Top Shows of 2012

It's the end of the year, so I will once again make my list for my picks of the top shows of 2012.  Making this list was very difficult, considering I watch just shy of 50 different television shows, and to narrow it down to just 10 took many, many edits. I have also made a list of the top 5 new shows of the year, which was not as difficult considering the selection of this year's new quality TV was slim compared to last year.

Warning: Mild Spoilers

Top 5 Best New Shows of 2012

5. Ben and Kate
-This adorable comedy about a brother and sister relationship has moments where I am crying because I laugh so hard. Nat Faxon is hysterical, and I cannot believe it took him this long to have his own show. The little girl, Maggie Elizabeth Jones, is ones of the cutest kids I have ever seen.  Plus, the sibling relationship reminds me of my own relationship with my brother, so I think it adds to its comedy.

4. Girls
-This HBO comedy has been an complete hit with critics, and has been recognized by both the Academy and the HFPA. Series creator and star Lena Dunham isn't afraid to showcase what is real about young single women. It's like Sex and the City, but more edgy.

3. Don't Trust the B**** in Apartment 23
-Krysten Ritter is one of those girls who is so funny without even trying. Her chemistry with Dreama Walker is spot on, and the main stars of the show are not even its leads. The real star is James Van Der Beek, who plays an outlandish version of himself. If you grew up loving Dawson's Creek, do yourself a favor and watch this show.

2. The Newsroom
-Easily the best written Drama on television, and Jeff Daniels is one of the strongest Lead Actors. From covering the BP oil spill, to Bin Laden's capture, to the election, the writing is so strong that is has me laughing and crying each week. I even personally enjoy the love stories that go along with it. The show was created by Aaron Sorkin, so would you expect anything but success?

1. Nashville
-From the pilot episode, this show became my new obsession. I cannot wait to buy the soundtrack to this show, considering all of its songs are original and have great potential to become Country hits. Connie Britton is an incredible actress and her rival, Hayden Panettiere is in a role that perfectly suits her. I also love the political backstory. Everything about the show makes you yearn for the next episode.


Top 10 Shows of 2012

10. Game of Thrones
-This show had the single best episode of any show all year. The "Blackwater" episode was written by the author of the books and was the best fight/battle scene I have ever scene. Add that to a decently steady season, and the show deserves to make a top ten list.

9. The Walking Dead
-Most fans would agree that this season of TWD is its strongest. I will agree with those fans. The show's ability to kill off its lead characters left and right makes you love and hate the writers at the same time. The show is not afraid to take risks, which is why it is so successful. The only reason it is not ranked higher is because of the stupid Andrea and The Governor story line.

8. Sons of Anarchy
-I just started watching SOA this season, and I became very involved, very quickly. I didn't even have an attachment to certain characters and I found myself loving and hating them as though I had been a fan from the beginning. I applaud the creator, Kurt Sutter, for taking a risk killing off a fan favorite out of the blue, as well as for showing the single most disturbing image I have ever seen on television (Otto ripping out his own tongue...you all were horrified too right?)

7. Parks and Recreation
-I personally don't think the current season of P&R is its best (minus the engagement!), but I am putting them on the Top 10 because of the episodes last spring, which was some of the best comedy on TV.  The election  episodes were very well written, and Paul Rudd made a perfect addition to the cast. Plus, the cast is the most collectively funny group of actors on television today.

6. Community
-If you know me well, or follow me on Twitter, you know how much I obsess over this show. Everything about it is hysterical and the only reason I am not putting it at number one is because there have not been any new episodes since May.  Also, I am still holding a grudge that Dan Harmon, its creator, was fired. Please NBC, save this show.

5. The Newsroom
-See above.

4. Nashville
-See above.

3. Dexter
-Call it the comeback story of the year. The show had two disappointing seasons and then came back with arguably its best season yet.  I cannot even count the times I was at the edge of my seat and shaking with suspense. And how about that ending?

2. Happy Endings
-Most people have probably never even heard of this show, and shame on you if you haven't.  The writing is fantastic, and there are constantly amazing (or should I say Ah-Mah-Zing) one-liners. Do yourself a favor and give it a try.

1. Homeland
-Two years in a row this has been my number one. There is a reason this show is winning all the awards and that is because it is consistently excellent each week. There are more twists and turns in a single episode than most shows have in a whole season. Claire Danes and Damien Lewis are both top-notch actors and have amazing chemistry that makes the show that much better.

Honorable mentions: Don't Trust the B**** in Apt. 23, Girls, 30 Rock, The Voice, and American Horror Story.

*It is also important to add that I am not completely caught up with the past year of Louie and Breaking Bad, which are two shows that most critics have within their top 10.

Golden Globe Reactions

So the Golden Globe nominations were announced a few days ago, and there were many surprises in the TV categories (in the movie categories not so much). A full list of all the nominations can be found here: http://www.goldenglobes.org/2012/12/nominations-2013/.
Many critics were baffled by some of the nominations, and lack-of nominations for particular people/shows. Here are a few of my opinions on the nominations.
*BTW: HFPA stands for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Things that I am mad at:
-No love for Community or Happy Endings. Fans love these shows. Critics love these shows. When will the Academy and HFPA start to love these shows as well?
-Smash for best Musical/Comedy? I mean, I liked the show and all, but there are so many other great comedies on television today.
-30 Rock not being nominated for best Comedy (umm...Tina Fey is hosting guys...)
-Parks and Recreation getting dissed again for best Comedy. Is anyone paying attention to how funny the writing is?
-American Horror Story:Asylum not being nominated for the Miniseries/TV Movie category. (In defense of HFPA, it is a really tough category)
-Nothing for The Walking Dead? Is the show just too bold for awards shows or something?
-Nothing for Game of Thrones? (Again...probably too bold of a show) Nothing for Peter Dinklage at least though? I mean...he WON the category last year, and now he didn't even get a nomination. Have you seen the Blackwater episode? It is acting at its finest.
-Nothing for Sons of Anarchy? I know that the HFPA doesn't hate the show considering Katey Sagal won a few years back. I just don't get it.

Things that I love:
-Two Words. Mandy Patinkin. He is so amazing in Homeland, and it is nice to see him get a nom from the HFPA when the Academy seemed to forget about him last summer.
-Amy Poehler. Obviously.
-Jeff Daniels with the Lead Actor nomination for The Newsroom. On that note...
-The Newsroom getting a nomination for Best Drama. I am so glad this amazing show is getting recognition.
-Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere for Nashville. Awesome show, and they are both amazing in it.
-Girls being nominated for Best Comedy (Could they actually pull an upset of Modern Family?) As well as a nom for its leading lady and creator Lena Dunham (she is so talented).
-Max Greenfield for New Girl. (Schmidt happens) Now if only we can squeeze Jake Johnson in there next year...

Random Opinions:
-I have said it before and I will say it again. Why does the HFPA clump together all of the supporting actors and actresses into one category? There should be separate categories for Comedy, Drama, and TV Movie/Miniseries. This category contains some of the best talent there is, and more actors should be getting the proper recognition.
-I cannot believe that Mad Men was not even nominated for Best Drama. (I'm not complaining considering I don't particularly like the show) The show is always considered the best of the best, and now it doesn't even have a chance.
-Will Damien Lewis' win from the Emmys be enough of a boost for him to beat Bryan Cranston for Lead Actor?
-I am interested to see how Jessica Lange will do in the lead actress category. Last year, she won both an Emmy and a Golden Globe in the Supporting race for AHS. Now she has to compete against Julianne Moore's Sarah Palin.
-I am glad Sarah Paulson was nominated for Game Change, but I think I would have rather her been nominated in the same category for American Horror Story: Asylum.

The Golden Globes will be televised on January 13th, 2013 on NBC at 8:00pm ET.

Emmy Picks!!

Hey all, so the Emmys are tomorrow night on NBC at 8:00 pm Eastern.  You can see a full list of all the nominees here http://www.emmys.com/nominations

I have made my personal picks on who I think will win each category, although there are so many close races this year and there are only a handful of categories that I am completely confident my picks will win.

So here are my personal picks for this year's winners (categories that are a shoe-in to win are marked with an *)

Outstanding Comedy Series: Modern Family*
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy: Amy Poehler
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy: Jim Parsons
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy: Kristen Wiig
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy: Ty Burrell

Outstanding Drama Series: Downton Abbey
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama: Claire Danes*
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama: Bryan Cranston*
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama: Maggie Smith
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama: Peter Dinklage

Outstanding Miniseries/TV Movie: Game Change
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries/TV Movie: Julianne Moore*
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries/TV Movie: Benedict Cumberbatch
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries/TV Movie: Jessica Lange*

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries/TV Movie: Denis O'Hare

Outstanding Variety Series: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart*

Outstanding Reality Competition Series: The Amazing Race

Outstanding Host for a Reality Show: Betty White

I encourage everyone to make their own picks, and I will post again with all of the winners on Monday.  Happy Emmys!!

Emmy Nomination Hopes

     The Emmys are only a few months away, and the nominations will be announced tomorrow morning.  I always have high hopes the couple weeks before the Emmys, and usually I am partially disappointed.  This year I am routing for one show in particular…Community.  Now don’t get me wrong, I obviously am wanting Homeland and other various shows to do well, but they are the ones that everyone expects to do well, and they will probably be announced on the day of nominations.

     Community is easily the best written comedy on television today.  This past season was the best one yet.  The show was not only nominated for best comedy in the Critic’s Choice Awards, but it also won, which is why I am hoping voters are paying attention.  The problem with Community is that nobody really watches it.  NBC is so dissatisfied with its numbers that they recently fired the show’s creator, Dan Harmon (worst decision in the world in my opinion).   After they fired him, I wanted even more for the show to be nominated for Best Comedy just so it can be thrown in NBC’s face that Dan Harmon is an absolute genius.

     If any of the actors from Community could somehow pull a nomination I would also be incredibly happy, especially if it is Danny Pudi for Supporting Actor or Allison Brie for Supporting Actress.  I actually think that Joel McHale for Lead Actor stands a pretty good chance for a nomination. 

     Hell, I would be happy for the show to even get a nomination for best lighting or something along those lines. 

Some other hopes that I have for tomorrow:

-Nick Offerman for Supporting Actor for his work on Parks and Recreation (Ron Swanson is one of the best characters on television and he is one of the announcers tomorrow so I am hoping that means his name is on the list finally)

-Homeland to get as many nominations as possible

-Zooey Deschanel for Lead Actress and Max Greenfield for Supporting Actor for their work on New Girl

-American Horror Story to shine in the Miniseries/TV Movie category

-Madeleine Stowe for Supporting Actress for her work on Revenge (If Revenge is to get any recognition, it will be through her)

I will report back soon with all of the nominations!

Update (Major Spoiler contained)

Hey everyone! Sorry for the lack of writing, but I have taken a short break from my regular TV lineup and am instead catching up on movies and reading.  (BTW...I read The Hunger Games and it is now my new obsession...you should read it!)
Just to give you a quick fill-in on the television world, this past week a major thing happened on The Walking Dead.  When I first started this blog back in December I mentioned that a hit show was killing off a lead character.  Well...the character in question was Shane.  I agree with the article for sure since I cannot imagine how this show is going to survive without him.  However, it really shows that The Walking Dead writers have balls, and anyone who said they were being too safe and boring can basically shut their mouths now.  I guess we will see if the finale next episode will bring any more shocking news, and we will have to wait till next season to see how the show will do without him.

Sorry for the spoiler for anyone who hasn't seen the episode yet...but don't say I didn't warn you!

Oscars!

The Oscars are tonight! I'm not as excited as usual for the show this year as I am not predicting there to be any surprises.  I think The Artist will walk away with the most awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.  The Descendants will come in second because of Best Actor, and maybe even Best Screenplay.  For most of the categories, you can just look at who has dominated for the other award shows, and they will be the ones to come out of top once again tonight.

Make sure you tune in tonight at 7 on ABC.  I'm sure Billy Crystal will not disappoint.

Quick Thoughts

During the last episode a few weeks ago of The Office (Pool Party), I started to pick up on the Kathy-Jim dynamic the show was going with (like when Kathy needed a chicken partner and asked where Jim was).  The end of this week's episode confirmed my suspicions in the last minute of the episode in which Kathy was on the phone saying she planned to hook up with Jim during their trip to Florida.  Even though I suspected it, I am freaking out about where the show is going to take this.  I am going to be PISSED if Jim cheats on Pam.  The two of them are probably the cutest couple on television and the first few seasons of this show were all about the two of them getting together.  They also just had a new baby and are great parents on the show, and there is no sign at them having a faltering marriage.  I am hoping this just turns into one of those Kathy tries to kiss Jim and he rejects it type of moments so that she can just go away.

Quick Advice

I got around to watching the pilot of NBC's Smash, and I was impressed.  I had lower expectations because I didn't want to get my hopes up, but watching it reminded me of watching the movie Chicago.  As long as the show can continue to remind me of Broadway, I will continue to be hooked.  The only thing that could potentially harm this show is if they start to focus too much on the dramatics of the characters (such as too much focus on Debra Messing's adoption).  I was also very impressed with Megan Hilty and thought she killed that baseball number.  I think her voice is better than Katherine McPhee's!  If you like Broadway, and even if you just like quality scripted drama television, you should give this show a try...it will probably be sticking around for awhile!

Quick Advice

I haven't written in awhile, so I wanted to give you my first quick impression about new winter TV.  Fox's Alcatraz is extremely good.  Especially if you are a Lost fan, this looks like it could potentially be the next best thing!

Globes Predictions-TV

Today I will make my picks for who and what I think will win in each category for the TV side of the Golden Globes.  Unlike the movies, I am pretty sure with a lot of my picks since, as you can tell by the name of my blog, I watch a lot of television.  Usually you can tell who will win based on previous winners and the Emmys, but this year there are a lot of new faces, so I am warning you that many of my picks may be off since I am expecting quite a few surprises this Sunday.

Best TV Drama Actor:

Kelsey Grammer (Boss)

Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire)

Damian Lewis (Homeland)

Jeremy Irons (The Borgias)

Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad)

Who I want to win: Damian Lewis.  He made me love him even though I thought he was a terrorist.  This is one of the best dramas I have ever seen and I would love it to win in every category possible.  I would love Grammer too just in case this happens when he gets on stage…Click Here

Who I think will win: I know that Grammer and Buscemi are the favorites (and I would love to see Grammer win for the fact that nobody has heard of this show) but I am having a feeling that Cranston will win.  Breaking Bad was probably the biggest snub in the Best Drama category, so I think voters will make up for it by giving their lead actor the statue. 

Best TV Drama Actress:

Claire Danes (Homeland)

Juilanna Margulies (The Good Wife)

Mireille Enos (The Killing)

Callie Thorne (Necessary Roughness)

Madeleine Stowe (Revenge)

Who I want to win: This is a hard one for me to decide.  Danes is phenomenal on Homeland, so I would love to see her win.  However, Margulies is perfect on The Good Wife and Stowe is on a different level as ice queen Victoria Grayson.  I would love to see any of them.

Who I think will win: Danes is the expert favorite, but I am going to say Margulies.  She was beat last year by Katey Segal who isn’t even nominated this year, so I think she will win this time around.

Best TV Drama Series:

Homeland

Boardwalk Empire

Game of Thrones

American Horror Story

Boss

Who I want to win: Homeland. Read my previous posts about how great it is and how it is hands down the best show of the year.

Who I think will win: This one is basically a draw between Homeland and Boardwalk Empire, their odds are almost the same.  I am going to say Empire will win though as it is a bigger name show.  Don’t be surprised if American Horror Story manages to sneak in though, as Globe voters love shows that are different (example:Glee), which is exactly what AHS is. 

Best TV Comedy Actor:

Matt LeBlanc (Episodes)

Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)

Johnny Galecki (The Big Bang Theory)

David Duchovny (Californiacation)

Thomas Jane (Hung)

Before I start, let me tell you that I despise this category.  Both Jim Parsons (previous multiple winner) and Steve Carell (nothing for his final year…seriously?) were left off this list.  This makes it very difficult to guess who will win.

Who I want to win: I am going to say Baldwin just for the fact that I love him and would love to hear his acceptance speech.

Who I think will win: I have no idea.  I will go with Galecki for the fact that if you can’t give the award to the one Big Bang guy, how about give his co-star a chance?  Plus, my brother-in-law told me that he was better this season and grew as a character. 

Best TV Comedy Actress:

Zooey Deschanel (New Girl)

Laura Dern (Enlightened)

Laura Linney (The Big C)

Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation)

Tina Fey (30 Rock)

Who I want to win: Amy Poehler.  I love this show and her character is just so lovable.  She is, in my opinion, one of the funniest women on television today.  I find Deschanel adorable as well.

Who I think will win: Usually Globe voters go for the “dramedy” type comedy actresses, usually the Showtime women.  Therefore, I think Laura Linney will take this one just as she did last year.  However, Laura Dern has a similar type of comedy style, and is a critic favorite.

Best TV Comedy Series:

Modern Family

New Girl

Glee

Enlightened

Episodes

Who I want to win: Modern Family.  Since none of my NBC shows are on this list, Modern Family is definitely one of the funniest shows on TV.  New Girl has its moments though were I am constantly cracking up, and I would love to see a freshman show win.

Who I think will win: Glee has won the past two years, and the voters enjoy the show, but I think Modern Family will take this one because of its superior writing.

Before going into the supporting acting categories, I want to say how much I hate that they group all of the supporting cast together.  They need to start splitting it into comedy, drama, and miniseries/TV movie so that all supporting cast members are fairly rewarded.

Best TV Supporting Actor:

Guy Pearce (Mildred Pierce)

Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family)

Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones)

Paul Giamatti (Too Big to Fail)

Tim Robbins (Cinema Verite)

Who I want to win: Peter Dinklage.  He is the best character on one of my favorite TV shows. His acting is flawless.

Who I think will win: Peter Dinklage.  He won the Emmy a few months ago, and I think because most of the rest of his competition are from TV movies, the voters will go with an actual show actor.  This will be the way voters honor Game of Thrones.

Best TV Supporting Actress:

Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey)

Jessica Lange (American Horror Story)

Sofia Vergara (Modern Family)

Evan Rachel Wood (Mildred Pierce)

Kelly Macdonald (Boardwalk Empire)

Who I want to win: Jessica Lange.  AHS is arguably the most original show on TV and Lange uses her terrific veteran acting to bring Constance to life as one of the most three dimensional characters on TV. 

Who I think will win: Jessica Lange. Voters love her.  Everyone loves her.  The role is perfect.  Experts love Downton Abbey though, so Maggie Smith could pose a threat.

So that’s all my picks.  Make sure you watch the Golden Globes this Sunday at 8 on NBC!!

Globes Predictions-Film

With the Golden Globes being less than a week away, I figured I needed to get a jump start on making my picks for who I think will win each category.  This particular award ceremony I am not looking forward to as much as I have all others.  As excited as I am to see Ricky Gervais host again this year, I am not fully committed to a lot of my picks.  There are many categories where I have not seen any of the movies or shows, or only know of one of them, which leaves me with a very biased opinion.  Therefore, many of my picks were made based on the picks of the experts I trust most. 

Today I will make my picks for the film categories, and then tomorrow I will do the TV categories.

Best Drama Picture:

The Descendants

Hugo

The Help

War Horse

Moneyball

The Ides of March

Who I want to win: I honestly have not gotten around to seeing any of these movies yet, so I have no opinion. 

Who I think will win: The Descendants.  People will not stop talking about how good it is, and the odds are pretty much in its favor.  

Best Comedy/Musical Picture:

The Artist

Midnight in Paris

Bridesmaids

My Week with Marilyn

50/50

Who I want to win: Most people would want Bridesmaids, and since this award went to Hangover 2 years back, I wouldn’t be super surprised if the voters went for a raunchy comedy again. I would love it if anything could pull an upset on The Artist.

Who I think will win: The Artist.  It has a 2/5 odds of winning and is at the top of everyone’s Oscar list.

Best Drama Actor:

George Clooney (The Descendants)

Brad Pitt (Moneyball)

Michael Fassbender (Shame)

Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar)

Ryan Gosling (The Ides of March)

Who I want to win: All of these men are on Hollywood’s hottest actors’ list, so I would be fine to see any of them in a tux on the stage accepting their statue.  I am going to give the award to the least known, Michael Fassbender who is extremely handsome and goes full frontal nude in this movie. 

Who I think will win: George Clooney.  Many say this is his best acting in a movie yet.  However, I would not be surprised to see an upset from any of the other actors, this is a very close race. 

Best Comedy/Musical Actor:

Jean Dujardin (The Artist)

Joseph Gordon Levitt (50/50)

Owen Wilson (Midnight in Paris)

Ryan Gosling (Crazy Stupid Love)

Brendan Gleeson (The Guard)

Who I want to win: Once again, I have no opinion, so I am just hoping for Gosling since he should win at least one of his categories just for being beautiful.

Who I think will win: Jean Dujardin.  The Artist is probably going to dominate in every category. 

Best Drama Actress:

Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)

Viola Davis (The Help)

Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs)

Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin)

Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)

Who I want to win: Rooney Mara.  When I read the Milienum Trilogy, it was hard to picture anybody good enough to play Lisbeth Salander.  Mara exceeded my expectations by far.

Who I think will win: Meryl Streep.  She is perfect in every role she plays, and voters love her playing real-life people.  However, this race is very close and a hard one to call. 

Best Comedy/Musical Actress:

Michelle Williams (My Week with Marylin)

Charlize Theron (Young Adult)

Kristen Wiig (Bridsmaids)

Kate Winslet (Carnage)

Jodie Foster (Carnage)

Who I want to win: Michelle Williams.  I adore her and she channels Monroe so well.

Who I think will win: Michelle Williams.  She is not just a globe favorite, but an Oscar favorite as well. 

Best Supporting Actor:

Christoper Plummer (Beginners)

Albert Brooks (Drive)

Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marylin)

Jonah Hill (Moneyball)

Viggo Mortensen (A Dangerous Method)

Who I want to win: Once again, I have no real opinion, but because my sister and brother-in-law saw Moneyball (which they throw in my face as often as possible) and liked Jonah Hill in it, I am going to say him, especially because he was still fat when he made the movie and now that he is skinny he creeps me out. 

Who I think will win: This is a close race, so the experts all have different picks on who they think will win, but it seems like Plummer has a little more of an edge.  I personally have a gut feeling about Branagh though. 

Best Supporting Actress:

Octavia Spencer (The Help)

Berenice Bejo (The Artist)

Shaliene Woodley (The Descendants)

Jessica Chastain (The Help)

Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs)

Who I want to win: Shailene Woodley.  The girl went from an ABC Family show to being in a movie with Clooney, she deserves some credit.

Who I think will win: Berenice Bejo.  Once again, the Artist will probably win. 

Best Director:

Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)

Alexander Payne (The Descendants)

Martin Scorsese (Hugo)

Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris)

George Clooney (The Ides of March)

Who I want to win: David Fincher.  Oh wait sorry, he isn’t on this list (He better make the Oscar list!) I will actually say I want The Artist to win in this category.  Since it is a silent movie, Hazanavicius had to put extra work in to ensure its perfection.

Who I think will win: Hazanavicius.  The movie is not as traditional as most movies, and he will most likely be rewarded for his creativity.