“Housewives” Drama at People’s Choice
Desperate Housewives is a drama–the people insist.
For the second year running, the campy ABC soap has earned a People’s Choice nomination in a category reserved for grownup talk. This time around, the fashionable Housewives will go up against CBS’ gruesome CSI and NBC’s brutal Law & Order: SVU for honors as Favorite TV Drama.
Overall, Angelina Jolie nabbed the most nominations, three, as the field for the 32nd annual People’s Choice Awards was announced Thursday in Hollywood.
Regularly tabbed in the tabloids as the woman who pushed Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston’s marriage off a cliff, Jolie remains in high regard among the People’s Choice public (a sampling of men and women aged 18-54, whose likes determined the nominations). Jolie is among the top three finalists for Favorite Female Movie Star, Favorite Female Action Star and Favorite On-Screen Match-Up, a nomination shared with Pitt for Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
Pitt also was nominated for Favorite Leading Man. Aniston, who didn’t launch any new product during the survey period, wasn’t nominated for anything.
Meanwhile, back on Wisteria Lane, the rivalries can become more entrenched now that Teri Hatcher, and only Teri Hatcher, has been nominated among the residents. Hatcher, who lost out on Emmy night to costar Felicity Huffman, must merely dispatch with Jennifer Garner of ABC’s dying Alias and Jennifer Love Hewitt of CBS’ sapling Ghost Whisperer to claim her trophy as Favorite Female TV Star.
At the Emmys and the Golden Globes, Hatcher and the Housewives company competed in the comedy categories, where ABC thought the show matched up better. It was not known how or why the drama queens ended up in the drama race at the People’s Choice Awards, but the classification was not without precedent. Last year, the show was honored as Favorite New TV Drama.
To be sure, the Favorite TV Comedy race is not the power category at the coming People’s Choice Awards. Underscoring the broadcast networks’ inability to mount many recent sitcom hits, the three nominated shows are either dead (CBS’ late Everybody Loves Raymond), old (Fox’s That ’70s Show, eight seasons and running) or really, really old (Fox’s The Simpsons, 17 seasons and running).
Help for the genre may be on the way in the form of the nominees of the Favorite New TV Comedy race: UPN’s Everybody Hates Chris; CBS’ How I Met Your Mother; and, NBC’s My Name Is Earl. Then again, Joey didn’t exactly usher in a golden sitcom era after it was the people’s pick in this race last season.
Up for Favorite New TV Drama: ABC’s Commander in Chief, the fall’s most-watched new show; CBS’ surging Criminal Minds; and, Fox’s Prison Break.
Not making the cut in any category: Anything or anyone on the WB; ABC’s breakout hits Lost and Grey’s Anatomy; Julia Roberts, who laid low in 2005 after winning Favorite Female Movie Star in January; and, Tom Cruise, who self-immolated after scoring a Favorite Male Movie Star nomination last year.
Categories falling out of favor with show producers were two music ones, Favorite Remake and Favorite Combined Forces (a cute name for a duet or trio). Both were in play at last year’s show.
Winners will be determined by Internet voting at www.pcavote.com. The virtual polls opened Thursday. On Nov. 28, eight more categories, including Favorite Movie, will be added to the online ballot.
The results will be announced in a CBS telecast on Jan. 10–a Tuesday, the better to avoid a Sunday confrontation with Desperate Housewives. The Late Late Show’s Craig Ferguson will host.
Here’s a rundown of the nominees for the 32nd annual People’s Choice Awards:
Film
Favorite Female Movie Star: Sandra Bullock, Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman
Favorite Male Movie Star: Nicolas Cage, Johnny Depp, Samuel L. Jackson
Favorite Leading Lady: Cameron Diaz, Reese Witherspoon, RenÈe Zellweger
Favorite Leading Man: Jamie Foxx, Brad Pitt, Adam Sandler
Favorite Female Action Star: Jennifer Garner, Angelina Jolie, Catherine Zeta-Jones
Favorite Male Action Star: Matthew McConaughey, Brad Pitt, The Rock
Favorite On-Screen Match-Up: Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt in Mr. and Mrs. Smith; Chris Rock & Adam Sandler in The Longest Yard; Vince Vaughn & Owen Wilson in Wedding Crashers
Music
Favorite Female Performer: Kelly Clarkson, Faith Hill, Gwen Stefani
Favorite Male Performer: Toby Keith, Tim McGraw, Usher
Favorite Group: The Black Eyed Peas, Destiny’s Child, Green Day
Television
Favorite New TV Comedy: Everybody Hates Chris, How I Met Your Mother, My Name is Earl
Favorite New TV Drama: Commander In Chief, Criminal Minds, Prison Break
Favorite TV Comedy: Everybody Loves Raymond, That ’70s Show, The Simpsons
Favorite TV Drama: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Desperate Housewives, Law & Order: SVU
Favorite Reality Show (Competition): American Idol, Fear Factor, Survivor
Favorite Reality Show (Other): Extreme Makeover, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Supernanny
Favorite Late Night Talk Show Host: Jay Leno, David Letterman, Conan O’Brien
Favorite Daytime Talk Show Host: Ellen DeGeneres, Regis Philbin & Kelly Ripa, Oprah Winfrey
Favorite Female TV Star: Jennifer Garner, Teri Hatcher, Jennifer Love Hewitt
Favorite Male TV Star: Ray Romano, Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland
Miscellaneous
Favorite Funny Female Star: Drew Barrymore, Ellen DeGeneres, Queen Latifah
Favorite Funny Male Star: Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Will Smith
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