Office’s” Steve Carell, “Glee’s” Matthew Morrison, and “The Big Bang Theory’s” Jim Parsons. I have seen each of these actors in their respective roles and it seems like Parsons should have a strong chance in this category for his vibrant portrayal of Sheldon Cooper.

The lead actress in a comedy category features some several comedic actresses who have been recognized in the past. Toni Collette (“United States of Tara”) won in this category last year. The previous year, Tina Fey won for her role on “30 Rock.”  Additionally, Julia Louis-Dreyfus (who was nominated for “The New Adventures of Old Christine” this year) previously won for her work on “Seinfeld.” The remaining nominees in this category are “Park and Recreation’s” Amy Poehler, “Nurse Jackie’s” Edie Falco and “Glee’s” Lea Michele. This category could go to Collette or Fey but I have read some positive stuff about Falco’s performance so she could also pull a win out here.

The supporting actor in a drama category has some strong competition as well. “Mad Men’s” John Slattery will be facing “Damage’s” Martin Short, “Breaking Bad’s” Aaron Paul, “Lost’s” Terry O’ Quinn, “Men of a Certain Age’s” Andre Braugher, and “Lost’s” Michael Emerson. The supporting actress nominees for a drama include “Mad Men’s” Christina Hendricks, “Damages’” Rose Byrne, “The Good Wife’s” Archie Panjabi, “Burn Notice’s” Sharon Gless, “Mad Men’s” Elisabeth Moss, and “The Good Wife’s” Christine Baranski. There are a lot of strong performances in these two categories so both will be very competitive and hard to predict.

Another category that will likely not be hard to predict is best supporting actress in a comedy. In that category, “Glee’s” Jane Lynch will be going up against five other actresses who will likely lose to the villainous cheerleading coach. However, if this category has an upset, Lynch could lose to “30 Rock’s” Jane Krakowski, “Saturday Night Live’s” Kristen Wiig, “Modern Family’s” Sofia Vergara, “Modern Family’s” Julie Bowen, or “Two and a Half Men’s” Holland Taylor. In the supporting actor in a comedy category, “Modern Family’s” Jesse Tyler Ferguson will face “Glee’s” Chris Colfer, “Two and a Half Men’s” Jon Cryer, “Modern Family’s” Ty Burrell, “Modern Family’s” Eric Stonestreet, and “How I Met your Mother’s” Neil Patrick Harris. Like my support for Parsons, I would be really excited if Neil Patrick Harris won for the uniquely funny character he has brought to life.

Overall, with Jimmy Fallon hosting the Emmys, it should be a fun night to celebrate television. Although some past winners will likely win major awards, there will likely be some surprises and there could be a few great acceptance speeches as well.

I can’t wait to watch.

Watch it now or later, but if the premise of one man with three attractive wives somehow turned you off from the series…or let’s say, turned someone in your house off from the series…the show’s exploration of love and family will surprise you with its heart and concern for tradition.  Jeanne Tripplehorn’s performance as “Barb” (the first wife) could carry you through this season alone.  Hey, the main title song is literally “God Only Knows,” with Carl Wilson singing forever through the opening credits.

More about the show after the jump, but here’s my question: how has the show changed or informed your impression of Mormons?  If you’re LDS, what do you think of the show?  People older than I say that George Romney faced nothing like the anti-Mormon bias that his son Mitt did in his Presidential campaign.  I’m REALLY not hoping for a stream of religious doctrinal lecture, because I think we’ve bottomed out with our current President’s religious “commitments” anyway.  (And I know that’s kind of an unsubstantiated slag, but I grew up watching certain dads fake it in Church on holidays, and I think I know someone doing it for appearances when I see him.)

So, can the GOP get past an LDS candidate running for national office?

Are the traditional families (with the exception of the polygamists) on the show not some of the most wholesome seen on TV in a while? And what about the fact that the good characters on the show are naturally softening some hearts toward plural marriage, which the LDS Church condemns – will this lead to faster acceptance when Islam asks for it as it will in time?

Please discuss – don’t hate, as our friends like to say!

Now, I watch a lot of HBO.  I think the 13 hour drama may be the greatest form of multimedia art at this point.  Watching small characters come to life through the writers’ direction is always a pleasure on cable, but the acting on this series somehow sets it apart for me.  I’m almost never taken out of the show by an actor faking it.  Every extra and bit player with a line comes across as real and well cast.   Maybe it’s because the circumstances are so often unbelievable (actors can tell us), but I’m just impressed or delighted with one performance after another as this show rolls on.  Needless to say the leads are all strong, and the supporting cast – teenagers and adults – are no less believable and interesting. The only character I didn’t believe for a while, Nicky, as played by Chloe Sevigny, has finally revealed herself to be the sociopath acting through life we all hoped she would.   I proudly watch this soap opera.

HBO, of course, apologized for offending Mormons but defended its use of the ceremony because its depiction is “critical” to the show’s story line. Ah, the quintessential non-apology apology, used frequently by politicians: We’re sorry if we offended anyone, but we’re not going to do anything that will actually rectify the situation. Be sure to tune in, though, and boost our ratings!

What I’m more interested in learning, though, is if there are any shows or movies in the works about the “sacred” rite of female genital mutilation – more kindly known as female circumcision – or “honor killings” in Islam. I’d even settle for a program that just depicts a polygamous Muslim family living somewhere in rural America.

I’ll wait. I have plenty of time.

Back in 1997, Law and Order aired an episode about an American man, married to an Egyptian immigrant, who murders the doctor brought over from Egypt by his wife’s family to perform female circumcision on his daughter. That was before 9/11, however, and since then it’s become politically incorrect to say anything unflattering about Islam or Muslims, no matter what the context.

Note that the Church of Latter Day Saints outlawed polygamy back in 1890 while Islam, to my knowledge, has not. Americans were horrified when a rogue Mormon sect not sanctified by the church was discovered in rural Texas and hundreds of children were removed as authorities investigated allegations of abuse and the forced marriage of teen girls to much older men.

But just this week, ABC’s Good Morning America focused on Daad Abdul Rahamn, a Muslim in Dubai, who is getting closer to his goal of fathering 100 children. He’s only supposed to have four wives at a time, but “he has had 17 and is looking for more.” Diane Sawyer practically swooned in wonderment. (Maybe she’s thinking of applying to be the next Mrs. Rahamn?) But perhaps this case is different because the local sheikh approves and Rahamn is not ashamed to accept the sheikh’s handouts to help finance his growing family. Liberals love socialism in any shape or form.

And yes, I know Good Morning America is officially under ABC’s news division, but how many people actually watch it for its contributions to serious news?

Remember when South Park aired its now-infamous Scientology episode that not only skewered top dog Scientologist Tom Cruise but the depicted the “sacred beliefs” of the religion started by second-rate science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard and followed by a growing number of Hollywood glitterati? Comedy Central pulled the episode from its initial rerun schedule because of pressure from Cruise, although it did end up rerunning it later in the season. But that wasn’t the only fallout. The late Isaac Hayes, who voiced the character Chef and was a Scientologist, quit the show in protest of its “intolerance and bigotry towards religious rights of others.” Show co-creator Matt Stone responded by saying Hayes had “no problem – and he’s cashed plenty of checks – with our show making fun of Christians.”

I guess it doesn’t pay to annoy the wrong people.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that the leftist entertainment industry has no qualms about airing what is supposed to be a sacred Mormon ritual on television because Mormons are not on the list of protected victim groups. Don’t believe me? Remember what Mitt Romney had to endure during the last presidential election regarding his religion. I’m not suggesting that production companies avoid producing entertainment that negatively focuses on a particular religion because its followers might be offended. However, I am offended by the double standard that means certain groups are considered fair game while others are left alone in the name of “multicultural sensitivity.”