Emmy FYC: Eliza Scanlen in "Sharp Objects"

Team Experience is sharing Emmy FYCs as the television Academy finishes their voting in the next few days. Here's Ginny O'Keefe

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

“Don’t tell Mama.” Three words that left me gasping and slack-jawed all through the credits of the final episode of the hauntingly beautiful and addictive HBO miniseries “Sharp Objects”. Now I, along with everyone else who watched this Jean-Marc Vallée gem, ranted and raved about Amy Adam’s broken and scarred performance as Camille Preaker (I think its her best performance to date). And of course, shook my head in incredulity and awe at Patricia Clarkson’s callous and melodramatic Adora Crellin. But one performer who perfectly balanced being the star of the show and not drawing too much attention to herself was the crafty newbie Eliza Scanlen. Her performance as the psycho-in-plain-sight, Amma Crellin, was one of the breakouts of 2018, and just like the show it cut deep. Unlike Emmy sure things Adams and Clarkson, she lacks star power to stir talk of a nomination, but it's an honor she needs and deserves. It all comes down to her twisted performance, which doesn’t lack for power. 

Every time Scanlen came on screen I would get severe anxiety (I hadn't read the book that the show is based on)...

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One Two Chucky's Coming For You

by Jason Adams

If you squint in the opening moments of the latest Child's Play film -- which supposes a restart, a return to the beginning, an origin story -- it might remind you of Paul Verhoeven's Robocop, another 80s property that recently got the reboot treatment, sans soul. The soul gone missing this time around though is actually a literal one (or as literal as "souls" get anyway), as Chucky's not-so-humble beginnings have been rethought. He's no longer a regular doll that got the soul of a psycho voodoo'd into him, but one whose ultra modern computer tech gets maliciously-virused by a disgruntled employee at a slave labor camp buried somewhere in the deep dark recesses of Somewhere Vietnam...

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Smackdown '01: Connelly, Tomei, Winslet, and the Dames

A bohemian novelist, a longsuffering wife, a snobbish Lady, and a supremely competent housekeeper were the Oscar-honored roles in the Best Supporting Actress competition of 2001. 

The shortlist that year was a veritable who's who of this very category, most of the actresses had been nominated before / would be again. One was already a two-time winner and Dame of the British Empire in fact (Maggie Smith... Helen Mirren wouldn't become a Dame until 2003). The anomaly / party crasher was Jennifer Connelly, who had been a teenage star and was receiving her first taste of awards glory as an adult, building on the momentum of a critically well-received turn the previous year in Requiem for a Dream with a borderline leading role in on of the year's biggest hits (A Beautiful Mind made an incredible $170 million at the US box office, believe it or not). 

THIS MONTH'S PANELISTS   

Here to talk with your host Nathaniel about these five nominated turns are (in alpha order): Erik Anderson of Awards Watch, freelance critic Valerie Complex, This Had Oscar Buzz's Joe Reid, and Shane Slater from Awards Circuit. Now it's time for the main event...

2001
SUPPORTING ACTRESS SMACKDOWN + PODCAST  

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Emmy FYC: Hong Chau in "Forever"

By Spencer Coile

Despite its impressive cast (Maya Rudolph, Fred Armisen, Catherine Keener) and creative team, the premiere of Amazon Prime’s Forever was oddly muted. Yet for anyone who watched the eight episode first season, this shouldn’t be a complete surprise - the premise is almost too clever and takes a solid three episodes before you actually know what is happening. Still, with its pedigree, it’s strange that not even Maya Rudolph’s strong leading role garnered any Emmy buzz, nor did it receive any Globe or Critics Choice love.

Still at least one performance absolutely deserves the Emmy voters attention: FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION: Hong Chau for Comedy Guest Performance in episode 6 “Andre and Sarah.” Months after the series premiere (I first watched it back in September), I haven’t been able to shake Chau’s performance as Sarah…

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Would you rather? (special dance break edition)

Would you rather

...eat shrimp with Salma Hayek?
...get down with Niecy Nash in a catsuit?
...attend the Royal Ascot with Kim Cattrall? 
...do the conga with Keiynan Lonsdale? 
...bike and stroll through Italy with Goldie & Kate?
...dance to TLC with Sharon Stone? 
...get a haircut with La Pfeiffer?
...attend a Pride event with Charlize Theron? 
...enjoy a Queen classic with Liev Schreiber?
...wear kilts with Broadway stars Ephraim Sykes and Jeremy Pope?
... or sing Moulin Rouge! songs with Keith Urban & Nicole Kidman, the sparkling diamond? 

Pictures are after the jump to help you decide.

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