Listen To Me

In case you don't follow me on the twitters, or missed the blurbs, I recently had the honor of guesting on two podcasts:

First, I was on What's On With Steph & Des, subbing for the regular co-host Des who was on vacation. Steph & I talked about TV for the week of July 4th and the (at that time) upcoming Emmy nominations. That episode can be found here, or you can also find it in iTunes.

Then, I was on Tuning In To SciFi TV's first Game of Thrones special podcast. Tuning In To SciFi is a long running podcast about genre television, and they will be featuring several bonus episodes about Game of Thrones (I will be coming back for more discussions on the show as the series progresses). The idea is to follow a "house" or "geography" for each of the discussions, and we mainly chatted about the Starks this time (like Ned: Great character. Honorable man. Terrible detective and strategist). You can find that episode here, or find it in iTunes.

They also have a spinoff series dedicated to "Saturday B-Movies," usually the ones shown on SyFy. However, they are dipping into the past to revisit some classics, and I should be chatting about The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension sometime in the near future, so be on the lookout for that, monkey-boys.

Thoughts on Emmy Nominations: Comedy Supporting Acting

Here are my thoughts on the “supporting acting” nominations for the Comedy category.

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Last year’s nominees:

• Chris Colfer
• Neil Patrick Harris
• Jesse Tyler Ferguson
• Eric Stonestreet
• Ty Burrell
• Jon Cryer

No one is ineligible from last year’s pack of nominees.

Will be nominated:

• Chris Colfer
• Neil Patrick Harris
• Ed O’Neill
• Eric Stonestreet
• Ty Burrell
• Nick Offerman

Hard to see returnees Colfer and Harris not repeating. Even if their shows both suffered a bit quality-wise. Colfer had the bullying story to work through, and got his first on-screen boyfriend. Harris was versatile and amiable as always, and got some different notes to play with a well-cast John Lithgow as his dad. The Modern Family cast is problematic from a nomination standpoint, since all four men submit in the supporting category. Last year, all but Ed O’Neill got in, and Stonestreet won. This year, I think they get O’Neill in, keep the returning champ and Burrell, and pass over Ferguson whose character didn’t get as much to do this year. They could nominate all four, but I’m hoping that Offerman’s Ron Fucking Swanson gets the credit he deserves (he did find more widespread recognition this year, with his Pyramid of Greatness and all) and finds a way in.

Should be nominated:

• Nick Offerman
• Danny Pudi
• Adam Scott
• Donald Glover
• Chris Pratt
• Ty Burrell

My list would be very heavy on Community and Parks and Rec, since I think these are the two best sitcoms on the air, with the two best ensemble casts. To me, there’s Offerman and then everyone else. But the “everyone else” list is pretty damned spectacular. Very difficult and crowded category.

Honorable Mention:

Chris Colfer, Neil Patrick Harris, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet, Jon Cryer (could he get in as kind of “Purple Heart” medal?), Ed O’Neill, Mike O’Malley (not as much to do in S2 as S1, but very good as always when he did show up), Garret Dillahunt (two distinct roles in the same western, killer cyborg, dim-witted yokel – is there anything this man can’t do?), Charlie Day, Josh Hopkins.


SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Last year’s nominations:

• Jane Lynch
• Julie Bowen
• Sofia Vergara
• Kristen Wiig
• Jane Krakowski
• Holland Taylor

All eligible again.

Will be nominated:

• Jane Lynch
• Julie Bowen
• Sofia Vergara
• Kristen Wiig
• Heather Morris
• Betty White

I think Lynch will still make it in, even though it could be argued that Glee worked much better this year in episodes where Sue didn’t appear. Will the Betty White thing ever show signs of cooling off? I’m guessing no. Though it has nothing to do with her worthiness as an Emmy nominee, the success of Bridesmaids will probably keep Wiig around even if her SNL characters are punishingly unfunny. The Emmys seem to love Glee, so how’s about a nomination for Heather Morris, the best and most consistently amusing thing about that show’s second season?

Should be nominated:

• Sofia Vergara
• Julie Bowen
• Heather Morris
• Allison Brie
• Gillian Jacobs
• Aubrey Plaza

Vergara takes what could be a caricature, and makes is so damned funny you don’t mind that accents and malaprops are some of the oldest comedy tricks in the book. Bowen’s role is very difficult to pull off, to be somewhat neurotic and controlling in a cast full of more lovable crazies, that I think she deserves a spot, too (I recall watching a comedy actress roundtable, where Bowen indicated that the mostly male writers’ room constantly scripts Claire as the turned up to 11 version of the bitchiness and nagging that the writers feel they get at home). Host a youtube chat show with Lord Tubbington = nomination. I put in both Brie and Jacobs, who do exceptional work on Community. Jacobs, I think, has the higher degree of difficulty for portraying a character who is pretty much a self-righteous party mop, yet one who can still seem vulnerable and somewhat self-aware thanks to the skillful acting. Finally, April could always seem a bit one-note (though a very funny apathetic hipster one-note), but her relationship with Andy deepened the character a great deal this year, and “Janet Snakehole” put it over the top for me.

Honorable Mention:

Merritt Weaver (gave up on the show, but she was always the best part of it), Melissa Rauch, Busy Phillips (I know lots of folks love her and the character, but there is some weird negative reaction I have to the actress that I can’t put my finger on. I couldn’t stand her on Freaks & Geeks, and she’s often my least favorite part of Cougar Town, too), Kaitlin Olsen, Amy Ryan (so odd that she submitted as supporting instead of guest, but she was great in Michael Scott’s final arc. Plus, how fucking talented is Amy Ryan? Contrast her work as the dorkalicious Holly with her work as Paul’s therapist on In Treatment. Wow), Rashida Jones (being the straight person in the cast is harder than it looks, plus we got to see Ann crumble this year, and Jones handled it well), Mary Elizabeth Ellis (frequently the only bright spot in the terrible Perfect Couples. Someone needs to get her on a good sitcom).

Thoughts on Emmy Nominations: Drama Supporting Acting

Here are my thoughts on the “supporting acting” nominations for the Drama category.

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Last year’s nominees:

• Aaron Paul
• Martin Short
• Terry O’Quinn
• Michael Emerson
• John Slattery
• Andre Braugher

As noted before, no Lost, no Damages and no Breaking Bad. So that’s four of last year’s nominees out.

Will be nominated:

• John Slattery
• Andre Braugher
• Alan Cumming
• Josh Charles
• Peter Dinklage
• Scott Caan

No reason Slattery and Braugher won’t keep their well-deserved spots. Even though I don’t watch The Good Wife, I think both Cumming and Charles will make it in. Surely one of the greatest matches in the HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE between actor and role – Peter Dinklage and Tyrion Lannister – will get a nomination. It would be criminal to exclude him. Lastly, I think we might see a non-Good Wife nod to “mainstream” programming here, with Caan slipping in to the last spot. Love or hate Hawaii 5-0, I think most folks agree that Caan is by far best thing about it, and his daddy is kinda famous, too.
 
Should be nominated:

• John Noble
• Peter Dinklage
• Walton Goggins
• Irrfan Khan
• Denis O’Hare
• Arliss Howard

When will the Emmys recognize the brilliant, daffy, rich, heartbreaking work that John Noble is doing on Fringe? Give this man a trophy, now, dammit! Hard to believe they were going to kill Boyd Crowder in the Justified pilot. Rightly, the producers saw that Goggins can burn up the screen and hold his own with any of the characters in Harlan. Khan gave a dazzling and deceptive performance on In Treatment. True Blood was a narrative shit-stain last year, but O’Hare realized what kind of show he was on, and treated the scenery as if it was an all-you-can-eat buffet. His interruption of the evening news was probably my favorite TV moment of last year. Howard’s Kale Ingram was a slippery, cold-blooded tightrope walker on Rubicon.

Honorable Mention:

John Slattery, Andre Braugher, Michael Raymond-James (Yes, they are all three deserving). Joel Kinnaman (Jittery, compelling performance in a cluster-fuck of a show). Jason Momoa (can you get nominated speaking Dothraki and promising to rape and pillage in the name of love? Probably not. Still, actually makes me look forward to the Conan reboot). Mark Addy, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (more proof of the spectacular casting on Game of Thrones). Nick Searcy, Dallas Roberts, Brent Sexton (not his fault the writers made the character of Bennett’s wife TOO FUCKING STUPID to have a conversation with, and actually recognize, the man who A) beat her husband near to death, and B) has been all over the news as the grieving father of Rosie Larsen), Jared Harris (I wanna go get a steak with Lane Pryce), Michael Stuhlbarg, Michael Kenneth Williams, Michael Pitt, Scott Bakula, Delroy Lindo.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Last year’s nominations:

• Sharon Gless
• Rose Byrne
• Archie Panjabi
• Christine Baranski
• Christina Hendricks
• Elisabeth Moss

No Damages, and Moss has moved on up to a de-luxe apartment in the sky.

Will be nominated:

• Sharon Gless
• Archie Panjabi
• Christine Baranski
• Christina Hendricks
• Margo Martindale
• Debra Winger

Sticking with the incumbent theory yet again, with two new additions: Even if Justified doesn’t get its “justified” Emmy love, Martindale’s performance was so ferocious and so towering is simply HAS to get recognized. Winger was good on In Treatment, and she is a well-known name and was a movie star, so perhaps she gets that final slot.

Should be nominated:

• Margo Martindale
• Emelia Clarke
• Kelly Macdonald
• Christina Hendricks
• Michelle Forbes
• Lauren Hodges

Mags Bennett FTW, y’all. Daenerys Targaryen was an extremely difficult character to pull off, given her complicated journey from helpless bartered bride to mother of the dragons, but newcomer Emelia Clarke owned the screen in every one of her scenes. She was beyond fantastic, breathing life and richness into a character I didn’t fully appreciate on the page in the first novel. Kelly Macdonald had a similar role (though of course there were no dragons on Boardwalk Empire, though they would have made just as good an enforcer as Richard Harrow): a woman trying to navigate the power games of a man’s world where society doesn’t offer equal opportunities for women. Joan Holloway is a given, right? Michelle Forbes is always great (Ensign Ro, Admiral Cain, Maryann) and was compelling on The Killing, despite the dead-end, shitty scripts she was given. Finally, I’m sure some of you are thinking “who the hell is Lauren Hodges?” Well, she played slightly unstable analyst Tanya on Rubicon, giving one of a number of remarkable performances on that show that won’t get recognized.

Honorable Mention:

Ginnifer Goodwin, Chloe Sevigny (both great throughout the run of Big Love), Laura Allen (miss U, Terriers), Amy Ryan (ably filling Dianne Weist’s shoes as Paul’s shrink on In Treatment), Maggie Siff, Jennifer Carpenter (lots of people don’t like Debra Morgan, but I love her foul mouth), Deborah Ann Woll, Laurie Holden (what’s it like to shoot your zombie-fied sister in the brain? Now, heartbreakingly, we know), Debra Winger.

Thoughts on Emmy Nominations: Drama Lead Acting

Here are my thoughts on the “lead acting” nominations for the Drama category.

LEAD ACTOR

Last year’s nominees:

• Bryan Cranston
• Michael C. Hall
• Kyle Chandler
• Hugh Laurie
• Matthew Fox
• Jon Hamm

Lost is over, and Breaking Bad is not eligible, ending Cranston’s stranglehold on the award.

Will be nominated:

• Michael C. Hall
• Kyle Chandler
• Hugh Laurie
• Jon Hamm
• Steve Buscemi
• Jeremy Irons

Two slots open, and Emmy voters love them some movie stars. Not that Buscemi and Irons aren’t worthy, because they are, and both turned in very good performances. But with Cranston out, and Hamm almost a lock to finally, deservedly, win (“THAT’S WHAT THE MONEY IS FOR!”), it would be nice to see things shaken up a bit. So even though Hall and Laurie still put on acting clinics in lesser or declining shows, I decided to get a little wacky in my “should be” list.

Should be nominated:

• Jon Hamm
• Kyle Chandler
• Gabriel Byrne
• Timothy Olyphant
• Sean Bean
• Donal Logue

Hamm has been worthy every single year, and Don Draper is one of the greatest characters ever realized on the small screen. It’s about time. “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose” gives me misty eyes. Byrne has anchored a show in which he is in virtually every single scene, and has to communicate so much so subtly. Justified is at the top of its game, and Olyphant gives a swaggering, sly, lead performance. Would we have cared so much about Ned Stark (his shoddy strategic planning notwithstanding) and his fate if Bean hadn’t portrayed him with so much gravitas and honor? I doubt it. And damn, I miss Hank Dolworth.

Honorable Mention:

Michael Raymond James (is he also a lead? Or supporting? Regardless, he was just as good as Logue, though I couldn’t find a way to sneak both into an overstuffed category). Michael C. Hall, Hugh Laurie (still so good, even if the show has gone to shit), Ray Romano, James Badge Dale, Nathan Fillion (being effortlessly charming is much harder than it looks), Charlie Hunnam (uneven season, but man he was great), Jason Clarke, Steve Buscemi, Jeremy Irons, Tim Roth



LEAD ACTRESS

Last year’s nominations:

• Kyra Sedgwick
• Glenn Close
• Connie Britton
• Julianna Margulies
• Mariska Hargitay
• January Jones

Damages is out of contention, so Close won’t get a nomination.

Will be nominated:

• Kyra Sedgwick
• Connie Britton
• Julianna Margulies
• Mariska Hargitay
• Elisabeth Moss
• Emmy Rossum

Do Emmy voters now have enough evidence that January Jones is a terrible and limited actress, and simply a pretty mannequin onto whom Matt Weiner hangs the icy trappings of Betty Draper? Hopefully. So expect four of the incumbents to prevail, with Moss moving up from a “supporting” submission (and winning, thanks to “The Suitcase”) and Emmy Rossum getting in for Shameless, which I didn’t watch (too many kids for me to stomach).

Should be nominated:

• Elisabeth Moss
• Connie Britton
• Katie Sagal
• Anna Torv
• Lena Heady
• Dana Delany

Moss was brilliant, as was Mrs. Coach. Sagal should have been a lock last year, for her devastating work in Sons of Anarchy’s second season, where she was more central to the plot machinations than she was this year, so consider this a make-up-call. How many variations on Olivia Dunham did Torv play? Olivia, Olivia masquerading as Fauxlivia, Fauxlivia, Fauxlivia masquerading as Olivia, alternate future Olivia, and Olivia inhabited by William Bell? And each, with slight variations so we could tell who was who, even without a different wig? For fuck’s sake, let’s stop with the prejudice against genre shows and reward her stellar work. Speaking of genre and wigs, despite an at times unconvincing blonde mop, Heady (so good and unrecognized for her work on The Sarah Connor Chronicles) brought much more to Cersei Lannister than was on the page in the books. She should be in for her scene – invented solely for the show – with Robert where they wistfully discuss the history and nature of their prickly relationship. Finally, Body of Proof is a by the numbers procedural (and we've seen Hargitay and Sedgwick get nominated from similar shows), but I tuned in every week because Delany is a TV Star: sexy, cerebral, brittle, funny, nuanced, competent, and compassionate.

Honorable Mention:

Mireille Enos, Jean Tripplehorn, Emily Deschanel, Jennifer Beals, Lucy Lawless

Thoughts on Emmy Nominations: Comedy Lead Acting

Here are my thoughts on the “lead acting” nominations for the Comedy category.

LEAD ACTOR

Nominated last year:

• Jim Parsons
• Larry David
• Matthew Morrison
• Tony Shaloub
• Steve Carrell
• Alec Baldwin

David and Shaloub aren’t eligible this year.

Will be nominated:

• Jim Parsons
• Steve Carrell
• Alec Baldwin
• Matthew Morrison
• Rob Lowe
• Jason Segel

Expect the holdovers to stay in the nominations, even if some don’t belong (I’m looking at you, Morrison). With two slots open, I imagine Lowe will get in based on name recognition (even if he’s really supporting - and really funny - he did submit in this category). Segel also did some nice comic-tragic work on a show that’s not unfamiliar to Emmy voters.

Should be nominated:

• Jim Parsons
• Louis CK
• Joel McHale
• Rob Lowe
• Jason Segel
• Alec Baldwin

Who submitted for what category is confusing, illogical and really not worth the time (for my little blog) to sort through in detail (the submissions list is HUNDREDS of pages). So even if I think Lowe is more of a supporting role, I’ll just go with it here. And hell, Segel may have submitted in supporting, too, but we’ll just consider it lead for the episodes dealing with the death of Marshall’s father. I’m not a fan of cringe comedy, and though I can appreciate Steve Carrell’s work as Michael Scott, it makes my skin crawl to watch it. But I would be extremely surprised if he doesn’t walk off with the award for his farewell season. Personally, I prefer Louis CK or Joel McHale.

LEAD ACTRESS

Nominated last year:

• Lea Michele
• Julia-Louis Dreyfus
• Edie Falco
• Amy Poehler
• Tina Fey
• Toni Collette

Only Dreyfus is not eligible, as her show was canceled.

Will be nominated:

• Lea Michele
• Edie Falco
• Amy Poehler
• Tina Fey
• Toni Collette
• Laura Linney

More of the status quo, with Laura Linney (so terrific in a show I don’t like very much) taking the open slot.

Should be nominated:

• Kaley Cuoco
• Edie Falco
• Amy Poehler
• Tina Fey
• Laura Linney
• Martha Plimpton

I assume Collette is fantastic, but I don’t watch Tara. And I gave up on both Nurse Jackie and The Big C, but there’s no getting around the superb work being turned in by both leads. I would add Cuoco as a representative of a traditional, three camera sitcom, who got to do more this year with the addition of Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch to the cast. For the best all-around comedic lead work, it's gotta be Poehler, who was fantastic in a superb season of Parks.

Thoughts on Emmy Nominations: Comedy Series

Here are my thoughts on the “series” nominations for the Comedy category.

Nominated Last Year

• Curb Your Enthusiasm
• Glee
• Modern Family
• Nurse Jackie
• The Office
• 30 Rock

All of last year’s nominees are eligible again this year, with the exception of Curb, which didn’t have a new season airing.

Will be nominated:

• Modern Family
• Glee
• 30 Rock
• The Office
• The Big C
• The Big Bang Theory

Returning shows should continue their momentum, despite the fact that neither Glee nor The Office really deserve to be here after wildly inconsistent seasons. I grew bored with Nurse Jackie, and perhaps voters will too, slotting in the newer and fresher of Showtime’s troubled female “comedies,” The Big C, in its place. They could nominate both, however, and leave out The Big Bang Theory, though I think it will get a nod as the only multi-camera sitcom (and as perhaps a show of support for Chuck Lorre after the Sheenpocalypse).

Should be nominated:

• Archer*
• Modern Family
• Parks and Recreation
• Louie
• Community
• Cougar Town

*Archer didn’t submit as a comedy, but rather as an animated series. Still, it belongs here, as it is the funniest motherfucking thing on television. Outside of Archer, surely everyone agrees that the two best sitcoms on all of TV are Parks and Rec and Community (in some order), right? If you don’t, then I probably don’t want to talk to you, and I pray to Anubis that you aren’t a Nielsen family. Like virtually everyone else, I stayed away from Cougar Town because of the initial premise. When I decide to check it out, though, I found an always entertaining, adult show about a bunch of grown-ups who swim around in their own neuroses and oceans of wine. Bravo. Then there’s Louie, the painfully funny (literally) single vision of a comedy auteur, firing on all cylinders.

Honorable Mention:

30 Rock, Brittany (can I just nominate the only consistently funny thing about Glee?), It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Big Bang Theory

Thoughts on Emmy Nominations: Drama Series

Emmy nominations come out next week, and here are my thoughts on the “series” nominations for the Drama category.

Nominated Last Year:

• Breaking Bad
• Dexter
• The Good Wife
• Lost
• Mad Men
• True Blood

Lost ended, and won’t be nominated again (barring any time travel hijinks). Breaking Bad, because of scheduling, won’t be eligible for a 2011 nomination, which opens up another spot.

Will be nominated:

• Dexter
• The Good Wife
• Mad Men
• Boardwalk Empire
• Game of Thrones
• Friday Night Lights

Some critics have started to turn on Dexter, hoping for more of a shake up in the show’s narrative, but I think it’s firmly entrenched in the nomination habit. I don’t watch The Good Wife, but by all accounts, it didn’t dip in quality, and it was here last year. Once in, it’s hard to drop off. However, True Blood’s third season was a complete mess (with the exception of the delightful and scenery-chewing Denis O’Hare), so I do see that show falling out to make room for two other HBO shows, Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones, both of which are deserving. Boardwalk could be slow-moving at times, but it didn’t skimp on atmospheric details or finely crafted performances (though if I never have to suffer through any more of Paz de la Huerta’s “acting,” I will celebrate like when prohibition was repealed. Really, when’s the last time a red-blooded hetero male looked at a frequently naked actress and screamed “GET OFF MY TV!” at the screen?). Game of Thrones surely belongs on the list, too. HBO took a beloved series of books, and brought them fully to life on screen, creating a completely realized fantasy world filled with rich characters and a hard-edged seriousness. No easy task, that. Last year, the Emmys finally got around to realizing that Friday Night Lights existed, with nominations for Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see them throw the show itself a bone for its farewell season. Mad Men, of course, will and should be nominated.

Should be nominated:

• Game of Thrones
• Mad Men
• Friday Night Lights
• Terriers
• Justified
• Boardwalk Empire

I don’t differ too much from the “will be nominated” list. I enjoyed Dexter’s season more than most, but realize as a whole, anything that doesn’t deal with Dexter himself, his sister or the killers can try your patience. So instead of Dexter and The Good Wife, I would choose two FX dramas. One, Justified, just might have a shot at a nomination. Building on an already top-shelf first season, it upped the ante in season two with a sensational arc featuring a riveting performance from Margo Martindale as antagonist Mags Bennett (and fantastic supporting performances from the entire regular cast, along with guest stars Jeremy Davies, Kaitlyn Dever and Rebecca Creskoff, among others). There’s no chance my favorite show of 2011, the shaggy dog PI show, Terriers, gets a nomination and that’s a shame. It was a brightly written, wonderfully acted spin on the lower tier of the detective business, a la The Rockford Files.

Honorable Mention:

Fringe, Men of a Certain Age, Rubicon, In Treatment

I was tempted to put Fringe on the “should be” list, perhaps in place of a sentimental vote for Friday Night Lights, since they went balls to the wall with the sci-fi narrative in the third season and got some fantastic character moments from the main trio. Really, it’s a coin flip for me. I was late to the Men of a Certain Age party, but what a lovely, intimate, realistic and funny show that turned out to be. Rubicon started slow and botched the landing, but I wish it had been rewarded a second season (as any show with a character named “Truxton Spangler” should be). In Treatment isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s hard to ignore how much involving mileage they got out of two people sitting in a room talking. A fine send off for Paul Weston.