I was going to eulogise Laszlo Kovacs, Michel Serrault, and Tom Snyder today, but it seems that yesterday the world lost not one, but two legendary directors. One was Ingmar Bergman. The other was Michelangelo Antonioni, the man who directed such classics as Blowup and L'Avventura. He died yesterday at age 94 in Rome.
Like Bergman, Antonioni had an enormous impact on film. He was best known for his manipulation of film narrative. The perfect example of this is his masterpiece Blowup. Unlike most movies then and now, Blowup is not the least bit linear in structure. Events in the film may, on the surface, seem unrelated. And the film lacks anything in the way of a conventional ending. Antionioni was also a master of the camera, and he used it in ways previous directors probably never considered. Indeed, Antonioni often depended more on imagery than dialogue to communicate what he meant. And even then, what the viewer saw was often open to interpretation. That Antonioni's narratives were always non-traditional and that he used the camera in such a way as to allow the viewer to come to his own conclusions about what he seeing should come as no surprise. His films centred around alienation, isolation, and incompleteness, so his use of narrative and camera work suited his films perfectly. He was quite possibly the first modernist director.
Michelangelo Antonioni was born in Ferrara, Italy on September 29, 1912. He attended the University of Bologna where he majored in business and economics. After graduation he worked at a bank for a time before becoming a film critic for the newspaper Il Corriere Padano in Ferrara. He worked there for five years before getting hired for the official Fascist film magazine Cinema. Not surprisingly, he was fired after only a few months. Antonioni then enrolled in the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia where he studied film. By 1942 he wrote his first screenplay, Un Pilota ritorna (The Pilot Returns), directed by Roberto Rossellini. In 1943 he directed his first film, a documentary short entitled Gente del Po (People of the Po Valley). For the next several years Antonioni was both a screen writer and a maker of often neo-realist documentary shorts.
Despite having worked for years in documentary film making, Antonioni's first feature film, Cronaca di un amore (Chronicle of Love), was a middle class crime drama dealing with alienation. By 1955 Antonioni was getting attention for his films. His movie Le Amiche (The Girlfriends) won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival. It was in 1960 that the film which would make him a legend was released. L'Avventura, blend of crime drama, mystery, and romance, took the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and the Sutherland Trophy at the London Film Festival. For the next several years Antonioni would do some of his best work: La Notte (a rather dark drama) in 1961, L'Eclisse (a rather tragic love story) in 1962), Il Deserto Rosso in 1964, and Blowup in 1966. Arguably, it was Blowup that was his masterpiece. The film won the Palm d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and a slough of other awards. The film focused on a photographer in Swinging London who, among other things, believes his photographed a murder after developing some negatives. Beyond being the best expression of Antonioni's modernism and neo-realism, it may well have captured Swinging London better than any other filmmaker, even those born in Britain.
Antonioni never matched Blowup, although he came close in 1982 with Professione: reporter (better known as The Passenger in the English speaking world). Like Blowup, The Passenger was not one single thing--it was a drama, a mystery, a thriller, and a road movie all rolled into one. Sadly, Antonioni would only make two more feature films: Identificazione di una donna in 1982 and Al di la delle nuvole (co-directed with Wim Wenders) in 1995. Antonioni returned to directing documentary shorts, as he had done in the beginning. His last work was a segment of the anthology film Eros in 2004.
Antonioni was a director whose work was hated nearly as often as it was loved. The fact that most of his films focused on alienation and isolation, that his narratives often lacked a traditional ending, his spare yet masterful use of the camera, may have made him an acquired taste for many. Regardless, Antonioni would have a huge impact on art films, particularly in the wake of Blowup (indeed, there was a point in the late Sixties when every art film seemed to look like Blowup. He would also have a huge impact on modern Italian cinema, surpassed only by Fellini. Antonioni would have a powerful influence on young directors such as Martin Scorsese, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Mike Nichols, and Quention Tarentino. A man who defined film isolation and angst in the Sixties, he was a true pioneer.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
Ingmar Bergman 1918-2007
Antonius Block: "Nothing escapes you!"
Death: "Nothing escapes me. No one escapes me."
(from Det sjunde inseglet by Ingmar Bergman)
"All our times have come
Here but now they're gone
Seasons don't fear the reaper
Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain
We can be like they are..."
("Don't Fear the Reaper," by Buck Dharma, originally performed by Blue Oyster Cult)
Recently legendary cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs died. Yesterday French actor Michel Serrault died. Today talk show pioneer Tom Snyder died. Sadly, I will have to wait to eulogise them, as today a man died whose influence extends farther than even these towering figures in their respective fields. Quite simply, Swedish director Ingmar Bergman died today at the age of 89 in Faro, Sweden.
Bergman was born on July 14, 1918 in Uppsala, Sweden (fittingly enough, the spiritual capital of Sweden in the Viking Age). His father, Erik, was a Lutheran minister of Danish descent. His upbringing was rather strict, and he grew up in a religious atmosphere that would later inform his films. He attended Palmgrens School in Stockholm. It was while he was attending Stockholm University that he became interested in film. It was in 1943 that he joined Svensk Filmindustri as a screenwriter. From the beginning Bergman also worked on the stage. He was director of Helsingborg City Theatre in 1944. It was also that year that the first film to ever bear a credit for Bergman was released; Hets was written by him. Two years later would see the release of the first film directed by Bergman, Kris (literally Crisis). By 1949 Bergman was being noticed. His film Musik i Morker was nominated for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival that year; however, it would be Sommarnattens leende (Smiles of a Summer Nihgt), released in 1955, that would be his break out film. It was nominated for the Palm d' Or at the Cannes film festival and won the award for Best European Film at the Danish Bodil Awards.
Two years later saw the release of the film that would make Bergman a force to be reckoned with. Det sjunde inseglet (The Seventh Seal, literally) received a good deal of critical acclaim and several awards, including the Special Jury Prize at Cannes (it was nominated for the Palm d'Or). Its imagery of a knight who plays a game of chess with Death became the most iconic of Bergman's entire career. It was with The Seventh Seal that Bergman entered his best period. Within a few years he directed the classics Smultronstallet (Wild Strawberries), Ansiktet (The Face, called The Magician here in the United States), Jungfrukallan (The Virgin Spring), Nattvardsgasterna (Winter Light), and Persona.
While the period from Det sjunde inseglet to Persona could be described as Bergman's Golden Age, he continued to produce widely acclaimed movies for nearly the rest of his life, turning his eye to television in his later years. Ansikte mot ansikte (Face to Face), released in 1976, would earn Bergman a Best Director nomination at the Oscars and win the award for Best Foreign Film at the Golden Globes. Fanny och Alexander (Fanny and Alexander) won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1984 and earned Bergman another Best Director nomination. It would be his last major feature film, although he would continue to work both on stage and in television. His last work was the telefilm Saraband, first aired in 2003.
It is perhaps important to remember that Bergman was not only a film director,but worked in theatre as well. He directed his first play in 1938 when he was only 19. The last play he staged was a reinterpretation of Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts in 2002.
There can be no doubt that Ingrid Bergman was an innovator who revolutionised film. Alongside contemporaries Akira Kurosawa and Frederico Fellini he changed motion pictures forever. And like most innovators he went through a period of unpopularity. In the late Fifties and early Sixties he was known for his symbolism, existentialism, and the blending of fantastic imagery with realism. As the French New Wave grew ever more popular, it became fashionable to hold Bergman up to scorn. Much of the mockery hurled Bergman's way ended when he began to make more personal films such as Persona. Regardless, in the end Bergman would have his revenge. As legions of new fans discovered The Seventh Seal and The Virgin Spring, Bergman's early films regained their reputation as numbering among the greatest films of all time. Indeed, it is arugable that Bergman's early work is better remembered than many movies of the French New Wave. If Bergman's work was able to return to its rightful place among the classics of cinema, it is perhaps because he dealt with the ultimate questions of life: the meaning of existence, the existence of a deity, and how humanity relates to each other. In dealing with these questions, his films became timeless.
In time Bergman would prove to be a influence on such directors as Lars von Trier, Bille August, Woody Allen, and even Wes Craven. What is more, he is one of the few arthouse directors whose films have entered the collective unconscious of the United States and the United Kingdom. The Seventh Seal was parodied in Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey, in which Bill and Ted must play Death at Battleship, Clue, electronic football, and Twister. Wes Craven remade The Virgin Spring as Last House on the Left. His early film Smiles of a Summer Night was tranformed into the musical A Little Night Music by Stephen Sondheim. A script direction in The Simpsons episode "Moaning Lisa," in which Lisa looks in a mirror, was simply, "an Ingmar Bergman moment." His impact on Anglo-American pop culture can even be seen in the influence he had on, of all things, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, whose Middle Ages look remarkably like that of Det sjunde inseglet. It is not every director who can say his works have had an impact on entertainment both high and low brow.
Sadly, many of the homages and references to Bergman's work is probably lost on the average American. This is tragic, as he was quite possibly the greatest living director of our time. With passing today, there is simply no one left to match him. The other truly great directors of his time, Kurosawa, Kubrick, Fellini, and Truffaut, had all died before he did. With Bergman, we have seen the passing of a generation of filmmakers. And, unfortunately, I doubt that we see their like again for many, many years.
Death: "Nothing escapes me. No one escapes me."
(from Det sjunde inseglet by Ingmar Bergman)
"All our times have come
Here but now they're gone
Seasons don't fear the reaper
Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain
We can be like they are..."
("Don't Fear the Reaper," by Buck Dharma, originally performed by Blue Oyster Cult)
Recently legendary cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs died. Yesterday French actor Michel Serrault died. Today talk show pioneer Tom Snyder died. Sadly, I will have to wait to eulogise them, as today a man died whose influence extends farther than even these towering figures in their respective fields. Quite simply, Swedish director Ingmar Bergman died today at the age of 89 in Faro, Sweden.
Bergman was born on July 14, 1918 in Uppsala, Sweden (fittingly enough, the spiritual capital of Sweden in the Viking Age). His father, Erik, was a Lutheran minister of Danish descent. His upbringing was rather strict, and he grew up in a religious atmosphere that would later inform his films. He attended Palmgrens School in Stockholm. It was while he was attending Stockholm University that he became interested in film. It was in 1943 that he joined Svensk Filmindustri as a screenwriter. From the beginning Bergman also worked on the stage. He was director of Helsingborg City Theatre in 1944. It was also that year that the first film to ever bear a credit for Bergman was released; Hets was written by him. Two years later would see the release of the first film directed by Bergman, Kris (literally Crisis). By 1949 Bergman was being noticed. His film Musik i Morker was nominated for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival that year; however, it would be Sommarnattens leende (Smiles of a Summer Nihgt), released in 1955, that would be his break out film. It was nominated for the Palm d' Or at the Cannes film festival and won the award for Best European Film at the Danish Bodil Awards.
Two years later saw the release of the film that would make Bergman a force to be reckoned with. Det sjunde inseglet (The Seventh Seal, literally) received a good deal of critical acclaim and several awards, including the Special Jury Prize at Cannes (it was nominated for the Palm d'Or). Its imagery of a knight who plays a game of chess with Death became the most iconic of Bergman's entire career. It was with The Seventh Seal that Bergman entered his best period. Within a few years he directed the classics Smultronstallet (Wild Strawberries), Ansiktet (The Face, called The Magician here in the United States), Jungfrukallan (The Virgin Spring), Nattvardsgasterna (Winter Light), and Persona.
While the period from Det sjunde inseglet to Persona could be described as Bergman's Golden Age, he continued to produce widely acclaimed movies for nearly the rest of his life, turning his eye to television in his later years. Ansikte mot ansikte (Face to Face), released in 1976, would earn Bergman a Best Director nomination at the Oscars and win the award for Best Foreign Film at the Golden Globes. Fanny och Alexander (Fanny and Alexander) won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1984 and earned Bergman another Best Director nomination. It would be his last major feature film, although he would continue to work both on stage and in television. His last work was the telefilm Saraband, first aired in 2003.
It is perhaps important to remember that Bergman was not only a film director,but worked in theatre as well. He directed his first play in 1938 when he was only 19. The last play he staged was a reinterpretation of Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts in 2002.
There can be no doubt that Ingrid Bergman was an innovator who revolutionised film. Alongside contemporaries Akira Kurosawa and Frederico Fellini he changed motion pictures forever. And like most innovators he went through a period of unpopularity. In the late Fifties and early Sixties he was known for his symbolism, existentialism, and the blending of fantastic imagery with realism. As the French New Wave grew ever more popular, it became fashionable to hold Bergman up to scorn. Much of the mockery hurled Bergman's way ended when he began to make more personal films such as Persona. Regardless, in the end Bergman would have his revenge. As legions of new fans discovered The Seventh Seal and The Virgin Spring, Bergman's early films regained their reputation as numbering among the greatest films of all time. Indeed, it is arugable that Bergman's early work is better remembered than many movies of the French New Wave. If Bergman's work was able to return to its rightful place among the classics of cinema, it is perhaps because he dealt with the ultimate questions of life: the meaning of existence, the existence of a deity, and how humanity relates to each other. In dealing with these questions, his films became timeless.
In time Bergman would prove to be a influence on such directors as Lars von Trier, Bille August, Woody Allen, and even Wes Craven. What is more, he is one of the few arthouse directors whose films have entered the collective unconscious of the United States and the United Kingdom. The Seventh Seal was parodied in Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey, in which Bill and Ted must play Death at Battleship, Clue, electronic football, and Twister. Wes Craven remade The Virgin Spring as Last House on the Left. His early film Smiles of a Summer Night was tranformed into the musical A Little Night Music by Stephen Sondheim. A script direction in The Simpsons episode "Moaning Lisa," in which Lisa looks in a mirror, was simply, "an Ingmar Bergman moment." His impact on Anglo-American pop culture can even be seen in the influence he had on, of all things, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, whose Middle Ages look remarkably like that of Det sjunde inseglet. It is not every director who can say his works have had an impact on entertainment both high and low brow.
Sadly, many of the homages and references to Bergman's work is probably lost on the average American. This is tragic, as he was quite possibly the greatest living director of our time. With passing today, there is simply no one left to match him. The other truly great directors of his time, Kurosawa, Kubrick, Fellini, and Truffaut, had all died before he did. With Bergman, we have seen the passing of a generation of filmmakers. And, unfortunately, I doubt that we see their like again for many, many years.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (No Spoilers!)
It was ten years ago that Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was published in the United Kingdom. Since that time the Harry Potter series has become an outright phenomenon, one to match Star Wars and The Beatles. There haven't just been the books themselves and the movies based on the books, but scores of merchandise. Even a casual search on the Internet will reveal literally thousands of web sites, blogs, message boards, and so on dedicated to the Harry Potter series. It should be no surprise, then, that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows sold 11 million copies in the United Kingdom and United States in its first day. Indeed, worldwide it became the fastest selling book of all time.
Given this, the pertinent question might be, "Is the book worth all the furore surrounding it? For me, at least, the answer is, "Yes." Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is definitely the best book in a series that some already consider a classic, alongside L. Frank Baum's Oz books and the works of Robert Louis Stevenson. Whether the series is truly a classic is something that only time will tell. For myself, however, the series is not only truly entertaining, but outright riveting. What is more, for books written for young adults (that's librarian for "adolescents"), they possess a surprising amount of depth in terms of the characters and the world they inhabit. In being the best of the Harry Potter series, then, it can be argued that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the best of the best.
While it is the best book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows also stands apart from the rest of the series to a degree. In many respects Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows reads like an action-adventure novel, with some very intense action scenes occurring regularly throughout the novel. This should come as no surprise to anyone who has read the past six books. After all, Voldemort has finally returned and the wizarding world is at war. This makes Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows a very exciting novel and one that is hard to put down. What sets Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows apart is J. K. Rowling's gift for character development. In the final Harry Potter book, the characters we have known so long have a depth and complexity never seen before in the series, a series whose popularity grew in part out of its three dimensional characters.
All of this having been said, for fans like myself Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows can be a very difficult book to read. The novel has a considerable body count, and it is not just the bad guys who die. This is a natural outgrowth of Rowling's gift for realistic characters--she lets the characters drive the plot rather than the plot drive the characters. A lesser writer might be tempted to spare popular characters in hopes of appeasing their readership. Not Rowling, she lets the personalities of the characters and the logical progression of events determine who lives and who dies. And while this makes Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows all the more enjoyable, it also makes painful at times to read.
Ultimately, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a satisfying conclusion to what may be the most popular book series of our time. It cannot have been easy for Rowling to have produced a book that not only ties up all the loose ends, but also entertains and does so in a logical manner as well. That she has done so is a tribute to her talent as a writer. Other series of books have sometimes simply petered out. Fortunately, the Harry Potter series has ended on a high note.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Sometimes You Aren't the Hero...
Last night I hardly got any sleep because of a stye (it's surprising something so small can hurt so much), so I am really not in any shape to write a good post tonight. Instead I decide to present you with a bunch of memes or, as I call them, quiz thingies. This time the results were interesting as, for once, I only wound a hero in a few of them (of course, one quiz I couldn't possibly be the hero...) and I didn't end up the "priest" or "religious guru" in any of them.
I am fairly happy with this result. The last "Which Harry Potter Character Are You" Quiz I took ended with me being Snape. And while I do have at least one thing in common with Snape, I don't think that result is a perfect fit (I have to wonder if the quiz's author took into account the later books). On the other hand, I think I have a good deal with Sirius Black. I can be arrogant at times, although I am loyal to my family and friends to a fault. I do have to disagree with "Draco Malfoy" coming in second. About all I have in common with him is arrogance. Let's face it, even as a bad guy Draco is a dweeb. And while I like Snape as a character, it seems to me that I only have one thing in common (granted, it is probably the most important thing to Snape, but still....). Honestly, I think 2 and 3 would be Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore.
Okay, this is the quiz on which I couldn't possibly be the hero. I have to say I like this result. I have to admit The Joker and Two Face are my favourite Batman villains, but then I can't see myself as either a homicidal maniac or a madman obsessed with duality. Indeed, I think if I were a supervillain, my goals would be the same as Ra's. Why settle for robbery or extortion when you can conquer the world?
You are Tyler!!
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Okay, this is another case where I am not the hero. I have to admit that I probably have more in common with Tyler Durden than the Narrator (and definitely more than Marla or Bob). Granted, I don't go around doing rude stuff in people's soup or blowing stuff up, but I have to admit to having a desire to change the world. Like both Tyler and The Narrator, I've been in my share of fights (and I've lost a few, too...). That having been said, I do work for a major corporation and I haven't really done much to change that...
You are Dr. Gregory House. You are the God of Snark. Life has given you lemons so you cut them in half and squeeze lemon juice in people's eyes to get your jollies. Although underneath it all you are really just a damaged person who can't deal with emotions, especially your own. The good news is you're brilliant!
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I suppose Dr. Gregory House counts as another bad guy? Or is he really a hero? An anti-hero? Whatever he is, he is my favourite character on the show. Like most people I think he is obnoxious and arrogant, so I really haven't much in common with him (although, sadly, I have more in common with him than the other characters on the series). That having been said, I still think he is carrying a torch for Cuddy, something I can understand perfectly....
I must confess Jim Halpert is my favourite character on The Office. And I can think of a few things we have in common. People tell me I am nice and everyone at work likes me. And when I was Jim's age I did go to a number of parties. I must also confess that I am good at my everyday job (not writing, the other one), but I really don't like it that much. The two differences between us is that I don't really think I am popular with the ladies (not that I've noticed, anyhow), and while I am always cracking jokes at work, I am not a practical joker (although I did nail my second best friend with one of those fake lighters that delivers a slight shock--she wasn't too happy with me). Well, I guess that is one more thing I have in common with Jim, my best friend at work is a girl.
Okay, I've already posted the results of a V for Vendetta quiz here, but I decided to post another. It's always nice to know I am nothing like Sutler and Creedy. Naturally, I always do remember the fifth of November.
I don't know that any of these characters have much in common, although I suppose Sirius, Tyler, and V all have a strong desire to change the world and end what they consider injustice (I guess Ra's Al Ghul does too, although his solution isn't something many beyond himself and his minions would find desirable...). All of the characters are also intelligent, in some cases brilliant (namely Ra's, House, and V). That having been said, I think House is probably the most different from the rest. I'm not sure, but I think Ra's Al Ghul may even be less selfish than he is....
Anyhow, I promise I'll do a real post tomorrow (a spoiler free review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows)!
 | You scored as Sirius Black, You are a gifted wizard and very loyal to your allegiance. Whilst you have a big heart and care very much about those around you, you can be a little arrogant and reckless at times.
Your Harry Potter Alter Ego Is...? created with QuizFarm.com |
I am fairly happy with this result. The last "Which Harry Potter Character Are You" Quiz I took ended with me being Snape. And while I do have at least one thing in common with Snape, I don't think that result is a perfect fit (I have to wonder if the quiz's author took into account the later books). On the other hand, I think I have a good deal with Sirius Black. I can be arrogant at times, although I am loyal to my family and friends to a fault. I do have to disagree with "Draco Malfoy" coming in second. About all I have in common with him is arrogance. Let's face it, even as a bad guy Draco is a dweeb. And while I like Snape as a character, it seems to me that I only have one thing in common (granted, it is probably the most important thing to Snape, but still....). Honestly, I think 2 and 3 would be Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore.
Which Batman Villain Are You? |
 You are: R'AS AL GHUL! Take this quiz! Quizilla | Join | Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code |
Okay, this is the quiz on which I couldn't possibly be the hero. I have to say I like this result. I have to admit The Joker and Two Face are my favourite Batman villains, but then I can't see myself as either a homicidal maniac or a madman obsessed with duality. Indeed, I think if I were a supervillain, my goals would be the same as Ra's. Why settle for robbery or extortion when you can conquer the world?
Which Fight Club Character Are You?
You are Tyler!!
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Okay, this is another case where I am not the hero. I have to admit that I probably have more in common with Tyler Durden than the Narrator (and definitely more than Marla or Bob). Granted, I don't go around doing rude stuff in people's soup or blowing stuff up, but I have to admit to having a desire to change the world. Like both Tyler and The Narrator, I've been in my share of fights (and I've lost a few, too...). That having been said, I do work for a major corporation and I haven't really done much to change that...
Which House Character Are You?
You are Dr. Gregory House. You are the God of Snark. Life has given you lemons so you cut them in half and squeeze lemon juice in people's eyes to get your jollies. Although underneath it all you are really just a damaged person who can't deal with emotions, especially your own. The good news is you're brilliant!
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I suppose Dr. Gregory House counts as another bad guy? Or is he really a hero? An anti-hero? Whatever he is, he is my favourite character on the show. Like most people I think he is obnoxious and arrogant, so I really haven't much in common with him (although, sadly, I have more in common with him than the other characters on the series). That having been said, I still think he is carrying a torch for Cuddy, something I can understand perfectly....
| Which The Office Character Are You? | |
  Jim Halpert You are extremely nice and everyone likes you. You are popular with the ladies. You go to parties and have a good time. You are good at your job but if you could leave you would. You have everything a guy could want. | |
| Take The Quiz Now! | Quizzes by myYearbook.com |
I must confess Jim Halpert is my favourite character on The Office. And I can think of a few things we have in common. People tell me I am nice and everyone at work likes me. And when I was Jim's age I did go to a number of parties. I must also confess that I am good at my everyday job (not writing, the other one), but I really don't like it that much. The two differences between us is that I don't really think I am popular with the ladies (not that I've noticed, anyhow), and while I am always cracking jokes at work, I am not a practical joker (although I did nail my second best friend with one of those fake lighters that delivers a slight shock--she wasn't too happy with me). Well, I guess that is one more thing I have in common with Jim, my best friend at work is a girl.
 | You scored as Code name V, Your Code name "V". Your vengeful and cold hearted at times. People have done horriable things to you in the past...but dont worry about them, you'll get back at them one way or another. Your a good person on the inside who believes strongly in the good of the people. You think that you could never fall in love because your heart is filled with hate...but even a heart as broken as your can love. Your strong and just and would fight for the good of your world.
What V for Vendetta character are you? created with QuizFarm.com |
Okay, I've already posted the results of a V for Vendetta quiz here, but I decided to post another. It's always nice to know I am nothing like Sutler and Creedy. Naturally, I always do remember the fifth of November.
I don't know that any of these characters have much in common, although I suppose Sirius, Tyler, and V all have a strong desire to change the world and end what they consider injustice (I guess Ra's Al Ghul does too, although his solution isn't something many beyond himself and his minions would find desirable...). All of the characters are also intelligent, in some cases brilliant (namely Ra's, House, and V). That having been said, I think House is probably the most different from the rest. I'm not sure, but I think Ra's Al Ghul may even be less selfish than he is....
Anyhow, I promise I'll do a real post tomorrow (a spoiler free review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows)!
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Whatever Happened to A&E?
At one time I watched a good deal of the A&E Network. For some time it was possibly my favourite cable channel out there. As time has gone by, however, I found myself watching it less and less. The past year I have found that I only watch it for The Sopranos, Criss Angel, or, if there is nothing else on, CSI: Miami. It seems that the A&E I watched so often is long gone and an impostor has taken its place.
Today A&E has been infected by the plague known as "reality shows," but there was a time when A&E was known for quality programming. The channel was born in 1984 when the ARTS Network (ran by Hearst and ABC) acquired the programming of the Entertainment Channel (run by NBC). The new channel was named A&E, short for Arts and Entertainment. A&E aired an inordinately large number of shows devoted to the fine arts. There was A&E Stage, which featured broadcasts of various plays. There was also Breakfast with the Arts, which included interviews and even performances from everything from the stage to ballet to rock music to film. Of course, it is sad a fact that no cable channel in America could survive on fine arts programming alone.
A&E would also air reruns of high quality, classic TV shows, among them Columbo, Crime Story, Northern Exposure, Law and Order, and NewsRadio. Before BBC America came along, it may well have aired more British programming than other American cable channel (even more than PBS). These British series included older classics such as The Avengers and The Saint, as well as newer series, such as The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Poirot, Airline, Inspector Morse, and Lovejoy. A&E also showed British movie series based on popular series of books. There was Sharpe, based on the Richard Sharpe novels by Bernard Cornwell, Horatio Hornblower, based on the Horatio Hornblower novels by C. S. Forester, and The Scarlet Pimpernel, based on the novels by Baroness Orczy.
A&E also aired such special programming as the miniseries Napoleon and Shackleton. The original series Nero Wolfe was one of the best things on television. Its series Biography was so popular that it was spun off into its own cable channel. The programming A&E broadcast on history gave rise to The History Channel. Quite simply, A&E was one of the best networks around. Oh, that is not to say that A&E didn't have its share of flaws. The cable channel was joking called the "Murder, She Wrote Channel" for good reason (they showed it a lot). And as much as I love Biography, there were times it was showed it too much. Ultimately, however, A&E was the only place one could see a lot of quality series, British programming, and miniseries on subjects the broadcast networks would ignore.
Sadly, things changed not long ago. The reality show fad finally reached A&E. In April 2004 A&E debuted Growing Up Gotti, a reality show following around mobster John Gotti's daughter Victoria Gotti. In August 2004 the channel debuted Dog the Bounty Hunter, now their most popular show. In March 2005 A&E debuted Intervention, a purely exploitative series focusing on interventions with addicts of various sorts. By March 2006 A&E would ditch many of their longtime shows, including those reruns of Murder, She Wrote, in hopes of attracting a younger viewership. The British spy series Spooks (aired here as MI-5), was unceremoniously dumped. It's apparently the last British show A&E has aired.
Unfortunately, all of this meant that there would be even more reality shows on the cable channel. They did eventually pick up CSI: Miami and The Sopranos, but they seem to be the only dramas the channel show of an evening any more. When A&E got the rights to The Sopranos reruns, the channel's general manager Bob DeBitetto, claimed that the show "...speaks so eloquently as to what A&E is all about." I disagree. At one time it would have. The Sopranos would have fit in so perfectly with shows such as The Avengers, Sharpe, NewsRadio, and MI-5. As A&E is now, however, it seems oddly out of place beside Dog the Bounty Hunter, Intervention, Confessions of a Matchmaker, God or the Girl, and Flip This House (shouldn't that be on TLC?). As much as I once loved A&E, I keep hoping that the ratings on their various reality shows would drop so that they would stop airing them. In fact, I would be more than happy if they were forced to cancel every one of their series save Criss Angel and The Sopranos (although Gene Simmons' Family Jewels could always move to MTV). There are many of us who wish A&E would return to what it once was, a cable channel that aired quality programming. Now, like so many other cable channels, its programming consists primarily of junk.
Today A&E has been infected by the plague known as "reality shows," but there was a time when A&E was known for quality programming. The channel was born in 1984 when the ARTS Network (ran by Hearst and ABC) acquired the programming of the Entertainment Channel (run by NBC). The new channel was named A&E, short for Arts and Entertainment. A&E aired an inordinately large number of shows devoted to the fine arts. There was A&E Stage, which featured broadcasts of various plays. There was also Breakfast with the Arts, which included interviews and even performances from everything from the stage to ballet to rock music to film. Of course, it is sad a fact that no cable channel in America could survive on fine arts programming alone.
A&E would also air reruns of high quality, classic TV shows, among them Columbo, Crime Story, Northern Exposure, Law and Order, and NewsRadio. Before BBC America came along, it may well have aired more British programming than other American cable channel (even more than PBS). These British series included older classics such as The Avengers and The Saint, as well as newer series, such as The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Poirot, Airline, Inspector Morse, and Lovejoy. A&E also showed British movie series based on popular series of books. There was Sharpe, based on the Richard Sharpe novels by Bernard Cornwell, Horatio Hornblower, based on the Horatio Hornblower novels by C. S. Forester, and The Scarlet Pimpernel, based on the novels by Baroness Orczy.
A&E also aired such special programming as the miniseries Napoleon and Shackleton. The original series Nero Wolfe was one of the best things on television. Its series Biography was so popular that it was spun off into its own cable channel. The programming A&E broadcast on history gave rise to The History Channel. Quite simply, A&E was one of the best networks around. Oh, that is not to say that A&E didn't have its share of flaws. The cable channel was joking called the "Murder, She Wrote Channel" for good reason (they showed it a lot). And as much as I love Biography, there were times it was showed it too much. Ultimately, however, A&E was the only place one could see a lot of quality series, British programming, and miniseries on subjects the broadcast networks would ignore.
Sadly, things changed not long ago. The reality show fad finally reached A&E. In April 2004 A&E debuted Growing Up Gotti, a reality show following around mobster John Gotti's daughter Victoria Gotti. In August 2004 the channel debuted Dog the Bounty Hunter, now their most popular show. In March 2005 A&E debuted Intervention, a purely exploitative series focusing on interventions with addicts of various sorts. By March 2006 A&E would ditch many of their longtime shows, including those reruns of Murder, She Wrote, in hopes of attracting a younger viewership. The British spy series Spooks (aired here as MI-5), was unceremoniously dumped. It's apparently the last British show A&E has aired.
Unfortunately, all of this meant that there would be even more reality shows on the cable channel. They did eventually pick up CSI: Miami and The Sopranos, but they seem to be the only dramas the channel show of an evening any more. When A&E got the rights to The Sopranos reruns, the channel's general manager Bob DeBitetto, claimed that the show "...speaks so eloquently as to what A&E is all about." I disagree. At one time it would have. The Sopranos would have fit in so perfectly with shows such as The Avengers, Sharpe, NewsRadio, and MI-5. As A&E is now, however, it seems oddly out of place beside Dog the Bounty Hunter, Intervention, Confessions of a Matchmaker, God or the Girl, and Flip This House (shouldn't that be on TLC?). As much as I once loved A&E, I keep hoping that the ratings on their various reality shows would drop so that they would stop airing them. In fact, I would be more than happy if they were forced to cancel every one of their series save Criss Angel and The Sopranos (although Gene Simmons' Family Jewels could always move to MTV). There are many of us who wish A&E would return to what it once was, a cable channel that aired quality programming. Now, like so many other cable channels, its programming consists primarily of junk.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
The President's Analyst
If Theodore J. Flicker is known for anything, it is his work in television. After all, he was co-creator of the classic sitcom Barney Miller alongside Danny Arnold. Most of his work was in directing TV shows. Over the years Flicker directed everything from The Man From U.N.C.L.E. to I Dream of Jeannie to The Streets of San Francisco. He wrote for television as well, writing episodes of Nichols, Night Gallery, and, of course, Barney Miller.
That having been said, Flicker did some work in feature films. He co-wrote the screenplay to The Troublemaker with Buck Henry and directed the movie. He also wrote the screenplay to the Elvis Presley vehicle Spinout. He directed such films as Up in the Cellar and Soggy Bottom U.S.A.. For the most part, however, Flicker's feature films have been forgotten. Not all of them have, as The President's Analyst, directed by Flicker and released in 1967, has been remembered as both a cult film and one of the funniest films of the Sixties in the opinion of many.
The President's Analyst was produced at the the tail end of the spy fad that swept America and Europe in the mid-Sixties. The President's Analyst is largely a a parody of the myriad spy films produced from 1964 to 1967, but it is also so much more than that. Essentially, it is a political and social satire, which takes jabs at everything from the United States government to middle class suburbanites to, well, the phone company. Indeed, The President's Analyst was among the first films turned out by Paramount with Robert Evans as Head of Production. Not long after Evans agreed to go forward on The President's Analyst, Evans claimed that he was approached by two men from the FBI who let him know that J. Edgar Hoover and the Bureau felt that the picture would be detrimental. Evans told them in no uncertain terms that they were going ahead with the picture. Whether Evans went ahead with The President's Analyst due to FBI objections is something ultimately known only to Mr. Evans and the Bureau. That having been said, it is notable that through out the film FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) and CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) were replaced by FBR (Federal Bureau of Regulations) and CEA (Central Enquiries Agency) respectively.
A pet project of James Coburn, The President's Analyst was the film on which he was a producer, being made through his Panpiper Productions. Coburn's first roles which attracted attention were in the ensemble action films The Magnificent Seven and The Great Escape. The two Derek Flint spy parodies, Our Man Flint and In Like Flint, arguably made him a star. It was a natural step for Coburn, then, to start producing his own films. Coburn played the lead role of Dr. Sidney Schaefer, the psychiatrist who gets the unfortunate job of analysing the President. The cast also featured comedian Godfrey Cambridge as CEA agent Don Masters, Joan Delaney as Dr. Schaefer's girlfriend Nan, singer Barry McGuire as the hippie Old Wrangler, and Pat Harrington as Arlington Hewes, President of TPC (The Phone Company).
As I said earlier, The President's Analyst is both a spy spoof and a political and social satire. Its plot is starkly original for its time. Not long after accepting the position of analyst to the President of the United States, Dr. Sidney Schaefer soon becomes paranoid about constantly being watched and flees Washington. The only problem is that Dr. Schaefer is being watched, and soon every spy from seemingly every country in the world is out to get him.
The President Analyst is one of the funniest films I have ever seen. Indeed, I suspect the only film from the Sixties that matches it in irreverence is Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. The list of institutions The President's Analyst sends up is a long one: psychiatry, the Federal government, foreign governments, the middle class, suburbia, liberals, conservatives, and spies. In fact, the only characters presented somewhat sympathetically in the film are Dr. Schaeffer, spies, or Barry McGuire and his merry band of hippies! As a measure of just how sharp the satire in this film is, reportedly when NBC first aired the film in the early Seventies, they cut the movie's punchline!
What makes The President's Analyst so effective, however, is that it is actually a very carefully structured film. At first glance the film appears to be a set of skits loosely interconnected by Dr. Schaeffer's flight for his life, largely a product of Sixties style improvisational comedy. On closer examination, however, its plot is much more closely knitted than on the surface. It is one of those films that expects the viewer to be intelligent enough to catch the numerous bits of foreshadowing (not to mention some funny sight gags) that are peppered throughout the film. I suspect that The President's Analyst became a cult film largely because it benefits from repeated viewings.
Sadly, The President's Analyst did not fair well on its initial release. It bombed at the box office and quickly disappeared from theatres. I rather suspect that many older people saw the film as a bit too sympathetic to the counterculture of the time. At the same time, it must be remembered that the spy fad of the Sixties was coming to an end. Many seeing its trailer may have concluded that this remarkable movie was simply another spy spoof.
While The President's Analyst would be aired regularly on television (I first saw it on NBC's Saturday Night at the Movies as a very young child), it did not precisely fare well in that format. As I mentioned earlier, when it first aired on television on NBC, the network cut its punchline. Something even worse would occur later, as for a time a copyright dispute prevented Barry McGuire's originals songs from appearing in television prints of the film (fortunately, this was resolved before its DVD release). The President's Analyst was further altered from its theatrical version when a scene cut from the the original print of the film was added in television prints to pad out its air time. This scene has Dr. Schaeffer running into his girlfriend Nan by chance at a underground film of the sort so popular in the Sixties. Some fans of the movie believe the scene is important, while others simply see it as out of place.A picture from this scene can be seen at Roger Ebert's web site. Quite simply, it appears for some time that The President's Anaylst was aired on television in a different version from that of its theatrical release, without McGuire's music and with a scene between Dr. Schaeffer and Nan in an art cinema. Reportedly, there is something else that has been cut, although I have my serious doubts that it was part of the theatrical release or even television prints. There are those who claim that there was a segment during Dr. Schaeffer's collapse into paranoia involving disembodied, glowing eyes. I have not even seen clips from this segment and I have to wonder if reports of the segment aren't apocryphal. At any rate, given how the film has fared over the years, it is surprising that The President's Analyst ever achieved a cult following.
The President's Analyst was easily the funniest film of 1967 (arguably The Graduate is a better film, but does not match it for comedy). It is an equal opportunity satire which pokes fun at nearly every important part of the Establishment of the Sixties. What is more is that it holds up remarkably well. Indeed, if anything else, The President's Analyst may well be more relevant now than it was in the Sixties.
That having been said, Flicker did some work in feature films. He co-wrote the screenplay to The Troublemaker with Buck Henry and directed the movie. He also wrote the screenplay to the Elvis Presley vehicle Spinout. He directed such films as Up in the Cellar and Soggy Bottom U.S.A.. For the most part, however, Flicker's feature films have been forgotten. Not all of them have, as The President's Analyst, directed by Flicker and released in 1967, has been remembered as both a cult film and one of the funniest films of the Sixties in the opinion of many.
The President's Analyst was produced at the the tail end of the spy fad that swept America and Europe in the mid-Sixties. The President's Analyst is largely a a parody of the myriad spy films produced from 1964 to 1967, but it is also so much more than that. Essentially, it is a political and social satire, which takes jabs at everything from the United States government to middle class suburbanites to, well, the phone company. Indeed, The President's Analyst was among the first films turned out by Paramount with Robert Evans as Head of Production. Not long after Evans agreed to go forward on The President's Analyst, Evans claimed that he was approached by two men from the FBI who let him know that J. Edgar Hoover and the Bureau felt that the picture would be detrimental. Evans told them in no uncertain terms that they were going ahead with the picture. Whether Evans went ahead with The President's Analyst due to FBI objections is something ultimately known only to Mr. Evans and the Bureau. That having been said, it is notable that through out the film FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) and CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) were replaced by FBR (Federal Bureau of Regulations) and CEA (Central Enquiries Agency) respectively.
A pet project of James Coburn, The President's Analyst was the film on which he was a producer, being made through his Panpiper Productions. Coburn's first roles which attracted attention were in the ensemble action films The Magnificent Seven and The Great Escape. The two Derek Flint spy parodies, Our Man Flint and In Like Flint, arguably made him a star. It was a natural step for Coburn, then, to start producing his own films. Coburn played the lead role of Dr. Sidney Schaefer, the psychiatrist who gets the unfortunate job of analysing the President. The cast also featured comedian Godfrey Cambridge as CEA agent Don Masters, Joan Delaney as Dr. Schaefer's girlfriend Nan, singer Barry McGuire as the hippie Old Wrangler, and Pat Harrington as Arlington Hewes, President of TPC (The Phone Company).
As I said earlier, The President's Analyst is both a spy spoof and a political and social satire. Its plot is starkly original for its time. Not long after accepting the position of analyst to the President of the United States, Dr. Sidney Schaefer soon becomes paranoid about constantly being watched and flees Washington. The only problem is that Dr. Schaefer is being watched, and soon every spy from seemingly every country in the world is out to get him.
The President Analyst is one of the funniest films I have ever seen. Indeed, I suspect the only film from the Sixties that matches it in irreverence is Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. The list of institutions The President's Analyst sends up is a long one: psychiatry, the Federal government, foreign governments, the middle class, suburbia, liberals, conservatives, and spies. In fact, the only characters presented somewhat sympathetically in the film are Dr. Schaeffer, spies, or Barry McGuire and his merry band of hippies! As a measure of just how sharp the satire in this film is, reportedly when NBC first aired the film in the early Seventies, they cut the movie's punchline!
What makes The President's Analyst so effective, however, is that it is actually a very carefully structured film. At first glance the film appears to be a set of skits loosely interconnected by Dr. Schaeffer's flight for his life, largely a product of Sixties style improvisational comedy. On closer examination, however, its plot is much more closely knitted than on the surface. It is one of those films that expects the viewer to be intelligent enough to catch the numerous bits of foreshadowing (not to mention some funny sight gags) that are peppered throughout the film. I suspect that The President's Analyst became a cult film largely because it benefits from repeated viewings.
Sadly, The President's Analyst did not fair well on its initial release. It bombed at the box office and quickly disappeared from theatres. I rather suspect that many older people saw the film as a bit too sympathetic to the counterculture of the time. At the same time, it must be remembered that the spy fad of the Sixties was coming to an end. Many seeing its trailer may have concluded that this remarkable movie was simply another spy spoof.
While The President's Analyst would be aired regularly on television (I first saw it on NBC's Saturday Night at the Movies as a very young child), it did not precisely fare well in that format. As I mentioned earlier, when it first aired on television on NBC, the network cut its punchline. Something even worse would occur later, as for a time a copyright dispute prevented Barry McGuire's originals songs from appearing in television prints of the film (fortunately, this was resolved before its DVD release). The President's Analyst was further altered from its theatrical version when a scene cut from the the original print of the film was added in television prints to pad out its air time. This scene has Dr. Schaeffer running into his girlfriend Nan by chance at a underground film of the sort so popular in the Sixties. Some fans of the movie believe the scene is important, while others simply see it as out of place.A picture from this scene can be seen at Roger Ebert's web site. Quite simply, it appears for some time that The President's Anaylst was aired on television in a different version from that of its theatrical release, without McGuire's music and with a scene between Dr. Schaeffer and Nan in an art cinema. Reportedly, there is something else that has been cut, although I have my serious doubts that it was part of the theatrical release or even television prints. There are those who claim that there was a segment during Dr. Schaeffer's collapse into paranoia involving disembodied, glowing eyes. I have not even seen clips from this segment and I have to wonder if reports of the segment aren't apocryphal. At any rate, given how the film has fared over the years, it is surprising that The President's Analyst ever achieved a cult following.
The President's Analyst was easily the funniest film of 1967 (arguably The Graduate is a better film, but does not match it for comedy). It is an equal opportunity satire which pokes fun at nearly every important part of the Establishment of the Sixties. What is more is that it holds up remarkably well. Indeed, if anything else, The President's Analyst may well be more relevant now than it was in the Sixties.
Monday, July 23, 2007
59th Annual Emmy Awards Nominations
Last week the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences the nominations for the 59th Annual Emmy Awards to be held this year. As usual, it was a mixed bag, with some series that in my opinion receiving nominations that should not have, and others that deserved to be nominated but weren't.
Indeed, perhaps the least deserving show on television received several nominations. I am talking about Grey's Anatomyh. This show is simply a standard medical drama. There is next to nothing to differentiate it from Dr. Kildare beyond unusual cases (done before on both St. Elsewhere and E.R.) and more sex. It did not deserve to be nominated in the Best Drama category by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, outside of special effects, I am not sure it should have been nominated in any category, although I will admit the cast can be forgiven if their performances aren't up to par with the rest of television. They don't have much to work with.
There are other Best Drama nominees that I am also not sure deserved to be so honoured. Boston Legal is more enjoyable than most David E. Kelley, primarily due to a good cast (it's hard to beat William Shatner and Candice Bergen), but I am not sure it is entertaining enough for Best Drama. And while Heroes has its enjoyable moments, I am also sure it deserves a Best Drama nomination.
While Grey's Anatomy was nominated for Best Drama, Lost was once again snubbed. While this season of Lost started poorly, in the end it turned out to be the best season so far. Indeed, the best single episode of the show aired this season ("Flashes Before Your Eyes"). At least Lost has picked up several other nominations, including direction (for the episode "Through the Looking Glass"), Editing (for the same episode), Sound Editing, Best Supporting Actor (Terry O'Quinn as Locke and Michael Emerson as Ben), and Writing (although it was for "Through the Looking Glass" instead of "Flashes Before Your Eyes..."). I am disappointed that Evangeline Lily did not receive an Outstanding Actress nod. In fact, none of the actresses from the show were nominated, even though Grey's Anatomy received three.
At least Lost received some nominations. HBO's The Wire is easily the best show on television, yet it was entirely shut out. It did not receive any nominations at all.
That having been said, I can say both The Sopranos and House deserved to be nominated for Best Drama. House also received a nomination for Lead Actor, and I can honestly say that I believe Huge Laurie (who lays Gregory House M. D.) deserves to win. The Sopranos also picked up several other nominations, which it definitely deserved to.
As to the Comedy Series category, I was glad to see Entourage, The Office, and 30 Rock were all nominated. That having been said, I am puzzled why My Name is Earl wasn't. Did they think they had too many NBC sitcoms nominated? Quite frankly, My Name is Earl is funnier than the pedestrian Two and Half Men and The New Adventures of Old Christine. Indeed, if I had to nominated a CBS sitcom, How I Met Your Mother would have beaten both of those! It also pleases me that Entourage picked up several nominations, including a Guest Actor nod for Martin Landau and Supporting Actor nods for Jeremy Piven as Ari and Kevin Dillon as Drama (who's easily the funniest character on the show). I'm also happy to see that Alec Baldwin was nominated for Lead Actor for 30 Rock. That having been said, I was disappointed to see that Tracy Morgan wasn't nominated in the Supporting Actor category for the same show. I am glad to see that both Jamie Pressly (Earl's evil ex-wife on My Name is Earl and Jenna Fischer (Pam on The Office received Outstanding Supporting Actress nominations. I was also happy to see Tina Fey receive an Outstanding Lead Actress nod.
As to other categories, I have to say I was a bit disappointed with the Outstanding Animated Progrramme (for less than one hour). While The Simpsons and South Park were nominated as usual, another old timer was missing--King of the Hill. This is a series that has been consistently good over its long run, which is more than can be said for The Simpsons of late (as much as I love the show, I can't help but wonder that it hasn't overstayed its welcome). I was also happy to see the excellent Broken Trail nominated in the Outstanding Miniseries category.
Over all I suppose the 59th Annual Emmy Award nominations could have been worse. Lost was at least nominated in several categories, even if it was snubbed when it came to Outstanding Drama. And many of my favourite actors did receive nods. I only wish the Academy would get over their infatuation with Grey's Anatomy. I rather suspect years from now they will look back at having nominated that show with the thought, "What was I thinking?!"
Indeed, perhaps the least deserving show on television received several nominations. I am talking about Grey's Anatomyh. This show is simply a standard medical drama. There is next to nothing to differentiate it from Dr. Kildare beyond unusual cases (done before on both St. Elsewhere and E.R.) and more sex. It did not deserve to be nominated in the Best Drama category by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, outside of special effects, I am not sure it should have been nominated in any category, although I will admit the cast can be forgiven if their performances aren't up to par with the rest of television. They don't have much to work with.
There are other Best Drama nominees that I am also not sure deserved to be so honoured. Boston Legal is more enjoyable than most David E. Kelley, primarily due to a good cast (it's hard to beat William Shatner and Candice Bergen), but I am not sure it is entertaining enough for Best Drama. And while Heroes has its enjoyable moments, I am also sure it deserves a Best Drama nomination.
While Grey's Anatomy was nominated for Best Drama, Lost was once again snubbed. While this season of Lost started poorly, in the end it turned out to be the best season so far. Indeed, the best single episode of the show aired this season ("Flashes Before Your Eyes"). At least Lost has picked up several other nominations, including direction (for the episode "Through the Looking Glass"), Editing (for the same episode), Sound Editing, Best Supporting Actor (Terry O'Quinn as Locke and Michael Emerson as Ben), and Writing (although it was for "Through the Looking Glass" instead of "Flashes Before Your Eyes..."). I am disappointed that Evangeline Lily did not receive an Outstanding Actress nod. In fact, none of the actresses from the show were nominated, even though Grey's Anatomy received three.
At least Lost received some nominations. HBO's The Wire is easily the best show on television, yet it was entirely shut out. It did not receive any nominations at all.
That having been said, I can say both The Sopranos and House deserved to be nominated for Best Drama. House also received a nomination for Lead Actor, and I can honestly say that I believe Huge Laurie (who lays Gregory House M. D.) deserves to win. The Sopranos also picked up several other nominations, which it definitely deserved to.
As to the Comedy Series category, I was glad to see Entourage, The Office, and 30 Rock were all nominated. That having been said, I am puzzled why My Name is Earl wasn't. Did they think they had too many NBC sitcoms nominated? Quite frankly, My Name is Earl is funnier than the pedestrian Two and Half Men and The New Adventures of Old Christine. Indeed, if I had to nominated a CBS sitcom, How I Met Your Mother would have beaten both of those! It also pleases me that Entourage picked up several nominations, including a Guest Actor nod for Martin Landau and Supporting Actor nods for Jeremy Piven as Ari and Kevin Dillon as Drama (who's easily the funniest character on the show). I'm also happy to see that Alec Baldwin was nominated for Lead Actor for 30 Rock. That having been said, I was disappointed to see that Tracy Morgan wasn't nominated in the Supporting Actor category for the same show. I am glad to see that both Jamie Pressly (Earl's evil ex-wife on My Name is Earl and Jenna Fischer (Pam on The Office received Outstanding Supporting Actress nominations. I was also happy to see Tina Fey receive an Outstanding Lead Actress nod.
As to other categories, I have to say I was a bit disappointed with the Outstanding Animated Progrramme (for less than one hour). While The Simpsons and South Park were nominated as usual, another old timer was missing--King of the Hill. This is a series that has been consistently good over its long run, which is more than can be said for The Simpsons of late (as much as I love the show, I can't help but wonder that it hasn't overstayed its welcome). I was also happy to see the excellent Broken Trail nominated in the Outstanding Miniseries category.
Over all I suppose the 59th Annual Emmy Award nominations could have been worse. Lost was at least nominated in several categories, even if it was snubbed when it came to Outstanding Drama. And many of my favourite actors did receive nods. I only wish the Academy would get over their infatuation with Grey's Anatomy. I rather suspect years from now they will look back at having nominated that show with the thought, "What was I thinking?!"
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