Showing posts with label Modern Family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Modern Family. Show all posts

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)

Saturday, June 5, 2010

On the new TV genre staple: Families

What else is there to churn out in TV that's reliable, and constantly has stories? We've done crime procedurals to death. Medicine/doctor shows have had their day. Lawyers? Yawn. Oh, I know! Families!

There's something everyone can relate to. To me, it was annoying enough when Brothers & Sisters brought us too many family members, all yammering and in each other's business, constantly gossiping on the phone with each other. But there were some situations that Brothers & Sisters did well. And it is still on the air, after all.

So let's trot out that formula. 

In catching up with potential Emmy contenders, I've just sat down with two of the talked-about shows: one comedy, one drama; both about families. Maybe I was spoiled because I watched the good one first.

"Modern Family," on ABC, is a genuinely funny comedy about a typical (by today's America standards) family. The gay son, the sex-crazed daughter, the father who marries an insanely hot younger woman (what is it with men in Hollywood constantly presenting this stereotype? This doesn't happen in middle America, you know...). But I digress.

"Modern Family" (though about families, and I admit, the topic of families kinda makes me wanna throw up) has a lot of funny lines and situations. Julie Bowen, way better here than in her last ABC show ("Boston Legal") is warm and you wanna know her story. Jesse Tyler Ferguson, as her brother, is also warm and kind.

The pilot of this show made me want to see more. Ed O'Neill is the penultimate father after his long "Married with Children" run, and they had to work hard to make such a truly sexy man (IRL) look so old and frumpy for this show.

The other family show, the NBC drama "Parenthood," has an absolutely stellar cast. This is why I managed to TiVo nearly every show this season, telling myself it just had to be good. Craig T. Nelson is their father. In fact, nearly everyone in this show you've seen somewhere else on TV. For Monica Potter, it's a good thing you probably don't remember her from "Boston Legal."

For others, it's not so good. After all, how can anyone ever wipe away Nate Fisher or Lorelei Gilmore from our minds when watching Peter Krause and Lauren Graham, respectively? It's really truly hard to see Lauren parenting these two kids, when you know she should be off somewhere taking care of Rory. And we all know Nate's dead.

That said--and for me, it still hangs over every frame of this show so far--it's really great to have them both back in our living rooms, where they belong. And if it can't be Rory, Mae Whitman is feisty and compelling enough to want to watch what she does as Lorelei...AHEM, SARAH's daughter.

But, dear God, the family around the dinner table where everyone is talking at once dynamic is so played out. I'm so over it. It's bad enough we have to listen to that crap in our real lives. I don't wanna see it in my art.

I was just about ready to give up on this show, when Lauren Graham has a date (with the ubiquitous Mike O'Malley). And there, the first moments of poignancy that tug at your heartstrings. Peter Krause has a few of them later in the pilot episode too.

So, my jury is still out on this show. At least the living room scene where the brothers and sisters are yammering at each other played better than any episode of Brothers and Sisters I've ever seen. You felt the natural rapport amongst them, and the love. It was really beautiful.

Although I hate to say it, I'm going to be giving both of these shows more chances. Families. Who knew?

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