Emmys nominations 2009: Well done!

Photo: Emmy nominee Simon Baker of the CBS drama "The Mentalist"



by Jennifer Squires Biller


If you haven’t heard, the Emmy nominations were announced on Thursday.

We have to wait until September 20 to see who takes home the naked statues known as Emmys and who shows up with their mother as their date, but meanwhile, here’s a look at the nominees.

Overall, I’m quite pleased with this year’s list. (No, I haven’t been drinking.) It seems Emmy voters may finally be getting that there is more to television than HBO.

I’m absolutely over-the-moon that Pushing Daisies’ Kristin Chenoweth, How I Met Your Mother’s Neil Patrick Harris, and The Mentalist’s Simon Baker scored nominations. Also, a great big high five for Boston Legal - which delivered some Emmy-worthy television in its final episodes - and for Vanessa Williams, who is always downright delicious playing a devilish diva on Ugly Betty. And I’m hoping that this is the year Chandra Wilson gets her well-deserved Emmy for her work on Grey’s Anatomy.

Oh sure, there were several snubs, but not like we usually see. Most notably, where was Josh Holloway of Lost? He has done excellent work and should be recognized. Also, there is no excuse for the complete shut out of Friday Night Lights. It’s one of the best dramas on TV! Just as disappointing, was the lack of love for Psych and its stars. Dule Hill and James Roday make me laugh out loud every week.

That’s my opinion. What do you think of this year’s nominees?

Best Series, Drama
'Big Love'
'Breaking Bad'
'Damages'
'Dexter'
'House'
'Lost'
'Mad Men'

Best Series, Comedy
'30 Rock'
'Entourage'
'Family Guy'
'Flight Of The Conchords'
'How I Met Your Mother'
'The Office'
'Weeds'

Best Actor, Drama
Bryan Cranston 'Breaking Bad'
Michael C. Hall 'Dexter'
Hugh Laurie 'House'
Gabriel Byrne 'In Treatment'
Jon Hamm 'Mad Men'
Simon Baker 'The Mentalist'

Best Actor, Comedy
Alec Baldwin '30 Rock'
Tony Shalhoub 'Monk'
Jim Parsons 'The Big Bang Theory'
Steve Carell 'The Office'
Charlie Sheen 'Two And A Half Men'
Jemaine Clement 'Flight Of The Conchords'

Best Actress, Drama
Sally Field 'Brothers & Sisters'
Glenn Close 'Damages'
Mariska Hargitay 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'
Holly Hunter 'Saving Grace'
Kyra Sedgwick 'The Closer'
Elisabeth Moss 'Mad Men'

Best Actress, Comedy
Tina Fey '30 Rock'
Christina Applegate 'Samantha Who?'
Julia Louis-Dreyfus 'The New Adventures Of Old Christine'
Sarah Silverman 'The Sarah Silverman Program'
Mary-Louise Parker 'Weeds'
Toni Collette 'United States Of Tara'

Best Supporting Actor, Drama Series
William Shatner 'Boston Legal'
Christian Clemenson 'Boston Legal'
Aaron Paul 'Breaking Bad'
Michael Emerson 'Lost'
John Slattery 'Mad Men'
William Hurt 'Damages'

Best Supporting Actress, Drama Series
Rose Byrne 'Damages'
Hope Davis 'In Treatment'
Chandra Wilson 'Grey's Anatomy'
Sandra Oh 'Grey's Anatomy'
Dianne Wiest 'In Treatment'
Cherry Jones '24'

Best Supporting Actor, Comedy Series
Kevin Dillon 'Entourage'
Tracy Morgan '30 Rock'
Neil Patrick Harris 'How I Met Your Mother'
Rainn Wilson 'The Office'
Jon Cryer 'Two And A Half Men'
Jack McBrayer '30 Rock'

Best Supporting Actress, Comedy Series
Kristin Chenoweth 'Pushing Daisies'
Kristen Wiig 'Saturday Night Live'
Amy Poehler 'Saturday Night Live'
Jane Krakowski '30 Rock'
Vanessa Williams 'Ugly Betty'
Elizabeth Perkins 'Weeds'

Best Reality-Competition Program'American Idol'
'Dancing With The Stars'
'Project Runway'
'The Amazing Race'
'Top Chef'

Best Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program
Ryan Seacrest 'American Idol'
Tom Bergeron 'Dancing With the Stars'
Phil Keoghan 'The Amazing Race'
Heidi Klum 'Project Runway'
Jeff Probst 'Survivor'
Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio 'Top Chef'

Best Variety, Music or Comedy Series
'Late Show With David Letterman'
'Real Time With Bill Maher'
'Saturday Night Live'
'The Colbert Report'
'The Daily Show With Jon Stewart'

Best Guest Actor In A Drama Series
Edward Asner 'CSI: NY'
Ted Danson 'Damages'
Jimmy Smits 'Dexter'
Ernest Borgnine 'ER'
Michael J. Fox 'Rescue Me'

Best Guest Actress In A Drama Series
Sharon Lawrence 'Grey's Anatomy'
Ellen Burstyn 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'
Brenda Blethyn 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'
Carol Burnett 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'
CCH Pounder 'The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency'

Best Guest Actor In A Comedy Series
Beau Bridges 'Desperate Housewives'
Justin Timberlake 'Saturday Night Live'
Steve Martin '30 Rock'
Jon Hamm '30 Rock'
Alan Alda '30 Rock'

Best Guest Actress In A Comedy Series
Christine Baranski 'The Big Bang Theory'
Gena Rowlands 'Monk'
Betty White 'My Name Is Earl'
Tina Fey 'Saturday Night Live'
Jennifer Aniston '30 Rock'
Elaine Stritch '30 Rock'

Best Miniseries
'Generation Kill'
'Little Dorritt'

Best Lead Actor, Miniseries or Movie
Kevin Kline 'Cyrano de Bergerac'
Brendan Gleeson 'Into The Storm'
Sir Ian McKellen 'King Lear'
Kevin Bacon 'Taking Chance'
Kiefer Sutherland '24: Redemption'
Kenneth Branagh 'Wallander: One Step Behind'

Best Lead Actress, Miniseries or Movie
Chandra Wilson 'Accidental Friendship'
Shirley MacLaine 'Coco Chanel'
Drew Barrymore 'Grey Gardens'Jessica Lange 'Grey Gardens'
Sigourney Weaver 'Prayers For Bobby'

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Neil Patrick Harris to host Emmys

by Jennifer Squires Biller

Call it the hosting trifecta.

First, Neil Patrick Harris made me laugh out loud hosting the TV Land Awards with his brilliant musical number and jokes. Then, he moved on to make with the funny as host of the Tony Awards, garnering acclaim and the highest ratings for the show in three years.

Now, he’s scored the job of host of this year’s Emmys. Congrats, Neil!

I’m sure that the network was impressed with his Tony performance, but I have to say that I’m partial to his job at the TV Land Awards. He killed in the musical number and his ongoing computer gag was hilarious.

I’m sure the Emmy folks already have this in mind, but I’m begging here, please let him do a musical number. Harris can actually sing, and it would be a treat for all TV fans to see him poke fun at our favorite shows.

Nominations for the Emmys will be announced Thursday, and it’s likely (if I have my way) that Harris will be up for an award for supporting actor in a comedy for his role as Barney on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother.

The 61st Primetime Emmys airs live at 8 pm/ET on Sept. 20. Tune in, please. I think it will be, as Barney says, “legendary.”

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Commentary with a Co-Ed: The Oscars 2009

by Ashley Gouveia

I had fully prepared myself for my Oscar rundown to have more lowlights than highlights. I love the Academy Awards and what they stand for, but the actual awards’ presentation can be a little boring at times. However, I am happy to say that this year’s telecast was really enjoyable, not boring at all. There were so many great speeches and beautiful dedications. The entire format of the show was different than years before, but change can be good thing.

Many people have occupied the spot of host, like Hugh Jackman did Sunday night. Some have hit it out of the park and others have left little to be desired. I was rooting for Mr. Wolverine himself to pull it off with flying colors, and he did. His opening number was spectacular and truly showcased that he can act and sing, too. I loved when he pulled Anne Hathaway from the audience and made it a duet. That girl can sing! Also, she can pull off a hilarious Nixon impersonation. Well done, Anne.

What I loved about this year’s Oscars was how they didn’t just showcase the films that were nominated. They took time to also show movies that weren’t deemed by some to be “Oscar-worthy”. They did that by showing movie montages that focused on romance action and animation. Well, my favorite was the Romance in 20008 spot, and I’ll tell you all why. The first reason is because it showed some of my favorite moments in last year’s movies. Secondly, it was presented by the amazingly adorable Robert Pattinson. Any of you who have seen Twilight know what I’m talking about right now.

When the major awards were given out, recipients from the past came out on stage and presented them to the nominees. It wasn’t just the boring way of reading the name off the teleprompter this year. Each presenter was assigned a nominee and they gave a little speech about what that person had accomplished in his/her role. I’m not embarrassed to say that some of those speeches had me choked up. Anne Hathaway could barely hold back the tears and neither could Best Actress winner Kate Winslet. I loved Kate’s acceptance speech. Come on, who hasn’t held up the bottle of shampoo and imagined it was an Oscar? We’ve all done it.

The brilliant Sean Penn won for his performance in MILK which was shocking for some. The equally amazing Heath Ledger won for his daunting role as the Joker in the Dark Knight. His family accepted the award on his behalf, and I think that’s when the entire audience started crying. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

Some other highlights were Tina Fey and Steve Martin presenting for Best Screenplay and Ben Stiller’s awkward but yet amusing Joaquin Phoenix impression. What did you all think about this year’s Oscars? Was there a favorite moment, a favorite dress? Let me know in the comments.

Commentary with a Co-Ed is a weekly column at Tube Talk new every Friday.

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Golden Globe Winners 2009

TELEVISION:
—Actress, Drama: Anna Paquin, "True Blood"
—Actor, Drama: Gabriel Byrne, "In Treatment"
—Series, Musical or Comedy: "30 Rock"
—Series, Drama: "Mad Men"
—Actress, Musical or Comedy: Tina Fey, "30 Rock"
—Actor, Musical or Comedy: Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"
—Miniseries or Movie: "John Adams"
—Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Laura Linney, "John Adams"
—Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Paul Giamatti, "John Adams"
—Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Laura Dern, "Recount"
—Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Tom Wilkinson, "John Adams"


MOTION PICTURES:
—Picture, Drama: "Slumdog Millionaire"
—Actress, Drama: Kate Winslet, "Revolutionary Road"
—Actor, Drama: Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"
—Picture, Musical or Comedy: "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
—Actress, Musical or Comedy: Sally Hawkins, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
—Actor, Musical or Comedy: Colin Farrell, "In Bruges"
—Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet, "The Reader"
—Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"
—Director: Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"
—Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy, "Slumdog Millionaire"
—Foreign Language: "Waltz With Bashir," Israel
—Animated Film: "Wall-E"
—Original Score: A.R. Rahman, "Slumdog Millionaire"
—Original Song: "The Wrestler" (performed by Bruce Springsteen, written by Bruce Springsteen), "The Wrestler"

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This week’s TV: Scrubs and Nip/Tuck return and other shows to watch

It’s winter season premiere week and the TV goodies just keep coming. It seems most of them are scheduled for Tuesday night, so those of you without a DVR, you have my sympathy.

Tonight, one of television’s best comedies returns, but this time it’s airing on a network that actually seems to care about the show. At least it's getting plenty of promotion for the first time ever. Yes, I’m talking about Scrubs. (Oh, how I've missed you!) It moves to ABC and premieres at 9 p.m. ET, with Courteney Cox Arquette joining the cast. Please tune in and watch. Call me petty, but I'd like NBC to have serious ratings envy. (Yes, I'm still bitter about the shabby treatment Scrubs and Las Vegas received at the hands of NBC.)

For those of you anxiously awaiting the return of Nip/Tuck to see how Sean and Christian survived crazy teddy-bear lady’s attacks, the wait is over. The show premieres at 10 p.m. ET tonight on FX. I’ve seen the screener, but I don’t want to spoil you. So, tune in and check it out for yourself.

Also tonight, Privileged is back with a new episode on the CW at 9 p.m . (Yay!) I’ve seen the show and let’s just say that Megan has her hands full with her mother, sister, and a romantic plot from Rose, in which she tries to get Sage and Luis together.

If that isn’t enough for you TV junkies, then don’t despair. One of my favorite new shows, The Mentalist, is back at 9 p.m. ET on CBS with a new episode. Patrick tries to find the killer who murdered his family.

See what I mean about Tuesday? It’s crazy.

As for the rest of the week, it’s not any lighter. On Thursday, 30 Rock, My Name is Earl on NBC, while Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice and Ugly Betty all debut new episodes on ABC. Then on Friday, Psych and Monk return on USA.

Finally, adrenaline junkies, your show, 24, is back on Sunday on FOX. Get ready for a change of scenery though, as the first hour takes place in Washington D.C.

And if you enjoy awards shows, don’t miss The Golden Globe Awards at 8 p.m. ET on NBC this Sunday. Here’s the list of nominees, for those of you who missed it the first time.

For a complete list of winter premiere dates, click here.

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The Golden Globe Nominations 2008 for TV

The Golden Globe nominations are following in Emmy’s footsteps with all the love for cable dramas and actors. However, there were a few non-cable shows and actors among the bunch.
I’m most excited for Neil Patrick Harris of How I Met Your Mother, Steve Carell of The Office, Sally Field of Brothers and Sisters, and America Ferrera of Ugly Betty, all shows and actors that I love.

Sadly, Friday Night Lights and everyone associated with it were once again dissed.
In a humorous twist of irony, James Franco, formerly of my beloved TV obsession Freaks and Geeks, finally got nominated. The fact that it’s for playing a pothead in the movie Pineapple Express made me chuckle.

Here are the Globe nominees for television. For the complete list that includes films and actors such as Brad Pitt click here.

Catch the show on January 11 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

Best Television Drama
Dexter
House
In Treatment
Mad Men
True Blood

Best Actor - Television Drama
Gabriel Byrne, ‘In Treatment’
Michael C. Hall, ‘Dexter’
Jon Hamm, ‘Mad Men’
Hugh Laurie, ‘House’
Jonathan Rhys Meyers, ‘The Tudors’

Best Actress - Television Drama
Sally Field, ‘Brothers & Sisters’
Mariska Hargitay, ‘Law and Order: Special Victims Unit’
January Jones, ‘Mad Men’
Anna Paquin, ‘True Blood’
Kyra Sedgwick, ‘The Closer’

Best Television Musical/Comedy
‘30 Rock’
‘Californication’
‘Entourage’
‘The Office’
‘Weeds’

Best Actor - Television Musical/Comedy
Alec Baldwin, ‘30 Rock’
Steve Carell, ‘The Office’
Kevin Connolly, ‘Entourage’
David Duchovny, ‘Californication’
Tony Shalhoub, ‘Monk’

Best Actress - Television Musical/Comedy
Christina Applegate, ‘Samantha Who?’
America Ferrera, ‘Ugly Betty’
Tina Fey, ‘30 Rock’
Debra Messing, ‘The Starter Wife’
Mary-Louise Parker, ‘Weeds’

Best Mini-Series - Television
‘A Raisin in the Sun’
‘Bernard and Doris’
‘Cranford’
‘John Adams’
‘Recount’

Best Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture - Television
Ralph Fiennes, ‘Bernard and Doris’
Paul Giamatti, ‘John Adams’
Kevin Spacey, ‘Recount’
Kiefer Sutherland, ‘24: Redemption’
Tom Wilkinson, ‘Recount’

Best Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture - Television
Judi Dench, ‘Cranford’
Catherine Keener, ‘An American Crime’
Laura Linney, ‘John Adams’
Shirley MacLaine, ‘Coco Chanel’
Susan Sarandon, ‘Bernard and Doris’

Best Supporting Actor - Television
Neil Patrick Harris, ‘How I Met Your Mother’
Denis Leary, ‘Recount’
Jeremy Piven, ‘Entourage’
Blair Underwood, ‘In Treatment’
Tom Wilkinson, ‘John Adams’

Best Supporting Actress - Television
Eileen Atkins, ‘Cranford’
Laura Dern, ‘Recount’
Melissa George, ‘In Treatment’
Rachel Griffiths, ‘Brothers and Sisters’
Dianne Wiest, ‘In Treatment’

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Best and worst of the Emmys

Photo: Tom Bergeron, Heidi Klum and William Shatner in an opening Emmy skit

by Jennifer Squires Biller

It was a big night for Tina Fey and 30 Rock and a night that the world realized that Howie Mandel should never host an awards show.

This year’s Emmys showed lots of love to basic cable shows and the actors on them (Mad Men, Damages, Breaking Bad) and the NBC comedy 30 Rock (scoring wins for Best Comedy, Lead Actress Tina Fey, Lead Actor Alec Baldwin and Writer Tina Fey.) The show also wasn’t short on political statements in this presidential election year, from actors urging viewers to vote, to swipes at the current administration

As a longtime Emmy viewer and fan, I have to say that this year’s show was one of the worst in Emmy history. No, I didn’t take my bitter pills this morning. It’s the sad truth. Here’s a rundown of my choice of highlights and lowlights, including best lines.

Best Ad-lib: “She’s bald, too.” ---The follicular challenged Bryan Cranston, looking down at his new gold Emmy for lead actor in a drama.

Biggest Hollywood diss: "At this point I was planning on doing a few more jokes, but Katherine Heigl told me my material wasn't Emmy worthy." – Conan O'Brien, ripping on Heigl, who withdrew her name from Emmy consideration, stating that she didn’t have Emmy material this year on Grey’s Anatomy.

Biggest disappointment: The Emmy opening usually sets the tone for the entire show. And what started out as a fun bit, with actors quoting famous TV lines, quickly gave way to the most awkward show opening ever, as the five show hosts (Howie Mandel, Tom Bergeron, Heidi Klum, Jeff Probst, and Ryan Seacrest) stumbled through a “we’ve got nothing” comedy attempt. It proved that indeed, they had nothing. They talked over one another, rambled, and it ended with Heidi Klum stripped down to a revealing outfit. If the Emmys want to hire five hosts, instead of one, I suggest Ricky Gervais, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. They are comediennes, and frankly, the show could have used some comedy, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the tried-and-true song and dance number.

Best skit: Josh Groban’s musical medley of 30 legendary TV theme songs. Groban started out with a spot-on version of the Friends theme song, before launching into songs from The Love Boat, The Addams Family, The Brady Bunch and many more, sounding just like every one of the famous tunes. His version of Eric Cartman’s line in South Park had me howling, as well as his COPS rendition and the theme from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Who knew Groban could rap? The guy should have received a standing ovation, but the lazy attendees stayed planted. What does it take to get these people on their feet, Oprah?

Worst skit: The Laugh-In bit. Maybe it’s a generation gap, but I don’t get it. A pie in the face as someone says “Sock it to me?” Really, that’s funny? The entire skit with actors opening and closing doors just left me confused. I know the show is a comedy legend, but if that skit is a reflection, I’m baffled as to why.

Strangest skit: Martin Sheen on the set of The West Wing, urging everyone to vote. As great as it was to see Sheen again, why is this material on the Emmys? I’d rather the time be spent to show us some actual clips of the actors and shows that were nominated. This political announcement would have been better served as a commercial or an after-school special.

Best jab at show hosts: Jeremy Piven, during his acceptance speech. " What if I just kept talking for 12 minutes? That was the opening."

Second best jab at show hosts: “Thanks to Howie Mandel's prattling, our bit has been cut."— Neil Patrick Harris, echoing everyone’s thoughts when viewers realized they wouldn’t get to hear Harris’ bit.

Best banter: Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, who stated at the onset of their presentation that they would not get political, as Colbert broke out a bag of prunes and began eating them. “I think right now America needs a prune. It may not be a young sexy plum. Granted, it is shriveled and sometimes hard to swallow, but this dried-up old fruit has the experience we need.” Stewart countered with, “After eight years of prunes, you would think that’s enough.” Colbert shot back, while still chewing, “Never enough. What could possibly go wrong?”

Biggest surprise: The theme song to M*A*S*H has words. Ditto for the theme to The Andy Griffith Show. Who knew? Josh Groban, apparently, when he belted out the ditties during his TV-theme-song medley.

Understatement of the night: “We’re like on the Sarah Palin bridge to nowhere, that's where we are right now…. The government can't even bail us out of this.” -- Emmy co-host Howie Mandel, who noted the lack of audience laughter during he and his co-stars’ opening monologue.

Best acceptance speech: Tina Fey, (I guess.) No one truly stood out with a fantastic speech, as opposed to years past. (Remember Steve Carell’s speech that his wife “wrote” and Greg Garcia’s people he didn’t want to thank?) At least Fey had one funny line: “I want to thank my parents for somehow raising me to somehow have confidence that is disproportionate with my looks and abilities. Well, done. That is what all parents should do.”

Worst acceptance speech: Any and all that broke out a list of names. These are award-winning entertainers, who should be giving us an entertaining speech, not rattling items off a piece of paper like a grocery list. Glenn Close, I’m talking to you.
Best politically scripted line: Kathy Griffin, as she and Don Rickles took the stage. “The world hasn’t seen a pairing like this since John McCain and Sarah Palin.”

Best unintentional laugh: Heidi Klum’s broken English, when introducing presenter David Boreanaz. Here’s how Heidi said it with her charming accent: “David Boreanaz of THE Bones.” Adorable, right?

Short but sweet: Kathryn Joosten and Tom Selleck appeared for a blink-and-you-missed it-moment. They both were presenting, but both were limited to about 20 seconds of simply announcing the awards, due to time constraints. Note to producers: If you’re going to give us the delectable Selleck, give him more airtime than a sneeze. And how dare you cut Mrs. Landingham’s bit. She’s funnier than Mandel!

Best reunion: Sally Field and Tom Hanks, former mother-son costars on Forrest Gump.. As Fields presented Hanks with his award for Outstanding Miniseries, she asked how her “boy” was and Hanks, without missing a beat, called her “mom” and replied he was fine, before launching into his famous Forrest line “You know, momma always said…”

Sharpest political jab: Kirk Ellis, winner of the writing award for miniseries for the show John Adams. “Thank you for giving me this amazing opportunity to talk about a period in our history when articulate men articulated complex thoughts in complete sentences.”

Best advice for giving good acceptance speeches: Ricky Gervais. “Keep it short, particularly if you’re not onscreen talent. No one wants to hear from a producer.”

Biggest repeat offender: Jeremy Piven wins AGAIN for best supporting actor in a comedy. I get it. He’s talented; you like him. But, can we please make room for someone else in this category? Someone like Neil Patrick Harris or Rain Wilson?

You should have listened to Kimmel: Jeff Probst accepted his award for best reality host and gave Kimmel his “told ya so” moment. “Jimmy Kimmel, you told us the ‘nothing’ bit may not work, but we stuck to our guns.”

Biggest oversight: Friday Night Lights wasn’t nominated, nor were its stars Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton. Great show, great performances, great disappointment that the show and its actors were snubbed. Shame on you, voters.

Harshest Bush bash: "I'm living proof, kids at home watching, that anybody can play the president."--- Paul Giamatti, accepting the award for outstanding lead actor in a miniseries or movie for President John Adams.

Biggest reality check: It’s been a decade since The West Wing began. A decade? Wow. The President himself, Martin Sheen said it, so it must be true, but it does not seem like a decade has passed since this wonderful show graced the airwaves.
Clips please!: I’m not sure how the show producers could fit this in, but if they had time for that lame opening and the lengthy presentation of the reality host award, why didn’t they give us some clips from the shows the actors are nominated for in the lead categories or clips of the nominated shows. Perhaps the Emmys need to expand an extra hour, to truly pay tribute to TV and its stars. Hey, it works for the Oscars.

Best heckling: Don Rickles rips on the writers of the Emmys for the forced banter: “Let’s read the funny lines they wrote for us.” --- (rolling his eyes.)

My picks: Everyone has someone they’re rooting for and in my opinion, Vanessa Williams and Kristin Chenoweth should have both taken home statues for their supporting comedy performances. Aliens in America’s Adhir Kalyan should have been nominated in the supporting comedy category, and Chandra Wilson should have claimed the supporting actress in a drama award for her work on Grey’s Anatomy. And the fact that Tichina Arnold, of Everybody Hates Chris, wasn’t even nominated for supporting comedy actress makes me want to scream.

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Josh Groban sings TV theme songs at the Emmys

This was the highlight of the Emmys for me, and apparently you, from the hordes of e-mails I’ve received about it.

Click play below and enjoy the enormously talented Josh Groban, as he sings 30 beloved TV theme songs in this hilarious medley. You have not lived until you’ve heard Groban rapping The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song.

Seriously, Josh Groban, if the singing thing doesn’t work out, I think you’ve got a career as an impressionist. You do Eric Cartman as good as Eric Cartman.

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Emmy winners 2008

Read ‘em and weep. (Or do the happy dance if you’re one of the legions of Tina Fey/30 Rock fans out there.) Stay tuned for my take on the big night.




DRAMA SERIES:
"Boston Legal," ABC
"Damages," FX
"Dexter," Showtime
"House," Fox
"Lost," ABC
"Mad Men," AMC (Winner)

COMEDY SERIES:
"Curb Your Enthusiasm," HBO
"Entourage," HBO
"The Office," NBC
"30 Rock," NBC (Winner)
"Two and a Half Men," CBS

ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES:
Gabriel Byrne, "In Treatment"
Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad" (Winner)
Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"
Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"
Hugh Laurie, "House"
James Spader, "Boston Legal"

ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES:
Glenn Close, "Damages" (Winner)
Sally Field, "Brothers and Sisters"
Mariska Hargitay, "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit"
Holly Hunter, "Saving Grace"
Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer"

ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES:
Christina Applegate, "Samantha Who?"
America Ferrera, "Ugly Betty"
Tina Fey, "30 Rock" (Winner)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "New Adventures of Old Christine"
Mary-Louise Parker, "Weeds"

ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES:
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock" (Winner)
Steve Carell, "The Office"
Lee Pace, "Pushing Daisies"
Tony Shalhoub, "Monk"
Charlie Sheen, "Two and a Half Men"

SUPPORTING ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES:
Jon Cryer, "Two and a Half Men"
Kevin Dillon, "Entourage"
Neil Patrick Harris, "How I Met Your Mother"
Jeremy Piven, "Entourage" (Winner)
Rainn Wilson, "The Office"

SUPPORTING ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES:
Ted Danson, "Damages"
Michael Emerson, "Lost"
Zeljko Ivanek, "Damages" (Winner)
William Shatner, "Boston Legal"
John Slattery, "Mad Men"

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES:
Candice Bergen, "Boston Legal"
Rachel Griffiths, "Brothers and Sisters"
Sandra Oh, "Grey's Anatomy"
Dianne Wiest, "In Treatment" (Winner)
Chandra Wilson, "Grey's Anatomy"

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES:
Kristin Chenoweth, "Pushing Daisies"
Amy Poehler, "Saturday Night Live"
Jean Smart, "Samantha Who?" (Winner)
Holland Taylor, "Two and a Half Men"
Vanessa Williams, "Ugly Betty"

REALITY HOST:
Tom Bergeron, 'Dancing With The Stars'
Heidi Klum, 'Project Runway'
Howie Mandel, 'Deal Or No Deal'
Jeff Probst, 'Survivor' (Winner)
Ryan Seacrest, 'American Idol'

REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM:
"The Amazing Race," CBS (Winner)
"American Idol," FOX
"Dancing With The Stars," ABC
"Project Runway," Bravo
"Top Chef," Bravo

REALITY PROGRAM:
"Antiques Roadshow," PBS
"Dirty Jobs," Discovery Channel
"Extreme Makeover Home Edition," ABC
"Intervention," A&E
"Kathy Griffin: My Life On The D-List," Bravo (Winner)

MINISERIES:
"The Andromeda Strain," A&E
"Cranford," (Masterpiece Theatre), PBS
"John Adams," HBO (Winner)
"Tin Man," Sci Fi Channel

ACTOR, MINISERIES OR A MOVIE:
Ralph Fiennes, "Bernard And Doris"
Ricky Gervais, "Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale"
Paul Giamatti, "John Adams" (Winner)
Kevin Spacey, "Recount"
Tom Wilkinson, "Recount"

ACTRESS, MINISERIES OR A MOVIE:
Catherine Keener, "An American Crime"
Susan Sarandon, "Bernard And Doris"
Dame Judi Dench, "Cranford"
Laura Linney, "John Adams"(Winner)
Phylicia Rashad, "A Raisin in the Sun"

SUPPORTING ACTRESS, MINISERIES OR A MOVIE:
Eileen Atkins, "Cranford" (Winner)
Ashley Jensen, "Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale"
Alfre Woodard, "Pictures Of Hollis Woods"
Audra McDonald, "A Raisin In The Sun"
Laura Dern, "Recount"

SUPPORTING ACTOR, MINISERIES OR A MOVIE:
David Morse, "John Adams"
Stephen Dillane, "John Adams"
Tom Wilkinson, "John Adams" (Winner)
Denis Leary, "Recount"
Bob Balaban, "Recount"

GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES:
Shelley Berman, "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
Rip Torn, "30 Rock"
Will Arnett, "30 Rock"
Steve Buscemi, "30 Rock"
Tim Conway, "30 Rock" (Winner)

GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES:
Charles Durning, "Rescue Me"
Robert Morse, "Mad Men"
Oliver Platt, "Nip-Tuck"
Stanley Tucci, "E.R."
Glynn Turman, "In Treatment" (Winner)
Robin Williams, "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit

GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES:
Polly Bergen, "Desperate Housewives"
Edie Falco, "30 Rock"
Kathryn Joosten, "Desperate Housewives" (Winner)
Carrie Fisher, "30 Rock"
Sarah Silverman, "Monk"
Elaine Stritch, "30 Rock"

GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES:
Ellen Burstyn, "Big Love"
Diahann Carroll, "Grey's Anatomy"
Cynthia Nixon, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (Winner)
Anjelica Huston, "Medium"
Sharon Gless, "Nip/Tuck"

For a complete list of all the winners in every category, click here.

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Television Critics Association name 2008 nominees

Photo: ABC, Lost

The Television Critics Association just released its list of nominees for this year’s TCA Awards. Once again, the majority of nominees come from the world of cable, i.e. HBO, so if you have limited channel access you’re apparently out of luck in watching some of the tube’s best shows.

More than 200 critics and journalists in the TCA chose the nominees.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony July 19 at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif

PROGRAM OF THE YEAR
“John Adams” (HBO)
“Lost” (ABC)
“Mad Men” (AMC)
“The War: A Film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick” (PBS)
“The Wire” (HBO)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY
“30 Rock” (NBC)
“The Colbert Report” (Comedy Central)
“The Daily Show” (Comedy Central)
“Flight of the Conchords” (HBO)
“The Office” (NBC)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA
“Damages” (FX)
“Friday Night Lights” (NBC)
“Lost” (ABC)
"Mad Men” (AMC)
“The Wire” (HBO)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT MOVIES, MINI-SERIES AND SPECIALS
“John Adams” (HBO)
“Masterpiece: Cranford” (PBS)
“Masterpiece: The Complete Jane Austen” (PBS)
“The War: A Film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick” (PBS)
“A Raisin in the Sun” (ABC)

OUTSTANDING NEW PROGRAM OF THE YEAR
"Breaking Bad” (AMC)
“Damages” (FX)
“Flight of the Conchords” (HBO)
“Mad Men” (AMC)“Pushing Daisies” (ABC)

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY
Christina Applegate (“Samantha Who?”)
Alec Baldwin (“30 Rock”)
Stephen Colbert (“The Colbert Report”)
Tina Fey (“30 Rock”)
Ray Wise (“Reaper”)

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA
Connie Britton (“Friday Night Lights”)
Glenn Close (“Damages”)
Paul Giamatti (“John Adams”)
Jon Hamm (“Mad Men”)
David Simon (“The Wire”)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CHILDREN’S PROGRAMMING
“Curious George” (PBS)
“High School Musical 2” (Disney Channel)
“Hannah Montana” (Disney Channel)
“WordGirl” (PBS)
“Yo Gabba Gabba” (Nickelodeon)


OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NEWS & INFORMATION
“Alive Day Memories” (HBO)
“This American Life” (Showtime)
“Frontline” (PBS)
“Nimrod Nation” (Sundance Channel)
“The War: A Film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick” (PBS)

HERITAGE AWARD
“M*A*S*H” (CBS)
“Roots” (ABC)
“Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
“Sesame Street” (PBS)
“The Wire” (HBO)

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Watch your favorite soap stars at the Daytime Emmys Friday night

Photo: Cameron Mathison will host the show with Sherri Shepherd

If you have a passion for Erica Kane, Victor Newman, or Ryan Lavery, then Friday night you don’t want to miss the 35th annual Daytime Emmy Awards.

The show will air on ABC at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Cutie Cameron Mathison (All My Children, Dancing With the Stars) and cutie Sherri Shepherd (The View) are hosting the gig. In addition to all the pretty people from the daytime dramas, we’ll get to see plenty of daytime talk show hosts and game show hosts.

Prior to the show, you can catch all the red-carpet arrivals and interviews on SOAPnet, beginning at 6 p.m. ET.

As many of you know, I work part time for the fabulous daytime Web site, Soapcentral, writing the Two Scoops opinion column for As the World Turns. Soapcentral will have plenty of Emmy coverage at the site, including red-carpet interviews, after-party scoop, etc., courtesy of our fearless leader Dan.

I wasn’t exactly thrilled this year with the Emmy nominations. It was too heavily dominated by CBS shows. (For a complete list of nominees, click here.) The Younger Actress Category, specifically shocked me. How Kirsten Storms and Julie Marie Berman, of General Hospital, were overlooked in favor of three actresses on The Young and the Restless is inexplicable.

Still, I’ll be tuning in to see if any of my favorites win, especially my beloved Trent Dawson of As the World Turns for Supporting Actor. Go Trent!

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TV Land Awards a must see for TV fans

by Jennifer Squires Biller

Where could you possibly see Fonzie, The Golden Girls, Laverne and Shirley, Robin Williams, Justin Timberlake, Mike Myers, Vanessa Williams, the cast of The Office, and a Lionel Richie concert on one show?

The TV Land Awards that’s where. And that’s not even half of the talent that made me laugh during the broadcast.

The show aired last night, but if you missed it, don’t despair. There are several opportunities to watch it again. It will replay tonight at 5 p.m. ET on TV Land, again Saturday morning at 10 a.m., and this Thursday at 2 a.m., for those of you with a VCR or DVR. You can also watch clips of the show at TV Land.

I’ve watched this awards’ show since its inception a few years ago, and this year was one of the best yet. The opening was so incredibly bizarre, yet entertaining, that you have to see it to believe it. Let me explain.

Host Vanessa Williams, or as you may know her, Wilhelmina Slater of Ugly Betty, did a bit about how the past hosts have had flying-theme introduction numbers. Not to be outdone, Williams then looked to the sky only to see some of our favorite classic TV stars flying over the auditorium. Trust me, you’ve not lived until you've seen a much-older Doc from The Love Boat, still dressed in his trademark white shorts ship outfit, flying across the room. Joining him, Horshack from Welcome Back Kotter, Nellie Oleson from Little House on the Prairie, Gary Coleman from Different Strokes, and Greg Brady from The Brady Bunch, to name a few. I don’t want to spoil it all for you, but I assure you it’s worth tuning in to see.

I have to say that whoever is responsible for writing this show and producing the skits, should work for the Emmys and Oscars. (Those shows have become so stuffy, serious, boring, and self-indulgent, I can barely sit through them. Apparently, you’re having the same problem, considering the ratings for those broadcasts this year.) The TV Land Awards skits were hysterical and they gave TV fans what we want. Clips from our favorite shows and tributes to some of our favorites.

One of the funniest skits involved a parody of the paparazzi and TMZ and how they stalk celebrities and put together stories. From the Bionic Woman’s “Lindsay” stealing coats, to “Mama” from Mama’s Family getting out of a limo and showing her crotch, I was rolling. Again, I don’t want to spoil it, but this is one of the funniest skits I’ve seen on an awards show, ever. If you love television, especially classic shows, do not miss it.

There were also touching/funny tributes to Garry Marshall, Mike Myers, the show Roseanne and The Office.

The TV Land Awards are a treat for anyone who loved the shows of the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s and those who are fans of the genre in general. The TV Land Awards is so entertaining it should win an award. Yes, you can consider that my official Tube Talk endorsement.

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SAG Award Winners: The Office wins for TV comedy!

The SAG Awards were Sunday night and one of my favorite TV comedies, The Office, claimed the prize for Comedy Series Cast. The best part was that the producers played one of the best and funniest Office clips ever, in which the entire Office staff is discussing the proper use of the word “whomever.” (Don't pretend like you know when to use it correctly either.) That scene alone should have earned them the prize. Congrats to the cast!

Here’s a complete list of SAG Award winners.

Television:
Actor in a movie or miniseries: Kevin Kline, "As You Like It."
Actress in a movie or miniseries: Queen Latifah, "Life Support."
Actor in a drama series: James Gandolfini, "The Sopranos."
Actress in a drama series: Edie Falco, "The Sopranos."
Actor in a comedy series: Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock."
Actress in a comedy series: Tina Fey, "30 Rock."
Drama series cast: "The Sopranos."
Comedy series cast: "The Office."
Stunt ensemble: "24."

Movies:
Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood."
Actress: Julie Christie, "Away From Her."
Supporting actor: Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men."
Supporting actress: Ruby Dee, "American Gangster."
Cast: "No Country for Old Men."
Stunt ensemble: "The Bourne Ultimatum."

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Golden Globe Winners 2008

TV Drama Series
Big Love
Damages
Grey's Anatomy
House
WINNER Mad Men
The Tudors

TV Drama Series Actress
Patricia Arquette, Medium
WINNER Glenn Close, Damages
Minnie Driver, The Riches
Edie Falco, The Sopranos
Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters
Holly Hunter, Saving Grace
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

TV Drama Series Actor
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
WINNER Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie, House
Jonathan Rhys Meyers, The Tudors
Bill Paxton, Big Love

TV Comedy Series
30 Rock
Californication
Entourage
WINNER Extras
Pushing Daisies

TV Comedy Series Actress
Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty
WINNER Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Anna Friel, Pushing Daisies
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds

TV Comedy Series Actor
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Steve Carell, The Office
WINNER David Duchovny, Californication
Ricky Gervais, Extras
Lee Pace, Pushing Daisies

Best Motion Picture Drama
American Gangster
WINNER Atonement
Eastern Promises
The Great Debaters
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

Best Motion Picture Comedy or Musical
Across the Universe
Charlie Wilson's War
Hairspray
Juno
WINNER Sweeney Todd

Best Actress in a Movie Drama
Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
WINNER Julie Christie, Away From Her
Jodie Foster, The Brave One
Angelina Jolie, A Mighty Heart
Keira Knightley, Atonement

Best Actor in a Movie Drama
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
WINNER Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
James McAvoy, Atonement
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises
Denzel Washington, American Gangster

Best Actress in a Movie Comedy or Musical
Amy Adams, Enchanted
Nikki Blonsky, Hairspray
Helena Bonham Carter, Sweeney Todd
WINNER Marion Cotillard, La Vie En Rose
Ellen Page, Juno

Best Actor in a Movie Comedy or Musical
WINNER Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Ryan Gosling, Lars and the Real Girl
Tom Hanks, Charlie Wilson's War
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Savages
John C. Reilly, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Best Supporting Actress
WINNER Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
Julia Roberts, Charlie Wilson's War
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

Best Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
WINNER Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War
John Travolta, Hairspray
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton

Best Director
Tim Burton, Sweeney Todd
Ethan Cohen and Joel Cohen, No Country for Old Men
WINNER Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Ridley Scott, American Gangster
Joe Wright, Atonement

Best Animated Film
Bee Movie
WINNER Ratatouille
The Simpsons Movie

Best Foreign Language Film
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (Romania)
WINNER The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (France and U.S.)
The Kite Runner (U.S.)
Lust, Caution (Taiwan)
Persepolis(France)

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Congratulations Moonlight!

One of my favorite new shows of the fall, Moonlight, just snagged the People’s Choice Award for favorite new drama. Way to go, Tubers!

You listened to all my nagging... um, polite suggestions. More than 10 million of you voted for Moonlight, according to show star Alex O’Loughlin, in his taped acceptance speech last night.

For those of you who haven’t seen this engrossing drama, click here to see what you’ve been missing, as well as some upcoming scenes from this Friday’s episode.

Here’s the official description from CBS:

Josh's fate is in Mick and Beth's hands when he is kidnapped by a vindictive drug lord. But when the rescue takes a turn for the worse, Beth asks Mick to do the impossible, on MOONLIGHT, Friday, Jan. 11.

Why do I think this isn’t gong to end well for poor Josh?

Moonlight airs on CBS at 9 p.m. ET.

Congratulations to Samatha Who?, also, which snagged the People’s Choice Award for favorite new comedy, as well as House and Two and a Half Men, which took the awards for favorite drama and favorite comedy, respectively.

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Golden Globes officially canceled

There won’t be a red carpet or a three-hour telecast with cheesy jokes or musical numbers. The Golden Globes award show has officially been canceled.

Instead, a one-hour news conference will be shown live on NBC at 9 p.m. Sunday night to announce the winners.

"We are all very disappointed that our traditional awards ceremony will not take place this year and that millions of viewers worldwide will be deprived of seeing many of their favorite stars celebrating 2007's outstanding achievements in motion pictures and television," said Jorge Camara, president of The Hollywood Foreign Press Association. "We take some comfort, however, in knowing that this year's Golden Globe Award recipients will be announced on the date originally scheduled."

I think the format change could be dangerous for future Globe shows. Cutting down the long drawn-out show to simply announce the winners could be a hit with viewers.

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Golden Globes a no-go?

NBC is considering pulling the plug on the Golden Globes telecast, scheduled for next Sunday, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

SAG recently announced that none of its nominees would cross the picket lines to attend the show.

With no stars to walk the red carpet, tell us what they’re wearing, or present or receive awards, I don’t see how the show can possibly go on, let alone be entertaining enough for me to sit through for three hours.

NBC is expected to make a decision today about the telecast. But unless this strike is resolved before next week, I think there is only one decision: cancel the show.

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The Golden Globe nominations 2007

The Golden Globe nominations were announced today and some familiar TV faces are among them. I’m thrilled that several new shows were recognized. Pushing Daisies, Damages, and Mad Men all got a nod for drama series, as well as old favorites Grey’s Anatomy and House. But where was Lost? It should have been among the best dramas.

As for individuals, it’s nice to see Lee Pace, of Pushing Daisies, Donald Sutherland, of Dirty Sexy Money, America Ferrera, of Ugly Betty, and Christina Applegate of Samantha Who? But I think Chandra Wilson, of Grey’s Anatomy, was overlooked. She’s done phenomenal work on that show, but for some reason Katherine Heigl is the more heralded actress.

Take a look at the list. Are you pleased, or was your favorite show/actor/actress snubbed?

TELEVISION

Series, Drama
'Big Love,' HBO'
Damages,' FX Networks'
Grey's Anatomy,' ABC'
House,' Fox'
Mad Men,' AMC
'The Tudors,' Showtime

Actress, Drama
Patricia Arquette, 'Medium'
Glenn Close, 'Damages'
Minnie Driver, 'The Riches'
Edie Falco, 'The Sopranos'
Sally Field, 'Brothers & Sisters'
Holly Hunter, 'Saving Grace'
Kyra Sedgwick, 'The Closer'

Actor, Drama
Michael C. Hall, 'Dexter'
Jon Hamm, 'Mad Men'
Hugh Laurie, 'House'
Jonathan Rhys Meyers, 'The Tudors'
Bill Paxton, 'Big Love'

Series, Musical or Comedy
'30 Rock,' NBC'
Californication,' Showtime
'Entourage,' HBO
'Extras,' HBO
'Pushing Daisies,' ABC

Actress, Musical or Comedy
Christina Applegate, 'Samantha Who?'
America Ferrera, 'Ugly Betty'
Tina Fey, '30 Rock'
Anna Friel, 'Pushing Daisies'
Mary-Louise Parker, 'Weeds'

Actor, Musical or Comedy
Alec Baldwin, '30 Rock'
Steve Carell, 'The Office'
David Duchovny, 'Californication'
Ricky Gervais, 'Extras'
Lee Pace, 'Pushing Daisies'

Miniseries or Movie
'Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee,' HBO
'The Company,' TNT
'Five Days,' HBO
'Longford,' HBO
'The State Within,' BBC America

Actress, Miniseries or Movie
Bryce Dallas Howard, 'As You Like It'
Debra Messing, 'The Starter Wife'
Queen Latifah, 'Life Support'
Sissy Spacek, 'Pictures of Hollis Woods'
Ruth Wilson, 'Jane Eyre' (Masterpiece Theatre)

Actor, Miniseries or Movie
Adam Beach, 'Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee'
Ernest Borgnine, 'A Grandpa for Christmas'
Jim Broadbent, 'Longford'
Jason Isaacs, 'The State Within'
James Nesbitt, 'Jekyll'

Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie
Rose Byrne, 'Damages'
Rachel Griffiths, 'Brothers & Sisters'
Katherine Heigl, 'Grey's Anatomy'
Samantha Morton, 'Longford'
Anna Paquin, 'Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee'
Jaime Pressly, 'My Name Is Earl'

Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie
Ted Danson, 'Damages'
Kevin Dillon, 'Entourage'
Jeremy Piven, 'Entourage'
Andy Serkis, 'Longford'
William Shatner, 'Boston Legal'
Donald Sutherland, 'Dirty Sexy Money'

For the film categories and the complete list, click here.

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The best and worst of Emmys 2007

Tony Soprano didn’t take home the gold. Neither did Denny Crane.

But those weren’t the most shocking moments of Emmy night. Nope, that honor goes to Sally Field, Ray Romano and Katherine Heigl for their potty mouths. And you thought the Emmys was just another boring award show.

Host Ryan Seacrest did a decent job, but quite frankly, he didn’t do much “hosting.” Thankfully, he left the stand-up comedy bits to the likes of Ray Romano and Ellen DeGeneres. Wise move, Ryan.

Here’s a rundown of the best and worst moments of the night.

Oh no, he didn’t!: During his opening monologue, Ryan Seacrest struck up a conversation with Eva Longoria about her dress and shoes, when he noticed her costar and his former dating companion Teri Hatcher. “Hello, Teri,” Seacrest purred seductively, as the audience erupted in laughter. Hatcher smiled awkwardly, as he added a quick, “You look great!” Nice save, Seacrest.

Worst skit: Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and a leaf blower. It pains me to list two of the funniest guys on the planet under worst skit, but their bit about the “green Emmys” and a leaf blower, well, blew. It was so strained, that it appeared even they knew it wasn’t working. Colbert did have one funny line. He said his leaf blower ran on alternative fuel: “Al Gore’s tears; he’s a crybaby.”

Best ad-libbed moment: Jon Stewart redeemed himself when he and Colbert announced Ricky Gervais as the winner for best actor in a comedy. Gervais was a no-show to the event, so Stewart decided to give the award to someone else. “Ricky Gervais couldn’t be here tonight, so instead we’re going to give this to our friend Steve Carell.” The audience howled as Carell ran onstage, jumping in glee.

Strangest moment: Ryan Seacrest took the stage wearing a Henry VIII costume from the show The Tudors to do a gay joke. “This looked a lot less gay on the rack. Can I keep it?” Somewhere, Simon Cowell was rolling his eyes.

The musical montage: Ryan Seacrest didn’t sing. Lucky for us, he knows his limits. Instead, the Family Guy’s Brian and Stewey took the stage and delivered some funny musical lines including this gem: “ABC has got a lineup that is refreshing and alive, with its hits like Desperate Housewives just continuing to thrive. And those women look sensational for being 65!” Then, they went on to pick on The Sopranos infamous series ending, as they sang: “The Sopranos is a show I’d recommend, because you never know just how it’s gonna”…(the screen faded to black and silence, as the audience roared with laughter.) The singing duo also joked about the Grey’s Anatomy controversy. They sang that NBC was looking at bringing back Seinfeld, but with Isaiah Washington as Kramer. The camera then cut to T.R. Knight, smiling awkwardly. Ouch.

Who knew John Locke was funny? Claiming the prize for best supporting actor in a a drama series, Lost actor Terry O’Quinn delivered a funny speech about his working conditions: “Sometimes, when we’re rolling around in the jungle in the mud, and we’re hitting each other and stabbing each other and shooting each other and they’re pouring on the blood, I wonder what it would be like to bake up a sheet of cookies on Wisteria Lane. And get one of their checks.”

Best looking couple: Grey’s Anatomy star Katherine Heigl and Friday Night Lights star Kyle Chandler took the stage to present an award, but the two looked like they belonged on top of a wedding cake, instead. She was stunning in a long white gown, and he was equally stunning in an elegant black suit. Sadly, these two won’t ever get to share a scene on Grey’s; they blew him to bits in last year’s season finale.

Inside joke or coincidence?: I couldn’t help but laugh when Christina Aguilera sang Stepping out With my Baby with Tony Bennett. The pop star is rumored to be pregnant.

No one delivers a joke like Doogie: Neil Patrick Harris is a gem on How I Met Your Mother as ladies man Barney, where he delivers some of the best comedy on the tube. (Yes, I’m ticked he didn’t win for supporting actor.) In one of the funniest jokes of the night, Harris took aim at fellow presenter Hayden Panettiere when he delivered this line: “Hayden just turned 18. You know what that means ….new voter.”

You can’t say that!: The censors got a workout during the ceremony, but didn’t do the censoring very smoothly. Those watching at home weren’t sure what happened when the sound was cut and the screen showed a weird shot of the set, during Ray Romano’s comedy bit. He apparently used another word for “sleeping with” when taking a jab at his former costar Patricia Heaton’s new TV job. Later, the censors tried, awkwardly, to quickly cut away from Katherine Heigl as she uttered the word “S---“ on hearing her name called for best supporting actress in a drama. And finally, the censors silenced they flying nun. Yep, the censors cut the end of Sally Field’s acceptance speech for lead actress in a drama. She was almost finished with her “if mothers ruled the world” anti-war speech when she got a little too passionate and used the word “God” in front of “damned.”

Seacrest’s best joke: Taking a jab at notorious ladies man Jeremy Piven, of Entourage, Seacrest spotted gorgeous Heroes star Hayden Panettiere in the audience. “Congratulations on turning 18, Hayden. My gift: seating you as far away from Jeremy Piven as possible.”

You say “toe-may-toe” I say “toe-mah-toe”: The announcer mispronounced Katherine Heigl’s last name as “high-gel,” as she took the stage to present an award. Katherine quickly corrected the woman, saying, “It’s Hi-Gul,” laughing along with the audience. “It’s alright. It’s a hard name.” Later, when Heigl’s name was called for the best supporting actress in a drama, she acknowledged the announcer’s effort:“Thanks for getting my name right!”

Tell it like it is: Comedian Lewis Black did a stand-up bit during the show that at first seemed out of place. That was, until he began ranting against the TV networks for their ubuiquitous pop-up adverstisements, during programs, telling us what’s on next and for replacing the credits at the end of the shows with previews of what’s coming on next. As you know, I share his passion on the subject. He then took the news stations to task for the continuous crawl at the bottom of the screen: “The only thing you give us is attention deficit disorder!” Preach it, brother.


Elaine Stritch is hilarious: Whenever Elaine Stritch takes the Emmy stage, you know something intersting is about to happen. She usually keeps the audience in stitches and this year was no exception. She bumbled the reading of the teleprompter during her presenting gig before explaining to the audience that the mistake wasn’t planned: “I’m not faking this. I really don’t know what the Hell I’m doing.”

Best speech: James Spader delivered the goods. Looking completely stunned that TV mob boss James Gandolfini didn’t win, Spader began his speech with that acknowledgement. “I feel like I just stole a pile of money from the mob,” he quipped. Still shocked, he continued, “Where the Hell is Elaine Stritch when you need her?” Spader then went on to scold the Emmy folks for seating his bosses and half the audience behind the stage, where they could see only the backs of those on stage: “I’ve been to thousands of concerts in my life, and these are the worst seats I’ve ever had.” The audience erupted in laughter. Hey, I’d be pissed, too, if I had to watch the backs of people heads for the entire night. Spader then acknowledged the other nominees and issued a quick thank you.

Funniest presenters: Brad Garrett and Joely Fisher were hysterical during their presenting bit. “Do you like my dress,” Fisher asked, about her sexy gown with a plunging neckline. The 6-foot-plus Garrett glanced down and joked, “You should see it from up here. Note to self: Buy milk.” Garrett went on to complement Fisher’s appearance: “I think you just made Charlie Sheen’s to do list: that’s how amazing you look.” Cut to Charlie Sheen in the audience, shaking his head and laughing.

Hollywood loves Al Gore: At first I was confused as to why Al Gore was getting a standing ovation for co-founding Current TV, an interactive TV network. I’d never even heard of Current TV. (I know I’m not alone here, so Google it.) Then, I realized the audience wasn’t applauding his TV venture, just Al. They love this guy and his efforts to save the environement.

Dead people can’t hear, but we can: One of my pet peeves at these awards shows involves the somber memoriam tributes. As clips of the dearly departed are shown, from time to time, the audience erupts in applause. I propose that they either hold their applause to the end, or clap for all of the deceased. It’s offensive that some dead folks seem worthy of applause, but not all. Dead people can’t hear, but we can, and their families can, too.

Fashion notes: Strapless is in, ladies, in a big way. A slew of ladies wore strapless gowns to the event. As for best and worst dressed, no one pulled a Bjork this year, so I won’t pick on anyone particular. I loved Kate Walsh and Ali Larter’s red gowns. Vanessa Williams ruled the roost in a gorgeous green-feathered number. Felicity Huffman went glam with a hot pink plunging neckline, and Sandra Oh looked the best I’ve ever seen her at an awards show. Oh, when did Ugly Betty get so thin? America Ferrara looked beautiful in blue but very skinny compared to last year. I didn’t love Jaime Pressly’s gown. It seemed a little too “old” for her. In other words, her character Joy wouldn’t be caught dead in it. McDreamy, aka Patrick Dempsey, looked gorgeous, but why didn’t he do any of the red-carpet pre-show interviews?

Preshow fun: E! still does the best pre-show, but their entertainment news crawl at the bottom of the screen drove me insane! I was trying to listen to the stars’ interviews, look at their gowns, shoes, jewels, watch the cut-in box to see who else was arriving, and read the crawl at the bottom of the screen. No one’s brain can take in that much information, unless they have ADD. The crawl did reveal some fun facts: Lost’s Evangeline Lilly changed oil on big rigs to earn money for college and worked as a waitress and flight attendant, and Grey’s Anatomy’s Katherine Heigl starred in the lowest-earning movie in history, the 2006 thriller Zyzzyx Road grossed $30 t the box office. Over on the TV Guide channel, Joey Fatone and Lisa Rinna seemed nervous and anxious and rushed the celebrities off instead of chatting with them about their shows. Rinna’s catchphrase of “Have fun tonight” started to grate my nerves after she said it a hundred times. Is it too late to get Joan and Melissa back?

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Emmy winners 2007

Here is a list of the night’s Emmy winners.

Read ‘em and weep, or dance with joy, depending on who you wanted to win.

Stay tuned for Tube Talk Girl’s take on the show: the winners, losers, funny moments, skits and fashion.



DRAMA SERIES
The Sopranos

COMEDY SERIES
30 Rock

LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
James Spader, Boston Legal

LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters

LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Ricky Gervais, Extras

LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Terry O’Quinn, Lost

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Katherine Heigl, Grey’s Anatomy

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Jeremy Piven, Entourage

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Jaime Pressly, My Name Is Earl

MINISERIES

Broken Trail

LEAD ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Robert Duvall, Broken Trail

LEAD ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE

Helen Mirren, Prime Suspect: The Final Act

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE

Thomas Haden Church, Broken Trail

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE

Judy Davis, The Starter Wife

VARIETY, MUSIC, OR COMEDY SERIES
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

VARIETY, MUSIC, OR COMEDY SPECIAL
Tony Bennett: An American Classic

MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE
Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee

INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE IN A VARIETY OR MUSIC PROGRAM
Tony Bennett, Tony Bennett: An American Classic

REALITY COMPETITION PROGRAM
The Amazing Race

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