“Comedy is tragedy plus time.” Over the years, that famous quote has been attributed to several people: original Tonight Show host Steve Allen; Carol Burnett; Bob Newhart; even Woody Allen. All knew funny, that is for sure. The quote came back to me when I happened upon a YouTube video from the 82nd Annual Academy
This has been a transitional year for the Television Critics Associiation. It was finally acknowledged that the semi-annual press tour, or “the Bataan death march with cocktails” as veteran scribes called it, was, like late night television, viewed by the networks as no longer financially supportable. To paraphrase Tina Fey at one of our award
You can’t put tarriffs on talent: Canadians are among the multi-nominated heading into the 77th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (airing Sept. 14 on CTV and ABC). Vancouver-native Seth Rogan earned three nominations for writing, directing and starring and his AppleTV+ series The Studio drew 23 noms in total, a record for a rookie series. Fellow
Conan O’Brien was a great choice to host Sunday’s 97th annual Oscar telecast. After retiring at the end of 30+ years in late night, his podcast, Conan O’Brien needs a Friend, is the gold standard for celebrity conversations. He’s launched a travel series on cable and other ventures and the man has an iron stomach
Sunday night at the 76th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, John Leguizamo delivered a stirring address on representation. He singled out minorities who won awards during the ceremony. Liza Colon-Zayas made history as the first Latina to win Best Supporting Actress for The Bear. Anna Sawai became the first Asian to win a Best Drama Actress
FX’s powerful historical drama Shōgun was the big winner Friday night at the 40th annual Television Critics Association Awards. The lavishly-produced, first-year series took home four wins including the Program of the Year Award. It also was voted the 2023-24 season’s Outstanding Achievement in Drama and Outstanding New Program. In addition, it earned an Individual
Over the weekend, CBC opted not to cover two close, deciding games in the third round of the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup. Their priorities instead: the annual Canadian Screen Awards Friday and the final two hours of the reality competition series Canada’s Ultimate Challenge. The results are in and they are about as punishing as
There is no more beautiful venue for an annual media festival than the one held every June in breathtaking Banff, Alberta. Festivals have had it tough in recent years; witness the shocking news that Montreal will not host a Just for Laughs comedy event this summer for the first time in memory, certainly no laughing