I realize I have been posting so irregularly that it may seem like I'm disappearing off the face of the earth sometimes, but I have a new job that takes a bit out of me, and I have other obligations, like all of us. Still, i should be a little more regiar about what I do. I saw The Social Network this weekend (brilliant movie by the way) You never know where a blog will take you. Reminded me how much I missed Aaron Sorkin's dialogue too. But I guess he's all about the films now. Well, he'll get an Oscar nomination this year for sure.
At the other end of the last decade, January 2001 to be precise, I was watching an episode of ER, a show I never thought was quite as good as everybody thought it was. I don't remember the title of the episode, onyl that Mark Greene, in the midst of his battle with cancer, was having brain surgery in New York to remove a tumor. The more interesting B-story was back in Chicago. A middle-aged man was driving his son to hockey practice (I think) and was in a car crash. The episode followed his process through the ER and through the medical process of Cook County. The character was played by Jim Belushi, and I remember being shocked by how good a straight performance it was. ER always managed to coax fine performances from its guest casts, but this was more than I'd come to expect from Belushi, who always seemed to be coasting through not quite good comedies and the occasional whimsical drama.
I remember that performance because Beliushi very soon after would starting 'According to Jim', a series known not just for extraordinary mediocrity, but for ABC's keeping it on the air season after season while other brilliant shows got cast by the wayside. The need for the show made sense when they depending on Drew Carey and Regis Philbin for their survival; after they had 'Lost' and 'Desperate Housewives', there really was no excuse. It still sticks in my craw that Invasion and Line of Fire got cast aside for that. His acting seemed to be an aberration.
But then in September, 'the Defenders' premiered on CBS. Now the courtroom drama has been on life support for awhile, but CBS does seem to be interested inr resusciating. It's nowhere near the level of 'The Good Wife' (which continues to get better with every succeeding episode) but it's definitely a lot better than some of the pale imitations we get these days. Belushi and Jerry O'Connell have a good rapport, the cases are interesting, and the writings good. But this show wouldn't work without Belushi's solid work. Pete Morelli has layers in the way that a lot of characters on TV don't (Not Patty Hewes' or Alan Shore's level, but few shows did) and even though there is a certain amount of sleaze, he demonstrates charm, something I really haven't associated with his work in film or TV. Add to this the fact that this was supposed to be a reality show, and I'm really starting to get in it's corners.
The Defenders has challenges ahead (it's up agains the latest incarnation of the Law and Order franchise) but the future is good. And maybe if Belushi continues to do solid work, he can atone for all those years we had to suffer his pale excuse for a sitcom.
The next Post will come sooner. I promise
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Better Late than Never
I know that I promised to post earlier, but life, sad to say, gets in way sometimes.. Here are some of my random thoughts on TV over the past week.
While I thought season 4 of Mad Men was generally superb, I thought the season finale was a disappointment. Usually, there is some optimism to rise among the pessimism, but I thought that Don's proposal to his secretary seemed a false note, and came almsot completely out of left field. Had he had the relationship with the doctor there, I'd have thought it would be more realistic, but it seems labored and a mistake in a show where the writers don't make that many. Rather it was the woman who stood tall. Peggy may have single-handedly saved SterlinG-Cooper (by 1970 she'll be the running the place, I tell you) Joan got promoted and revealed that she didn't get the abortion we thought she did, and Betty demonstrated what we've known for a long time--- she'll never be happy no matter who she's with or where she lives. It is January Jones who takes a character whose behavior in the long run would be loathsome and turns her into a human being--- I hope this year she gets the Emmy she's been owed the last two seasons.
In regards my earlier posts on Boardwalk Empire, I must recant a bit. The more episodes that I see of it, the better it gets. I'm still not sure who all the players are in this particular drama, and I'm not entirely convinced Buscemi will be a solid lead, but the surrounding cast, particularly Michael Pitt and Gretchen Mol (who's finally got a role worth of her talents) are giving fine performances. This show may come from Sopranos stock, but its Deadwood that it reminds me of, not just because of the somewhat archaic cursing. Boardwalk Empire demonstrates that there is a very fine line between law and crime, and these authorities keep pushing it back further.
However, the real most valuable player on TV today is Parenthood, a show that I had early misgivings about has become one of the best performed shows on TV today. After being so gravely disappointed by Brothers and SIsters, it's nice to know that there is the possibility of a functional family, with parents who love and support each other, who aren't always stepping on each others toes, and marriages that need work but have people willing to fix each other. I am also glad to see that some of the actors who didn't have as mcuh to do like Sam Jaeger, Mae Whitman, and Bonnie Bedeila are finally getting some screen time. It's a shame that, like almost everythign else on NBC, no one seems to want to watch it. Maybe the Golden Globes will show it some much needed love.
That's enough for now. Next time, my thoughts on some of the new crop of shows, including why I'm finally on Jim Belushi's side.
While I thought season 4 of Mad Men was generally superb, I thought the season finale was a disappointment. Usually, there is some optimism to rise among the pessimism, but I thought that Don's proposal to his secretary seemed a false note, and came almsot completely out of left field. Had he had the relationship with the doctor there, I'd have thought it would be more realistic, but it seems labored and a mistake in a show where the writers don't make that many. Rather it was the woman who stood tall. Peggy may have single-handedly saved SterlinG-Cooper (by 1970 she'll be the running the place, I tell you) Joan got promoted and revealed that she didn't get the abortion we thought she did, and Betty demonstrated what we've known for a long time--- she'll never be happy no matter who she's with or where she lives. It is January Jones who takes a character whose behavior in the long run would be loathsome and turns her into a human being--- I hope this year she gets the Emmy she's been owed the last two seasons.
In regards my earlier posts on Boardwalk Empire, I must recant a bit. The more episodes that I see of it, the better it gets. I'm still not sure who all the players are in this particular drama, and I'm not entirely convinced Buscemi will be a solid lead, but the surrounding cast, particularly Michael Pitt and Gretchen Mol (who's finally got a role worth of her talents) are giving fine performances. This show may come from Sopranos stock, but its Deadwood that it reminds me of, not just because of the somewhat archaic cursing. Boardwalk Empire demonstrates that there is a very fine line between law and crime, and these authorities keep pushing it back further.
However, the real most valuable player on TV today is Parenthood, a show that I had early misgivings about has become one of the best performed shows on TV today. After being so gravely disappointed by Brothers and SIsters, it's nice to know that there is the possibility of a functional family, with parents who love and support each other, who aren't always stepping on each others toes, and marriages that need work but have people willing to fix each other. I am also glad to see that some of the actors who didn't have as mcuh to do like Sam Jaeger, Mae Whitman, and Bonnie Bedeila are finally getting some screen time. It's a shame that, like almost everythign else on NBC, no one seems to want to watch it. Maybe the Golden Globes will show it some much needed love.
That's enough for now. Next time, my thoughts on some of the new crop of shows, including why I'm finally on Jim Belushi's side.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
What we talk about when we talk about sex
This week there's been a big fuss about the racy photo shoot of the cast of Glee in this months issue of GQ. I don't see what the sound and fury is about; every time there's a popular franchise with young women involved, there are often photo spreads like this. And hey these aren't the kids in Larry Clark films; these are young adults in their twenties. But apparently because Glee is considered by some circles as a 'family show', this leads the woman of The View to cluck at how these woman are acting.
First of all, have you been watching this show? Glee has made it clear almost since the first episode that sex is a big part of it. It's part of any teenagers life, and is part of what they think. That doesn't mean that children and teenagers shouldn't watch it with their parents; on the contrary, compared to some of the reality shows that emphasize it, this is the kind of show that encourages discussion about these kinds of issues in a mature and--- yeah, I'll say it--- adult manner. You know all those brainless tween and teen shows. This one has a brain.
As for the photo shoot--- grow up. Since the beginning of Hollywood, we've been told that sex sells. I've seen some of the things that get posted on the web; by comparison the photos in GQ look practically Victorian. Over and over this is the message that we keep sending Hollywood. We can't blame them for doing what we all know works.
Perhaps I am not unprejudiced about this because I love the show, but I really hope this kind of bias doesn't stop peoplr from watching Glee. This is an adult, mature reasonable show that discusses sex and hormones. Married couples don't sleep in twin beds any more, and Mayberry was a fantasy. Let's not pretend our sensibilities are more offended by this than what shows on Cinemax at 11.
Okay. I've vented. The next post will come in a shorter interval. Stay tuned.
First of all, have you been watching this show? Glee has made it clear almost since the first episode that sex is a big part of it. It's part of any teenagers life, and is part of what they think. That doesn't mean that children and teenagers shouldn't watch it with their parents; on the contrary, compared to some of the reality shows that emphasize it, this is the kind of show that encourages discussion about these kinds of issues in a mature and--- yeah, I'll say it--- adult manner. You know all those brainless tween and teen shows. This one has a brain.
As for the photo shoot--- grow up. Since the beginning of Hollywood, we've been told that sex sells. I've seen some of the things that get posted on the web; by comparison the photos in GQ look practically Victorian. Over and over this is the message that we keep sending Hollywood. We can't blame them for doing what we all know works.
Perhaps I am not unprejudiced about this because I love the show, but I really hope this kind of bias doesn't stop peoplr from watching Glee. This is an adult, mature reasonable show that discusses sex and hormones. Married couples don't sleep in twin beds any more, and Mayberry was a fantasy. Let's not pretend our sensibilities are more offended by this than what shows on Cinemax at 11.
Okay. I've vented. The next post will come in a shorter interval. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Lost Post Number 1
Hi, my name is David, and I'm a Lost-a-holic. I followed the show for five years.
How do I explain my feelings towards Lost as a series? I'll use another TV show metaphor. In the second season of The West Wing, Leo, the chief of staff, is trying to persuade the President to sign off on a missile defnse system, even though the latest test failed. He tries to persuade him by saying, "We succeeded on 9 out of 10 parameters," he tells him. "What was the tenth?" asks the President, with a sense of mischief. "We missed the target."
That is very close to how I feel about Lost, only in this series case, it was worse. This was a show that succeeded 95% of the time. In the final analysis, so many of the questions that it asked were answered in the shows final season. And the avoided the mistakes that The X-Files made during it's final seasons that I kept defending it to, well, non-fans, that I really thought the show would tie everything together at the end. And then 'The End' came... and it just didn't. I intend to watch the series again, and see if I missed anything, particularly in Season 6, but right now, my feeling is still, one of being cheated.
Now I fear for Lost's legacy. Though critics still consider it one of the greatest series ever created, I have already seen articles written online, advising shows like The Event how to avoid turning into Lost. I feel that the show may be consigned to the ashbin of the internet, as yet another mythology series that crashed and burned, like the X-Files. Worse, actually--- at least the X-Files has a possibility as a film franchise. No such luck for Lost.
The serialized drama is a risky thing. Throughout the shows runs, there were at least two dozen shows that tried to jump on Lost's particular bandwagon. Invasion, Flashforward, Life on Mars (American version), Dollhouse ... all of them interesting shows that never got quite the chance that Lost did, and I got suckered in on most of them, hoping for the next big thing. Hasn't come yet.
Few shows have inspired more joy in me, or appeal to the better angels of my nature. I loved Buffy and Battlestar Galactica but I've never felt the urge to buy a bunch of their action figures or bobbleheads. (Speaking of which, Nik, have you ever been inspired by any series in such a way, I've always been a little curious about this as well.) I was genuinely sad when the series was over, not just because I felt slightly cheated, but also because I was pretty damn sure I'd never see another series like this again. Fringe is a criminally underrated series, and it does have the same cult following, but Walter Bishop is still not John Locke.(Though maybe now the Emmy judges will think so) I've followed a lot of series that might have had that kind of pull, but they all got abruptly cancelled. Each year, I kept watching series, hoping I'd find the next Lost. Each year, I came back to the original. I don't have that option any more.
Basically, this group--- the group of fans who have gathered at this site--- is Lost's legacy. This is a series that deserves to be remembered, not because it's grasp exceeded its reach, but because it did so many things right so much of the time. Lost may not have been a complete success, at least not the way we wanted it to be, but it was not a failure.
How do I explain my feelings towards Lost as a series? I'll use another TV show metaphor. In the second season of The West Wing, Leo, the chief of staff, is trying to persuade the President to sign off on a missile defnse system, even though the latest test failed. He tries to persuade him by saying, "We succeeded on 9 out of 10 parameters," he tells him. "What was the tenth?" asks the President, with a sense of mischief. "We missed the target."
That is very close to how I feel about Lost, only in this series case, it was worse. This was a show that succeeded 95% of the time. In the final analysis, so many of the questions that it asked were answered in the shows final season. And the avoided the mistakes that The X-Files made during it's final seasons that I kept defending it to, well, non-fans, that I really thought the show would tie everything together at the end. And then 'The End' came... and it just didn't. I intend to watch the series again, and see if I missed anything, particularly in Season 6, but right now, my feeling is still, one of being cheated.
Now I fear for Lost's legacy. Though critics still consider it one of the greatest series ever created, I have already seen articles written online, advising shows like The Event how to avoid turning into Lost. I feel that the show may be consigned to the ashbin of the internet, as yet another mythology series that crashed and burned, like the X-Files. Worse, actually--- at least the X-Files has a possibility as a film franchise. No such luck for Lost.
The serialized drama is a risky thing. Throughout the shows runs, there were at least two dozen shows that tried to jump on Lost's particular bandwagon. Invasion, Flashforward, Life on Mars (American version), Dollhouse ... all of them interesting shows that never got quite the chance that Lost did, and I got suckered in on most of them, hoping for the next big thing. Hasn't come yet.
Few shows have inspired more joy in me, or appeal to the better angels of my nature. I loved Buffy and Battlestar Galactica but I've never felt the urge to buy a bunch of their action figures or bobbleheads. (Speaking of which, Nik, have you ever been inspired by any series in such a way, I've always been a little curious about this as well.) I was genuinely sad when the series was over, not just because I felt slightly cheated, but also because I was pretty damn sure I'd never see another series like this again. Fringe is a criminally underrated series, and it does have the same cult following, but Walter Bishop is still not John Locke.(Though maybe now the Emmy judges will think so) I've followed a lot of series that might have had that kind of pull, but they all got abruptly cancelled. Each year, I kept watching series, hoping I'd find the next Lost. Each year, I came back to the original. I don't have that option any more.
Basically, this group--- the group of fans who have gathered at this site--- is Lost's legacy. This is a series that deserves to be remembered, not because it's grasp exceeded its reach, but because it did so many things right so much of the time. Lost may not have been a complete success, at least not the way we wanted it to be, but it was not a failure.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Miss Me?
Hello, ye few but faithful, and those of you who watch but don't sign in. aiat's David, and he's had a busy three weeks. I got a new job, I started expanding my social graces, and I attended my best friend's wedding (something that, to be perfectly honest, I wasn't sure would happen til it happened). All of these are earth shattering, life-changing events, but I don't want to talk about them here. I am building myself a place where I will begin writing about all this, but I intend to keep this place all about my thoughts on TV. That's what I said this blog would be about, and damn it, that's what I'm going to keep it about.
Fortunately, about a week ago, the new fall season began. Now normally this is a busy time for me, but nature intervened to stop my involvement--- a blackout hit my area after a storm powerful enough to be classified a tornado, and I had no TV from last Thursday to the following Tuesday. Considering how involved I was with Mad Men, Glee, and House, I nearly hd a small breakdown. I'm one of those people who still believes iin watching TV on TV, so it took a lot out of me. But I'm back and ready to rumble.
Normally, I like to give series a couple of episodes before I decide whether or not I like them. Also, the networks are generally so quick on the trigger, I don't know if a series will get killed. (OH, I wish I'd been prewarned about this for The Nine, Invasion, and Flashforward, but that's a story for a different blog.) So rather than talk about some of the network series, I'm going to go to cable and discuss a couple of the bigger deals.
Last Week saw the premiere of Boardwalk Empire. If you live in New York, you couldn't get away from how HBO was promoting it. Billboards,TV ads, Subway ads, and with Terence Winter and Martin Scorcese attached, it certainly has the pedigree for great promotion, especially if you call it 'the next Sopranos'. But as someone who watched, and who has expressed elsewhere that particular show wasn't as great everyone thought it was, I was inclined to take it with a grain of salt. But the cast of actors is so well known, and HBO has a pretty good history with period series, so I decided what the hell.
The material of Boardwalk Empire has the potential for greatness, I will not deny. Steve Buscemi is one of our finest actors, and we all know he's played gangsters before. The good news is that the writing is much stronger, and we do seem to be getting a lot of familiar faces, especially for those of us who know a bit about the Roaring 20's . The mood is set appropriately with music, films and stage acts from the era (I think I heard Al Jolson and Enrico Caruso on a couple of victrollas) so it seems authentic, and seeing the rough atmosphere, and meeting Al Capone, Lucky Lucianoet al, before they were the legens, that's a little unsettling.
However, what I didn't sense in the Pilot was a great deal of subtlety. Now, Matthew Weiner wrote for them, and Mad Men is nothing But an exercise in subtlety. (I'll be getting to that in another post) so it leads me to wonder if Winter was the one responsible for all the bloodshed. And while every adds up to quality, it also all seemed to spell out--- This is Emmy Bait in almost every scene. Don't ask me to explain what about it, but this show does what Damages and The Wire never did--- show you it's brilliant, and not tell you. Perhaps I'll feel different after I see a couple of more episodes, so I'll try not to judge yet. But this is a series about gangsters in Jersey, so you'll understand why I'm a little trepidatious.
The show that I've been looking forward to seeing for the past--- hell with it--- ten months, finally premiered tonight. Season 5 of Dexter. Ever since he discover Rita's corpses in the bathtub--- Trinity's last victim--- I've been waiting to see how he'd deal. And the answer is: same way he appears to deal with everything else. Looking like you're sleepwalking is Dexter Morgan's stock in trade, but what do you when the one real human element in your life is gone. Equally jarring were the flashback scenes where we saw the very first date between Rita and Dexter and learn, just like everything else in his life, it was based on a lie--- he only went on the date to track a killer.
With Kiefer Sutherland and Matthew Fox gone, Hall continues to demonstrate why he is still the best working actor in TV . (Take that, Bryan Cranston). He seemed like a shell of himself, and considering that the image he projects to the world is a shell, that's a lot harder than it looks. And because of this, Quinn, who was suspicious of Dexter before Rita died, is finally suspicious of him. The irony is rampant--- all the horrible things we've seen Dexter do on this series, and the death of the one person he'd never hurt that might finally lead to his undoing. Which does lead to problems considering that Quinn banged Debra (in self-defense, really) and that particular relationship is going to be a factor for most of this season.
As for Mad Men---- Don Draper's false identity has always hurt him in the past, and now it seems that his secret is going to come back to bite Sterling-Cooper-Draper et al in the ass. Don's come close to exposure, but this time he seemed on the verge of collapse in a scene that makes you wonder why Jon Hamm is also Emmy-less.
But then the whole firm, never stable, may be on the verge of complete collapse. With Lucky STrike finally about to jump ship, we finally found out what it took for Roger STerling to lose his cool--- and get censored even on basic cable. Add to this, the mess that's going on with Joan (there's another child she'll never have) and Roger's probably going to break down by the time the season ends--- which is just three weeks away.
But by far the most shocking thing involved the stiff upper lip of Lane. We knew his relationship with his father was tense, but watching him beat the crap out of him--- well, I was floored. I hope he makes the right choice cause this firm can't take much more.
So ends this nights epistle. Stay tuned for further updates, including whether Glee still has what it takes for sophomore season, the return of Good Wife, Fringe, and Parenthood, and whether or J.J. Abrams still has the magic touch. Good night
Fortunately, about a week ago, the new fall season began. Now normally this is a busy time for me, but nature intervened to stop my involvement--- a blackout hit my area after a storm powerful enough to be classified a tornado, and I had no TV from last Thursday to the following Tuesday. Considering how involved I was with Mad Men, Glee, and House, I nearly hd a small breakdown. I'm one of those people who still believes iin watching TV on TV, so it took a lot out of me. But I'm back and ready to rumble.
Normally, I like to give series a couple of episodes before I decide whether or not I like them. Also, the networks are generally so quick on the trigger, I don't know if a series will get killed. (OH, I wish I'd been prewarned about this for The Nine, Invasion, and Flashforward, but that's a story for a different blog.) So rather than talk about some of the network series, I'm going to go to cable and discuss a couple of the bigger deals.
Last Week saw the premiere of Boardwalk Empire. If you live in New York, you couldn't get away from how HBO was promoting it. Billboards,TV ads, Subway ads, and with Terence Winter and Martin Scorcese attached, it certainly has the pedigree for great promotion, especially if you call it 'the next Sopranos'. But as someone who watched, and who has expressed elsewhere that particular show wasn't as great everyone thought it was, I was inclined to take it with a grain of salt. But the cast of actors is so well known, and HBO has a pretty good history with period series, so I decided what the hell.
The material of Boardwalk Empire has the potential for greatness, I will not deny. Steve Buscemi is one of our finest actors, and we all know he's played gangsters before. The good news is that the writing is much stronger, and we do seem to be getting a lot of familiar faces, especially for those of us who know a bit about the Roaring 20's . The mood is set appropriately with music, films and stage acts from the era (I think I heard Al Jolson and Enrico Caruso on a couple of victrollas) so it seems authentic, and seeing the rough atmosphere, and meeting Al Capone, Lucky Lucianoet al, before they were the legens, that's a little unsettling.
However, what I didn't sense in the Pilot was a great deal of subtlety. Now, Matthew Weiner wrote for them, and Mad Men is nothing But an exercise in subtlety. (I'll be getting to that in another post) so it leads me to wonder if Winter was the one responsible for all the bloodshed. And while every adds up to quality, it also all seemed to spell out--- This is Emmy Bait in almost every scene. Don't ask me to explain what about it, but this show does what Damages and The Wire never did--- show you it's brilliant, and not tell you. Perhaps I'll feel different after I see a couple of more episodes, so I'll try not to judge yet. But this is a series about gangsters in Jersey, so you'll understand why I'm a little trepidatious.
The show that I've been looking forward to seeing for the past--- hell with it--- ten months, finally premiered tonight. Season 5 of Dexter. Ever since he discover Rita's corpses in the bathtub--- Trinity's last victim--- I've been waiting to see how he'd deal. And the answer is: same way he appears to deal with everything else. Looking like you're sleepwalking is Dexter Morgan's stock in trade, but what do you when the one real human element in your life is gone. Equally jarring were the flashback scenes where we saw the very first date between Rita and Dexter and learn, just like everything else in his life, it was based on a lie--- he only went on the date to track a killer.
With Kiefer Sutherland and Matthew Fox gone, Hall continues to demonstrate why he is still the best working actor in TV . (Take that, Bryan Cranston). He seemed like a shell of himself, and considering that the image he projects to the world is a shell, that's a lot harder than it looks. And because of this, Quinn, who was suspicious of Dexter before Rita died, is finally suspicious of him. The irony is rampant--- all the horrible things we've seen Dexter do on this series, and the death of the one person he'd never hurt that might finally lead to his undoing. Which does lead to problems considering that Quinn banged Debra (in self-defense, really) and that particular relationship is going to be a factor for most of this season.
As for Mad Men---- Don Draper's false identity has always hurt him in the past, and now it seems that his secret is going to come back to bite Sterling-Cooper-Draper et al in the ass. Don's come close to exposure, but this time he seemed on the verge of collapse in a scene that makes you wonder why Jon Hamm is also Emmy-less.
But then the whole firm, never stable, may be on the verge of complete collapse. With Lucky STrike finally about to jump ship, we finally found out what it took for Roger STerling to lose his cool--- and get censored even on basic cable. Add to this, the mess that's going on with Joan (there's another child she'll never have) and Roger's probably going to break down by the time the season ends--- which is just three weeks away.
But by far the most shocking thing involved the stiff upper lip of Lane. We knew his relationship with his father was tense, but watching him beat the crap out of him--- well, I was floored. I hope he makes the right choice cause this firm can't take much more.
So ends this nights epistle. Stay tuned for further updates, including whether Glee still has what it takes for sophomore season, the return of Good Wife, Fringe, and Parenthood, and whether or J.J. Abrams still has the magic touch. Good night
Thursday, September 2, 2010
I Should Know Better By Now
Every year I say I'm not going to be frustrated when they announce the winners for the Emmys and every year I practically have conniption fits on Emmy Night. Why, why, why do I get my hopes up that they'll acknowledge the shows I like when they seem to fall into old habits.
Okay, that's not fair. Especially when it came to the Best Comedy awards. All of the winners there pretty much deserved to win. Maybe I'm being a little cross because I don't pay as much attention to Modern Family as I did to Glee and Nurse Jackie. And Jim Parsons' victory was pleasant because it was another triumph of geekdom over quirkiness. Who am I kidding? I just love Sheldon. And technically speaking, Glee and Nurse Jackie are not as traditionaly comedy in the same way Modern Family is, but I have a feeling that both shows will be in the arena for quite awhile to come. Huzzah Jane Lynch!
No, it's the dramas that kind of wear me dow. Now, don't get me wrong, Mad Men is a brilliant show--- arguably the best show to come up anywhere in the last decade. But I can't help but feel--- particularly this year--- that they seem to be honoring it more out of habit then anything else. I saw all the nominated shows this year--- and, honestly, I really think that Dexter and The Good Wife were at least as good, and Lost was even better if possible.
And seriously, even Bryan Cranston doesn't really believe that he's the best Actor in TV. I know that everybody with the exception of Fox will probably get another bite at the apple but come on! Who do Michael C. Hall have to kill to get some Emmy love? Why can't Jon Hamm sell anything else? As for best Actress--- it's not that Kyra Sedgwick hasn't deserved to win at least once in the last three years, I just thought that her moment had passed and that Juliana Marguiles had arrived.
Oh well. Here are some random thoughts I had about the show itself.
They need to decide an order of presenting the awards and fracking stick with it. I myself didn't have a problem with the way they used to do it before--- at least then you had a reason to pay attention all three hours. Come on, after the first ninety minutes were over, I didn't have any reason to keep watching. And it is kind of ridiculous to put all those movies in one place. We all know HBO's gonna sweep, so it's kind of hard to care.
Give John Hodgman a permament job. I 've been watching this guy on the Daily show for six seasons, so I know he's brilliant, but he he has just the right tenor to deflate all of the pompousity of those walkup to the awards shows. And you might want to consider giving Ricky Gervais a chance to host. The last three years he's generating more laughter in his presentations than the hosts ever have. And considering how good Harris and Fallon are generally, that's saying something.
HBO is bordering on irrelevance. It'll self promote saying they won more Emmys than any other network, but all of their wins for TV movies. In the meantime, Showtime and AMC each picked up six awards and are clearly a better representation of where the real talent is gathering. To mae an appropriate pun, Boardwalk Empire better come in like gangbusters, cause they're barely hanging in there. God Knows there never going to recognize David Simon's work.
Well, the new fall season is fast approaching which means the networks will be turning out their "best and brightest" But soon Glee and Dexter will be beginning their new seasons, and that's enough to bring joy into this bloggers clogged heart. Keep watching this spot.
Okay, that's not fair. Especially when it came to the Best Comedy awards. All of the winners there pretty much deserved to win. Maybe I'm being a little cross because I don't pay as much attention to Modern Family as I did to Glee and Nurse Jackie. And Jim Parsons' victory was pleasant because it was another triumph of geekdom over quirkiness. Who am I kidding? I just love Sheldon. And technically speaking, Glee and Nurse Jackie are not as traditionaly comedy in the same way Modern Family is, but I have a feeling that both shows will be in the arena for quite awhile to come. Huzzah Jane Lynch!
No, it's the dramas that kind of wear me dow. Now, don't get me wrong, Mad Men is a brilliant show--- arguably the best show to come up anywhere in the last decade. But I can't help but feel--- particularly this year--- that they seem to be honoring it more out of habit then anything else. I saw all the nominated shows this year--- and, honestly, I really think that Dexter and The Good Wife were at least as good, and Lost was even better if possible.
And seriously, even Bryan Cranston doesn't really believe that he's the best Actor in TV. I know that everybody with the exception of Fox will probably get another bite at the apple but come on! Who do Michael C. Hall have to kill to get some Emmy love? Why can't Jon Hamm sell anything else? As for best Actress--- it's not that Kyra Sedgwick hasn't deserved to win at least once in the last three years, I just thought that her moment had passed and that Juliana Marguiles had arrived.
Oh well. Here are some random thoughts I had about the show itself.
They need to decide an order of presenting the awards and fracking stick with it. I myself didn't have a problem with the way they used to do it before--- at least then you had a reason to pay attention all three hours. Come on, after the first ninety minutes were over, I didn't have any reason to keep watching. And it is kind of ridiculous to put all those movies in one place. We all know HBO's gonna sweep, so it's kind of hard to care.
Give John Hodgman a permament job. I 've been watching this guy on the Daily show for six seasons, so I know he's brilliant, but he he has just the right tenor to deflate all of the pompousity of those walkup to the awards shows. And you might want to consider giving Ricky Gervais a chance to host. The last three years he's generating more laughter in his presentations than the hosts ever have. And considering how good Harris and Fallon are generally, that's saying something.
HBO is bordering on irrelevance. It'll self promote saying they won more Emmys than any other network, but all of their wins for TV movies. In the meantime, Showtime and AMC each picked up six awards and are clearly a better representation of where the real talent is gathering. To mae an appropriate pun, Boardwalk Empire better come in like gangbusters, cause they're barely hanging in there. God Knows there never going to recognize David Simon's work.
Well, the new fall season is fast approaching which means the networks will be turning out their "best and brightest" But soon Glee and Dexter will be beginning their new seasons, and that's enough to bring joy into this bloggers clogged heart. Keep watching this spot.
Friday, August 27, 2010
This Years Emmy's
I know it's a silly thing to get excited about, but there's something about award shows that make my heart pound faster. Maybe it's just because after all the political circuses, turmoil abroad and at home, and concerns about this country's future, the ability to focus on something as demi-serious as the Emmy's is always an entertaining distraction.
Of course, I have huge problems with the Emmys in general. I've never felt they fully honor some of the true greats in TV. (For my first witness, I call Joss Whedon, followed by David Simon and Bill Lawrence). And they have the annoying habit of just recognizing the same shows over and over, and recognizing new blood in nods, while honoring the same old faces. This has been true particularly the last couple years, where the nominees and winners in Best Drama and Best Comedy were duplicates. But they've made some big improvements in the last six or seven years--- they've fine tuned some of their rules, and I think there nominations for 2009-2010 were generally the best they've been in nearly a decade. Still, there are concerns. The Creative Arts Emmys held a last Sunday seemed to show the old habits are dying hard. I'm glad that John Lithgow and Neil Patrick Harris got recoginzed, but seriously Ann-Margaret for Law and Order SVU?! She wasn't even the best guest actress on the show this season. Lily Tomlin and Elizabeth Mitchell got robbed again. And really, showing them just seems to honor the same people over. Why do the Tudors, CSI, and this years Oscars always have to have this special time? And shifting the writing for Vairety series to this show is a robbery. The Writers Guild is going to be royally pissed.
okay. Enough bitching. Let's get to why I'm here. Here are my picks for this years Emmy-- what I think should win, and what I think will win. I'm focusing my energy on fictional programming--- reality TV is just something that I don't cotton to.
Outstanding Drama Series
Should Win--- Lost. Regardless of what you thought about the last episode (God knows I've got issues with it) it can't be denied that it did a much better job of wrapping up then any other mythology series ever has. And the last sixteen episodes featured some truly great writing, acting and directing. Add to this the fact that the Emmys have a habuit of occasionally recognizing great series in their final seasons (think The Sopranos, Everybody Loves Raymond) and I think it might pull off a sentimental vote.
Will Win--- Mad Men. I'll admit that Season 3 did drag a bit, but it's last three episodes were among the greatest I've ever seen on television. Plus it has won the Golden Globe and SAG awards, so it may be habit will be enough to carry today.
Best Actor, Drama
Should Win: Matthew Fox, Lost. This is more a sentimental favorite than a genuine preference. I think all six nominees are superb choices. But Fox has been the most underrated actor on that show even though he was the obstensible lead. Add to that, he probably won't be coming back to TV in any series, and he's a dark horse.
Will win: Michael C. Hall, Dexter. Everyone's sure Bryan Cranston's got this locked up, but no actor has repeated three years ina row in the drama category in nearly half a century. Plus Hall's work as America's favorite serial killer was even better than usual. He's won the Globe and the SAG award, and Lithgow triumphed in guest actor earlier,s o he's fresh in the academy's mind. I think he's going to upset the field here.
Best Actress, Drama
Should Win, WIll Win: Juliana Marguiles, The Good Wife. It's not just that she won the globe and the SAG awards or that her show has completely revitalized the legal drama. But she took what could have been a gimmick and helped turn out the best show on CBS in over a decade. January Jones had some great moments this season, but Marguiles owned the stage this year.
Best Supporting Actor, Drama
Should Win: Terry O'Quinn, Lost. Ever try to play what may be the epitome of evil while maintaining the face of a character who was beloved by fans for five seasons? I've always loved O'Quinn's work, and though I missed John Locke this season, both the characters he ended up playing were nearly as fascinating. One of our best actors working today. I await his next project with bated breath
Will Win: Martin Short, Damages. To be perfectly honest, I want Short to win. He did some stupendous work on one of the best acted shows on TV, and we later saw that it was actually a dual performance, so he deserves more creit. My one debit is that we probably won't be able to see him accept due to tragic circumstances involving his wife. But if he wins, he earned it. Big time.
Best Supporting ACtress, Drama
Should Win: Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men. Peggy Olson is probably the most fascinating character at Sterling Cooper Draper Price--- its small wonder Don begged her to join. I'm only surprised she took the demotion to this category from best actress last years. But wherever you put her, she deserves to get it.
Will Win: Christine Baranski, The Good Wife. Honestly, I'm less sure about this category than any of the others. We've had more surprise wins in it then all the others. Baranski just seems likely because, like Short, she's a brilliant comic actress, and she did a compelte 180 in this show. The academy likes versatility--- some times.
Best Comedy Series
Should Win, Will Win: Glee. Some critics would argue that given the opportunity, the voters will vote for the more traditional brilliant comedy, Modern Family. No insult to the ABC shows, but are they nuts? Glee has been running against it in every major preaward show this year and beaten it. Modern Family is a great show and will probably win in the future, but Glee is a phonemenon. It's also the most original show to come up on TV in decades. This is a lock.
bEST Actor, Comedy
Should Win: Matthew Morrison, Glee. The fulcrum of what is a brilliant cast, he's made Will positively enduring. Add to this, everything his character went through this season, and he went on the greatest journey.
Will Win: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock. Sigh. It's not that his work isn't genius, that he's not comedic dynamite, and that he's still wondrous to watch four years in. But really, hasn't he gotten enough awards already. Isn't it time to let someone new, or at least recognize the fine work of Jim parsons or Steve Carell, into the winners circle.
Best Actress, Comedy
Should Win, Will Win: Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie. No other actress could make drug addiction or falling apart this much fun. Showtime has created a new genre-- the half hour dramedy, and Jackie is one of the most delightful portrayers of it. Another couple seasons, and I'll be able to forgive her for The Sopranos
Best Supporting Actor, Comedy
Should Win: Chris Colfer, Glee. The show's secret weapon, and one of the most real performers of the entire cast. He took what could have been a cliche, and turned him into the most fascinating characters in TV.
Will Win: Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother. Am not sure whether the two Emmys he's already won this year mean it's going to be his time to shine or whether the Academy will think it's finally his time to shine. This is probably Modern Family's best chance to win to upset, so watch this category carefully
Best Supporting Actress, Comedy
Should Win, Will Win: Jane Lynch, Glee. What can I say about Sue Sylvester that she wouldn't already say funnier? She's had a lock on this award since the series debuted. All I can say is I can't wait to see how she'll see this.
Am not sure about any of the other categories. Except for Varietyb Series--- I want to see Bill Maher win at least one award in my lifetime. And if Conan O'Brian pulls off an upset--- this could have the most drama of the night.
Well, i've written myself out. See you Sunday night.
Of course, I have huge problems with the Emmys in general. I've never felt they fully honor some of the true greats in TV. (For my first witness, I call Joss Whedon, followed by David Simon and Bill Lawrence). And they have the annoying habit of just recognizing the same shows over and over, and recognizing new blood in nods, while honoring the same old faces. This has been true particularly the last couple years, where the nominees and winners in Best Drama and Best Comedy were duplicates. But they've made some big improvements in the last six or seven years--- they've fine tuned some of their rules, and I think there nominations for 2009-2010 were generally the best they've been in nearly a decade. Still, there are concerns. The Creative Arts Emmys held a last Sunday seemed to show the old habits are dying hard. I'm glad that John Lithgow and Neil Patrick Harris got recoginzed, but seriously Ann-Margaret for Law and Order SVU?! She wasn't even the best guest actress on the show this season. Lily Tomlin and Elizabeth Mitchell got robbed again. And really, showing them just seems to honor the same people over. Why do the Tudors, CSI, and this years Oscars always have to have this special time? And shifting the writing for Vairety series to this show is a robbery. The Writers Guild is going to be royally pissed.
okay. Enough bitching. Let's get to why I'm here. Here are my picks for this years Emmy-- what I think should win, and what I think will win. I'm focusing my energy on fictional programming--- reality TV is just something that I don't cotton to.
Outstanding Drama Series
Should Win--- Lost. Regardless of what you thought about the last episode (God knows I've got issues with it) it can't be denied that it did a much better job of wrapping up then any other mythology series ever has. And the last sixteen episodes featured some truly great writing, acting and directing. Add to this the fact that the Emmys have a habuit of occasionally recognizing great series in their final seasons (think The Sopranos, Everybody Loves Raymond) and I think it might pull off a sentimental vote.
Will Win--- Mad Men. I'll admit that Season 3 did drag a bit, but it's last three episodes were among the greatest I've ever seen on television. Plus it has won the Golden Globe and SAG awards, so it may be habit will be enough to carry today.
Best Actor, Drama
Should Win: Matthew Fox, Lost. This is more a sentimental favorite than a genuine preference. I think all six nominees are superb choices. But Fox has been the most underrated actor on that show even though he was the obstensible lead. Add to that, he probably won't be coming back to TV in any series, and he's a dark horse.
Will win: Michael C. Hall, Dexter. Everyone's sure Bryan Cranston's got this locked up, but no actor has repeated three years ina row in the drama category in nearly half a century. Plus Hall's work as America's favorite serial killer was even better than usual. He's won the Globe and the SAG award, and Lithgow triumphed in guest actor earlier,s o he's fresh in the academy's mind. I think he's going to upset the field here.
Best Actress, Drama
Should Win, WIll Win: Juliana Marguiles, The Good Wife. It's not just that she won the globe and the SAG awards or that her show has completely revitalized the legal drama. But she took what could have been a gimmick and helped turn out the best show on CBS in over a decade. January Jones had some great moments this season, but Marguiles owned the stage this year.
Best Supporting Actor, Drama
Should Win: Terry O'Quinn, Lost. Ever try to play what may be the epitome of evil while maintaining the face of a character who was beloved by fans for five seasons? I've always loved O'Quinn's work, and though I missed John Locke this season, both the characters he ended up playing were nearly as fascinating. One of our best actors working today. I await his next project with bated breath
Will Win: Martin Short, Damages. To be perfectly honest, I want Short to win. He did some stupendous work on one of the best acted shows on TV, and we later saw that it was actually a dual performance, so he deserves more creit. My one debit is that we probably won't be able to see him accept due to tragic circumstances involving his wife. But if he wins, he earned it. Big time.
Best Supporting ACtress, Drama
Should Win: Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men. Peggy Olson is probably the most fascinating character at Sterling Cooper Draper Price--- its small wonder Don begged her to join. I'm only surprised she took the demotion to this category from best actress last years. But wherever you put her, she deserves to get it.
Will Win: Christine Baranski, The Good Wife. Honestly, I'm less sure about this category than any of the others. We've had more surprise wins in it then all the others. Baranski just seems likely because, like Short, she's a brilliant comic actress, and she did a compelte 180 in this show. The academy likes versatility--- some times.
Best Comedy Series
Should Win, Will Win: Glee. Some critics would argue that given the opportunity, the voters will vote for the more traditional brilliant comedy, Modern Family. No insult to the ABC shows, but are they nuts? Glee has been running against it in every major preaward show this year and beaten it. Modern Family is a great show and will probably win in the future, but Glee is a phonemenon. It's also the most original show to come up on TV in decades. This is a lock.
bEST Actor, Comedy
Should Win: Matthew Morrison, Glee. The fulcrum of what is a brilliant cast, he's made Will positively enduring. Add to this, everything his character went through this season, and he went on the greatest journey.
Will Win: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock. Sigh. It's not that his work isn't genius, that he's not comedic dynamite, and that he's still wondrous to watch four years in. But really, hasn't he gotten enough awards already. Isn't it time to let someone new, or at least recognize the fine work of Jim parsons or Steve Carell, into the winners circle.
Best Actress, Comedy
Should Win, Will Win: Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie. No other actress could make drug addiction or falling apart this much fun. Showtime has created a new genre-- the half hour dramedy, and Jackie is one of the most delightful portrayers of it. Another couple seasons, and I'll be able to forgive her for The Sopranos
Best Supporting Actor, Comedy
Should Win: Chris Colfer, Glee. The show's secret weapon, and one of the most real performers of the entire cast. He took what could have been a cliche, and turned him into the most fascinating characters in TV.
Will Win: Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother. Am not sure whether the two Emmys he's already won this year mean it's going to be his time to shine or whether the Academy will think it's finally his time to shine. This is probably Modern Family's best chance to win to upset, so watch this category carefully
Best Supporting Actress, Comedy
Should Win, Will Win: Jane Lynch, Glee. What can I say about Sue Sylvester that she wouldn't already say funnier? She's had a lock on this award since the series debuted. All I can say is I can't wait to see how she'll see this.
Am not sure about any of the other categories. Except for Varietyb Series--- I want to see Bill Maher win at least one award in my lifetime. And if Conan O'Brian pulls off an upset--- this could have the most drama of the night.
Well, i've written myself out. See you Sunday night.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)