'Obsession,' 'Project Hail Mary,' 'Superman,' and 'The Furious' lead movie winners at the Critics Choice Super Awards

I promised I would blog about the movie winners at the Critics Choice Super Awards, so here are the relevant paragraphs from Winners Announced For The Critics Choice Association’s 6th Annual “Critics Choice Super Awards”.

“OBSESSION,” “PROJECT HAIL MARY,” “SUPERMAN,” AND “THE FURIOUS” TOP FILM WINNERS WITH TWO WINS EACH
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“Obsession,” “Project Hail Mary,” “Superman,” and “The Furious” led this year’s film winners, earning two wins each. “Obsession” was named Best Horror Movie, with Inde Navarrette honored as Best Actress in a Horror Movie. “Project Hail Mary” took home Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Movie, with its star Ryan Gosling winning Best Actor in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Movie. “Superman” was named Best Superhero Movie, and David Corenswet won Best Actor in a Superhero Movie. In the Action categories, “The Furious” won Best Action Movie, and Xie Miao received Best Actor in an Action Movie.

The Critics Choice Super Awards is also presenting a special honor recognizing a certain outstanding performance in a horror film. This year, Indy, the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever and four-legged star of IFC’s thriller “Good Boy,” will receive the Best Good Boy in a Horror Movie award for his scene-stealing performance.

I blew both of Obsession's awards in 'Obsession' vs. 'Weapons' for Best Horror Movie at the Critics Choice Super Awards.

Although I voted for Weapons, I think Obsession is more likely to win Best Wide-Release Movie at the Fangoria Chainsaw Awards. On the other hand, I think Weapons is more likely to win this category here. Once again, welcome to the critics vs. the fans.
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Out of this field, I would vote for Amy Madigan, Weapons, as did one of the members of PVD Horror. The other voted for Inde Navarrette. Given that it's the critics, I think Madigan has the advantage.

I read the room wrong; Obsession and Inde Navarette beat Weapons and Amy Madigan. That written, I'm neither surprised nor disappointed. Besides, I did call Madigan winning Best Villain in a Movie. I also anticipated the winner of Best Actor in a Horror Movie, writing "I think it's between Ejiofor and Fiennes with Adam Scott in Hokum as a spoiler." Fiennes won. Given the strong nominees from 2026, I expect horror will have another good year at the next Oscars.


On the other hand, I called the winners in 'Project Hail Mary' leads Science Fiction/Fantasy nominees at the Critics Choice Super Awards.

I'm picking Project Hail Mary, and not just because it has the most nominations. My wife and I paid money to stream it, which we almost never do, and thought it was worth every penny. That the Astra Awards crowned it the best movie of the first half of the year just cements my choice.
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I think this category will go to Ryan Gosling, earning Project Hail Mary its second trophy here.
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Oona Chaplin earned one of her two nominations for Avatar: Fire and Ash in this category, but I think she'll walk away empty-handed. Instead, it's between Emma Stone and Emily Blunt, whose performance in Disclosure Day was probably the best part of the film.

I expect both Blunt and Gosling to earn lots of nominations for their performances.


I did O.K. predicting the winners in 'Superman' leads film nominees at the 2026 Critics Choice Super Awards, but not perfect.

I expect Superman will win this one. ... 

I'm rooting for David Corenswet as Superman/Clark Kent...

Milly Alcock and to a lesser extent Vanessa Kirby are the only title characters nominated, which might count for something. That written, I'm rooting for two Emmy winners, Rachel Brosnahan and Julia Garner.

Being a title character did count for something as Millie Alcock won, her first award for a single role. May this award help protect Alcock from a Razzie nomination. Supergirl itself may not be so lucky avoiding a Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel nomination.


I also called two out of three in Drink to the action movie nominees at the Critics Choice Super Awards on National Daiquiri Day.

The Furious leads with three nominations; the rest of the field is tied at two apiece. I'll go with The Furious based on its three nominations here and its Astra Midseason Movie Award for Best Stunts...

Miao Xie may be in the best movie, but he's splitting The Furious vote with Joe Taslim and they're both up against stiff competition. Matt Damon is an Oscar winner, albeit for his writing, and the biggest star, Taron Edgerton is an Emmy and Golden Globe nominee and an underrated actor, and Bob Odenkirk is a two-time Emmy winner for his writing and a Critics Choice Award winner for his acting. I'd bet on Damon.

Miao Xie's performance overcame star power, which I didn't expect.

Charlize Theron is my choice to win this award based on her Oscar and Critics Choice Award wins; in fact, she won this category for Mad Max: Fury Road when it was part of the main Critics Choice Awards ten years ago.

As I expected, Theron won. Congratulations to her and all the rest of the winners!

That's a wrap for today and this year's Critics Choice Super Awards. Stay tuned for more awards coverage in tomorrow's Sunday entertainment feature.

Previous posts about the 2026 Critics Choice Super Awards

• 'Superman' leads film nominees at the 2026 Critics Choice Super Awards
• 'Obsession' vs. 'Weapons' for Best Horror Movie at the Critics Choice Super Awards
• 'Project Hail Mary' leads Science Fiction/Fantasy nominees at the Critics Choice Super Awards
• Drink to the action movie nominees at the Critics Choice Super Awards on National Daiquiri Day
• 'The Boys' leads TV nominees at the Critics Choice Super Awards
• 'House of the Dragon' vs. 'Paradise' for Best Science Fiction/Fantasy TV nominees at the Critics Choice Super Awards
• 'Dexter: Resurrection' and 'Widow's Bay' lead horror TV nominees at the Critics Choice Super Awards
• Action TV nominees at the 2026 Critics Choice Super Awards
• 'The Boys' and 'Widow's Bay' lead TV winners at the Critics Choice Super Awards

'The Boys' and 'Widow's Bay' lead TV winners at the Critics Choice Super Awards

I wrote yesterday that "the Critics Choice Super Awards winners will be announced later today, so I'm going to shift focus to those this weekend." That happened, so I'm quoting Winners Announced For The Critics Choice Association’s 6th Annual “Critics Choice Super Awards”.

“THE BOYS” AND “WIDOW’S BAY” LEAD TELEVISION WINNERS WITH THREE WINS EACH
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“The Boys” and “Widow’s Bay” were the standouts among this year’s television winners, each taking home three trophies. “The Boys” earned three wins from its five nominations, including Best Superhero Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie. Antony Starr won Best Actor in a Superhero Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie, as well as Best Villain in a Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie. “Widow’s Bay” swept all three categories in which it was nominated, with wins for Best Horror Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie; Matthew Rhys for Best Actor in a Horror Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie; and Kate O’Flynn for Best Actress in a Horror Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie.

I called most of these. In 'The Boys' leads TV nominees at the Critics Choice Super Awards, I wrote "This is a three-way contest among The Boys, Fallout, and Spider-Noir" — The Boys and Spider-Noir tied — and "I think Starr has the best shot at winning [Best Villain in a Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie], as he's the only nominee here who is also nominated for a Best Actor in a genre TV show category" — he won, again. I also called Danielle Brooks winning Best Actress in a Superhero Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie for her role in Peacemaker. On the other hand, I thought Best Actor in a Superhero Series was "between Cage and Abdul-Mateen," but Starr won. I'm O.K. with that, as he's won this award before.

I also called the wins for Widow's Bay. I wrote "Dexter: Resurrection and Widow's Bay are the favorites, which I'm resolving in favor of Widow's Bay... Matthew Rhys...[is] going to win here, [and] I can see Kate O’Flynn winning this award as part of a Widow's Bay sweep..." Widow's Bay swept!

Follow over the jump for the TV winners not mentioned in the lead paragraphs of the press release.

'Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: Give the Man a Prize' plus the Emmy nominees for Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special

I'm returning to the Creative Arts Emmy nominees today with Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: Give the Man a Prize | The Daily Show, a nominee for Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special.

Donald Trump can’t stop talking about how he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, and no, the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize doesn’t count. Jordan Klepper travels to a JD Vance event, the “burning hellhole” city of Portland, and home of the peace prize, Norway, to find out if the president actually deserves to be given this prestigious award.

That was even more hilarious than last year's 'The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: MAGA: The Next Generation' plus the Emmy nominees for Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special — and more violent.

Like last year, this special earned two Emmy nominations. Follow over the jump for them, the nominations for its competition, and their Gold Derby odds.

Marching Arts Network asks 'The Perfect Storm: Can Drum Corps Survive?'

I told my readers twice to "Stay tuned for a particularly doomy preview of the drum corps season," which begins today. That's Marching Arts Network asking The Perfect Storm: Can Drum Corps Survive?

Food, fuel or inflation? What breaks first? This is possibly the most important podcast we have done to date. I know its a long one and a departure from our normal format, but this is definitely worth your time and we'd love to hear yourt thoughts and ideas...

I first predicted "I fully expect Peak Oil, economic decline, and social upheaval to end the national touring model, which has been around since 1971, by 2020" on this blog in 2012. I came to that conclusion four years earlier, as "I started mourning in 2008, when I quit writing for Drum Corps World and stopped going to shows." I even warned a corps director about it.

That prediction sort of came true in 2020.

Well, the 2020 drum corps season has been cancelled, so the national touring model is in a coma, not dead, but Peak Oil had nothing to do with it. Instead, it was the pandemic that drove what passes for economic decline and social upheaval and that caused there to be no competitive drum corps this year.

The national touring model was still unconscious in 2021, as there were no competitive shows and no national tour, just DCI Celebration, three nights of exhibitions in Indianapolis. The national touring model didn't get out of the hospital until 2022. I was right for the wrong reason, but I'll still claim a successful prediction.

That written, the current situation the panelists at Marching Arts Network are describing is more what I was envisioning beginning in 2008, an oil shortage, although because of war, not Peak Oil directly, and economic disruption and even people in the activity who are not doomers see the national touring model as the problem. I think its return in 2022 will turn out to be a temporary triumph of business as usual once the pandemic receded enough to reinstitute what the activity was doing in 2019 and is still doomed, although I'm not predicting the year of its demise today. I think what I wrote on Christmas 2012 will extend the existances of both drum corps and the national touring model for years after the latter should have ended: "As for drum corps' hopes, they rest on the one thing that makes Americans act, messing with their entertainment. Americans want their entertainment, and will do just about anything to keep it going." So far, that observation has remained true.

That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned to see if I celebrate Paul Bunyan Day or the Sunday entertainment feature early or if I post a compilation of last night's monologues to share next month, which begins Wednesday, Tuesday night according to Greenwich Mean Time.

'Secrets of the Penguins' wins two News & Doc Emmy Awards

It's time to revisit my predictions from 'Secrets of the Penguins' leads Outstanding Nature Documentaries at the News & Doc Emmy Awards for Earth Day.

This is in the same overall series as Secrets of the Whales, Secrets of the Elephants, and Secrets of the Octopus, all of which earned nominations at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards. That, and its award-winning producer and director, bode well for its award chances at these Emmy Awards.
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I'm rooting for Secrets of the Penguins...

I got my wish; Secrets of the Penguins won Outstanding Nature Documentary.

On the other hand, I was happy to be wrong about Outstanding Cinematography: Documentary, for which I wrote, "Secrets of the Penguins is in very good company, including 2000 Meters to Andriivka with six nominations including Best Documentary, which is my pick to win both that award and this category." I repeated that thought in 'Underdogs' earns four News & Doc Emmy Award nominations: "Underdogs might be more deserving than Pangolin: Kulu's Journey and as deserving as Secrets of the Penguins, but I still think 2000 Meters to Andriivka is the favorite to win Outstanding Cinematograpy: Documentary."  Nope, Secrets of the Penguins won Outstanding Cinematography: Documentary.  I'm glad that nature beat warfare.

Speaking of Underdogs, it also won two News & Doc Emmy Awards, so I think I will cover it next. Stay tuned.

Previous posts about the 57th News & Doc Emmy Awards

• 'Sally' leads Science and Technology Documentaries at the News & Doc Emmy Awards
• 'Secrets of the Penguins' leads Outstanding Nature Documentaries at the News & Doc Emmy Awards for Earth Day
• 'Underdogs' earns four News & Doc Emmy Award nominations
• 'Songs from the Hole' leads arts and culture documentaries at the News & Doc Emmy Awards
• 'Prime Minister' leads nominees for Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary at the News & Doc Emmy Awards
• 'Katrina: Come Hell and High Water' leads social issue documentaries at the News & Doc Emmy Awards for Flashback Friday
• 'The Stringer' leads nominees for Outstanding Investigative Documentary at the News & Doc Emmy Awards for Flashback Friday
• Vietnam War and Hurricane Katrina subjects of leading nominees for Outstanding Historical Documentary at the News & Doc Emmy Awards
• '2000 Meters to Andriivka' leads Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary and Best Documentary at the News & Doc Emmy Awards
• 'Love + War' at the News & Doc Emmy Awards for Wayback Wednesday
• 'The Strike' leads Outstanding Crime and Justice Documentary at tonight's News & Doc Emmy Awards for Throwback Thursday
• 'The Memory of Darkness, Light, and Ice' wins Outstanding Science and Technology Documentary at the News & Doc Emmy Awards for Wayback Wednesday
• 'Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller' wins 7 News & Doc Emmy Awards for World Oceans Day
• 'Prime Minister' wins two News & Doc Emmy Awards including Best Documentary for Throwback Thursday
• SciShow explains 'How Instagram Hacks Your Brain' plus Howtown on brain rot for Flashback Friday

SciShow warns 'The Plague Will Probably Return'

Today's brief educational entry takes its cue from SciShow and Hank Green are thinking about domestication. In the process of researching that entry, I found three SciShow videos about pandemics, specifically the bubonic plague. I begin with a warning that The Plague Will Probably Return.

Humanity's relationship with the bubonic plague is over 5000 years old. That's right, it didn't just suddenly appear (and then disappear) during the infamous Black Death. In fact, you could still catch The Plague, today! Although the bacteria that cause it could give you a different kind of plague, instead...

Hosted by: Madelyn Leembruggen (she/her)

In the middle of her history of the plague, Madelyn Leembruggen mentioned Justinian's plague, which I first mentioned in Pandemics and collapse 13 years ago. My conclusion turned out to be prophetic.

This blog is still about how to avoid the collapse of the current civilization and takes a science-fiction slant on the topic. An asteroid impact is the perfect merger of the two.

So are pandemics. We need to be prepared for them, too.

Did that ever turn out to be true!

SciShow's most recent video returned to the topic, How Volcanoes Caused The Black Death.

Volcanoes have caused many devastating disasters over the years, but they're not usually blamed for pandemics. Except that a team of researchers say a volcanic eruption may have caused the Black Death. Here's how.

Hosted by: Hank Green (he/him)

Welcome to one of Commoner's Laws, "Everything is connected to everything else." The next plague pandemic may not need a major volcanic eruption to trigger it. Climate change or just an extreme weather event might do the trick.

Of course, the most recent pandemic wasn't plague and the next one probably won't be, either. It could be one of the pathogens mentioned in 7 Deadly Epidemics You Didn’t Know Existed.

From the non-bubonic plague that killed a Welsh king, to the deadliest pestilence in 16th century Mexico, to a pandemic we're currently in the middle of (No, it's not coronavirus), here are 7 disease outbreaks spanning roughly 25,000 years of human history that you probably haven't heard of.

Hosted by: Hank Green (he/him)

Valley fever should look familiar; I wrote about it in Vox warns 'A desert fungus that infects humans is spreading' and again in PBS Digital explains how climate change can make us sick. Speaking of which, the one time I mentioned cholera was in Lancet reports climate change is a 'medical emergency'. Didn't I just write that climate change could kick off the next pandemic? It probably already has.

That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned for a follow-up to Detroit's population increases for first time since 1957. Good news!

'Andor' earns a Hugo nomination for Revenge of the Sixth on Wayback Wednesday

Today's celebration of Revenge of the Sixth, the dark side of Star Wars Day, hearkens back to 'The Mehdi Hasan Show' examines the politics of ‘Andor’ for Revenge of the Sixth and 'Andor' vs. 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' and 'Severance' for Best Science Fiction Television Series at the Saturn Awards. Star Wars News on Instagram reported, "Andor Season 2 has been nominated for the 2026 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation – Long Form! It’s the only TV series nominated in a category that otherwise features only movies." Here are the rest of the nominees in this category.


Andor isn't likely to win, as it's not also nominated for the The Ray Bradbury Nebula Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation. Instead, I think the three Hugo nominees also nominated for the equivalent Nebula Award, KPop Demon Hunters, Sinners, and Superman, are most likely to win. Of the three, I think Sinners is the favorite.

Andor can take some consolation from Andor wins the BAFTA for Special, Visual & Graphic Effects | BAFTA TV Craft Awards.

Andor wins the BAFTA for Special, Visual & Graphic Effects at the BAFTA TV Craft Awards with Samsung OLED.

Presented by Chris Chung.

Congratulations!

Follow over the jump for the nominees for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form and Best Game or Interactive Work plus a retrospective of the top entertainment entries from the back catalog, excluding those about the Emmy Awards.

'KPop Demon Hunters,' 'Sinners,' 'Wicked,' and 'Tron: Ares' win GRAMMYs for their movie music

I closed 'Music by John Williams' wins GRAMMY for Best Music Film, earning Steven Spielberg an EGOT by telling my readers "Stay tuned for more awards show coverage as I blog about the GRAMMYs won by Sinners, KPop Demon Hunters, Wicked, and Tron: Ares..." I begin by revisiting the relevant predictions from 'Sinners,' 'KPop Demon Hunters,' and 'Wicked' — movie musicals at the GRAMMYs.

Based on the number of nominations, especially for Song of the Year, "Golden" is my pick to win Best Song Written For Visual Media. It's also Gold Derby's, where every expert, 83.3% of editors, and 86.7% of users have picked it to win...The other songs with support are "Never Too Late" from Elton John: Never Too Late with 16.7% of editors and 5.4% of users picking it, "I Lied to You" from Sinners with 6.1% of users choosing it, and "As Alive As You Need Me To Be" from TRON: Ares with the remaining 0.8% of users supporting it...Sorry, "Pale, Pale Moon" and "Sinners"; Gold Derby doesn't give either of you a chance...

That was in November. The standings changed some by February 1st, but the lead never changed. All of the editors joined all of the experts along with 93.5% of users to consolidate behind "Golden." "I Lied to You" retained 4.6% of users to pass "Never Too Late," which lost the editors choosing it in November and kept only 1.4% of users. "As Alive As You Need Me To Be" settled into a tie for last with "Pale, Pale Moon" and "Sinners" with 0.1% of users each. Therefore, it should be no surprise that GOLDEN [FROM "KPOP DEMON HUNTERS"] Wins SONG WRITTEN FOR VISUAL MEDIA | 2026 GRAMMYs.

EJAE, PARK HONG JUN, JOONG GYU KWAK, YU HAN LEE, HEE DONG NAM, JEONG HOON SEO & MARK SONNENBLICK deliver an acceptance speech after winning the GRAMMY for SONG WRITTEN FOR VISUAL MEDIA for GOLDEN [FROM "KPOP DEMON HUNTERS"] at the 2026 GRAMMYs.

"Golden" is the first KPop song to win a GRAMMY — congratulations!

As the preview image for this entry shows, Sinners won two awards, so here are its relevant predictions.

Gold Derby thinks Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media is Wicked's best category with half the editors and 70.5% of users selecting it. KPop Demon Hunters is its closest competition with ever expert so far, one-third of the editors, and 17.6% of users choosing it. Despite having more songs nominated than either Wicked or KPop Demon Hunters, Gold Derby has Sinners in third with the support of the remaining one-sixth of editors and 9.4% of users. The rest of the users are split between A Complete Unknown with 1.7% and F1: The Movie, which I expect to see nominated for Best Action Film at the Saturn Awards, with 0.8%. Wow, a Bob Dylan biopic down that low!

The percentages changed a lot by February, but the relative standings barely budged. Wicked led the predictions with half the experts, 16.7% of editors, and 49.8% of users sticking with it. KPop Demon Hunters lost the experts but gained both editors to two-thirds and users to 37.2%. Sinners stayed in third with the support of the other half of the experts, the remaining one-sixth of editors and 11.6% of users. F1: The Movie retained its 0.8% of users, while A Complete Unknown fell to last with 0.7%. To the surprise of everyone but the half of experts, one-sixth of editors, and 11.6% of users, Sinners won. Watch as SINNERS Wins BEST COMPILATION SOUNDTRACK | 2026 GRAMMYs Acceptance Speech.

Producers deliver an acceptance speech after winning the GRAMMY for BEST COMPILATION SOUNDTRACK for SINNERS at the 2026 GRAMMYs.

I guess having more nominated songs than the other movie soundtracks paid off. Congratulations on an upset win!

Gold Derby thinks Sinners has a better chance of winning here than for Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media with every editor and expert plus 76.5% of users supporting it. Wicked sits in second with 19.7% of users, followed by 2.0% picking The Wild Robot, 1.2% choosing Severance, and 0.7% hanging on to How to Train Your Dragon.

Sinners retained every editor and expert and added users to reach 90.8% support by the time of the ceremony. That's quite a consolidation! Wicked stayed in second with 7.4% of users, while How to Train Your Dragon rose to third with only 0.8% of users, passing The Wild Robot at 0.6% and Severance with 0.4%. This time, Gold Derby called it. Watch as LUDWIG GÖRANSSON Wins BEST SCORE SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA For 'SINNERS' | 2026 GRAMMYs.

LUDWIG GÖRANSSON delivers an acceptance speech after winning the GRAMMY for BEST SCORE SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA for 'SINNERS' at the 2026 GRAMMYs.

Congratulations and may this be a good sign for winning at the Saturn Awards and Oscars!

Follow over the jump for wins by movie music in categories outside of visual media.

'Music by John Williams' wins GRAMMY for Best Music Film, earning Steven Spielberg an EGOT

Slight change of plans — I'm following up on 'Music by John Williams' leads Gold Derby odds for Best Music Film at the GRAMMYs today, not 'Sinners,' 'KPop Demon Hunters,' and 'Wicked' — movie musicals at the GRAMMYs as I promised yesterday. Don't worry; it's on tap for tomorrow.

I begin by revisiting the prediction from last November.

Yesterday, I asked "More GRAMMY nominees, anyone?" I'm following through with the Gold Derby odds for Best Music Film. Music by John Williams leads as the choice of every expert and editor plus 65.3% of users. Raye: Live at the Royal Albert Hall sits in second as the pick of 26.5% of users, followed by Diane Warren: Relentless with 4.1% of users, Piece by Piece with 2.3%, and Devo with 1.8%.

By Sunday, Music by John Williams consolidated its lead as the choice of every expert and editor plus 70.1% of users. Raye: Live at the Royal Albert Hall retained 23.3%% of users, followed by Diane Warren: Relentless with 4.2% of users, Piece by Piece with 2.1%, and Devo with 0.3%. The experts, editors, and users who picked Music by John Williams called it. Watch as JOHN WILLIAMS Wins BEST MUSIC FILM For MUSIC BY JOHN WILLIAMS | 2026 GRAMMYs Acceptance Speech.

LAURENT BOUZEREAU delivers an acceptance speech after winning the GRAMMY for BEST MUSIC FILM at the 2026 GRAMMYs.

This award had greater significance, as The Wrap reported Steven Spielberg Earns EGOT Status With Grammys 2026 Win.

Steven Spielberg has officially achieved EGOT status thanks to his Best Music Film Grammy win Sunday. Spielberg produced the documentary “Music by John Williams.”

Spielberg previously won Oscars for “Schindler’s List” and “Saving Private Ryan,” Emmys for “E.R.” and “Animaniacs,” and a Tony for “A Strange Loop.”

Spielberg had plenty of company in this win.

Laurent Bouzereau directed the doc, which is produced by Spielberg, Brian Grazer, [Ron] Howard, Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, Sara Bernstein, Justin Wilkes, Meredith Kaulfers, [Kathleen] Kennedy, [Frank] Marshall and Bouzereau with Markus Keith and Michael Rosenberg as executive producers.

Congratulations to Spielberg for earning an EGOT, the rest of the producers for their GRAMMY, Williams, and the prognosticators at Gold Derby for correctly calling this category!

That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned for more awards show coverage as I blog about the GRAMMYs won by Sinners, KPop Demon Hunters, Wicked, and Tron: Ares tomorrow.

Previous posts about the 2026 Grammy Awards

• 'Sinners,' 'KPop Demon Hunters,' and 'Wicked' — movie musicals at the GRAMMYs
• 'Music by John Williams' leads Gold Derby odds for Best Music Film at the GRAMMYs
• 'The Daily Show' on Trump talking about canceling elections plus Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl and GRAMMYs

'One Battle After Another' and 'Sinners' lead screenplay categories at the Oscars according to Gold Derby

I promised more awards show coverage for today's Sunday entertainment feature and I'm following through with the screenplay nominees and their odds of winning, beginning with Best Adapted Screenplay.

Just like it did at the Critics Choice Awards, One Battle After Another leads Best Adapted Screenplay as the choice of 81.8% of experts, 66.7% of editors, and 90.3% of users. Hamnet sits in second as the selection of the remaining 18.2% of experts and 33.3% of editors plus 6.9% of users. Frankenstein follows far behind with 1.1% of users, then Train Dreams with 1.0% user support, and Bugonia last with 0.7% of users. This looks a lot like the odds for Best Adapted Screenplay at the Critics Choice Awards.

One Battle After Another still leads as the choice of every editor, 81.3% of experts, and 90.9% of users. The experts and users are moving in opposite directions. The remaining experts are now split between Hamnet and Train Dreams with 12.5% and 6.3% expert expectations of winning, respectively. Hamnet is now the pick of 6.5% of users, followed by No Other Choice, Frankenstein, Bugonia, and Train Dreams follow with 1.0%, 0.9%, 0.4%, and 0.3% of users supporting each, respectively.

The field is the same except for No Other Choice dropping out because of the field being trimmed from six to five.* Gold Derby thinks the results will be the same, too, with One Battle After Another winning. Since Critics Choice didn't upload the acceptance speech to its YouTube channel, I'm sharing the graphic from its Twitter/X account instead.


Congratulations for this award and the next one, Best Screenplay at the Golden Globes.

Here, the leading nominees for adapted and original screenplays are contending with each other and One Battle After Another is Gold Derby's choice to win over Sinners with the former in first as the choice of 72.7% of experts, 50.0% of editors, and 66.1% of users and the latter in third as the selection of 9.1% of experts, 16.7% of editors, and 9.5% of users. Second place? It Was Just an Accident, picked by 18.2% of experts, 33.3% of editors, and 17.8% of users. It's also the leading nominee for Best Non-English Film over Sentimental Value, which has user support of 3.4% for Best Film Screenplay. Hamnet and Marty Supreme trail as the choices of 2.1% and 1.0% of users.

Watch as Paul Thomas Anderson Wins Best Screenplay – Motion Picture | 83rd Annual Golden Globes.

Paul Thomas Anderson accepts the Best Screenplay – Motion Picture award at the 83rd Annual Golden Globes.

According to Gold Derby, Anderson should prepare to give three speeches on March 15th (Beware the Ides of March!), as he is favored to win Best Director and Best Motion Picture along with the rest of the producers as well as Best Adapted Screenplay. After 14 Oscar nominations, he's on track to finally win three, which Gold Derby thinks will be the majority of the Oscars won by One Battle After Another; the others predicted are Best Supporting Actress for Teyana Taylor and Best Editing.

Follow over the jump for the nominees for Best Original Screenplay and their odds.

'KPop Demon Hunters' wins Best Animated Feature and Best Song at both Critics Choice Awards and Golden Globes

I promised "a post about the Critics Choice Awards and Golden Globes won by KPop Demon Hunters" twice, so it's time to follow through. I begin by re-examining my predictions from Science fiction movie nominees at the Critics Choice Awards for Science Fiction Day.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Arco (Neon)
Elio (Pixar Animation Studios)
In Your Dreams (Netflix)
KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix)
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain (GKIDS)
Zootopia 2 (Walt Disney Animation Studios)

Wikipedia lists both Arco and Elio as science fiction, while the rest are fantasy with the possible exception of Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, which is just animated drama. Interestingly, IMDB also tagged KPop Demon Hunters as superhero; I never thought of Huntrix as a magical girl team, but they are.

KPop Demon Hunters is the only nominee with a second nomination for Best Song. It's also Gold Derby's choice to win this category with every editor and expert plus 89.6% of users ranking it first. Zootopia 2 follows with 7.8% of users, then Little Amélie or the Character of Rain at 1.7%, Arco with 0.6%, then Elio and In Your Dreams tied at 0.2%. This isn't science fiction's category, either.

Gold Derby called both categories. First, watch as "KPop Demon Hunters" WINS Best Animated Feature.


Next, although presented just a little earlier, "KPop Demon Hunters" WINS Best Song.


Congratulations! Also, the Critics Choice Association knew what they were doing by selecting these two presenters (Mckenna Grace and Owen Cooper) and having them announce both awards.

KPop Demon Hunters repeated at the Golden Globes. Follow over the jump.

Celebrating diversity in acting winners at the 2026 Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards for MLK Day weekend

I'm continuing my celebration of diversity in movies and television at awards shows with the acting winners in addition to those in Sinners with the relevant passage from the Golden Globes press release.

A Warner Bros. Discovery release, “One Battle [After Another]” was the leading contender going into the evening with nine total nominations. It won the most too; along with best motion picture – musical or comedy, the eerily contemporary action satire won the supporting actress prize for Teyana Taylor and scored trophies for both screenplay and director for filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson.

Watch as Teyana Taylor Wins Best Supporting Female Actor – Motion Picture | 83rd Annual Golden Globes.

Teyana Taylor accepts the Best Supporting Female Actor – Motion Picture award for One Battle After Another at the 83rd Annual Golden Globes.

Taylor expressed her emotions and thoughts again in Teyana Taylor Interview | 83rd Annual Golden Globes.

Best Supporting Female Actor – Motion Picture winner Teyana Taylor is so grateful for her win for “One Battle After Another.” She discusses her character being a collaboration between herself and Paul Thomas Anderson, how she was approached for the role, and the moment she knew the project was a "yes."

Congratulations to Taylor for her surprising win — the prognosticators at Gold Derby had her in second behind Amy Madigan — and to Paul Thomas Anderson for his more expected wins for Best Director and Best Screenplay along with the producers for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.


I'm returning to the press release for the next winner I'm recognizing today: "Neon’s 'The Secret Agent,' a shaggy dog historical thriller set in the nooks and crannies of Brazil’s mid-2[0]th century dictatorship, also won two prizes: best non-English language motion picture and best actor in a motion picture – drama, for star Wagner Moura." Watch as Wagner Moura Wins Best Male Actor – Motion Picture – Drama | 83rd Annual Golden Globes.

Wagner Moura accepts the Best Male Actor – Motion Picture – Drama award at the 83rd Annual Golden Globes.

Congratulations to Moura for winning Best Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama and to producers of The Secret Agent for winning Best Non-English Language Motion Picture. Gold Derby predicted both wins, although the latter contest was very close.

Those are the diverse acting winners at the Golden Globes. Follow over the jump for diverse acting winners at the Critics Choice Awards.

'Sinners' wins at the Critics Choice Awards and Golden Globes for MLK Day weekend

I'm beginning my celebration of the MLK Day weekend with another relevant paragraph from the Critics Choice Awards press release.

“One Battle After Another” won Best Picture, while “Frankenstein” and “Sinners” garnered the most wins in the film categories, with both films taking home four trophies each. “Frankenstein” won Best Supporting Actor for Jacob Elordi, Best Production Design for Tamara Deverell and Shane Vieau, Best Costume Design for Kate Hawley, and Best Hair and Makeup for Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel and Cliona Furey. “Sinners” won Best Young Actor/Actress for Miles Caton, Best Original Screenplay for Ryan Coogler, Best Casting and Ensemble for Francine Maisler, and Best Score for Ludwig Göransson. In addition to Best Picture, “One Battle After Another” filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson took home trophies for both Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.

I wrote about some of these awards in Critics Choice and Golden Globes screenplay nominees for an early National Screenwriters Day.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Noah Baumbach, Emily Mortimer – Jay Kelly (Netflix)
Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme (A24)
Ryan Coogler – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Zach Cregger – Weapons (Warner Bros.)
Eva Victor – Sorry, Baby (A24)
Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value (Neon)

Gold Derby's prognosticators think this category is one of Sinners' best chances to win a Critics Choice Award, along with Best Young Actor or Actress, Best Cinematography, and Best Score, all categories where it's first on the leaderboard.

When I wrote the above, the Gold Derby odds had One Battle After Another leading Best Casting and Ensemble. By the time of the ceremony, Sinners snuck into the lead as the choice of 62.5% of experts, 44.4% of editors, and 52.7% of users, passing One Battle After Another with the votes of 37.5% of experts, 55.6% of editors, and 44.4% of users, while Sinners still led Best Cinematography ahead of Train Dreams, so Gold Derby expected Sinners to win five awards. It earned four, so not bad, both for Sinners and for Gold Derby. Speaking of whom, I reproduced Gold Derby's predictions for Best Original Screenplay.

Ryan Coogler is the choice of every expert, 88.9% of editors, and 89.8% of users. The editors and users disagree on the rest, as 11.1% of editors picked Sorry, Baby, a shift from Marty Supreme on Friday, for but only 0.6% of users, ranking it fifth by Gold Derby's algorithm. The users rank Sentimental Value, Weapons, and Marty Supreme higher with 6.1%, 2.0%, and 1.0% selecting them, respectively. Just 0.4% are behind Jay Kelly.

Gold Derby was right about this category. Congratulations to Ryan Coogler! Unfortunately, Critics Choice only uploaded Miles Caton's acceptance speech; the acceptance speeches for Best Original Screenplay, Best Score, and Best Casting and Ensemble are not on the Critics Choice YouTube channel. As consolation, I'm embedding Ryan Coogler is honored with the Directors Award for "Sinners" at the Critics Choice Celebration of Black Cinema and Television.


That makes up for Best Original Screenplay and Best Casting and Ensemble; Best Score gets a shout-out in Miles Caton WINS Best Young Actor For "Sinners".


Congratulations to Coogler, Caton, the rest of the cast, Francine Maisler, and Ludwig Göransson for their Critics Choice Awards! May they foreshadow many nominations at the Oscars and Saturn Awards!

As the preview image advertised, Sinners also won two Golden Globe Awards. I begin with Kevin Hart Presents Best Cinematic and Box Office Achievement | 83rd Annual Golden Globes.


Gold Derby predicted that Sinners would win this category, and they were right. Watch as Sinners Wins Best Cinematic and Box Office Achievement | 83rd Annual Golden Globes.

Sinners accepts the Best Cinematic and Box Office Achievement award at the 83rd Annual Golden Globes.

Congratulations to Sinners on winning and beating Avatar: Fire and Ash, Wicked: For Good, Zootopia 2, Weapons, KPop Demon Hunters, F1, and Mission Impossible — The Final Reckoning, all movies I expect to see nominated at the Saturn Awards. If all of them earn nominations at the Academy Awards, I would be mildly and pleasantly surprised.

Unlike the Critics Choice Awards, the Golden Globes uploaded the videos for Best Score to its YouTube channel. That only partially makes up for the award being presented during a commercial break, so the people at home watching on CBS missed it. Hmph! That out of the way, watch as Ludwig Göransson Wins Best Score Motion Picture | 83rd Annual Golden Globes.

Ludwig Göransson accepts the Best Score Motion Picture award at the 83rd Annual Golden Globes.

On the one hand, CBS viewers didn't see this speech. On the other, it wasn't rushed because of time. I suppose that balanced out.

I'm closing with Ludwig Göransson - Smokestack Twins | Sinners (Original Motion Picture Score), a different selection from the score than I featured in 'Sinners,' 'KPop Demon Hunters,' and 'Wicked' — movie musicals at the GRAMMYs.

“Smokestack Twins” from Sinners (Original Motion Picture Score) | Music by Ludwig Göransson

That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned for the rest of the diverse winners at the Critics Choice and Golden Globe Awards tomorrow as the Sunday entertainment feature as I continue to celebrate MLK Day weekend.

Previous posts about the 2025 Critics Choice Awards

• 'Severance,' 'The Diplomat,' and 'The Pitt' tie with four nominations at the Critics Choice Awards
• 'Nobody Wants This' leads comedy nominees at the Critics Choice Awards, but could lose to 'The Studio'
• 'Adolescence' leads TV nominees at the Critics Choice Awards
• Science fiction movie nominees at the Critics Choice Awards for Science Fiction Day
• Critics Choice and Golden Globes screenplay nominees for an early National Screenwriters Day
• Colbert and Kimmel observe the fifth anniversary of January 6th
• Critics Choice Awards and Golden Globes nominations for 'The Pitt' upon its return
• 'Adolescence' leads TV winners at the Critics Choice Awards plus its Golden Globes nominations

NASA, NBC News, and WESH look back at 2025 and ahead to 2026 in space

I closed Science fiction movie nominees at the Critics Choice Awards for Science Fiction Day by telling my readers, "Stay tuned for NASA's look back at 2025 and ahead to 2026." Watch NASA: 2025 Review and 2026 Preview.

In 2025, we stacked the Artemis II rocket, certified next-generation lunar spacesuits, celebrated 25 years on the International Space Station, and snapped the closest pictures ever taken of the Sun.

We’re not just going back to the Moon in 2026 – we’re paving the way to Mars, exploring the stars, and dominating the skies, setting the stage for a historic year ahead.

That makes up for not having a video ready in time for 2025 in space from ESA, KING 5, Business Casual, and the Marsh Family. As I wrote in 2025 in review from NBC News, Vox, GMA, Time, and Google for New Year's Eve, "I can at least continue one of my New Year's traditions!"*

NBC News updated the story last night in The New Space Race.

It’s going to be a busy year for space exploration with American Astronauts scheduled to make a return visit around the moon, traveling further than any human ever. NBC News’ Tom Costello spoke to the crew.

I wrote "I expected a space race between the U.S. and China over the U.S. returning to the Moon before the Chinese get there" five years ago, and that's exactly what's happening. This time, I'm glad I'm right, because it will get humans back on the Moon and working to get to Mars.

WESH 2 News in Orlando added more detail in Historic launches set for the new year.


Starship is running behind schedule and holding up a lunar landing, so I'm rooting for Blue Origin to either win the contract or inspire SpaceX to get its act together in time.

None of the above sources mentioned a major NASA story taking place on the ground. WBAL-TV 11 Baltimore covered that in Future of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center appears to be in jeopardy.

The future of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center appears to be in jeopardy, according to a letter penned by a United States representative on Monday. In the letter, U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-California, a ranking member on the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, brought forth concerns about "disturbing reports" of a potential imminent closure at the Greenbelt campus. The letter, written to Sean Duffy, the U.S. Transportation secretary and acting administrator of NASA, said the possible closure of labs and facilities at the campus "put essential hardware and capabilities at great risk."

This is not good news for space science, including research that would help with exploring the Moon and Mars. Add this to the examples of one of 2025's science breakdowns, "Trump roils U.S. science." Ugh.

*I almost didn't because of what's happening in Venezuela. I decided to go ahead and let the late-night talk show hosts do the work for me tomorrow. Stay tuned.

2025 in space from ESA, KING 5, Business Casual, and the Marsh Family

Today's year-end retrospective is this year's version of 2024, another busy year in space, according to NASA, ESA, Reuters, and New Scientist. Unfortunately, NASA hasn't uploaded a year-end review video, so I'm featuring ESA highlights 2025.

2025 was a landmark year for Europe in space. From celebrating 50 years of ESA to new missions, scientific breakthroughs, the year reaffirmed Europe’s leadership in science, exploration, climate action and innovation.

At least the European Space Agency is still informing the public. I consider NASA not producing an equivalent video about 2025 for YouTube an example of one of 2025's science breakdowns.

KING 5 SEATTLE did provide some NASA footage in A look back at 2025's key moments in space travel.

NASA sets its sights on another lunar landing within the next three years.

I'm looking forward to Artemis II next year.

Business Casual (not the original account) uploaded 2025 Space, in 5 minutes.

From the 3rd interstellar object to enter our solar system, 3I Atlas, to the potential discovery of life on [M]ars, 2025 was groundbreaking year in space exploration.

I think this account is a bit suspect — there is another Business Casual account that is larger and older, but currently inactive — but this is a good montage showing space events around the world, including Katy Perry, Gayle King, Lauren Sánchez, and others flying on Blue Origin to the edge of space. The Marsh Family sang about that event in "Flight from Earth" - Marsh Family parody of Katy Perry's "Firework" on the Blue Origin space launch.

This is a song about Jeff Bezos’s launch of six female celebrities into zero gravity this week, via his elite suborbital tourism outfit, Blue Origin. In lots of respects it was very slick, exciting, impressive, and a tribute to technological advances, entrepreneurial investment, and the potential of the human species to navigate new frontiers. In lots of other respects it was a bizarre, vacuous, self-indulgent, problematic, transparent PR stunt hiding behind money, reputations, weird notions of girl power, and leaving in its wake a rather foul taste and lots of environmental damage. While we have no issue with the women involved, their quest for exhilaration and a life-altering opportunity etc., we do have issues with the framing and coverage of this joyride – as many others clearly do.

If you want to celebrate women, progress, science, space travel, and the future, surely there are better models and better mechanisms out there? If you have billions of dollars, surely there are better ways you can spend it?

We chose to adapt the anthemic 2010 song “Firework” by Katy Perry – one of Bezos’s invited trail-blazing space tourists – and whatever you think about her, this is a tough song to deliver live! We shared the relentless belts between the three girls. Apologies we forgot to isolate the clicker so you may get some of that too. The original song (co-written with Ester Dean and producers Stargate and Sandy Vee) was on her biggest album Teenage Dream and is on our pump-up football playlist.

I'm not normally this cynical about space, but I couldn't resist.

That's a wrap for today's look at space. Stay tuned for more year-end retrospectives through New Year's Eve.

'Pee-wee as Himself' and '100 Foot Wave,' Emmy winners for documentary and nonfiction

I'm finishing up my series on the Creative Arts Emmy Awards for today's Sunday entertainment feature by recognizing Pee-wee as Himself and 100 Foot Wave, the last two Emmy winners I haven't already blogged about. The GRAMMYs aren't until February, so they can wait.

I acknowledged one of the Emmy winners I'm featuring today in 'Orwell: 2+2=5' and 'The Perfect Neighbor' lead nominees for Best Documentary at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards, where I wrote "The lone Best Documentary nominee earning a nod for Best Biographical Documentary is Pee-wee as Himself, which won three Emmy Awards for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special, Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program, and Outstanding Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program." Watch it win all three, beginning with Documentary Or Nonfiction Special: 2025 Creative Arts.

The team from Pee-wee As Himself accepts the Emmy for Documentary Or Nonfiction Special at the 2025 Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Congratulations to the production team for Pee-wee as Himself. Should I also congratulate the prognosticators at Gold Derby?

Gold Derby's odds break the tie in favor of Pee-wee as Himself with 100% of experts, 80% of editors, and 71.5% of users currently picking it to walk off the podium with the Emmy. Only 20% of editors and 24.3% of users so far think Will & Harper will win. Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) is in third, but well behind with the support of 1.6% of users, while Deaf President Now! and Martha are tied at 1.28% of users.

Gold Derby's odds still favored Pee-wee as Himself by the time of the ceremony two months later, but the support shuffled around with only 66.7% of experts but every editor plus 78.1% of users behind the eventual winner. The 33.3% of experts who changed their minds lined up behind Will & Harper along with 18.5% of users. The experts were right the first time, which is why I generally pay more attention to the editors. Just the same, congratulations!

Next, Directing For A Documentary/ Nonfiction Program: 2025 Creative Arts.

Matt Wolf from Pee-wee As Himself accepts the Emmy for Directing For A Documentary/ Nonfiction Program at the 2025 Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Congratulations!

Now for Pee-wee As Himself's third award, Picture Editing For A Nonfiction Program: 2025 Creative Arts.

Damian Rodriguez from Pee-wee As Himself accepts the Emmy for Picture Editing For A Nonfiction Program at the 2025 Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Congratulations and I appreciated Rodriguez tossing the Tootsie Rolls!

Follow over the jump for 100 Foot Wave's Emmy wins.

'Music by John Williams' leads Gold Derby odds for Best Music Film at the GRAMMYs

Yesterday, I asked "More GRAMMY nominees, anyone?" I'm following through with the Gold Derby odds for Best Music Film. Music by John Williams leads as the choice of every expert and editor plus 65.3% of users. Raye: Live at the Royal Albert Hall sits in second as the pick of 26.5% of users, followed by Diane Warren: Relentless with 4.1% of users, Piece by Piece with 2.3%, and Devo with 1.8%. I'm embedding Music by John Williams | Official Trailer | Disney+.

Meet the man behind the music that changed our lives.

A movie about the importance of music in movies? No wonder it's favored. Remember, electorates matter.

Follow over the jump for the relevant passage from 'Pee-wee as Himself' vs. 'Will & Harper' for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special on Tequila Day.

'The Perfect Neighbor' wins five Critics Choice Documentary Awards including Best Documentary

I closed 'SNL' recreates Trump's press conference in its cold open with "Stay tuned as I plan on covering the winners of the 2025 Critics Choice Documentary Awards," so I'm quoting the relevant parts of the press release from the Critics Choice Association.

The Critics Choice Association (CCA) unveiled the winners of the Tenth Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards at a gala event in New York City. The Perfect Neighbor won the top award of the evening, Best Documentary Feature. The film also took home awards in four other categories including Best Director for Geeta Gandbhir, Best Editing for Viridiana Lieberman, Best Archival Documentary, and Best True Crime Documentary.

The only category I clearly called for The Perfect Neighbor was Best True Crime Documentary. I thought it was a co-favorite with Riefenstahl and Orwell: 2+2=5 for Best Director, so no clear call, picked Orwell: 2+2=5 to win Best Documentary and Best Archival Documentary, and made no call for Best Editing, although I'm not surprised; editing is what makes a good archival documentary. Just the same, congratulations and good luck at next year's Emmy Awards, either as Outstanding Crime and Justice Documentary at the News & Doc Emmy Awards or Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special/Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking at the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Follow over the jump for the rest of the winners.

'SNL' recreates Trump's press conference in its cold open

Last night's Saturday Night Live began with Oval Office Press Conference Cold Open.

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 covered many of the same topics in Executive Collapses in Oval Office, Zohran Mamdani Elected New Mayor of NYC.

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.

'SNL' mocks the NYC Mayoral Debate in its cold open

Saturday Night Live returned after a week off with NYC Mayoral Debate Cold Open.

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 Jimmy Hoffa? 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 Phantom of the Opera impression on top of his Trump impression.

Hoover Cleveland returns as the subject of Weekend Update: Trump's Tone-Deaf Bathroom Remodel, S.N.A.P. Benefits.

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.

The news portion took a break for interviews with Weekend Update: Two People Who Just Hooked Up Discuss the Government Shutdown.

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."

The news portion of Weekend Update returned and concluded with Prince Andrew Loses Royal Titles, Special Olympics Slam Kid Rock for Using Slur.

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.