January 28, 2007 · 11:29 pm

Talkin’ SAG: And the Winners are…

So, let’s take a quick look at how I did with my Screen Actor’s Guild predictions. All in all, the awards were basically an absolute redux of the Golden Globes outside of a few small differences, and it’s an interesting phenomenon. Last year, the awards that crossed over on the TV side of things were:

Best Drama / Best Ensemble in a Drama – Lost

Best Supporting Actress / Female in a Drama Series – Sandra Oh

Best Comedy / Best Ensemble in a Comedy – Desperate Housewives

Now, the supporting category is even more difficult for someone to crossover in, as the Globes lump Drama/Comedy/Miniseries together, and the SAG Awards mix Lead and Supporting. Thus, Sandra Oh’s victory in both is a strong achievement. However, this year was a whole different monster.

Best Drama / Best Ensemble in a Drama – Grey’s Anatomy

Best Actor in a Drama / Male in a Drama Series – Hugh Laurie (House)

Best Actor in a Comedy / Male in a Comedy Series – Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)

Best Actress in a Comedy / Female in a Comedy Series – America Ferrerra (Ugly Betty)

What makes this so surprising is that so many acting awards crossed over, where they normally haven’t in the past. There was only one similarity in the two years prior to last as well, which makes it quite an interesting anomaly for there to be three. Have we finally found the group of actors who will united the crazy Foreign press and the actors themselves? Delightful young actress, cantankerous British man and Alec Frackin’ Baldwin? Seems like a winning combo.

As far as film goes, I went 5/5 on a predictable and uneventful set of awards. Whitaker, Mirren, Murphy, Hudson, and Little Miss Sunshine continues to move towards an Oscar run with an Ensemble win.

The deviations from the Globes on the TV side were for the best, really. The Office takes the Ensemble comedy prize over GG winner Ugly Betty, and I couldn’t be happier about it. I had predicted Desperate Housewives, but my heart was always with the delightful group of folks who populate Dunder-Mifflin.

On the Drama side, the only difference was Chandra Wilson, woefully snubbed of even a nomination at the Golden Globes, picking up an award for Best Actress in a Drama. Her role deserves more attention, and I very much enjoy her picking up some kudos from her peers.

So, my overall totals:

Cinema

5/5 on Myles’ Picks

Total: 5/5

Television

1/6 on Myles’ Picks

4/6 on Dark Horses

Total: 3/6 (Yeah, I’m giving ½ pts)

Final Tally: 8/11

Not too bad, I’d say. The TV Awards were definitely a bit of a madhouse, although not a bad one by any means, just surprising.

I’d offer up some more details and analysis of the winners (Such as Steve Carell being robbed AGAIN, the terrible fate befalling Michael C. Hall) but I think that will wait until tomorrow afternoon. Battlestar Galactica is on.

For the full list of winners, Continue reading →

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January 28, 2007 · 2:16 am

Talkin’ SAG: And the Winners will be…

It is another year, and another chance for the various guilds to start awarding their own members in lavish ceremonies. While most of these are quite limited, what with their small number of awards, the Screen Actors Guild has the benefits of numerous awards, big names to parade down red carpets, and enough clout when it comes to Oscar predictions to be of importance. Plus, like the Golden Globes, it encapsulates both cinema and television, providing a great deal of variety for viewers. In short, of the various guild presentations, the SAG Awards are the only ones worth televising (8pm EST, TNT).

As a result, let’s take a look at the various nominees on both the Television and Cinema side of things. Also, yes, I just got Photoshop, and find it ever so much fun.

TELEVISION

First things first, let’s get it out of the way. Due to, I guess, wanting to avoid weighing either TV or Cinema over the other, there are no Supporting Categories for the SAG Awards in Television. There is still a binary between comedy and drama, however, which makes for four awards total, but it makes it very hard for actors and actresses in supporting roles. I’m going to skip the TV Movie-Miniseries Awards, only because I find them slightly boring. Oh, also, because how can one go against Helen Mirren grabbing a SAG Award to sit next to her recent Golden Globe win for Elizabeth I? And, I can’t argue against comedy sensation Jeremy Irons for his work in the same film.

Best Actor in a Drama Series

James Gandolfini – THE SOPRANOS
Michael C. Hall – DEXTER
Hugh Laurie – HOUSE
James Spader – BOSTON LEGAL
Kiefer Sutherland – 24

This is a category that is probably the most difficult to predict, mainly because there is a great deal of precedent for each individual. Gandolfini is a perpetual nominee, Laurie just won the Globe, Kiefer just won the Emmy, and despite being snubbed by the Academy in September Spader won the Emmy the previous year. Which, really, just leaves Michael C. Hall without any sort of awards recognition. In fact, for all of his year’s on HBO’s Six Feet Under, he was never once nominated for his work.

Well, Dexter IS Michael C. Hall, perhaps even moreso than Kiefer Sutherland has become synonymous with 24. While Kiefer perhaps had his most hard-working supporting cast to date in Season 5 (Although sadly neither Gregory Itzin or Jean Smart are nominated here), Michael C. Hall has no such foil to work from, and Dexter works entirely because of his fantastically nuanced performance. Dexter is a killer who operates by his own code, independent from that of the world in which he lives. His performance is absolutely stunning, and I believe that he has a great shot at winning this award.

But, can I argue against Kiefer? I’ve got him as my selection to win, but he just own his Emmy, so people might feel he has enough awards. Perhaps, then, it would be time to bestow a SAG award on Mr. Laurie? I’m predicting they’ll stay clear of the good doctor, but you never know.

Myles’ Pick: Kiefer Sutherland (24)

Dark Horse: Michael C. Hall (Dexter)

Continue reading →

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January 27, 2007 · 3:42 pm

Cultural News Bytes – January 27th

Where Dreams Come True – Disney Parks

It’s another year, another lack of a trip to Disney World. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am no longer expecting such a thing to happen, but it still pains me. It’s now been almost 10 years since I was last in Florida, and every year I think back to what’s there that wasn’t before. There’s two new coasters, the entirety of Animal Kingdom, and I can’t help but feel that there is something I am missing. I think I almost have more appreciation for Disney in my early 20s nostalgia than I did in my early teens strangely long-lasting fascination, so something continues to call me South pretty much every year.

But, I’m an easy sell, due to my life-long enjoyment of all things Disney. Disney is selling their parks to families, potential tourists who are looking for a way to be sucked into the magic. And, as a result, a new marketing campaign has been announced that is rather strange in its focus. It’s a delightful cross between the nostalgic and the recent.

These three photos are the first in a series, and cover a broad range of interests. We’ve got Beyoncé for the “hip” kids, Lyle Lovett for the older folks, Oliver Platt for the…hmmm, David Beckham for his cross-continental appeal, and Scarlett Johansson for her appeal with the twentysomethings.

But what is there for the kids, really? The references to Cinderella/Sleeping Beauty/Alice in Wonderland are certainly somewhat relevant, but not to an incredibly great degree, and Beyonce is the only star I can see young kids recognizing. Are parents really looking to have their dreams come true? I’m not sure, but I’m so there. Eventually. Give it time.

Friday Box Office Estimates

Well, it appears that I was a little bit low on the new releases, and a little bit high on the holdovers. Very simply, it appears that people are sick and tired of hearing about old movies, and instead wanted to find something new. This is perhaps unsurprisingly, but specifically a film like Dreamgirls was expected to do better. And, with teens and adult males the major targets of the two big openers, family favourite Night at the Museum held stronger than expected, and will see a big weekend bump into possibly third place.

Friday Box Office Estimates (c/o www.the-numbers.com)

1. Epic Movie – $6.8 Million

2. Smokin’ Aces – $4.7 Million

3. Catch and Release – $2.5 Million

4. Stomp the Yard – $2.3 Million

5. Night At The Museum – $2.2 Million

 

(Other Notables)

8. Pan’s Labyrinth – $1.2 Million

13. Blood and Chocolate – $790,000

So, it looks like my estimates will be pretty good again this week. Yay me! Enjoy the weekend, everyone. And seriously, go see Children of Men and Pan’s Labyrinth.

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January 26, 2007 · 4:09 pm

Cultural News Bytes – January 26th

Television

Now, I’m not usually one to pay any attention to Soap Operas by my own volition, but it was impossible to not catch a few minutes of General Hospital during my childhood. I would come home from school and it would always be on the TV, my mother watching along. And, honestly, it was a nice little distraction. The melodrama, the hostage takings, the train crashes, the hotel fires, and just about everything in between; I can’t argue with this kind of insanity. Check out the Wikipedia link and have a good laugh as you delve into the sheer madness of it all.

However, within that link, there is an interesting little blurb that I want to highlight:

“In February 2007, General Hospital will embark on yet another ground-breaking storyline for Sweeps as the entire cast will once again find themselves in a central storyline as a hostage situation takes place at the Metro Court hotel. The storyline which is set to take place over the 16 episodes of Sweeps will be set in “real time” much like the Fox drama, 24. According to the scribes at GH, an explosion will be set off at the Metro Court hotel on Friday, January 26th and then the show will fade to black as viewers are taken 16 hours back in time. Each episode will then represent one hour of the events that lead up to the explosion at the Metro Court hotel.”

Now, when I read a story about this over at PopWatch, I was kind of intrigued by this crossover between my mother’s favourite soap opera and everyone’s favourite Jack Bauer Power Hour, but I’ve started to think about it a bit more. And, I think that it’s an interesting example of the further influence of “serialized” television and its quick demise earlier this season.

For, you see, this season alone has seen the deaths of Smith, Kidnapped, Vanished, Runaway, and even the yet to debut Traveler had its episode order cut from 13 to 8. And yet, here General Hospital is turning to a basic theme that 24 made famous. It was the rise of 24’s ratings, as well as the success of shows like Prison Break, that led networks to produce so many serial dramas, and they struggled to find an audience.

And yet, really, Soap Operas are a perfect example of how to make a serial drama work. They have a plot that strings throughout, but yet they have characters so typical, so defined, that you can figure things out quite quickly. If I have my TV turned onto CTV and General Hospital comes on, I might not have seen a second of it for weeks and yet I can pretty much figure out what’s going on because I know enough about the archetypes at play.

And really, that was what made the first season of Prison Break so watchable, not the bullshit conspiracy stuff. And that’s what made Desperate Housewives work, and not its dumb plots (Which dragged the 2nd season into the doldrums of television). Even 24’s plots can sometimes let it down, but we keep watching because we idolize Jack Bauer. Without a hook like this, no show survives.

As a result, as much as General Hospital claims they’re going into a “ground breaking” exercise, the plots will be just as thing and just as silly as before. And yet, really, that’s what the people want. Maybe networks should see this as an example for making compelling serialized television.

 

Cinema

Box Office Predictions

Movies Opening This Weekend

Epic Movie

Smokin’ Aces

Catch and Release

Blood & Chocolate

We’ve got a farcical comedy based on fantasy/adventure films ala “Date Movie,” a bounty hunter film starring Jeremy Piven (“Entourage”), Ryan Reynolds, Ben Affleck and…Alicia Keys? Okay. And then we have a Romantic comedy starring Jennifer Garner and…Kevin Smith? Sure thing. And then some crappy horror movie with one of the worst titles imaginable.

Holdovers from Last Week

Stomp the Yard

Night at the Museum

Each should drop a bit, and a few spots each with the new releases in play, but their holdovers have been solid recently.

Oscar Movers/Shakers

Dreamgirls

The Queen

Pan’s Labyrinth

The Departed

Despite a lack of a Best Picture nod, Dreamgirls is currently leading the American Box Office, and will perform well into the weekend. The Queen, sitting in 3rd, also continues to perform strongly with weekday audiences, and expands slightly further along with Babel (Which has a little less audience appeal). The Departed launches itself a 2nd time with a major influx of screens, and Pan’s Labyrinth continues to expand further in its initial run. I would hope that Children of Men would see an increase, but Editing/Cinematography nods only do so much for a film.

For my Box Office Predictions and Viewing Suggestions, Continue reading →

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January 26, 2007 · 11:08 am

Thursday Night TV Club – January 25th, 2007

So, let’s face it, it’s a pretty slow night for TV on paper. There are only three of Thursday’s big shows that are new, so in terms of numbers there isn’t much to go on. Despite this fact, however, there appears to be plenty to talk about nonetheless.

The worst thing for American viewers is that all three of the shows which are new all air at the same time. However, thanks to the joys of Canadian Simulcasting, The O.C., CSI and Grey’s Anatomy are all at different times through this evening. And thus, let us take a look at these three shows in terms of their performance last evening.

 

3. CSI – “Redrum”

While I will admit to not paying complete attention to this, it’s still interesting to see a procedural actually change a little with the introduction of a new character. Liev Schriber’s Keppler is no Gil Grissom, but I think that this is a good thing, as was shown here.

The reverse forensics approach (Hench the redrum, get it?) was a bit difficult to follow while watching only half-heartedly, but it’s something I like to see. It had these characters, usually working in relative harmony, pitted against one another, and then the happy reunion of everyone at the end.

Also, I haven’t watched much of CSI since the whole Grissom/Sara reveal, but even without Grissom on screen it felt weird. I’m definitely not shipping for those two, that’s for sure.

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January 25, 2007 · 1:03 pm

Dr. Baltar or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Embrace the Fact that Battlestar Galactica is Taking Over My Life

bsgtitle21

Dr. Baltar or How I Learned…

I was sitting in a debating round following its end, and was giving my comments. The case had been about Nuclear/Non-Nuclear missiles on US submarines, and the argument was made that it was dangerous to have both on board since a country would have no idea whether it was nuclear or non-nuclear missile being fired, and would react similarly either way. In giving my comments, I was dumbfounded how they hadn’t thought about something. Here’s a paraphrasing of my comment:

“And, I might be wrong, but isn’t there some kind of radiological alarm that would let the other side know it was nuclear or non-nuclear?”

Well, I was wrong, and there isn’t. No, indeed, there is no such thing as a radiological alarm, as Chris pointed out to me. It exists only in the world of Battlestar Galactica.

I was reading a book just the other day, and it tells of how the author traveled through an archway in the middle of a clearing and found themselves in the Temple of Athena. I stopped thinking about nature and cancer, the actual topics of the book, and immediately took a trip to the surface of Kobol where there was the Tomb of Athena and where Gaius Baltar traveled through an archway in a clearing and ended up in the middle of a concert hall.

I was in another class when the professor noted how with the death of one character during childbirth it appeared that her spirit continued on into the body of her child. I didn’t immediately think of the literary or story consequences, but rather how similar this is to the Cylons. I figure Tricia Helfer could play a mean Catherine Earnshaw, as well.

It is in this way that I find myself constantly being brought into this television world, the world of Caprica, Starbuck, Adama, Cylons, and just about everything in between. This is the world of Battlestar Galactica. And, quite honestly, it is taking over my frakkin’ life. Continue reading →

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January 25, 2007 · 12:40 am

Tabula Rosa: The Blank Slates of American Idol

So, anyone who’s been watching American Idol this season may have noticed a slightly more dramatic tone to the proceedings, especially those auditions that would normally be laughed off. We’ve always seen the people who swear and become extremely angry, and they’ve always been good for a good laugh. However, for some reason, we’re not just seeing the angry ones anymore. We’re starting to see people who are honestly terrible, and who the producers must know are terrible, and yet they give them detailed introduction videos, detailed stories, and then absolutely destroy them from a singing perspective. We’re even starting to see montages of them all performing the whole song, which are clearly being created for the sake of producers. They give the bad singers these songs to learn overnight, and then have them sing them purely for the purposes of making people look silly.

We’ve never seen anything quite like this in the past. I don’t know if it’s that it was always edited out in the past, or if they’re coaching these contestants to be as delusional as possible, but it’s getting quite ridiculous. And, to an extent, one of those crazies (A girl named Sarah) is a perfect example of this, but within her craziness I think she pointed out something quite interesting.

Sarah was a normal girl at first, but then she started singing and was clearly tone deaf. Really, honestly, ridiculously tone deaf. And she knew it. She even said she was tone deaf. And yet, she said, she could still be the American Idol because she was trainable, an empty slate. Tabula Rosa. And she could win American Idol without even singing. Continue reading →

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January 24, 2007 · 1:32 pm

Shippers Anonymous

An Open Letter to the World:

Hi, my name is Myles. (This is where you all say “Hi, Myles!” With exclamation mark, too, I want excited listeners). I have a problem. (Here you give me helpful, reassuring looks).

You see, I watch a lot of television. This wouldn’t be too much of a problem, really, it’s not like I have proposals to write or applications to complete or novels to read. I could watch dozens of TV shows a day, really, except that…well, you see, I get a bit emotionally connected to the shows. Too emotionally connected, really. And, I can’t keep on convincing myself that it’s not true, lying to myself and others does nothing good. Thus, I have to fess up.

I…am a shipper.

While that Wikipedia link quite honestly frightens the crap out of me, and makes me quite glad I am now openly shipping so I can avoid that particular road, I still must explain my shipping problem. For, you see, I get far too emotionally connected to the romantic fate of television characters. I become hopelessly enraptured by their innocent looks, their…I can’t even talk about it.

I don’t really get it; it’s not as if I have any particular reason to live vicariously through these characters, but I can’t help but care about their futures. Maybe it’s that I watch shows too late in the evening, when I’m not yet awake enough to contain emotions.

What’s drawing me into the open at this point? It’s entirely Mac’s fault.

I honestly think I care more about her happiness in the world of Veronica Mars than my own. Last season she fell in love with a seemingly innocent boy…who ended up being both a rapist and a mass murderer. She was emotionally crushed, and forever scarred, and she has spent much of this season dealing with her issues. I can’t help but feel for her, her situation. How can you not root for someone who was left naked in a hotel room while her boyfriend went up to the roof to murder Veronica…who he had raped a year and a half earlier?

It’s impossible to not relate to this, to root for her. And her new love interest, PHAT chapter president Bronson, is innocent, active in environmental causes, and seems the perfect fodder for Mac’s own insecurities. It’s far too adorable, too cute, and too easy to become attached to.

And, I’m coming clean because I can’t keep doing this. This is Veronica Mars we’re talking about, where no character is introduced for a simple reason. I had though Mac and Beaver (The aforementioned rapist/murderer) were adorable too, the epitome of the innocent teenage romance, but then the show ripped the rug out from under me. This isn’t some fantasy world, and in time I’m sure Bronson will be revealed to be some sort of environmental terrorist wanted on charges in some foreign country. And then Veronica will have to break the news to Mac, and she will be heartbroken, and her “Libidon’t” will kick in again. And I just can’t have this keep happening. I can’t keep getting attached to these characters’ romances knowing that one of them isn’t a series regular, and could disappear at any time.

So, world, help me out. Please, save me from myself. It’ll only keep spreading, unless you help me remain disconnected from the romantic entanglements of the television world.

Sincerely,

Myles McNutt

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January 23, 2007 · 8:16 pm

Talkin’ Oscar with the Elder: And the Winner is…ME!

Well folks, I didn’t know how things were going to work out. A Crossblog extravaganza was a lot of pressure for me, and I wasn’t sure if my predictions were going to be on the mark or not. The Oscars are a fickle mistress, but it appears that I have tamed her wild ways, because I AM VICTORIOUS! WOOO!

Ahem. Anyways, I’ll put the full nominations after the jump for those interested, and here’s a link to the Elder’s concession. While he decided to judge one’s success on their general ability to call specific surprise nominees, I like numbers. As a result, out of 43 possible nominations, I scored 36.5 to the Elder’s 32.5 (The ½ point being for the surprising nomination of Leo for Blood Diamond as opposed to The Departed). The Elder has full commentary over at McNutt Against the Music, and besides: Analyzing is for the losers, anyways, we winners just need to bask in all its glory.

And, for those interested, the full nominations list. Continue reading →

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January 23, 2007 · 7:34 pm

The Superpower Bauer Hour Showdown: Week One

As covered in yesterday’s Cultural News Bytes, the epic battle between Heroes and 24 kicked off last evening. For the purpose of covering this epic battle, I’m going to divide it into Three Rounds: Overall Quality, Ratings, and the OMGWTFBBQ Battle. Based on these criteria, a victor will be named.

Round One: Overall Quality

24 came out fighting: They moved effortless from panic in the streets of the suburbs, to the OMGWTFBBQ moment, to some Daddy Drama, and it was interspersed well with a subtle political movement. The terrorist plot is certainly nothing special at this point, and the entire Sandra Palmer Subplot is slowing the show down, but in the end the newly introduced family drama for Jack was absolutely spectacular.

On the other hand, Heroes immediately sucked the life out of its cliffhanger with a “Two Weeks Later” construct. While it works, it definitely doesn’t result in a great deal of excitement, and it showed. The episode revolved around the fallout from last fall’s actions, but there didn’t seem to be a drive heading forward from this point until the episode’s end. We got very little on Sylar, and everything else was kind of just in a fog. It needed to bring more to the table, in my mind.

Round Two: Ratings

“Heroes” (households: 8.6/13, #T4; adults 18-49: 6.5, #1)

“24” (households: 8.6/13, #T4; adults 18-49: 5.4, #3)

What does this all mean? Well, it means that Heroes drew slightly more viewers, as well as more viewers in the coveted 18-49 year old viewers. However, 24’s ratings were more or less identical to that of last year’s, and Heroes’ ratings held strong. In the end, this basically means that there were a whole lot more people watching TV last night than before. And that’s generally good, I’d say.

Round Three: OMGWTFBBQ

24 wasn’t too exciting…except for the revelation that there is a BAUER BROTHER. And he’s last season’s BAD GUY. And Jack CHOKED HIM WITH A PLASTIC BAG. COME ON!

Heroes had a rather charming line, referring to Nathan as “FLYING MAN”, but lacked a pivotal moment. It struggled to even reach OMG territory.

And the Winner, via Judge’s decision… Continue reading →

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