Today’s scene that I love is one of the greatest television moments of the past ten years.
Tag Archives: Anna Chlumsky
What If Lisa Had All The Power: 2019 Emmy Nominations Edition
In a few hours, the 2019 Emmy nominations will be announced!
Since I love awards and I love making lists, it’s an annual tradition that I list who and what would be nominated if I had all the power. Keep in mind that what you’re seeing below are not necessarily my predictions of what or who will actually be nominated. Many of the shows listed below will probably be ignored tomorrow morning. Instead, this is a list of the nominees and winners if I was the one who was solely responsible for picking them.
Because I got off to a late start this year, I’m only listing the major categories below. I may go back and do a full, 100-category list sometime tomorrow. Who knows? I do love making lists.
Anyway, here’s what would be nominated and what would win if I had all the power! (Winners are listed in bold.)
(Want to see who and what was nominated for Emmy consideration this year? Click here!)
(Want to see my picks for last year? Click here!)
(Want to see my picks for 2012? I know, that’s kinda random. Anyway, click here!)
Programming
Outstanding Comedy Series
Barry
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
GLOW
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
One Day At A Time
Veep
Vida
Outstanding Drama Series
Better Call Saul
Dynasty
Flack
Game of Thrones
The Magicians
My Brilliant Friend
Ozark
You
Outstanding Limited Series
Chernobyl
Fosse/Verdon
The Haunting of Hill House
I Am The Night
Maniac
Sharp Objects
True Detective
A Very English Scandal
Outstanding Television Movie
The Bad Seed
Bandersnatch (Black Mirror)
Brexit
Deadwood
King Lear
Native Son
No One Would Tell
O.G.
Performer
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Iain Armitage in Young Sheldon
Ted Danson in The Good Place
Bill Hader in Barry
Pete Holmes in Crashing
Glenn Howerton in A.P. Bio
Andy Samberg in Brooklyn Nine Nine
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Penn Badgley in You
Jason Bateman in Ozark
James Franco in The Deuce
John Krasinski in Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan
Bob Odenkirk in Better Call Saul
Dominic West in The Affair
Outstanding Lead Actor In a Limited Series
Hugh Grant in A Very English Scandal
Jared Harris in Chernobyl
Jonah Hill in Maniac
Chris Pine in I Am The Night
Sam Rockwell in Fosse/Verdon
Henry Thomas in The Haunting of Hill House
Outstanding Lead Actor In An Original Movie
Benedict Cumberbatch in Brexit
Anthony Hopkins in King Lear
Rob Lowe in The Bad Seed
Ian McShane in Deadwood
Timothy Olyphant in Deadwood
Jeffrey Wright in O.G.
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
Melissa Barrera in Vida
Kristen Bell in The Good Place
Alison Brie in GLOW
Rachel Brosnahan in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Veep
Zoe Perry in Young Sheldon
Outstanding Lead Actress in A Drama Series
Emilia Clarke in Game of Thrones
Gaia Girace in My Brilliant Friend
Maggie Gyllenhaal in The Deuce
Laura Linney in Ozark
Margherita Mazzucco in My Brilliant Friend
Anna Paquin in Flack
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series
Amy Adams in Sharp Objects
India Eisley in I Am The Night
Carla Gugino in The Haunting of Hill House
Charlotte Hope in The Spanish Princess
Emma Stone in Maniac
Michelle Williams in Fosse/Verdon
Outstanding Lead Actress in an Original Movie
Shannen Doherty in No One Would Tell
Chelsea Frei in Victoria Gotti: My Father’s Daughter
McKenna Grace in The Bad Seed
Paula Malcolmson in Deadwood
Molly Parker in Deadwood
Christina Ricci in Escaping The Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Fred Armisen in Documentary Now!
Andre Braugher in Brooklyn Nine Nine
Anthony Carrigan in Barry
Tony Hale in Veep
Sam Richardson in Veep
Stephen Root in Barry
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Jonathan Banks in Better Call Saul
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in Game of Thrones
Peter Dinklage in Game of Thrones
Giancarlo Esposito in Better Call Saul
Peter Mullan in Ozark
Luca Padovan in You
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Limited Series
Stephen Dorff in True Detective
Timothy Hutton in The Haunting of Hill House
Chris Messina in Sharp Objects
Stellan Skarsgard in Chernobyl
Justin Thereoux in Maniac
Ben Whishaw in A Very English Scandal
Outstanding Supporting Actor In An Original Movie
Jim Broadbent in King Lear
Bill Camp in Native Son
Theothus Carter in O.G.
Rory Kinnear in Brexit
Gerald McRaney in Deadwood
Will Poulter in Bandersnatch (Black Mirror)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in A Comedy Series
Caroline Aaron in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Alex Borstein in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Anna Chlumsky in Veep
Sarah Goldberg in Barry
Rita Moreno in One Day At A Time
Sarah Sutherland in Veep
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Summer Bishil in The Magicians
Elisa Del Genio in My Brilliant Friend
Julia Garner in Ozark
Lena Headey in Game of Thrones
Elizabeth Lail in You
Shay Mitchell in You
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Limited Series
Jessie Buckley in Chernobyl
Patricia Clarkson in Sharp Objects
Sally Field in Maniac
Patricia Hodge in A Very English Scandal
Connie Nielsen in I Am The Night
Emily Watson in Chernobyl
Outstanding Supporting Actress In An Original Movie
Kim Dickens in Deadwood
Florence Pugh in King Lear
Margaret Qualley in Favorite Son
Emma Thompson in King Lear
Emily Watson in King Lear
Robin Weigert in Deadwood
Here’s What Won At The Emmys Last Night!
Last night, Lisa Marie did not watch the Emmys because she says that, “I’m just not feeling TV this year.” If Twin Peaks had been eligible to be nominated, I bet it would have been a different story!
Instead, she asked me to watch the ceremony and let everyone know what I thought. It needed less politics and more cats.
Here’s the list of winners:
COMEDY
BEST COMEDY SERIES
“Atlanta”
“Black-ish”
“Masters of None”
“Modern Family”
“Silicon Valley”
“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”
X — “Veep”
BEST COMEDY ACTRESS
Pamela Adlon, “Better Things”
Jane Fonda, “Grace and Frankie”
Allison Janney, “Mom”
Ellie Kemper, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”
X — Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep”
Tracee Ellis Ross, “Black-ish”
Lily Tomlin, “Grace and Frankie”
BEST COMEDY ACTOR
Anthony Anderson, “Black-ish”
Aziz Ansari, “Master of None”
Zach Galifianaks, “Baskets”
X — Donald Glover, “Atlanta”
William H. Macy, “Shameless”
Jeffrey Tambor, “Transparent”
BEST COMEDY SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Vanessa Bayer, “Saturday Night Live”
Anna Chlumsky, “Veep”
Kathryn Hahn, “Transparent”
Leslie Jones, “Saturday Night Live”
Judith Light, “Transparent”
X — Kate McKinnon, “Saturday Night Live”
BEST COMEDY SUPPORTING ACTOR
Louie Anderson, “Baskets”
X — Alec Baldwin, “Saturday Night Live”
Tituss Burgess, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”
Ty Burrell, “Modern Family”
Tony Hale, “Veep”
Matt Walsh, “Veep”
BEST COMEDY DIRECTING
X — “Atlanta” (“B.A.N.”)
“Silicon Valley” (“Intellectual Property”)
“Silicon Valley” (“Server Error”)
“Veep” (“Justice”)
“Veep” (“Blurb”)
“Veep” (“Groundbreaking”)
BEST COMEDY WRITING
“Atlanta” (“B.A.N.”)
“Atlanta” (“Streets on Lock”)
X — “Master of None” (“Thanksgiving”)
“Silicon Valley” (“Success Failure”)
“Veep” (“Groundbreaking”)
“Veep” (“Georgia”)
DRAMA
BEST DRAMA SERIES
“Better Call Saul”
“The Crown”
X — “The Handmaid’s Tale”
“House of Cards”
“Stranger Things”
“This is Us”
“Westworld”
BEST DRAMA ACTRESS
Viola Davis, “How to Get Away with Murder”
Claire Foy, “The Crown”
X — Elisabeth Moss, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Keri Russell, “The Americans”
Evan Rachel Wood, “Westworld”
Robin Wright, “House of Cards”
BEST DRAMA ACTOR
X — Sterling K. Brown, “This is Us”
Anthony Hopkins, “Westworld”
Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”
Matthew Rhys, “The Americans”
Liev Schreiber, “Ray Donovan”
Kevin Spacey, “House of Cards”
Milo Ventimiglia, “This is Us”
BEST DRAMA SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Uzo Aduba, “Orange is the New Black”
Millie Bobby Brown, “Stranger Things”
X — Ann Dowd, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Chrissy Metz, “This is Us”
Thandie Newton, “Westworld”
Samira Wiley, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
BEST DRAMA SUPPORTING ACTOR
Jonathan Banks, “Better Call Saul”
David Harbour, “Stranger Things”
Ron Cephas Jones, “This is Us”
Michael Kelly, “House of Cards”
X — John Lithgow, “The Crown”
Mandy Patinkin, “Homeland”
Jeffrey Wright, “Westworld”
BEST DRAMA DIRECTING
“Better Call Saul” (“Witness”)
“The Crown” (“Hyde Park Corner”)
“The Handmaid’s Tale” (“The Bridge”)
X — “The Handmaid’s Tale” (“Offred”)
“Homeland” (“America First”)
“Stranger Things” (“Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers”)
“Westworld” (“The Bicameral Mind”)
BEST DRAMA WRITING
“The Americans” (“The Soviet Division”)
“Better Call Saul” (“Chicanery”)
“The Crown” (“Assassins”)
X — “The Handmaid’s Tale” (“Offred”)
“Stranger Things” (“Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers”)
“Westworld” (“The Bicameral Mind”)
MOVIE/LIMITED SERIES
BEST LIMITED SERIES
X — “Big Little Lies”
“Fargo”
“Feud: Bette and Joan”
“Genius”
“The Night Of”
BEST TV MOVIE
X — “Black Mirror: San Junipero”
“Christmas of Many Colors”
“The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”
“Sherlock: The Lying Detective”
“The Wizard of Lies”
BEST MOVIE/MINI ACTRESS
Carrie Coon, “Fargo”
Felicity Huffman, “American Crime”
X — Nicole Kidman, “Big Little Lies”
Jessica Lange, “Feud: Bette and Joan”
Susan Sarandon, “Feud: Bette and Joan”
Reese Witherspoon, “Big Little Lies”
BEST MOVIE/MINI ACTOR
X — Riz Ahmed, “The Night Of”
Benedict Cumberbatch, “Sherlock: The Lying Detective”
Robert De Niro, “The Wizard of Lies”
Ewan McGregor, “Fargo”
Geoffrey Rush, “Genius”
John Turturro, “The Night Of”
BEST MOVIE/MINI SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Judy Davis, “Feud: Bette and Joan”
X — Laura Dern, “Big Little Lies”
Jackie Hoffman, “Feud: Bette and Joan”
Regina King, “American Crime”
Michelle Pfeiffer, “The Wizard of Lies”
Shailene Woodley, “Big Little Lies”
BEST MOVIE/MINI SUPPORTING ACTOR
Bill Camp, “The Night Of”
Alfred Molina, “Feud: Bette and Joan”
X — Alexander Skarsgard, “Big Little Lies”
David Thewlis, “Fargo”
Stanley Tucci, “Feud: Bette and Joan”
Michael Kenneth Williams, “The Night Of”
BEST MOVIE/MINI DIRECTING
X — “Big Little Lies”
“Fargo” (“The Law of Vacant Places”)
“Feud: Bette and Joan” (“And the Winner Is”)
“Genius” (“Einstein: Chapter One”)
“The Night Of” (“The Art of War”)
“The Night Of” (“The Beach”)
BEST MOVIE/MINI WRITING
“Big Little Lies”
X — “Black Mirror: San Junipero”
“Fargo” (“The Law of Vacant Places”)
“Feud: Bette and Joan” (“And the Winner Is”)
“Feud: Bette and Joan” (“Pilot”)
“The Night Of” (“Call of the Wild”)
VARIETY/REALITY
BEST REALITY COMPETITION PROGRAM
“The Amazing Race”
“Amercan Ninja Warrior”
“Project Runway”
“RuPaul’s Drag Race”
“Top Chef”
X — “The Voice”
BEST VARIETY TALK SERIES
“Full Frontal with Samantha Bee”
“Jimmy Kimmel Live”
X — “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”
“Late Late Show with James Corden”
“Late Show with Stephen Colbert”
“Real Time with Bill Maher”
BEST VARIETY SKETCH SERIES
“Billy on the Street”
“Documentary Now”
“Drunk History”
“Portlandia”
X — “Saturday Night Live”
“Tracey Ullman’s Show”
BEST VARIETY SERIES DIRECTING
“Drunk History”
“Jimmy Kimmel Live”
“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”
“Late Show with Stephen Colbert”
X — “Saturday Night Live”
BEST VARIETY SERIES WRITING
“Full Frontal with Samantha Bee”
X — “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”
“Late Night with Seth Meyers”
“Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Playing Catch-Up: The End of the Tour (dir by James Ponsoldt) and Love & Mercy (dir by Bill Pohland)
Two of the best films released last year dealt with troubled artists.
The End of the Tour opens in 2008, with a writer David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg) getting a call that the famous and acclaimed author, David Foster Wallace (Jason Segel), has committed suicide. After learning of the tragedy, Lipsky remembers a few days that he spent interviewing Wallace 12 years earlier. Wallace had just published his best known work, Infinite Jest. At the time, Lipsky himself was a struggling writer and he approached Wallace with a combination of admiration and professional envy. Lipsky hoped that, by interviewing Wallace, he could somehow discover the intangible quality that separates a great writer from a merely good one.
Almost the entire film is made up of Lipsky’s conversations with Wallace. We watch as both the somewhat reclusive Wallace (who seems both bemused and, at times, annoyed with his sudden fame) warms up to Lipsky and as Lipsky forces himself to admit that Wallace might actually be a genius. There are a few conflicts, mostly coming from the contrast between the withdrawn Wallace and the much more verbose Lipsky. Lipsky’s editor (Ron Livingston) continually pressures him to ask Wallace about rumors that Wallace was once a drug addict. But, for the most part, it’s a rather low-key film, one that’s more interested in exploring ideas than melodrama. It’s also a perfect example of what can be accomplished by a great director and two actors who are totally committed to their roles. Jason Segel, especially, gives the performance of his career so far.
The shadow of Wallace’s suicide hangs over the entire film. Throughout their conversation, Wallace drops hints about his own history with depression. Much as Lipsky must have done after Wallace’s suicide, we find ourselves looking for clues to explain his death. But ultimately, Wallace remains a fascinating enigma in both life and death.
Love & Mercy (dir by Bill Pohland)
Love & Mercy opens with Cadillac saleswoman Melinda Ledbetter (Elizabeth Banks) selling a car to a polite but nervous man (John Cusack). The man sits in the car with her and rambles for a bit, mentioning that his brother has recently died. Soon, the man’s doctor, Eugene Landy (Paul Giamatti), shows up and Melinda learns that the man is Brian Wilson, a musician and songwriter who is famous for co-founding The Beach Boys. After having a nervous breakdown decades before, Brian is now a recluse. He and Melinda start a tentative relationship and Melinda quickly discovers that Brian is literally being held prisoner by the manipulative Dr. Landy.
Throughout the film, we are presented with flashbacks to the 1960s and we watch as a young Brian (Paul Dano) deals with both the pressures of fame and his own relationship with his tyrannical father (who, in an interesting parallel to Brian’s later relationship with Landy, is also Brian’s manager). As Brian struggles to maintain his grip on reality, he obsesses on creating “the greatest album ever.”
Love & Mercy is an enormously affecting story about both the isolation of genius and the redeeming power of love. Whether he’s played by Cusack or Dano, Brian Wilson remains a fascinating and tragic figure. It’s hard to say whether Cusack or Dano gives the better performance. Indeed, they both seem to be so perfectly in sync with each other that you never doubt that the character played by Paul Dano will eventually grow up to become the character played by John Cusack. Both of them do some of the best work of their careers in Love & Mercy.
Scenes that I Love: Anna Chlumsky has a meltdown on Veep
Like our intrepid TV correspondent, Patrick Smith, I also watched the Emmy Awards last night. There were bits of the show that I liked and there was a lot about the show that I didn’t care for. I felt that Andy Samberg fell flat as host. I thought that a lot of the acceptance speeches were so dull that I considered them to be a personal attack on anyone watching. (I’m looking in your direction, Lisa Cholodenko.) The political posturing felt shallow, as it often does at the Emmy awards.
(Even the political speeches that did work often seemed like they were being wasted on a crowd that has no concept of self-awareness. Viola Davis made a passionate, timely, and articulate plea for diversity but it’s hard not to feel that, even though all the white liberals in the room patted themselves on the back for listening to her and applauding, that’s probably all that they’re going to do.)
And yet I was happy because Veep — my absolute favorite show — finally won for Best Comedy! I love Veep because it’s a show where everyone in politics — regardless of party or ideology — is revealed to be either a terrible human being or totally and completely ineffectual. Julia Lous-Dreyfus won the Emmy for Best Comedy Actress while Tony Hale picked up his second consecutive supporting award.
The only disappointment in Veep‘s victory? Anna Chlumsky did not win the Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy. This season of Veep was truly Chlumsky’s season! The scene below — which is today’s scene that I love — shows Chlumsky at her absolute best. In this scene, Chlumsky’s Amy Brookhiemer finally reaches her breaking point as she realizes that her boss, President Selina Meyer (Louis-Dreyfus), essentially stands for nothing.
Even though most of us will never work for or even know a President, I think we can all relate to Amy’s feelings. And, seriously — who hasn’t wanted to tell someone off as beautifully as Amy does here?
For this scene alone, Anna Chlumsky deserves all the awards in the world!
Val’s Movie Roundup #7: Hallmark Edition
Sorry, but there’s going to be a few of these in a row because I have a backlog of Hallmark movies on my DVR that really need to be cleared out. In other words, prepare for death by a thousand greeting cards.
Three Weeks, Three Kids (2011) – Anyone my age remembers Anna Chlumsky from My Girl (1991). It’s nice to see her as an adult. This movie introduces us to Chlumsky’s character Jennifer who we are supposed to believe is a wee bit irresponsible, or at least hasn’t really grown up. Well, no fear because her sister is going to go on vacation and needs a babysitter quickly for her three kids. Of course the experience is going to give her a kick in the butt. It also gets her off the boyfriend that isn’t right for her and moves her onto the one that is. Oh, lord! This is a Hallmark movie. I know there was incest in For Better Or For Worse, but I didn’t intend that pun. Well, the movie isn’t all about her. Her sister just can’t relax on the vacation and the movie is about getting her to calm down and enjoy her life and marriage more too. There is a little corny twist at the end, but I’ll leave that for those who want to see this. The movie is decent.
Your Love Never Fails (2011) – However, I can’t say they same for this one. This is just propaganda. Honestly, the pastor in this says almost word for word a speech given in a very blatant piece of propaganda called Every Young Woman’s Battle. When you boil off the attempt to couch it, the movie is about a woman who has a successful job in the city, but is dragged back to rural Texas by her husband and is legally coerced into spending time with him. The pastor gives a speech that says that no relationship is perfect, but that’s human nature. Just let God into your heart and that will fix the issue. Yeah, in other words, once you’re married, if the relationship isn’t working, then that just means you’re not a good Christian. He even talks to her and says she clearly still has feelings for him because she is choosing to stay even though we know she is required to stay because the court said so. There is no reason to watch this. It’s no wonder that Hallmark aired this last month under the title of A Valentine’s Date rather than the original title that is still displayed onscreen. If I want propaganda of this sort then I will watch Deception Of A Generation thank you very much. At least that’s hilarious rather than uncomfortable. They say Smurfs are homosexual zombies in that video.
Kiss At Pine Lake (2012) – This one is much better. The only issue I picked up is a minor one. Mia Kirshner has put on a little weight. It’s only noticeable because she used to be particularly petite. This works to her advantage because it helps to make her character more believable as having aged from the younger version of herself in the movie. Also, the girl who plays her younger self bears a resemble to Kirshner. Barry Watson on the other hand doesn’t seem to change. I swear, he looks the same as he did in the first episode of 7th Heaven. It also doesn’t help that we are familiar with the way he looked on that show. On top of that, the guy who plays him as a kid doesn’t look like him at all. Luckily, the flashback scenes are short and there are very few of them so it doesn’t really harm the movie at all. As for the story, it’s about a boy and girl who liked each other at summer camp as kids, but never followed through. Their lives bring them back around to each other at the same camp many years later, but this time things work. Nice and simple. Of the four here, this is the one to watch.
Real Murders: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery (2015) – TV Movies should not have complex plots. Commercials ruin them. I wish I could describe the plot to you, but I quickly lost track of the investigation. Didn’t help that it seems to move at a breakneck pace. It actually starts off feeling like it’s going to parody these types of murder mysteries. The murder is committed, but even the person being killed doesn’t seem to care. Then the characters act in humorous ways once the murder is discovered. Teagarden (Candace Cameron Bure) dives in and moves very fast. She also talks about historical murders like you’re talking to Quentin Tarantino about movies. Quick and with a great deal of knowledge. If you are able to follow the plot better than I did, maybe catch it without commercials, then you will probably enjoy it more. Still, I just can’t recommend this one at this point. I wonder if the other Aurora Teagarden movie is better.
Shattered Politics #85: In the Loop (dir by Armando Iannucci)
First released in 2009, In The Loop is one of the most brilliant political satires ever made.
The film opens in London, as a slightly ridiculous man named Toby (Chris Addison) starts his first day as the special assistant to the Secretary of State for International Development, Simon Foster (Tom Hollander). And what a day to start! Both the President of the United States and the British Prime Minister are eager to invade the Middle East and, during an interview the previous night, Simon accidentally announced that war was “unforseeable.” This has led to people accidentally assuming that Simon is anti-war (Simon really doesn’t seem to have an opinion one way or the other) but it also means that the Prime Minister’s compulsively profane assistant, Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi), is now running around the office and threatening people.
(I doubt that there’s any way that I can do justice to Capaldi’s performance here. You simply have to see him. He is a force of nature, a tornado of nonstop profanity and aggression.)
Not every government official in the U.S. is enthusiastic about going to war. Both Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomacy Karen Clarke (Mimi Kennedy) and her former lover, Gen. George Miller (James Gandolfini) are opposed to the war. Karen’s assistant, Liza (Anna Chlumsky), has even written a paper that explains why a war in the Middle East could not be won. Karen hopes to use Simon as a spokesman to keep the British out of the war and, therefore, America as well.
(Toby, meanwhile, just wants to have sex with Liza.)
However, there are a few factors that complicate things. First off, Malcolm is determined to make sure that the Prime Minister gets what he wants and if that means bullying and scaring everyone into supporting an unwinnable war, that’s exactly what he’s going to do. Secondly, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State For Policy Linton Barwick (David Rasche) is eager enough to start a war that he’s actually started a secret committee to find a way to get into the war. (The committee, of course, has been called the Committee For Future Planning.) Third, and perhaps most importantly, Simon is an idiot.
Along with being both a satire of American-British relations (my favorite moment comes when a random American tourist tells Malcolm to stop cursing in public) and the lead-up to the Iraq War, In The Loop is also a devastating look at how government works. In the Loop makes a good case that, for all the titles and the committee and the talk about doing what’s right, most government policy is the result of a combination of stupidity and needless aggression. As played by Capaldi, Malcolm has no ideology or core beliefs. He simply makes sure that the Prime Minister gets what he wants.
And if that means going to war, then Malcolm will do whatever it takes to push Britain into war.
Director Armando Iannucci is probably best known for creating two political comedies, the Thick of It and Veep. And while I’ve never seen The Thick Of It, I absolutely love Veep. From what I’ve read, all three projects share the same fictional universe. (Capaldi’s Malcolm was the main character on The Thick Of It.)
Though, actually, I think it’s debatable just how fictional that universe is. Ultimately, In The Loop is probably one of the most plausible satires that I’ve ever seen.
My 2012 Emmy Nominations
So, for the past few days, I’ve been happily hopping around my section of the Shattered Lens Bunker and do you know why?
Because it’s awards season, that’s why! With the conclusion of the 2011-2012 TV season, Emmy ballots have been mailed and votes are being cast and, come July, we’ll know which shows and performers have been nominated for the 2012 Emmys.
Before that happens, however, I would like to play a little game called “What if Lisa Was Solely Responsible For Picking the Nominees.” Here’s how it works — I looked over and studied the complete list of the shows and performances that have been submitted this year for Emmy consideration. And then, from that list, I picked my personal nominees.
Below are my personal nominations in the major Emmy categories. Again, note that these are not necessarily the shows and performers that I believe will be nominated. Instead, these are the shows and performers that I would nominate if I was solely responsible for picking the nominees.
A complete list of my nominations in every single Emmy category can be found here. (And yes, there’s a lot of Lifetime on the list. There’s also a lot of Community.)
Best Comedy Series
Bored to Death (HBO)
Community (NBC)
Girls (HBO)
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia (FX)
Parks and Recreation (NBC)
Raising Hope (Fox)
Veep (HBO)
Best Drama Series
Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Breaking Bad (AMC)
The Client List (Lifetime)
Downton Abbey (PBS)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Homeland (Showtime)
Pan Am (ABC)
Ringer (The CW)
True Blood (HBO)
The Walking Dead (AMC)
Outstanding Miniseries or Movie
Blue-Eyed Butcher (Lifetime)
Cyberbully (ABC Family)
Drew Peterson: Untouchable (Lifetime)
Five (Lifetime)
Girl Fight (Lifetime)
Hatfields & McCoys (History Channel)
The Hour (BBC America)
Of Two Minds (Lifetime)
Outstanding Variety Series
Conan (TBS)
Fashion Police (E)
Key and Peele (Comedy Central)
The Soup (E)
Tosh .O (Comedy Central)
Outstanding Variety Special
Betty White’s 90th Birthday Party (NBC)
Celtic Women: Believe (PBS)
The Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen (Comedy Central)
TV Land Awards (TV Land)
Wendy Liebman: Taller on TV (Showtime)
Outstanding Nonfiction Special
Bobby Fischer Against The World (HBO)
Catholicism: Amazed and Afraid (PBS)
Crime After Crime (OWN)
God Is The Bigger Elvis (HBO)
6 Days To Air: The Making of South Park (Comedy Central)
Outstanding Nonfiction Series
America in Primetime (PBS)
American Masters (PBS)
America’s Most Wanted (Lifetime)
Beyond Scared Straight (A&E)
Inside Story (Biography)
Outstanding Reality Program
Antiques Roadshow (PBS)
Dance Moms (Lifetime)
Kitchen Nightmares (Fox)
Scouted (E)
Storage Wars (A&E)
Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
The Amazing Race (CBS)
The Bachelor (ABC)
Big Brother (CBS)
The Celebrity Apprentice (NBC)
Hell’s Kitchen (Fox)
Project Runway (Lifetime)
So You Think You Can Dance (Fox)
Survivor (CBS)
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Johnny Galecki in The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Danny McBride in Eastbound and Down (HBO)
Joel McHale in Community (NBC)
Lucas Neff in Raising Hope (Fox)
Jason Schwartzman in Bored To Death (HBO)
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama
Steve Buscemi in Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Bryan Cranston in Breaking Bad (AMC)
Jeffrey Donavon in Burn Notice (USA)
Damian Lewis in Homeland (Showtime)
Andrew Lincoln in The Walking Dead (AMC)
Timothy Olyphant in Justified (FX)
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Miniseries or Movie
Idris Elba in Luther (BBC America)
Rob Lowe in Drew Peterson: Untouchable (Lifetime)
Steven Weber in Duke (Hallmark Movie Channel)
Dominic West in The Hour (BBC America)
Ben Whishaw in The Hour (BBC America)
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy
Zooey Deschanel in New Girl (Fox)
Lena Dunham in Girls (HBO)
Tina Fey in 30 Rock (NBC)
Julia Louis Dreyfuss in Veep (HBO)
Mary-Louis Parker in Weeds (Showtime)
Martha Plimpton in Raising Hope (Fox)
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama
Claire Danes in Homeland (Showtime)
Sarah Michelle Gellar in Ringer (The CW)
Jennifer Love Hewitt in The Client List (Lifetime)
Julianna Margulies in The Good Wife (CBS)
Elizabeth McGovern in Downton Abbey (PBS)
Anna Paquin in True Blood (HBO)
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Miniseries or Movie
Kristin Davis in Of Two Minds (Lifetime)
Anne Heche in Girl Fight (Lifetime)
Rose McGowan in The Pastor’s Wife (Lifetime)
Emily Osment in Cyberbully (ABC Family)
Sara Paxton in Blue Eyed Butcher (Lifetime)
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Charlie Day in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX)
Danny DeVito in It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia (FX)
Donald Glover in Community (NBC)
Nick Offerman in Parks and Recreation (NBC)
Danny Pudi in Community (NBC)
Matt Walsh in Veep (HBO)
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama
Bruce Campbell in Burn Notice (USA)
Peter Dinklage in Game of Thrones (HBO)
Giancarlo Espositto in Breaking Bad (AMC)
Michael Pitt in Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Michael Shannon in Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Alexander Skarsgard in True Blood (HBO)
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Miniseries or Movie
Powers Boothe in Hatfields and McCoys (History Channel)
Justin Bruening in Blue-Eyed Butcher (Lifetime)
Mark-Paul Gosselaar in Hide (TNT)
Sir Roger Moore in A Princess For Christmas (Hallmark Movie Channel)
Tony Shalhoub in Five (Lifetime)
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy
Alison Brie in Community (NBC)
Kristen Chenoweth in GCB (ABC)
Anna Chlumsky in Veep (HBO)
Gillian Jacobs in Community (NBC)
Cloris Leachman in Raising Hope (Fox)
Aubrey Plaza in Parks and Recreation (NBC)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in Drama
Christine Baranski in The Good Wife (CBS)
Kristen Bauer Von Straten in True Blood (HBO)
Kelly MacDonald in Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Christina Ricci in Pan Am (ABC)
Sophia Turner in Game of Thrones (HBO)
Deborah Ann Woll in True Blood (HBO)
Supporting Actress In A Miniseries or Movie
Tammy Blanchard in Of Two Minds (Lifetime)
Kaley Cuoco in Drew Peterson: Untouchable (Lifetime)
Lisa Edelstein in Blue-Eyed Butcher (Lifetime)
Jessica Lange in American Horror Story (FX)
Jena Malone in Hatfields and McCoy (History Channel)
Through the Shattered Lens 