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.
Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like King Charles meeting New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani.
I now have Spirit Airlines going bankrupt, again, and shutting down operations on my to-do list. On the other hand, I've already covered the royal visit. I just wish people would stop picking on Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, who was born only a few miles from where I grew up and is my favorite royal. On the other hand, keep picking on the Andrew formerly known as Prince. He deserves it.
Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like a woman damaging a statue in Italy while trying to touch its genitals.
From blastoff, to the first lunar orbit in 53 years, to splashdown, CBC News breaks down the biggest moments of the historic Artemis II mission in three minutes.
Why are we going back to the moon with the Artemis Missions? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice explore the history of our trips to the moon during the Apollo Missions and why the US is finally going back.
Tyson and Nice were as entertaining as they were informative. They explained why we went to the Moon in the first place, why we're returningnow, and how both Apollo and Artemis worked. Good work and funny, too!
Seth takes a closer look at oil and gas prices continuing to soar amid the war in Iran, while Donald Trump and MAGA now insist that paying higher prices is a patriotic duty.
Wall Street is reacting to the war in the Middle East after stocks tumbled Friday to close at their lowest level in over seven months. The Dow Jones, S&P and Nasdaq have all seen continued declines since the start of "Operation Epic Fury" one month ago. NewsNation’s Alicia Nieves shows “Morning in America with Hena Doba” how the market shifts are driving sticker shock at the gas pump.
Welcome to energy prices as examples of "Everything is connected to everything else" and "There is no free lunch."
That's the big picture. I begin my personal update by sharing that my wife suggested I fill up Pearl the Prius the morning after the initial attack and I did; I've seen this movie before and I knew what was coming. I was only surprised that people weren't panic buying and that prices hadn't risen - yet. I was able to drive on that tank for the past four weeks. I was not looking forward to filling up, but did so anyway after attending the nearest No Kings demonstration today and felt lucky to pay just less than 4.00/gallon. How are gas prices where you are?
Follow over the jump for the rest of my personal driving update and the three most read driving update posts during the 2025-2026 blogging year.
President Trump (James Austin Johnson) and Sec. Hegseth (Colin Jost) speak after the United States launched a series of military strikes against Iran.
I was hoping for a mocking of the State of the Union, but, no, Donald "Hoover Harding Cleveland" Trump had to top himself just four days later. The result was this cold open with whatever the writers could come up with in one day. They weren't happy about it, either.
Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week’s biggest news, like American Girl Doll collectors complaining about alleged changes to the dolls.
I wish I were surprised at Hawking being in the Epstein files. If I have learned nothing else from this scandal, it's that Epstein was relentless in cozying up to rich, powerful, and influential men and a lot of those men not only didn't resist his efforts, but seemed to enjoy them. Hawking was one of them. Surprised, no. Disappointed, yes.
Follow over the jump for Weekend Update's interviews and the monologue.
White House Border Czar Tom Homan (Pete Davidson) meets with ICE agents (Kenan Thompson, James Austin Johnson, Mikey Day, Ben Marshall, Andrew Dismukes, Jeremy Culhane) in Minneapolis.
This is only the second time I've mentioned Tom Homan, responsible for familyseparation and caught on camera taking $50,000 in a fast-foot restaurant bag, the first being two days ago. He's certainly making a splash replacing Greg Bovino, who I've never mentioned here before and hope never to do so in another entry unless it's about any legal troubles he might face. Speaking of legal trouble, I watched the incident involving Don Lemon, who I haven't cited since 2021, and he was just doing his job; he wasn't one of the protestors. The feds arresting him is turning him into a hero of the Resistance, if he isn't already.
Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like the FBI investigating Trump’s false claim the 2020 election was rigged.
Donald Trump is a self-help apostle. He always has tried to create his own reality by saying what he wants to be true. Where many see failure, Trump sees only success, and expresses it out loud, again and again.
His wish might just come true. This works on the social environment, but not the physical and biological environment; it failed to work on the virus during the pandemic. He couldn't bully a virus.
But he can bully the Department of Justice, particularly with Pam Bondi in charge. This is on top of his positive thinking reinforcing the Big Lie.
Personally, I'd rather call it Trump's dangerous delusion, his fixed belief that the election was stolen from him despite allevidence, which I see as related to his vulnerabilitytoconspiracy theories, but "the Big Lie" is the established phrase used by CNBC and others, so I'm calling it that instead. It's a lie, too.
Mayer's reporting shows that Trump's delusion is not just dangerous but contagious. It's bad enough that there is one pandemic running around; we don't need another.
The delusion has continued to spread, infecting a lot of candidates in today's elections. Ugh.
And now he has an Administration dedicated to it.
The first segment mentioned the Melania documentary, which alone qualifies this entry as the Sunday entertainment feature, but Kanye West made a cameo in Luigi Mangione Won’t Face Death Penalty, cementing its status.
Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week’s biggest news, like Ye publishing an apology in The Wall Street Journal.
"Unless you have a pre-existing condition" would be funnier if it weren't so true.
Follow over the jump for the rest of last night's highlights.
I enjoyed Dr. Z connecting this monster to both the Winter Solstice and to other European Christmas monsters, including Krampus, who has a video of his own. I'm an environmentalist, so I don't just recycle, I conserve my resources. I'm saving that episode of Monstrum for a future Yule.
You better watch out, you better not cry, and you certainly must behave—or else face the brutal beating of the Krampus. Why does this demonic, horned Yuletide monster exist? This episode looks at the historical origins of Krampus in the winter festivals of the Alpine region, challenging the false claim that this monster came from pagan tradition, and traces its renewed popularity across the globe.
On December 5th, adults celebrating Krampusnacht seek to punish misbehaving children. This not-so-jolly holiday is also referred to as Krampus Night.
Most people associate the holiday season with lots of cheer, merriment, and joy. However, there is one traditional holiday during this time of the year that doesn’t sound so fun. In fact, it seems a little scary. It’s actually more Halloween-like than Christmassy.
BEST COMEDY SERIES
Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Elsbeth (CBS)
Ghosts (CBS)
Hacks (HBO Max)
Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
The Righteous Gemstones (HBO Max)
The Studio (Apple TV)
Nobody Wants This leads Best Comedy Series with five nominations, followed by Ghosts and Hacks with four, Abbott Elementary, The Righteous Gemstones, and The Studio with three, Elsbeth with two, and Only Murders in the Building with just this one. Based on The Studio winning a total of thirteen Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series, the Gold Derby odds should favor The Studio and they do. Every editor and expert plus 92.2% of the users selected The Studio to win. It's followed by Hacks with 3.1% user support, Abbott Elementary with 1.7%, Only Murders in the Building with 1.1%, and the rest with less than one percent.
The series earning acting nominations but which missed a program nomination are A Man on the Inside, St. Denis Medical, Murderbot, Poker Face, The Paper, Peacemaker, and Saturday Night Live with one each. Follow over the jump for those and the rest of the acting nominations.
President Trump (James Austin Johnson) addresses grocery prices skyrocketing, Zohran Mamdani winning the New York City mayoral election and more after someone collapses in the oval office.
At least this version of Donald "Hoover Cleveland" Trump tells the truth about things, even if the truth isn't all that funny.
Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like someone collapsing in the oval office during a press conference, Zohran Mamdani becoming the new mayor of New York City and Dick Cheney passing away.
I think the actual clip of RFK Jr. fleeing the press conference was funnier than the recreation in the cold open. In fact, all of the news covered in both sketches was funnier here. Speaking of which, what happened to Dick Cheney passing away? I either missed it or it was in the video description but not the video itself. Finally, the mention of Michael is enough to earn today's entry's status as the Sunday entertainment feature, but Weekend Update: Pete Davidson Talks About His and Colin Jost’s Staten Island Ferry had more show business news, even if it was Davidson talking about doing a show in Saudi Arabia and taking pot shots at Lorne Michaels.
Pete Davidson stops by Weekend Update to discuss him and Colin Jost losing money on their Staten Island ferry.
Thanks to Davidson, I now know what's good about Staten Island, the pizza. I'm still a fan of Detroit-style pizza.
Follow over the jump for the monologue from last night's show plus the rest of the variety special Emmy Awards.
Zohran Mamdani (Ramy Youssef), Andrew Cuomo (Miles Teller) and Curtis Sliwa (Shane Gillis) debate against each other in the race to become New York City's next mayor.
That's an all-star cast of candidates and they plus the writers certainly captured the spirit of the contest. I don't agree with Sliwa on much, but he and I have the same bagel order, minus the garbage can. On the other hand, who do the writers think Sliwa is, a luckier JimmyHoffa? On the gripping hand, I watched parts of the actual debates and Mamdani impressed me as being most on top of the issues. That's something one would expect about Cuomo, but he's coasting on name recognition. Of course, it wouldn't be an SNL political skit without Donald "Hoover Cleveland" Trump crashing the party. At least it gave James Austin Johnson a chance to sing and add some Halloween content with his PhantomoftheOpera impression on top of his Trump impression.
Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like Trump rating his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping a "12 out of 10".
At least he provided more Halloween content, even if it showed, as Colin Jost said, evidence that he never trick-or-treated in his life. He also demonstrated how innumerate he is. No wonder his businesses filed for bankruptcy six times.
Two People Who Just Hooked Up (Andrew Dismukes, Ashley Padilla) stop by Weekend Update to discuss the government shutdown.
The comments are all about their chemistry and I agree. Too bad that won't work for the actual members of Congress. Speaking of whom, Bowen Yang returned as George Santos on the New York City Marathon.
George Santos (Bowen Yang) stops by Weekend Update to discuss the New York City Marathon and how prison changed him.
As I last wrote in A closer look at Suozzi winning Santos's former seat and Mayorkas impeachment, "George Santos — that's a name I was hoping never to write about again," but Hoover Cleveland commuted his sentence. That put him back in the news, making another prediction of mine continue to come true: "George Santos will be a great inspiration for comedy as long as he stays in the news."
Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like a study finding that childhood peanut allergies are on the decline due to early exposure to peanuts.
The items about Kid Rock and Wicked alone qualified this as the Sunday entertainment feature, but follow over the jump for the rest of last night's show plus the rest of SNL's Emmy Awards, which will cement that status.
BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY
Becoming Led Zeppelin (Sony Pictures Classics)
Billy Joel: And So It Goes (HBO Max)
Bono: Stories of Surrender (Apple TV)
It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley (HBO Max, Magnolia Pictures)
Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music (NBC)
Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) (Hulu)
Mentioning that [Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)] shares its producers with Summer of Soul is a smart move that indicates the film's quality. It may not be enough for it to win an Emmy, although it probably helped it get nominated, but it might help it win some of Summer of Soul's other awards, particularly Best Archival Documentary and Best Music Documentary at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards and Best Music Film at the GRAMMY Awards. I'm looking forward to covering both awards shows.
Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) won't win Best Archival Documentary because it wasn't nominated, but at least it's been nominated for Best Music Documentary, which is the first step, so I can claim half credit for my prediction — so far.
The other Emmy nominee in this field is Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music, which also earned a nomination for Best Editing at these awards along with two nominations at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards for Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program and Outstanding Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program, so it definitely deserved its second nomination. It's also my second choice to win Best Music Documentary. Since it didn't earn a program nomination at the Emmy Awards, I hadn't embedded Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music | Official Trailer before. Now I am.
Ladies & Gentleman ... 50 Years of SNL Music, co-directed by Oz Rodriguez and The Roots drummer, Tonight Show bandleader, and Oscar-winning filmmaker Questlove, premieres Monday, January 27 at 8/7c on NBC. Streaming next day on Peacock.
The three-hour special broadcast event includes a look back at some of the show's 900-plus musical guests and promises "untold stories behind the culture-defining, groundbreaking, and news-making musical performances, sketches, and cameos of the past 50 years."
The trailer alone is a masterpiece of editing. It also sells me on the idea of watching the special itself. BTW, my top two choices set up a battle of Questlove vs. Questlove. May that actually result in his winning this award again.
Directed by: Bernard MacMahon
Written by: Bernard MacMahon and Allison McGourty
Cast: Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, John Bonham
...
Becoming Led Zeppelin explores the origins of this iconic group and their meteoric rise in just one year against all the odds.
Powered by awe-inspiring, psychedelic, never-before-seen footage, performances, and music, Bernard MacMahon’s experiential cinematic odyssey explores Led Zeppelin’s creative, musical, and personal origin story. The film is told in Led Zeppelin’s own words and is the first officially sanctioned film on the group.
I expect to see this nominated at one or more awards shows, beginning with the GRAMMYs next month and again at next year's News & Doc Emmy Awards in May. The Oscars, since this is the sole purely theatrical release in the field? I would be very surprised, but Becoming Led Zeppelin is the highest grossing documentary so far this year. That might count for something...or not, as I point out below.
Billy Joel: And So It Goes premieres July 18 and 25 on HBO Max.
This might get nominated at the GRAMMYs, but I really think this looks like a candidate for next year's Creative Arts Emmy Awards. Billy Joel is more their kind of person.
The groundbreaking event ‘Bono: Stories of Surrender’ is now streaming on Apple TV and is the first feature-length film available in Apple Immersive on Vision Pro. https://apple.co/_BonoStoriesofSurrender
A bold and lyrical visual exploration of Bono’s one-man show by the same name. Based on his celebrated memoir, “Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story,” and the accompanying book/theatre tour, the film hails from RadicalMedia and Plan B Entertainment.
“Bono: Stories of Surrender (Immersive)” is the first feature-length film available in Apple Immersive Video, a remarkable media format recorded in 8K with Spatial Audio to produce a 180-degree video that places viewers onstage with Bono and in the center of his story.
“Bono: Stories of Surrender” is a vivid reimagining of Bono’s critically-acclaimed one-man stage show, "Stories of Surrender: An Evening of Words, Music and Some Mischief…," as he pulls back the curtain on a remarkable life and the family, friends, and faith that have challenged and sustained him, revealing personal stories about his journey as a son, father, husband, activist and rockstar. Along with never-before-seen, exclusive footage from the Beacon Theatre shows, the film features Bono performing many of the iconic U2 songs that have shaped his life and legacy.
Academy Award and Emmy Award-winning RadicalMedia’s Jon Kamen and Dave Sirulnick (“Summer of Soul,” “Hamilton,” “David Byrne’s American Utopia”) produce alongside Academy Award-winning Plan B Entertainment’s Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner (upcoming “F1,” “Moonlight,” “12 Years a Slave”). Bono executive produces with Jennifer Pitcher (“Kiss The Future”) and Kelly McNamara (“V-U2 an Immersive Concert Film at Sphere Las Vegas”).
What an impressive roster of talent behind the camera, including more alumni of Summer of Soul! This is another film I expect to see nominated at the GRAMMYs and/or the News & Doc Emmy Awards. The Creative Arts Emmy Awards instead? Maybe.
IT’S NEVER OVER: JEFF BUCKLEY, directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Amy Berg (DELIVER US FROM EVIL, JANIS: LITTLE GIRL BLUE, WEST OF MEMPHIS), covers the life of the rising young star with an otherworldly voice and boundary-pushing artistry, who left the '90s music world reeling when he died suddenly, at age 30, after the release of his critically acclaimed debut album “Grace.” Told through never-before-seen footage from Buckley’s archives and intimate accounts from his mother Mary Guibert, former partners Rebecca Moore and Joan Wasser, Jeff’s former bandmates, including Michael Tighe and Parker Kindred, and luminaries like Ben Harper and Aimee Mann, IT’S NEVER OVER, JEFF BUCKLEY illuminates one of modern music’s most influential and enigmatic figures.
The documentary branch might nominate this over Becoming Led Zeppelin just to make a point or to keep the rest of the Motion Picture Academy from voting for the more popular music documentary so a nominee they like better can win. I wouldn't put it past them. Not only do electorates matter, so do selection committees. As for the GRAMMYs nominating it, I expect they will.
Now for the other category in which Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music earned a nomination.
BEST EDITING
Michael Harte – Deaf President Now! (Apple TV)
James Lester & Oz Rodríguez, John MacDonald (Music Montage) – Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music (NBC)
Viridiana Lieberman – The Perfect Neighbor (Netflix)
Page Marsella – The Alabama Solution (HBO Max)
Michelle Mizner – 2000 Meters to Andriivka (Frontline Features / The Associated Press)
Alexandra Strauss – Orwell: 2+2=5 (Neon)
I will return to this next month when I resume examining the nominees at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards. Stay tuned as I go full holidays for the rest of the month, beginning with Horror Movie Day tomorrow. Spooky season!
Previous posts about the 10th annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards
Pete Hegseth (Colin Jost) gives an address to a room full of military officials before getting interrupted by President Trump (James Austin Johnson).
I'm glad to see Colin Jost standing up doing a character, and Pete Hegseth is quite the character, instead of sitting behind the desk as himself. Even so, Jost couldn't avoid being the butt of the joke here, as James Austin Johnson did his impression of Trump while upstaging Jost. Some things don't change.
Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like the FCC approving an abortion pill before the government shutdown.
Speaking of running jokes and things not changing, Jost claiming credit for Cracker Barrel changing its logo back fits right in. As for the government shutdown giving us all a break, I wish. The crazy keeps coming even as nonessential services are suspended. Oh, and it's the FDA not the FCC that approves drugs. I think the description writer had JimmyKimmel'ssuspension on their mind.
Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like an A.I generated actress getting attention from Hollywood agents.
If the rest of the NYC electorate is like the studio audience, Mamdani should win easily. This isn't yet an awards show post — wait until after the jump — but electorates still matter.
Sean "Diddy" Combs being sentenced, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's pending divorce, and the A.I. actress all qualify this entry as the Sunday entertainment feature, but there's more over the jump, including SNL's Emmy Awards.
The Penguin had such a headstart on awards that it ended up with nine, one more than Adolescence. Congratulations! Only The Studio beat it with a total of 13, including four major awards, the second most last night. I plan on examining The Studio, Hacks, and Somebody Somewhere on Wednesday. Stay tuned.
The Gold Derby odds roughly follow this order, as The Studio leads with every expert, 80.0% of editors, and 89.1% of users picking it to win, while Hacks has the votes of the remaining 20.0% of editors and 7.8% of users. The rest of the field has 1.0% or less with no users supporting Nobody Wants This. I guess nobody does. On the other hand, it looks like Gold Derby expects the Emmy electorate to vote for one of the two nominees about the entertainment business. I agree. Electorates matter.
The Studio accepts the Emmy for Comedy Series at the 77th Emmy Awards.
I've never mentioned Brad Garrett, one of the presenters, on this blog before. He was one year behind me in middle school and high school and I can attest that he was just as funny then. He even attended UCLA, my undergraduate alma mater, before dropping out to pursue his comedy career, so he and I were students there, too. That connection means I'm always glad to see him on TV.
Enough about the presenters. I haven't watched the show yet, but I'm genuinely happy for Seth Rogan and all the rest of the cast and crew of The Studio. As for the donation to the Boys and Girls Clubs, maybe the Television Academy should institute a swear jar next year.
Now for a category The Studio wasn't going to win.
Every editor, 92.3% of experts, and 95.1% of users at Gold Derby expect Jean Smart to repeat. One expert (7.7%) and 1.8% of users think Kristen Bell will upset Smart. Only 1.7% anticipate Ayo Edebiri winning, followed by 1.1% behind Quinta Brunson and 0.3% under Uzo Aduba. I became a fan of Bell's when she starred in The Good Place, but I think this is Smart's to lose.
Jean Smart accepts the Emmy for Lead Actress In A Comedy Series for Hacks at the 77th Emmy Awards.
Jean Smart either had a good idea she was going to win or was fortuitously behind the scenes for another reason; she wasn't one of the presenters. Just the same, congratulations on her fourth win on four nominations for this role.
Now for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.
Every editor and expert plus 88.6% of users expect Seth Rogen to snag his first Emmy. Martin Short has the support of 7.3% of users, followed by two-time returning winner Jeremy Allen White with 3.7%, Adam Brody with 0.3%, and Jason Segal with 0.2%.
I'll get to Stephen's awards later this month. Now for Seth Rogen, who obviously didn't read Gold Derby, or else he would have been prepared. He started off the evening with no Emmys and ended it with four, acting, directing, producing, and writing, all of The Studio's wins on Sunday. Congratulations!
Now for an award that Gold Derby called, barely, but which probably got away from The Studio because of vote splitting.
The prognosticators at Gold Derby think there is a three-way race for this contest. Since the users primarily set the odds, Hannah Einbinder leads with 58.3% of experts, 33.3% of editors, and 68.9% of users. I'm not convinced. Catherine O'Hara sits in second with 33.3% of experts, 60.0% of editors, and 20.5% of users. In cases like this, I tend to go with the editors. Returning winner Liza Colon-Zayas has an expert (8.3%) and 3.4% of users expecting her to return to the podium. Janelle James is close behind with 3.3% of users, followed by Kathryn Hahn at 2.8%, Jessica Williams at 0.7%, and Sheryl Lee Ralph at 0.3%.
Hannah Einbinder accepts the Emmy for Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series for Hacks at the 77th Emmy Awards.
That was a fun bit of nostalgia hearing Reba McEntire, Karen Fairchild, and Kimberly Schlapman sing the theme to The Golden Girls. The audience enjoyed it, too. Also, congratulations to Einbinder on finally winning an Emmy for this particular role, although her penultimate statement serves as another example that the Emmys need a swear jar.
After four successful calls, Gold Derby almost completely blew the next category.
Bowen Yang is the only acting nominee from SNL, but he's merely in the middle of the pack according to the odds-makers at Gold Derby. Ike Barinholtz from The Studio leads with 38.5% of the experts and 57.6% of the users, but no editors. I'm not convinced. I'm more confident in the second place nominee, Harrison Ford from Shrinking, who is the choice of 53.8% of experts, all editors, and 32.9% of users. The rest of the experts, 7.7%, and 3.1% of users think defending winner Ebon Moss-Bachrach from The Bear will repeat, which would be my default position in the absence of the odds. Yang is in fourth with 2.7% of users, followed by Colman Domingo from The Four Seasons at 1.7%, Jeff Hiller from Somebody Somewhere at 1.4%, and Michael Urie, the other nominee from Shrinking, in last at 0.6%. I will re-examine these odds when I look at the comedy series nominees next month. I expect the order of the top three to change by then.
I was wrong; the top three have remained the same as Ike Barinholtz still leads with 41.7% of the experts and 57.8% of the users, but no editors. Harrison Ford is the choice of 58.3% of experts, all editors, and 37.2% of users. The experts have abandoned defending winner Ebon Moss-Bachrach, although 2.1% of users still support him. The rest of the rankings haven't changed, either. I think the users are wrong in expecting what passes for a sweep by The Studio and Ford will give Shrinking its only Emmy.
Jeff Hiller accepts the Emmy for Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series for Somebody Somewhere at the 77th Emmy Awards.
If it makes James Marsden, Sterling K. Brown, and Julianne Nicholson feel better, I'll suggest Paradise to the Television Committee at the Saturn Awards as an action/thriller series. Who knows, the acting committee might even nominate one of them, most likely Marsden, for an acting award. As for Hiller, great speech and congratulations!
Now for the first of two awards Rogen won behind the camera.
On the other hand, a near-sweep for The Studio should catch this award in its broom, as every editor and expert plus 95.8% of users have selected The Studio to win Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series. The rest of the nominees are not even close with The Bear a distant second at 2.4% of users, Hacks at 1.3%, The Rehearsal at 0.6%, and Mid-Century Modern with none.
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg accept the Emmy for Directing For A Comedy Series for The Studio at the 77th Emmy Awards.
I'm glad someone from The White Lotus got on stage; the show was shut out at Sunday's ceremony and only won one Creative Arts Emmy Award. As for Rogen and Goldberg, congratulations!
I close with Rogen's fourth award, which Gold Derby nearly called.
On the other hand, Hacks is about comedy writing as much as performance, so it should be no surprise that most prognosticators at Gold Derby think it will successfully defend Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, as 66.7% of experts, 60.0% of editors, and 75.4% of users predict it will repeat. The Studio is close behind with 40.0% of editors, 25.0% of experts, and 19.5% of users thinking it will contribute to a near-sweep. One of the experts (8.3%) and 2.6% of users are picking The Rehearsal to upset. The rest of the field consists of Abbott Elementary, What We Do in the Shadows, and Somebody Somewhere with 1.2%, 0.8%, and 0.5% user support.
Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Peter Huyck, Alex Gregory and Frida Perez accept the Emmy for Writing For A Comedy Series for The Studio at the 77th Emmy Awards.
My wife and I are finishing up our series binge of E.R., and I can believe that it would mess up The Gilmore Girls's snow episode, even if it's just a joke. I also think this bit was better at showing the importance of writers than the goofy one for limited series. As for Rogen and the rest of the writers, they understood the assignment and kept their speeches short. Congratulations!
That's a wrap for today's installment. Stay tuned for the next episode on Friday, which will be on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert's Emmy Awards, followed by the drama series winners on Saturday. In the meantime, I'm planning on celebrating Constitution Day a day late tomorrow with a sequel to PBS's 'Civics Made Easy' on political parties, Electoral College, and fundraising.
Previous posts about the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards
I decided to resume my Emmy Awards series for today's Sunday entertainment feature with the nominees for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) and the other nominations. I begin with the program category at the Primetime Emmy Awards.
Outstanding Variety Special (Live)
The Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show Starring Kendrick Lamar (Fox)
Beyoncé Bowl (Netflix)
The Oscars (ABC)
SNL50: The Anniversary Special (NBC)
SNL50: The Homecoming Concert (Peacock)
SNL50: The Anniversary Special leads with 13 nominations, followed by its companion special SNL50: The Homecoming Concert and last year's winnerThe Oscars tied at six, then The Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show Starring Kendrick Lamar and Beyoncé Bowl tied at four. The prognosticators at Gold Derby agree that SNL50: The Anniversary Special has the lead, as 93.3% of experts, 83.3% of editors, and 89.8% of users have picked it to win. The 6.7% of users along with the same percentage of experts are enough to push Beyoncé Bowl into second, while 1.8% of users is holding The Oscars down despite 16.7% of editors expecting the movie awards ceremony to repeat. I'd go with the editors myself. The Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show Starring Kendrick Lamar and SNL50: The Homecoming Concert trail with 1.0% and 0.6% respectively.
Follow over the jump for the rest of the nominations for SNL50: The Anniversary Special, SNL50: The Homecoming Concert, and their competitors at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
Saturday Night Live proper has seven Emmy nominations, 24 including the 50th anniversary specials and spin-offs, while Last Week Tonight with John Oliver has six. That's not a good handicap for this category or the next, as the prognosticators at Gold Derby think Last Week Tonight with John Oliver will win handily, just like last year. All the experts, two-thirds of the editors, and 84.3% of the users expect John Oliver and his producers will accept the trophy in September. One-third of the editors and 15.7% of the users are calling for SNL to win in an upset. I'm with the majority. Besides, SNL will win its Emmys for its 50th Anniversary specials.
There has been some movement since last month, with 92.9% of experts, 75% of the editors, and 89.4% of users behind Last Week Tonight with John Oliver while 7.1% of experts, 25% of the editors, and 10.6% of the using picking Saturday Night Live to upset. In general, there is more support for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver now than before.
Check out highlights and behind the scenes from Season 50 of Saturday Night Live, including moments from sketches like Domingo: Bridesmaid Speech, CouplaBeers and more!
HAHAHAHAHA!
Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series
The Daily Show (Comedy Central)
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
Saturday Night Live (NBC)
The Gold Derby odds also overwhelmingly favor Last Week Tonight with John Oliver to repeat here, too, as 91.7% of experts, 88.9% of editors, and 85.2% of users picked it to win again. The Daily Show sits in second with 8.3% of experts, 11.1% of editors, and 7.5% of users think it will upset. Only 7.3% of users think SNL has a chance. This ranking looks right to me.
Saturday Night Live's odds have improved enough to swap places with The Daily Show, but not nearly enough to pass Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, which has the support of 92.3% of experts, all of the editors, and 91.1% of users. The consensus around its victory is solidifying. SNL is now the choice of 7.7% of experts and 5.2% of users and sits in second ahead of The Daily Show, which has only 3.7% of users still thinking it can win.
Now for a category recognized at the Primetime Emmy Awards that I haven't examined before.
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Ike Barinholtz – The Studio as Sal Saperstein (Apple TV+)
Colman Domingo – The Four Seasons as Danny (Netflix)
Harrison Ford – Shrinking as Dr. Paul Rhoades (Apple TV+)
Jeff Hiller – Somebody Somewhere as Joel (HBO)
Ebon Moss-Bachrach – The Bear as Richard "Richie" Jerimovich (FX)
Michael Urie – Shrinking as Brian (Apple TV+)
Bowen Yang – Saturday Night Live as various characters (NBC)
Bowen Yang is the only acting nominee from SNL, but he's merely in the middle of the pack according to the odds-makers at Gold Derby. Ike Barinholtz from The Studio leads with 38.5% of the experts and 57.6% of the users, but no editors. I'm not convinced. I'm more confident in the second place nominee, Harrison Ford from Shrinking, who is the choice of 53.8% of experts, all editors, and 32.9% of users. The rest of the experts, 7.7%, and 3.1% of users think defending winner Ebon Moss-Bachrach from The Bear will repeat, which would be my default position in the absence of the odds. Yang is in fourth with 2.7% of users, followed by Colman Domingo from The Four Seasons at 1.7%, Jeff Hiller from Somebody Somewhere at 1.4%, and Michael Urie, the other nominee from Shrinking, in last at 0.6%. I will re-examine these odds when I look at the comedy series nominees next month. I expect the order of the top three to change by then.
Conan O'Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor (Netflix)
Sarah Silverman: PostMortem (Netflix)
Your Friend, Nate Bargatze (Netflix)
Your Friend, Nate Bargatze leads with three nominations, followed by Ali Wong: Single Lady, Bill Burr: Drop Dead Years, Conan O'Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, and Sarah Silverman: PostMortem at two each, then Adam Sandler: Love You with only this one. Gold Derby's odds give a different order, with every editor and expert along with 81.1% of users choosing Conan O'Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor to win. Critics Choice and Golden Globe winner Ali Wong: Single Lady sits in second with the support of 12.9% of users, followed by Adam Sandler: Love You at 2.7%, Your Friend, Nate Bargatze at 1.5%, Sarah Silverman: PostMortem at 1.1%, and Bill Burr: Drop Dead Years at 0.8%. Based on these odds, whoever wins, Netflix will, too.
Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special
Conan O'Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor – Jon Macks, Chris Convy, Lauren Greenberg, Skyler Higley, Ian Karmel and Sean O'Connor (Netflix)
Cunk on Life – Charlie Brooker, Ben Caudell, Erika Ehler, Charlie George, Eli Goldstone, Jason Hazeley, Lucia Keskin, Diane Morgan, Joel Morris and Michael Odewale (Netflix)
Sarah Silverman: PostMortem – Sarah Silverman (Netflix)
SNL50: The Anniversary Special – James Anderson, Dan Bulla, Megan Callahan-Shah, Michael Che, Mikey Day, Mike DiCenzo, James Downey, Tina Fey, Jimmy Fowlie, Alison Gates, Sudi Green, Jack Handey, Steve Higgins, Colin Jost, Erik Kenward, Dennis McNicholas, Seth Meyers, Lorne Michaels, John Mulaney, Jake Nordwind, Ceara O'Sullivan, Josh Patten, Paula Pell, Simon Rich, Pete Schultz, Streeter Seidell, Emily Spivey, Kent Sublette, Bryan Tucker and Auguste White (NBC)
Your Friend, Nate Bargatze – Nate Bargatze (Netflix)
SNL50: The Anniversary Special would definitely win a game of "one of these things is not like the others" in this field, as it's the only live variety special and non-Netflix show nominated. The prognosticators at Gold Derby think it will win the award, too, as 83.3% of experts, 75% of editors, and 84.1% of users have picked it. Conan O'Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor sits in second with the support of 16.7% of experts, 25% of editors, and 6.0% of users, followed by Cunk on Life with 5.6% of users, Your Friend, Nate Bargatze with 2.8%, and Sarah Silverman: PostMortem with 1.6%. Note that the writing teams rank higher than the solo writer-performers. Also, Silverman may be last, but she's featured because she's the one nominee running a campaign whose image I haven't already used mentioning this category. Consider it a consolation prize.
Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety Programming
Ali Wong: Single Lady – Sean Hubbert (Netflix)
Bill Burr: Drop Dead Years – Kelly Lyon (Hulu)
Conan O'Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor – Bill DeRonde and Timothy Schultz (Netflix)
Cunk on Life – Damon Tai and Jason Boxall (Netflix)
Your Friend, Nate Bargatze – Sean Hubbert (Netflix)
On the other hand, I'm featuring Ali Wong because her special was the only one nominated by the American Cinema Editors, so it's my pick to win.
That's a wrap for today's installment and also a wrap for all the program categories at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards except Emerging Media. I might cover those when I blog about live variety specials. That won't be until next week. In the meantime, stay tuned for World Honey Bee Day tomorrow, the Hugo Award winners for the Sunday entertainment feature, something educational on Monday and maybe Tuesday, and World Mosquito Day on Wednesday. I have my blogging cut out for me.
Previous posts about the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards
John Oliver discusses the massive problems caused by gang databases, how people wind up on them, and why nobody looks good in lime green. You might think you’re pulling it off but trust us, you’re not.
The opening minutes are giving me flashbacks to what I wrote in 'Last Week Tonight' examines 'Trump & Deportations' for Wayback Wednesday: "Donald 'Hoover Cleveland' Trump insisting that the photoshopped 'MS-13' on Kilmar Abrego Garcia's hand is real reminds me of what I've written before, 'the voices in his head are not reliable sources. Neither are the real people he listens to.'" Based on what Oliver and his researchers and writers found out, the gang databases aren't all that reliable or helpful, either. Oh, and kudos to Oliver and his producers for getting LV to sing the chorus from "Gangster's Paradise" to conclude the segment.
