Here is my Oscar night predictions. For some categories I also included who/what I think should win and who/what I think should have been nominated. I sorta have a lackluster interest this year, I hope there are more surprises that will keep the show interesting. Hope you all have fun!
Now that I am a parent, it is becoming extremely difficult to find the time to go to the movies and even more difficult to get to see limited engagement movies such as My Week with Marilyn, or Shame. So my list for my favorite films of 2011 will be short and limited. Hopefully over the next few weeks I will be able to amend it when films such as Ides of March and Moneyball come out on Blu-ray. In the meantime here is my list:
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Best Drama |
Runner-Up |
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Best Comedy |
Runner-Up |
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Best Action |
Runner-Up |
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Best Documentary |
Best Foreign Film |
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1. Adele – 21 Amazing from first track to the last. |
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2. Florence + The Machine – Ceremonials I recently saw them live and it was one of the best shows I have ever seen. |
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3. The Civil Wars – Barton Hallow
Not many people have heard of The Civil Wars, and I almost prefer it that way. |
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4. Bon Iver – Bon Iver
Brilliance. |
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5. Kanye West & Jay-Z – Watch The Throne
A momentous collaboration. A very fun album to listen to. |
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6. HoneyHoney – Billy Jack
Download this album now. You’ve got to become a fan. |
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7. Lady Gaga – Born This Way
A great album with songs with messages. Sure a little preachy at times, but at least it speaks to what a lot of people are going through. |
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8. Foster The People – Torches
This is a fun, eclectic and interesting album. Some great songs to work out to. |
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9. Foo Fighters – Wasting Light
The Foo Fighters never let down, and bringing back some original band members make this album even better. |
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10. She & Him – A Very She & Him Christmas
I can’t believe I am putting a Christmas album in my top 10 list, but it really is a great album. Happy Holidays! |
Not only has the weather in Seattle been sub optimal for the enjoyment of the summer season, but the world around us seems to be fizzling out (that is unless you live in Texas where last reports say it’s center of Hell hot down there). But is it really, let’s us debate?
Take for instance Hollywood. While Summer tent poles such as ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Transformers’ are meeting and/or exceeding expectations; movies such as ‘The Green Lantern’, ‘X-Men’, ‘Mr. Popper’s Penguins’, ‘The Zoo Keeper’, etc, are more of a fail than a sunburn only on the left side of your face. But is it fair to blame Ryan Reynolds, James McAvoy, Jim Carrey, or in ‘The Zoo Keeper’s’ instance Cher? Probably not. Rather let’s blame the studio machine for cranking out lame movie after another. I mean, is it really necessary to see Kevin James be the butt of another fat joke or Jim Carrey make more stupid faces and noises? But alas, the raunchy comedies reminiscent those of the early 80’s like ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’, ‘Porky’s’ and ‘Animal House’ are riding the proverbial wave of success. I suppose one would assume a Judd Apatow produced comedy like ‘Bridesmaids’, or the Cameron Diaz led ‘Bad Teacher’ and the trio comedy punch of Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day ‘Horrible Bosses’ all had equal expectations of somewhere around $40-$60 million each like some of their processors. But like the bits of sand in the cracks of your nether regions, they are there to stay to create a friendly reminder of the fun you just had.
But it’s just not the Hollywood machine turning out overcooked wieners. In fact, this summer we were all served the ‘biggest???’ wiener of them all, by of all people a real Weiner. Yes, congressman Weiner is like the chef at this summer’s horrible BBQ. We have been faced with wieners, our batshit crazy aunts Michelle Bachman and Sarah Palin, the ‘I won’t let you play with any toys and or play in the games’ toddler cousins Congress, and of course there are those assholes who don’t want to put in an extra buck to help pay for the whole thing. But hey at least your brother Steve and his life partner Rick can get married in New York.
And what would summer be without music? There are the classics; ‘Summertime’ by Will Smith, ‘What I Got’ by Sublime and the slew of other summer jams. This summer though, the air waves are as polluted as the neighbor’s above ground pool with the craptacular stylings of Rebecca Black, Hot Chelle Rae (Zach Galifiankis does not need to be immortalize in a lame song), and Nicole Scherzinger. I’d rather travel back in time to summer 1988 and listen to Rick Astley, George Michael and Richard Marx. Satellite radio isn’t any fun if you would rather be anywhere then on Earth listening to the crap they are playing. Luckily, Adelle is still the go to girl for music, Red Hot Chili Peppers has a new single dropping soon and there are still plenty of concerts to see this summer – like Katy Perry.
Don’t get me wrong, so far ‘my’ summer of 2011 has been awesome. I had an amazing trip to Disneyland with Dave and Kaleb, have had many BBQs and get-togethers, will be having some teenage dream fun this Wednesday at the Katy Perry concert and will be traveling to NY in less than two weeks. And while the weather may have been as dreary as network TV, there’s still plenty of fun to be had for the next half of the summer!
This post is inspired by my friend Joy’s post about ‘What not to say in meetings’.
As true as one or more of these excuses may be for you in calling into work you may want to avoid using them. And if one or more are true, you might want to consider the good ol standby “I have a bad case of diarrhea.”
• “I won’t be able to come in this morning, I have to mediate a fight between two of my eight personalities.”
• “I recently caught my penis in my trouser zipper, I am on my way to the emergency room.”
• “My 2004 N’sync break-up PTSD has been triggered. I will be spending the rest of the day listening to ‘No Strings Attached’ while eating a pint of Ben and Jerry’s.
• “My cat was caught in between a crips and bloods gang fight, I have to take him to the vet.”
• “Things got a little crazy at my ‘Shakespeare in Love’ viewing party last night.”
• “Like a fool, I took the bait on someone’s dare to chase that family of raccoon around the yard. I will be spending the day getting rabies vaccinations.”
• “Things didn’t go so well when I tried to bleach my anus with a Crest Whitestrips.”
• “Like Doc Brown, I thought it was a good idea to try to turn a Dolorean into a time machine. Guess you really do need a Flux Capacitor. Imagine my surprise when I didn’t go back to 1955 when I hit 88 miles per hour in the Sears parking lot.”
• “I have an appointment at the courthouse to change my name to Yusuf Islam.”
• “I am still waiting for Marvin Gaye to tell me to stop getting it on.”
• “I’ve been up for the last 86 hours straight watching ‘Lost’ and I still don’t get it.”
• “I broke my ankle yesterday skipping to my Lou with my darling.”
• “My eyes are swollen shut. I know as soon as had I seen ASPCA and hear Sarah McLachlin I should have turned the channel; but I just couldn’t stop watching.”
• “Dear Abby and Ask Ann gave me conflicting advice in 1992 and I am still trying to reconcile the choice I made.”
• “I am terribly sick, my stepdaughter spiked my Tab with Draino.”
• “I recently cut my tongue on magazine subscription stamps for the Publisher’s Clearinghouse.”
• “I recently read a collection of E E Cummings poetry and I’ve had a headache all morning.”
• “I am in a real conundrum, I just can’t make decision with this International Male catalogue. Why are there so many huaraches sandal choices?”
• “I can’t find a way out of my house. This My Little Pony horading is out of control.”
The 2011 Oscar nominations will be announced tomorrow morning 5am PST/8am EST. I thought I would put out my predictions and then tomorrow see how many I matched. 2010 was a great year for movies, November/December of course pushing out films with the most award potential. I think this year we will see some surprises; like Toy Story 3 being nominated for Best Picture and Best Animated feature.
Best Picture:
The Social Network
Inception
Black Swan
True Grit
The Fighter
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech
127 hours
Toy Story 3
Winter’s Bone
Best Director:
Danny Boyle – 127 Hours
Darren Arronfsky – Black Swan
David O. Russell – The Fighter
David Fincher – The Social Network
Christopher Nolan – Inception
Best Actor:
Jeff Bridges- True Grit
James Franco – 127 Hours
Ryan Gossling – Blue Valentine
Colin Firth – The King’s Speech
Jessie Eisenberg – The Social Network
Best Actress:
Annette Benning – The Kids Are All Right
Natalie Portman – Black Swan
Jennifer Lawrence – Winter’s Bone
Michelle Williams – Blue Valentine
Nicole Kidman – The Rabbit Hole
Best Supporting Actor:
Christian Bale – The Fighter
Mark Ruffalo – The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush – The King’s Speech
Andrew Garfield – The Social Network
Jeremy Renner – The Town
Best Supporting Actress:
Melissa Leo – The Fighter
Amy Adams – The Fighter
Mila Kunis – Black Swan
Julianne Moore – The Kids Are All Right
Helena Bonhem-Carter – The King’s Speech
Best Animated Feature:
Toy Story 3 (yes a double nominee)
Tangled
How To Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Despicable Me
We’ll see what happens tomorrow!
Best Picture, Drama:
**Black Swan**
The Fighter
Inception
The King’s Speech
The Social Network
I believe ‘Black Swan’ will take home the Globe; but ‘The Social Network’ or ‘The Fighter’ could pull an upset as Best Picture.
Best Picture, Comedy/Musical:
Alice in Wonderland
Burlesque
**The Kids Are All Right**
Red
The Tourist
I would be surprised if ‘The Kids Are All Alright’ doesn’t take home the prize. Being that it’s the Hollywood Foreign Press ‘Alice In Wonderland’ could create one of the biggest upsets of the night.
Best Animated Film:
Tangled
**Toy Story 3**
How To Train Your Dragon
Despicable Me
The Illusionist
Toy Story 3 is a sure thing in the category. Pixar took the story to a whole new emotional level and we were lucky to come along for the ride.
Best Actress, Drama:
Halle Berry, Frankie and Alice
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine
**Natalie Portman, Black Swan**
Who I want to win (Michelle Williams) and who will win (Natalie Portman) aren’t the same; but I would be happy for either girls. I thought Natalie owned ‘Black Swan’, but Michelle gave a performance like no other.
Best Actor, Drama:
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Colin Firth, The King’s Speech
**James Franco, 127 Hours**
Ryan Gosling, Blue Valentine
Mark Wahlberg, The Fighter
For me, this is a three way tie between Ryan, James and Mark. These three guys are equally deserving of an award.
Best Director:
David Fincher, The Social Network
**Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan**
Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech
Christopher Nolan, Inception
David O. Russell, The Fighter
If ‘Black Swan’ takes picture, I would assume Darren Aronofsky will take it for best director. It could also fall to David Fincher or David O. Russell.
Best Supporting Actress:
**Amy Adams, The Fighter**
Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech
Mila Kunis, Black Swan
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom
This is one of the hardest categories for me to guess about. I honestly feel that Amy, Mila and Melissa could walk away with the Globe. I have a feeling though that many voters aren’t ready to honor Mila in the way they may want to honor Amy or Melissa.
Best Supporting Actor:
**Christian Bale, The Fighter**
Andrew Garfield, The Social Network
Jeremy Renner, The Town
Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech
Michael Douglas, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Hands down Christian Bale owns this category. His performance of Micky Ward was astonishing. Leading the pack behind Christian would probably be Geoffrey Rush.
Best Actress, Comedy:
**Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right**
Anne Hathaway, Love and Other Drugs
Angelina Jolie, The Tourist
Emma Stone, Easy A
Julianne Moore, The Kids Are All Right
My ideal situation would be that it is literally a tie between Julianne and Annette. They are both equally deserving.
Best Actor, Comedy:
**Kevin Spacey, Casino Jack**
Jake Gyllenhaal, Love and Other Drugs
Johnny Depp, Alice in Wonderland
Johnny Depp, The Tourist
Paul Giamatti, Barney’s Version
Honestly, I have no idea who should and will walk away with the Globe for this category. I can also honestly say that it’s a hodge podge category. My best guess is that Kevin Spacey will walk away with the honors since he is playing a real person.
Best Screenplay:
**Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network**
Christopher Nolan, Inception
Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg, The Kids Are All Right
David Seidler, The King’s Speech
Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy, 127 Hours
Aaron Sorkin seems like the most likely candidate to walk away with the prize, but I would be happy with any one of these nominees winning the award
Best Original Song:
**”You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me,” by Diane Warren, Burlesque**
“Bound to You,” Burlesque
“Coming Home”, Country Strong
“I See the Light,” by Alan Menken, Tangled
“There’s a Place for Us,” Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Diane Warren is queen movie songstress so she will probably take home the award, it also doesn’t hurt her chances that it was sung by Cher.
Best Foreign-Language Film:
I Am Love
**Biutiful**
The Concert
The Edge
In a Better World
I unfortunately have not seen any of these films. There is big buzz for ‘Biutiful’ and ‘I Am Love’ so I think it would probably go to either of these.
TV Series, Drama:
Mad Men
Dexter
Boardwalk Empire
The Good Wife
**The Walking Dead**
I think, and hope, that the Hollywood Foreign Press will recognize this fresh and innovative television show.
Best Actor, TV Drama:
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
**Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad**
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie, House
Since the show wasn’t even nominated, the least that could happen is Bryan takes home the Globe for Best Actor. Season 3 was great and he showed a lot of range and elevated his character this last season.
Best Actress, TV Comedy:
Toni Collette, The United States of Tara
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
**Laura Linney, The Big C**
Lea Michele, Glee
I loved ‘The Big C’ and Laura’s character is certainly one that the Hollywood Foreign Press would recognize with a trophy. But don’t count out Edie or Toni, they are award show favorites.
Best Actor, TV Comedy:
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Steve Carell, The Office
Thomas Jane, Hung
Matthew Morrison, Glee
**Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory**
Coming off his big Emmy win, I would say that Jim Parsons has this category covered.
Best Actress, TV Drama:
**Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife**
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men
Katey Sagal, Sons of Anarchy
Piper Perabo, Covert Affairs
Julianna Margulies has won an Emmy for the same category and will most likely take home the Globe tonight.
Best Supporting Actor, TV:
**Chris Colfer, Glee**
Chris Noth, The Good Wife
Scott Caan, Hawaii Five-0
David Strathairn, Temple Grandin
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family
Chris Colfer deserves the award, but Eric Stonestreet may take it from him. We will have to see what happens.
Best Supporting Actress, TV:
Hope Davis, The Special Relationship
**Jane Lynch, Glee**
Kelly MacDonald, Boardwalk Empire
Julia Stiles, Dexter
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Jane Lynch will win, and she deserves it; but man I loved Julia Stiles in Dexter.
TV Series, Comedy:
30 Rock
The Big Bang Theory
The Big C
Glee
**Modern Family**
Nurse Jackie
It comes down to ‘Glee’ and ‘Modern Family’. My gut tells me ‘Modern Family’ will take it; but I certainly don’t count ‘Glee’ out.
Best Mini-series:
Carlos
The Pacific
**Temple Grandin**
You Don’t Know Jack
Pillars of the Earth
‘Temple Grandin’ swept the Emmys and I imagine will take home the prize come Golden Globes night. ‘You Don’t Know Jack’ certainly has a chance here, but it will still probably go to ‘Temple’.
Best Performance by an Actress In A Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Hayley Atwell – Pillars Of The Earth
**Claire Danes – Temple Grandin**
Judi Dench – Return To Cranford
Romola Garai – Emma
Jennifer Love Hewitt – The Client List
This will be Claire Danes’ award to loose.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Idris Elba – Luther
Ian McShane – Pillars Of The Earth
**Al Pacino – You Don’t Know Jack**
Dennis Quaid – The Special Relationship
Edgar Ramirez – Carlos
This is Al Pacino’s award to loose.
1. Inception
Christopher Nolan has created a modern day classic with this tale of redemption and intrigue. There are very few films today that will withstand time and I would put Inception on top of any list. The cast, led by Leonardo DiCaprio is believable and Marion Cotillard’s portrayal of Mal will break your heart.
Ever since Se7en, David Fincher has been one of my favorite directors. He brought to life Benjamin Button, Tyler Durden and of course John Doe – but what he did to Mark Zuckerberg was astonishing. He turned an extraordinary geek into an extraordinary cinematic character.
3. Black Swan
I feel like so far each of these mini-reviews have focused on the directors, but I can’t write anything about Black Swan without praising Darren Aronofsky. His brilliant direction of how far Nina would push herself to be the ‘perfect’ swan is incredible. But without the amazing performance of Natalie Portman it would all be for nothing. Together, these to brilliant creative minds have made a movie about ballet stand up to all the other great films on this list.
So much of what made this film so great was the brave and intimate performance of Julianne Moore and Annette Benning. Then when you put Mark Ruffalo in the mix and you have a trio of actors who make you want to know this family more. Though this film has had some negative reviews for the ‘affair’ subplot, I think the thing to focus on the most is what this family goes through and how the learn to move forward.
5. The Town
Ben Affleck co-wrote, directed and starred in this great bank heist movie. The performances of Affleck and Jeremy Renner are near pitch perfect and a surprise performance of Blake Lively really makes this movie amazing.
6. Toy Story 3
When ‘Up’ came out and made me tear up a little, I didn’t think another animated film could do the same; then I saw Toy Story 3. For me, it’s the best of the series and was one of the most moving films of 2010.
7. The Fighter
While the trailers for this film caught my attention I was a little worried about David O. Russell taking a turn at a more serious film. He is more known for his quirky comedies such as I (heart) Huckabees and Flirting With Disaster. I was quite surprise that he was able to insert some levity into the dramatic story of Micky Ward. It really was a great movie and the performance by Christian Bale was crazily amazing. I have a feeling he’ll sweep the Best Supporting Actor category this award season.
8. 127 Hours
I am surprised this film hasn’t done better box office wise. It is a great film and James Franco gave an amazing performance. The mental, emotional and physical journey Aron Ralston went through is harrowing. Danny Boyle, another favorite director of mine, uses color, scenery and slick editing to carry the story along.
9. Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
I loved this intimate look at one of comedy’s legends. This documentary follows Rivers as she performs in nowhere Michigan, behind the scenes of Celebrity Apprentice, etc. Rivers doesn’t shy away from expressing her concern that the once in-demand comedian is losing gigs to the likes of Kathy Griffin and other younger performers.
10. Never Let Me Go
I am not quite sure why this film hasn’t gotten the accolades it deserves. It is a great adaptation of a wonderful novel. Carrey Muligan is heartbreakingly terrific as she wanders through a bleak existence as as a ‘donor’. Beautifully paced, the film offers up a reality that feels all too real.
*Movies I haven’t seen but feel like could make the list: ‘Blue Valentine’, ‘Biutiful’, ‘The Kings Speech’ and ‘Frankie and Alice’.
See also:
1. Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary
This collection of short stories where animals take the place of humans was a fun and poignant read. David Sedaris has shared with us another humorous look at the human condition and does it with the flare only he can do.
2. Are You There Vodka, It’s Me Chelsea
Chelsea Handler can be at times polarizing. Her unflinching memoir may come across crass, but entertaining nonetheless. Her awkwardness as a young girl who creates a lie about her starring role in Private Benjamin 2 was hilarious.
3. The Strain
Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan have reinvented the vampire story in this first of a series of books. This isn’t Twilight, but not True Blood either; it’s a scary, detailed story about a virus infection that creates a new version of vampires that will scare the hell out of you.
4. Zombie
Joyce Carol Oates has put together an unnerving novel loosely based off famed cannibal/murder Jeffry Dahlmer. The protagonist in this book is frightening and Ms. Oates does not shy away from some of the grizzliest prose I have read since American Psycho. So why is it in my top 5, well I read it in only a few days and while horrific the writing and how the story is told is near pitch perfect.
5. The Bucolic Plague: How Two Manhattanites Became Gentlemen Farmers: An Unconventional Memoir
I read Josh Kilmer-Purcell’s debut memoir, “I Am Not Myself These Days”, years ago. Then when his Planet Green tv show, ‘The Fabulous Beekman Boys’, airred I remembered what a great time I had reading his first book so I knew I had to read this one as well. It didn’t disappoint. Underneath his unabashed humorous storytelling there is a big heart that makes you feel like you are sitting with an old friend telling stories.
See also:
I feel like this show came out of nowhere and hit like a ton of bricks. Yes, there were promos but not a huge build up – which I think was a good ploy because you didn’t have false hopes about anything. I really enjoyed this show, sad a little because it was only 6 episodes and we will have to wait almost 10 months before it’s on again. This by far was my top pick TV show for the year.
2. Lost
The End. Wow this show closed with one of the greatest season finales ever! I am so sad the show is over, but am glad that it went out with a bang. It gave you enough information to be happy with how it ended without having to answer every question you may have had about the show.
3. Cougar Town
To me, Cougar Town is one of the sharpest and funniest comedies on TV right now. Sure it’s silly and the situations aren’t derived from a lot of real life experiences – but it’s a television show, its only job is to entertain and I think it does that job well.
4. Glee
Ok, so Glee had a stronger first season, but so far the second fall season has touched on some great story lines. The ‘bullying’ episode was great and the fact that Chris Colfer was nominated for both a Golden Globe and SAG award proves that musical/comedy does have a place in reflecting our current struggle of bigotry and equal rights.
5. Dexter
Coming off season 4 in which the Trinity killer wreaked havoc in Miami, including killing Rita; season 5 had some big shoes to fill. It’s started off pretty slow, but now I can see it was building up to a big crescendo. Adding Julie Stilles to the mix at first seemed weird, but by the last episode it was tough to see her leave. Here’s hoping she’s back for season 6.
6. Real Housewives (ATL, BH, NJ)
What can you say about the RHW franchise? It’s cheesey and clearly the situations are set up by the production team — but damn those are some crazy ladies and really they all make the shows fun. It doesn’t take it’s self seriously and I’m fine with that. It’s pure entertainment.
Forget the late night drama of Jay and Conan – to me Chelsea does it right, about a good 15-17 minutes of comedy and commentary on pop culture and about a 10 minute interview with a guest. It’s funny, short and that’s how it should be done. I am not saying she is the greatest of hosts, or that all of the jokes go over well, but the formula works for me just fine.
Though it’s been an inconsistent start this season; the back end of last season, which included the Betty White episode, still makes this one of my favorite shows of the year. The digital shorts, fake commercials and most of the Weekend Update segments still shine a bright comedy spotlight on the show. I hope they continue to bring on guest hosts who can make a great show, and not just sell their current movie or tv project.
Love, love, love Modern Family. The subtleties in which some of the funniest moments come from are what really make me like this show. I also enjoy that it’s a show about a family, couples, parents, siblings, etc. It doesn’t have to rest on formulaic sitcom laurels to garner a laugh.
10. The Office
I am not sure if The Office is on my list because it’s one of the 10 best shows on TV or if it is because I know it’s Steve Carrel’s last season. I do know that the last Christmas Party episode and Community Theater episodes really stand out to me as comedy classics.
Other notable shows: Breaking Bad, True Blood, 30 Rock, Big Love, Flipping Out and Watch What Happens Live.
See also:
A Blog About This and That 
