Latest news with #LumonIndustries
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Severance' star Tramell Tillman earns historic nomination
The post 'Severance' star Tramell Tillman earns historic nomination appeared first on ClutchPoints. Jackson State University alum and 'Severance' star Tramell Tillman has been nominated for an Emmy Award. Tillman is nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category. If he wins, he will be the first Black actor to win in this category. Tillman portrays the stern and occasionally humorous Mr. Milchick in the Apple TV+ original series. He becomes a manager at the intriguing and dangerous Lumon Industries, which permits workers to split their brains, keeping their personal and professional memories and lives entirely apart, by implementing a novel and innovative practice known as severance. Earlier this year, 'Severance' paid homage to HBCU culture in its Season 2 finale. During the season, Tillman was contacted by the executive producer and director of the show regarding the marching band scene. Tillman said he used this scene to connect to his background as a two-time HBCU attendee. He studied pre-med at Xavier University of Louisiana prior to graduating from Jackson State. In an interview with TV Guide, Tillman discussed his time at Jackson State with the marching band. 'And the second [marching band performance] is a big nod to HBCU bands. I graduated from an HBCU, Jackson State University, and their band is the Sonic Boom of the South, the best marching band in the entire world. When I was a student at Jackson State University, I would marvel at the Boom, especially the agility and the endurance of the majorettes and the drum majors and the band as a whole. So this was my opportunity to live the fantasy of being a drum major at Jackson State University.' Tillman earned a bachelor's degree in mass communications from Jackson State in 2008. Years later, he graduated from the University of Tennessee with an MFA in acting. He spent more than ten years working in the charity sector before deciding to pursue acting full-time. Before securing his breakthrough role on 'Severance' in 2022, Tillman featured in a number of films, television series, and theatrical performances. This year, 'Severance' has 27 nominations in the Emmy awards. Related: Memphis assistant Nolan Smith agrees to coach Tennessee State Tigers Related: Southern University Omega Psi Phi chapter suspended following Caleb Wilson death Solve the daily Crossword
Tom's Guide
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
Get ready, Innies: The iconic 'Severance' keyboard is real, and it'll cost you more than a PS5 Pro
If you're a fan of Apple TV Plus' hit show "Severance," you may have seen the MDR Dasher Keyboard that's an exact replica the Innies of Lumon Industries use. Well, it's real, and it now has a very expensive price tag. The "Severance" keyboard from indie studio Atomic Keyboard is available to pre-order as part of a Kickstarter campaign, and it retails for a whopping $899. However, early adopters can sign up now to grab it for $599. That's one steep price tag, one that far outdoes many of the best keyboards. In fact, even a $699 PS5 Pro is cheaper at its full retail price, but I wouldn't expect anything less from a keyboard that has ties with Lumon Industries. The MDR Dasher Keyboard is set to start shipping from November, arriving with a built-in trackball, swappable layouts (like between an Outie and an Innie from the show) and a CNC-machined aluminum case with an all-metal design. For fans of "Severance" who want a taste of the work culture of Mark S., Helly R., Dylan G. and Irving B, the MDR Dasher Keyboard should provide if you've got a lot of spare change. At least those interested can knock off $300 if they pre-order now. The MDR Dasher Keyboard from Atomic offers the "Severance" work experience, all without an Esc key. It does come with a customizable layout and macros, though, and you can swap out the built-in trackball for a number pad instead. It retails at $899, but those who sign up now can get it for $599 with a $10 deposit when it's launched on Kickstarter. The MDR Dasher Keyboard was announced earlier this year, but Atomic Keyboard has made a few changes in the lead-up to its release. That includes 3 swappable layouts that are aptly named the Innie, Outie and Dasher. With its magnetic top sheet, users can swap keys, and even the trackball, to suit the Innie work-life (or more relaxed Outie one). Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. The Innie layout is the one inspired by the show, without any Option, Control or Escape key, while the Outie layout turns it into a 60% keyboard layout like a usual board. As for the Dasher layout, it swaps out the 50mm trackball on the right for a full number pad and modifier keys. Along with the built-in trackball, Atmoic added two keycaps with MX switches to act as mouse buttons. That makes for an interesting setup, but I wouldn't worry about moving the keyboard around while using it, as it weighs a bulky 15.4 pounds (7kg). It's an all-metal design with a steel top sheet and an aerospace-grade aluminum case, so expect this to stick firmly to a desk. Just so it doesn't just appease the higher-ups of Lumon, the MDR Dasher Keyboard also comes with a web configurator that can customize macros and apparently "unlock advanced features," whatever they may be. This is all done through a website, similar to Keychron and Lemokey keyboards. So, if you'd prefer to pay extra for a kitted-out keyboard from "Severance" rather than a more affordable PS5 Pro, the MDR Dasher Keyboard may just do the trick. We'll be interested to see how this keyboard performs, and if it's really worth that jaw-dropping $899 cost. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
ABC News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Emmys 2025: Aussies overlooked, Severance soars and more Emmy snubs and surprises
Bet you thought the Oscars were the last you'd see of awards season this year, right? But move over film — it's TV's time to shine! This year's Emmy nominations dropped in the early hours of the morning (for we Australians), acknowledging shows that aired between June 1, 2024 and May 31, 2025. We won't know who's going to take home the shiny awards until the ceremony in September, but let's dive into the successes, snubs and shocks from today's nominations. In a win for Apple+, spooky workplace drama Severance has come out on top of today's nominations, scoring a massive 27 nods. The show's second season unravelled just enough about the mysterious Lumon Industries to grab pretty much all of their main cast at least one nomination, in addition to multiple writing and directing nominations. Just quietly, John Turturro deserves his flowers just for the way he delivers the four words that turned the whole season on its head. Unfortunately, Aussie Dichen Lachman — who blew audiences away at the end of this season as Ms Casey — missed out. But hey, there's always season three (we might just have to wait a year or three). Imagine you're Patrick Schwarzenegger, aching to step out of your father's towering shadow, and you take a part in one of the hottest TV anthologies that has led to many, many awards. Your actually quite-nuanced performance is overshadowed by a salacious incest plot, but it's OK because people are tweeting about how much pathos you were able to convey in a single look. Then the 2025 Emmy nominations come out. White Lotus: Thailand has 23 nominations, and seven of your co-stars have grabbed one for acting. Your name is nowhere to be seen. That's the risk you take when you check into the talent-over-stuffed White Lotus. At least you have the perfect reaction image. Pedro Pascal has been nominated for Best Actor in a drama, and this is a problem. Look, we all love Pedro Pascal. We all love his performance in The Last of Us as Joel, the ultimate father and Daddy. We all crashed out when he met a brutal, bloody death in episode two of the show's highly anticipated second season (no spoilers warning, the game has been out for five years, suck it up). But a handful of episodes does not make a leading performance! It's barely a guest performance! It's a shock, but not all that surprising from a body that has been insisting for years that 30-minute-panic-attack-masquerading-as-a-show The Bear is a comedy (they did it again this year.) This one is for every person who tried to explain to a friend why they needed to watch Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's hilariously cutting Hollywood satire. The Studio walked away with a whopping 23 nominations today, matching a record for most comedy nominations set by The Bear last year. In a testament to the show's crazy celebs-playing-themselves cameos, five out of the six Best Guest in a Comedy nominations are held by Studio players. This includes the first ever Emmy acting nominations for beloved directors Martin Scorsese and Ron Howard. Francesca Scorsese shared an adorable screenshot of her dad finding out the good news. Now, go and watch The Studio! Considering Netflix's airy crack at eat-the-rich drama only juuuuuussstt made it into the eligibility window, it was a surprise to see Meghann Fahy snap up a Best Actress nod for her turn as mess-up-turned-amateur-sleuth Devon. If only that love could have been extended to rising star Aussie Milly Alcock, who steals the show as Devon's wealthy wannabe sister, Simone. Fahy will face off against Cate Blanchett — the only Australian to nab a major nomination — in September, but it would have been nice to see two locals in the mix. Lucky for us, Milly is booked and busy being James Gunn's Supergirl. It's really hard to make terminal cancer funny. It's even harder to make it uplifting. It's even HARDER to make it lip-quiveringly sexy. Yet, somehow, limited series Dying For Sex manages all that and more. The incredibly poignant rumination on dying and living set critics keyboard's alight, but didn't quite get a look in audience-wise. Which is why it was such a happy shock to see the Emmys lavish Dying For Sex with many nominations. Michelle Williams nabbed a very-well-deserved nod for her vulnerable performance of a woman processing her death sentence, while Jenny Slate also picked one up for playing the scattered best friend desperate to help. All up, Dying For Sex managed six nominations; here's hoping it doesn't get crashed in an Adolescence tidal wave. It could be two years in a row that a shocking Netflix limited series ends up sweeping awards ceremonies. Last year, it was Richard Gadd's Baby Reindeer. In 2025, it's Adolescence's turn. Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham's arresting look at the consequences of the online 'manosphere' rustled up 13 nominations. Eyes will be on Brit Owen Cooper, the first-time actor who blew audiences away as 13-year-old accused murderer Jamie Miller. Cooper took home the Gotham Award for his performance earlier in the year; if he takes the Emmy too, he'll become the youngest male Emmy winner ever. The final season of Handmaid's Tale came and went with little fanfare in May. Maybe it was the three-year gap between seasons five and six, maybe the audience bailed after the dystopian series started to resemble reality a little too much. Whatever the case, the drop-off has translated into a muted 2025 reception for a series that has won 15 Emmys over its lifetime. It managed to grab just one nomination, and it wasn't for lead Elisabeth Moss — the nod went to Cherry Jones for Best Guest Actress. Not quite the swan song expected for a show that was once essential viewing. Somebody Somewhere is not a flashy show. There are no death games or mushroom zombies. Just a loving, hilarious and utterly unique portrayal of life in your 40s in a small town. The Emmys have been reluctant to acknowledge Somebody Somewhere's flawless seasons (each rating 100 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes), but that all changes today. Not only did star Bridget Everett and her sublime writers nab a writing nod, but Jeff Hiller — who plays the sweet and supportive best friend to Everett — squeaked into the Best Actor in a Comedy list. Maybe everything is going to be OK (which, incidentally, is the exact feeling that watching Somebody Somewhere elicits.)
Los Angeles Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Why the Emmys still matter in a time of turmoil
The 77th Emmys nominations have been announced and given the state of just about everything, it's easy not to care. Our current president is dismantling large portions of the federal government and offering new tax breaks to folks like those portrayed behaving badly in 'The White Lotus.' Flash floods, a potential measles epidemic and ongoing bloody wars in Ukraine and the Middle East seem to echo the pre-apocalyptic drumbeats from 'Paradise.' Masked federal ICE agents, who look like they could be part of the Federal Disaster Response Agency from 'The Last of Us,' roam the streets of Los Angeles, arresting people who might not have the right documentation and taking them to detention centers that appear to be right out of 'The Handmaid's Tale.' Television itself is in a state of freefall, with streaming prices rising even as the number of new series sharply declines, and though 'The Studio' makes it seem as if L.A. remains the geographic center of the entertainment business, the city's increasingly empty soundstages and unemployed production workers tell another story. So given that many Americans might very well agree to work for 'Severance's' sinister Lumon Industries if it guaranteed a decent paycheck and healthcare benefits, it seems impossible to gin up excitement about how many nominations HBO/Max, Netflix, Apple TV+ or any other entertainment conglomeration with an obscenely overpaid CEO received this year. Except, you know, Jeff Hiller, whose amazing midlife breakout role as nakedly sincere Joel in 'Somebody Somewhere' finally got the nomination it deserved. Or Jenny Slate, who deftly spun plates of hilarity, humanity and pathos in 'Dying for Sex.' Stripped of his good looks and seductive accent, Colin Farrell still managed to mesmerize in 'The Penguin,' which not only resuscitated an exhausted genre but took it to a new level of storytelling. From its 15-year-old star to its risky single-shot direction and unsettlingly resonant themes, the limited series 'Adolescence' was as close to perfection as a piece of television gets. Jean Smart ('Hacks'), Kathy Bates ('Matlock') and Catherine O'Hara ('The Studio') continue to prove the absurdity of Hollywood's traditional sidelining of women over 40, while 'Abbott Elementary' reminds us just how good a traditional broadcast comedy can be. Artistic awards of any kind are inevitably absurd — how does one relatively small group of people decide what is 'best' — and given the amount and diversity of television, the Emmys are more absurd than most. According to Television Academy chairman Cris Abrego, this was a record-breaking year in terms of voter turnout. Even so, it's difficult to see categories dominated by one or two shows and not wonder how much TV the voting members managed to watch. If it were just a question of judging shows on submitted episodes, there would be no need for pricey FYC campaigns after all. But the Emmys matter because television is art. And art matters. Even if it involves complaining about how ridiculous this year's choices are, the nominations give us an opportunity to talk about art — what touched/impressed/moved/changed us, or not. What comforted us, disturbed us, made us laugh or look at things just a little differently and why. That's important, especially now when so much is in a constant state of upheaval, when everywhere we look people are questioning the future of democracy, civilization, the planet. Television can be used as an escape from 'real life' — and heaven knows we could all use some of that — but it's existence, and our appreciation of it, is very much part of that real life. Art is a hallmark of civilization. It's proof that we have evolved beyond the basic instincts of survival, that we understand the necessity of stories, images and music, and that we encourage their creation and appreciate the existence of even those things we personally do not perceive as great or even good. Even as Peak TV gives way to the age of contraction, television remains one of our most universally experienced artforms. At its most basic level, it's about curiosity — we watch television, whether it's 'Slow Horses,' 'The Pitt' or 'The Traitors' — to see what other people are up to, what they feel, say and do in a wide variety of circumstances and if we would feel, say or do something similar. So yeah, the Emmys are not as important as ICE raids, flash floods, children dying of measles or the vanishing social safety net. When climate change has made the world so hot that the World Cup is under threat, it's easy to consider conversations about why 'Squid Game' or the final season of 'The Handmaid's Tale' received no major nominations, or how academy members could nominate Martin Short and not Steve Martin for 'Only Murders in the Building,' a complete waste of time. Until you consider the alternative. Because the day we stop celebrating and arguing about art is the day we'll know the bastards have won.
Los Angeles Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Adam Scott severs himself from hype, which makes Emmys recognition for ‘Severance' a ‘delight'
Dystopian drama 'Severance' captured the imagination of overworked Americans when it depicted an employee revolt against an oppressive corporation. Now the series and its lead, Adam Scott, are being recognized by the Television Academy. On Tuesday, Scott was nominated for lead actor in a drama for his role as Mark Scout in the dark, sci-fi thriller. The Apple TV+ series is the most nominated show this year, landing 27 nods for its second season, including for drama series. In Scott's category, the competition features actors previously nominated for Emmys, including Sterling K. Brown for 'Paradise,' Gary Oldman for 'Slow Horses,' Pedro Pascal for 'The Last of Us' and Noah Wyle for 'The Pitt.' In the series, Scott's Mark S. is a macrodata refinement manager employed by the biotechnology corporation Lumon Industries. In order to work in the highly secretive complex, the mild mannered manager and his co-workers have undergone a 'severance procedure.' Their brains have been surgically altered, dividing their work life and home life into separate consciousness described by the company as 'innies' and 'outies.' The trouble begins when the line between realms starts to blur. Show creator Dan Erickson, executive producer and primary director Ben Stiller were also nominated, as were Britt Lower, Tramell Tillman, Zach Cherry, John Turturro, Patricia Arquette and Gwendoline Christie in the acting categories. Scott, who is also an executive producer on the show, spoke with The Times about the recognition, the series and how he separates himself from his work. 'Severance' has broken through in a way that I don't think anyone expected when it first arrived in 2022. It's a smart, heady show that requires some brain power. Now Season 2 leads the Emmy nominations. The feeling is incredible. I just am always sort of at a default position of nothing's going to happen, and I need to be braced for disappointment. I think that's a healthy disposition for a career in show business, and then I'll be delightfully surprised if anything goes in a different direction. I try not to read any of the stuff, the prognosticating. I stay away from it and keep it out of my head as much as possible, and then something like this [nomination] is just a pure delight. I love the idea that you block out the hype and conjecture around the show. It's a form of self-severance. It's true. I've been at this for 30 years now so I think that I've found ways to keep myself healthy, as much as possible, anyway. For me, that's just trying to sever myself from anything beyond keeping my head down and trying to do the best work possible. Clearly it's a tactic that's paid off, for you and your fellow cast mates. I'm so honored for our show to be recognized and to be on a list with everyone else — Britt and Tramell. Zach and John and Patricia and Merritt [Wever] and Gwendoline. And Ben and Jessica [Lee Gagné] and Dan. His wonderful script is being recognized. We work so hard on the show, every single one of us. It's a team effort, as any show is, but our show takes a lot of time. So getting recognized for that hard work is really gratifying, And there's something redeeming about such a smart show breaking through in such stupid times. [Laughs] Thank you. 'Severance' is sort of this intangible thing, so we work really hard to make it happen. While we're making the show and while Dan and the writers are putting it together, there's sort of this invisible third rail. You're not sure exactly what it is, but when it feels right, it's like OK, there's our show. It's a specific feeling, a specific tone that we're seeking out and sometimes it takes a while to zero in and find it. It's an original story that Dan came up with and it's very weird. For something this weird to be recognized is really gratifying because we were surprised when anyone watched. We didn't know if it would be a tiny audience. We thought maybe it's too weird, so when it broadened out popularity-wise, it was a huge surprise and a really lovely one.
