William Shatner and James Spader in Boston Legal by Richard Cartwright/ABC
However much some of us tend to wring our hands about it, there’s a reason ABC’s Boston Legal scores those Emmy nominations year after year that often make us wonder what the voters are smoking. Several of those Emmy-bait moments occurred a week ago, in an episode about a right-to-die case involving Shirley Schmidt (Candice Bergen) and her father suffering from Alzheimer dementia, with Alan Shore (James Spader) making his usual impassioned case for his client. What made this argument more affecting than usual was the fact that Alan used his soapbox to contemplate the day when he might eventually be called on to make just such a terrible decision regarding the fate of his best friend, that tragic buffoon Denny Crane (William Shatner.)The speech was an emotional blockbuster, and so was the tender climax as Shirley watched her father slip away. Scenes like this help convince Emmy voters that this show really is something, to paraphrase someone talking about Alan in tonight...
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30 Rock's Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin by Mary Ellen Mathews/NBC Photo
I suppose I could dwell on the fact that a major Hollywood guild has once again ignored the very existence of TV's finest acting ensemble, Friday Night Lights — in favor of the mugging and posturing on Boston Legal. As they'd say on another SAG favorite, Grey's Anatomy: Seriously? Is it wrong to want to form our own picket line?Also: What's up with snubbing Pushing Daisies and its fantastical cast?And yet the Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations, announced Thursday morning, did shower love on my favorite new show of 2007, AMC's Mad Men, and its terrific star, Jon Hamm (who has just joined the cast of the remake of the sci-fi classic The Day the Earth Stood Still, with Keanu Reeves as Klaatu, which sounds appropriately robotic). So while not all may be forgiven, the wound stings a little less.My favorite part of the SAG Awards is the ensemble-cast category. Because let's face it, most great TV shows rely on cast chemistry. Even The Closer, which on face value looks like a vehi...
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OK, first off, how freakin’ hilarious was The Bachelor Monday night? Holy human desperation, I loved it! And Hillary from my hometown made the first cut. Represent, Philly ‘ho!Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk last week’s Emmys. Yes, the in-the-round stage was a hot circular mess and why so many statues went to TV-movies, I’ll never know. It’s not like any of the good Sci Fi Originals get nominated. Hello, Mansquito? So robbed. But Seacrest didn’t totally suck, the opening Family Guy number was inspired and some of the winners were deserving.So if you’re like me and think you suffered a stroke that made the word Gandolfini sound like “Spader,” or ya can’t get your head around anyone from Torque ever winning anything, you might want to grab the champs on DVD. Turns out that the slights are, in fact, slight.Ugly Betty — Much like Betty’s Guadalajara poncho, you could spot America Ferrera’s Outstandin...
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Masi Oka and David Anders in Heroes by Paul Drinkwater/NBC Photo
Already playing catch-up on only the second day of the official TV season. Geez, how will we ever survive Wednesdays and Thursdays? (Pause here for a silent prayer to the powers that protect my DVRs.)Anyway, the biggest news on Monday was how Heroes would bounce back from a first-season finale that disappointed many (I was not among them, but then, my expectations for this uneven show haven’t always been all that high). I was mostly enthralled, once I got over yet another tedious Mohinder speech to kick off the season with more blah-blah about destiny and the plague that threatens to eradicate these evolutionary wonder-heroes as “the fate of humanity itself hangs in the balance.” Seriously, they talk that way all the time on Heroes, and don’t I wish Mohinder would just put a sock in it.But then the story kicks in, and by the end, I’m even in awe of Mohinder, who’s in league with Noah Bennet (formerly HRG) to infiltrate The Company and bring them down. O...
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Question: I realize you are disappointed with the many Emmy nominations for Boston Legal and even more disappointed with James Spader's win. But really, your diatribes against the show are beginning to sound like a vendetta! Why not accept that appreciation for any show is highly subjective? Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it's devoid of value.
Answer: I hope I made the case in the above response that while I am indeed very critical of this show, which comes with the territory of what I do, I also realize that many people take great pleasure in its silliness. (No one could possibly take it very seriously.) If I and others have had a bull's-eye on it lately — believe me, I'm not alone here — it's only because the Emmys put it there by giving it an outrageously undeserved nomination for best drama series. I'm happy to ignore it, though as usual I will revisit the show again this fall, given the latest cast turnovers. I'll watch in hopes of being entertained, but I expect once
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Question: I'm probably one of many writing in about this, but you'll have to suffer through one more. I've seen only a few episodes of Boston Legal, enough to know that I didn't really enjoy the show but can see how people would like the characters. I even respect James Spader's work. He was excellent on The Practice way back when, and I'm assuming he's carried at least some of that over to the spin-off. But really, Emmy-worthy? This is even his second win, isn't it? I just don't understand it. Never mind the fantastic competition (Kyle Chandler and Matthew Fox off the top of my head) that weren't even nominated, but what could the voters have possibly seen to give him the award instead of their last chance to honor James Gandolfini for what will certainly go down as one of the more legendary roles in television history? Is it because the show is on HBO? Is it because it's a fundamentally flawed voting process and most of the voters never even watched Tony Soprano's work the final ...
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Grey’s Anatomy
Question: James Spader? Again? Seriously? What the #%@?!
Answer: What the #%@?! indeed.
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Katherine Heigl and Kevin Dillon by John Shearer/WireImage.com
And some people worried that getting Ryan Seacrest to host this year’s Emmy telecast was going to be the producers’ worst idea. That’s before we got a look at the set, an unwieldy and unappealing theater-in-the-round setup that looked more suitable for the new American Gladiators revival than for an awards show. The nominees, half of whom saw only the backs of the various presenters and performers, had a deer-in-the-headlights look every time Seacrest approached them or the cameras awkwardly cut to them. They appeared to be sitting in penalty boxes, not deluxe auditorium seats.Honestly, though, we poor schnooks at home were the ones suffering the penalty here: as in, confronted with one of the worst Emmy telecasts I can remember. As Emmy years go, I’m actually at peace with the majority of the winners, given who was and wasn’t nominated (and we’ve been over that frustrating ground plenty of times since the July nominations). Learning who won was a lot m...
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James Spader by John Shearer/WireImage.com
It kinda looked cool when first unveiled, but the "theater in the round" approach to this year's Emmy Awards telecast drew decidedly mixed reactions from those who partook in the festivities. "It was very disconcerting... the way they had the theater set up," James Spader (Boston Legal) said after grabbing gold for Lead Actor in a Drama Series. "So many people you wanted to be addressing were behind you. Literally all of my bosses were sitting behind me, and so were the other nominees."Conan O'Brien, after winning for writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program, countered that thought by saying, "It was neat to try it in the round, and [Ryan Seacrest] was right to not do [a previous host's] awards show." Seacrest, however, "is on TV way too much," O'Brien, the show's 2006 emcee, quipped. "It's not good for anyone."Related: Emmy Ratings... Out! Smallest Audience Since 1990
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Tina Fey by John Shearer/WireImage.com
I pity the fool who wagered on a send-off Sopranos landslide in their office Emmy pool. Although the HBO hit walked away with best-drama, writing and directing statuettes, Boston Legal barrister James Spader beat James Gandolfini for best actor, while Brothers & Sisters mom Sally Field won best actress over Edie Falco.On the lighter side, 30 Rock took best comedy, Ugly Betty star America Ferrera won best actress, and Extras mastermind Ricky Gervais was awarded best actor. (OK, Steve Carell actually took that last one, because Gervais wasn't there to collect it himself.)For a complete list of winners, click here. And if you missed a minute of the ceremony, click here, because I didn't, and I'm gonna have the nightmares about Ryan Seacrest dressed up like Jonathan Rhys Meyers to prove it. — Reporting by Ben KatnerRelated: Emmy Ratings... Out! Smallest Audience Since 1990, Backstage with the Winners
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