Early Emmys: Hathaway, NPH and a Mad Men Rant

I've neglected to mention that Our Miss Anne Hathaway is now an EMMY winner. (The Emmys have so many hundreds of categories, that they have to start weeks before the actual show in passing them out.) Next step: Oscar... or maybe Tony? (she did get bang up reviews for her theater gig in Twelfth Night, too) Yay! She won the prize for her Simpsons voicework in the episode "Once Upon a Time in Springfield."


Voicework for The Simpsons is always a good idea for actors.

1. You get paid.
2. It's probably fun.
3. It's a pop culture merit badge. Many celebrities have have had the honor -- everyone from La Pfeiffer through George Takei to Don Cheadle -- but you're still in a cool club.

But... you don't actually win Emmys for it. That can't be a reason to do it. While the principle Simpsons cast (Yeardley Smith, Julie Cavner, Nancy Cartwright, Dan Castellanata, Hank Azaria) has won several Emmy awards, Hathaway is only the third non-series regular to win or even be nominated. The first was Jackie Mason who guested on three episodes as Rabbi Krustofski. Kelsey Grammar, who has "appeared" in 13 episodes won later. Maybe they changed the rules and this won't be so unlikely in the future I don't know -- it's so hard to keep track of Emmy rules and there hundreds of categories.

<--- Red Carpet Break. To your left is Kristin Chenoweth & Kathy Griffin doing Charlie's Angels on the red carpet. They're such hams. I don't watch Life on the D List that often -- finding KG funny but quite wearying in repetition -- but the recent episode that Cheno appeared in was hilar', especially when they went all Singin' in the Rain moment with Kathy "singing" with Cheno's voice.

Some Early Prizes
Guest Actress Comedy Betty White SNL
We knew that was coming but she did not attend. Strange.
Guest Actress Drama Ann-Margret Law & Order: SVU
Was she a victim, a perp, a witness? Doesn't matter. She's Ann-Margret! (pictured further down the page)
Guest Actor Comedy Neil Patrick Harris, Glee
He finally has his Emmy, two of them actually since he also won as part of the Tony ceremony team. Congrats NPH. Now have those babies with Burtka and take that well deserved break. Just don't stay away too long.


Guest Actor Drama John Lithgow Dexter.
I haven't seen this particular season yet but it's about to arrive for my viewing. Lithgow is practically magnetized when it comes to awards statues so it's a little weird that he couldn't manage the Oscars. I think if he went back to movies full time, it'd be a done deal. He has 4 Emmys, 2 Golden Globes and 2 Tonys. No joke.
Host, Reality Series Jeff Probst, Survivor.
Are people still watching that. Sheesh. Expiration dates, people!
Casting Comedy Series Modern Family
Casting Drama Series Mad Men
Both casting awards are well deserved, don't you think... especially Modern Family in its first season. Mad Men only had to find key new players and guest stars.

A couple more notes...

Wendy?
Yes, Lisa.
Is the water ready?
Yes, Lisa.
Shall We Begin?
Yes, Lisa

Wendy and Lisa, pictured above to the right, won for scoring Nurse Jackie. They have a different type of career since those 80s Prince paisley rock days but it's still celebrated, so good on them. Nurse Jackie is such a strongly conceived show up to and including those opening credits and the music. I still think it's pilot episode is one of the most perfectly constructed pilots television has ever seen. It's fun to see Wendy holding a golden trophy. Now, can Wendy's wife Lisa Cholodenko (a different Lisa mind you) repeat that trick at the Oscars for The Kids Are All Right?

RANT! And finally because the Emmys always find some way to piss me off, it should be known that The Tudors bested Mad Men in the field of costume design. This means that Joan Bergin now has three Emmys for her four seasons of eligible work on The Tudors thus far and the absolute genius of Janie Bryant, Mad Men's costume designer, is still zero for three (though she won previously for Deadwood). Bryant goes home statueless each year of Mad Men despite delivering complex ultra-specific character costuming work with evolving period details that has also affected actual fashion trends in the outside world it's so smartly executed. Blasphemy!

See, Royalty Porn is the simplest statue-winning trick at the Emmys, too. It's not just the Oscars that will always give you a prize for dressing Queens.


...or undressing them in the case of Jonathan Rhys-Meyers.
*

Tudor Mania

The 16th century is so hot. Hollywood thinks so.

I've had Blanchett-brain of late (how can I help it?) so I thought it was worth mentioning that 453 years ago today Elizabeth I, while still Princess, was imprisoned on account of Wyatt's Rebellion against her half-sis' Queen Mary. I think --but I could be wrong since palace intrigues and political dynasties hurt my head -- that that event was the kick off to the first Elizabeth film. I haven't seen it since 1998 so my memory is cloudy.

The sequel, The Golden Age, arrives later this year and should prove as heavy with royal position jockeying. They'll also be jockeying for Oscar position. Though the film is largely about QEI's relationship with Sir Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen) it's safe to assume that politics will interfere. We can expect another Elizabeth vs. Mary round, too. A different Mary but same as it ever was --arguments about who, exactly, should be running England. I'm excited to see whatever throwdown occurs between Mary Queen of Scots and Queen Elizabeth since the former is played by the one and only Samantha Morton. If Morton's past work can be trusted she'll be as formidable an opponent for Cate Blanchett as Mary was for Elizabeth... um, only without armies, religious divides and mass bloodshed. Whew.

I normally don't assign homework but I'm thinking we should all study up on the Tudors pronto just to make it through 2007 [tudor history blog or wikipedia to start] since the Tudor dynasty is all the rage in Hollywood.

Showtime launches their new series The Tudors on April 1st (I'll have a mini review soon). October 5th brings us the return of Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth in The Golden Age and October 26th brings us Natalie Portman as Anne Boleyn and Scarlett Johansson as Mary Boleyn in The Other Boleyn Girl. I'm betting one of those release dates doesn't stick. Two actress heavy Tudor-centric costume dramas with A list stars in the same month? Unlikely.


Will audiences and critics be tudored out by the end of the year or will tudor mania sweep awards season for both television and film? Only time will tell.

What's your best guess?

Say What? Cate

I asked you, the lovely readership, to amuse us with added dialogue or a caption. Lots of fun entries this time. The runner up is a double + punny one from Ammonart 25

and the winner is by Paul C It's a bit exclusionary --you have to have seen The Fountain but if you did it's pretty darn funny


Amuse us. Add a caption or a line o' dialogue to this photo of Cate Blanchett on the set of The Golden Age (the sequel to Elizabeth) in the comments.

Thanks to everyone for playing. Now, who's excited to see this movie?

Two Actors Playing Henry VIII This Year

Is there any historical proof that King Henry VIII was an extreme hottie? Because, well, day-yumn.

But no...


this is what we call "creative license" or "liberties taken"

[see popbytes for more on Jonathan Rhys-Meyer's go at the royal in The Tudors]

Abbie Cornish. Future Star?

It's been a few months since Australia sent us a new movie star. Did their assembly line have a malfunction or something? Anywho, Abbie Cornish. Some of you may already know the 24 year-old actress from Somersault (2004), for which she won numerous kudos or from Candy (2006), wherein she drugged it up with Heath Ledger. But both films combined gross less than $150,000 in stateside release so maybe not. More likely you caught a glimpse of her in A Good Year or read the rumors that she was the third party in the Reese & Ryan split.

2007 promises to be an important year in determining whether she's the latest in Australia's long line of screen marvels with staying power. Toni Collette, Eric Bana, Heath Ledger, Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Cate Blanchett... them Aussies don't quit.

Abbie has roles in two must-see films this year. The first is the Untitled Kimberly Peirce Project (sometimes referred to as Stop-Loss) an ensemble drama that reads like a who's who of male twentysomething stardom: Ryan Phillipe, Channing Tatum, Jay Hernandez, Victor Rasuk and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The project will gain attention because it focuses on a hot topic: the war in Iraq (though it takes place stateside) and because it's Peirce's first feature since her debut, Boys Don't Cry (1999). What took her so long? Who knows but people will undoubtedly give her sophomore effort a look.

Abbie Cornish (far right) on set with Cate Blanchett watching playback.
She and Samantha Morton hold the two crucial female supporting roles in The Golden Age

Abbie's second film in 2007 is the Elizabeth sequel The Golden Age. If she attracts your eye, critical kudos, or Oscar buzz for this film whilst surrounded by Cate Blanchett, Clive Owen, Geoffrey Rush and Samantha Morton (9 Oscar nominations and 2 wins between them) then she's definitely on her way.

Stay tuned. Will Abbie Cornish be the emerging star of 2007?

Previous Aussie-centric posts:
Australia news from Bazmark
Day Job:Toni Collette Toni's onscreen callings.
We Are All Nicole Kidman - a quiz.
Hugh Jackman hump day hottie
Interview with greatly missed Aussie blog six things
Hug an Australian yes there's actually a day for it.
Brokeback Birthday Heath and all the writings about Brokeback Mountain
Moulin Rouge! the obsession detailed.

Tags: Abbie Cornish, movies, Oscars, Academy Awards, cinema, Film, cinematography, queen elizabeth, Cate Blanchett, Golden Age, Australia, australian, Heath Ledger, Ryan Phillipe