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 On January 21st, Hollywood will officially begin its award show season with the 58th Annual Golden Globes. Robert Downey Jr., who was nominated for his stint on Fox’s 'Ally McBeal' will be allowed to attend the
ceremony— Once again, NBC leads in nominations thanks to its critically acclaimed drama series 'The West Wing' and its comedy 'Will & Grace.' HBO racked up 12 nods, including ones for 'Sex and the City' and 'The Sopranos.' CBS, Fox and Showtime each garnered seven. With the exception of a few pleasant surprises, like Sarah Michelle Gellar’s nomination for the WB’s 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer,' Jessica Alba’s for Fox’s new sci-fi series 'Dark Angel' and CBS’ new hit crime show 'CSI' shutting out ABC’s 'Once & Again' in the drama category, nominations were, as usual pretty damn predictable. Fox’s
'Malcolm in the Middle' was a newcomer for best comedy, as were its stars, Frankie Muniz and Jane Kaczmarek. Bette Midler switched gears and earned another Golden Globe nomination, this time for her new series 'Bette.' The freshman drama 'Gideon’s Crossing,' which isn’t bad but isn’t really good either, was represented by its star Andre Braugher, who appeared on the list of best actors. Calista Flockhart managed to get back into the best actress category...
big surprise there.
But my question is this, why is it the "same old, same old" year after grueling year? These award shows are extremely tiresome for those of us, mainly us lowly unappreciated television journalists, who are forced to smile rather reluctantly as we hear the same names and see the same faces waltzing over to the podium year after year. This year, UPBEAT is going to attempt something a bit different. As always, we're going to cut across the "acceptable" political backdrop and head for
uncharted non-political territory. That's right folks, we're handing out our own damn awards. We're going to toss out the names that we feel have been grossly overlooked in this business. And to be rather candid, we could care less who is insulted by our "fly by the seat of our pants" logic in choosing our own set of would-be
winners. And we may even go as far as to pitch in and buy our newly
anointed award winners some hip and cool UPBEAT trophies with our big loveable ape perched high atop the base of the statuette. Anyway, that being stated for the record, here we go...
For Best Drama— We're giving The UPBEAT Tube File Award to— 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer', that's right, you heard it correctly, we didn't stutter... As long as there have been demons, there has been the Slayer. One girl in all the world, a "chosen" one if you will, born with the strength and skill to hunt vampires and other deadly creatures, to find them where they gather and to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their numbers. When one Slayer dies, the next is called and trained by the Watcher. And it's just that easy to follow. Trust us folks, you don't have to be Anne Rice to appreciate this show in all of its
unwavering perfection... 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer', created by Joss
Whedon, is so well written and so well structured that it's actually scary... and not in the vampire supernatural sense. It's tightly woven storylines and adventurous plots leave us all feeling as though we've been treated intelligently, as all viewers should be treated. The show's clever
yet compelling dialogue is priceless and we love every single moment of this
show— from start to finish. Special consideration should be given to James Marsters, who plays Spike.
For Best Comedy/Drama Series— easily, hands down, Showtime's 'Beggars And
Choosers'— the title says it all folks... this show takes all of the neatly packaged questions of ethics and resourcefully changes the answers, leaving its audience with a wit and candor
unparalleled by most network offerings... 'Beggars and Choosers' gives us a glimpse into the high-powered cut-throat world of network entertainment, where the "art of the network deal" isn't necessarily created or implemented without a few essential perks... Sexual and solid, this show has an undefined
savvy, a political incorrectness that brings it to new heights of comic genius.
 We then decided to
just move directly into the foundation, the core of any solid TV show... the actors... As for Best Actress in a
Drama or Comedy (or in this case both), this wasn't difficult at
all— we chose Renee O'Connor from the cult classic soon-to-be-gone
'Xena Warrior Princess'. Why? Because this actress has continued to be "just that essential" to the overall
phenomenal success that 'Xena' has experienced over the years. On paper, the show indeed belongs to Lucy Lawless, who is an undisputed heavyweight in her field... But what we find to be particularly interesting is that O'Connor
continues to surprise even the most skeptical of critics. She "personally" took her character, the always charming yet deeply provocative Gabrielle, on an evolutionary journey of sorts, through various spiritual and seemingly endless paths of self discovery...
O'Connor successfully managed to cultivate a genuine sense of growth and balance with such
tremendously driven intensity... and in the process she somehow made it all seem so effortless. Coincidence?
We don't think so. While we do admit to having a bit of a soft spot for the writing on this show, (which we personally think is groundbreaking) we also believe that the acting is second to
none, especially when one stops to consider that the actors are selling
an extremely tall order of fiction. O'Connor uses subtlety and diversity to the point of pure brilliance. She has taken Gabrielle from an inexperienced "peasant girl" to a seasoned warrior, engaging and equal to
her counterpart Xena in every way possible... not an easy task by any stretch of the imagination. O'Connor has
effectively created the proverbial "Yin" to Lawless' "Yang". And for that, we absolutely applaud
this remarkable actress on each and every level.
Best Actor in a Drama or Comedy... this one was a really tough choice for us, but we opted to head in an untapped direction... with actor Scott Foley,
of 'Felicity'. In the summer of 1997, Foley finally landed a theatrical agent and his career skyrocketed. Within one month he landed a guest-starring role on 'Dawson's Creek' as Cliff, the high school quarterback who successfully challenged Dawson for Jen's romantic interest. Foley parlayed his one-episode role into a five-episode arc. Foley explains, "I had heard there was some really good buzz about 'Dawson's Creek' when I went down there, and I was excited to do a show. It was my first big job. And I was just happy to be there, and the fact that it's turned into what it is...I think it's amazing for the kids, it's amazing for the network, and it hasn't hurt me." When asked about his 'Felicity' co-star, actress Kerri Russell, Foley immediately lights up, "She blows me out of the water. I think it's because of her that the show does so well. You want to know her. She makes you want to know 'Felicity'. And she makes you care." We like Foley's work because it's
both consistent and multi-faceted. But more than that, Foley is
"real". He makes us believe. There's a very thin line that
exists between being a decent guy and being pathetic, Foley has yet to
cross it. His character, Noel Crane is a bit of a "hunk", but
the smooth young actor with the killer smile keeps the variances in
check by intelligently staying fresh and introspective. It's a rough
job, but Foley does it best.
 Other UPBEAT Tube File Awards... Best Supporting Actor Drama/Comedy— Josh Randall, 'Ed', NBC, Randall plays Dr. Mike Burton, the title character's best friend— or "a guy who wanted the all-American dream and now has it, and isn't quite sure where to go from there," says Randall. In our opinion, he's the show's anchor. Off-screen, Randall was headed down a different road than acting until a fateful class in college forever changed his life. Best Supporting Actress Drama/Comedy— Della Reese, 'Touched By An Angel', CBS. Della Reese, who for the past five years has been the recipient of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Television Drama Series for her role as Tess, the tough yet loving supervising angel, began singing in church in her native Detroit when she was 6 years old. Reese is more than just an actress, she's a presence... deeply felt. As for the UPBEAT Tube File "Guilty Pleasure" Award— that deservingly goes to Pamela Anderson Lee and the wacky yet sexy cast of the campy syndicated series, V.I.P. We can't help but love this show. It certainly isn't "brain surgery", but it's entertaining and quick-witted. It's 'Charlie's Angels' meets 'The A-Team' with a large dose of crack tossed in... and then some... I find myself laughing out loud at the sheer audacity of this cult hit. Some things are worth much more than a nod of approval from would-be critics.
And finally, I am by choice, eliminating all of those melodramatic “behind the scenes” and “true story” programs, that seem to be reproducing themselves beyond just the E! Network from my TV diet. Sure, I will be the first person to openly admit that there is something a bit fascinating about finding out who was sleeping with whom (or what in some cases) during a sitcom’s series run or who actually hated who on a show or— who pissed away all of the rock star fame and fortune on drugs and booze, but now it’s becoming downright depressing and nostalgia-depleting. Maybe it's just me— but I really don’t WANT to know that the cast members from my all-time favorite TV show really hated each other, or that that they were really HUGE ego-driven creeps. One of my New Year’s resolutions is to avoid all of this crap... period. It's tabloidish... and besides, I’m disappointed enough by what sometimes occurs in real life. I don’t want all of my cool childhood memories to be destroyed as well.
UB
Bridget
Petrella is the Publisher and Editor in Chief of UPBEAT Entertainment
News Online. At this point in her life, she's seriously contemplating a
complete and unbridled abandonment of " typical" network television...
opting instead for The Cartoon Network, Xena Warrior Princess, V.I.P., WWF
Wrestling, Nick At Nite's TV Land, All HBO Original Programming and of course...
TNN's Roller Jam.
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