Drink to Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show's Emmy nominations on National Piña Colada Day

Happy National Piña Colada Day! Like last year, the day is doing double duty by toasting nominees of an awards show, the creative people behind Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show. I begin with Gold Derby reporting Bad Bunny bouncing towards the Emmys as his Super Bowl halftime show scores unprecedented 9 nominations.

Puerto Rican superstar, who tallied three Grammys earlier this year, looks to add another statuette to his burgeoning collection.
...
Bad Bunny conquered the Grammys. Now he's coming for the Emmy Awards.

As Gold Derby predicted in January, the Puerto Rican superstar — whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — scored a nomination Wednesday for Best Variety Special (Live) for his sizzling, much-scrutinized halftime show at Sunday's Super Bowl LX between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots. The special was one of the most-nominated programs, receiving nine total bids, including Production Design for a Variety Special, Choreography for Variety or Reality Programming, Directing for a Variety Special, Hairstyling for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program, Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Special, Music Direction, Sound Mixing for a Variety Series or Special, and Technical Direction and Camerawork for a Special. That marks a record for a halftime show.

People listed Bad Bunny's competitors for Best Variety Special (Live).

The milestone comes after the performance drew a staggering 128.2 million viewers, making it the fourth-most-watched Super Bowl halftime show in history. The show is also nominated for Outstanding Variety Special (Live), where it will compete against four major awards ceremonies: the 83rd Annual Golden Globe Awards, the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, the Oscars and the 78th Annual Tony Awards.

I'm not going to handicap this category today; Gold Derby has its prediction page for the Creative Arts Emmy Awards up, but no one seems to have made a prediction in this category. When enough predictions have been tallied, I'll return to this category. On the other hand, the Super Bowl Halftime Show is leading the odds for Variety Special Directing and Music Direction; Gold Derby is not making predictions in the craft categories. I'll look at those when I examine Gold Derby's prediction for Variety Special (Live).

As I noted in February, Bad Bunny's performance elicited some controversy. Back to Gold Derby.

Going into the Super Bowl, there was much right-wing consternation over the NFL's selection of Bad Bunny for the coveted slot, given that he performs in Spanish — often wearing dresses — and is a vocal critic of Trump administration policies. The MAGA crowd went so far as to counterprogram in the form of a widely lampooned Kid Rock-led show for Turning Point USA.

I'll let Emmy winner and returning Emmy nominee Desi Lydic mock this reaction in Desi Lydic Foxsplains Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show | The Daily Show.

Desi Lydic Foxsplains the outrage over the un-American, un-manly, and un-known superstar slated for the Super Bowl halftime show: Bad Bunny.

HAHAHAHA! No wonder she earned another two nominations!

Now to drink to Bad Bunny and the Super Bowl Halftime Show's Emmy nominations with PINIA COLADA FOR #badbunny SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW (sic).


That was misspelled and really should have used a Bad Bunny song, like piña colada y bad bunny.


There, better.

That's a wrap for today's holiday celebrating Puerto Rico. Stay tuned for World Population Day on National Mojito Day.

Previous posts about the 2026 Primetime and Creative Arts Emmy Awards

• 'The Tale of Silyan' vs 'The Librarians' for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking at the Emmy Awards

Paul Bunyan statues for Paul Bunyan Day

Happy Paul Bunyan Day! I'm returning to the holiday after skipping it in 2025 with three videos about Paul Bunyan statues. I begin with FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul reporting Bemidji's Paul Bunyan statue turns 90, legacy examined.

The legend of Paul Bunyan is ingrained in Minnesota history, and his statue is a symbol of local pride to Bemidji residents. FOX 9's Maury Glover takes a closer look at the legacy the statue represents as it nears its 90th birthday.

The first record of loggers telling Paul Bunyan stories may have been in Wisconsin, but the first Paul Bunyan story was published in Michigan in 1906. News Center Maine mentions the date, but not the location, in History and folklore of Bangor's Paul Bunyan statue now on display.

New signage aims to educate visitors about the folklore and history behind the iconic statue.

I learned something new about the importance of timber to Bangor from this video. Any day I learn something new is a good day.

I close with Insider explaining How A Deteriorating Paul Bunyan Giant Is Restored | Refurbished | Insider.

Joel Baker is the owner of American Giants, a company that restores muffler men. Muffler men are 18- to 25-foot advertising giants that were popular in the 1960s and are becoming popular again.

He shows us how his team restores a Paul Bunyan muffler man. This includes patching up cracks on the giant, adding a structure inside, repainting it, and placing it in its new location.

I could have used this information 25 years ago when I was a tour guide and consultant for Pre-Historic Forest in the Irish Hills, which had fiberglass dinosaurs and other extinct animals that needed repairs. It's still worth knowing now, even if I don't have an immediate use for it.

That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned for another post I can share in July tomorrow followed by International Asteroid Day, the younger but paradoxically more established version of Apophis Day, to close June, and Canada Day to begin July.

Stewart and Colbert examine No Kings and Iran War

I return to more topical and timely posting today by sharing two monologues, beginning with Jon Stewart's No Kings Rallies Can’t Stop CPAC's Trump Glazing & Iran War Hits One Month | The Daily Show.

Happy one-monthiversary of the Iran war! With the Strait of Hormuz still closed, Jon Stewart examines how global shortages are hitting everything from grain to helium to pickleballs. Meanwhile, Americans flood the streets for the No Kings protests while CPAC throws Trump his own Yassss Kings rally. Plus, the U.S. finally has a detailed explanation of the president's objectives and exit strategy... for the White House ballroom.

As much as the war coverage's angle annoys Stewart, I understand why the U.S. news media is framing the economic disruption of the war through loss of luxuries. As I repeated most recently in Silly and serious closer looks at Trump taking over the Kennedy Center, "the surest way to get Americans to act is to mess with their entertainm­ent. As I first wrote in 2011, 'America is quite clear about its screwed up priorities­.'" While Stewart and Colbert are turning the war into comedy, disruptions to supply chains will deprive many of their treats. They won't like that but it will get Americans' attention.

Trump switching from the Iran War to the East Wing ballroom reminds me of what I wrote in Closer looks at Iran from Stewart, Colbert, Meyers, and Kimmel.

"I don't get bored." Oh, then why is he talking about ballrooms and drapes? Because he's been doing that since Surviving at the Top, the sequel to The Art of the Deal.

In a Yahoo News essay, Leerhsen describes the Trump he worked with from 1988 to 1990 as mostly "bored out of his mind," a "failing real estate developer who had little idea of what he was doing and less interest in doing it once he'd held the all-important press conference."

Trump was making huge, outrageously leveraged, financially ruinous deals, but day-to-day, he spent "surprisingly large" amounts of time "looking at fabric swatches," Leerhsen writes. "Indeed, flipping through fabric swatches seemed at times to be his main occupation," and "some days he would do it for hours," probably because fabric swatches "were within his comfort zone — whereas, for example, the management of hotels and airlines clearly wasn't."

Leerhsen elaborated Thursday evening on CNN. "At this time, like, things were really going to hell in his business," but "in the center of that was this quiet office where he was going through fabric swatches most of the day, and in the middle of all this Sturm und Drang, he was oblivious to it," he told Erin Burnett.

Nearly 40 years later, he hasn't changed, except to get older and more set in his ways

.Now we know he's like that with pens.

Stephen Colbert made light of the same subjects last night in Millions March Against Trump’s War & Deportations | Trump's Improv War | Global Helium Crisis.

Over eight million people marched in the third "No Kings" protest, President Trump appears to be making up his Iran war strategy on-the-fly, and the war is causing global economic pain and shortages of resources like helium.

I attended the local No Kings and I'm glad to have been part of the largest protest since the first Earth Day — eight million people! Here's to the next one having ten million.

The contradictory announcements for the war remind me of something else I wrote early this month.

Twenty-five years ago, one of my reactions to 9-11 was to look at Bush the Younger's administration and be reassured that at least these people, particularly Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and Colin Powell, knew how to fight a war, no matter what my other opinions were of them. It took me two years, after it became obvious they were botching the occupation of Iraq, to figure out that they didn't really have a plan for an occupied Iraq beyond shock doctrine. I have no such illusions about Donald "Hoover Harding Cleveland" Trump and Pete Hegseth; it's obvious from the get-go that they don't have a plan at all beyond being so intimidating that Iran just backs down. That's not happening. Once again, the voices Trump listens to, both inside and outside his head, are not reliable sources.

What about the ballroom? That's right here in Trump Reveals New Ballroom Photos.

President Trump reacted quickly after The New York Times criticized the architectural plans for his White House ballroom.

HA! I wish it would have those features!

That's a wrap for today's post and March's blogging. Stay tuned for April Fools Day!

A great year for horror at the Oscars on Friday the 13th

It's Friday the 13th and I'm observing it the same way I did last month, examining horror nominees at an awards show. Then, it was the Saturn Awards. Today, it's the Academy Awards. I begin with Sinister Cinema Reviews asking What is Going On With The Oscars??!! A BIG Year for Horror!

Horror is actually getting recognition at the Oscars for the second year in a row??! What is happening?? This is great for the genre.

I agree with Jason on most of his points except for Bugonia being horror film; I consider it to be science fiction so much that it headlined Science fiction movie nominees at the Critics Choice Awards for Science Fiction Day. The Saturn Awards agreed, nominating it for Best Science Fiction Film. Still, Jason has enough company that Empire Magazine tweeted the following image.


Including Bugonia got pushback in the replies; several users questioned its inclusion or flatly stated that it's not horror. I'm agree; it's science fiction that appeals to horror fans, but it's not horror.

Speaking of Empire Magazine, it published The Oscars Have Finally Embraced Horror – And It’s Worth Screaming About. Follow over the jump for excerpts from it and my reactions.

Actresses, costume designers, art directors, and casting directors at the Oscars for International Women's Day

Happy International Women's Day! Yesterday, I asked "Actresses and other female-dominated categories at the Oscars, anyone?" I didn't see any comments to the contrary, so that's what I'm covering for the Sunday entertainment feature today as filtered through Gold Derby's odds. Jessie Buckley leads Best Actress in a Leading Role for her role as the original Anne Hathaway in Hamnet with every editor and expert plus 96.3% of users. Rose Byrne sits in second with the support of 2.5% of users. She's followed by Renate Reinsve at 0.6%, Emma Stone at 0.5%, and Kate Hudson at 0.1%. I voted for Stone at the Saturn Awards and hope she wins tonight; she's not winning here.


The contest for Best Actress in a Supporting role is more competitive, as Amy Madigan currently leads as the choice of 80.0% of editors, 58.3% of experts, and 49.0% of users, Teyana Taylor, winner of the Critics Choice and Golden Globe, close behind with the support of 10.0% of editors, 19.4% of experts, and 27.7% of users, BAFTA winner Wunmi Mosaku on her tail as the pick of 10.0% of editors, 22.2% of experts, and 21.7% of users, with Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas and Elle Fanning far behind at 1.3% and 0.3% of users, respectively.* That's quite a change from late January, when Taylor led the Gold Derby odds. While I voted for Ariana Grande at the Saturn Awards, I expect Madigan to win tonight and am rooting for her to win on the 15th.

Follow over the jump for the nominees in three craft categories dominated by women.

Animation and International Film nominees at the Saturn Awards

As I promised twice, I'm completing my coverage of the movie nominees at the Saturn Awards before moving on to television. I'm shuffling the order of categories a bit to feature Best Animated Film first.

Best Animated Film:

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie
The Bad Guys 2
Elio
KPop Demon Hunters
The SpongeBob Movie: Search For Squarepants
Zootopia 2

The professionals' choice is KPop Demon Hunters, which won Best Animated Feature at the Critics Choice Awards and Golden Globes plus a GRAMMY for "Golden" and leads the Gold Derby odds to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. I voted for it. That doesn't mean it will win here. As I last wrote in 'Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning' leads Best Action/Adventure Film at the Saturn Awards, "the Saturn Awards are about entertainment not art, they don't care for subtle, and they love to stick it to the experts." It's the last criterion that I think might sway the vote to Zootopia 2. I predicted that Finding Dory would beat Zootopia in 2017 (it did) and something similar could happen here. That the Saturn Awards Instagram account made an image for Zootopia 2, reproduced above, but not for Kpop Demon Hunters. Things that make me say hmm.

The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films instituted a new award this year, Best International Animated Film, and here are its nominees.

Best International Animated Film (New Category)

Attack on Titan the Movie: The Last Attack
Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
The Colors Within
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle
Ne Zha 2
Stitch Head

This is a category where I didn't pay attention to expert/professional opinion. I voted for Ne Zha 2 because it was the highest grossing movie in the world released during 2025. On the other hand, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle had a much higher gross in North America and earned a Golden Globe nomination. On those bases, I think it's more likely to win, although Attack on Titan the Movie: The Last Attack has the highest IMDB rating of all the nominees in this category. I would neither be upset nor surprised if either of the latter win.

The next logical category and the last one today is Best International Film.

Best International Film:

40 Acres
Bring Her Back
Dead of Winter
Night Call
The Ugly Stepsister
Sisu 2: Road to Revenge

I voted for Bring Her Back because it was the one I'd heard the most about and it has the highest IMDB rating of all the nominees in this category. That doesn't mean it will will win. The original Sisu won two years ago and I wouldn't be surprised if its sequel wins this year.

That's a wrap for today's installment. Stay tuned for the television nominations next, either tomorrow or Sunday.

Previous posts about the 53rd Saturn Awards

• 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' leads Best Science Fiction Film nominees at the Saturn Awards
• 'Sinners' leads Best Thriller Film nominees at the Saturn Awards
• 'Fantastic Four: First Steps' vs. 'Superman' for Best Cinematic Adaptation Film at the Saturn Awards
• 'Wicked: For Good' leads Best Fantasy Film at the Saturn Awards
• 'Frankenstein' leads Best Horror Film at the Saturn Awards for Friday the 13th
• 'Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning' leads Best Action/Adventure Film at the Saturn Awards
• 'Dust Bunny' leads Best Independent Film at the Saturn Awards

Howtown and SciShow explain how nuclear fallout helps fight crime

Today's evergreen educational entry features two videos about a common theme, how nuclear fallout helps fight crime. I begin with Howtown's The only good nuclear accident.

In the 1950s and early 1960s, the United States and the Soviet Union (with contributions from the UK and France) conducted a series of above-ground nuclear tests that led to an increase in the radioactive carbon-14 concentration in the atmosphere. This global surge, known as the "bomb pulse" or the "bomb spike", is one of the most distinctive chemical signatures of the Cold War. The radiocarbon spread worldwide, embedding into plants, animals, and humans. Scientists later discovered that this bomb-pulse radiocarbon spike could be used as a precise dating tool. Bomb-pulse dating allows researchers to determine whether biological material formed before or after nuclear testing. This method has been applied to forensic science, medical research, and environmental monitoring. It has been used to identify forgeries in artwork, measure human cell turnover, and estimate the lifespan of Greenland sharks. One of the most important applications has been in tracking the illegal ivory trade. Elephant tusks absorb atmospheric carbon while the animal is alive. By analyzing the carbon-14 content of ivory artifacts or raw ivory, investigators can determine whether the material comes from a legally antique source or from a recently killed elephant. This intersection of nuclear history, atmospheric science, and conservation biology demonstrates how Cold War nuclear fallout became a forensic tool for fighting elephant poaching and wildlife trafficking. More broadly, it demonstrates the creativity and resourcefulness of scientific researchers, who find ingenious uses for datasets of unlikely origin.

SciShow has more in Nuclear Bombs Made Art Forgery Way Harder.

Peggy Guggenheim purchased a painting she believed to be by the famous artist Fernand Leger. Almost immediately, there were questions about its authenticity. But it took 40 years and an unlikely group of art detectives to solve the mystery.

Hosted by: Madelyn Leembruggen (she/her)

I discuss the effects of nuclear testing in my plate tectonics lecture in geology along with magnetic reversals, although in that case, it's about monitoring underground tests with seismometers instead of carbon-14 from atmospheric tests. Still, these stories would be useful in my environmental science classes as well. Welcome to blogging as professional development.

Stay tuned for another evergreen educational entry tomorrow.

Three shows with Conan O'Brien win Emmys

I'm returning to entertainment today by recognizing three Emmy-winning TV shows that featured Conan O'Brien. I begin with one where Conan himself was a producer, so he won the Emmy along with his show, by revisiting 'The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: MAGA: The Next Generation' plus the Emmy nominees for Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special.

Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special

• Conan O'Brien Must Go (HBO Max)
• The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: MAGA: The Next Generation (Comedy Central)
• Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr. (PBS)
• My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman (Netflix)
• Tucci in Italy (National Geographic)

As the promotional images from Twitter/X show above, three shows have two nominations, Conan O'Brien Must Go, The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: MAGA: The Next Generation, and Tucci in Italy. Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr. and My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman have just the program nomination. Gold Derby breaks the tie at the top with 60% of experts, 80% of editors, and 79.4% of users voting for Conan O'Brien Must Go, 40% of experts, 20% of editors, and 15.0% of users picking Tucci in Italy, 2.9% of users choosing Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr., 1.8% selecting My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman, and only 0.8% thinking The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: MAGA: The Next Generation has a chance. It may be my favorite, but I'm in a tiny minority.

The Television Academy finally uploaded videos from the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, including Hosted Nonfiction Series Or Special: 2025 Creative Arts.

The team from Conan O'Brien Must Go accepts the Emmy for Hosted Nonfiction Series Or Special at the 2025 Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

HAHAHAHA! These guys are almost as funny as Conan himself! Congratulations!

Also, kudos to the prognosticators at Gold Derby, who called this win. I admit I wasn't convinced two months ago.

That looks like a riot and it has star power with Javier Bardem and Taika Watiti, which might be why Gold Derby thinks it is likely to win. They thought so last year, but a special spinoff of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman won instead. It's also up against a sequel of sorts to Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, a three-time prior winner, so I'm skeptical of its favorite status.

By awards time, Gold Derby's odds showed every editor, 77.8% of experts, and 81.3% of users consolidating around Conan O'Brien Must Go while 11.1% of experts and 15.3% of users sticking with Tucci in Italy and 11.1% jumping ship to join 1.7% of users for My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman to (sort of) repeat. The consolidated support for Conan O'Brien Must Go turned out to be correct — this time.

I return to Nate Bargatze vs. Conan O'Brien for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) at the Emmys to set up the next award won by a program celebrating Conan.

Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded)

• Adam Sandler: Love You (Netflix)
• Ali Wong: Single Lady (Netflix)
• Bill Burr: Drop Dead Years (Hulu)
• 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.

Watch Variety Special (Pre-Recorded): 2025 Creative Arts.

The team from Conan O'Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize For American Humor accepts the Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) at the 2025 Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

"Thank you to our friends and colleagues at the Kennedy Center, most of whom are not there anymore." My readers and I know who to blame for that. I wouldn't be surprised if the change in leadership contributed to the vote for Conan O'Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize For American Humor to support the previous leadership as well as Conan O'Brien. If so, "long live the resistance."


I close by revisiting 'SNL50: The Anniversary Special' leads nominees for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) at the Emmys for the final Emmy won by a show featuring Conan.

Outstanding Production Design for a Variety Special

• Beyoncé Bowl - Willo Perron, Brian Stonestreet, Gloria Lamb, Jonathan Stoller-Schoff, and Marina Skye (Netflix)
• The 67th Annual Grammy Awards - Julio Himede, Kristen Merlino, Gloria Lamb, Ellen Jaworski, Margaux Lapresle, and Kaydee Lavorin (CBS)
• The Oscars - Misty Buckley, Alana Billingsley, John Zuiker, and Margaux LaPresle (ABC)
• SNL50: The Anniversary Special - Akira Yoshimura, N. Joseph DeTullio, Patrick Lynch, Melissa Shakun, Charlotte Hayes Harrison, and Sabrina Lederer (NBC)
• SNL50: The Homecoming Concert - Keith Ian Raywood, Anthony Bishop, and Aaron Black (Peacock)

The Oscars is the defending winner, so it's a nominal favorite, but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if SNL50: The Anniversary Special wins instead.

The Oscars, which Conan hosted, won again. Congratulations!

That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned for another entertainment entry tomorrow when I plan on examining the nominees for the Environmental Media Association (EMA) Awards.

Previous posts about the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards

• No PSAs among nominees for Outstanding Commercial plus winners for Outstanding Promotional Announcement at the Emmy Awards
• 'I Am: Celine Dion,' 'Patrice: The Movie,' and 'The Remarkable Life of Ibelin,' Emmy nominees for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking
• 'Asia' and 'The Americas' lead nature documentaries at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards
• 'Pee-wee as Himself' vs. 'Will & Harper' for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special on Tequila Day
• '100 Foot Wave' leads Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series in nominations, but could lose to 'SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night'
• 'The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: MAGA: The Next Generation' plus the Emmy nominees for Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special
• Emmy nominee 'Desi Lydic Foxsplains the Epstein Files' plus the rest of the short form nominees at the Emmy Awards
• John Oliver examines 'Gang Databases' plus 'Last Week Tonight's six Emmy nominations
• Colbert, Lydic, and Meyers take closer looks at the EPA and Epstein and Kimmel goes down the rabbit hole on 'windmills'
• 'Jeopardy!' favored to win Game Show categories at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards
• 'Welcome to Wrexham' vs. 'Love on the Spectrum' for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program at the Emmy Awards
• 'Shark Tank' vs. 'Queer Eye' for Outstanding Structured Reality Program at the Emmy Awards
• 'RuPaul's Drag Race' leads nominations for Outstanding Reality Competition Program, but 'The Traitors' will likely win again
• 'Arcane' leads Gold Derby odds to win Outstanding Animated Program at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards
• 'Rebel Ridge' leads Gold Derby odds to win Outstanding Television Movie at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards
• Nate Bargatze vs. Conan O'Brien for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) at the Emmys
• 'Saturday Night Live' earned seven Emmy nominations for its 50th season
• 'SNL50: The Anniversary Special' leads nominees for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) at the Emmys
• 'Arcane,' 'Love, Death + Robots,' and 'Octopus!' already Emmy Award winners
• Gold Derby's predictions for guest actors and actresses at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards
• Gold Derby's predictions for title design and music at the Emmy Awards
• Gold Derby's predictions for casting at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards
• 'The Penguin' has already won 8 Emmys, but could lose to 'Adolescence'
• 'The Studio' wins 9 Emmy Awards and could win up to 6 more
• 'Severance' already won six Emmy Awards and could win up to five more
• 'Jeopardy!' and Jimmy Kimmel win Game Show categories at the Emmy Awards
• 'Adolescence' sweeps its categories at the Emmy Awards with one win for 'The Penguin'
• 'Arcane' and 'Love, Death & Robots' both earn four Emmy Awards
• 'The Studio' wins four more Emmy Awards for a total of thirteen
• Colbert and Meyers take closer looks at ABC suspending Kimmel
• 'The Daily Show' reacts to ABC suspending Jimmy Kimmel
• John Oliver examines Jimmy Kimmel & the FCC after winning two Emmy Awards
• 'The Pitt' edges 'Severance' for Outstanding Drama Series at the Emmy Awards

'SNL50: The Anniversary Special' leads nominees for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) at the Emmys

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 winner The 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.

'Star Trek: Lower Decks' and 'Dune: Part Two' win Hugo Awards

Today's Sunday entertainment feature compares my predictions for dramatic presentation and game at the Hugo Awards to the actual winners.


Just like the Critics Choice Super Awards, where I predicted Dune: Part Two would win and it did, I wrote "the fans will vote for Dune: Part Two." They did and it won. Congratulations!

I completely blew the next two categories.

While Doctor Who “Dot and Bubble” and all of Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5 earned nominations at the Nebula Awards, since both franchises have two nominees, they might suffer from vote splitting. If so, it will open the door for either Agatha All Along or Fallout, winners of Best Superhero Television Series and Best Science Fiction Television Series at the Saturn Awards, respectively, to walk through and claim the rocket trophy. If so, I think it will be Fallout. If not, then I predict it will be the Doctor Who episode, “Dot and Bubble.”

Nope, the fans not only rallied around Star Trek: Lower Decks, they picked a favorite episode. Star Trek: Lower Decks: "The New Next Generation" may not win an Emmy Award — I still expect it will be Love, Death & Robots or Arcane, both of which have won juried Emmy Awards already — but it won a Hugo Award. This is another case where I'm glad to be wrong.


 I blew the next category by completely missing it. Comics Beat reported "Ryan North and Chris Fenoglio‘s choose-your-own-adventure book Lower Decks: Warp Your Own Way won Best Graphic Story or Comic" in STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS bows out with two Hugo Awards. Congratulations!

I also blew game or interactive work.

1000xRESIST was the only game nominated at the Hugo Awards also nominated at the Nebula Awards, but I don't think that will sway the fans because they probably weren't playing it. Instead, they'll vote for a game they actually played. Based on watching streamers on Twitch, I think the most played games in this field were Dragon Age: The Veilguard and The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. Between those two, I'd vote for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, as popular and fun as the Zelda games are.

I was right that 1000xRESIST wouldn't win, but neither of my choices won. I may be following the wrong Twitch streamers, but I don't recall any of them playing Caves of Qud, which won. Surprise and congratulations!

I stated my preferences for one last category.

I'm making an observation on Best Related Work before I conclude this entry. I suspect r/Fantasy’s 2024 Bingo Reading Challenge will win, but I'm rooting for “The Spectacular Failure of the Star Wars Hotel” by Jenny Nicholson. It's her second Hugo nomination, and it examines an experiment that apparently succeeded critically but definitely failed commercially. Since Disney is in business to make money, it closed.

Neither won. Instead, Speculative Whiteness: Science Fiction and the Alt-Right by Jordan S. Carroll did. I'm not surprised. The Hugo Awards successfully fought off the Rabid Puppies, but they have infected the rest of society. File that under winning the battle, but (so far) losing the war. Sigh.

That's a wrap for today's post. I already have educational entries planned for Monday and Tuesday, followed by World Mosquito Day on Wednesday. Stay tuned.

DW News asks 'Earth Overshoot Day: What can we do to try live within the planet’s limits?'

A late Earth Overshoot Day! It snuck up on me this year, as I was expecting it between now and August 1st. Instead, it was on July 24, the earliest ever. That's when DW News uploaded 'Earth Overshoot Day': What can we do to try live within the planet’s limits?

Today marks what one NGO calls 'Earth Overshoot Day'. The Global Footprint Network says that's the day that humans have used more of Earth's resources than the planet can regenerate in a year. Scientists say the date is getting earlier every year. So what can we do to try live within the planet’s limits?

It pleases me to see India used as a good example. It's one of the reasons I show my students Chasing Ice instead of An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power; I didn't like Al Gore bullying the Indian delegation to the Paris Accord negotiations, even though it worked. Go bother the Chinese!

One of the points Beatrice Christofaro makes is about the A in I=P*A*T, "where I is impact, P is population, A is affluence, and T is technology. It's the A and inefficient T that is multiplying the impact of the effect of the relatively small P in the developed world, especially in North America." Deliberately making people less affluent isn't a viable solution; people don't like being poorer and will object. On the other hand, convincing people to be less wasteful, particularly creating less food waste and eating less meat, especially beef, would be helpful. Once could consider that to be a technology. So is renewable energy. Between the two, it would move Earth Overshoot Day back more than a month. Progress!

I close with two videos about Human Footprint beginning with Human Footprint SEASON 2 PREVIEW from AZPM.

Earth has never experienced anything like us: a single species dominating and transforming the planet. Biologist Shane Campbell-Staton travels the globe to explore our Human Footprint and to discover how the things we do reveal who we truly are.

I'm looking forward to seeing more clips from Human Footprint on YouTube and am already planning on embedding the video about mosquitos for World Mosquito Day. In the meantime, I'm sharing a follow-up to 'Human Footprint' on PBS Terra explains 'How Supermarkets Rewired The Planet', Omega Mart on Consumerism and Shopping Habits After Human Footprint Appearance | Nevada Week from Vegas PBS.

PBS’ Human Footprint makes a stop at Omega Mart for its “Shelf Life” episode. We talk to Omega Mart about the experience and the ways the exhibit highlights modern consumerism.

That was wild and even weirder than it looked in the "Shelf Life" episode of Human Footprint. I can now say there there is an intelligent attraction in Las Vegas beyond the sheer spectacle the city is known for.

That's a wrap for today's belated observance of an environmental holiday. Stay tuned as I return to the Emmy Awards with the nominations for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

Pacific Crest's 'The Broken Column' to honor 'FRIDA' winning a News & Doc Emmy Award

I made a promise in the middle of 'Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy' leads Outstanding Business and Economic Documentary nominees at the News & Doc Emmy Awards.

FRIDA earned nominations for Direction – Documentary and Music Composition – Documentary in addition to Outstanding Graphic Design – Documentary. I might get to those before June 26th if I have time. If I don't, I will certainly cover any awards it wins, and I have a drum corps show to celebrate them. Yes, really.

Carla Gutierrez won Outstanding Direction – Documentary for FRIDA. Here's the tweet announcing the award from The Emmys.

The #DocEmmys Award for Outstanding Direction – Documentary goes to Frida (@PrimeVideo). pic.twitter.com/ijWlH2mW54

— The Emmys (@TheEmmys) June 27, 2025

Here is Gutierrez accepting her award.

"A heart that is broken is also broken open."
Congratulations on Outstanding Direction, Carla Gutierrez! ??? #DocEmmys pic.twitter.com/sgNeYjJCCT

— The Emmys (@TheEmmys) June 27, 2025

Congratulations to Gutierrez and the crew of FRIDA! Also, congratulations to the winners in the other categories in which FRIDA earned nominations, Daniel Pemberton, who won the Emmy for Music Composition – Documentary for his score for Endurance, and the graphics team of Omnivore, which won the Emmy for Outstanding Graphic Design – Documentary.

I plan on covering more News & Doc Emmy nominees in future posts. In the meantime, follow over the jump for videos about Pacific Crest's "The Broken Column," the corps 2024 program, which honors Frida Kahlo.

TED-Ed on 'The Rite of Spring,' 'the ballet that incited a riot,' for the Vernal Equinox

Happy Vernal Equinox! After not observing the occasion last year to blog about plastic, I'm returning to a ballet about spring. This time, it's Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, which TED-Ed called The ballet that incited a riot.

Dive into the history and controversy of Igor Stravinsky’s ballet, “The Rite of Spring,” which shattered the conventions of classical ballet.
--
Ballet is typically thought of as harmonious, graceful and polished— hardly something that would trigger a riot. But at the first performance of Igor Stravinsky's “The Rite of Spring,” audience members were so outraged that they drowned out the orchestra. People hurled objects at the stage, started fights and were arrested. What caused this shocking reaction? Iseult Gillespie explains the controversy.

Lesson by Iseult Gillespie, directed by WOW-HOW Studio.

If my readers were looking for a drum corps version, they can click on Blue Devils 'Re-Rite of Spring' for a drum corps May Day. I decided I'd rather go with the original.

Stay tuned for Nowruz and the 14th birthday of the blog.

NBC News and CBS News Detroit celebrate Pi Day

Happy Pi Day, International Day of Mathematics, and Science Education Day! After turning Pi Day into one of my trademark drum corps holidays last year, I'm returning to math and science with Pi Day: Celebrate The Magic And Mystery Of Math's Most Famous Number | Mach | NBC News.

Pi, the famous constant in mathematics and physics, is not only a principle found throughout the natural world but has for centuries served as a powerful composition tool and design principle.

In addition to pi's uses in math and science, NBC News covered its applications in art and architecture. That's cool.

Since this is a Metro Detroit-based blog, I'm taking a local look at the day with CBS Detroit's It's Pi Day! Time to celebrate 3.14!

The Michigan Science Center is here to explain what it means, and how important it is everyday!

I can tell Angela Cavanaugh has done this demonstration to elementary students visiting the Michigan Science Center; it's simple, clear, and accurate according to the level it's presented. As for the Michigan Beer Fest, that's going on this year, too, except it's next weekend, not this one. Other than that, Cavanaugh's promotion still works this year.

CBS Detroit wasn't done with Pi Day, uploading It's Pi Day! How Pi is used in meteorology after the morning show segment above.

Pi is a mathematical constant with over 50 trillion digits beyond the decimal point, so we will stick with the rounded number 3.14.

I never thought of pi's uses on meteorology before and didn't know that purple was the color for Pi Day, but thanks to Kylee Miller of Next Weather, I now know about both. That makes today a good day.

I close with this screen capture, which calls back to the opening of the first video, closing the circle of this post. I like closing circles, especially on a day about circles.


That concludes today's geeky celebration. Now, beware the Ides of March!

Google Celebrates International Women’s Day 2025 with Doodle Honoring Women in STEM

Google wishes a happy International Women's Day 2025.

This annual Doodle celebrates International Women’s Day 2025!

About International Women’s Day 2025
This Doodle celebrates International Women's Day. The United Nations first recognized this holiday in 1975 to highlight how important women’s contributions have been all around the world.

With our Doodle, we honor visionary women in STEM fields. The Doodle artwork spotlights groundbreaking contributions by women who revolutionized space exploration, uncovered ancient discoveries, and pioneered lab research that fundamentally shaped our understanding of physics, chemistry, and biology. And these achievements represent just a small fraction of women’s contributions to science.

Their work represents the ongoing progress towards gender equality, yet STEM remains one of the areas where significant gaps still persist. Currently, women represent only 29% of the global STEM workforce. But this number grows larger every year.

International Women’s Day serves as a powerful reminder: the achievements of women have shaped our world throughout history. And it is because of their collective brilliance that we are able to experience the wonders of the modern world.

Happy International Women's Day 2025!

That's the aspiration. I turn to IFLScience for historical reality. Watch Women in science who changed the world.

Rosalind Franklin, Marie Curie, Caroline Herschel... These are just a few examples of female scientists who have made world-changing discoveries. Watch the video to hear their extraordinary stories.

Rosalind Franklin deserves more credit for her role in the discovery of the structure of DNA. However, the Nobel Prize committee had a non-sexist reason for excluding her; she was dead and Nobel Prizes are not awarded posthumously. She died in 1958 and the Crick and Watson's Nobel Prize for Medicine was awarded in 1962. If she had been alive and excluded, then sexism would have been a valid suspicion. That's not to diminish the effects of sexism in the past or present. Franklin still suffered an injustice during life and all the rest of the examples were quite real.

KUSA 9News in Denver offered a glimpse of the present in this week's Woman in STEM shares story as hiring disparities linger in these fields.

The number of women in STEM is growing, but it is still far below the number of men. Racial diversity is also lacking in these fields.

9News managed to balance realism and optimism in this segment. I applaud that.

That's a wrap for International Women's Day. Stay tuned for the highlights of tonight's Saturday Night Live. Lady Gaga!

OK Go - A Stone Only Rolls Downhill

Today, I present a song that expresses my feelings, OK Go - A Stone Only Rolls Downhill (Official Video).

I wish I could say it would all be all right
(It’ll all be all right)
I wish I could tell you it would all be fine
(It’ll all be just fine)

But a stone only rolls downhill
and these things,
they’ll be what they will
what they will
v Someday soon you’ll look out from your hilltop perch
your heart worn out from trying to make sense of the arc
which only bends one way
and you rightly afraid
it don’t seem to be the way that we thought

And I wish I could say it would all be all right
(It’ll all be all right)
I wish I could tell you it would all be fine
(It’ll all be just fine)

But a stone only rolls downhill
and these things
they’ll be what they will
what they will

And oh the inertia
of our ravenous brand of avarice
of our selfishness
It was just too much
to overcome
Now we’re overrun

And I wish I could say it would all be all right
(It’ll all be all right)
I wish I could tell you it would all be fine
(It’ll all be just fine)

Oh how I wish that I could tell you it would be all right
could tell you it’ll all be fine, it’ll work out
Oh how I wish I could tell you it’ll all be fine
(It’ll all be just fine)

"I wish I could tell you it’ll all be fine" — I do, too.

'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' leads fantasy films at the Saturn Awards with 13 nominations

I ended 'Dune: Part Two' leads movie nominations at the Saturn Awards with today's topic.

Stay tuned for Best Fantasy Film and Best International Film nominees tomorrow. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice vs. Godzilla!

Here are the nominees for Best Fantasy Film.

Best Fantasy Film:
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
My Old Ass
Poor Things
Wonka

As Deadline reported and the Saturn Awards excerpted, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice earned 13 nominations, followed by Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire with four, Wonka with three, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire with two, and one each for My Old Ass and Poor Things. Seeing Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire with only two nominations makes me re-evaluate what I wrote about the movie in 'Godzilla Minus One' wins two Critics Choice Super Awards plus an entertainment retrospective.

As for Godzilla Minus One, I'm looking forward to seeing it on my Saturn Awards ballot later this year, where I have it penciled in as my vote for Best International Film, along with Poor Things and The Boy and the Heron, which are my current choices for Best Fantasy Film and Best Animated Film, respectively. That written, I already think Poor Things will lose to the kaiju movie currently in theaters, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire for Best Fantasy Film. In addition Godzilla will face friendly fire, as I would not be surprised if both Godzilla Minus One and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire both earn nominations for Best Fantasy Film. Only if the kaiju fans split their votes in this category does Poor Things stand a chance of winning at the Saturn Awards, given that "the Saturn Awards are about entertainment not art, they don't care for subtle, and they love to stick it to the experts."

I can brag about all of the films I predicted would be on the Saturn Awards ballot making it there: Godzilla Minus One is nominated for Best International Film, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire and Poor Things are nominated for Best Fantasy Film, and The Boy and the Heron earned a nomination for Best Animated Film. I think I'm also still right about Poor Things, but for the wrong reasons. It may lose to Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire for Best Fantasy Film, but no one except the tabulators will know this; instead, I'm sure that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice will win this award. I didn't consider it in my calculations because I wasn't sure about the eligibility period, which I figured would extend until about October 1, 2024, but didn't know Beetlejuice Beetlejuice's release date. Had I known, I might have adjusted my prediction. Speaking of release dates, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is available for streaming on Max today and my wife and I are planning on watching it. If it lives up to my expectations, I'm voting for it in this category and Jenna Ortega as Best Younger Performer in a Film.

On the other hand, I was wrong about some other predictions, but I'm not whining; I'm relieved. The movie committee did not nominate Godzilla Minus One for Best Fantasy Film, so it and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire are not competing with each other in that category. Also, they could have nominated The Boy and the Heron for Best International Film as well. They didn't, so the two Oscar winners aren't competing against each other. I think the selection committee made the right decisions, so I'm not complaining.

Since I mentioned both Best International Film and Best Animated Film, follow over the jump for the nominees in those categories and my opinions of them.

'The Bear' leads comedy winners and nominees at the Emmy Awards

I'm continuing my Emmy Awards coverage with the comedy series winners at the 76th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards and the comedy series nominees at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. Unlike drama series, where Shogun completely dominated its competition, its co-leader at the Gold Derby TV Awards, The Bear led comedies in awards, but didn't sweep them, winning seven. Only Murders in the Building won three Creative Arts Emmys, four if one counts its short-form spinoff, How I Met Your Father won two, and Palm Royale and The Gentlemen each won one. To top it off, Only Murders in the Building beat both Shogun and The Bear for two of its awards and Palm Royale beat Shogun for its Emmy Award. Don't underestimate the quality of streaming comedies!

Gold Derby predicted The Bear's guest acting wins at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, where I wrote "Between Bernthal and Curtis, it could be a mini-sweep of comedy guest performances for The Bear." That's what happened.

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series

• Jon Bernthal – The Bear: "Fishes" as Michael Berzatto (FX)
• Matthew Broderick – Only Murders in the Building: "CoBro" as Matthew Broderick (Hulu)
• Ryan Gosling – Saturday Night Live: "Host: Ryan Gosling" as host (NBC)
• Christopher Lloyd – Hacks: "The Deborah Vance Christmas Spectacular" as Larry Arbuckle (Max)
• Bob Odenkirk – The Bear: "Fishes" as Uncle Lee (FX)
• Will Poulter – The Bear: "Honeydew" as Luca (FX)

Gold Derby's editors and top 24 users have divided opinions about the likely winner. The editors are split five to five between Jon Bernthal and Christopher Lloyd with one editor picking Ryan Gosling as a dark horse. The experts are even more evenly divided among the top three nominees with four backing Bernthal and three going for Gosling, leaving two for Lloyd. On the other hand, the top 24 users display more consolidation with 18 behind Bernthal, three voting for Gosling, only two for Lloyd, and one brave user making a long shot bet on Bob Odenkirk.

Between my writing the above and showtime, one of the editors switched from Lloyd to Gosling, giving Bernthal a plurality. That same editor is almost certainly also an expert, as one of the experts also switched from Lloyd to Gosling, tying Bernthal and Gosling at four. The users called it, the editors backed into a win, and the experts are demonstrating why I like the editors better. Congrats to the users and editors, as well as Bernthal!

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series

• Olivia Colman – The Bear: "Forks" as Chef Terry (FX)
• Jamie Lee Curtis – The Bear: "Fishes" as Donna Berzatto (FX)
• Kaitlin Olson – Hacks: "The Roast of Deborah Vance" as DJ Vance (Max)
• Da'Vine Joy Randolph – Only Murders in the Building: "Sitzprobe" as Donna Williams (Hulu)
• Maya Rudolph – Saturday Night Live: "Host: Maya Rudolph" as host (NBC)
• Kristen Wiig – Saturday Night Live: "Host: Kristen Wiig" as host (NBC)

The editors, experts, and top 24 users have unanimously chosen Jamie Lee Curtis. After seeing how she won an Oscar for Everything, Everywhere, All at Once, I think the prognosticators at Gold Derby have been convinced of Hollywood's love for Curtis so they agree she'll win an Emmy to go with her Oscar. To reiterate, electorates matter.

And the experts, broadly speaking, were right. I'm celebrating by sharing Gold Derby's Jamie Lee Curtis (Best Comedy Guest Actress, 'The Bear') 2024 Emmys press room interview.

Jamie Lee Curtis won Best Comedy Guest Actress for "The Bear" at the 2024 Creative Arts Emmys.

Four things from this interview stuck out to me. First, the questions about winning an Oscar and an Emmy in consecutive years and what that meas for an EGOT, which occured to me as well. Curtis may not be able to sing, but she can certainly do spoken word and narration, which could earn her a Grammy, so she can still get an EGO. I'm surprised she's never been on stage, but I'm not surprised she doesn't want to stay up late. She is less than a year older than me, and I can relate. Second, her feminism doesn't surprise me, either, and good for her. Third, a sequel to Freaky Friday! The original earned several Saturn Awards nominations, so I'm looking forward to voting on the sequel next year. Finally, Curtis knows how to make an exit! Also, congratulations!


The Bear also won Emmys for Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series, Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour), Outstanding Picture Editing for a Single-Camera Comedy Series, Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation, and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation. Gold Derby has interviews of nearly all the winners from the first season, but I could only find one definitely from this season, 'The Bear' editor Joanna Naugle: 'I loved being able to push the limits of how stressed we could be'.

'The Bear' editor Joanna Naugle: 'I loved being able to push the limits of how stressed we could be.' The Emmy winner discusses character-specific styles, editing for audio clarity and more. Gold Derby editor Joyce Eng hosts this webchat as part of the 'Meet the Experts' panel for editors.

This was fascinating discussion about how editing enhances the story and character development. Congratulations to Naugle on her second Emmy for editing The Bear and congratulations to the rest of the winners who worked on the series!

Follow over the jump for the rest of the comedy series winners and odds for the nominees at tomorrow night's ceremony.

CNBC explains 'Why Automakers Are Invading Your Privacy,' a double driving update

I told my readers to "stay tuned" as "I plan on finishing the month with a double driving update" in the conclusion of I return after a power outage spanning four days and three nights. I begin with CNBC explaining Why Automakers Are Invading Your Privacy.

Cars are collectively a ‘privacy nightmare’ that has gone unaddressed for far too long, according to the Mozilla Foundation. A 2023 report from the group says privacy policies give automakers like GM, Nissan, Tesla and Toyota far too much access to personal data and latitude in what they do with it. Some high profile lawsuits highlight how car companies can and in some cases have collected data on drivers without their consent and passed it on to third parties, including insurance companies. Regulators and elected officials have taken notice and are planning legislation and other measures.

I just gave my first lecture in environmental science Thursday, just before my wife and I checked into a hotel so we could have electricity, and I opened it with a statement about values relevant to manufacturing and purchasing cars, such as profit, comfort, efficiency, and sustainability, the last of which was the subject of the lecture.* It looks like I might have to add privacy to that list, which put together in the run-up to GM's bankruptcy, before technology had reached its current level of sophistication and connectedness.

Speaking of which, this is not a new issue. Five years ago, Washington Post uploaded Cars now run on data. We hacked one to find out what it knows about you..

Washington Post tech columnist Geoffrey A. Fowler cracked opened up a Chevrolet to find hundreds of sensors, an always-on internet connection and data from his smartphone — but few controls over his data.

Yikes, and that level of surveillance came from a 2017 car, which would now be seven years old, possibly eight if it had been made at the beginning of the 2017 model year! As the video pointed out, newer cars collect even more data. It's time to repeat what I last wrote in CNBC, The Hill, and Forbes report on the impact of cryptocurrency on the midterms, "this is another example of our living in science-fiction times or, as my friend Nebris says, 'SciFi is now.'"

That's the overall driving picture. Follow over the jump for my family's driving update.

Grammy nominee 'Little Richard: I Am Everything' among Emmy nominees for Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary

I closed 'Jon Stewart Debunks GOP’s City Crime Narrative' plus 'The Daily Show's Emmy nominations with a program note.

I think I'll stick to awards coverage for tomorrow's Sunday entertainment feature, but something less time-intensive, like the 45th News and Documentary Emmy Awards nominations. One of the nominees earned a Grammy nomination, so it fits the theme. See you then!

This is what I wrote about the Grammy nominee in February: "One other nominee in this category earned a nomination for Best Music Documentary at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards, I Am Everything." Little Richard: I Am Everything got another chance at awards glory from the 45th News and Documentary Emmy Awards, so it's the featured documentary today. Watch Little Richard: I Am Everything - Official Trailer | Documentary by Lisa Cortés from Magnolia Pictures & Magnet Releasing.

Produced by Bungalow Media + Entertainment for CNN Films and HBO Max, in association with Rolling Stone Films, director Lisa Cortés’ Sundance opening night documentary LITTLE RICHARD: I AM EVERYTHING tells the story of the Black queer origins of rock n’ roll, exploding the whitewashed canon of American pop music to reveal the innovator – the originator – Richard Penniman. Through a wealth of archive and performance that brings us into Richard’s complicated inner world, the film unspools the icon’s life story with all its switchbacks and contradictions. In interviews with family, musicians, and cutting-edge Black and queer scholars, the film reveals how Richard created an art form for ultimate self-expression, yet what he gave to the world he was never able to give to himself. Throughout his life, Richard careened like a shiny cracked pinball between God, sex and rock n’ roll. The world tried to put him in a box, but Richard was an omni being who contained multitudes – he was unabashedly everything. Directed by Lisa Cortés, LITTLE RICHARD: I AM EVERYTHING is produced by Robert Friedman, Cortés, Liz Yale Marsh and Caryn Capotosto and Executive Produced by Dee Rees.

In the absence of Gold Derby odds — the News and Documentary Emmy Awards aren't big enough for them* — I go by other awards and nominations, trailer views, and general impression of the trailer and subject matter. Little Richard: I Am Everything's awards and nominations page is helpful, but I found it incomplete. Yes, it shows wins at the Black Reel Awards and Guild of Music Supervisors Awards and nominations by the American Cinema Editors, Cinema Audio Society, GLAAD Media Awards, Satellite Awards, NAACP Image Awards, International Documentary Association, GALECA, Hollywood Music in Media Awards, and Astra Film Awards along with its Critics Choice Documentary Award nomination, but it lacks both its Grammy nomination and News and Documentary Emmy Awards nominations. For what it's worth, Moonage Daydream's IMDB Awards and nominations page lacks its Grammy Award as well. Hmph. The Environmental Media Association Awards aren't the only incomplete awards on IMDB.

Speaking of other nominations, Little Richard: I Am Everything also has a nomination for Outstanding Editing: Documentary. It's not the only nominee for Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary with a second nomination; The Legacy of J. Dilla also has a nomination for Outstanding Sound: Documentary, so I'm sharing The New York Times Presents: The Legacy of J Dilla | S2E5 Sneak Peek: The Life of a Visionary | FX.

Rapper, producer, and visionary J Dilla had huge ambitions in life. Inside this episode, we dive deeper into the late musician's legacy.

This trailer has 8,536 views, while a teaser uploaded by Dis Times has 3,018, so fewer than 10,000 YouTube viewers have seen either. In contrast, I found four trailers for Little Richard: I Am Everything on YouTube with total of 364,431 views. The one I shared has the second most with 150,467 views. Rotten Tomatoes Indie's upload has 202,404 views. HBO and Max's trailers make up the rest of the views. People are watching them! Then again, the number of views and my impression of the trailers misled me last year when I proclaimed 'IS THAT BLACK ENOUGH FOR YOU?!?' likely favorite to win Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary after 'Roadrunner' removed. Nope. Art & Krimes by Krimes won instead. I would be surprised if that happens this year, especially since IMDB's awards and nominations page for The New York Times Presents lists no nominations for this episode, including its News and Documentary Emmy Awards nominations. On all the above criteria, I'm declaring Little Richard: I Am Everything the favorite.

Follow over the jump for the trailers for the rest of the nominees, which are only nominated in this category, and a brief look at the other nominations for Little Richard: I Am Everything and The Legacy of J. Dilla.