That award is one of four Hollyshorts categories that grant the winners automatic entry into the Oscar short-film race, provided they meet the categories’ other requirements. The other Hollyshorts winners to qualify for the Oscars are Jan Saska’s “Hurikán,” which won the award as the festival’s best animated short; Andrés Ramírez Pulido’s “A Son and a Father,” which won the best live action award; and Irving Serrano and Victor Rejón’s “Voices From the Abyss,” which won the top documentary award.

Lee Knight won the best director award for “A Friend of Dorothy.”

The Hollyshorts Film Festival was established in 2005. This year, it showcased 427 films that screened in Hollywood from Aug. 7 through Aug. 16.

Here is the complete list of winners:  

Oscar qualifying categories
Grand Prize: “Trapped,” Sam Cutler-Kreutz and David Cutler-Kreutz
Best Animation: “Hurikán,” Jan Saska
Best Live Action: “A Son and a Father,” Andrés Ramírez Pulido
Best Documentary: “Voices From the Abyss,” Irving Serrano, Victor Rejón

Other categories
AAPI Award: “Mushroom Dad,” Michael Yuchen Lei
Best Cinematography: “Lo Que Desaparece,” Mario Lerma and Alex Rapariz
Best Comedy: “Susana,” Gerardo Coello Escalante and Amandine Thomas
Best Drama: “Trapped,” Sam Cutler-Kreutz – David Cutler-Kreutz
Best Director: “A Friend of Dorothy,” Lee Knight; Special Mention: “A Son and Father,” Alexander Farah
Best Editing: Say Wuff!” Fabian Podeszwa
Best Horror: “Heirlooms,” Dan Abramovici
Best International: “The Painting & the Statue,” Freddie Fox
Best Midnight Madness: “Stomach Bug,” Matty Crawford
Best Music Video: “Earth Defender,” Sil van der Woerd, Jorik Dozy and Kynan Tegar
Best Podcast: “Moonburn,” Robbie Hyne
Best Producer: “Money Talk$”: Tony Mucci (Director and Producer), Scott Aharoni (Producer), Bryan Schmier (Producer) and David Mazouz (Producer)
Best Sci-Fi: “The Second Time Around,” Jack Howard
Best Special Effects: “Em & Selma Go Griffin Hunting,” Alexander Thompson
Best Student Film: “1:10,” Sinan Taner
Best Thriller: “Plastic Surgery,” Guy Trevellyan
Best TV: “Chasers,” Erin Brown Thomas
Best Web Series: “Hasaan Hates Portland,” Mischa Webley
Kodak Best Shot on Film, 16MM: “Ragamuffin,” Kaitlyn Mikayla
Kodak Best Shot on Film, 35MM: “The Singers,” Sam Davis
Kodak Honorable Mention: “Synthesize Me,” Bear Damen
Latine Award: “Cura Sana,” Lucía G. Romero
LGBTQIA+ Award: “Dancing in Tomorrowland,” Jakob Roston
SAGindie Award: “L’avance,” Djiby Kebe
Social Impact Award: “Rise,” Jessica J. Rowlands
Best Sports Drama: “Negro League Nights,” Kyle Sykes
Best Sports Documentary:  “It’s On Like a Pot of Neckbones,” Joey Garfield

Top 10 Live Action Short Films Finalists
“A Son and a Father,” Andrés Ramírez Pulido
“Mercenaire,” Pier-Philippe Chevigny
“Ragamuffin,” Kaitlyn Mikayla
“Amarela,” André Hayato Saito
“L’avance,” Djiby Kebe
“Trapped,” Sam Cutler-Kreutz and David Cutler-Kreutz
“One Of Them,” Mostafa Vaziri
“A Friend of Dorothy,” Lee Knight
“Rise,” Jessica J. Rowlands

Script Awards
ISA Story Award – Best Feature Screenplay: “The Dope Friend,” Matt Ferrucci
Best Female Screenplay: “The Unraveling,” Samantha Mallory
Best Short Screenplay Grand Prize – “Mudslide,” Frederik Ehrhardt

The post ‘Trapped’ Wins Grand Prize at Hollyshorts Film Festival, Qualifies for Oscars appeared first on TheWrap.

When The Studio was nominated for all those Emmys, I looked at the reaction statements from all the nominees. I don’t understand why nobody thanked Sal Saperstein.
It’s really disrespectful. I was obviously let down by the lack of mention. I can only assume that they’re gonna save that for when they eventually win.

You should probably talk to them before the show.
Yeah. We’re gonna do an awards-campaign thing where I’m gonna personally visit every nominee and tell them what’s at stake if they forget to mention Sal.

Have you compared notes with your fellow acting nominees Martin Scorsese and Ron Howard?
I have not checked in with those guys yet. But I did see Marty’s reaction on Instagram and he seemed to be genuinely flattered. I just hope those guys get a break. It’s been tough for them in show business, and I think it would just be nice for Ron and Marty to have some kind of recognition in this industry at some point.

It’s kind of crazy, because The Studio got five of the six nominees in guest actor and one in guest actress, and yet I didn’t think, “Oh, wow, that’s a lot.” I thought, “Why didn’t Sarah Polley and Olivia Wilde get in too?”
Honestly, truly, yes. Like, I’m thrilled for everyone. Zoë is incredible — she gave it her all. But those two in particular, Sarah and Olivia, I thought were arguably the two best guests we had all year. So they’ll have to come back in Season 2.

Do you have a wish list for Season 2?
In terms of actors, I think Leo would be very funny. I know he doesn’t like to do a ton of stuff, but he is the biggest movie star around, still. Timmy C. would be great. Get some Chal going, Chal in the chat.

And then, you know, I do love the directors we have on. So let’s keep that train going. Would love to see Steven Spielberg on there. Would love to see the Coen brothers. Bigelow, PTA. Quentin!

Come on, QT, get on here!

You’re aiming high. But I guess when you start with Scorsese in the first episode, why not?
Literally, we have Scorsese, Charlize and Steve Buscemi in the last [scene]. So it’s like, we have to heighten, which is tough.

Making the show, it must be a kick to have this endless cycle of people coming through and doing these killer guest spots.
Oh, yeah. Season 1, because it’s a new show, sometimes you have to pull a little bit harder to persuade people, but hopefully now people will see that if you come on the show, you’re gonna have fun. You’re gonna look cool or look like you have a good sense of humor about yourself. So hopefully it’ll be even easier to get some of the folks for Season 2.

Plus they might get an Emmy nomination.
The odds are you will get an Emmy nomination, so why not? And we give you your own half-trailer. And the craft table’s great.

When you got the scripts, did you have a sense of “OK, I know who Sal is” from the start?
Yeah. I love the way that (Rogen and Goldberg) write, and I love the way in one or two lines early on, you can tell what this character is all about. The first time you meet him, he’s like, “Hey, do I smell like vodka? I was out partying with Pedro Pascal all night.”

Right away, that said to me, “You know this guy. You’ve had drinks with this guy. This guy made an inappropriate joke when he came to the set to visit.” This is a party guy who loves his job, who has maybe overstayed his welcome a little bit.

Have people in the business told you, “Oh, yeah, I know lots of Sals”?

Oh, yes. And I’ve heard from some guys who are Sals who are like, “Hey, man, that was so funny, really great character.” And I’m like, “Yeah, it’s kind of based on you a little bit.” (Laughs)

You’ve already won “Celebrity Jeopardy!“and “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” How would winning an Emmy compare in terms of satisfaction?
I mean, winning those was incredible. Being able to give that money to charity was a dream. They’re different levels of happiness, but I’m humbled and honored to even be in the conversation. Also, I could sell the Emmy and use that money for charity, so it would be like being on one of those shows.

I wonder if maybe we should start a new EGOT-style acronym for Emmy, “Jeopardy!” and “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.“
I would call it EGOG. Replace the T in Tony, which is tough. I’m not doing Broadway right now and I don’t see it happening in the foreseeable future. But, you know, Emmy, Grammy — ’cause I have my collection of spoken-word poetry that’s coming out — Oscar and then game show. So EGOG is what I’m trying to get started.

I was thinking of being more specific and doing something like JEM for “Jeopardy!,” Emmy and “Millionaire.“
Oh, that is good. So “Jeopardy!,” Emmy, “Millionaire” and then we need one more. I think these are both very viable. 

This story first appeared in the Down to the Wire: Comedy issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine. Read more from the issue here.

The post Ike Barinholtz Has a Bold Wish List for ‘The Studio’ Season 2 Cameos: Spielberg, Leo and Tarantino appeared first on TheWrap.

The film charts a cross-country trek made by Will Ferrell and his close friend Harper Steele, a former “Saturday Night Live” head writer who recently came out as a trans woman. Early in their journey, they phone their “SNL” pal Kristen Wiig and ask her to write them a theme song that’s a little folky, slightly jazzy, uptempo but not too up, sort of twangy, kind of country and will make you cry.

Their repeated but futile attempts to get back in touch with Wiig to check on her progress become a running theme throughout the movie, until the song pops up during the credits and pretty much checks all those boxes.

“The actual conversation was longer (than what you see in the film),” Wiig said. “They originally listed every type of music that you could possibly imagine. We had talked about making that version, but it would’ve been a crazy song that made everyone anxious.”

Instead, Wiig and composer/producer Sean Douglas sat down with “Will & Harper”director Josh Greenbaum to fashion the song in Douglas’ home studio.

“We started by talking about what it was going to be like, what themes, what styles we were going to use,” Wiig said. “I was extremely moved by the movie because Harper is an old friend, so it was a very emotional thing for me. And we didn’t want the song to just be a joke, but we wanted it to have some lightness, some humor.”

While he was editing the movie, Greenbaum said he struggled to find the right tone: “If I let things become too comedic, the film would not do justice to the pathos and emotion of the story. But if I stripped the film of all things comedic, I’d be incredibly disingenuous to the very funny people that Will and Harper are.”

In the studio, the songwriters reached for that same balance. “The biggest challenge was to make sure we were walking the line of celebrating the movie and the real emotional journey that they go on together, but also wanting to be funny,” Douglas said. “I was probably overly eager because Josh is so funny and Kristen’s famously funny. I was like, ‘What if we said this? What if we said that?’ And then you’re like, what are we really talking about here? You have to make sure the core of it stays true.”

Douglas started throwing out melodic ideas on the piano, and the song’s opening lines — “Harper and Will go west/Just a couple old friends and a couple brand-new breasts” — came quickly. (Douglas and Wiig are credited with writing the music, and all three with writing the lyrics.)

“We had a certain groove going and the first couple of lines, and then we were off and running,” Douglas said. “Everyone was kind of passing the ball back and forth, and we had a song by the end of the day.”

The movie and song, by the way, underwent an awards transition. “Will & Harper” received enough of a theatrical release to qualify for the Oscars last year, but not enough to lose its Emmy eligibility. Last December, the movie made the 15-film shortlist in the Oscars’ Best Documentary Feature category, and “Harper and Will Go West” did the same in the Best Original Song category.  

An Oscar nomination in either category would have stripped the film of Emmy eligibility – but because it wasn’t nominated, it lived to resurface at the Emmys several months later.

A version of this story appeared in the Down to the Wire: Comedy issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine. Read more from the issue here.

The post First Rule of Writing the Emmy-Nominated Song ‘Harper and Will Go West’: Don’t Be Too Funny appeared first on TheWrap.

He received one nomination for producing “Sly Lives! (aka the Burden of Black Genius),” an alternately exhilarating and wrenching look at the protean funk musician Sly Stone, who took his music to the heights and then was destroyed by the excess that came with success; another for serving as co-music director of “SNL50: The Homecoming Concert,” the Peacock special drawn from the 50th anniversary of “Saturday Night Live”; and the third for Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program for another “SNL” special, “Ladies and Gentlemen … 50 Years of SNL Music,” a two-hour tribute to the musical artists who have performed on the long-running late-night comedy show.

A drummer, DJ, writer, producer, professor, bandleader and filmmaker who has spent more than 30 years leading The Roots — 16 of those as the house band on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” — Thompson got into directing with the 2022 documentary “Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised),” which won him the Academy Award for Best Documentary. In its aftermath, he received lots of offers for different projects and wound up working simultaneously on “Sly Lives!” and “Ladies and Gentlemen.”

That last project opens with what might be the most invigorating seven-and-a-half minutes on TV this past Emmy season. Beginning with an array of “SNL” hosts introducing their episode’s musical guests, it turns into a wildly eclectic mashup that merges Taylor Swift and Billy Preston, Run-DMC and Hall and Oates, Rick James and Duran Duran … Lots of people might have the idea to intercut Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure” with Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby,” which samples the earlier song’s bassline; maybe only Questlove would think to throw Dave Matthews, Fine Young Cannibals and Michael Bolton (!) in there as well.   

The mashup, which probably uses close to 100 different performances (I lost count a few minutes in), is an insane history lesson with a killer backbeat, so we asked Thompson how he did it. At one point, he pulled out his phone and showed his database with scores for every “SNL” performance.

We’ll let him tell it in his own words from here.

The Beginning

“There’s this one site totally dedicated to just the introductions. ‘Ladies and gentlemen,’ and then the artist. So it’s like Patrick Stewart saying, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, Salt-n-Pepa!’  So I was like, ‘Wow, I wonder if I can start this thing off with just a super mix of a bunch of ‘Ladies and gentlemens.”’

“Having been at ‘The Tonight Show’ for 16 years, I know the game when it comes to music clearances, because of walk-on songs and all that stuff. Like, the first time I got in trouble with 30 Rock (NBC) was because I didn’t clear the one-note sting from ‘Law & Order: SVU.’ It literally is a registered song.”

“I already knew that I had my dream version of what I’d like to do, but there’s no way in hell that’s gonna happen. So I did the safest version, almost the flattest version of that. It was just like, let me just go through time. Let me grab Gil Scott-Heron, and I’ll grab something from ’79 and something from ’80, and maybe I’ll just move every five years.”

“But John MacDonald, my editor, we’re like twins. We grew up sort of in that Bomb Squad, Public Enemy mode. And there’s a duo from Australia called The Avalanches. They did a record called ‘Since I Left You’ with 4,000 samples from TV, movie music … I had interviewed them on my podcast and they told me that they cleared everything. They had three or four music clearers.”

“I was like, ‘How did you get away with it? How did you explain it? How did you get to past the red tape of ‘You used my song, I want $19,000?’ They said they explained to people that it was like an art project – and once people saw it as an art project, and not just like someone’s stealing my music to make their No. 1 rap song, then all of a sudden it was like, ‘Yeah, that’s kind of cool. I wanna be a part of this.’”

“After that, John convinced me to do this for real. He’s like, ‘Man, let’s just do it first, and make it so great that they’re bound to clear it.’ And I was like, ‘All right, let’s do this.’”

The Process

“The way that we structured it, I joke that this is my ‘CSI’ crime board, with pictures and pieces of yarn connecting them and all that stuff. I went through every song ever performed on the show, be it in a sketch or a musical performance. And for every song, I took a note on my phone and gave it a score. If it was a perfect performance, it got 5. It were notable, I gave it 4. All the fast songs, all the slow songs, all the different genres.”

“I went through about three to seven episodes a day for an entire year. And then, because I think like a DJ, I would think, ‘This song’s 112 BPMs and it’s E flat minor, but the bridge is in G and that way we can connect to the next song.’”

“It’s how I construct a DJ gig. And then when we had a good five minutes, I was like, ‘Wait. Before we do any more, I don’t want them to be like, ‘This is impossible to clear.’ Let me show them first.’ So I played it for NBC and their jaws dropped. I said, ‘Guys, what do you think? Is this gonna be a clearance nightmare?’ And they were like, ‘It absolutely is gonna be a clearance nightmare. But just do it as you see fit.’”

“But I was talking about doing a 14-minute thing, and they said, ‘14 minutes is a lot, so try to whittle this down to seven minutes.’ I was like, ‘Seven?!’ In my mind, it should be 16 minutes. But let’s not bore people. Seven minutes is fine.”

The Clearance Nightmare

“So we did a good seven minutes, and they were like, ‘Well, good news and bad news.’ ‘Just gimme the bad news.’ ‘Well, 24 songs did not clear.’”

“And I was like, ‘Show me the songs.’ They showed me the list, and I said, ‘Oh, I have this guy’s number, I have this number … Dude, gimme a month.’”

“For a few people, I had to physically fly out and show them. They were like, ‘Wait, you flew all the way out for this?‘”

“I physically showed them the thing and put it in context. I was like, ‘Dude, this is history. This thing’s gonna be here forever long after we’re gone, and I don’t think anyone’s doing this again.’ They were like, ‘Yeah, you’re right.’”

The One That Got Away

“That’s how we were able to clear everything, with the exception of Pavarotti. There’s a brilliant moment where Pavarotti is doing something with Mary J. Blige. The only thing I couldn’t get. And if I had access to the estate to just say, ‘Look, it’s just two seconds…’”

The Happy Place

“I was doing this on the weekends at the same time that I was doing the Sly Stone movie, so all week I was taking in that pain and that darkness. After three months of that, I couldn’t wait for Thursday and Friday and Saturday so I could work on ‘SNL’ and just do something fun. For me, it was my happy place. I needed it to get away from the pain.”

The post How Questlove Put Together the Insane Montage That Opened His ‘Saturday Night Live’ Music Documentary appeared first on TheWrap.

The TIFF Docs program will include 16 world premieres, beginning with “The Eyes of Ghana,” directed by Proudfoot, who has won Oscars for his short docs “The Queen of Basketball” and “The Last Repair Shop.” The film is executive produced by Barack and Michelle Obama. Other world premieres include “Love+War” from Vasarhelyi and Chin, who won the doc-feature Oscar for 2019’s “Free Solo”; “Nuns vs. the Vatican,” an examination of new abuse allegations inside the Catholic Church that was directed by Lorena Luciano and executive produced by Mariska Hargitay; “Canceled: The Paula Deen Story,” directed by Billy Corben; and “Whistle,” a Christopher Nelius film about a whistling competition.

“Cover-Up,” a film about investigative reporter Seymour Hersh from Oscar-winning director Poitras and from Mark Obenhaus, will have its Canadian premiere at TIFF after premiering at the Venice International Film Festival and likely screening at the Telluride Film Festival.

According to TIFF Docs programmer Thom Powers, the films were chosen from more than 1,000 submissions, a record for the festival. Powers told TheWrap that this year’s lineup was particularly strong on sales titles that are represented by top agencies, with the films looking for distribution including “Cover-Up,” “Whistle,” “Canceled,” John Dower’s “The Balloonists,” Nicole Bazuin’s “Modern Whore” and Tasha Van Zandt’s “A Life Illuminated.”

Films that will be coming to TIFF after playing other festivals include Gianfranco Rosi’s “Below the Clouds,” Lucrecia Martel’s “Nuestra Tierra” and Tamara Kotevska’s “The Tale of Silyan,” all of which will play Venice. Docs that premiered in Cannes and are coming to Toronto include Raoul Peck’s “Orwell: 2+2=5” and Sepideh Farsi’s “Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk,” whose protagonist, Palestinian photojournalist Fatma Hassona, was killed in Gaza shortly after the film premiered in May.

Previously, the festival announced that a number of other nonfiction films would play in different sections of TIFF, among them Colin Hanks’ opening-night film “John Candy: I Like Me” and Baz Luhrmann’s “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert.”

The 50th Toronto International Film Festival will begin on Sept. 4 and run through Sept. 14.

TIFF Docs

“A Life Illuminated,” Tasha Van Zandt | USA (World Premiere)
“A Simple Soldier,” Juan Camilo Cruz, Artem Ryzhykov | Ukraine (North American Premiere)
“Aki,” Darlene Naponse | Canada (World Premiere)
“Below the Clouds,” Gianfranco Rosi | Italy (International Premiere)
“Canceled: The Paula Deen Story,”Billy Corben | USA (World Premiere)
“Cover-Up,”Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus | USA (Canadian Premiere)
“Flana,” Zahraa Ghandour | Iraq/France/Qatar (World Premiere)
“Love+War,” Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin | USA (World Premiere)
“Modern Whore,”Nicole Bazuin | Canada (World Premiere)
“Ni-Naadamaadiz: Red Power Rising,”Shane Belcourt | Canada (World Premiere)
“Nuestra Tierra,”Lucrecia Martel | Argentina/USA/Mexico/France/Denmark/Netherlands (North American Premiere)
“Nuns vs. The Vatican,”Lorena Luciano | USA (World Premiere)
“Orwell: 2+2=5,” Raoul Peck | USA/France (North American Premiere)
“Powwow People,” Sky Hopinka | USA (World Premiere)
“Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk,” Sepideh Farsi | France/Palestine/Iran (North American Premiere)
“Still Single,” Jamal Burger, Jukan Tateisi | Canada (World Premiere)
“The Balloonists,” John Dower | USA/UK/Austria (World Premiere)
“The Eyes of Ghana,” Ben Proudfoot | USA (World Premiere)
“The Tale of Silyan,” Tamara Kotevska | North Macedonia (North American Premiere)
“There Are No Words,” Min Sook Lee | Canada (World Premiere)
“True North,” Michèle Stephenson | USA/Canada (World Premiere)
“While the Green Grass Grows: A Diary in Seven Parts,” Peter Mettler | Canada/Switzerland (World Premiere)
“Whistle,” Christopher Nelius | Australia (World Premiere)

The post Documentaries About Paula Deen, Clergy Abuse and Whistling Contests Headed to Toronto Film Festival appeared first on TheWrap.

So now that we’re halfway between the announcement of the nominations and the beginning of final voting, it’s time to look back at that list and see how many of my wishes came true.

Spoiler alert: not many.

Wish 1: “Pleasant surprises of any kind”

This was aimed at the Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Drama Series categories, where I worried that most of the nominees were all but locked in. And yes, all those locks got nominations: I mentioned seven top contenders in the drama category, all of which were nominated, and three possibilities for the final slot, one of which – “Paradise” – did get in and was the closest thing to a surprise. Pleasant, yes. But not very surprising.

In the comedy category, it was more of the same. The shows that seemed likely to get in, did. The ones that seemed to be potential upsets, didn’t.

Fortunately, voters delivered some enjoyable twists in the acting categories, foremost among them the nominations of Uzo Aduba for “The Residence” and Jeff Hiller for “Somebody Somewhere” in comedy and Sharon Horgan for “Bad Sisters” in drama.  But in the top program categories, not so much.

Wish 2: “An impressive showing by broadcast networks”

Well, this didn’t happen – especially not in drama, where I pointed out that the onetime broadcast network dominance of the top category had long since been erased by the streamers and cable outlets that routinely grab all available slots. I was hoping that “Matlock” might lead a minor resurgence: “It’d be nice if the networks that have given us acting contenders from ‘Matlock,’ ‘Elsbeth,’ ‘High Potential,’ ‘Will Trent’ and others could get a little love from voters this time around,” I wrote.

Well, here’s your resurgence: One nomination for “Matlock,”  for star Kathy Bates; one for “Will Trent,” for choreography; nothing for “Elsbeth” or “High Potential”; and, for the fourth year in a row, nothing for any broadcast show in the drama series category. “This Is Us” remains the only broadcast show to break into the category in the last 14 years.

The broadcast networks still do well in the reality, variety and comedy categories, but you wouldn’t call their showing impressive.

Wish 3: “A somewhat wacky mixture in the TV-movie category”

The weirdest Emmy category is known for pitting Weird Al Yankovic against gritty dramas and Dolly Parton Christmas movies, but this year’s lineup isn’t quite as daffy as it often is. There’s “Rebel Ridge,” a gritty action thriller set in a small town from indie filmmaker Jeremy Saulnier; “Nonnas,” a dramedy from Stephen Chbosky based on the true story of a Staten Island restauranteur who staffs his kitchen with grandmother chefs; “The Gorge,” a sci-fi thriller with a hint of romance; and “Mountainhead,” “Succession” creator Jesse Armstrong’s satirical comedy about four billionaires dealing with a global crisis from a mountain cabin. The biggest change of pace might be “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy,” the fourth Bridget Jones movie and the first not to premiere theatrically.

It’s a modest mixture of genres and tones, but you probably wouldn’t call it wacky.

Wish 4: “Actors from more than five programs in the supporting acting categories”

A mixed verdict here. For the last several years, the supporting categories have often as not been filled with multiple nominees from the same handful of shows. Last year, five shows were responsible for all 14 supporting nominees in the drama categories, and six shows provided all 12 of the supporting comedy nominees.

My guess was that if anybody was taking bets on the number of shows that would furnish all of this year’s nominees, the over/under would be about 5.5 in drama and a little higher than that in comedy. “I wouldn’t necessarily bet on the over,” I wrote, “but I’m certainly wishing for it.”

If I had bet on the over, I would have lost money in drama and won it in comedy. The drama categories had even more category-hogging than last year, with only four shows taking all 14 nominees: seven for “The White Lotus,” four for “Severance,” two for “Paradise” and one for “The Pitt.” Comedy, though, doubled that, with “The Studio” and “Shrinking” earning three supporting nominations each but the other eight noms coming from an additional six shows.

The post I Made an Emmys Wish List, But Will My Wishes Come True? appeared first on TheWrap.

Howell Taylor was elected by the AMPAS Board of Governors to replace Janet Yang. Academy presidents are permitted to serve four consecutive one-year terms, but the president must be member of the board, and term limits restrict governors to two consecutive three-year terms. Yang has served three years as president but must leave the board this summer because of those term limits.

As incoming president, Howell Taylor will face the same term limits. She began her second consecutive term in 2023 and will have to leave the board next summer, after only one year as president. Of the last seven Academy presidents, only one was able to serve the full four terms.

Other officers elected by the board are Lesley Barber and Howard A. Rodman, who were re-elected to vice president positions, and Jennifer Fox, Simon Kilmurry and Lou Diamond Phillips, who became officers for the first time.

Howell Taylor became an Academy member in 2014 and has produced films that include “The Accountant,” “Captain Fantastic,” “Big Eyes,” “Blue Valentine” and Bradley Cooper’s “A Star Is Born,” for which she received her first Best Picture nomination. She served as chair of the Academy’s Awards Committee for three years and produced the 92nd Academy Awards with Stephanie Allain.

Howell Taylor is the 38th president of the Academy. She is the fifth woman to hold the position and the third to do so in the last 12 years, after Cheryl Boone Isaacs (2013-2017) and Yang (2022-2025). The only previous female presidents were Bette Davis, who resigned after two months in 1941, and Fay Kanin, who served from 1979 to 1983.

In a statement announcing the election, Academy CEO Bill Kramer said, “Lynette has been a vital part of the Academy Board of Governors for many years, most recently revitalizing our awards work as chair of the board’s Awards Committee. I so look forward to working with her as our new Academy President, as well as with these incredibly dedicated and strategic board officers. This is an exceptional group of Academy members who will advance the Academy’s mission, support our membership around the world, ensure our long-term financial stability, and celebrate the achievements of the global filmmaking community.”

The new officers:

• Lesley Barber (Music Branch), Vice President (chair, Membership Committee)
• Jennifer Fox (Producers Branch), Vice President (chair, Awards Committee)
• Simon Kilmurry (Documentary Branch), Vice President/Treasurer (chair, Finance Committee)
• Lou Diamond Phillips (Actors Branch), Vice President (chair, Equity and Inclusion Committee)
• Howard A. Rodman (Writers Branch), Vice President/Secretary (chair, Governance Committee)

The post ‘A Star Is Born’ Producer Lynette Howell Taylor Elected Academy President appeared first on TheWrap.

Those films were among the more than 50 new movies that were added to the robust TIFF lineup. Previously, the festival had announced 17 other galas and special premieres, including Chloé Zhao’s “Hamnet,” Derek Cianfrance’s “Roofman,” Steven Soderbergh’s “The Christophers,” Agnieszka Holland’s “Franz,” Paul Greengrass’ “The Lost Bus” and Rian Johnson’s “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.” The festival will open with Colin Hanks’ documentary “John Candy: I Like Me.”

More than 30 of the newly announced films will be world premieres. Those include “Driver’s Ed,” with Kumail Nanjiani and Sam Nivola; David Mackenzie’s “Fuze,” with Aaron Taylor Johnson and Theo James; James Vanderbilt’s “Nuremberg,” with Rami Malek and Russell Crowe; Jonatan Etzler’s “Bad Apples,” with Saoirse Ronan; David Michôd’s “Christy,” with Sydney Sweeney; Alice Winocour’s “Couture,” with Angelina Jolie; and Romain Gavras’ “Sacrifice,” with Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Evans.

Based on their TIFF designation as North American or Canadian premieres rather than world premieres, films that will premiere at other festivals prior to their Toronto screenings include “Frankenstein” and Benny Safdie’s “The Smashing Machine,” both of which seem to be locks for Venice; and “Hamnet,” “Ballad of a Small Player” and Daniel Roher’s “Tuner,” whose “Canadian Premiere” designations suggest that they’ll be in the lineup at the Telluride Film Festival (and potentially Venice, too).   

Films that have already appeared at previous specials include the Sundance hit “Train Dreams” from Clint Bentley as well as a number of Cannes titles, among them Jafar Panahi’s Palme d’Or winner “It Was Just an Accident,” Joachim Trier’s Grand Prix winner “Sentimental Value,” Richard Linklater’s “Nouvelle Vague,” Scarlett Johansson’s “Eleanor the Great” and Kleber Mendonça Filho’s “The Secret Agent.”

Anne Émond’s “Peak Everything,” a well-received Canadian black comedy that premiered in Cannes, will be the closing-night film at TIFF.

Besides Johansson’s film, the list includes several other films from directors who are better known as actors: Aziz Ansari’s “Good Fortune,” Brian Cox’s “Glenrothan,” Alex Winter’s “Adulthood,” Maude Apatow’s “Poetic License” and James McAvoy’s “California Schemin’.”

A handful of documentaries are also on the list, including Ally Pankiw’s “Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery,” Nick Davis “You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution…,” Lisa Rideout’s “Degrassi: Whatever It Takes” and a new film from Baz Luhrmann, who is following up his hit “Elvis” with the doc “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert,” a mixture of concert performances, behind-the-scenes footage and Elvis’ reflections.

Additional films will be announce for the 50th Toronto International Film Festival in a string of different releases between July 22 and Aug. 8. The festival will take place from Sept. 4-14, 2025.

2025 Galas
*previously announced titles

“Adulthood,” Alex Winter (World Premiere)
* “The Choral,” Nicholas Hytner (World Premiere)
“Driver’s Ed,” Bobby Farrelly (World Premiere)
“Eleanor the Great,” Scarlett Johansson (North American Premiere)
“Eternity,” David Freyne (World Premiere)
“Fuze,” David Mackenzie (World Premiere)
“Glenrothan,” Brian Cox (World Premiere)
“Good Fortune,” Aziz Ansari (World Premiere)
* “Hamnet,” Chloé Zhao (Canadian Premiere)
* “Homebound,” Neeraj Ghaywan (North American Premiere)
* “John Candy: I Like Me,” Colin Hanks (World Premiere)
“Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery,” Ally Pankiw (World Premiere)
“Nuremberg,” James Vanderbilt (World Premiere)
“Palestine 36,” Annemarie Jacir (World Premiere)
“Peak Everything,” Anne Émond (Toronto Premiere – Closing Night Gala)
* “A Private Life,” Rebecca Zlotowski (North American Premiere)
* “Roofman,” Derek Cianfrance (World Premiere)
* “She Has No Name,” Peter Ho-Sun Chan (North American Premiere)
“Sholay,” Ramesh Sippy (North American Premiere – 50th Anniversary Restoration)
“Swiped,” Rachel Lee Goldenberg (World Premiere)
“Two Pianos,” Arnaud Desplechin (World Premiere)

2025 Special Presentations
* previously announced titles

“Bad Apples,” Jonatan Etzler (World Premiere)
“Ballad of a Small Player,” Edward Berger (Canadian Premiere)
“California Schemin’,” James McAvoy (World Premiere)
“Calle Malaga,” Maryam Touzani (North American Premiere)
* “The Captive,” Alejandro Amenábar (World Premiere)
“Charlie Harper,” Tom Dean, Mac Eldridge (World Premiere)
* “The Christophers,” Steven Soderbergh (World Premiere)
“Christy,” David Michôd (World Premiere)
“Couture,” Alice Winocour (World Premiere)
“Dead Man’s Wire,” Gus Van Sant (North American Premiere)
“Degrassi: Whatever It Takes,” Lisa Rideout (World Premiere)
“Easy’s Waltz,” Nic Pizzolatto (World Premiere)
“EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert,” Baz Luhrmann (World Premiere)
“Eternal Return,” Yaniv Raz (World Premiere)
“Frankenstein,” Guillermo del Toro (North American Premiere)
* “Franz,” Agnieszka Holland (World Premiere)
* “Good News,” Byun Sung-hyun (World Premiere)
* “Hedda,” Nia DaCosta (World Premiere)
“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” Mary Bronstein (Canadian Premiere)
“It Was Just an Accident,” Jafar Panahi (Canadian Premiere)
“It Would Be Night in Caracas,” Mariana Rondón, Marité Ugás (World Premiere)
“Kokuho,” Lee Sang-il (North American Premiere)
“Ky Nam Inn,” Leon Le (World Premiere)
* “The Lost Bus,” Paul Greengrass (World Premiere)
“Lovely Day,” Philippe Falardeau (World Premiere)
“Meadowlarks,” Tasha Hubbard (World Premiere)
* “Mile End Kicks,” Chandler Levack (World Premiere)
“Monkey in a Cage,” Anurag Kashyap (World Premiere)
“Nouvelle Vague,” Richard Linklater (Canadian Premiere)
“A Pale View of Hills,” Kei Ishikawa (North American Premiere)
“A Poet,” Simón Mesa Soto (North American Premiere)
“Poetic License,” Maude Apatow (World Premiere)
“Primavera,” Damiano Michieletto (World Premiere)
“Project Y,” Lee Hwan (World Premiere)
* “Rental Family,” HIKARI (World Premiere)
“Rose of Nevada,” Mark Jenkin (North American Premiere)
“Sacrifice,” Romain Gavras (World Premiere)
“Scarlet,” Mamoru Hosoda (North American Premiere)
“The Secret Agent,” Kleber Mendonça Filho (Canadian Premiere)
“Sentimental Value,” Joachim Trier (Canadian Premiere)
“Silent Friend,” Ildikó Enyedi (North American Premiere)
“Sirāt,” Óliver Laxe (North American Premiere)
“The Smashing Machine,” Benny Safdie (North American Premiere)
“Sound of Falling,” Mascha Schilinski (North American Premiere)
* “Steal Away,” Clement Virgo (World Premiere)
“The Testament of Ann Lee,” Mona Fastvold (North American Premiere – Presented in 70mm)
“Three Goodbyes,” Isabel Coixet (World Premiere)
“Train Dreams,” Clint Bentley (International Premiere)
“Tuner,” Daniel Roher (Canadian Premiere)
“The Ugly,” Yeon Sang-ho (World Premiere)
“Uiksaringitara (Wrong Husband),” Zacharias Kunuk (North American Premiere)
* “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,” Rian Johnson (World Premiere)
“You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution…,” Nick Davis (World Premiere)

The post Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein,’ New Baz Luhrmann Elvis Movie Added to 2025 Toronto Film Festival Lineup appeared first on TheWrap.

Those were some of the lessons from Tuesday’s announcement of the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards nominations, which were announced by Harvey Guillén and Brenda Song on Tuesday morning in North Hollywood. With the number of submissions declining for the second consecutive year, many major categories had fewer nominees than usual, but that didn’t stop voters from dropping in a handful of surprises and from showing just how much they loved the second season of “Severance,” the runaway leader in nominations with 27, three more than last year’s big winner, “Shōgun,” received on its way to breaking the Emmy record for wins in a single year.

In recent weeks, Dan Erickson and Ben Stiller’s twisty sci-fi series had seemed to be losing some momentum to the first-year drama “The Pitt,” but the nominations suggested that we underestimate “Severance” at our own risk. Of particular interest were the show’s nine acting nominations, which was more than the presumed juggernaut “The White Lotus” and trailed only the 10 acting noms for first-year comedy “The Studio,” which had so many delicious cameos that it almost ran the table in the guest actor category by scoring nods for Bryan Cranston as a crazed studio head and Dave Franco, Ron Howard, Anthony Mackie and Martin Scorsese as themselves.

“The Pitt” and “The Studio” were two of the four new shows that managed to land series nominations, with “Paradise” joining “The Pitt” in the Outstanding Drama Series category and “Nobody Wants This” joining “The Studio” in Outstanding Comedy Series. The four series nominations for first-year shows followed four years in which five or six freshman shows made the cut each year; the last time fewer than five got in was 2020, when “The Mandalorian” was the only new  show to do it.

In a way, that’s because the stop-and-start nature of recent TV production, caused by the pandemic and the strikes, means that many past nominees and winners have taken longer than usual between seasons, which led to this year’s influx of past nominees returning to the race after not being eligible for a year or more. “Severance” was foremost among those, returning three years after its first season, but it was also joined by “Andor,” “The Diplomat,” “The Last of Us” and “The White Lotus.”

That last show did well, with its 23 nominations tying it with “The Studio” for third most, trailing only the 27 for “Severance” and the 24 for “The Penguin.” But in the supporting actor and actress categories, where all but one of the show’s 20 eligible actors were submitted, the show’s third season didn’t do quite as well as Season 2 did two years ago. That season scored four supporting actor and five supporting actress nominations, while this year Mike White’s series had to settle for three supporting actors (Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs and Sam Rockwell), four supporting actresses (Carrie Coon, Parker Posey, Natasha Rothwell and Aimee Lou Wood) and one guest actor (Scott Glenn).

Still, “The White Lotus” contributed mightily to the seemingly obligatory case of Emmy category-hogging. In the drama categories, only four shows – “White Lotus,” “Severance,” “Paradise” and “The Pitt” – supplied every one of the 14 nominees, continuing a trend that has plagued those categories in recent years. (The comedy supporting categories were more equitable, with eight shows sharing those nominations.)

Elsewhere on the ballot, the final season of “The Handmaid’s Tale” showed that the series has pretty much dropped off Emmy voters’ radar. For its first season in 2017, the adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel became the first streaming show to win Outstanding Drama Series, and continued to rack up nominations even when it was only eligible for “dangling episodes” rather than full seasons. But after Season 4 received 21 nominations in 2021, Season 5 was almost completely ignored by voters, garnering only a single nom for star Elisabeth Moss.  And its final season suffered a similar fate, with a guest actress nomination for Cherry Jones its only recognition.

Another series that might have been expected to get a boost was “Saturday Night Live,” which concluded its 50th season. On one hand, the statistics say that the landmark season was snubbed by voters, with its seven nominations being the fewest the long-running series has received since 2009, when it began a 16-year streak of averaging more than 15 nominations per year. But the anniversary season brought a bunch of “SNL”-adjacent programs, all of which received nominations: 12 for “SNL50: The Anniversary Special,” six for “SNL50: The Homecoming Concert,” three for “SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night,” two for “Ladies and Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music” … So voters still love all things “SNL,” even if they don’t love “SNL” itself quite so much.

With final voting beginning in late August, the nominations appear to set up some real showdowns. In the comedy category, the 23 nominations for “The Studio” seem to make it a strong rival to defending champion “Hacks,” which suffered a notable miss when Paul W. Downs didn’t get a supporting actor nomination that was considered a lock. (But then, “Hacks” wasn’t a favorite last year when it upset “The Bear” for Outstanding Comedy Series, either.)

In drama, “Severance” would seem to have smooth sailing, considering it leads its presumed rival “The Pitt” in nominations 27-13. But nomination totals can be deceiving, and this looks like a close race to the end. And in the limited series category, “The Penguin” showed unexpected strength with 24 nominations, but another 13-nom show, “Adolescence,” is sitting in the same spot as last year’s winner, “Baby Reindeer,” with enough key noms to hang onto its frontrunner status.

Final voting doesn’t begin for more than a month, and the 77th Primetime Emmys don’t take place for almost two. There’s a long road ahead for everybody.

The post Emmy Nominations Analysis: ‘Severance’ and ‘The Studio’ Dominate, but Does That Make Them Frontrunners? appeared first on TheWrap.

That’s the outlook for the 77th Primetime Emmy Award nominations, which will be announced on Tuesday morning by Harvey Guillen and Brenda Song. With the number of entries in many categories slipping for the second year in a row, Television Academy rules dictate that the number of nominees will also drop, leading to pitched battles for the remaining slots and inevitable cries of “Snub!” when the nominations are revealed.

Our stab at prognostication suggests that “Abbott Elementary,” “The Bear,” “Hacks,” “Shrinking” and “The Studio” will all do well in the marquee comedy categories; “The Pitt,” “Severance” and “The White Lotus” will be among the most-nominated dramas; and that “Adolescence” will top “The Penguin,” “Dying for Sex” and “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” in limited series. But will we be right? Emmy voters may be creatures of habit, but they also throw surprises our way every year.

It’s important to note that in almost all categories, the number of nominees is determined by how many programs or people qualified. A category with more than 20 submissions gets an automatic five nominees, but that number goes up at intervals: 81 entries gets the category a sixth nominee, 161 delivers a seventh  and 241 brings an eighth. (Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Drama Series get an automatic eight nominees regardless of how many shows qualify.)

Of the 20 categories covered in this story, 10 will presumably be the same size as last year, while two (supporting actor and actress in a comedy series) will be bigger and eight (lead actor and actress in drama and comedy, supporting actor and actress in limited series, talk series and scripted variety) will be smaller. But that presumes that there won’t be any ties, which can expand or contract categories and usually affect a handful of the 100-plus categories every year.

Last year, for example, the number of entries called for five nominees in the lead acting categories for comedy, but those categories ultimately had six nominees each.

Confused? The Emmys wouldn’t have it any other way. But with that in mind, here are our best guesses about what we’ll hear on Tuesday morning.

Comedy Categories

Outstanding Comedy Series
Five of last year’s nominees in this category – “Abbott Elementary,” “The Bear,” “Only Murders in the Building,” “What We Do in the Shadows” and the 2024 winner, “Hacks” – are back in the running, and it’d be surprised if they don’t all make the cut again. (The final season of “Shadows” might be on the bubble, but the rest seem safe.)  At least two of the remaining slots are likely to go to new comedies, with “The Studio” and “Nobody Wants This” having more heat than “Agatha All Along,” “The Four Seasons” and “Running Point.” But it also feels like it’s time for the second season of “Shrinking” to land the nomination that eluded its debut season two years ago.

Number of nominations: 8

Predicted nominees:
“Abbott Elementary”
“The Bear”
“Hacks”
“Nobody Wants This”
“Only Murders in the Building”
“Shrinking”
“The Studio”
“What We Do in the Shadows”

Watch out for: “Agatha All Along,” “The Four Seasons,” “Poker Face”

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Two years ago, this category had only five nominees, and Jeremy Allen White won for “The Bear” over Jason Segel for “Shrinking” and Martin Short for “Only Murders in the Building,” among others. This year, it’s too early to predict a winner, but White, Segel and Short will likely take three of the five slots.

But can the formidable likes of 16-time nominee Steve Martin, 18-time nominee Ted Danson and 11-time nominee Steve Carell grab any of the leftover spots? Among the actors who stand in their way are Seth Rogen, a clear favorite for “The Studio,” Adam Brody for “Nobody Wants This”  and Matt Berry for “What We Do in the Shadows,” which brought him a nomination last year. In other words, this is a very competitive category.

Number of nominations: 5

Predicted nominees:
Adam Brody, “Nobody Wants This”
Seth Rogen, “The Studio”
Jason Segel, “Shrinking”
Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building”
Jeremy Allen White, “The Bear”

Watch out for: Ted Danson, “A Man on the Inside”; Steve Martin, “Only Murders in the Building”; Matt Berry, “What We Do in the Shadows”

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Jean Smart has won for the first three seasons of “Hacks.” Quinta Brunson has been nominated for the first three seasons of “Abbott Elementary,” and won in 2023 when she didn’t have to go up against Smart. Ayo Edebiri won for the first season of “The Bear” in the supporting-actress category and was nominated for the second season in lead.

Those three feel like locks, with contenders for the last two slots including past nominees Natasha Lyonne (“Poker Face”), Selena Gomez (“Only Murders in the Building”), Tina Fey (“The Four Seasons”), Uzo Aduba (“The Residence”) and Kathryn Hahn (“Agatha All Along”) and the remarkably un-nominated Kristen Bell, who’s apt to find that “Nobody Wants This” will bring her a plaudit that eluded her on “Veronica Mars,” “Gossip Girl” and “The Good Place.”

Number of nominations: 5

Predicted nominees:
Kristen Bell, “Nobody Wants This”
Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary”
Ayo Edebiri, ”The Bear”
Natasha Lyonne, “Poker Face”
Jean Smart, “Hacks”

Watch out for: Uzo Aduba, “The Residence”; Selena Gomez, “Only Murders in the Building”; Kathryn Hahn, “Agatha All Along”

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
The supporting comedy and drama categories have enough entries to warrant seven nominees, making them this year’s biggest acting categories. For comedy actor, that means there will be room for past nominees Ebon Moss-Bachrach for “The Bear,” Paul W. Downs for “Hacks,” Tyler James Williams for “Abbott Elementary” and Bowen Yang for “Saturday Night Live,” but also for Ike Barinholtz for “The Studio” and the certified legend Harrison Ford, who seems to be having a lot of fun being a hot new comedy actor in “Shrinking.” The final spot could go to Colman Domingo for “The Four Seasons,” but it may be likelier to be filled by one of Ford’s co-stars, either Michael Urie or Brett Goldstein, who might have gotten a little boost when “Ted Lasso” announced its return.

Number of nominations: 7

Predicted nominees:
Ike Barinholtz, “The Studio”
Paul W. Downs, “Hacks”
Harrison Ford, “Shrinking”
Brett Goldstein, “Shrinking”
Ebon Moss-Bachrach, “The Bear”
Tyler James Williams, “Abbott Elementary”
Bowen Yang, “Saturday Night Live”

Watch out for: Colman Domingo, “The Four Seasons”; Matty Matheson, “The Bear”; Michael Urie, “Shrinking”

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Sorry, Meryl, there’s no room for you. Could it be true that a category with seven nominees wouldn’t find a spot for Meryl Freakin’ Streep? Well, maybe. Hannah Einbinder (“Hacks”), Liza Colon-Zayas (“The Bear”), Jessica Williams (“Shrinking”) and the unstoppable “Studio” double shot of Catherine O’Hara and Kathryn Hahn all feel inevitable, which leaves two slots.

Those two could easily go to Sheryl Lee Ralph and Janelle James from “Abbott Elementary,” both of whom have been nominated for every season of their show. If that happens, Streep could miss out on another nom for “Only Murders in the Building,” and others who are left out could include Chase Sui Wonders (“The Studio”), Megan Stalter (“Hacks”) and the late Linda Lavin (“Mid-Century Modern”).

Number of nominations: 7

Predicted nominees:
Liza Colon-Zayas, ”The Bear”
Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks”
Kathryn Hahn, “The Studio”
Janelle James, “Abbott Elementary”
Catherine O’Hara, ”The Studio”
Sheryl Lee Ralph, “Abbott Elementary”
Jessica Williams, “Shrinking”

Watch out for: Linda Lavin, “Mid-Century Modern”; Meryl Streep, “Only Murders in the Building”; Chase Sui Wonders, “The Studio”

Drama Categories

Outstanding Drama Series
In contrast with the comedy category, where most of last year’s nominees are once again in the running, the main drama category is almost entirely bereft of 2024 nominees. “Slow Horses” is the only one of last year’s contenders to be eligible, which could be good news for new shows like “Landman,” “Paradise,” “Your Friends & Neighbors” and especially “The Pitt,” the one freshman series that seems guaranteed to receive a nomination.

The real competition in this category will come from past nominees that weren’t eligible last year but are now back in contention: “Andor,” “The Last of Us,” “Severance,” “The White Lotus,” “The Handmaid’s Tale” …

“The Pitt,” “Severance,” “The Last of Us” and “The White Lotus” feel like the category leaders, with “Slow Horses,” “Andor” and “The Diplomat” likely nominees as well. That leaves one open spot that could go to “The Handmaid’s Tale,” a past winner that has often shown surprising strength with voters; “Landman,” Taylor Sheridan’s best shot at finally landing a series nomination;  “Squid Game,” a  big winner in its first season in 2022; or “Paradise,” the cautionary and timely series from “This Is Us” creator Dan Fogelman.  With the Emmys embracing international work in recent years, we’ll go with “Squid Game.”

Number of nominations: 8

Predicted nominees:
“Andor”
“The Diplomat”
 “The Last of Us”
“The Pitt”
“Severance”
“Slow Horses”
“Squid Game”
“The White Lotus”

Watch out for: “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Landman,” “Paradise”

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Noah Wyle (“The Pitt”), Adam Scott (“Severance”) and Gary Oldman (“Slow Horses”) are locks in this category – and in a year with only 77 eligible entries, that leaves room for only two more nominees. (If there had been four more entries, the category size would have been bumped up to six.) Pedro Pascal was killed in the second episode of “The Last of Us,” but he returned in flashbacks and had enough of a presence to probably earn a nomination, just as Brian Cox was nominated in this category for the season of “Succession” in which he died in Episode 3.

But who else? It could be Sterling K. Brown for “Paradise,” Diego Luna for “Andor,” Billy Bob Thornton for “Landman,” Eddie Redmayne for “The Day of the Jackal,” Jon Hamm for “Your Friends & Neighbors” or Lee Jung-jae for “Squid Game,” the show that gave him a win in this category three years ago. We’ll go with Brown, who already has 10 Emmy noms for six different shows. But is that unfair to Hamm, who has 18 previous noms for six shows?

Number of nominations: 5

Predicted nominees:
Sterling K. Brown, “Paradise”
Gary Oldman, “Slow Horses”
Pedro Pascal, “The Last of Us”
Adam Scott, “Severance”
Noah Wyle, “The Pitt”

Watch out for: Lee Jung-Jae, “Squid Game”; Diego Luna, “Andor”; Billy Bob Thornton, “Landman”

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Is it 2023? That year, the nominees in this category included Melanie Lynskey for “Yellowjackets,” Elisabeth Moss for “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Bella Ramsey for “The Last of Us,” Keri Russell for “The Diplomat” and Sharon Horgan for “Bad Sisters,” all of whom are eligible again this year. (They all lost to “Succession” star Sarah Snook, who is not eligible.)

Moss and Russell are likely to be nominated again this year, as is Ramsey for carrying the Pedro Pascal-less “The Last of Us.” But Lynskey is on the bubble, because the category has to make room for Britt Lower from “Severance” and Kathy Bates from “Matlock.” Other strong contenders include Kaitlin Olson from “High Potential,” Nicola Coughlan from “Bridgerton” and Keira Knightley from “Black Doves” – but room for them is scarce because barring ties, this category will only have five nominees for the first time since 2008.

Number of nominations: 5

Predicted nominees:
Kathy Bates, “Matlock”
Britt Lower, “Severance”
Elisabeth Moss, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Bella Ramsey, “The Last of Us”
Keri Russell, “The Diplomat”

Watch out for: Nicola Coughlan, “Bridgerton”; Melanie Lynskey, “Yellowjackets”; Kaitlin Olson, “High Potential”

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
There’s one big question looming over the supporting drama categories: How much “White Lotus” can two categories hold? The show’s first two seasons dominated the categories, earning eight nominations in 2022 (when it was classified as a limited series) and nine in 2023 (when it moved to drama). Can the show grab more than half the categories’ total nominations again? With 20 different actors from the show submitted for consideration, and more than a dozen of them with a real chance of being nominated, some serious category-hogging is quite possible. (Then again, “Severance,” “The Last of Us” and “The Pitt” could grab multiple nominations as well.)

In the supporting actor category, the “White Lotus” contenders begin with Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs and Sam Rockwell, all of whom are pretty much guaranteed to be nominated. Castmate Patrick Schwarzenegger might well join them, with Sam Nivola a longer shot. A pair of actors from “Severance,” John Turturro and Tramell Tillman, are likely to join them, while Zach Cherry and even Christopher Walken have the chance to up the count for “Severance.” Outside of those top two shows, “Slow Horses” is in the mix with Jack Lowden (aiming for his second consecutive nomination) and Jonathan Pryce, while Patrick Ball could add one for “The Pitt.” And don’t rule out Bradley Whitford for “The Handmaid’s Tale.”

Number of nominations: 7

Predicted nominees:
Walton Goggins, “The White Lotus”
Jason Isaacs, “The White Lotus”
Jack Lowden, “Slow Horses”
Sam Rockwell, “The White Lotus”
Patrick Schwarzenegger, “The White Lotus”
Tramell Tillman, “Severance”
John Turturro, “Severance”

Watch out for: Patrick Ball, “The Pitt”; Christopher Walken, “Severance”; Bradley Whitford, “The Handmaid’s Tale”

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
This is the category where “The White Lotus” has totally dominated in the past, taking five of the seven nominations for Season 1 and five of the eight for Season 2.  They have a sextet of actresses who could well land nominations in Carrie Coon, Parker Posey, Aimee Lou Wood, Leslie Bibb, Michelle Monaghan and Natasha Rothwell, with Sarah Catherine Hook having an outside chance as well – but given this year’s competition, it’s likelier that Coon, Posey and Wood will be their show’s representatives in the category.

They’ll probably be joined by Katherine LaNasa and Taylor Dearden from “The Pitt,” Allison Janney from “The Diplomat” and Patricia Arquette from “Severance,” though upsets are possible from Isabela Merced from “The Last of Us” and “The Handmaid’s Tale” co-star Ann Dowd, who is so formidable that she’s getting her own spinoff.

Number of nominations: 7

Predicted nominees:
Patricia Arquette, “Severance”
Carrie Coon, “The White Lotus”
Allison Janney, “The Diplomat”
Katherine LaNasa, “The Pitt”
Parker Posey, “The White Lotus”
Aimee Lou Wood, “The White Lotus”
Taylor Dearden, “The Pitt”

Watch out for: Leslie Bibb, “The White Lotus”; Isabela Merced, “The Last of Us”; Natasha Rothwell, “The White Lotus”

Limited Series and TV Movie Categories

Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series
Last year, we bemoaned the fact that the limited series category didn’t get the same dispensation as the top comedy and drama categories, which are guaranteed eight nominees regardless of the number of entries. This year, it doesn’t feel quite so urgent to expand the category beyond the five slots its 33 entries calls for, because the field seems a little thinner than it has in many recent years.

That said, the top contenders are a mix of limited series that have been around since last year and ones that have dropped in the last three months of the eligibility period. The first group includes “The Penguin,” which has won lots of previous awards and looked like the frontrunner until recently; “Presumed Innocent,” the most high-profile David E. Kelley project since the Emmy juggernaut “Big Little Lies”; “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” from Ryan Murphy, a reliable Emmy magnet; “Disclaimer,” a thorny prestige drama from director Alfonso Cuaron; and “Say Nothing,” a period drama about the Troubles in Northern Ireland that flew under the radar until picking up some momentum in recent months.

The late-breaking series are headed by Stephen Graham and Paul Thorn’s “Adolescence,” which became Netflix’s 2025 version of last year’s “Bad Reindeer”; “Dying for Sex,” which won raves for actresses Michelle Williams and Jenny Slate; and “Black Mirror,” the British anthology series that used to win lots of Emmys when the Television Academy allowed it to submit individual episodes as TV movies.

‘Adolescence,” “The Penguin,” “Monsters” and “Dying for Sex” are the likeliest nominees, with “Black Mirror,” “Disclaimer,” “Presumed Innocent” and “Say Nothing” grappling for the last slot.

Number of nominations: 5

Predicted nominees:
“Adolescence”
“Black Mirror”
“Dying for Sex”
“Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”
“The Penguin”

Watch out for: “Disclaimer,” “Presumed Innocent,” “Say Nothing”

Outstanding Television Movie
One of the oddest Emmy categories features a wide range of films with little in common: “Rebel Ridge,” an action thriller by indie director Jeremy Saulnier, is going up against the Peabody-winning Disney movie “Out of My Mind,” the fourth installment in the “Bridget Jones” series (albeit the first not to premiere theatrically) and “Succession” creator Jesse Armstrong’s made-in-a-hurry black comedy “Mountainhead,” among others.

Those four films seem to have the best shot at nominations, while the fifth slot is a total tossup from a field that also includes sci-fi (“The Gorge,” “Star Trek: Section 31”), heartwarming tales with lots of food (“Nonnas,” “The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat”),  dramas about personal discovery (“Am I OK?,” “The Life List”), a Paul Feig sequel with Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively (“Another Simple Favor”), an action flick starring Viola Davis as a kick-ass president (“G20”) and a 2024 John Woo drama about a professional assassin that shares a title with the 2023 David Fincher drama about a professional assassin (“The Killer”).

Number of nominations: 5

Predicted nominees:
“Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy”
“Mountainhead”
“Nonnas”
“Out of My Mind”
“Rebel Ridge”

Watch out for: “Am I OK?,” “Another Simple Favor,” “The Gorge”

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Colin Farrell has already won Critics Choice, Golden Globe and SAG Awards for “The Penguin,” but he has a formidable rival in “Adolescence” co-creator and star Stephen Graham. Cooper Koch, who plays Erik Menendez in “Monsters,” is one of the year’s two breakout TV stars with Cooper in their name, while Paul Giamatti wins points for bringing unexpected humanity to the darkness of “Black Mirror.” But you can’t discount Kevin Kline, Brian Tyree Henry, Jake Gyllenhaal or Nicholas Alexander Chavez for their work in “Disclaimer,” “Dope Thief,” “Presumed Innocent” or “Monsters,” respectively.

Number of nominations: 5

Predicted nominees:
Colin Farrell, “The Penguin”
Paul Giamatti, “Black Mirror”
Stephen Graham, “Adolescence”
Jake Gyllenhaal, “Presumed Innocent”
Cooper Koch, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”

Watch out for: Nicholas Alexander Chavez, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”; Brian Tyree Henry, “Dope Thief”; Kevin Kline, “Disclaimer”

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Cristin Milioti (“The Penguin”) and Michelle Williams (“Dying for Sex”) are the top contenders here, but this is also the category where “Disclaimer” is likeliest to be recognized with votes for the iconic Cate Blanchett. And there’s a pretty good chance that Blanchett will be joined by fellow Oscar winner Renee Zellweger, who could add an Emmy nomination for playing Bridget Jones to the Oscar nod she got for the role 24 years ago.

Kaitlyn Dever is also in the running for “Apple Cider Vinegar,” as are Ellen Pompeo for “Good American Family” and Amanda Seyfried for “Long Bright River.” But the Irish series “Say Nothing” feels as if it gained just a little late momentum, which could work to the benefit of Lola Petticrew.

Number of nominations: 5

Predicted nominees:
Cate Blanchett, “Disclaimer”
Cristin Milioti, “The Penguin”
Lola Pettigrew, “Say Nothing”
Michelle Williams, “Dying for Sex”
Renee Zellweger, “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy”

Watch out for:  Kaitlyn Dever, “Apple Cider Vinegar”; Ellen Pompeo, “Good American Family”; Amanda Seyfried, “Long Bright River”

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Here’s the year’s other breakout star with Cooper in his name: Owen Cooper, a British teenager who’d never acted professionally before his wrenching debut in “Adolescence.” He’s a lock for a nomination, as is Javier Bardem as the doomed Menendez patriarch in “Monsters.” Both of them could be joined by castmates, Ashley Walters from “Adolescence” and Nathan Lane from “Monsters,” though Walters might have the better shot. Beyond that, we expect Rob Delaney (“Dying for Sex”), Rhenzy Feliz (“The Penguin”) and Peter Sarsgaard (“Presumed Innocent”) to land nominations over Clancy Brown (“The Penguin”) and Wagner Moura (“Dope Thief”).

Number of nominations: 6

Predicted nominees:
Javier Bardem, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”
Owen Cooper, “Adolescence”
Rob Delaney, “Dying for Sex”
Rhenzy Feliz, “The Penguin”
Peter Sarsgaard, “Presumed Innocent”
Ashley Walters, “Adolescence”

Watch out for: Clancy Brown, “The Penguin”; Nathan Lane, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”; Wagner Moura, “Dope Thief”

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
“Adolescence” should continue to assert its dominance here, with Erin Doherty as a child psychologist and Christine Tremarco as an anguished mother both in good shape. “The Penguin,” “Monsters” and “Dying for Sex” should also add to their totals with nominations for Deirdre O’Connell, Chloe Sevigny and Jenny Slate, respectively. The final spot could go to “Disclaimer” actresses Lesley Manville or Leila George (playing the younger version of Cate Blanchett’s character), or to Ruth Negga from “Presumed Innocent” – but voters have loved “Black Mirror” for years, and Emma Corrin has a standout episode.

Number of nominations: 6

Predicted nominees:
Emma Corrin, “Black Mirror”
Erin Doherty, “Adolescence”
Deirdre O’Connell, “The Penguin”
Chloe Sevigny, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”
Jenny Slate, “Dying for Sex”
Christine Tremarco, “Adolescence”

Watch out for: Leila George, “Disclaimer”; Lesley Manville, “Disclaimer”; Ruth Negga, “Presumed Innocent”

Talk, Variety and Reality Categories

Outstanding Talk Series
The drop from 14 eligible shows last year to 13 this year dealt a serious blow to this category, because it reduced the number of nominees from four to three. And when you consider that  “The Daily Show” (22 total nominations) and “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (eight noms, plus another 10 for its predecessor “The Colbert Report”) are prohibitive favorites to be nominated, that only leaves one additional slot.

“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and “Late Night With Seth Meyers” are responsible for some vital late-night humor these days and both have multiple previous nominations, but “Everybody’s Live With John Mulaney” has become a hit for Netflix and “Hot Ones” is one of the, um, hottest entries in the field in recent years. Unless “The Daily Show” or Colbert have lost their luster with voters, the math here is pretty much impossible.

Number of nominations: 3

Predicted nominees:
“The Daily Show”
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”

Watch out for: “Everybody’s Live With John Mulaney,” “Hot Ones,” “Late Night With Seth Meyers”

Outstanding Scripted Variety Series
This category only had six eligible entries this year: “After Midnight,” “Fantasmas,” “It’s Florida, Man.,” “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver,” “Saturday Night Live” and “Studio C.” Emmy rules say that a category that small should be killed and its programs folded into a different category, but it has now existed for five years with only two or three nominees. Unless a tweak in voting somehow makes room for a third nominee, the two are all but guaranteed to be “Last Week Tonight” and “SNL.”

Number of nominations: 2

Predicted nominees:
“Last Week Tonight With John Oliver”
“Saturday Night”

Watch out for: “After Midnight” (but really, you don’t need to watch out for anything else here, unless the category expands)

Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
Can a new competition program break into the Emmy category that goes back to the same shows more than any other? Season 1 of “Beast Games” might hope so, but there’s no unseating defending champion “The Traitors” and five-time winner “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” And the other contenders include “The Amazing Race” (21 nominations and 10 wins), “Survivor” (seven nominations, but only one in the last 18 years), “The Voice” (13 noms) and “Top Chef” (18 noms). Maybe the closest thing to a surprise will be when “Survivor” uses its momentum leading up to its own 50th season to edge past “The Voice.”

Number of nominations: 5

Predicted nominees:
“The Amazing Race”
“RuPaul’s Drag Race”
“Survivor”
“Top Chef”
“The Traitors”

Watch out for: “The Voice,” “Beast Games”

Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program
Alan Cumming is the reigning lord of the category – or the laird, given his Scottish roots and the castle from which he reigns over “The Traitors.” RuPaul is an eight-time winner who’s not going away. And Jeff Probst has one of the weirdest track records ever: He won in 2008-2011, taking the first four awards in the category’s existence, then didn’t get another nomination until his 12-year drought ended last year. All of them may well be joined but a couple more of the usual suspects.

Number of nominations: 5

Predicted nominees:
Alan Cumming, “The Traitors”
Kristen Kish, “Top Chef”
“Shark Tank” hosts
Jeff Probst, “Survivor”
RuPaul, “RuPaul’s Drag Race”

Watch out for: Phil Keoghan, “The Amazing Race”; “Queer Eye” hosts; Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough, “Dancing With the Stars”

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