The Nominees Ranked By Which Actress Should Win:
- Brandon Victor Dixon for NBC's Jesus Christ Superstar Live In Concert
- Michael Stuhlbarg for Hulu's The Looming Tower - "9/11"
- Jeff Daniels for Netflix's Godless - "An Incident at Creede"
- Edgar Ramirez for FX's The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story - "Ascent"
- Finn Wittrock for FX's The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story - "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
- Ricky Martin for FX's The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story - "The Man Who Would Be Vogue"
- John Leguizamo for Paramount's Waco - "The Strangers Across the Street"
Brandon Victor Dixon was so amazing in the live staging of Jesus Christ Superstar. Granted, the role of Judas Iscariot is the flashiest role in the production with it probably being a little lame that Dixon is in the supporting race. And yet, he still embodied so much passion in his performance that it really made the audience get caught up in the moment and feel the pain he was under in that particular moment in time. Meanwhile, Michael Stuhlbarg's role on The Looming Tower was in the complete opposite direction. He wasn't always the most expressive performer in a rich ensemble. But his performance was just one of many that gave weight and gravitas to the material even when the audience knew the tragic outcome that was about to happen. And then, Jeff Daniels completely reveled in the opportunity to play a villain in a western. First, it's impressive that he was riding a horse one-handed. But it was also so haunting to watch him work at terrifying the community of people in pursuit of the one man who betrayed him. Finally, all of the Gianni Versace men were incredible. However, none of them really stood out as being better than the other - at least not in the performers who got nominated this year. It's still disappointing that Cody Fern didn't get nominated.
The Nominees Ranked by Which Actor Will Win:
- Jeff Daniels for Netflix's Godless - "An Incident at Creede"
- Edgar Ramirez for FX's The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story - "Ascent"
- Brandon Victor Dixon for NBC's Jesus Christ Superstar Live In Concert
- Finn Wittrock for FX's The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story - "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
- Ricky Martin for FX's The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story - "The Man Who Would Be Vogue"
- Michael Stuhlbarg for Hulu's The Looming Tower - "9/11"
- John Leguizamo for Paramount's Waco - "The Strangers Across the Street"
Jeff Daniels has to be seen as the frontrunner in this race simply because of his pedigree with Emmy voters. He won in 2013 for his lead performance in HBO's The Newsroom. That was a shocking victory where everyone was predicting someone else would win. He got two more nominations from that show as well. Meanwhile, he's nominated for two awards this year for his work on Godless and The Looming Tower. This seems like the easier category for him to prevail in though because of the fierce competition in lead actor. And yet, we can't count out the Gianni Versace men either. The last time American Crime Story was nominated for awards it got three nominees in this category as well. That didn't cause vote splitting though because Sterling K. Brown ultimately won. It helps immensely that they have all submitted different episodes. If the voters are watching the tapes, then it's likely that Ramirez will win because he has a prominent role in each of the three hours while also playing the title character. Elsewhere, I hope that Dixon has a legitimate chance at winning. This is the first time a performer in the recent live musical trend on broadcast networks has been nominated. As such, there isn't a whole lot of evidence to point to regarding the voters' feelings. But him getting into the race also makes him a serious contender.
What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with my predictions? Let me know in the comments below!
