The Emmy nominees are just hours away from being announced and, as always, the two biggest awards are Best Drama and Best Comedy.  With The Sopranos gone and the comedy landscape filled to the brim with quality shows, there are no sure-fire favorites to win either award.  HBO has had one of their dramas nominated for Best Drama every year since 1999 – this is the year the streak may be broken.  The Best Comedy award is always a contentious one.   30 Rock won last year after its solid freshman season; does it have the juice to win again, or will a newcomer like Pushing Daisies steal its thunder?  In our final Emmy Nominations Podcast, fellow writer John Kubicek and I discuss our nomination predictions for both of the major categories, as well as give our lists of ideal candidates and winners.  You can find whole mp3 of our discussion below. 

Here is the short list of the semi-finalists for each category, as well as the the episode each of those shows submitted. 

Best Drama

Boston Legal ("The Court Supreme")
Damages (Pilot)
Dexter ("The Dark Defender")
Friday Night Lights ("Leave No One Behind")
Grey's Anatomy ("Freedom, Parts 1 and 2")
House ("Frozen")
Lost ("The Constant")
Mad Men (Pilot, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes")
The Tudors (#205)
The Wire (Series finale, "30")


Oscar's Prediction: Mad Men
John's Prediction: Mad Men

Oscar's Ideal Winner: Lost
John's Ideal Winner: The Wire
 

Best Comedy

Curb Your Enthusiasm ("The Bat Mitzvah")
Entourage ("The Day F***ers")
Family Guy ("Padre de Famila")
Flight of the Conchords ("Sally Returns")
The Office ("Local Ad")
Pushing Daisies ("Pie-lette")
30 Rock ("Cooter")
Two and a Half Men ("Rough Night in Hump Junction")
Ugly Betty ("Something Wicked This Way Comes")
Weeds ("Go")

Oscar's Prediction: 30 Rock
John's Prediction: 30 Rock

Oscar's Ideal Winner: The Office
John's Ideal Winner: 30 Rock

-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of Emmys)