'The Muppet Show' leads Taylor Swift and 'Wicked' for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) at the Emmys

I'm continuing my awards show coverage with a category I foreshadowed in Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show leads Outstanding Variety Special (Live) at the Emmys, Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded). Here are the nominees at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded)

• Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable... (Netflix)
• The Muppet Show (Disney+)
• Nikki Glaser: Good Girl (Hulu)
• Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show (Disney+)
• Wicked: One Wonderful Night (NBC)

The Muppet Show and Wicked: One Wonderful Night co-lead with six nominations each, followed by Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show with five, Nikki Glaser: Good Girl with three, and Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable... with two. Gold Derby's prediction page for the Creative Arts Emmy Awards also has The Muppet Show leading with 90% of experts, 33.3% of editors, and 71.3% of users electing it to win. They reverse Wicked: One Wonderful Night and Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show as the latter has the vote of the remaining 10% of experts and 66.7% of editors plus 18.0% while the former only has the support of 8.2% of users. The professionals are split! The users also reverse Nikki Glaser: Good Girl and Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable... with the former ranked fifth at 0.8% and the latter in fourth with 1.6%.

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance

• Pamela Adlon – King of the Hill: "Any Given Hill-Day" as Bobby Hill (Hulu)
• Julie Andrews – Bridgerton: "The Waltz" as Lady Whistledown (Netflix)
• Hank Azaria – The Simpsons: "Keep Chalm and Gary On" as Gary Chalmers (Fox)
• Trey Parker – South Park: "The Crap Out" as Satan (Comedy Central)
• Matt Vogel – The Muppet Show as Kermit the Frog (Disney+)
• Steven Yeun – Invincible: "Don't Leave Me Hanging Here" as Mark Grayson / Invincible (Prime Video)

Julie Andrews leads with every expert, 66.7% of editors, and 79.6% of Gold Derby users selecting her to win. She's followed by Pamela Adlon with the remaining 33.3% of editors and 12.4% of users. The rest of the users are split among Trey Parker with 4.4%, Matt Vogel with 1.8%, then Hank Azaria and Steven Yeun tied at 0.9%.

Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special

• Chris Fleming: Live at the Palace – Chris Fleming (HBO)
• The Muppet Show – Albertina Rizzo, Gabe Liedman, Nedaa Sweiss, Kelly Younger, and Andrew Williams (Disney+)
• Nikki Glaser: Good Girl – Nikki Glaser (Hulu)
• The Oscars – Amberia Allen, Jose Arroyo, Josh Comers, Dan Cronin, Jessie Gaskell, Skyler Higley, Berkley Johnson, Ian Karmel, Brian Kiley, Laurie Kilmartin, Carol Leifer, Todd Levin, Jon Macks, Conan O'Brien, Matt O'Brien, Agathe Panaretos, Mike Sweeney, Levi MacDougall, and Eric Roth (ABC)
• Wanda Sykes: Legacy – Wanda Sykes (Netflix)

Gold Derby predicts The Muppet Show will win this award, too, with every editor, 50% of editors, and 87.9% of users picking it. The remaining 50% of editors and 4.3% of users chose Chris Fleming: Live at the Palace to upset. The rest of the user vote is split among Nikki Glaser: Good Girl at 6.9% and Wanda Sykes: Legacy at 0.9%. The Oscars have no support at all!

Now for the categories I covered in Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show leads Outstanding Variety Special (Live) at the Emmys beginning with two that Gold Derby handicapped.

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 5.8% chance, while no one thinks Rikki Hughes for Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable... and Julie Dash for Wanda Sykes: Legacy have a chance.

Despite my using the Twitter/X publicity image for Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable..., Gold Derby still thinks its director has no chance. On the other hand, users are trickling away from The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny to Glenn Weiss's projects, splitting their votes evenly at 3.5% for 7% total. I'm not convinced.

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.

This may be Wicked: One Wonderful Night's best shot at winning, but even here user opinion is consolidating around The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny with 91.6% and all the rest with Wicked: One Wonderful Night at 8.4%. The users have abandoned The Oscars, which has joined the rest of the field without any votes at all.

Follow over the jump for the craft categories.

Randy Rainbow sings 'A Very Stable Genius Part Two!' for Wayback Wednesday

Happy Wayback Wednesday! yesterday, I told my readers "I might post another song parody tomorrow for Wayback Wednesday, as Randy Rainbow hinted at one later today. Stay tuned." He followed through with A Very Stable Genius Part Two! - A Randy Rainbow Song Parody.

Parody of “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General” from The Pirates of Penzance (Gilbert & Sullivan)

Parody Lyrics by Randy Rainbow

Song Produced, Orchestrated, Mixed, Mastered by: Michael J Moritz Jr @michaeljmoritz

Vocal Arrangement - Brett Boles
All Vocals: Randy Rainbow
Piano, Synths -Michael J Moritz Jr
Drums - Tom Jorgensen

Yes, Randy, you still got it. Unfortunately so does Donald "Pervert Hoover" Trump, although a different "it" than Randy.

Yesterday's video is an update of A VERY STABLE GENIUS - Randy Rainbow Song Parody from 2018.

THE RANDY RAINBOW SHOW:
"A Very Stable Genius"

Executive Producer:
RANDY RAINBOW

Starring:
RANDY RAINBOW

Written, Directed & Edited by:
RANDY RAINBOW

Producers:
Tanase Popa
John Retsios
Jeff Romley
Rich Super

I no longer think the Russians have pee tapes; they don't need those when the Epstein files exist.

I'm closing this section, as I have done lately for entries featuring Randy's videos, with a video of the original being parodied, The English National Opera's Major-General's Song from The Pirates of Penzance - live and with lyrics!.

The tongue-twisting I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General, performed live during Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance, directed by Mike Leigh at English National Opera.

Andrew Shore plays Major General-Stanley, with Joshua Bloom as Pirate King and Claudia Boyle as Mabel in this ENO production by film director Mike Leigh.

About The Pirates of Penzance:

With sentimental pirates, blundering policeman, absurd adventures and improbable paradoxes, The Pirates of Penzance is Gilbert and Sullivan's most popular comic opera.

A swashbuckling farce of brilliant humour and razor-sharp wit, it's chock-full of memorable melodies, including the famous tongue-twisting patter song from the Major-General.

This production was directed by directed by BAFTA-award winner Mike Leigh, who makes his operatic debut.

Randy could have been more pompous, but he has Pervert Hoover for that.

Randy isn't the only one revisiting the past. My readers gave enough page views to three posts from the 2016 election that they joined the most read entries of the 15th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News. Follow over the jump for their stories.

Big 'Ten' marching bands play 'Wicked' for National Wicked Day

I'm doing something new and different for today's spooky season celebration, observing National Wicked Day, the anniversary of Wicked's debut on Broadway. Of course, I'm doing it my way, which is to celebrate the day through the lens of marching music, capped by a drink.

I begin with "Wicked" - Sept., 13, 2025 - Michigan vs CMU - Michigan Marching Band, Musical Theatre, Percussion.

The Michigan Marching Band is excited to collaborate with the SMTD Dept. of Musical Theatre and Percussion Studio for a “Wicked” performance! This thrillifying halftime show will feature iconic tunes from the beloved Broadway musical and films, and showcase the artistry of the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance. Grab your dancing shoes and meet us at the Ozdust Ballroom as we celebrate one of the most popular musicals of all time!

Music Selections:
No One Mourns the Wicked
Popular
Dancing Through Life
Defying Gravity

Musical arrangements by Jason DeBord, Richard Frey, Matt Jordan, and Chuck Ricotta
Choreography by Sean McKnight; asst. by Raja Benz
Flag choreography by Joan Noble-Pruett
Drill by Corey Jahlas

This Michigan Marching Band would like to thank the Cozad Family for their generous support of this halftime performance.

The singers and keyboards added new dimensions to this performance, making it a special occasion. The singers steal the show, but I wish the band would keep the keyboards.

At least three other Big "Ten" bands played music from Wicked so far this season, including the University of Iowa Hawkeye Marching Band: 10.25.25 Halftime vs. Penn State | Defying Gravity: The Music of Wicked.

Together, we’re unlimited, Hawkeye Nation! For our October 18, 2025 game vs. Penn State, we brought the music of Wicked to life under the lights in Kinnick Stadium, because everyone deserves the chance to fly!

Featuring the Iowa Dance Team, Herky the Hawk, and the Nittany Lion. This show was designed by Dr. Eric Bush, with music arrangements by Drew Bonner.

The Hawkeye Marching Band made some interesting choices, including having the drum major dress up as the Wizard, inviting the opposing team's mascot to be part of the show to play Glinda, and casting Herky as Elphaba.

The other band from the conference playing Wicked was the Marching Illini: Music from Wicked | IMBC 2025 Evening Performance 10.25.2025.

That's a good pure marching band show with a preview image appropriate for spooky season. I have mixed feelings about the ending. I know it's tradition, but it's something of a museum piece. The Illini are named after the Illiniwek and the fight song reflects that. At least the university has replaced the Native American logo on the field with an outline of the state of Illinois.

The fourth and final band hails from a university that just joined the conference, USC Trojan Marching Band + USC School of Dramatic Arts Wicked halftime 10/11/25.

A Wicked wonderful halftime, combining the talents of the USC Trojan Marching Band and the USC School of Dramatic Arts. 10/11/25. Magnificent!

Well, the U$C Band can certainly put on a show and they used more technology than the Michigan band, although having the featured actors on the Jumbotron kept shifting focus.

I close with WICKED INSPIRED SHOTS by The Shot Queen.


Drink responsibly and stay tuned for one more Halloween post plus a bonus Day of the Dead entry. Trick or treat!

Happy MAR1O Day!

Happy MAR1O Day!

The character, known today as Mario, first appeared in 1981 in a game called Donkey Kong made by Nintendo.

Sheesh! That was a long time ago. Did you have a Nintendo system back then?

Video gamers fond of Nintendo created this National Day. The date was cleverly selected for the way it spells the character’s name when abbreviated. Despite this limited information, we’ve not been able to identify specific founding members of the day.

No, none of us had Nintendo systems in our homes in 1981. The NES wasn't introduced in Japan until 1983 and in the U.S. until 1985. If we wanted to play Donkey Kong, we had to go to an arcade, or at least a location that had arcade games, like the convenience store near my friend's house. That's where I first encountered Mario, although I recall his name being insider trivia at that time.

As for March 10 becoming Mario Day, that's like May 4th becoming Star Wars Day and March 4th becoming Marching Music Day — a clever pun. It's not like Pokémon Day, which celebrates an actual historical date.

Today is a good day for advertising, and Nintendo of America didn't miss it last year, uploading Mario Through the Years - A Mar10 Day Celebration to its YouTube channel.

Press start on Mar10 Day and join us on a journey through some of Mario’s adventures over the years.

I'm having flashbacks to watching my son play Super Mario Brothers on his NES and Gamecube 25-30 years ago.

I close by returning to the dance video I embedded in Pokémon Day.

That was made to go viral as a dance trend on TikTok. Maybe next year I'll share the YouTube shorts versions of some of those videos.

I'm not waiting until next year. Watch Mario Princesses x Pokémon Dance Trend!


The crossplay is Peach as Mario, Daisy as Luigi, and Rosalina as Wario.

That concludes today's celebration of a silly holiday. Stay tuned for DOOM tomorrow, the fifth anniversary of COVID-19 being declared a global pandemic.

NativLang explains 'What Shakespeare's English Sounded Like - and how we know' for Talk Like Shakespeare Day

Happy Talk Like Shakespeare Day! To celebrate, I'm sharing NativLang explaining What Shakespeare's English Sounded Like - and how we know.

Botched rhymes, buried puns and a staged accent that sounds more Victorian than Elizabethan. No more! Use linguistic sleuthing to dig up the surprisingly different sound of the bard's Early Modern English.

I always thought OP (original pronunciation) sounded like a pirate. What do you think?

Stay tuned for this year's version of marching music for the Pennsylvania primary.

Happy Sweetest Day 2023 on a day that also celebrates pumpkin cheesecake, apples, reptiles, and 'Back to the Future'

Happy (National) Sweetest Day! I begin today's observance of a day unfairly called a Hallmark Holiday on a day that celebrates pumpkin cheesecake, apples, reptile awareness, and Back to the Future with Uploads of Fun's Sweetest Day and Other Stupid Made-Up Holidays!!!

Hey Goonie Gang! Today, Deez Quizzes is all Sweetest Day and other stupid made-up Holidays!!! Some of these holidays you've probably never heard of. Our challenge is even stupider than the holidays we are talking about!!! As always, THANKS FOR WATCHING!!!

*Snork* That was hilarious! I'd have done better, but only because I always have at least one tab open to National Day Calendar. I love holidays!

Follow over the jump for the rest of the days I'm celebrating today.

'The Shakespeare Enthusiast Who Introduced An Invasive Species,' a story I tell my students

I started watching Invasive Species Reshaping Our World | Human Footprint | Full Episode | PBS, which inspired me to search for videos about the introduction of European Starlings. The result I most enjoyed was The Shakespeare Enthusiast Who Introduced An Invasive Species by Saranna Rotgard.

The European Starling is an invasive species with a history of causing problems. According to lore, Eugene Schieffelin, Chair of the American Acclimatization Society, brought Starlings to America because of his love for Shakespeare and all the birds mentioned in Shakespeare's works. It's a lovely story, but reality, and some fact-checking, tell us there may be a bit more to it.

"I'll have a starling shall be taught to speak
Nothing but 'Mortimer,' and give it him
To keep his anger still in motion"

Did this one mention of the European Starling in Shakespeare's Henry IV lead to one of America's most problematic invasive species? Even the most authoritative sources say it did, but some research reveals an ongoing - and so far unresolved - debate.

I'm being a good environmentalist by recycling the comment I left on the video.

I tell this story to my biology and environmental science students to begin my lecture on invasive species and linking it to Schieffelin's reputed love of Shakespeare makes a great hook. It's also the story that opens the episode of PBS's "Human Footprint" about invasive species, so I'm not alone. It even shows up in Netflix's "Ozark," just to give an idea of its cultural significance. While I've been familiar with the story, having read it in Reader's Digest more than 50 years ago, you managed to add details to it I hadn't heard, so, thank you, I learned something from you. It's always a good day when I learn something new.

I just lectured on this subject two weeks ago in environmental science, but will lecture on it to my biology students next month. I might show this video to them then. If I do, this will become another instance of blogging as professional development.

Bumblebees show their intelligence by rolling balls and pulling strings for World Bee Day

Happy World Bee Day! Since honeybees have their own day, I'm looking at the other well-known group of social bees today, bumblebees. In particular, I'm examining their more fun behaviors as indicators of their intelligence, beginning with SciShow's Bumblebees Play ... And it's Adorable.

There’s just about nothing better than watching a kitty play with a ball of yarn, but there’s another unexpected animal that enjoys playtime, too! And certain birds appear to have the abilities of self-control!

The last year I took classes for my M.S. degree, I enrolled in both mammalogy and ornithology. One of the things that struck me after taking both classes was that mammals played a lot but birds played a lot less. The textbooks reflected this disparity, with pages and pages devoted to play in the mammalogy text, but maybe half a page in the ornithology text. The same professor taught both courses and I asked him about it and he said that the books accurately reflected the two classes' behavior, with the mammals playing more because they were more intelligent. Birds don't have to be as bright as long as the best solution to a problem is to fly away. No surprise that the most playful birds are the corvids, the same birds the video examined for their intelligence.

What does this have to do with play in bees? I found bees being bright enough to play a good argument in favor of them being brighter than I expected. However, I should have known better, as scientists have been studying intelligence in bumblebees for years. Follow over the jump for three more videos of bumblebees demonstrating their problem-solving skills from six years ago.

'The Klingon Hamlet' and Klingons quoting Shakespeare for Talk Like Shakespeare Day

Happy Shakespeare's Birthday! For today's celebration, I'm returning to the conclusion of last year's Phantom Regiment's 'Juliet' for Shakespeare's Birthday: "[N]ext year I might examine Shakespeare in Star Trek. "The Klingon Hamlet," anyone?" That makes a perfect subject for the Sunday entertainment feature, so I'm using it today.

Stephen Fry acted in "The Klingon Hamlet," which BBC Studios featured in Can Klingon Be Accepted As A Language? - Stephen Fry's Planet Word from 2015.

One of the newest languages on the planet is Klingon, whi[l]st performing a Klingon version of Hamlet Stephen Fry meets a father who taught his son Klingon as his first language.

Fry makes an important point; communication with the outside world is what determines whether a language lives or dies. Who speaks Klingon? A subset of "Star Trek" fans. Given the size of "Star Trek" fandom, that may be more than one might expect, but it's still not much of the outside world.

Like much of "Star Trek" lore, a throwaway line or two inspired "The Klingon Hamlet." Watch Shakespeare in the original Klingon for that scene.

"You've not experienced Shakespeare until you have read him in the original Klingon."

Quote from Chancellor Gorkon (played by David Warner), from "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country."

Remember that this movie is an allegory about the end of the Cold War with the Klingons playing the role of the USSR, which they had done since the original TV series. One of the things the Soviets did was to claim the West's inventions and achievements as their own, and I took this scene as a satirical reference to that. It's not far off; a skim through the results of a search for "Soviet Shakespeare" showed that Shakespeare was popular during the Soviet era and the Soviets adopted him as one of their cultural icons.

The Shakespeare quotes continued in the movie. Watch Star Trek VI: Shakespeare Quotes.

The Shakespearean quotes from General Chang's assault in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. The [sources] have been cited.

The video missed "Have we not heard the chimes at midnight" ("Henry IV, Part II") and "Parting is such sweet sorrow" ("Romeo and Juliet"), but those were not as dramatic. Otherwise, I think these are great clips.

Of course, the biggest quoter of Shakespeare in "Star Trek" is Jean-Luc Picard, played by Shakespearean actor Patrick Stewart. I might examine his use of the Bard of Stratford next year. In the meantime, stay tuned for an update on Bed Bath & Beyond facing bankruptcy, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse.

Retail Archaeology thinks 'The End Is Near' for Sears and Kmart, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse

It's been exactly two weeks since I last wrote about the Retail Apocalypse in Company Man asks 'The Decline of FYE...What Happened?' A tale of the Retail Apocalypse but it's been nearly a full year since I last mentioned Sears in CDC offering zombie apocalypse tips updates 'Zombie Apocalypse Index for Day of the (Walking) Dead,' the top post of the tenth year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News for Throwback Thursday, and that was merely in passing and even longer since I mentioned Kmart in Today and WXYZ examine Small Business Saturday during the pandemic. It's been even longer, almost two years, since I posted any substantial news about both chains in Many stores closing for good even as economy reopens, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse and COVID-19 pandemic, when I reported "Sears is closing 51 stores and Kmart 45 stores." It's about time I checked in on the chains.

The outlook is not good. In fact, Erik of Retail Archaeology thinks that for Sears & Kmart In 2022: The End Is Near.

In this episode of Retail Archaeology we take a look at how Sears and Kmart are doing in 2022.

As a commenter on the video observed, "The opening shot with the crow perched atop the Sears sign cawing was a perfect visual metaphor!" I responded "I agree. It would only have been improved if it had been a raven, which would have set up a joke: 'Will there be Sears and Kmart after next year? Quoth the raven, nevermore!'"

On a more serious note, seeing Erik's list of surviving Sears stores astounded me. There are only 25 of them. Look at the screenshot and count for yourself.


I found that there are only four Kmarts still around even more astonishing. Worse, there will be only three after next month. Lo, how the once mighty have fallen!

Seeing this reminds me of a meme I first used in Sears and KMart open on Thanksgiving, plus Sears warranties during bankruptcy, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse and repeated in Sears Holdings still 'not dead yet' as deadline extended for rescue offer. Watch the 5th Avenue Theatre's clip of Not Dead Yet.

The cast of Spamalot performs "Not Dead Yet" at The 5th Avenue Theatre.

Even though it's been four years since I first wrote it, I'm still sticking with my reaction from 2018: "No, but it probably won't be long."

That's it for the Retail Apocalypse for today. Stay tuned for statistics for (Throwback) Thursday tomorrow.

'Hamilton,' 'Inside,' and 'American Utopia' all winners at the 2021 Emmy Awards

I was premature when I wrote "Today, I finish my coverage of the Emmy Awards" to open Debbie Allen accepts the Governors Award from the Television Academy after winning two Emmy Awards. I had forgotten one winner, so here are the winning record variety special nominees from 'Hamilton' at the Emmy Awards.

Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded)

8:46 – Dave Chappelle (Netflix)
Bo Burnham: Inside (Netflix)
David Byrne's American Utopia (HBO)
Friends: The Reunion (HBO Max)
Hamilton (Disney+)
A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote (HBO Max)

...Based on the number of nominations, especially since seven of them are for performers, the second largest peer group in the Television Academy after executives, I'd say "Hamilton" is the favorite. As I keep saying when I write entries about entertainment awards, electorates matter.

It was and it won. Watch most of the stars of "Hamilton" accept the award for Variety Special (Pre-Recorded): 73rd Emmys.

Hamilton wins the Emmy for Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) at the 73rd Emmys.

Where's Lin-Manuel Miranda? Renée Elise Goldsberry answered that question in ET Live's Emmys 2021: ‘Hamilton’ Cast -- Full Backstage Interview.

The cast of ‘Hamilton’ opens up after winning an Emmy award for ‘Outstanding Variety Special (Live)’ at the 2021 Emmy Awards, which aired Sunday on CBS and Paramount+.

That was a good answer and one that shows that things are returning to normal and the pandemic is no longer messing with our entertainment.

Follow over the jump for the rest of the awards won by recorded variety specials, including a couple of categories I blew completely.

'Hamilton' at the Emmy Awards

I concluded 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver' leads Outstanding Variety Talk Series nominees at the Emmy Awards for the fifth consecutive year by telling my readers "Since I've said I would cover 'Hamilton' twice in this entry, watch for that to be the subject of the next installment of the series." Without any further ado, here are the nominations for the filmed stage play at the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards.

Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded)

8:46 – Dave Chappelle (Netflix)
Bo Burnham: Inside (Netflix)
David Byrne's American Utopia (HBO)
Friends: The Reunion (HBO Max)
Hamilton (Disney+)
A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote (HBO Max)

When I covered Dave Chappelle winning this category, I foresaw this match-up.

I anticipate the comedians will have a hard time winning Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) this season, as I think this is the category "Hamilton," the winner of two People's Choice Awards for drama movies, will end up competing in unless the Television Academy rules it to be a Television Movie. My readers and I will find out in July.

We found out; "Hamilton" is a prerecorded variety special, not a movie, at leas for this category, even though it was originally meant to be shown in theaters. Welcome to one of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on entertainment. Speaking of which, "Bo Burnham: Inside," recorded in Burnham's guest house during the pandemic, has five nominations to three for "8:46 – Dave Chappelle," the second fewest of any nominee in this category, ahead of only "A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote" with two. Chappelle's special is behind "Friends: The Reunion" with four nominations, "David Byrne's American Utopia" with six, and "Hamilton" leads with twelve. Based on the number of nominations, especially since seven of them are for performers, the second largest peer group in the Television Academy after executives, I'd say "Hamilton" is the favorite. As I keep saying when I write entries about entertainment awards, electorates matter.

Since I haven't shared it before, here's Hamilton | Official Trailer | Disney+.

“Hamilton” is the story of America then, told by America now. Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway, “Hamilton” has taken the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and created a revolutionary moment in theatre—a musical that has had a profound impact on culture, politics, and education. Filmed at The Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway in June of 2016, the film transports its audience into the world of the Broadway show in a uniquely intimate way.

"'Hamilton'..."created a revolutionary moment in theatre — a musical that has had a profound impact on culture, politics, and education." That's another reason I blog about entertainment, to analyze what it has to say about government, politics, and society and determine if society is paying attention. In the case of "Hamilton," it did.

Now for four categories where "Hamilton" is competing as a movie instead of a variety special, three because there is no other place for the nominations.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Paul Bettany as Vision on WandaVision (Disney+)
Hugh Grant as Jonathan Fraser on The Undoing (HBO)
Ewan McGregor as Halston on Halston (Netflix)
Lin-Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton on Hamilton (Disney+)
Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr on Hamilton (Disney+)

While Lin-Manuel Miranda won the People's Choice Award for The Drama Movie Star of 2020, Leslie Odom Jr. won the Tony Award for this role and earned two Oscar nominations this year for "One Night in Miami." The audience might like Miranda better, but the professionals like Odum more, and the professionals are voting for these awards. Again, electorates matter.

That doesn't guarantee that either Miranda or Odum will win. The nominated limited series actors are stiff competition and I will evaluate their chances when I examine Outstanding Limited Series in a few weeks.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Benny Watts on The Queen's Gambit (Episode: "Adjournment") (Netflix)
Daveed Diggs as Marquis de Lafayette / Thomas Jefferson on Hamilton (Disney+)
Paapa Essiedu as Kwame on I May Destroy You (Episode: "That Was Fun") (HBO)
Jonathan Groff as King George on Hamilton (Disney+)
Evan Peters as Det. Colin Zabel on Mare of Easttown (Episode: "Enter Number Two") (HBO)
Anthony Ramos as John Laurens / Philip Hamilton on Hamilton (Disney+)

"Hamilton" provides half of the nominees in this category, Daveed Diggs in a double role as the Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson, Jonathan Groff as King George III, and Anthony Ramos in another double role as John Laurens and Philip Hamilton. Diggs and Groff both earned Tony nominations and Diggs took home the award, so I would give him the advantage out of the actors from the musical. Again, that doesn't mean Diggs will win, as the nominated limited series actors are stiff competition and I will evaluate their chances when I examine Outstanding Limited Series in a few weeks.

Watch 'Hamilton' star and first-time Emmy nominee Daveed Diggs on the legacy of the acclaimed show from Gold Derby.

'Hamilton' star and first-time Emmy nominee Daveed Diggs on the legacy of the acclaimed show. The Tony Award winner chats with Gold Derby editor Christopher Rosen about the program now streaming on Disney+.

I appreciate Diggs pointing out how the significance of the show changed when Trump took over from Obama. That's an interesting and important insight.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Renée Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler on Hamilton (Disney+)
Kathryn Hahn as Agatha Harkness / Agnes The Nosy Neighbor on WandaVision (Episode: "Breaking the Fourth Wall") (Disney+)
Moses Ingram as Jolene on The Queen's Gambit (Episode: "End Game") (Netflix)
Julianne Nicholson as Lori Ross on Mare of Easttown (Episode: "Sacrament") (HBO)
Jean Smart as Helen Fahey on Mare of Easttown (Episode: "Sacrament") (HBO)
Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton on Hamilton (Disney+)

Renée Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler and Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton didn't compete against each other at the Tony Awards as Soo was nominated for Best Actress in a Musical while Goldsberry won for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Here, they are competing against other. I'm not sure it matters, as I think this contest is between Kathryn Hahn and Jean Smart.

Follow over the jump for the nominees behind the camera.

'Westworld' characters quoting Shakespeare for National Talk Like Shakespeare Day

Happy Shakespeare's Birthday, which National Day Calendar lists as National Talk Like Shakespeare Day.  I was originally going to celebrate it as "Blue Stars 'Starcrossed' for a drum corps Shakespeare's birthday," but that was before I substituted A reminder of why I write this blog for a post about the return of "Westworld."*  Since season one was full of Shakespeare quotes and today is about talking like the Bard of Stratford, I've decided to write about "Westworld" characters quoting today's birthday boy to make up for not writing about the best science fiction television show of 2016 on Saturday.

Peter Abernathy begins quoting Shakespeare in Episode 1, "The Original."  Here he is with Dolores, apparently breaking down, but really becoming sentient.


According to the Westworld Wiki, he quotes Shakespeare twice.  The first is when he says "Hell is empty and all the devils are here."  That's from "The Tempest."  Next are the words he whispers to Dolores, which can't be heard in this clip, but which Dolores reveals later are "These violent delights have violent ends."  That line is from "Romeo and Juliet," and they are repeated throughout the series.  Here is Dolores telling Maeve the line in Episode 2.


Returning to Episode 1, Peter Abernathy is brought in to be examined by Dr. Robert Ford and Bernard Lowe after his apparent malfunction.  There, he quotes two more Shakespeare plays.  He begins with King Lear when he says "When we are born, we cry we are come to this great stage of fools."


He then alludes to "Romeo and Juliet" again before quoting "Henry IV" then returning to "King Lear."  Listen as he swears revenge.


"A rose is a rose is a rose" is actually by Gertrude Stein, but she was alluding to Juliet's line from "Romeo and Juliet," "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."  "By most mechanical and dirty hand" comes from "Henry IV, Part II."  When spoken by a robot, and combined with "I will have such revenges on you both that all the world shall — I will do such things, — what they are, yet I know not, — but they shall be the terrors of the earth" from "King Lear," it makes for a eerily appropriate threat.

Of course, the hosts are Dr. Ford's creations and he is the one who is actually fond of Shakespeare.**  Follow over the jump for his quoting of the Bard.

Farewell to 2017 from YouTube, Google, and Vox

Happy New Year's Eve!  To bid farewell to 2017, I'm recycling two of last year's ideas, Farewell to 2016 on social media for New Year's Eve and YouTube Rewind for New Year's Day 2017.  Since it's Sunday and therefore usually the day of the week for an entertainment feature, I'll start with the entertainment year in retrospective via YouTube Rewind: The Shape of 2017.

YouTube Rewind 2017. Celebrating the videos, people, music and memes that made 2017.

As I wrote when I featured the last YouTube Rewind, it helps to watch YouTube Rewind 2017: Behind the Scenes to know who the people are.

Behind the scenes of YouTube Rewind 2017, the epic year-end celebration of the videos, people, music and memes that made 2017 on YouTube.

By the way, it's the sixth year I've rewound the year on YouTube.  I think that's a good tradition to have.

Follow over the jump for a more serious pair of retrospectives from Google and Vox.

Drinking games and drinks for the Vice Presidential Debate

Gentle Readers!  With the Vice Presidential Debate coming this Tuesday night, it's time to join together and play a drinking game.  While the Presidential Debates already have two sets of rules from Drinks and drinking games for Donald Trump and the GOP debates and Drinks for the Democratic debates: Hillary Clinton taken from Paul W.'s You Might Notice a Trend blog, this edition features rules from DebateDrinking.com.  Follow along with the sock puppets as they read the rules!

Rules for the 2016 Presidential Debate Drinking Game as explained by poorly rehearsed puppets.
...
1 - Pick a candidate
2 - Listen for YOUR candidate to say his/her specific words and listen for every candidate to say a community word. If ANY CANDIDATE says a community word, EVERYONE drinks
3 - Because this may be a high scoring game, we define a drink as a gulp of beer or sip of wine or liquor. Know your limits and please drink responsibly.

Here are the words to drink to.

Tim Kaine: Virginia, Guns, *Anything in Spanish*, Middle Class, Military, and Together.

Mike Pence:  Indiana, Second Amendment, Constitution, Budget, Religion, and Shoulders.

Community Words: Governor, TPP, and Reagan.

If my readers don't like the one above, A.M. N.Y. has a different drinking game.

-When Pence describes himself as "a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order," drink.

-When Kaine randomly says a word in Spanish, drink.

-If Pence mentions his former radio show, “The Mike Pence Show,” drink.

-When Kaine says something that sounds like something your dad would say, drink.

-If you start to fall asleep, drink some coffee.

-If Pence diverts a question about how he initially supported Ted Cruz over Donald Trump, drink.

-If Kaine diverts a question about how he said former President Bill Clinton should resign, drink.

-When you start to wish you were watching Joe Biden and Paul Ryan debate, drink.

-If Kaine does an impression of Trump like he did in his DNC speech in July, drink.

-When you think you’re seeing double, it’s time to go to sleep.

I think those are enough rules.  Follow over the jump for the drinks for each candidate.

Marching music for the elections in Arizona, Utah, and Idaho

I'm getting antsy waiting for the results of the Arizona presidential preference election and the Utah and Idaho caucuses, so I'm doing the same thing I did for the Iowa Caucuses, Super Tuesday, and Ides of March--sharing marching music by units from the states where the voting is happening.

I begin with Arizona and The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps playing "A Step in Time."  May the results go down with a spoon full of sugar.


Follow over the jump for units from Utah and Idaho.

A Drum Corps Ides of March for an election year

Beware The Ides of March!  In the spirit of both A Drum corps Super Tuesday as well as Talk like a drum corps pirate, I present marching music with a Roman theme for the double occasion of the prophesied day of Julius Caesar's assassination and the next round of primary elections.

First, a corps from a state holding a primary election playing an appropriately themed program--1998 Phantom Regiment from Illinois with "Songs from the Eternal City."

Phantom Regiment, finishing in 8th place, went on an excursion to Rome in “Songs from the Eternal City.” The show title was inspired by the name given the ancient city in the years B.C., when residents trusted that Rome would endure forever as a beacon of culture and power. Legend was the Roman king of the gods Jupiter god promised goddess Venus that he would provide the Romans with an empire without peers or an end.

Another state holding a primary today is Florida.  I'm going into the Wayback Machine to pull out a fitting selection, The Floridians playing "Vehicle" by Ides of March from 1975.


I now return to Illinois with 2008 Phantom Regiment - End of Spartacus.


Enjoy the music while simultaneously watching both your back and the election returns and remember--we are all Spartacus!

Four candidates bid farewell after Iowa

I wrote that "I'll have more about Frothy and three other candidates quitting later" in The smart money and endorsements are more for Rubio than ever.  I'm outsourcing serious commentary on this news to PBS's Washington Week, which posted Four candidates exit 2016 race, Fiorina fights to be on debate stage, Gilmore gets 4 votes in Iowa to its YouTube account as a web extra.

After disappointing finishes in the Iowa caucuses, four presidential candidates left the 2016 race including Republicans Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum and Rand Paul and Democrat Martin O'Malley. Reid Wilson and Doyle McManus discuss why these candidates struggled to gain traction. Plus, Carly Fiorina is being left off the next Republican debate stage, despite being one of only nine remaining Republican candidates. And another Republican, Jim Gilmore, picked up only 12 votes in the Iowa caucuses.

Follow over the jump for my good-byes to each of the candidates no longer contesting their parties' nominations.

Marching music for the Iowa Caucuses: Colts and Hawkeyes

I'll have more to say about the Iowa Caucus results later.  Right now, I'm just going to play some music.  First, 2013 Colts from Dubuque, Iowa, playing "Field of Dreams," an appropriate choice for tonight's festivities.


If the candidates build it, will the voters come?

Next, the University of Iowa Hawkeyes at this year's Rose Parade.

The University of Iowa Hawkeye Marching Band performing at the at the 127th Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade on Friday, January 1st 2016.

If the voters come, will they march into the caucus sites?

Stay tuned for the answers tomorrow, along with the answer to the question of Groundhog Day, will the woodchuck see his shadow?

Speculative fiction at the Critics' Choice Movie and Television Awards

Tonight, A&E hosts the Critics' Choice Awards for both movies and television. I've already written about three of the nominees for the movie awards, "The Big Short," "Spotlight," and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."  Now it's time to look at the rest of the nominations, particularly in speculative fiction, which comprises science fiction, fantasy, and horror.

It turns out that the most nominated movie is a work of science fiction, "Mad Max: Fury Road."  From the press release:

“Mad Max: Fury Road” leads this year with 13 nominations including Best Picture, Charlize Theron for both Best Actress and Best Actress In An Action Movie, Tom Hardy for Best Actor In An Action Movie, George Miller for Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Hair and Makeup, Best Visual Effects, Best Action Movie, and Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie.

What a lovely day!


How about the rest of the speculative fiction films being honored (bolding mine)?

“Carol,” “The Martian,” and “The Revenant” impressed with nine nominations each, all in the running for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Cinematography, among others. “Spotlight” earned eight nominations, followed by “The Big Short” with seven, and “The Hateful Eight” with six. “Bridge of Spies,” “Brooklyn,” “The Danish Girl,” “Jurassic World,” and “Sicario” each garnered five nominations and “Room” earned four.

Jennifer Lawrence is up for three awards, for her work in both “Joy” and “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2,” while Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron are both nominated for two acting awards.

In addition to "Mad Max: Fury Road," "The Martian," "Jurassic World," and "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2," "Ex Machina" has three nominations, while "It Follows" (the sole horror nominee), "Ant-Man," (the sole comic-book movie nominated), and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" each have one.  That's not a bad showing for speculative fiction, especially science fiction, at a movie awards show.

Both "Mad Max: Fury Road" and "The Martian" might do well, but not exceptionally so, in the mainstream awards, especially for directing, cinematography, editing, production design, and make-up, where they are in stiff competition with mainstream dramas, but it's the categories for genre films where the action (pun fully intended) will be tonight.  With no further ado, I present the nominees and my opinions of their chances, beginning with a mainstream category in which genre films predominate.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Ex Machina
Jurassic World
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
The Walk

Four of the six nominees are science fiction films.  Of these, I'd root for "Mad Max: Fury Road" except that the really spectacular visuals are the results of stunt work, cinematograpy, and editing, not special effects.  For those, my pick right now is "Jurassic World."  That written, I wouldn't be surprised by any of these films winning, especially "Ex Machina."

Speaking of special effects, it's the subject of an award that has already been decided.

The “Critics’ Choice Genius Award” will be given to ILM in recognition of its 40 years of revolutionary moviemaking that changed entertainment forever. Star Wars: The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams will be on hand to present the honor. For four decades, ILM has set the standard for visual effects, creating some of the most stunning images in the history of film. At the forefront of the digital revolution, ILM continues to break new ground in visual effects. ILM has been awarded 15 Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects, received 26 Scientific and Technical Achievement Awards, and was presented with the National Medal of Technology by the President of the United States in 2004. Founded in 1975 by George Lucas, ILM is the leading effects facility in the world, serving the motion picture, commercial production and attraction industries. ILM has created visual effects for over 250 feature films, including all seven Star Wars episodes, the Jurassic Park Franchise, the Harry Potter series, the Indiana Jones films, the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, Iron Man, Transformers, and The Martian.

Well deserved and it will make up for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" not getting any awards (trust me, it won't win Best Movie and it didn't get nominated for any other categories).

BEST ACTION MOVIE
Furious 7
Jurassic World
Mad Max: Fury Road
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
Sicario

My favorite is "Mad Max: Fury Road" over "Jurassic World"--the former is both more clearly an action movie and a better film overall, but I would be disappointed if not surprised should the critics pick "Sicario," which is probably the best drama of the bunch.  As for "Furious 7," it may be all action, but it's mindless action, unlike "Mad Max: Fury Road," where the violence has intelligence behind it.  It should be happy with its People's Choice Award.

BEST ACTOR IN AN ACTION MOVIE
Daniel Craig – Spectre
Tom Cruise – Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
Tom Hardy – Mad Max: Fury Road
Chris Pratt – Jurassic World
Paul Rudd – Ant-Man

Normally, I'd be rooting for Daniel Craig, but "SPECTRE" was a disappointment.  Instead, I'm hoping that Chris Pratt wins.  Tom Hardy is probably the better actor, but he wasn't even the star of his own movie; Charlize Theron was.  Speaking of whom...

BEST ACTRESS IN AN ACTION MOVIE
Emily Blunt – Sicario
Rebecca Ferguson – Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
Bryce Dallas Howard – Jurassic World
Jennifer Lawrence – The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2
Charlize Theron – Mad Max: Fury Road

Charlize's only serious competition is likely to be Emily Blunt.  Jennifer Lawrence is a great actress, but the material in "The Hunger Games" series does not lend itself to outstanding performances.  On the other hand, she might repeat her Golden Globes win for her performance in "Joy" as a comedic actress.

BEST SCI-FI/HORROR MOVIE
Ex Machina
It Follows
Jurassic World
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian

Of this lot, it's a tight competition between "Mad Max: Fury Road" and "The Martian," although "Ex Machina" might sneak on past.  After all, it's the critics voting, not the movie-makers.  As for the field, I'd substitute "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" for "It Follows."  The latter is probably the best horror movie of the year, but it's not as good as the rest.

That completes my comments on the movies, but like the Golden Globes, I've been neglecting the TV shows.  Follow over the jump for those.