Survivor aficionados know there's a certain lingo that goes along with the show. For some it's comforting, for others, mind-numbingly repetitive. Me? I like it. Jeff's catchphrases are a constant that I can rely on each week as the number of castaways dwindles. That said...First things first: We couldn't move on from last week's show without finishing up Billy's love story. Back at camp, Aitu continued to dismiss the love, and the next day, after the tribes merged, Cecilia went directly to Candice to get the scoop. Needless to say, this love was one-sided. Again, I cannot wait for the reunion show.With that cleared up, Jeff uttered those three little words that change the game every single time. Drop your buffs! That's right, segregation is over. Survivor put as much effort into contriving the makeup of these two new tribes as they did with the first four. Grab a tile from the bag, do a schoolyard pick, but only choose a person who has yet to be represented on your new team. Squeeze...
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Yes, this year's Emmy nominations make about as much sense as Desperate Housewives' Betty Applegate mystery. Chris Meloni instead of Hugh Laurie? Allison Janney instead of Edie Falco? Stockard Channing instead of Lauren Graham? Alfre Woodard instead of... anyone? But a funny thing happened after I worked through my anger, frustration and general sense of hopelessness: I took another look at the list and discovered, much to my surprise, that members of the blue-ribbon panel weren't completely stoned when they made their selections. Lost amid all the head-scratchers are some truly worthy nominees. In other words, this year's race is salvageable — provided, of course, that the right people win. Who are these "right people" I speak of? They're listed below, followed by my predictions for who will take home the gold on Aug. 27. Feel free to crib the info for your office pool. Not to boast, but history has proven that I'm usually spot-on about this stuff.OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES Grey...
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Question: Are you at all surprised that John Spencer didn't receive a posthumous Emmy nomination for his work on The West Wing? I thought his death would earn him a nod at least in an honorary sense. But given the condition of the current system, I cannot say that I am completely surprised.
Answer: It is surprising, but really, with this year's nominations, where do you start and where do you end? Truthfully, and with all sincere respect to the terrific and much-lamented John Spencer, this was not Leo's greatest season on the show, and I think the nomination in that category for Alan Alda was more appropriate. A sentimental nomination for an actor taken from us too soon is without doubt the sort of thing you'd expect from a conservative group like the Emmy voters, so it is kind of jarring. But overall, this is one of the more interesting, eclectic categories this year, and just having Gregory Itzin (24's President Logan) in the running is very satisfying. (He's my pick over Alda,
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The Television Critics Assoc. (of which I'm a member) just came out with its 2006 TCA Award nominations and, save for the Battlestar Galactica snub, it's a pretty fraktastic lineup. I'm especially jazzed that after years of checking off Lauren Graham's name, our girl finally made the cut. Ditto Scrubs. With any luck, both will prevail on July 23 when the trophies are handed out. (FYI: If the TCA brass are reading this, I've got dibbs on presenting Lauren with her award if she wins. C'mon, it's a no-brainer.) A list of the major nominees are below. See if you can guess who I'm voting for.INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDYSteve Carell (The Office) Stephen Colbert (The Colbert Report) Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls) Jason Lee (My Name Is Earl) Jon Stewart (The Daily Show) INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMAAlan Alda (The West Wing) James Gandolfini (The Sopranos) Hugh Laurie (House) Kiefer Sutherland (24) Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer) OUTSTANDING NEW PROGRAM OF THE YEAR Big Love (HBO) The Colbert...
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Such a bittersweet victory for Jimmy Smits' Matt Santos on The West Wing Sunday night, winning a nail-biter of a presidential race (it all came down to Nevada, a state in which he couldn't even remember campaigning) in the wake of running mate Leo McGarry's tragic death. Leo's obit made headlines before polls closed in the West, making matters even more tense and emotional. (And can I just say one more time how much I'd love to live in West Wing's wish-fulfillment universe, where candidates take the high road and you can almost believe that voters went for whom they liked most instead of whom they hated least.)
This is a bittersweet moment for The West Wing itself in so many ways. In its final episodes, the show is better than it has been in some time, but relatively few are watching since NBC moved it to Sundays, where the network is pretty much an als
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