Will Anna Paquin suffer the curse of the vampires at the Emmys?
There's an eerie parallel between the Emmy bid by Anna Paquin ("True Blood") and that of Sarah Michelle Gellar. Back during the heyday of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997-2003), Gellar had a strong cult following among fans and TV critics, but Emmys voters seemed to turn away in horror just like Oscar voters shunned Bela Lugosi in "Dracula."
Fantasy fare performs poorly at most industry awards, of course, but Gellar apparently wouldn't easily forgive the fact that neither she nor her hit show had ever been nominated (at least for best drama series -- it was in the running for lowly tech awards). When the TV academy tried to make amends to "Buffy" in its final year by staging a tribute gala at its headquarters in North Hollywood, Gellar was conspicuously absent. Even though it was after sunset.
Photos: HBO, 20th Century Fox TV
Get Gold Derby on Twitter. Join the Gold Derby Group at Facebook. Become friends with Tom O'Neil on Facebook. Get Gold Derby RSS feed via Facebook. RSS Feedburner. RSS Atom.
I agree with what 742 said. And also, I don't remember if Sarah did win this, but I would think Paquin's Golden Globe win carries some weight.
Posted by: Free | May 27, 2009 at 07:38 PM
The issue has more to do with whether Emmy voters think True Blood is too campy overall. Buffy never felt terribly campy, but True Blood embraces that over-the-top nature in all its characters, especially those hideous accents.
Posted by: J | May 25, 2009 at 06:58 AM
I don't know much about these things, but if there is a snob factor involved, Paquin does have something of a highbrow reputation, if you see what I mean. I'm not trying to say that she deserves the reputation or the Emmy more than anyone else, just suggesting she is more likely to get it.
Posted by: Bob | May 24, 2009 at 11:11 PM
Emmys don't like fantasy or sci-fi, but Anna Paquin has a decent chance. Let's not forget that "Buffy" aired on WB and UPN, and in the history of the Emmys, those two networks received only ONE nomination significant enough to be given during the telecast. (Incidentally, that was a writing nomination for "Buffy" in 2000.) Paquin, on the other hand, is a previous Oscar winner and was nominated in 2007 for the HBO telefilm "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee," so obviously voters are aware of her and like her. And since her vampire drama, "True Blood," is also on HBO, that makes her a stronger contender than "Buffy" ever was.
The WB and UPN -- and now the CW -- have been cursed at the Emmys. Even geezer-friendly shows like "Gilmore Girls," "Everwood," and "Jack & Bobby" couldn't make the cut. Mark my words, if "The Sopranos" had broadcast on the WB or UPN, the show wouldn't have reaped a single major Emmy nomination. Period. It wasn't vampires that killed "Buffy's" chances. It was her network.
Posted by: 742 | May 23, 2009 at 02:47 PM