Brothers & Sisters

It looks like Sally Field is destined to be the standard bearer for Brothers & Sisters. The Emmy nominations came out today, and Ma Walker got the show’s sole nod. No other acting, writing, directing, casting, photographing, nothing. Nada. It’s Nora or bust.

Which, in addition to the lack of respect the show gets, is too bad for Calista Flockhart and Rob Lowe, who I thought did great work this year. Their acting was the only redeeming quality to a storyline I really, really hated. Given the stunning number of categories in the Emmys (I nodded off halfway through reading the list and had to go back and do a search for “Brothers & Sisters” to make sure I didn’t miss anything), you’d think they could add something like “Worst Plot Twists.” I think this past season would be a shoo-in for a nomination, though Grey’s Anatomy might give it a run for the money for the trophy.

The last episode of last season of Brothers & Sisters — “Prior Commitments,” the one with Kevin and Scotty’s wedding — is receiving a Television Academy Honor for “Television With a Conscience.” Here’s what the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has to say about it:

“Brothers & Sisters: “Prior Commitments” — Set against the real-life backdrop of the battle over California’s Prop. 8, this episode of the ABC drama focuses on the complex emotions and reactions of the fictional Walker family as one of its sons makes a public commitment to a same-sex relationship, and seeks to legalize that union.”

I’m always happy to see Brothers & Sisters receive any honors at all, and that episode was certainly meaningful and historic and worthy of applause. Except … thinking back, I’m pretty sure this episode aired right around the time that gay marriage was legalized in California, and well before Proposition 8. Am I remembering that right? The Walkers seemed to have no complex emotions whatsoever about Kevin commiting to Scotty — they were uniformly warm and supportive. Scotty’s family was less than supportive, and his father appeared to have conflicting emotions, but the Walkers, not so much.

Great to honor the episode, but … did whoever wrote that description actually watch it? Anyone viewing it now is certainly doing so against the real-life backdrop of Prop. 8, and that may give it added significance, but that would require a little rewriting of that blurb.

And speaking of conscience — it’s worth nothing that this was also the episode that brought us first word of Ryan and the onset of the Justin-Rebecca romance, two plot developments that may make us wonder whether the writers have any conscience at all.

Brothers and Sisters, Emmy, Prior Commitments

GLAAD announced its Media Award nominees on Tuesday, and for the third year in a row, Brothers & Sisters is nominated for Outstanding Drama Series (though, c’mon, it could totally be a double nominee for Outstanding Comedy Series, too. I’ll bet I laugh more at some of those Walker shenanigans than I ever would at, say, Desperate Housewives.)

According to a press release, “The GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and the issues that affect their lives.” That’s certainly a responsibility that Brothers & Sisters takes seriously, and it’s no surprise that the show has won in its previous two nominations. Best of luck this time, too.

ABC again leads all broadcast networks with six nominations. B&S network-mates nominated are Desperate Housewives and Ugly Betty for Outstanding Comedy; “My Maharishi is Bigger than Your Maharishi” from Life on Mars for Outstanding Individual Episode (in a series without a regular LGBT character); All My Children for Outstanding Daytime Drama; and “Taking to the Streets” from Good Morning America Weekend for Outstanding TV Journalism Segment.

Competing with Brothers & Sisters for Outstanding Drama are The L Word (Showtime), South of Nowhere (The N), Torchwood (BBC America), and True Blood (HBO).

There are 185 nominees in all, in 41 categories including movies, print journalism, and advertising. The GLAAD Media Awards are given out over the course of three ceremonies, in New York on March 28, Los Angeles on April 18, San Francisco on May 9. For more information, visit the awards site.

Brothers and Sisters, GLAAD, awards

Despite rumors that actors who oppose a strike would be blackballed for SAG awards, and concerns among fans that no one seems to show Brothers & Sisters any respect, Sally Field won the SAG award for best actress in a TV drama. Go, Nora!

Here’s a round-up of reportage and commentary from around the Web this morning about the Walker matriarch taking the trophy.

E! Online: “Seven-time nominee Sally Field then won her first ever SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama for playing Brothers & Sisters matriarch Nora Walker. ‘I’ve been an actor for 45 years,’ said the reliably long-winded Field. ‘I am so proud to be an actor and so proud that my fellow actors would give me this. We inspire, we provoke, we entertain, and never before has that been so needed in the country than it is right now.’”

Associated Press: “Sally Field was caught off-guard when she won the award for female actor in a drama series (Brothers & Sisters). Field said she was chatting and having a glass of wine at her table in the audience when she won. ‘I have a habit of doing things people talk about, so I have to think,’ she said backstage, clutching the winner’s envelope with her name inside.”

The Hollywood Reporter: “Despite the brouhaha, the controversy seemed to have no effect on the winners as Baldwin and Sally Field [both of whom signed a letter opposing the strike] won their respective categories. Field made it a point to outline her family’s long-standing association with the guild.”

The Huffington Post: “Sally Field won Outstanding Female Actor in a Dramatic TV Series for screaming ‘Penis’ at the top of her lungs on a network owned by Disney. Walt Disney has been dead a long, long time now, and if he wasn’t, that clip would have finished him off.”

Entertainment Weekly: “Worst attempt at humor-filled humility: Brothers & Sisters’ Sally Field, accepting her award for Female Actor in a Drama Series: ‘Oh dear, I thought it would be a cable girl. And such good actors they are.’”

Sally Field, SAG, Brothers and Sisters

If prizes were given to the Walkers instead of the actors who portray them, you just know Sarah would be getting major grief from her siblings for hogging all the award nominations.

Once again, a slate of television trophy nominees are announced — the Golden Globes, this time — and once again, Rachel Griffiths is the only one of the brothers and sisters to be nominated. Oh, well, of course, Mom is nominated, too, but do we even have to say that? There seems to be a Sally Field clause in most award line-ups that requires her name to be chosen.

But as has become usual, the show is passed over, the guys are passed over, Calista Flockhart is passed over, and you get the feeling Field and Griffiths are being name-checked just because they’re liked, not because anybody ever watches our show.

And I’m not complaining; Field and Griffiths are deserving, and any recognition is better than none. I’m just saying, there’d be a lot of hissy fits around the Walker dinner table if plaudits were this poorly apportioned.

Here are the relevant categories, the competition the Walker women are facing, and the shows and performers that shut everybody else out.

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

• Dexter (Showtime)
• House (Fox)
• In Treatment (HBO)
• Mad Men (AMC)
• True Blood (HBO)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

• Sally Field – Brothers and Sisters
• Mariska Hargitay – Law and Order: Special Victims Unit
• January Jones – Mad Men
• Anna Paquin – True Blood
• Kyra Sedgwick – The Closer

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

• Gabriel Byrne – In Treatment
• Michael C. Hall – Dexter
• Jon Hamm – Mad Men
• Hugh Laurie – House
• Jonathan Rhys Meyers – The Tudors

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

• Eileen Atkins – Cranford
• Laura Dern – Recount
• Melissa George – In Treatment
• Rachel Griffiths – Brothers and Sisters
• Dianne Wiest – In Treatment

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

• Neil Patrick Harris – How I Met Your Mother
• Denis Leary – Recount
• Jeremy Piven – Entourage
• Blair Underwood – In Treatment
• Tom Wilkinson – John Adams

Brothers and Sisters, Golden Globes, Sally Field, Rachel Griffiths

People’s Choice Awards nominations are out, and as per usual, Brothers & Sisters is largely overlooked, save for the token Sally Field nomination. Those nominators just like her, they really like her. Everybody else in this great cast? Not so much.

Most of these actors could certainly take the Katherine Heigl defense and claim themselves undeserving of nomination due to the crumminess of the material they’ve been given. Last season had its moments, but it’s hard to get enthusiastic about, and this season certainly hasn’t picked up the pace. Still, goodness knows there’s lots of times when the skill and sparkle of the actors carries us right on through plot holes and contrivances, and that oughta be worth something. And though it seems to me more and more that the writers can’t plot their way out of a paper bag, they’re still pretty great at scripting zingers and bickering and big emotional speeches. Seems like that should buy a little awards love sometimes.

Then again, in this case, People’s Choice categories are so small and narrow that I guess it’s an honor just to have any nominee at all — with only three choices for female TV star of any genre, Field’s inclusion is something to celebrate, even if it is always her. Use the widget above to give Nora your nod. Don’t bother clicking over to TV Drama, though. It’s just CSI, House, and Grey’s. Dang, Walkers — you should have had a doctor in the family, not a lawyer. Too late for Justin to go to med school? The way Holly’s going, there should be a crime scene to investigate pretty soon, anyway.

Brothers and Sisters, People’s Choice Awards, Sally Field

Well, not unpredictably, neither Sally Field nor Rachel Griffiths won an Emmy last night, but they sure looked cute there with Matthew Rhys. A Walker night out on the town. If the Joneses could see them now! A few more photos, for fun:

And a TV Guide interview with Rhys and his adorable Welsh accent that bears some spoilers about future Kevin developments:

Other family members attended ET/People after-party, according to an E! interview with Emily VanCamp:

“It’s working. I promise.” This is what the always sweet Emily VanCamp of Brothers & Sisters would like to tell you fans who are concerned about the planned blossoming romance this season between her character, Rebecca, and the guy she believed to be her brother until the end of last season, Dave Annable, who plays Justin Walker.

“I hear a lot of ‘Ew! That’s gross!’ ” Emily told me at the ET/People Party, which went down at the very cool Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown L.A. “And I don’t really get it because up until very recently they didn’t know each other. It’s not like they took baths together as little kids.”

In real life, I’m hearing Dave and Emily are as on-again, off-again as any compelling onscreen romance. Last night, they ended up at the ET/People party at the same time to rock out to Billy Idol (who vowed to me that he would do the show nude). And Dave later showed up at the HBO party with Matthew Rhys and Sally Field, hugging her as if she were his real mother. (Awww! Honestly, adorable.)

You know, I really do hope they make the Justin-Rebecca story work, because they’ve chewed up a lot of plot to make it happen. But I’ll believe it when I see it.

Brothers and Sisters, Emmy, Sally Field, Rachel Griffiths, Matthew Rhys

Well, the agony was over early last night for Sally Field (pictured at right with Jane Krakowski and a dress that was possibly beaded by a kindergarten class) and those who hoped she might take the SAG award for best actress in a drama series. Hers was the second trophy of the night, and the second in a Sopranos sweep of the drama awards — Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Cast. It’s the last year that mob will be around to dominate, so I suppose we can’t really begrudge them. Bye, bye, be gone.

I don’t know what they use to decide these things, what episodes get submitted, but … can I just say, that teensy clip they showed when Field’s name was read, who picked that thing? Boy, it was a harsh flashback, wasn’t it? It was from “An Act of Will,” and featured Nora and Justin screaming at each other — checking my Memorable Lines round-up, I think it was this exchange, or one like it:

Nora: Your father loved you more than anything on earth, you little spoiled brat.
Justin: You know what love means in this family? It means you suck. It means nothing you do will be good enough.

Ouch! It seems to me that episode came before the role of Nora was sort of Sally-fied, to become a little softer, feisty but not mean, opinionated but not brutal. Odd for those few bitchy seconds to represent the actress in an award intro.

Odd, too, to have it juxtaposed with the re-run that showed last night, “History Repeating.” From Nora yelling at Justin for being an ungrateful druggie, to Nora yelling at Justin to be a druggie again. I’m mostly glad to have angry old Nora gone, but oh boy, would I have loved to see her let loose on Julia’s SOB dad. Or, at least, food-fight Nora. That guy needs a big old strawberry shortcake in the puss, immediately.

Actually, maybe a food fight could have livened up the SAGs a little, too, as long as they’re giving trophies at a dinner. Looking at some of the losers, it kinda seems like they wouldn’t mind unloading some pasta salad on the person trotting up to the stage. But no, all was well-behaved, with no drunk speeches like you can usually count on at the Golden Globes.

There were a few plugs for a fair resolution to the writer’s strike in acceptance speeches, and in quotes from nominees backstage. Associated Press quotes Sally Field as saying: “It needs to be resolved. I worry about the crews, the writers, the actors. Our country is in a very precarious time right now and we need entertainment.” Well, we sure do, and shouldn’t she worry about us, the poor innocent fans, as well?

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, SAG Awards, History Repeating

Can you bear to watch those Walkers make their mistakes a second time? Will you tune in once again to see Julia ditch her marriage, Justin go back on drugs, Tommy go golfing with his father-in-law and not run him over with a golf cart? Are you eager to revisit Robert’s ex, or return to Kevin and Scotty’s reunion? Can you stand to once again view an episode with almost no Sarah?

“History Repeating” is repeating tonight, and since it was a pretty painful outing for our embattled brothers and sisters, I’m not feeling great eagerness to repeat my history of watching it. On the other hand, a review of the episode’s memorable lines reminds me of this pronouncement by Saul:

I don’t hate golf. I loathe it, I despise it. I would rather spend all eternity at a dinner party seated next to Britney Spears than waste an afternoon lugging clubs around with a bunch of overfed, overprivileged Arnold Palmer wannabes.

and rewatching may be worth it just for that. Ha!

Of course, there’s another big show on tonight, at least for award-show lovers, and that’s the SAG Awards on TBS and TNT from 8-10 p.m. (and again from 11 p.m.-1 a.m.) It’s as close as we may get to the Oscars this year, since the Writer’s Guild has given the SAGs permission to proceed but may picket and shut down the Oscar ceremony (or at least, the glamorous red-carpet celebrities in silly dresses portion of it, which is so much of the fun). I’ve watched the SAGs before, and don’t remember if there have always been red-carpet pre-shows for it, but there certainly are tonight — on E!, the TV Guide Channel, TBS.com, and TNT.tv.

You’ll want to watch the ceremony, of course, to see if Sally Field emerges triumphant in her race for best actress in a drama series. You’ll also want to watch to boo with me when the names are read for the best cast in a drama series award, and our wonderful Walkers are not included. I don’t know about you, but I think I feel the same way about Boston Legal as Saul does about golf.

Then, when the awards are all distributed and the speeches made, you can still switch right over and catch that Brothers & Sisters repeat. If you can handle the pain.

_{Photo: ABC.com}

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, History Repeating, SAG awards

No matter how much Brothers & Sisters may get dissed for Best Show or Best Cast recognition by major award outlets, one place the show usually finds some appreciation is at the GLAAD Media Awards.

The awards, given by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, “recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and the issues that affect their lives.”

Brothers & Sisters won the Best Drama Series trophy last year in its first season (that’s Matthew Rhys accepting for the show above), and is nominated again this year, along with Degrassi: The Next Generation, Dirty Sexy Money, Greek, and The L Word.

ABC, the network of Brothers & Sisters and Dirty Sexy Money, and also of Best Comedy Series nominees Desperate Housewives and Ugly Betty, led all networks in nominations, with nine.

There are 40 Media Awards categories in all, including movies, plays, TV news, and print media. The four criteria used in selecting the nominees are: Fair, Accurate, and Inclusive Representation; Boldness and Originality; Impact; and Overall Quality.

I’d say B&S excels in those areas, for sure. Congratulations to all those involved with the show for finally getting nominated for something other than actress and supporting actress.

On the GLAAD site, you can view video from this year’s nominations and last year’s award ceremony, look at photos from past events, read some facts and figures about the current nominees, and find out about the distribution of this year’s awards, which will take place in four cities over three months.

Brothers & Sisters, ABC, GLAAD, awards

The big awards news this week has been the Golden Globes, or the lack thereof. But two other awards have seen some action, too, with the People’s Choice Award winners being named on Tuesday, and the Writer’s Guild of America award nominations announced today.

So how did Brothers & Sisters fare in this latest round of trophying?

Remember last year, when the series got no awards love?

Kinda like that.

The People’s Choice Awards ceremony got cancelled for the same reason the Golden Globes did, but the winners were announced in a pre-taped special hosted by Queen Latifah which, apparently, nobody watched. Brothers & Sisters was nominated for exactly one award: Favorite Female TV Star, for which the ever-popular Sally Field vied against Jennifer Love Hewitt and the apparently more ever-popular Katherine Heigl, who won and got to use her pre-recorded speech.

At least Brothers & Sisters was represented with a nomination there, though. At the WGA Awards? Not even that. No nomination for Drama Series — those went to Dexter, Friday Night Lights, Mad Men, The Sopranos, and The Wire — and no nomination for Episodic Drama, which honors single episodes from drama shows — the chosen for that honor are “Final Grades” from The Wire, “The Second Coming” from The Sopranos, “The Round File” from The Closer, “Flashes Before Your Eyes” from Lost, “The Hobo Code” from Mad Men, and “The Dark Defender” from Dexter.

Too bad the Writer’s Guild doesn’t have any sort of category that Sally Field could fit in. The show might have at least scored a nomination.

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, awards, People’s Choice, Writer’s Guild

The scaled-down Golden Globes that I mentioned on Monday have been scaled down even further, to a mere 9 p.m. press conference. One of the ideas NBC and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association proposed doing but have apparently decided against is a news program on the history of the ceremony and memorable moments.

That doesn’t mean we can’t take our own walk down Golden Globe memory lane, stopping at those years in which the Walkers and their extended circle of family and friends have been nominated for or taken home the treasured statues. It’s a pretty impressive legacy, don’t you think?

1978

• Sally Field nominated as Best Actress, Motion Picture Comedy or Musical, for Smokey and the Bandit

1979

• Chevy Chase nominated as Best Motion Picture Acting Debut, Male, and Best Actor, Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, both for Foul Play

1980

• Sally Field won as Best Actress, Motion Picture Drama, for Norma Rae
• Treat Williams nominated as New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture, Male, for Hair

1982

• Sally Field nominated as Best Actress, Motion Picture Drama, for Absence of Malice
• Treat Williams nominated as Best Actor, Motion Picture Drama, for Prince of the City

1983

• Sally Field nominated as Best Actress, Motion Picture Comedy or Musical, for Kiss Me Goodbye

1984

• Rob Lowe nominated as Best Supporting Actor, TV Series, Miniseries or Movie, for Thursday’s Child

(more…)

I have nothing against Sally Field. I think she does a terrific job as Nora, and has taken that character from one who scared me a little to one I generally enjoy. Nora’s an integral part of the cast and the storylines, and the actress who brings her to life deserves every trophy she can get her hands on.

But it’s not The Nora Walker Show, you know? It’s not Mother of Brothers and Sisters. And so as happy as I am to see Field get award-show recognition, I’m kinda disappointed when she’s the Designated Nominee for the whole darn show. I guess one is better than none, which was the total on most of these tallies last year.

Looking at the newly announced SAG Award nominations, though, it’s hard to understand how actors could single out Field and neglect the rest of the ensemble. That’s what there is for TV shows in SAG-land: Best Actor and Actress awards, and Best Ensemble awards. How is it possible that this cast doesn’t get a nod for ensemble? (For that matter, how is it possible that Boston Legal does? That cheese-fest is nominated in the ensemble category, along with The Sopranos, The Closer, Mad Men, and Grey’s Anatomy.)

If it were Sally Field and a cast of unknowns, maybe I could see it. But Rob Lowe, Calista Flockhart, and Rachel Griffiths aren’t exactly below-the-radar actors. And as much as the individual storylines have created some compelling moments, hands-down the best parts of this show have been the ones where all those siblings are together battling and bickering and snarking and drinking and generally making a family of themselves. What is ensemble work if not that?

I’m partial, it’s true. And I guess not everybody believes that this ensemble is tops; I read an article yesterday about what the writer calls “The Great Brothers & Sisters Casting Botch,” being that none of the cast have chemistry together or are believable as family members. I have to wonder if this guy has really watched the show beyond the first couple of episodes, because I think the actors have done a fabulous job of acting family-like. I buy them completely as siblings. But then, some folks think Boston Legal is the height of acting, so there’s no accounting for taste.

Anyway, best of luck to Sally as she goes up against Glenn Close (Damages), Edie Falco (The Sopranos), Holly Hunter (Saving Grace) and Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer) as the Brothers & Sisters standard bearer. One cast member at a time — by Season 10 or 11 we’ll be dominating all these awards, right?

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, awards, Sally Field

Rachel Griffiths didn’t get an Emmy award for Brothers & Sisters this year, just the honor of being nominated. But she’s got another chance to take home a trophy for her portrayal of Sarah now with the Australian Film Institute Awards … excuse me, that would be the L’Oreal Paris Australian Film Awards. A little strange to have a product that mentions the capital of another country naming your country’s awards, but hey, sponsorship money is sponsorship money.

That’s not the only odd thing about these awards, actually. The “International Award for Best Actor” and “International Award for Best Actress” group together performances in both movies and TV shows, with the apparent only criteria being that the product is not native to Australia but the performer is.

So, in the Best Actor category, the nominees are Eric Bana in the movie Lucky You; Julian McMahon in the TV series Nip/Tuck; Hugh Jackman in the movie The Prestige; and Dominic Purcell in the TV series Prison Break. And Griffiths, nominated in the Best Actress category for Brothers & Sisters, competes against Rose Byrne in the TV series Damages; Jacinda Barrett in the movie The Last Kiss; and Toni Collette in the movie Little Miss Sunshine.

Those International awards seem largely intended to garner a little international press, because the rest of the nominees for AFI awards are for movies and TV shows, and performances therein, that you’ve probably never heard of if you don’t life Down Under. But hey, an award’s an award, and an award from your home country sweeter still. Best of luck to Griffiths in bringing this one home.

Brothers and Sisters, ABC, Rachel Griffiths, Sarah Whedon, Australian Film Institute

All the attention this week has been on Sally Field and her Best Actress Emmy, but the ensemble of Walker Family actors did actually receive a group award as well: A Tubey Award of Questionable Cachet for “Best Ensemble Drunkenness” from Television Without Pity. As Coach Baron writes tribute:

“You’d think that after the perpetually besodden Justin went into rehab, the amount of alcohol consumed on Brothers And Sisters by his family, the Walkers, would have significantly diminished. Not so, as siblings Sarah, Tommy, Kitty, and Kevin, along with Uncle Saul and mom Nora, combined to pick up the slack, thereby ensuring that the vineyards of California wouldn’t have to cut their employees’ pension plans. All these drunken scenes might have tested the actors’ ability to act half-to-full in the bag, but they rose to the challenge, to which we at TWoP answer: Kudosszzzhh!”

Forget the vineyards of California — there’s a vineyard in the family this season! From what I hear of the Season One DVD set, which was released on Monday but hasn’t yet reached my mailbox, there’s an alcohol-swilling montage among the extras. How did they find room for anything else?

_{Photo: ABC.com}