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.
I told my readers to "Stay tuned for the nominees in Structured Reality Program" at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards for today's post, so here they are.
Outstanding Structured Reality Program
Antiques Roadshow (PBS)
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (Food Network)
Love Is Blind (Netflix)
Queer Eye (Netflix)
Shark Tank (ABC)
These are the only nominations for these shows, so I can't use their other nominations to handicap them. While Queer Eyewon last year, the Gold Derby odds doubt it will repeat. Instead, 71.4% of experts, 66.7% of editors, and 75.4% of users expect Antiques Roadshow will win. The remaining experts are split with 14.3% each forecasting Queer Eye and Love Is Blind. The users break that tie with 14.8% backing Queer Eye and 6.6% loving Love Is Blind. 33.3% of editors and 3.3% of users selected Shark Tank. No one thinks Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives will win. Always a nominee, never a winner.
That's a wrap for today's installment. Stay tuned to see if I continue tomorrow with the reality competition category.
Previous posts about the 2026 Primetime and Creative Arts Emmy Awards
I'm stepping over the fine line between nonfiction and reality for today's awards show coverage by examining nominations for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
Love on the Spectrum leads with five nominations, followed by Welcome to Wrexham with four, America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked tied at two, and Summer House with just this one. That's close to how the Gold Derby odds rank their odds. Every expert, 83.3% of editors, and 87.6% of users picked Love on the Spectrum to repeat. The editors and users split on which shows could upset the leader. America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is the choice of the remaining 16.7% of editors but no users, while 7.5% regard RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked as the runner-up with Welcome to Wrexham at 4.3% and new nominee Summer House as the selection of the final 0.5%.
I'm glad to see America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleadersrepeat its nomination and Summer House replace The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. The latter was trashy fun, but it struck me as exploition of exploitation.
Follow over the jump for the rest of these shows' nominations.
I'm returning to coverage of the Emmy Awards today after taking a break from entertainment in general and awards shows in particular yesterday. I can't be all DOOM or all fun all the time. Since today is World Conservation Day, I'm examining the categories with nature documentaries, beginning with Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special.
Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special
John Candy: I Like Me (Prime Video)
Marty, Life Is Short (Netflix)
Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! (HBO)
My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay (HBO)
Ocean with David Attenborough (Nat Geo)
Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! and Ocean with David Attenborough co-lead with six nominations each, followed by John Candy: I Like Me with five nominations and Marty, Life Is Short tied with My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay at three. Normally, I'd consider Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! and Ocean with David Attenborough to be co-favorites, but the experts, editors, and users at Gold Derby disagree. They think John Candy: I Like Me and My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay to be the favorites, with 50.0% of experts, 28.6% of editors, and 61.0% of users picking the former, while 50.0% of experts, 57.1% of editors, and 26.3% of users choosing the latter. Normally, I'd favor the editors over the experts except one of the experts picking John Candy: I Like Me is Joyce Eng, whose opinion I trust. The remaining editor(s), 14.3%, are currently voting for Ocean with David Attenborough along with 3.5% of users. The rest of the users are split between Marty, Life Is Short with 6.2% and Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! with 3.0%. I've often written that, all things being equal,the Emmy electorate will vote for a good story about themselves. The corollary is that they will vote for a nominee about a dead celebrity over a living one. The prognosticators at Gold Derby seem to agree. Again, electorates matter.
That was the program category with one nature documentary nominee. Now for a performer category with three out of the five nominees in nature documentaries.
Outstanding Narrator
Sir David Attenborough – A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough (Netflix)
Sir David Attenborough – Ocean with David Attenborough (Nat Geo)
Jodie Foster – Breakdown: 1975 (Netflix)
Werner Herzog – Ghost Elephants (Nat Geo)
Octavia Spencer – Lost Women of Alaska: "The Missing" (Investigation Discovery)
The experts, editors, and users disagree about the odds in this category, too, with 87.5% of experts and 83.0% of users but only 28.6% of editors electing for Sir David in Ocean with David Attenborough, 42.9% of editors along with 12.5% of experts and 9.4% of users choosing Octavia Spencer, and the remaining 28.6% of editors along with 2.9% of users on board with Warner Herzog. The remaining users split between Jodie Foster at 2.6% and Sir David's other nomination at 2.1%. Let's see who switches first, the experts or the editors.
That's a wrap for today. I plan on resuming Emmy coverage Thursday. In the meantime, I have a song by the Marsh Family planned for tomorrow. Stay tuned!
Previous posts about the 2026 Primetime and Creative Arts Emmy Awards
New creatures. New era. Experience the Ice Age like never before. Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age is now streaming on Apple TV https://apple.co/_PrehistoricPlanet
“Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age” is a sweeping new installment of the award-winning natural history series from executive producers Jon Favreau and Mike Gunton, produced by BBC Studios Natural History Unit (“Planet Earth”), and narrated by Golden Globe Award and Olivier Award winner Tom Hiddleston (“Earthsounds”), with an original score by Hans Zimmer, Anže Rozman and Kara Talve from Bleeding Fingers Music. The five-part docuseries, set to premiere globally on November 26, 2025, invites viewers into a dramatic new era of prehistoric life, millions of years after the extinction of the dinosaurs — an era shaped by ice, the intense fight to survive and the rise of a new cast of giants: the iconic megafauna.
“Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age” uses the latest scientific research and cutting-edge visual effects to bring this frozen world to life like never before, unveiling the spectacular habitats and inhabitants of ancient Earth for a one-of-a-kind experience. From towering woolly mammoths to elusive snow sloths, terrifying saber-toothed tigers to resilient dwarf elephants (only 3 feet tall), the series reveals the epic struggles and unexpected stories of animals that once ruled the Ice Age. Viewers will journey through vast tundras, barren deserts, expanding grasslands and melting permafrost as these creatures battle for survival in the face of extreme climates, shifting landscapes and the onset of “The Big Freeze,” and ultimately, “The Big Melt.”
The series is produced by the world-renowned team at BBC Studios Natural History Unit with support from the photorealistic visual effects of Framestore (“Gravity,” “The Golden Compass”). Theme by Hans Zimmer, with an original score by Zimmer, Anže Rozman and Kara Talve for Bleeding Fingers Music.
“Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age” continues the storytelling journey of the acclaimed Apple TV natural history series “Prehistoric Planet,” which transported viewers 66 million years into the past to witness the age of dinosaurs across two seasons. Blending cinematic storytelling with photorealistic visual effects, the series brings ancient worlds to life, offering a firsthand look at some of the most extraordinary creatures ever to walk the Earth. The complete first two seasons of “Prehistoric Planet” are available to stream now on Apple TV.
Explore the award-winning VFX behind Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age, the critically acclaimed third season of the docuseries executive produced by Jon Favreau and Mike Gunton and produced by the BBC Studios Natural History Unit.
Our global teams were tasked with developing the VFX and animation for over 40 scientifically accurate creatures, many never-before-seen on screen. From sabre-toothed cats to rhino-sized wombats, tiny island elephants, and the largest ape to ever live, the core creative challenge was ensuring these animals felt as real, grounded, and emotionally compelling as subjects in a modern wildlife documentary.
Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age earned our global team Best FX at the Annie Awards alongside double honours at the VES Awards for Outstanding Visual Effects and Outstanding Effects Simulation.
This video worked for its awards campaign; it got nominated.
As I promised yesterday, I'm continuing my series on the Critics Choice Super Awards with the horror nominees. Here they are from the press release.
BEST HORROR SERIES, LIMITED SERIES OR MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE
The Beauty
The Boroughs
Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy
Dexter: Resurrection
Ghosts
IT: Welcome to Derry
Wednesday
Widow’s Bay
Dexter: Resurrection and Widow's Bay lead this field with three nominations each, The Boroughs, Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy, IT: Welcome to Derry, and Wednesday follow tied at two, and The Beauty and Ghosts each have just this one. On that basis alone, Dexter: Resurrection and Widow's Bay are the favorites, which I'm resolving in favor of Widow's Bay, which I voted for in the 2026 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards. It also has 19 nominations at the Emmy Awards while Wednesday has six, It: Welcome to Derry two, and the rest none. The critics are not the Hollywood creatives, but both still embody elite entertainment opinion, so they are likely to agree on Widow's Bay. As I usually write about awards shows but haven't written before in this series, electorates matter.
The last movie nominee with four nominations is Project Hail Mary, so I'm examining the science fiction and fantasy nominees today.
Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Movie
Bugonia
Disclosure Day
Frankenstein
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die
I Love Boosters
Predator: Badlands
Project Hail Mary
Out of this field, I'm picking Project Hail Mary, and not just because it has the most nominations. My wife and I paid money to stream it, which we almost never do, and thought it was worth every penny. That the Astra Awards crowned it the best movie of the first half of the year just cements my choice.
As for the rest of the nominees, Bugonia has three nominations, while Disclosure Day, Frankenstein, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, I Love Boosters, and Predator: Badlands each have two, which confirms my intuition that Bugonia and Disclosure Day are the dark horses that could upset Project Hail Mary.
That written, the Critics Choice Association didn't completely shut out Avatar: Fire and Ash, as it earned two acting nominations. Follow over the jump for those.
America’s war on books is more than a war on words. THE LIBRARIANS, a new feature documentary from Academy Award® nominee and Peabody Award winner Kim A. Snyder.
In Texas, the Krause List targets 850 books focused on race and LGBTQIA+ stories – triggering sweeping book bans across the U.S. at an unprecedented rate. As tensions escalate, librarians connect the dots from heated school and library board meetings nationwide to lay bare the underpinnings of extremism fueling the censorship efforts. Despite facing harassment, threats, and laws aimed at criminalizing their work – the librarians’ rallying cry for freedom to read is a chilling cautionary tale.
That's powerful and an example of why I pay attention to awards shows; they bring films and shows to my attention that are worth watching for the subject matter.
A down-on-his luck farmer develops a unique bond with a wounded white stork as he nurses the bird back to health.
This is a film I can recommend to my environmental science students, as it's about both wildlife and farming, two topics in that class. Welcome to blogging as professional development.
Between the two, I think The Tale of Silyan is the favorite. First, it has a second Emmy nomination for Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program, which I'll examine over the jump, while The Librarians has only one. Second, it earned a nomination for Best Documentary at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards in addition to Best Cinematography. The Librarians also earned a nomination at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards for Best Political Documentary, but not Best Documentary. Third, The Tale of Silyan earned nominations at the Film Independent Spirit Awards and PGA Awards and wins at the Cinema Eye Honors Awards and Golden Trailer Awards. Yes, the trailer I embedded is a winner in its own right for Best Documentary Subject. Meanwhile, The Librarians earned nominations at the Satellite Awards and Cinema Eye Honors Awards. When the two films earned nominations at the same awards shows, The Tale of Silyan won awards and more and better nominations. Gold Derby hasn't created a predictions page for the Creative Arts Emmy Awards yet, but I don't have to wait until they do; I can tell which nominee is more likely to win, especially since this is a juried award. The experts will prefer the craft and storytelling of The Tale of Silyan over the subject matter of The Librarians.
Follow over the jump for The Tale of Silyan's other nomination.
This is in the same overall series as Secrets of the Whales, Secrets of the Elephants, and Secrets of the Octopus, all of which earned nominations at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards. That, and its award-winning producer and director, bode well for its award chances at these Emmy Awards.
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I'm rooting for Secrets of the Penguins...
I got my wish; Secrets of the Penguins won Outstanding Nature Documentary.
On the other hand, I was happy to be wrong about Outstanding Cinematography: Documentary, for which I wrote, "Secrets of the Penguins is in very good company, including 2000 Meters to Andriivka with six nominations including Best Documentary, which is my pick to win both that award and this category." I repeated that thought in 'Underdogs' earns four News & Doc Emmy Award nominations: "Underdogs might be more deserving than Pangolin: Kulu's Journey and as deserving as Secrets of the Penguins, but I still think 2000 Meters to Andriivka is the favorite to win Outstanding Cinematograpy: Documentary." Nope, Secrets of the Penguins won Outstanding Cinematography: Documentary. I'm glad that nature beat warfare.
Speaking of Underdogs, it also won two News & Doc Emmy Awards, so I think I will cover it next. Stay tuned.
Previous posts about the 57th News & Doc Emmy Awards
Happy Flashback Friday! I promised "Stay tuned for another winner at the News & Doc Emmy Awards along with a retrospective of posts on a related theme" for today and get to both of those after I lead into them beginning with SciShow explaining How Instagram Hacks Your Brain.
Do you feel addicted to social media? You're certainly not alone. Social media and our brains have a messy relationship, and researchers are working hard to understand what's going on, who might be more or less at risk, and why.
Hosted by: Hank Green (he/him)
Can't Look Away: The Case Against Social Media is the Emmy winner I'm featuring today and it's all about how social media algorithms make the platforms addictive and how they especially harm teenagers. Howtown examined another possible cognitive harm in What the actual science says about "brain rot".
Are TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts actually destroying our attention spans, or is “brain rot” just another moral panic? In this video, we dig into the science behind short-form video and attention, from debunking viral goldfish statistics to explaining real cognitive psychology experiments testing analytical thinking and prospective memory. We break down what researchers actually mean by “attention span,” how infinite scroll and autoplay feeds are genuinely different from previous forms of media, and what lab tests can and can’t tell us about the mental effects of short-form video.
As much as I have proclaimed "Behold the power of the YouTube algorithm," I at least had the choice of clicking on the preview of the intriguing video the program presented to me. With YouTube shorts, TikTok, and Instagram reels, the only choice I have is to watch the next video or stop watching unless I see the preview of the short on my YouTube home page, where I still have the choice to click. It's one of the reasons I generally avoid TikTok, the other being the ownership, both old and new. Do I think the format is making me stupid? No, although it's certainly distracting, entertaining, and surprising, especially as Instagram reels, some of which I find educational. That loops back to Hank Green's observation about Instagram hacking my brain. I like closing loops.
The second loop to close is today's featured News & Doc Emmy Award winner.
After I watched Can't Look Away's trailer, I declared, "I don't have to look at the other two trailers; I think this is the winner." I was right; it won. Congratulations!
Follow over the jump for the final loop, today's featured post from the 15th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News, which was also about a legal action against social media.
CNN FILMS PRIME MINISTER WINS TWO EMMY® AWARDS, INCLUDING BEST DOCUMENTARY
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CNN’s recognition extended to the Documentary Emmy® Awards on Thursday night, where CNN Films’ Prime Minister won Best Documentary and Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary. The acclaimed film premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, earning the Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary before being acquired by HBO and CNN Films. Released theatrically by Magnolia Pictures, Prime Minister is available to stream now at CNN.com/Watch, on the CNN app, and on HBO Max.
Dame Jacinda Ardern posted a thank you speech to her Instagram.
Tonight the incredible team who made the documentary simply titled “Prime Minister” won the Emmy for best documentary. From the sidelines I saw these talented directors, editors, and producers all come together to create a film (which I have still only watched it in its entirety once..) that feels like the most accurate portrayal of what it’s like to lead with your heart on your sleeve. My huge congratulations to them all, especially Michelle Walshe and Lindsay Utz who co-directed it. But here, I want to make a special mention of Clarke, the first person who picked up a camera. I wasn’t the easiest person to film, and nor through the years of being PM was I the easiest partner. But that never changed the amount of support he gave in return. Our loved ones don’t choose politics, but they are still on the front line alongside us every day, cheering us on, keeping life at home going, reminding us why we’re there. So thank you, Clarke. Now it’s my turn to cheer you on xx
Clarke spoke at the awards tonight, and he saved his final words, rightly so, to thank New Zealand. Our home. We will both forever be grateful for the privilege of a lifetime.
Congratulations to Dame Jacinda, the documentarians, CNN, and HBO!
Since it's Throwback Thursday and the subject is politics, follow over the jump for the top serious political posts written during the 15th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News.
“Lyin’ Eyes” was written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey, released by California’s rock legends The Eagles in 1975. It was apparently inspired by their visions of many beautiful younger women with older husbands in Los Angeles, who they imagined leading double lives and lying and cheating. So it’s a story about moral reprobates, hypocrisy, double standards, and virtual self-prostitution, which made it perfect to adapt to address J.D. Vance’s latest foray into European politics.
Plenty of muck-stirrers had already sought to whip up anger and outrage in the wake of the tragic murder of Henry Nowak, and the horrendous footage and troubling backstory. These included Nigel Farage, Tommy Robinson, Rupert Lowe, and Elon Musk. But Vance – who had met several of the more disturbing UK ‘politicians’ last summer – in his inimitable style took things to a new level.
Vance showed wanton disregard for the grieving Nowak family’s own stated request: “We do not want his death to be used to create further division, hatred, or tension.” He shared footage of the eighteen-year-old’s ghastly final moments, let down by mistakes by British police officers under huge stress, and crassly linked it to fears about migration, civilisational collapse, hatred, invasion and anger. It was a sick message that has been amplified on Twitter/X and, at point of writing, has over 10m views.
We didn’t even have time to get into the hypocrisy of casting stones across the Atlantic by this administration or this chameleon. But the song’s intended to express that the behaviours, ideologies and values that Vance and his ilk embody, particularly in this tragic moment, are anathema to most in the UK, and we suspect most Europeans. They are like a cancerous cell in the tissue of what we understand being ‘civilised’ means, and they are threatening to metastasise.
Watching this trailer reminds me that I showed Chasing Ice to my students last week and this is week is Earth Week, making this a good movie to recommend to my students. Welcome to blogging as professional development. It also makes me think that it's the strongest competitor to Sally. Last year, I thought that the "Hunt for the Oldest DNA" episode of NOVA on PBS had the strongest science of all the nominees, but didn't have the best chance of winning. Surprise, it won! That could happen here.
I’m so happy to report that The Memory of Darkness, Light, and Ice was awarded the a National Emmy for Outstanding Science and Technology documentary!! Our science and film team is beyond ecstatic!! It was a tremendous honor to be amongst so many great documentary filmmakers last night. This award elevates not just the film, but also the voices of the scientists and the documentary’s funder, the National Science Foundation.
As a scientist and filmmaker, my work aims to unify scientific research and share it with the public. This is especially important when the science we urgently need to hear is being attacked. So thank you to the @emmysnatas for this timely and beautiful award!!
"The Strike" is a feature documentary that tells the story of a generation of California men who endured decades of solitary confinement and, against all odds, launched the largest hunger strike in U.S. history.
Directed and produced by JoeBill Muñoz and Lucas Guilkey.
This is my pick to win this category, as it has the most nominations. The rest of the field has only this one nomination. I'm not embedding their trailers, as I am covering the remaining categories instead.
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Over 15 years, Chasing Time follows James Balog’s Extreme Ice Survey, capturing glaciers vanishing and providing visual evidence of climate change. Reuniting with the Emmy-winning Chasing Ice team, it concludes their epic work, reflecting on time, mortality, and intergenerational hope.
I would pick this sequel to Chasing Ice to win just because I'm a fan of the original and would recommend it to my students. So is the first documentary I'm featuring for the next category.
The nominee for Outstanding Business and Economic Documentary I'm recommending to my students is Made in Ethiopia.
When a massive Chinese industrial park transforms rural Ethiopia, three women, a director, a farmer, and a factory worker, find their lives entwined in the promises and costs of progress. Filmed over four years, Made in Ethiopia reveals China’s complex impact on Africa and a nation’s struggle between tradition, modernity, and survival.
This video may not be explicitly environmental, but it is very much about sustainable development, a topic my environmental science course examines. Welcome to blogging as professional development.
BRIBE, INC. is a true story exposing the shady underpinnings that fuel global commerce: corruption and lots of money.
In the shadows of the global oil industry the Ahsani family ran Unaoil with jet-set style and total impunity. Until journalist Nick McKenzie encountered a whistleblower with enough insider intel to take the whole gang down.
In a manhunt spanning the globe Nick untangles the Ahsanis’ web of deceit and corruption exposing them as the grubby crime family they are. As the plot twists and turns will justice be served?
First, it's about oil, so it's also germane to my environmental science and geology students. Second, it looks like fun. Third, this could just as easily have been an investigative or crime nominee. The same is true of the other nominee that caught my eye, CAN'T LOOK AWAY (2025) - Official Trailer | JOLT.
Can't Look Away is a gripping documentary that exposes the dark side of social media and its devastating impact on young users. Directors Matthew O'Neill and Perri Peltz take viewers inside the high-stakes legal battle to hold tech companies accountable for the harm caused by their negligence and dangerous algorithms. Based on investigative reporting by Bloomberg News' Olivia Carville, the film follows the Social Media Victims Law Center fighting for justice for families whose children suffered tragic consequences linked to social media use. As families seek justice, Can't Look Away underscores the urgent need for industry reform and serves as both a wake-up call about the dangers of social media—and a call to action to protect future generations.
I don't have to look at the other two trailers; I think this is the winner.
I'm returning to the News & Doc Emmy Awards for this week's Sunday entertainment feature with the category I was originally planning on covering the day I posted 'Katrina: Come Hell and High Water' leads social issue documentaries at the News & Doc Emmy Awards for Flashback Friday, Outstanding Historical Documentary. Turning Point: The Vietnam War leads this category with five nominations, including Best Documentary. It's followed by Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time with four, also including Best Documentary, Vietnam: The War That Changed America with three, then Becoming Katharine Graham, Becoming Thurgood: America's Social Architect, The Disappearance of Miss Scott, and Simon Schama: The Holocaust, 80 Years On, all tied at one with just this nomination. I'm sharing their trailers in that order, beginning with Turning Point: The Vietnam War | Official Trailer | Netflix.
From Luminant Media and director Brian Knappenberger, Turning Point: The Vietnam War offers an unfiltered look at one of the most defining and divisive conflicts in modern history and the profound, lasting impact it has had on America’s global identity and on the lives of countless people. Following in the footsteps of Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War and Turning Point: 9/11 and the War On Terror, this five episode docuseries showcases a war that was more than just a military failure; it was a political and cultural reckoning that reshaped America, exposed deep divisions at home and shattered trust in the government. With unprecedented access to CBS News archives, rare Vietnamese footage, declassified government records and previously unearthed White House recordings, the series spans nearly two decades and three different presidential administrations, amplifying often overlooked perspectives. As both America and Vietnam mark the 50th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon, Turning Point: The Vietnam War offers a timely exploration of how the war’s unresolved wounds, unlearned lessons, and enduring consequences continue to shape the world today.
I'm having flashbacks to my childhood seeing reports from Vietnam on the evening news as I watch this trailer. I'm sure anyone else old enough is, too. Since this is the most nominated entry in this category, it's the one most likely to win, although it's not the one I'm rooting for. That distinction goes to Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time | Official Trailer | National Geographic, which I recommend to my students. Welcome to blogging as professional development.
Told in unflinching, moment-by-moment detail, HURRICANE KATRINA: RACE AGAINST TIME transports viewers into the chaos that engulfed New Orleans as one of the deadliest catastrophes in U.S. history unfolded—capturing the fear, heroism and resilience of those who fought to survive the storm and its aftermath. With the clear-eyed perspective of two decades of hindsight, this gripping historical record corrects persistent false narratives and exposes how a natural disaster became a national tragedy. Grounded in gut-wrenching eyewitness testimony from survivors, first responders and officials, and brought to life with immersive archival footage, the series is an unparalleled, emotionally raw examination of the storm’s personal, political and societal fallout. From the Oscar®- and Emmy®-winning producers at Lightbox and acclaimed filmmaker Ryan Coogler and his production company, Proximity Media, and directed by Oscar-nominated Traci A. Curry, this landmark documentary series arrives in time to mark the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
I can see why this trailer earned a nomination for Outstanding Promotional Announcement: Documentary. It looks like it was created by the same team that produced the Emmy-winning trailer for 9/11: One Day in America, so I have it penciled in as my co-favorite for Outstanding Promotional Announcement: Documentary along with Love + War. As for it winning Outstanding Historical Documentary, its best hope is that Turning Point: The Vietnam War splits its votes with VIETNAM: THE WAR THAT CHANGED AMERICA | Official Trailer | Apple TV+.
With never-before-seen archival footage, Vietnam: The War that Changed America tells the story of the war through the eyes and memories of the people who lived it — 50 years later.
Narrated by Ethan Hawke, this six-part docu-series premieres January 31 on Apple TV+.
The reunion of old friends, first-person accounts, and rarely seen footage paint an extraordinary and deeply profound picture of what it was like to live through one of history’s longest wars. Narrated by Ethan Hawke.
Some of the featured voices include: Bill Broyles, a celebrated Hollywood screenwriter and Lieutenant in the war who reunites with a member of his platoon after 50 years; Hilary Brown, ABC News’ first female foreign correspondent who covered the fall of Saigon firsthand; Melvin Pender, the Olympic gold-medal winning runner who competed in 1968 between tours in Vietnam; soldiers from the Viet Cong who fought in the Tet Offensive, including the first Viet Cong woman in her district to shoot down an enemy aircraft; a veteran who thought his life was over, forced to parachute into the Ho Chi Minh trail, who reunites with the man who rescued him; and Vietnamese civilians who witnessed and fled from the war.
"Vietnam: The War That Changed America” is produced for Apple TV+ by the BAFTA and Emmy Award-winning team at 72 Films, directed by Rob Coldstream (“John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial”) and produced by Caroline Marsden (“9/11: One Day in America”), with executive producers David Glover ("9/11: One Day in America”) and Mark Raphael (“Crime and Punishment”). This series marks the second collaboration for Apple TV+ and 72 Films, following the launch of “John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial” last year.
This looks like a more personal examination of the Vietnam War than Turning Point: The Vietnam War, which took more of a big picture look at the conflict.
The story of a woman’s evolution from a self-proclaimed “doormat-wife” into one of the most powerful newspaper publishers of the 20th century. Becoming Katharine Graham is now streaming on Prime Video.
This is a documentary about journalism and many of the voters are journalists. However, they are television journalists while this is a story about print. Turning Point: The Vietnam War features the power of television reporting and that alone is enough to make the difference. As I'm fond of writing about awards shows, electorates matter.
Explore the life and legacy of the nation’s first African American Supreme Court justice. The film follows Justice Marshall, known as “Mr. Civil Rights,” from his legal career with the NAACP to his 1967 appointment to the nation’s highest court.
The Disappearance of Miss Scott chronicles Hazel Scott’s meteoric rise as a jazz talent and major Hollywood star before being blacklisted during the Red Scare. Hazel Scott was one of the most revered stars of the early 20th century. Not only was Scott a beloved musical sensation, but she also channeled her talents into Hollywood stardom, becoming the first Black American to host their own television show.
Discover her storied life, from her childhood as a musical prodigy in Trinidad to her prolific career on stage and the silver screen in the new documentary American Masters – The Disappearance of Miss Scott, premiering nationwide Friday, February 21 at 9 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings), pbs.org/americanmasters and the PBS App in honor of Black History Month. Watch the first three minutes of the film in this official preview.
This is another documentary that could have been nominated for Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary, showing why I cover entertainment like I do. It's important.
Renowned historian Simon Schama, a lifelong documenter of Jewish history, examines the Holocaust as a worldwide crime and its lasting impact today, 80 years after the liberation of Auschwitz, in this deeply personal film.
As James Faulkner wrote, "The past is never dead. It's not even past." That's why history is important.
2000 Meters to Andriivka leads with six nominations, Turning Point: The Vietnam War follows with five nominations, Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time, Life After, and Love + War tie at four nominations, and Black Snow and Union tie at this one nomination. I had 2000 Meters to Andriivka penciled in to win this category because of its awards history, especially its wins at the DGA and WGA Awards, but seeing it lead this category, if not all nominees, in nominations inks that prediction in.
This nomination will help 2000 Meters to Andriivka win best Current Affairs Documentary, unless it boosts Life After, and either Turning Point: The Vietnam War or Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time win Outstanding Historical Documentary. It might help Love + War win one of its other categories, but it's a dead end for Black Snow and Union; both are extreme long shots at winning this category and have no other nominations.
Outstanding Research: Documentary
The American Revolution Florentine Films | PBS [WETA-TV] Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time Lightbox [Proximity Media | National Geographic] Oklahoma City Bombing: One Day in America 72 Films [National Geographic] The Strike UPHSF LLC The Stringer Netflix [LinLay Productions | Netflix | VII Foundation | XRM Media] Syria’s Detainee Files FRONTLINE | PBS [BBC] Turning Point: The Vietnam War Netflix [Luminant Media | Netflix] The White House Effect Actual Films | Netflix [Netflix | The Department of Motion Pictures]
Turning Point: The Vietnam War leads this category with five nominations, followed by Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time and The Stringer tied at four, then The Strike with three, Syria's Detainee Files and The White House Effect tied with two, then The American Revolution tied with Oklahoma City Bombing: One Day in America at just this one. That there are so many nominees indicates that this is a very competitive category, so I won't designate a favorite right now. Just the same, I'm noting that The American Revolution earning just this one nomination here suggests to me that it's eligible for the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, so I expect it to be nominated there, too. That happened for The U.S. and the Holocaust, so I've seen it happen before.
After today, I'm penciling in Turning Point: The Vietnam War as the favorite.
Sally should just be happy to be nominated in this category. 2000 Meters to Andriivka has six nominations, including Best Documentary. Life After has four, also including Best Documentary, as does The Stringer. Katrina: Come Hell and High Water and Vietnam: The War That Changed America both tied Sally with three. Apocalypse in the Tropics and Music Box: It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley have just this one. Out of this field, 2000 Meters to Andriivka is my provisional favorite.
Secrets of the Penguins deserved this nomination, but I doubt it will win. Instead, I think it's between Turning Point: The Vietnam War with five total nominations and Love + War with four nominations. Both are also nominated for Best Documentary. The sounds of combat would probably impress the journalists and documentarians, possibly even more than the sounds of nature or music. If the entertainment professionals in the Creative Arts Emmys were voting, they might give WE WANT THE FUNK! the advantage. Not here; electorates matter.
I think the same of Underdogs' chances for Outstanding Sound: Documentary. Given the competition in its categories, it has an apt title.
I haven't changed my mind, but let's see how I feel after watching the war documentaries.
Now I have to watch Love + War before the ceremony on May 28th.
This is the second nominated category for both The Last Rhinos: A New Hope and Pangolin: Kulu's Journey. Without listening to the score, I can't make an accurate assessment of the music. That written, my gut feels that it's between Vietnam: The War That Changed America and Chasing Time. The former has three nominations and the latter is the first short documentary I recall having a second nomination at these awards. Also, Exposure Labs has a strong track record with music, with Chasing Ice earning an Oscar nomination for its song and Chasing Coral earning a nomination for Music & Sound.
I've changed my mind. I now think that Songs from the Hole is the favorite. The journalists and documentarians might just vote for JJ’88. The composers might not, but I suspect there aren't a lot of them in this Televison Academy, especially voting for the News & Doc Emmy Awards.
The composers might want to vote for one of their own, which JJ'88 almost certainly isn't.
I close the nominations for Turning Point: The Vietnam War and Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time with two categories I haven't blogged about.
Outstanding Lighting Direction: Documentary
American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden Netflix [The Cut | Tillerman Films | Ventureland | Netflix] Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders Netflix [Third Eye Motion Picture Company | Netflix | Radical Media | MA Productions | Silvio Films] Hollywood Hustler: Glitz, Glam, Scam Library Films [Amazon MGM Studios | Library FIlms | Vice Studios | Article 19 Films] Lockerbie: The Bombing of Pan Am 103 Mindhouse Production [Sky Studios | CNN Original Series] Turning Point: The Vietnam War Netflix [Luminant Media | Netflix]
It's Turning Point: The Vietnam War versus a bunch of documentaries with just this one nomination. Somehow, I don't think that will help it, especially if 2000 Meters to Andriivka sweeps, which I expect. The News & Doc electorate isn't into consolation prizes, but they have surprised me by going against the most nominated entry before.
Outstanding Promotional Announcement: Documentary
Chris Hemsworth: A Road Trip to Remember National Geographic [Mattock] LOVE+WAR Trailer Love + War
National Geographic [Mark Woollen & Associates] NATURE Season 44 Trailer Nature
PBS [The WNET Group] Race Against Time Trailer Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time National Geographic [Buddha Jones] Trailer In Waves and War
Actual Films | NETFLIX [Netflix | Participant | Chicago Media Project]
I need to watch Love + War before the 28th to call this category, too.
Follow over the jump for the most active shares about the News & Doc Emmy Awards on social media during the 15th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News.
Happy Flashback Friday! I'm returning to the News & Doc Emmy Awards with the nominees for Outstanding Investigative Documentary, which The Stringer leads with four nominations, followed by Cover-Up and Syria's Detainee Files tied at two nominations, then Critical Incident: A Death at the Border and Predators tied at one nomination. I'm linking to the trailers in this order, beginning with The Stringer: The Man Who Took The Photo | Official Trailer | Netflix.
A former Saigon photo editor reveals a secret he’s been plagued with for 52 years, setting off a gripping two-year investigation into the truth behind one of the Vietnam War’s most iconic photographs. Acclaimed conflict photographer Gary Knight and a small team of journalists embark on a relentless search to locate and seek justice for a man known only as “the stringer.”
Unfortunately, this trailer is age-restricted and has to be viewed on YouTube or Netflix itself because of nudity — yes, it's that photo!
The Stringer's other nominations are in Outstanding Writing: Documentary, Outstanding Research: Documentary, and Outstanding Direction: Documentary. The number of nominations along with its Vietnam War and journalism subject matter would normally make this my favorite for this category, but this is a tougher category than the numbers alone suggest.
Cover-Up is a political thriller that traces the explosive career of Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Seymour Hersh. Urgent and deeply reported, Cover-Up is both a portrait of a relentless journalist and an indictment of institutional violence — revealing a cycle of impunity in the U.S. military and intelligence agencies. Drawing on exclusive access to Hersh’s notes, and interweaving primary documents and archival footage, Cover-Up captures the power and process of investigative journalism.
The voters here are mostly journalists and this is a story about journalism. A lot of them are also based in New York. As I'm fond of writing about awards shows, electorates matter.
Both Cover-Up and The Stinger are documentaries about journalism, so this statement applies to both of them. Also lot of the voters not in New York are based in Washington, D.C. Cover-Up would appeal to them.
Bashar al-Assad’s regime detained over a million people during the Syrian war. Saydnaya was the regime’s most notorious prison. In this video drawn from the documentary "Syria’s Detainee Files," brothers who were held at Saydnaya describe their experience – and so does a former guard who admits to torturing people there.
Harrowing. Its second nomination is for Outstanding Research: Documentary, where it's competing against The Stringer.
HBO Original Documentary #CriticalIncident: Death At The Border revisits a 2010 case that still resonates today. Premieres December 29 on @hbomax.
This barely made the eligibility deadline. Didn't seem to hurt its chances. Of course, it's another nominee that features a journalist, so it appeals to the News & Doc electorate. It's also timely again because of Trump'simmigrationcrackdown.
To Catch a Predator lured sex offenders to a film set where they were interviewed and arrested while cameras rolled. PREDATORS is a chilling, surprising exploration of the show, and the world it helped create.
This could just as easily have been a nominee for crime and justice or arts and culture as it explores the boundaries among journalism, activism, and sensationalist entertainment. In any event, it's another product of MTV Documentary Films, which I've praised in the past. I can't count it out.
Now for the other categories where The Stringer, Cover-Up, and Syria's Detainee Files earned nominations.
Outstanding Research: Documentary
The American Revolution Florentine Films | PBS [WETA-TV] Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time Lightbox [Proximity Media | National Geographic] Oklahoma City Bombing: One Day in America 72 Films [National Geographic] The Strike UPHSF LLC The Stringer Netflix [LinLay Productions | Netflix | VII Foundation | XRM Media] Syria’s Detainee Files FRONTLINE | PBS [BBC] Turning Point: The Vietnam War Netflix [Luminant Media | Netflix] The White House Effect Actual Films | Netflix [Netflix | The Department of Motion Pictures]
Turning Point: The Vietnam War leads this category with five nominations, followed by Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time and The Stringer tied at four, then The Strike with three, Syria's Detainee Files and The White House Effect tied with two, then The American Revolution tied with Oklahoma City Bombing: One Day in America at just this one. That there are so many nominees indicates that this is a very competitive category, so I won't designate a favorite right now. Just the same, I'm noting that The American Revolution earning just this one nomination here suggests to me that it's eligible for the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, so I expect it to be nominated there, too. That happened for The U.S. and the Holocaust, so I've seen it happen before.
Sally should just be happy to be nominated in this category. 2000 Meters to Andriivka has six nominations, including Best Documentary. Life After has four, also including Best Documentary, as does The Stringer. Katrina: Come Hell and High Water and Vietnam: The War That Changed America both tied Sally with three. Apocalypse in the Tropics and Music Box: It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley have just this one. Out of this field, 2000 Meters to Andriivka is my provisional favorite.
Outstanding Editing: Documentary
Cover-Up Netflix [Plan B | Netflix | Praxis Films] Folktales Loki Films [Fifth Season | Impact Partners | Topic Studios] Katrina: Come Hell and High Water Netflix [Netflix | Message Pictures] Life After Multitude Films | PBS [ITVS] Love + War Little Monster Films [National Geographic] 2000 Meters to Andriivka FRONTLINE FEATURES | PBS [Associated Press] Thoughts & Prayers HBO Documentary Films [Tony Tina] The White House Effect Actual Films | Netflix [Netflix | The Department of Motion Pictures]
I think 2000 Meters to Andriivka is the favorite, if only because it's the only nominee also nominated for Best Editing at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards and I suspect 2000 Meters to Andriivka might sweep its categories.
Outstanding Writing: Documentary
Bring Them Home / Aiskótáhkapiyaaya
Thunderheart Films [WETA-TV] 2000 Meters to Andriivka
FRONTLINE FEATURES | PBS [Associated Press] Songs From the Hole
Netflix [Cocomotion Pictures | Question Culture | Impact Partners | Artemis Rising Foundation | Netflix] The Stringer
Netflix [A Netflix Documentary | An XRM MEDIA | VII FOUNDATION Production | LinLay Productions] Underdogs
Wildstar Films [Maximum Effort | National Geographic]
The trailer alone demonstrated that Underdogs deserved this nomination. Unfortunately, I doubt it will win this award. It's competing against 2000 Meters to Andriivka with six nominations including Best Documentary, Songs from the Hole with four nominations including Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary, and The Stringer, also with four nominations including Outstanding Investigative Documentary. I expect grit will win over wit.
Songs from the Hole has plenty of grit, but it is facing stiff competition from 2000 Meters to Andriivka, The Stringer, and Underdogs. It might lose to one of the first two.
I still think so.
Follow over the jump for the last three most read posts about the Emmy Awards during the 15th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News.
Slight change of plans from yesterday, when I wrote, "I'll probably examine Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time tomorrow." I decided to highlight the other nominee about Hurricane Katrina, Katrina: Come Hell and High Water, which leads the nominees for Outstanding Social Issue Documentary with three nominations, including Outstanding Direction: Documentary and Outstanding Editing: Documentary in addition to Outstanding Social Issue Documentary. It's followed by The Ride Ahead with two nominations, then Born Poor, Enigma, and Searching for Amani with just this one category nomination. I'm sharing the trailers in that order, beginning with Katrina: Come Hell and High Water | Official Trailer | Netflix.
This is the story of a brutal coastal hurricane turned cataclysmic through human error and neglect. Over the course of a gripping and emotional three episodes, the people of New Orleans recount their past, extoll their present and lean into the future of what they and their beloved city survived and have become 20 years later. The series sets the stage for a tragedy - whose man-made elements expose the systemic governmental neglect that led to the city being defenseless in the face of the storm - and Katrina’s devastating impact that changed New Orleans irreparably. Detailed, harrowing and triumphant first-person accounts and never before seen archive illustrate the magnitude of Katrina, the aftermath of the levees breaking and the bungled recovery.
Katrina was a foreseeable disaster. I remember listening to an NPR story a year or more before Katrina hit explaining how New Orleans' levees were only built to withstand a category three hurricane, so they would fail under a category four or five storm, and describing what would likely happen if — when — one struck. It did. It also mentioned in passing that, while being poor is hard, New Orleans was probably the easiest city to be poor in. Katrina took that away. I've been recommending Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time to my students. Now I can recommend Katrina: Come Hell and High Water to them, too. Welcome to blogging as professional development.
What does adulthood look like when the world isn’t built for your body?
In THE RIDE AHEAD, Samuel Habib is ready for independence as he turns 21—but every rite of passage is complicated by ableist systems and physical barriers. Facing seizures, inaccessible housing, and degrading encounters, he sets out to find community and answers.
With humor, honesty, and a deep commitment to disability justice, Samuel travels across the U.S. to meet activists and role models who help him reimagine what freedom, adulthood, and love can look like.
A coming-of-age story rooted in interdependence, dignity, and the power of community.
As soon as I read the video description, I thought of Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution. Sure enough, the trailer advertises that the co-director of Crip Camp is involved, as is Judith Heumann, who won Most Compelling Living Subject of a Documentary at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards. The trailer also features some of the animation in the movie, which shows me it deserves its second nomination for Outstanding Graphic Design: Documentary.
Meet Brittany, Johnny and Kaylie, whose journeys — filmed across 14 years — are at the heart of the new documentary "Born Poor." Watch the prologue now.
This journalism is made possible by viewers like you. Support your local PBS station here: https://www.pbs.org/donate
The 90-minute documentary "Born Poor" premieres Tues., Oct. 7, 2025 on @frontline's YouTube channel, in the PBS App, at pbs.org/frontline and on PBS stations. The film follows these three kids from three families across three chapters of their lives — from childhood through the teen years to young adulthood — and offers a powerful, personal and longitudinal look at the realities of growing up in poverty in the U.S.
“Born Poor” is a FRONTLINE production with True Vision Productions. The director is Jezza Neumann. The producers are Jezza Neumann and Lauren Mucciolo. The senior producer is Frank Koughan. The editor-in-chief and executive producer of FRONTLINE is Raney Aronson-Rath.
This looked familiar, but I probably am misremembering FRONTLINE's "Two American Families: 1991-2024," nominated in this category last year. FRONTLINE does good work examining poverty and society.
A thirteen-year-old aspiring journalist investigates his father’s mysterious murder within the boundaries of one of Kenya’s largest wildlife conservancies. As a ravaging drought encroaches, his quest to find the killer shifts and an activist is born as the collateral damage of a warming world is revealed.
Looks like I found another movie I can recommend to my students. Again, welcome to blogging as professional development, even if I'm only planning on teaching one more semester, which begins Monday.
Now to examine the other nominations for Katrina: Come Hell and High Water and The Ride Ahead.
Outstanding Editing: Documentary
Cover-Up Netflix [Plan B | Netflix | Praxis Films] Folktales Loki Films [Fifth Season | Impact Partners | Topic Studios] Katrina: Come Hell and High Water Netflix [Netflix | Message Pictures] Life After Multitude Films | PBS [ITVS] Love + War Little Monster Films [National Geographic] 2000 Meters to Andriivka FRONTLINE FEATURES | PBS [Associated Press] Thoughts & Prayers HBO Documentary Films [Tony Tina] The White House Effect Actual Films | Netflix [Netflix | The Department of Motion Pictures]
I think 2000 Meters to Andriivka is the favorite, if only because it's the only nominee also nominated for Best Editing at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards and I suspect 2000 Meters to Andriivka might sweep its categories.
Sally should just be happy to be nominated in this category. 2000 Meters to Andriivka has six nominations, including Best Documentary. Life After has four, also including Best Documentary, as does The Stringer. Katrina: Come Hell and High Water and Vietnam: The War That Changed America both tied Sally with three. Apocalypse in the Tropics and Music Box: It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley have just this one. Out of this field, 2000 Meters to Andriivka is my provisional favorite.
Outstanding Graphic Design: Documentary
Antidote/Kill List
FRONTLINE FEATURES | PBS [Passion Pictures | Bellingcat] The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets
Texas Crew Productions [Peacock Original | New York Post Entertainment | G Unit Film & Television, Inc.] The Ride Ahead
LikeRightNow Films Titanic: The Digital Resurrection
Atlantic Productions [National Geographic] Underdogs
Wildstar Films [Maximum Effort | National Geographic] In Waves and War
Studio AKA [Netflix | Actual Films]
This is likely to be Underdogs' best shot to win, but it faces a tough competitor in Titanic: The Digital Resurrection. Either way, National Geographic would win.
The Ride Ahead's animation looks impressive and fun and it advances the narrative well, so I wouldn't count it out.
I found an entry about Hurricane Katrina among the most read during the 15th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News, so I'm featuring it and another from the back catalog at the intersection of entertainment, climatechange and extremeweather over the jump.
