Early Emmys: Hathaway, NPH and a Mad Men Rant

I've neglected to mention that Our Miss Anne Hathaway is now an EMMY winner. (The Emmys have so many hundreds of categories, that they have to start weeks before the actual show in passing them out.) Next step: Oscar... or maybe Tony? (she did get bang up reviews for her theater gig in Twelfth Night, too) Yay! She won the prize for her Simpsons voicework in the episode "Once Upon a Time in Springfield."


Voicework for The Simpsons is always a good idea for actors.

1. You get paid.
2. It's probably fun.
3. It's a pop culture merit badge. Many celebrities have have had the honor -- everyone from La Pfeiffer through George Takei to Don Cheadle -- but you're still in a cool club.

But... you don't actually win Emmys for it. That can't be a reason to do it. While the principle Simpsons cast (Yeardley Smith, Julie Cavner, Nancy Cartwright, Dan Castellanata, Hank Azaria) has won several Emmy awards, Hathaway is only the third non-series regular to win or even be nominated. The first was Jackie Mason who guested on three episodes as Rabbi Krustofski. Kelsey Grammar, who has "appeared" in 13 episodes won later. Maybe they changed the rules and this won't be so unlikely in the future I don't know -- it's so hard to keep track of Emmy rules and there hundreds of categories.

<--- Red Carpet Break. To your left is Kristin Chenoweth & Kathy Griffin doing Charlie's Angels on the red carpet. They're such hams. I don't watch Life on the D List that often -- finding KG funny but quite wearying in repetition -- but the recent episode that Cheno appeared in was hilar', especially when they went all Singin' in the Rain moment with Kathy "singing" with Cheno's voice.

Some Early Prizes
Guest Actress Comedy Betty White SNL
We knew that was coming but she did not attend. Strange.
Guest Actress Drama Ann-Margret Law & Order: SVU
Was she a victim, a perp, a witness? Doesn't matter. She's Ann-Margret! (pictured further down the page)
Guest Actor Comedy Neil Patrick Harris, Glee
He finally has his Emmy, two of them actually since he also won as part of the Tony ceremony team. Congrats NPH. Now have those babies with Burtka and take that well deserved break. Just don't stay away too long.


Guest Actor Drama John Lithgow Dexter.
I haven't seen this particular season yet but it's about to arrive for my viewing. Lithgow is practically magnetized when it comes to awards statues so it's a little weird that he couldn't manage the Oscars. I think if he went back to movies full time, it'd be a done deal. He has 4 Emmys, 2 Golden Globes and 2 Tonys. No joke.
Host, Reality Series Jeff Probst, Survivor.
Are people still watching that. Sheesh. Expiration dates, people!
Casting Comedy Series Modern Family
Casting Drama Series Mad Men
Both casting awards are well deserved, don't you think... especially Modern Family in its first season. Mad Men only had to find key new players and guest stars.

A couple more notes...

Wendy?
Yes, Lisa.
Is the water ready?
Yes, Lisa.
Shall We Begin?
Yes, Lisa

Wendy and Lisa, pictured above to the right, won for scoring Nurse Jackie. They have a different type of career since those 80s Prince paisley rock days but it's still celebrated, so good on them. Nurse Jackie is such a strongly conceived show up to and including those opening credits and the music. I still think it's pilot episode is one of the most perfectly constructed pilots television has ever seen. It's fun to see Wendy holding a golden trophy. Now, can Wendy's wife Lisa Cholodenko (a different Lisa mind you) repeat that trick at the Oscars for The Kids Are All Right?

RANT! And finally because the Emmys always find some way to piss me off, it should be known that The Tudors bested Mad Men in the field of costume design. This means that Joan Bergin now has three Emmys for her four seasons of eligible work on The Tudors thus far and the absolute genius of Janie Bryant, Mad Men's costume designer, is still zero for three (though she won previously for Deadwood). Bryant goes home statueless each year of Mad Men despite delivering complex ultra-specific character costuming work with evolving period details that has also affected actual fashion trends in the outside world it's so smartly executed. Blasphemy!

See, Royalty Porn is the simplest statue-winning trick at the Emmys, too. It's not just the Oscars that will always give you a prize for dressing Queens.


...or undressing them in the case of Jonathan Rhys-Meyers.
*

DVDs: SHOWGIRLS and The Proud Book of Tears From Paris Island

DVD releases have been slim picking as of late. Here's a sample of the new titles from the past couple of weeks. I'd allow you to vote for a DVD writeup but I'm three movies behind. Next time, next time...

• The Book of Eli - Tough guy Denzel Washington kicks apocalyptic ass.
  
• Cinema Pride Collection - June is gay pride month so this collection offers up ten movies and it goes like so: (60s) The Children's Hour, (70s) La Cage Aux Folles, (80s) My Beautiful Laundrette, (90s) The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, The Birdcage, Bent, The Object of My Affection, Boys Don't Cry, (00s) Kissing Jessica Stein, Imagine Me and You. I'm letting you know about all of them because...
  
  
  • I find it so weird that a "pride" collection features The Children's Hour and Kissing Jessica Stein even though I actually like both movies.
  • they were kind enough to send me the whole box set.
  • I'm excited to revisit Boys Don't Cry.
  • My Beautiful Laundrette is one of my favorite films from the 80s entire and now I can revisit Daniel Day-Lewis with punk blonde 'do any time I like.
    
  
  I just did an bullet point list within a bullet point list. I am so fancy.
  
  
• Coach - Hugh Dancy goes straight to DVD in his latest romance. Mmmm, Dancy.
  
• From Paris With Love - Jonathan Rhys Meyers & John Travolta play CIA Agents in the city of love. If this were about JRM making love to Parisians I'd be interested but I'm assuming both stars are just shooting people. Zzzz.
  
• Happy Tears - Parker Posey and Demi Moore have trouble with dad Rip Torn
  
• Mary & Max - I highly recommend you check out this odd animated pen pal romance from Australia. Toni Collette and Philip Seymour Hoffman provide voicework and the whole movie is entirely its own thing. That's always a compliment.
  
  
• Shutter Island - in which Martin Scorsese obsesses over insane people. I wish he hadn't opened the movie with DiCaprio all sweaty/disoriented. Too easy. I don't understand the appeal of this movie so tell me what I missed.
  
• When in Rome - My friend Luca is in this Kristen Bell vehicle and I shamefully skipped. Perhaps I will risk it on DVD despite the reviews? Will Kristen Bell get a feature worthy of her or should she go back to prime time series work. What say you?
  
• Youth in Revolt - In which Michael Cera argues with himself. Not about whether or not he should do an Arrested Development movie. Well, duh, shouldn't he?
  

Which will you see/have already seen?

My apologies... I buried the lead.

<--- This arrived by UPS at the door just yesterday and I nearly squealed but for the man standing in front of me asking me to sign for it. Inside I was squealing, mind, and also criss crossing my hands in front of my face in homage to Nomi's famous dance move. What she learned you can't teach in any school!

Yes, it's the 15th anniversary blu-ray of total classic Showgirls (1995). It used to be a Bad Movie We Love and now it's just a Movie We Love Unconditionally and I am proud to say that I went on opening weekend in Salt Lake City even though they weren't allowed to advertise the movie in the paper. Way too naughty for the Mormons. Can't wait to see it for the umpteenth time though these extras "finding your inner stripper" and lap dance tutorial sounds suspect. We'll see.