Emmy Awesomeness: 'Mad Men,' 'Modern Family' and Fallon

"I love TV. I love watching TV. . . Let's have some fun tonight." -- Jimmy Fallon, Emmy host

I really enjoyed the Emmy show last night, mostly because of Jimmy Fallon. Starting with the fantastic "Born to Run" dance number -- Betty White! Jorge Garcia! Tina Fey! Jon Hamm! Even Wacky Kate Gosselin! Glee people! -- it felt fun and light.



Of course there was also that Modern Family/George Clooney skit. Loved it.



And Fallon's tribute to the shows which ended -- 24, Law & Order and Lost -- . . . classic. ("The island it was mythical, and in the end they died. I didn't understand it but I tried.")



As for the winners, well, before the awards show I'd written four words in my notebook: Modern Family, Mad Men. And they won best comedy and best drama. As it should be. As it was meant to be. (I was also supremely pleased that the season three finale of Mad Men got a writing award for "Shut the Door. Have a Seat." No offense, but I really didn't want the Lost series finale to win any writing awards. Yes, I'm still that bitter.)

I was surprised that the spectacular Bryan Cranston won another Emmy for Breaking Bad -- though he's amazing -- because he was up against some extremely stiff competition in Jon Hamm, Hugh Laurie, Matthew Fox (I don't blame him for the finale), Michael C. Hall and Kyle Chandler. And he was so very gracious in his victory. It was nice to see Cranston's co-star, Aaron Paul, also win, as he looked clearly stunned upon having beaten Terry "Smoke Monster" O'Quinn, Michael "Ben Linus" Emerson, John "Roger Sterling" Slattery and Andre Braugher.

The biggest mistake of the night came in the best supporting actress in a drama category. Don't get me wrong. I like Archie Panjabi in The Good Wife. She's intriguing. But there's no way her first season as Kalinda was superior to Elisabeth Moss' Peggy Olson on Mad Men.

What were your favorite/least favorite Emmy moments/awards?

Two TV-Centric Posts: 'Rescue Me' and Me as an All-Powerful Emmy Goddess

I’ve got two new posts up on CliqueClack TV today, the first is a review of last night’s episode of Rescue Me where Tommy Gavin publicly proclaimed that he was giving up drinking – AGAIN – and was going to be a better man, a better husband and a better dad. And everyone laughed in his face, not buying it, while his wife Janet told him that he'd transformed her into a cynical, negative person. Then by the end -- and this is hardly a spoiler if you've actually watched Tommy over the years -- he raised a hefty glass of whiskey and declared that the world was "not cooperating" with attempts to stay sober.

Now his eldest daughter Colleen is apparently following in his boozy footsteps and he’s helplessly inept when it comes to giving her guidance.

The second blog post is my wish list of TV shows and actors/actress who I think should get Emmy nominations when they’re announced tomorrow morning. I can summarize my go-with-the-heart picks with four words: Mad, Men, Modern and Family.

And no, Lost is not on the list for best drama because I’m still holding a grudge over that series finale debacle thing which still has me feeling as though watching the final season was a complete waste of time. (As more time passes, I find myself getting angrier about the whole mess.)

Image credit: FX via New York Magazine.

Emmys: What Did Ya Think?

My apologies for the delay in posting this . . . I was busy writing up this column for Mommy Track'd about last night's Emmys, writing my Mad Men recap/review, caring for two sick kids and then callously leaving them in the care of an uncle while I dashed off to Foxborough (MA) to see Snow Patrol and U2 in concert. (On a side note. . .  my Army Wives recap/review will be live soon.)

Sooooo . . . the Emmys. Thought the show, overall, was rather dull. The acceptance speeches, relatively vanilla. There was little oomph to keep me glued to the screen, despite Neil Patrick Harris' melodic plea to not touch the remote control. I did, however, like the new genre-based format where they grouped all the awards by category, so when the reality show category came up, I had plenty of time to go to the kitchen and eat some left over apple crisp and do a few other things before returning to the show, notebook in hand. (I'm not a reality show fan.)

How did I do with my who I thought SHOULD win list? My desires were satiated in three categories: My beloved Mad Men won for best drama for the second consecutive year. Ben Linus, er, Michael Emerson got some props for his work on Lost. And the Generalissimo -- a.k.a. Alec Baldwin, 30 
Rock -- got more Emmy love. On all the other major awards, I got smoked, per usual. Told you that I stink at trying to predict these things.

My Pop Culture column this week looks at some of the winners -- and losers -- in particular the shocking Toni Collette win for best actress in a comedy for her work in Showtime's United States of Tara.

What did you think of the Emmy results?

Image credit: Lucy Nicholson/Reuters via The Guardian.

The Emmys: Who I Want to Win

I’m really bad at predicting Emmy winners, as I oftentimes allow my own personal preferences to cloud my judgment. Plus, it’s so very subjective this whole picking of winners thing. It’s really based on what you watch and what kinds of shows you like personally.

If you're not into sci-fi, for example, you won't give a hoot about Lost. Some people hate the slow-moving, subtle Mad Men and think it's overhyped. (I know, it's hard to believe, but the haters are out there.) You really don't know how many of those folks are Emmy voters. That’s why I think it’s difficult to prognosticate, with any degree of accuracy, for whom the folks in the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences will vote.


So this is not a list of predicted winners. It’s my list of who I think SHOULD win. Totally biased. Based on my preferences alone. An academy of one:

Best Comedy Series: The Office. I know, conventional wisdom says that 30 Rock’s a shoo-in, and I do love the Divine Ms Fey, but I thought that the Michael Scott Paper Company story arc, where Michael left Dunder Mifflin, was fantastic and rejuvenated a show that’s been around for a while.

Best Lead Actress, Comedy: Tina Fey, 30 Rock. The Academy loves Fey, as do I.

Best Lead Actor, Comedy: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock. Hands down. He’s wickedly funny in this role. Last season, his scenes with Salma Hayek ("El Generalissimo") were hilarious.

Best Drama Series: Mad Men. This is the toughest category of them all. Seriously, it’s loaded with so many stellar entries. My heart wants Lost, as last season re-oriented the series around a new premise (moving from "Let's get off this island" to "We gotta go back") and was wonderfully steeped in religious and literary references -- even the time travel thing grew on me, but given that the voters base their votes on only one or two episodes (I can’t remember if it’s one or two), I don’t think Lost fares well when viewed out of context and seen by people who don’t already understand what’s going on. A stand-alone episode of Mad Men, however, is much more relatable. Mad Men was indeed extremely strong and smart in its second season. Plus there's Jon Hamm and January Jones goodness to enjoy.

Best Lead Actress, Drama: Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men. This is a category for which I have no real clue as to who the Academy voters will chose. None. But I’m rooting for Moss who has played the complex Peggy Olson character so very earnestly and believably.

Best Lead Actor, Drama: Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment. I have my favorites – Hamm and Hugh Laurie from House – but based on what I saw, Byrne was exceptional in the second season, particularly in the episode where his father died. Byrne provided a raw performance for which he deserves to be rewarded.

The only other category in which I’m very interested is the Best Supporting Actor, Drama for which I’ll pulling for Michael Emerson from Lost who plays the exquisite personification of evil that is Benjamin Linus. Go Ben!

For what shows, actresses, actors are you rooting to win on Sunday night?

Image credit: ABC.

Suburban Mom's Pop Culture Week: Parks and Recreation, Curb Your Enthusiasm & the Emmys

TV

Aside from watching New England sports (Red Sox, Patriots), I’ve finally caught up on the HBO show Hung and watched the season finale, which, I must say, didn’t thrill me, season finales rarely do. The show, overall, has proven interesting enough that I’ve bothered to keep up with it.

I’ve been thoroughly bored by the Jay Leno Show which premiered this week – otherwise known as “Hey-Let’s-Put-the-Writers-Out-of-Work-and-Hog-Up-Five-Hours-of-Primetime-a-Week-with-Lame-Crap-That’s-Really-Cheap-to-Make.” The set looks like NBC invested exactly $247 in it. The two blue chairs where the interviews are conducted appear to be placed on what looks like a dance floor. The whole show seems awkward and weird to me because when I see Leno, I think that I should be getting to bed because I’ve been trained to think that it must be past 11:30 when I see his face. Maybe he was funnier later at night. Maybe that’s it. Or not.

Despite the Leno mess, I am planning on tuning in tonight to NBC’s slate of Thursday night humor, particularly to see if one of my favorite comedians, Amy Poehler, can make Parks and Recreation work this season.

By the time Sunday rolls around I think my TV is going to explode. Notwithstanding the fact that The Spouse and I will be hosting a belated Rosh Hashanah dinner here for family in which we’ll engage in the age old ritual of putting the Patriots game on TV lest my eldest son’s head explode because he cannot watch it, my poor DVR is going to be conflicted that evening.

Of course, Mad Men is on at 10, as is Army Wives, both of which I write about here in this space on Mondays. Plus there’s Entourage – which I usually watch On Demand but on which I’m a bit behind. But Curb Your Enthusiasm is back with new episodes after a very, very long absence.



However the Emmys are also on at the same time. My pop culture column at Mommy Track’d for next week is on the awards show, so I’ve got to watch live. (If there are still relatives here when the Emmys start, maybe I’ll try to goad them into wagering.) Such the dilemma . . .

DVDs

Still watching The West Wing, season one. Just saw the episode where Toby pulled strings to arrange a military funeral for a homeless vet who got Toby’s coat from the Good Will. Also saw the episode where the president revealed to Leo that he had MS. I thought that happened later, not within the first eight episodes.

Books

Am still in the early part of On the Road, although my progress through it may be detoured because I have to read two other books for some articles I’ve got coming up.

I also just joined a local women’s book club – it’s been eons since I’ve been in a book club – and have got to read The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa by next month.

So, what’s on YOUR Pop Culture slate this week?

Emmy Nominations: Where's Friday Night Lights?

While many of my favorite TV shows received Emmy nominations this week -- Mad Men, Lost -- one particular program, Friday Night Lights, got snubbed in all the major categories and I'm pretty steamed. Connie Britton, who kicked some serious Texas butt as Tami Taylor, the new Dillon High School Principal, got no love. Ditto for Kyle Chandler, who played the restrained and pained Coach Eric Taylor who had to wear a phony let's-just-go-along-to-get-along smile when dealing with J.D. McCoy's crazy dad. The ensemble FNL cast deftly dramatized the gamut of authentic teen angst spanning various socio-economic strata and had one of the most uncomfortable yet realistic feeling mom-daughter sex talks I've ever seen. Shame on the Academy for blowing off this show.

Other things that got my undies in a bundle about this 2009 slate of Emmy nominations:

-- I was pleased as punch to see Gabriel Byrne from HBO's In Treatment among the nominees for lead actor in a drama. I likewise thought it appropriate to honor Hope Davis, who played an unstable New York lawyer who was a patient of Byrne's, but it was a criminal oversight that John Mahoney, who played a disgraced yet proud CEO in the grips of a nervous breakdown, was overlooked in the supporting actor in a drama category. Mahoney acts circles around William Shatner for goodness sake.

-- Big Love had a stellar season, complex and surprising and poignant. The intricately interwoven stories took viewers to fascinating places. Hence it was great to see the HBO drama receive a best drama nomination, but curiously, none of the individual actors or actresses received a nomination. Surely Sally Field could sit one year out from playing a terribly predictable character on Brothers & Sisters to make room for one of the Big Love wives. Maybe for Jeanne Tripplehorn who had a strong season where she faced the threat of a recurrence of cancer, embraced the notion of a fourth wife, was excommunicated from her faith (that Temple episode was something) and had communication problems with her teenaged daughter who got pregnant then lost the baby. (Tripplehorn's Barb should ask Britton's Tami for pointers on how to conduct a good teen sex chat.)

-- This season's Rescue Me on FX has been a revelation, a detailed, painful examination of the long-term impact of 9/11 on the FDNY. A journalist working on a book about 9/11 came into the firehouse and stirred up recollections of that day caused Denis Leary's Tommy Gavin to give up a year's worth of hard-earned sobriety, as Gavin coped with massive personal losses in his life, so overwhelming that he worried that he was losing his capacity to feel anything. And no one, other than Michael J. Fox who played Janet Gavin's boyfriend, gets any Emmy nom love? Not even Leary, especially after the blow-torch scene? That's just cold.

-- Others who got the dramatic acting shaft: Terry O'Quinn from Lost, Patricia Arquette from Medium and January Jones from Mad Men.

Okay, now onto the positive. The rest of the major nominees can be summarized thusly: Mad Men, 30 Rock, cable channels, 30 Rock, Breaking Bad, Tina Fey, Matthew Weiner and the major networks need to take some cues from their cable breathren.

Dramas:

My two favorite shows -- Mad Men and Lost -- are both nominees in the most competitive category on the board. Every show on the expanded best drama category is top-notch. Plenty of super-quality shows didn't make the cut. It's worthwhile to note that among the seven shows nominated, only two are from broadcast networks. Here's the list: Big Love (HBO), Breaking Bad (AMC), Damages (FX), Dexter (Showtime), House (Fox), Lost (ABC) and Mad Men (AMC).

As for dramatic acting nominees, Mad Men's Jon Hamm and Elisabeth Moss got top nods, awards I hope they wind up receiving on September 20, although both of their leading dramatic categories contain tough challengers. In addition to Hamm, the other actors nominated include AMC pal Bryan Cranston from Breaking Bad (AMC), Michael C. Hall from Dexter (Showtime), Hugh Laurie from House (Fox), Byrne from In Treatment (HBO) and Simon Baker from The Mentalist (CBS). On the actress side, Moss is competing against Holly Hunter from Saving Grace (TNT), Kyra Sedgwick from The Closer (TNT), Sally Field from Brothers & Sisters (ABC), Glenn Close from Damages (FX) and Mariska Hargitay from Law & Order SVU (NBC).

In the dramatic supporting acting nominations, I'm going to pick up the pom-poms and cheer for Michael Emerson as the delightfully fiendish Benjamin Linus on Lost. The episode, "The life and death of Jeremy Bentham" and "316" showcased Emerson's talents.

Comedies:

This category is all about Tina Fey, 30 Rock (got 22 nominations) and Saturday Night Live. In this category, the major networks fare better than they do with dramas, mostly thanks to 30 Rock. Ms Fey is having a year isn't she? She's nominated as best leading actress in a comedy, best guest actress in a comedy (her Sarah Palin bits on SNL), her show was nominated as best comedy and its writers snagged four out of the five nominations for best writing for a comedy series. Riding the Fey train are Alec Baldwin as lead actor, Tracy Morgan and Jack McBrayer as supporting comedic actors, Jane Krakowski as supporting comedic actress, three out of the five guest actor in a comedy nominees (Steve Martin, Alan Alda, Jon Hamm) and two guest actress nominees.

The other comedy nominees include: Entourage (HBO), Family Guy (Fox), Flight of the Conchords (HBO), How I Met Your Mother (CBS) and Weeds (Showtime).

In the leading comedic actor category, in addition to Baldwin there's my personal favorite, Steve Carell who was so good as Michael Scott this past year on The Office. After his work following Scott's departure from Dunder Mifflin and the starting the short-lived Michael Scott Paper Company, Carell added so much new life to an older comedic franchise that Carell definitely deserves this nomination and the award.

I'd be stunned if someone other than Fey walks away with the lead comedic actress honor, but I admired the inclusion of Toni Collette who plays a challenging role which could easily slide into camp, on Showtime's United States of Tara. Rounding out the rest of the lead comedic actress nominees are Mary-Louise Parker for Weeds, Sarah Silverman for Sarah Silverman Program (Comedy Central), Julia Louis-Dreyfus' The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS) and Christina Applegate for Samantha Who (ABC)

Anyone or show about which you're thrilled received an Emmy nomination? Any snubs you're particularly upset about?

Image credit: AMC.

A Toast to 'Mad Men:' Top o' the Heap

Okay, so my Emmy picks -- rather, the folks and shows whom I wanted to win -- sadly, didn't, for the most part . . . with the exception of the Divine Ms Fey.

However the big winner last night for the best dramatic series was Mad Men. I couldn't be more pleased, even though Jon Hamm didn't take home a trophy for best actor in a drama. This show just sings. In all the right ways.

I used the most recent Mad Men episode as a launching off point for my weekly Pop Culture and Politics column on the mixed messages the media and pop culture sent about working women during the past 10 days: On Mad Men (the Joan and Peggy stories), on Saturday Night Live (the Palin-Clinton skit) and on this week's premiere of Lipstick Jungle (Brooke Shields' mother giving her guff for scaling back her work hours so she can have more time for her daughter).

A new episode is slated for next Sunday, thus, Mad Men Monday will return in this spot in just a week.

Image credit: AMC.

Fall TV, Plus Emmys and NBC Premiering 'Lipstick Jungle' Online

House has already premiered its new episode. The new J.J. Abrams show Fringe has begun creeping out audiences nationwide. But in the coming days, many more TV shows will premiere including Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Heroes and The New Adventures of Old Christine. I preview some of the shows that feature moms -- including 30 Rock which will (*spoiler alert*) reportedly have an adoption storyline this season-- over at my Mommy Track'd in this week's Pop Culture & Politics column.

If you just can't wait until the official premiere dates for some NBC shows, you can go directly to the network's web site and view a handful of complete episodes for free before they air. I've already watched the season premiere of Lipstick Jungle (highly recommend it for mind fluff to stop you from obsessing about Wall Street woes). Kim Raver's storyline was well done.

Oh, and don't forget, the Emmys are coming on Sunday night. Mad Men will be a repeat, thus no Mad Men Monday installment here at Notes from the Asylum. Speaking of the Emmys, who am I rooting for to take home awards (versus who I think will actually win, which is a distinctly different animal):

Best Drama: Is there really any question here? I've got my Mad Men pom-pons out. My second favorite: Lost.

Best Comedy: This is a toughie. I love Steve Carell and Tina Fey equally, but I'll go with The Office for comedy and root for Fey to take the comedic actress statute.

Best Actor in a Drama: I so want Jon Hamm to win this for his heroic portrayal of a 1960s haunted man who seemed to have everything (remember, this is an award for season one, before he became the dark shadow known as Don Draper). However I wouldn't be upset if Hugh Laurie walked away with it for House . . . though he's already won this award previously, so spreading the Emmy goodness would be kind of nice.

UPDATE: I just noticed that Hugh Laurie has NOT received an Emmy, having been nominated twice. He's won Golden Globe awards and a Screen Actors Guild award, but not the Emmy. My bad.

Best Actress in a Drama: Holly Hunter in Saving Grace. Savagely good.

Best Actress in a Comedy: The divine Ms. Fey.

Best Actor in a Comedy: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock.

Best Supporting Actress in Drama: Chandra Wilson, Grey's.

Best Supporting Actor in Drama: Ben, the evil, twisted Benjamin Linus from Lost should prevail Sunday evening, in the persona of actor Michael Emerson. Benjamin Linus is a true television enigma.

Best Supporting Actress in Comedy: Poeh-ler. Poeh-ler. Poeh-ler.

Best Supporting Actor in Comedy: Rainn Wilson, of The Office. Dwight's deadpan shtick. Gets me every time.

Who do you want to win? List your Emmy hopefuls below.

Image credit: NBC.

Emmy Noms: The Good, The Snubbed

I pick up my pom-poms and cheerlead for my favorite Emmy nominations in my latest Mommy Track'd column where I dissect how shows featuring parental storylines fared.

Among the good nominations: Of course, the ones for Mad Men (drama series and leading hottie/haunted bad boy/suburban dad Jon Hamm), Chandra Wilson for Grey's Anatomy, Julia Louis-Dreyfus for The New Adventures of Old Christine and Laura Linney for John Adams.

The snubbed: The football drama Friday Night Lights, the powerful sex therapy drama Tell Me You Love Me and Jeanne Tripplehorn's "first wife" in a three-spouse polygamist marriage in Big Love (pictured above).

The full list of the nominees can be found here.

What do you think blog readers? Who deserves to win an Emmy? Who was really robbed by not even getting a nomination? Your turn to chime in.

Image credit: HBO.