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This is odd for so many reasons (Emmys 2011)

by Alex on September 19, 2011

First off, I can’t believe this is already my fourth Emmy review on this site.
I’d like to thank — Oh, who am I kidding. I made myself.

Anyways, on to business.

I’ve gotta admit, this was a pretty good year for the Emmys.
Jane Lynch was a great host, and it started off fairly well with her opening number.
It did drag on a bit but, overall, it was a nice time (I’m still a fan of last year’s Born To Run though).
One thing I did note about the stage was the huge FOX logo at the top of the gigantic video tower.
We get it, we’re on FOX. The Simon Cowell network.

The big awkward running gag of the night (you’ve gotta have one of those) was the Emmytones. Or, as I call it, the “why the fuck am I doing this” choir, composed of such talented actors as Joel McHale and Zach Levi.
Forced smiles coupled with bad timing meant one bad musical number after another.
LL Cool J’s surprise guest song towards the end of the night only reinforced the contrast between a “cool” number and…that.

As expected, we were treated with funny presenters mixed with more, shall we say, somber ones.
It started pretty well with the two Jimmys (Fallon and Kimmel) boxing it out.
The first part of the night was, as Jane Lynch called it, the Modern Family Awards.
Beyond the fact that it was a clean sweep for the show, I actually did not expect Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell to win. They did deserve the awards though.
Ricky Gervais’ pre-recorded message was way too tame to be funny. I know it was supposed to be the joke but, still, too on the nose. Here’s to hoping he’ll be back in some capacity live on another award show.
Another annoying thing about the night was the overbearing announcer/voice-over guy making pretty crappy jokes about each winner as they walked onto the stage. They definitely need to cut that gag out next time around.

I honestly thought there would be an upset in the comedy writing department with Louis C.K. winning. After all, the show is widely loved in LaLaLand.
And if not a Louie episode, then at least the final Steve Carell/The Office one.
So, yes, this was another Modern Family Emmy I didn’t really anticipate.
Same comment for ‘best actor’ where I really thought Steve Carell’s final year would be recognized.
Charlie Sheen’s speech was beyond awkward. Was he being serious or ironic? It all sounded so hollow and strange. I can understand Jim Parsons being creeped out.

At this point in the post I have to take a moment and acknowledge the great dramatic presentation that was the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series category.
All the nominated actresses going up on stage ‘impromptu’-style was great.
Yay for McCarthy. I’m not a big Mike & Molly fan though I’m seeing this victory as a recognition of McCarthy’s past work (Gilmore Girls!). And Bridesmaids certainly didn’t hurt.

The best moment of the night was undoubtedly the great Office comedy bit with fellow characters/actors popping in and out of the short. The biggest laughs were had with Jesse Pinkman giving Creed some meth. Brilliant.

I also cannot help but be amused by Cee-Lo’s chair malfunction.

Moving on the the Reality/Variety category, I have to say that Top Chef: All-Stars was a shoe-in for the Emmy, not Amazing Race (for what feels like a decade of wins).
Speaking of gazillion victories, The Daily Show once again took the top prize. I can’t complain, although I’m still waiting on The Colbert Report to get the Emmy.

We then got blasted with a Lonely Island medley (sorta).
Look, I enjoy the occasional skit as much as the next guy, but doing a live remake of the Michael Bolton song was unoriginal to say the least.
It was a nice touch to have (I think) Ed Helms, Maya Rudolph and John Stamos in the set as well, but overall, a fairly weak (albeit crazy) skit.

And this brings me to the ‘best drama writer’ category.
Holy smokes.
Huge surprise (in my mind) with Jason Katims’ oh-so-deserved victory for the series finale of Friday Night Lights.
Finally some recognition!
Now, I’m still a season behind, but I’m super stoked about this win.
Ditto for Kyle Chandler’s Emmy prize.
Those are upsets I enjoy seeing.
Martin Scorsese winning best director was one of the most obvious awards of the night (save for the finale two).
On the other side of the coin, Peter Dinklage won!

It might not have seemed like the role of a lifetime but it sure feels like it now.
Game of Thrones is currently the number one talked-about show in every writers room so it might not be as surprising as it seems.

Following last year’s debacle, the ‘In Memoriam’ segment was anticipated (for lack of a more politically-correct description).
What we got this time around was a music clip promoting a Canadian boys band singing a terrible version of Hallelujah.
Better luck next season, right?

And now about the final awards.
Clearly no surprise there for Downtown Abbey which holds the BS record for “most acclaimed series in the world”.
I haven’t got much else to add about Mad Men’s victory.
And as for Modern Family winning. Well. It’s the new 30 Rock.

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Tips and stories from around the Web: Comic-Con 2011 Edition

by Alex on July 16, 2011

in Daily Business,Entertainment Talk,My Life 101

We might be bitching about the ridiculous price of the tickets (especially next year’s) or the hotels, but Comic-Con is ultimately a celebration of — well, I’d say comics but we both know that’s not true anymore, so, let’s just say, a celebration of pop-culture mostly for the fans (and the pros).

As this will be my first trip to the Con, I did a bit of research to find some tips and guides.
Needless to say, I found several very interesting ones:
– Kotaku ran an article last year not necessarily on tips about the con itself, rather tips about travelling to it (and in it). Still a very interesting read.
– Another “Top 10″ list to mention is the POVonline convention guide.
– If you’re a Flash fan, then you must know Speed Force. What you may not be aware of is that they published amazing suggestions “for making the most of comic conventions.” It’s all based on personal experience from the author and it has a lot of handy nuggets of information.
– I can’t list great Comic-Con guides without mentioning Shouting in the Wind’s own post. It pretty much answers most of the questions anyone has about attending the con. There’s usually an update every year, though I’m linking last year’s guide since, as you can guess, sadly no ’11 update has been made for now.

A lot of these tips may seem a tad redundant, but it’s pretty clear you can’t go to Comic-Con unprepared.
Three key suggestions seem to emerge:
Pack for the day with food and water, be ready to walk/stand in line with comfy shoes, and, perhaps most of all, have a hand sanitizer. I know I will.

With all of that said, I must also talk about one extremely exhaustive guide/tip-list stands out above all the rest.
I am of course referring to The Comics Reporter’s own 150+ Tips For Attending San Diego’s CCI 2011.
That’s right, the website has over 150 tips, and these are definitely not one-liners. Warning: given its extensiveness, the page is pretty long.
This is clearly a must-read for any attendee, especially the first-timers.

I also thought it’d be a good idea to link in this post several other websites which are great source of intel about the convention.
– First up is SDCC Blog, an unofficial SDCC blog self-described as “the ultimate source for all things SDCC.” Although it’s not as “ultimate” as they seem to think, it is still pretty comprehensive. The most notable part of the site is its dedicated off-site events page.
– A great “counter-point” to this website is Comic-Con Geek, which also provides news on the subject, often more extensively.
– Finally, we have The Beat which has a dedicated Comic-Con section and often brings amazing insight into the con and news around it.

You should also know that the official San Diego Comic-Con website is full of amazing guides, from maps of the convention floor and shuttle information, to exhibitor listings and schedules.

If you’re interested in what my panel schedule will look like (I know I am), here’s a link to MySched.
Some panels still interlap as I’ll probably be deciding last-minute for those.
Obviously, it’s mostly a wish-list, since you can never tell how everything is going to go down.

I’m also hoping for some kind of ‘LA TV Writers’ meet-up to be organized.
And if yourself are attending the Con, you can always shoot me an e-mail!
If nothing is ultimately planned, I’ll probably tweet up something around Saturday, maybe a screening of a crappy pilot — or an impromptu get-together…
After all, isn’t that the point of a convention?

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Is Netflix’s original programming strategy a game-changer?

by Alex on March 15, 2011

in Entertainment Talk,Featured Posts,News,Technology & Art,TV Analysis

Post image for Is Netflix’s original programming strategy a game-changer?

By now you’ve probably heard the news: Netflix has decided to enter the original programming world. Not only that, but the king of online movie distribution is doing it through a $100-million deal, scoring House of Cards (one of the most sought-out cable pilots) with a 2-season/24-episode order.
Boom.

It’s certainly impressive, and pretty much unheard of, but why can this move be considered a game-changer?

First, the fact that Netflix is doing original programming is, by itself, a major decision, and dare I say a major shake-up in the peaceful realm of the television industry.
An outside entity getting on TV’s turf by pulling the rug out from their feet? They’re a distribution outlet, not a content developer. Surely this is tantamount to iTunes making shows of their own, right?
Well the truth is that we’ve now moved beyond all of that.
Do you remember The Outer Limits’ opening credits? “We control the horizontal and the vertical.“
I could write a thousand pages describing how “the Internet” or “YouTube” or “the writers’ strike” changed the way “television” is “made,” but the bottom line is that the standard TV business model is slowly eroding away. We’re now angling towards an endless array of verticals and horizontals. The latest example being Comcast buying up NBC/Universal. The “input” and “output” tubes are starting to fuse themselves together into an endless loop.
Scary, huh?
So we have Netflix, which controls 61% of movie streaming and is literally getting a dedicated button on your remote control, who is now moving beyond its distribution model to become a content creator–nay, a premium content creator and provider.
I’d say that’s one major step towards the future of television.

Now there’s also the problem of the content itself. Netflix went with House of Cards; in other words, this is a very high-profile cable drama.
The message is clear: You don’t have to be HBO to provide epic premium content.
It’s not only about making original content, it’s about making original premium content that can rival cable.
Is cable really in competition with online distribution outlets?
That’s still up to debate, although Netflix clearly thinks so.
“But they don’t have development executive” you say. Well that may be true, but I’m still waiting to see Netflix’s exec pyramid to validate that statement. They’ll probably create a dedicated department in the next few weeks.
Regardless, seeing as this is their first original venture, and the way they acquired the project, I’m willing to bet that they’re more than willing to give some artistic freedom.
After all, we’re not talking about a project by unknowns here. House of Cards is a respected foreign property drama and has established auspices (Fincher/Spacey). Plus we have MRC, which has a decent track record, but more importantly everything to prove. It’s probable that they’ll be the ones more involved in the creative process.
And will House of Cards be eligible for an Emmy?

Finally, we have the deal itself. A two-season order is nowadays virtually unheard of.
As Nellie Andreeva pointed out in her article:

AMC went straight to series on The Walking Dead but with a modest six-episode order. Rome and Fox’s CGI extravaganza Terra Nova started off with 13-episode orders. Starz, which has been going straight-to-series with its dramas, ordered 10 episodes of Camelot and 8 of Boss.

Although still unknown, the distribution model of these 24 episodes will probably be by itself somewhat of a revolution (at least for that type of content).
Will it be VOD-only? Will DVDs be mailed out? How about the marketing campaign?
Everything needs to be defined. Or rather redefined, since this is after all a TV series we’re talking about.
Change is afoot.
The fact that Netflix spent $100 million to acquire the project is them basically thumbing their nose at cable.
Had AMC or HBO acquired the project, it certainly would have kept its appeal, but beyond its artistic value, the fact that Netflix is developing it is much more alluring.
House of Cards is now a big fish in a small pond–which is about to get enormous.

Of course, at the end of the day (or rather months to come), all of this might end up being a catastrophic failure. Nobody watches the show and millions have been spent for nothing.
I personally believe though that it’s going to work out on all fronts.
And if anything, this will at least usher in a new era; that of premium original content not originating from the standard black box, but from an entirely different mode of distribution.
Whether that’s a good or bad thing remains to be seen.

One final question remains: Will House of Cards be eligible for an Emmy?

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Oscar thoughts (2011)

by Alex on February 28, 2011

in Entertainment Talk,News

Well, it’s already been a year since we were treated with the Baldwin/Martin hosting duties and, although not that amusing, they fared much better than this year’s duo.

But let’s get something out of the way first.
Was The King’s Speech the best movie of 2010?
Probably not.
Was it undeserving of recognition?
No.
If you’ve seen the movie, then you know it was not only entertaining and funny, but also fresh.
There, I said it.
I went in expecting some heavy period “Oscar-grabber” piece, and I came out feeling invigorated.
Hell, it was the complete opposite of what many people are comparing it to: Shakespeare in Love.
So, no, I don’t feel the win was that much of a rip-off, and if you look at the list of the nominees, 2010 was a pretty great year for cinema.

Now onto the hosts.

…
*crickets*
Call it bland, call it grey, call it apathy, but the hosting this year was plain boring.
Even Franco seemed to be pretty absent throughout the show (maybe it was due to the Bruce Vilanch-written jokes?).
There’s not much else to say about that, except to add that Hathaway’s visible enthusiasm was misplaced.

If there was one great addition this year though, it was undoubtedly the magnificent set. Now that’s a step in the right direction.

It was also pretty funny to see how the ceremony itself was not unlike Inception: we have to go deeper!
An announcer announced the next announcer who then announced the next announcer, and…so on.
Anne Hathaway introduced Billy Crystal who introduced Bob Hope who introduced Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law who then presented the SFX award.

Speaking of Bob Hope. Though I appreciate the effort of recreating his persona on stage, they do realize the world, and people, were not black & white in the 1950s right?

Also note that they apparently removed the “applaud your fave” during the In Memoriam segment.
No more ghoulish popularity contest!

Surprisingly, another positive thing this year were the acceptance speeches. Both Aaron Sorkin and Christian Bale were not only humble in their victory, but also self-deprecating. Others, like Tom Hoper, were actually inspiring.

As for Billy Crystal’s comeback, well, that was met with a lot of relief from everybody.
Maybe he’ll get so much hype from his performance that they’ll rehire him next year…

And what to say about Kirk Douglas?
I love the man but, damn, that presentation was downright embarrassing for everyone involved. And what was going on with the aide battling for his cane?

Oh, I almost forgot to point out that Modern Family served us with another, funny, Oscar promo.
Probably the most entertaining 30 seconds of the evening.
That’s two for two.

As for the various winners (and losers)…
Although everyone was hoping for Exit Through the Gift Shop to win (and get a Banksy party-crashing in return), I’m glad that Inside Job got the award. Even better was director Charles Ferguson’s opening statement about how “three years after a horrific financial crisis caused by fraud, not a single financial executive has gone to jail—and that’s wrong”.
A lot of people are also whining about the Inception snubs and how everyone was thanking Chris Nolan–except the Academy voters. Although somewhat true, I do feel ~~Nolan~~ Fincher will get recognition from the Academy soon.
As in, next year with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
As for the rest of the winners, there isn’t much to add that hasn’t been said. I don’t consider any of the wins to be surprising (yes, even Melissa Leo).
This year’s ceremony was, overall, probably the least surprising in quite some time.

Finally, we were treated with a (somewhat awkward?) end-of-show choir.
Under-privileged kids, singing happily with Oscar winners getting their $30,000 gift-bags.
Stay classy Academy.

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Born to Run (Emmys 2010)

by Alex on August 30, 2010

in Entertainment Talk,News,TV Analysis

Already another award show?
It’s as if time isn’t standing still anymore.
Unlike when you’re stuck watching an award show. Badum-ching.

For once, the opening Emmy number was good (surprisingly). It was also a nice big ad for FOX’s Glee…on NBC.
I do have one major caveat though: Jimmy Fallon, please stop singing.
I mean it.
We could all tell you had a hard time catching your breath and you were pretty much completely off-cue during the live part of the song.
I do wonder why they didn’t use Auto-Tune like Simon Cowell.

The best moments of the night didn’t come from Fallon (as expected, like the Conan jokes), but from Neil Patrick Harris, Ricky Gervais, and even a clip featuring the Modern Family cast discussing ‘options’ with a fake suit.

The running-gag of Twitter jokes was as bad as that time we had reality presenters as actual hosts of the Emmys. Remember?
You shouldn’t be scarce on jokes when you’re hosting an award ceremony, that is all.

There were several awkward moments during the night, especially with some presenters. The first one coming to mind is the Matthew Perry/Lauren Graham duo that epicly bombed.
That was soon followed by John Krasinski forgetting his lines–even though the teleprompter was right in front of him.
Awkward.

This year was also the year of popular vote it seems, with lots of newcomers and fan faves winning. Jane Lynch, Jim Parsons, Eric Stonestreet, Aaron Paul, you name it.
And, yes, Bryan Cranston did deserve to win again!
I’m however sorry to point out that Eddie Falco was not the best choice as Lead Actress in a Comedy. She even admitted it herself.

Still nothing new under the sun regarding the Best Drama-type categories, which brings me to this now-popular joke: Will Erin Levy get fired for winning an Emmy? *rimshot*

Lost didn’t win anything.
I find it sad that Darlton actually used as their Emmy joke a true anecdote showing how poorly planned their mythology was. Though that’s old news by now surely.

It’s funny that the Emmy peeps recycled last year’s bottom-screen announcement, such as ‘George Clooney in 17 minutes’ or ‘True Blood cast in 21 minutes.‘
I mean really?
Is that what people watched the show for, or is NBC that desperate to get eyeballs?
Funny to think that the cast of True Blood is also seemingly as popular as Clooney.
At least this year they didn’t pull out the ‘In Memoriam in 30 seconds’ card.

Oh well.
At least a deserving series won for Best Comedy.

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Entertainment Talk

This is odd for so many reasons (Emmys 2011)

Tips and stories from around the Web: Comic-Con 2011 Edition

Is Netflix’s original programming strategy a game-changer?

Oscar thoughts (2011)

Born to Run (Emmys 2010)

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