building brain power

The Emmy Awards got a couple of things right last night. "24" and "The Office" won for best drama and best comedy. However some of the acting awards went to people I wouldn't have picked. Gregory Itzin and Jean Smart were robbed, robbed I tell you. I would have given awards to Steve Carell, Jane Kaczmarek, Will Arnett and Jamie Pressly too, although Jeremy Piven was a good choice. I thought "American Idol" or "Dancing With the Stars" would beat "The Amazing Race" but I'm fine with the way it turned out.

The Los Angeles Times says that the best acceptance speech ever was given by Greg Garcia. I've told you before about Greg's past as a WAVA intern. The Washington Post showed Greg some love before the awards yesterday.

The success of "24" and "The Office" is explained in a book I just finished reading. In "Everything Bad is Good for You," author Steven Johnson writes that we're getting smarter because pop culture is getting more complicated. Shows used to air only one time and had to be kept simple. In the age of TiVo and DVD, shows are made to be watched and re-watched. The additional complexity of the plot makes us lean forward and think about what we're watching. Johnson also makes a great case for video games, which explains why my son is smarter than me.