Jmunney’s Emmy Thoughts 2012, Part 1: Comedy

July 17, 2012

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Emmy nominations are coming on Thursday (July 19)!  So here is what and who Ibelieve should be nominated.  I made my selections based on what categories I think the shows and the actors should be in, not necessarily what category they were submitted in.  So, if an animated show submitted for animated series (and was thus not eligible to also submit for comedy series), I still considered it for best comedy, or if an actor submitted for lead but really should have submitted for supporting, I considered that person in the supporting field.  Or if guest actors weren’t submitted, I don’t care.  There are certain potentially deserving nominees on shows that I do not watch or just started watching that I have heard enough good things about to consider along with those I am familiar with; such contenders are marked in italics.  My choices are listed in order of most deserving first.

(Thanks to fishsticktheatre.com for the Community screencaps.)

Best Comedy

Remember when 30 Rock was (deservedly) dominating this category?  And now Modern Family is (undeservedly) dominating?  Both of those shows miss my short list.  Boy, are we living in a golden age of comedy.  Is it time yet for everyone else to realize how incredible Community is?
1. Community (Check out this episode: “Remedial Chaos Theory”)
2. Parks and Recreation (Check out this episode: “Citizen Knope”)
3. Louie (Check out this episode: “Duckling,” from what I’ve heard)
4. Happy Endings (Check out this episode: “Big White Lies”)
5. Girls (Check out this episode: “Vagina Panic”)
6. Bob’s Burgers (Check out this episode: “Bad Tina”)
Also worth consideration: Archer, Suburgatory, 30 Rock, The Middle

Lead Actress

There sure are a lot of great comedies fronted by funny ladies these days.  Zooey Deschanel sure is awesome.  (You hear that, people who don’t like her?!)  But Amy Poehler is even more awesome, and it continues to be a disgrace that she hasn’t won yet.
1. Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation (Check out this episode: “The Debate”)
2. Zooey Deschanel, New Girl (Check out this episode: “Jess and Julia”)
3. Martha Plimpton, Raising Hope (Check out this episode: “Jimmy’s Fake Girlfriend”)
4. Lena Dunham, Girls (Check out this episode: “Vagina Panic”)
5. Tina Fey, 30 Rock (Check out this episode: “The Tuxedo Begins”)
6. Jane Levy, Suburgatory (Check out this episode: “The Motherload”)
Also worth considering: Krysten Ritter, Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep, Dreama Walker, Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23, Laura Dern, Enlightened

Lead Actor

The more and more I think about it, the more I realize how much Joel McHale as Jeff Winger belongs in the pantheon of perfect casting.
1. Joel McHale, Community (Check out this episode: “Origins of Vampire Mythology”)
2. Louis C.K., Louie (Check out this episode: “Duckling,” from what I’ve heard)
3. Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock (Check out this episode: “Today You Are a Man”)
4. Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory (Check out this episode: “The Stag Convergence”)
T5. Keegan Michael Key and Jordan Peele, Key & Peele (Check out this episode: Episode 1)
Also worth considering: Will Arnett, Up All Night, Danny McBride, Eastbound & Down, Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm

Supporting Actress

Thanks to the debuts of Suburgatory and Up All Night and the maturation of Happy Endings, this category is more crowded than ever.  But, uh-huh, Alison Brie is still the best.  But she does have some solid competition on her own show.  And oh how I wish I could also pick Aubrey Plaza!
1. Alison Brie, Community (Check out this episode: “Regional Holiday Music”)
2. Gillian Jacobs, Community (Check out this episode: “Remedial Chaos Theory”)
3. Aubrey Plaza, Parks and Recreation (Check out this episode: “Live Ammo”)
4. Eden Sher, The Middle (Check out this episode: “Leap Year”)
5. Casey Wilson, Happy Endings (Check out this episode: “The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre”)
6. Carly Chaikin, Suburgatory (Check out this episode: “Down Time”)
The difference between these last two slots and the first two out was razor-thin; I could easily switch Casey and/or Carly out with a castmate, and then turn around and switch them back the next day.
7. Elisha Cuthbert, Happy Endings
8. Allie Grant, Suburgatory
Also worth considering: Eliza Coupe, Happy Endings, Ellie Kemper, The Office, Maya Rudolph, Up All Night, Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory, Zosia Mamet, Girls, Yvette Nicole Brown, Community, Ana Gasteyer, Suburgatory, Kaitlin Olson, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Supporting Actor

Nick Offerman was more awesome than ever as Ron Swanson this season, and I thought that this would be the first season that I would pick him over Danny Pudi, but then Community went and had a run of incredible Abed-centric episodes in the back half of the season, and I’ve got to give it to Danny again.  Both of them deserve to have won multiple times already.  I would also be okay with Jim Rash getting one step closer to an EGOT.
1. Danny Pudi, Community (Check out this episode: “Virtual Systems Analysis”)
2. Nick Offerman, Parks and Recreation (Check out this episode: “Campaign Ad”)
3. Jim Rash, Community (Check out this episode: “Documentary Filmmaking: Redux”)
4. Bill Hader, Saturday Night Live (Check out this episode: “Zooey Deschanel/Karmin”)
5. Tracy Morgan, 30 Rock (Check out this episode: “Today You Are a Man”)
6. Damon Wayans, Jr., Happy Endings (Check out this episode: “The Code War”)
Also worth considering: Adam Pally, Happy Endings, Ty Burrell, Modern Family, Max Greenfield, New Girl, Donald Glover, Community, Adam Scott, Parks and Recreation, Jason Segel, How I Met Your Mother, Chris Pratt, Parks and Recreation, Adam Driver, Girls, Alan Tudyk, Suburgatory, Chevy Chase, Community, Charlie Day, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, James Van Der Beek, Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23, Glenn Howerton, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Danny DeVito, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,  Rob McElhenney, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Atticus Shaffer, The Middle,  Aziz Ansari, Parks and Recreation, Jack McBrayer, 30 Rock, Tony Hale, Veep

Guest Actor and Actress

Oh, guest actor category, you drive me crazy, what with your mix of recurring characters who don’t appear often enough to enter into the supporting field and characters who only appear for one episode or one arc.  Community’s resident Hispanics – fight it out!  As for the ladies, I can safely pick Kathryn Hahn ahead of all others; let’s make her more of a household name!
1. Richard Erdman, Community
2. Luis Guzman, Community
3. Paul Rudd, Parks and Recreation
4. Norm MacDonald, The Middle
5. Giancarlo Esposito, Community
6. Jim Carrey, 30 Rock
Also worth considering: William Baldwin, 30 Rock, Steve Buscemi, Saturday Night Live, Will Forte, 30 Rock, Kyle McLachlan, Portlandia

1. Kathryn Hahn, Parks and Recreation
2. Zooey Deschanel, Saturday Night Live
3. Kristen Wiig, Portlandia
4. Whoopi Goldberg, The Middle
5. Emma Stone, Saturday Night Live
6. Leslie Mann, Modern Family
Also worth considering: Ursula Parker, Louie, Lizzy Caplan, New Girl

Jmunney’s 2012 MTV Movie Awards Prediction Scorecard

June 4, 2012

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I correctly predicted 8 out of the 13 winners.  My successful categories were Male Performance, Female Performance, Comedic Performance, Music, On-Screen Transformation, Gut-Wrenching Performance, Fight, and Hero.  I was off with Movie (I picked Hunger Games over Twilight), Breakthrough Performance (Melissa McCarthy when it was Shailene Woodley), Kiss (Tatum-McAdams ,but alas, KStew-RPatz), Dirtbag (Bryce Dallas Howard, but then Jennifer Aniston), and Cast (Hunger Games did not beat out Harry Potter).  I guess I let Twilight‘s lack of nominations overall lead me astray.  I’m not sure why I didn’t pick Jennifer Aniston.  Harry Potter over Hunger Games?  Well, I guess the Potterphiles found a way to have at least one win.  I’m a bit confused at Shailene beating Melissa, but since that category wasn’t picked by viewers, I’m not sure what way exactly I should be confused.

2012 MTV Movie Awards Live Tweeting

June 1, 2012

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I will be live tweeting the MTV Movie Awards this Sunday, June 3, at 9/8 central.  If you want to follow, go @jmunneymalone.

You know you love me.
xoxo,
Jmunney

The 2012 MTV Movie Awards Preview

May 30, 2012

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The 2012 MTV Movie Awards are airing on Sunday, June 3, at 9 PM (8 Central!), and guess what?  Twilight ain’t gonna dominate this year.  It’s simple math: even if it wins every category it’s nominated in, that will result in a grand total of two wins.  So, we’ve got a one-year reprieve from the Twilight awards, as this year the moonmen look to be dominated by the new based-on-a-YA-novel-series in town.  Katniss has taken her aim on the MTV generation, so here is a will win/should win breakdown of the 2012 Hunger Games awards.

Best Movie
Bridesmaids
The Hunger Games
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
The Help
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1
Will Win: Don’t let Twilight‘s general lack of nominations fool you – Twihards are still insane, so it may yet still pull out four in a row.  But most signs point to the newer and more unanimously beloved Hunger Games.
Should Win: Bridesmaids was seriously funny, and seriously meaningful.

Best Male Performance
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 50/50
Ryan Gosling, Drive
Josh Hutcherson, The Hunger Games
Daniel Radcliffe, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Channing Tatum, The Vow
Will Win: Josh Hutcherson – he was in The Hunger Games.
Should Win: An actor like Ryan Gosling only comes around once – if at all – a generation.

Best Female Performance
Jennifer Lawrence, The Hunger Games
Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Emma Stone, Crazy, Stupid, Love
Emma Watson, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
Will Win: Jennifer Lawrence is more beloved than Kristen Stewart ever was.
Should Win: Kristen Wiig wasn’t afraid to go to unflattering places.

Breakthrough Performance
Elle Fanning, Super 8
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Liam Hemsworth, The Hunger Games
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants
Will and Should Win: This category is not determined by viewer voting, so the award may just go to the most deserving nom – Melissa McCarthy, the name we couldn’t stop talking about in 2011, after not talking about her very much in 2010 or before.

Best Comedic Performance
Oliver Cooper, Project X
Zach Galifiankis, The Hangover Part II
Jonah Hill, 21 Jump Street
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
Will and Should Win: MTV voters may or may not recognize Melissa McCarthy as the breakout act that she was, but I’m pretty sure they will recognize how funny she was.

Best Music
“Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO, 21 Jump St
“A Real Hero” by College with Electric Youth, Drive
“The Devil is in the Details” by The Chemical Brothers, Hanna
“IMpossible” by Figurine, Like Crazy
“Pursuit of Happiness” by Kid Cudi (Steve Aoki remix), Project X
Will Win: “Party Rock Anthem” wins by default, as the most popular of these songs, in the most popular of the movies in this category, despite not being featured very prominently.
Should Win: “A Real Hero” – the synth-heavy, atmospheric soundtrack was the best part of Drive.

Best On-Screen Transformation
Elizabeth Banks, The Hunger Games
Johnny Depp, 21 Jump Street
Colin Farrell, Horrible Bosses
Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn
Will and Should Win: Elizabeth Banks was hardly recognizable – and she was in The Hunger Games.

Best Gut-Wrenching Performance
Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey, and Ellie Kemper, Bridesmaids
Ryan Gosling, Drive
Tom Cruise, Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol
Bryce Dallas Howard, The Help
Jonah Hill and Rob Riggle, 21 Jump Street
Will and Should Win: If voters saw Bridesmaids, that moment was etched upon their memories forever.

Best Kiss
Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, Crazy, Stupid, Love
Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, The Hunger Games
Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1
Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams, The Vow
Will Win: In any other year, Gosling-Stone would be the easy favorite.  The long-awaited Watson-Grint kiss can’t be counted out either.  Lawrence-Hutcherson must be considered because it’s The Hunger Games and all.  But, of course, RPatz-KStew have won the last three years running.  But I’m going to go a bit out on a limb and say that Tatum-McAdams may pull this one off, having kissed in the love story to end all love stories.
Should Win: Gosling and Stone were very cute together.

Best Fight
Daniel Radcliffe vs. Ralph Fiennes, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson vs. Alexander Ludwig, The Hunger Games
Tom Cruise vs. Michael Nyqvist, Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol
Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill vs. the Kid Gang, 21 Jump Street
Joel Edgerton vs. Tom Hardy, Warrior
Will Win: The ultimate Harry Potter-Voldemort showdown may have a chance, as I’m not sure The Hunger Games will dominate completely, but let’s stick with the final tributes.
Should Win: You usually don’t feel for both combatants in fighting movies the way you did for Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy.

Best Cast
Bridesmaids
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
The Help
The Hunger Games
21 Jump Street
Will Win: No way this doesn’t go to The Hunger Games.
Should Win: 2011 was the year of the woman, and Bridesmaids was no small contributor.

Best On-Screen Dirt Bag
Jennifer Aniston, Horrible Bosses
Oliver Cooper, Project X
Colin Farrell, Horrible Bosses
Jon Hamm, Bridesmaids
Bryce Dallas Howard, The Help
Will Win: Anna Kendrick won Breakthrough Performance a couple years back for Up in the Air, but it was really essentially for Twilight.  Bryce Dallas Howard might benefit from Twihards, but she may have been good enough on her own anyway.
Should Win: Considering the context, Colin Farrell was unbelievably psychotic, and also entertaining.

Best Hero
Chris Evans, Captain America: The First Avenger
Chris Hemsworth, Thor
Jonah Hill, 21 Jump St.
Jennifer Lawrence, The Hunger Games
Daniel Radcliffe, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Will Win: Voting in this category is done by tweeting.  I can’t tell you how that will affect the results, but I can tell you that Harry Potter currently has nearly twice as many votes as Katniss.
Should Win: Captain America, Thor, Katniss Everdeen, and Harry Potter are all iconic; Jenko – not so much. Chris Hemsworth as Thor gets my vote for being perfect for that role, while the others weren’t quite perfect.

Addendum to Jmunney’s Very Early Oscar Predicitions

December 9, 2011

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In my very early Oscar predictions, I chose not to include anyone or anything from Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.  But then I realized who is directing: Stephen Daldry.  And it must be said that Daldry has been nominated for Best Director at the Oscars for all of his previous feature films (Billy Elliot, The Hours, and The Reader).  So I think he might be a contender this year.

Jmunney’s Very Early Oscar Predictions

December 2, 2011

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Presently, the 2011 Academy Awards are looking significantly more unpredictable than the 2010 edition.  At this point last year, I could have confidently said that pre-holiday season releases The Social Network, Inception, and Toy Story 3 were locks for Best Picture nominations.  This year, I am not sure if any movie released before November will be nominated; most of the likely nominees are either yet to be released or still in limited release.  Come February, the major categories may prove to be just as easy to call as they were last time, but at the moment, this race could go in any number of directions.  (Predictions are listed in order of most likely to least likely to be nominated.)

Best Picture
The Academy changed the nominating rules for Best Picture again, so this year, anywhere between 5 and 10 films will be nominated.  I’m going to call it in the middle and go with 7.  Entertainment Weekly and other outlets are calling War Horse a sure thing, but I’m not necessarily buying it even as a contender, at least not yet.  The Artist, despite its superficial disadvantages, could emerge the favorite, but I think The Descendants has the best mix of ingredients (previously nominated and really well-respected director, one of the biggest stars in the world, breakthrough young actress).  At least one mainstream, crowd-pleasing box office success from summer or earlier could likely sneak in, probably The Help and maybe even Harry Potter.
The Descendants
The Artist
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Help
War Horse
Hugo

Director
With the Best Picture picture as chaotic as it is, it is theoretically possible that this could be one of those years when the Best Director winner is not the director of the Best Picture winner.  But no one director (except maybe Terrence Malick) seems to be that much more of a contender than his (no directing ladies seem to be in contention this year) film, so Payne and Hazanvicius are necessarily then at the top.
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Bennett Miller, Moneyball
Martin Scorcese, Hugo

Actor
One of the biggest stars of the country is the front-runner, and that country is … France.  Dujardin, veteran of the French spy spoof series OSS 117, is the favorite over Clooney and Pitt.  Ryan Gosling can make it on only if voters feel compelled by his overall great year.
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
George Clooney, The Descendants
Brad Pitt, Moneyball
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
Michael Fassbender, Shame

Actress
Who says there are no good roles for women over 40?  There are three ladies who have reached that milestone (Glenn Close, Meryl Streep, Viola Davis) and are defiantly the front-runners in this category, and they might be joined by a fourth (Tilda Swinton in We Need to Talk About Kevin).  Beyond Close/Streep/Davis, this category could go in a number of different directions.  I’m betting on the presence of a young newcomer à la Jennifer Lawrence last year, likely either Elizabeth Olsen or Felicity Jones (Like Crazy).  Kirsten Dunst (Melancholia), Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), and Charlize Theron (Young Adult) must also have their due considerations.
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Viola Davis, The Help
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn
Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene

Supporting Actor
This is the most wide-open I can ever remember this category being.  The favorite may very well be a gay eightysomething, and a motion capture simian performance may actually be nominated.  Don’t bet the house on these predictions, unless you like to live life dangerously.
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Albert Brooks, Drive
Patton Oswalt, Young Adult
Kevin Spacey, Margin Call

Supporting Actress
Spencer and Chastain (in the best of her 6 performances from 2011) are obvious.  Woodley is too, especially considering this category’s reputation as the ingenue category.  McCarthy has a good chance, as comedic roles stand a chance in the supporting field.  And I’ll round it out with Janet McTeer, because I hear things.  But don’t fall asleep on Bérénice Bejo (The Artist).
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs

2011 Video Music Awards Predictions Recap

August 30, 2011

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It turns out that predicting the winners of the VMA’s is even more of a fool’s errand than it is for most awards shows, which I have realized after correctly predicting a grand total of 2 (out of 14) categories (Foo Fighters for Rock Video, GaGa for Video with a Message).  Here a few things I learned about the VMA’s this year:

–MTV does not care about consistency.
The distribution of the awards reminded me of an episode of Da Ali G Show.  Brüno was interviewing some guy at a fashion show.  He asked him why the show was humorless, and then he asked him how it had maintained a sense of humor; he asked him why the show was about the individual, and then he asked him why it was about other people; he asked him how he had made the show so heavy, and then he asked him how he had made it so light.  Ultimately he asked this guy if he cared about inconsistency, which of course, he didn’t.  Clearly, MTV feels the same way.  “Firework” won Video of the Year, even though it did not also win Best Female Video, and it wasn’t even nominated in Best Pop Video.  (Another Katy Perry video – “Last Friday Night” – was nominated in the Pop category.  There seemed to have been a desire to recognize all of Katy’s videos from the past year, which is fine, but she could have had multiple nominations in the same category if the nominators wanted her to.)  This isn’t anything new.  Panic! at the Disco won Video of the Year – and nothing else – in 2006, while Beyoncé won Video of the Year in 2009 but, quite famously, did not also win Female Video.
–This was Adele’s year, but it was also Katy Perry’s, and GaGa (and Britney) need to be recognized, too.
“Rolling in the Deep” is the biggest hit of the year, and it won more moonmen than any other video this year, but those wins all came in the “professional categories” (Art Direction, Editing, Cinematography).  Meanwhile, Katy Perry has had a year comparable to – perhaps better than – Adele’s, having just had her fifth number one single off the same album (an accomplishment previously achieved only by Michael Jackson).  Her videos also had three wins (two for “E.T.,” one for “Firework”).  Meanwhile, Lady GaGa was somehow able to top them both in Female Video, and Britney was able to top them as well in Pop Video.
–Justin Bieber wins everything he is nominated for.
Unless it’s the Grammys.  And nobody understands the Grammys.

2011 Video Music Awards Preview

August 28, 2011

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The 2011 MTV Video Music Awards are taking off tonight, and believe it or not, this is an awards show that has more legitimacy than most.  Unfortunately, this legitmacy has been on the downturn in the past decade.  It is not that bad music videos are being awarded, it is that the safer picks –  like “Umbrella” and “Bad Romance” –  are chosen, while the truly best and most daring – like Fatboy Slim’s “Weapon of Choice” or Justice’s “D.A.N.C.E.” or The Black Keys’ “Tighten Up” – are merely given perfunctory nominations or relegated to less prestigious (but more interesting) categories like Breakthrough Video (which is not being awarded this year).  This is mainly due to MTV’s pop bias, which the network got away with in the early days of the VMA’s, as the best music videos back then could be found among the popular ones.  But in the modern music world, there are tons of indie artists making music videos along with the popular artists, and every video can easily be propagated through YouTube.  Thus, the best videos often have to be actively sought after, which means MTV is now mostly recognizing the best of only a subset of the music video world.  And in that limited capacity, a pretty good job is done.  Anyway, here is a category-by-category breakdown.

Video of the Year
Adele – “Rolling in the Deep”
Beastie Boys – “Make Some Noise”
Bruno Mars – “Grenade”
Katy Perry – “Firework”
Tyler, the Creator – “Yonkers”
Will Win: Katy Perry is the most nominated artist (with 4 different videos being recognized), but “Rolling in the Deep” is by far the biggest hit of the year and pretty close to a sure thing.
Should Win: Stark black-and-white photography and memorable images (cockroach, vomit, hanging) make for a winning combination when it comes to music videos, as “Yonkers” provides evidence of.

Best Male Video
Justin Bieber – “U Smile”
Eminem ft. Rihanna – “Love the Way You Lie”
Cee-Lo Green – “Fuck You!”
Bruno Mars – “Grenade”
Kanye West ft. Rihanna and Kid Cudi – “All of the Lights”
Will Win: Unless the VMA’s are determined entirely by fan voting (and I’m pretty sure they’re not; if they were, this category would go to Bieber), this is a toss-up between Eminem and Cee-Lo.  I give the edge to “Fuck You!” for being more recent and more upbeat.
Shoudl Win: Looking for striking visual imagery?  Look no further than “All of the Lights.”

Best Female Video
Adele – “Rolling in the Deep”
Beyoncé – “Run the World (Girls)”
Lady GaGa – “Born This Way”
Nicki Minaj – “Super Bass”
Katy Perry – “Firework”
Will Win: “Rolling in the Deep.” Biggest hit of the year, don’t you know?
Should Win: “Rolling in the Deep.”  The vibrating glasses of water are what really sell it.

Best New Artist
Big Sean ft. Chris Bown – “My Last”
Foster the People – “Pumped Up Kicks”
Kreayshawn – “Gucci Gucci”
Tyler, the Creator – “Yonkers”
Wiz Khalifa – “Black and Yellow”
Will Win: The fact that Tyler is up for Video of the Year doesn’t really mean much for his chances here.  “Black and Yellow” was the biggest hit out of this bunch.  But don’t count Tyler out, as Avenged Sevenfold beat Chris Brown and Rihanna in 2006 and Tokio Hotel beat Katy Perry and Taylor Swift in 2008.
Should Win: You gotta want someone who is going to have a long career of making great videos winning here. I think “Yonkers” proves that will be the case with Tyler, the Creator.

Best Pop Video
Adele – “Rolling in the Deep”
Bruno Mars – “Grenade”
Katy Perry – “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)”
Pitbull ft. Ne-Yo, Afrojack, and Nayer – “Give Me Everything”
Britney Spears – “Till the World Ends”
Will Win: This award has lately been closely in line with Video of the Year, which bodes well for “Rolling in the Deep.”
Should Win: Celebrity cameos that are witty and actually have a purpose?  Thank you, “Last Friday Night.”

Best Rock Video
The Black Keys – “Howlin’ for You”
Cage the Elephant – “Shake Me Down”
Foo Fighters – “Walk”
Foster the People – “Pumped Up Kicks”
Mumford & Sons – “The Cave”
Will Win: This award doesn’t always go to the biggest hit (as lately there isn’t always a big hit among the nominees).  The four relatively new artists may cancel each other out, leading the way for the oft-nominated but never victorious Foo Fighters to win for “Walk.”
Should Win: The fake-trailer (especially the grindhouse variety) conceit has become a bit overdone, but when it’s done well, it’s done well, as in “Howlin’ for You.”

Best Hip-Hop Video
Chris Brown ft. Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes – “Look at Me Now”
Lupe Fiasco – “The Show Goes On”
Lil Wayne ft. Cory Gunz – “6 Foot 7 Foot”
Nicki Minaj – “Super Bass”
Kanye West ft. Rihanna and Kid Cudi – “All of the Lights”
Will Win: The VMA’s love a good comeback story, which is good news for “6 Foot 7 Foot” from Lil Wayne, who is in the midst of his post-prison career resurgence.
Should Win: There’s a Hype Williams clip (“All of the Lights”) nominated?  Give it to him.  He makes classic hip-hop spots in his sleep.

Best Collaboration
Chris Brown ft. Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes – “Look at Me Now”
Nicki Minaj ft. Drake – “Moment 4 Life”
Katy Perry ft. Kanye West – “E.T.”
Pitbull ft. Ne-Yo, Nayer, and Afrojack – “Give Me Everything”
Kanye West ft. Rihanna and Kid Cudi – “All of the Lights”
Will Win: It may be too hard to resist the big number of credited artists and Pitbull’s rising star power in “Give Me Everything.”
Should Win: “All of the Lights.”  Kanye is the current king of collaborations and RiRi is the queen of hooks.

Best Direction
30 Seconds to Mars – “Hurricane” (Dir. Bartholomew Cubbins)
Adele – “Rolling in the Deep” (Dir. Sam Brown)
Beastie Boys – “Make Some Noise” (Dir. Adam Yauch)
Eminem ft. Rihanna – “Love the Way You Lie” (Dir. Joseph Kahn)
Katy Perry ft. Kanye West – “E.T.” (Dir. Floria Sigismondi)
Will Win: Best Direction can match up with Video of the Year, and there aren’t really any other strong contenders this year.  So congratulations, Sam Brown.
Should Win: The general mark of good music video direction is striking imagery, which is what Floria Sigismondi gave us in “E.T.”

Best Choreography
Beyoncé – “Run the World (Girls)” (Choreographer: Frank Gatson)
Lady Gaga – “Judas” (Chroeographer: Laurieann Gibson)
LMFAO ft. Lauren Bennett and GoonRock – “Party Rock Anthem” (Choreographer: Hokuto Konishi)
Bruno Mars – “The Lazy Song” (Choreographers: Bruno Mars and Poreotics)
Britney Spears – “Till the World Ends” (Choreographer: Brian Friedman)
Will Win: It is the “Party Rock Anthem” of the summer, and it has got people shufflin’.
Should Win: The moves aren’t overly impressive in “Party Rock Anthem,” but they are plenty fun.

Best Special Effects
Chromeo – “Don’t Turn the Lights On” (Special Effects: The Mill)
Linkin Park — “Waiting for the End” (Special Effects: Ghost Town Media)
Manchester Orchestra — “Simple Math” (Special Effects: DANIELS)
Katy Perry ft. Kanye West — “E.T.” (Special Effects: Jeff Dotson for Dot & Effects)
Kanye West ft. Dwele — “Power” (Special Effects: Nice Shoes and ArtJail)
Will Win: The VMA’s like some hook to their special effects, but not something too unusual, which bodes well for “Waiting for the End.”
Should Win: Those bulging eyes in “Don’t Turn the Lights On” truly were “special.”

Best Art Direction
Adele – “Rolling in the Deep” (Art Director: Nathan Parker)
Death Cab for Cutie – “You Are a Tourist” (Art Directors: Nick Gould, Tim Nackashi and Anthony Maitz)
Lady Gaga – “Judas” (Art Director: Amy Danger)
Katy Perry ft. Kanye West – “E.T.” (Art Director: Jason Fijal)
Kanye West ft. Dwele – “Power” (Art Director: Babak Radboy)
Will Win: “Power” was all about art direction.  Hopefully MTV gets that.
Should Win: “Power.”

Best Editing
30 Seconds to Mars – “Hurricane” (Editors: Jared Leto, Frank Snider, Michael Bryson, Stefanie Visser and Daniel Carberry)
Adele – “Rolling in the Deep” (Editor: Art Jones at Work)
Manchester Orchestra – “Simple Math” (Editor: DANIELS)
Katy Perry ft Kanye West – “E.T.” (Editor: Jarrett Fijal)
Kanye West ft. Rihanna and Kid Cudi – “All of the Lights” (Editor: Hadaya Turner)
Will Win: Unless “Rolling in the Deep” wins everything, voters will probably recognize the painstaking work of splicing “All of the Lights” together.
Should Win: It might be dangerous viewing for epileptics, but “All of the Lights” is well-done dangerous viewing for epileptics.

Best Cinematography
30 Seconds to Mars – “Hurricane” (Directors of Photography: Benoît Debie, Jared Leto, Rob Witt and Daniel Carberry)
Adele – “Rolling in the Deep” (Director of Photography: Tom Townend)
Beyoncé – “Run the World (Girls)” (Director of Photography: Jeffrey Kimball)
Eminem ft. Rihanna – “Love the Way You Lie” (Director of Photography: Christopher Probst)
Katy Perry – “Teenage Dream” (Director of Photography: Paul Laufer)
Will Win: With Megan Fox, Dominic Monaghan, and a burning house, “Love the Way You Lie” may have had the most front-and-center elements that caught the camera’s eye.
Should Win: “Teenage Dream” is the sexiest and most lovingly shot video of the past year.

Best Video with a Message
Eminem ft. Rihanna – “Love the Way You Lie”
Lady Gaga – “Born This Way”
Katy Perry – “Firework”
Pink – “Fuckin’ Perfect”
Rise Against – “Make It Stop (September’s Children)”
Taylor Swift – “Mean”
Will Win: “Born This Way”: GaGa is the performer with a message du jour these days.
Should Win: With “Make It Stop,” Rise Against showed us that the one thing the anti-gay bullying campgain had yet to do was rock out.

Best Latino Artist of 2011
Don Omar and Lucenzo – “Danza Kuduro”
Enrique Iglesias ft. Ludacris and DJ Frank E – “Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You)”
Maná – “Lluvia al Corazón”
Prince Royce – “Corazón Sin Cara”
Wisin & Yandel – “Zun Zun Rompiendo Caderas”
Will Win: Don Omar may not be as big a name as Enrique stateside, but with over 200 million hits, “Danza Kuduro” is the 14th most viewed video of all time on YouTube.
Should Win: I’ve appreciated Don Omar whenever he makes an appearance on a Fast and Furious soundtrack, and “Danza Kuduro” showed up in Fast Five.

My Emmy Thoughts 2011, Part 2: Drama

July 13, 2011

jmunney Awards Shows, Emmys, Television Leave a comment

Best Drama
Once again, it is clear that I do not watch that many dramas, or at least not that many good dramas.  I can vouch for Fringe deserving a spot, and The Walking Dead might be welcome as well. Breaking Bad, which is apparently the best show on television right now, didn’t have any new episodes in the eligibility period.  So I’m hearing that Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, Justified, Mad Men, or perhaps The Good Wife ought to go here.  It’ll be several years before I can say for sure.  After all, I still have to get around to watching The Sopranos and The Wire.

Lead Actor
I would throw my support behind John Noble all the way here, except that he apparently enters in the supporting field.  I hear that Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire), Sean Bean (Game of Thrones), and Timothy Olyphant (Justified) are all great, and that Jon Hamm (Mad Men) and Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights) continue to be so.  Brian Cranston won’t be around to defend his title.

Lead Actress
I am going to continue my campaign for Leighton Meester (Gossip Girl) to get some Emmy love.  And Anna Torv (Fringe) may have just been strong enough to earn a nod this year.  Apparently, Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife) and Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights) are also deserving.

Supporting Actor
On Fringe, John Noble’s was by far the most astounding work of any actor on TV this year.  From what I have heard, Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) is the only other contender who can even come close to him.  Fringe deserves to double up here, as Joshua Jackson went deeper and darker.

Supporting Actress
I suppose Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife) might repeat here, and Kelly McDonald (Boardwalk Empire) sounds good, too.

Guest Actor/Actress
For perhaps the first time eveer, the guest actor statues for comedy and drama ought to go to the same recipient, as Kevin Corrigan led us further into the mysteries that lie at the heart of Fringe.  It was a treat to see Noah Emmerich pop up in The Walking Dead.  Returning for five minutes, Michael Rosenbaum was the best thing about the final season of Smallville.  As for the ladies, I have no idea.  I am sure there were great guest actresses this past season, but I just did not happen to catch them.

My Emmy Thoughts 2011, Part 1: Comedy

July 12, 2011

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The Primetime Emmy Award nominations will be announced this upcoming Thursday morning, July 14, so here are my annual thoughts on who and what I believe deserve to be nominated.  As always, I will only include picks from shows that I regularly watch, but I suggest picks from shows that I don’t watch that I have heard may be deserving as well.  Today, the comedy categories; tomorrow, the dramas.  (Picks are listed in order from most deserving to least deserving.)

Best Comedy
Parks and Recreation was good as usual, and 30 Rock felt reenergized this year, but it was Community that met its fullest potential.  But I’m struggling to find anything else truly worthy of a nom.  The Office, Modern Family, and Family Guy were all okay.  Is Futurama eligible in this category?
1. Community
2. Parks and Recreation
3. 30 Rock

Lead Actor
Joel McHale is the realest actor on TV right now, as he leapfrogs over Alec Baldwin and Jim Parsons to the top of the lead acting heap.
1. Joel McHale, Community
2. Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
3. Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
4. Steve Carell, The Office
5. Will Arnett, Running Wilde

Lead Actress
Leslie Knope remains slightly more indelible than Liz Lemon.  Also, I am happy that Martha Plimpton was entered for lead, which allows me to round out my picks in this category a bit more and opens up supporting.
1. Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
2. Tina Fey, 30 Rock
3. Keri Russell, Running Wilde
4. Martha Plimpton, Raising Hope

Supporting Actor
Before Community came along, Tracy Morgan deserved plenty of Emmys for 30 Rock.  He has yet to win, which is doubly unfortunate, now that Community is on, and Danny Pudi is now the one who deserves multiple Emmys.  Apparently, SNL cast members are nominated in the supporting categories, so Bill Hader ought to end up with a nom for one of the best seasons ever.  And how do you stand out in a cast filled with wackos?  Apparently, play it understated, as Adam Scott did on Parks and Recreation.
1. Danny Pudi, Community
2. Bill Hader, Saturday Night Live
3. Tracy Morgan, 30 Rock
4. Chris Pratt, Parks and Recreation
5. Adam Scott, Parks and Recreation
6. Chevy Chase, Community

Supporting Actres
Jane Lynch’s screen time on Glee was, strangely, diminished, which would have made room for Aubrey Plaza to deserve to win here, except that Alison Brie became even more essential to Community.  Meanwhile, Mayim Bialik was upgraded to main cast member status, and Olivia Munn stood out on the sadly short lived Perfect Couples.
1. Alison Brie, Community
2. Aubrey Plaza, Parks and Recreation
3. Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory
4. Jane Lynch, Glee
5. Olivia Munn, Perfect Couples
6. Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock

Guest Actor/Actress
Kevin Corrigan is one-of-a-kind, especially in his appearance as Professor Professorson on Community.  He ought to edge out James Spader’s frighteningly, hilariously creepy appearance on The Office.  The guest ladies were a mixed bag this year.  The youngest contender – Chloë Grace-Moretz – had the most room to do plenty with her role and she did all that she could with it.  And let’s throw in a couple of folks who also deserve noms in the main acting categories (Will Arnett, Aubrey Plaza).
1. Kevin Corrigan, Community
2. James Spader, The Office
3. Jim Carrey, Saturday Night Live
4. Zach Galifianakis, Saturday Night Live
5. Will Arnett, The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret
6. John Lithgow, How I Met Your Mother

1. Chloë Grace-Moretz, 30 Rock
2. Parker Posey, Parks and Recreation
3. Catherine Tate, The Office
4. Amy Sedaris, Raising Hope
5. Aubrey Plaza, Portlandia

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