Tag Archives: award show

‘Game of Thrones’ & ‘O.J.” lead Emmy nominations, ‘The Americans’ joins the race

News, Television, , , , , ,

Today the latest crop of Emmy nominations were announced, and they include the typical fare you’re used to seeing get recognized this time of year, as well as some welcome surprises and sour snubs.

HBO’s widely popular fantasy drama Game of Thrones earned a whopping 23 nominations, leading the pack by a narrow margin; FX’s The People Vs OJ Simpson: American Crime Story (22 nods) and Fargo (18), as well as HBO comedy Veep (17) aren’t trailing far behind.

The following series vie for Best Drama: The Americans (!), Better Call Saul, Downton Abbey, Game of Thrones, Homeland, House of Cards, and Mr. Robot. That’s right–FX Cold War period drama The Americans, after four seasons on the air, is finally being recognized, and in more ways than one. In addition to landing in the Best Drama field, its stars Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell are in the race for Best Lead Actor/Actress. Both are facing some serious competition. Rhys joins Kyle Chandler (Bloodline), Rami Malek (Mr. Robot), Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul), Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan), and Kevin Spacey (House of Cards) in the Best Lead Actor category; Russell makes good company with Claire Danes (Homeland), Viola Davis (How to Get Away With Murder), Taraji P Henson (Empire), Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black, for the second consecutive year!), and Robin Wright (House of Cards).

The following series are in contention for Best Comedy: black-ish, Master of None, Modern Family, Silicon Valley, Transparent, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and Veep. Best Lead Actors include Anthony Anderson (black-ish), Aziz Ansari (Masters of None), Will Forte (The Last Man on Earth), William H Macy (Shameless), Thomas Middleditch (Silicon Valley), and Jeffrey Tambor (Transparent). Best Lead Actresses include Ellie Kemper (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep), Laurie Metcalfe (Getting On), Tracee Ellis Ross (black-ish), Amy Schumer (Inside Amy Schumer), and Lily Tomlin (Grace and Frankie).

Over in the Limited Series field, American Crime, Fargo, The Night Manager, The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story, and Roots were all nominated for a top prize. Yes, many of the OJ actors you loved watching in that series were nominated for their captivating portrayals including Sarah Paulson, Courtney B. Vance, Cuba Gooding Jr, Sterling K. Brown, David Schwimmer, and John Travolta. Equally happy to report that AMC’s The Night Manager high praise also extends to its leads Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie.

The snubs that leave a sour taste in my mouth including the complete shunning of HBO’s The Leftovers, which came off an incredibly artistic and gripping second season featuring master-class acting and direction; the lack of love for A&E’s Bates Motel is appalling as leads Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore gave painstakingly breathtaking performances this year; also nada for Netflix/Marvel’s Jessica Jones and its stars Krysten Ritter and David Tennant, AMC’s Billions and its stars Paul Giamatti and Damien Lewis, and Netflix’s Orange is the New Black which is fresh off another solid season. And then, of course, there’s the yearly tradition of scratching one’s head over the lack of overall recognition for AMC’s The Walking Dead which year after year produces not only ratings gold but also creative powerhouse television. What makes all of these snubs somewhat more palatable is knowing that Louie Anderson squeezed into the race with a wholly deserved nod for his hysterical and nuanced turn as Zach Galifianakis’ mother in FX’s Baskets.

The 68th Primetime Emmy Awards airs live Sunday, September 18 at 7pm (EST) on ABC. Click here for the full list of nominees.

Leo, ‘The Revenant’ & ‘Mad Max’ win big at 88th Oscars

Movies, News, , , , ,

Let’s not bury the lead here. Last night at the 88th Annual Academy Awards, audiences were witness to a feat once thought maddeningly impossible: Leonardo DiCaprio won the Oscar for Best Actor. We did it! His movie, Revenant, went into this years Oscars with 12 nominations and came away with 3; in addition to Leo’s momentous win, the Academy also awarded the painstakingly gritty film’s director Alejandro G. Iñárritu with his second consecutive Best Director win (see last year’s Birdman) and it also won for Best Cinematography. The film with the most wins of the night was Mad Max: Fury Road. It swept the majority of technical categories including Best Sound Mixing and Editing, Film Editing, Makeup and Hairstyling, and Production and Costume Design. Spotlight surprised at the end of the ceremony when it was crowned Best Picture; earlier in the night it won Best Original Screenplay. Elsewhere, Inside Out was named Best Animated Feature, 87-year-old composer Ennio Morricone was recognized for his already iconic score set to Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight, and Ex Machina deservedly managed to beat out Star Wars, Mad Max, The Martian, and The Revenant for Best Visual Effects. Click here for the full list of winners.

The show itself, though it ran long by 30+ minutes, was relatively entertaining throughout. Host Chris Rock ran with the #OscarsSoWhite diversity problems surrounding the telecast leading into it. No doubt his controversial monologue resonated with audiences; muted laughs and applause told the story well. Personal highlights throughout the night included surprise appearances from Star Wars, Toy Story, and The Minions characters and a powerfully emotional musical performance by Lady Gaga. And of course, Leo is now an Oscar-winning actor.

Kendrick Lamar steals the show at performance-heavy Grammys

Music, News, , , ,

The 58th Annual Grammys were all about the performances last night, and for the most part, they did not disappoint. Among the many beautiful duets, it’s hard to point a finger at which one was best. Early on we got Andra Day and Ellie Goulding belting out “Rise Up” and “Love Me Like You Do” and later breakout artists Tori Kelly and James Bay showed off their magical harmonies with their hit songs “Hollow” and “Let It Go.” Sandwiched in-between there was an impromptu performance shared by a cappella group Pentatonix and the iconic Stevie Wonder. The awards ceremony also showcased a stripped down version of “In the Night” by The Weeknd, the one and only Adele (whose technical issues couldn’t take away from her remarkable rendition of “All I Ask”), Brittany Howard’s pipes with her soulful band Alabama Shakes, and Lady Gaga–assisted by Chic’s guitarist Nile Rodgers–wowed the crowd with a colorful tribute to the late, great David Bowie. The ultimate showstopper, though, was Kendrick Lamar who eloquently rapped his way through his To Pimp A Butterfly hits “The Blacker the Berry” and “Alright.” The theatrically poignant performance started with Kendrick in prison chains and ended with a freestyle that touched on the “modern slavery” plaguing African American communities in our nation today. It truly was one for the ages and I think we can all say in unison that Kendrick Lamar is the voice of hip hop for our generation.

Kendrick is among the big winners of the night; he took home a Grammy for Best Rap Album (To Pimp a Butterfly). Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars claimed Record of the Year with “Uptown Funk,” Taylor Swift’s 1989 was crowned Album of the Year, and Ed Sheeran’s popular ballad “Thinking Out Loud” was named Song of the Year. Meghan Trainor (somehow) ended up beating out James Bay, Sam Hunt, Tori Kelly, and Courtney Barnett for Best New Artist.

Head over to Grammys.com to view the full list of winners.

‘The Revenant’ & ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ lead Oscar noms

Movies, News, , ,

We’re in the swing of awards season, people! Days after the Hollywood Foreign Press Association praised The Revenant and Mr. Robot at the Golden Globes, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced this year’s Oscar nominees. The Revenant continues its hot streak leading the charge with 12 Oscar nominations including nods for star Leonardo DiCaprio (will this finally be his year?!) and director Alexandro G. Iñárritu. If you recall, Iñárritu is also on a roll having swept the Oscars last year with big wins for Birdman.

The following flicks are in the running for Best Picture: The Big Short (landed 5 nods total), Bridge of Spies (6 nods), Brooklyn (3), Mad Max: Fury Road (a whopping 10!), The Martian (7), The Revenant (12), Room (4), and Spotlight (6).

As per usual, there are snubs galore and here are some of the most frustrating. Ridley Scott (The Martian), Quentin Tarantino (The Hateful Eight), and Steven Spielberg (Bridge of Spies) were left out of the Best Director race. They were undeservedly overlooked when the Academy selected Adam McKay (The Big Short), George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road), Iñárritu (The Revenant), Lenny Abrahamson (Room), and Tom McCarthy (Spotlight). Elsewhere, and somehow, someway, Aaron Sorkin was not nominated for his impeccably adapted screenplay for Steve Jobs. And then there’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Though you might not agree that North America’s highest-grossing film of all-time deserved a Best Picture nom, it certainly warrants recognition for more than its brilliant Original Score, Visual Effects, film editing, and sound mixing and editing. Still, sci-fi diehards have Mad Max to root for come the telecast.

And then there’s #OscarsSoWhite. For the second consecutive year in a row, the AMPAS is showering decidedly white actors and filmmakers with nominations and neglecting incredibly talented African Americans. Director F. Gary Gray and his box office hit Straight Outta Compton…Ryan Coogler’s Creed and its star Michael B. Jordan…Samuel L. Jackson for The Hateful Eight…Will Smith for Concussion…Idris Elba for Netflix’s Beasts of No Nation. All snubbed. This simply isn’t fair, and let’s hope that it doesn’t become an annual trend.

The 88th Academy Awards, hosted by Chris Rock, airs Sunday, Feb. 28 at 7pm (est) on ABC. Click here to view the full list of nominees.

‘Mr. Robot’ & ‘The Revenant’ big winners at the Golden Globes

Movies, News, Television, , , ,

It was Netflix who dominated the Golden Globe nominations going into this year’s award ceremony, but it was another streaming service who came out on top. Amazon’s Mozart in the Jungle surprised by beating out Orange is the New Black and even HBO’s heavy-hitters Veep and Silicon Valley for Best TV Series–Musical or Comedy. Amazon’s musically inclined series, which stars Gael García Bernal, ended up with two awards; Bernal beat out Aziz Ansari (Master of None) and Jeffrey Tambor (Transparent) for Best TV Actor. Also on top at this year’s Globes was USA’s breakout drama Mr. Robot. Not only did it win Best TV Series–Drama; supporting actor Christian Slater took home a trophy for his performance. It’s only unfortunate that series star Rami Malek didn’t win Best TV Actor; that award went to Jon Hamm (Mad Men). Elsewhere in TV land, The Affair kept its winning streak alive when Maura Tierney was crowned Best Supporting TV Actress. Lady Gaga represented American Horror Story‘s creative comeback in this year’s Hotel saga winning Best TV Actress. And last, in addition to awarding freshman Mozart, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association made sure to recognize the lowly-rated but critically accepted new CW romantic comedy Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Series star Rachel Bloom was named Best TV Actress in the comedy category.

At the movies, The Revenant soared with three wins–the most Globes presented to any property last night. The gritty flick about the endurance of the human spirit was crowned Best Motion Picture–Drama, Leonardo DiCaprio was awarded for his stellar performance in it (hopefully this puts him on track to finally win an Oscar!), and director Alejandro González Iñárritu took the stage to accept a Globe. Right on The Revenant‘s coattails was The Martian and Steve Jobs; they both won two Globes apiece. The former won Best Motion Picture–Comedy (I don’t get it either), plus Matt Damon won for his performance. Kate Winslet and Aaron Sorkin (screenwriting) won for the latter. Other big winners include The Hateful Eight (Best Original Score), Inside Out (Best Animated Film), Joy (Jennifer Lawrence), and Room (Brie Larsen).

All in all, it was a fun, lax occasion led by Ricky Gervais who just didn’t give a crap about any of it. Whether or not that was an act, I can’t see NBC asking him to return for a fifth time. He did have some funny bits, but eventually his shtick of “none of this really matters” grew old and some of the actors (including presenter Morgan Freeman) clearly weren’t having any of it. At the very least, we’ll always have Leonardo DiCaprio’s honest reaction to Lady Gaga bumping her way up to the stage.

Click here for the full list of winners.

Netflix and the streaming services dominate Golden Globe nominations

Movies, News, Television, , ,

Popular streaming services like Netflix and Amazon made a considerable splash at the Golden Globe nominations ceremony today. Netflix, the maker of original content like House of Cards and Orange is the New Black, leads the TV competition including streaming services, cable and broadcast networks with a total of 8 nominations. Not so far behind is premium cable networks HBO and Starz with 7 and 6 nods, respectively, and Amazon ties FX with 5.

Speaking of the streaming services taking over, you needn’t look further than the Best Television Series — Musical or Comedy category which is utterly dominated by offerings from Netflix (Orange is the New Black), Amazon (Transparent), and Hulu (Casual). They’ll be facing off against HBO’s Silicon Valley and Veep. You’ll notice not a single broadcast network comedy enters the race here; the times, they are a-changin’. Fox’s Empire managed to squeeze into Best Drama Series where it is instantly overshadowed by HBO’s Game of Thrones, USA’s Mr. Robot, Starz’s Outlander, and yet another Netflix show, Narcos.

Actresses across the comedy TV category up for Globes include Rachel Bloom (The CW’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Jamie Lee Curtis (Fox’s Scream Queens), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (HBO’s Veep), Gina Rodriguez (The CW’s Jane the Virgin), and Lily Tomlin (Netflix’s Grace and Frankie). Leading actors include Aziz Ansari (Netflix’s Master of None), Gael Garcia Bernal (Amazon’s Mozart in the Jungle), Rob Lowe (Fox’s The Grinder), Patrick Stewart (Starz’s Blunt Talk), and of course Jeffrey Tambor (Amazon’s Transparent).

In the drama department, the following actresses are vying for the shiny statue: Caitriona Balfe (Starz’s Outlander), Viola Davis (ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder), Eva Green (Showtime’s Penny Dreadful), Taraji P. Henson (Fox’s Empire), and Robin Wright (House of Cards). Leading actors nominated include Jon Hamm (AMC’s Mad Men), Rami Malek (USA’s Mr. Robot), Wagner Moura (Netflix’s Narcos), Bob Odenkirk (AMC’s Better Call Saul), and Liev Schreiber (Showtime’s Ray Donovan).

Elsewhere, ABC’s American Crime, FX’s American Horror Story: Hotel and Fargo, Starz’ Flesh and Bone, and PBS’ Wolf Hall have all been nominated for Best TV Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for TV. Shout outs to Kirsten Dunst (Fargo), Lady Gaga (AHS: Hotel), Felicity Huffman & Regina King (American Crime), Maura Tierney (The Affair), Ben Mendelsohn (Netflix’s Bloodline), and Christian Slater (Mr. Robot) for scoring lead and supporting acting nods.

Moving onto the snubs… Where’s the love for stellar shows like HBO’s The Leftovers, FX’s The Americans, AMC’s The Walking Dead, A&E’s Bates Motel, Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, FXX’s You’re the Worst, NBC’s Parks & Rec, Fox’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine and and The Last Man on Earth? The decision to completely omit these shows and their stellar casts makes me scratch my head indefinitely.

Now let’s not forget that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) also votes on the best films of the year. Movies nominated for best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy include The Big Short, Joy, The Martian (??), Spy, and Trainwreck. Best Dramas include Carol, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant, Room, and Spotlight. The movies up for Best Animated Picture: Anomalisa, Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur and Inside Out, The Peanuts Movie, and Shawn the Sheep Movie.

Click here for the full list of Golden Globe-nominated TV series, movies, actors, actresses, screenplays, directors, scores, and songs. The 73rd Golden Globes airs live Sunday, Jan. 10 at 8pm (ET) on NBC.

‘Game of Thrones’ & ‘Veep’ win big at record-breaking Emmys

News, Television, , , , ,

Andy Samberg of Fox’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine proved to be a fun host at the 67th Emmy Awards. He opened the star-studded night with a pre-taped opening number very much in the vein of his classic SNL Digital Shorts; I related to the sketch about a rabid TV binge-watcher a little too much. It was absolutely hysterical, and Samberg would go on to stretch that funny and quirky tone throughout the rest of the telecast. Later, another pre-taped segment aired featuring Samberg, his Lonely Island crew, and Parks and Rec‘s Jim O’Heir spoofing the Mad Men series finale. There was even a point where the host shared his HBO NOW login information; friends confirmed that it actually worked! Feel free to try it now–using the login khaleesifan3@emmyhost.com and password password1–though be warned that by now someone has likely changed that information to keep the account locked down for him or herself. All in all, though this year’s Emmys ran in a very traditional format (there weren’t any out-of-left-field surprises, unless you count Tracy Morgan’s comeback appearance at the end), Samberg managed to keep audiences thoroughly entertained as a welcome stage presence.

Moving onto the actual awards, this was a record-setting year at the Emmys for myriad reasons. First let’s start with the night’s big winners. HBO’s Game of Thrones and Veep were crowned Outstanding Drama and Comedy, respectively, taking home the most coveted awards of the evening. Thrones won a total of 12 Emmys this year–that’s the most wins in a single year for a series. The previous record holder was The West Wing which won 9 Emmys in 2000. In addition to Outstanding Drama, Thrones also won for its writing (David Benioff and Dan Weiss, “Mother’s Mercy”), directing (David Nutter, “Mother’s Mercy”), and acting (Peter Dinklage). Veep, meanwhile, broke Modern Family‘s winning streak just as the ABC sitcom was hoping to secure a record-setting sixth consecutive win. The HBO comedy took home trophies recognizing its actors (Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tony Hale) and writing (Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, and Tony Roche, “Election Night”). The premium cable network that airs these shows had the best night: HBO took home a grand total of 14 Emmys (thanks, in part, to Olive Kitteridge dominating the Limited Series categories) and it managed to do something that hasn’t been done in 13 years. The last time the same network had two series that won the Outstanding Drama and Comedy trophies in the same year was back in 2002 when NBC did it with West Wing and Friends.

Elsewhere, the incomparable Viola Davis became the first African American to win the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama for her role as Annalise Keating in ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder. Her historic acceptance speech was the best and most memorable of the night; if you missed it, you must watch it now. In addition to eloquently quoting Harriet Tubman, she went on to say this amazing line. “The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity.”

Also of note, it was the cast of Mad Men‘s final year to win an Emmy and at long last leading man Jon Hamm got the statue. Though he was nominated for his iconic role as Don Draper seven times before, it took lucky number eight to finally break the mold and come out on top. His awkward crawl to the stage made the wait worth it.

Click here to browse all of the winners (and losers) from this year’s Emmy Awards. Spoiler alert: Amazon’s Transparent did well, too. Continue reading ‘Game of Thrones’ & ‘Veep’ win big at record-breaking Emmys →

2015 MTV VMA nominations: Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” dominates the competition

Music, News, , , , , , , ,

This year’s MTV Video Music Awards nominations were announced today on Beats 1, a major coup for Apple’s infantile Internet radio station. Too bad the station went down during the live feed. Anyway…

No surprise here: Taylor Swift, the artist who pushed Apple to pay royalties to all artists during Apple Music’s free trial period, comes out on top with the most nominations: nine. Her hit single “Bad Blood,” whose music video was directed by Joseph Kahn, earned seven nods total, including Video of the Year. Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé garnered six and five nods, respectively, thanks to their singles “Thinking Out Loud” and “7/11.” Those music videos join T-Swift’s “Bad Blood” in the Video of the Year category along with Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” and Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright.”

The 2015 VMAs airs Sunday, August 30 at 9pm (ET), hosted by Miley Cyrus. Jump after the break for the full list of nominees. Continue reading 2015 MTV VMA nominations: Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” dominates the competition →

2015 Emmy nominations: ‘Game of Thrones’ & ‘American Horror Story’ lead the pack, ‘Orphan Black’s Tatiana Maslany joins the club

News, Television, , , , , , , ,

This year’s Emmy nominations are out and TATIANA MASLANY IS AMONG THEM! For years I’ve been drowning frustration that genre shows like The Walking Dead, Fringe, and Orphan Black aren’t getting the recognition they deserve. Today still, these shows aren’t up for Best Drama; in an alternate universe, Fringe did win the top prize and its star John Noble is a multi-trophy bearer. And yet, there is reason to celebrate because the leading lady of BBC America’s sci-fi clone frenzy, the one and only Tatiana Maslany of Orphan Black, was finally recognized for her truly incredible performances on the Graeme Manson and John Fawcett-created conspiracy thriller. She only plays like 10 different characters, each with their own set of personalities, quirks, and flaws. It’s something that demands to be seen to be entirely believed, and now the actress that makes it all come to life is centerstage at the Emmys.

Of course, the competition is mighty fierce. Orphan Black‘s Maslany is vying for Lead Actress in a Drama against Claire Danes (Homeland), Viola Davis (How to Get Away With Murder), Taraji P. Henson (Empire), Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men), and Robin Wright (House of Cards). Danes starred in a riveting, refreshed season of Homeland. Davis gave a knockout, emotionally punishing performance in Shonda Rhimes’ HTGAWM. Henson wowed audiences as the no-holds-barred Cookie in Empire‘s debut season. Moss has one last shot to win an actor award for Mad Men‘s final season. And Wright continues to impress as the steely Mrs. Underwood in Netflix’s still red-hot series House of Cards. Good luck, Tatiana. Not that you need it. But still.

The seven series nominated for Outstanding Drama include Better Call Saul, Downton Abbey, Game of Thrones, Homeland, House of Cards, Mad Men, and Orange Is the New Black. Yeah, it was a great year for TV. Nominated Lead Actors include Kyle Chandler (Bloodline) Jeff Daniels (The Newsroom), Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul), Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan), and Kevin Spacey (House of Cards).

Over on the funny side, the following series are nominated for Outstanding Comedy: Louie, Modern Family, Parks and Recreation, Silicon Valley, Transparent, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and Veep. Another tough category. Modern always wins. Parks ended its 7-year run on a (very) high note and deserves a series win. HBO’s Silicon Valley and Veep continue to conjure smart laughs. Transparent is a game-changer and put Amazon on the map with Netflix, and featured a tour-de-force performance by Jeffrey Tambor. And who could forget just how inherently fun and funny Kimmy Schmidt was in its breakout debut? Did somebody say Peeno Noir…

Funny girls up for Lead Actress include Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie), Lisa Kudrow (The Comeback), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep), Amy Poehler! (Parks and Recreation), Amy Schumer (Inside Amy Schumer), and Lily Tomlin (Grace and Frankie). Lead Actors: Anthony Anderson (black-ish), Louis C.K. (Louie), Don Cheadle (House of Lies), Will Forte (Last Man on Earth), Matt LeBlanc (Episodes), William H. Macy (Shameless), and yes, Jeffrey Tambor (Transparent).

Elsewhere, John Ridley’s captivating ABC drama American Crime and Ryan Murphy’s FX fright fest American Horror Story: Freak Show dominated the Limited Series categories.

In total, HBO’s fantasy drama Game of Thrones racked up the most nods with 24, followed by AHS: Freak Show (19), Olive Kitteridge (13), Bessie (12), and the following three earned 11 nods apiece: House of Cards, Mad Men, and Transparent. American Crime and Boardwalk Empire nabbed 10 each, and rounding out the top ten is Veep with 9 nods.

With Tatiana in the race, it’s hard to nitpick this year. But I must, because there are plenty of worthy series and actors that got undeservedly snubbed this go-around. Showtime’s The Affair was completely shut out–not only is the drama worthy of most Outstanding, but its main stars Dominic West and Ruth Wilson give gripping performances that whole-heartedly deserve much love. FX’s The Americans also demands to enter the race, but once again it’s only guest star Margo Martindale who earns a seat at the table. The same can be said for Showtime’s Masters of Sex; guest stars and on-screen husband and wife Allison Janney and Beau Bridges were nominated for the guest roles but the show and its stars Martin Sheen and Lizzy Caplan aren’t mentioned. Zilch for A&E’s Bates Motel. Other snubbed actors? Carrie Coon (The Leftovers), Ellie Kemper (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), and the entire cast of The Walking Dead.

The 67th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards airs live, Sunday, September 20 at 8pm (ET) on Fox. Click here for the full list of nominees.

‘Birdman’ & ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ win big at the Oscars

Movies, News, , , ,

Prior to the 87th Academy Awards, Birdman and The Grand Budapest Hotel garnered the most nominations and what do you know–the two films ended up walking away with the most statues at four apiece. Birdman took home the most coveted award of the evening as it was crowned Best Motion Picture of the Year. Helmer Alejandro G. Iñárritu was crowned Best Director and the film’s original screenplay and cinematography were also awarded. Grand Budapest Hotel was recognized for its achievements in production design, music, costume design, and makeup and hairstyling. Following close behind with two wins was Whiplash scoring Oscars for film editing, sound mixing, and supporting actor J.K. Simmons. Frontrunner Boyhood walked away with a single win for supporting actress Patricia Arquette. The Theory of Everything star Eddie Redmayne won for his leading role in the Stephen Hawking-inspired film, surpassing frontrunner Michael Keaton (Birdman). Julianne Moore nabbed an Oscar for her dramatic turn in Still Alice. Elsewhere, The Imitation Game won Best Adapted Screenplay and Disney’s Big Hero 6 was named Best Animated Movie.

Click here to view the full list of winners.

Sam Smith rules the Grammys

Music, News, , ,

Sam Smith, the new crooner on the street, expectedly dominated this year’s Grammys with multiple wins and a memorable performance of “Stay with Me” featuring Mary J. Blige. Smith took home four shiny gramophones. He was crowned Best New Artist, the aforementioned soulful, catchy track was named Record of the Year and Song of the Year, and his debut album In The Lonely Hour scored Best Pop Vocal Album. Elsewhere, Beck somehow managed to beat out Smith, Beyonce, Ed Sheeran, and Pharrell Williams and win Album of the Year for his twelfth studio album Morning Phase.

Click here to access the full list of winners.

‘American Sniper’ & ‘Birdman’ lead the charge at the Oscars this year

Movies, News, , , , ,

‘Tis the season for awards. On the heels of the Globes wrapping up, the Oscars is raring to go. Today the nominees for the 87th Academy Awards were announced in earnest and they eight films vying for Best Picture are American Sniper, Birdman, Boyhood, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, Selma, The Theory of Everything, and Whiplash. Alexandro G. Iñárritu (Birdman), Richard Linklater (Boyhood), Bennett Miller (Foxcatcher), Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel), and Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game) are competing for Best Director. Birdman and The Grand Budapest Hotel garnered the most nods with nine apiece. American Sniper and Boyhood followed closely in second with six nods each. Foxcatcher, Interstellar, The Theory of Everything, and Whiplash each scored five nominations.

With every award show there are snubs. I could rant about how the sci-fi epic Interstellar only received technical and musical nods, with nothing to show for its superb director Christopher Nolan and actors Matthew McConaughey and Jessica Chastain. But no, I’m here to splay my fury about the fact that The LEGO Movie–which was previously deemed a frontrunner for Best Animated Feature–was NOT nominated for Best Animated Feature! Looking past the nearly $258 million the movie made domestically, The LEGO Movie is a technical marvel with a unique presentation, fun characters and voice cast, and a memorable story that managed to capture the imaginations of all ages. The movie was and continues to be more than popular amongst critics and movie-goers alike. It was defeated at the Globes by How to Train Your Dragon 2, which was a shocker. But the fact that it’s not even in the running here is truly unfathomable. I don’t get it. A snub for the ages. Making the cut are Big Hero 6, The Boxtrolls, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Song of the Sea, and The Tale of Princess Kaguya. Ever heard of those last two? Neither have I. At least co-director Phil Lord is able to take it in stride; he tweeted, “This is not a tragedy. Congrats to incredible crew and cast of The Lego Movie, who made a classic.” He also attached this image of an Oscar made of LEGOs. It’s true: “Everything Is Awesome” received a nom for Best Original Song, but still, everything is not awesome.

Cool off with me by watching this funny clip from Conan. During the nom announcements this morning, Academy president Cheryl Boone Issacs flubbed Mr. Turner cinematographer Dick Pope’s name calling him “Dick Poop.” Shortly after becoming a trending topic on Twitter, the late night host took it to a whole other level.

The Academy Awards, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, airs February 22 on ABC. Click here to view the full list of nominees.