The TV Zone

This...?????

Or....this???????

Or, too much of THIS???????

Do they allow drinking during the Emmy judging panel sessions? You know - with bottles of Grey Goose, or maybe just Popov, set up conveniently, and prominently, around the table? How else to explain what seems to be going on in Beverly Hills right now, with the Emmy judges passing judgment on the dramas that will be selected for distinction this September?

I was amused, then appalled, by this report from Goldderby.com, that reliable Emmy watcher hosted and run by Tom O'Neil. This morning from the battlefield front lines, Tom writes:

"So far Gold Derby has received two trusty spy reports from Emmy judges who participated in the voting panels conducted on Saturday at the TV academy and the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Both agree that four shows have an excellent chance to be nominated for best drama series: 'Boston Legal,' 'Damages,' 'House' and 'Mad Men.' However, the judges differ radically on what the fifth show may be plus disagree on general reax to submissions by 'The Wire,' 'Grey's Anatomy' and 'Lost.'"

"Differ radically?"

Are they drunk?

Or insane?

How can anyone - seriously - sit around a table and "differ radically" over whether "Wire" or "Lost" is better or worse than "Grey's Anatomy?" This - after they just ushered "Boston Legal" into the final round?

As always, I'm jumping to conclusions. Tom's spies may have been the ones tipping from the Popov jug, and got all this wrong. When the finalists are announced mid-July, we will see "Wire," "Lost," "Mad Men," "House," and "Damages" (though I still think "Friday Night Lights" shoulda/coulda been a finalist...)

We'll see. But this is Emmy, and...