Gold Derby's predictions for TV movie and music at the Emmy Awards

I closed Gold Derby's predictions for variety specials at the Emmy Awards with "I have one more Creative Arts Emmy nominees post planned for TV Movies and music. Stay tuned." Without any further ado, here are the TV movie and music nominees at the 76th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Outstanding Television Movie

• Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie (Peacock)
• Quiz Lady (Hulu)
• Red, White & Royal Blue (Prime Video)
• Scoop (Netflix)
• Unfrosted (Netflix)

The editors at Gold Derby have changed most of their minds since I first covered this category in Gold Derby's predictions for Emmy-nominated shows. Here were the top six movies according to Gold Derby's editors in mid-July.


Four editors were forecasting Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie to win while two were picking Red, White & Royal Blue, but no one thought Quiz Lady had a chance of taking the trophy home. In contrast, these are the picks of Gold Derby's editors and site odds as of last night.


Seven editors now predict Quiz Lady will win, while four are forecasting Red, White & Royal Blue, but no editor now thinks Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie will take home the statuette. What a difference two months makes!

Neither the experts nor the top 24 users have received the memo from the editors, as six experts and 16 users are sticking with Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie, while two experts and four users picked Quiz Lady, one expert and four users have chosen Red, White & Royal Blue, and one lone expert picked Scoop. Red, White & Royal Blue and Scoop both fit my stated interest in covering awards shows, examining depictions of politics and government in entertainment, so I can justify this blog post.

Outstanding Casting for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

• Baby Reindeer – Nina Gold and Martin Ware (Netflix)
• Fargo – Rachel Tenner, Jackie Lind, Stephanie Gorin, and Rhonda Fisekci (FX)
• Feud: Capote vs. The Swans – Alexa L. Fogel (FX)
• Ripley – Avy Kaufman, Francesco Vedovati, and Barbara Giordani (Netflix)
• True Detective: Night Country – Francine Maisler, Deborah Schildt, and Alda B. Gudjónsdóttir (HBO)

TV movies could have been nominated in this category, but this year's class isn't last year's, when Weird: The Al Yankovic Story had the most nominations in the Emmy field with eight, followed by Prey with six, Hocus Pocus 2 with three, Dolly Parton's Mountain Magic Christmas with two, and Fire Island with only one. That's a lot of nominations for television movies. This year, all the TV movie nominations had only one nomination each. That's disappointing. I think the stars in Quiz Lady Awkwafina, Sandra Oh, and Will Ferrell, along with supporting actress Tawny Newsome and the next to last appearance of the late Paul Reubens, could have made it competitive here. Sigh.

Enough whining. On to the Gold Derby odds! All eleven editors along with nine experts and 22 users voted for Baby Reindeer. One expert and user each think Fargo could upset. One user hasn't chosen a winner. They should pick Baby Reindeer.

The next award is the first music category listed on Wikipedia, which is fortuitous, for it serves as a transition between TV movies and limited series above the jump and music below the jump.

Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score)

• All the Light We Cannot See: "Episode 4" – James Newton Howard (Netflix)
• Fargo: "Blanket" – Jeff Russo (FX)
• Lawmen: Bass Reeves: "Part I" – Chanda Dancy (Paramount+)
• Lessons in Chemistry: "Book of Calvin" – Carlos Rafael Rivera (Apple TV+)
• The Tattooist of Auschwitz: "Episode 1" – Kara Talve and Hans Zimmer (Peacock)

Gold Derby's forecasters favor Fargo with eight editors, seven experts, and 17 users filling in their ballots with it. Two editors and four users selected Lessons in Chemistry with one editor went out on a limb with All the Light We Cannot See while three experts and one user took a chance with The Tattooist of Auschwitz, probably based on Hans Zimmer being one of the nominated composers and the limited series also being nominated for Original Music and Lyrics. I should listen to selections from the soundtracks first, but if I don't get around to it, I'd probably pick Fargo.

Follow over the jump for the rest of the music categories with Gold Derby predictions.

Gold Derby's predictions for variety specials at the Emmy Awards

I closed Gold Derby's predictions for reality programs at the Emmy Awards by telling my readers "I plan on returning with the predictions for Variety Special tomorrow. Stay tuned." Without any further ado, here are the variety special nominees at the 76th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Outstanding Variety Special (Live)

• The Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show Starring Usher (CBS)
• 66th Grammy Awards (CBS)
• The Greatest Roast of All Time: Tom Brady (Netflix)
• The Oscars (ABC)
• 76th Annual Tony Awards (CBS)

I opened Emmy nominees and winners at the Super Bowl — commercials and halftime show by asking and answering a question.

Did you know that when you watch (or watched, depending on when you read this entry) today's Super Bowl, you'll probably see several Emmy nominees and probably an Emmy winner or two? You will, because you did last year and several of the years before that. That's thanks to the commercials and halftime show, which has been a repeat nominee going back as far as Beyoncé's Super Bowl XLVII halftime show, which won Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Special in 2013.

That came true for two of the Emmy nominees for Outstanding Commercial and it came true for the halftime show itself, which Gold Derby's editors and top 24 users predict will win this category. Six of eleven editors, five of the nine experts, and 20 users voted that it will win this award. Three editors, three experts (these may be the same people, as the two groups overlap), and three users favor The Oscars, while one editor, one lone expert (again, maybe the same person), and one user have ventured that The Greatest Roast Of All Time: Tom Brady could upset both. In addition, one editor who is not an expert thinks The Grammy Awards will win. I'm going with the story I started in February and picking The Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show Starring Usher to walk off the Creative Arts Emmy Awards stage with the statuette.

Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded)

• Billy Joel: The 100th — Live at Madison Square Garden (CBS)
• Dave Chappelle: The Dreamer (Netflix)
• Dick Van Dyke 98 Years of Magic (CBS)
• Nikki Glaser: Someday You'll Die (HBO)
• Trevor Noah: Where Was I (Netflix)

Ten editors, four of the nine experts, and 22 users have voted that Dick Van Dyke 98 Years of Magic will win. One editor, three experts, and two users chose Billy Joel: The 100th — Live at Madison Square Garden to walk off the stage with the trophy. Finally, two experts think Dave Chappelle: The Dreamer could win in an upset. I would choose Dick Van Dyke 98 Years of Magic should I register on Gold Derby in time.

Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special

• Dave Chappelle: The Dreamer – Stan Lathan (Netflix)
• Dick Van Dyke 98 Years of Magic – Russell Norman (CBS)
• The Oscars – Hamish Hamilton (ABC)
• Tig Notaro: Hello Again – Stephanie Allynne (Prime Video)
• 76th Annual Tony Awards – Glenn Weiss (CBS)
• Trevor Noah: Where Was I – David Paul Meyer (Netflix)

The Oscars leads among the prognosticators at Gold Derby with ten editors, seven experts, and 18 users in its corner. Two experts and four users voted for Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic, while one editor and two users selected the 76th Annual Tony Awards to upset. I'll pick The Oscars in this category.

Now for a category to be presented at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards.

Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special

• Alex Edelman: Just for Us – Alex Edelman (HBO)
• Jacqueline Novak: Get on Your Knees – Jacqueline Novak (Netflix)
• John Early: Now More Than Ever – John Early (HBO)
• Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man and the Pool – Mike Birbiglia (Netflix)
• The Oscars – Jamie Abrahams, Rory Albanese, Amberia Allen, Tony Barbieri, Jonathan Bines, Joelle Boucai, Bryan Cook, Blaire Erskine, Devin Field, Gary Greenberg, Josh Halloway, Eric Immerman, Jesse Joyce, Jimmy Kimmel, Carol Leifer, Jon Macks, Mitch Marchand, Gregory Martin, Jesse McLaren, Molly McNearney, Keaton Patti, Danny Ricker, Louis Virtel, and Troy Walker (ABC)

It's a little early for final predictions, so not all the prognosticators at Gold Derby have made their predictions yet, as ten editors, eleven experts, and 13 users have so far picked Alex Edelman: Just for Us, while two experts and three users have chosen The Oscars, one expert and one editor (again, maybe the same person) staked out a long-shot position with Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man and the Pool, and one expert went way out on a limb by picking John Early: Now More Than Ever. I might go against the grain by voting for The Oscars, which should at least win a game of "one of these things is not like the others."

I close with Gold Derby's Editors 2024 Emmy slugfest: Reality, variety and special program categories predictions.

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west - and RuPaul Charles always wins the Emmy for Best Reality Host. A victory for RuPaul for his iconic hit "RuPaul's Drag Race" has literally become as dependable as the behavior of that big ball in the sky. Since 2016, in fact, he hasn't lost, winning the trophy for the category eight consecutive times and gunning for a ninth straight this year. He has, in fact, never lost in the category. Will he keep his perfect record intact?

There is alas evidence that this could be the year he finally meets his match. The predictions in Gold Derby still favor RuPaul by a wide margin - but they've been wrong before. To get a better assessment, Gold Derby senior editors Denton Davidson, Daniel Montgomery and Marcus James Dixon and news and features editor Ray Richmond got together to slug it out with their opinions of how the host race will play out along with several other reality, variety and special program categories that will be decided at both the Creative Arts Emmys on September 7 and 8 and the Primetime Emmy ceremony on September 15. Watch the foursome's colorful debate above.

The opening fits more with Gold Derby's predictions for reality programs at the Emmy Awards but that hasn't turned into a pumpkin yet. That magic should wear off tomorrow night between 8:00 and 11:00 P.M. EDT. In the meantime, I have one more Creative Arts Emmy nominees post planned for TV Movies and music. Stay tuned.

Previous posts about the 76th Primetime and Creative Arts Emmy Awards

• Gold Derby's predictions for Emmy-nominated shows
• How did Gold Derby's Emmy nominations predictions fare?
• Sandy Hook Promise's 'Just Joking' the sole PSA among Emmy nominees for Outstanding Commercial
• 'Beyond Utopia,' ' Going to Mars,' and 'Stamped from the Beginning,' Emmy nominees for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking
• Entertainment and true crime the themes of Emmy nominees for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series
• John Oliver debunks 'Migrant Crime' in the middle of covering the RNC on 'Last Week Tonight'
• 'Jon Stewart Debunks GOP’s City Crime Narrative' plus 'The Daily Show's Emmy nominations
• Emmy-nominated 'Desi Lydic Foxsplains Accusations that Republicans are "Weird"' plus the short form Emmy nominees
• Planet Earth III's Emmy nominations for World Lion Day
• Presidential jokes from Stephen Colbert for National Presidential Joke Day
• 'Jeopardy!' and 'Password' favored to win Game Show categories at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards
• 'Girls State' stands out against field of entertainment nominees for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special at the Emmy Awards
• 'Conan O'Brian Must Go' vs. 'Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.' for Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special at the Emmy Awards
• Gold Derby predicts guest actor, guest actress, reality host, and voice-over at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards
• Gold Derby's predictions for reality programs at the Emmy Awards

Gold Derby's predictions for reality programs at the Emmy Awards

I told my readers "I plan on returning with more Emmy coverage this week" at the end of Gold Derby predicts guest actor, guest actress, reality host, and voice-over at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, so I'm continuing with the next categories I would have covered during last week's power outage, reality programs. Here are the reality program nominees at the 76th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program

• Below Deck Down Under (Bravo)
• Love on the Spectrum U.S. (Netflix)
• RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked (MTV)
• Vanderpump Rules (Bravo)
• Welcome to Wrexham (FX)

Welcome to Wrexham won this category last year, and Gold Derby's editors and top 24 users overwhelmingly agree it will repeat, with all eleven editors, seven of eight experts, and 23 of the top 24 users picking it to win. One expert and one user voted for Love on the Spectrum U.S. to win, which is not an unreasonable choice, as it won this category in 2022. Still, if I get around to registering on Gold Derby tonight or tomorrow, I'd pick Welcome to Wrexham.

Outstanding Structured Reality Program

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

Queer Eye has won this category six years in a row and the prognosticators at Gold Derby generally agree that it will extend its streak to seven with nine editors, six experts, and 20 of the top 24 users picking it to win. Two editors, one expert, and four users think Shark Tank will upset Queer Eye. In addition, one expert each have made long-shot picks for Love Is Blind and Antiques Roadshow. If I voted for Love Is Blind, it would be an expression of sympathy for Vanessa Lachey, who was unpleasantly surprised when CBS canceled NCIS: Hawaii, a show my wife and I enjoyed. Otherwise, no. As for Antiques Roadshow, I think Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has a better chance of winning Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special. I'd pick Queer Eye to win once more.

Now for a category presented at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards.

Outstanding Reality Competition Program

• The Amazing Race (CBS)
• RuPaul's Drag Race (MTV)
• Top Chef (Bravo)
• The Traitors (Peacock)
• The Voice (NBC)

RuPaul's Drag Race has won this category five of the past six years, including earlier this year for 2023 and the forecasters at Gold Derby agree, as ten of eleven editors, eleven of sixteen experts, and fifteen users have chosen it as the winner. One editor, five experts, and six users think The Traitors could walk away with the statuette in an upset (three users haven't made up their minds yet). I would pick RuPaul's Drag Race given the opportunity.

Follow over the jump as I recycle a category from Gold Derby predicts guest actor, guest actress, reality host, and voice-over at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Colbert, Meyers, and Kimmel return to take closer looks at the presidential campaigns

I haven't featured the late night talk show hosts since Closer looks at the DNC from Stewart, Colbert, and Meyers nearly two weeks ago. That's because I had changed over to posts I could share this week because I had made my page view goal for August and the shows weren't producing new content anyway. I guess The Late Show and The Daily Show needed the week to move from Chicago back to New York, then everyone took the week leading up to Labor Day off. It's a new month, so it's time to resume topical posts and nearly all the talk shows resumed releasing new shows last night. I begin with Colbert's monologue, Harris's Momentum Dominates The News | Trump's Crimes At Arlington Cemetery | RFK Jr. & The Whale.

VP Kamala Harris is leading in national polls, her opponent Donald Trump brushed aside federal law and Army personnel for his photo opp at Arlington National Cemetery, and we're learning of another bizarre animal-related scandal involving former presidential candidate RFK Jr.

Last week was really eventful and Colbert was just catching up. Speaking of which, I was missing his enthusiastic Chicago audience and I suspect he was, too, until his jokes finally starting landing. Welcome back, Stephen!

Seth Meyers didn't have to come back from Chicago — he was in New York during the DNC — but he took last week off, too. He was busy just catching up to convicted criminal's misdeeds last week in Declining Trump Rambles Incoherently About Bacon, Wind and Body Parts: A Closer Look.

Seth takes a closer look at a series of major controversies and sagging poll numbers causing Trump to devolve in a way that's unusual, even for him.

Hoover Cleveland has just enough self-awareness to say "I meant to do that" about his rambling, calling it "the weave." Sure you did. Throwing in the English professors makes it sound like another one of his "sir" stories.

As for The Former Guy including the detail about people, particularly, "big, strong men," crying, I consider it a tell that he's BSing or lying (there is a difference, but both involve not telling the truth) right up with with them addressing him as "Sir." Not only that, but both also mark this as a story in service to his ego and image. Don't believe any story that contains either.

Same with "the weave."

Seth only had a week to catch up. Jimmy Kimmel has been on vacation for two months with guest hosts filling in, so he had even more material to cover in Jimmy Kimmel Recaps All the Crazy Stuff Donald Trump Did Over the Summer.

Jimmy makes his return after being away for the summer with his family. He talks about all of the news he missed this summer, the craziness that came out of Trump’s bigly mouth, his comments at “The Moms for Liberty” event over the weekend, new VP picks JD Vance and Tim Walz, the incredible twist that Netflix put on their hot dog eating contest this weekend, and all of our summer guest hosts rate their experience at the show on Yelp.

Welcome back, Jimmy. I missed you.

Harris campaigns in Detroit on Labor Day

I closed Project 2025's plans for labor and unions, part 7 of MSNBC examines Project 2025, a Labor Day special with a program note.

By the way, Kamala Harris is speaking in Detroit for Labor Day as I type this. I might visit that tomorrow. Stay tuned.

CBS Detroit uploaded her speech as Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to union members in Detroit during Labor Day visit.

Vice President Kamala Harris made a stop in Detroit on Labor Day to speak with union members and leaders.

I watched this speech on Instagram yesterday, but I enjoyed CBS Detroit's coverage of it even more. I guess it took a second listen to appreciate it more fully, including Harris's applause lines and the enthusiastic crowd reaction.

MSNBC reacted to Harris's address in the following segments, beginning with David Jolly telling Nicolle Wallace ‘She’s putting in the work, Trump is sitting at his golf course’: VP Harris hits swing states hard.

Eddie Glaude, Princeton University Professor, David Jolly, former Republican Congressman from Florida join Nicolle Wallace on Deadline White House to break down the battle ground tour that the Harris campaign is embarking on for Labor Day and how VP Harris has begun to hone in her message to voters.

I agree with Wallace and her guests, particularly Jolly. Harris is working hard and becoming more effective, while convicted criminal Donald Trump AKA Hoover Cleveland is staying at one of his homes. His running mate JD Vance didn't hold any events yesterday, either. I guess they wanted to relax on the holiday. That's the point Jason Johnson made in Trump's 2024 nightmare: Women voting surge could elect Harris.

Kamala Harris takes the lead with women voters, as abortion access becomes a crucial issue on the ballot in key swing states. MSNBC’s Ari Melber reports and is joined by Molly Jong Fast and Jason Johnson.

My wife and I watched this clip together last night and it also benefited from a second viewing. In particular, the contrast between Trump and Vance staying home while not just Harris, but also President Joe Biden, Governor Tim Walz, and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff all campaigning yesterday. It's obvious which ticket has the energy.

That's a wrap for today's post. I might resume Emmy Awards coverage tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Project 2025's plans for labor and unions, part 7 of MSNBC examines Project 2025, a Labor Day special

Happy Labor Day! Instead of reviewing the history of the holiday for this year's observance, I'm looking ahead at a possible future by resuming MSNBC examines Project 2025, which I promised I would do in July. About time to work the eye again!

I begin with MSNBC's most recent video on the subject, Ali Velshi's Inside Project 2025’s plan to weaken unions and lower workers’ wages.

Project 2025’s chapter on the Department of Labor aims to make union organizing more difficult, give unions less bargaining leverage and repeal long-standing anti-discrimination laws. Fmr. Acting Secretary of Labor under President Obama, Seth Harris says the policies in Project 2025 are fit for “a society where your only goal is for employers to make more money.”

Velshi's listing of all the reversions of labor law to before the New Deal would have made this worth sharing on its own, but Seth Harris's mentions of all the victories of organized labor during the past twelve months, including those by the WGA, UAW, and SAG-AFTRA after strikes, and the Teamsters and UPS contract averting a strike were exactly what I wanted to highlight today, the resurgence of organized labor. Two for one!

Joy Reid had examined the subject earlier last month in Project 2025 Exposed: Child labor and decimated unions promised by Trump’s election.

Donald Trump took a private flight with the head of Project 2025, Kevin Roberts, The Washington Post reports. Jody Calemine, director of advocacy for the AFL-CIO, joins Joy Reid to discuss the potential, destructive impact of Project 2025 on labour unions and the American worker.

As I wrote in PBS NewsHour explains 'Why several states are pushing to loosen child labor restrictions' on World Day Against Child Labor and the posts I linked to there, "I think relaxing child labor laws is not a good way to deal with a labor shortage. I prefer raising wages and improving working conditions so more adults will return to the workforce." I also suggested increased legal immigration as a solution to labor shortages, but that goes against the recommendations I included in U.S. birth rates resume falling while life expectancy increases for World Population Day 2024 and repeated in John Oliver debunks 'Migrant Crime' in the middle of covering the RNC on 'Last Week Tonight': "MSNBC examines Project 2025, part 5 lists even more extreme positions beyond restricting immigration: 'Mass deportation of immigrants and incarceration in 'camps' and 'End birth right citizenship.' Yikes, especially the second, which attacks the currently accepted idea of who is an American and will affect citizens and others here legally, not just undocumented immigrants." I think the revisions (reversions) in federal labor law in Project 2025 would be make exactly the wrong choice.

I conclude with Velshi examining Inside Project 2025: ‘Schedule F’s’ direct threat to public servants.

Olivia Troye, a longtime civil servant across various government agencies and administrations, first saw Project 2025’s drafted ‘Schedule F’ plan to purge government of nonpartisan experts in favor of political loyalists back in 2020 while working in the Trump Administration.
Project 2025 isn’t just about the ultra-conservative policies that Donald Trump and his allies are preparing for a possible second term in office. It’s also about how they’re going to implement those policies. A goal is to rid the government of the “Deep State” and a former Trump executive order called “Schedule F” would play a huge role. Troye joins Ali Velshi to clarify the dangers of Project 2025 and Schedule F for the United States government and the ways they could affect American life.

I usually see Schedule F portrayed as a good government issue, but it's also a labor issue, even though it's directed at management, not rank-and-file civil servants. It would remove civil service protection from middle management and the bottom level of top management, which definitely affects their job security and working conditions along with making the rest of Project 2025, including its erosion of worker rights, more easy to implement. Remember, in their own way, the civil servants that would be impacted by Schedule F work for a living; unlike their equivalents in the corporate world, they're not getting rich by higher salaries and investments in their employer to compensate for being at-will employees.

By the way, Kamala Harris is speaking in Detroit for Labor Day as I type this. I might visit that tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Gold Derby predicts guest actor, guest actress, reality host, and voice-over at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards

I was confused when I wrote CNBC explains 'Why Automakers Are Invading Your Privacy,' a double driving update yesterday; the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina is next year, so the Sunday entertainment feature it is. Time to return to the Emmy Awards with nominations for guest actor, guest actress, reality show host, and voice-over performance plus odds from Gold Derby, so here are the nominees at the 76th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards!

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series

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

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

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series

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

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

Between Bernthal and Curtis, it could be a mini-sweep of comedy guest performances for The Bear. That probably won't happen at the Primetime Emmys, as Hacks could win both actress awards while both actors could repeat for The Bear.

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series

• Néstor Carbonell – Shogun: "Anjin" as Vasco Rodrigues (FX)
• Paul Dano – Mr. & Mrs. Smith: "A Breakup" as Harris Materbach (Prime Video)
• Tracy Letts – Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty: "The New World" as Jack McKinney (HBO)
• Jonathan Pryce – Slow Horses: "Footprints" as David Cartwright (Apple TV+)
• John Turturro – Mr. & Mrs. Smith: "Second Date" as Eric Shane (Prime Video)

Eight of the eleven editors voted for Néstor Carbonell, two for John Turturro, and one for Jonathan Pryce. The experts exhibit a similar split with six for Carbonell, two for John Turturro, and one for Jonathan Pryce. The top 24 users are generally playing it safe with 21 chosing Carbonell, while one each are making long shot picks for Paul Dano, Pryce, and Turturro.

Speaking of sweeps, Shogun could see one for its nominated actors between the Creative Arts Emmy Awards and the Primetime Emmy Awards. I'll get to its nominations next week.

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series

• Michaela Coel – Mr. & Mrs. Smith: "Infidelity" as Bev (Prime Video)
• Claire Foy – The Crown: "Sleep, Dearie Sleep" as Queen Elizabeth II (Netflix)
• Marcia Gay Harden – The Morning Show: "Update Your Priors" as Maggie Brener (Apple TV+)
• Sarah Paulson – Mr. & Mrs. Smith: "Couples Therapy (Naked & Afraid)" as Therapist (Prime Video)
• Parker Posey – Mr. & Mrs. Smith: "Double Date" as Second Other Jane (Prime Video)

Eight editors chose Claire Foy to claim another Emmy for her part of the role, two voted for Michaela Coel, and one picked Parker Posey. The experts are just as evenly split among the top nominees here as they are for guest drama actor with three for Foy, and two each voting for Coel, Sarah Paulson, and Posey. As they are for guest actress, the users display more agreement with the editors than the experts with 20 fine with Foy, three choosing Coel, and one picking Paulson.

As I observed in Gold Derby's predictions for Emmy-nominated shows, "Shogun moved from limited series to drama series just in time to make the ballot in this category, unseating The Crown as the favorite." Fortunately for Foy, no one from Shogun earned a nomination in this category, so she might be the one acting winner for the series' final season.

Follow over the jump for the nominees and Gold Derby odds for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance and Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program plus a linkspam to previous entries in this series.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I return after a power outage spanning four days and three nights

I'm back. To explain, I'm reusing the opening to I had an eventful three days and two nights because of a severe storm knocking out my power from July 9, 2021.

It's rare that I miss a day here, let alone two, but the usual cause when it has happened was a power outage (the other time I was in the hospital). That's why I was offline the past two days.

History repeated itself this month, first a hospitalization and now a power outage. I'm cutting to the chase with CBS Detroit's Outraged Michigan residents blast DTE after four-day power outage.

Throughout Friday the number of DTE customers without power has slowly ticked downward, but those living south of Six Mile near Farmington Road were cranking their generators to stay cool otherwise they were planning to sweat it out for another night.

I can relate to this. My wife called me late Tuesday afternoon to report the power went out and the power and cable or phone lines in my neighbors' yards caught fire. I came home to brownout conditions, with enough power to run some lights and the freezer, but not the refrigerator. Power gradually increased through the evening until everything could run except the air conditioning. My wife and I could even watch the season premiere of Only Murders in the Building. I thought the worst was over until one of the power lines in front of the house fell and caught those cable/phone lines on fire. The fire department taped off the street and left a notice on the door.

I went to sleep with the power mostly on. I woke up Wednesday morning with the power completely off. It didn't return until this afternoon, so I had part or all of four days and three nights with no power at home. At least I could charge my phone and enjoy air conditioning at work, but returned home to no electricity. I saw crews in the area all four days, but no one actually fixed the problem until today. My wife and I got fed up with the situation last night and checked into a hotel with our dog. We returned this afternoon after we learned the power had returned. I don't think we're in as bad shape as Matt Hutchinson from Brighton; at least some of our food is still good, but we'll find out tomorrow when we start throwing the spoiled food out. We decided to save our medicine that requires refrigeration, like my insulin and Ozempic by putting them into the hotel fridge. Just the same, a $38 rebate from DTE will hardly make a dent in the lost food, to say nothing of the hotel bill.

Now to return to the beginning as WDIV/Click on Detroit reported on the initial storm and power outages in Fast-moving storms leave massive damage across SE Michigan Tuesday night.

The clean-up begins acoss SE Michigan as fast-moving storms hammered Metro Detroit.

We didn't experience any strong wind gusts or see downed trees like WDIV showed, but those definitely explain why the outages were so widespread and persistent. Yikes!

Michigan is not out of the woods yet, as Fox Weather uploaded an overview of the situation in the entire state in Major Michigan Power Outages Persist Amid New Round Of Storms Friday.

Thousands of Michiganders are still without power after severe storms earlier in the week tore across the state as they are bracing for another round of potentially destructive weather Friday.

So far, we haven't seen the severe weather forecast for our area. May we remain so lucky.

I plan on finishing the month with a double driving update. Stay tuned.

Randy Rainbow sings 'JD, JD... (Married Lady)'

I told my readers to "Look for a short installment tomorrow," meaning today, to conclude 'Conan O'Brian Must Go' vs. 'Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.' for Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special at the Emmy Awards. Shortly after that, Randy Rainbow uploaded JD, JD... (Married Lady). That will certainly make for a short, fun post!

Parody of “Sadie, Sadie” from Funny Girl (Music by Jule Styne, Lyrics by Bob Merrill)

Parody Lyrics by Randy Rainbow
Song Produced, Orchestrated, Mixed, Mastered by: Michael J Moritz Jr @michaeljmoritz
Vocal Arrangement - Brett Boles

That was actually a pretty quick turnaround since Randy Rainbow sings 'The Lawyer or the Conman' and 'KAMALA!' Here's to hoping Randy can keep up the pace until November.

For an encore, I'm embedding "Vance VP" - Marsh Family parody adaptation of "Dancing Queen" by ABBA, on JD Vance, the first video YouTube suggested.

Dancing Queen, the magnificent pop anthem by ABBA, was written by the usual team of Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson, and released in the (then) very hot summer of 1976. The original song is built around the ‘wall of sound’ concept with ridiculous numbers of layers, flourishes, instrumentation, and packed with harmonies and grooves. But we decided to try it with just two guitars, drums, and three voices on the hottest day of the year so far. Hopefully it turned out recognisable and a little bit distinctive – the girls doing a great job with harmonies and some moves! It is a profoundly European dance track that brings people together, a consistent winner, true to the vibe, and (ridiculously) it turned out to be ABBA’s only number one hit in the USA.

We chose for the parody subject matter the official approval at the convention this week of JD Vance as Donald Trump’s running mate for the presidential ticket for the Republican Party. It’s probably fair to say that Vance is very little known on this side of the pond – hence the need for some additional info and graphics on this video – but he made an ill-advised splash in our world by mouthing off about the UK, pretending a concern about nuclear proliferation (when for a long time he’s been helping facilitate Putin’s aggression) and half-jokingly describing the UK as an “Islamist country”. This prompted politicians from across the spectrum to condemn his comments – on which you can find details here: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk....

So since he dished it out, and since - for obvious (but different) reasons - now is not an appropriate moment for a song about either Trump or Biden, here’s our less-than-impressed profile of yet another populist politician with highly flexible morality, worrying contempt for democratic process and discourse, but big funding and a big mouth who’s happy to tap into ordinary people’s fears while claiming to be an example of their dreams.

Behold the power of the YouTube algorithm!

That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned to see what I blog about tomorrow!