Are you at all surprised that ...
Question: Are you at all surprised that
John Spencer didn't receive a posthumous Emmy nomination for his work on
The West Wing? I thought his death would earn him a nod at least in an honorary sense. But given the condition of the current system, I cannot say that I am completely surprised.
Answer: It is surprising, but really, with this year's nominations, where do you start and where do you end? Truthfully, and with all sincere respect to the terrific and much-lamented John Spencer, this was not Leo's greatest season on the show, and I think the nomination in that category for
Alan Alda was more appropriate. A sentimental nomination for an actor taken from us too soon is without doubt the sort of thing you'd expect from a conservative group like the Emmy voters, so it is kind of jarring. But overall, this is one of the more interesting, eclectic categories this year, and just having
Gregory Itzin (
24's President Logan) in the running is very satisfying. (He's my pick over Alda,
Oliver Platt,
Michael Imperioli and
William Shatner). At the very least, I'm sure he'll be remembered during the Emmy ceremony.
