Posts Tagged ‘ 2012 emmys ’

2012 Emmys Recap!


So…that just happened. Can I be honest? Between late July and now, my interest level in the Emmys have dropped considerably. Like I came into this ceremony not really caring about…anything. I suppose that’s a good thing because there were one too many “wasted wins”. So…congrats you rich celebs! Let’s just go through this…THE GOOD, THE BAD, and THE UGLY!

THE GOOD

  • The following wins: Damian Lewis (I was hoping Bryan Cranston would make history but Lewis was my second choice and it’s nice seeing an underdog win), Homeland (again, I was technically rooting for Breaking Bad, but, by golly, this was a spectacular first season and I’m glad something beat Mad Men this year. Proud of the cast and crew.)
  • I actually liked the opening video. It was kind of cool seeing a nominated actress pop up, one after the other. Seeing a nude Lena Dunham eat cake in a stall was…interesting. And I did have a pretty big LOL moment when Heidi, Howie, Tom, Ryan and Jeff popped up said they would host the show. It wasn’t as great as Jane Lynch’s last year. And it doesn’t even come close to the likes of Jimmy Fallon’s or Conan O’Brien’s…but I guess I have to appreciate the fact that Jimmy didn’t piggyback off those past hosts and do a song or put himself in other shows. It was a short and sweet opening.
  • Louis CK winning two Emmys. That was nice. He won his first Emmy for writing which was a slight disappointment considering I thought the script he submitted was pretty weak compared to some of the others. But Louie CK writes every episode on his show so I’ll say this Emmy represents his solid work along the season. I’m just glad he walked away with an Emmy. It would have been tragic if he had been snubbed this year.
  • Sofia Vergara happily chanting “BRAVO!!” to her co-star Julie Bowen after she won, showing how great of a sport Vergara is. I suspect her time will come soon.
  • During the “Best Direction in a Comedy Series” clip package, the directors are asked who make the best directors. Lena Dunham’s “Jewish Men?” had me chuckle.
  • Despite the fact that I was pretty angry with Modern Family dominating again, their clip package involving a badass Lily was funny. Funniest quip: “Can anyone understand what [Sofia Vergara's] saying?”
  • Melissa McCarthy going over the Lead Actors in a Comedy Series (Alec Baldwin has great chest hair, Jim Parsons is smooth like a baby.) She’s such a funny lady on such an unfunny TV show!

THE BAD

  • The following wins: Eric Stonestreet (although his slight pro-gay rights message was appreciated), Julie Bowen (which means Kristen Wiig has ZERO Emmys for her work on SNL. ZERO!!!), Steve Levitan for Directing in a Comedy Series, Modern Family (so, yeah, pretty much anything having to do with Modern Family), Jon Cryer (although his utter disbelief didn’t make the whole moment seem too terrible), Maggie Smith (she’s excellent on Downton Abbey, but in such a strong year for supporting actresses, did she really need another Emmy?), Kevin Costner (Really? Really.),

THE UGLY

  • Last year’s Emmys was so great because they had these beautifully edited clip packages for all the actors nominated. This year, they had nothing for the comedy actors, and barely anything for the drama/Movie actors. C’mon! Remind us one last time why these actors are great!

AND THE OUTSTANDING

  • The following wins: Aaron “Freakin’” Paul!!! (Deserved a second win through and through! I love how passionate and intense his speeches are. As great as Esposito is, I don’t think he should win just because his character dies), Claire Danes (“Mandy Patinkin. HOLLA!”), Julianna Moore (and pretty much all the love Game Change got was fantastic)
  • Y’know, I was really rooting for Amy Poehler to finally get a golden baby, but I absolutely adore Veep and I think Julia Louis Dreyfuss was still deserving. That little skit she created with Amy Poehler was hilarious and genius and was definitely the brightest moment of the entire night. Amy Poehler continues to have such a great attitude despite her continual losses. Let’s cross our fingers for next year.
  • Again, Jon Stewart’s 10th win was pretty disappointing. What made it better was Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert pulling Stewart back to prevent him from getting on the stage. And what followed was a pretty earnest speech from Stewart, giving props to all the other nominees in particular. I don’t think Jon Stewart should pull a “Candice Bergen” and drop out of the race, but I really hope next year someone new can win. I hope this every year and it never happens!

Overall, I can’t say this was a great Emmy night. It was so-so. Some great funny little bits, a couple deserving winners, a few undeserving ones. Jimmy Kimmel was a fun host, but I think he could have been better. But…who am I kidding? I’m just glad this is all over! Goodnight!

2012
09/24
CATEGORY
awards
breaking bad
ceremony
drama
emmy awards
emmys
nominations
predictions
recap
reflection
review
television
tv
Leave a comment

FINAL 2012 EMMY PREDICTIONS + Reviewing the Comedy Series and Drama Series nominations


For more Emmy discussion, visit my Emmy page.

First things first, I want to apologize for kind of forgetting about this blog for the last few weeks. The truth is, I have just begun my senior year of college, and I haven’t had much time to even speculate over the Emmys. I was really hoping I would do more categories this year. I even watched all the nominees for Animated Program and Voice Over Program…but I simply didn’t have the energy to finish what I started. I’m happy that I at least covered all the “major” categories. That was my main goal. So…no regrets…but still disappointed.

So this will be my final post before the big night(s), so I’m just going to squish everything on one page. Let’s start with figuring who I think will win. In my “Reviewing the Nominees” posts, I only revealed who I thought SHOULD win. Now is the time to buck up and make real objective predictions. Let’s do this!:

(Of course, I won’t be predicting anything from the Creative Arts Emmys because those are taking place as I type this. Again…sorry!)

Movie/Minseries - I think the political drama Game Change will prevail. It’s a short movie that most voters have probably seen.

Lead Actor in a Movie - I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Bill Paxton will win for Hatfields & McCoys beating his more famous co-star, the same way Barry Pepper beat Greg Kinnear last year. (Bill Paxton gave the stronger performance of the two the same way Pepper did.)

Lead Actress in a Movie – Julianna Moore all the way.

Supporting Actor in a Movie - Hm…I think Ed Harris will take this for Game Change as well…

Supporting Actress in a Movie – I want it to be Sarah Paulson so bad but…Jessica Lange has been the front runner since she won the Golden Globe earlier this year.

I pretty much also think Game Change will take awards for Writing and Directing.

Lead Actor in a Drama Series - Bryan Cranston (6 for 6, baby! 6 for 6!)

Lead Actress in a Drama Series - This is Claire Danes to lose. If both Jon Hamm and Elizabeth Moss couldn’t win last year, I don’t think either of them have a chance this year.

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series - Nope. Not Giancarlo. It’s gonna be Aaron Paul all the way. I can feel it. I can feel it in my loins.

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series - Downton Abbey can’t walk away empty handed, so I think Maggie Smith will unfortunately beat Christina Hendricks.

Directing for a Drama Series - The Emmys love pilots, which is why I’m tempted to go with Homeland…but Breaking Bad’s “Face Off” was the most talked about episode of the year.

Writing for a Drama Series - What a toughie. I’m going to have to go with… the Homeland pilot. 

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - Louis CK is well respected in Hollywood, but after Jim Parsons beat Steve Carell last year…it would be silly not to predict him again.

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - Amy Poehler’s not going to win. Let’s just prepare for it now. The plucky Zooey Deschanel wouldn’t be such a bad pick however.

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series - Jesse Tyler Ferguson from Modern Family. He had a stand out year, and I think voters will eventually want the whole cast to win.

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series - I only have one more chance to do this…so I might as well do it now: Kristen Wiig

Directing for a Comedy Series - Louis CK. He can’t go home empty handed again. I think this will be the category where he will prevail.

Writing for a Comedy Series - Lena Dunham for the same reason I had for Louie CK.

The Amazing Race and The Daily Show will win their respective categories for the billionth year.

For the full nominees for all these categories, plus more detailed takes on the categories (along with my choices as to who SHOULD WIN…visit my EMMY PAGE.

OK! The next (and more important) part of this post is my views of the Drama Series and Comedy Series nominations.

Here are the nominees for Best Drama Series:

Boardwalk Empire

Mad Men

Game of Thrones

Breaking Bad

Homeland

Downton Abbey

Who Should Win: Of these nominees, there are four shows I love and watch, and two shows I care little about. While I recognize that Game of Thrones and Boardwalk Empire are beautiful, well made, well written shows with dedicated fan bases (particularly GoT)…the shows have never really caught my interest. BE is just a little too slow for my taste…the exciting moments are too far in between. And, more than anything, the subject matter never initially interested me…and sadly the show didn’t make me more interested. As for GoT…I’ve never really been a fan of genre television. It’s not my style. So I can’t pretend I’d be happy if either of these shows won.

I have to admit, I’ve grown to love Downton Abbey. I know I was quite ambivalent about the show during the 1st season…and I wouldn’t say the 2nd season is BETTER…but the 2nd season definitely, for some reason, made me understand what has drawn people to the show. I STILL think Mildred Pierce is a much better program…but I genuinely do enjoy this show and I am so looking forward to the 3rd season (which I will be watching tomorrow…no matter what…not waiting for PBS). On the other hand, Mad Men is a show I’ve always liked, that gets better and better with every season. Season 5 was just so amazing with stand out episode after the other. I still don’t think Mad Men is the best drama on TV…and I never have. But I appreciate the show for at least improving, something even the best shows fail to do…

Homeland was the surprise hit of the season…and I was certainly surprised at how much I loved show and how engaged I was while watching the episodes. I never thought I would love a military thriller…but this show definitely caught my attention. I’m very glad it got all the attention it did. However…it’s been too long…Breaking Bad has to win. It was the most talked about show last year. And I feel like so many people discovered this show and watched it from the beginning because of the sheer awesomeness of this season. It would be a shame in 10 years to look back and realize that we never awarded this great drama. We’re doing it right now with The Wire. Let’s not make the same mistake with Breaking Bad.

Last Good Wife shout out: The Good Wife is better than all these shows.

Who Will Win: Mad Men. Sigh…just…sigh.

Here are the nominees for Best Comedy Series: 

30 Rock

Modern Family

The Big Bang Theory

Girls

Veep

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Who Should Win: This is a category that always pisses a lot of people off. It just shows how strong the comedies are lately. We truly are living in a golden age. However…I will confidently say that I would replace Modern Family, Big Bang Theory and Girls with Parks and Recreation, New Girl, and Louie among others. Sorry! Just sayin’. Girls had a really solid first season. I truly did look forward to new episodes…and I’m looking forward to the next season. But Lena Dunham is still a very green writer and actor. I just feel like voters, in nominating this show, were rewarding the young person’s accomplishments and not the actual product. Girls was simply not among the top 6 this year. Plain fact. The other two shows are similarly overrated. I used to LOVE The Big Bang Theory…I still really like it. But (kill me) I truly believe 2 Broke Girls has more heart and funnier jokes (neither shows deserve recognition…but if a multi-camera sitcom had to win…) And Modern Family is cute…but it’s not terribly edgy and there’s very little development. I hope they step it up next year.

30 Rock is my favorite show but it’s won 3 times…so I don’t really need to see it win again. I mean, I would be happy for the show…but I don’t think it’s a necessary win. At this point, people aren’t going to like the show any more or less. The same technically could be said for Curb…but the show HAS NEVER won. And, as someone who has started getting into the show, I think it would be cool if they finally did. I mean, “Palestinian Chicken” is just a perfect 30 minutes of television. However, my vote would definitely go to Veep, a thoroughly underrated show that cracks me up every third line spoken. I just don’t know how they come up with such funny dialogue and situations. If an Emmy win means more people will give this gem a chance, then I am ALL FOR IT.

Who Will Win: Modern Family.

So…that’s as much as I can do. I’ll see you all next week and I definitely plan on recapping the ceremony and reviewing the winners and all that jazz. Thanks for reading!

 

2012
09/15
CATEGORY
30 rock
awards
breaking bad
drama
emmy awards
emmys
nominations
predictions
reflection
review
snubbed
television
the good wife
tv
Leave a comment

Reviewing the 2012 Emmy Nominees #30 (Casting Categories) + a Review of Lifetime’s “Five”


For more Emmy discussion, visit my Emmy page.

Here are the nominees for Casting for a Drama Series:

Boardwalk Empire

Downton Abbey

Mad Men

The Good Wife

Homeland

Game of Thrones

Who Should Win: I think we all know what show I’m rooting for: The Good Wife. The show casts so many different actors and they play so many different characters. I suppose you could say the same for the other shows – shows that are all “ensemble heavy” pieces. But…The Good Wife is my favorite drama show that was devastatingly snubbed for Best Drama Series, yet still managed the snag six acting nominations, so…yeah, this is the show that I want to see win.

Who Will Win: Shot in the dark? I think this will be an award Downton Abbey will get.

Here are the nominees for Casting for a Comedy Series:

Modern Family

Girls

Nurse Jackie

The Big C

New Girl

Veep

Who Should Win: What’s The Big C doing here? I thought voters were done with this show? Anyway, any show that gives Tony Hale and Anna Chlumsky a job gets my vote. So…Veep it is! New Girl is at a close second, mostly because Jake Johnson and Max Greenfields were good finds.

Who Will Win: I’m guessing that Modern Family will in it again this year after losing to Glee last year. Again, New Girl is at a close second for its very likable cast.

 

Here are the nominees for Casting for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special:

Who Should Win: Let’s talk about Five(SPOILER ALERT) for a moment because I think this is a great TV Movie that was, in my opinion, under-awarded  this Emmy season. How does a program that gets nominations for the Director’s Guild and the Writer’s Guild get only one nomination for Casting. (Although I am a little disgusted that on the official poster, they credit the celebrity directors as opposed to the less famous stars of the show so…maybe voters share my slight disgust). In that case, this movie deserved more, particularly for its performances. Even though the pickings are getting slimmer, I really wish “TV Movie” and “Miniseries” were separated again because I believe this movie would have been able to squeeze into the category the same way Why I Wore Lipstick to my Mastectomy  did a few years back (also a Lifetime movie.) But instead, this movie will walk away from their award season criminally unrewarded.

This movie is separated into 5 segments – different stories revolving around “breast cancer”. This first part takes place in the 50′s or 60′s and it revolves around a little girl named Pearl (Ava Acres) who slowly learns that her mother (Ginnfer Goodwin) has cancer and will be dying soon. From mostly the eyes of the little girl, this is a weirdly subdued, yet beautiful way to begin the movie. Pearl grows up to be an oncologist (Jeanne Tripplehorn) and deals with women who have the disease. The second part follows Mia (Patricia Clarkson), a business woman type who finds out she has stage 4 cancer (she jokes that “Stage 5″ would be death, which might be another allusion to the film’s name). She plans a fake funeral and deals with her husband leaving her with a depressing sort of humor. In the end, she finds out she’s cancer free against all odds. Patricia Clarkson gives a very dry performance (in a good way) throughout.

The third part is honestly my favorite part of the entire movie. It revolves around Cheyanne (Lyndsy Fonseca), an exotic dancer and her husband Billy (Taylor Kinney). When Billy discovers a lump on her breasts, she goes to a check up and learns that she does have breast cancer, and that a mastectomy would be her best option for survival. Although at first she’s reluctant to get the procedure, believing it would ruin her job and her marriage, her husband strongly encourages her to get the procedure. The last scene of the part really strikes a chord with me. Billy shaves his head to support his wife (earlier Cheyanne defends her position to not get the procedure by quipping that Billy freaks out when someone cuts his hair wrong) and they both decide to have a baby after the chemo. The last scene shows Billy slowly taking off Cheyanne’s robe, revealing the effects of the mastectomy. It’s a painfully romantic (and painful!!!) scene that stands out months after I have seen the film. It’s refreshing to see the husband actually supportive (I don’t know why a husband would choose his wife’s breasts over her life…like that episode of Grey’s Anatomy).

The fourth part revolves around Lili (Rosario Dawson) and how she deals with the news of her breast cancer with her sister (Tracee Ellis Ross) and her overbearing mother (Jenifer Lewis). Besides the wonderful performances, I also like how we saw a glimpse of a man with the disease (in this case, Jeffrey Tambor). I wish they would have dug deeper in that story. But, otherwise, this was a great, somewhat humorous, part.

The last part goes back to Pearl who learns that, after dealing with patients with breast cancer, she herself has breast cancer. In the first part earlier in the film, the people around young Pearl try really heard to keep her mother’s secret from her. In the present, adult Pearl doesn’t want to lie to her daughter, so the bulk of the film deals with her trying to find a way to tell her young daughter. She does, and, after five years, survives the disease and celebrates with the other characters of the film. One person is noticeably absent from this get together…and that is Cheyanne (although her husband and their daughter show up), which was a huge shock and definitely made me teary eyed. The movie never explicitly says it, but it’s implied that she doesn’t survive which is definitely sad, but it’s honestly the right decision the director made because in reality, not everyone survives. And what was really shocking was that it seemed like she would be the least likely to die (she had the most seemingly definitive treatment). But it happened…and I think the way it was revealed was beautifully subtle. In a channel where movies tend to be over dramatic and soapy, this movie was surprisingly subtle, well acted and beautifully crafted. It’s one of the best TV Movies I’ve seen lately.

Jeanne Tripplehorn certainly deserved to get a Lead Actress nomination over any of the nominees except Julianna Moore. And I think   any of the other actresses would have been deserving as a supporting actress (Patricia Clarkson should have submitted there). But, alas, this is the only nomination the movie got. With a large laundry list of familiar faces coming together to spread this message and awareness, I strongly believe Five deserves this award.

Who Will Win: However, in the end, the movie doesn’t seem to have enough support so I think Game Change will come out on top. The casting people did a good job of finding actors to fill the roles of the real political figures so, to that credit, this would still be a deserving win.

 

2012
08/20
CATEGORY
awards
movie
nominations
predictions
recap
reflection
review
snubbed
television
the good wife
tv
3 comments

Reviewing the 2012 Emmy Nominees #29 (Choreography)


For more Emmy discussion, visit my Emmy page.

Here are the nominees for Choreography:

Stacy Tookey – So You Think You Can Dance (In this Shirt / Turning Tables / Heart Asks For Pleasure First)

Christopher Scott – So You Think You Can Dance (Misty Blue / Velocity)

Spencer Liff – So You Think You Can Dance (Whatever Lola Wants / Please Mr. Jailer / Where Do I Begin)

Joshua Bergasse – Smash (National Pastime / Let’s Be Bad / Never Met a Wolf)

Travis Wall, Teddy Forance, and Nick Lazzarini – Dancing With the Stars (Without You)

Who Should Win: This is another fun category I love doing! In the case of So You Think You Can Dance, especially, it’s so much fun to relive the dances from last season. Some of you are probably wondering why I haven’t been recapping this current season of the show. The truth is, in the beginning, I was planning on doing it…but I simply don’t have the passion for the show anymore. I still watch it and enjoy it (although the last episode where they rehashed old Mia Michael routines was pretty awful), but I’m sort of fed up with the new rules and the judges and some of the dancers chosen for the top 20 (cough cough Cyrus). So…for this year at least, I’m not going to kill myself over the show.

Anyway, in 5th is Christopher Scott who gets a big FAIL for not submitting his strongest dance of that season (“Ain’t no sunshine“). If he had submitted that dance he actually probably would have been number 1 on my list. Instead he has two good, but not great, routines up. In 4th is Stacy Tookey. “In This Shirt” was a little “too much” for me (like too much unnecessary movement), but I do think her other dances are wonderful, particularly “Heart” which centers around two housewives who are trapped in their homes. She’s still a “poor man’s Mia Michaels,” but she tries and I appreciate her effort. This is her third nomination in a row!

Another thing Smash accomplished that Glee never could do is get a nomination for Choreography. I found a lot of the choreography on the show very impressive and slick (one example is during the “National Pastime” number where Marilyn sings that “baseball diamonds” are a girl best friends and the back ground baseball player dancers fashion a diamond out of baseball bats). It’s not as deep and emotional as the other numbers…but it’s not supposed to be! Joshua Bergasse really kills it.

It’s weird seeing really good choreography on the gimmick that is Dancing with the Stars, but Travis Wall and co. really brought it with this beautiful, ethereal piece. If this dance wins, I’ll consider it a victory really for SYTYCD because most (if not all) the dancers who contributed are alums of the show (including recent winner Melanie Moore). However, I actually think Spencer Liff should come up on top. “Whatever Lola Wants” doesn’t do much for me, honestly, but his other two dances were among the best of that season. “Please Mister Jailer” featured two criminally underrated dancers doing a bunch awesome, sensual tricks around a prison cell, while “Where Do I Begin” centers around a secret relationship involving a dance teacher and his student. Both dances are crazy amazing, subtle, sexy, and incredibly powerful. I’m glad these somewhat under the radar dances got nominated and I hope they win!

Who Will Win: After three years, I think Stacy Tookey will finally win. Watch out for Travis Wall and co. Voters love big company dances.

2012
08/18
CATEGORY
awards
emmy awards
emmys
music
nominations
predictions
reflection
review
so you think you can dance
sytycd
television
tv
1 comment

Reviewing the 2012 Emmy Nominees #28 (Music and Lyrics)


For more Emmy discussion, visit my Emmy page.

Here are the nominees for Original Music and Lyrics:

“Let Me Be Your Star” (Smash) – Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman

“It’s Not Just For Gays Anymore” (65th Annual Tony Awards) – Adam Schlesinger and David Javerbaum

“I Can’t Believe I’m Hosting” (Saturday Night Live – Jason Segel) – Eli Brueggermann, Seth Meyers, and John Mulaney (Not on Youtube)

“Welcome Back to Hope” (Raising Hope – Prodigy) – Matthew W. Thompson

“The Heart of Christmas” (The Heart of Christmas) – Matthew West

Who Should Win: See how strong this category can look when it’s not filled with Lonely Island raps? There are even some legitimate, serious songs in this mix (as opposed to those funny, joke songs that usually crowd the category). In 5th would be “I Can’t Believe I’m Hosting”. It’s a very funny sketch and the Muppets do a great job with it…but it’s not the pinnacle of songwriting excellence.

It’s tough for me to do this but “It’s Not Just For Gays Anymore” makes my fourth position. It’s an incredibly hilarious, clever song. And it was a great way to open the ceremony. I dunno…I’m just not feeling it as much as the top 3.

Matthew West is the only nominee who actually performs the song he wrote. First and foremost, it’s pretty noble that voters were able to notice this Christian song for a small Christian movie from a “little known about” Christian network. I don’t know how the voters were able to find it but I’m glad they did. I discovered a new song to add to my Christmas playlist. I just…wish that more Christians were more accepting of different people (not tolerant, but full-fledged “acceptance”). But, whatevs, this isn’t the time for that (I just bring it up because this Christian song is in the same category as a song about “gay people”…and that Candance Cameron Bure who stars in the movie The Heart of Christmas is a Chick-Fil-A Supporter). OK! I’m done!

Smash DID achieve something that Glee never could – it was nominated for the Original Music category. “Let Me Be Your Star” is a lovely, powerful song with great vocals by Katherine McPhee and Megan Hilty. But…my vote goes to “Welcome Back Hope”. At about less than 2 minutes, the song is the shortest of the bunch, but, in my opinion, has the most heart. And it’s impressive that Thompson was able to squeeze in so many clever lyrics in such a compact song. I think the song also strikes a chord with me because, while the song is mostly centered around the character Hope, it’s also a song that allows us to think about our own lives and how we’ve grown up and about our life as little kids. The song has everything. It’s cute. It’s funny. And Kate Micucci does a great job performing it with a ukulele accompaniment. Vote for it!

Who Will Win: I think the voters want something really funny so I think “It’s Not Just For Gays Anymore” will ultimately prevail. The song was performed by Neil Patrick Harris and it’s about how theatre is uh…not just for gays anymore!

2012
08/18
CATEGORY
awards
emmy awards
emmys
music
nominations
predictions
reflection
review
saturday night live
SNL
television
tonys
tv
2 comments

Reviewing the 2012 Emmy Nominees #27 (Main Title Categories)


For more Emmy discussion, visit my Emmy page.

Here are the nominees for Outstanding Main Title Design:

American Horror Story

Great Expectations (Can’t find on Youtube)

Magic City (Can’t find on Youtube)

Strike Back

New Girl

Who Should Win: Never hearing of the show before, I was quite surprised by how utterly gorgeous Strike Back’s theme was. The music. The fiery hew. The shadowed figures. So terribly lovely. However…I gotta pick New Girl. It was short. It was sweet. It was funny. The song was catchy (I know there’s a separate category for that but still…). And it would be cool if my favorite new comedy didn’t walk away completely empty handed. I think AHS’s is too overwhelming. Great Expectation‘s was simply too boring. Magic City would have been better if it had been shorter. The whole thing with the swimmers got boring and monotonous after a while.

On a side note: I’m so glad that there are some shows still making there. Some shows have downgraded to just a simply title card. Why?

Who Will Win: You know what? I think New Girl will win this. I think the opening is the most different from the five and the voters might find it refreshing.

Here are the nominees for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music:

Touch

Great Expectations (Can’t find on Youtube)

Page Eight 

Homeland

Hell on Wheels

Who Should Win: That was a fun three minutes! I mean, they’re all good. I’m not particularly passionate about any of the choices. Great Expectations has a nice deep, dramatic score that’s somewhat haunting. I never much cared for Homeland‘s opening, or even really their music. It’s just too messy. Page Eight has a nice jazzy thing going for them. I think I liked Hell on Wheels’ ragged country score the best. I couldn’t help but tap my toes to the beat. It almost reminded me of Justified‘s.

Who Will Win: Probably Great Expectations.

2012
08/18
CATEGORY
awards
emmy awards
emmys
music
nominations
predictions
reflection
review
television
tv
1 comment

Reviewing the 2012 Emmy Nominees #26 (Commercial)


For more Emmy discussion, visit my Emmy page.

Here are the nominees for Outstanding Commercial:

Volkswagen – “The Bark Side”

Volkswagen – “The Dog Strikes Back”

Chrysler Brand – “It’s Halftime in America”

Target – “Color Changes Everything”

Procter & Gamble - “Best Job”

Who Should Win: I love this category. It’s like watching five really short mini movies. Overall, I’m not too crazy about the Volkswagen commercials. The “Dog Strikes Back” was very strange and it seemed like two different things were going on. The Bark Side was cute, I suppose. But…I don’t get what it had to do with cars.

The Chrysler commercial is definitely well made and I liked the whole “half time” concept used in football and in real life. I thought it was a little over blown TBH, and it didn’t have the same raw power as last year’s Eminem commercial. Maybe it’s just that this commercial has been parodied so many times, I can’t take it very seriously anymore. Shrug!

The Target commercial was very cute and…well…colorful. However, my hat tips for Procter & Gamble for bringing out the water works. The commercial may be seen as a little sexist, but I feel like “house moms” and traditional home makers aren’t taken seriously anymore (by both dumb men and feminists to be honest). I think it’s noble that this commercial details that being a parent is “job” enough. And, there’s also an inspirational hook as we watch athletes from when they’re little kids to full on Olympians. They even featured a male volleyballer, which is quite sick in my opinion.

Who Will Win: Voters seem to like the Chrysler commercials (the Eminem one won last year), so I’d have to say Chrysler‘s the front runner right now. But with the Olympics still on everyone’s brain, I think the Olympic-themed commercial has a very strong shot.

2012
08/18
CATEGORY
awards
emmy awards
emmys
nominations
predictions
reflection
review
television
tv
1 comment

Reviewing the 2012 Emmy Nominees #23 (Lead Actress in a Drama Series)


For the next few weeks, I’ll be reviewing the nominees in the major categories. When it comes to the performers in comedy or drama series, I will be discussing their episode submissionsas well as their performance on the show as a whole. There are some shows I haven’t really watched; so in some situations, the only way I’ll be able to judge a performer is by the submission solely (I’ll make it clear what those shows are.) So be sure to bookmark this page and check back regularly for my picks on who should win…

For more Emmy discussion, visit my Emmy page.

Here are the nominees:

Julianna Margulies – The Good Wife (“Parenting Made Easy”)

Michelle Dockery – Downton Abbey (“Episode 7″ Christmas)

Elizabeth Moss – Mad Men (“The Other Woman”)

Kathy Bates – Harry’s Law (“Onward and Upward”)

Claire Danes – Homeland (“The Vest”)

Glenn Close – Damages (“I’ve Done Way Too Much For This Girl”)

I watch all these shows regularly.

Who Should Win: This was a very difficult category for me to rank. I came into this believing that I would be rooting for Claire Danes…but after re-watching all the episodes and considering these actresses’ best moments, thoughts of different picks began swirling my brain. Ultimately, I have to say that Claire Danes has given one of the best TV performances of this entire year. I’m really not crazy about her episode submission. I think “Blind Spot” would have been her best submission. Even “Marine One” or “The Weekend” would have been stronger. I think her performance in “The Vest” comes across as a bit too hammy, and there are very few “quiet” scenes to balance out all the crazy. So, it was difficult to remember her truly best moments of the season after watching “The Vest”. But…regardless of that, I supposed Danes deserves an Emmy for a season worth of great performances.

I was also strongly considering Elizabeth Moss. Sometimes…I don’t think she’s given enough to deserve an Emmy. Like…I feel like her degree of difficulty isn’t as strong as some of the other contenders. And that’s not fair to her…but it’s just the way it is. But, ultimately, she does everything she’s supposed to do perfectly. If one deserved to win an Emmy based off one scene, then it would be Moss. The last scene of her episode where she resigns from her job to Don was beautiful and almost heartbreaking and Moss just does a stellar job through and through. Danes technically already has an Emmy for Temple Grandin…maybe this is the year that Moss should get a turn at winning something. Anything.

Then there’s Julianna Margulies who, despite winning last year, I believe is incredibly underrated. Her performance (similar to Moss) isn’t terribly explosive, but she’s really the moral glue of the entire show. While a lot of supporting characters on The Good Wife are amazingly eccentric, Margulies is consistent and steady and she thoughtfully plays her role. Also, she’s such a bonafide lead of her show. The show is an ensemble, but Margulies is at the heart of it all. Everything begins and ends with her. What I’m saying is…y’all better appreciate what Margulies is trying to do!

If Kathy Bates must win an Emmy this year, I honestly rather it be for Harry’s Law than for her stint on Two and a Half Men. I personally really like the show and I’m sad to see it end. I think it was really cool that she submitted the last episode of the series. Her last few moments (from singing “Take Me Home” to visiting her ex husband’s grave) are quite poignant and beautifully acted. Michelle Dockery’s nomination was definitely a surprise (esp. over Elizabeth McGovern), but it was a nice one. It’s interesting…an actor’s best scene usually is a scene where something tragic or sad happens, but Dockery’s best scene is simply the “proposal scene” at the end of the Christmas special. Dockery does a good job and hopefully this nomination will allow for Fellowes to write her meatier stuff next season so she can possibly be ahead of the pack next year. And there’s Glenn Close who plays one of greatest, interesting, multi-dimensional female characters on television. Season 4 wasn’t terribly strong for her and her submission isn’t that great. She’s the only nominee who really shouldn’t be in the discussion. Maybe next year!

At the end of the day…I think the trophy should go to Claire Danes.

My actual predictions will be coming later in the summer. Click here for more Emmy stuff! Thanks for reading! 

2012
08/18
CATEGORY
awards
drama
emmy awards
emmys
nominations
predictions
reflection
review
television
the good wife
tv
1 comment

Reviewing the 2012 Emmy Nominees #22 (Lead Actor in a Drama Series)


For the next few weeks, I’ll be reviewing the nominees in the major categories. When it comes to the performers in comedy or drama series, I will be discussing their episode submissionsas well as their performance on the show as a whole. There are some shows I haven’t really watched; so in some situations, the only way I’ll be able to judge a performer is by the submission solely (I’ll make it clear what those shows are.) So be sure to bookmark this page and check back regularly for my picks on who should win…

For more Emmy discussion, visit my Emmy page.

Here are the nominees:

Steve Buscemi – Boardwalk Empire (“Two Boats and a Lifeguard”)

Michael C. Hall – Dexter (“Nebraska”)

Bryan Cranston – Breaking Bad (“Crawl Space”)

Hugh Bonneville-  Downton Abbey (“Episode 7″ Christmas)

Jon Hamm – Mad Men (“The Other Woman”)

Damian Lewis – Homeland (“Marine One”)

I watch all these shows regularly, except “Dexter” and “Boardwalk Empire”.

Who Should Win: I haven’t gotten around to really watching Dexter. I’ve only watched tapes if need be for the last couple of seasons for the sake of these posts. I’m sure there was a time when Michael C. Hall was amazing and deserving. His performance has a lot of power to it, but it sort of pales in comparison to the best of this category. Also, judging from the “last episode preview” that plays before the episode, I’m not sure if he submitted his most intense episode. I mean it looked like he kills someone in the middle of the ocean. Why didn’t he submit that episode? Again, I’m not a regular watcher of this show. I am a regular viewer of Downton Abbey and while Hugh Bonneville does fine work on it, he totally submitted the wrong episode. In Episode 7 he comes across as more like-able. He supports his daughter. He supports his staff. But it’s an incredibly lightweight performance. If he had submitted Episode 6 (where his wife becomes sick, he has an affair with one of the maids, and he angrily condemns his daughter for marrying the chauffeur) then he would have been in the competition more. In Episode 7, besides the court room scene, he’s pretty much forgettable and lost in the shuffle.

Two relative heavy weights Steve Buscemi and Jon Hamm take up my 4th and 3rd spot respectively. Buscemi’s episode revolves around Nucky learning that his father has passed away. It’s a perfect submission where Buscemi is allowed to play with different emotions, with a nice climax of him crying by his father’s grave. I also think Jon Hamm submitted his best episode, particularly because that last scene he shares with Elizabeth Moss is probably the best moment of the entire season. Beautifully acted by both of them. In my opinion, Hamm gives a better performance this season than he did the previous season (and I technically thought he should have won last year.)

Unfortunately, Hamm has to compete against Damian Lewis and…that other guy who’s already won THREE Emmys. I began watching Homeland a little later than everyone else. That is, I watched like the first 6 episodes on a Saturday, just in time for the 7th episode for Sunday. I approached the series because Claire Danes had gotten so much buzz and I had to see what was up. While Claire Danes was quite spectacular, I was shocked and pretty much dismayed at how little recognition and buzz Damian Lewis was getting. So, I’m glad, by the end of the season, most people were able to recognize his performance. And I’m very glad he was able to get a nomination, even if that meant knocking out heavy favorites like Kelsey Grammer and/or Dustin Hoffman. “Marine One” is one of the best finales of the TV season. A thrilling motion picture length episode where Lewis is just absolutely crazy, from his first scene where Brody tapes a video message explaining his possible terrorist intentions to that thrilling scene where he’s this close to blowing up the shelter with the bomb strapped on his vest, thus killing the Vice President. How cool would it be if Damian Lewis ended up winning?!

Still not as cool as Bryan Cranston winning a 4th Emmy for the craziest moment of the television season. Not gonna lie: Cranston could have submitted ANY episode and he still would have been my top choice based on that episode (even “Box Cutter”). Cranston just kills every scene, every situation, every line. He ended up submitting “Crawl Space” which was, in my opinion, his best choice. It’s a tricky submission because Cranston doesn’t do much for the the first two-thirds of the episode. But the last third where Walt frantically tries to find a way to escape Gus with his family and when he realizes he physically can’t because he doesn’t have the money is just painful to watch (in a good way). That scene in the crawl space is Cranston’s best showcase and, screw spreading the love, Cranston just needs to have a perfect 6 for 6. He’s that good and that deserving.

Lead Actress, Series, and then I’ll be done with the important categories at least. Stay tuned!

My actual predictions will be coming later in the summer. Click here for more Emmy stuff! Thanks for reading! 

2012
08/17
CATEGORY
tv
television
awards
predictions
review
nominations
emmy awards
emmys
reflection
drama
breaking bad
1 comment

Reviewing the 2012 Emmy Nominees #21 (Lead Actress in a Comedy Series)


For the next few weeks, I’ll be reviewing the nominees in the major categories. When it comes to the performers in comedy or drama series, I will be discussing their episode submissionsas well as their performance on the show as a whole. There are some shows I haven’t really watched; so in some situations, the only way I’ll be able to judge a performer is by the submission solely (I’ll make it clear what those shows are.) So be sure to bookmark this page and check back regularly for my picks on who should win…

For more Emmy discussion, visit my Emmy page.

Here are the nominees:

Zooey Deschanel – New Girl (“Bad in Bed”)

Lena Dunham – Girls (“She Did”)

Edie Falco – Nurse Jackie (“Disneyland Sucks”)

Amy Poeler – Parks and Recreation (“Win, Lose, or Draw”)

Tina Fey – 30 Rock (“The Tuxedo Begins”)

Julia Louis-Dreyfuss – Veep (“Tears”)

Melissa McCarthy – Mike and Molly (“The Dress”)

I watch all these shows regularly, except “Mike and Molly” and “Nurse Jackie”

Who Should Win: The last episode of Mike and Molly I watched was McCarthy’s submission last year (the second episode of the first season), and things have not changed much. Mike and Molly are roughly the same size they were during the first season (the trouble with casting fat actors in a show about trying to lose weight) and the jokes still aren’t funny. This is a show I was supposed to love because I’m a fat guy myself, but the writers have misfired on this one. I’m not supposed to judge the show. I’m supposed to judge the performance. But, in all honesty, I didn’t really care much for McCarthy’s performance either. And I’m pretty sure that’s not her real speaking voice so she either has a cold (in that case, why would she submit the episode where she has a cold?) or the producers told her that audiences love their female leads with squeaky chipmunk voices. She is dead last on my list and if she wins again it’ll be a waste of a win. I don’t care how heartfelt her acceptance speech would be.

I respect the hell out of Edie Falco. In my opinion, however, if the voters wanted to choose a “comedy” actress in a dramatic role, I wish they had opted for Laura Dern instead (I’m actually not too happy Dern was snubbed.) But I have to give credit where credit is due. Falco submitted an episode where her character goes to rehab and she has some really wonderful scenes, particularly with Laura Silverman. Sometimes, last moments win me over. And that last moment after Jackie saved her old roommate where Jackie looks on and realizes she’s finally happy was incredibly powerful. It’s almost painful putting her sixth…but she’s sixth.

I believe Lena Dunham thoroughly deserved her nomination and it’s incredibly inspiring seeing someone so young gain so much success. She had a great first season of Girls (not perfect, but still great) and I’m looking forward to her second season next year. I also look forward to her acting skills improving. She had some inspiring moments throughout the season (her best moment might have been from “Leave Me Alone” where her character has that huge fight with Marnie…) but she simply isn’t as seasoned and good as the other actresses. She sometimes does that weird thing where she underacts and overacts at the same time (you know what I mean?) I can’t explain it clearly but I hope the experience she’s gotten this first season will help her in the next season. Whatever. It wouldn’t be bad if she won. Again, she’s sort of an inspiration. A mini-Tina Fey closer to my age.

Veep is one of the funniest new comedies of the season. It’s just mishap after mishap after mishap and I crack up with each one. At the center of this great comedy is the “Queen of TV Comedy,” Julia Louis-Dreyfuss. She’s been nominated for practically every season of every comedy show she’s starred in (let’s not talk about Watching Ellie.) She’s undeniably a front runner in this category. She didn’t submit her best episode (even the pilot would have been stronger) but since she’s such a present lead in her own show…it doesn’t really matter. The other really funny new comedy of this season is New Girl. I’m not gonna lie, I am a huge fan of Zooey Deschanel. I’m a weakling when it comes to her “quirky schtick”. I love her big glasses and her cute skirts and her songs (“hey girl”). Her situation is similar to Kristen Wiig – a lot of people do like her…but she has a weirdly passionate group of detractors. Let’s piss off those detractors even more and give Deschanel her first Emmy. (Although, I think her best performance came from the thanksgiving episode which also featured Justin Long.)

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, on the other hand, absolutely submitted their strongest episodes. Fey is so wild in “The Tuxedo Begins,” an episode where she goes from complaining about how rude New Yorkers to becoming one of those rude New Yorkers. She slowly transforms into the Joker from The Dark Knight and…I’ve seen the episode at least 5 times and I crack up every time. Tina Fey won back in season 2 and she really has not lagged since then. This was  a great season for her and a second win would be deserved.

But…I think now is the time for Tina Fey’s pal, Amy Poehler, to get her first Emmy. This season of Parks and Rec stands out to me because of the whole “election story line” and Poehler really delivers every step of the way. “Win, Lose or Draw” is a schmorgasbord of different emotions and feelings. She feels sadness, happiness, craziness. She boxes. She cries. She laughs like a maniac. She just has so many moments. Last year, “Flu Season” wasn’t the best submission for her. This year she submitted right with an episode where she’s front and center. The audience is with Leslie Knope every step of the way. The more I think about this episode, the more I just love it. She needs to win this year. Let’s not make the same mistake we made with Steve Carell. Despite such a competitive year, Poeher should end up as the victor.

But, at least, anyone but Melissa McCarthy…

My actual predictions will be coming later in the summer. Click here for more Emmy stuff! Thanks for reading! 

2012
08/13
CATEGORY
30 rock
awards
emmy awards
emmys
nominations
predictions
reflection
review
snubbed
television
tv
1 comment

Email Me!

Questions, concerns, anything:

unassumingeuonym@gmail.com

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.