CHAT WITH KELLY
USA TODAY’s Kelly Lawler chats with readers Mondays at 2 p.m. ET at facebook.com/USATODAY. Read edited excerpts below, email questions to klawler@usatoday.com or tweet them to @klawls and visit her live online.
Q Are there too many awards shows? The VMAs were terrible this year.
A Yes. For me, there are way more awards shows than I am interested in watching over the course of the year. Don’t get me wrong, I love the big ones (Oscars, Emmys, Grammys, Tonys, even the Golden Globes) for their spectacle and the horse races, but there are so many minor ones it’s hard to keep track. I missed the VMAs this year ( because they aired opposite a much bigger TV event — the Game of Thrones Season 7 finale), but what I saw was painful to watch. And the ratings dropped significantly, too. The VMAs garnered only 2.7 million viewers, an 18% drop from last year. Q What are some good reality shows this summer?
A I am partial to series that showcase the talents of contestants rather than interpersonal drama and scandal. Project Runway has long been my favorite, and this year I’m excited that they have included models up to size 22, which gives the aging show a new twist and better reflects the market for which the designers are supposed to be creating looks. A new series I’ve enjoyed is Face Off: Game Face, a spinoff of Syfy’s makeup competition show with different contestants in each episode and a faster pace.
Q Is it worth catching up on Halt and Catch Fire for its last season? A Absolutely yes! Halt is an AMC series about the computing and tech business in the 1980s. The first season was a bit rough, following two men (Lee Pace and Scoot McNairy) in the PC race, but the series improved when it shifted its focus to female characters played by Kerry Bishé and Mackenzie Davis and their own tech startup. It’s a smart commentary on women in the industry, 30 years ago and today. The fourth and final season is airing on AMC, but you can catch up on Netflix.