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Yes, the redheaded vixen who plays Joan Holloway on AMC’s Mad Men is beautiful. To be honest it took me the entire length of the interview to realize it was an interview. Yes, as the interviewee notes, Hendricks is what a woman looks like.

Do I hate to objectify? Slightly, but I’ve love Hendricks ever since she was Captain Mal’s crazy one-day bride on Firefly so I feel less creepy. It feels like I’ve been monogamously objectifying her for about five years now.

Mad Men won the Emmy for Best Drama. But. I. Can’t. Stop. Starring. At. Her. Cleavage. Seriously.

Wow, what a whirlwind night for me! My dress ? long and slinky Prada?.my accessories ? half a mil worth of pink diamonds and sapphires, on loan from Harry Winston?. 4 hours in hair and makeup, and last but not least, an invitation to the oh-so prestigious Governor?s Ball after party. I feel like Cinderella?well, at least I would have if that were really how the Emmy?s went down for me. Instead, here I sit in a pink t-shirt (far cry from diamonds), curled up on the sofa with my friends Ben and Jerry, watching all the glitter and glam unfold before my eyes.

How to recap such a great evening? Normally, I?m not a big fan of award shows, even though I am totally obsessed with everything Hollywood. This year, however, I was impressed. Going green for the second year in a row, the Emmy?s stepped up their game this time by down staging to a mere round tiered riser made from recycled materials, a blue carpet throughout the auditorium made from recycled rubber, and, according to one presenter, the cast of Kid Nation powering the lighting. Although the ?in-the-round? style seating reminded me more of a game show, it did bring a certain humble and intimate feel to the night. Kudos.

Let?s run down the big winners. HBO topped the list with a whopping 21 statuettes, followed closely by NBC with 19 Emmy wins. As many predicted, HBO?s The Sopranos made television history last night by winning Outstanding Drama Series, the first to do so after a show has already ended it?s run. First time winners Kathryn Heigl, Jaime Pressley and America Ferrera were all adorable, seeming genuinely honored and grateful to be chosen.

Other major category winners include 30 Rock for Best Comedy Series, The Amazing Race for Best Reality-Competition Program, The Daily Show with John Stewart for Best Variety, Music or Comedy Series (can?t wait to see the throw off tonight with Steven Colbert!), James Spader (Boston Legal) for Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Sally Field (Brothers & Sisters) for Lead Actress in a Drama series, followed by Terry O?Quinn (LOST) & Katherine Heigl (Grey?s Anatomy) respectively, as their Supporting co-horts.

Ricky Gervais (Extras) took home the Emmy for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, American Ferrera (Ugly Betty) for Lead Actress, and their Supporting winners, Jeremy Piven for Entourage and Jaime Pressley for My Name is Earl.

Big Bang Implodes!

In other tube news, I?ve already decided on my first pick for the chopping block from the new Fall lineup. I was lucky (?) enough to stumble on the first episode of The Big Bang Theory, set to premier Monday, September 24^th at 8:30 PM on CBS. Big Bang stars Johnny Galecki (Roseanne) and Jim Parsons (Judging Amy) as two socially inept brainiacs, and Kaley Cuoco (Prison Break, Charmed, 8 Simple Rules) as their recently single, hot neighbor. As much as I enjoyed Johnny?s performance on Roseanne as the adorable David, he falls flat in Bang, with a very predictable plot line and thin writing. It?s definitely not the next great sitcom, and I?d save your time for more riveting Monday night scorchers like the returning faves Prison Break and Heroes.

Big Brother would rather be watching something other than his namesake…

On the reality front, last night?s hour-long recap of the Big Brother 8 season thus far was so painful I?d rather be stuck in the jury house with the hyper-emotional Amber for a week than to watch it again. In a first, CBS aired a ?Survivor-style? homage to the fallen tribe, er?housemates as the final two (father-daughter duo Dick and Daniele Donato) sat around the empty BB house recalling moments with each evicted houseguest. Painfully scripted, the Donato?s seemed horribly uncomfortable with such a forced tribute to people that, according to Daniele, they basically hate. Shame on you, CBS, I realize you were up against the Emmy?s, but such an insincere display of butt kissing? Surely you could have found something better to show. No matter now?CBS wraps up the annual summer guilty pleasure this Tuesday when the evicted houseguests cast their vote to decide which Donato walks away with $500,000.

It?s now time to hit the sack after my long night of champagne and after parties. We?ll get further into the new shows this week, most of which I?ll wager are headed to rest in peace with Big Bang as the search for the new Friends continues.

Howdy fans of the small screen! Ready or not, it?s that time of year again?the leaves are changing color, the kids are back in school, the night air gets cool and crisp, and you?re totally stoked for the new Fall television season. Well, that is until you realize your DVR only lets you record two channels at a time. Frick!

Thank the lucky stars above that now you have me to help you sort through the good, the bad, and the just-ain?t-worth-my-time. With the help of a house full of televisions, a few DVR?s, a handful of VCR?s, about a dozen remote controls and a big box of bon bons, I?ll do my best to let you know what?s going on with your favorite shows and the people who star in them. It?s a tough job, but someone has to do it.

Questions? Ideas? Suggestions? Send them this way and I?ll be happy to see what I can do. In the meantime, let?s talk about the semi-official sign that the Fall season is here?the Emmy?s!

On Sunday night the 59^th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will air on Fox at 8:00 PM. Ryan Seacrest, figuring he didn?t really need the four hours of sleep he gets working six other jobs, has stepped up to host. Is it just me, or does anyone else wonder if he is really human? Since the show airs live tomorrow, I?ll skip the formalities until next year and just point out the biggest highlight of all ~ that Journey lovin? family from Jersey, The Sopranos.

With dozens of Emmy?s already tucked away in their belt, and a plethora of nominations, The Sopranos made HBO proud in it?s eight year run, putting the cable network at the top of the list for Emmy nods. This year the drama will likely capture another honor and make television history by being the first show to win Best Drama after it has closed up shop. There is plenty of heated discussion out there over whether or not The Sopranos deserve the award, and many feel it belongs with cranky old Dr. House.

I?m up in the air, but hey, we’re talking about a show that had me so mesmerized by the end, I was jumping in my seat more than I did during the movie Signs (a great movie to see if you want your date in your lap, by the way). And I?m sure I?m not the only viewer in the world who though their cable had gone out during the infamous final seconds of the series finale.

A few more Emmy tidbits ? TV Guide has driven Joan and Melissa Rivers to desk jobs, and they?ll blogging live during the red carpet pre-show (who reads blogs??) Taking their spot on the shag this year will be the gorgeous Lisa Rinna and former N?Sync-er Joey Fatone, both of whom took part in Dancing With The Stars earlier this year.

Thanks to Al and Leo we?ll be enjoying another ?green? year of the Emmy?s, with even more eco-friendly items and goings on than last year.

Lastly, if you just don?t give a darn who wears or wins what, you?ve got some interesting alternatives out there?CBS will run an hour long recap of the Big Brother 8 so far, dragging out the agony a few more days until the evicted houseguests return and decide between the lesser of two Evels. (Calling Dr. Will ? can we please make Big Brother 9 just you running around the yard in your shorts all summer?)

Surf on over to NBC and you can catch the Chargers and the Patriots battle it out on Sunday Night Football.

That?s it for now, TV fans ? I?ll be back next time with in-depth coverage of the new Fall season?including returning favorites and which new show not to miss and which ones are sure to be gone by the time you are carving pumpkins.

Not that this might interest anyone else, but try as we might, it’s almost impossible to hate awards shows. Now we hate the actual show, but the process leading up to the award shows always fascinates. Who could forget the hubabaloo when ABC’s Lost was left off the Emmy’s a year ago?

The nomination and voting process always changes from year to year and it’s never certain how a show gets nominated, especially if say, the show isn’t particularly good or even in the case of HBO shows if it wasn’t even aired in a given year.

So you can imagine we were transfixed when this year’s Emmy finalists were leaked at The Envelope. They had posted the list of shows that will eventually comprise the five finalist in the Drama and Comedy categories for the 2007 Emmy’s.

According to the Los Angeles Times-operated site, the drama finalists are ABC’s “Boston Legal,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Lost”; NBC’s “Friday Night Lights” and “Heroes”; Fox’s “House” and “24″; Showtime’s “Dexter”; and HBO’s “Rome” and “The Sopranos.”

The comedy finalists, according to the site, are ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” and “Ugly Betty”; NBC’s “My Name Is Earl,” “The Office,” “Scrubs” and “30 Rock”; CBS’ “Two and a Half Men”; HBO’s “Entourage” and “Extras”; and Showtime’s “Weeds.”

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, which oversees the Primetime Emmy Awards, declined comment on the accuracy of the lists. The final five nominees in each catagory — or six, if the vote is close enough — will be unveiled on July 19.

It is unclear whether the academy plans to investigate the sources of the leak. But in a statement, it said all Emmy judges are required to sign a confidentiality agreement.

The problem with the Emmy’s is that it relies on the same shows year in and year out, whether or not they’re any good.? 24 was appalling bad this season, but it’ll probably be a finalist.? It’s almost like idiot monkey’s are generating the list by default.? Sure we’ve all heard of Desperate Housewives and back in the summer of 2005 it was buzzed about, since then I feel like no one watches it or even likes it.? Am I wrong?? Two and a Half Men?

I understand that comedy isn’t a particularly fertile ground right now on television, but what about off-beat shows on Comedy Central.? Weeds is an inspiring choice and The Office is a no-brainer because it’s not only the most popular comedy on television, but it’s also the most consistently funny.
I’m not sure what keeps the Emmy’s or the voting process from nominating shows from non-networks such as FX or even TNT and USA.? Not to mention, say, Battlestar Galactica, which is best show on television.

So the moral of the story is that television is good, award shows are bad and the process leading up to the award shows are deliciously fascinating.