Tag: gold derby

Emmy race for Limited Series is a 3-way race, according to Editors: ‘Versace’ vs. ‘Godless’ vs. ‘The Looming Tower’

“Big Little Lies” ran away with Best Limited Series and any other Emmys that weren’t nailed down in 2017. But there doesn’t seem to be as decisive a favorite in the 2018 race — at least, not according to our Editors who cover awards year-round for Gold Derby. There are only three programs they all agree will be nominated: “The Assassination of Gianni Versace,” “Godless” and “The Looming Tower.” But they don’t agree on which will win.

As of this writing “Versace” is the front-runner to win with 9/5 odds based on the combined predictions of more than 2,000 Gold Derby users. That includes support from four out of eight Editors: Joyce Eng, Marcus James Dixon, Tom O’Neil and myself. “Versace” is the second season in FX’s true-crime anthology series “American Crime Story” that began in 2016 with “The People v. O.J. Simpson,” which swept the Emmys that year, including Best Limited Series. So the academy has already shown their fondness for the show. It stands to reason voters would rally around producer Ryan Murphy again, right?

Not if up-and-coming streaming services get their way. Netflix’s western “Godless” ranks fourth in our overall predictions with 13/2 odds, but our Editors actually rank it second, with Rob Licuria and Paul Sheehan both predicting that it will upset. Netflix has never received an Emmy nom for Best Limited Series, but there’s a first time for everything, and Netflix has spent years racking up firsts: it was the first streaming service to break through with nominations for Best Drama Series (“House of Cards,” 2013) and Best Comedy Series (“Orange is the New Black,” 2014), and it had the first streaming winner for Best TV 

But Hulu stole some of Netflix’s thunder in 2017 when its breakthrough series “The Handmaid’s Tale” became the first streaming show to win Best Drama Series. Now they’re hoping to make similar history with their limited series “The Looming Tower,” which ranks third in our overall predictions with 11/2 odds and ranks third with our Editors as well with Chris Beachum and Matt Nobleforecasting its victory. “Looming Tower” is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning nonfiction book about the investigations and miscommunications between the CIA and FBI in the years leading to 9/11.

“Looming Tower” boasts a prestigious cast including Emmy winners Jeff Daniels and Alec Baldwin, Emmy nominee Bill Camp and Golden Globe nominees Peter Sarsgaard and Michael Stuhlbarg. And true stories are often popular with Emmy voters, as evidenced in the last 10 years by “John Adams” (2008), “The Pacific” (2010), “Game Change” (2002), “Behind the Candelabra” (2013) and the aforementioned “People v. O.J.” That could help “Versace” too, of course. So do you agree with our Editors that this is a three-way race?

Emmy race for Limited Series is a 3-way race, according to Editors: ‘Versace’ vs. ‘Godless’ vs. ‘The Looming Tower’

FX launches FX+ VIP streaming service just for Emmy voters

FX is making it easier than ever to ensure Emmy voters can watch all of its shows any time they want. The network has launched FX+ VIP, a commercial-free streaming service for TV Academy members that contains all seasons of its current series.

Academy members can sign up by downloading the app and entering the unique code that was sent to every member. The service is available to members until Aug. 31, four days after voting ends to determine the winners.

FX has lots of contenders in play this year, including Best Comedy Series favorite “Atlanta,” “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story,” “American Horror Story: Cult,” “Baskets,” “Better Things” and “The Americans,” which ended its six-season run on Wednesday.

As a bonus, if members join Thursday, they will get a special preview of the “Pose” series premiere on the app starting at 12:01 a.m. ET / 9:01 p.m. PT. “Pose,” Ryan Murphy‘s last new series for FX before he moves to Netflix, will debut on Sunday at 9/8c, but won’t be eligible until next year’s Emmys.

Will ‘The Assassination of Gianni Versace’ be the latest Ryan Murphy production to dominate Best Supporting Actor at the Emmys?

The television academy’s acting branch has a love affair with Ryan Murphy productions, which earn multiple Emmy nominations for their performances year after year. “The Assassination of Gianni Versace,” the second installment of Murphy’s “American Crime Story” anthology series, now enters the Emmy race and could dominate the Best Movie/Mini Supporting Actor category just like “The Normal Heart” and “The People v. O.J. Simpson” did.

Having multiple nominees from the same series or movie can yield mixed results. Before Murphy began his anthology empire Mike Nichols‘s “Angels In America” scored four out of the five available slots for Best Movie/Mini Supporting Actor in 2004: Justin Kirk, Ben Shenkman, Patrick Wilson and Jeffrey Wright were joined by William H. Macy (“Stealing Sinatra”). Macy was unable to stop the “Angels In America” juggernaut, so Wright took home the Emmy for playing Belize and Mr. Lies, the same role that won him a Tony Award in 1994 for the original Broadway production of “Angels.”

But Murphy’s productions have been hit-and-miss when they have dominated the category. His passion project “The Normal Heart” earned four of the six available nominations in the category in 2014: Matt Bomer, Joe Mantello, Alfred Molina and Jim Parsons. Bomer was the presumed favorite for playing dying reporter Felix Turner, but Martin Freeman pulled off a shocking upset for “Sherlock: His Last Vow.” Freeman probably benefited from Colin Hanks rounding out the six nominees for his role in “Fargo.” Freeman also co-starred in “Fargo,” which allowed voters to see him in two drastically different roles.

Two years later “The People v. O.J. Simpson” scored three out of the six nominations for Best Movie/Mini Supporting Actor: Sterling K. Brown, David Schwimmer and John Travolta. Even though Schwimmer and Travolta were better known at the time, Brown’s breakthrough performance as prosecutor Christopher Darden brought him the Emmy.

Will “Versace” do just as well in the nominations? And if so, will one of its supporting actors win? Let’s take a look at the top five actors from the limited series trying to make the Emmy lineup and their current odds according to the combined predictions of Gold Derby users.

Edgar Ramirez: 1st place with odds of 7/2

Ramirez is a past Emmy nominee for “Carlos” (Best Movie/Mini Actor, 2011). Despite playing the titular character in “Versace,” he’s not the central focus of the series, but he does have an Emmy I.O.U. to cash in after his surprise loss to Barry Pepper (“The Kennedys”) seven years ago.

Ricky Martin: 7th place with odds of 25/1

Martin plays Antonio D’Amico, Versace’s long-time partner. He’s right on the bubble to score his first Emmy nomination, though like Ramirez his character does not have a singular showcase episode. But if the Grammy winning musician does take home the Emmy it will put him at the halfway point to a career EGOT.

Jon Jon Briones: 15th place with odds of 100/1

Briones appears as the controlling and manipulative Modesto Cunanan, the father of spree killer Andrew Cunanan (Darren Criss). Briones is best known for his work on stage as The Engineer in the musical “Miss Saigon.” The Philippines native has a stellar acting showcase in the episode “Creator/Destroyer,” where he abuses his wife and son and commits financial fraud. Criss only appears towards the end of the episode, so it rests almost solely on Briones shoulders, giving him the opportunity to truly carry a storyline.

Cody Fern: 19th place with odds of 100/1

Fern plays Cunanan’s second victim and one-time friend David Madson. The Australian actor only had seven credits to his name before giving his breakthrough performance in the fourth episode of “Versace,” “House by the Lake,” in which his character is taken hostage and forced to go on the road with Cunanan. While Fern doesn’t have the name-recognition of his rivals, that didn’t stop Sterling K. Brown two years ago.

Finn Wittrock: 20th place with odds of 100/1

Wittrock is a previous Emmy nominee for his breakthrough performance in another Murphy production, “American Horror Story: Freak Show” (2015), in which he played serial killer Dandy Mott. This time he plays a murder victim: Jeffrey Trail, the first man killed by Cunanan. Like Fern and Briones he’s given an episode in which his character is the predominant focus: “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” in which Trail deals with the pain and shame of hiding his sexuality to keep his career in the Navy. Trail befriends Cunanan and eventually confronts him about his lies and manipulation before Cunanan fatally turns on Trail. Should Wittrock score another Emmy nomination, will he win on his second try?

Will ‘The Assassination of Gianni Versace’ be the latest Ryan Murphy production to dominate Best Supporting Actor at the Emmys?

Darren Criss on mastering the ‘emotional Tetris’ of ‘The Assassination of Gianni Versace’ [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO INTERVIEW]

dcriss-archive:

Darren Criss doesn’t want to humblebrag, but he had a very memorable encounter at the Met Gala earlier this month. He was approached by someone who had just seen his performance as serial killer Andrew Cunanan on “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story” — and who had no idea of his song-and-dance history as Blaine Anderson on “Glee.”

“He was like, ‘Oh, man, everyone’s gonna think you’re this killer now.’ He didn’t know what I had done before and he didn’t know anything about ‘Glee,’ and I was really thrilled,” Criss tells Gold Derby in an exclusive video interview (watch above). “I was like, ‘This is great.’ If I can keep that up, to me, that would be a huge accomplishment because the goal is to continually keep people on their [toes].”

Criss certainly did just that with his haunting, unnerving turn as Cunanan, who killed four men in a cross-country murder spree before fatally shooting the fashion designer in broad daylight in July 1997. A man of many alias and personas whose true self will forever remain unkowable, Cunanan was a complex role as it is, but it was made even more complicated by the limited series’ storytelling structure, opening with the murder of Versace (Edgar Ramirez) before going backwards in time.

Keep reading

Darren Criss on mastering the ‘emotional Tetris’ of ‘The Assassination of Gianni Versace’ [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO INTERVIEW]

dcriss-archive:

Darren Criss on mastering the ‘emotional Tetris’ of ‘The Assassination of Gianni Versace’

Darren Criss chats with Gold Derby editor Joyce Eng about mastering the ‘emotional Tetris’ of ‘The Assassination of Gianni Versace.’ He doesn’t want to humblebrag, but he had a very memorable encounter at the Met Gala earlier this month. He was approached by someone who had just seen his performance as serial killer Andrew Cunanan – and who had no idea of his song-and-dance history as Blaine Anderson on “Glee.”

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)