Why Ryan Murphy Must Be Stopped

By Danny Manus

I’m a Gleek. There, I said it. I was in my high school’s choir (which got redubbed choir cult our senior year) and I worked at the local community theater.  I was a NY kid, so I was raised seeing (and loving) Broadway shows. And I’m a child of the 80s. So, I get Glee. But there’s an evil force surrounding Glee that must be stopped immediately…and his name is Ryan Murphy.

When Ryan Murphy creates something, he’s a visionary. He has this twisted yet relatable commercial sensibility to him that connects to pop culture beautifully – most likely because he’s such a fan of pop culture himself. He has this ability to create a WORLD that most of us are aware of already, but take it to this whole other wonderful place…

But then he seems to lose sight of his vision and get wrapped up in his own self-importance and self-aggrandizing bullshit (or maybe just the gobs of money rolling in), and like the Godzilla of Showrunners attacking his own Japanese City, he ruins the world he creates for the rest of us.

I’m not saying Ryan Murphy is a bad guy per se…he’s just a really bad multi-tasker and it seems he doesn’t have the heart to truly care about whom he hurts as long as it promotes his own agenda. As soon as Ryan Murphy finds success with one of his projects, he immediately looks for the next big thing to put his name on – and that’s fine – that’s how Hollywood works. But unlike many, when Murphy multi-tasks, he falls incredibly short.

Case in point. I was a HUGE Nip/Tuck fan. And right before the last season of the show, I got to work as an executive on a movie with Nip/Tuck star Dylan Walsh. We all went out to dinner one night after shooting and I nonchalantly asked him about the show. As any fan will tell you, the first 2 seasons of that show were pure fucking brilliance. The third season was GOOD but started going off the rails, and by season 5 it was almost painfully unwatchable.

Julian McMahon, the Aussie star of the show, had completely forgotten he was supposed to be affecting an American accent. Joely Richardson had started banging the kid playing her son and likewise forgot that she was supposed to do an American accent and so she disappeared for a whole season (her pronunciation of Chris-chee-ann instead of Christian still haunts my thoughts), and poor Dylan Walsh looked so pissed that he had to read the inane melodramatic drivel given to him that it was pretty hard to watch.

So, I asked Dylan what happened to Season 5 (the penultimate season) and he basically said that everyone was unhappy and wanted off the show and hated the material, but they couldn’t leave, and that came across on screen.  Even Ryan Murphy himself has said that the last two seasons of Nip/Tuck were awful because he hated the actors and the actors hated him and the writers fucked it up.

And why? Because once Nip/Tuck took off, and Murphy got some acclaim, he used his stardom to write and direct the feature “Running with Scissors” in 2006 (which he began prepping for in 2004 – after the second season of Nip/Tuck). He took his eye off the ball.

Jump to 2009 as Glee becomes a ridiculous smash hit and despite a bit of unnecessary soapyness in the writing of the first season, it was FUN and original and smart. And the money, press, fame and accolades came rollin’ in. And once again Murphy used this to transition to a big film with a big star – “Eat Pray Love” with Julia Roberts.

And what happened? The second season of Glee jumped the shark, got silly and melodramatic and had more disjointed over-the-top storylines (like what happened on Nip/Tuck) and unnecessary tribute episodes that became more Murphy Masturbation than cohesive brilliant storytelling.  

And now this Glee Machine – which could have run for 7 seasons, will now be cancelled after 4 or 5 (mark my words). Why? Because instead of doing the smart thing and stretching the timeline of high school to keep the show and its stars intact (having each season being HALF a school year instead of a full year for instance or switching it up and fudging the timelines), he’s decided to get rid of most of the main characters of the show after season 3. Chord Overstreet was let go and Lea Michele, Chris Colfer and Cory Monteith (so far) have already been given their walking papers a full season before their departure – which should make shooting this 3^rd season NOT awkward at all. Dead Actors Walking…

But he’s not done. I promise, many other actors are going to get cut from the show and they just don’t know it yet. There’s no way to keep the rest of them and NOT these 3 as they are ALL pretty much the same age. And his idea to keep Matthew Morrison (the weak link of the show) and make him the focal point instead of the kids is a big mistake. And then – just to show his polished and performed actors currently on the show that ANYONE can do their jobs so shut the fuck up and stop complaining – he launches the Glee Project Reality Show to find the show’s new star.

If I was a star on Glee, this would make me furious. And by the way, if you’ve been watching, half the contestants on the reality show are pretty bad or at least annoying, and it’s pretty clear that they aren’t casting new stars to ADD to the cast – they are casting stars to REPLACE the cast – because they fill the same roles. I get that Glee is about acceptance and becoming who you are – but do we really need a “little person” or ANOTHER bad boy or gay diva or moderately talented big fat chick on the show?

The reality show has just become a vanity project that lets Murphy get on camera and pronounce in his best gay baritone voice that “kids need to be themselves.” Unless, of course, they disagree with Murphy – then they better get in line and change.

And now, after the second season of Glee, Eat Pray Love and the Glee Project, Murphy has taken on another show – a new series for FX titled “An American Haunting,” starring Connie Britton, Dermot Mulroney and Jessica Lange.  Now, it sounds like a cool project and yes, I will watch. But someone needs to mind the store. And someone needs to stop Murphy from doing promotions because every time he opens his mouth, he RUINS something we love and makes his actors feel 6 inches tall – which is what he did on Nip/Tuck and it backfired horribly.

Murphy seems to have the showrunner version of A.D.D. He gets bored with his shows, he gets bored with his actors and he thinks HE is the center of the world and everyone must amuse him at all times. Here’s the thing – I get not caring if you’re known as a dick. Hell, I’ve based a business around it. But you don’t want to be known as The Guy Who Killed a Phenomenon and Ruined Children’s Lives Just Because He’s A Dick. There’s a difference.

So, in the name of all those Gleeks out there, for all the Nip/Tuck fans out there, and for all the fans of good TV out there – please, someone stop Ryan Murphy before he strikes again.

The Emmys 2010: Winners, Losers, Upsets and Analysis

By Danny Manus

As I said before, the Emmys are like my Christmas…if I wasn’t Jewish. And they are even better now that they are LIVE on the West Coast, which wasn’t the case until 2 years ago. This year, since the show aired on NBC, Jimmy Fallon was the host. And the network was counting on big ratings this year with new popular shows Glee, Modern Family and True Blood up for big awards.

But alas, even the Gleeks couldn’t save the Emmys, which posted basically the same ratings as last year, and even went DOWN 2% in the young demo. After watching the telecast I honestly don’t know what more the show could do to get people to tune in besides fill it with musical numbers – oh wait, they did that. Well perhaps they could get big stars like George Clooney to – oh wait, they did that too.  Hmm…maybe they should have just built a boxing ring and let Conan and Jay go at it. Eh, maybe not. Hey, maybe we can just make Justin Bieber the star of every fucking show on Earth…and then watch me kill myself. Or maybe they should just take out some of the miniseries and TV Movie awards which are so utterly boring – and no one in the targeted demo watches them anyway. And instead, put in more comedy.

The first 90 minutes of the show were possibly the best Emmys I have seen in years. I know some people didn’t like the graphics flashing in the background, and maybe purple wasn’t the BEST color palette choice, but I think it was better than the Oscars bland white design. Besides, this was a big year for gays on TV, and the biggest demo to watch awards shows like the Emmys are the gays, so perhaps purple was the perfect choice.

Speaking of which, I loved Neil Patrick Harris last year and would love to see him again, but Jimmy Fallon did his thing and his musical interludes and opening were fantastic. His ode to the shows that have passed on – 24, Law & Order and Lost – was great. If the second half of the show gave him more to do, perhaps the fun could have lasted. But alas, as soon as HBO started winning things, the air was sucked out of the show like a hoover was attached to the roof. 

But let’s rewind. First up was comedy and Modern Family ruled the night with wins for Best Comedy and Eric Stonestreet (I called it!) for best supporting. While he wasn’t the favorite to win (and personally I would have voted for Ty Burrell), he is a straight man playing lovably flamingly homosexual and he does it so hysterically that he deserved the win. Sorry, Chris Colfer, you’re just as gay but slightly less huggable. But if 3 years from now, you’re still on Glee, I think you’ll win. I say that because next year, it’s Ty Burrell’s to win and the year after it will be Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Much like West Wing, they will award a different star every year til they all have one!

Voters went for Modern Family rather than fellow newcomer and odds-on favorite Glee because, well, Glee isn’t a straight comedy. The only 60 minute dramedy to ever win the award is Ally McBeal, but something tells me Glee will see gold in the next two years.  Jane Lynch did win for her role in Glee (also called it!), and she deserved it! I know Kristin Wiig IS SNL these days and Julie Bowen is fantastic on Modern Fam, but Jane Lynch is just pure comic gold on Glee. Kudos! It was obviously the end of the line for 30 Rock. Partially because voters didn’t want to award NBC anything (they only won ONE for their shows this year), but also because it’s time to bring in the new blood.

Jim Parsons picked up his first trophy for Big Bang (I was right again!). All I can say is thank God Tony Shaloub didn’t win. Sorry, Alec but there’s a new kid in town. Bazinga! And Edie Falco (an upset which I predicted!) picked up an awkward statue for Nurse Jackie, which is even less of a comedy than Glee. Voters just like her and perhaps this will give the show some much-due notoriety and press. But I don’t think she’ll win again.

Then came the reality portion. WOOHOO TOP CHEF! In what was the best season in years (100 times better than the current DC season), Top Chef FINALLY de-throned Amazing Race. The upset was that if a show was going to beat Race, people thought it would be American Idol, but the last 2 seasons of Idol have clearly gone downhill and were the weakest musically and in overall entertainment since Cowell mentally checked out and Paula physically checked out. And I am thrilled that Top Chef took the gold. Can we all agree now that Amazing Race is no longer as interesting or casted as well as it used to be? They just take OTHER reality stars and send them on an all expenses paid trip around the world. BORING.

But the real acting surprises were saved for the Drama category, where I have to say…I was wrong. I was SURE that Julianna Margulies would win for The Good Wife and she had all the momentum, but in her 5^th year as star and producer, Kyra Sedgwick got the gold. Now, I LOVE The Closer and she was great last season on it, so I’m actually very happy with this upset. Don’t worry, Julianna, you’ll win it next year!  And I’m pretty sure January Jones’ dress this year will stop her from being nominated again. Same for Lauren Graham – what the hell was she thinking?

But I digress…Bryan Cranston won (3 times in a row now) for his leading role in Breaking Bad, beating out heavy favorite Michael C Hall, who had an incredible season and beat cancer in his spare time. And for me, Hugh Laurie is the biggest continual snub in all of TV other than Bill Maher, who after 12 nominations is still coming up goose eggs. Hugh had an emotionally powerful year, even though the show itself was not up to snuff. And hello – he’s BRITISH and does a pitch perfect accent! At least next year, because of the scheduling of his show, Bryan Cranston won’t be eligible, so it will be up for grabs.

The supporting awards went to 2 first timers – Aaron Paul for Breaking Bad and Archie Panjabi for Good Wife. I am thrilled about Archie’s win – she’s a revelation on that show. And while I don’t watch Breaking Bad, I know Aaron is good. But seriously…how do you not give the award to Terry O’Quinn for playing TWO very different and difficult characters at ONCE on the last season of Lost? Come on, voters! That was disappointing. And perhaps if Martin Short’s wife had died 2 months earlier, he would have gotten the sympathy vote. What, too soon?

And of course Mad Men won the big award…whoopee. Look, I’m sure it’s a great show, and no, I don’t watch it. But I already want to punch Matthew Weiner in the face and his “assistant writer” whom he put up for the Emmy and WON (that lucky bitch isn’t even 30!). I was really disappointed that Lost (in its final season), Good Wife, Dexter and True Blood all lost to an overrated show that no one watches.  Look, I’m a TV whore, but I never said I was a TV snob. Please, let this be the last year it wins.

In other news, Conan didn’t win. But on the upside, neither did NBC. This year’s voting really shined the light on two things – what wonderful shows there are on cable and what hatred the industry has for NBC and those that run it. And after seeing the comedies they have coming up in their new season, I don’t think they will be garnering any more love anytime soon. I’ll cover TV Premiere Week in a couple weeks…stay tuned!

For mini-series and TV Movies…eh…who cares? I didn’t see any of them except “You Don’t Know Jack,” which was OK. The Pacific won, as predicted. Though I could have thought of a better way to spend $200M! In a slight surprise, Temple of Grandine won all the MOW categories. I’m happy for Claire Danes, who deserved it, but could someone tell that retarded lesbian cowboy to please sit down?

Okay, so those were the Emmys. I laughed, I cried, I screamed in frustration. This year, I was 6/7 for comedy (I guessed Glee would win), but the TV Movies and Drama category screwed me. Damn you, AMC! Damn you!!!

Until next time, keep watching! It’s good for you!

EMMY’S 2010!! RECAP, PICKS AND SNUBS!

By Danny Manus

Many of you know me as a film guy – but in my heart, I’m a total TV whore. I watch everything. I love film, but sometimes I wish I could marry television.  And the Emmys are like my Christmas. So today, the day Emmy nominations were announced, is like Thanksgiving. And there were some fantastic surprises, some unfortunate snubs, and a lot of new (true) blood on the ballots.  So let’s get to it…

First, you can find a complete list of nominees here:

http://livefeed.hollywoodreporter.com/2010/07/emmy-nominations-announced.html

Let’s talk comedy – I am SO excited for Glee and Modern Family, both nominated for the first time (though it feels like they’ve won before since they have won everything else).  Glee had 19 (!!) nominations including Lea Michele and Matthew Morrison for lead actress/actor and the sublime Jane Lynch for supporting actress. Personally, I feel Morrison is the weak spot of the show, but he was a shoo-in anyway. The big surprise, however, was that Chris Colfer, who plays the effeminate and effective Kurt, got his first nomination! And Mike O’Malley and Kristin Chenoweth were both nom’d for guest actor Emmys (Idina Menzel must be so pissed right now since she and Kristin hate each other!). Mike O’Malley really deserved this, even though all of his scenes were actually dramatic moments in the show.

Rounding out the comedy category is 30 Rock (always hilarious but this season saw its first sign of slippage), Curb Your Enthusiasm (whose Seinfeld finale episodes were beyond funny), The Office (only one more season to go folks), and first time nominee Nurse Jackie. Now, I didn’t immediately take to Nurse Jackie but after watching the whole season in 2 days last month, I’ve become a big fan.  But, for me, it’s Glee or Modern Family’s year.

The big snubs? Big Bang Theory, which is the number one (or two) comedy on TV in the ratings. For me, the other glaring omissions were How I Met Your Mother and Community, which I actually think is funnier than 2 ½ Men and The Office, but that’s just me. Sorry Entourage and Weeds, your time in the sun is over.

The rest of the comedy actress category went as planned – Tina, Julia, Edie, Amy, and Toni. Personally, I think Edie might edge out Lea Michele and Tina this year, but we’ll see. Academy loves Edie!  Snubbed was Courtney Cox on Cougars, though she just plays it too over the top.

The comedy actors with Morrison – Tony Shalhoub (Seriously? Ugh! Thank God it’s his last year), Alec, Steve, Larry David, and Jim Parsons (who, for me, is a mortal lock).  Poor Charlie Sheen was left out this year, as was Two and a Half Men, which I’m okay with and Charlie’s bad press didn’t do him any favors.

All of the actors from Modern Family got supporting noms EXCEPT Ed O’Neill, who many thought would have been a shoo-in for lead actor, but he decided to hold the “ensemble” line – will be interesting to see if he does that again next year.  But he was a major snub!

Other supporting actors include Neil Patrick Harris (sweet Jesus, give him an Emmy!), Jon Cryer, and the aforementioned Colfer (glad he got nominated, but he won’t win). Sorry, Jeremy Piven, you’re a douche. Snubbed were the co-stars of Community, who are just hilarious.

On the actress side, Lynch and Modern Family’s Julie Bowen (LOVE her) and Sofia Vergara (can’t really stand her), will go up against Jane Krakowski (30 Rock), Holland Taylor (2 ½), and the fantastic Kristin Wiig for SNL. Let me just say that I am thrilled that SNL players are finally getting some recognition. It didn’t start to happen until the Will Ferrell and Molly Shannon era, but now it’s commonplace and Kristin, the anchor of the show, deserves it.  For me, snubbed from this category is Jane Adams from Hung, who is so good, and Merritt Wever, who is so fantastic on Nurse Jackie in all her quirky weird glory. It should have been these two instead of Holland and Vergara.

Now, Drama…It must be good to be the Good Wife. In its first season, Good Wife has really stood out. I have to say – I LOVE this show! Definitely my favorite new drama. Good Wife will go up against Breaking Bad, Dexter, Mad Men, the last season of Lost (which I’m kind of rooting for) and True Blood (which I’m also kinda rooting for). I’m torn.  I love 3 of the 6 shows, and with it being Lost’s last year, I kind of hope they win again. Sorry, I don’t watch Breaking Bad. I know it’s good, but my heart goes to Lost and Good Wife. My head says Dexter.  Left out this year was HOUSE, which I love, but this season was under par.

Also left out was Grey’s (which had another subpar season up until the finale episode which was friggin’ awesome), the last seasons of 24 (which sucked) and Law and Order (which would have been nice, but oh well). I thought perhaps S. Epatha Merkerson might pick up one last nod for her big cancer season, but the academy long ago forgot about this show.

On the acting side, I am thrilled that Matthew Fox got another nod for Lost and Kyle Chandler FINALLY got his props for Friday Night Lights. They go up against Bryan Cranston, Michael C. Hall (who will probably win), Hugh Laurie (who deserves it) and Jon Hamm (who I like, but I’m quickly getting tired of).  Snubbed – Timothy Olyphant on Justified, but give him another year. Sorry Kiefer, this year wasn’t worthy. And while I love True Blood, I think Stephen Moyer is the weak link.

For actresses, it’s Julianna Margulies for the win! But she’ll be going up against perennials Glenn Close, Kyra Sedgwick (who I love), Mariska Hargitay (who I really love but this wasn’t as strong a season for her), January Jones, and Connie Britton, who FINALLY also got a nomination. She deserves it! Left out was my choice – Mary McCormack from In Plain Sight, who is just great, but Academy voters probably felt she plays it too comical.  And Anna Paquin! She should have been nom’d over January Jones. Sorry, darlin’!

On supporting, it’s a mixed bag this year. For actors, Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) will tango with Martin Short (Damages) and the men of Lost, Michael Emerson and Terry O’Quinn, who should definitely win (after 6 seasons, he had to play a totally different character!), and Andre Braugher (who I’ve loved for 20 years, but this one’s slightly unearned).  Go Lost! But snubbed from this category was Josh Holloway from Lost, who I think deserved it.

Now supporting actress, for me, is the hardest category in TV this year. So many great performances, and I think the most snubs are in this category. Good Wife’s Archie Panjabi (who is powerful and mysterious) and Christine Baranski will duke it out with Rose Byrne from Damages, Christina Hendricks and Elisabeth Moss from Mad Men, and the surprise – Sharon Gless from Burn Notice. Really?

How about Elizabeth Mitchell on Lost (who DID get a guest actress nom, so that’s better than nothing), Lisa Edelstein who had an amazing season on House, and Katey Sagal who is so sublimely perfect and evil on Sons of Anarchy. Plus, Rutina Wesley and Michelle Forbes were standouts for me on True Blood. I’m sorry, but Baranski, Gless and Hendricks – not sure they deserve it this year.  

A big COCO chant for Conan O’Brien who scored a slew of nominations for his defunct Tonight Show. He was nominated for himself, writing, directing, and the show. And Jay Leno…nada! Good. This was the industry’s way of saying “NBC, you got it wrong.” As if they hadn’t made themselves clear already. Leno hasn’t scored a nomination in years, and this year, Conan even beat out Letterman.  Good on ya! It goes up against Daily Show, Colbert, Bill Maher and SNL. Tough category as all had banner years.

Another big cheer for Betty White, who in her most successful year ever, has scored her 17^th (!) nomination for her SNL hosting gig.  Next year, she will probably get one for supporting actress on Hot in Cleveland, mark my words!

Reality went the same as it always does. But let me put in that next year, I think Kat Deeley from So You Think You Can Dance should be nominated- she is fantastic and sweet and funny and does a wonderful job moving that show along. The Amazing Race isn’t THAT amazing and its host does barely anything. On the nonfiction side, this year is Deadliest Catch’s year – how could it not be? Oh wait, it’s up against “Life” narrated by Oprah. Nevermind. The one glaring omission was Survivor: Heroes vs Villains, which was pretty damn awesome and I’m not really a big Survivor fan, but it had me hooked!

On miniseries, it was all about THE PACIFIC, which got 24 noms (the most of any show/movie). I haven’t seen it as I cancelled my HBO (yes, I still watch True Blood and Bill Maher, but that’s about it), but I’m sure it will win.

For all other noms, go check out an actual news source. Haha. As we get closer, I’ll bring you all my picks for this year’s winners (and those who SHOULD win). But for now, keep watching!