Emmys – STEPHANIE GOULD

I’m going to be living up to part of my blog name this morning and going on a little rant. After all, this IS RantsReviewsandReels. The 2014 Emmy nominations were announced this morning, and it begs the question that rabid fans of the show Orphan Black have been shouting from their rooftops: HOW?! How was Tatiana Maslany, who just WON the Critic’s Choice Award for best actress, NOT nominated for an Emmy?! How? More importantly, why? Who was it on the Best Actress in a Drama list to bump her off? Fans of the show who have been devoted watchers from the start, or even more recent converts were SHOCKED this morning. Even Entertainment Weekly said it best: How many different characters does Tatiana Maslany have to play to score an Emmy nomination? Seriously now, how many characters does it take? She’s already been playing 5 regular clone characters since season 1, and they added more for season 2. To top it all off, ALL of them have different personalities, looks, and one of them is even a female to male transgender character all of whom are played by ONE actress. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, Tatiana Maslany’s performance on Orphan Black is some of the best acting I have ever seen. Ever. And if you thought her playing different characters was a trip, try playing a character who is pretending to be someone else who is pretending to be someone else. Then, there’s the technical aspect of acting with acting doubles, tennis balls, and then nothing–literally nothing, and giving a full-out believable performance. Season 2 was quite a ride, and I can only guess which episode the Orphan Black team submitted for Emmy consideration, as it only got more complex. But seriously, given the other actresses on that list, no one can hold a candle to the work that Maslany does. She would need her own category, and about seven different Emmys to take home.

July 10, 2014 by Stephanie Gould Categories: Acting, Acting With An Accent, Awards, British, Entertainment, Industry, Rants, TelevisionTags: awards, Characters, Emmy, Emmy Nod, Emmy Nominations, Emmys, Nod, Nods, nominations, Orphan Black, Tatiana Maslany Leave a comment

AMC’s Breaking Bad is going down in history as one of the greatest shows in television history already; and it just ended a month ago. And, it only lasted 5 seasons. One would assume that the longer a series runs, the more successful it is. While it’s fantastic that a series can sustain longevity, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be remembered fondly because it had a long run. Over time, without any sort of evolution, storylines and characters become stale. A good story has a beginning, middle, and an end. Most of the time in television, the stories that are told are open-ended. They are meant to go on forever. That is not the case with Breaking Bad. The show’s creator, Vince Gilligan, has even stated that the 5 seasons it was on was the perfect amount of time to tell the story in its entirety and not over-do things. Part of what made the show so appealing was that the story line (while it had its twists and turns) was very clearly following the setup of a beginning, middle and ultimate ending. Most Hollywood executives would probably want to ride the success of a show like Breaking Bad for as long as they possibly can, making as much profit from it as possible; whether or not the story has run out of steam. The genius of the show was that it did not over-stay its welcome. It told its specific story and came to an end, exiting gracefully. I love the show. It will forever be one of, if not my favorite show on television due to its fantastic acting and writing. Watching Bryan Cranston and the rest of the cast act is like a master class. Anthony Hopkins was completely in the right with the breathtaking fan letter he wrote to Bryan Cranston about his admiration of the show. It is truly the best acting I’ve seen too. That is probably due to one thing: They were telling the truth. Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, along with their cast mates, told what was true for each of their characters situations as they evolved throughout the series. That made it powerful. I think what made the series most interesting was that the characters, like people do in real life, changed. Whether they were good, bad, or a mix of both, they were ultimately, human. If you haven’t seen Breaking Bad, watch it. Now. You won’t regret it.

October 17, 2013October 18, 2013 by Stephanie Gould Categories: Acting, Awards, Breakout Role, EntertainmentTags: Aaron Paul, Acting, AMC, Anna Gunn, Anthony Hopkins, awards, Blue, Breaking Bad, Bryan Cranston, Characters, Class, Emmys, Evolution, Heisenberg, Jesse Pinkman, Master, Master Class, Meth, R.J. Mitte, Vince Gilligan, Walter White Leave a comment

Tag: Emmys

#EmmyNoms: Just How Many Characters Does @TatianaMaslany Have to Play to Get an #EmmyNod? #CloneClub

Why #BreakingBad Was So #Good. #RememberMyName