2013 Emmy Awards Nominations

The nominations for the 65th Emmy Awards were announced today. Here are the nominees in the major catagories. Awards will be handed out on September 22.

LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES:

Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey, PBS

Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad, AMC

Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom, HBO

Jon Hamm, Mad Men, AMC

Damian Lewis, Homeland, Showtime

Kevin Spacey, House of Cards, Netflix

LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES:

Connie Britton, Nashville, ABC

Claire Danes, Homeland, Showtime

Michele Dockery, Downton Abbey, PBS

Vera Farmiga, Bates Motel, A&E

Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men, AMC

Kerry Washington, Scandal, ABC

Robin Wright, House of Cards, Netflix

OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES:

The Big Bang Theory, CBS

Girls, HBO

Louie, FX

Modern Family, ABC

30 Rock, NBC

Veep, HBO

LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES:

Jason Bateman, Arrested Development, Netflix

Louis CK, Louie, FX

Don Cheadle, House of Lies, Showtime

Matt LeBlanc, Episodes, Showtime

Jim Parsons, Big Bang Theory, CBS

Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock, NBC

LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES:

Lena Dunham, Girls, HBO

Laura Dern, Enlightened, HBO

Tiny Fey, 30 Rock, NBC

Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation, NBC

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep, HBO

Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie, Showtime

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES:

Adam Driver, Girls, HBO

Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family, ABC

Ed O'Neill, Modern Family, ABC

Ty Burrell, Modern Family, ABC

Bill Hader, Saturday Night Live, NBC

Tony Hale, Veep, HBO

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES:

Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory, CBS

Jane Lynch, Glee, Fox

Sofia Vergara, Modern Family, ABC

Julie Bowen, Modern Family, ABC

Merritt Wever, Nurse Jackie, Showtime

Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock, NBC

Anna Chlumsky, Veep, HBO

DRAMA SERIES:

Breaking Bad, AMC

Downton Abbey, PBS

Homeland, Showtime

Game of Thrones, HBO

House of Cards, Netflix

Mad Men, AMC

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES:

Bobby Cannavale, Boardwalk Empire, HBO

Jonathan Banks, Breaking Bad, AMC

Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad, AMC

Jim Carter, Downton Abbey, PBS

Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones, HBO

Mandy Patinkin, Homeland, Showtime

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES:

Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad, AMC

Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey, AMC

Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones, HBO

Christine Baranski, The Good Wife, CBS

Morena Baccarin, Homeland, Showtime

Christina Hendricks, Mad Men, AMC

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE:

Michael Douglas, Behind The Candelabra, HBO

Matt Damon, Behind The Candelabra, HBO

Toby Jones, The Girl, HBO

Benedict Cumberbatch, Parade's End, HBO

Al Pacino, Phil Spector, HBO

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE:

Jessica Lange, American Horror Story, FX

Laura Linney, The Big C: Hereafter, Showtime

Helen Mirren, Phil Spector, HBO

Sigourney Weaver, Political Animals, USA

Elisabeth Moss, Top Of The Lake, Sundance Channel

MINISERIES OR MOVIE:

American Horror Story: Asylum, FX

Behind the Candelabra, HBO

Phil Spector, HBO

Political Animals, USA

The Bible, HISTORY

Top of the Lake, Sundance Channel

OUTSTANDING HOST FOR A REALITY OR REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM:

Ryan Seacrest, American Idol, Fox

Betty White, Betty White's Off Their Rockers, NBC

Tom Bergeron, Dancing With The Stars, ABC

Heidi Klum, Tim Gunn, Project Runway, Bravo

Cat Deeley, So You Think You Can Dance, Fox

Anthony Bourdain, The Taste, ABC

OUTSTANDING REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM:

The Amazing Race, CBS

Dancing With The Stars, ABC

Project Runway, Lifetime

So You Think You Can Dance, Fox

Top Chef, Bravo

The Voice, NBC

OUTSTANDING MINISERIES OR MOVIE:

American Horror Story: Asylum, FX

Behind The Candelabra, HBO

The Bible, HISTORY

Phil Spector, HBO

Political Animals, USA

Top Of The Lake, Sundance Channel

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A VARIETY SERIES:

The Colbert Report, Comedy Central

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, Comedy Central

Jimmy Kimmel Live, ABC

Portlandia, IFC

Real Time With Bill Maher, HBO

Saturday Night Live, NBC

Film Review -- 42

This biographical film stars Chadwick Boseman, Harrison Ford, Nicole Beharie. It tells the story of a young and talented baseball player named Jackie Robinson (Boseman) who becomes the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball. It details the time between the history-making signing and Robinson's first Major League season. With the support of the revolutionary team executive who signed him, Branch Rickey (Ford), and his loving wife, Rachel (Beharie), Jackie must learn to cope with the extreme racism that he faces from crowds, managers, opposing teams, and even his own teammates. As a huge baseball fan, I was excited to see a film about Robinson with my little brother. So, I very much appreciated its PG-rating, a rarity these days for a non-animated film, because Robinson's remarkable story could really take center stage. The film is extremely well-acted; newcomers Boseman and Beharie are remarkable, and Ford is reliably good. The story is also well-written and well-paced, although I wish it would have covered more of Robinson's later career as well. Overall, it is a lovely, heartwarming film.

Should you see it: Yes

Grade: A-

Film Review -- Man of Steel

The latest Superman installment is directed by Zack Snyder and stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Russell Crowe, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Laurence Fishburne, and Christopher Meloni. In this version, the alien identity of Clark Kent (Cavill) remains a secret until he his thirty-three years old, after his childhood in Kansas with Jonathan (Costner) and Martha (Lane) and a string of odd-jobs. One of these, as a cargo handler, leads him to a top Arctic expedition, where a group of scientists are investigating a strange formation buried under twenty-thousand year-old ice. There, he saves the life of trailblazing journalist Lois Lane (Adams) -- and learns the truth about his origins. He embraces his alter-ego to defeat General Zod (Shannon), the Kryptonian traitor who is hell-bent on recreating his lost planet on Earth, but with no room for sharing. Even though one goes into a superhero film expecting some plot to be sacrificed for CGI action, this film's problems run way deeper than that. Not only is the story itself utterly ridiculous, but the film's blatant pro-Christian message is disappointing and distasteful. When doing some research on the matter after returning from the theater, I discovered that the earliest Superman comics were very much influenced by Christianity (Clark Kent's parents were first named Mary and Joseph). A subtle religious undertone would have paid homage to the essence of the original comics, but it was too pronounced and overindulgent in this film. The special effects are very impressive, however, as one would expect. This aspect makes the film very entertaining, but films of this genre cannot only rely on effects if they do not have proper substance. Unfortunately, the film is a huge miss all around, and a waste of many great talents. 

Should you see it: No
Grade: C

Film Review -- Monsters University

Pixar's highly-anticipated prequel to 2001's Monsters, Inc. stars the voices of Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, and Helen Mirren. Before they became the greatest scaring team in the world, Mike Wazowski and James "Jim" Sullivan were both students at Monsters University, where, well, they didn't quite hit it off in the beginning. Mike's lifelong dream is to be a scarer, and he's worked hard to earn his way into the Scaring Program at MU. The only problem is that he's just.....not scary. Sully, on the other hand, is a born scarer, the latest product of the legendary Sullivan family. He, however, boasts overinflated confidence and no dedication. Needless to say, one does not think very highly of the other. But, faced with the possibility of expulsion, Mike and Sully team up with the outcast monsters of the Oozma Kappa fraternity to participate in the Scare Games, where only an unlikely victory will keep them at MU. They must learn to work together and overcome their differences in order to succeed. Almost always is a sequel or a prequel inferior to its predecessor, and Monsters University is no exception. The film is warm, intelligent, and highly enjoyable, but it just doesn't measure up to the near-perfection that is Monsters, Inc. The plot feels very safe, unlike the many clever twists present in Monsters, Inc., and many Pixar films in general. The film is especially affected by the absence of Boo, one of my favorite animated characters (though this was inevitable; it would have been impossible to include Boo in a prequel). Though it won't rank among Pixar's best, Monsters University is still a triumph, and a welcome return for these beloved characters.

Should you see it: Yes

Grade: B+