This coming Sunday is the 63rd Annual Prime Time Emmy Awards. That time of year when we celebrate excellence in national primetime programming. Or do we?

Let's be completely honest here. Few of us watch these shows anymore, and with the advent of the DVR, if we do watch, we are likely to just record it and forward to the few awards we care about. Unless of course you are fortunate enough to have some gay friends who throw a fabulous Emmy bash, in which case I am seriously envious of you and can you please get me invited to their Oscar party?

Sadly, these days, most of America doesn't really care about the Emmys and if the care at all it's just about the red carpet fashion. Joan Rivers will be sharpening her claws and her tongue just for the occasion in preparation for her usual bawdy observations and low-humor quips. Thank goodness for Closed Caption! You don't actually have to listen to her.

But here's something that I'm really wondering about. While I'm sure that these awards are still very important to the actors, directors, screenwriters etc as well as the networks, do they actually have any influence whatsoever on the viewing audience? With the overabundance of channels and programs to watch, not to mention OnDemand and Netflix instant watch, does the general public put and stock into whether or not a show wins awards? I don't think so. I think people watch what they like and don't watch what doesn't interest them and if their show got an award - great! If some show they haven't the slightest curiosity in should sweep the Emmys it's not going to make them tune in. I think back when we had just a few stations and fewer diversions to entertain us on a Tuesday night people did care. Maybe not a huge amount, but it told them where the quality was and the network with the more awards was likely to have the better shows in the next Fall lineup.

What do you think? Do you feel Emmy awards have any influence over viewers and their choice of what to watch these days?

I'm sure most of us remember the inception of the TV Land network. It was born out of Nickelodeon's Nick at Night which used to show old TV show reruns, like The Dick Van Dyke Show and Mr. Ed before it found pay-dirt with endless reruns of Sponge Bob Squarepants and iCarly. The Nick people branched out into a second network just for those viewers who were thrilled to be able to watch old reruns of I Love Lucy, Donna Reed, Hazel, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie and other classic gems.

In recent years, TV Land has definitely veered away from its roots and left most of the vintage fare behind in favor of Everybody Loves Raymond and Roseanne and Home Improvement. Not that I dislike those shows. Hell, I love ELR! I know they're nuts and mean but I'd take the Barone's over my Dad and William any day! But as great as they are, it's not what I think of when I think of 'old classics'. Maybe I just don't want to think of shows I watched as an adult - or near adult - as being considered 'classic' now. Sort of like hearing your senior prom theme on the oldies station. But come on - Extreme Makeover: Home Edition? Boston Legal? Are these really old enough to be 'classic TV'? To me, their programming like All in the Family and Sanford and Son is more in keeping with what TV Land is supposed to be. Maybe that's the problem. I guess that's not what TV Land wants to be anymore.

TV Land is branching out in a big way these days. They are running rampant with their own original programming. While I have to say Hot in Cleveland is one of my favorite shows. I actually DVR it while I watch it - just in case! Who doesn't love Betty White? And Happily Divorced is cute, but Retired at 35? Ugh, I can pass. I'd rather see a rerun I've seen so much I know it by heart. And now there's going to be even more new shows! The Exes which looks meh at best, despite Wayne Knight. And honestly, I can't remember what the other commercial I saw was for. Oh - and I know it's not brand new - but really - Joan Rivers' show How'd You Get So Rich? Really? Who's brain child was that? I can't believe it got renewed for a 2nd season. Joan and Melissa must know a lot of Nielsen families.

Oh TV Land, why must you forsake us? Don't stray from your crusade to keep the flicker of the classic black and white TV show blazing from our screens. Especially now that most of them have been restored and we all have hi-def TVs! Please TV Land, go back to your roots and help us go back to ours.

So... I guess it's good-bye to retro.