Two TV Takes: "Southland" & "Bates Motel"

As I wait anxiously for the next great TV series to arrive -- where are you? -- I thought we should talk a little about two very different shows and the axis of Concept and Execution. Mad Men gets "A"s in both but most TV shows have to struggle through by leaning on one or the other. Having a good and/or original concept can win you a lot of leeway if your execution is problematic (see: Smash) but what of the inverse? Enter... Southland now in its 4th season. On the surface and at its core Southland is just another police procedural. You've seen it before and you will see it again.

So why the hell is Southland so damn good?

"How to Be Awesome"
The answer is all in the Execution. more...

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Red Carpet Emmy Pt. 2: Seventeen More

Presented without commentary but for yours...

God, Lena Dunham, Kerry Washington, Jena Malone

Ginny, Nicki, Glenn Close, Ms. Lange

Aaron Paul, Damian Lewis, Reid Scott, Vincent Kartheiser, Jack Huston

Lucy Liu, Kat Dennings, Lena Headey, and Mare Winningham

Who among them is: your imaginary dream date to the show? to the parties afterwards?

Of the five seasons of the year, I love Awards Season Best. (Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer are runners up and in that order)

Red Carpet Emmy Pt. 1: Mad Women, Power Couples, Pocket Smuggling

Nathaniel:  Hi Joanna and Jose! Welcome back. We'll call this Part One and it will be truly perverse if there isn't a part two since there was so very much gownage last night.

Joanna:  So happy to be back! Like so many things we saw last night, my excitement runneth over.

Nathaniel:  There are these precious few windows of time, see, and we're all online so we cover what we can. Speaking of windows of time... Mad Men's Emmy time passeth over. 0 for 17. So let's start with the Mad Women because they're never 0 for 17 in Nathaniel's World.

Megan Draper, Joan Holloway Harris, Marie Calvet, Peggy Olson, Betty Draper Francis

Joanna:  I feel like I just saw Jessica Pare's dress on someone else.  Am I crazy?

Nathaniel: Jose will know.

 Jose:  Maybe on her. She's been doing a lot of Jason Wu lately. But also, this is a very favored shape for red carpets, it might remind you of when Cate Blanchett won the Oscar too

Nathaniel: Oh, yes, that. I see it.

Joanna:  Well it's very goddessy and I like it and her cherry popping lip.  Unlike, say, Elisabeth Moss's dress which reminds me of a ravaged sofa

Nathaniel: Ravaged Sofa - ha! Some hipster band seeking a name just found it. Jessica Paré's look strikes me as a little too polished. Or maybe Jessica Paré is just making me nervous because I keep reading these theories that it was the Megan-focus of the latest season that turned Emmy against Mad Men... 

[gownage, gays, and gimmes after the jump]

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Emmy Live Blog 2012: Golden, Winged, Deadly

Refresh your screen for updates

6:25 I thought about calling this Emmy Live Blog: Now With Less Pneumonia! (I think I'm on the mend) or Pneumatic Emmy Live Blog! but they both sound too contagious. 

6:30 I love the Emmy statue but I don't think any golden statues should have deadly points. There's already enough drama without weaponizing the things. 

6: 32 "It involves sex, sharp objects"... actual quote from Lena Dunham just as I was typing that thing about Emmy Statues. I'm not making this up.

6:39 Charlize "J'Adore Dior" commercial. I secretly wish she would introduce all her red carpets outfits that way. A golden aggressive strut to each camera with a breathy whisper ... "Gucci".... "Dior Haute Couture" ... "Valentino"

6:42 Max Greenfield's date would like everyone to know SHE'S WITH MAX GREENFIELD. Clingy! 

I want an Emmys night full of redheads! @_juliannemoore and Christina Hendricks #FTW
-awesome TFE reader @Luiserghio

YES. Ginger looks good holding gold. Speaking of...

The stars of the new "Nashville" Connie Britton & Hayden Panetierre

poll by twiigs.com

I watched the pilot of "Nashville" (Not Related to the Altman Classic!) and I dunno. MORE EMMY TALK...

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Just Act, Naturally

Parker Posey teaches Emmy Acceptance Speeches. There's still time to enroll before the big night! Only $899.