Canada lost a great man today.

Jack Layton was the kind of guy you could tell was genuinely nice, whether or not you agreed with his politics. He was dedicated to his political stances and his cause for almost forty years, beginning his journey on the Toronto City Council and ending it as the official Leader of the Opposition - the first in the NDP’s forty year history. As the leader of the New Democratic Party, Layton championed universal health care, environmentalism, education, federal minimum wage, ridding Canada of poverty, strengthening Canada’s relations with its First Nations population, women’s rights, gay rights and rights for the disabled, equality for the provinces, and revamping the tone in Ottawa. Mr. Layton stood by these views with a strong, self-assured commitment, and this year, it paid off. Those who follow Canadian politics know that the NDP’s boost in popularity can be attributed to Jack Layton’s leadership, and the party will have a very hard time finding someone as charismatic and committed as he to take over as Leader.

Two days ago, Layton and his family addressed a letter to the people of Canada, thanking them for their support and suggesting what path the NDP should take should he not be able to carry on. My favourite passage comes at the end, in what might be described as his last official words:

“My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.”

Layton leaves behind wife Olivia Chow. Also an NDP leader, she has been a member of the Canadian House of Commons since 2006, winning three straight elections in her Toronto riding. Many of the letters left by citizens at Jack’s memorial on Parliament Hill are simply marked “Olivia”. He also leaves behind two children, Sarah and Michael. Although today is Ottawa’s Day of Capital Pride, the rainbow flag was held at half mast today. “Mr. Layton has been an outstanding spokesperson for GLBT rights in Canada,” said Capital Pride chair Doug Saunders-Riggin. “We are saddened to hear about the news of his passing.”

As someone with hope for the politics of my country, I ache to think what Jack might have done with more time. Only recently did he propel his party to the highest political stance it’s ever achieved, and I know that he would have continued to fight for what he believed in. Canadian politics are often drab, boring, meandering and painfully slow. Jack Layton may not have been particularly exciting, but he was a great man, a fine leader and a passionate politician. I may be about as NDP as they come - my blood runs orange - but I think most, if not all Canadians can appreciate that today we’ve lost someone who had a profound influence on our country, and will continue to in his absence. Rest in peace Mr. Layton.

For a better timeline of Jack’s political career, as well as pictures of him with long hair and awesome glasses, look no further.

Created by Matthew Wiener | 2007-Present

There’s something that draws viewers to Mad Men, and it’s not its brilliance. Not right away, anyways. Those who find their way into Mad Men’s world will quickly come to appreciate the show’s subtle storytelling, well-defined characters and far-reaching themes. But that’s not why people start watching Mad Men; people start watching it because it’s cool. The cast is extremely attractive; they smoke and drink constantly and they look good doing it. Most of them live in a world with vaguely defined morals, a world where they feel free to gallivant around 1960’s New York, drinking and smoking and screwing freely. Of course, there are consequences to these actions, and I doubt that, left to my own devices, I would pursue any of them myself. But they sure look cool. One of the show’s main themes is that there is more to things than meets the eye; fitting for a show about ad men, a job which is all about making things seem better and newer than they actually are. Mad Men may seem like a show about the greatest generation, but after following four seasons’ worth of their exploits, successes and failures, it’s clear that no matter what time period, it’s tough all over.

Mad Men’s main character is the smoking, drinking, womanizing Don Draper, a name which has become synonymous with a certain dry, alcohol-soaked charisma which few these days seem possess. Jon Hamm plays the character with a disciplined subtlety which makes him almost hauntingly real, and makes his few expressions of actual emotion seem almost overpowering. Don is a man who lives many separate lives: one as a doting husband, another as a loving father, a third as a gifted ad man, and a fourth as a hard-drinking enigma with a troubled past. Don Draper as many men as he needs to be in any given situation, and Hamm, who is as brilliant as he is good-looking, plays him with a consistency which connects his often conflicting personas. There are, of course, other characters, all of which have been developed over the show’s four-year run; there’s Peggy Olsen, Don’s secretary turned writer and a living, breathing analogy for the women’s rights movement; Joan, a sassy office assistant who struggles to define herself and her place in a man’s world; Roger, a wise-cracking, seasoned ad man and Don’s mentor; Betty, a spoiled and emotionally impotent housewife; and Pete, a snivelling opportunist with a young wife. There’s also a varied cast of secondary characters, most notable being the writing team at Sterling Cooper.

There are so many reasons I like Mad Men. Although it resists using it as a crutch, the show’s references to - and stories built around - historical events make up some of my favourite of the show’s moments. Wiener and his writing team play around with the audience’s impeccable hindsight, often only dropping hints at oncoming historical events, like the slow build to America’s involvement in the Vietnam War or the escalating civil rights struggles overtaking the nation. Watching Mad Men is entering the show’s unique world for forty-five minutes, a world in which people are sexist, racist and bigoted; not to mention gleefully unaware of the dangers of smoking. Of course, there’s more than just window dressings in the world the show inhabits; despite my love for the costumes, time period and beautiful cinematography of Mad Men, the real beauty is in the show’s slow, methodic storytelling style. Entirely based around subtlety, character relationships and tiny sparks becoming gigantic dramatic flames, Mad Men is one of the best-written and most rewarding shows on television. For the most part, I prefer TV comedies to TV dramas, but if you are a fan of the latter, I would fully recommend Mad Men to you. In my opinion, it is hard to find a better written or acted show on the air.

• Best Episodes: Meditations in an Emergency, My Old Kentucky Home, The Suitcase
• Favourite Character: Although I love pretty much every character on the show, my favourite will always be Peggy Olsen.
• Why You Should Watch This Show: Because it’s as good as TV drama gets. And the cast is hot. And you’ll seem much more cultured.

Created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas | 2005-Present

How I Met Your Mother is like comfort food to me. It’s pleasantly familiar, hearkening back to the ages of Seinfeld and Friends with its single-camera style and laugh track. It’s also consistently satisfying, and always there for you when you have a bad day or when you’re just looking to watch something you know you’ll like, regardless of the episode. HIMYM isn’t remarkably deep or complex, but it shines through its characters, each of whom becomes more and more loveable as the series progresses. Although each of the show’s watchers have surely picked a favourite character by now (although mine is Marshall, I can understand why Barney is certainly the number one choice), it’s hard not to root for all of them as they blunder through life’s hardships, surprises and routines. Unlike most of the show on my list, How I Met Your Mother doesn’t rely on the extraordinary or the unusual to develop its characters or propel its plot lines. As a standard sitcom, the show is deeply rooted in its own routine; Lily and Marshall will continue to work their way through married life with each other, Ted will not rest on his quest to find the perfect woman (a woman who likely does not exist the same way she does in his head), Robin will keep finding ways to reconstruct herself and Barney will struggle with the same basic issues while relying on his likely self-authored Bro Code. Though the show develops and progresses, it instills in its viewers a sense of consistency which has the metaphorical effect of a warm hug.

And sometimes How I Met Your Mother’s schmaltziness gets the better of its stories, to be sure. Lily and Marshall’s relationship relies very heavily on clichéd rituals and pet names, although the show does often point this out. Ted is far too picky for his own good, and has a somewhat unrealistic view of romance; were the show not based around him telling the story of “how I met your mother” to his teenage children, I’m sure many viewers might wonder if he ever meets Mrs. Right. Sure, the show is occasionally heavy handed emotionally where it’s not totally necessary. But all of this is effectively neutralized by Neil Patrick Harris’ brilliant Barney, a man whose good looks, natural charm and hilarious rules to picking up women have made him easily the show’s breakout character, despite his ambiguous moral values. Maybe it’s because we know him as such a dopey, over exaggerated character that his emotional moments later in the series seem less phoned in. Still, many of the show’s best moments are in Barney’s one-liners, relentless attempts (and, for the most part, successes) at picking up women and often in bringing his friends along for the ride. Though occasionally the rest of the five wonder why they still hang around with Barney, it’s clear to the audience: without him, the show would just be four relatively normal, wise-cracking New Yorkers making do in their early thirties. With Barney, they become compulsively watchable and comparatively reliable.

For some reason, How I Met Your Mother is a show that I can’t go on about for too long. It takes away from the show’s simple appeal to over analyze its characters or its plot, and in many cases Ted’s future narration helps in doing so already. I’m sure I could explain the show’s basic plot, the drives of each of its characters and my favourite versus not-so-favourite moments for paragraphs and paragraphs. But the beauty of How I Met Your Mother is that it’s almost impossible to dislike. It’s funnier than Friends, sweeter than Seinfeld and smarter than Cheers and yet so much of these series shine through in How I Met Your Mother beautifully. The characters become so familiar that watching the show is akin to visiting old friends, laughing with them and enjoying their company. Since the show takes place in “the past”, the allure of nostalgia is present in each episode. I myself can’t watch the show without remembering watching it in its entirety with my sister one summer ago. For me, it’s not about the analysis or the criticism, at least not in this case. It’s about the show. So don’t read my boring summary. Watch a few of the show’s first episodes for yourself. If you’re not hooked by the time Ted finds a mysterious pineapple in his bedroom, then I’ll eat my hat.

• Best Episodes: Slap Bet, The Bracket, Intervention
• Favourite Character: Marshall, as sweet a character as I’ve ever seen on a sitcom.
• Why You Should Watch This Show: Because you’ll like it. Simple as that.

Created by Joss Whedon | 2002

Let it be known that I, like many others of the geek persuasion, tend to make it a habit of worshipping the ground Joss Whedon walks on. In all honesty, there’s a lot to worship - the man made Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a show which narrowly avoided inclusion on this list; co-wrote Toy Story, a film which I and those of my generation consider a priceless artifact of our adolescence; and created Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, which is one of the most awesomely unclassifiable pieces of media I’ve ever seen. Seriously, watch it. But in my opinion, Whedon’s crown jewel isn’t Buffy, for which he is still massively famous; it’s Firefly, his one-season wonder, the Western space opera no one seemed to be able to bring themselves to watch. I guess it’s not hard to see why: it’s a show about cowboys driftin’ and thievin’ in outer space, or as they call it, “the ‘verse”. It has no big name stars and, to make matters worse, Fox initially aired the show’s episodes out of sequence, making the show’s plot near-impossible to follow. So sadly, this is the second show I’ve listed that was cancelled well before its time. In fact, there are only 14 episodes of Firefly (not to mention the follow-up film Serenity, which is equally good but not television). But in each of these episodes is packed a voluminous amount of heart, humour and camaraderie; enough to make the show easily one of the best I’ve seen despite also being one of the shortest.

The show takes place about 500 years in the future, a time in which space travel has become commonplace and people, having exhausted the Earth’s resources, have taken up residence on a myriad of planets and moons. Malcolm Reynolds, known as “Mal”, owns a ship with which he and his crew-mates loot, pillage and take odd jobs across the ‘verse to make ends meet. They are doggedly pursued by the Alliance, a law-enforcement group which has assimilated the many planets of the system in which the series takes place into their control. It seems complex, but the series reveals each detail so beautifully: whether it be the characters’ offhanded use of Chinese in stressful situations, showing how Western and Eastern cultures have merged overtime; whispered mentions of a frightening menace known as Reavers, not revealed until Serenity; or in Mal and his first mate Zoe’s history as Browncoats, rebels who fought a war to prevent the Alliance from taking control. Firefly’s greatest balancing act is making itself seem far less complex than it is; though by the end of the show, you’ve been saddled with a great deal of information about the show’s universe, it never feels like exposition. The show, like so many others I love, is really about its characters. Mal’s crew is made up of a bubbly young engineer, a begrudging henchman turned protector, a wise-cracking pilot, and a mysterious teenage super soldier, among others. The way these characters interact is undoubtedly the reason the show has gained so much following since its unjust cancellation. The show has a heart, but it’s also willing to put its characters through some pretty dire straits, and have them come through smiling in the end. That’s the mark of a good writer.

The mistake people make about this show is assuming that they won’t like it if they don’t like science fiction. Sure, the show takes place in space and it sure doesn’t skip on the made-up words. But it’s really just a backdrop, a way to introduce us to the show’s characters and to frame them in certain situations. My advice is to give this show a chance, even if you’ve never enjoyed an episode of Star Trek in your life. (And although it’s off topic, give this one a try before you go on saying that.) Like everything else Whedon gets his hands on, Firefly is a show with sharp wit, heart that never seems facetious and the occasional awesome gunfight.

• Best Episodes: Shindig, Our Mrs. Reynolds, Out of Gas
• Favourite Characters: I could choose basically anyone and be satisfied, but I have to go with sweet but not-so-innocent Kaylee.
• Why You Should Watch This Show: You have feelings, don’t you? You have a beating heart, right? Give this one a try, it’s short but oh so sweet.

Created by Madeleine Smithberg and Lizz Winstead | 1996-Present

Being the only strictly non-fiction show on my list, The Daily Show does stick out a bit among the likes of Avatar, Community and the many shows yet to come. What makes this show stand up to the others I’ve picked, shows whose fictional characters have inspired devotion and personal connection in me? Well, for one, it helps that it’s daily. It may seem like a cop-out, but watching The Daily Show has become a part of my weekly routine, and although I am very informed and a voracious reader of news, the show helps me to sort out the importance of everything going on in the world. Secondly, I am deeply interested in the goings-on of American politics. I often wish that there were a show that applied to Canadian politics (as I am a proud Northerner) in the same way The Daily Show applies to American ones, but alas, the latter will always be more complex, more jumbled and more infuriating - not to mention, more interesting. Of course, The Daily Show deals with so much more than its own native land’s perplexing politics - each episode features a guest, be they a movie star or a famed historian - as well as an overview of what’s going on worldwide, America or otherwise. Many of The Daily Show’s viewers are well-informed citizens who enjoy the show’s humorous take and Jon Stewart’s no-nonsense delivery, but many others could care less about The New York Times or the six-o’clock news hour. They get their information primarily from The Daily Show.

And as many different studies have shown, The Daily Show isn’t just comedy - it’s real news. Young people who can’t be bothered to read six-page articles on terrorist bombings in Norway are likely just to watch Jon Stewart summarize it, and they’re no worse off for it. Maybe that’s part of why I think The Daily Show is more than just satire, or a playful attack on America’s right. This is a show that presents real facts and uncompromising political positions in a clever and concise way, and at this stage in journalism (see: News of the World), that kind of information is a priceless commodity. And this all goes without even mentioning the show’s cast: now-famous comedy actors like Steve Carell, Ed Helms and Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report fame have all acted as contributors, lending to the show’s more comedic side in the form of mock editorials and reports. Of course, the show’s beating heart remains its humble leader, host Jon Stewart. This is currently his twelfth season on the show, and his sense of humour, biting political satire and well-informed opinions have only developed overtime. One need only watch his famed appearance on Crossfire, a political pundit show, to see how hard-hitting and uncompromising his politics can be. To top it off, the show was cancelled soon after this appearance.

Though I’m not an avid watcher of news (most of my information comes either online or from newspapers), I will watch The Daily Show until the day it comes off the air, a day which seems very far off at this point. As long as America is still having problems passing bills in Congress, or Conservative pundits are messing up their facts, or the world keeps spinning as it has, The Daily Show will be there with a wink, a nod, and a well-informed response. I would recommend this show to anyone, be they to the left, right, or even Canadian like me. Sometimes it makes me feel a lot better about living up here.

• Best Moments: Glenn Beck, Bernie Goldberg, 9/11
• Favourite Contributor: Stephen Colbert forever.
• Why You Should Watch This Show: Because it’s the smartest talk show on television, and it’s easier than reading the paper every morning.

Created by Dan Harmon | 2009-Present

Community is a show made by people who love television. In fact, they created an entire character (Abed, played by the Emmy-worthy Danny Pudi), who not only has an encyclopedic knowledge of all things TV, but possesses the ability to break the fourth wall, which he does often and hilariously. In fact, I would say that’s Community’s biggest gift as a television show: that it rewards those of us who have watched enough TV to know all the tropes by heart, guess where each plot line is heading, roll our eyes when the gruff, masculine protagonist wins the heart of the delicate damsel in distress. We’ve seen it all before, and Community wants to reward that. And although the show has characters no one would consider “original” - a heartless lawyer who slowly begins to care about his study group, a schoolgirl wound tighter than Big Ben, a bitter old man who just wants to be loved - the beauty is that each character is aware of the clichés that they are, and the show revels in bouncing them off of each other and seeing what sticks. Community is a show about experiments in the same way Arrested Development, which previously appeared on my list, is a show about experiments. The pair of them took the conventional sitcom and turned it on its head. Sadly, the struggle to find an audience has been passed on from one to the other, and the next season of Community very well might be its last.

So this summary is my plea to you, the reader: please watch this show. Too many great TV series (and you’d better believe there are more shows to come that were cancelled in their prime) have been canned for lack of an audience. Whether it be because the story is too complex, the jokes too left-field or the buzz not loud enough, show after great show has gone the way of the dinosaur and I feel it’s my responsibility to make sure Community doesn’t follow suit. But why should I watch it? As I previously stated, if you love TV or film (or, like me, both), Community is definitely for you. This is a show that committed an entire episode to a parody of Goodfellas, another to the mockumentary style of shows like Modern Family and The Office, and most famously, one to action movies like The Matrix and Die Hard. Within every episode is a myriad of references, turns of phrase and out-of-nowhere twists (like the study group’s passionate defence of the Barenaked Ladies’ merit). Community is, in these moments, simply one of the most fun shows to watch on television, complexity be damned.

But, like nearly every show on my list, Community also has its share of deeply emotional moments, be they Abed’s loneliness at Christmas, Shirley’s attempts to hide her checkered past or Pierce’s bitterness over being excluded time and time again. Watching the show’s first few episodes, it’s clear that it began as a full-on satire of TV tropes in general, but over time the characters began to develop, each becoming more and more realistic despite the exaggerated world they inhabit. This duality, and how the show balances it between its more parodical episodes and its quietly emotional ones, is one of the things that makes Community very special. It’s a show that might never find the audience it so richly deserves, but I guess that’s okay. We still have at least one season to look forward to, and I for one can’t wait.

• Best Episodes: Contemporary American Poultry, Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking, Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas
• Favourite Character: It’s cheating, but I can’t say Abed without Troy and vice versa. The ultimate BROTP.
• Why You Should Watch This Show: Because it’s on its last legs, and you’ll want to enjoy its absurd humour and loveable characters before they’re gone.

Created by Mitchell Hurwitz | Ran 2003-2006

Arrested Development is a perfect first choice for my list because it’s basically everything I look for in a TV show. It’s hilarious, smart, meticulously plotted, brilliantly acted, and endlessly re-watchable. When the Best of the Decade lists started coming out, at first I was surprised how often and how highly Hurwitz’s highly acclaimed comedy was ranked. In fact, apart from maybe The Wire, I was hard pressed to find a show so often ranked as the best TV show of the decade. But after that initial surprise faded, it started to make a lot of sense, and I became relieved that people were watching the same funny, sweet, and endlessly intelligent show I was. Too bad not enough of the public was during its time, or we might have had many more seasons to enjoy.

The basic plot of Arrested Development is that Michael Bluth, model son of wealthy, recently incarcerated businessman George Bluth, is forced time and time again to help his spoiled and hapless family stay out of trouble. What the show is really about, though, is its characters, played by one of the best ensemble casts of all time, TV or not. The show’s team of immensely talented writers relied on in-jokes and wordplay to create a topsy-turvy universe for the show to inhabit, which it did for three glorious years. But, of course, all good things must come to an end, and after three seasons of trying, Fox concluded that Arrested Development would never find a large enough audience and cancelled the show. Many television aficionados are still passionately upset over the decision, which goes to show the devotion that the show inspired in its small but loyal viewership. Now, of course, the show is rightfully regarded as maybe the best serial comedy ever to grace the small screen, and I certainly regard it as one of my favourite shows.

• Best Episodes: Pier Pressure, Righteous Brothers, Mr. F
• Favourite Character: Tobias Fünke, Lindsay’s therapist/actor husband
• Why You Should Watch This Show: Because it’s hilarious and rewarding. Not to mention, it’s only three seasons long.

Not a bad spread this year, I’ll admit. Let’s go through these Emmy nominations, shall we?

Outstanding Drama Series: This category is looking better than it has in a while - I like all of these shows, except The Good Wife, which I haven’t seen. It seems like Mad Men is probably a lock to continue its streak, and Friday Night Lights might steal their first nomination in their stellar five year run; but I’m rooting for Game of Thrones, which came out of nowhere with a knockout first season and promises to keep up the pace next year.

• Who Will Win: Mad Men
• Who Should Win: Game of Thrones

Outstanding Comedy Series: As much as I would’ve liked to have seen Community honoured for its outstanding second season, something even more awesome happened: Parks and Recreation got nominated! In my mind there isn’t even a question as to which show had the best season: The Office only picked up its slack in the second half of the season; 30 Rock just isn’t as funny as it used to be; Modern Family is good but formulaic and a little derivative; much as I love Glee, this season was extremely hit and miss; and The Big Bang Theory is just a slightly above average sitcom in my eyes. Parks and Recreation really hit it out of the park this year; April and Andy got married, Ben and Chris became fully grown characters, and the show became funnier and smarter than it was in its fantastic second season. I know it won’t win, but I’m so glad Parks was nominated. As far as the actual winner? Count on crowd pleaser Glee or last year’s winner Modern Family.

• Who Will Win: Modern Family
• Who Should Win: Parks and Recreation
• Who Should Be Nominated: Community

Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series: This category is probably the most predictable of the entire awards show, but I’m glad The Daily Show will win again. The dark horse in this race is probably Colbert, who’s been looking to steal Jon’s Emmy in this category for years.

• Who Will Win: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
• Who Should Win: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
• Who Should Be Nominated: The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson

Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour): Pretty predictable. The only shows on the list that deserve to win are Robot Chicken and Futurama, the latter being my personal pick. Still, it’ll probably be The Simpsons, as sad as that is. Honestly, if it were my choice, I’d give it to a completely different episode of Futurama, but it’s still the standout of the bunch for me.

• Who Will Win: The Simpsons
• Who Should Win: Futurama

Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series: This category is pretty solid. Breaking Bad took a break this year, leaving the race open for someone other than Bryan Cranston, who’s won the award three times in a row. My personal choice is Jon Hamm, who has yet to take home an Emmy for his performance as Don Draper in Mad Men, but both Steve Buscemi and Michael C. Hall are excellent choices too. I’m gonna be optimistic and call it for Jon Hamm, but the award could honestly go to any of these fine gentlemen.

• Who Will Win: Jon Hamm for Mad Men
• Who Should Win: Jon Hamm for Mad Men

Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series: Honestly, my knowledge in this category is pretty slim. I’ve only ever seen Elisabeth Moss in Mad Men and Connie Britton in Friday Night Lights, and both actresses are great. I’d give it to Ms. Moss personally, as she’s really come into her own as Peggy Olson on Mad Men this past year, but based on the buzz I’ve been hearing it’ll probably go to Julianna Margulies for her performance in The Good Wife.

• Who Will Win: Julianna Margulies in The Good Wife
• Who Should Win: Elisabeth Moss in Mad Men

Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series: I know my dislike of The Big Bang Theory will put off some people, but I have trouble comparing it to shows like Community and 30 Rock. Now I completely buy Jim Parsons in this category, because he basically is the show. But Johnny Galecki? The other guy? Really? This category is seriously lacking in some Joel McHale - I’d give it to him over Parsons or Carell any day of the week. I do think it’s really cool that Louis CK found his way in this category, even if I agree with him that he’s not a real contender. My pick is Steve Carell, who’ll be honoured for his last season on The Office. Out of the choices, I’d give it to him too.

• Who Will Win: Steve Carell in The Office
• Who Should Win: Steve Carell in The Office
• Who Should Be Nominated: Joel McHale in Community

Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series: The usual suspects here. Edie Falco will get it, most likely. If it were up to me, I’d add Lea Michele in Glee, who elevated some pretty dismal writing during the show’s second season. It’s no easy task to make such a conceited, annoying character sympathetic, but Michele does a great job - it doesn’t hurt, of course, that she’s such a talented singer. I’d also add Gillian Jacobs to this list for her thankless role as Britta on Community. Another character who could easily dip into being unlikeable, Britta remains a character you root for despite her desperate attempts to seem charitable and worldly. These two snubs would be my #2 and #3 picks, but my pick for Best Comedy Actress was actually nominated! Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope has probably been one of the most complex, well-realized and hilarious performances I’ve ever seen from a former SNL cast member - like, Bill Murray in Lost in Translation good. If the Emmys were to honour Mrs. Poehler, I would be content. After all, in the immortal words of Ron Swanson: “I still think awards are stupid, but they’d be less stupid if they went to the right people.” Also, for good measure: what the fuck is Melissa McCarthy doing in this category? Mike and Molly is a terrible, terrible show.

• Who Will Win: Edie Falco in Nurse Jackie
• Who Should Win: Amy Poehler in Parks and Recreation
• Who Should Be Nominated: Lea Michele in Glee; Gillian Jacobs in Community

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: It’s nice to see John Slattery in this category again for his sublime performance in Mad Men, but this category belongs to Peter Dinklage for his simply awesome performance in Game of Thrones - and rightfully so.

• Who Will Win: Peter Dinklage in Game of Thrones
• Who Should Win: Peter Dinklage in Game of Thrones

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: This category seems a little thin to me, but maybe that’s because I’ve never seen The Good Wife. I’d probably give it to Christina Hendricks, who continues to shine in Mad Men, but I’ll bet on Archie Panjabi, who’s already won once for her performance in The Good Wife. 

• Who Will Win: Archie Panjabi in The Good Wife
• Who Should Win: Christina Hendricks in Mad Men

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Holy Modern Family, Batman. Four nominations for basically the entire male supporting cast. The only other nominees are Chris Colfer for Glee and Jon Cryer for Two and a Half Men. But Cryer, why? I’ll never understand the Emmy voters. I can’t even begin to mention more deserving nominees: Danny Pudi as the loveably obsessive film geek Abed in Community; Donald Glover as his not-so-bright best friend on the same show; Nick Offerman as fan favourite Ron Swanson on Parks and Recreation; Neil Patrick Harris for his now-iconic performance as Barney on How I Met Your Mother. All of these men are endlessly more deserving of an Emmy than Jon Cryer - or the rest of the nominees, as a matter of fact. This category is where the Emmys have truly failed in my eyes. Of the choices, my dream winner would be Chris Colfer, whose character Kurt has always been my favourite - and has undoubtedly inspired many of the show’s viewers to be more tolerant, which I think is very Emmy-worthy. But odds are it’ll go to one of the Modern Family boys - my money is on my personal favourite, Ty Burrell as haplessly dopey dad Phil Dunphy.

• Who Will Win: Ty Burrell in Modern Family
• Who Should Win: Chris Colfer in Glee
• Who Should Be Nominated: Nick Offerman in Parks and Recreation; Danny Pudi in Community; Neil Patrick Harris in How I Met Your Mother; Donald Glover in Community

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Bit more of an interesting category here, although there’s more Modern Family domination - surefire sign it’ll win the Best Comedy Emmy. But the award isn’t going to Julie Bowen or Sofia Vergara, although the latter might well be the most deserving of the bunch. Beloved Jane Lynch, as not-so-heartless cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester, is a shoo-in. Honestly I thought she was a little less impressive this year than last, where she also took the Emmy, but it could be much worse. Lynch and Vergara are both great, as is the faultless Betty White - but I’m rooting for Kirsten Wiig in Saturday Night Live, as she’s become the show’s only saving grace, apart from Andy Samberg and his musical crew. As far as snubs, it would’ve been nice to see Alison Brie in Community - or even Jenna Fischer in The Office - show up in this category, but them’s the brakes.

• Who Will Win: Jane Lynch in Glee
• Who Should Win: Kirsten Wiig in Saturday Night Live
• Who Should Be Nominated: Alison Brie in Community; Jenna Fischer in The Office

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series: It’s pretty clearly going to “The Suitcase”, which gets my vote for the best Mad Men episode yet. I wish Dexter or Boardwalk Empire had been honoured, but it’s nice to see Game of Thrones made the cut for the first season’s fantastic penultimate episode. Still, this category has Mad Men written all over it.

• Who Will Win: Matthew Wiener for Mad Men, “The Suitcase”
• Who Should Win: Matthew Wiener for Mad Men, “The Suitcase”
• Who Should Be Nominated: Steve Shill for Dexter, “My Bad”

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series: Where to begin. This year had so many great episodes of comedy it’s hard to pin down a clear favourite. Although I don’t dislike Modern Family, “Caught in the Act” was one of the weakest episodes last season and didn’t deserve a nomination; “See You Next Fall” or “Someone to Watch Over Lily” would have been infinitely better choices. “Goodbye, Michael” was rightfully nominated, and might just have enough we’ll-miss-you-Steve-Carell appeal to win. But how about some episodes that really deserve to win? Try Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking, a hilarious send-up of “mockumentary” style shows like The Office and Modern Family which ends up being one of the most emotional of the series; or maybe Li’l Sebastian, as good a season finale as we’ve seen this year from the best-written comedy on television. My prediction is “Goodbye Michael”, and it’s the best written episode nominated, too. But both episodes mentioned deserve to win even more.

• Who Will Win: Greg Daniels for The Office, “Goodbye Michael”
• Who Should Win: Greg Daniels for The Office, “Goodbye Michael”
• Who Should Be Nominated: Megan Ganz for Community, “Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking”; Daniel J. Goor and Brian Rowe for Parks and Recreation, “Li’l Sebastian”

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series: This is a fun category. I wish Will Arnett would win for playing Devon Banks, one of the best guest spots on 30 Rock; but then again, both Zach Galifianakis and Justin Timberlake were exceptional hosts in an otherwise unremarkable season of SNL. My prediction goes to Mr. Timberlake, my vote goes to Mr. Arnett and my choices for biggest snub are Darren Criss as heartthrob Blaine on Glee and LeVar Burton for playing himself in Community. Is there anything that man can’t do?

• Who Will Win: Justin Timberlake in Saturday Night Live
• Who Should Win: Will Arnett in 30 Rock
• Who Should Be Nominated: Darren Criss in Glee; LeVar Burton in Community

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series: Lots of talent here, too. Out of the Glee girls, I’d lean towards Dot Jones, who gave a more committed and emotional performance than Kirstin Chenoweth or Gwyneth Paltrow. On the other hand, Tina Fey’s SNL outing did hark back to the show’s latest golden age, and Elizabeth Banks played a fine counterpoint to Alec Baldwin’s ruthlessly cunning Jack Donaghy. This is anyone’s Emmy, folks. The snub of the hour? Megan Mullally in her second appearance as Ron’s bloodthirsty wife Tammy on Parks and Recreation.

• Who Will Win: Gwyneth Paltrow in Glee
• Who Should Win: Dot Jones in Glee
• Who Should Be Nominated: Megan Mullally in Parks and Recreation

And that’s all she wrote! Make sure to tune in on September 18, 2011 to prove me wrong.

What a fine thing it is to have a band so completely represent a city; its good and its bad put to music by Said the Whale, whose concert on Saturday night at Stanley Park was so quintessentially Vancouver, BC that I felt I should have been smoking a blunt and wearing a raincoat while viewing it. The drums vibrated through my hollow bones as I watched these fine Canadians rattle through four new numbers; two good, one passable, and one regrettable. But it had no effect on the band’s overall performance: two encores made clear the love that the surprisingly small band of tightly knit concertgoers on the grass that night held for Said the Whale, and their swan songs to oceans, rainy nights, and quintessentially West Coast trailblazing.

Curse of the Currents, a ballad to a drowned dog, might have seemed like an odd finish to a concert had its target audience not been Vancouverites themselves, not only aware of the Georgia Strait and its location, but in sync with the tuneful melancholy the band seems to continue to fall back upon. This City’s a Mess and Camilo (The Magician) were the night’s biggest hits, to be sure, but the people who came to see only these songs were not the true audience, nor did the songs accurately reflect the band. They sounded like someone else’s songs, uninfluenced by the rain and complacency which are so linked to Vancouver - the feeling which dominates the band’s canon, and the theme which separates them from the many bands which come and go on college radio, bands which have become disposable in their willingness to provide a simplified version of what “indie rock” has come to represent.

Said the Whale is not yet a great band, at least not in my opinion. I do feel a connection to them as a proud inhabiter of the Lower Mainland, and several of their songs are impeccably sung by their two lead vocalists, Mr. Ben Worcester and Mr. Tyler Bancroft, whose voices mix like sandpaper and stone. In fact, I listen to Said the Whale very often, as my girlfriend is perhaps one of their most devoted followers. But as I said, I would not call them “great”. But on that stage on Saturday, their lead vocalist wearing what he thought to be the official flag of Vancouver, they were great. They became great. Their fans sang every word faithfully and camped out across the plain, content to watch from afar rather than crowd the stage, hot and sweaty and pressed together. This band is not foreign; it’s not a hot ticket item like Radiohead or Phoenix, or even The New Pornographers who played only trees away. Their listeners thought of them as locals, rather than celebrities. Musicians rather than headliners.

I have not been to a Said the Whale concert outside of Vancouver. But I have seen two, both free, in the city I love so dearly, and I’ve seen fans who are happy to absorb the music rather than desperately reach for it. Said the Whale feels closer; they feel like home because they are home, as acclimatized as their audience. And you can hear it in their voices, their exuberance at being able to play a song like Black Day in December a stone’s throw away from the Stanley Park landmarks the song mentions. The first time I saw Said the Whale, the rain and the mud kept me from fully enjoying the show - but now I feel as though this was completely appropriate, and deeply West Coast. Similarly, on Saturday, I lamented my inability to see The New Pornographers play that night. Now I know that I was wrong in wishing so - although the crowds may have been bigger for Neko Case and her band of misfit pop apprentices, the spirit of Vancouver was with Said the Whale.