George Santos responds to his impersonators, who clap back

I predicted that George Santos would be a great inspiration for comedy as long as he stays in the news. That continues to be true, even or especially if Representative Santos objects, as Inside Edition reported in George Santos Says All of His Impersonators Are ‘Terrible’.

Embattled Congressman George Santos isn't impressed with his late-nite impersonators. Comedian Jon Lovitz even did his best Santos impression on "The Tonight Show." But apparently, Santos doesn't find any of this funny. He tweeted: "I have now been enshrined in late-night TV history with all these impersonations, but they are all terrible so far." Lovitz responded by saying "My pathological liar character can’t hold a candle to you!"

I missed Lovitz's impression in Meyers, Colbert, and Kimmel take closer looks at George Santos, so here it is: Congressman George Santos Addresses the Rumors About Him | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Congressman George Santos (Jon Lovitz) stops by the Tonight Show to put rumors about him to bed, like him lying about working for Goldman Sachs and being Jewish.

Lovitz didn't have to do much more to update his pathological liar character from "Saturday Night Live" other than wear the right clothes and glasses and make the wheels spinning in the character's head less obvious to get Santos right. All he needed was an updated version of "Morgan Fairchild, yeah, that's the ticket" when asked if he's dating anyone to completely link his old character to Santos. He did refer to another of his characters, The Critic, when he said "it stinks!" Yes, it does, but it's funny.

Follow over the jump for two of the impersonators, including Bowen Yang, who dragged Santos in SNL's first show of 2023, talking about their experiences impersonating the Representative.

Coffee Party USA announces the 2018-2019 Golden Coffee Cup Television Winners!

For the past three weeks, the members and volunteers of Coffee Party USA have been voting on the nominees for the 2018-2019 Golden Coffee Cups for television. Voting closed this morning and it's time to announce the winners in six categories showcasing the best in politics and government on the small screen during the 2018-2019 television season.

Succession won Best Drama Series about Politics and Government. Saturday Night Live defeated last year's winner Veep for Best Comedy Series about Politics and Government. Chernobyl earned the award for Best Miniseries or Movie for Television about Politics and Government, unseating Black Mirror. The inaugural title of Best Talk Show went to Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. The Man in the High Castle displaced Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for Best Comedy, Drama, Miniseries, or Movie for Television about Fantastic and Futuristic Politics and Government. Finally, Coffee Party USA inaugurates Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer on Veep as Best Television President for 2018-2019 Season, replacing Kiefer Sutherland as Tom Kirkman on Designated Survivor, whose term expired. Congratulations to the winners and thanks to all of our members and volunteers who voted for the best shows and performances about politics and government during the 2018-2019 television season.

With the 2018-2019 television season out of the way, the members and volunteers of Coffee Party USA will move on to the 2019-2020 television season. Watch for the posting of the shortlists for the show categories along with an invitation to stream them while staying safe at home. If you want to become one of the voters for this or future Golden Coffee Cups, such as for the best political movies of 2020, become a member. Voting will happen on a members-only Facebook group.

Coffee Party USA ia a 501c(4) nonprofit social welfare organization dedicated to empowering and connecting communities to reclaim our government for the people. To support its efforts, which include educating the public on our website and on our Facebook page, registering people to vote with our partners TurboVote and National Voter Registration Day, and reminding them to vote through our Voter Buddy program, please consider donating. A donation of $10.00 for ten years of Coffee Party USA is recommended. Ten dollars will also buy our partner stamp with Stamp Stampede to stamp money out of politics. For those who wish to give at a higher level of support and be more involved in the organization, please consider becoming a member, which will allow you to vote for future Golden Coffee Cup nominees and winners. To do the valuable work of the Coffee Party, volunteer. Not only will Coffee Party USA thank you for it, so will our democracy!

Follow over the jump for the nominees in each category.

Coffee Party USA announces the nominees for the 2018-2019 Golden Coffee Cups for television

At the end of May, Coffee Party USA invited its supporters to stream the political TV series on the Golden Coffee Cups shortlist while staying safe at home and asked them to become members so they could vote on the shortlist to determine the nominees. For the past three weeks, the members and volunteers of Coffee Party USA did that just as they did earlier this year for the Golden Coffee Cup movie nominees.

After the preliminary round of voting, Veep leads nominees with three nominations, followed by House of Cards, Madame Secretary, and The Handmaid's Tale with two each. All of the other 32 nominees have one nomination each.

Here are the nominees in six categories showcasing the best in politics and government on the small screen during the 2018-2019 television season.

Best Drama Series about Politics and Government

House of Cards
Killing Eve
Madam Secretary
Ozark
Succession
The Good Fight
The Handmaid's Tale

Four are repeats from last year, House of Cards, Madam Secretary, Ozark, and The Good Fight, while three, Killing Eve, Succession, and The Handmaid's Tale, are new, although The Handmaid's Tale was nominated last year for Best Comedy, Drama, Miniseries, or Movie for Television about Fantastic and Futuristic Politics and Government as it is again this year. Last year's winner, Mindhunter, was not eligible, so it didn't return. That means there will be a new winner in this category this year. Become a member so you can vote!

Best Comedy Series about Politics and Government

Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Drunk History
I Love You, America
Orange Is the New Black
Schitt's Creek
Saturday Night Live
Veep

Three of the nominees are repeats from last year, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Orange is the New Black, and returning winner Veep. Sketch variety shows were added to the category along with the comedy series, so Drunk History, I Love You, America, and Saturday Night Live became eligible this year. Joining the field is the Canadian comedy Schitt's Creek. Will Veep repeat for its final season? It's up to you, should you become a member.

Best Miniseries or Movie for Television about Politics and Government

A Very English Scandal
Black Mirror
Brexit
Chernobyl
Sharp Objects
When They See Us

Black Mirror is the returning winner. Do you think its episodes are still the best short movies about politics and government for television or should a new nominee take its place? Once again, it's up to you, should you become a member.

Best Talk Show

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Real Time with Bill Maher
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

This is a new category, so there is no obvious favorite. Which is yours? Join and vote!

Best Comedy, Drama, Miniseries, or Movie for Television about Fantastic and Futuristic Politics and Government

American Dad
Counterpart
Gotham
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Outlander
Star Trek: Discovery
The Handmaid's Tale
The Man in the High Castle
The Orville

Like last year, this category has the most nominees with nine. This year, it also has the most returning nominees with six, Gotham, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Outlander, Star Trek: Discovery, The Handmaid's Tale, and The Orville. Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. won this category last year. Do you think it's the best speculative fiction series about politics and government or do you think one of the other nominees deserves the honor more? Join to make your opinion known!

Best Television President for 2018-2019 Season

Keith Carradine as President Conrad Dalton on "Madame Secretary"
Lynda Carter as President Olivia Marsdin on "Supergirl"
Michael Gaston as President Andrew Pickett on "Jack Ryan"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus as President Selina Meyer on "Veep"
Andrea Savage as President Laura P. Montez on "Veep"
Robin Wright as President Claire Underwood on "House of Cards"

Only Julia Luis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer and Andea Savage as Laura P. Montez are returning from last year. That means that last year's winner, Kiefer Sutherland as Tom Kirkman on Designated Survivor, did not return either, so the members of Coffee Party USA will elect a new TV president, just as they will elect one in real life. Become one of us to vote!

The members and volunteers of Coffee Party USA will vote for their favorite nominees over the next two weeks, at the end of which Coffee Party USA will announce the winners on its blog and Facebook page. If you want to become one of the voters for this or future Golden Coffee Cups, become a member. Voting will happen on a members-only Facebook group.

Coffee Party USA ia a 501c(4) nonprofit social welfare organization dedicated to empowering and connecting communities to reclaim our government for the people. To support its efforts, which include educating the public on our website and on our Facebook page, registering people to vote with our partners TurboVote and National Voter Registration Day, and reminding them to vote through our Voter Buddy program, please consider donating. A donation of $10.00 for ten years of Coffee Party USA is recommended. Ten dollars will also buy our partner stamp with Stamp Stampede to stamp money out of politics. For those who wish to give at a higher level of support and be more involved in the organization, please consider becoming a member, which will allow you to vote for future Golden Coffee Cup nominees and winners. To do the valuable work of the Coffee Party, volunteer. Not only will Coffee Party USA thank you for it, so will the country!

Reposted and modified from the original at Coffee Party USA's blog.

Mike Pence at Voteview and On The Issues for National Veep Day

I concluded last night's Sandy Hook Promise's 'Back-To-School Essentials' and P&G's 'The Look' among Emmy nominees for Outstanding Commercial with my hope and dread for today.

[S]tay tuned for a celebration of National Veep Day. With luck, Joe Biden announces his running mate. Otherwise, I am stuck writing about Mike Pence. I hope not.

It's almost noon on Sunday and Joe Biden still has not announced his pick. If he were going to do so today, he'd likely have done it by now to make the Sunday Morning talk shows. So, Mike Pence it is.

To observe today's national day, I'm going to do for Pence what I did for the Democratic Vice Presidential contenders, examine his ideology through Voteview and On The Issues. First, Pence at Voteview.



Pence served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001 to 2013, when he became the Governor of Indiana. By the end of his final term in Congress, he had a DW-Nominate first-dimension (ideological) score of 0.655, which made him more conservative than 89% of Republicans in the U.S. House as well as 94% of all House members when he left in 2013. Even among Republicans, Pence was quite far to the right.

That's also what On The Issues shows for him.



On The Issues rates Pence as having an economic score of 95 and a social score of 10, a Hard-Core Conservative, which makes him the most conservative politician I have made infographics for so far. Even Donald Trump, who has an economic score of 83 and a social score of 20, is closer to the center!

That's it for today's ideological examination of the sitting Vice President. I plan on recycling these graphics, along with those for the Democratic Vice Presidential nominee, for this year's Vice Presidential Debate. I already have the drinks for Pence. I'm just waiting for Biden to choose to select the beverages for his running mate.

That's it for Veep Day. Tomorrow, I plan on continuing my coverage of the Emmy Awards with nominations of shows about animals and nature for World Lion Day. The irony is that the number one show nominated in this category is "Tiger King." Oh, well, I missed World Tiger Day on July 29th again, so tomorrow I'll make up for it. Stay tuned.

Coffee Party USA invites you to stream the political TV series on the Golden Coffee Cups shortlist while staying safe at home

Hey, all of you binge-watching your guilty pleasure shows while staying safe at home, relaxing after working from home, returning for work after wearing a mask all day, or just stressed out from the real world! I have another suggestion to make your time in front of the big-screen TV in the living room, the slightly smaller screen in the bedroom, or even holding your tablet or smartphone work to help your appreciation of politics and government on television and then apply your understanding to help Coffee Party USA in one of our projects.

Last month, Coffee Party USA invited you to watch these political movies while staying safe at home, which led to the 2019 Coffee Party Entertainment Awards for movies, AKA the Golden Coffee Cups for Movies. It is now time for the next phase of these awards.

The members will also be voting on the nominees and winners of the Golden Coffee Cups for television programs and their performers that demonstrate the best in politics and government on the small screen. Watch for an announcement of the shortlist of possible nominees from the 2018-2019 television season and an invitation to watch them next week, much like Coffee Party USA invites you to watch these political movies while staying safe at home, followed by the nominees of the 2019-2020 season in the summer.

Follow over the jump to read the shortlists for television shows in five categories along with a two-part activity involving them.

'1917' among movie and TV winners about politics and government from Producers Guild of America (PGA) Awards

I listed "1917" as the one major movie about politics and government nominated at both the 2020 WGA Awards and the Critics' Choice Awards.  In addition, the movie won two Golden Globes and three one Critics' Choice Awards, a tie with "Parasite" for Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Editing.  Last night, it added another honor on the way to the Oscars, The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures the Producers Guild of America (PGA) Awards, the equivalent of Best Picture elsewhere.  While congratulations are in order, Gold Derby notes that this does not mean that "1917" is a shoe-in for the Best Picture Oscar, even if it seems so at first.

We know that the Producers Guild of America has previewed a whopping 21 of the last 30 Best Picture Oscar winners including eight of the 10 since the academy expanded the category in 2010. So, that must mean “1917” is the new Academy Awards frontrunner, right? Not so fast.

Remember, the guild had gotten it wrong twice in a row before it went with “Green Book” last year and “The Shape of Water” in 2018. In 2016 “The Big Short” took the PGA award while “Spotlight” went home with the top Oscar. And in 2017 “La La Land” won over the members of the producers guild while “Moonlight” was the academy favorite.

What about the biggest voting block in the Motion Picture Academy, the actors?  Gold Derby is even less sure about their predictive power.

Turns out the SAG Awards aren’t so great at predicting the Best Picture winner at the Oscars. Only 11 of the first 25 winners went on to repeat at the Academy Awards.

It doesn't help that "1917" isn't even nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, the SAG Award comparable to Best Picture.  Instead,  “Bombshell,” “The Irishman,” “Jojo Rabbit,” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” and “Parasite” share that honor.  So it's possible that, say, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” could win the SAG Award tonight to join its Critics' Choice Award, setting up a contest with "1917" that I think “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” could win.  As I've written before, most recently in 'RBG' vs. 'Free Solo' and other Oscar nominees at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, "Never underestimate the power of Hollywood voting for a good film or show about itself."

By the way, not only is this an example of electorates mattering, it's an example of voting systems mattering, as Gold Derby also noted.

SAG voters pick just one picture and the winner is the film that has garnered the most votes.  Conversely, the producers guild adopted the same way of voting by preferential ballot as the academy did when it upped the category to 10 nominees in 2010.

While the actors outnumber the producers, it may not matter as much.  If enough of them split their ballots for first, while a significant number of them pick "1917" as their second choice, it could easily win.

Follow over the jump for the rest of the PGA Award winners about politics and government.

Politics and government on television at the 2020 WGA Awards for National Screenwriters Day

Happy National Screenwriters Day!  Two years ago, I celebrated by looking at the science and speculative fiction among WGA film nominees.  This year, I'm observing the day by highlighting the television nominees about politics and government at the Writers Guild of America (WGA) Awards.*  It turns out that many of the categories have nominees examine one or both.  With no further ado, here they are with my commentary and handicapping.

DRAMA SERIES

The Crown, Written by James Graham, David Hancock, Peter Morgan; Netflix

The Handmaid’s Tale, Written by Marissa Jo Cerar, Yahlin Chang, Nina Fiore, Dorothy Fortenberry, Jacey Heldrich, John Herrera, Lynn Renee Maxcy, Bruce Miller, Kira Snyder, Eric Tuchman; Hulu

Mindhunter, Written by Pamela Cederquist, Joshua Donen, Marcus Gardley, Shaun Grant, Liz Hannah, Phillip Howze, Jason Johnson, Doug Jung, Colin J. Louro, Alex Metcalf, Courtenay Miles, Dominic Orlando, Joe Penhall, Ruby Rae Spiegel; Netflix

Succession, Written by Jesse Armstrong, Alice Birch, Jon Brown, Jonathan Glatzer, Cord Jefferson, Mary Laws, Lucy Prebble, Georgia Pritchett, Tony Roche, Gary Shteyngart, Susan Soon He Stanton, Will Tracy; HBO

Watchmen, Written by Lila Byock, Nick Cuse, Christal Henry, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Cord Jefferson, Jeff Jensen, Claire Kiechel, Damon Lindelof, Janine Nabers, Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Tom Spezialy, Carly Wray; HBO

Every single Drama Series nominee at the WGA Awards is about politics and government, whether historical, as in "The Crown" and "Mindhunter," fantastic and futuristic, like "The Handmaid's Tale" and "Watchmen, or contemporary but completely fictional, such as "Succession," which is primarily about family dynamics within a business, but has political elements.  While my personal favorite is "Mindhunter" because it won Best Drama Series about Politics and Government at the 2017-2018 Golden Coffee Cups for television, I don't think it will win.  Instead, one of the three series that also have nominations for Episodic Drama, "The Crown" and "Succession," or New Series, "Watchmen," have the inside track.  Of the three, I'd say "Succession" would be the betting favorite, as the series won Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series at last season's Emmy Awards.

EPISODIC DRAMA

“407 Proxy Authentication Required” (Mr. Robot), Written by Sam Esmail; USA Network

“A Good Man is Hard to Find” (Ray Donovan), Written by Joshua Marston; Showtime

“Mirror Mirror” (The OA), Written by Dominic Orlando & Claire Kiechel; Netflix

“Moondust” (The Crown), Written by Peter Morgan; Netflix

“Our Little Island Girl” (This Is Us), Written by Eboni Freeman; NBC

“Tern Haven” (Succession), Written by Will Tracy; HBO

In addition to "Succession" and "The Crown," "Mr. Robot" is the political series nominee.  Just like Drama Series, I think the favorite is "Succession."

Now for the lighter side of scripted television.

COMEDY SERIES

Barry, Written by Alec Berg, Duffy Boudreau, Bill Hader, Emily Heller, Jason Kim, Taofik Kolade, Elizabeth Sarnoff; HBO

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Written by Kate Fodor, Noah Gardenswartz, Daniel Goldfarb, Alison Leiby, Dan Palladino, Sono Patel, Amy Sherman-Palladino, Jordan Temple; Prime Video

PEN15, Written by Jeff Chan, Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, Gabe Liedman, Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Andrew Rhymer, Jessica Watson, Sam Zvibleman; Hulu

Russian Doll, Written by Jocelyn Bioh, Flora Birnbaum, Cirocco Dunlap, Leslye Headland, Natasha Lyonne, Amy Poehler, Tami Sagher, Allison Silverman; Netflix

Veep, Written by Gabrielle Allan-Greenberg, Rachel Axler, Emilia Barrosse, Ted Cohen, Jennifer Crittenden, Alex Gregory, Steve Hely, Peter Huyck, Erik Kenward, Billy Kimball, David Mandel, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Dan Mintz, Lew Morton, Dan O'Keefe, Georgia Pritchett, Leila Strachan; HBO

While I'm rooting for "Veep" to win because it holds the Golden Coffee Cup for Best Comedy Series about Politics and Government, I don't think it will.  "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" is the returning winner and also has a nomination for Episodic Comedy.  That wouldn't be a total loss for the topic of politics and government, as the show makes political points in addition to its many social points (I'm starting to see how "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" does to entertainment what "Mad Men" did for advertising) and Midge goes on a USO tour this season.  Remember, the government includes the military, so supporting our troops helps the government.

EPISODIC COMEDY

“Here’s Where We Get Off” (Orange Is the New Black), Written by Jenji Kohan; Netflix

“It’s Comedy or Cabbage” (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Written by Amy Sherman-Palladino; Prime Video

“Nice Knowing You” (Living With Yourself), Written by Timothy Greenberg; Netflix

“Pilot” (Dead to Me), Written by Liz Feldman; Netflix

“The Stinker Thinker” (On Becoming a God in Central Florida), Written by Robert F. Funke & Matt Lutsky; Showtime

“Veep” (Veep), Written by David Mandel; HBO

In addition to "Veep" and "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," "Orange Is the New Black" is the show about politics and government among the nominees.  Its final season was very political, as it not only looked at the politics of private prisons, but focused on how they are used to detain undocumented immigrants prior to deportation.  Of the three, I think "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" is the favorite, but either "Veep" or "Dead To Me" could pull off an upset.  "Orange Is the New Black" should just be happy to be nominated at these award, but should look forward to Emmy nominations next summer.

Speaking of "Dead to Me," it's also nominated in the next category.

NEW SERIES

Dead To Me, Written by Rebecca Addelman, Njeri Brown, Liz Feldman, Kelly Hutchinson, Anthony King, Emma Rathbone, Kate Robin, Abe Sylvia; Netflix

PEN15, Written by Jeff Chan, Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, Gabe Liedman, Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Andrew Rhymer, Jessica Watson, Sam Zvibleman; Hulu

Russian Doll, Written by Jocelyn Bioh, Flora Birnbaum, Cirocco Dunlap, Leslye Headland, Natasha Lyonne, Amy Poehler, Tami Sagher, Allison Silverman; Netflix

Watchmen, Written by Lila Byock, Nick Cuse, Christal Henry, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Cord Jefferson, Jeff Jensen, Claire Kiechel, Damon Lindelof, Janine Nabers, Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Tom Spezialy, Carly Wray; HBO

What We Do in the Shadows, Written by Jesse Armstrong, Sam Bain, Jemaine Clement, Josh Lieb, Iain Morris, Stefani Robinson, Duncan Sarkies, Marika Sawyer, Tom Scharpling, Paul Simms,Taika Waititi; FX Networks

The sole political nominee is "Watchmen," which is also a speculative fiction series.  That means I'm rooting for it twice over.  However, I'm not as confident about it winning.  "Dead To Me," "PEN15," and "Russian Doll" all have two nominations and so I think they have just as much likelihood of taking home the trophy, if not more.  Of all of them, "Russian Doll" would be my second choice, as it's a Saturn Award nominee for Best Streaming Fantasy, Sci-Fi, or Action/Thriller Television Series.  However, I suspect "Dead To Me" will win.  As for the third speculative fiction nominee, "What We Do in the Shadows," which earned a nomination for Best Streaming Horror and Thriller Series at the 2019 Saturn Awards, it should also be satisfied just being nominated.

Now for movies and limited series.

ORIGINAL LONG FORM

Chernobyl, Written by Craig Mazin; HBO

The Terror: Infamy, Written by Max Borenstein, Alessandra DiMona, Shannon Goss, Steven Hanna, Naomi Iizuka, Benjamin Klein, Danielle Roderick, Tony Tost, Alexander Woo; AMC

Togo, Written by Tom Flynn; Disney+

True Detective, Written by Alessandra DiMona, Graham Gordy, Gabriel Hobson, David Milch, Nic Pizzolatto; HBO

"Chernobyl," "The Terror: Infamy," and "True Detective" are all examine politics and government, "Chernobyl" the eponymous nuclear disaster, "The Terror: Infamy" Japanese internment during World War II, "True Detective" police work.  All things being equal, I'd root for "The Terror: Infamy" because it is also speculative fiction (horror), but all things are not equal. "Chernobyl" won ten Emmy Awards including Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special
, so I think it's the odds-on favorite.

ADAPTED LONG FORM

El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, Written by Vince Gilligan; Netflix

Fosse/Verdon, Written by Debora Cahn, Joel Fields, Ike Holter, Thomas Kail, Steven Levenson, Charlotte Stoudt, Tracey Scott Wilson, Based on the book Fosse by Sam Wasson; FX Networks

The Loudest Voice, Written by John Harrington Bland, Laura Eason, Tom McCarthy, Alex Metcalf, Gabriel Sherman, Jennifer Stahl, Based on the Book The Loudest Voice in the Room and the New York Magazine Articles by Gabriel Sherman; Showtime

Unbelievable, Written by Michael Chabon, Susannah Grant, Becky Mode, Jennifer Schuur, Ayelet Waldman, Based on the Pro Publica & The Marshall Project article “An Unbelievable Story of Rape” and This American Life radio episode “Anatomy of Doubt;” Netflix

"The Loudest Voice" relates the story of Roger Ailes and Fox News, while "Unbelievable" is an examination of the criminal justice system, among other things, so it's about government.  In it's own take on crime and punishment, so is "El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie," albeit from the criminals' side, not the government's or victims'.  Of all of them, I'm rooting for "The Loudest Voice."  However, I think "Fosse/Verdon" is the favorite with "El Camino" my choice for an upset.

Follow over the jump for the rest of the nominees.

Television Academy pays farewell tribute to 'Veep' while other comedies win Emmy Awards

Speaking of big winners, "Game of Thrones" took home the most Emmy Awards with a full dozen.  I'll see if I can manage to write up its wins as well as those of the other dramas tomorrow.  Stay tuned.

That was the plan I announced yesterday to conclude 'Chernobyl' dominates Limited Series with ten Emmy Awards.  However, I meant it when I wrote "I'll see if I can manage" to follow through; there was always a possibility I wasn't up for it for one reason or another.  So it shouldn't surprise my readers that I decided I would rather tackle "Veep" and the other Outstanding Comedy Series nominees today and save the Outstanding Drama Series nominees tomorrow for a big finish to the series.  At least I'm blogging about the Emmy Awards.

I begin by noting that the Emmy Awards paid tribute to "Veep" with a montage of the funniest scenes followed by a skit featuring the actors in character on last time.

The Emmys says farewell to the VEEP.

Yes, the bit doubled as the lead-in for an award.  That's what happens when an awards show has no host.

Before the show, Julia Louis-Dreyfus talked about the end Of Veep on the red carpet and admitted she was nervous.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus talks about ending Veep and what's to come.

She was right to be nervous; neither she nor the rest of the cast and its writers won a single award.  I wasn't surprised.  I wrote "The final season of "Veep" will have to be content with its Golden Coffee Cup for Best Comedy Series about Politics and Government."  That was premature.  "Veep" won for its sixth season; its final season will be eligible for the next awards, as I noted in August.

In this category, both the professionals and the Coffee Party's volunteers agreed; "Veep" was the best political comedy of 2017.  It will be around to defend its award in the next round, as the show's final season is eligible for 2018-2019, just as it is for this year's Emmy Awards.  Its toughest competition will probably be "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" — all of our volunteers have NBC, but not all watch HBO.

It might be the final award for the show proper should it win (the actors and others may have better chances at individual awards).  As I wrote in September, "I'm not even sure the Golden Globes will deliver for ['Veep' and 'The Good Place']; they were the first to jump on the bandwagon for 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' and might prefer 'Fleabag' or 'Schitt's Creek' over either."

One last time, farewell to "Veep."  Follow over the jump for the winners.

Outstanding Comedy Series nominees at the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards include "Veep," a political comedy

"Stay tuned," I told my readers at the end of Outstanding Drama Series Emmy nominees examine politics and family dynamics as "I should have one more nomination post for comedies."  Since the awards will be given out tonight, I have only a few hours to write this post, so here goes.

First, watch 71st Nominees: Outstanding Comedy Series from the Television Academy.

The Nominees for Outstanding Comedy Series are Barry, Fleabag, The Good Place, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Russian Doll, Schitt's Creek, and Veep.

Before I add any original commentary on this category, I will be a good environmentalist and recycle what I wrote about it in Nine Emmy nominations for 'Veep' on National Veep Day.

"Veep" will have very stiff competition for its nominations, particularly from "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," which won eight Emmy Awards last year and is nominated for twenty this year, the most of any comedy both seasons.  It is contending with "Veep" for Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series, Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series, Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series, Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series, where it has two nominees to one for "Veep," and Outstanding Casting For A Comedy Series, and is the returning winner in four of them, Comedy Series, Lead Actress, Supporting Actress, and Casting.  There are other match-ups to watch in comedy particularly between "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" and "Barry," but this is the one I plan on looking at closest when I examine all the comedy nominees and make predictions.  Stay tuned.

Comedy series have nearly as many top-nominated shows as limited series, as the following infographic demonstrates.


In addition to the 20 nominations for "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," second only behind "Game of Thrones," "Barry" tied "Fosse/Verdon" for 17 and "Russian Doll" has 13 (how oddly appropriate).  "Veep" doesn't even rank fourth, as "Fleabag" has 11 nominations.  So that means that I don't think I will be looking as closely at "Veep" vs. "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" as I had planned today.  The matchup really is between "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" and "Barry" with "Fleabag" as the likely spoiler, as it won Outstanding Achievement in Comedy at the Television Critics Association Awards while "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" was not even nominated.

Too bad, as my other favorite comedies besides "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel", "Veep" and "The Good Place," do not look like they have good chances of winning.  The final season of "Veep" will have to be content with its Golden Coffee Cup for Best Comedy Series about Politics and Government while "The Good Place" will need to be satisfied with its Hugo Award.  I'm not even sure the Golden Globes will deliver for either; they were the first to jump on the bandwagon for "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" and might prefer "Fleabag" or "Schitt's Creek" over either.

Speaking of "Schitt's Creek," it is the other comedy that covers politics and government besides "Veep," albeit on a much smaller scale, a small Canadian town, where the Mayor is a supporting character, not the federal government of the U.S. where a once and future President is the title character.  Political figures make cameos in "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" but the show primarily makes social points while examining family dynamics.

Now for the acting nominees, beginning with 71st Nominees: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.

The Nominees for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series are Bill Hader, Don Cheadle, Anthony Anderson, Ted Danson, Michael Douglas, and Eugene Levy.

While I think this award is Bill Hader's to lose, my reaction to watching this clip is "damn, this is a strong field!"  Personally, I'm happy that Ted Danson is being recognized for his work in "The Good Place," but Don Cheadle is an Oscar-nominated and Golden-Globe-winning actor while Michael Douglas is a two-time Oscar winner.  Either one, particularly Douglas, could upset Hader.

Next, 71st Nominees: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.

The Nominees for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series are Christina Applegate, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Rachel Brosnahan, Natasha Lyonne, Catherine O'Hara, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Again, this is a strong field, although I would have preferred Kristen Bell from "The Good Place" instead of Christina Applegate.  As for the favorites, it's between the previous two winners, Rachel Brosnahan and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, with Phoebe Waller-Bridge as the spoiler.  It helps Waller-Bridge that she won Individual Achievement in Comedy at the Television Critics Association Awards.

Continuing on with 71st Emmy Nominees: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

The Nominees for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series are Anthony Carrigan, Stephen Root, Henry Winkler, Alan Arkin, Tony Shalhoub, and Tony Hale.

Like his co-star Hader, I think this award is Henry Winkler's to lose, but Tony Hale of Veep is strong competition as the previous winner for the same role.  It doesn't help that he has two other actors from "Barry" competing against him.  Of the two, I prefer Anthony Carrigan, who became familiar to me as Victor Zsasz from "Gotham."  He obviously has experience playing bloodthirsty crazy criminals.  The other two nominees with decent chances to upset Winkler are Alan Arkin and Tony Shalhoub.

The final video is 71st Emmy Nominees: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

The Nominees for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series are Sarah Goldberg, Sian Clifford, Olivia Colman, Betty Gilpin, Alex Borstein, Marin Hinkle, Kate McKinnon, and Anna Chlumsky.

Once again, I'm going to be a good environmentalist and recycle my analysis from 'Saturday Night Live' leads sketch variety series nominees with 18 Emmy nominations.

Alex Borstein won this award last year for "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," so I think she's the favorite.  However, I'm not as confident about that as I was last year because she's up against an Oscar winner in Olivia Colman who surprised me by winning for her role in "The Favourite."  In addition, the vote for "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" might be split with Marin Hinkle, which could decrease Borstein's odds even more.

It says something that I didn't even mention Kate McKinnon's chances in an entry about SNL, even though she is the previous winner before Borstein.

Now for the people behind the camera nominated at the Primetime Emmy Awards.

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series

Barry (Episode: "The Audition"), Directed by Alec Berg (HBO)
Barry (Episode: "ronny/lily"), Directed by Bill Hader (HBO)
The Big Bang Theory (Episode: "The Stockholm Syndrome"), Directed by Mark Cendrowski (CBS)
Fleabag (Episode: "Episode 1"), Directed by Harry Bradbeer (Prime Video)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Episode: "All Alone"), Directed by Amy Sherman-Palladino (Prime Video)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Episode: "We're Going to the Catskills!"), Directed by Daniel Palladino (Prime Video)

Amy Sherman-Palladino is the returning winner, so I think she's the favorite.  The only other returning nominee is Bill Hader, so he, along with Daniel Palladino and Alec Berg are my picks for the major contenders.  In any event, it looks like either "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" or "Barry."  Watch them split their votes so that "Fleabag" sneaks in.

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series

Barry (Episode: "ronny/lily"), Written by Alec Berg and Bill Hader (HBO)
Fleabag (Episode: "Episode 1"), Written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Prime Video)
The Good Place (Episode: "Janet(s)"), Written by Josh Siegal and Dylan Morgan (NBC)
PEN15 (Episode: "Anna Ishii-Peters"), Written by Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, and Stacy Osei-Kuffour (Hulu)
Russian Doll (Episode: "Nothing in This World Is Easy"), Written by Natasha Lyonne, Leslye Headland and Amy Poehler (Netflix)
Russian Doll (Episode: "A Warm Body"), Written by Allison Silverman (Netflix)
Veep (Episode: "Veep"), Written by David Mandel (HBO)

That Amy Sherman-Palladino, last year's winner for "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," was not even nominated makes me worried about the likelihood of winning Outstanding Comedy Series.  On the other hand, I'm encouraged about "The Good Place," as "Janet(s)" won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form.  I'm not sure that it has the best chance of winning, as "Barry" is the only other returning nominee while "Veep" is the only previous winner nominated.  I think it is between those two for the Emmy.

Follow over the jump for the awards already won by comedy series at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Coffee Party USA announces the winners of the 2017-2018 Golden Coffee Cups for television

The volunteers of Coffee Party USA have voted on the nominees for the Golden Coffee Cups for the 2017-2018 television season, so it's time to announce the winners.  "Mindhunter" won Best Drama Series about Politics and Government, "Veep" won Best Comedy Series about Politics and Government, "Black Mirror" won Best Miniseries or Movie for Television about Politics and Government, "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." won Best Comedy, Drama, Miniseries, or Movie for Television about Fantastic and Futuristic Politics and Government, and Kiefer Sutherland as Tom Kirkman in "Designated Survivor" won Best Television President.  Congratulations to all the winners for depicting what the volunteers of Coffee Party USA considered to be the best of politics and government on television during the 2017-2018 season!

The volunteers of Coffee Party USA are not done recognizing the best of politics and government on television.  Watch for an announcement of the nominees from the 2018-2019 television season next month.

Coffee Party USA ia a 501c(4) nonprofit social welfare organization dedicated to empowering and connecting communities to reclaim our government for the people.  To support its efforts, which include educating the public on our website and on our Facebook page, registering people to vote with our partners TurboVote and National Voter Registration Day, and reminding them to vote through our Voter Buddy program, please consider donating.  A donation of $10.00 for ten years of Coffee Party USA is recommended.*  For those who wish to give at a higher level of support and be more involved in the organization, please consider becoming a member.  To do the valuable work of the Coffee Party, as well as vote for future Golden Coffee Cup nominees and winners, volunteer.  Not only will Coffee Party USA thank you for it, so will the country!

Follow over the jump for the nominees plus my commentary about the winners.

Coffee Party USA announces the nominees for the Golden Coffee Cups for the 2017-2018 television season

Earlier today, I told my readers to "stay tuned for the nominees for the Golden Coffee Cups for television I promised in Coffee Party USA announces the winners of the 2018 Golden Coffee Cups for movies in April.  Better late than never!"  Yes, I promised these awards in May.  It took me until August, after I had already started to blog about this year's Emmy nominees to actually follow through.  As I already wrote, better late than never to continue to recognize the best of politics in entertainment.

It's time to be a good environmentalist and reuse with slight modification my introduction from Coffee Party Entertainment Awards movie nominees for 2018.  The volunteers of Coffee Party USA and I have been voting for the past three weeks on which television shows and people to recognize for The Coffee Party Entertainment Awards AKA The Golden Coffee Cups. We came up with nominees in five categories showcasing the best in television shows about politics and government from the 2017-2018 season.  To see them, follow over the jump.

Nine Emmy nominations for 'Veep' on National Veep Day

Happy National Veep Day!

National Day Calendar informs me that today is National Veep Day, the anniversary of August 9, 1974, when "Vice President Gerald Ford became President of the United States upon the resignation of President Richard Nixon."  It's a day "designated to give recognition to the succession plan of the President of the United States."  If I had known about this last year, I might have written about the HBO comedy "Veep" and its Emmy nominations.  Unfortunately, "Veep" isn't eligible this year, so it won't defend its five Emmy Awards.  It also means I won't write any more about the final season of "Veep," which hasn't aired yet.  Darn.

The final season of "Veep" has aired and has earned nine Emmy Award nominations, so it's time for me to be a good environmentalist and reycle this idea.  The nine nominations are:

• Outstanding Comedy Series
• Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series for Julia Louis-Dreyfus
• Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series for Tony Hale
• Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series for Anna Chlumsky
• Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series for Peter MacNicol
• Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series
• Outstanding Production Design For A Narrative Program (Half-Hour)
• Outstanding Casting For A Comedy Series
• Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (Half-Hour) And Animation

While this is not the 17 nominations "Veep" earned two years ago to lead nominated comedies at the Primetime Emmy Awards, it is a respectable showing.  "Veep" still has an opportunity to win five Emmy Awards as it did two years ago.  Of those, it is returning to contend for four of them, Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series, and Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Program (Half-Hour or Less).  It failed to win a nomination in the fifth category it won two years ago, Outstanding Cinematography for A Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour), losing out to "Ballers," "Fleabag," "Homecoming," "Insecure," "Russian Doll," and "What We Do in the Shadows."  I can at least take comfort in seeing two Saturn Award nominees, "Russian Doll" and "What We Do in the Shadows," among the nominees, so speculative fiction is well-represented.

Still, "Veep" will have very stiff competition for its nominations, particularly from "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," which won eight Emmy Awards last year and is nominated for twenty this year, the most of any comedy both seasons.  It is contending with "Veep" for Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series, Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series, Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series, Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series, where it has two nominees to one for "Veep," and Outstanding Casting For A Comedy Series, and is the returning winner in four of them, Comedy Series, Lead Actress, Supporting Actress, and Casting.  There are other match-ups to watch in comedy particularly between "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" and "Barry," but this is the one I plan on looking at closest when I examine all the comedy nominees and make predictions.  Stay tuned.

Previous entries in this series.

• 'Point of View: Sandy Hook Promise' among Emmy nominees for Outstanding Commercial

Movie and TV Presidents from the Wall Street Journal for (Not My) Presidents Day

Happy (Not My) Presidents Day!  I'm still in a mood to deal with fantasy instead of reality, so I'm posting the Wall Street Journal's Election 2016: Fake Presidents Edition to mark today's holiday.

The 2016 U.S. presidential campaign season may seem stranger than fiction, but is it really that bad? It could be worse, compared to other American presidents who exist in the reality of our smartphones and televisions.

I don't know if the fictional presidents would be worse.  Selina Meyer is not any worse than Trump in competence and character and she has better staff.  Plus, she's a Democrat.  Fitzgerald Grant also has better staff and really does try to make things better for Americans.  Frank Underwood is a very evil man, but he's also very competent and knows he has to at least been seen trying to make things better for the mass of people, even as he's killing off rival politicians.  None of them are my favorite TV President.  That honor goes to Tom Kirkman of "Designated Survivor."  He is the most decent character of the bunch and he's been learning fast on the job.  Watching him is the next best thing to watching Josiah Bartlett from "The West Wing."*

In the comments, I ask my readers to name their favorite fictional U.S. President.  If I get enough nominations, I'll post my readers' favorites.

*Many of the actors from "The West Wing" made a cameo at my blog in a video I posted first in Examiner.com article on Free Press endorsements and again in Second Year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News: Examiner.com.  The video is still up; I suppose that's because Bridget Mary McCormack will likely be running again this year.

'Saturday Night Live' wins big on political satire with nine Emmy Awards

I have one more Emmy winner to examine, "Saturday Night Live," which tied for most Emmy nominations with 22, 24 counting its web series and interactive program.  Stay tuned.

Thus I concluded 'Last Week Tonight With John Oliver' examines corporate consolidation after winning four Emmy Awards, so it's time to report on the final Emmy-winning program about politics.  I begin with an overview of the theme of the night, Emmy awards 2017: Political satire wins the night from Al Jazeera English, which features Saturday Night Live.

The EMMY Awards are all about television entertainment.

This year the spotlight was on political satire.

From dramas to comedies, US politics played a major role.

Al Jazeera's Katia Lopez-Hodoyan reports.

While the video mentions "The Handmaid's Tale" and "Veep," its main emphasis was on the comedy acting awards that SNL won.  I expected three of them, beginning with Melissa McCarthy winning Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.  Earlier this month, I wrote "I'd say either McCarthy or Wiig will win, probably McCarthy.  She made an outstanding Sean Spicer."  She did and she won.  Next was Kate McKinnon earning a second statuette for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.  My prediction was "I expect that Kate McKinnon, who won last year, will repeat."  She did.  My final prediction was "I suspect Alec Baldwin might win [Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series] based on his Trump impersonations," which I foreshadowed last month by writing "He can earn his Emmy for portraying Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live" instead for "Match Game"; I'm glad that Emmy for host of a reality competition show went to RuPaul Charles.

The comedy acting award that took me by surprise was Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, which went to Dave Chappelle.  Wochit Entertainment has the story in Dave Chappelle Wins Emmy For Hosting SNL.

Dave Chappelle has officially won an Emmy Award for his hosting of Saturday Night Live in the fall of 2016. The episode aired on November 12, 2016. During Chappelle's Saturday Night Live episode, the comedian and former star of Chappelle's Show took aim at the Presidential election which had taken place in the weeks leading up to the episode. He did, however, manage to squeeze in a hilarious and unforgettable sketch which parodied The Walking Dead's iconic Season 6 finale and Season 7 premiere, which introduced the villainous Negan character portrayed by Jeffrey Dean Morgan on the AMC series.

I thought the statuette might go to a host of SNL, just not him.

Hugh Laurie is my choice for the best actor of the bunch, but I wouldn't put it past the Emmy voters to pick either Lin-Manuel Miranda or Tom Hanks.  I might have more to say about them and SNL next week.

Between the two, I would say that Hanks has better name recognition and a more memorable performance on SNL, but the voters might think Miranda might send a stronger message to the country.  Yes, it's that kind of year.

I was right that it has been that kind of year, as selecting Dave Chappelle sent an even stronger message.  While it came as a surprise to me, it was also well deserved, as well as being another victory for diversity.

The final award the show won on the final night of the Emmy Awards was Outstanding Variety Sketch Series, which opens ET Canada's 2017 Emmy Awards 'SNL' Highlights: Alec Baldwin, Melissa McCarthy, Ben Affleck's Appearance.

Highlights from the 2017 Emmy Awards including Ben Affleck making an appearance to support girlfriend Lindsay Shookus, a surprise appearance by Sean Spicer and more wins for “SNL”.

I expected SNL winning this category.

I'd say "Saturday Night Live" is favored because of its number of nominations (22, tied with "Westworld"), number of previous nominations (2), and the general zeitgeist.  The two shows with the best but still slim chance of upsetting SNL are "Drunk History" and "Portlandia," the only other shows also nominated all three times the category has been offered.  Of the two, "Drunk History" has four nominations and "Portlandia" has three.  As for the rest, the next best bet is "Tracy Ullman's Show."  Other than that, this should be the beginning of the second part of an SNL near-sweep.

It was a near-sweep on the final night of the Emmys, as SNL won four of the five categories in which it was nominated, winning Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series, which I predicted, while losing only to "Last Week Tonight With John Oliver" in Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series.  Congratulations!

SNL won three more awards at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards the week before, Outstanding Make-up for a Multi-Camera Series or Special (Non-Prosthetic), Outstanding Production Design for a Variety, Nonfiction, Reality, or Reality-Competition Series, and Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control for a Series.  I predicted the first two (turning Alec Baldwin into Trump alone deserved the first) and thought the third could happen because of a sweep.  Nine out of twenty-two or twenty-four, depending on the web series counting, isn't really a sweep, but it was enough to make SNL the most awarded program at the Emmys.  One last time, congratulations!

Now my series on the 2017 Primetime Emmy Awards is complete.  It's time to move on to the News and Documentary Emmys, which will be awarded October 5th.  Stay tuned!

'Veep' leads comedy series with five Emmy Awards

I promised I would return to the Emmy Award winners Friday at the end of Jeff Beal wins the only Emmy for 'House of Cards' this year, but that was a mistake from the get go.  First, even if I had stuck to my schedule, I would have returned Saturday, as Friday was the Autumnal Equinox.  Second, I found more pressing things to blog about, like Vox on nukes for another fake doomsday and 'Star Trek: Discovery' debuting on CBS.  It's not the first time I promised to write about something on this blog and ended up being late about it.  Just the same, it is time to return to the Emmy winners.

Today, I'm revisiting "Veep, which had more nominations than any other scripted comedy series.  It also ended up with more wins, five, for Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series, Outstanding Cinematography for A Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour), and Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Program (Half-Hour or Less).  The first two were awarded on the final night and CBS posted both of the acceptance speeches on its YouTube channel.  First, Julia Louis-Dreyfus Wins Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series At The 69th Emmy Awards, which I called earlier this month, calling Dreyfus "a prohibitive favorite."  In between my composing this entry and it being posted, CBS took down its videos, so I'm substituting ones that are still up.  It's now 'Veep's' Julia Louis-Dreyfus Breaks Record With 6th Consecutive Emmy Win from The Hollywood Reporter.

'Veep' and Julia Louis-Dreyfus have done it again. The HBO series won for best comedy series at the Emmy Awards on Sunday and the show's star, Louis-Dreyfus, took home her sixth consecutive win for her role as ex-president Selina Meyer, a record run for any actor.

That was hysterical, although I suspect "House of Cards" will do the impeachment story line first, not the Trump White House (note that Dreyfus is sitting next to Kevin Spacey in the front row -- the two TV presidents together got VIP treatment).  It was also worthy of a record-setting string of wins for the same actress playing the same character.

The other was Veep Wins Outstanding Comedy Series At The 69th Emmy Awards, which I also called, declaring the now three-time winner the favorite.  CBS struck again, so I'm replacing it with 69th Emmys: Veep Press Room Interview from the Television Academy.

Norman Lear and Carol Burnett presented the award. The team from Veep give a press room interview after their Emmy win for Outstanding Comedy Series.

I'm glad to see the comedy legends of Lear and Burnett are still with us.  As for "Veep," if the producer is this funny, no wonder the show is a hoot.  I'm looking forward to the final season, which will air next year.  Until then, congratulations!

I'm not done with comedy.  I plan on writing about the rest of the winners in comedy series tomorrow, then the variety winners beginning on Wednesday.  Stay tuned!

'Veep' leads nominated comedies at the Primetime Emmy Awards with 17 nominations

I concluded Infidel 753 and I discuss zombies by telling my readers to "Stay tuned for the post about the Emmy nominees I promised in "13th" vs. "O.J.: Made in America" plus other non-fiction political programs nominated at the Primetime Emmy Awards."  It was supposed to be "a post about the scripted comedies and dramas about poliitics, including shows starring two fictional presidents, Selina Meyer and Frank Underwood," but I decided to split the comedies and dramas into to posts.  To quote "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," "tragedy tomorrow, comedy tonight!"

The leading comedy, political or otherwise, is "Veep" with 17 nominations.  It's won Outstanding Comedy Series the past two years in a row and its star Julia Louis-Dreyfus has won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series every year the show has aired, which makes for five consecutive wins.  Impressive.

What's also impressive is the number of Washington insiders who say that it is the most realistic portrayal of political life on American television, more so than "House of Cards," the subject of tomorrow's entry.  I'll begin with WYNC's quote.

According to Jess Mcintosh, a democratic operative who works in communications, “Our lives are not like 'House of Cards.' There is really nothing that 'House of Cards' presents other than the names of certain Washington locations that bear any relation to reality.”

“'VEEP' is sometimes so painful to watch because it is so close to things that have happened in my world. I’m aware that it is funny, but I can’t possibly laugh at it,” she continues.

The Wrap elaborates on what "Veep" captures that "House of Cards" does not.

“The funny thing about ‘Veep’ is, we as people who worked in the White House always get asked, okay, what’s the most real? Is it ‘House of Cards? Is it ‘West Wing’? And the answer is, it’s ‘Veep.’ Because you guys nail the fragility of the egos, and the, like, day-to-day idiocy of the decision-making,” [Tommy] Vietor said.

I finish the comparison with this passage from The Atlantic.

House of Cards does get some things right. Its set design is impressive, down to the decor of the congressional offices and the style of the nameplates on the doors. And it correctly captures a new media landscape influenced by Politico and Buzzfeed (er, Slugline) while only somewhat exaggerating the corrosive impact of money on modern politics.

But Veep gets much more of the total picture, and it does so more enjoyably by presenting the capital as folly, not awash in soul-crushing darkness.

It may not make Congress's approval ratings rebound from the gutter, but the truth that Veep captures is that the worst of the worst in Washington are more likely to be buffoons than monsters: Politicians and their aides are probably not killing people in D.C., but they often are shooting themselves in the foot.

There you have it.  To paraphrase what a Canadian politician said about the Canadian left, our politicians are more likely to be gauche than sinister.

There are two other comedies with a political slant, "Black-ish" with four nominations and "South Park" with one.  Follow over the jump for all the nominations of scripted comedies with political themes at the Primetime Emmy Awards.