742, we continue to be in agreement, even if reluctantly on this, due to the reality of the situation you laid out in your prior post. The Emmys will do their rubber-stamp deal like they always do, never mind the fact that it's yielded for them the lowest ratings in their history the past 3 or 4 years. I think PD fans here and elsewhere are realists. There won't be a hue and cry from me when the SOSO's (and we know who and what shows they are) will be announced out of habit a lot more than in terms of actually being good.

Now that the season is over, I think I'm more confident with these placements in terms of Emmy submission tapes, omitting the guest contenders (Colantoni, Simmons and Bell, while adding Steven Weber for Celebrate Ricky Sargulesh to guest actor)

Comedy Series: Willow Canyon Homeowners Association Party, Taylor Stiltskin Sweet 16, Stennheiser-Pong Wedding Reception

Actor:
Adam Scott: Stennheiser-Pong Wedding Reception
Ken Marino: James Rolf High School 20th Reunion

Actress:
Lizzy Caplan: Brandix Corporate Retreat or Stennheiser-Pong Wedding Reception

Supporting Actor:
Ryan Hansen: Pepper McMasters Singles Seminar
Martin Starr: Brandix Corporate Retreat or Stennheiser-Pong Wedding Reception

Supporting Actress:
Jane Lynch: Celebrate Ricky Sargulesh

Writing: Taylor Stiltskin Sweet 16, Stennheiser-Pong Wedding Reception, Celebrate Ricky Sargulesh

Directing: Willow Canyon Homeowners Association Party, Taylor Stiltskin Sweet 16, Stennheiser-Pong Wedding Reception

Those who have seen PD already or will hopefully partake in watching via Netflix or Starz on Demand, your .02 welcome. :-)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: PaulHan,

quote:

Originally posted by PaulHan:
742, we continue to be in agreement, even if reluctantly on this, due to the reality of the situation you laid out in your prior post. The Emmys will do their rubber-stamp deal like they always do, never mind the fact that it's yielded for them the lowest ratings in their history the past 3 or 4 years. I think PD fans here and elsewhere are realists. There won't be a hue and cry from me when the SOSO's (and we know who and what shows they are) will be announced out of habit a lot more than in terms of actually being good.

It does not make sense that nominating a little seen show on a little seen channel, I personally do not know anyone with Starz and do not know why someone would choose to have it over HBO and/or Showtime even being a fan of "Party Down", would raise the ratings of the Emmys. It may be the recent dominance of lesser seen shows ("Mad Men", "Dexter", "Breaking Bad", etc.) has led less people to watch the Emmys... and all those shows have more viewers than "Party Down". That of course is fine with me as someone who prefers quality be nominated over mere popularity. But this flies in the face of your constant railing against little seen films getting nominated for the Oscars over more popular films. Why should TV be different? Why are you a man of the people when it comes to movies but not television?

I should clarify that I don't consider "Party Down" an Emmy-worthy show. Not yet anyway. The performances are good, and the best of the comedy is hilarious, but the worst of it is the pits, as the pilot episode demonstrated. It doesn't rank even among my top ten favorite comedies of the season, let alone top five or six.

I would rather see "Party Down" nominated for Best Comedy Series than "Two and a Half Men," "Family Guy," and a dreary season of "Entourage," but I would much rather see those slots filled by "Pushing Daisies," "Scrubs," "Flight of the Conchords," "Better Off Ted," "Weeds," "United States of Tara," "Chuck," or "My Name is Earl."

PaulHan, you let your fandom interfere with your argument. You say rubber-stamping the same shows causes a reduced viewership for the Emmy telecast. But just remember you said that when you're advocating your own favorite, low-rated shows like "Party Down" and "Battlestar Galactica." If these under-watched shows were nominated for the top prize, I doubt viewership would increase. Probably just the opposite. But that shouldn't really be a consideration -- or an argument -- one way or another.

Thanks to Boomer for the 411 on who Starz is going to push for Emmy consideration, now placed here as a courtesy to those who may view this thread.

Comedy Series
Actor: Adam Scott, Ken Marino
Supporting Actor : Ryan Hansen, Martin Starr
Supporting Actress: Lizzy Caplan, Jane Lynch
Guest Actor: Ed Begley, Jr., Enrico Colantoni, J.K. Simmons, Steven Weber
Guest Actress: Kristen Bell, Joey Lauren Adams, Marilu Henner

It's pitch-perfect (almost); I would've put Caplan in Lead Actress. What will be interesting is how they go in writing and directing, but that's another post for another day.

If anything, I really want to see Jane Lynch nominated in Supporting Actress this year. She got a nomination for Guest Actress last year, so I don't think its out-of-the-question to see her pop up with a nomination for Party Down (especially if voters also saw her in another guest turn on Two and a Half Men this year as well as a featured performance in the premiere of Glee). Besides that, Party Down's best shots are in writing, directing, and maybe Kristen Bell in Guest Actress.

quote:

Originally posted by 24fanatic:
If anything, I really want to see Jane Lynch nominated in Supporting Actress this year. She got a nomination for Guest Actress last year, so I don't think its out-of-the-question to see her pop up with a nomination for Party Down (especially if voters also saw her in another guest turn on Two and a Half Men this year as well as a featured performance in the premiere of Glee). Besides that, Party Down's best shots are in writing, directing, and maybe Kristen Bell in Guest Actress.

Lynch made the Top 10 for "Two and a Half Men" -- but she was never nominated. That said, I too hope she can manage a nomination, and I wouldn't think it out of the realm of possibility either. She's had a great year, a lot of exposure, and a lot of buzz. If she doesn't manage a nod for "Party Down", I figure she'll likely pop up in Guest Actress for "Two and a Half Men". Love it or hate it, she was pretty damn funny in "I'd Like To Start With The Cat", and having made the Top 10 with a lesser tape last year really helps her chances. For now, that's where I'll predict her.

BEcause I'm still not that quite willing to let go yet, here's a review of the season finale from the Televisionary Blog:

------------
Was it just me or was Friday evening's season finale of Party Down ("Stennheiser-Pong Wedding Reception") absolutely hysterical and poignant in equal measure?

Throughout its first season, Party Down--which will return for a second season sometime in 2010--has proven itself to be a cutting social satire of the wannabe Hollywood set as it explores the morals and motivations of a group of cater-waiters hoping to move up a rung on the ladder of fame and fortune.

In episodes scripted by co-creator/executive producer John Enbom, this has typically taken a dark turn and Friday night's episode ("Stennheiser-Pong Wedding Reception"), which guest starred the always delightful Kristen Bell as Ron's catering nemesis Uda Bengt, was no exception, offering an installment that not only shocked and saddened but also made me giddy with excitement.

While Party Down attempted to cater a gay wedding this week, they discovered that they weren't the only caterers assigned to the event and soon had to contend with the Valhalla Catering Company, a group of attractive, black-garbed model-esque waiters overseen by the rigid and icy Uda Bengt (Bell). (Yep, butter wouldn't melt in her mouth.) But that's not the only problem. Ron is a total mess, having gone off the deep end and reverted back to his old habits of drinking, Roman is stuck directing guests' attention to the restroom sign and latches onto wedding guest George Takei, Casey awaits a call about a gig that could end her relationship with Henry, Bobbie (Jennifer Coolidge) is high on magic mushrooms (her description of lemons as "sun eggs" had me rolling on the floor), and Kyle is desperate to pitch himself to a producer at the event.

All of which leads to poor Henry having to take the reins of Party Down and keep everyone on track. Season One has largely been about Henry's path from former actor ("Are we having fun yet?") to full-time caterer, a move that he's been largely resistant to, even as he can't quite veer from this inevitable destination. But Henry does step up, organizing the color-coded appetizer trays, preventing George Takei from dying, keeping Ron under control and largely out of site, and shielding his employer from the suspicions of Alan Duk (Ken Jeong). And just like that, Henry suddenly is thrust into the role of responsible member of society, a team leader. In essence, Henry has now become Ron.

For everyone else, the party provides a bit of an escape, a last hurrah before their lives change forever. Casey accepts a six-month stand-up gig aboard a cruise ship (shudder), Kyle is so willing to do anything to get a role in a feature film that he agrees to do, well, anything (wink, wink, nudge, nudge), and Ron finally gets the seed money from Duk to start his very own Soup R' Crackers franchise. It's a series of changes that beautifully sets up a second season of the series and allows some actors to come and go.

I'm hoping, however, that they all--including Jane Lynch--return for another go-around as I'd hate to lose any of them. I think that it's pretty safe to say that Ron's Soup R' Crackers franchise will fail (especially now that Ron is back on the sauce) and he'll have to return to Party Down, likely reporting to team leader Henry, and Casey will return from what's bound to be a horrific cruise gig as well. Jennifer Coolidge's Bobbie St. Brown has been a fine fill-in for Jane Lynch's Constance Carmell but I'm hoping that Lynch can find time from her busy Glee-filled schedule to reprise her role as Constance next season.

Meanwhile, I have to say what a thrill it was to see Kristen Bell again on the small screen, particularly in scenes with her former Veronica Mars sparring partners Ryan Hansen and Ken Marino, the latter of whom played the despicable Vinnie Van Lowe on the short-lived Rob Thomas series. Bell brought a severe iciness to the role and we felt--painfully--just how much Uda manages to ruffle Ron's feathers.

(Personally, I could see an entire series filling in the backstory between Uda and Ron when they worked together at Party Down.) And the way that Bell kept up her arctic demeanor even when hitting on Henry? Priceless. (Is there anything we can do to lure Bell back to a weekly series again? Anyone?)

All in all, this week's episode of Party Down was a fantastic season closer to a ten-episode run that has cemented Party Down as one of the hilarious and moving comedies on television today. I'm going to miss the deliciously loopy gang at Party Down and hope that Rob, John, et al can bring them back to the small screen sooner rather than later. In the meantime, I see a sun egg that requires my attention.

From E!'s Watch With Team Kristin (as K is still on maternity leave) yesterday:

Season 2 begins shooting in September, and Jane Lynch will not be back, per Ryan Hansen. Her busyness with Glee and other movie projects was just too much to overcome. From the Q&A:

----

As for the future of his character, Kyle, Ryan says, "I think that he will maybe get a couple little parts, get a big head about it, and then maybe fail a little bit and have to cater to support himself. And hopefully his band, Karma Rocket, can play one of the catering gigs."

And everybody involved is optimistic that Kristen Bell will be back as Uda Bengt. Ryan tells us about prospects for Bell's return; "I'll drug her and drag her in, and we'll just prop her up." Sounds good to us!

TV Week: Party Down - Hollywood's Hippest Entourage. It lays out the land for season 2, and is tres' spoilery.

Thanks, TVW, for getting on board the bandwagon.

quote:

Originally posted by PaulHan:
TV Week: Party Down - Hollywood's Hippest Entourage. It lays out the land for season 2, and is tres' spoilery.

Thanks, TVW, for getting on board the bandwagon.

Thanks for the info about Season 2 PaulHan! Hope like the article says that they can get both Kristen Bell and Jane Lynch for at least one episode.

Is there any info about the show coming on DVD anytime soon? I don't have Starz, and I'm dying to watch the show.

quote:

Originally posted by MissyGal:
Is there any info about the show coming on DVD anytime soon? I don't have Starz, and I'm dying to watch the show.

If you have Netflix, or know someone with it who will let you get into their Netflix account, you can stream it on the Netflix website.

You can pre-order it on Amazon, but a release date is far off in the future.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: PaulHan,

Sorry, PD fans: Jane Lynch - outta there.

I know... I just read the news and was gonna post here! Jane Lynch was the best part of the show! But I know she's leaving for greater projects, and good for her, because her career is really really taking off big time! I'm not sure I'll watch the second season without her though... I would love for here to get a Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series nomination this year though! She deserves it, and I guess it will be really her only chance for this show...

quote:

Originally posted by bocaboy7:
I would love for here to get a Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series nomination this year though! She deserves it, and I guess it will be really her only chance for this show...

In an ideal world, Tom O'Neil would have PD as favorites in just about every acting category, to say nothing of comedy series. It was that good, but on a network that isn't named HBO or Showtime. It already has supplanted Entourage as the best comedy about life in Hollywood. It has characters to root for, instead of rooting for Vince, Drama and the peeps to get hit by an 18-wheeler at the same time because they're such unsympathetic pr1cks.

Besides, College Humor nailed what Entourage in 2 minutes and 30 seconds: Word.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: PaulHan,

quote:

instead of rooting for Vince, Drama and the peeps to get hit by an 18-wheeler at the same time because they're such unsympathetic pr1cks.

E is not an unsympathetic character, but Turtle on the other hand... OMG I want to be there in person when this guy gets hit by a tractor trailer and then it reverses by mistake. He has got to be, hands down, the most vile, inane, worthless character I have ever seen.