'The Muppet Show' wins four Emmy Awards

I'm resuming my Emmy Awards coverage by re-examining my predictions from 'The Muppet Show' leads Taylor Swift and 'Wicked' for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) at the Emmys because The Muppet Show was one of the big winners of the first night of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, taking home four statuettes. Here are the categories it won.

Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded)

• Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable... (Netflix)
• The Muppet Show (Disney+)
• Nikki Glaser: Good Girl (Hulu)
• Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show (Disney+)
• Wicked: One Wonderful Night (NBC)

The Muppet Show and Wicked: One Wonderful Night co-lead with six nominations each, followed by Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show with five, Nikki Glaser: Good Girl with three, and Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable... with two. Gold Derby's prediction page for the Creative Arts Emmy Awards also has The Muppet Show leading with 90% of experts, 33.3% of editors, and 71.3% of users electing it to win. They reverse Wicked: One Wonderful Night and Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show as the latter has the vote of the remaining 10% of experts and 66.7% of editors plus 18.0% while the former only has the support of 8.2% of users. The professionals are split! The users also reverse Nikki Glaser: Good Girl and Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable... with the former ranked fifth at 0.8% and the latter in fourth with 1.6%.

The editors and experts equalized at 77.8% each making The Muppet Show their first choice along with 72.3% of users by the eve of the awards, on bulk a consolidation of opinion. The remaining 22.2% of editors and experts plus 19.5% of users stuck with Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show, while Wicked: One Wonderful Night retained 5.5% of users, followed by 2.2% determining that Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable... would win and 0.4% naming Nikki Glaser: Good Girl as the victor. As the majority predicted, The Muppet Show won. Watch as The Muppet Show Wins for Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) 78th Emmys by the Television Academy.

The special won on the 50th anniversary of the series premiere. That's wild! Also, congratulations to everyone involved, including Sabrina Carpenter, who IMDB lists as an executive producer. She and Bad Bunny are now halfway to an EGOT!

Follow over the jump for the rest of The Muppet Show's Emmys.

Alexis Dahl explains 'How They Keep the Mackinac Bridge Alive' for Labor Day

Happy Labor Day! I'm celebrating the Michigan way with the sequel to Alexis Dahl describes 'The Incredible Engineering Behind Michigan's Iconic Bridge' for Labor Day, How They Keep the Mackinac Bridge Alive.

The Mackinac Bridge team let me follow them around for a day, and here's what I learned about how they're still keeping this feat of engineering alive.

Special thanks to the Michigan Department of Transportation and the Mackinac Bridge Authority for the images, research help, and of course, the excellent tour of the bridge!

That was worth waiting for. I hope all the people walking across the Mackinac Bridge today appreciate how much work it takes to maintain it. I know I do!

That's a wrap for today's educational holiday post. Stay tuned for more Emmy Awards coverage.

Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime show wins seven Emmys

As I promised yesterday, I'm examining some of last night's Creative Arts Emmy Award winners for the Sunday entertainment feature. Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show was the big winner, taking home seven Emmy Awards, so I'm re-examining the predictions Gold Derby and I made. Follow over the jump.

First tornado touches down in Detroit in 29 years and hundreds of thousands lost power

Any day I have failed to post here has been because of two events, either I'm in the hospital or the power went out. This time, it was the latter, which is playing second fiddle to Detroit Tornado Strikes Eastside, Causing Major Damage as WXYZ reported in a rare video of theirs I can embed.

For the first time in nearly three decades, a tornado has touched down in Detroit, leaving extensive damage and dangerous debris across parts of the city — with the lower Eastside hit the hardest.

I had to take shelter during the tornado warning. While there had been severe thunderstorms the night before, which had knocked out the power for more than 100,000 customers, and all day on Thursday, I had avoided having to take any action because of the weather other than driving to an appointment instead of walking until about 3:30 P.M., when public safety came to my office and told me to take shelter. There, I waited with the rest of the employees and students until the all clear sounded about 4:30 P.M. I also called my wife to see and hear how she was riding through the storm. She was about to seek shelter herself when the livestream she was watching cut off because our house lost power. That was quite a moment, hearing the sudden dead silence on the phone.

I'll have more to say after a third video, but first, a second tornado touched down in Metro Detroit, as ClickOnDetroit/Local 4/WDIV reported in NWS: EF2 tornado tears through Detroit, EF0 confirmed in Lincoln Park.

An EF2 tornado packing estimated peak winds of 115 mph tore through Detroit on Thursday afternoon, leaving considerable damage across parts of the city and becoming Detroit's first confirmed tornado in 29 years.

WDIV added an objective angle from the studio that complemented WXYZ's man-on-the-street perspective.

I close the videos with FOX 2 Detroit reporting Volunteers across Metro Detroit clean up, rebuild after tornado and storms.

NWS confirms a tornado touched down on Detroit’s east side Thursday, causing massive damage and leaving thousands without power.

I'm glad FOX 2 Detroit covered the suburbs, because the straight-line winds and lightning did as much damage as the tornado; it was just more dispersed and the individual incidents were generally not as spectacular. Also, the power being out is the same everywhere, including the suburb where I live. It's disruptive.

I just hit a wall for whining about what my wife and I went through. I'm tired, hot, sweaty, hungry, need to replace the half-and-half that spoiled during the blackout, and don't want to write any more about it today. Instead, I'm telling my readers to stay tuned for the first Emmy winners tomorrow as the Sunday entertainment feature followed by a sequel to Alexis Dahl describes 'The Incredible Engineering Behind Michigan's Iconic Bridge' for Labor Day.

More scientists and others fighting climate change and its effects from 'PBS NewsHour'

I closed 'PBS NewsHour's Tipping Points examines scientists fighting climate change and its effects by writing "PBS NewsHour has more, but I'm stopping here to eat lunch and grade papers." Here are those clips, beginning with Carbon credit program pays small landowners to keep forests standing.

Markets to offset carbon emissions are now worth about $2 billion annually, and supporters say they're a key tool to address climate change. But carbon credits have also been criticized for being opaque and not reducing emissions nearly enough. Stephanie Sy reports on an effort to boost the integrity of carbon markets and open them up to small landowners. It’s part of our series, Tipping Point.

Carbon offset markets that actually are effective and include a major carbon reservoir — good news!

On the other hand, Farmers struggle with crops as climate change makes weather less predictable is definitely not good news.

More than half of the continental U.S. is facing drought conditions. But other parts of the country are facing the opposite problem. Extreme weather conditions can have major impacts on farmers and their crops at a time when they're already facing high production costs. Paul Solman recently traveled to southern Georgia to hear from some of those farmers. It's for our series, Tipping Point.

And the "Godzilla" El Niño is likely to make the situation even worse, if it isn't already.

That's a wrap for today's brief educational entry. Stay tuned for more Emmy Awards coverage tomorrow.

'DTF St. Louis' vs 'Beef' at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards

I'm returning to the Emmy Awards by examining the remaining nominees for limited and anthology series that have Gold Derby odds at the the Creative Arts Emmy Awards. I'm following Gold Derby's order of categories beginning with Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

• Linda Cardellini – DTF St. Louis as Carol Love-Smernitch (HBO)
• Dakota Fanning – All Her Fault as Jenny Kaminski (Peacock)
• Laurie Metcalf – Monster: The Ed Gein Story as Augusta Gein (Netflix)
• Joy Sunday – DTF St. Louis as Jodie Plumb (HBO)
• Youn Yuh-jung – Beef as Chairwoman Park (Netflix)
• Constance Zimmer – Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette as Ann Messina Freeman (FX)

Linda Cardellini leads as the selection of 93.8% of experts, 66.7% of editors, and 87.7% of users. As has commonly been the case, the professionals and the amateurs disagree on which nominees have the next best odds. Constance Zimmer, who I've been a fan of since she was in UnREAL ten years ago, is the professionals' second choice with 6.3% of experts and 33.3% of editors, but only 2.6% of users; Youn Yuh-jung is the users' choice with 7.8% of them voting for her to win. Laurie Metcalf earned 1.1% of the users, followed by Dakota Fanning with 0.7%, and Joy Sunday with none.


Gold Derby also thinks that an actor from DTF St. Louis will win this award, too, as 87.5% of experts, 88.9% of editors, and 82.8% of users expect David Harbour will walk off the stage with the Emmy this weekend. Charles Melton and Richard Gadd split the remaining expert vote at 6.3% each with the users breaking the tie in favor of Melton with 11.9% while Gadd has the support of 3.4%. Nick Offerman is fourth according to the users with 1.1% of their votes. Jason Bateman and Richard Jenkins split the remaining user vote at 0.4% each with the rest of the experts breaking the time this time as the choice of the last 11.1%.

Follow over the jump for the categories recognizing the contributors behind the camera.

Vox explains why 'Gen Z is done with both political parties'

I'm beginning September with Vox explaining why Gen Z is done with both political parties | America, Actually.

It’s clear that the youngest generation of voters isn’t the same as the ones that came before. So, what’s up with the kids?

Gen Z researcher Rachel Janfaza joins Vox’s Astead Herndon to discuss how young voters are prioritizing economic survival, confronting their anxieties related to AI-job displacement, and searching for pragmatic, transparent leaders who address their everyday challenges.

00:00 Astead’s love-hate relationship with Gen Z
05:04 The theory of two Gen Z’s
06:19 How the pandemic broke Gen Z
09:48 Growing up with a phone in one hand
16:15 Rejection of the algorithm
17:56 The drivers of economic anxiety
22:08 AI and the future of work
25:25 The gender divide, explained
31:43 Hope for a post-Trump politics
32:51 Takeaways

I've been teaching since 1978, when I became UCLA's flag instructor, and I've seen how every generation is different. They require me to change my teaching to match their peer personalities. Some generations are independent learners, some require more direction. That difference generally reflects how they were taught in K-12. Having been trained and worked as a secondary school teacher allows me to pick up the styles they learned under. Gen Z in particular has been, as Rachel Janfaza pointed out, shaped by remote learning during the pandemic. That would make them more independent, along with the effects of social media, giving them access to sources outside of the classroom, both for good and for ill.

Another way I understand generations has been the writings of Strauss and Howe on generations, which I last mentioned in FiveThirtyEight asks 'Why Are There So Many Boomers In Congress?'

I agree with FiveThirtyEight's quick summary of what our gerontocracy means for policy. It's good for issues relevant to seniors, but maybe not so good for those important to younger Americans. That's good and bad for me personally. I'm 63, so the current Congress would be more likely to pay attention to health issues, like my diabetes, and retirement. On the other, they might not take climate change and technology as seriously as I think they need to, while a younger group of legislators would. Sigh.

Gen Z getting mobilized against AI in general and data centers in particular shows that they are getting other generations to attention to pay attention to their issues.

I'm not surprised by Gen Z's activism; according to Strauss and Howe, they are the same kind of generation as the Silent Generation, that of my parents. That was the generation that supplied the then-young activists of the Civil Rights Movement and later the Women's Liberation Movement. Boomers may claim credit based on their protests against the Vietnam War, but the Silents really provided the people power behind the first two.

Speaking of the past, Gen Z probably has even less connection to the events of the Depression and World War II than I had to the Civil War in my youth. First, I was a young boy during the Centennial of the Civil War, so I got reminded of it regularly. Second, the U.S. has never stopped rehashing the issues of the Civil War, such as sectionalism and racism; the Civil Rights era was still going on when I was young. The Cold War replaced the global struggle of fascism, which everyone thought was defeated. Now that fascism is back, the people who remember are mostly gone and today's young people see World War II as ancient history; they don't understand the relevance. That's one of the reasons why history, even if it doesn't repeat, certainly does rhyme, as Theodor Reik wrote, then had his line attributed to Mark Twain. The history is forgotten, then it returns. Cue George Santayana: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

That's a gloomy thought, but one that isn't enough to make me think less of the final generation of my students. I like the generation that is saving movies and the mall. As I wrote in those two posts, I like them and think they're good people.

That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned for more Emmy Awards coverage tomorrow.

The Marsh Family sings 'Moronic' about Lake Ontario and the trade war with Canada

I promised "something short I can share to social media" and the Marsh Family promptly obliged by uploading "Moronic" - Marsh Family parody of Alanis Morissette's "Ironic" about Trump's Trade War with Canada.

This song treats the Trump shenanigans in recent days as he has escalated a trade war with Canada and – when faced with defiance and the threat of counter tariffs – indulged in petty statements and pathetic acts such as sanctimoniously renaming Lake Ontario as ‘Lake America’. We have been inundated with requests from Canadian followers for something on this topic (including plenty of suggested lyrics and songs) – but we’ve stuck to our own model and selection, which we nearly always do. We wanted to use an iconic Canadian musician for the parody, and opted for the cutting tongue and clean spiky sound of Alanis Morissette – whose show Danielle loved seeing live in London recently. "Jagged Little Pill" was one of our favourite albums - coming out in 1995 when we first met at uni - and "Ironic" (co-written and produced by Glen Ballard) topped the Canadian chart for six weeks when released, thanks in part to a memorable music video that showcased different characters/versions of her.

Yes, it is moronic, but I expect no better from Donald "Pervert Hoover" Trump, especially on trade.

The Marsh Family deserves an encore, so I'm embedding Canada Responds To Trump’s Tariff Threat from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

After President Trump took offense to an advertisement featuring Ronald Reagan, he threatened Canada with major tariffs. Here now is Canada’s official response.

Yes, it's nearly a year old, but it still works. Also, as I wrote in 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert's final Emmy nominations, "That was fun and I already miss Stephen. My monologue posts are not the same without him."

That's a wrap for today's post and August's blogging. Stay tuned for the first post of September.

Once again, 'RuPaul's Drag Race' leads nominations for Outstanding Reality Competition Program, but 'The Traitors' will likely win for the third time

As I promised at the end of It's Saturday, so here are SNL's eleven Emmy nominations, I'm examining the competition program nominees at the Emmy Awards for the Sunday entertainment feature. Watch 78th Emmys Nominations: Reality Competition Program from the Television Academy.

The nominees for Reality Competition Program are Dancing With the Stars, RuPaul's Drag Race, Survivor, Top Chef and The Traitors.

RuPaul's Drag Race leads nominations with nine (eleven for the franchise), followed by six for The Traitors, five each for Dancing with the Stars and Survivor, and four for Top Chef. The prognosticators at Gold Derby orders the top two like they did last year, when I wrote 'RuPaul's Drag Race' leads nominations for Outstanding Reality Competition Program, but 'The Traitors' will likely win again. Every editor, 95.2% of experts, and 93.5% of users think The Traitors will threepeat. The fans and the professionals diverge on the next most likely, with 4.3% of users rooting for RuPaul's Drag Race to upset, while the remaining 4.8% of experts and 1.8% of users selecting Survivor. Dude, I used to be such a big Survivor fan that I was a moderator of a reality TV forum; I get it, but it's not happening this year. Top Chef trails with the last 0.4% of users, while no one is picking Dancing with the Stars.

Gold Derby also has odds for the next category, which will be presented at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, along with all the rest I'm examining today.

Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program

• RuPaul Charles – RuPaul's Drag Race (MTV)
• Alan Cumming – The Traitors (Peacock)
• Kristen Kish – Top Chef (Bravo)
• Ariana Madix – Love Island USA (Peacock)
• Jeff Probst – Survivor (CBS)

Alan Cumming won last year and Gold Derby expects he will win again as the choice of every editor, 92.3% of experts, and 91.9% of users. The professionals and fans split on the next two with 7.7% of experts and 1.9% of fans choosing RuPaul Charles while 5.0% of users picked Jeff Probst. Kristen Kish and Ariana Madix divide the remaining users at 0.6% each. By the way, I predicted "Love Island...will be nominated for at least one Emmy next year after breaking through," and I was right. Sorry, Sharks, who got snubbed. On the other hand, congratulations to Madix; just being nominated is an honor.

Follow over the jump for the behind the camera categories, beginning with the ones I covered in 'Love on the Spectrum' leads Unstructured Reality Program at the Emmy Awards.

It's Saturday, so here are SNL's eleven Emmy nominations

I closed CityNerd asks 'Congestion Pricing: Will We Finally Learn?' A driving update by asking "Saturday Night Live's eleven Emmy nominations, anyone?" Not seeing any objections or other suggestions, I'm doing just that, beginning with one category I haven't covered yet.

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series

• Michael J. Fox – Shrinking: "The Field" as Gerry (Apple TV)
• Brett Goldstein – Shrinking: "Happiness Mission" as Louis Winston (Apple TV)
• Hamish Linklater – Widow's Bay: "Seasickness" as Richard Warren (Apple TV)
• Christopher McDonald – Hacks: "No New Tricks" as Marty Ghilain (HBO Max)
• Rob Reiner – The Bear: "Tonnato" as Albert Schnur (FX)
• Connor Storrie – Saturday Night Live: "Host: Connor Storrie" as host (NBC)

Connor Storrie is the only SNL performer nominated at these Emmy Awards and the youngest SNL guest host ever nominated, but that doesn't seem to count for much at Gold Derby, where none of the professionals have picked him to win. Their leader is Michael J. Fox, who has the support of 53.8% of experts and 42.9% of editors along with 60.7% of users. Fox is followed by the late Rob Reiner, the choice of 23.1% of experts, 28.6% of editors, and 22.0% of users and Hamish Linklater, picked by 23.1% of experts, 14.3% of editors, and 7.0% of users. Professional and fan opinion diverge for fourth and fifth, as 14.3% of editors but only 2.3% of users consider Christopher McDonald to be a potential winner while no professionals but 7.5% of users selected Storrie. At least everyone generally agrees that Brett Goldstein has the worst chance with only 0.5% of users.

That written, I think Storrie deserves another moment in the Sun. I already embedded his monologue in 'SNL' addresses attack on Iran in cold open and Weekend Update, so watch The Gentlemen’s Code.

Two Victorian men (Connor Storrie, Mikey Day) settle a dispute with the help of the gentlemen's code.

Well, that escalated quickly.

Follow over the jump for the other ten categories, beginning with the ones I covered in 'The Daily Show' examines Fauci's testimony and RFK Hospital plus Emmy nominations for 'The Daily Show'.