Lily Tomlin Joining Damages

I forgot to discuss the news, but last week it was announced Lily Tomlin would join the cast of Damages for its third season, along with Martin Short and Campbell Scott. Tomlin and Scott will play a mother and son who go up against Patty Hewes, while Short will be playing their attorney. I'm very excited for the casting news, particularly for Tomlin, as the show's greatest quality is its creation of interesting female characters. She should definitely have great material to work with - a show down between her and Close must be epic! I do have the slightest disappointment that this likely means Tomlin won't be returning to Desperate Housewives, which I though she was a hoot on last season. How did she not get an Emmy nomination for it? The casting of Campbell Scott and Martin Short is also promising, though I do hope Short's performance isn't pitched to the rafters, as is sometimes the case. With all these additions to the program's cast, hopefully Marcia Gay Harden manages to make a reappearance on the program. I loved her performance and character, not to mention her boobies!

TCA Nominations - Still Sexist

The Television Critics Association announced their nominations this week, and considering they are a critics group, you would think their nominations would be better than the Emmys. Well, that's not really the case. Some of their nods are confusing - Battlestar Galactica and Saturday Night Live gets nods for Program of the Year but not Drama and Comedy nods. They give nominations to the big network hits - The Mentalist get a nod for New Program of the Year. The most annoying aspect about the TCA, however, is they don't seperate their performance categories into Actress and Actor, leading to a lack of recognition for women year after year. Out of the ten performance nominations this year, only two are for women - Glenn Close for Damages and Tina Fey for 30 Rock. There is a definite sexist aspect to it, as television critics, who are mostly men, only seem to believe male roles are worthy of accolades, even the two women who are nominated, Glenn and Tina, have rather masculine roles in their respective series. The fact they'd give Hugh Laurie another nod for House, over the superior work of Marcia Gay Harden in Damages, Mary McDonnell in Battlestar Galactica, Elizabeth Moss and January Jones in Mad Men, or Jill Scott in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, is downright irritating.

The Noms:

Program of the Year:
Battlestar Galactica
Lost
Mad Men
Saturday Night Live
The Shield

Outstanding Achievement in Comedy:
30 Rock
The Big Bang Theory
The Daily Show
How I Met Your Mother
The Office

Outstanding Achievement in Drama:
Breaking Bad
Friday Night Lights
Lost
Mad Men
The Shield

Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Mini-Series, Specials:
2008 Summer Olympic Coverage
24: Redemption
Generation Kill
Grey Gardens
Taking Chance

New Program of the Year:
Fringe
The Mentalist
No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency
True Blood
United States of Tara

Individual Achievement in Comedy:
Alec Baldwin
Steve Carell
Tina Fey
Neil Patrick Harris
Jim Parsons

Individual Achievement in Drama:
Glenn Close
Bryan Cranston
Walton Goggins
Jon Hamm
Hugh Laurie

Outstanding Achievement in News & Information:
60 Minutes
The Alzheimers Project
Frontline
The Rachel Maddow Show
We Shall Remain

Best of the TV Season: Top 10 (Part 1)

With the season coming to a close, I decided to do a wrap of the best of television, starting with a top ten list. Now keep in mind this is strictly relegated to shows I watch. There were other series which might have factored in, had I actually caught them, including Friday Night Lights, Weeds, Big Love, True Blood, and In Treatment. Take this list with a grain of salt.

10. Southland (NBC)
I debated whether to put Southland or Brothers & Sisters in 1oth place, as they're both uneven series with great highs interrupted by groan inducing moments. Being the fresher series, I went with Southland. Going for it, the show features two great performances from Regina King and Michael Cudlitz (Emmy nods please), and seems to care more about the emotional core of each character, rather than the crimes they try to solve. The series has been compared to other cop series The Wire, Boomtown, which I both loved, and The Shield, which I always found hugely overrated, but I think if were to last through its second, Southland could find its own footing. Don't cancel it NBC!

9. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (HBO)
I'm not generally a fan of detective shows, but this series always left me with a smile on my face. Based upon a series of novels by Alexander McCall Smith, No. 1 Ladies'... follows Precious Ramotswe as she attempts to start a successful detective agency in her home country of Botswana. The series successfully evokes a foreign local, whether or not it's successfully Botswana I couldn't say, since I've never been there, and Precious is such an endearing character, you want to befriend her. Who knew singer Jill Scott could be a genuine TV star? The series also features one of the best love stories on the tube, with the emerging romancing between Precious and her suitor, the mechanic Mr. Matekoni.

8. Lost (ABC)
I will always love Lost. Attempting to solve the larger picture, can easily become an enjoyable obsession, but with that being said, I have to admit this was the series' weakest season. The fact it still remains in my top ten is proof of the show's overall quality. At its worst, Lost is still one of the best programs on television. My problem with this season stems mainly from the separation of the characters into different time periods. The show works best when its competing personalites are interacting/colliding/getting it on with each other. The series also left me cold with it Dharma plotline. I know it was necessary for the larger picture, but I didn't care, and the one Dharma Initiative character that peaked my interest, Amy seems to have been forgotten and of no importance. At least the season finale set up for a great final season. I hope.

7. The Office (NBC)
The Office was always a series I respected more than I loved. I could recognize the quality of its acting and writing, but it was never appointment television for me. That was until this season. What got me hooked? Well Amy Ryan's endearing performance in a recurring role as HR Rep Holly Flax, the hilarious Post-Super Bowl episode, and the Michael Scott Paper Company storyline. It takes really talented writers and actors to successfully carry a plotline over several episodes of a half-hour sitcom, andThe Office managed to accomplish as much with Michael quitting Dunder Mifflin to form his own comapny with a reluctant Pam and Ryan. Because of it, Steve Carrell was able to provide a lot more depth to his bumbling Michael Scott. The scene in which he negotiates the buy out of his company, displaying a never-before-seen, successful, buisnessman side of Michael, alone deserves an Emmy. Seriously Emmy voters, give him one!

6. Damages (FX)
The second season of Damages was a genuine improvement over the first, bringing in fresh blood with William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden, and Marcia Gay Harden's boobies. The idea to expand the show with various plotlines and characters that don't necessarily all converge was an upgrade from the previous season's everything-is-connected viewpoint. Glenn Close is still a hoot, adding greater depth to her dragon-lady Patty Hewes, and Rose Byrne is, well... still uneven, but I remain intrigued/baffled by her. I don't believe her to be a great actress, yet I want Rose to contiue acting. The series would have ranked higher on my list, had it not been for the season finale, which seemed to not make sense, and knocked some of the power out of the previous episodes. Oh well.

(to continue later...)

Damages Season 2 Finale

I've now watched it twice, and I'm still trying to digest the season finale of Damages. I'm still unclear as to whether it makes sense (with Damages making sense isn't always a priority). At what point did Tom and Patty get involved with his sister's investigation into Pell, Kendrick, and Agent Werner? If Tom knew why did he give Ellen a gun for her meeting with Patty, and why did he go storming into the law firm yelling, angry at Patty? I'm guessing their cooperation only began once patty recorded her conversation with Pell. Anyway, I found the finale interesting as it seemed Frobisher's and Daniel Purcell's storylines for the season had already been over with. We only witnessed Frobisher overseeing the construction of his well-being/rehab center, and Purcell having a conversation with Patty about their son. I'm sure they'll both be back for season three. Purcell still must have his trial and discover The Deacon killed his wife, not him. Frobisher will probably be involved in a plotline surrounding the death of Detective Messer. His death at the hands of Wes actually shocked me. I thought the show would have taken him and Wes in a completely different direction. I am disappointed that Anastasia Griffith was wasted this season as Katie Connor. She was upgraded to a series regular, but was less involved than last season. I suppose she'll be used in season three, as the private detective Ellen and Katie hired will most likely be looking into Messer's death and discover his connection with Wes. Although, you never know with this show, which is what I love best about it. This season started with the murder of Purcell's wife, but then spread into a plotline involving corporate and governmental corruption. With the finale I was also disappointed Marcia Gay Harden's Claire Maddox was nowhere to be seem. She was best in show this season, and SHOULD win the Emmy this year for Best Supporting Actress. Hopefully Marcia will be back next season. The show needs her, and not just because of he boobies. She brings a sex appeal, that is lacking from the other characters.