2009 Emmys: My Winners

By on Sep 20, 2009 in Inner Monologues | 1 comment

The Emmys snuck up on me this year, but ever since I learned that the ceremony was tonight, my plans were set. (That said, an hour’s intermission for Mad Men might be in order.) I’m not predicting the winners here, mind you, but stating who I’m rooting for. I haven’t seen all of the nominated shows and performances, but from what I have seen, here are my picks for some of the top categories: Outstanding Drama Series Breaking Bad No other show in the category is under-subscribed as this one, and yet it’s one of the most nuanced, emotionally profound series on television. It would be a real coup if it won. Outstanding Comedy Series 30 Rock From Oprah hallucinations to Night Court reunions to Muppets in space to Salma Hayek saying “coco for cuckoo poops,” this show continues to outdo itself season after season. Outstanding Lead Actor – Drama...

Doll Roll Call

By on Sep 16, 2009 in Inanities | 1 comment

With actors like Mariska Hargitay and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, the primetime landscape is not for want of unusual names. But no show has more on its payroll than Dollhouse, as anyone who has studied the opening titles can attest. Eliza Dushku, Tamhoh Penikett, Dichen Lachman, Fran Kranz, etc. If it weren’t for dear Olivia Williams and her ordinary name, I would have thought that having a distinctive name was a prerequisite for being cast! No sooner did I think to point this out on my blog than I saw a video in which the cast members talk about the same peculiarity of their show. (And thank God, because otherwise I would have never known how to pronounce the name Enver Gjokaj.) Check it out below:

Alan! Alan! Alan! Alan! Alan! Al! Alan!

By on Sep 13, 2009 in Raves | 1 comment

Thanks to a link Christina Applegate posted to Twitter, I’ve been exposed to some of the funniest comedic anthropomorphism on TV since the claymation stylings of Creature Comforts. It’s a show called Walk on the Wild Side, in which up-and-coming British comedians (and, on occasion, established talent like Stephen Fry and Sir Tom Jones) give voices to animals captured in nature footage. There’s just one problem. It’s only available on BBC, and it doesn’t seem to be coming Stateside any time soon (unless, of course, we try to import it). But for now, we can relish YouTube clips of the show like the two below. (The monkey dentist in the second clip gets me every time.)

The Prime Times: Big Names Edition

By on Sep 11, 2009 in In Brief |

Tonight’s top stories: As if I weren’t already excited about ABC’s new comedy Modern Family (previously previewed on this here blog), here comes the news that bona fide movie stars Elizabeth Banks and Edward Norton will guest-star in multiple episodes. Banks was on Scrubs, but Norton does television? What the what? Unfortunately, American Idol has more staying power now that Ellen DeGeneres is permanently filling the judge’s chair left vacant by Paula Abdul. But she’s one of my favorite comedians, so I won’t hold it against her too much. LeVar Burton was the subject of a recent NPR interview in which he talked about his roles on Star Trek: The Next Generation and Reading Rainbow (the latter of which came to an abrupt end two weeks ago). A lot of listeners called and emailed in to express their appreciation for Rainbow, and their words spoke volumes...

To Be Seen, Not Tasted

By on Sep 7, 2009 in Raves |

Why do we enjoy Top Chef so much? Aside from the fact that it’s one of the few respectable, legitimate competition shows, and aside from the fact that we are all gluttons for culinary-inferiority punishment, why do we watch a show in which we cannot participate? With So You Think You Can Dance, you can see the dances. With Project Runway, you can see the designs. But with Top Chef, you cannot taste the food. You must watch the judges reactions and rely on their appraisals. It reminds me of my chief complaint about food shows: there are only so many responses TV chefs can give when tasting their own concoctions. The head tilts up toward the heavens, the eyes roll back, the eyelids flutter. “Oh, oh. That is so good.” Or “Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.” Or “Yumm-o!” Or the old standby: “Mmmm.” (Really, Rachael Ray, could you vary it up a little?)  I...