Two words: Gladys Knight. A couple more: she’s incredible. Some of us were distracted by other events tonight. I’m so glad this was the last thing I heard before calling it a night. Gladys is gold.
“Nomadland” Wins Best Picture, Director at Critics Choice, On Its Way to Oscars Sweep
Chloe Zhao won Best Director for her Best Picture, “Nomadland,” at the Critics Choice Awards tonight.
The accolades follow wins at the Golden Globes and many critics prizes around the country. “Nomadland” will win Best Picture at the Academy Awards on April 25th.
Frances McDormand, the star, would win Best Actress if she wanted to or cared. But it’s clear she’s doesn’t care. Carey Mulligan has emerged as a leading contender for Best Actress from “Promising Young Woman. Focus Features has done such a great job with their campaign that they all kind of deserve it. The other main contender is Viola Davis, from “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”
Chadwick Boseman, the late star of “Ma Rainey,” won Best Actor. He has the inside track to win the Oscar.
The big surprises were in Supporting Actor and Actress. Daniel Kaluuya won again, for “Judas and the Black Messiah.” Maria Bakalova, a relative newcomer from Bulgaria, won for “Borat Subsequent Movie.” She might win an Oscar. Crazier things have happened!
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WINNERS OF THE 26TH ANNUAL CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS
FILM CATEGORIES
BEST PICTURE
Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures)
BEST ACTOR
Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
BEST ACTRESS
Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman (Focus Features)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Daniel Kaluuya – Judas and the Black Messiah (Warner Bros.)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (Amazon Studios)
BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Alan Kim – Minari (A24)
BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix)
BEST DIRECTOR
Chloé Zhao – Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures)
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman (Focus Features)
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Chloé Zhao – Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Joshua James Richards – Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures)
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Donald Graham Burt, Jan Pascale – Mank (Netflix)
BEST EDITING – TIE
Alan Baumgarten – The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix)
Mikkel E. G. Nielsen – Sound of Metal (Amazon Studios)
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Ann Roth – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Tenet (Warner Bros.)
BEST COMEDY
Palm Springs (Hulu and NEON)
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Minari (A24)
BEST SONG
Speak Now – One Night in Miami (Amazon Studios)
BEST SCORE
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Jon Batiste – Soul (Disney)
SERIES CATEGORIES
BEST DRAMA SERIES
The Crown (Netflix)
BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Josh O’Connor – The Crown (Netflix)
BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Emma Corrin – The Crown (Netflix)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Michael K. Williams – Lovecraft Country (HBO)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Gillian Anderson – The Crown (Netflix)
BEST COMEDY SERIES
Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)
BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Jason Sudeikis – Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)
BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Catherine O’Hara – Schitt’s Creek (Pop)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Daniel Levy – Schitt’s Creek (Pop)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Hannah Waddingham – Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)
BEST LIMITED SERIES
The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix)
BEST MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Hamilton (Disney+)
BEST ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
John Boyega – Small Axe (Amazon Studios)
BEST ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Anya Taylor-Joy – The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Donald Sutherland – The Undoing (HBO)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Uzo Aduba – Mrs. America (FX)
BEST TALK SHOW
Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC)
BEST COMEDY SPECIAL – TIE
Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours to Kill (Netflix)
Michelle Buteau: Welcome to Buteaupia (Netflix)
BEST SHORT FORM SERIES
Better Call Saul: Ethics Training with Kim Wexler (AMC/Youtube)
Meghan Markle to Oprah: So Depressed “I didn’t want to be alive anymore”…Baby’s skin color worried about in Palace
Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Meghan Markle might bring down the monarchy. She’s accused them of racism, and of making her so depressed she tells Oprah “I didn’t want to be alive anymore.”
Markle admits to being suicidal in Buckingham Palace, asking for help to save her mental health, and being rejected.
She also says there were conversations about concern of the darkness of her baby’s skin color when she was pregnant with baby Archie. She also claims that the Palace told her that for the first time the great grandson of a Queen would not receive security or the title of Prince.
Some of what Markle says sounds naive or disingenuous about preparing to meet the royal family. But as she digs into the details, it’s clear she was treated very, very badly or really worse if the racism claims are true. (No reason not to believe her.) So as much the public may question her decisions, it seems like she had no choice but to persuade Prince Harry to leave England.
Markle said:” “I’m not going to live my life in fear…I don’t know how they could expect that after all this time we would still be silent if there’s an active role that the firm (the palace) is playing in perpetuating falsehoods about us.”
Oprah’s interview is bringing in $7 million, and it’s worth every penny.
But how this will be treated in the UK press tomorrow morning is really the headline.
keep refreshing…
Critics Choice Awards Early Winners: Daniel Kaluuya Supporting Actor, Maria Baklova Supporting Actress
The Critics Choice Awards are LIVE right now on the CW Network, which is Channel 11 in New York. Check your local listings.
First movie winners are Daniel Kaluuya, Best Supporting Actor, for “Judas and the Last Messiah.” Supporting Actress went to Maria Bakalova, for “Borat Subsequent Movie.”
Kaluuya, especially, is of note here. He won the Golden Globes, also. He’s on his way to the Oscars. This is an upset over Sacha Baron Cohen, who has campaigned heavily for “The Trial of the Chicago 7” and has a lot of good will.
Bakalova is a left field choice, but a good one. She convinced the audience and a lot of real people in the movie that she was a 15 year old refugee from Kazakhstan. It was a little ironic to see Cohen lose to Kaluuya and then see the young woman he hired for “Borat” win.
Keep refreshing. More to come!
TONIGHT: Oscars Weathervane Critics Choice Awards Hosted by Taye Diggs Air At 7PM Live on CW Network
Just a reminder:
The Critics Choice Awards air tonight from 7 to 10pm the CW Network, hosted by Taye Diggs.
Critics Choice is the anti-Golden Globes. Around 300 actual movie and TV critics vote from established publications and websites that cover the entertainment world. These are people who have daily or weekly bylines in the United States. Their clips are easy to find.
Will the Critics Choice go for “Nomadland” (I hope) or zig zag and pick something else, like “The Trial of the Chicago 7”? Yours truly will be very interested to see the outcome. This year the Critics Choice will have an effect on the Oscars since voting is going on right now for the Academy Awards.
Here are the nominees:
FILM NOMINATIONS FOR THE 26TH ANNUAL CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS
BEST PICTURE
Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
Mank (Netflix)
Minari (A24)
News of the World (Universal Pictures)
Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures)
One Night in Miami (Amazon Studios)
Promising Young Woman (Focus Features)
Sound of Metal (Amazon Studios)
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix)
BEST ACTOR
Ben Affleck – The Way Back (Warner Bros.)
Riz Ahmed – Sound of Metal (Amazon Studios)
Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
Tom Hanks – News of the World (Universal Pictures)
Anthony Hopkins – The Father (Sony Pictures Classics)
Delroy Lindo – Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)
Gary Oldman – Mank (Netflix)
Steven Yeun – Minari (A24)
BEST ACTRESS
Viola Davis – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
Andra Day – The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Hulu)
Sidney Flanigan – Never Rarely Sometimes Always (Focus Features)
Vanessa Kirby – Pieces of a Woman (Netflix)
Frances McDormand – Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures)
Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman (Focus Features)
Zendaya – Malcolm & Marie (Netflix)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Chadwick Boseman – Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)
Sacha Baron Cohen – The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix)
Daniel Kaluuya – Judas and the Black Messiah (Warner Bros.)
Bill Murray – On the Rocks (A24/Apple TV+)
Leslie Odom, Jr. – One Night in Miami (Amazon Studios)
Paul Raci – Sound of Metal (Amazon Studios)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (Amazon Studios)
Ellen Burstyn – Pieces of a Woman (Netflix)
Glenn Close – Hillbilly Elegy (Netflix)
Olivia Colman – The Father (Sony Pictures Classics)
Amanda Seyfried – Mank (Netflix)
Yuh-Jung Youn – Minari (A24)
BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Ryder Allen – Palmer (Apple TV+)
Ibrahima Gueye – The Life Ahead (Netflix)
Alan Kim – Minari (A24)
Talia Ryder – Never Rarely Sometimes Always (Focus Features)
Caoilinn Springall – The Midnight Sky (Netflix)
Helena Zengel – News of the World (Universal Pictures)
BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)
Judas and the Black Messiah (Warner Bros.)
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
Minari (A24)
One Night in Miami (Amazon Studios)
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix)
BEST DIRECTOR
Lee Isaac Chung – Minari (A24)
Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman (Focus Features)
David Fincher – Mank (Netflix)
Spike Lee – Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)
Regina King – One Night in Miami (Amazon Studios)
Aaron Sorkin – The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix)
Chloé Zhao – Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures)
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Lee Isaac Chung – Minari (A24)
Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman (Focus Features)
Jack Fincher – Mank (Netflix)
Eliza Hittman – Never Rarely Sometimes Always (Focus Features)
Darius Marder & Abraham Marder – Sound of Metal (Amazon Studios)
Aaron Sorkin – The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix)
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Paul Greengrass & Luke Davies – News of the World (Universal Pictures)
Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller – The Father (Sony Pictures Classics)
Kemp Powers – One Night in Miami (Amazon Studios)
Jon Raymond & Kelly Reichardt – First Cow (A24)
Ruben Santiago-Hudson – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
Chloé Zhao – Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Christopher Blauvelt – First Cow (A24)
Erik Messerschmidt – Mank (Netflix)
Lachlan Milne – Minari (A24)
Joshua James Richards – Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures)
Newton Thomas Sigel – Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)
Hoyte Van Hoytema – Tenet (Warner Bros.)
Dariusz Wolski – News of the World (Universal Pictures)
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Cristina Casali, Charlotte Dirickx – The Personal History of David Copperfield (Searchlight Pictures)
David Crank, Elizabeth Keenan – News of the World (Universal Pictures)
Nathan Crowley, Kathy Lucas – Tenet (Warner Bros.)
Donald Graham Burt, Jan Pascale – Mank (Netflix)
Kave Quinn, Stella Fox – Emma (Focus Features)
Mark Ricker, Karen O’Hara & Diana Stoughton – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
BEST EDITING
Alan Baumgarten – The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix)
Kirk Baxter – Mank (Netflix)
Jennifer Lame – Tenet (Warner Bros.)
Yorgos Lamprinos – The Father (Sony Pictures Classics)
Mikkel E. G. Nielsen – Sound of Metal (Amazon Studios)
Chloé Zhao – Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures)
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Alexandra Byrne – Emma (Focus Features)
Bina Daigeler – Mulan (Disney)
Suzie Harman & Robert Worley – The Personal History of David Copperfield (Searchlight Pictures)
Ann Roth – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
Nancy Steiner – Promising Young Woman (Focus Features)
Trish Summerville – Mank (Netflix)
BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP
Emma (Focus Features)
Hillbilly Elegy (Netflix)
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
Mank (Netflix)
Promising Young Woman (Focus Features)
The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Hulu)
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Greyhound (Apple TV+)
The Invisible Man (Universal Pictures)
Mank (Netflix)
The Midnight Sky (Netflix)
Mulan (Disney)
Tenet (Warner Bros.)
Wonder Woman 1984 (Warner Bros.)
BEST COMEDY
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (Amazon Studios)
The Forty-Year-Old Version (Netflix)
The King of Staten Island (Universal Pictures)
On the Rocks (A24/Apple TV+)
Palm Springs (Hulu and NEON)
The Prom (Netflix)
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Another Round (Samuel Goldwyn Films)
Collective (Magnolia Pictures)
La Llorona (Shudder)
The Life Ahead (Netflix)
Minari (A24)
Two of Us (Magnolia Pictures)
BEST SONG
Everybody Cries – The Outpost (Screen Media Films)
Fight for You – Judas and the Black Messiah (Warner Bros.)
Husavik (My Home Town) – Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (Netflix)
Io sì (Seen) – The Life Ahead (Netflix)
Speak Now – One Night in Miami (Amazon Studios)
Tigress & Tweed – The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Hulu)
BEST SCORE
Alexandre Desplat – The Midnight Sky (Netflix)
Ludwig Göransson – Tenet (Warner Bros.)
James Newton Howard – News of the World (Universal Pictures)
Emile Mosseri – Minari (A24)
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – Mank (Netflix)
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Jon Batiste – Soul (Disney)
UPDATED Taylor Swift, Harry Styles Confirmed for Grammy Awards (Told Here December 20th), Adele, Beyonce Remain Question Marks
I told you on December 20, 2020 that Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Beyonce, and Adele were booked for the Grammy Awards back when they were set for January 31st.
Well, now the Grammys are set for Sunday March 14th on CBS. The Recording Academy has just confirmed that Swift and Styles with a bunch of other names. Beyonce and Adele are question marks but I think we’ll be getting their announcements separately.
But Beyonce will surely part of the show as she has six nominations yet didn’t release a record in 2019-2020.
And even though Adele hasn’t released a record since November 2015, she is likely to present Album of the Year at the end of the show. Just as she appeared on “SNL” last December without singing, this will be her way of staying in the news without doing anything.
I forgot to add that Adele and Beyonce have the same publicity company. That’s important here.
The fact is, with Zoom etc, you can be on these awards shows in your PJs if you want, from home, whatever.
Other artists announced for the Trevor Noah-hosted show include BTS, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Roddy Ricch, Mickey Guyton, Bad Bunny, Black Pumas, Brandi Carlile, DaBaby, Doja Cat, Haim, Brittany Howard, Miranda Lambert, Lil Baby, Chris Martin, John Mayer, Maren Morris and Post Malone.
So far no legacy artists or people over a certain age. And no Cynthia Erivo, who I thought might be promoting her “Genius Aretha” mini series.
This year there will be a lot going on at Grammy.com beginning at 3pm on Sunday the 14th. We can watch the big three hour ceremony at which they give the 80 or so awards we don’t see on TV. (There’s nothing like sitting through that ceremony live, you have no idea.) Jhené Aiko is hosting it, and there will be performances by really interesting musicians you never see on the prime time show. I’m psyched!
What about the pandemic? According to a press release, “The Grammys are set to highlight the toll the pandemic has taken on live entertainment, with many venues still closed as artists have had to postpone tours. Employees, ranging from bartenders to box office managers, who work at Los Angeles’ Troubadour and Hotel Cafe, New York City’s Apollo Theater and Nashville’s Station Inn will present awards.”
The main thing is that new EP Ben Winston knows how to produce an entertaining show. So we’ll watch, and kvetch!
Disney Won’t Report “Nomadland” Numbers But There Are Sold Out Shows in New York Today
Disney, which now has Fox Searchlight as just Searchlight, has been busy hiding numbers for “Nomadland.”
Chloe Zhao’s Oscar-tipped drama has already won the Golden Globes and many critics awards. Tonight it should win the Critics Choice Award on the CW Network starting at 8pm.
This amazing film was released on February 19th and made around $1 million on its first weekend. Many theaters were closed in cities like New York and Los Angeles.
But now theaters in New York are open to 25% capacity or 50 seats. And today there are several sold out shows around Manhattan according to Fandango. That’s a good sign. So why won’t Disney say how much “Nomadland” made this weekend?
We already have a plethora of films with no financial info, from Netflix to Amazon, Hulu, etc. It’s not a great omen that studios are following suit with lack of transparency.
PS Tragic news yesterday that the sound mixer for “Nomadland,” Michael Wolf Snyder, 35, committed suicide this week. He was found by his father in his Queens apartment. What a terrible loss. He was on track for an Oscar nomination, knew how many accolades his film was getting, but was overcome by what his dad called “Major Depression.” Just heartbreaking. Condolences to his family and friends.
Chaos Walking: $125 Mil Film Crashes at Box Office with Under $4 Mil, Stars of “Spiderman,” “Star Wars,” 2 Oscar Nominees, Tom Cruise Director
The story of a Hollywood box office disaster is always grist for the mill.
Doug Liman’s “Chaos Walking” is like a throw back to the days of “Waterworld” and “The Postman.”
Over the weekend, “Chaos Walking” exploded like the Hindenburg. With a published budget of $125 million, the star-studded Lions Gate- distributed space opera brought in around $3.8 million at theaters. And this was with New York theaters open again at 24% capacity.
“Chaos Walking” stars Tom Holland, the popular actor from the latest “Spiderman” series. It co-stars Daisy Ridley, who led the charge in the final “Star Wars” trilogy. The cast includes two Oscar nominees– Damian Bechir and Cynthia Erivo. Also pop star Nick Jonas, and critically praised actor David Oyelowo.
The director is Doug Liman, known for Tom Cruise hits like “Edge of Tomorrow” and “American Made,” plus “The Bourne Identity” and “Mr. and Mrs. Smith.” He’s made really good movies. Not this one, however.
The premise of the film is described as a space love story combined with “What Women Want” in which Holland can hear everyone’s thoughts. (Just not the critics’.)
On Rotten Tomatoes, “Chaos Walking” earned a 24 from critics and bloggers. It was originally set for release TWO years ago, but was so bad it went back for re-shoots and then was scheduled for April 2020. But the pandemic hit and no one knew what to do. So here it is, in all its glory.
The Golden Globes People and the Time’s Up People Are Fighting with Each Other Near Midnight on A Saturday
Like anyone cares. The HFPA and Time’s Up seem to think that fighting about diversity in the Golden Globes should happen after 10pm Eastern on a Saturday night.
The other day as I drove east on 16th Street from the West Side Highway I saw two women taking boxes out of a moving truck in front of the Fulton Housing Project. “Moving out?” I asked while idling at the red light. They said, no, “Food pantry.” There was a line of people waiting just beyond for food and supplies because they had no money thanks to the pandemic. Trust me they were not holding screening tickets.
Both the HFPA and Time’s Up are foolish organizations. The Globes already had the lowest rating for any TV show ever. They have always been involved in scandals and have never known how to handle them. Now they’re promising to become diverse without really doing anything. Their statement is below.
Then Time’s Up which I told you has the most questionable finances since the HFPA is attacking them. This is the group with $2.3 million in salaries and nothing for anyone who’s in trouble.
I mean, I am laughing. How can anyone take this seriously?
Tina Tchen, president and CEO of TIME’S UP Foundation, shared the following statement:
“So NBCUniversal, Dick Clark Productions, and the HFPA just declared that they have a plan to fix problems they’ve ignored for decades. We’re not so sure. On behalf of the many artists who look to us to hold the HFPA’s feet to the fire on the racism, disrespect, misogyny, and alleged corrupt financial dealings of the Golden Globes, we need to see specific details, timetables for change, and firm commitments. The right words are not enough. The clock is ticking.”
Here’s what the Globes posted to Twitter:
A statement from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). pic.twitter.com/R81QjEMgK5
— Golden Globe Awards (@goldenglobes) March 7, 2021
Why does the HFPA put out a statement late on a Saturday night? To dump it into the abyss. These 90 people have lived for so long on the largesse of licensing money from NBC that they have no idea there is a food pantry on West 16th or anywhere else in this country, and that those people who are suffering did not watch their TV show last Sunday night and are not concerned about awards shows.
Let’s get real.
TV: “Walking Dead” Audience Almost Competely Disappears, Falls Below 3 Million a Week
Why is “The Walking Dead” still a series?
With the last two episodes, the once ratings powerhouse has fallen to below 3 million viewers a week.
Last week registered a 2.89 million. The prior week was 2.73 million.
This tenth “season” of the series began in October 2019 and ends on April 4, 2021. There are 22 episodes. The first one, back in October 2019, scored 4 million viewers. The decline has been steady.
At the peak of its popularity, these Zombies and ugly humans were taking in 15 million viewers. That was in 2013-14.
But the bloom is off the rose, as they say. The zombies have flaked into nothingness. You would have to be hardcore to still care what happens.
There’s also a lot of competition. Tomorrow night at 9pm, Oprah will be grilling Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who are fighting their own zombies. On the CW, there’s the Critics Choice Awards. And then there are 200 other channels.
We’ll see on Tuesday what tomorrow night’s ratings are. But an 11th season is supposed to start this summer. Why? I have no idea except that AMC has no other ideas for series.