Blogulator Radio 80: Santa Klaus Is Coming To Town: A Vampire Diaries Roundtable

Click here for an important discussion on vampire zombies / zombie vampires.

Qualler and Brigitte invite The AV Club's Carrie Raisler (@TVandDinners) and Blogulator correspondent Chris Castro (@sarCCastro) to talk about all things season four of CW's stalwart series The Vampire Diaries. The four of them discuss such relevant topics like: Whoa, Jeremy's looking pretty jacked lately--has he been working out? Why can't Bonnie stop being a walking plot device? We haven't seen Klaus lately--could he be the real Santa (K)laus? They also talk about more specific plot-related things like, why can't the writers of the show just let Damon & Elena's budding relationship develop? Why must they constantly tell us that them dating is a bad thing? Sire-bonding? Come on. Seriously. Also, why is all of this love triangle stuff so strongly overshadowing the relatively well-constructed "main" arc of the season involving the totally-not-shady-but-yes-shady Professor Shane? Will "the experience" mean there will finally be zombies on the show? What would a zombie vampire be like? If a zombie bit a vampire, what would it turn into, and vice versa? We tackle all of these topics and more in our hour-long Vampire Diaries roundtable. Enjoy.

Blogulator Radio is brought to you in part by Netflix, where you can stream your favorite TV shows and movies from your TV, computer, or many other devices as often as you want for just 7.99 a month. Start your free two week trial today and help support independent netcasting. For up to the minute updates all up in your upness, be sure to subscribe to Blogulator Radio via iTunes or RSS

Blogulator Radio 76: Post Election Blues

Click here for the latest meandering, self-important, predictable episode of The Newsroom. Stay for the new episode of Blogulator Radio.

It's been a rough comedown from the hoopla of last week's election, but Qualler and Brigitte are here to brighten your days with an all-new episode of Blogulator Radio. The crack research team at TheBlogulator.com has been working tirelessly to bring you the election news you need, and in their research, unearthed an unfinished script(*) for an election day episode of HBO's The Newsroom by Aaron Sorkin, which Qualler and Brigitte read for your enjoyment. They also give their general thoughts on the progress of season seven of Dexter and have some opinions on ABC's new sorta-good-in-a-on-the-background kind of way, Nashville.

(*)Not really written by Aaron Sorkin. Thanks, @ProfessorScraps and @sarCCastro.

Blogulator Radio is brought to you in part by Netflix, where you can stream your favorite TV shows and movies from your TV, computer, or many other devices as often as you want for just 7.99 a month. Start your free two week trial today and help support independent netcasting. For up to the minute updates all up in your upness, be sure to subscribe to Blogulator Radio via iTunes or RSS

Blogulator Radio 74 & 75: Shippin' Parenthood & Robot Prejudice

Episode 74 of the netcast features Qualler and Brigitte
giving you an update on the progress of NBC's fourth season of
everyone's favorite inconsequential family drama, Parenthood.

Episode 75 of Blogulator Radio offers up Chris and Jerksica's
great debate on the multi-cam vs. the single-cam sitcom on the
heels of the news that Up All Night will be turning multi-cam,as
well as a guessing game about shows in development
that may or may not involve Atticus Finch defending robots.

It's been a few weeks since we've updated this here blog. Sowwy. Above you will find links to the latest episodes of the Blogulator Radio netcast, courtesy of the Fancy Pants Gangsters netcast network. And as always:

Blogulator Radio is brought to you in part by Netflix, where you can stream your favorite TV shows and movies from your TV, computer, or many other devices as often as you want for just 7.99 a month. Start your free two week trial today and help support independent netcasting. For up to the minute updates all up in your upness, be sure to subscribe to Blogulator Radio via iTunes or RSS.

Blogulator Radio 72: Darkly Dreaming Dexter Not Sucking

Click here to listen to the latest episode of Blogulator Radio. Hammy voiceover discussing the obvious subtext of the things happening onscreen not included.

It has been four full seasons of Dexter since the show has made Qualler ever just feel something, you know? Which is why it is such a great joy to report that the seventh season of the smash hit on Showtime has done that to him. In the latest episode of Blogulator Radio, Brigitte and Qualler discuss what's right about the new season, what things are still a little bit wishy-washy, why they have felt wary of the show since season three, and talk through their feelings about it the way Deb and Dexter talk through their stuff in a surprisingly mature fashion that doesn't make you want to hurtle stuff at your TV. So yes, check it out.

Blogulator Radio is brought to you in part by Netflix, where you can stream your favorite TV shows and movies from your TV, computer, or many other devices as often as you want for just 7.99 a month. Start your free two week trial today and help support independent netcasting. For up to the minute updates all up in your upness, be sure to subscribe to Blogulator Radio via iTunes or RSS

Blogulator Radio 71: Two Dudes Talking About Homeland

Click here to check out the newest, most manly episode of Blogulator Radio yet.

It's a new episode of Blogulator Radio where Chris and Qualler, manly dudes that they are, insert some dudely dude talk into the most dudely show on television this side of Strike Back, Showtime's Emmy-award winning Homeland. Yes, they discuss Sunday night's season two premiere, make some predictions about what will happen throughout the season, talk about the short-term and long-term viability of the show, and, since they do it without any chicks involved, do their best to rank the show within the structure of their favorite totally heteronormative hierarchical scales. Cuz, that is what white dudes who are totally dudely do when they talk about anything, especially the show that oozes more testosterone per second than an entire episode of WWE Raw. Seriously, though, they do discuss the very excellent show for the entire episode, so dig in, smile, and enjoy!

Blogulator Radio is brought to you in part by Netflix, where you can stream your favorite TV shows and movies from your TV, computer, or many other devices as often as you want for just 7.99 a month. Start your free two week trial today and help support independent netcasting. For up to the minute updates all up in your upness, be sure to subscribe to Blogulator Radio via iTunes or RSS.

Quick Hits: The 64th Annual Emmys / Feeling Shamed That We Are "Only TV" And Not Movies Awards

The Emmys were last night! It was a glorious night to celebrate all that is right with television. Like Jon Cryer of television's most beloved comedy, Two and a Half Men. Also, such megastars of film who were gracious enough to slum it on television, like Julianne Moore of HBO's Game Change and Kevin Costner of Hatfield & McCoys miniseries, which is also a genre of television that is universally beloved.

Seriously, though, I don't get why the Emmys spend so much friggin' time on miniseries and movies these days, especially considering other nominees like American Horror Story, Sherlock Holmes, and Luther are only nominated in that category on account of making it in by squeezing said series into that category due to rule technicalities. (Even though other series that could have made it in on the rule technicalities and had a legitimate reason to do so, like Luck from HBO, were not even nominated.)

Anyway, here were some other thoughts of mine on the television industry's annual reminder that people in the industry shouldn't judge shows in the industry (unless they are in agreement with me, of course!) Chris and Jerksica will have a lot more tomorrow in netcast form, but here are my written thoughts.

(HOMELAND SPOILERS AHEAD. CAUTION.)

• Wow, I'm remarkably pleased with Claire Danes and Damian Lewis sweeping the acting categories. Danes was a shoe-in, but Lewis' was much more nuanced and thus, I felt like he had less of a chance to pick up the acting. But we all know that when the Emmys decide something, they're gonna probably decide it for a long time.
• That said, although the more I think about Homeland's first season being something of a perfect season of television, the more I wish it were set up as a one-season show. For one: the actual perfect ending to season one clearly would have been Tom Walker shooting Brody in the alley. Bam, terrorists still win the day in the end, Carrie Matheson still solves the terrorist quagmire (but still gets her memory wiped out, y'know, cuz of the patriarchy), we win but, ultimately, we lose. Instead, because of Showtime's record of running their valuable properties to the ground (a la Dexter and Weeds), we have no reason not to believe that this series peaked in its first season and, four more years down the road, will still be trotting Danes and Lewis out for a fifth season where they both keep Narrowly Avoiding Big Things Happening. I want to be optimistic about what happens creatively on this show in the future, but I just don't know.
• Haha, suck it, Mad Men! 0 for 17! 
• I'm so glad I didn't actually watch the Emmys live until the end, because man, Jimmy Kimmel is not a funny guy.
• Oh yeah, Modern Family won again. It's starting to approach Frasier territory in terms of predictability of winning series awards, except that Frasier was a lot funnier. Modern Family is fine, though, and it could be worse, I guess. Even though, like our friend Carrie Raisler pointed out last night, I could name a lot of shows off the top of my head that are better comedies than Modern Family. (Girls, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Archer, Louie, Parks & Recreation, Community, 30 Rock, Awkward, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, etc.)
• Gigolos was not nominated for a single Emmy. Now, that is a real shame.

Blogulator Radio 69: It's a Treat To Break This Bad

Click here for a real...wait for it..."treat" of an episode. #groan

In what is sure to be the final installment of Bad Title Puns About Breaking Bad, at least for 2012, Qualler, Brigitte and Chris discuss the finale of season 5.1 of the mega-awesome AMC drama. Within the discussion, the dynamic trio make connections to The Sopranos, Kirkegaard, and Treat Williams (because, hey, remember Treat Wiliams?) The gang also keep referencing a fabled “lost” episode of BR that was recorded directly before recording this one. If you ever run into that episode somewhere on the internet, let us know, mmmkay? Anyway, this week’s episode is heavy on Breaking Bad spoilers and touches upon The Sopranos in general, non-specific spoiler ways, so be forewarned.

Blogulator Radio is brought to you in part by Netflix, where you can stream your favorite TV shows and movies from your TV, computer, or many other devices as often as you want for just 7.99 a month. Start your free two week trial today and help support independent netcasting. For up to the minute updates all up in your upness, be sure to subscribe to Blogulator Radio via iTunes or RSS.

Being a modern show for modern people, we’ve got all sorts of ways to find us online. We’ve got your Facebook and your Twitter and your Google+. Of course we always welcome comments or questions either in the comments below or through email at bradio@fancypantsgangsters.com.

Blogulator Radio 67: Breaking Bits and Boardwalks

 Click here to be transported to a magical world of wonderful things that exist in Atlantic City, which are not at all less glamorous than they first appear.

In this week’s episode of Blogulator Radio, Qualler and Brigitte attempt and flail at a few “bits” that they flailed wildly at, because they remember a time when they thought they were going to be performers on Saturday Night Live like their favorite castmember, Dana Carvey (seriously, they both love Dana Carvey, but this episode is not about Dana Carvey sadly, but we digress.) Nevertheless, they get some good TV talk in, manage to remind listeners to check out the latest episode of The Voice Behind featuring Nicholas Briggs, the voice of the Daleks on Doctor Who, and get into discussion of the following topics:

0:00-3:15 – Bickering over what the topics are of the day
3:15-4:45 – Making fun of The Newsroom
4:45-21:15 – Breaking Bad, season five, episodes five and six
21:15-22:15 – Being incredulous about the fact that ESPN creepily shows the Little League World Series
22:15-23:15 – Breaking Bad bit — Brigitte as Jesse/Skylar, Qualler as Walt
23:15-45:30 – Boardwalk Empire bit, then talking about the first season
45:30-1:02 – Weekend Comfort Food, like CBS Sunday Morning and Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Miami Dolphins

Blogulator Radio is brought to you in part by Netflix, where you can stream your favorite TV shows and movies from your TV, computer, or many other devices as often as you want for just 7.99 a month. Start your free two week trial today and help support independent netcasting. For up to the minute updates all up in your upness, be sure to subscribe to Blogulator Radio via iTunes or RSS.

Being a modern show for modern people, we’ve got all sorts of ways to find us online. We’ve got your Facebook and your Twitter and your Google+. Of course we always welcome comments or questions either in the comments below or through email at bradio@fancypantsgangsters.com.

Catching Up: Boardwalk Empire

HBO's Boardwalk Empire is a show that, on paper, has all the makings of a Great Drama. Its central premise revolves around the mafia dealings surrounding the bootlegging industry in the 1920's. It, like most HBO shows, has a ridiculously high production value. It has a terrific cast in Steve Buscemi, Michael Pitt, Kelly MacDonald and Michael Shannon, with scene-stealing moments by Michael K. Williams and Dabney Coleman. Its pilot was directed by Martin Freakin' Scorsese! 

So when it premiered in 2010, why didn't I get into it?

Maybe because, despite everything on paper, I wasn't immediately sucked into the Boardwalk Empire world the way I was for a Sopranos. Maybe because the hype machine surrounding the series could in no way live up to the reality of the series in general. Maybe because, despite being soundly competent in every way, there wasn't one show-stopping scene in the pilot that I could point to as being a "THIS!" kind of moment. Maybe because it is just too sprawling of a show to get fully immersed in after one episode. (Actually, mostly because we cancelled HBO after the third episode of the first season, but the above reasons are valid, as well.)

Now that we are HBO subscribers again, Brigitte and I have given Boardwalk Empire a second chance, and have made our way through the first three episodes once again. Though I still have some minor qualms, it is a series that I am getting to be fully invested in, finally. Here are my main thoughts on the show so far:

• Wow, this show is ridiculously well-produced. I mean, wow. It's as if it takes the period elements of Mad Men that are well produced and throws millions more dollars at the production to make it that much glossier. If anything, I would be on board with a series that is just people dressed in Swinging '20s stuff and singing about how The Dumb Girls Know How To Make Love (episode three, "Broadway Limited".)
• That said, production can't carry everything all the time, but after three episodes, there does seem to be some forward momentum in the plot, even if it's incremental momentum. Through three episodes, we know that Nucky is a guy who is powerful but has a heart, Mrs. Schroeder is afraid but sort of likes the attention Nucky is giving her (AND is totally adorable), Jimmy wants to make a name for himself, and Agent Van Alden is Nucking Futs. Like most serialized dramas these days, the wheels are just starting to spin after three episodes.
• I love me some Michael K. Williams, but could he be a bigger anachronism? I get that it's crazy that he says the word "motherfucker" to Nucky and Nucky doesn't understand it, cuz it's the '20s, but is it just me or does he literally just seem like "Omar, But The '20s"? I mean, I don't have any issue with that cuz he's awesome, but so far he seems less like a character and more like fan service.
• How adorable/heartbreaking was it when Mrs. Schroeder's kids asked when the new baby was coming? Sigh.
• Agent Van Alden seems like he would be a good Crazy Dude Friend to Brother Justin on Carnivale. And they clearly should have tried to take the fat guy who got shot to Doc Cochoran in Deadwood to keep him alive (though the dentist office scene was pretty hilarious.) I'm always looking for HBO crossovers, though (like, HELLO, Will McAvoy's therapist on The Newsroom should CLEARLY be Dr. Paul Weston from In Treatment!)
• What a difference watching Dawson's Creek makes in my enjoyment of this series. Michael Pitt went from the Poor Man's Leo to Dude From Dawson's Creek and made me enjoy his character a lot more.

Season three starts in September, so Brigitte and I have a lot of catching up to do.

The Blogulator Presents: Episode of the Month, July, 2012

It's been a busy last couple of months for the Blogulator crew, what with all the TV to watch! (And a few real life things, so back off.) They've squeezed in a few favorite episodes for the month of July (wait, how is it mid-August already? What is happening with time? Where am I?) and below are some of the crew's favorite episodes of TV that aired at the year's slightly-after-midpoint. And because we were all too Minnesota Nice to each other, none of us picked any episodes of Breaking Bad to write about.

Bunheads "Movie Truck" (ABC Family)

We missed doing an Episode of the Month post for June, but if we did, it would have been "For Fanny," the second episode of Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino's new show, hands down. It took an infuriating twist from the pilot and did something extraordinary with it, imbuing a comic dialogue-driven drama with more genuine emotional heft than it really had any right to being a show on ABC Family. But we missed June, so I'll settle for "Movie Truck," which was more classic quirky Sherman-Palladino, but did something very important that the show has taken its sweet time doing: making me care about the teenagers. Michelle and her mother-in-law Fanny have been a pretty ideal odd couple pairing and anchor for the show, but they've been trying to shoehorn in stories of Fanny's dance students since the pilot with little success. This time, however, with a simple sneaking-out-of-the-house-after-dark scenario, we get to know Boo, Sasha, and the other two (okay, so some work is still needed) in ways that actually have made me want to see Michelle actually teach them and get excited for future episodes. [Chris]

Louie, "Daddy's Girlfriend Pt. 2" (FX)

Every episode of Louie's third season to date has been fantastic in its own way. Scenes like the season premiere's surprise parked-car-smashing scene, or the second episode's Gorilla joke, third episode's bar conversation between C.K. and his vacation bromance buddy, or "Daddy's Girlfriend Pt. 1" and its extensive use of Louie's "looking at pretty girls" music are among the highlights of the season thus far. But "Daddy's Girlfriend Pt. 2" has been the season's best to date. Parker Posey turns the Manic Pixie Dream Girl meme on its head by delivering as Emmy-worthy of a guest performance as one can possibly deliver. She's alternately terrifying, hilarious, tragic and life-affirming all in one episode. Woody Allen film editor vet Susan Morse has been this season's primary editor and has improved the general "independent film" feel of the show this season, but this was the most Allen-esque episode of all, what with C.K. and Posey walking around New York together in an Annie Hall-twisted-inside-out kind of way. And it ends with a moment of grace, with Posey sitting on the ledge of the building and affirming her love of life, and ending with a beautiful shot of Manhattan at night. I'm a sucker for those things, so naturally, I'm a sucker for this episode. [Qualler]

Bunheads, "What's Your Damage, Heather?" (ABC Family)

First off, use a quote from Heathers as your episode title and you're almost guaranteed to get some love from me. Secondly, this is the second episode in a row with almost no Kelly Bishop (last episode she had a quick on the phone cameo and this episode Sutton Foster had an imaginary argument with the Kelly Bishop in her head). And while I absolutely love Bishop, her absence really allows the rest of the cast to shine. Foster truly comes into her own in this episode, trying to not lose her mind teaching all the dance classes, being a surrogate mom (against her will) to the spoiled, yet troubled Sasha, then getting heat from the parent of one of her students. She also hired the one-eyed plumber that the whole town knows you never hire to do plumbing (they just use him to "keep an eye on things"). All in all, another hilarious episode that manages to tug on the heartstrings so sneakily, I found myself laughing just as I was tearing up. If this show goes away, I'm going to be so heartbroken. [Sarc]

Blogulator Radio 65: The Olympics Are Not (Breaking) Bad And Also Homeland

Click here to listen to the newest episode of Blogulator Radio. It will be 50% less douchey than Ryan Lochte.

Qualler and Brigitte, seemingly out of different Breaking Bad-style puns that they can shoehorn into their Bad recap episodes, have nevertheless shoehorned in the title of said show into the episode title. But before digging into the spoiler-heavy discussion of season five's fourth episode "Fifty-One", Qualler and Brigitte discuss what is on the background of televisions all over the country these past couple weeks: the 2012 Summer Olympics! They tackle subjects such as, "What is up with NBC not showing everything constantly live like whoa, amiright?" and "What's up with Gabby Douglas's hair?" They round up their discussion with a SUPER spoiler-heavy deconstruction of the first season of Showtime's Homeland. Non-spoiler: this is an awesome show. Another non-spoiler: they made it through an entire episode WITHOUT once bashing The Newsroom! That's progress! 

Show breakdown:

00:00-16:45 The Olympics

16:45-38:50 Breaking Bad season five episode four: "Fifty-One"

38:50-56:22 Homeland season one

Blogulator Radio is brought to you in part by Netflix, where you can stream your favorite TV shows and movies from your TV, computer, or many other devices as often as you want for just 7.99 a month. Start your free two week trial today and help support independent netcasting. For up to the minute updates all up in your upness, be sure to subscribe to Blogulator Radio via iTunes or RSS.

Being a modern show for modern people, we’ve got all sorts of ways to find us online. We’ve got your Facebook and your Twitter and your Google+. Of course we always welcome comments or questions either in the comments below or through email at bradio@fancypantsgangsters.com. 

Blogulator Radio 63: Breaking Batman

Click here to listen to Brigitte and Qualler bicker more than Qualler really intends to. It's awfully hard for Qualler, though, because movies last for a long time, and recording late at night is hard. 

We now live in a post The Dark Knight Rises world, which of course means that Qualler and Brigitte find it necessary to analyze their favorite show currently on the air Breaking Bad with a Nolanesque lens. In this week's episode of Blogulator Radio, Qualler and Brigitte do just that, in an episode where they discuss their thoughts on episode two of the fifth season of Bad both before having seen TDKR and after seeing TDKR. Spoiler alert: there are mega-spoilers for both Breaking Bad and TDKR. Non-spoiler spoiler alert: Qualler and Brigitte both attempt to imitate Bane's silly voice.

Emmy Nominations: Snubs and (Non)Flubs

Chris posted yesterday about his Own Personal Emmys, and while I can get behind most of what he would have nominated, I deal in reality. (The difference, I guess, in being an English Teacher vs. being an Accountant.) Therefore, below are the actual nominations for the 2012 Emmys, along with a little bit of commentary by me.

Drama:
Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Breaking Bad (AMC)
Downton Abbey (PBS)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Homeland (Showtime)
Mad Men (AMC)

No "traditional" broadcast dramas, three pay cable dramas, two standard cable drams. The shift into cable seems to be complete. I feel like Boardwalk Empire is weirdly underrated, even though it always seems to get a slew of nominations for things. So glad that Homeland replaces Dexter as the Showtime nomination. I can't really argue with any of these being nominated (though I wish the dearly departed Luck or the is-it-a-drama-or-a-comedy Enlightened would have gotten some love, too.)
Who should win: I'm a sucker for  what's new-and-fresh, so I would vote Homeland.
Who will win: Mad Men.


Actress in a Drama Series:
Kathy Bates, Harry's Law (NBC)
Glenn Close, Damages (Audience Network)
Claire Danes, Homeland (Showtime)
Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife (CBS)
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men (AMC)

LOLZ at Kathy Bates for Harry's Law. You just can't help yourselves, can you, Emmy voters? Glenn Close also fits in the "movie actor gravitating to television" type of nomination (though her interplay with Rose Byrne is the one and only reason to watch Damages anymore.) Can't really argue with the rest of them. Some year, Lorraine Bracco will finally win in her title role for Emmy Justice. (Hat tip to the TV on the Internet podcast.)
Who should win: Claire Danes is so fantastic in Homeland in so many ways that she is clearly deserving, probably even moreso than my vote for the series itself above.
Who will win: Danes, because Homeland won't get the series, but it's gotten enough nominations that it needs to get something. Plus, the Emmys will be praised for voting for someone new, even though Claire Danes actually isn't really new.

Actor in a Drama Series
Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad (AMC)
Michael C. Hall, Dexter (Showtime)
Jon Hamm, Mad Men (AMC)
Damian Lewis, Homeland (Showtime)
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire (HBO)

*Sigh*...Michael C. Hall. You don't always have to nominate him when the show has gone down the tubes, Emmys. This is a pretty stacked category now, though, especially with Damian Lewis joining the fold. I'm sure there are lots of snubs here (Timothy Olyphant, for example...) but meh.
Who should win: Jon Hamm is always great on Mad Men, though he never wins because he's often more subtle than his nomination peers. But this should be the year he wins, since he got to do some stuff where he was all crazy-like.
Who will win: My gut says Cranston, but my heart says Hamm.

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series:
Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad (AMC)
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Joanne Froggatt, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife (CBS)
Christine Baranski, The Good Wife (CBS)
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men (AMC)

I love how this category is "AMC stars versus Downton Abbey versus The Good Wife." So little diversity in the nominations. I'm kind of disappointed that none of the other Game of Thrones actresses got a nomination; Emilia Clarke, Lena Headey and Michelle Fairley were all tremendous in season two. But, these are all picks I can't really argue with at all.
Who should win: I'd always go with Anna Gunn, because her character has gotten so much more complex as Breaking Bad has gone on and Gunn has captured all of that tremendously.
Who will win: Thrice-nominated never-won Christina Hendricks has a chance, especially given the Joan-centric episode I would surmise she was submitted for ("The Other Woman"), but here's where Downton Abbey will break through. Give it to the dramatic version of Betty White, Maggie Smith.

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad (AMC)
Giancarlo Esposito, Breaking Bad (AMC)
Brendan Coyle, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Jim Carter, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Jared Harris, Mad Men (AMC)

I looove Giancarlo Esposito's nomination here -- a very pleasant surprise. And again, it's basically "AMC vs. Downton Abbey vs. Something Else" -- in this case, the very worth Peter Dinklage is the Something Else. A big snub: Mandy Patinkin for Homeland.
Who should win: As awesome as Esposito was as Gus in season four, Aaron Paul just completely owns Breaking Bad and is every bit an equal to Bryan Cranston. A constantly impressive body of work, which slightly edges Dinklage's scene stealing in Game of Thrones.
Who will win: Tough call, but I predict Dinklage gets the back-to-back Emmys.

Comedy Series:
The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Girls (HBO)
Modern Family (ABC)
30 Rock (NBC)
Veep (HBO)

This is another example of Emmy voters not knowing when to stop giving a series nominations once it gets in the game. 30 Rock is still a worthwhile show, but it is far surpassed by shows on its own network like Parks and Recreation and Community. Also: Modern Family and Big Bang. (Brigitte gets mad at me when I point out how Modern Family really should be a multi-cam sitcom.)  And no Louie nomination. Sad. But hey! Girls! That's exciting! And Veep! Surprising, but also exciting!
Who should win: Louie, or Parks and Recreation, or Community, but none of them are nominated. So, Girls, the next best thing. Although, the invention of the Car Periscope could be enough to convince me to give the award to Curb. I seriously needed one when I was stuck in traffic yesterday. (And now as it turns out, it was actually invented on Seinfeld. Good reference, Larry David.)
Who will win: Modern Family. Remember the thing about not knowing when to stop giving series nominations? Same applies to series victories.

Actress in a Comedy Series:
Lena Dunham, Girls (HBO)
Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly (CBS)
Zooey Deschanel, New Girl (Fox)
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie (Showtime)
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation (NBC)
Tina Fey, 30 Rock (NBC)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep (HBO)

Lena Dunham! So great in Girls! Ah! Swoon! Really, all of these actresses are tremendous, so I'm pleased for all of them. The bits of Nurse Jackie I have sampled recently leave me feeling good about Ms. Falco, although she's not really comedic at all in the show (nor, is the show at all comedic. Half hour does not always mean comedy, Emmy voters / networks that submit themselves to those categories.)
Who should win: Amy Poehler, because she is the ray of bright sunshine in an already very sunny show.
Who will win: This seems like a tough one to predict, but I'll go with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, because the Emmys are a club like that.

Actor in a Comedy Series:
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Don Cheadle, House of Lies (Showtime)
Louis C.K., Louie (FX)
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock (NBC)
Jon Cryer, Two And A Half Men (CBS)

Ay-yay-yay, Jon Cryer? To be nice, I'm assuming this is a "we feel bad for you having to work with Charlie Sheen" sympathy nomination. I mean, he's not the reason Two And A Half Men is what it is, but, geeze. I actually enjoy Jim Parsons in Big Bang, which probably doesn't make me the most popular Blogulator member, but popularity be damned! Don Cheadle = rewarding movie actors who make it in television (is House of Lies any good, anybody? It got pretty mixed reviews.)
Who should win: In terms of acting, I don't really think Larry David or Louis C.K. are tremendous actors in the traditional sense, but they are both indispensable to each of their shows. I'll give the edge to Louis C.K. since he has much more range than David.
Who will win: Probably Parsons, again.

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Kathryn Joosten, Desperate Housewives (ABC)
Julie Bowen, Modern Family (ABC)
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family (ABC)
Merritt Wever, Nurse Jackie (Showtime)
Kristin Wiig, Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Oof, this is a bit of a rough category. For one, I don't understand why Saturday Night Live keeps getting nominations -- did NBC just recently figure out they could submit actors here? I'm a little tired of Modern Family's schtick, but the actors are all good at what they do. So, yeah.
Who should win: Probably Martha Plimpton for Raising Hope but she's not nominated. So, between Julie Bowen and Sofia Vergera, I go with Bowen.
Who will win: Probably Vergera.

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Ed O'Neill, Modern Family (ABC)
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family (ABC)
Ty Burrell, Modern Family (ABC)
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family (ABC)
Max Greenfield, New Girl (ABC)
Bill Hader, Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Again, the Modern Family awards, everybody! The biggest snub of all is not including Nick Offerman for Parks And Recreation. This might be the biggest snub that I can think of this year.
Who should win: If we're assuming someone from Family will win, then I'd give it to Eric Stonestreet, who is my favorite part of the show. Ty Burrell used to be until his character became a more cartooney version of Michael Scott.
Who will win: Burrell.

Writing for a Comedy Series:
"Pregnant", Louie (FX), written by Louis C.K.
"Pilot", Girls (HBO), written by Lena Dunham
"The Debate", Parks And Recreation (NBC), written by Amy Poehler
"Win, Lose, or Draw", Parks and Recreation (NBC), written by Michael Schur
"Remedial Chaos Theory", Community (NBC), written by Chris McKenna

Hooray for writing nominations for all the shows that actually should have been nominated for Comedy Series! I'm looking at you, Louie, Parks and Community.
Who should win: As far as individual writing awards go, "Remedial Chaos Theory" is one of the best-written scripts of the year, so I'd give it to that, even if I think the overall writing for the entire season of Girls is probably my favorite.
Who will win: This might be the Girls category that wins, so I predict Dunham will walk away with the trophy.

Writing for a Drama Series:
"Episode 7", Downton Abbey (PBS), written by Julian Fellowes
"The Other Woman", Mad Men (AMC), written by Matthew Weiner
"Commissions and Fees", Mad Men (AMC), written by Maria Jacquemetton & Andre Jacquemetton
"Far Away Places", Mad Men (AMC), written by Matthew Weiner
"Pilot", Homeland (Showtime), written by Howard Gordon, Alex Gansa & Gideon Raff

Ladies and gentlemen, the Mad Men awards! Again, I think it's weird that you can have one show get nominated more than once for writing, but I guess that's the rule.
Who should win: That pilot for Homeland was one of the best pilots I've seen in a long time, and since the better episode "The Weekend" wasn't nominated, I'll give it to "Pilot".
Who will win: Probably "Far Away Places" so Matthew Weiner gets his annual Emmy for writing, and because it was a season finale (something-something Matthew Weiner writes circles around everybody else.)

Other Snubs and (Non)Flubs

• Nothing for Archer. Boo. But yay for Bob's Burgers making it over Family Guy.
• Nothing for Treme or Enlightened or Luck. Boo.
• Community and Parks And Recreation don't get series nods but get the acting and writing nods. Very Oscar-like giving the consolation-type nominations to shows that aren't as popular as the others.
• No The Vampire Diaries! I mean, not that I was expecting anything, but still. There should be a "Most Holy Crap! Moments In A Drama Series" category next year, cuz it would clean house.
• Obviously there are a million other categories that I did not discuss here. 
• All in all, this is a pretty decent list of nominations.

Blogulator Radio Episode 62 - Honey, I Broke Bad

Click here to listen to Chris, Qualler, and Brigitte discuss
magnets, shrinking, and other science things. But mostly just TV.

Chris, Qualler, and Brigitte gather round the coffee table this week to get hyper about the new season of AMC’s tour de force drama Breaking Bad, which premiered this week, in case this is the only nerdy web site you have frequented in the past month or so. At first it’s tough for the trio to wrap their heads around the idea of talking at length about what is ostensibly just one episode, and a very introductory/self-contained story at that, but after a not-so-brief tangent on the topic of shrinking (à la Rick Moranis) they have no trouble plumbing the depths of the show’s uniquely memorable characters, plot developments, and storytelling techniques. In its two-part final season, there is much to anticipate, predict, and analyze, so join the BR crew as they discuss everything from Jesse Pinkman’s not-so-secret brilliance to Walter White’s debatable and/or inevitable demise and more. If you, like so many, are addicted to the exploits of meth production in Albuquerque as depicted by the dad from Malcolm in the Middle, then take a listen. And we will no doubt be back many times throughout Season 5, Part 1 to continue to conversation.

 Blogulator Radio is brought to you in part by Netflix, where you can stream your favorite TV shows and movies from your TV, computer, or many other devices as often as you want for just 7.99 a month. Start your free two week trial today and help support independent netcasting. For up to the minute updates all up in your upness, be sure to subscribe to Blogulator Radio via iTunes or RSS.

Blogulator Radio 60: The Newsiest Newsroom Of All

New episode! Here! Quick, before Will McAvoy lectures you!

In this week's installment of Blogulator Radio, Brigitte and Qualler discuss the merits and demerits of Aaron Sorkin's latest "Hey Everybody, Shouldn't You Be As Smart As Me Cuz I'm Awesome And A White Guy Who Probably Know Better Than You, Internet Girl?" (okay, that was a bit harsh) television program The Newsroom, based solely on the pilot episode and the buzz surrounding the series in general, cuz that's what they do. In addition, they talk about the first few episodes of the similarly auteur-led series Bunheads, written by Amy Sherman-Palladino. (They're still waiting for a YouTube video similar to the Sorkinisms video that made the rounds yesterday. Palladinoisms, anybody?) They also have a few words for Lifetime's latest in its unofficial Dangers Of The Internet, Mostly To Do With Affairs Your Husband / Son / Male Figure In Your Life Is Having Because Of It film series talhotblonde, which was directed(!!!) by Courtney Cox. Finally, they have a few words for the newest seasons of the multiple iterations of Real Housewives. You get to hear Qualler's version of The Countess Luann's hit single "Money Can't Buy You Class." (Minus the heavy, heavy vocodor, unfortunately.) You get to hear Qualler talk about how awesome Homeland and Enlightened are, two shows from 2011 that he's catching up on. And it's all topped off by the theme song to Garfield and Friends, because that's how they roll.

Blogulator Radio 59: Our Favorite Blood Types: Vampire Diaries Season Three

Click here for a complete breakdown of The Vampire Diaries' third season, among other things. Like, Paul Wesley's hair.

In a Very Special Episode of Blogulator Radio (and aren't they all Very Special?), Qualler and Brigitte invite Vampire Diaries AV Club recapper Carrie Raisler to the netcast, along with Blogulator co-hort and #TVD megafan Chris Castro. Within the spoiler-heavy context of the hour-long episode, the crew discuss topics like: What is Caroline's favorite blood type? (Hint: Qualler knows, in a somewhat creepy kind of way.) Who is more handsome: Damon or Stefan? How has Elena evolved from mega-bland to somewhere-between-bland-and-not-bland? Isn't Bonnie just the worst? What are the long-term prospects for The Original Family to get their own sitcom? What's up with Jeremy always disappearing for a few episodes at a time? How does Elijah's hair stay so perfect? What's gonna happen in season four now that...well, damn, if you haven't watched the entire third season, you probably should go do that before you listen to this episode, right? For those who are caught up: stay tuned to the very end for a reminder of the awesomeness that was the third season of The Vampire Diaries.

Blogulator Radio 57: Game of Thrones Meets The Never-Ending Story

Click here to listen to the new episode of Blogulator Radio. Get excited, but not as excited as Theon Greyjoy, please.

Hey, check it out! It's a highly topical fresh new episode of Blogulator Radio! Yes, straight from Sunday evening's record-breaking airing of HBO's new signature smash hit series Game of Thrones, Chris, Qualler and Brigitte dissect the minutia that was the second season. (And, as one would expect, there are MEGA-SPOILERS for those who have not finished season two included in the episode.) Among the things they discuss: their favorite characters of the season, their least favorite characters, the gratuitous nudity, the comparison between watching as a reader of the books and watching as a non-reader of the books, how cute Dany's dragons are (THE CUTEST!), geeking out at the extremely well-directed-and-written penultimate episode "Blackwater", the excitement / frustration at how the TV series / book series takes forever to get to the supercool magic stuff, and comparing Dany's journey through the House of the Undying to a similar journey a character takes in The Never-Ending Story, one of the only other Fantasy epics that the gang has also enjoyed. Yes, we are probably the only denizens of the Internet to compare and contrast Game of Thrones to The Never-Ending Story. Also, how goofy does Theon Greyjoy look in that picture? I know, right?

Blogulator Radio Episode 56 - New Crap Airing This Fall Pt. 2

Click the link to hear the Blogulator gang complain about
all the horrible television premiering this fall!

Chris and Jerksica told you all about the pilots ordered to air this fall for ABC and CBS last week and now this week they asked Qualler and Brigitte to join them to discuss the new crap that FOX, NBC, and The CW are rolling out come September-ish. What follows is way too much arguing/awkward pauses about The Vampire Diaries, monkeys/why Brigitte is afraid of them, what makes a network a network, and probably the longest discussion of minor television actor Tate Donovan that's ever been put to tape. Oh and they also talk about a bunch of new shows including but not limited to The Carrie Diaries, Animal Practice, The New Normal, Arrow, 1600 Penn, Ben & Kate, Go On, and The Following. 

Blogulator Radio is brought to you in part by Netflix, where you can stream your favorite TV shows and movies from your TV, computer, or many other devices as often as you want for just 7.99 a month. Start your free two week trial today and help support independent netcasting. For up to the minute updates all up in your upness, be sure to subscribe to Blogulator Radio via iTunes or RSS.

Blogulator Radio 54: Dawson's Creek: The Netcast

Click here to get Qualler and Brigitte's extensive thoughts on all six glorious seasons of Dawson's Creek. And wow, that is one horrible awkward family photo up there, isn't it? Yeesh.

It's been a totally internet-less week for the Qualler-Brigitte family, and the internet-less streak continued through this weekend, meaning they had lost their chance to catch up on  and finish The Vampire Diaries season three, which came to a (reportedly stirring) conclusion last Thursday. Meaning, our planned episode doing our postmortem (GETITTHEYAREVAMPIRES) on season three with Carrie Raisler from The AV Club and Chris Castro from The Blogulatoris put on hold for the next few weeks while we catch up. BUT! Qualler and Brigitte DID complete their journey through Kevin Williamson's OTHER very popular long-running teen-centered drama series Dawson's Creek and, for the first time, gather all of their thoughts on the entire series into one compact 72 minute netcast. We laugh at the good times, have some tears over the hard ones (literally, if you were ever interested in hearing what Brigitte's crying triggers are, this episode is your chance to do that, you horrible sadist, you), and celebrate all that was and will ever be with The Beek from The Creek And His Friends. 

The Best Episodes of the Month: April 2012

As you may know by now, our opinions (about television) here at The Blogulator are valid. And as such as is true, we'd like to start helping you keep track of when the shows we love churn out particularly spellbinding and/or hilarious episodes. Below you will find five different opinions from five different Blogulator contributors as to what were the most successful episodes that aired (or were seen) in April of 2012. If there's one you've missed, get to Hulu, iTunes, Amazon, or your local cable On Demand menu stat!

Mad Men - "Mystery Date" (buy on iTunes or Amazon)

For as many gripes as I've had about the new season of Mad Men, I realize after every episode that my gripes don't really make a whole lotta sense, because this show is still one of the best shows on TV. And, specifically, outside of the somewhat bloated two-hour premiere, this season is knocking every episode out of the park in its own subtle way. Although, "Mystery Date" is perhaps one of Mad Men's least subtle episodes ever. Joan tells Greg to get the eff out of her house, poor little Sally learns about the nightmarish things going on in society, and Don has a literal fever dream nightmare where he freakin' strangles Madchen Amick to death and pushes her under her bed. It's an episode shrouded in darkness, so much so that this fake horror movie trailer made out of the episode actually isn't so far off from the overall tone. It certainly seems to be a harbinger of things to come as the season progresses. [Qualler]

Justified - "Slaughterhouse" (buy on iTunes or Amazon)

A lot rested on the third season finale of Justified. This season was more serialized than the two that preceded it. And with two new adversaries competing with Boyd Crowder for Marshal Raylan Givens' scornful looks, some have said this season tried to do too much in a short amount of time and paled in comparison to Season 2. While it did take a few episodes for Robert Quarles to gain some depth beyond being a wacky, volatile villain, once he did give us a peak into his disturbing past, steely-eyed Neal McDonough's performance jumped into Emmy-worthy status. And every episode subtly layered Mykelti Williamson's performance as Limehouse, a sort of down-home Wizard of Oz, smart enough to know when to strike, be even wiser to know when to just sit back and watch everything play out. And, for the most part, as exceptionally entertaining as this season was, the audience was also forced to sit back and watch how everything played out as well. Luckily, "Slaughterhouse" more than rewarded viewer patience a brutal final confrontation between Quarles, Limehouse and Givens. We were also given the extra payoff of Raylan realizing that, over the course of events spanning the entire series, his father had developed a deeper relationship with Boyd Crowder than he ever did with his own flesh and blood. So deep that to keep Boyd out of jail, Arlo took the fall for killing a man that betrayed Boyd in addition to confessing to shooting a State Trooper. Even just thinking about Raylan saying that Arlo "saw a man in a hat pointing a gun at Boyd" still gives me chills. What a way to cap off a ridiculously enjoyable season while adding one more thing to boil under that hat of our favorite US Marshal. [Sarc]

Revenge - "Scandal" (watch for free on Hulu)

God, this show. I started watching it at the beginning of the season with eyes narrowed in suspicion. The ubiquitous ad campaign and huge hype made me think that, like most things that networks (and studios and publishers) push heavily, it was expensive, but absolutely no good. I didn't think the sweet girl from Everwood could pull off being a cold-hearted vengeance machine, and figured that even if she could, she wouldn't be compelling because she was too inhuman and unlikeable. I didn't like the guy who plays Daniel when he was Max on Make It or Break It (yeah, that's a thing that happened), and don't even get me started on how much I dislike Madeleine Stowe. Nevertheless, I started watching--AND COULDN'T STOP. "Revenge" is probably one of the best shows on television, and for the most part lives up to its hype. Every time you think that the story is about to devolve, that Emily can't possibly lie her way out of this one, the show turns everything around, just to show you how wrong you are. "Revenge" is an intricate dance, a complex perpetual motion machine that defies prediction, and multiple satisfying surprises and twists give the impression that the show has so much more up its sleeve. I picked "Scandal" as my favorite ep of the month, but they're all good; "Scandal" does contain a couple of nice reveals, however--what really happened between Daniel and Tyler on the beach, Emily's emerging, genuine feelings for her ersatz fiance, the unsettlingly obtuse machinations of Emily's revenge master, Takeda (how awesome is it that she has a revenge master?), and heretofore uninteresting Ashley's attempt to leverage the Grayson family tragedy for her own gain by releasing bloody pictures of Daniel at the crime scene to the tabloids. I'm glad the show has another bit of scandal to chew on besides the David Clarke/terrorist/plane crash thing, which has always felt like a wrong note in the show, both because of its "too soon" element (anything that smacks of using a 9/11-ish event as a subplot in what is basically a really good soap opera is, I think, kind of cheap) and its general weird unbelievability. Not that I think it's going away--it's integral to the premise of the show--but the fact that other fucked up things are happening keeps it from turning into a stale old chestnut. Now if someone would just actually straight up kill Amanda, that would be super. [Anna]

Community - "Basic Lupine Urology" (watch for free on Hulu)

It's no secret how much I and 90% of the rest of the nerd contingent of the internet adores the Greendale gang, but upon returning after the dark nightmare that was its third season hiatus, every episode of this show just kept punching me in the groin more than the last - in a good way. And in particular, it took me a few minutes to realize why I loved "Basic Lupine Urology" (AKA the Law & Order ep) even more than the two other perfect episodes the show did this month (the Dr. Who/dreamatorium ep and the Ken Burns/pillow fort ep): because while I maybe wish I had a much deeper understanding of Dr. Who and/or Ken Burns documentaries, I am far more familiar with the tropes and minutiae of Dick Wolf's franchise. Just like great homage/parody Community eps of yore, such as the chicken fingers/GoodFellas one or the Charlie Kaufman/Abed is the Messiah one, every beat is played pitch-perfectly, a couple of my favorite details being the abundance of Greek NYC coffee cups suddenly on campus and Britta's role as the photograph analyzer (which in this case just means she can Instagram it to make it look old-timey). The biggest complaint that many have already hobbled at this twelve-jokes-a-second romp is that it lacks that tender center that deepens our love for the characters like so many forays into the study group's world has before, but I say they just had their cake and ate it too. The episode ends with yet another classic L&O bit, where the climax of solving the case is undercut with an out-of-left-field development that one of the case's primary constituents has died in the most horrifically tragic way possible, and here we got the off-screen death of one of the show's longest-running minor characters: Starburns. It's not huge, but it's a joke and a morbidly hefty moment at once, as we'll now always remember that the weird guy with the top hat and the cosmic facial hair died at the end of the Law & Order episode of Community. [Chris]

30 Rock - "Live From Studio 6H" (watch for free on Hulu)

"...because they thought two black people on the same show would make people nervous. A rule that NBC still follows today!"

Now, I wasn't the biggest fan of the initial foray of 30 Rock into a live episode.  Don't get me wrong- I LOVE a good gimmick.  Can't. Get. Enough. Gimmicks.  This is why I'm one of the only Blogulator crew that unabashedly watches competitive reality television (and not the high-rated shows either).  However, the previous live episode of 30 Rock just fell flat; it was live for the kitsch of being live without any, what do you call those?  Oh yeah, jokes.  Flash forward to the 2012 episode and it's genius.  All the gimmick, plus hilarious jokes and guest stars.  The live episode actually seemed like watching TGS. There were sketches, and funny ones at that.  I love the "flashbacks" to television past narrated by Kenneth, inserted for the purpose of "saving" TGS as a live show.  I watched several television parodies repeatedly, including the sketch of news reporters befuddled by Tina Fey's sex, and the Amos n' Andy spoof Alfie and Abner. Dr. Spaceman got some much needed play, Jon Hamm was in my two favorite sketches, and Paul proposed to Jenna after singing "Zou Bisou Bisou" from Mad Men - "A Little Kiss."  Perfection? Maybe not.  But consider my funny bone satisfied. [Jerksica]