#EMMYS: “SUCCESSION” LEADS THE WAY AT 74th ANNUAL EMMY AWARDS

HBO‘s SUCCESSION led the way at the 74th Emmy Award nominations, which were unveiled earlier today, hosted by J.B. Smoove and Melissa Fumero. SUCCESSION gets a total 25 nods including Outstanding Drama. Following in second is Apple TV+‘s TED LASSO with 20 nominations, including Outstanding Comedy, which ties the same feat it accomplished last year. Ten of those nominations are in Acting categories.

This is a stellar, record-breaking year for Apple TV+, which received a whopping 52 nominations, also highlighted by their new Series SEVERANCE getting 14 nods in its first season.

Also receiving 20 nominations, making it the most-recognized Limited TV Series this year, was HBO‘s THE WHITE LOTUS. Star Sydney Sweeney gets two nominations for the Network for her Supporting Actress work in that Limited Series and also EUPHORIA. Her Co-Star Zendaya got three out of the 16 nominations for the Series, including Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series and Original Songs “Elliot’s Song” and “I’m Tired“.

For a complete list of nominations, click here.

The EMMYs are set to air September 12, 2022 on NBC and CTV, 8 PM ET.

(Photo credit: HBO)

#FIRSTLOOK: 2020 PRIMETIME EMMY AWARD NOMINEES ANNOUNCED

Nominations for the 72nd annual Primetime EMMY Awards were announced today, with SUCCESSION, WATCHMEN, SCHITT’S CREEK and MRS. AMERICA leading the way. This is a first for Canada and the Cast of SCHITT’S CREEK with all four of its stars being nominated. It hasn’t yet been confirmed how the show will be presented in terms of a virtual or in-person format.
Nominees in major TV Series, Movies and Mini-Series are below:

Drama Series

“Better Call Saul” (AMC)
“The Crown” (Netflix)
“The Handmaid’s Tale” (Hulu)
“Killing Eve” (BBC America/AMC)
“The Mandalorian” (Disney Plus)
“Ozark” (Netflix)
“Stranger Things” (Netflix)
“Succession” (HBO)

Comedy Series

“Curb Your Enthusiasm” (HBO)
“Dead to Me” (Netflix)
“The Good Place” (NBC)
“Insecure” (HBO)
“The Kominsky Method” (Netflix)
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Amazon Prime Video)
“Schitt’s Creek” (Pop TV)
“What We Do in the Shadows” (FX)

Limited Series

“Little Fires Everywhere” (Hulu)
“Mrs. America” (Hulu)
“Unbelievable” (Netflix)
“Unorthodox” (Netflix)
“Watchmen” (HBO)

Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Jason Bateman (“Ozark”)
Sterling K. Brown (“This Is Us”)
Steve Carell (“The Morning Show”)
Brian Cox (“Succession”)
Billy Porter (“Pose”)
Jeremy Strong (“Succession”)

Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Jennifer Aniston (“The Morning Show”)
Olivia Colman (“The Crown”)
Jodie Comer (“Killing Eve”)
Laura Linney (“Ozark”)
Sandra Oh (“Killing Eve”)
Zendaya (“Euphoria”)

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Anthony Anderson (“Black-ish”)
Don Cheadle (“Black Monday”)
Ted Danson (“The Good Place”)
Michael Douglas (“The Kominsky Method”)
Eugene Levy (“Schitt’s Creek”)
Ramy Youssef (“Ramy”)

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Christina Applegate (“Dead to Me”)
Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)
Linda Cardellini (“Dead to Me”)
Catherine O’Hara (“Schitt’s Creek”)
Issa Rae (“Insecure”)
Tracee Ellis Ross (“Black-ish”)

Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

Jeremy Irons (“Watchmen”)
Hugh Jackman (“Bad Education”)
Paul Mescal (“Normal People”)
Jeremy Pope (“Hollywood”)
Mark Ruffalo (“I Know This Much Is True”)

Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

Cate Blanchett (“Mrs. America”)
Shira Haas (“Unorthodox”)
Regina King (“Watchmen”)
Octavia Spencer (“Self Made”)
Kerry Washington (“Little Fires Everywhere”)

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Giancarlo Esposito (“Better Call Saul”)
Bradley Whitford (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
Billy Crudup (“The Morning Show”)
Mark Duplass (“The Morning Show”)
Nicholas Braun (“Succession”)
Kieran Culkin (“Succession”)
Matthew Macfadyen (“Succession”)
Jeffrey Wright (“Westworld”)

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Laura Dern (“Big Little Lies”)
Meryl Streep (“Big Little Lies”)
Helena Bonham Carter (“The Crown”)
Samira Wiley (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
Fiona Shaw (“Killing Eve”)
Julia Garner (“Ozark”)
Sarah Snook (“Succession”)
Thandie Newton (“Westworld”)

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Andre Braugher (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”)
William Jackson Harper (“The Good Place”)
Alan Arkin (“The Kominsky Method”)
Sterling K. Brown (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)
Tony Shalhoub (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)
Mahershala Ali (“Ramy”)
Kenan Thompson (“Saturday Night Live”)
Dan Levy (“Schitt’s Creek”)

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Betty Gilpin (“GLOW”)
D’Arcy Carden (“The Good Place”)
Yvonne Orji (“Insecure”)
Alex Borstein (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)
Marin Hinkle (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)
Kate McKinnon (“Saturday Night Live”)
Cecily Strong (“Saturday Night Live”)
Annie Murphy (“Schitt’s Creek”)

Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

Dylan McDermott (“Hollywood”)
Jim Parsons (“Hollywood”)
Tituss Burgess (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend”)
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (“Watchmen”)
Jovan Adepo (“Watchmen”)
Louis Gossett Jr. (“Watchmen”)

Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

Holland Taylor (“Hollywood”)
Uzo Aduba (“Mrs. America”)
Margo Martindale (“Mrs. America”)
Tracey Ullman (“Mrs. America”)
Toni Collette (“Unbelievable”)
Jean Smart (“Watchmen”)

Reality Competition

“The Masked Singer” (FOX)
“Nailed It” (Netflix)
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” (VH1)
“Top Chef” (Bravo)
“The Voice” (NBC)

Variety Sketch Series

“A Black Lady Sketch Show” (HBO)
“Drunk History” (Comedy Central)
“Saturday Night Live” (NBC)

Variety Talk Series

“Daily Show with Trevor Noah” (Comedy Central)
“Full Frontal with Samantha Bee” (TBS)
“Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC)
“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” (HBO)
“Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS)

The 2020 Primetime Emmys air on ABC Sunday, September 20, 2020, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.

(Photo credit: ABC)

#EMMYS: “BEHIND THE CANDELABRA” WINS BIG AT 2013 PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS

HBO’s Behind the Candelabra walked away the big Winner at the 65th annual Primetime Emmy Awards tonight, handed out at Nokia Theatre tonight in Los Angeles.  The Ceremony was hosted by Neil Patrick-Harris who entertained the Audience with song, dance and laughter.

With 15 nominations and a total eleven wins, the TV Movie directed by Steven Soderbergh  won top honours of Outstanding TV Movie or Mini-Series.  In addition to wins in several other categories like Outstanding Single-Camera Editing, Sound Mixing, Hair, Prosthetic Makeup, in addition to the coveted Outstanding Lead Actor in TV Movie or Mini-Series, Michael Douglas was recognized for his widely-praised portrayal of Liberace.  Upon accepting his Award, he was sure to thank his Wife Catherine Zeta-Jones (recently separated) and also his Co-Star Matt Damon, stating to him, “You really deserve half of this. You want the bottom or you want the top?”, poking fun at their on-screen Gay Romance.

Winning for Outstanding Comedy and Drama Series respectively were ABC‘s Modern Family (this year receiving its 57th Emmy nomination and fourth consecutive win in the Category) and AMC‘s Breaking Bad (its first win in four nominations in the Category).

Breaking ground, Netflix Original Series House of Cards was recognized as the first-ever Internet-based Series to win an Emmy, victorious in the Category of Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series.  It also won for Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series and Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series too.  Its two Stars Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright however, despite being nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor and Actress in a Drama Series, each lost in their categories to Jeff Daniels (The Newsroom) and Claire Danes (Homeland).

Recently passing away, both Cory Monteith and James Gandolfini each were honoured by their Co-Stars at the Awards with heartfelt Tributes tonight, the former by Jane Lynch and the latter, Edie Falco.

For a complete list of Winners, click here.

(Photo credit: CBS/Associated Press)

#EMMYS: “AMERICAN HORROR STORY: ASYLUM” LEADS 65TH ANNUAL PRIMETIME EMMY NOMINATIONS

Nominees for the 65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were announced earlier this morning in Los Angeles and leading the pack is F/X‘s American Horror Story: Asylum earning and impressive 17 nominations including Miniseries or Movie.  Following closely behind is HBO‘s Game of Thrones with 16 nominations including  Drama Series, with its Supporting Cast Members Peter Dinklage and Emilia Clarke also getting recognized for Supporting Actor and Actress in a Drama Series.

Also front and center is Liberace Biopic Behind the Candelabra nominated for Miniseries or Movie, while both of its Stars Michael Douglas and Matt Damon up against one another for Actor in a Miniseries or Movie.  The HBO Movie is up for awards in 15 categories as is long-running NBC Series Saturday Night Live.

Setting precedence is Netflix‘s brilliant Series House of Cards, becoming the first ever Internet-aired Series to be up for a Primetime Emmy, a Finalist in nine categories.  The Series is up for Drama Series, while both Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright are up for Actor and Actress in a Drama Series also.  In addition, original Netflix Series Hemlock Grove and Arrested Development both also received nods, giving the Service a total 14 nominations.

View all Nominees here.

The 65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards air on CBS Sunday, September 22, 2013.

(Photo credit: F/X)

FAREWELL, “30 ROCK”

After seven epic seasons including six Golden Globe wins and ten Primetime EMMY Awards, NBC‘s 30 Rock said farewell tonight in an hour-long Finale.  Despite  a continual slip in ratings, acclaim never stopped pouring-in for the Series-within-a-Series Sitcom which debuted in October 2006.

Despite the laughs tonight, there was an underlying current of emotion beneath the Humour.  We  saw an often-quiet Lutz (John Lutz) finally have a Blow-up over what the Crew would have for their final Lunch (he insisted on Blimpies), Jenna (Jane Krakowski) capping everything off with a stirring rendition of the Theme Song to a fictitious Legal-Thriller she starred in prior, named The Rural Juror and of course Liz tying-up loose ends with both Tracy (Tracy Morgan) and Jack (Alec Baldwin).  “I love you too, Jack“, says Liz to Jack after he fumbles to say so in a long-winded Speech aboard a Boat, before having a Eureka! moment in which we learn his next big idea – See-Thru Dishwashers.  They even flash-forward and we see Page Kenneth (Jack McBrayer) running the ship as Liz‘s mixed-race Great Granddaughter pitches a Series to him, while Spaceships fly outside the windows of 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

Over the years I had the pleasure of meeting many of the Cast Members of 30 Rock as they came to Toronto for various reasons. Some came to promote their Books, some came for Stand-Up Comedy, some came to film, some came to sing – a perfect Snapshot of just how diversely-talented this Cast was. Unfortunately, I never had the pleasure of meeting Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey, but one can always hope!

Farewell, 30 Rock. Thanks for the laughing fits.

xMr. Will

(Photo credit: NBC/Mr. Will Wong)