Two I like, two I don't

During a drunken, channel flipping binge, I got sucked into "1939" night on TMC, and wound up watching all of Gone With The Wind and Wuthering Heights. I couldn't help but notice that in the first picture, GWTW, you had complicated, prickly and somewhat self-absorbed lovers who to this day remain classic cinematic characters who still engender audience empathy no matter what their destructive motivations and machinations. On the later showing of WH, I was astounded at how completely unlikable both of the central characters were. Olivier and Oberon each offered entrancing performances of course, but I completely despised both Heathcliff and Cathy. I vaguely recall reading Bronte's novel in high school, and seeing the flick shortly thereafter, but damn if the movie didn't do either of them any favors. And it was directed by the legendary William Wyler, too. WTF? Does anyone else recall such a visceral dislike for these narcissistic, manic-depressive assholes?

Reconsidered: "Expose"

For more about "reconsidered," see this.

"Expose" is the 14th episode of the third season of Lost. It's also the episode that featured, and brought to a close, the story of Nikki and Paulo, two characters who were supposedly "in the background" the first two seasons.

Ask any Lost fan about their least favorite episodes, or the "worst" episodes, and "Expose" almost always comes up. (Not as frequently as the universally derided "Stranger in a Strange Land," but often enough to merit consideration here as a "reconsidered" feature). To put "Expose" in context, you have to understand what the producers were trying to do with Nikki and Paulo in the first place. Obviously, there were more survivors of the crash of Oceanic 815 than we, as viewers, saw in the regular and ongoing cast. They were typically represented by extras milling about in the background, and when it served the story, an actor would be cast to portray one of those additional survivors, such as what happened with Leslie "Doc" Arzt. Darlton wanted to bring two more of those background characters to the forefront, and in season three (beginning with "Further Instructions," though the actors were listed as part of the primary cast starting with the season premiere) we started seeing more of Nikki and Paulo, who were presumably there on the island with everyone else since the crash.

Despite casting two extremely attractive and capable actors, the fan reaction to Nikki and Paulo was not quite what team Darlton hoped for. Part of it was probably due to some of the overall malaise that infused season three as a whole (unfortunate split scheduling by ABC, producers still not knowing how long the show would last and trying to drag things out too far, momentum being stalled by the endless "Kate and Sawyer in the cage" story, etc.), but Nikki and Paulo's insertion into some of the island adventures was also less than elegant. Given the production schedule and break in the airdates, Darlton had time to assess the fan reaction to the characters, and truncate Nikki and Paulo's arcs, which come to a head in the episode "Expose."

For an episode focused on these two, it's interesting to note that very, very little occurs with Nikki and Paulo in the show's "real time." In fact, the only thing that happens in "the present" is Nikki running out of the jungle and face planting on the beach, before muttering something that the gang initially interprets as "plywood." Or "powerlines." Or "Paulo lies." The rest of the Nikki and Paulo story takes place via flashback, starting with the opening scenes of a stripping Nikki encountering a mysterious villain known as Mr. LaShade, played by Billy Dee Williams. (trivia: Mister LaShade? Anagram for "Dharma List"). Turns out this vignette is really just a scene from an episode of "Expose," a TV show in the Lost universe about strippers who fight crime, which Hurley says is "like Baywatch, only better." Nikki, an actress, was a guest star on the show, who was having an affair with the show's producer as part of a long con (with Paulo) to get at the producer's stash of $8 million in diamonds. These flashbacks show us the couple's growing distrust and insecurity once the diamonds were acquired (and lost in the crash, then found in the lagoon) filtered through several known island events.

Building an episode around the perspective of secondary characters is nothing new, and several genre series have done it with aplomb. For example, Star Trek:TNG did it with the classic episode "Lower Decks," X-Files did it with the Lone Gunmen characters (before they got their own short lived spinoff) and Angel did it with a very funny Harmony focused episode called "Harm's Way." (The Wolfram & Hart employee orientation video is worth the price of admission alone). So "background players stepping to the forefront" isn't exactly groundbreaking, and at the very least, it gave the producers a chance to effectively wrap up a truncated Nikki and Paulo story, and give us a very entertaining episode to boot.

Yes, I said "entertaining." While "Expose" won't go down in Lost lore as one of the best episodes ever, I think it accomplished what it set out to do, and provided some fun and laughs along the way.

Some of the amusing meta-commentary from "Expose:"

ZUKERMAN: Alright, that's a series wrap for Corvette! Let's hear it for Nikki!
[Most of the production crew clap and whistle.]
NIKKI: Thank you.
ZUKERMAN: Brilliant, Nikki. As always. You know, you don't need to die. We can bring you back next season.
NIKKI: [laughs] How?
ZUKERMAN: Well, let's say that, uh, Corvette was wearing a bullet-proof vest?
[Nikki pulls away her jacket to remind Zukerman that she is wearing nothing but a bikini underneath.]
ZUKERMAN: Bullet-proof breast!
NIKKI: [covering back up] Look, I'm just a guest star, and we all know what happens to guest stars.

Or this gem from Sawyer:

HURLEY: Dude.... Nikki's dead.
SAWYER: ... Who the hell's Nikki?

You also have the diamonds being hidden in a matryoshka (Russian nesting dolls), which itself is a commentary of the nature of the Lost plot, with riddles being encased in other riddles.

And...back to Sawyer:

HURLEY: [interrupts Sawyer with a shout] "Paulo lies"! That's what she said! "Paulo lies", not "power lines". "Paulo lies".
SAWYER: Who the hell's Paulo?

Then there's the flashback to Nikki and Paulo at the airport, where they encounter a squabbling Shannon and Boone:

NIKKI: Promise me we'll never end up like them.

Which of course, is funny, given what happens to both couples.

The producers also did a fantastic technical job of integrating Nikki and Paulo into the existing footage and scenes of "original" island events like the crash and subsequent beach confusion, and the "live together, die alone" speech.

In addition to the amusing meta-ness of many scenes from "Expose," we also had some plot advancement and interesting tidbits concerning our "regular" cast of characters:

• Charlie revealing to Sun that he had been responsible for her attack.
• The fascinating Juliet and Ben scene in the Pearl (which ostensibly explained how Paulo got a walkie talkie), where Ben lays out how he intends to play Jack into doing the surgery: "Same way I get anybody to do anything. I find out what he's emotionally invested in, and I exploit it."
• Ominous quotes from Locke: "Every man's entitled to his secrets Paulo." And "Things don't stay buried on this Island."
• Arzt's Orwellian declaration: "The pigs are walking!"
• Shannon complaining about the newly found guns, which have been kept secret from the rest of the gang by "Kate and her two boyfriends." Hee!
• Also, take a look at the screencap from the scene where Hurley is examining the Nikki's script for "Expose." Notice a familiar surname as part of the show's regular cast?

So while "Expose" wasn't "The Constant," it certainly wasn't "Stranger in a Strange Land," either. The creative team knew they had a problem on their hands (admittedly, a problem of their own making), and found an interesting, funny and somewhat tragic way to deal with it. For characters that weren't exactly beloved, it's still a pretty haunting and awful way to die, being buried alive side by side. With their diamonds, no less.

Nikki and Paulo may have been a mistake, but in my opinion, "Expose" wraps up their story in a taut, amusing episode that's a lot better than it's given credit for.

"Expose" Reconsidered: B+

Be still my heart

Check out this EW video interview with the cast of ABC's upcoming V reboot. (I would embed, but they only allow you to get linky).

Not only does this show look pretty damned good, but Elizabeth Mitchell continues to affirm my undying geek love for her. First, she's on this show (with everyone's favorite space hooker, Morena Baccarin). Next, in the interview, she talks about being a huge fan of Battlestar Galactica (the old one AND the new one!). And of course, she's been magnificent in a little thing called Lost.

Oh, and she made out with Angelina Jolie in Gia.

Okay, now where's Joan?

In a brilliant piece of marketing in anticipation of Mad Men's third season, AMC has teamed with illustrator Dyna Moe to allow you to "MadMenYourself."

In case you're unfamiliar with Moe's charming work, check out this set of Mad Men illustrations on Flickr.

Here's the result of my MadMenization:



For those of you who know me outside the interwebs, that's pretty damned close, no?

TV's reigning Emmy winner for Best Drama returns August 16th.

Sanford Stadium in Miniature

Having some time on my hands, I downed a fifth of whiskey, got my Roy Neary on, and painstakingly built a scaled model of Sanford Stadium in my living room, complete with 80,000+ tiny fans. Sure, it took a while to trim those wee hedges and hide all the microscopic flasks under the bleachers, but it looks good, no?

click to embiggen

Kidding. Actually, I just engaged in some "tilt shift miniature faking," but it would have been fun to build an entire stadium, right?

Emmy Noms out tomorrow

Emmy nominations will be announced tomorrow. I'll weigh in this weekend with my thoughts on the official nominees, but in case you missed my Emmy wishlists last month, you can check them out here:

Best Drama Series

Drama Lead Actor and Actress

Drama Supporting Actor and Actress

Best Comedy Series

Comedy Lead Actor and Actress

Comedy Supporting Actor and Actress

Looking back on those, there are some changes I'd probably make, based on "real" submissions (Terry O'Quinn, for example, didn't submit himself this year) and growing appreciation (one of my favorite things on TV now is Better Off Ted, and its cast is uniformly excellent). Any last minute suggestions from y'all?

I'll take potpourri for $6,500, Alex

A roundup of links, thoughts and ephemera. Now with no MSG added.

What would have happened on Pushing Daisies had it not been cruelly canceled?

Brilliant, funny baseball "charts." Must see.

Basketball trick shot artist. Starts out interesting, then gets downright unbelievable.

Countdown of the top 50 movie robots.

This football league probably doesn't believe that teh gays are allowed to be starters. And I assume they think football was created 6 years ago.

A look back at the first good dragon movie.

Just who I look to for my 911 conspiracy theories.

Blowjobs are for ugly girls. I think the photographic evidence says it all, really.

10 greatest "false deaths" in movies (SPOILERS AHOY).

EPSN SEC blogger lists his favorite conference stadiums.

15 sci-fi movie sequels that didn't suck.

15 movies that were almost turned into TV shows. (I would have loved a TV version of the mucho underrated Zero Effect or Buckaroo Banzai).

For some reason, this video clip makes me think of the 3rd and 4th Planet of the Apes movies:



80s movie action cliches: the witty retort!

Best spy tips from Burn Notice.

7 Star Wars characters who dropped the ball.

A thoughtful mega essay on how the Battlestar Galactica finale screwed the pooch. Related: all the things the "god" of BSG had to be "responsible" for. Also related: how does Katee Sackhoff feel about her role in the finale? (trivia: Katee auditioned for the female detective role in Castle!)

New Harry Potter movie out today! Here's a list of the Top 25 characters in the series. And sports related, a funny list of Potter lookalikes from the world of sports.

More fun than 3 hours of home runs

No, I didn't watch much of last night's Home Run Derby. I had it on in the background for a while, but really. THREE HOURS? And there's only so much Berman any man can take, before mixing up a cocktail of whiskey and antifreeze.

But if you want some fun with your baseball, check out Batting Stance Guy. If you follow baseball, or internet memes, you've probably seen some of his work. His self-proclaimed "least marketable skill in America!" is endlessly entertaining, and uncannily accurate. He made an appearance on Letterman last night:



Also, because I'm a homer, check out his take on a few Atlanta Braves:



For long time Braves fans, a few of those (Horner, Andruw) are LOL funny.

Revisit Disco Demolition Night and Make America Better

July 12th is the 30 year anniversary of the infamous "Disco Demolition Night" at Comiskey Park in Chicago, between games of a White Sox double header against the Tigers.

For those of you too young to remember, this was a time when the popular culture was beginning to turn on the relatively shallow, beat-filled phenomenon known as disco music, which probably reached its zenith following the 1977 release of Saturday Night Fever. (For the record, I was, and still am, a fan of disco. I guess it's the hip hop of the getting ready for jello and shuffleboard crowd. Sue me). In response to the growing antipathy toward disco, and the format change of local radio stations, an area DJ worked in conjunction with Mike Veeck (son of legendary promotional huckster and then Sox owner Bill Veeck) to come up with a marketing event that allowed fans in for 98 cents if they brought a disco record (remember those?) to the stadium to be destroyed in "protest" between games.

Well, the promotion worked entirely too well. The fans came to the stadium en masse, all smoked and liquored up. The records were collected in a box in center field and blown the fuck up with explosives. Fans poured onto the field, cops followed, riots ensued, fires were started, the field was destroyed, the stadium shook and the second game was forfeited.

It marked a turn in the zeitgeist of popular culture, when people just got fed up with what was being force fed to them by all their entertainment outlets.

Now, as I mentioned, I actually liked disco, though I appreciated it for what it was and certainly didn't turn to Lipps, Inc or KC and the Sunshine Band for the lyrical depth I could get from a Dylan record. There was a time and place for it, but I can certainly understand the frustration of audiophiles whose radio stations suddenly stopped playing Zeppelin, the Stones and Floyd in favor of The Village People. As the anniversary of this event rolled around, I wondered, what could be so odious today as to make me show up at a stadium, frothing at the mouth to watch metaphorical christians fed to the metaphorical lions? And then it dawned on me. What is the biggest plague on the entertainment landscape today? REALITY TV.

Think of the parallels. Does is substantively dumb down another similar form of entertainment? Yes. Once it became popular, did the market flood with cheap knock offs that people lapped up without even considering the quality? Yes. Is it an affront to craftsmen who strive mightily to produce top shelf, written and thought provoking material? Yep. Does it succeed with the masses while more intelligent and artfully constructed offerings struggle to find an audience? You betcha. Does looking at the Top 20 produce a throbbing in your temples that can only be relieved by an act of wanton, bloodthirsty violence? Oh, yeah.

I suggest that some enterprising baseball marketing guru commemorate the anniversary of "Disco Demolition Night" with a similar promotion: "Reality Rampage Night."

Between games of a double header, the promoters would wheel out onto the field a wagon full of reality "stars," all chained together. The Kardashians. All the "real" housewives. Jon and Kate. Denise Richards. Paris Hilton. The vapid trollops and himbos from The Hills and its spinoffs. Supernannies. Anyone who has ever participated in a "rose ceremony." Anyone who has participated in a hot tub three way in order to further their "personal brand." Anyone who thinks having their "relationship" beamed into our homes doesn't make us want to stretch a condom over our widescreen. Anyone who has ever seen Bret Michaels or Flavor Flav naked. If you've been on television, the cover of US Weekly and are famous for having no discernible talent, skills, taste or intellect, you're on the chain gang. Also included are any and all television executives responsible for greenlighting these shows.

For admission to the ballpark, fans can purchase a 98 cent ticket provided they bring with them an Irish car bomb, a pitchfork, a chainsaw, a Molotov cocktail, a blunderbuss, a trident, nunchucks, a mace, a flamethrower or ninja throwing stars. Free 24 oz. tallboy beers are served to every fan who shows a DVD of an actual television program featuring a script, acting and directing. A recording of Harry Carey counting down "a-one, a-two, a-three" readies the crowd for the attack, and then the angry mob of scripted television fans descends upon the clueless, vapid morons chained together and rends them limb from limb. An announcement comes over the stadium speakers, the mob backs away, and the cancerous tumor toxifying our programming is finally excised as a series of explosives planted in center field finishes the job, blowing the "reality" pestilence into a fine red mist.

Surely this would be more satisfying, healthy and cathartic for the nation than burning a couple of Peaches and Herb records, right? Who's with me?!

Wait, what is this again?

A genre movie that isn't based on a toy. Or a comic book. Or a TV Show. Or a breakfast cereal. Or isn't a sequel. Or a reboot. (though Zeus knows I loved me some JJ Abrams Trek this summer). A completely original idea? What's is the world coming to!



This looks fanfuckingtastic, no?

Dollhouse sneak peek

The Dollhouse season 1 DVD (I love saying "season 1" and not "entire canceled series") will be shipping later this month, and it contains the never aired episode "Epitaph One."

It was produced for the DVD release to fulfill production commitments, and not originally intended to air on FOX, so no one has yet seen it (though it will get an airing at the upcoming Comic-Con). For the shows I care about, I've tried to avoid spoilers, but some of the particulars about "Epitaph One" have made their way into the geek infostream, and I've absorbed some (turn away now if you don't want to know ANYTHING about the episode) of the basics: the lovely and talented Felicia Day is a guest star, and the episode takes place in a somewhat dystopian future. Most of the regulars will appear in some fashion, and it was directed by Joss and written by Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen (from a story by Joss).

Today, a sneak peek found its way into the wild, and I have to say I'm.....intrigued. It doesn't give away much of the plot, but does provide a glimpse of a character that seems a little different from when we last saw them. Hmmmm. If you want to peep it for yourself, I think you can see it here.

Many thanks...

...to all of y'all passing along birthday wishes, via a variety of interwebby conduits, earlier this week.

Happy Independence Day.

Flickchart Learnings, Part the First

Surely all of y'all of have become obsessed with movie ranking site flickchart, right?

If not, get thee there, nowish. And look me up, too.

In going through my rankings, I continue to learn things about my movie tastes:

• I still subscribe to the "favorite" vs. "best" philosophy when ranking. And though the rankings don't quite reflect it yet, I'm beginning to think that my "favorite" movies -- the ones I find eminently rewatchable and enjoyable -- are Empire Strikes Back, Aliens and Raiders of the Lost Ark. When those come up against anything, there's simply no other choice.
  
• I really can't stand Jim Carrey, with the notable exception of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which is an alltime classic. I have a visceral reaction to seeing his mug pop up on a poster, and almost immediately want to click anything that comes up on the other side. I just don't find the rubber faced, over the top histrionics funny at all.
• What was the last great comedy? Most of the ones I choose are older, like Animal House, Airplane, Caddyshack and Monty Python. Shaun of the Dead? Pixar? Yep, those are toward the top of the list, but are more "genre fusion" than just a pure, make you laugh comedy.
• I don't really like horror movies. Suspense, yes. Horror? Not so much, unless it's an "alien" flick, The Exorcist or Scream.
• The newest films in my top 50? The new Trek, The Dark Knight (which I've watched no less than 4 times in the last week or so since it's been on HBO) and Ratatouille.

What are you learning?

I'll take potpourri for $6,400, Alex

Top 10 Reasons why Trek is suddenly cool. (And none of those have anything to do with "Spock's Brain.")

Frak my life. Just read it and giggle.

Rating Woody Allen's films, from 1 - 40. Nice rankings, though personally, I'd put Annie Hall at #1. And probably have Bullets Over Broadway and Vicky Christina Barcelona higher. And Stardust Memories lower. Related: 10 Woody Allen proxies. Yeah, Celebrity was not up to snuff, but damn if Branagh didn't perfectly channel the Woodman.

I clipped this story about John Ensign and his hypocrisy on the whole ridiculous "defense of marriage" bullshit last week. And that was before another married with kids bible thumping nutjob jetted off Argentina to schtup his mistress. Yes, Sanford rejected the "stimulus package" because he was already getting his package stimulated. Haaaay-yooo.

Star Trek cakes. How cool are those? Here's an expanded look.

Are these the best sci-fi cliffhangers?

Hysterical! Michael Bay's keyboard.

Novel idea for sneaking booze into a ballgame.

The Madden ratings for the Atlanta Falcons.

Another TNRLM twitter suggestion shows up in the wild.

Interview with the delightful Julie Benz. I didn't realize she originally also read for "Deb" on Dexter.

Fantastic gallery of spaceships on io9.

Count down the Top 70 Marvel Comics covers ever. Definitely worth a look if you're a comic geek.

I know he was from Florida, and went to college at Tennessee, but somewhere along the way, didn't Travis Henry ever learn about condoms? Hell, the "pull out" method would seem to be more successful.

Highlights from the recent Bear McCreary BSG concert. Awesome.

Pop Quiz, Hotshot: famous TV homes. (I got 80%, BTW).


Great article on how the "standard" MLB camera angle is so misleading. Yes, the "off center" approach composes a better picture, especially in the widescreen era, but dead center certainly gives you a better idea about the pitches.

Did anyone else know there was a "University of Andy" web supplement to Weeds? Here Andy explains how to hold your liquor.

Are these the 10 most polarizing films of the last decade? Certainly a solid list, and think I wind up on the "pro" side of most of these.

Interview with Hope Davis, who was so mesmerizing on In Treatment this year.

IFC put together a list of the 50 greatest movie trailers of all time (with clips). Also, while I couldn't find a link to the actual list with clips, preeminent movie magazine Empire also assembled a similar list a while back.

Did Ayn Rand want Farrah to play Dagny Taggert? (Still waiting on an Atlas Shrugged flick, and I think Angelina or Rachel Weisz would make a great Dagny).

The dangers of quitting smoking.

Supernatural casts their Lucifer. Great choice, but I wonder what this means for Lost?

Doctor Who returns tonight! Alan Sepinwall talks to Russell Davies, and Mo Ryan chats with David Tennant.

Grieving for Two

But not the two you might think.

Yes, I'm aware of yesterday's double whammy of celebrity passings. And yes, like everyone of my generation, I have an abundance of memories related to both Farrah and MJ. I had the iconic poster on my wall, of course. Watched Charlie's Angels. Went to see Saturn 3, being both a fan of hot chicks with feathered hair and sci-fi (and being terribly disappointed -- what an AWFUL movie. So awful, they completely dubbed Harvey Keitel's entire vocal performance). Listened to the Jackson 5. Had the "Off The Wall" and "Thriller" records (and still think the high points of "OTW" are higher than those of "Thriller"). Remember being in college and everyone congregating around a TV in the common dorm areas when MTV's on the hour showing of the John Landis "Thriller" video would play. (Remember "videos" showing on MTV and not vapid whores?)

So yeah, I was sad about that. But for some reason, seeing an animal pass away on film gets to me every time. Not necessarily in the uncomfortable way of the ox in Apocalypse Now, but more when a beloved pet shuffles off the mortal coil. I can't explain it. I'm not a crazy vegan and not about to go throw blood on the grand opening of a new KFC. But for whatever way I'm wired, Old Yeller made me cry far more than Brian's Song (though of course, that made me squirt a few also).

I bring this up, because Monday's The Closer just killed me. It was a very solid episode, with a great turn from a bitchy Mary McDonnell as a Internal Affairs officer, but Fritz and Brenda came to the resolution that their beloved Kitty wasn't going to make it. That ending scene with Brenda lying on the couch, arms around a sickly, purring and meowing Kitty just wrecked me. To make matters worse, I've been catching up on some Futurama episodes I've missed, and that same evening, what was waiting for me on the TiVo? The heartbreaking classic "Jurassic Bark," which revolves around Fry's "past" dog Seymour. Those final 30 seconds or so of that ep left me sobbing like an infant.

Maybe it's getting caught up in the emotional narrative of the story. Or perhaps because I think that one of my "kids" isn't doing that well. Whatever the reason, I'm glad that double dip in the pool of pet mortality is over, and I can go back to enjoying watching vampires, Cylons, stormtroopers, redshirts and other fake "people" die for my entertainment and fondly recalling the pop culture contributions of real people who are no longer with us.

Reconsidered: "Spock's Brain"

For more about "Reconsidered," see this.

"Spock's Brain," the first episode of Star Trek: The Original Series third and final season, is universally recognized as the worst episode of the show ever produced. Is it? Let's reconsider...

We open as the Enterprise encounters an unusual looking ship being powered by an ion drive. Before contact can be established, a mysterious woman beams aboard the Enterprise, presses a button on her wristband, and renders all 400+ crewmen aboard the ship unconscious. When they start to wake up, Kirk realizes Spock isn't on the bridge, and the captain is called to sickbay by McCoy. Spock is on a on bed in sickbay, and the good doctor tells Kirk:



Hammy acting that would embarrass day players in a telenovela ensues, and Kirk decides to high tail it around the universe looking for Spock's brain. McCoy helpfully explains that due to Vulcan physiology, Spock can survive without his brain (!) for 24 hours. The crew follows ion trails around for 16 hours, before coming to a system with three class M planets. Kirk holds an informal staff meeting.

First Officer's Brain is Missing Agenda:

1. Review agenda items
2. Give overcooked voiceover about time remaining before Spock's body can no longer function without its brain.
3. Discuss implications of ion trailing and excessive voiceovering only leaving crew with time to visit one planet.
4. Give Uhura something to do (which helpfully, is a suggestion that the least developed planet is emanating strange energy pulses).
5. Play hunch on which planet to visit.
6. Review meeting notes (which includes "develop Starfleet procedures for stolen brains" and "how to not look embarrassed in front of the camera when discussing stolen brains")
7. Adjourn.

Kirk and a landing party beam down, and get attacked by some primitive local inhabitants. Kirk questions one, and because he's Kirk, instantly starts asking where the chicks are. The local doesn't seem to understand the concept of a "mate," (much to the chagrin of the bulge in Kirk's pants) and runs off. Chekov finds a cave, which leads to a buried city. Kirk calls McCoy, who beams down, with Spock, wearing a headset, which allows McCoy to, no shit, move him around by remote control like a Vulcan Roomba.

In the city, they encounter "the others," a bunch of hot chicks in miniskirts and thigh high boots, who have the mentality of small children. Spock's disembodied brain reaches Kirk and company via communicator, but the gal who originally beamed on the Enterprise shows up and renders everyone unconscious (again). When the gang wakes up, they are fitted with silver belts that cause pain when those wearing them don't do what they're told. Kirk asks the hot chick in charge about Spock's brain, and she responds:

"Brain and brain, what is brain?"

It turns out, Spock's brain has been put into a "controller," which is used to regulate the planet's systems, since the race of dimwits here has forgotten how to take care of themselves. And just how did these morons remove a brain? Glad you asked. There's a spiky helmet called "the teacher," which grants the wearer enough temporary brilliance to quickly remove a brain, without leaving a scar or disturbing the haircut. Our heroes make their way to the control room where Spock's brain is being kept, but are stopped by the hot chick in charge, who activates their pain belts. The crew melodramatically rolls around some, but Kirk activates the Vulcan Roomba, and Vegetable Spock grabs the chick's control bracelet, presses a button, and the belts fall off. Hot chick explains the brain removal process, and dons the spiky hat to prove it. Suddenly, she doesn't sound a functionally retarded cast member of "The Real Housewives of Sigma Draconis VI," and points a phaser, (set to kill!) at Kirk. Kirk tries to reason with her, but she's having none of it. Then Scotty pretends to faint -- faint! -- and evidently, the spiky hat only grants so much intelligence, because she falls for it, and Kirk grabs the phaser. She won't restore Spock's brain to the Vulcan Roomba, so McCoy dons the spiky hat and will do the surgery himself. Oddly, someone who was a trained Starfleet doctor before the knowledge transfer can't do the transplant as quickly as a miniskirted rutabaga, and McCoy starts to panic. Fortunately, Spock's vocal cords are connected, so he walks McCoy through the final steps of the procedure, and sits up, instantly healed. Spock then gives a lecture on the history of the planet, and how their genders separated. Kirk tells the hot chick they'll have to tough it out without a brain in the controller, and suggests they go to the surface of the planet to get laid (and take turns using the spiky hat so they're not all morons). Then, he tries to turn Spock "off" using the remote control, and everyone laughs. End.

So, does "Spock's Brain" deserve its reputation? Oh, lord yes it does. Not only is it by far the worst episode of Trek, it may be one of the worst episodes of television I've ever seen. The problem's with Trek's third season were legion. The budget, already tight to begin with, was cut even further. The show was moved to the Friday night "death slot." Because of the late renewal, scripts weren't prepared in advance. (Though to be fair, there were still some outstanding eps produced in this season, even as it was hit and miss overall, and "Spock's Brain" was first out of the gate, leaving little time for developing a quality script). Gene Roddenberry knew that this would be the last season of the show, and basically checked out entirely, leaving things to a new producer. Cast divisions were growing, and some of the series longstanding writers departed for greener pastures. Still, given all that, there's no way something this awful should have even been filmed.

There are some interesting sci-fi concepts here, superficially. A society so run down and used to not thinking for itself that it becomes populated with brain atrophied imbeciles. Gender division that causes a breakdown in planetary growth. A Starfleet officer kidnapped and used for his expertise and mental prowess to save a diminished civilization. But the merging of the three ideas is so haphazard and stupefyingly pasted together that it's an incoherent mess, baked with terrible dialogue and frosted with unnecessarily (even for Trek) overwrought performances. And the resolution? Yes, they get Spock's brain neatly back into his head, and he hops up seconds later with no ill effects. They share a laugh, and basically tell the planet that they are fucked and leave. (Not that brain kidnappers truly deserve any special Starfleet considerations, but still, tonally, it's terrible).

Other than pure camp value, and to see just how bad a legendary and groundbreaking show can be at its rock bottom worst, there is absolutely nothing to recommend here.

"Spock's Brain" Reconsidered: F

Off suicide watch, for now

Well, today's visit from the DirecTV dude was certainly more productive than the previous one. As you will recall, the other guy said there was not much that could be done. This guy, however, was friendly, creative and responsive to the customer and his tremulous DTs and need for his smack beamed down from above. A minor reconfiguration and relocation of the dish, and voila! TV nirvana once again.

In my previous decade plus with DirecTV, I've always had pleasant experiences with field staff. My friend Freebird told me of mixed experiences with them, which surprised me. But in the last couple of years, I've seen that hit and miss quality myself. When I was getting the hook up last year, the first guy said it couldn't be done, yet the second guy worked his ass off to make me happy. Same thing this time. The first guy acted like he would have to put a pole and dish in the middle of the street to make it work (I would have gladly agreed, and told the traffic to just drive the fuck around, cuz we gots priorities), but the gentleman today was willing to do what it takes to keep me happy and find a solution.

All in all, I didn't miss much that I can't catch elsewhere, and as Commentor Scott pointed out in my previous post, thank Crom this didn't happen during season finale week. If it had happened prior to the Lost finale, it would have looked like the Tate-LaBianca murders around these parts.

Hey, I think I'll go watch some TV.

Obama not fit to be President

He didn't know the name of Conan's deity, nor could he answer three "simple" Dune trivia questions. For shame.

I keed, I keed.

Regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum, if you're a nerd, you have to at least be heartened by Big O's proud embrace of his geeky background. (The man gave Leonard Nimoy the Vulcan salute!)

And you'll also enjoy Nerd High Priest John Hodgman's performance at the Radio and Television Correspondents Dinner:



Obviously, I'd feel better about things if the man with the keys to the launch codes knew what a "thumper" was, or the purpose of the "water of life," but at this point, why quibble.

I've decided that I hate trees

Longtime readers might recall the living hell I went through a year or so ago trying to finally get my beloved DirecTV with TivVo connected in the new digs. (Quick sampling here). Long story short:

• Management promised I'd have a perfect view of the sky for the dish.
• Signed papers, had furniture moved from another state.
• Installers came, said my balcony missed the view of the satellite bythismuch.
• Much complaining to everyone.
• Got waiver from management, got a more creative install crew, who installed the dish on a pole 3 stories down and ran the cables up wall and in.
• DirecTV bliss.
• Until Tuesday.

I noticed my signal strength diminishing last weekend, until Tuesday, when it got so low I couldn't get reception at all. Thought it might be the multiswitch. Replaced the multiswitch, and it had no effect. Called for service, and today they come to visit and tell me it wasn't a mechanical problem, but rather a foilage and sightline problem:

click to embiggen

The technician told me there wasn't anything he could do, but that his manager would come out either tomorrow or Tuesday for a second opinion. I'm no satellite expert, but it would seem there could be a few possible solutions:

1. First guy was wrong, and we can get it working without too much trouble.
2. We find a way to trim the branches on the tree in the foreground (how? I have no ladder nor any clippers), and hope the tree across the street isn't the problem.
3. We get a longer pole, and hope raising the height of the dish works.
4. We move the dish to another location, providing we can find one on this tiny copse of grass, with an unobstructed view of the sky, and hope A. management doesn't bitch about it, and B. we can sufficiently bury the cable so that the maintenance crew doesn't chop it half when groundskeeping.
5. I give up and kill myself.
6. I call Comcast and retreat back into the dark ages of dysfunctional and undependable cable and their Commodore Vic 20 ripoff of the real, true god TiVo.
   

Now, seeing as I have 400+ blog labels relating to "television," you might correctly surmise that the tube is VERY FUCKING IMPORTANT. The past few mights, I've watched programs previously recorded. I've watched DVDs. I've read books. I've listened to podcasts. Early this morning, I watched last night's Burn Notice on Hulu (and of course, starting next week, online showings go to a 7 day delay). But this can't go on forever. Despite it being the summer TV season, there's still good and must watch stuff on, not even including news and sports, and all the dinero I paid last year for the privilege of watching the Braves get their asses handed to them nightly via MLB Extra Innings. I did everything the "right" way and played by the book. Taking my television and my TiVo is like taking my air. Or my whiskey. Or my coffee. Or my ciggies. This can go no further. The line must be drawn here.



In searching for that clip, I ran across this one, which is completely unrelated, but just made me giggle:



We'll know in a day or three how this all turns out, but if you see a story on the news (assuming, you haven't been fucked in the ass by the miraculous growth spurts of neighborhood trees and can actually watch TV) about a killing spree, where the perp had a handgun in one fist and a useless satellite dish in the other, you can probably figure out what happened.

Unless of course, the trees read this blog post and decide to get me first. Then I can stare indifferently into space like a constipated monkey, just like Mark Wahlberg.

The apocalypse is nigh

Fortunately, I've already made out a valid will. If you don't see a blog post for a while, someone break in, step over the rotting corpse, and give the cats a good home.

He'll be back, too

Today is the 15 year "anniversary" of the infamous O.J. Simpson white Bronco "chase" that mesmerized and horrified a national viewing audience.

We all know how things turned out for "the Juice."

Since I usually blog about things trivial and geeky, here's the sadly ironic factoid that always seems too impossible to be true:

When James Cameron was developing the original Terminator movie, he initially thought of the unstoppable killing machine from the future as a "normal" looking guy, who could blend in with his targets (much like Robert Patrick would in the sequel). His first choice was Lance Henrickson, with whom he had just worked on Piranha II. The studio vetoed that casting, though Henrickson was added to the film in another role. A second choice was none other than O.J. Simpson, but Cameron did not think "such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer."

Too bad Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese weren't around in Brentwood.

I'll take potpourri for $6,300, Alex

What a real warp capable ship would look like.

TWOP is kicking off the Tubeys!

Torchwood Season 4 is ready to go, after this summer's 5 part miniseries. (I've missed you, Gwen).

Brennan is unlikely to get knocked up on Bones next season. Thank Zeus! After that clusterfuck of a finale, an out of character and preggo Bones might have driven the show from the Season Pass list.

A well crafted and slightly sympathetic "retro review" of Trek's worst movie, The Final Frontier.

A list of the 15 best sci-fi cliffhangers.

Intrepid Dawg Chronicler David Hale took twitter questions for Coach Richt. You'll see a familiar handle on the list of questioners, though sadly, I didn't get the answer I wanted.

Anyone see these pictures of Heather Graham and think of Marty Feldman? (Hint: it's not about her eyes).

Joss tells EW that Dollhouse will be back with a vengeance

Great list of sci-fi composers.

And then the Lord said, "show your cooter to the masses."

Did y'all hear about this fucking freaky Final Destination situation regarding an almost passenger on Air France 447? Spooky.

NPR assembled a list of the least appropriate wedding songs. Jezebel added a few, too.

Anthony Stewart Head talks about Ripper, Merlin and Buffy.

What words to we look up most often on dictionary.com? Related, what words do online readers of the NY Times look up?

Are these the top 10 lines from Ghostbusters (which is doing surprisingly well in my flickchart rankings, BTW. And has Sigourney Weaver ever looked better than in this movie? This "subcreature" will step right up, thankyouverymuch).

Something here rhymes with "funt."

Lita Ford will be played by the "mama" of the Cylons in the new Runaways movie.

Shia LaBouf no longer interested in playing Yorick Brown in the Y: The Last Man movie. Whew, we dodged one there. Not a fit for me at all. Does he bother everyone else? How about Anton Yelchin? Or Joseph Gordon Levitt? Ryan Reynolds, if younger, would have been PERFECT. Also, even moreso than Watchmen, Y is much better suited to an HBO or Showtime miniseries than a movie. If you haven't yet read Y, get thee to a comic book store (or bookstore) NOW.

Are these the 52 best natural racks of all time? And while it's not exactly "natural," enjoy the fact that Xtina doesn't really care for undergarments.

Televisionary chats with Virtuality co-creator Michael Taylor.

Honest network taglines. Hee!

Jezebel ponders the fact that Sienna Miller gets another Vogue cover. Also, modern feminists are very against the concept of "slut shaming." (While I consider myself very pro-feminist, I have mixed feelings about that third wave tenet, for lots of personal reasons and experiences. Still, is it out of bounds to "shame" an English trollop who's very clearly humping and frolicking nakedly for the paparazzi with a married man who has kids back home?) Granted, Sienna was kind of cute on Keen Eddie, but GI Joe looks like a steaming pile of shit.

Very funny "embarrassing celebrity red carpet moments." Just click it and giggle.

11 terminally typecast actors.

Earth gets billion year life extension. Whew. Guess I won't worry too much about driving an SUV or recycling.

A Sophie's Choice about...well...Sophie's Choice (or, yet another vast interweb sinkhole of time)

A couple of weeks ago, I discovered the miraculous, time consuming website called "Flickchart." The concept is simple:

• Two movies pop up on your screen.
• You click on the one you like more, and the system registers your choice.
  
• Two more movies pop up, and you click again. Rinse, repeat.
  
• The system ranks your choices over time.

That's it. Who thought it could be so damned addicting? Well, 4,000+ rankings later, evidently me.

Here's how it looks:



It's a fun little exercise that lets you determine exactly what your favorite movies of all time are.

A few thoughts on the process:

• I guess you can use any subjective judgment you want. Personally, I'm applying the standard of "favorite." Which in my book, is an unscientific amalgamation of "well crafted," "artistically appreciated" and "enjoyably rewatchable" (factored through a prism of "do I own it on DVD?," "do I stop and watch it every time it's on TV?," and "how much have I had to drink?").
• This poses some interesting questions. For example, Requiem for a Dream is without question a stunning piece of cinematic achievement. I own it on DVD. It's (rightfully) critically adored. But would I rather rewatch that than Big Trouble in Little China?
• It's rough going at first. You'll see lots of the same movies over and over again, as the rankings start to pile up.
• You can select "haven't seen it" for one or both of the choices. This does you the favor of creating a list of movies you haven't seen, so the next time you're wandering aimlessly around Netflix or the guide on DirecTV, you can pick out something new with ease. (or, you can continue to ignore the Larry the Cable guy oeuvre, as always).
  
• You'll find out things about yourself, like even though Tom Cruise believes in alien volcano spirits and is a couch jumping punchline, I have a fondness for many more of his movies than I thought I would. (I FLOVE Minority Report, and I don't give a fuck what anyone says, Vanilla Sky is a great goddamned movie).
  
• Some choices are painful and impossible. Animal House or Caddyshack? Godfather or Godfather II? Wrath of Khan or Terminator? Chinatown or Casablanca? Fight Club or Almost Famous? Vertigo or Rear Window? Sleeper or Love and Death?
  
• Sometimes, I'm not sure what's going on with the algorithms. For example, The Big Lebowski was at the top of my rankings for a while, since nothing came up against it in the head to head choices that moved me to select anything other Lebowski. To the best of my recollections, I never picked against it. It was in the #1 slot for a while, then suddenly, without coming up for a head to head, it dropped out of the top 20. Hmmm.
  
• Or, some flicks that you might "mentally" have in your top 10 or top 20, don't come up as frequently as you might want. Or when they do, they come up against an unbeatable choice, like Empire Strikes Back or Raiders of the Lost Ark, and vanish into the ether for a while.
  
• Did I mention it's a huge, but eminently enjoyable, time suck?

You can go pick up the crack pipe at the Flickchart website, here.

You can also compare your choices with your friends, too. If you want to find yours truly, you can do so here. (or, if that doesn't work, my profile is "shanc13")

Hope to see you there.


(Also, someone should really do this with seasons of TV shows).

Pixar's Best Films

I ran across this top 10 list, which is one person's ranking of the Pixar films to date. It's probably a good time to consider the films, since there are now an even 10 out in the marketplace, Up is kicking ass in the theatres, and I've been ODing on showings of Ratatouille and Wall-E on the movie channels lately.

I'll rank only 8, since I haven't yet seen Up, and for some reason, even though I own it on DVD, I've never gotten around to watching Monsters, Inc.

So, TNRLM Best Pixar Films, counting down:

8. A Bug's Life: Nothing against it, but it only scratched the surface of what Pixar could do visually and story wise.

7. Cars: Despite a fondness for Paul Newman and some impressive character design, it didn't quite have the depth and heart of the others.

6. Toy Story: What child didn't wonder if the toys "came to life" when they were out of sight?

5. Finding Nemo: Making everything work in an underwater environment was a miracle of animation.

4. Toy Story 2: In one of those rare "Empire Strikes Back/Aliens" moments, I actually prefer the sequel.

3. Wall-E: The first 40 or so minutes are a masterwork of storytelling, and still the finest moments Pixar has put on film.

2. Ratatouille: So impressive visually (the fur and food, things so difficult to get right, are both just perfect), it has heart and laughs from beginning to end.

1. The Incredibles: Maybe it's just my inner comic book nerd, but this gets my number one slot in a close call. When we speak about the "best comic book movies," The Dark Knight, Iron Man, X-Men 2 and Spider-Man 2 often get thrown around (and with good reason), but The Incredibles, despite not being based on an actual comic book property, deserves to be mentioned in the same breath.

What about y'all? Agree or disagree?

TNRLM Emmy Shortlist: Drama Series

Even though Battlestar Galactica was still one of the best shows on TV, and had many stellar episodes as it wound down, including “Blood on the Tracks” and “Someone to Watch Over Me,” I’m considering this nomination more of a “lifetime achievement award” than a pure recognition of the final season’s overall quality, since the series finale was such a letdown. Don’t get me wrong, “Daybreak” was about 90% there, and a beautiful and thematically fitting capper to a thoughtful, challenging and unrelenting reinvention of TV sci-fi. But months later, there are still too many loopholes and copouts that nag at me to call it “perfect.” You can’t please all of the people all of the time, and Ron Moore ended the show the way he wanted to, and for that, we should appreciate his vision and save the quibbles and debate for blog posts and message boards, and thank the gods we were able to enjoy as many years of this masterpiece as we did. So say we all.

This season, Big Love finally found the right “calibration” to elevate it to the level of TV’s best dramas. It had the menace and laughable lunacy of the compound again, but only in smaller, more effective doses. We had Bill’s harebrained marital and business schemes, but they didn’t overwhelm the fundamental reason why Big Love is so damned good – the complicated and interdependent relationships between the three sister wives. Each had an involving and juicy throughline this season: Barb, who struggled with her faith and her church, in addition to having a health scare; Margene, who lost her mother and realized a growing sense of independence; and Nicki, who is always involved in something juicy (this year, it was plotting with and then against her father, carrying on a quasi affair and then discovering her ex husband and child had returned from exile). Yes, there were other twists and turns for the Henricksons this year, including expanding their gaming business to a casino, daughter Sarah getting pregnant and then miscarrying, Joey tragically losing his new wife and even a kidnapping by the demented Hollis Greene, but it was the trials and tribulations of the three wives, and their relationships with each other, that give this show its heart.

There’s no way you can describe In Treatment to someone who hasn’t seen it and make it sound sexy and compelling. “Well, it’s about a troubled shrink who sees four different patients and then goes for a session with his own therapist. Each episode is usually two people in a single room talking about their problems for 30 minutes.” WOW, right? No robots, no vampires, no smoke monsters and no superheroes. Then why is it so damned watchable? ACTING. With the exception of one session (whose primary problem didn’t really hook me, and featured the issues divided, to the detriment of the segment, among three family members vs. a single patient) every single performer on this season made my Emmy Shortlist. The quality of the acting (and the writing, and in a low key way, the directing) was consistently excellent, and it would be hard to find that level of sustained performing brilliance on 35 episodes elsewhere.

All the splashing around in the time space continuum in season five of Lost may have confused or alienated some viewers, but I loved it. Whether or not it was all “worth it” won’t be known until the end game is played out, but I can’t ever recall a show giving us a never ending stream of WTF moments like Lost: They’re in 1977! Sawyer and Juliet! There’s a nuclear bomb! Ben’s at the dock with Des and Penny! Locke hangs himself! No he doesn’t! Ben strangles him! Sayid shoots young Ben! We’re not going to Guam! Dan’s mom shoots him! There’s Jacob! There he is again! Let’s blow the nuke! White screen of WHAT?! The thing about Lost is, despite all the genre trappings and knock you off the couch moments, it’s still all about the characters, who are splendidly written and acted, and not even the last hour return of the accursed “quadrangle” can diminish the fun we had on and off the island this year.

How in the world did HBO pass on this show? Last year’s freshmen sensation showed zero signs of a sophomore slump, and continued to establish its credentials as one of the great TV shows of all time. Every moment, every script, every visual, every performance and every detail of the era are so perfectly realized, you feel like you’ve traveled back in time (without the aid of a magical island). On the surface, Mad Men didn’t have the crazy, twisting plot elements that many of the best shows of the past year did, but the smaller, more human complications faced by the characters inhabiting the Sterling Cooper universe were no less involving. When a tense dinner scene, a missing dog, a trip to the stables, or a poolside party can be just as riveting as a spectacular space battle for the future of the human race or the detonation of a nuclear bomb, you know you’re watching a work of art that’s no ordinary show.

At the end of the last season, Rescue Me had gone so far off the tracks I didn’t even know if I would keep it in my TiVo season pass list. But some time off, abetted by the WGA strike, obviously gave the powers that be time to recharge and refocus, because Rescue Me came galloping out of the gate and hasn’t let up since. Everything we love about the show has come back in spades: human frailty and strength, forged in the rubble of the twin towers. Barbed, witty and profane male bonding. Sharply drawn characters, given a life of their own by outstanding performances. Writing that can make you guffaw one second, and then turn on a dime into something dark, disturbing and reflective. Sexual games and farce that feels straight out of a Blake Edwards movie. And that’s not even mentioning Michael J. Fox’s award-worthy turn as a pill popping, wheelchaired force of nature who is dating Tommy Gavin’s ex-wife Janet. Rescue Me may not be for everyone, but it’s certainly proven it deserves a place on this list this year.

Emmy Shortlist: Drama Lead Actors

TNRLM Shortlist: Lead Actor/Drama

Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment: It’s a shame this show doesn’t attract more viewers, because those who aren’t watching are missing a master class in acting from all involved. It takes special talent to make watching two people sitting on a single set talking for 30 minutes riveting television, but that’s what In Treatment is. Byrne, given more to play with this year than last, was spectacular, and made “listening” into an art form.

Jeffrey Donovan, Burn Notice: Several shows featured charismatic leads anchoring enjoyable procedurals (including Nathan Fillion on Castle and Simon Baker on The Mentalist), but Burn Notice really upped its game in the second season, and went from popcorn munching summer fun to must watch, thanks mainly to Donovan’s portrayal of outcast spy Michael Weston (good scripts and a fabulous supporting cast also helped). Donovan was also great in USA’s little seen and underappreciated remake of Touching Evil several years ago, so how about a little overdue recognition?

Michael C. Hall, Dexter: Hall has created one of TV’s most enjoyable and fascinating characters, a sympathetic serial killer. Though he can propel the show all on his own, it was great watching him in a cat and mouse game with Jimmy Smits in season three.



Jon Hamm, Mad Men: Season two of Mad Men gave us lots of Don Draper to appreciate. From his professional machinations with the Sterling Cooper crowd and obnoxious comic Jimmy Barrett (and his wife) to his existential time on the west coast, Hamm gave subtle shadings to a character who shows little on the outside, but has everything going on on the inside.

Josh Holloway, Lost: With his nicknames and bad boy behavior, Sawyer has long been one of the best things about Lost. Last season, however, Holloway got to play another side of everyone’s favorite conman, as “Jim LaFleur” attempted to build a new life for himself back in the 1970s era Dharma Initiative. His doomed relationship with the equally Emmy-worthy Elizabeth Mitchell was a highlight of a terrific season five.

Hugh Laurie, House: Yeah, the overall show has slipped a bit, but Laurie continues to bring the brilliance week after week, and it’s inconceivable that he hasn’t taken home a gold statue yet.


Denis Leary, Rescue Me: No show benefited from a break more than Rescue Me, which had fallen into a serious ditch, quality wise. But this year, it’s come roaring back with better scripts and inspired casting (including Michael J. Fox as Janet’s antagonistic new boyfriend), and fantastic lead performance from Leary. He handles the laugh out loud comedy and trips to the dramatic dark side with equal aplomb, and should be recognized for helping rescue Rescue Me.

TNRLM Shortlist: Lead Actress/Drama

Ginnifer Goodwin, Big Love: Big Love enjoyed its best season yet, and much of the credit has to go to the actresses who played the Henrickson wives, all of whom I’ve put on this list. Goodwin’s Margene dealt with the death of her mother, and the youngest sister-wife began to blossom as she started her own home shopping network career. Denial and ambition made an adorable package this year for Margene.

January Jones, Mad Men: Betty Draper took an interesting voyage on the second season of Mad Men, as she experimented with the power of her own allure and independence. Jones was up to the challenge, giving the audience a compelling view of a woman trapped in a difficult situation in a very different era.


Mary McDonnell, Battlestar Galactica: How is it even possible that McDonnell has never been nominated for one of the most iconic female roles in all of science fiction? Oh yeah, it’s “science fiction.” Despite the disturbing lack of attention given to extraordinary performances in “genre” programming, McDonnell deserves kudos for breathing life into a complicated character, and I could watch her “I’m coming for all of you!” scene over and over.

Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men: It was tough to be an ambitious career gal in the Mad Men era, as Moss’s nuanced and intelligent performance constantly reminds us. While she was great all year long, Moss should be on the Emmy list if only for her scene with Pete in the season finale. Great stuff.


Chloe Sevigny, Big Love: All the sister wives got compelling storylines this past year, and Sevigny was no exception. Nicki lived a double life, spied for her treacherous father, got caught taking birth control pills, reconciled with her slimy brother Alby and had to deal with the return of her abusive first husband and little seen daughter. Amazingly enough, Sevigny created sympathy for a character that on the surface would seem to engender little.

Jeanne Tripplehorn, Big Love: Concluding the Big Love troika is Tripplehorn, who masterfully took Barb Henrickson through a monumental crisis of faith and questionable commitment to “living the principle” in her plural marriage. Her performance was delicate, true and heartbreaking.