The most wonderful time of the year

No, not Christmas. (Though my deepest Christmas wishes were fulfilled early - see #5)

It's awards season.

I'm aware that...

a. this is primarily a TV blog

b. the Emmys were way back in September, and

c. "awards season" is really just Oscar season

...so the subject of this post may seem irrelevant.

However, because I love awards shows, the Oscars in particular, I'm being indulgent. But perhaps most importantly, the little old Golden Globes are kind of the beginning of awards season (Oscar-lite/practice Oscars) and they happen to include awards for excellence in television. So although I could go on and on about many of the film nominees (the fact that I haven't even seen Up in the Air yet but am already totally behind it, the question of the deserved/undeserved hype surrounding Avatar and James Cameron in general and whether or not it/he deserved a nom) we're going to stick to more familiar territory for now, the television categories. If that wasn't enough explanation for you, feel free to depart. Moving on.

In case you've been living under a rock and haven't had a chance to glance over the nominations, or read one of the many nominee-by-nominee rundowns somewhere in the past week, the entire list can be found here.

Let's start from the top with Best Television Series - Drama. If you look closely at this one, I believe you'll find that "one of these things is not like the other things", if you know what I mean. It's been at least a year, if not two, since I stopped watching House, but I don't see any scenario where it belongs in a category with shows of this caliber (or one with Best at the beginning). Don't get me wrong, I love Hugh Laurie, and he's well-cast and entertaining in this role, but I have a hard time believing in that the year or so since I've watched, the show has gotten any less formulaic (Lupus? Sarcoidosis?), and thus, any better. Maybe the Best Actor nomination is deserved, I don't know. The rest of this category is pretty straight-forward, obvious, and accurate. And though Mad Men is basically the odds-on favorite for everything, I think Dexter may be on its heels in this case with a season that was initially uncertain, but taken as a whole, may be its best yet. So possibly some excitement here.

As for the Best Actor/Actress nominations for Drama, again mostly accurate. From the 1 1/2 episodes of CBS' semi-predictable The Mentalist I've watched with my grandparents I still don't know much about Simon Baker, but he seems to do well enough. And interesting to note in the Actress category, 3 of the 5 have already received this award. Perhaps it will be someone new this time around (fingers crossed for January Jones?)

Best Comedy Series, Actor/Actress and Supporting Actor/Actress after the jump...

Can you see it?

Sometimes retweets really are worth reading. That's where I found this little gem, a series of posters from Albert Exergian, each featuring a single minimalist image evoking a popular TV show. You can find the whole series here.

Too Much, Too Late

Fall TV has been on at least a month now (more for some early-starters), and still no beat-down of what the ridiculous and wonderful world of network television has to offer this season. Yes, I've been slacking, but here it is. Too late, perhaps, for any of you to go back and hop on board with any of these gems, but let's face it, not many of them are even worth it. So without further ado...

ABC

Cougar Town

I understand that this comes from the mind that gave us Scrubs,

but I just can't wrap my head around it. The hybrid of the quirky humor that made said show popular and a plot based on middle-aged-lady-philandering has just missed the mark. The script is definitely not up to par with...anything, and I think Courtney Cox could definitely do a lot better post-Dirt. Ideally, I think this one just needs to be put out of its misery.

Eastwick

As much as I really wanted to enjoy this show, its unavoidable similarities to Charmed, as well as every witch-triumvirate Halloween movie that's ever existed (one of which it's based upon) and its Desperate Housewives-ey soap opera overtones have me unimpressed. It's visually pleasing, yes, and the actors aren't terrible, but it leaves something to be desired. It's all been done before, re-hashed too many times to be engaging or at all interesting. There's the possibility that it will get better with time, and grow into its place, but I seriously doubt it.

Modern Family

Enjoy it more than I probably should. Ridiculous and slapstick-laden at times, but it makes me laugh. Ty Burrell as the Michael Scott-worthy Phil and the loveable gays keep me coming back. Worth looking into (they're all there on Hulu).

Flash Forward

Hoping to be a replacement when Lost makes its exit next year, but it has neither the writing or the story to do so, in my opinion. A ca-razy concept slapped onto any old script does not a hit make. Well, not for me, but probably so for the rest of America who are eating this up. Don't say I didn't warn you.

FOX

Glee

I'll admit, when the pilot episode of Glee aired this spring and the

gays and choir nerds the world over were all atwitter, I decided that simply would not, and could not watch it (as Mo still hasn't, "on principle"). I was bombarded with suggestions to see it--usually accompanied by an "omg"and something along the lines of "It's soooooo good"-- which only served to strengthen my resolve. But I absentmindedly sat in while others were watching, and I can no longer deny...I liked it. To paraphrase a recent review I've read, It's gay, and it's good. Yes, it has its musical roots, but the majority of the songs are pop and fabulous (I couldn't resist). Plus, you can download the songs on iTunes (this crazy technological world we live in!), and some of us may or may not have done so. Anyway, if you're not on the wagon already, get it in gear, and join the rest of us.

NBC

Community

Haven't watched much more than the first episode, but I simply can't bring myself to go any further. Yes, I like NBC comedies generally, and yes, I like Joel McHale, but the constant self-promotion on Twitter, Chevy Chase, and the little I've watched have only proven to turn me away. If it's worth it, somebody tell me, otherwise, it's staying in the unwatched pile.

Mercy

Reminds me a lot of failed drama The Black Donnellys for some reason. Perhaps because it's main themes are a. depression b. sadness c. sadness. Iraq War veteran, beaten-down nurse rather than a doctor, New Jersey, prone to drinking...sad sad sad. I honestly don't think it's that terrible of a show, but watching this every week might make an already swine flu-paranoid, economically-concerned person need to up their dosage.

CBS

Accidentally on Purpose

Don't know why I even bothered to watch this one, because CBS + Comedy + Jenna Elfman + countless other unidentified actors = disaster. It's inane, unfunny, and painful. I give it one season. If it gets renewed, consider my faith in humanity cancelled.

The Good Wife

Better than I expected, to be honest. It's nice to see Juliana Margulies back in action (excepting that whole Canturbury's Law thing), especially if you like her. The usual legal procedural with a little twist thrown in, the fact she's the jilted wife of a philandering politician (ripped from the headlines no less). Enough fresh and new to keep some of us interested, but we'll see where it goes from here.

If it's not here, it probably missed the boat on my willing-to-give-it-a-chance week of new pilots. From what I've heard, I haven't missed anything truly remarkable, but if you think so, let me know, I'm open to suggestions.

FINAL NOTE: Hooray for ABC finally getting on the Hulu bandwagon! The constantly-changing, ever-worsening media player on their site was a real drag (not as much as other networks, but still), so thank goodness they've finally come around to the world of user-friendly online TV. And for those of us who have limited season pass space on our TiVos, or just prefer to watch our shows parked in front of a laptop, this is a dream come true.

Things Mo Loves This Year

Ya ya, it's been awhile. Like always. Typical. Anyway, here are a few of Mo's favorite things of the 2009 fall/holiday season.

Twitter

Obviously Curly and I aren't the most prolific bloggers. We're just not commitment people (obviously). That is not to say we are not grateful for our small but devoted fan base, and because of such we've created a Young and Tactless Twitter feed. If you aren't on Twitter, get with the program. Now that your parents have invaded Facebook, Twitter is the place to be and be seen. Follow us @youngntactless !

TiVo HD

Let's not even discuss it. Your Dish DVR/Comcast OnDemand will never live up to TiVo. I am coming up on my one year anniversary with my TiVo HD and here is why you should upgrade:

• Dual HD tuners (record 2 shows in HD while playing back another, SO useful for Thursday nights). Ya some generic DVR's do this, but I don't care. TiVo does it best.
• Netflix streaming: Got a Netflix membership? You better 'cause its vastly classier than Redbox. Anyway, stream any Play Instantly movie from Netflix through your TiVo to the TV. Note: sound quality is vastly improved if you have surround sound.
• Tons and tons of storage space, and if you need more you can get the XL or an external expander drive.
• It looks like technological sex.

Instant Handbrake

For making those "backup copies" (which are legal) of DVD's on your Mac. Gotta back up those collections folks. We would just never recommend pirating DVD's in this manner, even though it would be extremely easy and be custom made to create iPod compatible copies. Maybe it works on Windows. I don't know and I don't care.

Breaking Up

Not with your significant other (we're too codependent for that anyway), but with TV shows that should have been let out to pasture. This season's victims include Grey's Anatomy (which should have gone away last season), Ugly Betty, Gossip Girl and Survivor. Technically I gave up Survivor years ago, but if you are still watching it you should too. COME ON FOLKS. It was a laugh 5 years ago. Now it's like a template that they keep refilling with new characters. And as for Gossip Girl, Curly and I say if they bring back writing that doesn't make us cringe and add more of the Chuck Bass man love, we'll be back.

New MacBooks

Just had to throw this in for Curly's sake as she is patiently waiting for money from heaven to buy her a new MacBook. Seriously people, the new white ones are a DEAL! $949 with your student discount. Shocking.

Gamma what?

It didn’t really hit me how out of hand this whole educational-television thing seemed to be getting until a short while ago, fresh off of his DVDs of The History Channel’s The Universe series, my grandfather was handing the set to my uncle to borrow when he fired off (quite seriously), something to the effect of “I’ll tell ya, I sure hope we never get hit with a gamma burst. “ After which he proceeded to explain exactly what that was, and why it would inevitably kill us all. I’m sure you’ve all experienced this, as e-TV has increasingly made average-joes (and average-grandpas) across the country experts on subjects no one ever thought or cared to know about. Information that they can then spring on unsuspecting family members or strangers at restaurants in a “Did you know…”-like fashion.

I mean, The Discovery Channel and The History Channel have been around for a while, but it seems like in the past decade there has been an explosion of both new educational shows and networks, as well as people who watch them. Since he’s got a TiVo, my grandpa has moved above and beyond his usual repertoire of Perry Mason and The Price is Right to include shows like Dr. G Medical Examiner, Nova, and a keyword folder called HITLER that’s usually got about 18 different WWII-related specials in it just waiting to be watched (as well as a few random episodes of shows that just happen to have Hitler in the description). I’m beginning to think that my grandpa is getting more from his $50-or-so of DirecTV per month than I do from thousands of dollars worth of college education. Granted, my education might, say, give me the qualifications to start a career, and his on the other hand, for he and I to carry on a lengthy conversation about something like the fate of the planet after humans are wiped out.

Now, I’m not claiming to be immune to this, by any means. I will stop what I’m doing and sit in front of the television for as long as possible to watch a marathon of How It’s Made (I seriously want that announcer guy to just talk me to sleep every night). I hesitate to admit that I’ve seen so many episodes of this show, that more than once I’ve uttered the phrase “Oh, I’ve already seen this one.” And consequently, I can rattle off useless facts like, why aluminum foil has a dull side and a shiny side, or explain how they assemble a catamaran. This show has been on thirteen seasons, mind you. There are enough people that care to observe the 17-step process of making roofing shingles that they’ve cranked out 160+ episodes of it.

While I’m confessing, I also admit to being helpless when it comes to:

a. a new one, Life After People
b. Deadliest Catch
c. MythBusters—but seriously, who isn’t?
d. the Investigation Discovery Channel (I watched a fascinating special called Psychology of a Suicide Bomber, and now I’m hooked.)

Now let’s talk about e-TV success for a moment; do any of you remember that whole Planet Earth frenzy a year or so ago? As one who worked at a certain warehouse club at the time, I still can’t believe how many people purchased those DVDs (well maybe I can, since it was due in part to God…er…Oprah selecting it as one of her “favorite things”). I believe I have several family members, including my grandfather, who now own that exact set. And the series was such a hit, it was translated into a feature film called Earth, released in 2007, and the same production team is working on a follow-up series entitled The Frozen Planet due in 2012. So even though “four years in the making, it was the most expensive nature documentary series ever commissioned by the BBC,” it then became a movie, and now they're making another show. Just let that sink in for a moment.

Also, maybe it’s just me, but I think half of how they pull you in with these shows is a. the titles (I mean, who can resist something called Suicide Bombers: Cult of Death or MonsterQuest?) and b. the epic commercials showing you what you’ll see in said programs—like those for Life After People—following which, how could I not tune in to see how many thousands of years it would take after the elimination of all mankind for the Statue of Liberty to start falling apart? And sometimes, just sometimes, you see these irresistible commercials on other non-related channels. I believe I first saw the advertisement for LAP while waiting for the show to start at the local movie theater.

I guess when it comes down to it, even though shows like these just fill us with more useless information—besides things like what happened last time on Days of Our Lives—it’s quite comforting there are so many educational (or let’s be accurate, semi-educational) shows out there to help counteract the onslaught of such gems as Keeping Up With the Kardashians and New York… [insert new means of blatantly capitalizing on laughable amount of celebrity here]. And quite honestly, I really do enjoy most of the educational programming this country has to offer. Plus, if it’s gonna be mush anyway, I want my TV-addled brain to know just how they put together those nifty gumball machines, and whether or not a hurricane can blow a piece of straw through a tree.

The light(s) at the end of the spring finale-tunnel

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The Dormant Blog Volcano

Hey, look at that, despite weeks of silence over here in the land of Y&T, our Blogger account hasn't been cancelled.  Surprising.  Anyway, watch out, because there is new material coming your way.

• A guide to Curly and Mo's strategies of TV show piracy...er...collecting...
  
• What we'll be watching the next few long, hot months
  
• Season Finale shout-outs, as well as tearful (or not-so-tearful) goodbyes
  

Aaaand, whatever else we want.  That's what this is about, right?

Peace.

The Mid-Season madness continues

Here they are, the second pack of mid-season shows offered up by network TV (and just as much or more untimely than the last bunch.)  This pack is arguably not as good as the first group—about which, looking back, I may have been generous/exaggerated their merit.  So I’m gonna keep it as short and sweet as possible here, for all our sakes.
 
Surviving Suburbia
Mondays, 9:30/8:30c on ABC

It took all kinds of television survival skills to make it through this, the longest 20 minutes of television in the last month.  Who on earth thought what America needs is another life-in-the-suburbs sitcom with a laugh track?  With Bob Saget, no less.  As a grumpy suburban husband (Til’ Death, anyone?)  We all realize he’s still trying to shake the good-guy pigeonhole of Full House, but we just don’t wanna be witness to it.  And with a host of forgettable actors you recognize, but you can’t remember their names because they’ve just been on gazillions of other failed shows, it’s doubtful this show will get any better, or any more bearable.  So if you’re masochistic like that, you can watch all the mind-numbing episodes here.
Pass:  It might get cancelled.
Fail:  It might not get cancelled because there’s nothing America likes more (especially down-in-the-dumps, economically-challenged America) than a mildly funny half-hour sitcom to cheer them up and make them forget their troubles—except the “troubles” of a cushy life in the suburbs, of course.

The Unusuals
Wednesdays, 10/9c on ABC 

Everybody and their dog desperately wants to produce a successful cop show.  And for every decent attempt, there are a gazillion bad ones.  I’m convinced there’s some machine somewhere, cranking out variations on the law enforcement theme, in a desperate attempt to create a hit.  And with the minimum of 3-4 of these type of shows that appear every premiere period, I’d say the machine is broken.  The Unusuals, hoping to successfully mix things up, aims to highlight the—wait for it—unusual side of the NYPD, but ends up being no different than the rest.  There are good cops, and bad cops, and quirky cops, and quirky/out-of-the-ordinary cases (which seem to be required every third episode of any cop drama anyway).  I find it hard to see anything really original or promising with this one.  Check it out here.
Pass:  An eclectic cast, including Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia), Harold Perrineau (Lost), and Adam Goldberg (crazy roommate on Friends, along with a hundred other things).
Fail: Not that unusual, not that interesting, and not that funny.  And enough with the random police scanner voiceovers—not amusing in the slightest.

 
Parks and Recreation
Thursdays, 8:30/7:30c on NBC 

A new comedy from the creators of The Office—that beautiful gift from heaven we’ve all grown to know and love.  And if you’ve watched any of the first few episodes of P&R, you know that it’s that same kind of humor, and a similar format, with different faces (except for Rashida Jones, of course. She’s the same face).  Many have been quick to write it off as an Office clone, and that it will be necessary for it to come into its own down the line.  This may be true—can you say Leslie Knope = Michael Scott?—but you can’t deny, it’s still funny, copycat or no.  And I’m probably biased, because of my raging girl-crush on Amy Poehler, but what can I say, the woman is genius.  So thumbs up to this one, for more originality than anything else in this group, and enough of the same-ol’ to keep us comfortable and laughing.  Get your fix here, and make it snappy, because NBC can sometimes be stingy buggers with their online content.
Pass: Two words – Amy Poehler.  Ok, eight more words – from the people who brought you the Office.
Fail:  It will eventually need to break away from the shadow of The Office.

Southland (or SouthLAnd, if you prefer…get it?)
Thursdays, 10/9c on NBC
 
When you’ve watched as much television as I have, every new show seems like a grab bag of actors from a handful of other a. unsuccessful/cancelled or b. good/retired shows.  And this one seems like it’s got more than usual, but a familiar face isn’t always bad, and I do watch an irregular amount of television.  Anyway, Southland is a gritty look at life on the streets with the men and women of the LAPD.  I know, surprise surprise, another cop show. Set in Los Angeles.  Described as “gritty”.  But there’s something about this one that makes it seem a little bit more realistic.  First off, it’s more of a real-time format, and focuses on the relationships between the characters, rather than sticking with some of the formulaic tendencies of other shows that follow one case from start to finish, with exciting predictable twists along the way.  And it stands up to the “grit” description, bleeping out obscenities rather than pretending that cops don’t say certain words that start with F or S as other glossy network cop shows do (which is a pet peeve of mine).  Also, it’s set in South Central Los Angeles, and dedicates a fair amount of time to the issue of gang and drug related violence, something usually just touched upon in a few scattered episodes.  So I’m intrigued by this one, I think it has the potential to be something good.  Oh, and may I just say, I quite like the opening credits.  Not really important, but I’m mentioning it anyway.  So check it (and its intro) out here.
Pass:  Another interesting cast, and a bunch more people you’ll recognize.  The lovely Ben Mackenzie (The OC), Michael Cudlitz (Band of Brothers, Standoff), Kevin Alejandro (Shark), Tom Everett Scott (Saved), Patrick Fischler (Mad Men), Emily Bergl (Men in Trees), etc.  And enough of that “something different” to keep it going…hopefully.
Fail:  It’s still another cop show, so it’s already on thin ice.  The bleeping is something to get used to, but gives the show more of an edge. And NBC, you don’t have to pull out the LA in Southland on every commercial preview or teaser to remind us that it’s set in Los Angeles.  It’s a 50/50 shot between NY and LA to begin with, so I think we can figure it out.

Alright that’s it.  No more long-winded (and painfully late) reviews for a while, I promise.  Happy watching to you all!

Summer is coming, and there's nothing you can do to stop it.

Here it is, folks, the Late Spring/Summer 2009 premiere schedule (as cobbled together by me). A bit early? Maybe. But it's good to get an early start on this very long list, packed with new and returning reality shows-- big surprise-- and some new original series' that hopefully live up to (some...any) expectations. FYI, dates are subject to change, as many of these have before now. Hopefully there's something for everyone to love, hate and look forward to, so enjoy!

Entourage (HBO) – Date unknown
Leader of the Pack (HGTV) – April 26^th
Daisy of Love (VH1) – April 26^th
Pros vs. Joes (Spike), returning, Season 4 – April 27^th
Ashes to Ashes (BBCA), returning, Series 2 – May 2^nd (Sequel to British series Life on Mars, inspiration for the recently-cancelled remake on ABC)
Hidden Potential (HGTV), returning, Season 9 – May 3^rd
The IFC Project (IFC), returning, Season 2 – May 3^rd
New York Goes to Work (VH1) – May 4^th (No, New York isn’t done invading reality TV yet)
Gotti’s Way (VH1), returning, Season 2 – May 4^th
Apprentice UK (BBCA) – May 5^th
Ugly Betty (ABC), returning from hiatus – May 7^th
The Fashion Show (Bravo) – May 7^th
Charm School (VH1), returning, Season 3 – May 11^th
Real Housewives of New Jersey (Bravo) – May 12^th
Hotel Babylon (BBCA), returning, Season 3 – May 15^th
Beverly Hills Groomer (Animal Planet) – May 16^th
Brooke Knows Best (VH1), returning, Season 2 – May 17^th
The Bachelorette (ABC), returning, Season 5 – May 18^th
Glee (FOX) – May 19^th
So You Think You Can Dance (FOX), returning, Season 4 – May 21^st
Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader? (FOX), returning – May 22^nd
Don’t Forget the Lyrics (FOX), returning from hiatus – May 22^nd
Diamonds (ABC miniseries) – May 24^th and 26^th
Here Comes the Newlyweds (ABC), returning, Season 2 – May 25^th
Jon and Kate Plus 8 (TLC), returning, Season 5 – May 25^th
Opportunity Knocks (ABC), returning from hiatus, final episodes – May 26^th
Hitched or Ditched (CW) – May 26^th (Boy does this sound like quality programming)
The Goode Family, animated (ABC) – May 27^th
Wipeout, returning (ABC) – May 27^th
The Nine (DirecTV – The 101 Network) – The Nine (Previously aired on ABC, running only one season)
Mental (FOX) – May 29^th
Pushing Daisies, returning from hiatus, final episodes (ABC) – May 30^th
Hung (HBO) – June (?)
Conan O’Brien takes over The Tonight Show (NBC) – June 1^st
I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! (NBC) – June 1^st
The Listener (NBC) – June 4^th
Army Wives (Lifetime), returning, Season 4 – June 7^th
Next Food Network Star (FOOD), returning, Season (?) – June 7^th
Meteor (NBC Miniseries) – June 7^th and 14^th
Weeds (Showtime), returning – June 8^th
Nurse Jackie (Showtime) – June 8^th
Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, returning (Bravo) – June 8^th [Yay!!]
Top Chef Masters (Bravo) – June 10^th
True Blood (HBO), returning – June 14^th
NY Prep (Bravo) – June 16^th
Eli Stone (ABC), returning from hiatus, final episodes – June 20^th
Merlin (NBC) – June 21^st
Secret Life of the American Teenager (ABC Family), returning, Season 2 – June 22^nd
Make It or Break It (ABC Family) – June 22^nd
America’s Got Talent (NBC), returning, Season 4 – June 23^rd
The Superstars (ABC) – June 23^rd
The Philanthropist (NBC) – June 24^th
The Great American Road Trip (NBC) – July 1^st
Blonde Charity Mafia (CW) – July 7^th
I Survived a Japanese Game Show (ABC) – July 8^th
Dirty Sexy Money (ABC), returning from hiatus, final episodes – July 18^th
The Storm (NBC Miniseries) – July 19^th and 26^th
Dating in the Dark (ABC) – July 20^th
Hell’s Kitchen (FOX), returning, Season 6 – July 21^st
More to Love (FOX) – July 28^th
Project Runway (Lifetime), returning – August 20th

Note from Mo: VERY excited about RHW of NJ. Promises to be a train wreck of epic proportions. Not so much about Ugly Betty. Can somebody put her out to pasture already? That's not to say I'm giving up on her. Learned my lesson there (ER anybody?).

Also, for the uninitiated, Charm School with MO-NIQUE! (yes, all of that is necessary emphasis) is perfect guilty-pleasure afternoon fare. Settle down with some microwave chicken fries and enjoy.