Emmy Tracker: Will ‘American Crime Story’ Sweep the Lead Races?
2016 is Sarah Paulson’s year. Fans know it. Critics know it. With two nominations this year, clearly the Television Academy knows it. After four consecutive losses (and two crushing snubs) fans of Sarah Paulson began to question if she would ever win. Then Ryan Murphy granted her (and us all) the gift of The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. Her performance as Marcia Clark checks off all the right boxes: a buzzed about show, an historical role, and plenty of watercooler moments. Voters know this is her year, and if they gave it two anybody else the online blogosphere will never let them live it down. Will Paulson take it home? Will her co-star Courtney B. Vance sweep along for the ride? Check out the Emmy Tracker at ADTV. (Emmy Tracker)
Making the Case: Netflix’s ‘Master of None’
When Netflix debuted the comedy Master of None last fall, it seemed that everyone had an idea of what the show might be. Comics have made the transition from big stages to the small screen before with varying success, and the episodes highlight Aziz Ansari’s ease on camera. Not only did Ansari co-create the show with Alan Yang, but the duo wrote all of the episodes in the first season. It’s a quietly ambitious series that recalls the joys of being young and living in New York City. It’s one of the best shows of last year, and it rightfully should be in serious contention for all 4 of the Emmys it’s nominated for. (Master of None)
AwardsDaily TV’s 1st Annual Predict the Emmys Contest
Pretty simple. Predict the Emmys!
Emmy-winner Reg E. Cathey on Race, Politics, and ‘House of Cards’
Not every actor can boast a career like Reg E. Cathey with a filmography including such works as House of Cards, The Wire, Oz, Tank Girl, and Se7en. On top of his performances in film and television, he has always made it a priority to work in classical theatre whenever he is given the opportunity. With a distinctive voice that rivals Morgan Freeman and a commanding, booming laugh that concludes each story, we talked about a range of subjects including his college roommate David Allen Grier, the “tyranny of the douchebag,” and that time he crashed on Joey Ramone’s couch over spring break. We lost track of time and ended up concluding our talk just as he was going into the homophobic history of “Yankee Doodle Dandy” and to my pleasure ended with Cathey singing the song to me himself. (Reg E. Cathey)
‘AHS’ Architect Mark Worthington on His Brilliant Hotel Cortez
American Horror Story: Hotel’s Hotel Cortez as realized by Emmy-nominated production designer Mark Worthington is more than just an art deco fantasia.
It’s a physical manifestation of the many moods, periods, and ghosts within its walls. It’s also something of a human Roach Motel: people check in, but they don’t check out. Relatively hidden within the splendor, though, is an elaborate nod to the hotel’s Spanish namesake, the conquistador Hernán Cortés. He makes an appearance in the hotel’s elevator on an ironwork design of Cortés’s arrival in the New World. A sun rises and sets behind his head, depending on your vantage point. Brilliant gold rays emit from the sun and stream across the lobby, later transforming into moonbeams. Over a glass bar, the moonbeams resolve into a moon over the head of La Malinche, Cortés South American native translator and consort.
None of that detail appeared in the script. Those choices represent the contributions of Mark Worthington’s Emmy-worthy design. And it’s an entirely bad ass design choice. (Mark Worthington)