Latest news with #GlennWhipp
Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Want to win an Emmy? It helps if you're already famous
It's always nice to say hello to an old friend, even one who leads you to believe you're almost at the summit, only to serve up another dozen switchbacks before you're at the top. I'm Glenn Whipp, columnist for the Los Angeles Times and host of The Envelope newsletter. Still on a (Rocky Mountain) high after the Emmy nominations? You probably were a cast member on 'The White Lotus' or a guest actor on 'The Studio.' Let's talk about all the love for those shows' ensembles. When you have Nicole Kidman raising her hand, saying she'd be happy to sign up for your show, you can rest assured that you will never have an issue with casting. And that was before Mike White's 'The White Lotus' picked up a sweet 23 Emmy nominations last week, the same number it earned for Season 2 and, coincidentally, the same number that the hit Apple TV+ comedy series 'The Studio' just pulled in for its freshman outing. But is that number a coincidence? Not really. If this year's nominations taught us anything, it's that if you want your Emmy ticket stamped, you get your agent to call White or Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the creators and directing team behind 'The Studio.' Of course, it also helps if you're famous in the first place, which creates a bit of a problem if you're a journeyman actor looking for an Emmy boost. (And no, 'The Bear's' nominated guest star Olivia Colman, who has won three Golden Globes, two Emmys, an Oscar and the Volpi Cup since she was overlooked for 'Broadchurch,' no longer counts.) How can you hope to secure a nomination if voters keep flocking to the familiar? Seven actors from 'The White Lotus' ensemble — Carrie Coon, Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey, Sam Rockwell, Natasha Rothwell and Aimee Lou Wood — picked up supporting nominations this year, with Scott Glenn turning up in the guest actor category. The haul could have been better (or worse, depending on your perspective), as Patrick Schwarzenegger had also been expected to join the party for his turn as Saxon, the series' wonderfully named finance bro. 'The Studio' had several members of its main team nominated — Rogen, Ike Barinholtz, Kathryn Hahn and Catherine O'Hara. But it was in the guest acting categories that the show really cleaned up, with five of the six guest actor spots going to 'Studio' men and Zoë Kravitz making the cut for guest actress. Kravitz, like nominated castmates Dave Franco, Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard and Anthony Mackie, was honored for playing a heightened version of herself. Bryan Cranston, a six-time Emmy winner, was the exception, nominated for his hilarious, 'Weekend at Bernie's'-inspired work as the drug-addled studio CEO. (He should probably make room for a seventh Emmy.) In that respect, the nods for 'The Studio's' self-playing actors are reminiscent of what used to be a tried-and-true way to earn an Emmy nomination for guest acting: hosting 'Saturday Night Live.' All you needed to do was deliver the opening monologue as yourself and then appear in sketches created to play off your persona. (This one, featuring Sydney Sweeney as a Hooters waitress, illustrates why voters have rightfully soured on 'SNL' of late.) The recognition for 'The Studio' represents progress of a sort, in that the series is actually funny. But it doesn't address the larger issue, which is the way that Emmy voters tend to zero in on shiny, famous faces at the expense of comparative newcomers who are more deserving. Case in point: 'The Pitt' boasted the best ensemble on television this year, but voters rewarded only lead actor Noah Wyle (his sixth nomination, no wins as yet), supporting actress Katherine LaNasa (so good as the emergency room's resilient charge nurse) and Shawn Hatosy, a terrific veteran actor who made a huge impression in his four episodes, including those two unforgettable rooftop scenes. For 'The Pitt,' the problem was partly one of quantity, not quality. There were a lot of interns and residents and nurses coming and going in that hospital during the show's 15-episode season. And they were played by actors largely unknown to voters — a savvy casting move, as the unfamiliar faces bolstered 'The Pitt's' realistic feel. But ignoring Taylor Dearden's beautifully nuanced work as the neurodivergent Dr. Mel King feels more symptomatic of a pattern than an issue of numbers. Dearden's performance was a revelation, showing a woman aware of her own limitations and using that understanding to convey empathy, love and understanding toward others. The look of joy on her face when she held the just-delivered baby should be a meme for happiness. I can't fathom how she wasn't nominated. The issue in the guest acting categories is more glaring. What used to be a space populated by character actors dropping into shows for small story arcs has now become, at least for comedy, a showcase for famous people parodying themselves. Yes, Scorsese was deserving. He's shown himself to be a fine actor over the years, and his shock and anger over having his Jonestown movie killed was priceless. I'll also sign off on Kravitz, who was utterly convincing in her mushroom-induced mania. Added bonus: If she wins, she can thank Sal Saperstein. But if 'The Studio' runs for three, four, five seasons, it's easy to imagine a future where the show establishes a blockade on the guest acting categories. And no matter how delightful it is to watch Ron Howard remember the time when some dolt tried to give him a 'note' on 'A Beautiful Mind,' we shouldn't get carried away — even if we are kind of hoping that all this attention could prompt a studio to green-light a real version of Howard's fictional action movie 'Alphabet City.' And, obviously, there continue to be exceptions to the fixation on the famous. Hatosy, mentioned earlier, is the definition of what a guest Emmy spot should be, as is Joe Pantoliano's beautiful, brief turn on 'The Last of Us,' playing an infected man pleading for a final moment with his wife. It all comes back to the usual appeals to voters: Watch more shows. Cast a wider net. Honor the work, not the names. Though if White wants to write Kidman into the next season of 'The White Lotus,' I'd be willing to make an exception and look the other way.
Los Angeles Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
A Billy Joel doc, ‘Quarterback' and more to watch this weekend
Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who still needs to binge some of the Emmy contenders before TV's biggest night. The nominations for the 77th Emmy Awards were announced earlier this week and Apple TV+'s 'Severance' lead the pack with 27 nominations. If this week's breaking news headlines kept you too occupied to see how your favorite TV show fared, check out the list of nominees here. Plus, our awards czar Glenn Whipp weighed in on this year's snubs and surprises. We also had some fun and thoughtful conversations with nominees: Noah Wyle ('The Pitt'), Adam Scott ('Severance'), Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg ('The Studio'), Jeff Hiller ('Somebody Somewhere'), Tony Gilroy ('Andor') and the 'Adolescence' team. But if you'd rather watch TV than read about it, we've got that covered too. This week's streaming recommendations include a sprawling two-part documentary on the life of musician Billy Joel that'll surely change your commute playlist before the workweek starts again, and the return of Netflix's behind-the-scenes look at the lives, both on and off the field, of NFL quarterbacks. Also in this week's Screen Gab, actor Brittany Snow drops by to talk about her new Netflix thriller, 'The Hunting Wives,' about a woman who moves to a small Texas town and gets drawn into the dangerous world of the wealthy and influential women in her orbit. Must-read stories you might have missed CBS to end 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert' next year: The network attributed the cancellation to 'a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night.' Commentary: Why the Emmys still matter in a time of turmoil: The day we stop celebrating and arguing about art is the day we'll know the bastards have won, writes critic Mary McNamara. Alan Tudyk: Resident alien, android and voice actor: He scored his first starring role with 'Resident Alien,' but he's long been celebrated in genre circles, and for good reason. Hollywood's being reshaped by generative AI. What does that mean for screenwriters?: As AI creeps further into Hollywood, screenwriters like Billy Ray, Paul Schrader, Bong Joon Ho and Todd Haynes, along with a new class of tech disruptors, are navigating the uncertain future of storytelling. Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times 'Billy Joel: And So It Goes' (HBO Max) Over the decades, Billy Joel has created countless iconic hits that have cemented his legacy in pop music, but despite his rock star status, he's always been a man of few words, preferring to let his songs do the talking. HBO Max's new two-part docuseries, however, gives him the mic to tell the stories behind the music in his notable albums, including 'Piano Man,' 'The Stranger' and 'Storm Front,' exploring how his upbringing, marriages and addiction shaped his creative works. Part 1 of the series, premiering Friday at 8 p.m. EDT/PDT, is notable in how it reframes the narrative around his relationship with his former wife and manager Elizabeth Weber, explaining how she was instrumental in guiding his career and helping him become a superstar — and how songs like 'Big Shot' and 'Stiletto' were inspired by the rocky times in their marriage. (You'll want to tune in to Part 2 next week as well.) It's a compelling and nuanced portrait of an imperfect person who created timeless music and whose influence continues to reverberate. — Maira Garcia 'Quarterback' (Netflix) After watching weeks of 'Love Island' (Team Amaya Papaya 4eva!), I was in need of a palate cleanser. I found it in the second season of 'Quarterback,' the seven-part series that follows three big names in the NFL's most visible position. This year's roster features the Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Burrow, the Detroit Lions' Jared Goff (formerly of the Rams) and singing favorite Kirk Cousins, who appeared in the show's first season as QB of the Minnesota Vikings before moving to Atlanta — and then the bench. Football nerds will geek out on the play calling, but what makes the show such a must-watch is seeing the human side of the pros. Watching fashionista Burrow pick out what designer items he loved and also talk about iguanas and fossils made me kind of infatuated with my football enemy. As for Goff, I really want to pet his dog Quincy. Cousins is again the star. He ups his suburban every-dad vibe by getting a haircut at Great Clips (and shows the stylist his roster photo for inspiration) but the highlight is the music. We see him explain his love of Celine Dion, find out which Tom Petty song gets him fired up and watch him rehab an Achilles injury as he sings 'Put One Foot in Front of the Other' from Rankin/Bass Christmas classic 'Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town.' However, the show's obvious highlight is watching him sing Cher's 'Believe' while waiting in a drive-through. If Cousins retires from the NFL, I will be first in line to buy a ticket for his Vegas cabaret. — Vanessa Franko A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they're working on — and what they're watching With her recent turns on TV, Brittany Snow has leaned into characters with some mystique. Earlier this year, she appeared in the second season of Netflix's 'Night Agent' as Alice, a new partner and mentor to the show's central character Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) in his first mission after joining the highly classified counterintelligence program. Without spilling spoilers, let's just say viewers were left with many questions about the character. In her latest series, 'The Hunting Wives,' Snow plays Sophie, an East Coast transplant with a mysterious past who steps into an elite Texas circle where power struggles, jealousy, betrayal and murder lurk beneath the surface. Available to stream on Netflix beginning Monday, the soapy thriller is based on the book by May Cobb. Snow stopped by Guest Spot to discuss the intrigue of playing an outsider, her upcoming role as a journalist and the reality competition series she savors watching. — Yvonne Villarreal Sophie is a complex character wrestling with her past, as well as her attraction to socialite Margo (Malin Akerman), and all she represents — the freedom to do what she wants, with little concern for social mores or the law. What intrigued you about playing her? And what would Brittany Snow, unencumbered by image or expectations, be doing? I related a lot to Sophie when I read the scripts for 'Hunting Wives.' I spent my 20s being very careful, shy and afraid of people's perceptions of me. In my early 30s, I really did have an awakening of some sort which challenged my childhood beliefs of needing to be 'good' and 'perfect.' I started realizing who I wanted to be and the woman I already was. I finally felt 'in' my body, and I didn't need to necessarily fit in. Sophie is having that awakening as well, in a different way, but one I could very much relate to. Margo represents a side of Sophie that she has shut herself off from, mostly because she's scared of that side of herself and perhaps scared of taking up that much space. At first, the power of Margo is alluring to her because it makes her more aware of her own. As the series continues, you see Sophie realize who she really is, which creates the disillusionment of Margo and what Margo represents. I loved that aspect of the script and I loved playing a character who has a complete transformation by coming back to herself. I think this show is the very embodiment of what I would be doing if I were unencumbered by image or expectations. It's fun, brave and I worked hard to have the confidence to do a show like this. It's all very full-circle for me. The series brings Sophie into an elite and conservative social circle in Texas. You can sense both her discomfort and curiosity. What was it like having the character explore that world? I am always drawn to characters who are curious. It's in my nature to sit back and observe closely. Sometimes to my detriment, I do it too well. I think the interesting thing about Sophie is her immediate curiosity as opposed to an immediate judgment. It would be a different show if she was unwilling to understand the atmosphere she's been put in. Because she's trying so hard to fit in and understand, she gets in over her head. It then takes some unraveling for her to see the truth and hold firm in her opinions. I, myself, am pretty opinionated but I am also very understanding. I think this show has a great duality of seeing both sides with an open lens — a viewpoint that is fun and doesn't take itself too seriously. You recently completed filming on Hulu's series about the Murdaugh murders. You play Mandy Matney, the real-life journalist who helped unravel the family's unsolved mysteries. What kind of research did you do for the role? And what struck you most about Mandy's journey? I was so honored to play Mandy. She is a force, and I admire her greatly. I was already familiar with her podcast ['Murdaugh Murders Podcast'] and had listened to the show when it first came out. When I found out I would be playing her, I reached out to her directly and asked if we could have conversations about the murders but more importantly, about her life. We talked on the phone, hung out, had dinners, drinks and became friends. I read her book and listened to every episode of her podcast again, as well as every interview I could get my hands on. I learned so much about her, but mostly what a strong and fierce woman she is and continues to be. Her story is so much more than the Murdaugh murders, it's about overcoming so many hardships and spearheading a new way women were perceived in her field. What have you watched recently that you're recommending to everyone you know? After David Lynch's passing, I wanted to go back and rewatch all the classics. We started with 'Blue Velvet' [Pluto TV, Tubi], 'Eraserhead' [HBO Max], 'Lost Highway' [VOD], 'Mulholland Drive' [Philo] (my favorite), then read all the complicated articles after. I know you are never supposed to truly 'get' that movie, but after a couple rewatches, I do sort of feel like I 'get' it and what happens, in my own way. I love figuring out movies like that. Figuring out the puzzle and how it fits, only to me. I recommend everyone going back and doing that again with all his films. What's your go-to 'comfort watch,' the film or TV show you return to again and again? 'Top Chef' [Peacock]. I've seen every single episode multiple times and it truly relaxes me. Chefs have this elegance and clear intention in making great dishes. It makes me appreciate food more. When I watch it, sometimes I eat dinner as well and I eat in the most lovely and present way. It also weirdly makes your food taste better. I can't explain it.
Los Angeles Times
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
'The Pitt' and Diego Luna deserved better from Emmy voters
The 2025 Emmy awards were announced and of course there is controversy, snubs and surprises. Los Angeles Times entertainment columnist Glenn Whipp has a few that really stick out and upset him.
Los Angeles Times
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Breaking down the Emmys' most dramatic battle: ‘The Pitt' vs. ‘Severance'
Have you at any point this year consulted WebMD to learn the possible side effects of reintegration? And if the answer is yes, does that mean your favorite show is 'Severance,' or does your (possibly neurotic) interest in medicine put you squarely in the camp of 'The Pitt'? I'm Glenn Whipp, columnist for the Los Angeles Times and host of The Envelope newsletter. And no, it's not too early to choose sides in the upcoming Emmy showdown between the Apple TV+ and Max drama series. Let's take a page from Lumon founder Kier Eagan and 'be ever merry' while we take an early look at the race. It would be easy — and perhaps reductive — to boil down the battle between 'Severance' and 'The Pitt' as a matter of choosing the head or the heart. The loopy 'Severance' tells the story of people in a workplace doing a job they don't understand, partially because they've had chips implanted in their brains to create two selves ('innies' and 'outies') that are both distinct and the same. The show's second season found Outie Mark (Adam Scott) looking to reintegrate his two halves and liberate Innie Mark from his corporate enslavement. Only Innie Mark has questions about how all this will work and whether he wants to sublimate himself and end his relationship with another innie, Helly R. (Britt Lower). I could go on for several thousand words about all this because 'Severance' trades in the art of indirection, taking its sweet time to reveal the mysteries hidden within the blinding-white offices of Lumon Industries. Some people find the ambiguity confounding. The show's fans disagree, burrowing into the corporate cult(ure) of Lumon with glee. A herd of goats in a conference room? Of course! But why? Off to the subreddit we go! And don't forget the waffles! 'The Pitt' is also set in a workplace, a hospital emergency room. Its 15-episode first season follows what happens during a very eventful shift, each episode depicting one hour of the shift. It's a reunion for several key members of the team that made 'ER,' including creator R. Scott Gemmill, executive producer John Wells (who also directed the season's first and last episode) and star Noah Wyle. Some may consider this sacrilege, but with 'The Pitt,' they've built a better show. I offer this opinion as one who was devastated more than once by the chaos and drama that Wyle's Dr. Robby and his team dealt with during the season. Their despair became our despair — and if you've had the misfortune of visiting an emergency room recently, you know that the healthcare crisis shown on 'The Pitt' is real and getting worse. When the team's shift ended in the season finale, you were both relieved for its heroic characters and sad that you wouldn't be seeing them again until the second season drops. You felt like you'd been through something together. When Emmy nominations are announced next month, I'd expect that 'The White Lotus' and 'The Last of Us' will share in the wealth, with each earning up to 20 or more mentions. 'The White Lotus' ensemble alone will account for a chunk of that number. But I don't think either of those shows will win the drama series prize. 'The Last of Us' will be hampered by a story arc that's essentially the first part of a two-season storyline. And while 'The White Lotus' kept us guessing until the end, few would argue that its third season was its best. That leaves 'Severance' and 'The Pitt,' the head and the heart. Except 'Severance' made viewers feel the tragedy of Mark's plight deeply. And 'The Pitt' smartly incorporated topical issues — violence against healthcare workers, hospital understaffing, sex trafficking, anti-vaccination misconceptions — into its season. I appreciate both shows, and I don't have to create an alternative version of myself to let these twin passions coexist. But like Mark in 'Severance,' at one point I'm going to have to choose. And like Mark, I'll likely opt for love. Bold prediction: 'The Pitt' ultimately squeaks by 'Severance' in a barn-burner for drama series. I mentioned the sometimes stubbornly confounding aspects of 'Severance,' and the show's creators and actors are self-aware enough to know what they're doing and how its audience might react. 'I was scared of some of the risks [the creative team] were taking: 'What if this doesn't work?'' actor Patricia Arquette tells Tim Grierson for The Times. 'They really didn't sit on their laurels from the first year's success — they took a lot more chances in the second year.' Tim catalogued those chances in a terrific story, noting that the risks were even more palpable given the three-year gap between the series' first and second seasons, a break that happened partly due to the actors' and writers' strikes and partly because it's a hard show to sort out. 'It's a unique show,' star Adam Scott says, 'and in Season 1 we were figuring out what it was as we were doing it. In Season 2, the show was changing and expanding — we were figuring out what it was all over again because it was important to all of us that it not feel the same. Sometimes it takes a while.'
Los Angeles Times
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
The Cannes prizewinners to watch for in the Oscar race
After reading about these California beaches, can you blame me for thinking about the south of France right about now? And, you know, the movies at Cannes this year were pretty good too. In fact, we might have another best picture Oscar winner from the festival. I'm Glenn Whipp, columnist for the Los Angeles Times and host of The Envelope newsletter, which is back in your inbox after a springtime sabbatical. Today, I'm looking at the news out of the Cannes Film Festival, wondering if Neon's publicity team will be getting any rest this coming awards season. Last year's Cannes Film Festival gave us a Demi Moore comeback ('The Substance'), an overstuffed, ambitious movie musical that everyone loved until they didn't ('Emilia Pérez') and a freewheeling Cinderella story that became the actual Cinderella story of the 2024-25 awards season ('Anora'). Sean Baker's 'Anora' became just the fourth film to take the festival's top prize, the Palme d'Or, and then go on to win the Oscar for best picture. But it had been only five years since Bong Joon Ho's 'Parasite' pulled off that feat, so this would seem to be the direction that the academy is going. As the major Hollywood studios have doubled down on IP, indies like A24 and Neon have stepped up, delivering original, daring films that win the hearts of critics, awards voters and, sometimes, moviegoers. Neon brought 'Anora' to Cannes last year, confident that it would make an ideal launching pad. This year, the studio bought films at the festival — among them the taut, tart revenge thriller 'It Was Just an Accident,' from dissident Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, and the anarchic political thriller 'The Secret Agent' from Brazil's Kleber Mendonça Filho. 'It Was Just an Accident' won the Palme, making it the sixth consecutive time Neon has won the award. Despite being one of the world's most celebrated and influential filmmakers for movies like 'No Bears' and 'The White Balloon,' Panahi has never received any recognition at the Oscars. That will change this coming year. Another movie that might deliver the goods is a title Neon announced at Cannes last year, 'Sentimental Value,' an intense family drama that earned a 15-minute standing ovation. Or was it 17? Or 19? The audience at the Grand Théâtre Lumière might still be standing and applauding; who knows with these Cannes festivalgoers. I'd be long gone, heading to the nearest wine bar. The point is: People love this movie. It won the Grand Prix, Cannes' second-highest honor. 'Sentimental Value' is a dysfunctional family dramedy focusing on the relationship between a flawed father (the great Stellan Skarsgård) and his actor daughter (Renate Reinsve, extraordinary), two people who are better at their jobs than they are at grappling with their emotions. They're both sad and lonely, and the film circles a reconciliation, one that's only possible through their artistic endeavors. Norwegian director Joachim Trier directed and co-wrote 'Sentimental Value,' and it's his third collaboration with Reinsve, following her debut in the 2011 historical drama 'Oslo, August 31st' and the brilliant 'The Worst Person in the World,' for which she won Cannes' best actress prize in 2021. Reinsve somehow failed to make the cut at the Oscars that year, an oversight that will likely be corrected several months from now. Reinsve could well be joined in the category by a past Oscar winner, Jennifer Lawrence, who elicited rave reviews for her turn as a new mother coping with a raft of feelings after giving birth in Lynne Ramsay's Cannes competition title 'Die, My Love.' Critics have mostly been kind to the film, which Mubi bought at the festival for $24 million. Just don't label it a postpartum-depression drama, for which Ramsay pointedly chastised reviewers. 'This whole postpartum thing is just bull—,' she told film critic Elvis Mitchell. 'It's not about that. It's about a relationship breaking down, it's about love breaking down, and sex breaking down after having a baby. And it's also about a creative block.' However you want to read it, 'Die, My Love' looks like a comeback for Lawrence, last seen onscreen two years ago, showing her comic chops in the sweetly raunchy 'No Hard Feelings.' Lawrence won the lead actress Oscar for the 2012 film 'Silver Linings Playbook' and has been nominated three other times — for 'Winter's Bone,' 'American Hustle' and 'Joy.' With Ramsay's movie, which co-stars Robert Pattinson as her husband, Lawrence may well have printed her return ticket to the ceremony, which would be welcome. The Oscars are always more fun when she's in the room.
