Review: ‘Trolls Band Together,’ starring the voices of Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Eric André, Kid Cudi, Daveed Diggs, Andrew Rannells, Amy Schumer, Troye Sivan and Kenan Thompson

November 4, 2023

by Carla Hay

John Dory (voiced by Eric André), Poppy (voiced by Anna Kendrick) and Branch (voiced by Justin Timberlake) in “Trolls Band Together” (Image courtesy of DreamWorks Animation)

“Trolls Band Together”

Directed by Walt Dohrn; co-directed by Tim Heitz

Culture Representation: This animated film sequel, whch is the third film in the “Trolls” movie seires, has a racially diverse cast (white, African American and Latino) voicing characters based on troll dolls.

Culture Clash: A troll doll named Branch has his secret past exposed as a short-lived boy band member with his brothers, who must all reunite to save one of the brothers, who has been kidnapped by fraternal twin pop stars.

Culture Audience: “Trolls Band Together” will appeal mainly to people who are fans of the “Trolls” movie series, the movie’s cast members, and pop songs from the 1970s to 2000s.

Pictured clockwise, from upper left: Spruce (voiced by Daveed Diggs), Bitty B, also known as Baby Branch (voiced by Alan Kim), Floyd (voiced by Troye Sivan), Clay (voiced by Kid Cudi) and John Dory (voiced by Eric André) in “Trolls Band Together” (Image courtesy of DreamWorks Animation) 

Although not as good as the first two “Trolls” movies, “Trolls Band Together” has its charms with high-energy entertainment and appealing characters. The movie’s biggest flaw: The story is overstuffed with subplots and stunt-casting cameos. There’s nothing award-worthy about “Trolls Band Together,” but it’s the type of animated movie that delivers what it’s supposed to deliver to its intended audience. “Trolls Band Together” (which is the third movie in the “Trolls” series) seems much more geared to children under the age of 8, compared to the first two “Trolls” movies.

Directed by Walter Dohrn and co-directed by Tim Heitz, “Trolls Band Together” is a sequel in the movie series that began with 2016’s “Trolls” and continued with 2020’s “Trolls World Tour.” The movies are based on Good Luck Trolls (toy figurines) created by Thomas Dam. The returning characters in “Trolls Band Together” include Queen Poppy (voiced by Anna Kendrick) and her boyfriend Branch (voiced by Justin Timberlake), who go on a mission to reunite Branch with his brothers, who were all in a boy band together. They have to reunite in order to rescue one of the brothers, who has been kidnapped by villainous fraternal twin pop stars. Elizabeth Tippet wrote the “Trolls Band Together” screenplay.

The movie begins with a flashback from about 20 years earlier, to show the boy band BroZone, consisting of five brothers: the leader John Dory (voiced by Eric André), heartthrob Spruce (voiced by Daveed Diggs), the “fun” one Clay (voiced by Kid Cudi), the sensitive one Floyd (voiced by Troye Sivan), and the “baby” Bitty B, which was Branch’s stage name as the youngest member of the group. During a performance where Bitty B/Baby Branch (voiced by Iris Dohrn) made his stage debut with BroZone, the five group members form a pyramid with their bodies, with Bitty B at the top of this pyramid.

Unfortunately, Bitty B loses his balance, the pyramid collapses, and it causes a domino effect of various mishaps on stage that lead to the concert being cancelled. The brothers are so angry about this embarrassing incident, they argue backstage and decide to break up immediately. Bitty B/Baby Branch gets much of the blame for the fiasco that happened on stage.

The brothers go their separate ways and lose contact with each other. Branch feels so guilty about what happened, he doesn’t tell people in his current life about his brothers and about his past as a short-lived member of BroZone. However, Branch’s past catches up to him when John Dory makes a surprise appearance at the wedding of King Gristle (voiced by Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and Bridget (voiced by Zooey Deschanel), who is Poppy’s best friend. Branch is also a guest at the wedding. This is how Poppy finds out about Branch’s brothers and their BroZone past.

John Dory tells Branch that their brother Floyd has been kidnapped by twin pop stars Velvet (voiced by Amy Schumer) and Veneer (voiced by Andrew Rannells), who are jealous that Floyd has talent, but the twins do not. Velvet and Veneer secretly lip synch their songs. Of the twins, Velvet is the one with the nastier personality. She frequently bullies Veneer and their personal assistant Crimp (voiced by Zosia Mamet).

John Dory found out where Floyd is being held captive and was able to talk to Floyd, who is being held in a diamond cage. Floyd tells John Dory that the cage can only be broken by the sound of perfect family harmony. And you know what that means: A mission to get the band (namely, BroZone) back together.

The rest of “Trolls Band Together” is the expected mix of musical scenes (with pop songs from the 1970s to 2000s), new characters being introduced, and more secrets being revealed. “Trolls Band Together” is also an obvious promotional vehicle for the reunion of *NYSNC, the boy band that made Timberlake famous. The *NSYNC reunion song “Better Place” (co-written by Timberlake, Shellback and Amy Allen) is heard in two different versions near the end of the movie. Other original songs in “Trolls Band Together” are “Family,” “Perfect” and “It Takes Two,” all co-written by Timberlake, Mike Elizondo, Michael Pollack and Emily Warren.

Making return appearances are Guy Diamond (voiced by Kunal Nayyar) and his son Tiny Diamond (voiced by Kenan Thompson), two glittery and talkative Trolls. Tiny ends up being the automobile driver for the mission to reunite BroZone. A princess character named Viva (voiced by Camila Cabello) has a surprise connection to one of the main characters. It’s a subplot that really didn’t need to be in the movie and just distracts from the main story.

“Trolls Band Together” is packed with celebrity voice actors, but at least half of them have screen time that’s less than five minutes each. To its detriment, “Trolls Band Together” went a little too overboard with this stunt casting. One of these cameo appearances is RuPaul Charles as Miss Maxine, the sassy officiator at the wedding of King Gristle and Bridget. The other members of *NSYNC have voice roles as their Troll alter egos who appear briefly toward the end of the film: JC Chasez is Hype, Joey Fatone is Ablaze, Lance Bass is Boom and Chris Kirkpatrick is Trickee.

“Trolls Band Together” isn’t great, but it isn’t horrible either. The visuals are attractive but not groundbreaking. The movie’s main saving grace is the talent of the voice cast members (Kendrick continues to be a standout), who make parts of the movie engaging by sheer personality when these parts of the movie could be just average if less talented voice actors had these roles. As long as viewers don’t have high expectations for “Trolls Band Together,” the movie can be enjoyed for being a crowd-pleasing animated film.

Universal Pictures/DreamWorks Animation will release “Trolls Band Together” in U.S. cinemas on November 17, 2023. A sneak preview of the movie was shown in select U.S. cinemas on November 4, 2023.

2022 People’s Choice Awards: ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,’ Taylor Swift are the top winners

December 6, 2022

Xochitl Gomez, Benedict Wong and Benedict Cumberbatch in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” (Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios)

Taylor Swift (Photo courtesy of ABC/Image Group LA)

The following is a press release from E! and NBC:

[Editor’s note: With three awards each, Marvel Studios’ “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” and Taylor Swift won the most prizes. The awards for “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” included The Movie of 2022, while Swift’s prizes included The Female Artist of 2022. Swift and the stars from “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” did not attend the ceremony.]

The people have spoken, and tonight NBC and E! celebrated the best in movies, television, music and pop culture chosen solely by the fans during the 2022 “People’s Choice Awards.” The show was hosted by comedian Kenan Thompson and aired on NBC and E! on Tuesday, December 6 from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California.

This year, NBC and E! honored award-winning actor, producer, screenwriter and entrepreneur Ryan Reynolds with the People’s Icon Award; Emmy and Grammy award-winning performer Lizzo with the People’s Champion Award; and five-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Shania Twain with the Music Icon Award.

The show included dynamic performances from Shania Twain, who performed a medley of her greatest hits and new single “Waking Up Dreaming,” as well as New Artist of 2022 nominee Lauren Spencer Smith, who performed her song “Fingers Crossed.” 

Awards presenters included Amy Poehler, Ana Gasteyer, Billy Porter, Colin Hanks, David Spade, Dwyane Wade, George Lopez, Heidi Klum, Laverne Cox, Lil Rel Howery, Mayan Lopez, McKenna Grace, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Niecy Nash-Betts, Nikki Glaser, Sarah Hyland, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and The Miz & Maryse.

The following is a complete list of winners and nominations for the 2022 People’s Choice Awards:

*=winner

THE MOVIE OF 2022
Bullet Train
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness*
Elvis
Jurassic World Dominion
Nope
The Batman
Thor: Love and Thunder
Top Gun: Maverick

THE COMEDY MOVIE OF 2022
Fire Island
Hustle
Hocus Pocus 2
Marry Me
Senior Year
The Adam Project*
The Lost City
Ticket To Paradise

THE ACTION MOVIE OF 2022
Black Adam
Bullet Train
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Jurassic World Dominion
The Batman
The Woman King
Thor: Love and Thunder
Top Gun: Maverick*

THE DRAMA MOVIE OF 2022
Nope
Death on the Nile
Don’t Worry Darling*
Elvis
Halloween Ends
Luckiest Girl Alive
Scream
Where the Crawdads Sing

THE MALE MOVIE STAR OF 2022
Brad Pitt, Bullet Train
Chris Hemsworth, Thor: Love and Thunder*
Chris Pratt, Jurassic World Dominion
Daniel Kaluuya, Nope
Dwayne Johnson, Black Adam
Miles Teller, Top Gun: Maverick
Ryan Reynolds, The Adam Project
Tom Cruise, Top Gun: Maverick

THE FEMALE MOVIE STAR OF 2022
Elizabeth Olsen, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness*
Gal Gadot, Death on the Nile
Jennifer Garner, The Adam Project
Jennifer Lopez, Marry Me
Joey King, Bullet Train
Keke Palmer, Nope
Queen Latifah, Hustle
Viola Davis, The Woman King

THE DRAMA MOVIE STAR OF 2022
Austin Butler, Elvis*
Daniel Kaluuya, Nope
Florence Pugh, Don’t Worry Darling
Gal Gadot, Death on the Nile
Harry Styles, Don’t Worry Darling
Jamie Lee Curtis, Halloween Ends
Keke Palmer, Nope
Mila Kunis, Luckiest Girl Alive

THE COMEDY MOVIE STAR OF 2022
Adam Sandler, Hustle*
Channing Tatum, The Lost City
Jennifer Garner, The Adam Project
Jennifer Lopez, Marry Me
Julia Roberts, Ticket To Paradise
Queen Latifah, Hustle
Ryan Reynolds, The Adam Project
Sandra Bullock, The Lost City

THE ACTION MOVIE STAR OF 2022
Chris Hemsworth, Thor: Love and Thunder
Chris Pratt, Jurassic World Dominion
Dwayne Johnson, Black Adam
Elizabeth Olsen, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness*
Joey King, Bullet Train
Tom Cruise, Top Gun: Maverick
Viola Davis, The Woman King
Zöe Kravitz, The Batman

THE SHOW OF 2022
Abbott Elementary
Better Call Saul
Grey’s Anatomy
House of the Dragon
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Saturday Night Live
Stranger Things*
This Is Us

THE DRAMA SHOW OF 2022
Better Call Saul
Cobra Kai
Euphoria
Grey’s Anatomy*
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Ozark
The Walking Dead
This Is Us

THE COMEDY SHOW OF 2022
Abbott Elementary
Black-ish
Only Murders in the Building
Never Have I Ever*
Saturday Night Live
The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window
Young Rock
Young Sheldon

THE REALITY SHOW OF 2022
90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days
Below Deck Sailing Yacht
Jersey Shore: Family Vacation
Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta
The Kardashians*
The Real Housewives of Atlanta
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
Selling Sunset

THE COMPETITION SHOW OF 2022
America’s Got Talent
American Idol
Dancing with the Stars
RuPaul’s Drag Race
The Bachelorette
The Masked Singer
Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls
The Voice*

THE MALE TV STAR OF 2022
Dwayne Johnson, Young Rock
Ewan McGregor, Obi-Wan Kenobi
Ice-T, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Jason Bateman, Ozark
Noah Schnapp, Stranger Things*
Norman Reedus, The Walking Dead
Oscar Isaac, Moon Knight
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us

THE FEMALE TV STAR OF 2022
Millie Bobby Brown, Stranger Things
Ellen Pompeo, Grey’s Anatomy*
Kristen Bell, The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the
Window
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Never Have I Ever
Mandy Moore, This Is Us
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Selena Gomez, Only Murders in the Building

THE DRAMA TV STAR OF 2022
Ellen Pompeo, Grey’s Anatomy
Jason Bateman, Ozark
Mandy Moore, This Is Us
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit*
Norman Reedus, The Walking Dead
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Sydney Sweeney, Euphoria
Zendaya, Euphoria

THE COMEDY TV STAR OF 2022
Bowen Yang, Saturday Night Live
Dwayne Johnson, Young Rock
Kenan Thompson, Saturday Night Live
Kristen Bell, The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the
Window
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Never Have I Ever
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Selena Gomez, Only Murders in the Building*
Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-Ish

THE DAYTIME TALK SHOW OF 2022
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Good Morning America
Live With Kelly and Ryan
The Drew Barrymore Show
The Jennifer Hudson Show
The Kelly Clarkson Show*
The View
Today With Hoda and Jenna

THE NIGHTTIME TALK SHOW OF 2022
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
Late Night With Seth Meyers
The Daily Show With Trevor Noah
The Late Late Show With James Corden
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon*
Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen

THE COMPETITION CONTESTANT OF 2022
Charli D’Amelio, Dancing With the Stars
Chris Constantino/Bosco, RuPaul’s Drag Race
Gabby Windey, The Bachelorette
Mayyas, America’s Got Talent
Noah Thompson, American Idol
Selma Blair, Dancing With the Stars*
Teyana Taylor, The Masked Singer
Willow Patterson/Willow Pill, RuPaul’s Drag Race

THE REALITY TV STAR OF 2022
Chrishell Stause, Selling Sunset
Garcelle Beauvais, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
Kandi Burruss, The Real Housewives of Atlanta
Kenya Moore, The Real Housewives of Atlanta
Khloé Kardashian, The Kardashians*
Kim Kardashian, The Kardashians
Kyle Richards, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, Jersey Shore: Family Vacation

THE BINGEWORTHY SHOW OF 2022
Bridgerton
Bel-Air
Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story*
Inventing Anna
Severance
The Bear
The Boys
The Thing About Pam

THE SCI-FI/FANTASY SHOW OF 2022
House of The Dragon
La Brea
Moon Knight
Obi-Wan Kenobi
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
Stranger Things*
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
The Umbrella Academy

THE MALE ARTIST OF 2022
Bad Bunny
Charlie Puth
Drake
Harry Styles*
Jack Harlow
Kendrick Lamar
Luke Combs
The Weeknd

THE FEMALE ARTIST OF 2022
Beyoncé
Camila Cabello
Doja Cat
Lady Gaga
Lizzo
Megan Thee Stallion
Nicki Minaj
Taylor Swift*

THE GROUP OF 2022
BTS*
5 Seconds of Summer
BLACKPINK
Coldplay
Imagine Dragons
Måneskin
OneRepublic
Panic! At The Disco

THE SONG OF 2022
“About Damn Time,” Lizzo*
“As It Was,” Harry Styles
“Break My Soul,” Beyoncé
“First Class,” Jack Harlow
“Hold My Hand,” Lady Gaga
“Me Porto Bonito,” Bad Bunny & Chencho Corleone
“Super Freaky Girl,” Nicki Minaj
“Wait For U,” Future Featuring Drake & Tems

THE ALBUM OF 2022
Dawn FM, The Weeknd
Growin’ Up, Luke Combs
Harry’s House, Harry Styles
Midnights, Taylor Swift*
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar
Renaissance, Beyoncé
Special, Lizzo
Un Verano Sin Ti, Bad Bunny

THE COUNTRY ARTIST OF 2022
Carrie Underwood*
Kane Brown
Kelsea Ballerini
Luke Combs
Maren Morris
Miranda Lambert
Morgan Wallen
Thomas Rhett

THE LATIN ARTIST OF 2022
Anitta
Bad Bunny
Becky G*
Shakira
Karol G
Rauw Alejandro
Rosalía
Sebastián Yatra

THE NEW ARTIST OF 2022
Chlöe
Dove Cameron
GAYLE
Latto*
Lauren Spencer-Smith
Muni Long
Saucy Santana
Steve Lacy

THE MUSIC VIDEO OF 2022
“Anti-Hero,” Taylor Swift*
“As It Was,” Harry Styles
“Left And Right” Charlie Puth featuring Jung Kook
“Let Somebody Go,” Coldplay X Selena Gomez
“Oh My God,” Adele
“Pink Venom,” BLACKPINK
“PROVENZA,” KAROL G
“Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment),” BTS

THE COLLABORATION SONG OF 2022
“Left And Right,” Charlie Puth Featuring Jung Kook*
“Bam Bam,” Camila Cabello Featuring Ed Sheeran
“Do We Have A Problem?” Nicki Minaj X Lil Baby
“Freaky Deaky,” Tyga X Doja Cat
“Hold Me Closer,” Elton John & Britney Spears
“Jimmy Cooks,” Drake Featuring 21 Savage
“Party,” Bad Bunny & Rauw Alejandro
“Sweetest Pie,” Megan Thee Stallion & Dua Lipa

THE CONCERT TOUR OF 2022
BTS PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE*
Bad Bunny: World’s Hottest Tour
Billie Eilish: Happier Than Ever, The World Tour
Dua Lipa Future Nostalgia Tour
Ed Sheeran Tour
Harry Styles Love On Tour
LADY GAGA: The Chromatica Ball
Luke Combs: The Middle of Somewhere Tour

THE SOCIAL CELEBRITY OF 2022
Bad Bunny
Charlie Puth
Doja Cat
Lil Nas X
Lizzo
Reese Witherspoon
Selena Gomez*
Snoop Dogg 

THE SOCIAL STAR OF 2022

Addison Rae
Bella Poarch
Brent Rivera
Charli D’Amelio
Jay Shetty
Khaby Lame
Mikayla Jane Nogueira
MrBeast*
Noah Beck

THE COMEDY ACT OF 2022
Amy Schumer: Whore Tour
Chris Rock Ego Death World Tour 2022
David Spade: Nothing Personal 
Jo Koy: Live from the LA Forum
Kevin Hart: Reality Check*
Steve Martin & Martin Short You Won’t Believe What They Look Like Today
Wanda Sykes – Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration
Whitney Cummings – Jokes

THE GAME CHANGER OF 2022
Chloe Kim
LeBron James
Megan Rapinoe
Nathan Chen
Rafael Nadal
Russell Wilson
Serena Williams*
Steph Curry

THE POP PODCAST OF 2022
Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain
Archetypes*
Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard
Call Her Daddy
Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend
Not Skinny But Not Fat
SmartLess
Why Won’t You Date Me? With Nicole Byer

2022 TheGrio Awards: Inaugural event honorees include Dave Chappelle, Jennifer Hudson, Queen Latifah, Tyler Perry, Patti LaBelle, Kenan Thompson

November 21, 2022

The following is a press release from CBS:

African American-focused news, lifestyle, sports and entertainment platform theGrio (www.thegrio.com) recently celebrated icons, leaders and legends at Byron Allen’s inaugural TheGrio Awards, a star-studded, black-tie event held at the Beverly Hilton. Co-hosted by Sheryl Underwood of “The Talk” and Taye Diggs, “Byron Allen Presents TheGrio Awards” will be broadcast Saturday, November 26, 2022 (8:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network and available to stream live on Paramount +*.

“Byron Allen Presents TheGrio Awards” celebrates excellence in film, music, comedy, television, sports, philanthropy, business, fashion, social justice, environmental justice and education, and the cultural icons and innovators whose many contributions positively impact America. The special pays tribute to and amplifies the history makers, change agents and artists who define and influence our world.

Honorees include Dave Chappelle (Cultural Icon Award), Ben Crump (Justice Icon Award), Allyson Felix (Sports Icon Award), Jennifer Hudson (Trailblazer Icon Award), Patti LaBelle (Music Icon Award), Queen Latifah (Television Icon Award), Norman Lear (Champion Award), Alena Analeigh McQuarter (Young Icon Award), Don Peebles (Business Icon Award), Tyler Perry (ICON Award), Robert F. Smith (Philanthropy Award) and Kenan Thompson (Comedy Icon Award). Also, the special features musical performances by Yolanda Adams, Tyrese, Fantasia and Patti LaBelle. Greg Phillinganes serves as musical director, and DJ Kiss acts as both D.J. and announcer for the awards special.

“I created theGrio Awards to celebrate and amplify African-American excellence and the incredible champions from other communities who truly support us,” said Byron Allen, founder/chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group. “As a child, strong, positive African-American icons such as Berry Gordy, Jr., Rosa Parks, Muhammad Ali and Martin Luther King, Jr. helped me see myself differently and changed the trajectory of my life. Celebrating and amplifying iconic individuals is something we can never do enough of, especially for our children.”

“TheGrio Awards” is co-produced by Allen Media Group and Backhand Productions. Byron Allen, Carolyn Folks, Jennifer Lucas, Jeff Atlas and Michelle Willrich are executive producers.

*Paramount+ Premium subscribers will have access to stream live via the live feed of their local CBS affiliate.

About Allen Media Group

Chairman and CEO Byron Allen founded Allen Media Group/Entertainment Studios in 1993. Headquartered in Los Angeles, it has offices in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and Charleston, SC. Allen Media Group owns 27 ABC-NBC-CBS-FOX network affiliate broadcast television stations in 21 U.S. markets and twelve 24-hour HD television networks serving nearly 220 million subscribers: THE WEATHER CHANNEL, THE WEATHER CHANNEL EN ESPAÑOL, PETS.TV, COMEDY.TV, RECIPE.TV, CARS.TV, ES.TV, MYDESTINATION.TV, JUSTICE CENTRAL.TV, THEGRIO, THIS TV, and PATTRN. Allen Media Group also owns the streaming platforms HBCU GO, SPORTS.TV, THEGRIO, THE WEATHER CHANNEL STREAMING APP and LOCAL NOW–the free-streaming AVOD service powered by THE WEATHER CHANNEL and content partners, which delivers real-time, hyper-local news, weather, traffic, sports, and lifestyle information. Allen Media Group also produces, distributes, and sells advertising for 68 television programs, making it one of the largest independent producers/distributors of first-run syndicated television programming for broadcast television stations. With a library of over 5,000 hours of owned content across multiple genres, Allen Media Group provides video content to broadcast television stations, cable television networks, mobile devices, and multimedia digital. Our mission is to provide excellent programming to our viewers, online users, and Fortune 500 advertising partners. Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures is a full-service, theatrical motion picture distribution company specializing in wide release commercial content. ESMP released 2017’s highest-grossing independent movie, the shark thriller 47 METERS DOWN, which grossed over $44.3 million. In 2018, ESMP also released the critically acclaimed and commercially successful Western HOSTILES, the historic mystery-thriller CHAPPAQUIDDICK and the sequel to 47 METERS DOWN, 47 METERS DOWN: UNCAGED. The digital distribution unit of Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures, Freestyle Digital Media, is a premiere multi-platform distributor with direct partnerships across all major cable, digital and streaming platforms. Capitalizing on a robust infrastructure, proven track record and a veteran sales team, Freestyle Digital Media is a true home for independent films. In 2016, Allen Media Group purchased The Grio, a highly rated digital video-centric news community platform devoted to providing African Americans with compelling stories and perspectives currently underrepresented in existing national news outlets. The Grio features aggregated and original video packages, news articles and opinion pieces on topics that include breaking news, politics, health, business and entertainment. Originally launched in 2009, the platform was then purchased by NBC News in 2010. The digital platform remains focused on curating exciting digital content and currently has more than 100 million annual visitors.

About Backhand Productions

Jeff Atlas founded Backhand Productions with a contract to produce 14 hours of live TV content for the Democratic National Connvention. From there, Backhand went on to produce a series of diverse, high-quality productions for ABC, NBC, FOX, TNT, Nickelodeon, MTV, and more. Notable projects include Kevin Hart’s theatrical blockbuster, Laugh at My Pain, the launch of YouTube Space LA, and the National Urban League’s National Annual Conference and NAACP Image Awards. His virtual event credits include The Gracie Awards, the 2016 and 2020 Democratic National Conventions, and the go90s live stream of the Outside Lands Music Festival in San Francisco. In addition, he co-created, and executive produced the limited series Blood Ivory for Animal Planet, which focuses on the non-profit group of American veterans (VETPAW) and their first mission to Tanzania to support the elephant anti-poaching effort. More recent projects include the Biden Inaugural in 2021, the NBA All-Star Game, and project launches for Instagram and Facebook. Backhand is represented by Robyn Lattaker-Johnson at A3 Artists Agency and Kerry Smith of Smith Entertainment Legal Group.

2022 People’s Choice Awards: Harry Styles is the top nominee

October 26, 2022

Harry Styles (Photo by Francis Specker/CBS)

The following is a press release from E! and NBC:

[Editor’s note: Harry Styles is the top nominee, with six nominations. A complete list of nominations is at the end of the article.]

Today, NBC and E! announced the host and commencement of voting for the 2022 “People’s Choice Awards,” celebrating all forms of entertainment, chosen entirely by the people. Actor, comedian and “People’s Choice Awards” nominee Kenan Thompson will return to host the annual ceremony for the second consecutive year. Voting is now open and fans worldwide can vote for their favorite nominee in each of the 40 categories representing movies, television, music and pop culture. The 2022 “People’s Choice Awards” will air simultaneously on NBC and E! on Tuesday, December 6 at 9:00pm ET/PT from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, CA. “Live from E!: The 2022 People’s Choice Awards” will kick off the night with a red carpet special at 7:00pm ET/PT on E!.  

“I’m beyond excited to host the People’s Choice Awards again this year and celebrate the incredible talent and fans that this show unites,” says Kenan Thompson. “I’m so grateful to be nominated – shoutout to the fans and congrats to all the nominees. Get ready for round two!!”

“Last year, Kenan brought an irreplaceable energy to the ‘People’s Choice Awards.’ His enthusiasm and passion for pop culture and the fans was palpable and translated in the room and on-screen,” said Cassandra Tryon, SVP, Entertainment Live Events, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “We can’t wait to welcome Kenan back and see what he has up his sleeve for this year’s show.”

This year, Thompson is nominated in the comedy TV Star category for “Saturday Night Live.” Thompson is an award-winning actor, comedian and producer best known for his work on “SNL” where he is currently in his 20th season as the longest-running cast member. A six-time Emmy Award nominee, Thompson has received four nominations for his acting work and won the Emmy for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics in 2018 for the “SNL” song “Come Back, Barack.” For two seasons, Thompson executive produced and starred as the title character in the NBC comedy series “Kenan.” Thompson hosted the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2022 and was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

“People’s Choice Awards” and “Live from E!: The 2022 People’s Choice Awards” are both produced by Den of Thieves with Executive Producers Jesse Ignjatovic, Evan Prager and Barb Bialkowski. 

Voting for the 2022 “People’s Choice Awards” runs today through Wednesday, November 9 at 11:59pm ET. Fans can either vote online at www.votepca.com or on Twitter. Additionally, votes cast on Turbo Tuesday, November 1 will count twice, equaling up to a maximum of 50 votes per day, per category, per voting method.  

Voting Methods

Online – www.votepca.com    

Twitter – Fans can send a public tweet or retweet and include one category hashtag and one corresponding nominee hashtag. 

*Votes will be aggregated and counted through our third-party vendor Telescope. 

See the full list of all 40 categories and nominees online at: https://www.eonline.com/news/1351289/2022-peoples-choice-awards-complete-list-of-nominees

Complete rules can be found at: https://votepca.com/rules 

Complete list of category and nominee hashtags can be found at: https://votepca.com/faqs 

Kenan Thompson is represented by UTA, Michael Goldman, and Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein Lezcano Bobb & Dang.

The following is a complete list of nominations for the 2022 People’s Choice Awards:

THE MOVIE OF 2022
Bullet Train
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Elvis
Jurassic World Dominion
Nope
The Batman
Thor: Love and Thunder
Top Gun: Maverick

THE COMEDY MOVIE OF 2022
Fire Island
Hustle
Hocus Pocus 2
Marry Me
Senior Year
The Adam Project
The Lost City
Ticket To Paradise

THE ACTION MOVIE OF 2022
Black Adam
Bullet Train
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Jurassic World Dominion
The Batman
The Woman King
Thor: Love and Thunder
Top Gun: Maverick

THE DRAMA MOVIE OF 2022
Nope
Death on the Nile
Don’t Worry Darling
Elvis
Halloween Ends
Luckiest Girl Alive
Scream
Where the Crawdads Sing

THE MALE MOVIE STAR OF 2022
Brad Pitt, Bullet Train
Chris Hemsworth, Thor: Love and Thunder
Chris Pratt, Jurassic World Dominion
Daniel Kaluuya, Nope
Dwayne Johnson, Black Adam
Miles Teller, Top Gun: Maverick
Ryan Reynolds, The Adam Project
Tom Cruise, Top Gun: Maverick

THE FEMALE MOVIE STAR OF 2022
Elizabeth Olsen, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Gal Gadot, Death on the Nile
Jennifer Garner, The Adam Project
Jennifer Lopez, Marry Me
Joey King, Bullet Train
Keke Palmer, Nope
Queen Latifah, Hustle
Viola Davis, The Woman King

THE DRAMA MOVIE STAR OF 2022
Austin Butler, Elvis
Daniel Kaluuya, Nope
Florence Pugh, Don’t Worry Darling
Gal Gadot, Death on the Nile
Harry Styles, Don’t Worry Darling
Jamie Lee Curtis, Halloween Ends
Keke Palmer, Nope
Mila Kunis, Luckiest Girl Alive

THE COMEDY MOVIE STAR OF 2022
Adam Sandler, Hustle
Channing Tatum, The Lost City
Jennifer Garner, The Adam Project
Jennifer Lopez, Marry Me
Julia Roberts, Ticket To Paradise
Queen Latifah, Hustle
Ryan Reynolds, The Adam Project
Sandra Bullock, The Lost City

THE ACTION MOVIE STAR OF 2022
Chris Hemsworth, Thor: Love and Thunder
Chris Pratt, Jurassic World Dominion
Dwayne Johnson, Black Adam
Elizabeth Olsen, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Joey King, Bullet Train
Tom Cruise, Top Gun: Maverick
Viola Davis, The Woman King
Zöe Kravitz, The Batman

THE SHOW OF 2022
Abbott Elementary
Better Call Saul
Grey’s Anatomy
House of the Dragon
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Saturday Night Live
Stranger Things
This Is Us

THE DRAMA SHOW OF 2022
Better Call Saul
Cobra Kai
Euphoria
Grey’s Anatomy
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Ozark
The Walking Dead
This Is Us

THE COMEDY SHOW OF 2022
Abbott Elementary
Black-ish
Only Murders in the Building
Never Have I Ever
Saturday Night Live
The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window
Young Rock
Young Sheldon

THE REALITY SHOW OF 2022
90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days
Below Deck Sailing Yacht
Jersey Shore: Family Vacation
Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta
The Kardashians
The Real Housewives of Atlanta
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
Selling Sunset

THE COMPETITION SHOW OF 2022
America’s Got Talent
American Idol
Dancing with the Stars
RuPaul’s Drag Race
The Bachelorette
The Masked Singer
Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls
The Voice

THE MALE TV STAR OF 2022
Dwayne Johnson, Young Rock
Ewan McGregor, Obi-Wan Kenobi
Ice-T, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Jason Bateman, Ozark
Noah Schnapp, Stranger Things
Norman Reedus, The Walking Dead
Oscar Isaac, Moon Knight
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us

THE FEMALE TV STAR OF 2022
Millie Bobby Brown, Stranger Things
Ellen Pompeo, Grey’s Anatomy
Kristen Bell, The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the
Window
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Never Have I Ever
Mandy Moore, This Is Us
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Selena Gomez, Only Murders in the Building

THE DRAMA TV STAR OF 2022
Ellen Pompeo, Grey’s Anatomy
Jason Bateman, Ozark
Mandy Moore, This Is Us
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Norman Reedus, The Walking Dead
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Sydney Sweeney, Euphoria
Zendaya, Euphoria

THE COMEDY TV STAR OF 2022
Bowen Yang, Saturday Night Live
Dwayne Johnson, Young Rock
Kenan Thompson, Saturday Night Live
Kristen Bell, The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the
Window
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Never Have I Ever
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Selena Gomez, Only Murders in the Building
Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-Ish

THE DAYTIME TALK SHOW OF 2022
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Good Morning America
Live With Kelly and Ryan
The Drew Barrymore Show
The Jennifer Hudson Show
The Kelly Clarkson Show
The View
Today With Hoda and Jenna

THE NIGHTTIME TALK SHOW OF 2022
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
Late Night With Seth Meyers
The Daily Show With Trevor Noah
The Late Late Show With James Corden
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen

THE COMPETITION CONTESTANT OF 2022
Charli D’Amelio, Dancing With the Stars
Chris Constantino/Bosco, RuPaul’s Drag Race
Gabby Windey, The Bachelorette
Mayyas, America’s Got Talent
Noah Thompson, American Idol
Selma Blair, Dancing With the Stars
Teyana Taylor, The Masked Singer
Willow Patterson/Willow Pill, RuPaul’s Drag Race

THE REALITY TV STAR OF 2022
Chrishell Stause, Selling Sunset
Garcelle Beauvais, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
Kandi Burruss, The Real Housewives of Atlanta
Kenya Moore, The Real Housewives of Atlanta
Khloé Kardashian, The Kardashians
Kim Kardashian, The Kardashians
Kyle Richards, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, Jersey Shore: Family Vacation

THE BINGEWORTHY SHOW OF 2022
Bridgerton
Bel-Air
Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
Inventing Anna
Severance
The Bear
The Boys
The Thing About Pam

THE SCI-FI/FANTASY SHOW OF 2022
House of The Dragon
La Brea
Moon Knight
Obi-Wan Kenobi
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
Stranger Things
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
The Umbrella Academy

THE MALE ARTIST OF 2022
Bad Bunny
Charlie Puth
Drake
Harry Styles
Jack Harlow
Kendrick Lamar
Luke Combs
The Weeknd

THE FEMALE ARTIST OF 2022
Beyoncé
Camila Cabello
Doja Cat
Lady Gaga
Lizzo
Megan Thee Stallion
Nicki Minaj
Taylor Swift

THE GROUP OF 2022
BTS
5 Seconds of Summer
BLACKPINK
Coldplay
Imagine Dragons
Måneskin
OneRepublic
Panic! At The Disco

THE SONG OF 2022
“About Damn Time,” Lizzo
“As It Was,” Harry Styles
“Break My Soul,” Beyoncé
“First Class,” Jack Harlow
“Hold My Hand,” Lady Gaga
“Me Porto Bonito,” Bad Bunny & Chencho Corleone
“Super Freaky Girl,” Nicki Minaj
“Wait For U,” Future Featuring Drake & Tems

THE ALBUM OF 2022
Dawn FM, The Weeknd
Growin’ Up, Luke Combs
Harry’s House, Harry Styles
Midnights, Taylor Swift
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar
Renaissance, Beyoncé
Special, Lizzo
Un Verano Sin Ti, Bad Bunny

THE COUNTRY ARTIST OF 2022
Carrie Underwood
Kane Brown
Kelsea Ballerini
Luke Combs
Maren Morris
Miranda Lambert
Morgan Wallen
Thomas Rhett

THE LATIN ARTIST OF 2022
Anitta
Bad Bunny
Becky G
Shakira
Karol G
Rauw Alejandro
Rosalía
Sebastián Yatra

THE NEW ARTIST OF 2022
Chlöe
Dove Cameron
GAYLE
Latto
Lauren Spencer-Smith
Muni Long
Saucy Santana
Steve Lacy

THE MUSIC VIDEO OF 2022
“Anti-Hero,” Taylor Swift
“As It Was,” Harry Styles
“Left And Right” (feat. Jung Kook of BTS), Charlie Puth
“Let Somebody Go,” Coldplay X Selena Gomez
“Oh My God,” Adele
“Pink Venom,” BLACKPINK
“PROVENZA,” KAROL G
“Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment),” BTS

THE COLLABORATION SONG OF 2022
“Left And Right,” Charlie Puth Featuring Jung Kook
“Bam Bam,” Camila Cabello Featuring Ed Sheeran
“Do We Have A Problem?” Nicki Minaj X Lil Baby
“Freaky Deaky,” Tyga X Doja Cat
“Hold Me Closer,” Elton John & Britney Spears
“Jimmy Cooks,” Drake Featuring 21 Savage
“Party,” Bad Bunny & Rauw Alejandro
“Sweetest Pie,” Megan Thee Stallion & Dua Lipa

THE CONCERT TOUR OF 2022
BTS PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE
Bad Bunny: World’s Hottest Tour
Billie Eilish: Happier Than Ever, The World Tour
Dua Lipa Future Nostalgia Tour
Ed Sheeran Tour
Harry Styles Love On Tour
LADY GAGA: The Chromatica Ball
Luke Combs: The Middle of Somewhere Tour

THE SOCIAL CELEBRITY OF 2022
Bad Bunny
Charlie Puth
Doja Cat
Lil Nas X
Lizzo
Reese Witherspoon
Selena Gomez
Snoop Dogg 

THE SOCIAL STAR OF 2022

Addison Rae
Bella Poarch
Brent Rivera
Charli D’Amelio
Jay Shetty
Khaby Lame
Mikayla Jane Nogueira
MrBeast
Noah Beck

THE COMEDY ACT OF 2022
Amy Schumer: Whore Tour
Chris Rock Ego Death World Tour 2022
David Spade: Nothing Personal 
Jo Koy: Live from the LA Forum
Kevin Hart: Reality Check
Steve Martin & Martin Short You Won’t Believe What They Look Like Today
Wanda Sykes – Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration
Whitney Cummings – Jokes

THE GAME CHANGER OF 2022
Chloe Kim
LeBron James
Megan Rapinoe
Nathan Chen
Rafael Nadal
Russell Wilson
Serena Williams
Steph Curry

THE POP PODCAST OF 2022
Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain
Archetypes
Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard
Call Her Daddy
Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend
Not Skinny But Not Fat
SmartLess
Why Won’t You Date Me? With Nicole Byer

2022 Primetime Emmy Awards: ‘The White Lotus,’ ‘Ted Lasso,’ ‘Succession’ are the top winners

September 12, 2022

by Carla Hay

“The White Lotus” team members Sydney Sweeney, Natasha Rothwell, Mike White, Connie Britton, Jennifer Coolidge and Alexandra Daddario at the 74th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on September 12, 2022. (Photo by Evans Vestal Ward/NBC)

With five prizes, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, HBO’s anthology series “The White Lotus” was the top winner at the 74th annual Primetime Emmy Awards, which were presented at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on September 12, 2022. Following close behind in Emmy wins were Apple TV+’s comedy series “Ted Lasso” (four Emmys, including Outstanding Comedy Series) and HBO’s “Succession,” which won three Emmys, including Outstanding Drama Series. Kenan Thompson hosted the ceremony, which NBC televised live in the United States. Peacock livestreamed the ceremony. The show is presented by the Television Academy, which votes for the nominees and the winners.

In addition to winning Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, “The White Lotus” creator/executive producer Mike White got Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series Or Movie and Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. Two co-stars of “The White Lotus” also won Emmy Awards: Murray Bartlett (Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie) and Jennifer Coolidge (Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie). White, Bartlett and Coolidge are all first-time Emmy winners.

Other first-time Emmy winners at this ceremony included Sheryl Lee Ralph of ABC’s “Abbott Elementary” (Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series); Quinta Brunson of “Abbott Elementary” (Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series); Matthew McFadyen of “Succession” (Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series); Amanda Seyfried of Hulu’s “The Dropout” (Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie); Michael Keaton of Hulu’s “Dopesick” (Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie); Lee Jung-jae of Netflix’s “Squid Game” (Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series); Lizzo of Prime Video’s Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls” (Outstanding Competition Program); and Jerrod Carmichael of HBO’s “Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel” (Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special).

Some of the repeat Emmy category winners included Zendaya of HBO’s “Euphoria” (Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series) and Julia Garner of Netflix’s “Ozark” (Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series), who each won in 2020. Those who repeated their Emmy wins from 2021 included Jean Smart of HBO Max’s “Hacks” (Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series); John Oliver of HBO’s “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” (Outstanding Variety Talk Series); and “Ted Lasso” stars Jason Sudeikis (Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series) and Brett Goldstein (Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series).

The Governors Award (a non-competitive category) went to the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media “in recognition of their efforts to promote gender balance and foster inclusion throughout the entertainment industry,” according to a press release from the Television Academy. The institute’s founder Geena Davis and president/CEO Madeline Di Nonno accepted the award.

Presenters at the show included Oprah Winfrey, Mariska Hargitay, Christopher Meloni, Angela Bassett, Ariana DeBose, Rosario Dawson, Diego Luna, Natalie Zea, Mindy Kaling, B. J. Novak, Emmy host Thompson, Bowen Yang, Lee Jung-jae, Jung Ho-yeon, Kerry Washington, Gael García Bernal, Sarah Paulson, Shonda Rhimes, Sofia Vergara, “Hacks” Emmy winner Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Selma Blair, Martin Short, Steve Martin, Selena Gomez, Pete Davidson, Juliette Lewis, RuPaul Charles, Ayo Edebiri, Jeremy Allen White, Taron Egerton, Paul Walter Hauser, Molly Shannon, Vanessa Bayer, Amy Poehler, Seth Meyers, Regina Hall, Markella Kavenagh, Ismaël Cruz Córdova, Kelly Clarkson and Will Arnett. John Legend performed during the In Memoriam segment. Sam Jay was the on-air announcer, and Zedd was the event DJ.

Done+Dusted and Hudlin Entertainment produced the ceremony. Ian Stewart, Reginald Hudlin, Byron Phillips and Jane Mun were exevcutive producers. Done + Dusted’s Hamish Hamilton was the show’s director. 

Here is the complete list of nominees and winners for the 2022 Primetime Emmy Awards:

*=winner

Outstanding Drama Series

  • “Better Call Saul” (AMC)   
  • “Euphoria” (HBO)   
  • “Ozark” (Netflix)   
  • “Severance” (Apple TV+)   
  • “Squid Game” (Netflix)   
  • “Stranger Things” (Netflix)   
  • “Succession” (HBO)*   
  • “Yellowjackets” (Showtime)  

Outstanding Comedy Series

  • “Abbott Elementary” (ABC)   
  • “Barry” (HBO)
  • “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (HBO)   
  • “Hacks” (HBO)   
  • “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Prime Video)
  • “Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu)
  • “Ted Lasso” (Apple TV+)*
  • “What We Do in the Shadows” (FX)   

Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series

  • “Dopesick” (Hulu)   
  • “The Dropout” (Hulu)   
  • “Inventing Anna” (Netflix)   
  • “Pam and Tommy” (Hulu)   
  • “The White Lotus” (HBO)*

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

  • Jason Bateman (“Ozark”)  
  • Brian Cox (“Succession”)  
  • Lee Jung-jae (“Squid Game”)*   
  • Bob Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”)  
  • Adam Scott (“Severance”)  
  • Jeremy Strong (“Succession”)  

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

  • Jodie Comer (“Killing Eve”)   
  • Laura Linney (“Ozark”)  
  • Melanie Lynskey (“Yellowjackets”)  
  • Sandra Oh (“Killing Eve”)  
  • Reese Witherspoon (“The Morning Show”)   
  • Zendaya (“Euphoria”)*

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

  • Donald Glover (“Atlanta”)   
  • Bill Hader (“Barry”)  
  • Nicholas Hoult (“The Great”)
  • Steve Martin (“Only Murders in the Building”)   
  • Martin Short (“Only Murders in the Building”)  
  • Jason Sudeikis (“Ted Lasso”)*

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

  • Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)  
  • Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”)  
  • Kaley Cuoco (“The Flight Attendant”)  
  • Elle Fanning (“The Great”)  
  • Issa Rae (“Insecure”)  
  • Jean Smart (“Hacks”)*  

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

  • Colin Firth (“The Staircase”)  
  • Andrew Garfield (“Under the Banner of Heaven”)  
  • Oscar Isaac (“Scenes From a Marriage”)  
  • Michael Keaton (“Dopesick”)*
  • Himesh Patel (“Station Eleven”)  
  • Sebastian Stan (“Pam and Tommy”)   

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

  • Toni Collette (“The Staircase”)  
  • Julia Garner (“Inventing Anna”)  
  • Lily James (“Pam and Tommy”)  
  • Sarah Paulson (“Impeachment: American Crime Story”)
  • Margaret Qualley (“Maid”)  
  • Amanda Seyfried (“The Dropout”)*

Outstanding Variety Talk Series

  • “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” (Comedy Central)  
  • “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (ABC)  
  • “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” (HBO)* 
  • “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (NBC)  
  • “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (CBS)  

Outstanding Competition Program

  • “The Amazing Race” (CBS)  
  • “Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls” (Prime Video)*  
  • “Nailed It!” (Netflix)  
  • “RuPaul’s Drag Race” (VH1)  
  • “Top Chef” (Bravo)  
  • “The Voice” (NBC)  

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

  • Patricia Arquette (“Severance”)
  • Julia Garner (“Ozark”)*
  • Jung Ho-yeon (“Squid Game”)
  • Christina Ricci (“Yellowjackets”)
  • Rhea Seehorn (“Better Call Saul”)
  • J. Smith-Cameron (“Succession”)
  • Sarah Snook (“Succession”)
  • Sydney Sweeney (“Euphoria”)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

  • Nicholas Braun (“Succession”)
  • Billy Crudup (“The Morning Show”)
  • Kieran Culkin (“Succession”)
  • Park Hae-soo (“Squid Game”)
  • Matthew Macfadyen (“Succession”)*
  • John Turturro (“Severance”)
  • Christopher Walken (“Severance”)
  • Oh Yeong-su (“Squid Game”)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

  • Alex Borstein (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)
  • Hannah Einbinder (“Hacks”)
  • Janelle James (“Abbott Elementary”)
  • Kate McKinnon (“Saturday Night Live”)
  • Sarah Niles (“Ted Lasso”)
  • Sheryl Lee Ralph (“Abbott Elementary”)*
  • Juno Temple (“Ted Lasso”)
  • Hannah Waddingham (“Ted Lasso”)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

  • Anthony Carrigan (“Barry”)
  • Brett Goldstein (“Ted Lasso”)*
  • Toheeb Jimoh (“Ted Lasso”)
  • Nick Mohammed (“Ted Lasso”)
  • Tony Shalhoub (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)
  • Tyler James Williams (“Abbott Elementary”)
  • Henry Winkler (“Barry”)
  • Bowen Yang (“Saturday Night Live”)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

  • Connie Britton (“The White Lotus”)
  • Jennifer Coolidge (“The White Lotus”)*
  • Alexandra Daddario (“The White Lotus”)
  • Kaitlyn Dever (“Dopesick”)
  • Natasha Rothwell (“The White Lotus”)
  • Sydney Sweeney (“The White Lotus”)
  • Mare Winningham (“Dopesick”)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Movie

  • Murray Bartlett (“The White Lotus”)*
  • Jake Lacy (“The White Lotus”)
  • Will Poulter (“Dopesick”)
  • Seth Rogen (“Pam & Tommy”)
  • Peter Sarsgaard (“Dopesick”)
  • Michael Stuhlbarg (“Dopesick”)
  • Steve Zahn (“The White Lotus”)

Outstanding Variety Sketch Series

  • “A Black Lady Sketch Show” (HBO)
  • “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)*

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series

  • “Atlanta” (FX), directed by Hiro Murai
  • “Barry” (HBO) directed by Bill Hader
  • “Hacks” (HBO Max), directed by Lucia Aniello
  • “The Ms. Pat Show” (BET+), directed by Mary Lou Belli
  • “Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu), directed by Cherien Dabis
  • “Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu), directed by Jamie Babbit
  • “Ted Lasso” (Apple TV+), directed by MJ Delaney*

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series

  • “Ozark” (Netflix), directed by Jason Bateman
  • “Severance” (Apple TV+), directed by Ben Stiller
  • “Squid Game” (Netflix), directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk*
  • “Succession” (HBO), directed by Mark Mylod
  • “Succession” (HBO), directed by Cathy Yan
  • “Succession” (HBO), directed by Lorene Scafaria
  • “Yellowjackets” (Showtime), directed by Karyn Kusama

Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

  • “Dopesick” (Hulu), directed by Danny Strong
  • “The Dropout” (Hulu), directed by Michael Showalter
  • “The Dropout” (Hulu), directed by Francesca Gregorini
  • “Maid” (Netflix), directed by John Wells
  • “Station Eleven” (HBO Max), directed by Hiro Murai
  • “The White Lotus” (HBO Max), directed by Mike White*

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series

  • “Abbott Elementary” (ABC), written by Quinta Brunson*
  • “Barry (HBO), written by Duffy Boudreau
  • “Barry (HBO), written by Alec Berg and Bill Hader
  • “Hacks” (HBO Max), written by Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky
  • “Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu) written by Steve Martin and John Hoffman
  • “Ted Lasso” (Apple TV+), written by Jane Becker
  • “What We Do in the Shadows” (FX), written by Sarah Naftalis
  • “What We Do in the Shadows” (FX), written by Stefani Robinson

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series

  • “Better Call Saul” (AMC), written by Thomas Schnauz
  • “Ozark” (Netflix), written by Chris Mundy
  • “Severance” (Apple TV+), written by Dan Erickson
  • “Squid Game” (Netflix), written by Hwang Dong-hyuk
  • “Succession” (HBO), written by Jesse Armstrong*
  • “Yellowjackets” (Showtime) written by Jonathan Lisco, Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson
  • “Yellowjackets” (Showtime) written by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson

Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series or Anthology Series or Movie

  • “Dopesick” (Hulu), written by Danny Strong
  • “The Dropout” (Hulu), written by Elizabeth Meriwether
  • “Impeachment: American Crime Story” (FX), written byb Sarah Burgess
  • “Maid” (Netflix), written by Molly Smith Metzler
  • “Station Eleven” (HBO Max), written by Patrick Somerville
  • “The White Lotus” (HBO), written by Mike White*

Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special

  • “Ali Wong: Don Wong” (Netflix), written by Ali Wong
  • “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Globe – Hungary for Democracy” (Comedy Central), written by Ian Berger, Devin Delliquanti, Jennifer Flanz, Jordan Klepper, Zhubin Parang and Scott Sherman
  • “Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel” (HBO), written by Jerrod Carmichael*
  • “Nicole Byer: BBW (Big Beautiful Weirdo)” (Netflix ), written by Nicole Byer
  • “Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special” (Netflix), written by Norm Macdonald

Review: ‘Trolls World Tour,’ featuring the voices of Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Rachel Bloom, Sam Rockwell, Anderson .Paak, James Corden and Kelly Clarkson

April 12, 2020

by Carla Hay

Poppy (voiced by Anna Kendrick) and Branch (voiced by Justin Timberlake) in “Trolls World Tour” (Image courtesy of DreamWorks Animation)

“Trolls World Tour”

Directed by Walt Dohrn and David P.  Smith

Culture Representation: This animated film sequel to 2016’s “Trolls” has a racially diverse cast (white, African American, Latino and Asian) voicing characters based on troll dolls.

Culture Clash: The trolls live in different territories based on the music of their lifestyles, and the queen of the rock territory wants to take over everything.

Culture Audience: “Trolls World Tour” is a family-friendly film that will appeal mostly to kids, adults who young at heart and people who like a variety of hit songs.

Barb (voiced by Rachel Bloom) in “Trolls World Tour” (Image courtesy of DreamWorks Animation)

On Broadway, there are jukebox musicals that string together a plot in between the performance of hit songs. And now, the jukebox musical trend has reached animated films with “Trolls World Tour,” which is a showcase for some original songs but mostly retro hits from various genres of music. This sequel to 2016’s “Trolls” packs in even more stars in the voice cast than its predecessor movie. The result is an energetic and vibrant ride that is utterly predictable but should be a crowd-pleaser for its intended audience.

Even though the plot of “Trolls World Tour” is pretty simple, there are five people who are credited with writing the screenplay: Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger, Maya Forbes, Wallace Wolodarsky and Elizabeth Tippet. The large writing team for this movie is also a reflection of the huge increase in the size of the “Trolls World” voice cast, compared to the first “Trolls” movie. Walt Dohrn, who co-directed “Trolls” with Mike Mitchell, returns as a director on “Trolls World Tour,” but this time with David P. Smith as co-director. Dohrn voices several of the supporting characters in both movies.

Viewers of “Trolls World Tour” don’t need to see the first “Trolls” movie to understand what’s going on in this sequel, but it helps if more of a backstory is needed for the two central characters in both films: Princess Poppy (voiced by Anna Kendrick) and her best friend/love interest Bark (voiced by Justin Timberlake). In “Trolls,” Bark (who tends to be overly pessimistic) became a reluctant ally and then eventual best friend to Poppy (who tends to be overly optimistic) in the Trolls’ quest to defeat the sad and angry creatures known as Bergens, whose goal was to make everyone in the world as miserable as they are.

In “Trolls World Tour,” the chief villain is Princess Barb (voiced by Rachel Bloom) a rocker girl who leads the Trolls whose music of choice is hard rock/heavy metal. Ozzy Osbourne is perfectly cast for the voice of King Thrash, Barb’s father. Barb’s goal is to have rock music take over all six territories in the Troll Kingdom. Each territory represents the music that embodies the Trolls’ lifestyle in each territory.

The other five territories represent the music genres of pop, techno, country, funk and classical. In the beginning of the movie, Barb and her minions arrive in a fleet of sharks to take over the techno territory. She takes a valuable guitar string from the Techno trolls and then she and her army of rock Trolls then move on to conquer the next territory.

When news of the invasion hits the pop territory, Poppy thinks that Barb has good intentions to unite all of the Trolls. But her father King Peppy (voiced by Dohrn) reveals a secret from the Trolls’ historical past: The Trolls almost had a civil war over their different tastes in music, so the music territories were created so Trolls who liked the same genre of music could live together in harmony. Each territory was bestowed with a magical guitar string that has the power to control that territory.

Barb is on a mission to collect all six of the magical strings to put them on a guitar. Once the guitar has the six strings on it, she’ll play an “ultimate power chord” that will give her and rock music complete control over all the Troll territories. Since “Trolls World Tour” is an animated jukebox musical, Barb belts out several rock songs along the way, including Scorpions’ “Rock You Like a Hurricane,” Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” and Heart’s “Barracuda.”

“Trolls World Tour” has several jokes about clichés and criticisms that go with certain music genres. The movie pokes fun at pop for being simple, repetitive “earworm” music. Rock is parodied for attracting low-life burnouts who wear mullets or mohawks and do “devil horn” signs. Country music has a stereotype of being full of sad songs and fans who act like rednecks or country bumpkins.

Classical music is labeled as “boring.” Techno gets criticism for its artists not playing “real” instruments. And funk (whose territory is populated with African American voice actors) calls out rap and pop for over-using funk samples. The original song “It’s All Love (History of Funk)” is a clap back to all the music that lifted funk riffs to make hit songs and funk artists not being paid properly for these samples.

Not for nothing, George Clinton (co-founder of Parliament-Funkadelic, one of the most-sampled groups of all time) is cast as new Trolls character King Quincy, who rules the funk territory Vibe City with Queen Essence (voiced by Mary J. Blige). The funk royals have a son named Prince D, voiced by hip-hop star Anderson .Paak, who performs the original song “Don’t Slack” with Timberlake in the film.  And returning Trolls character Cooper (voiced by Ron Funches) from the pop territory finds out that he has a connection to the funk territory.

“Trolls World Tour” once again has Poppy convincing a reluctant and wary Branch to go with her to help stop the chief villain before it’s too late. “Trolls” characters that are also in “Trolls World Tour” are loyal Biggie (voiced by James Corden) and wisecracking Guy Diamond (voiced by Kunal Nayyar), who provide some of the comic relief in the film

But there are so many new characters in “Trolls World Tour” that the movie could feel overstuffed for people who have short attention spans and might have trouble keeping track of them all. Guy now has a son named Tiny Diamond (voiced by Kenan Thompson). Delta Dawn (voiced by Kelly Clarkson) is a sassy, big-haired redhead who is a singer and leader of the country music territory.

Also in the country music territory is Hickory (voiced by Sam Rockwell), a multitalented and brave cowboy who befriends Poppy, much to Branch’s chagrin. Branch has been trying to tell Poppy that he loves her but is afraid to do it, so he gets jealous when it looks like Hickory is winning Poppy’s admiration. Hickory is the biggest standout new character in “Trolls World Tour” since he and his “yee-haw” can-do personality get a lot of screen time.

Some other supporting characters in the movie are the bounty hunters that Barb hires to help her track down the elusive pop guitar string that Poppy has in her possession. The bounty hunters are smooth jazz musician Chaz (voiced by Jamie Dornan), a clarinet-playing Kenny G type who plays hypnotic music that gets on people’s nerves. The other bounty hunters are musical groups representing reggaeton, K-Pop and yodelers. J Balvin has a cameo as the reggaeton leader, and his song “Mi Gente” is in the movie.

There are several familiar hits that get the medley treatment in “Trolls World Tour,” including Spice Girls’ “Wannabe,” Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch’s “Good Vibrations,” Psy’s “Gangnam Style,” Baha Men’s “Who Let the Dogs Out” and LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem.” Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” has the lyrics reworked with the word “trolls” replacing the word “girls.” Dierks Bentley’s song “Leaving Lonesome Flats” (written for “Trolls World Tour”) is featured in a country music segment. And an electronic-dance music concert in the movie’s opening scene has the DJ playing Daft Punk’s “One More Time.”

“Trolls World Tour” music directors are Timberlake and Ludwig Goransson, the musician who won an Oscar and a Grammy for the “Black Panther” score, as well as Grammys for co-writing and producing Childish Gambino’s “This Is America.” Timberlake and Goransson co-wrote and produced the majority of the original songs in “Trolls World Tour,” such as the ballad “Perfect for Me,” “Don’t Slack” and “Just Sing (Trolls World Tour),” which is the movie’s obvious signature anthem. The music is very catchy, but won’t be as huge as Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop The Feeling!,” the Oscar-nominated song from the first “Trolls” movie.

In its plot about Barb the villain trying to make all the Trolls conform to the way she wants them to be, “Trolls World Tour” has a message that people can live peacefully while respecting each other’s differences. It’s a message that comes wrapped in a lot of musical numbers and action sequences, but it’s something that audiences can take to heart. And along the way, some people might learn more about music genres that they might have previously dismissed because of certain prejudices.

Universal Pictures/DreamWorks Animation released “Trolls World Tour” for rental only on digital and VOD on April 10, 2020.

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