Podcast: Smackdown Companion Discussion

Nathaniel welcomes fellow team members Murtada, Chris, and Abstew to discuss this year's Supporting Actress race. It's a verbal companion piece to the "Smackdown" we just held. 

Index (42 minutes)
Longform discussion of this year's supporting actress contenders Nicole Kidman, Viola Davis, Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris, Octavia Spencer, their futures, their films. What, if anything new, did they reveal to us this year and what would we like to see next from them?

You can listen to the podcast here at the bottom of the post or download from iTunes. Continue the conversations in the comments, won't you? 

Smackdown Companion - 2016 Supporting Actress

Smackdown '16: Nicole, Viola, Michelle, Naomie, Octavia

Presenting the Supporting Actresses of '16. This year's slate of nominees features a selfless adoptive mother, a doting but suddenly resentful wife, a woman whose tragic past has suddenly resurfaced, a savvvy mother hen and supervisor struggling to gain respect, and an addict who makes her sensitive son's life a nightmare of instability.

THE NOMINEES 

One long-time-coming breakthrough for an exciting actress (Get it Naomie Harris), two Oscar winners elevating their films with warmth and precision (Kidman & Spencer), and two Oscar darlings who arguably should have won already attacking tragic material (Williams and Davis). Who will be triumphant in the smackdown?

THIS MONTH'S PANELISTS

Though we usually arrange for special guests including actors, writers, and film critics, for the first Smackdown of the new season, we opted to do it all 'in house' with only TFE crew just to get the series back up and running: Nathaniel, Abstew, Chris, and Murtada (you can read about the team here) are discussing the nominees. And now it's time for the main event... 

2016
SUPPORTING ACTRESS SMACKDOWN 

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Introducing... the Supporting Actress Nominees of 2016

The new Smackdown season is upon us. Before we get to the main event, which will be in a day or two depending on when we finalize it, let's look at the ways in which even movie introduces the characters that will then go on to help their supporting actresses win a nomination. We'll take them in the order in which they show up in their movies.

After the jump you can also vote to determine the reader ranking of the contenders. You know you want to do it.  Meet...

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Links: Colossal's Trailer, Moana's Brothers, Namor's Rights

Coming Soon Colossal, that kaiju movie starring Anne Hathaway that we told you about at least year's TIFF is coming out this year and it has such a cute poster (pictured left) and the trailer is also here.
Deadline good interview with Octavia Spencer on why she did Hidden Figures and diversity in film
Coming Soon here's a super duper strange news item. Kenneth Lonergan is writing an miniseries adaptation of Howards End to star Hayley Atwell. Never mind that there's zero chance of improving on Merchant & Ivory's 1992 masterpiece!
Variety what does the Academy look for in an Original Song nominee and winner?
Tracking Board what makes a TV pilot script a success?
In Contention profiles former sound mixing partners nominated against each other for the first time for Hacksaw Ridge and 13 Hours
THR an anonymous source talks about the lack of shame in Hollywood around the gender imbalance in the director's chair 
MNPP pays tribute to sexy German actor Clemens Schick
/Film the Jurassic World sequel has started production

Playbill a deleted scene from Moana - she had many brothers in an original draft
Playbill Fathom Events is showing the filmed movie of Disney's Broadway version of Newsies starring Jeremy Jordan today (and a couple of other dates within the next week)
Coming Soon I didn't think I could want to see Suicide Squad 2 any less than I already did. I was wrong. Mel Gibson is in talks to direct 
/Film the latest rumor has it that Marvel Studios is secretly working on a Namor film. I don't believe this one personally because since Namor is a mutant I assume his right are locked up with Fox (though the article mentions they were once with Universal). Fox owns most of the mutant characters due to their extensive X-Men contract and even if Namor doesn't fall under that (since he's rarely thought of as an X-Universe character he is much more closely associated with Fantastic Four which Fox also owns.
Film School Rejects a call for more wangs on screen -- and this from a straight dude so everyone is noticing that they refuse to show 'em - even in sex movies like 50 Shades
Variety the hilarious Constance Wu (Fresh Off the Boat) is in talks to headline a new romantic comedy called Crazy Rich Asians 

Nevertheless, She Tweeted

Happy weekend!

#BestActressEdition pic.twitter.com/15aff4kXcm

— Nathaniel Rogers (@nathanielr) February 8, 2017

It's not exactly surprising that The Film Experience would feel inspired by Best Actresses but that's just what happened with the latest meme. And a Best Actress nominee even retweeted it so we should all feel inspired to resist and persist together, onscreen and off. After the jump amusing inspiring or curious tweets of the week including tweets on Beauty and the Beast, Hidden Figures, La La Land, Elle and more...

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