Category: Arts and Entertainment

This category is about arts and entertainment.

Claire Foy, John Lithgow and ‘The Crown’ team backstage at the 2017 Golden Globe Awards

January 9, 2017

by Carla Hay

The 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards took place on January 8, 2017, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California.

“THE CROWN”

Golden Globe wins:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K14qAJzMW2k

Here is what these Golden Globe winners said backstage in the Golden Globe Awards press room.

"The Crown" star Claire Foy at the 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 8, 2017.
Claire Foy at the 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 8, 2017. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/NBC)

BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW

Claire, if you had a chance to sit down with Queen Elizabeth and have tea with her, what  would be one question you want to ask her now that you’ve been playing her for the television series?

Claire Foy: I’m really shamefully going to nick Andy Harris’ reply to this which is “Has she watched it?” And then probably I just like to hear her talk for about two hours that would be nice.

Peter and Stephen, what fascinated you about this and why do you think you were able to get such an amazing budget for it?

Peter Morgan (creator): We didn’t ask for that. Netflix gave it to us. I just sort of started this journey when writing the film “The Queen.” And it and even that was by accident. I started just thinking it was interesting what happened between the queen in her prime ministers. And that just grew and grew and grew.

And I wanted to know how must have been for her with her first prime minister, who was [Winston] Churchill, and the next thing I know these stories were coming back to me and I started thinking this is a much longer running thing, and now we’re shooting the second season at the moment. I hope that’s answered your question

How have you reacted to “The Crown’s” popularity? How did you pick John Lithgow to play Churchill?

Stephen Daldry (director): John is a very good person to answer the question about how on earth how surprising the response has been around the world.

Lithgow: It is astonishing. It delights all of us. We knew we were doing something fine. I think from day one, we knew this was going to be extraordinary. But we didn’t we didn’t dream that it would be massively popular internationally.

I suppose it’s because the monarchy is the subjective everybody’s attention and obsession internationally. And Peter and Stephen have just found a way of turning that very, very public family into an extremely fascinating private world ever and everybody connects with it. And you have to ask them about casting me. I didn’t do it myself.

Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said that “The Crown” could feasibly go on six or seven years. Any thoughts on that?

Morgan: The danger of writing a story about someone with a long life is the story goes on and on … We’re filming the second season at the moment, and that would take us through to 1964. We were there for about three episodes in at the moment, and that starts in the Suez crisis and then as Britain goes into the ‘60s, the world changes you know if we leave behind a certain kind of Britain and we enter a new kind of Britain.

And we will then at the end of Season 2, we will reach a point where we will have to start thinking about a new cast because our actors would reached what I think is the limit that they could reasonably play and we haven’t had those conversations with Netflix about going forward. I think they would like to, and I think we would like to, but it’s only now really that will have those conversations

John, how difficult was it for you to master Churchill’s speech patterns and the physicality?

Lithgow: It was difficult but it was fun it was all fun and I had tremendous help from the costumer Michele Clapton and the makeup artist Ivana Primorac and a remarkable dialect coach William Conacher, who helped me with not just the dialect but the sort of machine dream of changes explosiveness that was William. And I have to say he worked just as hard with the British actors as you did with me. He was remarkable. Put all those things together, and it came very, very easily. And I think the bottom line the greatest asset of all was the lines that were written for me.

Daldry: The bottom line is that John Lithgow is one of the great actors of our age. And that we had him in our show was a great gift, and it was a wonderful opportunity for us to explore the character Churchill. We’re blessed to have you, sir.

Do you have a favorite Churchill quote or anecdote?

Lithgow: There was a wonderful moment that Stephen and I derived. We wanted to do something appalling for Churchill to demonstrate that he should not be prime minister. There was a moment when he stands up in a cabinet meeting and staggers out of the room.

And it was my idea that he actually reach right straight into his trousers. This was inspired by a quote from Churchill when someone pointed out that he’d left his fly buttons open. And his quote was, “It’s not a problem. A dead bird never leaves its nest.”

Billy Bob Thornton backstage at the 2017 Golden Globe Awards

January 9, 2017

by Carla Hay

The 74th annual Golden Globe Awards took place on January 8, 2017, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California.

BILLY BOB THORNTON

Golden Globe win:

Best Actor in a Television Series – Drama

(“Goliath”)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7Ji6glwVsM

Here is what this Golden Globe winner said backstage in the Golden Globe Awards press room.

Billy Bob Thornton at the 2017 Golden Globe Awards
Billy Bob Thornton at the 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 8, 2017. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW

Can you elaborate on what you said in your acceptance speech about sticking up for people?

I said that it’s easy to talk about people. It’s hard to stick your neck out. And I guess my point about that is a lot of people in the entertainment business get called “privileged” and yet … I came out here in poverty and spent a decade trying to eat. And that does things to you. At the end of the day, what separates people who come to these awards shows and who do television shows or movies or whatever it is or write a score, there are people who are willing to take a chance.

And maybe it was safer to work, but if you wanted to make something out of yourself, you’re willing to go take the chance. And so when people in this day of the social media, and when people are slamming each other left and right, what they have to remember at the end of the day is those who talk about those who do things, that’s not a very good job.

That’s why when the legitimate press … when you write a review or talk about something on your TV show, it comes from a place of knowledge, as opposed to a place of hatred or jealousy or whatever it is, you know. And I think we’re living in that society right now. I let it bother me for a few years. And now, when I accept an award, I accept it with pride, because I know I tried.

Who are you most excited to see tonight?

I was excited to see my wife being happy. I mean, she’s happy every day, but tonight, she’s just proud to be here with me and everything. But in terms of celebrities, I was very excited to see Warren Beatty because he’s one of the guys I admired growing up.

What drew you to your “Goliath” character?

I always wanted to play a lawyer, because I think lawyers and actors have the same job. A lawyer is trying to convince a jury, and an actor is trying to convince an audience. And I did it in “The Judge” with Robert Downey [Jr.] and [Robert] Duvall, but it was kind of a big cameo. It wasn’t really a full part. I’d always wanted to play a lawyer for a period of time, but mainly I wanted to play a guy who was trying to fight his way back from nowhere—and I’ve had to do that a few times, so I kind of related to the character.

You’ve said the “Goliath” was one of the best crews you ever worked with, and you recognized your PA [production assistant] in your acceptance speech. Can you talk a little bit more about the crew?

It was a very, very good crew on “Goliath.” There were people who enjoyed being there every day. They got who the actors were and related to us in that way. Luke Scott was a kid who was only 23 years old, and he passed away last year.

Luke made me want to come to work. He was the guy who, when I got there, I know that his face was such a joyous face. And he was so happy just to be there and have that job and be around a business that he wanted to be around.

To lose your life at 23 years old when you’re just starting something like that, I thought, “I can thank people all night long. I can thank lawyers and agents and everybody, but at the end of the day, the two entities I have to thank are Luke Scott, this PA that made me happy to be there, and Amazon, who was willing to do the show.”

Amazon is a company that was very kind to us and allowed us to be what we wanted to be, and in fact encouraged us to be more than what was there. But if I thank them publicly, then I need to thank every lawyer, and that takes a lot of time. So if I had to pick one out of two, I pick the kid who’s not with us anymore.

How would you say luck or blessings fit in addition to the chances you’ve taken and how good your work is?

In terms of luck and all that, I’ve kind of left it up to providence in a way because if Fred Roos hadn’t seen me in the theater back in the early ‘80s, I’d be nowhere. But then again, if this unemployed actor who I met named Don Blakeley hadn’t met me three or four years before that, I would never have been in the theater were Fred Roos saw me.

People say, “Was ‘Sling Blade’ the turning point?” or “Was ‘Once False Move’ the turning point?” And sure, you can say that in a way, but the fact of the matter is, if it weren’t for Don Blakely, this actor who would feed me when I was starving and who introduced me to somebody and put me in a play in this little theater group where Fred Roos, a big producer came and saw me, then none of that would have happened. So you have to really go way, way back.

So I think, as opposed to those defining moments that people usually pin on movies, I think you really have to think more about those people that led you to that moment. So my hat goes off to Don Blakeley, just like it went off to Luke Scott, a PA who made me want to come to work. I think the little woman and the little man aren’t recognized enough in the trajectory of someone’s career.

We have not heard about the future of “Goliath” from Amazon. What have you heard, and what are your hopes for the show going forward?

If I told you, I’d have to kill you. They would like to do another season, I know that much. This one was written in a way that it had a beginning, a middle and an end, so that was kind of the intention. But once they see what the potential is—and I honestly believe there’s more potential for the show than what was in the first season. I love the first season, but I think there’s so much more to mine.

I think we need to know where this guy came from and what happened and what it is that made him who he is and what his sense of justice actually is and what his desires are and what he does think about these people. And I think another season could unfold that and could answer a lot of those questions and lead the audience down a path that’s much stranger and much darker. I know that Amazon, to their credit, wants to do it, and I think it just depends on if they come up with the right story.

Is there some talent that you’re not so good that you wish you were better at?

Absolutely. I’m the worst dancer, maybe in history. I grew up as a musician, as a drummer, so I have a natural sense of rhythm. It’s not about that. On the dance floor, I freeze up like you can’t imagine. It’s incredible.

When I was in junior high school there was a band called the Yardleys in my hometown of Malvern, Arkansas, and they were like the Beatles to us. And they had a dance in the old high-school gymnasium.

And this senior in high school named Joan Burnett asked me to dance and her boyfriend Bucky Griggs was a drummer in the Yardleys. And she came over and got me by the hand and led me out to the middle of the dance floor because I was friends with her little brother, who was in school with me.

And I stood there sweating, like my hands are sweating, and I thought I was having a heart attack at 13. And I lost my mind I didn’t know what to do. So when I watch people dance and look at the old movies when actors couldn’t just be actors; they had to ride horses, shoot guns, dance, sing, everything—I admire those people so much, because now we can just sit in a room and a chair and talk, but they just have to do everything. I’m so fortunate, because I just can’t dance.

Isabelle Huppert and Paul Verhoeven backstage at the 2017 Golden Globe Awards

January 9, 2017

by Carla Hay

The 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards took place on January 8, 2017, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California.

“ELLE”

Golden Globe wins:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn1fbEbrvVo

Here is what these Golden Globe winners said backstage in the Golden Globe Awards press room.

Isabelle Huppert and Paul Verhoeven at the 2017 Golden Globe Awards
Isabelle Huppert and Paul Verhoeven at the 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 8, 2017. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/NBC)

BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW

What scares you the most in life or in movies?

Huppert: What am I scared of in life or in movies? Well, in movies normally things scare me. Actually, I think the most apparently scary things are the most rewarding. I think it all depends about with whom you do it and obviously going it with [“Elle” director ] Paul Verhoeven didn’t scare me. I don’t think truth never scared me. In life, life it’s a different story.

What made you and Paul Verhoven understand each other to surpass the craziness of this plot and create something that responded to people?

Verhoeven: well and the book was sent to me and I like the book. And then it was clear at a certain moment that Isabelle Huppert was go to do this and had to do this because there is really nobody else in the world that could have done it. That’s what I feel. I mean, that’s all.

Talking in retrospect because when you start an adventure like that you don’t know exactly where you will go where it’s going. You’re not so clear about things, but after finishing the movie and looking at the result I feel that what Isabelle did was so audacious and so authentic that basically, it saves the movie.

Huppert: I think most of the time moviemaking is all about confidence and trust. There is nothing else, actually. And if you if you trust someone if you should feel like you know you’re being watched and loved and understood, it’s all very easy and actually obviously that’s what happened in that film.

I think that both Paul Verhoeven and myself this is what we expect from doing movies. Being adventurous in certain subject matters but being scared of exploring anything, even if it is disturbing if it is, even if it is sometimes difficult to listen or to understand but exploring the human psyche. That’s what makes seen most of the time valuable and worthwhile.

You didn’t win the Palme D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Did you expect to win at the Golden Globes?

Verhoeven: In reality, yes. Yeah because there was of course, especially in the United States some controversy about a movie. I didn’t realize that the Hollywood Foreign Press was also open-minded to accept this in all its strangeness otherness and—as Isabelle has called it—disturbance. Yes, I was amazed but on the other hand it was so clear to me that Isabelle was fantastic that I was really from the beginning believing that it would be very strange if she wouldn’t get a prize.

What moved you the most playing this character and what was it like to be in this category with so many amazing fellow actresses?

Huppert: What moved me the most by playing this character? So many things, actually. She’s such a memorable character I love the cat too. I’m joking. I think what I really liked is that also the fact that she’s such a central character around which the whole theme evolves and so it makes it so pleasurable and so easy to be able to little touch by little touch to build up a character and to complete and not to be obliged to choose whether she should be more ironical or more dramatic.

Paul Verhoeven has an incomparable talent to really combine this ability to go from drama to sometimes comedy to thriller through the project of a woman. I just had to you know to follow these as a day everyday experiment and that was amazing for me to create that role in this circumstance.

 

John Travolta, Sarah Paulson and ‘The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story’ team backstage at the 2017 Golden Globe Awards

January 9, 2017

by Carla Hay

The 74th annual Golden Globe Awards took place on January 8, 2017, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California.

“THE PEOPLE V. O.J. SIMPSON: AMERICAN CRIME STORY”

Golden Globe wins:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdMlE3bm4yE

Here is what these Golden Globe winners said backstage in the Golden Globe Awards press room.

"The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story" team at the 2017 Golden Globe Awards
“The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” team at the 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 8, 2017. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW

What was the most gratifying part of working on this project?

Nina Jacobson (executive producer): The collaboration amongst these actors was a remarkable gift. These are all actors who under any conditions would be first on a call sheet. They all have enormous star power and yet they all work together to support each other in a way that it was immensely demanding. They all just gave so much to each other, and that was very gratifying.

What was your initial reaction when you heard of the nomination?

Jacobson: We were thrilled and excited pretty excited.

John Travolta (co-star/producer): Well, it’s the icing on the cake. You guys are amazing. You are opinion leaders, so you’re approving of our series. If you hadn’t given us all these wonderful nominations and acknowledged to this depth it would have been a disappointing year. And we’ve been very lucky this year, but you made the year, so thank you.

Now that you’ve had almost a year since “The People v. O.J. Simpson” premiered, did it surprise you the depth of the chord that this struck about contributing to the conversation about race in America? And what would you say has surprised you about the resonance of this project?

Sterling K. Brown (co-star): Unfortunately, it’s not that surprising because the show is more relevant than what it should be. You would think in 20 years time in this country that things would have progressed to such a place where you look back and be like, “Oh, how interesting that was back then.” But back then is what’s happening right now and so the fact that a primarily African-American jury in Los Angeles could find fault with the police department is not that surprising. We’ve got a lot of ocular proof over the past two years of police misconduct—an institution that supposed to protect and serve—and a lot of people don’t always feel protected or served.

And so, I think it’s because of all of the things that we’ve been able to see that there’s a level of understanding that people may not have had 20 years ago when that jury made the decision that they did to acquit. I think what’s really beautiful about what our writers and producers created was that the conversation existed in such a way that people who were appalled with that decision now understood the other side and people who actually celebrated that decision got a chance to see the amount of evidence that the prosecution had and can actually say like, “Well, maybe that wasn’t exact the right approach either.” So hopefully, both sides started to understand each other and instead of just being in fights all the time.

What do you think O.J. Simpson would think about this TV series? And do you care?

Ryan Murphy (executive producer): I don’t think we care.

Jacobson: We have never met him.

Brad Simpson (executive producer): I think that when we were developing the show, the thing that we wanted is everybody to have insight to what these main characters went through, especially the prosecution and the defense to see the other side. That was the main concern.

We made something that had a lot of complexity; that was the objective of the show. We didn’t really think about O.J. Simpson, what he would think. It was mainly about the legal teams that we wanted to present. That was the objective.

Many people on the legal team are saying that they were little upset they weren’t interviewed by the actors. Can you talk about that?

Sarah Paulson (co-star): I can’t speak to that. I didn’t speak to Marcia [Clark] until I think we had completed Episode 7. We were not trying to tell the story from any of their particular points of view, in terms of their personal stakes in it. This was this was something that we were trying to shed light on that may not have always completely lined up with their opinion about what it was that happened. I don’t really know how to answer that exactly.

Donald Glover backstage at the 2017 Golden Globe Awards

January 9, 2017

by Carla Hay

The 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards took place on January 8, 2017, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California.

“ATLANTA”

Golden Globe wins:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-k39j9g27E

Here is what this Golden Globe winner said backstage in the Golden Globe Awards press room.

Donald Glover at the 2017 Golden Globe Awards
Donald Glover at the 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 8, 2017. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW

Long before it went on the air, “Atlanta” was one of those shows that was predicted to catch on. Did that scare you? Did that encourage you? And then as it became accepted, how did that encourage you?

I always when I heard that kind of stuff, it was just my instinct was to pull back. I guess my instinct is always to under-promise over-deliver. I think the last lens that we have as artist is people’s expectations we’ve done so many things there’s been so many great things already made you know that it’s important to just think about how it’s getting to people, whether it’s through their phones or how they’re hearing about it. My instinct was just kind of pull back. I suppose I was really excited.

I’ve been trying to make the show for a long time. I only cared about what people in Atlanta act like I was like if I can’t walk through a lens like you can name a show “Detroit” and then have Detroit people hate it you know so I really was just only caring about if my parents thought it was cool, my cousins thought it was cool, everybody who lived in Atlanta. If I could go to a Chick-fil-A and have people be like, “Have you seen that Donald Glover show?”

Can you talk about your shout-out to Migos?

I think they’re the Beatles of this generation and they don’t get a lot of respect outside of like Atlanta. Not that they don’t get a lot of respect, but it’s like there’s a generation—sort of like the YouTube generation—there’s a generation of kids that are growing up on something that’s completely separate from a whole group of people. And honestly, that song is just fly—like it there’s no better song to have sex to.

How are you preparing for the role of being the young Lando Calrissian?

Not getting to eat anything enjoyable for the rest of my life. Lando’s a big deal to me. It was just literally the first toy I ever got. It’s interesting when you have something that’s kind of iconic in a range where like people pay attention to it, it’s hard because you want to live up to their expectations but all you really do is live up to your own.

“Star Wars” is really high. I know the directors Chris [Miller] and Phil [Lord] they’re amazing. I love the guy playing Han [Solo]. Like it’s going to be a good time. Emily Clark. It’s going to be fun, so like I’m just getting ready to just have fun with those guys. That’s pretty much it.

You said you’ve been trying to make “Atlanta” for a long time. Did you have a struggle to explain your vision for the show and how you would tackle comedy in a different way than the sitcoms that we have become accustomed to?

I think the best things just can’t be explained … I just kind of Trojan-horsed it. I told FX it was something that it wasn’t, and I then hoped it would be enjoyable when it got there. Thank God like you know John Landgraf and the FX team and everybody was rooting for us and pushed for us.

I went home I guess like two years ago, a year-and-a-half ago after I did Bonnaroo … and my mom was clearing out my room and she handed my brother a box of just stuff. I’m just talking to my mom, and he pulls out this letter, and it was a letter I forgot I wrote that he that I sent to him from college. I was like, “Yo, I had this dream where we write a show together and we do this and we do that.”

So I guess it’s been in my head for a long time. Like I said on the stage before, I truly do believe in magic and dreams. We’ve kind of forgotten that, so I feel like that’s the kind of dreamy part of my show. It’s like you’ve got to believe in kind of human magic a little bit, if that made any sense at all.

What do you think we all can do to make a little bit more magic in the world make it a little bit better?

I think honestly right now we live in a time where things are very divisive. I think Meryl Streep was speaking on this a lot of where it’s like we all have a lot of responsibility. And I remember going to school because I wasn’t allowed to talk about magic and I wasn’t allowed.

I knew Santa Claus was fake, but I was around a lot of kids who didn’t know that, so you have that responsibility to keep that going and understand why you’re doing it because of joy. So I think human joy is super-important. It doesn’t come from computers. It just comes from belief.

Acting, making music all that stuff is believing in something that maybe someone older doesn’t truly believe that like when you see it in a child and makes you kind of believe it again, because we forget how innocent and beautiful we were. So I think it’s our responsibility to make magic again because I think a lot of the shit that’s happening now is bullshit.

 

Hugh Laurie backstage at the 2017 Golden Globe Awards

January 9, 2017

by Carla Hay

The 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards took place on January 8, 2017, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California.

HUGH LAURIE

Golden Globe win:

Best Supporting Actor in a Mini-Series or Television Film

(“The Night Manager”)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilRq5mY7xRU

Here is what this Golden Globe winner said backstage in the Golden Globe Awards press room.

Hugh Laurie at the 2017 Golden Globe Awards
Hugh Laurie at the 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 8, 2017. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW

What was your favorite part of working on “The Night Manager”?

[It’s] hard to pick out a favorite part. The whole damn thing was pretty much a dream for me, without wanting to get too maudlin about it. This was a story that I’d fallen in love with almost 25 years ago in the book was published —’93, I think it was published. In fact, it is the only time in my life I’ve ever tried to. I’m not a producer. I have no producing skills or knowledge but I actually tried to option the novel because I thought this has to be on the screen.

And 25 years ago, I rather arrogantly assumed that I would be playing the part that Tom Hiddleston plays, and then my hair fell out, and a number of other things happened, and I wound up being the villain. But I’ve just always believed that the story, the romance of the story, the nobility of the story was so overwhelming to me. Every moment that I was on set, every part of the process of making it was just such a thrill to me. It’s daunting because it mattered so much to me, but it was nonetheless through the whole thing from beginning to end

Who would you most want to work with?

I would honestly would work with Susanne Bier in an instant. I would follow her to the ends of the earth. “The Ends of the Earth” is probably the title of a cable show, now so obviously I have to read the scripts.  Whatever credit there is in this project was entirely hers.

She’s a Danish woman … what I mean is that she was entering a world a very male and very English kind of tribalism. And it would have been daunting for almost anybody, but  such is her intellect and her passion and her energy and her taste that she never wavered— not for one moment—and had control of it from beginning to end. And I would follow her wherever she leads me, I will go.

Is there a special joy in playing a bad guy and if so what is it?

Well, I suppose there is. I’ve always been a bit suspicious of that assumption. Bad people tend to be interesting because thank God they are rare.  Genuinely villainous people are aberrations; you don’t meet them every day. Psychopaths, essentially. And when you do meet them, obviously, a large part of the work is already done for you because they are inherently interesting simply because they’re rare, thank God.

A lot of actors say it’s much harder to make the guy that’s working in the bank interesting than the guy who’s going out committing terrible sins. But I honestly found so much of this story so many I would have played. I would have played the character of Jed if I were given the chance. I would have played any of these characters. I think it’s one of le Carré’s most consummate casts that he ever assembled in a novel—and that, by the way, is saying something because I could think of no better than John le Carré.

I’ve worshipped him pretty much since I could read, but this whole cast of characters, I found of them fascinating, found the character of Corcoran absolutely mesmerizing. I find Pine extraordinary. There’s something very strange and rootless, something sort of occasionally kind of sinister.

You’re looking at a lost soul and a lost soul who is capable of damaging himself and other people in the quest for whatever it is that will give his life meaning. I find them all absolutely fascinating. I can’t remember what your question was, and neither can you. Can we just call it a day?

Are you finding people in real life like your character?

Yes, they undoubtedly exist. The one peculiar thing from my point of view is that I’m not all. I was actually … legally prevented from researching those carriers. I identified a couple of likely candidates upon whom I could base the character, and I was told that under no circumstances could I talk to them because that would give them license to claim that I had to reduce their name in public, and they would then sue. And suing would be the best I could hope for or they might send the boys around.

That’s not to say even allowing for the media’s appetite for sort of gory details of misdeeds in all kinds of spheres, we have this week we seem to be whipping yourself into this frenzied belief that the world is coming to an end, and that there are villainies on the ascendancy. I don’t believe it. I think most people are kind and gentle and considerate and cooperative.

Unfortunately, villainous people, by their nature, have the power to punch above their weight. An unscrupulous person has the power by dint of their lack of scruples to do a huge amount of damage. Nonetheless, they’re rare. I do believe that, generally speaking, people are kind and generous and are getting—if anything—kinder and more generous as the centuries go by. I wasn’t around more than a century ago, I know, but I read a book.

 

Tracee Ellis Ross backstage at the 2017 Golden Globe Awards

January 9, 2017

by Carla Hay

The 74th annual Golden Globe Awards took place on January 8, 2017, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California.

TRACEE ELLIS ROSS

Golden Globe win:

Best Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical

(“Blackish”)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGWDbg9yGqM

Here is what this Golden Globe winner said backstage in the Golden Globe Awards press room.

Tracee Ellis Ross at the 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 8, 2017.
Tracee Ellis Ross at the 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 8, 2017. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW

How do you identify with your “Blackish” character?

In many ways, but in many ways I didn’t. I’m not a mother, I’m not a doctor, and I’m not married, but we’re so much alike. Bow Johnson, what I do identify with is that she’s a strong woman with a full life whose story is not told through her husband. And that really is something I identified with. She’s a woman with a big heart.

And one of the things that originally drew me to the character that I really loved she actually really loved her husband. And often, in comedies, a lot of the married comedy kind of thing that happens is that the husband and the wife don’t like each other, and that’s where the foil comes from, but love that this couple actually loved each other.

What’s your favorite memory from the “Blackish” production?

I don’t have children, but I love working with the four kids on the show. It’s been a really beautiful and fun journey watching them grow up. Marcus [Scribner] turned 17 yesterday, and watching them grow and sort of navigate this business has been a really fun experience. And we giggle and laugh at work all day long. We have a really good time. That’s probably my favorite part.

What did you think of the body of work that was considered for the nomination and helped win you this award?

Oh, I thought you meant the other women [nominees], because I was going to say I think they’re amazing … I feel really proud of the show in general. Our writers are exceptional, and every week I feel surprised by our scripts and the way that they very courageously tackle heavy subjects—and yet somehow the show is so funny.

And the way they write for my character is really interesting. As I said earlier, often as the wife character, your storyline is through your husband. And that’s not really the case on our show. And it makes it a really fun experience for me to kind of be challenged every week to find my way. There’s been a couple of favorite episodes this season.

You’ve been nominated for other awards and didn’t win. Is the reward the nomination or does winning even better?

It is the nomination, but winning is really sweet. You know, I’ve been doing this for quite a while. It’s not my first time at the rodeo even though it’s my first time at the Golden Globes, so one of the things I asked myself very early on in my career is, “What do award shows mean to me in the context of the work that I do?” And I would do it whether I was getting nominated for things or not, but I think one of the things that’s very special about being nominated and then most particularly about winning is that you actually get to thank the people that make it possible, because none of us do it alone.

It’s such a collaborative art television so the combination of ABC supporting our show and putting billboards up and making sure that people knew where to find us and then the writing that happens in our extraordinary crew and the cast are so many pieces and so winning and being able to stand on that stage and say those names and say those things and then also to have a platform to say things that are important to me in a larger way is what makes winning so special.

What was the first thing that went through your mind when you won, and how are you going to celebrate?

You mean tonight? I was like “Wait they said my name, right? This is so cool!” It was really cool and is really cool and like a special treat. And then I said my entire speech to Meryl Streep. I was looking right at her. And I was like, “Are we doing good? Great!” Yeah, I hope to party as much as possible, but I have a very big week of work, so I’ll be at work at seven in the morning.

What would you hope that young women, especially women of color, would see when they see you accept your award?

I think what I said is really what I mean. I feel like I  receive this award and hold this now I’m as a “inspired by” and “being a face for” as standing on that stage for women of color and colorful people. And I think that you know this nomination was really exciting to me, as was my Emmy nomination. I’m excited to see the industry look outside of where they usually look is very special to me and is very important, and I think it’s something we need to continue to do more of. I think it’s not since 1983 that a black woman has [won] in this category with Debbie Allen …

I think that our industry really can be at the forefront of making sure that the diversity of stories is told, and diversity does not just mean people of color. It’s all different ages and shapes and sizes, and all of it making sure that the stories that we tell and how we celebrate those stories actually represents the humanity that we all live in. So I hope that young women continue to be encouraged to be themselves—and not just young women—young men, all of us.

What does it mean to you to be the first black woman to win this award in this category in more than 30 years?

Holy moly, when you say it that way, I don’t know quite a process that! It means a lot. Goodness! I think my shoulders got a little heavier and I got a little taller all at the same time. I think that’s something I’m going have to ponder for the next couple days but I think it’s some of it is for me to ponder, and I think more of it is for our industry and all of us to ponder.

I think it’s something that we just need to do better at. I think the work is there, the stories are there, and I also feel really special to be in the category with Debbie Allen. I reposted her post because … it’s Debbie Allen, for God sakes! So yeah, very cool. It’s also cool to be a member of a family with two Golden Globe winners.

How does it feel to carve out a totally different path from your parents in show business?

Normal. It feels like it was sort of what I was raised to do, to be myself. I never felt like I was in my mother’s shadow. I know that always comes up when you have a very famous or prominent parent that people say things like that. “How does it feel to be in your parent’s shadow?”

I’ve actually always felt like I was in my mother’s embrace, and part of the way she raised me and all five of her kids is really to follow my heart and follow my dreams and do the hard work to get there. And so I feel like it’s actually kind of sweet and charming and wonderful to have a different experience and yet have so much that is the same as my mom. She’s been here, I had never been to the Globes so I got ask her what to expect.

Can you comment on some of the monologue jokes related to the incoming president?

I think I will let this moment be about my Golden Globe … I’m basking in the glow of this award.

In a few days, a lot of people think a white supremacist will be running this country. What do you suggest people do to change so this won’t happen in the future?

I will keep it focused on this moment and sort of answer that through this moment, which is that I think I’m continuing to tell our own stories and to stand up for what we believe in as individuals is very important.  And I think how I accepted my award tonight spoke to how I feel about all different kinds of stories being represented.

 

March Madness-inspired ‘Meow Madness’ kitten basketball TV special debuts on Hallmark Channel

January 7, 2017

Kittens in the inaugural "Meow Madness" TV special.
Kittens in the inaugural “Meow Madness” TV special. (Photo courtesy of Hallmark Channel)

The following is a press release from Hallmark Channel:

Hallmark Channel, the exclusive home of kitten  sports and the highly rated “Kitten Bowl” franchise , announces the network’s latest  pet-centric  programming  buzzer  beater , “Meow Madness ,” a Hallmark  Channel  Original  Special Event, will  premiere at 8 p.m. ET on April 3 , 2017.

“Meow Madness” features author and animal advocate  Beth  Stern as host and Peabody Award-winning  reporter  Mary  Carillo as commentator.  The  special will showcase adoptable kittens in the most competitive tournament the basketball world  has ever seen. Hallmark Channel  enjoys home court  advantage for the inaugural “Meow Madness” special as 100 adorable, adoptable “cat-letes” purr-fect an unstoppable zone defense while taking shots  from the “flea throw” zone as  each team claw s its way to “The Final Fur.”

“Meow Madness” is produced by 3 Ball Entertainment.  Executive Producers are Todd A.  Nelson, Ross Weintraub, DJ Nurre and Jeff Altrockm,  with Kathy Sutula serving as co-executive  producer.  3 Ball Entertainment credits include “Extreme Weight Loss” (ABC), “Bar Rescue” (Spike)  and “My Cat From Hell” (Animal Planet), among others.

Check out these “Meow Madness” videos:

2017 Governors Ball Music Festival: Tool, Chance the Rapper, Phoenix and more

January 5, 2017
Governors Ball

Tool, Chance the Rapper, Phoenix are headlining the seventh annual Governors Ball Music Festival, which will take place June 2 to June 4, 2017, at New York City’s Randall’s Island Park. The event, which is produced by Founders Entertainment, will feature more than 65 artists, including Childish Gambino, Lorde, Flume, Wu-Tang Clan, Logic, Wiz Khalifa, Air, the Avalanches, the Head and the Heart, Tove Lo and Beach House.

Here is the announced lineup:
Tool
Chance The Rapper
Phoenix
Childish Gambino
Lorde
Flume
Wu-Tang Clan
Wiz Khalifa
Logic
Cage The Elephant
Marshmello
Mark Ronson vs Kevin Parker
Beach House
Schoolboy Q
Air
The Avalanches
Rae Sremmurd
The Head and the Heart
Tove Lo
Phantogram
Franz Ferdinand
Banks
A$AP Ferg
Local Natives
Majid Jordan
Mac Demarco
Rüfüs Du Sol
YG
Parquet Courts
Charli XCX
Bleachers
Royal Blood
Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires
Danny Brown
Kehlani
Michael Kiwanuka
Warpaint
Car Seat Headrest
Skepta
Saint Motel
The Strumbellas
Francis And The Lights
Stormzy
Gryffin
The Range
Dua Lipa
EDEN
Zane Lowe
The Orwells
Judah & The Lion
MUNA
Arizona
SAINt JHN
Michael Blume
Jessie Reyez
Lo Moon
Kaiydo
Roosevelt
Barns Courtney
Blossoms
Ron Gallo
Welles
Mondo Cozmo
Tkay Maidza
Jenaux
VANT

2017 iHeartRadio Music Awards: Drake is leading contender with 12 nominations

January 4, 2017
2017 iHeartRadio Music Awards

Hip-hop star Drake is the leading nominee for the fourth annual iHeartRadio Music Awards, which will take place March 5, 2017, at the Forum in Los Angeles. The event will be televised live in the U.S. on TBS, TNT and truTV at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and simulcast on iHeartMedia stations nationwide, as well as on the digital music/live streaming radio service iHeartRadio.

The Chainsmokers are also a top contender, with 11 nominations.  All nominations are listed below. For a full list of categories visit iHeartRadio.com/awards.

The award show has several new categories in 2017. This year’s Best New Artist awards are grouped by music format, with the winners of each genre announced in February. Those winners will then become finalists for the top title of Best New Artist presented by the all-new 2017 Subaru Impreza, which will be revealed during the March 5 telecast.  iHeartRadio and Den of Thieves are producing the show.

Category finalists (by alphabetical order) are:

Song of the Year
“Can’t Stop the Feeling” – Justin Timberlake
“Cheap Thrills” – Sia featuring Sean Paul
“Closer” – The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey
“One Dance” – Drake featuring Wizkid and Kyla
“Stressed Out” – Twenty One Pilots

Female Artist of the Year
Adele
Ariana Grande
Rihanna
Selena Gomez
Sia

Male Artist of the Year
Drake
Justin Bieber
Luke Bryan
Shawn Mendes
The Weeknd

Best Duo/Group of the Year
Coldplay
DNCE
Florida Georgia Line
The Chainsmokers
Twenty One Pilots

Alternative Rock Song of the Year
“Bored to Death” – Blink-182
“Dark Necessities” – Red Hot Chili Peppers
“Heathens” – Twenty One Pilots
“Ride” – Twenty One Pilots
“Trouble” – Cage the Elephant

Alternative Rock Artist of the Year
Blink-182
Cage the Elephant
Coldplay
The Strumbellas
Twenty One Pilots

Rock Song of the Year
“Bang Bang” – Green Day
“Dark Necessities” – Red Hot Chili Peppers
“Take Me Down” – The Pretty Reckless
“The Devil’s Bleeding Crown” – Volbeat
“The Sound Of Silence” – Disturbed

Rock Artist of the Year
Disturbed
Five Finger Death Punch
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Shinedown
Volbeat

Country Song of the Year
“Church Bells” – Carrie Underwood
“Snapback” – Old Dominion
“Somewhere on a Beach” – Dierks Bentley
“T-Shirt” – Thomas Rhett
“You Should Be Here” – Cole Swindell

Country Artist of the Year
Carrie Underwood
Jason Aldean
Keith Urban
Luke Bryan
Thomas Rhett

Dance Song of the Year
“Closer” – The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey
“Cold Water” – Major Lazer featuring Justin Bieber and MØ
“Don’t Let Me Down” – The Chainsmokers featuring Daya
“I Took a Pill in Ibiza” – Mike Posner
“Let Me Love You” – DJ Snake featuring Justin Bieber

Dance Artist of the Year
Calvin Harris
DJ Snake
Flume
Major Lazer
The Chainsmokers

Hip-Hop Song of the Year
“All The Way Up” – Fat Joe and Remy Ma featuring French Montana and Infared
“Controlla” – Drake
“For Free” – DJ Khaled featuring Drake
“One Dance” – Drake featuring Wizkid and Kyla
“Panda” – Desiigner

Hip-Hop Artist of the Year
Desiigner
DJ Khaled
Drake
Future
J. Cole

R&B Song of the Year
“Exchange” – Bryson Tiller
“Needed Me” – Rihanna
“No Limit” – Usher featuring Young Thug
“Sorry” – Beyoncé
“Work” – Rihanna featuring Drake

R&B Artist of the Year
Beyoncé
Bryson Tiller
Rihanna
The Weeknd
Usher

Latin Song of the Year
“Ay Mi Dios” – IAmChino featuring Pitbull, Yandel and El Chacal
“De Pies A Cabeza” – Mana featuring Nicky Jam
“Duele El Corazon” – Enrique Iglesias featuring Wisin
“La Carretera” – Prince Royce
“Ya Me Enteré” – Reik featuring Nicky Jam

Latin Artist of the Year
Enrique Iglesias
J Balvin
Nicky Jam
Prince Royce
Yandel

Regional Mexican Song of the Year
“Amor Del Bueno” – Calibre 50
“Cicatrices” – Regulo Caro
“Me Está Gustando” – Banda Los Recoditos
“¿Por Qué Terminamos?” – Gerardo Ortiz
“Solo Con Verte” – Banda Sinaloense MS de Sergio Lizárraga

Regional Mexican Artist of the Year
Banda El Recodo de Cruz Lizárraga
Banda Los Recoditos
Calibre 50
Gerardo Ortiz
Remmy Valenzuela

Best New Rock/Alternative Rock Artist (New Category)
Foals
Kaleo
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
Red Sun Rising
The Strumbellas

Best New Country Artist (New Category)
Chris Lane
Chris Stapleton
Granger Smith
Kelsea Ballerini
Maren Morris

Best New Hip-Hop Artist (New Category)
Chance The Rapper
Desiigner
D.R.A.M.
Kent Jones
Kevin Gates

Best New Latin Artist (New Category)
Carlos Rivera
Christian Daniel
CNCO
IAmChino
Sofia Reyes

Best New R&B Artist (New Category)
Belly
Bryson Tiller
Dreezy
Kayla Brianna
Ro James

Best New Regional Mexican Artist (New Category)
Adriel Favela
Banda Los Sebastianes
Cheyo Carrillo
Joss Favela
La Séptima Banda

Best New Pop Artist (New Category)
Alessia Cara
Daya
Lukas Graham
The Chainsmokers
ZAYN

Producer of the Year (New Category)
Benny Blanco
Greg Kurstin
Max Martin
Mike Elizondo
The Chainsmokers

Best Lyrics (Socially Voted Category)
“7 Years” – Lukas Graham
“Came Here to Forget” – Blake Shelton
“Cheap Thrills” – Sia featuring Sean Paul
“Closer” – The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey
“Heathens” – Twenty One Pilots
“Love Yourself” – Justin Bieber
“Scars to Your Beautiful” – Alessia Cara
“Send My Love (To Your New Lover)” – Adele
“Too Good” – Drake featuring Rihanna
“You Should Be Here” – Cole Swindell

Best Collaboration (Socially Voted Category)
“Cheap Thrills” – Sia featuring Sean Paul
“Closer” – The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey
“Don’t Let Me Down” – The Chainsmokers featuring Daya
“This Is What You Came For” – Calvin Harris featuring Rihanna
“Work” – Rihanna featuring Drake

Best Cover Song (Socially Voted Category)
“All I Ask” – Bruno Mars
“Ex’s and Oh’s” – Fifth Harmony
“Fast Car” – Justin Bieber
“Hands to Myself” – DNCE
“Here” – Shawn Mendes
“How Will I Know” – Ariana Grande
“Love on the Brain” – Kelly Clarkson
“Purple Rain” – Jennifer Hudson and the cast of “The Color Purple”
“Sound of Silence” – Disturbed
“Too Good” – Zara Larsson

Best Song from a Movie (Socially Voted Category)
“Can’t Stop the Feeling” – Justin Timberlake (from “Trolls”)
“Falling for You” – Ellie Goulding (from “Bridget Jones’s Baby”)
“Girls Talk Boys” – 5 Seconds of Summer (from “Ghostbusters”)
“Heathens” – Twenty One Pilots (from “Suicide Squad”)
“Just Like Fire” – Pink (from “Alice Through the Looking Glass”)

Best Music Video (New Socially Voted Category)
“Can’t Stop the Feeling” – Justin Timberlake
“Don’t Let Me Down” – The Chainsmokers featuring Daya
“Formation” – Beyoncé
“Hasta El Amanecer” – Nicky Jam
“Heathens” – Twenty One Pilots
“Hymn for the Weekend” – Coldplay
“I Took A Pill In Ibiza” – Mike Posner
“Pillowtalk” – Zayn
“Side to Side” – Ariana Grande featuring Nicki Minaj
“This Is What You Came For” – Calvin Harris featuring Rihanna
“Work” – Rihanna featuring Drake
“Work From Home” – Fifth Harmony featuring Ty Dolla Sign

Best Underground Alternative Band: (New Socially Voted Category)
Hey Violet
Pierce the Veil
PVRIS
Sleeping With Sirens
Tonight Alive

Social Star Award (New Socially Voted Category)
Alex Aiono from YouTube
Baby Ariel from Musical.ly
Emma McGann from YouNow
Hailey Knox from YouNow
Jack and Jack from Snapchat
Jacob Sartorius from Musical.ly
Marcus Perez from Facebook
Steph Clavin from Instagram
Todrick Hall from YouTube
xYego from Smule

Best Fan Army presented by Taco Bell (Socially Voted Category)
5 Seconds of Summer – 5SOSFam
Ariana Grande – Arianators
Beyoncé – Beyhive
Britney Spears – Britney Army
Demi Lovato – Lovatics
Fifth Harmony – Harmonizers
Justin Bieber – Beliebers
Katy Perry – KatyCats
Lady Gaga – Little Monsters
Rihanna – Rihanna Navy
Selena Gomez – Selenators
Shawn Mendes – Mendes Army
twenty one pilots – #twentyonepilots

Additional categories include Best Tour, Most Thumbed Up Artist and Most Thumbed Up Song. For a full list of categories visit iHeartRadio.com/awards.

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