The top TV shows of 2024 from TIME, The Hollywood Reporter, and WatchMojo

I concluded '2024 becomes the world's hottest year on record, fueling extreme weather events,' the year in climate and weather with the following maybe.

It's early enough that I might post an entry about the year's best TV shows today. Stay tuned to see if I do, followed by the overall year in review for New Year's Eve.

O.K., I'm doing it. Since Grace Randolph hasn't made a definitive best streaming series of the year video yet — watch, she'll upload one while I'm writing this or, worse yet, after I post it — I'm beginning with The 10 Best TV Shows of 2024 from TIME.

One of the greatest pleasures of the Peak TV era was that an excellent series could come from almost anywhere. Lifetime could greenlight the smart, satirical thriller You (which would become a hit for Netflix after failing to attract an audience on cable). The lyrical coming-of-age saga David Makes Man could find a home on OWN. TNT could serve up madcap Floridian crime soap Claws while BBC America made Killing Eve an obsession on this side of the Atlantic.

A few years into the industry’s contraction, and in the wake of writers’ and actors’ strikes in 2023, the television landscape looks a lot different.

Since TIME didn't even hint at this year's best TV shows in the video description, I'm listing them here:

1. Shogun
2. Industry
3. Say Nothing
4. Penelope
5. Fantasmas
6. Somebody Somewhere
7. Interview with the Vampire
8. The Sympathizer
9. Baby Reindeer
10. Pachinko

Not a bad list, although I hadn't heard of 3-5, Say Nothing, Penelope, and Fantasmas, before. Like TIME's top ten movies, this list reflects "reflects expert critical taste," which means it includes some obscure choices.

Next, THR Critics Pick the Best TV Shows of 2024 | THR News, which The Hollywood Reporter just uploaded this morning.

From an epic historical drama to a wild surrealist comedy, our TV screens took us on all sorts of thrilling and intriguing adventures in 2024. As we head into 2025, we're taking a look at some of The Hollywood Reporter's television critics' picks for the best TV shows of 2024.

"In no particular order," THR's picks are Shogun, Baby Reindeer, Ripley, Fantasmas, Shrinking, Hacks, Somebody Somewhere, and My Brilliant Friend. I'm much more familiar with the series on THR's list, which indicates their critics are more in tune with popular taste than TIME's.

Speaking of popular taste, I can't resist WatchMojo, which I've called "high-quality, well-researched clickbait," so I conclude with their Top 24 Best TV Shows of 2024.

From gripping dramas to hilarious comedies, 2024 was a stellar year for television. Join us as we count down the most captivating and innovative series that kept us glued to our screens. Whether you're into sci-fi, crime thrillers, or heartwarming stories, there's something for everyone on this list! Our countdown includes shows like "Industry," "Hazbin Hotel," "Dead Boy Detectives," "Heartstopper," "Ripley," and many more. We'll explore why these series stood out and what made them the best of 2024. Which show was your favorite? Let us know in the comments!

I knew a lot more of WatchMojo's list and even the one I didn't, Bad Monkey, looks like one I should know. In addition, TIME's and THR's choices Industry, Ripley, and The Sympathizer made WatchMojo's list below tenth. Speaking of which, here's WatchMojo's top ten.

1. Shogun
2. X-Men '97
3. Fallout
4. Arcane
5. The Penguin
6. Hacks
7. The Boys
8. Baby Reindeer
9. English Teacher
10. Agatha All Along

Looks like everyone agrees on Shogun and Baby Reindeer, making them favorites of both critics and the people. Who am I to disagree?

Stay tuned for a final year-end retrospectives through New Year's Eve.

'Star Wars' political signs for Star Wars Day 2024

Happy Star Wars Day. May the Fourth be with you! For today's celebration, I'm returning to the theme of 'Star Wars' political parodies for Star Wars Day in an election year from 2020.

I begin with CTV Toronto reporting 'Darth Vader is the guy for the job': Star Wars themed election signs popping up on Toronto-area lawns.

If your choices in the upcoming federal election have you pining for candidates from a galaxy far, far away, there may be a new hope on the horizon.

Rick Di Lorenzo, a councillor from the town of Milton, is creating cheeky election lawn signs, featuring characters from Star Wars and Harry Potter, as a fundraiser for local charities.

With candidates like Darth Vader and Obi Wan Kenobi, and featuring slogans like “Together we can rule the galaxy” and “Seriously it’s not a trap,” this campaign is meant to be more light-hearted than its federal inspiration...

“It's been very positive and like 99 per cent of people are saying it’s hilarious,” Di Lorenzo told CTV News Toronto. “Some people took the signs, because they're saying in this election they can’t support either candidate, so they’re going to put this sign out instead.”

Read the rest of the story and watch the video, which doesn't embed and which I can't find on YouTube to embed here, but which shows the rest of the signs seen below.


Original at BlogTO.
Both of the above were in Canada. Australia has also seen signs inspired by Star Wars, as Pulse Tasmania reported.

A series of fake election signage has been popping up on street posts and traffic light poles across Tasmania in the lead-up to the March 23 state election.

One Pulse follower reported spotting several ‘parody signs’ alongside legitimate candidate signage in Kingston over the weekend.

“I think they are pretty hilarious given the upcoming election. Someone had a lot of fun making them,’ he said.

A majority of the signs reference various niche cultures and movie characters, including Darth Vader.

A spokesperson for the Tasmanian Electoral Commission said the homemade signs are not considered “official election material”.

No kidding.

I haven't seen any news stories about Star Wars themed lawn signs in the current U.S. election, although there are plenty of them for sale. I'm not feeling like doing any unpaid advertising for them right now, so I'll skip them. Instead, I'm concluding today's entry with Mark Hamill's tweet from November 2020, which The Hollywood Reporter shared.

On Saturday, after the election was called by numerous news outlets for Biden, Hamill shared a few tweets but one, in particular, really made a splash.

Hamill posted a picture featuring three posters with the titles of the original Star Wars trilogy. The New Hope poster featured a picture of Barack Obama, the Empire Strikes Back poster featured Trump and the Return of the Jedi poster featured Biden. Hamill wrote, “#BestEpisode_EVER.”

May The Force awaken and keep The First Order out of office this year.

That's a wrap for today's modern holiday. Stay tuned for Cinco De Mayo and highlights of tonight's Saturday Night Live as the Sunday entertainment feature. Depending on tonight's episode, I might be able to combine the two. May my readers and I be so lucky!

'Avatar: The Way of Water' among EMA Award winners

I told my readers to "Stay tuned for more awards show coverage tomorrow now that I know the winners of the Environmental Media Association (EMA) Awards" at the end of 'SNL' tackles E. Jean Carroll judgment, DeSantis endorsement, Nikki Haley, and more. Here are the nominees and my observations from The 2023-2024 Environmental Media Association Awards nominees along with the winners.

Feature Film

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery – Netflix
White Noise – Netflix
Avatar: The Way of Water – Walt Disney Studios / Lightstorm Entertainment

Oh, look, a film I voted for twice at the Saturn Awards (Avatar: The Way of Water, another movie I compared favorably to a Razzie nominee (Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery), which is damning with faint praise, so I didn't vote for it, and another I've never mentioned before (White Noise) but which earned nominations at the Critics Choice Awards and Golden Globes last year. Oh, and all of these movies came out in 2022. What, no 2023 movies with environmental themes had release dates before the deadline? At this rate, I'm looking for Aquaman 2 to earn a nomination at the next EMA Awards.

That written, all of these movies deserve their nominations for their environmental themes, even White Noise, which kicks off with a train wreck releasing hazardous chemicals — sounds familiar, doesn't it, although the movie came out before that particular disaster. Since I voted for it twice, I think Avatar: The Way of Water is the best nominee. I also think it has the strongest environmental themes, so it might just win.

And it did. Congratulations!

Documentary Film

Deep Rising – The Film Collaborative
Common Ground – Big Picture Ranch
From Devil’s Breath – MSNBC Films, TIME Studios, Day Zero Productions, Sugar23, Mainstay, P&G Studios, Grain Media, Appian Way

This category alone justifies my coverage of these awards, as it includes three films I can recommend my students watch for extra credit. Welcome to blogging as professional development.

The nominees also cover topics I've blogged about. Deep Rising examines the same subject as PBS Terra tells 'The Dirty Truth About Our Clean Energy Future'. Common Ground is another documentary about sustainable agriculture like Food, Inc., King Corn, and The Biggest Little Farm. Finally, I've blogged about wildfires, the subject of From Devil’s Breath, several times. I have no doubts about the environmental content of any of these films!

In 2022, I suspected that star power would sway the EMA voters enough for Eating Our Way to Extinction to win. It did, so I'm making the same prediction for Common Ground. Look at all the famous actors named on the poster, including Laura Dern, who is receiving the EMA Ongoing Commitment Award. It's enough to cancel out Jason Momoa as the narrator for Deep Rising, especially since he is also listed for Common Ground, and Leonardo DiCaprio for From Devil’s Breath, which might be the best-crafted of the three.

As I predicted, Common Ground won. Again, congratulations!

Follow over the jump for the television winners.

The 2023-2024 Environmental Media Association Awards nominees

I closed Bill Nye joins the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists as the Doomsday Clock remains at 90 seconds to midnight by telling my readers "the EMA Awards are tomorrow, so they're up next." Here are the nominees for tonight's ceremony, which "honor[s] film and television productions and individuals that increase public awareness of environmental issues and inspire personal action on these issues."

Feature Film

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery – Netflix
White Noise – Netflix
Avatar: The Way of Water – Walt Disney Studios / Lightstorm Entertainment

Oh, look, a film I voted for twice at the Saturn Awards (Avatar: The Way of Water, another movie I compared favorably to a Razzie nominee (Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery), which is damning with faint praise, so I didn't vote for it, and another I've never mentioned before (White Noise) but which earned nominations at the Critics Choice Awards and Golden Globes last year. Oh, and all of these movies came out in 2022. What, no 2023 movies with environmental themes had release dates before the deadline? At this rate, I'm looking for Aquaman 2 to earn a nomination at the next EMA Awards.

That written, all of these movies deserve their nominations for their environmental themes, even White Noise, which kicks off with a train wreck releasing hazardous chemicals — sounds familiar, doesn't it, although the movie came out before that particular disaster. Since I voted for it twice, I think Avatar: The Way of Water is the best nominee. I also think it has the strongest environmental themes, so it might just win.

Documentary Film

Deep Rising – The Film Collaborative
Common Ground – Big Picture Ranch
From Devil’s Breath – MSNBC Films, TIME Studios, Day Zero Productions, Sugar23, Mainstay, P&G Studios, Grain Media, Appian Way

This category alone justifies my coverage of these awards, as it includes three films I can recommend my students watch for extra credit. Welcome to blogging as professional development.

The nominees also cover topics I've blogged about. Deep Rising examines the same subject as PBS Terra tells 'The Dirty Truth About Our Clean Energy Future'. Common Ground is another documentary about sustainable agriculture like Food, Inc., King Corn, and The Biggest Little Farm. Finally, I've blogged about wildfires, the subject of From Devil’s Breath, several times. I have no doubts about the environmental content of any of these films!

In 2022, I suspected that star power would sway the EMA voters enough for Eating Our Way to Extinction to win. It did, so I'm making the same prediction for Common Ground. Look at all the famous actors named on the poster, including Laura Dern, who is receiving the EMA Ongoing Commitment Award. It's enough to cancel out Jason Momoa as the narrator for Deep Rising, especially since he is also listed for Common Ground, and Leonardo DiCaprio for From Devil’s Breath, which might be the best-crafted of the three.

Follow over the jump for the television nominees.

'Exorcist: Believer' and 'Expend4bles' tie for most Razzie nominations as the Golden Raspberry Awards' poor math skills strike again!

It's time for this year's Razzie nominations. Watch 44th Razzie Nominations from the Razzie Channel.

After strikes, lingerings of a worldwide plague and a general sense of universal agoraphobia, the decline of the cinematic experience goes without saying. Thankfully, a doll and a bomb movie jump-started The Industry, which still left behind a trail of Pooh for the Razzies® to pick up!

According to the press release, Expend4bles leads with seven nominations, followed by Exorcist: Believer and Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey with five, Shazam! Fury of the Gods and Ant Man & The Wasp: Quantumania with four, and Meg 2: The Trench with three. The Hollywood Reporter dutifully reported these numbers along with the leading nominees in Razzie Awards 2024 Nominations Revealed: 'Expend4bles' Leads the Pack.

Awards season doesn't just mean honoring the best of the best. The Razzies unveiled their annual nominations, which honor the worst of the year. Leading the nominations for the Razzies or more formally known as the Golden Raspberry Awards are 'Expend4bles' which earned 7 including worst picture.

Unfortunately, the Razzies made at least two math errors and The Hollywood Reporter didn't catch them. I knew to look for them, as I observed two years ago and repeated last year, "the people behind the Razzies do not have the best math skills and attention to detail, so they make mistakes when counting nominations. This year was no exception..." This year's error was not in the number of nominations for Expend4bles; the bad mercenary movie really does have seven nominations. It's that Exorcist: Believer also has seven, not five. They are: Worst Picture, Worst Actor for Russell Crowe, Worst Supporting Actor for Franco Nero, Any 2 Money-Grubbing Investors Who Donated to the $400 Million for Remake Rights to The Exorcist, Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel, Worst Director for David Gordon Green, and Worst Screenplay. Oops. Even if the Worst Screen Couple doesn't count, and I think the category should because it did for Expend4bles and Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, it still has more than five. In addition, the Razzies missed that Ghosted also has three nominations, Worst Actor for Chris Evans, Worst Actress for Ana De Armas, and Worst Screen Couple for both of them, tying it with Meg 2: The Trench. Double oops. Still, I expected no better from the Razzies, which is why I looked. I'm just surprised that The Hollywood Reporter hasn't learned to check the Razzies' math.

Enough of that. As I wrote last year, "I pay attention to the Razzies because they usually recognize the worst big-budget genre films and sniff out bad political films. They didn't disappoint me this year, as they recognized some poorly done genre films." In addition, both Expend4bles and Ghosted are action-comedies about politics and government. Both of them are examples of "there is nothing unfunnier than a bad comedy."

Speaking of mistakes, I just missed an opportunity to brag about a prediction. I wrote "it wouldn't surprise me if Waller-Bridge earned a Razzie nomination for [her] role" in 'Barbie' vs. 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' for Best Fantasy Film at the Saturn Awards. Fortunately, that didn't happen, as I also wrote "I think that would be unjustified, as I enjoyed her performance." I was thinking of writing that Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny would earn a Razzie nomination for Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel in my response to Infidel753's second comment, but I didn't follow through. Darn, as the movie earned two nominations for Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel, as I expected, and Worst Screenplay. I think that makes it the only movie nominated at both the Oscars for Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score) and the Razzies. Congratulations?

I also didn't blog about the Razzie winners last year, so I conclude by including 43rd Razzie® Award Winners!

Besides “wins” for the iconic actor, marvel character and bizarre biopic, the Razzies for the first time in their history, took a Razzie themselves. After their blunder of nominating someone who should not have been considered, the organization was put through the cyberworld blender. They publicly apologized to the actress, changed the rules for anyone under 18, rescinded the nomination and put themselves in her place on the ballot - which won by a landslide. Watch Razz Berry's acceptance speech.

At least the Razzies acknowledged one of their mistakes, which was for judgment, not math. They followed their own advice of "own your bad." Good for them.

Gold Derby hasn't made any predictions for the Razzies or the Oscars yet. When they do, I'll return with their odds. Stay tuned.

The '2023 Emmys Celebrates Diversity With Most Winning Actors of Color' for the week of MLK Day

I celebrated diversity in acting winners at the Golden Globes on Sunday, so it's time to do the same for the Emmy Awards winners, as I promised thrice. The Hollywood Reporter made it easy for me by uploading 2023 Emmys Celebrates Diversity With Most Winning Actors of Color.

The 2023 Emmy Awards were its most diverse yet! The Emmys celebrated its 75th anniversary on Monday night after being pushed 4 months due to the dual writers and actors strikes. Appropriately falling on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the show handed out five of the 12 acting Emmys during the telecast to performers of color.

In addition to Quinta Brunson, Ayo Edebiri, Niecy Nash-Betts, Ali Wong, and Steven Yeun winning as actors, Lee Sung Jin won three Emmys for producing, writing, and directing Beef, the last of which he shared with Wong and Yeun, who IMDB lists as executive producers of the limited series, for five Primetime Emmys for the show. Added to the three Creative Arts Emmy Awards the show won, that's a total of eight, tying it with The Last of Us and only surpassed by The Bear with ten total Emmy Awards.

The Hollywood Reporter also noted that RuPaul won a 15th Emmy for RuPaul's Drag Race and Trevor Noah won for The Daily Show. IMDB shows the former is warranted, as it lists RuPaul as a producer. On the other hand, I'm not seeing Noah listed as a producer of The Daily Show, so he may have accepted the award, but I don't know if he gets to keep it. That may be an omission on the part of IMDB, not a mistake by The Hollywood Reporter. I found two errors in the IMDB page for the 51st Saturn Awards and the IMDB pages for the Environmental Media Association (EMA) Awards are complete messes. It's enough to make me want to volunteer for the EMA to fix them as a retirement project.

Follow over the jump for The Hollywood Reporter mentioning other dimensions of diversity recognized at Monday night's ceremony.

Celebrating diversity in acting winners at the Golden Globes for MLK Day weekend

An early happy and contemplative MLK Day, when I have examined diversity in visual media since 2015! I'm continuing that tradition today by looking at the diverse winners of the movie and TV categories at the 81st Golden Globe Awards.* The Hollywood Reporter has the highlights.

Plenty of white people roles (nine among the 14 acting races) continued to win awards at the 2024 Golden Globes, but there were a handful of exceptions, including two firsts in the ceremony’s 81-year history.

Lily Gladstone became the first Indigenous person to receive a Golden Globe, portraying the real-life Osage woman married to a murderer in Killers of the Flower Moon. “This is for every little res kid, every little urban kid, every little Native kid out there who has a dream, who is seeing themselves represented and our stories told by ourselves, in our own words,” said the best actress in a motion picture, drama winner, who opened her acceptance speech introducing herself in the Blackfeet language.

Meanwhile, Ali Wong added “best actress in a limited series” to the list of categories that have had at least one winner of Asian descent. Her win was part of a sweep for limited series winner Beef, with lead actor Steven Yeun and creator Lee Sung Jin adding to the tally of Asian winners, which also included legendary Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, who won best animated feature for his final film, The Boy and the Heron. The Studio Ghibli movie is the first non-English language film to win in the category.

The other two nonwhite Globe winners in 2024 are both Black women: Da’Vine Joy Randolph won best supporting actress in a motion picture for The Holdovers, while Ayo Edebiri won best actress in a television musical or comedy for The Bear. “The beauty is that all the time I poured into my crafts and all the sleepless nights I had to think about how I contribute to this industry as a woman of color has been worth it,” Randolph said backstage after her win.

Congratulations to all the winners! Follow over the jump for their acceptance speeches and a postmortem on Gold Derby predicts a good night for 'Barbie,' 'Oppenheimer,' 'Succession,' 'The Bear,' and 'Beef' at the Golden Globes.

WGA strike ends, actors still on strike, talk shows to return

I'm in the mood for some good news, so I'm following up on Writers Guild reaches tentative agreement with studios with two videos beginning with Yahoo Finance reporting WGA strike ends with tentative deal while actors' strike continues.

The Hollywood writers' strike has come to an end after over 140 days. The tentative deal between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) has still yet to be ratified with a vote, but writers have been given the green light to return to production. Despite this monumental deal, major productions are still halted by the ongoing SAG-AFTRA actors strike. Yahoo Finance's Akiko Fujita joins the Live show to break down the details of the new contract between the writers and studio executives, as well as the current status of the actors' strike.

I'm recycling my reaction from Monday: "As I wrote, this is good news, but I'm not posting Professor Farnsworth until both the writers and actors have ratified their contracts and the studios and actors still aren't talking." Speaking of which, The Hollywood Reporter uploaded SAG-AFTRA Strike Continues After WGA and AMPTP Reach Tentative Deal | THR News on Tuesday.

While the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have reached a tentative deal on a new contract, SAG-AFTRA is still on strike. WGA members returned to the picket lines today in support of striking SAG-AFTRA members on Tuesday and spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about how they're feeling following the news that the more than 140-day writers' strike could be coming to an end.

The actors are feeling optimistic, which echoes what I wrote on Monday.

I'm sure they will resume talking once the WGA gets back to work, but that won't be until October at the earliest. While that means that scripted series for the new fall network TV season will be delayed until January, which is one of the reasons why the Primetime Emmy Awards have been postponed until MLK Day, I'm hoping that talk shows will return as soon as the WGA strike is over. I've missed Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel, and especially John Oliver. Randy Rainbow just doesn't put out enough videos to fill that void. I'm hoping to welcome their return in time for National TV Talk Show Host Day on October 23rd.

I'm getting my wish granted earlier than I expected, as USA Today reported in WGA strike ends, late night shows resume as actors continue picketing | Entertain This!

The Writers Guild of America reached a new deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Here's what's next for Hollywood.
...
The Hollywood screenwriters' strike, one of two strikes that have stalled movie and TV productions for nearly five months, will officially end Wednesday.

The Writers Guild of America board unanimously voted Tuesday to affirm the strike-ending deal, announced Sunday, with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the group that represents studios, streaming services and production companies in negotiations.

That's right, Bill Maher returns Friday, John Oliver resumes on Sunday, and everyone else follows on Monday. I can hardly wait!

Primetime and Creative Arts Emmy Awards shows postponed indefinitely because of strikes

I told my readers "I plan on continuing my awards show coverage tomorrow, but I haven't decided exactly what to write" at the end of 'Queer Eye' leads structured reality shows at the Emmys — again. I then asked if they had any suggestions. I didn't get any, but one of the possibilities was "Emmys postponed because of strikes." I decided to write about that today. Watch TODAY report Primetime Emmy Awards postponed due to ongoing strikes.

The 75th Primetime Emmy Awards has been postponed due to the ongoing strikes by the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA. The Emmys broadcast was scheduled to take place on Sept. 18, and a new date has not been announced.

KTLA interviewed an expert for more details in Elaine Low talks the Emmys getting postponed and the status of the WGA & SAG Strike.

Check out more of Elaine's work at TheAnkler.com.
She also has a daily newsletter and blog at StrikeGeist.com.
This segment aired on the KTLA 5 Weekend Morning News on July 29, 2023.

That was at the end of July. Since then, there was a glimmer of hope, as Good Morning America reported WGA and AMPTP hold first meeting since the start of strike on Saturday.

Union members and studios are holding their first meeting as the walkout approaches day 100.

Just to reinforce the pessimistic conclusion, The Hollywood Reporter's headline read Writers Blast Latest AMPTP Efforts to Resume Negotiations: “Insulting and Out-of-Touch”. These strikes are not ending any time soon.

Since there are no new dates for the awards broadcasts, I think I can slow the pace of my Primetime and Creative Arts Emmy posts. The earliest I expect they could take place would be November. On the other hand, the News & Documentary Emmy Awards are not affected by either strike, so they should happen on schedule with the news awards being presented on Wednesday, September 27, 2023 and the documentary awards on Thursday, September 28, 2023. I'm shifting my focus to them for at least the next couple of posts. Stay tuned.

Previous posts about the 2023 Primetime and Creative Arts Emmy Awards

• Dove's 'Cost of Beauty' the sole PSA among the 2023 Emmy nominees for Outstanding Commercial
• 'The Territory' leads nominees for Exceptional Merit In Documentary Filmmaking at the 2023 Emmy Awards
• Barack Obama defends his Emmy against Hollywood all-stars narrating nature and science documentaries
• The music of 'Prehistoric Planet 2' earned the series its first Emmy nomination
• 'Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy' defends its Emmy for Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special
• '100 Foot Wave' has the most nominations but experts think 'The U.S. and the Holocaust' and 'The 1619 Project' have best chances to win Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series at the Emmy Awards
• 'Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie' leads nominees for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special at the Emmy Awards
• 'Good Night Oppy' has six nominations at the News & Documentary Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Science and Technology Documentary and Best Documentary
• HBO dramas and 'SNL' split the nominees for Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series at the 2023 Emmy Awards
• 'Welcome to Wrexham' leads unstructured reality programs at the 2023 Emmy Awards
• 'Queer Eye' leads structured reality shows at the Emmys — again

The 2021 EMA Awards for World Environment Day 2022

Happy World Environment Day! Because I promised the Sunday entertainment feature today, I am celebrating the day by blogging about the 2021 EMA Awards, presented by the Environmental Media Association on October 16, 2021. Better late than never!


"No Sudden Move" won Feature Film over "The Tomorrow War" and "Vivo." If I had blogged about the nominees when they were announced, I'd have picked "The Tomorrow War" because it's about an alien invasion facilitated by climate change and fought using time travel. That summary looks outlandish, but trust me, it's better than it sounds. I would have also understood the nomination for "Vivo" because of its appreciation for the natural world. I would have puzzled over the inclusion of "No Sudden Move" because it's a modern film noir with no obvious environmental content. I had to read the movie's plot summary page to find out that the film's MacGuffin is a "document [that] is revealed to be plans for a catalytic converter, seeking to conceal its existence from public knowledge and avoid governmental pressure on the car companies to implement pollution controls." Now I understand why it was nominated. Based on its cast and production values, I can also understand why it won, too. It's probably eligible for the Emmy Awards and might also be eligible for a Saturn Award along with "The Tomorrow War" and "Vivo."

Speaking of awards, this is the only award I can find for "No Sudden Move," but its IMDB page doesn't list it. In fact, I can't find any mention of the 2021 EMA Awards on IMDB despite The Hollywood Reporter covering it. The most recent year with a page is 2020, which only lists one of the nominees for Documentary Film, "The Story of Plastic," but not the winner, "Ted Turner: Captain Planet." That's it. 2018 and 2019 are even worse as they list a creator and two of his projects winning awards in categories that I can find no evidence of ever existing or that haven't been bestowed since 2002 but none of the actual nominees or winners. In fact, the last year with an even halfway complete list of winners and nominees is 2017, the year that turned me onto the award. Finding this out is enough to convince me to ask if the EMA has an official representative for IMDB to correct these errors or Charity Navigator to improve its rating in addition to my New Year's resolution from 2020 to see if I can vote for these awards when I join.

Time to climb out of that rabbit hole and write about the rest of the nominees and winners.


On the other hand, I predicted "I Am Greta" would be nominated for an EMA Award and would have picked it to win over "Jonathan Scott’s Power Trip" and "Purple Mountains," so I'm not the least bit surprised it won. The only thing that surprised me was that I also predicted "David Attenborough: A Life on our Planet" would earn a nomination here, but it didn't. That may be because industry representatives have to submit their works to the EMA for consideration and I suspect that Netflix didn't do that, which is probably why "My Octopus Teacher" wasn't nominated, either. In fact, while "Vivo" is streaming on Netflix, EMA lists Sony Pictures Entertainment instead. There are no mentions of Netflix on the winners page at all. On the other hand, the Emmy Awards snubbed "I Am Greta" while "David Attenborough: A Life on our Planet" earned five Emmy nominations and three wins. I suspect Netflix is OK with that.

Follow over the jump for the television winners.

Delete Spotify trends after music streaming service chooses Joe Rogan over Neil Young

Man plans and G-d laughs: "Now I'm done posting about the pandemic this week, simply because the week is over, and for the month, as tomorrow is Sunday, when I usually write the weekly entertainment feature..." Hahahaha! I failed to account for an entertainment story about the pandemic that I found worth blogging about despite my declaration yesterday.* Watch MSNBC reporting Spotify agrees to take Neil Young's music off the platform on Wednesday.

Spotify said Wednesday that it has agreed to remove Neil Young's music after the singer-songwriter said he wouldn't share the platform with podcaster Joe Rogan, who has been criticized for spreading vaccine misinformation. The panel discusses.

I agree with Dr. Katrine Wallace; Joe Rogan is spreading misinformation that reinforces vaccine resistance, leading to the unvaccinated dying. Unfortunately, I also agree with Rolling Stone writer Andy Green and Ari Melber that Spotify chose Rogan over Neil Young because of the money. That may have turned out to be short-sighted, as CNN reported Friday '#DeleteSpotify' goes viral after Joe Rogan's podcast draws criticism.

Joe Rogan's podcast is under fire for peddling misinformation, as guest Jordan Peterson's comments on race, climate, gender, and Covid-19 drew controversy...CNN's Paula Newton has the story.

My wife and I were among those who canceled our Spotify subscriptions Friday. After listening to Peterson's comments about climate, I'm doubly glad that we did. We don't want our money supporting that.

The Hollywood Reporter uploaded Joni Mitchell Says She Will Stand With Neil Young & Remove Her Music From Spotify yesterday, showing Young is getting support from other artists.

Joni Mitchell said she will remove her music catalogue from Spotify in solidarity with Neil Young, according to a message posted to her official website on Friday evening.“I’ve decided to remove all my music from Spotify. Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives. I stand in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities on this issue,” Mitchell wrote in the brief note on her website.

I conclude by noting that Nils Lofgren has also had his music removed from Spotify and Spotify stocks have lost $2 billion, about 6% of their market capitalization since this controversy started. As I wrote, choosing Rogan over Young for the money may have been short-sighted.

*The other choices were awards show nominations, a bunch of which came out last week, and school districts banning books. I decided the first was too much work — this blog is a hobby after all — and the second too depressing. I'd rather blog about something that catches my interest. Here's to it not being the pandemic again tomorrow.

'Don't Look Up' has an all-star cast in a satire about climate change

For today's Sunday entertainment feature, I am following through on a promise I made in Politics, government, and diversity among movie nominees at the 2022 Golden Globes.

"Don't Look Up," "Licorice Pizza," and "West Side Story" all tie for the most nominated comedy or musical with four nominations each. The most political is "Don't Look Up," which uses a comet impact as a metaphor for the reaction to and inaction about climate change. This is right up my alley and I plan on writing an entry concentrating on the film.

I begin with DON'T LOOK UP | Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence | Official Trailer | Netflix.

Based on real events that haven’t happened - yet. Don’t Look Up in select theaters December 10 and on Netflix December 24.

DON’T LOOK UP tells the story of two low-level astronomers who must go on a giant media tour to warn mankind of an approaching comet that will destroy planet Earth. Written and Directed by Adam McKay.

As the trailer advertises, this movie truly features an all-star cast with five Oscar winners for acting, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, and Mark Rylance, two Oscar nominees for acting, Jonah Hill and Timothee Chalamet, the Oscar-and-Emmy-winning Tyler Perry, who earned those awards for his efforts behind the camera but who qualifies as a sixth Oscar winner, Golden Globe winners Ron Pearlman and Michael Chiklis, SAG Award winners Rob Morgan and Paul Guilfoyle, Grammy winners Ariana Grande and Scott Mescudi as Kid Cudi, Critics' Choice and SAG Award nominee Melanie Lynskey, and SAG Award nominee Himesh Patel. That's fifteen actors with major award wins and nominations, fourteen of whom share the nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture


Sorry to say that IMDB does not list Paul Guilfoyle among the nominees. On the one hand, he is only in one scene, but his character's actions become a running joke for the rest of the movie.

WHY WOULD HE CHARGE US FOR FREE SNACKS pic.twitter.com/Fi7EClnjXv

— NetflixFilm (@NetflixFilm) January 20, 2022

Because he could. Do my readers have a better answer?

Enough about the cast. What about the science? WatchMojo covers much of that in Top 10 Things Don't Look Up Got Factually Right and Wrong.

It's time to separate fact from fiction when it comes to "Don't Look Up". For this list, we’ll be looking at what the satirical sci-fi flick got right and wrong about climate change, as the Netflix film has drawn a lot of attention for its references to real life. Our countdown includes The Science Is Clear, The Next Gold Rush Will Be Critical Elements & Minerals, The Climate Crisis Is Just One Problem, and more!

That pretty much summarizes the accuracy of the science, at least regarding climate change. The movie's treatment of climate change was accurate enough that it won the Sloan Science in Cinema Prize. That's good enough for me.

For what it's worth, the human response to both the comet and climate change also matches that to the pandemic, which I find to be an unhappy accident, right down the misinformation, including from politicians. Sigh.


The cast earned another nomination for its cast at the Critics' Choice Movie Awards, including Best Picture, Best Comedy, Best Original Screenplay, Best Score, and Best Original Song. The Society of Composers and Lyricists also recognized the score and song.


In addition, the Hollywood Music in Media Awards nominated the music for two comparable awards along with Best Original Song – Onscreen Performance. "Don't Look Up" won Best Original Score - Feature Film, but lost the song categories to Billie Eilish for Best Original Song and Best Original Song – Onscreen Performance to Emilia Jones singing "Both Sides Now" in "CODA." I predicted that Eilish would win the Golden Globe, so I'm not surprised. Since the Golden Globes did not nominate the song, here's Ariana Grande & Kid Cudi - Just Look Up (Full Performance Video) | Don't Look Up | Netflix to close out the entry.

The official "Just Look Up" full performance video by Ariana Grande & Kid Cudi from 'Don't Look Up', Adam McKay’s next comedy.

The song is on the Oscar shortlist, so break a leg to be nominated.

That's it for entertainment. I'll return to reality tomorrow for a series of short posts. Stay tuned.

'SNL' on CDC lifting mask mandate, a pandemic update, plus Golden Globes controversy and Liz Cheney

Saturday Night Live brings its viewers good news about the pandemic in No More Masks Cold Open.

Dr. Anthony Fauci (Kate McKinnon) presents different scenarios to demonstrate the new COVID-19 mask guidelines.

That was really silly and not one of SNL's stronger openings, although Kate McKinnon as Dr. Anthony Fauci made all the right points. Weekend Update: CDC Lifts Mask Mandate covered more ground and had better punchlines.

Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines proving effective against new variants of the virus.

There is some valuable pandemic news inspiring the jokes. In addition to lifting the mask mandate for fully vaccinated people, the good news is that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines provide protection against the more recent variants of the coronavirus. Contrary to the punchlines, Johnson and Johnson's vaccine is also effective against the variants. The bad news is that COVID-19 seems to cause erectile dysfunction, but at least Michael Che points out how this could be used to promote vaccination among men. I'm all in favor of making lemonade out of lemons.

Now for a clip that makes this a Sunday entertainment feature worthy of the designation, Weekend Update: Tom Cruise Returns Golden Globes & Ohio State Massage Therapist.

Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like Chicago releasing feral cats to control the city’s rat crisis.

Yeah, a Tom Cruise short joke. Still, this actually is big entertainment news, a protest over the lack of diversity in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HPFA), which votes on the Golden Globes. As I keep writing about awards shows, electorates matter. It isn't just Tom Cruise; NBC is not broadcasting next year's event and Netflix and Amazon are not going to participate in any HFPA events. That's the kind of sponsor boycott that I expect will get results, although it will make next year's event anemic. I just hope it doesn't result in an outcome like removing elephants from Ringling Brothers/Barnum and Bailey's Circus contributing to the circus shutting down.

Speaking of elephants, McKinnon returned in Weekend Update: Liz Cheney on the Republican Party.

Rep. Liz Cheney (Kate McKinnon) stops by Weekend Update to discuss her recent conflicts with the Republican Party.

McKinnon's caricature of Cheney pointed out what an uphill battle the real Cheney is facing. As I pointed out in the saga of Elise Stefanik replacing Cheney as conference chair, the GOP is sticking closer to Trump and his Big Lie than ever. I wish the real Cheney luck; she'll need it.

Oscar nominated scores and songs for National Film Score Day

Happy National Film Score Day! On April 3rd, National Film Score Day recognizes the musical masterpieces called 'Film Scores' and, more specifically, the very talented composers who create them. So does the Motion Picture Academy along with other bodies that run awards programs. As part of my series on this year's Oscar nominees, so am I.

As the graphic from the Motion Picture Academy above shows, the nominees for Best Original Score are "Da 5 Bloods," "Mank," "Minari," "News of the World," and "Soul." Since I'm focusing on nominated films about politics and government in this series, I'm glad the alphabetized roster of nominees listed "Da 5 Bloods" first. Listen to What This Mission's About | Da 5 Bloods (Original Motion Picture Score).

“What This Mission's About” from Da 5 Bloods (Original Motion Picture Score). Music by Terence Blanchard.
...
ABOUT DA 5 BLOODS:
From Academy Award® Winner Spike Lee comes a New Joint: the story of four African-American Vets — Paul (Delroy Lindo), Otis (Clarke Peters), Eddie (Norm Lewis), and Melvin (Isiah Whitlock, Jr.) — who return to Vietnam. Searching for the remains of their fallen Squad Leader (Chadwick Boseman) and the promise of buried treasure, our heroes, joined by Paul's concerned son (Jonathan Majors), battle forces of Man and Nature — while confronted by the lasting ravages of The Immorality of The Vietnam War.

ABOUT TERENCE BLANCHARD:
Oscar nominee, six-time Grammy-winner and 2018 USA Fellow trumpeter/composer Terence Blanchard has been a consistent artistic force for making powerful musical statements concerning painful American tragedies – past and present. From his expansive work composing the scores for Spike Lee films ranging from the documentary When the Levees Broke, about Blanchard’s hometown of New Orleans during the devastation from Hurricane Katrina to the epic Malcolm X; and the latest Lee film, Da 5 Bloods, Blanchard has interwoven melodies that created strong backdrops to human stories. Blanchard received an Oscar nomination for his original score for BlacKkKlansman. He was also BAFTA nominated for his original music for the film. He won a Grammy for Best Instrumental Composition for writing “Blut Und Boden (Blood and Soil)” a track from BlacKkKlansman.

Now, that's a powerful opening piece for this post! Also, I'm thrilled to see Terence Blanchard, the composer for "BlacKkKlansman" and hear his music. I wish him luck, although I think he'll lose to "Soul" the way he did two years ago to "Black Panther." Too bad, as this is the only nomination for "Da 5 Bloods."

Next, Welcome to Victorville from "Mank."



Welcome to Victorville · Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
Not bad, although I think Reznor and Ross have a better chance of winning along with Jon Batiste for "Soul." As for "Mank," despite its ten nominations, it might come away with only one Oscar for production design — that is if it beats "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom."

Moving on to Garden of Eden from "Minari."



Garden of Eden · Emile Mosseri
Minari (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
That's really pretty and I can hear why it deserved to be nominated. Win? No, but the movie has six nominations with its strongest odds of winning for Best Supporting Actress if Glenn Close or Maria Bakalova doesn't win.

The penultimate track for this section is End Titles (from the Motion Picture "News Of The World").



End Titles (from the Motion Picture "News Of The World") · James Newton Howard
Nothing like the soundtrack from a Western, which "News Of The World" is, to provide conventionally moving movie music. The same is true of its cinematography, which I think is its strongest category.

Finally, my pick to win, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross - The Great Beyond (From "Soul"/Audio Only).

Disney and Pixar’s Soul introduces Joe Gardner (voice of Jamie Foxx) – a middle-school band teacher who gets the chance of a lifetime to play at the best jazz club in town. But one small misstep takes him from the streets of New York City to The Great Before – a fantastical place where new souls get their personalities, quirks and interests before they go to Earth. Determined to return to his life, Joe teams up with a precocious soul, 22 (voice of Tina Fey), who has never understood the appeal of the human experience. As Joe desperately tries to show 22 what’s great about living, he may just discover the answers to some of life’s most important questions.

I already posted the video of Reznor, Ross, and Batiste accepting the Golden Globe in Closer looks at CPAC, Andrew Cuomo, and the Golden Globes from Colbert, Meyers, Kimmel, and Corden, so I'm sharing Jon Batiste, Celeste - It's All Right (From "Soul"/Duet Version/Official Lyric Video) as an encore of sorts, not only for winning the Golden Globes for Best Song and Best Animated Movie, but also for winning the equivalent categories at the 2021 Critics Choice Awards.

Check out Jon Batiste and Celeste’s version of "It's All Right" from SOUL, the brand new movie from Disney Pixar now streaming on Disney+.

That didn't qualify for Best Original Song because it's a cover. Speaking of Best Original Song, follow over the jump for the nominated songs I haven't already featured in previous posts.

'Borat Subsequent Moviefilm' has two Oscar nominations plus two Golden Globes and awards from the Critics Choice Association and WGA

I observed that "Without doubt, 'Borat Subsequent Moviefilm' is the best movie of the bunch with two Oscar nominations, two Golden Globe wins, and more than 80 other wins and nominations" when I wrote about the movie's two Razzie nominations. It's time for me to cover those nominations and wins, which I promised to do when I reviewed the feature documentary nominees at the 2021 Academy Awards, so I'm offering this entry as another installment payment on that promise to cover the nominees about politics and government.


I begin with Maria Bakalova, who earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She's competing against Glenn Close for "Hillbilly Elegy," Olivia Colman for "The Father," Amanda Seyfried for "Mank," and Youn Yuh-jung for "Minari." I'm going to begin my commentary by being a good environmentalist and recycling what I wrote for Politics, government, and diversity in movie nominees at the 2021 Critics Choice Awards.

This is probably the least diverse field of nominees at these awards, with Yuh-Jung Youn from "Minari" as the only actress of color. Youn still makes this a more diverse field than the equivalent one at the Golden Globes, about which I wrote the following.

The three biggest names in this field are Glenn Close, Olivia Colman, and [Ellen Burstyn]. Grace expressed her cynicism about the Hollywood Foreign Press Association when she said that Close and Colman would only win this award if the HFPA couldn't help themselves. On the other hand, she thought...Amanda Seyfried...deserved the award [and] wants Seyfried.

The CCA didn't nominate Jodie Foster from "The Mauritanian," so if I want to root for the nominee from the most political movie, I would have to root for Maria Bakalova from "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm." I'd rather join Grace and root for Seyfried, her only choice on her nominating ballot to receive a nomination.

I got my wish, sort of. Watch Critics Choice Awards 2021 | Best Supporting Actress : Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.


Congratulations, Ms. Bakalova! I hope the Motion Picture Academy voters agree with the Critics Choice Association, but I'm not sure they will, as electorates matter. I know the Hollywood Foreign Press Association had other ideas, as I suspected when I wrote Politics, government, and diversity among movie nominees at the 2021 Golden Globes.

The two actresses Grace tagged as likely to win, Maria Bakalova and Rosamund Pike, happen to act in the movies most about politics and government. In addition to the mean-spirited political pranks in "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm," "I Care a Lot" is a crime caper, which means the police are involved. Of the two, I'm rooting for Pike. I've been a fan of hers since she starred in the Bond film "Die Another Day."

I got my wish; Pike won. Fortunately for Bakalova, she isn't competing against Pike or Jodie Foster, who won Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture at the Golden Globes. Neither were nominated at the Oscars. She's still competing against a very tough field that includes Glenn Close, who has been nominated for eight Oscars but never won. Close might win on sentiment alone. If she does, it would be darkly hilarious if she also wins a Razzie for the same role the night before.


The other Oscar nomination for "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm" is for Best Adapted Screenplay, a category that also includes Christopher Hampton & Florian Zeller for "The Father," Chloé Zhao for "Nomadland," Kemp Powers for "One Night in Miami," and Ramin Bahrani for "The White Tiger." I can't use either the Golden Globes, where Aaron Sorkin won Best Screenplay for "The Trial of the Chicago Seven," or the Critics Choice Awards, where Chloé Zhao won for "Nomadland," for much guidance, as neither nominated Sacha Baron Cohen's screenplay. However, those electorates don't overlap with the Oscar electorate. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) includes Oscar voters, and there it won for Adapted Screenplay. Watch The 2021 Writers Guild Award for Adapted Screenplay goes to Borat Subsequent Moviefilm from WGA West.

Academy Award-nominated Sound of Metal actor Riz Ahmed presents the 2021 Writers Guild Award for Adapted Screenplay to Sacha Baron Cohen and the writers of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (Screenplay by Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Dan Swimer & Peter Baynham & Erica Rivinoja & Dan Mazer & Jena Friedman & Lee Kern, Story by Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Dan Swimer & Nina Pedrad, Based on Characters Created by Sacha Baron Cohen).

*Snork!* Baron Cohen thanking Rudy Guiliani is so on-brand. Time to recycle!

Its only Razzie nominations are this one and the next, demonstrating how stupidly Giuliani acted naturally. I'll be a good environmentalist and recycle what I wrote last October about his performance and that of the star of the film.

Rudy [Giuliani] really should have known better. I think [Sacha] Baron Cohen is mean-spirited prankster who doesn't like American conservatives and he gives that side of him full rein when he's Borat. Mind you, I think he's also hilarious, but his wit has barbs and a sharp point that is aimed at his interview subjects, particularly ones like Rudy.

That written, I have no sympathy for Giuliani and hope he "wins."

The least Baron Cohen could do is thank Giuliani for making things easy for him.

On the other hand, winning this award will not be that easy. While winning the WGA Award (and having a lot of writers working with him, as Baron Cohen mentioned) makes me think "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm" is the favorite, I would not be the least bit surprised if the Golden Globe winner "Nomadland" pulls off an upset.

Follow over the jump for Baron Cohen's acceptance speeches at the Golden Globes.

Politics, government, and injustice among the 2021 feature documentary Oscar nominees

I promised I would start covering the Oscar nominees in Rudy Giuliani and Mike Lindell earn Razzie nominations, so I'm making a down payment on that promise by covering the nominees in the documentary categories. I begin by quoting what The Hollywood Reporter had to say about the documentary feature nominees and snubs.

Barack and Michelle Obama, whose Higher Ground backed last year's documentary winner American Factory, will look to repeat history with Crip Camp. The film, about a 1970s summer oasis for the disabled, will vie against Time as well as The Mole Agent, My Octopus Teacher and The Collective. But not all politicians turned producers walked away with a doc nomination. Stacey Abrams, who executive produced and is the star subject of All In: The Fight for Democracy, didn’t make the cut despite being shortlisted. The Collective, which hails from Romania, also picked up a nomination in the foreign-language category, repeating a feat done by last year’s Honeyland.
...
Meanwhile, the deep-pocketed Apple finally crashed the Academy party, landing its first-ever nominations for best animated feature (Wolfwalkers) and best sound (Greyhound), even if its doc Boys State, which was widely expected to receive a mention, was passed over.

I already wrote about two of the nominees, "Crip Camp" and "My Octopus Teacher," last November, so my readers can click on the links to those entries and I'll move on the other nominees, beginning with Collective - Official Trailer.

In 2015, a fire at Bucharest’s Colectiv club leaves 27 dead and 180 injured. Soon, more burn victims begin dying in hospitals from wounds that were not life-threatening. Then a doctor blows the whistle to a team of investigative journalists. One revelation leads to another as the journalists start to uncover vast health care fraud. When a new health minister is appointed, he offers unprecedented access to his efforts to reform the corrupt system but also to the obstacles he faces. Following journalists, whistle-blowers, burn victims, and government officials, Collective is an uncompromising look at the impact of investigative journalism at its best.

Wow! That's quite a powerful trailer! I can see why this movie earned a second nomination for Best International Feature.* The footage and the video description show that "Collective" is a very political documentary, depicting injustice because of governmental failure, so it fits the themes of poltics and government that I'm featuring in today's post.

The next nominee in this category is "Time." Here's the official trailer from Amazon.

Fox Rich is a fighter. The entrepreneur, abolitionist and mother of six boys has spent the last two decades campaigning for the release of her husband, Rob G. Rich, who is serving a 60-year sentence for a robbery they both committed in the early 90s in a moment of desperation. Combining the video diaries Fox has recorded for Rob over the years with intimate glimpses of her present-day life, director Garrett Bradley paints a mesmerizing portrait of the resilience and radical love necessary to prevail over the endless separations of the country’s prison-industrial complex.

The trailer for "Time" is even more moving than that for "Collective," but here the injustice is because of government in the form of the criminal justice system working at first, then not responding.

The final nominee for Feature Documentary I'm examining is The Mole Agent Official Trailer (2020).

When a family grows concerned for their mother’s well-being in a retirement home, private investigator Romulo hires 83-year-old Sergio to pose as a new resident and undercover spy inside the facility. The Mole Agent follows Sergio as he struggles to balance his assignment with his increasing involvement in the lives of the many residents he meets.

This looks to be the most entertaining of all the documentary nominees, but while it has an investigation at its core, like "Collective," that seems to be a MacGuffin. Instead, the trailer makes it look like a real-life workplace comedy with the emphasis on Sergio's relationships with the other residents and staff. Unless the national government of Chile, where this takes place, or a municipality in the country runs the nursing home, then there is no government or politics involved.

While "The Mole Agent" is the most fun movie of the bunch and the trailer makes it look like the best crafted using scripted movie techniques, I think it explores the least weighty issues. In contrast, "Time" and "Crip Camp" also examine relationships, have eventually uplifting stories, and weighty examinations of government. In its own way, so does "My Octopus Teacher," which is surprisingly popular. On the other hand, there seems to be very little uplifting about "Collective," as substantial and well-made a work about politics, government, and journalism as it is. That may impede its chances with an electorate that voted for "20 Feet from Stardom" over more substantial nominees in 2014. Then again, "Collective" beat "Crip Camp" for Best Motion Picture, Documentary at the Satellite Awards, while the reverse happened at the International Documentary Association and Garrett Bradley won Best Director for "Time." As I keep repeating when I write about awards shows, electorates matter.

I'll return with more about the nominees. In the meantime, stay tuned for a celebration of Holi.

*The second nomination of "The Collective" is a sign of quality, although I think "Another Round" is the favorite to win Best International Feature Film. On the other hand, "The Mole Agent" could have been nominated in this category, but wasn't. That says something.

'Dark Waters' and 'Chernobyl' among 2020 Environmental Media Association Award winners

For today's Sunday Entertainment feature, I'm skipping the Emmy Awards to focus on the Environmental Media Association Awards, which held a virtual awards ceremony on Friday to "honor film and television productions and individuals that increase public awareness of environmental issues and inspire personal action on these issues." Here are the nominees and winners (in bold) from the Environmental Media Association (EMA) and The Hollywood Reporter with my comments.

FEATURE FILM

Dark Waters (Focus Features/Participant)
Weathering with You (Toho Co., Ltd./STORY Inc./CoMix Wave Films)
Frozen 2 (Walt Disney Animation Studios)

"Dark Waters" was the one with an explicit environmental and political theme. I suggested it to the volunteers and members of Coffee Party USA in Coffee Party USA invites you to watch these political movies while staying safe at home and one of the readers at the Coffee Party USA Facebook Page thought it was one movie not on my shortlist worthy of a nomination. However, no one eligible actually voted for it, so it didn't earn a nomination. Too bad, although it probably wouldn't have beaten "Harriet," the big winner at the 2019 Golden Coffee Cups for Movies. Still, "Dark Waters" now has a win to go with its four nominations. Congratulations!

DOCUMENTARY FILM

Ted Turner: Captain Planet (WarnerMedia)
Disneynature’s Elephant (The Walt Disney Studios)
The Story of Plastic (Discovery Channel)

The one nominee I had heard of was Elephant, which my favorite royal, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, narrated. If I had covered the nominations, like I did last year, I would have chosen it as the favorite. Furthermore, it was the only theatrical release. The others are television specials that didn't even earn Emmy nominations. Still, the EMA is free to determine eligibility as it sees fit and not follow the criteria of other awards granting bodies.

Since I haven't seen "Ted Turner: Captain Planet" and I suspect most of my readers haven't either, here it is from CNN Philippines.

Those who know him and his environmental work best paint the picture of a Ted Turner often lost in the headlines, but no less important. Hosted by Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Catch Ted Turner: Captain Planet to know more about his passion for the natural environment.

Congratulations!

 Now for the television awards.

TELEVISION EPISODIC DRAMA

Chernobyl "Please Remain Calm" (WarnerMedia)
Queen Sugar “Of Several Centuries" (WarnerMedia)
Madam Secretary “The New Normal" (ViacomCBS)
Snowpiercer "First, the Weather Changed" (WarnerMedia)

I called the winner nearly a year ago in 'Chernobyl' dominates Limited Series with ten Emmy Awards.

I expect lots more awards for "Chernobyl," including Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards, and all the various guild awards, followed by the EMA Awards to finish out its awards show run. However, the next honors may come from Coffee Party USA, as I expect "Chernobyl" to be nominated for the Golden Coffee Cup for Best Miniseries or Movie for Television about Politics and Government when I run the awards for the 2018-2019 season.

I still have to run the Golden Coffee Cups for Television, although I posted the Golden Coffee Cups shortlist in May. When I finish grading finals, I promise I will.

As for the other nominees, I'm glad to see stiff competition, unlike last year when "The Blacklist" was the sole nominee and winner. In particular, I'm glad to see "Snowpiercer" and "Madam Secretary" in the field. I need to watch "Queen Sugar" to see what it's all about.

The last category I've featuring above the jump is a new one.

DOCUMENTARY SERIES

Activate “Ending Plastic Pollution” (National Geographic)
Home “Sweden” (Apple TV+)
60 Minutes “Venice is Drowning” (ViacomCBS)
What's Eating America “Overcooked” (NBCUniversal/MSNBC)

I would have voted for "What's Eating America," which I think is a more explicitly political version of "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown." That's what happens when MSNBC adapts a CNN show concept. News professionals would probably have voted for "60 Minutes." However, the EMA electorate wanted the series that was more expressly activist and focused on a trendier environmental issue. Good for them and congratulations to National Geographic. Also congratulations to the EMA for splitting this category off from reality television, which really was an unscripted television category where the documentaries would beat the true reality shows.

Speaking of electorates, maybe I should do for EMA what I did for the Saturn Awards, join so I can vote. That's a New Year's resolution for me.

Follow over the jump for the rest of the nominees and winners along with the video of the virtual awards show.