Did you know there was a Television Critics Association? Why not, every other niche group has banded together. But, I bet you didn’t know that they have an annual awards show, and that this year marks their 27th year presenting the awards. Stick with me; I’ll give you tidbits of trivia to wow your friends, family and colleagues. Unlike the Emmy’s or the Oscars, they don’t accept submissions. The nominees are chosen by the members, an organization made up of more than 200 professional critics and journalists from the US and Canada.
I’ve listed the categories and nominations below. The awards will be presented on August 6th at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. You’ll notice toward the bottom of this list is a category titled “Heritage Award”, this trophy is awarded to one long-standing program that has culturally or socially impacted society. So take a look, which one do you think should win?
Individual Achievement in Drama
1. Steve Buscemi (“Boardwalk Empire,” HBO)
2. Peter Dinklage (“Game of Thrones,” HBO)
3. Jon Hamm (“Mad Men,” AMC)
4. Julianna Margulies (“The Good Wife,” CBS)
5. Margo Martindale (“Justified”, FX)
6. Timothy Olyphant (“Justified,” FX)
Individual Achievement in Comedy
1. Ty Burrell (“Modern Family,” ABC)
2. Louis C.K. (“Louis,” FX)
3. Nick Offerman (“Parks and Recreation,” NBC)
4. Amy Poehler (“Parks and Recreation,” NBC)
5. Danny Pudi (“Community,” NBC)
6. Jon Stewart (“The Daily Show,” Comedy Central)
Outstanding Achievement in News and Information
1. “If God Is Willing and Da Creek Don’t Rise” (HBO)
2. “Restrepo” (National Geographic Channel)
3. “60 Minutes” (CBS)
4. “The Rachel Maddow Show” (MSNBC)
5. “30 for 30” (ESPN)
Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming
1. “Amazing Race” (CBS)
2. “Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations” (Travel Channel)
3. “Survivor” (CBS)
4. “The Voice” (NBC)
5. “Top Chef: All Stars” (Bravo)
Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming
1. “A Children’s Garden of Poetry” (HBO)
2. “iCarly” (Nickelodeon)
3. “Nick News with Linda Ellerbee” (Nickelodeon)
4. “R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour” (The Hub)
5. “Sesame Street” (PBS)
6. “Yo Gabba Gabba” (Nick Jr.)
Outstanding New Program
1. “Boardwalk Empire” (HBO)
2. “Game of Thrones” (HBO)
3. “Terriers” (FX)
4. “The Killing” (AMC)
5. “Walking Dead” (AMC)
Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials
1. “Cineme Verite” (HBO)
2. “Downton Abbey: Masterpiece” (PBS)
3. “Mildred Pierce” (HBO)
4. “Sherlock: Masterpiece” (PBS)
5. “Too Big to Fail” (HBO)
Outstanding Achievement in Drama
1. “Friday Night Lights” (DirecTV/NBC)
2. “Game of Thrones” (HBO)
3. “Justified” (FX)
4. “Mad Men” (AMC)
5. “The Good Wife” (CBS)
Outstanding Achievement in Comedy
1. “Community” (NBC)
2. “Louie” (FX)
3. “Modern Family” (ABC)
4. “Parks and Recreation” (NBC)
5. “Raising Hope” (FOX)
Career Achievement Award
1. Steven Bochco
2. Dick Ebersol
3. Cloris Leachman
4. David Letterman
5. William Shatner
6. Oprah Winfrey
Heritage Award
1. “All in the Family”
2. “Freaks and Geeks”
3. “The Dick Van Dyke Show”
4. “Twin Peaks”
Program of the Year
1. “Boardwalk Empire” (HBO)
2. “Friday Night Lights” (DirecTV/NBC)
3. “Game of Thrones” (HBO)
4. “Justified” (FX)
5. “Parks and Recreation” (NBC)
If you’ve longing to watch an HBO original series like True Blood or Real Time with Bill Maher or just catch a flick anytime anywhere - you’ll soon be able to with 
“Modern Family” (ABC), Twentieth Century Fox Television in association with Levitan Lloyd Productions
NEW YORK (AP) – Mayor Michael Bloombergs administration is launching a program to train women, minorities and struggling New Yorkers for jobs in film and television production.
There were more than just the sound of waves lapping on Waikiki beach last night. More than 10,000 people attended the premiere of the first episode of the final season of LOST. I’m surprised the producers held such a public screening. With the lightening speed of social media I would bet money the details of the first episode are on Twitter today. However, I believe no true LOST fan would dare search out any spoilers. Why? Well, speaking as a LOST fan – I want to be thrilled by every second as it unfolds during its appointed time slot on ABC, Tuesday’s at 10PM EST.
Winners for the 16th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards are:
Former Miramax Films chief Daniel Battsek, as expected, landed a new gig: president of National Geographic Films. Battsek, who was ousted as head of Disney’s specialty label Miramax in October, will begin his new job on March 15, reporting to president David Beal.