July, 2008
July 2nd, 2008, 7:51 p.m. - Dear Emmy Fairy, please be kind this year
Here are my thoughts on the finalists for the Emmys:
BEST DRAMA SERIES
BEST COMEDY SERIES
BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
BEST GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
More when they release the finalists for best actor in a comedy series, best guest actor in a comedy series, and best guest actor and actress in a drama series.
11:10 p.m. - Next week: no shirts for anyone!
June 3rd, 2008, 3:51 p.m. - People I don't really care about
BEST GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Yeah, of all of these ten guys, I've only seen one, Peter Riegert, in the show he's nominated for. And Riegert was good, but Emmy-worthy? I'm not sure. Eh, give it to Danny Glover. I like him.
8:48 p.m. - What a mess
32. Another Thing to Fall (Laura Lippman)
Up next: To the Power of Three (Laura Lippman), which is my last one, and I sure hope it's better than Another Thing to Fall or I'll be ticked
11:19 p.m. - "Paul-free, in van number two!"
The Mole - "Six Down, Five to Go": Wow, the women were really horrible at the game this season. And why does Nicole have to be the last one left? I still think Clay is the Mole, mostly because I've noticed a lot of little things that together add up to something suspicious. I'm still loving Craig, too. I hope he wins. If he's not actually the Mole. Which would also be awesome.
The players other than Craig (and Alex, who didn't complain) bugged me this week with all their complaining about what he tried to have them do in the second task. Do they think he's going to sit there and let them win? No! He's going to use the challenge to his advantage and try to get himself an exemption. Which he did. Because they quit. So...good job, guys. You not only didn't get any money, you got Craig his exemption, and you came off looking like idiots. Not a good day for you all. Rating: 4 lemons
30 Days - "Gun Nation": Eh. Rating: 3 bullets
So You Think You Can Dance - Top 14 perform and two go home: Chelsie and Mark have become one of my favorite couples very quickly. She still doesn't quite have the personality to set her apart from the other girls, but Mark is in a class all by himself. I hope the final six are Chelsie, Mark, Twitch, Kherington, Joshua, and Katee. I could see Twitch, Mark, Joshua, or Katee winning the whole thing.
I'm definitely not disappointed to see Kourtni and Matt go. Matt hung in a lot longer than I thought he would, especially for someone who, when you get down to it, really didn't have the personality, as the judges kept saying. Kourtni never interested me very much, so I was kind of waiting for her to go.
I think it's going to be very interesting when, in just one week, we get down to the top ten and the partnerships dissolve. People who vote for one person in a couple will no longer be voting for that person's partner as well. Some people who have been pulled along with their partners' fan bases will be in a lot of trouble. (Ahem. Jessica.) But we'll also get to see how the top ten work with partners they don't have experience with, and that's always fun. That's where you get to see who's really deserving of winning this competition. Rating: 4 rose petals
Hopkins - Episode 2: Brenda, the woman who got the lung transplant, and her family were AWESOME. I'm glad we got the "one year later" update to show that she's doing all right. I also really liked Dr. Saheed, who not only came across as a smart doctor and a nice guy but had good bedside manner. I could do without Dr. Bethea's personal issues, at least to the extent that they're not connected to his job, because the show is really supposed to be about the doctors at the hospital, and he's the only one we've seen that much of outside his job. But other than that, I'm loving the show. They picked some great people to focus on. Rating: 5 I [heart] My New Lungs T-shirts
12:18 p.m. - Much better!
33. To the Power of Three (Laura Lippman)
Up next: In the Woods (Tana French)
July 7th, 2008, 8:56 p.m. - Into the woods and out of the woods and...yeah, you get the picture
34. In the Woods (Tana French)
Up next: Case Histories (Kate Atkinson)
July 8th, 2008, 9:57 p.m. - I don't know if I'll be recapping it again, but at least I wrote the preview article
July 10th, 2008, 9:22 p.m. - Yeah, see ya, Comfort and Thayne
July 11th, 2008, 5:06 p.m. - My name is Earl
So You Think You Can Dance - Top 12 perform and two go home: 'Bye, Comfort! I'll miss making puns out of your name. Actually, I think I only did that once. If you'd told me five weeks ago that I would want Jessica to stay around over Comfort, I would have laughed, but it's true. Maybe the judges just made me feel sorry for her after they've bashed her repeatedly. And I'm sorry to see Thayne go, but over Will and Twitch? Yeah, that's exactly what should have happened. Rating: 4 secret maps
Hopkins - Episode 3: I've been noticing how great the doctors' and nurses' bedside manners are. I especially loved how happy the nurses were that Earl got his heart transplant; they were cheering for him and hugging his mom and everything. They also seem to be good at explaining what's going to happen to their patients so that they understand it and are less scared. If I had to be in the hospital, Johns Hopkins would probably not be a bad place to be. Rating: 4 hairdressing appointments
Yes, my roundup this week is really short because The Mole wasn't on and I didn't watch 30 Days. But next week I'll add Big Brother (which I'm recapping on Sunday nights) and Project Runway. Yay!
July 12th, 2008, 10:50 p.m. - Shut up, Julia
35. Case Histories (Kate Atkinson)
Up next: One Good Turn (Kate Atkinson)
July 13th, 2008, 1:09 p.m. - Eh, I wasn't really using it anyway
This game is sucking my soul. But that means there's less of it to be sucked when Big Brother starts tonight.
July 14th, 2008, 8:51 a.m. - And so it begins
"First Impressions" - yeah, lame title, but there's only so much I can do, people
July 15th, 2008, 8:06 p.m. - Wonderflonium: Do Not Bounce
July 17th, 2008, 5:31 p.m. - I really hope my Mark prediction is wrong...
10:27 p.m. - As Betsy said, someone needs to tell Blayne to stop trying to make "fetch" happen
The Mole - "Seven Down, Four to Go": Alex is gone? Really? That was surprising. He barely gets any screentime. Nice one, editors. I still think Clay is the Mole; some of the others are suspicious at times, but not subtly enough to seem like they're sabotaging things. And if Mark is the Mole, he's kind of bad at it. Rating: 3 bottles of wine
Big Brother - Week 1: Geez, these people are already annoying. Funny how fast that happens. I love how there's always one really, really annoying person who gets targeted for eviction early on (this season it's Renny), but doesn't get voted out for five or six more weeks. Guys, YOU HAVE TO LIVE WITH HER. Remember that. Yeah, Brian was trying to run things and you couldn't trust him, but at least he was quiet. Rating: 3 classic cars
Project Runway - "Let's Start At the Beginning": I don't have that much to say about this, since I'm back to writing my "Unbuttoned" column for RNO, but I'm excited to see the kinds of challenges the designers will have this season. I already have an idea of who's going to bug me and who I'm going to like, but of course, that will probably change. So far I think Kelli, Daniel, and Jennifer are the standouts in terms of talent. I hope that doesn't change. Rating: 4 plastic cups
So You Think You Can Dance - Top ten perform and two go home: I'm kind of sad to see Kherington go, even though I never really got a read on her personality. I think she just had a bad week and it happened to come when her partner couldn't save her. I will say that I'm not that sad to see Gev go. He's a great dancer, but I never really got that interested in him. I like Mark a lot more, so I was relieved that he got to stick around. I can't wait to see who gets paired up next week. I'd love to see Katee with Mark, Chelsie with Joshua, Comfort with Will, and Courtney with Twitch. (No, I don't know why. Just humor me. The other choices are Katee with Twitch, Chelsie with Will or Twitch, Comfort with Joshua or Mark, and Courtney with Will or Mark, by the way.) Rating: 4 hair extensions that made Kherington almost unrecognizable
11:10 p.m. - Seriously, be quiet, Blayne
July 19th, 2008, 8:42 p.m. - More like one good twist. Actually, many good twists
36. One Good Turn (Kate Atkinson)
Up next: The Likeness (Tana French)
July 20th, 2008, 10:23 p.m. - Not to be confused with Joanie Loves Chachi
July 23rd, 2008, 11:13 p.m. - Yeah, I really, really couldn't resist
"Oh, Katee, You're So Fine, You're So Fine You Blow My Mind"
July 25th, 2008, 6:37 p.m. - Much better, right?
8:56 p.m. - "Omarosa." Heh
The Mole - "Eight Down, Three to Go": Well, shoot. I was so sure Clay was the Mole! Now I have no idea who it is. Maybe Paul? You never know. Least likely suspect and all that. Or it could be Mark. I don't think it's Craig. I actually think his girlfriend was right - he'll either win or be the Mole. And since I don't think he's the Mole, I think he might win.
Nicole? SHUT UP. The guys don't dislike you because you're a woman or because you're African-American, and let alone because you're an African-American woman. They dislike you because you're FREAKING ANNOYING. I hope you see how annoying you are on TV and undergo a personality makeover. I don't know how people put up with you.
I hate it when people play the race card when race has nothing to do with the situation. I actually hoped Nicole would quit so RNO could put her in the Reality TV Hall of Shame and laugh at her for a few days. Though at least I got a good laugh out of her mom calling her Omarosa. Rating: 4 big green squares (or grande verde squares, as Mark would say)
Big Brother - Week 2: Angie and Dan are both growing on me, but everyone else is pretty annoying. Which means Dan and Angie will be the next two out. Also, can someone make Jessie shut up, please? Rating: 3 license plates
Project Runway - "Grass is Always Greener": Wesley was cute, but I liked Leanne more, so I was glad she was spared over him. We seem to be off to a bit of a slow start this season; I'm not reading a lot of the designers' personalities yet (other than Suede, of course). That makes it harder to care about who stays and who goes. Though it also makes me base my opinions on talent rather than personality, which is really how it should be. I mean, Suede bugs me a lot, but I loved his dress this week. That should happen more often. Put me in my place, Suede! Rating: 3 too many pieces of fabric Leanne put on her dress
So You Think You Can Dance - Top eight perform and two go home: I was really pleased with the results this week. It's not secret that I thought Comfort overstayed her welcome and that I never really liked Will that much, so I was fine with seeing them go. The top six is made up of incredible dancers, and any one of them is deserving of the win. (Though I hope it's Joshua.) I liked almost all of the performances on Wednesday, which rarely happens. Katee and Twitch's contemporary routine is one of my favorite performances ever shown on the show. I can't stop watching it. I hope we get to see it again in the finale. Rating: 5 doorframes
July 27th, 2008, 8:59 p.m. - Dead ringer (har har har)
37. The Likeness (Tana French)
Not only is the premise of the book intriguing, but the execution is excellent. French has gotten terrific reviews for this book, and they're all deserved. Just when you're getting comfortable, French throws in a twist to shake things up. And I liked Rob, the protagonist of In the Woods, but I liked Cassie even better. I'm guessing her boyfriend Sam will be the next to get his own book.
Up next: What Was Lost (Catherine O'Flynn)
July 28th, 2008, 5:22 p.m. - Anybody want a peanut?
"My Name is Keesha. You Evicted My Steven. Prepare to Die."
9:53 p.m. - Funny how Blayne wants the one-liners when Jerell is actually producing them
July 31st, 2008, 8:51 p.m. - Koshua reunited!
"Reunited and It Feels So Good"
11:48 p.m. - Awww, Chelsie and Mark went out at the same time
Boston Legal - I literally know one person who watches this. And I'm pretty sure she likes Lost better.
Damages - I spent last weekend watching the whole first season. It should tell you something that I planned to watch the first couple of episodes on Saturday, then save the rest for later. Instead, I watched all 13 over two days. That's a good show.
Dexter - No opinion.
Friday Night Lights - No opinion.
Grey's Anatomy - Eh...it was definitely better this season than last, but still not outstanding.
House - House felt uneven to me this season. It's a great show, but all the little problems kind of add up to something bigger.
Lost - This season was their best since the first season. This should be a serious contender.
Mad Men - No opinion.
The Tudors - No opinion.
The Wire - I'm kind of stuck back at the second season, so I'll have to abstain. Still, it's the show's last year, so it should probably finally get some recognition.
WHICH SHOULD WIN: Damages, Lost, or The Wire
Curb Your Enthusiasm - No opinion.
Entourage - No opinion.
Family Guy - Really? I mean...really? I watch it every once in a while, but...really?
Flight of the Conchords - No opinion.
The Office - I didn't like this season that much. I love the show, but this season doesn't deserve an Emmy.
Pushing Daisies - Yeah, I think this should get it. I've seen very little of it, but I've read up on it and can't wait to see more.
30 Rock - Also kind of uneven. I can't say it's deserving of a win.
Two and a Half Men - UG, STOP IT ALREADY.
Ugly Betty - No. Too uneven this season. Last season was much better.
Weeds - No opinion.
WHICH SHOULD WIN: Pushing Daisies
Patricia Arquette, Medium - I've only gotten to see two episodes in the past two seasons, and I like her, but...no.
Glenn Close, Damages - YES. YES TO GLENN CLOSE.
Minnie Driver, The Riches - No opinion.
Sally Field, Brothers and Sisters - Didn't she win last year?
Mariska Hargitay, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit - She gets nominated every year, doesn't she? I've never seen the show, but I like her in general, so whatever.
Holly Hunter, Saving Grace - No opinion.
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men - I've always liked her, but I'm sorry, she doesn't stand a chance in this category.
Mary McDonnell, Battlestar Galactica - No opinion, but apparently a lot of people are very happy about this.
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer - No opinion.
Jeanne Tripplehorn, Big Love - No opinion.
WHO SHOULD WIN: Glenn Close
Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment - No opinion.
Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights - Ditto people being happy about this. And I loved Early Edition, so why not?
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad - No opinion.
Patrick Dempsey, Grey's Anatomy - Eh...he's good, but...eh.
Michael C. Hall, Dexter - No opinion.
Jon Hamm, Mad Men - No opinion.
Eddie Izzard, The Riches - No opinion.
Hugh Laurie, House - Why hasn't he won one yet??
Denis Leary, Rescue Me - No opinion.
James Spader, Boston Legal - No opinion. Stop nominating him, people.
WHO SHOULD WIN: Hugh Laurie
Christina Applegate, Samantha Who? - No opinion.
Marcia Cross, Desperate Housewives - Of the few episodes of the show I've seen, I'd say she's one of the best on the show. (But why wasn't Dana Delaney nominated?) She has a very good chance of winning.
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty - I love her, but I'm not sure she's the best in this category.
Tina Fey, 30 Rock - Always funny. Always.
Anna Friel, Pushing Daisies - Maybe next season? She only got nine episodes, after all.
Felicity Huffman, Desperate Housewives - Also good on the show, but not as much of a stand-out as Cross.
Eva Longoria Parker, Desperate Housewives - Ditto.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, New Adventures of Old Christine - No opinion.
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds - No opinion.
Sarah Silverman, The Sarah Silverman Program - Ug, I can't stand her. Please, no, Emmy Fairy.
WHO SHOULD WIN: Marcia Cross or Tina Fey
Jane Alexander, Tell Me You Love Me - No opinion.
Candice Bergen, Boston Legal - Never seen it, but who doesn't love her?
Rose Byrne, Damages - She should get an Emmy just for keeping up the American accent.
Jill Clayburgh, Dirty Sexy Money - No opinion.
Sharon Gless, Burn Notice - No opinion.
Rachel Griffiths, Brothers and Sisters - No opinion.
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men - No opinion.
S. Epatha Merkerson, Law and Order - No opinion.
Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy - She's wonderful, but she didn't have much to do this season. I'm actually surprised she got nominated. You just know Katherine Heigl is freaking out about this.
Dianne Wiest, In Treatment - No opinion.
Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy - Love her to pieces. I really can't choose between her and Byrne. Wilson should win every year.
WHO SHOULD WIN: Rose Byrne or Chandra Wilson
Naveen Andrews, Lost - Awww, I love him. I wish Henry Ian Cusick had been nominated, though.
Bruce Dern, Big Love - No opinion.
Christian Clemenson, Boston Legal - No opinion. He was Balthazar on Buffy, though, so that's pretty cool.
Ted Danson, Damages - Just considering that the two characters of his I'm most familiar with are Sam from Cheers and Frobisher from Damages, and the major difference between the two, and how well he plays both...yes.
Michael Emerson, Lost - Always good. Never disappointing.
Zeljko Ivanek, Damages - He was very good, but I don't know if it was enough to stand up to some of the others in this category.
T.R. Knight, Grey's Anatomy - I'm so glad he's getting recognized. He really is perfect in the role. But once again, there are a lot of heavy hitters in this category, and I'm not sure he can play ball with them.
William Shatner, Boston Legal - STOP NOMINATING HIM.
John Slattery, Mad Men - No opinion.
Blair Underwood, In Treatment - No opinion.
Jake Weber, Medium - He's always been good. Still...no one knows who he is.
WHO SHOULD WIN: Ted Danson, Michael Emerson, or T.R. Knight
Kristin Chenoweth, Pushing Daisies - I haven't seen many episodes, but she's awesome, so yes.
Conchata Ferrell, Two and a Half Men - No opinion.
Jenna Fischer, The Office - Fischer is underrated, but I don't think she's as strong as many of the others in this category.
Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock - Ditto.
Judith Light, Ugly Betty - She's so awesome in this role. Yes all the way.
Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds - No opinion.
Amy Poehler, Saturday Night Live - Wow, very interesting to see her here. She's excellent and completely deserving. I don't know how the voters will feel, though.
Jean Smart, Samantha Who? - No opinion.
Holland Taylor, Two and a Half Men - Never seen the show, but she's awesome in everything.
Vanessa Williams, Ugly Betty - Always awesome.
WHO SHOULD WIN: Kristin Chenoweth or Judith Light
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men - No opinion.
Kevin Dillon, Entourage - No opinion.
Justin Kirk, Weeds - No opinion.
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother - He HAS to win. He completely deserves it.
John Krasinski, The Office - He also deserves it, but NPH deserves it more.
Jack McBrayer, 30 Rock - He's hilarious, but I'm not sure he's really up to the level of the others acting-wise. It's more that he plays a funny character.
Tracy Morgan, 30 Rock - Eh. He's funny, but not as funny as some of the others here.
Jeremy Piven, Entourage - STOP NOMINATION HIM. If he wins over NPH, I will cry.
Fred Willard, Back to You - No opinion.
Rainn Wilson, The Office - Like Krasinski, he's deserving, but I still have to go with NPH.
WHO SHOULD WIN: Jeremy Piven. Ha, just kidding. Of course it's NPH
Polly Bergen, Desperate Housewives - I don't know if she should win, but she should at least get props for "let mama score you some kick-a%$ chronic."
Edie Falco, 30 Rock - She was funnier when she guest-starred on Will and Grace.
Vivica A. Fox, Curb Your Enthusiasm - No opinion.
Kathryn Joosten, Desperate Housewives - Kathryn Joosten should get an Emmy for everything she does.
Annie Potts, Ugly Betty - I...didn't even remember she was on Ugly Betty. That's not a good sign.
Carrie Fisher, 30 Rock - I missed the episode, but from what I've heard, she was great in it.
Shirley Knight, Desperate Housewives - Awww, I like Shirley Knight. Sure, why not?
Jane Lynch, Two and a Half Men - LOVE Jane Lynch. Love her. I've never seen the show, though.
Amy Ryan, The Office - A million times yes. She was so great in that role. I'm so glad she'll be coming back.
Sarah Silverman, Monk - Can't talk. Grinding teeth.
Elaine Stritch, 30 Rock - I don't find Stritch as funny as everyone else does. I don't know why.
WHO SHOULD WIN: Amy Ryan
Keith Carradine, Dexter
Charles Durning, Rescue Me
Danny Glover, Brothers and Sisters
Robert Morse, Mad Men
Peter O'Toole, The Tudors
Oliver Platt, Nip-Tuck
Peter Riegert, Damages
Stanley Tucci, E.R.
Glynn Turman, In Treatment
Robin Williams, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit
If this had been the first Lippman book I'd read, I wouldn't have read the others. Seriously, it was pretty awful. The plot was something out of a bad horror movie, the pacing was terrible, and the ending was ridiculous. I hope Lippman gets her talent back from wherever she left it, because that was a huge disappointment.
Wait, Lippman wrote both this and Another Thing to Fall? I don't believe that. Maybe a demon took over her body and wrote Another Thing to Fall using her name, because it seems like a fluke. To the Power of Three is practically the perfect mystery - paced wonderfully, with nicely drawn characters and information given slowly instead of all at once at the end (which I've mentioned previously is my ideal). So maybe I'll pretend Another Thing to Fall never happened. At least I read To the Power of Three last, so my memories of Lippman's books are happy ones.
I guess I'm in a mystery phase. French is a great writer with a nice attention to detail. One of the writers quoted on the back of the book says, "I found myself wondering what [the characters] were doing while I wasn't reading it." That's pretty much on point. French's characters are extremely vivid and made me want to read more. I'm excited that the book's sequel, The Likeness, features two of the characters from In the Woods and is coming out next week.
A lot of people have raved over Case Histories, and while I liked it, I'm not that enthusiastic about it. Maybe because I found Julia and Amelia boring (and Julia was especially annoying). I did like Jackson, though, and I'm happy he's in two other Atkinson books, One Good Turn, which I plan to read next, and When Will There Be Good News?, which comes out in September. Too bad Julia's in One Good Turn. Ug, seriously, she's so annoying.
This is the one everyone should have been raving over instead of Case Histories. It has a mystery that begins with an instance of road rage, a mysterious agency employing housecleaners (and possibly hookers), an "incident" in Russia, a new potential love interest for Jackson, and a handful of characters who don't seem to be connected but then are. It's really well written, nicely plotted, and keeps the twists coming until literally the last place. I like how Atkinson drops little clues that make you know that something is going to come of them but doesn't tell you what until later. Even with Julia there (and it sounds like she won't be back for the next Jackson book, When Will There Be Good News?), it was a great read.
Cassie Maddox, a supporting character in In the Woods, gets her own novel this time around. Her boyfriend, a murder detective, comes across the body of a woman who looks exactly like Cassie and is using an alias Cassie used to use as an undercover officer. The police decide to send Cassie in as Lexie, the dead girl, to live with Lexie's housemates and try to determine who might have killed her.