Coming to Netflix: A Series of Unfortunate Events
Posted on December 30, 2016 at 8:00 am
Neil Patrick Harris stars as the evil Count Olaf in the new Netflix series based on the wildly popular books by Lemony Snicket, A Series of Unfortunate Events.
Oscars 2015 — Highlights and Low Points, Plus All the Winners
Posted on February 23, 2015 at 12:19 am
It’s kind of unfair that Neil Patrick Harris is so good at so many things, but it sure does make him the ideal Oscar host. Showing the same grace, wit, charm, and star power he brought to the Tony and Emmy awards shows, NPH has made hosting an art form. Opening with a musical number that was almost magical, he appeared in scenes from great movies and not-great ones as well (“Clue?”). Anna Kendrick’s sweet soprano and Jack Black’s “School of Rock” voice-shred provided just the right mix of sugar and spice. As the show went on, he was occasionally out of synch with the mood of the moment, but overall, he did very well.
Best acceptance speeches: J.K. Simmons, for his tender appreciation of his family. He’s right — call home, everyone. And Graham Moore telling all the kids who feel weird that he felt weird, too. It’s always dicey to get political at the Oscars, but it was heartening to see Meryl Streep’s response to Patricia Arquette’s call for pay equity and to hear John Legend and Common on the continuing injustice of our society. Graham Moore’s emotional memory of attempting suicide as a teenager because he felt so isolated and weird was raw, real, and inspiring. Somewhere listening was a kid who feels weird today and will be accepting an Oscar ten years from now who needed to hear that.
Best use of pearls: the dresses of Lupita Nyong’o and Felicity Jones were exquisitely lovely
Best red carpet idea: #Askhermore
Best production number: “Everything is Awesome” lived up to its name. I liked the LEGO Oscars, too. The “Glory” re-creation of the march across the bridge was dignified and powerful.
Best comeback: John Travolta, who was gracious about being ribbed by Neil Patrick Harris and Idina Menzel for the way he bumbled her name last year. “It’s not like it’s going to follow me the rest of my life,” she said. “Tell me about it,” he replied.
Best quote: “Artists are the radical voice of civilization.” Harry Belafonte, quoting Paul Robeson (in a pre-taped segment). Runner-up: “A single person is missing for you and the whole world is empty.” Meryl Streep quoting Joan Didion
Best “I Told You So” moment: Yes, Lady Gaga can sing. And wasn’t it wonderful to hear Julie Andrews say, “Dear Lady Gaga?”
Most touching moment: tears on the cheeks of David Oyelowo and Chris Pine after the very moving “Glory”
Didn’t need to hear about: Neil Patrick Harris’ Oscar predictions and underwhelming reveal
Worst dress: Naomi Watts, especially from the back
Best reference to Michael Keaton’s tighty-whiteys: Alejandro González Iñárritu Worst: Neil Patrick Harris
Best Picture
“Birdman”
Best Director
Alejandro González Iñárritu, “Birdman”
Best Actress
Julianne Moore, “Still Alice”
Best Actor
Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything”
Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette, “Boyhood”
Best Supporting Actor
J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”
Best Adapted Screenplay
Graham Moore, “The Imitation Game”
Best Original Screenplay
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo, “Birdman”
Best Foreign Language Film
“Ida”
Best Documentary Feature
“CITIZENFOUR”
Best Animated Feature
“Big Hero 6”
Best Film Editing
“Whiplash”
Best Original Song
“Glory” from “Selma” (written by Common and John Legend)
Best Original Score
Alexandre Desplat, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Best Cinematography
Emmanuel Lubezki, “Birdman”
Best Costume Design
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Best Production Design
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Best Sound Editing
“American Sniper”
Best Sound Mixing
“Whiplash”
Best Visual Effects
“Interstellar”
Best Short Film, Live Action
“The Phone Call”
Best Short Film, Animated
“Feast”
Best Documentary, Short Subject
“Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1”
Upcoming Show Business Memoirs
Posted on July 8, 2014 at 8:00 am
Mashable has a very intriguing list of upcoming show business memoirs, by everyone from Oprah Winfrey (What I Know For Sure
Farewell to HIMYM
Posted on March 31, 2014 at 8:00 am
Ted has met the woman who will become the mother of his children, Barney and Robin are married, and after nine seasons it is time for the beloved series How I Met Your Mother
I especially enjoyed the Hollywood Reporter’s list of HIMYM’s best musical moments. Though for me, the best will always be Robin Sparkles.
HIMYM was the “Friends” of the last decade, that show about young people negotiating their post-college years with the kind of close, committed friendships that help them weather everything from unfortunate tattoos, job disappointments, broken hearts, and the loss of a parent. Architect Ted (Josh Radnor) was the eternal optimist, always looking for love. His best friends from college, Marshall (Jason Segal) and Lily (Alyson Hannigan) were the stable, forever-committed couple (I’m just going to forget the misbegotten episodes where Lily left Marshall to pursue her art career). Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) was the debonair lady-killer of the group, unapologetically committed to as many one-night stands as possible. And Robin (Cobie Smulders) was a television journalist from Canada, sometime love interest for Ted but ultimately marrying Barney in the show’s season-long wedding weekend. What made it stand out was the narrative innovation, with unreliable narration and nested story-telling and the genuine chemistry between its cast members. Plus some great catch (wait for it) phrases and useful life lessons. In the Washington Post, Emily Yahr wrote about what made the show so meaningful to its audience.
In addition to capturing nostalgia, there are many reasons the show caught on with the younger crowd: It launched a thousand catchphrases (“Legend – wait for it – dary”), pick-up lines (“Haaave you met Ted?”) and teachings for 20-something life (“Nothing good ever happens after 2 a.m.”). Overall though, “HIMYM” offered a much more valuable lesson about the importance of adult friendship, as the intense bonding in post-college years means that those friends essentially become your family.
And if you want to catch up on nine years of HIMYM in time for the grand finale, here’s your cheat sheet (not to mention that you can pretty much catch it at any time in syndication). The characters may be gone, but the slap-bet, bro code, woo girls, suiting up, and of course the goat go on forever. And a spin-off, “How I Met Your Dad,” is set to premiere next fall.
“From Dust to Dreams” PBS Concert Special
Posted on September 14, 2012 at 8:00 am
Neil Patrick Harris hosts an all-star concert special to be shown on PBS next week, celebrating the opening of the Smith Center for the Performing Arts.
The concert features superstars from the world of country music (Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Martina McBride), Broadway (Brian Stokes Mitchell, Laura Osnes, Cheyenne Jackson, Sherie Rene Scott, Montego Glover, and Benjamin Walker), pop (Jennifer Hudson, Carole King, Train’s Pat Monahan), ballet (Marcello Gomes and Luciana Paris), classical (Joshua Bell, Arturo Sandoval), and gospel (Mavis Staples). The highlights include duets and trios — Staples and King perform King’s “You’ve Got a Friend,” and she is joined by Hudson and McBride for “Natural Woman.” Haggard and Nelson sing “Pancho & Lefty” and are joined by Emmylou Harris for Haggard’s classic “Ramblin’ Fever.”
Be sure to tune in Friday, September 21 at 9 (8 Central) for a rare treat.