Emmys' Top Ten Finalists

The 60th Annual Emmy Awards will be held on September 21st at 8pm on ABC, but before then, we have to have some nominees.

Those won't be announced until July 17th, but the Academy did announce the top ten drama and comedy finalists.

The top ten comedies are:  "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Entourage," "Family Guy," "The Office," "Pushing Daisies," "30 Rock," "Flight of the Conchords," "Two and a Half Men," "Ugly Betty" and "Weeds."

The top ten dramas are:  "Boston Legal," "Damages," "Dexter," "House," "Lost," "Friday Night Lights," "Grey's Anatomy," "The Tudors," "The Wire," and "Mad Men."

According to the Academy announcement:

Step two in the process will be the Blue Ribbon Panel screenings, which will be conducted throughout this weekend of June 28-29.

The results of those panels, who will watch and judge the work of each finalist, represent 50 percent of the vote. Both results will be averaged together to come up with our five nominees in each category.

Now I have to admit, the only show I watch on the comedy list is "Ugly Betty."  So my final five comedies would be "Ugly Betty," "Ugly Betty," "Ugly Betty," "Ugly Betty," and "Ugly Betty."  I would have included "Desperate Housewives," but it seems the Academy didn't find "DH" worthy this year.  Boo on them.

My top five dramas are much more varied because I watch everything on that list except, "The Wire," "Boston Legal," and "Friday Night Lights."  So my drama nominees would be "Dexter," "House," "Lost," "Damages," "Grey's Anatomy," and "The Tudors." 

Oh wait...that's six. 

Too bad.  I can't choose just five.

I'll leave that to the Academy and then rip them apart when they get it wrong.

The Daytime Emmys: Tyra-rrific

There were three fabulous moments from last Friday's Daytime Emmys. The first was Tyra Banks' win for Best Informative Talk Show and her strident acceptance speech.

Her Emmy clip was about that famous, very unflattering tabloid bathing suit photo from last year.

And though the YouTube clip omits the end---the part where she tells the tabloids to "kiss her big fat ass!"---this clip was what led up to it.

Image details: 35th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards - Show served by picapp.com

Then when Tyra won her Emmy, she got up on stage, thanked Oprah and her Momma---in that order---and then said when someone tries to belittle your dreams:

"I want you to tell them to kiss your dimply, flat, juicy, bootylicious, skinny, jiggly, saggy...FAT ASS!"

Loved it!

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The second best moment of the night was when Kristoff St. John won as Outstanding Supporting Actor for his role of Neil Winters on "The Young and the Restless."  Too bad this photo from picapp is the only Emmy photo of Kristoff available---what up with that?---but he's the good looking black guy whose face is hidden behind the blond.

When you can see him, he's a hottie and one of those actors that's part of the backbone of "Y&R."  It was nice to see him recognized for only the second time after all these years.

And speaking of being recognized after all these years, the third high point of the night was when Jeanne Cooper---that's right the fabulous, older than fire veteran---won as Outstanding Lead Actress.

What a shocker!

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It was her first win and she looked sincerely stunned. The first thing she said? "I bet you thought I had died."  Then she facetiously railed against High Def---the bane of actors and actresses with more than one wrinkle.  She concluded with, "I love you all.  What a great profession.  God bless.  Stay alive, stay well."

Talk about another "Young and the Restless" backbone.  Congratulations!

You can see all the Daytime Emmy results on the Daytime Emmy website.

William Hurt Joins "Damages"

FX announced this week that when "Damages" returns, they'll be a new man in town.  He'll be played by Oscar winner William Hurt.

According to the FX press release:

Hurt joins "Damages" for a season-long arc as a new client of Patty Hewes (Glenn Close).  Details of Hurt's character are being kept under wraps but insiders have intimated that Hurt's character will not only share a professional past with Hewes, but a personal one as well.

Production of season two starts on June 24th in New York.

Glenn Close and William Hurt have worked together before in the 80's film "The Big Chill," so Hurt should be an excellent foil for Close's manipulative Patty Hewes.

There's still no word yet on the fate of Ted Danson's character Arthur Frobisher.  If William Hurt's going to be the new man in town, how's that going to affect our friend Art?  The only thing the FX press release guarantees is that Rose Byrne and Tate Donovan will be back.

I've got a feeling we haven't seen the last of Arthur Frobisher though.  He was just too good a character for them to leave him rotting in that empty field.

Michelle Obama Enjoys "The View:" A Recap

Michelle Obama, wife of Senator Barack Obama and potential First Lady of the United States had her toughest test of the whole campaign this morning.  No, she didn't go on Fox News Channel.

She co-hosted "The View."

Here's a recap:

First the "important stuff."  Michelle---I'm going to call her Michelle, 'cause she and I are like this---wore a cute little sleeveless, summer black and white sheath and her hair and makeup looked modern and lovely.  She said she often uses a designer, Maria Pinto from Chicago and "It's fun to look pretty."

After she came out and was introduced by Whoopi Goldberg, Michelle made fun of the whole "terrorist fist bump" by fist bumping all the ladies around the table.  Heh.

She said she started doing it because of the young people on her staff.  It's considered a modern version of a "high five."  Actually, in my tennis playing circles, it's also supposed to represent "respect."

The first thing Michelle and the Gabby Girls talked about was the hits she's taken in the press, specifically over the "For the first time, I'm really proud of my country" quote."  They played a clip of the original quote and as Whoopi said, it's the "really" that changes the context of the quote.

Several of us at BlogHer talked about that months ago, the omission of the "really" part, but hey it's nice when the rest of the world catches up with the BlogHers.

What Michelle said said was:

"Of course I'm proud of my country.  Nowhere but in America could my story be possible."

"When I talked about it in my speech what I was talking about was having a pride in the political process."

Resident republican, Elisabeth Hasselbeck---and no, she and Michelle didn't come to blows---pointed out that current First Lady Laura Bush had sent a supportive note to Michelle after the whole incident. 

"I was touched by it.  That's what I like about Laura Bush.  Just calm, rational approach to these issues.  And I'm taking some cues. There's a reason why people like her.  It's because she doesn't sort of, fuel the fire."

Michelle said that she sent a thank you in return but the First Lady might not have gotten it yet.

Barbara then asked why Michelle felt that she was a target for so many attacks.  Michelle said that in today's 24 hour news cycle she "fills up some space," but she also realizes that it goes with the territory.

I'm Really Sick Of Katherine Heigl

Last week I wrote a post for Video Runway titled, "I'm Sick Of Katherine Heigl." Evidently I'm not the only one.  According to a New York Times article, some of the writers and producers at "Grey's Anatomy" are as well.  This after Ms. Heigl took herself out of Emmy contention because she said she didn't feel the material she was given this season was Emmy worthy.

In case you didn't pick up on it, that was a slam directed at the writers of the show, including head writer and show runner, Shonda Rhimes.

The Times article said in part:

Two people involved in the production of the show said that the program’s writers and producers were angered by what they considered a slap by Ms. Heigl at the people in the writers’ room.

Oh I can just imagine how fun that set's going to be when "Grey's" resumes production later this month. 

Ms. Heigl obviously has a severe case of "David Caruso Syndrome."

DCS is a career killing disease that infects young actors/actresses on hit TV shows and causes them to have delusions that they are bigger than the show that made them in the first place.  Symptoms include, bad mouthing their hit TV show all over Hollywood, winning an Emmy and thinking that people in the film industry really care, and being told by your handlers that you're bigger than that "lame show" that made you, and you believing it.

A less destructive version of the Sydrome is prevalent in the soap opera world, but when it hits primetime TV, it's in its most virulent form.  The last time it hit primetime TV this hard was during the first season of "NYPD Blue."  For some reasons, ABC actors/actresses seem especially susceptible to DCS.

In it's latter, more fatal stages, DCS symptoms include the actor/actress leaving said hit TV show with as much bitter fanfare as possible so there's nary a bridge left that doesn't have a puff of black smoke streaming from it.

The only cure for DCS?  About twenty years on the outskirts of the television/movie business waiting tables and doing carpentry until the Hollywood Gods smile down on you once again and you get another chance at TV as part of a "CSI" franchise.  Many, however, never survive.

Ms. Heigl would do well to take note of that.

Glenn Close On "The View"

Glenn Close was on "The View" this morning trying to make sure that everyone knew that just because her alter ego, Patty Hewes had a dog killed on "Damages," and she played Cruella De Ville in "101 Dalmations," doesn't means she really hates our canine friends.

Daisy for one, is very happy to hear that.

Glenn, looking very lovely in a smart grey pantsuit came out to chat with the Gabby girls accompanied by her two adorable, fluffy "terrier mutts, Jake and Bill."  She was there to plug a new website started by her husband David Shaw and others called Fetchdog.com.

For the most part, the site is a shop where you can buy items for your dog, but the best part is Glenn's blog where she interviews dog owners about their pets.  It's called, "Lively Licks:  Portraits of Dogs and Their People."  Some of the dog owners she talks to are celebrities, like fellow "Damages" co-star Ted Danson and his wife Mary Steenburgen but some are people like Bill Campbell, an Iraq war veteran whose dog helps him cope with post traumatic stress.

She even has a post about prepping for her guest spot on "The View."  It's very cute stuff and Daisy and I will be checking back with Glenn and Fetchdog often.

Tim Russert Dead At Age 58

Tim Russert, arguably the toughest interviewer on television, collapsed and died at his office in the NBC Washington Bureau this afternoon, reportedly of a heart attack.  He was 58 years old. 

As Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Andrea Mitchell said during the breaking news coverage this afternoon on MSNBC, Russert's Sunday morning talk show "Meet The Press" was considered "the 'Meet The Press' primary" when it came to political campaigns.  The big question was always what candidates would run the journalistic gauntlet that was Russert and which ones would survive it?

If you watched one of his interviews you could always be certain that whatever question you were thinking of asking the politician sitting opposite him, Russert would ask it.  My favorite moments were always when a politico thought he or she could escape without answering the question by simply spouting political jargon.

It would be then that Russert would say in that distinctive voice of his, something like, "But Senator, that wasn't the question.  The question was..."  That was always good for a laugh.  And also good for us as voters because Russert held their feet to the fire so that we could make more informed voting choices.

President Bush who's in Paris released a statement of condolence that said in part that he and Mrs. Bush were "very fond of him."

"Tim would want us to say he won the lottery in life."  Brian Williams, "NBC Nightly News" anchor said.   And referring to NBC's Washington Bureau, Williams said Russert was the political "go to" guy.

"If it had to do with politics the question that always followed was, have you run it by Tim?"

Russert's survivors include his son Luke and his wife Maureen. 

David Gregory, also during this afternoon's MSNBC coverage talked about Russert's personal side.  "He loved kids," he said.  "He loved his own and anybody else's."  There was nothing that he loved more than "providing for his boy."

"He was always teaching us to be as rigorous as he was," Andrea Mitchell said.  "All of us are the better for knowing him.  Our hearts are breaking.

RIP Tim.

Asians In Hollywood: From Anna May Wong To "Kung Fu Panda"

I've always said the only people worse represented throughout Hollywood history than black people, were Asian people. Just like we had our share of white actors parading around in blackface, Asians had to tolerate white actors in yellowface: that is, white actors made up to look like and play Asian characters. Charlie Chan and Fu Manchu, to name two. Whenever the discussion about minority representation on screen came up in the public consciousness, Asians seemed to barely rate a mention.   

Well now you can sample some Asian images throughout Hollywood history, good and bad, by tuning in to Turner Classic Movies every Tuesday and Thursday in June. Their series, "Race and Hollywood: Asian Images In Film," is a film festival showcasing Asian performers from the era of silent films, up until more contemporary movies like "The Joy Luck Club" and "Enter The Dragon."

Last week's program featured a documentary on Hollywood's first Asian film star, Anna May Wong.  "Anna May Wong:  Frosted Yellow Willows" chronicled the career of the American born Wong who dreamed as a child of being in the movies. Though she found work, first as an extra, and then in larger roles, the choicest roles, even for Asian characters, were reserved for white actresses.

"Farmer Wants A Wife:" "The Bachelor" Meets "Green Acres"

Want a rip roaring, rootin' tootin', down home good time?  Then mosey on over to your TV tomorrow night and check out "Farmer Wants A Wife" on the CW.  If you're depressed, down in the dumps, need a good laugh, I guarantee you'll get it from this show.

It's dumb and weird and all kinds of sexist, but it's a knockdown, drag out, beer guzzling hoot!

The premise:  Bachelor Farmer Matt lives in Missouri and though his life is perfect he needs the perfect farmer's wife.  So the good folks at the CW recruited ten City Slicker Gals to try and woo and win this Farmer in the Dell.

The City Slicker Gals have to learn how to do things like drive a pickup truck, bale hay, slop pigs, square dance, raise a barn, bake apple pie from scratch and do it all with a saucy swing of the hips and a twinkle in the smile.

And Farmer Matt?  He's got corn-fed, salt of the earth looks and a pleasant "I Love My Momma" way about him.  Seein' how I'm from New York and never set foot in Missouri I think he does the good folks of the "Show Me" state quite proud even if all those down home manners are a little too good to be true. My inner City Slicker Gal says he's just a few hay bales short of a good ol' boy.

As for the City Slicker Gals, oh baby!

Where did they recruit these chicks, from the reject girlfriend line of a frat house?  Just like in every episode of "The Bachelor," every female reality show caricature is here: the slutty stripper-type, the sly fox, the sweet good girl, the pretend sweet good girl, the token black girl who's never gonna get picked, the demure charmer who's destined to come in second, and the sly pseudo-sophisticate who thinks she can put one over on anybody.

Though there's also a couple of Bible thumpin' good girls who are sickened by the loose behavior of their sisters, even they're suspect.  Are they really Bible thumpers or just pretending to get in good with church goin' Farmer Matt?

As it is, most of these heifers think the quickest way to Farmer Matt's heart is a hearty "Yee haw" and a cowboy hat.  And do these gals like their beer!  The shows producers must have doubled the usual reality show order of alcohol for this crowd.  How else do you explain that every other minute, one of the City Slicker Gals has her lips wrapped seductively around a brown bottle of brew-ski?

Last week it got one of the gals in trouble when in a beer infused haze, she asked Farmer Matt if he wanted to f**k her.

Yes, she did.

He was as appalled as I was and though he took her out on a date anyway, her City Slicker butt will be ridin' out on the back of a pickup truck any day now.

The eliminations also have their own down home feel.  No sissy rose ceremony for Farmer Matt.  He does things like have the gals pour moonshine in a cup and the one who comes up short is the one hitchin' the first ride back to the city.  Or at the county fair, the girl going home gets her name put up in lights.

You gotta love this stuff.  Yee haw!

Michelle Obama To Co-Host "The View"

ABC-TV announced today that Michelle Obama will co-host "The View" with the Gabby Girls on Wednesday, June 18th.  She'll be following in the footsteps of Cindy McCain, who co-hosted a couple of months ago, and of her husband, Barack Obama who was a guest in March.

I'm guessing Michelle will get plenty of questions from Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg and the gang about the campaign, being a Mom of two young girls on the campaign trail, and what she plans to do if she becomes First Lady.

Of course I'll be watching and bring you all the action as soon as the show is over.

Fire Up The DVR, Summer TV Has Arrived

Summer is just about here and with it comes the wild and wacky world of summer TV. There are basic cable shows, broadcast network shows and pay cable shows.  

It's the season of the Manly Mad Men---stylish, angry men who have lots of inappropriate sex. It's the season of the Drama Queens---quirky, flawed women with tough jobs and crappy personal lives.

It's also the season of the reality show and the game show. From the bizarre to the freakish, they have names like, "So You Think You Want to Be A Millionaire,Who Can Dance Like Elle Woods and Marry the Bachelor Farmer Whose Big Brother Competes For Tila Tequila."

Here's a list of some of the shows, new and returning that have my DVR ready to get to work:

Anne Boleyn Gets The Chop On "The Tudors"

If you didn’t cut history class when they covered Henry VIII in high school, you knew what was coming last night during the finale of “The Tudors.” Poor Anne Boleyn, Henry’s second wife, the woman he changed the history of England for, was executed on his order.

Yes she played a dangerous political game, yes she didn’t give him the son he craved, and yes she could be a petulant shrew, but in the end, who couldn’t feel sorry for the woman who’s husband’s double standards put her neck on the block?  Falsely accused of sleeping with more than one hundred men, Anne was railroaded good and proper.

Natalie Dormer who played Anne was at her very best this season and especially during this episode. After the trauma of watching her brother and falsely accused suitors get the chop last week, and suffering the rejection of her weaselly father this week, Anne went from horrified disbelief of her precipitous fall to a stoic resolve to accept her fate.

While Anne was getting her soul in order to meet her maker, Henry was recruiting wife number three, the seemingly pure and chaste Jane Seymour. And once that was done, Henry celebrated Anne’s execution with a truly gross meal of a swan meat pie, served in the stuffed swan itself.

During Anne’s last few scenes, Dormer played Anne’s fear and courage with a delicate balance, never turning her into a caricature. Even the constable who supervised her execution appeared moved by her predicament and sorry to see her go.

But go she did, and next season, “The Tudors” won’t be quite the same without her.

Photo courtesy and copyright Showtime

Cross Posted From Video Runway

The Season of "The Ringers" On Reality TV

David Cook ruined this post.  Last week, just as I was predicting David Archuleta to win "American Idol," I had a post half written in my head about the season of "The Ringers" on reality TV. 

Think about it:  "Project Runway's" winner, Christian Siriano; "America's Next Top Model" winner, Whitney Thompson; "Dancing with the Stars" winner: Kristi Yamaguchi; and the final piece of the puzzle would have been the crowning of David Archuleta.

And maybe ringer is the wrong word.  What I really mean is, in each case it seems the contestant the producers and judges wanted to win, won.  "America's Next Top Model" wanted a plus-sized winner, they got one.  "Project Runway" wanted a hip, young winner with attitude, they got one.  "Dancing with the Stars" wanted a woman to win, they got one.

Not that any of these contestants weren't worthy, they were.  It's  just that it gets the conspiracy theorists out there buzzing when so many winners are winners that you know the producers were hoping for.

Kimmie at "It's All About" had this to say while the competition was still underway:

But ... I think Kristi Yamaguchi is a ringer, and I'll tell you why. She's got the lines and graceful movements that this competition thrives on. She's got the flexibility and work ethic that is required to win. She already knows the exact ... exact ... way to curtsy on ice, er, stage. Yep, she's a ringer. And I like it.

And she was very happy when Kristi won.

But that aside, the only producer/judge darling that didn't win was David Archuleta.  If he had won, wouldn't that have been one of the signs of the Apocalypse?   What do you think?

Ten TV Shows And Movies That Taught Me Something About War

I'm lucky. I've never had to serve in a war or known someone close who's died in one. Even though I learned the facts and figures of war in school, the impact of war I learned from television and the movies. In honor of Memorial Day, this post is about what I've learned about war.

"Sex and the City" The Movie? No Thanks

I seem to be the only woman I know who's not going to strut my stilettos over to see the new "Sex and the City" movie the minute it opens next week. The buzz, the hype, and the noise over this movie is so over the top, it's like an orgasmic orgy. Not that there shouldn't be more movies like this about ordinary women and their lives, because I think there should be, but Hollywood, could you come up with something original, please?

I'm not interested in seeing these women again. With all due respect to Sarah Jessica Parker, I was never a huge fan of the TV show since the characters annoyed me more often than they entertained me, and the only thing I liked less than the women were the men. Mr. Big? Really! How is he someone's great catch? Aidan was the only guy I could stomach and what happened to him? Carrie crushed him under her high heeled foot, like one of her many cigarettes.

What was also annoying when the show was on was every New York City woman announcing which "Sex and the City" character she was. "I'm just like Carrie," or "I'm just like Miranda," or "I'm just like Charlotte." And a few even proudly admitted to being just like serial bed hopper Samantha. As if every woman in New York could be distilled down to one of those four characters.

Pul-leeeze!

I've got news for you, I'm proud to say I'm not like any of 'em.

I don't wear stilettos that cost as much as a mortgage payment on my house, I don't bed hop with anything that has a "y" chromosome, and I don't wear goofball outfits from overpriced boutiques downtown. That being said, go see the movie if you feel you must, but for me, "not tonight, honey, I have a headache."

Cross Posted From Video Runway