Tony Awards in Review

Editors Note: Oscar predictions for the 98th Academy Awards begin tomorrow -- we're only two months late for "April Foolish" predictions! But first, a bit of theater to wrap up that season which just ended.

Cynthia Erivo -- all she needs is a song! -- at the Tony Awards

The 78th Annual Tony Awards were held on Sunday night, June 8th, with Cynthia Erivo hosting. It was a big night for fans of minimal sets apart from screen projections, non binary performers, frequent mic problems, and 2024 Olivier Award winners (5 repeats!) from the West End. It was even a big night for Grindr -- was Cole Escola's hilarious shout out to "T-Bo from Grindr" the first ever awards mention for the hook-up app?  The winners and a few comments after the jump... 

Click to read more ...

TV: "Succession" Course-Corrects With Third Episode of Final Season

By Christopher James

Some episodes of TV are above and beyond the show’s they’re housed in. Season four, episode three of Succession raised an already strong show to new heights. A twist early enough in the episode sets the final season in a new direction and gives Emmy-ready tapes for its crew of actors.

In full honesty, I was working on an article about Succession jumping the shark. A once dynamic series which captivated audiences and critics was just spinning its wheels tossing business jargon and curses into an incomprehensible word salad. Much of season three featured the Roy clan rehashing more of the same. However, episode three of the new season is flooring. 

SPOILERS TO IMMEDIATELY FOLLOW...

Click to read more ...

Emmy Category Analysis: Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

By Abe Friedtanzer

Sydney Sweeney as Cassie in Euphoria

Not a single one of last year’s nominees in this category was eligible this time around. Only two nominees this year have been nominated before for these roles (despite a few other eligible previous nominees like Chrissy Metz, Millie Bobby Brown, and Fiona Shaw):  Two-time winner Julia Garner, looking to make it three for three for the final season of Ozark, and Sarah Snook, back for the juggernaut nominations leader Succession. There’s plenty of new competition, though, that could make the outcome interesting.

Brief descriptions of the nominees below - click on the episode titles for spoiler-filled reviews…

Click to read more ...

Emmy Review: Supporting Actress in a Drama

By Abe Friedtanzer

The nominations in this category were mostly expected save for the snub, once again, of Rhea Seehorn from Better Call Saul. Julia Garner, Thandie Newton, Samira Wiley, and Laura Dern have all won Emmys for these roles but only Newton and Wiley have ever competed against each other (and both lost). There’s no clear frontrunner but a handful of possibilities who could win here in a category that features a lot of very strong choices.  

I’ll try to avoid major plot details in my analysis – but if you’d like more spoiler-filled descriptions, click on the episode titles. Let’s consider each nominee…

Click to read more ...

Review: An American Pickle

by Juan Carlos Ojano

Seth Rogen has built a career mostly composed of comedies of all kinds, from stoner films to dysfunctional family dramedies. In his past decade of work only Take This Waltz and Steve Jobs  can be considered dramatic. In An American Pickle, directed by Brandon Trost and written by Simon Rich, Rogen does not leave his comedy roots but instead, digs deeper with the humor and comic storytelling.

An American Pickle is about Herschel Greenbaum (Rogen), a Jewish man from 1919 Russia  who moves to New York with his wife Sarah (Succession’s Sarah Snook) in search of a better life after an anti-Semitic attack on their hometown. However, an accident in a pickle factory causes him to be brined for 100 years. After waking up in 2019, he connects with his only living relative Ben (also Rogen)...

Click to read more ...