The SAG Awards also nominate and vote for outstanding performances by film and television stunt ensembles.

The Screen Actors Guild Awards include the Life Achievement Award is given annually to an established performer for nurturing the highest ideals of the acting profession and tributes to the varied talents within the Guild’s membership.

The Screen Actors Guild Awards are also distinctive in the size of its voting body. Two randomly selected panels of 2,100 SAG members each from across the United States choose the nominees for television and motion pictures.

The final ballot then goes out to the full guild membership — approximately 100,000 members — who select the outstanding performances of the year.

The Screen Actors Guild Awards is the only national network television show to recognize the work of union members; affiliated with the AFL-CIO through the Associated Actors and Artistes of America.

The Screen Actors Guild Awards also benefits the Screen Actors Guild Foundation, which provides a meaningful way for SAG members to contribute to the literacy of children in their respective communities via BookPals (Performing Artists for Literacy in Schools), its online component, Storyline, and the We the Children family-heritage book-writing project.

Interestingly, the SAG Foundation programs provide emergency relief to members in economic distress, video and audio preservation of the creative legacy of SAG members, scholarships for performers and their children and emergency funds for members with catastrophic illnesses.

The 18^th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards Nominees were announced on December 14, 2011 from the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles, CA at 9am EST.

The awards season’s premier events, 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will be simulcast live coast to-coast on TNT and TBS on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012, at 8 p.m. (ET), 7 p.m. (CT), 6 p.m. (MT) and 5 p.m. (PT)from the Shrine Exposition Center in Los Angeles. It will also air internationally as well.

Some incisive comments about the SAG 2012 Nominees, indicate that the SAG awards are timely and veritably interconnected with the Academy Award nominee process, along with the Golden Globe Nominees, The Los Angeles Film Critics choices, The New York Art Critics picks, The Foreign Press Association’s choices, The AFI Awards, The Spirit Awards, and the Emmy, Tony, and the Guild Awards:

“The ensemble prize at the SAG Awards is one of the most reliable prophets of Academy Award glory, and while Wednesday’s Screen Actors Guild nominations clarified the front-runners for the best picture Oscar race, they may have muddied the outlook for the second tier of movies.

The 2,100 nominating voters in the actors union picked "The Help," "The Artist," "The Descendants," "Midnight in Paris" and "Bridesmaids" for its cast award, SAG’s honor for the year’s top production. While "Bridesmaids," a raunchy comedy, was a mild surprise, the other four selections were favorites.

"I think actors understand how hard comedy is, and that’s why we were acknowledged," said Judd Apatow, who produced "Bridesmaids."

The civil rights drama "The Help" collected the most nominations, with four, while "The Artist" — a black-and-white silent film — was second with three. In including "Bridesmaids," SAG voters bypassed some year-end releases that have strong pedigrees and critical buzz. Not one cast member from Stephen Daldry’s 9/11 story "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," Steven Spielberg’s World War I drama "War Horse" or Martin Scorsese’s 3-D family film "Hugo" received a nomination. Two of December’s most acclaimed performances — Michael Fassbender playing a sex addict in "Shame" and Gary Oldman as a master spy in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" — also were not nominated.

Awards-watchers are now waiting to see how those films fare with Golden Globes nominations, which were announced on Thursday morning, December 15 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. A number of those movies, including "Extremely Loud," as well as David Fincher’s "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," are not in theaters yet and only recently started screening for critics and awards voters. It’s unclear how many people on SAG’s nominating panel saw those movies before ballots were due.

Last season, all five of SAG’s ensemble nominees earned nominations in the best picture Oscar race, with both SAG and the academy choosing "The King’s Speech" as the year’s top film. But while SAG selects five nominees for its ensemble award, there can be up to 10 nominees for the best picture Academy Award.

The nominating process creates a coalescing of varied interests and makes the political component of picking Motion Picture Film Awards along with Television Show winners more predictable and palpable for both our Industry Town and the general public throughout the world.

That being the case, the following is a list of nominees for the 18^th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards:

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES
Outstanding performance by a male actor in a leading role

DEMIÁN BICHIR / Carlos Galindo – "A BETTER LIFE"
GEORGE CLOONEY / Matt King – "THE DESCENDANTS"
LEONARDO DiCAPRIO / J. Edgar Hoover – "J. EDGAR"
JEAN DUJARDIN / George – "THE ARTIST"
BRAD PITT / Billy Beane – "MONEYBALL"
Outstanding performance by a female actor in a leading role

GLENN CLOSE / Albert Nobbs – "ALBERT NOBBS"
VIOLA DAVIS / Aibileen Clark – "THE HELP"
MERYL STREEP / Margaret Thatcher – "THE IRON LADY"
TILDA SWINTON / Eva – "WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN"
MICHELLE WILLIAMS / Marilyn Monroe – "MY WEEK WITH MARILYN"
Outstanding performance by a male actor in a supporting role

KENNETH BRANAGH / Sir Laurence Olivier – "MY WEEK WITH MARILYN"
ARMIE HAMMER / Clyde Tolson – "J. EDGAR"
JONAH HILL / Peter Brand – "MONEYBALL"
NICK NOLTE / Paddy Conlon – "WARRIOR"
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER / Hal – "BEGINNERS"
Outstanding performance by a female actor in a supporting role

BÉRÉNICE BEJO / Peppy – "THE ARTIST"
JESSICA CHASTAIN / Celia Foote – "THE HELP"
MELISSA McCARTHY / Megan – "BRIDESMAIDS"
JANET McTEER / Hubert Page – "ALBERT NOBBS"
OCTAVIA SPENCER / Minny Jackson – "THE HELP"
Outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture
"THE ARTIST"
"BRIDESMAIDS"
"THE DESCENDANTS"
"THE HELP"
"MIDNIGHT IN PARIS"
TELEVISION
Outstanding performance by a male actor in a drama series

PATRICK J. ADAMS / Mike Ross – "SUITS"
STEVE BUSCEMI / Enoch "Nucky" Thomson – "BOARDWALK EMPIRE"
KYLE CHANDLER / Eric Taylor – "FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS"
BRYAN CRANSTON / Walter White – "BREAKING BAD"
MICHAEL C. HALL / Dexter Morgan – "DEXTER"
Outstanding performance by a female actor in a drama series

KATHY BATES / Harriet Korn – "HARRY’S LAW"
GLENN CLOSE / Patty Hewes – "DAMAGES"
JESSICA LANGE / Constance – "AMERICAN HORROR STORY"
JULIANNA MARGULIES / Alicia Florrick – "THE GOOD WIFE"
KYRA SEDGWICK / Dept. Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson – "THE CLOSER"
Outstanding performance by a male actor in a comedy series

ALEC BALDWIN / Jack Donaghy – "30 ROCK"
TY BURRELL / Phil Dunphy – "MODERN FAMILY"
STEVE CARELL / Michael Scott – "THE OFFICE"
JON CRYER / Alan Harper – "TWO AND A HALF MEN"
ERIC STONESTREET / Cameron Tucker – "MODERN FAMILY"
Outstanding performance by a female actor in a comedy series

JULIE BOWEN / Claire Dunphy – "MODERN FAMILY"
EDIE FALCO / Jackie Peyton – "NURSE JACKIE"
TINA FEY / Liz Lemon – "30 ROCK"
SOFIA VERGARA / Gloria Delgado-Pritchett – "MODERN FAMILY"
BETTY WHITE / Elka Ostrovsky – "HOT IN CLEVELAND"
Outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series

"BOARDWALK EMPIRE"
"BREAKING BAD"
"DEXTER"
"GAME OF THRONES"
"THE GOOD WIFE"
Outstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy series
"30 ROCK"
"THE BIG BANG THEORY"
"GLEE"
"MODERN FAMILY"
"THE OFFICE"
Outstanding performance by a male actor in a television movie or miniseries

LAURENCE FISHBURNE / Thurgood Marshall – "THURGOOD"
PAUL GIAMATTI / Ben Bernanke – "TOO BIG TO FAIL"
GREG KINNEAR / Jack Kennedy – "THE KENNEDYS"
GUY PEARCE / Monty Beragon – "MILDRED PIERCE"
JAMES WOODS / Richard Fuld – "TOO BIG TO FAIL"
Outstanding performance by a female actor in a television movie or Miniseries

DIANE LANE / Pat Loud – "CINEMA VERITE"
MAGGIE SMITH / Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham – "DOWNTON ABBEY"
EMILY WATSON / Janet Leach – "APPROPRIATE ADULT"
BETTY WHITE / Caroline Thomas – "HALLMARK HALL OF FAME: THE LOST VALENTINE"
KATE WINSLET / Mildred Pierce – "MILDRED PIERCE"
HONORS FOR STUNT ENSEMBLES
Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture

THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU
COWBOYS & ALIENS
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2
TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON
X-MEN: FIRST CLASS
Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series

DEXTER
GAME OF THRONES
SOUTHLAND
SPARTACUS: GODS OF THE ARENA
TRUE BLOOD
48TH LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
MARY TYLER MOORE

Built in the early 1920s and located on and just below 2690 West Beachwood Drive are a keepsake of the early historic remnants of the beginning and history of Hollywoodland: Two Stone Gates

What started out only as an idea and concept in the minds of railway magnates Eli P. Clark, and M. H. Sherman, when they acquired 640 acres to create an exclusive hillside community–aptly named Hollywoodland.

And to make their dreams come true, Clark and Sherman partnered with LA Times publisher Harry Chandler, and real estate developers Tracy E. Shoults, and S. H. Woodruff.

Thus, Hollywoodland was born.

Over the years, many famous people have passed by the Two Stone Gates on their way home. Mary Mallory, who serves on the Hollywood Heritage Board of Directors and wrote Hollywoodland, describes the early residents of the area including Graphics designer Romain di Tirtoff, also known as Erte, was the first celebrity resident of the neighborhood. 

Also ensconced into the history books of the area’s famous residents include such stars as Bela Lugosi, Robert Montgomery, Gale Sondergaard, Ned Beatty, Jon Cryer, and Kathy Bates have all lived here and called the place home.  Included are such artists as writers James M. Cain, and Aldous Huxley, screenwriter/director Herbert Biberman, film director Norman Z. McLeod, and composers Max Steiner, and Miklos Rozsa whom have all also called it home.

Musicians including Benny Carter, Stan Kenton, Peter Tork, Madonna, and Moby, have all resided in the Hollywood Hills vicinity.

So, what started as crop land in the 1880s subsequently became an artist’s retreat. As time remains the great equalizer–it’s amazing what a little promotion can do.

Earth Day is the start of a new paradigm shift from using oil, coal and nuclear energy (to wit: the recent disaster in Japan’s horrific nuclear reactors meltdowns) for our generation’s dedication to green and environmentally friendly goals, the development to reach that objective and the translation of how to get there from here. It’s our generation’s “Manhattan Project.”

To be sure, it will take time, research, and a dedication to change the current status-quo. The process will be long, trying, and have many failures and successes along the way, but in the long run our quality of life and for future generations will continue to grow and prosper. (After all, oil has only a fixed amount left, we buy it from people who don’t like us very much, and it carbon based elements are quickly destroying our environment.)

And it’s a day to celebrate, to be inspired, become motivated and gain new appreciation for the Earth’s fragility and our need to use this day to work with each other.

Nonetheless, although Earth Day has grown larger and larger over its over 40 years, there’s still much work to be done–by everyone.

To help bring some of these a few of theses current environmental issues to the forefront KCET is honoring Earth Day by presenting several programs in April–all of demonstrating our current vulnerability of our planet and the growing urgency for everyone to take action now (yesterday!)

On Thursday, April 14^th at 10:00pm, you can watch the film Desert Oasis: Creating A Wetlands Park In Las Vegas

Be sure to check your calendar on April 21^st, at 9:30pm for a viewing America’s Grasslands: A Threatened National Resource:

Turn in for Bloom: The Plight Of Lake Champlain on April 21^st, at 10:00pm:

Also, don’t forget Scarred Lands and Wounded Lives: The Environmental Footprint of War on April 26^th, at 10:00pm:

The term “Burned” is coined by those in the intelligence services when they have been unknowingly discharged without notice as a secret agent or operative for unknown reasons, and all of their personal history is erased along with all of their known records in the process.

They are left with no money, no credit, no job history, and whatever city that’s been decided to have been left in.

In Michael Westen’s case, he’s left in Miami, where he grew up, and where both his mom as played by Sharon Gless, (Madeleine Westen), and his brother Nate played by Seth Peterson, happen to live.

The other main characters that make this series such a guilty pleasure are Gabrielle Anwar, as Fiona Glenanne, a beautiful and sexy former IRA operative and Westen’s ex-girlfriend.

A large part of the emotional and melodramatic interplay is their complicated relationship—both when they’re working together to discover who “burned” Michael Westen along with the side jobs they take on to help ordinary citizens from various nefarious characters like drug dealers, arms and drug traffickers, gangs, kidnappers and a slew of other types of criminal miscreants.

Westen’s ability to go “undercover” at any given moment using a multitude of various archetype characters–a simpleton janitor, a high end car fence gang head, or a multi-national terrorist rogue–Donovon’s, Weston, pulls off the high-stakes flim-flam with uber-talent and panache. And for good reason, it’s not only his “job,” but his and others lives at stake while he does so.

Michael and Fiona have a sizzling chemistry always boiling beneath the surface as Fiona still loves Michael, and probably the reverse, but the combination of their dangerous lives along with Michael’s impenetrable detachment from ever having a “normal” relationship, always keeps their pot from boiling over.

Sharon Gless, who plays Michael’s mom, Madeleine Westen, is at times part irritant, helper, adviser, psychologist and the overall kind of character that we come to not only like but also empathize with on many levels–she knows that Michael will never recover from his abuse as a child, and he will always be loyal to her and his brother, yet be forever psychologically disconnected– but at times receptive to her advice.

As the series progresses, Madeleine knows that Michael will never change and for reasons only he knows, he’ll always be drawn to the dangerous and mirrored world of espionage, but only as one of the “good guys.”

Lastly, the glue that holds the show together is the character Sam Axe, as played by actor Bruce Campbell. A former Navy Seal and ex-spy to the FBI on Westen, his character is always on the rebound to help Michael, Fiona, or Madeleine out of a jam.

His ties to the intelligence community at all times are helpful in Michael Westen’s quest to find out who and why he was burned, as well as part of their trio always helping an innocent citizen in their trials and tribulations in each episode, to escape from the clutches of a criminal who has them, or a loved one, fighting for their or another loved one’s survival.

His character is funny and as well professional, proving that Campbell too, knows his chops when it comes to the game of espionage and investigation. Frequently he uses the moniker, “Chuck Finley,” when having to do undercover work.

The series has many frequently used themes, most of them Michael’s ability to use any household or nearby item to improvise into a military, explosive or other device to help him out of a fix–cell phones, computers, fire extinguishers, duct tape,etc., which are among a never ending array of devices he’s been trained to use in a jam.

Donovon’s character, Michael Weston, is never at a loss to stay one step ahead of situations that seem almost impossible to which he’s either set-up or must escape from.

Another funny aspect to the show is how they name the various bad guy-good guy characters the moment that character is unveiled in an episode—if one of the character’s in an episode is a psychotic drug kingpin, then that name is immediately placed underneath the first glimpse of the character, creating a humorous and simple way of labeling people for maximum entertaining effect.

From episode to episode, Michael encounters people from both his past and his present that present what may seem opportunities for him to get closer to find out who burned him, or who are just out to get him for a myriad of reasons—a lot having to do with his black ops and secret agent past.

A new character that’s been introduced in season 3 is another “Burned” spy named Colby Bell, as played by Jesse Porter, whom Michael mistakenly burned out of ignorance, and now their working relationship is strained yet sustainable and professional.

Overall, with the series setting in Miami, the action packed into each episode, the dynamics between each and all the characters and the rouge’s rogues’ list of characters from episode to episode, Burn Notice makes for a delicious hour of fantasy which has just been renewed for a series 5 and 6.

Without the underling character dynamics that Burn Notice’s actors have successfully developed, and have been able to convey in an action packed series that are symbolic of real life complex interrelationships, Burn Notice might not be as good as it is. But with this brilliant cast, it’s a no-brainer show that’s full of fun and excitement in each and every one of its episodes.

Along with the other annual nominations by the American Film Institute–which has already announced its choices–the Film Critics Association, the Spirit Awards and soon to be Academy Award nominations .

This morning, the Screen Actors Guild otherwise better known for its acronym. (“SAG,”) has also announced its nominations.

SAG is the only televised awards show to exclusively honor actors by actors. The 17^th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will be simulcast live nationally on TNT and TBS on Sunday, January 30^th, 2011 at 8:00pm(ET), 7:00pm(CT), 6:00pm(MT) and 5:00pm(PT) from the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center.

Along with SAG being solely a peer to peer actors voting nationwide, it annually presents thirteen awards for acting in film and television.

Two randomly selected panels of 2100 SAG members each from across the United States choose the nominees for television and motion pictures. The final ballot then goes out to the full guild membership — approximately 100,000 members — who select the outstanding performances of the year.

SAG also sponsors contribute to the literacy of children in their communities through BookPALS (Performing Artists for Literacy in Schools), its online component, Storyline and the We The Children family-heritage book-writing project ,along with a myriad of other worthy projects which assist both the general community as well.

SAG’S 2011 Nominations

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

• JEFF BRIDGES / Rooster Cogburn – “TRUE GRIT” (Paramount Pictures)
• ROBERT DUVALL / Felix Bush – "GET LOW” (Sony Pictures Classics)
• JESSE EISENBERG / Mark Zuckerberg – "THE SOCIAL NETWORK" (Columbia Pictures)
• COLIN FIRTH / King George VI – "THE KING’S SPEECH" (The Weinstein Company)
• JAMES FRANCO / Aron Ralston – "127 HOURS" (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

• ANNETTE BENING / Nic – "THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT” (Focus Features)
• NICOLE KIDMAN / Becca – “RABBIT HOLE” (Lionsgate)
• JENNIFER LAWRENCE / Ree Dolly – “WINTER’S BONE” (Roadside Attractions)
• NATALIE PORTMAN / Nina Sayers – “BLACK SWAN” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
• HILARY SWANK / Betty Anne Waters – “CONVICTION” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

• CHRISTIAN BALE / Dicky Eklund – “THE FIGHTER” (Paramount Pictures)
• JOHN HAWKES / Teardrop – “WINTER’S BONE” (Roadside Attractions)
• JEREMY RENNER / James Coughlin – “THE TOWN” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
• MARK RUFFALO / Paul – “THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT” (Focus Features)
• GEOFFREY RUSH / Lionel Logue – “THE KING’S SPEECH” (The Weinstein Company)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

• AMY ADAMS / Charlene Fleming – “THE FIGHTER” (Paramount Pictures)
• HELENA BONHAM CARTER / Queen Elizabeth – “THE KING’S SPEECH” (The Weinstein Company)
• MILA KUNIS / Lily – “BLACK SWAN” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
• MELISSA LEO / Alice Ward – “THE FIGHTER” (Paramount Pictures)
• HAILEE STEINFELD / Mattie Ross – “TRUE GRIT” (Paramount Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

BLACK SWAN (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

• VINCENT CASSEL / Thomas Leroy
• BARBARA HERSHEY / Erica Sayers
• MILA KUNIS / Lily
• NATALIE PORTMAN / Nina Sayers
• WINONA RYDER / Beth Macintyre

THE FIGHTER (Paramount Pictures)

• AMY ADAMS / Charlene Fleming
• CHRISTIAN BALE / Dicky Eklund
• MELISSA LEO / Alice Ward
• JACK MCGEE / George Ward
• MARK WAHLBERG / Micky Ward

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT (Focus Features)

• ANNETTE BENING / Nic
• JOSH HUTCHERSON / Laser
• JULIANNE MOORE / Jules
• MARK RUFFALO / Paul
• MIA WASIKOWSKA / Joni

THE KING’S SPEECH (The Weinstein Company)

• ANTHONY ANDREWS / Stanley Baldwin
• HELENA BONHAM CARTER / Queen Elizabeth
• JENNIFER EHLE / Myrtle Logue
• COLIN FIRTH / King George VI
• MICHAEL GAMBON / King George V
• DEREK JACOBI / Archbishop Cosmo Lang
• GUY PEARCE / King Edward VIII
• GEOFFREY RUSH / Lionel Logue
• TIMOTHY SPALL / Winston Churchill

THE SOCIAL NETWORK (Columbia Pictures)

• JESSE EISENBERG / Mark Zuckerberg
• ANDREW GARFIELD / Eduardo Saverin
• ARMIE HAMMER / Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss
• MAX MINGHELLA / Divya Narendra
• JOSH PENCE / Tyler Winklevoss
• JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE / Sean Parker

PRIMETIME TELEVISION

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

• JOHN GOODMAN / Neal Nicol – “YOU DON’T KNOW JACK” (HBO)
• AL PACINO / Jack Kevorkian – “YOU DON’T KNOW JACK” (HBO)
• DENNIS QUAID / Bill Clinton – “THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP” (HBO)
• ÉDGAR RAMÍREZ / Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, aka ‘Carlos’ – “CARLOS” (Sundance Channel)
• PATRICK STEWART / Macbeth – “MACBETH (GREAT PERFORMANCES)” (Thirteen/PBS)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

• CLAIRE DANES / Temple Grandin – “TEMPLE GRANDIN” (HBO)
• CATHERINE O’HARA / Aunt Ann – “TEMPLE GRANDIN” (HBO)
• JULIA ORMOND / Eustacia Grandin – “TEMPLE GRANDIN” (HBO)
• WINONA RYDER / Lois Wilson – “WHEN LOVE IS NOT ENOUGH: THE LOIS WILSON STORY” (CBS)
• SUSAN SARANDON / Janet Good – “YOU DON’T KNOW JACK” (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

• STEVE BUSCEMI / Nucky Thompson – “BOARDWALK EMPIRE” (HBO)
• BRYAN CRANSTON / Walter White – “BREAKING BAD” (AMC)
• MICHAEL C. HALL / Dexter Morgan – “DEXTER” (SHOWTIME)
• JON HAMM / Don Draper – “MAD MEN” (AMC)
• HUGH LAURIE / Dr. Gregory House – “HOUSE” (FOX)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series

• GLENN CLOSE / Patty Hewes – “DAMAGES” (FX)
• MARISKA HARGITAY / Det. Olivia Benson – “LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT” (NBC)
• JULIANNA MARGULIES / Alicia Florrick – “THE GOOD WIFE” (CBS)
• ELISABETH MOSS / Peggy Olson – “MAD MEN” (AMC)
• KYRA SEDGWICK / Dep. Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson – “THE CLOSER” (TNT)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series

• ALEC BALDWIN / Jack Donaghy – “30 ROCK” (NBC)
• TY BURRELL / Phil Dunphy – “MODERN FAMILY” (ABC)
• STEVE CARELL / Michael Scott – “THE OFFICE” (NBC)
• CHRIS COLFER / Kurt Hummel – “GLEE” (FOX)
• ED O’NEILL / Jay Pritchett – “MODERN FAMILY” (ABC)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series

• EDIE FALCO / Jackie Peyton – “NURSE JACKIE” (Showtime)
• TINA FEY / Liz Lemon – “30 ROCK” (NBC)
• JANE LYNCH / Sue Sylvester – “GLEE” (FOX)
• SOFIA VERGARA / Gloria Delgado-Pritchett – “MODERN FAMILY” (ABC)
• BETTY WHITE / Elka Ostrovsky – “HOT IN CLEVELAND” (TV Land)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

BOARDWALK EMPIRE (HBO)

• STEVE BUSCEMI / Nucky Thompson
• DABNEY COLEMAN / Commodore Louis Kaestner
• PAZ DE LA HUERTA / Lucy Danzinger
• STEPHEN GRAHAM / Al Capone
• ANTHONY LACIURA / Eddie Kessler
• KELLY MACDONALD / Margaret Schroeder
• GRETCHEN MOL / Gillian Darmody
• ALESKA PALLADINO / Angela Darmody
• VINCENT PIAZZA / Lucky Luciano
• MICHAEL PITT / Jimmy Darmody
• MICHAEL SHANNON / Agent Nelson Van Alden
• PAUL SPARKS / Mickey Doyle
• MICHAEL STUHLBARG / Arnold Rothstein
• SHEA WHIGHAM / Sheriff Elias Thompson

THE CLOSER (TNT)

• G.W. BAILEY / Det. Lt. Provenza
• MICHAEL PAUL CHAN / Lt. Mike Tao
• RAYMOND CRUZ / Det. Julio Sanchez
• JONATHAN DEL ARCO / Dr. Morales
• TONY DENISON / Lt. Andy Flynn
• ROBERT GOSSETT / Commander Taylor
• PHILLIP P. KEENE / Buzz
• COREY REYNOLDS / Sgt. David Gabriel
• KYRA SEDGWICK / Dep. Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson
• J.K. SIMMONS / Asst. Police Chief Will Pope
• JON TENNEY / FBI Special Agent Fritz Howard

DEXTER (Showtime)

• JENNIFER CARPENTER / Debra Morgan
• APRIL HERNANDEZ CASTILLO / Cira
• MICHAEL C. HALL / Dexter Morgan
• DESMOND HARRINGTON / Joey Quinn
• MARIA DOYLE KENNEDY / Sonya
• C.S. LEE / Vince Masuka
• JONNY LEE MILLER / Jordan Chase
• JAMES REMAR / Harry Morgan
• JULIA STILES / Lumen Pierce
• LAUREN VELEZ / Lt. Maria Laguerta
• PETER WELLER / Liddy
• DAVID ZAYAS / Sgt. Angel Batista

THE GOOD WIFE (CBS)

• CHRISTINE BARANSKI / Diane Lockhart
• JOSH CHARLES / Will Gardner
• ALAN CUMMING / Eli Gold
• MATT CZUCHRY / Cary Agos
• JULIANNA MARGULIES / Alicia Florrick
• ARCHIE PANJABI / Kalinda Sharma
• GRAHAM PHILLIPS / Zach Florrick
• MAKENZIE VEGA / Grace Florrick

MAD MEN (AMC)

• CARA BUONO / Faye Miller
• JON HAMM / Don Draper
• JARED HARRIS / Lane Pryce
• CHRISTINA HENDRICKS / Joan Harris
• JANUARY JONES / Betty Francis (Draper)
• VINCENT KARTHEISER / Pete Campbell
• MATT LONG / Joey Baird
• ROBERT MORSE / Bert Cooper
• ELISABETH MOSS / Peggy Olson
• JESSICA PARÉ / Megan Calvet
• KIERNAN SHIPKA / Sally Draper
• JOHN SLATTERY / Roger Sterling
• RICH SOMMER / Harry Crane
• CHRISTOPHER STANLEY / Henry Francis
• AARON STATON / Ken Cosgrove

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

30 ROCK (NBC)

• SCOTT ADSIT / Pete Hornberger
• ALEC BALDWIN / Jack Donaghy
• KATRINA BOWDEN / Cerie
• KEVIN BROWN / Dotcom
• GRIZZ CHAPMAN / Grizz
• TINA FEY / Liz Lemon
• JUDAH FRIEDLANDER / Frank Rossitano
• JANE KRAKOWSKI / Jenna Maroney
• JOHN LUTZ / Lutz
• JACK MCBRAYER / Kenneth Parcell
• TRACY MORGAN / Tracy Jordan
• MAULIK PANCHOLY / Jonathan
• KEITH POWELL / Toofer

GLEE (FOX)

• MAX ADLER / Dave Karofsky
• DIANNA AGRON / Quinn Fabray
• CHRIS COLFER / Kurt Hummel
• JANE LYNCH / Sue Sylvester
• JAYMA MAYS / Emma Pillsbury
• KEVIN MCHALE / Arty Abrams
• LEA MICHELE / Rachel Berry
• CORY MONTEITH / Finn Hudson
• HEATHER MORRIS / Brittany Pierce
• MATTHEW MORRISON / Will Schuester
• MIKE O’MALLEY / Burt Hummel
• AMBER RILEY / Mercedes
• NAYA RIVERA / Santana Lopez
• MARK SALLING / Noah ‘Puck’ Puckerman
• HARRY SHUM JR. / Mike Chang
• IQBAL THEBA / Principal Figgins
• JENNA USHKOWITZ / Tina

HOT IN CLEVELAND (TV Land)

• VALERIE BERTINELLI / Melanie Moretti
• JANE LEEVES / Joy Scroggs
• WENDIE MALICK / Victoria Chase
• BETTY WHITE / Elka Ostrovsky

MODERN FAMILY (ABC)

• JULIE BOWEN / Claire Dunphy
• TY BURRELL / Phil Dunphy
• JESSE TYLER FERGUSON / Mitchell Pritchett
• NOLAN GOULD / Luke Dunphy
• SARAH HYLAND / Haley Dunphy
• ED O’NEILL / Jay Pritchett
• RICO RODRIGUEZ / Manny Delgado
• ERIC STONESTREET / Cameron Tucker
• SOFIA VERGARA / Gloria Delgado-Pritchett
• ARIEL WINTER / Alex Dunphy

THE OFFICE (NBC)

• LESLIE DAVID BAKER / Stanley Hudson
• BRIAN BAUMGARTNER / Kevin Malone
• CREED BRATTON / Creed Bratton
• STEVE CARELL / Michael Scott
• JENNA FISCHER / Pam Beesly Halpert
• KATE FLANNERY / Meredith Palmer
• ED HELMS / Andy Bernard
• MINDY KALING / Kelly Kapoor
• ELLIE KEMPER / Erin Hannon
• ANGELA KINSEY / Angela Martin
• JOHN KRASINSKI / Jim Halpert
• PAUL LIEBERSTEIN / Toby Flenderson
• B.J. NOVAK / Ryan Howard
• OSCAR NUÑEZ / Oscar Martinez
• CRAIG ROBINSON / Daryll Philbin
• PHYLLIS SMITH / Phyllis Lapin-Vance
• RAINN WILSON / Dwight Schrute
• ZACH WOODS / Gabe Lewis

SAG HONORS FOR STUNT ENSEMBLES

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture

• GREEN ZONE (Universal Pictures)
• INCEPTION (Warner Bros. Pictures)
• ROBIN HOOD (Universal Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series

• BURN NOTICE (USA)
• CSI: NY (CBS)
• DEXTER (SHOWTIME)
• SOUTHLAND (TNT)
• TRUE BLOOD (HBO)

LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Screen Actors Guild Awards 47th Annual Life Achievement Award:  Ernest Borgnine

And there you have it.  Who do you think will win?

So which actors who do you think will win the various categories? We look forward to your predictions by posting them in our comments section below!

Well, after watching several episodes, I’m a fan of the show. I enjoy its human interactions, human v Zombie conflicts, and the infrequent moments of quiet and calm.

Even more interesting for me is how the few living learn how to hone their wits to survive from one moment to the next.

At times, it does seem unreal and unthinkably bizarre to contemplate the events that are part of the plot, but I think that that’s the beauty of this particular series. It takes you into a dark place where you begin to identify with the non-Zombies, and their fight for survival.

The Walking Dead series is based on Robert Kirkman’s popular graphic novel about a zombie apocalypse. When cop Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) wakes from a coma, the world has changed completely–with most of humanity turned into “Dead Walkers."

The story is basic: an epidemic of apocalyptic proportions has swept the globe, causing the dead to rise and feed on the living. In a matter of months, society has crumbled: There is no government, no grocery stores, no mail delivery, no cable TV.

The Sheriff Rick Grimes, finds himself among one of the few survivors in this terrifying future. A couple months previously, he was a small town cop who had never fired a shot and only ever saw one dead body.

Separated from his family, he must now sort through all the death and confusion to try and find his wife and son.

In a world ruled by the dead, they are forced to finally begin living. In every episode, there’s always danger lurking, times of serenity, brutal violence, and the lead protagonists of Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and Shane Walsh (Jon Bernthal) as the Alpha males protecting the clan.

The Walking Dead is centered around Rick Grimes, a small-town police officer from Cynthiana, Kentucky, his family, and a number of other survivors who have banded together in order to survive after the world is overrun with zombies.

As the series progresses, the characters become more developed, and their personalities shift under the stress of a zombie apocalypse, most notably Rick’s.

In the beginning of the series, Rick and partner Shane are in a gunfight and Rick is shot and enters a coma. Upon waking in a hospital, he discovers the undead are in the building and town.

Rick returns home and shortly decides to go to Atlanta, where the survivors were told to await help, to find his wife Lori and son Carl. He discovers the city is crowded with zombies and bumps into Glenn, a scavenger for a band of survivors.

Following Glenn, Rick discovers Lori and Carl are okay along with Shane, who is less than happy that his former partner has returned. He also meets new survivors.

The Walking Dead are attracted to humans in several ways–noise, sight, smell, light, and happenstance. Essentially, from the beginning episode, up until the most recent, the various small roving small teams of survivors must learn how to cope with and survive with all the tenacity and cunning that they can muster.

That’s because if you’re bit by a Walking Dead, you’ll turn into one as well.

So to protect themselves, they’re either shooting the Zombies in the head, or dispatching of them via baseball bats and other sundry items.

On a deeper level, the Walking Dead is about hope and the belief in man’s camaraderie; but why that has to take place during a Zombie apocalypse is always the rub–but sometimes the best in man is brought out in his darkest hours.

The rest of the cast includes, Sarah Wayne Callies (Lori Grimes), Laurie Holden (Andrea), Jeffrey DeMunn (Dale), Steven Yeun (Glenn), Emma Bell(Amy) and Chandler Riggs (Carl Grimes).

Not surprisingly, the opening debut of The Walking Dead attracted approximately 5.3 million viewers.

It will be interesting to see how and in which ways the survivors are able to keep alive, let alone keep going with the majority of the world now mindless and full of millions of rather dense Zombies because in this series, the world is full of them.

But as the time honored tradition forever continues, the Big 3 Networks, and the Cable T.V. heavy weights (now holding a majority of the top Emmy spots), the New Fall TV Shows have been rolled out already, or are soon to be revealed on-air.

Which one’s will curry favor, ratings, and be renewed is anybody’s guess; I assume that it’s a pastime for executives in the television and cable industries.

Welcome, Fall TV Season, already in progress. Despite myself, and knowing that you will let me down at least as much as you might lift me up, I must admit that the big billboards heralding your big new shows raised in me a childlike rush of anticipation.

I notice that you are especially full of cops and lawyers this year — and superheroes, detectives and spies — which means you are also full of criminals. What is up with that, Fall Season? Is it the climate of fear engendered by opportunistic pundits and politicians? Or are you just out of breath for the moment, falling back on what you know, and on Jerry Bruckheimer?

Still, I hope for the best. We are all in this together. Source: LA Times

In any case, here’s a list of the New Fall TV Shows, from the traditional media as well as from cable. In alphabetical order, here they are:

Better with You (ABC)

Premieres: Wednesday, Sept. 22, 8:30/7:30c

Sisters Maddie (Jennifer Finnigan), a high-strung attorney, and Mia (Privileged‘s JoAnna Garcia), a free-spirited "inventor," are fundamentally different. Maddie lives with, but has not married, Ben (Josh Cooke), her boyfriend of nine years. "It’s a valid life choice," she repeats throughout the pilot. Mia, on the other hand, has just agreed to marry Casey (Jake Lacy), her boyfriend of seven-and-a-half weeks. Kurt Fuller and Debra Jo Rupp play the girls’ quirky parents.

Blue Bloods (CBS):

Premieres: Friday, Sept. 24, Fridays, 10/9c

Crime-fighting meets family squabbling in this procedural about the Reagans, a multigenerational clan of New York cops. Frank (Tom Selleck), is the chief of police, just like his dad was. Frank’s eldest son, Danny (Donnie Wahlberg), is a gruff detective and Iraq War vet; his youngest son, Jamie (Will Estes) is a rookie cop fresh out of the academy. Bridget Moynahan rounds out the testosterone-heavy cast as Frank’s daughter, Erin, an assistant district attorney and single mom.

Boardwalk Empire (HBO: Premieres: Friday, Sept. 24, Fridays, 10/9c

Crime-fighting meets family squabbling in this procedural about the Reagans, a multigenerational clan of New York cops. Frank (Tom Selleck), is the chief of police, just like his dad was. Frank’s eldest son, Danny (Donnie Wahlberg), is a gruff detective and Iraq War vet; his youngest son, Jamie (Will Estes) is a rookie cop fresh out of the academy. Bridget Moynahan rounds out the testosterone-heavy cast as Frank’s daughter, Erin, an assistant district attorney and single mom.

Body of Proof (ABC) Premieres: TBD, Fridays at 9/8c

Dr. Megan Hunt (Desperate Housewives‘ Dana Delany) plays a feisty neurosurgeon whose career ends after a car accident. She takes a job as a medical examiner in Philadelphia, where she helps cops solve murders by "reading the body."

Chase (NBC): Premieres: Monday, Sept. 20 at 10/9c

Kelli Giddish stars as a tough-talkin’ U.S. marshal in this adrenalized action series from Jerry Bruckheimer.

The Defenders (CBS): Premieres: Wednesday, Sept. 22, 10/9c

Nick Morelli (Jim Belushi) and Pete Kaczmarek (Jerry O’Connell) are colorful Las Vegas defense attorneys who risk it all for their clients in this legal dramedy (think Boston Legal). Co-starring Tanya Fischer as the firm’s colorful assistant, Sophie, and Jurnee Smollett as a new associate who paid his law-school tuition by stripping.

Detroit 1-8-7 (ABC):  Premieres: Tuesday, Sept. 21 at 10/9c

Michael Imperioli stars as a respected but misunderstood homicide detective. In the style of Southland the show follows the cops as they police the streets of Detroit, the city with the country’s highest murder rate. Jon Michael Hill, James McDaniel, Aisha Hinds, and Natalie Martinez also star.

The Event (NBC): Premieres: Monday, Sept. 20 at 9/8c

A presidential assassination attempt, a missing person and a CIA cover-up are among the events that are included in the subject of this mystery thriller’s title.

Hawaii Five-0 (CBS):  Premieres: Monday, Sept. 20 at 10/9c

This action-packed remake of the hit procedural stars Alex O’Loughlin as Steve McGarrett, a detective who heads back to the Aloha State to investigate his father’s murder. The governor (Jean Smart) enlists him to form an elite task force, which includes Detective Danny "Danno" Williams (Scott Caan), Chin Ho Kelly (Daniel Dae Kim) and Chin’s cousin, surfer-turned-cop Kona (Grace Park). You’ll recognize the theme song.

Hellcats (CW): Premieres: Wednesday, Sept. 8, 9/8c

Marti Perkins (Aly Michalka) wants to go to law school, but she’s flat broke. So the amateur dancer reluctantly applies for a cheerleading scholarship to help pay her tuition. Ashley Tisdale (the High School Musical flicks) co-stars as Marti’s prim roommate Savannah. Smallville‘s Tom Welling executive-produces.

Law & Order: Los Angeles (NBC): Premieres: Wednesday, Sept. 29 at 10/9c

I think by now we all know the premise. Nevertheless, NBC promises that this won’t be your grandfather’s Law & Order, as it’ll feature a comely, youthful cast squeezed between that signature sound effect. First up: Skeet Ulrich has signed on in one of the detective roles.

Lone Star (Fox): Premieres: Monday, Sept. 20 at 9/8c

Newcomer James Wolk stars as a Texas con man who, as Bob Taylor, has a wife in Houston (Adrianne Palicki) and, as Robert Allen, a girlfriend in Midland (Eloise Mumford). Robert/Bob navigates this double life with a precision (two wallets, two cellphones) he learned from his con-man dad (the always solid David Keith), but is always worried that his blustery oil magnate father-in-law (Jon Voight) will discover his secret.

Mike & Molly (CBS): Premieres: Monday, Sept. 20 at 9:30/8:30c

Chicago cop Mike (Billy Gardell) and schoolteacher Molly (Melissa McCarthy) meet at an Overeaters Anonymous group. Their attraction is instant.

My Generation (ABC):  Premieres: Thursday, Sept. 23, 8/7c

In 2000, a documentary film crew follows a group of Austin, Texas, high school students just as they’re graduating. When they revisit the same classmates 10 years later, guess what? They’ve changed!

Nikita (CW): Premieres: Thursday, Sept. 9, 9/8c

Maggie Q (Mission: Impossible 3) plays the titular assassin, who wants to bring down a secret government program that turns at-risk youth into killers.

No Ordinary Family (ABC):  Premieres: Tuesday, Sept. 28 at 8/7c

Jim and Stephanie Powell (The Shield‘s Michael Chiklis and Dexter‘s Julie Benz) are an average couple who, along with their kids, develop some "super" abilities when a family vacation ends with a plane crash in the Amazon River. Romany Malco and Autumn Reeser co-star.

Outlaw (NBC): Premieres: Wednesday, Sept. 15 at 10/9c

Supreme Court Justice Cyrus Garza (Jimmy Smits) suddenly resigns when he realizes the system is flawed. The playboy and gambler returns to private practice to help the little guys take on the system.

Outsourced (NBC):  Premieres: Thursday, Sept. 23 at 9:30/8:30c

An American (newcomer Ben Rappaport) moves to India to run a call center for a novelty company. There, ethnic stereotypes — both Indian and American — are challenged.

Raising Hope (Fox): Premieres: Tuesday, Sept. 21 at 9/8c

The significantly named Jimmy Chance (Lucas Neff) becomes a single dad at 23 when a one-night stand announces she’s pregnant and will be unable to care for the baby. Martha Plimpton, Garret Dillahunt and Cloris Leachman co-star.

Running Wilde (Fox): Premieres: Tuesday, Sept. 21 at 9:30/8:30c

Emotionally stunted rich guy Steve Wilde (Will Arnett) desperately tries to impress his childhood crush Emmy (Keri Russell), who’s now an uber-liberal humanitarian with a 12-year-old daughter who doesn’t speak.

Secret Millionaire (ABC):  Premieres: TBD, Fridays at 8/7c

Wealthy people go undercover in some of the most dangerous communities in the country to find the unsung heroes who help those in need on this reality show. At the end of a week, they reveal their identity and donate $100,000 to deserving individuals and organizations.

S#*! My Dad Says (CBS): Premieres: Thursday, Sept. 23 at 8:30/7:30c

Ed (William Shatner), a politically incorrect curmudgeon, harangues his youngest son, Henry in this Twitter feed-turned-sitcom. MadTV vets Will Sasso and Nicole Sullivan co-star.

Top Chef: Just Desserts (Bravo):  Premieres: Wednesday, Sept. 15 at 11/10c

Top Chef judge Gail Simmons hosts this competitive culinary spin-off in which pastry chefs compete in a series of dessert challenges. Famed pastry chef Johnny Iuzzini serves as head judge.

Undercovers (NBC): Premieres: Wednesday, Sept. 22 at 8/7c

Think Mr. & Mrs. Smith, the TV show. Married former spies (Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw) get back in the family business together in the J.J. Abrams-produced action series.

The Whole Truth (ABC): Premieres: Wednesday, Sept. 22 at 10/9c

Rob Morrow and Maura Tierney star in this legal drama which examines a case from both the defense and prosecution’s perspectives.

Sources: TV Guide, LA Times, Variety and all of the TV and Cable Network channels listed.

Whew! That’s a lot of new shows to watch.

It makes me wonder how much is spent and lost until the shakeout occurs to find the few that will make the cut and be picked up.

As it’s been bandied about, entertainment choices have never been greater for the consumer, so to all the competitors, we say:

Let the Games Begin!

And please don’t make us watch shows that we need a script to figure out its plot, and here’s “the” final comment for all those producers who had the brilliant idea to remake the Hawaii Five-0 series.

Don’t you recall how great the old Hawaii Five-0 series is — and why in heaven’s name, would you, could you, and why did you contemplate for a moment to so-call “remake” the pure original genius of the original television show series that was, and will only be a one-of-a-kind and inimitable classic?

However, AMC could smell the smoke and hear the glasses clinking with ice-cubes, while envisioning sleek suits and 60’s hair-dos. They took a chance by making Mad Men their network’s first ever – produced original dramatic television series. Weiner’s success as one of the writers and producers of the mob family drama, The Sopranos, might have lent some votes of confidence in AMC’s decision toward green-lighting the show. With more than thirty television–drama awards tucked away in the show’s briefcase and a devout fan base, it’s no surprise as to why Mad Men is AMC’s most watched program.

Indeed, the show’s opening credits are a telling glimpse into Mad Men’s complexities and psychological depths. The evocative music "A Beautiful Mine" (an instrumental), by RJD2, and the silhouette of an “ad-man” walking into his ideal office to find the floor falling out beneath him, and his life are profound. It screams to all those leading a life with one all-consuming driving force, as the rest of the elements in it (life); deteriorate until a collapse is all-but certain. The silhouette falls past the building’s windows – windows filled with images of bikinied women, sexy legs; alcohol on the rocks, diamond rings, attractive eyes and the all-American picturesque family grinning from ear to ear.

It reminds us that “one should never forget to remove the mask of all things beautiful to see what truly lies beneath.”

It’s the 1960’s and our particular group of Mad Men (a term that ad men coined for themselves during that time period in American culture), is at the fictional “Sterling-Cooper” advertising agency on Madison Avenue in New York City. The protagonist of the show is Donald Draper (Jon Hamm), the firm’s most mysterious yet tremendously gifted creative director. A British ad agency Putnam, Powell, and Low buys out the majority of the controlling shares at Sterling-Cooper.

As most talented, egocentric and driven men are – Don decides to take his expertise elsewhere and creates his own advertising firm. His commanding presence and convincing talk even lures a few of his old pals along for the uncertain journey to create Sterling-Cooper-Draper-Pryce.

Mad Men’s character profiles and developments throughout the course of this series are any actors craving for intricacy in a role. The ensemble cast is a spectrum of 1960’s New York, highlighting each character’s past and inching us (the audience) along every episode into their on-going revelations.

Here’s the lead Mad Men and women:

Don Draper (Jon Hamm) – the main man and a natural born innovator. The shadows from his past are trying to make themselves visible and known but smooth ole’ Don is doing his best to keep them out of sight. Yes, something is a-miss and Mr. Draper’s series of infidelities and erratic schedule of comings and goings is more than a red flag for his wife and three kids. Yet up to this point, his genius in advertising and persuasion skills is unparalleled and keeps his inner-demons from prevailing.

Betty Draper (January Jones) – the most beautiful girl in the room. In the show, Mrs. Draper was once a model who met Don on a shoot in Manhattan. They married and have three children. She’s onto his affairs with other women and is itching for a divorce. She’s got it all except for one thing – Don.

Roger Sterling, Jr. (John Slattery) – is one of the two senior partners at Sterling-Cooper. His father founded the agency along with Bertram Cooper. A former Navy man, his marital problems are a result of his constant womanizing. Even after two heart attacks, his excessive drinking and smoking does not skip a beat. He butts heads with Don as the show progresses and they both have to find a way to iron out their differences. It looks as if he’s found “true love” that may lead to monogamy when he falls for Don’s former secretary, a gorgeous 22 year old, Jane.

Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) – rising from Draper’s desk as a secretary to a copywriter with her own office is no small feat, considering she’s a woman finding a way to advance in a man’s field. She’s clever, and has a knack for understanding how woman “really feel” when they see advertisements versus what the clients and agency “would like them to feel.” It’s an indispensable quality. Don recognizes this but doesn’t cut her any slack just because she’s a woman – he treats Peggy like one of the boys and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser) – is young, competitive and wants recognition for his innate talents in advertising’s crowded pool of executives – most of all he wants to be respected, especially from Draper. He tries to blackmail Don with information he believes to be compromising about Draper’s past. Pete garners Don’s respect over time and a mutual admiration is exchanged. Peter slowly learns “how to get out of his own way,” before alienating himself as the guy “everyone wants to hate.”

Joan Holloway (Christina Hendricks) – this busty red head has got sex appeal firing on all cylinders. Sterling-Cooper’s office manager and the head of their secretarial staff, Joan knows the ropes. She’s the queen of recognizing when to use her female sexuality and influence to get things done around the office, without being taken advantage of. She and Roger Sterling have a long-term affair that ends amicably, as their high opinion of one another is genuine. Joan finds a seemingly stable doctor to marry. She discovers that maybe her wedding vows are not as strong as she had hoped, and as an “independent women” her affinity is to naturally return back to the working world; namely the Sterling-Cooper agency or its off-shoot. Remember that in the 1960’s that kind of woman’s independence was unique and was the archetype which led to the women’s rights movement, aka “feminism.

The regular supporting cast and guest stars are just as weighty in all their scenes – no matter how little of screen time or minimal dialogue they’re given.

Mad Men also proves to be maybe the most meticulously set-dressed and carefully wardrobed television series – ever. The set design and props attention to detail is remarkable. From the style of a glass used, to the design of an office desk, there’s not a single item that doesn’t look like it’s not from an original 60’s catalog. The clothing and style of Mad Men has inspired a revisited 60’s enthusiasm in fashion. The series complete obsession to authenticity is due to Matthew Weiner surrounding himself with the best support for “his” vision.

The series complete obsession to authenticity is due to Matthew Weiner surrounding himself with the best support for “his” vision.

Watching Mad Men makes me wonder about and question how cool the 60’s actually were. The decade was filled with rampant smoking and hard-alcohol consumption. Sexism and adultery seemed to go hand in hand. The civil rights movements were struggling as the Vietnam War was raging. If “not being equal” or “not being heard” were ever as scarily real or as dreadful a reality than during the deeply racial and homophobic landscape of the 1960’s – then I must have missed that chapter in class?

The show touches on all these subjects and more, in each episode’s outlines or character’s actions – either subtly or in a loud manner. But then again, isn’t time the great healer of making all era’s seem attractive?

Mad Men gives us “real” people, whose feelings about or towards things are often times vastly different than what their actions might have us believe. It’s Hypocrisy at its highest – just like in life. Nevertheless, to be part of the chosen crowd of “Mad Men,” means that you’ve made it financially, creatively, and met with the approval of your piers. It’s about power and business-politics.

The shows look at the advertising world – it’s a must look at ourselves as individuals and as a society at large. As the great marketing maestro Donald Draper puts it, “advertising is based on one thing, happiness, and you know what happiness is, happiness is the smell of a new car, its freedom from fear, it’s a billboard on the side of the road that screams with reassurance, that whatever you’re doing, it’s ok – you are okay.”

Mad Men and its new season premiers tonight, July 25^th/Sundays @ 10/9c

The True Blood series creator, Alan Ball, (American Beauty) already collaborated with HBO for five seasons on his previous hit show, Six Feet Under. When the legendary series, Six Feet Under, came to an end in 2005, Ball came across Charlaine Harris’s Southern Vampire Mystery books. After reading her first installment of the series, Dead until Dark, Alan Ball won Harris over and convinced her that he was the man to helm her books into a television series, even though she had already had two other adaptation offers on the table. But in the end, she felt that Ball’s dark sensitivities would capture her novels best.

The TV pilot first debuted in 2008 to modest ratings. Yet as each new episode was aired each week, it created a devout following and a cult-like craving that by the end of the second season has now made True Blood HBO’s most watched series since The Sopranos.

The world of True Blood is filled with supernatural humans and creatures – often times a morphing of both occurs. The lead character is Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), a telepathic barmaid living in a back-woods town, far off the map, where strange and mysterious incidents literally come into play, every night.

The premise of the story is that two years prior to the series opening debut – the once secret species of vampires have “Come out of the Coffin,” (lifted from the coined term “Coming out of the Closet”), after a group of Japanese scientists have invented a synthetic form of blood, otherwise known as “Tru Blood.”

No longer a slave to drinking human blood to survive, the vampires are subsequently free to integrate themselves into human society.

A rub occurs along the way:

The vamps soon find out that they are not free or welcome among us (humans), and that their craving to hunt and feed has not been curbed by a lifeless, and mass-produced synthetic blood beverage (Tru Blood).

Sookie finds herself forming a connection with Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), a charming 173-year-old vampire whose avant-garde ways towards the human race separates him from the typical vampire’s thoughts on both species integrating. Sookie’s telepathic ability is a gift and a curse. She has to learn how to harness her mind reading powers, by shutting it off and on, to avoid an over-load of countless thoughts and brain wave activity – all coming at her at once from every person in her vicinity. Unable to hear Bill’s thoughts, Sookie finds comfort in his company and a romantic bond takes place.

This is True Blood’s main story line – the romance between a gifted, good-hearted human and a compassionate vampire with a conscience, torn between his previous life and the immoral urges his new transformation has given him. Though close to two hundred years old Bill is still learning to control the vampire tendencies within himself (173 is considered a baby in vamp years).

The sub-plots and supporting cast of characters in True Blood are in my opinion what really gives this show the extra ingredients that make it unfeasible to stop watching the series, now in its third year – and let’s not forget about its gorgeous group of actors that are the sexiest “small-town folk” that you’ll never see in reality.

These alluring characters all have or had (somebody’s got to die, right?) significant challenges surrounding them at every startling plot swing:

Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell), the rugged and handsome owner of the only bar in town, “Merlotte’s,” has a serious crush on Sookie and he seemingly has no past while possessing a secret that he desperately wants to share with everyone but is petrified to actually act upon.

Jason Stackhouse (Ryan Kwanten), Sookie’s brother is a man-whore, who can charm any girl he wants into bed and does. He’s also having trouble grappling with the idea of his sister dating a vampire, has a knack for dating women in town that end up dead, and develops an addiction to vampire blood – otherwise known as “V.”

Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgard), portrays a very powerful vampire and the owner of the vamp club “Fangtasia.” He’s also the over-seeing vampire sheriff of “Area 5,” in Louisiana. His keen interest in Sookie and her abilities forges an on-going feud for her affections between himself and his fellow vampire – Bill.

Maryann Forrester (Michelle Forbes), character is an ancient form or supernatural goddess of sorts called a “Maenad,” that is linked with the worship of the god Dionysus. She’s on a destructive mission to reconnect with her god by seducing the entire town for her evil purposes—including murder, sacrifice, orgies and cannibalism which are just the starting point for the sickest and most wicked character on the show to date.

These are just a handful of the intense and dangerously sexy characters that make up this celebrated show’s bizarre storylines. I don’t want to give out the entire recipe for this well prepared entrée of episodic television – but there are many more compelling characters and surprises that you have to see for yourself.

A enormous element to True Blood’s widespread success is partially connected to its being the first of the vampire genre to place humans and vampires in co-existence – on a regular day to day basis.

It’s a fresh take on a repeatedly offered tale that more often than not has vampires hiding in every dark corner, feasting, until they’re tracked down and get a stake rammed through their heart—making for the end of a story line that’s been rehashed ad nauseam.

True Blood transposes ongoing issues of our contemporary society and places those problems upon another species and creatures with their own set of unique advantages and disadvantages, in dealing with them. No matter how universal or chic these tribulations are, it makes for first-rate drama. The show also adds in the fascinating plot point that the vampires have been secretly studying humans and our behaviors for thousands of years–as opposed to humans knowing very little about vamps with only two years of integration.

And no, I did not forget about the excess of hot sexual debauchery that goes on between every type of person or creature – in just about every episode. True Blood has exposed flesh all over the place, male and female – human and vampire.

On a deep-rooted level many critics believe True Blood is a series heavily draped in metaphors and is seen as a possible allegory for the civil rights and gay rights movements. Charlaine Harris, the author of the novels on which the show is based, acknowledged that her initial depiction for the vampires were meant as a minority that was demanding to obtain equal rights. Many phrases throughout the series are borrowed and personalized from expressions used against and in relation to homosexuals, such as – “God Hates Fangs” (God Hates Fags) and as I mentioned earlier “Coming out of the Coffin,” (Coming out of the closet).

The show’s anti-vampire, hate-filled church, the “Fellowship of the Sun,” is a clear portrayal of many religious sections of today that are outspoken about their dislike and disapproval of certain groups and minorities. The church’s and anti-vampire movement’s derogatory slur, fang-bangers, is an expression they use for humans that sleep with vampires.

Even if you’re not a fan of the vampire genre you might be unexpectedly sucked in (I had to use at least one bad vampire pun before I was done here), by True Blood’s addictive nature–its sexy cast and some of the best television series writing and character dialogue – period.

Don’t take my word for it – take a bite at the show and taste it for yourself (okay, now that’s two bad vampire puns, I apologize but I couldn’t help myself).

True Blood airs Sundays @ 9PM on HBO.

In 2010 who will tip the scale with three out of five titles (over the last 26 years) versus each other – Boston or LA?

The Celtics dominated the Lakers throughout the 1960’s, as Jerry West watched his Los Angeles team outmatched and out-hustled to Bill Russell and the Celtics six times in the finals during the decade. It would be later known as the Celtic’s curse or jinx upon the Lakers – as Boston’s 8-0 record against Los Angeles for the championship would last for twenty five long years—from years 1959 – 1984.

Magic Johnson as the designated team leader of the Lakers finally found a way to dispel the Celtics and their lucky leprechauns in the 1985 season. Los Angeles put to rest all disbelievers by convincingly defeating Larry Bird and the Celtics in six games for the NBA title. With their resounding Championship victory, not only did the Lakers lift the Celtics hold over them, but by doing so as the only team in history to win it on the Boston Garden parquet floor. It was a clear message that times had changed.

The Lakers – Celtics would meet up one more time in the 1980’s, for the 1987 NBA finals, and Magic and his Lakers would once again seize the day and the championship.

It wouldn’t be until twenty one years later in the 2008 NBA finals that the Celtics and Lakers match-up would yet again come to fruition. All new faces took center stage as LA’s Kobe Bryant and Boston’s Kevin Garnett would lead their teams into battle. The Boston Celtics and their lucky three leaf clover wearing leprechauns would dominate and crush the Los Angeles Lakers, winning the series and the final game by a demoralizing margin of 39 points. This painful loss to Boston left a very unsavory taste in the Laker’s mouths – especially Kobe Bryant, who had been waiting for a chance to return to the finals against Boston to avenge himself and his team.

Now, two years later Kobe and his Laker teammates are once again near the tail end of this celebrated rivalry – with two games left as both games 6 and 7 will be played here in Los Angeles. Yet the Celtic mystique has arisen again, as mighty Boston has a 3-2 series lead with Sunday’s hard fought 92-86 victory over LA at the TD Garden. Coming into this finals series, Kevin Garnett’s Celtics were the underdogs as the Lakers have home court advantage and the best clutch player in the game – Kobe Bryant, also known as “The Black Mamba,” due to his uncanny talent for taking the life out of opponents by striking them with a barrage of unstoppable shots.

The stage is set. Boston is up 3-2 and the last two games for the Championship will be played in Los Angeles. The NBA, the fans and the Lakers are eagerly praying and hoping for a game 7 showdown at the Staples Center this Thursday night. First LA must take care of business in game 6 this Tuesday evening to tie the series at 3-3. Boston is not going to roll over and play dead though, as they know the odds of them taking the sixth game are much greater than a win for them in a deciding game seven – in Los Angeles.

It’s high drama for the NBA and basketball fans worldwide – but especially so for the frenzied fans of LA and Boston who love championships but even more so at the expense of the other’s franchise. Here in the streets of Los Angeles, come June time, summer is not the only thing Angelino’s look forward to when the Lakers are vying for another title. Cities like Boston and Los Angeles are so accustomed to basketball success and championships that anything less than that is considered a failure and disappointment. Lakers hysteria is in full swing and right on time. The fans here know better than anywhere else that the extra spark and energy they as Lakers faithful put out can be the difference in a tight series. This is as close as it gets and the Boston Celtics and their fans would love nothing more than to steal the title on our (LA’s) home court and in the process strip us of our pride as well.

With a few games left and everything on the line, LA fans will be displaying their Lakers pride and love more than ever. You can see it and feel it in the streets – as thousands of cars sport Lakers flags and logos, people bring out their purple and gold clothes and sneakers signifying it’s time for another championship celebration and parade in the streets of downtown Los Angeles. Loyal fans crowd around televisions, drinking at their local sports bars, watching as the NBA finals drama unfolds – and in this game there’s no prize for 2^nd place!

Basketball is a way of life in Los Angeles and for Southern California. Our city, as well as Boston’s, throughout each other’s history has been blessed with some of the best players and dynasty’s the NBA has ever seen. Another chapter is about to be revealed and closed in this enduring sports legacy – between two relentless rivals, between two relentless cities.

I always believed in “Magic,” and nowadays Kobe (Let’s not forget about Shaq’s role during the first three championships), and his killer instincts on the court have helped bring four titles to the city of LA over the past decade. Nonetheless now the Celtics have the upper-hand and are one win away from adding an 18^th championship to their long list of memorable wins.

Can the Lakers win two in a row, protect their home court and take home their 16^th title in an epic “do or die” game seven?

As Kobe Bryant put it subtly with laser-like intensity to a reporter who asked him if revenge was on his mind during an earlier match up in this year’s playoffs – “What do you think?!”

Does “Boston Suck” as LA fans often shout out or is Boston’s follower’s mantra of “Beat LA” a more befitting slogan to sum up the 2010 NBA finals?

UPDATE:

The Lakers squad showed up on both ends of the court tonight, for a must win situation in game 6. Los Angeles’s smothering defense held the Celtic’s unit to one of the lowest scoring outputs in NBA finals history for just 67 points.

The defending champs roll-over the Celtics for a 89-67 impressive win – extending this ultimate rivalry to a game seven.

Game 7 is this Thursday night at the Staples Center @ 9PM Eastern and 6PM Pacific standard time on ABC, the home of the NBA Finals.
]]> http://www.travelinlocal.com/boston-sucks-or-beat-la-for-the-12th-time-in-nba-history-a-familiar-chant-comes-to-town/feed/ 11 http://www.travelinlocal.com/justified-tvs-version-of-extra-cool/ http://www.travelinlocal.com/justified-tvs-version-of-extra-cool/#comments Wed, 12 May 2010 15:52:13 +0000 D. J. Schwartz http://www.travelinlocal.com/?p=13966 Based on Elmore Leonard’s short story “Fire in the Hole”, Justified was created by Graham Yost and stars Timothy Olyphant as a man of unnecessary words, but a man of impeccable action–typically in the form of dry wit and a quick draw.

After the season’s debut opening few minutes, we watch Deputy Raylan Givens, as played by Timothy Olyphant, coolly and calmly try and reason with an unnamed Mafia figure at the top of a Miami hotel to leave town within 24 hours, expectantly ending in a terse exchange between the two where Olyphant’s character, Givens, quick draws the classic "bad guy" and kills him.

Hence the legend, the series, the character, the title, and the show are fused into a classic good guy – bad guy electrifying dose of fun, danger, and our fondness for the ultra-cool Olyphant’s, Givens–who has a nose for situations which "ain’t right," combined with his serious gun shooting abilities–quickly earn him a transfer out of Miami, to where he grew up in Kentucky.

As the series unwinds, Givens meets up with many characters from his past–mostly unsavory. The dramatic thrust of the show stems from the comparably audacious fugitive of the week, as the show provides three villains for Raylan to chase down. Shield star Walton Goggins, is both funny and reliably creepy in his role as rocket launcher-wielding neo-Nazi, Boyd. 

As Raylen and Boyd have a history together, the show partly revolves around Boyd, his crew, his equally repulsive and violent father, and his wife as the love interest of both. Meanwhile, as Olyphant’s, Raylan Givens own father is also a felon and grifter, we’re in for a wild and choppy ride into Raylan’s darker past–yet it’s his terse and not-one-unnecessary word that he’ll utter, that  makes  him both compelling and cool at the same time.

That someone usually ends up dead at the end of his gun, although always  "Justified," we come to see that  Olyphant’s  character has the makings of the bonafide superstar.  Although, the U.S. Marshall Olyphant is a man of few unnecessary words, his world is full of complicated relationships–his ex-wife, his girlfriend who is Boyd’s ex-wife, his con father, and his big city experience exemplified and hyper-tuned to his new surroundings as a trigger-happy U.S. marshal in small-town Kentucky. 

We intuitively know that at some point, the show is about vengeance and redemption, there will never be rest for the weary, as Olyphant’s Givens has too many enemies and the show has too many bad guys who are foolishly  eager to either test Olyphant’s,  Givens god given shooting skills, or they belatedly come to learn that they’re no match for the shrewd, emotionally intelligent, street smart Deputy Raylan Givens brand of justice.

The rise of Olyphant as an actor has lately been swift and unexpected–and if Justified is an example of his ultra-hipper than hip attitude, it won’t be long before we see him on the large screen as a leading man. Although he was the lead in the film, Hitman, and his bad-guy role in the Bruce Willis series, Live Free or Die Hard, we can expect a new dimension and complexity from the ever growing talent of Olyphant’s portrayal of complex and unpredictable characters.

The series co-stars Nick Searcy as Givens longtime friend and boss “Chief Deputy Art Mullen”; Jacob Pitts as “Deputy Marshal Tim Gutterson”; Erica Tazel as “Deputy Marshal Rachel Brooks”; Joelle Carter as “Ava Crowder,” Boyd’s sister-in-law; and Natalie Zea as Raylan’s ex-wife “Winona Hawkins.” Walton Goggins guest stars as “Boyd Crowder,” who worked with Raylan in the coal mines as teenagers and has now chosen a criminal path.

As they say, hold on, smile, and enjoy the Ride! Justified is all that and more.

Sometimes in Los Angeles, we get to literally be “part of the action” and have a backstage pass for being at the right place at the right time, for just being there. Welcome to Travelin’ Local’s backstage shoot of “The Unit.”

Such was the case during my recent foray during my afternoon visit to Macarthur Park. When I was there, a CBS production crew was filming an episode of “The Unit.” It was quite an event as the scene being filmed was with their main star, Dennis Haysbert, who plays the character Jonas Blane.

To those unfamiliar with this television series—which I was a previous member of—it is a hit television show now in its fourth season and going strong.

The Unit’s Plot and Summary

From Executive Producers David Mamet and Shawn Ryan, The Unit is an action drama that follows a covert team of Special Forces operatives as they risk their lives on undercover missions around the globe, while their families maintain the home front, protecting their husbands’ secrets. Jonas Blane (Dennis Haysbert) leads the Unit on missions out in the field and is responsible for taking new recruit Bob Brown (Scott Foley) under his wing. The Unit includes Jonas, Colonel Tom Ryan (Robert Patrick), Mack Gerhardt (Max Martini), Charles Grey (Michael Irby), Hector Williams (Demore Barnes) and Bob Brown, all highly skilled, trustworthy, brave and dependable soldiers whose ability to rely on each other is what creates their brotherhood. Jonas’ wife, Molly (Regina Taylor), is the base matriarch who comforts and counsels the other wives as they cope with the fear and uncertainty they experience when their husbands leave home. Molly and Tiffy Gerhardt (Abby Brammell), a wife hiding her own dark secrets, help Bob’s pregnant wife, Kim (Audrey Marie Anderson), acclimate to the stress of her new secret life. Source: CBS

Allstate Insurance Company Connection

Many of you will already be familiar with actor Dennis Haysbert, because of his deep baritone voice and statuesque frame, as he’s frequently seen in Allstate’s nationwide commercials. Haysbert is the official spokesman for the Allstate Insurance Company.

24 Connection

Surprisingly enough, I became interested in Barack Obama’s persona, based on a character that Haysbert played—President David Palmer in the 24 on Fox.

And he agrees! It’s an eerie occurrence of Life imitating Art.

In 2001, Haysbert became better known when he was cast in 24 playing U.S. Senator David Palmer, who served as America’s first Black President (in the context of the show) during the second and third seasons. He also returned as a guest star in the last six episodes of season 4 and the first episode of season 5. He stated in an interview for the show that the three men he admires most — Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Colin Powell — collectively embody his idea of what a President should be. Haysbert believes that his playing of David Palmer on 24 helped Barack Obama — whom Haysbert supports — to win the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. Source: Wikipedia

Since a picture tells a thousand words, I’ll let them do the talking. Without further adieu, welcome to The Unit, up-close and personal. Lights, camera, action:

Haysbert, crouched and shooting live. Although it’s only a television show—the gun is real, and it sounded real, although of course, blanks were used.

Cast and crew, plus lots of equipment “backstage.” It takes a lot of people to run the set.

That camera looks and must be heavy.

Haysbert, with his co-star, Regina Taylor, make their get-away after the shootout.

Living in Los Angeles frequently means that when we’re Travelin Local, we create our own “get-a-ways.”

Since Hollywood is the Entertainment Capital of the World, its sets are frequently built to represent other cities, or places, around the world.

But Entertainment is no joke—it’s big business here

With only 3 major big-budget productions due to be filmed in Los Angeles, city officials are considering hiring a "film czar" to promote their interests with the multibillion-dollar entertainment industry. By contrast, more than 100 major films were shot in LA in 2007 and 22 in 2008.

The loss of entertainment revenue and jobs is a critical issue in Los Angeles, especially given the current economic climate. The Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. estimates that more than 117,000 jobs are connected to the industry, which generates $38 billion annually for the region. Source: Contra Costa Times

Have you ever encountered a film shoot in your city? It’s becoming more and more common as the costs of filmmaking have dramatically decreased because of the move to digital moviemaking and associated content.

As well, many other states and countries are aggressively offering film and music production companies large subsidies and lucrative contracts.

How about you? Are you Travelin’ Local to your movie theatre today?

Next time you do, keep in mind that your favorite star or show, can be part of your neighborhood too…………………:)

As I’ve mentioned several times, I’m not a “greenhorn” to Southern California nor am I a native, so I was very excited when a friend of mine suggested that we visit The Museum of Television & Radio (MTR) in Beverly Hills. Its architect, Richard Meir, created a building that lives and breathes on one of the busiest streets in Beverly Hills, yet its beauty, and elegance is inherently mesmerizing, in more ways than one. Richard Meier, just happens to be the architect for the world renowned Getty Museum, also located here in Los Angeles.

Before I proceed any further into my photographic and written foray of this magnificent place, the first matter at hand is to give notice to everybody that the name of The Museum of Television & Radio was changed to The Paley Center for Media in 2007.

Simply put— The Paley Center for Media is probably one of the most advanced media centers, educational resources, current events, associated galleries, topical films, archives of television and radio programs, and cataloguer of over 100 years of media and society.

William Paley, was the founder of what became CBS and by the time he died in 1990 at the age of 89, he had remained at or near its helm for more than 60 years. He pioneered many of the practices that gave first radio and then television network broadcasting their distinctive shape and extraordinary reach.

CBS’s success was due to the quality of its programming which Paley was the innovator and advocate and his great passion was for what went over the air, which is at the heart of what the Paley Center is all about. By the way, they have 2 locations—one in Beverly Hills and the other in New York City.

At the heart of the Paley Center is an international collection of more than 140,000 programs covering almost 100 years of television and radio history, including news, public affairs programs and documentaries, performing arts programs, children’s programming, sports, comedy and variety shows, and commercial advertising. Programming from over seventy countries is represented in the collection. "Lost" radio and television programs recovered by The Paley Center for Media that are preserved in the collection include Super Bowl III, a Rat Pack benefit variety show, and James Dean performances.

All you have to do is:

1. Go to the Museum

2. Climb the stairs to their computer room where dozens of computers are loaded with their extensive database.

3. Put in your search words.

4. Choose 2 titles. (Yes, each time you choose, you’re limited to only two titles. Go figure!)

5. Take your choices to the librarian.

6. Wait a few minutes, get your data disc, and watch your choices. Each component of the search is also indexed for further exploration, and research. For example if during a search the producer or actor of a particular show was listed, you are able to find all relevant archived information that the Paley Center has for that as well.

It’s that simple. I researched their database for old shows and discovered that they had archived past television shows like Laugh-in, Get Smart, and Grammar Rock were all included. On a more serious side, I typed in JFK, and a broadcast originally shown on November 23rd, 1961, featured many top political and social icons of that time, whom were interviewed right before Kennedy’s funeral.

An important aspect of the Paley Center is that it offers both a specific area of its vast catalogued archives for academics and for educational purposes. They have separate wired rooms especially dedicated for those interested in writing, teaching, and exploring past historical events that were recorded on television, cinema, and radio. You can view some of their perspectives on Media and videos from their Screening Room on the Internet.

In its John H. Mitchell Theatre, they have an ever changing line-up of old and rare features, which their curators have assembled. The day I was there they were featuring old clips of the controversial comedian in the show entitled Two Five-Letter Words: Lenny Bruce; The entire premier of the original 1955 Lawrence Welk Show—including highlights of the musical/variety programs of the bandleader and his “Champagne Orchestra” in honor of Lawrence Welk’s 106^th Birthday; and a compilation of Superheroes on TV featuring Batman: ‘The Greatest Mother of them All’ starring Shelley Winters, from the 1966 show; and Danny Phantom: “Fanning the Flames” “Teacher of the Year” which features two 2004 episodes where the protagonist is a mild mannered Freshman at Casper High by day, superpower ghost vigilante by night, who confronts a power-mad girl rocker and a Tech-Ghost bent on taking over the Internet.

If all of that wasn’t interesting enough, in the Paley Center’s Ahmanson Radio Listening Room, they featured these programs all day:

- A Toast to Dean Martin

- Black Radio: Telling Like It Was

- Lucille Ball: The Redhead on Radio

- The Radio Interview: The Beatles

- A Salute to Sondheim

If you plan on visiting LA or better yet, if you live here, the The Paley Center for Media is a great way to spend an afternoon, or a series of afternoons.

Do you have a favorite TV program that you’d like to see again? Or historic events that were captured and recorded on the media?

By visiting Travelin’ Local, you can make rediscover history, live it, or view it.

Dream as if you’ll live forever.  Live as if you’ll die today.  ~ James Dean

Carpe Diem! It’s up to you to seize the day………………….:)