By Lisa Fary
The 60th Primetime Emmy Awards nominations came out recently. The selections beg the question, “Are the Emmy people on crack?”
(I realize that they’re probably more likely to be on coke than crack, but “coke” lacks the drama of “crack”).
Curb Your Enthusiasm, Entourage, 30 Rock, The Office and Two and Half Men were all nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series. The first four are good, but are they really the best that television had to offer? Two and a Half Men was selected over Ugly Betty? Over Pushing Daisies?
What’s the criteria for this? Be as vanilla and as safe as possible? The programs that did get nominated don’t breech challenging topics, which better programs do on a regular basis. Ugly Betty deals with homosexuality, transsexuality, immigration, etc. Pushing Daisies can be construed as necrophilia, which is no doubt an uncomfortable dinner table discussion topic.
Obviously, the Academy doesn’t appreciate challenging television – at least not within the comedy realm. Perhaps things will get better in the Outstanding Drama category. . .
Boston Legal, Damages, Dexter, House, Lost, and Mad Men.
I can deal with most of these, but is the Academy seriously telling me that Lost is a better drama than The Wire? Lost? The show that passes off television’s longest dramatic pauses as suspense? The show with an indestructible baby? The show that made Matthew Fox wax his manly chest hair? (I miss you, manly chest hair. . .)
Battlestar Galactica didn’t make it into the noms for this category, which has some on the interwebs in a tizzy; however, Starbuck rolling around on the floor screaming, “”WE’RE GOING THE WRONG WAY!!!” isn’t drama, it’s character assassination and shouldn’t be rewarded. Screw that show. I hate BSG. (I want it to come back now. I love BSG.)
And for Outstanding Miniseries. . .
The Andromeda Strain, Tin Man, Cranford, John Adams.
Tin Man? The Sci Fi Channel original miniseries which was hailed by critics as “plodding”, “trite”, and “a bit of a mess”? Did the Academy owe the Roberts Halmi a favor? Or are they just rewarding ambition rather than quality, here?
And The Andromeda Strain? Are you kidding me? Did members of the Academy even watch part 2? You know, the part which featured a slow motion shot of Rick Schroder’s dismembered thumb flying up a shaft into Benjamin Bratt’s eager hand? That’s totally quality television right there.
There are some worthy programs nominated across the board, such as Mad Men, John Adams, and Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale were all amazing. Also, Michael Emerson was nominated for his role as Benjamin Linus on Lost (the best part of the show since the offensive chest wax).
But, for the most part, I’m troubled by the Academy’s nominations. The goal is to recognize and celebrate excellence in television. However, with few exceptions, they’re recognizing and celebrating mediocrity, and in some cases, utter crap (I’m looking at you, Andromeda Strain. You too, Tin Man).
It’s time to take the awards racket into our own hands and cut out the Hollywood establishment. Raygunners are intelligent viewers with discriminating tastes. You recognize excellence on your own terms, not the terms of a Hollywood dinosaur.
And so, Pink Raygun is pleased to announce the Primetime Gunny Awards. Look for nominations and further details soon!
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Lisa Fary’s early exposure to classic Battlestar Galactica in 1979 is largely responsible for her lifelong interest in science fiction and her childhood ambition of being an intergalactic space cowgirl. She thinks diagramming sentences is a fun alternative to Sudoku.
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Lisa Fary's earliest influences are Princess Leia, Rainbow Bright, Astronaut Barbie, and her 6th grade teacher, Ms. Palmer. She's angry that it's 2011 and she still doesn't have a hovercraft, but will accept a jetpack as consolation. That jetpack had better be pink with a rhinestone monogram. 
Hey! Don’t hate on Lost. I think it deserves all the accolades it gets considering that, from season to season, it consistently turns its dramatic format on its head. Think what you will about Matthew Fox’s chest hair (and I mourn the loss with you), it has exactly the kind of creativity the Academy should be rewarding.
However, I agree that not nominating Pushing Daisies was CRIMINAL. And Tin Man? Well, see my review of several months back, and you’ll know how I feel about THAT.
Bring on the Gunnies!
Lisa how do you really feel not sugar coat it! Speak your mind.
So in the new series Vince is back on top, loving it so far and as alawys Ari Gold is brilliant!