'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert's final Emmy nominations

I'm returning to awards show coverage with the final Emmy nominations for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. I begin by sharing For Your Emmy Consideration: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, which might be the last video ever uploaded to the show's YouTube account.

A look back at some of the best moments from the final season of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert!

That was fun and I already miss Stephen. My monologue posts are not the same without him.

Follow over the jump for the show's final Emmy nominations.

Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show leads Outstanding Variety Special (Live) at the Emmys

I'm revisiting Drink to Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show's Emmy nominations on National Piña Colada Day for this week's Sunday entertainment feature.

I begin with Gold Derby reporting Bad Bunny bouncing towards the Emmys as his Super Bowl halftime show scores unprecedented 9 nominations...

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

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

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

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

Every expert and editor along with 94.7% of users have chosen The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny, to use its official name, to win. The Oscars follow with 2.6% of users, then the 83rd Annual Golden Globe Awards and 78th Annual Tony Awards tie at 1.3%; no one is picking the 68th Annual Grammy Awards.

Now for the rest of the show's nominations from 78th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special

• The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny – Hamish Hamilton (NBC)
• Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable... – Rikki Hughes (Netflix)
• Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour: The Final Show – Glenn Weiss (Disney+)
• 78th Annual Tony Awards – Glenn Weiss (CBS)
• Wanda Sykes: Legacy – Julie Dash (Netflix)

Once again, every expert and editor plus 94.3% of users have Hamish Hamilton taking home the statuette. Glenn Weiss for both Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour: The Final Show and 78th Annual Tony Awards ties himself at 2.9% each, so he has a combined 6.8% chance, while no one thinks Rikki Hughes for Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable... and Julie Dash for Wanda Sykes: Legacy have a chance.

Outstanding Music Direction

• The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny – Miguel Gandelman (NBC)
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Series Finale" – Louis Cato (CBS)
• The Oscars – Michael Bearden (ABC)
• Saturday Night Live: "Host: Jack Black" – Lenny Pickett, Leon Pendarvis, Eli Brueggemann, and Maddie Rice (NBC)
• Wicked: One Wonderful Night – Stephen Oremus (NBC)

For the third and final time, every expert and editor along with 90.1% of users think The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny will win, giving Miguel Gandelman an Emmy. Wicked: One Wonderful Night notched 9.1% of users, The Oscars 0.8%, and the rest of the field earned no votes at all.

Follow over the jump for the craft categories.

'Jeopardy!' predicted to repeat as Outstanding Game Show at the Emmy Awards

I closed Gold Derby predicts 'Antiques Roadshow' will win Outstanding Structured Reality Program at the Emmys by telling my readers, "Stay tuned to see if I continue tomorrow with the reality competition category." I decided that was too big a bite to chew today — RuPaul's Drag Race alone has nine Emmy nominations — so I decided to blog about the next best thing, game shows. Here are their nominations at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Outstanding Game Show

• Celebrity Family Feud (ABC)
• Jeopardy! (ABC / Syndicated)
• The Price Is Right (CBS)
• Wheel of Fortune (ABC)
• Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (ABC)

Celebrity Family Feud, Jeopardy!, and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire co-lead with two nominations, while The Price Is Right and Wheel of Fortune have only this one. Jeopardy! is the defending winner, so it's my default choice to win. The Gold Derby oddsmakers agree, as every expert and editor plus 97.6% of users think it will repeat. The rest of the users split between Celebrity Family Feud with 1.5% and Wheel of Fortune with 1.0%. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and The Price Is Right have no votes. That's overwhelming!

Outstanding Host for a Game Show

• Steve Harvey – Celebrity Family Feud (ABC)
• Ken Jennings – Jeopardy! (ABC / Syndicated)
• Colin Jost – Pop Culture Jeopardy! (Netflix)
• Jimmy Kimmel – Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (ABC)
• Martin Short – Match Game (ABC)

On the other hand, Gold Derby does not think Jimmy Kimmel will repeat. Instead, every expert, 83.3% of editors, and 89.7% of users expect Martin Short will win. The editors and users split on the runner up. The remaining 16.7% of editors plus 3.3% of users think Ken Jennings will finally walk off the podium with an Emmy, while 4.7% of users pick Jimmy Kimmel to repeat. Steve Harvey, who regularly won this award when it was part of the Daytime Emmy Award, has user support of 1.4%. Electorates matter. Colin Jost sits last with 0.9% of users.

That's a wrap for today. I plan on continuing awards show coverage tomorrow, but not the Emmys. Instead, the Critics Choice Super Awards winners will be announced later today, so I'm going to shift focus to those this weekend. Stay tuned.

Previous posts about the 2026 Primetime and Creative Arts Emmy Awards

• 'The Tale of Silyan' vs 'The Librarians' for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking at the Emmy Awards
• Drink to Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show's Emmy nominations on National Piña Colada Day
• 'Desi Lydic Foxsplains Trump's Big Beautiful Ballroom' plus the short form nominees at the Emmy Awards
• 'Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: Give the Man a Prize' plus the Emmy nominees for Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special
• 'Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age' earned two Emmy nominations for its VFX and music
• 'Oceans with David Attenborough' tied with 'Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!' for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special
• 'Mr. Scorsese' vs. 'The American Revolution' for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series plus Data Centers on Earth Overshoot Day
• 'The Daily Show' examines Fauci's testimony and RFK Hospital plus Emmy nominations for 'The Daily Show'
• John Oliver examines 'Trump & Crypto' plus Emmy nominations for 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'
• Gold Derby predicts 'Antiques Roadshow' will win Outstanding Structured Reality Program at the Emmys

Gold Derby predicts 'Antiques Roadshow' will win Outstanding Structured Reality Program at the Emmys

I told my readers to "Stay tuned for the nominees in Structured Reality Program" at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards for today's post, so here they are.

Outstanding Structured Reality Program

• Antiques Roadshow (PBS)
• Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (Food Network)
• Love Is Blind (Netflix)
• Queer Eye (Netflix)
• Shark Tank (ABC)

These are the only nominations for these shows, so I can't use their other nominations to handicap them. While Queer Eye won last year, the Gold Derby odds doubt it will repeat. Instead, 71.4% of experts, 66.7% of editors, and 75.4% of users expect Antiques Roadshow will win. The remaining experts are split with 14.3% each forecasting Queer Eye and Love Is Blind. The users break that tie with 14.8% backing Queer Eye and 6.6% loving Love Is Blind. 33.3% of editors and 3.3% of users selected Shark Tank. No one thinks Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives will win. Always a nominee, never a winner.

That's a wrap for today's installment. Stay tuned to see if I continue tomorrow with the reality competition category.

Previous posts about the 2026 Primetime and Creative Arts Emmy Awards

• 'The Tale of Silyan' vs 'The Librarians' for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking at the Emmy Awards
• Drink to Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show's Emmy nominations on National Piña Colada Day
• 'Desi Lydic Foxsplains Trump's Big Beautiful Ballroom' plus the short form nominees at the Emmy Awards
• 'Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: Give the Man a Prize' plus the Emmy nominees for Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special
• 'Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age' earned two Emmy nominations for its VFX and music
• 'Oceans with David Attenborough' tied with 'Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!' for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special
• 'Mr. Scorsese' vs. 'The American Revolution' for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series plus Data Centers on Earth Overshoot Day
• 'The Daily Show' examines Fauci's testimony and RFK Hospital plus Emmy nominations for 'The Daily Show'
• John Oliver examines 'Trump & Crypto' plus Emmy nominations for 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'

'Love on the Spectrum' leads Unstructured Reality Program at the Emmy Awards

I'm stepping over the fine line between nonfiction and reality for today's awards show coverage by examining nominations for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program

• America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (Netflix)
• Love on the Spectrum (Netflix)
• RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked (MTV)
• Summer House (Bravo)
• Welcome to Wrexham (FX)

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 Cheerleaders repeat 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.

John Oliver examines 'Trump & Crypto' plus Emmy nominations for 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'

As I promised yesterday, I'm resuming awards show coverage as the Sunday entertainment feature. I begin with the most recent video from today's featured nominee, Trump & Crypto: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO).

John Oliver discusses how the Trump family’s cryptocurrency ventures have overshadowed their other businesses, how they’ve created massive conflicts of interest for the Trump administration, and what it all has to do with Fartcoin.

Five years ago, Donald "Pervert Hoover" Trump was skeptical, if not downright hostile to cryptocurrency. Three years ago, he was all in. In between, a lot of cryptocurrency money poured into campaigns. I'm sure that helped change a lot of politicians' minds, including Pervert Hoover, but I'm with John; it was mostly what crypto could do for his personal and family fortunes that did the trick. That turned out to be correct. File that under "even a stuck clock is right twice a day."

Purchases of Trump family memecoins are not only making Pervert Hoover, his wife, and sons rich, they're buying access. They're also affecting legal actions, which intersects with Trump's pardons. I'm recycling what I wrote about Bitconned in 'Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy' leads Outstanding Business and Economic Documentary nominees at the News & Doc Emmy Awards.

This reminds me of McMillion$, an examination of an elaborate scam and the scammers behind it. It also shows the fine line between business and the economy on one side and crime and justice on the other. I'm not surprised the two intersected at cryptocurrency.

Or that they intersected the Trump family business, either.

I shouldn't be surprised. As I first remarked in MSNBC examines Project 2025, part 1, "Jailbirds of a feather flock together," especially jailbirds useful to Pervert Hoover.

Follow over the jump for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver's Emmy nominations.

'Mr. Scorsese' vs. 'The American Revolution' for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series plus Data Centers on Earth Overshoot Day

As I promised twice, I'm resuming my coverage of this year's Emmy nominees by finishing my examination of the documentary categories because I promised The American Revolution vs. Mr. Scorsese.

Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series

• The American Revolution (PBS)
• Mr. Scorsese (Apple TV)
• Rafa (Netflix)
• Sean Combs: The Reckoning (Netflix)
• The Yogurt Shop Murders (HBO)

Mr. Scorsese and Sean Combs: The Reckoning co-lead with three nominations each, followed by The American Revolution and The Yogurt Shop Murders tied at two and Rafa with one. That's not exactly the order that the prognosticators at Gold Derby handicap this category. The professionals mostly picked Mr. Scorsese to win with 62.5% of experts and 57.1% of editors along with 37.6% of users, while 57.9% of users support The American Revolution with the remaining professionals, 37.5% of experts and 42.9% of editors, agreeing. The rest of the users rank Sean Combs: The Reckoning third with 2.9%, Rafa fourth with 1.3%, and The Yogurt Shop Murders fifth with 0.3%.

This ranking reflects what happened at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards, where Mr. Scorsese beat The American Revolution for Best Limited Documentary Series. Electorates matter, so I think, all things being equal, the Television Academy will vote for a good story about one of their own, and I think all things are equal here.

Follow over the jump for the categories documentaries are competing in that I haven't examined yet, an update on the first post in this series, and a video about Earth Overshoot Day.

'Oceans with David Attenborough' tied with 'Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!' for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special

I'm returning to coverage of the Emmy Awards today after taking a break from entertainment in general and awards shows in particular yesterday. I can't be all DOOM or all fun all the time. Since today is World Conservation Day, I'm examining the categories with nature documentaries, beginning with Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special.

Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special

• John Candy: I Like Me (Prime Video)
• Marty, Life Is Short (Netflix)
• Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! (HBO)
• My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay (HBO)
• Ocean with David Attenborough (Nat Geo)

Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! and Ocean with David Attenborough co-lead with six nominations each, followed by John Candy: I Like Me with five nominations and Marty, Life Is Short tied with My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay at three. Normally, I'd consider Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! and Ocean with David Attenborough to be co-favorites, but the experts, editors, and users at Gold Derby disagree. They think John Candy: I Like Me and My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay to be the favorites, with 50.0% of experts, 28.6% of editors, and 61.0% of users picking the former, while 50.0% of experts, 57.1% of editors, and 26.3% of users choosing the latter. Normally, I'd favor the editors over the experts except one of the experts picking John Candy: I Like Me is Joyce Eng, whose opinion I trust. The remaining editor(s), 14.3%, are currently voting for Ocean with David Attenborough along with 3.5% of users. The rest of the users are split between Marty, Life Is Short with 6.2% and Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! with 3.0%. I've often written that, all things being equal,the Emmy electorate will vote for a good story about themselves. The corollary is that they will vote for a nominee about a dead celebrity over a living one. The prognosticators at Gold Derby seem to agree. Again, electorates matter.

That was the program category with one nature documentary nominee. Now for a performer category with three out of the five nominees in nature documentaries.

Outstanding Narrator

• Sir David Attenborough – A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough (Netflix)
• Sir David Attenborough – Ocean with David Attenborough (Nat Geo)
• Jodie Foster – Breakdown: 1975 (Netflix)
• Werner Herzog – Ghost Elephants (Nat Geo)
• Octavia Spencer – Lost Women of Alaska: "The Missing" (Investigation Discovery)

The experts, editors, and users disagree about the odds in this category, too, with 87.5% of experts and 83.0% of users but only 28.6% of editors electing for Sir David in Ocean with David Attenborough, 42.9% of editors along with 12.5% of experts and 9.4% of users choosing Octavia Spencer, and the remaining 28.6% of editors along with 2.9% of users on board with Warner Herzog. The remaining users split between Jodie Foster at 2.6% and Sir David's other nomination at 2.1%. Let's see who switches first, the experts or the editors.

The remaining four categories in which Ocean with David Attenborough earned nominations are Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program (covered in 'The Tale of Silyan' vs 'The Librarians' for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking at the Emmy Awards), Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary/Nonfiction or Reality Program (Original Dramatic Score) (sort of covered in 'Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age' earned two Emmy nominations for its VFX and music), Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program, and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction Program (covered in 'Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: Give the Man a Prize' plus the Emmy nominees for Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special). I don't feel like looking at any of them today, so instead I'm embedding CONSERVATION DAY | July 28 by National Day Calendar.



Do you enjoy the outdoors? Let us know!
Ha! No wonder Teddy Roosevelt was rated the most environmental president!

That's a wrap for today. I plan on resuming Emmy coverage Thursday. In the meantime, I have a song by the Marsh Family planned for tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Previous posts about the 2026 Primetime and Creative Arts Emmy Awards

• 'The Tale of Silyan' vs 'The Librarians' for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking at the Emmy Awards
• Drink to Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show's Emmy nominations on National Piña Colada Day
• 'Desi Lydic Foxsplains Trump's Big Beautiful Ballroom' plus the short form nominees at the Emmy Awards
• 'Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: Give the Man a Prize' plus the Emmy nominees for Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special
• 'Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age' earned two Emmy nominations for its VFX and music

'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.

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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


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

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

'Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning' leads Best Action/Adventure Film at the Saturn Awards

I closed The History Guy remembers Charles Darwin and chocolate for Valentines Day by telling my readers, "Stay tuned for the Sunday entertainment feature with the nominees for Best Action/Adventure Film at the Saturn Awards — Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning vs. One Battle After Another!" Here are the nominees in this category.

Best Action / Adventure Film:

Ballerina
F1: The Movie
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Novocaine
Now You See Me, Now You Don’t
One Battle After Another

As the preview image states, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning earned seven nominations. The rest of the field earned just this one, so Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is the favorite.

Before I reveal my vote, I'm re-examining what I wrote in Drink to the action movie nominees at the Critics Choice Super Awards on National Piña Colada Day.

Like Best Horror Film, there are plenty of nominees for action/adventure and thriller film at the upcoming Saturn Awards among the movies nominated here, although I have to include all the acting nominees to say so. Joining Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and Warfare from the movie category would be Carry-On, Novocaine, From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, and Gladiator II from the acting categories.* That's a full slate for one category right there. Box Office Mojo's top grossing films of 2024 adds in one other possible nominee, September 5 — Red One is also an action movie, but I think it's more likely to be nominated as fantasy — while Box Office Mojo's top movies of 2025 adds F1: The Movie, The Accountant 2, Karate Kid: Legends, The Amateur, A Working Man, Den of Thieves: Pantera, Flight Risk, Black Bag, Last Breath, Babygirl, and The Phoenician Scheme in the top 50. There are 150 movies with lower box office totals that I didn't even look at! Furthermore, Box Office Mojo's Calendar lists Sovereign, She Rides Shotgun, and The Naked Gun upcoming between now and August 10th. While they are likely to be split among three categories, action/adventure, thriller, and independent film, there are still enough to fill all three and then some. There is no need to sacrifice the superhero film category to add Thunderbolts* and Captain America: Brave New World to Best Action Film!

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Novocaine, From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, and F1: The Movie all made the cut, while Warfare, Carry-On, Gladiator II, and the rest didn't. That's because this year's Saturn Awards ignored releases from the final months of 2024, so no Carry-On or Gladiator II, and Now You See Me, Now You Don’t and One Battle After Another were better movies than Warfare, either as entertainment or as art. For the first time in this series, I'm quoting my standard rant about the Saturn Awards — "the Saturn Awards are about entertainment not art, they don't care for subtle, and they love to stick it to the experts." That's why I'm sure Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning will win this category. It's great, spectatcular entertainment, but it has no Oscar nominations; its most prestigious award so far is a Critics Choice Award for Best Stunt Design. The Motion Picture Academy instituting a casting award before a stunt award hurt its awards chances.

On the other hand, One Battle After Another earned 13 Oscar nominations. Gold Derby thinks its on track to win Best Motion Picture, Best Supporting Actress for Teyana Taylor, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Editing. As my default position is to go with the expert/professional opinion when I vote in the Saturn Awards unless I have good reason to vote otherwise, I voted for One Battle After Another, even though I expect it to lose to Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. At least the Critics Choice Association and the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Film will agree on the best action film, which would be a validation of expert opinion, not a rejection of it.

That's a wrap for today's installment. I plan on resuming the series Wednesday with the nominees for Best Independent Film. In the meantime, I have the sequel to 'Weathered' explains 'This Is EXACTLY How Much Poorer Climate Change Will Make Every Person on Earth', last year's most read entry (ETA — actually PBS Terra explains 'This Is How the World Ends According to Science') — scheduled for tomorrow and a triple celebration of Lunar New Year, Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday, and a solar eclipse on Tuesday. Stay tuned.

Previous posts about the 53rd Saturn Awards

• 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' leads Best Science Fiction Film nominees at the Saturn Awards
• 'Sinners' leads Best Thriller Film nominees at the Saturn Awards
• 'Fantastic Four: First Steps' vs. 'Superman' for Best Cinematic Adaptation Film at the Saturn Awards
• 'Wicked: For Good' leads Best Fantasy Film at the Saturn Awards
• 'Frankenstein' leads Best Horror Film at the Saturn Awards for Friday the 13th

'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

'Avatar: Fire and Ash' leads Best Science Fiction Film nominees at the Saturn Awards

I told my readers, "Stay tuned" as "I'm returning to awards show coverage [today], because the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films released the Saturn Awards nominations." I'm kicking the post off with Deadline Hollywood's paragraphs about the leading movie nominees.

Warner Bros’ record-setting Oscar nomination juggernaut Sinners, James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash and Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps lead all film nominees for the 53rd Saturn Awards, which recognize the year’s best movies, TV programs and home video releases in the fantasy, science fiction, horror, superhero and action-adventure genres.
...
Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, which snagged a record 16 Oscar nominations last week, landed 12 Saturn nominations, as did Avatar: Fire and Ash and Fantastic Four: First Steps. Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein followed with 11 noms, while Wicked: For Good picked up nine and Superman had eight.

The second paragraph sets my agenda for the order of the movie posts. All things being equal, which they are for three most nominated films, I'll break the tie in favor of science fiction, so it's going first.

Best Science Fiction Film:

Avatar: Fire and Ash
Bugonia
Jurassic World: Rebirth
Predator: Badlands
The Running Man
Tron: Ares

In addition to Avatar: Fire and Ash leading with 12 nominations, Predator: Badlands follows with five, Tron: Ares with three, Bugonia with two, then Jurassic World: Rebirth and The Running Man with one each in this category. I usually go with the expert/professional opinion when I vote in the Saturn Awards unless I have good reason to vote otherwise. My "good reason" is that Avatar: Fire and Ash is more science fiction than Bugonia, which is more of a dark thriller/comedy until the end, when the science fiction element is shown to be true instead of a character's delusion. It's also going to win, so I'm going with the flow. My vote: Avatar: Fire and Ash.

I'm re-examining my predictions for this category before I examine the acting, directing, writing, and craft nominations. As recently as November, I predicted "a match between Lilo & Stitch and Jurassic World: Rebirth" for this award, which I would have resolved in favor of the dinosaurs. Neither part of that will happen. First, Lilo & Stitch earned its nomination for Best Fantasy film. Second, the Academy extended its eligiblity period until about the end of 2025, making more films eligible. That's good news in that it allowed for higher quality fields with better comparisons with other awards. It's bad because the films released during November and December 2024 seemed to be dropped from consideration. No nominations for Wicked in film, just Wicked: For Good, for example. Hmph! In reaction/protest, I'm transferring the votes I would have cast for Wicked to Wicked: For Good.

Follow over the jump for the movie acting, directing, writing, and craft nominations and my votes.

'All the Empty Rooms' leads Gold Derby odds for short documentary at the Oscars

I examined the nominees for Documentary Feature at the Oscars to begin my Academy Awards coverage. I'm taking advantage of a snow day to resume it with the nominees for Best Short Documentary, beginning with both the first alphabetically and the leader in the Gold Derby odds, All The Empty Rooms | Official Trailer | Netflix.

In this moving short documentary, a journalist and a photographer set out to memorialize the bedrooms left behind by children killed in school shootings.

This is an expanded version of The Lost Class, a PSA about gun violence nominated for Outstanding Commercial at the 2022 Emmy Awards, showing all the empty chairs of students lost to gun violence who would have graduated from high school had they lived. That worked because of the sheer numbers, 3,044, but it wasn't about the individual victims; fellow Emmy nominee Teenage Dream did that for the survivors. All the Empty Rooms personalizes the issue for those who never came home.

Next alphabetically and by Gold Derby odds, Armed Only With A Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud | Official Trailer | HBO.

“The way you hold that camera, you’re doing it from your heart.”

Armed Only With A Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud is a powerful tribute to a war photojournalist who risked everything on the front lines.

That's moving and gripping. I can see why it's second in the odds.

Children No More "Were and are Gone" Trailer from Medalia Productions is third in the odds.


Since the video has no description, I'm sharing the one from IMDB: "Israeli peace activists hold silent vigils in Tel Aviv, displaying photos of Gaza's young victims. Despite facing public backlash, their wordless demonstrations powerfully highlight war's human cost." This is another side of 'We Will Dance Again' leads Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary nominees at the News & Doc Emmy Awards. That was about the Israeli victims of the October 7th attack on the Nova Music Festival. It won the Emmy for Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary, something I didn't acknowledge until now. Being interrupted by a hostile commenter trolling the entry will do that. This is about some Israelis' reaction to their government's response.

Now a second nominee, The Devil Is Busy | Official Trailer, from HBO.

"Before I send them in, I look in their eyes. I say to them, 'you’re safe now.'"

#TheDevilsBusy offers an intimate look inside a women’s healthcare clinic in Atlanta, where Tracii leads security to ensure safety and care amid protests and restrictions.

Welcome to post-Roe America, which is looking more like pre-Roe America.

I conclude the trailers with Perfectly A Strangeness - Trailer | 2026 Oscar® Nominated Documentary Short Film from Premium Films.

'Perfectly A Strangeness' by Alison McAlpine official trailer, 2026 Oscar® Nominated in the best Documentary Short Film category.

Synopsis: In the dazzling incandescence of an unknown desert, three donkeys discover an abandoned astronomical observatory and the universe. A sensorial, cinematic exploration of what a story can be.

This has the most science content of any of the nominees except for possibly The Devil Is Busy, which has some health content amongst the social commentary. Just the same, I doubt I'll recommend it to my students. Sometimes, blogging as professional development doesn't yield positive results.

As I wrote above, the nominees are in the same order in the Gold Derby odds as they are in the alphabet. What are the odds of that happening? All the Empty Rooms has the first place votes of 70.0% of experts, 66.7% of editors, and 81.0% of users. Armed Only With A Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud sits in second among all three groups as the choice of 20.0% of experts, 33.3% of editors, and 12.7% of users. No experts picked either Children No More: Were and Are Gone or The Devil Is Busy, the selections of 2.6% and 2.0% of users, respectively. Instead, the remaining expert is currently voting for Perfectly a Strangeness along with 1.7% of users. The film school students might like this last one, but everyone in the Motion Picture Academy votes for the winner, and I think they'll vote for one of the top two choices. Remember, electorates matter.

Again, that's a wrap for today's awards show coverage. Stay tuned for two brief entries worth sharing next month sandwiching this year's unveiling of the Doomsday Clock on Wednesday.

Previous posts about the 2026 Oscars

• 'The Perfect Neighbor' leads Gold Derby odds for Documentary Feature at the Oscars
• 'One Battle After Another' and 'Sinners' lead screenplay categories at the Oscars according to Gold Derby

'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.

'The Perfect Neighbor' leads Gold Derby odds for Documentary Feature at the Oscars

I made two predictions about two winners in 'The Perfect Neighbor' wins five Critics Choice Documentary Awards including Best Documentary that won't come true.

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...

The trophy for Best Political Documentary was awarded to The Alabama Solution.

While I thought The Alabama Solution could win, I also thought Orwell: 2+2=5 would win. Nope. Just the same, congratulations and good luck at the relevant Emmy Awards next year.

Neither The Perfect Neighbor nor The Alabama Solution will be nominated at either Emmy Awards because both earned nominations at the Academy Awards, disqualifying them for Emmy consideration. I'm not the least bit upset; this is exactly the kind of wrong I'd like to be. Also, congratulations to the producers and directors of both movies. I'm thrilled for them!

Now that the nominees have been announced, what are their Gold Derby odds? The Perfect Neighbor leads with every expert, 33.3% of editors, and 90.4% of users picking it to win. The Alabama Solution sits in second because it has the support of 5.4% of users and 16.7% of editors. Mr. Nobody Against Putin is actually the other top choice of editors at 33.3%, but only 2.3% of users, placing it third in the odds. Come See Me in the Good Light is currently in fourth as the selection of the remaining 16.7% of editors and 1.0% of users. Cutting Through Rocks has the remaining 0.9% of users. I have the feeling that the editors will consolidate around one or two nominees once the PGA Awards, DGA Awards, and BAFTA Awards have been presented. The Perfect Neighbor is the only Oscar-nominated documentary nominated or longlisted at all of them.

I embedded the trailer for The Perfect Neighbor in 'Orwell: 2+2=5' and 'The Perfect Neighbor' lead nominees for Best Documentary at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards and am sharing again here.

One woman. Dozens of 911 calls. And a close-knit neighborhood caught in a nightmare. What begins as one woman’s relentless harassment of children spirals into a shocking act of violence. Captured through gripping police bodycam footage, The Perfect Neighbor - Winner of the Sundance Film Festival’s Directing Award - delivers a hauntingly powerful experience that keeps you on edge from start to finish.

Yikes! This looks like a real-life version of multi-Razzie nominee Karen. That movie was about racism and harassment, and it's even uglier when it's fact instead of fiction.

Follow over the jump for the trailers of the other four nominees.

'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.

Morgan State at the Rose Parade and Alcorn State at the Macy's Parade for MLK Day

Happy MLK Day! For this year's version of JSU's 'Sonic Boom of the South' at the Rose Parade for MLK Day, I'm featuring the HBCU bands in the 2026 Rose Parade and the 2025 Macy's Parade. I begin with Smash Time Productions' Morgan State University M3 @ Disney Land Parade 2025.


Smash Time knows how to select a preview image, which is why this video came first.

Luis of Music213 recorded the next two videos, beginning with Morgan State University "Magnificent Marching Machine" - 2026 Pasadena Bandfest.

From Baltimore, Maryland
The Magnificent Marching Machine of Morgan State University performing their show at the 45th Annual Pasadena Tournament of Roses Bandfest on Monday, December 29, 2025.

The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) bands (and former MEAC bands, like North Carolina A&T, which is now a member of the Coastal Athletic Conference), have more drum corps influence than the bands in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) like Alcorn State, and someone like me can see it in their field shows, although they are still recognizably HBCU showbands.

Next, Morgan State University "Magnificent Marching Machine" - 2026 Pasadena Rose Parade from Music213.

The Magnificent Marching Machine of Morgan State University performing at the 137th Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade on a very wet Thursday, January 1, 2026.

It's unusual that it rains on the Rose Parade, but it didn't dampen the performers' spirits!

Now travel back in time to watch Band Central's Alcorn State University Marching Band Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2025, which combines original coverage with broadcast TV clips.

Alcorn State University Marching Band Performing in Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade 2025

NBC cut them off just a little too soon. Darn. Still, what power!

I close with my own video, Alcorn State University Marching Band in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

#shorts Alcorn State University Marching Band in Macy's #Thanksgiving Day Parade 11/27/2025 #MacysParade #NYC
https://www.twitch.tv/alldaynyc

AllDayNYC on Twitch approves and so do I!

That's a wrap for the holiday. Stay tuned for another tale of the Retail Apocalypse followed by one more post recognizing diversity among movie winners, the Critics Choice Awards and Golden Globes won by KPop Demon Hunters.