WILL THE OSCAR GO TO WHOM THE ACTOR WENT TO?

With a game-changing set of results among the top categories of the 18th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, the upcoming Oscars become even more unpredictable. TV TALK discusses why…

The Actor

It always makes me feel good to see the first few minutes of the Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAGs), where random actors from the audience share with the camera an anecdote from their lives or careers and conclude by saying, “I’m XYZ, and I’m an actor!” The sense of camaraderie and the unity of the acting community that one sees at the SAGs can be seen nowhere else. It’s heartwarming to see even the winners paying some sort of a tribute, big or small, to actors and their community, and they all feel a sense of pride when their names are called at the end of the sentence that starts, “And the Actor goes to…” That’s the magic of the Screen Actors Guild Awards, and this year was no different.

The Help wins Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture

The SAGs are always special, and while they may not be an indicator of which film will win Best Picture at the Oscars, like the Golden Globes are, they still set the graphs and statistics rolling around for or against individual acting contenders at the Academy Awards. That is because the big award is given to the acting ensemble and not the film; which is why while Inglourious Basterds wasn’t really the Oscar for Best Picture anyway, it still won big at the SAGs. However, this year, The Help, which won Best Ensemble Cast, cannot be completely ruled out from the Oscars race for Best Picture. In fact, with the Oscars going with less obvious choices (like The Hurt Locker as opposed to Avatar in 2010, and The King’s Speech as opposed to The Social Network last year), the Best Picture Oscar becomes even less predictable with the results of the SAGs. Moreover, the last time that the Academy named a musical or comedy Best Picture over a Drama was way back in 2002, when Chicago won. And this year, the Golden Globe Best Picture winners, The Descendants and The Artist have both had enough mileage for both to be equal contenders for the Oscars Best Picture. And The Help’s win at the SAGs doesn’t put any of those two forward in the race; in fact, it levels the playing field even further.

Christopher Plummer and Octavia Spencer's chances at the Oscars are solidified

Moreover, the SAG results in the acting categories make the Best Actor and Best Actress results at the Oscars in a more 50/50 situation, with both George Clooney (The Descendants) and Jean Dujardin (The Artist) having won Best Actor at the Globes and the SAGs, and both Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady) and Viola Davis (The Help) having won Best Actress Drama at the Globes and Best Actress at the SAGs, respectively. The race for the Academy’s next Best Actor and Best Actress has not been this unpredictable in the last so many years. On the other hand, with Christopher Plummer (Beginners) and Octavia Spencer (The Help) having won the supporting acting awards at both, the Globes and the SAGs, it solidifies their spots as the Academy’s next Best Supporting Actor and Actress, respectively.

MODERN FAMILY wins Best Ensemble in a Television Series Comedy

Moving on to the television awards at the SAGs, to put it plainly, there was nothing worth writing home about. Both BOARDWALK EMPIRE and MODERN FAMILY winning Best Ensemble, Drama and Comedy, respectively, for the second consecutive time was still understood. Maybe even the Actor and Actress Drama going to Steve Buscemi and Jessica Lange was fine, considering that he’s been consistently good on BOARDWALK EMPIRE, and that she did win a Globe for her role in AMERICAN HORROR STORY. However, giving Betty White her second consecutive win for HOT IN CLEVELAND and Alec Baldwin his sixth consecutive win for 30 ROCK for Actor and Actress Comedy, respectively, makes one think that the Guild doesn’t think that there have been any worthy performers other than them who are more deserving. For Actor Comedy, at least, while gems like Jim Parsons (THE BIG BANG THEORY), Ty Burrell and Eric Stonestreet (both, MODERN FAMILY) have not been given a chance, even less likely winners like Jon Cryer (TWO AND A HALF MEN) and Neil Patrick Harris (HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER) have been ignored completely!

However, even as the results in the television
categories at the SAGs have almost been
disappointing, the Screen Actors Guild Awards
have heated up the race for the Oscars even
more, making the entire Award Season 2011-12
even more exciting. And as the Oscars come
closer, we’ll all be waiting with bated breath…  

THE 69TH ANNUAL GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS

An entertaining show, with satisfactory results, the 69thannual Golden Globe Awards had a little bit of everything for everyone

To see the entire list of winners at the Golden Globe Awards 2012, click here

Is it just me, or did others also draw a parallel between the ‘69th’ Golden Globe Awards and the sexual content in the humor that came in frequent and strong doses. There was host Ricky Gervais talking about Madonna being ‘like a virgin’, and Madonna subsequently responding to that by saying, “Ricky, if I’m still a virgin, why don’t you come here and do something about it!” And there was presenter Seth Rogen talking about ‘concealing a huge erection’ while he stood beside fellow-presenter Kate Beckinsale. And when George Clooney accepted his Globe for The Descendants, he spoke of Michael Fassbender’s ability to play golf with his hands behind his back! Despite the fact that some might call bits of the humor inappropriate, the humor at the show was hilarious and entertaining as was expected from Gervais, who’d received some serious flak for going a step too far while hosting last year.

The presenters of the evening were effective, and the ones that instantly come to mind are Dame Helen Mirren, talking about Cecille B DeMille recipient Morgan Freeman as a co-star, and Felicity Huffman and William H Macy, singing together to introduce the category they were presenting. And while some of the acceptance speeches seemed too rehearsed, it was still fun to watch Sofia Vergara and Steven Levitan making their bilingual acceptance speech on winning the Globe for Best Series – Musical or Comedy for MODERN FAMILY. A few acceptance speeches, like those by Michelle Williams, who won Actress in a Musical or Comedy for My Week with Marilyn, and Octavia Spencer, who won Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for The Help, were also moving. Among the surprises of the evening was Martin Scorsese winning Best Director for Hugo, while both Best Pictures—The Descendants and The Artist—not scoring there.

The television awards were not all that surprising though. Seeing critically acclaimed HOMELAND winning Best Series Drama as well as Actress in a Series Drama for Claire Danes didn’t come as a shock. While the comedies nominated hinted that a new show might take it away, it still wasn’t surprising that MODERN FAMILY won its first Globe for Series Comedy. It was however refreshing to see all new winners in the television awards. Matt LeBlanc won his first Globe for EPISODES, Laura Dern took away Actress Comedy for ENLIGHTENED, Kelsey Grammer won Actor Drama for BOSS, while Peter Dinklage (GAME OF THRONES) and Jessica Lange (AMERICAN HORROR STORY) won in the supporting categories for television.

The vibe of the evening was also exciting. The good turnout ensured that there was some celeb eye-candy to see at every camera angle. Barring the absence of winners like Woody Allen and nominees like Ryan Gosling, there were no real disappointments at the Globes this year. There was plenty to write home about, especially since it looked like the Hollywood Foreign Press Association didn’t bother about the controversy that the awards had generated last year, going all out with the humor that made for relaxed and amusing show. 

THE GOLDEN GLOBES AND THE SCREEN ACTORS GUILD NOMINATIONS 2011-12

Earlier this week, the 69th annual Golden Globe and 18th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations were announced, and TV TALK is back after a brief hiatus, to comment on the nominations, as the award season 2011-12 begins

To view the complete lists of nominees of both the sets of awards, click on the links below:

69th annual Golden Globe Awards nominees

18th annual ScreenActors Guild Awards nominees

So let’s face it… the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, both play it a little safe when it comes to recognizing TV shows and performances, unlike the Emmys, where they make it a point to award the breakthrough performances. The Globes and the SAGs, on the other hand, award the same people consistently, albeit for performances that are consistent with past work, but still without that new, ‘wow’ factor in them. Which is why, last year, the SAGs went on to honor Alec Baldwin for the fourth consecutive time for his role in 30 ROCK. The Globes did do things right by finally acknowledging Jim Parsons’ outstanding work in THE BIG BANG THEORY. That being said, it feels like this year, both these sets of awards feel like they’ve done their bit with Parsons, in a way, saying that it’s time to move on, having not even nominated him.

The SAGs have an excuse, one could think, given that they don’t have any categories for supporting performances in television, so they have to squeeze in leading as well as supporting roles into five spots, making it impossible to do justice to all those who deserve a place. Moving on, I still think that nominating Johnny Galecki was a bit of a saving grace, since the guy has done more than his bit on THE BIG BANG THEORY. But the major plus points in this year’s nominations are the first time nominees, whether it comes to series, ensembles or actor nominees. All but one Globe nominees for Series Drama are new, and while we all knew that GAME OF THRONES is going to be there, it was still refreshing to see that the list didn’t just have the usual suspects.

While many say that this has been completely unfair to shows like SONS OF ANARCHY and BREAKING BAD, I still think it’s a good sign. However, while GAME OF THRONES shows great promise, BOARDWALK EMPIRE did win the last time, and we know how much the Globes like to repeat series winners (remember MAD MEN’s hat-trick?). Moreover, GAME… didn’t even win at the Emmys in September (even there it was MAD MEN that won, even though FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS was going strong till the final win of the evening). Even in the comedy/musical category, besides GLEE and MODERN FAMILY, the list of Globe nominees is completely new, with a new hit like NEW GIRL making its mark, and EPISODES being recognized after recognition from the Emmys.

On the other hand, the SAGs have all repeat nominees, except for GAME… However, we do have to realize that they award the ensembles, and even if the two awards do have common patterns at times, the series/ensemble awards, and hence nominees, aren’t necessarily even close to common between the two. So with the SAGs, the ensemble award can go anywhere. I think 30 ROCK’s winning streak was over last year, so again it’s a battle between GLEE and MODERN FAMILY, unless they decide to finally award the great work of the ensemble in BIG BANG…

Moving on to individual performances, like both sets of awards did their bit for Jim Parsons last year, I think they feel like they’ve already done their bit for Michael C Hall (DEXTER), who’s only got a SAG nomination this time, as is the case with Kyle Chandler, who won the Emmy for FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS. In general, I feel like the nominees in common categories are quite different between the two sets of awards. Very few common names between the two lists and new nominees like Jessica Lange (AMERICAN HORROR STORY), Kelsey Grammer (BOSS), Kathy Bates (HARRY’S LAW), Patrick J Adams (SUITS), etc, will make the build-up to these award shows so much more exciting because of their unpredictability. 

Another positive aspect was how refreshing it was to see some recognition given to newly popular shows like REVENGE and NEW GIRL, especially Madeleine Stowe’s performance in the former. I, for one, think that she deserves nominations simply for being in front of the camera and letting her eyes talk! Moreover, while we do have a lot of popular shows in the comedy categories, for the Globes to nominate someone from a popular, new drama (which isn’t a period drama or set in some fantasy world) is quite commendable.

So there we have it. A lot of new names, a lot of new shows; some popular, some emerging and showing promise… It’s going to be an unpredictable wait for the next month or so, as we wait to find out whether the Globes and SAGs play it safe again or all the wins end up being for new shows and performances!

The 69th annual Golden Globe Awards will be presented on Sunday, January 15, 2012

18th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will be presented on Sunday, January 29, 2012

GREY’S ANATOMY CONTINUES WITH THE FUTURE UNCERTAIN

As the TV season 2011-12 progresses, TV TALK analyzes how GREY'S ANATOMY is doing so far

Shonda Rhimes said that the eighth season of GREY’S ANATOMY would focus on the stories of the original cast, whatever’s left of it, that is. Out of the nine actors that the show began with in 2005, only six are left, and with their contracts expiring at the end of this season, there is little certainty as to who will return to the show in its ninth season, especially with the lead actors Ellen Pompeo and Patrick Dempsey having hinted at leaving the show, there was probably a sudden need to focus entirely on the original five. And what foundation for that could be better than Meredith and Christina starting out all dark and twisty! With Christina’s pregnancy, Meredith’s marriage in trouble, and Alex being hated by many, there was plenty of room to develop the season around three of the five original interns. Additionally, with Webber’s career on the line, Derek’s complicated marriage situation and Bailey seeing her original interns in their fifth year of residency, there was even more.

I liked how the season began, with the road cave-in and turmoil in the lives of Meredith and Christina. It was interesting to see the twisted sisters bonding again as they even shared a room. I thought that Christina might have kept the baby since she already lost one with Burke, but thankfully, the writers stayed consistent with her character and made her have the abortion. The way Owen comes through for her and holds her hand while she goes through the procedure was very well handled. Meredith’s role in the situation was crucial and seemed like the only way out of it. At the same time, it was heart wrenching to see Meredith and Derek losing their new daughter to social services, and to see Alex getting flak from every corner. I was especially touched when Christina goes to pull him out of his hospital bed so they can help Meredith out of a situation with the adoption person, and Alex begs for forgiveness for what he did wrong. What made it special was that he showed emotion, without getting sappy about it, staying true to who we know Alex to be. Of the other fifth-year residents, I was happy to see Avery getting some recognition for his abilities as a surgeon. Misunderstood pretty-boy turned out to be ‘the gunther’ in the OR! On the other hand, April’s role as Chief Resident is making for an interesting storyline, even though it was a quite a bad choice on Owen Hunt’s part to pick her just because she’s organized.

Moving on, the next two episodes had their own surprises. Each of them was significantly important, what with the fifth-year residents taking on surgeries in the lead, and then seeing all the men of Seattle Grace Mercy West (SGMW) bonding over all that they felt was wrong in their lives. Richard Webber having himself fired from the Chief’s position and putting Hunt in his office wasn’t handled all that well, I thought. I mean Webber went around acting like an unsure resident, which didn’t make too much sense, because all that had changed was that he didn’t have to do a Chief’s job; he was still an attending. Moreover, he had briefly been a regular attending back when Derek was Chief too. Besides that, it was funny to see how the residents handled their surgeries, and how almost all of them failed to take care of entire procedures. The residents bonding in April’s office, which has already become like the fifth-years’ lounge, was also fun.

The first few episodes also saw a very powerful Meredith and Derek moment, when Derek expresses his despair over how the unfortunate situation they were in. It was strange yet refreshing to see Derek admitting such things, as Patrick Dempsey performed the part so well. Moreover, with the breakthrough they made, by pinpointing their real problem was constructively good and I was impressed by the way it was carried out. The SGMW men episode was like a breath of fresh air. It was nice to see the six men, and Dr Ben being focused on, with the women on the show almost always getting the prominence. Scenes like Mark fighting with Derek over Avery were hilarious. At the same time, Owen watching baby Sofia made me sure that there would be more for him and Christina to deal with soon.

So there you have it—GREY’S ANATOMY S8 sees a refreshing start, and shows a lot of promise for our original six characters, with the exception of Bailey, who still seems to be in the background as she has been for quite a while now. Nevertheless, I look forward to the rest of the season!

What are your thoughts on how GREY'S ANATOMY S8 began. Share your views here, on TV TALK