Television: Emmy thoughts

Last night was the Emmy telecast. It's not the big event that it used be at my house. They don't award quality. Popularity and inertia are the major factors in who gets nominated and, too often, who wins.

I used to look forward to the red carpet pre-shows, but those have been turned into a shadow of what they once were. Too much focus is placed on plugging the designers of the stars' outfits. On E!, Star Jones, who has no sense of humor, gets to interview celebrities while the irreverantly funny Kathy Griffin is locked away on high, presumably where she can do no harm.

Moving on to the main event - Not enough Ellen. She seemed to be more of a servant than a host. She pretty much just greeted us at the beginning and showed us the door at the end. She wasn't given enough of an opportunity to do anything. The show would have been funnier with more Ellen.

What the hell was with that opening number??? Rapping about the past TV season? It was nowhere near funny or clever. Thanking television for bringing us the Michael Jackson trial?

Loved the Emmy Idol songs. Especially Shatner and the mezzo-soprano's rendition of the Star Trek theme. Really enjoyed Kristen Bell singing Fame, too (on many levels, mainly visually).

"Lost" is the best drama???? The West Wing has continued to be excellent despite the loss of Aaron Sorkin. "Lost" is nothing but a popular fad. Just cuz everybody watches something is no reason to give it an emmy. Why then didn't "Desperate Housewives" win Best Comedy?

Just cuz a show is going off the air after a 9-year run, is also not a good reason to hand out Emmys. This had to be one of the worst seasons for "Everybody Loves Raymond". Granted, at one time, this was a top-notch sitcom and I don't deny the vast talent of it's cast. It just slipped in quality to the point that I could no longer watch it. It was too much of a disappointment. Bad emmy voters! Bad! But then, what do you expect from the folks that refuse to recognize the brilliant writing of "Gilmore Girls" and the wonderfully talented Lauren Graham?

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the voters chose Felicity Huffman, the best actress from the "Desperate Housewives" nominees, rather than going the obvious route and giving it to the Golden Globe-awarded Teri Hatcher. The most stunning member of the cast had to be Marcia Cross in her emerald green strapless, exquisitely complemented by her long red tresses.

Although it holds less excitement for me than it used to, I guess as long as I’m a TV fanatic, I’ll be tuning in to the Emmys.

Television: Dogs That Watch TV

An article on MSNBC talks about TV-watching Pets. I thought our Vegas was unusual in this respect. I was apparently wrong.



This first picture shows the view we often have of our television, with the Vegas-shaped silhouette at the bottom of the screen a la Mystery Science Theater 3000.

She takes particular interest in animals - dogs, cats, cows, and especially horses. Animation and anything moving quickly across the screen also grabs her attention. One of her favorites is the movie "Shrek". The character Donkey is her favorite as he is both animated and horse-like.

In the next picture you can see the crate in front of the television. That was placed there as a Vegas barrier.
Prior to its placement there, Vegas would jump at things on the screen with her paws hitting the base, changing the channel, turning the volume way up, switching the video input, or just turning the TV off.


For some reason, she has an unbridled hatred of the TiVo Guy. If we ever play the opening animation on our TiVo, she goes absolutely berserk. Even when TiVo Guy is just sitting quietly in the corner of the menu screen, she whines and sometimes jumps at him. We often find her behavior funny and cute, but it can in time become increasingly annoying.

But, of course, my dog would have to be a TV nut.