Another Day, Another Season of '30 Rock'

Check out my new Starpulse article on the new season of '30 Rock' here.

New Posts: Kevin McCarthy and 'At the Movies'

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Kevin McCarthy has died at age 96.

Roger Ebert is reviving 'At the Movies' on PBS.

Mad Men: The Suitcase

For a full recap of this episode, head over to my blog page on Starpulse here.

Mad Men: Waldorf Stories

It's fitting that while Mad Men was presented with its third consecutive Emmy win for Best Drama Series on Sunday, in "Waldorf Stories," airing at the same time, Don Draper took home a Clio for best ad. Somehow, Mad Men's acceptance of its award was more graceful than Don could hope to be. More on that in a minute.

This episode featured many intricate plots. First, the flashbacks: Don, a fur salesman, approaches Roger about contributing to the firm. He invites him out for a drink (Roger's "At 10 o'clock in the morning?" response is both ironic and pathetic). Clearly these two are a match made in heaven, in spite of themselves.

Back in the present, Peggy is forced to endure a straight (as opposed to Sal) art director, Stan, who reads Playboy under the pretenses of "work." In a marathon work session in a hotel room, Peggy, fed up with Stan's insulting and insecure comments, throws off her clothes in a bit of that I didn't know you had that in you, Peggy! confidence. Stan, clearly aroused and defeated, throws in the towel and calls her a "bitch" before deserting.

Pete, meanwhile, must battle his own demons when Ken's company merges with Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. The scene between the former co-workers, as Pete smarmily welcomes Ken aboard, promises a juicy conflict in the season's closing episodes.

After the Clios, Don is faced with the Life Cereal campaign, inadvertently and desperately regurgitating a "been there, done that" slogan from Danny. Looks like Don's got a new (short) protege to worry about. At this point, Peggy is practically broken in at age 25.

And Don - well, let's just say he's reached a low point. After making pass at Faye (who, predictably, shoots him down), he leaves the awards show with a talented brunette, only to be woken up Sunday morning by his ex, Betty, wondering where the hell he is to pick up the kids. "That's not until Sunday," Don responds, annoyed out of his mind. "It is Sunday," she snarls, and when the camera pulls back, we see a different woman, a blonde, in Don's bed, clearly the result of a blackout of epic drinking.

Cue the final flashback between Don and Roger, in which Don stalks Roger to the Sterling Cooper elevator, convincing Roger he hired Don in a fit of drunkenness. Roger doesn't look particularly surprised.

And, we come full circle: Don gets so drunk he doesn't remember who he's sleeping with. Is he the new Roger, who didn't remember hiring (or not hiring) a newbie?

Tidbits:

-How sad to see Duck drunk out of his mind at the opening of the Clios. But, really, is he that different from Don or Roger?

-What do you think Ken's role will be in the season's final episodes? Will he serve as a chief adversary to Pete?

-How much more can Betty fret and fester? How will her story fit in with Don's life? How many more seasons does she have left in her?

-I missed Sally this go-round. Is she becoming an underdog fascinating character?

Waldorf Stories: A

Three-peat vs. newbies

It was an entertaining Emmy show, at least. Wouldn't you say? If Jimmy Fallon ran out of steam, in the midst exhausting Emmy duties that included spontaneous acoustic guitar duets with stars in the audience, it wasn't his fault. He kept the awards going at a sometimes frantic pace, with so many awards to be presented in a mere three hours.



Well, I did pretty well with predictions - except in the drama categories, where Lost was upstaged and upsets set the tone for the night. Otherwise, there weren't too many shockers.

Observations:



-Bryan Cranston - a three-peat for Breaking Bad? Wow. I didn't expect that. Ditto Aaron Paul's victory over Lost veterans Terry O'Quinn and Michael Emerson.

-Kyra Sedgwick's victory for The Closer over The Good Wife's Juilianna Margulies was one of the biggest upsets of the night.

-Meanwhile, Archie Panjabi's win for The Good Wife was a shocking blow to Mad Men actresses Christina Hendricks and Elisabeth Moss.

-Mad Men's three-peat was juxtaposed with a newly minted winner for Outstanding Comedy Series, Modern Family, which bested Glee.

-On the upside for Glee, it nabbed wins for the always deserving Jane Lynch and Director Ryan Murphy.

-Temple Grandin triumphed, as predicted. It won virtually every major TV movie/Miniseries award, with the exception of writing (which went to You Don't Know Jack) and Best Actor, for which it wasn't eligible.



Were there any other surprises (or lack thereof) that bugged you? If Breaking Bad's wins bugged you, it's interesting to note it's note eligible next year since its fourth season premiere is too late for Emmy voting.



Any other omissions or upsets that bothered you? A full list of winners can be viewed at

http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2010/08/29/emmy-winners-2010/

For Once, They Won't be Hosted by Neil Patrick Emmy

As I've said many a time, the Emmys - especially compared with all other award shows - are notoriously hard to predict. Academy members tend to be older, less hip, and sometimes get stuck in their ways. (Remember when John Larroquette won for Night Court four years in a row? He graciously bowed out of the race after that.)

That said, here are my fearless predictions. I say "fearless" because almost no one has a good track record with the Emmys. I may get the big ones right, but I'm not counting on an aced ballot. If I did an Emmy pool, the person who played connect the dots might win by default.

Comedy Series

I'm giving the edge to Modern Family over Glee, even though the latter garnered the most nominations this year. Why? Modern Family is at least as funny as Glee, and it's slightly more conventional and sitcom-y. Either is a worthy candidate. Strangely, the victor the last three years, 30 Rock, is now the dark horse.

Comedy Actor

I think Alec Baldwin is out this year, and Steve Carrell has a better chance next year with his swan song. That leaves it to Tony Shalhoub in his Monk finale, or the very deserving Jim Parsons of The Big Bang Theory. I'll give Parsons the edge, but don't be surprised to see Shalhoub up on stage for a fourth time.

Comedy Actress

Who knew this category would be dominated by Showtime? Last year, Toni Collette of The United States of Tara prevailed, and this year the front-runner appears to be past Sopranos champ Edie Falco. Tina Fey, is it possible you'll actually go home empty-handed this year?

Comedy Supporting Actor

This is a tough one. It's Glee's Chris Colfer against all the Modern Family guys. I'm going out on a limb to say Ty Burrell will narrowly beat Colfer. But don't quote me on that.

Comedy Supporting Actress

Jane Lynch of Glee should have this one in the bag. If not, the Academy will receive hate mail. As they should.

Drama Series

I think Mad Men has the edge, but as dork horses, Dexter or Lost (for its final season) could surprise.

Drama Actor

Oooh, a toughie. Two-time champ Bryan Cranston of Breaking Bad has a shot, but let's give this one to Dexter's Michael C. Hall. He won the Golden Globe and SAG. And hey, a tough cancer fight doesn't hurt his chances.

Drama Actress

Hmmm, will Kyra Sedgwick finally win this year? Methinks not. She might have, if not for the unstoppable Julianna Margulies of The Good Wife. Margulies is likely to be that show's primary winner.

Drama Supporting Actor

I say Terry O'Quinn's amazing John Locke/Smoke Monster hybrid should take the cake in any category. He was scary, funny and touching. How could Emmy voters ask for more? If they falter, the default award will probably go to Aaron Paul of Breaking Bad or Michael Emerson of Lost.

Drama Supporting Actress

I think Mad Men might finally prevail in an acting category here. But for who - Christina Hendricks or the equally worthy Elisabeth Moss? I'll give the edge to Hendricks, though Moss could easily prevail - and Christine Baranski of The Good Wife is a past Emmy favorite.

Other categories:

Made for TV movie: Temple Grandin

Miniseries: The Pacific

Actor in a miniseries or movie: Al Pacino, You Don't Know Jack

Actress in a miniseries or movie: Claire Danes, Temple Grandin

Supporting Actor in a miniseries or movie: David Straitharn, Temple Grandin

Supporting Actress in a miniseries or movie: Susan Sarandon, You Don't Know Jack

Mad Men: The Chysanthemum and The Sword

Whoa... so much to take in during this episode. An awkward post-divorce relationship. Parenting a pre-pubescent child. Faking a Honda motorcycle commercial. Overcoming World War II racism. Discussing personal problems in a stuffy office world. What does this episode not offer?

For starters, Sally. What a vulnerable and sad product of Don and Betty's divorce. She's resorted to pleasuring herself on a friend's couch while watching TV, prompting possibly the most awkward phone conversation between Don and Betty ever. Betty's consultation with the child psychiatrist (Dr. Edna, as she prefers to be known) leaves me wondering if Betty might delve back into the psychiatric world, as unsatisfying as she felt when she left it.

Sally also butchers her own hair, prompting Don to (unfairly) snap at the babysitter, his next-door neighbor, the unsuspecting Phoebe.

Roger, rather crude and in the background this season, gets an (unflattering) showcase this week, refusing to adhere to "Jap" clients in a campaign that threatens to showcase him as the office bigot. Strangely, it's Pete who backs Roger into a corner. Pete seems genuinely befuddled how Roger, though a veteran, could let such backward feelings drag down an ad deal. And Joan corners Roger in a very adult scene, purposely lacking in any sexual tension between the two former lovers.

Oh, and did I mention the faux Honda commercial? Any subplot involving Peggy riding a motorcycle around an empty sound stage gets a hilarious "thumbs up" in my book.

Tidbits:

-I'm loving Don's new secretary. "Your daughter's psychiatrist is on the phone!" she shouts. Priceless. "Mr. Peters and Mr. Pryce," she shouts into his intercom, as Pete and Lane emerge. Again, priceless.

-Don's confession to Dr. Miller in the break room is both desperate and honest. I was pleasantly relieved when she walked out during his invitation to dinner.

-Who is Dr. Lyle Evans?
-When will Ken re-emerge?

-What do you think - will Betty re-visit therapy?

-How long until Sally's friend Glenn reappears? He's sure to provide some interesting therapy fodder.

The Chrysanthemum and the Sword: A-