Highlights from Middleburg's "Coffee & Contenders"

by Nathaniel R

Clayton Davis, Jazz Tangcay and I created this annual panel at Middleburg together (I named it!) and now we're a regular event early in the morning at the beginning of each fest.  The new venue, outside in a tent, is a big improvement over our initially cozy but cramped space while the crowd is the (wonderful) same. Here are highlights from the public discussion this morning as well as the private discussions before and after the event (it all blurs together at film festivals which are so social)...

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Middleburg Honorees: Ann Dowd, Dakota Johnson, and more...

by Nathaniel R

We previously reported on the six films getting major attention at Middleburg Film Festival and now we know some of the stars who will be attending given the honors & conversations scheduled: 

Agnes Varda Trailbazing Film Artist: Ann Dowd (Mass)
Actor Spotlight: Dakota Johnson (The Lost Daughter)
Director Spotlight: Kenneth Branagh (Belfast)
International Spotlight: Paolo Sorrentino (The Hand of God)
Ensemble Cast Spotlight: Simon Rex and cast (Red Rocket)
Distingued Cinematographer: Ari Wegner (Power of the Dog)
Conversation: Hair and Makeup artist Donald Mowat (Dune)
Conversation: Songwriters Kathryn Bostic, Amie Doherty, Lesley Barber, and Diane Warren

Which of these talents would you most like us to interview? More after the jump including our own panel plus our favourite annual Middleburg event...

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Tony Award Predictions. Are you watching this Sunday?

by Patrick Ball and Nathaniel R

Will SLAVE PLAY emerge as the big winner?

The first leaves of Autumn 2021 will soon fall and we're finally wrapping up the ‘19/'20 Broadway season. The long-awaited Tony Awards are here this weekend from 7-9 PM EST on Paramount+ (where they will hand out most of the statues including the acting prizes) followed by a concert celebration of sorts from 9-11 PM EST on CBS where they will hand out the final few awards. These pandemic postponed awards will be divided among a smaller slate of shows than usual, as the Broadway shutdown instituted in March of 2020 cut the eligibility window off early. Broadway shows are only now in the process of reopening. All this affected the way we awards enthusiasts are able to predict this year’s show as well. The normal circuit of precursor awards happened a year and a half ago, if they even happened at all, and final voting took place last March (!) well before any shows had reopening dates. So there isn’t much in the way of narratives or momentum to consider. But, hey, the odd and unprecedented nature of this awards cycle presents a challenge, and who doesn’t love a challenge? Follow along below as we try to make sense of it all and be sure to tune in on Sunday to see how it all pans out... 

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Emmy Winner Predictions: Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series

By Abe Friedtanzer 

Now this is one hell of a category, and it may actually be THE most competitive race of Emmy night. Unlike drama and comedy series, where The Crown and Ted Lasso have distinct advantages and are all but guaranteed to triumph (check out our breakdowns of those categories for more), this one is completely open and up in the air. It’s one of the few categories where I correctly predicted all five nominees, though they didn’t end up with the same hauls I expected. Let’s break down the competition, their overall stats, and which of them could emerge victorious…

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Emmy Analysis: Will "Pose" FINALLY win Outstanding Costumes?

by Cláudio Alves

We all have heard and discussed category fraud when applied to acting races, but the problem doesn't end there. Not at the Emmys, it doesn't. After two seasons competing as a period show, Pose is now up for the Outstanding Contemporary Costumes Emmy. Sure, the two-part episode submission is partially set in 1998, but that still involves the recreation of a gone-by historical milieu. Saying it's a contemporary-set drama would be like describing World War II movies from the late 60s as contemporaneous stories. Still, it's not difficult to understand the logic behind the move. Generally speaking, Contemporary Costumes is a less competitive category. If that's what it takes for Pose to finally win an overdue costuming Emmy, I can't say I'm too angry about it. But what about its competition? Let's examine the seven nominees…

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