2014 Emmy Predictions: Best Guest Actress in a Comedy Series

Will Win - Uzo Aduba "Orange is the New Black"

Should Win - Uzo Aduba "Orange is the New Black"

Could Win - Melissa McCarthy "Saturday Night Live", Joan Cusack "Shameless" or Laverne Cox "Orange is the New Black"

Commentary - This race is turning out to be one of the most interesting ones, and so I'm happy we get to find out sooner (next weekend!!) who is the lucky winner. Going into this race, Uzo Aduba was the front runner, the breakout star, and the one actress people could not stop talking about. A few months later, and all of that is still the case. Crazy Eyes is a dynamic character, she commands the screen every time she is on it, and she has the buzz on her side. But she is not a slam dunk. Joan Cusack has always had great episodes, but they were too funny for her drama nominations. This time around, in the comedy category, she has just the type of material that voters love. It doesn't hurt that she is a beloved, Oscar-nominated veteran who has a strong due factor. Uzo could also be beaten out by her co-star Laverne Cox. She is not as funny as Aduba, which does hurt her in a comedy category, but she has a lot of great material and is magnetic on screen. Plus, she has history and popularity on her side. She recently graced the cover of Time Magazine as a proud transsexual individual. If she wins, she will be the first transgender actor to win an Emmy Award. If she does, it will be well deserved, and an incredibly awesome moment in the struggle for equality for all. Last but not least, someone that needs to be taken seriously is Melissa McCarthy (in both categories she is nominated for). She has yet to win for SNL, which does hurt her because she has lost with excellent material. But she has a knack for this live comedy stuff, and she will make voters laugh out loud. Voters that have already proven that they like her a lot. All of this being said, it is Uzo's to lose, and I think, and hope, she pulls it off.