Day 1042: CBS Upfronts

CBS is probably the gutsiest network out there.  10 years ago, with the help of ‘CSI’ and ‘Survivor’ they completely changed the direction of their programing, for the better… and now… they believe in their line-up so much that their not afraid to replace actors and only launch 6 new shows this season, (half as many as any other network).

MONDAYS (Legen…dary)

8 pm: ‘How I Met Your Mother’ is BACK!!!!   This was my favorite sitcom of 2005 and every year it’s on the bubble for cancelation.  I can’t even begin to tell you have excited I am that the show will continue!

8:30pm: ‘2 Broke Girls’… from the writers of ‘Sex and the City’… but doesn’t sound as legendary.

9pm: ‘Two and a Half Men’… wow.  I’m speechless.  I seriously hate this show… and I’m not a huge Aston Kutcher fan (but he was good in ‘That 70s Show’).  But for some reason I can’t wait to see the reboot of this show.  Call it a morbid fascination… but it should be interesting.

9:30pm: ‘Mike and Molly’, I haven’t seen this show, but I want to.

10pm: ‘Hawaii Five-O’, again, I haven’t seen this one yet.  I have it in my queue and I’m really excited about it.

TUESDAYS (Strong)

8pm: ‘NCIS’… I’ll be watching ‘Glee’ on FOX.

9pm: ‘NCIS: LA’… Sure, I’ll watch, I need something to fill the time until ‘Parenthood’ on NBC.

10pm: ‘Unforgettable’, described as ‘The Mentalist’ with a hot girl… and with CBS’s knack for reinventing the same show, I figure it will do well…

WEDNESDAYS (Another strong night)

8pm: ‘Survivor’… HURRAY!

9pm: ‘Criminal Minds’

10pm: ‘CSI’

THURSDAYS (Sounds Good!)

8pm: ‘The Big Bang Theory’, my OTHER favorite sitcom is BACK!

8:30pm: ‘How to Be a Gentleman’, Starring Kevin Dillian (Entourage) and Dave Folly (News Radio and The Kids in the Hall) I WILL be watching!

9pm: ‘Person of Interest’!!!!!!!!  This is JJ Abrams new show.  CBS claims that this show has tested higher with audiences than any other CBS show in the last 15 years… and it’s JJ Abrams.  It should be awesome!

10pm: ‘The Metalist’

FRIDAYS (Skippable)

8pm: ‘A Gifted Man’, a review described this show as a ‘schlockfest’. 

9pm: ‘CSI: NY’

10pm: ‘Blue Bloods’… this is actually a pretty good show and has zero competition… unless you like ‘20/20’ and ‘Dateline’.

SATURDAYS (Huh?)

CBS is the ONLY network to air a real show on Saturday… ‘Rules of Engagement’ will air Saturdays at 8pm… but don’t count on it staying there.  I call this an on deck show.  As soon as one of their new sitcoms underperforms, you’ll see ‘Rules of Engagement’ being called back up to the big leagues.

SUNDAYS (Rock solid)

8pm: ‘The Amazing Race’, AWESOME!

9pm: ‘The Good Wife’

10pm: ‘CSI: Miami’

Day 1041: FOX Upfronts

MONDAYS (Power House Alternative to Reality Shows)

8pm: ‘Terra Nova’, a sci-fi epic.

9pm: ‘House’, eight seasons and still VERY strong.

TUESDAYS (Another Solid Night)

8pm: ‘Glee’

9pm: ‘The New Girl’ staring Zooey Deschanel!!!!!!

9:30pm: ‘Raising Hope’… I haven’t seen it, but I hear it’s good.

WEDNESDAYS (Yawn)

8pm: ‘The X Factor’… umm… this is a singing competition with Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul as judges… wait a minute… isn’t this… wait.  Huh?

9:30: ‘I Hate My Teenage Daughter’, good cast… but shows is this timeslot never do well.   Back in the early days of ‘American Idol’ they used to squeeze in a 9:30 sitcom before FOX switches to local news, but there was always a huge rates drop and affiliates would go berserk.  So, every time the sitcom was canceled and ‘American Idol’ was expanded to two-hours.  Expect that to happen here.

THURSDAYS (Classic FOX)

8pm: ‘The X Factor, Results Show’… by the way… if you haven’t figured it out, in January ‘American Idol’ will take over ‘The X Factor’ timeslot… because… well… sing competitions are awesome?

9pm: ‘Bones’

FRIDAYS (AWESOME!)

8pm: ‘Kitchen Nightmares’… too bad I’ll be watching ‘Chuck’ on NBC.

9pm: ‘FRINGE’!!!!!!!  Sorry ‘Grimm’… I’m a JJ Abrams loyalist!

SUNDAYS (Animated)

8 – 10pm:  FOX’s normal Sunday night animation block.  They have a new show premiering called ‘Allen Gregory’… I know nothing about it.

Day 1040: The ABC Upfronts

Once upon a time ABC was a juggernaut for inventive new shows… however, based on early reporting from critics, who attended the ABC Upfronts, not one of their 11 new shows sparked ‘LOST’ or ‘Modern Family’ level excitement.

MONDAYS (Solid)

8 – 10pm: ‘Dancing with the Stars’, still a rating giant and will probably cause NBC executives to weep openly.

10 – 11pm: ‘Castle’, hands down, the BEST crime show on television.  There is NO way ‘The Playboy Club’ will steal viewers from the fourth season of this fantastic show!

TUESDAYS (Shaky)

8 – 9pm Comedy Block: The early reviews for Tim Allen’s ‘Last Man Standing’ and ‘Man Up’ are NOT good and their timeslot REALLY confuses me.  Based on reviews, these two shows seem focus on male demographics… however, they are being used to lead into the ‘Dancing with the Stars, Results Show’.  The choice doesn’t make any sense to me.

9 – 10pm: ‘Dancing with the Stars, Results Show’

10 – 11pm: ‘Body of Proof’, I haven’t seen this show, but I love Dana Delany and I’m glad to see her show renewed… although I’ll probably watch ‘Parenthood’ on NBC instead.

WEDNESDAYS (Not very exciting)

8 – 10pm Comedy Block: Joining ‘The Middle’ and ‘Modern Family’ are two new sitcoms that I’m not overly excited about called ‘Suburgatory’ and ‘Happy Endings’.  The critics seem to think their worth checking out for a few episodes though… so I’ll probably give them a chance.

10 – 11pm: ‘Revenge’, okay… so… one review begins with, “I'm not entirely convinced that Emily Van Camp can really act, or pull off devious, but she's sure as hell going to try.”  And then it tries to explain the shows rather bizarre premise.  So… I’m hoping CBS will be showing something interesting because I’m certainly not going to watch ‘Law & Order: SVU’

THURSDAYS (Solid Girl Night)

The line-up really speaks for itself.

8 – 9pm: ‘Charlie’s Angles’ reboot.

9 – 10pm: ‘Grey’s Anatomy’

10 – 11pm: ‘Private Practice’

FRIDAYS (Craptastic Reality)

8 – 9pm: ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’… is this show really still on?

9 – 10pm: ‘Shark Tank’

SUNDAYS (Very Interesting)

8 – 9pm: ‘Once Upon a Time’, great cast, but it’s a full blow fantasy show… on a Sunday night.  Not sure how long it will stay there, but I’m going to give it a shot.

9 – 10pm: ‘Desperate Housewives’… still going!

10 – 11pm: ‘Pan Am’, remember yesterday when I said every network wants their own version of ‘Mad Men’?  Well, this is ABC’s version and it is a LOT more promising than NBC’s… but still not REAL promising. 

Day 1039: The NBC Upfronts

So… over my last R&R, I found out a close friend has been secretly reading my blog.  I never knew until we went out one night and he said, “Hey, I really appeared your story about trying to get your internet hooked up in Pakistan.” 

Me: “Oh yeah?  Thanks… wait a minute.  Where… have you?...”

Him:  “Yeah… I read the blog… I skip all the stuff about movies, but I like to keep tabs on you.”

Well… you know who you are, I’ll see you in a couple months and you can go ahead and skip this post.

**********

In case you don’t know, the “Upfronts” are when a television networks present their line-up of shows for the next season to advertisers and the media.  Most importantly, this is their first opportunity to get advertisers excited about their NEW shows and sell LOTS of advertizing time up-front… hence the name… “Upfronts.”

Anyway, NBC, the network poster-child for poor decision…

(That’s right I still haven’t forgiven you for firing Conan… and the fact that you’ve canceled BOTH shows my good friend Jennifer Ferrin starred in, ‘Life on Mars’ and ‘The Cape’, isn’t really helping my forgiving nature!)

… is the first to step up to the plate and announce their Upfronts… and honestly, I have mixed feelings about it… but they do have some new shows that excite me.

MONDAYS (Not Thrilled… except for ‘Smash’)

8 – 10pm:  I am not excited about this at all.  NBC will be rolling out, not one, but TWO two-hour singing competitions in this time slot.  Starting this fall, the will be airing ‘The Sing-Off’ and in the January, they will launch ‘The Voice’.  What, with FOX’s addition of ‘The X-Factor’ this season, there will now be FOUR, that’s right, FOUR bloated singing competitions on the air in one season.

10 – 11pm (Fall): ‘The Playboy Club’… Umm… so… with the success of ‘Mad Men’ every network and their mother want a show like ‘Mad Men’… and ‘The Playboy Club’ is NBC’s attempt to reinvent the wheel.  I bet this show gets canceled with a vengeance!  This is a tough time-slot for NBC shows and I just don’t see ‘The Playboy Club’ appealing to the folks who just finished watching a singing competition.

10 – 11pm (January): ‘Smash’, a musical-drama, produced by Steven Spielberg and staring ‘American Idol’ runner-up Katherine McPhee, described as ‘Glee’ for grown-ups.  I think this is a PERFECT pairing with ‘The Voice’ and could be a hit… IF, and only if ‘The Voice’ is able to maintain viewers.

TUESDAYS (Mixed Emotions)

8 – 10pm: So… Serena and I actually like ‘The Biggest Loser’, however we’ve grown tired of the epically long seasons of two-hour episodes.  It’s just too much.

10 – 11pm: ‘Parenthood’, great cast, great show.  I’m glad it’s back for a third season!

WEDNESDAY  

I am not excited about NBC Mondays AT ALL.  They are rolling out, not one, but from 8 – 10pm:  In the fall it will be

WEDNESDAYS (Showing Promise)

8 – 9pm Comedy Block:  Serena and I LOVE Christina Applegate and were thurally disappointed when ABC cancelled ‘Samantha Who’ a few years ago.  So I am excited to see her back with ‘Up All Night’ and equally excited about Hank Azaria’s ‘Free Agents’.

9 – 10pm: ‘Harry’s Law’, I haven’t seen this show yet, but I hear good things.

10 – 11pm: ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’... … Well, seriously… I think this franchise has run its course.

THURSDAYS (Thumbs Up)

8 – 10pm Comedy Block:  Only one new show in this block and it’s my other prediction for early cancelation.  It’s called ‘Whitney’ and the early reviews are not strong.  The only hope for this show is its 9:30pm timeslot, right after ‘The Office’.  As it stands now, ‘Whitney’ is uncontested in its time slot, so unless CBS announces a 9:30pm sitcom on Thursdays, there will be nothing to watch until 10pm.

10 – 11pm: ‘Prime Suspect’.  This is the new NBC show that I’m MOST excited about.  If it’s anything like the British version starring Helen Mirren, it should be REALLY good!

FRIDAYS (AWESOME)

8 – 9pm: The final season of ‘Chuck’!!!!   Every year I am always concerned about ‘Chuck’, one of my favorite shows currently on the air.  I am really excited that NBC has given this show a chance to go out in style.

9 – 10pm: ‘Grimm’, I’m not sure if I’m 100% behind this show.  The premise is kind of strange… however this is the perfect time slot for it… if it’s going to appeal to anyone; it will be the folks who watch ‘Chuck’.

Day 961: SheenHappens

First, I’m not a fan of celebrity gossip.   I could care less about who’s dating who, where a person has been ‘seen’, or how many times a celebrity has gone to rehab.  Honest to God, I don’t understand America’s fascination with Paris Hilton or Lindsey Lohan, or any other such overexposed celeb.

Second, I have never been a Charlie Sheen fan and frankly, I don’t understand why ‘Two and a Half Men’ has been so darn popular.  It’s a horribly ugly show full of immature, sophomoric humor delivered as a series of punch lines… it’s just not my style and its popularity makes me worry about my fellow man.

So… why am I so fascinated with the self-destructive crater that was once Charlie Sheen’s career?

 I don’t know!  Well, I guess I kind of know. 

Even though I don’t like Celebrity gossip, I am fascinated by the entertainment BUSINESS.  I love following the actual day to day operations that go into making movies and television shows.  Actually, it’s more like an obsession.  And Charlie Sheen’s breakdown, although inevitable, has actually triggered by a business decision.

I think Chuck Lorre, creator and executive producer of ‘Two and a Half Men’, deserves the badass of the year award for standing up to Charlie Sheen.  Let me tell you… dealing with an erratic actor who publically humiliates you is one thing, but to cancel production on the #1 sitcom on television and to do so with the networks blessing takes a special pair of… well, the guy has guts.  And I take my hat off to Chuck Lorre.

I would do the same thing.  If an actor I was trying to help grabbed a microphone and bragged about trying to embarrass me in front of my kids I would kick that actor to the curb so fast he head would spin.  And guess what?  Sheen’s head is SPINNING.  Spinning fast… too fact.  He’s spinning F-16 fast.  His head spinning only has one speed, it’s ‘Go!’.  Lol.  (If you haven’t figured it out, I’m sampling Sheen quotes.)

Anyway, what is the REAL catalyst to Sheen’s breakdown?  Drugs and Alcohol?  Sure, they are fueling it, but there is a deeper issue…

Because Chuck Lorre suspending production until he felt Sheen was ready to come back?  And refused to go back into production until Sheen had actually checked into a legitimate form of rehab?  Partly, but not really…

So… what is the catalyst? 

I think it’s because Jim Parson’s (The Big Bang Theory) won the Emmy and Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy Series… and I’ll tell you why.

Sheen has always confused popularity with good.  For years he has shared his frustration openly for not winning awards for his work on ‘Two and a Half Men’. 

In 2009, The Emmy Awards expanded their Best Comedy Series field from five to seven, and guess what?  ‘Two and a Half Men’ wasn’t nominated.  Sheen took this very personally and openly questioned how the most watched comedy on television wasn’t nominated.  He even made comments like, “they shouldn’t even be holding a competition, there is no competition, we’re #1, just give us the award.”  He even said something like this while presenting at the Emmy’s that year… or Golden Globes, one of the two.

However, Sheen’s not as dumb as he acts sometimes.  ‘Two and a Half Men’ is one of the few Multi-Camera/Studio Audience Sitcoms on the air right now.  In turn, the current fad for Comedies right now is Single Camera/Non-Studio Audience shows, shot like dramas: The Office, Arrested Development, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Scrubs, Entourage, and Ugly Betty.  In fact, from 2006 – 2008, the three years Two and a Half Men received nominated for Best Comedy, they were the ONLY Multi-Camera show in the field, and Sheen knew this, and would express his disappointment is terms of being the odd show out, or considered to be ‘behind the times’… discriminated against for being a Multi-Camera Show.

Although, in 2009, it became more difficult to make the claim that critics didn’t like ‘Two and a Half Men’ because it was a Multi-Camera show… mainly because ‘How I Met Your Mother’ was nominated for Best Comedy Series AND John Cryer won Best Supporting Actor for ‘Two and a Half Men.”

However, Sheen was still able to claim he was the odd man out because in 2009 he lost Best Actor in a Comedy to an actor from a Single Camera Series… for the fourth year in a row.  And for two of those four losing years, Sheen was the ONLY actor nominated from a Multi-Camera Series, (Kevin James was nominated in 2006 for ‘The King of Queens’, and Jim Parsons was nominated in 2009 for ‘The Big Bang Theory’).

That said, in 2010, Sheen’s fifth consecutive nomination, he was up again Single Camera comedians Alec Baldwin (30 Rock), Steve Carell (The Office), Larry David (Curb Your Enthisiasm), Matthew Morrison (Glee), and Tony Shalhoub (Monk)… and once again, he was sharing the Multi-Camera spotlight with Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory)… and as we all know… Jim Parson’s won, making him the first actor from a Multi-Camera Series to win Best Actor in six years; since Kelsey Grammer won for the final season of ‘Frasier’.

Also, keep in mind.  Back in 2005, Charlie Sheen became the last actor in a Multi-Camera Comedy Series to be nominated for the Golden Globe… at least until 2010, when Jim Parsons was nominated AND won.

Yes, Sheen has a history of alcohol and drug abuse, however, I think Jim Parsons double win in 2010 sent Charlie Sheen over the edge for the following three reasons:

1)  He could no longer claim that he was being passed over because he was on a Multi-Camera Comedy.  And furthermore, I don’t think could fathom why Jim Parsons was getting all the recognition when Sheen was the highest paid actor on television AND on the #1 Comedy.

2)  The creator and executive producer of ‘The Big Bang Theory’ is non-other than Chuck Lorre; the creator of ‘Two and a Half Men’.  I think Sheen took Jim Parsons win VERY personal… almost as a betrayal on Lorre’s part.  As if Lorre was giving his best material to Parsons instead of Sheen, who is a much bigger star (in his own mind).  If you read transcripts of the nasty things Sheen says about Lorre, it almost sounds like Sheen is describing the cast of ‘The Big Bang Theory’.  Take a look.

3) Sheen started 2010 by entering rehab and getting clean.  However, after the Emmy Awards were held on August 29, 2010 his behavior started becoming erratic again… and then after the Golden Globes were held on January 16, 2011, Sheens behavior reached new horrific levels.  And based on this hateful behavior, I can’t help but think that there is more going on in Sheen’s head than just drugs and alcohol.  He’s a man who thinks he’s been legitimately betrayed… and the booze is just fuel to his fire.

Then again… this is only a theory… a Big Bang Theory?

In closing, my favorite Charlie Sheen quote so far is “Yes, I’m on a drug, it’s called Charlie Sheen.”  And it inspired me to get a little creative:

Day 847: ‘Slings & Arrows’

Okay, so while I’m recommending things for your Netflix queue, you have to check out ‘Slings & Arrows’.  I may have mentioned it a while back, but I found the original trainer on YouTube.  It’s a little choppy, but it gives me goose bumps.

Day 779: A Break for Christine Baranski and the Concept of a ‘Guest’ Actor

Pauline made a very excellent point the other day about Christine Baranski.  For those who don’t recognize the name, she plays the reoccurring part of Leonard’s mother on ‘The Big Bang Theory’.  However, she is best known for her work on ‘Cybil’ and in films like ‘Chicago’, ‘The Grinch who Stole Christmas’ and ‘Mama Mia’.  Or, if you’re my son Grayson, you would remember her voice work from classics like ‘Scooby Doo in Where's My Mummy?’

Christine Baranski is extremely talented and the Emmy voters love nominating her.  Since ‘Cybil’ she’s been nominated three times in the ‘Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy’ category, once for ‘Frasier’ and twice for ‘The Big bang Theory’.  PLUS, this year she was ALSO nominated as ‘Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series’ for her work on ‘The Good Wife.’ 

Now, to answer Pauline’s question about the competition… the ‘Guest Actress in a Comedy’ category was completely stacked to the gills with talent this year.  All seven women are past Emmy winners (Jane Lynch was the only one without an Emmy going into the 2010 Awards, but she won Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy that night for ‘Glee’). 

Needless to say, the competition was rough.

However, I really hate to be cynical, but Character Actors don’t normally win the Guest Actor/Actress categories.  The awards normally go to Sentimental Favorites or Hollywood Heavyweights.  Aka, it normally goes to a household name.

Case in point, since 2000, here are the big names who won for best Guest Star:

Actor in a Comedy: Bruce Willis, Anthony LaPagila, Stanley Tucci, Gene Wilder, Tim Conway, John Turturro, Justin Timberlake, and Neil Patrick Harris.

Actor in a Drama: Ray Liotta, Charles S. Dutton (twice for two different shows!), John Goodman, William Shatner, Michael J. Fox, and John Lithgow (BTW: do you guys remember my post about John Lithgow in ‘Dexter’ last real?  I predicted this win… however, he was in almost every episode.  He should have been in the Supporting category, not the Guest category)’

Actress in a Drama: Sally Field. Patricia Clarkson (twice), Alfre Woodard, Cynthia Nixon, Sharon Stone, Ellen Burstyn, and Ann-Margret.

Actress in a Comedy: Jean Smart (twice), Cloris Leachman (twice), Christina Applegate, Laura Linney,Elaine Stritch, Tina Fey, and Betty White.

As you can see… the Guest category isn’t used to champion raw up-incoming talent or those brilliant actors who have toiled away in relative anonymity for years playing bit parts.  No, it’s normally given to a household name as a gift… as if to say, “Thank you for still working”, or “Thanks for putting your movie career aside to work on the small screen for a week”.

Even wins that people could conceive as being an upset, really aren’t.  In 2005, Bobby Cannavale took home the Guest Actor in a Comedy award over Alec Baldwin, Victor Garber, Jeff Goldblum, and Fred Willard.  On the surface, Bobby was a huge underdog.  However, in 2004, Bobby Cannavale was the darling of the international film festival circuit for his work in the Independent Film Masterpiece ‘The Station Agent’.  (If you have seen it, you should!)  Bobby has been on television for years… in ‘Third Watch’ and ‘100 Centre Street’… however, the Emmy’s never recognized him for his talent until after he made a name for himself on the big screen.

I know!  I’m being cynical.  However, there are exceptions!

In 2001, Michael Emerson, who later became Benjamin on ‘Lost’ won for his work as a serial killer on ‘The Practice’.  He edged out James Cromwell, Patrick Dempsey, and Oliver Platt.

In 2006, Christian Clemenson took down Michael J. Fox and James Woods for his work on ‘Boston Legal’ as Jerry ‘Hands’ Espinson.  Incidentally, his popularity and Emmy win led creator David E. Kelly to promote Christian to a full cast member for the shows two remaining seasons.

And my favorite underdog of them all has actually won TWICE!  I’m talking about, none other than, Kathryn Joosten who plays Mrs. McClusky on ‘Desperate Housewives’.  Kathryn has been working steady since the mid 80s and has never done more than a hand full of episodes on any one show except for ‘The West Wing’ and ‘Desperate Housewives’.  I hate to admit that I watch, but Kathryn is the best thing about ‘Desperate Housewives’, Mrs. Mclusky is one of the best characters on television… and THANK THE LORD!  Kathryn was recently promoted to a fulltime Housewife!     

Sadly, I can only point out 3 significant ‘upsets’ over the last ten years in four different Guest categories.

Day 778: A Break to Praise Jim Parsons, Again

So, why isn’t ‘The Big Bang Theory’ the type of show the Emmy’s would honor?

Because ‘The Big Bang Theory’ is a traditional studio audience sitcom… a style of sitcom that is no longer in vogue.

You see, back in 1999 things began to change… two critically acclaimed sitcoms broke onto the scene offering, not only big laughs, but a new style of filming… they were filmed like a drama but they were funny… and most importantly, didn’t utilize a laugh track like M*A*S*H… they followed the style first introduced by ‘The Wonder Years’ and those two shows from 1999 were ‘Ally McBeal’ and ‘Sex in the City’.  Both were nominated for Emmy’s that year… and ‘Ally McBeal’ won.

Since then, in the last 12 years… the Emmy for best comedy has only gone to a traditional studio audience sitcom 4 times… ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ was the last to win back in 2005.  For the next four years, only one studio audience sitcom each year was honored with a nomination… and this year?  Not one made the cut.

As for the Leading Actor in a Comedy category, the odds weren’t any better.   In 2003, Tony Shalhoub (Monk) and Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm) broke onto the scene staring in non-traditional comedies, and that year Tony won his first of 3 Emmy Awards for playing the title character in ‘Monk’.

Since then, only Kelsey Grammer (in 2004) has been about to score a win in the traditional sitcom column… that is until six years later when Jim Parsons pulled the upset of the year.

I call it an upset, not because he didn’t deserve it… but because the odds were against him.  He was the youngest actor in the category and he had received the least amount of previous nominations.  If you are not aware of Emmy Voter trends… they seem to like honoring the same people year after year.  Tony Shalhoub has won three times and Alec Baldwin has won twice… and both were in the category with Jim Parsons.

Also, unless your name is Paul Reiser or Charlie Sheen… if you’ve been nominated a few times, the Emmy voters like to make sure you get a golden statue before you go off the air.  In addition to Jim, Alec, and Tony… both Larry David and Steve Carell were on their fourth nomination without ever winning!

In short, Jim Parsons took down the four most establish comic actors on television.  Relative unknowns almost never won this category… and I call Jim Parsons an unknown because he had only been on TV for three seasons and had no other substantial body of work making him a household name prior to ‘The Big Bang Theory’.

The last time a young unknown third seasons actor took home the big prize was 1986.  His name was Michael J. Fox… and he went on to win 3 more Emmy’s and become a television icon.

Folks… Jim Parsons win is big news.  And I am really excited to follow his career.

Day 777: A Break to Praise Jim Parsons

I just couldn’t let the Emmy Awards pass without taking a moment to praise Jim Parsons and congratulate him on his Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.


For those of you who don’t know who Jim Parsons is, well… he is the 37 year old actor who portrays Dr. Sheldon Cooper on ‘The Big Bang Theory’… a show so smart, funny and entertaining, you almost forget it was created by the same guy who brought us ‘Two and a Half Men’.


‘The Big Bang Theory’ is one of the best sitcoms on television and hands down, IT IS the best sitcom on television filmed in front of a live studio audience.


Truthfully, I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that I only just started watching ‘The Big Bang Theory’ last spring.  Numerous friends had been recommending it to us and for some reason Serena and I never gave it much thought… we are loyal fans of ‘How I Met Your Mother’ and… well… we just hadn’t thought about ‘Big Bang Theory’.


Then, in late spring when most of the shows Serena and I watched religiously began to end for the season, we decided to give it a shot.  I downloaded the first seasons from iTunes and well… by the time we left for home leave we had burned through all three seasons… and we both agreed.  ‘The Big Bang Theory’ is better than ‘How I Met Your Mother’.  We are hooked and we are HUGE fans.


Everything about the show is perfect… especially Jim Parsons.  It’s hard to single out one performer in an ensemble show packed full of such talented actors… but… well… Parsons is a lucky bastard… a role like Sheldon Cooper… a character who bridges the gap between being completely annoying yet loveable, and intelligent while constantly showing endless ineptitude… he’s a character that isn’t supposed to exist.  Sheldon Cooper is the Holy Grail character for comic actors… and Jim Parsons is a lucky bastard… because not only does he get to play the part… but he gets to make it look easy… Sheldon and Jim are the perfect marriage of character and actor.


Although, I have so many gushing things to say about Jim Parsons performance as Sheldon, if you had asked me, “do you think he’ll win an Emmy.”  I would have said ‘No’ every time.  Certainly not because he didn’t deserve it… but because ‘The Big Bang Theory’ isn’t the type of show the Emmy’s honor… at least anymore… and Jim Parson’s isn’t the kind of actor they honor either… or so I thought.

Day 679: 'Lost' Finale

SPOILER ALERT

Wow… can I say it again? 

WOW! 

Folks, I’ve been a huge fan of ‘Lost’ since day one.  And I have to say the finale left me in complete and total awe.  The first season of ‘Lost’, in my opinion, is the best single season of television ever made… and now that I have seen all six seasons… the show is nothing short of magic to me.

In the wake of the finale, I think it is safe to say no other television show has ever sparked such a dialogue about faith, spirituality and a sense of belonging.  In accomplishing this, I take my hat off to JJ Abrams and his crew of amazingly talented writers.  In its entirety, ‘Lost’ is an amazingly crafted story… or dare I say… work of art.

I know some people are very frustrated with the finale.  It didn’t give them enough closure, especially those obsessed with the mysteries of the island… or the numerous storylines which were never resolved… I agree… it’s mildly frustrating, however, I did not go into the finale with expectations of understand everything about the show… but I did walk away with an extremely satisfying sense of closure.  Desmond successfully taught me to ‘let go’.

For those of you who haven’t seen ‘Lost’ or haven’t kept up with it, I’ve taken the liberty of putting together a few clips in order to pay homage to the show:

First, a ‘Lost’ recap… according to Cats:

Second, just in case you’ve forgotten all of the shows mysteries not addressed in the finale:

And finally, the writers of ‘Lost’ presented alternate ending on Jimmy Kimmel Live… enjoy

Day 678: Calculating Survivor

Okay… let’s beat a dead horse.

What really rubs me the wrong way regarding Russell is his childish need for validation.  He desperately wants someone to admit he is the greatest Survivor to EVER play the game.  He made this claim constantly threw out each of his two seasons and he continued to make the claim at the last reunion show… after he lost… for the second time!

And yes, even though I totally dislike the guy he made it to the final tribal council two seasons in a row.  Survivor is a game of skill and luck… and making it to the final vote twice is a big deal, I will give him that.  HOWEVER, he is not the first contestant to make it twice.  Amanda, who made the jury in Heroes vs. Villains, made it to the final vote in back to back seasons the first two times she played the game.

Also, Russell’s birth into his second final tribal council was not an honor solely his.  All three Survivors making it to the final vote this season, Russell, Pavati, and Sandra, were all making their second appearance at the final vote.  PLUS, both Pavati and Sandra were previous winners making Russell claim of being the best a little egomaniacal.  Great player?  Yes.  Is he the best player?  No.

But these are just my opinions, right? Let’s put personal opinions aside and test Russell’s hypothesis that he is, in fact, the greatest Survivor EVER to have played the game.  A few months ago we talked about the Olympics and how medals should be scored to determine which country was most victorious.  I propose we use, roughly, the same formula. 

We’ll keep the numbers simple and award 3 Points to anyone who’s won the game, 2 Points to anyone who’s made it to the final vote but lost/a runner-up, and 1 Point to anyone who’s made it to the jury.  For the sake of the experiment, I will exclude any player who has only competed in one season since their overall score cannot be greater than three… I only plan to cover the contestants who have earned more than 3 Points.

Furthermore, I will break ties by taking the following into account, in order:

1.      Fewest number of seasons played gets the edge.

2.      Highest single season ranking get the edge.

3.      Votes

Sounds simple enough?  Math never lies, although it can be manipulated… but let’s see what these numbers tell us.

Let’s start with the Man, the Myth, the Russell.  Having played twice and making it to the final vote both times Russell is worth 4 Points.  How does this fair against the rest of the Survivors?  Well, Russell… based on my math… is in 6^th Place.  That’s right!  Only 6^th Russell, sorry. 

In 5^th Place, I have Boston Rob’s wife Amber, who made it to the jury in seasons two (1 Point) and won ‘All Stars’ (3 Points) giving her a total of 4 Points.  Since Russell and Amber are tied and both played two seasons, we have to look at Tie Breaker Method #2: Highest single season ranking.  Amber is a former winner… so she gets the edge.

4^th Place goes to J.T.  Who also has 4 Points, from winning ‘Tocantins’ and making the jury in ‘Heroes v. Villains’.  Since JT only played two seasons and is a former winner, we have to separate Amber and J.T. by Tie Breaker Method #3: Votes.  When Amber won ‘All-Stars’ she received 6 out of 7 winning votes from the jury, However, J.T. received 7 out of 7 votes giving him the edge.

3^rd Place goes to three season veteran Amanda.  Although Amanda has never won the game her success is undeniable.    She has been a runner up twice (4 Points) and she made the jury in ‘Heroes v. Villains’ (1 Point).  Yes, the fact she has played three seasons give her an edge over others… however, Colby, James, Cirie, Jerri, Colby, Rupert AND Boston Rob have also played three seasons and NONE of them are able to boast more than three points.   

2^nd Place goes to Pavati, another three season veteran, who is the only survivor to score points in ALL three categories: She made the jury on ‘Cook Islands’ (1 Point),  Won ‘Micronesia’ (3 Points) and was a runner-up on ‘Heroes v. Villains’ (2) Points, for a grand total of grand total of 6 points. 

1^st Place will probably surprise Russell quite a bit… because based on the numbers; Sandra is the most successful Survivor of all time.  She has won the game twice giving her a total of 6 Points… and since she has only played the game twice, verse Pavati’s three times, Sandra wins the tie breaker against Pavati. 

Wow… I’m such a nerd… BUT, I’m cool with that.  As you can see… a simple mathematical exercise as proven Russell’s self-serving theory wrong… and in case anyone is interested, I ran a second test where the points were divided by the number of seasons they played to determine their final score… which still confirmed Sandra as the all time winner… but Pavati and Russell tied for second place.  I threw this method out not because Russell scored so high, but because it unfairly penalized Survivors who had played three seasons.  Instead I opted to have the number of seasons played the main tie breaker to give the edge to a contestant who was able to achieve the same level of play in a shorter period of time.  In doing so, this formula rewards those who played fewer times while not penalizing those who have played more.

Nerd-tastic!

I can’t wait till next season.

Day 677: Survivor Heroes vs. Villains

So I FINALLY got around to watching the season finale of Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains… and I have to say the conclusion restored my faith in humanity.  I don’t think Survivor knows how close it got to being cut from my viewing list for good… but it’s been saved!

SOILER ALERT

Of course I was rooting for the Heroes and seeing Rupert and Colby, my two all-time favorite players, stick around as long as they did was awesome.  Even in the Villains camp I had a couple favorites like Boston Rob, Tyson, and even Sandra.  Sandra was a heck of a playing on Pearl Islands and honestly she never struck me as a Villain… she was just a really good strategic player.  So, I was thrilled to see her push through all of the other Villains to claim victory. 

However, even Rupert and Colby’s longevity in the game and Sandra’s win couldn’t correct one major issue I had with the show… Russell.  Who the hell is this guy?  I can’t believe how ugly he was at reunion show, a time where contestants normally chill out and shed their “in-game” personas.  The things he said were delusional and at times uncalled for.  His accusations that Sandra has no game and did nothing to deserve winning struck me as funny.   Because argument is a classic management style conflict… personally I call it the ‘Pin Ball Effect” because you can liken the two management styles to pin ball playing technique.

In my experience, there are some managers who are so good at their job they have the ability to make it look easy.  So easy, in fact, it looks like they’re not even trying.  This is a skill.  When your job is to work behind the scenes you need to get things done without being noticed.  In terms of playing pin ball, these folks would play patiently waiting for the ball to come to them; using only the flippers to manipulate the ball intending to launch it in a specific direction of the machine, to maximize a high score.  The flaw in this style is missing your mark… and if the ball drifts down the wrong path it may fall of the board without the player having any control over retrieving the ball.   This is the kind of game Sandra plays.  For two seasons, her aim has been impeccable and she hasn’t dropped the ball.

On the flip side, I have seen managers who think scrambling and making a production out of being busy is a necessity when getting the job done.  After wanting Russell for two seasons… this is obviously how he operates.  In terms of pin ball, these players will constantly click the flipper buttons (even when it’s unnecessary) and they would normally use brute force to physically move the machine in attempts to manipulate the movement of the ball in areas of the where the flippers wouldn’t help.  Doing everything short of breaking the glass and using your hand to move the ball where you want it to go.  The flaw in this style is tilting or breaking the machine.  This is how Russell plays.

In the end… just like every management style, there are benefits and flaws to each.  However, in my experience scramblers never seem to understand or appreciate a laid back approach to management… which seems to be the root of Russell’s relentless attacks on Sandra’s ability to ‘play the game’… he doesn’t seem to understand one pretty simple fact.  There is more than one way to play the game.  Boston Rob totally called him out on lacking the social game, pointing out Russell only plays to be a runner-up and not a winner.  It’s very true.

Anyway, thank you season 20 Jury for restoring my faith in one of my favorite shows… I’ll see you in September!

Day 661: TV Review – Gravity

If you haven’t figured it out already but I am a TV junkie.  I always have been.  My mom freely admits that she let me watch as much TV as I wanted growing up… and well… I turned out fine, right? 

And I have to admit, whenever Serena and the boys go out of town leaving me at home… I’ve nicknamed the time “TVpalooza”… and well… that’s pretty much all I do the entire time they are gone.  I catch up on all of the shows Serena isn’t interested in watching with me… and sometimes I check out pilots of new shows to see if they are worth watching.  I actually get really jazzed up when new pilots are rolled out... I like to see if new shows are any good and try and predict if they will get cancelled… I know… I’m a nerd… but it’s fun for me.

But it’s a win-win, because making fun of this part of my personality is fun for Serena.  She claims I’ll watch anything no matter how good or bad it is… and truthfully… I can see where she might get this impression.  I do not believe you can judge a show by its pilot alone.  Pilot episodes, by design, are not intended for the TV watching public… No, pilot episodes are intended for TV network executive who are looking to buy shows.  So, because of this… I believe viewers should give a show at least three episodes before passing judgment. 

Well… I must be getting harsher in my old age… because last TVpalooza I turned off a pilot 10 minutes in and I have no intention to ever watching it again.

I didn’t find it offensive… I didn’t find it rude… I can handle offensive and rude… I just found it annoyingly shot, cheaply made, and pretty unnecessary.  So I turned it off.

The show is called ‘Gravity’.

What was Gravity about?  It was about a court ordered support group for people who have attempted suicide... sure, it’s a depressing concept… but it could have had some potential.  But as long as it is trying to be a comedy shot on a home video camcorder… I think the concept will remain lost to me.

Day 657: Leno vs. Conan – Part 5

So… why in the world have I been prattling on for the last 5 days about Conan?  This is old news, right?  Well… not really. 

Conan was recently selected as one of Time’s most influential people of the year.  Although this could seem like a dubious honor, I think Conan’s nod is significant.  I think his final words on the ‘Tonight Show’ were moving, inspirational, and ultimately, influential.  And well… I’m obviously rooting for the guy. 

Last Sunday, Conan was on ’60 Minutes’ giving his first interview about the situation.  What did he have to say?  Nothing we didn’t know already… Conan doesn’t feel like he was given a fair shot… and well… he wasn’t… case closed.

But again, Conan showed his unending class.  When asked, “Did you get screwed?”  (Honestly, this is a pretty low brow question for ’60 Minutes’), Conan replied, “No, I didn’t. I’m fine. It just didn’t work out”.  And this seemed to be his attitude throughout the interview… although he did send off one legitimate dig.  Referring to Leno’s “final” Tonight Show episode, Conan said that he, personally, couldn’t do what Leno did.  He couldn’t stand up in front of America, publically hand-off the show, and wish the new host luck, only to eagerly take it back six months later.  “Everyone’s got their own, you know, way of doing things… But that’s me, you know?”  Class.

And finally, Conan has announced his triumphant return to television… on TBS… TBS?  At first TBS seemed like a crazy choice.  Growing up I remember TBS for 3 things: Braves Games, Andy Griffith Reruns, and Gilligan’s Island Reruns.  TBS was a nothing network… but that was the TBS of my childhood.  Now… I look at TBS and… well?  I don’t really see a whole ton of different, HOWEVER, I have noticed that TBS as been dabbling in original programming.  And some of their more resent endeavors have been quite good.  Did you ever see ‘My Boys’?  It was REALLY good. 

It seems to me that Turner Broadcasting has been slowly rebuilding their stations.  And so far they have been pretty darn successful.  Just look at TNT.  They have completely rebuilt the stations into a Cable Drama powerhouse.  TNT airs, “The Closer”, Saving Grace”, and “Southland” which was also recently acquired from NBC.

Now, it looks like Turner Broadcasting intends to do the same thing with TBS, except in the comedy genre.  And honestly, I can’t think of a better way to launch this new direction than becoming the new home for Conan.  It could be a very interesting November on TBS.  I think he will have a lot of success… Lord knows he has the fan base.

However, that said, I don’t believe for an instant that TBS will become Conan’s permanent home.  Sure, he will have a few successful years, but I ultimately see Conan returning to network television when the time is right… and the time I am thinking about involves David Letterman’s retirement.

Day 656: Leno vs. Conan - Part 4

Continuing, yet again, with yesterday’s theme, Conan’s maturity and resilience amazes me.  When Leno started posturing for his old job, Conan dug in his heels and took a stand for what he felt was right.  Although, it didn’t ultimately go his way, in my opinion, Conan still came out the big winner.

The final weeks of the Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien was some of the most riveting television I’ve watched in a long time.  Although Conan would talk about being a husband and a father on the show previously… it wasn’t until this NBC debacle that America finally got a glimpse of Conan’s heart.  And his heart is amazingly strong.  He has a heart that America can’t help by root for.

Some people seem to think that Conan was too whiny or too harsh on his way out the door, but I do not agree with that assessment at all.  Here is a guy who hosts a daily comedy show in which he mocks the topical headlines… and then, one day, the headlines are about him.  How could he not wear is heart on his sleeve?  How could he not mock the situation he was in?  However, in a situation that could have easily gotten nasty and bitter, he held himself up with class and dignity. 

Throughout it all, Conan stayed relevant and, most importantly, funny.  Every day of the “scandal” Conan and his team continued to put out quality work… until the day the studio went dark.  That is talent.

Conan is the third Tonight Show Host I’ve seen say good-bye (although Leno’s good-bye doesn’t count anymore), and I have to say, Conan’s farewell moved me more than any of them.  I wanted to share a video link of his closing statements, but I think NBC has removed them from youtube.  So I would like to share a transcript, it’s lacking the emotional delivery and the incredibly moving moments when Conan tries to pull back tears, but it’s really great, enjoy:

“Before we end this rodeo, a few things need to be said. There has been a lot of speculation in the press about what I legally can and can’t say about NBC.  To set the record straight, tonight I am allowed to say anything I want. And what I want to say is this: between my time at Saturday Night Live, the Late Night show, and my brief run here on The Tonight Show, I have worked with NBC for over 20 years.  Yes, we have our differences right now and yes, we’re going to go our separate ways.  But this company has been my home for most of my adult life.  I am enormously proud of the work we have done together, and I want to thank NBC for making it all possible.

Walking away from The Tonight Show is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Making this choice has been enormously difficult. This is the best job in the world, I absolutely love doing it, and I have the best staff and crew in the history of the medium. But despite this sense of loss, I really feel this should be a happy moment. Every comedian dreams of hosting The Tonight Show and, for seven months, I got to. I did it my way, with people I love, and I do not regret a second. I’ve had more good fortune than anyone I know and if our next gig is doing a show in a 7-Eleven parking lot, we’ll find a way to make it fun.

And finally, I have to say something to our fans. The massive outpouring of support and passion from so many people has been overwhelming. The rallies, the signs, all the goofy, outrageous creativity on the Internet, and the fact that people have traveled long distances and camped out all night in the pouring rain to be in our audience, made a sad situation joyous and inspirational.

To all the people watching, I can never thank you enough for your kindness to me and I’ll think about it for the rest of my life. All I ask of you is one thing: please don’t be cynical. I hate cynicism — it’s my least favorite quality and it doesn’t lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen.  As proof, let’s make an amazing thing happen right now.”

Day 655: Leno vs. Conan – Part 3

As I said yesterday… I can feel a change in late night dominance on the horizon.  Who will it be?  I’m not sure yet… but Letterman and Leno will certainly fade into the mist quicker than you think.  Do I really think Kimmel and Ferguson will be new faces of the late night “war”?  I hope not.  Nothing against them… I’m just… well… you know… I’m on team Co-Co.    

I have always been a fan of Conan.  Sure, he’s sophomorically lame and nerdy… but so am I.  And as I’ve grown… so has he.  In fact, I think he has become increasingly more accessible over the years.  And if you think about it, over the last 17 years America has watch Conan mature into someone who isn’t just talents… but someone who is remarkably mature and magnetic.

Folks, Conan was only 30 years old when he started hosting ‘Last Night’ in 1993.  30 years old!  And, at the time, he wasn’t secure enough in his own talent to go it alone, so he insisted on having his best friend Andy Richter co-host.  Eight years later, Andy left the show, proving Conan could bring the funny all by himself.  Two years later Conan got married… a year later he became a dad… and two years after that he became a dad again.    Over the last 17 years we’ve seen Conan mature.  We’ve watched as he’s achieved more personal triumphs than professional triumphs.  And as he’s grown he relates to his guests on a much deeper level.

On one of his finally Tonight Show episodes, which Serena and I watched religiously, Conan gave some unsolicited advice to a young starlet who had just gotten married, “Not that you asked or even care about my opinion and I don’t know if you are planning to have kids, but you should, kids are great… but I’m going to tell you what I tell all of my friends.  Wait.  Give yourself a little time to be together just the two of you.  Just take some time and walk through an airport hand in hand as a couple a few times.  My wife and I started our family right away… and we haven’t walked through an airport with dignity ever since.”

This line floored me and I completely understood where he was coming from… and it was hilarious.  And this is just one example of how Conan has grown as a comedian.