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HBO's "Harry Potter" TV series may have just found its Professor Minerva McGonagall, and in the tradition of the late, great Dame Maggie Smith, the character will be played by another decorated actress of stage and screen. Deadline reports that Janet McTeer, the two-time Oscar nominee and Tony Winner who was recently seen in FX's "The Old Man," is "in negotiations" to take on the role.

McTeer has been acting on screen since the 1980s, earning accolades for turns in movies like "Albert Nobbs" and "Tumbleweed" and taking memorable roles in Netflix's "Ozark," "Jessica Jones," and more. Most recently, she appeared opposite Jeff Bridges in the aforementioned FX drama, and played the goddess Hera in the Greek pantheon series "Kaos." McTeer also had a memorable part in 2022's comedic horror hit "The Menu," and earned an Emmy nod for playing the wife of Winston Churchill in the 2009 miniseries "Into the Storm.

Exclusive: HBO is closing in on two more main cast members for its high-profile series adaptation of the hugely popular Harry Potter fantasy books. Oscar- and Emmy-nominated actress Janet McTeer is in negotiations to play Professor Minerva McGonagall, sources tell Deadline. Additionally, Emmy nominee Paapa Essiedu, one of the first actors identified for the series, is closing his deal to portray Professor Severus Snape, I hear. They are poised to join John Lithgow, who, as Deadline reported exclusively, will be playing Professor Albus Dumbledore.

HBO declined comment. “We appreciate that such a high-profile series will draw a lot of rumor and speculation,” the network said in a statement. “As we make our way through pre-production, we will only confirm details as we finalize deals.”

The Harry Potter series, designed to run over a decade, comes from writer-showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director/executive producer Mark Mylod. Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content,...

Exclusive: Morgan (Justine Lupe) is getting a new love interest and Noah’s (Adam Brody) is getting a new work rival in Season 2 of Netflix’s Nobody Wants This. Succession alum Arian Moayed and Alex Karpovsky (Girls) have been tapped for recurring roles on the hit romantic comedy series headlined by Kristen Bell and Brody.

In a major arc, Moayed will play Dr. Andy, a charming, highly regarded (particularly by himself) psychotherapist who might just be the perfect match for Joanne’s (Bell) sister Morgan (Lupe). Karpovsky will play Big Noah, an overly confident rabbi at Noah’s (Brody) temple.

The duo join previously cast Miles Fowler, appearing in two episodes as Noah’s (Brody) basketball teammate, who gets set up with Morgan; and Leighton Meester, who will guest star in an episode as Joanne’s middle school nemesis.

Created by Erin Foster, Nobody Wants This follows an agnostic podcast...

The Variety Faith and Spirituality in Entertainment Honors presented by the Coalition for Faith and Media will be celebrated Dec. 4. The honorees are individuals who are supporting the frequently underrepresented theme of faith in entertainment storytelling. This class of 2024 Visionary Awards presented by Cfam represents diverse portrayals of faith and spirituality that are broadly compelling and nuanced.

“Bob Marley: One Love”

Bob Marley’s fans have long been brought together by joyous songs, but his revolutionary ideas are sometimes overlooked because the music is so uplifting. His son Ziggy Marley says, “In order to better understand Bob’s message you have to look past the legend and see the human being, his struggles, emotionally, spiritually and physically.” The film “Bob Marley: One Love” does just that. It reminds us ofMarley’s courage in pursuit of his mission (dare we call it a vocation?), showing him performing days after an assassination attempt,...

Variety will host the inaugural Faith and Spirituality in Entertainment Honors, presented by the Coalition for Faith & Media on December 4 in Los Angeles. The evening ceremony will celebrate individuals who are supporting often underrepresented themes of faith in storytelling and entertainment. These awards will celebrate diverse portrayals of faith and spirituality that are broadly compelling and nuanced.

The class of 2024 Visionary Honorees include:

Viola Davis and Julius Tennon, founders, JuVee Productions “Bob Marley: One Love,” accepted by Ziggy Marley, humanitarian, producer and musician, with an introduction by the Coalition for Faith and Media Erica Lipez, executive producer, writer and showrunner, “We Were the Lucky Ones” Jessica Matten, actor producer and philanthropist Arian Moayed, actor,, EP of “Motherland” and co-founder, Waterwell Sheryl Lee Ralph, Emmy-Winning Actor, “Abbott Elementary” Jay Shetty, best-selling author, Podcast Host, “On Purpose”

“The Global Faith & Media Study identified an important data point — 82% of the world identifies as religious,...

During Alyah Chanelle Scott’s first trip to Los Angeles in 2020, she was feeling lost in her fledgling career. Straight out of college, she’d been cast in the national tour of The Book of Mormon, the musical comedy from South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker about Mormon missionaries preaching to a far-flung Ugandan village, playing an African convert named Nabulungi. The job meant eight shows a week, Tuesday through Sunday, and a day off on Monday that offered just enough time for the cast to catch a...

Nicole Scherzinger has brought her Olivier-winning performance in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Sunset Boulevard” to Broadway. And rave reviews for her performance as the silent movie queen Norma Desmond staging a comeback could well win her a Tony Award next June. While some reviewers expressed reservations about the overall effect of Jamie Lloyd‘s restaging of this 1995 Best Musical Tony champ, they all heaped praise on its leading lady. Scroll down for just a sampling of these notices.

The original edition of “Sunset Boulevard” dominated the 1995 Tonys, taking home a lucky seven trophies. This radical remounting replicated that haul at the recent Olivier Awards. It was that success which propelled this production across the pond.

This revival looks vastly different than the original, which painstakingly recreated the 1950 Oscar-winning film. Its bare set and minimal costumes aren’t likely to register with the Tony Awards nominating committee. However Jack Knowles and Adam Fisher,...

In June, Cats: The Jellicle Ball seemed to shake Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats like a bottle of champagne, joyfully letting the old, vexatious material burst out on the stage at the Perelman Arts Center with glittery effervescence. Now, returning to Broadway in a stripped-down West End transfer, the heavy bones of Sunset Boulevard—Webber’s ponderous music, Don Black and Christopher Hampton’s repetitive lyrics, the general plodding approach to Billy Wilder’s 1950 film—drag behind director Jamie Lloyd’s austere vision like a body bag.

Lloyd’s ethos is all about turning the audience toward the text and performance, sharpening the listener’s ear by stripping away all the trappings of traditional productions, including, most of the time, eye contact between actors. That worked splendidly for his Cyrano de Bergerac at Bam two years ago with James McAvoy, as Edmond Rostand’s play is about the power of language itself.

When Andrew Lloyd Webber’s stage adaptation of the 1950 Billy Wilder film Sunset Boulevard premiered in London in 1993 and on Broadway the following year, it was arguably the last gasp of the ‘80s megamusical aesthetic — at least until shows like The Lion King and Wicked came along to tweak the formula. The success of blockbusters like Cats, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera and Miss Saigon was driven as much by their large-scale spectacle as their musical craftsmanship. Probably more.

Audiences flocked to Cats for its then-revolutionary immersive junkyard staging and the climactic ascent to the heavens of faded feline Grizabella on an outsized tire. In Les Mis, it was the massive turntable and the big reveal of the Paris Uprising barricade. Phantom brought a huge chandelier crashing down on the stage and Miss Saigon flew in a helicopter to evacuate the last Americans at the end of the Vietnam War.

Exclusive: Laurie Metcalf has signed with CAA.

Metcalf, who stars on ABC’s The Conners, is a four-time Emmy winner and two-time Tony winner. The signing comes at a time of impending change for the actor, with The Connors recently renewed for what will be its seventh and final season. Although a premiere date hasn’t been announced, the very popular comedy is expected back sometime mid-season, probably early 2025.

Three of her four primetime Emmys were for her role in Roseanne, with her most recent win coming in 2022 for her guest appearance on Hacks. She’s been Emmy-nominated an additional eight times.

She was Oscar-nominated for 2017’s Lady Bird written and directed by Greta Gerwig, a performance that also garnered nominations from the Golden Globes, British Film Academy, Screen Actors Guild and Independent Spirt Award.

A founding member of Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, Metcalf’s extensive and acclaimed stage...

It takes great actors to make Samuel Beckett’s modernist comedy masterpiece, Waiting for Godot, work. As the character Estragon exclaims toward the play, “Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it’s awful!” And in the right hands, it’s hilarious. In the fall of 2025, Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter — that’s right, Bill and Ted — will be giving it a go (or a no-go if you go by the script) on Broadway.

Director Jamie Lloyd will helm the production, which casts Reeves as Estragon and Winter as Vladimir. Reeves,...

Today, in "Ideas that actually make more sense the more you think about them" news, Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves have announced a new collaboration: A Broadway production of Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot.Okay, now, sit with it. You've probably just hit the first "What a silly joke...

Keanu Reeves will make his Broadway debut in Waiting for Godot.

The play, directed by Jamie Lloyd, will come to Broadway in fall 2025. Reeves will play Estragon and Alex Winter, an actor and co-star with Reeves in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, will play Vladimir in the revival of Samuel Beckett’s play.

Reeves is well-known for his starring roles in the John Wick series, the Matrix films, Dangerous Liaisons, Something’s Gotta Give, Parenthood and more.

Reeves struck up a friendship with Winter after the filming of Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Winter recently wrapped production on Adulthood, which he directed and starred in with Josh Gad and Kaya Scodelario. He has also directed the documentaries The YouTube Effect, Zappa, Showbiz Kids and The Panama Papers.

The exact theater for the revival has not yet been announced, but the production says it will play at one of Ambassador Theatre Group...

Rachel McAdams may not be in The Notebook on Broadway, but that doesn’t mean she’s any less excited about the show.

During a conversation with Broadway.com editor-in-chief Paul Wontorek on The Broadway Show, the Oscar nominee discussed her own debut on the Great White Way in new play Mary Jane by Amy Herzog, who recently adapted A Doll’s House starring Jessica Chastain. Two blocks away from the show, the musical adaptation of The Notebook is taking place in front of sold-out crowds.

“[It’s] crazy, just crazy,” McAdams said of the coincidence of both shows playing at the same time. She went on to joke that people keep thinking she’s starring in the musical adaptation of one of her breakout roles, based on the Nicholas Sparks best-selling novel.

She recalled her friend’s mom saying, “We’re going to see Rachel on Broadway! And she’s going to be singing and dancing!

Tom Holland rose to international recognition with his portrayal of Peter Parker, a.k.a., Spider-Man, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with Captain America: Civil War. The audience’s perception of the actor has been solidified with his standalone movies, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Far From Home, and No Way Home. There is no doubt that he is indeed one of the finest young actors in the entertainment industry currently.

The English actor has also been a part of movies, including Uncharted, The Devil All the Time, and Cherry. Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, Holland’s performance and dedication to the Apple TV+ miniseries The Crowded Room was appreciated by the fans. The actor is now looking forward to returning to stage, performing one of the most beloved characters of William Shakespeare, and giving Leonardo DiCaprio a tough competition for its title.

Tom Holland has solidified his space in the...

Exclusive: CBS’ Elsbeth will count on three additional guest stars for its Season 1 cast: Elizabeth Lail (Five Nights At Freddy’s), Arian Moayed (Succession) and Laura Benanti (The Gilded Age). Following a brief hiatus, the show returns April 4 with two episodes.

Elsbeth follows the titular Elsbeth Tascioni (Carrie Preston), an astute but unconventional attorney who utilizes her singular point of view to make unique observations and corner brilliant criminals alongside the NYPD following her successful career in Chicago. The character first appeared in The Good Wife and later in The Good Fight spinoff.

In addition to Preston, Wendell Pierce and Carra Patterson round out the series regular cast as Captain Wagner and Kaya Blanke, respectively. Gloria Reuben recurs as Wagner’s wife, Claudia Payne. The cast is small as the police procedural dramedy depends on a healthy supply of guest stars like Stephen Moyer, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Linda Lavin and Blair Underwood,...

Bill Kenwright, the prolific West End producer behind the hit musicals Blood Brothers, Whistle Down the Wind and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat who would later go on to become an owner and chairman of his boyhood soccer club Everton, has died. He was 78.

In a statement, Everton said Kenwright died peacefully, “surrounded by his family and loved ones.” This month, the Premier League club revealed that Kenwright had recently undergone surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his liver.

“The world of British theatre without Bill Kenwright seems impossible,” said fellow theater impresario Cameron Mackintosh in a statement on X. “In my lifetime, there has never been anyone like Bill. He’s totally irreplaceable, and we will miss him so.”

“Dearest Bill, Somewhere you’ll be singing Let It Be Me and challenging heavenly choirs to look into your Ebony Eyes,” Andrew Lloyd Webber tweeted. “The theatre will...

It’s always a delight when a major star comes to Broadway.

This past season saw Jessica Chastain and Arian Moayed in a bare bones revival of “A Doll’s House,” as well as Jodie Comer win a Tony for her performance in one-woman show “Prima Facie.” There was Sara Bareilles in “Into the Woods” and Laura Linney in “Summer 1976” — and now, a whole new roster of famous names are taking on Broadway this fall, including Daniel Radcliffe, Danny DeVito, and more.

“It’s exhausting but also invigorating,” Chastain told the Today Show about the theater. “I love doing theater. It’s what I first wanted to do. The opportunity that I could live in New York City and do theater, I feel so excited after a performance. I’m so exhausted but I can’t take a nap. I have too much adrenaline!”

Below, check out a list of just...

Editor’s note: This review was originally published at the 2023 Venice Film Festival. Ketchup Entertainment releases the film in select theaters on Friday, December 22, with expansion to follow on Friday, January 5.

Michel Franco’s “Memory” is in the tradition of movies about broken people coming together, with all the heartbreak and melodrama required.

But “Memory” bucks the tradition of the cold films previously made by the director of the apocalyptic 99-percent-uprising thriller “New Order” and high-school bullying drama “After Lucia.” They’re films that seem calm at the outset, but you wait for the other blood-dipped shoe to drop. That shoe never quite hits the ground in the peculiar and sensitive “Memory,” which stars Jessica Chastain as a 13-years-sober alcoholic who reconnects with a former school classmate, Saul (played by Peter Sarsgaard), at a reunion she doesn’t want to be at anyway.

Saul, as we eventually learn, has a...

The Tony Awards Administration Committee met on April 11, for the second time during the 2022-2023 Broadway season, to discuss the eligibility of seven productions for the 76th Annual Tony Awards. This year’s ceremony will be held at the United Palace in Washington Heights, and will broadcast live on Sunday, June 11, 2023, on the CBS Television Network, and stream live and on demand on Paramount+. The Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing.

The productions discussed were: “Between Riverside and Crazy,” “Pictures From Home,” “A Doll’s House,” “Parade,” “Bob Fosse’s Dancin’,” “Bad Cinderella,” and “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”

See 2023 Tony Awards eligibility rulings (round 1): ‘Kimberly Akimbo,’ ‘Into the Woods,’ ‘1776’ and a change in voting procedure

The following determinations were made:

Stephen McKinley Henderson will be considered eligible in the Best Performance by a Lead Actor in a Play...

The contest for Best Play Revival at this year’s Tony Awards is shaping up to be a true nail-biter, even in the nominations round of voting. Five of the eligible productions — “A Doll’s House,” “Death of a Salesman,” “Ohio State Murders,” “The Piano Lesson,” and “Topdog/Underdog” — all opened to excellent reviews, while a sixth contender, “The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window,” just announced its opening on the last day of eligibility.

Of these six productions, four will earn nominations. Four of the six have also already closed, which would seem to give an advantage to “A Doll’s House” and “Sidney Brustein’s Window,” both of which will run through the Tony voting period. Do those two productions thus have an advantage in this top race? How often does a shuttered production actually win Best Revival?

The raw numbers alone clearly demonstrate that shows that are running through...

Obie Award-winning writer and performer Alex Edelman will bring his solo show Just For Us to Broadway this summer following critically acclaimed engagements Off Broadway and in London, Edinburgh, Boston and other cities.

The Broadway limited engagement – Edelman’s first – will begin previews at the Hudson Theatre on Thursday, June 22, with an opening night set for Monday, June 26. The show will run through Saturday, August 19.

The Broadway run was announced today by producers Jenny Gersten, Rachel Sussman, and Seaview, with Mike Birbiglia. Just For Us will be directed by Adam Brace. The show was originally produced Off Broadway by Birbiglia in association with Mike Lavoie, Carlee Briglia and Joseph Birbiglia.

The show’s synopsis: “In the wake of a string of anti-Semitic rhetoric pointed in his direction online, standup comic Edelman decides to go straight to the source; specifically,...

Apparently, it’s never too late to open a show on Broadway. With just 23 days left until the eligibility cutoff for the 2023 Tony Awards, “The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window” has just announced a Broadway transfer. The production will begin performances on April 25, with an opening night of April 27 at the James Earl Jones Theatre. The limited run will last just 80 performances, through July 2. This will officially make the play the final eligible production in the 2022-2023 Broadway season, throwing chaos into many Tony races.

The play is a political drama from the late Lorraine Hansberry which recently ended a run Off-Broadway at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (Bam). Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) and Oscar Isaac (“Scenes From a Marriage”) will reprise their starring roles in the Broadway mounting. This will mark Isaac’s Broadway debut, though he has numerous New York theater credits to his name,...

By this fall Jessica Chastain could be three-quarters of the way to Egot. She won an Oscar last year for “The Eyes of Tammy Faye.” She’s a Tony contender for her Broadway role in “A Doll’s House.” And she has a good chance of winning the Emmy for Best Movie/Limited Actress for playing country legend Tammy Wynette in “George and Tammy.”

“George and Tammy” is a Showtime limited series that explores the lives and careers of country music supercouple Tammy Wynette and George Jones (played by Michael Shannon). The performance earned Chastain a Golden Globe nomination for Best TV Movie/Limited Actress, which she lost to reigning Emmy champ Amanda Seyfried (“The Dropout”). But then Chastain pulled off an upset by beating Seyfried at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. The SAG Awards are presented by industry peers just like the Emmys are, so that was a significant result.

Here is a wrap-up of all the news you need to know from Monday, March 27, 2023.

Apple TV+ is joining forces with Jessica Chastain.

The streaming service has ordered The Savant, a new, eight-episode limited series starring Academy, SAG, Golden Globe, and Critics Choice Award-winner Jessica Chastain in the lead role.

In addition to starring, Chastain will executive produce through Freckle Films, and Fifth Season and Anonymous Content are the studios.

Inspired by a true story published by Cosmopolitan, the storyline and character details are being kept under wraps for The Savant, which will be written and showrun by Emmy Award-nominee Melissa James Gibson, whose overall deal is based at Fifth Season.

Meanwhile, Hulu is almost ready to debut The Kardashians Season 3.

The third season of The Kardashians premieres May 25 on Hulu, with new episodes every Thursday.

"The cameras return as Kris, Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, Kendall, and Kylie invite viewers back...

80th Annual Golden Globe Awards — Pictured: (l-r) Jessica Chastain arrives at the 80th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 10, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. — (Photo by Todd Williamson/NBC) Apple TV+ has announced “The Savant,” a new, eight-episode limited series starring Academy, SAG, Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award-winner Jessica Chastain in the lead role. In addition to starring, Chastain will executive produce through Freckle Films, and Fifth Season and Anonymous Content are the studios. Inspired by a true story published by Cosmopolitan, the storyline and character details are being kept under wraps for “The Savant,” which will be written and showrun by Emmy Award-nominee Melissa James Gibson, whose overall deal is based at Fifth Season. Academy Award-nominee, six-time Emmy Award-winner and two-time DGA-winner Matthew Heineman will direct and serve as executive producer.

The post Academy Award Winner Jessica Chastain To Star In New Apple...

Jessica Chastain is a savant of acting, and now she’s getting a whole limited series to prove it. The “Eyes of Tammy Faye” Oscar winner and current star of “A Doll’s House” on Broadway will star in “The Savant,” a new limited series ordered by Apple TV+.

No other cast members outside of Chastain have been announced, and Apple TV+ states the storyline and character details are being kept under wraps. However, the show is inspired by a feature published in Cosmopolitan, with the original writer Andrea Stanley serving as a consultant.

Apple did not specify what article from Stanley the show is based on, but judging from the title, it’s almost certainly “They Call Her The Savant,” a 2019 profile of an anonymous woman who infiltrates online hate groups in order to track and prevent potential mass shootings.

The eight-episode miniseries will be written and showrun by Melissa James Gibson,...

A restored version of Indian master Satyajit Ray’s “The Adversary” is playing at Cannes Classics this year and films inspired by his works are being planned.

Kolkata-based Indian producer-director Aritra Sen’s Roadshow Films and Los Angeles-based British writer-director Alex Harvey’s Big Bazaar Films are producing two films this year, which take their inspiration from Ray’s life and work.

First up is feature documentary “Forest of Humans,” which looks at Ray’s creative relationship with Kolkata, the city where he lived and worked all his life. Directed by Harvey and produced by Sen, the documentary explores the many ways in which Ray used Kolkata’s diverse humanity to create an entire cinematic world. Filming almost entirely on location in Kolkata, “Forest of Humans” aims to show how Ray’s poetic world is still mysterious and alive in the city today.

“Kolkata endlessly fed Ray’s imagination,” says Sen.

The following contains The Flash spoilers

The Flash Season 8 Episode 7

To what will likely be the surprise of many, The Flash is still keeping things remarkably low-key in its second episode back from its lengthy post-Armageddon hiatus. “Lockdown” is clearly another of what showrunner Eric Wallace likes to refer to as “interlude” episodes, or more standalone stories that aren’t clearly part of the larger, more interconnected “graphic novel” arcs. And you know what? The surprisingly low-stakes hour feels exactly like what The Flash needs more of these days. A fun, simple adventure with an entertaining villain and some character-based subplots on top? We can absolutely do this for the rest of the season.

We won’t, of course, given that the outstanding mystery of Iris’s time sickness still needs solving, particularly since she seems to be either losing or somehow changing time without realizing it. And I...

Image Source: YouTube user Dola

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Many recognize Condola Rashad from her Tony-nominated performances in Saint Joan, A Doll's House, Part 2, The Trip to Bountiful, and Stick Fly or as Kate Stacker on Showtime's Billions, but few know her music alter ego Dola. However, that's all about to change. On July 22, the 33-year-old dropped her debut EP, Space Daughter, featuring five tracks titled "Blue," "Give Up the Gold," "Running in Place," "What I Said," and "Too Fire." Along with the songs, Rashad released accompanying music videos for each track, and they're all so visually stunning. Personally, my favorite is "Blue."

Ahead of the album's release, Popsugar chatted with Rashad about everything from how Space Daughter came into fruition to what she hopes fans take away from the EP. She also explained how her collaboration with Samsung has helped her stay inspired and connected during the pandemic.

“Lights Out With David Spade,” which halted production last month due to the coronavirus pandemic, will not return to Comedy Central, Variety has learned. Instead, the ViacomCBS-owned brand is preparing to shop the late-night talker — which it produces through its Comedy Central Productions — to outside networks and platforms.

The move comes as Comedy Central has experienced both a massive influx in viewers and disruption to its programming pipeline amid the pandemic.

“Lights Out” premiered last year on Comedy Central in the 11:30 p.m. time slot following “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah.” Spade, one of the biggest stars to emerge from “Saturday Night Live” in the 1990s, brought an established comedic voice to a spot on the schedule that Comedy Central has struggled to find success in since the end in 2014 of “The Colbert Report” with Stephen Colbert. But “Lights Out” ultimately didn’t deliver audiences that lived up to network hopes.

When it comes to awards, sometimes when it rains it pours. There’s a halo effect for some entertainers where multiple organizations rush to honor them at once. Bryan Cranston won a Tony and earned an Oscar nomination in the immediate afterglow of “Breaking Bad.” Adele won an Oscar right after she swept the Grammys with her cultural phenomenon album “21.” Now the same could happen for Awkwafina, who had a big year in 2019 thanks to her performance in “The Farewell” and could ride that wave to an Emmy nomination for “Nora from Queens.”

SEEMidge vs. Moira: Rachel Brosnahan and Catherine O’Hara are in a near dead heat in our comedy actress Emmy odds

Awkwafina has been on the rise for a few years now, going from a rapper and comedian to scene-stealing supporting roles in “Ocean’s 8” and “Crazy Rich Asians” (both in 2018) and then showing off her dramatic...

Now that last year’s Best Comedy Series Emmy Award champ “Fleabag” is out of the running alongside nominees “Barry,” “Russian Doll” and “Veep” – all of which netted acting nominations at last year’s ceremony – the four main comedy acting races are rather wide open and hence ripe for surprises. In order to discuss which shows and contenders might fill the void, I recently joined Gold Derby contributors Riley Chow and Tony Ruiz in our first comedy acting slugfest of the season (watch above).

With reigning champ Phoebe Waller-Bridge (“Fleabag”) out of contention, Ruiz characterizes the Best Comedy Actress battle as a “two-horse race” between Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) and Catherine O’Hara (“Schitt’s Creek”), who sit in first and second place in our combined odds. The former prevailed for its freshman season in 2018 and followed up her victory with another nom last year, while the latter is coming...

Like in Best Drama Actress, the Best Comedy Actress Emmy race is ostensibly a two-person battle: Midge vs. Moira. And this one is even closer.

2018 champ Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) and 2019 nominee Catherine O’Hara (“Schitt’s Creek”) are neck and neck in our early predictions, with 37/10 odds for the former and 19/5 for the latter. Our pundits are almost evenly split as well: Brosnahan has seven Experts and three Editors picking her to win, while O’Hara has four Experts and seven Editors.

But unlike drama frontrunners Olivia Colman (“The Crown”) and Jennifer Aniston (“The Morning Show”), neither Brosnahan nor O’Hara have wins under their belts this season, as incumbent Emmy champ Phoebe Waller-Bridge (“Fleabag”) swept the winter accolades. With Pwb and six-time winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus (“Veep”) gone for good, voters could honor somebody they haven’t yet in this category or default to an old face.

Brosnahan is...

'Saint Joan': Constance Cummings as the George Bernard Shaw heroine. Constance Cummings on stage: From sex-change farce and Emma Bovary to Juliet and 'Saint Joan' (See previous post: “Constance Cummings: Frank Capra, Mae West and Columbia Lawsuit.”) In the mid-1930s, Constance Cummings landed the title roles in two of husband Benn W. Levy's stage adaptations: Levy and Hubert Griffith's Young Madame Conti (1936), starring Cummings as a demimondaine who falls in love with a villainous character. She ends up killing him – or does she? Adapted from Bruno Frank's German-language original, Young Madame Conti was presented on both sides of the Atlantic; on Broadway, it had a brief run in spring 1937 at the Music Box Theatre. Based on the Gustave Flaubert novel, the Theatre Guild-produced Madame Bovary (1937) was staged in late fall at Broadway's Broadhurst Theatre. Referring to the London production of Young Madame Conti, The...

Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Titanic Box Office: Guy Pearce / Maggie Grace's Lockout Bombs, Julia Roberts / Lily Collins / Armie Hammer's Mirror Mirror Resilient The Titanic 3D rerelease hasn't broken any box-office records in North America, where it has taken in an estimated $44.41 million after 12 days. Overseas, however, it's another story. This weekend (which includes Wed./Thu. in some territories), Titanic 3D topped the international box office, collecting an estimated $98.9 million at 9,889 theaters in 69 territories (representing more than 100 countries), according to Box Office Mojo. In China alone, James Cameron disaster / romantic epic starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, and veteran Gloria Stuart drew $67 million, an official record for that country (not adjusted for inflation / currency fluctuations). For comparison's sake: several years before China became a box-office powerhouse for Hollywood movies — one likely to surpass the United States in the not-too-distant future — Titanic earned $43.92 million during its initial run in that country.

Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Titanic 3D Gary Ross / Jennifer Lawrence / Liam Hemsworth / Josh Hutcherson's The Hunger Games Passes $300m? Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg's American Reunion landed at no. 2 on the North American box office chart, according to studio estimates found at Box Office Mojo. At 3,192 locations, the R-rated comedy took in $21.5 million — including $660,000 earned at Thursday midnight screenings. That's quite a bit lower than the $25 million some had been expecting as late as Friday evening, or the near-$30 million predicted by Box Office Mojo a few days ago. If those estimates are correct, Universal will surely claim that American Reunion easily surpassed the $18.7 million earned by the original American Pie at 2,508 sites in 1999. In 2012 dollars, however, American Pie would have earned approximately $29 million. And what that means is: many more tickets were sold for American Pie than for American Reunion. Also, remember that American Reunion cost a...

Kate Winslet as Rose, Titanic 3D The Hunger Games will easily top the North American box for the third weekend in a row. Gary Ross' dystopic adventure tale collected $12.9 million on Friday, April 6, according to studio estimates found at Box Office Mojo. The film will likely earn somewhere between $35-$40 million over the Easter weekend. If so, it will be down around 30-35% compared to a week ago — or about half its 62% drop-off rate last (non-holiday) weekend. The Hunger Games should cross the $300 million mark at the domestic box office on Sunday. Its current total is $282.23 million. Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg's American Reunion landed at no. 2 on Friday. At 3,192 locations, the R-rated comedy took in $9.2 million — including $660,000 earned at Thursday midnight screenings. Its weekend total could reach $25 million. If those estimates are correct, Universal will claim that American Reunion far surpassed the $18.7 million earned by the original...

Leonardo DiCaprio, Titanic The Hunger Games will easily top the North American box office once again this weekend — its third time as no. 1 — according to Deadline.com's "sources." As per Deadline's early, rough estimates, The Hunger Games is expected to collect $12-$14 million on Friday, and could reach $40 million over the Easter weekend. If so, Gary Ross' movie would be down close to 30% compared to last weekend — or less than half its drop-off rate last (non-holiday) weekend. It seems that Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg's American Reunion will be the no. 2 movie on Friday, with somewhere between $8-$10 million at 3,192 locations, and an estimated $25 million by Sunday evening. That includes $660,000 earned at Thursday midnight screenings in North America. If those estimates are correct, Universal will claim that American Reunion far surpassed the $18.7 million earned by the original American Pie at 2,508 sites in 1999. There is, however, a pesky little thing known as inflation,...

James Cameron's Titanic movie Titanic 3D was the no. 2 movie on the domestic box-office chart on Wednesday, April 4, according to figures found at Box Office Mojo. Directed by the Marianas Trench's James Cameron, and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, Titanic 3D collected $4.37 million at 2,674 theaters, landing right behind The Hunger Games' $4.6 million at 4,137 locations. Comparisons are hard to make. The Hunger Games is in 2D, which means cheaper movie ticket prices, but it's playing at 1,500 more theaters than Titanic 3D. The Hunger Games has also been around for 13 days; Titanic 3D opened on Tuesday, earning approximately $325,000 at various preview screenings. Directed by Gary Ross, The Hunger Games stars Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, and Josh Hutcherson. At no. 3, Jonathan Liebesman / Sam Worthington / Ralph Fiennes' Wrath of the Titans grossed $2.25 million, followed by Julia Roberts / Armie Hammer / Lily Collins' Mirror Mirror with $1.66 million and Channing Tatum...

Kate Winslet, Titanic 3D Titanic 3D may have sailed to the top of the North American box-office chart on Wednesday, grossing an estimated $4.7 million at about 2,600 locations according to The Hollywood Reporter. That figure includes $300,000 earned at Tuesday night previews, and 71 IMAX screens. Directed by James Cameron, who made perfectly-timed headlines about a week ago thanks to a quick deep-sea trek, the 1997 megablockbuster stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Titanic's chief competition for the no. 1 slot is 2012's own megablockbuster, Jennifer Lawrence / Liam Hemsworth / Josh Hutcherson's The Hunger Games. The Gary Ross dystopic adventure drama earned an estimated $4.6-$4.7 million on Wednesday — without the added Tuesday night bonus or box-office-boosting 3D surcharges. Paramount is (officially) estimating Titanic 3D will rake in $20 to $25 million by Friday. 20th Century Fox is handling the film's international release. Launched in December 1997, the original Titanic grossed $1.8 billion worldwide. For those who choose to ignore the Inflation Effect,...

Let's start the week with some fun useless trivia, a bunch of stories that should please hardcore fans. Today I'm going to tell you an anecdote about one of the world's shortest score which never actually happened.

In 1970, director Joseph Losey and composer Richard Rodney Bennett worked on The Go-Between, which didn't go down too well. The composer felt that the director misinterpreted the novel and eventually came up with a score which didn't work out. Since Bennett had to return to the States to teach, he didn't have time to do a re-write and the picture was eventually scored by Michel Legrand. That score is one of my favorites, but of course not everybody was a fan - Bennett for instance described the music as "terribly wrong".

Now why am I telling all this next to the picture of A Doll's House? Despite the conflict on The Go-Between, Losey...