Stockard Channing, Out of Practice
Question: What's with the diss of Stockard Channing? She was brilliant on Out of Practice. I'd rank her comic timing right up there with the comedy legends. Can you seriously see Lauren Graham playing the role so well? I can't. Comedy requires a particular ability and talent that dramatic and "light" comedic actresses can't do. Face it. Graham belongs in drama, not comedy. Channing is right where she belongs.
Answer: I've got no beef with Stockard Channing, generally. She's a class act and is especially adept at the highly theatrical and sardonic sort of clowning she was called upon to do on the short-lived Practice. Even so, in my opinion (and clearly fans of this show will disagree), she has done much better work elsewhere — as is the case with everyone on that show, from her costars to the writers. I may have missed an episode or two that showcased her best work on this so-so series, but my impression was that she was pushing it a bit, forcing the sometimes cringe-inducing material.
...
read more
Hugh Laurie, House
A new and improved selection process for the 2006 Emmy Awards was supposed to pump some new blood into the nominees.
Instead, we got more kudos for The West Wing, Will & Grace and Six Feet Under. There were some inexplicable snubs as well — what's House (nominated for outstanding drama series) without Hugh Laurie (the most glaring omission from the acting categories)?
But if the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences is serious about getting some new faces on
read more
Question: Wow. What a disaster. Way too much Will & Grace and The West Wing (and I am a big fan of The West Wing). No Lost? No Battlestar Galactica? But to me the big kicker is the lack of Jason Lee and Ethan Suplee. Did no one watch My Name Is Earl? I'm happy for Jaime Pressly, but Lee and Suplee are the reasons that show should have been nominated for best comedy.
Answer: The omission of Earl and its hilarious male stars was one of the bigger and unhappier shocks to me as well. I thought it was a shoo-in ...
read more
Hugh Laurie, House
Question: Six of one, half dozen of the other, huh? So much for the "improved" Emmy nomination process. It seems that just as many glaring omissions were made this time around as before, just different ones. Now, rather than the overlooked performers from small shows getting shafted, the respected stars from equally respected shows got the pie in the face. How any panel of humans viewing televised programming could find five more deserving fellow Homo sapiens than Hugh Laurie in the best-lead-actor category boggles the mind. Yes, Denis Leary, Gregory Itzin and Jean Smart got welcome nods, but the rest? Sheesh! No James Gandolfini or Edie Falco, but Martin Sheen and Geena Davis? No Jason Bateman or Lauren Graham, but Kevin James and Sto
read more
Question: David's question predicting the best drama series Emmy mentioned Six Feet Under being out of the running. I thought that since Season 5 aired in the summer of 2005, it would still be eligible for this year. I hear so much about Lisa Kudrow's The Comeback getting nods, even though it aired at roughly the same time. And although it's out of sight/out of mind, SFU should be shown some Emmy love, at least with nominations for "All Alone" (the aftermath of Nate's death) or "Everyone's Waiting" (the series finale).
Answer: Yes, I suppose I should have clarified that. An oversight, or maybe I was in denial, hoping everyone would just forget about the show and let more deserving applicants make the cut (even the last season of West Wing). That wildly overpraised final episode, in which it looked like most of the Fishers would die of boredom in the future, could easily rack up some nominations for the series, if not the cast. I'm thinking The Sopranos and maybe even
read more
Question: I didn't want to be the one to start it, but since Jennifer opened it with the Lauren Graham question, let's talk Emmys. What do you think will be the five nominees for the outstanding-drama-series category? Judging by quality, ratings, buzz and past nominations/wins, 24, Lost and The Sopranos are definitely going to be nominated. Six Feet Under is thankfully out of the fray, and The West Wing faded this season, which opens up two spots. Since it's the Emmys, I have no doubt in my mind that they'll jump on the latest trend and nominate Grey's Anatomy. Do you think House will be able to snag the fifth spot? Considering its ratings prowess and the big push I hear Fox is giving it, I think it has a chance. To me, the show is the second best on TV, next to 24. But I have this sneaking feeling that The West Wing is going to somehow swindle a nomination from at least one deserving s
read more
Jimmy Smits
Fresh off his presidential win on The West Wing, Jimmy Smits lends his voice as narrator to Yo Soy Boricua Pa'que Tu Lo Sepas! (I'm Boricua, Just So You Know!), director Rosie Perez's moving, informative and humorous documentary about Puerto Rican pride and the history of the U.S. commonwealth, premiering tonight at 9 pm/ET on IFC. TV Guide spoke with Smits about hailing his heritage, as well as having to bid adieu to both the W
read more
Question: After looking at CW's plans for programming, I notice there is an hour of reruns of America's Next Top Model. What the heck is that about? I mean, Everwood is an hour, and a rerun is taking a spot? What kind of logic is this? I am not a fan of Veronica Mars, but I was happy for its fan base that it is getting another chance. I would assume Everwood is a stronger-rated show then VM. I am sure you are getting a lot of frustrated folks writing in. Thanks for being the guy who helps heal our pain! (PS: I watched the last episode of West Wing to see how it went out, which doesn't mean I would watch it if it were renewed. So 7 million viewers wanted to make sure the Camdens ended happy and healthy! They will not all be back to watch the show next year.)
Answer: First off, that hour on Sundays was always going to be a rerun of something. Didn't matter what else was being renewed or canceled; that time period just isn't viable for a niche network to program expensive first-run
...
read more
Question: What are your thoughts on the scheduling of the finales for reality shows? I am sick and tired of watching Survivor every year, only to have to miss the finale because they don't schedule it on the regular day it airs. I'm not giving up Desperate Housewives for the Survivor finale. Nor am I willing to give up The Simpsons, which is still a habit of mine even though it has diminished in quality over the years. Even more frustrating is airing The Amazing Race finale opposite Lost. As if it's even an option to miss Lost for a reality show. I don't understand why they need to do these bloated two- to three-hour finales for reality shows. Why can't they just air regular one-hour episodes in the shows' regular time slots? I'm seriously considering giving up on Survivor next season. It might be more worthwhile to catch up on my reading than to devote time watching these people, only to be cheated out of the finale by asinine scheduling. The Amazing Race will already be off my radar ...
read more
Question: I was just wondering what your take on the West Wing finale was. I thought it was really well done. It tied up loose strings, but not tight enough that I wasn't left wondering what will become of the WWers. I will probably always wonder what a Santos presidency would bring! I also loved that Mallory brought Jed the napkin that Leo had kept for all these years. And was that Aaron Sorkin I saw during the inauguration?
Answer: Yes, that was the show's creator, in a wordless cameo among the crowd witnessing the swearing-in. I filed a Dispatch on this and other finales earlier in the week, so keep checking that space for more updates. I felt The West Wing gave us a classy and satisfying, if rather uneventful, final hour. A good close to a surprisingly good final season. And I've been amused at the polarized reaction to NBC's decision to play the show's pilot episode in front of the series finale. Here are two thoughtful views, presented without further comment. (Myself, I was just
...
read more
