It’s with this in mind that DailyHelping climbs onto the proverbial soapbox, several years late, to proclaim the greatness of HBO’s much-lauded series, “The Wire”.

The Wire premiered on June 2, 2002 and ended on March 9, 2008.  This amounted to 60 sixty episodes over five seasons. The show never saw the  water cooler popularity of Sex in the City or The Sopranos or won any major television awards, and yet is considered by long-time television critics as the greatest  television series ever produced. The Wire has been off the air for roughly two years and is still the focus of fan sites and college course work where the show is considered a realistic portrayal of urban life in America.

The series has been out in DVD compilations for better than a year now and is available for rental at almost all independent DVD vendors and through Netflix.  Allow us to repeat what was said above…one more time.

Considered by many long time television critics as the greatest television series of all time.

The show has a very large, incredibly talented, for the most part unknown cast.  The stellar corp of writers were unafraid of complex and unorthodox plot lines and at times, undecipherable jargon. This is the true “reality show”.

Go to Netflix or Google “The Wire” and read a little about the show. Treat yourself to watching the first three or four episodes. In no time you’ll be hooked and experiencing an entertainment experience that will stay with you long after watching that final episode.

Here is a terrific article that compares The Wire to The Sopranos in a debate as to which is truly the best.  Surprisingly the DailyHelping, which has long been a huge fan of the Sopranos, accepts The Wire as the best of the best.

DailyHelping is happy to weigh in on these fine nominees.

DRAMA SERIES
“Breaking Bad” (AMC)
“Dexter” (Showtime)
“The Good Wife” (CBS)
“Lost” (ABC)
“Mad Men” (AMC)
“True Blood” (HBO)

All in all, some quality shows are here, but HBO’s “Treme” should be here rather than “True Blood”.  “Sons of Anarchy” is a fantastic show for those who miss “The Sopranos” and terrific writing for anti-heroes. Lost should get an award for knowing when to shut it down.  “Mad Men” will probably win and Breaking Bad should win.

COMEDY SERIES
“Curb Your Enthusiasm” (HBO)
“Glee” (Fox)
“Modern Family” (ABC)
“Nurse Jackie” (Showtime)
“The Office” (NBC)
“30 Rock” (NBC)

“Glee” has earned this spot and the Rookie of the Year award. Who would have predicted a show about a high school glee club would become Must-See television for it’s night. The President has even mentioned his appreciation of the show.  “Nurse Jackie” hasn’t generated the kind of buzz that “Weeds” or “Dexter” generates.  Modern Family is runner up Rookie of the Year and was a critical favorite from it’s opening pilot.  “The Office” is losing it’s star (Carrell) and so is “30 Rock” (Baldwin), but this wasn’t a particularly strong season for either one.  “Curb Your Enthusiasm” had the Seinfeld reunion but “Glee” looks like a feel-good winner.

MADE FOR TELEVISION MOVIE
“Emma” (Masterpiece)
“Georgia O’Keeffe” (Lifetime)
“The Pacific” (HBO)
“Temple Grandin” (HBO)
“You Don’t Know Jack” (HBO)

“The Pacific” is going to win this category and it’s well deserved.  Surprisingly graphic in it’s violence, this is a classic series that will get it’s due once it’s more accessible on DVD.  “You Don’t Know Jack” had some good publicity but it’s a show piece for Pacino and he’s going to get his award later in the show.

ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Jim Parsons – “Big Bang Theory”
Larry David – “Curb Your Enthusiasm”
Matthew Morrison – “Glee”
Tony Shalhoub – “Monk”
Steve Carell – “The Office”
Alec Baldwin – “30 Rock”

Monk? Was it really on this past year?  If so it joins “The Office” and “30 Rock” as shows that are losing their big draws (not that Tina Fey isn’t a remarkable talent in her own right).  Baldwin is the reigning winner here and could very realistically find himself with another Emmy on his way out the door.

ACTOR IN A DRAMA
Bryan Cranston – “Breaking Bad”
Michael C. Hall – “Dexter”
Kyle Chandler = “Friday Night Lights”
Hugh Laurie – “House”
Matthew Fox – “Lost”
Jon Hamm – “Mad Men”

There are a lot of people who are happy to see “Friday Night Lights get some love.  It’s as far as it goes, but getting noticed this year seems to be gratifying for a good number of critics and fans. Hugh Laurie and Matthew Fox deserved their nominations but this is all about John Hamm, Michael C. Hall and Bryan Cranston.  Hall’s season was eclipsed by his well publicized battle with Leukemia, disclosed as he collected a Golden Globe Award.   Cranston will win and should win. He’s benefiting from a particularly strong season but his performances are in a league of their own.  Dexter deserves an award for last season and it will come in the Guest star in a dramatic series category. John Lithgow will win that one hands down and it will be a nod to a terrific show that is finally getting some attention.

As for those who deserved to be nominated but were overlooked, Timothy Olyphant in the fantastic “Justified” and Ron Pearlman from “Son’s of Anarchy”.  Count on seeing both in this category next year. Ray Romano in “Men of a Certain Age” would have been nice to see here too.

“Monk”? Really?

ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Lea Michele – “Glee”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus – “The New Adventures Of Old Christine”
Edie Falco – “Nurse Jackie”
Amy Poehler – “Parks And Recreation”
Tina Fey – “30 Rock”
Toni Collette – “United States Of Tara”

“Parks and Recreation” has overtaken it’s mentor, “The Office” with a very strong season. Amy Poehler will win this year because Edie Falco and Toni Collette will cancel each other out with much darker, less seen performances.  Tina Fey could take this if Poehler doesn’t. Julia Louise-Dreyfus was actually better this year in “Curb Your Enthusiasm” playing herself.

ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Kyra Sedgwick – “The Closer”
Glenn Close – “Damages”
Connie Britton – “Friday Night Lights”
Julianna Margulies – “The Good Wife”
Mariska Hargitay – “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”
January Jones – “Mad Men”

Julianna Margulies in “The Good Wife” could be a sleeper here in keeping with this season’s strong showing by new shows. Mariska Hargitay is here out of respect for the “Law and Order” franchise. She’s a long time favorite and this nomination is comparable to retiring an athlete’s jersey.  Connie Britton is more love for “Friday Night Lights”.  Glen Close and Kyra Sedgwik are a toss up here. January Jones will win this category another time soon and often.  Katy Segal from “Sons of Anarchy” should be here and will be here next year.  (It’s great that both Bundy’s from “Married With Children” have had such a good year on their respective shows)

ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Jeff Bridges – “A Dog Year”
Ian McKellen – “The Prisoner”
Michael Sheen – “The Special Relationship”
Dennis Quaid – “The Special Relationship”
Al Pacino – “You Don’t Know Jack

Most people think that former Prime Minister Tony Blair looks like Michael Sheen and not the other way around. His work in “The Queen” as well as “The Special Relationship” make it hard to think the man is acting. If you haven’t seen this HBO movie, make the effort if for no other reason than to see Sheen and Quaid as Blair and Clinton. Quaid is very entertaining.  This however is all about Pacino. It’s an over the top performance. Hammy and yet convincing. This is a slam dunk.

ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Maggie Smith – “Capturing Mary”
Joan Allen – “Georgia O’Keeffe”Dame Judi Dench – “Return To Cranford”
Hope Davis – “The Special Relationship”
Claire Danes – “Temple Grandin”

The DailyHelping has nothing here. Didn’t see anything here and don’t know that we will.

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Chris Colfer – “Glee”
Neil Patrick Harris – “How I Met Your Mother”
Jesse Tyler Ferguson – “Modern Family”
Eric Stonestreet – “Modern Family”
Ty Burrell – “Modern Family”

Neil Patrick Harris is the only recognizable name here and he’s not likely to win. The Modern Family nominees are good PR for the show’s second season, but that’s all that’s going to come of the evening.  The kid from Glee, Chris Colfer is a perfect stand-out representative from the ensemble.  He’s going to win for a lot of reasons not the least of which is his

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA
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”

Aaron Paul and Andre Braugher turned in the best performances and either one will win here.  Short plays against type in a dramatic but still hammy performance and it feels like one of those roles that will get you a nomination but not a win.

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Michael Gambon – “Emma”
Patrick Stewart – “Hamlet”
Jonathan Pryce – “Return To Cranford”
David Strathairn – “Temple Grandin”
John Goodman – “You Don’t Know Jack”

Once again a category that poses something of a mystery save Goodman’s performance in “You Don’t Know Jack” . Patrick Stewart in Hamlet sounds like something for the Tony Awards. Everyone in this list of nominees are outstanding performers and it’ s probably going to be a deserving win.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Jane Lynch – “Glee”

Julie Bowen – “Modern Family”

Sofia Vergara – “Modern Family”

Kristen Wiig – “Saturday Night Live”
Jane Krakowski – “30 Rock”
Holland Taylor – “Two And A Half Men”

Jane Lynch’s win in this category will be part of Glee’s wonderful evening. She’s a terrific character actress whose enjoying Glee’s popularity and is one of the few few familiar faces on this very popular show.  Kristen Wiig is one of the few unspoiled resources on Saturday Night Live. She isn’t a hit every time and one can’t help but think there are bigger and better things for her in movies.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Sharon Gless – “Burn Notice”
Rose Byrne – “Damages”
Archie Panjabi – “The Good Wife”
Christine Baranski – “The Good Wife”
Christina Hendricks – “Mad Men”
Elisabeth Moss – “Mad Men”

Christina Hendricks is a big favorite here at DailyHelping and so any discussion about the Emmy awards would be biased and a conflict of interests.  Her arrival on the Red Carpet on Emmy night is one of the more eagerly awaited moments of the night.  Seeing Sharon Gless from “Burn Notice” is pretty cool. It’s a show that you wouldn’t expect to see among these nominees, not that it’s a bad show..on the contrary, but it’s a real honor for this action show.

VARIETY, MUSIC, OR COMEDY SERIES
“The Colbert Report” (Comedy Central)
“The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” (Comedy Central)
“Real Time With Bill Maher” (HBO)
“Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
“The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien” (NBC)

There is some sweet justice in seeing Conan here and not Jay. The real story would be if Conan’s show won. The way things have worked out for NBC through the whole debacle, all that’s left is an Emmy win for Conan.  This one will go to “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart”.  This is a show that has raised the bar on contemporary comedic satire and it’s going to continue to set the standard for as long as it wants to.  Saturday Night Live used to have this kind of clout.

It was however on HBO that you could find David Chase’s brilliant Jersey- Mob saga, The Sopranos.  In a decade filled with outstanding dramas, it was clear that there were The Sopranos and then there was everybody else.   From January of 1999 to the summer of 2007, there was no one else operating on the same creative plane.  The ensemble was led by the previously unknown James Gandolfini, a  burly character actor who more than delivered when handed the role of a lifetime.  Few dramas over the years left the air with such anticipation and fostered so many permanent cultural icons.

The Sopranos set the bar high early in the decade and arguably spurred on the creative output by other cable networks and elevated the appetite for a now more loyal and sophisticated viewer.

The Daily Helping also salutes some very viable candidates: The West Wing, Deadwood, Six Feet Under, The Wire, The Shield, Mad Men, Breaking Bad,  Lost , Battlestar Galactica and Dexter.

The Daily Helping is going to share Mr. Ordoña’s list and comments and then add a few of our own. The list is impressive for the most part, with  the exception of number 10.

10 Roman Moroni (Richard Dimitri, “Johnny Dangerously”): Just as Al Capone went to the big house for income-tax evasion, the malevolently malapropping Moroni (“You fargin sneaky bastage … bunch of fargin iceholes”) was convicted of murdering … the English language. The headlines blared his punishment: “Moroni Deported to Sweden. Says He’s Not From There.”

“Johnny Dangerously” was one of a number of Michael Keaton movies that no one saw or remembers seeing. Choosing a guy because he talks like Yogi Berra is a pretty weak way to start this list. If you need to pick someone because he talks funny, how about Jimmy “Two Times” from Goodfellas.  He’s mentioned in the opening of the movie.   Ray Liotta says ..”and then there was Jimmy Two Times, who got that nickname because he said everything twice, like:
“I’m gonna go get the papers, get the papers”.

9 Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci, “GoodFellas”): Martin Scorsese’s masterwork may be the greatest mobster movie ever, mostly because of his gripping direction. The cocaine freak-out sequence should be taught in film-school editing classes. Pesci’s Tommy, with the deadliest case of short man’s disease this side of Kim Jong Il, made lines such as, “Funny like I’m a clown, I amuse you?” part of the tough-guy lexicon.

A good choice, and I’d add Pesci’s other iconic character, Nicky Santoro in Casino (1995).  Though things went off the rails when he went rogue, the guy was part of a bigger family working out of the back of a Kansas City grocery. Based on a real person who ended up the same way Nicky did in the movie.  (with his brother too!)

8 Al Capone (Robert De Niro, “The Untouchables”): “I want him dead! I want his family dead! … I want to go there in the middle of the night and piss on his ashes!” Chicago’s poet laureate, David Mamet, was the perfect guy to write the screenplay, and De Niro, in yet another stunningly transformative performance, was the last guy you’d want pacing behind you with a baseball bat.

To be honest, The daily Helping is not a fan of the Untouchables, despite the Mamet screenplay. Sean Connery and Frank Nitty stole this movie.  This was an ok choice but not as intriguing as Stanely Tucci’s extremely understated and professional turn as Frank Nitty in Road to Perdition.  Speaking of that movie, it’s worth mentioning Jud Law’s eerie gunman/photographer, Harlan Maguire.

7 Sonny Corleone (James Caan, “The Godfather”): The trash-can beating he administered to his brother-in-law is a classic. Viewers suffered tollbooth phobia that had nothing to do with misplaced FasTrak passes for years after witnessing Sonny’s fate (which Mad magazine attributed to his trying to pay with a large bill). Bonus points: The DVD includes a great Easter egg (hidden feature) of Caan doing a Marlon Brando impersonation.

Sonny belongs here, and it’s safe to say that as memorable as his death scene was, it would have been all the more interesting to have seen Sonny grow up and work with his younger brother, Michael.  The Daily Helping heard a radio interview with Caan not too long ago and it was hard not imagining it was Sonny himself.

6 Nikolai Luzhin (Viggo Mortensen, “Eastern Promises”): If you had never seen Mortensen before this film, you’d think he was that guy, that the filmmakers had just pulled some Russian dude out of a high-end London nightclub. Equal parts preening macho narcissist and cold-blooded hatchet man, he tops even “Borat” for best naked fight.

Where it not for the mention of the “Borat” fight, I’d be applauding this choice.  Without a question, Eastern Promises and Viggo Mortensen are huge favorites here on Daily Helping.  The part of the movie that delves into the Russian prison tattoos is really interesting and purportedly well-researched.

5 Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro, “The Godfather Part II”): The up-and-coming De Niro was picking up the origin story of an already-iconic character that had won an Oscar for an iconic actor (Marlon Brando in “The Godfather”), and he had to do it in Sicilian, a dialect he had learned just a few years before for another film. His portrayal is not only feeling, thinking and reactive, but it also creates a bridge to Brando’s work that brilliantly illustrates the character’s evolution.

It’s interesting to see that this is for DeNiro’s portrayl of the young Vito, and not Brando’s wise old Don.  Technically this is a mobster who is starting out on his own, but soon establishes an organization that is as much a position of political power as anything else. His people come to him for help and well, they end up owing him a “favor”.  DeNiro played pretty much the same character as David “Noodles” Aaronson in “Once Upon A Time in America”. 

4 Bill “The Butcher” Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis, “Gangs of New York”): One of the great screen villains, which we can now see as Daniel Plainview with one more pin of civility removed. A movie monster on the order of Hannibal Lecter, but with a heart and that disturbing false eye. There is, by the way, no truth to the Internet rumor that Day-Lewis was originally to play “Priest” Vallon to Robert De Niro’s Bill.

Great pick here, and it’s the gold nugget in a pile of swill. With all due respect to Mr. Scorsese, his casting on this film was beyond bad to the point of unwatchable.  DiCaprio and Carmen Diaz felt as if they stumbled onto the set from a different movie, set in a different era.

3 Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini, “The Sopranos”): The best TV mobster ever. Like Vito Corleone, a multilayered family man – but he’s more flawed and real. Bonus points: There’s a classic Easter egg in the bonus disc of the original “Godfather” set in which Tony and the boys try to watch a bootleg copy of the 1972 movie.

There’s little to add here. The Daily Helping agrees and hopes that there will be other original series programing down the road that is on par with the Sopranos.

2 Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando, “The Godfather”): Brando gets the nod over De Niro’s portrayal of the title character because of the older version’s dark mystery and the already arrived quality of the kindly patriarch, who also made people wet their pants in fear. The improvised orange-in-the-mouth ape scene alone, in the greater context of the head of the Corleone crime family, is enough for enshrinement here.

If you haven’t seen the movie, The Freshman (1990), with Brando, Mathew Broderick and the great, Bruno Kirby, then you’re in for a little treat. Not a great movie and in fact, a bit weak on the end…but for the most part, a wonderful spoof on the character Vito Corleone, by Brando himself.  Check it out….

1 Tony Montana (Al Pacino, “Scarface”): One of the rare ultra-violent movies that women love as much as men do. Its excesses are its successes, from the nosedive into a molehill of yayo to the chain-saw-in-the-shower scene. But the true test of this performance’s greatness is to imagine its famous lines delivered by someone – anyone – else. Could even Daniel Day-Lewis or Denzel Washington or Robert De Niro have so unforgettably spat out, “Say hello to my little friend”? No, there is no one else who could have quite pulled off that haircut, that suit, that accent, that je ne sais quoi. It’s Pacino waaaay over the top, where he belongs. And considering the character’s lingering cultural impact, especially in hip-hop, it surpasses even the Godfather himself. So take a look at the bad guy. You won’t see his kind again.

It’s not impossible to understand why Tony Montana is here, though he seemed more of a cartoon character who rose to the top because he had nothing to lose.  It’s interesting that Pacino is here as a coke-snorting psychopath and not as a Corleone. That’s who Daily Helping would have as number 1.

Your thoughts?

Home to such current critical and audience favorites as Weeds, The Tudors, The L Word and Dexter, Showtime has secured creative momentum and takes the kind of risks that used to define HBO in the salad days of Sex in the City, The Larry Sanders Show, Oz , Six Feet Under and of course, The Sopranos.

Showtime is launching a half-hour long dark comedy called Nurse Jackie.  The show provides the brilliantly talented Edie Falco, (forever known as Carmella Soprano) with a juicy, multi-layered role.  The no-nonsense ER nurse found on television is twisted to accommodate a more sophisticated and forgiving audience. Let’s not forget that Showtime’s Dexter has made it OK to root for the serial killer.

Nurse Jackie is extremely competent and grudgingly works alongside some familiar hospital drama stereotypes. The foolish, incompetent doctors, the impressionistic trainee, the hypocritical administrative types, they’re all there, but the pace and writing of the show won’t allow for familiar mediocrity.

Falco’s nurse Jackie is flawed. Though she operates above the fray believing that the end justifies the means, the viewer immediately understands that this is an anti-hero who can rationalize behavior unbecoming our perception of the supreme care giver we desperately rely upon when rushed into the emergency room.  Jackie snorts pain medication in order to continue to do her job. She relieves stress with impromptu sexual trysts in the break room and is not above losing a severed ear when she finds the owner of said ear…repulsive.  Forgery, adultery and a little theft are all in the course of duty for Nurse Jackie as she makes things all better.

It’s doubtful the nursing industry will appreciate the questionable decisions made by this  medical professional, though a few nurses may privately enjoy seeing someone responding to situations in a way that they’d like to…not as they’re supposed to. (Think policemen watching Dirty Harry or The Shield’s Vic Mackey).

Showtime is providing a free look at their pilot episode. You can watch the episode by clicking here, and then typing in the password:  shifthappens when prompted.

Give it a look.

]]> http://dailyhelping.com/2009/05/24/nurse-jackie-knows-where-it-hurts/feed/ 0 http://dailyhelping.com/2009/01/27/197/ http://dailyhelping.com/2009/01/27/197/#comments Tue, 27 Jan 2009 21:47:54 +0000 admin http://dailyhelping.com/?p=197 This Wednesday night ABC relaunches it’s new sci-fi police drama, Life On Mars.  It’s scheduled to follow Lost,  hopefully to be found.  This is an entertaining  show that has enjoyed decent enough ratings and strong critical support.  It’s one of a very small handful of shows that debuted in ‘08 and will live on in ‘09.  My fear is that Life on Mars will  join that roster of “best show that no one is watching?”

This is an American adaptation of a BBC favorite (think: The Office).  It ran on  BBC One between January 2006 and April 2007 and subsequently won their British Academy  Television Awards as well as their Emmy.  As you would expect there is the usual debate as to whether the Americanized version holds up to the original and no less than the British television critics acknowledge that ABC and the show’s producers got it right.

The American version takes place in New York City.  A detective, Sam Tyler (played by Jason O’Mara)  is seriously injured while hunting a serial killer.  He regains consciousness in 1973.  Is he a time traveler? Is he living within the confines of a coma? Is he dead?  There are  many wonderful red herrings and legitimate clues when the two worlds overlap.  In some ways it’s all  reminiscent of my old favorite, Twin Peaks.  (don’t let that scare you away). The characters are unique in that the lines between good guy and bad guy tend to blur.  Funny, at times violent, insightful, compelling…the show has it all.

The differences between 1973 and 2009 are obviously huge. No computers, no faxes, no cell phones, no DNA or policewomen, to name a few.  The cast is terrific.  Harvey Keitel, Michael Imperioli (Christopher on the Sopranos fame) and Gretchen Mol. (Robert Klein’s turn as a mobster was fantastic in earlier episodes). The music, the clothes, the cars, the hair and through the magic of special effects…New York, itself looks seedy and explosive and truly provides a refreshing backdrop.  (I think Mad Men mines the same creative well by re-creating life a few decades back).

There have been 8 episodes shown thus far.  ABC offers these online for you to watch for free.  There are five new episodes that will begin their run tomorrow night and the network ordered up four additional episodes.

Give this show a chance.  Start from the beginning if you can and see if you agree with me. Life on Mars is definitely worth watching.

I won’t bore you with reviews of the nominees but I do want to go on the record with my choices for some of the major awards.  If you have any opinions to the contrary, or agree…you’re certainly welcome to share your thoughts.

Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made for Television

A Raisin in the Sun
Bernard and Doris
Cranford
John Adams
Recount

I’ve seen only two of these, but I feel pretty comfortable that John Adams is going to take this one. If you haven’t seen this HBO historical drama, then get ye to the video store.

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series – Musical Or Comedy

Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Steve Carell, The Office
Kevin Connolly, Entourage
David Duchovny, Californication
Tony Shalhoub, Monk

Alec Baldwin for 30 Rock. This is going to be a big year for 30 Rock and Baldwin is a huge reason why viewers are finally tuning in to what may be television’s funniest show.

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series – Musical Or Comedy

Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Debra Messing, The Starter Wife
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds

This has been an amazing year for Tina Fey and a Golden Globe is going to be just one more well-deserved accolade.

TELEVISION SERIES, COMEDY OR MUSICAL

30 Rock
Californication
Entourage
The Office
Weeds

The Office and Entourage are viable,  but the night is going to belong to 30 Rock.

ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES, DRAMA
Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie, House
Jonathan Rhys Meyers, The Tudors

I will admit not to being a fan of Mad Men. I was tempted when I heard the creator and lead writers were from the Sopranos, but I just couldn’t get attached.  Dexter is getting some publicity but when all is said and done, this is the foriegn press voting here and they love Hugh Laurie. It’s not that he doesn’t deserve his award, but I think Dexter has the buzz, just not enough to win here.

ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES, DRAMA

Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
January Jones, Mad Men
Anna Paquin, True Blood
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

I know little about any of these shows. My pick is purely out of the blue based on a hunch. Go with the Closer’s Kyra Sedgwich here. Anna Paquin is a wild card here because True Blood is quickly developing some fans.

TELEVISION SERIES, DRAMA

Dexter
House
In Treatment
Mad Men
True Blood

I don’t know that the rest of the world is excited by Mad Men. Maybe I’m underestimating the global appetite, but I think blood is going to be the deciding factor. Vampires or serial killer; I’m going to give the edge to True Blood.  HBO could use the boost.

DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Stephen Daldry, The Reader
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Sam Mendes, Revolutionary Road

Boyle worked with a co-director (Indian director), Loveleen Tanden, to help with an all-Indian cast. Even with the help, there’s no denying the accomplishment here.  I’ll acknowledge that I was disappointed with Benjamin Button and a big part of that is I’m huge fan of David Fincher. This was just not a good story for someone with his abilities.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, Doubt
Penélope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Kate Winslet, The Reader

Want a real sleeper here? Viola Davis. She had less than ten minutes in a movie starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Meryl Streep and Amy Adams.  In a film filled with dramatic flourish, Ms Davis provided the most powerful performance.  Marisa Tomei is who I’d like to win.  She’s part of The Wrestler’s underdog popularity and I don’t know anyone who wasn’t impressed with that body.

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Tom Cruise, Tropic Thunder
Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
Ralph Fiennes, The Duchess
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Heath Ledger will win this and will probably win the Oscar, come Spring.  Sentiment aside, this is the kind of role that defines a career and it’s a shame he couldn’t follow up with something more worthwhile than Terry Gilliams, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.  As for Tom Cruise, I will admit it was a great cameo but I don’t think he belongs in this category. I don’t see Hoffman’s role as a supporting role either, but it won’t matter anyway.

ACTRESS, COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Rebecca Hall, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
Frances McDormand, Burn After Reading
Meryl Streep, Mamma Mia!
Emma Thompson, Last Chance Harvey

I haven’t seen Last Chance Harvey but I think I’d have heard some scuttlebutt about Thompson’s performance if there was a chance here.  Sally Hawkins drove people crazy with her perkiness, McDormand was pretty dreary and Meryl Streep sings ABBA.  That leaves Rebecca Hall. She was actually terrific in a very good Woody Allen movie. That would usually do it but again, this is the foriegn press doing the judging.  How can you compete with ABBA?  I think Meryl’s going to dance away with this one.

ACTOR, COMEDY OR Musical
Javier Bardem, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Colin Farrell, In Bruges
James Franco, Pineapple Express
Brendan Gleeson, In Bruges
Dustin Hoffman, Last Chance Harvey

Not a lot of people saw In Bruges. It was a very original movie with more violence than you would expect. It also took place in Europe and this was a pretty popular movie overseas where here it qualified for art house distribution.  With all that said, everone like Bardem and he carries the movie. I think this is going to be the one award that Vicky Cristina Barcelona wins all evening.

BEST MOTION PICTURE, COMEDY
Burn After Reading
Happy-Go-Lucky
In Bruges
Mamma Mia!
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Mamma Mia has sold a lot of DVD’s overseas. It was a critical hit over there, where over here people were being warned that Pierce Brosnan would be singing.  I really liked Vicky Cristina Barcelona and it was primarily a foriegn film save for the director and his muse,  Scarlett Johansson.  One of the big differences between the Golden Globes and the Oscars is that Mamma Mia coud win this.

ACTRESS, DRAMA
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kristin Scott Thomas, I’ve Loved You So Long
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road

These are all very good nominees but I think you have to go with Anne Hathaway here.  I also think that if she wins here, she will draw more attention to Rachel Getting Married, and that will enhance her chances for a big Oscar night.  The foriegn press loves Angelina Jolie and this was a great role for her, but her bright red lips stole the movie and I think that Hathaway has the buzz.

ACTOR, DRAMA
Leonardo DiCaprio, Revolutionary Road
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

This is all about Sean Penn and Mickey Rourke.  I also think it will boil down to these two come Oscar-time as well.  Since this is the Hollywood Forigen Press, I’m going to say Mickey Rourke is going to not only win, but get one of those sentimental, standing ovations.  He’s a come back story that everyone likes to hear about…despite the fact that he was his own worst enemy for many years and primarily the reason he disappeared in the first place. He’s also been talking smack to anyone who will listen about Sean Penn’s performance as Harvey Milk.  This guy needs to just shut up and accept the awards that are coming his way, deservedly so. If you haven’t seen The Wrestler, you should do so soon.  It’s a brutal look at Professional wrestling, but it’s also as gritty a performance as anyone is going to see in a very long time.  (More on this movie in an upcoming post).

BEST MOTION PICTURE, DRAMA
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Revolutionary Road
Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog will win this.  If you haven’t seen this movie, do so soon.  Also, don’t be so quick to leave the theatre. The closing credits are pure Bollywood, and it’s fantastic.  My sense is that this is going to be the big award for Slumdog Millionaire.  The Oscars are going to boil down to Milk and The Wrestler and maybe even Batman, but the Golden Globes are all about entertainment and that’s what Slumdog delivers.