July 19, 2008
While accepting the Television Critics Association Award for Outstanding Miniseries for John Adams, executive producer Tom Hanks was thankful that the TCA Awards are not televised due to his random, somewhat dirty humor. After attending Saturday night's ceremony, I feel just the opposite, because the awards themselves and particularly the acceptance speeches were so hilarious that it's a shame more people don't get to see them,
The TCA Awards recognize the best in television, and this year the awards were divided among three shows: 30 Rock, Mad Men and the HBO miniseries John Adams. In an odd moment of mutual adoration from critics and the industry, those just happen to be the three most nominated programs at this year's Emmys.
July 18, 2008
It can be rather daunting to sit down and watch a show that has garnered endless critical acclaim. The more people rave about a particular series, the higher expectations build and the more likely it is a new viewer will be disappointed by what's actually on screen. This is what worried me when I popped the first disc of AMC's Mad Men into my DVD player a couple weeks ago. I had seen the pilot when it originally aired and wasn't blown away, but since then the show had landed on numerous top 10 lists and garnered tons of Emmy buzz. I pressed play, kept an open mind, and allowed myself to be transported back to the 1960s, where a group of men and women at an advertising agency dealt with problems both personal and professional. I'm happy to report that season 1 of Mad Men more than lived up to the hype, and now rivals Lost and Friday Night Lights as my favorite show currently on the air.
If you want to see for yourself what all the fuss is about, AMC will be airing a marathon of the series beginning this Sunday at noon.
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 15, 2008
Below is the audio of our discussion, and the ten semi-finalists for the category and the episode they sent in for consideration.
May 30, 2008
AMC has finally set a premiere date for the second season of the critically acclaimed series Mad Men. On Sunday, July 27 at 10pm ET/PT, Don Draper, Peggy Olsen and the rest of the employees at the fictional Sterling Cooper advertising agency are set to return and shed light on the cliffhangers and revelations from the first season finale that left viewers mulling for seven months now.
Set in 1960s at the fictional Sterling Cooper advertising agency in New York City's Madison Avenue, Mad Men revolves around high-level advertising executive Don Draper and the people in his life in and out of the office. The show also illustrates the changing social mores of early 1960s America.
January 28, 2008
It looks like the strike is petering out. If this is how the thing has to end (with a smattering of interim agreements from the different independent movie houses), then so be it. At least some studios have come to their senses. Just this weekend, Lions Gate and the WGA reached an interim agreement that allows their under-contract writers to return to work. While Lions Gate is mostly known for their films, they also produce Weeds and Mad Men, two of the most highly touted cable shows currently running. This means that, this week, Mad Men writers are returning to work on season 2 and the Weeds scribes are coming back to work on their fourth season.