There are no stupid TV shows PART II Halloween Edition.

Last week I said in my column (There are no stupid TV shows, just.... Okay some are stupid.) That,

"I was reminiscing with friends about our favorite episodes of Gilligan's Island and Get Smart. Then I remembered that many of the adults in my life (not children of television) dismissed the two shows as stupid. Both of these shows were on the air when I was born and have been airing ever since. The wealth of talent in front of and behind the camera has to be a huge contributing factor to a show's longevity. I was able to enjoy both shows in syndication. Both Gilligan's Island (1964-1967) and Get Smart (1965-1970) were on when I came home from school. These were shows that I enjoyed on one level then and on a different level now."

I realized that I had made similar statements about other classic TV sitcoms. In the spirit of Halloween I wanted to revisit some of the comments I made about some macabre shows. In Not a Black and White Issue. I mentioned that,

"Samantha & Darrin Stephens were the first mixed married couple on a television show Bewitched to actually discuss their differences. The show featured a witch (Elizabeth Montgomery) who married a mortal (Dick York & Dick Sargent). Underneath the mother in law jokes, nosey neighbors and special effects, serious issues like prejudice, negative stereotypes and tolerance were covered. How many times did we see Endora (Agnes Moorehead) tell Samantha that she disapproved of her daughter marring a mortal, what mortals did to them in the early days of Salem, or how mortals depict witches with hooked noses and warts. If you did not know that I was talking about TV witches, you might think that I was talking about one of a number of disenfranchised minorities.

If you think that I am connecting the dots incorrectly like some conspiracy theorist, I would encourage you to do a Google search and type in "Bewitched" and "Mixed Marriage", see what you find. I also want to point out that when Bewitched first premiered in 1964 it was not without controversy. Some stations refused to carry the show under pressure from religious groups that did not like the idea of a fine red blooded American male marrying a witch, a witch seen in a positive light, or an attractive witch (a problem that also pledged Glinda the Good when the 1939 MGM production of the The Wizard of Oz aired on TV). After Dick Sergeant joined the cast there was a concern that the public might find out that he was gay, even though no one was concerned about Uncle Arthur (Paul Lynde)."

I also mentioned that, The Munsters (Fred Gwynne & Yvonne De Carlo) were a mixed marriage of a vampire (descended from nobility) and the Frankenstein monster. Because the characters were monsters, their diversity was never made an issue either. Nor was it made an issue that they were the first married couple on TV to sleep in the same bed." I would later mention in The Beauty of The Munsters & The Addams Family.

The Addams Family
"The show mocked other TV families by being their polar opposite. This family would do everything from sword fighting to blowing up model trains in the middle of their own living room. If Fear Factor was around then, they would have the home version. I don't think anybody knew where John Aston began and Gomez Addams ended. Everything gave him a rush and his love for Morticia can only be described as horney monogamy. With all the craziness the show had moral high ground. Not only did you see a loving family where the parents were not afraid to show affection in front of the kids, you got to see so called "normal people" compromise their principles in order to do business with Gomez followed by humorous consequences.

The Munsters
"The Show is a brilliant mix of three key ingredients.The classic Universal Studios Monsters from the 1930 & 40's (that were finding a whole new audience thanks to Saturday Matinee "Creature Features" on TV)The placing of these monsters in the world of Leave It to Beaver (In fact the Munster's house is still across the street from the Cleaver's house on the Universal Back Lot only now Desperate Housewives have moved in). The "normal people’s" reactions to our family similar to those seen in Casper cartoons. The patriarch is the Frankenstein monster who married Dracula's daughter and live in the states as an "Typical American Family". There is more to Herman than a big stupid baby who throws tantrums by saying, "Darn! Darn! Darn! Darn!" Here is a character that is the Frankenstein monster, but he really thinks he is Fred MacMurray from My Three Sons. Fred Gwynne could deliver Ward Cleaver (Hugh Beaumont) type dialogue totally straight and was incredibly funny doing it. He was also able to play the stooge to Al Lewis in one scene, and then straight man to guest stars Paul Lynde or Harvey Korman in another.

Because of the macabre settings of the show, I think the writers were able to slip things under the censor’s radar. The wild look in Gomez’s eyes when he and Morticia played with whips and chains came very close to S&M. The Munsters did jokes about Vietnam, nuclear war and drugs. Herman & Lily were also the first TV couple to sleep in the same bed while Gomez & Morticia had twin beds of nails."

It’s scary how many topics that are still taboo today were used on these shows decades ago. All three of these shows have been remade in one form or another, and perhaps with the exception of the 1991 The Addams Family movie, the projects lacked the heart or intent of their original.

To quote Samantha Stephens, "Well?"

Stay Tuned & Happy Halloween.


Tony Figueroa

There are no stupid TV shows, just.... Okay some are stupid. (Click PODCAST)

As I said in my Pre-ramble, "I represent the first generation whom, when we were born, the television was now a permanent fixture in our homes." That also means that the generation prior to ours did not grow up with a TV set as a permanent fixture in their homes. It seems that TV helped widen the generation gap as well as bond our generation in ways that nothing else had before (If you don't believe me try going to STAR TREK convention). At least my generation used to watch TV with their families. I could watch Happy Days with my mother. I thought The Fonz (Henry Winkler) was cool and she saw the show as nostalgic. Back then if I did not get a joke or a 1950's reference she would explain it to me or have me look it up in a dictionary or an encyclopedia (this was before Google). There were also primetime shows and after school specials that would encourage parents to watch with their kids. The episodes would cover a variety of topics like death, divorce, teen pregnancy and starting in the mid 1980s, AIDS. I find it amazing that in the past twenty years (I'm starting the clock with the news of Rock Hudson having the disease) that the subject of AIDS awareness has been discussed on TV through PSAs, news programs, documentaries, dramas, sitcoms, soaps and Movies of the Week. The ignorance of the disease is still high. Nowadays every family member has a TV in his or her own room. If a child asks their parents to explain something he or she saw on TV, the parents block the show with the V-chip, start a letter writing campaign or both. I sometimes forget that my mother was progressive and did not want to shield me from uncomfortable subject matter. If there was something that she really did not want me to see she would know beforehand through the newspaper or TV Guide.

Following the recent deaths of Bob Denver and Don Adams I was reminiscing with friends about our favorite episodes of Gilligan's Island and Get Smart. Then I remembered that many of the adults in my life (not children of television) dismissed the two shows as stupid. Both of these shows were on the air when I was born and have been airing ever since. The wealth of talent in front of and behind the camera has to be a huge contributing factor to a show's longevity. I was able to enjoy both shows in syndication. Both Gilligan's Island (1964-1967) and Get Smart (1965-1970) were on when I came home from school. These were shows that I enjoyed on one level then and on a different level now.

Gilligan's Island is possibly the most maligned situation comedy in the history of television. Sherwood Schwartz created a microcosm of American society with a military man, a millionaire, his socialite wife, a celebrity, an intellectual, a wholesome farm girl, and Gilligan. The idea was each week to show how these very different people had to work together as a cohesive unit in order to survive.

Mr. Howell: Do you think I began a dozen international corporations by stooping to thievery?

Professor: Well, of course not.

Mr. Howell: Shows how naive you are. How else do you get to the top of the corporate ladder!

In other words there was more to the show than the castaways almost getting off the island and Gilligan screwing it up. It's not like the viewers hoped that maybe, just maybe, this week they might actually make it off the island then felt bamboozled when it didn't happen. Everyone knew that if the castaways were rescued, the show would be over.

In an in an interview, I once heard Get Smart's creator Buck Henry describe Maxell Smart as the child of James Bond and Inspector Clouseau. Along with great parodies of popular secret agent movies and TV shows, Get Smart contained some highbrow social and political satire. There was more to the show than pratfalls and quotable catch phrases. Here is an example of the show’s wit. An anti-bomb statement is made in the episode titled Appointment in Sahara. Behind Max and 99 is a mushroom cloud:

Agent 99: Oh, Max what a terrible weapon of destruction.

Max: Yes. You know, China, Russia, and France should outlaw all nuclear weapons. We should insist upon it.

Agent 99: What if they don't, Max?

Max: Then we may have to blast them. That's the only way to keep peace in the world.

It’s funny that the same people who taught me to never judge a book by its cover could easily dismiss these shows as stupid. I can forgive them because the show’s humor may have been lost on that generation. It’s sad that now when someone sees a show that they don’t like because they don’t understand it or it conflicts with their beliefs, they can easily dismiss the shows as stupid. I can’t forgive that type of thinking. It’s not the show that’s stupid.

Stay Tuned


Tony Figueroa

TV Guide's New Look

Two words "New COKE".

Stay Tuned


Tony Figueroa

Buffalo Bill on DVD. (Click PODCAST)

As many of you know I love sitcoms. In the past I’ve talked about the importance of good writing, good acting, taking risks, being edgy, comedy coming from the situation and knowing everything you need to know about the show from it's pilot. I am surprised, almost embarrassed even that I never mentioned Buffalo Bill. This brilliant but sadly short lived sitcom aired from 1983 to 1984 and stared Dabney Coleman as Bill Bittinger, a local talk show host in Buffalo NY.

I remember back in 1983 NBC promoted the show by saying, Buffalo Bill makes "J.R. Ewing look like a Boy Scout" That was enough to make me want to watch the show. The shows opening told you that the title character was a sleazy guy with a good public image. The pilot actually delivered on the network's promise (although I saw Bill more as a white collar Archie Bunker without the moral high ground). Bill was truly the man you loved to hate. The show did not last long, a real shame because I have never met anyone who did not like the show. I used to say that the show was ahead of its time. I've since had to amend that statement because 22 years later that time has still not come.

When I found out that Buffalo Bill was coming out on DVD I went to the store and got the last copy. I had to wait a few weeks to watch the DVD because I was watching the new fall shows, the returning shows and besides I HAVE A LIFE! Both my wife and I have a favorite episode, #13 Titled: Hit the Road, Newdell. In this episode the racist Bill fires Newdell (Charles Robinson) then has a nightmare where he is persecuted by a roomful of African Americans while lip syncing Ray Charles’ Hit the Road Jack. For legal reasons (music rights) the nightmare scene was cut. Why was there not any mention of that on the DVD case? That episode was one of the reasons why I bought the DVD in the first place. I also wish the DVD had some extras like interviews with the shows actors and writers. They must have some great stories. Maybe we will see that on TV Land Confidential.

To quote Bill Bittinger, "Be good to yourself and be good to Buffalo".

Stay Tuned

Tony Figueroa

I’m The REAL Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio. (Click PODCAST)

Last week I went to see the Go Fish Pictures (DreamWorks) production of The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio. The movie stars Julianne Moore and Woody Harrelson. It is biased on Terry Ryan's best selling book about how her mother raised ten kids on twenty-five words or less. I really enjoyed the book and thought that Jane Anderson did a nice job adapting the screenplay. I only wish that the movie could have captured the town of Defiance better. In the book the town was it's own character. I fully realize turning a 351-page book into a 90-minute screenplay requires some streamlining.

Now you may ask, "What does this have to do with me or my CHILD OF TELEVISION column?" Well, I lived in Defiance Ohio from 1965-1972 and until recently I would visit the town often. Defiance Ohio is the inspiration for the fictional town of Compliance Ohio in my pilot RED STATE. My childhood memories of Defiance were very romantic it was like Mayberry from The Andy Griffith Show. It was quiet, everybody knew everybody, and kids played safely in the street. The people who lived on my street were like the Nelsons from The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, or the Cleavers from Leave It to Beaver, Defiance was the ideal that television presented to America. When I was small, I was not aware of the many un-Mayberry like elements connected to Defiance. For example, there were other Puerto Ricans and even some blacks living in Defiance when I arrived, but they literally lived on the other side of the train tracks. Since I was half-Swedish, I was allowed to live on the good side.

In my adulthood I saw Defiance make the national news several times. Once when the KKK went to recruit members (unsuccessfully) at the Defiance courthouse. Another news story involved a run-a-way train coming through town. The cops decided to shoot out the tires. Proof alone that we are not dealing with the smartest part of the country. Then there was the Christmas when Santa Claus was physically thrown out of a church by four guys. Santa spent the holidays in traction because some Defiance residents take their religion very seriously. The best restaurant in Defiance is the Defiance Hospital Cafeteria. It has been written up in all the local papers. I never heard my grandparents mention Defiance Hospital in conjunction with quality health care, but it's cafeteria gets 5 stars from the Toledo Blade food critic. I have a friend who did a lot of TV in Puerto Rico. While doing a Google search and typed in his name, Johnny Ray Rodriguez, that another Johnny Ray Rodriguez, is one of thirty or so sexually oriented offenders living in Defiance Ohio. I'd seen news stories about registered sex offenders who would try to move in to a neighborhood only to be run out by the residents. I always wondered where they wound up. Now I know.

"What are they? High?" I asked. Then I remembered something historically significant that my Grandfather told me. During WWII there were huge fields near my grandparents house that the government used to grow hemp to make rope. When the war was over they didn’t do a very good job of clearing the hemp. No wonder hippies would go camping in these fields (maybe that's what attracted Woody Harrelson to the movie). Birds and the wind spread the seeds all over town. For years my grandmother kept pulling these weeds out of her flower box. "What are these things?"

Grandpa knew. After he died I was going through his tool shed and I found this little pipe. He was in constant pain towards the end of his life and hated the care he was getting at Defiance Hospital (probably because he could never get a reservation). Perhaps Grandpa was self-medicating. I think that hemp seeped into the ground water. I see myself as the Real Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio. I got the hell out of that town.

I wish Terry Ryan continued success and have to admit that I have some professional jealousy. I had wanted to be the first to put Defiance, Ohio on the map by making fun of the town. Instead, she has used the town as the backdrop for a very inspirational story. Perhaps there is a lesson to be learned in that... Naah!

There is a scene in the movie where Evelyn Ryan (Julianne Moore), while leaving town for the day, passes by a sign that reads, "Defiance is a nice place to live". Evelyn turns to her daughter Tuff (Ellary Porterfield) and says, "Defiance is a nice place to leave!"

Stay Tuned


Tony Figueroa

Never Judge a show by it's Pilot: My Name is Earl. (Click PODCAST)

My Name Is Earl: Tuesday Night 9:00 PM NBC.

I have to say a few comments to say about My Name is Earl before I even see the pilot.

Every time a long running sit-com goes off the air (last season it was Everybody Loves Raymond) someone announces that, "The sitcom is dead". Trust me the sit-com is not dead.

When Desi Arnaz created I Love Lucy he described his idea simply. We are going film a stage play in front of a live audience with three cameras. Somewhere down the line we forgot that the plays the thing. Lately instead of a plot we have strung together one liners, zingers and sexual innuendoes. When we go back to the art of storytelling and showing that the comedy should come from the situation you will see that the sitcom is very much alive.

There are also single camera sitcoms, like My Name is Earl that is not shot in front of an audience. Instead of shooting a play this is more like shooting a 22-minute movie. Over the years some of the most popular shows in television history were single camera sitcoms including

The Andy Griffith Show (Celebrating it's 45 anniversary this year), M*A*S*H and the first couple of seasons of Happy Days. Back then single camera sitcoms were required to use a laugh track (Although M*A*S*H* did not use the laugh track in the operating room).

Current single camera sitcoms include Scrubs, The Office, Malcolm in the Middle, The Bernie Mac Show and Arrested Development.

Did you notice that 3 of the 5 listed single camera sitcoms were on FOX? FOX also had another single camera sitcom called Oliver Beene that aired from 2003 to 2004. I have been told that this funny show failed not because it was a single camera sitcom, but because it was set in 1962 and period shows don’t do well (That '70s Show HELLO!). When FOX was in fourth place they took some creative risks and aired single camera sitcoms when the "Big 3" networks wanted to stick with the traditional three camera format. Now that NBC is in forth place, it's time for them to take some creative risks.

By now you've figured out that I am a fan of the single camera sitcom. In fact I wrote two pilots that were written for that format and was told that the networks were not interested in the single camera format, in spite of the above examples (don't confuse me with the facts). I love the three camera format as well. As a stand-up comedian I can tell you that there is nothing like working in front of a live audience, but sometimes the three camera format can be limiting to the confines of a sound stage. Not only is My Name is Earl a show that I think I might like as a viewer (Based on the promos). In a small way I feel that I have a vested interest in the success of this type of show.

I felt it important to tell you what is on my mind before I watched the pilot, but I will make a good faith effort to be objective.

I judge a good pilot by if lets you know every thing you need to know about the show in that first episode. A good example of this is the pilot for The Andy Griffith Show (as a spin off from Make Room for Daddy) and Hogan's Heroes. Taxi let you know every thing you need to know about the show in the first couple of minutes. The pilot for My Name is Earl let you know everything you needed to know before the first commercial break (Taxi’s record is safe.)

Jason Lee as Earl, is likable, you may even know a guy like him. He is definitely not a role model. Earl spent his life doing bad things to people and having bad things happen to him (the last straw is loosing a $100,000.00 lottery ticket). Earl learns about karma by watching Last Call with Carson Daly and hearing Carson say that his success and good fortune comes from doing good things for other people. Now inspired Earl sets out to correct every bad thing he has ever done (250 in total) in the hopes that good fortune will fall upon him. His first project is Kenny (Guest star Gregg Binkley), whom Earl used to torture as a child. Earl thinks that he can make things up to Kenny by getting him laid only to find out that Kenny is gay.

The show is funny, edgy and is sure to make the Parents Television Council hit list, but I never judge a show by it's pilot.

The second episode was just as good as the pilot proving that in a situation comedy, the comedy should come from the situation. The story was not predictable nor did I see the punch line coming from a mile away. My Name is Earl show could quite possibly be the best new show of the fall season (I haven't seen every new show yet, but if I see a better show, I'll say so).

To quote Earl and his brother Randy (Ethan Suplee)
Randy: What's karma? Earl: I don't know, it's something Carson Daly came up with.

Stay Tuned

Tony Figueroa

Would you believe?

Don Adams
1923-2005

My ninth grade drama class attended a city drama festival where we competed against drama classes from all over the city. The highlight of the festival was a special guest who came on stage to read the name of winning team in the "Group Improvisation" competition. The special guest was Don Adams who was greeted with a standing ovation that lasted for five minutes. When the crowd quieted down Mr. Adams said three simple words, "Would you believe?" and the crowd went into another five-minute standing ovation.

I was a fan of Mr. Adams before that special event and an even bigger fan after. Everyone has been expressing how much he or she loved "Get Smart", "Tennessee Tuxedo" and "Inspector Gadget", but no one has mentioned one of my favorite shows Don Adams' Screen Test.

Good Night Mr. Adams.
I wanted to shake your hand that day but I missed you by that much.

Stay Tuned

Tony Figueroa

Never Judge a show by it's Pilot: The War at Home. (Click PODCAST)

The War at Home: Sunday Night 8:30 PM FOX.

Let me start with the positive notes. The show fits in very nicely between "The Simpsons" and "Family Guy". I like the use of monologues and inner-monologues to show what is really going on inside the character’s heads. We actually have a married couple on TV (Michael Rapaport & Anita Barone) who actually look like they could be married (instead of a smart attractive woman married to a dopey looking fat guy who’s at least ten years her senior). I like that they are trying to be edgy. The daughter (Kaylee DeFer) wants to loose her virginity. The parents think that their oldest son (Kyle Sullivan) is gay or a cross dresser because he dressed as his mom in order to steal her car.

I would not call these next comments negative just critical. The show fits in very nicely between "The Simpsons" and "The Family Guy", but "The Simpsons" and "The Family Guy"(then followed by "American Dad!") are cartoons where it’s still okay to show Dad as a bafoon. A big complaint I hear from men its that they are tired of seeing Dad portrayed as an idiot or seeing the kids smarter than Dad or both of the parents. With the exception of John Ritter in "8 Simple Rules... for Dating My Teenage Daughter", how many smart dads have we seen on TV since Bill Cosby in "The Cosby Show"? I said that, "I like that they are trying to be edgy" but I don't think the show is edgy enough. I say have the daughter loose her virginity with possible consequences and have the son actually be gay and comically show the teen gay lifestyle (Although the son’s best friend is gay). Come on this is FOX after all.

But I Never Judge a show by it's Pilot.

I saw the second episode. The Youngest son (Dean Collins) outsmarted and blackmailed his father in to buying him a $200.00 pair of tennis shoes when he catches his dad having cyber sex. The daughter was upset when she gave her (Black) boyfriend "something special" for their one-month anniversary and he gave her nothing. Dad assumes that she was referring to a tangible item. The second episode picked up on a story line from the pilot. The parents still thought that their oldest son was gay until he gets caught on camera running a red light while driving his mother’s stolen car.

In conclusion, I find "The War at Home" a cross between "8 Simple Rules" and "Married... with Children" with a hint of the TV movie "Still the Beaver"*. I saw some improvement in the second episode, but the show still lacks the heart needed in a family sit-com, even if the family is dysfunctional causing me to ask why should we care about these people. Finally I want to point out that every time a long running sit-com goes off the air (last season it was "Everybody Loves Raymond") someone announces, "The sit-com is dead". Trust me the sit-com is not dead. Shows like "The War at Home" just don't help keep it alive.

To quote Dave (Michael Rapaport), "I only have ONE simple rule for dating my daughter. If she sees your penis, I'll cut it off".

By the way, the use of the word "penis" is not edgy.

Stay Tuned


Tony Figueroa

*The adult Beaver Cleaver (Jerry Mathers) tries to use his father's child rearing techniques on his own kids only to find that they don't work anymore.

Congratulations to the 2005 Emmy Winners.

And the Emmys went to:

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
BRAD GARRETT as Robert Barone CBS
Everybody Loves Raymond

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
WILLIAM SHATNER as Denny Crane ABC
Boston Legal

OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE IN A VARIETY OR MUSIC PROGRAM
HUGH JACKMAN, Host CBS
58th Annual Tony Awards (2004)

OUTSTANDING REALITY/COMPETITION PROGRAM
THE AMAZING RACE CBS
Jerry Bruckheimer, Executive ProducerBertram van Munster, Executive ProducerJonathan Littman, Executive ProducerHayma "Screech" Washington, Executive ProducerAmy Nabseth Chacon, Co-Executive Producer Evan Weinstein, Co-Executive Producer Elise Doganieri, Supervising ProducerJohn Moffet, Supervising Producer Mark Vertullo, Supervising Producer Scott Owens, Supervising ProducerJulian Grimmond, Senior ProducerNancy Gunn, Senior ProducerAlex Rader, Senior ProducerGlenn Stickley, Senior ProducerJennifer Basa, ProducerDavid Brown, ProducerPatrick Cariaga, ProducerJarratt Carson, ProducerAllison Chase, ProducerCurtis Colden, ProducerAl Edgington, ProducerBarry Hennessey, ProducerMichael Norton, ProducerMichael Noval, ProducerGiselle Parets, ProducerBob Parr, ProducerBill Pruitt, ProducerMatt Schmidt, ProducerRebekah Fry, ProducerRichard Hall, ProducerPhil Keoghan, Host

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
BLYTHE DANNER as Izzy Huffstodt SHOWTIME
Huff

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE
PAUL NEWMAN as Max Roby HBO
Empire Falls

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE
JANE ALEXANDER as Sara Roosevelt HBOWarm Springs

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY PROGRAM
BUCKY GUNTS, Director NBC
The Games of the XXVIII Olympiad – Opening Ceremony

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY PROGRAM
DAVID JAVERBAUM, Head Writer COMEDY CENTRALRICH BLOMQUIST, WriterSTEVE BODOW, WriterTIM CARVELL, WriterSTEPHEN COLBERT, WriterERIC DRYSDALE, WriterJ.R. HAVLAN, WriterSCOTT JACOBSON, WriterBEN KARLIN, WriterROB KUTNER, WriterCHRIS REGAN, WriterJASON REICH, WriterJASON ROSS, WriterJON STEWART, Writer
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
DORIS ROBERTS as Marie Barone CBS
Everybody Loves Raymond

OUTSTANDING VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY SERIES
THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART COMEDY CENTRAL
Jon Stewart, Executive ProducerBen Karlin, Executive ProducerStewart Bailey, Co-Executive ProducerKahane Corn, Supervising ProducerDavid Javerbaum, Supervising Producer

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
J. J. ABRAMS, Director ABC
LostPilot (Part 1 & Part 2)

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
DAVID SHORE, Writer FOX
HouseThree Stories

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE
GEOFFREY RUSH as Peter Sellers HBO
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR A DRAMATIC SPECIAL
STEPHEN HOPKINS, Director HBO
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR A DRAMATIC SPECIAL
CHRISTOPHER MARKUS, Screenplay HBOSTEPHEN McFEELY, Screenplay
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE
S. EPATHA MERKERSON as Nanny HBO
Lackawanna Blues

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
CHARLES McDOUGALL, Director ABCDesperate HousewivesPilot

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
MITCHELL HURWITZ, Writer FOXJIM VALLELY, Writer
Arrested DevelopmentThe Righteous Brothers

OUTSTANDING MADE FOR TELEVISION MOVIE
WARM SPRINGS HBO
Mark Gordon, Executive ProducerCelia Costas, Executive ProducerChrisann Verges, Producer

OUTSTANDING MINISERIES
THE LOST PRINCE (MASTERPIECE THEATRE) PBS
Peter Fincham, Executive ProducerDavid M. Thompson, Executive ProducerRebecca Eaton, Executive ProducerJoanna Beresford, Executive ProducerJohn Chapman, Producer

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
FELICITY HUFFMAN as Lynette Scavo ABC
Desperate Housewives

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
PATRICIA ARQUETTE as Allison Dubois NBC
Medium

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
TONY SHALHOUB as Adrian Monk USA
Monk

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
JAMES SPADER as Alan Shore ABC
Boston Legal

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
LOST ABC
J. J. Abrams, Executive ProducerDamon Lindelof, Executive ProducerBryan Burk, Executive ProducerCarlton Cuse, Executive Producer Jack Bender, Executive ProducerDavid Fury, Co-Executive ProducerJesse Alexander, Co-Executive ProducerJavier Grillo-Marxuach, Supervising ProducerSarah Caplan, ProducerLeonard Dick, ProducerJean Higgins, Produced by

OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND CBS
Philip Rosenthal, Executive ProducerRay Romano, Executive ProducerRory Rosegarten, Executive ProducerStu Smiley, Executive ProducerLew Schneider, Executive ProducerTucker Cawley, Executive ProducerSteve Skrovan, Executive ProducerJeremy Stevens, Executive ProducerMike Royce, Executive ProducerAaron Shure, Executive ProducerLisa Helfrich Jackson, Co-Executive ProducerTom Caltabiano, Co-Executive ProducerLeslie Caveny, Co-Executive ProducerKen Ornstein, ProducerHolli Gailen, Producer

Seeing Donald Trump and Megan Mullally singing the theme of "Green Acres" reminded me why we slow down to look at car wrecks.

To quote Felicity Huffman, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Desperate Housewives), "KLUNK!"

Stay Tuned


Tony Figueroa

My Mission Statement Realized. (Click PODCAST)

I still find myself surfing through the cable news channels (Although I did take a break to watch FOX’s Sunday Night lineup) and still every thought I have eventually turns into a rant. My ranting then becomes political and that’s something that I'm trying to avoid doing in my column. If you have read my past articles you can guess where I stand politically, but I also believe that people who do not hold an elected office need to be held accountable for their action or their lack of action. (As I'm writing this week’s column, I’m starting to see the news channels reporting on non-politicians being held accountable for their actions) I'm sure that in the coming weeks we will be watching Hurricane Katrina investigation hearings on TV or as some elected officials call it "THE BLAME GAME". I can see the Saturday-Night-Live sketch now. We hear Don Pardo announce, "It’s The Blame Game, the game nobody wants to play. Now let’s meet our finger pointers". Then we see a set that looks like the old "Family Feud" set where the Federal Government faces off with the Local Government. Sadly I’m sure the real hearings will be more like a reality show than a game show and there will be no winners in the end.

"Give news a little more time and don't request that they also, in their news time, entertain. We're not entertainers. We're journalists. And we need more time to do our job well."
Walter Cronkite
With CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer about Dan Rather and the news industry today.
March 8th 2005CNN.com - Cronkite: News industry 'vastly different' - Mar 8, 2005

As I said in my Pre-ramble, "I hope through this column I can illustrate how real life influences TV and how TV influences real life and while doing so incorporating some observations and personal stories". The coverage of Katrina's aftermath is a great example of this. Reporters showing America and the world the devastation left in Katrina's wake and the world responding with aid and demanding answers to what went wrong. It is sad to think that it took this horrible event to see reporters do their job of reporting the news. I'm sure younger viewers seeing reporters covering an event in the style of Edward R. Murrow covering the blitz in London rather than Mary Hart covering the Oscars on the Red Carpet must be eye opening. At an early age I saw the news the same way I saw caster oil, you did not like it but it was good for you. In the coming weeks we need to keep watching the news and learn lessons from this event so we do not repeat history and write to the news editors if they go back to dedicating more air time than appropriate to stories like Natalee Holloway. If we did not have Hurricane Katrina the top news story today would be "Britney Spears gives birth".

I have two quotes.

To quote CNN's Anderson Cooper (To Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La.), "Excuse me, Senator, I'm sorry for interrupting, I haven't heard that, because, for the last four days, I've been seeing dead bodies in the streets here in Mississippi. And to listen to politicians thanking each other and complimenting each other, you know, I got to tell you, there are a lot of people here who are very upset, and very angry, and very frustrated. And when they hear politicians slap - you know, thanking one another, it just, you know, it kind of cuts them the wrong way right now, because literally there was a body on the streets of this town yesterday being eaten by rats because this woman had been laying in the street for 48 hours."

And to quote ABC's Nightline host Ted Koppel (To FEMA Director Michael Brown) ''Don't you guys watch television? Don't you guys listen to the radio?''

Stay Tuned

Tony Figueroa