Irrational Man Trailer

Premieres at Cannes, so we will know very soon how this one turned out:

Kristen Chenoweth and Alan Cumming to Host Tonys

So on the same day that the American Theater Wing announced its nominees for the 69th Annual Tony Awards, they announce their hosts for the ceremony. Kristin Chenoweth hosted a few years back opposite Sean Hayes. She is a Tony winner, and is also nominated this year for the well-liked revival of On the Twentieth Century. Alan Cumming is also a Tony winner with a long history in theater. I like both of these guys a lot, but I am a bit worried about the tone, and about their playing off one another. Chenoweth is perky and fun, and Cumming is sly and weird. It could be a great combination, or it could be just a bit off. Either way I am excited for the Tonys, as always, they are a fun show that really celebrates theater while entertaining the viewers at home (and yet the Oscars, Grammys, and Emmys, continue to screw up a ceremony when they have a perfect example for their use every June). The Tonys are June 7th on CBS.

The 69th Annual Tony Award Nominations

Best Play
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Disgraced
Hand to God
Wolf Hall Parts One & Two

Best Musical
An American in Paris
Fun Home
Something Rotten!
The Visit

Best Revival of a Play
Skylight
The Elephant Man
This Is Our Youth
You Can’t Take It With You

Best Revival of a Musical
On the Town
On the Twentieth Century
The King and I

Best Leading Actor in a Play
Steven Boyer "Hand to God"
Bradley Cooper "The Elephant Man"
Ben Miles "Wolf Hall Parts One & Two"
Bill Nighy "Skylight"
Alex Sharp "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time"

Best Leading Actress in a Play
Geneva Carr "Hand to God"
Helen Mirren "The Audience"
Elisabeth Moss "The Heidi Chronicles"
Carey Mulligan "Skylight"
Ruth Wilson "Constellations"

Best Leading Actor in a Musical
Michael Cerveris "Fun Home"
Robert Fairchild "An American in Paris"
Brian d’Arcy James "Something Rotten!"
Ken Watanabe "The King and I"
Tony Yazbeck "On the Town"

Best Leading Actress in a Musical
Kristin Chenoweth "On the Twentieth Century"
Leanne Cope "An American in Paris"
Beth Malone "Fun Home"
Kelli O’Hara "The King and I"
Chita Rivera "The Visit"

Best Featured Actor in a Play
Matthew Beard "Skylight"
K. Todd Freeman "Airline Highway"
Richard McCabe "The Audience"
Alessandro Nivola "The Elephant Man"
Nathaniel Parker "Wolf Hall Parts One & Two"
Micah Stock "It’s Only a Play"

Best Featured Actress in a Play
Annaleigh Ashford "You Can’t Take It With You"
Patricia Clarkson "The Elephant Man"
Lydia Leonard "Wolf Hall Parts One & Two"
Sarah Stiles "Hand to God"
Julie White "Airline Highway"

Best Featured Actor in a Musical

Christian Borle "Something Rotten!"
Andy Karl "On the Twentieth Century"
Brad Oscar "Something Rotten!"
Brandon Uranowitz "An American in Paris"
Max von Essen "An American in Paris"

Best Featured Actress in a Musical
Victoria Clark "Gigi"
Judy Kuhn "Fun Home"
Sydney Lucas "Fun Home"
Ruthie Ann Miles "The King and I"
Emily Skeggs "Fun Home"

Best Director of a Play
Stephen Daldry "Skylight"
Marianne Elliott "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time"
Scott Ellis "You Can’t Take It With You"
Jeremy Herrin "Wolf Hall Parts One & Two"
Moritz von Stuelpnagel "Hand to God"

Best Director of a Musical
Sam Gold "Fun Home"
Casey Nicholaw "Something Rotten!"
John Rando "On the Town"
Bartlett Sher "The King and I"
Christopher Wheeldon "An American in Paris"

Best Choreography
Joshua Bergasse "On the Town"
Christopher Gattelli "The King and I"
Scott Graham & Steven Hoggett "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time"
Casey Nicholaw "Something Rotten!"
Christopher Wheeldon "An American in Paris"

Best Book of a Musical
Fun Home by Lisa Kron
An American in Paris by Craig Lucas,
Something Rotten! by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell
The Visit by Terrence McNally

Best Score
Fun Home by Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron
The Last Ship by Sting
Something Rotten! by Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick
The Visit by John Kander and Fred Ebb

Best Costume Design of a Play
Bob Crowley "The Audience"
Jane Greenwood "You Can’t Take It With You"
Christopher Oram "Wolf Hall Parts One & Two"
David Zinn "Airline Highway"

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Gregg Barnes "Something Rotten!"
Bob Crowley "An American in Paris"
William Ivey Long "On the Twentieth Century"
Catherine Zuber "The King and I"

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Paule Constable "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time"
Paule Constable and David Plater "Wolf Hall Parts One & Two"
Natasha Katz "Skylight"
Japhy Weideman "Airline Highway"

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Donald Holder "The King and I"
Natasha Katz "An American in Paris"
Ben Stanton "Fun Home"
Japhy Weideman "The Visit"

Best Orchestrations
Christopher Austin, Don Sebesky and Bill Elliott "An American in Paris"
John Clancy "Fun Home"
Larry Hochman "Something Rotten!"
Rob Mathes "The Last Ship"

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Bunny Christie & Finn Ross "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time"
Bob Crowley "Skylight"
Christopher Oram "Wolf Hall Parts One & Two"
David Rockwell "You Can’t Take It With You"

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Bob Crowley and 59 Productions "An American in Paris"
David Rockwell "On the Twentieth Century"
Michael Yeargan "The King and I"
David Zinn "Fun Home"

2015 Tony Award Nomination Predictions

The 69th Annual Tony Award Nominations will be announced tomorrow morning at 8:30 ET by Tony winner Mary-Louise Parker and Bruce Willis. Here are my predictions for the top eight categories:

Best Musical
An American in Paris
Fun Home
Something Rotten!
The Visit

Best Play
The Audience
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Disgraced
Wolf Hall Parts 1 and 2

Best Revival of the Musical
The King and I
On the Town
On the Twentieth Century

Best Revival of a Play
The Elephant Man
It's Only a Play
Skylight
You Can't Take it With You

Best Actor in a Musical
Michael Cerveris "Fun Home"
Robert Fairchild "An American in Paris"
Peter Gallagher "On the Twentieth Century"
Brian d'Arcy James "Something Rotten!"
Ken Watanabe "The King and I"

Best Actress in a Musical
Kristen Chenoweth "On the Twentieth Century"
Leanne Cope "An American in Paris"
Beth Malone "Fun Home"
Kelli O'Hara "The King and I"
Chita Rivera "The Visit"

Best Actor in a Play
Steven Boyer "Hand the God"
Bradley Cooper "The Elephant Man"
Ben Miles "Wolf Hall Parts 1 and 2"
Bill Nighy "Skylight"
Alex Sharp "Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time"

Best Actress in a Play
Glenn Close "A Delicate Balance"
Blythe Danner "The Country House"
Helen Mirren "The Audience"
Elisabeth Moss "The Heidi Chronicles"
Carey Mulligan "Skylight"

The 42nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards

Unfortunately, my cable provider does not have POP TV, so I will be updating once the Emmy folks update. But I will still be blogging the winners throughout the night. For the record, if you go to their Twitter, this seems to be a huge problem across the board for a lot of people, so maybe they will think of a better solution next year. Here are the winners:

Best Drama Series - (TIE) Days of Our Lives and The Young and the Restless
Best Actor in a Drama Series - Anthony Geary "General Hospital"
Best Actress in a Drama Series  - Maura West "General Hospital"
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series - Chad Duell "General Hospital"
Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series - Amelia Heinle "The Young and the Restless"
Best Younger Actor - Freddie Smith "Days of Our Lives"
Best Younger Actress - Hunter King "The Young and the Restless"
Best Directing Team - The Bold and the Beautiful
Best Writing Team - The Bold and the Beautiful
Best Talk Show (Informative) - Steve Harvey
Best Talk Show (Entertainment) - The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Best Talk Shot Host (Informative) - Mario Bataili, Carla Hall, Clinton Kelly, Daphne Oz, and Michael Symon "The Chew"
Best Talk Show Host (Entertainment) - Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan "Live With Kelly and Michael"
Best Game Show - Jeopardy!
Best Game Show Host - Craig Ferguson "Celebrity Name Game"
Best Culinary Program - Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics
Best Morning Show- CBS Sunday Morning
Best Morning Show in Spanish - Un Nuevo Dia
Best Entertainment News Program - Entertainment Tonight

2015 Daytime Emmy Predictions: Best Drama Series, Actor and Actress

Best Drama Series
Will Win - Days of Our Lives
Could Win - The Young and the Restless
Should Win - The Young and the Restless
Commentary - Days of Our Lives was expected to win last year with a strong season, and after breaking though in 2013 with its first win since 1978. But it was upset by Y&R. So here comes 2015 with another strong season, probably the front runner to win, but I get the sneaking suspicion that it could easily be upset again. The Bold and the Beautiful did very well at last night's Creative Arts ceremony, but I think it is The Young and the Restless that will be ttop competition. And its track record is a lot better than Days.

Best Actor in a Drama Series
Will Win - Billy Miller "The Young and the Restless"
Could Win - Anthony Geary "General Hospital"
Should Win - Christian LeBlanc "The Young and the Restless"
Commentary - Anthony Geary gets to play a double role this year, and that is almost too much for me to pass up. Almost. But Billy Miller, a recent favorite in this category gets to play the grieving and then vengeful father, and I think that will be enough to beat Geary in close race.

Best Actress in a Drama Series
Will Win - Alison Sweeney "Days of Our Lives"
Could Win - Maura West "General Hospital"
Should Win - Gina Tognoni "The Young and the Restless"
Commentary - Tognoni had big shoes to fill with Michelle Stafford, and I think she has done extremely well of capturing the spirit of Phyllis while also making the role her own. But this is a race between former winner Maura West, and first time nominee Sweeney, who, ironically, is getting nominated for what is supposed to be her final season. After 22 years of being ignored by the Academy, Sweeney finally earns a nod at her final time at bat, and I think she knocks it out for the win. 

42nd Annual Daytime Emmy Creative Arts Award Winners

Outstanding New Approaches Drama Series
The Bay The Series    

Outstanding Pre-School Children’s Series
Dino Dan: Trek’s Adventures

Outstanding Children’s Series
R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour: The Series      
 
Outstanding Pre-School Children’s Animated Program
Tumble Leaf                        

Outstanding Children’s Animated Program
All Hail King Julien          

Outstanding Special Class Animated Program
Silent                                              

Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Program
The People’s Court                                        

Outstanding Lifestyle Program
Home Made Simple        

Outstanding Travel Program
Rock the Park    

Outstanding Entertainment Program in Spanish
El Gordo y la Flaca  

Outstanding Special Class Series
The Henry Ford’s Innovation Nation      

Outstanding Special Class Special
Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word      

Outstanding Special Class – Short Format Daytime Program
True Champions: Depression      

Outstanding New Approaches – Enhancement to a Daytime Program or Series
The Ellen DeGeneres Show      

Outstanding New Approaches – Original Daytime Program or Series
Design Squad    

Outstanding Promotional Announcement – Episodic
(TIE) Al Capone: Icon and The Roosevelts: An Intimate History - Extraordinary Accomplishments              

Outstanding Promotional Announcement – Institutional
PBS 2014 Preview Campaign, “Drama”, “News”, “Science”

Outstanding Special Guest Performer in a Drama Series
(Tie) Donna Mills "General Hospital", Fred Willard "The Bold and the Beautiful", and Ray Wise "The Young and The Restless"

Outstanding Performer in a New Approaches Drama Series
Martha Byrne "Anacostia"

Outstanding Performer in a Children’s or Pre-School Children’s Series
Margot Kidder "R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour The Series"

Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program
Danny Jacobs "All Hail King Julien"

Outstanding Culinary Host
Bobby Flay "Bobby Flay's Barbecue Addiction"

Outstanding Daytime Talent in a Spanish Language Program
Carlos Calderon "El Gordo y la Flaca"

Outstanding Lifestyle/Travel/Children’s Series Host
Brandon McMillan "Lucky Dog"

Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series
General Hospital

Outstanding Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design for a Drama Series
Days of Our Lives

Outstanding Lighting Direction for a Drama Series
The Young and the Restless  

Outstanding Technical Team for a Drama Series
The Bold and the Beautiful

Outstanding Multiple Camera Editing for a Drama Series
Days of Our Lives  

Outstanding Live and Direct to Tape Sound Mixing for a Drama Series
The Bold and the Beautiful

Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series
The Bold and the Beautiful  

Outstanding Original Song – Drama
Bradley Bell, Anthony Ferrari, Casey Kasprzyk “Hands of Time” from The Bold and the Beautiful                
Outstanding Costume Design for a Drama Series
The Bold and the Beautiful

Outstanding Hairstyling for a Drama Series
The Young and the Restless  

Outstanding Makeup for a Drama Series
General Hospital

Outstanding Casting for an Animated Series or Special
(TIE) All Hail King Julien and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles  

Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation
Michael Granberry "Tumble Leaf:
Drew Hodges "Tumble Leaf"
Marten Jonmark "Peter Rabbit"
Jason Kolowski "Tumble Leaf"
Jairo Lizarazu "Disney Jake and the Never Land Pirates"
Robyn Yannoukos "Tumble Leaf"

Outstanding Writing in a Preschool Animated Program
Peg+Cat

Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program
WordGirl  

Outstanding Writing in a Children’s or Pre-School Children’s Series
Sesame Street    

Outstanding Writing Special Class
The Talk

Outstanding Directing in an Animated Program
Silent    

Outstanding Directing in a Children’s or Pre-School Children’s Series
Odd Squad    

Outstanding Directing in a Lifestyle/Culinary/Travel Program
A Chef’s Life  

Outstanding Directing in a Talk Show/Entertainment News or Morning Program
The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Outstanding Directing in a Game Show
Let’s Make a Deal    

Outstanding Directing Special Class
88th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Outstanding Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design
R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour The Series    

Outstanding Main Title and Graphic Design
The Mind of a Chef    

Outstanding Lighting Direction
The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Outstanding Technical Team
CBS This Morning

Outstanding Single Camera Photography
The Mind of a Chef    

Outstanding Single Camera Editing
The Mind of a Chef    

Outstanding Multiple Camera Editing
Sesame Street  

Outstanding Live and Direct to Tape Sound Mixing
The Price Is Right

Outstanding Sound Mixing – Live Action
Born to Explore with Richard Wiese

Outstanding Sound Mixing – Animation
Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness    

Outstanding Sound Editing – Live Action
Sesame Street

Outstanding Sound Editing – Animation
Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness

Outstanding Music Direction and Composition
Disney Sofia the First

Outstanding Original Song
“Power of Yet” from Sesame Street    

Outstanding Original Song – Main Title and Promo
“Dora And Friends: Into The City! Theme Song” from Dora and Friends: Into the City!                              

Outstanding Costume Design/Styling
Sesame Street

Outstanding Hairstyling
Odd Squad

Outstanding Makeup
Green Screen Adventures

Outstanding Stunt Coordination
The Bold and the Beautiful

60th Annual Drama Desk Award Nominations

Outstanding Play
Clare Barron, You Got Older
Lisa D'Amour, Airline Highway
Anthony Giardina, The City of Conversation
Stephen Adly Guirgis, Between Riverside and Crazy
Elizabeth Irwin, My Manãna Comes
Simon Stephens, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Jack Thorne, Let the Right One In

Outstanding Musical
An American in Paris
Hamilton
Fly By Night
Pretty Filthy
Something Rotten
The Visit

Outstanding Revival of a Play
The Elephant Man
Fashions for Men
Ghosts
The Iceman Cometh
Tamburlaine the Great
The Wayside Motor Inn

Outstanding Revival of a Musical
Into the Woods
The King and I
On the Town
On the Twentieth Century
Pageant
Side Show

Outstanding Actor in a Play
Reed Birney, I'm Gonna Pray For You So Hard
Bradley Cooper, The Elephant Man
Stephen McKinley Henderson, Between Riverside and Crazy
Ben Miles, Wolf Hall, Parts 1 & 2
Bill Pullman, Sticks and Bones
Alex Sharp, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Outstanding Actress in a Play
Brooke Bloom, You Got Older
Kathleen Chalfant, A Walk in the Woods
Kristin Griffith, The Fatal Weakness
Jan Maxwell, The City of Conversation
Helen Mirren, The Audience
Carey Mulligan, Skylight
Tonya Pinkins, Rasheeda Speaking

Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Brian d'Arcy James, Something Rotten!
Robert Fairchild, An American in Paris
Jeremy Kushnier, Atomic
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
Matthew Morrison, Finding Neverland
Ryan Silverman, Side Show

Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Kate Baldwin, John & Jen
Kristin Chenoweth, On the Twentieth Century
Leanne Cope, An American in Paris
Erin Davie, Side Show
Lisa Howard, It Shoulda Been You
Chita Rivera, The Visit

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
F. Murray Abraham, It's Only a Play
Reed Birney, You Got Older
K. Todd Freeman, Airline Highway
Jonathan Hadary, Rocket to the Moon
Jason Butler Harner, The Village Bike
Jonathan Hogan, Pocatello
José Joaquin Perez, My Mañana Comes

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Annaleigh Ashford, You Can't Take It with You
Beth Dixon, The City of Conversation
Julie Halston, You Can't Take It with You
Paola Lázaro-Muñoz, To the Bone
Lydia Leonard, Wolf Hall, Parts 1 & 2
Julie White, Airline Highway

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Christian Borle, Something Rotten!
Peter Friedman, Fly By Night
Josh Grisetti, It Shoulda Been You
Andy Karl, On the Twentieth Century
Leslie Odom Jr., Hamilton
Brad Oscar, Something Rotten!
Max von Essen, An American in Paris

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Carolee Carmello, Finding Neverland
Tyne Daly, It Shoulda Been You
Elizabeth A. Davis, Allegro
Renee Elise Goldsberry, Hamilton
Luba Mason, Pretty Filthy
Nancy Opel, Honeymoon in Vegas
Elizabeth Stanley, On the Town

Outstanding Director of a Play
Marianne Elliott, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Jeremy Herrin, Wolf Hall, Parts 1 & 2
Anne Kauffman, You Got Older
Lila Neugebauer, The Wayside Motor Inn
Austin Pendleton, Between Riverside and Crazy
Joe Tantalo, Deliverance
John Tiffany, Let the Right One In

Outstanding Director of a Musical
Carolyn Cantor, Fly By Night
Bill Condon, Side Show
John Doyle, The Visit
Thomas Kail, Hamilton
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!
Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris

Outstanding Choreography 
Joshua Bergasse, On the Town
Warren Carlyle, On the Twentieth Century
Steven Hoggett, The Last Ship
Austin McCormick, Rococo Rouge
Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten
Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris

Outstanding Music
Jason Robert Brown, Honeymoon in Vegas
Michael Friedman, The Fortress of Solitude
John Kander, The Visit
Dave Malloy, Ghost Quartet
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
Sting, The Last Ship

Outstanding Lyrics
Jason Robert Brown, Honeymoon in Vegas
Fred Ebb, The Visit
Michael Friedman, The Fortress of Solitude
Karey Kirkpatrick & Wayne Kirkpatrick, Something Rotten!
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
Benjamin Scheuer, The Lion

Outstanding Book of a Musical
Hunter Bell & Lee Overtree, Found
Karey Kirkpatrick & John O'Farrell, Something Rotten!
Craig Lucas, An American in Paris
Terence McNally, The Visit
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
Kim Rosenstock, Will Connolly, & Michael Mitnick, Fly By Night

Outstanding OrchestrationsChristopher Austin, An American in Paris
Mary-Mitchell Campbell, Allegro
Larry Hochman, Something Rotten!
Alex Lacamoire, Hamilton
Rob Mathes, The Last Ship
Don Sebesky, Larry Blank, Jason Robert Brown, & Charlie Rosen, Honeymoon in Vegas

Outstanding Music in a Play
Cesar Alvarez, An Octoroon
Danny Blackburn & Bryce Hodgson, Deliverance
Sean Cronin, Kill Me Like You Mean It
Bongi Duma, Generations
Freddi Price, The Pigeoning
Arthur Solari & Jane Shaw, Tamburlaine the Great

Outstanding Revue
Forbidden Broadway Comes Out Swinging!
Just Jim Dale
Lennon: Through a Glass Onion
Lonesome Traveler

Outstanding Set Design
Bob Crowley, An American in Paris
Christine Jones, Let The Right One In
David Korins, Hamilton
Mimi Lien, An Octoroon
Scott Pask, The Visit
Daniel Zimmerman, Fashions for Men

Outstanding Costume Design
Bob Crowley, An American in Paris
Bob Crowley, The Audience
Christopher Oram, Wolf Hall, Parts 1 & 2
Paul Tazewell, Hamilton
Andrea Varga, The Fatal Weakness
Catherine Zuber, Gigi

Outstanding Lighting Design
Howell Binkley, Hamilton
Paule Constable, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Paule Constable & David Plater, Wolf Hall, Parts 1 & 2
Maruti Evans, Deliverance
Natasha Katz, The Iceman Cometh
Ben Stanton, Our Lady of Kibeho

Outstanding Projection Design
59 Productions, An American in Paris
Roger Hanna & Price Johnston, Donogoo
Darrel Maloney, Found
Peter Nigrini, Our Lady of Kibeho
Finn Ross, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Austin Switser, Big Love

Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical
Peter Hylenski, Side Show
Scott Lehrer, The King & I
Scott Lehrer & Drew Levy, Honeymoon in Vegas
Brian Ronan, The Last Ship
Nevin Steinberg, Hamilton
Jon Weston, An American in Paris

Outstanding Sound Design in a PlayNathan Davis, The Other Mozart
Ien Denio, Deliverance
Ian Dickinson (for Autograph), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Gareth Fry, Let the Right One In
John Gromada, Lives of the Saints
Matt Tierney, Our Lady of Kibeho

Outstanding Solo Performance
Christina Bianco, Application Pending
Jonny Donahoe, Every Brilliant Thing
Tom Dugan, Wiesenthal
Mona Golabek, The Pianist of Willesden Lane
Joely Richardson, The Belle of Amherst
Benjamin Scheuer, The Lion

Unique Theatrical Experience
Catch Me!
Everybody Gets Cake
The Human Symphony
Queen of the Night
A Rap Guide to Religion

2015 Daytime Emmy Predictions: Best Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress

Best Supporting Actor
Will Win - Scott Clifton "The Bold and the Beautiful"
Could Win - Chad Duell "General Hospital"
Should Win - Kristoff St. John "The Young and the Restless"
Commentary - If I were a voter, Kristoff St. John would be an easy pick for me. He has had some great material this year, and is one of the long running veterans who has only won 2 Daytime Emmys, his last one seven years ago, out of nine nominations stretching 25 years. Chad Duell, between Supporting and Younger actor, has had four straight Emmy nods without a win, some voters may be ready to finally give hims some recognition. But I think this is Scott Clifton's to lose. He is a previous winner and has the most effective tape, and will be hard to beat.

Best Supporting Actress
Will Win - Amelia Heinle "The Young and the Restless"
Could Win - Finola Hughes "General Hospital" or Elizabeth Hendrickson "The Young and the Restless"
Should Win- Amelia Heinle or Elizabeth Hendrickson "The Young and the Restless"
Commentary - My instinct is to go for Elizabeth Hendrickson. This is the last time voters will get to honor her, and she had a hell of an exit. And Finola Hughes hasn't won an Emmy in 24 years, and is due for another. But Amelia Heinle, who surprised us all last year with a well-deserved win, has once again submitted well, and has had a great year overall. It is not a slam dunk, but I think she wins two in a row.

2015 Daytime Emmy Predictions: Best Talk Show and Talk Show Host

Best Talk Show (Entertainment)
Will Win - The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Should Win - The Wendy Williams Show or The Talk
Could Win - The Talk
Commentary - Ellen is a legend, and her talk show is definitely one of the best on TV. But they have dominated this category for so long that it is starting to feel like The Daily Show. I love it, but I want to see something else win. Maybe Wendy Williams will win on her first nomination, a breakthrough after seven seasons on the air? Or maybe the girls of The Talk, who have not easily surpassed their View counterparts will win a well-deserved Emmy? Probably not. I will not predict against Ellen until history tells me to do so.

Best Talk Show (Informative)
Will Win - The Steve Harvey Show
Should Win - The Steve Harvey Show
Could Win - The Dr. Oz Show
Commentary - Dr. Oz is right now facing a lot of controversy. He has done well in this category in the past, but his treatments have been proven dubious and now Columbia wants to disassociate their partnership. Plus, Steve Harvey is the defending champ here. He is funny, good with the audience, and does not have the issues that plague is competition. I think he wins two in a row.

Best Talk Show Host (Entertainment)
Will Win - Julie Chen, Sara Gilbert, Sharon Osbourne, Aisha Tyler, and Sheryl Underwood "The Talk"
Could Win - Wendy Williams "The Wendy Williams Show" or Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan "Live with Kelly and Michael!"
Should Win - The Talk
Commentary - This is really a toss up. Williams is outrageous, Kelly and Michael are extremely popular and the dark horse here. But I think that the hosts of The Talk will prevail here. There are a lot of big names there to vote for, which will attract a large range of voters, and to be honest, they have a great dynamic and are worthy.

Best Talk Show Host (Informative)
Will Win - Steve Harvey "The Steve Harvey Show"
Could Win - Dr. Mehmet Oz "The Dr. Oz. Show"
Should Win - Steve Harvey
Commentary - Once again, I think that all of the controversy surrounding Oz will play into Steve Harvey's hands, who is practically the king of daytime television at this point, and give him yet another Emmy. It is probably going to be a good night for Harvey and his team.

81st Annual Drama League Award Nominations

Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play
The Audience
Between Riverside and Crazy
Bootycandy
Constellations
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Hand to God
An Octoroon
Punk Rock
Scenes from a Marriage
Wolf Hall, Parts One & Two

Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play
Big Love
The Elephant Man
The Heidi Chronicles
The Iceman Cometh
It’s Only a Play
Skylight
Tamburlaine, Parts I and II
This Is Our Youth
You Can’t Take It with You

Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical
An American in Paris
Finding Neverland
Fun Home
Ghost Quartet
Hamilton
It Shoulda Been You
Something Rotten
The Visit

Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical
Allegro
Into the Woods
The King and I
On The Town
On The Twentieth Century

Distinguished Performance Award 
Usman Ally, The Invisible Hand
Christian Borle, Something Rotten
Steven Boyer, Hand to God
Sterling K. Brown, Father Comes Home from the Wars Parts 1, 2 & 3
Michael Cerveris, Fun Home
Kristin Chenoweth, On The Twentieth Century
Bradley Cooper, The Elephant Man
Leanne Cope, An American in Paris
Jim Dale, Just Jim Dale
Tyne Daly, It Shoulda Been You
Daveed Diggs, Hamilton
Robert Fairchild, An American in Paris
Renee Fleming, Living on Love
Kelsey Grammer, Finding Neverland
Jake Gyllenhaal, Constellations
Stephen McKinley Henderson, Between Riverside and Crazy
Lisa Howard, It Shoulda Been You
Brian D'Arcy James, Something Rotten
Rebecca Naomi Jones, Big Love
Cush Jumbo, Josephine and I, The River
Andy Karl, On The Twentieth Century
Judy Kuhn, Fun Home
Lesley Manville, Ghosts
Jan Maxwell, The City of Conversation
Richard McCabe, The Audience
Rob McClure, Honeymoon in Vegas
Ewan McGregor, The Real Thing
Ben Miles, Wolf Hall, Parts One & Two
Ruthie Ann Miles, The King and I
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
Helen Mirren, The Audience
Matthew Morrison, Finding Neverland
Elisabeth Moss, The Heidi Chronicles
Carey Mulligan, Skylight
Tam Mutu, Doctor Zhivago
Bill Nighy, Skylight
Kelli O'Hara, The King and I
Nathaniel Parker, Wolf Hall, Parts One & Two
Bryce Pinkham, The Heidi Chronicles
Roger Rees, The Visit
Chita Rivera, The Visit
Alex Sharp, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Douglas Sills, Living on Love
John Douglas Thompson, Tamburlaine, Parts I and II, The Iceman Cometh
Julie White, Airline Highway
Ruth Wilson, Constellations
Tony Yazbeck, On The Town

So the Drama League Only Allows one Distinguished Performance Award in a lifetime, but they wanted to reward past winners who were great this year:

Kathleen Chalfant, A Walk in the Woods
Stockard Channing, It’s Only A Play
Glenn Close, A Delicate Balance
Rosemary Harris, Indian Ink
Hugh Jackman, The River
Cherry Jones, When We Were Young and Unafraid
James Earl Jones, You Can’t Take It With You
Nathan Lane, The Iceman Cometh, It’s Only A Play
John Lithgow, A Delicate Balance, King Lear

Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theatre 
Joel Grey

Unique Contribution to the Theatre
WNET: Neal Shapiro and David Horn

Founders Award for Excellence in Directing
Stephen Daldry

2015 Daytime Emmy Predictions: Best Game Show, Entertainment News Show, Morning Show, and Game Show Host

Best Game Show
Will Win - Jeopardy!
Should Win - Jeopardy!
Could Win - Family Feud
Commentary - As Alex Trebek ends his long run on the show, I think it will continue to rack up as many honors as possible. Reward it now, because once he is gone, who knows the direction the show will take. Plus, it is the king of all game shows, and is a huge favorite.

Best Entertainment News Show
Will Win - Entertainment Tonight
Should Win - Entertainment Tonight
Could Win - Extra or Access Hollywood
Commentary - Not really a fan of any of these, but Entertainment Tonight is a popular and long-running show that is not quite as ridiculous as some of its competitors, and has a respectability (not much a little bit) that I think helps it get across the finish line.

Best Morning Show
Will Win - CBS Sunday Morning
Should Win - CBS Sunday Morning
Could Win - Good Morning America or Today
Commentary - While Good Morning America and Today have steered more towards entertaining than informing the wonderful CBS Sunday Morning has done a brilliant job of balancing out entertainment and great news and interest stories. it is the reigning champion in this category, and is, in my humble opinion, miles above its competition.

Best Game Show Host
Will Win - Steve Harvey "Family Feud"
Should Win - Steve Harvey "Family Feud"
Could Win - Todd Newton "Family Game Night" or Craig Ferguson "Celebrity Name Game"
Commentary -  Todd Newton has a lot of fun, and Craig Ferguson could make up for years of being ignored by the Primetime folks. But Steve Harvey is the king of Daytime television at this point, rack up some awards last year, and is hilarious on Family Feud. I think he wins here.

2015 Outer Critics Circle Award Nominations

Outstanding New Broadway Play
The Audience
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Wolf Hall

Outstanding New Broadway Musical
An American in Paris
It Shoulda Been You
The Last Ship
Something Rotten!
The Visit

Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play
Between Riverside and Crazy
The City of Conversation
The Nether
Rasheeda Speaking
The Village Bike

Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical
A Christmas Memory
Disenchanted
The Fortress of Solitude
Hamilton
Lonesome Traveler

Outstanding Book of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Hamilton
It Shoulda Been You
The Last Ship
Something Rotten!
The Visit

Outstanding New Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Hamilton
It Shoulda Been You
The Last Ship
Something Rotten!
The Visit

Outstanding Revival of a Play (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
The Elephant Man
Fashions for Men
The Heidi Chronicles
Skylight
You Can’t Take It With You

Outstanding Revival of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Into the Woods
The King and I
On the Town
On the Twentieth Century
Side Show

Outstanding Director of a Play
Stephen Daldry "The Audience"
Marianne Elliott "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time"
Scott Ellis "The Elephant Man"
Scott Ellis "You Can’t Take It With You"
Jeremy Herrin "Wolf Hall"

Outstanding Director of a Musical
Scott Ellis "On the Twentieth Century"
Thomas Kail "Hamilton"
Casey Nicholaw "Something Rotten!"
David Hyde Pierce "It Shoulda Been You"
Christopher Wheeldon "An American in Paris"

Outstanding Choreographer
Joshua Bergasse "On the Town"
Andy Blankenbuehler "Hamilton"
Warren Carlyle "On the Twentieth Century"
Casey Nicholaw "Something Rotten!"
Christopher Wheeldon "An American in Paris"

Outstanding Set Design (Play or Musical)
Bunny Christie "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time"
Bob Crowley "An American in Paris"
Scott Pask "Something Rotten!"
David Rockwell "On the Twentieth Century"
Michael Yeargan "The King and I"

Outstanding Costume Design (Play or Musical)
Gregg Barnes "Something Rotten!"
Bob Crowley "The Audience"
William Ivey Long "On the Twentieth Century"
Christopher Oram "Wolf Hall"
Catherine Zuber "The King and I"

Outstanding Lightning Design (Play or Musical)
Paule Constable "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time"
Jeff Croiter "Something Rotten!"
Rick Fisher "The Audience"
Natasha Katz "An American in Paris"
Japhy Weideman "The Visit"

Outstanding Actor in a Play
Reed Birney "I’m Gonna Pray For You So Hard"
Bradley Cooper "The Elephant Man"
Stephen McKinley Henderson "Between Riverside and Crazy"
Ben Miles "Wolf Hall"
Alex Sharp "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time"

Outstanding Actress in a Play
Greta Gerwig "The Village Bike"
Jan Maxwell "The City of Conversation"
Helen Mirren "The Audience"
Elisabeth Moss "The Heidi Chronicles"
Tonya Pinkins "Rasheeda Speaking"

Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Christian Borle "Something Rotten!"
Brian d’Arcy James "Something Rotten!"
Robert Fairchild "An American in Paris"
Peter Gallagher "On the Twentieth Century"
Tony Yazbeck "On the Town"

Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Kristin Chenoweth "On the Twentieth Century"
Leanne Cope "An American in Paris"
Tyne Daly "It Shoulda Been You"
Kelli O’Hara "The King and I"
Chita Rivera "The Visit"

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Paul Jesson "Wolf Hall"
Richard McCabe "The Audience"
Alessandro Nivola "The Elephant Man"
Nathaniel Parker "Wolf Hall"
Bryce Pinkham "The Heidi Chronicles"

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Annaleigh Ashford "You Can’t Take It With You"
Patricia Clarkson "The Elephant Man"
Francesca Faridany "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time"
Julie Halston "You Can’t Take It With You"
Lydia Leonard "Wolf Hall"

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
John Cariani "Something Rotten!"
Josh Grisetti "It Shoulda Been You"
Andy Karl "On the Twentieth Century"
Paul Alexander Nolan "Doctor Zhivago"
Max von Essen "An American in Paris"

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Heidi Blickenstaff "Something Rotten!"
Victoria Clark "Gigi"
Megan Fairchild "On the Town"
Ruthie Ann Miles "The King and I"
Mary Louise Wilson "On the Twentieth Century"

Outstanding Solo Performance
Joe Assadourian "The Bullpen"
Jim Dale "Just Jim Dale"
Tom Dugan "Wiesenthal"
Cush Jumbo "Josephine and I"
Benjamin Scheuer "The Lion"

John Gassner Award (Presented for an American play, preferably by a new playwright)
Ayad Akhtar "The Invisible Hand"
Halley Feiffer "I’m Gonna Pray For You So Hard"
Elizabeth Irwin "My Mañana Comes"
Markus Potter "Stalking the Bogeyman"
Benjamin Scheuer "The Lion"

2015 Daytime Emmy Predictions: Best Younger Actor and Best Special Guest Performer

Best Younger Actor
Will Win- Bryan Craig "General Hospital"
Could Win - Max Ehrich "The Young and the Restless"
Should Win - Max Ehrich "The Young and the Restless"
Commentary - I think this is a two-way race between Craig and Ehrich. Finn is an interesting character on Y&R, but I think Craig is the odds-on favorite, with a great bunch of story lines that just scream Emmy.

Best Special Guest Performer
Will Win - Donna Mills "General Hospital"
Should Win - Meredith Baxter "The Young and the Restless"
Could Win - Meredith Baxter "The Young and the Restless"
Commentary - Two television legends are battling it out in the first ever Guest category, a worthy addition to the lineup if you ask me. Donna Mills is the primetime soap star with Knot's Landing, and I think that she is more in line with what voters are used to. But Meredith Baxter is a classic television name that had a great arch on Y&R, she is the dark horse.

50th Annual Academy of Country Music Award Winners

Entertainer of the Year - Luke Bryan

Male Vocalist of the Year - Jason Aldean

Female Vocalist of the Year - Miranda Lambert

Album of the Year - Miranda Lambert "Platinum"

Single Record of the Year - Lee Brice "I Don't Dance"

Best New Artist - Cole Swindell

Vocal Group of the Year - Little Big Town

Vocal Duo of the Year  - Florida Georgia Line

Song of the Year - Miranda Lambert "Automatic"

Vocal Event of the Year - Florida Georgia Line feat. Luke Bryan "This is How We Roll"

Video of the Year - Dierks Bentley "Drunk on a Plane"

Songwriter of the Year - Luke Laird

Star Wars: The Force Awaken's Teaser Trailer #2

Full trailer in about two weeks, but Disney has dropped an extended teaser, and I know you should not judge a movie by its trailer, but I am SO FREAKING EXCITED! It looks fantastic, the cast is great, and it looks like it has captured the energy and the spirit that once made Star Wars one of the greatest movie franchises of all time. Check out the second teaser below:

2015 Cannes Film Festival Official Lineup

As always the Oscar race will really start to hit us in May, and this year looks to be no exception as plenty of big time Oscar contenders will screen there right as the summer box office is about to take flight. First of course, there are tons of foreign competitors, many of which could end up having a factor on the foreign language film race, but until official selections are made it is really a waste of space to try to discern which ones will be competitive. But let's move on to some of the known potentials that are going to premiere in a few weeks. First on the top of my list is Todd Hayne's Carol. It has been a while since he hit the big screen, and I hope it is worth the wait. The cast is spectacular (Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, and Sarah Paulson), and the material looks right up Hayne's alley (A Far From Heaven/Mildred Pierce feel). Macbeth, starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard could bring Shakespeare back to the Oscars. Gus Van Sant is always a bit hit or miss, for every Milk and Good Will Hunting there is a Restless or Promised Land. The cast though includes Ken Watanabe, Matthew McConaughey, and Naomi Watts, and looks promising to say the least. Denis Villeneuve is not usually the Oscar type, but Sicario is another promising film. Woody Allen, after last year's Magic in the Moonlight failed to gain traction, hopes to get back to his every other year streak with Irrational Man with Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone. Finally, and one of that I am really interested to see is Pete Docter's Inside Out. I want to see after taking a year off, whether Pixar still has it. Especially after Cars 2 and Brave (unfairly) did not live up to the hype. We are about a month away from Cannes, and I am ready for the Oscar season to take off!

COMPETITION
Dheepan (working title), dir: Jacques Audiard
A Simple Man, dir: Stephane Brize
Marguerite and Julien, dir: Valerie Donzelli
The Tale Of Tales, dir: Matteo Garrone
Carol, dir: Todd Haynes
The Assassin, dir: Hou Hsiao Hsien
Mountains May Depart, dir: Jia Zhang-Ke
Our Little Sister, dir: Hirokazu Kore-Eda
Macbeth, dir: Justin Kurzel
The Lobster, dir: Yorgos Lanthimos
Mon Roi, dir: Maiwenn
Mia Madre, dir: Nanni Moretti
Son Of Saul, dir: Laszlo Nemes
Youth, dir: Paolo Sorrentino
Louder Than Bombs, dir: Joachim Trier
The Sea Of Trees, dir: Gus Van Sant
Sicario, dir: Denis Villeneuve
La Tête Haute, dir: Emmanuelle Bercot (out of competition)

UN CERTAIN REGARD
Madonna, dir: Shin Suwon
Maryland, dir: Alice Winocour
The Fourth Direction, dir: Gurvinder Singh
Masaan (Fly Away Solo), dir: Neeraj Ghaywan
Hruter (Rams), dir: Grimur Hakonarson
Kishibe No Tabi (Journey to the Shore), dir: Kurosawa Kiyoshi
Je Suis Un Soldat (I Am a Soldier), dir: Laurent Larivere
Zvizdan (The High Sun), dir: Dalibor Matanic
The Other Side, dir: Roberto Minervini
One Floor Below, dir: Radu Muntean
Shameless, dir: Oh Seung-Uk
The Chosen Ones, dir: David Pablos
Nahid, dir: Ida Panahandeh
The Treasure, dir: Corneliu Porumboiu

OUT OF COMPETITION
Mad Max: Fury Road, dir: George Miller
Irrational Man, dir: Woody Allen
Inside Out, dir: Pete Docter and Ronaldo del Carmen
Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince), dir: Mark Osborne

SPECIAL SCREENINGS
Oka, dir: Souleymane Cisse
Sipur Al Ahava Ve Choshech (A Tale Of Love And Darkness), dir: Natalie Portman
Hayored Lema’ala, dir Elad Keidan
Amnesia, dir: Barbet Schroeder
Panama, dir: Pavel Vuckovic
Asphalte, dir: Samuel Benchetrit

MIDNIGHT SCREENINGS
O Piseu (Office), Dir: Hong Won-Chan
Amy, Dir: Asif Kapadia

2015 Daytime Emmy Predictions: Best Younger Actress

Will Win -  Hunter King "The Young and the Restless"

Should Win - Hunter King "The Young and the Restless"

Could Win - Kristen Alderson "General Hospital"

Should Win  - Kristen Alderson is a real spoiler here, but I think that Hunter King will win again for her role as Summer Newman on Y&R. She is really growing into the role, had a lot of incredible scenes and story lines this year, and knocked them all out of the park. She won before, there is not a good enough reason not to predict here again.

2015 Daytime Emmy Predictions: Best Directing and Writing Team

Best Writing Team
Will Win - The Young and the Restless
Could Win - Days of Our Lives
Should Win - The Young and the Restless
Commentary - Y&R has had some interesting story lines this year. Sometimes they worked and sometimes they didn't, but of the four, it is the least-ridiculous, the most interesting, and definitely the best written of the bunch. Emmy voters have fallen in love with Days of Our Lives recently, so they should not be discounted. But I think that Y&R wins here, and it most certainly should.

Best Directing Team
Will Win - General Hospital
Could Win - The Young and the Restless or Days of Our Lives
Should Win - The Young and the Restless
Commentary - In my opinion, the same should go here for Y&R. But General Hospital has done historically well in this category, and had a resurgence this year in terms of overall nominations. I don't necessarily get the appeal of it, but I think that their directors will prevail in a split.

2015 MTV Movie Award Winners

I will update the winners live:

Movie of the Year - The Fault in Our Stars
Best Male Performance - Bradley Cooper "American Sniper"
Best Female Performance - Shailene Woodley "The Fault in Our Stars"
Best Comedic Performance - Channing Tatum "22 Jump Street"
Best Duo - Zac Efron and Dave Franco "Neighbors"
Best Breakthrough Performance - Dylan O'Brien "The Maze Runner"
Best Kiss - Ansel Elgort and Shailene Woodley "The Fault in Our Stars"
Best Fight - Will Poulter and Dylan O'Brien "The Maze Runner"
Best Villain - Meryl Streep "Into the Woods"
Best WTF Award - Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne "Neighbors"
Best On-Screen Transformation - Elizabeth Banks "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1"
Best Scared-as-S*** Performance - Jennifer Lopez "The Boy Next Door"
Best Shirtless Performance - Zac Efron "Neighbors"
Best Musical Moment - Jennifer Lawrence "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1"
Best Hero - Dylan O'Brien "The Maze Runner"
Best Break-Up - Gone Girl
MTV Trailblazer Award - Shailene Woodley
MTV Generation Award - Robert Downey Jr.
Comedic Genius - Kevin Hart

2015 MTV Movie Award Predictions: Movie of the Year

Will Win - The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

Could Win - Guardians of the Galaxy, The Fault in Our Stars, or American Sniper

Should Win - Selma, Whiplash, or Boyhood

Commentary - I am not a bit confident in this prediction, especially with the expanded number of nominees. I know that the Oscar fare like Selma, Whiplash, and Boyhood are probably out, but American Sniper could be a sleeper. But I think this is a three-way race. The Fault in Our Stars is in play in a lot of categories, which makes me think that it has a real shot here. Guardians of the Galaxy is easily a front runner, and I am pretty close to moving it into first place. But until it loses one of these things, I will stick with The Hunger Games. It has a proven track record, was hugely successful, and perfectly fits into this voting body.

2015 MTV Movie Award Predictions: Best Female and Male Lead

Best Male Lead
Will Win - Chris Pratt "Guardians of the Galaxy"
Could Win - Ansel Elgort "The Fault in Our Stars" or Bradley Cooper "American Sniper"
Should Win - Miles Teller "Whiplash" or Channing Tatum "Foxcatcher"
Commentary - American Sniper was a tremendous hit and Bradley Cooper, the only one to crossover with the Oscar Best Actor five, could benefit with a win here. Ansel Elgort is the heartthrob from the YA hit of the year The Fault in Our Stars. But I think that Chris Pratt, who was a breakout star with Guardians of the Galaxy, and has Jurassic World coming up soon, I think that this will be a huge reward for an up and coming movie star, and for a film that is clearly beloved among the populace.

Best Female Lead
Will Win - Shailene Woodley "The Fault in Our Stars"
Could Win - Jennifer Lawrence "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1" or Emma Stone "Birdman"
Should Win - Emma Stone "Birdman", Shailene Woodley "The Fault in Our Stars" and Reese Witherspoon "Wild"
Commentary - A great lineup of talented actresses makes for an interesting race. Kristen Stewart won three in a row, but eventually turned over the reign to Jennifer Lawrence, who could easily make history with a fourth win in a row. And while Birdman might not be the populist film, Emma Stone is certainly a well-liked younger actress with now an Oscar nomination under her belt, and a lot of upset potential. But I think that four in a row for Lawrence seems a bit much (not that I would be surprised), and Stone might need to find a more popular project. I think this is going to be Shailene Woodley's year. She has both The Fault in Our Stars, and the Divergent/Insurgent duo pulling in votes from all corners. She is a popular young star, and she is simply stunning in The Fault in Our Stars. It will be an incredibly close race, but I think Woodley ends Lawrence's reign.

Academy Announces 2015-2016 Oscar Calendar

Below are the main dates for this year's upcoming Oscars:

November 14, 2015 - Governor's Awards

December 30, 2015 - Nominations voting opens

January 8, 2016 - Nominations voting closes

January 14, 2016 - Nominations announced

February 12, 2016 - Final Voting Opens

February 13, 2016 - Sci/Tech Awards

February 23, 2016 - Final Voting Ends

February 28, 2016 - 88th Annual Academy Awards

2015 MTV Movie Predictions: Best Comedic Performance, Best On-Screen Transformation, and Best Breakthrough Performance

Best Comedic Performance
Will Win - Kevin Hart "The Wedding Ringer"
Could Win - Chris Pratt "Guardians of the Galaxy" or Channing Tatum "22 Jump Street"
Should Win - Rose Byrne "Neighbors" or Chris Rock "Top Five"
Commentary - Guardians is a huge success and Chris Pratt is a genuine star, and Channing Tatum has had a great year with Foxcatcher and 22 Jump Street. But I find it hard to bet against Kevin Hart. He is one of the most popular and hardest working comedian out there today. And while The Wedding Ringer was not his best effort, I think he has enough personal popularity to take the prize here. For the record, if voters really want to reward the best, then they should look to either Chris Rock or the always fantastic Rose Byrne. Both of them were simply fantastic in Top Five and Neighbors respectively, and I have my fingers crossed.

Best On-Screen Transformation
Will Win - Elizabeth Banks "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1"
Could Win - Eddie Redmayne "The Theory of Everything", Zoe Saldana "Guardians of the Galaxy", or Ellar Coltrane "Boyhood"
Should Win - Steve Carell "Foxcatcher"
Commentary - Carell was brilliant, but I think he is the fifth slot in a four-way race. Ellar Coltrane and Eddie Redmayne match the age of most voters, but both films are more pretentious, Oscar-bait films that will not appeal to the wider audience, although both are deserving. Guardians of the Galaxy was a huge hit, but Zoe Saldana with makeup doesn't seem to be a winner. I think that Elizabeth Banks, who strips down to bare bones, no fancy makeup that the character Effie is known for, will win over voters, who also happen to adore The Hunger Games series.

Best Breakthrough Performance
Will Win - Ansel Elgort "The Fault in Our Stars"
Could Win - Ellar Coltrane "Boyhood" or Dylan O'Brien "The Maze Runner"
Should Win - David Oyelowo "Selma"
Commentary - David Oyelowo should easily win this award for his stunning performance in Selma, but I honestly don't think he is even in the running. Ellar Coltrane spent 12 years of his life filming Boyhood, and Dylan O'Brien is a hit star in the MTV generation. But I think this one goes to Ansel Elgort for his first lead role in The Fault in Our Stars. He was great in the film, the film is a teen and emerging adult favorite, and I think he is the clear front runner.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl Trailer

I am currently reading the novel and so far it is fantastic. I hope this film can overcome its YA trappings, because if the film is as good as everyone says it is, and it is half as good as the book, then this one is going to be a real winner. The folks at Sundance have sure made it seem like that is exactly the case. As always we'll have to wait and see...

2015 MTV Movie Award Predictions - Best On-Screen Duo, Best Kiss, Best Fight, and Best Villain

Best On-Screen Duo
Will Win - Ansel Elgort and Shailene Woodley "The Fault in Our Stars"
Could Win - Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill "22 Jump Street" or Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper "Guardians of the Galaxy"
Should Win - Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill "22 Jump Street" or Ansel Elgort and Shailene Woodley "The Fault in Our Stars"
Commentary - Here's how I see this category. Four buddy comedies vs. the YA romance. Not only do I think that all four of those films will cancel out each other's votes, but that each of them would have trouble up against something like The Fault in Our Stars. Of the bunch, my guess would be that the duos from 22 Jump Street and Guardians of the Galaxy are the best bets to beat Elgort and Woodley, but I will be surprised if they pull it off.

Best Kiss
Will Win - Ansel Elgort and Shailene Woodley "The Fault in Our Stars"
Could Win - Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"
Should Win - I see this as a two-way battle between four popular young films stars. I think that The Fault in Our Stars was much more popular, and was definitely better received than The Amazing Spider-Man 2. But Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone are also really popular actors, and a real life couple (apparently on a break, but wouldn't this be a great reunion?), which could persuade some votes their way.

Best Fight
Will Win - Chris Evans and Sebastian Stan "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
Could Win - Seth Rogen and Zac Efron "Neighbors", or Jonah Hill and Jillian Bell "22 Jump Street"
Should Win - Michael Keaton and Edward Norton "Birdman"
Commentary - I would love to see Birdman win one of these things, just to prove the populist haters that it is a well-liked film across the board (although the nomination here goes a long way). But I think it is between either two funny fights, 22 Jump Street and Neighbors, and the big bad-ass blockbuster, visual effects-driven fight in Captain America. This category has seemed to reward the bigger players the last couple of years (The Hobbit, The Avengers, The Hunger Games, etc.). So I think that of the bunch Captain America is the front runner.

Best Villain
Will Win - Rosamund Pike "Gone Girl"
Could Win - J.K. Simmons "Whiplash" or Jillian Bell "22 Jump Street"
Should Win - J.K. Simmons "Whiplash"
Commentary - Just the scene where he throws the symbol of Miles Teller head is worthy of this award, and the Oscar win might actually help him. But I would be (pleasantly) surprised if he pulled it off. Jillian Bell was hilarious in 22 Jump Street and is a spoiler here. But Gone Girl was a huge film, and Rosamund Pike was bat-you know what-crazy in the film. It was so out of the box, so ridiculous, and so cold that I would be surprised if she didn't easily win this category.

2015 MTV Movie Award Predictions: Best Musical Moment and Best Scared-as-S*** Performance

Best Musical Moment
Will Win - Jennifer Lawrence "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1"
Should Win - Miles Teller "Whiplash"
Could Win - Miles Teller "Whiplash" or Chris Pratt "Guardians of the Galaxy"
Commentary - I would be thrilled if Whiplash took the cake here, especially since the whole film revolves around music, and Miles Teller is a popular young actor among the voting generation. But once again, I think this comes down to a battle between Hunger Games vs. Guardians of the Galaxy. Galaxy is the better of the two moments, but I think that this generation of MTV viewers will eat up another chance to reward Lawrence and The Hunger Games.

Best Scared-as-S*** Performance
Will Win - Dylan O'Brien "The Maze Runner"
Should Win - Rosamund Pike "Gone Girl"
Could Win - Rosamund Pike "Gone Girl" or Annabelle Wallis "Annabelle"
Commentary - Pike is obviously the best of the bunch, but she could be rewarded in another category (as you shall see). Plus, we have to remember the voting age of most of these folks. If they wanted to reward an actual horror film, then it will be Annabelle. But I think that The Maze Runner will play well with these particular voters, the same ones that love stuff like Divergent and The Hunger Games, and Dylan O'Brien, who is also on an MTV show, will swing enough voters his way.

The Oscar Narrative: First 2016 Predictions - Best Picture

First 2016 Predictions
Bridge of Spies
Brooklyn
Carol
The Hateful Eight
Inside Out
Irrational Man
Joy
Our Brand is Crisis
The Revenant
Steve Jobs

Other Contenders - The Danish Girl, In the Heart of the Sea, Spectre, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, The Good Dinosaur, Beasts of No Nation, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Martian, By the Sea, Sea of Trees, That's What I'm Talking About, Black Mass, Genius, Freeheld, Snowden, Aloha, Spy, Trainwreck, Tomorrowland, Ricki and the Flash, Suffragette, Macbeth, Demolition, Southpaw, Money Monster, Truth, Mr. Holmes, The Lady in the Van, Hello, My Name is Doris, Knight of Cups, The Last Face, Miles Ahead, The Walk, Crimson Peak, Midnight Special, Creed, The Secret In Their Eyes, The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Cinderella, Pan, Furious 7, Ant-Man, Pitch Perfect 2, Love & Mercy, Far From the Maddening Crowd, Jurassic World, Magic Mike XXL, Pixels, Paper Towns, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, Kingsman: The Secret Service, McFarland, USA, Danny Collins, Child 44, Welcome to Me, The Diary of a Teenage Girl, Hot Pursuit, Entourage, Love & Mercy, Ted 2, Max, Mad Max: Roady Fury, Terminator Genisys, Mission: Impossible: Rogue Nation, The Gift, Vacation, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Straight Outta Compton, Jane Got a Gun, Captive, The Visit, Everest, Pawn Sacrifice, Cicario, The Intern, Sisters, Concussion, Point Break

Commentary - There is still a lot of speculation of whether the Academy's board will switch back to five nominees. I personally think this is the media stirring up controversy in the aftermath of lower ratings for the ceremony. There has always been a powerful group, since 2009 when they initially expanded, that have been against that and want to go back to five. But if ratings are the Academy's concern, I will remind all of us that some of the biggest box office successes among the nominees would either not have made it in with only five slots or would have been borderline at best: The Blind Side, District 9, Up, Inception, Toy Story 3, The Help, Django Unchained, Les Miserables, The Wolf of Wall Street, and American Sniper. I have a feeling that even if they do go back to five, it would not take long for them to re-expand, especially if the blockbusters get shut out. So for now, I am going to pretend as if they are still working with more than five nods, and as always, I am starting out with ten and will eventually narrow it down as the season moves forward. So will big blockbusters make cut this year? Two Pixar films, both original, look to bring the film back to its Up and Toy Story 3 heyday. The Good Dinosaur is a possibility, but of the two I feel like Pete Docter's Inside Out as the most promise. But both should be on the BP radar. The Hateful Eight, Tarantino's return to the western fold looks to be another huge success like Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained. Tarantino has yet to really make a bad movie, and he has been on a streak lately with Oscar voters. Bridge of Spies could be a solid box office haul for Steven Spielberg (War Horse ended up grossing over $100 million in its worldwide total), and Tom Hanks is always good for a success. So hopefully the Academy will not be in such a panic at the end of next year's race as there are plenty of contenders (and plenty I am not predicting at the moment) that should bring more viewers to the proceedings. There will also be smaller and darker films, which has kind of been a trend the last two years with Birdman and 12 Years a Slave. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu could return after just winning with The Revenant. David Gordon Green's fictional adaptation of Our Brand is Crisis has a lot of big players and a timely message. Woody Allen is due for another critical favorite (as per his two year cycle), and the Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone-led Irrational Man could get him back in the Best Picture race. Todd Haynes Carol is one of the films I looking more forward to, and Haynes has done remarkable work before with his cast, and could earn his first Best Picture nomination. Finally, Brooklyn, the Sundance smash, looks to be this year's Boyhood, Whiplash, or Beasts of the Southern Wild and go from indie to Oscar. Sandwiched in between the big guys and the little guys are mid-level studio productions like Steve Jobs. Despite some early production issues the final cast and crew are fantastic. And last, but certainly not least, is David O.Russell's third time with Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, and the third time really could be the charm for Russell and his team. Beyond those ten there are plenty of films this early on. Tom Hooper's The Danish Girl looks like Oscar bait, and could be another nod for Eddie Redmayne. Ron Howard's In the Heart of the Sea got pushed from March right into the thick of Oscar season, so the studio must have faith it can be a real contender. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl hopes to overcome its YA trappings and join Brooklyn as a Sundance representative. Gus Van Sant's Sea of Trees looks great on paper, but I am always wait and see when it comes to his films. Richard Linklater heads back to his more comedic roots with That's What I'm Talking About, but now that he is in the club, they may be more apt to reward him. Jean Marc-Vallee's Demolition, Weinstein's Southpaw, Suffragette, Black Mass, Freeheld, Ricki and the Flash, Snowden, Truth, Midnight Special, Genius, By the Sea, and Beasts of No Nation all have plenty of factors in their favor. Comedies like Spy, Trainwreck, and Aloha hope to break through genre stereotypes, as well as the big guys like Spectre, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Cinderella, Pan, Ant-Man, Furious 7, Paper Towns, Pixels, Tomorrowland, and Jurassic World.

2015 MTV Movie Award Predictions: Best WTF Moment and Best Shirtless Performance

Best WTF Moment
Will Win - Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne "Neighbors"
Should Win - Miles Teller "Whiplash"
Could Win - Jonah Hill and the Octopus "22 Jump Street"
Commentary - The WTF moment in Whiplash is the best nominee here (kind of surprised it got in to be honest), and it is a pivotal turning point in the film. It should win, but will probably lose out to more popular choices. Jonah Hill and the octopus is pretty ridiculous if you ask me, but Byrne and Rogen's moment in Neighbors is the most ridiculous of the bunch, and I think it pulls it off. Although I would also look out for Horrible Bosses 2. This is clearly going to be a battle of which of this year's raunchy comedies is the most popular.

Best Shirtless Performance
Will Win - Zac Efron "Neighbors"
Should Win - Not going there
Could Win - Channing Tatum "Foxcatcher" or Chris Pratt "Guardians of the Galaxy"
Commentary - Tatum's movie will be his biggest challenge here, although his personal popularity could easily override it. Chris Pratt is a possibility for Guardians, especially if the film gets on a roll. But after winning last year, and clearly being a favorite among this particular voting poplace, I will be surprised if Zac Efron does go 2 for 2. PS, I hate that every year the MTV folks make me pick a winner in these two categories. But after seeing their Best Film lineup this year, I am willing to let it go for now.

2015 Lucille Lortel Award Nominations

The Lucille Lortel Awards annually reward Off-Broadway productions. Check out the full list below and check out their website: www.lortelaward.com

Best Play
Between Riverside and Crazy
Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2, & 3)
The Invisible Hand
My Manana Comes
The Nether

Best Musical
The Fortress of Solitude
Hamilton
The Lightning Thief
Nevermore - The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allen Poe
Pretty Filthy

Best Revival
Fashions for Men
Indian Ink
Into the Woods
Sticks and Bones
The Wayside Motor Inn

Best Solo Show
Every Brilliant Thing
Josephine and I
Just Jim Dale
The Lion Show

Best Director
Michael Greif "Our Lady of Kibeho"
Thomas Kail "Hamilton"
Austin Pendleton "Between Riverside and Crazy"
Ken Rus Schmoll "The Invisible Hand"
Ivo van Hove "Scenes From a Marriage"

Best Choreographer
Andy Blankenbuehler "Hamilton"
Camille A. Brown "The Fortress of Solitude"
Denis Jones "Piece of My Heart: The Bert Berns Story"
Laura Krewski "Nevermore - The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allen Poe"
Lisa Shriver "Into the Woods"

Best Lead Actor in a Play
Usman Ally "The Invisible Hand"
Carson Elrod "The Heir Apparent"
Stephen McKinley Henderson "Between Riverside and Crazy"
Owiso Odero "Our Lady of Kibeho"
Bill Pullman "Sticks and Bones"

Best Lead Actress in a Play
Quincy Tyler Bernstine "Grand Concourse"
Anna Gunn "Sex With Strangers"
Jan Maxwell "The City of Conversation"
S. Epatha Merkerson "While I Yet Live"
Tonya Pinkins "Rasheeda Speaking "

Best Lead Actor in a Musical
Adam Chanler-Berat "The Fortress of Solitude"
Claybourne Elder "Allegro"
Lin-Manuel Miranda "Hamilton"
Leslie Odom Jr. "Hamilton"
Ben Steinfeld "Into the Woods"

Best Lead Actress in a Musical
Michelle Knight "DISENCHANTED! The Hilarious Hit Musical"
Jennifer Mudge "Into the Woods"
Sally Murphy "The Threepenny Opera"
Phillipa Soo "Hamilton"
Lillias White "Texas in Paris"

Best Featured Actor in a Play
Victor Almanzar "Between Riverside and Crazy"
Jacob Ming-Trent "Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2, & 3)"
Jesse Pennington "Bootycandy"
Will Pullen "Punk Rock"
Scott Shepherd "The Village Bike"

Best Featured Actress in a Play
Sophia Anne Caruso "The Nether"
Sun Mee Chomet "brownsville son (b-side for tray)"
Liza Colon-Zayas "Between Riverside and Crazy"
Beth Dixon "The City of Conversation"
Deirdre O'Connell "By the Water"

Best Featured Actor in a Musical
Daveed Diggs "Hamilton"
Andy Grotelueschen "Into the Woods"
Brian d'Arcy James "Hamilton"
Kevin Mambo "The Fortress of Solitude"
Steve Rosen "Pretty Filthy"

Best Features Actress in a Musical
Renee Elise Goldsberry "Hamilton"
Luba Mason "Pretty Filthy"
Lulu Picart "DISENCHANTED! The Hilarious Hit Musical"
Jessica Tyler Wright "Allegro"
Emily Young "Into the Woods"

Best Scenic Design
Big Love
The Nehter
Into the Woods
Between Riverside and Crazy
Scenes From a Marriage

Best Costume Design
Indian Ink
Nevermore - The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allen Poe
Bootycandy
Hamilton
Josephine and I

Best Lighting Design
Hamilton
The Library
The Invisible Hand
The Nether
Punk Rock

Best Sound Design
My Manana Comes
The Invisible Hand
The Nether
Hamilton
Pocatello

Lifetime Achievement Award
Terrence McNally

Playwrights Sidewalk Inductee
Jeanine Tesori

Edith Oliver Service to Off-Broadway Award
Nancy Nagel Gibbs

The Oscar Narrative: First 2016 Predictions - Best Actor

First 2016 Predictions
Bradley Cooper "Joy"
Leonardo DiCaprio "The Revenant"
Michael Fassbender "Steve Jobs"
Tom Hanks "Bridge of Spies"
Eddie Redmayne "The Danish Girl"

Other Contenders - Matthew McConaughey "Sea of Trees", Ian McKellen " Mr. Holmes", Joaquin Phoenix "Irrational Man", Don Cheadle "Miles Ahead", Jake Gyllenhaal "Demolition", Jake Gyllenhaal "Southpaw", George Clooney "Tomorrowland", Robert Redford "Truth", Jason Segal "The End of the Tour", Chiwetel Ejiofor "The Secret In Their Eyes", Michael Keaton "Spotlight", Joseph Gordon-Levitt "Snowden",  Joseph Gordon-Levitt "The Walk", Bradley Cooper "Aloha", Bradley Cooper "Adam Jones", Colin Firth "Genius", Brad Pitt "By the Sea", Matt Damon "The Martian", Tom Courtenay "45 Years", Michael Fassbender "The Light Between Oceans", Michael Fassbender "Macbeth", Ben Foster "Icon", Javier Bardem "The Last Face", Daniel Craig "Spectre", Thomas Mann "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl", Johnny Depp "Black Mass", Chris Hemsworth "In the Heart of the Sea", Jack O'Connell "Money Monster", Jonathan Rhys-Meyers "Stonewall", Michael Shannon "Midnight Special", Levi Miller "Pan", Hugh Jackman "Pan", Chris Pratt "Jurassic World", Channing Tatum "Magic Mike XXL", Paul Rudd "Ant-Man", Nat Wolff "Paper Towns", David Oyelowo "Captive", Tobey Maguire "Pawn Sacrifice"

Commentary - Eddie Redmayne embodied the physical and emotional intricacies of Stephen Hawking and earned his first Oscar win this year. He returns this year playing another real-life individual who goes through physical transformation. He plays Lili Elbe, one of the first individuals to undergo the sexual reassignment surgery, in Tom Hooper's latest The Danish Girl. No one since Tom Hanks has won back to back Best Actor Oscars, but Redmayne could make an interesting case for history to finally repeat itself. Leonardo DiCaprio has been searching for an Oscar for decades now, and has somehow managed to miss out. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu has now reached the winner's circle, and The Revenant looks much more Oscar friendly than Birdman was. I hope that if DiCaprio gets nominated, that he finally gets his way overdue win. Tom Hanks was snubbed for Captain Phillips at the last minute, shocking a lot of pundits who thought he was a shoo-in. Bridge of Spies, with Steven Spielberg at the helm, could give him the nomination they owe him. Michael Fassbender broke through last year with 12 Years a Slave and got his first Oscar nomination. This year he has several possibilities including Macbeth and The Light Between Oceans. But of all his projects the one that looks the most promising is the Danny Boyle led, Aaron Sorkin penned Steve Jobs biopic. The film has had some trouble getting to the finish line, but the talented cast (which also included Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen and Jeff Daniels), and Fassbender in the lead could lead to Oscar gold. Finally, Bradley Cooper has gotten three acting nominations (and a fourth nod this year for producing American Sniper) in a row, and is clearly a well-respected and well-liked in the industry. He as three potentials this year. Cameron Crowe's Aloha, Adam Jones, and David O. Russell's Joy. We are still not sure whether he will go supporting or lead, but my guess is that he will be a pseudo-lead like Jennifer Lawrence was to him in Silver Linings, and they will bump him up to lead due to his star power, again like they did with Lawrence. David O. Russell is acting gold these days, the script and story look great, and if Cooper once again delivers, he should be an easy pick. Beyond those five, Matthew McConaughey hopes to return after winning two years ago with Gus Van Sant's Sea of Trees. Joaquin Phoenix plus Woody Allen could be a potent combination. Don Cheadle, Michael Keaton, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Foster, and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers all playing real-life folks could once again lead to biopic Oscar gold. George Clooney and Matt Damon both have interesting looking genre projects that could be breakthroughs (considering they are directed by Brad Bird and Ridley Scott, it is a real possibility). Ian McKellen got raves out of Berlin for the newest reincarnation of Sherlock Holmes. He is an overdue veteran, and this role is always a gold mine (just ask Benedict Cumberbatch's Emmy). Jake Gyllenhaal is owed a nod for Nightcrawler and has two big roles in Jean-Marc Vallee's Demolition and in the Weinstein-backed Southpaw. Brad Pitt is directed by his beau Angelina Jolie. Jack O'Connell and Chris Hemsworth are young talents who bit projected. Michael Shannon should have had at least two nods by now (he does have one), and he is teaming up again with Jeff Nichols. Also look out for Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jason Segal, Robert Redford, Tom Courtenay, Thomas Mann, Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, David Oyelowo and Tobey Maguire. Finally, as always, don't forget the big guys: Paul Rudd as Ant-Mnan, Chris Pratt in Jurassic World, Levi Miller or Hugh Jackman in Joe Wright's Pan, and Daniel Craig in Spectre.