New MacArthur Genius Award Winners Include Alison Bechdel and Joshua Oppenheimer

Posted on September 17, 2014 at 9:53 am

It is always a treat to see the worthy awardees of the MacArthur Foundation’s “genius grants.” The foundations awards are unique because you cannot apply for them and there are no restrictions on the use of the money given to the recipients. The awards committee reviews the work of people making extraordinary contributions to science, culture, and justice. This year’s recipients of the MacArthur awards are superbly impressive, as always. I was especially glad to see the awards go to Joshua Oppenheimer, director of The Act of Killing, one of the most striking, innovative, and compelling films I have ever seen, and Alison Bechdel, author of one of my favorite books, Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, and popularizer of “The Bechdel Test” for movies: Are there more than two female characters and do they talk about anything other than men? I’m thrilled that these awards will bring more attention to their work and help them to do more. Oppenheimer’s sequel, “The Look of Silence,” is opening later this year, and Bechdel’s second memoir, Are You My Mother?: A Comic Drama, was published last year.

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Awards

Emmy Nominations: Looks a Lot Like Last Year

Posted on July 10, 2014 at 12:15 pm

The Emmy nominations are in!  And they look a lot like last year.

Reliable favorites like “Mad Men” and “Game of Thrones” garnered a lot of nods.  But once again the Academy overlooked Tatiana Maslany of “Orphan Black,” whose multiple characters should earn her a handful of Best Actress nominations.  And of course Jon Hamm deserves a nomination, but what about Elisabeth Moss?  I agree with New York Magazine that Peggy is the star of the show.

It was good to see outstanding new series like “Silicon Valley,” “True Detective,” and “Cosmos” included, and I was especially glad to see Martin Freeman nominated for two different series, “Fargo” and “Sherlock” and Lizzy Kaplan for “Masters of Sex.”

I was sorry to see “The Americans” and “The Good Wife” were overlooked.  I suppose the bad news there is also the good news.  While no broadcast drama from the three major commercial networks was nominated, that just means that the new media outlets are giving the old school some serious competition.  Go, “Orange is the New Black!”

The nominees are:

Drama series
Breaking Bad, AMC
Downton Abbey, PBS
Game of Thrones, HBO
House of Cards, Netflix
Mad Men, AMC
True Detective, HBO

Comedy series
The Big Bang Theory, CBS
Louie, FX
Modern Family, ABC
Orange Is the New Black, Netflix
Silicon Valley, HBO
Veep, HBO

Actor, drama series
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad (AMC)
Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom (HBO)
Jon Hamm, Mad Men (AMC)
Woody Harrelson, True Detective (HBO)
Matthew McConaughey, True Detective (HBO)
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards (Netflix)

Actress, drama series
Lizzy Caplan, Masters of Sex (Showtime)
Claire Danes, Homeland (Showtime)
Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife (CBS)
Kerry Washington, Scandal (ABC)
Robin Wright, House of Cards (Netflix)

Actor, comedy series
Louis C.K., Louie (FX)
Don Cheadle, House of Lies (Showtime)
Ricky Gervais, Derek (Netflix)
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes (Showtime)
William H. Macy, Shameless (Showtime)
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)

Actress, comedy series
Lena Dunham, Girls (HBO)
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie (Showtime)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep (HBO)
Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly (CBS)
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation (NBC)
Taylor Schilling, Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)

Supporting actor, drama series
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad (AMC)
Jim Carter, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Mandy Patinkin, Homeland (Showtime)
Jon Voight, Ray Donovan (Showtime)
Josh Charles, The Good Wife (CBS)

Supporting actress, drama series
Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad (AMC)
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Joanne Froggatt, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Lena Headey, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men (AMC)
Christine Baranski, The Good Wife (CBS)

Supporting actor, comedy series
Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox)
Adam Driver, Girls (HBO)
Ty Burrell, Modern Family (ABC)
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family (ABC)
Fred Armisen, Portlandia (IFC)
Tony Hale, Veep (HBO)

Supporting actress, comedy
Julie Bowen, Modern Family (ABC)
Allison Janney, Mom (CBS)
Kate Mulgrew, Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Anna Chlumsky, Veep (HBO)

Actor, miniseries or movie
Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock: His Last Vow (PBS)
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Dancing on the Edge (Starz)
Idris Elba, Luther (BBC America)
Martin Freeman, Fargo (FX)
Mark Ruffalo, The Normal Heart (HBO)
Billy Bob Thornton, Fargo (FX)

Actress, miniseries or movie
Helena Bonham Carter, Burton and Taylor (BBC America)
Minnie Driver, Return to Zero (Lifetime)
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Coven (FX)
Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story: Coven (FX)
Cicely Tyson, The Trip to Bountiful (Lifetime)
Kristen Wiig, Spoils of Babylon (IFC)

Variety 
The Colbert Report, Comedy Central
The Daily Show, Comedy Central
Jimmy Kimmel Live!, ABC
Saturday Night Live, NBC
Real Time With Bill Maher, HBO
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, NBC

Reality competition 
The Amazing Race, CBS
Dancing With the Stars, ABC
Project Runway, Lifetime
So You Think You Can Dance, Fox
Top Chef, Bravo
The Voice, NBC

Reality host
Betty White, Betty White’s Off Their Rockers (NBC)
Tom Bergeron, Dancing With the Stars (ABC)
Jane Lynch, Hollywood Game Night (NBC)
Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, Project Runway (Lifetime)
Cat Deeley, So You Think You Can Dance (Fox)
Anthony Bourdain, The Taste (ABC)

Miniseries
American Horror Story: Coven, FX
Fargo, FX
Luther, BBC America
Bonnie & Clyde, A&E
Treme, HBO
The White Queen, Starz

Movie
Killing Kennedy, National Geographic Channel
Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight, HBO
The Normal Heart, HBO
Sherlock: His Last Vow, PBS
Trip to Bountiful, Lifetime

Guest actor, drama series
Paul Giamatti, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Reg E. Cathey, House of Cards (Netflix)
Robert Morse, Mad Men (AMC)
Beau Bridges, Masters of Sex (Showtime)
Joe Morton, Scandal (ABC)
Dylan Baker, The Good Wife (CBS)

Guest actress, drama series
Dianna Rigg, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Kate Mara, House of Cards (Netflix)
Allison Janney, Masters of Sex (Showtime)
Kate Burton, Scandal (ABC)
Margo Martindale, The Americans (FX)
Jane Fonda, The Newsroom (HBO)

Guest actor, comedy series
Nathan Lane, Modern Family (ABC)
Steve Buscemi, Portlandia (IFC)
Jimmy Fallon, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Louis C.K., Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Bob Newhart, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Gary Cole, Veep (HBO)

Guest actress, comedy series
Uzo Aduba, Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
Laverne Cox, Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
Natasha Lyonne, Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
Tina Fey, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Melissa McCarthy, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Joan Cusack, Shameless (Showtime)

Animated program
Archer, FX
Bob’s Burgers, Fox
Futurama, Comedy Central
South Park, Comedy Central
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Manhattan Project, Nickelodeon

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Awards

Oscars 2014: Best and Worst Moments and List of Winners

Posted on March 3, 2014 at 12:13 am

ellen oscarsHighlights of the Oscar award show:

Ellen DeGeneres was a great host, funny and irreverent but respectful of the event and the fans.  The photo that brought down Twitter was a hoot.  But the pizza thing was not so great.

The incomparable Darlene Love lifted her voice and our spirits by singing her acceptance speech when 20 Feet from Stardom won Best Documentary.

Pharrell Williams sang “Happy” and got the stars in the front row to do what all of us at home wanted to do — get up and dance with him.  lupita oscar

Jared Leto, best supporting actor winner for “Dallas Buyer’s Club,” made up for rambling and clumsy responses to some of the other awards with a heartfelt tribute to his mother, to the people with AIDS whose struggle was portrayed in his film, and to others struggling around the world.

Lupita Nyong’o’s elegance and beauty was exceeded only by her graciousness and eloquence in giving the night’s most moving acceptance speech. “No matter where you’re from, your dreams are valid.”

Two marvelous commercials:

The Muppets appeared for Lipton tea with an improbable tribute to “Midnight Cowboy” — and reminded us that their new movie is opening this month.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_LJVfKN2iI

Pepsi Mini had a better tribute to the magic of movies than the Oscar broadcast’s clip reels.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCXr7ECpGQg

The tribute to the Wizard of Oz on its 75th anniversary included all three of Judy Garland’s children, Pink singing “Over the Rainbow” in a beautiful dress that recalled the ruby slippers, and Ellen appeared in Glinda’s gown.

The youngest ever achiever of that most elusive of goals was Robert Lopez, who shared the Oscar for Best Song with his wife, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, for “Frozen’s” “Let It Go,” and now has the honor of the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony).  Their rhyming acceptance speech was charming and touching.

The Academy finally did the right thing with the In Memoriam tribute to those we lost over the  past year, silencing the audio so there were no distracting bursts of applause.

Winners got time to say what they wanted to say without being interrupted by the orchestra.  Much more civilized.

Low points:

That blanket of roses motif on the stage was distracting.

The “Hero” theme was poorly handled.  I am as big a fan of movie clip reels as anyone but these were contextless and not very dynamic.

Did Whoopi borrow the Julia Roberts dress from the Golden Globes that everyone hated?

John Travolta weirdly mangled Idina Menzel’s name — twice.

And the Oscars went to….

(more…)

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Lupita Nyoung’o Made a Beautifully Gracious Statement

Posted on March 1, 2014 at 3:59 pm

lupita_nyong_oI hope Lupita Nyoung’o wins the Best Supporting Actress award tomorrow night.  She deserves it.  But there’s another reason: I want to hear her acceptance speech.  Her speech at the Essence Awards this week was beautifully heartfelt, gracious, and wise.  She talked very frankly about the difficulty of feeling beautiful with dark skin, and how she felt when she received a fan letter from a young girl who said she had been about to try a skin-lightening cream before she saw Nyoung’o and realized that it was possible to be dark-skinned and successful.  Nyoung’o said:

What is fundamentally beautiful is compassion for yourself and for those around you. That kind of beauty enflames the heart and enchants the soul. It is what got Patsey in so much trouble with her master, but it is also what has kept her story alive to this day. We remember the beauty of her spirit even after the beauty of her body has faded away.

And so I hope that my presence on your screens and in the magazines may lead you, young girl, on a similar journey. That you will feel the validation of your external beauty but also get to the deeper business of being beautiful inside.

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