The First Round of Emmys Gave HBO 19 Things to Smile About
Vanity Fair
ESSENTIAL INDUSTRY and AWARD NEWS, compiled by REBECCA KEEGAN
Monday, September 11, 2017
It's Monday, the FedEx guy brought my Emmys dress, and I only have 6,000 hours of TV left to watch before Sunday.
Hello from Los Angeles, where we're polishing our new Creative Arts Emmys, feeling grateful for a box-office clown, and keeping an eye on the beautiful people at the Toronto International Film Festival.
AND YOU GET AN EMMY
This was supposed to be the year HBO stayed home from the Emmys, with the cable network's signature show, Game of Thrones, ineligible for reasons of its most recent season's timing. But the results of this weekend's Creative Arts Emmys, the lower-key prelude to next Sunday's big Emmys telecast, suggest HBO's new programming chief, Casey Bloys, will want to keep that tuxedo pressed. As V.F.'s Joanna Robinsonwrites, HBO collected a whopping 19 Creative Arts wins, spread out over five series: Veep,The Night Of,Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,Big Little Lies, and Westworld. Netflix also had a strong showing, taking home 16 prizes including honors for Stranger Things,The Crown, and Ava DuVernay's13th. And NBC has lots to crow about as well, with nine prizes for This Is Us and Saturday Night Live, including a win for Melissa McCarthy's podium-pushing Sean Spicer impression. Of course, we try not to take sides in all of this awards shenanigans—but we'll also admit to some delight in seeing RuPaul win his second consecutive Emmy for reality-TV host. Cheers to the winners, and for those who will be watching at home next Sunday, there is still time to adjust your ballots.
Westworld crew poses for the press.
By Matthew Simmons/FilmMagic.
O, CANADA
V.F.'s Katey Rich writes:
How does a summer blockbuster get away with crashing a fall film festival? Well, when you're Christopher Nolan and your movie is Dunkirk—one of summer's few hits and a genuine critical success to boot—you can get away with it. On Sunday afternoon at the Toronto International Film Festival, V.F. contributor Jordan Hoffmancaught up with Nolan, who conducted a Q&A after a special IMAX screening of Dunkirk—and, in the spirit of the season, also made time to schmooze. There's still tons happening here in Hollywood North for the next few days, including Krista Smith's interviews with the festival's biggest stars, reviews from Richard Lawson, and my and Mike Hogan's dispatches from the red carpet, which you can find on Vanity Fair's Twitter and Facebook accounts. To catch up with everything else, visit our Toronto hub, best read while eating poutine or drinking a Molson for the full Canadian experience.
IT FLOATS TO THE TOP
V.F.'s Yohana Desta writes:
Who knew a murderous clown was all it took to save the box office? After tremendously lame sales in August, horror movie It swooped in to get September off to a rollicking start. The Stephen King adaptation has earned $117 million since its Thursday night opening, a gargantuan sum that already puts it in the top 20 movies released this year. It also shattered quite a few records along the way, including besting Deadpool, which previously had the highest single-day opening of all time for an R-rated film. V.F.'s Joanna Robinson puts on her thinking hat and analyzes why the film did so damn well, surmising that even though theaters are dying, scary movies still remain spectacularly untouchable. "Horror movies are better seen with a crowd," she writes. Plus, it doesn't hurt that we've reached the apogee of 1980s nostalgia and Stephen King appreciation, thus creating the perfect storm for a Pennywise takeover.
HERE SHE IS
V.F.'s Hillary Busis writes:
Missed the 91st annual Miss America pageant, broadcast live Sunday night from the ever-classy Atlantic City boardwalk? If so, you deprived yourself of glittering gowns, Chris Harrison quips, a yodeling ventriloquist act courtesy of Miss Louisiana (she and her puppets performed a stirring rendition of "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart"; it was a whole thing), and a surprisingly tough final interview round, in which contestants were given just 20 seconds to respond to queries about President Trump's alleged Russian ties ("There are multiple investigations into whether Trump's campaign colluded with Russia on the election. Well, did they?") and what should be done about Confederate statues. Miss Texas won praise on social media for her measured response to a question about Charlottesville—"I think that President Donald Trump should have made a statement earlier addressing the fact and making sure all Americans feel safe in this country"—but ultimately, she was beaten out for the crown by Miss North Dakota, known off the pageant stage as 23-year-old Cara Mund. Who, for the record, does not believe Trump should have withdrawn from the Paris Agreement.
MRS. GREY WILL SEE YOU NOW
V.F.'s Laura Bradley writes:
The first teaser for Fifty Shades Freed, the final installment of the best film franchise of all time, has officially arrived—and with it comes, as usual, a slew of questions. Why is Anastasia's wedding dress hanging from a chandelier? Did she go with a Pnina gown? Why is she still surprised by the immense wealth of her billionaire paramour—as evidenced by her disbelief when Christian reveals that he owns a jet? Unsurprisingly, the teaser doesn't offer much by way of plot details or juicy sexcapades—though to be fair, you could always read the book if you just can't wait. But either way, it does offer one tantalizing promise: a full trailer is due out this November. Yes, we're living in an age when trailers for trailers have been totally normalized; in this case, though, we'll allow it, because clips like these are just the sort of ridiculous pick-me-up we all need.
THE MOTHER LODE
V.F.'s Hillary Busis writes:
The second season of Jane Campion's inventive murder-mystery thriller, Top of the Lake, is full of surprises—but none may be greater than the starring performance of 23-year-old Alice Englert, who also happens to be Campion's daughter. The pair sat down with V.F.'s Josh Duboff for an illuminating conversation about their collaboration and their relationship, featuring a hysterical anecdote about Campion going full stage mother when Englert auditioned for Snow White and the Huntsman ("I was doing an audition and she was . . . her head was poked out from behind a tree.") and what could potentially be in store should Top of the Lake return for a third season. Hint: Campion's ideal plot involves Holly Hunter, death, and an exotic new locale.
That's the news for this sunny Friday in L.A. What are you seeing out there? Send tips, comments, and your best Emmys picks to Rebecca_keegan@condenast.com. Follow me on Twitter @thatrebecca.
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