Emmy fun

Personally, I actually enjoyed the Emmys more than usual (which isn't saying too much and some of that enjoyment may have come from the fact I was watching in on my DVR and had more control than usual). Everyone else is talking about how it was the most awful thing ever broadcast on TV. The hosts were pretty bad overall but individually Jeff Propst and Howie Mandel were pretty good, Ryan was serviceable, but Heidi Klum and Tom Bergeron were awful. None of that is shocking at all.

The medley sang by Josh Groban was inexplicably bad, but it was interesting in the same way that you must look at a car accident on the highway as you drive past. The Laugh-In reunion was probably the most embarrassed I've ever been for people on TV. Young people who have never seen the show before will think their parents are insane for ever watching the show because it was that bad. Someone should have mentioned the fact that it was horrible and they could save 7 minutes by not doing that and everyone would be much happier.

The only amusing parts of the night were, not surprisingly, the unscripted parts (and by that I mean the parts not written by the writers at the Emmys, not that they weren't written at all). Don Rickles was funny and old enough that he didn't really care about the crap written for him and went off on his own tangents.

As for the awards, I am very happy that 30 Rock took home a bunch of awards (especially that Alec Baldwin took the best actor in a comedy). I would have liked Hugh Laurie to win best actor in a drama but I always liked Bryan Cranston in Malcom in the Middle so I don't feel too bad. The only awards I was annoyed about were two supporting actor awards. Neil Patrick Harris should have won for best supporting actor in a comedy but instead Jeremy Piven won again (proving once again that once you win an Emmy for a specific character you can keep winning indefinitely as long as you change nothing and keep doing exactly the same thing). Tom Wilkinson won best supporting actor in a miniseries for his portrayal of Ben Franklin in "John Adams" but that was a pretty bad choice-- right miniseries but wrong actor. Stephen Dillane, playing Thomas Jefferson, was the best part of that miniseries by a long shot (yes, better than Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney) and definitely deserved it. That was the only award of the night I cursed when the winner was announced, which was an improvement over most years.

Overall, as far as awards shows go, it was pretty good. I learned always to watch it off the DVR and not live though.

P.S. I hear Ricky Gervais is being pursued as the host of the Oscars. I approve of that choice. he had the only funny bit on the Emmy broadcast and is a damn funny man.

P.P.S. Why does every awards show run long? Do they not rehearse? They always seem surprised when half way through the show they are a half an hour late and have to start cutting bits. Here is some advice: after you write all those god-awful banter bits, and horrible medleys, and embarrassing "reunion" pieces take them all and do a run through of the show, and here is the important part, while timing it. Then compare how long it ran against how much time you have and make edits accordingly. They don't seem to do this ever...

And yet somehow the directors of awards shows on TV keep getting Emmys. If your show ran long you didn't do a good job as a director so you don't deserve the award.

Attempting to motivate

I am finding very hard to motivate to do anything right now. I have a few things I want to write about but they are all rather lengthy and would require a little discipline to get done which sadly I don't have. Maybe again soon.

On the bright side, I did start studying my memory techniques again. I am hoping to actually compete in the US championships this year like I did three years ago. I should be able to improve on my 10th place finish though especially since I am starting in so early. My goal is to set a couple of American records and maybe win the whole thing. We shall see.

Also, I've purchased Sets 1-3 of the Woody Allen collection and have been watching those. So far watched Annie Hall, Sleeper, and Bananas. You can't really go wrong with classic Woody. The only question I always have while watching one of his films is how the hell did he get all those beautiful girls... I guess, to paraphrase another comic legend, "it's good to be the director... and writer". I've got 15 more to go though so I'll always have something to watch while I am procrastinating and not doing anything.