"The Big Bang Theory" & "Extras" Get a Nod from the Banff TV Festival

We're always pleased as punch here when one or two of our favorite shows get noticed in a big way, and my fave new comedy The Big Bang Theory and longtime TFN darling Extras (the episode with Daniel Radcliffe)
have just been announced as two of the nominees in the Comedy Programs category for the 29th annual Banff World Television Awards, the prestigious competition which winnows down nearly a thousand entries into a hundred nominees into finally the winners which will be announced on June 9th, 2008. It's worth a glance at the full list of all the nominees in every category, if for no other reason than to truly understand and appreciate that there is terrific television being produced all over the planet, and we're seeing only a tiny bit of it.

The Big Bang Theory and Extras share their category with other nominees Desperate Housewives, British sketch show Ruddy Hell! It's Harry and Paul, Australian mockumentary series Summer Heights High (Episode 1), and the satirical revue The Chaser's War on Everything, also from Australia. It's a widely divergent group of shows and again, in the interest of getting up to speed with the gold standard in comedy, I highly recommend you check these out.

Thanks to the internet, it's easier than ever to do that. You can watch the nominated episode of Summer Heights High here in two parts on Daily Motion, and several whole eps of The Chaser's War on Everything are available on Google video and bits on YouTube, the very funny Extras with Daniel Radcliffe clips are all over, and (I think) this is Part One and this is Part Two of the episode. Many clips from Ruddy Hell! It's Harry and Paul are on YouTube, and I'm going to post this little bit right here so you can get a taste of it.

Anyway, a big shout to all nominees from the Flaming Nose -- we love television from everywhere!

P.S.: Can I just put in a great word for Wikipedia here? I do a lot of web research for various projects, and there's just no place to get the lowdown quicker on ANY topic than on Wikipedia. If I want to get up to speed right away that's always my first stop, and I go on from there (and of course I go on from there!). The key to their success is the passionate involvement of those participating in creating Wikipedia, and though traditional media loves to pounce on any story when partisan content gets posted on the Wiki (and just as quickly taken down) and therefore declares Wikipedia flawed and biased, trad media is just plain behind the curve here. Wikipedia rocks!