"Falling Skies" Picks Up Some Serious Steam

My friends at TNT were kind enough to send me Sunday’s episode of “Falling Skies” so I could preview it in advance and it is a doozy…

Two very key pieces of information are revealed in the hour. We finally get Weaver’s (Will Patton) backstory. AND, Dr. Glass discovers something very disturbing about the harnessed children.

If those two things weren’t enough, Blair Brown guests as an eccentric and mysterious woman with key information about the aliens and we catch a glimpse of a character we haven’t seen in a while…

For a show that started out so slowly, it is definitely picking up steam toward the end…

“Falling Skies” airs Sunday, July 31^st at 10 p.m. on TNT…

Photo Credit: Ken Woroner/TNT

"ThunderCats" Star Will Friedle: "It's just the coolest thing in the world"

I admit, I’m totally a geek. I love “Star Wars” (the first three, which are now the last three), I love comic books and comic book movies and especially animated series based on comic books or even action figures…

It all started with the “Wonder Woman” TV series and “Super Friends” when I was a little girl. That morphed into “G.I.Joe” and “ThunderCats” when I got a little older and then “Batman: The Animated Series,” “WildC.A.T.S,” “X-Men,” “Batman Beyond” and now the DC Universe animated movies.

So, it’s no surprise that I love talking about those things. But I never dreamed I’d get to talk about them with someone who’s actually been a part of some of them…

Yet, there I was, talking cartoons, “Star Wars” and much more with Will Friedle, who gave voice to Batman/Terry McGinnis in “Batman Beyond.” He’s currently the voice of Lion-O in the Cartoon Network’s update of ThunderCats, which premieres Friday, July 29^th at 8 p.m.

Here’s the transcript of our conversation as we talked about “ThunderCats,” giving voice to the ThunderCat call (“Thunder, Thunder, ThunderCats, ho!”), why we won’t see him on camera again and the wonderful creepiness of one of my all-time favorite animated movies, “Batman Beyond: The Return of the Joker.” Plus, Will interviewed me a little about what I thought about the new show…

Tell me how you got involved in “ThunderCats.”

I always say luck. Every time I get to do a show like this, I always attribute it to luck. Luck and friends, I think I would say. I’ve been lucky in that I was able to work with these producers before on a number of other shows and the director Andrea Romano for many, many years. But then like everything else, like every other actor, I had to go and audition. I mean, they don’t just give you anything, no matter how friendly you are. You’ve got to go and you’ve got to earn it. And I originally read for the role of Tygra and started there and found out four or five days later that in fact, I was going to be playing Lion-O and I was just ecstatic.

It was so cool. I mean, I try to keep it cool. [In laidback voice] Yeah, I’m playing Lion-O. But man, inside I’m just jumping up and down.

So I’m going to presume that means you were a fan, or are a fan, of the original.

Was and am. Yes, huge. I was eight years old when “ThunderCats” came out. So I was exactly the demographic for this show and I would run home and watch this as often as I could and it was the coolest thing in the world. I think one of my first crushes ever was on Cheetara. So the idea that I got a chance to then do the new version of the show was...I still don’t really believe it. It’s funny, Matthew Mercer, who plays Tygra, occasionally whether it’s after the ThunderCats call or some other cool ThunderCats line, we’ll both look at each other and again, it’s like we’re both nine years old and kind of going, “Can you believe we’re actually doing this? Like, this is the coolest thing in the world.” So yeah, we’re pretty excited.

I watched the first two episodes of the show and I was a fan of the original, I admit. You mentioned the call, that’s the moment you’re waiting for. Like the whole hour, you’re like, “Would he just pick up the sword and do it already!”

[Laughs]

So tell me, the first time you did it, was it like this rush?

Actually, the very first time I did it was during rehearsal and I stopped before I did it. We were reading the lines, you know, you read it like a straight radio play so all the actors are in the room. Everybody’s reading their dialogue and I think by about the second line of the page, I was looking down at the bottom and I realized it was coming. And I started getting nervous and by the time it was there, I stopped. And the whole room was quiet and I looked up at Andrea and I said, “I don’t know if I can do it.” And then Kevin Michael Richardson, who plays Panthro, grabbed me and started shaking me back and forth yelling, “I want to hear it! I want to hear it!” So, I’m shaking back and forth the very first time that I actually did it. But, yeah, it was, when we actually got a chance to record, I was a little more relaxed and I was able to give it a little more voice. I think I had a smile just etched on my face the next day and a half knowing that I had an opportunity to do that.

Well it was awesome…

Thanks, now you said you were a fan of the original show. So what did you, did you like the first pilot? Do you like the hourlong episode?

I do. You mentioned Cheetara. As a girl you relate to the girl heroes. And I always thought she was such a wimp in the original. And I always hated that.

Oh yeah. Not any more.

Yes, in this one it was like finally, we get to see her kick butt and take names.

Oh, and it’s just starting too. Wait until you see some of the stuff that’s coming down. It’s awesome. She’s awesome. It’s very cool.

I’m glad you liked it, though. I like to hear from the original fans whether this is something they really enjoyed or not. So I’m glad that you enjoyed it.

Well it’s a great update. The spirit is the same, but obviously the storyline and the origin are taking a different take. And I think that’s good.

I think so too. We also, you know, I’m a huge fan of fantasy. That’s pretty much all I read. So I love the idea that they’ve gone almost the high fantasy route with the kings and the queens. I love that kind of stuff. So, very excited for a lot of the stories coming up.

You’re so familiar with this world, you know how it is. You know there are people out there going, “Why are they doing this? Why are they screwing this up?” What would you say to the original fans to kind of put them at ease?

The first thing I would say was give it a shot. Because there’s a lot of people out there that are saying…which is how I was for instance when I heard they were remaking “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” It was that initial, what are you kidding me? I’m never going to watch this. What were you thinking? And then after about a month my friends were like just sit down and watch it. And I watched it and I went okay. They went a completely different route. It was very entertaining. I could separate it from the original. So that’s the first thing I would say would be give it a chance and watch the show. If you were a fan of the original show, just sit down and watch it and then make your judgment. Because I think we’ve kept, like you said, to the spirit of the original show. I think we’ve maybe improved on the story arc a little bit, a little bit of the backstory and you get to delve a little deeper into the characters. And I think that’s really what it comes down to. I was such a huge fan of the show, the original show, and such a huge fan of the original characters, that to me, as a fan, getting to read these scripts and seeing some of the backstory and creating some of the stuff that maybe we didn’t know before I find very exciting. So I think the fans of the original will feel the same way. So they can kind of say, “Okay, I see what they’re doing, they’ve gone a little bit of a different route, but all the characters are there, they’ve kept the characters with essentially the same personalities they should have. They’ve just amped them up a little bit and I think fans are going to be happy. We also understand that there are going to be purists and you can’t possibly please everybody, but I think we’ve really tried. And I do believe that as a fan of the show, I could watch the show even if I wasn’t involved and go, “Hey, wow, this is pretty darn good.” So, yeah, I’m excited to see what the people will say. I know some people are hesitant but I think once the show airs and people really get into the story, they’re going to be pretty excited.

Now you’ve been down this road before with “Batman Beyond” because there was this same kind of talk of what are they doing and what is this new character and that obviously went very well. Were there some lessons that you learned from that experience that are helping you with this one?

The lessons that I really learned from “Batman Beyond” were about myself as a voice actor. That was the first show that I had ever really done. And talk about trial by fire. It’s like, “Oh, you’ve never done an animated series before. Well, now you’re Batman.” So it was kind of one of those oh man, wow. And I was so lucky to have people like Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill and these other really wonderful actors around me. Kevin Conroy, who of course, is Bruce Wayne and was Batman in the original animated series, has that amazing deep bass gravely voice. He kind of took me under his wing in the voiceover world. And it’s little things, the diaphragm and the breathing and stuff like that. From “Batman Beyond,” I really learned more about how to be a voiceover actor than anything else.

As for the show, you can just never tell. You do some shows that you’re sure are going to be huge hits that nobody likes and other shows where you’re like I don’t really know about this one and they become enormous. So you never know. When we did “Batman Beyond,” I loved doing “Batman Beyond,” I loved the story, I loved playing the character and that’s how I feel about “ThunderCats” and that’s really all I have to go off of is the fact that I’m having a blast and I know the rest of the cast is having an amazing time. We love the scripts. We’re constantly sitting there talking and it’s one of the first shows I’ve ever been on where when we’re not recording, the actors we’re texting each other, we’re e-mailing each other. “Hey what do you think of this?” That’s kind of a new experience for me in an animated series where we’re even when the show’s not going on talking about the project all the time. And I think that bodes well. I think that’s a good sign for things to come, so yeah, we’re all very excited at this point.

So, is there some kind of frame of mind or process that you do before you head in there and start recording?

Not really. You obviously want to have read the script and gone through your lines and tried to see the tone because again with something like “ThunderCats,” the tone will change occasionally from episode to episode, whether it’s an episode that is a darker type of episode that leads into the arc or like the original episode where there’s occasionally an episode or two that are a bit lighter and a bit more kind of 80s “ThunderCats.” So you really kind of have to set the tone the night before when you’re reading the script and knowing what you’re getting in for and then it’s just everybody getting in and playing. And Andrea Romano’s great with that. We go in and we read the whole script back to front in just a readthrough so everybody gets to know what’s going on, everybody gets to know the tone. And then we just jump right into it. It’s more the process of getting prepared to actually record than it is getting into character or anything along those lines.

I know you can’t say much, because there were a lot of twists and turns just in the first hour. But, give me a little teaser about what people are going to get.

[Laughs] A little teaser. Let’s see. What can I throw out that won’t get me in trouble? You know, it’s one of those things where there’s going to be some very cool backstories that you get to learn about. Some old characters that people were sure weren’t coming back may be, and there’s again a lot of, like you said, there’s twists and turns in the first couple episodes, just wait to see what’s happening. It’s twists and turns all over the place and it becomes pretty cool. So I think everybody’s excited. Again, I don’t want to give too much away. But I think, it’s one of those things where legitimately the scripts kept getting even better and better and better. To the point that when we recorded the last one of the first season, it was stunned silence when we finished. It was one of those kind of like, man, that’s awesome. So we’re pretty excited to see everything come down when the animation gets back.

I would compare the end of the first hour to an “Empire Strikes Back” situation where the heroes are like oh, what do we do now? We’re going to get together and we’re going to…

Right, exactly. It has the bit of the “Star Wars” at the beginning with the young kid trying to find himself into “The Empire Strikes Back.” And we’ll just skip “Jedi” and the other three movies. [Laughs]

Did I just reveal my geekiness to you? I’m sorry.

Are you kidding? I could talk about this stuff forever. [Laughs]

What are the kinds of movies and books and characters that you’re really into right now?

It’s one of those things where I love reading. You talk about geekiness, if I had a hobby it would be reading. I know that sounds odd…

No, I’m right there with you, so it’s okay.

So good. So yeah, I try to read everything fantasy I can get my hands on. And I’ve gone through, you name it, I’ve gone through it. Whether it’s Terry Goodkind or Robert Jordan or David Eddings. I actually just read a great series by a woman out of Washington named Robin Hobb, who wrote a series called “The Assassin’s Apprentice,” which was really, really good. So, yeah, that type of high fantasy I enjoy. David Eddings called it building the world and I love to think of a writer sitting there with a blank piece of paper and completely building a world of his or her own whether it be the caste system or the magic system, whatever they have to do they have to start from the beginning. And I love that. I’m always drawn to that kind of thing. And that’s one of the reasons why I love this iteration of “ThunderCats” so much. That’s really what they did. They took these amazing characters and took the world that was already built and just kind of added a little bit more structure to it, which I think really brought it into kind of the high fantasy world, which you know, had me at page one. So, I was very excited to be a part of this.

You’ve carved out such a great voice career for yourself. Are there any projects coming up where we’ll see you in front of the camera again or do you really just enjoy the voicework now?

No, I hit 30 and I retired. I’d done it for 20 years and I came to the realization I just, I couldn’t do it anymore. On camera is a much different world and it was one that I enjoyed. I thoroughly enjoyed for a while, but I hit a certain age and said, “You know what, I don’t think I can do this anymore.” And I was so lucky in my voiceover career that I was really able to continue to do that which was, it became…It was one of those things where I had never done voiceover before and then I started “Batman Beyond” and about minute two I was hooked. It’s just the greatest job in the world. You are working with the most wonderful people in the world. It’s such an interesting form of acting. It’s just you and a microphone and they had me. By that point, it was one of those things where I said, hey, if they’ll allow me to continue to do this then this is what I want to do forever. So, I’ve been very excited. And then when you get to smile and say, by the way, I’m Lion-O, it’s like come on. It’s just the coolest thing in the world. Any time you can look at your nephew and say I’m Batman and Lion-O and not be lying, that’s pretty cool [Laughs]

Well, if I can share one more geeky thing with you, I still think that “Batman Beyond: The Return of the Joker” is one of the creepiest and coolest animated movies ever made. That was a great piece of work that I don’t think got the recognition that it deserved.

Well thank you. Yeah, that was one of four or five days of solid recording. We just had so much fun. I was literally sitting between Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill so it was kind of one of those looking around left to right going um, one of these people doesn’t seem to belong here and I think it’s me. So, what the heck is going on? And we had a great time and I agree. I think that’s a phenomenal movie.

Well I mistakenly watched it alone in the dark the first time I saw it. I think I was creeped about for about three days. Just that moment when [SPOILER OMMITTED]...

Now did you watch the unrated version?

No. I have it. I figured sometime in the daylight I’m going to watch it.

You should because if you were creeped out by the original, wait until you see the flashback scene of the one that’s unedited. That one is pretty intense.

Okay, sometime when my husband’s here…

Yeah, that is a lights on situation. Not a by yourself in the dark situation. [Laughs]

You can see more of my thoughts on "ThunderCats" in tomorrow's "Stay Tuned" column in "The Herald-Dispatch.

Photo Credits: Cartoon Network and Warner Home Video

"Drop Dead Diva" Creator: "A Real Roller Coaster Ride" Is On the Horizon

In this week's “Stay Tuned” column, I sing the praises of Lifetime’s “Drop Dead Diva”…

Last week, I was fortunate enough to talk to the show’s creator/executive producer, Josh Berman about Sunday’s episode, “The Prom,” which was inspired by the real-life situation of a teenager being banned from her prom for being gay.

No matter which side of the issue you’re on, the episode will make you angry, sad and touched all in the same hour as Jane (Brooke Elliott) fights a stubborn school administrator (Michael Gross), who doesn’t always play fair. Plus, in the other legal story, Grayson (Jackson Hurst) tries to recover from being left at the altar by representing a man who was duped by his mail order bride.

The hour is chock full of guest stars including Clay Aiken, who becomes a surprising part of the mail order storyline.

I talked to Berman about the episode, all of the show’s great guest stars and what’s ahead for this season…

Tell me a little about the inspiration for this episode.

I guess it goes all the way back to Constance McMillen, who was the lesbian teenager in Mississippi who was denied access to her prom because of being gay. And I was really touched by hearing her story. I attended the GLAAD Awards back in 2010 and Wanda Sykes honored Constance for fighting for her right to go to the dance. And I was so moved by it that I decided to write an episode loosely inspired by Constance, who actually appears in the episode. She’s a bailiff in the court, in Wanda Sykes’ courtroom. She doesn’t have any lines. She was in the background and she flew in for it and she had a great time with Wanda on the set.

Also, what’s interesting is that speech and Constance’s action predates the whole “It Gets Better” campaign and all the news about teen gay suicide, so in a way I feel like we started writing this program before it became such an important issue for our country and now it’s coming out just at the right time.

I’m guessing that anyone has fun when Wanda Sykes is around.

Wanda Sykes is kind of one of those actors as a writer it’s always been a fantasy of mine to write for, so yeah. She’s exactly the person you would hope she would be. She’s just loving and funny and kind and generous and it was a joy to work with her.

You have so many great guest stars in this episode. And you have so many great guest stars for the whole season. What is it about your show that these people want to play with you guys?

You know, it’s such a great question because before creating “Drop Dead Diva,” I worked on “CSI” for its first six years when we were the biggest hit in the country. And it’s actually easier to get guest stars on “Drop Dead Diva” than it was for “CSI.” And the reason for that is because “Drop Dead Diva” is such a feel-good show. And actors are actually coming to us to want to be a part of it. And it’s been incredible. I’ve had wonderful actors contact me on Twitter to say that I’d love to be in your show can you write me a part. It’s just that doesn’t happen in Hollywood. We’re a cable show and we shoot in Georgia, but actors are willing to go out of their way to be a part of the “Drop Dead Diva” family. This season, in particular, we have been so lucky. In the episode you reference, in addition to Wanda Sykes we also have Clay Aiken, Lance Bass, Amanda Bearse and Michael Gross are all in the episode. So it’s crazy. And in the episode after that we have Tony Goldwyn, and then later in the season we’ve got Kathy Griffin and Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Johnathon Schaech, Bruce Davison, the list goes on and on. We feel really lucky. Even Quinton Aaron, who was the star of the movie, “The Blind Side,” is in an episode. Yeah, so very, very lucky.

Even though he’s not playing a very nice character, any time you get Michael Gross on a television screen is not a bad thing.

No, he’s wonderful. And it’s such a different kind of character for him.

One of the things I like about this season is that you have these guest stars who are playing against types. You had LeAnn Rimes in the season premiere and Clay Aiken in this episode playing characters they’ve never had the chance to play before.

Absolutely and we talk to the actors beforehand and we really want to write them a role they can just sink their teeth into and have fun with. Clay Aiken, I just got on the phone with him and I said I really want you in this episode, here’s a character I’m considering, and we kind of crafted his character together. Through the process we actually have become friends. He’s actually flying to LA for the Outfest panel for the episode on Sunday. It’s amazing. You have a show like this that’s very empowering to women, empowering to humanity, it gets people excited. And that’s a unique experience for me.

I would be a terrible journalist if I didn’t ask you to give me some kind of tease as to what we can expect for the rest of the season.

Oh sure. I love the question. I think that the second half of the season is a real roller coaster ride for our characters. I think that we push our characters to ask questions that they wouldn’t have asked the first two-and-a-half seasons. I think for people who are just coming to the show, they can enjoy it as much as our loyal viewers who know these characters so well and who can now expect some real exciting surprises. I actually think we also have some of our funniest and most emotional episodes coming up. We have an episode with Patti Stanger, who is “The Millionaire Matchmaker.” I don’t know if you’ve seen that show on Bravo?

One of the most outrageous interviews I’ve ever done.

She plays Margaret Cho’s high school nemesis. And the two of them go at each other in such a hilarious…I think it’s nice too. There aren’t that many hour-long shows that can make you laugh as hard as “Diva” or make you cry as hard as “Diva.” You know what I mean? Within the same scene we take people from the highs to the lows and I feel like life is a lot like that. You don’t really know when you wake up in the morning what your high point and low point are going to be. And like that, “Drop Dead Diva” is kind of a slice of life in the sense you never know what’s going to happen next.

When the show first started out, was it a hard concept to explain to people?

Yes absolutely and the funny thing for me was when…the critics have been really wonderful to our show. It was funny because when the show first hit the marketplace and first started airing, a lot of the critics would start by saying, “Despite the crazy premise, the show actually has heart, humor and depth.” And it was always to get past the notion of the logline. And I think that’s important, and it’s important for me to recognize that yes, something can be crazy and silly, but it allows for great storytelling, this particular premise. For me, the way I sold it, the way I came up with the idea—I don’t know if you know this, I don’t share it too often—but the genesis of “Drop Dead Diva” is my grandmother who’s since passed away. She was this overweight, little Jewish Holocaust survivor who carried herself like she was a supermodel. And she helped raise me and in my mind I always wanted to create a character who looked so different on the outside than they felt on the inside. And in fact my grandmother’s name was Deb, which is what the model’s name is on “Drop Dead Diva” and that was all the notion of how do I bring my grandmother onto a television show and how do I get America to love this character as much as I love my grandmother.

And it helps when you have an amazing actress like Brooke Elliott to bring her to life.

Oh yeah, I am so lucky with Brooke it’s crazy. She’s amazing.

She needs to sing more, Josh.

Oh, we’ve got a couple singing episodes coming up. In episode seven, Deb’s mother is Sharon Lawrence and her mother is Faith Prince. And Sharon Lawrence called me up and said it would be my fantasy if you would write an episode where I get to sing with both Brooke Elliott and Faith Prince. So we wrote an episode where they get to sing a trio at the end of the episode. It’s really wonderful. We used the song “Lean On Me” and the real line is “Lean on me, brother” and the publishers actually allowed us to change the line to “Lean on me, mother,” which given the storyline was wonderful, because it’s so rare that a publisher for those A-list songs lets you change anything.

You guys have so much fun.

We have so much fun. We just have so much fun on the show.

Richard Boggs, who is a hairstylist with the show, is from the Huntington area [Ashland], so we have kind of a special connection to “Drop Dead Diva.” So I was wondering if you could say something nice about him for the local folks.

Oh, it’s not hard to say lots of nice things about Richard. He is the first person to come up to me on the set to say hello every time, every morning. He’s always cheerful. He always goes beyond the call of duty and makes our actresses feel like divas, even if they don’t feel like divas themselves. Or makes our actresses feel like divas on their down days, I should say.

You mentioned the critics trying to get past the premise, I admit, I was probably one of those.

I understand. And it wasn’t promoted very well in the beginning. People really had to find the show and fall in love with these characters. The nice thing was that the critics, despite saying that, once they watched the pilot, we got almost universally positive reviews. So that was really wonderful, it was really gratifying.

This season it’s like you asked, “Who are all of Angela’s favorite people?” and shoved them all into your show.

You and I must have the same favorite people then.

You can’t go wrong with Clay Aiken and Kathy Griffin. I mean, hello?

And we have Brandy for the final three episodes. And she’s just amazing. And she hasn’t done TV in years. She came in, she loves the show. She’s seen every episode. And she said, I just love the show. I want to be part of that cast. It’s so great. We are very lucky.

Do you ever just pinch yourself and say is this really happening?

Yes, I really do. I just feel so, so lucky and so grateful and I really want Lifetime to pick it up for more seasons. I hate the waiting game for that.

I have to believe that everything from the network is positive for you guys.

It’s always positive but until you get that call saying you’ve been picked up, no show knows. So it’s always a stressful…It’s like pick us up already!

I’ll work on that, Josh.

Thank you. [Laughs] You’re going to save our show.

Wow, if only I had that kind of power.

The reason we are still on I believe is that Lifetime has not had a lot of their shows historically make it past a year. And I really believe it’s because the bloggers and the critics and everybody got people to watch the show. So I’m very indebted to people in your job.

“Drop Dead Diva” airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on Lifetime…

Photo Credits: Bob Mahoney/Lifetime, Lifetime, & Bob Mahoney/Lifetime

"The Sing-Off" Gets Its Third Judge

Sara Bareilles has been added as the third judge for “The Sing-Off” returning this fall to NBC…

Bareilles will join Ben Folds and Shawn Stockman (Boyz II Men). She replaces Nicole Scherzinger, who has moved on to FOX’s “The X Factor.” Nick Lachey returns as host.

“The Sing-Off” premieres Monday, September 19^th at 8 p.m. The show will follow a weekly format with two-hour episodes…

Photo Credit: Heidi Ross

Will Roseanne Butcher Another Anthem Attempt?

As if “Roseanne’s Nuts” wasn’t bad enough already…

In this Wednesday’s episode, Roseanne is invited to sing the National Anthem at a local softball game. Seriously?

From the press release: “As she debates whether or not to accept the invitation, Roseanne enlists the aid of her friend, singer Bonnie Bramlett, to help rehearse for the big day.”

Wow, could this show be any more set up? But remember, Roseanne is through with Hollywood…

I think we all know that Roseanne’s last anthem rendition almost 20 years ago was just Roseanne trying—and failing miserably—to be funny. I’m sure this one will be just fine—no matter how much drama the show tries to milk from it…

“Roseanne’s Nuts” airs Wednesday, July 20^th at 9 p.m. on Lifetime…

TNT Pulls the Plug On a Good One

Friday, TNT dropped the hammer on one of its most critically acclaimed series…

The network cancelled “Men of a Certain Age.”

The show won a Peabody award, but it never caught on in the ratings.

As much as I love the folks at TNT, I’m really bummed about this one and I think the network needs to shoulder much of the blame. Splitting up the seasons by six months didn’t do the show any favors and I don’t think people ever quite understood what it was. Some people were no doubt expecting a sitcom since Ray Romano was involved.

And what about that title? That just screamed a show just for men, didn’t it?

If you never watched it, you missed a heartwarming drama about real men living real lives. I’m going to miss it…

Photo Credit: Danny Feld/TNT

Charlie Sheen Makes It Official

It’s official. Charlie Sheen is returning to television…

He just needs a showrunner…and some writers…and a network…

“Variety” reports that Sheen has officially signed a deal with Lionsgate to star in a sitcom based on the 2003 film, “Anger Management.”

According to the report, the show will be executive produced by Joe Roth and shopped to cable and syndication buyers, much like Lionsgate has done with Tyler Perry’s series and Ice Cube’s “Are We There Yet.”

Roth worked with Sheen on several films including “Major League” and “Young Guns”…

It's Official: Shaq Joins TNT

Today, Turner Sports had a media conference call to announced the news that Shaquille O’Neal will be joining TNT as an analyst on the studio show. He’ll sit alongside Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley. He’ll also contribute to NBA TV and NBA.com throughout the season.

Here are some other snippets from the call today…

O’Neal on his planned “broadcast style”: “I’m just going to try to be charismatic, funny, and very professional. My favorite analytical guy is Bryant Gumbel. I love him. He’s so smooth and he’s intelligent. Hopefully, I can get to that level one day.”

O’Neal on what gave Turner the edge over other networks: “It was very tempting. I have a tremendous amount of respect for [the other networks]. I felt that Turner and TNT was the place for me. It has always been my favorite show. I thought that was just the best fit for me.”

O’Neal on fitting in with an established group: “I don’t think it will be hard for me. I’ve always been a people person. [The] good thing about this show, everyone has their own opinion. Kenny has his opinion from a guard’s point of view, Charles has his opinion from a forward’s point of view and I have my opinion from a center’s point of view. I know it will work out very well.”

O’Neal on concerns about having time to give his opinion during the time allotted: “It is not a concern for me. I’ve always been a team player. I know when to fit in or sit back and relax. I’m just honored that they invited me and chose me. I’m just going to make it more fun than it already is.”

I think Smith and Barkley have a great chemistry, so I hope this doesn’t turn into a “The NFL Today” kind of thing and the chemistry gets totally blown…

Doris Roberts Comes to "Cleveland"

“Hot In Cleveland” continues its cavalcade of legendary sitcom guest stars Wednesday with Doris Roberts (“Everybody Loves Raymond”).

Roberts will play an old rival of Elka (Betty White). Antonio Sabato, Jr. also guests in the episode.

“Hot In Cleveland” airs Wednesday, July20th at 10 p.m. on TV Land…

Photo Credit: TV Land

The "Glee" Shocker: What's All the Fuss About?

File this in the category of what’s all the fuss about…

The Internet is abuzz about the “The Hollywood Reporter” story that Lea Michele (Rachel), Cory Monteith (Finn) and Chris Colfer (Kurt) will not be back for season four of “Glee.”

But I posted just a few weeks ago about another story where co-creator/executive producer Ryan Murphy said the seniors would graduate on time. And I don’t even watch the show, but I knew that Rachel and Finn were seniors. So why is everyone calling this news such a shocker?

I’m not saying it’s not shocking to jettison the most popular cast members of a show for storyline reasons. I’m just saying it was more shocking the first time I heard it back weeks ago…

We’ll find out who else is leaving at the end of season three when “Glee” premieres Tuesday, September 20^th at 8 p.m. on FOX…

Photo Credit: Chris Cuffaro/FOX

My Conversation With the "Auction Hunters"

Today’s “Stay Tuned” column is all about my newest TV addiction, “Auction Hunters.”

If you’ve never seen it, it’s a cool show where two guys—Allen Haff and Ton Jones—travel the country bidding on abandoned storage units. But they don’t get to scrounge around and see what’s inside. They can only stand outside and peer in with a flashlight for just a few minutes before the bidding starts. It’s only after they win a unit that we get to find out what’s inside AND how much they’ll get for it.

Tuesday, Spike TV continues the second season of the series, while the guys are currently in production on the third season. That third season will take them all over the country, including to Alaska. And there will also be a special live episode in 2012.

Recently, I had the chance to talk to Allen and Ton about the show. I got to hear how the two got started and just how competitive the business is. Plus, I got a very special invitation. Here’s a transcript of our conversation…

How did you all get started in the whole auction hunting business?

Allen: Well, this is sort of the end of the road for me. I started getting dragged around—my mom was an antique dealer, collector, still is—and used to drag me around to estate sales and yard sales in the summer time in Michigan. So I kind of got into it that way. I always knew the value of old stuff. And I watched a lot of “The Price Is Right.” And I studied the Sunday paper and I just really was kind of like a waste of brain power. But I’m really good at numbers and what things are worth. So in our business, when you resell, things are basically a third of what they go for new. I’ve just about sold everything you can sell. I’ve been an antique dealer, I owned an estate sale company and finally, I manned up and got into this business. And I’m telling you this is like digging on steroids. It’s way more fun than picking up one item at an estate sale and going and tripling your money or quadrupling your money. We pick up entire households and entire businesses and so, it’s hard work, but obviously, it’s gratifying. If you’ve seen the show, you know about that.

Ton: I started out doing vehicle auctions and repossession auctions and after about four years, five years, the auctioneer asked me why I never showed up to his storage auctions. And I told him I really had no interest and he said well you could make some money in it. So I followed him over to a storage auction and he wasn’t lying. I started making some really good money in it. And I kind of got hooked right away. It was a nice way to make a secondary income to help fund my wildlife rescue.

How is it that you guys ended up working together?

Allen: In our business basically, it’s, people kind of move around in packs. I’m a San Fernando Valley guy and Ton is an Antelope Valley guy. There’s a difference in mentality. It’s a different crowd. I was battling on my own and once in a while our paths would cross. I noticed early on we were just costing each other money. And then after getting to know Ton a little bit, I admit I judged him harshly. I judged a book by its cover. Then he opened his mouth and I realized wait a minute. This guy’s really smart, well-informed and I could tell he was a hard worker because he was buying a lot of the units I didn’t have the energy to do. So, I was like, if I work with this guy and we split a room, we’re saving our financial resources and we’re clearing them out in twice the time. And he knew more of the people to sell some of the tools and sporting goods equipment, and I knew more of the people in the antique world, so it was kind of cool. We each had our very clear line of responsibility and after you do it that way it’s really not fun to be in a storage unit by yourself uncovering something awesome and trying to give yourself a high five. And I told him, he used to send me cell phone pictures of hey, look what I just found. I would reply back, Stick it. No, I’d reply back, Why are you trying to rub my face in it? So, hey, basically it just got to the point where we had so much business together that it’s just cleaner to go 50-50 on everything—expenses, the whole deal. So it’s really cool that these shows started happening and ole Ton and I were pulled in and offered other opportunities and we just decided, hey, let’s do this one together.

One of the things that hooked me on the show is there’s this thrill of seeing what you guys are going to find in there. Is that what it’s about for you guys? The thrill? The adrenaline rush?

Allen: It’s addictive. It’s absolutely addictive. I can’t even tell you. We spend a lot of money to buy units and because Ton and I buy in volume, large amounts of units, and we’re lucky to have made money early on so we’re able to just put that right back into the units. It’s addictive, it’s compulsive, it’s a drug. And I have to tell you the look in my eye is probably not that different than someone who’s jonesing for a chemical. And Ton has to calm me down. He’s very logical about his approach to this business. And there’s probably no hiding the fact that for me it’s emotional. I find some items that maybe I’ve sold them before and I tell you, it just feels like I’m seeing an old friend I haven’t seen in a while and I know how to sell it because I’ve done it before, And those are the moments that get me excited. And you’ll see that with Ton once in a while with firearms. You’ll see a little boy on Christmas morning who got exactly what he dreamed of. And sometimes more than he dreamed of.

The episode I got to see last week was about Quadzilla [a suped up ATV], so I saw some eyes light up.

Allen: I’m going to tell you about Quadzilla. Thankfully, this is not on camera. I had this great idea I was going to fire it up and ride it in the storage unit. You didn’t see that on the show, did you? Some stupid idiot that had never operated the Quadzilla realized that if he pulled the gas and then kicked it into gear just the wrong way, that thing would flip and then the stupid idiot in question would fall and hurt himself. That happened. That happened. You didn’t catch me on that Quadzilla after that. I had had my Quadzilla fun. After that point I let Ton tear it up with it.

Ton, what’s the hook for you?

Ton: For me, it is the everyday treasure hunt. I cannot sit behind a desk on a 9-5 and I applaud those who can. If I stay stagnant too long, I get an itch to travel. An itch for a road trip. I want to go do something. I cannot be in one place for too long. I always have to be doing something. And if it’s chasing down storage units and treasure hunting, that’s two things I have a lot of fun doing. And having a partner in Allen on the road, it’s always fun. So when you actually get up in the morning and you’ve got to chase down these storage units as a treasure hunt and you’ve got a buddy to do it with and you have a lot of fun, I’m never going back to a regular job. I want to sit here, dig these units, go treasure hunting, have as much fun, goof off as much as possible and make a living doing it.

Ton, what would you say is the coolest thing you’ve ever found?

Ton: Texas, the Texas episode where we found a large amount of firearms was probably really cool. That’s a really tough question for me. Every time there’s a safe in a room, I get giddy—whether it’s full of something or not—just the fact that I get to break into it makes me happy. And that’s really cool for me. Every time we see a gun case, opening up is a really cool moment for me. And everybody says in this business they had this one great huge find that changed their life. I’ve had a lot of them that changed my life, but the one big one I’m still on the hunt for. That’s what keeps me going every day. So it’s really hard to say which one’s the best. They’re all pretty cool.

Allen, what are the cool things that really light your eyes up?

Allen: That is always a hard question and I even had a second to think about it. But the Texas situation was really amazing. Again, this is the thing about the limits of television. We bought a lot of those pods, like 11 containers. But what’s really cool is we had a really good feeling about the ones early on. And in those units, we had every single thing Ton and I ever wanted to find. And I’m not exaggerating. They didn’t go into it on the show, because probably people on Spike don’t care, but the fact is we probably had a couple thousand dollars of Hummel figurines that I got excited about because I made money on those. We had lead crystal, which they did show a little bit of, but they didn’t show our research that we did on the Internet finding that the minimum those glasses go for is $75, can be $125 a piece. We had antique furniture that we really didn’t focus too much on with the cameras rolling, but we made beautiful money on. So sometimes it looks like we made 20, 25 grand in these situations. But the fact is, I think Ton and I made a lot more than that. We still haven’t sold everything, and there’s a point in that show where I’m on my knees, and we open this box, and the sweet release is not only do we have the guns, we have more guns than we would’ve imagined. The guy was a gun collector and we had a, I can remember them very closely. We had the Colt Python, which is such a bad gun. That’s a gun a guy like me should never have in his hand in the first place, and would never have had in his hand. But it is never going to leave our arsenal. We basically were laughing uncontrollably and I couldn’t even believe how good those units were. It’s days like that that really make the rest of those days which are generably miserable, worth it. So that’s kind of the cool thing. When you see us having that moment, the reason why we’re celebrating on the show all the time is because we’re showing you guys those great exciting moments. But we’re not showing you the time when we don’t have anything to high five about. And I have to say there’s a lot of those. 80 percent of the units we buy are just okay. We don’t lose money because we’re good at this but we don’t get rich. We usually double our money or sell. And that’s not very good TV, so you’re going to see the stuff that stands out. We shoot 20 units to have one show.

So what can you guys tell me about this upcoming season? I know you guys are going to some really cool places.

Allen: I can’t believe that they’re paying us to do this. I can’t believe it. I mean, to go to Alaska, that’s the finest thing in the world. I’ve been to Alaska a few times. I have bought and sold antiques in Alaska before but it was sort of like a tourist thing. Not actually going in there with a mission like this. I can’t wait. What’s cooler than going to a place like Alaska, which really is its own country. We’re so lucky that we’ve got the American flag flying over there. The resources are incredible. The people are completely different. Obviously a lot of the people actually come from all over. But even still you feel like to me, it looks like something that should be in a George Lucas film up there. The clear streams where you can see the salmon just swimming there. You literally see the American bald eagle in the trees. And a lot of the folks that went chasing gold or oil in Alaska, they’re cowboys like us. So really this is going west, young man. It’s really going northwest up to Alaska. That’s kind of our final frontier in America, isn’t it? So we’re excited. We’ve got that pioneer spirit. We want to go up there and tear it up. And I can promise you this. I’m going to find the coolest souvenir in the world and bring it home from Alaska. And it’s probably going to be—I don’t know, Ton, what are we going to find up there?—maybe some cool knives or some kind of whaling thing or maybe like an Eskimo, old—I don’t even care man. Just give me something to remember my time because that’s what it’s all about. We don’t go to souvenir stands. We go to storage units.

Is this really as cutthroat and competitive as it appears on TV?

Allen: It’s worse. I’m not kidding. It’s worse because you’re seeing PG-13. I’ve been to auctions against some of the same old guys and it gets very personal. If I take a room, or outbid you on a room, I’m taking money out of your mouth. And if I do that six times in a row, six days in a row, six weeks in a row, you really have enemies in this business. Ton and I, the great thing about this show is that we’re floating around to a lot of new different locations. So we really don’t have time to aggravate people and have them on our tails. By the time they realize how serious we are and that they need to run us out of the business or cost us money, the auction’s over. So that’s what’s great. We have a reset button. Just because people see the show, they don’t really know what we’re going to do to them because we mix it up in real life. I’m not exaggerating that this is a really cutthroat business and it’s bigger than money for a lot of people that we know. There are some nasty, nasty people in the San Fernando Valley who if they just go out and cost you money—hundreds of thousands of dollars all day long—and they don’t even get a unit, they feel like they’ve done something. And it is one of those businesses where literally, I’m not kidding, there are gangs of bidders who will be out to get you. And I came up and still made money with that kind of temperament and that kind of atmosphere. And so did Ton out there in the Antelope Valley. I think real life can be much nicer but also a lot nastier depending on where you are. But the more money people make, the meaner they get because the more serious this business is to them. The guys coming out just for fun or to try it out or this is their first auction, or they’ve been at it for a couple of months, those guys are lovely. They’re never going to be a problem. But it’s the pros. Ton and I go to an auction in the San Fernando Valley, which is Mecca, because you’ve got the Hollywood studios, the rich movie stars, a lot of affluence, and a lot of people coming and going. Everybody’s from somewhere and they’re on there way somewhere in the Valley, so there’s a lot of units. It is, I’m telling you, it’s a bloodbath. What can I compare that to, Ton? The DMZ? What about those provinces overseas? I don’t want to get carried away. It is really, really…

Ton: It’s a brutal battle.

Allen: It really is. You know what? There are nice towns where everybody’s lovely to each other. But when it’s time to start bidding, and it’s me or you and only one guy gets to put his lock on it? It is that serious. And if you know how much money’s in this business, you would understand why it’s so serious. There’s a lot at stake. So that’s going to bring out a lot of competitive nature in people. I like people who are nice. I am nice at auctions. I’m probably nicer in real life than the way they cut it up on the show. But the only person I care about is riding along in that truck right next to me. Those guys, I don’t care how nice they are and how nice I am to them, those guys honestly just want what I want and only one person gets to put their lock on it. Ton actually says, hey, take it down a notch, because I’m cutthroat when that auction starts. It’s actually kind of funny. You’d think it would go the other way, but no. When that auction starts the bids, it’s very, like I said, the stakes are high. And I don’t have friends. The only friend I’ve got is that big guy right next to me. And as long as he likes me at the end of the day, I feel like I’ve done my job and I’ve got us the best stuff we can get.

Sometimes, Allen, it’s nice to have some muscle next to you.

Allen: It’s better to have a little muscle and not need it than to need a little muscle and not have it, I find. But I would just like to point out once and for all that I myself am 6’3”, 205 pounds, of some muscle. And even though you might think that Ton would attract a double team, I think I probably catch more punches in the face than he does. I just want to point that out that the little guy with the big mouth in real life is actually bigger than 90 percent of the bidders out there. Standing next to Ton is very slimming. I love it. Seriously, though, he attracts the attention and we know that so he’s going to be the lightning rod or the shield. And so while they’re worried about Ton, I’m sneaking around and swiping the room on them. And that’s our bit. That’s our thing. Do we get in fights in real life? We try to avoid it. Have I had to stand up for myself in situations that got physical? Of course, absolutely. And thank God we don’t put that on the show because that’s not the happy part of the business. That’s the ugly part of the business. And our show is about two guys who are buddies, who want to do well and who really like old stuff. And that’s why I think we’ve gotten the fans that we’ve gotten and we’re attracting a different crowd. And some of those other reality shows that want to concentrate on the negative and ugly aspects of this business. For us, those aren’t there. I don’t whitewash those. But I’m happy that the producers decided not to focus on that as much.

This upcoming live episode is going to be fun guys. I can’t wait.

Ton: [?]

Allen: Yeah, why don’t you come out to LA and you can watch us do it live?

Yeah, I’ll just see if I can get the newspaper to swing the budget for that one. I’ve got some time to work on it.

Allen: I tell you what. You get the newspaper to play ball and we’ll get you a ride in the big white truck. How about that?

Woo-hoo!

Allen: Yeah, and I’ll even share my flashlight with you.

Aww…

Allen: [Laughing]

Ton, Allen did most of the talking so I’m going to let you have the last word. Say whatever you want.

Ton: Good morning. [Laughs] No, this is a lot of fun and this upcoming season’s going to be awesome. The road trip alone is what I live for. Any day you can get up and have another road trip is another day you’re having fun. I mean, the more of this world I can see, the happier I’m going to be when I die. So I’ve got a lot of stuff to see.

You guys are awesome. I’ll let you get back to it. Thank you so much for your time. These episodes are new to me, but I can’t wait for the new season to start to see what else you guys uncover.

New episodes of "Auction Hunters" begin airing Tuesday, July 19th at 10 p.m. on Spike TV.

Photo Credit: Spike TV

A Few Final Emmy Nom Notes...

Having scoured over the entire Emmy nominations list, I just wanted to point out a few nominations…

First, check out this category:

Outstanding Original Music And Lyrics

Family Guy • Road To The North Pole (Song Title: Christmastime Is Killing Us) • FOX • Fox Television Animation

Ron Jones, Music by

Seth MacFarlane, Music & Lyrics by

Danny Smith, Lyrics by

Robert Klein: Unfair & Unbalanced • (Song Title: An American Prayer - Hymn II?) • HBO • Froben Enterprises in association with HBO Entertainment

Robert H. Stein, Music & Lyrics by

Robert Klein, Music & Lyrics by

Saturday Night Live • Host: Jeff Bridges (Song Title: I Just Had Sex) • NBC • SNL Studios in association with NBC Studios and Broadway Video

Andy Samberg, Lyrics by

Akiva Schaffer, Lyrics by

Jorma Taccone, Lyrics by

Justin Franks, Music by

Jerrod Bettis, Music by

Saturday Night Live • Host: Justin Timberlake (Song Title: Justin Timberlake Monologue) • NBC • SNL Studios in association with NBC Studios and Broadway Video

Katreese Barnes, Music by

Seth Meyers, Lyrics by

Justin Timberlake, Lyrics by

John Mulaney, Lyrics by

Saturday Night Live • Host: Tina Fey (Song Title: Jack Sparrow) • NBC • SNL Studios in association with NBC Studios and Broadway Video

Andy Samberg, Lyrics by

Akiva Schaffer, Lyrics by

Jorma Taccone, Lyrics by

Mike Woods, Music by

Saturday Night Live • Host: JustinTimberlake (Song Title: 3-Way (The Golden Rule)) • NBC • SNL Studios in association with NBC Studios and Broadway Video

Andy Samberg, Music & Lyrics by

Akiva Schaffer, Music & Lyrics by

Jorma Taccone, Music & Lyrics by

Justin Timberlake, Music & Lyrics by

Don’t you love it? Personally, I’m rooting for “Jack Sparrow.” Michael Bolton totally rocked that one…

My friend, Sean Callery, was snubbed of an Original Score nomination for “The Kennedys,” but he did receive a Main Title Theme nod…

And kudos to the great Paul McCrane for receiving a Guest Actor in a Drama nom for his work as Josh Peyton in “Harry’s Law.” Of course, he’s up against the great Michael J. Fox (“The Good Wife”), but it’s the thought that counts…

By the way, none of the possible Tri-State connections made it on the nominations list this year. But there's always next year...

Feel free to share any of your comments about the nominations here or on Facebook or Twitter…

The Movie/Mini-Series, Supporting and Reality Categories

Here’s a look at the Movie/Mini-Series, Supporting and Reality Emmy Categories, straight from the Academy Press Release…

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie

Carlos • Sundance Channel • Daniel Leconte/Film en Stock with the participation of Canal Plus and ARTE in association with Sundance Channel, co-produced by Egoli Tossel

Edgar Ramirez as Carlos

The Kennedys • ReelzChannel • A Muse Entertainment Production in association with Asylum Entertainment

Greg Kinnear as John F. Kennedy

The Kennedys • ReelzChannel • A Muse Entertainment Production in association with Asylum Entertainment

Barry Pepper as Bobby Kennedy

Luther • BBC America • A BBC and BBC America co-production distributed by BBC Worldwide

Idris Elba as John Luther

Thurgood • HBO • A Stevens Company Production in association with Ostar Productions, Cinema Gypsy Productions and HBO Films

Laurence Fishburne as Thurgood Marshall

Too Big To Fail • HBO • A Spring Creek and A Deuce Three Production in association with HBO Films

William Hurt as Henry 'Hank' Paulson

I am SO happy for Barry Pepper. He totally deserves this one, but I don’t think he has a chance…

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie

Cinema Verite • HBO • A Pariah Production in association with HBO Films

Diane Lane as Patricia Loud

Downton Abbey (Masterpiece) • PBS • A co-production of Carnival and Masterpiece

Elizabeth McGovern as Cora, Countess of Grantham

Mildred Pierce • HBO • A Killer Films/John Wells Production in association with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and HBO Miniseries

Kate Winslet as Mildred Pierce

Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story • Lifetime • High Street Films, Inc in association with Lifetime

Taraji P. Henson as Tiffany Rubin

Upstairs Downstairs (Masterpiece) • PBS • A co-production of BBC Wales and WGBH Boston

Jean Marsh as Rose Buck

Outstanding Miniseries Or Movie

Cinema Verite • HBO • A Pariah Production in association with HBO Films

Downton Abbey (Masterpiece) • PBS • A co-production of Carnival and Masterpiece

The Kennedys • ReelzChannel • A Muse Entertainment Production in association with Asylum Entertainment

Mildred Pierce • HBO • A Killer Films/John Wells Production in association with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and HBO Miniseries

The Pillars Of The Earth • Starz • Tandem Communications and Muse Entertainment in association with Scott Free Films

Too Big To Fail • HBO • A Spring Creek and A Deuce Three Production in association with HBO Films

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series

Glee • FOX • Ryan Murphy Productions in association with Twentieth Century Fox Television

Chris Colfer as Kurt Hummel

Modern Family • ABC • Twentieth Century Fox Television

Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell Pritchett

Modern Family • ABC • Twentieth Century Fox Television

Ed O'Neill as Jay Pritchett

Modern Family • ABC • Twentieth Century Fox Television

Eric Stonestreet as Cameron Tucker

Modern Family • ABC • Twentieth Century Fox Television

Ty Burrell as Phil Dunphy

Two And A Half Men • CBS • Chuck Lorre Productions, Inc., The Tannenbaum Company in association with Warner Bros. Television

Jon Cryer as Alan Harper

I am, of course, thrilled for Jon Cryer, but I hate that it came at the expense of Neil Patrick Harris.

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series

Game Of Thrones • HBO • Bighead, Littlehead, 360 Television, Grok and

Generator Productions in association with HBO Entertainment

Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister

The Good Wife • CBS • CBS Productions

Josh Charles as Will Gardner

The Good Wife • CBS • CBS Productions

Alan Cumming as Eli Gold

Justified • FX Networks • Sony Pictures Television and FX Productions

Walton Goggins as Boyd Crowder

Mad Men • AMC • Lionsgate Television

John Slattery as Roger Sterling

Men Of A Certain Age • TNT • TNT Original Production

Andre Braugher as Owen

SO happy for Josh Charles. I’m happy for Braugher too, but I wish “Men” would have gotten a little bit more love. The future of the show might be depending on it. And I was hoping that the voters would show some well-deserved love to John Noble ("Fringe").

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie

The Kennedys • ReelzChannel • A Muse Entertainment Production in association with Asylum Entertainment

Tom Wilkinson as Joe Kennedy

Mildred Pierce • HBO • A Killer Films/John Wells Production in association with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and HBO Miniseries

Guy Pearce as Monty Beragon

Mildred Pierce • HBO • A Killer Films/John Wells Production in association with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and HBO Miniseries

Brian F. O'Byrne as Bert Pierce

Too Big To Fail • HBO • A Spring Creek and A Deuce Three Production in association with HBO Films

Paul Giamatti as Ben Bernanke

Too Big To Fail • HBO • A Spring Creek and A Deuce Three Production in association with HBO Films

James Woods as Richard Fuld

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series

Glee • FOX • Ryan Murphy Productions in association with Twentieth Century Fox Television

Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester

Hot In Cleveland • TV Land • Hudson Street Productions

Betty White as Elka Ostrosky

Modern Family • ABC • Twentieth Century Fox Television

Julie Bowen as Claire Dunphy

Modern Family • ABC • Twentieth Century Fox Television

Sofia Vergara as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett

Saturday Night Live • NBC • SNL Studios in association with NBC Studios and Broadway Video

Kristen Wiig as Various characters

30 Rock • NBC • Broadway Video, Little Stranger, Inc. in association with Universal Media Studios

Jane Krakowski as Jenna Maroney

Really thought with all the “Big Bang Theory” love we’d see Mayim Bialik here.

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series

Boardwalk Empire • HBO • Leverage, Closest to the Hole Productions, Sikelia Productions and Cold Front Productions in association with HBO Entertainment

Kelly Macdonald as Margaret Schroeder

The Good Wife • CBS • CBS Productions

Archie Panjabi as Kalinda Sharma

The Good Wife • CBS • CBS Productions

Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart

Justified • FX Networks • Sony Pictures Television and FX Productions

Margo Martindale as Mags Bennett

The Killing • AMC • Fox Television Studios

Michelle Forbes as Mitch Larsen

Mad Men • AMC • Lionsgate Television

Christina Hendricks as Joan Harris

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie

Downton Abbey (Masterpiece) • PBS • A co-production of Carnival and Masterpiece

Maggie Smith as Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham

Mildred Pierce • HBO • A Killer Films/John Wells Production in association with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and HBO Miniseries

Evan Rachel Wood as Veda Pierce

Mildred Pierce • HBO • A Killer Films/John Wells Production in association with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and HBO Miniseries

Melissa Leo as Lucy Gessler

Mildred Pierce • HBO • A Killer Films/John Wells Production in association with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and HBO Miniseries

Mare Winningham as Ida

Upstairs Downstairs (Masterpiece) • PBS • A co-production of BBC Wales and WGBH Boston

Eileen Atkins as Lady Maud Holland

Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality-Competition Program

The Amazing Race • CBS • World Race Productions Inc.

Phil Keoghan, Host

American Idol • FOX • FremantleMedia North America, Inc. and 19 TV Limited

Ryan Seacrest, Host

Dancing With The Stars • ABC • BBC Worldwide Productions

Tom Bergeron, Host

So You Think You Can Dance • FOX • Dick Clark Productions in association with 19 Entertainment

Cat Deeley, Host

Survivor • CBS • SEG Inc.

Jeff Probst, Host

So glad to see Cat Deeley instead of Heidi Klum…

Outstanding Variety, Music Or Comedy Series

The Colbert Report • Comedy Central • Hello Doggie, Inc. with Busboy Productions and Spartina Productions

Conan • TBS • Conaco LLC

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart • Comedy Central • Central Productions, LLC

Late Night With Jimmy Fallon • NBC • Produced by Universal Media Studios and Broadway Video

Real Time With Bill Maher • HBO • Bill Maher Productions and Brad Grey Television in association with HBO Entertainment

Saturday Night Live • NBC • SNL Studios in association with NBC Studios and Broadway Video

No surprise that Conan would be back on Emmys’ list. But did “SNL” really deserve to be?

Outstanding Reality Program

Antiques Roadshow • PBS • WGBH Boston

Deadliest Catch • Discovery Channel • Produced by Original Productions, LLC for Discovery Communications

Hoarders • A&E • Screaming Flea Productions, Inc. for A&E Networks

Kathy Griffin: My Life On The D-List • Bravo • Picture This Television

MythBusters • Discovery Channel • Produced by Beyond Productions Pty. Ltd. for The Discovery Channel

Undercover Boss • CBS • Studio Lambert

Outstanding Reality-Competition Program

The Amazing Race • CBS • World Race Productions Inc.

American Idol • FOX • FremantleMedia North America, Inc. and 19 TV Limited

Dancing With The Stars • ABC • BBC Worldwide Productions

Project Runway • Lifetime • The Weinstein Company, Miramax Films, Bunim-Murray Productions and Full Picture

So You Think You Can Dance • FOX • Dick Clark Productions in association with 19 Entertainment

Top Chef • Bravo • Magical Elves

Yea, “Top Chef.” But “Project Runway”? Boo Hiss!