With Rescue Me's fifth season finally (kinda, sorta) getting closer, we're getting more and more news about what's in store for Tommy and the gang. In addition to the minisodes, we've also got some exciting potential casting news: Michael J. Fox may be joining Rescue Me for a multi-episode arc. Fox is set to play a love interest for Tommy's (Dennis Leary) on-again/off-again ex, Janet (Andrea Roth). Rescue Me may seem like an odd show for the former Spin City and Family Ties star to pop up on, but Fox and Leary are longtime friends. This friendship means that even though the deal isn't completely finalized, there's very good chance that Fox will be seen on the FX drama next summer.
Just when you thought awards shows couldn't get any longer, The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced that reality show hosts are eligible to receive Emmys. This year's 60th Annual Emmy Awards will include a category called Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program.
The academy named popular hosts like Ryan Seacrest, Tom Bergeron, Samantha Harris, and Howie Mandel as possible nominees. Ty Pennington, Tyra Banks, and Jeff Foxworthy are also eligible. I'm not surprised that reality hosts are getting this opportunity. The Emmys have had categories for Outstanding Reality Program and Reality-Competition Program since 2001 and 2003, respectively.
A lot of people think that Field was censored because of her liberal views and the war in Iraq. Not so, according to FOX. They bleeped her because of her use of the word "goddamn." It's always been a weird rule on television that you can say "God" and you can say "damn," but if you put the two words together, civilization as we know it will end. People always say that religion is dumped on in the media too much, but I think that in this case the media goes out of its way to please everyone.
Tonight I could have written the great American novel, learned to play Chopin's Etudes, brought peace to the Middle East, or painted my house. Oh, the ennui of such pedestrian avocations. Let somebody else do all that (especially the house painting). I spent my time camped in front of the Emmys, snapping screen shots of the rollicking festivities. Nine galleries (click the headers below); over 500 pics.
The Acceptance Speeches. That's Thomas Haden Church to the right, praising God for his good fortune or taking a much-needed leak, I can't tell which.
Tony Bennett and Christina Aguilera. It was Tony's night (Bennett and Soprano, actually), and it was Aguilera's good fortune to be his co-crooner.
In Memoriam. Dead people, sadly. Some well known; others who actually do the hard work.
This is all part of Seacrest's plan for world domination by the year 2019. He's already hosting The Super Bowl and New Year's Eve coverage on ABC and doing various weekly radio shows and shows on E! He also waits tables three nights a week at the T.G.I. Fridays in Glendale, CA. How does the man do it?
We'll have full coverage of the Emmy Award nominations tomorrow (Thursday) morning starting just before 8:30 Eastern Time. That's 5:30am on the West Coast, where they announce the nominations. Crazy Hollywood people getting up so early.
In the meantime, head on over to AOL and pick who you think is going to be nominated tomorrow in several categories, including Best Drama, Best Comedy, Best Actor, and Best Actress. Then come back here tomorrow morning for the live blog and see how you did.
Those cruel Emmy bastards. Here Regis Philbin is today, recuperating from his heart bypass surgery (unless it's still going on, which is possible), and he doesn't even get a nomination for Best Talk Show or Host!
Ellen got a nod though, and she led all nominees with 12 nominations. Going up against her for Best Talk Show are Dr. Phil, The View, Tyra Banks, and Rachael Ray. If she's not the winner out of that group, something is wrong somewhere. She's also up for Best Talk Show Host, with the same nominees and also Lisa Rinna, who apparently hosts something called Soap Talk.
The shows up for Best Soap are Guiding Light, The Young and the Restless, One Life To Live, and The Bold and the Beautiful. Bob Barker got a nomination for The Price Is Right. His last day on that show is in June.
Oh, and that Today Show "It's a New Day" theme? It got a nom too.
American Idol is a powerhouse of ratings. The Emmy telecast -- not so much. In fact, last year's show was down 13 percent in viewers from the previous year. How can Emmy grab a little of that Idol magic? Perhaps by hiring the guys behind Idol.Which is just what FOX has done.
Idol producers Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick have been tapped to executive produce the telecast for The 59th Annual Emmy Awards, which will air on Sunday, September 16 (8-11 PM ET) from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
FOX Entertainment President Peter Liguori said, "Nigel and Ken have consistently raised the creative bar with their innovative work on American Idol and we believe they will continue to do so during their first Emmy telecast."
NBC has ramped up the promotion for their new reality show, You're The One That I Want. We've mentioned the show a coupletimes in the past. The short version is that contestants are going to compete for the roles of Danny and Sandy in a new production of the Grease musical.
That's all well and good, but I can't help but wonder just who is going to watch that. Musical theater certainly does have a core audience, but I have a feeling that it's not big enough to measure up to the demands of prime-time network TV. I get the idea behind the show, it's got the singing of Idol and the dancing of DWTS, but that doesn't make it Idol or DWTS. We've already seen what happens when people try to clone these shows. The One and Skating with Celebrities come to mind.
The TV Squad team has made their picks for the top quotes of the week from TV:
The White Prince: "I am a seraphim, a prince appointed by a power much higher than us!" Blade: "You're nothing but another crazy-ass vampire." -- Blade: The Series
"Hey, you folks excited about the new Elizabeth Taylor book? (applause) Then you're gay."- - David Letterman, to his studio audience
"I lost to Barry Manilow! I lost to Copacabana! Singing and dancing is not performing. Losing to Wolverine I could've lost to, he's got claws for hands!" -- Stephen Colbert, on losing at the Emmys
"I'm the only straight man to bring his mother two years in a row." -- Jeremy Piven, accepting his Best Supporting Actor Emmy
"My eighth grade history teacher, who told me to sit down and shut up because I wasn't funny. No, thank you Mr. McAdoo...my boss when I was a production assistant on Step by Step, who made me clean the gum off the executive producer's shoe...and finally God. I am sure you are responsible in some way, but you took my hair and that's not cool man." - Greg Garcia, accepting his award for My Name Is Earl
"Unfortunately Father, you don't answer to me." -- Dep. Chief Brenda Johnson to a priest who apologizes to her for not knowing about a romantic relationship between one of his students and a death row inmate on The Closer
"That's an unfortunate tie." -- Rose Caffee on seeing Pete's attempt to dress up for Mike's surprise party on Brotherhood
Josh Trager: "So after all that you're just a regular kid with regular parents?" Kyle XY: "Apparently." Josh: "I liked you better as an alien." -- Kyle XY
"I'll tell ya something that I know is true. The Indians here -- the tomahawk variety -- some of them believe -- well, used to believe before most of them were slaughtered -- that when a warriors kills another in battle, he absorbs that fallen warrior's spirit. So this isn't the end for you, doc. You're with me now." -- T-Bag to the pet doctor he's about to kill, on Prison Break
Here's a complete list of winners, in case you were wondering who won Best Gaffer on a Miniseries.
Ken Levine has another fantastic review of the Emmys. Lots of great lines, but my favorite might be, "Why was Charlie Sheen up for Best Actor and Jon Cryer up for Best Supporting Actor? In Two and a Half Men, is Jon the half?"
TV Guide had minute by minute coverage, a backstage report, and photo galleries.
Entertainment Weekly's PopWatch blog watched the Emmys too, and they also list their 10 Most Memorable Moments.
Emmy nominations were a bit baffling this year. Even though there was a new balloting procedure to nominate the best of television, some of the decisions still left many of us scratching our heads. For example, why was Geena Davis from the now canceled Commander in Chief nominated for best actress in a drama series, or, why was Lost and Desperate Housewives were completely left off of the ballot? Well, thanks to a savvy Internet patron and his use of YouTube you can now see the episodes the Emmy nominating committee viewed to determine their choices.
Ken Levine gives his thoughts on the Emmy nominations. Favorite line: "And I guess the bloom is off the rose for Nip/Tuck, now so weird it's entered Bjork country."
Dave Thomas wants to start a petition to get NBC to pick up the YouTube hit Nobody's Watching.
Aaron Barnhart has redesigned the TV Barn blog. I like how he calls America's Got Talent "the slutty stepsister of Ed Sullivan and Chuck Barris."