September 18, 2011

AS THE 63rd ANNUAL PRIMETIME EMMYS UNFOLDED...



As the 63rd annual Primetime Emmy Awards draw to a close, TV TALK discusses the highlights of the show, which, somehow, went above my expectations

To view all the nominees and winners, CLICK HERE

Whoever thought that Jane Lynch would not do a good job as host of the 63rd annual Primetime Emmy Awards, must have been crazy! Lynch was fantastic, right from the word go. The opening sequence was innovative, funny, and most importantly, so special, because it brought together all those elements from TV shows that create the ‘magic of television’, making the medium such a ‘vast wonderland’. Following that, MODERN FAMILY stole the first thirty minutes of the show, with four Emmys in the Comedy categories, for Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell (Supporting Actress and Actor), along with Emmys for Directing and Writing. Lynch even went on to say, “And this just turned into the MODERN FAMILY awards!” That was absolutely hilarious!

Charlie Sheen presented Lead Actor Comedy, calling it his ‘old category’. He did a fantastic job out there, holding his head high, yet subtly snubbing TWO AND A HALF MEN, saying, “From the bottom of my heart, I wish TWO AND A HALF MEN nothing but the best for this TV season!” Moving on, Jim Parsons took away that category, with his second well-deserved win for THE BIG BANG THEORY. And then there were Rob Lowe and Sofia Vergara presenting Lead Actress Comedy as though they were announcing the runners up at a beauty pageant. Seeing the funny ladies up there was lovely, and the act was dropped suddenly, as Melissa McCarthy was announced as the winner in that category.

In drama, while Margo Martindale and Peter Dinklage won in the supporting acting categories for their roles in JUSTIFIED and GAME OF THRONES, respectively, it came as no surprise that Martin Scorsese won Outstanding Directing for BOARDWALK EMPIRE.  That was followed by Julianna Margulies’ second win for her role in THE GOOD WIFE. And the race for Outstanding Series Drama heated up, when FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS won the Emmy for Writing in a Drama Series, and one for Kyle Chandler in the Lead Actor Drama category.  

However, MAD MEN took away the Emmy for Outstanding Series Drama for the fourth consecutive time, ending the suspense. And that was followed by the big win of the night—MODERN FAMILY winning Outstanding Series Comedy for the second consecutive time, aptly concluding the show on a very high note.

The innovative presentation of awards, and videos of nominees, presenters, host, players in categories, made for some exciting recall of all those moments that makes television magical. Adding value to that were the in-set appearances in the videos and the montages that even honored the shows that weren’t nominated. The ‘Emmy Tones’ singing team to introduce the genres, including Zachary Levi (CHUCK), Cobie Smulders (HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER) and Joel McHale (COMMUNITY), was entertaining. And I thought that the abundance of backstage shots, as a part of the telecast, made the awards experience a lot more wholesome. Another plus point for the show was that the presenters had adequate material to keep their work fresh and exciting. And with that, I can safely say that the Emmys 2011 were nowhere close to being a disappointment. It was a great show, with a lot to write home about!


What did you think of the Emmys 2011, the show, the winners, the presentation and all? Share your views here and comment below.

MIGHT WIN, SHOULD WIN: PRIMETIME EMMYS 2011


Hours away from the presentation of the 63rd annual Primetime Emmy Awards, TV TALK delves into a few top categories to predict who might win and who should win.

To see the complete list and the TV TALK analysis of the nominees, CLICK HERE 


Outstanding Comedy Series
The Big Bang Theory
Glee
Modern Family (Both)
The Office
Parks And Recreation
30 Rock

Outstanding Drama Series
Boardwalk Empire
Dexter
Friday Night Lights
Game Of Thrones
The Good Wife
Mad Men

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
Laura Linney, The Big C (Both)
Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Amy Poehler, Parks And Recreation
Martha Plimpton, Raising Hope
Tina Fey, 30 Rock

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series
Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Kathy Bates, Harry's Law
Mireille Enos, The Killing
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes
Louis C.K., Louie
Steve Carell, The Office
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Michael C Hall, Dexter
Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights
Hugh Laurie, House
Timothy Olyphant, Justified
Jon Hamm, Mad Men

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
Jane Lynch, Glee
Betty White, Hot In Cleveland
Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live
Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Kelly Macdonald, Boardwalk Empire
Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife (Both)
Christine Baranski, The Good Wife
Margo Martindale, Justified
Michelle Forbes, The Killing
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Chris Colfer, Glee
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family
Ed O’Neil, Modern Family
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Jon Cryer, Two And A Half Men

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Peter Dinklage, Game Of Thrones
Josh Charles, The Good Wife
Alan Cumming, The Good Wife
Walton Goggins, Justified
John Slattery, Mad Men
Andre Braugher, Men Of A Certain Age

Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series
How I Met Your Mother • Subway Wars • Pamela Fryman
Modern Family • Halloween Michael • Alan Spiller
Modern Family • Slow Down Your Neighbors • Gail Mancuso
Modern Family • See You Next Fall • Steven Levitan
30 Rock • Live Show • Beth McCarthy-Miller

Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series
Boardwalk Empire • Pilot • Martin Scorsese (Both)
Boardwalk Empire • Anastasia • Jeremy Podeswa
The Borgias • The Poisoned Chalice/The Assassin • Neil Jordan
Game Of Thrones • Winter Is Coming (Pilot) • Tim Van Patten
The Killing • Pilot • Patty Jenkins


Who are your picks for the winners tonight? Share your views here and comment below...

September 5, 2011

FIRST LOOK OF DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES S8, AND MORE...

tvTALKsnips


A SNEAK-PEEK OF DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES' FINAL SEASON
Here, we see the housewives burying the body of Gaby's evil-stepfather, who was killed accidentally by Carlos when we last saw the housewives in S7. This marks the beginning of the end and the beginning of the keeping of a secret that will define how, at least, the first half of the final season will be. It comes as no surprise that Bree offers no resistance and has no second thoughts about hiding the murder, because she knows better than the rest (except for Gaby, who thought she killed her previous husband Victor Lang, back in S4) how people one love need to be protected when they make such mistakes. 
Even so, I think it's completely natural for Susan and Lynette to have doubts about what they're doing. All I can say is that this clip has got me really excited about the season that will end the show. 




EDDIE MURPHY TO HOST THE 84th ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS
Courtesy: AMPAS
At the end of the day, the Oscars are a television event--a show that's put up to make the presentation of the awards more exciting. Hence, the host matters a lot. And the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)  announced on September 6 that Eddie Murphy host the 84th annual Academy Awards. This announcement indicates that they are going back to having established comedians in the role that they experimented with last year, putting Anne Hathaway and James Franco there. That being said, the prior success of a host doesn't assure us that they'll be great on that stage in the Kodak Theater. Examples of the same are as follows... Ellen De Generes, an otherwise very funny woman, was less than impressive as host. Franco and Hathaway are great actors, but they got so much flak for the job they did. Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, both known for their comedy, were quite disappointing. And then there was Hugh Jackman, who wasn't considered much of a comedian, but did a fabulous job as host in 2009. Beyond that, given the criticism last year's hosts got, I think the Academy really should have chosen someone like the fantastic Jon Stewart, who literally made the show at the 80th annual Academy Awards.




NEW BONES VILLAIN REVEALED, AND A SNEAK PEEK
It was announced earlier that the next season of BONES would see Booth, Brennan and team tracking down another major villain. That means that the drama of major season-long serial-killing cases won't die with with the death of The Gravedigger and Broadsky. What has now been revealed is that the tech-savvy villain will be called Pelant and the Department of Defense will have him under house arrest, with a tracking device, but he still manages to arrange murders. Now that is sure to get Booth and Brennan into a mind-game, posing as a real challenge even for Brennan. 
In the meantime, a sneak peek of S7 has been released, and it shows a pregnant Brennan arguing with Booth over the baby's safety. While watching the video, I realized that maybe we should have seen this coming. All said and done, I think Brennan's pregnancy is going to be way more entertaining than we imagined.