Awards Season is fast approaching and the one ceremony which relies on fan balloting needs our early input.  The 36^th annual People’s Choice Awards want to condense their list of potential nominees in each category from a dozen to the top five.  There are ten television-related groups, plus 12 for movies and nine for music.  If your favorite is not already listed, voters can also write in their own choices.  Here are the current WBNX-related names which appear on the ballot: 

Favorite Competition Show:  America’s Next Top Model

Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show:  Smallville, Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries

TV Comedy:  The Office, Desperate Housewives

TV Comedy Actress:  Jenna Fisher, Sarah Chalke, Teri Hatcher, Eva Longoria

TV Comedy Actor:  Steve Carell, Zach Braff

TV Drama:  Lost, Law & Order: SVU

TV Drama Actress:  Blake Lively, Evangeline Lilly, Mariska Hargitay

TV Obsession:  Gossip Girl

TV Talkshow:  The Tyra Banks Show

Movie Actress:  Jennifer Aniston

Breakout Movie Actor:  Ed Helms (The Office)

Breakout Movie Actress:  Rashida Jones (The Office)

Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail received several nominations.

We know there are other CW stars and series you’d like to include, as well.  To take part in this month-long nomination process, log onto peopleschoice.com and vote often.  In December, you’ll be given the chance to select winners in each category, who will then be honored on January 6.

After ten years on the air, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit remains the most popular spinoff from the original police drama.  As the show enters network syndication, stars Chris Meloni (Det. Elliot Stabler) and Mariska Hargitay (Det. Olivia Benson) spent some time answering questions with WBNX:

 The series tackles some unsettling stories…
(MH):   My answer to the subject matter we deal with was starting the Joyful Heart Foundation (in 2004), which helps victims of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse.  Learning the statistics was pretty staggering and overwhelming—that one in six women is a victim.  It’s a dark part of the human condition, and I think that’s why (L&O) is so compelling…because these things do happen.  But the show brings attention to the issues and provides a platform to educate. 
(CM):   As the show has progressed, we’ve seen it more as a public service.  We’re trying to send a larger message that these are things not to fear; these are real problems that must be dealt with in a mature way.  And how we tell the stories, it’s not in a prurient manner; it’s in an adult fashion.

 Did you ever envision the series achieving such success?
(CM):   Actors need a certain amount of ‘protective armor,’ because we’re really like performers in a circus.  Shows come, shows go, you never know.  For a show to still be going after a decade, that’s rarified air.  We’re very honored, very pleased and very satisfied. 

Strengths of the show, from your view…
(MH):   The writing is not only great, it addresses the delicate social issues, so it’s complicated and respects the viewer.  It delivers sort of a ‘gray’ show…it’s not black, it’s not white, and you’re really left to think.
(CM):   We have a long history of great storytelling, with each episode a little self-contained nugget.  And we’re dealing with things people are familiar with because of the ripped-from-the-headlines stuff.  We also have great chemistry; the actors still truly like each other after ten years.  And Mariska, of course, has some nice bling (six consecutive Emmy nominations and a win for Best Actress). 

 Fans often ask if Stabler and Benson will become a couple…
(CM):   Ahh, you can’t do that.  You’ve gotta keep that line of (romantic) tension really taut.  I don’t think there will be a hookup. 
(MH):   No, I don’t think so.  Just know that when we’re in a close-up two-shot, we’re holding hands (laughs).

Vincent D’Onofrio has seen his share of mob stories during eight seasons on Law & Order: Criminal Intent, but in his latest role he channels a real-life crime lord from the recent La Cosa Nostra era in Cleveland.  Folks under 40 may be stunned to learn about the surreal underworld factions that ruled the Rock & Roll Capital as far back as the 1920s through the mid-1980s.  We’re talking rackets, labor, godfathers, hitmen…and in 1976 alone, 36 bomb explosions throughout the city.  Much of Cleveland’s organized crime history is documented by area lawman/author Rick Porrello in To Kill The Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia.  His revealing book finally comes to the big-screen next year as The Irishman, which just finished filming in Detroit—where the bleak urban landscape simulated the local scene of a quarter-century ago.  The title character refers to Danny Greene, the brash Irish-American mob boss whose rivalry with the local Italian mafia provoked a countrywide turf war, ultimately ending with Greene’s assassination and several high-ranking crime family members turning government informants.  D’Onofrio portrays ruthless John Nardi, a rebel Italian who took Greene under his wing.  Clevelanders will recognize many of the key players’ names in this infamous chapter of local history.  The sprawling all-star cast features Ray Stevenson as Greene; plus Val Kilmer, Christopher Walken, Paul Sorvino and Linda Cardellini.  Sound like a film…you can’t refuse?

A first-ever live nationwide simulcast will give moviegoers the chance to interact with cast members of The Narrows, a coming-of-age mobster drama premiering Friday.  WBNX stars Sophia Bush (Brooke on One Tree Hill) and Vincent D’Onofrio (Det. Goran on Law & Order: Criminal Intent) will be joined by Kevin Zegers for a Q&A session immediately following the opening night 9pm showing.  Locally, The Narrows debuts exclusively at the Great Lakes Mall Atlas 16 theatre in Mentor, and tickets for the event are now available.  Based on Tim McLoughlin’s riveting novel, Heart of the Old Country, the film follows a young man whose college dreams lack funding…until he meets up with a Brooklyn kingpin.  As the teenager’s dangerous involvement in small-time crime escalates, the story races with suspense, romance, loyalty and murder.  Fans will be able to text their questions to the actors in real-time, or you can submit questions in advance by clicking here. 

It’s a big week for The CW, with tomorrow’s unveiling of the new Fall lineup.  Media outlets have already confirmed three of the slots will go to Melrose Place, The Vampire Diaries and The Beautiful Life…all star-laden and buzzworthy additions.  Fans of the original Melrose Place melodrama can expect much more, as the reboot opens with a bloody body floating in the courtyard pool.  More series pickups are expected to be announced in New York.  On the local front, WBNX is excited to add seven more high-profile series, a diverse mix which includes:

• The Office: A three-time Emmy nominee for Best Comedy Series (and winner in 2006), Steve Carell leads the cast of what many consider one of the funniest shows in television history. Last week the quirky sitcom celebrated its 100th episode.
• Bones: The popular forensic mystery, starring David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel, is still going strong, receiving a new two-year extension this week.
• Scrubs: It’s the medical comedy with nine lives—or at least nine seasons, after its post-finale renewal. Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke and a hospital staff brimming with dry humor are a welcome addition!
• Everybody Hates Chris: This CW series wrapped up two weeks ago in hilarious Sopranos-style, suddenly cutting to black with the Rock family in a local diner ready to reveal Chris’s fate. A longtime favorite of critics, EHC could easily be the next big weekday syndication hit.
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: One of the rare dramas to amass well over 200 episodes, this ten-year veteran crime procedural stars Mariska Hargitay, Chris Meloni and Ice-T.
• Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?: Well, are ya? Jeff Foxworthy brings his primetime game show hit to weekdays. It’s a half-hour format, with all new episodes.
• The Tyra Banks Show: She’s one of TV’s most engaging personalities, and Tyra takes up residence on WBNX weekdays at 3pm this fall.

Part of the most successful crime drama franchise in television history comes to WBNX, when Law & Order: Criminal Intent premieres Monday through Fridays at midnight, beginning June 16.  The original Law & Order series debuted 18 seasons ago, and has launched five spinoffs:  Criminal Intent, Special Victims Unit, Trial by Jury, Crime & Punishment, and Conviction.  Together, Dick Wolf’s legal lineup has produced an amazing 812 episodes.  L & O: Criminal Intent follows the NYPD’s Major Case Squad, with the twist of exposing the crimes from the criminals’ perspective.  Vincent D’Onofrio heads the stellar cast as Detective Robert Goren, and is joined by Kathryn Erbe, Jamey Sheridan, Courtney B. Vance and Chris Noth.  As with many of the Law & Order series, a good portion of this police procedural’s high-profile stories are “torn from today’s headlines.”  It’s a solid hour of TV, and a welcome addition to our late-night lineup.