Tag: ABC

2018 Academy Awards: ‘The Shape of Water’ wins 4 Oscars, including Best Picture

March 4, 2018

by Carla Hay

With four awards, including Best Picture, the fantasy drama “The Shape of Water” (about a mute woman who falls in love with a sea creature) was the biggest winner at the 90th Annual Academy Awards, which were presented at the Dolby Theatre on March 4, 2018.  “The Shape of Water” went into the ceremony as the leading nominee, with 13 nods.

ABC had the live telecast of the 2018 Academy Awards, which was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel for the second year in a row. Also returning for a second year in a row were Best Picture presenters Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty, who famously botched the winner announcement at the 2017 Oscar  ceremony. Unlike that show, the 2018 Oscar ceremony was free from major blunders. The ceremony, which almost never ends on time, went well over its allotted three-hour time this year, by running overtime for 53 minutes.

In the acting categories, there were no real surprises, since all of the winners were sweeping up prizes at previous award ceremonies. Solidifying their award-show winning streak were Gary Oldman of “Darkest Hour” (Best Actor); Frances McDormand of “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (Best Actress); Sam Rockwell of “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”(Best Supporting Actor); and Allison Janney of “I, Tonya” (Best Supporting Actress).

Sam Rockwell, Frances McDormand, Allison Janney and Gary Oldman backstage at the 90th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 4, 2018. (Photo by Michael Baker/A.M.P.A.S.)

All of the nominees for Best Picture won at least one Academy Award, except for “Lady Bird” and “The Post,” which were shut out of winning any of the prizes. In addition to winning Best Picture, “The Shape of Water” picked up Oscars for Best Director (for Guillermo del Toro), Best Production Design and Best Original Score. “Dunkirk” went into the ceremony with eight Oscar nominations and ended up winning three: Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing.  “Get Out” won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, while “Call Me by Your Name” was named Best Adapted Screenplay. “Phantom Thread” received the prize for Best Costume Design. In addition to Oldman’s Best Actor win for “Darkest Hour,” the movie also won the Oscar for Best Makeup and Hair.

“Blade Runner 2049,” although not nominated for Best Picture, was another winner of more than one Oscar. The sci-fi sequel took the Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects and Best Cinematography. It was the first Oscar for “Blade Runner 2049” cinematographer Roger Deakins after he received  14 Oscar nominations. Another movie that won two Oscars at the 2018 ceremony was “Coco,” recipient of the prizes for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song.

Diversity among Oscar nominees has become a big issue, especially since the #OscarsSoWhite controversies of 2015 and 2016, when all of the actors and actresses nominated for Oscars were white. The Time’s Up and #MeToo movements were also mentioned on stage many times during the ceremony, including comments from host Kimmel, presenters and winners. McDormand made probably the biggest statement of the night when, at the end of her acceptance speech, she asked all the female Oscar nominees to stand up, and she called for the industry to hire more women. McDormand concluded by saying this about how movie contracts should change: “I have two words to leave with you tonight … inclusion rider.”

Some of the high-profile women and people of color who won Oscars this year in gender-neutral categories included the aforementioned del Toro; Jordan Peele of “Get Out” (Best Original Screenplay); “Dear Basketball” writer Kobe Bryant; “Coco” songwriters Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez; and “A Fantastic Woman” director Sebastián Lelio.

Although serious topics were part of the Oscar ceremony, the show had moments of levity and planned stunts aimed at getting a laugh. At the beginning of the show, Kimmel said that the person who gave the shortest acceptance speech would win a Kawasaki jet ski and a trip to Lake Havasu. (“Phantom Thread” costume designer Mark Bridges won the prize.)

In 2017, Kimmel surprised a group of tourists who were brought into the theater to get their unscripted reactions. In 2018, Kimmel took a similar concept but instead brought several of the celebrities at the Oscar ceremony to a nearby movie theater to surprise people who were there to see an advance screening of Disney’s “A Wrinkle in Time.” (ABC is owned by Disney, so this was an obvious plug for the movie.) Some of the celebrities who joined Kimmel in passing out snacks to the surprised people at the movie theater were Gal Gadot (who kept exclaiming “This is better than the Oscars!”), Armie Hammer, Emily Blunt, Lupita Nyong’o, “The Shape of Water” filmmaker del Toro, Ansel Elgort, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Margot Robbie. The reactions of the unsuspecting crowd weren’t very funny or memorable, although Kimmel’s remark that the movie theater smelled like marijuana was a genuinely funny moment.

Here is the complete list of winners and nominations for the 2018 Academy Awards:

*=winner

Best Picture

Sally Hawkins and Octavia Spencer in “The Shape of Water” (Photo by Kerry Hayes)

“Call Me by Your Name” (Producers: Peter Spears, Luca Guadagnino, Emilie Georges and Marco Morabito)

“Darkest Hour” (Producers: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce, Anthony McCarten and Douglas Urbanski)

“Dunkirk” (Producers: Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan)

“Get Out” (Producers: Sean McKittrick, Jason Blum, Edward H. Hamm Jr. and Jordan Peele)

“Lady Bird” (Producers: Scott Rudin, Eli Bush and Evelyn O’Neill)

“Phantom Thread” (Producers: JoAnne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson, Megan Ellison and Daniel Lupi)

“The Post” (Producers: Amy Pascal, Steven Spielberg and Kristie Macosko Krieger)

“The Shape of Water” (Producers: Guillermo del Toro and J. Miles Dale)*

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (Producers: Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin and Martin McDonagh)

Best Actor

Gary Oldman in “Darkest Hour” (Photo courtesy of Focus Features)

Timothée Chalamet, “Call Me by Your Name”
Daniel Day-Lewis, “Phantom Thread”
Daniel Kaluuya, “Get Out”
Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour”*
Denzel Washington, “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”

Best Actress

Frances McDormand in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (Photo by Merrick Morton)

Sally Hawkins, “The Shape of Water”
Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”*
Margot Robbie, “I, Tonya”
Saoirse Ronan, “Lady Bird”
Meryl Streep, “The Post”

Best Supporting Actor

Sam Rockwell in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (Photo courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Willem Dafoe, “The Florida Project”
Woody Harrelson, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water”
Christopher Plummer, “All the Money in the World”
Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”*

Best Supporting Actress

Allison Janney in “I, Tonya” (Photo courtesy of Neon)

Mary J. Blige, “Mudbound”
Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”*
Lesley Manville, “Phantom Thread”
Laurie Metcalf, “Lady Bird”
Octavia Spencer, “The Shape of Water”

Best Director

Director/writer/producer Guillermo del Toro on the set of “The Shape of Water” (Photo by Sophie Giraud)

Paul Thomas Anderson, “Phantom Thread”
Guillermo del Toro, “The Shape of Water”*
Great Gerwig, “Lady Bird”
Christopher Nolan, “Dunkirk”
Jordan Peele, “Get Out”

Best Adapted Screenplay

Timothée Chalamet, Michael Stuhlbarg and Armie Hammer in “Call Me by Your Name” (Photo by Peter Spears/Sony Pictures Classics)

“Call Me by Your Name,” James Ivory*
“The Disaster Artist,” Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber
“Logan,” Scott Frank, James Mangold and Michael Green
“Molly’s Game,” Aaron Sorkin
“Mudbound,” Virgil Williams and Dee Rees

Best Original Screenplay

Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford, Allison Williams, Betty Gabriel and Daniel Kaluuya in “Get Out” (Photo by Jason Lubin)

“The Big Sick,” Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani
“Get Out,” Jordan Peele*
“Lady Bird,” Greta Gerwig
“The Shape of Water,” Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Martin McDonagh

Best Animated Feature

A still from “Coco” (Photo courtesy of Disney•Pixar.)

“The Boss Baby,” Tom McGrath and Ramsey Naito
“The Breadwinner,” Nora Twomey and Anthony Leo
“Coco,” Lee Unkrich and Darla K. Anderson*
“Ferdinand,” Carlos Saldanha
“Loving Vincent,” Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman and Ivan Mactaggart

Best Animated Short

A still from “Dear Basketball”

“Dear Basketball,” Glen Keane and Kobe Bryant*
“Garden Party,”Victor Caire and Gabriel Grapperon
“Lou,” Dave Mullins and Dana Murray
“Negative Space,” Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata
“Revolting Rhymes,” Jakob Schuh and Jan Lachauer

Best Cinematography

Harrison Ford in “Blade Runner 2049” (Photo by Stephen Vaughan)

“Blade Runner 2049,” Roger Deakins*
“Darkest Hour,” Bruno Delbonnel
“Dunkirk,” Hoyte van Hoytema
“Mudbound,” Rachel Morrison
“The Shape of Water,” Dan Laustsen

Best Documentary Feature

“Icarus” (Photo courtesy of Netflix)

“Abacus: Small Enough to Jail,” Steve James, Mark Mitten and Julie Goldman
“Faces Places,” Agnès Varda, JR and Rosalie Varda
“Icarus,” Bryan Fogel and Dan Cogan*
“Last Men in Aleppo,” Feras Fayyad, Kareem Abeed and Søren Steen Jespersen
“Strong Island,” Yance Ford and Joslyn Barnes

Best Documentary Short Subject

“Edith+Eddie,” Laura Checkoway and Thomas Lee Wright
“Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405,” Frank Stiefel*
“Heroin(e),” Elaine McMillion Sheldon and Kerrin Sheldon
“Knife Skills,” Thomas Lennon
“Traffic Stop,” Kate Davis and David Heilbroner

Best Live Action Short Film

“DeKalb Elementary,” Reed Van Dyk
“The Eleven O’Clock,” Derin Seale and Josh Lawson
“My Nephew Emmett,” Kevin Wilson Jr.
“The Silent Child,” Chris Overton and Rachel Shenton*
“Watu Wote/All of Us,” Katja Benrath and Tobias Rosen

Best Foreign Language Film

Daniela Vega in “A Fantastic Woman” (Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics)

“A Fantastic Woman” (Chile)*
“The Insult” (Lebanon)
“Loveless” (Russia)
“On Body and Soul (Hungary)
“The Square” (Sweden)

Best Film Editing

Mark Rylance (center) in “Dunkirk” (Photo by Melinda Sue Gordon)

“Baby Driver,” Jonathan Amos, Paul Machliss
“Dunkirk,” Lee Smith*
“I, Tonya,” Tatiana S. Riegel
“The Shape of Water,” Sidney Wolinsky
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Jon Gregory

Best Sound Editing

Kenneth Branagh in “Dunkirk” (Photo by Melinda Sue Gordon)

“Dunkirk,” Alex Gibson, Richard King*
“Baby Driver,” Julian Slater
“Blade Runner 2049,” Mark Mangini, Theo Green
“The Shape of Water,” Nathan Robitaille
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” Ren Klyce, Matthew Wood

Best Sound Mixing

A scene from “Dunkirk” (Photo by Melinda Sue Gordon)

“Baby Driver,” Mary H. Ellis, Julian Slater, Tim Cavagin
“Blade Runner 2049,” Mac Ruth, Ron Bartlett, Doug Hephill
“Dunkirk,” Mark Weingarten, Gregg Landaker, Gary A. Rizzo*
“The Shape of Water,” Glen Gauthier, Christian Cooke, Brad Zoern
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” Stuart Wilson, Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick

Best Production Design

Michael Shannon, Sally Hawkins and Octavia Spencer in “The Shape of Water” (Photo by Kerry Hayes)

“Beauty and the Beast” Production Design: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
“Blade Runner 2049″ Production Design: Dennis Gassner; Set Decoration: Alessandra Querzola
“Darkest Hour” Production Design: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
“Dunkirk” Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Gary Fettis
“The Shape of Water” Production Design: Paul Denham Austerberry; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau and Jeff Melvin*

Best Original Score

Richard Jenkins and Sally Hawkins on the set of “The Shape of Water” (Photo by Kerry Hayes)

“Dunkirk,” Hans Zimmer
“Phantom Thread,” Jonny Greenwood
“The Shape of Water,” Alexandre Desplat*
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” John Williams
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Carter Burwell

Best Original Song

A still from “Coco” (Photo courtesy of Disney•Pixar)

“Mighty River” from “Mudbound,” Mary J. Blige
“Mystery of Love” from “Call Me by Your Name,” Sufjan Stevens
“Remember Me” from “Coco,” Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez*
“Stand Up for Something” from “Marshall,” Diane Warren, Common
“This Is Me” from “The Greatest Showman,” Benj Pasek, Justin Paul

Best Makeup and Hair

Kristin Scott Thomas and Gary Oldman in “Darkest Hour” (.Photo by Jack English/Focus Features)

“Darkest Hour,” Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski, Lucy Sibbick*
“Victoria and Abdul,” Daniel Phillips, Lou Sheppard
“Wonder,” Arjen Tuiten

Best Costume Design

Lesley Manville (far left) in “Phantom Thread” (Photo by Laurie Sparham/Focus Features)

“Beauty and the Beast,” Jacqueline Durran
“Darkest Hour,” Jacqueline Durran
“Phantom Thread,” Mark Bridges*
“The Shape of Water,” Luis Sequeira
“Victoria and Abdul,” Consolata Boyle

Best Visual Effects

Ana de Armas and Ryan Gosling in “Blade Runner: 2049” (Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures)

“Blade Runner 2049,” John Nelson, Paul Lambert, Richard R. Hoover, Gerd Nefzer*
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Jonathan Fawkner, Dan Sudick
“Kong: Skull Island,” Stephen Rosenbaum, Jeff White, Scott Benza, Mike Meinardus
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,”  Ben Morris, Mike Mulholland, Chris Corbould, Neal Scanlon
“War for the Planet of the Apes,” Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett, Joel Whist

2018 Academy Awards: first group of presenters announced

February 15, 2018

Academy Awards
Mahershala Ali, Emma Stone and Viola Davis at the 89th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on February 26, 2017. (Photo by Tyler Golden/ABC)

[EDITOR’S NOTE: Casey Affleck, who won the Oscar for Best Actor at the 2017 ceremony, will not be a presenter at the 2018 ceremony. Even though it is a tradition for the actors and actress who won Oscars the previous year to present the actor/actress awards in the current ceremony, Affleck reportedly agreed to the Academy’s request to not attend the ceremony because of the controversy surrounding two sexual-harassment lawsuits that he settled in 2011. Numerous people signed petitions and threatened the Academy with boycotts and protests if Affleck was going to attend the ceremony.]

The following is a press release from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences:

Producers Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd announced the first slate of presenters for the 90th Oscars® telecast.  Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the Oscars will air live Sunday, March 4, on the ABC Television Network.

The presenters, including past Oscar® winners and nominees, are Mahershala Ali, Chadwick Boseman, Viola Davis, Laura Dern, Jennifer Garner, Greta Gerwig, Tiffany Haddish, Tom Holland, Kumail Nanjiani, Margot Robbie, Emma Stone and Daniela Vega.

“Whether returning to the Oscars stage, or gracing it for the first time, each of these artists bring their own distinguishing and energetic appeal,” said De Luca and Todd. “Their contributions will make for an unforgettable evening.”

Ali won an Oscar for Actor in a Supporting Role for “Moonlight” (2016). His credits also include the Oscar-nominated film “Hidden Figures” (2016), “Free State of Jones” (2016), “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2” (2015) and “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1” (2014).  Ali will next appear in “Alita: Battle Angel,” “Green Book” and “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.”

Boseman starred in the Oscar-nominated film “Marshall” (2017) and currently stars as the title character in “Black Panther” (2018). His credits also include “Captain America: Civil War” (2016), “Message from the King” (2016), “Get on Up” (2014) and “42” (2013). Boseman will next appear in “Avengers: Infinity War.”

Davis won an Oscar for Actress in a Supporting Role for “Fences” (2016).  Additionally, she garnered an Actress in a Leading Role nomination for “The Help” (2011) and an Actress in a Supporting Role nomination for “Doubt” (2008). Her other credits include the Oscar-winning films “Suicide Squad” (2016), “Syriana” (2005) and “Traffic” (2000) as well as the Oscar-nominated “Prisoners” (2013), “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” (2011) and “Far from Heaven” (2002). Davis will next appear in “Widows.”

Dern was Oscar-nominated for Actress in a Supporting Role for “Wild” (2014) and Actress in a Leading Role for “Rambling Rose” (1991). Currently, she appears in the Oscar-nominated “Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi” (2017). Additionally, Dern’s credits include “Downsizing” (2017), “Wilson” (2017), “The Founder” (2016), “99 Homes” (2014), “The Fault in Our Stars” (2014) and “The Master” (2012).

Garner’s credits include the Oscar-winning films “Dallas Buyers Club” (2013) and “Juno” (2007) as well as the Oscar-nominated “Catch Me If You Can” (2002). Her feature credits also include “Miracles from Heaven” (2016), “Men, Women & Children” (2014) and “13 Going on 30” (2004). She will next appear in “Love, Simon” and “Peppermint.”

Gerwig is Oscar-nominated for Achievement in Directing and Original Screenplay for “Lady Bird” (2017). As an actor, she appeared in the Oscar-nominated films “20th Century Women” (2016) and “Jackie” (2016).

Haddish currently stars in “Girls Trip” (2017). Recent film credits also include “Keanu” (2016).  She will next appear in “Night School” and “The Oath.”

Holland’s recent credits include the title role in “Spider-Man: Homecoming” (2017). Additionally, he appeared in “The Current War” (2017), “Captain America: Civil War” (2016) and “The Lost City of Z” (2016). Holland will next appear in “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Chaos Walking.”

Nanjiani is Oscar-nominated for Original Screenplay (shared with Emily V. Gordon) for “The Big Sick” (2017). Nanjiani also starred in the film. His additional feature acting credits include “Fist Fight” (2017), “The Late Bloomer” (2016) and “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates” (2016) as well as lending his voice to “The Lego Ninjago Movie” (2017).

Robbie is Oscar-nominated for Actress in a Leading Role for “I, Tonya” (2017), for which she also served as a producer. Additionally, she appeared in the Oscar-winning film “Suicide Squad” (2016) and the Oscar-nominated “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2013). Robbie’s credits also include “The Legend of Tarzan” (2016) and “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” (2016). She will next appear in “Mary Queen of Scots.”

Stone won an Oscar for Actress in a Leading Role for “La La Land” (2016).  Additionally, she garnered an Actress in a Supporting Role nomination for “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” (2014).  Stone’s credits also include the Oscar-winning film “The Help” (2011) and the Oscar-nominated animated feature “The Croods” (2013).  She has also appeared in “Battle of the Sexes” (2017), “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” (2014), “Gangster Squad” (2013), “The Amazing Spider-Man” (2012), “Crazy, Stupid, Love.” (2011), “Easy A” (2010) and “Zombieland” (2009). She will next appear in “The Favourite.”

Vega stars in the Oscar-nominated film “A Fantastic Woman” (2017). She is an opera singer and stage actress in Chile.

The 90th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be broadcast live on the ABC Television Network at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

The Oscars, produced by De Luca and Todd and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, also will be televised in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.  Additionally, “The Oscars: All Access” live stream from the red carpet and backstage will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT on Oscar.com.

2018 Academy Awards: ‘The Shape of Water’ leads with 13 nominations

January 23, 2018

by Carla Hay

Shape of Water
Sally Hawkins and Octavia Spencer in “The Shape of Water” (Photo courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures)

With 13 nominations, the fantasy drama “The Shape of Water” leads the list of contenders for the 90th Annual Academy Awards, which will be presented at the Dolby Theatre on March 4, 2018. “Dunkirk” was the second-leading nominee, with eight nods. The nominations were announced by actors Tiffany Haddish and Andy Serkis on January 23, 2018. ABC will have a live telecast of the 2018 Academy Awards, which will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel for the second year in a row.

Snubs and Surprises

“The Shape of Water” was expected to be the leading nominee, but many people were not expecting the strong showing from the period drama “Phantom Thread,”  which received six nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor (for Daniel Day-Lewis), Best Director (for Paul Thomas Anderson), Best Supporting Actress (for Lesley Manville), Best Original Score (for Jonny Greenwood) and Best Costume Design (for Mark Bridges). Another big surprise was the nomination that superhero movie “Logan” received for Best Adapted Screenplay. The movie was critically acclaimed but superhero movies usually do not get screenplay nominations at the Oscars.

James Franco was shut out of the Best Actor race, even though he had been racking up several nominations and a few wins at all the previous movie-related awards for his starring role in “The Disaster Artist,” a movie he also directed. During the week that voting for Oscar nominations took place, Franco was accused of sexual misconduct by several women (most of whom were former students in his acting school), and it appears the scandal affected Oscar votes for Franco. However, “The Disaster Artist” did score one Oscar nomination: for Best Adapted Screenplay, for screenwriters  Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber. The critically acclaimed “Wonder Woman” was also snubbed; it received no Oscar nominations.

The Diversity Issue

Diversity among Oscar nominees has become a big issue, especially since the #OscarsSoWhite controversies of 2015 and 2016, when all of the actors and actresses nominated for Oscars were white. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the group behind the Oscars) also received a lot of backlash when the media revealed that the majority of Academy voters were white males over the age of 50. Since then, the Academy has made a concerted effort to invite hundreds of new members that represented more diversity, in terms of race, gender, age and country of origin.

This year’s list includes many nominees who are women and people of color in categories that are typically dominated by white males.  For example, there were female nominees this year for Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing and Best Film Editing. Oscar winners Denzel Washington, Octavia Spencer and Common received nominations again this year, but there were also several first-time nominees such as “Lady Bird” writer/director Greta Gerwig, “Get Out” writer/director/producer “Jordan Peele,” “Get Out” actor Daniel Kaluuya, “The Big Sick” co-writers (and real-life spouses) Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, “Dear Basketball” writer Kobe Bryant, “Mudbound” actress/songwriter Mary J. Blige and “Mudbound” co-writers Dee Rees (who also directed the movie) and Virgil Williams.

Latinos were represented with nominations for “The Shape of Water” writer/director/producer Guillermo del Toro, “Coco” songwriter Robert Lopez and “Ferdinand” director Carlos Saldanha. Despite the noticeable changes in diversity among Oscar nominees in several categories, there are two categories that usually have all-male nominees that continued that lack of diversity again this year: Best Original Score and Best Visual Effects.

Here is the complete list of nominations for the 2018 Academy Awards:

Best Picture

“Call Me by Your Name” (Producers: Peter Spears, Luca Guadagnino, Emilie Georges and Marco Morabito)

“Darkest Hour” (Producers: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce, Anthony McCarten and Douglas Urbanski)

“Dunkirk” (Producers: Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan)

“Get Out” (Producers: Sean McKittrick, Jason Blum, Edward H. Hamm Jr. and Jordan Peele)

“Lady Bird” (Producers: Scott Rudin, Eli Bush and Evelyn O’Neill)

“Phantom Thread” (Producers: JoAnne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson, Megan Ellison and Daniel Lupi)

“The Post” (Producers: Amy Pascal, Steven Spielberg and Kristie Macosko Krieger)

“The Shape of Water” (Producers: Guillermo del Toro and J. Miles Dale)

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (Producers: Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin and Martin McDonagh)

Best Actor

Timothée Chalamet, “Call Me by Your Name”
Daniel Day-Lewis, “Phantom Thread”
Daniel Kaluuya, “Get Out”
Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour”
Denzel Washington, “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”

Best Actress

Sally Hawkins, “The Shape of Water”
Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Margot Robbie, “I, Tonya”
Saoirse Ronan, “Lady Bird”
Meryl Streep, “The Post”

Best Supporting Actor

Willem Dafoe, “The Florida Project”
Woody Harrelson, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water”
Christopher Plummer, “All the Money in the World”
Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Best Supporting Actress

Mary J. Blige, “Mudbound”
Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”
Lesley Manville, “Phantom Thread”
Laurie Metcalf, “Lady Bird”
Octavia Spencer, “The Shape of Water”

Best Director

Paul Thomas Anderson, “Phantom Thread”
Guillermo del Toro, “The Shape of Water”
Great Gerwig, “Lady Bird”
Christopher Nolan, “Dunkirk”
Jordan Peele, “Get Out”

Best Adapted Screenplay

“Call Me by Your Name,” James Ivory
“The Disaster Artist,” Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber
“Logan,” Scott Frank, James Mangold and Michael Green
“Molly’s Game,” Aaron Sorkin
“Mudbound,” Virgil Williams and Dee Rees

Best Original Screenplay

“The Big Sick,” Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani
“Get Out,” Jordan Peele
“Lady Bird,” Greta Gerwig
“The Shape of Water,” Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Martin McDonagh

Best Animated Feature

“The Boss Baby,” Tom McGrath and Ramsey Naito
“The Breadwinner,” Nora Twomey and Anthony Leo
“Coco,” Lee Unkrich and Darla K. Anderson
“Ferdinand,” Carlos Saldanha
“Loving Vincent,” Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman and Ivan Mactaggart

Best Animated Short

“Dear Basketball,” Glen Keane and Kobe Bryant
“Garden Party,”Victor Caire and Gabriel Grapperon
“Lou,” Dave Mullins and Dana Murray
“Negative Space,” Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata
“Revolting Rhymes,” Jakob Schuh and Jan Lachauer

Best Cinematography

“Blade Runner 2049,” Roger Deakins
“Darkest Hour,” Bruno Delbonnel
“Dunkirk,” Hoyte van Hoytema
“Mudbound,” Rachel Morrison
“The Shape of Water,” Dan Laustsen

Best Documentary Feature

“Abacus: Small Enough to Jail,” Steve James, Mark Mitten and Julie Goldman
“Faces Places,” Agnès Varda, JR and Rosalie Varda
“Icarus,” Bryan Fogel and Dan Cogan
“Last Men in Aleppo,” Feras Fayyad, Kareem Abeed and Søren Steen Jespersen
“Strong Island,” Yance Ford and Joslyn Barnes

Best Documentary Short Subject

“Edith+Eddie,” Laura Checkoway and Thomas Lee Wright
“Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405,” Frank Stiefel
“Heroin(e),” Elaine McMillion Sheldon and Kerrin Sheldon
“Knife Skills,” Thomas Lennon
“Traffic Stop,” Kate Davis and David Heilbroner

Best Live Action Short Film

“DeKalb Elementary,” Reed Van Dyk
“The Eleven O’Clock,” Derin Seale and Josh Lawson
“My Nephew Emmett,” Kevin Wilson Jr.
“The Silent Child,” Chris Overton and Rachel Shenton
“Watu Wote/All of Us,” Katja Benrath and Tobias Rosen

Best Foreign Language Film

“A Fantastic Woman” (Chile)
“The Insult” (Lebanon)
“Loveless” (Russia)
“On Body and Soul (Hungary)
“The Square” (Sweden)

Best Film Editing

“Baby Driver,” Jonathan Amos, Paul Machliss
“Dunkirk,” Lee Smith
“I, Tonya,” Tatiana S. Riegel
“The Shape of Water,” Sidney Wolinsky
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Jon Gregory

Best Sound Editing

“Dunkirk,” Alex Gibson, Richard King
“Baby Driver,” Julian Slater
“Blade Runner 2049,” Mark Mangini, Theo Green
“The Shape of Water,” Nathan Robitaille
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” Ren Klyce, Matthew Wood

Best Sound Mixing

“Baby Driver,” Mary H. Ellis, Julian Slater, Tim Cavagin
“Blade Runner 2049,” Mac Ruth, Ron Bartlett, Doug Hephill
“Dunkirk,” Mark Weingarten, Gregg Landaker, Gary A. Rizzo
“The Shape of Water,” Glen Gauthier, Christian Cooke, Brad Zoern
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” Stuart Wilson, Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick

Best Production Design

“Beauty and the Beast” Production Design: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
“Blade Runner 2049″ Production Design: Dennis Gassner; Set Decoration: Alessandra Querzola
“Darkest Hour” Production Design: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
“Dunkirk” Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Gary Fettis
“The Shape of Water” Production Design: Paul Denham Austerberry; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau and Jeff Melvin

Best Original Score

“Dunkirk,” Hans Zimmer
“Phantom Thread,” Jonny Greenwood
“The Shape of Water,” Alexandre Desplat
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” John Williams
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Carter Burwell

Best Original Song

“Mighty River” from “Mudbound,” Mary J. Blige
“Mystery of Love” from “Call Me by Your Name,” Sufjan Stevens
“Remember Me” from “Coco,” Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez
“Stand Up for Something” from “Marshall,” Diane Warren, Common
“This Is Me” from “The Greatest Showman,” Benj Pasek, Justin Paul

Best Makeup and Hair

“Darkest Hour,” Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski, Lucy Sibbick
“Victoria and Abdul,” Daniel Phillips, Lou Sheppard
“Wonder,” Arjen Tuiten

Best Costume Design

“Beauty and the Beast,” Jacqueline Durran
“Darkest Hour,” Jacqueline Durran
“Phantom Thread,” Mark Bridges
“The Shape of Water,” Luis Sequeira
“Victoria and Abdul,” Consolata Boyle

Best Visual Effects

“Blade Runner 2049,” John Nelson, Paul Lambert, Richard R. Hoover, Gerd Nefzer
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Jonathan Fawkner, Dan Sudick
“Kong: Skull Island,” Stephen Rosenbaum, Jeff White, Scott Benza, Mike Meinardus
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,”  Ben Morris, Mike Mulholland, Chris Corbould, Neal Scanlon
“War for the Planet of the Apes,” Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett, Joel Whist

Here’s a look at the movies that received more than one nomination for the 2018 Academy Awards:

Miss America shakeup: Gretchen Carlson becomes board chair after several execs are ousted for sexually demeaning emails

January 2, 2018

by Colleen McGregor

Sam Haskell (far left) and Miss America 2018 Cara Mund (far right) at a Miss America press conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey,  in September 2017. (Photo by Lou Rocco/ABC)

Gretchen Carlson, who was crowned Miss America 1989, has taken the reigns of the Miss America Organization by being named chair of the board. The announcement comes two weeks after a HuffPost article broke the news that several high-ranking Miss America executives made derogatory comments about former Miss America winners and contestants in email exchanges dating back to 2014 and beyond. As a result, 47 former Miss Americas called for the offending parties to be fired, and the following people have been ousted from the Miss America Organization (MAO):  Sam Haskell (who was CEO), Josh Randle (president), Lewis Friedman (who was lead writer for the Miss America telecast), Lynn Weidner (board chair) and Tammy Haddad (board member).  Dick Clark Productions, which produced the Miss America telecast on ABC, cut ties with MAO after the board initially failed to reprimand the offending parties.

Gretchen Carlson
Gretchen Carlson (Photo by Lou Rocco/ABC)

Among the more derogatory comments in the mails: Friedman described former Miss Americas collectively as “cunts,” in an email exchange with Haskell, who laughed in response to the obscene insult. In an another email to Haskell, Friedman commented on the death of Miss America 1959 Mary Ann Mobley, and said that Miss America 1998 Kate Shindle (who was a vocal critic of Haskell) should have been the one to die. Haskell also expressed amusement at this comment.

Some of the people who were ousted from MAO also made derogatory comments about Miss America 2013 Mallory Hagan after she gained weight. Haskell also spread gossip about Hagan’s sex life and seemingly went out of his way to damage her career. According to emails published by HuffPost, Haskell was apparently very angry that Brent Adams, a high-ranking MAO employee at the time, chose to date Hagan instead of Haskell’s daughter.

Carlson, a former Fox News anchor, famously sued the network and its then-chairman/CEO Roger Ailes in 2016 for sexual harassment. The lawsuit, which was settled out of court, resulted in dozens of women coming forward with stories about Ailes sexually harassing them, and Ailes resigned/was ousted from Fox News in 2016. (Ailes died of complications from a head injury in 2017.)

Carlson was also a target of Haskell’s and Haddad’s wrath in several emails. After Shindle wrote a book that criticized Haskell and some aspects of MAO, Carlson refused Haskell’s demand to have Shindle banned from Carlson’s Fox News show. Carlson is the first former Miss America to become chair of the MAO board. Also joining the board as part of the shakeup are former Miss America winners Shindle, Laura Kaeppeler (2012) and Heather French Henry (2000).

Miss America 2018 contestants in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in September 2017.
(Photo by Lou Rocco/ABC)

The Miss America Pageant, which awards scholarship money, has had its share of ups and downs since it began in 1921. The show’s telecast is not the powerhouse that it was before the 1980s. In the 2000s, the show’s ratings fell to its lowest points, and ABC dropped the pageant in 2004. From 2005 to 2010, the Miss America telecast bounced around on cable networks such as CMT and TLC before returning to ABC in 2011.  Over the decades, the show’s locations also changed from longtime site Atlantic City, New Jersey, to Las Vegas (from 2005 to 2013), and then back to Atlantic City in 2014. In 2014, a deal with Dick Clark Productions helped bring the Miss America pageant telecast back to a certain level of prestige, although the Miss America pageant (with competition from the Miss USA pageant) is not considered as important as it was in decades past. It has not yet been announced if Dick Clark Productions will go back to working with MAO now that these sweeping changes to MAO’s board have been made.

New Year’s Eve specials ringing in 2018 will feature Mariah Carey, Celine Dion and more

December 26, 2017

by Carla Hay

Watching a New Year’s Eve special on TV is a tradition for millions of people around the world. For the first time in several years, NBC won’t be having a New Year’s Eve special this year. However, other networks are continuing the tradition. Here’s what is planned for the three biggest New Year’s TV specials in the United States:

Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2018 

Ryan Seacrest (center) and Mariah Carey (far right) on "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2017"
Ryan Seacrest (center) and Mariah Carey (far right) on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2017” (Photo by Ida Mae Astute/ABC)

Celebrating its 46th year, “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” (which is produced by Dick Clark Productions and airs in the U.S. on ABC) is still the most high-profile televised New Year’s Eve event. Mariah Carey wants a do-over of her embarrassing New Year’s Eve performance in the previous year, when she cut short her set after blaming technical difficulties on the show’s producers, who denied that they did anything wrong. Carey is back to try and redeem herself by headlining the show again this year in New York City’s Times Square. Ryan Seacrest will once again host the show, which begins airing at 8 p.m. ET. Jenny McCarthy will provide on-site reporting. Other performers in Times Square include Camila Cabello, Nick Jonas and Sugarland.

Ciara will host the Los Angeles segments of the show that will feature performances that were mostly previously recorded. Artists in the show’s Los Angeles segments will include Kane Brown, BTS, Kelly Clarkson, Fitz & The Tantrums, Florida Georgia Line, Halsey, Khalid, Shawn Mendes, Charlie Puth, Portugal. The Man and Hailee Steinfeld, and all-star collaborations from Alessia Cara and Zedd, G-Eazy and Halsey, Khalid with Marshmello, Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line, and Hailee Steinfeld and Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and watt. Also in the Pacific Time Zone, Britney Spears will perform from The AXIS at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. It will be her final show of her Planet Hollywood residency, which began in 2013.

Meanwhile, actress Lucy Hale (former star of “Pretty Little Liars”) will host the show’s second annual Central Time Zone celebration from New Orleans. Imagine Dragons will perform from the Allstate Fan Fest, while Walk the Moon will do a performance leading up to the midnight countdown and fleur-de-lis drop near Jackson Square.

Fox’s New Year’s Eve With Steve Harvey: Live From Times Square

Steve Harvey
Steve Harvey (Photo by Brian Bowen Smith/Fox)

After televising its New Year’s Eve show (hosted by Pitbull) from Miami for the previous three years, Fox is changing locations and hosts this year. On site at New York City’s Times Square, comedian/talk-show host Steve Harvey and former E! personality Maria Menounous will co-host the show, which airs on Fox from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. ET live; CT/MT/PT tape-delayed. Performers will include Celine Dion, Backstreet Boys, Macklemore featuring Skylar Grey, Flo Rida, Neil Diamond, Andra Day, Maroon 5 and the Zac Brown Band. “Fox’s New Year’s Eve With Steve Harvey: Live From Times Square” is produced by IMG, which also produces Harvey’s self-titled talk show, as well as the Miss Universe Pageant and “It’s Showtime at the Apollo,” which have been hosted by Harvey over the past few years.

December 28, 2017 UPDATE: Actor/comedian Rob Riggle has joined the lineup of celebrities appearing on Fox’s New Year’s Eve show, while “Beat Shazam” host Jamie Foxx will be featured on the show to announce a special surprise.

New Year’s Eve Live With Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen

Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper (Photo courtesy of CNN)

Longtime friends Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen will co-host CNN’s New Year’s Eve celebration, which begins at 8 p.m. ET. CNN’s New Year’s Eve show, which is telecast live from New York City’s Times Square, focuses more on news and comedic commentary instead of on-site, live musical performances that are found on America’s broadcast networks.  However, there will be performances of Keith Urban in Nashville and Celine Dion in Las Vegas. This year, Cohen replaces Kathy Griffin, who was notoriously fired from the show in May 2017, for publicly posting a photo of herself holding up a fake bloody head of President Donald Trump. Griffin and Cooper had co-hosted CNN’s New Year’s Eve Show since 2007. Cooper and Cohen have an established rapport, since they have done numerous speaking engagements together. New Year’s Eve Live With Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen has not announced if any other celebrities will be guests on the show, so expect the possibility of surprise guests.

Mariah Carey set to headline ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2018’

December 22, 2017

The following is a press release from Dick Clark Productions  and ABC:

Mariah Carey on "Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2017"
Mariah Carey on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2017”  (Photo by Lou Rocco/ABC)

Dick Clark Productions and ABC today announced that multi-platinum music superstar Mariah Carey will return to Times Square to perform for a live audience of more than one million people, just minutes before the ball drops on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2018.” Carey first appeared on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve in 2005 when she became the very first artist to perform live from Times Square on the program. She returned in 2016 and will once again headline this year’s festivities. Carey joins previously announced Times Square performers including chart-topping singer/songwriter Camila Cabello, multi-platinum singer/songwriter and actor Nick Jonas and award-winning duo Sugarland. America’s largest celebration of the year will take place on SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31 beginning at 8:00 p.m. EST on the ABC Television Network.

“We can all agree that last year didn’t go exactly as planned and we are thrilled to move forward together to provide America with an incredible night of music and celebration on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2018. See you in Times Square!”
-Mariah Carey & dick clark productions

“Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2018” marks the 46th anniversary of America’s largest celebration of the year and will include 5 ½ hours of special performances and reports on New Year’s celebrations from around the globe.  Ryan Seacrest will host the primetime festivities and lead the traditional countdown to midnight from Times Square in New York City, as he has for the last 12 years, with live onsite reporting from actress and comedian Jenny McCarthy. Ciara will host the Los Angeles festivities which will feature additional performances by Kane Brown, BTS, Kelly Clarkson, Fitz & The Tantrums, Florida Georgia Line, Halsey, Khalid, Shawn Mendes, Charlie Puth, Portugal. The Man and Hailee Steinfeld, and all-star collaborations from Alessia Cara and Zedd, G-Eazy and Halsey, Khalid with Marshmello, Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line, and Hailee Steinfeld and Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and watt. Additionally, Lucy Hale will return to host the 2nd annual Central Time Zone countdown celebration from New Orleans, where multi-platinum selling band Imagine Dragons is slated to perform from the Allstate® Fan Fest, and WALK THE MOON will take the stage leading up to the midnight countdown and stunning fleur-de-lis drop near Jackson Square. Pop music icon, Britney Spears will perform from The AXIS at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, making it the first television performance of 2018 and the end to her record-breaking residency.

Mariah Carey is the best-selling female artist of all time with more than 200 million albums sold to date and 18 Billboard Hot 100 #1 singles (17 self-penned), more than any solo artist in history. Mariah is a singer/song­writer/producer recognized with multiple Grammy Awards, 21 American Music Awards, Billboard’s “Artist of the Decade” Award, the World Music Award for “World’s Best Selling Female Artist of the Millennium,” and BMI’s “Icon Award” for her outstanding achievements in songwriting, to name a few – with her distinct five-octave vocal range, prolific songwriting, and producing talent, Mariah is truly the template of the modern pop performance. Mariah’s ongoing impact has transcended the music industry to leave an indelible imprint upon the world at large.  She made her entry into the world of independent film with her landmark performance in “WiseGirls” starring alongside Academy Award winner Mira Sorvino and Melora Walters. In 2009, Mariah was recognized with the Breakthrough Performance Award at the Palm Spring International Film Festival for her critically acclaimed role in Lee Daniels’ “Precious.” Mariah went on to appear in Daniels’ stellar ensemble piece “The Butler” (2013). A Congressional Award recipient, Mariah has generously donated her time and energy to a range of philanthropic causes near to her heart including Save the Music, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, World Hunger Relief, and the Elton John AIDS Foundation, among many others. A tremendous supporter of children’s charities, both domestic and international, Mariah founded Camp Mariah in partnership with the Fresh Air Fund, a retreat for inner city children to explore career development.  Mariah is represented by Roc Nation, UTA and Imprint PR.
“Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2018” is produced by dick clark productions with Ryan Seacrest, Allen Shapiro and Mike Mahan serving as executive producers and Barry Adelman and Mark Bracco as co-executive producers. Larry Klein is producer.

The complete lineup airing Sunday, December 31 on ABC is:

8:00-10:00 p.m. ET – “Dick Clark’s Primetime New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2018 – Part 1”

10:00-11:00 p.m. ET – “Dick Clark’s Primetime New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2018 – Part 2”

11:30 p.m.-1:09 a.m. ET – “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2018 – Part 1”

1:09-2:13 a.m. ET – “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2018 – Part 2”

ABOUT DICK CLARK PRODUCTIONS
dick clark productions (dcp) is the world’s largest producer and proprietor of televised live event entertainment programming with the “Academy of Country Music Awards,” “American Music Awards,” “Billboard Music Awards,” “Golden Globe Awards,” “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest,” “Hollywood Film Awards” and the “Streamy Awards.” Weekly television programming includes “So You Think You Can Dance” from 19 Entertainment and dcp. dcp also owns one of the world’s most unique and extensive entertainment archive libraries with over 60 years of award-winning shows, historic programs, specials, performances and legendary programming. For additional information, visit www.dickclark.com.

ABOUT ABC ENTERTAINMENT
ABC Entertainment airs compelling programming across all day parts, with new shows including fall’s No. 1 new drama, “The Good Doctor”; as well as “Kevin (Probably) Saves the World” and “The Mayor”; and current hits such as groundbreaking dramas “Designated Survivor,” “Quantico,” “Scandal” “How to Get Away with Murder,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and “Once Upon a Time.” The ABC Television Network is also home to the Emmy® Award-winning “Modern Family” and trailblazing comedy favorites “black-ish,” “American Housewife,” “Fresh Off the Boat,”  “The Goldbergs,” “The Middle” and “Speechless”; hit game shows “$100,000 Pyramid,” “Celebrity Family Feud,” “Match Game” and “To Tell the Truth”; reality phenomenon “Shark Tank,” iconic “The Bachelor” franchise, long-running hits “Dancing with the Stars” and “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” and the return of “American Idol”; “General Hospital,” which has aired for over 50 years on the network, along with daytime talk show “The Chew”; and late-night talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” The network also boasts some of television’s most prestigious awards shows, including “The Oscars®,” “The CMA Awards,” and “The American Music Awards.”

Johnny Iuzzini scandal: ABC cancels ‘The Great American Baking Show’ after he’s accused of sexual harassment

December 13, 2017

by Colleen McGregor

The Great American Baking Show
“The Great American Baking Show” 2017 contestants, judges and hosts. Pictured from left to right in front row: Johnny Iuzzini, Ayesha Curry, Paul Hollywood and Anthony Adams. (Photo by Mark Bourdillion/ABC)

ABC has abruptly cancelled “The Great American Baking Show” after several female ex-subordinates of Johnny Iuzzini (one of the show’s judges) accused him of sexual harassment and sexual assault. “The Great American Baking Show” (originally titled “The Great Holiday Baking Show”) is the U.S. version of “The Great British Bake Off.” Iuzzini had been with the American show since its debut in 2015. The third season premiered on ABC on December 7, 2017, and featured new hosts Ayesha Curry and Anthony Adams, as well has new judge Paul Hollywood, who is one of the original judges of “The Great British Bake Off.”

The allegations against Iuzzini were first published by the news website Mic in incidents that the accusers say took place between 2009 and 2011, when Iuzzini was a pastry chef at Jean-Georges restaurant at the Trump International Hotel in New York. Iuzzini left Jean-Georges in 2011.

In an article published by Mic on November 29, 2017, four women (who did not reveal their identities for fear of retaliation) describe Iuzzini as boss of a mostly female staff who would frequently abuse his power in a sexually aggressive way. Iuzzini would allegedly demand shoulder massages from his female employees, grope female employees without their consent, simulate sex on their bodies or in their presence, and make sexual and other abusive comments. One of the women also said that Iuzzini would stick his tongue in her ear without her consent, and that it happened many times.

One of the women admitted to having a consensual, on-again/off-again sexual relationship with Iuzzini, but says that she felt pressured into the relationship, which began around the time that Iuzzini interviewed her to work at the restaurant. The other women did not have sexual relationships with Iuzzini, and say that he made the working environment so toxic that they eventually quit because of him. All of them said that they did not file formal complaints out of fear, but that they told many people at the time these alleged incidents occurred.

Iuzzini released this statement to Mic: “I am shattered and heartbroken at the thought that any of my actions left members of my team feeling hurt or degraded. More importantly, I am deeply sorry to those who felt hurt. I certainly deny the allegations, as presented to me, that I ever had a drug problem, threw an empty nitrogen canister at anyone or that I left Jean-Georges on anything other than good terms (I provided three months’ notice and maintain a good relationship with chef and mentor Jean-Georges to this day). Many of the other allegations are inaccurate, others I do not recall and none were meant to hurt people. Nonetheless, I must take responsibility if any of the members of my team felt uncomfortable by my words or actions, regardless of my intent or recollection. I must hear that what the women making the accusations are telling me and recognize I caused pain. I have strived to be a good mentor over the course of my career, and I now understand that I failed some people. To me, that is unacceptable.”

Iuzzini then went on to say in his statement that he learned this type of “unacceptable” behavior when he was a boy, and that for years, he thought that acting that way “was deemed permissible since four-star kitchens are high-stress jobs.”

On December 12, 2017, Mic published another article in which four more women came forward to say that they witnessed sexual harassment perpetrated by Iuzzini at Jean-Georges. One of the witnesses said that the restaurant’s management was aware of Iuzzini’s behavior as far back as 2004 but did nothing to stop the alleged harassment. The ex-employees of the alleged harassment said that they did not file formal complaints because they feared retaliation and felt that the restaurant’s management would protect Iuzzini. However, a lawsuit (which did not go to court) alleged that Iuzzini hired a female stripper to perform at an after-hours party at the restaurant, and that several attendees of the party were deeply offended because they did not know a stripper would be performing.

ABC released this statement: “In light of allegations that recently came to our attention, ABC has ended its relationship with Johnny Iuzzini and will not be airing the remainder of The Great American Baking Show episodes. ABC takes matters such as those described in the allegations very seriously and has come to the conclusion that they violate our standards of conduct.”

This is the second major sexual-harassment scandal to hit a celebrity chef with a show on ABC. On December 11, 2017, Mario Batali was ousted as co-host of “The Chew” after he admitted to and made a public apology for sexual harassment of female employees and other female colleagues. The allegations, made by unidentified women in an Eater article, accused Batali of sexually harassing females through unwanted groping of their private parts, as well as making crude sexual comments. The report also alleged that 57-year-old Batali had been acting this way for at least 25 years. In addition to losing his hosting gig at “The Chew,” Batali has agreed to step down from his multiple businesses.

December 21, 2017 UPDATE: ABC announced on its website that Vallery Lomas had won the third season of “The Great American Baking Show.” The announcement was made on the day that the season finale would have aired.

2017 American Music Awards: Kelly Clarkson and Pink team up to open the show

November 16, 2017

American Music Awards AMAs logo

The following is a press release from Dick Clark Productions and ABC:

dick clark productions and ABC today announced that multi-platinum music superstars Kelly Clarkson and P!NK will perform together for the very first time to open the “2017 American Music Awards,” which will broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, November 19, 2017 at 8:00pm ET on ABC.

As previously announced, music legend Diana Ross will also take the stage for a rare performance at the “2017 American Music Awards” and will be honored with the “American Music Award for Lifetime Achievement.” Christina Aguilera will pay tribute to Whitney Houston and music from “The Bodyguard” with a performance in honor of the film’s 25th anniversary, which falls on the same week as the awards ceremony. Other previously announced performers include BTS, Alessia Cara & Zedd, Kelly Clarkson, Selena Gomez, Niall Horan, Imagine Dragons & Khalid, Nick Jonas, Lady Gaga, Demi Lovato, Shawn Mendes, P!NK, Portugal. The Man, and Hailee Steinfeld & Alesso ft. Florida Georgia Line & watt. Additionally, Bebe Rexha will combine with Florida Georgia Line to treat American Music Awards fans to an encore performance for Xfinity TV customers, which will be available following the show on Xfinity On Demand.

Nominations for the “2017 American Music Awards” were announced last month. Bruno Mars leads with eight nominations, including Artist of the Year, Video of the Year, and Favorite Male Artist – Pop/Rock. The Chainsmokers, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Ed Sheeran and The Weeknd tied with five nominations each, while Justin Bieber, Daddy Yankee and Luis Fonsi received four nominations each. Additionally, Keith Urban earned three nominations, and Rihanna and Halsey earned two nominations each.

The American Music Awards winners are voted entirely by fans. Voting is now closed in all categories other than Artist of the Year, New Artist of the Year presented by T-Mobile and Collaboration of the Year presented by Xfinity. Fans are able to vote for these awards using the following methods:

  • Via web at billboard.com/amas and theamas.com/vote
  • Posting a tweet on Twitter that includes the nominee’s name or Twitter handle, the category name and #AMAs within the tweet

For New Artist of the Year presented by T-Mobile and Collaboration of the Year presented by Xfinity, fans can vote for each award 100 times per day, per voting platform in one or both of the ways above. For Artist of the Year, fans may vote once per day, per voting platform.

The Artist of the Year nominees are Bruno Mars, The Chainsmokers, Drake, Kendrick Lamar and Ed Sheeran. Voting for Artist of the Year will close on Thursday, November 16 at 8:59:59pm PT. Voting for New Artist of the Year presented by T-Mobile and Collaboration of the Year presented by Xfinity will close on Sunday, November 19 at 5:59:59pm PT, one hour into the live broadcast.

American Music Awards nominees are based on key fan interactions as reflected in Billboard Magazine and on Billboard.com, including album and digital song sales, radio airplay, streaming, social activity and touring. These measurements are tracked by Billboard and its data partners, including Nielsen Music and Next Big Sound. The eligibility period for the “2017 American Music Awards” was September 9, 2016 to September 14, 2017.

Sponsors for the “2017 American Music Awards” include Comcast’s Xfinity, Security Benefit and T-Mobile. Media partners include Cumulus Media/Westwood One and Music Choice.

The “2017 American Music Awards” is produced by dick clark productions. Allen Shapiro and Mike Mahan are Executive Producers. Larry Klein, Barry Adelman and Mark Bracco are Producers.

For the latest American Music Awards news, exclusive content and more, be sure to follow the AMAs on social and join the conversation by using the official hashtag for the show, #AMAs.

Facebook: Facebook.com/AMAs

Twitter: @AMAs

Instagram: @AMAs

Snapchat: TheAMAs

Tumblr: amas.tumblr.com

Tickets are now on sale at www.axs.com.

About the American Music Awards

The American Music Awards, the world’s largest fan-voted award show, features performances from today’s hottest artists and presents fan-voted awards in the music genres of Pop/Rock, Alternative Rock, Country, Rap/Hip-Hop, Soul/R&B, Adult Contemporary, Contemporary Inspirational, Latin, EDM and Soundtrack, and the categories of Artist of the Year, New Artist of the Year presented by T-Mobile, Collaboration of the Year presented by Xfinity, Tour of The Year and Video of the Year. The American Music Awards pays tribute to today’s most influential and iconic artists.  The show is produced by dick clark productions and is seen in more than 200 countries around the world. For more information, visit www.theamas.com, www.dickclark.com or abc.go.com/shows/american-music-awards.

About dick clark productions

dick clark productions (dcp) is the world’s largest producer and proprietor of televised live event entertainment programming with the “Academy of Country Music Awards,” “American Music Awards,” “Billboard Music Awards,” “Golden Globe Awards,” “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest,” “Hollywood Film Awards” and the “Streamy Awards.” Weekly television programming includes “So You Think You Can Dance” from 19 Entertainment and dcp. dcp also owns one of the world’s most unique and extensive entertainment archive libraries with over 60 years of award-winning shows, historic programs, specials, performances and legendary programming. For additional information, visit www.dickclark.com.

2017 CMA Awards: Garth Brooks, Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton among the winners

November 8, 2017

by Carla Hay

Garth Brooks, Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton were among the winners at the 51st Annual CMA Awards, which took place at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on November 8, 2017. Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood hosted the show for the 10th year. ABC had the U.S. telecast of the show, which is a production of the Country Music Association.

Brooks took the prize for Entertainer of the Year, making it the sixth time he has won this prize at the CMA Awards. He is the most-awarded artist in this CMA Awards category. Lambert was named Female Vocalist of the Year. Stapleton won two awards: Male Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year (for “From a Room: Volume 1”). All three artists performed on the show.

Other 2017 CMA Awards performers included Brothers Osborne, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Lambert, Little Big Town, Old Dominion, Jon Pardi, Chris Stapleton, Thomas Rhett, Underwood and Alan Jackson.

Winners of the 51st Annual CMA Awards were determined in a final round of voting by eligible CMA members. Ballots were tabulated by the professional services organization Deloitte & Touche LLP. Robert Deaton was the executive producer and Gary Halvorson was the director of the awards telecast.

Here is the complete list of winners and nominees for the 51st Annual CMA Awards:

** = winner

Entertainer of the Year

Garth Brooks**
Luke Bryan
Eric Church
Chris Stapleton
Keith Urban

Male Vocalist of the Year

Dierks Bentley
Eric Church
Thomas Rhett
Chris Stapleton**
Keith Urban

Female Vocalist of the Year

Kelsea Ballerini
Miranda Lambert**
Reba McEntire
Maren Morris
Carrie Underwood

Vocal Group of the Year

Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town**
Old Dominion
Rascal Flatts
Zac Brown Band

Vocal Duo of the Year

Brothers Osborne**
Dan + Shay
Florida Georgia Line
LoCash
Maddie & Tae

New Artist of the Year

Lauren Alaina
Luke Combs
Old Dominion
Jon Pardi**
Brett Young

Musician of the Year

Jerry Douglas (dobro)
Paul Franklin (steel guitar)
Dann Huff (guitar)
Mac McAnally (guitar)**
Derek Wells (guitar)

Album of the Year

Little Big Town – “The Breaker”
Lady Antebellum – “Heart Break”
Jason Isbell – “The Nashville Sound”
Miranda Lambert – “The Weight of These Wings”
Chris Stapleton – “From A Room: Volume 1″**   

Single of the Year  

Little Big Town – “Better Man ”
Sam Hunt – “Body Like a Back Road”
Jon Pardi – “Dirt on My Boots”
Miranda Lambert – “Tin Man”
Keith Urban – “Blue Ain’t Your Color”**     

Song of the Year

Taylor Swift – “Better Man”**
Clint Lagerberg, Hillary Lindsey, Steven Lee Olsen – “Blue Ain’t Your Color”
Zach Crowell, Sam Hunt, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne – “Body Like a Back Road”
Rhett Akins, Jesse Frasure, Ashley Gorley – “Dirt on My Boots”
Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall – “Tin Man”

Vocal Event of the Year

Thomas Rhett and Maren Morris – “Craving You”
Willie Nelson and Glen Campbell – “Funny How Time Slips Away”**
Eric Church and Rhiannon Giddens – “Kill a Word”
Kenny Chesney and P!nk – “Setting the World on Fire”
Tim McGraw and Faith Hill – “Speak to a Girl”

Video of the Year

Brothers Osborne – “It Ain’t My Fault”**  
Little Big Town – “Better Man”
Keith Urban – “Blue Ain’t Your Color”
Thomas Rhett featuring Maren Morris – “Craving You”
Miranda Lambert – “Vice”

2017 CMA Awards: Performers include Garth Brooks, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert

October 18, 2017

The following is a press release from the Country Music Association (CMA) and ABC:

Excitement continues to build as the first round of performers are announced for “The 51st Annual CMA Awards,” hosted for the 10th year by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, and airing live from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Wednesday, November 8, 2017 (8:00-11:00 p.m. EST).

Fans will enjoy special performances by CMA Awards nominees Garth Brooks, Brothers Osborne, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Old Dominion, Jon Pardi, Chris Stapleton, Thomas Rhett and Underwood. Alan Jackson, 2017 Country Music Hall of Fame Inductee and 16-time CMA Award winner, will also take center stage during Country Music’s Biggest Night.

Reigning Entertainer of the Year Brooks returns this year with his 12th career nomination for CMA Entertainer of the Year, a title he has won five times (1991, 1992, 1997, 1998, 2016). He is the most awarded artist in this category.

Current CMA Vocal Duo Brothers Osborne received their first Music Video nod for “It Ain’t My Fault” and will once again vie for Vocal Duo, their third nomination in the category.

Bryan is a two-time consecutive Entertainer of the Year (2014, 2015), returning to compete for his fifth nomination in the category. He has garnered 15 CMA Award nominations since 2010.

Up for three nominations this year, Church is a three-time CMA Award winner with 25 total career nods. He returns this year with recognition in the Entertainer of the Year category, in addition to Musical Event and his sixth consecutive nomination for Male Vocalist.

With five nominations under her belt this year, Lambert tops the list of finalists with nods in the Single and Song of the Year categories for “Tin Man,” Album with “The Weight of These Wings,” Music Video of the Year for “Vice,” and her 11th nomination for Female Vocalist, a category she has won six times consecutively (2010-2015). She has a career total of 44 CMA Award nominations and is the most awarded female in CMA Awards history, nabbing 12 trophies since 2010.

Little Big Town claims four nominations this year including Vocal Group, Album for The Breaker, and Single and Music Video for “Better Man.” They are seven-time CMA Award winners with a career total of 26 CMA Award nominations.

Old Dominion receives their second nominations in both Vocal Group and New Artist of the Year, securing four career CMA Award nods.

First-time nominee Pardi vies for two categories with nominations for New Artist of the Year and Single for “Dirt On My Boots,” which he co-produced. He receives one nomination for Single of the Year, but can receive an additional trophy as producer.

Stapleton is a five-time CMA Award winner nominated for Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist, and Album for “From A Room: Volume 1.” He receives one nomination for Album but can receive an additional trophy as producer. This is his third consecutive nomination for Male Vocalist, which he has won the past two years. He was also nominated for Entertainer of the Year last year and won Album for “Traveller” in 2015. He is an 11-time CMA Award nominee.

Thomas Rhett receives first-time nominations in three categories – Musical Event and Music Video for “Craving You,” featuring Maren Morris, and Male Vocalist. He took home his first CMA Award last year, securing Single of the Year with “Die A Happy Man.”

With six CMA Awards to her name, co-host Underwood returns to vie for Female Vocalist, a category she has won four times (2006-2008, 2016) and nominated for consecutively since 2006.

With 81 career nominations, Jackson is the second most nominated artist in CMA Awards history. This year marks Jackson’s 24th CMA Awards performance since debuting in 1990 with “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow.” He will receive Country Music’s highest honor, induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, on Sunday, Oct. 22, during the official Medallion Ceremony at the CMA Theater.

Winners of “The 51st Annual CMA Awards” will be determined in a final round of voting by eligible CMA members. The third and final ballot closes Wednesday, Oct. 25 (6:00 p.m. CST). Ballots will be tabulated by the professional services organization Deloitte & Touche LLP.

“The 51st Annual CMA Awards” is a production of the Country Music Association. Robert Deaton is the executive producer and Gary Halvorson is the director.

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