Tangled Up In Wires » Conan

2010 Emmy Nominations Are In

Michael — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:57:38 +0000

Here you go folks, your 2010 Emmy Nominations! A little bit of snap analysis accompanies each category. Sound off on your thoughts in the comments!

Outstanding Drama
Lost
Breaking Bad
Dexter
Mad Men
True Blood
The Good Wife

Who Should Win: Breaking Bad. That show can’t get any better.
Who Will Win: Tough to say really, but I wouldn’t put too much thought into Dexter or True Blood. Lost has a chance because the Emmy’s like to honor shows that have ended, but I think the safe bet is between Breaking Bad and Mad Men.
Who Was Snubbed: Friday Night Lights. Not a big shock, but another great season goes unrewarded.

Outstanding Comedy

Glee
Modern Family
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Nurse Jackie
30 Rock
The Office

Who Should Win: Modern Family. A terrific debut season that made the sentimental family comedy hilarious again.
Who Will Win: Glee or Modern Family. I wouldn’t count out The Office or 30 Rock, since both were nominated for weak seasons, but I think the rookie shows have the edge.
Who Was Snubbed: I’d say Party Down if it had a bigger audience, but I’m going to go with Parks and Recreation. The show turned it around big time and largely got shut out. I’d trade it with The Office in a heartbeat.
Outstanding Actress in a Drama
Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife)
Mariska Hargitay (Special Victims Unit)
Glenn Close (Damages)
Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer)
January Jones (Mad Men)
Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights)

Who Should Win: Connie Britton. Finally nominated for her incredible work on FNL, Tammy Taylor deserves an Emmy.
Who Will Win: I think this one is going to go to either Julianna Margulies or Glenn Close, one for her high profile show and the later for her high profile status.
Who Was Snubbed: Katey Sagel. Sons of Anarchy doesn’t scream “Emmy,” largely because it’s on FX, but Sagel is easily the best part of the show.

Outstanding Actor in a Drama
Jon Hamm (Mad Men)
Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights)
Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad)
Hugh Laurie (House M.D.)
Michael C. Hall (Dexter)
Matthew Fox (Lost)

Who Should Win: Bryan Cranston. It’s great to see Kyle Chandler get a nod, but Cranston again cannot be topped.
Who Will Win: Cranston. Michael C. Hall won the Golden Globe, but I can’t see Cranston losing the Emmy.
Who Was Snubbed: Bill Paxton, for Big Love. In a season in which Big Love struggled and Bill became less likable, Paxton sold it for all it was worth.

Outstanding Actress in a Comedy
Lea Michele (Glee)
Tina Fey (30 Rock)
Toni Collette (The United States of Tara)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (The New Adventures of Old Christine)
Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie)
Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation)

Who Should Win: Amy Poehler. She was the heart and soul of the revived Parks and Rec, transforming a character in just a season’s time. Definitely would have my vote.
Who Will Win: Tina Fey. The Emmy’s still think 30 Rock is the great show it was in its first two seasons, so I think she’ll take home another statue.
Who Was Snubbed: Lizzie Caplan, for Party Down. Casey got 100x funner in season two, but again, no one watched.

Outstanding Actor in a Comedy
Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)
Matthew Morrison (Glee)
Steve Carell (The Office)
Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory)
Tony Shalhoub (Monk)

Who Should Win: Have to go with Larry David. Curb did it again.
Who Will Win: Really anyone. LD has the best chance, but this category seems wide open.
Who Was Snubbed: Joel McHale for Community. Jeff Winger could have been a boring character without McHale, who more than ably led that show.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy
Chris Colfer (Glee)
Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother)
Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family)
Jon Cryer (Two and A Half Men)
Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family)
Ty Burrell (Modern Family)

Who Should Win: Oh man. Three Modern Family nods, all deserving, plus NPH, who has yet to win, it’s a tough one to pick!
Who Will Win: NPH. I think this is his year. I wouldn’t be shocked to see anyone win though.
Who Was Snubbed: Chris Pratt for Parks and Rec. Andy is such a moron, but he produced some of the biggest laughs for me, all season long.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy
Jane Lynch (Glee)
Kristen Wiig (Saturday Night Live)
Jane Krakowski (30 Rock)
Julie Bowen (Modern Family)
Sofia Vergara (Modern Family)
Holland Taylor (Two and A Half Men)

Who Should Win: I loved the Modern Family actresses, but I think Jane Lynch deserves, not just based on Glee, but her many years struggling in relative obscurity.
Who Will Win: Lynch. Everyone loves her, I think she’s a lock.
Who Was Snubbed: Alison Brie, for Community. Brie earned big laughs as bubbly Annie Edison, the former pill addict who somehow is still incredibly naive.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad)
Martin Short (Damages)
Terry O’Quinn (Lost)
Michael Emerson (Lost)
John Slattery (Mad Men)
Andre Braugher (Men of a Certain Age)

Who Should Win: O’Quinn or Emerson. They were both too good not win. I could also see this as the big category Lost wins.
Who Will Win: Paul has a big chance, but I think the Lost actors are going to get their last hurrah here.
Who Was Snubbed: I know picking another Lost actor seems like overkill, but Jorge Garcia and Nestor Carbonell both turned in some incredibly great performances this season.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama
Sharon Gless (Burn Notice)
Christine Baranski (The Good Wife)
Christina Hendricks (Mad Men)
Rose Byrne (Damages)
Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife)
Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men)

Who Should Win: Elisabeth Moss. A fantastic season for Peggy, that saw her start to come in on her own a little bit more.
Who Will Win: Moss, Hendricks, or Byrne. It’s a three woman race.
Who Was Snubbed: Chloe Sevigny for Big Love. Like Bill Paxton, a great performance in a season with such a weak story.

Reality Competition program
American Idol
Amazing Race
Dancing With The Stars
Project Runway
Top Chef

Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series
The Colbert Report
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Saturday Night Live
Real Time With Bill Maher
Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien

Who Should Win: Conan. Just because.
Who Will Win: Conan. Just because.
Who Was Snubbed: Letterman. He had a mini resurgence with Jay gone, but alas, Bill Maher gets his spot instead.

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Mike O’Malley (Glee)
Eli Wallach (Nurse Jackie)
Neil Patrick Harris (Glee)
Fred Willard (Modern Family)
Jon Hamm (30 Rock)
Will Arnett (30 Rock)

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Kristen Chenoweth (Glee)
Jane Lynce (Two and a Half Men)
Christine Baranski (The Big Bang Theory)
Elaine Stritch (30 Rock)
Tina Fey (SNL)
Kathryn Joosten (Desperate Housewives)
Betty White (SNL)

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Robert Morse (Mad Men)
John Lithgow (Dexter)
Gregory Itzin (24)
Beau Bridges (The Closer)
Alan Cumming (The Good Wife)
Ted Danson (Damagaes)
Dylan Baker (The Good Wife)

Who Was Snubbed: Zach Gilford for Friday Night Lights. Even if you’ve never seen the show before, watch the episode “The Son” and then tell me you didn’t cry.

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Mary Kay Place (Big Love)
Sissy Spacek (Big Love)
Ann-Margret (Law & Order: SVU)
Lilly Tomlin (Damages)
Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost)
Shirley Jones (The Cleaner)

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
The Office (Niagara)
Glee (Pilot)
Modern Family (Pilot)
30 Rock (Anna Howard Shaw Day)
30 Rock (Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter)

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
The Good Wife (Pilot)
Mad Men (Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency)
Mad Men (Shut the Door. Have a Seat.)
Friday Night Lights (The Son)
Lost (The End)

NBC Responds to Conan Interview

Michael — Tue, 04 May 2010 16:02:10 +0000

We’ve followed the NBC-Conan-Leno Triangle of Mistrust for almost six months now, but it seems that Conan’s recent 60 Minutes interview rustled a few feathers back at NBC. If you missed the interview, there wasn’t a lot that Conan did/could say regarding NBC and Jay Leno. He did get a few shots in, saying he didn’t get a fair chance and that if he had been in Leno’s shoes, he wouldn’t have taken The Tonight Show back. What NBC is apparently upset about how ever is a remark that Conan made regarding why he got the boot instead of Leno. Conan said that basically, NBC bought out Conan instead of Leno because he was cheaper, adding that Leno would have cost around $150 million, which was more than three times what they eventually paid Conan. NBC has responded today through TMZ, saying the buyout for Leno was roughly the same as that for Conan. They also took issue with the financial loss Conan’s show was facing, adding that Conan was “well-informed of that fact” that the show was becoming a financial burden. Regardless of who you believe, it seems things are getting ugly again. The only winner in all of this? CBS, which grabbed 13.3 million people to watch the interview.

Conan Breaks Silence This Sunday

Michael — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 13:25:50 +0000

Though he’s on a live tour at the moment, Conan O’Brien will return to television briefly on Sunday for an interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes. Sunday is the first day that O’Brien will be legally allowed to appear on television, and while the piece will show highlights from his live show, it will largely focus on Conan’s departure from NBC in the wake of the Late Shift 2. While Conan is legally prohibited from disparaging NBC, 60 Minutes‘ Steve Kroft says Coco, “He flirts with the restrictions.” The biggest kicker in all of this? Because Conan is legally prohibited from appearing on TV before Sunday, CBS cannot feature him in any promos. Again says Kroft: “I think we’ll just show me talking to him and have to blank his face out.” Either way, this will probably be the first time ever that I voluntarily watch/TiVo 60 Minutes. Read the whole story here.

Conan O’Brien Headed to TBS

ulyssesworkman — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 17:25:29 +0000

We have a winner in the Conan sweepstakes and its a bit of an upset. Conan O’Brien will be returning to television in November with a new show on the once-and-future Superstation: TBS. Apparently TBS was willing to offer O’Brien ownership of his show, a massive 8-figure contract, and guarantees that his show would air everywhere (things that FOX were unwilling or unable to offer). While FOX was considered the frontrunner (and Comedy Central the intriguing dark-horse) TBS makes sense as a landing spot given that it offers Conan the comforts of a cable deal and since the network already emphasizes comedy (although it now leaves the future of George Lopez’s talk show on the channel up in the air). Either way, it looks like for the first time since they stopped airing Braves games, I’ll be a regular viewer of the Superstation.

BREAKING NEWS: Conan Goes to TBS

Michael — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 17:15:07 +0000

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Conan O’Brien has reached a deal with cable network TBS for a nightly talk show starting this November. Details are forthcoming, but we’ll keep you updated as we hear them.

Leno Returns to Top of Ratings

Michael — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 19:12:15 +0000

Despite several months of bad press and a terrible prime time show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno has regained the lead in the Late Night ratings scrum. Through it all, Leno has somehow managed to win back 82% of the audience he had before moving to a 10pm prime time show. The Late Show with David Letterman has slipped back into second place, but the gap between the two shows is significantly smaller than it was before Conan O’Brien took over the once proud NBC franchise. The problem both shows are facing though is an aging audience, with Leno averaging viewers aged 56 and Letterman 54. Viewers in the coveted 18-34 bracket are instead tuning into cable programing on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim and Comedy Central. This could be an important note for Conan, who could jump to cable for a new show. And thus concludes our ratings lesson for the day. Read more at Variety.

Conan Reveals Tour Dates!

Michael — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:17:54 +0000

Conan O’Brien announced the 30 dates for his upcoming “The Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour” this morning. The dates cover the whole country and even include a stop at Bonnaroo. No word on what the tour will include other than, “A night of music, comedy, hugging, and the occasional awkward silence.” Head over to Team CoCo for dates and tickets.

Conan Bringing Show to the Road!

Michael — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:26:31 +0000

When he’s not busy Tweeting, it seems that Conan O’Brien is in the process of organizing a live, touring version of his show until he presumably gets picked up by a new network later this year. Sources are reporting that O’Brien’s tour will start somewhere on the West Coast, and will include long time sidekick Andy Richter. Max Weinberg may also join them, but that hasn’t yet been decided. I guess Conan is taking our advice with what to do with his time!

Conan Returns Through Twitter!

Michael — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:07:00 +0000

Conan O’Brien has returned to the world through a now verified Twitter account! With just one tweet and within 24 hours, he’s already got a quarter of a million followers. That first tweet?

Looks like Conan took one of our suggestions of things to do during his time away from TV. Perhaps he should start looking into a couple of the others?

Breaking News: Conan and NBC Reach Agreement, Part Ways

Michael — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:32:00 +0000

Well, what we knew was coming has finally happened. This morning on Today, host Meredith Vieira announced that NBC and Conan O’Brien have reached a deal to part ways. From the Wall Street Journal:

While details on the final agreement were unclear, the deal was expected to include a payout of about $32 million for Mr. O’Brien and about $12 million for his staff. It is also believed to include a nondisparagement clause, both for the 46-year-old comedian and NBC. The deal has been said to include a provision that would bar or limit Mr. OBrien from appearing on other shows or hosting his own show for a period of time, according to people familiar with the negotiations.

Among the terms of the deal, which NBC will be confirming in more detail later in the day, Conan will not be able to appear on television until September 1, when he’s free to sign someplace new. Additionally, he will not be able to take some of his intellectual property, including Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, with him when he leaves NBC. Conan’s final Tonight Show will this Friday, January 22, with guests Tom Hanks and Will Ferrell, both of whom appeared in his first week, with musical guest Neil Young. Jay Leno will return to hosting the show on March 1 after the Olympics. We’ll update you when NBC makes their announcement with new details.

While it’s not set in stone yet that Conan may head to Fox this fall, it is a definite that he will have a little time away from the TV in the coming months. What can Conan do with that time? We have a few ideas.

Do Stand-up
The most obvious thing for Conan to start with is by doing stand-up. Fans will turn out in droves to see CoCo. Not only could it keep him and his writing team sharp as they head towards a new show, it will help make his already fervent following even more fervent. This could lead to a stand-up album/DVD or a special on Comedy Central. Andy Richter could go along for the ride in what could be a live, guest-less version of Conan’s show.

Host an Online/Satellite Radio Show and/or Podcast
He could keep his writers and Andy Richter around by doing a radio show, either online or on Sirius or XM. It may not have the biggest listening audience, and for all I know, may not pay him enough, but, like doing stand-up, could keep him fresh. He could similarly go the Ricky Gervais route and create a podcast with content similar to a radio show. Either option would allow him to continue interviewing celebrity guests and, again, keep his fan base in tow.

Write a Book
Now, I’m not talking about an autobiography or an expose, but something funny. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert each generated a lot of buzz by putting out books of their own based on the humor of their shows, so why not Conan? David Cross did a book of short stories, lists, and ramblings, which might be a format Conan could do well too. Putting unused bits and jokes into book form could definitely be a big hit.

Blog
Just doing a daily blog with jokes and commentary could be enough to keep his followers satisfied. A well publicized web site could make him an internet phenomenon and create a completely uncensored, self-controlled forum for him. We’d like to formally offer him the opportunity to blog here at Tangled Up In Wires, where we think he would be an excellent addition.