Snap Emmy Judgments from a West-Coaster

It's Emmy day!!!

Of course, West-Coasters are usually the last to know in North America about award show winners. So tweeting or changing my Facebook status as winners are announced is obviously futile. Plus my Twitter timeline and my Facebook news feed would be very spoiler-iffic.

I am still holding out hope that LOST will win something, considering it went 0-for-2 (Single-Camera Picture Editing and Sound Mixing) at the Creative Emmys that was held last week.

Snap reactions to the winners:

UNTELEVISED AWARDS

Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special: The 31st Annual Kennedy Center Honors
Didn't see this one. Congrats anyway!

Outstanding Reality Program: Intervention
Well-deserved. It's a show who tries to help addicts and the like turn their lives around and live a better life.

COMEDY

Outstanding Supporting Actress: Kristin Chenoweth, Pushing Daisies

I was hoping for Kristen Wiig or Amy Poehler. They were extraordinarily good. They were both robbed!

Outstanding Supporting Actor: Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men

NEIL PATRICK HARRIS WAS ROBBED!!! 'Nuff said.

Outstanding Lead Actress: Toni Collette, United States of Tara

Well, she plays four characters in her show. That is all I need to know. I would be happy if Tina Fey or Julia Louis-Dreyfuss won, but I'm so happy for Toni!

Outstanding Guest Actress: Tina Fey, Saturday Night Live

She's awesome. 'Nuff said.

Outstanding Guest Actor: Justin Timberlake, Saturday Night Live

Eh. Whatever. Kidding. They said he was hilarious, so I'll just take their word for it. (Who's "they"? *Wink wink*)

Outstanding Lead Actor: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Oh. My. Gosh. JIM PARSONS WAS ROBBED!!!

Outstanding Director: Jeff Blitz, The Office
Congrats!

Outstanding Writer: Matt Hubbard, 30 Rock
I think I saw the "Reunion" episode for which he won. That was an awesome episode. Congrats!

REALITY

Outstanding Reality or Reality-Competition Host: Jeff Probst, Survivor

Congrats, Jeff. (Y'all know I'm not a fan of reality shows.)

Outstanding Reality-Competition Program: The Amazing Race

I can never get tired of this show. Booyah!

TV MOVIES/MINISERIES

Outstanding Supporting Actress: Shohreh Agdashloo, House of Saddam

Wow. I know this actress is good. She sounds like she's wheezing, though. Just sayin'.

Outstanding Supporting Actor: Ken Howard, Grey Gardens

Congrats, Mr. Howard. (Don't know him, sorry.) I love the end of his acceptance speech - when he dedicated his award to his wife, who's celebrating her birthday today. Called her Sunshine too. I want a man just like that.

Outstanding Lead Actor: Brendan Gleeson, Into the Storm

Congrats, Mr. Gleeson.

Outstanding Writer(s): Andrew Davies, Little Dorrit

Writers rule! (He wasn't there, so Jennifer Love Hewitt and Patricia Arquette accepted the award on his behalf.)

Outstanding Director: Dearbhla Walsh, Little Dorrit

Congrats, Ms. Walsh. Love your name.

Outstanding Lead Actress: Jessica Lange, Grey Gardens

Congrats, Ms. Lange!

Outstanding Made-for-TV Movie: Grey Gardens

Well, it's the most buzzed-about TV movie. Congrats!!!

Outstanding Miniseries: Little Dorrit

Congrats!!!

VARIETY

Outstanding Director: Bruce Gowers, American Idol

Congrats, Mr. Gowers. (I didn't see that episode. Duh, LOST was on.)

Outstanding Writer(s): The Team from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

OMG, The Daily Show is probably one of the best shows ever produced. They all deserve it. Congrats!!!

Outstanding Original Music & Lyrics: The Team from the 81st Annual Academy Awards, Hugh Jackman Opening Number
Uhm, hello? The most fun Oscar opening number EVER! I love you, Hugh Jackman - and Anne Hathaway.

Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
WOOHOO!!!

DRAMA

Outstanding Supporting Actor: Michael Emerson, LOST

OH. MY. GOSH. HE FINALLY WON! HE WASN'T ROBBED THIS TIME!!! YAY!!! (I'm crying, BTW.)

Outstanding Supporting Actress: Cherry Jones, 24
Congrats!!!

Outstanding Guest Actress:  Ellen Burstyn, Law and Order: SVU
I love her! Congrats!

Outstanding Guest Actor: Michael J. Fox, Rescue Me
Dude's awesome. Congrats!!!

Outstanding Director: Rod Holcomb, ER
He's not there!

Outstanding Writer(s): Kater Gordon & Matthew Weiner, Mad Men
Oh, crap. How can you not recognise Damon and Carlton? The Emmy voters suck.

Outstanding Lead Actress: Glenn Close, Damages
She's freaking awesome. Congrats!!!

Outstanding Lead Actor: Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
OMG, he won again. Congrats!!!

Outstanding Breakthrough Performance: When Bill and Sookie met, True Blood
I was hoping Kris Allen's surprise win in American Idol would win, but I guess a lot more people have gone True Blood-crazy. Whatever.

FINAL TWO

Outstanding Comedy Series: 30 Rock
OMFG, How I Met Your Mother was ROBBED!!!

Outstanding Drama Series: Mad Men
UNFAIR! UNFAIR! LOST WAS ROBBED!!! THE EMMY VOTERS REALLY, TRULY SUCK!!!

There you have it. Let's hope LOST gets more love next year.

Nevertheless, congratulations, Michael Emerson!!! You rock!

Wait a minute... Check this out:

Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media (Fiction): The Dharma Initiative, DharmaWantsYou.com
I count this a win for LOST, since this was supposed to be a LOST ARG anyway. Yay!

See? Expect the worst, but hope for the best!

The Strike's Over

Finally.

God has answered the prayers of everyone: the writers, the TV & movie executives, the actors, the rest of the essential players in the TV & movie industries, and most importantly, the fans.

The Writers Guild of America strike is over.

Members of the Writers Guild of America voted Tuesday to end the three-month-old strike. Writers will return to work on Wednesday - as in, tomorrow. The so-called show-runners - which include LOST executive producer Carlton Cuse - went back to work Monday.

These members, however, didn't vote to ratify the tentative agreement reached on February 1. They will have to cast their ballots by February 25.

OK, so what does this mean for the best show on earth (i.e. LOST - duh)?

According to the May 2007 agreement between ABC and Darlton, the three remaining seasons will contain sixteen episodes from February to May. Now, with this strike, only eight episodes were finished. According to this article posted at The Tail Section, Darlton's plan is to finish five more episodes, which will bring the Season Four episode total to thirteen. The remaining three of the sixteen episodes originally planned for Season Four will be added to Season Five. Here's what Carlton has to say regarding this new plan's effects on the storytelling for the current season:

"We'll have to compress some of the storytelling we planned for this season, and that may not be a bad thing. Damon and I feel like we know how we can finish it off and still make it a really, really great story."

Not bad, Darlton, not bad at all.

If the writers get started writing the remaining five episodes by the end of the week (or next week even), production may begin in four weeks or so. Post-production should start immediately after filming for an episode ends, and even while filming for the next episode starts. I imagine the new episodes will be aired in a month and a half, or two months at the most.

I only wonder now what's going to happen to LOST's timeslot. During the tail end of the strike, LOST took over Grey's Anatomy's slot, at 9/8 central Thursday nights. Will LOST go back to its Wednesday slot at 9/8 central (and bump Private Practice from its current timeslot)? Or will ABC give LOST a Monday night timeslot, as rumoured during the hiatus?

I guess we'll have to wait and see. Stay tuned, folks!

Lastly, congratulations to the members of the Writers Guild of America for successfully reaching a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. I don't know the exact terms of the agreement, but I believe the WGA leaders (and members) are satisfied with them. I truly hope they got the contract that they deserve, especially regarding their cut from revenues generated through new media, such as the Internet and digital sales (e.g. LOST episodes on iTunes).

Fantastic day! Ain't it, fellow LOST fans?

Breakthrough Reached?

Is this an answer to everyone's prayer?

Or rather, would it lead to a permanent answer to everyone's prayer?

According to this Associated Press report, there has been a breakthrough in the talks between the Writers' Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).

There was no further explanation, nor any other details, regarding this breakthrough. But two unnamed sources (who requested anonymity as they are not authorized to speak publicly regarding these talks) did say that there has been some "significant" progress in the talks between the two parties. One source also said that "a deal might be announced within a week."

This is fantastic news. It has been almost three months since the WGA members started picketing. It has crippled the TV and movie industries, as most (if not all) scripted TV shows that premiered last September or October have run out of fresh episodes and the production for the Angels & Demons film has been postponed. It has also disrupted the awards season, such as the Golden Globes.

I fully support the WGA and I fervently hope that they get what they deserve.

Hopefully, if they reach an agreement within this week, production for LOST will resume and we'll get the sixteen episodes promised for this season.

Please, God.