It seems like most of the ...
Question: It seems like most of the outrage over the Emmys has focused on the absences of some important actors in the major categories, but I stumbled across a nomination hardly ever spoken of. What's your take on
Ellen Burstyn's nomination for supporting actress in a TV film, for her work in
Mrs. Harris. Apparently, she only has two lines, appears in the film only once, and is listed in the credits as "Ex-Lover No. 3." Now, as mad as the snubs of
Hugh Laurie,
James Gandolfini,
Lauren Graham,
Jason Lee, etc, make me, I can still see some dignity in these awards. But how can an Emmy be worth anything if showing up for 20 seconds gets you a nomination just because your name is familiar to voters? Seriously, will she even show up? Her entire performance could be shown as a clip at the show!
Answer: Even by the Emmys' low standards of credibility, this is laughable, preposterous and embarrassing. There's no question the reason she got a nomination for this heightened cameo is because people recognize Burstyn's name. Ironically, she actually deserved the nomination she got in 1981 when she played the title role in a movie on the very same subject,
The People vs. Jean Harris. I like to think of this as the “
Stockard Channing” effect (not so much for her
Out of Practice nomination this year, but for some of her
West Wing nominations when she appeared in a smattering of scenes at most).
