End-Of-Year: Favorite TV Shows

With my favorite actors/performances already done, it's time to get into the shows of 2009. As you can tell, I like making lists so why not have a ranked list of the TV shows I watch? You will find below 30 shows that I enjoyed this season as well as three honorable mentions which I will talk about first:

Doctor Who - If I had to rank this, it would probably fall somewhere in the mid-teens because while Tennant was consistently awesome, the specials themselves varied in quality. And since they were all shown separately and not part of an actual season, I decided not to include it in the rankings.

Pushing Daisies and Eli Stone - It's hard to rank these because they both got canceled and the network just burned off their final episodes when no one was looking. I saw both of their ends and well I suppose it was too much to ask for both of them to continue. Still, brave effort.

And now for ranked shows...

30. Robin Hood - The show's final season ended in a bit of a whimper despite the explosions and all of the deaths, but it was consistent and consistent is good nowadays.

29. Skins - Not as good as the original cast, but did anyone really expect that? Some rocky episodes and the cast is a tad unlikable at first, but what can I say, it's a guilty pleasure.

28. The Mentalist - Ranked pretty much the same as last year for me. The show is good enough. Nothing too special. Of course it's a star vehicle for Simon Baker, but at least the cast is getting some more quality air time this year.

27. Brothers & Sisters - It's still the same Walker family dealing with more problems and all of that. Not sure why this show ranked so low, but maybe because I'm a bit tired of all their drama.

26. Drop Dead Diva - A little summer show on Lifetime that was headline by newcomer Brooke Elliot. It was cute and the cast is fun.

25. So You Think You Can Dance - You'd think having two seasons in one year means double the pleasure. Actually it's been the opposite. But it's still a kick-ass show, but hoping it becomes must-see-tv again.

24. The Good Wife - I told myself I wasn't going to get into a lawyer-type show this season, but good reviews sucked me in and glad I did. Julianna Marguillies is awesome in it.

23. V - It's only four episodes, but the packed a wallop didn't they? It could still end up being very bad in the long run (see Heroes), but for now I'm itching for the next episodes.

22. American Idol - One name: Kris Allen. I sort of fell in love with him and he ended up winning and that's pretty much it. Plus with other great talents like Adam Lambert and Alison Iraheta, it was definitely my favorite season since the show's first.

21. Fringe - The standalone episodes are as gory and disgusting as ever, but the show shines when they highlight the main plot arc of parallel universes and all of that good stuff for which I'm a total sucker for.

20. 30 Rock - Hey when a comedy makes you laugh, then it's doing its job. Fey and company know how to do it with aplomb and they seem to be fearless when it comes to the types of things they do.

19. Community - The individual characters are kooky enough, but its the chemistry of this ensemble that really makes the show work. Yes, there's still some tinkering to be done, but for the most part it's really finding its legs right now.

18. Cougar Town - I'm an unabashed fan of Courtney Cox so to see her again on prime time is fantastic enough. I'm glad the show is good too! True, the show is miles away better when it focuses less on her "cougar"-ness and more on the relationship she has with her family and friends, but the good news is I think the writers are starting to realize this as well.

17. Ugly Betty - A lot of people have forgotten about this show, but I didn't. Despite some awkward storylines (Mode no money, Wilhemina's daughter, Daniel's cult), the heart of the show i.e. Betty has continued to flourish and the show is so much better for it. Yay to makeovers!

16. Chuck - It was a close call there for a second with its imminent cancellation, but thank God it's back because this "new" Chuck is going to be so fascinating to watch. Not that the "old" Chuck wasn't, because he was. And I'll shut up now.

15. Amazing Race - Another year and another two wonderful seasons that showed up dozens of exotic places I can only dream about going to someday. While both seasons sort of gave us "expected" winners, the individual legs seemed more brutal and thus refreshing to see.

14. Castle - If Joss Whedon ever were to do a procedural, he'd be hard press to improve on this one. In fact if you didn't tell me who did it, I would've guess it was Whedon with its slick humor and snappy dialogue. The cast is also fantastic.

13. Greek - It was a roller coaster year, not only for the show, but also the characters. The ever-evolving Cappie/Casey/Evan triangle is more palatable now that they're all friends and I don't see Evan as a huge douchebag anymore. Also Rebecca is nice and Dale is no longer a virgin. Both sounds so wrong, but it actually works very well for both characters.

12. 24 - There was nowhere to go but up since it's last disappointing season. And they delivered. The change in scenery (goodbye Los Angeles!) really re-energized the show as well as some new cast members. Of course, Jack is still there with Chloe! Both still kicking some ass, the way I like 'em.

11. Supernatural - This is what happens when I see all 4 (and a half) seasons. I fall in love with it. It helps that this whole angels/apocalypse stuff is really REALLY riveting. Plus Misha Collins? Too great for words.

Here are my Top Ten list...

10. Glee - Inconsistent and insanely manic would be putting it mildly and yet this show is probably the one show this year that was the breakout pop culture hit. How could it not with its solid ratings, its Twitter-ing cast members, and its hit CDs? The songs are hit and miss, but mostly hits. The cast are adorable and Jane Lynch gives an award-worthy performance. If she doesn't win an Emmy next year, it would be a humongous upset.

Standout Performance: Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester
Standout Episodes: Pilot, Preggers, Throwdown, Wheels, Hairography, Sectionals

9. Being Human - This little British show's concept seems cheesy, but it works! Basically it's a vampire, a werewolf, and a ghost all living as roommates as they deal with their "unhumanness." If Joss were to do a British show, I'd picture him to be doing this. Hm, actually they are making an American version and are in need a a show-runner. Paging Mr. Whedon.

Standout Performance: Russell Tovey as "George"
Standout Episodes: Episode 1.1, Episode 1.4, Episode 1.5, Episode 1.6

8. Mad Men - A strong season despite not enough of the ladies. The ladies made Season 2 so absolutely awesome. Still, the show plowed through with the British takeover the main storyline amidst the rapidly degeneration of Don's spheres of lives. One more comment: the finale was perfection.

Standout Performance: Jon Hamm as Don Draper
Standout Episodes: My Old Kentucky Home, Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency, The Grown-Ups, Shut The Door. Have A Seat

7. The Big Bang Theory - Jim Parsons continues to amaze and with his ascension, the show is quickly becoming one of my favorite sitcoms. It helps that the rest of the cast is also pretty good, but damn if you just can't take your eyes off Parsons.

Standout Performance: Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper
Standout Episodes: The Maternal Capacitance, The Cushion Saturation, The Vegas Renormalization, The Electric Can Opener Fluctuation, The Guitarist Amplification, The Adhesive Duck Deficiency, The Maternal Congruence

6. How I Met Your Mother - Still great even though they had to deal with Colbie and Alyson's pregnancies in the latter half of last season. The cast are still gellin' and the storylines are still fun fun fun!

Standout Performance: Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson
Standout Episodes: Three Days of Snow, The Front Porch, Old King Clancy, Right Place Right Time, Double Date, The Sexless Innkeeper, Bagpipes, Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap

5. Battlestar Galactica - There's probably a lot of naysayers out there concerning this final season of BSG and while I was also less than enthused about, oh the last 5-10 minutes of the show, the season itself was more than fine for this die-hard fan. Going to miss that wreck of a ship and that superbly talented and beautiful cast.

Standout Performance: Mary McDonnell as President Laura Roslin
Standout Episodes: The Oath, Blood on the Scales, No Exit, Daybreak

4. Modern Family - The cast is just perfection. Perfection. I think there was one episode (the pilot) where I wasn't sure if I was going to love this show. Since then, they've knocked it out of the park. Every. Time. Who knew you could do a family sitcom nowadays that actually made you laugh instead of cringe?

Standout Performance: Eric Stonestreet as Cam Tucker
Standout Episodes: The Bicycle Thief, The Incident, Coal Digger, Fizbo, Undeck the Halls
WINNER: Best Comedy Show

3. Dollhouse - When I made this list earlier this month, it was ranked #10. With each and every new episode this month, it just kept going up and up. Because yes, even without those episodes I still would've ranked this show on my Top 10 because it's a Joss show and I'm nothing but a devoted fan. But this month the show became AMAZING and I'm probably underselling it a bit.

Standout Performance: Enver Gjokaj as "Victor"
Standout Episodes: Echoes, Needs, Briar Rose, Epitaph One, Belonging, The Left Hand, A Love Supreme, Stop Loss, The Attic

2. Lost - May not be #1 this year, but it's still a brilliant brilliant show. I feel sorry for those who have stopped watching the show a couple of seasons back, because this is the show that only got better with age. The new element of time traveling could've been cheesy, but it really wasn't and in this crazy ass island, it almost felt natural. Like, of course, they can time travel! Heading into it's final season, I have no doubts this show will satisfy.

Standout Performance: Michael Emerson as Ben Linus
Standout Episodes: Because You Left, Jughead LaFleur, Namaste, Dead is Dead, The Variable, The Incident

1. Torchwood - When I heard that the third season would only consist of five episodes to air in one week, I was thinking the worst. Could I have been any more wrong? The third season entitled "Children of Earth" delivered in so many levels. It was epic. It was risky. It was riveting. It was bloody amazing TV. It's so great, that I'm just a little bit reluctant for the next season since how could it possibly live up to what they've already done? They'll try and I pray they succeed.

Standout Performance: Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper
Standout Episodes: All five episodes of "Children of Earth."
WINNER: Best Drama Show

-------------------

Tally: ABC leads with 7 mentions followed shockingly by FOX with 6. CBS has 5 mentions while BBC America (not including Doctor Who) has 4 mentions.

Here are the rest of the shows that I watched, but didn't make the rankings: Gossip Girl, True Blood, Merlin, Private Practice, White Collar, Family Guy, Accidentally on Purpose, Sarah Connor Chronicles, Project Runway, Desperate Housewives, Design Star, Sanctuary, Models of the Runway

Finally, here are the unlucky few dishonorable mentions: Heroes, FlashForward, Stargate Universe, Life on Mars, Grey's Anatomy, Big Brother, Eastwick

End-Of-Year: 2009 TV Winners

Hope y'all had a wonderful Christmas! On Monday, I posted my personal picks of the best TV performances/shows of 2009.

Today I give you the winners...

Best Actor, Drama
John Barrowman, Torchwood
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
John Noble, Fringe
Russell Tovey, Being Human
Kiefer Sutherland, 24

It's funny reading over this list and thinking how insane it would be if all of these men (as their characters) were to meet and have a conversation. Noble and Tovey would blather on and probably talk about the wonders of the latter's werewolf-ism while Sutherland and Hamm might be too busy deeply brooding mayhaps thinking about their troubled past and odd family dynamics. Barrowman? He would have sex with all of them. If I have to pick the best actor though I'd give it to Noble who plays crazy Walter just as easily as he plays evil Walter, sad Walter, and weird Walter.

Best Actor, Comedy
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Nathan Fillion, Castle
Scott Michael Foster, Greek
Zachary Levi, Chuck
Joel McHale, Community

Y'all might be thinking, Foster? Where did he come from?! But when Foster is in a scene, you almost forget that the show is about the Cartwrights because he's such a scene-stealer. He was fascinating to watch this season especially as he pretty much forced himself to grow up. As opposed to McHale and Fillion who plays two grown men who still seem like teenagers. They're both funny individually, but their great chemistry with their respective co-stars really elevate their work. Levi makes you believe that Chuck is a real person dealing with real super spies, insane friends, and impossible choices while Baldwin makes you forget about the real world, because he takes you into his own warped one. There can only be one winner though and it's goes to Fillion. Because he dressed up as Mal and it was epic.

Best Actress, Drama
Julianna Marguillies, The Good Wife
Mary McDonnell, Battlestar Galactica
Elizabeth Moss, Mad Men
Eve Myles, Torchwood
Annie Wersching, 24

All of these are tough women. There's Marguillies who manages to balance the mom role with the lawyer role with ease while Wersching was so kick-ass that I began to think that if Jack Bauer ever died, it would be OKAY since she could just take over. Then there's Myles who plays Gwen Cooper with so much heart, her emotions always on her sleeve and I can't forget her heartbreaking monologue. Moss didn't really do that much this season, but the little she did still made a pretty good impact. And while all of these women are so awesome in their own way, the award goes to McDonnell in her final year as President Laura Roslin who even in the face of death remained full of grit and grace that made her character so wonderful.

Best Actress, Comedy
Courtney Cox, Cougar Town
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Stana Katic, Castle
Lea Michele, Glee

To be honest, I'm oddly less enthused about this category. I mean don't get me wrong, I love each and everyone of these actresses and the characters they play. I wouldn't have nominated them if I didn't, but I don't really feel passionate about any of them the way I do other actors I've nominated. In any case, Katic is the perfect blend of sexy and tough and she plays off her co-lead so well. Cox and Michele play manic characters that are a hoot to watch, but it's moments when they slow down, be it talking to her son or sing a heartfelt ballad, where they shine. And so we come down to Fey and Ferrera who have won awards playing the characters they currently play. Fey deals with "smarter" comedy, but Ferrera just has that something extra that tug at your heartstrings while still making you laugh, so she edges Fey a bit for me especially since I'm sorta loving the makeover she had this season.

Best Supporting Actress, Drama
Tricia Helfer, Battlestar Galactica
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men
Dichen Lachman, Dollhouse
Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife
Elizabeth Mitchell, Lost

I don't know anyone who doesn't want more of Hendricks on Mad Men. In fact this year, she was criminally underutilized and yet she still shined with the few scenes she did have. Similarly Panjabi and Lachman are mostly unknown, but they infuse commitment and energy to both of their roles, the latter especially using her magnetic chemistry with a fellow co-star to wonderful fruition on-screen. But it was between two blonde ladies who a few might argue could be considered leads. Helfer, playing the different versions of Six, continued to astound even to the final moments of the show while Mitchell played tough and vulnerable to pitch perfection delivering a specially harrowing scene to end Lost's season. This is why Elizabeth Mitchell gets the prize.

Best Supporting Actress, Comedy
Alison Brie, Community
Yvette Nicole Brown, Community
Kaley Cuoco, Big Bang Theory
Alyson Hannigan, How I Met Your Mother
Jane Lynch, Glee

This was tougher than I first thought when I made this list. Seriously. Cuoco is delightfully as Penny especially when she plays the foil to Sheldon's eccentricities. Brie and Brown are hilarious individually, but they also make a potent comedic duo. And then came Hannigan and Lynch. My initial thought is that Lynch has this award sewn up, because Sue Sylvester is THE breakout TV character of the year if you ask me. But it's hard to discount Hannigan who manages to make the increasingly manic Lily character not only believable, but also lovable. Then again I can say the same thing about Jane Lynch, right? Jane Lynch it is then.

Best Supporting Actor, Drama
Misha Collins, Supernatural
Gareth David-Lloyd, Torchwood
Michael Emerson, Lost
Enver Gjokaj, Dollhouse
Fran Kranz, Dollhouse

Do not make me choose. Please do NOT make me choose. Collins plays an angel and Kranz plays a goofy super smart scientist. The writing of the show is good enough that these two characters do not utterly fail, but the actors full commitment to their roles elevate these two characters as people who are completely endearing. Then there's David-Lloyd. My poor poor dead Ianto. It was uber depressing to see him die, but he went out with a bang. And so it's between Emerson's super villainy Ben Linus or Gjokaj's multi-faceted Victor/Anthony/Topher/party girl/FBI agent. This is pretty much a coin flip, but I'm giving it to Enver Gjokaj.

Best Supporting Actor, Comedy
Dan Byrd, Cougar Town
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
Jim Parsons, Big Bang Theory
Danny Pudi, Community
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

This might actually be more difficult than its counterpart in the drama category! Byrd has great comedic timing for someone so young and really humanizes Courtney Cox's character. Pudi and Stonestreet are newcomers, but already they may me laugh countless of times even though they are part of very talented ensembles. And now with a heavy heart, I have to compare two Emmy-nominated CBS heavyweights in Parsons and Harris. It's pretty obvious that these two roles (Sheldon and Barney) played by these two comic geniuses are the breakout characters of their popular shows and are usually the character with the most interesting storylines. And while I am still very much impressed with what Harris is doing, I have to give this award this year to Parsons.

So now finally, we have the Best Show categories. I'm afraid you'll have to wait just a bit longer to find out the winner here. Not too long. I should be posting my ranked list of Top 30ish shows of 2009 in a day or two. For now, let's refresh your memories...

Best Show, Drama
Battlestar Galactica
Being Human
Dollhouse
Mad Men
Lost
Torchwood

Best Show, Comedy
Big Bang Theory
Castle
Glee
Greek
How I Met Your Mother
Modern Family

True Meaning of Christmas

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

"That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."

Merry Christmas! Regular posting will resume tomorrow.

Federer and His Girls

Roger Federer posted this absolutely adorable picture of him with his wife Mirka, and his twin daughters Myla and Charlene on his official website. Federer posted a message to his fans as well:

Many friends and fans have asked for an updated picture of our girls so we thought we'd post this picture for the holiday season. Our entire family wishes you a safe and happy 2010!

Federer is obviously spending his holidays with his new family. He will play an exhibition match in Dubai with Rafael Nadal around New Year's and will then play in his first tournament in Doha a couple of days after that. His first major tournament will come later in January at the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year.

End-Of-Year: 2009 TV Nominees

I actually had a very difficult time narrowing down my favorite TV shows and performances for this past year. So much so that not only did I have to split the Best Show category to Comedy and Drama, but I had to do this for every single category as well INCLUDING the supporting categories.

The nominees are...

Best Show, Drama
Battlestar Galactica
Being Human
Dollhouse
Mad Men
Lost
Torchwood

Best Show, Comedy
Big Bang Theory
Castle
Glee
Greek
How I Met Your Mother
Modern Family

Best Actor, Drama
John Barrowman, Torchwood
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
John Noble, Fringe
Russell Tovey, Being Human
Kiefer Sutherland, 24

Best Actor, Comedy
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Nathan Fillion, Castle
Scott Michael Foster, Greek
Zachary Levi, Chuck
Joel McHale, Community

Best Actress, Drama
Julianna Marguillies, The Good Wife
Mary McDonnell, Battlestar Galactica
Elizabeth Moss, Mad Men
Eve Myles, Torchwood
Annie Wersching, 24

Best Actress, Comedy
Courtney Cox, Cougar Town
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Stana Katic, Castle
Lea Michele, Glee

Best Supporting Actor, Drama
Misha Collins, Supernatural
Gareth David-Lloyd, Torchwood
Michael Emerson, Lost
Enver Gjokaj, Dollhouse
Fran Kranz, Dollhouse

Best Supporting Actor, Comedy
Dan Byrd, Cougar Town
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
Jim Parsons, Big Bang Theory
Danny Pudi, Community
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

Best Supporting Actress, Drama
Tricia Helfer, Battlestar Galactica
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men
Dichen Lachman, Dollhouse
Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife
Elizabeth Mitchell, Lost

Best Supporting Actress, Comedy
Alison Brie, Community
Yvette Nicole Brown, Community
Kaley Cuoco, Big Bang Theory
Alyson Hannigan, How I Met Your Mother
Jane Lynch, Glee

Nomination Tally: 4 - Community, Dollhouse, Mad Men, Torchwood; 3 - Big Bang Theory, Battlestar Galactica, Castle, Glee, How I Met Your Mother, Lost; 2 - 24, 30 Rock, Being Human, Cougar Town, The Good Wife, Greek, Modern Family; 1 - Chuck, Fringe, Supernatural Ugly Betty.

My personal favorite categories are the supporting categories since there's even still a handful of worthy performances I didn't mention. Such an embarrassment of riches really.

I'll post the winners sometime this week, hopefully before Christmas. Then, after Christmas, I'll do my usual ranked list of my favorite 30ish shows for the past year.

Critic Groups Rundown

Since last week's tally of critic groups, there have been more to chime in with their winners. Critic groups represented below include the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) and groups from Austin (AFCA), San Diego (SDFCS), Toronto (TFCA), Dallas-Forth Worth (DFWFCA), Las Vegas (LVFCS), Utah (UFCA), Detroit (DFCS), Houston (HFCS), Chicago (CFCA), Florida (FFCC), and St. Louis (SLFC).

Click here for last week's tally of critic groups.

Best Picture
The Hurt Locker (AFCA, LVFCS, HFCS, CFCA)
Up in the Air (DFWFCA, UFCA, FFCC, SLFC)
Inglourious Basterds (SDFCS, TFCA)
Hunger (TFCA)
Precious (AAFCA)
Up (DFCS)

Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow (AFCA, TFCA, LVFCS, HFCS, CFCA, SLFC)
Jason Reitman (DFWFCA, UFCA, FFCC)
Quentin Tarantino (SDFCS)
Lee Daniels (AAFCA)
Pete Docter (DFCS)

Best Actor
George Clooney (DFWFCA, HFCS, FFCC, SLFC)
Colin Firth (AFCA, SDFCS, DFCS)
Jeremy Renner (LVFCS, CFCA)
Morgan Freeman (AAFCA)
Viggo Mortensen (UFCA)
Nicolas Cage (TFCA)

Best Actress
Carey Mulligan (TFCA, DFWFCA, UFCA, HFCS, CFCA, SLFC)
Gabourey Sidibe (LVFCS, DFCS, FFCC)
Melanie Laurent (AFCA)
Michelle Monaghan (SDFCS)
Nicole Beharie (AAFCA)

Best Supporting Actor
Christoph Waltz (AFCA, SDFCS, TFCA, DFWFCA, LVFCS, DFCS, HFCS, CFCA, FFCC, SLFC)
Christian McKay (UFCA)
Anthony Mackie (AAFCA)

Best Supporting Actress
Mo'Nique (AAFCA, DFWFCA, LVFCS, UFCA, DFCS, CFCA, FFCC, SLFC)
Anna Kendrick (AFCA, TFCA, HFCS)
Samantha Morton (SDFCS)

Best Screenplay
Up in the Air (AFCA, TFCA, DFWFCA, HFCS, CFCA)
Inglourious Basterds (AFCA, SDFCS, TFCA)
500 Days of Summer (LVFCS, FFCC, SLFC)
Fantastic Mr. Fox (SDFCS, UFCA)
The Hurt Locker (CFCA)
Precious (AAFCA)
Princess & The Frog (AAFCA)

Best Animated Film
Up (AFCA, DFWFCA, HFCS, CFCA, FFCC, SLFC)
Fantastic Mr. Fox (TFCA, LVFCS, UFCA)

Best Foreign Film
Sin Nombre (AFCA, DFWFCA, HFCS, FFCC)
The White Ribbon (TFCA, CFCA)
Red Ciliff (LVFCS, SLFC)
Il Divo (SDFCS)
Thirst (UFCA)

Best Documentary
The Cove (SDFCS, TFCA, DFWFCA, UFCA, HFCS, FFCC)
Anvil! The Story of Anvil (AFCA, LVFCS, CFCA)
Capitalism: A Love Story (SLFC)

So in addition to the results from last week, what do these results mean?

The Hurt Locker and Up in the Air are still very much neck and neck. Kathryn Bigelow, Christoph Waltz, and Mo'Nique are the overwhelming critical favorites with Anna Kendrick being the only one putting up a fight against the Mo'Nique express. Carey Mullligans pulls away from Meryl Streep with Gabourey Sidibe making a splash. George Clooney pads his lead, but Colin Firth and Jeremy Renner are looking to challenge. Finally, Fantastic Mr. Fox is more than holding its own against Pixar's Up.

A couple more critic groups are set to chime in before the end of the year. Stay tuned.

Doctor Who Holiday Specials

After waiting for more than a month, patient Americans (as opposed to some of us who were a bit more impatient, ahem) will finally get to see the second Doctor Who special to air this year when BBC America airs The Waters of Mars tonight at 9PM EST.

After that, the final two specials will come hard and fast. The End of Time, the two-part episode serving as David Tennant's final episodes as The Doctor, will air in England on Christmas Day and New Years Day. Patient and impatient Americans alike will, however, be watching it together on BBC America which will air both episodes only a day after its British premiere. Brilliant!

So just a quick summary for BBC America viewers:

Saturday, December 19th
8PM - Doctor Who: Inside the TARDIS
9PM - The Waters of Mars

Saturday, December 26th
9PM - The End of Time, Part One

Saturday, January 2nd
8PM - Doctor Who: The David Tennant Special
8:30PM - The End of Time, Part Two

Woods NOT Athlete of the Decade

I wasn't going to comment on it since it was such a boneheaded decision, but since it is the off-season (no matter how short) and it feels as if I haven't been talking about tennis in awhile, I want to quickly address the Associated Press naming Tiger Woods as "Athlete of the Decade."

Basically, ARE THEY FUCKING NUTS?!

Even though I'm an unabashed fan of and therefore insanely biased for Roger Federer, how could they not give it to him or at least have results that were a bit more competitive? Woods ended up with 56 of the 142 votes cast. Lance Armstrong was second with 33 and Federer was only third with with 25. The funny/sad thing is if Federer was American, they would most likely have coronated him "Athlete of the Century" without hesitation. They'd probably throw him a frickin' parade.

The egregiousness of the whole thing is highlighted even more by looking at what they wrote in their article:

For 10 incomparable years, no one ruled a sport like Woods. He won 64 tournaments, including 12 major championships.

That's nice. Federer pretty much ruled tennis this decade, winning 61 tournaments, 15 of which were major championships, a record in his sport. Woods still needs a few to beat the comparable record in golf.

And I haven't even asked the question everyone is afraid to ask which would be is it really appropriate to pick a *golfer* as the *athlete* of the decade? I mean no knock on the entire sport of golf which takes great skill and definitely no disrespect for Woods who is amazingly fit, but tennis is just in a whole other level. It's just so physically grueling and uses so many facets of being a perfect athlete: speed, agility, strength, coordination, endurance, grace, and fortitude.

In summary, they made the wrong choice.

SYTYCD: The Finale

This year instead of doing a Final Four for the finale, the show decided to switch it up by giving us six dancers to vote for in the end. If you ask me it's yet another change the show has made this season that's unwarranted.


I mean was the show broken before? I didn't think so. Like for example, the bigger stage is nice and shiny, but there was something nice about the old stage especially when dancers used the second level that the new stage just doesn't have. And while I understand that this show is all about the dancers, I also enjoyed it because of the choreographers and yet this season the choreographers were sort of relegated to the background. The show oddly got rid of rehearsal footage and getting rid of the rotating third judge limited our exposure to the choreographers even more. And of course the show's most dynamic and popular judge/choreographer was missing. Yes, Mia Michaels. God, I miss her.

But enough about that. I'm sure they'll iron out the kinks for next season especially since they had to cobble this fall season rather quickly. All credit to the dancers though. Despite all the behind-the-scenes stuff out of their control, they all still delivered.

The Final Six ended up being the dynamic Russell Ferguson, the superbly talented Jakob Karr, the quirky Ellenore Scott, the passionate Kathryn McCormick, and the hot married pair Ryan and Ashleigh Di Llelo which meant that Legacy and Mollee went home last week. I did NOT expect both of those two to go home. I thought Legacy was too popular and Mollee seemed to blossom. My guess? Sympathy votes for Ryan and Ashleigh due to her injury last week.

In any case, the Final Six performed with one another and unlike other seasons, we didn't have same-sex performances. None of the performances really stood out as spectacular, but they all did a great job except for probably Ellenore/Ryan's abstract routine. The judges lavished each dancer with heaps of praise so you couldn't really say they were favoring one dancer over others. For my part I was rooting for Russell, Jakob, or Ellenore to win and was predicting the boys to be in the final two.

The finale was star-studded with performances from Leona Lewis, Adam Lambert, Mary J. Blige, and Jennifer Lopez. Of course, it was also chock full of dance, but at least some of it was of the recorded variety because Russell injured himself halfway through the show. Ryan and Ashleigh were eliminated first followed by the remaining girls leaving Russell and Jakob. In the end, Russell Ferguson was victorious becoming the first krumper to win. Congratulations!

SAG Awards Nominations

They say if you're nominated for a SAG Award, you can almost always pencil in an Oscar nomination next. Of course this isn't 100% certain, but with actors being the biggest branch at the Academy, it makes sense. Add that to the fact that the nominations below were more or less suspected and you have yourself a fairly stable lineup heading into the Oscars.

The film nominees are...

Best Ensemble

• An Education
• The Hurt Locker
• Inglourious Basterds
• Nine
• Precious

The only shock here would be the absence of Up in the Air despite getting three of its actors nominations. The "odd" film out here would be An Education which only managed to garner a nomination for its leading lady, but it's pretty awesome that it did. I love all the actors involved.

Best Actress

• Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
• Helen Mirren, The Last Station
• Carey Mulligan, An Education
• Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
• Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia

Other than Helen Mirren, the other actresses are pretty much locked for an Oscar nomination. Mirren can still very much make it in, but the other four have pretty much dominated the precursors. And when that happens, the biggest obstacle between Meryl and her third Oscar is not Carey Mulligan as every thought earlier this season, but Sandra Bullock.

Best Actor

• Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
• George Clooney, Up in the Air
• Colin Firth, A Single Man
• Morgan Freeman, Invictus
• Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker

It is very difficult to see any other actor break up this group of five men for the Oscars. Daniel Day-Lewis would be number six I suppose, but it all depends what the Academy thinks of Nine.

Best Supporting Actor

• Matt Damon, Invictus
• Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
• Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
• Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
• Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

Similar to the leading actor category, it's difficult to see how these five won't make it in. Plummer might be vulnerable as is Tucci. It all depends how both of their films are regarded by the Academy. The "spoiler" would be Christian McKay, but his film will probably be viewed by less members.

Best Supporting Actress

• Penelope Cruz, Nine
• Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
• Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
• Diane Kruger, Inglourious Basterds
• Mo’Nique, Precious

Diane Kruger was the shock nominee and she will probably be replaced by Julianne Moore or Samantha Morton at the Oscars. The other four seems set unless Penelope Cruz is replace by another Nine actress.

Two days ago, I lamented how boring/safe the Golden Globe nominees were for TV. So of course the SAG Awards had to go and give us a more boring and much lamer list of nominees. I'm not really singling out actors or shows, because most of them truly deserve it, but dangnabit why does it have to be the same people over and over again?

The TV nominees are...

Best Ensemble, Drama

• The Closer
• Dexter
• The Good Wife
• Mad Men
• True Blood

This actually isn't such a terrible list. I'm just confused as to why Lost is being snubbed left and right. Simply unbelievable.

Best Actor, Drama

• Simon Baker, The Mentalist
• Brian Cranston, Breaking Bad
• Michael C. Hall, Dexter
• John Hamm, Mad Men
• Hugh Laurie, House

Same as the Emmys with the exception of Brian Cranston replacing Bill Paxton. Like the Globes, as much as I like Hamm, I'm rooting for Hall.

Best Actress, Drama

• Patricia Arquette, Medium
• Glenn Close, Damages
• Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: SVU
• Holly Hunter, Saving Grace
• Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
• Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

Even with a tie, they couldn't fit in January Jones or Elisabeth Moss from Mad Men. Congrats to Julianna Margulies though, but the others are same old, same old.

Best Ensemble, Comedy

• 30 Rock
• Curb
• Glee
• Modern Family
• The Office

Same as the Golden Globe nominations except Curb for Entourage. No How I Met Your Mother or Big Bang Theory. Glee and Modern Family are rocking it this awards season though. So happy for them.

Best Actress, Comedy

• Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?
• Toni Collette, United States of Tara
• Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
• Tina Fey, 30 Rock
• Julia Louis Dreyfuss, The New Adventures of Old Christine

Again, same as the Globes except they took out the two most exciting Globe nominees (Courtney Cox and Lea Michele) and replaced them with safe/meh choices in Applegate and Dreyfuss.

Best Actor, Comedy

• Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
• Steve Carell, The Office
• Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm
• Tony Shaloub, Monk
• Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men

As much as I was nonplussed about the Globe nominations at least they didn't nominate Charlie freakin' Sheen. Gawd.

Best Actor, Miniseries

• Kevin Bacon, Taking Chance
• Cuba Gooding, Jr., Gifted Hands
• Jeremy Irons, Georgia O’Keefe
• Kevin Kline, Cyrano de Bergerac
• Tom Wilkinson, A Number

Best Actress, Miniseries

• Joan Allen, Georgia O’Keefe
• Drew Barrymore, Grey Gardens
• Ruby Dee, America
• Jessica Lange, Grey Gardens
• Sigourney Weaver, Prayers for Bobby