American Idol Kicks Off "Idol Across America" Monday, Aug. 10

During this season's first round of auditions, American Idol will continue to break new innovative boundaries with custom-built Zoom technology to host "Idol Across America," its first-ever live virtual nationwide search for the next superstar.

In its historic third season on ABC, American Idol became the first reality competition series to air remotely with the unprecedented season dominating Sunday nights, claiming the No. 1 position for broadcast series among Adults 18-49 as well as the night's No. 1 most social show. As previously announced, the star-maker series will return with an all-new season premiering spring 2021. During this season's first round of auditions, American Idol will continue to break new innovative boundaries with custom-built Zoom technology to host "Idol Across America," its first-ever live virtual nationwide search for the next superstar.

Beginning Aug. 10, "Idol Across America" remote auditions will take place across all 50 states plus Washington, D.C., for the first time since the show's inception, making auditions easier than ever. The kickoff to season four will give hopefuls the chance to showcase their talents from anywhere in America, across any official audition date and face-to-face with an American Idol producer, staying true to its roots by providing aspiring Idols real-time feedback on their journey to being crowned the next American Idol.

"Idol Across America" auditions will be held as follows (subject to change):

• Delaware, Florida and Ohio (Aug 10)
• Louisiana, Missouri and Wisconsin (Aug 12)
• Arizona, Oregon and Washington (Aug. 14)
• Georgia, Maryland, Washington D.C. and Rhode Island (Aug 16)
• Open Call Auditions (Aug 17)
• Alabama, Arkansas and Kansas (Aug 18)
• Idaho, New Mexico and Utah (Aug. 20)
• Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Texas (Aug 22)
• Michigan, Tennessee and Virginia (Aug 24)
• Open Call Auditions (Aug 25)
• Iowa, Mississippi and Oklahoma (Aug 26)
• Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota (Aug 28)
• Connecticut, New Jersey and New York (Aug 30)
• Colorado, Montana, Nevada and Wyoming (Sep 1)
• Maine, South Carolina and West Virginia (Sep 3)
• Alaska, California and Hawaii (Sep 5)
• Kentucky, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania (Sep 7)
• Massachusetts, North Carolina and Vermont (Sep 9)

To sign up for "Idol Across America" and a chance to virtually audition in front of an American Idol producer, please visit www.americanidol.com/auditions. There you will find more details on specific dates, full eligibility requirements, submission forms, terms and conditions. You must be between 15 - 28 years old to audition and may do so on any "Idol Across America" date regardless of your location.

Movies By The Decade #1 - July 29 - August 4

Welcome to our new feature Movies By The Decade, a companion piece to TV By The Decade on Hotchka.com. Here's we'll provide a list of films released during a particular week in the decades from 1920-2010 with cast, director and studio information as well as trivia on some titles. Most films release dates here are US dates but there are international titles as well and we'll note when dates differ from the US. We hope you enjoy this feature and can find the anniversary dates for your favorite films, and perhaps will discover some new favorites as well. So let's get started!

1920

Aug 1 - The Fighting Chance

• Cast: Anna Q. Nilsson, Conrad Nagel, Clarence Burton, Dorothy Davenport, Herbert Prior, Ruth Helms
• Director: Charles Maigne
• Studio: Paramount Pictures
• Trivia: The film was previously thought lost; based on the novel of the same name by Robert W. Chambers.

Aug 1 - Hairpins

• Cast: Enid Bennett, Matt Moore, William Conklin
• Director: Fred Niblo
• Studio: Paramount Pictures
• Trivia: A surviving print of the film is held in a private collection.

Aug 1 - The Jack-Knife Man

• Cast: F. A. Turner, Harry Todd
• Director: King Vidor
• Studio: First National
• Trivia: This was Vidor's first film with First National; Prints of the film survive in several film archives; the film was shot at Vidor's newly constructed studio "Vidor Village" which was paid for with a portion of his $75,000 advance on the film from exhibitors.

Aug 2 - The Notorious Miss Lisle

• Cast: Katherine MacDonald, Nigel Barrie
• Director: James Young
• Studio: First National

1930

July 31 - Murder!

• Cast: Herbert Marshall, Norah Baring, Phyllis Konstam, Edward Chapman, Miles Mander
• Director: Alfred Hitchcock
• Studio: British International Pictures
• Trivia: Hitchcock's third 'talkie'; originally to be released under the same title as the novel upon which it was based, Enter Sir John, but was changed to Murder! during production; the German language version was shot simultaneously on the same set with German speaking actors although Miles Mander reprised his role of Gordon Druce which was renamed Gordon Moore; Hitchcock makes his cameo as a man walking past the murder victim's house.

1940

• There were no notable releases this week in 1940.

1950

July 29 - Treasure Island

• Cast: Bobby Driscoll, Robert Newton, Basil Sydney, Finlay Currie
• Director: Byron Haskin
• Studio: Walt Disney Productions; Distributed by RKO Radio Pictures
• Trivia: Disney's first completely live-action film; first adaptation of Treasure Island filmed in color; Disney re-released the film in 1975 but had to cut 9 minutes to receive a G rating according to the studio's policy, the original cut was restored in the 1990s after Disney relaxed its G-only policy; Robert Newton reprised the role of Long John Silver in the non-Disney sequel Long John Silver, and again for the 1954 TV series The Adventures of Long John Silver.

Aug 2 - Desperados of the West (serial)

• Cast: Richard Powers, Judy Clark, Roy Barcroft, I. Stanford Jolley, Lee Phelps, Lee Roberts, Cliff Clark
• Director: Fred C. Brannon
• Studio: Republic Pictures
• Trivia: The 12-chapter serial was budgeted at $150,246, the cheapest Republic serial of the 1950s.

Aug 3 - A Lady Without Passport

• Cast: Hedy Lamarr, John Hodiak
• Director: Joseph H. Lewis
• Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
• Trivia: The film was the debut for actor Steven Hill; the film's working title was Visa.

Aug 4 - The Admiral was a Lady

• Cast: Edmond O'Brien, Wanda Hendrix
• Director: Albert S. Rogell
• Studio: Roxbury Productions; Distributed by United Artists
• Trivia: The film's working title was Once Over Lightly which was the title of one of the film's songs.

Aug 4 - Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye

• Cast: James Cagney, Barbara Payton, Helena Carter
• Director: Gordon Douglas
• Studio: William Cagney Productions; Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
• Trivia: The film was banned in Ohio as "a sordid, sadistic presentation of brutality and an extreme presentation of crime with explicit steps in commission"; this was the first of four films the Cagney brothers made for Warner Bros.; Humphrey Bogart was interested in securing the film rights before the novel's publication.

1960

• There were no notable releases this week in 1960.

1970

July 29 - Chisum

• Cast: John Wayne, Forrest Tucker, Ben Johnson, Geoffrey Deuel
• Director: Andrew V. McLaglen
• Studio: Batjac Productions; Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
• Trivia: Based on Andrew J. Fenady's novel Chisum and the Lincoln County Cattle War; although historically inaccurate, the story is loosely based on the Lincoln County War of 1878 in the New Mexico Territory and involved historical figures John Chisum, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid; the film was set up at 20th Century Fox but moved to Warner Bros because Wayne wanted to film in 1969 but Fox's schedule would not allow for that; the movie was shot in Durango, Mexico.

July 31 - Move

• Cast: Elliott Gould, Paula Prentiss, Geneviève Waïte
• Director: Stuart Rosenberg
• Studio: Berman-Century Productions; Distributed by 20th Century Fox
• Trivia: Based on the novel Move by Joel Lieber; Dustin Hoffman was originally set to star: Gould was set to start filming after MASH, but Columbia Pictures wanted him for Getting Straight and said they'd drop the film if he didn't star so he delayed production on Move.

Aug 1 - The Rebel Rousers

• Cast: Cameron Mitchell, Bruce Dern, Jack Nicholson, Diane Ladd, Harry Dean Stanton
• Director: Martin B. Cohen
• Studio: Paragon International Pictures; Distributed by Four Star Excelsior
• Trivia: The outlaw biker film was shot in 1967 but was not released until 1970 following the success of Easy Rider; this was Cohen's only directorial effort.

Aug 3 - Ann and Eve

• Cast: Gio Petré, Marie Liljedahl, Francisco Rabal
• Director: Arne Mattsson
• Studio: Jadran Film, Omega Film. Distributed in the US by Chevron Pictures.
• Trivia: The film was a commercial success in the US, earning $18 million, making it the 17th highest grossing film of 1970.

Aug 3 - Performance

• Cast: James Fox, Mick Jagger, Anita Pallenberg, Michèle Breton
• Director: Donald Cammell, Nicolas Roeg
• Studio: Goodtimes Enterprises. Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
• Trivia: Filmed in 1968, Warner Bros. was reluctant to release the film due to its sexual content and graphic violence; the film was released in 1970 after a major re-edit; several of the actors' voices were dubbed for the US because the studio feared audiences would not understand their Cockney accents; it's now regarded as one of the most influential and innovative films of the 1970s and British cinema.

1980

Aug 1 - The Final Countdown

• Cast: Kirk Douglas, Martin Sheen, Katharine Ross, James Farentino, Ron O'Neal, Charles Durning
• Director: Don Taylor
• Studio: Bryna Productions, Distributed by United Artists
• Trivia: Don Taylor's final film; produced with the full cooperation of the US Navy's naval aviation branch and the US Department of Defense, filmed aboard the USS Nimitz and capturing the actual operations of the ship; during production an emergency landing was allowed to be filmed and is included in the film; 48 Nimitz crew members appear in the film, some with speaking parts.

Aug 1 - The Hunter

• Cast: Steve McQueen, Eli Wallach, Kathryn Harrold, LeVar Burton, Ben Johnson
• Director: Buzz Kulik
• Studio: Paramount Pictures
• Trivia: McQueen's final role before his death in November 1980; the last theatrical film made by Kulik; Peter Hyams was originally hired to write and direct but was fired after doing a draft with McQueen wanting to take over the director's duties; the DGA would not allow McQueen to direct because he had been attached to the film before Hyams, although it's rumored he did a lot of the direction on set.

Aug 1 - Loose Shoes

• Cast: Royce D. Applegate, Bill Murray, Lewis Arquette, Howard Hesseman
• Director: Ira Miller
• Studio: Brooksfilms. Distributed by National American Films.
• Trivia: The film, presented as a series of movie trailers, is also known under the titles Coming Attractions and Quackers; the film was shot in 1977 but not released until 1980, probably to capitalize on Bill Murray's success at the box office.

Aug 1 - Raise the Titanic

• Cast: Jason Robards, Richard Jordan, David Selby, Anne Archer, Dirk Blocker, Sir Alec Guinness
• Director: Jerry Jameson
• Studio: ITC Entertainment. Distributed by Associated Film Distribution
• Trivia: Based on the novel of the same name by Clive Cussler; the film earned about $7 million against a $40 million budget; Elliott Gould was offered the lead but turned it down saying, "Let the Titanic stay where it is"; Jason Robards said he did the film for "money, m'dear, money... We're all incidental to the hardware and the special effects on this one"; the film, which depicted the Titanic intact, became historically inaccurate in 1985 when the wreck was located and found to have broken apart.

1990

Aug 1 - Young Guns II

• Cast: Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, Christian Slater, William Petersen, Alan Ruck, Balthazar Getty
• Director: Geoff Murphy
• Studio: Morgan Creek Productions. Distributed by 20th Century Fox
• Trivia: Much of Billy the Kid's dialog is taken from actual newspaper interviews and reports between 1879 and 1881; Estevez asked Jon Bon Jovi for permission to include the song "Wanted Dead or Alive" in the film but Bon Jovi didn't feel the lyrics fit the film so he quickly wrote "Blaze of Glory" for the film, which went to Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100; Bon Jovi makes a cameo appearance in the film as one of the prisoners in the pit with Doc and Chavez.

Aug 3 - Duck Tales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp

• Cast: Alan Young, Terrence McGovern, Russi Taylor, Richard Libertini, Christopher Lloyd, June Foray, Chuck McCann, Joan Gerber, Rip Taylor
• Director: Bob Hathcock
• Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
• Trivia: The events of the film take place between the third and fourth seasons of the Duck Tales TV series; the film began as a five-part episode for the TV series; voice-overs took a year, with another six months of retakes; Rip Taylor had to phone in some of his retakes as he was in Atlantic City at the time, saying he had to do it seven times because they kept changing the dialog.

Aug 3 - Metropolitan

• Cast: Carolyn Farina, Edward Clements, Taylor Nichols, Christopher Eigeman, Allison Rutledge-Parisi, Dylan Hundley. Isabel Gillies, Bryan Leder, Will Kempe, Elisabeth Thompson
• Director: Whit Stillman
• Studio: Westerly Films, Allagash Films. Distributed by New Line Cinema
• Trivia: The film is considered the first of a trilogy of Stillman films followed by Barcelona and The Last Days of Disco; Stillman wanted to set the films in a pre-Woodstock 1960s but the budget would not allow for that so he included some period details like vintage Checker Cabs to give the film an "aura of the past".

Aug 3 - Mo' Better Blues

• Cast: Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Wesley Snipes, Giancarlo Esposito, Robin Harris, Joie Lee, Bill Nunn, John Turturro, Dick Anthony Williams, Cynda Williams
• Director: Spike Lee
• Studio: 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks. Distributed by Universal Pictures.
• Trivia: The film was released five months after the death of Robin Harris and is dedicated to his memory; Lee faced charges of anti-Semitism for his portrayal of Jewish nightclub owners Moe and Josh Flatbush, but Lee refused to apologize.

2000

Aug 3 - Chopper

• Cast: Eric Bana, Vince Colosimo, Simon Lyndon, Kate Beahan, David Field
• Director: Andrew Dominik
• Studio: Australian Film Finance Corporation, Mushroom Pictures, Pariah Entertainment Group. Distributed by First Look Pictures
• Trivia: Mark "Chopper" Read suggested Bana play him, and Bana lived with Read for two days to help him practice for the role.

Aug 4 - Coyote Ugly

• Cast: Piper Perabo, Adam Garcia, Maria Bello, Melanie Lynskey, Bridget Moynahan, John Goodman, Tyra Banks
• Director: David McNally
• Studio: Touchstone Pictures, Jerry Bruckheimer Films. Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures.
• Trivia: Kevin Smith did an uncredited rewrite of the film, stating eight writers worked on the script that the WGA only credited to Gina Wendkos, who script barely resembles the finished film; Jessica Simpson turned down the role of Violet Sanford.

Aug 4 - Hollow Man

• Cast: Elisabeth Shue, Kevin Bacon, Josh Brolin, Kim Dickens, Greg Grunberg, Joey Slotnick, Mary Randle, William Devane
• Director: Paul Verhoeven
• Studio: Columbia Pictures, Red Wagon Productions, Global Entertainment Productions GmbH & Company Medien KG. Distributed by Sony Pictures.
• Trivia: The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Visual Effects but lost to Gladiator; $50 million of the film's $95 million budget went to the 560 visual effects shots; filming was done in chronological order to accommodate the destruction of the laboratory set later in the film; filming shut down for seven weeks after Shue tore her Achilles tendon and was nearly replaced; the film was allowed to shoot in front of The Pentagon; Guy Pearce and Edward Norton were considered for the lead but Bacon was cast for his ability to be charming and diabolical.

Aug 4 - Space Cowboys

• Cast: Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, James Garner, Marcia Gay Harden, William Devane, Loren Dean, Courtney B. Vance, James Cromwell
• Director: Clint Eastwood
• Studio: Village Roadshow Pictures, Clipsal Films, Malpaso Productions, Mad Chance Productions. Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.
• Trivia: The portrayals of the characters in 1958 were filmed with younger actors and voiced by their older counterparts.

2010

July 30 - Charlie St. Cloud

• Cast: Zac Efron, Amanda Crew, Donal Logue, Charlie Tahan, Ray Liotta, Kim Basinger
• Director: Burr Steers
• Studio: Relativity Media, Marc Platt Productions, Charlie Film Productions. Distributed by Universal Pictures.
• Trivia: Efron turned down the lead in the Footloose remake for this film.

July 30 - Dinner for Schmucks

• Cast:  Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Jemaine Clement, Jeff Dunham, Bruce Greenwood, Ron Livingston
• Director: Jay Roach
• Studio: DreamWorks Pictures, Spyglass Entertainment, Parkes + MacDonald Productions, Everyman Pictures, Reliance Entertainment, BIG Pictures. Distributed by Paramount Pictures.
• Trivia: The film is an American version of the French film Le Dîner de Cons ("The Dinner of Idiots"); the film's release was pushed back a week to July 30 to avoid competition with Salt and Inception.

July 30 - The Extra Man

• Cast: Kevin Kline, Paul Dano, Katie Holmes, John C. Reilly
• Director: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
• Studio: Wild Bunch, 3 Arts Entertainment, Likely Story, Tax Credit Finance. Distributed by Magnolia Pictures.

July 30 - Get Low

• Cast: Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek, Lucas Black, Bill Cobbs
• Director: Aaron Schneider
• Studio: K5 International, Zanuck Independent, David Gundlach Productions, Lara Enterprises, TVN, Butcher's Run Films. Distributed by Sony Pictures Classics.
• Trivia: The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 12, 2009; Duvall won the Hollywood Films Festival Award for Best Actor in October 2010; Schneider won the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature in September 2010; the film is loosely based on a real incident from Roane County, Tennessee in 1938, and Duvall's character Felix Bush was based on real person Felix Bushaloo "Uncle Bush" Breazeale.

72nd Annual Emmy Awards Nominations

New faces, surprising snubs and the usual suspects comprise this year's nominations.

by Chuck Duncan

The nominees for the 2020 Emmy Awards are out and a wide range of programs and actors have scored honors. The nominees this year aren't full of the same shows that get nominated year in and year out, and some have attributed that to the pandemic which has kept Emmy voters securely in their homes, affording them the opportunity and time to give more attention to streaming and off-network shows in particular that may have otherwise been overlooked.

In the Comedy category, voters finally showed some real love to Schitt's Creek for its final season, handing the show 15 nominations and giving nods to the four leads (although sadly passing over the just-as-deserving Emily Hampshire, Noah Reid and Jennifer Robertson). But it's nice to see Dan Levy finally get some recognition for his baby. Netflix scored with nominations for Dead To Me and The Kominsky Method with three nominations each for series and acting, HBO saw some love for Insecure, also with three nominations, but the biggest surprise had to be FX's mocumentary series What We Do In the Shadows which earned a nomination for Comedy Series and three noms for writing. Of course there are always omissions for shows that are deserving of recognition, and the voters snubbed two of the funniest shows on television - Dave on FX and At Home with Amy Sedaris on truTV (which for some bizarre reason scored a production design nomination in the Reality category ... this is a completely scripted series posing as a cooking show). The fact that Amy Sedaris is not nominated for Actress in a Comedy Series is a crime. She plays several different characters on the show, often in the same scene (a recent episode had her playing four characters in one shot that also included other cast members). Cole Escola also deserves some attention for playing Amy's 'friend' Chassie Tucker, who often has to interact with two or more of Amy's characters. Maybe the Emmy voters can rectify this situation next year. And speaking of comedy, nothing for HBO's Avenue 5 or TBS' Search Party?

Another egregious omission is Joe Mantello for Supporting Actor in a Limited Series for Netflix's Hollywood. Mantello's frequent scene partner Holland Taylor was rightfully nominated for her wonderful performance, but Mantello was the pure heart and soul of the series and he and Taylor were a brilliant pair on screen together. I'm surprised that Dylan McDermott's rather one-note character was nominated over Mantello, who gave an electrifying yet heart-wrenching performance. Mantello was the reason to watch Hollywood. It would have been nice to see him get a nod alongside the 42 other first-timers which include Cate Blanchett (Mrs. America), Octavia Spencer (Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker), Anna Kendrick (Dummy), and Zendaya (Euphoria). In the Drama category, CBS All Access was overlooked again when shows like The Good Fight, Strange Angel, The Twilight Zone, Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Picard should have received some consideration. Only the Star Trek: Short Treks were noticed in the Short Form category. The same with DC Universe, which has Doom Patrol but is probably too little seen and too genre for voters to take seriously despite truly award-worthy performances from Dianne Guerrero, April Bowlby and Timothy Dalton. It's certainly a show that should be considered in the technical categories so hopefully its move to HBO Max this year will give it some notice next year. Also overlooked were AMC dramas Better Call Saul, The Walking Dead, Lodge 49 and The Terror.

As far as the number of Emmy nominations, HBO's Watchmen was a huge surprise, topping all other programs with 26 nominations. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel continues to impress with 20 nominations. In the Drama Series category, it looks like Netflix's Ozark and HBO's Succession will be duking it out with 18 nominations each. Disney+ scored 15 of its 19 total nominations for The Mandalorian, and RuPaul's Drag Race leads the reality category with 10 nominations. Short-form streamer Quibi got some much needed attention, scoring 10 nominations for shows including Reno 911! and Most Dangerous Game.

As far as network totals, Netflix leads the pack this year, snagging the crown from HBO with 160 nominations. HBO came in second with 107. Broadcast networks didn't fare as well with NBC getting the third most nomination at 47, followed by ABC with 36. As usual, The CW is nowhere to be found. But it should be a wide open race in all categories this year, and the virtual ceremony hosted by Jimmy Kimmel will certainly bring something different to the table this year.

Below is a partial list of the major award winners. For a full list, visit the Emmys website.

©HBO

OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES - 2020

• Curb Your Enthusiasm - HBO
• Dead To Me - Netflix
• Insecure - HBO
• Schitt's Creek - Pop TV
• The Good Place - NBC
• The Kominsky Method - Netflix
• The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - Prime Video
• What We Do In The Shadows - FX Networks

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES - 2020

• Don Cheadle as Mo Monroe - Black Monday
• Anthony Anderson as Andre "Dre" Johnson Sr. - black-ish
• Ramy Youssef as Ramy - Ramy
• Eugene Levy as Johnny Rose - Schitt's Creek
• Ted Danson as Michael - The Good Place
• Michael Douglas as Sandy Kominsky - The Kominsky Method

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES - 2020

• Tracee Ellis Ross as Rainbow Johnson - black-ish
• Christina Applegate as Jen Harding - Dead To Me
• Linda Cardellini as Judy Hale - Dead To Me
• Issa Rae as Issa - Insecure
• Catherine O'Hara as Moira Rose - Schitt's Creek
• Rachel Brosnahan as Miriam 'Midge' Maisel - The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES - 2020

• Andre Braugher as Captain Raymond Holt - Brooklyn Nine-Nine
• Mahershala Ali as Sheikh Malik - Ramy
• Kenan Thompson as Various Characters - Saturday Night Live
• Daniel Levy as David Rose - Schitt's Creek
• William Jackson Harper as Chidi Anagonye - The Good Place
• Alan Arkin as Norman Newlander - The Kominsky Method
• Tony Shalhoub as Abe Weissman - The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
• Sterling K. Brown as Reggie - The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES - 2020

• Betty Gilpin as Debbie Eagan - GLOW
• Yvonne Orji as Molly - Insecure
• Kate McKinnon as Various Characters - Saturday Night Live
• Cecily Strong as Various Characters - Saturday Night Live
• Annie Murphy as Alexis Rose - Schitt's Creek
• D'Arcy Carden as Janet - The Good Place
• Alex Borstein as Susie Myerson - The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
• Marin Hinkle as Rose Weissman - The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES - 2020

• Fred Willard as Frank Dunphy - Modern Family
• Dev Patel as Joshua - Modern Love
• Adam Driver, Host - Saturday Night Live
• Eddie Murphy, Host - Saturday Night Live
• Brad Pitt as Dr. Anthony Fauci - Saturday Night Live
• Luke Kirby as Lenny Bruce - The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES - 2020

• Angela Bassett as Mo - A Black Lady Sketch Show
• Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Host - Saturday Night Live
• Maya Rudolph as Senator Kamala Harris - Saturday Night Live
• Maya Rudolph as The Judge - The Good Place
• Wanda Sykes as Moms Mabley - The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
• Bette Midler as Hadassah Gold - The Politician

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES - 2020

• Modern Family, "Finale Part 2" - Gail Mancuso
• Ramy, "Miakhalifa.mov" - Ramy Youssef
• Schitt's Creek, "Happy Ending" - Andrew Cividino, Daniel Levy
• The Great, "The Great (Pilot)" - Matt Shakman
• The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, "It's Comedy Or Cabbage" - Amy Sherman-Palladino
• The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, "Marvelous Radio" - Daniel Palladino
• Will & Grace, "We Love Lucy" - James Burrows

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES - 2020

• Schitt's Creek, "Happy Ending" - Daniel Levy
• Schitt's Creek, "The Presidential Suite" - David West Read
• The Good Place, "Whenever You're Ready" - Michael Schur
• The Great, "The Great" - Tony McNamara
• What We Do In The Shadows, "On The Run" - Stefani Robinson
• What We Do In The Shadows, "Collaboration" - Sam Johnson, Chris Marcil
• What We Do In The Shadows, "Ghosts" - Paul Simms

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES - 2020

• Better Call Saul - AMC
• Killing Eve - BBC America
• Ozark - Netflix
• Stranger Things - Netflix
• Succession - HBO
• The Crown - Netflix
• The Handmaid's Tale - Hulu
• The Mandalorian - Disney+

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES - 2020

• Jason Batian as Martin 'Marty' Byrde - Ozark
• Billy Porter as Pray Tell - Pose
• Brian Cox as Logan Roy - Succession
• Jeriy Strong as Kendall Roy - Succession
• Steve Carell as Mitch Kessler - The Morning Show
• Sterling K. Brown as Randall Pearson - This Is Us

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES - 2020

• Zendaya as Rue - Euphoria
• Jodie Comer as Villanelle - Killing Eve
• Sandra Oh as Eve Polastri - Killing Eve
• Laura Linney as Wendy Byrde - Ozark
• Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II - The Crown
• Jennifer Aniston as Alex Levy - The Morning Show

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES - 2020

• Giancarlo Esposito as Gus Fring - Better Call Saul
• Nicholas Braun as Greg Hirsch - Succession
• Kieran Culkin as Roman Roy - Succession
• Matthew Macfadyen as Tom Wambsgans - Succession
• Bradley Whitford as Commander Joseph Lawrence - The Handmaid's Tale
• Billy Crudup as Cory Ellison - The Morning Show
• Mark Duplass as Charles 'Chip' Black - The Morning Show
• Jeffrey Wright as Bernard - Westworld

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES - 2020

• Laura Dern as Renata Klein - Big Little Lies
• Meryl Streep as Mary Louise Wright - Big Little Lies
• Fiona Shaw as Carolyn Martens - Killing Eve
• Julia Garner as Ruth Langmore - Ozark
• Sarah Snook as Shiv Roy - Succession
• Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret - The Crown
• Samira Wiley as Moira - The Handmaid's Tale
• Thandie Newton as Maeve - Westworld

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES - 2020

• Andrew Scott as Chris Gillhaney - Black Mirror
• James Cromwell as Ewan Roy - Succession
• Giancarlo Esposito as Moff Gideon - The Mandalorian
• Martin Short as Dick Lundy - The Morning Show
• Jason Batian as Terry Maitland - The Outsider
• Ron Cephas Jones as William Hill - This Is Us

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES - 2020

• Cicely Tyson as Ophelia Harkness - How To Get Away With Murder
• Laverne Cox as Sophia Burset - Orange Is The New Black
• Cherry Jones as Nan Pierce - Succession
• Harriet Walter as Lady Caroline Collingwood - Succession
• Alexis Bledel as iily - The Handmaid's Tale
• Phylicia Rashad as Carol Clarke - This Is Us

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES - 2020

• Homeland, "Prisoners Of War" - Lesli Linka Glatter
• Ozark, "Fire Pink" - Alik Sakharov
• Ozark, "Su Casa Es Mi Casa" - Ben Sianoff
• Succession, "Hunting" - Andrij Parekh
• Succession, "This Is Not For Tears" - Mark Mylod
• The Crown, "Aberfan" - Benjamin Caron
• The Crown, "Cri de Coeur" - Jessica Hobbs
• The Morning Show, "The Interview" - Mimi Leder

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES - 2020

• Better Call Saul, "Bad Choice Road" - Thomas Schnauz
• Better Call Saul, "Bagman" - Gordon Smith
• Ozark, "All In" - Chris Mundy
• Ozark, "Boss Fight" - John Shiban
• Ozark, "Fire Pink" - Miki Johnson
• Succession, "This Is Not For Tears" - Jesse Armstrong
• The Crown, "Aberfan" - Peter Morgan

OUTSTANDING VARIETY SKETCH SERIES - 2020

• A Black Lady Sketch Show - HBO
• Drunk History - Comedy Central
• Saturday Night Live - NBC

OUTSTANDING VARIETY SPECIAL (LIVE) - 2020

• 73rd Annual Tony Awards - CBS
• 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards - NBC
• Live In Front Of A Studio Audience: "All In The Family" And "Good Times" - ABC
• Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show Starring Jennifer Lopez and Shakira - FOX
• The Oscars - ABC

OUTSTANDING VARIETY TALK SERIES - 2020

• Full Frontal With Samantha Bee - TBS
• Jimmy Kimmel Live! - ABC
• Last Week Tonight With John Oliver - HBO
• The Daily Show With Trevor Noah - Comedy Central
• The Late Show With Stephen Colbert - CBS

OUTSTANDING VARIETY SPECIAL (PRE-RECORDED) - 2020

• Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones - Netflix
• Dave Chappelle: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize For American Humor - PBS
• Hannah Gadsby: Douglas - Netflix
• Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours To Kill - Netflix
• John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch - Netflix
• Tiffany Haddish: Black Mitzvah - Netflix

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A VARIETY SERIES - 2020

• A Black Lady Sketch Show, "Born At Night, But Not Last Night" - Dime Davis
• Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, "Episode 629" - Paul Pennolino, Christopher Werner
• Saturday Night Live, "Host: Eddie Murphy" - Don Roy King
• The Daily Show With Trevor Noah, "Dr. Fauci Answers Trevor's Questions About Coronavirus" - David Paul Meyer
• The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, "Live Show; Chris Christie; Nathaniel Rateliff" - Jim Hoskinson
• Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready, "Flame Monroe" - Linda Mendoza

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A VARIETY SPECIAL - 2020

• 62nd Grammy Awards - Louis J. Horvitz
• 73rd Annual Tony Awards - Glenn Weiss
• Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones - Stan Lathan
• Live In Front Of A Studio Audience: "All In The Family" And "Good Times" - Pamela Fryman, Andy Fisher
• Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show Starring Jennifer Lopez and Shakira - Hamish Hamilton

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A VARIETY SERIES - 2020

• Full Frontal With Samantha Bee - TBS
• Last Week Tonight With John Oliver - HBO
• Late Night With Seth Meyers - NBC
• The Daily Show With Trevor Noah - Comedy Central
• The Late Show With Stephen Colbert - CBS

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A VARIETY SPECIAL - 2020

• Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones - Dave Chappelle
• Hannah Gadsby: Douglas - Hannah Gadsby
• John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch - John Mulaney, Marika Sawyer
• Patton Oswalt: I Love Everything - Patton Oswalt
• Seth Meyers: Lobby Baby - Seth Meyers

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY FOR VARIETY OR REALITY PROGRAMMING - 2020

• Savage X Fenty Show, "Routines: Statues, Benches, Window" - Parris Goebel
• So You Think You Can Dance, "Routines: I'll Be Seeing You, Mambo Italiano, The Girl From Ipania" - Al Blackstone
• So You Think You Can Dance, "Routines: Enough Is Enough, Sign Of The Times" - Travis Wall
• The Oscars, "Routine: Come Alive (Opening Sequence)" - Jiel McWilliams
• World Of Dance, "Routines: Dos Jueyes, El Ray Timbal" - Jefferson Benjumea, Adrianita Avila

OUTSTANDING TELEVISION MOVIE - 2020

• American Son - Netflix
• Bad Education - HBO
• Dolly Parton's Heartstrings: These Old Bones - Netflix
• El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie - Netflix
• Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend - Netflix

OUTSTANDING LIMITED SERIES - 2020

• Little Fires Everywhere - Hulu
• Mrs. America - FX Networks
• Unbelievable - Netflix
• Unorthodox - Netflix
• Watchmen - HBO

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE - 2020

• Hugh Jackman as Frank Tassone - Bad Education
• Jeriy Pope as Archie Colian - Hollywood
• Mark Ruffalo as Dominick Birdsey/Thomas Birdsey - I Know This Much Is True
• Paul Mescal as Connell - Normal People
• Jeriy Irons as Adrian Veidt / Ozymandias - Watchmen

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE - 2020

• Kerry Washington as Mia Warren - Little Fires Everywhere
• Cate Blanchett as Phyllis Schlafly - Mrs. America
• Octavia Spencer as Madam C.J. Walker - Self Made: Inspired By The Life Of Madam C.J. Walker
• Shira Haas as Esther Shapiro - Unorthodox
• Regina King as Angela Abar/Sister Night - Watchmen

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE - 2020

• Dylan McDermott as Ernie - Hollywood
• Jim Parsons as Henry Willson - Hollywood
• Tituss Burgess as Titus Andromedon - Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. The Reverend
• Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Cal Abar / Dr. Manhattan - Watchmen
• Jovan Adepo as Officer Will Reeves / Hooded Justice - Watchmen
• Louis Gossett Jr. as William Reeves - Watchmen

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE - 2020

• Holland Taylor as Miss Kincaid - Hollywood
• Tracey Ullman as Betty Friedan - Mrs. America
• Uzo Aduba as Shirley Chisholm - Mrs. America
• Margo Martindale as Bella Abzug - Mrs. America
• Toni Collette as Detective Grace Rasmussen - Unbelievable
• Jean Smart as Agent Laurie Blake - Watchmen

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL - 2020

• Little Fires Everywhere, "Find A Way" - Lynn Shelton
• Normal People, "Episode 5" - Lenny Abrahamson
• Unorthodox - Maria Schrader
• Watchmen, "It's Summer And We're Running Out Of Ice" - Nicole Kassell
• Watchmen, "Little Fear Of Lightning" - Steph Green
• Watchmen, "This Extraordinary Being" - Stephen Williams

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL - 2020

• Mrs. America, "Shirley" - Tanya Barfield
• Normal People, "Episode 3" - Sally Rooney, Alice Birch
• Unbelievable, "Episode 1" - Susannah Grant, Michael Chabon, Ayelet Waldman
• Unorthodox, "Part 1" - Anna Winger
• Watchmen, "This Extraordinary Being" - Damon Lindelof, Cord Jefferson

OUTSTANDING COMPETITION PROGRAM - 2020

• Nailed It! - Netflix
• RuPaul's Drag Race - VH1
• The Masked Singer - FOX
• The Voice - NBC
• Top Chef - Bravo

OUTSTANDING STRUCTURED REALITY PROGRAM - 2020

• A Very Brady Renovation - HGTV
• Antiques Roadshow - PBS
• Love Is Blind - Netflix
• Queer Eye - Netflix
• Shark Tank - ABC

OUTSTANDING UNSTRUCTURED REALITY PROGRAM - 2020

• Amy Schumer Learns To Cook: Lunch Break And Pasta Night - Food Network
• Cheer - Netflix
• Kevin Hart: Don't F**k This Up - Netflix
• RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked - VH1
• We're Here - HBO

OUTSTANDING HOSTED NONFICTION SERIES OR SPECIAL - 2020

• Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee - Netflix
• Leah Riini: Scientology And The Aftermath - A&E
• The World According To Jeff Goldblum - Disney+
• Ugly Delicious - Netflix
• Vice - Showtime

OUTSTANDING HOST FOR A REALITY OR COMPETITION PROGRAM - 2020

• Amy Poehler, Co-Host - Making It
• Nicole Byer, Host - Nailed It!
• Bobby Berk, Host - Queer Eye
• RuPaul, Host - RuPaul's Drag Race
• Barbara Corcoran, Host - Shark Tank
• Padma Lakshmi, Co-Host - Top Chef

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A REALITY PROGRAM - 2020

• Cheer, "Daytona" - Greg Whiteley
• LEGO Masters, "Mega City Block" - Rich Kim
• Queer Eye, "Disabled But Not Really" - Hisham Abed
• RuPaul's Drag Race, "I'm That Bitch" - Nick Murray
• Top Chef, "The Jonathan Gold Standard" - Ariel Boles

OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY OR NONFICTION SERIES - 2020

• American Masters - PBS
• Hillary - Hulu
• McMillion$ - HBO
• The Last Dance - ESPN
• Tiger King: Murder, Mayhi And Madness - Netflix

OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY OR NONFICTION SPECIAL - 2020

• Beastie Boys Story - Apple TV+
• Becoming - Netflix
• Laurel Canyon: A Place In Time - EPIX
• The Apollo - HBO
• The Great Hack - Netflix

OUTSTANDING NARRATOR - 2020

• Karei Abdul-Jabbar - Black Patriots: Heroes Of The Revolution
• Lupita Nyong'o - Serengeti
• David Attenborough - Seven Worlds, One Planet
• Chiwetel Ejiofor - The Elephant Queen
• Angela Bassett - The Imagineering Story

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A DOCUMENTARY/NONFICTION PROGRAM - 2020

• American Factory (Netflix) - Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert
• Apollo 11 (CNN) - Todd Douglas Miller
• Becoming (Netflix) - Nadia Hallgren
• The Cave (National Geographic) - Feras Fayyad
• The Last Dance, "Episode 7" (ESPN) - Jason Hehir
• Tiger King: Murder, Mayhi And Madness, "Cult Of Personality" (Netflix) - Eric Goode, Rebecca Chaiklin

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A NONFICTION PROGRAM - 2020

• Beastie Boys Story (Apple TV+) - Mike Diamond, Adam Horovitz, Spike Jonze
• Circus Of Books (Netflix) - Rachel Mason, Kathryn Robson
• Don't F**k With Cats: Hunting An Internet Killer, "Closing The Net" (Netflix) - Mark Lewis
• McMillion$, "Episode 1" (HBO) - James Lee Hernandez, Brian Lazarte
• The Cave (National Geographic) - Alisar Hasan, Feras Fayyad

EXCEPTIONAL MERIT IN DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING - 2020

• Chasing The Moon (American Experience) - PBS
• Moonlight Sonata: Deafness In Three Movients - HBO
• One Child Nation - PBS
• The Cave - National Geographic

OUTSTANDING SHORT FORM COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES - 2020

• Better Call Saul iployee Training: Legal Ethics With Kim Wexler - AMC.com
• Most Dangerous Game - Quibi
• Reno 911! - Quibi
• Star Trek: Short Treks - CBS All Access
• The Good Place Presents: The Selection - NBC

OUTSTANDING SHORT FORM NONFICTION OR REALITY SERIES - 2020

• Between The Scenes - The Daily Show - Comedy Central
• Full Frontal With Samantha Bee Presents: Pandiic Video Diaries - TBS
• National Geographic Presents Cosmos: Creating Possible Worlds - National Geographic
• Pose: Identity, Family, Community - FX Networks
• RuPaul's Drag Race Out Of The Closet - VH1

OUTSTANDING SHORT FORM VARIETY SERIES - 2020

• Beeing At Home With Samantha Bee - TBS
• Between Two Ferns With Zach Galifianakis: The Movie, Sorta Uncut Interviews - Netflix
• Carpool Karaoke: The Series - Apple Music
• Jimmy Kimmel's Quarantine Minilogues - YouTube/JimmyKimmelLive
• The Randy Rainbow Show - YouTube

OUTSTANDING SHORT FORM ANIMATED PROGRAM - 2020

• Forky Asks A Question: What Is Love? - Disney+
• Robot Chicken, "Santa's Dead (Spoiler Alert) Holiday Murder Thing Special" - Adult Swim
• Steven Universe Future, "Fragments" - Cartoon Network

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A SHORT FORM COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES - 2020

• Stephan James as Rayshawn - #FreeRayshawn
• Laurence Fishburne as Lt. Steven Poincy - #FreeRayshawn
• Christoph Waltz as Miles Sellers - Most Dangerous Game
• Mamoudou Athie as Jerome - Oh Jerome, No (Cake)
• Corey Hawkins as Paul - Survive

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A SHORT FORM COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES - 2020

• Jasmine Cephas Jones as Tyisha - #FreeRayshawn
• Anna Kendrick as Cody - Dummy
• Kaitlin Olson as Cricket Melfi - Flipped
• Rain Valdez as Belle Jonas - Razor Tongue
• Kerri Kenney-Silver as Deputy Trudy Wiegel - Reno 911!

OUTSTANDING ANIMATED PROGRAM - 2020

• Big Mouth, "Disclosure The Movie: The Musical!" - Netflix
• Bob's Burgers, "Pig Trouble In Little Tina" - FOX
• BoJack Horsian, "The View From Halfway Down" - Netflix
• Rick And Morty, "The Vat Of Acid Episode" - Adult Swim
• The Simpsons, "Thanksgiving Of Horror" - FOX

OUTSTANDING CHILDREN'S PROGRAM - 2020

• Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal: Age Of Resistance - Netflix
• Star Wars Resistance - Disney Channel
• We Are The Dream: The Kids Of The Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest - HBO

OUTSTANDING CHARACTER VOICE-OVER PERFORMANCE - 2020

• Maya Rudolph as Connie the Hormone Monstress - Big Mouth
• Leslie Odom Jr. as Owen - Central Park
• Wanda Sykes as Gladys - Crank Yankers
• Taika Waititi as IG-11 - The Mandalorian
• Hank Azaria as Professor Frink, Moe, Chief Wiggum, Carl, Cletus, Kirk - The Simpsons
• Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson, Nelson, Ralph, Todd - The Simpsons

OUTSTANDING SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS - 2020

• Lost In Space, "Ninety-Seven" - Netflix
• Stranger Things, "Chapter Eight: The Battle Of Starcourt" - Netflix
• The Mandalorian, "Chapter 2: The Child" - Disney+
• Watchmen, "See How They Fly" - HBO
• Westworld, "Crisis Theory" - HBO

OUTSTANDING SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE - 2020

• Devs, "Episode 8" - FX Networks
• Tales From The Loop, "Loop" - Prime Video
• The Handmaid's Tale, "Household" - Hulu
• Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, "Strongman" - Prime Video
• Vikings, "The Best Laid Plans" - HISTORY

Agents of SHIELD S07E09: As I Have Always Been

©ABC

Time Loop!

by Brandon Coulson

So it was predetermined I would love this week’s episode of Agents of SHIELD, “As I Have Always Been”, as I am a sucker for time loops. Movies, television episodes, it is just a narrative structure that has always appealed to me.

So our loop in question takes place over a shorter period than most. Seemingly minutes in real time and I would guess thirty minutes to an hour in the reality of the show. Starting each loop we have Daisy waking from her healing pod with a sleeping Sousa keeping her company. A few early elements are established to give Daisy a quick way to prove to others she’s not crazy: Yoyo gets trapped on the Zephyr, Mack gets blinded by a radiation flare, and Deke announces they are in a time storm.

The setup is very clear and, actually in a fun twist, this loop has an end point as each time Deke announces how far they are from a vortex that will destroy the ship and even as everything else remains the same, the distance from the vortex grows shorter each loop, giving us a bigger sense of urgency. A very nice touch in the first loop we see is the repeating of the opening titles, a fun little gag that I almost wanted to come back a third time around.

We also find early on that Coulson is the only other person to remember things from earlier loops but has lost count how many times they’ve gone through so far, eighty-seven or so by his count, as Daisy doesn't always wake him from his sleep and whenever one of them dies it wipes their memories of the previous loops.

These little tweaks to the normal time loop formula were a fun way to give this outing its own flavor. Speaking of unique takes, this episode was the first directorial attempt by the show’s own Gemma Simmons played by actress Elizabeth Henstridge! While I wouldn’t call anything about the direction groundbreaking, the episode as a whole was incredibly engaging and, as we’ll get to later, also emotional.

The whole middle meat of the episode was very cutesy. Coulson and Daisy reciting everyone's dialogue and the team's looks as a result are all very funny. Then on the reveal about Gemma’s memory implant, the affair turned into a murder mystery. After the first attempt to remove the implant ends with Gemma and Daisy dead from a cut gas line, we then got to see Sousa jump into action as he volunteers to be a guinea pig citing that him dying isn’t as big a deal as Daisy since she would then reset.

©ABC

The eventual turn is that Enoch has been programmed to stop the implant's removal at whatever cost and Gemma’s implant has blocked the memory of programming him and the password needed to override it. So then we get the sequence of failed attempts usually ending in death or severe beating of eventually the entire team. Putting aside the fact that Enoch has been stopped by less before and we’ve seen other Chronicoms beaten by members of the team, this was darkly hilarious so it gets a pass. Plus the variation in approaches to subduing to distracting were logical yet still so funny to watch.

Frustrated by this, Daisy takes a loop to have a one-on-one with Sousa to figure out how he can be so selfless and do anything and everything she asks of him without hesitation. Sousa alludes to other strong women like her he has known, and how the type of person who runs headfirst into problems often needs someone there to help pick them back up when they fall. Daisy finally sees what the rest of creation already did, that Sousa has feelings for her and she starts her next cycle kissing Sousa. Knowing Whedon-driven shows, my first thought was finally Daisy might have a guy that isn’t trash be into her. My second thought was “oh no, he’s gonna die tragically soon isn't he?”

But anyway the team finally finds a way to block Enoch and remove the implant leading to two memories shaking loose in Simmons. First that Enoch’s heart is the key to stopping the time drive and saving them, and something else that leads her to break down in tears, my guess is still that Fitz is either dead or some tragedy befell him before they parted ways. Of course there are more episodes left so the loop resets before we get that chance to hear anything, though the performance from Henstridge was fantastic here. This of course starts the final cycle before they are destroyed, what amazing timing!

That's okay though because there were tears enough without finding out that news as upon asking for Enoch to basically kill himself to save them he so quickly and selflessly does so. It about broke my heart. I’ve never loved Enoch as a character, he’s had his moments but always felt a bit flat for me. Here though as he gives a speech about the meaning of being alone for someone who has lived thousands of years like he has, and the moments he shares here with Coulson and Daisy were so tender and perfect a way to send off a character. So much more emotional than a death in battle, it was an amazing moment for the actor and legitimately made me sad to see him go.

Enoch leaves us with two ominous statements here. Though both are worded in ways that can easily be manipulated into something not as dire. First that the team will not survive because he’s seen the future. It seems clear to me he means the team as a unit and not that the members will be dead, rather having to go separate ways for some reason. The other leads back to my theory about Fitz as he says Fitz WAS my friend, a very clear and particular word choice but again if Fitz is in another place or time could also still be misleading.

So yes this might seem like a time loop but I once again have to gush praise on the cast and crew of SHIELD. Once again they took a meager budget and through writing and characters still gave us a thoroughly enchanting and touching episode. The only drawback I see moving forward is that Malick is still kind of a lame big bad though better than the Chronicoms by themselves.  I’m still hoping for a last minute surprise bad guy, maybe even Fitz turned evil again? Just someone to be a better foil for the series to go out on. Aside from that they just need to keep this train a rolling!

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Comic-Con@Home -- The Walking Dead News

The Walking Dead's Season 10 finale, which had been scheduled to air in April but was delayed due to post-production being shut down before completing the needed FX work, will now air on AMC October 4 at 9:00 PM. An extended first look with Lauren Cohan's return as Maggie can be seen in the trailer above.

Unfortunately due to the ongoing pandemic, for the first time since the series premiered, the newest season will not make its debut in October, again, due to the production shutdown. However, six episodes are scheduled to be produced in 2021 that will be considered part of Season 10, giving that season a total of 22 episodes, the most ever for the series.

But that doesn't mean the Fall will be devoid of zombies. AMC announced Fear the Walking Dead will return for its sixth season on October 11 at 9:00 PM. The trailer is below.

But wait, there's more. The latest series in the franchise, The Walking Dead: World Beyond which was also scheduled to make its debut in April, will now follow the Season 10 finale on October 4 at 10:00 PM. Check out the trailer.

A special episode of Talking Dead will air after the premiere discussing both episodes.

Netflix trailer round-up - July 24, 2020

Four teen enemies band together to exact revenge on their bullies until they get blamed for a crime they didn't commit. Will they get mad--or get even? Get Even arrives on Netflix July 31.

Science reporter and host Latif Nasser investigates the fascinating and intricate ways that we are connected to each other, the world and the universe at large. CONNECTED premiers globally on Netflix August 2.

This documentary series offers a unique and nuanced view of the ongoing struggles in America's broken immigration system. Immigration Nation coming to Netflix August 3.

They’ve trained hard. They’ve saved lives. But can they compete with the best of the best? Time to get back to the beach. Malibu Rescue: The Next Wave arrives on Netflix August 4.

Bad boy or football genius? Famed French footballer Nicolas Anelka's controversial legacy is examined in an unflinching documentary, Anelka: Misunderstood. Coming August 5th, on Netflix.

Big changes come to The Oppenheim Group as a major sale closes, the agents consider career moves, and one broker faces a very public breakup. Selling Sunset Season 3 - August 7.

From THC chips to genetic enhancements, welcome to the world of Biohacking. When "Mia" (Luna Wedler) begins her medical degree, she seems like any other student. But when she gains the trust of the brilliant Professor Lorenz (Jessica Schwarz), it becomes apparent that she's hiding a secret so big it could change the fate of humanity. From the director of Girlboss (Christian Ditter) comes a thriller that will make you question the makeup of life itself. Biohackers - Streaming on Netflix from August 20.

For Coach Ben Hopkins, winning is everything. Too bad he's a total loser. HOOPS, starring Jake Johnson, premieres August 21.

Bill & Ted Face the Music -- New trailer and release date information

The stakes are higher than ever for the time-traveling exploits of William "Bill" S. Preston Esq. and Theodore "Ted" Logan. Yet to fulfill their rock and roll destiny, the now middle aged best friends set out on a new adventure when a visitor from the future warns them that only their song can save life as we know it. Along the way, they will be helped by their daughters, a new batch of historical figures, and a few music legends to seek the song that will set their world right and bring harmony in the universe.

Orion Pictures has released a new trailer for Bill & Ted Face the Music, and have shifted and augmented the release date yet again. The film will now play in theaters that are open for business on September 1, and will also be available through various Video on Demand services like Hotchka affiliate FandangoNow on the same day. Your rental or purchase through our affiliates help support Hotchka.

Disney shakes up its theatrical release calendar

Disney has shaken up its release calendar, moving some of its bigger titles back a full year to deal with the ongoing pandemic crisis, particularly in the US where the virus continues to rage, causing the opening of theaters to be delayed (although the AMC chain is still planning to open in August).

Right off the bat, Disney has shelved the theatrical release of Mulan indefinitely following Warner Bros' decision to do the same with Christopher Nolan's Tenet. With a $200 million price tag, Disney needs the Chinese market to help the film turn a profit and for the time being cinemas in that country are shuttered as well.

Delayed but still dated, Disney will push the Avatar sequels back by a full year each. The release schedule is now set in pencil as:

• Avatar 2 - December 16, 2022
• Avatar 3 - December 20, 2024
• Avatar 4 - December 18, 2026
• Avatar 5 - December 22, 2028

The studio also has a trio of Star Wars movies that are also pushed back a year and will be released in the odd years between the Avatar films -- December 22, 2023, December 19, 2025 and December 17, 2027.

Removed from the calendar is Wes Anderson's latest, The French Dispatch from Searchlight Pictures. It's not all terrible news though. Several films on the Disney calendar are seeing shorter delays. The Personal History of David Copperfield, also from Searchlight, is being pushed just two weeks to August 28, 2020. Horror film Antlers has been postponed until February 19, 2021. Ridley Scott's The Last Duel, with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, will move from Christmas 2020 to October 15, 2021.

Sticking to 2020 releases, for now, are The New Mutants on August 28, 'Finger crossed' according to the Comic-Con online event. Kenneth Branagh's Death on the Nile, a sequel to the hit Murder on the Orient Express, which will shift back two weeks to October 23, 2020. Supernatural horror film The Empty Man will open on December 4. Marvel's Black Widow is still set for November 6, while Pixar's Soul will launch November 20, followed by Ryan Reynolds' action adventure Free Guy on December 11 and Steven Spielberg's West Side Story remake on December 18.

Keep in mind all of these dates are still flexible and will depend on cinemas opening worldwide. Warners has suggested Tenet could have a staggered international opening as things improve and Disney could follow their lead with Mulan, particularly if cinemas reopen widely in China. Stay tuned and we'll update this story as needed.

Agents of SHIELD S07E08: After, Before

© ABC

A serviceable bridge episode.
by Brandon Coulson

“After, Before”, this week’s SHIELD entry, felt like a blast from the past both in the guest star as well as the style.

We pick up where the team had left Mack and Deke originally, quickly catching up to last week’s conclusion and nicely filling the gaps and merging the two stories. We quickly got the big set up for this week’s trip down memory lane as May and Yoyo visit the Inhuman village Afterlife run by the still alive Jiaying.

Seeing the time drive on the Zephyr is going haywire, and in typical ticking clock fashion, the time between jumps and inevitable doom is growing shorter and shorter. To deactivate the drive they need Yoyo’s speed which of course has been on the fritz all season, so it makes sense to go to the guru of all things Inhuman to fix her.

Their journey is the main crux of this week as everyone else sits around and waits, including a rebooted and rebuilt Coulson, whose scene with Daisy this week wasn’t quite up to their normal quality but had its moments nonetheless. May’s power came into play big time in the episode especially now that she can feel people's emotions from a distance as she lets Yoyo know that her reunion with Mack was good for her too, oh my!

It was fun having Jiaying back on the show as well as bringing back Inhuman technology like the Diviner test they give Yoyo to prove she is one of them. Along with Daisy’s mom we also get Li, an Inhuman with the power to …  make a knife appear? Okay guys, we’re all out of powers, now we have Swiss army man, and no not the film!

© ABC

Li is set up as our red herring for the episode, throwing shade at May and Yoyo and threatening to never let them leave. But the big twist is the actual villains are Nathaniel, back again, and Kora, a  young girl first shown as a poor prisoner in the compound. We find out later she has great power and has been incredibly destructive, frightening the other Inhumans. She also happens to be Jiaying’s daughter, making her Daisy’s half-sister!

Leading up to all of that chaos however, we see Yoyo trying to unlock her ability again with zero luck even through a cute meditation and sparring sequence with May that reminded me what made Yoyo so fun to begin with instead of the sad, mopey, boring version we’ve seen so far. The big revelation is her problem is … all in her head! Yup, the most obvious answer that her PTSD and guilt were holding her back turn out to be the cause.

That was certainly anticlimactic as was the eventual last minute save as Yoyo somehow realizes that the main thing about her power that made her unique, that is how she always returned to her point of origin after using her speed, was also just in her head? I think we were supposed to see a flashback about her childhood as the origins of that, where she snatches a necklace to keep it from a thief who then in turn kills her dad. Now first off, this scene felt incredibly forced and poorly staged. It also came out of nowhere and if it is the supposed origin of her power’s limitation, well that’s just weird. Since she ran back into a closet she always automatically snapped back instinctually? And now she can just be a normal speedster? I mean, okay, since there's only a handful of episodes left I’ll just wave it off, but the whole affair seemed just thrown together and sloppy.

What was pretty awesome was May’s last minute ship flip move to dock was classic Cavalry badassness. With the setup of Nathaniel stealing and distributing more Inhuman powers alongside Kora, we could be shaping up for a gigantic final fight with lots of powered people, possibly why so many episodes have been so budget conscious.

Then after all that struggle to stop the time drive, the damn thing fired up even after being shut off and jumped our team to god knows where, and by the previews looks to be one of my favorite plot devices: a time loop! So this week was decent but probably one of the weaker entries of the year so far.

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BLACK IS KING, a film by Beyoncé | Official Trailer | Disney+

Parkwood Entertainment, in association with Disney+, announced and debuted the teaser video for the visual album Black Is King written, directed and executive produced by 24-time Grammy® Award-winner Beyoncé. Black is King will premiere globally on Disney+ on July 31, 2020 and will arrive on the heels of the one-year anniversary of the release of Disney’s global phenomenon The Lion King.

This visual album from Beyoncé reimagines the lessons of The Lion King for today’s young kings and queens in search of their own crowns. The film was in production for one year with a cast and crew that represent diversity and connectivity.

The voyages of Black families, throughout time, are honored in a tale about a young king’s transcendent journey through betrayal, love and self-identity. His ancestors help guide him toward his destiny, and with his father’s teachings and guidance from his childhood love, he earns the virtues needed to reclaim his home and throne

These timeless lessons are revealed and reflected through Black voices of today, now sitting in their own power. Black Is King is an affirmation of a grand purpose, with lush visuals that celebrate Black resilience and culture. The film highlights the beauty of tradition and Black excellence.

Based on the music of The Lion King: The Gift, and starring the album's featured artists and some special guest appearances, Black Is King is a celebratory memoir for the world on the Black experience. Videos for “My Power,” “Mood 4 Eva,” and “Brown Skin Girl” are extravagances of elegance and soul. The film is a story for the ages that informs and rebuilds the present. A reunion of cultures and shared generational beliefs. A story of how the people left most broken have an extraordinary gift and a purposeful future.

#BLACKISKING

Discovery and Science Channel Pay Tribute to Grant Imahara

Discovery and Science Channel announced that it will pay tribute to Grant Imahara with a marathon line-up of MythBusters and other engineering programs. Imahara, a long-time co-host of the hit series MythBusters, BattleBots champion and famed engineer, passed away earlier this week from a brain aneurism at the age of 49.

Imahara was part of the Mythbusters team for 10 years, where his dedication to his craft and his ability to bust myths with the best of them brought tech to life for his fans. The programming line-up on Discovery and Science Channel will feature some of Imahara's favorite MythBusters moments including a test to see whether an armor made of folded paper would hold up against an attack and whether a hotel room shower curtain could be turned into a life-saving parachute.

In Killer Robots: Robo Games 2011, Imahara serves as tour guide through the International Robogames Competition, following everyday engineers and backyard brainiacs as they produce mechanized mayhem that's as ingenious as it is dangerous. And in White Rabbit Project: May G Force Be with You, Imahara serves as co-host, learning how adrenaline junkies get their biggest G-force rush.

The full programming line-up will air as follows --

Discovery Channel - Friday, July 17

8 a.m. - Killer Robots: Robo Games 2011
9 a.m. - MythBusters -- "Mailbag Special"
10 a.m. - MythBusters -- "Motorcycle Water Ski"
11 a.m. - MythBusters - "Paper Armor"
12 p.m. - MythBusters - "Blue Ice"

Science Channel - Saturday, July 18

3 p.m. - Killer Robots: Robogames 2011
4 p.m. - MythBusters: "Shooting Fish in a Barrel"
5 p.m. - MythBusters: "Dog Myths"
6 p.m. - MythBusters: "Paper Armor"
7 p.m. - MythBusters: "Motorcycle Water Ski"
8 p.m. - White Rabbit Project: May G Force Be with You

To learn more, go to Discovery.com/GrantImahara on Facebook at Facebook.com/discovery and on Twitter @Discovery.

The Dog House UK - HBO Max Trailer

Finding forever homes for rejected dogs isn’t easy – but that’s exactly what the staff of Wood Green do every day. Set inside a rural British animal rescue center known for its commitment to matching homeless dogs with eager owners,

The Dog House: UK captures the joy and complexity of the human-dog “dating” experience. Each episode introduces tearful tales of abandoned dogs, while also touching on relatable backstories of families, couples, and singletons all hoping their lives will be changed by a new four-legged friend. It’s up to the center’s dedicated staff to match pet with potential new owner – and to arrange an all-important first date that will determine if the adorable pups and hopeful humans have that fated connection.

The entire eight-episode season drops Thursday, July 23 on HBO Max.

Disney+ Announces Date For New Series Muppets Now

The Muppets have *officially* re-entered the chat. 👋💻

Get an inside look at how your favorite characters reacted when the show was greenlit — and count down the days until #MuppetsNow, an Original Series, starts streaming July 31 only on #DisneyPlus!

Netflix trailers: Project Power, Alta Mar (High Seas), The Rain Season 3

What would you risk for five minutes of pure power?

On the streets of New Orleans, word begins to spread about a mysterious new pill that unlocks superpowers unique to each user. The catch: You don't know what will happen until you take it. While some develop bulletproof skin, invisibility, and super strength, others exhibit a deadlier reaction. But when the pill escalates crime within the city to dangerous levels, a local cop (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) teams with a teenage dealer (Dominique Fishback) and a former soldier fueled by a secret vendetta (Jamie Foxx) to fight power with power and risk taking the pill in order to track down and stop the group responsible for creating it.

Project Power - Only on Netflix August 14.

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When the Bárbara de Braganza sets sail from Argentina to Mexico, a new mystery emerges again. The Bárbara de Braganza sails off Buenos Aires and it will be up to the Villanueva sisters to find and stop a scientist carrying a deadly secret on board.

Alta Mar (High Seas) - Coming to Netflix August 7.

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One wants to save the world, the other wants to create a new one. The battle between Rasmus and Simone re-commences as they fight to save what is left of humankind as we know it. The virus can be stopped. At a cost. Prepare for the end.

The Rain Season 3 - Coming August 6th to Netflix.

The Alienist: Angel of Darkness trailer - 2-Hour Premiere July 19

The Hunt for a new killer begins July 19 when The Alienist: Angel of Darkness returns to TNT.

Lucifer Season 5 - Official Trailer

Lucifer is back and acting ... strange. Get ready - this season all your desires will be fulfilled. Season 5 Part 1 premieres August 21 only on Netflix.

Agents of SHIELD S07E07: The Totally Excellent Adventures of Mack and the D

© ABC

Radical to the Max!
by Brandon Coulson

Just hit after hit with SHIELD this year as this week’s episode once again just hit every mark in stride. Starting with Deke being debriefed by May post-adventure as a framing device, we knew right away that Deke at the very least would make it through okay. I briefly worried at the start that Mack would be lost or left behind but this episode was just all about the '80s fun.

1982. Synthesizers in full force, the genre mashups were fast and furious here as we got a whole lot of '80s in one package. Sibyl is shown to be still alive and hiding inside a clunky old computer, manipulating a nerdy repair tech into building her a new body that was appropriately terrible and clunky looking. As Mack says later, they go full Short Circuit on the design.

Mack and Deke on the other hand understandably freak out having been left behind in the past, and Mack especially takes things to heart still mourning his parents. Mack even runs off, leaving Deke on his own in a strange time. After checking in on his younger self Mack becomes a recluse just sitting drinking and building models of cars while Deke, upon tracking him down, starts leaving him food and trying to bring Mack out of his depression, unsuccessfully.

Finally weeks and months later, as shown by Mack’s epic beard, Deke finally lures him out to Swayze’s Bar, an obvious homage to Roadhouse, and it turns out Deke has been a bad boy. Yes, up to his old tricks Deke has created a band to “cover” classic '80s songs but prior to their actual creation. Stealing credit and cashing in tracks completely with what we’ve seen of Deke in the past. Actor Jeff Ward looks like he had a ball rocking out as Deke in this episode and when you meet his “Squad”? Just perfection!

© ABC

It turns out Deke has been forming the squad as a cover for the band as a black ops team, a terrible one but all the same. With a very A-Team meets every straight to VHS movie ever feel to it, you get the Chang gang, twin Asian men, along with Cricket the stoner dude and Roxy the together one, and Pachinko the badass Russian woman. Just broad silly characters that in any other setting would have been terrible but here were just great.

Of course for a base we go back to the Lighthouse, this time outfitted with lights and turned into a party pad. Boy that set has paid for itself hasn’t it? We find Coulson survived the explosion here and lives on in a UHF Max Headroom style TV on wheels (love it!) and Deke attempts to recruit Mack back to service by presenting him a brand new shiny Axe/Shotgun! Everything from here on should feel cliché and predictable but I still loved it, especially when we switched genres to horror.

Yes, when the hunter bots come a calling we got shades of Chopping Mall. Poor Cricket gets a hookup session interrupted by one of the Killbots in a bloody death. Actually several extremely gory deaths happen through this section with a surprising amount of blood for ABC. We get an old fashioned suit up montage and find that Sibyl is looking for a timestream device still at the base. After knocking the new team out or running them off one by one, eventually the team managed to take out the bots and save the day! Also unfortunately one small bot gets away with the device and gives it to Nathaniel Malick, so we know who the big bad is next.

This episode was a hilarious and bloody good time. Cheesy in all the right ways. When Mack finally calls Deke “D” and Deke calls him Mack Daddy? That “nope” from Mack had me rolling. This wasn’t the best episode by any stretch but damn if it wasn’t a ton of fun.

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