EMMY Predictions: Drama

How about the dramas?

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama
Christine Baranski (The Good Wife)
Rose Byrne (Damages)
Sharon Gless (Burn Notice)
Christina Hendricks (Mad Men)
Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men)
Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife)

I really need to start watching Burn Notice more, not only does it contain the best chin on any b-list movie actor ever but it has Sharon Gless. She is all the buzz and a definate favorite to walk away with the statuette.

But I can't look passed Joan in Mad Men, and I mean that in every sense of the word. Christina Hendricks is simply stunning and I thought deserved the nomination last year, especially episode 12 in season two when her fiancé visits the office. This year she submitted the episode when he doesn't get the position he needs and the horse that she bet on failed big. I can't wait for this guy to go off to war and get killed and for Joan to have some good ole fashioned widow sex. But I'm rambling she is the best female character on the show, and that includes her competition Elisabeth Moss. Moss's character developed the most in the series but the way Hendricks walks the fine line of strong sexual goddess and frail woman is a tribute to women of the sixties. She deserves the win, plus I love to watch her walk.



Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama
Andre Braugher (Men of a Certain Age)
Michael Emerson (Lost)
Terry O’Quinn (Lost)
Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad)
Martin Short (Damages)
John Slattery (Mad Men)

The two most deserving actors on this list are going to cancel each other out making room for a clear third place candidate to walk away the winner.

Michael Emerson and Terry O'Quinn each have a win to their name. Emerson as Ben Linus trying to redeem his evil ways from the whole series is fantastic. In the first seasons he was in he was always a step ahead, season five featured a role reversal which was strong enough to get him the win last year. This year featured him vulnerable, as a man trying to find his way with a chapter in his life coming to an end and him coming to face all the demons and monstrosities he committed in his search for control. Meanwhile Terry O'Quinn was playing two different characters and very differently from any other character in the series. SPOILER ALERT (FOR THOSE WHO STILL WANT TO WATCH THE SERIES) He was asked to play the main villain of the entire series as the Man in Black controlled his body and he played the season one version of himself as well. Even when I was certain that he was the ultimate baddie of LOST I still thought that the character could be redeemed. I really enjoyed him as the man in black and enjoyed the symmetry of having him be the antagonist in the first and final season. SPOILER OVER His mind games and abuse of women make him my personal choice to win the award.

But like I said before these two men are going to cancel each other out as they are both so deserving and both on the same series. So I am going with Aaron Paul to actually claim the big award, he deserves praise and certainly showed off his chops in the season but he stands in the shadow of the men of LOST.



Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama
Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights)
Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad)
Matthew Fox (Lost)
Michael C. Hall (Dexter)
Jon Hamm (Mad Men)
Hugh Laurie (House M.D.)

Without a doubt this is the hardest category to predict. Each one of these actors could walk away with the award and frankly each one of these actors would make the academy proud if they won, so let's try and break it down best we can.

Chandler has not only deserved to be nominated but he deserved to be on this list so many years before. Well except the second season, we all have down years. And no matter how you feel about Lost Matthew Fox has been the heart of the show and also probably deserved to be on the list earlier. His final episode is something special and the last 15 minutes of the episode is the very best acting he has done in his whole career. What may work against Fox is the ensemble nature of the show. Any weak spot may cost any actor the award and this may be Fox's biggest adversity, but voters do love a good finale.

This may be Cranston's weakest year, but never doubt a two time champion. The academy can feel confident voting for him without putting too much effort in knowing that his portrayal of the character is always award winning, and it is. Another sure slam dunk for an award is Jon Hamn who portrays the biggest douche bag on television Don Draper as someone you can't help but root for. Similarly I think he has done better, such as this season as he is being forced to redefine himself and his self worth in a brand new agency living a life he has never known. It's still early but I like him to win the award next year with his character actually facing some strife.

Michael C. Hall has always done great work as the frigid father figure dueling with his own personality. And for those of you who haven't see the episode he submitted see it now. Actually scratch that see the whole thing, you may lose out on the sheer emotion of it all without a whole bunch of back story and there are so many good scenes from the season (the Thanksgiving dinner comes to mind). The power of the season has already been awarded with John Lithgow receiving the award for best guest actor in a drama, too bad he thanked HBO. If he wasn't already dead they'd be killing him off after that gaff.

Hugh Laurie has been always been a bridesmaid never a bride. This may be the year he finally gets awarded. The episode he submits is all House all the time, having him in a mental institution facing his personal demons and featuring a Broadway hero with Lin Manuel (If you are not a Broadway fan do yourself a favor and at the very least check out his performance in the TONYs, as he does something very different on the stage. I'll even give you the link).

If I had to pick someone though I think I like sentimental favorite Kyle Chandler to win the award. But in all honesty the smart money is Dexter for the acting pedigree in the entire season. So I think I will go with Hall for the win. But I love Chandler, especially his pregame speech/destruction of his kids before his first game. But that final scene in Dexter is just so good...



Outstanding Actress in a Drama
Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights)
Glenn Close (Damages)
Mariska Hargitay (Special Victims Unit)
January Jones (Mad Men)
Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife)
Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer)

Julianna Margulies is the reason that "The Good Wife" got nominated for the big award. And much like Sandra Bullock at the Oscars I think she has this one in the bag.



Outstanding Drama Series
Breaking Bad
Dexter
Lost
Mad Men
The Good Wife
True Blood

First off let me declare that True Blood doesn't deserve to be anywhere near this list. They have award winning material in the same way as Lady Gaga discussing her Love Muffin. They have zero chance of winning and should just be glad they made the list. Similarly The Good Wife also has no chance here. The reason the show is here is all Julianna Margulies. But at least her show seems like it is going to keep improving itself through the years.

As I said back when I was predicting the nominees I liked the remaining four series as shoo ins. But now that all four have got nominated it is tough to go from there. Of the four I think that Breaking Bad may be the weak link. While this is still a fantastic series it is going up against the champ, the best season of a show so far and a powerful finale.

Like I have said before it is tough business taking down a champ. Mad Men can sometimes drag with minutia and everyday life which is what makes the series so smart, but the episodes that they submitted are all so very powerful and have you demanding for more, which we are currently getting, thank you AMC. I think this may be the best season so far ("they couldn't even send a full reporter"). Matt Weiner's period piece is a masterful work of art and is what good television is all about.

Last season of Dexter was the best it has ever been even against the first storyline. I lost interest in the show after the second season but with so many people talking about the finale and got back into it and it did not disappoint. Veteran thespian John Lithgow is award winning as the Trinity Killer, but will Michael C. Hall and Lithgow be enough to dethrone a heavyweight contender.

Meanwhile the finale of Lost is in the books and while there are many differing viewpoints, from cried when I watched it to wasted six years, I enjoyed the finale and what this season had to offer. While there were some duds, "What Kate Did" comes to mind, the characters finding redemption and Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse playing with some of the fan theories this year made this year, coming from a fan's perspective, a sight to behold.

But Mad Men is just too smart and too well done to be toppled so I like it to win and make it three years in a row and well on their way to a fourth next year.

Well what do you guys think? What shows should be here? Will you be watching? Hit me up you know I will be.

EMMY Predictions: Comedy

The Emmys are coming up this Sunday so I decided to make some not so bold decisions on who would take home the big awards.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy
Ty Burrell (Modern Family)
Chris Colfer (Glee)
Jon Cryer (Two and A Half Men)
Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family)
Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother)
Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family)

Jon Cryer just may repeat as champion. He has some great lines with Sheen and I love when he does physical comedy. The series hasn't been as funny as usual but Jon Cryer is still hysterical. I actually wish that NPH had won the award last year but sadly it was not to be. The character regressed back to his old form, which is actually for the better, but unfortunately so did the writing style of the show. Barney's chance of winning has come and gone.

Frankly Ferguson doesn't deserve to be on the list, it should be Ed O' Neil. As the straight man in the series, ala he uses a dryer humor, he is not even the funniest part of the episode that he submits for consideration.

Ty Burrell as the father of the nucleus family is fantastic and endearing in the series. While there is no actual lead in the series he may be up there. He feels genuine in his compassion and love for his family and I love his goofy nature. But he is usually outshined, as is the entire cast by the loveable and flamboyant Cam. He is submitting the episode Fizbo which probably is the episode he is known best for but for the voters who have watched the entire series, as I hope most of my readers have, he has some of the best laugh out loud moments of the series. The whole cast is tender so there is no point in pointing out his softer side as that is not what singles him out from the cast and what may eventually give him the win.

But with three members from one show competing for one award it may split the voters. And that is why I love the endearing Christopher Colfer to win the award. Originally he wasn't even supposed to be in the series but after auditioning for the part Ryan Murphy wrote a part specifically for him. Talk about a muse. I love his bitchy attitude towards Lea but the moments that capture him this award is when he confronts his father and his sexuality. Later in the post I will talk about how submitting dramatic moments in this category works against you, I think in this example it works for him. The people voting in this category are very gay friendly and while Eric Stonestreet's character is also gay (as is Fegurson's character and Harris in real life) the story arc rarely deals with the conflict that Colfer faces. He gets to show off an array of emotion and his take on Rose's Turn is fantastic. A well done performance of the song has already bequeathed many actresses gold; Broadway royalty Tyne Daly, Angela Lansbury, Patti LuPone all won for their performances in Gypsy. His performance in this episode should be enough to get this rookie actor his first award.


Please note that the last video I posted of a Glee character was of Mike O' Malley who also deserved an EMMY but was beaten out. So maybe this was a bad idea to post the video but he does it so well.



Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy
Julie Bowen (Modern Family)
Jane Krakowski (30 Rock)
Jane Lynch (Glee)
Holland Taylor, (Two and a Half Men)
Sofia Vergara (Modern Family)
Kristen Wiig (Saturday Night Live)

Jane Lynch. Shoo In



Outstanding Actress in a Comedy
Toni Collette (United States of Tara)
Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie)
Tina Fey (30 Rock)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (The New Adventures of Old Christine)
Lea Michele (Glee)
Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation)

Full disclosure, I don't watch "The New Adventure of Old Christine" or the "United States of Tara" which may hurt my prediction seeing as Toni Collette won the award last year and is a serious contender this year.

Lea Michele probably doesn't deserve to be on the list as she simply has some work to be done before she is considered the best in her craft. Her character was a riot in the pilot but she submitted the episode Sectionals. And while she does deliver a stand out performance that had Barbara take notice she doesn't show off any of her comedic chops and her dramatic moment aren’t anything spectacular.

With the down year for 30 Rock it may be a tough race to win; she has been better.

In my mind this leaves it down to two actresses with Amy Poehler and Edie Falco. Already an Emmy winner, Edie Falco is the favorite to win which would make her only the second actress to win an Emmy for comedy and for drama. Emmy would love to make this happen and her acting on the show is why the series got nominated for the big award. But my heart belongs to clueless Leslie Knope she is able to bounce off of anyone in the cast and if anyone’s acting or comedic chops deserved to get it nominated for best series it was Parks and Rec. Instead what it got was a spring debut. The series deserves better and that is why I am going with my heart and saying that Poehler comes out with the win.



Outstanding Actor in a Comedy
Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)
Steve Carell (The Office)
Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
Matthew Morrison (Glee)
Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory)
Tony Shalhoub (Monk)

Someone get Morrison to stop rapping, tell him to stop and never do it again. Larry David has never been known for his acting as much as his writing and this character is probably not too far off from himself but the academy loves the series so he'll get a couple votes. I love Carell and Baldwin both but Baldwin submitted ‘Don Guise, America and Hope’ for his episode and it doesn't come anywhere near as good as past episodes that he has submitted. Carell has been the heart of "The Office" the whole way and has had to do even more heavy lifting ever since Jim and Pam got together but his episode, ‘The Cover Up’, doesn't contain any of those moments of cringe inducing hilarity that I really love about his character. I wish he had submitted Scott's Tots. But sadly it was not to be. Hopefully in his final season he will finally get the award.

This race is down to two men, three time award winner Tony Shalhoub and Jim Parsons of "The Big Bang Theory." The academy is still not entirely behind Big Bang yet which is a shame as the show continually gets funnier and funnier. The episode Parsons submitted is about him accepting award while intoxicated which had me rolling. But working against him is a man who has already won the award and the academy tends to like rewarding strong finales. This was a series that you could pop on and never have to pay too much attention to as it always followed the same formula. It was definitely not one of my favorite series but I really liked the first half of the finale. But Parsons deserved recognition last year and his show deserved to be nominated for best series so I think this will be the validation the whole series deserves.



Best Comedy Series
30 Rock
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Glee
Modern Family
Nurse Jackie
The Office

First things first let’s just scratch "The Office" out of contention. Simply put the series has had better seasons, and while it had a couple of big moment episodes such as the wedding and the pregnancy, the quality that used to be in the series is not quite there anymore

"Nurse Jackie" had a quality season but for a freshman comedy there may be a little too much drama in the series and not enough of a public outcry to be a serious contender. Edie Falco is great but that won’t be enough to win it all, frankly the series should just be glad it got nominated.

"Curb Your Enthusiasm" had quite possibly one of their best seasons ever and if it was ever going to win it would have to be this year. I loved the Seinfeld callback and I thought that Jason Alexander was absolutely hysterical. It however lacks nominations in the writing and directing category and since those are major parts of putting together a best series it would be tough to do, but Curb is definitely the series I am pulling for.

However really this is a three horse race between "Modern Family", "30 Rock", and "Glee." I haven't seen this kind of support for a new show since "Lost" or "American Idol." Simply put it has taken pop culture by storm and is almost as big as those Jersey D-bags. Almost. I love the series, love getting their songs stuck in my head, and am in love with Lea Michelle who has taken over as my celebrity crush. The quality in the series definitely went down after they took their long break. The second half of the season featured episodes that were based around the song, not the song helping to propel the plot. The new structure has also featured a theme which goes back to my last point of choosing the songs over the story, this tactic got annoying. While the male characters were fantastically written from Kurt and his dad to Artie, the women of the show still need a lot more definition. There were some standout episodes in the series such as each finale and the Madonna episode but the producers did not include their six best in the packet they sent to the academy and that may be what costs them.

"30 Rock" is the three time winner and arguably the show to beat as the writing speaks to the business and it is impossible not to love Tina Fey, but much like "The Office" the series has seen better days. Producers this year have selected great episodes to present but on a whole the series definitely took a step back. Even in a down year the show is smarter than a lot of the other garbage on TV but this year it faces a big opponent.

"Modern Family" is a family sitcom with a call back to the days of old with a great twist. All the adults are fantastic in the series with five out of six receiving a nomination in the supporting cast and with Ed O'Neil being one of the biggest snubs of the whole nomination process. The series on a whole is very endearing and you could tell there is serious chemistry between all the actors. Plus the women are smokin hot ala Sofia Vergara, old Happy Gilmore flame Julie Bowen, and of course Cam in a cuddly sort of way. Early on it was considered "Arrested Development" lite which also won the big award in its freshman year. As the show has gotten stronger you see a bigger call back to core family values told in a modern day perspective and I have a feeling older voters will connect with, giving "Modern Family" the edge and the win.

Why the Daily Show loses

For the past eight years the Daily Show has come out the winner Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Program. The streak ends on Sunday as Stewart faces his biggest competition to date in two of his friends and some jezebel.

A few months ago The Daily Show had to deal with some negative publicity after Jezebel posted an article sighting many acts of sexism on the show including a lack of female guests, few female correspondents and producers, along with the recent hiring of Olivia Munn which many viewed was based on her looks over her wit. The article made its rounds through the media with FOX News getting some knocks in, along with Daniel Tosh and Stephen Colbert poking a little fun at the issue. The whole subject more or less came to a halt once the women of the Daily Show posted an open letter on their website firing back and having a little fun of their own (especially towards the end). The whole thing by now is long forgotten as we have the attention span of small birds, but for those voters who may feel that the article had its points it may cost the host a few votes with older female voters, which could prove important if the race is close. Below are the real reasons why Stewart will lose this year.

This past weekend the Colbert Report writers claimed the EMMY for the best writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program and Colbert's character hams it up as usual after the big win. What this really indicates is that Colbert’s writing team had some of the best content in this category. While Stewart’s tone and his interviews have become a staple Colbert has recently been able to outshine Stewart in news gathering. Stewart has the advantage on Colbert as The Daily Show takes the first slot. Despite this Colbert has beat Stewart to the punch and has been "reporting" on stories a day before Stewart gets to them. Maybe that was enough to give the writing team the edge, but it helps proves that Colbert’s crew is gaining the competitive edge with fresher writing. Stewart tends to write towards specific stories while Stephen can touches upon a broader range of issues.

Meanwhile for those who don't watch the programming regularly, this year the Colbert report submitted the first episode of Operation Iraqi Stephen: Going Commando. The week long series, besides being a tremendous tribute to the troops, is pure EMMY bait. He came out on stage every episode with golf club in hand as a constant homage to comedy legend Bob Hope. His B-block usually contained video of him with the military either trying his hand in boot camp or throwing up in the back of a jet. He had a barrage of Washington elites sending messages to the troops he was performing for. But the piece de resistance came when the Commander in Chief ordered his general to shave Stephen's hair. All this and more may be why Colbert’s show wins its first EMMY outside of the writing category.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Obama Orders Stephen's Haircut - Ray Odierno
http://www.colbertnation.com/
Colbert Report Full Episodes 2010 Election Fox News

But wait there's more. The short lived Tonight Show with Conan O' Brien is getting a lot of press and public support and has been for the past seven months (for those keeping score at home that's exactly how long his show was on-air for). Choosing not to destroy the legacy of the house that Carson built O'Brien decided to step down as host of the tonight show. Throngs of fans showed their support for the host; unfortunately those same fans couldn't be bothered to actually watch the show. Some of the best TV came out of the last week of programming where he featured waves of fantastic guests, performances and bits that weren't all that funny as much as they were ridiculously expensive. But the clincher may have been his classy speech towards the end of his final show.




With the effort that Colbert put in this year, what he really may do is split the vote of those who enjoy smart political commentary. Conan's show had a completely different feel to The Daily Show and The Colbert Report and so he will steal some of Jon's typical voters as well since all three programs speak to the same demographic. Not only that but I'm sure there are plenty of people who would love to see NBC execs squirm as the man that they helped boot prove triumphant on their own network.

While I hope that this is the year that Colbert finally gets his dues but this onslaught of support will probably get Conan on the stage to accept the honor. Either with this year the streak ends for the Daily Show with Jon Stewart

The Switch

Don't you wish better for Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman. Bateman was part of one of the funniest shows of the new millennium, (the OO’s what do you call the last decade) and because it got so mishandled by FOX it never got the notoriety it deserved while on the air. It has since taken on a cult like following with die-hard fans. The former Friends star has been followed around non-stop about her private life and never seems to catch a break with it. Both have been given many chances to helm a movie, but neither has been able to make it something special. Unfortunately this is nothing different.

Much like years of the past with competing studios coming out with movies with similar themes ala Antz and A Bug's Life, Dante's Peak and Volcano, and Armageddon and Deep Impact this year is all about artificial insemination. Hopefully the Jennifer Lopez version will soon be forgotten while no one will take notice of The Kids Are Alright until awards season (maybe).

This movie features Aniston as a woman who is tired of waiting for the right man, a stretch. She has decided to find a donor and get on with that part of the life. Bateman, the worrisome best friend, was put in the friend zone a long time ago and is apprehensive about the whole thing. She finds the guy with the right stuff and they have a party to celebrate, drinks are had, drugs are taken and just like any good party sperm samples are swapped.

The whole movie drags especially the first act. It takes so long to set the stage and gather that they are best friends and she wants a child. Meanwhile I did it in a sentence.

When we finally meet the kid played by Thomas Robinson the movie picks up. While there is almost zero chemistry between Aniston and Bateman, there is plenty between the Jason and little Tommy. Aniston has been in so many failed romantic comedies you would figure she could learn a thing or two but instead she still has yet to make a genuine connection. The movie fails to distinguish itself from other movies in the genre and just reuses old tools. Bateman rarely gets to unleash his dry wit onto the film, there are moments in the beginning where we see glimpses of it but once the kid enters the scene so does his style.

Jeff Goldblum is a bright spot in the movie, as Bateman's best man he is able to use some of the dry wit that Bateman never gets to unleash. His dry pandering creates some of the only laughable scenes in the movie. Meanwhile Aniston's BFF played by Juliette Lewis is all kinds of annoying, her shriek is almost as annoying as Bateman's narration, almost.

As long as Jen stays in the tabloids she is going to keep getting offers despite the garbage that she keeps attaching herself to. While Aniston may have her name first on the billing, this is a Bateman propelled movie and frankly he has never been able to handle the lead on the big screen. He does great in the ensemble as the straight man and is a solid contributor and second lead but that is it. Both of these actors need to start being much more selective about their roles. D

The ExpEndables

This movie is exactly what I wanted it to be. A bunch of out dated eighties stars killing brown and black people. The worst thing that could have happened to this movie is if it became a social commentary. That is probably the only bullet that gets dodged in this one.

Sly Stallone co-wrote, directs, and stars in a movie about mercenaries for hire. Their newest mission is to stop a South American dictator with a connection to drugs and the CIA, holy god even the headline from this movie is from the Reagan era. The plan is simple go in, set explosives, kill them all. They don't bother with computer imaging or stealthy maneuvers as that type of filmmaking clearly flies over the head of John Rambo. What he does know how to do is kill wave after wave of evil opponents.

Bruce Willis makes a cameo as the man who hires Stallone and his crazy team to take down this government. While Arnold Schwarzenegger makes a cameo within the cameo. Assumidly these men were too busy still being relevant and running a state into the ground respectively. Yet somehow this scene still took six hours to film.

The movie sets the tone early with the first casualty in the flick. From there Stallone and company find plenty of visually fun ways to kill pirates and small armies. At one point in the making of the film they could have achieved a PG-13 rating but Rocky instead decides to keep as many expletives as he deems necessary and gallons of computer generated blood that is purely laughable.

Besides Joseph Dredd, Jason Statham racks up the second most screen time and probably does the best with what he is given. He is one of the few big names that can look forward to new casting rather than poorly made sequels to huge hits. The man is the epitome of cool in this one, he's not afraid to show his softer side as he struggles not only with evil doers but with matters of the heart.

Other members of the team include Jet Li, who pulls together a whole bunch of short jokes and only gets one martial arts scene. Dolph Lungren has an off screen drug problem and can't decide what team he is on. Mickey Rourke, a retired member of the team, offers sage advice on the honor behind the mercenary business. There is also screen fillers Terry Crews, who carries a big gun and throws things, and Randy Couture who speaks on behalf of all of those with cauliflower ear. Opposing these men is character actor Eric Roberts with his kickboxing and wrestling muscle Gary Daniels and Stone Cold Steve Austin.

This movie is not meant to be taken seriously, there are too many laugh out moments for that to be the case. Maybe Sly is getting slicker with age making nods to ideas of the past such as bare knuckle fights and phone with cords attached. But on the other hand maybe this is all he knows and the only thing he was ever good at. C+

Eat, Pray, Love

On paper maybe this movie seems like a better idea. After all it did spend over 155 weeks on the New York Times best seller list. It is fantasy gone right and maybe that is the appeal of the story, we get to live out our desires through another. Bag that, I'd rather go on the trip myself.

Eat, Pray, Love is about Liz Glibert, who for no explicable reason other than not wanting to make cookies, decides to end her marriage. In order to find her balance she goes on a trip across the globe. What is never explained is that the advance she receives pays for her global frolic. Unless we all have people willing to pay for our self indulgent story we may have to be satisfied watching from the stadium seating.

This book has the feel of a Hollywood chick flick, especially the ending. So who better to play the lead role than the star of so many of them? Julia Roberts takes a woman who selfishly leaves her husband and indulges her every whim and makes the character loveable. Roberts still has enormous sex appeal and throughout the movie I couldn't think of a time she looked better. Even with the loud duck like sounds that exit her mouth every time she laughs I still can't help but feel smitten.

While in New York she falls in love with a charming struggling actor whose performance makes people walk out. Who better to cast than James Franco. Surprise surprise, Liz has the same problems with the young guy as she does in her married life. Mike O'Malley and Viola Davis do their best to support our protagonist during this difficult time and their devotion seems genuine. It’s a shame Franco got more screen time than both of them. Well anyway Roberts is tired of it all and decides to run away from all her problems.

Her stay in Italy is the most well done. It may just be easier for Ryan Murphy (co-creator of mega hit Glee) to understand and accentuate this culture more than the others. He has a wonderful segment about Italians talking with their hands and does what is more or less food porn. Do not go to this movie hungry, the most carefully crafted shots in this movie may very well be the shots of food, from the plate of spaghetti, to pizza from Naples, and cheese oozing out of her meal. If that wasn't enough it also comes with a two part thanksgiving dinner. Which is nothing compared to the Del Greco Easter dinner but certainly up there.

The movie then gets bogged down in India where Julia/Liz tries to find her spiritual center and learn the proper way to meditate. Meditation is the action of clearing your mind so it takes a while for anyone to master. Unfortunately that is a lot of screen time devoted to the art of doing nothing which weighs down the 140 minute movie even more. The saving grace of this segment is Richard Jenkins, who plays Richard from Texas, a man who speaks in bumper stickers. His tough treatment and hard life lessons is probably meant to be more endearing in the book, but I liked the character, most likely because I speak fluent asshole.

Then we reach Bali, where she reconnects with the medicine man whose message puts her on this journey in the first place. The toothless medicine man is just as charming as Javier Bardem who is responsible for the love portion of this book.

SPOILER ALERT: AS IN I TALK ABOUT THE ENDING

I really had problems with this relationship as it seems to happen so quick. In the book the words take time to sink in, we can place the book down, let the connections sink in and last a little longer until the next passage. There is no time to let the romance sink in. Also most of the movie is devoted to finding balance for yourself. One of the listed reasons she goes on this trip is she is tired of being identified as part of a relationship. Then in true Hollywood hokum style we see the only way for our Julia Roberts lead to find happiness is through a man. So much for self identification.

SPOILER OVER

The movie in as enjoyable as hearing about a friend’s vacation. All I really wanted to hear was good. Instead I get a story about the most wonderful food ever experienced in a city of unbridled passion, and then a trip to clear my mind of all the clutter that possessed it before, and finally they find a foreign piece of ass with which they had so much sex they started to develop a bladder infection. And then after it all they ask me how is work? Bitch. C