For the first time ever, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is announcing the 10 finalists for the Best Comedy and Best Drama categories.

My personal choices for the top 5 in each are in bold. The top 10s are:

Top 10 Comedy Series Finalists

Curb Your Enthusiasm
Entourage
Family Guy
Flight of the Conchords (I’d love to see this win)
The Office
Pushing Daisies
30 Rock (I expect to win, as it did last year)
Two and a Half Men
Ugly Betty
Weeds

Top 10 Drama Series Finalists

Boston Legal
Damages (Probably will win)
Dexter
Friday Night Lights
Grey’s Anatomy
House
Lost
Mad Men
The Tudors
The Wire (If this doesn’t win, there is no justice.)

That Kristin, she rocks with the TV scoop sometimes. Or even if she’s scoopless, it’s not for lack of access, as the video below reveals.

I know what you’re thinking, Kristin did all the work and all I did was embed the video here? Well, that’s not entirely true. I also prescreened it and can tell you with confidence that there is Tina Fey cuteness, a rare appearance by Katrina Bowden who plays Cerie on 30 Rock and some screen time for Weeds’s Justin Kirk, who plays Andy.

What’s more, I can tell you that if you skip to the 1:58 mark and stop watching at the 4:18 mark, you won’t have to sit through any boring Life or Brothers and Sisters stuff. (OK, now that I’ve alienated fans of those two perfectly fine shows, I should clarify that I’ve never even given either a try.)

Here’s what’s I glean from that… Read more of this entry »

It’s summer time and the TV viewing is sparse.

Me, I’m rewatching 30 Rock Season One and the new season of Weeds now that Battlestar Galactica has gone incognito for 2008. The Office webisodes premiere July 10, but that’s only three minutes a week, roughly. It’ll take some planning and creativity to fill in the many blanks in my viewing schedule.

One way I’ll do that will be to gear up for the second season of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles by rewatching the short first season. And I can do that easily  by tuning in to the Terminator marathon Fox has planned.

Starting Aug. 10, the network will replay the nine-episode season in order. If you caught it the first time, this will be a great chance to brush up. If you missed the first go-round, here’s your chance to jump on the bandwagon of a fun and tense show.

The funky schedule, according to TVGuide.com, goes like this:

Sunday, Aug. 10: “Pilot”
Monday, Aug. 11: “Gnothi Seauton”
Tuesday, Aug. 12: “The Turk”
Wednesday, Aug. 13: “Heavy Metal”
Sunday, Aug. 17: “Queen’s Gambit”
Monday, Aug. 18: “Dungeons and Dragons”
Tuesday, Aug. 19: “The Demon Hand”
Wednesday, Aug. 20: “Vick’s Chip”
Sunday, Aug. 24: “What He Beheld”

That takes care of the second and third weeks of August, but I’ve got to keep scrambling until then.

By the way, this made me laugh. Click the pic then just lean back and soak up the weird. Hard to believe that guy kills terminators today.

…Steve Carell tells Time Out New York he wants his own ice cream flavor, and other stuff.

…The Office’s Rainn Wilson and 30 Rock’s Alec Baldwin took part in another Emmy actors roundtable for The Hollywood Reporter, and while Rainn barely gets more t han a few words in edgewise, the loquacious Baldwin weighs in on cursing, tabloids and his dream of an adult-themed space travel show.

…The Season 4 DVD set takes things outdoors, with a cover shot depicting the main cast in the parking lot of Scranton Business Park, as a sneak peak at tvshowsondvd.com reveals. The best part? No Karen like last year. Reminder, the set is due out Sept. 2.

…Network programmers and big-money advertisers are still fretting over the proliferation of DVRs, and who can blame them? Not only has the number of digital recorders doubled in two years, but DVR viewers watch more TV. USA TODAY breaks down how DVRs have actually boosted otherwise sagging numbers for several shows.

In the case of The Office, though, viewership this season actually jumped from a slight decline to a net gain once the so-called “live-plus” numbers are tallied.

…Did you catch The TV Land Awards, where The Office was named a Future Classic? Me neither. Doesn’t matter, thanks to the wonders of online video. You’re welcome.

…And here’s a series of video interviews, in which Steve Carell and Get Smart co-star Anne Hathaway interview one another. Usually these come off like commercials, but in this case they’re entertaining, mainly because the actors involved are down-to-earth, funny and friendly people.

…And this is from the Get Smart red carpet. Hard to imagine Steve and The Rock in a liplock, no?

Season 1 of 30 Rock is keeping me on the treadmill in the morning.

I can get in a good episode-and-a-half before work, and my heart thanks me for it even though it’s tough to laugh and jog simultaneously. I totally forgot about Josh’s spot-on impersonations of Jack and Tracy and about Tracy’s big screen hit, Honky Grandma Be Trippin’.

This nostalgic and cardiovascular look back at the show’s beginnings is timely now that NBC Universal has announced a release date, according to the reliable and comprehensive tvshowsondvd.com, for the interrupted second season: Oct. 14.

Wait a second, that’s not timely at all. Why do networks wait so long to put these season sets out? They insist on timing them to immediately precede an upcoming season premiere.

That’s great from the perspective of the network’s promotional department. It’s not so great for fans looking to catch up or brush up on what they’ve missed. Read more of this entry »

With her new movie, The Promotion, opening Friday, Jenna Fischer was interviewed by Terry Gross on NPR’s Frrresh Aaaiiiirr yesterday. (Don’t you love how Terry speaks? I didn’t always, but she’s grown on me.)

Anyway, amidst several familiar stories, Fischer managed to share a few new insights. The best, I thought, had to do with Office director Ken Kwapis’s long-standing personal interest in the Pam Beesly storyline. Fischer’s recollection of his interaction with her during the filming of the final scene of the season 3 finale was touching and it gives real insight into how she  handled that scene so well.

You can download the interview for free at iTunes or listen to it streaming at npr.org.

Usually when a mainstream network comments on this show, even a network owned by the same parent company, the commentary usually suggests to me that the writer hasn’t seen a lot of episodes.

But in the case of Read more of this entry »

Tim Conway’s recent guest stint on 30 Rock got me thinking about what a funny show The Carol Burnett Show was.

I was too young to know prime time sketch comedy was a dying breed, or even that comic talent of such caliber, all in one place, was a rare thing.

Conway, of course, was the loveable oaf. But his straight man sidekick, Harvey Korman, deserved half the credit for all the laughs they got. In almost explicit homage, they were the Abbott and Costello of their time.

So it was sad news that summoned happy memories to hear that Harvey Korman died yesterdy at age 81. Korman died at UCLA Medical Center after suffering complications from the rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm four months ago.

He distinguished himself on the big screen in Mel Brooks’s History of the World, Part I and Blazing Saddles, and the Pink Panther movies. But he is most identified with The Carol Burnett Show, where he spent 10 years, and with Conway, with whom he toured during the 1970s, doing as much as 120 shows a year together.

Photos Right top: In this 1975 file photo, courtesy of CBS, Korman, left, and Conway perform a skit on The Carol Burnett Show in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/CBS, file); Bottom left: In this 2000 file photo, Carol Burnett Show cast members, left to right, Carol Burnett, Tim Conway, Harvey Korman and Vicki Lawrence appear at a discussion at the Director’s Guild Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Neil Jacobs)

Despite the fact that so many of the shows we follow on this blog involve killing people and blowing things up, many of our favorite actors and actresses are vegetarians.

PETA is holding its annual Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity contest, and here’s the stars from Remote Access shows who are in the running (sorry if I missed anyone!) — and you can vote for one woman and one man, so you can choose your favorite two:

The women

Kristen Bell (Heroes)
Lisa Edelstein (House, M.D.)
Sheryl Lee (Dirty Sexy Money)
Hayden Panettiere (Heroes)
Elizabeth Reaser (Grey’s Anatomy)
Perry Reeves (Entourage)
Carrie Underwood (American Idol)

The men

Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)
Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes)
Ruben Studdard (American Idol)

NBC’s fall slate is out, confirming among other things that The Office returns Sept. 25.

30 Rock doesn’t return until Oct. 30, more than a month later, to make room for prime-time, election-editions of Saturday Night Live on Oct. 9, 16 and 23.

Other highlights include Heroes’s three-hour premiere (which includes an hour-long compilation show) Sept. 22, the Oct. 9 debut of Kath & Kim (9:30 p.m. ET) and the relaunch of Knight Rider Sept. 24 (8 p.m. ET). Entertainment chief Ben Silverman unveiled the lineup today.

Chuck returns (Thankfully!) Sept. 29 (8 p.m. ET) and leads into Christian Slater’s new show, My Own Worst Enemy 10 p.m. ET).

Kath & Kim,” starring Molly Shannon and Selma Blair, replaces Scrubs —which jumped to ABC—on Thursdays. Reality hit The Biggest Loser launches with a two-hour Families edition, filling the America’s Got Talent slot on Tuesdays.

America’s Toughest Jobs jumps its Summer 2009 scheduled debut with a two-hour episode on Sept. 12 (8 p.m. ET). Check local listings. Its schedule is zany. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (10 p.m. ET) starts its 10th season Sept. 23. Read more of this entry »

If there’s an opposite to “blerg!” or an exclamation that’s the equivalent to Sandwich Day, Liz Lemon might be screaming it right now.

With 27 percent of the vote, the “30 Rock” character’s real-life counterpart, Tina Fey, was crowned TV’s hardest worker by Remote Access’ loyal readers. She’s also a writer and exec producer for the show and—with apologies to the amazing Amy Poehler—arguably the headliner of “Baby Mama,” which debuted at No. 1 at the box office. (In retrospect, Poehler’s no slacker, either. Perhaps I should have added her to the list of nominees.)

Fey defeated some stiff competition, and just edged out fellow Must-See TV star Steve Carell, who helms “The Office” and collected 26 percent of the votes. In third was “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest (21 percent), followed by “Lost” guru JJ Abrams (17 percent), Oprah Winfrey (12 percent) and reader-nominated “Flavor of Love” star Flavor Flav (2 percent).

Now time for a new poll: With the “Sex and the City” movie debut approaching, what’s the next HBO series that should be made into a feature-length film?

Lots of intriguing options here, including shows that were allowed to come to unusual conclusions (”The Sopranos”), others that remain on-air (”Entourage”) and still others that deserved a proper sendoff (”Deadwood,” anyone?).

Feel free to add your own nominees, as long as “Arli$$” isn’t one of them. (OK, even Arli$$, if you must.)

(Photo by Heidi Gutman for NBC/Universal.)

Uh oh.

TV’s new No. 1 network (sorry, CBS) announced its new lineup at yesterday’s upfronts and it’s pitting “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” against NBC’s “Chuck.”

That’s bad news for sci-fi/action fans who like both shows and good news for ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars,” which crushes almost everything in its path, and CBS’s “How I Met Your Mother,” which often scores higher ratings than “Terminator” or “Chuck’s” 8 million some-odd viewers. Without a shift in time slot and because the fall run of “Chuck” rarely if ever conflicted with the spring run of “Terminator,” I’m guessing one of those action shows will be canceled by season’s end.

There’s interesting news for “Idol” fans, who have been abandoning the No. 1 show in droves lately. The Wednesday night results show has mercifully been reduced to a half-hour. It’s one thing to keep an audience wondering; it’s another to bore them to tears. Long overdue move there.

As for new fall shows, the network is debuting only two. “Fringe” (pictured right) is a one-hour sci-fi drama by an up-and-comer by the name of J.J. Abrams. Slated to air Tuesdays this fall before “House,” “Fringe” stars former “Mighty Ducks” trilogy/”Dawson’s Creek” star Joshua Jackson as a scientist who investigates paranormal activity with a female FBI agent.

The other fall debut is “Do Not Disturb” (formerly called “The Inn”), a half-hour Wednesday comedy starring recent “Carpoolers” star Jerry O’Connell as the general manager of a hotel and “Reno: 911’s” hilarious Niecy Nash.

Like any J.J. Abrams project (see: “Lost” and “Cloverfield”), “Fringe” has a lot of buzz. And it’s hard to frown upon anything affiliated with an “Arrested Development” alum, who in this case is Jason Bateman; he directed the “Do Not Disturb” pilot.

In the spring, expect more debuts: The Joss Whedon project “Dollhouse,” starring Eliza Dushku, whom I’m convinced is most famous for being hot; the animated “The Cleveland Show,” a “Family Guy” spinoff; and another animated series, “Class Dismissed” (or “Sit Down, Shut Up,” depending on the source) featuring voice-overs by “Arrested Development” stars Bateman and “30 Rock” regular Will Arnett. Also in the mix is “Secret Millionaire,” a reality show version of “The Prince and the Pauper.”

Beyond that, expect a lot of familiar fare (”Idol,” “House” and the 20th[!] season of “The Simpsons”), including a ton of reality programming ranging from the inane (”Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader”) to the insane (”The Moment of Truth”). And if someone wants to tell me why “Prison Break” is still on the air, I’d be willing to listen.

Among the shows not to return this fall are two sitcoms with great stars but poor execution: the Parker Posey-Lauren Ambrose vehicle “The Return of Jezebel James” and the Kelsey Grammer-Patricia Heaton-led “Back to You.” Fans of “The Office” might be disappointed AND relieved that the talented Rashida Jones’ awful sitcom, “Unhitched,” was axed.

Also gone, according to the (New York) Daily News: “Anchorwoman,” “Canterbury’s Law,” “K-Ville,” “Nashville,” “New Amsterdam” and “The Next Great American Band.” (The lesson on that last one: There’s only one “American Idol.” You’d think they would have learned that lesson after the frightfest that was “American Juniors.”)

After the break, check out the full Fox fall schedule for 2008. (Thanks to BuddyTV and E! for making this easy for me.) Read more of this entry »

E!’s Kristin dos Santos is out of control with The Office videos. Love her or not, she is a diehard Office fan, so I’m leaning toward the former. Here she posts awesome interviews with several key cast members, including one in which Rainn Wilson interviews an apparently unaware Donald Trump.

There’s also a bonus chat with 30 Rock’s Tina Fey, which is a lot like finding out it’s Pretzel Day.

This video in particular should leave the ladies swooning.

And if you weren’t convinced of Ed Helms’s awesomeness, this ought to do it. More than ever, I hope the spin-off is built around him. That’s the only way I’d ever want to see Andy Bernard leave Scranton.

Read more of this entry »

I used to love Alec Baldwin. Then I hated him, not personally but in the way you hate a loudmouth celebrity jerk.

Then 30 Rock came along, and I love him again, the way you love a brilliantly funny actor whose personal life you realize is not one bit your concern.

Baldwin, long a magnet for public ire and admiration, has never had an easy time staying out of the news, and he usually has had his big mouth to blame. That’s not simply my opinion; it’s the journalistic conclusion of 60 Minutes correspondent Morley Safer, who interviewed Baldwin for a fantastic piece that aired Sunday.

Safer comes right out and calls Baldwin dumb for letting his mouth get the best of him. But he also calls him one of the finest actors in America and one of the more interesting actors of his generation.

Read more of this entry »

And then there were none.

Just like Jack, stuck in the mire of a lame-eagle administration, we find ourselves in the bleak morass of an early summer hiatus, where the only laughs are of the repeat variety. At least that’s true as far as 30 Rock is concerned.

But Chris and Brian have an all-new episode, even if Liz Lemon is halfway to the Hamptons by now. Nah, she’s the Jersey shore type, no doubt someplace family-friendly, like Long Beach Island, with her Beeper King.

Memo to Dennis, better pack a copy of Gorgasm for those rainy days at the shore.

Podcast file:

Flash video:

Who’s the hardest working person in television?

You’ve got the rest of this week to vote. After wild lead changes early on, it appears to be a Must-See TV throwdown between Tina Fey of “30 Rock” and Steve Carell of “The Office.” They’re deadlocked at 62 votes apiece as of this post’s publication.

Still within striking distance, however, are “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest, “Lost” guru JJ Abrams and the ubiquitous Oprah Winfrey.

There are even four votes for “Flavor of Love” host Flavor (that’s with an “or” at the end, by the way; I know better than to misspell the name of anyone from Public Enemy) Flav, who was nominated via a write-in vote.

Find the poll in the right margin of this page and get your votes in by the end of the week. Feel free to campaign accordingly. There will be a winner crowned and a new poll early next week.

(Carell photo by Chris Haston; Fey photo by Heidi Gutman; Both courtesy of NBC/Universal.)

As much as I love covering “Top Chef,” which is just past its seasonal halfway point, and “American Idol,” which is coming down the home stretch, I’m looking forward to blogging more regularly about some scripted TV, specifically “Chuck,” which returns this fall.

Filming for the fall begins next Friday and, to TV Guide, the Intersect and his buddies will return to TV for 13 consecutive new episodes this fall. Nice.

Zachary Levi revealed the date to resume filming to TV Guide, but not much else about Season 2. “I have a huge mouth, so if they tell me anything, we’re screwed,” he told a TV guide reporter.

“Heroes” is expected to receive the same treatment of 13 straight new eps this fall, according to the mag.

Now, I know I’ve been critical of NBC for deciding to wait until the fall to bring the show back while allowing more established comedies (”The Office” and “30 Rock,” for example) to return for a mini-season shortly after the conclusion of the writers’ strike. But while “The Office” and “30 Rock” are critical darlings that have devout, passionate and may I say extremely intelligent fans, post-strike ratings for those shows went from strong to wrong once “Grey’s Anatomy” and “CSI” returned with new episodes. “The Office” dropped 21 percent from its season high (earned May 1) while “30 Rock” posted its “lowest-rated episode this season,” according to Entertainment Weekly. Blerg.

Perhaps the NBC execs had a point when they decided to wait a bit; “Chuck’s” ratings were slowly building an audience and collected some momentum in the fall. Bringing it back too soon only to cut it short again for summer break might have crippled any chance for the show to build or even retain its humble ratings, meaning all but certain cancelation.

What should we expect for Chuck version season 2.0? And will “Chuck” fans ever see an appearance by Natalie Martinez, who may or may not have been tabbed to play Chuck’s steady girlfriend, thus completing a love triangle with him and Sarah? Plus more teasers, minor spoilers and photos await for “Chuck” fanatics after the break. Read more of this entry »

How can it be over so soon? A five-episode mini-season after a five-month hiatus is way too small a 30 Rock  fix.

But over it is, and after 472 A-list guest stars—including the episode’s eponymous character, played by Matthew Broderick—explorations of pornography, parenthood, geopolitics, corporate power struggles, old boyfriends and a dashed Olympic dream, summer is upon us.

We learned Liz is ready to be a mom, even if it’s to the Beeper Prince. Jack is ready to fight for control of GE, even if it means turning the entire Pentagon gay. Tracy is the father of the year because he found a way to combine video games and adult movies. Also, Kenneth is fluent in Chinese.

The contrast was stark between The Office, where not much happened and the laughs were drown out by unfulfilled anticipation, an 30 Rock, which never, ever has an off episode.

Read more of this entry »

Tonight is the last new episode of 30 Rock until fall, which is particularluy lame given that the season was interrupted for five months by the writers strike and the fall premiere is four months off.

That’s five new episodes in 10 months for those of you scoring at home. In other words, enjoy it while it lasts and DVR it for repeat viewing if you can. Here’s what’s on tap tonight…

Cooter: Jack assumes a new political role in Washington, DC. When the job is not what he expected, Jack partners with another government employee, Cooter, to scheme on how to get fired. For his plan to work Jack must enlist the help of former girlfriend C.C. . Meanwhile, Liz is slowly adjusting to life without Jack as a daily sounding board – especially when she has a pregnancy scare involving Dennis, the “former” Subway Hero. Kenneth is preparing his personal essay for an application to be a page at the Summer Olympics in Beijing, but Donny, the head page gets in his way. Finally, Tracy (Morgan) is in the advanced stages of the invention that will be his legacy to his children.

Matthew Broderick of Ferris Bueller and Producers fame appears as Cooter, the latest in a storied string of top-shelf guest stars. Jason Sudeikis does not appear, however, so it looks like we’re not going to find out what the deal is with Floyd for a long time. Read more of this entry »

Jerry Seinfeld didn’t want to be a pirate. Apparently Tina Fey doesn’t want anyone else to be one, either.

OK, fine, they’re talking about different kinds of piracy. In fact, there wasn’t a puffy shirt in sight at a press conference yesterday, to which New York’s attorney general, Andrew Cuomo, invited Fey along to rail against the evils of film piracy.

No mention was made of high seas piracy, though presumably its evils are not in question.

Lotsa laughs: Fey listens to Cuomo during a news conference Monday in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

Here’s the AG’s case against piracy: half of all illegal movied are pirated in New York, costing the Empire State millions of dollars and thousands of jobs. Cuomo thinks the penalties ar