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More Sleaze from Jon Gosselin

More proof that Jon Gosselin is a grody man-whore.

My Emmy Picks and Predictions 2009

I've been asked to post my thoughts on who will take home this year's Emmy statues, so below is my list of nominees, my picks, and my opionins. I'm a little late to the game, but here are my predictions (or at least who I hope will win) for the categories we all care about.

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series
*The Big Bang Theory • Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper
Flight Of The Conchords • Jemaine Clement as Jemaine
Monk • Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk
The Office • Steve Carell as Michael Scott
30 Rock • Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy
Two And A Half Men • Charlie Sheen as Charlie Harper

Alec Baldwin and Tony Shaloub won this award the past two years, and I don't see them as repeat winners. Charlie Sheen and Steve Carrell have both been snubbed in this category before, but this year they are outshined by newcomers Jemaine Clement and Jim Parsons. I give this one to Jim, who is a total genius on Big Bang Theory. He completely immerses himself in Sheldon Cooper, Ph.D, who has to be the most over-the-top yet realistic character I've seen on television.

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series
Breaking Bad • Bryan Cranston as Walter White
*Dexter • Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan
House • Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House
In Treatment • Gabriel Byrne as Paul
Mad Men • Jon Hamm as Don Draper
The Mentalist • Simon Baker as Patrick Jane

Bryan Cranston and Jon Hamm are repeat nominees and winners, leaving Gabriel Byrne, Hugh Laurie and Michael C. Hall. I've never seen In Treatment but I love Gabriel Byrne. However, my hope is that this year's winner is Michael C. Hall for his role on Dexter. The last season of Dexter didn't have the action and high drama of seasons past, but I think Michael C. Hall brought Dexter to life this season with breakthrough emotion and a poignant internal struggle as he peeled away layer upon layer of such a unique character.

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series
The New Adventures Of Old Christine • Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Christine
Samantha Who? • Christina Applegate as Samantha Newly
The Sarah Silverman Program • Sarah Silverman as Sarah Silverman
30 Rock • Tina Fey as Liz Lemon
*United States Of Tara • Toni Collette as Tara Gregson
Weeds • Mary-Louise Parker as Nancy Botwin

For me, this is between Tina Fey who consistently shines despite previous wins, Toni Collette, who is just a marvellous actress, and Mary-Louise Parker, who's yet to be recognized. I'm giving this one to Toni Collette.

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series
Brothers & Sisters • Sally Field as Nora Walker
*The Closer • Kyra Sedgwick as Brenda Leigh Johnson
Damages • Glenn Close as Patty Hewes
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit • Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson
Mad Men • Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson
Saving Grace • Holly Hunter as Grace Hanadarko

Call me crazy, but I think Kyra Sedgwick will finally get her due this year. Glenn Close is undeniably chilling as Patty Hewes, but she won last year for the role. Next year, I would love to see Mary McCormack nominated for her role as Mary Shannon in In Plain Sight.

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Entourage • Kevin Dillon as Johnny Drama
*How I Met Your Mother • Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson
The Office • Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute
30 Rock • Tracy Morgan as Tracy Jordan
30 Rock • Jack McBrayer as Kenneth Parcell
Two And A Half Men • Jon Cryer as Alan Harper

For a category dominated by Jeremy Piven for the last half of the decade, Neil Patrick Harris should rise to the occasion now that Piven isn't even nominated.

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Boston Legal • William Shatner as Denny Crane
Boston Legal • Christian Clemenson as Jerry Espenson
Breaking Bad • Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman
Damages • William Hurt as Daniel Purcell
*Lost • Michael Emerson as Ben Linus
Mad Men • John Slattery as Roger Sterling

I hope beyond hope that Michael Emerson wins this year. He is a commanding presence on the screen, even with his deceivingly weak demeanor and huge, thoughtful eyes. He plays Ben with such composure and mystery that you don't know what he's all about, and that enigma could not be personified by anyone else. But he's been snubbed the past two years, so his chances may not be so good.

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
Pushing Daisies • Kristin Chenoweth as Olive Snook
Saturday Night Live • Amy Poehler as Various Characters
Saturday Night Live • Kristen Wiig as Various Characters
30 Rock • Jane Krakowski as Jenna Maroney
Ugly Betty • Vanessa Williams as Wilhelmina Slater
*Weeds • Elizabeth Perkins as Celia Hodes

I would love for Kristin Chenoweth to win this one, but since Pushing Daisies was cancelled her odds are dramatically lowered. I don't think SNL skits should actually count as acting, so on this one I have to go with either Jane Krakowski or Elizabeth Perkins. Since I've never seen either show this is a pure guess.

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Damages • Rose Byrne as Ellen Parsons
Grey's Anatomy • Sandra Oh as Dr. Cristina Yang
*Grey's Anatomy • Chandra Wilson as Dr. Miranda Bailey
In Treatment • Dianne Wiest as Gina
In Treatment • Hope Davis as Mia
24 • Cherry Jones as President Allison Taylor

I'm really sad that Elizabeth Mitchell isn't nominated for Lost but I'm going with Dr. Bailey on this one. This is Chandra's fourth nomination, and she seriously deserves to win. She is given meaty material every year and always brings tears to my eyes. And you can guarantee her acceptance speech would be awesome.

Outstanding Comedy Series
Entourage • HBO
Family Guy • FOX
Flight Of The Conchords • HBO
How I Met Your Mother • CBS
The Office • NBC
*30 Rock • NBC
Weeds • Showtime

Let's make it a trifecta and call one more for 30 Rock. Family Guy is ridiculous and should not even be nominated. I've never seen FOTC but I haven't heard enough about it to call it a true contender. How I Met Your Mother is great for us common folk, but doesn't get any love from the critics. Unless The Office can come back from its 2-year snub I think 30 Rock is a shoe-in.

Outstanding Drama Series
Big Love • HBO
*Breaking Bad • AMC
Damages • FX Networks
Dexter • Showtime
House • FOX
Lost • ABC
Mad Men • AMC

I love Damages and Dexter, but neither of them has a chance if they couldn't win last year. House and Big Love are on the list just for recognition's sake, but I don't think they have a real chance at winning. I would love Lost to win, but I think the Academy is saving that for next year, its final season. This year is looking like a toss up between Breaking Bad and Mad Men. I'll go out on a limb and give this one to Breaking Bad purely based on all the chatter.

So You Think You Can Dance: Down to Eight

** Spoilers Ahead **

For some reason, the viewer-picked results shows are never as dramatic as the judges' eliminations. Maybe it's because the solos are repeated from last night, or the fact that they don't matter. Or maybe because the "musical guest" only serves to waste time, when it previously masked the judges' "deliberation." I especially could have done without the Black Eyed Peas and their homage to MJ as if he was their "homie."

Anyway, on to the results.

The bottom two girls were Randi and Melissa, which was pretty much a given. Randi hasn't impressed me for weeks and Melissa's personality has thus far been as exciting as cardboard.

I was shocked when both Jason and Evan were declared "safe" during the boys' bottom two announcement, leaving Kupono, Brandon, and Ade. I knew at that point it would be Kupono and Ade due to Brandon's following. However I was turned off by Brandon's fake "shock" that he was not in the bottom 2 - since he was actually smiling when he covered his mouth with his hands. I was extremely disappointed to see Ade in the bottom two because I think he's an amazing dancer, but I agree that he doesn't always give his all emotionally in his partner dances.

In the end, it is Randi and Kupono who are sent home - no shock there. I really enjoyed them both on a personality level - Randi probably more so - but am fine with their elimination.

What did you think about tonight's elimination? And how excited are you that Ellen Degeneres will be judging next week?

So You Think You Can Dance: Top 10

We're down to the top ten dancers, and they are picking new partners, dancing individually, and the judges are losing control. I don't remember voting for dancers individually until the final four last year, but it's been an entire year since the show was on. I'm really looking forward to a fall season; I think a show like this deserves as much hype as, if not more than, American Idol and Dancing with the Stars.

First, a group dance performed by all f ive girls is announced. This is new. The ladies dance a Bollywood number and I think it's astounding. The costumes are beautiful and the ladies are graceful. The judges claim they can't pick out anyone that stood out, but to me Kayla and Janette both did. Kayla is just plain pretty and Janette really took the hip shaking to another level.

Kayla and Evan
The first new couple is Kayla and Evan, and they are given a Viennese Waltz. I don't know how they will pull this of given the height difference, and they end up giving Evan heels and Kayla some flats to wear during their performance. Kayla was lovely and seemed to float across the stage. Evan, as usuaul, was kind of stiff and didn't really get it. Evan is cute and quirky and adorable, but I find him to be one of the weakest dancers, both technically and performance-wise. And unlike Phillip, who I'm actually missing this week, I have not seen much growth in him. However, Evan's personality has gained him a huge following so he might be staying over more qualified dancers.

Ade and Janette
I've been waiting all season to see Ade perform hip hop, and he pulled it off rather well. For the first time I really got to see him have some fun. However, except for a couple of their routines (both Phillip and Jeanine dances too) I've been a little bit disappointed in my NapTab. Where's the heart-wrenching lyrical hip-hop we've come to love? Where's the Mark-Chelsie/Katie-Joshua pieces of last season? All in all though, Ade and Janette did a good job, and I thought Janette's solo was one of the first ballroom solos that didn't suck.

Jason and Jeanine
Before I get to the performance, just let me Mary Scream for a moment.

TRAVIS WALL!!!!

OK, I'm done. LOVE that Travis is choreograping, LOVE the dark hair. And I absolutely LOVE the piece. It finally, finally showcased Jason and Jeanine's abilities. This is the first time I've actually been slightly impressed by Jason or seen any emotion in him. I think Caitlin may have been stunting this poor kid. I'm not going to go into all of their solos, but this week I really liked Jason's - it was quirky and fun to watch. Last week I was ready to write him off, but now I'm not so sure. As for Jeanine--wow! I did not know she could do any of that! I've never seen her stretch like that, never seen her lines. As sad as a lot of people were to see Phillip go last week, you can't deny that it's nice for her to dance with someone that can more closely match her technical ability. I'm impressed, and this is my favorite dance of the night.

Randi and Kupono
I had a feeling this pairing would be a disaster. Neither of them are extremely strong dancers, and that combined with the Paso Doble (this year's kiss of death) I knew it would be a train wreck. CRASH! It was pretty painful to watch. Kupono is not "butch" enough to carry off the matador part, and Randi is not all that feminine or graceful. The wig did not help - it just made her look more fake. She was the weakest girl of the night for me and I think she should go home. For me, Kupono and Evan are equally weak but I see Kupono going home first.

Brandon and Melissa
Is it just me, or were Brandon and Melissa kind of a boring couple with a boring routine? To me, the routine was just okay. It was entertaining but I'm finding myself kind of undherwhelmed whenever Tyce choreographs, aside from the Jeanette-Phillip couch routine. (Wow, those two really got a lot of the good routines this year, didn't they?) Melissa is a beautiful dancer but her personality might put her at risk for elimination.

The night ended with an African routine by the five guys. They had a difficult time with it because it was all rhythm and no counts, but they pulled it off. I am impressed just with the amount of stamina needed to get through the routine, much less do it well. However, I did think it was a bit rude for Nigel to use this opportunity to once again diss the Russian folk dance.

My picks for elimination: Randi and Kupono

What did you think of tonight's partnerships? Did you like the top 5 girl and guy routines?

Bachelorette Flies High, Lets One Man Go

Good morning, fellow Bachelorette watchers! In last night's episode, Jillian took her three remaining bachelors to the island of Maui for some fun in the sun and romantic alone time, but all did not go the way she expected.

Kiptyn
Jillian and Kiptyn went on a ropes course and had to climb what Jillian called a "totem pole," which she said made her physically ill. Wonderboy Kip had to coach his damsel onto the top, which made her trust him even more. Ummm, okay? Once they reached the top, Jill overcame her fear and leapt toward the trapezes dangling in front of them. Even though she missed it by a mile, she squealed that she was "so close!" and was impressed that "perfect" Kiptyn reached his.

Their dinner date was pretty boring, and the only legitimate question she bothered to ask was what his flaws were. His answer: flamenco dancing. (Ha, ha.) Jillian still feels Kip is too good for her, yet she takes him to the fantasy suite. All in all, I feel like Kiptyn is still a frat boy player, which Jillian apparently LOVES because unlike Reid or Ed, she doesn't make him prove himself to her.

Reid
Jillian takes Reid on a romantic helicopter ride over the island, where they learn that the pilot is an ordained minister. She is certainly pressuring Reid into a proposal, or at least a confession of feelings. I get where she is coming from but not all guys move at a lightning-fast pace. I think Reid's feelings for her are true and Jillian shouldn't need verbal confirmation of such. I would have hated Reid to tell her he was falling in love with her when he really wasn't ready to say it. Shame on you, Jillian.

Despite his lack of verbal confessions of love, Jillian takes him to the fantasy suite where they have a romantic bubble bath. Since when did we go into the fantasy suite? I think that was a little much, but nothing compared to what they did on Ed's date...

Ed
Ed, Ed, Ed. Where to begin? I really, really liked Ed ever since the beginning, but these last two dates are making him more and more creepy. Maybe it's just editing. Maybe it's his nickname of "Richie." Maybe it's his green "mankini" - which didn't bother me until he wore it when he took Jillian to MEET HIS PARENTS. Jillian put her clothes back on, could Ed not have pulled on his cargo shorts? Seriously, dude. Ed's parents were cute and ultimately gave their blessing, and Jillian offered Ed the fantasy suite. At least he put clothes on for that part. However, I was kind of turned off by his speech to Jillian, during which he didn't even look at her. And then came the big "moment" that's been teased all season long: Ed and Jillian did not have the "sexy time" they had hoped for. Does that mean little Ed didn't perform? That they were not really in the mood? Or that they were just overwhelmed and exhausted? I guess we'll never know, but it didn't prevent Jill from keeping him around.

In the end, Reid's lack of verbal commitment sent him home, and it's obvious his decision to keep quiet is something he regrets. Will he make like Ed and Jake and come back past his expiration date?

More Reality TV Sleaze: I'm Talking To You, Jon Gosselin

Now, I don't normally care who's dating whom out in the celeb-sphere, but this man just irks me more and more. Jon Gosselin was snapped on vacation with a new girlfriend, Hailey Glassman, the 22-year-old daughter of Kate's tummy-tuck surgeon (so there's a pretty good chance she's jobless). Mind you, this is not the same decades-younger chick he was dating before Kate filed for divorce --that was 23 year old teacher Deann Hammel, who was reportedly to appear in some future episodes of Jon & Kate Plus 8. Well, before she got dumped.

And according to Zap2It (which is about as trustworthy as TMZ), someone close to the family has said that the rumors of Kate dating her bodyguard were just rumors stirred up by Jon to get the attention off himself. I don't know how much of that is true, but even if I hate Kate's rooster hairdo and overbearing nature, I'm on her side on this one.