Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or More)
My pick to win is South Park's "Imaginationland" Trilogy, nominated for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or More). Usually South Park is nominated in the half hour category, so being nominated in a different category means Comedy Central submitted the entire trilogy as one piece, rather than three separate episodes. Last year, South Park won for "Make Love, Not Warcraft."
South Park has tough competition, though. Also nominated in the one hour or more animation category is Family Guy's "Blue Harvest," a spoof of Star Wars with Peter Griffin as Han Solo. With no social commentary, it may be easier for older Emmy voters to swallow.
The final cartoon competing in this category is Justice League "The New Frontier."
Update September 13, 2008: "Imaginationland" took home the Emmy. Too bad I didn't have any cash on that. Stinkin' morals.
Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour)
My pick to win in the Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour) is King Of The Hill for "Death Picks Cotton." I choose King of the Hill above the others in this category out of affection (see my Top 10 Reasons to Watch King of the Hill) more than any evidence that voters will give the show a nod. King of the Hill hasn't won an Emmy since 2002.
Like Family Guy, another Star Wars spoof is nominated, but in this category, Robot Chicken "Star Wars." Adult Swim could use an Emmy trophy on their shelf, since they have yet to win a major award for any of their animated shows. Because most Adult Swim cartoons would be too edgy for most Emmy voters, perhaps a Star Wars-themed animated show will have a chance.
Perennial favorite The Simpsons is nominated for "Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind," when Homer forgets his previous night's activities and returns home to find his family missing. The last time Matt Groening and company won an Emmy was 2006.
The other cartoons to make the nomination list in the half hour category are Animal Planet's Creature Comforts America "Don't Choke To Death, Please" and SpongeBob SquarePants "Inmates of Summer / Two Faces of Squidward."
Updated September 13, 2008: The Simpsons won its tenth Emmy. Predictable, and so wrong.
