July 21, 2008
We've had a few days now to discuss and digest the 2008 Emmy nominations. Much vitriol has been spewed towards the always-wrong Emmy voters (by nature, they can never totally be “right”), and it mostly revolves around lack of respect for The Wire or whichever critically acclaimed series you may think was snubbed. Yes, The Wire's lack of nominations is a damn shame, but we knew it was going to happen. It's not a happy show, it requires a five-season commitment to appreciate and no one watched it. So, while most snub talk has focused on the scripted shows, I'd like to shift focus to the reality categories. In my mind there were two major snubs; one unsurprising and frustrating, the other surprising, yet just. Phil Keoghan was left off the list for Best Reality Host, and Survivor was absent from Best Reality Series – Competition.
July 17, 2008
This morning the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for the 60th Annual Emmy Awards.
On the Drama side, the big story is the dominance of cable, picking up the majority of the acting and series nominees with shows from TNT, FX, AMC, Showtime and HBO. Equally surprising is the absence of Grey's Anatomy in the Drama Series race, while Lost makes its triumphant return. For comedies, many old favorites are back with all five nominees for Outstanding Comedy Series having been nominated before. However, several new actors from Pushing Daisies and Samantha Who? were able to make it in. And if you're a fan of smaller categories, Amy Poehler makes a shocking appearance in the Comedy Supporting Actress race for Saturday Night Live while "I'm F***ing Matt Damon" is up for Best Original Song.
Continue reading for all the nominees:
July 17, 2008
Who are these Emmy voters? Why are we entrusting them to make reasonable decisions regarding America's most beloved TV shows? Often, it's as if they don't watch TV at all. Two and a Half Men is a series that doesn't deserve the audience it receives (it's the highest rated comedy on TV), let alone awards recognition. Yet, there it is again, perched atop the comedy world, a nominee for Best Comedy Series, while more worthy candidates like How I Met Your Mother, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Pushing Daisies, South Park, Flight of the Conchords and My Name is Earl sit on the sidelines. It's frustrating; ask any fan of television comedy whether Two and a Half Men is one of the five funniest shows this country has to offer and you'll be met with a resounding “Hell No!”
July 17, 2008
Sometimes the smaller categories at the Emmy Awards are just as interesting as the major nominees. This year, 30 Rock absolutely dominates the guest acting categories, picking up an astonishing seven nominations for those two categories. Additionally, The Wire picks up its second Emmy nomination in the same category as the first in what I think is the strongest category: Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series. It competes with Mad Men, Damages and Battlestar Galactica.
Other nominees of interest include the domination of John Adams and Recount in the Miniseries and TV Movie categories (plus the welcome addition of the Extras finale), the fact that Tina Fey was nominated for hosting Saturday Night Live and the Original Song and Lyrics category, which pitd light of the Conchords against Sarah Silverman, who was "f***ing Matt Damon."
Read About the Major Emmy Nominees>>
July 16, 2008
The Emmy nominees are just hours away from being announced and, as always, the two biggest awards are Best Drama and Best Comedy. With The Sopranos gone and the comedy landscape filled to the brim with quality shows, there are no sure-fire favorites to win either award. HBO has had one of their dramas nominated for Best Drama every year since 1999 – this is the year the streak may be broken. The Best Comedy award is always a contentious one. 30 Rock won last year after its solid freshman season; does it have the juice to win again, or will a newcomer like Pushing Daisies steal its thunder? In our final Emmy Nominations Podcast, fellow writer John Kubicek and I discuss our nomination predictions for both of the major categories, as well as give our lists of ideal candidates and winners. You can find whole mp3 of our discussion below.
July 16, 2008
You can make the argument that comedy is completely and utterly subjective. This is more or less true. After all, if something males you laugh, then it makes you laugh. That's the overwhelming goal of comedy. The best comedies can do more than make you laugh, however: have a coherent story, contain real human drama and a literate sense of humor. While the intended results of all comedies are similar, and there's nothing wrong with enjoying the lowbrow, can't we agree that some shows are slight and worse than others? Two and a Half Men, despite its mediocrity, has been an Emmy stalwart for years. Why? The voters seem to have a peculiar fascination with the Charlie Sheen-led series, and it might have something to do with its designation as the highest rated comedy on television. Are the voters appeasing the common man, or do they truly think Two and a Half Men is one of the five best comedies on television? In our second batch of Emmy podcasts, fellow writer John Kubicek and I discussed this issue and many others as we went through each acting category for the Comedy series.