Monday, September 24, 2012

My 2012 Emmy Review

Once again the TV industry took a night off to ignore its hemorrhaging ratings, 90% failure rate, and NBC to pat itself on the back for another great year and a job well done. It’s the annual Emmy Awards, a chance to honor the shows America should be watching instead of the ones they are.

This is also the week for the High Holidays. For you non-Jewish readers who wonder what it’s like to sit in temple for essentially 24-hours, it’s like sitting through this year’s Emmys except you can’t have a seat-filler. Host Jimmy Kimmel (who I normally love) was a major disappointment and I daresay that 1951 Emmy host, Chief Justice Earl Warren was funnier. (Yes, Earl Warren actually did host the Emmys. First choice Howdy Doody thought it was beneath him.) So this review might be a little extra snarky because I had high hopes. My bad.

The real guffaws came before the ceremony. You can always count on the KTLA Channel 5 “Live From the Red Carpet” show to be an utter train wreck, and this year was no exception. Hosted by Sam Rubin (who IS Howdy Doody) and Jessica Holmes (former host of SLIME TIME LIVE), I think they outdid themselves this year in obsequiousness and banality.

It was a hot day so Jessica’s question to every actress was “how much are you sweating?” Sam asked 12 year-old Kiernan Shipka why MAD MEN worked.

Sam called Nolan Gould Nathan Gould and John Slattery Mark Slattery.

My daughter, Annie noted that Sam’s “Word of the Day” calendar was not paying off. Always one for extreme hyperbole (look that one up too, Sam), he said BREAKING BAD “is the penultimate best show ever!” Penultimate means “second to last in a series or sequence.” So, as Annie’s writing partner Jon pointed out: what Sam really said was “on the list of great shows, BREAKING BAD is second to last.”

Sam also used “prognostication” or “prognosticator” three times. And said that Aaron Paul “is the most handsome man alive.”

Sam, you are the penultimate red carpet host.

Now for the show. I was thrilled that HOMELAND won. It’s hard to believe you could do a better job of depicting the CIA and the war on terrorism than COVERT AFFAIRS but somehow, miraculously, HOMELAND does it.

How’d you like to be at the MAD MEN after party? Not that you’d ever be invited.

I was also pleased that MODERN FAMILY took home the Best Comedy prize. Despite being up for four awards for GIRLS, Lena Dunham was shut out. I guess anal sex is funny enough for nomination not winning.

For movies & mini-series, as long as HEMINGWAY & GELLHORN lost I was happy.  To call it the penultimate TV movie of all-time would be giving it too much credit.

GAME CHANGE (produced by Tom Hanks) won in that category so Hollywood finally voted for Sarah Palin. If Democrats won’t go to Clint Eastwood movies now, good luck getting Republicans to pay to see the next Tom Hanks flick.

I knew we were in for a rough night when the show started with that lame bathroom sketch. The only funny moment was when the five reality hosts popped up. So what does it say when Heidi Klum gets the biggest laugh of the bit?

The opening monologue was weak. We were promised edgy and daring. We got Mitt Romney jokes. Come on, Jimmy.  You're better than Carson Daly. 

Color was a big theme this year. Not diversity (networks are still living off casting Bill Cosby in I SPY in 1965) but gowns in bright dayglo shades only seen on muscle cars. Yellow was the color of winners. Julie Bowen, Julianne Moore, Claire Danes. It was like the Georgia Tech homecoming queen and her court.
The most gorgeous women of the night: Kerry Washington, Sofia Vergara (imagine the Little Mermaid but unintelligible), Tina Fey (who was also the funniest presenter), Amy Poehler, Lucy Liu, Padma Lakshmi, Maria Menounos, and the knockout of knockouts was Morena Baccarin. The only thing holding up the bodice of that revealing gown was her nipples.

Amy Poehler always has the funniest acceptance speech, even when she doesn’t win.

Fortunately, the Emmycast won’t be on Fox next year. We’ll be spared Seth MacFarlane hosting. He’s become absolutely insufferable. Draw your cartoons. Stop trying to be Danny Kaye!

The Mini-Series category is a joke. If a drama series gets cancelled after six episodes it suddenly qualifies as a Mini-Series. Such was the case with MISSING. Or if you change your cast like AMERICAN HORROR STORY. If wholesale cast changes were enough, LAW & ORDER would have won for best Mini-Series twelve years in a row.

Kevin Costner won for playing a cowboy, which is what he should be playing. His days of portraying a baseball player are over unless they do a screen version of CHEERS and hire him as the Coach.

What were those fins on the back of Kathy Griffin’s dress? She looked like a stegosaurus five minutes before extinction.

On a night that claims to celebrate excellence in television, they showed a promo for the new show THE NEIGHBORS about a family moving into a housing community inhabited entirely by space creatures.

Christine Baranski, in a gold plated gown, looked like C-3PO caught cross-dressing.

What do you do when you feel you need to honor somebody you don’t really like or understand but you don’t want to appear out-of-touch? You give him writing Emmys. Congratulations to Louis C.K. When it came time to give out the “real” Emmy – y’know, for acting – that they awarded to Jon Cryer.

But let’s face it, if the academy had their way they’d just give half the Emmys each year to Jon Stewart and the other half to Julia Louis-Drefus.

What was with Ashley Judd’s hair? She looked like Johnny Bravo.

Meanwhile, Bill Maher has now lost 24 straight times. New rule: don’t bother!  Especially when you consider the voters are Democrats.  Really, Bill.  Save a stamp.  

A lot of the winners (like directors Steve Levitan and Tim VanPatton) were written off by the TV critics handicapping the races. Shows you what those “prognosticators” know.

Many will think Jimmy Kimmel’s Living In Memoriam bit was funny, but I thought it was disrespectful. The real In Memoriam was beautifully done and very emotional, especially for me when they showed Harry Morgan.

I was ecstatic that Claire Danes won. What an extraordinary talent. She’s Meryl Streep without the phony accents.

Also kudos to Julie Bowen. She sold herself short in her acceptance speech. She’s a gifted actress equally adept at verbal and physical comedy. Sofia Vergara might also be good at delivering lines but how would anybody know?

The MODERN FAMILY video was very funny. And I’m sure it scores points with voters. Next year Lena Dunham should consider dropping her drawers, bending over, and doing one for GIRLS.

The highlight of the night was Jon Stewart going up the aisle to accept his award and having Jimmy Fallon and the other nominees grab him and hold him back. Seeing Stewart crawling up the aisle was a riot.

The heralded “prank” (like Tracy Morgan) just laid there. Not particularly funny with zero payoff. Viewers were asked to call people who weren’t watching (in other words: you) and say, “Tracy Morgan just collapsed on the Emmys! Turn on ABC.” Besides being lame, how many non-viewers heard that news and went, “Good”?

Winner Jessica Lange was Norma Desmond in orange.

Tom Berenger and Tom Bergeron both won. I wonder how many academy members voted for them because they thought they were the same person and marveled at his versatility? Same with Damian Lewis and Louis C.K.

They ran a banner that said, “4 minutes to Ricky Gervais” as if that was a big incentive for viewers to stay tuned. Do they not know that to most Americans, that’s like saying, “4 minutes to Swine Flu”, or “4 minutes to Chris Brown”? People hate Ricky Gervais.

Congratulations to the “most handsome man alive” for winning his second statuette in two years. Aaron Paul was in a pilot of ours once and we had to fight Fox to get him approved. They felt he was very “ordinary.” I believe their choice was Joe Millionaire.

All in all, I thought the show was flat. Nothing memorable. Nothing surprising. I’m sure if the show’s producers are reading this they’re saying, “Oh yeah, Levine? Well, you’re such a genius. What would you do?” Well, for starters, I would have Tracy Morgan collapse on stage for real.

62 comments :

lois@loisbernardlcsw.com said...

Thanks for funny review. The word flat summed up very forgettable night. Harry Morgan I love and the clip was perfect.

Aaron Hazouri said...

Great review! But I laughed out loud at this:

"They ran a banner that said, “4 minutes to Ricky Gervais” as if that was a big incentive for viewers to stay tuned. Do they not know that to most Americans, that’s like saying, “4 minutes to Swine Flu”, or “4 minutes to Chris Brown”? People hate Ricky Gervais."

You really drove the point home with that last "People hate Ricky Gervais" line! I think we get it!

Roger Owen Green said...

I hate ALL those banners, and not just on the Emmys. If I'm watching show A, don't care b that show B is coming on next; ruins the mood for show A, especially when the banner for show B has people moving about.

Michael Stoffel said...

I can't afford HBO or Showtime, so I've never seen most of those shows.

I am mystified why the funniest show on television, The Middle, is ignored.

Tony said...

Do people really hat Ricky Gervais?

R's Woman said...

Ken, in the same way you say Bill Maher should just give up, shouldn't you tell Jon Stewart to be like Oprah? - stop submitting entries to the Emmys in order to give other people a chance! 10 is enough!

Love me some Jon Stewart, but jeez. And for him to say 'enough already!' to the Emmys when he accepted the award seemed disingenuous - well then stop entering your show! People may hate Ricky Gervais, but at least he hit the nail on the head when he opened the envelope and said 'not again!'

Time for Stephen Colbert or Bill to get a shot at the prize!

Anyhoo, as always, Ken, enjoyed your funny, spot-on review!

unkystan said...

Ken, once again, on the nose! I thought the same exact thing about the bogus "in memorium". It made me cringe! The highlights for me were Amy Pohler, Steve Levitan and that hilarious "Modern Family" video. Here's a thought. Once a show or a performer from a show wins twice they are no longer eligible (retired champ). Time to make room for new blood.

AC said...

And why did they announce where a winner was born or raised as they were approaching the podium? Talk about filler! It made no sense.

JT Anthony said...

Who would make your top three Emmy host candidates going forward--and how does the list change for top three Oscar hosts? It's a rare bird who can pull it off and satisfy the masses.

DwWashburn said...

Don't know if you noticed but except for the last director's award, those "x minutes to celebrity a" always occurred when a writer's award was presented. The implication was "Hey folks at home, don't leave us. You'll see someone you know in X minutes".

Howard Hoffman said...

After Gervais, I realized they probably called an audible in the control room and stopped doing the countdown banners after the first half. As always, I'm going to suck up to you, Ken, and agree with just about all of this. One add: the feel good moment of the night was the reception Michael J. Fox got. What a turnaround. Of course, Rush Limbaugh will claim he was faking it all along, but as always with Rush, the truth is much more amazing.

404 said...

Didn't watch the Emmys. Couldn't care less about the industry sucking up to itself. I did want to say, though, that not EVERYONE hates Ricky Gervais. Personally, I think he's hilarious. But I also think Modern Family is a completely terrible TV show, so I think we might have different opinions about some aspects of comedy.

JT Anthony said...

Shouldn't the best shows/actors get rewarded, regardless of how many times they've won in the past? Awards aren't for celebrating mediocrity, but excellence. Being the top of the top, not creating even distribution to all shows or actors.

Sports example: I want the swimmer with the best chance of winning U.S. gold at the Olympics no matter how old she is or how many times she's competed. If you can't beat Dara Torres--at 45 yrs. old, mind you--at the U.S. trials, then you aren't ready to compete against the best in the world. It would cheapen her extraordinary dedication and effort to do otherwise.

Would seem less rewarding--although I'm sure no one remembers "how" one gets the statue vs. having the hardware by whatever circumstance--if the only way a show or actor wins is when a better show or actor drops out.

A meritocracy model is what spurs creativity, better quality and *new* entertainment. If one wants to beat Jon Stewart, then create a better show; otherwise, move categories and compete elsewhere.

Carol said...

I only watch award shows if Neil Patrick Harris is hosting.

Anonymous said...

Great review, Ken! Christine Baranski gets the Ed Begley Jr. award for best solar collection device. Ricky Gervais and Seth MacFarland need to pool the half a brain they have between them and leet somebody else run the "Funny 'Cuz I Wanna Be" club for a while (meetings first Wednesday of the month at Norm's in Pacoima). The Andy Griffith/Breaking Bad parody would have been mildly amusing in a predictable way on anothe day. With the realy thing coming up later in the show as a tribute, it was tacky and rude. Wasn't anybody overseeing this show? The Tracy Morgan bit would probably be a boost to 30 Rock as well, were it real. Most average Americans probably tweeted back, "Who's Tracy Morgan?" ... at least the ones under 25. The rest said, "Twitter? Pfffuh!"

m stillman, toronto said...

Your remark about “penultimate” meaning “second to last in a series or sequence” is correct. You also relate that Annie’s writing partner, Jon, made the remark that when Sam said BREAKING BAD was “the penultimate best show ever!” Sam was really insulting the show by saying that “on the list of great shows, BREAKING BAD is second to last”. That is, you seem to agree with Jon that this means Sam was saying that all but one of the shows on the list of great, or best, shows is better than BREAKING BAD. But this is not necessarily true.

It depends on how the list of great, or best, shows is ordered. The list can start with the best or greatest show and count down along the sequence of runner-ups – in which case you and Jon would be correct.

Or the list can start with the least meritorious (but presumably still worthy of being on a “best” list) and count up the sequence to the best-best. In which case Sam’s assessment would be only one show was better than BREAKING BAD (assuming no ties for best-best).

You also make a remark that Sam used “prognostication” or “prognosticator” three times. Maybe there’s a joke in that. But I don’t get it – perhaps because I did not watch the Emmys and so do not know the context.

I also have no idea who Sam is. But it seems that on the list of Sam’s fans - ordered in sequence from most ardent to least – you are the penultimate or the one following it.

Dave Mackey said...

My unerring sense of timing told me to turn off the Emmy when they ended at 9:06, just before the CableACE awards started.

Ellen said...

I really don't get going to bat for the Modern Family and Julie Bowen wins. Why are you glad that a show that was not only not as good as most of the other nominees but also not as good as previous seasons won? It also seems like your implying that Louis CK won because Emmy voters want to appear cool, rather than because the second season of Louie was great (though admittedly pregnant wasn't a great episode). Is your argument that Modern Family should win because more people watch it? In which case would you support NCIS winning best drama? Or is it that Julie Bowen is funnier than Amy Poehler, which I know I should politely pretend is a matter of taste but is actually just manifestly wrong.

Mike said...

I actually didn't think it was that bad -- but that's probably because as a non-Kimmell fan, I wasn't expecting much so my standards were easily exceeded.

Despite being up for four awards for GIRLS, Lena Dunham was shut out. I guess anal sex is funny enough for nomination not winning.

Let this be a lesson for the rest of America that we gays have known for years -- sodomy will get you dates but not necessarily a marriage.

tb said...

The only chuckle out of me was when Tracy said "Hold my nunchucks"

Bradley said...

Ricky Gervais stopped being funny when he turned into David Brent.

Tom Quigley said...

"Color was a big theme this year. Not diversity (networks are still living off casting Bill Cosby in I SPY in 1965) but gowns in bright dayglo shades only seen on muscle cars."

A memo must have gotten passed around to all the designers that dayglo shows up so much better in High Def than in Standard...

bruce miller said...

you nailed it again, Ken!!!

the same chris said...

"penultimate" in the context used by sam rubin means second best in a series of constantly improving shows. So he says that "Breaking Bad" is next to perfect. Because the "ultimate" show would not be improvable.

I think it's a valid thing to say.

Mike said...

If your neighbours have been talking about President Palin lately, it's because they meant to watch Game Change but saw Iron Sky by mistake.
(They may also have been talking about Space Nazis but this would have seemed normal.)
One day, someone will have to tell them.

gottacook said...

We turned on the TV, immediately saw the "Breaking Bad/Andy Griffith Show" credit sequence, and it wasn't funny to any of us and we changed the channel. Perhaps if one or more of us had been a fan of early-1960s TV, it would have helped us appreciate the obvious work that went into this (including, as far as I could tell, getting rights to the original recording of the theme). But it was a bit "inside" for a good chunk of the audience, I'd bet.

(Another reason we didn't find it funny: On vacation last month we saw the last 10 minutes of the BB train-robbery episode where the kid on the bike gets it at the end, and that's almost all of the series that any of us have seen; we don't have cable TV at home by choice. I'll catch up with it someday, from the beginning.)

I can understand the actors in Modern Family getting these awards, even though I dislike and avoid the show. Best Comedy Series, though? Repeatedly?

Sue said...

Right on Ken! Jimmy Fallon had better material and more energy on the Red Carpet then Jimmy Kimmel did the whole evening. I say bring Fallon back.

Wendy M. Grossman said...

R's Woman: I believe Candice Bergen refused to allow her name go forward after she'd won a number of times for Murphy Brown (four or five, I think).

People on Twitter seemed horrified that Jon Cryer won. I thought he deserved it for carrying the show for the last two years. (Even if you don't care for the show, which I don't, but I like *his* work.)

wg

XJill said...

@AC - the hometown thing was random but I actually liked it. It was more interesting to me than the crap they usually say and I learned new factoids about people!

Anonymous said...

Nice sum up of the awards. I’ve been catching up with blog recaps and reviews today because I was working late at DISH and I missed the awards last night. From everything I’ve read, Jimmy Kimmel was disappointing which isn’t surprising. I’m also not surprised Seth MacFarlane said something offensive. I am surprised though people are surprised when he does. I have the whole thing on my Hopper DVR with PrimeTime Anytime, and I think I’ll watch it tonight. PrimeTime Anytime is this clever feature which will automatically record all the shows in prime time from all four of the major networks without having to save individual reminders. I heard Jon Cryer was shocked he won, I am too, I think Jim Parsons gives a better performance consistently.

GRayR said...

Thanks again Ken,
Agree with most.

The LA Times has a great feature of a time line of all the Emmy shows; images, lists of some winners, etc. Brings back some interesting memories.

http://timelines.latimes.com/emmy-winners/

I never remembered that The Incredible Hulk won an Emmy. (Act­ress: Mari­ette Hartley 1979)
G

Rampant Yeti said...

Lame, lame show, and production didn't seem up to snuff. The lighting was terrible, unflattering. It made most of the women look like they were made up for a community theater production of Gypsy, and the set-up on one of the mics cast shadows of their heads on their cleavage. (Though I'll note, not Amy Poehler. Rowr!)

Kate said...

I don't know if it was always like this, but in recent years, the production values of the Emmys has felt like the backstage crew were all community-college students working for extra credit.

Like Jimmy Kimmel's entrance music, which just ended on a dun-dun-dun-dun-dun... so that it could be tapered down whenever he got to his mark. The use of transitions or montage material seems spotty, as if sometimes the control room forgot to run video on cue, and this year, I noticed huge headshots of the presenters. It's a big room, and I can understand wanting people even in the back to see what's going on, but these weren't on monitors off to the side -- they were front and center.

My best guess -- and that's all it is, really -- is that because ABC pays a handsome fee to broadcast the Oscars (which in turn bring in very decent ratings), they take the time to plan the ceremony out and make the show look amazing. But since each network has a chance to host the Emmys once every 4 years, no one is especially invested in building the show's reputation for glamour and entertainment value -- by the time the audience realizes they're having a good time, the show's almost over and somebody else will benefit from their enthusiasm next year. Also, the LA Live facility feel like an especially nice convention center. Even if the Shrine Auditorium is old and crumbling, it *feels* glamorous.

Cap'n Bob said...

Thanks for suffering in my stead, Ken, and writing such a funny report.

cadavra said...

Here's how I would do it: Maximum of two consecutive wins and three total for the same character/show. So, say, Bryan Cranston has maxed out on BREAKING BAD, but would be re-eligible for a different character on a different series in the future (and of course, any roles in a movie/miniseries/whatever). Similarly, writers/directors/technicians would max out at three for the same series, and series themselves would be limited to three non-consecutive "Bests." Sounds like affirmative action? Perhaps. But unless folks go the Bergen/Larroquette route, the same handful of people and shows are going to win over and over again.

P.S.: I'll bet Stewart does say enough is enough after this; he seemed genuinely embarrassed.

P.P.S.: Ken, I've told you before--stop disrespecting the Goddess Christine Baranski!

Lorimartian said...

Re Jon Cryer's win, it might have had something to do with his performance in the episode submitted for consideration, too. Maybe he just happened to be funnier than the others at that moment in time. I was surprised but glad he won (I watch the show), and his genuinely stunned reaction was memorable. This is a guy who was given little to no chance of winning and clearly did not expect to win. Good for him. Well deserved.

Unknown said...

I sat through this for no reason. Next year I will just read your review.

The Modern Family video was the highlight for me.

fred said...

friday question
you rarely say anything about Dharma & Greg. I really enjoyed that show. The casting was good, the writing was funny. Darama was funny as a rubber crutch. Was this time slot, network problems?
Also, did you have any connections with Soap or Barney Miller?

Phillip B said...

Today's lesson is never, ever use a word unless you are sure of its' meaning. Especially a Yiddish word...

Lou H. said...

His days of portraying a baseball player are over unless they do a screen version of CHEERS and hire him as the Coach.

Who else would you cast?

Anonymous said...

Amy Poehler looked like someone squirted Bain de Soleil all over her breasts. Well, as long as her forehead wasn't shiny...

VP81955 said...

Nikki Finke may have unleashed a hornets' nest with her comments about Julie Bowen winning for best supporting actress in a comedy. While she begins with the perfectly defensible "This should have been a posthumous win for Kathryn Joosten for Desperate Housewives," she goes on to add:

Listen-up, Hollywood: Beautiful actresses are not funny. They don’t know how to do comedy. (As Bowen demonstrated with her acceptance speech that repeated the phrase ‘nipple covers’ 3 dozen times. To zero laughter.) Only women who grew up ugly and stayed ugly, or through plastic surgery became beautiful, can pull off sitcoms or standups. Bowen isn’t a comedienne just like Brooke Shields wasn’t and a zillion more. Because it’s all about emotional pain and humiliation and rising above both by making people laugh with you instead of at you. So stop casting beautiful actresses when you should be giving ugly women a chance. (Tina Fey always points out she looked like a troglodyte when she was younger.) This also applies to handsome men, by the way. Now argue amongst yourselves.

The lady in my avatar kindly wishes to disagree, with Myrna, Claudette and a platinum blonde named Jean joining the chorus. And for a more recent example, Nikki, ever heard of Anna Faris?

Mary Stella said...

I figured the banners were used because they realized the show was boring people to wish they could collapse instead of Tracy Morgan. So telling us "4 minutes to Michael J. Fox" was intended to beg us to please, please keep watching at least that long.

Loved the Lily from Modern Family bit and Tina Fey reading the teleprompter without her glasses.

Johnny Walker said...

This was the first Emmys I've ever seen (they're not shown in the UK), and I enjoyed it! I loved the Tracy Morgan/Twitter gag. I love the idea that people were switching on and had no idea what had happened.

Anyway, as someone with zero expectations, I couldn't complain.

Roger Owen Green said...

I liked the Amy Poehler acceptance speech. The Tracy Morgan thing COULD have been funny, but the timing was off. The faux in memorium was lame.

Lorimartian said...

Re Nikki Finke's comment, what was so ugly about "Ugly Betty"? Her braces? Her less-than-chic hairstyle and wardrobe? Certainly not her personality. If someone can tell me, I'd appreciate it. What a sad message to send. I expected, at last, a homely actress with terrific talent playing a character that was smart and resourceful. Who do we get? The absolutely lovely America Ferrera. Well, people watched, and she won an Emmy. I guess that's all that counts. They should have changed the title because it raised expectations that it would be different, enlightening, uplifting, layered, and complex. I admit I stopped watching early on. Did I miss the different, enlightening, uplifting, layered, and complex part?

Susannahfromhungary said...

Not-Emmy-related question:
Rumor has it Kelsey Grammer is not doing so good (again) after he bolted from a tv-interview recently. Do you have any inside details? For his wife and baby's sake (and for the sake of his other children) I hope he is OK...

Rob said...

The Harry Morgan clip was perfect, and I doubt anyone who watched MASH couldn't tell you the exact show it came from and what it was about.

I guess I'm the only one that found Jimmy Kimmel's In Memorium segment funny, simply because it was pointing out how tasteless the recent awards show trend of having a vocalist come out and sing a sad song while showing those clips is.

dgwphotography said...

Yes, Morena Baccarin was definitely the most beautiful actress there.

+ 1 regarding Julie Bowen - I have been a fan of hers since Ed, and I'm glad to see her get the recognition she deserves.

Birdie said...

Yes, I would love to see Ken take Nikki to task on that comment - although I suspect she must have said it to get extra publicity/hits. Could anyone really be that stupid?

But I do think it's typical of how the unattractive person automatically assumes that the pretty girl didn't grow up with any insecurities (including physical ones -they don't necessarily see what everyone else sees) or go through any pain. Same deal as when those with out money think that those with money can't possibly have any problems, or that money solves all problems.

Anyway: Goldie Hawn, Mary Tyler Moore, Amy Poehler, Carole Lombard, and dozens upon dozens more I could name....? Yeah, all dogs, what am I thinking.

Anonymous said...

From Jan:

I have to disagree about "Modern Family" as well. I watch it, but it's not a must-see, and I definitely felt other shows were better/funnier. And I thought Mayim Bialik should have gotten the Emmy instead of Julie Bowen; the episode where she was quoting "The Miller's Tale" from Chaucer did it for me.

Anonymous said...

"Congratulations to the “most handsome man alive” for winning his second statuette in two years. Aaron Paul was in a pilot of ours once and we had to fight Fox to get him approved. They felt he was very “ordinary.” I believe their choice was Joe Millionaire. "

I assume you're talking about "The Snobs". You did some amazing casting for that show. Aaron Paul, Kat Dennings & Paget Brewster, for three. Amazing careers, and you had all three!

Unknown said...

Sorry to hijack your post, Ken, but I have to jump in on the Julie Bowen thing.

1- Julie Bowen is funny. I think people forget that she is funny because she is playing the straight character. In my opinion, she does it superbly and has excellent comic timing.

2- Beautiful people experience pain, embarrassment, and awkwardness. It was a ridiculous thing for Nikki Finke to have said.

Sharon said...

For those who are tired of 'The Daily Show' winning and would like to see them 'retire' from consideration, remember that while Jon Stewart is the face of the show, there is a revolving door of producers and writers who also win when the show wins. It would be a crime to disallow them consideration because others want someone else to win. As another poster said upthread, if someone else wants to win, they should do a better job than TDS.

Paul Duca said...

Ken...in 1951 Earl Warren was governor of California. He was appointed Chief Justice in 1953.
Then, he appeared as Mystery Guest on WHAT'S MY LINE?, as a favor to his son-in-law, John Charles Daly.

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jbryant said...

Aaron Paul actually didn't win last year; he wasn't even nominated because the BREAKING BAD season was delayed and didn't air during the eligibility period. The winner was Peter Dinklage for GAME OF THRONES. Paul's first win was year before last.

cadavra said...

Sharon, you make a valid point about the revolving door of producers (writers don't share in a Best Series Emmy) on THE DAILY SHOW, but look at it this way: What about all the producers of all those other shows that never ever win? You don't think the Colbert people, for one, are feeling a little irritable right about now?

KXB said...

For those who want the Emmy to become "Affirmative Action" (ugh)- I'd rather have The Daily Show win 100 Emmys (even though The Colbert Report has been even better for years) than have assbag Bill Maher win ONE!

Storm said...

Jeez, as hard as it is for me to make out the captchas on here, how the hell does that "buy my bootleg purses" spam keep getting through? Jeez.

Cheers, thanks a lot,

Storm

DwWashburn said...

R:E the Finke comment. If this and the reverse were true, then Finke should be hilarious. And she's not.

Buttermilk Sky said...

Tom Berenger and Tom Bergeron both won. I wonder how many academy members voted for them because they thought they were the same person and marveled at his versatility? Same with Damian Lewis and Louis C.K.

Well, Damian Lewis and Louis C.K. both have red hair...