Golden Globes 2018 Predictions

The 2018 Award season is officially underway, with the first major ceremony, The Golden Globes, taking place this Sunday. Regularly billed as one of the biggest and best parties of Awards season, this year’s ceremony is expected to take on a far more somber tone, in light of the black cloud of sexual scandal that enveloped the industry last year.

That said, there are still a number of awards to hand out during the night and amazing performances, shows, and movies that deserve to be celebrated. So here are my predictions for this year’s ceremony, keeping in mind of course that often the most predictable thing about the Globes is how unpredictable it can be. Without further ado…

Television

Best Actor (Drama) – Based on the many predictions I’ve read, seems most would place their bet on this being a slam dunk for Sterling K. Knight for his brilliant portrayal of Randall on NBC’s weepy family drama This Is Us. And it would certainly be well-deserved. But I’m not so sure that is what’s going to happen. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) has always had a thing for freshmen shows with notable stars (see Christian Slater winning for Mr. Robot while Rami Malek has been continuously snubbed), and so my gut says this will be a win for Jason Bateman for Ozark. As for who I personally want to win – well that’s easy, Freddie Highmore. Admittedly I haven’t been an avid viewer of The Good Doctor but I feel like a Highmore win will be a nice consolation for the many years he was completely ignored for his brilliant performance on Bates Motel.

Best Actress (Drama) – Conventional wisdom says this is Elisabeth Moss’ award to lose. Her stirring and brilliant performance in The Handmaid’s Tale has already nabbed her an Emmy and countless rave reviews and critical acclaim. However, there’s that pesky nagging feeling again in me that says the Globes are rarely ever so predictable and clear-cut. And so I’m going for the far out there prediction and saying Katherine Langford may pull off a major upset for her brilliantly tragic performance in 13 Reasons Why.

Best Actor (Comedy/Musical) – I personally think this should be one of the easiest categories to pick a winner and in my opinion that should be Anthony Anderson for his consistently excellent performance on the brilliant Black-ish. In my opinion, a win for Anderson is well overdue. Possibly the only other option I may be okay with, is Aziz Ansari for Master of None. I cannot accept a win for Macy, no matter how brilliant he is, as Shameless has been awful for multiple seasons now and truly needs to pack it in. I am equally unimpressed with the idea of rewarding McCormick for a rehash of an almost ten-year-old character that should have remained in the past. As for Kevin Bacon, while his performance may be good, it’s on a show that’s awful. So it’s Anthony Anderson for me.

Best Actress (Comedy/Musical) – I have to admit that I haven’t watched a number of the shows for which these women are nominated for and so I don’t really have a strong opinion on who will or should win. If we go by the HFPA’s habit of rewarding freshman shows and fresh faces, pretty much any of these women, with the exception of Issa Rae (this is the second straight year she’s been nominated for Insecure) can win this. Will be funny if this is the time they reward Rae though.

Best Actor (Limited Series/TV Movie) – An interesting dichotomy about the HFPA is that while it loves rewarding and celebrating freshmen shows and fresh faces, it also likes kissing the ass of big-name stars. Thus, you’re likely to find them rewarding the bigger names when they take a turn in some limited series and made for television movie. And so, I see this category possibly coming down to Robert De Niro for The Wizard of Lies and Geoffrey Rush for Genius – two legendary and very well respected actors. It also helps that their other nominees, while all good enough, weren’t exactly indisputably brilliant.

Best Actress (Limited Series/TV Movie) – And the award goes to Nicole Kidman – ‘nuff said. She’s a critically acclaimed, Oscar-winning actress with a lot of name cred and both her performance and the show Big Little Lies was continuously lauded. She’s got this. Frankly, the more important question about this category is how much money did Justin Timberlake pay to bribe the HFPA into nominating Jessica Biel? Sorry…not sorry.

Best Limited Series/TV Movie – Big Little Lies seems the obvious choice here but of course, anything can happen at the Globes. Top of the Lake: China Girl and The Sinner both seemed to come out of nowhere as surprise nominees so there’s no telling that either one can’t pull off a surprising win. However, my money’s on the HFPA to stay the course on this one and award Big Little Lies the prize.

Best Comedy/Musical – So I can tell you which show I want to win and that’s Black-ish. In my opinion, Black-ish has been one of the most consistently brilliant comedies on television since its premiere. Funny, brutally honest, insightful almost to the point of being uncomfortable at times and just almost always hitting it just right. However, I don’t think it’s going to happen. The HFPA lavished a lot of nominations on Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and it’s just the kind of new and offbeat type of show they love rewarding with a win for their first season.

Best Drama – The Handmaid’s Tale seems the likely choice, especially coming off its big win at the Emmys. Also, the HFPA rarely rewards the same show multiple times (it happens, but not often) so that makes a two-peat for The Crown unlikely. I’m fine with a win for The Handmaid’s Tale but I have this nagging feeling that Stranger Things may be the surprise winner. The show hasn’t won before and its second season further catapulted its popularity and cemented its cult status.

Movies

Best Actor (Drama) – The experts are split down the middle on this one with many predicting a win for newcomer Timothee Chalamet for his beautiful performance in Call Me By Your Name and just as many placing their bets on Gary Oldman for his almost unrecognizable turn as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour. My prediction – the kid’s got this.

Best Actress (Drama) – This appears to be one of the more predictable categories, with the overwhelming consensus that this is Frances McDormand’s award to lose. I mostly agree. After all, McDormand is an Oscar-winning actress with a long history of critically acclaimed performances and a lot of industry respect. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is also one of the most acclaimed films of 2017. That said, I do see the potential for a Sally Hawkins upset. Hawkins has gotten raves for her performance in The Shape of Water and HFPA voters are clearly fans of the film, as it leads the pack with the most nominations.

Best Actor (Comedy/Musical) – My guess is James Franco is going to win for his bizarrely brilliant performance in The Disaster Artist and I’m more than okay with that. I know there is some disagreement amongst a few critics who believe Daniel Kaluuya should win for his amazing performance in the deeply disturbing Get Out, but I disagree. Don’t get me wrong, I think Kaluuya’s performance was amazing, as was the film. I just don’t think anything about the performance qualifies it as comedic in any way. So in the interest of fairness, I’m all for Franco’s winning.

Best Actress (Comedy/Musical) – Saoirse Ronan or Margot Robbie? That seems to be the big question regarding this category. I think it’s a tough one to call. Ronan’s been here before (nominated in the Drama category for her quietly brilliant performance in Brooklyn) and she has received raves, as well as a few awards already for her performance in Lady Bird. However, Robbie’s performance was a revelation and in many ways a career-defining moment for her. I do think this one’s kind of a toss-up so I’m going to play it safe and just make my prediction a tie and say it can go either way.

Best Supporting Actor – Quite possibly one of the toughest categories of the night, with almost all of the nominees very deserving. The consensus seems to be that it’s a two-man race between the always amazing Willem Dafoe for The Florida Project and Sam Rockwell for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Dafoe has been the critics’ fave but Three Billboards… has garnered a lot of industry and voter love, which may extend all the way to a win for Rockwell. The outlier here is that HFPA voters may want to try to make some sort of statement and award Plummer the win for his 25th-hour replacement of Kevin Spacey in All The Money in the World. I’m conceding that this one may be too close to call. But just because the Globes can be so unpredictable at times, I’m tentatively going to call this one for Plummer.

Best Supporting Actress – Like the Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical, this category really seems to be a race between two women – Allison Janney for I, Tonya and Laurie Metcalf for Lady Bird. Even the precursor awards have been fairly split with Metcalf winning a few and Janney winning a few. Let’s face it, both of these women are brilliant character actors with long and respectable careers and a win for either would be deserving. But if I had to guess, my money’s on Allison Janney. As a quick aside, I would like to point out that a win by Mary J. Blige would not be a completely left field. But for right now, I’m sticking with Janney.

Best Comedy/Musical – This a category where what will likely happen is definitely not what I think should happen. My guess is this will either be a win for Lady Bird or Get Out, with the latter more than likely prevailing. However, as I noted above, I disagree with Get Out being categorized as a comedy (because it’s not) for the Globes and so I can’t agree with it winning in said categories. Personally, I’m throwing my hat in the ring for The Greatest Showman. Sure it may not have been the greatest movie or even the best acted but it sure fits the musical descriptor.

Best Drama – Conventional wisdom would say that The Shape of Water, which leads the pack with the most nominations, is the likely favorite to win and that would be a more than reasonable assumption. However, The Post boasts an all-star cast, which includes legends Tom Hanks and Meryl Street and a story that feels particularly relevant in the current media vs. the administration era. So which way will HFPA voters lean? My gut says The Shape of Water.

2015 Primetime Emmy Awards

The annual Primetime Emmy Awards, which celebrates achievement in primetime television programming was held this past Sunday on FOX. This year’s ceremony was hosted by Andy Samberg and as with most award shows, there was a lot of humor, tears, fashion and some awkwardness. In my first post on this blog, I expressed my not so great love for the Emmy Awards, specifically for their consistent habit of awarding the same actors and shows year after year.

I do not advocate denying a deserving winner but the fact is it makes for VERY boring viewing when one can predict the winners every year. That was not the case for this year’s ceremony. Yes the night started off with a two-peat win for Alison Janney in the Supporting Actress in a Comedy category and Julia Louis Dreyfus had a four-peat win in the Lead Actress in a Comedy category but Sunday’s ceremony saw many first time winners which made for a very fun night. Below are my top 10 highlights.

1. Andy Samberg – He wasn’t on too much but when he was, he was funny, engaging and topical with his humor. He didn’t try to reinvent the wheel or try too hard to be funny and edgy. Instead he kept things light, entertaining and fun and moved the show along. And honestly, that’s all we can really expect from an awards show host. His opening monologue was hilarious.

2. Viola Davis Makes History – The first Primetime Emmy Awards were held in 1949. In the show’s sixty-plus year history, no African American woman had ever won in the Lead Actress in a Drama category – until this year. Two-time Academy Award nominee Viola Davis finally broke the trend by winning for her stunning portrayal of Annalise Keating in ABC’s How To Get Away With Murder. Let me just say, as someone who watches HTGAWM, yes the show is riddled with problems but Ms. Davis KILLS it every single time. She has a powerful and commanding presence and if you ever watch any scene on the show, watch the one where her character removes her wig – so powerful. Well aware of the significance of the moment, Viola gave a stunning and moving speech that made her win all the more special. You have to watch it in full.

Congratulations also to Regina King who seemed truly stunned and humbled by her win and Uzo Aduba who made her own  history, winning in two separate categories (Comedy and Drama) for playing the same character.

3. Hamm Finally Takes It Home – After seven years of playing complex and enigmatic ad-man Don Draper on AMC’s critically lauded Mad Men, Jon Hamm finally took home the award for Lead Actor in a Drama Series for the show’s final season. Hamm had consistently been nominated for every season of the show but never won. There was an obvious heavy sentiment that he was due and you could tell that most of the audience was rooting for him. I thought he gave a very humble and heartfelt speech and that he seemed truly appreciative for the award and the moment.

4. In Memoriam – The In Memoriam segment is always sad and poignant to be honest. But I found this year’s particularly well-produced and beautiful. The use of Eva Cassidy’s gorgeous cover of Somewhere Over The Rainbow was a gorgeous choice. And there was simply no better way to end than with Leonard Nimoy’s iconic Dr. Spock’s “Live Long and Prosper” line.

5. Modern Family Dethroned – Let’s face it, it was time. It’s sad but I don’t think there was ANYONE in that audience, save for the show’s cast and crew, that was rooting for them to pull off a six-peat win in the Best Comedy Series category. In fact, I’m not sure even some of the cast and crew was rooting for a win knowing how much everyone else did not want to see them win. The truth is Modern Family is still a funny and decently written show. However, it by no means has been the best comedy on television for the last two years and those five straight wins have just succeeded in souring many on the show which really isn’t their fault. It’s more the fault of the voters and their laziness. But the backlash was loud enough that they finally got a clue and this year awarded HBO’s Veep with the honors.

6. Jon Stewart Goes Out In A Big Way – The Daily Show, which contrary to what many believe is actually still on but simply no longer helmed by Jon Stewart, was shown a lot of love by the academy voters. The show won in all three categories it was nominated in, including Outstanding Variety Talk Series. Jon Stewart, sporting some “I recently retired so I’m no longer trying” facial hair, accepted for the latter win and while he made a few quips, one could tell he was very genuinely moved that he and his team were honored one last time. It was the perfect period on an iconic television run.

7. Who’s That Girl – Lady Gaga, making her first appearance at the Primetime Emmy Awards, now that she’s dipping her toes in the world of television with the upcoming season of American Horror Story, took the stage not looking ANYTHING like Lady Gaga. Everything about her look screamed subtle and understated – from the beautiful, black silhouette gown to her simple hair and makeup. Gaga looked and acted like a sophisticated woman on Sunday night and it was gorgeous.

8. Tracy Morgan’s Emotional Return – It’s been more than a year since the tragic car accident that killed Tracy Morgan’s friend and seriously injured the comedian himself. At last year’s Emmy Awards, Morgan’s good friend Jimmy Kimmel sent him an emotional shout-out, saying he’d see him at the show next year. And he was right. Walking out to a standing ovation to hand out the night’s final award for Best Drama Series, Morgan very emotionally thanked the audience, his industry peers and fans for all their prayers and support. It was one of the most genuine and heartfelt moments of the night. Despite his emotions, he wouldn’t be Tracy Morgan if he didn’t throw in a joke or two and so of course he announced to us that some women would be leaving the after-party pregnant. Welcome back Tracy.

9. Heat – Yes the heat was its own story and truly a highlight at this year’s ceremony. The red carpet was a parade of women sweating out their hair and makeup and the men looking like they wished they could just strip off their jackets, get rid of their ties and unbutton a few buttons of their dress shirt. Apparently the temperature was at a sweltering 106 degrees and boy did it show. I actually felt sorry for these women in those over the top gowns, face caked with makeup, walking that long walk up the red carpet. Stars they’re just like us and that means the heat gets to them too.

10. Fashion – And finally, it’s not truly an award show without the fashion. This year’s show was no different. There was the good, the bad and oh dear god, why. Some of my favorites included:

Lady Gaga in Brandon Maxwell

She got it so right.

Laverne Cox in Calvin Klein 

This was just a gorgeously fitted dress and beautiful silhouette.

Sarah Paulson in Prabal Gurung

A little safe but it works for her.

Julia Louis Dreyfus in Safiyaa London

She always gets it just right for her.

Sarah Hyland in Zac Posen

Stunning. Even her heat soaked hair could not ruin this look.

And now for the why…just why. I honestly couldn’t choose between these two and decided what the hell, I’d bestow them both with the honor.

Heidi Klum in Versace 

Hot mess doesn’t even begin to describe it. This is like five different styles and ideas thrown in one god-awful yellow Big Bird inspired mess.

Claire Danes in Prada

My very first post on this blog was a recap of the Golden Globes where I picked Danes as my worse dressed. Congratulations, you’ve earned the honor once again. There is nothing good about this – from the hair and makeup that makes her look washed out and the god-awful dress. Just why?

Everything Old Is New Again?

There is a recent trend happening with television shows. It is the “what was old is now new again” trend. I am of course referring to the current slate of previously canceled shows being revived and revamped. In the past year, the green light has been lit for the return of NBC’s once cult hit, Heroes, FOX’s 90’s smash The X-Files and 80’s cult classic Twin Peaks. Production has also recently started on Fuller House, a spin-off of 90’s family sitcom Full House, which launched Mary Kate and Ashley Olson onto the world. The Disney Channel has also enjoyed recent success with Girl Meets World, a spinoff of Boy Meets World that focuses on Cory and Topanga’s 14-year old daughter. And now comes word that a Fresh Prince of Bel-Air remake may be in the works, produced by Will Smith himself. What is going on? Has the well of creativity and fresh ideas completely dried up?

I mean on some level, I get it. There is a nostalgia factor and more importantly, the name recognition factor with revamping a once beloved show. The truth is, hundreds of pilot scripts get sent to networks and out of those, only a handful get green-lit and of those, in a crowded sea of other freshmen shows and returning favorites, only a very few make it through one season. Many really amazing shows have fallen to the wayside because viewers aren’t even aware it exists and the audience is simply not there. So I certainly understand the appeal of reviving something that was beloved and popular once before and therefore a proven hit. I imagine in the minds of network executives, a revamp or spin-off of a once loved and popular show at least guarantees many will know about it and will at least be willing to give it a chance, if for nothing else, curiosity’s sake.

However I find that the trend reeks a little of laziness. No need to come up with something new and original or take a chance on something different and creative and outside the box, when it is much easier to fall back on what worked once before. Do not get me wrong, I certainly understand nostalgia. However, that is why networks like TV Land, Nick at Nite and Cozi TV exist. For those times when we want to curl up with some ice-cream or hot chocolate and revisit and in some cases discover those once beloved characters and their stories. That certainly does not mean there is a need to have those same characters resurrected and revisited in 2015.

Truthfully, I hold the maybe unpopular opinion that no show, no matter how successful and popular, should run for more than six (maybe seven but not more than that) seasons. Particularly when talking about Primetime network shows which typically average 20-24 episodes a season. After six seasons, that’s 144 episodes and I feel that by that point, the writers have told all the stories that needed to be told with these characters and it is time to let them go. Especially as the quality of the writing starts to suffer at this point. So I see absolutely no point in resurrecting characters that already ran for way more than six seasons. It just feels a little like, “what’s the point?”

Finally, I hold the opinion that while some shows worked for the time and era they were released in, those same characters and stories may not really fit in today’s culture and instead the result is likely to be a bit of an awkward mess. We saw this with the very unnecessary recreation of Beverly Hills 90210, titled simply 90210 and the even more disappointing Melrose Place recreation. While the former show did run for five seasons, it never enjoyed the popularity or cultural resonance that the original BH 90210 did and spent many of those five seasons barely hanging on from inevitable cancellation. What made BH 90210 special and made it work in the 90’s when it debuted, simply did not fit in 2008. The audience had already moved on and even other teen shows that premiered earlier and exploded had started to struggle or had already been cancelled, like The O.C. and One Tree Hill.

Now at the risk of sounding like a hypocrite, I do think revisiting and recreating a show premise can work. I am talking about shows that had a wonderful or really cool premise but perhaps due to poor casting, poor writing, network drama or even a combination of all, just did not work out like it could have and likely was canceled after one season. I can understand networks taking a chance again on the premise but with a different cast, different writers, etc. I think that strategy has the ability to yield some very interesting and exciting shows that perhaps previously did not get a chance to truly shine like it could have.

As I said, I get the strategy behind returning to the well of formerly successful and once beloved shows, but it just feels like a lazy strategy to me and one that I don’t think has proven to be successful enough for how much it’s currently being used. One of my favorite parts of looking forward to the Fall television season is one, having my favorite shows return and two, discovering new shows with new and interesting premises. I don’t want to see a collection of shows that I already saw in another time and place with simply an older version of the original characters. No matter the efforts to make it fresh and new, it still for me personally, feels old and dated. I want to be wowed by a concept and idea I haven’t heard or seen before. And simply repainting over what was old, does not accomplish that.

Glee “Sings” Its Final Note

Fox’s once upon time phenomenon, sang its final note last night, as the series officially came to an end. Judging by the early rating numbers (according to zap2it, the show earned a measly 0.8 rating share, which roughly equals to about 2.7 million viewers) and frankly the ratings all season long, many people were either unaware that the show was ending or simply did not care. I am pretty sure it was a combination of both – the many fans who left seasons ago were unaware and the few who were aware, did not care.

So how did this once mega-hit (and let us be clear, it was definitely a hit. At the height of the show’s success, it drew ratings numbers upwards of 10 million viewers, sold millions on iTunes and also won 4 Golden Globes, 3 Emmys, 1 SAG and a number of other awards, as well as garnered numerous nominations) become nothing more than afterthought, exiting with barely a whimper? How did it all go so wrong? As someone who has watched off and on throughout the show’s six-season run, I have a few ideas.

• A Show Cannot Succeed Without Good Writing – I have a theory that the creators (Ryan Murphy, Brad Fulchuk and Ian Brennan) of Glee only had a pilot developed and never really thought beyond that. My theory is supported by the rumor that Ian Brennan, who originated the concept for the show, originally planned on pitching it as a movie. So my belief is that they developed the Pilot, hoped that the show would be a decent sized hit, maybe last a season or two, likely becoming more of a cult hit and going the way of shows like Freaks & Geeks, My So Called Life, etc. Shows that had cool concepts, strong first seasons, critical success but never really took off with a larger audience. I mean let’s face it, a show about show choir, with kids breaking out into random songs – what were the odds of it becoming a hit? But then the show not only became a hit but a phenomenal success with huge rating numbers and mass commercial appeal. And suddenly the writers were faced with the task of writing a consistently funny, interesting show with well-developed characters and in the end they simply couldn’t. The cracks started showing up by the end of the show’s first season and only became more pronounced with every subsequent season.
• Remember Who You Are – Glee began as a dark, satirical comedy about a group of misfits trying to succeed in their little show choir. Sure there were touching and heartwarming moments right from the start, but no show that has a character like Sue Sylvester can really be self-righteous or preachy. Or so it would seem. Unfortunately, along the way the writers seemed to forget this and the show slowly began veering more and more into “lesson of the week” territory and started taking itself way too seriously, all the while still wanting to be outrageous and even offensive as it once was in the beginning. The dichotomy simply did not work and the end result was a disjointed, not very funny, mess.
• Hubris Will Always Be One’s Downfall – I made a comment a year or two ago, that in years to come, I believe Ryan Murphy and company could write an essay for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, titled “How To Epically Ruin Your Hit Show”. It could be a cautionary tale for up and coming television writers and producers. In Glee’s case, it involved getting rid of many of the characters and actors the audience had connected with and grown to love, at the height of the show’s success, in favor of bringing in an almost new cast. Why – because Ryan Murphy suddenly decided that he would prove to the viewers and public that the true star and success of the show was the concept and not the actors. Let’s just say it didn’t work out so well. Putting aside the fact that many of the new characters simply did not have the charm and chemistry as a group that the original gang did, but in an effort to keep the older characters around, namely Lea Michele, Chris Colfer and Cory Monteith, the show constructed a split narrative that would follow the lives of Kurt and Rachel (later Santana) in New York and Blaine and company with the new cast, at McKinley. It was a mess. The show struggled to give both narratives its own voice, the split was often clunky, Rachel and Kurt alone together in New York was surprisingly boring as they did better playing off the original characters and the new McKinley group just did not have the connection the original cast of characters did. By that season’s end, the show’s numbers had dwindled to 2.0 in rating shares, with an average viewership of 5 million, its lowest numbers in the show’s history. Trust me, it would get worse.
• Characters To Root For – As previously noted, when the show first started, it was the story about a lovable group of misfits trying to make their little show choir, The New Directions, the best in the country or at least in Ohio. They each had their own personal stories and viewers rooted for them to succeed, even the less likable ones like crazy, ambitious Rachel Berry and snooty, popular Quinn Fabray. However, as the writing for show got worse and worse, the characters became awful and that made it harder to root for them or hell in some cases, to even care about them. It later didn’t help when the show became populated by the new crop of characters who were poorly drawn and constructed and lacked any of the same chemistry, charm and humor of the original group. Also, the show’s refusal to let all the older characters go, meant constant comparisons between them and the new characters were inevitable and it was often unfavorable for the newer characters. And in the end, even the writers didn’t care too much about the new crop of characters either, as they were all, save for Kitty, unceremoniously dumped and barely got a mention or acknowledgement in the series finale.
• Cory Monteith’s Tragic Death – Let me be clear, in no way am I blaming Cory Monteith for the show’s demise. I, without hesitation, place the blame squarely on the writers. That being said, I truly believe his passing was the final nail in the show. As I noted above, by the end of Season 4, Glee’s numbers had dwindled down to an average of 5 million, meaning the viewers were already losing interest and moving away. Cory’s tragic death was like a shock to the system for many who still watched and loved the show and even those who had already moved on. The one-two punch of a horrible previous season with a large number of characters viewers did not connect with, coupled with the death of one of the main stars and original characters on the show just created a pall over the show that it simply could not and did not recover from. I truly believe that there was really no way for the show to come back after that. The joy and fun, that magic that made it a success, was simply gone. They tried, but frankly I felt like many of the actors, especially the original ones, seemed like they had checked out at this point and everything just felt forced. I acknowledge that I may be alone in this, but there just didn’t truly feel like much left to smile and sing about after something that tragic. And by the end of Season 5, the show’s ratings had plummeted to a dismal 0.6 which equaled just barely more than a million.

And so last night, it finally came to a blessed end in a two-hour special. The first hour, titled 2009, which saw a retelling of the Pilot, was actually quite good. In the episode, viewers got to see what inspired each of the original members (Rachel, Kurt, Mercedes, Tina and Artie), to sign up for the Glee Club. There were shades of that old Season 1 magic and the episode did a really good job, I thought, in reminding viewers why it was a hit in the first place.

The most poignant moments naturally came whenever Finn was referenced, particularly the scene where the group, holding an emergency meeting to kick Finn out of the Glee Club, each start detailing all the reasons he wasn’t a bad guy despite his popularity. The final moment of the episode was a switch to the original Don’t Stop Believing performance from the Pilot episode. That meant Cory Monteith did appear onscreen one last time. I have to say, that seeing his face slowly come into focus on screen was gut wrenching and the only moment during the entire two hours that I had to choke back tears.

However, I felt that the the final hour, which switched to present time and ended five years into the future, was indicative of the show’s decline. Much like how it started strong and fell hard by the end, the magic of the first hour was completely lost by the second hour. Sure we got shiny, happy endings for Rachel (spoiler – she won a Tony and married Jesse St. James), Kurt and Blaine (spoiler – they’re married and Rachel was the surrogate for their baby), Mercedes (spoiler – she became a singing star), Sam (spoiler – he took over New Directions), Will (spoiler – he became principal at McKinley) and Tina and Artie (spoiler – he became a director and I guess they got back together), everyone else virtually did not exist.

We heard nothing about Puck, Quinn, Santana, Brittany, Mike and as for all those new characters who were forced on viewers for almost two seasons, they were pretty much nonexistent. We learned nothing about Marly, Ryder, Jake, Unique or the new characters on which screentime was wasted during the show’s final season. The final moment of the show included every single person (mostly, Melissa Benoist who played Marly, could not make it) who had ever been in the Glee Club returning for a final performance in honor of the McKinley hall being renamed and dedicated in Finn’s memory. It should have by all accounts been a very poignant moment but I found myself not moved, much as I wasn’t for the entire final hour.

The reason was largely because of what I stated above, that the writers, through their very horrible writing, had ruined so many of these characters and relationships for me that I simply did not have the investment any more to care about where their journeys ended. I did not care about Kurt and Blaine getting married and having a baby because that relationship had been ran into the ground in so many ways, the ultimate being time wasted in the final season on an utterly pointless, not to mention borderline creepy coupling of Blaine and Karofsky, Kurt’s former tormentor. The less said on that the better. I couldn’t aww or cheer their happy ending because the couple I fell in love with back in Season 2 stopped existing a long time ago in my opinion.

I couldn’t be happy for Rachel’s success because after the horrible Season 5, where the writers had her jump from getting into a prestigious school, landing a Broadway role months later, then leaving to star in her own show, her success felt almost boring and predictable. Sure she fell flat on her face at the start of Season 6 to create some storyline for the season, but by then it was more than clear where her story was going. So the scene elicited nothing more than a shrug and a “meh” from me.

Once again, the magic this show once had simply didn’t exist anymore and the nostalgia wasn’t enough to bring it back for me. I watched the final hour, the final scene, hoping to feel something, some emotion about this show’s journey coming to an end and I felt nothing. Nothing but a slight bitterness and sadness that something that once was so good and had the potential to be amazing, ended as poorly as it did.

All that being said, I do however want to end on a positive note and state that despite everything, I do believe there once was something special about Glee. Otherwise, it would not have exploded as it did. It truly brought something to the screen that hadn’t been seen before on television and I absolutely believe it paved the way for shows such as Nashville, Empire and even Smash. And though certainly not perfect, it did do a good job of representation, particularly teenage representation and provided young people a show where they could see themselves – gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, the disabled, etc.  I also do believe that Glee is a show that, for better or for worse, will be remembered for years to come. It’s just a pity that those responsible for creating it and bringing it to the world, were also the ones who couldn’t sustain it and allowed it to fall to the wayside.

But despite everything, I’ll still say thank you to the writers and creators, the cast and crew – thank you for the laughs, thank you giving me something that me and my late cousin bonded over and thank you for the music. It was an interesting ride.

2015 Screen Actors Guild Awards

The 21^st Annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, the penultimate American award show before the Academy Awards (I noted American because the British Academy of Film Awards are still to come and they have also been a significant indicator of Oscar winners in recent years), were held this past weekend. Like the Critics Choice, the SAG Awards is a more low key affair than the Golden Globes but is significant in that it celebrates actors by other actors. The following are my best and worst from this year’s ceremony.

Best

Eddie Redmayne Upsets Michael Keaton – Redmayne pulled off the upset, winning the award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role, which many predicted would go to Michael Keaton. This excited me for three reasons. One, if one read my reviews of both the Globes and the Critics Choice, you would note that I have been saying despite early predictors, I truly believe that Redmayne could pull off the upset and win the Oscar for Best Actor. So his winning Sunday night just added validity to my suspicion and little fact about me, I like being right 🙂 Two, I like when there is a genuine race at the Academy Awards. While it’s nice for the actors who clean up during award season, it does make it a bit boring when by Oscar night, all the wins are pretty much a foregone conclusion. Finally, I am happy for Redmayne’s win because I saw both films and while I thought Keaton was wonderful in Birdman, I felt he was somewhat overshadowed by Edward Norton for the first half of the film, while Redmayne was absolutely brilliant throughout A Theory of Everything.

Modern Family Dethroned – For the first time in years, Modern Family went home completely empty handed, losing Lead Actor and Actress in a Comedy, as well as Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series to Orange is the New Black. And it was well overdue in my opinion. Don’t get me wrong, I still like Modern Family and it is a pleasant enough way to spend 30 minutes a week. However, it is by no means the best sitcom on television and hasn’t been for at least the last two seasons.

Uzo Aduba & Viola Davis’ Brilliant Speeches – I was thrilled for both women and thought they both delivered beautiful, humble and powerful speeches about self-acceptance. I was particularly moved by Aduba’s revelation that she got the part in Orange Is the New Black just as she was ready to give up on her dream of being an actress. A nice reminder that sometimes our dreams are just around the corner.

Birdman Upsets Boyhood – This thrilled me for the same reason Eddie Redmayne’s win did. That is, suddenly we have a legitimate Oscar race for Best Picture. Until week or so ago, Boyhood’s winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards seemed all but written in stone but now this seems less of a guarantee. It should be noted that American Hustle won the Ensemble award last year but 12 Years A Slave still went on to win Best Picture at the Oscars. However, what was most significant about Birdman’s win on Sunday, is that it came right on the heels (a day later to be exact) of the movie’s win at the Producers Guild Awards for Best Theatrical Motion Picture. This is important because the last seven Producers Guild Best Picture winners went on to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

Jared Leto & Lupita Nyong’o – So I could not possibly be the only who is “shipping” those two. Okay, well not really, but you have to admit they make a very, very pretty picture together. Also, I know am not the only one sensing an odd sexual tension between them. All I’m saying is if it did happen, I would approve.

Worst

William H. Macy’s Speech – Okay, first of all, I adore Macy as an actor. I think he is absolutely brilliant and one of the best actors in Hollywood. I was also thrilled for his Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series win, because I think Shameless is long overdue for some critical and award show love. That said, I really hated his speech. I am certain he was probably just trying to be funny but it veered very quickly from funny to awkward and slightly uncomfortable. Still like him though and still happy he won.

Tribute to Hollywood – As is often the case, the show does a tribute to some special part of the history of films. This year’s tribute focused on Hollywood’s depiction of social issues throughout the decades. While I appreciated the intent and there were a few poignant moments throughout, I felt like this missed the mark a bit. The entire video felt a bit rushed and badly pieced together with the clips not flowing as well as they should have.

Frances McDormand – Like William H. Macy, I love Frances McDormand’s talent and think she’s a brilliant actress. That said, her bored, seemingly annoyed face and disinterested body language is really a turn off. I don’t know if this is some schtick she’s working this year, much like Emma Thompson’s “everyone’s favorite drunk Aunt” act last award season but it’s really very unappealing. I noticed it at the Globes and it was just as bad at the SAG and it makes her seem slightly ungrateful and a little pretentious. I almost want to say “no one’s holding a gun to your head forcing you to attend these shows Frances…”

Debbie Reynold’s Tribute – This wasn’t all bad. I loved the video montage of her career and there were parts of her speech that were funny and adorable. However I found many moments of Carrie Fisher’s a little awkward particularly the snarky comments about her and Debbie’s not so great relationship throughout the years. I guess it’s great that they’re at a place where they can joke about it but it’s still a little uncomfortable and a bit too close to home, in my opinion.

The Fashion – There was no unmitigated disaster but there was no “wow” moment either. In fact, the best way I could sum up the fashion of the night was one big “meh.” It was in all rather boring. There were some beautiful moments, such as Felicity Jones’ gorgeous blush Balenciaga and Camilla Alves’ purple Donna Karen Atelier bombshell gown but all in all, a rather boring night for fashion.

2015 Golden Globe Awards

The 72^nd Annual Golden Globe Awards were held last night and it delivered many of the elements that make it “Hollywood’s Biggest Party of the Year” – funny hosts, celebrities enjoying a little too much champagne, awkward acceptance speeches, heartwarming and tear-filled speeches and exciting  surprise wins.

I love the Golden Globes. Next to the Grammy Awards, it is my favorite award show and a lot of the love has to do with the aforementioned drunk celebrities, awkward, funny and sometimes beautiful speeches. But more importantly, I really enjoy the Globes because the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) loves rewarding new shows.

No disrespect to the Primetime Emmy Awards and the deserving actors/actresses who are awarded, but let’s be honest, it’s boring watching the same show and/or same actors win year after year (looking at you, Modern Family). It eventually starts to feel like there’s no point even watching when we already know who’s going to win. Not the case with the Globes, and this year was no different. The following are some of my highlights from this year’s show:

One for the Road (Amy & Tina) – Amy Poehler and Tina Fey will not return next year as the show’s hosts (no word yet on who’s replacing them) which sucks, but they certainly went out on a high. While the Bill Cosby jokes felt a little “too much too soon” and clearly had many of the celebrities uncomfortably squirming in their seats, I applaud their having the cojones to go for it. Only complaint, they weren’t on nearly enough. At one point, it almost felt like they’d all but vanished.

Congratulations Freshman Class of 2015 – Sticking with their tradition, the Globes awarded many fresh new faces and shows this year. The television categories were dominated by newcomers, most notably Gina Rodriguez, whose win for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy for her role on Jane The Virgin, gave the CW its first Golden Globe win ever in the network’s history. Other newcomers to the party was Jeffrey Tambor for Best Lead Actor in a Comedy, while his show Transparent won for Best Comedy Series and Matt Bomer, who won Best Supporting Actor for a Mini-series/TV Movie for his revelatory performance in HBO’s A Normal Heart. Showtime’s sexy newcomer The Affair won Best Drama, while its star Ruth Wilson, won Best Lead Actress in a Drama. All were well deserved in my opinion.

Speeches (The Good, the Bad & the Plain Awkward) – To be fair, none of the speeches this year were particularly awful which while great for the winners, was a little boring for me. However there were still a few gems during the night – both good and bad.

• The Good – I was particularly moved by Gina Rodriguez and Matt Bomer, both clearly very appreciative and humbled by their wins, as well as Michael Keaton and Julianne Moore, two stars with long careers but still not too cynical or jaded to truly appreciate the moment.
• The Bad – These speeches weren’t so much as they weren’t so great, starting with George Clooney. I like George Clooney and am happy for him for his Cecille B. Demille honor but his speech, while perfectly fine, was almost too perfect and therefore seemed a little too rehearsed. I felt like some real heart and emotion was missing. It was a a bit too polished for my taste. The other bad on my list was Wes Anderson’s speech after his film The Grand Budapest Hotel won Best Picture – Comedy/Musical. I get it, Wes Anderson is a snarky, satirical writer (just watch any one of his many films) and I really enjoyed the first part of his speech and didn’t mind so much the “let me shout out the HFPA members” schtick. It’s just after a second or two, the “let me list as crazy a name as possible” started feeling a bit culturally insensitive. Sort of a “they’re foreign so they must have weird sounding names.” Humor like that is always a very fine line. Finally, Bonnie Arnold, who won for How to Train a Dragon 2 makes my bad list for talking and rambling until he was all but played out, without ever giving his co-producer who was standing right next to him, clearly wanting to say something, a chance to give her thanks. Not gentlemanly at all.
• The Awkward – One word, Amy Adams. Bless her heart and I quite like Amy Adams but I guess she really was honest about not believing she would win and not just being self-deprecating. That is, if her acceptance speech is anything to go by. It was a rambly, sometimes incoherent, very repetitive mess. And let’s not even mention her very awkward shout out to her publicist who is pregnant with twins, that many thought was really her revealing that she was expecting twins. Again…weird. I still like you though Amy but maybe lay off the booze at the SAG.

We Didn’t See That Coming (Best Surprise Wins) – For an award show that loves rewarding freshman shows and stars, it’s little wonder that it also often has its share of “surprise” wins and this year was no different. The night’s first big “upset” was HBO’s very acclaimed mystery crime drama True Detective and its lead star Matthew McConaughey, losing Best Mini-series/TV Movie and Best Actor in a Mini-Series/TV Movie to Showtime’s Fargo and Billy Bob Thornton, respectively. On one hand this was actually not that shocking, as Fargo swept these same categories at this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards. However, they didn’t have to compete against True Detective, as HBO took the calculated gamble of submitting the show and its stars in the Drama category (spoiler alert – it didn’t work. They lost). Many believed appropriately submitting it in the Mini-Series category for the Globes would make the show fare better, especially with newly minted Academy Award winner McConaughey in the mix but clearly, voters weren’t as enamored with the show as the critics and audience were. The other big surprises were The Grand Budapest Hotel besting Birdman for Best Motion Picture – Comedy/Musical and The Lego Movie losing Best Animated Movie to How to Train Your Dragon 2. I have to say I was thrilled about the former result. As brilliant as Birdman is, I don’t believe it is really a Comedy and it is certainly not a Musical. So for the category that it was in, The Grand Budapest Hotel truly was the better film.

Finally…The Fashion of Course – What is an award show without amazing fashions and this year’s Golden Globes was no different. There was no outstanding Lupita N’Yongo moment for me (though she definitely worked it but certainly not as star turning as last year) but still some beautiful gowns. And as always, there was definitely the “what were they thinking” moments (Oh Kiera…why?). The following are my 5 best dressed and the one that made me go “really…really?”

N.B. All images courtesy Google Images

Love this. It’s true to who she is while being sleek, sophisticated and even a little sexy

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Yes pants again…but hey, I can’t help it if they both rocked it and rocked it Emma did. Like Lorde’s outfit, this is sleek and sophisticated with a little bad ass element to it.

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Wasn’t really in love with the gloves at first but knowing that she wore them in solidarity for the French due to their recent terror attacks, I can live with it. The dress is gorgeous though.

Nothing too out of the ordinary for  Amy but hey, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. This is well tailored, well fitted piece and I think the color looks gorgeous on her. She also gets points for being one of the few whose hair was not a mess last night.

Hollywood bombshell…that’s all. This dress is all Hollywood sexy glamour and says “I’m a star that you’re going to pay attention to.” Love it.

And for the worst:

Just…why? I have nothing else but why…