Suburban Mom's Political Fix: 'Morning Joe's' Take on Blago Bye-Bye

The gang at Morning Joe on MSNBC never fails to amuse me. In between in-depth, thoughtful and frequently provocative interviews and debates -- the crew goes on longer than many TV shows might otherwise allow -- the topics are often injected with a hearty dose of humor.

That's why their "Week in Review" segment on the now former governor of Illinois struck me as so funny this morning.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

'I Want to Go to There:' Jon Hamm on '30 Rock'

Several web sites, including TV Addict, have gotten hold of a tantalizing 40-second video snippet from Mad Men's Jon Hamm's upcoming three-episode guest appearance on 30 Rock. (You can also see it on YouTube, but they've disabled the embedding process.)

In the scene, Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) brings some of Dr. Drew's (Hamm's) mail that she received by mistake. After meeting a scary handyman, Liz sees Drew, who has a kitchen casually draped over his shoulder (a la former Georgetown hoop coach John Thompson) and who apologizes for smelling like frosting because he likes to bake. *melting*

I want to go to there too Liz . . . but we'll have to wait until next Thursday. In the meantime, be sure to check out Entertainment Weekly's Q&A with Fey and Hamm. 'Twas amusing.

Image credit: NBC/New York Post.

Is 'Lost' Too Complicated for Its Own Good?

In a column reminiscent of something Dave Barry might write, San Francisco Chronicle columnist Jon Carroll penned a sarcastic piece saying that Lost isn't as complicated as some of its fans may make it out to be:

"A large plane crashes on a Pacific island. Some of the passengers survive but most don't. After a time, the surviving passengers discover that other people also live on the island. They call these other people the Others.

After a time, a freighter happens by, and a helicopter from the freighter eventually rescues six of the survivors. The six return home -- most to the United States, one to Korea -- and resume their lives, somewhat chastened by the experience. The people remaining on the island try to create a viable society, but there are inevitable difficulties, like time travel.

And that's it."

Clearly, this was written with Carroll's tongue firmly planted inside his cheek because he then proceeded to detail some of the insanely convoluted details of the story. But the column is funny nonetheless and takes aim at one of the show's biggest criticisms: That it loses viewers because people perceive it to be too dense. (Or people are too dense to understand it, whatever the case may be. I don't get most of it, but I'm still an avid viewer.)

If ratings are any indication, viewers are fleeing the island odyssey faster than Hurley can hurl a microwaved Hot Pocket at Ben Linus. Ratings for its two-hour fifth season premiere last week were down 26 percent compared to its fourth season premiere, and ratings dropped "for every half-hour it was on" TV, the Los Angeles Times reported. Did the island time travel aspect -- which continues to befuddle me -- turn folks off?

What say you Lost fans, do you think the show gets an unfair reputation for being too complicated? Do you have friends who won't watch it because they say it's too confusing? Do you find yourself scratching your head after episodes?

Image credit: ABC.

There May Be Life to 'Lipstick' Yet

Fans of Lipstick Jungle who've been anxiously waiting to find out if the NBC fortysomething career gal drama will return for a third season after the show was publicly put on life support at the end of 2008 may have reason to be gleeful. Key word: MAY.

Speaking at a conference in Las Vegas an NBC exec said that because "Lipstick Jungle is so strong and has such a passionate base among a coveted demographic" the network may seek to find a way to keep it on the air, according to Broadcasting & Cable.

One potential solution? Giving it what Broadcasting & Cable called "the Friday Night Lights treatment."

Friday Night Lights, in case you're just tuning in at home, is a critically acclaimed, incredibly poignant NBC drama set in a blue collar Texas town where high school football is king, although the show is about much more than football. The show was perpetually on the cusp of being canceled due to low ratings. But then someone at DirecTV or NBC or somewhere within the NBC family had a brilliant idea: They ran the entire third season on DirecTV first, and just started airing it on network television two weeks ago.

NBC Entertainment exec Ben Silverman has said that Lipstick Jungle could use a similar approach. "We have some incredible channels in our portfolio and we have sister networks that love the show as well," Silverman said. "We are analyzing what we need to do to keep that show on the air."

Maybe all those ladies sending all those tubes of lipstick to NBC are changing some minds. I certainly hope so. Jungle sure beats tacky reality shows on any day of the week.

Image credit: NBC.

Still Catchin' Up, JUST Saw 'Lost' Premiere . . . Brain is Cramped

When my family and I arrived back home from a week at Disney World on Sunday evening -- after traveling for eight-plus hours -- The Spouse and I were too tired and lacked the brain capacity to take in the two-hour premiere of Lost that was burning a hole in my DVR. Last night we were finally able to settle in for the two-hour island extravaganza.

*Warning: Spoilers ahead. Do not proceed if you have yet to see the new Lost episode.*

And after watching the antics of the Oceanic 6 & Co., I'm starting to grow concerned about how the second half of this series is going to play out. Can the writers tidily wrap everything up in a neat bow? Will things make sense by the time we get to the last episode or will we have to, because we're Lost fans, pretend as though everything makes sense?

In order for this new phase of the show to make sense, we have to buy into the fact that the island is time traveling, but our castaways -- plus freighter crew folks and Juliet -- remain the same, as if they're being moved like game pieces along a timeline.

We're supposed to continue to believe -- without being given a reason -- that the people who were on the island but are now back in the real world are able to see people who have died on the island, like Hurley's Ana Lucia sighting (and saying Libby said hello!) and Jack seeing his father in the hospital.

Hurley's recap provides a vivid description of what the writers still have to explain for this all to come to a fabulous conclusion (link to the video here):



One of my favorite TV shows, Alias, lost some of its creative mojo when the writers didn't seem as though they knew how to fit the individual episodes into a larger picture to logically complete the story. I hope the same fate doesn't befall Lost. In order for it to play out to my satisfaction a lot of questions must eventually be addressed, not just abandoned. However I am patient. I will wait.

That being said, as for last week's two-hour season premiere, I was left feeling intrigued.

I was surprised to see so much focus on Hurley. (Cannot wait to see how one of TV's great evil geniuses -- Ben --is going to bust Hurley out of jail.)

The notion of the island itself time traveling, while the people who were on it (or in the water next to it) when Ben triggered the time traveling subterranean wheel remain the same, puts an entirely different twist on the show. Thus far, the series had only leaped backward and forward in time to illustrate something about the characters' backstories and personalities.

However now that some of the characters themselves have been unmoored from time -- time travel had seemingly been limited to Desmond and Daniel -- all bets are off. Throw in what Daniel said about how you cannot change what has already happened, yet he went against that line of argument by visiting Desmond when he was hatch-sitting to urge him to seek out his mother, and I'm hooked, as well as crossing my fingers that I won't be disappointed

Now that you've had time to ponder the season five premiere, what do you think?

Image credit: ABC.

'Desperate' Mondays: The Best Thing That Ever Could Have Happened

(*Note: I was on vacation last week. The most recent episode was re-aired last night, so it's still a "Desperate" Monday.*)

Put aside the gimmicky camera angle used five times during the most recent Desperate Housewives episode -- where the camera would focus on a wistful looking actress' face then slowly maneuver rotate around the back of her head -- the overall message and anecdotes in the episode demonstrate one thing: The newer episodes (with the exception of Gabby Solis' storyline) have strayed from the original charm of season one.

The new Housewives installment used a new character's death as the launching pad for the Wisteria Lane ladies to reflect upon how this scruffy character -- a handyman named Eli Scruggs (Beau Bridges) who died of a heart attack while working on Susan Mayer's roof -- positively affected their lives.

Gabby recalled how Eli helped get her into the Housewives' exclusive weekly poker game. After she behaved atrociously, Eli told her to snap out of it and apologize. The scene where Gabby, who was new to the neighborhood, apologized for her behavior and admitted she was "lonely all the time" with Carlos' late nights and needed friends, cut to the quick.

Ditto for the Lynette Scavo scene where, after giving birth to her fourth child, she accidentally left the baby in the car because she was too focused on her cell phone call where she was negotiating her return to work. Handyman Eli heard the baby crying -- where the car windows were rolled up -- and took the baby out, returning her to Lynette who was still on the phone. Upon seeing that she'd forgotten her baby because she was distracted by the work call, Lynette seemed shaken. She wore a look with which many harried parents could relate. This was a character with whom parents could identify, unlike the current wretched, Lynette storylines involving crazy murder charges and coercing a twin to impersonate another in court.

Bree too was assisted by Eli when he salvaged the beginnings of Bree's cookbook from the garbage. She'd dumped her notebooks into the trash after her husband Rex dismissed the project as "foolishness," that was after he'd berated her for not having a paying job. Once Rex died, Eli returned Bree's notes to her and the cookbook later became a huge success.

When Desperate Housewives started, it focused on the quietly desperate lives of suburban women who were largely unhappy despite the fact that it appeared to the world as though they had it all in their nice, orderly neighborhood behind the picket fences on Wisteria Lane. It sharply satired perfection, in particular with Bree's character. But these days, the show is all over the place. It does far better when it focuses on smaller stories, like it did in this episode, which I thoroughly enjoyed, particularly for how it closed the loop and showed how Eli got his do-gooder start (a reaction to his failure to help Mary Alice Young on the day she committed suicide when he knew she was unhappy). If the rest of the season follows suit, I'll be a rejuvenated Housewives fan.

Image credit: ABC.

SAG Awards, A Lot Like the Golden Globes

If you wanted to predict who'd win the Screen Actors Guild Awards last night, all you needed to do was to look at the list of winners from the Golden Globes and put the bulk of your money on the Globe winners, the glaring exceptions being for the leading actor/actress categories.

In the film category, Slumdog Millionaire was again crowned king. (Still haven't seen it yet, but the incessant drum beat of critical and awards acclaim is going to prompt me to do so. Only hope that the massive hype doesn't lead to disappointment.) Kate Winslet and Heath Ledger each won awards for their supporting work in the films The Reader and The Dark Knight, respectively.

In TV land, 30 Rock won for best comedy, while my beloved Mad Men won again for best drama. Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin collected more statues as the best comedic actors on TV. Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney, who played John and Abigail Adams in HBO's fabulous miniseries John Adams, won for best actors in the TV movie/miniseries categories.

However it was in the lead actor/actress categories where the actors' votes differed from those of the members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

Meryl Streep won a SAG award for playing a nun in Doubt, while Sean Penn was victorious for playing gay activist Harvey Milk in Milk. (Golden Globes for actors in a dramatic film went to Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler and Kate Winslet for Revolutionary Road.)

The awards for best actors in TV dramas went to two network actors Hugh Laurie, who's a great curmudgeon as Dr. Gregory House on House, and Sally Field, who plays the matriarch on Brothers & Sisters. (The Golden Globes went to two HBO shows, Gabriel Byrne for In Treatment and Anna Paquin for True Blood.)

Suburban Mom's Political Fix: Catchin' Up, Caroline, Blago, Corp. Jet$$

I'm just getting back into the swing of things after having spent the week with my family and parents in the grips of the magical world of Disney, where, in addition to enjoying the worst Florida cold snap in many years, I was told by a Disney World "cast member" in a Goofy hat that I could not watch the inauguration at Epcot because Disney is about "fantasy, not reality." Therefore, I trudged to an ESPN bar with my dad to watch President Barack Obama's inauguration speech and hear the inaugural poem. So other than skipping some Epcot rides with my kids in order to catch the tail-end of the inauguration, I've been out of the news loop for the past week (radical, I know, to be unplugged!), so I've got some catching up to do:

Another Senator Kennedy? Not So Fast!

So Caroline Kennedy pulled out (was pushed out?) of contention to be appointed to the U.S. Senate. New York Gov. David Paterson named another female -- younger -- to fill Hillary Clinton's seat. And then we were treated to conflicting reports about why Kennedy did an about-face and whether she truly had "personal issues" which prevented her from seeking the post. The New York Times portrayed sniping and excuse-making on both sides, describing Paterson as of the belief that Kennedy wasn't ready for the job.

Now 42-year-old Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand, a two-term centrist Democrat from upstate New York, has been tapped for the post. She has a 5-year-old and a six-month-old baby and, according to the Times, worked up until the day she gave birth, causing House members to give her a standing ovation . . . which is prompting several to compare her to fortysomething mother of an infant Sarah Palin, some positively and some negatively.

Senator Oprah?

Good God. Rod Blagojevich is spending today basking in the bright lights of the New York City media circuit, rather than in Illinois where his impeachment trial is commencing. He's doing the rounds on the TV networks pleading his case and categorically denying attempting to sell Obama's U.S. Senate seat, while complaining that he can't bring his witnesses to defend him.

In an interview on ABC's Good Morning America, he said he considered asking Oprah Winfrey if she wanted to fill Obama's seat, saying, "She was obviously someone with a much broader bully pulpit than other senators."

On The View -- where Barbara Walters bizarrely conducted the interview from Los Angeles while Blago was in New York, and Walters appeared on stage inside a little TV located next to the seated Blago instead of opting for a split-screen -- he said the case against him has been sensationalized by the media and that the conversations captured by federal wiretaps were taken out of context. "I'm an innocent man who hasn't done anything wrong," he said. ". . . I'm going to fight to the finish."

Blago resisted Joy Behar's attempts to goad him into doing a Richard Nixon impersonation and doing "I'm not a crook." Surprisingly, Blago declined the offer.

Corporate Jet$$

Someone -- hello?! -- needs to put an end to the wild orgy funded by taxpayer money intended to help rejuvenate the American economy not provide luxury items for a few people who ran their companies into the ground. CitiGroup got $45 billion in federal bailout money -- your money and my money -- and just wasted $50 million of it on a 12-seater luxury jet, reports the New York Post:

"Even though the bank's stock is as cheap as a gallon of gas and it's burning through a $45 billion taxpayer-funded rescue, the airhead execs pushed through the purchase of a new Dassault Falcon 7X, according to a source familiar with the deal.

The French-made luxury jet seats up to 12 in a plush interior with leather seats, sofas and a customizable entertainment center, according to Dassault's sales literature."

Where are the D.C. fiscal watchdogs? We should get that money back. Pull a Palin, and put the jet up on eBay. Stuff like this should not be allowed to stand.

Image credit: Rep. Gillibrand's web site.

'West Wing' Title Credits: The Obama Version

Yet another one of the reasons I'm starting to actually like Twitter . . . I learned that someone has posted this video on YouTube where the opening credits from The West Wing were changed, with the actors' names replaced by the real names of the folks from the incoming Obama administration.

That reminds me . . . I want to Netflix the earlier seasons of this show. I really liked it when it first aired.

Fans Rallying to Save 'Lipstick,' 'Mad Men's' Hamm to Guest on '30 Rock'

NBC has renewed the comedies The Office and 30 Rock, but still hasn't decided what to do with Lipstick Jungle, the embattled Brooke Shields drama about three fortysomething, successful gal pals in NYC, a show for which I've been cheerleading for a few weeks.

According to Broadcasting & Cable, an NBC honcho said of Lipstick, "We have to wait and see what our pilots are and what the mix of shows are." Whatever that means.

If you want to try to save the show, you could always join the rabid fans who, in addition to mailing tubes of lipstick to NBC, have started:

-- An online petition which says in part, "We are loyal fans that feel that Lipstick Jungle deserves a chance to stay on the air. It is a show based upon friendship, fashion, relationships and successful career driven women and it is what television needs nowadays. There are too many reality shows that people cannot relate to. Women can relate to Lipstick Jungle and relate to aspects of their lives. If you cancel the show you cancel a truly amazing show that deserves time to develop and progress the storylines."

-- Another petition says, "We, the undersigned, have greatly enjoyed NBC's Lipstick Jungle TV show. We are extremely disappointed that the series has been cancelled. We ask that you continue to produce more episodes so that it will have a chance at growing a larger audience."

-- A Facebook page which also attempts to rally supporters.

Meanwhile, images from Jon Hamm's (aka Don Draper) upcoming three-episode stint on 30 Rock as Tina Fey/Liz Lemon's love interest are cropping up on the internet. The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan reports that Hamm will play a doctor who lives in Lemon's building and that his first episode will air on Feb. 5.

Image credit: Contactmusic.com.

RIP: Swingtown

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that the CBS summer drama Swingtown, which inspired me to download a boatload of 70s singles -- the soundtrack of my childhood -- from iTunes, has been axed by the idiots at CBS.

I was fond of the show, not for the salacious swinging aspect of it though. As someone who was a young girl in the 70s, watching the show filled me with nostalgia for things like Dr. Scholls, rainbow shirts, eight-track tapes and Chicago's "Saturday in the Park."

And, as a grown woman with three kids, I liked the discussions that evolved from its treatment of women of the era. One thirtysomething character was a housewife with two teenagers who was feeling bored with her life and wishing she'd made different choices. Her best friend was also a housewife and a mother of one teen, but she was happy with her lot in life. However when her husband lost his job, she went out and got her own job which, she found, she loved.

Ausiello quoted CBS president Nina Tassler saying, "We're not going back to Swingtown. At the end of the day the show was well executed. It was well received. The performances were great. The writing was great. It was a risk. We took it. And we're proud of it."

So you cancel a well executed, well received show of which you're proud? I know, why not air reality show garbage instead of well executed programs. Yeah, that'll help network TV.

Image credit: CBS.

Two Great Golden Globe Moments: Gervais and Fey

As promised, I've dug up the Ricky Gervais bit from the Golden Globes. Loved his snark. And the fact that he brought a glass of beer up there with him.



Then, there was the Divine Ms Fey givin' it back to the internet haters in her acceptance speech who, as is their wont, gave it right back to her on the Los Angeles Times web site where they've been hasslin' Fey. Ah, gotta love the internet (the trolls, notsomuch).

'Desperate' Mondays: Connect! Connect!

A pediatric power struggle.

Gabby versus The Girls.

And the ill-behaved Girls were winning, up until Gabby enlisted her new, deep-voiced gardener to scare her young charges into listening to her, plus do a little vacuuming to make up for their prolonged brattiness.

That was the best storyline in the latest installment of Desperate Housewives, which aired against the Golden Globe awards (and beat them during the 9-10 hour), for which it was up for none of the shiny statues. And after this episode, it's largely clear why not. Except for the Gabby story; Eva Longoria Parker has been sharp this season.

In this fresh episode, Gabby was paying the price for coercing Carlos into taking the six-figure job he didn't want (he wanted to work for a non-profit helping the blind) when he had to go on his first overnight work trip. Without Carlos the Authoritarian around, The Girls flagrantly flouted Gabby's authority, or lack thereof, and pushed her buttons by telling her they loved Carlos more.

In one pathetically amusing scene, Gabby literally dragged her 6-year-old by the arms from the sofa -- where the girl was watching a movie -- across the room and to the stairs in an attempt to make her go up to the bathroom for her bath. In the process, Gabby strained her back. While she was moaning in pain on the stairs, her daughter Juanita returned to the other room to resume her movie.

After two days of insubordinate rudeness, Gabby turned to the gardener, a guy with a very low voice, to yell at her daughters to scare them into obeying. When Carlos came home, Gabby told him if he didn't want her to keep turning to the gardener for discipline, he'd have to be Carlos the Enforcer for the first 15 minutes when he gets home from work each night.

Funniest exchange of the night was between Bree and Orson:

"You know, I'm feeling a bit randy tonight. Whaddya say we make a little love?" Orson asked.

"Well, we've got 15 minutes until the news is on," Bree said. "Why not?"

The Scavo story. Suddenly -- poof! --- no more legal troubles for Porter. The storyline that had been building for weeks was abruptly transformed into a thin device in order to segue into an examination of Lynette's sour relationship with the angry mother she put in a retirement home three years ago. When I think of all the potential the Scavo family had and how the characters have been wasted -- particularly the talents of Felicity Huffman -- I just get sad.

Oh, and stop the presses. Susan Mayer broke up with her absent painter boyfriend. Edie Britt took back Dave Williams, her psycho killer husband (only she doesn't know he's a killer, just thinks he's a wee bit off). Bree Van de Kamp Hodge fought with her son-in-law-to-be over her domineering style. Mike Delfino likes Katherine Mayfair, wait, is Katherine even a main character any more? If I sound a tad bored, it's because I am. This show started off its fifth season by busting down the doors, seemingly rejuvenated. Now, with the exception of Gabby Solis, I feel as though it has lost its way a bit. I hope the writers find the way back. Soon.

Next week's promo indicated that the new episode will be filled with more backstory, from way back, before season one. Maybe they're trying to capture some of that season one magic?

Your thoughts on the latest episode? What did you like/dislike?

Image credit: ABC.

Bono, NYT Contributing Columnist

The first installment in Bono's New York Times contributing columnist gig appeared in Sunday's paper.

At first, I wasn't sure where he was going, reflecting on his Dublin New Year's Eve and hearing Frank Sinatra's song "My Way" playing the background. Then the column shifted from New Year's in a pub to Bono's house and then time he spent with Old Blue Eyes. Was this an ode to Sinatra? To the passage of time?

But by the time I got to the end of the piece, I found it to be an ode to the way the same things (a song, a photo, anything, really) can take on different meanings depending on where we're at in our lives. And Bono made this point quite artistically.

An excerpt:

"In the later recording [of "My Way"], Frank is 78. The Nelson Riddle arrangement is the same, the words and melody are exactly the same, but this time the song has become a heart-stopping, heartbreaking song of defeat. The singer's hubris is out the door. (This singer, i.e. me, is in a puddle.) The song has become an apology.

To what end? Duality, complexity. I was lucky to duet with a man who understood duality, who had the talent to hear two opposing ideas in a single song, and the wisdom to know which side to reveal at which moment.

This is our moment. What do we hear?"

Image credit: New York Times/Deirdre O'Callaghan.

Mad Men Wins Golden Globe for Best TV Drama

Now if the folks at Lions Gate will just sign Matt Weiner, the guru of Mad Men, I'll feel better about season three of our favorite AMC drama.

It's a shame that Jon Hamm and January Jones didn't go home with statues as well, but you can't have everything.

Image credit: Reuters.

Live Blogging the Golden Globe Awards

After being canceled last year due to the writers' strike and replaced by a wretched press conference that was about as exciting as watching C-SPAN, the Golden Globes are back baby.

I've spent the last hour-plus watching the insipid arrival shows (flipping back and forth between E! -- the network that is so exciting it requires punctuation -- and the TV Guide Channel).

Best moment I witnessed: Alec Baldwin hijacking the mike from Carson Daly and doing an Andy Rooney impersonation asking if anyone else found it irritating when they're asked irritating questions by E! reporters. My 10-year-old cheered when Miss Miley arrived with her Cyrus parents, when the Jonas trio and their ample hair set foot on the red carpet, as well as when she saw a slick-haired Zac Efron. (I must admit to laughing aloud when Carson tried to mug Bragelina with a mike on the red carpet and they blew him off.)

Once the Golden Globe show starts, I'll live blog my own Daly-esque commentary.

-- Best Supporting Actress, Drama, Film: Oh my God! What was presenter J. Lo. thinking with that dress? Was it a riff on her famous barely-there dress from years ago, the one Matt Lauer spoofed on the Today Show? ("Mama talkin'" J. Lo. told the overly chatty crowd. Maybe I should try that line at home and see if everyone shuts up.)

Kate Winslet won for supporting actress in The Reader. I adore her. Can't wait to see this film. She's so classy . . . We here in my house are taking bets on whether she drops the statue onto the floor while she tries to catch her breath . . . Good for her, she didn't drop the golden paper weight AND they didn't cut off her uninspiring speech.

-- Best Original Song, Motion Picture: What was up with Sting looking like a mountain man? . . . Bruce won for his original son for The Wrestler. My 7-year-old who's a Boss fan applauded. My 10-year-old daughter who worships Miley (up for her Bolt song) is irate.

-- Best Supporting Actor, TV: I'm hoping for Tom Wilkinson or Blair Underwood (In Treatment), the award went to Tom for John Adams, actually for playing Ben Franklin in John Adams not for playing Adams himself, a great HBO miniseries I highly recommend it.

-- Best Supporting Actress, TV: Loaded category here. I have many, many favorites. I can't decide who I want to win . . . the Golden Globe voters chose Laura Dern for HBO's Recount, a movie about the 2000 presidential election Florida gridlock.

-- Best Actor in TV, Drama: Jon Hamm . . . Jon Hamm. (Of Mad Men, don't you know . . . Though I wouldn't be crushed if Hugh Laurie of House won.) . . . Wow. Gabriel Byrne from HBO's In Treatment walked away with the award, symbolically, as he wasn't there in person. He WAS pretty solid and intriguing, definitely worthy, but I was rooting for Don Draper.

-- Best Actress in TV, Drama: I don't do vampire (otherwise known as Anna Paquin from True Blood who snagged this trophy). I wanted January Jones who killed this season in Mad Men as Betty Draper, to win. The Drapers better not go home empty-handed.

-- This presenter, Ricky Gervais cracks me up. He's so dry -- even though he showed up to the mike with a beer and drank it on stage -- I'm talkin' as dry comedically as Bob Newhart. He started off by chastizing the overly-chatty crowd for not shutting up: "Shh! How rude are you lot? Just because you're film stars. Shh! I'm not in charge. I'm not even nominated, which is kind of annoying . . . I'm like staff . . . Winslet, I told you, do a Holocaust movie and the awards come." (A reference to an episode of his HBO show Extras where his character had a conversation with Winslet about the propensity of Holocaust movies to be awards magnets.) I'm going to have to find this bit on YouTube and post it here later.

-- Best Animated Film: (Jonas fever from my gal; the boys are the presenters. Wonder what their voices will sound like in a few years . . .) Wall-E, winner. Unlike the rest of the world, I wasn't overwhelmed by this movie. My kids loved it though.

-- Best Actress, Film, Comedy/Musical: Could presenter Johnny Depp sound more bored (or stoned) by the way? Can you say Mamm. . . whaat? No Meryl? Who the heck is this chick, Sally Hawkins, from Happy-Go-Lucky? What IS Happy-Go-Lucky? Never heard of it. Nobody expected her to win, apparently, as she was seated in the theater's annex and took about 47 minutes to get to the stage . . . Emma Thompson was such a good sport for, even after losing in this category, cheering on the unknown actress. (Who were those people who were briefly on camera directly in front of the stage who were talking during the unknown actress' clipped, rambling speech chatting? Rude.)

-- Best Miniseries/TV Movie: I cannot speak highly enough of John Adams. Come to think of this, I need to watch it again. Note to self: Check "On Demand" or Netflix it.

-- Best Supporting Actor, Film: Heath Ledger for Dark Knight. This is so sad. The film's director, Chris Nolan was very respectful in his acceptance speech on Ledger's behalf.

-- NBC's Tom Brokaw announcing Frost/Nixon's best picture, drama, nomination. Hmm. Interesting choice. Grew up watching him. This is another film on my list.

-- Best Actress Miniseries/TV Movie: John Adams fevah. Laura Linney for her great performance as Abigail Adams.

-- Let's hear it for da writahs! The folks whose imaginations create all this good stuff. Best Screenplay: Slumdog Millionaire. I've gotta see why everyone is talking about this movie. I don't even know what it's about.

-- Best Actor TV, Comedy: Alec "He Who Hath Stolen the Mike From Carson Daly" Baldwin from 30 Rock. "I feel so old. I remember when I used to bring Rumer Willis a juice box on the set of a movie," Baldwin said, referring to the Golden presenter Gal (Demi & Bruce's eldest daughter). Well deserved.

-- Best Actor Miniseries/TV Movie: It's a John Adams sweep my friends. (Paul Giamatti was fabulous, in his wretched teeth, or lack thereof.) Read your history kids. Or just watch it on HBO.
-- Best TV Series, Comedy: 30 Rock: 'tis the Divine Miss Fey's year. She be rockin' the Golden Globes house in her deeply V-cut dress (wonder what the folks who wrote that piece on the glamorization of Fey think of it). She, however, passed the award statue to co-star Tracy Morgan who was very, very funny, challenging Cate Blanchett and proclaiming himself the new face of "post-racial America." (Wonder if her gesture was a nod toward the notion that she's in danger of being overexposed?)

-- Best Actress TV, Comedy: Teee-na. Teee-na. . . 30 Rock. "I really love the Hollywood Foreign Press. As a kid I had all the Hollywood Foreign Press action figures," she said. ". . . If you're ever feeling too good about yourself they have this thing called the Internet" where you can find people who don't like you. Goin' after the haters. Like it.

-- Best Director, Film: Tough category. But it's a Slumdog kinda night. That's three awards thus far.

-- Best Actor, Film, Comedy: Colin Farrell, In Bruges. "They must've done the counting in Florida, an absolute shock, really," Farrell said.

-- Best Film, Comedy/Musical: Vicky Christina Barcelona. Wow. Guess they don't like Abba or Meryl Streep this year at the Hollywood Foreign Press. I was highly expecting Meryl's band of dancers and singers to box step their way to the win.

-- Best Actress, Film, Drama: Brilliant! Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road. I love how authentically excited she was to win this award. "Oh please wrap up? You have no idea how much I am not wrapping up! Gather," Winslet said. (Note to self: Incorporate the phrase, "Gather" into my daily vocabulary when in a tight spot.) ". . . My God, thank you so much."

-- Best TV Series, Drama: Made my night. Mad Men. The Drapers did NOT go home empty-handed after all. The best (or tied for best with Lost) show on TV right now got more deserved props. The second season of Mad Men was just as good as the first. . . So this means, by my calculations, that 30 Rock -- for Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin and best comedy series -- was the only big three network show to win anything. All other TV awards went to cable shows.

-- Best Actor, Film, Drama: Shocker of the night (at least to me) . . . next to the Happy-Go-Lucky winner. Mickey Rourke won for The Wrestler, he and his sparkly scarf. (I recently read a review of this film in Entertainment Weekly recently. They loved this.) Rourke hiked up his pants when he stepped behind the microphone but didn't remove his shades. Interesting.

-- Best Film, Drama: Okay, you folks from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. You've convinced me. I'll see Slumdog Millionaire, but I wanna see Winslet in Revolutionary Road first, then we'll talk.

Thoughts on the award winners? The broadcast? Please feel free to chime in below.

Image credit: Getty Images/Canada.com.

'Lipstick Jungle' and 'Marley & Me'

Two new columns:

1. Lipstick Jungle. Friday marked the airing of the last original episode for Brooke Shields & Co. that's already been filmed. NBC execs say they'll wait to see how the ratings were for the last few new episodes (including DVR stats) before determining if the Lipstick gals get the boot. I make the case in this column for why I've joined the Lipstick Jungle bandwagon.

2. Marley & Me. Last week I went to see Marley & Me and regretted the fact that I didn't bring a box of tissues with me. Seriously. Sturdy. Tissues. Think everyone in the theater was sniffling. Don't worry, no spoilers here from me. But a new column I've written about the Jennifer Aniston/Owen Wilson film does do a little bit of spoiling about the mom and work subplot in the movie that doesn't get a lot of ink.

Image credit: NBC.

Get your DVRs Ready for Winter TV: Lost, 24, Big Love, Friday Night Lights, Medium

I'd forgotten how many new shows would be premiering early this winter other than Lost, 24 and Big Love, all favorites of mine, though 24 has to seriously prove itself to me after its lackluster previous season which aired some 27 years ago.

Then I read this article in today's New York Times which reminded me that gobs of new programs will be starting soon.

Like NBC's Friday Night Lights.

To help goose the critical darling's challenged ratings, NBC first aired the third season of FNL on DirectTV during the fall before unveiling it to the network viewers this winter. I have a particular soft spot for this Texas football drama which isn't really about football. (See my review of last season here, where I muse on the amazing work done by Connie Britton as Tami Taylor -- see photo above -- the high school football coach's wife who just returned to work at the high school after having a baby.)

Then I spotted NBC's Medium on the list. Medium tends to be dismissed by some as simply a creepy show about someone who speaks with the dead, not exactly something with which most viewers can relate. But it feels down-to-earth because of the performances by Patricia Arquette and Jake Weber, as the show's main married couple and parents of three.

Of course the premiere to which I'm most looking forward is Lost. Will they actually go back to the island this season? Will Sun really conspire with Widmore? Oh the questions!

Show premiere dates:

24, Fox: Sunday, January 11.

Lost, ABC: Wednesday, January 21.

Big Love, HBO: Sunday, January 18.

Friday Night Lights, NBC: Friday, January 16.

Medium, NBC: Monday, February 2.

Any winter show to which you're particularly looking forward to seeing?

Image credit: NBC.

Suburban Mom's Political Fix: NBC 'Nightly News' to Protect Obama Girls' Privacy

This is one of the reasons why I'm an NBC Nightly News fan. Aside from the fact that I really admire the way anchor Brian Williams delivers the news and selects which segments to highlight each weeknight, there are classy moments -- like this one last night -- that remind me why, when it comes to big news, I prefer to turn to the down-to-earth Williams.

In a segment near the end of Monday night's broadcast (link is here), Williams ran some still photos of Malia and Sasha Obama that were released by their father's transition team of the girls and their parents preparing for the girls' first day of school in Washington. Then he said that, like his predecessor, NBC Nightly News would refrain from hounding Malia and Sasha with cameras and would only cover their exploits if a news event specifically warrants such coverage.

In the day and age where there are the thousands of web sites and the 24/7 cable news networks willing to exploit the children of celebrities and politicians -- some which go so far as to declare diaper-wearing toddlers of celebs as being very hip and fashionable (as if the kids were picking out their attire), it's refreshing to see that a major news organization (or at least the Nightly News) plans to give Malia and Sasha a break and won't chronicle their every move and document their wardrobe selections.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

'Desperate' Mondays: Home is the Place

The gals of Wisteria Lane are back from their Christmas hiatus. And back they're back with a . . . whimper. A pathetic whimper.

Seriously, I was sorely disappointed with the fresh episode of Desperate Housewives.

Gabby and Carlos Solis, the comedic shining stars of the show's fifth season were, eh, not a good sign. Now that Carlos has regained his sight, are the writers really going to have the characters slip back into their old ways , returning Gabby to her shallowly materialistic former self? What I've adored about Eva Longoria Parker's character this season is that she's developed a sarcastic, witty sharpness as she awkwardly tossed herself into a new way of life, one not marked by glamour and opulence, but by caregiving. Who knew she had it in her?

By having Gabby pressure Carlos into taking a six-figure job he despised -- he wanted to work at the low-paying community center helping the blind -- and punctuating that decision by having her place shiny, gold shoes into her giant closet, I felt as though the character was going backwards to a time and place when her story was among the least compelling of the Housewives, or minimally tied with Susan Mayer's.

And poor Bree Van de Kamp Hodge was reduced to a caricature of a controlling in-law-to-be -- adding not a hint of irony nor insight into her character -- by engaging in a competition with the nut job mother of her son Andrew's fiance. Buying a house in her pricey neighborhood in order to keep her son in town and away from the loony mother-in-law? And savvy Andrew, who knows his mother all too well, didn't see through it? Come on people, you can do better than this.

The bottom of the barrel, as far as the latest episode was concerned, was Susan's story. The writers appear to be laying the groundwork for having her break up with her lame painter boyfriend (the actor playing him -- Gale Harold -- had a very serious motorcycle accident in October). Susan went clubbing with her neighbor at a gay bar and then, many, many drinks later, fail to recall whether she slept with him. (She didn't and he returned the following day to the home he shares with his partner next door.)

No, wait, I take that back. Susan's clubbing wasn't the absolute worst part of the new episode. That honor belongs to the sad, sad Scavos. Are we really supposed to believe that Lynette Scavo was going to intentionally run down the man who had threatened her son, going all Orson Hodge on him? (Yes, we've already seen someone vindictively run over someone with a motor vehicle in a previous season.)Even if Lynette was simply acting as though she'd kill the husband of her teenaged son's lover in order to coax the teen's location out of his brother, this story is growing more and more absurd. At this point, I have no interest in what happens to the Scavos.

The new year is not off to a roaring start.

Interesting tidbit: Anyone notice that a second Six Feet Under alum appeared in Desperate Housewives this season?

Image credit: ABC.

Suburban Mom's Political Fix: Dave Barry's Laugh Out-Loud Year in Review

I know that year-in-reviews seem so five days ago, but you simply must check out humor columnist Dave Barry's 2008 retrospective. I stumbled upon it while reading the Sunday Boston Globe yesterday and couldn't stop laughing.

For example, while writing about the events in January, Barry said:

"The Iowa caucuses produce two surprises:

On the Republican side, the winner is Mike Huckabee, folksy former governor of Arkansas, or possibly Oklahoma, who vows to remain in the race until he gets a commentator gig with Fox. His win deals a severe blow to Mitt Romney and his bid to become the first president of the android persuasion. Not competing in Iowa are Rudy Giuliani, whose strategy is to stay out of the race until he is mathematically eliminated, and John McCain, who entered the caucus date incorrectly into his 1996 Palm Pilot.

On the Democratic side, the surprise winner is Barack Obama, who is running for president on a long and impressive record of running for president. A mesmerizing speaker, Obama electrifies voters with his exciting new ideas for change, although people have trouble remembering exactly what these ideas are because they are so darned mesmerized. Some people become so excited that they actually pass out. These are members of the press corps.

Obama's victory comes at the expense of former front-runner Hillary Clinton, who fails to ignite voter passion despite a rip-snorter of a stump speech in which she recites, without notes, all 17 points of her plan to streamline tuition-loan appliances."

Man, I miss Dave Barry's weekly columns. They provided me with at least one guaranteed laugh per week.