Sunday, September 20, 2009

Pre-Emmy chatter




Listening to: Karunesh, Dr. Zeus, Punjabi MC. Sathiya
It's 3:10 a.m. and there is no sleep in sight. Michael Crichton's Terminal Man lies next to me, just ten pages or so in. Waiting for the Emmy is such a bore (NOT!)
There is no Indian award I'd wait for. Indian shows air a week or so later. There is no real-time excitement and they should realize this by now, after airing so many reality-tv programmes.
Just though I'd weigh in on my options before the drama/action/mystery begins in less than 3 hours. I'll also keep twittering in real-time HERE.
Outstanding Drama Series: I think Mad Men won this last year. There are some good nominations here, though nothing as hot as The Wire, which was never nominated. The only series I'll support here is Lost. Nothing can compare with the rush of excitement of this series.
The other one here that I've seen is Dexter, which is a pretty compelling watch, but not path-breaking stuff. House is interesting too, but only if you're interested in sado-masochistic antics of a delusional man.
The Comedies look good too. Here, I've heard 30 Rock or the Office dominates the scene (seen 5 minutes of a random episode. Don't like Tina Fey, is it? Ya her!). I'd vote for HIMYM (Go for Barney) but that has a slim chance of winning. Otherwise, Entourage. Nothing better than 4 guys with issues that we can make fun of.
Outstanding Actor (Drama): I think Hugh Laurie might take this one. He's portrayed House, MD with self-destructive accuracy and made ladies swoon with him, doc-style. But Mr. Mentalist-Baker is good too.
Outstanding Actress (Drama): I think Glenn Close from Damages is pretty good. Saw first season of the series and she was frightening.
Outstanding Actor (Comedy): Jim Parsons, Big Bang. I think it's pretty obvious to anyone who likes the series. But he has tough competition with Mr. Sheen and Mr. Baldwin and Mr. Carrell. And Mr. Tony Shaloub is also nominated this year, and this year being his last, no one knows where this will turn!
Outstanding Actress (Comedy): I'll say Julia Louis-Dreyfus cause I saw the Christine recently and she's awkward and silly but hilarious. But who knows, Tiny Fey-may-away with the booty!
OTHER OPINIONS:
Supporting actor (drama): Lost, baby! Emerson as Linus, who else! But just an observation here: But doesn't science fiction/fantasy make it to the big league? Will shows like Lost or True Blood always be sidelined?
Supporting Actor (comedy): NPH, Swarley, who else! No offense to Johny Drama, but who can play Barney better than NPH? and host the Emmy's to boot?
Speaking of which, I heard that no one watches the Emmy's anymore. Is the inclusion of NPH a strategy to pull crowds? Cause it's working mighty fine...

Interesting links

This post is dedicated to links.
Interesting links that will become a part of the blogroll that I will one day have.

1.
Arts Journal that compiles articles on media, music, people, publishing, etc.

2. Top 100 sneakers (ya, really!)

3.
A clock, but not for people who can’t read HERE

4. A package deal starring Kanye West
a. What he did (NYT calls it the celebrity run-in HERE)
b. This incident led to a buzz in the twitterati-activity leading to this
Is Kanye the new O.J.? HERE

5. Discovered the classic magazine The Atlantic.


Flashbacks from The Atlantic are available at: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/index/flashbacks

Includes:

‘Mind over matter’ which compiles articles from the 1920s to the 1990s that reflect on the revolutionary insights of Albert Einstein.

‘Defending Darwin’ that compiles articles from 1860 to the present on the conflict between evolution theory and religious fundamentalism.


‘Private domain’ where three Atlantic authors consider the fine line between security and breach of privacy.

'Obscenity, Censorship, and the First Amendment', featuring Atlantic writings from the turn of the twentieth century forward on the fraught battleground between freedom of speech and public morality.

‘So You Want to Be a Writer’ that features Wallace Stegner, Francine Prose, John Kenneth Galbraith, and others offer advice to aspiring wordsmiths.

‘Broadcast News’ where David Halberstam, James Fallows, and Nicholas Lemann write on the rich past and uncertain future of broadcast journalism.

‘Nobel Quibbles’ cause when it comes to the Nobel Prize, controversy and debate have always been the name of the game.


‘The Diamond Myth’ which compiles articles from the past 150 years reveal the dark side of "the most brilliant of stones."

‘Finding a Place for God’ includes Atlantic contributors from throughout the past century question the value of religion in a scientific world.

'The Road to the Information Age' - Decades before the rise of the Internet, Atlantic contributors were dreaming of the day when all knowledge on earth would be available at the click of a button.

'White America Reacts' compiles Articles from the turn of the 20th century onwards show that the breakdown of racial hegemony in America has been a slow, challenging process.