TVSquad

The world of primetime TV are primarily set in the real world. The real world based on the fiction they create. So, Law and Order -- in all its incarnations -- is set in New York City, but it's not the real five boroughs. The newspapers they read are not The New York Times, the Post or the Daily News. For contemporary TV fiction, reality is on the margins of the storytelling because you can't really set those characters in a real world. However, when the two worlds intersect, the results can be magic. Here's 8 big-time, primetime examples:

1) Cowboy Up Time
Remember the episode of Lost when Ben wanted to convince Jack that he was in communication with the world outside the island? To prove that he was telling the truth, he showed Jack a video of the Boston Red Sox winning the world series in 2004. You can't get more real than that, right? And yet it was used in one of the most out of this world shows on the air. In fact, using Lost's own terminology, the Red Sox video is a constant truth in a universe that's a complete fiction.

Whitney Matheson has an interesting topic over at the Pop Candy blog. She lists her 10 favorite props from the movies, and includes some items like Indy's hat from the Raiders of the Lost Ark movies, Darth Vader's light saber, and many items from Steve Martin's The Jerk. This got me thinking, what props from TV shows would I like to own? I have a few from Ed, including a name plate from the courtroom and a drinking bird, but I'd like more. My list is below, in no particular order.

Anything from The Dick Van Dyke Show: In particular, the typewriter in the office or anything from the Petrie's kitchen. Or maybe the ottoman Rob trips over!

After viewing the frighteningly accurate parody of Studio 60 that MADtv performed I got to thinking (which is always a bad thing). I can't remember a producer/creator of any television show in recent history who has carried so many of his or her trademarks from one program to another. I guess you could say Dick Wolf does this from show to show, but the Law & Order series is probably considered a franchise. Aaron Sorkin has produced three different shows that have had similar structural elements, including actors and actresses. When viewers watch these shows they anticipate those features and are disappointed when they don't see them.

So, with that in mind, here are the five trademarks that Aaron Sorkin puts in his shows.

The walk-and-talk: Others shows have people walking and talking all of the time, but usually slowly down a straight hallway. Aaron has taken this concept and perfected it, making it all his own. His walk-and-talks feature characters going up-and-down stairs, through security gates, behind bleachers, and around corners. He sometimes makes these strolls seem like a relay race: two people will talk for a while, then one person will tag-out and a new conversation will begin with another character. Meanwhile, as they walk they begin and end conversations with so much information that you need to record the show so you catch everything missed. And, speaking about those conversations . . .

You're Martin Sheen. Okay, I know you're not, but for the sake of this post pretend that your are! You've just come off of a very successful political drama where you were President of the United States and the world is your oyster. So, what do you do? Do you sit at home and count the money you made? Do you look for a new television or movie project? Or, do you watch over son Charlie to make sure he doesn't do anything else stupid to further damage his fragile reputation?

You don't do any of those things. Instead, you enroll in college. And, that is exactly what the 66-year-old former star of The West Wing did last Friday when he enrolled as a student at National University Galway in western Ireland.

The Emmy nominations were just announced in L.A. Here are the major nominations:

Best Drama

Grey's Anatomy
House
The Sopranos
24
The West Wing

Best Comedy

Arrested Development
Scrubs
Two and a Half Men
Curb Your Enthusiasm
The Office

Lead Actor, Drama

Peter Krause, Six Feet Under
Denis Leary, Rescue Me
Christopher Meloni, Law and Order: SVU
Martin Sheen, The West Wing
Keifer Sutherland, 24

Lead Actress, Drama

Francis Conroy, Six Feet Under
Geena Davis, Commander-in-Chief
Mariska Hargitay, Law and Order: SVU
Allison Janney, The West Wing
Krya Sedgwick, The Closer

Lead Actor, Comedy

Steve Carell, The Office
Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Kevin James, The King of Queens
Tony Shalhoub, Monk
Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men

Lead Actress, Comedy

Jane Kaczmarek, Malcolm in the Middle
Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback
Stockard Channing, Out of Practice
Debra Messing, Will and Grace
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine

Supporting Actor, Comedy

Will Arnet, Arrested Development
Jeremy Piven, Entourage
Bryan Cranston, Malcolm in the Middle
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Sean Hayes, Will and Grace

Supporting Actress, Comedy

Cheryl Hines, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Alfre Woodard, Desperate Housewives
Jamie Pressly, My Name Is Earl
Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds
Megan Mullally, Will and Grace

Supporting Actor, Drama

William Shatner, Boston Legal
Oliver Platt, Huff
Michael Imperioli, The Sopranos
Gregory Itzin, 24
Alan Alda, The West Wing

Supporting Actress, Drama

Candice Bergan, Boston Legal
Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy
Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy
Blythe Daner, Huff
Jean Smart, 24

Quick thoughts: No major noms for Lost or Desperate Housewives? Good to see The West Wing noticed for a good last season. Kevin James and Stockard Channing nominated in the comedy category?

Here's the full list.

Every Tuesday here on TV Squad , we will highlight the week's TV-on-DVD releases. Some noteworthy releases today, May 9, 2006:

• The Andy Griffith Show - The Complete 6th Season
• Baby Felix - Volume 01: His Magic Bag Of Tricks
• The Bullwinkle Show - The Best of Boris & Natasha; The Best Of Rocky And Bullwinkle
• Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist  - Season 1
• Everybody Loves Raymond - The Complete 6th Season
• The Facts of Life - The Complete 1st and 2nd Seasons
• The Golden Girls - Season 5
• Life Goes On - The Complete 1st Season
• Northern Exposure - Seasons 1 & 2 (New Package)
• The Phil Silvers Show (AKA Sergeant Bilko) - 50th Anniversary Edition
• Rescue Me - The Complete 2nd Season
• Scrubs - The Complete 3rd Season
• Search For Adam & Eve - The 1st Season
• That '70s Show - Season 4
• Trailer Park Boys - Season 5
• The West Wing - The Complete 6th Season

As a follow-up to my post earlier today, some West Wing fans are speculating (scroll down past the Prison Break finale info) that the West Wing retrospective that NBC canceled in favor of the pilot ep this Sunday might make it to the last season DVD set, which will be released later this year. Which makes sense, since the special has already been shot.

[via TV Tattle]

Hello. My name is Keith and I'm a spoiler junkie. This is Spoilers Anonymous, a weekly column here at TV Squad where we'll supply you with the dirt on some of the more popular shows on the air. We'll never put spoilers up here on the main page in order to help the reformed stay unspoiled. If you have anything to add to the group, feel free to step up and let yourself be heard, either with our tips form or by emailing us at tvsquad at gmail.com - your anonymity is guaranteed, if you wish to remain as such. (Thanks to Izzy at SpoilerFix.com for helping with this week's entry!)

This week: Lost, Alias, Charmed, Desperate Housewives, Gilmore Girls, The Shield, Grey's Anatomy, How I Met Your Mother, Las Vegas, Smallville, The O.C., Veronica Mars, Supernatural, House  and The West Wing. Now let's get down to business ... (SPOILERS BELOW)

Hello. My name is Keith and I'm a spoiler junkie. This is Spoilers Anonymous, a weekly column here at TV Squad where we'll supply you with the dirt on some of the more popular shows on the air. We'll never put spoilers up here on the main page in order to help the reformed stay unspoiled. If you have anything to add to the group, feel free to step up and let yourself be heard, either with our tips form or by emailing us at tvsquad at gmail.com - your anonymity is guaranteed, if you wish to remain as such.

This week: Lost, Veronica Mars, Battlestar Galactica, The Shield, Desperate Housewives, Alias, Nip/Tuck, The West Wing, Law & Order: SVU, How I Met Your Mother  and The O.C. Now let's get down to business ... (SPOILERS BELOW)