The 2016 Tony Awards

The American Theatre Wing's 70th Annual Tony Awards, held at the Beacon Theatre and broadcast live on CBS, were hosted by James Corden.  In light of the horrific events in Orlando earlier in the day, the show was dedicated to those affected by said events.  

The cast of Hamilton opened the show in the best way possible: with a song about the night's host, James Corden in a spoof of their opening number.  James Corden made a few jokes and then had his own musical number about his love of the theatre that did last for quite some time. It concluded with all of the musical acting nominees on stage with the message "this could be where you belong."  

  
Hamilton was the night's biggest winner taking home 11 awards including Best Musical, Best Costumes, Lighting, Choreography to Andy Blankenbuehler, Orchestrations to Alex Lacamoire, Direction to Thomas Kail, Featured Actress in a Musical to Renee Elise Goldsberry, Featured Actor in a play to Daveed Diggs, Score and Book to Lin-Manuel Miranda whose his speech, in the form of a sonnet, was inspiring, and Leslie Odom Jr for Best Lead Actor.  The Color Purple won best Revival of a Musical and Cynthia Erivo took home Best Leading Actress for her role in the show. 

At the age of 62, Jayne Houdyshell won her first Tony Award for The Humans.  The show also won Best Featured Actor for Reed Birney, Best Scenic Design of a Play for David Zinn and Best Play. Frank Langella won Best Lead Actor in a Play for The Father.  

Arthur Miller's The View from the Bridge won Best Revival of a Play and Best Direction of a Play to Ivo van Hove.  Lead Actress in a Play went to Jessica Lange for her role in Long Day's Journey Into Night. The show was also awarded best Lighting Design to Natasha Katz.   David Rockwell took home the award for Scenic Design of a Play for She Loves Me.

Alex Brightman and the kids of School of Rock performed "You're in the Band."  Those kids really do rock and they play those instruments live 8 times a week.  The cast of Shuffle along showed off the exquisite tapping showcased in the show and made me realize I need to see it! The cast of She Loves Me performed a medley of "Ilona," "She Loves Me" and "Vanilla Ice Cream."  James Corden showed a priceless video of Josh Groban in his high school production of The Fiddler on the Roof followed by the cast of Fiddler on the Roof sang "Sunrise, Sunset" followed by an excellent dance number!

Steve Martin, Edie Brickell introduced the cast of Bright Star performing "If You Knew My Story." Cynthia Erivo and the cast of The Color Purple sang a medley of "Mysterious Ways" and "I'm Here." The cast of On Your Feet performed a medley from the show with Gloria Estefan.  Deaf West's Spring Awakening Broadway cast performed a medley of "Momma Who Bore Me," "Bitch of Living".  The company of Hamilton sang "Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)." The cast of Waitress sang "Opening Up" then Sara Bareilles started "She Used to be Mine" and Jessie Mueller finished it once she changed costumes. Bebe Neuwirth performed a tribute to Chicago for its twentieth anniversary.  The cast of Hamilton  closed the show, after winning Best Musical, with "The Schuyler Sisters."

Throughout the night, some of the nominees performed bumpers outside during the broadcast. The first performance was Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sara Bareilles, Edie Brickell, Steve Martin and Lin-Manuel Miranda singing "Tomorrow" from Annie, with ALW on tambourine.  Other performances included: the cast of Shuffle Along sang "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat" from Guys and Dolls,  Alex Brightman and the kids of School of Rock singing "The Phantom of the Opera," the cast of Fiddler on the Roof singing "No Business Like Show Business" from Annie Get Your Gun,  the cast of She Loves Me performed "Cabaret" and the cast of Hamilton singing "No Day But Today."

A full list of tonight's winners can be found here. 

88th Annual Academy Awards

The Oscars are the biggest event of the awards season, and to many the biggest night of the year! However, this year the show was surrounded by controversy after all of the nominees in the acting categories (as well as almost every category) were entirely white for the second year in a row.   It will be interesting to see how #OscarsSoWhite affects the ratings and to see what steps the Academy will hopefully take in the coming years to ensure that the nominations are representative of the excellent work being done by wonderfully talented people of color. 

Chris Rock took the stage to host the Academy Awards for the first time.  His opening number was understandably focused on the "Oscars So White" controversy but he handled it very well and it was pretty excellent. It was pervasive throughout the whole show in multiple jokes and bits including Black History Minute with Angela Bassett and Stacey Dash coming out on stage. 

Some of the more interesting events that took place during the awards included: Chris Rock's daughters bringing out Girl Scout Cookies and selling them to the nominees, Buzz and Woody from Toy Story handing out the Best Animated Feature Award, and Lady Gaga's incredibly powerful performance of "Til it Happens to You" introduced by Vice President Joe Biden 

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role went to Mark Rylance, for his role in Bridge of Spies. Alicia Vikander won the Oscar for Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in The Danish Girl. Leonardo DiCaprio won Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for his role in The Revenant, his first Oscar.  Brie Larson won an Oscar for Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for Room.

Inside Out won for Best Animated Feature Film. Original Screenplay went to Josh Singer and Todd McCarthy for Spotlight while Adapted Screenplay went was presented to Charles Randolph and Adam McKay for The Big Short.  

Mad Max: Fury Road garnered the award for Production Design, Costume Design, Best Make-Up and Hair Styling, Film Editing, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing Whiplash won for Sound Mixing and Film Editing, and Interstellar took home the award for Visual Effects.  Ex Machina took home the award for Best Visual Effects. The Revenant won for Cinematography and Director for Alejandro G. Inarritu.  Spotlight was awarded Best Picture of the Year.

A full list of winners can be found here.

Red Carpet Fashion

 

Cate Blanchett looked stunning in an Armani Prive gown. 

(PC: David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock)

Brie Larson wowed in a blue Gucci gown. 

(PC: David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock)

Saoirse Ronan looked elegant in an Emerald Calvin Klein gown.

(PC: David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock)

Charlize Theorn looked incredible in red. 

(PC: David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock)

Jacob Tremblay is the most adorable person on the red carpet by far in an Armani tuxedo. 

(PC: Steve Granitz/WireImage)

Oscar Nominations 2016

And the nominees are:

This past year saw its fair share of amazing films made, from some of the big blockbuster hits of all time to smaller indie projects. The Oscars race is a difficult thing as accolades do not singularly determine a film's worth, and many great films have gone, and will go, unrecognized. All of the films in the Best Picture category deserve their spot there, and yet there are many more films that could easily have been one of the eight nominees.

Leading the nominations is The Revenant with 12 nominations followed by Mad Max:Fury Road which received ten nominations.

See a full list of nominees here.

BEST DIRECTOR

Adam McKay, The Big Short

George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road
Alejandro G. Inarritu, The Revenant
Lenny Abrahamson, Room
Tom McCarthy, Spotlight

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
Matt Damon, The Martian
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Cate Blanchett, Carol

Brie Larson, Room
Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Christian Bale, The Big Short
Tom Hardy, The Revenant
Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
Slyvester Stallone, Creed

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara, Carol
Rachel McAdams, Spotlight
Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Anomalisa
Boy and the World
Inside Out
Shaun the Sheep Movie
When Marnie Was There


Watch the Oscar race conclude on Sunday, February 28 live on ABC.

Golden Globe Awards 2016

The 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards were broadcast live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel and produced by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and Dick Clark Productions.  Ricky Gervais returned as the host, haveing last hosted the 2012 telecast.   He delivered his monologue while sipping a beer and his opening poked fun at many recent events including Caitlyn Jenner, Jeffrey Tambor in Transparent, Jennifer Lawrence addressing the wage gap, and The Martian being nominated as a comedy. 

Heading into the awards, Carol led the way with the most film nominations, five, followed by The Revenant, Steve Jobs, and The Big Short each received four nominations. Netflix had a network high of eight nominations.  Going in to the show, there were very few clear winners, and there were many surprises in the winner's list. 

Matt Damon took home Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical for The Martian and the film won for Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical.  Best Screenplay was presented to screenwriter Aaron Sorkin for Steve Jobs and Kate Winslet also won Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for the film.  The Revenant won Best Motion Picture - Drama, Alejandro G. Inarritu took home the award for Best Director for the film, and Leonardo DiCaprio was awarded Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama for the film, causing us to wonder if this will finally be his Oscar year.  Sylvester Stallone took home Best Supporting Actor for Creed.  Jennifer Lawrence won Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical for her role in Joy. Brie Larson took home Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama for Room.  Inside Out won for Best Motion Picture - Animation, and with this win it is thought that it will most likely take home the Oscar in a few weeks as well.  

Wolf Hall took home best Miniseries or TV Movie.  Best Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries went to Oscar Issac for Show Me a Hero.  Jon Hamm won Best Actor in a Television Series - Drama for his role in Mad Men.   Lady Gaga won Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie for AHS:Hotel. Mr.Robot took home the award for Best Television Series -Drama and Christian Slater won Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Limited Series or TV Movie for the show.  Best Actress in a Television Series - Drama went to Taraji P. Henson for Empire.  Maura Tierney won Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Limited Series or TV Movie for The Affair with her first Golden Globe nomination. 

Rachel Bloom won Best Actress in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend while Amazon's Mozart in the Jungle took home the award for Best Television Series - Comedy or Musical and Gael Garcia Bernal also took home the award for the Best Actor in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical for the show. 

Denzel Washington was presented with the Cecil B. Demille Award for Lifetime Achievement by Tom Hanks. An incredibly deserving recipient who thanked the people who helped him get to where he is today including his family.

A full list of winners can be found here.

Red Carpet Fashion

Cate Blanchett is a work of art in Givenchy. Her dress was not as traditional of a style as many of the looks this year, but she was a vision on the red carpet. 
(photo cred: David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock)

Viola Davis looked stunning in Marchesa Spring 2016.  

Saoirse Ronan looked elegant in a white YSL gown. 

Brie Larson sparkled (quite literally) in Calvin Klein. 

Golden Globe Awards 2016 Nominations

The 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association will be held and simulcast live on NBC on Sunday, January 10, 2016 at 8 p.m. EST at The Beverly Hilton produced by Dick Clark Productions. Nominations were announced by America Ferrera, Chloe Grace Moretz, Angela Bassett and Dennis Quaid this morning live from The Beverly Hilton.   

Carol leads the way with five nominations, including Best Motion Picture, Drama and Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama for which both Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara received nominations. Netflix had a network high of eight nominations. The Revenant, Steve Jobs, and The Big Short each received four nominations.

And the nominees are:

Best Motion Picture, Drama
Carol
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Room
Spotlight

Best Motion Picture, Comedy 
The Big Short
Joy
The Martian
Spy
Trainwreck

Best Director – Motion Picture
Todd Haynes, Carol
Alejandro Iñárritu, The Revenant
Tom McCarthy, Spotlight
George Miller, Mad Max
Ridley Scott, The Martian

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Brie Larson, Room
Rooney Mara, Carol
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy 
Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
Melissa McCarthy, Spy

Amy Schumer, Trainwreck


Maggie Smith, Lady in the Van

Lily Tomlin, Grandma

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Jane Fonda, Youth
Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
Helen Mirren, Trumbo
Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina
Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama

Bryan Cranston, Trumbo

Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant

Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs

Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl

Will Smith, Concussion

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Christian Bale, The Big Short
Steve Carell, The Big Short
Matt Damon, The Martian
Al Pacino, Danny Collins
Mark Ruffalo, Infinitely Polar Bear

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Paul Dano, Love & Mercy
Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation
Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
Michael Shannon, 99 Homes
Sylvester Stallone, Creed

Best TV Series, Drama

Empire
Game of Thrones
Mr. Robot
Narcos
Outlander

Best TV Series, Comedy
Casual
Mozart in the Jungle
Orange Is the New Black
Silicon Valley
Transparent
Veep

Best TV Movie or Limited-Series
American Crime
American Horror Story: Hotel
Fargo
Flesh and Bone
Wolf Hall

Best Actor in a TV Series, Drama
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Rami Malek, Mr. Robot
Wagner Moura, Narcos
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Emma Donoghue, Room
Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer, Spotlight
Charles Randolph and Adam McKay, The Big Short
Aaron Sorkin, Steve Jobs
Quentin Tarantino, The Hateful Eight

Best Animated Feature Film
Anomalisa

The Good Dinosaur

Inside Out

The Peanuts Movie
Shaun the Sheep Movie

Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Limited-Series, or TV Movie
Uzo Aduba, Orange is the New Black
Joanne Froggatt, Downton Abbey
Regina King, American Crime
Judith Light, Transparent
Maura Tierney, The Affair

Best Actress in a TV Series, Comedy
Rachel Bloom, Crazy Ex Girlfriend
Jamie Lee Curtis, Scream Queens
Julia Louis Dreyfus, Veep
Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin
Lilly Tomlin, Grace & Frankie

Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Limited-Series or TV Movie
Alan Cumming, The Good Wife
Damian Lewis, Wolf Hall
Ben Mendelson, Bloodline
Tobias Menzies, Outlander
Christian Slater, Mr. Robot

Best Original Song – Motion Picture
"Love Me Like You Do" 50 Shades of Grey
"One Kind of Love" Love and Mercy
"See You Again" Furious 7
"Simple Song No. 3" Youth
"Writing's on the Wall" Spectre

Tune in to the ceremony, hosted by Ricky Gervais, Sunday, January 10, 2016 at 8 p.m. EST on NBC. 

86th Annual Academy Awards

The Oscars are the biggest event of the awards season, or as movie-lovers know it the biggest night of the year! Ellen returns, for a second time, to host the Academy Awards.  Her opening monologue was filled with jokes about the nominees but none of them quite crossed the proverbial line which was quite impressive (and Jared Leto really is the most beautiful).

The telecast also did a great job of working in the theme of heroes without being obnoxious or too in-your-face about it.  When they first announced the theme I was nervous, but it didn't deter from the actual awards process.

Some of the more interesting events that took place during the awards included: incredibly unnecessary singing from the winners of 20 Feet From Stardom, Zac Efron losing his place on the teleprompter or forgetting how to read, the tribute to The Wizard of Oz by Pink!, and one of the most anticipated performances of the night: Idina Menzel singing "Let It Go" from Frozen!! And while it would have been nice had she not performed with less than 30 minutes left to the broadcast, it was well worth the wait (although you could understandably tell she was nervous, and I'm sure Jorn Tromolto grossly mispronouncing her name didn't help her nerves)

The awards of course ran thirty minutes over the allotted time, but it nonetheless flowed much better than in previous years.  Ellen was a great host, and it would do the awards justice to have her back next year (plus third time's the charm).  Let's just hope that the nominees are as incredible next year as they were this year.

The Night's Winners

Complete List of Winners 

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role went to Jared Leto, for his portrayal of Rayon in Dallas Buyers Club.  This came as no surprise, as he and his amazing ombre have won virtually every award his portrayal in the film has garnered him.    Lupita Nyong'o won the Oscar for Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in 12 Years a Slave.  While she didn't necessarily run away with it, had she not won there would have been a large amount of upset, and she truly deserves the award! Cate Blanchett won an Oscar for Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, and she deserved it! She gave an impeccable speech as well, proving that you can say "suck it" and remain classy. Matthew McConaughey won Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, which was to be expected based on his performance so far this awards season, but it would have been nice for Leo to leave with a little something, maybe next year.

Frozen won for Best Animated Feature Film of the Year, and in all honesty it was the only choice.  It received more praise than any other film this year and lead box office sales and the Billboard charts for weeks following it's release. "Let It Go" won for Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song) giving Bobby Lopez an EGOT!

Adapted Screenplay went to John Ridley for 12 Years a Slave, while Original Screenplay went to Spike Jonze for Her.  The consensus was that Her's win was an upset, but it was a great screenplay and deserving of the award.

Gravity garnered awards for Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Visual Effects, Film Editing, Cinematography, and Directing.  While 12 Years a Slave took home the biggest award of the night, Best Motion Picture of the Year.

Fashion

There were so many amazing fashion choice this year! It was hard to narrow it down to a mere few to post here.


Cate Blanchett looked stunning in a nude embellished Armani Privé.  She complemented the dress with jewels by Chopard. She looked fabulous from head to toe.  The Blue Jasmine star arrived at the awards as one of the night's top contender's and the results of her category did not disappoint.







The 12 Years a Slave star has stunned in various colors all season and the Oscars were no exception.  Lupita Nyong'o shined in a pastel blue by Prada.  This gown gave off a more princess type vibe than some of her other gowns this season, making it a perfect Oscar gown, especially in which to accept an award.








Anna Kendrick looks fabulous in a black J. Mendel.  She looked amazing as she walked the carpet.  The gown was sexy with a strappy back and front slit.

A pregnant Olivia Wilde stunned in a black gown by Valentino.  It should be illegal to be this pregnant and still look that gorgeous! She and husband Jason Sudeikis were adorable together as they walked the carpet.












Idina Menzel looked impeccable in an emerald Vera Wang gown.  She was one of the more highly anticipated Oscar guests and her rendition of "Let it Go" was one of the best moments of the night!








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20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards

The Screen Actors Guild Awards strive to honor actors who have showcased extraordinary talent in film and television during the past year. The SAG Awards are the only televised awards to exclusively honor performers.  The show consists of 13 awards for acting in film and  television during a two hour show aired live on TNT and TBS.  They are considered one of the industry's highest and most prized honors as it is a peer voted honor.

This year the show honored some of the year's biggest and brightest stars.  A complete winner's list can be found here.

Some of the night's biggest winners were: Lupita Nyong'o in the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role category for her role in 12 Years a Slave. Jared Leto won Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role for his role in Dallas Buyer's Club, giving the distinct impression that he is a shoo-in for the Oscar.  Matthew McConaughey also won Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in Leading Role for his role in the film.  Modern Family won for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series for the fourth consecutive year and Ty Burrell took home the actor for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series.  Bryan Cranston took home the actor for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Walter White in Breaking Bad. The series also won for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series to mark its first win and third consecutive nomination.  Maggie Smith won Outstanding Performance by a Female Actress in a Drama Series beating out Anna Gunn in what I consider to be an upset, but SAG-AFTRA members do have a great love for Downton Abbey. Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in Leading Role was awarded to  Cate Blanchett for her role in Blue Jasmine.  Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture was awarded to the cast of American Hustle.

Rita Moreno was rightfully and deservedly honored with the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award which was presented to her by Morgan Freeman. She gave an endearing speech that included an f-bomb, true sentiments of gratitude and ended with a serenade.

Given these results, it is likely, but in no way guaranteed, that Leto and Blanchett will take home Oscars come March 2nd.  It is also likely that McConaughey could take home an Oscar and 12 Years a Slave remains the top contender for Best Motion Picture.

Other Guild awards are held as followed but are not televised:
25th Annual Producers Guild Awards - January 19, 2014
66th Annual Directors Guild Awards - January 25, 2014
66th Annual Writers Guild Awards - February 1, 2014
2014 Ace Eddie Awards (Film Editors) - February 7, 2014
18th Art Directors Guild Awards - February 8, 2014
61st MPSE Golden Reel Awards (Sound Editors) - February 16, 2014
16th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards - February 22, 2014

Red Carpet Fashion

Amy Adams looked stunning in a one-shouldered gown by Antonio Berardi.  The gorgeous bright blue, along with her fabulous up-do and make-up gave her an old-Hollywood look that was to die for, and worked much better for her than her Golden Globes dress.

  Anna Gun looked spectacular in a stunning midnight blue gown by Monique Lhuillier.  She carried a purse adorned with the Breaking Bad logo by Edie Parker. Even had she not won a SAG at the awards, she still would have gone home a winner in this dress.

Cate Blanchett walked the carpet in a gorgeous gown by Givenchy.  The Blue Jasmine star was pretty in pink and became one of the major talking points of the live red carpet feeds.

 Lupita Nyong'o has gained a reputation for being fashion forward and savvy and this red carpet look was no exception.  She looked gorgeous from head to toe in this gorgeous blue/turquoise dress by Gucci.

Michelle Dockery has a stunning sense of style that has remained present during this awards season.  The Downton Abbey star showed a lot of skin in this plunging number from J. Mendel that was a hit on the carpet. 

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