Hugh Masakela has died at 78. Famous for a world of music, the South African trumpeteer was best known in the world for “Grazing in the Grass”– which was a hit TWICE– once as his instrumental and once as a pop hit. They are each played constantly, everywhere, 50 years after they hit the charts.
— ALEKESAM (@SalMasekela) January 23, 2018
The Oscar nominations find one studio– Fox– fighting against itself with 3 of the 9 Best Picture nominations. Congrats to the filmmakers and to the publicists at Fox. Amazing. They have “Shape of Water,” “Three Billboards,” and “The Post.” The first two are from Fox Searchlight. Now that Disney has bought Fox, perhaps they will consider leaving all those people in place…
Diane Warren received her 9th nomination for Best Song– “Stand Up for Something”– it’s about time she won.
Two of the Best Actor nominations are first timers– Daniel Kaluuya from “Get Out” and Timothee Chalamet from “Call Me By Your Name.” Congrats. Those two guys will be back many times in years to come.
Denzel Washington got a nod for “Roman Israel.” I loved this performance, and I’m so glad it was acknowledged. DW is one of our finest actors.
But the real triumph is in Best Directing– Greta Gerwig and Jordan Peele, two first timers whose movies are adored, are in. So is Christopher Nolan for “Dunkirk,” a huge achievement. Paul Thomas Anderson’s glorious “Phantom Thread” made it, too, as did “Shape of Water.” But “Three Billboards” director Martin McDonagh did not. My guess: “Three Billboards” is Best Picture, Guillermo del Toro is Best Director.
BEST PICTURE
Call Me By Your Name, Darkest Hour, Dunkirk, Get Out, Ladybird, Phantom Thread,Shape of Water,The Post, Three Billboards
BEST ACTOR
Timothee Chalamet, Daniel Day Lewis, Daniel Kaluuya, Gary Oldman, Denzel Washington
BEST ACTRESS
Sally Hawkins, Frances McDormand, Margot Robbie, Saoirse Ronan, Meryl Streep
BEST DIRECTING
Dunkirk. Get Out, Lady Bird, Phantom Thread, Shape of Water
SUPPORTING ACTOR
Willem Dafoe, Woody Harrelson, Richard Jenkins, Christopher Plummer, Sam Rockwell
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Mary J Blige, Allison Janney, Lesley Manville, Laurie Metcalf, Octavia Spencer
EDITING
Paul Machliss, Jonathan Amos, “Baby Driver”
Lee Smith, “Dunkirk”
Tatiana S. Riegel, “I, Tonya”
John Gregory, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Sidney Wolinsky, “The Shape of Water”
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Roger Deakins, “Blade Runner 2049”
Bruno Delbonnel, “Darkest Hour”
Dan Laustsen, “The Shape of Water”
Rachel Morrison, “Mudbound”
Hoyte van Hoytema, “Dunkirk”
FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
“Abacus: Small Enough To Jail”
“Faces Places”
“Icarus”
“Strong Island“
“Last Man in Aleppo”
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
“A Fantastic Woman”
“On Body And Soul”
“Loveless”
“The Insult”
“The Square”
ORIGINAL SCORE
Alexandre Desplat, “The Shape of Water”
Jonny Greenwood, “Phantom Thread”
Carter Burwell, “Three Billboard Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
John Williams, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”
Hans Zimmer, “Dunkirk”
PRODUCTION DESIGN
“Blade Runner 2049”
“Darkest Hour”
“Dunkirk”
“The Shape of Water”
“Beauty And The Beast”
COSTUME
“Beauty and the Beast”
“Darkest Hour”
“Phantom Thread”
“The Shape of Water”
“Victoria and Abdul”
VISUAL EFFECTS
“Blade Runner 2049”
“Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2“
“Kong: Skull Island”
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi”
“War for the Planet of the Apes”
SOUND MIXING
“Baby Driver”
“Blade Runner 2049”
“Dunkirk”
“The Shape of Water”
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi”
SOUND EDITING
“Baby Driver”
“Blade Runner 2049”
“Dunkirk”
“The Shape of Water”
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi”
MAKEUP AND HAIR
“Darkest Hour”
“Victoria And Abdul”
“Wonder”
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor, “The Shape of Water”
Greta Gerwig, “Lady Bird”
Emily V. Gordon, Kumail Nanjani, “The Big Sick”
Martin McDonagh, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Jordan Peele, “Get Out”
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
James Ivory, “Call Me By Your Name”
Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber, “The Disaster Artist”
Aaron Sorkin, “Molly’s Game”
“Logan”
Virgil Williams and Dee Rees, “Mudbound”
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
“The Breadwinner”
“Coco”
“The Boss Baby“
“Loving Vincent”
“Ferdinand”
Legendary singer-songwriter Neil Diamond announced today he’e been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. He’s immediately giving up touring, and has canceled shows in Australia and New Zealand.
Diamond, who will be 78 this week, says he will continue to write and record, however.
“It is with great reluctance and disappointment that I announce my retirement from concert touring. I have been so honored to bring my shows to the public for the past 50 years,” he says .”My sincerest apologies to everyone who purchased tickets and were planning to come to the upcoming shows. I plan to remain active in writing, recording and other projects for a long time to come.”
“My thanks goes out to my loyal and devoted audiences around the world. You will always have my appreciation for your support and encouragement. This ride has been ‘so good, so good, so good’ thanks to you.”
Diamond will be honored this weekend by the Grammy Awards with a tribute on Sunday night’s show and a lifetime achievement award. His massive number of hits include “Sweet Caroline,” “I’m a Believer,” “Solitary Man,” “Song Sung Blue,” “Cherry Oh Baby,” “Coming to America,” and so on and so on.
Parkinson’s is not a death sentence, as demonstrated by Michael J. Fox, the late Muhammad Ali, and so many others who’ve courageously fought it. Neil Diamond certainly isn’t going to let it get the best of him!
#Neil Diamond So,so sorry to hear about the great Neil Diamond’s illness. I’m rooting for you Neil! Fight on from another Brooklyn boy!
— Barry Manilow (@barrymanilow) January 23, 2018
Megyn Kelly, you are a stupid, stupid woman. Kelly, with very low ratings, attacked Jane Fonda today on her nitwit TV show. Megyn, you have no business attacking anyone over anything. Jane Fonda is your superior in every way. A lame attempt to resurrect an ad hominem attack on Fonda is wasted: no one cares. How pathetic. Why Andy Lack doesn’t take this woman off of TV, I don’t know. Every week she digs her own grave. Fox News didn’t want her, NBC viewers don’t want her. Sad!
Fonda will not respond, by the way. But what really irks Kelly isn’t Fonda. It’s the way Hoda and Savannah laughed it up with Fonda and Lily Tomlin at Kelly’s expense. It’s no secret that the real NBC News correspondents can’t abide Kelly. She knows it. The end is coming.
Producers gathered Saturday night at the Beverly Hilton for a call to action, earnest speeches and off color language at the Producer Guild Awards. The event is industry rich, from Universal’s Ron Meyer, Donna Langley (who was later honored with the Milestone award), Jeff Shell, Disney’s Alan Horn, and Warner’s Kevin Tsujihara, and soon to be independent producer the talented executive Sue Kroll. DreamWorks well regarded CEO Chris DeFaria, CAA partners Bryan Lourd, Richard Lovett, Kevin Huvane as well as Weta Digital’s David Conley and Joe Letteri (he’s won 4 Oscars for visual effects) and of course the ballroom was teeming with Producers.
PGA presidents Lori McCreary and Gary Lucchesi started the night with a call to end sexual harassment. McCreary noted, “One of our greatest duty as Producers is to protect the teams working with us.” They went on to talk about the PGA’s new anti-sexual harassment guidelines. Tracee Ellis then presented the Animated award to “Coco’s” producer Darla. K. Anderson.
Judd Apatow followed her to give the aforementioned award to Donna Langley. He glibly recited a list of celebs that passed on giving her the award. “Meryl Streep just dropped out. Why? Because she’s pissed at something. Angelina Jolie said to get lost. Mel Gibson said no and Kevin Spacey said he wasn’t available. Even Ted the teddy bear said to fuck off.” Judd then explained his affection for Donna. “We’ve made 10 movies together over the last 15 years. She doesn’t have childhood wounds that she takes out on you.” Judd ended with: “In 2017, Universal films grossed over 5 billion dollars. So I don’t understand what Meryl is pissed about. She should have come.” Langley quipped back, “Judd has learned a lot from me. Being English you know, “Faulty Towers, “ “Monty Python.” Judd, you’re welcome.”
“The Big Sick’s” Kumail Nanjiani then spoke about how he wanted his film to be titled, “Guess How’s Coma to Dinner, “ or “Pakistani Hall,” which were wisely shot down by the Producers. A clip from that film followed by Timothee Chalamet introducing a clip of his “Call Me By Your Name.”
Leah Remini accepted the next award for Non-Fiction Television for her “Scientology and the Aftermath,” series on A & E. She noted, “I never imagined the impact of those who raise their voices against the Goliath which is Scientology. An organization that uses its power and its money to intimidate. The days of abuse are going to be finally in the past. This is a good start.”
Norman Lear, who got the biggest ovation of the night, came out to present the Stanley Kramer Award to a film he’s seen three times “Get Out.” He explained, “The movie itself is terrifying. The gift of Jordan Peele’s film is about the terror of being black in America. Watching it has been a rare experience in my life.” Lear, who’s busier than ever, called Kramer his hero and said, “At 95, I feel like I’m at the apex of another lifetime. I can’t fucking believe it.”
Peele then came on and paid respect to the activist Kramer. “There would be no “Get Out,” without “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.” He then went on about Lear using his famous comic chops. “I’m proud to call you my friend. You can use my body for your brain anytime. He’s the only person in the I would coagulate with.” Then commenting on the unexpected mega success of his film he said, “This is so fucking surreal. If I had a nickel for every time a white person came up to me and said, ‘if only I could have voted for Obama a third time. ” He then switched gears and referenced ‘the sunken place’ in the film. Peele said, “ The sunken place is the system that silences the voice of women, minorities, of the other people. The sunken place is the President who calls athletes sons of bitches for expressing their beliefs on the field, and the homeland of our most beautiful immigrants, shitholes. With this racist in the White House, every day there is proof that are in the sunken place.”
Netflix’s widely popular “Black Mirror” took home the award for Long-Form Television, winning over the favored HBO’s “Big Little Lies.” One of “Lie’s” stars, Reese Witherspoon then presented the Visionary award to her upcoming “Wrinkle In Time,” director Ava DuVernay. “This times will be remembered for the way we work the people we choose to see, we need to pivot from prejudice. Diversity is not just a good thing to do; it’s an absolute must. “
HBO then had a win with “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” presenter Frankie Shaw from “Smilf,” accepted for them.
After a couple of awards including the deserved Brett Morgen’s National Geographic’s documentary, “Jane,” and Amazon’s terrific “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Wonder Woman’s” Patty Jenkins presented the respected WW producer Charles, ‘Chuck,’ Roven with his honorary David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures. Roven quipped, “I’ve had many great experiences in this room, starting with my Bar Mitzvah. I literally became a man her on this stage. I just might read from the Torah tonight.” Roven noted that he started his career, as “a surf extra on Hawaii Five O. “ He then spoke about his late wife executive Dawn Steel. “She was one of the first women to run a major studio. She dedicated her career to lifting other women up through the ranks.”
Tom Hanks then introduced “The Post” clip noting that cell phones did not exist at that time. Hanks couldn’t help but quip, “When was the last time you saw a fucking dial pay phone?”
The talented Brian D’Arcy James intro’d a clip from his “Molly’s Game.” Then Gwyneth Paltrow (who got a muted reception from the crowd) gave the Norman Lear Award to the final honoree of the night Ryan Murphy. Ryan explained that Norman had been a champion of his early on with a phone call, “ I see you, keep doing what’ you’re doing. Don’t give up. And I didn’t, and that’s because of Norman.”
“The Handmaids Tale” won, with star Elisabeth Moss joining the others on stage. And for the final award which got a rousing reception, “The Shape of Water.” Producer J. Miles Dale and co-star Richard Jenkins accepted for Guillermo del Toro who is at his ailing father’s bedside in Mexico. Jenkins poignantly read his statement. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be there. Tonight I stand by the side of my father’s bed in my hometown in Mexico. I would like to ask of you all to allow me then to dedicate a little moment and the honors of this night to both my father and my mother, to whom my infinite gratitude belongs and in turn as a father to offer to my kids also, may they be free to pursue their dreams and fantasies and may they stand by my side when I fade away.”
UPDATE: “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” is the Oscar favorite. Martin McDonagh’s film won Best Ensemble at SAG, plus Best Actress and Supporting Actor. With wins at most other awards shows, “Billboards” becomes the odds on winner for March 4th.
The SAG Awards have started in Los Angeles. William H. Macy won the first award, for “Shameless.” Aziz Ansari was a no show because of his date scandal. He should have gone, frankly.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus won Best Actress in a TV comedy. She’s also absent, undergoing treatment for breast cancer. “Veep” won Best Comedy Ensemble; actor Matt Walsh accepted and thanked everyone for the Grammy. (Funny.) We will really miss “Veep” after its final season.
JLD posted this to Twitter: “I wish I could have been @SAGawards tonight but have to admit it’s pretty fun to watch in my pj’s. So honored to win. So proud to be a union member. So happy for my @VeepHBO bozos for winning ensemble award. Miss being at the table with you all. How was the chicken?”
Best Supporting Actress– Film–goes to Allison Janney. It’s a little bit of irony since Laurie Metcalf picked up the Tony Award last June, and Janney wasn’t nominated (robbed!) Now, everyone gets something. Nice.
Best Supporting Actor– Film — Sam Rockwell. It’s his year, and he waited a long time. Much deserved. He has so many excellent performances on his resume– check out “Moon” directed by Duncan Jones.
Alexander Skarsgard wins Best Supporting Actor in a Mini-Series– nice nod to Robert DeNiro. Sorry that AS won’t be in Season 2 of “Big Little Lies.” If only they’d known in advance.
Andrea from “Beverly Hills 90210” is speaking. The dress…Mrs. Walsh wouldn’t approve…
Best Actress in A Mini Series: Nicole Kidman her first SAG Award, which is incredible. She has never looked better, too. And it’s a classy speech thanking all the women who came before her– by name…Plus, Keith Urban looks so proud, he’s glowing!
Rita Moreno and Morgan Freeman are a wonderful value added to this show. But why is he wearing that hat? PS I’ve never seen Helen Mirren in that L’Oreal commercial. How great!
Sterling K. Brown is now going to get an award for anything he does. He better get off that TV show and get to movies ASAP…In the last year he’s won an Emmy, a Golden Globe, a Critics Choice Award, and a SAG Award.
Claire Foy finally wins! for “The Crown.” Things will be ok after all.
Shock: “This Is Us” wins Best Ensemble, TV drama. And we still don’t know how Jack died.
Gary Oldman wins Best Actor for “Darkest Hour.” He’ll win the Oscar.
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role:
Timothee Chalamet, “Call Me by Your Name”
James Franco, “The Disaster Artist”
Daniel Kaluuya, “Get Out”
WINNER Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour”
Denzel Washington, “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role:
Judi Dench, “Victoria & Abdul”
Sally Hawkins, “The Shape of Water”
WINNER Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Margot Robbie, “I, Tonya”
Saoirse Ronan, “Lady Bird”
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role:
Steve Carell, “Battle of the Sexes”
Willem Dafoe, “The Florida Project”
Woody Harrelson,”Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water”
WINNER Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role:
Mary J. Blige, “Mudbound”
Hong Chau, “Downsizing”
Holly Hunter, “The Big Sick”
WINNER Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”
Laurie Metcalf, “Lady Bird”
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture:
“The Big Sick”
“Get Out”
“Lady Bird”
“Mudbound”
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries:
Benedict Cumberbatch, “Sherlock”
Jeff Daniels, “Godless”
Robert De Niro, “The Wizard of Lies”
Geoffrey Rush, “Genius”
WINNER Alexander Skarsgard, “Big Little Lies”
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries:
Laura Dern, “Big Little Lies”
WINNER Nicole Kidman, “Big Little Lies”
Jessica Lange, “Feud: Bette & Joan”
Susan Sarandon, “Feud: Bette & Joan”
Reese Witherspoon, “Big Little Lies”
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series:
Jason Bateman, “Ozark”
WINNER Sterling K. Brown, “This Is Us”
Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones”
David Harbour, “Stranger Things”
Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series:
Millie Bobby Brown, “Stranger Things”
WINNER Claire Foy, “The Crown”
Laura Linney, “Ozark”
Elisabeth Moss, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Robin Wright, “House of Cards”
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series:
Anthony Anderson, “Black-ish”
Aziz Ansari, “Master of None”
Larry David, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”
Sean Hayes, “Will & Grace”
WINNER William H. Macy, “Shameless”
Marc Maron, “GLOW”
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series:
Uzo Aduba, “Orange Is the New Black”
Alison Brie, “GLOW”
Jane Fonda, “Grace and Frankie”
WINNER Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep”
Lily Tomlin, “Grace and Frankie”
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series:
“The Crown”
“Game of Thrones”
“The Handmaid’s Tale”
“Stranger Things”
WINNER “This Is Us”
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series:
“Black-ish”
“Curb Your Enthusiasm”
“GLOW”
“Orange is the New Black”
WINNER “Veep”
Here we are in the middle of Women’s March Weekend. #TimesUp, started in Hollywood, is quickly encompassing women in all walks of life. Equality — in pay, among other things — is being demanded, quite rightly. A movie is being pitched about the moment the Equal Rights Amendment did not become law.
So you’d think the daytime soap operas, whose audience is largely women, would be a little more sensitive to the subject. But on Friday’s episode of “General Hospital,” Laura Spencer– played by Emmy winner Genie Francis on and off for 40 years — made a surprising announcement. She was leaving. (She might be back in 6 weeks.)
I got of lot notifications about this: Francis has been dropped to what soaps call “recurring.” This is a nice way of saying you might have work if we call you, on short notice, and you’ll be used as a spice, not an ingredient from her on out.
Fans went nuts on Twitter and Facebook. The character, Laura, was once part of “Luke and Laura,” the most famous soap opera couple of all time. Francis, who’s in her 50s, has been on the show she since was a teenager. She has a loyal following of four decades of viewers, mostly women.
But “General Hospital” — like the other three remaining soaps (there used to more than a dozen on the air at the same time) — isn’t about that. It’s not even about youth so much — although all the actors from Francis’s era on the show are now on ‘recurring’ status, meaning they have no rights and are at the mercy of the producer’s and writers’ fancy.
No, what I’m picking up from this is that the show’s budget is tipped toward the male actors, many of whom are scene chewers. One I watched the other day is like a large tree. He barely speaks and his face doesn’t move. But he’s handsome and the young woman can act ‘to’ him if not with him.
Well, that’s soap operas. If you watch the great comedy “SoapDish,” you can get the whole story succinctly. The genre has always been populated by megalomaniac executive producers who misunderstood their audience or neglected them on purpose. And that’s why there are only four soaps left. As for Genie Francis, she’ll be fine. But I’d watch the ratings in coming weeks. Already a sore subject, they may be vulnerable to this sort of thing. The female viewers who remain aren’t stupid– and in the middle of #TimesUp, they may say the same thing. Judge Judy is just a click away.
The Producers Guild of America chose “The Shape of Water” tonight as its best produced film of the year. “The Handmaid’s Tale” won long form TV and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” won comedy TV. The TV shows are each produced not by TV but by platforms– Hulu and Netflix.
Leah Remini’s Scientology series on A&E won Best Documentary.
The PGA Award is not a precursor to the Oscar. The last two PGA winners lost the Academy Award for Best Picture. Tomorrow night’s SAG Awards are a better barometer. But this year is really up for grabs. The Oscar nominations on Tuesday are going to have a lot of surprises. Influxes of new and younger voters at all the Guilds is bringing change unseen in many years.
“Water” director Guillermo del Toro wasn’t at tonight’s show– he’s Mexico with his ill father. Speedy recovery and return!
This is a shocker and a head scratcher: in a Facebook post yesterday, Tom Petty’s family says he toured 53 dates with a fractured hip. “On the day he died he was informed his hip had graduated to a full on break and it is our feeling that the pain was simply unbearable and was the cause for his over use of medication.”
The press has focused on Petty dying of accidental drug overdose. But maybe we should be asking why a 66 millionaire rock star was allowed to suffer that way? Why wasn’t the tour postponed? Was no on able to convince Tom Petty to call off the tour and get proper medical attention?
Something’s wrong here. It doesn’t make sense. “He didn’t want to disappoint the fans”? Most of his fans are having hip surgery!
Sounds like gross negligence on someone’s part.
Oscar winner Mo’Nique says she’s calling for a boycott of Netlix for gender bias and color bias. In a video posted to Instagram, the comedic actress says she was severely low balled by Netflix in an offer for a comedy special that would have paid Amy Schumer, Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock millions. But Mo’Nique says she was offered just $500,000.
Curiously she says in the video, What about her resume? But she never says, I won an Oscar. It’s so weird. She won Best Supporting Actress for “Precious.” But she never embraced the Oscars. And now she kind of zips over this fact, which might help her. Anyway, if she’s got the story straight, she’s right. She should be paid as much as Amy and Chris.