A blog about societal, cultural, and civilizational collapse, and how to stave it off or survive it. Named after the legendary character "Crazy Eddie" in Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's "The Mote in God's Eye." Expect news and views about culture, politics, economics, technology, and science fiction.
John Oliver discusses how the Department of Justice has changed since Trump took office for his second term, how the DOJ seems to be acting on his behalf instead of on behalf of the people, and why we need barbers who use scissors instead of their teeth. You’d think that goes without saying, but we’re afraid it might not.
I've been following the protestsagainstICE and the follies around the ReflectingPool, so I'm familiar with DOJ's legal failures involving them. I also read Marcy "Emptywheel" Wheeler, who has a Weaponized DOJ category on her blog, so I've also read about the cases investigating serious crimes that were dropped to concentrate on immigration and Pervert Hoover's political enemies. While I've encountered Harmeet Dhillon's name and office there, I had no idea she and Pervert Hoover had ended the agreement about septic systems in Alabama because of environmental justice and DEI. As an environmentalist who thinks diversity is a strength, I'm offended. Just the same, thanks to Last Week Tonight's researchers for finding the story.
That's a wrap for today's holiday. Tomorrow is WorldElephantDay, so stay tuned to see if I blog about it.
I'm stepping over the fine line between nonfiction and reality for today's awards show coverage by examining nominations for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
Love on the Spectrum leads with five nominations, followed by Welcome to Wrexham with four, America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked tied at two, and Summer House with just this one. That's close to how the Gold Derby odds rank their odds. Every expert, 83.3% of editors, and 87.6% of users picked Love on the Spectrum to repeat. The editors and users split on which shows could upset the leader. America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is the choice of the remaining 16.7% of editors but no users, while 7.5% regard RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked as the runner-up with Welcome to Wrexham at 4.3% and new nominee Summer House as the selection of the final 0.5%.
I'm glad to see America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleadersrepeat its nomination and Summer House replace The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. The latter was trashy fun, but it struck me as exploition of exploitation.
Follow over the jump for the rest of these shows' nominations.
Slight change of plans from yesterday, when I wrote, "I'll probably examine Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time tomorrow." I decided to highlight the other nominee about Hurricane Katrina, Katrina: Come Hell and High Water, which leads the nominees for Outstanding Social Issue Documentary with three nominations, including Outstanding Direction: Documentary and Outstanding Editing: Documentary in addition to Outstanding Social Issue Documentary. It's followed by The Ride Ahead with two nominations, then Born Poor, Enigma, and Searching for Amani with just this one category nomination. I'm sharing the trailers in that order, beginning with Katrina: Come Hell and High Water | Official Trailer | Netflix.
This is the story of a brutal coastal hurricane turned cataclysmic through human error and neglect. Over the course of a gripping and emotional three episodes, the people of New Orleans recount their past, extoll their present and lean into the future of what they and their beloved city survived and have become 20 years later. The series sets the stage for a tragedy - whose man-made elements expose the systemic governmental neglect that led to the city being defenseless in the face of the storm - and Katrina’s devastating impact that changed New Orleans irreparably. Detailed, harrowing and triumphant first-person accounts and never before seen archive illustrate the magnitude of Katrina, the aftermath of the levees breaking and the bungled recovery.
Katrina was a foreseeable disaster. I remember listening to an NPR story a year or more before Katrina hit explaining how New Orleans' levees were only built to withstand a category three hurricane, so they would fail under a category four or five storm, and describing what would likely happen if — when — one struck. It did. It also mentioned in passing that, while being poor is hard, New Orleans was probably the easiest city to be poor in. Katrina took that away. I've been recommending Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time to my students. Now I can recommend Katrina: Come Hell and High Water to them, too. Welcome to blogging as professional development.
What does adulthood look like when the world isn’t built for your body?
In THE RIDE AHEAD, Samuel Habib is ready for independence as he turns 21—but every rite of passage is complicated by ableist systems and physical barriers. Facing seizures, inaccessible housing, and degrading encounters, he sets out to find community and answers.
With humor, honesty, and a deep commitment to disability justice, Samuel travels across the U.S. to meet activists and role models who help him reimagine what freedom, adulthood, and love can look like.
A coming-of-age story rooted in interdependence, dignity, and the power of community.
As soon as I read the video description, I thought of Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution. Sure enough, the trailer advertises that the co-director of Crip Camp is involved, as is Judith Heumann, who won Most Compelling Living Subject of a Documentary at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards. The trailer also features some of the animation in the movie, which shows me it deserves its second nomination for Outstanding Graphic Design: Documentary.
Meet Brittany, Johnny and Kaylie, whose journeys — filmed across 14 years — are at the heart of the new documentary "Born Poor." Watch the prologue now.
This journalism is made possible by viewers like you. Support your local PBS station here: https://www.pbs.org/donate
The 90-minute documentary "Born Poor" premieres Tues., Oct. 7, 2025 on @frontline's YouTube channel, in the PBS App, at pbs.org/frontline and on PBS stations. The film follows these three kids from three families across three chapters of their lives — from childhood through the teen years to young adulthood — and offers a powerful, personal and longitudinal look at the realities of growing up in poverty in the U.S.
“Born Poor” is a FRONTLINE production with True Vision Productions. The director is Jezza Neumann. The producers are Jezza Neumann and Lauren Mucciolo. The senior producer is Frank Koughan. The editor-in-chief and executive producer of FRONTLINE is Raney Aronson-Rath.
This looked familiar, but I probably am misremembering FRONTLINE's "Two American Families: 1991-2024," nominated in this category last year. FRONTLINE does good work examining poverty and society.
A thirteen-year-old aspiring journalist investigates his father’s mysterious murder within the boundaries of one of Kenya’s largest wildlife conservancies. As a ravaging drought encroaches, his quest to find the killer shifts and an activist is born as the collateral damage of a warming world is revealed.
Looks like I found another movie I can recommend to my students. Again, welcome to blogging as professional development, even if I'm only planning on teaching one more semester, which begins Monday.
Now to examine the other nominations for Katrina: Come Hell and High Water and The Ride Ahead.
Outstanding Editing: Documentary
Cover-Up Netflix [Plan B | Netflix | Praxis Films] Folktales Loki Films [Fifth Season | Impact Partners | Topic Studios] Katrina: Come Hell and High Water Netflix [Netflix | Message Pictures] Life After Multitude Films | PBS [ITVS] Love + War Little Monster Films [National Geographic] 2000 Meters to Andriivka FRONTLINE FEATURES | PBS [Associated Press] Thoughts & Prayers HBO Documentary Films [Tony Tina] The White House Effect Actual Films | Netflix [Netflix | The Department of Motion Pictures]
I think 2000 Meters to Andriivka is the favorite, if only because it's the only nominee also nominated for Best Editing at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards and I suspect 2000 Meters to Andriivka might sweep its categories.
Sally should just be happy to be nominated in this category. 2000 Meters to Andriivka has six nominations, including Best Documentary. Life After has four, also including Best Documentary, as does The Stringer. Katrina: Come Hell and High Water and Vietnam: The War That Changed America both tied Sally with three. Apocalypse in the Tropics and Music Box: It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley have just this one. Out of this field, 2000 Meters to Andriivka is my provisional favorite.
Outstanding Graphic Design: Documentary
Antidote/Kill List
FRONTLINE FEATURES | PBS [Passion Pictures | Bellingcat] The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets
Texas Crew Productions [Peacock Original | New York Post Entertainment | G Unit Film & Television, Inc.] The Ride Ahead
LikeRightNow Films Titanic: The Digital Resurrection
Atlantic Productions [National Geographic] Underdogs
Wildstar Films [Maximum Effort | National Geographic] In Waves and War
Studio AKA [Netflix | Actual Films]
This is likely to be Underdogs' best shot to win, but it faces a tough competitor in Titanic: The Digital Resurrection. Either way, National Geographic would win.
The Ride Ahead's animation looks impressive and fun and it advances the narrative well, so I wouldn't count it out.
I found an entry about Hurricane Katrina among the most read during the 15th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News, so I'm featuring it and another from the back catalog at the intersection of entertainment, climatechange and extremeweather over the jump.
In this episode of Retail Archaeology we take a look at Target.
I found the AI summary more informative.
Retail Archaeology explores the history of the Target Corporation, from its roots as the Dayton Company to modern retail shifts. The video examines store operations, grocery section changes, the partnership with CVS, and the evolving presence of boutique departments like Ulta Beauty within Target locations.
Erik actually did a better job at researching and presenting the history of the Dayton Company and its transition to Target Corporation than Company Man. I don't think I've ever seen Erik being a better historian than Company Man Mike before. I've also never seen him delve into politics as deeply as in this video, which the AI summary missed. I'm being a good environmentalist and recycling what I wrote on Black Friday/Buy Nothing Day for my reaction.
[T]his is the first time I've seen Company Man Mike list DEI initiatives, or rather their abandonment, as contributing to a company's problems. I'm not surprised, as my wife and I shifted our shopping from Target to Costco because the former abandoned DEI. We did the same for Amazon: "My wife and I have decided to cut back on our Amazon purchases and will re-evaluate our Amazon Prime membership when it expires this summer. Jeff Bezos rolling over for Hoover Cleveland pissed us off."* Our disappointment extended to Whole Foods, which is owned by Amazon. Target should have realized that knuckling under to Donald "Hoover Cleveland" Trump would have had a major effect because of their customer base, the people like me who call the company "Tar-zhey" and declare "between Walmart and KMart, I shop at Target." Now I'm shopping at none of them.
...
*This is the mirror image of "Losing Identity, Alienating Core Customers, [and] Negative Publicity" in Company Man wonders 'Cracker Barrel - The Rise and Fall?' A tale of the Retail Apocalypse and consumer pressure, all of which upset conservatives.
Erik agrees that Target made a dumb move by abandoning DEI. He also passed along that the boycott seems to be winding down because of the new CEO. Good. I've only shopped at Target once since Black Friday. That was because my wife was unable to physically shop at Costco for three months and she has the membership card, so I went there when I was in the neighborhood. Listening to Erik listing the lost sales revenue and stock value makes me think that Target has been punished enough and has learned its lesson. I certainly hope so.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
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!
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.
“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
One of the country's biggest retailers has been having issues. This video explores the recent struggles behind Target.
I couldn't resist this bar chart showing the top ten chains/companies by 2024 retail sales.
I've blogged about Walmart, Amazon, Kroger, CVS, Walgreens, and now Target. I've mentioned Costco, Home Depot, and Lowe's, but not Albertsons, until now. That's a company that does not operate under that name, or the other names I'm familiar with — Vons, Pavilions, and Jewel/Osco — in Michigan, so I haven't had an opportunity. On the other hand, Costco, Home Depot, and Lowe's are now on my to-do list, especially Costco.
There is also an AI summary.
Target's recent struggles are explored, examining the retailer's history from its 1960s origins to its current challenges. The video analyzes several contributing factors, including leadership changes and economic shifts impacting discretionary spending. A look at DEI initiatives and customer experience reveals further complexities in Target's current situation.
That's a good summary that reflects Company Man Mike's list closely.
Company Man has listed leadership as an issue threetimesbefore — four times if one includes the criminals running Crazy Eddie's — so I'm not surprised, but this example looks like the investors not having confidence more than Michael Fiddelke being an inherently bad choice. "Discretionary items" ties into tariffs and inflation, which have been an issue for other chains like At Home, Kohl's, Joann, and Claire's. None of the above are unique.
On the other hand, this is the first time I've seen Company Man Mike list DEI initiatives, or rather their abandonment, as contributing to a company's problems. I'm not surprised, as my wife and I shifted our shopping from Target to Costco because the former abandoned DEI. We did the same for Amazon: "My wife and I have decided to cut back on our Amazon purchases and will re-evaluate our Amazon Prime membership when it expires this summer. Jeff Bezos rolling over for Hoover Cleveland pissed us off."* Our disappointment extended to Whole Foods, which is owned by Amazon. Target should have realized that knuckling under to Donald "Hoover Cleveland" Trump would have had a major effect because of their customer base, the people like me who call the company "Tar-zhey" and declare "between Walmart and KMart, I shop at Target." Now I'm shopping at none of them.
Seeing customer satisfaction as reason number four reminds me of this graph that I embedded last year.
Costco treats its employees well while offering a great shopping experience, so I'm not surprised it's in first. My wife and I would shop there more often if it had a closer location and we ever needed to buy in bulk.
Or if we had a reason to boycott Target and Whole Foods, which happened this year.
Democrats swept key races on Tuesday night, gaining momentum against President Trump. Zohran Mamdani won the NYC mayoral race, while the party notched victories in Virginia and New Jersey governor's races. The Morning Joe panel discusses.
While I selected this video for the preview image, which made a great visual headline, I'm glad I selected it because the panel told a much bigger story of victories for Democrats, democracy, and diversity. In addition to Democratic wins in New Jersey, New York, and Virginia, which added the first female Governor and Muslim Attorney General in Virginia, first female Democratic Governor in New Jersey, and first Muslim Mayor of New York City, former U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill listed victories for Democrats, voting rights, and gun control in Maine and Georgia. Joe Scarborough added that the Pennsylvania voters retained three Democratic State Supreme Court Justices in Pennsylvania. It's not just blue states that voted for Democrats and against Hoover Cleveland and his policies. Speaking of pushing back, Mika mentioned Proposition 50 passing in California, which counteracted Texas's redistricting to gain more Republican seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Fight fire with fire!
One of the notable results in New Jersey was the swing of Latino voters toward Democrats. That reminds me of what I wrote last year.
Latino support for Trump was even more pronounced in Michigan, where exit polling showed 62% of Michigan Latinos voting for Trump. That could be enough to swing the state to him...For Latinos, there is nothing I can do that Trump and his core supporters would do more effectively except be a positive example. Who knows, Trump might actually overcome his bigotry and cater to his new voters. We should be so lucky.
We, including Donald "Hoover Cleveland" Trump, the rest of the Republican Party, and Latinos themselves, were not that lucky. As Scarborough pointed out, Hoover Cleveland and Stephen Miller couldn't help themselves. This is still a democracy and the voters pushed back.
Detroit made history Tuesday night by electing its first woman mayor, marking a significant milestone as the city continues its post-bankruptcy revival. The Associated Press called the race at 9:17 p.m., about an hour after polls closed. Mary Sheffield built on her primary success by securing more than 75% of the vote over Solomon Kinloch Jr. Sheffield addressed the city for the first time just minutes after the race was called, celebrating the victory and the opportunity to lead Detroit into its next chapter. But Detroit was not the only community making decisions Tuesday. More than a dozen other cities also voted on new mayors and important proposals that could shape their neighborhoods for years to come.
Congratulations, Mayor-elect Mary Sheffield! Add your victory to those of Mikey Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger to history-making wins by women!
The Hamtramck mayoral race remains undecided, with dozens of rejected ballots potentially impacting the outcome in what has become a razor-thin contest. Adam Alharbi currently leads Muhith Mahmood by just 11 votes with all five precincts reporting, but city officials say the final results could change as voters have an opportunity to correct rejected ballots.
File this story under every vote counts.
That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned for Vox and the Marsh Family on free speech tomorrow.
2022 winner Love on the Spectrum leads with five nominations, followed by defending winner Welcome to Wrexham with three, 2021 winner RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked with two, and newcomers America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives with just this one. That's pretty much the order that Gold Derby predicts for the nominees. Half of the experts, 85.7% of the editors, and 77.4% of the users have chosen Love on the Spectrum to walk off the stage with the statuette. The other half of the experts, including Joyce Eng, 14.3% of the editors, and 12.8% of the users expect two-time winner Welcome to Wrexham will repeat. RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked has the support of 6.8% of users, while long shots The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders currently have the votes of 2.2% and 0.8% of users, respectively.
Support behind Love on the Spectrum consolidated by the Creative Arts ceremony, when 77.8% of experts, 83.3% of editors, and 85.6% of users had jumped on the bandwagon. Welcome to Wrexham still had significant support with 22.2% of experts, 16.7% of editors, and 11.0% backing it. The rest of the nominees lost their voters, with only 2.0% of users still picking RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked, 1.0% choosing The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, and 0.3% hanging on to America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. The prognosticators picked correctly, as Love on the Spectrum won.
Karina Holden ('Love on the Spectrum' executive producer) tells how the series is a learning experience for her. In 2022, the show won big at the Creative Arts Emmys by winning all three of its nominations, including Unstructured Reality Program. Gold Derby contributor Charles Bright hosts this interview as part of our "Meet the Experts" Emmy nominees panel for reality/nonfiction.
This is the video I should have embedded in 'The Traitors' won two Emmy Awards for National Coming Out Day to celebrate the show's Emmys for Outstanding Casting for a Reality Program and Outstanding Directing for a Reality Program. Better late than never. Speaking of casting...
Outstanding Casting for a Reality Program
The Amazing Race – Jesse Tannenbaum, Alex Stiner, Kayla Kellerbauer, and Pollyanna Jacobs (CBS)
Love on the Spectrum – Cian O'Clery, Sean Bowman, and Emma Choate (Netflix)
Queer Eye – Danielle Gervais, Jessica Jorgenson, Natalie Pino, and Brian Puentes (Netflix)
RuPaul's Drag Race – Goloka Bolte, Adam Cook, and Michelle Redwine (MTV)
Survivor – Jesse Tannenbaum, Caitlin Moore, Penni Lane Clifton, and Daniel Gradias (CBS)
The team from Love On The Spectrum accepts the Emmy for Casting For A Reality Program at the 2025 Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
I appreciated having Marlee Matlin and Nyle DiMarco, himself an Emmy nominee for Deaf President Now!, present. They exemplify another dimenson of diversity. So do the cast of Love on the Spectrum, who accepted the award along with the casting directors. Congratulations!
Since today is a late celebration of National Sports Day, it's time to acknowledge the Emmy Awards won by Welcome to Wrexham.
Outstanding Picture Editing for an Unstructured Reality Program
Deadliest Catch – Rob Butler, Isaiah Camp, Josh Stockero, Alexander Rubinow, Hugh Elliott, Nico Natale, Brock Carter, Christopher James Forrest, and Chris Courtner (Discovery Channel)
Life Below Zero: "The Last Snow" – Matt Edwards, Matt Mercer, Jennifer Nelson, Michael Swingler, and Tanner Roth (National Geographic)
Love on the Spectrum: "Episode 7" – Leanne Cole, Rachel Grierson-Johns, Gretchen Peterson, and John Rosser (Netflix)
RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked: "Drag Baby Mamas" – Miguel Siqueiros, Jimmy Bazan, and Johanna Gavard (MTV)
Welcome to Wrexham: "Down to the Wire" – Sam Fricke, Jenny Krochmal, Mohamed el Manasterly, Michael Oliver, Tim Roche, Matt Wafaie, Steve Welch, and Tim Wilsbach (FX
This is the other category where the top three nominees for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program are competing with each other. Since Welcome to Wrexham is the two-time defending winner, I'm predicting it will three-peat. My second choice is 2022's winner, Love on the Spectrum. My third choice is 2021's winner, Life Below Zero. Sorry, RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked, I think Deadliest Catch has a better chance.
The team from Welcome To Wrexham accepts the Emmy for Picture Editing For An Unstructured Reality Program at the 2025 Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
That was inspiring. Congratulations!
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Reality Program
The Amazing Race – Jim Ursulak, Allie Boettger, Paul Bruno, John Buchanan, Dean Gaveau, Ryan P. Kelly, Marcus Lominy, Richard Chardy Lopez, Mickey McMullen, Sean Milburn, Paul Orozco, Simon Paine, John Pitron, Jeff Zipp, Troy Smith, and Ryan Gerle (CBS)
American Idol: "Grand Finale" – Patrick Smith, Randy Faustino, Michael Parker, Manny Barrajas, Christian Schrader, Jesse Dunham, Barry Weir Jr., and Adrian Ordonez (ABC)
Deadliest Catch: "My Brother's Keeper" – Jared Robbins (Discovery Channel)
The Voice: "Live Finale, Part 2" – Michael Abbott, Randy Faustino, Tim Hatayama, Christian Schrader, Carlos Torres, Andrew Fletcher, Shaun Sebastian, Kenyata Westbrook, Colin Bonney, Servio Escobedo, John Koster, Robert P. Matthews Jr., Marlon Moore, and Ryan Young (NBC)
Welcome to Wrexham: "Down to the Wire" – Mark Jensen (FX)
I may be featuring the Twitter/X promotional image for Deadliest Catch, but Welcome to Wrexham is the two-time defending winner here, too. The only nominees that might prevent it from three-peating this category are American Idol and The Voice, and only if the voters settle on which is the better singing competition show.
Mark Jensen, CAS accepts the Emmy for Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Reality Program at the 2025 Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
Congratulations!
That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned for the Sunday entertainment feature to see if I continue my Creative Arts Emmy Awards coverage, shift to the Daytime Emmys, or do something else entirely.
Previous posts about the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards
The main RuPaul's Drag Race leads with eight nominations. Add in RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked and the franchise has ten total. The Amazing Race sits in second with six. Defending winner The Traitors follows with five ahead of Survivor with four. Top Chef trails the field with three.
Gold Derby's odds scramble this order with 90% of experts, 83.3% of editors, and 83.6% of users expecting last year's winner The Traitors to repeat, 10% of experts and 10.1% of users think long-time winnerRuPaul's Drag Race will return to the podium, 16.7% of editors and 2.1% chose Survivor, which replaced The Voice, to come from not being nominated last year to win in an upset, 2.8% of users picked Top Chef, and 1.4% of users have The Amazing Race in the back of the pack.
That was in August. By the time of the ceremony, every editor and expert along with 95.6% of users had chosen The Traitors. That confirms what I wrote in August: "If I were a Gold Derby user, I'd vote for The Traitors." So did the Television Academy electorate. Watch The Traitors win Reality Competition Program: 77th Emmy Awards.
The team from The Traitors accepts the Emmy for Reality Competition Program at the 77th Emmy Awards.
It was worth watching that for Leanne Morgan, whose Netflix series I expect will earn Emmy nominations next year. As for Alan Cummings and the rest of the crew of The Traitors, congratulations on this award and the rest of those its broom caught up on its sweep!
The nominees are the same as last year and the year before, although the number of nominations per show differs. Queer Eye leads with three nominations, Shark Tank has two, and the rest have only this one. Despite not having the lead in nominations, Gold Derby is picking Shark Tank to win, as all the editors, 75% of the experts, and 80.7% of the users have chosen it to repeat last year's surprise win. One-quarter of the experts and 11.4% of users think Queer Eye will return to the podium. Love Is Blind is the choice of 3.5% of users, followed by Antiques Roadshow with the support of 2.7% of users and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives backed by 1.7%. I'm with the sharks.
Opinion at Gold Derby continued to consolidate around Shark Tank as 88.9% of experts and 90.3% of users had joined all the editors in the feeding frenzy around the sharks winning, while only 11.1% of experts and 7.0% of users remained with Queer Eye. The latter ended up being right. Watch Queer Eye blow the sharks out of the water as the show wins Structured Reality Program: 2025 Creative Arts.
The team from Queer Eye accepts the Emmy for Structured Reality Program at the 2025 Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
I'm glad to have been wrong, but I'm not sure about the majority at Gold Derby. Just the same, congratulations!
Back to The Traitors.
Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program
RuPaul Charles – RuPaul's Drag Race (MTV)
Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Kevin O'Leary, Barbara Corcoran, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John, and Daniel Lubetzky – Shark Tank (ABC)
Alan Cumming – The Traitors (Peacock)
Kristen Kish – Top Chef (Bravo)
Jeff Probst – Survivor (CBS)
The only award the sharks are likely to win is a game of "one of these things is not like the others," as they are the only hosts of a structured reality program nominated; all the rest are hosts of competition shows. Gold Derby has them in last place with only 0.2% of users placing long-shot bets on them. Alan Cumming of The Traitors is the choice of every editor and expert along with 87.2% of users. RuPaul Charles of RuPaul's Drag Race has the support of 8.2% of users, followed by Jeff Probst of Survivor with 2.3%, Kristen Kish of Top Chef with 2.1%, and the poor sharks in last.
More users have jumped on the Alan Cumming bandwagon, as 88.0% now pick him to win. That support has come at the expense of RuPaul and Jeff Probst, who now have only 7.6% and 2.1%, respectively, of users's votes.
Ronny Chieng recaps Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump's sudden gathering of top military leaders, where the president announced his intention to use Democrat-run cities as training grounds for the National Guard, and where Secretary of War Pete Hegseth fat-shamed troops, hawked his book, and made cringey jokes.
The game of musical chairs Donald "Hoover Cleveland" Trump has been playing with the lawyers in the Department of Justice reminds me of what I wrote in Noah, Meyers, Colbert, and Kimmel mock Trump's lawyers for his second impeachment trial: "Trump doesn't want to listen to his lawyers. He wants lawyers who listen to him. He should be careful what he wishes for. I think he's getting them, and they're not that good." I think he cares more that they're good looking and obedient than if they're competent. That means his lawfare is unlikely to result in convictions.
The same appears to be true about Hoover Cleveland's military leaders; he and Hegseth want them good-looking and obedient. Competence is optional.
So is diversity. Hearing Hegseth call "our diversity is our strength" and calling for the "de-woke-ification" of the military reminds me of 'The New USDOT Is Coming for Your "Woke" Projects'. If Hoover Cleveland and his appointees don't like something, it's "woke" and must be eliminated.
As Republicans prepared to shut down the government, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth threw out the rule book in his speech to a gathering of America’s military leadership. At that same event, top officials also heard from President Trump in a low-energy speech where he threatened to use the Armed Forces against U.S. citizens and lamented not being able to use the “n-word.”
Stephen Colbert and Jimmy are simultaneously going to be guests on each other’s shows tonight, Guillermo makes his big entrance as a pizza chef, we are moments away from a government shutdown, all the top military leaders were pulled together for a mandatory meeting with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Trump showed up to lecture the generals about getting into shape, he mused about the N word, and we get a visit from California Governor Gavin Newsom (Josh Meyers) and a very special surprise appearance from Seth Meyers.
It was about time I welcomed Jimmy K back to the blog after three postsabouthis suspension. Also, for those of you missing Seth Meyers, he's here along with his brother. All three of my favorite late night broadcast network talk show hosts were on this episode. Solidarity!
The prognosticators at Gold Derby have split on the likely winner, but agree that it's a two-show race between Severance and The Pitt with 60.0% of the editors, 41.7% of the experts, and 64.0% of the users selecting Severance, while half the experts, 40.0% of the editors, and 32.4% of the users think The Pitt will win. The remaining expert (8.3%) and 1.6% of users picked The Last of Us to place third in the odds. The White Lotus has the support of 1.1% of users, followed by Andor with 0.5%, Slow Horses with 0.4%, and both Paradise and The Diplomat with none.
The Pitt accepts the Emmy for Drama Series at the 77th Emmy Awards.
Congratulations to the cast, crew, and producers of The Pitt on a well-deserved win!
Kathy Bates, the only nomination for Matlock, leads with 83.3% of experts, 80.0% of editors, and 71.6% of users expecting her to win. Britt Lower sits in second with 20.0% of editors, 8.3% of experts, and 23.9% of users picking here. Bella Ramsey also has 8.3% of experts voting for her, but only 3.3% of users. Keri Russell has the support of 1.1% of users, while Sharon Horgan, Bad Sisters' sole nominee, only has 0.1%. Lower will only win in a Severance sweep, which the Gold Derby experts doubt will happen.
I was wrong about Lower only winning in a Severance sweep, although Gold Derby was right about that sweep not happening and this being a two-actress contest. Watch Lower win Lead Actress In A Drama Series: 77th Emmy Awards.
Britt Lower accepts the Emmy for Lead Actress In A Drama Series for Severance at the 77th Emmy Awards.
Yes, Queen! Not only were the nominees electrifying, so were you. That's how to introduce a category! Congratulations to Lower, who defied Gold Derby's expectations and mine by winning and writing "Let Me Out" on the back of her acceptance speech. Nice Easter egg!
Every editor, 92.3% of experts, and 82.0% of users want Noah Wylie, while 7.7% of experts and 15.2% of users selected Adam Scott. Pedro Pascal is a distant third with 2.3% of users, followed by Sterling K. Brown and Gary Oldman tied at 0.3%. I'm picking Wylie.
Noah Wyle accepts the Emmy for Lead Actor In A Drama Series for The Pitt at the 77th Emmy Awards.
I'm embarassed to write that I've been a fan of Wyle's since I watched him in both Falling Skies and The Librarians a decade ago and I'm still misspelling his name. Oops. Both of those roles inspired me to think of him as an educated man of action, a characterization that his role in E.R. cemented. He is still that in The Pitt and it paid off with his first acting Emmy. Congratulations!
Carrie Coon currently leads as the choice of 60.0% of editors, 58.3% of experts, and 70.4% of users, but Gold Derby thinks she has competition, as 33.3% of experts, 30.0% of editors, and 13.4% of users chose Katherine LaNasa and 10.0% of editors, 8.3% of experts, and 12.8% picked Parker Posey — a three-way race! A sweep by Severance seems unlikely, as only 1.9% of users made an argument for Patricia Arquette. The users give the rest of the nominees less than a 1.0% chance with Aimee Lou Wood at 0.8%, Natasha Rothwell at 0.4%, and Julianne Nicholson, who has already won an Emmy for Hacks, at 0.3%. I enjoyed Parker Posey the most, but Carrie Coon displayed more range.
I suspect vote-splitting between The White Lotus nominees allowed Gold Derby's second choice to win, which takes nothing away from her performance. Watch LaNasa win Supporting Actress In A Drama Series: 77th Emmy Awards.
Katherine LaNasa accepts the Emmy for Supporting Actress In A Drama Series for The Pitt at the 77th Emmy Awards.
Wednesday and Morticia! It was worth watching this clip for this pairing alone. As for LaNasa, she reminds me of my ex-wife the nurse in a good way. I don't know if I've ever written that before. In this case, it works for making her role more authentic.
Gold Derby's odds-makers see a two-way contest for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, with Tramell Tillman taking 70.0% of editors, 50.0% of experts, and 53.1% of users while Walton Goggins is walking away with 50.0% of experts, 30.0% of editors, and 43.6% of users. That's quite a split! The rest of the field consists of Sam Rockwell with 1.2%, John Turturro and James Marsden tied at 0.7%, Jason Isaacs with 0.6%, and Zach Cherry at 0.1%. My wife and I watched all of The White Lotus, and we found Goggins compelling.
Tramell Tillman accepts the Emmy for Supporting Actor In A Drama Series for Severance at the 77th Emmy Awards.
I think I'd rather watch J.B. Smoove host the Emmys than Neal Bargatze. I'm also glad Tillman won; he gave a great acceptance speech. Not only did he win an Emmy on his first nomination, a personal first, he achieved a historic first.
For his chilling performance as the hypnotic and unnervingly cheerful Seth Milchick in Apple TV+’s genre-defying drama “Severance,” Tramell Tillman won the Emmy for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series, becoming the first Black man ever to win in the category. It was the only acting field that had yet to honor a Black performer in the Emmys’ 77-year history.
Congratulations!
The experts at Gold Derby worried that two nominated episodes for both Severance and The Pitt would split the vote. It's certainly splitting theirs, as 75.0% of experts, 70.0% of editors, and 81.3% of users voted for the "Cold Harbor" episode of Severance while 10.0% of editors and 2.5% of users chose "Chikhai Bardo." Between the two entries, 80.0% of editors, 75.0% of experts, and 83.8% of users are supporing Severance. The Pitt suffers less from vote splitting, with 25.0% of experts, 20.0% of editors, and 12.3% of users picking "6:00 P.M." but only 0.8% of users selecting "7:00 A.M." The White Lotus is fourth among nominees but third among series with 1.4% of users, followed by Andor with 1.1% and Slow Horses with 0.4%.
It looks like vote splitting assisting insider opinion allowed Gold Derby's last choice to win. Watch Adam Randall of Slow Horses surprise in Directing For A Drama Series: 77th Emmy Awards.
Adam Randall accepts the Emmy for Directing For A Drama Series for Slow Horses at the 77th Emmy Awards.
I've been curious about Slow Horses ever since I watched the trailer for its first season, which used "Six Underground" for its background music. This win might be enough to get my wife and me to watch it. Fortuitously, season five premieres tonight.
Speaking of getting my wife and me to watch something...
Severance leads Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series, which Gold Derby thinks is a three-way contest, supported by 90.0% of editors, 66.7% of experts, and 81.9% of users. The Pitt sits in second as the pick of 25.0% of experts and 10.9% of users, while this category may be Andor's best chance at an Emmy, as 10.0% of editors, 8.3% of experts, which might be the same person given the overlap between the two groups, and 2.9% of users anticipate its upsetting the two leaders. The rest of the field all have at least 1% support, with The White Lotus with 1.7%, a second episode of The Pitt at 1.6%, and Slow Horses at 1.0%. Vote splitting doesn't seem to be hurting The Pitt much.
My wife and I couldn't get past the second episode of "Andor." It was too slow a burn for us and not escapist enough. On the other hand, the critics and entertainment professionals love it...
Watching Hasan, Tracy Brown, and Wajahat Ali dissect "Andor" and relate it to real-life struggles against occupation and oppression make me interested in resuming the series. I've heard that the show gets more interesting after the second episode and looking at it as a serious political allegory would probably increase my appreciation for it.
My wife and I have been watching the reception for Andor, and are now wondering if we should start watching it again. On the one hand, this win could persuade us. On the other, Disney's treatment of Kimmel convinced us to consider canceling our Disney+ subscription. If we are still upset next month, we will stop paying, Kimmel's return last night not withstanding, which means we won't watch any Disney+ or Hulu content, including Andor. Just the same, congratulations to Gilroy on his win.
That's a wrap for today's post. I plan on taking a break from the Emmys tomorrow and Friday. I expect to return to entertainment Saturday and Sunday, but at least one of those days will be devoted to the Environmental Media Association Awards nominees. Stay tuned.
Previous posts about the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards
