The Argument for Colfer Winning an Emmy

From Tom O'Neil at goldderby.latimes.com:

I can't recall the last time I disagreed so strongly with both of our Emmy gurus Chris "Boomer" Beachum and Rob Licuria (AwardsHeaven). They're picking Eric Stonestreet to win supporting comedy actor based on the big, bombastic performance he gives as a clown in the "Fizbo" episode of "Modern Family." Yes, that's a hoot, and brassy comedic roles often win here (Jeremy Piven, Sean Hayes, Michael Richards), but I think Chris Colfer delivers the bombastic equivalent in song when he belts out "Rose's Turn" in the "Laryngitis" episode of "Glee." Heck, it's such a winning number that three gals have Tony Awards for performing it on Broadway in "Gypsy" (Tyne Daly, Angela Lansbury, Patti LuPone).

Not only that, but Colfer shows off his acting chops by delivering broad emotional range in a one-hour episode, which is twice as long as rival nominees. Episode size is often key to victory. Lastly, Colfer fearlessly and defiantly embraces his sexuality in the story line. Remember who's voting here — actors, the most gay-friendly group of people on the planet. Just look how gay this category is: three gay roles (Stonestreet, Colfer, Jesse Tyler Ferguson) plus Neil Patrick Harris, who is out in real life. Yes, Stonestreet's character is gay too, but it's not a compelling issue in the episode being judged here.

If all this sounds like a solid argument to you, don't rush to judgment. Rob and Boomer say I'm wrong. Read why below. Then watch our webcam slugfest over this category here.
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COMEDY SUPPORTING ACTOR: ROB'S PREDIX
1. Eric Stonestreet, "Modern Family" ("Fizbo")
2. Chris Colfer, "Glee" ("Laryngitis")
3. Ty Burrell, "Modern Family" ("Game Changer")
4. Jon Cryer, "Two and a Half Men" ("Captain Terry's Spray-On Hair")
5. Neil Patrick Harris, "How I Met Your Mother" ("Guys vs. Suits")
6. Jesse Tyler Ferguson, "Modern Family" ("Family Portrait")

ROB'S COMMENTARY: This is a solid group of nominees, with all but one of them choosing episodes that perfectly showcase their best performance. Jesse Tyler Ferguson is quite good in his first few scenes of "Family Portrait," which are more physical comedy rather than the usual quippy sarcasm that his character does so well. The last couple of scenes disadvantage him because he is more background fodder than front and center.

Neil Patrick Harris gets quite a bit of screen time in his episode, and he gets to sing and dance and be over-the-top crazy. In my mind, however, the material is just plain awful and is not Emmy worthy. Similarly, Jon Cryer is one of the funnier contenders in this group, but I felt it was more run-of-the-mill slapstick rather than great material to work with. I'm not so sure he will win again with what he has been given.

Ty Burrell is the problem for me in this group. He could have chosen much better episodes than the dreaded "iPad" episode, and he would have been a standout front-runner. What helps him is that he shares some scenes with Eric Stonestreet and Jesse Tyler Ferguson in their respective episodes, which only serves to boost his visibility in the eyes of voters. That all being said, Burrell does have some funny moments in this episode, and he does have quite a lot of good will and buzz.

I would normally have written off Chris Colfer's chances at the Emmy because I do not think he is technically one of the funnier contenders. But putting "comedy" aside, if we are judging performance, then Colfer is a serious threat to walk away with the trophy. He belts out a great show tune, he has wonderfully sentimental moments with Mike O'Malley playing his understanding father, and there is a degree of the comedic when he is playing "straight."

But at the end of the day, Eric Stonestreet as Fizbo just makes me laugh like nobody else can. Admittedly, he doesn't have nearly as much to do as you might recall (upon reviewing the episode, it occurred to me that my good will toward this performance may be a little biased). But he does share scenes with Ferguson in his episode, and I think the crazy over-the-top sight gag that is this huge clown running through a kid's birthday party plus the perfectly executed scene at the gas station may be enough to get him over the line.


COMEDY SUPPORTING ACTOR: BOOMER'S PREDIX
1. Eric Stonestreet, "Modern Family" ("Fizbo")
2. Ty Burrell, "Modern Family" ("Game Changer")
3. Chris Colfer, "Glee" ("Laryngitis")
4. Neil Patrick Harris, "How I Met Your Mother" ("Girls vs. Suits")
5. Jon Cryer, "Two and a Half Men" ("Captain Terry's Spray-On Hair")
6. Jesse Tyler Ferguson, "Modern Family" ("Family Portrait")

BOOMER'S COMMENTARY: Perplexing! It's a category filled with possible winners, depending on the tastes and preferences of the judging panel. That makes it incredibly hard to predict this year. After watching all of the submitted episodes, my best guess and gut feeling is that Eric Stonestreet wins the Emmy. In his episode, he goes back to his past to wear his old clown outfit (Fizbo) for his nephew's birthday party. Nothing overwhelmingly funny happens that implores the voters to reward him, but the best scene is when he and Mitchell are at the gas station. Stonestreet also has a couple of good moments shared with his co-stars on their episodes.

If voters watched "Modern Family" throughout the season, they may want to vote for Ty Burrell. I don't personally see he gathers votes based strictly on his submission, but it has more of a complete start-to-finish storyline among the three nominees from this series.

I was truly blown away by Chris Colfer's episode choice, in which he has funny moments throughout the first half, serious scenes with his father and an amazing performance from the musical "Gypsy." He definitely has a chance to win, but somehow I think his age (he would be the youngest winner in this category by far) works against him with voters.

Neil Patrick Harris continues his tradition of submitting poor episodes for the Emmy judges. In fact, I was shocked at how far downhill the writing has gone for this once-great show (almost Disney Channel comedy level writing at this stage). He does perform an Emmy-nominated song at the end of the show, but I don't think it will be enough.

I actually think Jon Cryer has a minor shot at repeating his win, because his episode once again has a nice blend of dialogue with Charlie Sheen and some physical humor. It isn't nearly as funny as last year's episode, though.

Poor Jesse Tyler Ferguson doesn't have a prayer with no character arc or depth to play in his episode (his fear of a bird -- really?) and the better performances from his own co-stars.