Guardians of Grail

cheapbag214s

done in season one, but you tell me: am I worrying over nothing? Do you want Mad Men to stay in its 1960 cocoon forever too? Or is the show a mess of cliches already and I’m just in denial?Mad Men, Wire Cursed With Critical PraiseThe Television Critics’ Association handed out its annual awards over the weekend. This was the first year I’ve voted on them, having just joined the association, but while I don’t agree with all the choices (WordGirl? WordGirl? Yo Gabba Gabba was robbed!) I think we got it more right than the Emmys generally do. Not that that’s a high bar,http://www.tinfoti.com, and not that the Emmys or anyone else besides us and the awardees care.This was unsurprisingly the year of Mad Men, which dominated the series categories, with The Wire picking up TCA’s Heritage Award in its final season. (One more quibble; I don’t see how the previous season of 30 Rock could have rated over The Office or Flight of the Conchords—but hey, it wasn’t Two and a Half Men.)The list after the jump:PROGRAM OF THE YEAR: “Mad Men” (AMC)OUTSTANDING NEW PROGRAM: “Mad Men” (AMC)OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY: “30 Rock” (NBC)OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA: “Mad Men” (AMC)OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NEWS & INFORMATION: “The War: A Film by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick” (PBS)OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CHILDREN’S PROGRAMMING: “WordGirl” (PBS)OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN MOVIES,[url=http://www.tinfoti.com]Christian Louboutin Outlet[/url], MINI-SERIES & SPECIALS: “John Adams” (HBO)INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY: Tina Fey, “30 Rock” (NBC)INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA: Paul Giamatti, “John Adams” (HBO)HERITAGE AWARD: “The Wire” (HBO)CAREER ACHIEVEMENT: Lorne MichaelsTim Goodman and Alan Sepinwall have color commentary from the ceremony.[Update: Think we got it wrong? Starting today, Television Without Pity's Tubey Awards invite you to do it yourself.]Mad Money Vs. Mad FunnyAt what point are Viacom and General Electric going to sit down with someone from The Daily Show and CNBC, respectively, and ask them to stop giving the competition such awesome cross-promotion?You probably know the chronology: first Jon Stewart aired a scathing takedown of bad financial advice from CNBC, in response to Rick Santelli’s “mortgage losers” rant (and subsequent cancellation of his Daily Show appearance). Then Jim Cramer popped a couple jets of steam out of his ears and said The Daily Show took his remarks out of context. Upon which Stewart and company provided the context, unfortunately for Cramer. Cramer continued his counteroffensive, going on sister programs the Today Show and Morning Joe. Upon which, last night, Stewart launched a synergistic Viacom counterstrike, venting about the feud to Dora the Explorer and Lauren from The Hills. And now Cramer has booked an appearance on The Daily Show tomorrow, which should be Must-See-Cable-Feud-TV. (Free advice to Cramer, by the way: lighten up. When you get in an argument with a comedian, you both end up looking like clowns,[url=http://www.tinfoti.com]Christian Louboutin Men[/url], but he’s the only one getting paid to.)It’s all hilarious, but as the wise Dora suggests,[url=http://www.tinfoti.com]Christian Louboutin Sale[/url], whether Cramer is a lousy stockpicker or a good one isn’t really the point. What really matters is what has always mattered about CNBC: it’s a network about trading, not investing, obsessed to the point of craziness with where the market is minute-by-minute. (The point hardly needs to be made, but Cramer’s show is called Mad Money, for God’s sake. CNBC actually treats “This guy is insane” as a selling point.)When the result is just Cramer blowing a gasket again, it’s simply amusing (well, unless you took his advice on Bear Sterns seriously). But when the network applies its trader’s mentality to politics and policy, as it is increasingly doing—judging everything through the prism of short-term market numbers—it becomes more ridiculous and less funny. That’s the subject of my next column in the print TIME,