NB: ABC Dog Pound and More Golden Globes
Show Me the Dog Pound
Geesh—that was fast! After airing only five episodes of its latest game show, ABC has already decided to stop showing us Show Me the Money. This following the network’s December 8 revelation that it had just ordered six additional installments. Talk about whiplash. I guess that’s what a 16 percent decline in already basement-level ratings will do fer ya. Good thing host William Shatner still has that little Emmy-winning Boston Legal gig going on, then.
Day Break Can’t Catch a Break Either
ABC has been in full slaughter mode, also giving the proverbial cancellation ax to Lost‘s hiatus replacement, Day Break, now gone after just six outings. As beautiful as series star Taye Diggs was in all of those shirtless shots—not to mention the three gorgeous women who played his girlfriend (Moon Bloodgood), sister (Meta Golding), and partner (Victoria Pratt)—that just wasn’t enough to make this Groundhog-inspired, 24-ish action drama work. The review I never posted had a title and it was Day Break: Too Much of Too Much … if you know what I mean. Still, I both watched and enjoyed the show, even if I sometimes had difficulty remembering exactly which go round we were on at any given moment. The good news is that ABC may have the decency to make the remaining seven produced episodes available online (cross those fingers). What would TV fans do without this new-fangled online streaming, huh?
Yet More Fun Handicapping Winners: The 64th Golden Globe Awards Nominees, Part 2
I said I’d discuss the nominees in the last five television categories from Thursday’s announced Golden Globe nominations, and I meant it. Yesterday, I covered Best Television Series Drama and Best Television Series Comedy or Musical, as well as Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance by an Actress in both areas. Herewith, the most important nominees in the second half of the most important categories in the most important medium, TV:
BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
- Bleak House (PBS)
- Broken Trail (AMC)
- Elizabeth I (HBO)
- Mrs. Harris (HBO)
- Prime Suspect: The Final Act (PBS)
- Gosh darn it—I am torn! Broken Trail and Mrs. Harris were both rumored to be excellent (I saw neither due to a little problem with my old DVD recorder having a mind of its own and refusing to follow my timer instructions). But as much as I love Gillian Anderson, there are two, not just one, nominations featuring my favorite actress, Dame Helen Mirren. Yes, she is officially a Dame of the British Empire, since 2003, and, yes, she starred in both HBO’s Elizabeth I and PBS’ Prime Suspect: The Final Act. I’m all for exiting with a flourish, so my vote goes to the latter because it marked the end of the fantabulous British detective series Prime Suspect. How much am I going to miss that show? Tons.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
- Gillian Anderson, Bleak House
- Annette Bening, Mrs. Harris
- Helen Mirren, Elizabeth I
- Helen Mirren, Prime Suspect: The Final Act
- Sophie Okonedo, Tsunami, The Aftermath
- Gosh darn it—what are they doing to me?! Ditto for this category. The nominating committee gifted us five outstanding candidates, but once again I’m rooting for Mirren in Prime Suspect: The Final Act, although I certainly wouldn’t mind if she triumphed for Elizabeth I.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
- Andre Braugher, Thief
- Robert Duvall, Broken Trail
- Michael Ealy, Sleeper Cell: American Terror
- Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tsunami, The Aftermath
- Ben Kingsley, Mrs. Harris
- Bill Nighy, Gideon’s Daughter
- Matthew Perry, The Ron Clark Story
- What?! Does this category have seven nominees? Oh … yes … it … does. Go Michael! Go Chiwetel! Go Matthew! Braugher, Duvall, and Kingsley are all awards-show staples, while the illustrious Nighy is no stranger to acclaim either. I wanna see some fresh blood win, so I’ll root for the new guys on the block. And lest anyone get all huffy about my support of Perry given his Friends heyday and subsequent West Wing stint—all of that glory was for being part of two famous ensemble shows. This time, Perry’s on his own.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
- Emily Blunt, Gideon’s Daughter
- Toni Collette, Tsunami, The Aftermath
- Katherine Heigl, Grey’s Anatomy
- Sarah Paulson, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
- Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds
- Oddly, I have no opinions on these nominees at all. May the lucky winner be happy and live a long, industrious life.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
- Thomas Haden Church, Broken Trail
- Jeremy Irons, Elizabeth I
- Justin Kirk, Weeds
- Masi Oka, Heroes
- Jeremy Piven, Entourage
- Oh, I am such a bona fide Heroes whore. Masi! Masi! Yahoo! (Does anyone else also think it’s a shame that the supporting categories pit series actors against movie actors, most of whom seem to have phenomenal pedigrees? I mean, Jeremy Irons? Just a thought.)
Photos courtesy of ABC and the BBC
