September 16, 2015September 14, 2015 by admin

2015 Emmy Awards – Comedy

Television
Adam Driver, Allison Janney, Amazon, Amy Poehler, Amy Schumer, Andre Braugher, Anna Chlumsky, Anthony Anderson, Big Bang Theory, Bill Hader, Black-ish, Bradley Whitford, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Christine Baranski, Don Cheadle, Edie Falco, Elizabeth Banks, Emmys, Episodes, Gaby Hoffman, Getting On, Girls, Grace and Frankie, Homicide: Life On The Street, House of Lies, Inside Amy Schumer, Jane Krakowski, Jeffrey Tambor, Jim Parsons, Joan Cusack, Jon Hamm, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Julie Bowen, Kate McKinnon, Keegan-Michael Key, Key & Peele, Lily Tomlin, Lisa Kudrow, Louie, Louis CK, Matt LeBlanc, Mayim Bialik, Mel Brooks, Modern Family, Mom, Niecy Nash, Nurse Jackie, Oscars, Pamela Adlon, Parks and Recreation, Paul Giamatti, Shameless, Silicon Valley, SNL, The Comeback, The Comedians, The Last Man On Earth, Tina Fey, Tituss Burgess, Tony Hale, Transparent, Ty Burrell, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Veep, Will Forte, William H. Macy
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With the Emmy Awards scheduled for Sunday night, here are my predictions for the awards for Comedy shows. I most likely have seen most of these shows, so, unlike my annual Oscar predictions, I will not mostly be going on gut feel and word of mouth, but will have a somewhat informed decision.

Outstanding Comedy

Louie

Modern Family

Parks and Recreation

Silicon Valley

Transparent

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Veep

Modern Family won last year and would seem to be the obvious choice here, since the voters love it. But Veep is certainly my dark horse candidate, so I’ll go with that.

Outstanding Actress In A Comedy

Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie

Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep

Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation

Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer

Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie

Julia Louis-Dreyfus won this award the past two years, and I see no reason why she won’t repeat again this year.

Outstanding Actor In A Comedy

Anthony Anderson, Black-ish

Don Cheadle, House of Lies

Louis CK, Louie

Will Forte, The Last Man on Earth

Matt LeBlanc, Episodes

William H. Macy, Shameless

Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent

Jim Parsons brought home the award last year for his role as Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory, but managed to not be nominated this year. My guess is that Jeffrey Tambor takes home the trophy for Amazon’s hit series.

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June 19, 2015June 18, 2015 by admin

Vacation Recap: Memphis

Travel
Corky's, Elvis, Graceland, Lambert's Cafe, MDM, Memphis Zoo, Mom, Mother's Day, Peabody Hotel, Sun Studios
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This past January, as my mom’s birthday was rolling around, I thought about taking her to Graceland so she could see the former home of her favorite performer, Elvis Presley. I ended up going in a different direction (literally), but my sister came up with the same idea for Mother’s Day. So, as May was drawing to a close, (nearly) the whole family loaded into the minivan and headed down to Tennessee and Mississippi to see the Elvis-related sights.

Things got off to an early start on Saturday morning as we left around 5 AM and headed south. After a brief stop in Missouri for lunch at Lambert’s Cafe, where they throw dinner rolls at you, and so Michael could cross another state off his list, we rolled into Memphis around 2:00. Our first stop was the Memphis Zoo, where we ran into some pandas and other animals. After the zoo, we headed to our hotel for some relaxing in the pool, followed by dinner at a charming BBQ joint known as Corky’s, winners of multiple best BBQ awards. After a long day, it was time to call it a night.

Sunday morning got off to an early, if wet, start at Graceland, home, and eternal resting place, of Elvis Presley. Aside from the mansion, which is strangely small for what would be considered a mansion, there were a few other attractions to see, including a car museum and his 2 planes.

After lunch at Graceland (a fried peanut butter/banana sandwich, natch), it was time to visit Sun Studios, where Elvis made his first recordings. While waiting for our tour, we made a quick trip over to the Peabody Hotel, where they have trained ducks hanging out in the lobby, which is supposedly a thing. Back to Sun for the tour, which included the actual recording studio space, which is still in use at night.

Following the tour, we headed across the border to Arkansas for dinner, and another chance for Michael to add a state to his tally. After dinner, it was on to Tupelo, Mississippi, where we would spend the night before finishing off the Elvis tour on Monday. But more about that next time.

April 21, 2015April 19, 2015 by admin

Fitbit Week 11

Exercise
Fitbit, Mom, Sprint and Stride, US Cellular Field, White Sox, Work
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Another good week, and the consecutive days over 5,500 steps streak stretches to 14, my longest streak since January. Sunday got the week off to a good start thanks to a trip to US Cellular Field for exciting White Sox baseball. Monday was a typical work day, with the afternoon coffee run pushing me over the top. Tuesday was a WFH day, which usually means an off day, but taking my mom for eye surgery meant a lot of waiting around. That led to my best single day total since the Sprint & Stride race in September. Wednesday was back to the office for the rest of the week. Saturday avoided its usual paltry total thanks to a morning walk around the neighborhood followed by a trip to the store for a new backpack.

Total steps: 48,536

Daily average: 6933.7

August 20, 2014July 13, 2014 by admin

2014 Emmy Awards – Comedy

With the Emmy Awards scheduled for Monday night, here’s my predictions for the awards for Comedy shows. I most likely have seen most of these shows, so, unlike my annual Oscar predictions, I will not mostly be going on gut feel and word of mouth, but will have a somewhat informed decision.