With the fifth segment of the 2008 Toobits Awards, (otherwise known as Babble On Five), we conclude our tribute to some of the new personnel of Toobworld. (There are still plenty more awards to be doled out, however! You don't get off that easily!)
As I mentioned yesterday, you may not think some of these were the greatest of performances, and I might even agree with you on a few. However, it's more important about what they can bring to the dynamic of Toobworld....
BEST NEW MALE CHARACTER
COMEDY:
The Z Brothers/ZO2
'Z Rock'
That my choice would come from this show was never in doubt, as 'Z Rock' made me laugh out loud with each episode. (Try watching TV alone and see how hard that can be!) But trying to make a choice between Joey, Dave, and Paulie was impossible. And the sum is so much more than the parts anyway. (Although Kitty Braunstein might feel differently about David's parts.....)DRAMA:
John Amsterdam
'New Amsterdam'
I enjoyed the performance by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, but it was more for what he brings to Toobworld that got him the nod in this category. As he's been around for 400 years, and - unlike vampires - able to sire children, John could be a link to other TV shows by the "theory of relateeveety". It's more than just that he could be the father of some established characters; he could be their grandfathers, great-grandfathers, going back who knows how many generations! Add to that all of the famous people and TV characters from the Past with whom he possibly came into contact, and you can see why he'd be an important figure in Toobworld, even if the show only lasted the one season.DRAMADY:
Dr. Horrible
'Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog'
At this point in his career, including his supporting turns in the "Harold & Kumar" movies and on stage in various musicals (like "Assassins"), but as far as Toobworld is concerned, for his creation of Barney Stinson on 'How I Met Your Mother', Neil Patrick Harris can do no wrong.And along comes Dr. Horrible to nail down that claim. An evil genius you could hang out with and have a beer, a criminal mastermind you could call friend. Funny and heart-breaking and usually transforming from one to the other in less than a lyric, Dr. Horrible will stand as the symbol for the potential of online TV.
BEST NEW FEMALE CHARACTER
DRAMA:
Mary Shannon
'In Plain Sight'
In her very first season, Mary has qualified for induction into the TV Crossover Hall of Fame! She made a guest appearance in a glorified cameo on 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent' (I'm hoping to see her interact with Charlie Crewes of 'Life'!) and provided a copy of Playpen magazine to one of her cases which had been seen "previously... on 'Lost'".Even without all of that, Mary McCormack's been running the spectrum with the character, capturing Mary's humor, angst, and hard-assery.
COMEDY:
Stacey West
'Gavin & Stacey'
I gotta admit, at first I thought "Medium Rob", my blog-buddy across the water, was blinded by his own similar situation to be so infatuated with Joanna Page as the "llovely" lass from the isle of Barry. Sure, she's cute, but no Georgia Moffett, and that voice (and its accompanying inflections) takes some getting used to. But after spending some time with her as the show's storyline developed, she became quite endearing.
It's basic wish-craft that I'd love to see her pop up in other shows, not just Joanna Page, but as Stacey! In fact, why couldn't we see her and Gavin take a trip over here to America and show up in some comedy worthy of their presence? (Don't ask me which one, at present I'm drawing a blank!)
BEST NEW MALE SUPPORTING CHARACTER
COMEDY:
Bryn West
'Gavin & Stacey'
What clinched it for Uncle Bryn over Smithy from the same show was the fact that I really discovered Rob Brydon this year in 'Supernova', a comedy I quite enjoyed (although I freely admit it was far from great).
I say "discovered" even though I had seen him in sketches on 'Little Britain'. But let's face it - when you're sharing screen time with two other guys dressed as ginormously fat naked women, you're gonna get lost in the sauce.
There's a depth to Bryn that's almost deceptive, that could be taken only at surface value what with his dithery interests and unique phrasings. But there's an undercurrent of pain, and loneliness, that make you feel for the man.
Hell, I just love listening to his sing-songy delivery of the most mundane of lines. Once you get Brydon's voice in your head, it's tough to talk about GPS systems and rape alarms (as I'm sure we all do, um, right?) without falling into the same cadence.
DRAMA:
Dr. Walter Bishop
'Fringe'
Definitely a high point in the Tele-Folks Directory this year! From one minute to the next you never know what oddity might spill from his lips."To understand what happened at the diner we'll use Mr Papaya. This is upsetting, because he is the friendliest of fruits."
"Only thing better than a cow is a human ... unless you want milk. Then you're gonna need a cow."
When I first heard that John Noble had been hired to play Walter, I worried that I might not get the image of Denethor from "The Lord Of The Rings" out of my head, especially as it was the first thing I had ever see him do. (Unlike with Dominic Monaghan in regards to 'Lost' and "LOTR", as I had also seen him in 'The Hettie Wainthrop Mysteries'.) But now, I can't even imagine him as being the same actor in both!
Dr. Walter Bishop is my dream character for crossing over to other shows, running the gamut from 'CSI' to 'Supernatural' to 'Torchwood' to 'The Mentalist'....
DRAMADY [TIE]:
Marshall Mann
'In Plain Sight'
Brian Lane
'New Tricks'
With his sardonic delivery of a line, I'd love to see Marshal Marshall Mann team up with Detective John Munch in a crossover with 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'. It seems like a natural.As for Brian "Memory" Lane, Alun Armstrong easily flips the switch between the humor and the pathos in his emotionally stunted character. I saw mention of dark times ahead for Brian (America is months behind on the series.), so naturally I'm worried.....
BEST NEW SUPPORTING FEMALE CHARACTER
DRAMA:
Cameron Phillips
'Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles'
COMEDY:Ida
'The Middleman'
We're going fembots with this category. Cameron had the cute but deadly factor on her side, and Ida was hyper-hysterical as a motorized Mimi (from 'The Drew Carey Show').
BEST NEW RECURRING MALE CHARACTER
Wilf Mott
'Doctor Who'
Bernard Cribbins is now officially incorporated into the Toobworld 'Who', after appearing in the movie version with Peter Cushing. And it was a brilliant stroke to bring him back from the one-shot "Voyage Of The Damned" special and to make Wilf the grandfather to Donna. What could have been comic relief turned maudlin by the end was instead handled with the skill of an old pro by Cribbins (seen here with the Doctor). Even though I'm loathe to see Donna ever return to the series, as I think it would violate such a heart-breakingly beautiful farewell with the Doctor, surely there must be some way to bring Wilf Mott back for a visit?BEST NEW RECURRING FEMALE CHARACTER
Stella Zinman
'How I Met Your Mother'
A lot of fans of the show hated her character by the time her story arc finished, but I blame that on the direction taken by the writers, and that was their call. But there's no denying her introduction in "Ten Sessions" (seen here with Ted) was such a breath of fresh air to shake up the ensemble. Based on that alone, I wanted so badly for her to turn out to be the "Mother".BEST ADDITION TO AN EXISTING CAST
Male
Drama:Daniel Faraday
'Lost'
There's just something in his delivery that makes me think they should hire Tom Skerritt to play his father in one of those "Daddy Issues" flashbacks that 'Lost' specializes in. And wouldn't you like to see him interact with Dr. Walter Bishop of 'Fringe'?
Dramedy:
Scotty Wandell
'Brothers & Sisters'
Originally I had Scotty as the "most deserving to be made a regular" winner since early in the year, but then the producers went ahead and did so without my input. Scotty's such a sweet guy and helps modulate the acrimony that so often bubbles up at Walker gatherings. And as one of the top up-and-coming chefs in California, maybe he's met Jack Tripper.....?Female
Drama:
Agent Olivia Murray
'The Shield'
I've been a fan of Laurie Holden since I first saw her as Marta Covarrubias on 'The X-Files'. And with the 'Primeval' tweak of the Toobworld timeline, and because both 'The X-Files' and 'The Shiled' are now finished, I'm going to suggest the idea that they are one and the same woman but now with different names and histories, a la Claudia Brown and Jenny Lewis.It was so great to see that concerns she'd end up sleeping with that bullet-headed monster Vic Mackey never came to fruition. Instead, Olivia Murray became Mackey's personal tormenter, taking great delight in torturing him with a life trapped in an office cubicle filing reports. And now that the show is over, that's not going to take up all of her workday; so we can imagine that somehow she's involved in Homeland Security cases in the Los Angeles area which may come up in other TV series.....
Comedy:
Amanda Price
'Lost In Austen'
Okay, this is a bit of a cheat, as the cast that she joined was already existing in a book. The characters from "Pride And Prejudice" were not played by the same actors from past productions, but instead could be seen as Amanda's interpretation as to what they looked like. But the fact that she seriously altered the events of the novel should be considered as having serious repercussions for Toobworld.
Still more to come!
BCnU!
Toby O'B
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