By DOUG STRASSLER

Happy Friday! What do you say to a collection of Forget-Me-Nots? As always, these are singles that for whatever reason, only left a temporary imprint on the culture.

Today’s group has a theme: divas of rhythm and blues. Whether you’re re-discovering a forgotten song or listening to one for the first time, give them a whirl!

(1) “Get Here,” Oleta Adams

This soaring ballad strikes the right note for anyone who misses a loved one and wants them to return home. Released in 1990, it connected with the culture after the deployment of troops with Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Though it’s become Oleta’s signature song (earning her a Grammy nom), it was actually penned and originally sung by….

(2) “Piano in the Dark,” Brenda Russell

… Brenda Russell, who’s actually much better-known for this sultry, ivory-tickling classic from 1988, which peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and scored three Grammy nominations, including Song of the Year. Fun fact #1: Russell went on to write the music for the Broadway adaptation of The Color Purple. Fun fact #2: Joe Esposito, who sings backing vocals, also did the song “You’re the Best” in The Karate Kid.

(3) “Another Sad Love Song,” Toni Braxton

Though she’d already had a minor hit with “Love Shoulda Brought You Home” (from the Boomerang soundtrack), this torchy number is what really introduced Braxton, pixie cut and all, to a mass audience. It also garnered the singer her first-ever Grammy Award, for the Best R&B Female Vocal Performance, and largely helped her win Best New Artist. “Breathe Again,” “You’re Makin’ Me High,” and “Un-Break My Heart” may be more popular, but this one is the real thing.
< em>(The Boomerang soundtrack was one of the first two CDs I ever owned, along with R.E.M.’s Document. Therefore, Toni Braxton will always have a special place in my heart — Mark)

(4) “Come In Out of the Rain,” Wendy Moten

Moten had a brief run, including a lot of soundtrack work, in the early 1990s before mainly finding work as a back-up singer for artists like Faith Hill and Tim McGraw. But I’ve always remembered this 1993 gem, partially for the semi-ludicrous lyrics. The singer’s boyfriend claims they belong together even though she doubted and ultimately cheated on him. Now she sings about how she’s ready to come to him for good, knowing he’ll take her. Then again, with pipes like hers, he’d be a fool not to.

(You guys… I still have the cassette single for this song. I think I was the only person in my middle school who ever heard it. — Mark )

(5) “Escapade,” Janet Jackson

Okay, I admit, this song is a cheat; it’s total pop. I don’t care. It totally works on me! From Jackson’s awesome Rhythm Nation 1814 album (a top-ten for me), it squeezes in such sheer fun five minutes. Who wouldn’t want to break the rules and run away with her?! And check out the carnival-themed video too for extra amusement. You’re laughing at me about this, aren’t you? I don’t care: if I’m listening to this song, I’m already smiling.

Do any of these songs ring a bell? Either way, enjoy the holiday weekend!

Welcome to Sucker Punch, the only blog post that ranks the gaudiest moments on this week’s episode of True Blood.

(Warning: Spoilers Ahead)

—

Compared to Russell’s de-spining of a television news anchor, every other moment in this season of True Blood may seem tame by comparison. Perhaps they know that—or perhaps they know that we need to take a breath before the blow-out of the season finale—because writer Nancy Oliver and director Daniel Minahan make “Fresh Blood” a relatively quiet episode. Instead of focusing on the gory or the baroque, they deliver scenes that thrive on what isn’t said, or what’s said in a quiet voice.

Take the lovely scene where Bill and Sookie drive back from Fangtasia, after Sookie gets sprung from the wheel of misfortune. They play a game of imagining what their “normal” relationship would be like, and their dreams are heartbreakingly simple. Bill wants to be a third-grade teacher who loves his job, and he wants to go fishing with Jason. Sookie wants a big flower garden, a  real-estate license, and an occasional double date with Terry and Arlene.

That’s just so… sweet. And sad. Because even though they allow themselves a moment of fantasy, Bill and Sookie clearly know that they will never have these things: Not just because they’re together, but because Bill is a vampire and Sookie is half-fairy. The paradox is that they are human enough to appreciate what they’re missing by not being fully human. Hearing them voice that—and watching Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin convey that—drives home another rich emotion that runs through this series: Ache.

It’s also interesting, isn’t it, that at its core, the series glorifies being human? It’s full of vampires and werewolves and panthers (oh my!), but when they’re pushed, all of the supernatural characters just want to be people.

Allow to take that idea a little further: Many of us—including me—have wondered if this show is getting too supernatural, what with every character turning up as some kind of magical creature. But what if by having fewer humans, the series is emphasizing how valuable being human actually is? What’s if it’s reminding us to appreciate who we are?

Or what if “human” stands in for “mainstream” or “normal,” and all of these supernatural creatures are symbols of the many, many people who are forced to feel like outsiders because of what they are? As in, I’m gay or I’m black or I’m disabled or I’m a woman, so I can only have bittersweet dreams about “belonging” the way that the straight people or the white people or the able-bodied people or the men do? What if the small number of humans on True Blood suggest the small number of people on earth who are on the “inside” of the culture?

(I know I’m not the first person to notice that particular metaphor, but it’s really striking me right now.)

Of course, none of the human characters are all that happy, so perhaps True Blood is also saying that this dream of being “normal” is just a big illusion. Everybody looks at somebody else and sees what they wish they could be. That’s why the human quarterback takes V, just so he can pretend to be a great athlete.

Whoa… look at that! I actually made myself care about the storyline with the high school quarterback! But only a little. Because really, I don’t give a good damn about him, or whether or not he breaks Jason’s passing record. That subplot feels silly compared to everything else that’s going on. I mean, Jason’s got a meth-cooking pantherlady in his house, a half-fairy sister on the lam, and a lifelong friend who just found out that he shot her boyfriend. Let the jock have his fun, dude, and focus on the big picture.

But let’s get back to the quietly powerful moments. There’s Crystal’s revelation, for instance, that she’s being forced to marry her half-brother so he can breed more werepanthers. That little bomb gets dropped and ignored, right? But that makes it even more unsettling.

Meanwhile, I’m moved by Tara’s confrontation with Andy Bellfleur: Thanks to the great acting and writing, we can see the oceans of grief pouring from both characters, and we can see see Tara realize that she has to stop being angry and just accept that Eggs is gone. [Sniffle!]

I wish I were as moved by Tara and Sam bringing the sexy back, or by Sam’s whole spiral into drunken fury. Yes, I dig the Sam-n-Tara conversation about not being nice, but it clarifies how inauthentic Sam feels in every other scene. Neither Sam Trammell’s acting nor the choppy direction make his tantrums feel the least bit threatening, which only leaves me to notice that his rage is mostly an engine to move the plot along: Sam gets angry, which gives Tommy an excuse to do something crazy and Arlene and Holly a reason to run and and start their Goddess Circle. Those are important developments, but I wish they felt more organic.

But all is forgiven, since Arlene’s almost-miscarriage gives her her best-ever scenes on this show. Carrie Preston really nails the mixture of vulnerability, joy, and yes, ache that Arlene feels when she loses, then doesn’t lose Rene’s child. (And did anyone else notice how beautiful she looks in her dream sequence?)

This leaves us with the most powerful moment of the episode, but before I get to that, I want to shout out a few choice jokes and trashy asides: When Pam calls Estonian Yvette a dumb immigrant, and Yvette responds that in Tallinn, she’s a cardiovascular surgeon… well,that cracks me up. Way to tweak a cultural stereotype! And when Hoyt’s Crazy Mama (or Maxine) returns from the shadows like a distaff Don Corleone, revealing her plan to make her son marry Summer at all costs… I practically whoop for joy. Get it, Trash!

But as has become the custom, this pales next to Russell. This week, he’s at the center of a breathtaking series of scenes in which Eric and Bill plot to lure him into the daylight by making him feast on Sookie’s blood. Russell wisely insists that Eric go into the daylight first. That leads to Pam’s palpable agony over the prospect of losing Eric to the sun and Sookie’s bewildered rage that the man she was just daydreaming with in the car is now apparently sacrificing her to Russell. We know it’s all just a ruse, but they don’t… and the tension really satisfies.

And then there’s the trip into the sun: Eric knows he won’t be vulnerable for long, which creates even more tension as he waits for Russell to join him, even as his face starts to burn. And when Russell finally does arrive… and Eric handcuffs himself to his nemesis… damn! Will they both die? Will they both survive? I can’t wait to find out!

But for me, the real triumph in these scenes is the way Eric and Russell respond to being in the sun. Russell especially, thanks to Denis O’Hare’s remarkable performance, displays such joy at just being in the light that I almost can’t take it. That a creature so vile can suddenly seem so innocent… it’s a reminder that once, he was indeed a human, a person, an insider, and now, he’s an outsider full of ache, ache, ache. This reaction is complicated, of course, because I know that if he stays in the daylight, he’ll just use that new freedom to start killing people during their lunch breaks. But that’s what makes hims such a great character. He is terrible and wonderful at the same time.

And besides, his predicament perfectly embodies the insider/outsider theme. You get a taste of normalcy—you  step into the sun—but you have to do terrible things to get it, and it will probably end up killing you. Is this the price for wanting to be “normal,” for wanting to be on the inside? Does the cure for ache bring more ache? Or is there maybe, just maybe, some other way out? Any scene that makes me think about these things—that makes me feel them—is a Sucker Punch.

Welcome to the latest installment of the Trailer Scaler Fall Movie Marathon.

Today, I’m covering Morning Glory, which stars Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton, and Patrick Wilson. Right now, the prospect of this movie fills me with hope.

The Movie: Morning Glory (opening November 12)

The Buzz: The screenwriter of The Devil Wears Prada sets her sights on a Good Morning America-style wake-up show.

The Trailer::

The Review:

You guys? I really, really hope this movie is as good as its trailer. Right now, it’s coming across like a witty comedy of manners and relationships that will speak to adults without pandering to them. Dare I say that it even looks like a worthy descendant Broadcast News, which has retained its refreshing intelligence for over twenty years?

Here are the primary reasons the preview gives me hope:

(1) The humor we see is being derived from the characters’ relationships and not from topical or broadly satirical gags that could be enacted by any group of bozos in a newsroom. With her script for Prada, Aline Brosh McKenna didn’t deliver a comedy about the fashion industry: She told the story of a specific group of people who happened to work for a fashion magazine. That’s a crucial distinction, and if she uses the same formula here, then the result could be equally winning.

(2) The actors all seem perfectly matched. Ford’s crotchety bluntness, Keaton’s confident professionalism, and McAdams’ exasperated pluck give off comic sparks that could easily be maintained for an entire film. Plus, doesn’t it seems like Rachel McAdams kind of is Diane Keaton, with her combo of brains and charm? Why hasn’t anyone thought of pairing them before? (ETA: Oh right. Someone did.)

Oh, and who doesn’t love Ford as a salty bastard?

(3) Jayne Houdyshell is in it. And she’s one of the best stage actors in New York. Literally, y’all. One of the best. And since she just got cut from the upcoming Will Arnett sitcom Running Wilde, she deserves a little love.

(4) Patrick Wilson seems likely to take his clothes off on screen. Don’t get me wrong: He’s a talented actor, and he’s been impressive in everything from Little Children to Hard Candy to Angels in America to Watchmen. But he’s also a sizzling piece of bacon who manages finds “tasteful” ways to drop trou in almost every one of his films. By apparently continuing this trend, Morning Glory instantly rises in my esteem.

(5) If it works, then the movie could become an Oscar front-runner. And this is the kind of movie that I would love to root for: It’s dripping with pedigree, but it’s also a comedy starring actors I like as well as admire. Who doesn’t enjoy cheering for Diane Keaton, you know? And wouldn’t it be great if Ford got a late-career acting nod? He’s only been nominated for Witness, and as one of the most successful actors in history, he’s overdue for additional recognition. These are the kinds of storylines that make the Oscars fun, so let’s hope this movie delivers a few.

The Emmys aren’t just about honoring the finest achievements in television. They are also about teaching valuable lessons to us, the home viewers. With that in mind, I would like to share the 5 lessons I learned by watching last night’s Emmy telecast.
(1) Apparently, I love Kyra Sedgwick.

Yes, I was very pleased when Modern Family won award after award, since it’s one of my favorite new series, and yes, I was similarly happy when Edie Falco won for her incredible work on Nurse Jackie. I also felt good when Claire “Still Angela Chase To Me” Danes, Aaron “He’s Also Good On Big Love” Paul, and Bucky “Gunts” Gunts took home statues.

But when Kyra Sedgwick nabbed the Emmy for Best Actress in a Drama Series, I actually whooped. This is partly because her victory for The Closer was the biggest upset of the night: Every pundit I read was predicting a trophy for Julianna Marguiles with a possible Mad Men spoiler—and lord knows, I wasn’t expecting Sedgwick to pull it out of the bag after losing for four years in a row—so her triumph gave the night a satisfying surprise.

Beyond that, however, I was also happy about Kyra Sedgwick’s win because I felt like the award was going to a really nice person. You know, as if I know Kyra Sedgwick, and we joke about shoes during late-night games of Boggle, and she calls me MarMar, and I call her KiKi. If you had asked me my opinion of Sedgwick before she won the Emmy, I would’ve said, “She seems nice, and she’s talented.” Now, based on my response to her win, I guess I have to say, “She seems like a total sweetheart, and I hope she likes canned tomatoes, because I just sent her a whole batch.”

(2) Someone thinks that jokes about sleeping with women—especially Betty White—are always funny.

I mean… right? Every five seconds, some dude was cracking about Sofia Vergara’s bosom, the sexiness of the Actress in a Drama nominees, or the way writers use their Emmys as excuses to sleep around. Is that hilarious… or is it pathetic?

And is it better or worse when dudes make those jokes about Betty White? Because really, people have been going to the Ironically Sexy Betty well for at least five years. Even in last night’s clips from other shows, we saw Jay Leno make a “Hugh Jackman in the shower with Betty” joke, and you may remember that on her SNL appearance, she played a character named Dusty Muffin.

But, okay. To be fair, sometimes people also joke about Betty being a party animal/thug. (Remember that Snicker’s commercial from the Super Bowl?) Still, when every joke about loving Betty White can be reduced to two categories—and that includes her roles in Hot In Cleveland and The Proposal— isn’t it time for the culture to think of another way to utilize her talent, her self-effacing good humor, and her willingness to play along? Can’t she be more than a Sassy Granny?

(3) Ricky Gervais and Tom Selleck will bring you a moment to remember.

That’s hardly a surprise with Gervais. He’s been killing it on awards shows for ages now, and last night’s “beer’s on me” bit was as satisfying as always. But he really took things to a new level when he showed such genuine delight over Bucky Gunts’ win for directing the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. It was a treat to see him get so tickled… and to see him acknowledge that Bucky Gunts has an amazing name.

Similarly, I loved Tom Selleck’s reaction to host Jimmy Fallon’s insistence that Selleck was his long-lost father. After Fallon hugged him, Selleck took a pause, shrugged, and said, “Okay.” Then he moved on. It was perfect.

(4) The late-night clique is still mad about the Tonight Show thing.

Which… okay. I guess I can see that. But since I’m not in that clique, and I didn’t care that much to begin with, I’ve pretty much gotten over it. Still, it was fascinating to see how many jabs Fallon threw at Jay Leno throughout the night and how many clips the show aired of other comedians doing the same thing. This time last year, Jay Leno was everybody’s friend, and now, he’s in everybody’s Burn Book…  except for that one writer who made a loaded point of thanking him in his speech. Will the late-nighters ever embrace Leno again? Perhaps. But I suspect that to get back in their good graces, he’ll have to host a variety special with Temple Grandin.

(5) Jimmy Fallon likes 90s pop music as much as I do.

His hosting was pretty solid overall, but I tip my forty to him for his performance during the Ode To Cancelled Series. Using an old Boyz II Men song (and aping an old Boyz II Men outfit) to eulogize Law & Order was pretty gutsy, because there’s only a limited segment of the population that still remembers those outfits and that song well enough to get the reference. But since I am in that sgement, I say, “Well done, Jimmy. I started a group, and here I am… kicking it just for you.”

By DOUG STRASSLER

Today’s entry in Trailer Scaler-palooza 2010 is the latest from Woody Allen, a man who knows a thing or two about how to create some good adult Oscar fare.

The Movie: You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (opening September 23)

The Buzz: Very little. Will this one be a smash like Match Point or disappear like Scoop?

The Trailer:

The Review:

I’m a big Woody Allen fan in the abstract, but in the last decade, his work has left me high and dry (I’m still not totally sure what that phrase means, but it seems to apply). Stranger seems to follow the pattern he has set of late, where he follows rich people creating all kinds of relationship problems for themselves.

This trailer does a tremendous job of narrating the setup so no one watching can get confused. Alfie (Anthony Hopkins) leaves his wife Helena (Gemma Jones) for younger actress Charmaine (played by Lucy Punch, who was the other woman in Being Julia). Helena, in turn, begins to bother daughter Sally (Naomi Watts), who is, natch, also unhappily married to novelist Roy (Josh Brolin, ludicrously straining to look like Charlie Kaufman).

All parties seem to move on – Sally develops a crush on her boss (Antonio Banderas), Roy becomes infatuated with Slumdog Millionaire’s Freida Pinto, who’s engaged to someone else, and even Helena eventually moves on. One can only assume shenanigans ensue, and some of our couples will eventually return to each other while others move on.

And…I’m more intrigued by my morning bagel than this movie. No one looks like they’re working particularly hard here. And we barely see Hopkins do anything, which makes me worry that he has laughably little to do in Stranger. Is it possible each of these guys did just a couple days’ worth of work, a la Valentine’s Day?

There’s one actress who intrigues me in this preview: Pauline Collins, the Oscar-nominated and Tony-winning star of Shirley Valentine, a personal favorite of mine. She plays a fortune teller here who sees Helena’s future. It’s good to see her getting work. (Fun fact: Nicole Kidman was originally supposed to play Charmaine – you know, ‘cuz when she and Hopkins teamed up for The Human Stain, that worked so well.)

The presence of several of the other actors actually makes Stranger recall other non-Allen movies, particularly Watts’ Le Divorce and Banderas’ Miami Rhapsody. The thing is, both of those movies were directly inspired by earlier Allen works (even the novel of Le Divorce showed evidence of Woody’s DNA). If I were to judge by this trailer, it would seem that he’s now delivering work derivative of work derived from himself; he’s merely offering scraps.

And the thing is, I’ll bite. I do every time. Yes, even The Curse of the Jade Scorpion. Yes, even Hollywood Ending. Yes, even Whatever Works.

Woody, I wish I knew how to quit you.

As we did last year, Doug Strassler and I have been trading e-mails all week about this year’s Emmy Awards, which will be presented on Sunday night.

It’s with a ludicrous amount of pleasure that I present you with the highlights of our conversation. Huzzah!

On August 24, Doug wrote…

Hi Mark,

How is it already time to chat about this year’s Emmys? I feel like it was just yesterday that we were talking about Neil Patrick Harris’ chances for gold. And while that didn’t turn out so hot for him last year (Jon Cryer rules as Duckie… but really?), 2010 is off to a good start:  At the Creative Arts Emmys, which were handed out last week, he won for hosting last year’s Tony Awards and for guesting on Glee. Betty White also won as Guest Actress in a Comedy for her uber-hyped appearance on SNL, so I already have to applaud the Emmys for acknowledging several of the season’s biggest stories.

As for Sunday’s telecast,  I want to discuss the nominees for Outstanding Drama Series. They might not represent what all of America is watching, but they sure represent what I have seen in the past year. The nominees aren’t a huge departure from the last two seasons, but the list does make room for The Good Wife and True Blood . In fact, it was last year’s summer season of Blood that reeled me in. I just wish several cast members (Michelle Forbes, Sam Trammell, Rutina Wesley) had been included as well.

I was less in love with the final season of Lost, which I found incoherent and unsatisfying, but really, that ship sailed for me several years ago.

Breaking Bad continues to blow me away, simply because this show shouldn’t still be working. The story of a desperate, terminally ill middle-class man who turns to drug-running really should have run out of narrative ages ago, but creator Vince Gilligan keeps inventing new twists that continue to make the characters engaging without cheapening their development. I actually think the series is more artful than the pretty-as-a-picture Mad Men, which had a good but not great third season.

Still, for my money, the most exciting thing I saw all season long was Dexter, which bounced back from a weak third year with its best effort. This is a show about outsiders either making sense of the world or losing themselves to it. But it’s it also a thriller, and holy cats was there suspense to spare! I can’t wait until the new season starts.

So, having said that… I fully expect Mad Men to take the title again.

— Doug

Later that day, Mark wrote…

Hi Doug,

You know, it really doesn’t seem like it’s been a year since our last Emmy conversation, but maybe that’s because I spent the first three months of 2010 grieving the cancellation of Law & Order. When you’re in mourning, time has no meaning. You just experience an endless loop of S. Epatha Merkerson, draped in a black lace mantilla, weeping and throwing blood-red roses to the ground.

I mean… right? Surely that’s not just me.

Anyway. Regarding this year’s nominated dramas, I’m kind of shooting in the dark. I’ve never seen one hot second of Mad Men, Dexter, The Good Wife or Breaking Bad. Trust me, I’ve had friends, lovers, and politicians tell me I should watch one or all of those shows, but what can I do? There’s just not enough room in my brain for all this narrative.

I do know, however, that Mad Men just introduced a character named Miss Blankenship. Ka-BOOM! Suck on that, everyone else in the world! Thanks to that small bit of genius, I will applaud when MM inevitably wins its third consecutive Emmy for Outstanding Drama series. Plus, I can’t excatly get behind the two shows on this list that I did watch. The way I see it, True Blood is currently having its best-ever season, and last year’s episodes were kind of a mess. (I will second your call for acting noms, however, and add Nelsan Ellis’s Lafayette to the list of deserving performances.)

And while I actually enjoyed the Lost victory lap, including the finale, I just don’t believe it was the best drama on television this year. However, I’m guessing it’s Mad Men‘s strongest competition. Lost has been a true cultural phenomenon, and those don’t come around that often.

Speaking of phenomena… let’s move on to Outstanding Comedy Series, a category just bursting with zeitgeist.

In direct contrast to the Drama Series slate, I actually watched all of the nominated comedies this year. (Thanks for not getting tapped, Two and Half Men and How I Met Your Mother!)

Of the six-pack, my least favorite actually seems like the front-runner. Yes, I’m talking about Glee. As long-time readers of The Critical Condition will recall, I wrestled with this show for weeks, alternately loving and hating it, but by the end of the season, I totally gave up. The inconsistent tone, incoherent character development, ludicrous pregnancy subplots, and one-note performances just wore me down.

Granted, Glee has some bright spots. Jane Lynch does a lot with a character that does the same damn thing week after week, and all of that stuff between Kurt and his dad was moving. Plus, the singing is good. But those things aren’t enough to keep me watching. I stopped watching shortly after the Madonna episode (which I loved), and I don’t regret it at all.

Meanwhile, we’ve got The Office and 30 Rock. The Office is still a good show, but it really needed to end two seasons ago. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is its last year in this particular category. On the other hand, I keep reading that this was supposedly a weak season for 30 Rock, and I disagree. I thought it was delightful. And sure, Julianne Moore didn’t exactly nail her Boston accent, but so what? I’ll take a few mangled “Hahvad yahds” in return for that scene where Tracy Jordan remembers his fucked-up childhood.

I’ll also take the weakest episode of 30 Rock over the strongest episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, which I only watched because of the much-hyped Seinfeld reunion arc. Were those episodes accomplished? Yes. Intelligent? Yes. But the show is just so misanthropic that I don’t enjoy watching it. And I can’t exactly vote for a comedy series that I don’t enjoy. That’s what the miniseries category is for.

That leaves me with my two sweet babies: Nurse Jackie and Modern Family. Oh, what a horn of plenty! How can I choose between these two? In my dream world, they tie. In reality, I fully expect Modern Family to take the title this year. Glee may have more hype, but I think voters will recognize that Modern Family is just… better.

What are your comic thoughts?

–Mark

On August 25, Doug wrote…

Hi Mark,

I absolutely agree with you. Glee might have won at earlier award shows, but I think Modern Family has now tickled just about everyone in the universe. The five nominations for supporting actors certainly show that. (Plus, one of Glee‘s big wins was at the Golden Globes, and the Hollywood Foreign Press is a sucker for a musicals.)

Of course, I’ve also been a huge fan of Jackie (maybe slightly more in its first season), and I also agree with you about Curb and Office. I have no problem nominating a series later in its run, but both of these show signs of age, and I don’t have the same investment I once did. I run lukewarm, however, when it comes to 30 Rock, a show I’ve never quite loved but can’t disparage at all. I do hope it loses the Best Comedy award this year, though. Three is enough for me.

I think I might enjoy Glee more than you do, but I have always been in total agreement when it comes to its aesthetics. I give Ryan Murphy props for turning a musical into hit television, but I take said props away for creating such a willingly schizophrenic mess. I’m pretty sure you didn’t miss anything in those last few episodes of the season, unless you’re a big Les Miz fan, in which case you can just YouTube the Idina Menzel and Lea Michele duet on “I Dreamed a Dream.”

I also agree with what you feel are the highlights of Glee: the work of Jane Lynch and Chris Colfer. With that in mind, I’d like to turn to the Supporting in a Comedy races. Jane Lynch has been mentioned as the front-runner all season long (heck, K-Chen practically anointed her when she won this prize last year), and I agree she does a lot with what’s, as written, a limited character. I’d love to see her take it, and I look forward to that speech. Of the nominees, the only one I would like to see upset is Julie Bowen. Do you think Sofia Vergara’s that great an actress, or is she just caught up in the Family sweep?

Speaking (again) of Family, I wish Ed O’Neill had squeezed his way into his category, but I’m happy for the three other cast members who are nominated as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy. I like Ty Burrell best of the three, but these guys will cancel each other out. And now that NPH has finally tasted Emmy gold, I wouldn’t even mind him losing in this category. I think Colfer might actually prevail—his episodes show that he can be funny, sensitive, and sing, and that’s a pretty tough combo to beat. Whatever I may think of the show, I think highly of him.

Another scary thought: are we destined for a musical number from the Glee kids Sunday night?

–Doug

On August 26, Mark wrote…

Hi Doug,

Oh, you know there’s going to be a Glee musical number. I think the question is, will it be a straight-head number or an ironic one, in which Jimmy Fallon opens the show by doing some kind of Glee-related tomfoolery that results in Jane Lynch kicking him in the shin while Lea Michele sings “Hit Me With Your Best Shot?”

As for the Supporting Actor in a Comedy race… I must respectfull disagree with you, my good sir. Yes, Chris Colfer is great, and I assume that NPH rocks it on Mother. I also love Ty Burell and Jesse Tyler Ferguson in Modern Family, but out of all the male comedic performances that were on television this season, Eric Stonestreet’s is the one that shines like a light. He makes Cameron a complex, believable human being, yet also manages to convey the technical precision of a great comedian.

Plus, Stonestreet submitted the “Fizbo” episode, which only intensifies his chances. For me, he’s the one to beat. (Now watch John Cryer take it again and make me cry.)

As for Supporting Actress in a Comedy, I’m glad to see you give some love to Julie Bowen: She tends to get less praise than her castmates, if only because her role is less showy, but she’s doing exceptional, grounded work on Modern Family. Sometimes, playing the straight woman is harder than being the goofy gal that everyone adores. That said, I also think Sofia Vergara’s broad, blowsy work is kind of amazing. I don’t expect her to beat Lynch, but damn, she’s funny.

I didn’t even remember that Jane Krakowski was nominated for 30 Rock this year, which indicates how little buzz she’s getting, and the same goes for Holland “Always There” Taylor. And while I appreciate the recent revival of SNL actors being submitted in supporting categories instead of guest categories (this initially happened with Eddie Murphy in the 80s), I don’t imagine that Kristen Wiig can really stop the Glee train. (Meanwhile, Nurse Jackie’s Eve Best and Merritt Wever were robbed of nominations in this category. That is all.)

As for leading comedic performances, I’m really hopefully that Edie Falco, who nabbed Emmys-aplenty for The Sopranos, will snatch the trophy for Nurse Jackie. It just doesn’t get better than the layered work she’s doing. Jackie could be a despicable character, but Falco shows us the heart and brains inside the narccicisstic addict. She makes us understand why people love Jackie, despite her many flaws. Compared to that, Lea Michele is just mouthing lines, and Tina Fey, despite her undeniable awesomeness, is proving how much she can learn.

To me, the leading comic actor nominees are kind of underwhelming. That’s partially because Alec Baldwin has already won so many times. His work is still exceptional and another win would certainly be merited, but I want awards shows to have drama, dammit! Meanwhile, Matthew Morrison is merely adequate, Steve Carell is stuck in a mugging rut, Larry David has exactly one mood (flustered/pissed), and Tony Shalhoub, even more than Baldwin, has been given way too many Emmys for his current role. That leaves Jim Parsons, who I’m choosing by default: At least he’s funny on The Big Bang Theory, which I’ve seen a few times, and at least he’s giving a different kind of comedic performance than everyone else in the category. In a sea of irony, fast-talking, and awkward pauses, he’s the only one who’s doing classic, big-comic-character work. If he wins, then it’ll be a victory for “old-fashioned” comic acting, and that would be interesting.

— Mark

Later that day, Doug wrote…

Hi Mark,

I won’t really argue the Supporting Actor point, because I’m happy with this group, but do you really think Stonestreet offers a significantly more complex portrayal than his co-stars do? I agree about the technical precision, but maybe not about the depth. Still, I’m so over the moon about these guys landing a solid gig and getting recognized, I’d be happy for any of them. And I’ll go one step further: all of them — even Jon Cryer — deserved the Best Actress Oscar more than Sandra Bullock.

Totally agree about Nurse Jackie‘s supporting ladies being overlooked, and think the same of Rosemarie DeWitt on The United States of Tara. (Side note: I briefly met Merritt Wever last month, and she is sweet as honey. Maybe next year for her!) I think Falco has this one, though I’m still impressed with last year’s champ, Toni Collette. And I won’t dwell on it, but I wholeheartedly concur about Tina Fey. She’s a genius writer and a talented comedian, but as an overall actress, she’s yet to be tops in my book.

As for Tony Shalhoub, I do agree it’s time to spread the wealth, but I must praise his work on Monk. It’s one of the iconic roles of the decade. (Yeah, it’s not hip, but I said it.) He has provided so many gradients of change as his OCD detective gradually warmed to the world over eight seasons that I can’t think of too many other performances as carefully calibrated. And like so many repeat winners—Dennis Franz, Candice Bergen, and, sigh, Helen Hunt—he also knows how to pick solid submission episodes.

Moving on: While I love Steve Carell and wish he already had one, I’m all about giving Parsons the award this year. I have only seen a few eps of his on flights, but he’s amazing. And he can act circles around the wooden Morrison.

I’d like to briefly turn to the drama categories, if only to applaud the nominations for Friday Night Lights‘ Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler, the most photogenic couple on the boob tube. Glad they finally got in there. Though I imagine Bryan Cranston or Michael C. Hall will prevail, and that Julianna Margulies will have a Good night. (Get it!?!?) I’d still vote for Glenn Close, even if Damages had another wobbly season. Also, Martin Short (sadly, recently widowed) should win in the Supporting Actor in a Drama category for that show.

Surprised I haven’t mentioned much more for Mad Men? Well, January Jones’ lead actress nom is a bigger miracle than Captain Sully’s landing on the Hudson, so she’ll have to hold on to that. But I do think one of the Mad women will win in the Supporting race. The smart money is on Elisabeth Moss, demoted from last year’s lead ballot. I give her the edge over Christina Hendricks, as the voluptuous office manager Joan, though she has emerged as my favorite character on the show. Hendricks added real depth to what could have been a two-dimensional character. (She submitted a great episode in which her character faced humiliation at home and went on to heroically save the day at the workplace.) I’d dance a jig if she won.

As Columbo would say, one more thing: HBO may dominate the miniseries categories, but a lot of the work—The Pacific, Temple Grandin, You Don’t Know Jack—was just pretty good, not great. Still, look for Claire Danes and Al Pacino, both giving interesting, committed performances, to win. Also, there are two nominees for miniseries and six for made-for-television movie. Maybe they could have just combined the two and selected five of the best?

Finally, I’d prefer for Lea Michele to belt some Heart over Benatar. But that’s just me.

Back to you!
Doug

Early this morning (like, ridiculously early) Mark wrote…

Yo Doug,

I would love to see Claire Danes win the  Emmy, not only because she was great in Temple Grandin, but also because she was robbed back in 1995 when her work on My So-Called Life did not pick up a statue. Angela Chase will not be denied!

A few bits and pieces as we get ready for the big show on Sunday:

I know it’ll never happen, but I’d love to see Agnieszka Holland win for directing the pilot of Treme, which seems destined to be the next great HBO series to fly permanently under the radar of the award-giving populace.

I went to graduate school with Rolin Jones, who is nominated for writing an episode of Friday Night Lights, so clearly, I hope he wins. I fully expect, however, that the trophy will go to Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse for the Lost finale, as much for the series itself as for this particular episode.

If Wanda Sykes wins for the writing in her HBO Comedy Special I’ma Be Me, then many other problems in the world will likely be solved. One act of justice always leads to another.

–Mark

Despite the presence of Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Ke$ha, and Rihanna, the current pop music moment is dominated by men. Between the bumper crop of new artists (Jason Derulo, B.o.B., Bruno Mars) and the avalanche of older artists having comebacks (Enrique Iglesias, Train, Nelly), our airwaves are in a testosterone haze.

After the jump, I’ll examine today’s best and worst boysongs. Or mansongs. Whichever you prefer.

(p.s. — Even if you don’t typically enjoy current pop music, I urge you to check on the last two songs on this list. They’ve really got something special.)

The Bad
(because it’s best to get it out of the way)

(1) “Erase Me” by Kid Cudi featuring Kanye West

Released on Tuesday, this song is already number 4 on the iTunes chart, so look for it to make a big debut on next week’s Hot 100.  And then look for me to stuff cotton in my ears. While I can certainly accept the current vogue for subpar singing—West’s own “Heartless” and “Love Lockdown” make ugly into pretty—I can only go so far. There’s no beat catchy enough and no rap interlude clever enough to drown out the awful sound of Kid Cudi’s voice in my earholes.

(2) “Dynamite” by Taio Cruz

This song has a strong shot at being number one next week, and while I didn’t mind it at first, I’ve grown to really dislike it. It’s just so aggressively generic—from its “hands in the air” lyrics to Cruz’s extra-auto-tuned vocals—that it might as well be called “Song” and credited to “Pop Star.” Given his utter lack of personality, I will be shocked if anyone knows who Cruz is in two years. (Of course, he could always pull a Rihanna and go from faceless crooner to awesome star, but we can never count on that.)

The Good

(1) “Just a Dream” by Nelly

Welcome back, Nelly! Unlike Enrique Iglesias, who returned from half a decade of hitlessness with the slick and soulless “I Like It,” Nelly bounces back from near-obscurity with a track that makes him seem more interesting than ever before. This song’s pretty melody, rich production, and surprisingly vulnerable lyrics about a failed relationship make it stand out in a field of club-bangers. If this mature, thoughtful Nelly, who still raps with the idiosyncratic flair of his younger self, sticks around, then I’ll be very interested to see where he goes from here. What if he comes up with a more lyrically mature version of “Hot In Herre?” Nations would pause their fighting to rejoice!

(2) “Club Can’t Handle Me” by Flo Rida

For reasons I many never comprehend, Flo Rida’s latest single, a collaboration with David Guetta that’s taken from the soundtrack to Step Up 3D, seems destined to be a minor hit in the United States. What the hell is wrong with us? Yes, “Club Can’t Handle Me” has a distinctly Eurotrash dance vibe, but that vibe is slammin’: Guetta’s pulsing beat, Flo’s super-fast rapping, and the unstoppable chorus are pure, uncomplicated fun. Is America too good for Euro-fun? The U.K. has already made this a number one smash. Let’s follow suit, people!

(3) “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars

Of course, I can’t be too mad at America. After all, we did send “Just the Way You Are” into this week’s top ten, and that’s where it deserves to be. After contributing delectable hooks to B.o.B.’s “Nothin’ on You” and Travie McCoy’s “Billionaire” (both of which I wrote about earlier this year), Mars makes his solo debut with an honest-to-god stirring anthem to a woman who doesn’t know how beautiful she is. Mars’ singing is emotional and rangey without being strained, and it’s matched by a track that travels from ethereal keys to cathartic drums. Every time I hear this song, I feel moved: Moved to sway, moved to sing along, moved to smile. That’s exactly what a pop song is for.

The Absolutely Brilliant

“Fuck You” by Cee-Lo

Oh my god. OH MY GOD. From the moment it started making the internet rounds late last week, I have been contemplating rewiring my heart to pump to this song’s rhythm.

Um… too far?

Anyway, the point is… I LOVE it. First, you get the lyrics, which give you the laugh-out-loud shock of dropping F-bombs all of the place, but which also give you plenty of witticisms (“He’s an Xbox, I’m an Atari”).

And then you get the music, which is just exuberant as it nods to 60s R&B the way “Hey Ya!” did.

And then you get the true kicker: Cee-Lo’s vocal. He’s always been a theatrical, entertaining singer (see: Gnarls Barkley), but he really outdoes himself here. From his delicious spin on lines like “I really hate yo’ ass right now” to his soaring delivery of  power notes, he makes you realize he’s not just relying on the gimmick of curse words to make a song. He’s a gifted artist who has chosen to use bad words.

Ultimately, that’s why I love the entire package of “Fuck You:” Even without its naughty lyrics, it succeeds as a song… and that makes the naughty lyrics much more enjoyable. Because Cee-Lo and company clearly don’t need to curse to get our attention, their decision to do so feels playful, delightful, charming.

So thanks, Cee-Lo! And fuck you!

By DOUG STRASSLER

Here’s another entry in the Trailer Scaler Fall Round-Up. Though not a likely Oscar contender, Paranormal Activity 2 will likely scare up plenty of audience attention this fall.

The Movie: Paranormal Activity 2 (opening October 22)

The Buzz: The low-budget scare-fest Paranormal Activity became an out-of-nowhere hit last fall, making nearly $200 million and becoming one of the most profitable movies of all-time.

The Trailer:

The Review:

Yes, this trailer is really just a tease, but I would expect nothing more. The whole first movie was a big tease! It was 80 minutes of filler to pad time between a handful of sudden jolts straight out of the M. Night Shyamalan Academy.

So it’s hard for me to divorce myself from my feelings for the first Paranormal as I rate this trailer. Both trailers do the same thing. They feature a lot of footage of the audience freaking and shrieking in the audience (and they do it in infrared, which stopped being scary back when Buffalo Bill hunted down Clarice Starling in the dark). The message last year was that this movie would be the Scariest. Experience. Ever. And maybe it was for some. It just wasn’t for me.

But the trailer for PA2 wants us to believe that we’re in for even more of the scary. It gives us more silent shots of nighttime calm and then again shows clips of men and women screaming in their seats. More than that, it implicates the audience in this action. Twenty seconds into the trailer, we read, “In 2009, you demanded it.” That means we, the audience, have to have more! This movie is like Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men. “You want us on that screen! You need us on that screen!” And the filmmakers are all too happy to provide.

It’s impossible to judge exactly what scary activity awaits in the sequel, but the trailer uses two of fiction’s greatest emotional triggers to arouse audience concern: pets and children. We catch glimpses of a dog and a young toddler. A young couple in peril? Perhaps not totally frightening. But a dog and young kid?

Dammit.

Now even I, a non-believer, am hooked. What can possibly happen to them? How will the evil be warded off? I have so many doubts, PA2, but I’m willing to put them aside and find out. Well played.

Welcome to Sucker Punch, the only blog post that ranks the gaudiest moments on this week’s episode of True Blood.

(Warning: Spoilers Ahead)

—

I’d like to begin this recap of “I Smelled a Rat” with an ode to Russell Edgington, who has become one of my all-time favorite TV characters. This ode will be presented as a free-verse poem.

My Mississippi King (Is a Mississippi Queen)

Even when you were just a campy weirdo
You conquered my heart.
But then there was more
more
so much more.

One one hand, you’re an unfettered psycho
who terrorizes humans
and conquers the wolves
wolves
so many wolves.

But on the other, you’re a passionate lover
left woefully undone
by the death of your man
your man
your beautiful man.

So when you stake a prostitute
or de-spine an anchorman
I see levels
levels
so many levels.

You are vicious yet tender
abhorrent yet admirable
and I want more
more
so much more.

—-

As you can probably tell, I edited my high school’s literary magazine. Contact your rare bookseller about getting a copy of Ooltewah High School’s Voyages from 1997. You won’t be sorry.

Anyway, I had to write a poem because at this point, I can’t  just write a paragraph about someone like Russell. He’s too amazing for that.

Of course, he isn’t the only one getting wild this week. As the episode’s title suggests, lots of characters are grappling with  honesty and trust. (And by the way, “I Smell a Rat” is a classic song that was recently recorded by the outstanding singer-songwriter Patty Griffin. Her version plays over this week’s end credits, and it’s on her fabulous new album Downtown Church.)

In the most obvious iteration of the theme, Sookie doesn’t know which of her menfolk to believe. The episode teases us with the suggestion that Bill returned to Bon Temps not only to be in his old house, but also because Sophie-Anne wanted him to capture Sookie Fairy Girl. But we don’t know that for sure, and neither does Sookie. Instead, we’re all left to doubt him, no matter how many bloody tears he cries.

And then there’s Eric, who occasionally seems to be looking out for Ms. Stackhouse, but who eventually gets convinced by Pam to use the Fairy Girl as a tool against Russell. How can Sookie (or we) trust Eric when he ends the episode by chaining her to the Wheel of Misfortune in Fangtasia’s basement? Is there no one who doesn’t want something from our heroine?!?!?

Well, there’s Jason, but he’s having problems of his own. I commend writers Kate Barnow and Elisabeth R. Finch for the scene where Jason tells Tara that he shot Eggs. His broken, pleading confession and Tara’s desperate response are both perfectly realized (props to the actors, too), and the moment is even more powerful because it comes immediately after Tara tells Jason he’s the only one she can trust. Watching that, I get a knot in my stomach: Tara is so close to regaining her strength, and now… boom. Another blow.

I won’t be surprised if Tara ends up in a coven with The Wiki-Wiki-Wiccan and Arlene, who has her own Trust Moment with Terry. Unlike Tara, who runs from bad news, Terry takes Arlene’s confession about carrying Rene’s baby in absolute stride. Did anyone else notice that Todd Lowe’s face registers about forty emotions when he hears that his dream family is not so dreamy? Amazing. And it’s even more touching because we learn that Terry has been doing research on pregnancy, just so he can be a better boyfriend. (If only they were all that sweet, right ladies?)

Similarly, Hoyt and Jessica finally decide to trust each other and confess their love, and the result is tenderness…. and violence. I’m not surprised that Tommy attacks Hoyt after Hoyt punches him in his snotty face—Tommy has been living as an attack dog, after all—but with Jessica jumping to Hoyt’s defense, I hope the little squirt realizes that he’s not going to be Jessica’s puppy.

But speaking of lovers, I’m starting to doubt whether Lafayette should trust Jesus. That V trip, despite being filled with super-cool effects, also suggests that Jesus is into some seriously dark magic. Just like the vamps want to steal Sookie’s light, it’s possible that Jesus wants to steal Fay Fay’s power. Just like his mama said!  Oh, Fay Fay!

In other news, I personally distrust Nan Flanagan. Last week, some of you astutely noted that despite proclaiming to Eric that she only drinks True Blood, she was still in a limo sucking some real blood out of a lady prostitute. Turns out, she’s just as duplicitous as Reverend Steve (who makes a cameo this week), and I’m guessing she’s going to cause problems sooner or later.

I’m also assuming that Crystal the Panther will keep raising hell… and I’m totally into it. She fascinates me. Yes, she’s yet another female character on this show who is constantly victimized—welcome to the overstuffed club, homegirl!—but she’s being written and played as someone with an unpredictable wild streak. Her big reveal to Jason, for instance, is kind of crazy. If a Pantherlady broke into my house and growled at me like that, I would freak, so we’ll see what Jason does. (I should add, too, that the scene of the panther prowling in Jason’s room gives me a genuine scare.)

This leads us to Sam, who appears to be getting honest with himself about his own murderous, con-artist past. As True Blood analyst Dallas mentioned to me on her radio show last Sunday, his flashbacks suggest that in the aftermath of beating Crystal’s daddy, he’s acknowledging that he’s more like the Mickens than he cares to admit.

But here’s the thing… by letting Sam be honest with himself, the show makes it harder for us to trust him. Or at least, it’s harder for me to trust him, now that I know he’s not the gentle soul I took him for. (Maybe he’s reformed, but on this show…) Just like Jason’s honesty made Tara less trusting, Sam’s internal revelation actually makes him harder to embrace.

Of course, it’s better to know the truth, even if learning it can be a shock. Watching a man murder two people in cold blood, for instance, is kind of troubling. It’s a sucker punch.

The Trailer Scaler round-up for the start of Oscar Season continues with Howl, in which James Franco continues his performance-art life by portraying Allen Ginsberg.

The Movie: Howl (opening September 24)

The Buzz: Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, the team behind such landmark queer documentaries as The Celluloid Closet and Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt, try their hand at fiction with this trippy biopic. Blending animation with both color and black & white cinematography, they promise an arty time in the cinema. They also promise a glittery cast that includes Franco, Mary-Louise Parker, David Strathairn, Jon Hamm, Jeff Daniels, Bob Balaban, and Aaron Tveit. (Granted, Tveit is probably only known to people who saw him in the stage musical Next to Normal, but since I am one of those people, I consider him glittery.)

The Trailer:

The Review:

Um… okay. Look. This movie seems like it’s very well-made, and given the cast list, it’s probably very well-acted, too.

But honestly? The trailer makes me tired. It makes Howl seem like the latest in a line of fussily stylized biopics that pretend to delve into a subject’s “dark side” but actually just lionize him or her with an irritating combination of adulation and pretension. After enduring Frida, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Man on the Moon, and Fur, I’m just not sure I can stomach any “meaningful” uses of animation or ironic performance scenes that suggest I’m an idiot if I don’t already love the artist on display. Plus, since the film covers Ginsberg’s obscenity trial, it’s probably going to teach me a damn moral lesson in a smarmy way.

It’s possible, of course, that Howl will be like American Splendor and use its subject’s quirks and its own unusual filmmaking techniques to create something delightful. There are two reasons I doubt this, however:

(1) In my experience, when they talk about Ginsberg or Kerouac or any other Beat poet, even the greatest people in the world get impossibly smug. It’s like everyone feels really proud of themselves for reading On the Road and getting it in a way you never could, man.

Based on this preview’s pretentious final line—Ginsberg insists that the Beats weren’t radicals, just some guys trying to get published—I’m guessing the film will fully subscribe to the insufferable mythology of Beat superiority.

(2) I’ve hit my wall with James Franco. Really, it was that cover story in New York magazine that did it. Dude: Get over yourself. You’re cute and talented and smart, but you’re not really teaching me anything, so stop pretending like you are. And stop belittling the hard work of being a graduate student by enrolling in twenty-three programs at once. It’s putting me off your films.