Happy September 22nd!

Apparently today is a big pop culture day. It's the 20th anniversary of Friends, the 10th anniversaries of Lost and Veronica Mars, and it's the birthdays of Rose Tyler, Draco Malfoy, and Sarah Manning (and Alison Hendrix, Cosima Niehaus, Helena)... well the actors who play them. So...

HAPPY 20TH FRIENDS!

I would never say that this is the greatest sitcom of all time, but due to its cultural reach, especially to my generation, it's definitely one of the most popular show even two decades remove from its debut. I'm pretty sure an episode of Friends is airing right now somewhere. I still watch re-runs on Nick at Nite whenever I can and recently aced a supposedly super difficult trivia quiz on it. Its series finale is one of my absolute favorites. Though I have yet to visit Central Perk so that's on my to-do list. Now go sing Smelly Cat or tweak your nubbin to celebrate the day.

HAPPY 10TH LOST!

Even though I've seen every episode of Lost and have love/obsessed over this show (and its cast) all the way to the end, it's pretty funny that I actually didn't start watching the show until the third episode had already aired. Couldn't commit to the 2-hour pilot (incidentally one of my favorite pilots ever) and yet once I did see it, I was all in for the 121 episode journey of madness and brilliance. Too bad there really hasn't been a true replacement for it on network TV.

HAPPY 10TH VERONICA MARS!

I mistweeted earlier today saying I saw the pilot of Veronica Mars when it aired, but I just realize that I had disowned UPN (whoa old school!) after Buffy ended so I didn't get to see the show until a friend burned DVDs of the first season to me a year or so later. Of course, I didn't get to finish watching the first season until THIS YEAR with my roommate pushing me to do just that and watch the entire series so we could see the movie which came out in March.

BIRTHDAYS! BIRTHDAYS! BIRTHDAYS

Billie Piper, who turns 32 today, was the first companion of the rebooted Doctor Who and thus was a lot of people's entry to the now 50-year old sci-fi institution (she was part of the celebration last year). I had no previous history with her and didn't even know she was a pop singer, but she was fantastic both with Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant. All New Who companions are still compared to her. Currently she's starring in Penny Dreadful which I haven't seen, but I thought she was excellent in Secret Diary of a Call Girl.

Turning 29 today, Tatiana Maslany's star continues to rise as the lead of Orphan Black winning two Critics Choice Awards and being nominated for a Golden Globe for playing half a dozen or so characters on the small BBC America show. That show is her breakout role as she mostly appeared on Canadian productions prior to that. She memorably appeared in a couple of episodes of Parks and Recreation last year. Hope she gets more opportunities!

Finally, Tom Felton aka Draco Malfoy of the Harry Potter films is 27 today and he seems to have been typecast in these villainy type roles the past few years such as his roles in Rise of the Planet of the Apes and this year's Belle. He stars in TNT's Murder in the First and has a few films lined up where he hopefully plays not the bad guy.

Link Roundup: Comic Con Edition

So didn't it feel like everyone who's everyone was at Comic Con and reporting on it? Every year, I get so jealous, but then I realized as awesome as it may be to be surrounded by so many like-minded geeks and be close to celebrities, I would absolutely hate the crowds, waiting in endless lines, and my indecision over which panels to check out would render me catatonic.

With that said, here are some Comic Con-related links for you!

Vulture Watch Andrew Garfield deliver a touching love letter to Spider-Man as only a true fan can.

In Contention Kris Tapley summarizes his Con experience the highlight of which was his screening of Winding Refn's Drive.

TVLine Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof debut lost footage from Lost starring the Man in Black and Jacob.

Flix Chatter Ruth gives us an enviable inside look of her great day inside the very popular Hall H.


Doctor Who The trailer for the second half of the sixth season has been released complete with Rory punching Hitler!

Hitfix After some great coverage all weekend, notably from Alan Sepinwall and Daniel Fienberg, the Hitfix staff present their Best and Worst.

Whedonesque Take a look at the massive banner for the Whedon-helmed Avengers combining all of the released character posters.

DailyMotion Some familiar, unexpected, and hilarious faces auditioning for the role of Fringe's Peter Bishop.

These are just a handful of links and news that came out during this very busy weekend. In the days ahead I'm sure there'll be some more news to filter down or a few follow-ups. Feel free to share a link or any news from Comic Con that you want to highlight!

End-Of-Year: Favorite 2010 TV Shows

Couple of days ago, I talked about my favorite actors/performances. Now it's time to focus on the TV shows in 2010 that entertained me. First though quick honorable mention to Dollhouse which had its last few episodes at the beginning of the year, ending, IMO, on a high.

With that said, I present my Top 30 Shows of 2010...

30. Greek - Still fun and entertaining as ever. Totally enjoyed what the writers did to the Cappie/Casey/Evan triangle. Looking forward to its final season next year.

29. United States of Tara - Toni Collette is still superb, but most of the storylines not relating to Marshall dealing with his identity fell a bit flat to me.

28. Supernatural - Really good episodes here and there, but last season's finale was anti-climactic and the limited use of Castiel's character this season was a wasted opportunity.

27. Chuck - Show seems to be struggling with what sort of direction to go in, but for the most part, I'm still enjoying it. A little less Buy More and a bit more Ellie/Awesome in the future PLEASE.

26. The Walking Dead - Good, strong start for this new hit on AMC. Love the slow, deliberate pace they seem to be taking and I'm most definitely intrigued for what's to come.

25. True Blood - I applaud them for upping THE GAY this season as well as forcing all of their male cast to be half-naked most of the time. Plot-wise, I couldn't tell you what happened on the show though.

24. 24 - I'm being cute ranking this #24, but whatever! The show was quite consistent (minus anything to do with Freddie Prince Jr. and Katee Sackhoff). Thrillingly intense last few hours with the end making me cry. Going to miss it.

23. So You Think You Can Dance - Weird, but ultimately successful season. The All-Stars were a bit unnecessary until they weren't when all the girls got kicked off early. Plus THUMBS UP for the slew of guy-guy performances!

22. Party Down - Missed Jane Lynch, but Megan Mullally found her footing as the season progressed. Loved a few of the episodes and will miss this gang a bunch. R.I.P. show.

21. Ugly Betty - Unfortunately the show was canceled. Fortunately they had time to craft some of their strongest episodes in years letting the show end on top. Props to the accelerated, but nicely handled Justin coming out storyline.

20. V - My love for Morena Baccarin and Elizabeth Mitchell got me through some rough spots, but I really am loving the show by itself now. Lisa slowing developing human feelings, Joshua kicking ass... it all makes me happy.

19. White Collar - Matthew Bomer is ridiculously pretty. But the show works with or without the lead's unnatural beauty. Love the easy way the ensemble works with one another without making it all hokey.

18. Dexter - Not sure they could've followed up last season's amazing-ness, but they definitely tried! All of the Lumen/Jordan stuff were aces and really enjoyable. I could take or leave everything else, though Michael C. Hall delivers yet again as the title character. Now what?

17. Glee - Consistency and subtlety are not words you'll ever find someone use to describe this show. But when it hit its highs, it's one of the more amazing things on TV these days. Props to Colfer re: bullying storyline as well as the Emmy-winning Joss Whedon/NPH episode!

16. Big Bang Theory - Parsons is as wonderful as ever and the influx of female characters really upped my enjoyment of the show. Kaley Cuoco is still the glue that holds the show together IMO.

15. Parks & Recreation - Pretty much saw EVERY EPISODE of this show this past month. I really didn't know what I was missing. Hilarious characters put into hilarious situations. What else can you ask for?

14. Cougar Town - What I said for Parks & Rec, pretty much the same for this show except its ensemble is a tad more well-rounded and the show itself is a bit more cartoony, which I actually like.

13. Castle - The end of last season provided such a creative high for the show and the beginning of this season just continued that momentum with barely a clunker of an episode to speak of.

12. How I Met Your Mother - A few might say the show has seen better days, but while it's not creatively at its peak now, I've gotten to the level of comfort with these characters that I can't bear the thought of not watching them. And when the episodes are good, they are DAMN GOOD. Yay for their 100th episode milestone!

11. The Amazing Race - Another year and not one, but two wonderful seasons of this show. Both seasons saw worthy strategic winners, a fun/audience-favorite runner-up, and a viled team come in third place. Also WOO Nat/Kat for finally being the first all-female team to win the show!

And now here is my top ten list...

10. Misfits - This show, a mix between Skins and Heroes, was pretty much love-in-first-sight for me. It's not perfect and in fact is rather quite crude and irreverent, but those are parts of its charm. Those and the really talented ensemble just ground the more fantastical elements of this hidden gem. I'm so glad I checked this out.

9. Modern Family - My favorite comedy of last year continued its amazing run at consistently delivering wonderful episodes featuring its immensely talented ensemble this year. For me, there's just no weak link here even if other actors are more consistent week in, week out.

8. Sherlock - Even though it was only three episodes, those three episodes were as brilliant and epic as you can get. Written by storyteller extraordinaire, Steven Moffat, this show seamlessly adapted the character of Sherlock Holmes for our time in no small part thanks as well to the magnificent work by Benedict Cumberbatch. This is a must-watch for everyone.

7. Mad Men - A lot of things happened this season, but nothing as great as seeing Jon Hamm and Elisabeth Moss holding a master class in acting in almost every single episode. The show itself was reinvigorated by the big changes that happened at the end of last season, but man, who could've predicted such a strong season?

6. Being Human - I fell head over heels with this show last year and this year, in its second season, it somehow topped itself delivering darker stories and really putting the characters through an emotional and psychological wringer that was heaven to watch on screen. The finale was unforgettable as was the last shot. I'm dying to see what they do next. Though I'm a bit more wary about the planned American version.

5. The Good Wife - It already won my best ensemble award so it definitely has a strong cast. But the show succeeds, because that cast is playing such interesting and highly developed characters. Unlike most lawyer shows, this show is not just a case-of-the-week. The personal stuff gets just as much screen time and focus than the lawyering stuff, in fact probably even more so. All of that and a lead actress as engaging as Julianna Marguilies and you have a winning formula.

4. Doctor Who - When David Tennant's reign ended, I was apprehensive, but open-minded especially since new show-runner Steven Moffat is a damn genius. I shouldn't have wondered. The fifth season blew my expectations out of the water as well as new Doctor played by Matt Smith. While Smith is younger than Tennant, he sometimes comes across as older. His chemistry with new companion Karen Gillan is palpable and can I get an AMEN for finally having a regular male companion (RORY!!!). I also really loved the plot arc with the Silence, the Crack, the Pandorica, River, etc. Moffat and co. also delivered a high quality timey wimey Christmas episode. What can't they do?

3. Community - It was in the spring this past year when I realized how addicted I had become to this show. After laughing my ass off watching a new episode, I immediately wanted to see next week's episode and during the summer months, it was the one show I was aching to come back. And really, why not? The cast has incredible chemistry with one another and are up for whatever crazy thing the show asks of them. And it asks a lot since the show is never afraid to experiment and tinker weekly. One needn't look further than the most recent Christmas episode where the whole episode was done in stop-motion.

2. Fringe - Last year when I realized I loved the show when it was less about the freak-of-the-week and more about the big arc with the alternate universe, etc. So when the show became ALL ABOUT THE ARC this show suddenly was must-see-TV for me. Not only that, but it enabled most of the actors to stretch themselves playing two versions of their characters and no other actor took advantage of this than Anna Torv whose work this past year I CANNOT stop praising. With this arc coming to a close, however, I'm a bit worried where the show is going to go now, but hopefully the creative high they've experienced will continue.

1. Lost - I already consider this show my favorite of the decade, so it was a no-brainer for me to claim it the best of 2010 with its heartbreaking, wonderful, and lovely final season. Unlike a few people, I was quite satisfied with the series finale even if it under-served the island mythology. I've said from the first season, it's ALL ABOUT the characters for me and holy crap did we get that and then some this season. The flash sideways were both maddening and enjoyable nicely highlighting some of the series' best moments/relationships. I could probably say more, but just... I love it, okay? Do you need anything else?

Final Note: It's insane that there are four British shows in my top 10. I knew I was an Anglophile, but damn. My top 30 shows came from 13 different networks including PBS which aired Sherlock, but excluding Misfits which hasn't had an American premiere yet. ABC was on top with 6 shows, followed by FOX and CBS tieing with 4 shows. It's also worth noting that no new show offered by the big four networks made it into my list. That's... sad.

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Here are the rest of the shows that I watched and somewhat enjoyed, but didn't rank: Raising Hope, The Event, Hawaii Five-0, 30 Rock, Grey's Anatomy, American Idol, Skins, Weeds, Covert Affairs, Drop Dead Diva, Pretty Little Liars, Brothers & Sisters

Shows I've stopped watching for one reason or another: Caprica, The Mentalist, Desperate Housewives, Private Practice, Gossip Girl, Stargate: Universe, No Ordinary Family, Project Runway

Just a few dishonorable mentions: Running Wilde, Undercovers, Outsourced, My Generation, Happy Town, Big Brother, the viewers of Lone Star and The Whole Truth

Recent TV Casting News

The past day or so, there have been so many exciting TV casting news that I could barely contain my excitement and had to post them immediately.

Emmy-winning pair Michael Emerson and Terry O'Quinn, who captivated audiences in Lost, will apparently be starring together in a hit man drama show produced by no other than J.J. Abrams. NBC won the bidding war and has committed to a pilot order for the still untitled show. While most of the actors in Lost were great, these two were really something special, especially in scenes together, so suffice it to say, I'm really excited for this project. I'm hoping it's a little less drama and more of a dramedy akin to Abrams' Alias and current Undercovers which contain a few campy asides. I also wouldn't say no to other Lost alums guest starring! Make it so!

I love to keep tabs on Buffy the Vampire Slayer alums, so it was great to hear that two of them will guest star in shows I actually watch. First Eliza Dushku will follow in Katee Sackhoff and Summer Glau's footsteps and appear in geeky hit Big Bang Theory, though unlike those two other actresses, she won't be playing herself. The other alum is Amber Benson, who will play a patient's sister in Grey's Anatomy. Showrunner Shonda Rhimes is a self-confessed big Buffy fan and it's worth to mention that Benson had appear in the Grey's spin-off Private Practice before. She, however, won't be playing the same character.

And finally, the most random and awesome TV casting news came out yesterday when it broke out that Teri Hatcher would play Lois Lane's mom in the final season of Smallville. To those who do not know, Hatcher played Lois Lane to Dean Cain's Superman in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, which aired for four seasons back in the 90s. Now,+ I don't watch Smallville and have not really been a fan of Hatcher since the 90s, but this casting coup deserves some kudos both to the Smallville folks who had the sense of humor to go for it and to Teri Hatcher who didn't need to do this at all. Well done to everyone involved.

Emmy Nominations and Predictions

I'm not dreading the Emmy awards as much as I tend to the past couple of years. Maybe it's because there were many good things to celebrate or maybe because a few people I like have already won an Emmy this year, but I feel oddly optimistic about this weekend, which of course means I'm ripe for a letdown, right? Oh well. Let's run down the big categories, shall we?


BEST DRAMA SERIES
Breaking Bad
Dexter
The Good Wife
Lost
Mad Men
True Blood

I honestly think that all of these shows, other than True Blood, have a very good chance at winning. Of course the front-runner, Mad Men, is still the one to beat winning the top prize few years straight now. But don't count out Lost and the possible sentimental votes it might receive to honor it for its final season. For me, I love all of the shows here that I watch (I haven't seen Breaking Bad), but I do want Lost to win.

Prediction: Mad Men

BEST ACTOR, DRAMA
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights
Hugh Laurie, House
Matthew Fox, Lost
Jon Hamm, Mad Men

One of three men will get this award and I will be shocked if the results were any different. Last year's champion Bryan Cranston is the odds-on favorite, but the buzz for Michael C. Hall's performance as the affable serial killer has only grown louder especially with his recent real-life bout with cancer. And yet people are shocked, SHOCKED that Jon Hamm still doesn't have an Emmy for playing Don Draper. One of these days, he will. Will it be this year?

Prediction: Michael C. Hall

BEST ACTRESS, DRAMA
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer
Glenn Close, Damages
Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: SVU
January Jones, Mad Men

Just give the award to Julianna Marguilies and stop pretending any of the others even have a chance. Okay, that's probably a little too hyperbolic, but she's very popular and her show has been a big hit this season. Of course Glenn Close and possibly Kyra Sedwick are still stiff competition, but the award will go to the good wife.

Prediction: Julianna Marguilies

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, DRAMA
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad
Martin Short, Damages
Terry O'Quinn, Lost
Michael Emerson, Lost
John Slattery, Mad Men
Andre Braugher, Men of a Certain Age

I've only seen about three of the performances here so I'm not really sure who is the front-runner and whatnot. If I had to guess, this is where the Academy will see fit to award Lost's final season and the slight edge is probably to Terry O'Quinn who had to juggle different versions of Locke. And yet, I'm just not sure. I hear buzz for Aaron Paul certainly, but just have a gut feeling for O'Quinn.

Prediction: Terry O'Quinn

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, DRAMA
Sharon Gless, Burn Notice
Rose Byrne, Damages
Archie Panjani, The Good Wife
Christine Baranski, The Good Wife
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men

The ladies of Mad Men will fight for the prize here. If you'd ask me a couple of weeks ago, I'd said Elisabeth Moss had this in the bag, but recently there's just been SO MUCH attention for Christina Hendricks that she may squeak out the win. Of course this is no slam-dunk especially with two Emmy veterans, Sharon Gless and Christine Baranksi, in the mix.

Prediction: Christina Hendricks


BEST COMEDY SERIES
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Glee
Modern Family
Nurse Jackie
The Office
30 Rock

Will 30 Rock finally be knocked off its thrown? This year, with these nominees, I think that's a safe bet. Everyone will be looking for the new breakout hits of the season, Glee and Modern Family. I will be shocked (and honestly confused) if neither one wins this award. I'd give the slight edge to Modern Family, but Glee is the "cool kid" on the block that everyone's talking about so... we'll see.

Prediction: Modern Family

BEST ACTOR, COMEDY
Jim Parsons, Big Bang Theory
Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Matthew Morrison, Glee
Tony Shalhoub, Monk
Steve Carell, The Office
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

While there may be some sentimental votes for Tony Shaloub, I think the rest is between Alec Baldwin and Jim Parsons. I said the same thing last year and I don't see any difference. Last year, Baldwin won, but I think Parsons may take it this year. Granted his show is not exactly loved by the Emmys as much as 30 Rock, but they must be tired giving it to Baldwin by now, right?

Prediction: Jim Parsons

BEST ACTRESS, COMEDY
Lea Michele, Glee
Julia-Louis Dreyfus, New Adventures of Old Christine
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Toni Collette, United States of Tara

Last year Toni Collette won and she could very well repeat, but this is a tough field this year. For one, Emmy favorite Edie Falco is on the ballot as well as former-SNL funny ladies Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. Also don't underestimate the "cool new sexy kid on the block" aka Lea Michele.

Prediction: Edie Falco

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, COMEDY
Chris Colfer, Glee
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men

This is what you call a STACKED category. Other than Jon Cryer, I find it extremely distressing picking amongst the men nominated. Last year, I thought Neil Patrick Harris had the award locked up and he still ended up losing. This year, I don't believe he'll win, which is fine since he won his first two Emmy awards last week anyways. No, it will be between Chris Colfer and the men of Modern Family or more specifically Eric Stonestreet. If they want drama and headlines, they'll pick Colfer, but if they deem him too "new and young" Stonestreet. Of course if they do end up picking Cryer, it wouldn't surprise me one bit also. Lame ass voters.

Prediction: Eric Stonestreet

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, COMEDY
Jane Lynch, Glee
Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Kristin Wiig, Saturday Night Live
Jane Krakowsky, 30 Rock
Holland Taylor, Two and a Half Men

Is there really a more locked winner this year in any category, because even if you don't watch Glee, you know Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester is probably THE breakout character of the past season. It would be a HUGE SHOCKER if she doesn't end the night with the trophy.

Prediction: Jane Lynch

I don't really follow the lead-up to the Emmys as closely as I do the Academy Awards so these predictions have very little to do with much of anything except for what I said above. For all I know I could go 0 for 10 not I wouldn't bat an eye. Okay, maybe I'll be a little shocked since Jane Lynch is golden... GOLDEN (hope I didn't just jinx her!). And of course I'm sure the one year I don't predict Neil Patrick Harris, he'll certainly go 3 for 3 this year. Well, the best part is anticipation. One more day left until these predictions are either confirmed or denied.

Creative Arts Emmy Wnners

A couple of early Emmy trophies were handed out last night at the Creative Arts Emmys ceremony.

Locked and loaded winners Betty White and John Lithgow won Best Guest Actress in a Comedy and Guest Actor in a Drama respectively even with the latter achieving it through some blatant category fraud (he was in every single episode of Dexter this past season). Guest Actor in a Comedy went to Neil Patrick Harris who ended up getting his first and second Emmy awards last night, also winning for his hosting job at last year's Tony Awards. A few think he robbed fellow Glee guest star Mike O'Malley, but not me. I never did like mostly dramatic performances edging out funnier performances in a COMEDY category. Ann-Margret won Guest Actress in a Drama besting out my personal winner Elizabeth Mitchell from Lost.

Best Casting awards went to Mad Men, Modern Family, and The Pacific which may or may not bode well for their chances to grab top awards next weekend. The Pacific certainly will look to dominate the movie/mini-series categories picking up a total of five Emmy awards last night.

Anne Hathaway can cross out the Emmys from her EGOT checklist as she won for her voice performance for The Simpsons. While Seth Green lost in that category, he won his first Emmys when Robot Chicken won Best Short Form Animated Program of which he is the executive producer. Jeff Probst picked up his third straight Emmys for Best Reality Host (Phil Keoghan was robbed!) while Mia Michaels got her second Emmy win for Best Choreography.

Other noteworthy wins include "The Man Your Man Could Smell Lie" commercial for Old Spice Body Wash winning Best Commercial, The Colbert Report getting Best Variety Writing, and Lost getting Best Picture Editing. Modern Family and Temple Grandin also received Editing wins.

Some confusing/infuriating results include the much-maligned FlashForward receiving an Emmy for Best Stunt Coordination, CSI beating out four sci-fi/fantasy entries for Best Visual Effects and Sean P. Callery winning Best Score for his work on 24 over Michael Giacchino and his tear-jerking music in the Lost finale episode.

Click here to see the complete list of winners from last night.

2010 TCA Awards

Over the weekend, the Television Critics Association (TCA) gave out their annual awards in the middle of the Summer Press Tour making sure their collective voices are heard while voters are still mulling over their Emmy ballots. The winners are:

Program of the year: Glee
Outstanding new program: Glee
Outstanding achievement in drama: Lost and Breaking Bad
Outstanding achievement in comedy: Modern Family
Individual achievement in drama: Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Individual achievement in comedy: Jane Lynch, Glee
Outstanding acheievement in movies and miniseries: The Pacific
Outstanding achievement in news and information: Life
Outstanding achievement in youth programming: Yo Gabba Gabba
Career achievement: James Garner
Heritage Award: M*A*S*H*

The big story here is the success of Glee winning three awards including shockingly taking the top prize of Program of the Year. While one might think this would boost its Emmy chances, TCA aren't really in the business of predicting Emmy winners. In fact last year, Battlestar Galactica won Program of the Year. That plus Modern Family, Glee's main rival for Best Comedy Series at the Emmys, won that award's counterpart at the TCA Awards.

In the Drama race, Breaking Bad and Lost shared the award knocking down Mad Men, which won the past two years. It looks to be a tight race at the Emmys among these three very strong contenders. In its final year, however, Lost, was unable to nab Program of the Year like Battlestar Galactica did last year nor get the Heritage Award like The Sopranos for their last season. M*A*S*H* took this prize beating out two other shows ending this year, 24 and Law & Order.

Finally, Jane Lynch and Julianna Margulies solidified their front-runner status for the Emmys by coming out on top of the creme de la creme of acting from last year. They beat out fellow Emmy nominees Ty Burrell, Jim Parsons, Eric Stonestreet, Aaron Paul, Bryan Cranston, and John Lithgow as well as Emmy-snubbed Nick Offerman and Katey Sagal. I'll be shocked to see either one walking away empty-handed at the Emmys.

Birthday Hotties: Jane Lynch & Matthew Fox

Still one hour left to the day. Plenty of time left to wish a happy happy birthday to two recently first-time Emmy nominees, Jane Lynch and Matthew Fox.

Other than being Emmy nominees and starring in great one-word four-letter shows that caught fire in its first season (Glee and Lost respectively), these two have more in common than you think...

1. They look good in white.

2. They like wearing funky hats.

3. They make GREAT coaches.

4. They know how to get lei'd.

Happy Birthday Jane and Matthew! Can't wait to see them on the red carpet at the Emmy Awards.

Emmy Nominations: The Good, The Bad, & The Whatever

THE GOOD

- LOST nabs 12 nominations for its final season including nominations for series, directing, writing, and four of its actors (Matthew Fox, Terry O'Quinn, Michael Emerson, and Elizabeth Mitchell). Most happy for Fox and Mitchell getting their first (and well-deserved) Emmy nominations.

- Breakout comedy hits Glee and Modern Family score lots of love including much deserved acting nominations for Lea Michele, Chris Colfer, Jane Lynch, Sofia Vergara, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet, and Julie Bowen.

- The Good Wife gets 9 nominations including nominations for Julianna Margulies, Christine Baranski, and Archie Panjabi. I'm most happy for the latter's surprise first Emmy nomination!

- These fantastic actors getting double nominated: Jane Lynch, Neil Patrick Harris, Christine Baranski, Jon Hamm, and Tina Fey.

- Emmy voters going mad over the ladies of Mad Men as January Jones, Elisabeth Moss, and Christina Hendricks all get nominations. YoSaffBridge is an Emmy nominee, y'all!

- Even though I don't watch the show, special shout out to Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler for getting the first acting nominations of their infamously-ignored show, Friday Night Lights.

- Betty White is nominated for Guest Actress in a Comedy Series along side funny women Tina Fey, Jane Lynch, Christine Baranski, Elaine Stritch, and Kathryn Joosten. What an awesome category.

- Film regulars Jeff Bridges, Anne Hathaway, Alan Cumming, Dennis Quaid, Michael Sheen, and David Strathairn get their first Emmy nominations!

- Conan O'Brien and his team on The Tonight Show got some love. Suck on that Leno!

- The creators of How I Met Your Mother were nominated for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for the musical episode. Hee!

- Last year 30 Rock and Mad Men got 8 out of 10 writing nominations, which I dubbed as absolutely ridiculous. Thankfully, things are a bit more spread out this year. They both only got two nominations each.

THE BAD

- Some of my favorite shows that got inexplicably shut out of ANY nominations: Community, Dollhouse, Party Down, and Ugly Betty. While Gary Unmarried gets one.

- Some of my favorite shows that managed to get only 1-2 nominations: Chuck, Fringe, Caprica, and V.

- Courtney Cox, already the ONLY Friends cast member to not get nominated for an Emmy, comes up empty once again.

- Too many nominations for Glee! I think I would've been fine with it all if they just didn't give a default nomination to Matthew Morrison. Seriously? Speaking of, all that Glee love and they didn't nominate Joss Whedon for directing? DIAF.

- Married with Children co-stars Ed O'Neill and Katey Segal unable to get their FIRST Emmy nominations for Modern Family and Sons of Anarchy respectively.

- Default nominations for Tony Shaloub, Larry David, Jon Cryer, and Mariska Hargitay. How BORING and PREDICTABLE!

- I know I already mentioned it, but I'm SO disappointed/angry that Community got ZERO nominations, especially with a relatively weak season of The Office getting some love.

- Yay for Neil Patrick Harris and Jim Parson for their nominations, but man I do wish that How I Met Your Mother and Big Bang Theory would get more Emmy love. Alyson Hannigan? Kaley Cuoco? Wake up Emmy!

- John Noble (Fringe), Keir Gilchrist (United States of Tara), Nathan Fillion (Castle), and Enver Gjokaj (Dollhouse) were all criminally overlooked.

- I know Torchwood: Children of Earth wasn't submitted, but the lack of miniseries nominated is making me sad thinking about how this could've garnered a good chunk of nominations.

- Cat Deeley still not getting any love for Outstanding Host. BOO!

THE WHATEVER

- Past Emmy favorites Heroes, Desperate Housewives, and Grey's Anatomy IN TOTAL got only four nominations. FOUR. That must hurt.

- Speaking of, I'm not a big fan of Grey's Anatomy, but I'm shocked that its harrowing season finale didn't garner more nominations for the show and the cast.

- Shocked that True Blood got nominated for Best Drama Series. Nothing else to say... just... shocked. Plus none for its cast? Weird.

- Other than LOST, shows ending didn't get much love including a shut out for Ugly Betty and Law & Order and a measly 5 nominations (not including Best Actor or Best Series) to 24. Feeling a bit sad for previous winners America Ferrera and Kiefer Sutherland here.

- The CW got a total of ZERO nominations.

- Family Guy (nominated last year for Best Comedy Series) and other Seth McFarlane productions were largely ignored.

- So You Think You Can Dance only managed to get two Outstanding Choreography nominations, but two of the other three nominations went to a former contestant (Chelsie Hightower) and a current judge (Adam Shankman) of the show.

- The sucktastic season of Project Runway got nominated over an apparently thrilling season of Survivor.

CLICK HERE FOR THE COMPLETE LIST OF EMMY NOMINATIONS

Nine Emmy Wishes

The Emmy nominations are announced tomorrow and I'm already preparing myself to be disappointed one way or another because that's how it goes nearly every year. But then mB had to make a blog post with his five Emmy wishes and I just had to steal steal his idea.

So here are some of my Emmy wishes tomorrow and yes, I realize that most of them will unlikely happen. Whatever.

1. Don't go Glee crazy!

Look it's the most buzzed new show of the season and it's a great show and one of my favorites, but don't go gaga over it. Please. This means think carefully about the acting nominations. Jane Lynch is a BIG YES. Lea Michele? Sure. Chris Colfer? Er, fine. Chenoweth or NPH as guest actors? Uh, all right. Now stop. Seriously. Stop. That's it.

2. Give some love to Modern Family and Community.

No doubt Modern Family will get a good amount of Emmy nominations, but I feel no matter what it gets, I'll think it should be more. All of its actors deserve nominations! It's not happening, but gah I will feel bad for those that get snub. As for Community, any Emmy recognition will be a miracle, but I'm crossing my fingers for ANY Emmy love for that show.

3. Want lots and lots and lots of nominations to LOST.

People may have had mixed reactions to the finale, but damnit it was still brilliant TV and it's done... forever! I want hoards of nominations especially for some of its cast. For such a strong ensemble show, it's insane to think about how many of its actors have been ignored by the Emmy. Of course Best Drama, Best Writing, Best Directing, etc. should be a no-brainer.

4. Remember Dollhouse!

Sure, its first season wasn't that strong and it was canceled. But its second season was so SO good. I'm not even asking for much. Maybe a writing nom here, a supporting actor nom there (Enver Gjokaj, Fran Kraz), etc. Anything really.

5. And Fringe! And Chuck!

Clearly, I'm rooting for shows that have no chance of Emmy nominations, but I'm trying to be optimistic here. John Noble delivers one of the most nuanced characters on TV this season and Chuck is just full of fun.

6. Don't forget Keir Gilchrist from United States of Tara!

This past TV season saw a bunch of gay teen storylines. Justin's Ugly Betty came out and had his first kiss. Kurt in Glee was front and center and equally fierce. And finally, the best of the bunch, Marshall dealt with finding his own gay identity in Tara. While Chris Colfer (Kurt) is in the more popular show, I hope the Emmys don't overlook the great job Keir Gilchrist (Marshall) did.

7. Other than the usual suspects or any actors I've already mentioned, here are other actors to not overlook:

Alison Brie, Alyson Hannigan, Alexander Skarsgard, Stana Katic, Nathan Fillion, Archie Panjabi, Dichen Lachman, Christine Baranski, Danny Pudi, Joel McHale, and on and on and on. I know they ALL can't be nominated, but please please please just don't nominate someone because you've always nominated them. Think new! Think out of the box!

8. Speaking of out of the box, nominate Torchwood: Children of Earth!

I heard that BBC America decided not to submit this impeccable miniseries for consideration, but I say fuck it. That's right, fuck it. This is still the best TV I've seen the past year and for it to not be recognize AT ALL at TV's premiere award show, well it's just too depressing to think about.

9. Worship at the altar of Joss Whedon and retroactively declare Buffy the Vampire Slayer the best TV show of all time.

Talk about not holding my breath.

TV Meme: Day 27

"30 Days TV Meme"


Day 27 | Best pilot episode

Weekend's been a bit exhausting so this will be brief and very predictable.

The 2-hour pilot of LOST, entitled simply as "Pilot," apparently cost about $11.5 million which is simply ridiculous for a TV pilot. With that said, they definitely spent it well, because the production quality of the pilot is probably the best I've ever seen.

Most of the costs probably had to do with the filming of the beach site where the epic crash happened complete with an actual plane and a cast of many extras. The "Pilot" itself was very good in hooking people immediately into its concept of regular people banding together after crashing into a mysterious island.

Mysterious island, seems almost like an understatement knowing what we know now. But back then all it took was some mechanical whirring noise, a few uprooted trees, a very very dead pilot killed by an unknown entity, and a message in French that's been playing for 16 years. The last quote of the episode was perfect as Charlie asked "Guys, where are we?"

Finally, the episode also expertly established its large and diverse cast of main characters as well as the show's important narrative use of flashbacks.

TV Meme: Day 26

"30 Days TV Meme"

Day 26 | OMG WTF? Season finale

Wouldn't this be the same as best cliffhanger? Eh, whatever. Anyways, no one does "OMG WTF?" season finales better than either Lost or Battlestar Galactica. They practically do their best to end each season in some mind-blowing way. So why not just talk about each of their finales?

WARNING: SPOILERS FOR EVERY FINALE OF LOST AND BATTLESTAR GALACTICA BELOW


Lost, S1 Finale "Exodus" - We end with Shannon/Sayid happy, Charlie possibly reverting to being a drug addict, Walt being taken by the Others, and Jack/Locke/Kate/Hurley blowing up the hatch to... what exactly?

Lost, S2 Finale "Live Together, Die Alone" - We have Desmond and Locke who let the timer run out in the hatch causing electromagnetic chaos with the bright lights and possible explosion. Last scene is of two men somewhere called registering the electromagnetic blip and then them calling Penny telling her that "they've found it." All of this and oh yeah Michael betrays his fellow friends and delivers them to "Henry Gale" the leader of the Others in order for him and Walt to sail off from the island. The Others let them go, releases Hurley, but captures Jack, Sawyer, and Kate.

Lost, S3 Finale "Through the Looking Glass" - If I had to pick ONE season finale from this show, it would be this. Not Penny's Boat. The people on the island contact someone off the island! Then the introduction of the flashforwards. That latter plot development/cliffhanger was definitely a WTF OMG moment. "We have to go back Kate. We have to go back!" WTF?!

Lost, S4 Finale "There's No Place Like Home" - Ben pushes the wheel and the Island disappears. Just BLOOP! gone. Jin is possibly dead. The Oceanic 6 are on their way to civilization with the help of Penny and oh yeah "Jeremy Bentham" aka LOCKE is in the coffin DEAD. WTF?!

Lost, S5 Finale "The Incident" - Episode opens with first time we see Jacob and the Man in Black together, their identities questioned and debated on until next season's premiere. This episode also brought us the long-awaited reveal that Locke isn't Locke, the confrontation between Jacob and Ben and the latter eventually killing Jacob, as well as Juliet setting off the bomb that may or may not change history forever...

Lost, SERIES Finale "The End" - Here were my thoughts on it. People are still confused at how it ended. Make that as you will.


Battlestar Galactica, S1 Finale "Kobol's Last Gleaming" - Where to begin? How about Apollo and Roslin being arrested by Adama? Or how about Boomer1 telling Helo she's pregnant while Boomer2 finally realizes she's a frackin' cylon when she meets up with a bunch of naked Sharons? Or what about Boomer2 shooting Adama in the gut? Yeah... wtf indeed.

Battlestar Galactica, S2 Finale "Lay Down Your Burdens" - This would be my vote for most OMG WTF season finale from this show. Roslin tries to steal the votes, but is found out by the end and gives Baltar the presidency. Baltar moves on to colonizing New Caprica, but not before doing it with Gina who proceeds to blow up Cloud 9. ONE FUCKING YEAR LATER... we see the situation in New Caprica--Starbuck has long hair and is married, Adama has a mustache, Lee is fat and is married, etc. Then the Cylons appear. The Fleet jumps away leaving New Caprica unprotected from the Cylon who forces Baltar to surrender. Oh noes!

Battlestar Galactica, S3 Finale "Crossroads" - Okay this one was pretty OMG WTF as well. Baltar is acquitted in court and chaos ensues, but the big cliffhangers include the identity reveals of four of the five remaining unknown cylons and it's a DOOZY of a reveal as well as Lee seeing presumably dead Kara in a raptor next to his. Oh and she's apparently been to Earth... as the camera spans outward to show the audience that Earth exists. WTF!

Battlestar Galactica, SERIES Finale "Daybreak" - After an electrifying showdown between EVERYONE, we finally get our epilogue on Earth itself, but it's not the Earth everyone was expecting. Also Starbuck just sort of disappears. Like just gone. And then we time jump to the present in Times Square with head!Six and head!Baltar. WTF?

TV Meme: Day 19

"30 Days TV Meme"


Day 19 | Best TV show cast

I'm going to give myself a few limitations here. First, I won't mention any Joss Whedon shows, because they would just be my automatic answer anyways. Joss just has a knack in picking supremely talented unknown actors and letting them all shine as an well-oiled ensemble. Second, I'll leave off any casts from TV shows that just premiered or had its first season. They may be AWESOME now, but let's see how they hold up after a season or more, mmkay?

With that said, I knew my answer as soon as I read this and it goes out to the past, present, future, and flash-sideways casts of LOST.

I was one of those fans that was perfectly happy with the series finale. Sure, we were gypped by the island mythology storyline, but for me it was always about the characters and in relation, the actors and actresses that portrayed those characters pitch perfectly.

The sheer number of the cast is enough to call attention to it, but I also loved how diverse the cast is in most every sense of that word. In alphabetical order, here are all of the actors that have been series regulars for at least one season or played important characters in the show: Adewake Ajubbuoye-Agdabe, Sam Anderson, Naveen Andrews, L. Scott Caldwell, Nestor Carbonell, François Chau, Henry Ian Cusick, Michael Emerson, Alan Dale, Jeremy Davis, Emilie de Ravin, Jeff Fahey, Matthew Fox, Mia Furlan, Jorge Garcia, Maggie Grace, Josh Holloway, Malcolm David Kelley, Daniel Dae Kim, Yunjin Kim, Ken Leung, Evangeline Lilly, Rebecca Mader, William Mapother, Dominic Monaghan, Elizabeth Mitchell, Terry O'Quinn, Mark Pellegrino, Harold Perrineau, Tania Raymonde, Zuleikha Robinson, Michelle Rodriguez, Kiele Sanchez, Rodrigo Santoro, Ian Somerhalder, John Terry, Kevin Tighe, Sonya Walger, Cynthia Watros, Titus Welliver, and finally the various babies and dogs that played Aaron and Vincent respectively.

Plus don't even get me started on those numerous guest stars such as Katey Sagal, Swoosie Kurtz, Julie Bowen, Nathan Fillion, Cheech Marin, Lilian Hurst, and many more!

It's absolutely criminal that this wonderful cast only garnered a relatively palty amount of recognition/awards throughout the show's run. The cast was honored with the Best Ensemble Cast at the 2005 SAG Awards. Only three actors were nominated for the Emmy Awards (Terry O'Quinn, Michael Emerson, and Naveen Andrews) with O'Quinn and Emerson winning once each. Jorge Garcia and Michelle Rodriguez won at the ALMA Awards while Terry O'Quinn and Matthew Fox won at the Saturn Award. None of the cast has won at the Golden Globes, but Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, and Naveen Andrews have been nominated. Finally, Malcolm David Kelley received the Young Artist Award.

TV Meme: Day 09

"30 Days TV Meme"

Day 09 | Best scene ever

I wanted to plead the fifth with this question just because at how severely open-ended it is considering ALL of the TV I'm watching or have watched. How can I pick just one? So I won't. Instead I'm just going to list a few of my favorite scenes from a few of my favorite shows and that's that. I've included accompanying Youtube clips of each scene when possible.

Battlestar Galactica - The one scene I'm thinking about happens in "Exodus: Part 2" when Galactica jumps into the upper atmosphere, launches its fighters while free falling to provide cover for ground troops, and jumps back out right before hitting the ground. I literally went "WHOA" when the scene concluded. Just brilliant stuff. [Youtube Video]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - There are a bunch. My real answer is probably the scene in "The Wish" where everyone dies, because it really was such a powerful scene. Other scenes that rank high for various reasons are the gorgeous Giles/Tara duet in "Once More, With Feeling" and the heartbreaking break-up scene of Willow/Oz in "Wild At Heart."

Doctor Who - It's incredibly cheesy and saccharine, but I have to admit, I very much enjoyed the extended sequence of the Tenth Doctor having a chance to say goodbye to all of his companions before he regenerates in "The End of Time: Part Two." [Click here for more of my thoughts on this scene] [Youtube Video]

Friends - Who can forget "The One with the Proposal: Part 2" when Monica proposed to Chandler? Starting with Chandler running to Richard's place thinking he's blown it to Joey actually using his acting chops to make Chandler believe Monica ran out to Chandler being surprised that Monica has decorated the apartment with candles to both Monica and Chandler trying to propose without tearing up to finally ending with all of the friends hugging in the end, it's one of my favorite scenes that show had delivered in its ten seasons. [Youtube Video]

Frasier - NBC advertised the opening of the "Three Valentines" episode as the "funniest ten minutes" of the show ever. They delivered. The opening is a mostly silent extended scene with Niles getting ready for a date in Frasier's apartment. A series of unfortunate events and accidents happen the enables Niles to absolutely wreck the place from leaving the iron on his pants a little too long to putting the couch on fire. Good stuff! [Youtube Video]

Lost - Last, but not least we get to one of the best, if not the best, episode of this show in "The Constant" and that unforgettable scene between Desmond and Penny finally reaching each other by phone on Christmas Eve 2004 stopping his flashes that was very close to killing him. If you had a dry eye during that scene, you are unreal. [Youtube Video]

If I think more about it, I'm sure I can come up with a few more great scenes in a bunch of other TV shows, but there's only so much time I can devote to this, so that's all for now!