"Tom Shales gave this a good review, and *I'm* the one in prison?!"

In his review of the Emmy telecast (registration required), Tom Shales describes it as "one of the more nearly entertaining and least irritating Emmycasts in memory." Maybe so: I can't say I've really watched the show much. But the standards must be awfully low. Shales actually liked "Emmy Idol," about which the less said, the better.

It was by reading Shales that I found out that the lame, overhyped, tired, and never-very-good-to-begin-with Everybody Loves Raymond beat the sparklingly witty and devilishly clever Desperate Housewives for best comedy, proving that it's not only the acting categories where the voters make insane decisions. Shales agrees that the choice of Doris Roberts and Brad Garrett -- year after year after year -- is inexplicable. He liked Jeremy Piven for best supporting actor in a comedy. I haven't seen Entourage because I don't have HBO, but I'm in favor of awards for Jeremy Piven just on principle.