Kirstie Alley - "Veronica's Closet" (7-1)

Could someone please explain to me how this show is staying at Thursdays at 9:30 next season? Couldn't NBC find anything funnier to put in its place? The problem here is, Alley, like Jerry Seinfeld and Michael J. Fox, is the straight woman. Most of the laughs are left to the horrid supporting cast, save for Kathy Najimy, who I feel was robbed of a supporting actress nod. The show was supposed to be outrageous, but watch for two minutes, and you realize how formulatic it is. The straight man/woman. The sarcastic best friend. The lousy ex-husband. The dumb guy. The token co-workers. The smarmy father. It's all so tired, and Alley does virtually nothing to wake it up. Any originality or spunk her character had at the beginning of the season is long gone. Nothing can take away the talent Alley has when working with good material, and nothing can take away the memories of her six superb seasons on "Cheers," but without the gift timeslot, this show would've fallen flat on its face like every other post-"Cheers" show with ex-"Cheers" stars, save for the one direct spinoff, "Frasier."

Ellen DeGeneres - "Ellen" (10-1)

This nomination is hardly worth talking about. It's laughable, which is the one thing "Ellen" was not this year. I have nothing against DeGeneres' apparent agenda, but that agenda turned a sitcom into a drama. Only on the series finale, which may have been watched by five people other than me, did DeGeneres' talent for physical comedy, which made her a star in the first place, take center stage. If she sends in the finale for consideration, which is almost certainly an episode she will not pick as her favorite, DeGeneres would belong in this category. Otherwise, she would have a better shot over in the dramatic category.

Jenna Elfman - "Dharma & Greg" (5-1)

This category boasts three stars that have a very good shot at winning based on charisma alone: Calista Flockhart, Helen Hunt, and Elfman. ABC reportedly rushed to find a vehicle for Elfman, after she showed promise in the cancelled Molly Ringwald sitcom, "Townies." Lucky for Elfman, the vehicle she stars in is about as close to original as you're gonna get these days. Dharma is, of course, the free spirit to Greg's conservative realist. Greg is such a boring character, in fact, that it has only helped to make Elfman seem even funnier. Lucy was the star, but Desi would always get a few jokes in. Greg, in comparison, is Ricky Ricardo with a gag order in effect. This show is all Dharma, all the time. Elfman's ability to turn that premise into a big hit only affirms her talent. Would I vote for her? Ask me in five minutes, and I might say yes, but right now it's no. The jokes Elfman works with tend to get a bit childish, and, quite frankly, I'm still getting over paying full price to see "Krippendorf's Tribe." It's my fault, I'm not proud of it, but what's done is done, and the trauma that junk caused me is here to stay for awhile. Stick to the show, Jenna.

Calista Flockhart - "Ally McBeal" (3-1)

I've seen one episode of "Ally," so I can't claim to be an authority, but I liked what I saw, and will probably watch again in the future. Flockhart won the Golden Globe this year, so her chances in this category are already affirmed. Is she a comedienne? Not exactly, but "Ally" is funnier than "Ellen." This show has gotten big time publicity, and Flockhart can compete with Helen Hunt in the charisma department anyday. While I agree that the show is more of a comedy than a drama, Ally is often the most dramatic character in the mix, with the wacky supporting cast getting most of the laughs. The bottom line is that Flockhart shows promise in the yuks department, but not enough for me to think she deserves the Emmy in that field. Yet.

Helen Hunt - "Mad About You" (2-1)

She can quit her day job now, but Helen Hunt has courageously decided to accept a paycheck of $1 million an episode and continue on with "Mad" next year. This year, she was, again, the only reason to watch. She had some funny episodes this year that stand out from the mediocrity of the show's writing. Two that come to mind: Jamie's anger at never seeing Paul while he directs his parents in a play, and the comedy of errors as she and Paul attempt to switch therapists. Another great, but primarily dramatic episode came when Paul and Jamie sat outside a closed room, which held their baby daughter, and tried to leave the child alone for a period of time without answering its cries, to teach it that they may not always be there. Hunt was incredibly believable as a mother in that episode - even more, in my opinion, than in the birth episode. Also impossible to ignore for voters: Hunt is the first full time sitcom star in history to continue on television after winning a Best Actress Oscar. "As Good As It Gets" was much, much better than "Mad" this season, but Hunt is still as good as comedic television actresses get, and another honor is deserved.

Patricia Richardson - "Home Improvement" (8-1)

Richardson trudged on in her thankless role as Jill Taylor on "Home" this year. It's gotten so infantile that I didn't watch a minute of it this season, but I do read TV Guide every week, and it certainly didn't seem like Richardson had any story lines to sink her teeth into this year. Richardson is the perfect example of an actress who Academy members recognize for talent, but who is stuck on a train that, while wholesome to the core, is going nowhere creatively. Sad, but again no chance this year.

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