2010 Emmy Nominations: Conan strikes back!

Unlike with the Oscars, I don’t usually stay up to watch the Emmy nominations announced live…but this year I did, and, wow, what a year to do it. I was cheering so loud when some of those names were read that I actually had to cover my face with a pillow so as to not wake up the girls!

I’m not kidding, amigos, this is probably one of the best rosters of Emmy nominees ever. Finding a good movie to see in a theatre might be getting harder and harder these days, but, man alive, TV is on fire, baby!

Not only did new shows like “Glee”, “Modern Family”, and “The Good Wife” clean up in the nomination department, but, some long-overlooked returning shows finally got some recognition too. I’ve never watched it myself, but the fact that a cult show like “Friday Night Lights” finally scored some Emmy love after barely surviving cancellation for all these years is awesome!

I was also thrilled to see Elizabeth Mitchell finally nab an Emmy nomination for her heartbreaking portrayal of Dr. Juliet Burke on “Lost”. Mitchell was totally robbed last year, so, to see her shortlisted this time is just freaking awesome!

Also very excited to see the rocking-good Archie Panjabi nominated for Best Supporting Actress, Drama for “The Good Wife”. Panjabi’s character steals every scene she’s in, and that’s really saying something when you consider she plays most of her scenes opposite classic scene-stealers (and fellow nominees) Julianna Marguiles and Christine Baranski. So, kudos to you, Panjabi!

I was also very pleased to see the incredible Jane Lynch pick up a nod for “Glee”. She’d better start clearing room on her mantel now, because something tells me she’s gonna be one of those people who win every year they get nominated. And unlike some of those people (Tony Shaloub) she totally deserves it!

Christine was very stoked to see Jamie Oliver’s “Food Revolution” score a nod for Best Reality Program. I know it didn’t get a lot of play in the media, but that show had heart and soul to spare and the fact that it has inspired people across the country to join the “Revolution” is the icing on the cake. Good on you, Jamie!

But the best news of the day, by far, was that the late, great Conan O’Brien version of “The Tonight Show” was nominated for four Emmy’s while Jay Leno, once again, received none. Ha ha, karma’s a bitch…suck it, Jay!

To see a complete list of all this year’s Emmy nominees, click here.

2009 Fall TV Season Report Card

Seeing as the Fall TV season has been up and running for a couple of weeks now, thought we’d finally weigh in on the crop of new shows. The good news is that, so far, most of the shows we’ve watched have been good. Seriously, I can’t remember the last time we added this many new shows to our Tivo Season Pass!

And though some of the most heavily-promoted new shows kinda sucked (I’m talking to you, “Cougar Town”) some of them are actually totally deserving of the hype (“The Vampire Diaries”, “The Good Wife”, “Modern Family”, etc.). But rather than bore you with long, detailed descriptions of the shows in question, we felt an annotated report card would be much more to the point.

So, without further ado, I give you our first annual Fall TV Season report card…enjoy!

Letter Grade: A+

“The Vampire Diaries” (The CW) – Long-lost loves, family secrets, dark, brooding vampires in high school…what’s not to love here? “Twilight” be damned, this show is the best of the crop so far…and the fact that it stars mi “The American Mall” amiga, Nina Dobrev, certainly doesn’t hurt. If you haven’t already, you must Tivo this show!

“Modern Family” (ABC) – This show has only aired twice and we laughed our asses off and cried during both episodes. A really sweet, heartfelt and hilarious look at one crazy extended family. Awesome!

“Glee” (FOX) – Best new show that started airing last season. It’s like co-creator Ryan Murphy threw his old WB show “Popular” in a giant pot, boiled away the fat and cheese and created something truly magical. “Glee” is a pleasure to watch from start to finish.

“The Good Wife” (CBS) – This show looked like such a snooze when it was announced, but it is so much more than meets the eye. The cast is superb, particularly Julianna Margulies’ mouthy sidekick, Archie Panjabi, who truly electrifies every scene she’s in. I’m not kidding, these gals have onscreen chemistry to burn. And seeing Josh Charles, Chris Noth and Christine Baranski back on a weekly series is never a bad thing either.

Letter Grade: A

“Melrose Place” (The CW) – Already a hundred times better than the original series, and a million times better than the hideously-lame “90210” remake that debuted last year, this “Melrose” is juicy, campy, sexy and best of all, crazy fun to watch. And unlike the new “90210”, the classic characters actually have a story and a reason to be there when they show up. Ooo, and speaking of, Heather Locklear is checking back in soon…so, bring on the awesomeness!

“Mercy” (NBC) – Didn’t expect this show to be good at all, but caught a few minutes of it in passing and am now totally hooked. Quirky characters that don’t annoy, zippy writing and a first-rate cast in a medical show about nurses? Wow, almost makes me forget that “ER” was canceled…

Letter Grade: B

“Accidentally On Purpose” (CBS) – I normally loathe Jenna Elfman, but it seems that I’ll watch anything to do with babies and pregnancy these days, so, I Tivoed the show. And, you know what? It’s not nearly as bad as it looks. I won’t Tivo it again, but you could find much worse ways to pass a half hour.

“The City” (MTV) – I know this show — a spin-off of the far-more-popular ‘The Hills” — is technically in it’s second season, but, wow, with two new alpha bitches on board, this is a brand new show in my book and it rocks!

Letter Grade: D

“Cougar Town” (ABC) – I am not easily offended, but the onslaught of crass, unfunny, gross-out jokes on this show made me wanna stop watching before the first commercial break. Yuck…just, yuck.

“Eastwick” (ABC) – Three charming female leads does not a series make. I don’t need a crystal ball to see that this mediocre reworking of an already mediocre movie is headed nowhere fast. Yikes…

“Trauma” (NBC) – The show opens with a kick-ass head-on collision between two helicopters in San Francisco, but it’s all downhill from there. Yawn…

Letter Grade: F

“The Beautiful Life: TBL” (The CW) – Models, runways, drugs, and a skeletal, strung-out Mischa Barton badly playing herself? What’s not to love? Well, amigos…everything. I don’t know what’s funnier…the fact that someone at the CW actually thought this show would be popular enough to warrant a cheesy nickname (“TBL”??) or the fact that it was deservedly canceled after two episodes. Urgh, what a train wreck…

Oh, yeah, and just for the record, these grades are for the episodes that have aired so far. So, if a cool show starts blowing chunks and getting all “Alias” or “Heroes” on us midseason, we reserve the right to change our grades. I mean, hello, it is only October…