Whine & Cheese

Emmys '08

Random thoughts from last night's Emmy telecast...

In the past few year's the Grammy's have made me feel like I am out of touch, but for someone who watches a fair amount of television - and some of it "good" - it was a tad surprising that I only had first-hand experience with only 2 of 10 major drama and comedy awards (best show, leading and supporting acting):  Jeremy Piven for  'Entourage' and Dianne Wiest for 'In Treatment' - and interesting that they're both HBO shows.

Speaking of Piven, while I think he is great as Ari on 'Entourage'... but three wins in a row??  Seems a bit of overkill.  I would have loved to have seen either Rainn Wilson or even better Neil Patrick Harris take it this year.  Also, falling under "I love it/but really?!?" The Amazing Race won its 6th consecutive award for best reality series and remains the only show to have won an Emmy in this category.  I'd be willing to throw American Idol or Dancing With The Stars a bone for this one...

Speaking of reality, of course we were well aware that this was the first year that a host of a reality series go to take home an Emmy.  The 5 nominees were the hosts for this year's show -- and while an interesting idea -- I have to agree with pretty much everything I read this morning... painful... particularly the opening.  Though I loved how they announced the winner with the now inevitable "after the break" teaser.  I still question the need for this category... but I thought Jeff Probst was a deserving winner, even though, for me, the show is past its prime.  I was rooting for Tom Bergeron, who is terribly entertaining and embraces the cheese of this genre on Dancing... pretty much anyone other than Seacrest, who has somehow become an industry upon his own and raked in 10s of millions along the way.

Speaking of Probst, he was responsible for a pretty good "search hits" night/morning here at W&C - as dozens upon dozens of folks are looking to see him in some state of undress - which I actually do supply here and here. 

While we came up pretty empty on the drama and comedy awards, we were familiar with many of the winners in the miniseries and TV movie categories - very odd since we rarely watch either of those two things... but we did see the two big winners of the night... and again, both from HBO... John Adams (which we still have to finish!) and Recount. 

No surprise, that I loved the Josh Groban (pictured above) TV theme show medley -- even if it seems to be getting mixed reviews this morning.  Given that his music is so often serious, it was nice to see him loosen up and have some fun... and he pulled off some odd choices (Fresh Prince, South Park).  I guess I would listen to him sing the proverbial phone book, because I would certainly buy an album of him singing all these theme songs!

The whole set set-up leading into the presenters was odd... and occasionally just misleading.  The Desperate Housewives ladies posing like they were on Family Feud was pretty awful and only surpassed by the horrendous teleprompter lines they had to go through when it came around to presenting their award.  And if was I wrong to think there was going to be some kind of M*A*S*H reunion and not two cast members from Grey's Anatomy popping out of the tent ... or later from the same set, Kathy Griffin and Don Rickles, who thankfully mocked the whole presenter shtick.  One of the few "winners" with this gimmick, was Martin Sheen's return to the Oval Office (pictured above ) which again made me wistful for a now dormant faith in the political process..

Likewise, it was fun to see WJM set and the Mary Tyler Moore coming through the swinging doors - but I am not alone this morning in noting that the frail MTM really needs to wear sleeves. 

Instance #56 that I am losing touch with television: I was not even aware of a show called Breaking Bad for which Bryan Cranston won an Emmy for leading actor in a drama series.

I guess I will give 30 Rock yet another try this year.  Other than my previously (oft?)-noted dislike of Alec Baldwin and Tracy Morgan, everything tells me I should love this show... but I have started and stopped watching the show on two different occasions.  I do love Tina Fey... and by far, she had the best speech of the night (pictured above)... and the line of the night (I had immediately rewind and listen to it again):  "I thank my parents for somehow raising me to have confidence that is disproportionate with my looks and abilities.  Well done.  That is what all parents should be."   

And I also loved her hat-tip to  fellow nominee, Julia Louis-Dreyfus... with Fey noting that when she questions her own acting ability, her husband tells her to "just act like Julia Louis-Dreyfus" ... kudos to JLD for coming up with the spontaneous thumbs-up and facial reaction to that (pictured above)!

Express Lane: Issue 53

McCain, Obama put politics aside to mark Sept. 11 - Because nothing says "unpolitical" like showing up at Ground Zero when one is running for President (and my cynicism here is totally bi-partisan). (9/11/08)

Josh Groban Tackles TV Theme Songs - Not that I needed an excuse to watch the Emmys, but if I did a Groban medley including the themes from Friends, The Simpsons, and Brady Bunch would be it. (9/10/08)

Could Clinton have Palin-proofed Dems? - At the risk of sounding sour-grape-ish, I wondered this aloud myself just last night... and always thought HRC would get the blame if Obama (bite my tongue) loses, but this prevent the scapegoating. (9/10/08)

NBC shows return to iTunes after yearlong feud - Hurray!  Seems like a win-win situation for all. (9/9/08)

Fans line up to see "Rent" last time on Broadway - After one extension, the show ends its 12 year run on Sunday.  Looking forward to seeing original cast members Rapp & Pascal when the touring production hits town in March '09. (9/5/08)

Heart tells GOP When They Can Use 'Barracuda' as Sarah Palin's "theme song"... Never! - To quote "The Republican campaign did not ask for permission to use the song, nor would they have been granted that permission." (9/5/08)

'Flight of the Conchords' May Ground Itself - Struggling to come up with songs and narratives, it appears Jermaine and Bret's 2nd season on HBO will likely be their last. (9/3/08)

Ace Young to Join Broadway's Grease - With Danny & Sandy already cast (and re-cast!) from its own 'Grease' reality competition - the show now adds the flowing locks of the former 'Idol' contestant in the role of Kenickie. (8/25/08)

'American Idol' adds fourth judge - Paula gets a female comrade as producer / songwriter, Kara DioGuardi, is set to join the judging panel for the show's 8th season. (8/25/08)

Express Lane: Issue 45

Edie Falco Nurses Showtime Comedy - 'Carm' jumps the HBO ship and morphs into a NYC nurse for a 1/2 hour "dark comedy." (2/21/08)

Apple sings as American Idol sponsor - Starting with the Top 24, iTunes will sell music and video - but to remain 'fair and balanced' they will not release sales figures or rankings... also expect a lot of Apple hawking ala big sponsors Ford, Coca Cola, and AT&T.

Showtime Cultivates 'Weeds' in June - Mary Louise Parker & Co. are back two months earlier than usual... guess we'd better get to finishing last season (which ended in October... whoops!).  (2/13/08)

Return dates for 30  TV shows ... and how many new episodes to expect -- nice to have it all in one place! (2/13/08)

Franklin Slams Beyonce Grammy Intro - Apparently there's room for only one "queen" in music industry and it ain't Tina Turner according to Aretha. (2/12/08)

Grammys '08 Review

Last night, we just got around to watching the last hour or so of Sunday night's Grammy Awards.  As I have hinted around here, I am increasingly becoming out-of-touch with the "popular" music these days... and thus the Grammys seem to become less relevant to me with each passing year. 

But given that this year's show seemed particularly packed with performances and interesting match-ups (lots of duets), I figured I'd give it a watch... here are some thoughts (in no particular order and not including all the performances from the show... but I'm guessing you'll be glad it that it's not all-inclusive by the time you get to end of this post)...

American Idol 4 winner Carrie Underwood was one of the first performers of the night singing her multi-nominated revenge anthem, Before He Cheats.  I always thought Carrie was a bit vanilla, so when this song came out, I was glad to hear her do something with a bit of an edge... plus it gives her a chance to sex it up a bit, which visually she does quite well.  That said, she is not the best live performer and by the time the night was over she seemed like the proverbial babe in the woos... though I don't think this "nice girl" is totally comfortable with the trampy look.

Speaking of trampy, ever since she got engaged to my "other boyfriend" (Josh Duhamel) Fergie seems to have been trying to tone down the skank factor.  I recently saw her on The View and she was quite enjoyable and down-to-earth... and while I was not familiar with the song ("Finally") she sang on the Grammys, it made me think she really does have a voice.  Ok, I knew she could sing... but its hard to respect vocals when the lyrics speak of one's "humps" or being "Fergielicious."  Though when I read of this  Fergie-John Legend duet was it silly of me to think that Legend might sing?!

Allow me to be serious for one minute here...  Aretha Franklin is clearly one of our nation's greatest treasures... so isn't it time for an intervention regarding her weight?!   I really do worry about her (well, "worry" in the sense that she is a celebrity who does not have any impact on my day to day life).

I am confused about whether or not I should be worried about Amy Winehouse.  Despite all the buzz and the real-life drama(s), I am not terribly familiar with her. I am not even sure I had heard her big hit, Rehab, prior to Grammys.  But, based on this performance, I don't "get" her.  I guess there's the whole tortured artist/free-spirit thing... but it was all very strange and even a bit disturbing.

This will likely make me sound like a grumpy old man... but while I have enjoyed some Foo Fighters songs in the past, a lot their stuff just seems like a whole lot of yelling and noise to me... and/or just an excuse for front-man Dave Grohl to get all of his hair in his face and shake it away.

On the other spectrum of being viewed as an old man, I was knocked out by the duet of The Prayer by Josh Groban and Andrea Bocelli.  Goose-bumps throughout and I can kind of understand why people cry at operas over just the sheer beauty of the voices.

The blockbuster duet of the night award seems to have gone to Beyonce and Tina Turner.  I lamented last week about the advanced age of some of my favorite gay-cons... but if Tina is showing them/us what 68 (68!!!!) years old looks like... well, bring it on!!  Most especially, if you can look that good in a tin-foil bustier and capri pants.  But while I certainly think she is both talented and beautiful, I questioned whether Beyonce is really the soul diva heir apparent to the likes of Aretha, Diana Ross, Tina... it certainly seems she is being groomed that way... but I am really not sure...

If anything, I think it is Alicia Keys who is more deserving of that mantle... though the whole songwriter / musician part of her resume might ultimately disqualify her.  While she was a tad burdened with a "duet" with the still very dead Frank Sinatra to open the show... she absolutely killed it with her current hit, No One... later joined by John Mayer (I couldn't help but wonder how many folks were thinking about those pictures of him in that Borat thong that's making the rounds on the Internets).

Express Lane: Issue 37

Chaka Khan, Bebe Winans and LaKisha Jones to Join Broadway's Color Purple - This may be worth a trip back to NYC!  Chaka and Bebe to play Sophia and Harpo with last season's 'Idol' standout "Kiki" as the church soloist who opens the show --  but also subbing for Khan as Sophia for matinée performances. (9/26/07)

Kiefer Sutherland arrested on DUI in LA - The following took place between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. (9/25/07)

Carrie & Co. Kick Off "Sex" Shoot - I'm not the only gay guy who's been salivating over a slew of production pix that have already hit the Web since filming on 'SatC: The Movie' began filming this week on the streets of NY. (9/21/07)

'24' Plans Premiere Date, Shocking Resurrection - SPOILER ALERT:  Do NOT click the link if you don't want to know who is surprisingly still alive tho never got the "silent clock" treatment. The show returns on January 13th with the action shifting from LA to DC. (9/19/07)

HBO Is 'Reclaiming History' - Me thinks we'll be watching this 10-part mini-series debunking JFK conspiracies. (9/18/07)

Stupid Feud of the Week: Manilow vs. Hasselbot - 'The View' will just have to smile without Barry as the crooner skips the ABC gal chat-fest due to Elisabeth's "dangerous and offensive" political views.  (9/18/07)

Emmys Backstage: Stars Get Sassy - Lots of good stuff here, but if you're wondering what happened during the cutaway during Sally Field's acceptance speech it was this line: 'And let's face it, if the mothers ruled the world, there would be no goddamn wars in the first place' (9/17/07)

Get Your Emmy Nominations

The Emmy nominations were announced this morning. 

This year there was the promise of something new as blue-ribbon panels picked the final nominees from the top ten vote-getters from the Academy's general membership.  I don't know how much "new" there is, but there were some surprises... and, of course, some major overlooks (in my humble opinion)...

The Sopranos - The show gets the expected nod for  Best Drama, but the big surprises were the absence of the usually slam-dunk nods for James Gandolfini and Edie Falco.  Now I am not familiar with all the shows/actors, but I found it particularly insane that the wooden Geena Davis, for Commander In Chief, earned a spot over Falco.  Michael Imperioli did get a nod for Supporting Actor.

Desperate Housewives - I agree the show has slipped in its sophomore season... but last year's winner for Best Comedy was pretty much shut-out in the major categories.  None of the leading ladies were nominated (including last year's winner, Felicity Huffman). If anything, I thought the lone non-nominee last year, Eva Longoria, might get one this time around.  Craziest?  The only major acting nod was Best Supporting Actress for ... Alfre Woodard?!?!  I love Alfre, but the Applewhite storyline is what I felt really dragged down this entire season.

Six Feet Under - It seems like such a long time ago since we said goodbye to the Fisher clan, but the stellar final season was just eligible for this round of Emmys.  While I hoped it would earn a final Best Drama nod, it did not... Peter Krause and Frances Conroy earned lead nominations... but none for Michael C. Hall and Lauren Ambrose, both who broke my heart (multiple times) over those last few episodes.

Lost - As with Housewives, last year's winner for Best Drama was totally shut out of major nominations this year... no acting nominations, lead or supporting... only Henry Ian Cusick (Desmond) earned a "guest actor in a drama series" nomination.

The Comeback - One the nominations that made me the happiest... Lisa Kudrow for Best Actress in a Comedy series.  Valerie Cherish may have got the shaft, but at least Lisa knows she's being heard.

The Office - Earned nods for Best Comedy as well as for Steve Carell.  But no Emmy love for Jim and Pam (John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer) in the supporting categories.

My Name Is Earl - Perhaps eclipsed by The Office, I felt the freshmen comedy was a bit slighted.  No nominations for Best Comedy or Jason Lee or Ethan Suplee -- but all is well in Best Supporting Actress-land with a well-deserved nod to Jamie Pressly.

Arrested Development - The show eked out one more nod for Best Comedy series... but was on the short-end when it came to acting.  Only Will Arnett (Gob) squeaked in for supporting.  Where or where was my Jessica Walter nomination?!?

Will & Grace - Also, in its last hurrah.  The show fails to be up for Best Comedy... but 3/4's of the cast are nominated one more time (sorry Eric McCormack).

The West Wing - Gets its last (and, in my opinion, well-deserved) nod for Best Drama... with the usual suspects nominated in the acting categories... Sheen in lead, Janney in lead, and Alda in support.

24 - The show with the most nominations, including Best Drama.  Now while I think that this is technically a very good show, it's not one I watch for its fine acting.  Nevertheless, Kiefer gets a lead acting nod... and the devilish First Family, Gregory Itzin and Jean Smart, earn nods in support.   What no Chloe?!   Guess we need a "best comedic performance in a drama series" category for Mary Lynn Rajskub.

Weeds - A very good show over at Showtime... didn't expect a Best Comedy nod, but thought the deliciously sly Mary Louise Parker (and Award show fave) would make the cut for Lead Actress, she did not... the only major nod was Elizabeth Perkins in support.

Scrubs - Ok, I am thrilled for the Best Comedy nod... but WTF?!!!? Where are the acting nominations?!?!   Zach Braff made it onto the list last year, so I thought we were past all of this... and again, it is just inexcusable that John C. McGinley has never been nominated as Dr. Cox.

For the full list of nominess... and to see if your favorites have been nominated from the few shows I do not watch (i.e. the very much nominated Grey's Anatomy)... go here:
Yahoo! TV - Coverage of The 58th Annual Emmy Awards

A more "easy on the eyes" list can be found here:
EW.com | Here are the Emmy nominees

Golden Globe Thoughts

Just some random thoughts about last night's Golden Globes... and thank goodness for TiVo, we watched the last two hours of the 24 premiere "finale"... and then it was off to back-up TiVo where I managed to "watch" the 3-hour GG telecast in approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes!   Nice!

Great to see Brokeback Mountain as the big winner of the evening.  Seems like it would take a fairly big upset to not have a repeat wins in the same categories (Picture, Director, Screenplay, Song) come Oscar time.  One award that I really would have liked to have seen the movie win is Best Score... just hearing those few pangs of music brought me right back into the film... and I am getting a tad tired of John Williams always winning in this category... is there really a detectable difference from his sweeping, epic, soaring scores from one movie to the next?

Also was thrilled to see Felicity Huffman take home Best Actress for Transamerica (I am assuming it'll eventually get to Phoenix).  Will be interesting to see if she'll be able to take the Oscar as well.  I think her current Desperate Housewives gig hurts her "street cred" .. but then again, Helen Hunt won the Oscar not too far removed from her televison sitcom career.  And really what other alternative is there in this category?  Somehow (and having nothing to do with her actual performance) I don't think its quite time to hear the phase... Academy Award Winner Reese Witherspoon.

Speaking of DH, if you thought Mary Louise Parker's win in the Best Actress in a Comedy was an upset or surprise, you obviously have not watched Weeds.  MLP is a revelation in this role and a most deserving winner... that said, I would not rule out the probability that a split among the 4 Housewives was at least partially responsible ... and very nice to hear MLP give a shout-out to the late John Spencer at the end of her speech.

I watch and enjoy Commander In Chief... but Best Actress in a Drama for Geena Davis?  This show is not exactly a bastion of fine acting (I'd say even the far superior Donald Sutherland is more scenery-chewing than anything else)... so this one surprised me a bit.  Backstage, Davis said of her Presidential stoicism ... "I'm so in character that I don't know what my face is doing."  Umm, Geena we've noticed.  That said, a great and funny acceptance speech.

Tough call for me in the Best Actor in a Comedy... so many deserving nominees... Zach Braff, Steve Carrell, and Jason Lee.  My heart, of course, belongs to Braff... but I would not have been disappointed with a win by the others... but Carrell's acceptance speech was one the best in recent memory, so for that reason alone I am glad that Carrell took home the Globe.  (UPDATE:  I transcribed Carell's speech!  Click here to read!)

Golden Nods

The Golden Globe nominations were announced this morning, so thought I'd post my gut take on the nominees.

However, I will not say anything about the film categories.  Why?  Well, wanna guess how many of the films and performances I have seen .... 0.  That's right none, zippo, nil.  Oh well.

Ok, so here we go with the television categories... and you know I watch television!

Drama Series: Commander in Chief, Grey's Anatomy, Lost, Prison Break, Rome
Watch all of these except Grey's... a pretty good list, nice to see Prison Break earn a nod... but my head-scratcher is Commander in Chief.  Now I watch it and enjoy it, but when all is said and done it is not a very high quality show... it has improved over time... but it still well below the far superior West Wing.  And where or where is Six Feet Under (totally shut out) for its brilliant final season!?!

Actress, Drama: Patricia Arquette (Medium), Glenn Close (The Shield), Geena Davis (Commander in Chief), Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer), Polly Walker (Rome)
Now this one I am not as familiar with... only Davis (ditto my comments above to her likeable but somewhat stilted performace) and Walker... and thrilled with that nod, Walker's devilish Atia certainly made Rome far more watchable.

Actor, Drama: Patrick Dempsey (Grey's Anatomy), Matthew Fox (Lost), Hugh Laurie (House), Wentworth Miller (Prison Break),  Kiefer Sutherland (24)
Fox, Miller and Sutherland are those who I know about... that said, I really don't consider any of them superb actors... but they are nice to look at.

Series, Musical or Comedy: Curb Your Enthusiasm, Desperate Housewives, Entourage, Everybody Hates Chris, My Name is Earl, Weeds
Don't watch Chris... add me to the list who don't get all the fuss about Curb... and otherwise a pretty good list... though I would have gladly replaced Entourage with either Scrubs or Arrested Development. Nice to see the Showtime series Weeds get a well-deserved nod.

Actress, Musical or Comedy: Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, and Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives), Mary-Louis Parker (Weeds)
Well, not too much fun when one show dominates a category... but at least Eva didn't get left out this time around... she gets my "most improved" Housewife award this year (though not quite sure what season got nominated).  I love Felicity and Marcia... but I would not be disappointed at all if the vote gets split and MLP walks away with the award.   My replacement... knock out Hatcher for Lisa Kudrow's brilliant Valerie Cherish on HBO's The Comeback.

Actor, Musical or Comedy: Zach Braff (Scrubs), Steve Carell (The Office), Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Jason Lee (My Name is Earl), Charlie Sheen (Two and a Half Men)
Definitely happy about Braff, Carell, and Lee... nice to see "smart" sitcoms like Scrubs, Office, and Earl get some attention.

Now one of my huge Golden Globe pet-peeves is the supporting actor nominations... they are one of the few (only!) awards that break films out by drama and comedy... but when it comes to supporting roles in television they lump to together dramas, comedies... plus television mini-series and movies... which makes absolutely no sense to me. 

So you have the likes of Paul Newman (mini-series) up against Jeremy Piven (comedy) up against Donald Sutherland (drama)... just crazy!

Here are the nominations... but the people left off these lists are just far too many to mention!

Supporting Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Candice Bergen (Boston Legal), Camryn Manheim (Elvis), Sandra Oh (Grey's Anatomy), Elizabeth Perkins (Weeds), Joanne Woodward (Empire Falls)

Supporting Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Naveen Andrews (Lost), Paul Newman (Empire Falls), Jeremy Piven (Entourage), Randy Quaid (Elvis), Donald Sutherland (Commander in Chief)

For a list of all the nominees... including the unmentioned film nods, you can check out the full list here.

Emmy Roll Call

Emmy nominations out this morning... as expected, a lot of new faces thanks to the departure of such Emmy regulars as Frasier, Friends, and Sex and The City... and the lack of qualifying season for The Sopranos. 

So my thoughts on the major categories (shows we watch are in blue)

Comedy Series
Arrested Development
Desperate Housewives
Everybody Loves Raymond
Scrubs
Will & Grace
Pretty pleased here... W&G is just a shadow of what it used to be... though it says something about the sad state of sitcoms that I can't think of a replacement for it.  Hurray, for Scrubs first ever nomination in this category!  Though I suspect Raymond (in its final year) will probably win most of the comedy categories.

Drama Series
Deadwood
Lost
Six Feet Under
24
The West Wing
Again, not too much to quibble with...

Lead Actor - Comedy Series
Jason Bateman (Arrested Development)
Zach Braff (Scrubs)
Eric McCormack (Will & Grace)
Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond)
Tony Shaloub (Monk)
Hurray for Zach Braff... first time nominee...

Lead Actor - Drama Series
Hank Azaria - Huff
James Spader - The Practice
Hugh Laurie - House
Kiefer Sutherland - 24
Ian McShane - Deadwood
Well can't provide too much input here... my notably missing are Matthew Fox (Lost), Martin Sheen (West Wing), Peter Krause & Michael C Hall (SFU).

Lead Actress - Comedy Series
Marcia Cross - Desperate Housewives
Teri Hatcher - Desperate Housewives
Patricia Heaton - Everybody Loves Raymond
Felicity Huffman - Desperate Housewives
Jane Kaczmarek - Malcom in the Middle
As suspected the Desperate Housewives dominate... and Sex and The City syndrome as Eva Langoria begins what I suspect will be a repeated journey of being the the lone non-nominee (ala SatC's Kristen Davis).  Although she is just adorable, personally I think Teri Hatcher is a bit over-rated (is she a better actress than her Lois Lane days?). Debra Messing is bumped and, once again, is the only W&G cast member not to receive a nomination.

Lead Actress - Drama Series
Jennifer Garner - Alias
Patricia Arquette - Medium
Mariska Hargitay - Law and Order: SVU
Glenn Close - The Shield
Frances Conroy - Six Feet Under
Like the actor category, not a whole lot for me to comment on here... is this the first year that WW's Allison Janney has not been nominated?  Granted she would have been the biggest of dark horses... but I would have liked Christine Lahti in here for the ill-fated Jack & Bobby.

Supporting Actor - Comedy Series
Jeffrey Tambor - Arrested Development
Brad Garrett - Everybody Loves Raymond
Peter Boyle - Everybody Loves Raymond
Jeremy Piven - Entourage
Sean Hayes - Will & Grace
A pretty crowded category here, with a lot of omissions... guess we'll have to wait until next year when the Raymond supporting duo drops out of the running.  But where or where is John C. McGinley, Dr. Cox on Scrubs?!?!  I think I would put him ahead of even Zach Braff as a more deserving nominee!  Also missing... any of the Arrested Development guys (even before Tambor IMHO)... Will Arnett (Gob), David Cross (Tobias), Michael Cera (George Michael), and Tony Hale (Buster)... also no Desperate Housewives men make the cut (granted their roles are less comedic).

Supporting Actor - Drama Series
William Shatner - Boston Legal
Terry O'Quinn - Lost
Naveen Andrews - Lost
Oliver Platt - Huff
Alan Alda - The West Wing
Glad to see some of the Lost guys here (and probably the two most worthy nominees)... notable absentees... Alda gets here on his rep, but what about the regulars from West Wing... or heck, even the much more seen Jimmy Smits?

Supporting Actress - Comedy Series
Doris Roberts - Everybody Loves Raymond
Jessica Walter - Arrrested Development
Holland Taylor - Two and a Half Men
Conchata Ferrell - Two and a Half Men
Megan Mullally - Will & Grace
Kind of strange than none of acting noms from Two and Half Men are men... but anyhow.  Jessica Walter was the name I was looking for on this list... so, for that, I am pleased.  Sadly no Sarah Chalke (Scrubs) other gals from Arrested Development Portia de Rossi (Lindsay) or Alia Shawkat (Maeby)... or even Nicolette Sheridan from DH.

Supporting Actress - Drama Series
Sandra Oh - Grey's Anatomy
Tyne Daly - Judging Amy
Blythe Danner - Huff
CCH Pounder - The Shield
Stockard Channing - The West Wing
Not too familiar with the noms here... and, though I love her, probably would not have included Stockard.  My notable absentees... Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under) and Yunjin Kim (Sun from Lost)... and heck why not Mary Lynn Rasjkub (Chloe from 24).

So who are you glad to see on the list? Any of your favorites not make it?

No Grammy For Me

Well, perhaps my pop culture junkie card should be revoked.  I (we) chose not even to watch the Grammys last night -- or even record it on "back-up" TiVo.  I have felt increasingly out of touch with the music scene of late.  The signs have been there.  For instance, this weekend I caught part of the VH1 Top 20 Video Countdown and have to admit I was not aware of the artist or song on probably half of them.  Likewise, when the Grammy nominations were announced a few months ago - my reaction to Kanye West being the most nominated artist was... who??  Yes, I had never heard of the guy before. 

I don't know when or why this has happened.  We can still click on the 80s music channel on our cable line-up and I can play "name the tune" with scary recollection.  But I guess over time, "popular" music has moved into a direction that doesn't fit my tastes.  Though it could be that since I started working from home I am rarely in a car these days -- and the car radio is the most common place to be exposed to new music.

The morning after, I don't have any real regrets for missing the Grammys.  Ray Charles predictably swept the awards -- as with most award shows, "winning" has rarely anything to do with the nominated product.  Now don't get me wrong, I love me some Ray Charles (I don't hesitate to say -- and bring up at any given opportunity -- that actually seeing Charles sing "America The Beautiful" at the 2001 World Series is right up there among the great moments of my life) but he certainly would not have had the Grammy haul for this latest album if he was still with us. 

So what did we watch?  We kept to the "normal" Sunday night schedule of Arrested Development and Desperate Housewives.  Arrested had its usual raucous episode with the funniest moments being Tobias' endless riff of gay double entendres, while it was another stellar display of Bree quotables on Housewives.  The whole rough sex conversations betweeen Bree & Rex were a hoot!  From the "escape" words of "Boise" and "Palestine" to sending handcuff "once through the dishwasher" -- it was pretty darn classic.  A new gardener is on the way at the Solis household next week -- hopefully that'll lighten up Gabrielle a bit... she is back to being pretty darn unlikeable (again).