Thursday, February 28, 2019

Dark Phoenix Trailer

When X-Men films are done well, they really do soar. Here's hoping this will make up for the last one, and so far, it does look good:

Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Netflix Announces Martin Scorsese's The Irishman

Netflix may not have won the top prize at this year's Oscars, but they have to feel emboldened by Roma's success. In the middle of the Oscars, they dropped this teaser annoucement for Martin Scorsese's The Irishman. With this cast, director, screenwriter, and buzz, Netflix may be closer to the finish line than we think. Check out the announcement below:

Monday, February 25, 2019

The Oscar Narrative: The End

We find ourselves here again. This place, this day. I always hate the day after the Oscars. There's this lull in the awards world, this quiet, this calmness that at first seems peaceful, especially after three months of non-stop awards coverage. But then it gets really quiet. Until Emmy season heats up, it is just awful. Then Cannes and the summer blockbuster season roll around, and then the fall festivals, critics awards, guild awards, and Oscars again. I don't want to linger on the Green Book stuff. All I can say is that the industry gave a huge middle finger to the purist online liberals who will stop at nothing until the exact film they want wins. Those folks lost, they lost their minds, and they are so tied up in a film they didn't like, that they can't even see the light that came out of this year's Oscars. And there was so much light, so much positive energy, so much positive change. The ceremony was one of the best in years. The no-host idea might not have been planned, but it might be just the perfect solution. With the exception of the Queen opening, almost everything else was about celebrating film and artists. The only deviations from awards and original song performances were the In Memoriam segment, and the inside look at the Academy Museum. That was it. And they both felt like a nice continuation of the celebration. Other than that it was about celebrating film, and no matter what you think of Green Book there was a lot to celebrate.

Spike Lee is finally an Oscar winner. Ruth Carter is finally an Oscar winner, and she and her production design counterparts made incredible history last night. All three shorts, and Best Documentary Feature had female filmmakers on the stage, and with Bao and Free Solo, Asian-American filmmakers as well. Regina King's win was fantastic, and while I hate that Glenn Close is still Oscar-less, I am so thrilled for the magnificent Olivia Colman, whose wonderful speech stole the show. I have even gotten over Bohemian Rhapsody winning Film Editing (seriously though, I don't get it), because everything else was great.

This was a great night for film. I think this year particularly, we let the hatred, and the divisiveness of our world encompass our art. We let it permeate into the Oscar race, and to be honest, there were days where the constant barrage of negativity online really made me wonder whether I wanted to keep doing this blog, keep covering these awards. If it makes you sick to your stomach, or just plain miserable, why keep doing it? Last night reminded me of why I love doing this. It's not my regular job. I am full-time librarian, and this is my release, my hobby at the end of a long day or week. I will keeping doing this, whether anyone out there cares or not. I will do it because I enjoy it and I love film. I just need to keep in mind next year to not let the negativity get to me. Last night, the Academy surely didn't. I need to follow their example.

On July 12, 2009, I launched The Awards Psychic. I have gone back to those early years and cringed at some of the content I put up. But I will never take it down. It is a reminder of how far I have come from an eager college kid to someone who hopefully, has learned the right balance to make it all work. That means that this coming July 12th, I will have been writing this blog for a decade. I cannot believe it has been ten years. So much has changed in my life, and yet despite it all, this has been the one constant. This summer, to celebrate, I will be working on my Top 100 Films and Top 100 Television Shows of July 12, 2009 - July 12, 2019. This will be a revisionist history in many cases, or an affirmation in others, but it will hopefully serve as a nice celebration and reminder of this wild, wonderful, and transformative decade in American culture, and in my personal life. Before I leave another Oscar season, I have to, as I always do, say thank you. Thank you for reading this blog, thank you for loving film, and I personally cannot wait to join all of you on this journey again. To quote my favorite 2019 film's director, the great Spike Lee, as we move forward, let's choose love not hate, in all aspects of our lives, and let's remember that our passion is driven by love. Thank you again, for everything.

Sunday, February 24, 2019

The 91st Annual Academy Awards

I will update the winners live!:

Best Picture - Green Book
Best Director - Alfonso Cuaron "Roma"
Best Actor - Rami Malek "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Best Actress - Olivia Colman "The Favourite"
Best Supporting Actor - Mahershala Ali "Green Book"
Best Supporting Actress - Regina King "If Beale Street Could Talk"
Best Adapted Screenplay - Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott, and Spike Lee "BlacKkKlansman"
Best Original Screenplay - Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie, and Peter Farrelly "Green Book"
Best Animated Feature - Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Best Documentary Feature - Free Solo
Best Foreign Language Film - Roma
Best Cinematography - Alfonso Cuaron "Roma"
Best Costume Design - Ruth Carter "Black Panther"
Best Film Editing - Bohemian Rhapsody
Best Makeup and Hairstyling - Vice
Best Original Score - Ludwig Goransson "Black Panther"
Best Original Song - Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando, and Andrew Watt "Shallow" from A Star is Born
Best Production Design - Black Panther
Best Sound Editing - Bohemian Rhapsody
Best Sound Mixing - Bohemian Rhapsody
Best Visual Effects - First Man
Best Animated Short - Bao
Best Documentary Short - Period. End of Sentence
Best Live Action Short - Skin

Saturday, February 23, 2019

The Oscar Narrative: Final Predictions - Final List

No going back now! Less than 24 hours till the Oscars. Here is one final look:

Best Picture - Green Book
Best Director - Alfonso Cuaron "Roma"
Best Actor - Rami Malek "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Best Actress - Glenn Close "The Wife"
Best Supporting Actor - Mahershala Ali "Green Book"
Best Supporting Actress - Regina King "If Beale Street Could Talk"
Best Adapted Screenplay - Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmot, and Spike Lee "BlacKkKlansman"
Best Original Screenplay - Nick Vallelonga, Brian Hayes Currie, and Peter Farrelly "Green Book"
Best Animated Feature - Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Best Documentary Feature - RBG
Best Foreign Language Film - Roma
Best Cinematography - Alfonso Cuaron "Roma"
Best Costume Design - Black Panther
Best Film Editing - Vice
Best Makeup and Hairstyling - Vice
Best Original Score - Ludwig Goransson "Black Panther"
Best Original Song - A Star is Born - Shallow
Best Production Design - The Favourite
Best Sound Editing - Bohemian Rhapsody
Best Sound Mixing - Bohemian Rhapsody
Best Visual Effects - First Man
Best Animated Short - Bao
Best Documentary Short - End Game
Best Live Action Short - Marguerite

39th Annual Golden Raspberry "Razzie" Awards

Worst Picture
Holmes & Watson

Worst Actress
Melissa McCarthy "The Happytime Murders" and "Life of the Party"

Worst Actor
Donald J. Trump (As Himself) "Death of a Nation" and "Fahrenheit 11/9"

Worst Supporting Actor
John C. Reilly "Holmes & Watson"

Worst Supporting Actress
Kellyanne Conway "Fahrenheit 11/9"

Worst Screen Combo
Donald J. Trump & His Self-Perpetuating Pettiness "Death of a Nation"

Worst Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel
Holmes & Watson

Worst Director
Etan Cohen  "Holmes & Watson"

Worst Screenplay
Fifty Shades Freed, Screenplay by Niall Leonard, from the Novel by E.L. James

Razzie Redeemer Award
Actress: Melissa McCarthy, who went from a multi-Razzie darling to a critically acclaimed Oscar Nominee for her out-of-caricature role in Can You Ever Forgive Me?

The 34th Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards

Best Feature - If Beale Street Could Talk
Best Director - Barry Jenkins "If Beale Street Could Talk"
Best Actor - Ethan Hawke "First Reformed"
Best Actress - Glenn Close "The Wife"
Best Supporting Actor - Richard E. Grant "Can You Ever Forgive Me?"
Best Supporting Actress - Regina King "If Beale Street Could Talk"
Best Screenplay - Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty "Can You Ever Forgive Me?"
Best Documentary - Won't You Be My Neighbor?
Best First Feature - Sorry to Bother You
Best First Screenplay - Bo Burnham "Eighth Grade"
Best International Film - Roma
Best Cinematography - Suspiria
Best Editing - You Were Never Really Here
John Cassavetes Award - En El Septimo Dia
Robert Altman Award - Suspiria
Producers Award - Shrihari Sathe
Someone to Watch Award - Alex Moratto "Sócrates"
Truer Than Fiction Award – Bing Liu "Minding the Gap"
The Bonnie Award - Debra Granik

Friday, February 22, 2019

International Film Music Critics Association Awards

FILM SCORE OF THE YEAR
SOLO, music by John Powell

FILM COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
JAMES NEWTON HOWARD

BREAKTHROUGH COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
AMELIA WARNER

FILM MUSIC COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR
“The Adventures of Han” from SOLO, written by John Williams

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DRAMA FILM
MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS, music by Max Richter

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A COMEDY FILM
MARY POPPINS RETURNS, music by Marc Shaiman

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLER FILM
RED SPARROW, music by James Newton Howard

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A FANTASY/SCIENCE FICTION/HORROR FILM
SOLO, music by John Powell

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ANIMATED FILM
MAX AND ME, music by Mark McKenzie

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DOCUMENTARY
TIDES OF FATE, music by Pinar Toprak

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A TELEVISION SERIES
LOST IN SPACE, music by Christopher Lennertz

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A VIDEO GAME OR INTERACTIVE MEDIA
GOD OF WAR, music by Bear McCreary

BEST ARCHIVAL RELEASE – NEW RELEASE OR NEW RECORDING OF AN EXISTING SCORE
DRACULA, music by John Williams; album produced by Mike Matessino and Robert Townson; liner notes by Mike Matessino; art direction by Jim Titus (Varèse Sarabande)

BEST ARCHIVAL RELEASE – COMPILATION
HARRY POTTER: THE JOHN WILLIAMS SOUNDTRACK COLLECTION; music by John Williams; album produced by Mike Matessino; liner notes by Mike Matessino; art direction by Jim Titus (La-La Land)

FILM MUSIC LABEL OF THE YEAR
LA-LA LAND, MV Gerhard, Matt Verboys

The Oscar Narrative: Final Predictions - Best Picture and Best Director

Best Picture
Will Win - Green Book
Should Win - BlacKkKlansman
Could Win - Roma, BlacKkKlansman, The Favourite, Bohemian Rhapsody, Black Panther
Commentary - Seriously, I could probably make a case for almost all of the nominees for Best Picture. I think Vice is out. I know it is one of the few films that got everything that it needed, and it certainly has its fans. But it is not winning on the first ballot, and it is not a film that will do well in the preferential ballot system. It is a number 1 or a number 8 vote. I also think A Star is Born is out as well. It is clearly well-liked, but it just kept coming up short over and over again. For whatever reason it just did not click with voters the way many of us thought it would. Bohemian Rhapsody has defied its critics and its scandals, and Black Panther is a genuine pop cultural phenomenon. But without some of those key categories, I feel like neither has enough support to pull ahead. That being said, both are so popular, a win for either would not be completely shocking. The Favourite will have its detractors, which hurts it in this voting system, but the film's 10 nominations are nothing to ignore, and it definitely has its fans. BlacKkKlansman is beloved, but it has not really won much of anything, which hurts it. At least Moonlight had the Globe and WGA. Roma is everyone's pick, and I get why. BAFTA, DGA, and a slew of other awards shows its popularity. But it is a black and white foreign language film, it is esoteric and not an easy sit, it is from Netflix, which many voters have admitted makes them put it at the bottom, even if they respect the film. Green Book has survived all of its controversies, from Viggo, to Nick, to Peter, to the racism stuff, even Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has defended it against racism charges. The tapes were released that proved that Don Shirley's family's accusations were false. Also, you hear voters constantly putting in that number two and three slot, and you hear voters who don't give a shit if the Film Internet and Film Twitter worlds don't like it. It missed director, which is big, but then again, Roma missed editing. I think that the PGA shows us that Green Book does well on a preferential ballot. While it's not a perfect system, in a close year with so many potential contenders, all of whom lost to Green Book at the PGA, I am going to play it safe with the known. All of this knowing that this race is filled with nothing but unknowns.

Best Director
Will Win - Alfonso Cuaron "Roma"
Could Win - Spike Lee "BlacKkKlansman"
Should Win - Spike Lee "BlacKkKlansman"
Commentary - Spike Lee deserves to be in this conversation, but after the Globe, Critics Choice, DGA, and BAFTA all went Cuaron's way, I think he has this one locked up. Best Picture may be a mess, but this one is pretty cut and dry.

Thursday, February 21, 2019

The Oscar Narrative: Final Predictions - Best Actor and Best Actress

Best Actor
Will Win - Rami Malek "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Could Win - Christian Bale "Vice"
Should Win - Christian Bale "Vice"
Commentary - Christian Bale should be winning this award, but alas, after SAG, BAFTA, and the Globe, Rami Malek is on a sweep. Even voters who didn't like Bohemian Rhapsody loved Malek's performance, and he has turned his director's controversy into sympathy. He's got this one in the bag.

Best Actress
Will Win - Glenn Close "The Wife"
Could Win - Olivia Colman "The Favourite"
Should Win - Olivia Colman "The Favourite"
Commentary - Colman's BAFTA win makes this race closer than previously thought. But the Brits love Colman, who has won many of their television awards. I think stateside the lack of campaigning (due to filming of the next season of The Crown), and the fact that Glenn Close, who won SAG, Critics Choice, and the Globe, is so overdue for an Oscar, will be too much for her to overcome and surprise.

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

21st Costume Designers Guild (CDG) Awards

Excellence in Contemporary Film
Crazy Rich Asians – Mary E. Vogt

Excellence in Period Film
The Favourite – Sandy Powell

Excellence in Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film
Black Panther – Ruth E. Carter

Excellence in Variety, Reality-Competition, Live Television
RuPaul’s Drag Race – Zaldy Goco

Excellence in Period Television
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel – Donna Zakowska

Excellence in Contemporary Television
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story – Lou Eyrich & Allison Leach

Excellence in Sci-Fi / Fantasy Television
Westworld – Sharen Davis

Excellence in Short Form Design
Childish Gambino: “This is America”, music video – Natasha Newman-Thomas

Spotlight Award Honoree
Glenn Close

Distinguished Service Award Honoree
Betty Pecha Madden

Distinguished Collaborator Award Honoree
Ryan Murphy

Career Achievement Award
Ruth E. Carter

The Oscar Narrative: Final Predictions - Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress

Best Supporting Actor
Will Win - Mahershala Ali "Green Book"
Could Win - Richard E. Grant "Can You Ever Forgive Me?"
Should Win - Richard E. Grant "Can You Ever Forgive Me?"
Commentary - Richard E. Grant has built up so much good will, and has been working the circuit so hard. It is paying off. Word is a lot of folks are voting for him and his endearing performance. Despite that goodwill though, he has not won a major award, and has been relegated to early critics awards. Instead, Mahershala Ali has had a clean sweep of the Globes, Critics Choice Awards, SAG, and BAFTA, and looks like he is well on his way to a second Academy Award. And if anyone is watching this season of True Detective, an Emmy award will probably be added to his mantel soon as well.

Best Supporting Actress
Will Win - Regina King "If Beale Street Could Talk"
Could Win - Rachel Weisz "The Favourite", Amy Adams "Vice", Marina de Tavira "Roma"
Should Win - Regina King "If Beale Street Could Talk"
Commentary - Is this Syvelster Stallone all over again? Are we all diving into the Regina King pick and making the same mistake we did two years ago? Maybe, but I'm still picking Regina King, because I honestly don't know which of the other four could beat her. Rachel Weisz is technically this year's Mark Rylance, with her BAFTA in tow. But, I think that stateside, her co-star Emma Stone will pull enough voters away, something Rylance did not have to deal with in his surprise win. I also still wonder about Amy Adams. I know she hasn't won anything, but Vice is popular, and in a tight race, she could have a solid plurality vote. Finally, if Roma proves to be the night's big winner, watch out for Marina de Tavira. Once again, in a race that could literally go one of five ways, a small, but passionate plurality could put her over the top.

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

The Oscar Narrative: Best Adapted Screenplay and Original Screenplay

Best Adapted Screenplay
Will Win - Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott, and Spike Lee "BlacKkKLansman"
Could Win - Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" or Barry Jenkins "If Beale Street Could Talk"
Should Win - Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott, and Spike Lee "BlacKkKLansman"
Commentary - The WGAs threw a curveball with Can You Ever Forgive Me?, but in the end, the BAFTA win will probably be more predictive, and they will find a way to reward Spike Lee with a consolation prize for director, and give him his first competitive Oscar trophy.

Best Original Screenplay
Will Win - Nick Vallelonga, Brian Hayes Currie, and Peter Farrelly "Green Book"
Could Win - Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara "The Favourite"
Should Win - Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara "The Favourite"
Commentary - This a tight race, and Green Book took a big hit when it lost to Eighth Grade at the WGA Awards. But I think that the overall Academy likes Green Book better than the writers alone. The Favourite though is tough competition. It won the BAFTA, and is strong with voters, and has a lot less controversy behind it. But I feel that Green Book is going to be stronger across the board including Best Picture, and will take this award along with it.

Monday, February 18, 2019

The Oscar Narrative: Final Predictions - Cinematography, Costume Design, Film Editing, Makeup and Hairstyling, Production Design, and Visual Effects

Best Cinematography
Will Win - Alfonso Cuaron "Roma"
Could Win - Lukas Zal "Cold War"
Should Win - Alfonso Cuaron "Roma"
Commentary - Lukas Zal has an upset at the ASC awards, but we have seen those kinds of upset before. BAFTA went for Roma, and I think that when voters other than cinematographers are casting their ballots that Cuaron's work in Roma will reign supreme.

Best Costume Design
Will Win - Black Panther
Could Win - The Favourite
Should Win - Black Panther
Commentary - So BAFTA went for The Favourite, but it was a British favorite, and not up against Black Panther. At tomorrow night's CDG awards, these two films are probably going to take their respective categories. This category over the last ten years has been split between period dramas (Phantom Thread, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Great Gatsby, Anna Karenina, The Artist, The Young Victoria), and fantasy films (Alice in Wonderland, Mad Max: Fury Road, Fantastic Beasts). I think that The Favourite's costumes are lovely, but Black Panther's are iconic, and have been discussed for years. Plus, Ruth Carter is a legend who doesn't have an Oscar yet, and there has been a lot of buzz, and a lot of positive press about her work. In a close race, I think Black Panther wins.

Best Film Editing
Will Win - Vice
Could Win - Literally the other four.
Should Win - BlacKkKlansman
Commentary - I literally could make an argument for all of these nominees. Bohemian Rhapsody and The Favourite won at the ACE Eddies. BlacKkKlansman and Green Book are the bigger Best Picture contenders. But I think, after its BAFTA win, that this is Vice's to lose. It is clearly a well-liked film among Academy voters, and it has the most obvious and flashy editing. Remember that often the most is equated with the best.

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Will Win - Vice
Could Win - Mary Queen of Scots
Should Win - Vice
Commentary - Voters love transformative biopic makeup work (Darkest Hour, Dallas Buyers Club, The Iron Lady) and Christian Bale alone will probably win Vice this award.

Best Production Design
Will Win - The Favourite
Could Win - Black Panther
Should Win - Black Panther or The Favourite
Commentary - For some reason, I just don't think voters are going to let a lavish period piece like The Favourite walk away empty-handed on the craft side. Black Panther could win both, The Favourite could win both, or they could flip-flop these categories. But I think the sets, the palace, will sway voters.

Best Visual Effects
Will Win - Avengers: Infinity War
Could Win - First Man or Ready Player One
Should Win - First Man
Commentary - With its multiple technical nominations, it feels like First Man should win here, and it deserves to. It might be the most subtle of the bunch, but it is certainly excellent work. But it has not done well even with crafts guild awards, except for the VES awards, and it is subtle. Ready Player One could upset, with its vast pop cultural references, but Avengers: Infinity War is the most obvious of the choices.

Writers Guild of America (WGA) Awards

Big surprises in the film category. Original Screenplay is a real tossup, and Adapted Screenplay got some intrigue.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Eighth Grade, Written by Bo Burnham; A24

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Screenplay by Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty, Based on the book by Lee Israel; Fox Searchlight.

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
Bathtubs Over Broadway, Written by Ozzy Inguanzo & Dava Whisenant; Focus Features

DRAMA SERIES
The Americans, Written by Peter Ackerman, Hilary Bettis, Joshua Brand, Joel Fields, Sarah Nolen, Stephen Schiff, Justin Weinberger, Joe Weisberg, Tracey Scott Wilson; FX Networks

COMEDY SERIES
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Written by Kate Fodor, Noah Gardenswartz, Daniel Goldfarb, Jen Kirkman, Sheila Lawrence, Daniel Palladino, Amy Sherman Palladino; Prime Video

NEW SERIES
Barry, Written by Alec Berg, Duffy Boudreau, Bill Hader, Emily Heller, Liz Sarnoff, Ben Smith, Sarah Solemani; HBO

ORIGINAL LONG FORM
Castle Rock, Writers: Marc Bernardin, Scott Brown, Lila Byock, Mark Lafferty, Sam Shaw, Dustin Thomason, Gina Welch, Vinnie Wilhelm; Hulu

ADAPTED LONG FORM
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, Writers: Maggie Cohn, Tom Rob Smith, Based on the book Vulgar Favors by Maureen Orth; FX Networks

ORIGINAL SHORT FORM NEW MEDIA
Class of Lies, Written by Tessa Leigh Williams; Snapchat

ADAPTED SHORT FORM NEW MEDIA
The Walking Dead: Red Machete, Written by Nick Bernardone; AMC.com

ANIMATION
“Bart’s Not Dead” (The Simpsons), Written by Stephanie Gillis; Fox

EPISODIC DRAMA
“Paean To The People” (Homeland), Written by Alex Gansa; Showtime

EPISODIC COMEDY
“Chapter One: 'Make Your Mark'” (Barry), Written by Alec Berg & Bill Hader; HBO

COMEDY/VARIETY TALK SERIES
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver; Writers: Tim Carvell, Raquel D’Apice, Josh Gondelman, Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Daniel O’Brien, John Oliver, Brian Parise, Owen Parsons, Ben Silva, Will Tracy, Jill Twiss, Seena Vali, Juli Weiner; HBO

COMEDY/VARIETY SKETCH SERIES
Nathan For You, Writers: Leo Allen, Nathan Fielder, Carrie Kemper, Michael Koman, Adam Locke-Norton, Eric Notarnicola; Comedy Central

COMEDY/VARIETY SPECIALS
The Fake News with Ted Nelms, Written by John Aboud, Andrew Blitz, Michael Colton, Ed Helms, Elliott Kalan, Joseph Randazzo, Sara Schaefer; Comedy Central

QUIZ AND AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Head Writer: Stephen A. Melcher, Jr.; Writers: Kyle Beakley, Tom Cohen, Patricia A. Cotter, Ryan Hopak, Gary Lucy, James Rowley, Ann Slichter, Dylan Snowden; Disney/ABC Syndication

DAYTIME DRAMA
General Hospital, Head Writers: Shelly Altman, Christopher Van Etten; Writers: Barbara Bloom, Anna Theresa Cascio, Suzanne Flynn, Charlotte Gibson, Lucky Gold, Kate Hall, Elizabeth Korte, Daniel James O'Connor, Donny Sheldon, Scott Sickles; ABC

CHILDREN’S EPISODIC AND SPECIALS
“The Ersatz Elevator: Part One” (A Series of Unfortunate Events), Teleplay by Daniel Handler; Netflix

66th Annual Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE) Golden Reel Awards

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Dialogue / ADR
Bohemian Rhapsody

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Effects / Foley
A Quiet Place

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Music Score
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Musical
Bohemian Rhapsody

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature Documentary
(TIE) Free Solo and They Shall Not Grow Old

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Foreign Language Feature
Roma

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Episodic Long Form – Dialogue/ADR
Westworld - “The Riddle of the Sphinx”

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Episodic Long Form – Effects / Foley
Altered Carbon - “Out of the Past”

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Single Presentation
Phillip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Episodic Long Form – Music / Musical
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - “We’re Going to the Catskills”

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Episodic Short Form – Dialogue/ADR
The Americans - “Harvest”

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Episodic Short Form – Effects / Foley
Atlanta - “Teddy Perkins”

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Episodic Short Form – Music / Musical 
(TIE) American Horror Story: Apocalypse - “The End” and Vikings - “Moment of Vision”

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Animation Short Form
Overwatch - “Reunion”

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Non-Theatrical Animation Long Form
NextGen

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Non-Theatrical Documentary
Searching for Sound

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Non-Theatrical Feature
Extinction

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Special Venue
Age of Sail

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Computer Cinematic
World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Computer Interactive Game Play
God of War

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Live Action Under 35:00
Short Treks - “The Brightest Star”

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Student Film 
Facing It

Filmmaker Award
Antoine Fuqua

Career Achievement Award
Stephen H. Flick

Sunday, February 17, 2019

The Oscar Narrative: Best Original Score, Original Song, Sound Mixing, and Sound Editing

Best Original Score
Will Win - Ludwig Goransson "Black Panther"
Could Win - Marc Shaiman "Mary Poppins Returns" or Nicholas Britell "If Beale Street Could Talk"
Should Win - Justin Hurwitz...oh yeah, that's right...then Britell
Commentary - How Justin Hurwitz missed out here is just unfathomable, and was my biggest snub of Oscar nomination morning. Without Hurwitz in this race, this becomes a tight, three-way race. A lot of folks are predicting If Beale Street Could Talk, because it is the most obvious and pretty score. That is a possibility, as is Mary Poppins Returns, which would bring Marc Shaiman his first Oscar, and make him the newest member of the EGOT club. But this award almost always go to a Best Picture nominee. The one exception was when Ennio Morricone won for The Hateful Eight, which was more about the composer than the score/film. This makes me think that Ludwig Goransson, who won this corresponding category at the Grammys, is going to reap the benefits of Black Panther's popularity. The film is going to win something, and with its music as popular as the film itself, this feels like the perfect place.

Best Original Song
Will Win - A Star is Born - Shallow
Could Win - Black Panther - All the Stars
Should Win - Black Panther - All the Stars or Mary Poppins Returns - The Place Where the Lost Things Go
Commentary - All the Stars is easily the best of the bunch, and I kind of hate it has not gained the same amount of traction as Shallow. I am personally a huge fan of Mary Poppins Returns, and thinks that the numerous original songs deserve credit. Plus, The Place Where the Lost Things Go is such a sad and sweet melody. But this awards is going to Shallow, which has swept the awards, including winning at BAFTA (where the score and song categories are combined), over many of the score contenders. It gets Lady Gaga up on the stage, and is going to be the film's overall reward.

Best Sound Mixing
Will Win - Bohemian Rhapsody
Could Win - A Star is Born, Black Panther, or First Man
Should Win - First Man
Commentary - The Live Aid concert and music won over the CAS yesterday, and it won the BAFTA for sound (which combines Mixing and Editing). I think this is Bohemian Rhapsody's to lose. A Star is Born could win if the film gets an upswing, Black Panther is the big technical achievement, and First Man is easily the best of the bunch, so all should not be discounted.

Best Sound Editing
Will Win - First Man
Could Win - Bohemian Rhapsody or Black Panther
Should Win - First Man
Commentary - When a musical or music-based film wins Sound Mixing, it hasn't taken Sound Editing with it in a long time. I think that voters could just check Bohemian Rhapsody for both, but in these cases in the past, voters have discerned between the two, giving something else Editing. Black Panther or Roma are the Best Picture contenders to look out for, but the history of this category points to First Man, which is the best of the bunch in terms of its sound work.

The 31st USC Libraries Scripter Awards

I don't know if I am more embarrased as a librarian or a film buff, but either way, I am officially a week behind on the USC Scripter, where Leave No Trace bucked Oscar voters.

Film Screenplay
Screenwriters Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini for “Leave No Trace” based on the novel “My Abandonment” by Peter Rock.

Television Screenplay
Russell T Davies, for “A Very English Scandal,” and author John Preston 

Online Film and Television Association Film Award Winners

BEST PICTURE
The Favourite

BEST ANIMATED PICTURE
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

BEST ACTOR
Rami Malek – Bohemian Rhapsody

BEST ACTRESS
Olivia Colman – The Favourite

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Richard E. Grant – Can You Ever Forgive Me?

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Regina King – If Beale Street Could Talk

BEST YOUTH PERFORMANCE
Elsie Fisher – Eighth Grade

BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE: MALE
John David Washington – BlacKkKlansman

BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE: FEMALE
Elsie Fisher – Eighth Grade

BEST VOICE-OVER PERFORMANCE
Shameik Moore – Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

BEST ENSEMBLE
The Favourite

BEST CASTING
The Favourite

BEST DIRECTOR
Yorgos Lanthimos – The Favourite

BEST FEATURE DEBUT
Bradley Cooper – A Star Is Born

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
The Favourite

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
If Beale Street Could Talk

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Roma

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
If Beale Street Could Talk

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Shallow – A Star Is Born

BEST ADAPTED SONG
La Vie en Rose – A Star Is Born

BEST FILM EDITING
The Favourite

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Roma

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
The Favourite

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Black Panther

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIR
(TIE) The Favourite and Vice

BEST SOUND
First Man

BEST SOUND EFFECTS
A Quiet Place

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Avengers: Infinity War

BEST STUNT COORDINATION
Mission: Impossible – Fallout

BEST TITLES SEQUENCE
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Opening Credits)

MOST CINEMATIC MOMENT
First Man – Moon Landing

BEST MOVIE TRAILER
The Favourite (You Tube)

BEST MOVIE POSTER
BlacKkKlansman

Make-Up and Hair Stylists Guild Awards

FEATURE-LENGTH MOTION PICTURE – BEST CONTEMPORARY MAKE-UP
A Star is Born

FEATURE-LENGTH MOTION PICTURE – BEST CONTEMPORARY HAIR STYLING
Crazy Rich Asians

FEATURE-LENGTH MOTION PICTURE – BEST PERIOD AND/OR CHARACTER MAKE-UP
Vice

FEATURE-LENGTH MOTION PICTURE – BEST PERIOD AND/OR CHARACTER HAIR STYLING
Mary Queen of Scots

FEATURE-LENGTH MOTION PICTURE – BEST SPECIAL MAKE-UP EFFECTS
Vice

TELEVISION SERIES, TELEVISION MINI SERIES OR TELEVISION NEW MEDIA SERIES – BEST CONTEMPORARY MAKE-UP
American Horror Story: Apocalypse

TELEVISION SERIES, TELEVISION MINI SERIES OR TELEVISION NEW MEDIA SERIES – BEST CONTEMPORARY HAIR STYLING
Dancing with the Stars

TELEVISION SERIES, TELEVISION MINI SERIES OR TELEVISION NEW MEDIA SERIES – BEST PERIOD AND/OR CHARACTER MAKE-UP
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

TELEVISION SERIES, TELEVISION MINI SERIES OR TELEVISION NEW MEDIA SERIES – BEST PERIOD AND/OR CHARACTER HAIR STYLING
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

TELEVISION SERIES, TELEVISION MINI SERIES OR TELEVISION NEW MEDIA SERIES – BEST SPECIAL MAKE-UP EFFECTS
Westworld

MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION OR SPECIAL– BEST CONTEMPORARY MAKE-UP
King Lear

MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION OR SPECIAL – BEST CONTEMPORARY HAIR STYLING
Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert

MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION OR SPECIAL – BEST SPECIAL MAKE-UP EFFECTS
Cocaine Godmother

DAYTIME TELEVISION – BEST MAKE-UP
The Young and the Restless

DAYTIME TELEVISION - BEST HAIR STYLING
The Young and the Restless

CHILDREN AND TEEN TELEVISION PROGRAMMING – BEST MAKE-UP
A Series of Unfortunate Events

CHILDREN AND TEEN TELEVISION PROGRAMMING – BEST HAIR STYLING
A Series of Unfortunate Events

55th Annual Cinema Audio Society Awards

Motion Picture - Live Action
Bohemian Rhapsody

Motion Picture - Animated
Isle of Dogs

Motion Picture - Documentary
Free Solo

Television Series - 1 Hour
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Television Series - 1/2 Hour
Mozart in the Jungle

Television Movie or Limited Series
American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace

Television Non-Fiction, Variety, or Music Series/Specials
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown

Saturday, February 16, 2019

The Oscar Narrative: Final Predictions - Best Animated Feature, Documentary Feature, and Foreign Language Film

Best Animated Feature
Will Win - Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Could Win - Incredibles 2
Should Win - Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Commentary - A late game-changer, Spider-Man has racked up almost all of the major awards, including the PGA, Annie, Globe, and a lot of the technical awards. I think that it is going to take the Oscar as well. In the back of my mind though, I am keeping a lookout for Incredibles 2. Pixar has dominated this category for years, and, despite some reports, Incredibles 2 is a heck of a sequel, and a fantastic film. The race may be closer than we think.

Best Documentary Feature
Will Win - RBG
Could Win - Free Solo or Minding the Gap
Should Win - Minding the Gap
Commentary - Minding the Gap is the indie favorite, and the most unique of the bunch. Free Solo is getting a huge boost from its BAFTA win. RBG is the political film of the bunch. The Oscar for Best Doc Feature has always split between the personal, feel-good contenders (think Amy, 20 Feet From Stardom, Searching for Sugarman, Man on Wire, Undefeated), or the political films (think O.J: Made in America, Icarus, Citizenfour, Inside Job). This year, Free Solo is the feel-good (okay its also horrifying to watch) and RBG is the political favorite. A lot of folks have moved towards Free Solo, which is not a bad move, but I think that like Icarus last year (over Faces Places), the current political climate, and all of the press surrounding Ruth Bader Ginsburg, will end up bringing RBG Oscar gold.

Best Foreign Language Film
Will Win - Roma
Could Win - Cold War
Should Win - Roma or Cold War
Commentary - There are some folks who are picking Roma for Best Picture, therefore, they think voters will reward Cold War in this category, and then Roma in the top category. But I think that if voters are putting Roma as their Best Picture, then they are also putting it at the top of this category. And if something other than Roma wins the top prize, then this will act as a consolation prize for its team.

18th Annual AARP Movies for Grownup Awards

Best Movie for Grownups
Green Book

Best Actress
Glenn Close (The Wife)

Best Actor
Viggo Mortensen (Green Book)

Best Supporting Actress
Judi Dench (All Is True)

Best Supporting Actor
Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)

Best Director
Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman)

Best Screenwriter
Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)

Best Intergenerational Film
Mary Poppins Returns

Best Time Capsule
If Beale Street Could Talk

Best Grownup Love Story
What They Had

Best Documentary
Won't You Be My Neighbor?

Best Foreign Film
Roma

Best Ensemble
Bohemian Rhapsody

Readers' Choice
A Star Is Born

Friday, February 15, 2019

The Oscar Narrative - Final Oscar Predictions - Shorts

Best Animated Short
Will Win - Bao
Could Win - Weekends or Late Afternoon
Should Win - Bao

Best Documentary Short
Will Win - End Game
Could Win - Period. End of Sentence., or Black Sheep
Should Win - Black Sheep

Best Live Action Short
Will Win - Detainment
Could Win - Marguerite, Skin, of Fauve
Should Win - Marguerite

Wednesday, February 13, 2019

50th Annual NAACP Image Award Nominations

Entertainer of the Year
Beyoncé
Chadwick Boseman
Ryan Coogler
LeBron James
Regina King

Outstanding Motion Picture
Black Panther
BlacKkKlansman
Crazy Rich Asians
The Hate U Give
If Beale Street Could Talk

Outstanding Independent Motion Picture
BlacKkKlansman
If Beale Street Could Talk
Nappily Ever After
Sorry To Bother You
Traffik

Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
Chadwick Boseman – Black Panther
Stephan James – If Beale Street Could Talk
Michael B. Jordan – Creed II
Denzel Washington – The Equalizer 2
John David Washington – BlacKkKlansman

Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
Viola Davis – Widows
Sanaa Lathan – Nappily Ever After
KiKi Layne – If Beale Street Could Talk
Amandla Stenberg – The Hate U Give
Constance Wu – Crazy Rich Asians

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Mahershala Ali – Green Book
Winston Duke – Black Panther
Brian Tyree Henry – If Beale Street Could Talk
Russell Hornsby – The Hate U Give
Michael B. Jordan – Black Panther

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Danai Gurira – Black Panther
Regina Hall – The Hate U Give
Regina King – If Beale Street Could Talk
Lupita Nyong’o – Black Panther
Letitia Wright – Black Panther

Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture
Winston Duke – Black Panther
KiKi Layne – If Beale Street Could Talk
Storm Reid – A Wrinkle In Time
John David Washington – BlacKkKlansman
Letitia Wright – Black Panther

Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture
Black Panther
BlacKkKlansman
Crazy Rich Asians
The Hate U Give
Widows

Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture
Ryan Coogler – Black Panther
Alan Hicks, Rashida Jones – Quincy
Barry Jenkins – If Beale Street Could Talk
Spike Lee – BlacKkKlansman
Steve McQueen – Widows

Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture 
Peter Chiarelli, Adele Lim – Crazy Rich Asians
Ryan Coogler, Joe Robert Cole – Black Panther
Barry Jenkins – If Beale Street Could Talk
Boots Riley – Sorry To Bother You
Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott, Spike Lee – BlacKkKlansman

Outstanding Documentary (Film)
Amazing Grace
Making The Five Heartbeats
Quincy
RBG
Whitney

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance (Television or Film)
Mahershala Ali – Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Laya Deleon Hayes – Doc McStuffins
Samuel L. Jackson – Incredibles 2
Shameik Moore – Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Issa Rae – Bojack Horseman

Outstanding Drama Series
The Chi
How To Get Away With Murder
Power
Queen Sugar
This Is Us

Outstanding Comedy Series
Atlanta
black-ish
Dear White People
grown-ish
Insecure

Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series
Sterling K. Brown - This Is Us
Keith David - Greenleaf
Omari Hardwick - The Power
Jason Mitchell - The Chi
Kofi Siriboe - Queen Sugar

Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series
Taraji P. Henson - Empire
Viola Davis - How to Get Away with Murder
Naturi Naughton - Power
Rutina Wesley - Queen Sugar
Alfre Woodard - Marvel’s Luke Cage

Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Anderson - black-ish
Cedric the Entertainer - The Neighborhood
Donald Glover - Atlanta
Dwayne Johnson - Ballers
Tracy Morgan - The Last O.G

Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series
Danielle Brooks - Orange is the New Black
Logan Browning - Dear White People
Issa Rae - Insecure
Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish
Yara Shahidi - grown-ish

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Romany Malco - A Million Little Things
Joe Morton - Scandal
Wendell Pierce - Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan
Jussie Smollett - Empire
Jesse Williams - Grey’s Anatomy

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Sanaa Lathan - The Affair
Thandie Newton - Westworld
CCH Pounder - NCIS: New Orleans
Susan Kelechi Watson - This Is Us
Lynn Whitfield - Greenleaf

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Tituss Burgess - Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Jay Ellis - Insecure
Laurence Fishburne - black-ish
Marcus Scribner - black-ish
John David Washington - Ballers

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Uzo Aduba - Orange is the New Black
Essence Atkins - Marlon
Marsai Martin - black-ish
Yvonne Orji - Insecure
Natasha Rothwell - Insecure

Outstanding Guest Performance in a Comedy or Drama Series
Erika Alexander – Black Lightning – Book of Consequences: Chapter Three: Master Lowery
Tisha Campbell-Martin – Empire
Loretta Devine – Love Is Rose
Kendrick Lamar – Power – Happy Birthday
Kerry Washington – How to Get Away with Murder

Outstanding Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special
Behind The Movement
Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert
Seven Seconds
The Bobby Brown Story
The Simone Biles Story: Courage to Soar

Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special
Brandon Victor Dixon - Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert
Russell Hornsby - Seven Seconds
Michael B. Jordan - Fahrenheit 451
John Legend - Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert
Woody McClain - The Bobby Brown Story

Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special
Toni Braxton - Faith Under Fire: The Antoinette Tuff Story
Gabrielle Dennis - The Bobby Brown Story
Jeanté Godlock - The Simone Biles Story: Courage to Soar
Regina King - Seven Seconds
Anna Deavere Smith - Notes From the Field

Outstanding Album
Dirty Computer - Janelle Monae
Ella Mai - Ella Mai
Even More - MAJOR
Everything Is Love - The Carters
I Used To Know Her: The Prelude - H.E.R.

Outstanding New Artist
Koryn Hawthorne
Tory Lanez
Ella Mai
Jade Novah
Omar Wilson

Outstanding Male Artist
Raheem DeVaughn
Childish Gambino
John Legend
MAJOR
Bruno Mars

Outstanding Female Artist
Andra Day
H.E.R.
Janet Jackson
Ella Mai
Janelle Monáe

Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration
“All The Stars” – Black Panther – Kendrick Lamar, SZA
“Could’ve Been” – H.E.R., Bryson Tiller
“Everything Is Love” – The Carters
“Finesse (Remix)” – Bruno Mars feat. Cardi B
“A Good Night” – John Legend feat. BloodPop

Outstanding Jazz Album
Facing Dragons – Christian Sands
Hollywood Africans – Jon Batiste
RISE! – Ben Tankard feat. Marion Meadows, Kirk Whalum, Paul Jackson Jr.
The Story of Jaz – Jazmin Ghent feat. Jeff Lorber, James P. Lloyd, Kim Scott, Philippe Saisse
Waiting for the Sunrise – Camille Thurman

Outstanding Gospel Album (Traditional or Contemporary)
Heart. Passion. Pursuit. Live at Passion City Church – Tasha Cobbs Leonard
Hiding Place – Tori Kelly
Make Room – Jonathan McReynolds
One Nation Under God – Jekalyn Carr
Unstoppable – Koryn Hawthorne

Outstanding Music Video/Visual Album
All The Stars – Kendrick Lamar, SZA
APES**T – The Carters
Could’ve Been – H.E.R. feat. Bryson Tiller
Finesse (Remix) – Bruno Mars feat. Cardi B
This Is America – Childish Gambino

Outstanding Song – Traditional
"Amen" – Andra Day
"Better With You In It" – MAJOR.
"Beyond" – Leon Bridges
"Long As I Live" – Toni Braxton
"Never Alone" – Tori Kelly feat. Kirk Franklin

Outstanding Song – Contemporary
“As I Am” – H.E.R.
“Boo’d Up” – Ella Mai
“Finesse (Remix)” – Bruno Mars feat. Cardi B
“A Good Night” – John Legend feat. BloodPop
“This Is America” – Childish Gambino

Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation
Black Panther The Album Music From and Inspired By
Greenleaf, Season 3
Insecure Music From The HBO Original Series, Season 3
Marvel’s Luke Cage Season Two”
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Soundtrack From & Inspired by the Motion Picture

Sunday, February 10, 2019

61st Annual Grammy Awards

I will update throughout the evening:

Album of the Year - Kacey Musgraves "Golden Hour"
Record of the Year - Childish Gambino "This is America"
Song of the Year - Donald Glover, Ludwig Goransson, and Jeffrey Lamar Williams "This is America"
Best New Artist - Dua Lipa
Best Pop Vocal Album - Ariana Grande "Sweetener"
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album - Willie Nelson "My Way"
Best Pop Solo Performance - Lady Gaga "Joanne"
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance - Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga "Shallow"
Best Dance/Electronica Album - Justice "Woman Worldwide"
Best Dance Recording - Silk City and Dua Lipa feat. Diplo and Mark Ronson "Electricity"
Best Rock Album - Greta Van Fleet "From the Fires"
Best Rock Performance - Chris Cornell "When Bad Does Good"
Best Rock Song - Jack Antonoff and Annie Clark "MASSEDUCTION"
Best Metal Performance - High on Fire "Electric Messiah"
Best Alternative Music Album - Beck "Colors"
Best Urban Contemporary Album - The Carters "Everything is Love"
Best R&B Performance - H.E.R. feat. Daniel Caesar "Best Part"
Best Traditional R&B Performance - (TIE) Leon Bridges "Bet Ain't Worth the Hand" and PJ Morton feat. Yebba "How Deep is Your Love"
Best R&B Album - H.E.R. "H.E.R"
Best R&B Song - Larrance Dopson, Joelle James, Ella Mai, and Dijon MacFarlane "Boo'd Up"
Best Rap Album - Cardi B "Invasion of Privacy"
Best Rap Performance - (TIE) Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Future, and James Blake "King's Dead" and Anderson .Paak "Bubblin"
Best Rap/Sung Performance - Childish Gambino "This is America"
Best Rap Song - Aubrey Graham, Daveon Jackson, Brock Korsan, Ron LaTour, Matthew Samuels & Noah Shebib "God's Plan"
Best Country Album - Kacey Musgraves "Golden Hour"
Best Country Solo Performance - Kacey Musgraves "Butterflies"
Best Country Duo/Group Performance - Dan + Shay "Tequila"
Best Country Song - Luke Laird, Shane McAnally, and Kacey Musgraves "Space Cowboy"
Best Americana Album - Brandi Carlile "By The Way, I Forgive You"
Best American Roots Performance - Brandi Carlile "The Joke"
Best American Roots Song - Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth, Tim Hanseroth "The Joke"
Best Spoken Word Album - President Jimmy Carter "Faith - A Journey for All"
Best Comedy Album - Dave Chappelle "Equanimity and the Bird Revelation"
Best Musical Theater Album - The Band's Visit
Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media - The Greatest Showman
Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media - Ludwig Goransson "Black Panther"
Best Song Written for Visual Media - Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomondo, and Andrew Wyatt "Shallow" from "A Star is Born"
Best Music Video - Childish Gambino "This is America"
Best Music Film - Quincy

72nd Annual BAFTA Awards

Will be updating as they come in:

Best Film - Roma
Best British Film - The Favourite
Best Director - Alfonso Cuaron "Roma"
Best British Debut - Michael Pearce "Beast"
Best Actor - Rami Malek "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Best Actress - Olivia Colman "The Favourite"
Best Supporting Actor - Mahershala Ali "Green Book"
Best Supporting Actress - Rachel Weisz "The Favourite"
Best Adapted Screenplay - Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmot, and Spike Lee "BlacKkKlansman"
Best Original Screenplay - Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara "The Favourite"
Best Animated Film - Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Best Documentary - Free Solo
Best Foreign Language Film - Roma
Best Cinematography - Alfonso Cuaron "Roma"
Best Costume Design - The Favourite
Best Film Editing - Vice
Best Makeup and Hair - The Favourite
Best Original Music - Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, and Lukas Nelson "A Star is Born"
Best Production Design - The Favourite
Best Sound - Bohemian Rhapsody
Best Special Visual Effects - Black Panther
Best British Animated Short - Roughhouse
Best British Short Film -  73 Cows
EE Rising Star - Letitia Wright

American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Awards

Theatrical Release
Lukas Zal "Cold War"

Spotlight Award
Giorgi Shvelidze "Namme"

Episode of a Series for Commercial Television
John Joffin "Beyond - Two Zero One"

Episode of  Series for Non-Commercial Television
Adriano Goldman "The Crown - Beryl"

Motion Picture, Miniseries, or Pilot Made for Television
James Friend "Patrick Melrose - Bad News"

Lifetime Achievement Award
Robert Richardson

Career Achievement in Television Award
Jeffrey Jur

Board of Governors Award
Jeff Bridges

Gerald Hirschfeld Undergraduate
Matthew Hayward, The Latent Image

Sol Negrin Graduate
Steven Breckon, A Place to Stay

Haskell Wexler Documentary
Alejandro Cortes Sanchez, Adrift

Saturday, February 9, 2019

2019 BAFTA Predictions

Best Picture - The Favourite
Best British Film - The Favourite
Best Director - Alfonso Cuaron "Roma"
Best Actor - Rami Malek "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Best Actress - Olivia Colman "The Favourite"
Best Supporting Actor - Mahershala Ali "Green Book"
Best Supporting Actress - Rachel Weisz "The Favourite"
Best Original Screenplay - Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara "The Favourite"
Best Adapted Screenplay - Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott and Spike Lee "BlacKkKlansman"
Best Animated Feature - Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Best Documentary  - They Shall Not Grow Old
Best Foreign Language Film - Roma
Best Cinematography - Alfonso Cuaron "Roma"
Best Costume Design - The Favourite
Best Editing - Bohemian Rhapsody
Best Makeup and Hair - Vice
Best Production Design - The Favourite
Best Original Score - Marc Shaiman "Mary Poppins Returns"
Best Sound - First Man
Best Visual Effects - First Man
EE Rising Star - Letitia Wright

2019 Grammy Predictions - Final List

Album of the Year - Kacey Musgraves "Golden Hour"
Record of the Year - Childish Gambino "This is America"
Song of the Year - Shallow (Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper)
Best New Artist - H.E.R.
Best Pop Vocal Album - Ariana Grande "Sweetener"
Best Pop Solo Performance - Ariana Grande "God is a Woman"
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance - Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga "Shallow"
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album - Tony Bennett and Diana Krall "Love is Here to Stay"
Best Rock Album - Greta Van Fleet "From the Fires"
Best Alternative Music Album - Beck "Colors"
Best Rock Performance - Chris Cornell "When Bad Does Good"
Best Rock Song - Jumpsuit (Twenty One Pilots)
Best R&B Album - H.E.R. "H.E.R."
Best Urban/Contemporary Album - The Carters "Everything is Love"
Best R&B Performance - The Carters "Summer"
Best R&B Song - Boo'd Up (Ella Mai)
Best Rap Album - Cardi B "Invasion of Privacy"
Best Rap Performance - Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Future, and James Blake "King's Dead"
Best Rap/Sung Performance - Kendrick Lamar and SZA "All the Stars"
Best Rap Song - King's Dead (Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Future, and James Blake)
Best Country Album - Kacey Musgraves "Golden Hour"
Best Country Solo Performance - Kacey Musgraves "Butterflies"
Best Country Duo/Group - Dan + Shay "Tequila"
Best Country Song - Space Cowboy (Kacey Musgraves)
Best Americana Album - Brandi Carlile "By the Way, I Forgive You"
Best American Roots Performance - Brandi Carlile "The Joke"
Best American Roots Song - The Joke (Brandi Carlile)
Best Spoken Word Album - President Jimmy Carter "Faith - A Journey for All"
Best Comedy Album - Dave Chapple "Equanimity & The Bird Revelation"
Best Musical Theater Album - Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert
Best Visual Media Compilation - The Greatest Showman
Best Visual Media Score - Ludwig Goransson "Black Panther"
Best Visual Media Song - Shallow (Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga)
Best Music Video - Childish Gambino "This is America"
Best Music Film - Quincy

19th Annual Black Reel Award Winners

Outstanding Motion Picture 
Black Panther | Kevin Feige, producer

Outstanding Actor
Chadwick Boseman | Black Panther

Outstanding Actress 
Kiki Layne | If Beale Street Could Talk

Outstanding Director
Ryan Coogler | Black Panther

Outstanding Supporting Actor
Michael B. Jordan | Black Panther

Outstanding Supporting Actress
Regina King | If Beale Street Could Talk

Outstanding Screenplay 
Sorry to Bother You | Boots Riley

Outstanding Ensemble 
Black Panther | Sarah Finn, casting director

Outstanding Documentary Feature
Quincy | Rashida Jones & Alan Hicks, directors

Outstanding Foreign-Language/World Cinema Motion Picture 
Lionheart (Nigeria) | Genevieve Nnaji, director 

Outstanding Voice Performance 
Shameik Moore | Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Outstanding Score 
If Beale Street Could Talk | Nicholas Britell, composer

Outstanding Original Song 
“All the Stars” (Black Panther) | Kendrick Lamar & SZA (performers) 

Outstanding Independent Feature 
Jinn | Nijla Mumin

Outstanding Independent Documentary 
Sammy Davis Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me | Samuel D. Pollard, director 

Outstanding Short Film  
The Tale of Four | Gabourey Sidibe, director

Outstanding Emerging Director 
Boots Riley | Sorry to Bother You

Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Male 
Winston Duke | Black Panther 

Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female  
Letitia Wright | Black Panther

Outstanding First Screenplay 
Sorry to Bother You | Boots Riley

Outstanding Cinematography
If Beale Street Could Talk | James Laxton, cinematographer

Outstanding Costume Design 
Black Panther | Ruth E. Carter, costume designer

Outstanding Production Design 
Black Panther | Hannah Beachler, production designer

Friday, February 8, 2019

International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) Award Nominations

The winners will be announced February 21st:

FILM SCORE OF THE YEAR
BLACK PANTHER, music by Ludwig Göransson
FIRST MAN, music by Justin Hurwitz
MARY POPPINS RETURNS, music by Marc Shaiman
MAX AND ME, music by Mark McKenzie
SOLO, music by John Powell

FILM COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
ROQUE BAÑOS
NICHOLAS BRITELL
LUDWIG GÖRANSSON
JAMES NEWTON HOWARD
ALAN SILVESTRI

BREAKTHROUGH COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
THOMAS ADÈS
IVÁN PALOMARES
MANUEL RIVEIRO
AMELIA WARNER
THOM YORKE

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DRAMA FILM
EN LAS ESTRELLAS/UP AMONG THE STARS, music by Iván Palomares
FIRST MAN, music by Justin Hurwitz
IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK, music by Nicholas Britell
MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS, music by Max Richter
VICE, music by Nicholas Britell

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A COMEDY FILM
CHRISTOPHER ROBIN, music by Geoff Zanelli and Jon Brion
CRAZY RICH ASIANS, music by Brian Tyler
MARY POPPINS RETURNS, music by Marc Shaiman
THE SISTERS BROTHERS, music by Alexandre Desplat
VIDEOMANNEN/VIDEOMAN, music by Robert Parker and Waveshaper

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLER FILM
KING OF THIEVES, music by Benjamin Wallfisch
LA SOMBRA DE LA LEY/GUN CITY, music by Manuel Riveiro and Xavier Font
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT, music by Lorne Balfe
OPERATION FINALE, music by Alexandre Desplat
RED SPARROW, music by James Newton Howard

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A FANTASY/SCIENCE FICTION/HORROR FILM
BLACK PANTHER, music by Ludwig Göransson
FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD, music by James Newton Howard
JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM, music by Michael Giacchino
READY PLAYER ONE, music by Alan Silvestri
SOLO, music by John Powell

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ANIMATED FILM
INCREDIBLES 2, music by Michael Giacchino
ISLE OF DOGS, music by Alexandre Desplat
MAX AND ME, music by Mark McKenzie
SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE, music by Daniel Pemberton
WATERSHIP DOWN, music by Federico Jusid

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DOCUMENTARY
DYNASTIES, music by Benji Merrison and Will Slater
FREE SOLO, music by Marco Beltrami
McQUEEN, music by Michael Nyman
TIDES OF FATE, music by Pinar Toprak
WILD, music by Matthijs Kieboom

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A TELEVISION SERIES
AIQING DE BIANJIANG/FRONTIER OF LOVE, music by Mark Chait
LA CATEDRAL DEL MAR, music by Federico Jusid
LOST IN SPACE, music by Christopher Lennertz
WESTWORLD, music by Ramin Djawadi
YELLOWSTONE, music by Brian Tyler

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A VIDEO GAME OR INTERACTIVE MEDIA
11:11 MEMORIES RETOLD, music by Olivier Derivière
GOD OF WAR, music by Bear McCreary
NI NO KUNI II: REVENANT KINGDOM, music by Joe Hisaishi
SPIDER-MAN, music by John Paesano
TORN, music by Garry Schyman

BEST ARCHIVAL RELEASE – NEW RELEASE OR NEW RECORDING OF AN EXISTING SCORE
BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA, music by Wojciech Kilar; album produced by Dan Goldwasser; liner notes by Tim Greiving; art direction by Dan Goldwasser (La-La Land)
THE BRIDE WORE BLACK, music by Bernard Herrmann; The Basque National Orchestra conducted by Fernando Velázquez; album produced by Jose M. Benitez and Edouard Dubois; liner notes by Frank K. DeWald; art direction by Nacho B. Govantes (Quartet)
DRACULA, music by John Williams; album produced by Mike Matessino and Robert Townson; liner notes by Mike Matessino; art direction by Jim Titus (Varèse Sarabande)
EL HOMBRE Y LA TIERRA, music by Antón García Abril; album produced by Jose M. Benitez and Miguel A. Órdóñez; liner notes by Miguel A. Órdóñez; art direction by Nacho B. Govantes (Quartet)
THE VIKINGS, music by Mario Nascimbene; The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus conducted by Nic Raine; album produced by James Fitzpatrick; liner notes by Frank K. DeWald; art direction by Jim Titus (Prometheus/Tadlow)

BEST ARCHIVAL RELEASE – COMPILATION
CARTER BURWELL: MUSIC FOR FILM, music by Carter Burwell; The Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Dirk Brossé; album produced by Marijke Vandebuerie and Valerie Dobbelaere; liner notes by Patrick Duynslaegher and Raf Butstraen; art direction by Stuart Ford (Silva Screen)
THE COMPLETE LONDON SESSIONS, music by Georges Delerue; album produced by Robert Townson; liner notes by Robert Townson; art direction by Robert Townson, Bill Pitzonka, and Bob Peak (Varèse Sarabande)
HARRY POTTER: THE JOHN WILLIAMS SOUNDTRACK COLLECTION; music by John Williams; album produced by Mike Matessino; liner notes by Mike Matessino; art direction by Jim Titus (La-La Land)
THRILLER 2, music by Jerry Goldsmith; The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Nic Raine; album produced by James Fitzpatrick and Leigh Phillips; liner notes by Jon Burlingame; art direction by Nic Finch (Tadlow)
A TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL KAMEN, music by Michael Kamen; The Malaga Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Pablo Urbina; album produced by José M. Benítez and Chris Malone; art direction by Nacho B. Govantes (Quartet)

FILM MUSIC LABEL OF THE YEAR
INTRADA RECORDS, Douglass Fake, Roger Feigelson
LA-LA LAND RECORDS, MV Gerhard, Matt Verboys
QUARTET RECORDS, Jose M. Benitez
TADLOW MUSIC, James Fitzpatrick
VARÉSE SARABANDE, Robert Townson

FILM MUSIC COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR
“The Landing” from FIRST MAN, written by Justin Hurwitz
“Finale” from MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS, written by Max Richter
“Overture” from RED SPARROW, written by James Newton Howard
“Mine Mission” from SOLO, written by John Powell
“The Adventures of Han” from SOLO, written by John Williams

2019 Grammy Predictions - General Field

Album of the Year
Will Win - Kacey Musgraves "Golden Hour"
Could Win - Black Panther Soundtrack or Brandi Carlile "By the Way, I Forgive You", or
Should Win - Kacey Musgraves "Golden Hour"
Commentary - So Black Panther is such a cultural phenomenon, and the soundtrack could benefit from the massive Oscar campaign Disney successful used to garner it seven Oscar nominations. But it is up against two other rap albums that could steal votes. Brandi Carlile is not the best-seller of the bunch, but she has passionate fans, and did incredibly well with Grammy voters this year. She is definitely a wild-card. I think though that in a crowded field with a lot of contenders from similar genres that Kacey Musgraves is going to take the prize. She will have a solid country block voting for her and her album was one of the best reviewed of the year.

Record of the Year
Will Win - Childish Gambino "This is America"
Could Win - Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper "Shallow" or Brandi Carlile "The Joke"
Should Win - Childish Gambino "This is America"
Commentary - Shallow will probably win Song of the Year, which makes sense. But a lot of folks are also predicting Record of the Year. It's a smart prediction, as these awards often align. But I don't know how voters overlook This is America. Record of the Year should not only be a great record, but one that permeated society, through its popularity or message. This is America is the only one of the bunch that really hit that level. I also have this hunch about Brandi Carlile, so watch out.

Song of the Year
Will Win - Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson "Shallow"
Could Win - The Joke, This is America or All the Stars
Should Win - All the Stars
Commentary - In terms of song lyrics there is a reason that Shallow is leading the pack. It is a beautifully written song, although at the Grammys and the Oscars, my vote would be for All the Stars. Once again though, The Joke and This is America make for an interesting three-way race.

Artist of the Year
Will Win - H.E.R.
Could Win - Dua Lipa, Greta Van Fleet
Should Win - H.E.R.
Commentary - A Lot of folks are going elsewhere, but I don't know how you manage to be the only nominee to get an Album of the Year nomination and not win Best New Artist. Plus, she is easily the best of the bunch.

Thursday, February 7, 2019

2019 Grammy Predictions - Pop

Best Pop Vocal Album
Will Win - Ariana Grande "Sweetener"
Could Win - Shawn Mendes "Shawn Mendes", P!nk "Beautiful Trauma", Taylor Swift "Reputation"
Should Win - Ariana Grande "Sweetener" or P!nk "Beautiful Trauma"
Commentary - So everyone seems to be on the Ariana Grande train, which I get. I think she has the best shot of the bunch. None of these folks made it into Album of the Year, a real surprise considering the names on the list. I think that Shawn Mendes, who made it into Song of the Year, could have broad support. Taylor Swift may have been left out of the the general categories for the first time in a long time, but she is still a Grammy-winning superstar. Finally, I wonder if P!nk finally gets her due. She gets nominated for every one of her albums in this category, but she is always up against an AOTY nominee and loses. Maybe without that level of competition, she finally wins this category, something she is way overdue for.

Best Pop Solo Performance
Will Win - Ariana Grande "God is a Woman"
Could Win - Lady Gaga "Joanne" or Camila Cabello "Havana (Live)"
Should Win - Ariana Grande "God is a Woman"
Commentary - I could see Gaga riding her Star is Born fame to a win here, and Havana was a popular track, but this one feels like it is more squarely in Grande's corner. The song is awesome, beloved, and show triumph.

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
Will Win - Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga "Shallow"
Could Win - Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey "The Middle"
Should Win - Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga "Shallow"
Commentary - Two Song and Record of the Year nominees make this an interesting race, but in the end, I don't think anyone can deny the power and popularity of Shallow as it tears its way to an Oscar win.

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Will Win - Tony Bennett and Diana Krall "Love is Here to Stay"
Could Win - Barbra Streisand "The Music...The Mem'ries...The Magic!"
Should Win - Tony Bennett and Diana Krall "Love is Here to Stay"
Commentary - Barbra is a legend, but she is going up against two legends. I expect voters reward the dynamic duo over one. Plus, with Walls, she will be here next year and probably win.

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

2019 Grammy Predictions - Rock

Best Rock Album
Will Win - Greta Van Fleet "From the Fires"
Could Win - Weezer "Pacific Daydream"
Should Win - Greta Van Fleet "From the Fires"
Commentary - Rock is not having the best streak lately, and these nominations prove it. Weezer is on its second Rock Album nomination, but last time lost to a band a lot less popular and lot less established. This makes me think that Greta Van Fleet, which got into general field categories and als nominated in the other two rock categories, will triumph.

Best Rock Performance
Will Win - Chris Cornell "When Bad Does Good"
Could Win - Arctic Monkeys "Four Out of Five" or Greta Van Fleet "Highway Tune"
Should Win - Halestorm "Uncomfortable"
Commentary - In most years, I think this would be between Arctic Monkeys or Greta Van Fleet, but with the untimely death of Chris Cornell, and no huge general field contenders to reckon with, I think Grammy voters will go the sentimental route.

Best Rock Song
Will Win - Twenty One Pilots "Jumpsuit"
Could Win - Greta Van Fleet "From the Fires" or St. Vincent "MASSEDUCTION"
Should Win - St. Vincent "MASSEDUCTION"
Commentary - I think Greta Van Fleet could do well, as they are only one of the bunch that made all three rock awards. But after winning in a big way at last year's Grammys I think there will be some residual love for Twenty One Pilots, and they could win instead.

Best Alternative Music Album
Will Win - Beck "Colors"
Could Win - St. Vincent "MASSEDUCTION"
Should Win - St. Vincent "MASSEDUCTION"
Commentary - I personally think that the St. Vincent record is a lot better than Beck's this year, but Beck is a Grammy winning favorite, and will probably add another to his mantle. I will say that these voters need to really figure out the difference between rock and alternative. Beck, just a few years ago, won Best Rock Album, and suddenly he is alternative. Oh wait, he was alternative first, won this award twice, then switched to rock, then back to alternative? I don't think they will ever figure it out.

17th Annual Visual Effects Society (VES) Awards

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature
Avengers: Infinity War

Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature
First Man

Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode
Lost in Space; Danger, Will Robinson

Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan; Pilot

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Real-Time Project
Age of Sail

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Commercial
John Lewis; The Boy and the Piano

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project
Childish Gambino's Pharos

Outstanding Animated Character in a Photoreal Feature
Avengers: Infinity War; Thanos

Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse; Miles Morales

Outstanding Animated Character in an Episode or Real-Time Project
Lost in Space; Humanoid

Outstanding Animated Character in a Commercial
Volkswagen; Born Confident; Bam

Outstanding Created Environment in a Photoreal Feature
Ready Player One; The Shining, Overlook Hotel

Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature
Spider-Man; Into the Spider-Verse; Graphic New York City

Outstanding Created Environment in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time Project
Lost in Space; Pilot; Impact Area

Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a Photoreal Project
Ready Player One; New York Race

Outstanding Model in a Photoreal or Animated Project
Mortal Engines; London

Outstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature
Avengers: Infinity War; Titan

Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Animated Feature
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time Project
Altered Carbon

Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Feature
Avengers: Infinity War; Titan

Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Episode
Lost in Space; Impact; Crash Site Rescue

Outstanding Compositing in a Photoreal Commercial
Apple; Welcome Home

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Student Project
Terra Nova

Tuesday, February 5, 2019

2019 Grammy Predictions: R&B

Best R&B Album
Will Win - H.E.R. "H.E.R."
Could Win - Leon Bridges "Good Thing" or Toni Braxton "Sex and Cigarettes"
Should Win - H.E.R. "H.E.R."
Commentary - Bridges' work is solid, and you should never discount the legend Toni Braxton. But after getting Album of the Year and Best New Artist nominations, I think H.E.R. has this one wrapped up. Plus, it was a heck of debut, and widely popular.

Best Urban Contemporary Album
Will Win - The Carters "Everything is Love"
Could Win - Miguel "War and Leisure" or Chloe X Halle "The Kids Are All Right"
Should Win - The Carters "Everything is Love"
Commentary - I could see Chloe x Halle making a splash here, but it is never smart to bet against the king and queen. Plus, Everything is Love is easily the best of the bunch and should have gotten more love in the general categories. I think voters will give it some recognition here.

Best R&B Performance
Will Win - The Carters "Summer"
Could Win - H.E.R. feat Daniel Caesar "Best Part"
Should Win - The Carters "Summer" or H.E.R. feat Daniel Caesar "Best Part"
Commentary - An interesting race. Will the general field nods pull H.E.R. to a second Grammy, or will the power of Beyonce and Jay-Z be too much. I think The Carters pull one here, but it will be interesting to see how this one unfolds.

Best R&B Song
Will Win - Ella Mai "Boo'd Up"
Could Win - H.E.R. "Focus" or Childish Gambino "Feels Like Summer"
Should Win - H.E.R. "Focus"
Commentary - Childish Gambino or H.E.R. could feel residual love, but Ella Mai's hit is also up for Song of the Year.

Monday, February 4, 2019

2019 Grammy Predictions: Rap

Best Rap Album
Will Win - Cardi B "Invasion of Privacy"
Could Win - Mac Miller "Swimming"
Should Win - Cardi B "Invasion of Privacy" or Pusha T "Daytona"
Commentary - I'm so happy to see Pusha T get some Grammy love, but this race is between Cardi B and Mac Miller. Cardi B is the breakout of the year, and nominated for Album of the Year. In any other year she would easily take this award. But sentimentality is a hard thing to beat, and Mac Miller's shocking death at such a young age could lead voters to award his posthumously.

Best Rap Performance
Will Win - Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Future and James Blake "King's Dead"
Could Win - Drake "Nice For What"
Should Win - Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Future and James Blake "King's Dead"
Commentary - Kendrick Lamar has become a Grammy darling in recent years, and King's Dead is a fantastic hit with so many talented collaborators. While I think Drake could pull an upset, I think he is going to probably win in song instead.

Best Rap/Sung Performance
Will Win - Childish Gambino "This is America"
Could Win - Kendrick Lamar and SZA "All the Stars" or Post Malone feat. 21 Savage "Rockstar"
Should Win - Kendrick Lamar and SZA "All the Stars" or Childish Gambino "This is America"
Commentary - With three Record of the Year nominees, this category is a tough call. In terms of the spirit of this award, which used to be called Rap/Sung Collaboration, I think All of the Stars should win, and it could. But if This is America is going to win Record of the Year, which most folks are predicting, it is probably going to pick up some wins along the way. Plus, if it does lose record of the year, then this is a nice consolation prize.

Best Rap Song
Will Win - God's Plan
Could Win - King's Dead
Should Win - King's Dead
Commentary - So like I said, I think Drake is winning here. I don't see Grammy voters letting him go empty handed this year, and God's Plan is the only nominee of the bunch nominated for Song of the Year.

Sunday, February 3, 2019

2019 Grammy Predictions: Country and American Roots

Best Country Album
Will Win - Kacey Musgraves "Golden Hour"
Could Win - Chris Stapleton "Millionaire"
Should Win - Kacey Musgraves "Golden Hour"
Commentary - Musgraves is the only nominee here that crosses over to Album of the Year. She has won this category before, and easily has the best album of the bunch. The only contender who could upset is Chris Stapleton, who has won this category at lot recently.

Best Country Solo Performance
Will Win - Kacey Musgraves "Butterflies"
Could Win - Chris Stapleton "Millionaire"
Should Win - Kacey Musgraves "Butterflies"
Commentary - Musgraves is going to win a lot of Grammys, and I expect that she will dominate the country awards in the process, including this one.

Best Country Duo/Group
Will Win - Dan + Shay "Tequila"
Could Win - Bebe Rexha feat. Florida Georgia Line "Meant to Be" or Maren Morris feat. Vince Gill "Dear Hate"
Should Win - Maren Morris feat. Vince Gill "Dear Hate"
Commentary - Morris' duet with Vince Gill is easily the best of the bunch, but I think that the two more popular songs, Tequila and Meant to Be will battle it out for the win. Rexha also has a Best New Artist award, so may have more support across the board. But I have a feeling that the smash hit Tequila wins.

Best Country Song
Will Win - Kacey Musgraves "Space Cowboy"
Could Win - Dan + Shay "Tequila"
Should Win - Kacey Musgraves "Space Cowboy"
Commentary - Tequila is the bigger hit, but I think Musgraves is just too popular this year, and will sweep her country categories.

Best Americana Album
Will Win - Brandi Carlile "By the Way, I Forgive You"
Could Win - Lee Ann Womack "The Lonely, The Lonesome, & The Gone"
Should Win - Carlile, Womack, or Bettye LaVette "Things Have Changed"
Commentary - Voters really cannot go wrong here, and I am particularly delighted to see LaVette's Things Have Changed get some Grammys love. But I think Carlile, with her Album of the Year nomination will be hard to beat.

Best American Roots Performance
Will Win - Brandi Carlile "The Joke"
Could Win - Jon Batiste "Saint James Infirmary Blues" or Willie Nelson "Last Man Standing"
Should Win - Brandi Carlile "The Joke"
Commentary - Jon Batiste and Willie Nelson are standout names on a ballot, but only Carlile has a Record of the Year nomination. I think she wins pretty easily.

Best American Roots Song
Will Win - The Joke
Could Win - Build a Bridge
Should Win - The Joke
Commentary - The Jeff Tweedy/Mavis Staples song Build a Bridge will definitely have its supporters, but once again, Carlile's The Joke is nominated for Song of the Year.

71st Annual Directors Guild of America (DGA) Award Winners

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film
Alfonso Cuaron "Roma"

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in First-Time Feature Film
Bo Burnham "Eighth Grade"

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series
Adam McKay "Succession - Celebration"

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series
Bill Hader "Barry - Chapter One"

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Limited Series
Ben Stiller "Escape at Dannemora"

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety/Talk/News/Sports – Regularly Scheduled Programming
Don Roy King "Saturday Night Live - Adam Driver; Kanye West”

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety/Talk/News/Sports – Specials
Louis J. Horvitz "The 60th Grammy Awards"

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Reality Programs
Russell Norman "The Final Table - Japan"

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs
Jack Jameson "Sesame Street - When You Wish Upon a Pickle: A Sesame Street Special”

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials
Spike Jones "Apple - Welcome Home"

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary
Tim Wardle "Three Identical Strangers"

Lifetime Achievement Award in Television
Don Mischer

Frank Capra Achievement Award
Kathleen McGill

Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award
Mimi Deaton

DGA Diversity Award
FX Networks

2019 Sundance Film Festival Award Winners

The 2020 Oscar campaign has started!:

The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary
Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang, for One Child Nation

The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic
Chinonye Chukwu, for Clemency

The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary
Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov, for Honeyland

The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic
Joanna Hogg, for The Souvenir

The Audience Award: U.S. Documentary
Knock Down the House

The Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic
Brittany Runs A Marathon

The Audience Award: World Cinema Documentary
Sea of Shadows

The Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic
Queen of Hearts

The Audience Award: NEXT,
The Infiltrators

The Directing Award: U.S. Documentary
Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, for American Factory

The Directing Award: U.S. Dramatic
Joe Talbot, for The Last Black Man in San Francisco

The Directing Award: World Cinema Documentary
Mads Brügger, for Cold Case Hammarskjöld

The Directing Award: World Cinema Dramatic
Lucía Garibaldi, for The Sharks

The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: U.S. Dramatic
Pippa Bianco, for Share

A U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Moral Urgency
Jacqueline Olive, for Always in Season

U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: Emerging Filmmaker
Liza Mandelup, for Jawline

U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Editing
Todd Douglas Miller, for Apollo 11

U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Cinematography
Luke Lorentzen, Midnight Family

U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Vision and Craft
Alma Har’el for Honey Boy

U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Creative Collaboration
Joe Talbot for The Last Black Man in San Francisco

U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Achievement in Acting
Rhianne Barreto, for Share

World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for No Borders
Hassan Fazzili, for Midnight Traveler

World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Impact for Change
Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov, for Honeyland

World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Cinematography
Fejmi Daut and Samir Ljuma, for Honeyland

World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Originality
Makoto Nagahisa, for We Are Little Zombies

World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award
Alejandro Landes, for Monos

World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting
Krystyna Janda, for Dolce Fine Giornata

The NEXT Innovator Prize
Alex Rivera and Cristina Ibarra, for The Infiltrators