Grammy Winners List. Is Anyone Closer to an EGOT?

by Nathaniel R

Lady Gaga won 3 more Grammys tonight (her total is now 9), one of which was shared by Bradley Cooper

In answer to the title question, well yes, technically. After all, any first time Grammy winner is closer to the EGOT now. But let's look at the more visible people in the mix... did anyone take a step closer than they already were? Actor/rapper/writer Donald Glover, BlacKkKlansman composer Terence Blanchard, and actress/singer Lady Gaga all won Grammys tonight but none are closer to the EGOT since they have previous Grammys at home. Glover has two Emmys (for Atlanta) and multiple Grammys (for "This is America" and the previous statue for "Redbone") but he was already halfway to the EGOT before tonight. Blanchard, nominated at the Oscars this year for the first time, now has six Grammys. Lady Gaga now has nine Grammys, but that's the only one of the four major showbiz prizes she's won. We suspect she'll get the Oscar part of the equation in just two weeks time, though.  Gaga's singing and co-starring partner in crime Bradley Cooper also picked up a Grammy, sharing the Pop/Duo prize. Yes, absurdly, he got the Grammy before the Tony (where he's been nominated once) or the Oscar (where he's been nominated 7 times across multiple categories) even though he's an A list actor and only a novice singer but showbiz can be so strange like that. One imagines he'll pick up an Emmy with ease should he ever deign to do TV again but he's steered mostly clear since Nip/Tuck. Once movie stardom hit, he was big-screen only apart from that Wet Hot American Summer sequel series.

But there are four people who did take an actual step closer to EGOT, since they added a Grammy to take another step closer...

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"Awards season is trying to kill me," a paranoid confession.

by Nathaniel R

You guys. WHAT is happening? Not to sound paranoid but award season is trying to kill me. Day after day things worsen. Am I inside a Black Mirror episode through the use of some technology I wasn't even aware of? Or have I fallen through a rabbit hole to an alternate dimension where all obsessions curdle in on themselves to become one's worst fears? Are you also experiencing this nightmare with me? Please tell me it's not all in my own head.

The film year started out so well...

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Blueprints: Memorable scenes from your "Best Adapted Screenplay" nominees

by Jorge Molina

Last week we dove into the nominees for Original Screenplay. Unlike that category, which feels up in the air with a batch of uneven contenders, the adapted nominees reflect a much richer group of screenplays overall. From the pitch-perfect blending of genres and race-commentary in BlackKklansman, to the lyricism and poetry of If Beale Street Could Talk, and from the snark and melancholy in Can You Ever Forgive Me?, to the dark ironies that permeate through all the tales in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, andthe interpersonal relationships against the backdrop of superstardom in A Star Is Born, each nominee says what it needs to say in a way only it could have. Let’s have a look at each of the nominees...

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Soundtracking: 2018's Original Song nominees

by Chris Feil

Best Original Song always gets its fair share of side-eye among Oscar snobs and agnostics alike. Granted, some recent nominees have made a decent enough case for their argument - Alone Yet Not Alone, you are lost but not forgotten (or... alone in terms of being a bad nomination). But does this year's crop of tracks continue the category's uptrending in quality? I would argue it does and then some.

While our most expected nominee ("Shallow" obviously) provides the lineup a genuine hit song, we also have idiosyncratic picks as well as musicals and major artists nominated. This leaves the telecast with no rational choice but to allow all numbers to perform on the show, as they have been hesitant to do with lesser known nominees. So in addition to ranking the nominees, I have some suggestions on how to present all of them...

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The Best Picture race and the Bechdel Test. Thoughts?

What do these two talk about when they're not talking about T'Challa?We still have so much Oscar work ahead of us but this is a notice that the Best Picture Chart is now updated. You can vote (DAILY!) on which Best Picture you think should win the race and also check out various rankings of the movies by thing liks global success, running time, degree of horniness, how violent they are or aren't, and so on.

We can also discuss whether or not the movies pass the Bechdel Test. If you've been living under a rock all that test is (which should be easy to pass) is that a movie has to 1) have two female named characters who 2) talk to each other about something other than a man. That's it! Should be easy to pass but many many many films fail. Sadly only two of the Best Picture nominees are easy passes (The Favourite and Roma). But perhaps two more do as well. In Black Panther do the women discuss anything together besides T'Challa together? I think they do discuss the glories of Wakanda and possibly strategies for battle but I haven't seen the movie since February so perhaps I'm equating their fierceness with robust conversations? And in Vice do the Cheney women talk to each other about anything other than Dick? Perhaps they do discuss Mary's sexuality and Liz's political campaign? Or is that only a mom & dad conversation? My memory is a bit fuzzy on these details but perhaps yours isn't?

Anyway, enjoy the chart and the various lists. We love to list and we're just trying to keep ourselves, and you, entertained. Check it out and return to discuss.

Related Articles: 
• 12 things we learned from the noms • Adams vs Weisz, Round Two • Deep Cut Oscar Trivia • Mourning the Snubs • How to Stage the Original Songs • Nomination Index