This week, director Quentin Tarantino talked about his Emmy nomination for the CSI season finale "Grave Danger," and revealed why he's keeping his expectations low.

The director first evinced his enthusiasm for the nod. "So tickled, I can't tell you," Tarantino said to the Hollywood Reporter. "It means a whole lot because the people who do the nominations could have held who I am against me. They could have been like, 'Oh, look at the big film guy, stooping to do TV.' But it wasn't like that. I have so much respect for the TV directors."

This makes Tarantino's first Emmy nomination, and though the director is tickled about the recognition, he's realistic about the outcome. "Hey, I'd love to win," he said, "but I'm going up against people like J.J. Abrams and his show Lost. He is so The Man in TV right now. So I'm clearly not a lock. But damn, I'm just so honored to even have a shot at it."

Tarantino is no stranger to television. He directed an episode of ER in the late 90s and was set to direct an episode of The X-Files, but the deal never went through due to problems with the Director's Guild. Tarantino admitted, the big screen and the small screen are two different worlds. "TV is a lot precious about stuff. In a series, if you like the first take, that's it, move on. It's also such a different dynamic to be working with actors who have been playing the same characters for five years and know them inside-out."

A self-proclaimed fanatic of CSI, Tarantino came up with the plot idea for "Grave Danger." He originally insisted on staying away from the writing process, but wasn't successful in keeping his hands off the script. "I'd see the script for a scene and I'd take it, do some rewriting and kind of sheepishly sneak it back in," he said. "Then they'd be really excited to have me rewriting. That was, like, their game plan all along."

But Tarantino's plan was to keep his touch minimal and not diminish the essence of the show. "I wanted to make the CSI feel like a movie," he added. "But it was also important that I not take more time than any other director."

Tarantino will make an appearance on tonight's Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Check your local listings for more information. Thanks to Al Forno for the notice. If you'd like to read the rest of the article, visit the Hollywood Reporter.

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