The Craigy's Twenty Sixteen!

Live from Craig's Dining Room comes the twenty sixteen Craigy Awards! Can you believe it has been a year already?! I know I can't. We have truly been blessed with some of the television we have recieved over the last twelve months. I like to champion those shows that may not get recognitions they derserve [cough - The Emmys - cough] and also some of my own damn favourites that I would like to give awards to to show my love.  So let's get on to our first category and here to present it is ... the voice in your head whilst you read it.

The Nominees

Love

Orange is the New Black

Stranger Things

Doctor Who

Pretty Little Liars

Scandal

Empire

iZombie

Girls

The Winner

Orange is the New Black

The Nominees

Veep

The Big Bang Theory

Bob's Burgers

New Girl

The Mindy Project

Baby Daddy

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Broad City
Crazy Ex Girlfriend

The Winner

Baby Daddy

The Nominees

Jean-Luc Bilodeau - Baby Daddy

Finn Wolfhard - Stranger Things

Max Greenfield - New Girls

Peter Capaldi - Doctor Who

Jake Johnson - New Girl

Paul Rust  Love

Tituss Burgess - Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Simon Helberg - The Big Bang Theory

The Winner

Max Greenfield

New Girl

The Nominees

Lena Dunham - Girls

Winona Ryder - Stranger Things

Abbi Jacobson - Broad City

Gillian Jacobs - Love

Ellie Kemper - Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Rachel Bloom - Crazy Ex Girlfriend

Lori Petty - Orange is the New Black

Ilana Glazer - Broad City

Jenna Coleman - Doctor Who

The Winner

Lori Petty

Orange is the New Black

The Nominees

Orange is the New Black

Scandal

Broad City

Doctor Who

Stranger Things

Baby Daddy

The Big Bang Theory

New Girl

The Winner

Stranger Things

The Nominees

Ellen's Design Challenge

The Great British Bake Off

Masterchef US

Ink Master

The Next Food Network Star

The Amazing Race

RuPaul's Drag Race

Big Brother Canada

The Winner

RuPaul's Drag Race

The Nominees

The Bad Girls Club

Catfish

MTV: Suspects

The Real Housewives of New York

Mob Wives

Keeping Up With The Kardashians

Dance Moms

The Real Housewives of Atlanta

The Winner

The Real Housewives of New York

The Nominees

Emma Willis

Arisa Cox

Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins

Caroline Flack

RuPaul

Ant and Dec

Julie Chen

Ryan Seacrest

The Winner

Emma Willis

The Nominees

Bob the Drag Queen - RuPaul's Drag Race

Sonja Morgan - Real Housewives of New York

Kourtney Kardashian - Keeping Up with the Kardashians

Kim Chi - RuPaul's Drag Race

Tiffany Pollard - Celebrity Big Brother

Nadiya Hussain - The Great British Bake Off

Nikki Grahame - Big Brother Canada

Bethenny Frankel - Real Housewives of New York

The Winner

Bob the Drag Queen

RuPaul's Drag Race

The Nominees

Ellen Degeneres

Jimmy Fallon

Seth Meyers

James Corden

Samantha Bee

Graham Norton

Chelsea Handler

The Cast of The Talk 

The Winner

Samantha Bee

The Nominees

American Idol - The Finale

The Brit Awards

Grease Live

Super Bowl Halftime Show

The Oscars

Eurovision

The Winner

Eurovision

The Nominees

Willam

Grace Helbig

Jenna Marbles

Mamrie Hart

Trixie Mattel & Katya Zamolodchikova

Jeffree Star

Hannah Hart

Colleen Ballinger

Drew Monson

The Winner

Trixie Mattel & Katya Zamolodchikova

Congratulations to all the winners!

My 2015 TV Characters - The Definitive 12

I watch a lot of television, and when I say a lot times what you consider a lot by ten. My lack of social life allows me to fill my TV needs. I get to live vicariously as a Washington fixer or a Manhattan OBGYN. I get to watch people fall in love, fall apart, kill other people. So, as I do I have compiled a list of my favourite TV characters so you don't have to.

Leslie Knope - Parks and Recreation
What list of amazing television characters wouldn't include Leslie Knope?! First of all the talented and stunning Amy Poehler plays her. Leslie is strong, a leader, a friend, a loving wife and one person I would want in my corner all the time. I think we could benefit by being a little more Knope. She is the epitome of a good person. If you can't be inspired by Leslie then you are dead on the inside.

Cookie Lyon - Empire
I made the wise life choice to binge watch the entire first season of 'Empire' in a day earlier this year. It is so so good. It is basically a soap opera with a huge budget. From the storylines to the fashion to the music to the guest stars it is everything you need from a TV show. And the shining peak of this great TV show is Cookie Lyon. Played by Taraji P. Henson. She is head strong, the matriarch and sassy to boot. I would cower in the corner if I ever got on the wrong side of her.

Mindy Lahiri - The Mindy Project
I had the tough choice between Mindy and Morgan. Morgan is the hilarious side kick to Mindy, he is ride or die for her, beyond loyal and may have slight stalker tendencies. However, I went with Mindy. She makes me laugh, makes me cry and more often then I would like to admit, I see my personality sometimes sneak through when watching her. Her high opinion of herself is what I love the most about her, her self delusion is often seeing her comparing herself to celebrities with whom she has nothing in common with in real life.

Sheldon Cooper - The Big Bang Theory
In nine years we haven't seen a lot of growth with this character, but in the last season they have catapulted this character's humanity. From the travesty that was the Amy and Sheldon break up of season 8, we saw a more softer side of Sheldon. For the first time we saw him hurt from an actual human experience we can all relate to. And then thankfully the gods heard my cries and Amy and Sheldon got back together!! And then they did it!! IT!! It was so beautifully shown to us, it made us smile instead of want to die if our parents were in the room.

Olivia Benson - Law & Order: Special Victim's Unit
Hands down one of the strongest female characters ever to be birthed on American television. Actually take out the word 'female' and the sentence still stands. She takes no shit from anybody and always fights on the side of good. She has had her own personal battles to contend with but always come out fighting. Plus she is now a mother, the head of the team and still rocks a flawless bob.

Titus Andromedon - Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Every character on this show is great; but it is Titus and Lillian that keeps me coming back for more, Titus just edges out Lillian (maybe because he has more screen time). He is a loveable, eccentric, roommate to Kimmy. He cares about the welfare of others whilst finding any opportunity to further his flailing entertainment career. Favourite moment hands down is 'Pinot Noir' - I am not even going to explain why, if you know then you know why, and if you don't go and find out and enrich your life - then thank me in the form of Jack Daniels.

Mellie Grant - Scandal 
My number one choice for the most underrated TV character of the last few years. Yes, in past seasons she pissed me off but my days when she is not standing next to the President she has truly come in to her own. She still does some questionable things (namely the jurors), but when she is fighting the good fight she is powerful, she is electric and she makes everyone shut up and listen without even asking them. If I could direct you to her filibuster moment in season 4 then you will see exactly what I mean.

Annalise Keating - How to Get Away with Murder
This show seriously demands your attention. Blink and you miss something important. Normally I can get bored by these type of shows, I have the attention span of a gnat. But its the work of Viola Davies that keeps me hooked, her acting in this is sublime and I am not the only one who think so (how you enjoying that Emmy Viola?). I don't agree with her actions a lot of the time but god knows if I ever 'accidentally' kill someone I would run to her in a minute.

Chanel Oberlin - Scream Queens
I will admit that I haven't seen all of the episodes, but I don't need to to pick a star. And Chanel is my star. She is a bitch, and I am not saying anything you wouldn't find in any character description of her. I love a bitch! She is cold as ice with the most amazing closet. If I had that closet I would never have come out (lame attempt at gay humour - but it is that spectacular).

Ilana Wexler & Abbi Abrams - Broad City
I couldn't pick one, it is Sophie's choice. They basically complete each other, where one tails off the other picks them up. They have this beautiful friendship, both too self reliant and perfectly supportive. I can't imagine that in real life these friendships exist. They seem to completely cut off other aspects of their life - but I still love it and am seriously jealous of it. I can't sell this show enough, I absolutely love it and I need everyone in the vicinity to watch it so I can finally talk out loud about it.

Olivia Pope -  Scandal
I love this woman. She is a hero. She is a villain. She is a lover, a friend. She is a gladiator. She makes me want to be a better person whilst also making me realise I don't want to be anything like her - she has been through some shit and has made awful decisions. She is perfectly flawed, she can help someone make the best decisions for their future yet she can't seem to do it for herself. She follows her heart and it often leads her down a dark path. One thing that she does which I strive to do is create the perfect speech, I want my moment - I need my moment.

The Craigy Awards 2015

Can you believe it is that time again! The Craigy's are back! Once again nominations were kept secret so it is anybody's guess who will win. Once again these awards highlight some of the shows that may get forgotten about by the mainstream award shows we all love. We have 15 awards to give out which include two new ones so lets get this show on the road.

Good luck to everyone.

Congratulations to all the winners!

The Show That Everyone Should Be Watching! Broad City!

I have heard a bit of buzz around this show, a few blogs and vlogs I follow are just in love with this show. So of course I had a peek. I WATCHED THE ENTIRE FIRST SEASON IN ONE SITTING! I was instantly obsessed with these two women. For me, if I had to capture it in a few words it would be that it is like a more realistic 'Girls', with a lot of pot and whole lot more laughs.

Yes, there is a lot of a recreational drug use - one episode even focuses on Abbi trying to be a grown up and source her own pot dealer, but don't think this is just a stoner show. It so isn't. For me the best thing about this show is the friendship. The friendship is extreme, loving, inconveniente and special. I have close friends but my god they take it to another level, they set new friendship goals.

The show started out as a YouTube series, and the wonderful (Future Mrs Craig) Amy Poehler saw it, and ran with it. Shopped it around to a bunch of networks and found them a home at Comedy Central, I will be forever thankful. The show is still up on YouTube in 5 minute manageable bites. There is so much to say about this show that I find that I can't think of anything (you know how that happens).

I could talk about Ilana's allergy to shellfish, Abbi's determination to be a fitness instructor, the measures they go to buy Lil' Wayne ticket's, Ilana's f-buddy/dentist, Abbi's roommate's boyfriend, Ilana's immigrant gay roommate, the episode where they try and work out who pooped in the shoe, Abbi's alterego Val who is a famous lounge singer for the elderly, Abbi's reaction to medication after dental surgery, Ilana's crazy mother who buys counterfeit handbags every time she visits New York from the China Town underground, their amazing fashion, Abbie melting her lover's dildo in the dishwasher, the time Abbi danced naked to 'Edge of Glory' (and the fact Lady Gaga tweeted about it), their love for 90's hip hop ....

I just couldn't sell this show enough and I have a feeling it will be huge come award season next year. The two girls are the creators and writers for the show, Amy Poehler is the producer and I recommend it - what more could you want?!