I LOVE Brothers & Sisters

Slowly but surely, Brothers & Sisters has become from my favorite show on television. Yes, I love-love-love Friday Night Lights, and Grey's Anatomy still has my heart, but Brothers & Sisters is the most consistently well-written, beautifully acted, hilarious, moving show on TV. I'm obsessed.

And last night's episode was probably the best yet. Top-to-bottom, the episode was flawless. Some highlights:

-The whole handling of the intervention -- it was raw, it was painful, and it was real. Justin's nasty comments to his family reeked of authentic family dynamics, and Kitty's speech to Justin that finally got him to see the effect he was having on his family was incredible.

-The Saul/Kevin/Tommy dynamic, culminating in Saul's confession to Nora, and her pleading "Please don't go, Saul." Coming out is a complex process, especially for someone of Saul's age, and I'm glad the show is not presenting a trite portrait of his process, or how the process affects those around him. I'm getting chills just thinking about it. And with Tommy's affair, Balthazar Getty finally has something to do!

-The performances! My god! Dave Annable was better than he has ever been, giving a spot-on performance as an addict not interested in getting better, and then one going through withdrawl. Calista Flockhart was heartbreaking in her speech to Justin ("I'm bleeding and sore, and I'm here..."), while Ron Rifkin gave huge gravitas to his character's struggle. And then there is the genius that is Sally Field. Oh, Sally Field. Every time she opened her mouth in this episode, a tear fell down my cheek. This is hands down the best ensemble on television.

-That final scene, where Nora and Justin realized they need to make adjustments in their relationship if Justin is to become the man he is destined to be. The shot of them sitting by the pool? Oh man, I'm gonna cry again!

Can you tell I loved the show last night??

The Good And Not-So-Good At The Emmy Awards

What a totally bizarre Emmy Awards.

There were some nice surprises last night, but there were also quite a few head-scratching moments. Let's run down some of the more memorable happenings:

The Good
-30 Rock's surprise win for Best Comedy Series. It's always nice to see a quality show that is struggling in the ratings get a little awards pick-me-up

-The Sopranos taking home Best Drama Series for the final time, and the cast's bow after the Jersey Boys tribute

-Sally Field's shocker of a win over Edie Falco for Best Actress in a Drama. She fumbled her speech a bit, but she's so spectacular on Brothers & Sisters I couldn't help but cheer for her victory.

-Terry O'Quinn taking home his first award for his always stellar work on Lost.

-Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert's hysterical routine. Why didn't these guys host the show?

-Elaine Stritch is a genius. If Stewart and Colbert aren't available, how about getting Elaine to host the proceedings?

-The Wayne Brady/Rainn Wilson/Kanye West bit. It went on a little long, but it was pretty freakin' funny.

-The very funny Jamie Pressley and the adorable America Ferrerra winning their first Emmys for My Name is Earl and Ugly Betty, respectively.

The 'I Can Live With It'
-Ryan Seacrest didn't embarrass himself, but he didn't exactly make a case for making him a permanent awards show host. He had a few funny moments, but ultimately the guy is just not a comedian. You gotta give him credit, though -- the man does try.

-Katherine Heigl's Emmy for Grey's Anatomy. I probably would have chosen Sandra Oh or Chandra Wilson for Grey's, or Rachel Griffiths from Brothers & Sisters, but this is Heigl's year. Between this and Knocked Up, she's certainly become a player to be reckoned with.

-Jeremy Piven picking up his second straight trophy. It's boring, but he's deserving, so I can't really complain.

-Rickey Gervais beating out the easy favorite Alec Baldwin for Best Actor in a Comedy.

-Christina Aguilera and Tony Bennett -- was anyone else a little bored by this?

The Bad
-James Spader over James Gandolfini, Hugh Laurie and Denis Leary? Are the voters on crack? Just absurd.

-The Jersey Boys tribute. What did this have to do with The Sopranos, other than the Jersey connection?

As for my predictions, I went 2-10 (Best Leading Actress in a Comedy and Best Drama Series were the two I got right).

Wow, that's a horrendously bad average. Oops, my bad!

What did you all think of last night's Emmys?

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Predicting the Emmys: Leading Actress in a Drama

For the next two weeks, I will be giving my predictions for the 2007 Emmy Awards. Who was overlooked? Who should win? And who's gonna win?

BEST LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Patricia Arquette, Medium
Minnie Driver, The Riches
Edie Falco, The Sopranos
Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

Overlooked:
Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights
Lauren Graham, Gilmore Girls
Ellen Pompeo, Grey's Anatomy

Should Win: Sally Field

Will Win: Edie Falco

Potential Spoiler: Kyra Sedgwick

This is probably the most difficult category to call, with almost all of the nominees having a fighting chance at taking home the award. Having said that, Patricia Arquette and Mariska Hargitay, both former winners, are unlikely to repeat past triumphs, and Sally Field, my personal pick, is also a bit of a dark horse. That leaves Minnie Driver, Edie Falco and Kyra Sedgwick to battle it out, and I'm guessing one final nod to Carmela will be too much for the voters to ignore. And Falco deserves it, if not for this final season, than for six stellar years of work on The Sopranos. Don't count out Sedgwick, though -- she is adored, and has almost single-handedly made basic cable the place to be, so she could sneak into the winner's circle. Driver, who does fine work on The Riches, will likely have to be satisfied with the nomination.

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Click for This Fall at Idol Thoughts

Danny Glover Joining The Cast of 'Brothers & Sisters'

He's played opposite Mel Gibson several times , so going toe-to-toe with Sally Field should be a piece of cake!

Michael Ausiello from TVGuide.com is reporting that Danny Glover will be joining the cast of Brothers & Sisters this fall, playing a love interest for Field's Nora Walker. Glover's character will be the campaign manager of Robert McCallister (Rob Lowe), and is expected to appear in 8-10 episodes. Glover's last TV gig was playing Dr. Pratt's father on the past couple of seasons of ER. He also appeared last year in the Oscar nominated film Dreamgirls.

Could this show get any more star-studded? Field, Lowe, Glover, Emmy nominees Calista Flockhart and Rachel Griffiths, Emmy winner Patricia Wettig, and the list goes on. That's quite an assortment of talent!

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The Emmy Nominations are Coming!

Only one more day until the 2007 Primetime Emmy Award nominations are announced.

Will newbies Friday Night Lights and Heroes make the cut? How about deserving candidates Kyle Chandler, Sally Field, Connie Britton, Walton Goggins, and Denis Leary? And will Lauren Graham finally grab a nod for Gilmore Girls now that it has switched over to the drama category?

Click here for my predictions on the Comedy Awards

Click here for my predictions on the Drama Awards

And check back tomorrow for the nominations!

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Idol Thoughts on Brothers and Sisters Season Finale

Once and Again. Everwood. American Dreams. And now...Brothers & Sisters.

I love family dramas, I just can't help it. Fights, tears, laughter -- as far as I'm concerned, good family dramas can provide a more cathartic and enjoyable viewing experience than almost any other form of television. Over the course of this season, Brothers & Sisters has steadily begun the process of carving out it's own space in the pantheon of "greatest family dramas," and with last night's fantastic season finale, I'm starting to think it could soon earn a permanent place in a group that includes the illustrious company listed above.

Last night's episode was just about everything you could hope for in a season finale. Let's take a look at the episode's highlights:

-Sally Field and Calista Flockhart as Nora and Kitty Walker make the best mother/daughter team on television since Lorelai and Rory on Gilmore Girls. Their fight about Kitty moving out of Nora's house (dubbed "the passive aggressive Olympics" by Sarah) was a masterclass in acting -- it was equal parts hysterical, moving, and passionate, and every note was perfectly played. I also loved the moment toward the end of the episode when Nora and Kitty try to catch Justin at the aiport before he takes off, and the way that they said goodbye to him -- Field, in particular, was devastating in the way she played her fears at having to say farewell to her son, not knowing for certain if he will return. As Justin disappeared from sight, the looks on Flockhart and Fields' faces were beautifully heartbreaking.

-We finally got some insight as to what kind of secrets Rebecca has been hiding (her affair with an older man, who later killed himself). It would be easy to dislike her, after what happened with Joe, but it's not quite that simple -- this is a damaged girl, and I love the complicated way Emily van Camp has been playing her, where sometimes you want to hug her, and sometimes you want to slap her across the face.

-After a season that has seen the Walkers face their fair share of tragedy, the final scene, where the entire Walker family jumped into the pool, was so triumphantly joyful that I found tears streaming down my cheeks at the same time I was smiling ear-to-ear. It was especially poignant that this moment of exuberance was taking place in the swimming pool, the same site where William Walker died in the pilot episode. Those Walkers have come a long way!

-Can we talk about the cute boys on this show? As if Dave Annable, Balthazar Getty, Matthew Rhys, and Rob Lowe weren't enough, now we've got Eric Winter as Senator McCallister's gay, minister brother? Oh my goodness -- I'm not sure how much more hotness I can handle! And is Kevin Walker not the luckiest man on earth -- where does he find these gorgeous guys to date?

-Finally, I love when a show leaves you with a few loose-ends that will carry over to next season without having to do so in a heavy-handed cliffhanger way. Obviously we will be waiting to see what happens to Justin in Iraq, but this episode also set up the possibility that Julia is suffering from post-partum depression; that Kevin and Jason McCallister might have an entertaining courtship ahead of them; and, most interestingly, that Saul might have a homosexual past (and future?) The dialogue between Saul and his friend left little confusion that they had at one time been intimate, and between Saul's bachelor status, his general fussiness, and his awkward relationship with Holly, it would not be a complete surprise to find out that he is, in fact, gay. It should be fascinating to see how the show deals with this revelation.

All in all, this was exactly the kind of season finale I was hoping for. I can't wait for the fall to see what happens with the Walkers next.

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