In 'Glee' Winning is Everything

A Critique of "Michael", Season 3 Episode 11 of 'Glee'

There are two major problems with the Michael Jackson 'Glee' episode.

First, having Artie walk in a fantasy maybe, sort of works. But having Artie stand up in the real world before the musical number switched to black and white fantasy mode stuck out like a sore thumb. For a split second I actually thought, "He's walking?!". Also, Artie spent a lot of time early on in the series battling against his diagnosis, and eventually learned to be happy with who he was. So, why does he have to walk? It just lessens the show's prior message.

Speaking of messages, I think we can all agree that Sebastian purposefully throwing rock salt in Blaine's face was wrong. He knew it was going to hurt someone. And he did, he damaged Blaine's eye to the extent that Blaine needed surgery. He's quite the little psychopath. So, why does said little psychopath get away with his crime? Santana didn't resort to any horrible punishment against the Warblers, she simply got Sebastian's confession on tape. A confession that absolutely should have go to the principal. Sebastian purposefully hurt another student, and has no remorse. But instead the show makes high and mighty Kurt say that turning in the tape is not going to help them win against the Warblers, and he only wants to beat them with Sebastian. True, the tape may not help them win...but for once maybe 'Glee' should focus on something other than winning. Stop equating beating someone in a competition with doing the right thing. The right thing would be to turn Sebastian in so that he doesn't hurt anyone else.

The show likes to have their characters say that winning isn't everything, maybe they should show it in their actions as well.

These issues are exactly the reason that I stopped watching 'Glee' at the end of last season. Now that I've seen this episode I don't think I'll be back any time soon.

Screen Actors Guild Nominations Announced!

Let's take a look at the TV nominations...
Who was nominated for a SAG award? Which shows are doing the best? And which networks have the most nominations? (Scroll down to see a list of all nominees)

'Modern Family' has the most nominations (5 total), but of those five, two pairs of them are competing against each other, so the most awards the show could win would be three. '30 Rock' also has the chance to win three awards...we'll just have to wait and see whether having actors from the same show competing against each other in the same category splits the vote.

NBC is the network with the most nominated actors/shows (a total of 6), followed closely by ABC (5) and HBO (5). However, all of ABC's nominations are for 'Modern Family', and 60% of HBO's nominations are for Stunt Ensemble Performances, while NBC has nominations for both '30 Rock' and 'The Office'. CBS has only three nominations, as does Showtime. The fourth network, FOX, has the fewest nominations: 1. And that one nod is for 'Glee', a show which frankly does not deserve a win.

Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor In A Drama Series
Kathy Bates for 'Harry's Law' (NBC)
Glenn Close for 'Damages' (FX)
Jessica Lange for 'American Horror Story' (FX)
Julianna Margules for 'The Good Wife' (CBS)
Kyra Sedgwick for 'The Closer' (TNT)


Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor In A Comedy Series
Julie Bowen for 'Modern Family' (ABC)
Edie Falco for 'Nurse Jackie' (Showtime)
Tina Fey for '30 Rock' (NBC)
Sofia Vergara for 'Modern Family' (ABC)
Betty White for 'Hot In Cleveland' (TV Land)

Outstanding Performance By A Male Actor In A Drama Series
Patrick J. Adams for 'Suits' (USA)
Steve Buscemi for 'Boardwalk Empire' (HBO)
Kyle Chandler for 'Friday Night Lights' (DirecTV/The 101 Network)
Bryan Cranston for 'Breaking Bad' (AMC)
Michael C. Hall for 'Dexter' (Showtime)


Outstanding Performance By A Male Actor In A Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin for '30 Rock' (NBC)
Ty Burrell for 'Modern Family' (ABC)
Steve Carell for 'The Office' (NBC)
Jon Cryer for 'Two and a Half Men' (CBS)
Eric Stonestreet for 'Modern Family' (ABC)


Outstanding Performance By An Ensemble In A Drama Series
'Boardwalk Empire' (HBO)

'Breaking Bad' (AMC)
'Dexter' (Showtime)
'Game of Thrones' (HBO)
'The Good Wife' (CBS)


Outstanding Performance By An Ensemble In A Comedy Series
'30 Rock' (NBC)
'The Big Bang Theory' (CBS)
'Glee' (FOX)
'Modern Family' (ABC)
'The Office' (NBC)


Outstanding Performance By A Stunt Ensemble In A Television Series
'Dexter' (HBO)
'Game of Thrones' (HBO)
'Southland' (TNT)
'Spartacus' (STARZ)
'True Blood' (HBO)

The People' Choice Awards--will one show dominate?

When the People's Choice Award nominations were released this morning many of you may have noticed the obvious--several shows have the chance to win multiple awards. Now, I cannot be the only one who was completely bored at the Emmy's when 'Modern Family' won the first four awards. However, when looking at the shows nominated for People's Choice Awards there are some that really deserve to win, and some that really, really don't. Because of that, a show having total domination at this awards show may not be a bad thing.

Here are some possible domination scenarios:

'Bones' could win TV Drama Actor (David Boreanaz), TV Drama Actress (Emily Deschanel), and Best TV Crime Drama.
(To make it a family affair Zooey Deschanel's show 'New Girl' could also win for Best New Comedy)

'Grey's Anatomy' could win TV Drama Actor (Patrick Dempsey), TV Drama Actress (Ellen Pompeo), and Best TV Drama.

'Supernatural' could win Best TV Drama and Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show. 'True Blood' and 'The Vampire Diaries' could have similar sweeps.

'House' could win Best TV Drama and TV Drama Actor (Hugh Laurie).

'Glee' could win Best TV Comedy, TV Comedy Actor (Chris Colfer or Cory Monteith) and TV Comedy Actress (Lea Michele or Jane Lynch)
'Castle' could win Best TV Crime Drama and TV Drama Actor (Nathan Fillion).

'30 Rock' could win TV Comedy Actor (Alec Baldwin) and TV Comedy Actress (Tina Fey).

'How I Met Your Mother' could win Best TV Comedy and TV Comedy Actor (Neil Patrick Harris).

And, oh, look what can't possibly dominate: 'Modern Family' (nominated only in Best TV Comedy).

The most impressive sweep would clearly be 'Bones', since they could take away a total of 3 awards. Too bad they weren't cross listed in both Best TV Crime Drama and Best TV Drama ...then they could have gone for four! Guess they might have to settle for Emily Deschanel's little sister winning Best New Comedy. That counts, right?

The show with the best shot at sweeping categories is 'Glee'. Having multiple nominees in the same category decreases competition and should work to their advantage. The only way this might not be a good thing is if fans feel divided about which cast member they should vote for, and split the vote.

People's Choice Awards

It's that time of year again...voting time! And while (hopefully) many of you are heading to the polls today, you can also vote online for the People's Choice Awards.

Click on me to vote!

The People's Choice Awards airs on Wednesday, January 11th (that's 2012!).

 Nominees were announced this morning, and television nominations include:

Favorite Network TV Comedy:
 *Glee
*Modern Family
*How I Met Your Mother
*2 and a Half Men
*The Big Bang Theory

Favorite TV Comedy Actor:
*Jim Parsons
*Alec Baldwin
*Neil Patrick Harris
*Cory Monteith
*Chris Colfer

Favorite TV Comedy Actress:
*Kaley Cuoco
*Jane Lynch
*Lea Michele
*Courtney Cox
*Tina Fey

Favorite Cable TV Comedy:
*Hot in Cleveland
*It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
*Weeds
*Royal Pains
*Nurse Jackie

Favorite Network TV Drama:
*The Vampire Diaries
*House
*Supernatural
*The Good Wife
*Grey's Anatomy


Favorite TV Drama Actor:
*Nathan Fillion
*David Boreanaz
*Ian Somerhalder
*Hugh Laurie
*Patrick Dempsey


Favorite TV Drama Actress:
*Blake Lively
*Emily Deschanel
*Nina Dobrev
*Eva Longoria
*Ellen Pompeo

Favorite Cable TV Drama:
*Game of Thrones
*Dexter
*Pretty Little Liars
*White Collar
*True Blood


Favorite TV Crime Drama:
*Bones
*Criminal Minds
*Castle
*CSI
*NCIS

Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show
*True Blood
*Supernatural
*Fringe
*The Walking Dead
*The Vampire Diaries

Wait, 'Charlie's Angels' is still here? And 'Community' and 'Parks and Recreation' have reruns tonight?!

I just looked at a TV listing for tonight and had a double-take moment when I saw 'Charlie's Angels' was on. I truly thought that had already been canceled. That doesn't bode well for them...do people even know it's still on the air?





 

Further ruining tonight's television viewing plans...both 'Community' and 'Parks and Rec' have reruns tonight. Boy, this week has been horrible: no 'New Girl', no 'Glee', no 'Community', AND no 'Parks and Rec'. Are the networks attempting to drain all the comedy out of our lives?

'New Girl' has high ratings, gets full season

'New Girl' is now officially signed on for a full season! That means we'll have a total of 24 episodes this year.

After watching last night's episode, I have to admit that I like the show a little bit more than I did before. The pilot just wasn't that great. The second episode had more laughs, and I'm starting to be more accepting of Zooey Deschanel's zany humor...if only because I'm expecting it.

'New Girl' had 9.3 million viewers last night. 'Glee', on the other hand, had only 8.1 million viewers which is significantly decreased from this time last year.

So, good news for 'New Girl', not so good news for 'Glee'. Guess we'll have to see what the future holds...

Wanna bet on what will get canceled and what won't?
Check out the New York Times version of Fantasy Football Television.

which shows have new episodes tonight?

Shows Premiering Tonight

Now that we've entered the intense premiere week, if you have even one favorite television show you're probably excited.

Unfortunately I missed out on the premiere of 'How I Met Your Mother' yesterday, mainly because I was being responsible and actually looking after the child I was babysitting.

But there are no babies tonight! And that means I'm gearing up for a slew of shows:

'Glee' premieres tonight on FOX at 8 pm

'New Girl' premieres on FOX at 9 pm

'Raising Hope' premieres on FOX at 9:30 pm

'The Biggest Loser' premieres on NBC at 8 pm 

The second episode of 'Ringer' is on the CW at 9 pm

'Body of Proof' premieres on ABC at 10 pm

'Unforgettable' premieres on CBS at 10 pm

The second episode of 'Parenthood' is on NBC at 10 pm

This line-up actually creates a lot of controversy for me...mainly because I'm not a huge fan of any of these shows, but I like most of them. My best guess is that I'll probably watch 'Glee' live (because Facebook will ruin it for me if I don't), watch the middle part of 'The Biggest Loser', and then switch back to FOX to watch 'Raising Hope'. I've already see the pilot episode of 'New Girl', and I don't have any desire to watch it again (even though I'll probably give episode 2 a chance next week).

The biggest problem for me is the 10 pm time slot. In all honesty, the best move would probably be to forgo everything and go to bed instead. But since we all know that's not going to happen what I'll actually watch is pretty iffy. Probably 'Unforgettable', since this is the pilot, and if any of those shows is going to be ruined for me via social media it will probably be that one.

Of course, I'm not going to lie, I'm bound to watch almost every show on that list. I just hope the networks hurry up and post them online as quickly as possible.

Premiere Dates of Television Shows Fall 2011-2012

It's September, so it is officially time to prepare for the premieres of some of your favorite shows. Pull out that calendar, here are the dates that you need to keep free:

Returning shows (in order of release):

'Glee'
When? Wednesday, Sept 21st at 8 pm
Where? FOX
What? High school Glee club, made up of a bunch of ostracized misfits and popular Cheerleaders, sing and compete and date and break-up.

'Community'
When? Thursday, Sept 22nd at 8 pm
Where? NBC
What? A hilarious half-hour show about a study group at a quirky community college. Plus, Joel McHale.

'Parks and Recreation'
When? Thursday, Sept 22nd at 8:30 pm
Where? NBC
What? A hilarious half-hour show about a group of colleges at a Parks & Rec department. Plus, Amy Poehler.

'The Office'
When? Thursday, Sept 22nd at 9 pm
Where? NBC
What? Employees at a paper company work together, and insanity ensues. Also, no more Steve Carell?

'Desperate Housewives'
When? Sunday, Sept 25th at 9 pm
Where? ABC
What? Focuses on the crazy, crazy lives of a bunch of housewives and their families in a fictional suburb. Frankly, I'm a little shocked this is still on the air.

'Dexter'
When? Sunday, Oct 2nd at 9 pm
Where? Showtime
What? A serial killer who actually works for the police, and only kills bad guys. You need to be caught up on all the older seasons or you'll have no idea what's happening.

'Bones'
When? Thursday, Nov 3rd at 8 pm
Where? FOX
What? Forensic anthropologists and FBI guy solve crimes together, and may or may not be desperately in love with each other. Plus, now there will be two babies!

New shows you might want to watch (in order of release date)...

'Free Agents'
When? Wednesday, Sept 14th at 10:30 pm
Where? NBC
What? Remake of a British comedy (but aren't they all?), two co-workers deal with the aftermath of a one-night stand. Plus, Anthony Stewart Head!

'Two Broke Girls'
When? Monday, Sept 19th at 9:30 pm
Where? CBS
What? Two broke girls, who waitress and nanny. I think it's a comedy.

'New Girl'
When? Tuesday, Sept 20th at 9 pm
Where? FOX
What? Zooey Deschanel (little sis to the star of FOX's hit show, 'Bones') finally has her own show. Basically, she plays an awkward girl who moves in with three guys. Based on the previews, this will either be really funny or really obnoxious.

'Unforgettable'
When? Tuesday, Sept 20th at 10 pm
Where? CBS
What? Poppy Montgomery (of 'Without at Trace' fame) finally gets her own show. What a shock that it's another crime ridden one! She tries to solve the murder of her sister, who was killed when they were children. Oh, and she has the uncanny ability to remember everything (except the murder of her sister).

'Revenge'
When? Wednesday, Sept 21st at 10 pm
Where? ABC
What? A girl wants revenge on the people she believes are responsible for destroying her family. Basically, ABC attempts to use Emily VanCamp in a new show now that they canceled her old one ('Brothers and Sisters').

'Charlie's Angels'
When? Tuesday, Sept 22nd at 8 pm
Where? ABC
What? Modern remake of...'Charlie's Angels'

'Pan Am'
When? Sunday, Sept 25th at 10 pm
Where? ABC
What? Trying to grab some of the fans of 'Mad Men', this show revolves around the lives of beautiful Pan Am stewardesses. Back when they were called 'stewardesses'.

'The Playboy Club'
When? Sunday, Sept 25th at 10 pm
Where? NBC
What? This show revolves around the lives of hot Playboy bunnies, and their love interests/sleazy criminal interactions. Back when Playboy bunnies...never-mind.

'Hart of Dixie'
When? Monday, Sept 26th at 9 pm
Where? CW
What? Big city female surgeon gets sent to small Southern town. If you can buy Rachel Bilson as a surgeon (I said IF!) then you might buy into this show.


Want the release dates and times of other new or old shows? Just leave me a comment!

Who won 'The Glee Project'?

Who won?

If you're watching it on Hulu you haven't had a chance to view the season finale yet, so don't read below because there are spoilers!

There were actually TWO winners. Damian and Samuel both won 7 episode arcs on 'Glee'.

Lindsay and Alex, who were the two runner-ups, both won 2 episode arcs on 'Glee'.

Originally 'The Glee Project' had only promoted the fact that ONE winner would receive a 7 episode arc on 'Glee', making the presentation of the additional roles a shock to the competitors.

My thought is that Ryan Murphy will use these arcs to judge how successful the four teens are on 'Glee', and will potentially ask one or more of them to remain on the show to fill in spaces left by the original cast (as this will be the final season for most them).

Damian Should Win Role on 'Glee'

Why Damian should win 'The Glee Project':

1) Um, because he's the only one still on the show who I like.

2) Seriously, Lindsay is annoying and seems fake, Alex is way too into himself (and while he's a great singer, he can't act), and Samuel isn't that appealing to watch (it's not that he's done anything wrong, I just don't enjoy watching him perform).

3) The winner of the show is only signing on for a 7 episode arc, and it will be easiest to use Damian for this length of time. Why? Because he's Irish! He can be an exchange student. Perfect.

emmy nominations for 2011 are announced! comedy

2011 Emmy Nominations "Comedy"
...who's nominated, who I want to win, and who probably will
looking for "drama"?

Lead Actress--Comedy:
*Edie Falco She's a media darling, but she won last year.
*Laura Linney She's a media darling, and she's been nominated for academy awards (3) and won emmys (3), it wouldn't surprise me if she beat Poehler.
*Amy Poehler Her show didn't deserve a win last year, but Poehler's hilarity made it a gem in 2011.
*Melissa McCarthy Her show isn't that great, but that hasn't stopped them before (Jon Cryer won in 2009?!).
*Martha Plimpton This show is tons of fun, and I think Plimpton's great, but I don't believe it has the following to win this year.
*Tina Fey She hasn't won since '08, but she's been nominated every year. and while I think she's marvelous I think this may be Poehler's year.

Lead Actor--Comedy:
*Matt LeBlanc Huh, I heard 'Episodes' is good...but I haven't seen it so I can't comment.
*Jim Parsons I can't stand 'The Big Bang Theory'. I know, I know, lots of people like it...
*Johnny Galecki See above.
*Steve Carell Last year on 'The Office'? last chance to win an Emmy? I'm thinking he will win.
*Louis C.K. He's pretty hilarious but maybe a little too vulgar for voters to think he "deserves" an Emmy.
*Alec Baldwin Two Emmy nominations but no win? Well, that's a travesty. I think he should win this year.

Supporting Actress--Comedy:
*Jane Lynch She won last year, and she's hosting this year. So, I guess she could win, but I think they should give someone else a shot.
*Betty White She's already won 7. And 'Hot in Cleveland' is not good.
*Kristen Wiig I know Fey won for SNL that one time, but that was probably a flux.
*Julie Bowen 'Modern Family' was a favorite last year, and out of all their actresses Bowen should win this.
*Jane Krakowski I love her! And I'd love it if she'd win. After all, no other actress wore a giant dog suit (while pregnant!) and walked a man around on a leash.
*Sofia Vergara Again, I love 'Modern Family', but I think Bowen really deserves the nod.

Supporting Actor--Comedy:
*Jon Cryer Read what I wrote for McCarthy above.
*Chris Colfer Yeah, yeah, "Glee" is big. And Colfer's okay. But he is not funny. I just don't see it.
*Jesse Tyler Ferguson Woah they loved their 'Modern Family' this year too! Sorry Jesse, but I want to give this to Ty.
*Ed O'Neill This is his first Emmy nomination, but after publicly snubbing Lynch last year I'm not sure he'll manage a win.
*Eric Stonestreet You won last year. Give someone else a chance!
*Ty Burrell He's hilarious on 'Modern Family', and can say even the most straightforward line with enough character to make you laugh out loud.

Check back later for my opinions on the other Emmy categories. Also, think I'm wrong? Think someone should have been nominated who wasn't? Leave a comment! Who will win? Who should win?

fondue for two: brittany, santana & gay glee

dear ryan murphy, brad falchuck, ian brennan, and anyone else minimally/majorly involved in the creation of 'glee',

'fondue for two' should be its own show. at the very least i'd like some quality webisodes. seriously. it may have actually been the highlight of this week's episode. and it almost made me forget that santana is still completely in the closet, and that she and brittany are no closer to dating. which i really, really want to happen, fyi. they are one of the only reasons i put up with your whiny characters. you know who i'm talking about.

much love, -em


p.s. thanks for giving us gay people who aren't completely stereotypical. i love kurt as much as the next person, but i love it even more that brittany and santana are popular/cheerleaders/etc. and i know many people will claim they're not representative of the true queer community/that they're just another pair of t.v. lipstick lesbians, but it's nice to show that there are completely typical, mainstream high schools kids who just happen to be gay/bi.oh, and bravo for being a little less dramatic about it (not that that's hard) than 'pretty little liars'. also, brittany's rainbow belt in her 'fondue for two' clip is hopefully foreshadowing of things to come. right?