Before Things Get More Bitter

Last year, I waited 'til the announcement of winners before I wrote my 61st Emmy blog entry, thinking that my favorites like The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother and House would win in their respective categories--but they didn't. It turned out to be an ampalaya entry, if you know what I mean.

Before the rest of the winners of this year's Emmys will be announced on the 29th of August (the winners in other categories have been announced; except for the "big" ones), here's my take on the nominees, and who I think should win--as if my opinion matters at all, and before this whole thing becomes moot and academic. Hehe

Outstanding lead actor in a comedy series

Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) should outrightly win this thing this time. Please Emmys, Alec Baldwin (30 Rock) won over Sheldon last year, don't make the same mistake again this year. It would've been nice if Zachary Levi was nominated for Chuck but I guess the show's not that Emmy-worthy(?) yet. I predict that the year Chuck gets nominated will be the same year Zac Levi, Joshua Gomez or even Adam Baldwin will be nominated as well.

Outstanding lead actress in a comedy series

Since Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory) was snubbed this year, I'm rooting for Tina Fey (30 Rock) who lost to Toni Collette (United States of Tara), who's not in this year's list, last year. Go Tina!

Outstanding lead actor in a drama series

Hugh Laurie (House) lost last year to Cranston (Breaking Bad)--also a nominee this year--so I expect the Emmys to give this year's trophy to the much-deserving Laurie for the season premiere of House last season (Season 6), which I heard was what he submitted for judging.

Outstanding lead actress in a drama series

I'm not familiar with any of the actresses nominated in this category, nor the shows they were nominated for. It's either I don't watch that much high-end drama or the ones I watch are snubbed or are not Emmy-worthy. Cases in point: The women of Desperate Housewives, a series which I decided to stop following religiously for the simple reason that I got bored somewhere along the way, and Lisa Edelstein of House. Maybe next year, Cuddy.

Outstanding comedy series

How could How I Met Your Mother not be nominated this year?! The doppelgangers were funny. The Playbook was funny. The SlapBet is still funny. And how could the guys at Emmys not find The Sexless Innkeeper skit not funny?!? Or the "not good enough" *plus whipping sound* by Marshall. Oh boy. This is the major snub of the year!

And for the third straight year, The Big Bang Theory is snubbed yet again. Okay, maybe I skipped on finishing the rest of Season 3 but hey, I just had to prioritize my time. The show is still funny--regardless if I'm watching it or not.

Chuck was also snubbed. Again, I predict that the year Chuck gets nominated, Zac Levi, Joshua Gomez or even Adam Baldwin will be nominated as well. So let's all wait for that. Season 4, maybe?

Considering these snubs, which breaks my heart beyond words, I vote for 30 Rock, since it has been winning the past couple of years--or maybe Glee, with its freshman luck, can snatch it.

Outstanding drama series

How could House not be nominated this year?! Is the Chase-killing-a-patient-which-leads-to-Cameron-leaving storyline not enough drama?! And really, LOST?! 'Nuff said. Seriously, is my taste completely the opposite of the Emmys? I predict--no, I wish for--a Dexter win. Just to spite perennial winner, Mad Men.

Oustanding supporting actor in a comedy series

Last year, Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men) beat out HIMYM's Neil Patrick Harris, and I would think that this year it would just be downright absurd if NPH will lose to the same man for the second straight year. But Chris Colfer (Glee) is maybe--just maybe--headed for big upset this year. May the better man win. ;)

I'm sure Glee fans are raving about this nomination--maybe more than the Lea Michele nomination for Outstanding actress in a comedy or the Matthew Morrisson nomination for oustanding lead actor in a comedy--just because Colfer has greater chances of winning than Michele and Matthew.

Oustanding supporting actress in a comedy series

I predict Jane Lynch (Glee) winning this over everyone else, hands down. Sue is like the girl-Barney (only in a meaner, not too sex-driven way). They're both very effective "villains with good qualities" or "protagonists with off-beat qualities."

Oustanding supporting actor in a drama series

I guess I don't watch much drama except for House, and Wilson, Chase and Foreman and even Taub failed to make the cut. I wonder if Kutner would've had a better chance in getting nominated if he lived.

Oustanding supporting actress in a drama series

It turns out Burn Notice is a drama series! Sharon Gless for the win! No one can play Michael Westen's "cool" mom better than Gless.

So there you go. My predictions. But if I may add my own category...

Perennial Snub Award

One last thing though, in the list of this year's nominees and last year's, I wonder... where the hell is BONES? Yes, Chuck and The Big Bang Theory, equally great shows, were absent in the past two years and that's understandable considering they were on for four and three seasons, respectively, but Bones has been airing for five seasons already! Isn't that enough for a nomination? Or people at the Emmys are having a hard time classfying what the show is... is it a comedy, or is it drama? I'd go for drama though. Or Bones just don't have what it takes, which is complete B.S.

IT OBVIOUSLY HAS WHAT IT TAKES. They're just not looking hard enough. The Eric Millegan-Emily Deschanel (as Zack Addy and Dr. Temperance Brennan, respectively) scene in the Gormogon episode, which was also a season finale a season ago, was certainly worth something. Too bad it wasn't recognized, as with the other Bones episodes.

------------
Good thing, in the 32nd Daytime Emmy Awards, The Ellen DeGeneres Show won over last year's winner Rachael Ray for Outstanding entertainment talk show. Good. One win down, more to go. :)

Lucky 13th?

Fearless Forecast on
PBA's Fiesta Conference Finals 2010

To make this short and straight to the point (because I still have to read up on Bernas' Consti haha), I predict this Finals series to be won by the Aces if it goes the distance or by the Beermen if it only goes until five. The shorter the series, the more it will favor the Beermen. The longer it goes, the higher chances of Alaska snatching their 13th championship.

ACES in SEVEN

The Aces have the following factors going for them:

Character. This season alone, the Aces have won Game5 against crowd favorite Ginebra in the Quaterfinals and Game7 against league-leader Talk N' Text in the Semis. And they managed to do these amazing feats without Willier Miller in their roster. This goes to show what the team is made of. From LA Tenorio to Larry Fonacier to Jeffrey Cariaso to Reynel Hugnatan to Tony  Dela Cruz--these players are winners, and come clutch time they will surely step up to the plate to deliver the points and composure when it matters the most. It's not always about skill. It's all about heart.

Coach Tim Cone. Being the second winningest coach in PBA history (Baby Dalupan being the winningest) tells a lot about Tim Cone's reliable system. He has guided the Aces to a Grand Slam in the '90s with Abarrientos, Lastismosa and Cariaso. And this season, he managed to steer the Aces to the Finals despite the very worthy adversaries in Ginebra and Talk N Text, the absence of Miller and the presence of underrated players. He alone could spell the difference for the Aces.

Chemistry. Except for Cyrus Baguio and Diamon Simpson, most of the Aces have been playing together for around three years already. They have learned and mastered Coach Tim Cone's triangle offense, which, as we have seen in Phil Jackson's system with the Lakers, can be deadly. DeVance and Thoss have blossomed into the big men the team trained them to be--good passers, steady shooters and good post defenders. Along with Simpson, these big men remain to be key points in the Aces' traingle offense. 

Defense. I believe the Aces is the second best defensive team in the league this season--with Derby Ace ranking first. They play a very solid team defense that the Beermen obviously lack. As the basketball cliche goes, Offense wins games; defense wins championships. 

With all these said, the Aces still has weaknesses to work on/worry about. Fatigue may become a factor in a seven-game series. Alaska have been playing games non-stop since the quarterfinals. The stamina of the players, and even the coaches, will be put to the test as the series gets longer. Along with fatigue are the injuries. Two vital players in the Alaska rotation were injured in the Game7 win over TNT last Wednesday--Sonny Thoss stepped on someone's foot while Tony Dela Cruz got a elbow on the throat. If these players miss the entire series, the scales would certainly favor the Beermen, as the Aces obviously lack the deep bench SMB has. But knowing Coach Tim Cone and his system, he will find ways to remedy these weaknesses. I foresee Fonacier, Mark Borboran and Joe DeVance having break out games in the series.

BEERMEN in FIVE

Although I outrightly go for the Aces in this series, I foresee the possibility of the Beermen snatching the championship because of these factors:

Talent. Arguably, the Beermen is one of the most talented teams, if not the most talented, this season. With a prolific import in Gabe Freeman, who also played last Fiesta Conference, a steady bunch of veterans in Hontiveros, Racela, Siegle, Pena and Ildefonso, talented acquisitions in Santos, Cabagnot, Yeo and Miranda, the vast improvement of Washington, and a deep bench that boasts of Villanueva, Pennisi and Tugade (who could easily be a starter in another team), the Beermen look poised to win the championship. At least, on paper. If the Aces lax on defense, expect the Beermen to go on a scoring rampage.

Bench. As I have pointed out, the Beermen has a very deep bench. Just imagine Coach Siot Tanquincen having the luxury of pulling Danny Siegle and Lordy Tugade from the bench at any juncture in the game. Almost all of the players have had championship experience, too--albeit in different teams. Yeo and Miranda have won one with the Realtors. Hontiveros, Ildefonso, Siegle, Racela and Pena have won numerous titles with SMB.

I see two things the Beermen has to work on to improve their chances of winning the championship. First is team chemistry. Although, individually, the players are talented, basketball is still a team sport. It takes five players on court to make things work. The recent acquisitions of Cabagnot, Yeo, Miranda and Santos and evenTugade during the off-season may become a factor for the Beermen. Second is foul trouble. The Beermen, as I've seen in their past few games, have a penchant for getting into foul trouble very early in the game; or into penalty very early in the quarter. Freeman and Pena have to manage their fouls well considering how good ballhandlers/inside players Fonacier, Tenorio and DeVance are. 

And lastly, the Beermen needs to have the heart to go for the win. Yes, the players are all well-established in their own rights (I believe they have won most of the individual awards this Conference). Somehow Coach Siot has to find the proper motivation for the team to have the desire to win the championship.

As with any forecast, these predictions are not cast in stone. Some of them may be wrong, some may be right. But one thing I'm sure of is that this championship (PBA's 100th) will be wayyy more worth watching than last Conference's.

=======================

sidenote:

Matchups to watch out for are:

LA Tenorio v. Olsen Racela/Alex Cabagnot/Jonas Villanueva/Dennis Miranda

Larry Fonacier v. Joseph Yeo

Gabe Freeman v. Diamon Simpson

Joe DeVance/Tony Dela Cruz v. Arwind Santos/Jay Washington

Failure on a Wednesday

After having a nice afternoon merienda/dinner with Janjan and Pau in MoMo at Eastwood, and almost two hours in public transpo trying to get home after buying the last copy (which was a little dirty) of Bernas' Consti 1 book in Recto (from Morayta I had to go to Sm North and take a taxi back to VLuna?! My public transpo skills are failing me. :/) I check my email and find out about the bad news. 

Ye-ahhh. (a la Barney)

In a nutshell (hahaha someone said this to me sarcastically a couple of days ago and I couldn't remember who! Is my memory is failing me as well? :/), after a series of tests, interviews and filling out a couple personal employee data sheets, I was turned down by the first company I ever applied for. Epic fail :/

But I couldn't say it entirely surprised me. I knew right after the interview that I wouldn't make it. Judging by the time the whole final interview took (which was surprisingly under twenty minutes), and how the interviewers kept reiterating the fact that law school was going to interfere with the supposed work schedule. 

But still... when something is told to you in black and white, although you see it coming, you still feel bad about it. I guess it has something to do with, in my case, failing at something--and then having that failure rubbed in my face by someone/something. Because no matter how hard I deny it, I am competitive. I like winning, and I give my best effort to get that victory. And in cases that I don't, it bums me. 

Ohwell. 

To be positive about it, at least I won't be put into a position where I will or might compromise my law studies, which is the most important thing to me right now. I guess I have to wait for that RTC gig (the most suitable job for me)--whenever that may be. :)

At least this didn't happen on a Saturday. Seeing Janjan and Pau--who had the juicest story of the day haha--almost made up for today's semi-epic fail. 

.