I know I’m not the only person who’s watched Game of Thrones or read A Song of Ice and Fire and listened to Ben Folds Five’s “One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces” without thinking about some of the parallels between the narrator of the song and Martin’s best character. I put together this very quick and dirty video:

In discussing The Avengers, Tim Grierson points out something that captures elegantly one of the main reasons that I tend to find Whedon’s works so compelling: Joss Whedon: Revenge Of The Nerd:

“As opposed to J.J. Abrams, whom Hollywood has decided to anoint as our new ambassador of geek culture, Whedon never seems to be trying to prove to us how much he loves this stuff. Maybe that’s partly why some people prefer Abrams’ movies: His Star Trek and Super 8 have an ironic detachment to them that signals that we’re supposed to know it’s OK not to really take this stuff seriously. Despite his great sense of humor, Whedon isn’t ironic. For all his cleverness, he takes his worlds seriously. And even when he’s being snarky, there’s a sincerity underneath it all. With Abrams, you never get the sense that he absolutely has to tell these stories: He’s more of a producer who has a gift for good ideas rather than an artist following a calling.”

Whedon’s best work have ridiculous elements to them. Buffy, in particular, had some tremendously goofy and cheesy looking effects and villains. And even though the characters would always laugh at themselves or the situations that they were in, the situations always had gravity. The humor develops from the dramatic tension. The season arcs always built towards dramatic tension where the stakes for the characters felt huge. And even if you finished an episode shaking your head in disbelief about the implausibility or just weirdness of what happened, it didn’t affect how the characters take it seriously.

It’s always important to take the characters and drama seriously. It’s why The Wire, The Sopranos, Buffy, and Parks and Recreation work so well. They’re not afraid to be funny or dramatic rather than always serious or silly without losing the investment in the characters.

I’m joined by a pop culture panel with Dan Suitor and Amy Watts to discuss Showtime’s Shameless, alcoholism, poverty, and Young Daniel’s weighted formula for assessing the quality of topless scenes on premium cable.

We discuss the following four episodes from season 1:
Pilot
Aunt Ginger
Killer Carl
It’s Time to Kill the Turtle

The High Strung

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For this Pop Culture Panel, Dan Suitor and Amy Watts join me to discuss HBO’s The Wire. Oft-heralded as the best show in the history of television, it’s also one that was never very popular in its early seasons, but has drawn more and more viewers over the last 10 years as it made its way into the cultural consciousness.
More than many other television serials, The Wire watches like great literature and rewards rewatching, in large part because characters develop from smaller parts to larger ones over the course of the series. As our window into the world of Baltimore, the series sprawls over the years and it’s all connected.
SPOILER NOTICE: This podcast discusses events from the first five episodes of season one.
Links:
Watch The Wire Season 1 on HBO GO or on Netflix (DVD only) or buy the set on Amazon.com.
Alan Sepinwall’s Discussions of Season 1 episodes for Wire Newbies

Wire Watching Project at A List of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago:

Also from ALOTT5MA: On Watching and Rewatching The Wire and It’s All in the Game, Yo.
Other links:
Washington Post: After ‘The Wire’ ended, actress Sonja Sohn couldn’t leave Baltimore’s troubled streets behind
Alyssa Rosenberg, After ‘The Wire,’ Black Actors Trapped In Baltimore
Gawker: People Say Really Stupid Things About The Wireon OKCupid
Stuff White People Like: #85 The Wire

Subscribe to the BRR podcast feed. (Coming soon to an iTunes podcast directory near you.)

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I started to do a post on who I’d nominate for Emmy awards back in the spring, but never completed it before the Emmys released the actual nominations. So, here are my picks for who I think should win (rather than will win) the awards as well as who I would have nominated for the category.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama

Nominees Ideal nominations
  • Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire)
  • Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights)
  • Michael C. Hall (Dexter)
  • Jon Hamm (Mad Men)
  • Hugh Laurie (House)
  • Timothy Olyphant (Justified)
  • Sean Bean (Game of Thrones)
  • Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire)
  • Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights)
  • Jon Hamm (Mad Men)
  • Donal Logue (Terriers)
  • Timothy Olyphant (Justified)
  • Should win: Jon Hamm (Mad Men)
    You know that Jon Hamm doesn’t have an Emmy for Mad Men, right? (He’s lost 3 years consecutively to Bryan Cranston for Breaking Bad.) He should. And in this season of Mad Men, Hamm got to play Don Draper as he’s struggling through a difficult period after his divorce. The Suitcase is perhaps the best highlight reel of an episode possible for the show’s lead actors.
    The world has forgotten about Terriers, so Donal Logue was not nominated for an Emmy for Terriers, but his was one of the standout performances on TV of the year. Kyle Chandler as Coach Taylor is one of the iconic performances of the last decade, but Don Draper is the iconic performance. Buscemi plays intimidating and powerful control without having the physical presence of the real-life Nucky Johnson.

    Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama

    Nominees Ideal nominations
  • Kathy Bates (Harry’s Law)
  • Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights)
  • Mireille Enos (The Killing)
  • Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)
  • Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife)
  • Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men)
  • Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights)
  • Melissa Leo (Treme)
  • Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife)
  • Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men)
  • Katey Sagal (Sons Of Anarchy)
  • Should win: Connie Britton
    This is a toss-up between Britton’s cumulative excellence and Moss’s emergence as lead with a brilliant period of self-discovery for her character culminating in a confrontation with her mentor. The Suitcase was Moss’s best moment so far on the show, and not yet having finished season 5 of Friday Night Lights, I don’t know if this season provided Britton with anything comparable, like the first four seasons.

    Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy

    Nominees Ideal nominations
  • Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)
  • Steve Carell (The Office)
  • Louis C.K. (Louie)
  • Johnny Galecki (The Big Bang Theory)
  • Matt LeBlanc (Episodes)
  • Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory)
  • Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)
  • Louis C.K. (Louie)
  • Steve Carell (The Office)
  • Rob Lowe (Parks And Recreation)
  • Joel McHale (Community)
  • Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory)
  • Should win: Steve Carrell
    Steve Carrell has never won an Emmy for his work on The Office. Let me repeat: Steve Carrell has never won an Emmy for The Office. He brings a mix of egocentrism, weirdness and humanity to the character. He’s not nearly as mean as Ricky Gervais’s David Brent, but manages to create awkwardness through generosity and self-delusion.

    Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy

    Nominees Ideal nominations
  • Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie)
  • Tina Fey (30 Rock)
  • Laura Linney (The Big C)
  • Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Molly)
  • Martha Plimpton (Raising Hope)
  • Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation)
  • Tina Fey (30 Rock)
  • Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation)
  • Should win: Amy Poehler Poehler plays the right mix of grounded and crazy, optimism and cynicism as Leslie Knope on Parks & Rec. She is the catalyst for the action, gets some of the biggest laughs, but also gives the supporting cast the ability to out-weird and out-funny her. As a result, Parks has not only one of the strongest ensembles in comedy, but a true female lead in a comedy (rather than a half-hour dramedy.)

    Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama

    Nominees Ideal nominations
  • Andre Braugher (Men of a Certain Age)
  • Josh Charles (The Good Wife)
  • Alan Cumming (The Good Wife)
  • Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones)
  • Walton Goggins (Justified)
  • John Slattery (Mad Men)
  • Peter Dinklage (Game Of Thrones)
  • Walton Goggins (Justified)
  • Wendell Pierce (Treme)
  • Michael Pitt (Boardwalk Empire)
  • Michael Raymond-James (Terriers)
  • John Slattery (Mad Men)
  • Should win: Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones)
    In the thousands of pages of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, Tyrion Lannister stands out as the most interesting character. He is smart, underestimated, ostracized, drunk, cynical and horny. Dinklage captures all of those elements and manages to let the character be as interesting as possible. His portrayal of the character is as fun, layered and complex as the character himself. Walton Goggins is electrifying and captivating in every moment on screen. He makes Justified more engaging and dynamic whenever he’s on screen and elevates the show as a supporting character. This is one of the most competitive categories, with many good options.

    Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama

    Nominees Ideal nominations
  • Christine Baranski (The Good Wife)
  • Michelle Forbes (The Killing)
  • Christina Hendricks (Mad Men)
  • Kelly Macdonald (Boardwalk Empire)
  • Margo Martindale (Justified)
  • Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife)
  • Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones)
  • Christina Hendricks (Mad Men)
  • Kelly Macdonald (Boardwalk Empire)
  • Margo Martindale (Justified)
  • Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife)
  • Kiernan Shipka (Mad Men)
  • Should win: Margo Martindale (Justified). As the tragic villian of Justified, Martindale’s Mags Bennett got to play maternal, mean, sweet, controlling and lost all within the span of a season. A brilliant performance of a unique character.

    Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy

    Nominees Ideal nominations
  • Ty Burrell (Modern Family)
  • Chris Colfer (Glee)
  • Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men)
  • Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family)
  • Ed O’Neill (Modern Family)
  • Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family)
  • Ty Burrell (Modern Family)
  • Ted Danson (Bored to Death)
  • Charlie Day (It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia)
  • Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother)
  • Nick Offerman (Parks And Recreation)
  • Danny Pudi (Community)
  • Should win: Ty Burrell (Modern Family). My choice to run away with the category would be Nick Offerman’s Ron Swanson. He makes this ridiculous libertarian character working in local government human and completely insane at the same time. But then this category could justifiably be made up of the entire supporting cast of Modern Family. Replacing Colfer and Cryer with Nolan Gould and Rico Rodriguez would make it a stronger category. Even though I think that Offerman, Day and Pudi are the class of this field, the Modern Family ensemble works so perfectly and Burrell’s character was dialed in to the right balance of buffoonery and believability. But the Academy can’t go wrong with any of the Modern Family cast.

    Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy

    Nominees Ideal nominations
  • Julie Bowen (Modern Family)
  • Jane Krakowski (30 Rock)
  • Jane Lynch (Glee)
  • Sofia Vergara (Modern Family)
  • Betty White (Hot in Cleveland)
  • Kristen Wiig (Saturday Night Live)
  • Julie Bowen (Modern Family)
  • Alison Brie (Community)
  • Jane Lynch (Glee)
  • Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation)
  • Yvonne Strahovski (Chuck)
  • Sofia Vergara (Modern Family)
  • Should win: Sofia Vergara (Modern Family). Sure, she’s beautiful and has an exaggerated accent. But Vergara’s timing is perfect. She takes what could be a terrible hackneyed character and manages to be consistently hilarious.

    Outstanding Comedy Series

    Nominees Ideal nominations
  • 30 Rock
  • The Big Bang Theory
  • Glee
  • Modern Family
  • The Office
  • Parks and Recreation
  • 30 Rock
  • Community
  • It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
  • Louie
  • Modern Family
  • Parks and Recreation
  • Should win: Parks and Recreation
    It isn’t as inventive as Community, as relatable as Modern Family, as introspective as Louie, or as fully committed as Always Sunny, but Parks and Recreation put together a tremendous string of funny episodes that have biting criticism of society and still managed to be warm and engaging. A brilliant series of episodes and performances, including Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, Chris Pratt, Rob Lowe, Aziz Ansari, Adam Scott and Li’l Sebastian.
    Outstanding Drama Series

    Nominees Ideal nominations
  • Boardwalk Empire
  • Dexter
  • Friday Night Lights
  • Game of Thrones
  • The Good Wife
  • Mad Men
  • Boardwalk Empire
  • Friday Night Lights
  • Game of Thrones
  • Justified
  • Mad Men
  • Terriers
  • Who should win? Mad Men
    There are some very solid choices for best drama this year, even while television’s current best drama, Breaking Bad, fell through the cracks to not air any episodes during the eligibility year. Friday Night Lights is a unique, special show in its last season. Game of Thrones and Boardwalk Empire came out of the gates with solid seasons — the last stretch of Game of Thrones was epic. But Mad Men had one of its best seasons to date, with Don Draper experiencing a trying time and falling to a personal low. Looking back just at the episode titles and summaries, more of the Mad Men episodes worked well and distinctly compared with the two HBO shows.

    Kurt Sutter quit Twitter this week.
    In and of itself, that’s not particularly newsworthy, but why he did is symptomatic of a problem that is undermining American society and threatening our democracy.
    Seriously.
    Sutter is the executive producer and showrunner of Sons of Anarchy on FX. He’s also someone who says exactly what’s on his mind, without much thinking. He is admittedly very self-reflective and publicly self-critical. Like most writers, mixing extreme ego with extreme neuroses. And he applies his analytical eye not just to his own work, but to the industry as a whole. These are all factors that make Sutter seem like someone who would be great fun to talk with at a party and also a consistently entertaining Twitterer.
    But although thousands of fans of Sons of Anarchy follow Sutter for bits of information on the show’s production and news about the upcoming season and cast, posting on Twitter can have a much broader reach than hanging out with fans at Comic-Con or a Harley Davidson enthusiast rally. (Which I’m sure has a non-square term that motorcycle clubs actually use.)
    Through a proliferation of entertainment news media and the internet, there’s both much more entertainment news coverage (from the vapid television of Access Hollywood and E! to the more detailed gossip at Deadline Hollywood and Gawker. The upside to this trend is the detailed analysis of critics at sites like Hitfix and NPR and a deeper focus on entertainment news from traditional sources like New York Magazine and The Hollywood Reporter.
    And television series showrunners are not just writers and producers, but also the public voice for a show. And television shows are big business not just for the cast and crew, but the networks, advertisers and more. So the showrunner is effectively the CEO of each production. So the words of a television series showrunner are going to be read by people in the industry.
    So when Sutter makes a controversial statement, such as alleging that the deal that AMC made with Lionsgate and Matthew Weiner for future seasons of Mad Men were forcing AMC to cut the budgets of its two other big shows, The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad. Writer and Director Frank Darabont had recently left The Walking Dead surprisingly quickly and AMC was reported to be in talks with Sony for a smaller, less expensive final season of Breaking Bad which may have resulted in the studio shopping the best show on television around to other networks.
    That’s an opportunity to do some solid journalism, talk to sources at AMC and around the industry and work off of it to do some serious reporting.
    And while not every outlet who picked up the “Sutter tweets wacky stuff” story did actual reporting on the underlying story, at least the Hollywood Reporter did. OK, they sensationalized the Twitter drama, but at least they reported on the actual news.
    That alone may prove that the entertainment media is more diligent and less frivolous than the national 24 hour cable news networks.
    As the most astute media critics working who share a network with stoner films and foulmouthed puppets, the Daily Show saw the trend:

    The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
    Twitter Pundits
    www.thedailyshow.com
    Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

    Instead of researching facts and analyzing policies to help citizens with independent analysis and judgment, the news media is happy to simply report what one side says and then report what the other side says. There’s little attempt at analysis and little depth to the overall amount of reporting.
    From economic issues like raising the debt ceiling and repealing the Bush tax cuts, to scientific issues like global climate change, the mainstream media seems to have little interest in pursuing truth, but rather simply reporting the existence of conflict.
    This would be OK in the entertainment news, but it seems more prevalent in the reporting of national politics and policy than anywhere else, which can not serve the public interest.
    See also: Myles McNutt, Antenna, The Rise and Fall of @Sutterink: Showrunners [Off] Twitter III

    Even though they sing in Swedish, Movits! brought a sizable crowd out to Bowery Ballroom on a Sunday night. Only a fraction of this crowd spoke Swedish. Part of this is due to the Colbert bump they received by performing on The Colbert Report. But the main reason is likely that Movits plays music that is unafraid to be fun and is full of gleeful enthusiasm that transcends language.
    At least, that is the case for me. More than any other artist currently working, Movits makes the kind of music that I want to make. It’s got a unique voice, it’s fun, it’s happy, it’s danceable and it features saxophone. Upright bass is an extra plus. Of course, I probably wouldn’t go with lyrics in Swedish. Aside from some brands (Ikea, Volvo) and proper names (hockey player names and characters from Steig Larsson’s novels), I don’t know a word of Swedish. Yet I couldn’t stop smiling throughout the show. Perhaps that’s a result of a lack of comprehension and perhaps the words are very serious and somber in contrast to the fun and danceable music.
    But whatever the lyrical content may be, Movits did get a New York crowd dancing by the end of the show, which is no small feat in and of itself. They play an interesting mix of live and sampled, with most percussion coming via DJ (although a few numbers did feature acoustic guitar or live drum), but with live upright bass and saxophone.
    I wasn’t in the best mood by the time the show started, because of the long wait between me getting to Bowery and the show starting. The show was billed as Movits playing at 9 with doors opening at 8. Even though Bowery Ballroom set times are often scheduled for 30 minutes later than advertised (but not always), no one hit the stage until 9:45. And then it was unannounced bonus extra opener Zacke, a Swedish rapper (a frequent collaborator with Movits!)
    But once Movits took the stage, it was all energy, fun and joy, a wonderful contrast to how Americans often think of Sweden.
    Movits!