The 67th Golden Globes Awards air tonight on NBC! I’m not a person that puts a lot of stock in awards shows but I do love me an awards show gathering. It’s chips and dip time y’all! Oh and the fact that Ricky Gervais is hosting makes this must watch television.
As I sit here this morning looking at the list of Golden Globes nominees, I’m realizing I don’t have much of an opinion when it comes to the film categories. Apparently I spend too much time watching films that grace the festival circuit and not the multiplex.
Does that mean I don’t have an opinion? Hardly, I always have an opinion!
Here’s how I’d like to see the Golden Globes shakedown when they air tonight (my picks are in bold). I’m not saying this is what I think will win, but in my heart what I wish would take home the golden sparkly thing. Let’s start with TV!
Best Television Series: Drama
“Mad Men”
“True Blood” “Dexter”
“Big Love”
“House” I really wanted to say TRUE BLOOD but some of that Maryann shit got cuckoo bananas and derailed the show at times. MAD MEN is always fucking crazy good but this season took some time to completely hook me. DEXTER on the other hand had possibly its best season to date. So gooooooooood!
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series: Drama
Jon Hamm, “Mad Men”
Hugh Laurie, “House” Michael C. Hall, “Dexter”
Simon Baker, “The Mentalist”
Bill Paxton, “Big Love” No contest in my opinion… Michael C. Hall should win. He played the charming, dutiful husband and father with LEAVE IT TO BEAVER grace but he also played a manic, hell bent, jealous and at times loose canon Dex this season. Scary good.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series: Drama
Anna Paquin, “True Blood”
Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer” Julianna Margulies, “The Good Wife”
Glenn Close, “Damages”
January Jones, “Mad Men” While I thought January Jones did a killer job this season, she’s no Glenn Close. But I didn’t pick Glenn Close because I’m ready for a newbie this year. I’m going with Julianna Margulies because her controlled yet crazy empowering portrayal of Alicia Florrick is mesmerizing to watch.
Best Television Series: Comedy
“30 Rock”
“The Office”
“Glee” “Modern Family”
“Entourage” Surely most of you thought I’d pick GLEE for this category. While I think it has a better chance at winning (I mean its hands down the most original series of the year), I’m still going with MODERN FAMILY! Family continues to be a smart, witty, laugh out loud dark family comedy that hits your heart from week to week. Best Series in any category… Period!
The rest of my Golden Globes TV and Film predictions are after the jump… (more…)
We hope everyone got some great TV goodies over the holidays because we sure did. Kath and I talk about what TV Boyfriends were under their trees, what TV presents they got and even fill you in on some of the things keeping them apart for the last 6 weeks.
There’s news to be had, Christmas CHUCK to rehash, the demise of PUSHING DAISIES to cry about, PRIVILEGED to complain about, GOSSIP GIRL to gossip about and did I mention that we’ve both seen the first two hours of LOST Season 5! Sorry, had to throw that in just be to bitchy…
You asked what we thought of all the new and returning shows that will fill our winter and spring with good cheer and discontent and we’ve answered.
We’ve got screeners galore to chit-chat about… DAMAGES, THE CLOSER, UNITED STATES OF TARA, TRUST ME, 24 and more. We even touch on some shows that don’t have air dates like CUPID and BETTER OFF TED.
I’ve been watching television in spurts lately and not in any form of timely fashion. Until this past weekend, I still had yet to watch any of MAD MEN and was behind on all episodes of THE CLOSER except for the premiere. SWINGTOWN had me two eps behind but I’m happy to say that I’m close to caught up.
Last night’s episode of THE CLOSER was hilarious and Jennifer Coolidge as a deludinoid hiring Provenza to kill her husband was inspirational. I was talking with my friend Lil Jenn on Sunday about how incredible this season of The Closer has been and we can’t really pinpoint why. The murders of the week have been really strong and compelling and they’re really living up to what creator James Duff alluded to… POWER.
Whether it’s Brenda trying to hold power over Fritz and the FBI to close her case or whether Priority Homicide is battling Ramos from the LA Times or whether a cocksure Jock is raping ugly girls, the season has been incredibly spot on. I’m loving it now just as much as I always have and that says a lot about a show in it’s 4th season. Go Brenda Leigh Johnson and Co.!
MAD MEN is back and I’m still not completely caught up but I have officially seen (and loved) the first two episodes. I just ended the episode with Pete’s Dad going down in Flight 1 which was an incredible episode about emotions and how everyone on the show conceals their true feeling and studies how people cope with any situation.
I’m blown away by the control Peggy has and the denial she lives with in Season 2. She’s so focused on what she wants from her job that she can completely disconnect herself from that bastard child her sister is now raising for her. It’s scary and I love it. Pete trying to deal with how to move on out of the shadow of his Father is fascinating as well. The lack of emotion is frightening but perfect for who Pete Campbell is at his core. PS – that’s one frakked family.
The Draper’s are wigging me out a little too. I’m digging how they’re focusing on the family a little more this season instead of Don’s affair with Midge or the Menkens dollface because it’s unrealistic to think he could spend that little time at home and not have Betty pull that shotgun out.
Joan is Joan and she’s fantastic. Sure she’s a little racist and classist but dammit she’s Joan through and through. I love how they keep alluding to her Doctor boyfriend and how everyone either hates the thought of him or doesn’t believe he even exists. I’m kinda over the Joan/Sterling relationship so I’m glad she sorta taunts him.
What about Salvatore’s wife being Sarah Drew from Everwood? So far it’s a waste of a great talent but I’m hoping that means she’ll factor into the storyline at some point. I mean obviously the beard has to get a scene or two. I’m just anticipating that moment.
*Now remember, I’m one episode behind so shut it shida on the spoilers.
“Give it up, give it up…” Oh how I heart the Liz Phair theme song to SWINGTOWN. I have to tell you right here and now that watching the show makes me sad. It’s not because the show is overly dramatic and draining, it’s because every episode gets better and better but the threat of cancellation gets greater and greater.
Ratings are tanking for Swingtown and I can’t comprehend it. Sure the first two episodes were all over the place and a little too kitschy but once the show hit its stride it’s been banoodles of greatness and the thought of losing this show pains me.
The acting is superb, the storylines are not only profound but compelling. The tone of the show has shifted from almost farcical to almost painful in the honesty they’re getting at with these characters. Laurie’s relationship with hot teach Doug Stephens is somehow romantic instead of creepy and I love that we accepted the relationship in almost the same way Susan did. Susan and Roger’s dangerously close friendship scares me because I know it will mean the end of Susan and Janet’s relationship (for the time being).
We’re heading toward a major divorce between Susan and Bruce which is fine by me because he’s kind of a douche lately. The Dekker’s have become surprisingly wonderful people. I think the honesty between their characters have really allowed for some of the most critical betrayals on the show (both within their own marriage and between the others) and they remain the catalyst for change in that freaky suburb of theirs. Even the teen boys are compelling.
Does anyone else see a little gay vibe from Janet’s son? I mean, the kid is a little too possessive of B.J. and jealous of his relationship with next door neighbor Sam. I’m just saying.
If this show dies this summer, I’ll be profoundly sad. There’s no harm in leaving it as a 13 episode run every summer so CBS needs to make it happen. Save Swingtown Now!
We know that the Emmy’s are still two months away but now that the nominations ahve been revealed we thought we’d give you our opinions on the 60th Annual Emmy Award Nominations.
We cover all of the main categories and gush over our boy Lee Pace, not to mention the validity of nominees and what it takes to be an Emmy winner. Sit back, have a Red Bull and settle in because we’re talking for almost an hour.
Tonight my summer viewing schedule officially kicks into overdrive. Not only are summer staples So You Think You Can Dance and Big Brother 10 burning up my screen, it’s the premiere of Project Runway 5!
This is the first time all summer that I’m starting to feel overburndened by the amount of television programmed. I love that summer has become yet another bonafide season but I hate that every show I’m interested in seems to be jam packed onto the same nights. I’m not saying I have a solution or that programming on Friday or Saturday nights in the summer would be any better than what we’re presented with but damn, it makes me anxious to think about the number of shows I need to keep track of.
To give you a rundown, here are the shows I’m interested in and their nights. It’s banoodles I tell you, banoodles!
Mondays: The Closer, The Middleman, Weeds, Secret Diary of a Call Girl (though I’m totes behind) Tuesdays:Wipeout, Big Brother 10 Wednesdays:So You Think You Can Dance, Big Brother 10, Project Runway, Shear Genius Thursdays:So You Think You Can Dance, Swingtown, Burn Notice, Fear Itself Fridays:Doctor Who, Psych Saturdays: Nothing Sundays:Generation Kill, Mad Men, Design Star, Next Food Network Star
Surely I’m missing some shows and obviously you can tell I’ve already left some in the dust. My Boys and Kathy Griffin, sorry I’ll catch you in a marathon or on DVD, I don’t have the time. In Plain Sight, you just couldn’t hold my attention no matter how hot some of those leads are… sorry! I get brutal with the cuts in the summer and surely more will come. Just give me time, heat makes me a total raving bitch so I’ll leave a show in the dust without hesitation. Fate and Ducky are two fickle bitches!
Season 4 of THE CLOSER started this past Monday with an amazing episode that not only showcased the ensemble but the talents of their guest casting. Jason O’Mara once gave me the interesting tingle of thinking a complete psychopath is hot, just as he did Season 1. Loooooves…
Anyhow, this is supposed to be about another guest talent they’ve lined up for their August 11th episode. According to word I just got from TNT, funny gal Jennifer Coolidge stops by Priority Homicide for a Provenza-centric episode!
In the episode entitled “Dial M for Provenza,” Coolidge plays Angie Serabian, a none-too-bright woman married to the rich owner of a car dealership who winds up ensnared in an undercover sting operation. “Dial M for Provenza” not only provides a great showcase for Coolidge but also for veteran actor G.W. Bailey as Lt. Provenza, whose unfortunate luck once again edges him towards the cusp of forced retirement.
Coolidge is a comic genius and it pains me some of the hideous roles she takes on but we’ll always have her brilliance when she takes on a Christopher Guest role. Fingers crossed that she kicks ass here. I’m dying to see how she and Provenza interact… I’m laughing already!
Holy Frak, I love when shows give a blast from the past and from the video below, it looks like THE CLOSER is going back to a season 1 baddie who had a little obsession with Dept. Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson.
Take a peek at The Closer Season 4:
Oh yes folks, that’s Jason O’Mara reprising his role as Billy Croelick, the psycho from episode 1.12 “Fatal Retraction” — oh this is going to be good!
Hey Bostonians…are you a fan of THE CLOSER? Then join us on Wednesday, July 9th as we get a sneak peek at the Season 4 premiere episode at THE CLOSER Season 4 Boston Premiere Party.
Join Ducky & GMMR and star of THE CLOSER, Tony Denison (Det. Andy Flynn) as we properly kick off season 4 of the hit TNT show with appetizers, a dessert buffet in honor of Brenda Johnson’s sweet tooth, and plenty of prize giveaways.
If you want to attend the invite-only party, here are the details you need to know:
To Enter: Everyone has something to confess. Have you called in sick when you really hit the beach? Do you have a crush on the adorable co-worker in the next cube? Have you ever used a headache as your excuse? Share a confession with us and you might just be able to join us to kick off Season 4 of THE CLOSER. Important! You must be 21+ to attend the event. IDs will be checked at the door.
Event Details: When: Wednesday, July 9th at 7:30pm (GMMR/Ducky readers to meet up a little earlier) Where: Ned Devine’s, Fanueil Hall Who: You, THE CLOSER’s Tony Denison, GMMR & Ducky…and a whole lotta fans of the show
*Please only enter if you can be sure that you can be there on Wednesday night. We want a fun crowd representing Ducky & GMMR, right?
We promised you a SUMMER TV PREVIEW podcast and here it is! Kath and I run through all of the summer premiere dates for the new and returning shows as well as give you our input on our faves and more importantly the ones we would never watch in a million years! It’s great fun…
So You Think You Can Dance, The Closer, Big Brother, My Boys, The Mole, The Next Food Network Star, Design Star, Swingtown, Fear Itself, Army Wives, Ice Road Truckers, America’s Best Dance Crew, Wipeout, Flashpoint, Psych, Monk, Mad Men, The Middleman, Burn Notice and more… there’s no reason to be outside when what’s on TV is this hot!
I was on the subway home and thinking about how much I wanted something sweet when I get home. Not kidding, I get home and see a black box with Brenda Lee Johnson on the back eating cookies. I open said black box to find a dozen assorted cookies courtesy of THE CLOSER!
To celebrate Season 4, TNT has sent out sweets and I love them for doing so. We’re on the same wavelength and they’re anticipating my cravings! I hope that they can read my mind right now: “more episodes like Ruby and more creepy serial killers after BLJ please…”
These cookies are never going to tide me over until the premiere of The Closer in July but they’ve got my attention! I think I’ll try the White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookie first! Yummo.
Hey gang, as a bunch of our favorite TV Shows are only a week or two (or 5 months) away from returning after their WGA Strike imposed hiatus, a handful of TV Bloggers got together to share their favorite characters currently on television.
Below is a list of the Top 25 Characters of Television! Did your favorite make the cut? Share your Top 10 in the comments section below if you like!
1. Kara “Starbuck” Thrace (Battlestar Galactica)
2. Tami Taylor (Friday Night Lights)
3. Barney Stinson (How I Met Your Mother)
4. Benjamin Linus (Lost)
5. Dexter Morgan (Dexter)
6. Coach Eric Taylor (Friday Night Lights)
7. Landry Clarke (Friday Night Lights)
8. Dwight Schrute (The Office)
9. Lily Rush (Cold Case)
10. Omar Little (The Wire)
11. Gaius Baltar (Battlestar Galactica)
12. Olive Snook (Pushing Daisies)
13. Shawn Spencer (Psych)
14. Sheldon Cooper PhD (The Big Bang Theory)
15. Dr. Juliet Burke (Lost)
16. Michael Weston (Burn Notice)
17. Captain Jack Harkness (Torchwood)
18. Dr. Miranda Bailey (Grey’s Anatomy)
19. Chuck Bartowski (Chuck)
20. Brenda Leigh Johnson (The Closer)
21. Emerson Cod (Pushing Daisies)
22. Ned “The Piemaker” (Pushing Daisies)
23. Liz Lemon (30 Rock)
24. Stephanie Lane (My Boys)
25. Stewie Griffin (Family Guy)
Everyone’s sick of end of year lists but how can I not do one on my favorite TV shows of 2007? I always find these lists hard to do because 12 months is a really long time and we watch a LOT of TV. I wish I could prepare enough ahead of time to write up some great “moments” that stand out but let’s be honest… I don’t get paid to do this so that’s not gonna happen.
Regardless, the end of the 2006-2007 season provided lots of thrills and even a few tears. The 2007-2008 season started off so promising but as we all know, many shows just didn’t live up to the hype and the WGA Strike has kind of killed any hope of making this a banner year for television. So what did I choose? Did I pick a previous favorite that ended last May? Did I give a sophmore series about superheroes another nod? Did those Housewives make a showing after being off the list for so many years? Here goes.
Ducky’s Favorite TV of 2007:
30 ROCK I was late jumping on the 30 Rock train but once I gave it a chance late last winter, I instantly fell in love. 30 Rock is the successor to Arrested Development and I actually may love it even more. Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin together are impossibly brilliant and the supporting cast only add to the mayhem and madness. Highlights: Season 1’s “I love NY in springtime” moment, Season 2’s return of Will Arnett, “Me Want Food” and “Gay for Jamie“.
CHUCK Chuck Bartowski, how I love you! The funniest thing about Chuck is that GMMR and I had seen the pilot probably 10 times before we hit Comic-Con where Zac Levi and crew got a superheroes reception from the geek gala. I don’t know that the show has lived up to my expectations but I can’t say that I don’t love watching it every week. There’s an inherent sweetness to this action-comedy that makes me squee. Zachary Levi and Yvonne Strahovski are magnificent together and anytime Adam Baldwin gets to be a smartass, I’m on board. So sad that the WGA Strike put an end to our enjoyment of the Nerd Herd! Highlights: The Pilot, Chuck and Lou, Captain Awesome’s many skin shots, and the return of Bryce Larkin.
DAMAGES Week after week this intense drama built to a shockingly graphic climax and it kept me guessing every step of the way. Glenn Close, Rose Byrne and Ted Danson delivered crazy intense performances for 13 weeks, proving that summer is not for the lazy brainless reality shows any longer. It was great interviewing most of the cast this summer, it really made me realize how brilliant the writing of the show really is. Kudos to FX for sticking with Damages and granting us 2 more seasons. Highlights: The endless time shifting and the seemless togetheness of it all, Glenn Close’s reaction to Ray Fiske blowing his brains out, the closing moments on the dock.
DOCTOR WHO/TORCHWOOD The one-two punch of Doctor Who and Torchwood coupled with my going to Comic-Con made 2007 my geekiest year to date. Season 3 of Doctor Who was probably the best of the new series. While I loved and miss Rose, Martha was a great companion. Capt. Jack may have ended up on Who at the end of Season 3 but more importantly he kicked some demon ass all season on his own show, Torchwood. Harkness, Gwen, Ianto, Owen, and Tosh made their show so much more than a spin-off. Torchwood delivered thrills, chills, and tears and I cannot wait for it’s return early in 2008. Highlights:Who’s Donna the Runaway Bride, “Human Nature” and the scary intense weeping angels of “Blink”. Torchwood’s gayness, “Random Shoes” with Eugene, Billis the scariest wrinkled creepy since the Preacher Kane from Poltergeist.
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS The Dillon Panthers won State, the audience won another season and all seemed great down there in Texas. Then poor Tyra and Landry had to dump a body in a river leading to the most interesting coupling the show could ever have concocted. Some balked at the stunt plotline but I welcomed it once I saw how unbelievable both Adrianne Palicki and Jessie Plemons would make their roles. The Taylors continued to bring one of the most realistic and beautiful families to television not to mention Connie Britton’s acting her ass off. Highlights: Winning State, Plemons acting, Santiago’s first moment in the game during “The Confession”… breathtaking.
LOST Say what you will about Season 3 of LOST but the addition of Juliet and the jump forward solidified the show as greatness in my book. While it took a bit to flesh out Ben’s backstory, Juliet’s arrival on the island, Mr. Friendly’s allegiance, and the involvement of the Whidmore’s it was all worth the wait. We got some great answers this season, some scary twists and turns, some great revelations, some wonderful death’s, and HELLO, the chaos surrounding who’s coming to the island in Season 4? Matthew Fox continued to bring anxiety and sadness to the role of Jack and it’s a damn shame he wasn’t nominated for something this year. I’m psyched for it’s return on January 31st! Highlights: The story of how Juliet came to the island, the death of Charlie, the flash-forward, and Patch!
MAD MEN Seriously, do I even need to explain why Mad Men is on the list? The acting, the writing, the art direction, the costuming, the genius? Another summer sleeper that rocked my socks! Highlights: Jon Hamm as Don Draper, any scene with Joan, the sadness of the era, Don Draper’s carousel pitch.
PUSHING DAISIES The facts are these: Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Kristin Chenoweth and Chi McBride are my favorite finds of 2007. Bryan Fuller created a vivid, magical world I didn’t realize was missing from making my life complete until it slapped me in the face. My favorite pilot of 2007 led to stalking Fuller and Co. at Comic-Con, creating a fansite called ThePieMaker.com, and landed me on the Red Carpet interviewing these great talents. What a summer and fall leading up to the premiere of Pushing Daisies. This show makes me beyond happy and I cannot wait for its return in 2008. Highlights: The pilot, Ellen Greene, the musical numbers, Ned & Chuck, Bryan Fuller and Lee Pace recognizing me on the red carpet with hugs all around. Swoon…
SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE I have to include SYTYCD because seriously could there have been a bigger obsession all summer long? Sure I loved Damages and Mad Men but sweet lord did it not compare to my lunacy over Neil Haskell and the rest of the dancers on SYTYCD. Highlights: Neil and Sabra’s boardroom brawl, Cat Deeley’s flawless hosting, Mary Murphy’s continued screaming, Wade Robson’s increased involvement, Debbi Allen and Shankman, backstage on tour.
SUPERNATURAL Love those Winchester’s. In a year that saw Sammy go real dark, the demise of YED, and a soul searching Dean, how can I not love Supernatural? The end of Season 2 was a wild wild ride but the beginning of Season 3 proved that this show is not and will not be stereotyped. Broadening the horizons of the demon world has suited the show nicely. Sure the addition of Ruby and Bela has been problematic for some but I can overlook that because the suspense and the gore has increased! Highlights:Visiting the set last May, blood and more blood, Supernatural:Origins comics, the return of Gordon.
The rest of the best:Battlestar Galactica, Big Bang Theory, Brothers & Sisters, Gossip Girl, How I Met Your Mother, Project Runway, Psych, The Closer, The Office, Top Chef and the end of Veronica Mars.
Should be on the list but isn’t for one reason or another: Dexter (never finished Season 2 because we got rid of Showtime but I’m dying to see the rest), Bones (just got addicted so I felt it couldn’t be added just yet – though let it be known that I’m obsessed), Dirty Sexy Money (something just isn’t right just yet, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love it).
Have a safe and Happy New Year! Looking forward to a wonderful and hopefully television filled 2008.
These guys might be on strike but that’s not stopping the WGA from nominating the best in their field this year! Here are the Writers Guild of America Awards Nominees.
DRAMATIC SERIES
DEXTER, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, MAD MEN, THE SOPRANOS, THE WIRE
COMEDY SERIES
CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, ENTOURAGE, FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS, THE OFFICE, 30 ROCK,
NEW SERIES
DAMAGES, FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS, MAD MEN, PUSHING DAISIES, THE SARAH SILVERMAN PROGRAM
EPISODIC DRAMA
Final Grades (The Wire), The Second Coming (The Sopranos), The Round File (The Closer), Flashes Before Your Eyes (Lost), The Hobo Code (Mad Men), The Dark Defender (Dexter)
EPISODIC COMEDY
Pie-Lette (Pushing Daisies), The Job (The Office), Negotiation (30 Rock), Local Ad (The Office), Phyllis’s Wedding (The Office), Sally Returns (Flight of the Conchords)
LONG FORM – ORIGINAL
Pandemic, The Lost Room
LONG FORM – ADAPTATION
The Company: A Story of the CIA, Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee, The Starter Wife
ANIMATION
The Haw-Hawed Couple (The Simpsons), The Homer of Seville (The Simpsons), Kill Gil Volumes 1&2 (The Simpsons), Stop or My Dog Will Shoot! (The Simpsons), The Passion of the Dauterive (King of the Hill), Lucky’s Wedding Suit (King of the Hill)
COMEDY/VARIETY
THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART, THE COLBERT REPORT, LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O’BRIEN, PENN & TELLER: BULLSHIT!, REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
I’ve received a couple emails already because I have yet to write about last week’s Part 1 of THE CLOSER Season Finale. The reason I have yet to write about the 2 part finale is that I’ve not yet seen it… either part.
Last night I had every intention of watching the final 3 episodes of the season but I only made it through the episode prior to Part 1 of the Finale. I will post as soon as I watch the 2 Part Finale, I promise. Hoping to make some headway tonight.
Without spoiling me or anyone else, was it awesome?
So I get home from work and settle in, turn on the tv and discover that NOTHING RECORDED while I was away. Nothing, not Big Brother 8 on Sunday, not The 4400, not The Closer on Monday, not Damages on Tuesday, not Big Brother 8 on Tuesday, and ready for this… not SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE from last frakkin’ night! Color me pissed. WTF!
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