Sunday, September 23, 2012

EMMYS! STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS WHILE WATCHING...


Opening gambit of the Emmys—loved Lena Dunham from Girls naked and noshing, but found the Mindy Kaling (sp?) inclusion a bit “pandery.” :D...but bueno handoff from Ellen!

(Did you, my students, catch the Farnsworth reference? think of the Honey Boo Boo connection when we discuss Newton Minow this week...)

So Major wins (and I in no way represent the Department’s view here):

Nice to see a totally solid category with supporting noms, men here...happy to see Eric Stonestreet win. And for supporting actress...ok, but Mayim Bialik got a smidge robbed. 

AWESOME! Louis CK for writing comedy—yes!

(my husband wants to know: real press we're seeing offstage taking pics, or staged for production value...?)

(OK--definitely NOT happy with Kathy Bates winning best guest actress comedy...should have been anyone but her. Man is Matthew Perry looking old, or what? --i.e., looking my age. :D)

anyone who can reference The Graduate in an intro bid deserves a directing comedy emmy--you go, Steven Levitan. close second for the Modern Family Lily bit and the Chik-Fil-A nod...

comedy leads: industry likes to reward an underdog~ Ducky finally gets the Big One.  Wouldn't say deserved, but gotta love the 'ha" to Charlie Sheen. Come on--Julia Louis-Dreyfus?  Sorry--should have gone to Poehler.  Bleck. Except that the "speech switch" kind of made me pee my pants. The women always do something classic.

(ok--best way to do Ernst and Young to-date...and best tech flub of the nite from McFarlane...How much does Tom Bergeron get paid, I wonder?)

Drama drama--so much good drama!   supporting: nice for Aaron Paul cause it's pretty much a lead role...(and presenter Claire Danes, pregnant or not--pretty sure you're gonna get eaten up by Fashion Police). Blah Maggie Smith--belonged to Christina Hendricks.

OMG--how long will Tracey Morgan stay there Ernie Kovacs Whom Dunnit style?!

Homeland pilot, yes--pure genius writing. Have no complaints per guests in a drama winners, esp. Martha Plimpton in the Good Wife.

(There's a new Bond movie?!) (Bah--Nashville is what I'm jones-ing to see, after Revenge.)

(why are they playing music from Grease during the drama section of the show?)
(am laffing in 1000 different wrong ways for the fake In Memoriam--distastetful genius?)

surprised--not displeased--by Damian Lewis; thought Hamm might finally win as Lewis's role was more supporting than lead. Elizabeth Moss' best year but it needs to be Danes.  IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED HOMELAND, YOU MUST--RIGHT UP THERE WITH MAD MEN AND GOOD WIFE. (if you want a funny Claire Danes story pre her getting married, ask me in class...)

Nice--Louis CK at the Beacon!!  Pay attention folks...his use of the internet really got him rolling in the mainstream...(cannot stop laffing at Gervais per Louis CK...and nice roll in the aisle with Fallon, Stewart and Colbert--and god bless the first bleep of the nite coming from John Stewart)

(nice follow-through on Ellen giving her pants to Jimmy Kimmel)

(ok--sorry--zoning out some during miniseries...)

(getting to feel old here--so many gone from the 60s and 70s of TV, boys and girls--you'll be learning about many of them in the weeks to come...)

(OMG--Jonathan from Buffy and Doyle from Gilmore Girls won an emmy for best mini-series :D From extra cut from the unaired pilot of Buffy to emmy-winner...)

OK...the emmys have now totally lost steam in the miniseries category; no disrespect, but come on already!

ok--gotta be Homeland...Totally deserved. I would give it to Parks and Rec, which was shamefully un-nominated, but it must be Modern Family out of this bunch.

and good nite!  Mostly a yawnfest as awards shows go...But bodes for another good year of TV content-wise! 
















Wednesday, September 12, 2012

So we're almost in week 3 in TV Columbia College Land...

and things probably feel crazed already.  So let's have some highlights of Life in TV to lighten things up!

If you've read the last post you know I'm an experimental foodie.  Try Beaver's Donut truck--they're in the South Loop every Wednesday 7-11am and have fresh, hot, killer mini-donuts that can get you through at least your first class. Tell them you're Columbia TV and that I sent you and encourage them to therefore give me extra donuts! (I had chocolate sauce with sprinkles today and nutella with strawberry jam is next on my agenda...)  http://beaversdonuts.com/

Now on to other things of import...

If you're in TV and not involved yet with the student organization, find out about TVAS! Contact Christy LeMaster to get involved (clemaster@colum.edu); not only is she lovely as our Student Activities Coordinator, she brings in cool guests with real world experience to give you advice in a demanding media market. This group does a lot for the department and their meetings have started this week--and I can tell you they get a lot of "preference" for gigs that get them exposure to professionals, material for reels, etc.

But now to TV proper.  I'd love to hear your 2 cents.  I so was underwhelmed with The Mindy Project---might be my age and generation, but I found her way too whiny and boy-obsessed for my liking.  I love Mindy K--but actually felt she was the weak link in the pilot.

Liked the Matthew Perry "Go On" pilot--but omg did the 2nd ep not do it for me!  Bit of a mess...too bad, given the stellar cast.

DO check out The New Normal--NBC has done something nice here based on 2 episodes so far.  Funny, warm--Modern Family-ish but (and I love MF, but...) with less upper-middle-class issues and more down-to-earth "there are other classes of folks" sensibility--which is why I like and recommend The Middle. With NN, courtesy of Ellen Barkin, Ryan Murphy is offering some  ribald Arrested Dev.-like absurdity--and a Mary Cherry cameo for fans of Popular...

Still have to watch Revolution On Demand--looks promising, but then look what happened with "The Event..." Am definitely looking more forward to Revenge's return... (follow the deliciously spilling tidbits of "Nolan" (aka Gabriel Mann) on twitter @Gabriel_Mann)

And if you haven't heard of BunHeads and plan on doing anything at all with teen/dramedy/anything Gilmore Girls like--please find this show!  Sutton Foster and Kelly Bishop together are a wonder.

Now must go schedule in a Parenthood viewing (I am a parent, after all--and I love me my Lauren Graham, Peter Krause, Jason Ritter--shout out to Joan of Arcadia fans!--, and now Ray Romano...)

Bonus for anyone reading the blog: send my your emmy picks...Whoever picks the most winners   (must send me your picks at sross@colum.edu by 9/23 5pm) gets lunch with the Acting Chair at Flacos Tacos in October... (alums included...)

S

ps--the Portfolio Center has Turner Broadcasting coming in early October--look for more and flyers and such soon as we get the deets