Congrats to Emmy-Winning No Reservations

By Karen

I didn’t watch the Emmys last night, so I don’t know if Anthony Bourdain attended. No Reservations was nominated for Outstanding Nonfiction Series. It lost to American Masters. (Tony was robbed, I say!)

It was with some difficulty I finally ferreted out the results on the show’s third nomination this morning. The Emmys seem like some cheesy carnival game, with dozens of bizarre, obscure categories to ensure “If you play, you win!” — for something — eventually.

This isn’t to detract from Tony’s win. I’m just saying, when you see ALL the nominations in one place, sheesh! How have they missed having a whole set of awards for Outstanding Typing of a Script in every category?

No Res: Laos was nominated for Outstanding Editing, but lost to This American Life. Is isolationism at work, since No Res got beaten by shows with “American” in their title in both categories?

However, Laos DID win for Outstanding Cinematography last week, so No Res has earned well-deserved bragging rights as an “Emmy-award-winning series.”

Personally, I’d like to see Bourdain win for Outstanding Writing in Nonfiction Programming. Haven’t those Emmy people been listening to him at all?

In case you missed it, Cats Working reader Cindy put us on to a gallery of Getty photos of Tony and his wife Ottavia at the New York Emmy ceremonies earlier this month, the premier of Julie & Julia, and other events.

Even though Season 5 wrapped up last week in Sardinia, Bourdain’s popping up all over the Internet again. His summer vacation is definitely over.

Josh Ozersky at Feedbag did a podcast with Tony on September 11 about the upcoming New York Wine & Food Festival from October 8-11, where Tony will be appearing with David Chang. Tony waxes eloquently profane on mixologists vs. bartenders.

Nikki Metzgar at Houston Press provides great descriptions of some things Bourdain ate in Sardinia. I was particularly interested in what that cracker-like bread was all about.

Sarah Kelley at Leo Weekly got an advance interview with Bourdain before he appears at the Idea Festival in Louisville, Kentucky, on September 25. He’s still talking about spending a year in Vietnam, and he took another swipe at Sandra Lee.

Michael Jackson: One Conflicted Black Cat

By Yul

I’m not a fan of Michael Jackson’s music, but I considered him a fellow black cat (underneath), and his unexpected passing stunned me. In his own strange way, Michael was one of those rare people whose departure leaves a hole in the planet.

Have you noticed how everyone seems to have forgotten they were vilifying him as a child molester just a few years ago and saying his career was over?

I believe he did inappropriate things, but with innocent intent, pathetically trying to recapture his own missed childhood. He didn’t realize he was playing with a stacked deck of adult knowledge and feelings because he tried so hard to suppress them.

Michael didn’t seem to have a mean bone in his body. If anything, he was too nice and people used him.

If his death was simply a sudden heart attack, Somebody up there provided him the mercifully quick and graceful exit he needed, but could never find for himself without having more scorn heaped on him. Fate may have known he was walking into the biggest humiliation of his life with that 50-show comeback next month in London, and that he wouldn’t be able to survive it.

Sure, die-hard fans were eager for him to command a stage again, but plenty of people would have been saying, “That weird, washed-up pedophile is just making a fool of himself.”

Michael must have felt enormous pressure to succeed, knowing it was his last chance to salvage his career and pay his debts. Failure would leave him even worse off than before, with no options left.

But now he’ll forever be the King of Pop, with no embarrassing finale. As the world mourns his death, we must acknowledge that, for his sake, its timing was perfect. I hope he’s finding the peace and love he craved so much in life.