I predict the winners of a lot of awards shows, but I usually don’t predict the Emmys. For one, predicting the Emmys can be kind of boring. The same shows are nominated every year, and the same shows win every year. (Well, not quite. Lead Actress in a Comedy is one category that actually has mixed it up each year for about a decade, with a newcomer winning each time most of the last several years.) For another thing, I guess I’m so focused on taking it upon myself to recognize the shows that the Emmys continue to ignore, so I don’t have that much energy left to focus on predictions. I’ve already spoken my peaceregarding who and what should be nominated. Now, for the record, at least this year, I have decided to make it known who I think will win.
Drama Series: Mad Men
I keep hearing that Breaking Bad is the best show on TV, but Mad Men keeps winning the Emmy. That could change this year, but I don’t think it will. (Homeland or Downton Abbeycould break through.)
Lead Actor, Drama: Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
This category has the opposite issue of Drama Series. People keep saying Jon Hamm needs an Emmy, but Bryan Cranston keeps winning.
Lead Actress, Drama: Claire Danes, Homeland
The strongest contender on a rookie show.
Supporting Actor, Drama: Giancarlo Esposito, Breaking Bad
This should be a contest between Giancarlo, last year’s winner (Peter Dinklage), and 2010’s winner (Aaron Paul, who wasn’t eligible last year). The buzz seems to be in Giancarlo’s favor.
Comedy Series: Modern Family Girls might have a chance for an upset?
Lead Actress, Comedy: Lena Dunham, Girls
Literally, any of the nominees here could win. What’s in Lena’s favor? She’s on HBO, and it’s her show’s first season.
Lead Actor, Comedy: Louis C.K., Louie Jim Parsons and Alec Baldwin have already won enough, and it just feels like something has to give eventually regarding Louie.
Supporting Actress, Comedy: Kathryn Joosten, Desperate Housewives
This category could go in a number of directions, but I like Kathryn’s postmortem chances. (Let’s not forget how she dominated the Guest category before upgrading to Supporting.)
Supporting Actor, Comedy: Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Maybe Ed O’Neill will win if they want to give everyone on MF their turn to win, but besides that possibility, I don’t see anyone strong enough to knock off last year’s champ.
Also, I don’t know who will win Writing for Comedy, but I think Community actually has a legitimate chance!!!
The film festival season is in full swing, the buzz is buzzing, and the Oscar contenders are making themselves known. Here’s what I’m seeing:
Best Picture: The Silver Linings Playbook – This seems to have just the right mix of well-respected director, strong performances, and heart-tugging subject matter.
Director: David O. Russell, The Silver Linings Playbook – I can maybe see a Best Picture/Best Director split this year if voters want to recognize P.T. Anderson for the scope of The Master, but the director of the Best Picture winner usually wins Best Director.
Lead Actor: Joaquin Phoenix, The Master – I think everyone is now realizing – if they hadn’t already – how Joaquin’s dedication to his craft pays off as well as it does.
Lead Actress: Jennifer Lawrence, The Silver Linings Playbook – The only way I don’t see Jen being nominated here is if someone decides to give her a push for The Hunger Games as well and tries to present her Silver Linings role as Supporting (since actors can’t be nominated for multiple roles in the same category in the same year).
No clear favorite has emerged for either of the supporting acting categories yet.
Original Screenplay: Paul Thomas Anderson, The Master
Adapted Screenplay: David O. Russell, The Silver Linings Playbook
Bradley Cooper is also a strong contender, which in turn means that The Silver Linings Playbook has a decent shot at being the first “Big 5” winner (Picture, Director, Lead Actor, Lead Actress, Screenplay) since The Silence of the Lambs (and only the fourth overall). It is looking more than likely at this point that it will be the first since Million Dollar Baby to at least be nominated in each of the Big 5 categories.
Original Version
1. Taylor Swift – “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”
2. Maroon 5 – “One More Night”
3. fun. – “Some Nights”
4. Flo Rida – “Whistle”
5. Owl City ft. Carly Rae Jepsen – “Good Time”
6. Phillip Phillips – “Home”
7. Justin Bieber ft. Big Sean – “As Long as You Love Me”
8. Neon Trees – “Everybody Talks”
9. Cher Lloyd – “Want U Back”
10. Jason Mraz – “I Won’t Give Up”
11. Train – “50 Ways to Say Goodbye”
12. Carly Rae Jepsen – “Call Me Maybe”
13. Nicki Minaj – “Pound the Alarm”
14. Chris Brown – “Don’t Wake Me Up”
15. P!nk – “Blow Me (One Last Kiss)”
16. The Lumineers – “Ho Hey”
17. Katy Perry – “Wide Awake”
18. Kanye West ft. Big Sean, Pusha T, and 2 Chainz – “Mercy”
19. David Guetta ft. Sia – “Titanium”
20. Ellie Goulding – “Lights”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Lights
2. Titanium
3. Wide Awake
4. Ho Hey
5. Want U Back
6. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
7. Call Me Maybe
8. Mercy
9. Pound the Alarm
10. Some Nights
11. Home
12. Blow Me (One Last Kiss)
13. One More Night
14. Everybody Talks
15. 50 Ways to Say Goodbye
16. As Long as You Love Me
17. Don’t Wake Me Up
18. Good Time
19. Whistle
20. I Won’t Give Up
SNL returns for Season 38. It’s an election season (which should be good?). Kristen Wiig, Andy Samberg, and Abby Elliott are out; Aidy Bryant, Tim Robinson, and Cecily Strong are in.
Cold Opening – Democratic Rally
Classy (and kind of funny) move from Fred handing off the Obama impression to Jay. (Let me just say I would love it if they both played Obama this season.) Jason has got to be thanking Mitt for providing him with all these gaffes to make up for the lack of an impressionable voice. The Paul Ryan numbers joke was so right on the money. B+
Montage
Still pictures?! I’ll have to get used to that. It was time for a change, and they do look cool.
We’ve got Internet Explorer 9 and Bing. Where’s the iPod Touch?
Original Version
1. Flo Rida – “Whistle”
2. P!nk – “Blow Me (One Last Kiss)”
3. Demi Lovato – “Give Your Heart a Break”
4. Train – “50 Ways to Say Goodbye”
5. Owl City ft. Carly Rae Jepsen – “Good Time”
6. Neon Trees – “Everybody Talks”
7. Green Day – “Oh Love”
8. fun. – “Some Nights”
9. Matchbox Twenty – “She’s So Mean”
10. Maroon 5 – “One More Night”
11. David Guetta ft. Sia – “Titanium”
12. Justin Bieber ft. Big Sean – “As Long as You Love Me”
13. Taylor Swift – “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”
14. Alex Clare – “Too Close”
15. The Lumineers – “Ho Hey”
16. Calvin Harris ft. Ne-Yo – “Let’s Go”
17. Imagine Dragons – “It’s Time”
18. Of Monsters and Men – “Little Talks”
19. OneRepublic – “Feel Again”
20. Katy Perry – “Wide Awake”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Too Close
2. Little Talks
3. Titanium
4. Wide Awake
5. Ho Hey
6. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
7. It’s Time
8. Give Your Heart a Break
9. Let’s Go
10. Some Nights
11. Oh Love
12. Blow Me (One Last Kiss)
13. One More Night
14. Feel Again
15. Everybody Talks
16. 50 Ways to Say Goodbye
17. She’s So Mean
18. As Long as You Love Me
19. Good Time
20. Whistle
Original Version
1. Maroon 5 – “One More Night”
2. fun. – “Some Nights”
3. Flo Rida – “Whistle”
4. Owl City ft. Carly Rae Jepsen – “Good Time”
5. Phillip Phillips – “Home”
6. Justin Bieber ft. Big Sean – “As Long as You Love Me”
7. Cher Lloyd – “Want U Back”
8. Neon Trees – “Everybody Talks”
9. Nicki Minaj – “Pound the Alarm”
10. Train – “50 Ways to Say Goodbye”
11. Jason Mraz – “I Won’t Give Up”
12. Katy Perry – “Wide Awake”
13. P!nk – “Blow Me (One Last Kiss)”
14. Ellie Goulding – “Lights”
15. Carly Rae Jepsen – “Call Me Maybe”
16. David Guetta ft. Sia – “Titanium”
17. Chris Brown – “Don’t Wake Me Up”
18. The Lumineers – “Ho Hey”
19. Kanye West ft. Big Sean, Pusha T, and 2 Chainz – “Mercy”
20. Demi Lovato – “Give Your Heart a Break”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Lights
2. Titanium
3. Wide Awake
4. Ho Hey
5. Give Your Heart a Break
6. Want U Back
7. Call Me Maybe
8. Mercy
9. Some Nights
10. Pound the Alarm
11. Home
12. Blow Me (One Last Kiss)
13. One More Night
14. Everybody Talks
15. 50 Ways to Say Goodbye
16. As Long as You Love Me
17. Don’t Wake Me Up
18. Good Time
19. Whistle
20. I Won’t Give Up
The new season of SNL premieres this Saturday, September 15 on NBC, and with that date soon approaching, it is time once again for Jmunney’s SNL host and musical guest predictions. Once again, I have made 30 choices (including guests that have already been announced) in both categories; there have been 22 episodes of SNL the past few seasons, but 30 is the chosen number because that is the number for an SNL guest prediction contest that I enter on an SNL fan website forum. Picks are listed (vaguely) in order of confidence, most confident picks first. (Guests that have already been announced are first-timers Seth MacFarlane and Frank Ocean for the season premiere, second-timer Joseph Gordon-Levitt and first-timers Mumford & Sons for the second episode on September 22, and first-timer Daniel and second-timers Muse for show #3 on October 6.)
Hosts I have organized my host selections in the same categories as last year.
Coming Off a Hot Summer Seth MacFarlane – already announced
Current Hit Movie Joseph Gordon-Levitt – already announced Daniel Craig – already announced Paul Rudd
Ben Affleck
Seth Rogen
James Franco
Jennifer Lawrence
Anne Hathaway
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
Mila Kunis
Robert Downey, Jr.
Amy Adams
Hugh Jackman
Leslie Mann
TV Stars Joel McHale
Tina Fey
Amy Poehler
Lena Dunham
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Peter Dinklage
Alison Brie
Nick Offerman
Stephen Colbert
The Regulars Jon Hamm
Zach Galifianakis
Alec Baldwin
Christopher Walken
John Goodman
Other (Big Name Not Plugging Anything, Athletes, Musical Guests Pulling Double Duty, etc.) Justin Bieber
Musical Guests Frank Ocean – already announced Mumford & Sons – already announced Muse – already announced Taylor Swift
Green Day
No Doubt
Justin Bieber
Carly Rae Jepsen
fun.
Alicia Keys
Beck
Ke$ha
P!nk
Lady GaGa
The Killers
Kanye West
Grouplove
Ellie Goulding
Nicki Minaj
Of Monsters and Men
Imagine Dragons
Rihanna
Aerosmith
Linkin Park
Rick Ross
Animal Collective
Cat Power
St. Vincent
Bruce Springsteen
Childish Gambino
Dr. Luke and Max Martin are like the Koch brothers of the music industry, except much more benevolent.
Original Version
1. Flo Rida – “Whistle”
2. Demi Lovato – “Give Your Heart a Break”
3. P!nk – “Blow Me (One Last Kiss)”
4. Owl City ft. Carly Rae Jepsen – “Good Time”
5. Train – “50 Ways to Say Goodbye”
6. Green Day – “Oh Love”
7. fun. – “Some Nights”
8. David Guetta ft. Sia – “Titanium”
9. Katy Perry – “Wide Awake”
10. Neon Trees – “Everybody Talks”
11. Matchbox Twenty – “She’s So Mean”
12. Maroon 5 – “One More Night”
13. Calvin Harris ft. Ne-Yo – “Let’s Go”
14. Justin Bieber ft. Big Sean – “As Long as You Love Me”
15. Imagine Dragons – “It’s Time”
16. Taylor Swift – “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”
17. The Lumineers – “Ho Hey”
18. No Doubt – “Settle Down”
19. Of Monsters and Men – “Little Talks”
20. OneRepublic – “Feel Again”
Jmunney’s Revision
1. Little Talks
2. Titanium
3. Wide Awake
4. Ho Hey
5. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
6. It’s Time
7. Give Your Heart a Break
8. Let’s Go
9. Some Nights
10. Oh Love
11. Blow Me (One Last Kiss)
12. One More Night
13. Settle Down
14. Feel Again
15. Everybody Talks
16. 50 Ways to Say Goodbye
17. She’s So Mean
18. As Long as You Love Me
19. Good Time
20. Whistle
You might have heard that Community is a show that is on television. And you may have also heard that it is a great show that is totally worth watching. (And you may have also heard about what’s been going on behind the scenes at Community.) Well, you’ve heard correctly. It will be returning for a fourth season on Friday, October 19. But first, let’s take a look back at the best scenes of Season 3 (which was recently released on DVD).
(Note: Some of the embedded videos do not show the entire scene, but they were the best that I could find. If anyone knows where to find better videos, please let me know!)
20. Pointing out the celebrity lookalikes (“Contemporary Impressionists”)
What do you know, it turns out that every member of the study group (not just the guy who’s more handsome than the guy who’s famous for being handsome) has a celebrity doppelgänger (including both versions of Michael Jackson).
19. “You’re a bad person.” (“Curriculum Unavailable”)
Abed’s sentencing of Shirley was cruel cruel cruel, but the opinion that prompted it was true true true.
18. Britta’s scary story (“Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps”) (This scene lasts until 0:43 in the video.)
She totally Britta’ed telling a scary story, to our delight.
17. Starburns memorial tag (“Course Listing Unavailable”)
A silly use of green screen for a silly man who has never realized how silly he is.
16. Abed’s stand-up tag (“Origins of Vampire Mythology”)
Abed’s too-specific-to-his apartment comedy stylings served as a kind of a meta-joke about how esoterically inaccessible Community can seem to the uninitiated.
15. “These your friends, Pierce?” (“Advanced Gay”) (This video includes only the very beginning of the chosen scene.)
Archaic forms of prejudice equal comic gold. Thus Cornelius Hawthorne is a comic masterpiece.
14. Annie’s Model U.N. tantrum (“Geography of Global Conflict”)
Annie screaming: usually a good sign that comedy gold is about to be struck. Alison Brie deserves for completely going for it with the jumping up and down, fist pounding, and thrashing about.
13. “Maybe I need to take one. A test, not a penis.”: “Competitive Ecology” tag
Classic Britta: she’s not dumb so much as she sees things hilariously differently than everyone else.
12. “It’s not working.”/“I wonder how many women I’ve affected this way.” (“Origins of Vampire Mythology”)
A bit of beefcake just because they can, and forced laughter with varied subtext.
11. 2001 homage hallucination (“Biology 101”)
A scene of brilliant setpieces that managed to elucidate both Jeff and Pierce’s relationship as well as 2001 itself.
10. Karaoke (“Studies in Modern Movement”)
Jeff Winger learns to like liking things by way of karaoke. But there is a lot more going on here than just learning to enjoy a cheesy hobby, as underscored by the editing that checks in on all the other storylines of this episode.
9. Britta the grief causer (“Course Listing Unavailable”)
A classic example of comic interruptions, with Jeff Winger butting in on Britta Perry the ultimate antagonistic pair.
8. Season-opening fantasy song and dance (“Biology 101”)
What does Jeff Winger want his life to look like? What is his fantasy? By his third year back at school, it is a Greendale filled with the friends he has made (minus Pierce). This place where he is, is the place where he wants to be, deeply within his subconscious, and this is conveyed through a delightful song and dance routine. (Photo courtesy of fishsticktheatre.com)
7. “The people at the bank loved my outfit!” (“Virtual Systems Analysis”)
Dean Pelton has a crisis about his eccentric lifestyle, but he is lucky to meet a group of accepting, curious people, and he cannot wait to tell his favorite people all about it.
6. Darkest timeline tag (“Remedial Chaos Theory”)
Goofy in a way that an alternate timeline can get away with being, this tag also served as the antithesis of what the study group strived to be in Season 3. http://www.hulu.com/watch/288894
5. “Baby Boomer Santa” (“Regional Holiday Music”)
Annie explained it best: “They’re just trying to pander to your demographic’s well-documented historical vanity.” And Pierce punctuated it: “You’re welcome, for everything in the world!”
4. Troy gets the pizza (the darkest timeline) (“Remedial Chaos Theory”)
One disaster leads to another bizarrely, yet logically, in a perfectly staged piece of physical comedy.
3. “Origins of Vampire Mythology” cold opening
There were times during Season 3 when I missed the scenes of the study group just sitting around the table, goofing off and talking about whatever, which seemed to be rarer and rarer these days. Then, “Origins of Vampire Mythology” comes along and has possibly the best such scene in the show’s history. The pieces were all there ragging on Britta, Pierce almost being cool, Jeff explaining everything, Troy and Abed geeking out, and Annie and Shirley aww-ing and laughing. http://www.hulu.com/watch/349964
2. Greendale Asylum (“Curriculum Unavailable”)
If there was any show that deserved a Shutter Island twist ending homage, it was Community. The idea that the study group’s adventures at Greendale were all just a shared illusion felt like it could have made perfect sense, but thankfully it was determined that it actually made no sense at all (even though, for a second at least, it really felt like it could have been the perfect explanation). And the replays of previous scenes in the asylum setting were at least as awesome as their original appearances.
1. “Teach Me How to Understand Christmas” (“Regional Holiday Music”)
A perfect representation of Jeff and Annie’s “would they, might they?” relationship: hotter than it has a right to be, yet creepier than it really needs to be. There is inevitably a push-pull dynamic between them whenever there appears to be a chance of development. Jeff knows that he wants Annie, and by this point, he has more or less made peace with this desire. But whenever Annie makes herself available, it just serves to repulse them away from each other. Still, Jeff’s “whaaaat” indicates how flabbergasted he is by how much he “craves young flesh.” Beyond the context of where it fits into the arc of season 3 of Community, the “Teach Me How to Understand Christmas” routine is an incredible moment in and of itself: Alison Brie brutally deconstructs the idea that turning dumb and talking baby talk makes women hot, while still managing to be the most unbearably sexy she has ever been.
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