THE BEST AND WORST LOVERS IN HOLLYWOOD:
For television's biggest stars, Emmy nominations day begins as either the best or worst of mornings, as the assiduously watched iPhone on the nightstand either lights up with the caller-ID photo of an elated publicist thrilled to rouse a nominee, or remains eerily, mockingly silent, a glassy black slab reflecting back the look of soul-annihilating disappointment on the exhausted face of the snubbed. For those lucky enough to get The Call, the rest of the day involves shuffling through a congratulatory conga line of media outlets eager to get their reactions, inevitably a litany of effusive, grateful sound bites, offered over and over again without any chance for reflection. Or honesty. Below, we attempt to decode what secret messages the nominees are actually trying to communicate through their bland "I'm so happy!"s and hostage-video-quality "It's an honor just to be nominated!"s, as collected by THR.com:
Alexander Skarsgård is in discussions to join The East, another project the ascendant Brit Marling (Another Earth) both co-wrote and will star in. It’s a thriller about an eco-terrorist group fronted by Skarsgard’s character and infiltrated by Marling’s character. Marling is currently adding make-out scenes to the screenplay. Grade: B [HR]
The Shield creator Shawn Ryan has linked up with screenwriter Karl Gajdusek to sell ABC a new pilot, The Last Resort. Set in the near, even-more-messed-up future, it focuses on the crew of a U.S. nuclear submarine that refuses to shoot its missiles, then declares itself, with 24 nuclear warheads, the world’s smallest nuclear nation. Well, that sounds awesome. Grade: A [Deadline]
