Clear Out Of My House

I used to get a letter every year from the Publishers Clearing House asking me if I wanted to register for their sweepstakes.  I always threw it away.  But this year it's not like I've got anything better to do.

So I went to their website to register--no purchase necessary.  And once there, I was hit with a bewildering array of come-ons for various products.  All I wanted to do was officially sign up, but even after giving them my personal information, it was hard to figure out what I had to do.  I scrolled through page after page, hoping to get to the end.  Finally I thought I'd succeeded, but I still wasn't sure.  In any case, I signed off.

Soon after I was receiving an email or two or three a day from PCH, telling me I was close to completing my registration--why don't I come back and finish it?  So I went back and the same thing happened.  I thought I registered, but I still kept getting emails saying I'm almost registered--why not return and take the last step?  No thanks, if I can't figure it out in two shots, I don't see any point in going back.

I get it.  They're in the business of selling things, not giving stuff away for free.  But still, should they make it this hard to register?  Funny thing is, if they just had an easy registration, I might have stuck around the website a little to see if there's anything of interest. Instead, I was stuck in an Alice In Wonderland world just looking for a way out.

I realize I wanted something for nothing. But that's no excuse. I don't usually say this about people, but the PCH crowd are evil.

You Get An Emmy And You Get An Emmy!

This may be the year that time forgot, but life marches on, and the Emmy nominations are out. I'll just list the shows and the actors--who cares about the other categories. I'll give my comments, tempered by the knowledge I haven't watched most of this stuff.

Outstanding Drama Series
Better Call Saul
The Crown
The Handmaid’s Tale
Killing Eve
The Mandalorian
Ozark
Stranger Things
Succession

All big names. Last year Killing Eve won, but it seems an open race.  Plenty think Succession is the new It show, though with Better Call Saul winding down it would be nice for it to get some attention (don't count on it).  No Big Little Lies, which is fine with me.  What about, say, This Is Us--do the networks even get nominated any more?

Outstanding Comedy Series
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Dead to Me
Insecure
The Kominsky Method
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Schitt’s Creek
What We Do in the Shadows

Once again, no networks.  Where's former favorite Modern Family in its final season? Or The Good Place?  No Ramy, though it got a lot of attention elsewhere.  Mrs. Maisel is back, but there's plenty of competition. Schitt's Creek has become a favorite (after not getting much love in its debut), and maybe it'll take it as it says goodbye.

Outstanding Limited Series
Little Fires Everywhere
Mrs. America
Unbelievable
Unorthodox
Watchmen

Only one I watched was Watchmen.  (Who watches the Watchmen?)

Outstanding Drama Actor
Jason Bateman, Ozark
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Steve Carell, The Morning Show
Brian Cox, Succession
Billy Porter, Pose
Jeremy Strong, Succession

Haven't seen The Morning Show or Pose (Billy Porter won last year).  I like Jason Bateman, though some think it's a one-note performance.  Will Cox and Strong cancel each other (cancel culture strikes again).  Sterling K. Brown always does great work on his (network!) show, but have the voters grown tired of the This Is Us? And where's Bob Odenkirk?

Outstanding Drama Actress
Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
Olivia Colman, The Crown
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Laura Linney, Ozark
Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
Zendaya, Euphoria

The only performance I've seen more than a few seconds of is Laura Linney's (it was a strong season for her) so it's hard to even guess.  Though, once again, you've got Comer and Oh from the same show, which can cause trouble.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Giancarlo Esposito, Better Call Saul
Bradley Whitford, The Handmaid’s Tale
Billy Crudup, The Morning Show
Nicholas Braun, Succession
Kieran Culkin, Succession
Matthew MacFadyen, Succession
Jeffrey Wright, Westworld

Even if he did better work as the same character on Breaking Bad, it would be nice to see Giancarlo Esposito win the Emmy. (Note no Jonathan Banks from the same show.) Jeffrey Wright is a fine actor, but Westworld went from bad to total mess in its third season.  Succession has three actors fighting against each other, though I would guess Kieran Culkin is the voters' favorite. 

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Laura Dern, Big Little Lies
Meryl Streep, Big Little Lies
Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown
Samira Wiley, The Handmaid’s Tale
Fiona Shaw, Killing Eve
Julia Garner, Ozark
Sarah Snook, Succession
Thandie Newton, Westworld

I don't think much of Westworld or Big Little Lies (though I thought Meryl Streep was fun on the show--regular fans weren't so thrilled).  Note Reese Witherspon isn't in it with her illustrious costars.  What's this, only one nominee from Successsion in this category?  Surprised not to see Rhea Seehorn. As always, I would give this award to Julia Garner, who makes Ozark. She already won once, but another won't hurt. (Actually, I believe once you win an Emmy for a role, you shouldn't be nominated again--leave room for others.)

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Andrew Scott, Black Mirror
Giancarlo Esposito, The Mandalorian
Martin Short, The Morning Show
James Cromwell, Succession
Jason Batemen, The Outsider
Ron Cephas Jones, This Is Us

Giancarlo gets another nomination. (I liked The Mandalorian, but I don't know if I'd give it any acting nominations).  Same for Jason Bateman.  And funny man Martin Short gets a nod for drama. Ron Cephas Jones already won this award--deservedly--for the same show, and I'm not sure if he needs it again.  Cromwell was okay, but unless there's Succession-mania, he wasn't that special.  Andrew Scott was certainly memorable in his episode of Black Mirror, so if he wins that'd be fine with me.

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Alexis Bledel, The Handmaid’s Tale
Cicely Tyson, How to Get Away With Murder
Laverne Cox, Orange Is the New Black
Cherry Jones, Succession
Phylicia Rashad, This Is Us

Cherry Jones was okay, but not that notable.  Phylicia Rashad was quite memorable, though. (Unfortunately, haven't seen the others so it's hard to say much.)

Outstanding Comedy Actor
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
Don Cheadle, Black Monday
Ted Danson, The Good Place
Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
Eugene Levy, Schitt’s Creek
Ramy Youssef, Ramy

Some fine performances, and some big names, though no one stands out.  Would be nice to see The Good Place get some recognition, though I'm not sure this is the category where it will happen.

Outstanding Comedy Actress
Christina Applegate, Dead to Me
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Linda Cardellini, Dead to Me
Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek
Issa Rae, Insecure
Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish

Brosnahan has won before, but is her act getting thin?  Applegate and Cardellini fight against each other. (What does it do to a set when one wins over the other?)  No Kristen Bell.  Some people love O'Hara's sesquipedalian character, but to me the show is about the kids.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
William Jackson Harper, The Good Place
Alan Arkin, The Kominsky Method
Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Mahershala Ali, Ramy
Kenan Thompson, Saturday Night Live
Dan Levy, Schitt’s Creek

Maybe the toughest category of the night.  Don't watch Ramy (which may be the surprise winner of the night) but have seen the rest, and all the nominees stand out for their work.   Guess I'll be rooting for Harper, not only because he's great, but because his show deserves an Emmy and this is its best chance. 

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Betty Gilpin, GLOW
D’Arcy Carden, The Good Place
Yvonne Orji, Insecure
Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Marin Hinkle, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
Cecily Strong, Saturday Night Live
Annie Murphy, Schitt’s Creek

GLOW finally gets some recognition (for maybe its best performance).  All the nominees are pretty good, so, like supporting actor in comedy, one of the toughest categories.

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Fred Willard, Modern Family
Luke Kirby, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Dev Patel, Modern Love
Adam Driver, Saturday Night Live
Brad Pitt, Saturday Night Live
Eddie Murphy, Saturday Night Live

I love Fred Willard, and he was fine on Modern Family, but is this a sentimental nomination?  Luke Kirby is memorable on Maisel, but does he deserve an Emmy?  Dev Patel was fine, but didn't particularly stand out (and is Modern Love even a comedy?).  SNL gets its bunch of nods, deservedly or not.  Brad Pitt gets a lockdown nomination, and Eddie Murphy gets his first Emmy nom in years.

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Angela Bassett, A Black Lady Sketch Show
Maya Rudolph, The Good Place
Wanda Sykes, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Bette Midler, The Politician
Maya Rudolph, Saturday Night Live
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Saturday Night Live

Maya Rudolph is competing against herself. Is that fair?  It's especially too bad since I'd give her the Emmy for The Good Place.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series
Jeremy Irons, Watchmen
Hugh Jackman, Bad Education
Paul Mescal, Normal People
Jeremy Pope, Hollywood
Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True

Irons was fun, but was he even the lead? (Was there a lead on that show?)  Where's Aaron Paul?  Jackman was great, but haven't seen the others--certainly heard good things about Ruffalo's performance.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series
Cate Blanchett, Mrs. America
Shira Haas, Unorthodox
Regina King, Watchmen
Octavia Spencer, Self-Made
Kerry Washington, Little Fires Everywhere

Have only seen Regina King so it's hard to say much. (Guess I'm not a fan of limited series.)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series
Dylan McDermott, Hollywood
Jim Parsons, Hollywood
Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Watchmen
Louis Gossett Jr., Watchmen
Jovan Adepo, Watchmen

The Watchmen guys weren't bad (there were others on the show just as good), but Burgess was more fun than all three combined.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series
Holland Taylor, Hollywood
Uzo Aduba, Mrs. America
Margo Martindale, Mrs. America
Tracey Ullman, Mrs. America
Toni Collette, Unbelievable
Jean Smart, Watchmen

A lot of love for Mrs. America.  I should watch it some day.  Thought Jean Smart was great in Watchmen, so would be fine if she won.  Where's Allison Janney? Did they decide she won enough Emmys?

Outstanding Television Movie
American Son
Bad Education
Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings: These Old Bones
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend

Bad Education was good.  And it was fun to have Kimmy back. Interesting category where you have comedy versus drama.

Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series
Better Call Saul Employee Training: Legal Ethics With Kim Wexler
The Good Place Presents: The Selection
Most Dangerous Game
Reno 911!
Star Trek: Short Treks

Looks like fun stuff.  Is it available on YouTube?

Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series
Laurence Fishburne, #FreeRayshawn
Stephan James, #FreeRayshawn
Christoph Waltz, Most Dangerous Game
Mamoudou Athie, Oh Jerome, No (Cake)
Corey Hawkins, Survive

Yet another chance for actors to win an Emmy.

Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series
Anna Kendrick, Dummy
Kaitlin Olson, Flipped
Jasmine Cephas Jones, #FreeRayshawn
Rain Valdez, Razor Tongue
Kerri Kenney-Silver, Reno 911!

These people may win an Emmy and not even know it.

Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series
Between the Scenes - The Daily Show
Full Frontal With Samantha Bee Presents: Pandemic Video Diaries
National Geographic Presents Cosmos: Creating Possible Worlds
Pose: Identity, Family, Community
RuPaul’s Drag Race Out of the Closet

Don't these shows seem hard to compare?

Outstanding Short Form Variety Series
Beeing at Home with Samantha Bee
Between Two Ferns With Zach Galifianakas: The Movie, Sorta Uncut Interviews
Carpool Karaoke: The Series
Jimmy Kimmel’s Quarantine Minilogues
The Randy Rainbow Show

Just how many categories do they have?

Outstanding Animated Program
Big Mouth
Bob’s Burgers
BoJack Horseman
Rick and Morty
The Simpsons

Even a weak season, Rick And Morty deserves to win. How many Academy members were of voting age when The Simpsons debuted?

Outstanding Competition Program
The Masked Singer
Nailed It!
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Top Chef
The Voice

I don't watch these kinds of shows, but they keep proliferating.

Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program
Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman, Making It
Nicole Byer, Nailed It!
Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Tan France, Antoni Porowski, and Jonathan Van Ness, Queer Eye
RuPaul, RuPaul’s Drag Race
Barbara Corcoran, Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Daymond John, Robert Herjavec, and Kevin O’Leary, Shark Tank
Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio, Top Chef

Apparently most of these shows need more than one host.  Would be nice to see Nick Offerman win an Emmy, even if it's for the wrong show.

Outstanding Structured Reality Program
Antiques Roadshow
Love Is Blind
Queer Eye
Shark Tank
A Very Brady Renovation

If it's so structured, is it still a reality show?

Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program
Amy Schumer Learns to Cook: Lunch Break and Pasta Night
Cheer
Kevin Hart: Don’t F**ck This Up
RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked
We’re Here

How many awards do reality shows need?

Outstanding Variety Talk Series
The Daily Show With Trevor Noah
Full Frontal With Samantha Bee
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert

I stopped watching talk shows since the lockdown--it's one way in which my life has improved.

Outstanding Variety Sketch Series
A Black Lady Sketch Show
Drunk History
Saturday Night Live

Only three nominees?

Outstanding Variety Special (Live)
77th Annual Golden Globe Awards
Live in Front of a Studio Audience: All in the Family and Good Times
The Oscars
Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show Starring Jennifer Lopez and Shakira
73rd Annual Tony Awards

A weird grouping.  And are any of these true variety?

Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-recorded)
Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones
Dave Chappelle: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
Hannah Gadsby: Douglas
Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours to Kill
John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch
Tiffany Haddish: Black Mitzvah

The most imaginative by far was The Sack Lunch Bunch, but is that what they give the award for?

ODH

When I think of old Hollywood, I'm thinking of the pre-WWII days.  And there aren't too many major names from that era still around.  In fact, there may have been only one left.  And now Olivia De Havilland is gone.

She was born in 1916 in Tokyo.  Her sister, born a year later--who changed her name to Joan Fontaine--also became a movie star.  They were always competitive. Joan won the first Oscar, but Olivia won two. (Joan lived to 96, Olivia to 104).

Teenage Olivia was spotted by director Max Reinhardt performing in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and he chose her to appear in his 1935 movie version.  She signed at Warner Brothers and became best known as Errol Flynn's love interest, starting with Captain Blood (1935) and probably peaking with The Adventures Of Robin Hood (1938).  Then, of course, she was the second female lead in Gone With The Wind (1939), receiving her first Oscar nomination.

She got another nomination for Hold Back The Dawn (1941--scriptwriters Wilder and Brackett allegedly threw the film to her when they thought leading man Charles Boyer didn't appreciate their work) but, in general, was dissatisfied with the roles assigned her.  In fact, she was suspended more than once for refusing parts.  At the time, actors were signed to studios under seven-year contracts--the legal limit.  But when they were suspended, the studios would add those months not working to the term of the contract.  In a major court case, De Havilland challenged that practice and eventually won, ending actors' indentured servitude.

The industry did not take it well, and Olivia was essentially blacklisted for a couple year in the mid-1940s.  Eventually, she started getting roles again, and good ones.  For instance, To Each His Own (1946, winning an Oscar), The Snake Pit (1948, Oscar nomination) and The Heiress (1949, winning an Oscar).

There were many changes in her life in the late 40s and early 50s--she gave birth, did more theatre, and moved to Paris.  In the mid-50s she started appearing once again in films--one notable role was opposite Bette Davis in Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964), She also made the transition into TV, even garnering an Emmy nomination for Anastasia: The Mystery Of Anna (1986).

In the late 1980s she stopped performing and enjoyed an active retirement, receiving many lifetime achievement awards.  She still had the occasional offer, but turned them down.  But she had one last brief moment of fame: she didn't like how she was portrayed by Catherine Zeta-Jones in the mini-series The Feud, and sued the producer and the network a day before her 101st birthday. She lost, and appealed the decision all the way up to the Supreme Court, which wouldn't review the case.  But she reminded everyone she was still around.

Not that she needed to.  She won't be forgotten.

PG

Peter Green has died.

Before Fleetwood Mac became the highly successful soft rock band it's known as today, it went through several incarnations.  It was founded in 1967 by Green as a blues rock band, though his songwriting led it in new directions.  They soon had major hits in England (took a bit longer for them to break in America). Drug and mental problems had him leaving the band in 1970, but not before leaving us with some memorable tracks.

Spring Back

I just watched Palm Springs, the new comedy starring Andy Samberg.  If these were normal times I would have seen it in a theatre.  Instead, I watched it on a streaming service.

I recommend the movie.  It's a Groundhog Day plot, with Samberg waking up every morning in the same situation.  The main question is what sort of twists will they give to this familiar story.  I won't give any away--see it for yourself.

What I want to talk about it how, since it was streaming, I had a button I could push that would send the movie back 20 seconds.  Whenever I missed a line, I'd push the button so I could hear it clearly.  A few times I pushed the button more than once.

And it hit me--I was reenacting the movie.  There's poor Andy Samberg, stuck in a time loop.  And I was just making it worse.  Or was I stuck in the same time loop, seeing the same footage over and over?  At least I had control.

Maybe it would be better if I didn't have that button.  At the cinema, if you miss a line you miss it.  That continuous experience may be the best way to watch a film.