2017 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards: ‘Ghostbusters,’ ‘Finding Dory,’ Kevin Hart are the top winners

February 12, 2017

Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards

With three prizes each, the 2016 remake of the comedy film “Ghostbusters,” the animated movie “Finding Dory” (a sequel to “Finding Nemo”), and Kevin Hart were the top winners at Nickelodeon’s 30th Annual Kids’ Choice Awards (KCAs), which took place March 11, 2017, at USC’s Galen Center in Los Angeles.  Hosted by WWE Superstar John Cena, Nickelodeon’s 2017 Kids’ Choice Awards aired on Nickelodeon.

“Ghostbusters” received the awards for Favorite Movie, Favorite Actress (for Melissa McCarthy) and Favorite Actor (for Chris Hemsworth). “Finding Dory” won the prizes for Best Animated Movie, #Squad, Best Voice from an Animated Movie (for Ellen DeGeneres’ voice work as the forgetful fish named Dory). “Finding Dory” won the prizes for Best Animated Movie, #Squad, Best Voice from an Animated Movie (for Ellen DeGeneres’ voice work as the forgetful fish named Dory).  Hart’s voice work as a cat named Snowball in animated comedy “The Secret Life of Pets” earned him the awards for Favorite Villain and Most Wanted Pet, while his pairing with Dwayne Johnson in the action comedy “Central Intelligence” garnered the BFFs (Best Friends Forever) prize. The female singing group Fifth Harmony won two awards: Favorite Song (for “Work From Home”) and Favorite Music Group. “Henry Danger” also won two awards: Favorite TV Show – Kids Show and Favorite TV Actor (for Jace Norman).

Performers at the 2017 KCAs were Little Mix, as well as MGK with former Fifth Harmony member Camila Cabello.  Little Mix also won the prize for Favorite Global Music Star. And, of course, the tradition of showering unsuspecting stars with green slime at the KCAs continued. This year, the “green slime victims” were Chris Pratt, Cena and Demi Lovato.

Kids cast their votes for the awards at Nick.com and the Nick app on iPad, iPhone, Kindle and Android devices. Users were also able to vote through Twitter and Facebook using special KCA hashtags and the hashtag of their favorite nominee.

This year’s show featured nine new categories, including Favorite Frenemies, Most Wanted Pet, Favorite Viral Music Artist, Favorite Global Music Star and #Squad.

Nickelodeon’s 2017 Kids’ Choice Awards was produced by Nickelodeon Productions. Elizabeth Kelly, Michael Dempsey, Shelly Sumpter Gillyard and Jay Schmalholz were executive producers of the show. Sponsors of Nickelodeon’s 2017 Kids’ Choice Awards included Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Crest, Hot Wheels, Nintendo, Skechers, Toyota and Walmart.

 

Here is the list of winners and nominees for Nickelodeon’s 2017 Kids’ Choice Awards:

* =new categories

*** = winner

TELEVISION:

Favorite TV Show – Kids’ Show
“Game Shakers”
“Girl Meets World”
“Henry Danger”***
“Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn”
“The Thundermans”

Favorite TV Show – Family Show
“Big Bang Theory”
“Black-ish”
“Fuller House”***
“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”
“Supergirl”
“The Flash”

Favorite Reality Show
“America’s Funniest Home Videos”
“America’s Got Talent”***
“American Ninja Warrior”
“Paradise Run”
“Shark Tank”
“The Voice”

Favorite Cartoon
“ALVINNN!!! and the Chipmunks”
“SpongeBob SquarePants”***
“Teen Titans Go!”
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”
“The Amazing World of Gumball”
“The Loud House”

Favorite Male TV Star
Benjamin Flores Jr. (Triple G, “Game Shakers”)
Aidan Gallagher (Nicky, Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn)
Jack Griffo (Max, The Thundermans)
Jace Norman (Henry, Henry Danger)***
Casey Simpson (Ricky, “Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn”)
Tyrel Jackson Williams (Leo, “Lab Rats”)

Favorite Female TV Star
Rowan Blanchard (Riley, “Girl Meets World”)
Dove Cameron (Liv and Maddie, “Liv and Maddie”)
Lizzy Greene (Dawn, “Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn”)
Kira Kosarin (Phoebe, “The Thundermans”)
Breanna Yde (Tomika, “School of Rock”)
Zendaya (K.C., “K.C. Undercover”)***

FILM:

Favorite Movie
“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”
“Captain America: Civil War”
“Ghostbusters”***
“Pete’s Dragon”
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows”

Favorite Movie Actor
Ben Affleck (Batman, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”)
Will Arnett (Vernon, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows”)
Henry Cavill (Superman, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”)
Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man, “Captain America: Civil War”)
Chris Evans (Captain America, “Captain America: Civil War”)
Chris Hemsworth (Kevin, “Ghostbusters”)***

Favorite Movie Actress
Amy Adams (Lois, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”)
Megan Fox (April, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows”)
Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow, “Captain America: Civil War”)
Felicity Jones (Jyn, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”)
Melissa McCarthy (Abby, “Ghostbusters”)***
Kristen Wiig (Erin, “Ghostbusters”)

Favorite Animated Movie
“Finding Dory”***
“Moana”
“Sing”
“The Secret Life of Pets”
“Trolls”
“Zootopia”

Favorite Voice From an Animated Movie
Ellen DeGeneres (Dory, “Finding Dory”)***
Kevin Hart (Snowball, “The Secret Life of Pets”)
Dwayne Johnson (Maui, “Moana”)
Anna Kendrick (Poppy, “Trolls”)
Justin Timberlake (Branch, “Trolls”)
Reese Witherspoon (Rosita, “Sing”)

Favorite Villain
Helena Bonham Carter (The Red Queen, “Alice Through the Looking Glass”)
Idris Elba (Krall, “Star Trek Beyond”)
Will Ferrell (Mugatu, “Zoolander 2”)
Kevin Hart (Snowball, “The Secret Life of Pets”)***
Charlize Theron (Ravenna, “The Huntsman: Winter’s War”)
Spencer Wilding (Darth Vader, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story)

Favorite Butt-Kicker
Ben Affleck (Batman, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”)
Henry Cavill (Superman, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”)
Chris Evans (Captain America, “Captain America: Civil War”)***
Chris Hemsworth (The Huntsman, “The Huntsman: Winter’s War”)
Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow, “Captain America: Civil War”)
Felicity Jones (Jyn, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”)
Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique, “X-Men: Apocalypse”)
Zoe Saldana (Lieutenant Uhura, “Star Trek Beyond”)

BFF’s (Best Friends Forever)*
Ruby Barnhill & Mark Rylance (Sophie/BFG, “The BFG”)
Kevin Hart & Dwayne Johnson (Bob/Calvin, “Central Intelligence”)***
Kevin Hart & Ice Cube (Ben/James, “Ride Along 2”)
Chris Pine & Zachary Quinto (Captain Kirk/Spock, “Star Trek Beyond”)
Neel Sethi & Bill Murray (Mowgli/ Baloo, “Jungle Book”)
Ben Stiller & Owen Wilson (Derek/Hansel, “Zoolander 2”)

Favorite Frenemies*
Anna Kendrick & Justin Timberlake (Poppy/Branch, “Trolls”)
Ben Affleck & Henry Cavill (Batman/Superman, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”)
Chris Evans & Robert Downey Jr. (“Captain America/Iron Man, Captain America: Civil War”)
Ginnifer Goodwin & Jason Bateman (Judy/Nick, “Zootopia”)***
Dwayne Johnson & Auli’I Cravalho (Moana/Maui, “Moana”)
Charlize Theron & Emily Blunt (Ravenna/Freya, “The Huntsman: Winter’s War”)

Most Wanted Pet*
Baloo from “The Jungle Book” (Bill Murray)
Dory from “Finding Dory” (Ellen DeGeneres)
Po from “Kung Fu Panda 3” (Jack Black)
Red from “The Angry Birds Movie” (Jason Sudeikis)
Rosita from “Sing” (Reese Witherspoon)
Snowball from “The Secret Life of Pets” (Kevin Hart)***

#Squad*
“Captain America: Civil War”Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman

“Finding Dory”Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Kaitlin Olson, Hayden Rolence, Willem Dafoe, Ed O’Neill, Ty Burrell, Eugene Levy***

“Ghostbusters” Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones

“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” – Felicity Jones, Forest Whitaker, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen, Riz Ahmed, Mads Mikkelsen

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows”Noel Fisher, Jeremy Howard, Pete Ploszek, Alan Ritchson

“X-Men: Apocalypse”James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Evan Peters, Tye Sheridan, Ben Hardy, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Sophie Turner, Alexandra Shipp, Olivia Munn

MUSIC:

Favorite Music Group
The Chainsmokers
Fifth Harmony***
Maroon 5
OneRepublic
Pentatonix
Twenty One Pilots

Favorite Male Singer
Drake
Justin Bieber
Bruno Mars
Shawn Mendes***
Justin Timberlake
The Weeknd

Favorite Female Singer
Adele
Beyoncé
Ariana Grande
Selena Gomez***
Rihanna
Meghan Trainor

Favorite Song
“24K Magic”Bruno Mars
“Can’t Stop the Feeling!”Justin Timberlake
“Heathens”Twenty One Pilots
“Send My Love (To Your New Lover)”Adele
“Side to Side”Ariana Grande ft. Nicki Minaj
“Work from Home”Fifth Harmony ft. Ty Dolla $ign***

Favorite New Artist
Kelsea Ballerini
The Chainsmokers
Daya
Lukas Graham
Solange
Rae Sremmurd
Hailee Steinfeld
Twenty One Pilots***

Favorite Music Video*
“24K Magic”Bruno Mars
“Can’t Stop The Feeling!”Justin Timberlake
“Formation”Beyoncé
“Juju on That Beat”Zay Hilfigerrr and Zayion McCall***
“Me Too”Meghan Trainor
“Stressed Out”Twenty One Pilots

Favorite DJ/EDM Artist*
Martin Garrix
Calvin Harris***
Major Lazer
Skrillex
DJ Snake
Zedd

Favorite Soundtrack*
“Hamilton”
“Me Before You”
“Moana”
“Sing”
“Suicide Squad”***
“Trolls”

Favorite Viral Music Artist*
Tiffany Alvord
Matty B
Carson Lueders
Johnny Orlando
Jacob Sartorius
JoJo Siwa***

Favorite Global Music Star*
5 Seconds of Summer (Australia/New Zealand)
BIGBANG (Asia)
Bruno Mars (North America)
Little Mix (UK)***
Shakira (South America)
Zara Larsson (Europe)

OTHER CATEGORIES:

Favorite Video Game
“Just Dance 2017″***
“Lego Marvel’s Avengers”
“Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens”
“Minecraft: Story Mode”
“Paper Mario: Color Splash”
“Pokémon Moon”

2017 ACM Awards: first wave of performers announced

March 7, 2017

ACM Awards

Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley (Photo: by Cliff Lipson/CBS)

The Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards have announced the initial list of performers for the 2017 show, which will take place April 2 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The performers will include Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, and Maren Morris. The Backstreet Boys will make their debut appearance at the ACM Awards, performing with Florida Georgia Line; the two acts are touring together in 2017.

As previously announced, Keith Urban is the leading award contender for the show: He received the most nominations (seven) for the 52nd Annual ACM Awards. Bryan and Bentley will return for the second year in a row to host the ACM Awards, which is produced for television by Dick Clark Productions. CBS will have the live U.S. telecast.

March 14, 2017 UPDATE: These winners have been announced, and they will be performing at the 2017 ACM Awards:

  • Brothers Osborne – New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year presented by T-Mobile
  • Maren Morris (previously announced performer) – New Female Vocalist of the Year presented by T-Mobile
  • Jon Pardi – New Male Vocalist of the Year presented by T-Mobile

2017 iHeartRadio Music Awards: Drake is the top winner

March 5, 2017
2017 iHeartRadio Music Awards

Hip-hop star Drake won the most prizes (six) at the fourth annual iHeartRadio Music Awards, which took place March 5, 2017, at the Forum in Los Angeles. The event was televised live in the U.S. on TBS, TNT and truTV and simulcast on iHeartMedia stations nationwide, as well as on the digital music/live streaming radio service iHeartRadio.

Hosted by Ryan Seacrest, the show included musical performances by Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Ed Sheeran, the Chainsmokers featuring Chris Martin, Shawn Mendes, Thomas Rhett, Noah Cyrus and Big Sean. iHeartRadio and Den of Thieves produced the show.

Drake went into the ceremony with 12 nominations, and won prizes such Hip-Hop Artist of the Year and Hip-Hop Album of the Year (for “Views”). The Chainsmokers had 11 nominations and ended up winning five awards:  Best New Artist, Best New Pop Artist, Best Dance Artist, Best Dance Album (for “Collage”) and Dance Song of the Year (for “Closer”).  Other multiple winners included Twenty One Pilots, Justin Bieber, Fifth Harmony and Adele.

The award show had 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 then became finalists for the top title of Best New Artist presented by the all-new 2017 Subaru Impreza.  All nominees and winners are listed below. For a full list of categories visit iHeartRadio.com/awards.

Category finalists (by alphabetical order) are:

***=winner

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 New Artist
Kelsea Ballerini
The Chainsmokers***
Chance the Rapper
CNCO
Jose Favela
The Strumbellas
Bryson Tiller

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

Best New Pop Artist
Alessia Cara
The Chainsmokers***
Daya
Lukas Graham
Zayn

Pop Album of the Year
“25” – Adele***

Producer of the Year
Benny Blanco***
The Chainsmokers
Mike Elizondo
Greg Kurstin
Max Martin

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***

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

Alternative Rock Album of the Year
“Blurryface” – 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

Rock Album of the Year
“Hardwired … To Self-Destruct” – Metallica***

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***

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

Country Album of the Year
“Traveller” – Chris Stapleton***

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***

Dance Album of the Year
“Collage” – 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

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

Hip-Hop Album of the Year
“Views” – Drake***

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

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

R&B Album of the Year
“Anti” – Rihanna***

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

Best New Latin Artist
Carlos Rivera
Christian Daniel
CNCO***
IAmChino
Sofia Reyes

Latin Album of the Year
“Energia” – J Balvin***

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 Regional Mexican Artist
Adriel Favela
Banda Los Sebastianes
Cheyo Carrillo
Joss Favela***
La Séptima Banda

Regional Mexican Album of the Year
“Recuerden Mi Estilo” – Los Plebes Del Rancho De Ariel Camacho***

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 (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: (Socially Voted Category)
Hey Violet
Pierce the Veil***
PVRIS
Sleeping With Sirens
Tonight Alive

Social Star Award (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

Best Solo Breakout
Camila Cabello
Niall Horan
Louis Tomlinson
Olivia O’Brien
Zayn***

Best Tour
“A Headful of Dreams Tour” – Coldplay***

Most Thumbed Up Artist of the Year
Drake***

Most Thumbed Up Song of the Year
Drake featuring Wizkid & Kyla***

Label of the Year
Republic***

Barry Jenkins and the ‘Moonlight’ team backstage at the 2017 Academy Awards

February 27, 2017

by Carla Hay

The 89th Annual Academy Awards took place on February, 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

“MOONLIGHT”

Oscar wins:

Best Picture (for producers Adele Romanski, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner)

Best Adapted Screenplay (for Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney)

Best Supporting Actor (for Mahershala Ali)

Here is what these Oscar winners said backstage in the Academy Awards press room.

Jeremy Kleiner, Adele Romanski and Barry Jenkins at the 2017 Academy Awards in Los Angeles.
Jeremy Kleiner, Adele Romanski and Barry Jenkins at the 2017 Academy Awards in Los Angeles. (Photo by Mike Baker/©A.M.P.A.S.)

BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW

What went through your head when “La La Land” was announced the winner of Best Picture, and then just a couple of minutes later it was “Moonlight”?

Barry Jenkins (writer/director): I think all the movies that were nominated were worthy, so I accepted the results. I applauded like everyone else. I noticed the commotion that was happening, and I thought something strange had occurred.  And then I’m sure everybody saw my face. But I was speechless when the result … that was awkward, because I’ve watched the Academy Awards, and I’ve never seen that happen before. And so it made a very special feeling even more special, but not in the way I expected.

“Moonlight” feels a bit life‑changing because it’s such an experience of filmmaking for us as audience members. For you guys, being so involved in the project, what will you remember the most about this life‑changing experience for you?

Jenkins: The last 20 minutes of my life have been insane. I don’t think my life could be changed any more dramatically than what happened in the last 20 or 30 minutes. But I also think, too, working on this film with everyone here, all the cast that is somewhere drinking champagne, I’m sure, it’s just been otherworldly, I will say.

And I never expected so many people to see the film, but even a step further, so many people see themselves in the film. I was in Germany, and this guy stood up and said, “I’m from rural Germany, you know, and 20 minutes into this film, I didn’t see Alex Hibbert. I saw myself.” And that was how I felt in working on it. I had one idea of what I was doing, and then I realized that everyone else was bringing this other thing that was much more beautiful than my idea could ever be. So, yeah, beyond life‑changing.

Given the impact that “Moonlight” has had, do you think that this will help break down barriers for more stories about LGBT people of color?

Tarell Alvin McCraney (writer): The hope that we have today about telling stories is that those people, the ones who we are leaning on to make those stories, were watching and found the platform that they saw they could stand on.  I remember sitting back somewhere watching Dustin Lance Black accept for “Milk,” and thinking, “Maybe one day … me.” And here I am. So if that’s any indication, I hope we are moving in that vein.  I hope the storytellers up here and their proud journey here can imprint on someone out there watching, that they too can stand here too, and also tell their stories as daringly, as intimately as possible.

Jeremy Kleiner (producer): I might just add … because I didn’t get a chance to thank ‑‑ we didn’t get a chance to thank our courageous distributor, A24. This project didn’t really have a lot of comps. It was kind of outside of, like, the modeling of what, you know, a movie should be in terms of return on investment and that. And I think that this outcome for “Moonlight,” independently of tonight, but just the effect it’s had domestically around the world hopefully creates some incentives to make stories like this in all different forms.  So that ‑‑ and that was not far from our minds as well.

This question is for Barry Jenkins. What explanation were you given for the mixup tonight?

Jenkins: No explanation. Things just happen, you know? But I will say I saw two cards.  And so things just happen, you know? I wanted to see the card to see the card. And Warren [Beatty] refused to show the card to anybody before he showed it to me. And so he did. He came upstairs, and he walked over to me, and he showed the card.

Everybody was asking, Can I see the card? And he’s like, “No, Barry Jenkins has to see the card.  I need him to know.” And he showed it to me, and I felt better about what had happened. I will say to all you people, please write this down: The folks from “La La Land” were so gracious. We spent a lot of time together over the last six months, and I can’t imagine being in their position and having to do that. I wasn’t speechless because we won. I was speechless because it was so gracious of them to do that.

What did the card say?

Jenkins: The card said, “Best Picture: ‘Moonlight.’ Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Adele Romanski.” But there were two cards.

Did you all have speeches prepared for Best Picture?  And if so, what were you going to say?

Adele Romanski (producer): Yeah, we might have had a couple ideas. But I think the way that what went down, we kind of had to roll with it.  I feel good about what was said.  But I have to admit it was a bit of a fugue state, and I don’t know that I remember it. We didn’t thank people that we probably should have thanked.

Jenkins: Yeah, I absolutely wanted to thank A24 a thousand times because when I first set out to make this film with Adele, there was a budget that we had, and you guys know what the budget is now. It’s 1.5 [million dollars]. The budget we were offered before that was much, much smaller. And without us asking, they increased that budget because they believed in the project. They never told us to alter anything in that process.

So my whole acceptance speech was going to be in thanks to them, because it’s amazing to be Barry Jenkins right now, but it was not a year and a half ago for a guy who made a movie for $13,000 and hadn’t made a movie in seven years at that point. So I was going to give as much love to them as I possibly could with my time on the mic. And it’s unfortunate that things happened the way they did. But hot damn, we won Best Picture.

Barry, for you this has been a long time coming, and it’s been a long journey for you.  Ironically, the stories or the themes told in “La La Land” could apply to you as well. What are your feelings toward Los Angeles and this city and the people in it?

Jenkins: I love L.A.!  How could I not right now? You know, I’ll speak about “La La Land.” When I saw Justin [Horowitz, one of the producers of “La La Land”] at Telluride, I told him that I hadn’t been home in about two months. And I can see my apartment in the background of the opening shot of that film, and I was nostalgic for L.A., which is a crazy feeling for a guy from Miami who’s always had a hard time in L.A.

But you’re right. This is a fulfillment of a lot of things. And I also would have thanked Darnell Martin who gave me my first job in this city. Yeah, she took Chiron and said, Hey, come be my assistant and learn everything I have to teach you. So a lot of things have come full circle right now. This circle was much bigger than I ever could have imagined for myself or for this film.

But it feels good, man, you know. And I guess anything’s possible because most of the voters who voted us Best Picture, they reside here in Los Angeles, and yet they voted a film about a marginalized character from a marginalized community told in a very unorthodox way into Best Picture. And so, God bless L.A.

First off, why do you think that “Moonlight” resonated so deeply with audiences? And secondly, how do you think that winning this Oscar is going to change your life or your career?

Jenkins: I mean, my career, that part’s pretty clear. You know, I write an e‑mail, somebody’s going to reply at this point. Or I make a phone call, somebody is going to call back. So that part is cool.

But why this film? You know, I can’t say. I kind of took it off the table when we came to making this. I mean, Tarell put so much truth in what he wrote in the piece “In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue.” I try to take truth and manifest it on screen. And the only thing I can speak to is that whatever authenticity, whatever fire this guy had in his belly, people saw it, and they reflected the same fire in their belly.

McCraney: Barry does this often where he deflects the fact that, you know, sure, I may have brought my truth to the table in the original script. However, what Barry continued to do when he rewrote the script and when he started shooting, when he started casting, when he was working with those actors, was continue to see himself in those moments, those intimate moments. And everybody can relate to that, because we all know that moment that we felt awkward, because Barry found the moment he was awkward, and he put it on screen.

And so for me, that’s the lightning rod that keeps bringing people back.  We’re putting our true feelings, our true selves there.  And this man did it, you know, in 25 days with a cast and crew who was in and out in Miami in the dreaded heat, but we did that with love and compassion and fullness.  I think that’s what keeps bringing people back to the cinema.

Casey Affleck backstage at the 2017 Academy Awards

February 27, 2017

by Carla Hay

The 89th Annual Academy Awards took place on February, 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

CASEY AFFLECK

Oscar win:

Best Actor

(“Manchester by the Sea”)

KENNETH LONERGAN

Oscar win:

Best Original Screenplay

(“Manchester by the Sea”)

Here is what these Oscar winners said backstage in the Academy Awards press room.

BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW

Casey Affleck at the 2017 Academy Awards in Los Angeles.
Casey Affleck at the 2017 Academy Awards in Los Angeles. (Photo by Mike Baker/©A.M.P.A.S.)

What did you like about making this movie in Boston?

Casey Affleck (actor): Well, I like to work there because I know it so well and it still feels like home, so that’s sort of a bonus of getting to work on a movie that is in Boston.  There’s also a certain familiarity that helps the work, I think. But, you know, Kenny [Lonergan] writes with such incredible authenticity and specificity that it really was on the page, the whole feel of the place and the characters and everything.  So I could have been from anywhere else and I think I would have got it.

What do you think of the looming Writers Guild America talks? What are your thoughts? What are your wants? Do you think they should strike? 

Kenneth Lonergan (writer/director): Do I think they should strike? Well, I don’t think they should strike now because that would be premature. You know, obviously, I want to get as much as we can for ourselves without screwing anybody else. That’s a strange attitude to take in Hollywood, but that is the attitude I think that the union should take.

I would like to see someday in these negotiations some negotiations for more creative control for screenwriters working in the studio system. There’s a lot of complicated ancillary rights issues, especially nowadays, but the creative control issue is still pretty much the bottom rank could be for a working screenwriter in a studio system, and it would be nice if someday that was able to change.

Casey, you said something along the lines of you wished you had something meaningful to say. You said something fairly meaningful yesterday at the Independent Spirit Awards, but we were led to believe that this was going to be a very political Oscars, but it didn’t quite turn out that way. So why do you think that was?

Affleck: Why was it that there weren’t that many people who made remarks that were political? I think there were quite a few people who said some things that were sort of about their current global political situation and they’re also about … but were from a point of view of artists and they spoke about the importance of arts and so forth. I don’t know why more people didn’t.

It doesn’t entirely seem like an inappropriate place given the state of things. It seems like this is just as fine a platform as any to make some remarks so long they are respectful and positive. Personally, I didn’t say anything because my head was completely blank, the shock of winning the award, and the terror of having a microphone in front of you, and all of those faces staring at you.

So if I said I wish I had something meaningful to say, that was my inside voice coming out.  I wasn’t even aware that I actually said that out loud. I didn’t thank my children, which is something that I’ll probably never ever live down. About three seconds after I made it backstage, my phone rang and my son said, “You didn’t even mention us!”  And my heart just sank. So, you know, that probably would have been the most meaningful thing I could have said and I failed.

Lonergan: My daughter who is 15 was extremely irritated that I mentioned her at all, so you can’t really win.

Casey, during your speech they took a shot of your brother, Ben, in the front and it looked like he was having tears. What was it was like accepting the award in front of him and a group of your loved ones?

Affleck: It was very moving, and I include Kenny in that group of loved ones. And, obviously, my brother, to have him there, yeah, it was a nice moment. I saw those tears and I thought maybe I’m just not making a good speech, and he was really disappointed.  But I think he was probably touched, and I think that we are—not to brag or anything, but I think we’re the only two brothers to win Academy Awards, ever. [NOTE: Filmmaking brothers Joel and Ethan Coen actually won Oscars for directing, producing and writing the adapted screenplay for the 2007 dram “No Country for Old Men.”]

Casey, from almost the first major showing of “Manchester by the Sea,” you were predicted to win this award, and I’m sure that that whole ride has been kind of crazy. But how has it changed your expectation for what you can do as an artist? How has it fed your future thoughts for where you’re going?

Affleck: It’s only just reinforced the idea that I had going into it which was if you want to have a good performance or do good work, really, then you’d better work with good directors and good material because, let’s face it, that’s really what a good performance is, 90 percent of it. And this man is the best.

We really enjoyed that brotherly moment between you and Ben, the great hug. What did he say to you before you took the stage or did he give you any advice before coming into this evening?

Affleck: No, he didn’t. He didn’t actually say anything. He just hugged me. A lot of people have been giving me some grief for not thanking him in the past, but in a friendly way. He may have said, “Have fun” or something. It was really insightful, it was. “Be yourself.”

You know, what is there really to say? I’ve learned a lot from him because he’s been through a lot in this business and ups and downs and been under‑appreciated. I don’t know, and then it’s been proven how great he is. It’s been an advantage to be able to watch someone you love and you know so well go try to navigate the very tricky, rocky, sometimes hateful waters of being famous. And so I have learned a lot from him. But in that moment, I don’t think he said anything at all.

Mahershala Ali backstage at the 2017 Academy Awards

February 27, 2017

by Carla Hay

The 89th Annual Academy Awards took place on February, 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

MAHERSHALA ALI

Oscar win:

Best Supporting Actor

(“Moonlight”)

Here is what this Oscar winner said backstage in the Academy Awards press room.

Mahershala Ali at the 2017 Academy Awards in Los Angeles
Mahershala Ali at the 2017 Academy Awards in Los Angeles. (Photo by Mike Baker/©A.M.P.A.S.)

BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW

You are one of the few Muslim actors to win an Oscar. This says a lot at this particular time in our history. Could you speak to that, please? 

Well, regardless of one’s theology or however you see life or relate to worshipping God, as an artist my job is the same, and it’s to tell the truth, and try to connect with these characters and these people as honestly and as deeply as possible. And so one’s spiritual practice, I don’t necessarily feel like it’s as relevant unless it gives you a way into having more empathy for these people that you have to advocate for. I’m proud to own that. I embrace that. But, again, I’m just an artist who feels blessed to have had the opportunities that I have had and try to do the most with every opportunity that’s come my way.

The material in “Moonlight” is so personal to Tarell Alvin McCraney and Barry Jenkins, who both wrote the script. How much pressure did you feel to get it right?

I think I always want to walk away from any project feeling like the writer, director was pleased with what I had to offer. And considering the personal nature of this project, I think that … there was a need that felt a little heightened to me to get it truthful where they could walk away and feel like I really contributed to their film and didn’t screw it up considering that, you know, I was playing someone who had an extraordinary impact on Tarell’s life, and I’m actually glad I didn’t know ‘til later more the details of that, of Blue or Juan’s contribution to Tarell’s life, but it did. It added a layer of pressure.

First off, what went through your head when you read the script to begin with because it was such a beautiful film?  And what can you say about the Best Picture announcement mistake and kind of what went through your head hearing “La La Land” and then hearing “Moonlight” won after all?

Well, I sincerely say that when I read the script … Look, I don’t get to read everything, because there’s things that I’m just not remotely right for. Ryan Gosling and I read different scripts. It’s just what it is, right? As far as the scripts that I’ve read in my 17 years of doing it professionally, “Moonlight” was the best thing that has ever come across my desk.

And that character for the time that he was on the page really spoke to my heart, and I felt like I could hear him, I could sort of envision his presence. I had a real sense of who that person was, enough to start the journey. And I really wanted to be a part of that project, and I’m just so fortunate that Idris [Elba] and David Oyelowo left me a job.  You know, very, very kind of them.

So yeah, and then the second part of your question, “La La Land” has done so well and it’s resonated with so many people, especially in this time when people need a sense of buoyancy in their life and need some hope and light. So that film has really impacted people … in a very different way than “Moonlight.” And so when their name was read, I wasn’t surprised.  And I am really happy for them. It’s a group of some extraordinary people in front of the camera and behind the camera. So I was really happy for them.

And then when I did see security or people coming out on stage and their moment was being disrupted in some way, I got really worried. And then when they said Jordan Horowitz said, “”Moonlight,’ you guys have won,” it just threw me a bit because it threw me more than a bit, but, I didn’t want to go up there and take anything from somebody, and it’s very hard to feel joy in a moment like that. So, but I feel very fortunate … for all of us to have walked away with the Best Picture award. It’s pretty remarkable.

You used to be on “House of Cards.” What you think your fictional former “House f Cards” boss, Frank Underwood, would have to say about your win tonight and about the way the whole thing ended this evening?

“Bah humbug.” No. Kevin [Spacey], he’s been really supportive.  I think it’s a film that he really loved, and he’s told me. “House of Cards” is the reason I’m here. I’ve been working to that point 12 years, very steady employment for the most part, and then was finally able to be on something that really resonated with people in a way that honestly was a real shift in the culture. “House of Cards” was the first binge‑watched show that was ever binge watched, and so to be a part of that and that being something that feels really authentic for our culture and a real option in how we view and absorb and embrace content, that was that show. And so that’s the reason I’ve been able to put certain things together and even have this moment because of the four years I spent on “House of Cards.”

You seem to have very eclectic taste when it comes to picking your roles. Are you working on a project that you could share with us?

Well, there’s a project called “Alita: Battle Angel: that Robert Rodriguez is directing and James Cameron did in Austin. And I’m really excited about that. I actually play two parts in that film. That was a blast, and I literally wrapped that maybe two weeks ago. But then after that, I’m going to start something in a couple of months, and just honestly excited to read scripts and to have meetings and hopefully work with some more extraordinarily talented people like Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney, and this wonderful cast and crew of “Moonlight” and “Hidden Figures.” So I just feel very, very blessed to have had this award season and this experience.

What would you like to tell your newborn daughter right now in this world, that fatherly advice?

Just pray to be guided to your excellence. That’s it.

And winning an Oscar, that’s a journey that many actors want to be on, and it is a dream, and when they reach that dream, what’s next? So what is next for you?  And also, who are some of your role models that you have idolized?

So as far as what’s next, I think I’m going to try this way. I’m going to just look for material that I am inspired by and that I respond to and just try to do my best work, you know, and keep it about the work, working with great directors and writers and other extraordinary talented actors, because you want to be around people who are better than you and who can lift you up where you have raise your game. And I want to be inspired and just improve and do work that makes me uncomfortable, that scares me because anytime you get into the unknown, you get into that fearful space, that’s when you’re in new territory and you have the greatest opportunity to grow and improve as a talent or as an actor, an artist, and as a human being.

It’s very difficult to separate them for me, you know? So that’s how I would like to approach moving forward. And I think you asked me about who inspired me? Well, look, you know, we could talk about it till I’m some version of blue in the face, but the diversity topic, it’s very real in that when I was growing up—I’m 43 years old; I was born in 1974—and there weren’t a lot of [African-American] people on TV and films. When Billy Dee Williams was in “Star Wars,” like that was a big deal in my house and in my family, and it was somebody who was in the story that I could kind of attach to and say, Oh, wow, we’re present as well.

But for me, that person has always been Denzel Washington because, one, he’s just so damn talented. But, then, two, to see someone who comes from your tribe, so to speak, play at the level of all the other great ones and do it so well and be able to articulate his voice and his talent in a way that was on par with the very best, and he looks like you, too. You know what I mean, in that like, “Wow, there’s somebody who could be an uncle of mine.” Like, those are things that play in your mind as you move forward.

And also what I love about Denzel is not that he’s a great black actor, he’s a great actor. I’ve never looked at myself as a black actor. I’m an actor who happens to be African American, but I just want an opportunity to respond to material and bring whatever I bring to it in some unique fashion, and that’s it. But basically short story long, Denzel.

Viola Davis backstage at the 2017 Academy Awards

February 27, 2017

by Carla Hay

The 89th Annual Academy Awards took place on February, 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

VIOLA DAVIS

Oscar win:

Best Supporting Actress

(“Fences”)

Here is what this Oscar winner said backstage in the Academy Awards press room.

Viola Davis at the 2017 Academy Awards in Los Angeles.
Viola Davis at the 2017 Academy Awards in Los Angeles. (Photo by Mike Baker/©A.M.P.A.S.)

BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW

You talked about how much your parents have supported you. Is there anything that they said to you when you were growing up that you kept with you and that you pass onto others?

That they loved me.  And my mom always said, “I knew the difference between an accountant and an actor,” but she was always okay with it. You know, someone told me years ago, they said, “You have the best parents.”  I said, “I do?” And they said, “Yeah, because they’re okay with just letting you fly. They’re not stage parents.” And I think that’s the biggest gift my parents gave to me is to kind of allow me to live my own life.  They weren’t living their dreams through me.

How did playing your “Fences” character Rose challenge you?

Everything about Rose challenged me. Rose just kind of seemingly just being sometimes at peace with being in the background was hard to play. Rose getting to a place of forgiveness was hard to play. That last scene when I did 114 performances on stage, I didn’t understand the last speech when she said, “I gave up my life to make him bigger.”  I didn’t get that.

But what Rose has taught me is a lot of what my mom has taught me: That my mom has lived a really hard life, but she still has an abundance of love. That’s the thing about life.  You go through it, and terrible things happen to you, beautiful things happen to you, and then you try to just stand up every day, but that’s not the point. The point is feeling all those things but still connecting to people, still being able to love people. And that was the best thing about playing Rose because I’m not there yet. Even at 51, sometimes I just kind of live in my anger.

What would your TV alter ego Annalise Keating from “How to Get Away With Murder” say about your Oscar win?

Oh, she would most definitely say, “I deserve this.” And then she would have some vodka. And in that, we are very similar.

Viola, what are you feeling right now?  What is going through your head right now?  What is your experience?

It’s easier to ask the alter ego.  I feel good. You know, it’s not my style to just kind of wake up and go, “Oh, I’m an Oscar winner. Oh, my gosh, let me go for a run.” You know. I’m good with it. I’ll have some mac and cheese, and I’ll go back to washing my daughter’s hair tomorrow night. But this is the first time in my life that I’ve stepped back—and I’m going to try not to cry now. All of a sudden. Be cheesy. And I can’t believe my life.

My sister is here somewhere, and I grew up in poverty. I grew up in apartments that were condemned and rat‑infested, and I just always sort of wanted to be somebody. And I just wanted to be good at something. And so this is sort of like the miracle of God, of dreaming big and just hoping that it sticks and it lands, and it did. Who knew? So I’m overwhelmed. Yeah.

What moment was it during those “Fences” performances on stage when you started back in 2010 that you and Denzel said, “Maybe we should make a film out of this. Maybe we could do that.”?

There was no moment, one moment on the stage. It’s the whole, every moment on the stage. The thing that I love about August Wilson is that he let’s people of color speak, and a lot of times I’m offered narratives where people will say a whole lot of things are happening in this scene, but it’s just not on the page.

There’s no words. There’s no journey. There’s no full realization of who we are. There’s no boldness. There’s no taking risks for being anything different.  I love every moment of this film is about the beauty of just living and breathing and being human. And not didactic, not being a walking social message. They do that with us a lot, as people of color.

Audiences love us when we represent something. I just want to represent me, living, breathing, failing, getting up in the morning, dying, forgiveness. August was the inspiration. You know, and Denzel decided he was going to do the movie from the moment he was given the script. He just said, “Let me do the play first.” So that’s it.

What do you love about being a black woman?

Everything. I love my history. I love the fact I can go back and look at so many different stories of women that have gone before me who seemingly should not have survived, and they did. And I love my skin. I love my voice. I love my history. Sometimes I don’t love being the spokesperson all the time, but so be it. That’s the way that goes, right?  But at 51, I’m sort of loving me.

What makes a great story?

What makes a great story?  What makes a great story most definitely is fully realized characters, great writing, definitely, where a character is introduced to you from the very beginning and they go on a journey that’s unexpected, and then they arrive someplace completely different from where they started. What makes a great story is the element of surprise. And what makes a great story absolutely is if it has a central event that helps people connect to a part of themselves.

And in that, “Fences” had it all. Because that’s what it’s about, right? You want to connect. I mean, sometimes you want to eat the buttered popcorn and the Milk Duds and the Sour Patch Kids. I do that a lot too, and Diet Coke. But more often, you want to be shifted in some way in your thinking in your feeling about who you are in the world,.  That would be a great story.

The Time backstage at the 2017 Grammy Awards

February 12, 2017

by Carla Hay

The 59th Annual Grammy Awards took place on February 12, 2017, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

THE TIME

Here is what this Grammy performer said backstage in the Grammy Awards press room.

The Time lead singer Morris Day at the 2017 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.
The Time lead singer Morris Day at the 2017 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. (Photo by Monty Brinton/CBS)

BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW

How did it feel to do the Grammy tribute to Prince?

Morris Day: It was double-edged for me. I kind of hate the reason why we’re here, but I think it’s fitting that we are here. And I’m glad to be here. It was fitting.

How important was Prince’s legacy is to music?

Day: He was one of the best ever. His legacy will go on forever. He was just one of the best musicians who ever lived.

What was your relationship with Prince toward the end of his life?

Day: It wasn’t like when we were kids and saw each other all the time. When we saw each other, it was all love. We had the opportunity to go to Minneapolis and do a show for him about two months before he passed away, so it was cool.

What did you think of Bruno Mars’ tribute to Prince?

Day: He ripped it up. He did it perfectly. I don’t think there’s another artist who could have pulled it off as perfectly with us as Bruno did.

Jimmy Jam: But we still kicked his ass!

Would The Time consider being the opening act on Bruno Mars’ tour this year?

Day: Well, if he calls us and presents the right dollar amount, we’ll consider it.

Tom Hiddleston 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.

TOM HIDDLESTON

Golden Globe win:

Best Actor in a Mini-Series or Television Film

(“The Night Manager”)

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

Tom Hiddleston at the 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 8, 2017.
Tom Hiddleston 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

You filmed “The Night Manager” and “Thor: Ragnarok” in Australia. Do you pinch yourself knowing that you have these very different acting roles?

I do. I feel very lucky. When I became an actor, I wanted to move between genres and characters and never repeat myself or play the same thing twice. I have played Loki four times, but the idea that I’m allowed to play both Jonathan Pine and Loki and my character in “Kong: Skull Island,” which I was also in Australia for is truly everything I’ve always wished for is an actor, so I feel immensely fortunate.

How were you challenged in your “Night Manager” role? Did you feel you were challenged differently from your past roles?

Certainly. If you read the novel by John le Carré, it’s such a rich resource. And quite apart from being a master storyteller of espionage thrillers, John le Carré is it is a very curious student of British identity. And I think through Jonathan Pine, he’s trying to get underneath the skin of what it means to be English, how Englishness changes when were abroad, how it changes when we fight for our country, because Jonathan Pine is a former soldier, and also how it manifests in the character of Richard Roper who is an arms dealer to whom people are very drawn because Richard Roper is attractive and charismatic in and you like him, but he is deeply cynical. And I think that le Carré’s anger is that a man like Roper is an inheritor of the freedoms of British democracy but has chosen to the worst things imaginable.

With Pine, the challenge is he’s a spy. And spies dissemble and conceal and they have to be believable as they lie. And the nature of acting is always exploring identity but Pine is four different people he has to be believable in all his different guises. And that was fascinating for me to play different people with different names were different passports. So very different very new and very exciting.

At the beginning of the series, Pine is a night manager. How did “The Night Manager” director Susanne Bier talk to you about that character when we meet him at first?

Susanne and I talked a lot about uniform. Pine is a former soldier in our adaptation of the second Iraq War in 2003. And he has for reasons, perhaps known only to himself, hidden behind another uniform. He’s someone who feels comfortable behind the anonymity of service he was in military service now he’s in hotel service immensely capable, practical and resourceful.

And I think in the first episode he commits he put his heart on the line and he’s broken-hearted. And that is the thing that challenges him to do something to come out behind the uniform and stand up for something more. And I had a fascinating time. I did a night as a night manager at the Rosewood Hotel in London. And it’s all theater.

Staying in hotels since then has been a different experience because everything is immaculately managed to make the guests feel welcome. Of course, if you’re doing it well, they don’t see the work, which is very like acting. But yeah that we talked about service and putting other people before yourself because that’s what the uniform demands.

You’re so good at playing the bad guy now. When you read the script do you ever feel bad? How is it to be the bad guy?

I haven’t played the bad guy for a while. I just finished “Thor Ragnarok” in which I’m Loki again, but mercifully the bad boy pants who passed on to Cate Blanchett this time around who’s playing the goddess of death, which is significantly more bad than the god of mischief, I think in the bad-boy stakes. I do think about what the film is transmitting about people and about character and recently I’ve played people who might be construed as protagonist, as opposed to antagonists.

But with Loki, specifically, who’s the most out-and-out villain I’ve played, it always try to see to be compassionate to his point of view, and that’s how I think you get an honest performance. But I understand that at the end of Avengers he has to get Hulk-Smashed, and he has to go down.

There is a photo of you and Carrie Fisher at the White House Correspondents Dinner. How did you feel when she passed away?

Carrie Fisher was such a fighter, and I spent one evening with her in Washington last summer at the White House Correspondents Dinner as a guest of The Guardian newspaper. And she had this indomitable spirit that was bigger than the occasion. She was such a force for life and I think if we could take anything a lesson from there it’s just it’s to live as fully as we can, to embrace our weaknesses and that very act makes them become strengths.

And she was so funny. She insisted that when we were there she was looking after her dog Gary, and I was looking after Gary’s rubber duck which was a rubber duck of Princess Leia. So I felt in the presence of the outgoing president of the United States, it was only appropriate that they have a Princess Leia rubber duck in train because of Carrie’s contribution.

 

2017 Academy Awards: Red Carpet Photos

Check out what these celebrities were wearing on the red carpet and who some of them brought as their dates.

 

 

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