The Veronica Mars Award- Female in Drama

Named For: Veronica Mars (Veronica Mars)
Awarded To: The best female character in a drama series
2009 Winner: Julie Taylor (Friday Night Lights)
2010 Winner: Julie Taylor (Friday Night Lights)

Place. Nominee (Series) Points (My Vote)

10. Naomi Clark (90210) 4 points

9. Annie Tee (Treme) 6 points

8. Alex Dupre (One Tree Hill) 6 points (3rd)

7. Adrianna Tate Duncan (90210) 8 points (2nd)

6. Peggy Olsen (Mad Men) 9 points

5. Stella Malone (Jonas) 9 points (5th)

4. Becky Sproles (Friday Night Lights) 10 points

3. Brittany Pierce (Glee) 12 points (4th)

2. Blair Waldorf (Gossip Girl) 13 points

and the Poolie goes to...

1. Macy Misa (Jonas) 15 points (1st)

This is Macy Misa's first Poolie nomination, and first ever win for best female character in a drama series.

We here at the Quiet Pool Perspective are proud to welcome Poolie voter T-Time, who has some nice things to say about Macy Misa, Nicole Anderson, and the people of Jonas.

                                                                                                                                                                   

This award is almost like a reverse Emmy. You know where they give best actress on a comedy to someone who had a good dramatic performance on a show categorized as a comedy? Well here the award for supporting actress in a drama goes to the best comedic performance on a show that is categorized as a drama. I’m not saying that Nicole Anderson can’t do drama. There were “moments” in the show and she nailed them. But the primary purpose of her character, Macy Misa, is that she is funny. Anderson’s comedic timing is impeccable; in most episodes of Jonas LA, the best line, or lines, were delivered by Macy Misa. While many have missed out on the show, it would be worth it even for non-fans of the Jo Bros to tune in and catch a Macy gem.

~ Written by Tim Forcella

Third Day of TV Christmas- Three Jo Bros

In a new tradition here at the Pool, as both a way of summing up the year in television and celebrating the holidays, we will be releasing the first Twelve Days of TV Christmas series leading up to the day where I hope to receive multiple DVD box sets of my favorite shows. Whereas the Poolies celebrate the best television of the season by a number of voters, the Twelve Days of Christmas is my attempt at giving credit to the top series of the year by me and only me. Having said that, a couple of my favorite shows have been left off the list for a multitude of reasons. In the case of Chuck and Justified, it's mostly because I couldn't fit them into a numbered slot as well as some others. With Sons or Always Sunny, I just wasn't as happy with their respective seasons in 2010. So without further ado, here is the Third Day of TV Christmas. Feel free to sing along.

On the third day of Christmas my tv gave to me...three Jo Bros, two Terriers, and a paper boss in Scranton, PA.

The third show to earned accolades for 2010 is our second straight canceled series. Jonas concluded its second season during the year, and the bros decided to stop the show for what I'm sure are a ton of good reasons. In between the first and second seasons, Joe, Nick and Kevin changed locations, changed the tone of the show, and even changed the title. At first I was worried that tonal change, from a complete slapstick to a more melo-dramatic comedy, was going to be a problem. Although Jonas LA wasn't as funny as the first season, it was not any worse by season's end. The ridiculous drama they brought week in and week out put it up there with the likes of Mackenzie Falls for most drama on television. At the end of the day, I've grown to be a bit too obsessed with these brothers. Maybe it's because I have two brothers myself, and wish that we could in fact be the Jo Bros. Or maybe it's because they are just that awesome, that they deserve to be idolized by one and all. I will continue to listen to their music, and follow whatever projects they move on to in the future.

Summer Poolies Watch- Drama

And so we round up the Summer Poolies watch with a quick look at what's been going on in the drama department. First up is the Dynasty Award for Best Drama Series and let's begin with a couple of sure fire nominees. I have no idea when Treme is going to air in 2011, but the three eps that we got in June, including 'All On a Mardis Gras Day' were fantastic. There has only been one Mad Men ep thus far, but it is a lock every season.

Other shows looking for a nomination: Entourage has been much more enjoyable this season, as Scott Caan has proven to be a wonderful addition. Jonas makes the switch to the drama category, and even though its revamped style isn't nearly as good as the first season, I love me some Jo Bros. Glee aired two eps at the end of season one in June, and if things don't get less annoying on that show, it might miss out on nominations. Then there is Hung and Pretty Little Liars. The first has given no real entertainment, while the second has been much better than expected (although still underwhelming).

The Dr. Doug Ross Award for Best Lead Character in a Drama is next up. Ari Gold (right) has one the supporting category two straight years, but it's about time to realize that he is a lead in this show. There are basically five leads. If I were to say who the two with the most screen time were, I'd guess E and Ari. Then of course there is Mr. Draper of Mad Men and a couple of French Quarter guys, in Davis McAlary and Antoine Batiste of Treme. If any of the Jo Bros stand out from each other, they could have a good shot at a nomination in a much easier category than the comedy one they were in last year.

Supporting characters. The Noah Hunter Award. With Ari hypothetically out of the group, I like Roger Sterling and Scotty Lavin of Entourage as my early favorites. Creighton Bernette and Albert Lambreaux of Treme also put forth good performances in June, but the big man won't be around next season so that limits his ability. Puck of Glee, although not as cool as I want him to be, has his moments and should be in the running for a nomination next year.

I'll be interested to see if any of the smaller female characters of Glee step up next year. The Veronica Mars Award already is packed with hopefuls, but Quinn Fabray (left) and Santana Lopez of the singing drama deserve some consideration. Of course they'll be competing with their teammates Sue Sylvester and Rachel Berry. My early favorite though? Annie of Treme. I just loved watching her take a beating from Sonny and then falling into Davis's arms. Macy Misa and Stella Malone don't get that much of a break from the category switch as it is just as tough over here in drama for the ladies. Others of note: Janette Desautel of Treme, Jessica Haxon of Hung, Lizzie Grant of Entourage.

Another category loaded with talent is the Marissa Cooper Award for the Character You Love to Hate in a Drama. I could fill this whole thing with people from Glee and The CW. Kurt, Emma, Mr. Shue, Mercedes, Artie, Finn...keep 'em coming from Glee. Then there are the category staples of Entourage's E and Mad Men's Peggy Olsen. I can't tell if I hate Sonny from Treme because he's so awful to Annie, or love him for it so that's a tough one. Others of note: Tanya Skagle of Hung, Dee Zee of Jonas, Henry Francis of Mad Men.

Episodes of note thus far would be Treme's 'All On a Mardis Gras Day', Mad Men's opener 'Public Relations' and maybe the most recent Entourage 'Tequila Sunrise.'

And there we have the Summer Poolies watch. I might come back in October for a Fall Poolies watch, but I might not. If any of you Poolie voters have any suggestions leave them here (although I know no one but Jaydon or T-time would).

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- Honorable Mentions

Since many shows are on hiatus during the summer, and I am getting ready to leave for an LA vacation (writing this on Sunday), I'm only going to post a few notes on each series. The honorable mentions are some shows that I watch that don't currently make my top 20. They're not necessarily 21-30, but I enjoy them and others should think about checking them out. Without further ado, here are July's Quiet Pool Perspective Power Rankings.

Honorable Mentions

Show- (last time)...red=moving down, green=moving up

30 Rock- (12) Thursdays on NBC
The TGSers seem to really be falling out of good graces at the Pool as 30 Rock falls from 13th to honorable mention after a strangely bad season.

Eastbound and Down- (-) Sundays on HBO
The Danny McBride comedy finally has a second season premiere date. Kenny Powers will return to the screens, where he's always f'ing in, on September 26th on HBO.

Greek- (-) Mondays on ABC Family
Cappie and company are on what I believe will be a quick hiatus. Greek returns for a fourth and final installment before the end of the summer.

Hung- (-) Sundays on HBO
I'm not a big fan of the HBO quasi-comedy, but since I'm writing about it for TVFanatic.com, I figured I'd give it a quick plug here.

Jonas LA- (19) Sundays on Disney Channel
The reinvention for season two takes a dip in comedy but the corny drama is still really good.

Men of a Certain Age- (-) Mondays on TNT
Ray Romano is getting Emmy buzz for his dramatic role as Joe Tranelli, and deservedly so.

Mentalist, The- (16) Thursdays on CBS
The procedural is losing no steam in terms of ratings, but for personally I'd like to see a bit more serialization here.

Persons Unknown- (-) Mondays on NBC
The first three episodes have been decent to good. It's a nice summer thriller if not nearly on par with last season's Harper's Island.

Ricky Gervais Show, The- (-) Sundays on HBO
Probably just as good as a podcast, but the added animation puts it at the top of my animated series list. Can't beat Ricky's laugh.

Top Chef- (-) Wednesdays on Bravo
Quality reality competition currently airing this season from D.C.

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- 20 Through 11

Well it's that time again. Along with hearing myself talk, here at the Quiet Pool Perspective we like to let you know what tv you should be watching. Every two months I give you a few quick thoughts on the best television out there for viewing in what we call here at The Pool, the Bi-Monthly Power Rankings. As always I will rank the top 20 series on tv and here's what the May 2010 version looks like.

20 Through 11

Show- (last time)...red=moving down, green=moving up

20. Justified- (-) Tuesdays on FX
I haven't gotten a chance to post about an episode of Justified since the premiere (because Idol and Lost take up my time on Tuesday and Wednesday), but it has been very solid early on. None have been as good as the first ep. The semi-procedural nature of the show is a nice change-up for me. Just like The Mentalist and House, Justified works as a great procedural because of how good the main character is.

19. Jonas- (HM) Sundays on Disney Channel
The Jo Bros finished up their first season of television in March with a fantastic finale chock full of musical performances. All three guys bring a certain Zack Morrisian charm to the show, right down to the words and glances to the camera. People can rant and rave about Glee all they want, but Jonas is the best musical comedy on television.

18. 24- (13) Mondays on FOX
Oh how the mighty have fallen. I'm not one of these guys who's gonna write a show off just because it does the same thing over and over (like many critics out there). I can appreciate the repetitiveness of a 24 when it's doing it well. Last season they did it well. Whether it was the reintroduction of Tony or the fact they were working with the FBI and not CTU, it was a great season. This year they've taken a nose dive and it's sad that they'll be going out on a bad note.

17. Parks and Recreation- (20) Thursdays on NBC
I can't imagine what the addition of Adam Scott to this rising comedy is gonna do. I know I might be a bit biased, because I absolutely loved his character Derek Huff on Step Brothers, but I think the show would be better suited if he played closer to that character than his Party Down character. His dry, down-on-his-luck Henry Pollard works for Party Down because everyone around him is so outrageous, but on Parks you already have April and Ron that fill the quiet comedy assassin roles. We need somebody to come in and tell all of these people how dumb they are. Cue Derek Huff.

16. The Mentalist- (18) Thursdays on CBS
Patrick Jane's sarcasm goes a long way, but it's been the extra effort of Kimball Cho that keeps The Mentalist in the rankings. Yes it's a straight procedural, but every once in a while you need one of those to keep things light. The supporting cast has been great this season, especially Cho, who got an entire ep dedicated to him and his gang related past earlier in the year.

15. American Idol- (12) Tuesdays on FOX
Did American Idol just drop down to my third favorite reality series? It's a sad state of affairs, but how can you blame me? The competition this season has been lacking, the judges continue to get on my nerves, and even Seacrest hasn't been on his game this year. The early eliminations of Lilly Scott and Did Benami didn't help the cause. Maybe it is a product of the majorly boring episode we endured this week, but I'm glad X-Factor will be around soon to spice things up.

14. Survivor- (17) Thursdays on CBS
In my opinion, you should have to watch the Life at Ponderosa webisodes on CBS.com if you watch Survivor. It really gives you the full effect of the season. The bittersweetness that exudes from each contestant that gets voted off is breathtaking to watch. They get to stuff their face with great food, shower away the disgust, and sleep in an actual bed. But then again they lost, so they are deeply saddened at the same time. Great stuff. Oh and by the way this has been a great season of back stabs.

13. Mad Men- (15) Sundays on AMC
I think Mad Men moves up just based on folk lore. When I watch the show it moves down the rankings, and when it's not on it Mad Men moves up. Credit all of the tv blogs and podcasts that continue to claim that it is one of the best shows on television. I still don't see it that way, but if it's not always super entertaining, the superb quality of the series needs to get credit.

12. 30 Rock- (14) Thursdays on NBC
James Poniewozik said that "sometimes it's just worth taking note of what an effortlessly weird show this has become." And I agree completely. I thought at first that 30 Rock had gotten really bad this season, but I might have mistaken bad for weird. Don't get me wrong, it's still not where it used to be, but it's just oh so weird now. Everything is completely over the top, and my memory may be failing me but I don't remember it like that in the beginning.

11. Big Brother- (11) Summers on CBS
The more I watch Idol and Survivor, the more I realize how great the Big Brother season is. There's something so refreshing about relaxing in the summertime heat and watching people fight with each other three times a week. We had a terrible cast of awful human beings this season and it was fantastic. Imagine if they get some dudes I would enjoy watching!

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- Honorable Mentions

Now that the Olympics are over many of our favorite shows are set to return. Plenty of new shows are also on the horizon. Let's see where The Perspective's Power Rankings stacks everyone up. January and February brought back plenty of series in the Top 20, including perennial number one LOST. I've also caught myself all the way up on a couple of cable gems (Sons of Anarchy, Breaking Bad) so things might look a bit different near the top this time around. A few shows that have missed the cut (Bored to Death, V, Eastbound) not because of failure to entertain, but for lack of episodes and too much time off. Without further ado here are the shows you should be watching, The Quiet Pool Perspective's March Power Rankings.

Honorable Mentions

Show- (last time)...red=moving down, green=moving up

Californication- (HM) Sundays on Showtime
Hank Moody and crew have been off since the last rankings but will return for a fourth season sometime in September. Here's hoping Sue Collini is no longer a part of the show.

Dexter- (-) Sundays on Showtime
I am currently halfway through the second season of this serial criminal action series, but I've seen enough to recommend it to anyone. I've heard that the most recent season four was very good and co-starred John Lithgow.

Gary Unmarried- (-) Wednesdays on CBS
It's obvious. It's corny. It's on CBS. Having said that, it's still entertaining. Jay Mohr is over the top, but his kid Tommy is subtly hilarious.

Glee- (HM) Wednesdays on FOX
Rachel Berry and the rest of the gang won't return from their mega long winter hiatus until April. Maybe they've had enough time to figure out what about this show works well and what doesn't (any drama having to do with Mr. Shue).

Gossip Girl- (HM) Mondays on The CW
Returning this month, let's hope that the loss of a couple of great guest stars in the fall, especially Hillary Duff, won't make the spring session of the teen drama falter.

Greek- (20) Mondays on ABC Family
The spring session of the college series has been subpar so far. For as much as I want to see Cappie and Casey together I feel like they would've been better off to leave it for the series finale. They're making it kind of bland for now.

House, MD- (HM) Mondays on FOX
As I've said, House is House. I'll continue to watch it for Gregory himself, but other than his interactions with different characters there's nothing else really going on here.

JONAS- (HM) Sundays on Disney Channel
The comedy will start back up for its second season this summer. How are they going to work Joe's new haircut into the story of the season?

Men of a Certain Age- (-) Mondays on TNT
Sure it is painfully slow at times, but the work of Ray Romano and Andre Braugher has been fantastic. It's hard to find better tv than Detective Frank Pembleton stuffing his face with Fiddle Faddles in the middle of the night.

Wizards of Waverly Place- (18) Fridays on Disney Channel
This show has the perfect combination of characters in my opinion. Between Alex's overall hatred toward everything, Max and Jerry's inability to take anything seriously, Justin's complete nerdiness and the mom's stern hand, it all just works.

Bi-Monthly Power Rankings- Honorable Mentions

As the winter hiatus is upon us, four months of the television season has passed us by. A lot has happened since The Perspective's November Power Rankings, so let's see where everyone stacks up at the beginning of 2010. These Bi-Monthly Power Rankings take into account both current and past performance. For example, although I have enjoyed Modern Family much more than 30 Rock this season, the NBC comedy stays on top of the ABC laugher because of its historical performance. Without further ado here are the Quiet Pool Perspective's January TV Power Rankings.

Honorable Mentions

Show- (last time)...red=moving down, green=moving up

Bored to Death- (HM) Sundays on HBO
Jonathan Ames and friends finished their short first season run a while ago and won't be back until late this year. It's hard to get a grasp on how good it really is, but what I've seen I've really enjoyed.

Californication- (20) Sundays on Showtime
Hank Moody and his girls recently finished their third season in fantastic fashion. Although Moody is a great character, the show itself isn't one that I can't wait to see week in and week out.

Eastbound and Down- (-) Sundays on HBO
Nobody knows when Kenny Power and crew will return to our television sets. Like Bored to Death, Eastbound only aired half a season to start its series run. Completely hilarious, but I'll hold back giving it higher praise until I can see them do it again.

Glee- (HM) Wednesdays on FOX
The singers come back on the air in April and will finish the season with nine more episodes. Although I hesitated at first, the dramedy/musical has won me over in a sense and I always look forward to the musical performances.

Gossip Girl- (19) Mondays on The CW
The boys and girls of the Upper East Side took a step forward this season when they highlighted Nate, Dan and newcomer Olivia, but kind of sputtered through the end of the fall season when Serena became the focus of the series.

Hannah Montana- (18) Sundays on Disney Channel
A fourth and final season will begin in 2010. Hannah has gotten better and better as Miley gets older and older. Her comic timing continues to improve, and Billy Ray has been a comic genius considering his absolute lack of acting chops.

House, MD- (14) Mondays on FOX
The story telling on House has fallen off the map for me. The season started on a high note with House in the mental hospital, telling more of a serialized story. Recently I have not looked forward to the same old procedural plots each and every week. Losing Kutner was brutal to the show and now without Cameron I don't see a return to the top any time soon.

Jonas- (-) Sundays on Disney Channel
The Jo Bros continue to rise up on my list of awesome dudes. I absolutely had my doubts going into my first viewing of Jonas, but the three brothers didn't disappoint when I watched most of the first season in marathon style one Sunday afternoon. Sure it is corny, but with my love of Danny McCoy and Las Vegas, you already knew I enjoy corny.

Parks and Recreation- (-) Thursdays on NBC
The Office-esque comedy came into its own in this, its second season. Amy Poehler has her moments, but it was the writers' ability to get Chris Pratt's Andy Dwyer into the Parks and Rec building after his broken leg healed. Now able to interact with all of the characters, Andy has proven to be a must see all on his own.

Sons of Anarchy- (-) Tuesdays on FX
The motorcycle gang action series just finished its second season on FX in December. Sure I've only experience half of the first season, but it shows so much promise that I'm giving it an honorable mention spot already. I only see Sons moving up as I continue to catch up.