A blog about societal, cultural, and civilizational collapse, and how to stave it off or survive it. Named after the legendary character "Crazy Eddie" in Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's "The Mote in God's Eye." Expect news and views about culture, politics, economics, technology, and science fiction.
"A woman whose initials, when spoken aloud, not only describe her mind but her body and soul." *Snork* She hasn't changed these past nine years, inside and out.
That interview needed a song, which Randy provided his second time around with her in Just BE BEST!
THE RANDY RAINBOW SHOW: "Just Be Best!"
Randy has changed; he didn't include that this a parody of "Be Our Guest" in the video description, although maybe he didn't need to; it's exactly what I expected.
That's a wrap for today and the month of February. Stay tuned for highlights of tonight's Saturday Night Live as tomorrow's Sunday entertainment feature to begin March's blogging. SNL has lots of news to laugh at so we and they don't cry.
What happens when a planet crosses a climate tipping point it can’t recover from? Venus may hold the answer.
Scientists think Venus once had oceans, water, and a climate that may have resembled early Earth. But something pushed the planet past a threshold. Water evaporated, greenhouse warming spiraled, and Venus became the hottest planet in our solar system.
So what was that tipping point? And could anything like it happen on Earth?
In this episode of Weathered, Maiya May explores the science behind runaway greenhouse effects, ancient volcanic carbon releases, and one of the most surprising climate wildcards scientists have discovered: the potential collapse of stratocumulus clouds.
From crocodiles in the Arctic during past hothouse climates to cutting-edge models of cloud loss under extreme CO2 levels, this episode investigates what keeps Earth’s climate stable and what could push it toward irreversible change.
Earth isn’t turning into Venus anytime soon. But Venus reveals something more important: what happens when a planet loses its brakes.
That was something I learned back in November. The new fact I learned today was about how stratocumulus clouds, which form at the top of the marine layer, work and what the model predicts would happen when carbon dioxide levels go about 1200 ppm. That makes today a good day, as any day I learn something new is a good day.
This wraps up today's evergreen educational entry. Stay tuned for an entertainment entry I will share next month. Randy Rainbow just uploaded a new song!
I told my readers to "stay tuned for this year's version of Star Trek vs. Star Wars at the Saturn Awards as I examine the nominees for Best Science Fiction Television Series" twice, so I'm following through with the nominees in this category.
Best Science Fiction Television Series:
Andor
The Ark
Foundation
Severance
Silo
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Americans drive much more than in any other country – twice as much as the average German, for example. And the actual experience of driving isn’t quite as romantic as the image. Drivers are often stuck in traffic. Cars pump out pollution. Less walking means less exercise. Cars also can kill people. Some skeptics say, indeed–cars are awesome. But they got a lot of help from favorable policies and strong lobbies. CNBC spoke with some researchers and looked at numbers to get the full picture of why Americans became so dependent on cars.
I promised coverage of the television nominees at the Saturn Awards as this week's Sunday entertainment feature, but technology didn't cooperatetwice, then the router arrived today and my wife set it up while I was at work — thanks! — so I'm uploading it today.
I begin by returning to Deadline Hollywood, which reported "Among the TV nominees, Showtime/Paramount+’s Dexter: Resurrection led the way with six nominations, followed by Andor, It: Welcome to Derry and Stranger Things with five apiece." This list, which passed my accuracy check, sets my agenda for the first four posts examining the television nominees, so I begin with Dexter: Resurrection and the shows nominated against it.
Best Thriller Television Series:
Dark Winds
Dexter: Resurrection
The Lowdown
MobLand
The Rainmaker
Your Friends and Neighbors
As Deadline Hollywood reported, Dexter: Resurrection leads both all television nominees and the nominees in this category with six nominations, while the rest of the nominees in this field have only this one nomination, so it's the favorite. It helps that at least two accounts on Twitter are mounting an awards campaign for Dexter: Resurrection. I didn't vote for it. Instead, I voted for Dark Winds, which my wife and I are fans of. I won't be disappointed if it loses to Dexter: Resurrection. In fact, I expect it.
I won't complain about the quality of the field, but I'm making a note to myself to submit my own list of thriller and mystery TV series next December. If I had done so last year, it wouldn't have changed my vote or the likely winner, but I might at least know who the other nominees are.
Follow over the jump for the actors from Dexter: Resurrection nominated at the Saturn Awards.
My wife turned her phone into a mobile hot spot and I was able to connect my desktop to it and read my blog, but I could not upload my post. At least we tried. The router should arrive tomorrow and I have one entry ready to share and two more at least half-written. I'll be ready when I can do more than post from my phone. Stay tuned!
I have the post written, but my router failed last night, so I can't upload it from my desktop. I'm writing this on my phone. My wife and I have ordered a new router that will be shipped overnight. When it arrives and is installed, I will upload the entry. Stay tuned.
Since it's complete liquidation in 2018, the Toys R Us brand was seemingly dead. However, following its revival in 2019 with brand new stores, it appeared that the brand had a new lease on life. But, even that resurgence was plagued with issues and now with new owners, Toys R Us is back for a third time! Join me today for this updated look on what has happened with the iconic Toys R Us company.
While I'm happy to see Toys R Us return to the U.S., I'm sad to see what's happened to the brand in Canada and Australia. The Retail Apocalypse is not just an American phenomenon; just ask Hudson's Bay Company.
That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned for coverage of the television nominees at the Saturn Awards as tomorrow's Sunday entertainment feature.
As I promisedtwice, I'm completing my coverage of the movie nominees at the Saturn Awards before moving on to television. I'm shuffling the order of categories a bit to feature Best Animated Film first.
Best Animated Film:
The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie
The Bad Guys 2
Elio
KPop Demon Hunters
The SpongeBob Movie: Search For Squarepants
Zootopia 2
The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films instituted a new award this year, Best International Animated Film, and here are its nominees.
Best International Animated Film (New Category)
Attack on Titan the Movie: The Last Attack
Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
The Colors Within
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle
Ne Zha 2
Stitch Head
The next logical category and the last one today is Best International Film.
Best International Film:
40 Acres
Bring Her Back
Dead of Winter
Night Call
The Ugly Stepsister
Sisu 2: Road to Revenge
I voted for Bring Her Back because it was the one I'd heard the most about and it has the highest IMDB rating of all the nominees in this category. That doesn't mean it will will win. The original Sisu won two years ago and I wouldn't be surprised if its sequel wins this year.
That's a wrap for today's installment. Stay tuned for the television nominations next, either tomorrow or Sunday.
In this video, Flux City takes viewers inside Fairlane Town Center in Dearborn, Michigan—just days after Crain's Detroit Business reported that a court-appointed receiver was announced for the second time in less than a decade.
Once a regional shopping destination that opened in 1976, Fairlane now finds itself at the center of mounting financial distress: millions in unpaid property taxes, alleged missing tenant rent, deferred maintenance, and a history of ownership instability since the start of the COVID-19 era.
As the mall faces potential foreclosure and an uncertain future, this walking tour captures the real-time condition of the property and the broader implications for Dearborn, retail real estate, and legacy suburban malls across the country.
Watching the video open and close with Eddy being ejected for recording inside the mall reminds me of one of my earlier mall entries, Steampunk fans ejected from San Diego area mall. As I quoted KPBS four years later, "Malls are private property. They have the right to determine who shops there." This means you (and Eddy, too)!
Here's to receivership saving Fairlane Town Center.
Stay tuned for the final installment of my coverage of the movie nominees at the Saturn Awards tomorrow.
Adulthood
Eden
Dust Bunny
Good Boy
The Rule of Jenny Pen
The Plague
The Toxic Avenger
As the preview image shows, Dust Bunny leads with five nominations, while the rest of the field have just this one. On that basis, it's the favorite and I voted for it. As a "professional's choice," it's acceptable, as it had two nominations at the Film Independent Spirit Awards, including for Best First Feature. However, if I hadn't counted its total nominations at the Saturn Awards, I might have voted for The Plague, which earned three nominations at the Film Independent Spirit Awards, one of which resulted a win for Kayo Martin as Best Breakthrough Performance. It also earned a nomination at the Critics Choice Awards for Everett Blunck as Best Young Actor/Actress. That might have been a better "professional" choice, but it doesn't have the weird factor most of the other nominees, including Dust Bunny, have, which would make them more attractive to a group of genre film fans. For what it's worth, Good Boy also earned a nomination at the Film Independent Spirit Awards. It has the weird factor and a dog for a protagonist. Good boy, indeed — woof!
In visionary creator Bryan Fuller’s (“Hannibal,” “Pushing Daisies”) fantastical and wickedly inventive feature directorial debut Dust Bunny, a 10-year-old girl joins forces with her hit man neighbor to confront each other’s monsters.
Ten-year-old Aurora has a mysterious neighbor (Mads Mikkelsen) who kills real-life monsters. He’s a hit man for hire. So, when Aurora needs help killing the monster she believes ate her entire family, she procures his services. Suspecting that her parents may have fallen victim to assassins gunning for him, Aurora’s neighbor guiltily takes the job. Now, to protect her, he’ll need to battle an onslaught of assassins - and accept that some monsters are real.
My wife and I viewed this trailer and put Dust Bunny on our watch list.
I have one more post planned for the movie nominees before moving on to television. That's scheduled for Friday. In the meantime, stay tuned for another short evergreen educational entry tomorrow.
It's time to say goodbye to the Year of the Snake and hello to the Year of the Horse. What do you know about the Year of the Horse?
0:00 Kai Feng, reporter for ABC Chinese, explains the significance of the horse in Chinese culture and history, 0:49 why 2026 is a 'fire' year, 5:10 and how people across Asia celebrate Lunar New Year.
Not only did ABC News (Australia) explain Lunar New Year, it explained the importance of horses to humans. Bonus educational content!
Is this how civilizations end? As climate disasters intensify, some cities survive — and others collapse. So what makes the difference?
In this episode of Weathered, host Maiya May investigates what history reveals about system collapse, failed cities, and civilizations that didn’t survive climate shocks. Were they doomed? Or did they miss warning signs we’re seeing today?
With climate disasters and global warming accelerating, researchers Luke Kemp and strategic climate risk expert Laurie Laybourn break down the common patterns behind civilization collapse — and the 5 strategies that can help modern societies avoid the same fate.
If you’ve ever wondered:
Is it the end of the world?
When do systems collapse?
Can cities survive climate change?
How do we prevent total societal collapse?
This episode explores what history teaches us — and why it’s not too late to change course.
Because collapse isn’t inevitable. But survival isn’t automatic either.
When I created this blog, I called it "A blog about societal, cultural, and civilizational collapse, and how to stave it off or survive it." I've shifted away from that, making this more "A blog about sustainability with a science fiction slant and a Detroit perspective," as it says on the Crazy Eddie's Motie News Facebook page (if you're still on Facebook, please follow), but I've never changed the description here after 15 years. That's because, deep down, I still believe in the mission I set for myself in March 2011.
On that note, here are the five strategies Maiya May and her guests propose to avoid collapse: situational awareness, adaptation, speed, democracy, and storytelling. On this blog, I'm sharing and telling stories to make people more aware of the situation, get prepared for the future, and encourage speedy responses and democracy. The last two seem like contradictions, as democracy is not known for rapid decisions, but I agree with May and her guests that both are necessary, if not easy. I hope my readers and I are up for the task.
On the third Monday in February, the United States celebrates the federal holiday known as Presidents Day. The day takes place during the birth month of the country's two most prominent presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. While the day once only honored President George Washington on his birthday, February 22nd, the day now never lands on a single president's birthday.
Across the country, most Americans know the day as Presidents Day. More and more of the population celebrates the day to honor all of the past United States Presidents who have served the country. Throughout the country, organizations and communities celebrate the day with public ceremonies.
Marlo Anderson celebrated all the Presidents' pets, which reminded me that Hoover Harding Cleveland is in fairly sparse company. As Wikipedia notes, "Only James K. Polk, Andrew Johnson, and Donald Trump did not have any presidential pets while in office" — something else Hoover Harding Cleveland has in common with Andrew Johnson besides having a majority of Senators vote to convict him after being impeached!
Ballerina
F1: The Movie
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Novocaine
Now You See Me, Now You Don’t
One Battle After Another
As the preview image states, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning earned seven nominations. The rest of the field earned just this one, so Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is the favorite.
Like Best Horror Film, there are plenty of nominees for action/adventure and thriller film at the upcoming Saturn Awards among the movies nominated here, although I have to include all the acting nominees to say so. Joining Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and Warfare from the movie category would be Carry-On, Novocaine, From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, and Gladiator II from the acting categories.* That's a full slate for one category right there. Box Office Mojo's top grossing films of 2024 adds in one other possible nominee, September 5 — Red One is also an action movie, but I think it's more likely to be nominated as fantasy — while Box Office Mojo's top movies of 2025 adds F1: The Movie, The Accountant 2, Karate Kid: Legends, The Amateur, A Working Man, Den of Thieves: Pantera, Flight Risk, Black Bag, Last Breath, Babygirl, and The Phoenician Scheme in the top 50. There are 150 movies with lower box office totals that I didn't even look at! Furthermore, Box Office Mojo's Calendar lists Sovereign, She Rides Shotgun, and The Naked Gun upcoming between now and August 10th. While they are likely to be split among three categories, action/adventure, thriller, and independent film, there are still enough to fill all three and then some. There is no need to sacrifice the superhero film category to add Thunderbolts* and Captain America: Brave New World to Best Action Film!
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Novocaine, From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, and F1: The Movie all made the cut, while Warfare, Carry-On, Gladiator II, and the rest didn't. That's because this year's Saturn Awards ignored releases from the final months of 2024, so no Carry-On or Gladiator II, and Now You See Me, Now You Don’t and One Battle After Another were better movies than Warfare, either as entertainment or as art. For the first time in this series, I'm quoting my standard rant about the Saturn Awards — "the Saturn Awards are about entertainment not art, they don't care for subtle, and they love to stick it to the experts." That's why I'm sure Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning will win this category. It's great, spectatcular entertainment, but it has no Oscar nominations; its most prestigious award so far is a Critics Choice Award for Best Stunt Design. The Motion Picture Academy instituting a casting award before a stunt award hurt its awards chances.
On the other hand, One Battle After Another earned 13 Oscar nominations. Gold Derby thinks its on track to win Best Motion Picture, Best Supporting Actress for Teyana Taylor, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Editing. As my default position is to go with the expert/professional opinion when I vote in the Saturn Awards unless I have good reason to vote otherwise, I voted for One Battle After Another, even though I expect it to lose to Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. At least the Critics Choice Association and the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Film will agree on the best action film, which would be a validation of expert opinion, not a rejection of it.
February 12 represents the 214th birthday of Charles Darwin, a scientist whose ideas transformed human understanding of the natural world, and undoubtedly one of the most influential scientists in history. But that history may have been different, as Da[rw]in’s career altering voyage aboard HMS Beagle almost didn’t happen.
First, The History Guy uploaded this video three years ago, so last Thursday was Darwin's 217th birthday. Second, I had no idea Robert Fitzroy, captain of the Beagle, was himself an accomplished scientist. Third, I knew that Fitzroy wanted a gentleman scientist companion, but I didn't know Darwin was essentially his third choice; I certainly didn't know the names of the two men who could have gone in Darwin's place. Still, Darwin turned out to be the best person available. Fourth, the video reminded me that Darwin was the grandson of Josiah Wedgwood, the founder of Wedgwood & Sons; I had heard that before, but couldn't have remembered that off the top of my head. I think I'd heard, but had forgotten, that his uncle Josiah II had finally allowed him to go. While not mentioned in the video, I did know that he married his first cousin, Emma Wedgwood, daughter of Josiah II. Talk about a close family!
By the way, I recall being a member of the Paleontological Research Institute back in the late 1980s. I've long since let my membership lapse, along with the rest of my professional association memberships. I've been concentrating on teaching instead of research the past 30 years and didn't have the time, and sometimes the money, for meetings and membership dues.
The History Guy has several videos about Valentines Day. Today's is Chocolate: A History.
From The History Guy archive for Valentine's Day, a brief history of the food of the Gods.
That was fascinating, from cacao's prehistory in Mesoamerica to today, including mentions of almost all of today's big names in chocolate, including Cadbury, Lindt, Nestle, Hershey, Reese, and Mars — sorry, no Godiva. I learned a lot from both videos, making today a good day. The second video also made me hungry. Lunchtime!
28 Years Later
The Conjuring: Last Rites
Final Destination: Bloodlines
Frankenstein
The Monkey
Weapons
In addition to Frankenstein's eleven nominations, Weapons has five, 28 Years Later has two, and The Conjuring: Last Rites, Final Destination: Bloodlines, and The Monkey have just this one. Weapons is obviously Frankenstein's competition and I wouldn't be surprised if it wins, but I voted for Frankenstein for Best Horror Film. I also voted for Jacob Elordi as Best Supporting Actor in a Film and Frankenstein for Best Film Make Up. While I voted for Wicked: For Good in Best Production Design, Best Film Costume, and Best Supporting Actress in a Film, it could easily lose to Frankenstein in the first two categories and Weapons in the third.
Speaking of Saturn Awards and what they consider science fiction, I wrote the following two years ago.
That Frankenstein is considered to be the first work of science fiction means that horror is its sister genre, not fantasy, as the movie and television versions of Frankenstein are portrayed as horror. This reminds me of what I wrote most recently about M3GAN and Prey at the Saturn Awards; "if the terror is technological, not supernatural, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films considers it science fiction, not horror." Now I wonder how the Saturn Awards would classify a new movie or TV show about Frankenstein. Hmm.
We'll find out soon, unless they dodge the issue by nominating it for Best Presentation on Television. They did something like that for Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, nominating it for Best Animated Television Series or Special instead of Best Animated Film, so I wouldn't be surprised.
Composer Alexandre Desplat performs the Frankenstein score live at the Frankenstein Exhibit Space in Los Angeles.
...
Oscar winner Guillermo del Toro reimagines Mary Shelley's classic tale of a brilliant scientist and the creature his monstrous ambition brings to life.
That's a wrap for today's post. I plan on continuing this series for the Sunday entertainment feature with the nominees for Best Action/Adventure Film. That's after a double celebration tomorrow, a late celebration of Darwin Day on Valentines Day. Two holidays at once!
Here’s a weeknight speedy turnaround musical parody (missing Tess and Alfie cos unavailable) on the UK fallout linked to the Epstein files, and specifically the former US Ambassador and British Lord, Peter Mandelson’s friendship with Epstein, and the bigger implications of his omissions and appointment rippling through Westminster. Naturally we picked a song from a movie about proteges, covert relationships, virtues and vices, which is another toe-tapping Paul Simon favourite, “Mrs Robinson” – recorded with Art Garfunkel in 1968. The song became the duo’s second number one, and the first rock song to win the Grammy award for Record of the Year. Apparently when the melody was first written there was no name in it, so it could be suited to any three syllable name – which helps explain why Mandelson seemed to fit so well.
...
A “SPAD” is a special adviser to UK politicians (usually a high-level civil servant) – and two resigned in the last day or so who were central to Starmer’s government operation.
The British government seems to be facing consequences faster than the American government. I wonder why that is?
That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned as I plan on examining horror movie nominees for Friday the 13th. Frankenstein!
Yesterday, I asked, "Wicked Wednesday, anyone?" On that note, I'm repeating the key clause from Deadline Hollywood, "Wicked: For Good picked up nine [nominations]," then looking at its competition.
Best Fantasy Film:
Freakier Friday
Hamnet
How to Train Your Dragon
The Life of Chuck
Lilo & Stitch
Wicked: For Good
Following Wicked: For Good's nine nominations are How to Train Your Dragon with three nominations, The Life of Chuck and Lilo & Stitch tied at two, then Freakier Friday and Hamnet with just this one. Based on the number of nominations, Wicked: For Good is the favorite. If I were stricter about voting for the "professional" choice, I'd have voted for Oscar nominee for Best Picture Hamnet, which qualifies for this category because of its magical realism elements. Instead, I voted for Wicked: For Good because I really wanted to vote for Wicked, but the Saturn Awards ignored the films that were released during the last two months of 2024, so I transferred my votes for Wicked to its sequel. Besides, I think it's going to win anyway. Since the Oscars completely snubbed Wicked: For Good, these count as double protest votes.
Speaking of transferring votes, Wicked won the equivalent Oscars for Best Film Costume Design and Best Film Production Design, so I voted for the sequel in those categories. I also voted for Ariana Grande in Best Supporting Actress in a Film, a total of four. Add in my vote for the original Wicked in Best 4K Home Media Release and that's five votes for the franchise, second only to my seven votes for Sinners.
The official lyric video for "The Girl In The Bubble" from 'Wicked: For Good - The Soundtrack'.
That's a really pretty song, and one that probably should have earned an Oscar nomination. I'd have to listen to the nominees to figure out which one it should have bumped, but I'm sure it's better than at least one of them!
That's a wrap for today. I plan on examining horror movie nominees for Friday the 13th. Frankenstein! In the meantime, stay tuned for Randy Rainbow's latest tomorrow. Laugh at the news so we don't cry.
For more than a century, the size of the House of Representatives has been frozen at 435 seats; in that same period, the US population has tripled. This means that today, the average representative is responsible for more than 750,000 constituents. Scholars and politicians say this imbalance is why many Americans feel like Congress is disconnected from them.
So what if we…added more seats? That’s what Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) is proposing in a new bill because he believes it’s closer to what the country’s founders originally envisioned. While expanding Congress could make our ratio of voters to representatives smaller, it also raises a difficult question: Can a larger, more crowded legislature actually govern, or are we just adding more voices to the gridlock? Vox dives into the math, the history, and the potential future of a "bigger" American democracy.
I find all three formulas converging on one district for every 500,000 people encouraging. It tells me that my support for the "Wyoming Plan," which has the population of every district being the size of the smallest population state, is well founded. It's also why I'm not terribly eager to add the U.S. Virgin Islands; their population would make the Wyoming Plan unwieldy, if not downright impracticable. Fortunately, the last referendum overwhelmingly supported territory status. It's also why I would be ambivalent about adding Prince Edward Island as the 62nd state, proposing it join Nova Scotia or New Brunswick first. Yeah, like that will ever happen. However, making the population of a district 500,000 and not that of the lowest population state would remove those reservations.
As I promisedtwice, I'm returning to Saturn Awards coverage today. There's no better way to begin than by recycling the relevant paragraph from Deadline Hollywood.
Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, which snagged a record 16 Oscar nominations last week, landed 12 Saturn nominations, as did Avatar: Fire and Ash and Fantastic Four: First Steps. Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein followed with 11 noms, while Wicked: For Good picked up nine and Superman had eight.
Having examined Avatar: Fire and Ash and Sinners, it's time for me to feature Fantastic Four: First Steps, which leads Best Cinematic Adaptation Film, the successor to Best Superhero Film.
Best Cinematic Adaptation Film:
Black Phone 2
Captain America: Brave New World
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
A Minecraft Movie
Superman
Thunderbolts
In addition to Fantastic Four: First Steps leading with twelve nominations and Superman with eight, Thunderbolts* AKA Thunderbolts: The New Avengers has three, Black Phone 2 has two, and Captain America: Brave New World and A Minecraft Movie have just this one. Based on the number of nominations plus the Disney Marvel Cinematic Universe movies having a track record of winning the Best Superhero Film category, I think Fantastic Four: First Steps is favored. I didn't vote for it; I voted for Superman instead. It beat all other superhero films in the domestic and worldwide box office. Besides, I'm more of a DC fan than a Marvel fan and I've votedaccordingly when DC films are good enough.
Speaking of box office, the leader in this category is A Minecraft Movie, about which I wrote, "The critics must have disliked it for being dumb fun, but it's the kind of movie the People's Choice Awards would love and the Saturn Awards would nominate just to stick it to the experts." I'm glad to see it nominated, especially in this category. It won't win — it is on WatchMojo worst movies of 2025 list — but it deserved this recognition.
The nominee that most surprised me was Black Phone 2. I had to dig through Wikipedia to find out it's an adaptation of "The Black Phone," a story in 20th Century Ghosts. I learned something new, which makes today a good day.
Next, the other category I haven't covered yet that both Fantastic Four: First Steps and Thunderbolts* earned nominations in.
Best 4K Home Media Release:
Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning (Paramount) Nightmare Alley (Criterion) The Fantastic Four: First Steps (Disney/Marvel) Thunderbolts(Disney/Marvel) When Evil Lurks (Second Sight Films) Wicked (Universal)
I wouldn't be surprised if The Fantastic Four: First Steps wins this category, too, but it was my one chance to vote for Wicked instead of Wicked: For Good, so I took it.
Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, Marvel Studios’ “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” introduces Marvel’s First Family—Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and Johnny Storm/Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) as they face their most daunting challenge yet. Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal. The action-adventure also stars Natasha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser, Sarah Niles and Mark Gatiss. Directed by Matt Shakman, produced by Kevin Feige, p.g.a., and executive produced by Louis D’Esposito, Grant Curtis, Tim Lewis and Robert Kulzer, Marvel Studios’ “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” opens in theaters July 25, 2025.
On Sunday 8 February, Bad Bunny will perform at the Super Bowl half-time show to an audience of more than 100 million people across the world.
But the NFL’s choice of the Puerto Rican star has proven controversial, because he has long been outspoken in his criticism of Donald Trump's government, including most recently at the 2026 Grammy Awards, when he called for ICE agents to be removed from the streets.
Puerto Rican cultural critic Carina del Valle Schorske, who profiled Bad Bunny for The New York Times Magazine, speaks to Asma Khalid and Tristan Redman.
She explains how the artist’s pride in his homeland is infused throughout his music, and considers how he might use the United States' biggest stage this weekend to challenge the president’s policies.
On the other hand, I expect Bad Bunny's halftime show will join Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, and others by being nominated and winning Emmy Awards. As I wrote two years ago:
We'll find out about the nominations in July and the Emmy Awards in September. In the meantime, stay tuned for coverage of Best Cinematic Adaptation Film, the successor to Best Superhero Film at the SaturnAwards, tomorrow.
Warner Bros’ record-setting Oscar nomination juggernaut Sinners, James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash and Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps lead all film nominees for the 53rd Saturn Awards, which recognize the year’s best movies, TV programs and home video releases in the fantasy, science fiction, horror, superhero and action-adventure genres.
...
Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, which snagged a record 16 Oscar nominations last week, landed 12 Saturn nominations, as did Avatar: Fire and Ash and Fantastic Four: First Steps. Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein followed with 11 noms, while Wicked: For Good picked up nine and Superman had eight.
Highest 2 Lowest
The Housemaid
The Long Walk
Marty Supreme
Sinners
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
As Deadline reported, Sinners earned twelve nominations at these awards, including Best Film Direction (Ryan Coogler), Best Actor in a Film (Michael B. Jordan), Best Supporting Actor in a Film (Delroy Lindo), Best Supporting Actress in a Film (Hailee Steinfeld), Best Young Actor in a Film (Miles Caton), Best Screenwriting, Best Film Music (Ludwig Göransson), Best Production Design, Best Makeup, Best Film Editing, and Best Costume Design in addition to Best Thriller Film. The rest of the nominees have just the one nomination for Best Thriller Film, so I doubt any of them will beat Sinners.
I was planning to vote for Sinners as Best Horror Film, but here it is in the thriller category. I've already voted for it here. I also voted for Michael B. Jordan as Best Actor in a Film, Ryan Coogler for both Best Film Direction and Best Film Screenwriting, Best Film Editing, Ludwig Göransson for Best Film Music, and Miles Caton for Best Younger Performer in a Film, a total of seven votes, the most of any film I voted for.
“Why You Here / Before the Sun Went Down” from Sinners (Original Motion Picture Score) | Music by Ludwig Göransson
That's a wrap for today's entry. I plan on resuming the series Monday with coverage of Best Cinematic Adaptation Film, the successor to Best Superhero Film, which wasn't presented last year. Looks like the Saturn Awards followed the lead of the Critics Choice Super Awards by including video game adaptation movies and renaming the category. That will be after a special Sunday entertainment feature about the Super Bowl. Stay tuned.
Based on the number of nominations, especially for Song of the Year, "Golden" is my pick to win Best Song Written For Visual Media. It's also Gold Derby's, where every expert, 83.3% of editors, and 86.7% of users have picked it to win...The other songs with support are "Never Too Late" from Elton John: Never Too Late with 16.7% of editors and 5.4% of users picking it, "I Lied to You" from Sinners with 6.1% of users choosing it, and "As Alive As You Need Me To Be" from TRON: Ares with the remaining 0.8% of users supporting it...Sorry, "Pale, Pale Moon" and "Sinners"; Gold Derby doesn't give either of you a chance...
That was in November. The standings changed some by February 1st, but the lead never changed. All of the editors joined all of the experts along with 93.5% of users to consolidate behind "Golden." "I Lied to You" retained 4.6% of users to pass "Never Too Late," which lost the editors choosing it in November and kept only 1.4% of users. "As Alive As You Need Me To Be" settled into a tie for last with "Pale, Pale Moon" and "Sinners" with 0.1% of users each. Therefore, it should be no surprise that GOLDEN [FROM "KPOP DEMON HUNTERS"] Wins SONG WRITTEN FOR VISUAL MEDIA | 2026 GRAMMYs.
EJAE, PARK HONG JUN, JOONG GYU KWAK, YU HAN LEE, HEE DONG NAM, JEONG HOON SEO & MARK SONNENBLICK deliver an acceptance speech after winning the GRAMMY for SONG WRITTEN FOR VISUAL MEDIA for GOLDEN [FROM "KPOP DEMON HUNTERS"] at the 2026 GRAMMYs.
As the preview image for this entry shows, Sinners won two awards, so here are its relevant predictions.
Gold Derby thinks Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media is Wicked's best category with half the editors and 70.5% of users selecting it. KPop Demon Hunters is its closest competition with ever expert so far, one-third of the editors, and 17.6% of users choosing it. Despite having more songs nominated than either Wicked or KPop Demon Hunters, Gold Derby has Sinners in third with the support of the remaining one-sixth of editors and 9.4% of users. The rest of the users are split between A Complete Unknown with 1.7% and F1: The Movie, which I expect to see nominated for Best Action Film at the Saturn Awards, with 0.8%. Wow, a Bob Dylan biopic down that low!
The percentages changed a lot by February, but the relative standings barely budged. Wicked led the predictions with half the experts, 16.7% of editors, and 49.8% of users sticking with it. KPop Demon Hunters lost the experts but gained both editors to two-thirds and users to 37.2%. Sinners stayed in third with the support of the other half of the experts, the remaining one-sixth of editors and 11.6% of users. F1: The Movie retained its 0.8% of users, while A Complete Unknown fell to last with 0.7%. To the surprise of everyone but the half of experts, one-sixth of editors, and 11.6% of users, Sinners won. Watch as SINNERS Wins BEST COMPILATION SOUNDTRACK | 2026 GRAMMYs Acceptance Speech.
Producers deliver an acceptance speech after winning the GRAMMY for BEST COMPILATION SOUNDTRACK for SINNERS at the 2026 GRAMMYs.
I guess having more nominated songs than the other movie soundtracks paid off. Congratulations on an upset win!
Gold Derby thinks Sinners has a better chance of winning here than for Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media with every editor and expert plus 76.5% of users supporting it. Wicked sits in second with 19.7% of users, followed by 2.0% picking The Wild Robot, 1.2% choosing Severance, and 0.7% hanging on to How to Train Your Dragon.
Sinners retained every editor and expert and added users to reach 90.8% support by the time of the ceremony. That's quite a consolidation! Wicked stayed in second with 7.4% of users, while How to Train Your Dragon rose to third with only 0.8% of users, passing The Wild Robot at 0.6% and Severance with 0.4%. This time, Gold Derby called it. Watch as LUDWIG GÖRANSSON Wins BEST SCORE SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA For 'SINNERS' | 2026 GRAMMYs.
LUDWIG GÖRANSSON delivers an acceptance speech after winning the GRAMMY for BEST SCORE SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA for 'SINNERS' at the 2026 GRAMMYs.
Congratulations and may this be a good sign for winning at the Saturn Awards and Oscars!
Follow over the jump for wins by movie music in categories outside of visual media.
I begin by revisiting the prediction from last November.
Yesterday, I asked "More GRAMMY nominees, anyone?" I'm following through with the Gold Derby odds for Best Music Film. Music by John Williams leads as the choice of every expert and editor plus 65.3% of users. Raye: Live at the Royal Albert Hall sits in second as the pick of 26.5% of users, followed by Diane Warren: Relentless with 4.1% of users, Piece by Piece with 2.3%, and Devo with 1.8%.
By Sunday, Music by John Williams consolidated its lead as the choice of every expert and editor plus 70.1% of users. Raye: Live at the Royal Albert Hall retained 23.3%% of users, followed by Diane Warren: Relentless with 4.2% of users, Piece by Piece with 2.1%, and Devo with 0.3%. The experts, editors, and users who picked Music by John Williams called it. Watch as JOHN WILLIAMS Wins BEST MUSIC FILM For MUSIC BY JOHN WILLIAMS | 2026 GRAMMYs Acceptance Speech.
LAURENT BOUZEREAU delivers an acceptance speech after winning the GRAMMY for BEST MUSIC FILM at the 2026 GRAMMYs.
Steven Spielberg has officially achieved EGOT status thanks to his Best Music Film Grammy win Sunday. Spielberg produced the documentary “Music by John Williams.”
Spielberg previously won Oscars for “Schindler’s List” and “Saving Private Ryan,” Emmys for “E.R.” and “Animaniacs,” and a Tony for “A Strange Loop.”
Spielberg had plenty of company in this win.
Laurent Bouzereau directed the doc, which is produced by Spielberg, Brian Grazer, [Ron] Howard, Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, Sara Bernstein, Justin Wilkes, Meredith Kaulfers, [Kathleen] Kennedy, [Frank] Marshall and Bouzereau with Markus Keith and Michael Rosenberg as executive producers.
Congratulations to Spielberg for earning an EGOT, the rest of the producers for their GRAMMY, Williams, and the prognosticators at Gold Derby for correctly calling this category!
That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned for more awards show coverage as I blog about the GRAMMYs won by Sinners, KPop Demon Hunters, Wicked, and Tron: Ares tomorrow.
