There was a real conundrum for Mad Men last Sunday night. Did you watch the Emmys and see Mad Men win as Outstanding Drama Series or were you tuned in to watch latest episode from Season Three? Of course, most of you reading are DVR owners and could watch one live and record the other, but watching an award show after you know the winners is a little like watching sports when you know the results.
Well, if a Mad Men fan has missed any episodes this season, or if they're piled up on the DVR/Tivo queue, making you feel guilty for not keeping up, here's an out. AMC is going to show a Mad Men Season Three marathon on Sunday, September 27, starting at 10 a.m. All six episodes will air up to the premiere of the last, episode seven, at 10 p.m.
I'm sure she'd say she's too old for regular television work, or that she's having too much fun guest-starring on every television show and half of the movies, but I just can't get enough of Betty White on TV. With it coming out now that Betty White has signed for a guest spot on NBC's 30 Rock, she might as well start making room on the mantle for her latest Emmy.
After all, 30 Rock gets all the nominees for guest star in a comedy (though White did get nominated for My Name Is Earl this past year). Reportedly White would play herself, which works well considering the premise of the show. 30 Rock does amazing comedy with their guest stars, and when you get someone as brilliant and talented as White, can it be anything but perfect?
Luckily, White wouldn't have to compete for that Emmy with another hot prospect for the folks at 30 Rock. After his Emmy-winning turn hosting Saturday Night Live, why wouldn't they want to nab Justin Timberlake as well?
Estelle Getty, the matriarch of The Golden Girls and general wise-ass of the bunch passed away last year. Now, her family has put the Emmy she won for her role of Sophia Petrillo in that show up for sale on eBay. The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences have strict rules about such things. If the family no longer wants the award, they are supposed to return it to the Academy.
Ms. Getty's family would hardly be the first to try and raid the treasures of a dead celebrity relative for some cash. It does seem in somewhat bad taste to sell such an honor.
On the other hand, the item hasn't even received any bids yet according to the Variety article (although that may have changed given the increase in publicity). Is it a bigger insult to sell an Emmy or that the Emmy in question hasn't received any interest from the buying public?
You might think that after finally breaking through at the Daytime Emmys and winning the golden statuette in the category Outstanding Host(s), the folks at ABC's The View would be resting on their laurels. Not so. The View is shaking up their production effective immediately.
According to Bill Geddie, executive producer, they're going to try and make The View more interactive, which is code for using email and web cams and other newfangled Internet sort of things to reach out to the viewers.
The final panel of CBS's day was for the 61st Annual Emmy Awards, which the network is broadcasting. Given the controversy over the news that the academy is going to pre-tape eight awards before the main ceremony goes live and play edited versions of the presentations during the show, it promised to be a bit of an inquisition. In fact, it was such a hot topic that show producer Don Mischer was more sought after for answers than host Neil Patrick Harris, who appeared via satellite from Montreal.
Mischer showed us what he had in mind, culled from a presentation from last year's low-rated ceremony. Essentially, he trimmed the reading of the nominees, then cut a lot of the walk-up to the podium, the hugs and kisses, and some of the winner's speech. But, it seemed to keep the essence of the speech intact. Yes, I'm sure those people who are being edited might not feel that way. But Mischer has a pretty legitimate reason why he and the Academy are doing this: They need to make the broadcast more accessible.
We know that Caprica is coming to Syfy on January 22nd. We also know that Edward James Olmos is directing the Battlestar Galactica TV movie "The Plan."
An extra little tidbit of news today is Ron Moore's response to the Emmy committee for their snub of the final season of the show. In short, he is not a happy camper.
I wish I could say I was surprised by the Emmy snub, but Hollywood committees do tend to ignore science fiction and fantasy shows when it comes to awards (The Lord of the Rings being the only exception that comes to mind, and that's based on a pretty classic trilogy of books).
The good news is that really good science fiction develops a following that goes far beyond any sort of award recognition. Look at Star Wars. Did that Academy even notice that one? Not really. Yet it still sells loads of merchandise. Battlestar Galactica will likely do the same for some time to come.
There have been a lot of uneasy vibes floating around the offices of TV Squad HQ about the elevation of Family Guy to Best Comedy status by this year's Emmy nomination committee. I'm not speaking for the entire group, but it does feel a little out of place earning a nomination that even The Simpsons couldn't score in its 20 year history. It's like giving the Nobel Peace Prize to Michael Jackson for writing "Heal the World" and completely snubbing Nelson Mandela.
But no one is more unhappy about the news than pop culture's official lifeguard, Bill O'Reilly.
If you had DVR'd the Tony Awards on CBS last night, or switched off the set after Elton John's Billy Elliot, The Musical won the final big award of the night -- Best Musical -- you missed the best thing in the entire show. In a word, Neil Patrick Harris.
At a few minutes after 11 o'clock, Tony host Neil Patrick Harris wrapped up the broadcast, but instead of just saying goodnight and urging viewers to go see a Broadway show, Neil did a musical number and it was the high point of the night. In true Barney Stinson style, the How I Met Your Mother star (and sure bet Emmy nominee), performed a song that was as good as any Billy Crystal Oscar opening. Funny, snarky and pointed, it really skewered the Tonys, almost like a Mad magazine parody.
Remember last year when Julia Louis-Dreyfus stole Tina Fey's Emmy on Late Night with Conan O'Brien? She did it again last night, only this time she stole an Oscar. I'm still not sure why Kenneth the Page is now in Los Angeles. Did he get transferred when Conan left 30 Rock? What does that mean for 30 Rock?
What are the odds that this is the year that How I Met Your Mother makes it into that hallowed circle of Emmy nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series? If it were up to me, I'd rank HIMYM over Two and a Half Men, for instance, but I'm not the one filling out the ballot. One thing working in Mother's favor this year, though, is that on July 16 when the nominations are announced, there will be six nominees in each category instead of five.
The folks behind the HIMYM Emmy campaign must believe they have a good shot. Look at this trade ad that TV Week reprinted. It's a good ad; clever and memorable. The nod to Magritte is unmistakable, and attests to the wit of the show's creators. If this doesn't send a subliminal message to Emmy voters, nothing will.
(S05E26) Driving home tonight, I got a text from my wife: "Wow wow wow Office... just wow! Rivals 'Casino Night!'"
That kind of praise has the potential to ruin what would normally be a very good episode, if only because you're prepared for something extraordinary. So far, only three things in my life have ever lived up to the hype: Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, sex, and Cadbury Flake bars. Everything else has been kind of a letdown.
I was worried, then, that my wife's words would condemn tonight's Office to be more meh than magnificent. After all, we're not at the end of a grand storyline like we have been the last few season finales -- part of what made "Casino Night" so special was that it was the culmination of two years of Jim's pining away for Pam.
I just didn't think "Company Picnic" would be able to pull off that kind of greatness as a standalone episode ...
The nominations for the Saturn Awards came out and as Claude Rains in Casablanca said, "Round up the usual suspects." Lost lead the pack with 11 nominations, six for Heroes, and four each for Battlestar Galactica and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Newbie sci-fi/horror like Fringe and True Blood also received nominations, as well as the outre Dexter, Life on Mars, Jericho and The Ghost Whisperer.
All those make sense to me. However, why did the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror films choose to nominate Bryan Cranston for Breaking Bad and Kyra Sedgwick for The Closer, as Best TV actor and actress, respectively?
He's the Guiness World Record holder for the most time spent in front of a television camera, and now he plans to defend that title for at least three more years. I'm speaking, of course, of Emmy-winning TV host, Regis Philbin.
Make that 80-years-young because even though Regis comes on as a curmudgeon, nobody would call him a grouchy old man. In fact, he's still a hoot to watch in the morning as he goes on about the tabloid headlines, the parties and openings he attended with Joy, and the status of the New York Yankees and Notre Dame football.
Frankly speaking, I'm glad that he's chosen to remain active. To me, ever since the day Johnny Carson retired from The Tonight Show, that show has never been the same. The Jay Leno years just don't compare. Johnny retired too soon.
Arnett is scheduled to load up on the self-tanner and appear on 30 Rock's season premiere, airing October 30. He scored a well-deserved Emmy nomination for his stint on the show last season, so his reappearance is no big surprise. Arnett is reportedly already on the 30 Rock set shooting scenes with Baldwin for the inevitable Banks/Donaghy showdown.
Although this is the only episode in which he is confirmed to be appearing, I wouldn't be shocked if he popped up again later in the season. I'm just hoping that the season premiere takes place a little while after the finale, so Kenneth can get back from Beijing in time to be harassed into Banks' arms, because that's the love story I want to see.
TNT's original dramas are kind of hit or miss for me. I'm absolutely in love with The Closer, but have zero interest in Saving Grace, despite its good reviews and Holly Hunter's Emmy nomination. It was while I was watching The Closer that I saw the ads for Raising the Bar, TNT's newest series, which premieres on Monday, September 1 at 10 pm. I've got to say, I had the same reaction when I first saw promos for Saving Grace: "meh."
I love a good lawyer show, but there was something about Raising the Bar that just struck me as bland. I really didn't know if I'd even bother checking out the premiere. However, when I got the chance to see the first three episodes, I decided to jump on it. This way I could check it out at my leisure, but more importantly, I could figure out just what the hell is going on with Mark-Paul Gosselaar's hair.
I'm sure she'd say she's too old for regular television work, or that she's having too much fun guest-starring on every television show and half of the movies, but I just can't get enough of Betty White on TV. With it coming out now that 
Estelle Getty
The final panel of CBS's day was for the 61st Annual Emmy Awards, which the network is broadcasting. Given the controversy over the news that the academy is going to 
We know that 
There have been a lot of uneasy vibes floating around the offices of TV Squad HQ about the elevation of Family Guy to Best Comedy status by this year's Emmy nomination committee. I'm not speaking for the entire group, but it does feel a little out of place earning a nomination that even The Simpsons couldn't score in its 20 year history. It's like giving the Nobel Peace Prize to Michael Jackson for writing "Heal the World" and completely snubbing Nelson Mandela. 
If you had DVR'd the Tony Awards on CBS last night, or switched off the set after Elton John's Billy Elliot, The Musical won the final big award of the night -- Best Musical -- you missed the best thing in the entire show. In a word, 
(S05E26) Driving home tonight, I got a text from my wife: "Wow wow wow Office... just wow! Rivals 'Casino Night!'" 
The 
He's the Guiness World Record holder for the most time spent in front of a television camera, and now he plans to defend that title for at least three more years. I'm speaking, of course, of Emmy-winning TV host, Regis Philbin.
I'm pretty sure I know how 
Andy Richter: The TV Squad Interview
Have any questions for Vik Sahay of Chuck? Ask them here!
Mike Henry and Daryl Hall on a Cleveland Show Thanksgiving
