59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards

Finally. The nominations for this year's Emmys were announced today. It is like having a 5000 pound weight lifted off my shoulders. I no longer have to carry the secret with me. Usually I am really good at keeping secrets. They don't call me "The Vault" for nothing. But I struggle when somebody asks me a direct question regarding something I know. It was hard for me feign ignorance and try to maintain my poker face when people would ask "Is Friday Night Lights getting a nomination?" or "Will Edie Falco be nominated?" And everybody knows my poker face isn't that good. But all that is behind me now. I can breathe easy again. Until the tabulation for the final results in August/September that is.

If you would like to see a complete listing of the nominations, The Academy of Arts and Television Sciences has their detailed listing here. There were no major surprises for me other than Lost not getting nominated for Best Drama and Boston Legal receiving a nomination. I have only watched one episode of Boston Legal before and that was at the Blue Ribbon Panel screening for this years potential nominees. After watching that episode I vowed to never watch another episode again. The editing and camera movement was horrible. It literally made me motion sick. Plus William Shatner drove me nuts. And the "witty" dialogue? Well, I didn't think it was so witty. Other then that I it was OK I guess.

Season Finales ***Spoiler Alert***

Over the last couple of weeks, 90%ish of my favorite shows aired their season finale. I though I would provide a quick summary of my take on these finales.

The Office - I loved it as usual. This show does not disappoint. I was dying when Dwight temporarily took over as Regional Manager and painted his office black for the intimidation factor. I'll be honest though, I was a little bugged when Jim chose Pam over Karen. I know that it was inevitable and needed to happen to keep Jim on the show but it still bothered me a little for some reason. I can't quite put my finger on why.

Scrubs - This finale kind of bugged me as well. I LOVED the episode from two weeks prior and felt that the finale kind of cheapened that episode. Once again, I realize that JD and Elliot are required to have drama to appease the "fans" and will probably end up together Rachel and Ross style but I don't like that idea. Since when is Friends the ideal archetype for a comedy with a little drama mixed in? I really like Keith and think that him and Elliot are great together. I also really like the idea of Elliot and JD not ending up together. It is not so cliche and carries more emotional weight. Perfect example is the episode from 2 weeks prior.

24 - Finally. I thought this season would never end. What a train wreck. I don't even know what else to say. The finale taking place on an off-shore oil rig was pretty cool visually I guess. But the writing and acting were TERRIBLE. I still remember the season where Jack has a heroin addiction and the finale ended with him breaking down alone in his truck. That was a hundred times more meaningful than the way this season ended. Did he jump? I don't know? But I do know he is still under contract for a couple of more seasons so my guess is no. I really hope they turn it around next season.

Heroes- I really like this show. I love super powers and I love the idea of heroes. The finale for Heroes was kind of anti-climactic though. The final confrontation with Sylar was pretty lame. Did Hiro freeze time to be able to stab Sylar or did Sylar let him charge from 20 feet away and not do anything? It didn't look like time was frozen. Lame. I also think that having Sylar crawl away like a cockroach to return next season was extremely lame even if he was a really good character. I did think the set-up for next season with Hiro in ancient Japan in the middle of Kensei taking on an army during an eclipse was pretty cool. I will keep watching.

Lost- I save the best for last. Lost has been the best show on TV for the last 3 years. Nothing even comes close. The finale last night once again proves this point. It completely blew my mind. I had heard that the finale would completely change the direction of the show and I was not disappointed. The reveal that the flashback that was the backbone of the show was actually a flash forward was A-Mazing. And future Kate is ridiculously good looking. I could get lost in her eyes for days. I loved that Hurley and Charlie ended up being the heroes even though I think Charlie did not need to sacrifice himself the way that he did. And what about Mikhail, is that guy immortal or what. He is like a little cockroach. I wonder where he gets his super powers from? Who is on the boat? How will next season play out? Will it start with them off the island? And give us flashbacks of how they got off? Or will it start with them on the island and give us flash forwards? So much can be done with the show. The possibilities are endless.

Where the heck did Walt come from? It was kind of funny seeing what real life puberty had done to him. It kind of puts the producers in a bind from a continuity perspective. I forgive them though. Jack is still my favorite character by far. I know a lot of people don't like him and his story but I do. Maybe because I feel the biggest emotional bond with him. What is up with the temple that the Others are trekking to? I think that it was Ben's funeral that future Jack went too. Did future Kate end up marrying Sawyer? Is that who will get mad if she is gone for too long? And finally, is Christian Sheppard not dead? Why did Jack tell the Head of Surgery to go get his father and bring him down for comparison? Was Jack just wacked out on Oxy or is he really not dead?

I know that last paragraph did not make that much sense. I just kind of wrote what ever popped into my head at the moment. No structure. My mind is still spinning 10 hours later, that is how good Lost is. If you haven't been hooked yet, go out and rent or by season 1 right now. It is so worth it. The pilot episode is arguably the greatest episode of any show in TV history. Last weeks "Greatest Hits" episode was phenomenal as well. A close second in my book. There is Lost and then there is every other TV show. For me, nothing else compares.

My Lost Tour

On Friday I was able to tour the Lost post production facility on the Disney lot in Burbank. It was pretty much the most awesome two hours of my life. It was so cool talking with Lance the assistant editor about how the dailies are flown from Hawaii to LA on the same United flight every night, which directors are easiest to work with, and the importance of reviewing every scene to make sure that all evidence of civilization is removed from the scenes. We were even able to see a clip from a future episode where a house had not yet been removed from the scene. We were also able to see another future scene at the Miami airport where the digital effects had not yet been inserted so we could see the green screen in the picture.

The highlight of the visit was when we were able to watch some of the dailies from The Man From Tallahassee which had aired earlier in the week.

*SPOILER ALERT*

In the scene where Locke is pushed out the window, the first take didn't go as planned because the charge in the window pane was triggered too late. Because of this, the stunt man bounced off the window and collapsed in a heap. It was pretty hilarious. On the second take, after the window was replaced with the only back-up, the charge was triggered too early so the scene ended up requiring digital effects to make it look right. It was also pretty funny to see Locke prepping himself for the shot of him falling from the building as he was suspended by cables and a harness.

After having seen some of the behind the scenes work for Lost, I am even more of fan. I stand by my assessment that Lost is the best TV show ever made. Ever. I love every episode and I can't wait for the rest of the season. Based on the footage I have seen, it is going to be A-mazing.

Lost Easter Egg - S03 E07

For all you Lost fans out there, check out this sweet easter egg from last weeks episode. If you watch the brainwash scene backwards you will hear a hidden message. I thought the scene was pretty intense watching it in normal format and it really creeped me out watching it backwards.

Newbrain
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