I Want to Be a Paperback Writer... Paperback Wriiiii-ter!!

September 3, 2010 9:25 AM

Dear Sir or Madam, will you read my book? It took me years to write. Will you take a look?...

Yes, my Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour' is coming out in paperback -- later this month, with a cool new cover, and, naturally, a lower price. For a sneak peek of the new cover, and (if you want) to pre-order, details follow...

The paperback, by the Touchstone division of Simon & Schuster Inc., will drop (if booksellers aren't careful) Sept. 28, at a retail price of $16.00. You can pre-order it now, and pay a lot less, by pre-ordering HERE.

And if you do, I probably get more from the modest Amazon kickback than I do from royalties.

It's basically the same book, except the front and back covers are redesigned, the first few pages are a collection of positive reviews, and -- the part that I'm really excited about -- restored, at the end of the book, is a section that was removed from the original for space considerations: my chapter-by-chapter detailed notes, citing where, and from whom, I got everything in my 14 years of research.

So here it is -- again. Buy one for a friend, if you can. I need all the friends you can get.

If you must return it, you can send it here -- but I need a break, and I want to be a paperback writer.

Paperback wriiiiiii-ter!!!!

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Where to Find the New Emmy Winners on TV? Glad You Asked...

September 1, 2010 10:00 AM

If you watched the Emmys, or read the list of winners afterward, you may well have encountered an unfamiliar name or show and asked yourself, "Where can I FIND these programs?" Well, don't ask yourself. Ask ME, because here comes a handy-dandy list...

Starting with the Emmy-winning movies and miniseries, there are no scheduled repeat telecasts right now for HBO's Temple Grandin or The Pacific.

But Temple Grandin, the most honored TV show at this year's Emmys, was released two weeks ago on video. So you can -- and, believe me, you SHOULD -- buy it -- and watch Claire Danes' amazing performance, and those of David Strathairn and Julia Ormond (all Emmy winners, along with awards for the show for direction and as outstanding TV movie) by clicking HERE.

The Pacific, the winner for outstanding miniseries, will be released on DVD Nov. 2, and you can pre-order it HERE.

As for the same network's You Don't Know Jack, which won for writing and for actor Al Pacino as Dr. Jack Kevorkian, it can be seen next week on two occasions: Tuesday, Sept. 7, at 11 p.m. ET, and Sunday, Sept. 12, at 4:45 p.m. ET, both on the HBO-S network.

Now for the regular series. Here's where, and when, to catch this year's winners:

Mad Men, AMC (Won for Outstanding Drama, and Writing for a Drama) -- There's a repeat of the current episode on AMC this Friday, Sept. 3, at 9:15 a.m. ET. The next new episode airs in the show's regular Sunday night time slot, Sept. 5 at 10 -- one of the few series to run first-run programming on Labor Day weekend.

Modern Family, ABC (Outstanding Comedy, Writing for a Comedy, Supporting Actor) -- This week's episode is pre-empted by ABC's CMA Music Festival special. But next Wednesday, Sept. 8, at 9 ET, Emmy winner Eric Stonestreet and the rest of the gang will be back, albeit in a summer rerun.

Glee, Fox (Supporting Actress in a Comedy; Guest Actor, Comedy; Director, Comedy) -- Next Tuesday, Sept. 7, Fox presents another prime-time doubleheader. Supporting Actress winner Jane Lynch is is both, but pay special attention to the 9 p.m. ET repeat -- that's the one featuring Emmy-winner Neil Patrick Harris as Will's old glee-club rival.

Breaking Bad, AMC (Actor, Drama; Supporting Actor, Drama) -- Watch Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul work their respective Emmy-winning magic on a rerun, Monday, Sept. 6, at 9:30 p.m. ET.

Dexter, Showtime (Guest Actor, Drama; Director, Drama) -- Sunday night at 9 ET, there's a repeat of one of the episodes featuring guest actor Emmy-winner John Lithgow, as the Trinity Killer. And to see it, tune in to Showtime, even though Lithgow mistakenly thanked HBO during his original acceptance speech.

Saturday Night Live, NBC (Guest Actress, Comedy) -- Betty White isn't the guest host on this week's rerun, but Tina Fey is, and Justin Bieber is the musical guest. Saturday, Sept. 4, at 11:29 p.m. ET.

The Big Bang Theory, CBS (Actor, Comedy) -- Jim Parsons explains it all for you, in next week's rerun: Monday, Sept. 7, at 9:30 p.m. ET.

Nurse Jackie, Showtime (Actress, Comedy) -- Showtime doesn't have any reruns scheduled currently, but DirecTV's 101 Network does. If you subscribe to that satellite service, tune to that channel Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET, or about 100 other times during the week, to see Edie Falco in her very funny "I'm not funny" performance.

The Closer, TNT (Actress, Drama) -- Kyra Sedgwick's next sassy turn as Brenda is Monday, Sept. 6, at 9 p.m. ET -- and even though it's Labor Day, it's an original episode, which has Brenda getting ready for her job interview for her possible promotion as Chief of Police.

Top Chef, Bravo (Reality Series) -- This first-time winner can be seen at 10 p.m. ET Wednesdays. This week's episode has an outer-space theme and features astronaut Buzz Aldrin, while next week's episode, the start of this season's two-part finale, takes place in Singapore.

The Good Wife, CBS (Supporting Actress, Drama) -- Tune in next Tuesday, Sept. 7, at 10 p.m. ET to see Archie Punjabi's attention-stealing role as a tough, resourceful private eye.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, NBC (Guest Actress, Drama) -- Ann-Margret won for her guest performance here, which NBC has yet to reschedule. But if you want to catch the series anyway, it airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Comedy Central (Writing, Variety/Music/Comedy Special) - Weeknights at 11 p.m. ET, and at several rerun points during the day, you can catch installments of this still-brilliant series, which deserves every Emmy it gets. And this show, right now, ISN'T in reruns. Yes, it is, it turns out. But hey, funny is funny, even if, in my case, wrong is wrong...

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After the Emmys, OUR Winners Are TVWW Reader Nathan and (Ahem) ME...

August 31, 2010 9:00 AM

After tabulating our TV WORTH WATCHING predictions from both our readers and our writers, two people correctly guessed four out of the six major categories and emerged with bragging rights. One was TVWW reader Nathan. The other was (and don't you forget it, you other 14 writers on this site) yours truly...

Among readers, Nathan got twice as many categories right as any other reader, correctly predicting Outstanding Comedy (ABC's Modern Family), Actor in a Drama Series (Bryan Cranston for AMC's Breaking Bad), Actor in a Comedy Series (Jim Parsons for CBS's The Big Bang Theory) and Actress in a Comedy Series (Edie Falco for Showtime's Nurse Jackie).

Good for you, Nathan! I'll be contacting you to get your address, for eventual receipt of the still-unknown TVWW tacky TV prize. Thanks for everyone who read, and wrote. It took a lot of work, I know.

As for our roster of writers here at TVWW, opinions were all over the place -- just as they are on every other topic. The general consensus was that AMC's Mad Men would win Outstanding Drama, as it did, and Falco got a lot of correct predictive votes, but otherwise, there was no clear trend emerging from our writers.

Not a single one of us saw TNT's The Closer star Kyra Sedgwick coming as the winner for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series. (And we shouldn't have. No disrespect, but why not Connie Britton, Glenn Close or Julianna Margulies?)

Four of us, including myself, saw Modern Family coming, but only Bill Brioux and I guessed Cranston would pull off his three-peat, and only Theresa Corigliano and I had enough faith in Jim Parsons to predict his upset over Alec Baldwin of NBC's 30 Rock.

For the record: I correctly predicted Mad Men, Modern Family, Cranston and Parsons. Diane Werts got 2.5 categories correct (but only by gutlessly splitting her Comedy Actress vote), and those managing two correct predictions in the major categories -- the same as the New York Times, by the way -- were Mark Bianculli (good going, son), Bill Brioux, Theresa Corigliano, Ed Martin and Alan Pergament. The others either got one right or, perhaps the biggest winners of all, didn't play.

Had anyone else won but myself, I would be bestowing upon the winner the right to gloat for an entire year, and lord it over his or her fellow TVWW contributors. But as the founder and editor of this website, I must demand of myself a higher, more mature standard.

Nyah, nyah!

Thanks for trying, losers!

How does my dust taste???

Who's the boss? Who's the boss? Who's the boss?...

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The Biggest Winner at the Emmys? HBO's "Temple Grandin" -- And Deservedly So

August 29, 2010 11:01 PM

The wealth was spread among many deserving Emmy winners in Monday's prime-time NBC telecast. Modern Family, Glee, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Dexter got more than one award. But by far the biggest winner, with five awards in all, was HBO's Temple Grandin. And deservedly so: When it premiered, I praised it as the best telemovie in years...

Supporting players Julia Ormond and David Strathairn and star Claire Danes all won for Grandin, as did director Mick Jackson and the telemovie itself, as best movie. Other noteworthy triumphs last night included ABC's Modern Family, winning for script, supporting actor Eric Stonestreet, and outstanding comedy; Glee, winning for supporting actress Jane Lynch, guest actor Neil Patrick Harris and director (series creator Ryan Murphy); Mad Men, which won for writing and, for the third year in a row, for outstanding drama; and Breaking Bad, where Aaron Paul won for supporting actor and Bryan Cranston, for the third year in a row, won as outstanding actor.

Surprises included Kyra Sedgwick winning for The Closer as outstanding dramatic actress, Edie Falco winning for outstanding comedic actress for Nurse Jackie (Even she was susprised: "I'm not funny"), and, again deservedly, Jim Parsons as outstanding comic actor for The Big Bang Theory.

The Emmys themselves ended on time, were fast-moving and rather entertaining, and even the clips were selected and presented intelligently. The only misstep were the jokes recited as winners came up to the stage -- too hard to hear, and seldom worth the effort. But for a three-hour show that handed out 28 prime-time awards and acknowledged a few more, it's ridiculous to complain. This year's Emmy telecast was a solid success, as was host Jimmy Fallon, who had energy to spare from the film-to-live opening segment on.

In what I'm fairly certain is unprecedented in the annals of TV criticism, I'm proud to steer you towards a father-son tag-team review -- specifically, to my son Mark, whose own review of the Emmys focuses specifically on host Jimmy Fallon. You can read it (once he files it; he's not as fast as his dad, yet) by clicking HERE.

And as an added bonus, another writer on this site, Eric Gould, chimed in with a surprise delivery this morning -- his own take on the Emmys, for which I thank him. And in which he thanks me, and almost everybody else. You can read that one HERE.

Also, Ed Bark, on his own Uncle Barky website, was ambitious enough to watch both the NBC telecast AND the network's official, different webcast -- so we share that insightful column (as usual) with our readers HERE, as well as on the Contributors blog and on Ed's own blog page here at TVWW. Then finally, there's our other Ed, Ed Martin, who decided to weigh in, too. His contribution can be found HERE.

And on Tuesday, I'll tally up the winners among both the critics and readers, to figure out who gets to boast, who gets a prize -- and who, around here in our ranks, has some 'splainin' to do...

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And the Emmy Goes to... Well, for Now, We're Just Guessing -- and So Can You

August 27, 2010 4:25 AM

The 62nd Annual Prime-Time Emmy Awards, with host Jimmy Fallon, will be televised on NBC Sunday night at 8 ET. Until then, it's anybody's guess who will win in the major categories -- so we here at TV WORTH WATCHING thought it would be fun to have anybody guess. We'll start with some of our correspondents, who are fighting for bragging rights. Then we'll open it up to you, for your OWN bragging rights, plus some tacky TV prize to be named later...

[UPDATE: Friday's USA Today features an Emmy advance article by Marco R. della Cava which both quotes me and credits TV WORTH WATCHING. Thanks, Marco! Read it HERE...]

Now that the website has been relaunched for, oh, almost a week, I thought I'd provide not only my own predictions for the winners of the top six categories, but those of others here at TVWW as well. Some were vacationing, and others were, let's just say, less than eager.

("Hell," Eric Mink wrote me in what he may have mistakenly thought was a private message, "even when I WATCHED everything, my Emmy predictions were always wrong!" By the way, I worked alongside the guy. They weren't.)

But I did get seven to play along -- managing editor Diane Werts, and correspondents P.J. Bednarski, Mark Bianculli, Tom Brinkmoeller (the Bs were well-accounted for), Eric Gould, Ed Martin and Alan Pergament. [Actually, there are eight: Theresa Corigliano slipped in tardily, but still welcomed.] Counting me, that's enough for a quorum, so let's see who's predicting what. And, because these folks are writers, expect commentary as well as votes. Some voted only in some categories, or only for winner, or only for whom they wanted to win. Others, after supplying their predictions, just kept writing.

In fact, three of them -- P.J., Mark, and Ed -- wrote such lengthy commentaries that they qualify as separate blogs. So, in addition to tallying their votes here, that's how I decided to publish them. On their own column pages here on TVWW, as well as on the overall Contributors blog, check out their comments, and reasoning, in their individual blog postings. We want you to get comfortable checking out the entire home page, and here's another good reason. Three of them, actually.

And when you're done reading the overall predictions here, feel free to add your own predictions. Just do it before 8 p.m. ET Sunday, or it won't be impressive -- and it won't count.

Here goes:

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Nominees: Breaking Bad, Dexter, The Good Wife, Lost, Mad Men, True Blood

P.J. Bednarski--
SHOULD WIN: The Good Wife
WILL WIN: Mad Men

David Bianculli--
SHOULD WIN: Breaking Bad, Dexter and Mad Men all had fabulous, win-worthy seasons.
WILL WIN: Mad Men

Mark Bianculli--
SHOULD WIN: Mad Men
WILL WIN: Mad Men

Bill Brioux--
SHOULD WIN: Dexter and Breaking Bad had electrifying finales, but Mad Men ended a marriage, dissolved an ad agency and assassinated a president.
WILL WIN: Lost, for six years viewers will never get back. Now that's drama!

Theresa Corigliano--
SHOULD WIN: The Good Wife

Eric Gould--
SHOULD WIN: Mad Men, perhaps the most adult, believable drama since thirtysomething. I miss Miles.
WILL WIN: Mad Men

Ed Martin--
SHOULD WIN: Mad Men
WILL WIN: Mad Men

Alan Pergament--
SHOULD WIN: Mad Men
WILL WIN: Lost

Diane Werts--
SHOULD WIN: Dexter. Or Breaking Bad. I implore you Emmy people!
WILL WIN: But sigh, I suspect it'll be more so-sleek, so-cold Mad Men.

OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
Nominees: Curb Your Enthusiasm, Glee, Modern Family, Nurse Jackie, The Office, 30 Rock

P.J. Bednarski--
SHOULD WIN: 30 Rock
WILL WIN: Curb Your Enthusiasm

David Bianculli--
SHOULD WIN: Curb Your Enthusiasm, for its brilliant faux Seinfeld reunion - though Glee and Modern Family, in different ways, were brilliant, too.
WILL WIN: Modern Family

Mark Bianculli--
SHOULD WIN: Glee
WILL WIN: Glee

Tom Brinkmoeller--
SHOULD WIN: 30 Rock
WILL WIN: Modern Family

Bill Brioux--
SHOULD WIN: The other week I was watching TV episodes off the monitor in the seatback of an airplane. Earphones on, I was laughing out loud and didn’t realize it, until the flight attendant stopped by. "Oh, no wonder," she said. "You're watching Modern Family."
WILL WIN: Modern Family, with points to Curb for those funny Seinfeld reunion shows. Not funny: omitting The Big Bang Theory.

Theresa Corigliano--
SHOULD WIN: Big Bang Theory (Oh, right, they don't allow write-in votes... so, ok, Nurse Jackie)

Eric Gould--
SHOULD WIN: Curb Your Enthusiasm -- Just smarter, and it's time to thank the smartest self-made pariah since John Cleese... just not as silly.
WILL WIN: Utter toss-up here, so I'll go with most jokes per square inch, 30 Rock.

Ed Martin--
SHOULD WIN: Modern Family
WILL WIN: Glee

Alan Pergament--
SHOULD WIN: 30 Rock
WILL WIN: Modern Family

Diane Werts--
SHOULD WIN: If Emmy wants to honor Glee, this looks like the place -- if voters consider it a comedy. That's fine by me.
WILL WIN: But I wouldn't be surprised to see them support the "real" comedy of Modern Family.

OUTSTANDING ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES
Nominees: Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights; Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad; Matthew Fox, Lost; Jon Hamm, Mad Men; Michael C. Hall, Dexter; Hugh Laurie, House

P.J. Bednarski--
SHOULD WIN: Bryan Cranston
WILL WIN: Kyle Chandler

David Bianculli--
SHOULD WIN: Honestly, everyone in this category astounded me last season. Everyone.
WILL WIN: Cranston, again.

Mark Bianculli--
SHOULD WIN: My heart wants Cranston for the three-peat.
WILL WIN: My head says Laurie will be recognized for a particularly difficult season.

Bill Brioux--
SHOULD WIN: Matthew Morrison should have been saluted here, instead of in comedy, after that terrifyingly real marital meltdown scene that yanked Glee off a campy cliff.
WILL WIN: Bryan Cranston, scary good as always in Breaking Bad.

Theresa Corigliano--
SHOULD WIN: Hugh Laurie (is anybody watching what he does?)

Eric Gould--
SHOULD WIN: Jon Hamm, for Don Draper's multi-headed Hydra... a riddle inside a mystery.
WILL WIN: Jon Hamm. Three years of amazing work.

Ed Martin--
SHOULD WIN: Jon Hamm
WILL WIN: If Michael C. Hall is ever to receive an Emmy for his work on Dexter it will happen this Sunday...

Alan Pergament--
SHOULD WIN: Michael C. Hall
WILL WIN: Jon Hamm

Diane Werts--
SHOULD WIN: Every nominee knocked it out of the park.
WILL WIN: Hugh Laurie might win for House being bad/good/bad, and that would be good/good/good.

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES
Nominees: Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights; Glenn Close, Damages; Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit; January Jones, Mad Men; Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife; Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

P.J. Bednarski--
SHOULD WIN: Julianna Margulies
WILL WIN: January Jones

David Bianculli--
SHOULD WIN: Connie Britton -- finally, much too tardily nominated.
WILL WIN: Julianna Margulies, in a relative upset over Glenn Close

Mark Bianculli--
SHOULD WIN: Julianna Margulies
WILL WIN: Julianna Margulies. This one's a no-brainer (hopefully, or I'll look very stupid). Hottest new drama. Hottest new character. Margulies is wonderful (and beautiful) in everything she's in. Time for a second Emmy.

Bill Brioux--
SHOULD WIN: A few seasons ago, Julianna Margulies was miscast as an unsympathetic superwoman in Canterbury's Law. Perfectly cast as The Good Wife, she brought grace, edge and courage to a complicated character.
WILL WIN: Close, but no cigar.

Theresa Corigliano--
SHOULD WIN: Julianna Margulies (she had me at the pilot)

Eric Gould--
SHOULD WIN: Mariska Haritgay. If outstanding makes you believe, then I believe, every time, even within some of the dopier plots.
WILL WIN: Mariska Hargitay

Ed Martin--
SHOULD WIN: Kyra Sedgwick, Connie Britton
WILL WIN: If anyone is going to block the formidable Glenn Close of Damages from a third consecutive win, it's Good Wife star Julianna Margulies.

Alan Pergament--
SHOULD WIN: Connie Britton
WILL WIN: Julianna Margulies

Diane Werts--
SHOULD WIN: Julianna Margulies did wonders with the least showy role in the group...
WILL WIN: ...And I'd be amazed if Emmy didn't recognize that.

OUTSTANDING ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES
Nominees: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock; Steve Carell, The Office; Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm; Matthew Morrison, Glee; Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory; Tony Shalhoub, Monk

P.J. Bednarski--
SHOULD WIN: Alec Baldwin
WILL WIN: Matthew Morrison

David Bianculli--
SHOULD WIN: Alec Baldwin and Jim Parsons are equally astounding.
WILL WIN: Let's shake things up: In the biggest surprise of the night, Parsons.

Mark Bianculli--
SHOULD WIN: Parsons seems to be the easy fan favorite in this one...
WILL WIN: ...But I doubt the Academy will forget just what a true master of comedy Alec Baldwin has consistently proven to be.

Tom Brinkmoeller--
SHOULD WIN: Jim Parsons
WILL WIN: Alec Baldwin

Bill Brioux--
SHOULD WIN: Sheldon Cooper is a narcissist know-it-all and yet Parsons finds a way to make him sympathetic if not quite loveable. That's quantum physics.
WILL WIN: Alec Baldwin. Hey, he's Alec Baldwin.

Theresa Corigliano--
SHOULD WIN: Jim Parsons... Jim Parsons... Jim Parsons

Eric Gould--
SHOULD WIN: Probably Steve Carell: Even though The Office has run out of steam, he hasn't, and his talent is at the top of this heap, if edging out Baldwin only by a lash.
WILL WIN: Alec Baldwin

Ed Martin--
SHOULD WIN: Jim Parsons
WILL WIN: Alec Baldwin, Tony Shalhoub. I'm calling this one a toss-up.

Alan Pergament--
SHOULD WIN: Jim Parsons
WILL WIN: Alec Baldwin

Diane Werts--
SHOULD WIN: Please, oh please, give Jim Parsons his due. (Do voters think he IS his character?)
WILL WIN: But I suspect they'll give a big wet goodbye kiss to Tony Shalhoub.

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES
Nominees: Toni Collette, The United States of Tara; Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie; Tina Fey, 30 Rock; Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine; Lea Michele, Glee; Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation

P.J. Bednarski--
SHOULD WIN: Tina Fey
WILL WIN: Julia Louis-Dreyfus

David Bianculli--
SHOULD WIN: Toni Collette
WILL WIN: Toni Collette. Hell, she could take home FIVE Emmys -- one for each alter ego -- and still have additional characters in her arsenal.

Mark Bianculli--
SHOULD WIN: Edie Falco
WILL WIN: Edie Falco. Since it's specifically an "actress" award, I think it would take a miracle to beat the likes of Edie Falco (...a miracle, or Toni Collette).

Tom Brinkmoeller--
SHOULD WIN: Julia Louis-Dreyfus
WILL WIN: Lea Michele

Bill Brioux--
SHOULD WIN: Glee's breakout star Jane Lynch, not even nominated here. C'mon, Lea Michele is in this category and Lynch is relegated to supporting actress? That's not how Sue C's it. The others are all funny ladies but, as Sue would say, nobody watches their shows.
WILL WIN: Tina Fey. And why not?

Theresa Corigliano--
SHOULD WIN: Edie Falco

Eric Gould--
SHOULD WIN: Toni Collette, for playing not just one character, but six. That's six Emmys.
WILL WIN: Toni Collette

Ed Martin--
SHOULD WIN: Edie Falco
WILL WIN: Edie Falco. With her work on Nurse Jackie, she has done something I didn't think possible -- she has shoved aside all memories of her career-defining role as Carmela Soprano.

Alan Pergament--
SHOULD WIN: Edie Falco
WILL WIN: Edie Falco

Diane Werts--
SHOULD WIN: Julia Louis-Dreyfus
WILL WIN: Edie Falco, Toni Collette

--

Those are theirs. Now how about yours? You can vote only once -- and if you can figure out some other way to cheat, don't bother. The prizes, whatever they are, won't be worth it. And besides, I'm behind in mailing out the LAST prizes, though I've contacted those winners to apologize.

This website relaunching stuff takes time. So, it turns out, does tabulating Emmy predictions (he types, at 4:25 a.m. ET)...

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Digging Deep Into This Site, for Another Old Ray Recchi Story... And One of Mine

August 26, 2010 10:30 AM

Yesterday's post, on why I love BBC America's The Choir and Fox's Glee, gave me the excuse to print a classic vintage column by my old friend and mentor, the late Ray Recchi, on the importance of music education in schools. And it reminded me -- hiding deep within this site is another of my favorite Recchi columns, on which he reviewed... me... and my one and only attempt at doing stand-up at a comedy club...

It's a way to give you another taste of why I admired Ray so much. And also, as a happy side benefit, to encourage you to explore our newly redesigned site, and poke into some of its deeper tunnels and caves. So instead of giving you an easy link here, I'll give directions instead:

1. Go back to the main page, which you always can do by clicking on the TV WORTH WATCHING banner at the top of any page.

2. Scroll down to the bottom of the page -- beneath my blog, beneath the best bets, beneath the featured video, beneath the week's list of new DVDs (where you'll notice, if you leave your cursor parked on them for a second, mini-descriptions and mini-reviews will pop up in otherwise hidden text). There, you'll find a quartet of BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE! treats, one of which is THE MORGUE. Click on that puppy.

3. The first two stories you'll encounter there are the ones I'm pointing you to today. The first is my own first-person account of preparing for, and performing, for a comedy routine 30 years ago -- and the second is Ray's review of my performance. Both stories ran in the Fort Lauderdale News/Sun-Sentinel as a package.

And since then, by the way, I've stuck with writing...

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Why I Watch BBC America's "The Choir" with Glee -- and Enjoy "Glee" Just as Much

August 25, 2010 8:45 AM

Wednesday night at 10 p.m. ET, BBC America presents the latest installment of The Choir, a fabulous show presenting optimistic choirmaster Gareth Malone (above) and his tireless efforts to introduce music, and music education, to British schools devoid of both.

This Sunday, Fox's Glee is up for a bunch of Emmy awards, and already has picked up one well-deserved statuette, for Neil Patrick Harris' stellar guest turn as an old alumnus of a high-school performing arts program. As an even older alumnus of just such a program, I'm a sucker for both these shows...

What Glee does, week in and week out (for now, Fox is double-pumping reruns of the musical series to fill its Tuesday prime-time summer schedule), is present both the joy and passion of music and the wildly individual characters represented in any sort of artistic high-school endeavor. It;s scripted, but it works.

And what The Choir does, each week, is show the real thing: Youngsters -- some introverted but talented, others outgoing but hostile -- being herded into a coherent unit, making music that inspires not only them, but their parents and friends. And, I promise, anyone who tunes in.

Both shows have an overt message that I hope is being absorbed, even if subliminally: That music education programs, at the high-school and even grade-school level, are things to be thought of not as expendable frivolities, but as educational necessities. Copies of The Choir should be sent to every school board in America. So should copies of a newspaper article written by a friend of mine more than a decade ago -- an article that, unfortunately, still rings just as true.

Ray Recchi was my boss and mentor when I got to the Ft. Lauderdale News in 1977, the guy who taught me how to find my voice as a columnist -- and, perhaps no less important, how to walk through a newsroom with a full cup of coffee without spilling any. (Never look at it. It works.)

By the time I left that paper in 1980, Ray had "demoted" himself to columnist to enjoy life more, we had become close friends, and the paper itself had become the Sun-Sentinel. Ray died more than a decade ago, but one of his columns just resurfaced.

It was recirculated on the email forum of the Hall/Hill Performing Arts, the South Florida Glee-ish group of which I once was a member (mostly offstage, blessedly, as lighting designer and such), whose home website, run by surviving teacher Allen Hill, can be found HERE.

When I read that article, it made me miss Ray (seen here with Buffie Blakeslee Peter, one of the youngest members of our company when we first started staging musicals at Nova High School), and envy his breezy writing style, all over again. But it also made me think of The Choir, and Glee, and the sorry state of most music education today.

Which is why I'm happy -- honored -- to reprint it here. Thanks, Ray...

Music Is Not Dessert

By RAY RECCHI, Lifestyle Columnist, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

For me, music has never been dessert. It has always been one of the main courses.

I wake up to music, listen to it as I drive to work and hum while I'm working. Even when I'm silent, a melody is running through my head. (At the moment, it is a Scott Joplin rag, for reasons unknown even to me.)

My father made his living as a musician. It also was his hobby. For years, I made my living writing about music, which was my hobby, too. All three of my children play musical instruments and spend a lot of time making and listening to music. I'm proud of that.

Even for those whose lives are less involved with it, however, music is not merely something pleasant to listen to while driving, shopping or jogging, although it fulfills those purposes. It is humanizing. It is a form of communication that brings people together in a way that can transcend words, races, religions and ideologies.

And the more you know about it, the more beautiful it is -- not just the sound of it, but the structure of it, indeed the very idea of it.

What's more, one cannot seriously study music without learning about math, languages, history, anthropology and several other subjects. A music student also learns self-discipline, responsibility and dedication.

So it confounds and angers me that whenever we need to put the education budget on a diet, people regard music as dessert instead of the healthy main course that it is.

And with all the talk of budget cuts in education these days, you can't blame music teachers for feeling a bit paranoid.

In an effort to blunt the expected assault on music programs, the theme of the Florida Music Educations Association convention in Tampa last weekend was "Music makes the difference." The group's message was that music is not a frill, but is basic to education.

Obviously, many would argue with that. The philosophy of the "no frills" faction is that math, science, English and history are the only basics. The arts, they say, are extras.

I can't help but think, however, that if music were simply to disappear, those people might change their tune. Fortunately, that won't happen. Music and the people who make and teach it will go on in spite of all those who have little or no respect for them.

Ironically, that is also the problem. Music is such a big part of our lives that people tend to take it for granted. Because part of the beauty of music is that, even though it is a main course, it tastes like dessert.

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More Relaunch News, Radio and Newspaper Stuff, and Thoughts on Early Emmy Winners

August 24, 2010 9:30 AM

Lots to cover, so let's dive right in, beginning with more relaunch news.

Your reaction to our Extreme Makeover (TV WORTH WATCHING as The Swan?) has been warm, thoughtful and encouraging. I expected nothing less, but thanks just the same.

And in that same welcoming spirit, please get in the habit of visiting, and commenting on, our new Contributors blog -- where, today, we top off three new columns written yesterday with an even newer one, a personal essay on TV and race, written by good friend Gerald Jordan...

Not to mention today's new FOR BETTER OR WERTS column by Diane Werts, in which she reviews the new Lost complete box set, and starts out by complaining about the size of the box...

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Then there are two thoughtful articles on the state of TV comedy, and the resurgence of what might be called "retro TV" (i.e., TV Land's Hot in Cleveland), written by Cleveland Plain Dealer TV critic Mark Dawidziak. He's a guy I'd love to have writing for this site, but he's not cooperating, because he stubbornly remains employed by his newspaper. (Hey, SOMEBODY has to.)

But here are links to his two just-published stories, which I pass along not only because they're good, but because -- Vanity Alert! -- they both quote me, extensively and accurately, and credit TV WORTH WATCHING as well. It's part of my glacial plan for TVWW global domination. Today, Cleveland.... tomorrow, Akron!

Read his story on the state of the modern sitcom HERE, and his story on TV "comfort food" HERE.

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And I was too frazzled to mention it yesterday (Monday), when it happened, but NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross aired my report on this week's fifth-anniversary Hurricane Katrina stories. Even if you missed, or don't want to see, some of the programs discussed, you might want to check out the audio clips, which I featured extensively.

You can read, and hear, the story by clicking HERE (I highly recommend listening to, not just reading, this one; it's the clips that make it). Or you can also get there by clicking FRESH AIR on our TVWW orange navigation bar, which takes you straight to NPR's archive of my Fresh Air reports. If you're too tired to scroll up, you can also click HERE.

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And finally, there are the Creative Arts Emmys, which are handed out a week in advance of Sunday's actual prime-time Emmy Awards. So we already know, for example, the results to some of my favorite Emmy races each year, the ones where actors compete for best guest performances in drama and comedy series.

The winners for comedy, this year, were Betty White, for her turn at hosting NBC's Saturday Night Live, and Neil Patrick Harris, for his spectacular performance as Will's former glee-group role model on Fox's Glee.

Harris also won in a "special class" program category, winning an Emmy for his hosting chores at the Tony Awards. He deserves both, so that's pretty cool. And White, winning her fifth Emmy at age 88 -- that's even cooler.

In drama, the guest actor winners were John Lithgow for his creepy serial killer on Showtime's Dexter (yes!) and Ann-Margret, winning for a guest role on NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

But reflect, for a moment, on just how deeply competitive these categories are -- and, by inference, how good TV has gotten at luring excellent actors and actresses for meaty but short-term roles.

No question, Lithgow deserves his statuette for best guest actor in a drama series. But in so doing, he beat out, among others, Ted Danson as the arrogant Arthur Frobisher in FX's Damages, Alan Cumming's smarmy Eli Gold in CBS's The Good Wife, and Robert Morse's Bertram Cooper in AMC's Mad Men.

In the guest actress category for drama, Ann-Marget beat out several nominees who, in my opinion, were more deserving of a win.

Specifically, think of Elizabeth Mitchell as the lovable Juliet on ABC's Lost, Lily Tomlin as the despicable Marilyn Tobin on Damages, and both Mary Kay Place and Sissy Spacek of HBO's Big Love.

On the comedy side, the riches are just as pronounced.

Betty White, 2010's TV "It Girl," beat out such powerhouse women as Elaine Stritch -- at age 85, a relative ingenue -- for her recurring role as Jack's overbearing mom on NBC's 30 Rock. And Kristin Chenoweth, whose guest-star turn on Glee was just as electrifying as male winner Harris'. And Christine Baranski, who was a riot as Beverly, Leonard's mom, on CBS's The Big Bang Theory.

As for the men, Harris triumphed over Fred Willard as Frank on ABC's Modern Family, and, among others, Mad Men star Jon Hamm for his delightful moonlighting role as Drew, Liz Lemon's neighbor and potential boyfriend, on 30 Rock.

Good stuff. Which, after all, is precisely what the Emmys are supposed to be about: reminding us of how good TV can be. So why wasn't this part of the ceremony televised?

Turns out it will be: the E! Entertainment network is televising a taped version of the Creative Arts awards show on Friday, Aug. 27, two days before the prime-time Emmys are presented live by NBC. But if you're looking for it, look hard: E! is showing that ceremony at 1 p.m. ET.

After all, if E! would televise some of TV's best actors, actresses and offerings in prime time on Friday, it'd have to bump... Jerseylicious.

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The Relaunch is Here! The Relaunch is Here!

August 22, 2010 9:33 PM

If you've been here before, you should already be able to tell, just from first glance, how different things look around here, and how hard we've worked to make "TV WORTH WATCHING: The Next Generation" an even more compelling place to visit for all things related to quality television. And if you're a new visitor, welcome. This is a place where writers and readers who care about, and seek out, excellent TV, come to congregate, debate, and find new things to watch...

The site is still in transition, but TVWW 2.0 definitely is up and running.

Rather than do a blow-by-blow, item-by-item list of all we've done, let me just, for today, point out the highest of highlights.

In addition to the two blogs that previously were showcased on the home page -- mine and Diane Werts' -- we now make room, at the bottom left, for the four most recent blogs by our contributing writers. Click on those stories, and read them on their own pages. Or click on the CONTRIBUTORS button on the navigation bar, and go to a collection of ALL contributors' blogs.

OR... and here's the fun part... go to the masthead on the right side of the home page, where ALL our writers are listed, along with their individual column names. Click on THOSE, and go immediately to their home pages, where every story they've written for or shared with TVWW is right there, in their own cozy space.

And what writers. Counting Diane and me, there are 15 of them -- and those of you in the industry, or who have read bylines of major newspapers over the past few decades, are likely to recognize a lot of them. Ed Bark. Diane Holloway. Noel Holston. Eric Mink. And so many more... well, just read them for yourself. The roll call, AND the columns. I couldn't be prouder of the company I'm keeping, or the website we're collectively generating.

Other new additions to the site are actual random bits of video (I held out long enough, but now it's easier), reviews of new and classic DVD releases (some with scroll-over hover text!), and -- but wait, there's more! There's also BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!, a collection of more fun stuff, from TV theme songs to my favorite Fresh Air reports and newspaper stories.

Please look around, and play around, and comment here to tell us what you think. I especially encourage you to read the other bloggers, and welcome them by commenting on whatever you find interesting, whether it's Ed Bark's review of Spike Lee's new HBO documentary or Tom Brinkmoeller's evisceration of NBC's upcoming Jimmy Smits drama...

And a special thanks, for their months of hard work and a Sunday of insane crash cramming, to the team that pulled this off with and for me: website designer Eric Gould (also a columnist here, as of late, and an excellent one), webmaster Rich Baniewicz, and Diane Werts, who as of today gets a much-deserved promotion, and even more work, as TVWW's managing editor.

And now, at about 10 p.m. ET Sunday, we're putting this puppy to bed. And then, shortly thereafter, ourselves...

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One if By LAN, Two if By PC: "The Relaunch is Coming! The Relaunch is Coming!"

August 20, 2010 4:03 PM

Well, I can't begin to tell you how much work is behind us, and how much looms ahead this weekend. But we're close enough for me to announce to you, and dare us here at TV WORTH WATCHING, that we hope to have the long-promised website relaunch up and running by Monday morning...

A lot of things are still in flux, including the photo in the banner I'm displaying here, for the record. (My beard got vetoed, and is being relegated to a different page.) But I'm so, so excited about what we've done, and what we're doing, that I wanted to send out the word.

So if, especially on Sunday, the site is sluggish or closed down for a few hours, you'll know why. And come back Monday for the relaunch party, where we'll serve virtual beer and virtual pizza. No calories, and you can have as much as you want...

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