Failing to fix judges' errors

By CHUCK BARNEY
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
Bizarre. Baffling. Bewildering ...
Yes, I'm still trying to produce a comprehensive list of adjectives to adequately describe this year's Emmy nominations. Feel free to pile on if you want, and the words don't necessarily have to start with a "B," although "befuddling" would certainly be apropos.
The Emmy rant, of course, is a time-honored tradition. Right about now every year, we critics and diehard TV freaks vent our wrath at the television academy for its clueless picks and utter lack of imagination.
Ah, but this year was supposed to be different. This year, the academy changed its voting procedures -- deploying blue-ribbon panels -- in the hopes of avoiding redundancy and opening up the awards to a wider array of programs and performers.
Mission accomplished? Not quite.
Yes, there were some nominees who had been overlooked in recent years -- welcome to the party, Kevin James -- but there were also some egregious omissions ("Lost" and the front-line "Sopranos" actors, among them).
And perhaps most significantly, the new rules failed miserably when it came to opening Emmy's doors to shows and actors from the smaller networks and cable outlets. Among the 30 nominees in the six major categories, only three -- Dennis Leary (FX's "Rescue Me"), Kyra Sedgwick (TNT's "The Closer") and Tony Shaloub (USA's "Monk") -- aren't from a major network or cable powerhouse HBO.
Other mysteries
Now that we've had time to chew over the nominations list, here are a few more random thoughts and gripes:
*Going into the nomination voting process, "Gilmore Girls" star Lauren Graham was practically a poster child for the rule changes. Despite being a longtime critical darling, she had never been nominated for an Emmy. That injustice figured to be extricated under the revamped system.
Oops, cancel that. The boneheaded voters again refused to acknowledge Graham, leaving her 0-for-6.
*We've always despised Emmy's rubber-stamping ways. How many trophies did Doris Roberts and Dennis Franz win, anyway? Twenty-six?
Still, you've just got to have certain veterans in the mix or your credibility is shot. James Gandolfini not among the best drama actors? Ludicrous. Edie Falco absent in the actress category? Absolutely laughable.
*Funny how you can be considered the class of your field one year and then not even receive a nomination the next. James Spader (best actor, drama), Patricia Arquette (best actress, drama) and Felicity Huffman (best actress, comedy) all captured the gold last year, but got the cold shoulder.
The most glaring omission, however, was "Lost," which was honored as TV's best drama last year but was shut out this time around, despite an abundance of critical and ratings support.
*We agree that "Desperate Housewives" needed to be on the receiving end of a vigorous backhand for its creative flub-ups this season. But to have no representatives from Wisteria Lane among the best comedy actresses is rather shocking. Not even Marcia Cross?
*It's ironic. however, that Alfre Woodard got a best supporting actress nod for her work on "Housewives." This remarkable actress was shamefully neglected by the show's writers for much of the season, but still her strengths obviously shone through.
*Speaking of shameful, how many minority performers did you spot among the main categories? Give yourself an "A" if you said zero. Most prominent among the no-shows: "Everybody Hates Chris," UPN's hilarious Chris Rock sitcom, and its lead female performer, Tichina Arnold.