"I Get Good Advice From The Advertising World"

A while back I commented on what I thought - or rather, think - is the somewhat misguided fear on the part of advertisers toward DVRs. I mentioned that I am more apt to watch commercials while watching a recorded program than I am while watching live TV. While fast-forwarding through ads I often stop and go back to watch those that are able to catch my eye. When an ad break comes on during live programming however, I simply change the channel until my well- honed commercialometer tells me my original show is back.

Those times when I do pull a u-turn, it is often to catch a trailer for a film I'm interested in or starring an actor I like. Turns out I'm not alone. There is now data that suggests that quite a few viewers do the same thing.

The data comes from TiVo, who is now measuring what commercials are viewed - both in live and time-shifted contexts - and how often. Since it only measures it's own users, not the rest of us DVR lovers who get our equipment from the local cable company, it's safe to assume the actual numbers are even greater.

While some might grimace at the prospect of commercial ratings, TV the way we know and love it cannot exist without subsidies from advertisers. Some people may consider it a necessary evil, I consider it just plain necessary. Thus, I think anything that will keep advertisers calm and pumping money into my primary vice is OK. Besides, as the article tagged above states: "In some cases, according to the data, commercials score higher ratings than do the shows they are on."


P.S. Guess the song from which the title of this post comes and you will win....well, nothing actually, I'll just be impressed.

Emmy Reading This Correctly?

I'm not sure anything I've watched during the past season toyed with my emotions the way reading this year's list of Emmy nominees did earlier today. It was like my brain was playing Twister with me, calling out one new color after another before I could possibly get my left hand on green.

First there was anticipation: would Lost - after last year's snub - get its due this year with a nomination for Outstanding Drama? Then there was curiosity: there's an Outstanding Choreography category? That was followed by a sense of 'who knew?': there's an Outstanding Commercial category. Next there was self-doubt: "Am I reading this correctly? I must have missed the mentions of Planet Earth." (I did, it picked up 7 nominations). Then the fireworks began, starting with a feeling of satisfaction: 10 nominations for 30 Rock, 9 for The Office; which quickly turned into tempered indignation: Lost getting only 4 nods, but in the right categories and for the right reasons; and finally downright contempt when, after I finished the list, I realized Elizabeth Mitchell's name was nowhere to be found.

Now, I'm grounded enough to know that none of this is really that important. After all, more often than not its nothing more than self-congratulatory Hollywood nonsense. But the same could be said of any industry's awards. Does anyone outside the field really care who the best plumbing supplier in greater Montpelier is in any given year? No, but the pipe pushers in Vermont do, and while I don't get to see how good those guys are at hawking hose I do spend an inordinate amount of time watching television. I have some favorite shows - and guilty pleasures - as well as some absolute must-not-watchers (Grey's Anatomy) and I am able to recognize quality work when it is put in front of me. In that context, I don't feel so ridiculous in my reactions to this morning's announcement.

A second look at the nominees reveals some well deserved recognition as well as some head-scratchers. Among the highlights and lowlights:

It was great to see both Michael Emerson and Terry O'Quinn (Ben and Locke respectively) of Lost get nods for Outstanding Actor, albeit in the supporting category. I think a case could be made for either or both of them to have landed a lead spot, perhaps taking Keifer Sutherland's place in that category. While Sutherland's work is usually pretty compelling, this iteration of 24 left him very little to work with and he felt like more of a supporting character in the last two-thirds of the season.

It was good to see Heroes get some respect - 8 nominations including Outstanding Drama - though it may be a little undeserved. A good show, but very uneven in it's first season, it started to coalesce into something greater than its parts just before it completely imploded with a disastrously disappointing finale. I agree with the suggestions that this nomination may be lip service to those of us who like serialized dramas. Mark Harris has a great article about this and other aspects of the nominating process at EW.com.

Top Chef is in the running for Outstanding Reality Competition, though it will have trouble against perennial favorite The Amazing Race and another Bravo standout, Project Runway.

Alec Baldwin is up against Steve Carell in the Lead Actor - Comedy category. Though I love Carell's continually oblivious performance, Baldwin was a major reason the audience kept watching 30 Rock until the show eventually found its footing and established itself as the best new comedy of the season.

Not to drift too close to fanboydom, but most of my discontent stems from how Lost was treated by those who do the nominating. It was a stellar season (yes, from start to finish) and the second best ep of the season, "Through the Looking Glass", rightly received nominations for writing and directing. How the series didn't make the cut for Outstanding Drama however boggles one's mind, especially in light of the fact that the season finale was quite possibly two of the best hours of primetime television I have ever seen. I like Heroes, but Lost is a far better enterprise. Though maybe both should be in the final list, at the expense of the glorified soap opera that is Grey's Anatomy.

Additionally, I am gobsmacked that Elizabeth Mitchell's portrayal of Juliet on the series was completely overlooked. She should have at least gotten a nod for Supporting Actress if not Lead. Her work was simply fantastic. In each episode she appeared she was asked to play a range of emotions in order to conceal the fact that she is at least a triple agent whose sole allegiance in the end is probably only to herself. I can't imagine anyone who voted for this category seeing any of her performances and not putting her at the top of the list. It's criminal to say the least.

At least, as viewers, we have the next two months to regain our composure. At which time the polka dotted plastic rug will reappear to remind us that the voting process makes no sense, and more often than not seems to be based more on soundbites and hype (read Harris's article) rather than merit. Well, merit wins the technical categories, but we don't get to see those. They apparently don't make good television. Oh the irony!

Law & Re-Ordered

Some shakeups are coming to the Law & Order set this fall, and while the net effect is yet another Y chromosome on the cast, the changes being made might help restore at least some of this old warhorse's former glory.

For starters, Jack McCoy (Sam Waterson) will be stepping up to the big chair, as Fred Thompson's presidential ambitions mean the end for his character, District Attorney Arthur Branch. It will be interesting to see McCoy move into the role of sage after 13 seasons as the driven, no-holes-barred, right-hand man; though I do slightly wonder how this promotion will be explained. Through the years, McCoy has made a lot of political enemies; of judges, defense attorney's, etc. for some of his "unorthodox" methods. I would think he would have at least some trouble getting elected DA.

To fill the ADA vacancy, Dick Wolf & co. have chosen British actor Linus Roache, most well known (at least for me) for his role as Thomas Wayne in Batman Begins. His scenes in that film - slight though they were - make me feel good about the producers' choice.

So does the addition of Jeremy Sisto, who has been tapped to replace the underwhelming Milena Govich as Detective Green's partner. Sisto was most recently seen in NBCs short-lived Kidnapped but is probably best known by some for his role on Six Feet Under.

L&O's future was up in the air as recently as a couple months ago, due to sagging ratings. Frankly the show has seemed uneven since Jerry Orbach's departure three seasons ago. While I love much of Dennis Farina's work, he didn't seem to quite fit the style and mood of this particular series, and this was probably part of what led to his early exit after two seasons . Last year's addition of Govich as Det. Nina Cassady was mishandled as well. Her character was written somewhat poorly and her performance was equally uncompelling.

If these new characters are fleshed out a little better than the additions of recent-past, the show might be able to win its appeal and get off death row.

Sein On For '30 Rock'

Zap2it.com is reporting that Jerry Seinfeld will be guest starring in the season premiere of 30 Rock. He'll be playing himself. No word as to whether George will be in tow asking to get paid what Ted Danson makes, but I think this is good news for the show, which is entering it's sophomore season this fall. Hopefully, Seinfeld's appearance will drum up some viewers that can then be hooked by the show's subtly hilarious writing and spot-on performances. This is a great series which needs to see a ratings boost this coming year if it wants to stay alive.

The full story can be found on zap2it's website.

"The Bronx is Burning" and So Are Somone's Ears

ESPN's miniseries documenting the Yankees' 1977 season, particularly the feud between manager Billy Martin and superstar outfielder Reggie Jackson, got underway this week. In the season opener we see that Martin (John Turturro) has more than his share of flaws, which Big Stein (caricatured here by Oliver Platt) is willing to overlook because Martin is a winner and that's what the Yanks need after not having won a pennant for more than a decade. Well, reconsiders Steinbrenner, they also need someone whose popularity can put the "meat in the seats". Enter Reggie Jackson, played with pitch-perfect charisma by Daniel Sunjata of FX's Rescue Me.

As you can expect, tension builds quickly among this triumvirate from the outset. Martin challenges Steinbrenner's decision-making on several occasions, The Boss reasserts his control in humiliating ways, and Jackson lets his stardom go to his head. With each man believing he is the savior of this once storied franchise the table is set for the historic, nationally televised dugout fight between Martin and Jackson in June of the '77 season.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot - as I think the writers may have. There are some scenes where we witness the beginnings of David Berkowitz's killing spree which kept New York paralyzed in a state of anxiety that same summer. There are also passing references to the rough social and economic situation in the city in at the time. Since the series is based on a book detailing all these aspects of that drama-filled summer, it may be safe to assume such scenes will have more purpose over the remaining seven episodes (this was alluded to in the previews as well), but in the premiere these scenes are awkwardly placed and distracting.

Though not nearly as distracting as the prosthetic ears Turturro wears.

In the beginning I wondered if I wasn't watching a story about batboy. No, not the young kid that gets to pick up after the sloppy ball players, this batboy. After a while, I kept feeling as though Martin's nose was to going to be slightly longer each time he reappeared. The fact that I watched for an entire hour and couldn't get over how ridiculous he looked might say something about how engaging the series is otherwise, but wow, what were they thinking? I looked up some pics of the real Martin online, and while his ears may have been a little bigger than your average set, they were in no way as conspicuous as the mini-satellite dishes Turturro is sporting.

Distractions aside, the series has some worthy aspects. The lead performances are all relatively solid, and the casting of the supporting players is spot-on. Especially in regards to the actors playing Thurmon Monson and Lou Pinella, though we don't see too much of them in the premiere.

I'll stick around for at least another episode to see if this thing finds its groove. But if Turturro sprouts a tale and begins braying, I'm outta here.

The Bronx is Burning runs on ESPN Tuesday nights at 10pm, with several re-airings on ESPN and ESPN2.

What Planet Was I On?

I admit, I'm a few months late with this question, but WOW!!! - have you seen the Discovery Channel's Planet Earth series yet?

If you haven't don't feel too bad, I still really haven't seen it yet either, though I did have a delicious tease of it the other night. I caught the last half of the "Shallow Seas" episode. Those twenty-five or so minutes were enough however to make me understand why this documentary series has received all the hoopla it has.

Narrated by Sigourney Weaver, the episode was extraordinarily engaging, with an overabundance of gorgeous images (I was lucky enough to catch an HD broadcast). I was especially taken with the shots from what appear to be low-orbit satellites. Those images showing Earth from a distance were breathtaking - I just hope they were real. Equally breathtaking were the shots of the nooks and crannies of the planet with which most of us are unfamiliar.

When this episode ended I immediately hit the on-screen TV Guide to find out when I could watch the next one. Alas, that is the only episode on the horizon for the next couple of weeks, but if what I saw was any indication this is a series worth waiting for.