Sunday, August 29, 2010

Creative Arts Winners

Last week, I chose my predictions for the Creative Arts Emmys. I got 47 wrong. However, I got 22 right. They are below:

Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series
John Lithgow as Arthur Mitchell, Dexter (Showtime)

Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series
Betty White as Host, Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality-Competition Program
Jeff Probst as Host, Survivor (CBS)

Outstanding Creative Achievement In Interactive Media: Nonfiction
The Jimmy Fallon Digital Experience (LateNightWithJimmyFallon.com)

Outstanding Short-Format Animated Program
Robot Chicken (Cartoon Network)

Outstanding Children's Nonfiction Program
Nick News With Linda Ellerbee - The Face Of Courage: Kids Living With Cancer (Nickelodeon

Outstanding Reality Program
Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution (ABC)

Outstanding Art Direction For Variety, Music, Or Nonfiction Programming
The 82 Annual Academy Awards (ABC)

Outstanding Casting For A Comedy Series
Modern Family (ABC)

Outstanding Casting For A Drama Series
Mad Men (AMC)

Outstanding Cinematography For Reality Programming
Survivor (CBS) ["Slay Everyone, Trust No One"]

Outstanding Commercial
The Man Your Man Could Smell Like (Old Spice Body Wash)

Outstanding Short Form Picture Editing
Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (NBC) ["6-Bee (Episode 226)"][/i]

Outstanding Picture Editing For A Special (Single Or Multi-Camera)
The 25th Anniversary Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Concert (HBO)

Outstanding Hairstyling For A Multi-Camera Series Or A Special
Dancing With The Stars (ABC) ["902A"]

Outstanding Hairstyling For A Miniseries Or A Movie
Emma [Masterpiece] (PBS)

Outstanding Sound Editing For A Miniseries, Movie, Or A Special
The Pacific (HBO) ["Part Five"]

Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (One-Hour)
Glee (FOX) ["The Power Of Madonna"]

Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Variety, Music Series, Or A Special
The 25th Anniversary Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Concert (HBO)

Outstanding Special Visual Effects For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Special
The Pacific (HBO) ["Part Five"]

Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control For A Series
Dancing With The Stars (ABC) ["Episode 909A"]

Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control For A Miniseries, Movie, Or A Special
The 25th Anniversary Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Concert (HBO)

Sunday, August 22, 2010

When Did Torture and Rape Become OK Mainstream Fare?

Here's what I knew walking into "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." Hot A-list actresses were clawing themselves trying to get into the lead role of the remake of this Swedish film. David Fincher, whose "Social Network" movie, about Facebook, is already drawing raves, is going to be directing this remake. And this Swedish movie seemed to come and go without much fanfare, and was now playing at a second-run theatre. One of my friends, who had already seen it, said it was "brilliant."

That was the sum total of what I knew about it. I assumed there was a girl in it who had a dragon tattoo. That's pretty much it.

Now, I realize that most people really know a lot about a movie before they watch it. But this is Hollywood, and I had lived through screener season with this same friend last year, where we saw countless movies without knowing any part of the plot. Most of these were great experiences.

So, at first, as I settled in to this Swedish movie, it seemed like a stylish caper movie. Don't get me wrong, it's exceedingly well done: great writing, great direction, great acting.

But here's the thing. When did it become ok to show violent rapes in movies? Or brutal sadism? Or torture? (In the latter, I'm thinking of the TV show "24" which brought up these same issues with me this season. It has always walked a fine line with exhibiting torture, but this season went especially far. Luckily, with TV I can fast forward through these scenes. In "24," they were trying to extract information, and of course, the only way to do this is through torture. In one scene, one character CUTS OFF another man's hand to get him to talk. Later, one bad guy is attaching electrodes to our hero, Jack Bauer's body. Of course, Jack, being the hero, escapes before he dies from this, but not before serious pain is inflicted. Later in the season, I'm told, Jack comes back to exact revenge and does so by torturing his torturer the same way, but worse.)

When did this become an acceptable mode of dealing with problems? Is it just that we've seen it all, as jaded moviegoers, that we must up the ante by inflicting pain on each other? "No, this guy is REALLY REALLY bad. See how brutally he's raping this woman?"

CAN WE STOP NOW?

Can we please just stop the incessant rape-torture-violence-revenge schematic we seem to be all embroiled in, and perhaps examine an alternate route?

One of the reasons I was (and am) pissed about seeing most of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (I walked out in one of the many "victim is tied up and about to have horrible things done to them" scenes.) is that I consciously and vigorously try to keep this negativity and brutality out of my consciousness. I studiously avoid "serial killer" movies and TV shows, even if that means missing, for example, one of the Best Drama contenders of the year, "Dexter." I don't care how ingeniously some character devises a way to kill someone. The fact is: they are KILLING SOMEONE.

It's not nice, it's not pretty, it's not even humane. I don't care what nice lighting you use to stylize it.

Also, in the case of "24," thankfully finished with its run, the fact of the matter is: Torture doesn't work. People will say anything when they're being tortured. It rarely extracts any kind of useful information.

Worst of all, and back to "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," I really think that spiritually, as a nation, as a world, we need to really, whatever we have to do to get there, walk back from the concept of Revenge as a viable option. The premise being that when someone hurts you, and you come back and hurt them WORSE, the audience cheers.

How about this? How about starting to inform our books and our TV shows and our movies with some humanity?

One of the reasons I continued to watch "24" was that (most of the time anyway, except for that little 'torture' thing) Jack Bauer was a man firmly grounded in morals. He did what was right, for the country, for the world. He might've had to break a few rules along the way, but he was seeing the big picture, so you could look the other way.

What is most disturbing to me, this on the heels of a report that I spoke about in my latest "Whispered Pearls" (WP162*), about the pervasiveness of violence toward women in porn, is that the violence quotient that I'm seeing out there does seem to be increasing. The two men I was seeing "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" with also had no problem at all with the violence exhibited on screen. Images of which I'm still having trouble exorcising from my brain, now days later.

Are men and women different on this? Are men developing an increasingly sadistic, brutal image of their sexuality? Is this really the way men see the world? That revenge and hurting others is the best way out of a bad situation? That is really what's most disturbing to me. Your feedback on this issue would be appreciated. Thanks.


*Whispered Pearls back episodes


PS--One of my readers/viewers just alerted me to the fact that the Swedish book series by Steig Larsson, is actually called: "Milennium: Part 1 - Men Who Hate Women." Boy, is it ever!

Thank you for that update.
******************************



Friday, August 20, 2010

Miche's Creative Arts Emmys Predictions

What are the Creative Arts Emmys, you ask, and why should we care?


Well, lots of people put in a lot of time and effort in their jobs, and it deserves to be recognized. Plus, they can't fit ALL of these awards into one night. They HAD to split it into two. But to me, these Emmys are just as important as the other ones.


Congratulations to everyone who was nominated (and those who weren't). Best of luck to you all.


Here then, are my predictions for the big night (Saturday, August 21, airing on E!).


THE 62ND ANNUAL PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS: CREATIVE ARTS WINNER PREDICTIONS

Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series
Mike O'Malley as Burt Hummel, Glee (FOX)

Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series
John Lithgow as Arthur Mitchell, Dexter (Showtime)

Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series
Betty White as Host, Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series
Elizabeth Mitchell as Juliet Burke, Lost (ABC)

Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality-Competition Program
Jeff Probst as Host, Survivor (CBS)

Outstanding Voice-Over Performance
Hank Azaria as Moe Syzlak & Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, The Simpsons

Outstanding Animated Program
South Park (Comedy Central)


Outstanding Creative Achievement In Interactive Media: Nonfiction
The Jimmy Fallon Digital Experience (LateNightWithJimmyFallon.com)

Outstanding Creative Achievement In Interactive Media: Fiction
Glee Hyperpromo And Superfan (Fox.com)

Outstanding Short-Format Animated Program
Robot Chicken (Cartoon Network)

Outstanding Variety, Music, Or Comedy Special
The 25th Anniversary Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Concert (HBO)

Outstanding Special Class Program
The 82nd Annual Academy Awards (ABC)

Outstanding Children's Program
Hannah Montana (Disney Channel)

Outstanding Children's Nonfiction Program
Nick News With Linda Ellerbee - The Face Of Courage: Kids Living With Cancer (Nickelodeon)

Outstanding Nonfiction Special
By The People: The Election Of Barack Obama (HBO)

Outstanding Nonfiction Series
American Masters (PBS)

Outstanding Reality Program
Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution (ABC)

Exceptional Merit In Nonfiction Filmmaking
Patti Smith: Dream Of Life (PBS)

Outstanding Directing For Nonfiction Programming
Bertram van Munster, The Amazing Race (CBS) ["I Think We're Fighting The Germans, Right?"]

Outstanding Directing For A Variety, Music, Or Comedy Series
Chuck O'Neil, The Daily Show With Jon Stewart (Comedy Central) ["Episode 15054"]

Outstanding Writing For Nonfiction Programming
Jenny Ash & Ed Fields, America: The Story Of Us (HISTORY) ["Division"]

Outstanding Writing For A Variety, Music, Or Comedy Series
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart (Comedy Central)

Outstanding Art Direction For A Multi-Camera Series
The Big Bang Theory (CBS) ["The Gothowitz Deviation" and "The Adhesive Duck Deficiency"]

Outstanding Art Direction For A Single-Camera Series
Lost (ABC) ["Ab Aeterno"]

Outstanding Art Direction For A Miniseries or A Movie
Georgia O'Keeffe (Lifetime)

Outstanding Art Direction For Variety, Music, Or Nonfiction Programming
The 82 Annual Academy Awards (ABC)

Outstanding Casting For A Comedy Series
Modern Family (ABC)

Outstanding Casting For A Drama Series
Mad Men (AMC)

Outstanding Casting For A Miniseries, Movie, Or A Special
Georgia O'Keeffe (Lifetime)

Outstanding Choreography
Dancing With The Stars (ABC) [Routines: "Futuristic Paso Doble/Living on Video" & "Quickstep/Anything Goes"]

Outstanding Cinematography For A Half-Hour Series
Hung (HBO) ["Pilot"]

Outstanding Cinematography For A One-Hour Series
Breaking Bad (AMC) ["No Mas"]

Outstanding Cinematography For A Miniseries Or A Movie
The Prisoner (AMC) ["Checkmate"]

Outstanding Cinematography For Nonfiction Programming
Whale Wars (Animal Planet) ["The Stuff Of Nightmares"]

Outstanding Cinematography For Reality Programming
Survivor (CBS) ["Slay Everyone, Trust No One"]

Outstanding Commercial
The Man Your Man Could Smell Like (Old Spice Body Wash)

Outstanding Costumes For A Series
Glee (FOX) ["The Power Of Madonna"]

Outstanding Costumes For A Miniseries, Movie, Or A Special
Emma [Masterpiece] (PBS)

Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Drama Series
Breaking Bad (AMC) ["No Mas"]

Outstanding Picture Editing For A Comedy Series (Single Or Multi-Camera)
Modern Family (ABC) ["Family Portrait"]

Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Miniseries Or A Movie
The Pacific (HBO) ["Part Five"]

Outstanding Short Form Picture Editing
Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (NBC) ["6-Bee (Episode 226)"][/i]

Outstanding Picture Editing For A Special (Single Or Multi-Camera)
The 25th Anniversary Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Concert (HBO)

Outstanding Picture Editing For Nonfiction Programming
Whale Wars (Animal Planet) ["The Stuff Of Nightmares"]

Outstanding Picture Editing For Reality Programming
Survivor (CBS) ["Tonight, We Make Our Move"]

Outstanding Hairstyling For A Single-Camera Series
Glee (FOX) ["The Power Of Madonna"]

Outstanding Hairstyling For A Multi-Camera Series Or A Special
Dancing With The Stars (ABC) ["902A"]

Outstanding Hairstyling For A Miniseries Or A Movie
Emma [Masterpiece] (PBS)

Outstanding Lighting Direction (Electronic, Multi-Camera) For Variety, Music, Or Comedy Programming
The 82nd Annual Academy Awards (ABC)

Outstanding Main Title Design
Human Target (FOX)

Outstanding Makeup For A Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic)
Glee (FOX) ["The Power Of Madonna"]

Outstanding Makeup For A Multi-Camera Series Or A Special (Non-Prosthetic)
Dancing With The Stars (ABC) ["901A"]

Outstanding Makeup For A Miniseries Or A Movie (Non-Prosthetic)
Georgia O'Keeffe (Lifetime)

Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup For A Series, Miniseries, Movie Or A Special
True Blood (HBO) ["Scratches"]

Outstanding Music Composition For A Series (Original Dramatic Score)
Lost (ABC) ["The End"]

Outstanding Music Composition For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Special (Original Dramatic Score)
When Love Is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story [Hallmark Hall Of Fame Presentation] (CBS)

Outstanding Music Direction
Celtic Woman: Songs From The Heart (PBS)

Outstanding Original Music And Lyrics
Treme (HBO) ["This City"]

Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music
Human Target (FOX)

Outstanding Sound Editing For A Series
Breaking Bad (AMC) ["One Minute"]

Outstanding Sound Editing For A Miniseries, Movie, Or A Special
The Pacific (HBO) ["Part Five"]

Outstanding Sound Editing For Nonfiction Programming (Single Or Multi-Camera)
The Amazing Race (CBS) ["I Think We're Fighting The Germans, Right?"]

Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (One-Hour)
Glee (FOX) ["The Power Of Madonna"]

Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Miniseries Or A Movie
The Pacific (HBO) ["Part Nine"]

Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (Half-Hour) And Animation
The Office (NBC) ["Niagara"]

Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Variety, Music Series, Or A Special
The 25th Anniversary Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Concert (HBO)

Outstanding Sound Mixing For Nonfiction Programming
Spectacle Elvis Costello With... (Sundance Channel) ["Spectacle Elvis Costello With Bruce Springsteen - Parts 1 & 2"]

Outstanding Special Visual Effects For A Series
V (ABC) ["Pilot"]

Outstanding Special Visual Effects For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Special
The Pacific (HBO) ["Part Five"]

Outstanding Stunt Coordination
24 (FOX) ["6:00 PM - 7:00 PM"]

Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control For A Series
Dancing With The Stars (ABC) ["Episode 909A"]

Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control For A Miniseries, Movie, Or A Special
The 25th Anniversary Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Concert (HBO)