Ambivalence, Rather than Anticipation, Over the Emmys

I can't say that I'm really all that excited about the Emmy awards this year, especially after getting all worked up about the mere possibility that traditionally undervalued shows like Battlestar Galactica, Everybody Hates Chris, Gilmore Girls, and Veronica Mars might actually be represented next to 24, The Sopranos, and Grey's Anatomy.

Instead, we all know too well how the latest voting overhaul scheme went (love that Ellen Burstyn still walked away with a nom for a 9-second performance) and it still smarts that Lost was virtually quarantined from the high-profile nominations. (I blame Dharma Foundation nomination-fixing.)

Sure, I'm rooting for The Office to take home the top comedy prize, and according to those mysterious "TV pundits," the gang at Dunder-Mifflin is the "heavy favorite" to do just that, along with Steve Carell for actor in a comedic performance. And wouldn't it would be just desserts if Lisa Kudrow walked away with the top prize for her role has the oft put-upon Valerie Cherish in HBO's cancelled mockumentary series, The Comeback? Not to mention Will Arnett taking one home for the Bluths.

But those bright spots aside, it's hard to work up enthusiasm for an awards show which, while taking place a few scant miles away from my house (literally), is tape-delayed by three whole hours. (Unlike the Oscars which smartly air everywhere simultaneously.) I do believe that Al Gore invented the internet for just these very scenarios, so something tells me I won't be tuning into the telecast at all, not even via my beloved time-altering TiVo.

Also, Sunday is my birthday and, although I was invited to a certain after-party thrown by a certain Emmy-nominated series, I'm toying with the notion of boycotting the Emmys this year altogether. If the Gilmores, the 09'ers, the Colonial Fleet, and those darn castaways aren't invited to sit at the adults' table, I think I might just have to sit this one out.

Besides, it's the season finale of The 4400, which I promise will have more twists and turns (and outright drama) than the entire duration of the Emmy telecast. Trust me on this one.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: The Unit (CBS); Dateline (NBC); What I Like About You/Twins (WB); America's Funniest Home Videos (ABC); Men in Black II (FOX; 8-10 pm); WWE Friday Night SmackDown (UPN)

9 pm: The Unit (CBS); Las Vegas (NBC); Reba/Living with Fran (WB); Kyle XY (ABC)

10 pm: NUMB3RS (CBS); Law & Order (NBC); 20/20 (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

10 pm: The Kumars at No. 42 on BBC America.

The hilarious semi-improvised sitcom/talk show hybrid returns with a new season of celebrity interviews. In the studio tonight: rock legend Alice Cooper and legendary Brit comedian Ronnie Corbett.

10:40 pm: Little Britain on BBC America.

If you missed this outrageous sketch comedy's third season, here's your chance to catch it from the beginning. Roman gets more than he bargained for at a health spa, thanks to ex-wife Bubbles deVere...

What's Done is Done: The Eternal Struggle Between Good and Evil on the Season Finale of "Lost"

Every story begins with thread. It's up to the storyteller to determine just how much they need to parcel out, what pattern they're making, and when to cut it short and tie it off. With last night's penultimate season finale of Lost ("The Incident, Parts One and Two"), written by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, we began to see the pattern that Lindelof and Cuse have been designing towards the last five seasons of this serpentine series. And it was only fitting that the two-hour finale, which pushes us on the road to the final season of Lost , should begin with thread, a loom, and a tapestry. Would Jack follow through on his plan to detonate the island and therefore reset their lives aboard Oceanic Flight 815 ? Why did Locke want to kill Jacob? What caused The Incident? What was in the box and just what lies in the shadow of the statue? We got the answers to these in a two-hour season finale that didn't quite pack the same emotional wallop of previous season

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Have a Burning Question for Team Darlton, Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, or Michael Emerson?

Lost fans: you don't have to make your way to the island via Ajira Airways in order to ask a question of the creative team or the series' stars. Televisionary is taking questions from fans to put to Lost 's executive producers/showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse and stars Matthew Fox ("Jack Shephard"), Evangeline Lilly ("Kate Austen"), and Michael Emerson ("Benjamin Linus") for a series of on-camera interviews taking place this weekend. If you have a specific question for any of the above producers or actors from Lost , please leave it in the comments section below . I'll be accepting questions until midnight PT tonight and, while I can't promise I'll be able to ask any specific inquiry due to the brevity of these on-camera interviews, I am looking for some insightful and thought-provoking questions to add to the mix. So who knows: your burning question might get asked after all.

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Pilot Inspektor: CBS' "Smith"

I may just have to change my original "What I'll Be Watching This Fall" post, as I sat down and finally watched CBS' new crime drama Smith this weekend. (What? It's taken me a long time to make my way through the stack of pilot DVDs.) While it's on following Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars on Tuesday nights (10 pm ET/PT, to be exact), I'm going to be sure to leave enough room on my TiVo to make sure that I catch this compelling, amoral drama. While one can't help but be impressed by what might just be the most marquee-friendly cast in primetime--Ray Liotta, Virginia Madsen, Jonny Lee Miller, Amy Smart, Simon Baker, and Franky G all star and Shohreh Aghdashloo has a recurring role--the pilot's premise alone earned major points in my book: it's a crime drama from the point of view of the criminals, who engage in high-stakes heists. But don't be alarmed; it's nothing like NBC's short-lived Heist . Instead, think of it as The Italian

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