WATCH: Promo for Game of Thrones Season 2

2011 Emmy Awards: The Winners

Tonight was a big day in Hollywood as the Emmy Awards for excellence in television were announced.
I had previously blogged about the nominations and made my choices known.

Here is the full list of winners of the 2011 Emmy Awards:

 Outstanding Drama Series: "Mad Men," AMC.
- Outstanding Lead Actress, Drama Series: Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife," CBS.
- Outstanding Lead Actor, Drama Series: Kyle Chandler, "Friday Night Lights," DirecTV/NBC.
- Outstanding Supporting Actor, Drama Series: Peter Dinklage, "Game of Thrones," HBO.
- Outstanding Supporting Actress, Drama Series: Margo Martindale, "Justified," FX.
- Outstanding Writing, Drama Series: Jason Katims, "Friday Night Lights," NBC.
- Outstanding Directing, Drama Series: Martin Scorsese, "Boardwalk Empire," HBO.
- Outstanding Comedy Series: "Modern Family," ABC.
- Outstanding Actor, Comedy Series: Jim Parsons, "The Big Bang Theory," CBS.
- Outstanding Actress, Comedy Series: Melissa McCarthy, "Mike & Molly," CBS.
- Outstanding Supporting Actress, Comedy Series: Julie Bowen, "Modern Family," ABC.
- Outstanding Supporting Actor, Comedy Series: Ty Burrell, "Modern Family," ABC.
- Outstanding Writing, Comedy Series: Steven Levitan and Jeffrey Richman, "Modern Family," ABC.
- Outstanding Directing, Comedy Series: Michael Spiller, "Modern Family," ABC.
- Outstanding Miniseries or Movie: "Downton Abbey (Masterpiece)," PBS.
- Outstanding Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Kate Winslet, "Mildred Pierce," HBO.
- Outstanding Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Barry Pepper, "The Kennedys," ReelzChannel.
- Outstanding Supporting Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Maggie Smith, "Downton Abbey (Masterpiece)," PBS.
- Outstanding Supporting Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Guy Pearce, "Mildred Pierce," HBO.
- Outstanding Directing, Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special: Brian Percival, "Downton Abbey (Masterpiece)," PBS.
- Outstanding Writing, Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special: Julian Fellowes, "Downton Abbey (Masterpiece)," PBS.
- Outstanding Reality-Competition Program: "The Amazing Race," CBS.
- Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series: "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart," Comedy Central.
- Outstanding Directing, Variety, Music or Comedy Series: Don Roy King, "Saturday Night Live," NBC.
- Outstanding Writing, Variety, Music or Comedy Series: "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart," Comedy Central.

The highlights for me are the husband and wife from Modern Family (Ty Burrel and Julie Bowen) winning Best Supporting Actor and Actress. The Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series category was all four male leads from Modern Family  and Chris Colfer from Glee! Also, I'm very psyched that Peter Dinklage won for his portrayal of Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones, a role that could physically not be played by anyone else and is an amazing piece of writing by George R.R. Martin. I'm also glad that two other shows I just started watching, The Good Wife and the The Big Bang Theory had their lead actors, Jim Parsons (second consecutive year) and Julianna Margulies recognized for their excellent work.

I do not understand the obsession with Mad Men; to me it just looks some kind of Republican fantasy of life in the 1950s before all that damned "progress" of the 1960s (civil  rights for Blacks, equal rights for women and the gay rights movement) happened and "the good old days" were rocking. It's some kind of sick nostalgia fantasy for conservatives. The show has won 4 years in a row, every year it has been in existence. Even worse s The Amazing Race which has now won every Best Reality Series Emmy award ever, even though Survivor was first (and is still better).

Last but not least, congrats to Dame Maggie Smith. You, go, girl!!

HBO's Game Of Thrones Renewed For Season 2!

Excellent news! HB0 has announced they have renewed their new fantasy series Game of Thrones for a second season. Game of Thrones is an adaptation of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, which is a planned 7-book fantasy series in set in the fictional land of Westeros where seasons can last years and civilization is basically at the Bronze Age of medieval times.

The plan is for each season of the HBO show to be based on each of the books. The first book in the series is called A Game of Thrones (click to see MadProfessah review). The second book (which is even better than the first) is called A Clash of Kings (click to see MadProfessah review) and immediately follows the events of the first book.

Overall, I have been very impressed with HBO's television adaptation of George R.R. Martin's work, for the most part. The books depict the fight for control of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros between members of several major houses. Martin analyzes many topics in thee very long books, among them the nature of gender in a feudal society, the irrationality of hereditary government, and especially the meanings of political power in a society where everyone carries a sword and "might makes right" is a generally accepted ethos.

The TV series has done an excellent job of animating these concepts by actually improving on Martin's plotting by adding scenes and interactions between characters which do not appear in the original text.
What the TV series has not done well is depict people of color. There is an important subplot in the series which involves action on a far-away continent (across the Narrow Sea from Westeros) called Essos where the Dothraki people like. The Dothraki are a war-like, nomadic people who have "copper skin and almond eyes." In the books, Martin is able to fully explain their specific cultural traditions and motivate their harsh and violent actions. In the HBO series the head of the Dothraki Khal Drogo is portrayed by a massively buff Jason Momoa who speaks in a  rough guttural tongue. The Dothraki are depicted as wild-eyed savages for the most part, without the  descriptive context the book supplies them. This is unfortunate, because the chapters of the books which involve the Dothraki and the blonde refugee from Westeros named Daenerys Targaryen who becomes their Queen (Khaleesi) are some of the best sections of the story. Martin won a Hugo award for a novella about Daenerys.

In the series there are some epic scenes involving Daenerys, the Dothraki and her dragon eggs which, if depicted badly, could ruin the entire series for me. Daenerys and the Dothraki are incredibly important characters, and it is disturbing that, so far, they have not been depicted as effectively as the other, predominantly white, characters. It's no coincidence that the upcoming fifth book is called, A Dance with Dragons. Hopefully, the series will make that far.