Blog Archives
Viola vs. Meryl. Who Gets Best Actress? Tonight Holds A Big Clue.
UPDATE: Viola Davis wins Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor In A Leading Role at the SAG Awards. Meryl Streep led the standing ovation!
It’s probably the award being talked up the most. Will Viola Davis win Best Actress (officially known as Actress in a Leading role) at the Oscars for her role in “The Help” or will Meryl Streep win for her role in “The Iron Lady?” There are a few schools of thought. Some say Viola’s role is the strongest and an incredible break though and the Academy will reward her for that. Some say Meryl Streep is a legend (and she is) and she hasn’t scored an Oscar since 1983 for “Sophie’s Choice” and she is long over due for another. This is her 17th nomination after all.
So what’s the franklyHANK school of thought? And the answer is. Hell if I know! But here is what I do know. In the Academy Awards, you vote for your category, meaning actors vote for actors, directors vote for directors, etc. Except everyone in the Academy votes for the top categories. The biggest voting block at the Academy Awards are actors — actors who belong to the Screen Actors Guild, the actors union. Tonight on TBS and TNT at 7pm CT is the Screen Actors Guild Awards or SAG for short. Many of the film actors who will be voting for tonight’s awards will be voting for the Oscars and the outcome is likely the same… not always, but the SAG Awards are said to be a good indicator. So… whomever wins tonight for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor In A Leading Role could very well be dusting off a spot for Oscar in her home.
If I had to guess, I would say, “Ms. Davis meet Oscar!”
I’ll be discussing the SAG Awards tomorrow on Windy City LIVE. Be sure to tune in to the 84th Academy Awards on Sunday, February 26th at 6pm on ABC (ABC7 in Chicago). And don’t forget to check out Oscars.com for everything you need to know for Oscars Sunday!! And Windy City LIVE fans, Paige and Plummer will soon be revealing their Oscar picks! Stay tuned.
Melissa McCarthy is now Oscar-nominated Melissa McCarthy!
My oh my, how far from Plainfield you have come, Ms. McCarthy!!! One of the hottest names to come out of Chicago was nominated for an Academy Award today (Best Supporting Actress) for her work in “Bridesmaids.” If you haven’t seen it, her performance is stellar and truly one of the funniest performances you will ever see (especially that now infamous sink scene).
Melissa tells E! Online, “When they said my name I was like, ‘What show is this? This must be some other show,’” McCarthy said. “I kept saying that, but when my picture came up I just kind of crumpled and my husband said, ‘You just got nominated for an Academy Award.’”
McCarthy also says she will be turning to childhood friend and shoe designer, Brian Atwood, to help her choose a dress for the red carpet! Wow! Now that’s a decision! Good luck with that one, Brian. The world (and more importanly, Chicago) will be watching.
The Oscars are February 26th starting at 6pm on ABC7. I can’t wait!
It’s Official! Katie Couric joining ABC News, Launching Daytime Show
It’s one of the worst kept secrets, but now it’s official. Katie Couric will join the Disney/ABC Television Group not only as a member of the ABC News team, but also as the host and producer of her own nationally syndicated talk show.
Couric will start appearing on ABC News and its programming this summer. Her daytime talk show will launch in September 2012. All 8 ABC owned stations (including ABC7 in Chicago) have committed to Katie’s show in the 3pm time slot.
“It’s tremendously exciting to have the creative freedom to develop my own show with Anne, the Disney/ABC TV Group and [EP] Jeff [Zucker] , and to contribute to such a vibrant, innovative news division,” Katie added. “I can’t wait to be part of this incredibly talented, visionary team.”
So Is McDreamy Quitting “Grey’s” or Not???
“Grey’s Anatomy” star Patrick Dempsey is doing a whole lotta backtracking after telling Italian “Vanity Fair” that he was not returning to the show after the next season. He said, “It will be my last.” Adding, “I don’t know what will happen with the other characters, but for me, it’s done.”
Well, that seems pretty cut and dry, right? I guess not. B/c now Patrick’s flack, uhm, I mean publicist, is saying that McDreamy was taken out of context! Say it ain’t so! A star misquoted?
Dempsey’s publicist tells Entertainment Weekly that he was only talking about his contract being up and that he was unsure what the future held. Speculation is Mr. Dempsey is looking for some big time ABC cash to drop at his McDoorstep. That’s silly. Celebrities would never threaten to leave to get more money. Never. {insert laugh here}.
The Apocalypse Comes To Chicago
The folks at WINDY CITY LIVE on ABC7 in Chicago are preparing for the end of the world on May 21, 2011. Unfortunately, no one else seems to be. Check out this hilarious bit they did with funny man Mark DeCarlo.
Farewell, Walker Clan; “Brothers and Sisters” No More
On Friday, ABC cancelled “Brothers and Sisters,” a series we have come to know and love for the last five years. Gone is Nora’s incessant whining. Gone is Kitty’s, uhm, whining. Gone is Kevin’s, uhm, whining. Gone is Justin’s (bad acting) and, uhm, whining. Wow, there was a lot of whining on that show.
Having worked in this business for the last 18 years, I understand why shows get canceled. It’s ratings and money. In this case, “Brothers and Sisters” ratings had been dropping and the cost of producing the show was not. Big cast = big money. I noticed during last week’s opening credits that Sally Field was listed as an Executive Producer. Giving a star a big title is often a way to justify a large salary.
In any case, I’m disappointed in ABC (and I should note that I am an employee of ABC/Disney). Why not give the producers a heads up that the show was being canceled so a proper finale episode could be written? Instead, the producers thought the show might be ending, but also knew they could be coming back for a much shorter sixth and final season. It would have given them a chance to tie up loose ends and let us, the fans, send off the Walker family in a fond farewell. Instead, the Sunday episode was sort of an ending, but not really. It really left a lot wide open, and of course, never mentioned it was the season finale b/c the show had not yet been cancelled. If the show had been on for only a season or two, I could understand the abrupt ending, but after five years, the audience deserves so much more.
So Farewell, Walker clan. As Entertainment Weekly pointed out, it did not end as the series we fell in love in with, but I will add, it was a series we loved.
TODAY SHOW SHOCKER: Viera Out; Curry In; GMA Rejoices*
*Okay, I don’t know if the staff of GMA is really rejoicing, but I have to imagine they are.
The Hollywood Reporter says TODAY anchor Meredith Viera will leave the #1 morning show in June, some three months before her contract expires. It also says TODAY news reader and Dateline anchor Ann Curry will replace her with Natalie Morales replacing Curry as news reader.
This, I believe, is the start of the downfall of TODAY.
I get why Meredith Viera wants to leave. It’s a grueling schedule with crazy hours. After a while, the money doesn’t matter. You want quality of life. Meredith’s husband, Richard, has been ill for years and she wants to spend time with him. Good for you, Mrs. Viera!
Without a doubt, I love Ann Curry. I know her personally, I have worked with her professionally and she is as warm and genuine as you would hope she would be. I have also worked with Matt Lauer on a couple of occasions and he is always professional and a pleasure to work with. Separately, they are wonderful and have great qualities. Together…eeeehhhh, not so much. The chemistry between the two just isn’t there. When Ann co-anchors with Matt something is just off kilter. The cohesive group is out of whack.
Oprah: I Can’t Save The Soaps
The Queen of Daytime Talk, Oprah Winfrey, has taken to YouTube after being inundated by ABC soap fans who want her to move ALL MY CHILDREN and ONE LIFE TO LIVE to OWN after ABC canceled them. Oprah, oh so eloquently, explains what I have said all along: If there was money to be made in soap operas, they would still be on. It’s a dying art form and the days of the daytime serials are coming to a close. But like I said, Oprah says it much better than I do. And now, a word from Oprah…
The details on ABC Daytime’s New Shows
This is from the official press release…
April 14, 2011 — BURBANK, CA – Guided by extensive research into what today’s daytime viewers want and the changing viewing patterns of the audience, ABC is evolving the face of daytime television with the launch of two new shows, “The Chew” which will premiere in September 2011 and “The Revolution” (working title) which will premiere in January 2012. These new shows expand ABC Daytime’s focus to include more programming that is informative and authentic and centers on transformation, food and lifestyle — cornerstones of programming that resonates with daytime viewers as evidenced by the success of “The View.”
As food has become the center of everyone’s life, “The Chew,” will focus on food from EVERY angle – as a source of joy, health, family ritual, friendship, breaking news, dating, fitness, weight loss, travel adventures and life’s moments. Produced by Gordon Elliot, the Emmy award winning executive producer of “Paula Deen’s Home Cooking” and “Down Home With The Neelys,” this new one hour series combines entertaining takeaway with memorable personalities to create a live show where viewers get the dish on anything and everything related to the world of food and beyond.
Whether it’s new trends like food trucks and urban gardens or how pesticides in our food may affect our health, we can’t stop talking about it. The hosts who will guide the hour include Mario Batali (Restauranteur, Food Network’s “Iron Chef America” and author); entertaining expert, Clinton Kelly (TLC’s “What Not To Wear”), Carla Hall (Bravo’s “Top Chef”); Michael Symon (Restauranteur and Food Network’s “Iron Chef America”) and nutrition expert Daphne Oz, who simplifies often confusing information about food.
From Executive Producer JD Roth and 3 Ball Productions, producers of “The Biggest Loser,” “Masterchef” and ABC’s upcoming “Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition” comes “The Revolution,” a daily show about health and lifestyle transformations. The show is hosted by a team of experts and rotating guest contributors who help viewers transform all areas of their lives from relationships, to family, food, style, home design, finance and more. This dream team, led by fashion expert Tim Gunn, also includes celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak and American Idol alum Kimberley Locke. The show features a unique concept: each week one woman’s five-month weight loss journey will unfold in just five days, with daily results and a final transformational reveal on Friday. “The Revolution” is a one-stop shop for better living.
ABC Cancels “All My Children” AND “One Life To Live”
The president of ABC daytime, Brian Frons, announced today that ABC will be ending production of All My Children and One Life to Live. The shows will air their final episodes in September 2011 and January 2012, respectively.
ABC says it is trying to meet the needs of its daytime viewers. Two new series will replace the soaps later this year that will focus on transformation, food and lifestyle. In a release, ABC said: “Daytime drama General Hospital will remain on the air, joining The View and two new series, The Chew and The Revolution, to anchor ABC’s daytime lineup.”
