Best of 2013: Top 100 Episodes of 2013 (80-71)

Tags

Best Episodes of 2013, Best of 2013, Best TV of 2013, Bob's Burgers, Eastbound & Down, Grey's Anatomy, Justified, Mad Men, Masters of Sex, Raising Hope, Shameless, Treme, Veep

Best of 2013: Top 100 Episodes of 2013 (80-71)
I’m counting down my Top 100 episodes of the year. It wasn’t that hard to narrow down the choices but it was difficult to put them in a sensible order. There was a lot of quality television and that made the list even more of a challenge to complete. I listed basic information about the episode along with the best scene from each one.

80. Raising Hope – “Modern Wedding”
Original Airdate: January 29
Written By: Sean Conaway
Directed By: Rebecca Asher
Best Scene: The actual wedding.

79. Masters of Sex – “Involuntary”
Original Airdate: November 24
Written By: Noelle Valdivia
Directed By: Jennifer Getzinger
Best Scene: Bill pays off Virginia.

78. Eastbound & Down – “Chapter 27”
Original Airdate: November 3
Written By: Jody Hill, Danny McBride & Carson Mell
Directed By: David Gordon Green
Best Scene: Kenny’s breakdown at the party

77. Shameless – “May I Trim Your Hedges?”
Original Airdate: January 27
Written By: Krista Vernoff
Directed By: Steve Shill
Best Scene: Fiona blackmails the grocery store manager.

76. Grey’s Anatomy – “Things We Said Today”
Original Airdate: January 10
Written By: Austin Guzman
Directed By: Ron Underwood
Best Scene: Meredith tells Richard that Adele has passed away.

75. Veep – “Hostages”
Original Airdate: April 28
Written By: Sean Gray & Armando Iannucci
Directed By: Chris Addison
Best Scene: The word cloud. “Do people not use sentences anymore?”

74. Bob’s Burgers – “Mother Daugher Laser Razor”
Original Airdate: January 6
Written By: Nora Smith
Directed By: Jon Schroeder
Best Scene: Bob and Tina get their legs waxed together.

73. Mad Men – “The Quality of Mercy”
Original Airdate: June 16
Written By: Andre Jacquemetton & Maria Jacquemetton
Directed By: Phil Abraham
Best Scene: Sally smoking in the car.

72. Treme – “…To Miss New Orleans”
Original Airdate: December 29
Written By: Eric Overmyer & David Simon
Directed By: Agnieszka Holland
Best Scene: “I am Mr. McAlary.” and LaDonna searches for her son after the shooting.

71. Justified – “Ghosts”
Original Airdate: April 2
Written By: Benjamin Cavell & Fred Golan
Directed By: Bill Johnson
Best Scene: Raylan’s sitdown with Augustine.

Best of 2013: Top 100 Episodes of 2013 (90-81)

Tags

American Horror Story: Asylum, Best Episodes of 2013, Best of 2013, Best TV of 2013, Getting On, Happy Endings, Modern Family, New Girl, Orange Is the New Black, Orphan Black, Parks and Recreation, Southland, The Good Wife

Best of 2013: Top 100 Episodes of 2013 (90-81)
I’m counting down my Top 100 episodes of the year. It wasn’t that hard to narrow down the choices but it was difficult to put them in a sensible order. There was a lot of quality television and that made the list even more of a challenge to complete. I listed basic information about the episode along with the best scene from each one.

90. New Girl – “Winston’s Birthday”
Original Airdate: May 7
Written By: Brett Baer & Dave Finkel
Directed By: Max Winkler
Best Scene: Schmidt rescues Elizabeth from her boring date.

89. Parks and Recreation – “Ann’s Decision”
Original Airdate: February 7
Written By: Nate DiMeo
Directed By: Ken Whittingham
Best Scene: Ben, Chris & Ron lie on the floor with food poisoning.

88. Getting On – “The Concert”
Original Airdate: December 29
Written By: Mark V. Olsen & Will Scheffer
Directed By: Howard Deutch
Best Scene: Didi confronts Dr. James.

87. American Horror Story: Asylum – “The Name Game”
Original Airdate: January 2
Written By: Jessica Sharzer
Directed By: Michael Lehmann
Best Scene: Sister Jude performs “The Name Game” and Dr. Arden cremates himself.

86. Happy Endings – “The Marry Prankster”
Original Airdate: January 29
Written By: Jackie Clarke & Gil Ozeri
Directed By: Rebecca Asher
Best Scene: Alex’s final reveal.

85. Southland – “Reckoning”
Original Airdate: April 17
Written By: Jonathan Lisco
Directed By: Christopher Chulack
Best Scene: Sammy and Ben’s fight and John’s final moment.

84. Orange Is the New Black – “Lesbian Request Denied”
Original Airdate: July 11
Written By: Sian Heder
Directed By: Jodie Foster
Best Scene: Sophia’s wife refuses to smuggle in estrogen.

83. Modern Family – “Goodnight Gracie”
Original Airdate: May 22
Written By: Steven Levitan & Jeffrey Richman
Directed By: Steven Levitan
Best Scene: The final fireworks sequence.

82. Orphan Black – “Natural Selection”
Original Airdate: March 30
Written By: Graeme Manson
Directed By: John Fawcett
Best Scene: The opening sequence of Beth’s suicide.

81. The Good Wife – “The Decision Tree”
Original Airdate: December 1
Written By: Michelle King & Robert King
Directed By: Rosemary Rodriguez
Best Scene: Alicia takes the stand.

2013 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 15,000 times in 2013. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 6 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Best of 2013: Top 100 Episodes of 2013 (100-91)

Tags

Arrested Development, Best Episodes of 2013, Best of 2013, Best TV of 2013, Boardwalk Empire, Bunheads, Enlightened, Family Guy, House of Cards, Masters of Sex, Shameless, The Walking Dead, Trophy Wife

Best of 2013: Top 100 Episodes of 2013 (100-91)
I’m counting down my Top 100 episodes of the year. It wasn’t that hard to narrow down the choices but it was difficult to put them in a sensible order. There was a lot of quality television and that made the list even more of a challenge to complete. I listed basic information about the episode along with the best scene from each one.

100. House of Cards – “Chapter 1”
Original Airdate: February 1
Written By: Beau Willimon
Directed By: David Fincher
Best Scene: Frank & Zoe’s secret encounter.

99. Family Guy – “Roads to Vegas”
Original Airdate: May 19
Written By: Steve Callaghan
Directed By: Greg Colton
Best Scene: Both Stewies and Brians run into each other at the bus station.

98. Trophy Wife – “Lice and Beary White”
Original Airdate: November 12
Written By: Stacy Traub
Directed By: Elliot Hegarty
Best Scene: Pete holds court between Warren & Bert.

97. Shameless – “Survival of the Fittest”
Original Airdate: April 7
Written By: Etan Frankel & Nancy M. Pimental
Directed By: Mark Mylod
Best Scene: Carl shaves Frank’s head.

96. Boardwalk Empire – “Marriage and Hunting”
Original Airdate: November 3
Written By: Jennifer Ames, David Matthews & Steve Turner
Directed By: Ed Bianchi
Best Scene: Chalky wants revenge on Narcisse.

95. Arrested Development – “Off the Hook”
Original Airdate: May 26
Written By: Mitchell Hurwitz & Jim Vallely
Directed By: Mitchell Hurwitz & Troy Miller
Best Scene: Buster copes with living alone.

94. Masters of Sex – “Pilot”
Original Airdate: September 29
Written By: Michelle Ashford
Directed By: John Madden
Best Scene: Virginia’s interview with Bill.

93. The Walking Dead – “Clear”
Original Airdate: March 3
Written By: Scott M. Gimple
Directed By: Tricia Brock
Best Scene: Morgan and Rick’s conversation.

92. Bunheads – “It’s Not a Mint”
Original Airdate: February 18
Written & Directed By: Daniel Palladino
Best Scene: Michelle’s argument with Talia.

91. Enlightened – “Agent of Change”
Original Airdate: March 3
Written & Directed By: Mike White
Best Scene: The boardroom scene.

Best Shows of 2013: Honorable Mention

Tags

Amy Poehler, Archer, Behind the Candelabra, Best of 2013, Best Shows of 2013, Best TV of 2013, Best TV Shows of 2013, Boardwalk Empire, Golden Globes, Great Performances, Live From Lincoln Center, Masters of Sex, Scandal, Shameless, Survivor, Television, The 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards, Tina Fey, Top 20 Shows of 2013, Top of the Lake

Best Shows of 2013: Honorable Mention
There was a lot of fantastic programming that aired on television this past year. These are the shows that would make a Top 20 list, but these are ranked alphabetically.

Archer
Even in its fourth season Archer is still one of the most consistently funny shows. Not only does it function as a workplace comedy, featuring a cast of barely competent employees, but the action sequences are same of the most inventive and exciting things on television. The car chase in “The Papal Chase” episode was one of the most thrilling sequences on television last year. The voice cast also does terrific work every week. Amber Nash, as Pam, had a particularly standout season and H. Jon Benjamin (who also voices the lead on Bob’s Burgers) is always reliable as our arrogant lead character Sterling Archer.

Behind the Candelabra
I expected this made-for-television film to be very campy and would get enjoyment out of the trashiness of it. I didn’t expect to be a very humanizing portrayal of entertainer Liberace and his love affair with Scott Thorson. Steven Soderbergh’s direction and Richard LaGravenese’s script did an excellent job of making Liberace feel like a real person. Not to mention the unforgettable performance from Michael Douglas as Liberace himself. Douglas completely brought him to life in probably his performance to date. Matt Damon also gave his best performance in years as his lover Scott. Not to mention the colorful cast of supporting characters played by Dan Aykroyd, Rob Lowe and Scott Bakula. The one person who didn’t get credit was Debbie Reynolds as Liberace’s mother. She didn’t have a big role, but she made a big impact in her few small scenes.

Boardwalk Empire
I’ve been a strong supporter of this show from the first season. This is the first time it hasn’t made my Top 10 list. The season started off a little weaker than usual. It took a couple of episodes for the plot to get going. But once it did, it became the show that I loved again. The plot involving the rivalry between Chalky White and Dr. Narcisse was one of the most compelling story lines the show has ever done. It helped that actors Michael K. Williams and Jeffrey Wright were giving tremendous performances every week. Margot Bingham, as Daughter Maitland (the female who comes between them), had a breakout year as well. My only major complaint was the lack of Kelly Macdonald’s character Margaret this season. She’s been the most accessible character to the audience and that was missing this year. Macdonald was pregnant during the filming of most of the season, so I hope her role is back to what we expected from previous years.

The 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards
As much as I love discussing and covering awards shows, the ceremonies themselves are rarely anything to write home about and mostly terrible. The Globes themselves have been a completely forgettable ceremony. Ricky Gervais’ mean-spirited hosting didn’t help the matters either. But this year Tina Fey & Amy Poehler took over the hosting duties and made it one of the best awards ceremonies in recent memories. Their opening monologue was basically a Weekend Update segment without the desks, which completely worked for this show. The jokes were relevant and sassy without being cruel. (Easily the best joke: “I haven’t been following the controversy surrounding Zero Dark Thirty, but when it comes to torture, I trust the lady who spent three years married to James Cameron.”) Also memorable: Kristen Wiig & Will Ferrell’s presentation of Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical Picture. And Jodie Foster’s Cecil B. DeMille speech was absolutely fascinating. Fey & Poehler are back to host again for the next two years and I can’t wait to see what they have in store.

Great Performances and Live From Lincoln Center
While NBC has garnered a lot of attention this year for their live production of The Sound of Music, PBS has been airing live theatrical productions for years now. And this year was a particularly bountiful year. Live From Lincoln Center had quite a few high quality shows that aired this year. Broadway divas Audra McDonald and Kristin Chenoweth both had terrific hour-long concerts. One Singular Sensation! Celebrating Marvin Hamlisch aired on December 31st last year, but I watched it on January 1st so I’m including it because it was an amazing concert featuring Broadway veterans honoring the late composer. And not to mention their airing of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel, anchored by two heavyweight performances by Nathan Gunn & Kelli O’Hara. And I haven’t even started talking about Great Performances yet. They aired an amazing Barbra Streisand concert and a broadcast of a filmed concert version of Company with Neil Patrick Harris leading an all-star concert. Great Performances also aired the BBC miniseries The Hollow Crown which aired a fantastic film version of Richard II starring Ben Whishaw. Not to mention the documentaries focusing on The Raisin Cycle and the Jewish legacy of Broadway. Anybody that’s interested in theater of any type should keep an eye on these two programs consistently airing on PBS.

Masters of Sex
Another terrific new series that debuted during 2013. Masters of Sex follows the sexual study explorations of Dr. Bill Masters and his partner Virginia Johnson. The series is anchored by two amazing performances from Michael Sheen & Lizzy Caplan. Their chemistry together is absolutely perfect. But the show has also filled out the rest of the cast with colorful characters. Beau Bridges as the provost of the university and Allison Janney as his wife were absolutely heartbreaking in a storyline involving his hidden homosexuality. Janney gave one of the best performances of the year and is almost guaranteed a fifth Emmy win in the Guest Actress category next year. Ann Dowd was another standout guest performer as Dr. Masters’ mother. The show has a bit of improvement to do, like raising the stakes of the story lines a tiny bit, but their strongest episodes came in the back half of the season so I’m confident that they realized what has worked on the series so far and continue to do that.

Scandal
This show came very close to making my Top 10. The back half of the second season that aired in early 2013 was absolutely fantastic. The story lines came together in a very smart and interesting way and it had one of the best ensembles on television. Kerry Washington gave one of her performances in “Truth or Consequences”, which should’ve been her Emmy tape. However I thought the show slipped a little bit in the third season so far. The season premiere was one of the best episodes of the series. The scene in the bunker between Olivia, Fitz & Mellie was dramatic television at its best. But the storylines didn’t seem to grow from there. The plot involving Khandi Alexander as Olivia’s mother is a complete rip-off/take-off on Alias‘ second season storyline with Lena Olin. It’s still an entertaining show but the third season hasn’t been a complete success so far.

Shameless
This is still one of television’s most criminally under-recognized shows. It’s obviously on Emmy’s radar because Joan Cusack has received three consecutive nominations in the Guest category, but it’s still ignored everywhere else. That’s a huge crime this year, especially with Emmy Rossum’s amazing performance as Fiona. Her courtroom monologue in “A Long Way From Home” was one of the most heartbreaking moments of television this year and it was Rossum’s performance that made it so memorable. The show also took a different approach with Frank this season and put him on a more redeeming path at the end of the season. Frank is still a despicable character, but he seems to be on a new path. The rest of the ensemble was also terrific as always. Jeremy Allen White as Lip is one of the show’s strong points and he had another strong season of performances. The show returns for its fourth season on January 12th. I have to imagine that the show will continue its upward climb in quality.

Survivor
Back in the year 2000, Survivor kicked off the reality-competition craze on network television. Now in 2013 it’s still going strong and still showing other reality shows how to keep the same format but making occasional changes that don’t betray the essence of the show. The 26th season of the show in the Spring brought back the Fans vs. Favorites twist and provided an extremely entertaining season, ultimately ending in the nerdy law student Cochran dominating the game and winning the $1 million dollar prize. The 27th season airing in the fall brought in a new twist: Blood vs. Water. It featured 10 returning players and 10 of their loved ones competing against each other. It completely raised the stakes of the game from the first minute. Not to mention the loved ones were just as entertaining and cutthroat as their veteran loved ones. This season also featured only the second instance in the show’s history of the tribe being completely deadlocked that they had to resort to drawing rocks.

Top of the Lake
Sundance made a big mark on television this year with a 6-part miniseries from filmmaker Jane Campion. This miniseries focused on police detective Robin being brought back to her hometown to investigate the disappearance of a pregnant 12 year-old girl. That’s only the basic plot and things get more complicated as the series goes on. The series was anchored by a terrific performance from Elisabeth Moss. We’ve known Moss as the quiet but determined Peggy Olson from Mad Men, but here she showed what a powerhouse she can be when given different material. Her performance was tough and vulnerable at the same time. It’s a shame she didn’t win the Emmy this year. The supporting cast was just as strong too, featuring interesting and strong performances from Peter Mullan, Thomas M. Wright and Holly Hunter. The conclusion of the main storyline was slightly less than satisfying, but it didn’t negate the intense and emotional hours that came before it.

HONORABLE MENTION: The Big Bang Theory, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Eastbound & Down, Hannibal, Modern Family, Parks and Recreation, Shark Tank, Southland, 30 Rock, Top Chef, Treme

Top 10 Shows of 2013

Tags

Best of 2013, Best Shows of 2013, Best TV of 2013, Bob's Burgers, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, Girls, HBO Documentary Films, Mad Men, Orange Is the New Black, The Colbert Report, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Good Wife, Top 10 Shows of 2013, Top 10 TV Shows of 2013, Veep

Top 10 TV Shows of 2013
2013 was an interesting year for television. There were some unexpected surprises, and they were some new shows that came on the scene and changed everything.

10. Girls
Girls was my #1 show last year for its inaugural season. While some have sad that it experienced a sophomore slump this year, I couldn’t disagree more. Some of the storylines didn’t have the payoffs that I expected, but it was still a confident unique look at twentysomething life in NYC through the eyes of creator Lena Dunham. “One Man’s Trash” was one of the most talked-about episodes of television this year; inspiring lots of conversation about the direction of the show and how the audience should feel about the main character Hannah. It was a perfect example of what Girls aspired to do. A show that can inspire that type of intellectual conversation deserves to be praised. I can’t wait to see what Lena Dunham and company have in store for the third season in January.

9. HBO Documentary Films
I feel a little bit guilty for including films on this list, but I really felt HBO and Sheila Nevins deserve credit for bringing high quality documentaries to television. Some of these films would never have a chance at a decent theatrical release. HBO and Nevins putting them on the air gives them a wider audience than they could’ve ever hoped for. They’ve even expanded their slate of films to include new entries all year long. Their summer series is always my favorite programming of that season and featured some particular memorable films. Casting By was a fascinating look into the Hollywood casting process, Pussy Riot featured the story of the controversial Russian protest group, Gideon’s Army did an excellent job of profiling first year public defenders, and The Crash Reel documented the injury and recovery of snowboarder Kevin Pearce. The last film that aired this year, Six by Sondheim, was a fascinating look into composer Stephen Sondheim. The range and variety of topics covered by these films are unmeasurable and provide some of the best programming on television.

8. Bob’s Burgers
The Belcher family is probably the best family on television. They are dysfunctional and press each other’s buttons, but at the end of the day they all love each other and that shows through more than anything else. But more than anything else, the show is just downright funny. Each of the characters are uniquely written and contribute something different to the show. Tina remains one of my favorite characters on television. She’s the heart and soul of the series and the writers are still consistently proving that. I hope more people check out this show.

7. Mad Men
Many have complained about the sixth season of Mad Men by saying its by far the worst season. While I would agree that it would be it wasn’t its strongest year (this is the first time in the show’s history that it didn’t make my personal Top 5 of the year), it was still a completely worthy drama and one of the best things to watch on television this year. It had a very dark tone for the entire season and the finale only hammered that home even harder. The finale wasn’t happy by any means, but it was one of the best hours of television this year. Don Draper’s presentation/meeting with Hershey’s will go down as one of Jon Hamm’s best acting moments. It was painful and difficult to watch, but completely earned from where the show was heading from the premiere episode.

6. The Good Wife
While many are saying that broadcast shows can’t compete with cable offerings, The Good Wife comes along in its fourth & fifth season and proves that wrong. The show turned out its strongest batch of episodes this year by basically turning the show upside down. We are used to seeing shows stay the same year after year. But creators Michelle King & Robert King shook things up and changed the dynamic of the show. The took the main character and gave her a whole new purpose and direction. The shakeup of Alicia & Cary leaving Lockhart/Gardner completely upped the stakes of the show and gave it an incredible momentum. They’ve been able to maintain it so far and I have complete confidence that the creators will continue to do so.

5. Veep
The concept of the show alone is enough to make it a ‘good’ show. Julia Louis-Dreyfus playing a Vice President. But the show deserves so much credit for giving JLD such a complex, difficult character to play every week. Selina Meyer is a brilliant creation. The combination of JLD’s performance and the writing make it Meyer one of the most interesting character we’ve ever had on television. The ensemble also deserves their own mention. Each of them are completely invested in their characters and they create a richer world that benefits the show. The final three episodes were an incredible run of perfection, advancing the characters and the plot and leaving me desperate to find out what happens in the third season.

4. Game of Thrones
I had major problems with Game of Thrones‘ second season. It made me think that the show wasn’t going to end up on any all-time lists and that it was downhill from there. I was completely wrong. The third season came back with a strong fire and made me believe that my thoughts on the second season were misguided. However, I think this last season was much more consistent. The pacing was much better, the story lines were more tightly constructed, and the focus on character development was clearer. The journey the characters took this season was much more rewarding. And you can’t talk about GoT without mentioning “The Rains of Castamere” and the infamous Red Wedding, which will go down as one of the most memorable moments of television ever. I’m a firm believer in the show again.

3. Orange Is the New Black
Netflix was destined to make its mark on television this year. I pretty much expected it to. House of Cards was a premium cable production starring Kevin Spacey & Robin Wright and directed by David Fincher. Of course that was going to make a mark. Arrested Development was returning with a new season of episodes that people have been anticipating since 2006. Of course that was going to be talked about. But nobody expected a women’s prison dramedy from the creator of Weeds to be the show that defined Netflix and make the biggest creative splash. The show could’ve disappeared like many other web offerings, but the quality of the writing, directing and acting made sure that it was noticed. Taylor Schilling as Piper Chapman lead a colorful cast of characters that were both unique and realistic. The amount of development given to a wide ensemble of characters is one of the many things that the show accomplished.

2. The Colbert Report and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Looking back on my previous lists, this is the first non-election year that I’ve included these shows. I think that speaks to the importance of these shows. The country is getting more and more unstable every year, and I look to these two guys to put things into perspective. The Colbert Report had a particularly impressive year. His controversy with Daft Punk and MTV was one of the best take downs I’ve ever seen. His government shutdown wedding, featuring Tony winners Mandy Patinkin & Audra McDonald, was one of the most joyous and entertaining moments of the year. And an opening monologue in tribute to his mother (who passed away this year) was one of the most touching things I’ve ever seen. Colbert finally overtook Stewart this year at the Emmys and it was completely deserved. But that’s not to say that Jon Stewart isn’t still doing consistently great things every night. Watching him completely blast the news coverage on CNN and Fox News is completely entertaining (and a little sad considering they are supposed to be sources of news). The Daily Show also deserves credit this year for maintaining the quality of the show with Jon Stewart taking the summer off. John Oliver completely owned those summer months. He did such a great job that HBO offered him his own show to air next year.

1. Breaking Bad
Up until this point, I had always used The Shield as an example of how to end a series. Now I can safely say that Breaking Bad is now the perfect ideal of how to end a series. Vince Gilligan and company used these final eight episode to take us on a bumpy, wild roller-coaster ride to a brilliant ending. The show had an incredibly difficult job of bringing this show to a satisfying end, and it delivered on that promise. The show had a freight train momentum heading into the final stretch of episodes. “Ozymandias” was one of the best things I’ve ever seen on television. That lead to an amazing conclusion in the final two episodes of the series. Walter White is one of the most complex characters to ever grace our television screen and his journey from the pilot to the series finale couldn’t have been more satisfying to watch.

Beyonce Surprises World: Releases New Album

Tags

Beyonce, Beyonce iTunes, Beyonce Knowles, Beyonce new album, Pretty Hurts

I won’t do a complete write-up until tomorrow…but Beyonce released an entire new album on iTunes tonight and it’s fucking fantastic.

Beyonce – “Pretty Hurts”

Golden Globe Nominations Announced: Big Surprises on Nomination Morning

Tags

12 Years a Slave, Alexander Payne, Alfonso Cuaron, American Horror Story: Coven, American Hustle, Amy Adams, Behind the Candelabra, Best Comedy Series, Best Drama Series, Breaking Bad, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Bruce Dern, Captain Phillips, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Christian Bale, David O. Russell, Downton Abbey, Girls, Golden Globe Nominations, Golden Globes, Golden Globes 2014, Golden Globes Nominations 2014, Gravity, Her, House of Cards, Inside Llewyn Davis, Joaquin Phoenix, Judi Dench, Leonardo DiCaprio, Masters of Sex, Michael Fassbender, Modern Family, Nebraska, Oscar Isaac, Parks and Recreation, Paul Greengrass, Philomena, Rush, Sandra Bullock, Steve McQueen, The Big Bang Theory, The Good Wife, The Wolf of Wall Street, Tom Hanks

Golden Globe Nominations Announced: Big Surprises on Nomination Morning

The movie nominations were slightly surprising. Nobody expected Philomena or Rush to get Picture nominations on the Drama side, especially over Lee Daniels’ The Butler (which couldn’t even get a nomination for Oprah Winfrey). Some big shifts have happened in those categories. Captain Phillips did better than expected also. Greengrass in Director and Abdi in Supporting are huge boosts to their campaign. And American Hustle continues to dominate in almost every category. It could be a quiet darkhorse that takes the Oscar in a couple of months.

On the television side, the big news is that Homeland was completely shut out of the nominations. It swept the top drama category two years in a row, Claire Danes won the past two years, and Damian Lewis picked up one last year. This year…not even a nomination. Pretty shocking. Otherwise it was a predictable group of nominees. Brooklyn Nine-Nine fared the best out of the new comedies, although I would’ve rather seen Andre Braugher nominated in the acting category instead of Samberg.

Best Picture – Drama:
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Philomena
Rush
12 Years a Slave

Best Actor – Drama:
Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
Idris Elba, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
Robert Redford, All Is Lost

Best Actress – Drama:
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock, Gravity
Judi Dench, Philomena
Emma Thompson, Saving Mr. Banks
Kate Winslet, Labor Day

Best Picture – Comedy/Musical:
American Hustle
Her
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska
The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Actor – Comedy/Musical:
Christian Bale, American Hustle
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
Oscar Isaac, Inside LLewyn Davis
Joaquin Phoenix, Her

Best Actress – Comedy/Musical:
Amy Adams, American Hustle
Julie Delpy, Before Midnight
Greta Gerwig, Frances Ha
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Enough Said
Meryl Streep, August: Osage County

Best Supporting Actor:
Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
Daniel Bruhl, Rush
Bradley Cooper, American Hustle
Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

Best Supporting Actress:
Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave
Julia Roberts, August: Osage County
June Squibb, Nebraska

Best Director:
Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity
Paul Greengrass, Captain Phillips
Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
Alexander Payne, Nebraska
David O. Russell, American Hustle

Best Screenplay:
American Hustle
Her
Nebraska
Philomena
12 Years a Slave

Best Original Score:
All Is Lost
The Book Thief
Gravity
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
12 Years a Slave

Best Original Song:
Frozen – “Let It Go”
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – “Atlas”
Inside Llewyn Davis – “Please Mr. Kennedy”
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom – “Ordinary Love”
One Chance – “Sweeter Than Fiction”

Best Animated Film:
The Croods
Despicable Me 2
Frozen

Best Foreign-Language Film:
Blue Is the Warmest Color
The Great Beauty
The Hunt
The Past
The Wind Rises

————————–

Best Drama Series:
Breaking Bad
Downton Abbey
The Good Wife
House of Cards
Masters of Sex

Best Actor – Drama Series:
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan
Michael Sheen, Masters of Sex
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
James Spader, The Blacklist

Best Actress – Drama Series:
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black
Taylor Schilling, Orange Is the New Black
Kerry Washington, Scandal
Robin Wright, House of Cards

Best Comedy Series:
The Big Bang Theory
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Girls
Modern Family
Parks and Recreation

Best Actor – Comedy Series:
Jason Bateman, Arrested Development
Don Cheadle, House of Lies
Michael J. Fox, The Michae J. Fox Show
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
Andy Samberg, Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Best Actress – Drama Series:
Zooey Deschanel, New Girl
Lena Dunham, Girls
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation

Best TV Movie/Miniseries:
American Horror Story: Coven
Behind the Candelabra
Dancing on the Edge
Top of the Lake
The White Queen

Best Actor – TV Movie/Miniseries:
Matt Damon, Behind the Candelabra
Michael Douglas, Behind the Candelabra
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Dancing on the Edge
Idris Elba, Luther
Al Pacino, Phil Spector

Best Actress – TV Movie/Miniseries:
Helena Bonham Carter, Burton and Taylor
Rebecca Ferguson, The White Queen
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Coven
Helen Mirren, Phil Spector
Elisabeth Moss, Top of the Lake

Best Supporting Actor:
Josh Charles, The Good Wife
Rob Lowe, Behind the Candelabra
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad
Corey Stoll, House of Cards
Jon Voight, Ray Donovan

Best Supporting Actress:
Jacqueline Bisset, Dancing on the Edge
Janet McTeer, The White Queen
Hayden Panettiere, Nashville
Monica Potter, Parenthood
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family

SAG Nominations Announced: We Have Our Top Acting Contenders

Tags

12 Years a Slave, 30 Rock, American Hustle, Arrested Development, August: Osage County, Awards Season, awards show, Best Ensemble Comedy Series, Best Ensemble Drama Series, Best Ensemble Motion Picture, Blue Jasmine, Boardwalk Empire, Breaking Bad, Captain Phillips, Cate Blanchett, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Dallas Buyers Club, Downton Abbey, Emma Thompson, Enough Said, Forest Whitaker, Game of Thrones, Gravity, Homeland, Jared Leto, Jennifer Lawrence, Julia Roberts, Lee Daniels' The Butler, Lupita Nyong'o, Matthew McConaughey, Meryl Streep, Michael Fassbender, Modern Family, Nebraska, Oprah Winfrey, Oscar Precursor, Oscars, Rush, SAG Awards, Sandra Bullock, Saving Mr. Banks, Screen Actors Guild, Screen Actors Guild Awards, The Big Bang Theory, Veep

SAG Nominations Announced: We Have Our Top Acting Contenders

The nominations for the 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were announced this morning. 12 Years a Slave solidified its position as the Oscar frontrunner by receiving 4 nominations, the most for any film this year. Dallas Buyers Club also received a huge boost today by making it into the Ensemble category. The film might have more support than anybody expected. The same goes for Lee Daniels’ The Butler. The film was desperate for nominations this morning to remain a contender: and it received 3 of them. Whitaker was a bit of a surprise, especially over Robert Redford for All Is Lost (which is a big snub).

The television nominations were less surprising. Two favorites: Girls and Mad Men not receiving any nominations was the biggest shocker of the morning. Both are favored by other awards groups but not by SAG.

Here’s the complete list of nominations. The winners will be announced in a live ceremony on Saturday January 18th on TNT.

Best Ensemble – Motion Picture:
American Hustle
August: Osage County
Dallas Buyers Club
Lee Daniels’ The Butler
12 Years a Slave

Best Male Actor in a Leading Role:
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
Forest Whitaker, Lee Daniels’ The Butler

Best Female Actor in a Leading Role:
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock, Gravity
Judi Dench, Philomena
Meryl Streep, August: Osage County
Emma Thompson, Saving Mr. Banks

Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role:
Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
Daniel Bruhl, Rush
Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
James Gandolfini, Enough Said
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role:
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave
Julia Roberts, August: Osage County
June Squibb, Nebraska
Oprah Winfrey, Lee Daniels’ The Butler

Best Stunt Ensemble – Motion Picture:
All Is Lost
Fast & Furious 6
Lone Survivor
Rush
The Wolverine

———————–

Best Ensemble – Drama Series:
Boardwalk Empire
Breaking Bad
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
Homeland

Best Male Actor in a Drama Series:
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards

Best Female Actor in a Drama Series:
Claire Danes, Homeland
Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Coven
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Kerry Washington, Scandal

Best Ensemble – Comedy Series:
Arrested Development
The Big Bang Theory
Modern Family
30 Rock
Veep

Best Male Actor in a Comedy Series:
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Jason Bateman, Arrested Development
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Don Cheadle, House of Lies
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

Best Female Actor in a Comedy Series:
Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory
Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep

Best Male Actor in a TV Movie/Miniseries:
Matt Damon, Behind the Candelabra
Michael Douglas, Behind the Candelabra
Jeremy Irons, The Hollow Crown
Rob Lowe, Killing Kennedy
Al Pacino, Phil Spector

Best Female Actor in a TV Movie/Miniseries:
Angela Bassett, Betty & Coretta
Helena Bonham Carter, Burton and Taylor
Holly Hunter, Top of the Lake
Helen Mirren, Phil Spector
Elisabeth Moss, Top of the Lake

Best Stunt Ensemble – Television:
Boardwalk Empire
Breaking Bad
Game of Thrones
Homeland
The Walking Dead

Best Songs of 2013 (10-1)

Tags

Best Music of 2013, Best of 2013, Best Singles of 2013, Best Songs of 2013, Bruno Mars, Calvin Harris, Daft Punk, Drake, Florence + the Machine, Florence Welch, Get Lucky, Gorilla, Hold On We're Going Home, Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, lists, Lolo, Lorde, Majid Jordan, Miley Cyrus, Mirrors, Miss Jackson, music, Over the Love, Panic! at the Disco, Pharrell, Roar, Royals, Singles, Sweet Nothing, Top 10 Songs of 2013, We Can't Stop

Best Songs of 2013 (10-1)

It’s that wonderful time of year where we can look back and reflect on the year that was. I’m still working on both of my television lists, and there’s a little bit of a reprieve with the critics awards over the next couple of days, so I thought it would be fun to share my Top 60 songs of this past year. As you can probably tell by the list, the song choices are pretty much pop songs that were hits. But that’s the type of music I like and am drawn to, so why not be true to myself? Here are the first set of 10 songs. I’m not a huge music aficionado, so I don’t have a whole lot to say about the songs. I just included my favorite lyrics from the songs to go with pictures of the single cover and a screencap of the music video. Enjoy!

10. Bruno Mars – “Gorilla”

“If the neighbors call the cops,
Call the sheriff, call the SWAT ‒ we don’t stop,
We keep rocking while they’re knocking on our door
And you’re screaming, “Give it to me baby,
Give it to me motherfucker!””

9. Florence + the Machine – “Over the Love”

“On this champagne, drunken hope,
Against the current, all alone,
Everybody, see, I love him.

‘Cause it’s a feeling that you get,
When the afternoon is set,
On a bridge into the city.

And I don’t wanna see what I’ve seen,
To undo what has been done.
Turn off all the lights,
Let the morning come.”

8. Panic! at the Disco featuring Lolo – “Miss Jackson”

“You put a sour little flavor in my mouth now
You move in circles hoping no one’s gonna find out
But we’re so lucky,
Kiss the ring and let ’em bow down
Looking for the time of your life (ain’t always gonna find out)

A pretty picture but the scenery is so loud,
A face like heaven catching lighting in your nightgown,
But back away from the water, babe, you might drown-
The party isn’t over tonight (lighting in your nightgown)”

7. Lorde – “Royals”

“But every song’s like gold teeth, grey goose, trippin’ in the bathroom
Blood stains, ball gowns, trashin’ the hotel room,
We don’t care, we’re driving Cadillacs in our dreams.
But everybody’s like Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your timepiece.
Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash.
We don’t care, we aren’t caught up in your love affair.”

6. Justin Timberlake – “Mirrors”

“‘Cause I don’t wanna lose you now
I’m lookin’ right at the other half of me
The vacancy that sat in my heart
Is a space and now you’re home
Show me how to fight for now
And I’ll tell you, baby, it was easy
Comin’ back here to you once I figured it out
You were right here all along”

5. Drake featuring Majid Jordan – “Hold On, We’re Going Home”

“Cause you’re a good girl and you know it
You act so different around me
Cause you’re a good girl and you know it
I know exactly who you could be
Just hold on we’re going home
Just hold on we’re going home
It’s hard to do these things alone
Just hold on we’re going home (home)”

4. Daft Punk featuring Pharrell – “Get Lucky”

“We’ve come too far to give up who we are
So let’s raise the bar and our cups to the stars

She’s up all night ’til the sun
I’m up all night to get some
She’s up all night for good fun
I’m up all night to get lucky”

3. Katy Perry – “Roar”

“I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire
‘Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar
Louder, louder than a lion
‘Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You’re gonna hear me roar”

2. Calvin Harris featuring Florence Welch – “Sweet Nothing”

“So I put my faith in something unknown
I’m living on such sweet nothing
But I’m tired of hope with nothing to hold
I’m living on such sweet nothing

And it’s hard to learn
And it’s hard to love
When you’re giving me such sweet nothing
Sweet nothing, sweet nothing
You’re giving me such sweet nothing”

1. Miley Cyrus – “We Can’t Stop”

“To my home girls here with the big butt
Shaking it like we at a strip club
Remember only God can judge ya
Forget the haters ’cause somebody loves ya
And everyone in line in the bathroom
Trying to get a line in the bathroom
We all so turned up here
Getting turned up, yeah, yeah”

REST OF THE COUNTDOWN
Best Songs of 2013 (20-11)
Best Songs of 2013 (30-21)
Best Songs of 2013 (40-31)
Best Songs of 2013 (50-41)
Best Songs of 2013 (60-51)