Game of Thrones' seeks record in final Emmys battle

LOS ANGELES (Pakistan Point News / Online - 20th September, 2019) "Game of Thrones" will seek to make Emmy history one final time Sunday when television s best and brightest gather at a glamorous ceremony in Los Angeles to bid farewell to a number of long-running hit shows.

Despite its misfiring finale which divided fans, the fantasy epic about feuding families and flame-shooting dragons secured a whopping 32 nominations for this year s Emmys -- television s version of the Oscars.

The most decorated fictional show in Emmys history, "Thrones" has twice won 12 awards in a single season.It is well on its way to besting that record this year, with 10 awards already bagged in lesser categories at last week s Creative Arts Emmys, including for the show s blockbuster special effects and mock-medieval swords-and-bodices costumes.

It is the overwhelming favorite to add the top drama series prize to its haul on Sunday."All signs point to Game of Thrones picking that up," predicted Variety s Michael Schneider."Even if fans weren t necessarily loving that final season .

.. it doesn t matter -- if the voters love it, then that s what s going to win the Emmy," he added.The Television academy s 24,000-plus voters had two weeks in August to pick their favorites.To get across the line Sunday, "Thrones" has 14 contenders across seven categories.

Serial winner Peter Dinklage is a front-runner for sharp-tongued dwarf Tyrion Lannister, as is Maisie Williams as princess-turned-assassin Arya Stark.Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen) and Kit Harington (Jon Snow) are among the others in the running.

"Thrones" was not just a critical hit but a sweeping cultural phenomenon -- more than 40 million tuned in to watch each episode of the final season.Emmys organizers, who have copied the Oscars by eschewing a host this year, will hope that such wild popularity lifts the ceremony s viewing figures.

All 10 "Thrones" acting nominees will serve as guest presenters -- as will the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller and the Kardashians.Further star power among the acting nominees will be provided by Oscar-winners Michael Douglas, Olivia Colman, Mahershala Ali and Patricia Arquette.

Amazon s "The Marvelous Mrs Maisel" and HBO s "Chernobyl" have also emerged as powerhouse contenders."Mrs Maisel" -- Amazon s story of a 1950s housewife-turned-stand up comic -- won the best comedy Emmy last year, and the second season is well-placed to add further prizes Sunday.

It is locked in a fierce showdown for the overall comedy gong with "Veep" and "Fleabag."Like "Thrones," US political satire "Veep" is contending its final Emmys after a stellar run, including 17 statuettes.

The show won best comedy in 2015, 2016 and 2017, but took a forced hiatus last year as Julia Louis-Dreyfus battled breast cancer.She would claim the standalone record for acting Emmys with a ninth win.

Another long-running popular show taking its final Emmys bow is "The Big Bang Theory," the throwback sitcom about a group of geeky, young California scientists.It earned only one nomination -- for directing -- but its creators are unlikely to mind after all 12 seasons were purchased by HBO Max streaming service this week for a reported $500 million.

In the limited series categories, "Chernobyl," HBO s drama about the 1986 nuclear disaster, won seven technical Emmys last weekend. It even inflicted a rare defeat on "Thrones" in production design.

But it may struggle to add to that tally on Sunday, when it competes with Netflix s "When They See Us," the searing true story of five men wrongly accused of raping a Central Park jogger, which has eight acting nominations.

In the variety sections, HBO s political satire "Last Week Tonight" starring British comedian John Oliver is again front-runner, while NBC s all-time leading Emmys winner "Saturday Night Live" remains formidable.

National Geographic s "Free Solo" does not compete Sunday, but scooped an impressive seven Emmys last weekend.The Oscar-winning documentary about a hair-raising, free solo climb of El Capitan in California s Yosemite swept the non-fiction categories.