Emmy Awards 2011

kate winslet won best actress in a movie or miniseries for the title role in 'mildred pierce'. she deserved the win as she was far better than the film itself which seemed like it was embalmed in total.

julianna margulies won for the soph year of 'the good wife'. she grows with each episode and peels the layers off alicia florek brilliantly. she deserved it.

if you have been following my blog i picked 'downtown abbey' to win best miniseries when i first viewed it. it was a helluva lot better than the aforementioned embalmed 'mildred pierce'. i can't wait for season two.

maggie smith won a supporting actress emmy for her 'dowager' role in 'downtown abbey'. she was not present to accept her win but damn she so deserved it.

as for the rest of the awards i really have no interest.

'The Good Wife' Gets Another Sultry Season 3 Poster

julianna all i can say is 'you go girl!' alicia florek ain't standing by her man anymore.

september 25 can't come soon enough for me

'The Good Wife' Gets Better

here is the original 'good wife' ad

but here is the good wife after last seasons hot finale

after all is said and done it seems this good wife is getting better

from the season 2 finale. the beginning (or the end?) of longing. i love this show. season 3 begins on sunday 9/25 at 9et on cbs. please note day and time change.

season 2's final moments

Happy Birthday Julianna

Season Finales Part 2: The Best Finales of 2011

cliffhangers are the staple of the dramatic episodic shows since the 'who shot jr' moment on dallas. some are contrived, some are just okay and every once in awhile some are brilliant in that they astonish and make wish the summer away. this season there were four that left us begging for more. in alphabetical order they are:

'Castle': the season finale had more twists and turns that other shows can't accomplish in an entire season. rick castle has matured yet maintains his boyish charm. kate becket becomes a woman in search of a murderer and new roots. if nathan fillion and stana katic do not get emmy noms there is no justice. week after week they threw home runs. in the finale they astounded. bravo to both of them. all this with an amazing supporting cast makes this one of tv's best shows.

'The Good Wife': this is one of the few finales that had me smiling for days. but underneath that smile i was well aware of all the complications that are coming. julianna margulies continues to amaze. the writers continue to give us crisp characterizations and plot lines. this is the finest ensemble cast on network television. this is the best series on television. if you are not watching this you are missing tv at it's best.

'Pretty Little Liars: the juggler has not dropped a ball. the plate twirler keeps the dishes spinning. not a single crash yet. who's lying? who's being lied to? where the hell did that body in the bell tower go? who the frack is 'a' really? happily the next season begins june 14th but i don't expect qick answers.

The Vampire Diaries: it has left "true blood' in the dust. it is still the most erotic program on the air. damn who could keep track of the body count on the last two episodes. but the finale holy hell. damon getting heart? stefan going roque? elena/catherine what's next? september can't come soon enough.

honorable mention goes to 'bones'. it put a smile on my face but not 'the good wife' smile. the episode itself was a major letdown but the last 45 seconds semi redeemed it. almost!

SAG 2010

to follow upon last night's late posting on the 2010 sag awards i present the winners

in film

the critics are pissed. the critical darling 'the social network' lost best ensemble to the most deserving 'the king's speech'. for those who may not be aware the best ensemble is the sags equivalent to best picture. i applaud the actors who looked at great acting as opposed to the stylistic presentation of despicable characters in 'the social network'. i can only hope the academy voters follow suit. deep in my heart i believe the king will reign supreme on february 27.

colin and natalie seem poised to win top acting honors at the oscars now more than ever. they should and will win

in tv

ensemble went to 'modern family' for comedy and 'boardwalk empire' for drama.

i was particularly happy and giddy that julianna margulies (the good wife) won best actress in a drama and betty white (hot in cleveland) won for best in comedy.

'The King's Speech' Takes Top SAG Award

'the king's speech' is on a roll and now heads toward oscar night as the front runner. just weeks ago 'the social network' seemed unstoppable. but since the pga, the dga and now the sag has gone royal everything is in turnaround. a lot of pundits thought 'the fighter' might take ensemble cast award tonight. they were wrong. i was right. the king, his therapist and their supporting cast ruled. so now we move on to the last stretch toward the oscars. it's a race for sure but the royals are now ahead by a pretty long nose. but the sag's sometimes get ahead of themselves. remember just three years ago when christie and cotillard upset the betting odds.

i've been on the firth and portman bandwagon for weeks now and tonight they prevailed.

the winners of the 2010 sag awards are

for film

Best Ensemble: “The King’s Speech”
Best Actor: Colin Firth, “The King’s Speech”
Best Actress: Natalie Portman, “Black Swan”
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, “The Fighter”
Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo, “The Fighter”
Best Stunt Ensemble: “Inception” (presented on the red carpet)

and in television

Best Actress in a TV Movie or Miniseries: Claire Danes, “Temple Grandin”
Best Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries: Al Pacino, “You Don’t Know Jack”
Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series: “Modern Family”
Best Actress in a Comedy Series: Betty White, “Hot in Cleveland”
Best Actor in a Comedy Series: Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”
Best Ensemble in a Drama Series: “Boardwalk Empire”
Best Actress in a Drama Series: Julianna Margulies, “City Island”
Best Actor in a Drama Series: Steve Buscemi, “Boardwalk Empire”
Best Stunt Ensemble: “True Blood”

Some of My Favorite Golden Globe Memories

kate's double win

supporting actress for 'the reader'

best actress for 'revolutionary road'*

sandra bullock best actress for 'the blind side'

julianna margulies in 'the good wife'

*as happy as i was, am, that kate won two the oscars got it right: best actress for 'the reader'

'City Island' Rates ***1/2stars

'city island' opened this past april with little or no fanfare and where it did open it disappeared quickly. unfortunately this is the fate of many films especially those labeled as 'art house' films. but thank the cinematic gods that they get a second life on home video.

'city island is a 'slice of life' film that begins and ends in a matter of days. at it's core is secrets. secrets kept and secrets exposed. at the center of it all is the brilliant performance of andy garcia in his best role to date. he is the dad in a secretive family. their secrets are non-malicious. they are kept out of love or just because the other characters think they are no big deal or because the owner of the secret thinks they are, simply put, silly.

this film is charming and delightful. that julianna margulies has her best film role to date makes it worth seeing even more. but have no doubt that this is andy garcia's movie. and he deserves an oscar nomination for it. in fact with the best picture field still at the ridiculous ten nominations the movie itself deserves a nom.

rent this film. you will hopefully be as pleasantly surprised as i was. i love finding these small gems. in an otherwise slim film year so far this small gem is a diamond.

trailer