'The Good, the Bad, and the Emmys'

It’s Saturday, and I realize the Emmys were on nearly a weekago, but I can’t just not write about them. As you know, I love my award shows — and I’d say the Emmys are my favorite, simply for the entertainment factor. And so, since many people are still talking about what went down last Sunday, here’s my take with the second annual ‘The Good, the Bad, and the Emmys.’

THE GOOD

• Although I wasn’t psyched with JaneLynch as host, her opening number was decent. Not as good as Jimmy Fallon was last year, but Lynch had her moments. The opening had her traveling through an apartment building that happened to house every TV show out there, all while showcasing her “Glee-ful” chops with a tune called “TV is a Vast Wonderland.”

There were cameos from characters Ari Gold of “Entourage,” Doug Benson of “Weeds,”and personalities Randy Jackson from “American Idol,” Andy Richter of “Conan” and even the guys behind “Mythbusters” — Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman. And let’s not forget Leonard Nimoy himself playing the part of Mr. President of Television.

It was a neat concept, especially when Lynch stopped in on “The Big Bang Theory” and had some fun with the piped-in laugher effect. Another highlight was when she made her way over to “Mad Men.” Lynch told those ad executives of the ’60s that, in 2011, you can watch TV on your phones and even fast-forward through commercials. To which, Don Draper (Jon Hamm) responds: “You’re gonna turn around, you’re gonna walk out of here and we’re going to pretend like we never

met you.”

Overall, it was a tad on the long side, which Lynch even admitted in her song, but it worked for the most part, and got the show off to a good start.

• Congrats to the cast and crew of “Modern Family.” This ABC comedy is a personal fave, and the show and its team swept the comedy category. In total, the show picked up five wins — including Outstanding Comedy Series, Supporting Actor — Ty Burrell, Supporting Actress — Julie Bowen, Writing, and Directing.

After their fourth win, Lynch put it best: “Welcome back to the ‘Modern Family’ awards. We’ve decided to throw them into the drama category to see what happens.”

• Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon presenting the award for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. While on stage, they discussed whether Fallon had a speech ready in case he won for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series, in which he was nominated. Fallon denied saying that “The Daily Show” would surely win.

Having his suspicions, Kimmel leaps on Fallon and after a small struggle pulls an acceptance speech out of Fallon’s pocket. Kimmel reads it out loud, and at the conclusion of Fallon’s written speech, it states “But most of all, I want to thank Jimmy Kimmel. Jimmy has been there for me since day one — he’s the kindest and most supportive person in my life. He would never mock me or belittle me, especially in a large public venue such as this. I love you, Jimmy Kimmel.” Though obviously staged, Kimmel appeared slightly embarrassed but humbled all the same. Well played boys.

• A pre-taped skit involving the cast of “The Office” with numerous other TV characters making appearances and talking to the camera as the members of “The Office” do on a weekly basis.

Appearances from characters Jessie Pinkman of “Breaking Bad,” Tracy Jordan of “30 Rock,” and Roger Sterling of “Mad Men,” and a conclusion with Ashton Kutcher thinking he’s the new manager of Dunder Mifflin made for quite a laugh.

• “Mad Men” winning — for the fourth year in a row — the award for Outstanding Drama Series. The show’s fourth season was its best yet, so here’s to season 5 — you can’t come soon enough.

• The nominees for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for being original. As each of their names were announced — Amy Poehler, Martha Plimpton, Laura Linney, Tina Fey, Edie Falco and Melissa McCarthy — they descended upon the stage as if they were beauty pageant contestants. When McCarthy took home the win (a surprise one at that), she was also handed a tiara and roses to complete the look.

• This joke from “Modern Family” co-creator Steve Levitan as he accepted the award for Outstanding Comedy Series: He stated that a gay couple approached him and said “You’re not just making people laugh; you’re making them more tolerant. And I thought to myself, ‘Well, they are right; we are showing the world that there is absolutely nothing wrong with a loving, committed relationship between an old man and a hot young woman.’ And looking around this room tonight, I see many of you agree.”

• Kate Winslet wins Lead Actress in a Miniseries for “Mildred Pierce.” She’s now one Tony award away from completing the coveted EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony award). And I have a feeling she’ll have no trouble doing so.

• This joke from Jane Lynch: “Some people wonder why I’m a lesbian.” Without skipping a beat: “Ladies and gentlemen, the cast of ‘Entourage.’ ”

THE BAD

• The Emmytones: Before each category, a group of TV stars introduced the overall genre (Comedy, Drama, etc. etc.) in a sing-song chorus style. The group consisted of Joel McHale of “Community,” Zachary Levi of “Chuck,” Kate Flannery of “The Office,” Cobie Smulders of “How I Met Your Mother,” Taraji P. Henson of “Person of Interest,” and … Wilmer Valderrama of “That ’70s Show”? All five others are current TV stars. Wilmer Valderrama — why were you there? Did Ashton hook you up or something? Either way, it was an unnecessary gag.

• Steve Carrell losing out on forever winning an Emmy for his role as Michael Scott on “The Office.” He’s been nominated six times, and this was his last chance. Instead Jim Parsons of “The Big Bang Theory” won Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for the second year in a row.

MODERATE

• For the ninth consecutive year, “The Daily Show” won for Outstanding Variety Show, despite many other great contenders including the likes of Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, Bill Maher and “Saturday Night Live.”

I said it last year, and I’ll say it again: Spread the wealth, Jon Stewart. “The Daily Show” is a great show, with smart writing, I know. But other people are funny and clever too! Maybe after they win next year, they’ll give it a rest with 10 and retire out of the category.

• Kyle Chandler of “Friday Night Lights” picks up Lead Actor in a Drama. Bryan Cranston of “Breaking Bad” has won the last three years, deservedly so, but unfortunately the fourth season was not eligible in time for this year’s awards. So with Cranston out of the picture, this was the category to which many thought long-overdue nominees such as “Mad Men’s” Jon Hamm, Michael C. Hall of “Dexter” or Hugh Laurie of “House” would finally win. Throw in Steve Buscemi of “Boardwalk Empire” and Timothy Olyphant of “Justified” and you’ve got quite a list of contenders.

But the underdog won it — and I say good for him. After all, it was the last season for “Friday Night Lights,” and although I’ve never watched the show, all I’ve ever heard for it is praise.

• Charlie Sheen returned to present, as he said, his former category — Lead Actor in a Comedy. He was surprisingly subdued, and even took the time to wish his former “Two and a Half Men” colleagues the best with their new season. “From the bottom of my heart, I wish you nothing but the best for this upcoming season. I know you will continue to make great television.”
What now? Where’s the crazy Sheen from six months ago? Cleaned-up Sheen is not nearly as amusing but good for him. Here’s hoping he comes back to television with a bang.

'Price is Right' celebrates 40

On Monday, the classic game show “The Price is Right” will boldly go where no game show has gone before… over the hill. As television’s longest-running game show (over 7,000 episodes), contestants of “The Price is Right” have been guessing the actual retail value of living room sets, gym equipment and BRAND…NEW…CARS... for 40 seasons under the guidance of longtime host Bob Barker (1972-2007) and current host Drew Carey.

Everyone has their own memories of watching “The Price is Right.” I think it’s safe to say that for any generation, it was the one show you always managed to watch when you were home sick from school as a kid — it’s as if Barker’s voice soothed the pain away.

For me, whenever we visited my grandmother “The Price is Right” was always on just as the clock turned 11. We’d watch it on her tiny 10-inch TV in her kitchen while we gathered for lunch, always saying how one day we’d “show them how it’s done” by getting ourselves on the show.

Lucky for me, I managed to do so. Well, I never got up on stage, but I did have the pleasure of being in the coveted studio audience. It happened by accident, really.

My friend and I had taken a vacation to California about a year-and-a-half ago — L.A. was our first stop, and we wandered around on Hollywood Boulevard for most of the first day. That’s where we were given free tickets to “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and “Dr. Phil” — all being taped at the same time. Obviously Dr. Phil was out — and after much debate we ended up opting for the crazy Craig Ferguson because he had better guests that day.

As we were waiting in the CBS parking lot to head into “The Late Late Show,” we saw people with the infamous “Price is Right” nametags on their shirts coming out of the building — it never occurred to us that this was the place that housed “The Price is Right” studio. We decided to ask one of the interns who was herding us in how we could score tickets to a “Price is Right” showing. We didn’t think much would come of it — assuming the shows were booked months in advance — but low-and-behold, he had two tickets available for us to “Come on down!” the next day for a taping.

Even with tickets though, we were not expecting the entire process — including the taping of the show — to last nearly eight hours. It was a long day, to say the least, but it was still worth it.

Here’s a brief rundown of how it all went down: For a 12:30 afternoon taping we were required to be in line at 6 a.m., just to make sure we got in — we had what they called ‘general admission’ tickets, where apparently they give out more tickets than there are seats in case a large group doesn’t show up. The gates opened at 8 a.m., and we filed into a line outside where we filled out a very brief survey about who we were: where we were from, why we were in L.A., etc. etc. During this waiting period we were also required to pose for a picture, so that they have us on file, (Unlike talk shows, I think the rule was we can’t be on “The Price is Right” more than once in a span of 10 years — something ridiculous like that.) and we also received our lovely yellow nametags.

After a lot of waiting, we were brought up in groups of 12 for a 1-minute interview with the announcer (Rich Fields in my case), as interns next to him judged us and took notes on whether we were deserving enough to make it on stage.

After what seemed like ages, we were brought into the colorful studio. Our first impression — as is everyone’s, it seemed — was “Wow, it’s so small.” It sure was — I thought after all that waiting, we weren’t even going to get a seat. But somehow they squeezed us all in, and the show was set.

From here, Drew came out and said hello before the cameras began rolling and Fields explained the rules. The number one rule: Don’t look to your friends in the audience for help on bidding — it takes up too much time. And how many people do you see per show doing just that? Exactly. Pretty much all of them.

Aside from the major rule that no one follows, we were told to cheer, clap and laugh a lot at Drew’s corny jokes. After an hour-and-a-half show, when that slight hopeful feeling you had before the show that you just might get up on stage goes away, you file out and find the next batch of hopefuls waiting in line for the 4 p.m. show, and ‘The Big Wheel’ spins on.

So what’s the key to getting up on stage? Either being part of a group of 15 or more — during our show, it seemed one person from every color-coded T-shirt-wearing group made it to the Contestants’ Row — or having one heck of story that you can tell in that 1-minute interview. The woman waiting in line next to us said she made it on stage when she was first pregnant with her son. Now, 18 years later, she returned with her son in hopes of making it on stage again — and she did. She made it all the way to the final Showcase where she took home a massive boat or something. It’s stories like that that make the producers go crazy… and a little bit of luck, I guess.

So here’s to “The Price is Right” — a big Happy 40th to You! And may you continue to keep us guessing for another 40 years.

FUN FACTS
• As of November 2009, the show had given away approximately $250,000,000 in cash and prizes.
• The most expensive prize ever offered was a Tesla Roadster valued at nearly $113,000.
• The record for the largest amount won in a single episode is $147,517.
• Only two people in the daytime show’s history of “The Price is Right” have guessed the final Showdown price exactly correct.

Fall TV Preview

It was an overwhelming task this year to single out a select few television shows for my Fall TV Preview; there is an overabundance of new selections being offered on every major network, and I must say, most of them surpass the not-bad category.

We’ve got shows coming out of every which era, including a reboot of “Charlie’s Angels” on ABC, NBC’s risqué “The Playboy Club,” and everyone’s favorite animated dimwits from the ’90s, “Beavis and Butthead,” return to MTV on Oct. 27.

We’ve also got plenty of returning sitcom stars gracing our presence: Tim Allen is back with ABC’s “Last Man Standing”; Christina Applegate — who played clueless teen Kelly Bundy on “Married with Children” — will be taking on the role of a first-time mother in NBC’s “Up All Night,” alongside SNL vets Will Arnett and Maya Rudolph; and we have the return of Ms. Buffy the Vampire Slayer herself, Sarah Michelle Geller, playing somewhat-evil twins on the CW series “Ringer.”

We’ve even got fairy tales with ABC’s “Once Upon a Time” starring Ginnifer Goodwin (“HBO’s “Big Love”) and Jennifer Morrison (“House”), and NBC’s “Grimm,” a tale about detectives who have the ability to see nonhuman creatures, and set out to catch the mythological bad guys.
From there you’ve got your usual cop procedural (NBC’s “Prime Suspect” starring Maria Bello), medical drama (CBS’s “A Gifted Man” with a he-can-see-dead-people twist), sci-fi time-travel (FOX’s “Terra Nova”) and (girl) buddy comedy (CBS’s “2 Broke Girls”).

And, of course, “Two and a Half Men” sans Charlie Sheen.

The start of the season is just around the corner so take a look at the plentiful group of newbies headed to your television screen and add some to your list of favorites. To get you started, here’s some choice picks from yours truly.

“New Girl” — FOX — 9 p.m. — Tuesday, Sept. 20
“New Girl” stars the ever-adorable Zooey Deschanel (“Elf,” “(500) Days of Summer”), and that should be reason enough for you to tune in. The premise of the show revolves around her character, Jess, who after a major breakup from her boyfriend, runs off to live a new life. From here, she decides to move in with three random dudes who help her learn the way to winning over a man’s heart. Deschanel’s quirky, yet charming Jess is infectious, and along the way the new boys in her life, who are more brotherly than anything, learn a little something from her, as well.

“Pan Am” — ABC — 10 p.m. — Sunday, Sept. 25
A period drama set in 1963, “Pan Am” revisits the days when stewardesses were some of the most desired women in the world, especially if you worked for the sleek, luxurious Pan Am airlines. Following four attendants, one role taken on by indie-darling Christina Ricci, “Pan Am” is out to show them, and us, the world, at a time when most women’s ambitions were pushed to the side. With “Mad Men” being as popular as it is, “Pan Am” should garner an easy following and take off without a hitch.

“American Horror Story” — FX — 10 p.m. — Wednesday, Oct. 5
So far the previews for “American Horror Story” have been vague — which makes it all the more intriguing. What we do know is a family (led by Dylan McDermott) moves into an old haunted house — unbeknownst to them — where previous residents have been doomed to death. From the creator of “Nip/Tuck,” it’s sure to push boundaries and take us on a weird and wild ride.

“The Chew” — ABC — 1 p.m. — Monday-Friday — Starts Sept. 26
Mix it up with a little daytime television with “The Chew,” which was made to fill the void left from the daily soaps. It features a number of co-hosts including Iron Chef Michael Symon and nutrition expert Daphne Oz, and aims to teach viewers every facet that revolves around food — from home entertaining to affordable meals to new food trends. If you’re any sort of Food Network lover, “The Chew” should be just your taste.

“Person of Interest” — CBS — 9 p.m. — Thursday, Sept. 22
From executive producers J.J. Abrams (“Fringe,” “Lost”) and Jonathan Nolan (screenwriter “The Dark Knight"), “Person of Interest” essentially revolves around two guys: One, an engineer (“Lost’s” Michael Emerson) who has designed software that can recognize if a person is about to be a victim or an assailant of a particular crime; and two, an ex-CIA agent (Jim Caviezal — you may know him best as Jesus in “The Passion of the Christ”) who teams up with the engineer to help track down these people and put an end to a crime that could have happened.

CBS tends to get it right when it comes to investigation shows — see “C.S.I.” — and “Person of Interest” plays off that theme. It’s a definite action show with a thriller underlining, and it’s a role that fits Caviezal well, reminiscent of his role in “Frequency” back in 2000.

“Whitney” — NBC — 9:30 p.m. — Thursday, Sept. 22
Inspired by Whitney Cummings’ stand-up, the laughs in “Whitney” revolve around her and her boyfriend, who have been happily unmarried for three years. and the questions that arise from their friends on their unconventional lifestyle

Cummings’ stand-up can be a little off-putting, but having to tone it down for sitcom television, I think Cummings will do some funny stuff here.

Time to get rollin' with 'Great Food Truck Race'

Seabirds. Hodge Podge. Devilicious. Korilla. What do these mumbo-jumbo names have in common? They are all food trucks competing in the second season of Food Network’s “The Great Food Truck Race.”

Along with Roxy’s Grilled Cheese, Café con Leche, the Lime Truck, and Sky’s Gourmet Tacos, these eight trucks take to the road to serve up some delicious food to cities all over the United States, and to earn a $100,000 prize and the title of Best Food Truck in America.

“The Great Food Truck Race” is hosted by Tyler Florence, a chef and host of several Food Network shows including “Tyler’s Ultimate,” where he combines recipes to make the ultimate version of something — such as the ultimate Mac n’ Cheese. On “The Great Food Truck Race” Florence is out to find the ultimate food truck. Each week, whoever earns the least amount of money from that week’s sales goes home.

And as some of the teams find out, in order to win, it’s not all about the food — the teams earn money by thinking smart: Location, networking, marketing and time management are all key parts to earning the most money each week. Especially when Florence throws a wrench in the teams’ plans and calls them up with a so-called “Speed Bump,” such as not letting them cook with propane or requiring one member (out of a 3-person team) to handle all the work. It spices up the competition and provides make-or-break challenges.

There are also “Truck Stops,” where teams are given a challenge that could give them a potential advantage if they win it. Last week, for instance, the trucks took to Colorado, and were given a challenge where they needed to forage for wild mushrooms and create a dish ‘on the fly’ for a local chef to taste test. Whoever’s dish the chef liked best was rewarded with an interview on a local radio station, where they could get the word out about where their truck would be and what food they had to offer. In a city where no one knows that any of the trucks are even there, that is a big advantage.

I’ve been hooked on Food Network for most of the summer — watching plenty of cake challenges and cupcake wars to give me a whole mouthful of sweet teeth — and it was just a few weeks ago that I saw a promo for “The Great Food Truck’s” second season. As it turns out (if you have Comcast), my On Demand service was airing all six episodes of season one, and on a rainy Sunday I had myself a bit of a marathon and watched the entire season. We’re now in the fourth week of season two, but it’s a show that’s easy to catch up on and well worth your time.

What’s great about this show is the fast-paced feel of it all. It’s amazing how these on-the-go cooks (some professionally trained, others not-so-much) can create something so uniquely delicious and serve it in a fast-food manner. In the first season there was a food truck that specialized in French Cuisine. They served frog legs and escargot. I didn’t think they’d make it past the first week, but people bought it, even at $20 a pop. It’s all about coming up with something original and seeing how far you can take it, whatever setting you’re in.

And that’s the key — adapting a menu you can sell in any part of the country. Most of these food trucks usually sell in big cities like New York or Los Angeles, but as we’ll see with tomorrow night’s episode, Florence takes the gang on a trip to a tiny town in Kansas. How will the Seabirds — an all-vegan food truck — do? Will Korilla — which specializes in Korean BBQ food — win out in a place where lines may not be forming around the corner? Can Boston’s own Roxy’s Grilled Cheese bring it home?

They’ll just have to get rollin’ to find out. And you should get rollin’ to watch this delightful little show on Food Network — if not for the high-energy of the competition, then at least to salivate over the delicious dishes these food trucks have to offer.

The fourth episode of season two of “The Great Food Truck Race” airs tomorrow at 9 p.m. on Food Network.