Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Music’ Category

2025 Year-End Round-Up: The Faces of 2025

Posted in Familiar Faces, Movies, Music, New Faces, Television, Year End Round Up on December 29, 2025| Leave a Comment »

The following list highlights the actors and actresses on TV and on the big screen who really caught viewers’ attention throughout this year.

They appear in no particular order:

Milo Callaghan – He got his start in the Starz period piece The Spanish Princess and appeared in episodes of shows like FBI: International, Doctor Who, Rivals and Dune: Prophecy as well as appeared in both horror flicks The Strangers Part 1 and The Strangers Part 2, but it was his turn in the lead rule of Rudy Baylor in the USA Network small screen adaptation of John Grisham’s The Rainmaker, holding his own alongside John Slattery and Lana Parrilla, that got him attention.

Mason Thames – This 18-year-old Texan has achieved a box office record last held by Jim Carrey back in 1994. He has appeared in three number 1 box office hits within a single year, including the live-action version of How to Train Your Dragon, the horror flick sequel Black Phone 2 and the rom-com Regretting You based on the novel by Colleen Hoover. His credits also included several episodes of Walker and For All Mankind.

Sofia Carson – Just a decade ago, this talented singer-actress had never stepped onto a feature film set, but then she landed at Disney starring in several TV shows but primarily appearing in The Descendants movie franchise. She also provided the voice in the animated film Elena of Avalor, but it’s been in roles in the Netflix movies Purple Hearts, Carry On, The Life List and most recently My Oxford Year that has made her Netflix’s first bona fide movie star.

Owen Cooper – The talented British newcomer full-on turned heads with his performance in the four-part Netflix mini-series Adolescence, garnering himself a Best Supporting Actor Emmy Award, making him the youngest male ever to win a Primetime Emmy Award at the ole ripe age of 15, and that with no acting experience. He will next be seen in the next year’s Emerald Fennell-director and written Wuthering Heights where he will play Young Heathcliff.

Anna Lambe – This Canadian beauty has appeared in TV shows like Diggstown, the short-lived Three Pines and the Hilary Swank short-lived series Alaska Daily before she landed a recurring role on True Detective: Night Country. This year, she appeared in the comedy film Dusk & Dawn and had the lead role of Siaja in the adorable Netflix comedy North of North, which will be back for a second season, hopefully, sometime next year.

Milly Alcock – This Australian actress caught viewers’ attention back in 2022 with her role in the spin-off series House of the Dragon, playing the young Rhaenyra Targaryen, the distant ancestor of Daenerys Targaryen aka Khaleesi (Game of Thrones lead actress Emilia Clarke), but it was her turn as Simone DeWitt in the Netflix mini-series Sirens, where she starred opposite Julianne Moore and Meghann Fahy, that turned heads. Then this summer she appeared in the final moments of the hit film Superman, playing Kara Zor-El. She will play that character in next summer’s much anticipated follow-up flick Supergirl.

Jack Schumacher – The Illinois native was one of the hotshots in the Tom Cruise-led film Top Gun: Maverick in 2022, but it was his role in the Netflix contemporary western (think Yellowstone without as many guns and death) Ransom Canyon, playing bad boy-turned good ole boy Yancy Grey that caught viewers eyes.

Tom Blyth – Back in 2022 this British actor starred as the famous gunfighter William H. Bonney in the drama series Billy the Kid on MGM+ (formerly EPIX). That series came to a close on that cable network in November. Then in 2023 he played Coriolanus Snow in the prequel film The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. He appeared in four other flicks over the next two years and will next be seen in the upcoming Netflix movie People We Meet on Vacation that will debut on the streaming service in January.

Who are some of the faces from this year who caught your attention either on television, in music or in film? Please share.

TOMORROW: New Faces of 2026

Read Full Post »

2025 Year-End Round Up: In Memorium

Posted in Condolences, Movies, Music, Sports, Television, Writers, Year End Round Up on December 27, 2025| Leave a Comment »

The following industry personalities from theatre, TV, music, the big screen and so much more as well as athletes, authors, politicians and many other walks of life passed away in 2025, and heartfelt condolences are extended to their families, friends and fans.

The celebrities we have lost this year are (in alphabetical order):

Alon Aboutboul (Character Actor, The Dark Knight Rises) [He was only 60]
Jerry Adler (Actor, The Sopranos and Behind-the-Scenes Broadway Vet) [He was 96]
Denise Alexander (Actress, General Hospital) [She was 85]
Dave Allen (Founding Bassist, British Post-Punk Band Gang of Four) [He was only 69]
Sian Barbara Allen (TV Actress, The Waltons and L.A. Law) [She was 78]
Wenne Alton Davis (Character Actress, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Blindspot, New Amsterdam and Rescue Me) [She was only 60]
Lourdes Ambriz (Mexican Soprano and Voice of Belle in 1991 Spanish Version of Beauty and the Beast) [She was only 64]
Loni Anderson (Actress, WKRP Cincinnati) [She was 79]
Wallis Annenberg (Arts and Wildlife Philanthropist) [She was 86]
Betsy Arakawa (Classical Pianist and Wife of Gene Hackman) [She was only 65]
Kevin Arkadie (Co-Creator, New York Undercover) [He was only 68]
Giorgio Armani (Italy’s Undisputed Fashion King) [He was 91]
Denis Arndt (Actor, LA Law and Picket Fences and Tony-winner, Heisenberg) [He was 86]
Peter Arnett (CNN Gulf War Correspondent and Pulitzer Prize Winning Vietnam Reporter) [He was 91]
Jim Avila (ABC News Correspondent) [He was 69]
Roy Ayers (Musician and Composer) [He was 84]

Jeff Baena (Film Director and Husband of Actress Aubrey Plaza) [He was only 47]
Joe Don Baker (Actor, Walking Tall and GoldenEye) [He was 89]
Ray Thomas Baker (Music Producer with Queen, The Cars and Foreigner) [He was 78]
Mohammad Bakri (Palestinian Actor and Director, Homeland and Beyond the Walls) [He was 72]
Dave Ball (Instrumentalist for Pop Due Soft Cell, “Tainted Love”) [He was only 66]
Perry Bamonte (Guitarist And Keyboardist for The Cure) [He was only 65]
Lynn Ban (Reality Star, Bling Empire and Jewelry Designer) [She was 51]
Brigitte Bardot (1950’s Sex Symbol and Actress) [She was 91]
Jiri Bartoska (Czech Actor and President of the Karlovy Vary Film Festival) [He was 78]
Felix Baumgartner (Austrian Extreme Skydiver) [He was only 56]
John Beam (Football Coach) [He was only 66]
David Hekili Kenui Bell (Actor, Lilo & Stitch) [He was only 46]
Robert Benton (Oscar-winning Director and Screenwriter, Kramer vs. Kramer) [He was 92]
Alan Bergman (Oscar-Winning Composer, “The Way We Were”) [He was 99]
Greg Biffle (NASCAR Driver) [his wife Cristina and their two children, Emma and Ryder, were also in the same plane crash that took his life) [He was only 55]
Brandon Blackstock (Former Stepson Reba McEntire, Ex-Husband of Kelly Clarkson and Talent Manager) [He was only 48]
Joan Branson (Wife of Richard Branson) [She was 80]
May Britt (Swedish Actress, The Blue Angel and Murder, Inc and second wife of legend Sammy Davis Jr.) [She was 91]
Skip Brittenham (Powerhouse Lawyer, Representative to Harrison Ford, Eddie Murphy and many others) [He was 83]
Bob Broder (Senior Member of TV Literary Agency and Worked with Chuck Lorre) [He was 85]
Amanda Brotchie (Australian Director, Riot Women, Doctor Who, Renegade Nell and Gentleman Jack) [She was 57]
Terry “Sabu” Brunk (WWE and ECW Professional Wrestling Legend and Nephew of Former Wrestling Star The Sheik) [He was 60]
Anita Bryant (Former Beauty Queen and Singer) [She was 84] (Her views on homosexuality virtually destroyed her career)
Jackie Burch (Emmy-nominated Casting Director, Die Hard and The Breakfast Club) [He was 74]
Clem Burke (Drummer, Blondie) [He was 70]
Anne Burrell (Chef and Food Network Star) [She was only 55]
Jerry Butler (Impressions Singer and Chicago Politician) [He was 85]
Dick Button (Olympic Figure Skating Champion and Emmy-winning TV Sports Analyst and Commentator) [He was 95]
Ruth Buzzi (Legendary Comedian and Actress) [She was 88]

Jiggly Caliente (RuPaul’s Drag Race Star) [She was only 44]
John Capodice (Actor, General Hospital and Ace Ventura) [He was 83]
Frank Capril (Rhode Island TV Judge) [He was 88]
Claudia Cardinale (Italian Actress, 8½, Rocco and His Brothers, The Pink Panther and Once Upon a Time in the West) [She was 87]
Carl Carlton (Singer, “Everlasting Love” and “Bad Mama Jama”) [He was 72]
Joe Caroff (James Bond 007 Logo Designer and Designer of Iconic Film Posters) [He was 103]
Rachael Carpani (Australian Actress, Home and Away and McLeod’s Daughters) [She was only 45]
Budd Carr (Music Supervisor for Oliver Stone Movies) [He was 79]
Richard Chamberlain (Veteran Actor, Shogun and The Thorn Birds) [He was 90]
Leslie Charleson (Actress, General Hospital) [She was 79]
Dick Cheney (Vice President to George W. Bush) [He was 84]
Sharon Chuter (Found of Uoma Beauty and Philanthropist) [She was only 38]
Presley Chweneyagae (South African Actor, Tsotsi) [He was only 40]
Alf Clausen (Composer, The Simpsons) [He was 84]
Barbara Clegg (Actress and Scriptwriter, Doctor Who) [She was 98]
Jimmy Cliff (Reggae Legend and Jamaican Icon) [He was 81]
D.L. Coburn (Pulitzer Prize Winning Playwright, “The Gin Game”) [He was 87]
Arthur Cohn (Swiss producer of six Oscar-winning films including The Garden of the Finzi-Continis) [He was 98]
Mike Collier (Former Pittsburgh Steelers Running Back) [He was 71]
Pauline Collins (British Actress, Shirley Valentine) [She was 85]
Gerry Connolly (Democrat, Virginia Representative) [He was 75]
Jason Constantine (Co-President of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group) [He was only 55]
Jilly Cooper (Prolific British Author, “Rivals”) [She was 88]
Ted Cordes (Longtime Head of NBC’s Broadcast Standards) [He was 87]
Steve Cropper (Legendary Guitarist for Booker T. & the MG’s, Otis Redding and the Blue Brothers) [He was 84]
Patricia Crowley (Actress, Please Don’t Eat the Daisies) [She was 91]
Martin Cruz Smith (Best-Selling Author, Gorky Park) [He was 82]
Iris Cummings Critchell (1936 Summer Olympics Swimmer and Influential WWII Aviator) [She was 104] (She flew bombers with the Women’s Air Force)
Dalyce Curry (Actress, Blues Brothers) [She was 95] (She lost her life in the LA Wildfires)
Sonny Curtis (Singer-Songwriter, “I Fought the Law,” “Walk Right Back” and the theme for the Mary Tyler Moore Show and Performed with his band The Crickets and the late Buddy Holly) [He was 88]
Mary Cybulski (Script Supervisor and Set Photographer, Life Of Pi) [She was 70]

D’Angelo (Legendary R&B Singer) [He was only 51]
Rick Davies (One of the Two Co-Founders, Frontmen and Chief Songwriters of British band Supertramp) [He was 81]
Belva Davis (Pioneering Broadcaster and Civil Right Champion) [She was 92]
Carl Dean (Husband of Country Legend Dolly Parton) [He was 82]
Rebekah Del Rio (Singer, David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive) [She was only 57]
Michael DeLano (Actor, Rhoda and Ocean’s Eleven) [He was 84]
Rick Derringer (Singer, “Hang on Sloopy”) [He was 77]
Dickson Despommier (Microbiologist and Visionary Behind Vertical Farming) [He was 84]
Lincoln Diaz-Balart (Former Congressman) [He was 70]
Les Dilley (Art Director, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Star Wars) [He was 84]
Millicent Dillion (Novelist and Prizewinning Short Story Writer) [She was 99]
Rev. James Dobson (Evangelical Christian whose toxic teachings left generations scarred) [He was 89]
Carol Downer (Leader in Feminist Women’s Health Movement) [She was 91]
Chris Doyle (Artist) [He was only 66]
Chris Dreja (Musician, Co-Founder of British rock band Yardbirds and Photographer) [He was 79]
Patti Drew-Reed (R&B Legend, “Tell Him” and “Workin’ on a Groovy Thing”) [She was 80]
Ken Dryden (Hall of Fame Canadiens Hockey Goaltender) [He was 78]
Kitty Dukakis (Wife of Former Massachusetts Governor and Presidential Hopeful Michael Dukakis) [She was 88]

Veronica Echegui (Netflix Actress, Book of Love movie with Sam Claflin) [She was only 42]
Samantha Eggar (English Actress, Doctor Dolittle and The Collector) [She was 86]
Gary England (Long-Time TV Meteorologist in Oklahoma) [He was 85]
John Erwin (Voice Actor, He-Man and Archie Cartoons) [He was 88]
Cleto Escobedo III (Bandleader for Jimmy Kimmel) [He was only 59]

Marianne Faithfull (Legendary Singer, “As Tears Go By”) [She was 78]
Fatma Hassona (Palestinian Photojournalist) [She was only 25]
Jules Feiffer (Pulitzer Prize-winning Cartoonist, Stage and Screen Writer, Carnal Knowledge and Popeye) [He was 95]
Amanda Feilding (Visionary Researcher) [She was 82]
James E. Ferguson II (North Carolina Civil Rights Attorney) [He was 82]
Renee Ferguson (First Black woman to work as investigation reporter for WMAQ-Channel 5 in Chicago) [She was 75]
Conchata Ferrell (Veteran Actress, Two and a Half Men, Edward Scissorhands and Mystic Pizza) [She was 77]
Susie Figgis (Casting Director, Gandhi, The Full Monty, Harry Potter, Bohemian Rhapsody and More) [She was 77]
Pat Finn (Prolific TV Character Actor and Comedian, The Middle) [He was only 60]
Simon Fisher-Becker (Actor, Harry Potter) [He was only 63]
Roberta Flack (Legendary Singer-Pianist, “Killing Me Softly” and “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”) [She was 88]
Dave Flebotte (Emmy-Nominated Writer, Tusla King and Desperate Housewives [He was in his 60’s]
Viola Ford Fletcher (Oldest living survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre) [She was 111]
James Foley (Director, Glengarry Glen Ross, At Close Range and Fear) [He was 71]
George Foreman (Boxing Champion and Grilling Magnate) [He was 76]
Connie Francis (Singer, “Who’s Sorry Now?” and “Don’t Break the Heart that Loves You”) [She was 87]
Elizabeth Franz (Tony-winning Actress, appeared in Gilmore Girls) [She was 84]
Ian Freebairn-Smith (Grammy-winning Composer, Arranger and Vocalist, arranged “Evergreen” from A Star Is Born) [He was 93]
Ace Frehley (Founding Member and Guitarist, KISS) [He was 74]
Jill Freud (Actress, Love Actually and Inspiration for Lucy in the Narnia Books) [She was 98]
Athol Fugard (Playwright) [He was 92]
Eileen Fulton (Actress, As the World Turns) [She was 91]

Ed Gale (Actor, Chucky and Howard the Duck) [He was 61]
Jeffrey Garcia (Beloved voice actor and Comedian, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius) [He was only 48]
Marc Garneau (Former Federal Cabinet Minister and Astronaut) [He was 76]
Betsy Gay (Actress, Little Rascals) [She was 96]
McGavock “Mac” Gayden (Slide Guitarist and Songwriter) [He was 83]
Anthony Geary (Actor, General Hospital) [He was 78]
Frank Gehry (Titan of Architecture) [He was 96]
Gil Gerard (Actor, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century) [He was 82]
Gai Gherardi (Los Angeles Optician) [She was 78] (She pioneered eyeglass frames as fashion statements)
Oliver Gibson (Former Pittsburgh Steeler) [He was only 53]
Barbara Gips (Creator of Memorable Movie Catchphrases [such as] “In space no one can hear you scream” from Alien) [She was 89]
Virginia Roberts Giuffre (Posthumous Author and Brave Survivor of Jeffrey Epstein sexual abuse) [She was only 41]
Bruce Glover (Character Actor, Diamond Are Forever and Father of Actor Crispin Glover) [He was 92]
Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay (Vocalist, The Grateful Dead) [He was 78]
Jane Goodall (Eminent Primatologist) [She was 91]
Irv Gotti (Co-Founder of Murder, Inc. and Music Executive behind Ja Rule and Ashanti) [He was only 54]
Meyer Gottlieb (Samuel Goldwyn Films Chief, Producer & Holocaust Survivor) [He was 86]
Jed “The Fish” Gould (Pioneering LA Disc Jockey on KROQ-FM) [He was only 69]
Kimberly Hebert Gregory (Actress, Vice Principals and Private Practice) [She was only 52]
Adam Greenberg (Oscar-nominated Cinematographer, Terminator) [He was 88]
Herb Greene (1960’s Rock Scene Portraitist) [He was 82]
Peter Greene (Character Actor, Pulp Fiction and The Mask) [He was only 60]
Bobby Grier (Longtime NFL Executive) [He was 82]
Raul M. Grijalva (Arizona Representative) [He was 77]
Joan Dye Gussow (Nutritionist and Educator) [She was 96] (She was the Matriarch of the “Eat Locally, Think Globally” food movement)

Gene Hackman (Veteran Actor, The French Connection, Superman and Unforgiven) [He was 95]
Lynn Hamilton (Actress, Sanford and Son and The Waltons) [She was 95]
George Hardy (Tuskegee Airman who fought in three wars) [He was 100]
Devin Harjes (Actor, Boardwalk Empire) [He was only 41]
Bobby Hart (Singer-Songwriter, Part of Writing Team Boyce & Hart; they wrote The Monkees Theme Song, “I Wanna Be Free” and “Last Train to Clarksville”) [He was 86]
Betty Hartford (Actress, Dynasty) [She was 98]
Pamela Bach Hasselhoff (Actress, Baywatch and Former Wife of Actor David Hasselhoff) [She was only 62]
Wings Hauser (Veteran Actor, Vice Squad and The Young and the Restless and Father of Yellowstone Actor Cole Hauser) [He was 78]
Richard Hays (Methodist Minister and New Testament Theologian) [He was 76] (He asserted that a deeper reading of the Bible revealed that same-sex relationships are not sinful)
Terry Martin Hekker (Author and First Female Mayor of Nyak, New York) [She was 92]
Muhsin Hendricks (First Openly Gay Imam in Cape Town, South Africa) [He was only 57]
Patrick Hemingway (Second Son of Novelist Ernest Hemingway, Safari Guide and Big-Game Hunter) [He was 97]
Alexis Herman (Trailblazing U.S. Secretary of Labor) [She was 77]
Brent Hinds (Former Lead Guitarist, Mastodon) [He was only 51]
Alice Hirson (Actress, Dallas and Ellen) [She was 95]
Anne Marie Hochhalter (Survivor of 1999 Columbine High School Shooting) [She was only 43]
Hulk Hogan, aka Terry Bollea (Wrestling Legend and Reality TV Star) [He was 71]
Polly Holliday (Veteran Actress, Alice) [She made “Kiss My Grits” into National Catchphrase] [She was 88]
Melissa and Mark Hortman (Minnesota State Representative and Her Husband) [They were only 55 and 58 respectively] (They were murdered, along with the family dog, at their front door)
Kevyn Major Howard (Actor, Full Metal Jacket and Sudden Impact) [He was 69]
Garth Hudson (Multi-Instrumentalist, Canadian American Rock Band, the Ban) [He was 87]
Robert Charles Hunter (Husband of Diane Ladd) [He was 77] (Robert and Diane passed away within three months of each other)
Andrew Huse (Historian and Foodie) [He was only 52]
Rick Hurst (Actor, The Dukes of Hazzard) [He was 79]
Mike Hynson (Surf God in hit 1966 documentary, The Endless Summer) [He was 82]

Ken Jacobs (Pioneering Experimental Filmmaker) [He was 92]
Stanley R. Jaffe (Producer, Kramer vs. Kramer) [He was 84]
Henry Jaglom (Independent Filmmaker) [He was 87]
Brett James (Grammy-Award Winning Songwriter and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Inductee, “Jesus, Take the Wheel”) [He was only 57]
Flaco Jimenez (Tejano and Conjunto Music Legend and Accordionist) [He was 86]
Jose Jimenez (Activist and Former Gang Member) [He was 76] (He transformed a Chicago gang into a militant voice for Social Services, Fair Housing and Education)
David Johansen (Frontman for New York Dolls) [He was 75]
Robert John (Singer and Songwriter, “Sad Eyes”) [He was 79]
Stephanie “Tanqueray” Johnson (Burlesque Dancer in the 1960s and 1970s) [She was 81]
Jonathan Joss (Voice Actor, King of the Hill) [He was only 59]
Diogo Jota (Liverpool Soccer Player) [He had only been married to his childhood sweetheart for two weeks] [He was only 28]

Richard Kahn (Former AMPAS President and Studio Marketing Executive) [He was 95]
Jonathan Kaplan (Director for TV and Films, The Accused and ER) (He was 77]
Andrew Karpen (Film Executive and Founder of Bleecker Street Media) [He was only 59]
Tcheky Karyo (Turkish French Actor, Bad Boys, La Femme Nikita and The Patriot) [He was 72]
Nicky Katt (Actor, Boston Public, Dazed and Confused and Boiler Room) [He was only 54]
Diane Keaton (Veteran Actress, Annie Hall and First Wives Club) [She was 79]
David Keighley (Imax’s First Chief Quality Officer) [He was 77]
Susan Kendall (Actress, Producer and Daughter of Paul Newman) [She was 72]
Joan Kennedy (Wife of Senator Ted Kennedy) [She was 89]
David Ketchum (Actor, Get Smart and Camp Runamuck) [He was 97]
Udo Kier (German Actor, My Own Private Idaho and Cult Icon) [He was 81]
Val Kilmer (Actor, Top Gun, The Doors, Tombstone and Batman Forever) [He was only 65]
Sophie Kinsella (Author, “Confessions of a Shopaholic”) [She was only 55]
Charlie Kirk (Radical and Controversial Co-Founder of Turning Point USA, Influential Activist of the Conservative Political Right) [He was only 31]
Sally Kirkland (Oscar-Nominated Actress, Anna, JFK and Bruce Almighty) [She was 84]
Fumi Kitahara (Respected Publicity Executive) [She was only 56]
Kelley Klebeow (aka Kelley Mack) (Actress, The Walking Dead and Chicago Med) [She was only 33]
Howie Klein (Top Executive at Sire and Reprise Records, DJ and Political Activist) [He was 77]
Michael Klick (Emmy-winning Producer, Homeland and 24) [He was 77]
Ivan Klima (Acclaimed Writer who took on Totalitarianism) [He was 94]
Marshawn Kneeland (Dallas Cowboys Defensive End) [He was only 24]
Ted Kotcheff (Canadian Filmmaker, First Blood, Weekend at Bernie’s and Fun with Dick and Jane) [He was 94]
Max Kozloff (Art Critic in the 1960s and 1970s) [He was 91]

Diane Ladd (Oscar-nominated Actress, Chesapeake Shores, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore and Wild at Heart) [She was 89]
Robin Lakoff (Expert on Language and Gender) [She was 82]
Bob Laemmle (President, Laemmle Theatres) [He was 89]
Cleo Laine (Jazz Singer and Actress) [She was 97]
Henry Langrehr (Decorated World War II Veteran and Author) [He was 100]
John Lawlor (Actor, The Facts of Life and Phyllis) [He was 83]
Mickey Lee (Reality “Star,” Big Brother Contestant) [She was only 35]
Tom Lehrer (Sardonic Singer-Songwriter-Pianist, “That Was the Week That Was”) [He was 97]
James Leprino (The Willy Wonka of Cheese, Primary Supplier to Domino’s and Pizza Hut) [He was 87]
Martin Levy (Longtime Advisor and Publicist to Steven Spielberg) [He was 96]
Ananda Lewis (MTV Video Jockey and TV Personality) [She was only 52]
Paul Libin (Major Broadway Producer and Long-Time Circle in the Square President) [He was 94]
Jack Lilley (Actor, Little House on the Prairie) [He was 91]
Lar Park Lincoln (Actress, Knots Landing, Beverly Hills 90210, Murder She Wrote and Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood) [She was only 61]
Dawn Little Sky (Actress, Gypsy, The Apple Dumpling Gang and Rawhide/Artist, Walt Disney Studios) [She was 95]
June Lockhart (Veteran Actress, Lassie, Lost in Space and Meet Me in St. Louis) [She was 100]
John Lodge (Singer, Songwriter and Bass Player for British Rock Band The Moody Blues) [He was 82]
Jim Lovell (Apollo 13 Astronaut) [He was 97]
Joseph Lovett (Openly Gay Producer who aimed to Destigmatize Gay Life and Bring Attention to the AIDS Crisis) [He was 80]
Philip Lowrie (Actor, Coronation Street) [He was 88]
Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas (Soccer-Loving Nun in Brazil and Oldest Person in the World) [She was 116]
Brad Luff (Former Executive at Original Film, Morgan Creek, Sony, Warner Bros. and more) [He was only 60]
David Lynch (Acclaimed Film Director and TV Series Creator, Twin Peaks) [He was 78]

Michael Madsen (Actor, Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill and Brother to Actress Virginia Madsen) [He was only 67]
Camryn Magness (Singer-Songwriter who performed with One Direction and Fifth Harmony) [She was only 26]
Valerie Mahaffey (Emmy Winning Actress, Northern Exposure, Young Sheldon and Desperate Housewives) [She was 72]
Raul Malo (the Frontman for the Mavericks) [He was only 60]
Patty Maloney (Actress, Far Out Space Nuts and Chewbacca’s son Lumpy in Star Wars Holiday Special) [She was 89]
Ryan Whyte Maloney (Singer and Musician, Top 5 Finalist on The Voice in 2014) [He was only 44]
Chuck Mangione (Jazz Musician, “Feels So Good”) [He was 84]
Ted Mann (Emmy-winning Writer and Producer, NYPD Blue, Homeland and Deadwood) [He was 72]
Eduardo Manzano (Mexican Actor and Comedian) [He was 87]
Jeff Margolis (TV Producer and Director) [He was 78]
Lucy Markovic (Model, appeared in Australia’s Next Top Model) [He was only 27]
Diane Martel (Acclaimed Video Director, Worked with Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Alicia Keys, John Legend and more) [She was only 63]
Mary Martin (Country, Folk and Rock Music Manager, Grammy winning Producer and Executive) [She was 85]
Wink Martindale (TV Game Show Host, Tic-Tac-Dough) [He was 91]
Dada Masilo (South African Dancer and Choreographer) [She was only 39]
John Masius (TV Show Creator, Touched By An Angel, Providence and Hawthorne and Writer, St. Elsewhere) [He was 75]
Tommy McLain (King of Swap Pop) [He was 85]
Julian McMahon (Actor, Charmed, Nip/Tuck, FBI: Most Wanted) [He was only 56]
Steve McMichael (Pro Football Hall of Fame Member and Chicago Bears Legend) [He was only 67]
Hayley McNeff (Fitness Influencer and Champion Bodybuilder) [She was only 37]
Ariela Mejia-Polanco (Social Media Influencer) [She was only 33]
Jeffrey Meldrum (Leading Academic Authority on Sasquatch) [He was 67]
Fern Michaels (Prolific Author of Romance Novels) [She was 92]
Penelope Milford (Broadway and Film Actress, Coming Home, Heathers and Endless Love) [He was 77]
Don Mischer (Prolific Live Event Director and 15-time Emmy winner) [He was 85]
Jon Miyahara (Actor and Silent Scene-Stealer, Superstore) [He was 83]
Sam Moore (Member of Sam & Dave Duo, “Soul Man” and “Hold On, I’m Comin’”) [He was 89]
Gary “Mani” Mounfield (Bassist, The Stone Roses and Primal Scream) [He was only 63]
Bill Moyers (Acclaimed TV Journalist and one-time White House Press Secretary) [He was 91]
Nancylee Myatt (Writer, Night Court and Living Single) [She was only 68]

Tatsuya Nakadai (Japanese Film Legend) [He was 92]
Daniel Naroditsky (Chess Grandmaster) [He was only 29]
Andrea Blaugrund Nevins (Documentary Filmmaker) [She was only 63]
Anh-Thu Nguyen (Renowned Miami Pilot, 10th Women to Fly Solo Around the World) [She was only 44, and died in a small plane crash]
Elizabeth Nissen (Veteran ABC News Correspondent and Nightline Reporter) [She was 71]
John Noble Wilford (Times Reporter who covered the Moon Landing) [He was 92]
Linda Nolan (Member of Irish Pop Group The Nolans, TV Personality, Bestselling Author and Daily Mirror Columnist) [She was 65]
Jay North (Former Child Actor, Dennis the Meance) [He was 73]
Rosanna Norton (Oscar-Nominated Costume Designer, Tron and Carrie) [She was 80]
Sam Nujoma (Founding President of Namibia, South Africa) [He was 95]
Sophie Nyweide (Child Actor, Mammoth and Noah) [She was only 24]

Uche Ojeh (Husband of Today Co-Host Sheinelle Jones) [He was only 45]
Roberto Orci (Screenwriter and TV Series Creator, Fringe, Sleepy Hollow and Hawaii Five-0) [He was only 51]
Ozzy Osbourne (Legendary Singer and Reality TV Star, Frontman of Black Sabbath) [He was 76]
Wayne Osmond (Part of Famous Osmond Family) [He was 73]
Allyce Ozarski (TV Producer, The L Word: Generation Q and I Love You, America with Sarah Silverman) [She was only 41]

Mario Paglino and Gianni Grossi (Designers who made Barbies into Art) [The married couple were only 52 and 54 respectively)
Eddie Palmieri (Latin Music Innovator, Pianist, Composer and Bandleader) [He was 88]
Dave Parker (Baseball Legend of Hall of Fame Electee) [He was 74]
Jim Parkinson (Lettering Artist Whose Hand-Drawn Logos Branded Covers of Rolling Stone, Esquire, Newsweek and More During Heyday of Print Journalism) [He was 83]
John Peck aka Mad Peck (Underground Cartoonist, Artist, Critic and Disc Jockey) [He was 82]
Charles Person (Youngest of the Freedom Riders in 1961) [He was 82]
Thomas Perry (Prizewinning Writer, The Butcher’s Boy and the Jane Whitefield Series) [He was 78]
Mike Peters (Frontman of Welsh Rock Band The Alarm) [He was only 66]
Robert Pietranton (SVP Publicity and Communications, Warner Bros. TV Group) [He was only 56]
Jane Etta Pitt (Brad Pitt’s Mom) [She was 84]
Joan Plowright (Legendary Stage and Box Office Actress and Widow of Laurence Olivier) [She was 95]
Priscilla Pointer (Actress, Carrie and Dallas and Mother of Actress Amy Irving) [She was 100]
Pope Francis (the First Latin American Pope) [He was 88]
Frank Price (Former Universal and Columbia Studio Head) [He was 95]
Thommy Price (Drummer, Worked with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Billy Idol and Scandal) [He was only 68]

Abraham Quintanilla Jr. (Father of Tejano Icon/Singer Selena) [He was 84]

Mick Ralphs (Guitarist and Co-Founder of Bad Company and Mott the Hoople) [He was 81]
Charles Rangel (Former New York Congressman) [He was 94]
James Ransone (Actor, IT Chapter Two, The Wire and The Black Phone) [He was only 46]
Lorna Raver (Actress, Drag Me to Hell) [She was 81]
Chris Rea (Rock and Blues Singer-Songwriter, “Fool If You Think Its Over”) [He was 74]
Robert Redford (Veteran Screen Idol, Director and Activist) [He was 89]
Terry “Superlungs” Reid (Iconic Rocker who famously rejected the chance to be in both Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple) [He was 75]
Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner (Legendary Actor, All in the Family and Director, The Princess Bride and When Harry Met Sally) [He was 78 while she was 68] (They were murdered in their own home)
Clive Revill (Voice Actor of Emperor Palpatine in Empire Strikes Back) [He was 94]
Cecile Richards (Former Planned Parenthood President and Daughter of Politician Ann Richards) [She was 67]
Alice Tan Ridley (Gospel and R&B Singer, Semi-Finalist on America’s Got Talent and Mother to Actress Gabourey Sidibe) [She was 72]
Sam Rivers (Bassist and Co-Founder, Limp Bizkit) [He was only 48]
Tony Roberts (Actor, Annie Hall, Hannah and Her Sisters and Stardust Memories) [He was 85]
Phil Robertson (Patriarch of reality TV series Duck Dynasty) [He was 79]
Chris Robinson (Veteran Actor, General Hospital and The Bold and the Beautiful) [He was 86]
Johnny Rodriguez (Country Music Star) [He was 73]
Tristan Rogers (Actor, General Hospital) [He was 79]
Alison Rose (Writer for The New Yorker, Idiosyncratic Essays and Profiles) [She was 81]
Tammie Rosen (Communications at Tribeca Enterprises and the Sundance Institute) [She was only 49]
Patricia Routledge (Tony Award Winning Actress, Keeping Up Appearances) [She was 96]
Camilla Row (Wife of Hallmark Actor Brennan Elliott) [She was only 46]
William Rush (British Actor, Waterloo Road) [He was only 31]

Francisco San Martin (Actor, Days of Our Lives) [He was only 39]
Gailard Sartain (Character Actor and Comedian, Hee Haw and The Buddy Holly Story) [He was 78]
Salli Sasche (Former Model, Miss American Contestant, 1960’s beach party movies like Beach Blanket Bingo and Bikini Beach) [She was 82]
Prunella Scales (British Actress, Fawlty Towers) [She was 93]
Charley Scalies (Character Actor, The Wire and The Sopranos) [He was 84]
Otto Schenk (Opera Director) [He was 94]
Lalo Schifrin (Six-Time Oscar Nominated Composer, Pianist and Conductor, Mannix, Starsky & Hutch and Mission: Impossible) [He was 93]
Tatiana Schlossberg (Environmental Journalist and Granddauther of John F. Kennedy) [She was only 35]
Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt (Loyola University Chaplain) [She was 106]
Michael Peter Schmidt (Sipur President and Red Arrow Studios Co-Founder) [He was only 52]
Peter-Henry Schroeder (Character Actor, Argo and Star Trek) [He was 90]
Pippa Scott (Producer and Actress, The Searchers, Petula and Auntie Mame) [She was 90]
Troy Seals (Legendary Songwriter, “Seven Spanish Angels” and “If You Ever Have Forever in Mind”) [He was 86]
Jeannie Seely (Legendary Country Music Icon) [She was 85]
David Sellers (Architect who became the Father of the Design-Build Movement) [He was 86]
Ralph Senensky (TV Director, The Waltons, Dynasty, Star Trek) [He was 102]
Eduardo Serra (Cinematographer, Harry Potter film franchise and Girl with a Pearl Earring) [He was 81]
Dave Shapiro (Pilot and Owner, Sound Talent Group) [He was only 42]
Paula Shaw (Veteran Actress, Freddy vs. Jason, Cedar Cove and countless Hallmark Channel movies) [She was 84]
Bobby Sherman (Legendary Singer, Actor and 1960’s and 1970’s Teen Idol) [He was 81]
Jim Shooter (Iconic Comic Book Writer and Former Marvel Editor-in-Chief) [He was 73]
Peter Sichel (Refugee, Prisoner, Spy and Wine Merchant) [He was 102) [He made Blue Nun, one of the most popular wines in the world]
Helen Siff (Character Actress, Married With Children and Will & Grace) [She was 88]
Joel Sill (Veteran Music Supervisor, Easy Rider, Flashdance and Forrest Gump) [He was 78]
Jubilant Skyes (Celebrated Opera Singer) [He was 71]
Gary Smith (8-Time Emmy-Winning Producer, TV Specials and Awards Shows) [He was 90]
Imani Smith (Broadway’s Young Nala in The Lion King) [She was only 26]
L.J. Smith (Author, The Vampire Diaries book franchise) [She was only 66]
Todd Snider (Singer-Songwriter, “Alright Guy”) [He was only 59]
Mark Snow (Composer, Ghost Whisperer, Blue Bloods and The X-Files) [He was 78]
David Souter (Republican Justice, Supreme Court) [He was 85]
Dr. Danielle Spencer (Former Child Actress, What’s Happening) [She was only 60]
Friedrich St. Florian (Designer, World War II Memorial) [He was 91]
Terence Stamp (Veteran Actor, 1970’s Superman franchise and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) [He was 87]
David Steinberg (Longtime Manager to Billy Crystal and Robin Williams) [He was 81]
Harry Stewart, Jr. (Retired Lt. Col. and Decorated WWII Pilot, One of Last Surviving Tuskeegee Airmen) [He was 100]
Robert Stirm (Vietnam War POW seen in iconic “Burst of Joy” Photo with family) [He was 92]
Angie Stone (Grammy-Nominated Soul Singer, “Wish I Didn’t Miss You) [She was only 63]
Sly Stone (Multi-Talented Musician and Legendary Singer) [He was 82]
Tom Stoppard (Playwright, Screenwriter and 4-time Tony Winner, Shakespeare in Love and Rosencrantz and Guildentern Are Dead) [He was 88]
Charles Strouse (Tony Award-winning Composer and Lyricist, “Annie” and “Bye Bye Birdie”) [He was 96]
Drew Struzan (Artist and Illustrator, Created Movie Posters for Back to the Future, The Empire Strikes Back and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) [He was 78]
Olive Sturgess (Actress, TV westerns and the 1963 cult horror spoof The Raven) [She was 91]
Jimmy Swaggart (Scandal-Riddled Televangelist) [He was 90]
Loretta Swit (Emmy-Winning and Legendary Actress, M*A*S*H) [She was 87]
John Sykes (Legendary Guitarist, Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy and Tygers of Pan Tan) [He was 65]

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Veteran Actor, Mortal Kombat and The Man in the High Castle) [He was 75]
Lee Tamahori (Director, Once Were Warriors and Die Another Day) [He was 75]
Dan Tana (Opened Iconic West Hollywood Celebrity Hangout) [He was 90]
Jim Tauber (Former Sidney Kimmel Entertainment President) [He was 74]
Malik Taylor (TikTok Star) [He was only 28]
Lynne Taylor-Corbett (Tony Award-nominated Choreographer and Director) [She was 78]
David Thomas (Fronted Rock Band Pere Ubu) [He was 71]
Danny Thompson (Founding Member, British Folk Rock Band Pentangle, Worked with Kate Bush and Roy Orbison) [He was 86]
Oliviero Toscani (Photographer, Art Director and Creative Mastermind of Benetton’s Advertising Campaign) [He was 82]
Michelle Trachtenberg (Actress, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harriet the Spy and Gossip Girl) [She was only 39]
Sylvester Turner (Texas Representative) [He was 70]
Marian Turski (Auschwitz Survivor) (He wrote and spoke about dangers of indifference to racial and ethnic injustice) [He was 98]

Bob Uecker (Sports Announcer, The Milwaukee Brewers and TV Star, Mr. Belvedere) [He was 90]

Ben Vaughn (President and CEO, Warner Chappell Nashville Publishing) [He was only 49]
Renee Victor (Actress, Weeds and Voice Actor, Coco) [He was 86]
Joseph Vieira (Former Child Actor, Lassie) [He was 81]
Danny Virtue (Producer, Stunt Coordinator and Horse Whisperer on over 1,000 films and TV shows, The Last of Us, the Twilight film franchise and multiple Hallmark movies) [He was 76]
Mark Volman (Founding Member of 60’s Band The Turtles Known for “Happy Together”) [He was 78]

Lesley Walker (Film Editor, Mona Lisa and Mamma Mia!) [She was 80]
Joseph Wambaugh (Former LAPD Officer and Novelist) [He was 88]
Derrick Ward (Longtime NBC Washington Journalist) [He was 62]
Jim Ward (Prolific Voice Actor, The Fairly OddParents) [He was 66]
Malcolm-Jamal Warner (Actor, The Cosby Show and The Resident) [He was only 54]
Kenneth Washington (Actor, Hogan’s Heroes) [He was 88]
Melanie Watson (Former Diff’rent Strokes Child Star) [She was only 57]
Slick Watts (Point Guard for Seattle SuperSonics) [He was 73]
Lee Weaver (Veteran Actor, Donnie Darko, O Brother, Where Art Thou and The Cosby Show) [He was 95]
Jane Morgan Weintraub (Singer, Nightclub Entertainer, Broadway Performer and Wife of the late show business mogul Jerry Weintraub) [She was 101]
David Weitzner (Hollywood Marketing Executive, Steered Campaigns for Star Wars and E.T.) [He was 86]
Josh Welsh (Film Independent President and Champion of Filmmakers) [He was 62]
George Wendt (Veteran Actor, Cheers) [He was 76]
Timothy West (Actor, EastEnders and Coronation Street) [He was 60]
Lally Weymouth (Journalist and Socialite from family that once owned The Washington Post) [She was 82]
Edmund White (Novelist and Pioneer of Gay Literature) [He was 85]
Randy White (Husband of Country Music Star Lorrie Morgan) [He was 72]
Bobby Whitlock (Keyboardist, Derek and the Dominos, Songwriter “Bell Bottom Blues”) [He was 77]
Isiah Whitlock Jr. (Actor, The Wire and Frequent Spike Lee Collaborator) [He was 71]
D’Wayne Wiggins (Founding Member of Tony! Toni! Tone!) [He was only 64]
Carole Wilbourn (Self-Described Cat Therapist) [She was 84]
Daniel Williams (Former Drummer, Metal Band The Devil Wears Prada) [He was only 39]
Brian Wilson (Legendary Leader of The Beach Boys and Pop Auteur) [He was 82]
Celeste Wilson (Jackson, Mississippi WAPT Weekend New Anchor) [She was only 42]
Robert Wilson (Visionary Theater Creator/1970’s Avant-Garde Artist) [He was 83]
Daniel Woodrell (Country Noir Novelist, “Winter’s Bone) [He was 72]

Peter Yarrow (Legendary Folk Singer from Peter, Paul & Mary and Co-Writer of “Puff the Magic Dragon”) [He was 86]
Brad Everett Young (Actor, Grey’s Anatomy and Celebrity Photographer) [He was only 46]
Harris Yulin (Actor, Clear and Present Danger, Scarface and Ozark) [He was 87]

Vince Zampella (Call of Duty Video Game Creator) [He was only 55]
Shelly Zegart (Queen of Quilts, Elevating the Craft into the Canon of Art and Material Culture) [She was 84]
Don Zimmerman (Oscar Nominated Editor, Being There and Rock7 [He was 81]

NOTE: This list, in no way, covers all the industry talent who passed away this year. Again, condolences are extended to one and all.

Out of respect, please take at least a few moments of silence for those we have lost this year.

TOMORROW: 2025 TV Ratings

Read Full Post »

2025 Year-End Round-Up: And the Award Goes To…

Posted in Awards, Movies, Music, Television, Year End Round Up on December 26, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Every year there are lots of awards shows, some important, some just fun and numerous just plain silly or nonsensical, but the following list – despite the pandemic – is just some of the top winners over the course of this year:

GOLDEN GLOBES (January)

Best Motion Picture Drama – The Brutalist
Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy – Emilia Perez
Cinematic and Box Office Achievement – Wicked
Best Actress Motion Picture Drama – Fernanda Torres, I’m Still Here
Best Actor Motion Picture Drama – Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
Best Actress Motion Picture Musical or Comedy – Demi Moore, The Substance
Best Actor Motion Picture Musical or Comedy – Sebastian Stan, A Different Man
Best Supporting Actress Motion Picture – Zoe Saldana, Emilia Perez
Best Supporting Actor Motion Picture – Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
Best Director – Brady Corbet, The Brutalist
Best Original Score – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Challengers
Best TV Drama Series – Shogun (FX/Hulu)
Best TV Comedy Series – Hacks (HBO/MAX)
Best TV Limited Series – Baby Reindeer (Netflix)
Best Actress TV Drama Series – Anna Sawai, Shogun
Best Actor TV Drama Series – Hiroyuki Sanada, Shogun
Best Actress TV Comedy Series – Jean Smart, Hacks
Best Actor TV Comedy Series – Jeremy Allen White, The Bear (FX)
Best Actress Limited Series – Jodie Foster, True Detective: Night Country (HBO)
Best Actor Limited Series – Colin Farrell, The Penguin (HBO)
Best Supporting Actress – Jessica Gunning, Baby Reindeer
Best Supporting Actor – Tadanobu Asano, Shogun

LONDON CRITICS’ CIRCLE FILM AWARDS (February)

Film of the Year – The Brutalist
Animated Film of the Year – Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Director of the Year – RaMell Ross, Nickel Boys
Actress of the Year – Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hard Truths
Actor of the Year – Ralph Fiennes, Conclave
Supporting Actress of the Year – Zoe Saldana, Emilia Perez
Supporting Actor of the Year – Kiernan Culkin, A Real Pain
Breakthrough Performer – Mikey Madison, Anora

GRAMMY AWARDS (February)

Record of the Year – Kendrick Lamar, “Not Like Us”
Album of the Year – Beyonce, “Cowboy Carter”
Best New Artist – Chappell Roan
Best Pop Solo Performance – Sabrina Carpenter, “Espresso”
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance – Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, “Die With a Smile”
Best Pop Vocal Album – Sabrina Carpenter, “Short n’ Sweet”
Best Rock Performance – The Beatles, “Now and Then”
Best Country Solo Performance – Chris Stapleton, “It Takes A Woman”
Best Country Song – Kacey Musgraves, “The Architect”
Best Country Album – Beyonce, “Cowboy Carter”

CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS (February)

Best TV Drama – Shogun
Best Actor TV Drama – Hiroyuki Sanada, Shogun
Best Actress TV Drama – Kathy Bates, Matlock
Best Supporting Actor TV Drama – Tadanobu Asano, Shogun
Best Supporting Actress TV Drama – Moeka Hoshi, Shogun
Best TV Comedy – Hacks
Best Actor TV Comedy – Adam Brody, Nobody Wants This
Best Actress TV Comedy – Jean Smart, Hacks
Best Supporting Actor TV Comedy – Michael Urie, Shrinking
Best Supporting Actress TV Comedy – Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
Best Made-for-TV Movie – Rebel Ridge
Best Actor Limited Series – Colin Farrell, The Penguin
Best Actress Limited Series – Cristin Milioti, The Penguin
Best Motion Picture – Anora
Best Actor Motion Picture – Adrian Brody, The Brutalist
Best Actress Motion Picture – Demi Moore, The Substance
Best Young Actress Motion Picture – Maisy Stella, My Old Ass
Best Acting Ensemble Motion Picture – Conclave
Best Director Motion Picture – Jon M. Chu, Wicked
Best Costume Design Motion Picture – Wicked
Best Visual Effects Motion Picture – Dune: Part Two
Best Animated Motion Picture – The Wild Robot
Best Comedy Motion Picture – Deadpool & Wolverine and A Real Pain [TIE]

PRODUCERS GUILD OF AMERICA (February)

Outstanding Producer of Motion Picture – Anora
Outstanding Producer of Animated Motion Picture – The Wild Robot
Outstanding Producer of Episodic TV Drama – Shogun
Outstanding Producer of Episodic TV Comedy – Hacks
Outstanding Producer of Limited TV Series – Baby Reindeer
Outstanding Producer Documentary Motion Picture – Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Outstanding Children’s TV Program – Sesame Street
Outstanding Sports Program – Simone Biles Rising

DGA AWARDS (February)

First Time Directorial Feature – RaMell Ross, Nickel Boys
Drama Series – Frederick E.O. Toye, Shogun
Comedy Series – Lucia Aniello, Hacks
Children’s Program – Amber Sealey, Out of My Mind

AARP MOVIES FOR GROWNUP AWARDS (February)

Best Picture – A Complete Unknown
Best Actress – Demi Moore, The Substance
Best Actor – Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
Best Supporting Actress – Joan Chen, Didi
Best Supporting Actor – Peter Sarsgaard, September 5
Best Director – Jacques Audiard, Emilia Perez
Best Screenwriter – Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox, Wicked
Best Ensemble – Sing Sing
Best TV Actress – Jodie Foster, True Detective: Night Country
Best TV Actor – Jon Hamm, Fargo
Best TV Series – Shogun

SAG AWARDS (February)

Outstanding Performance by a Cast, Motion Picture – Conclave
Outstanding Actress in Leading Role – Demi Moore, The Substance
Outstanding Actor in Leading Role – Timothee Chalamet, A Complete Unknown
Outstanding TV Ensemble, Comedy TV Series – Only Murders in the Building
Outstanding Actress in Limited TV Series – Jessica Gunning, Baby Reindeer
Outstanding Actor in Comedy TV Series – Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building
Outstanding Action by Stunt Ensemble, Motion Picture – The Fall Guy

NAACP IMAGE AWARDS (February)

Entertainer of the Year – Keke Palmer
Outstanding Motion Picture – The Six Triple Eight
Outstanding Actress, Motion Picture – Kerry Washington, The Six Triple Eight
Outstanding Actor, Motion Picture – Martin Lawrence, Bad Boys: Ride or Die
Outstanding Actress, TV Drama – Queen Latifah, The Equalizer
Outstanding Actor, TV Drama – Michael Rainey Jr., Power Book II: Ghost
Outstanding Actress, TV Comedy – Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Outstanding Actor, TV Comedy – Damon Wayans, Poppa’s House
Outstanding Soundtrack Album – Wicked: The Soundtrack
Outstanding Talk Show – The Jennifer Hudson Show
Outstanding Actor Made-for-TV Movie – Aaron Pierre, Rebel Ridge
Outstanding TV Comedy – Abbott Elementary
Outstanding Supporting Actress, TV Comedy – Danielle Pinnock, Ghosts
Outstanding TV Drama Series – Cross
Outstanding TV Documentary – Black Barbie: A Documentary
Outstanding Independent Film – Sing Sing
Outstanding Supporting Actor, Motion Picture – Denzel Washington, Gladiator II
Outstanding Supporting Actress, Motion Picture – Ebony Obsidian, The Six Triple Eight
Outstanding Writing, Motion Picture – RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes, Nickel Boys
Outstanding Animated Movie – Inside Out 2
Outstanding Original Score for TV – Star Wars: The Acolyte
Outstanding Costume Design – Paul Tazewell, Wicked
Outstanding Breakthrough Creative, Motion Picture – Malcolm Washington, The Piano Lesson
Outstanding Performance by a Youth on TV – Leah Sava Jeffries, Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Outstanding Directing in TV Movie – Tina Mabry, The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat
Outstanding News Series – The Reidout

SPIRIT AWARDS (February)

Best Feature – Anora
Best First Feature – Didi
Best Director – Sean Baker, Anora
Best Screenplay – Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain
Best Cinematography – Jomo Fray, Nickel Boys
Best Documentary – No Other Land
Best New Scripted TV Series – Shogun

BAFTA AWARDS (February)

Best Film – Conclave
Leading Actress – Mikey Madison, Anora
Leading Actor – Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
Costume Design – Paul Tazewell, Wicked

WRITERS GUILD AWARDS (February)

TV Drama Series – Shogun
TV Comedy Series – Hacks
TV Limited Series – The Penguin
TV and Streaming Movie – The Great Lillian Hall
Quiz and Audience Participation – Pop Culture Jeopardy

OSCARS (March)

Best Picture – Anora
Best Actor – Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
Best Actress – Mikey Madison, Anora
Best Supporting Actor – Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
Best Supporting Actress – Zoe Saldana, Emilia Perez
Best Director – Sean Baker, Anora
Best Adaped Screenplay – Conclave
Best Costume Design – Paul Tazewell, Wicked
Best Original Song – El Mal, Emilia Perez
Best Sound – Dune: Part Two

GLAAD MEDIA AWARDS (March)

Outstanding TV Comedy Series – Hacks
Outstanding TV Drama Series – 9-1-1: Lone Star
Outstanding New TV Series – Agatha All Along
Outstanding TV or Streaming Film – The Groomsmen: Second Chance
Outstanding Kids and Family Program or Film, Live Action – Heartstopper

PEABODY AWARDS (May)

Children’s/Youth – Out of My Mind (Disney+)
Entertainment – Will & Harper (Netflix)
Entertainment – Baby Reindeer (Netflix)
Entertainment – Ripley (Netflix)
Entertainment – Shogun (FX/Hulu)

ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS (May)

Entertainer of the Year – Lainey Wilson
Female Artist of the Year – Lainey Wilson
Male Artist of the Year – Chris Stapleton
Duo of the Year – Brooks & Dunn
Group of the Year – Old Dominion
New Female Artist of the Year – Ella Langley
New Male Artist of the Year – Zach Top
New Duo or Group of the Year – The Red Clay Strays
Album of the Year – “Whirlwind” Lainey Wilson
Songwriter of the Year – Jessie Jo Dillon

BAFTA TV AWARDS (May)

Leading Actress – Marisa Abela, Industry
Limited Drama – Mr. Bates vs. The Post Office
Sound: Fiction – Slow Horses
Special, Visual and Graphic Effects – The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS (May)

Artist of the Year – Billie Eilish
New Artist of the Year – Gracie Abrams
Collaboration of the Year – Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, Die With A Smile
Favorite Male Pop Artist – Bruno Mars
Favorite Female Country Artist – Beyonce
Favorite Country Duo or Group – Dah + Shay
Favorite Rock Artist – Twenty One Pilots
Favorite Rock Song – Linkin Park, The Emptiness Machine

GOTHAM TV AWARDS (June)

Breakthrough Comedy Series – The Studio
Breakthrough Drama Series – The Pitt
Breakthrough Limited Series – Adolescence
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Drama Series – Kathy Bates, Matlock
Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Comedy Series – Poorna Jagannathan, Deli Boys
Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Drama Series – Ben Whishaw, Black Doves
Outstanding Performance in an Original Film – Aaron Pierre, Rebel Ridge (Netflix)

TONY AWARDS (June)

Best Musical – Maybe Happy Ending
Best Play – Purpose
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical – Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset Blvd.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical – Darren Criss, Maybe Happy Ending
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play – Sarah Snook, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play – Cole Escola, Oh, Mary!
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play – Kara Young, Purpose
Best Costume Design of a Musical – Paul Tazewell, Death Becomes Her

GOLD LIST TV (June)

Outstanding Series – Squid Game
Outstanding Writing – Deli Boys
Outstanding Lead Performance – Lee Jung-jae, Squid Game
Outstanding Supporting Performance – Dichen Lachman, Severance

TELEVISION CRITICS ASSOCIATION (August)

Program of the Year – The Pitt
Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries or Specials – Adolescence
Outstanding Achievement in Family Programming – Doctor Who
Heritage Award – Sesame Street

EMMY AWARDS (September)

Outstanding Drama – The Pitt
Lead Actress Drama – Britt Lower, Severance
Lead Actor Drama – Noah Wyle, The Pitt
Supporting Actress Drama – Katherine LaNasa, The Pitt
Supporting Actor Drama – Tramell Tillman, Severance
Guest Actor Drama – Shawn Hatosy, The Pitt
Lead Actress Comedy – Jean Smart, Hacks
Supporting Actress Comedy – Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
Outstanding Reality Host – Alan Cumming, The Traitors
Lead Actress Limited Series – Cristin Milioti, The Penguin

HUMANITAS PRIZE WINNER (September)

Drama Teleplay – The Pitt, 2:00 P.M
Limited Series Teleplay – Dying for Sex
Drama Feature Film – Sing Sing
Children’s Teleplay – Heartstopper

MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS (September)

Video of the Year – Ariana Grande – “Brighter Days Ahead”
Best Pop Artist – Sabrina Carpenter
Best Rock – Coldplay – “All My Love”
Best Direction – Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
Best Group – Blackpink
Best Album – Sabrina Carpenter – “Short n’ Sweet”
Artist of the Year – Lady Gaga
Best Alternative – Sombr – “Back to Friends”
Best New Artist – Alex Warren
Latin Icon Award – Ricky Martin

HONORARY OSCARS AT THE GOVERNORS AWARDS (November)

Tom Cruise (Acting)
Debbie Allen (Choreographer and Acting)
Dolly Parton (Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award)
Wynn Thomas (Production Design)

COUNTRY MUSIC ASSOCIATION (CMA) AWARDS (November)

Entertainer of the Year – Lainey Wilson
Single of the Year – ‘you look like you love me’ – Ella Langley & Riley Green
Album of the Year – Whirlwind by Lainey Wilson
Song of the Year – ‘you look like you love me’ by Riley Green, Ella Langley and Aaron Raitiere
Female Vocalist of the Year – Lainey Wilson
Male Vocalist of the Year – Cody Johnson
Vocal Group of the Year – The Red Clay Strays
Musician of the Year – Paul Franklin – Steel Guitar
New Artist of the Year – Zach Top
Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award – Vince Gill

GOTHAM (FILM) AWARDS (December)

Best Feature – One Battle After Another
Outstanding Lead Performance – Sope Dirisu, My Father’s Shadow
Outstanding Supporting Performance – Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners

NEW YORK FILM CRITICS AWARDS (December)

Actor – Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent
Actress – Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Supporting Actor – Benicio del Toro, One Battle After Another
Supporting Actress – Amy Madifan, Weapons
Animated Film – KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix)

Congratulations to all of the above winners (and the countless others who won awards) this year. Are any of the above your favorites? Do you think there was an actor or actress who was overlooked this year? Please share your thoughts.

TOMORROW: Condolences

Read Full Post »

2025 Year-End Round-Up: The Rhythm Is Gonna Get You

Posted in Music, Video, Year End Round Up on December 24, 2025| Leave a Comment »

I’ve shared for many years now how much music has played a key part in my life. As far back as I can remember, music was always playing in my childhood home. It all started when I was a little girl, listening to music while sitting in the middle of my big brothers’ shared bedroom on their old 1970’s turntable then listening to my big boom box and later the Walkman I had in the 1980’s all the way through to my iPod in the 2000’s to now with my Pandora account.

In fact, I wake up to music every morning rather than a buzzing alarm; and then I go to bed with music. Music may not mean to everyone what it means to me, but it does play a crucial part in television, Broadway, theatre and the box office.

The following are just some of the top performers for 2025:

Collaborations of the Year – Sara Bareilles and Brandi Carlile

Both Sara and Brandi are talented singer-songwriters who have, in the past, performed together either in impromptu or concert settings, but until now they had not done an official recording with each other. They were brought together for “Come See Me in the Good Light,” the documentary about Andrea Gibson, the spoken word poet, Poet Laureate of Colorado in 2023 and activist who passed away this July from ovarian cancer. Not only did they both serve as executive producers on the documentary, but their song “Salt Then Sour Then Sweet,” based on Gibson’s poetry, was used as the theme of the documentary.

Here is the video for “Salt Then Sour Then Sweet”:

Young Songwriter of the Year – Gracie Abrams

This young singer, who is the daughter of Alias and Felicity series creator J. J. Abrams has been in love with music for most of her life and has been working professionally since 2019. This year she was the recipient of the Hal David Starlight Award by the Songwriters Hall of Fame, an acknowledgement given to gifted young songwriters who are making a significant impact in the music industry with their original songs. Besides being a talented songwriter, Gracie has performed as an opening act to Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift. Her current single “That’s So True” became a fan favorite and a career peak for her.

Here is the video for “That’s So True” by Gracie Abrams:

The Trouble With AI – “Walk My Walk” by Breaking Rust

There has been a lot of talk this year about AI from how it has already affected our day-to-day lives and as it takes over more and more aspects of it to Tilly Norwood, the AI-generated actress created by Eline Van der Velden that caused an uproar within the entertainment industry. What’s more: there is Breaking Rust, the country music artist project created by Aubierre Rivaldo Taylor that is presented with a cowboy persona, “who” had a single – “Walk My Walk” – that topped the Billboard charts and has amassed over 35,000 followers on Instagram. The main problem is this project was developed using generative AI tools to produce vocals, instrumentation and lyrics with NO human performers involved. It’s like welcoming Skynet into the music world, groan!

Here is the video for “Walk My Walk” by Breaking Rust:

Hit of the Summer – “Golden” by Huntr/x

This single comes from the fictional K-pop girl group Huntrix from the Netflix animated musical film KPop Demon Hunters. The song is performed by Kim Eun-jae, known professionally as Ejae, as well as Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami. “Golden” quickly became the hit single of the summer, being released on the Fourth of July and making its way up the charts after being played literally everywhere. It should be noted that at least three other songs from this animated film’s soundtrack made its way onto the charts and the movie featured voices provided by the aforementioned Ejae, Teen Wolf alum Arden Cho, Lost alums Yunjin Kim and Daniel Dae Kim, Community alum Ken Jeong and Lee Byung-hun from the G.I. Joe movie franchise and Red 2.

Here is a live performance of the single by Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami:

Hitmaker of the Year – Sabrina Carpenter

Every year there is usually one artist who just seems to be, well, everywhere. In years past, artists like Lorde, Olivia Rodrigo, Lainey Wilson and Taylor Swift have been that hitmaker (and some would say that Taylor Swift seems to hold that title every year); but this year the hitmaker is Sabrina Carpenter, who was honored with the Hitmaker of the Year award by Variety. Her 6th studio album “Short N Sweet” hit number 1 on the Billboard charts, she earned her first Grammy nominations and headlined her first arena shows. And, on top of all that, she had three top 10 hit singles from that album, including “Manchild,” “Please Please Please” and “Espresso.”

Here is the lyric video for her current hit single Lyric video for “Manchild”:

Best New Female Artist [TIE] – Gigi Perez and Lola Young

First, let’s talk about Gigi Perez, the 25-year-old singer who was born in New Jersey but raised in Florida. She had a unique way of making it in the music industry. She began by uploading “do it yourself” tracks on TikTok in 2021, which spawned viral hits. That led to a deal with Interscope and gigs playing before Coldplay and Noah Cyrus. But then that major label dropped her in 2023, but that didn’t deter her. She self-released her current hit “Sailor Song,” which highlights her androgynous voice, and the rest is – as they say – history. That queer love song went from being a hit online to hitting the Billboard Hot 100, amassing – get this – 1.3 billion streams, and spawned her debut album “At the Beach, in Every Life.”

Here is the video for “Sailor Song” by Gigi Perez:

Then there is Lola Young, the 24-year old singer-songwriter from the U.K. whose hit single “Messy” actually came out in May 2024, but has become a massive hit over the course of this year. You can’t really turn on the radio without hearing it in heavy rotation. This single wasn’t just an international smash – she got her first Hot 100 hit here in the States and topped the Pop Airplay chart – it has become an anthem for Gen Z, especially those with ADHD. To cap off her year, she was the recipient of the Rising Star Award from the Ivor Novello Awards (now in its 70th year); these awards are given out annually in London by the Ivor Academy for songwriting and composing.

Here is the lyric video for “Messy” by Lola Young:

Best New Male Artist – SOMBR

SOMBR, the 20-year-old New Yorker born Shane Boose, stands at an impressive height of 6-foot-7 and just might be the youngest Grammy nominee. His hit single “Back to Friends” showcases what is being called his smoldering vulnerability when he performs onstage. His album “I Barely Know Her” just came out in August, but it contains – in addition to “Back to Friends” – several Hot 100 singles like “Undressed” and “12 to 12”.

You can watch the lyric video for “Back to Friends” by SOMBR below:

Breakthrough Artist of the Year  – Alex Warren

Alex Warren is another self-starter who has been on a four-year journey in the music industry starting out on TikTok and YouTube where he independently released his first singles in 2021, to being signed to Atlantic in 2022, working on collaborations with Jelly Roll and Blackpink breakout star Rose to winning the MTV VMA for Best New Artist. The 25-year-old California native saw his hit single “Ordinary” stay in the Hot 100 for 10 nonconsecutive weeks this year.

You can watch the video for “Ordinary” by Alex Warren below:

What singer or band has been your “go-to” music during the past year? Which singles were the stand-outs for you this year? What song did you get sick of hearing on the radio? What was the top album in your opinion? Please share your thoughts on the music of 2025 below.

TOMORROW: Top of the Box Office

Read Full Post »

2024 Year-End Round-Up: Deepest Sympathies

Posted in Condolences, Movies, Music, Sports, Television, Year End Round Up on December 27, 2024| Leave a Comment »

The following industry personalities, athletes, politicians (etc.) passed away in 2023 and heartfelt condolences are extended to their families, friends and fans.

The celebrities we have lost this year are (in alphabetical order):

Jim Abrahams (Film Director and Writer, Airplane, Hot Shots and the Naked Gun franchise) [He was 80]
Anouk Aimee (French Actress, A Man and a Woman) [He was 92]
Steve Albini (Recording Engineer, Worked with Nirvana, PJ Harvey, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, among countless others) [He was only 61]
Bobby Allison (NASCAR Hall of Fame Driver) [He was 86]
Jean Allison (Character Actress, Bonanza, McCloud, Highway to Heaven and more) [She was 94]
Angela Alvarez (Cuban-born Singer and Songwriter, Oldest Performer to Win Latin Grammy Award for Best New Artist at age 95) [She was 97]
John Amos (Actor, Good Times and Roots) [He was 84]
Wallace “Wally” Amos, Jr. (Founder of Famous Amos Cookies) [He was 88]
William Anders (Flew on First Manned Space Mission to Orbit the Moon and Took “Earthrise Photo) [He was 90]
Alfa Anderson (Chic Lead Vocalist, “Good Times” and “Le Freak” [She was 78]
Iris Apfel (Fashion Icon and subject of Albert Maysles documentary) [She was 102]
John Aprea (Actor, Godfather Part II and Full House) [He was 83]
Erica Ash (Actress, Survivor’s Remorse and MADtv) [She was 46]
Dick Asher (Veteran Music Executive) [He was 92]
John Ashton (Actor, Beverly Hills Cop franchise)
Jonathan Axelrod (Studio Executive, Screenwriter and Producer; Responsible for producing over 2 dozen Hallmark movies)
Robin Ayers (Entertainment journalist and Radio Host) [She was only 44)]

Hinton Battle (3-time Tony Award winner, Singer, Dancer, Producer, Director, Choreographer, Actor, the original production of The Wiz and Buffy, the Vampire Slayer “Once More With Feeling” musical episode) [He was only 67]
Billy Bean (Former Openly Gay Outfielder for Detroit Tigers, LA Dodgers and San Diego Padres, MLB’s First Ambassador for Inclusion) [He was only 60]
Bob Beckwith (9/11 Fireman who stood beside President Bush at Ground Zero) [He was 91]
Soma Golden Behr (Senior Editor at The New York Times) [She was 84]
Joan Benedict (Soap Opera Star, General Hospital and Days of Our Lives) [She was 96]
Robyn Bernard (Actress, General Hospital) [She was 64]
Susie Maxwell Berning (Trailblazing 3-Time Champion of US Women’s Open Golf Tournament)
Roy Battersby (Director and Stepfather to Actress Kate Beckinsale)
Dickey Betts (Guitarist, Allman Brothers) [He was 80]
Frankie Beverly (Singer, R&B Group Maze)
Michel Blanc (French Actor, the film Les Bronzes and crime drama Monsieur Hire)
Christine Boisson (French Actress, Emmanuelle) [She was only 68]
Angela Bofill (R&B Singer, “This Time I’ll Be Sweeter,” “I Try” and “Angel of the Night”)
Joe Bonsall (Member of Legendary Country Singing Group Oak Ridge Boys)
Barbara Taylor Bradford (Best-Selling Author, “A Woman of Substance”) [She was 91]
Marshall Brickman (Oscar-Winning Co-Screenwriter, Annie Hall) [She was 85]
Cole Brings Plenty (Actor, Yellowstone and 1923) [He was only 27]
Kevin Brophy (Actor, TV Series Lucan and Cult Horror Film Hell Night)
Aaron Brown (Former ABC News and CNN anchor)
Joe “Jellybean” Bryant (Professional Basketball Player and Coach, Father to the Late Kobe Bryant) [He was only 69]
Don Buchwald (Longtime Agent to Howard Stern) [He was 88]
Susan Buckner (Actress, Grease)
Edgar Burcksen (Emmy-Winning Film and TV Editor, Young Indiana Jones Chronicles)
Janice Burgess (Creator of Nickelodeon’s The Backyardigans)

Joe Camp (Creator and Director of Benji movies) [He was 84]
Adan Canto (Actor, The Cleaning Lady and Designated Survivor) [He was only 42]
Peter Caranicas (Long-Time Variety Editor) [He was 80]
Eric Carmen (Singer, “All By Myself” and “Hungry Eyes”)
Caleb Carr (Military Historian and Author, ‘The Alienist’) [He was only 68]
Jimmy Carter (39th President of the United States) [He was 100]
Jenne Casarotto (Founder of Brit Talent Agency)
Roberto Cavalli (Fashion Designer) [He was 83]
Cindy Charles (Head of Music at Twitch and Digital Music Veteran) [She was only 69]
Pei-pei Cheng (Cheng Pei-pei in proper Chinese culture) (Actress, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Come Drink With Me)
Thom Christopher (Actor, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and One Life to Live)
Christopher Cicone (Artist, Interior Designer and younger brother of Madonna) [He was only 63]
Bill Cobbs (Veteran Actor, The Bodyguard and The West Wing) [He was 90]
Sherry Coben (Creator, Kate and Allie)
Pat Colbert (Actress, Dallas)
Michael Cole (Actor, Mod Squad) [He was 84]
Dabney Coleman (Veteran Actor, 9 to 5, Tootsie, Buffalo Bill, Yellowstone and Boardwalk Empire) [He was 92]
Charlie Colin (Founding Member and Bassist of the band Train) [He was only 58]
Eleanor Collins (Canada’s First Lady of Jazz, First Black person in Canada to host a TV program) [She was 104]
Roger Cook (PBS’ This Old House Cast Member)
Roger Corman (Pioneering Independent Producer, King of B Movies and Discovered Jack Nicholson, Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro) [He was 98]
Mickey Cottrell (Veteran Publicist and Champion of Independent Filmmakers)
Gavin Creel (Tony Winner and Broadway Star, Hair, Hello Dolly and Into the Woods) [He was only 49]
Arlene Croce (Dance Critic for The New Yorker) [She was 90]
Peter Crombie (Actor Seinfeld and House of Frankenstein)
Kathryn Crosby (Actress, Singer and Widow of Bing Crosby) [She was 90]
Charles R. Cross (Music Journalist) [He was 67]
Michael Culver (British Actor, Sherlock Holmes, Star Wars franchise and A Passage to India) [He was 85]
Sarah Cunningham (British Painter of Hypnotic Canvases) [She was only 31]

Mark Damon (Actor turned Independent Sales Executive, Producer on Monster) [He was 91]
James Darren (Teen Idol Actor in Gidget, Singer and Director) [He was 88]
Lynn Yamada Davis (TikTok star known for Cooking with Lynja) [She was only 67]
Vontae Davis (Former NFL Player) [He was only 35]
Lorenza de’Medici (Descendant of Storied Italian Family, Author, TV Host and Cooking School Director) [She was 97]
Diane Delano (Actress, Northern Exposure) [She was only 67]
Alain Delon (French Actor, Le Samourai) [He was 88]
Daniel C. Dennett (Widely Read and Fiercely Debated Philosopher) [He was 82]
Michaela DePrince (World-Renowned Ballerina) [She was only 29]
Geoffrey Deuel (Actor, The Young and the Restless and Chisum) [He was 81]
Paul Di’Anno (Former Iron Maiden Lead Singer) [He was only 66]
Shannen Doherty (Actress, Beverly Hills 90210 and Charmed) [She was only 53]
Lou Dobbs (Conservative Political Commentator)
Charles Dolan (Founder of HBO and Cablevision) [He was 98]
Phil Donahue (Legendary Talk Show Host) [He was 88]
William Donaldson (Chairman of the S.E.C.) [He was 93]
Shelley Duvall (Actress, The Shining)

Bob Edwards (Host of the NPR news program Morning Edition)
Duane Eddy (Grammy-winning Guitarist) [He was 86]
Ron Ely (Actor, 1960’s TV series Tarzan) [He was 86]
Jeannie Epper (Stunt Double for Lynda Carter in Wonder Woman) [She was 83]
Dr. Anthony Epstein (Doctor who found virus capable of cousin cancer in humans) [He was 102]
Art Evans (Actor, A Soldier’s Story and Die Hard 2) [He was 82]

Abdul “Duke” Fakir (Last Surviving Member of the Four Tops) [He was 88]Henry Fambrough (Last Original Member of The Spinners, “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love” and “The Rubberband Man”) [He was 85]
Tisa Farrow (Actress, Only God Knows and younger sister of Mia Farrow)
Neill Fearnley (TV Director)
April Ferry (Acclaimed Costume Designer, Maverick, Game of Thrones and Rome) [He was 91]
Joe Flaherty (Comedian-Actor, SCTV and Freaks and Geeks) [He was 82]
Vic Flick (English Musician/Guitarist, Responsible for the classic guitar riff on the iconic James Bond Theme) [He was 87]
Herbie Flowers (Bassist, Performed with David Bowie, Paul McCartney and Lou Reed) [He was 86]
Woody Fraser (Producer and Creator, The Mike Douglas Show and Good Morning America) [He was 90]
Frank Fritz (American Pickers) [He was only 60]
Yvonne Furneaux (Actress in Fellini’s La Dolce Vita and Polanski’s Repulsion) [She was 98]

David Gail (Actor, Port Charles) [He was only 58]
Teri Garr (Actress and Oscar Nominee, Tootsie, “Young Frankenstein” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”) [She was 79]
Chris Gauthier (Actor, Once Upon a Time and Eureka) [He was only 48]
Mitzi Gaynor (Actress, South Pacific) [She was 93]
Cecilia Gentili (Actress, Pose and longtime trans activist) [She was only 52]
Eric Gilliland (Writer and Producer, Roseanne) [He was only 62]
Nikki Giovanni (Poet, Activist, Professor and Children’s Book Author) [She was 81]
Cat Glover (Muse and Choreographer who worked with Prince) [She was 62]
Richard Goldstein (Trailblazer in Mapping Other Planets) [He was 97]
Benny Golson (Saxophonist and Composer) [He was 95]
Louis Gossett Jr. (Oscar-Winning Veteran Actor, Office and a Gentleman and Roots) [He was 87]
David Graham (British Actor, Peppa Pig, Thunderbirds franchise and the Daleks on Doctor Who) [He was 99]
Gary Graham (Actor, Star Trek and Alien Nation)
Nancy Green-Keyes (Casting Director, The Notebook and Rush Hour) [She was 68]
Benji Gregory (Former Child Actor, ALF) [He was only 46]
Greg Gumbel (Sports Broadcaster)
Mark Gustafson (Oscar-Winning Director) [He was only 64]

Dayle Haddon (Actress and Former Supermodel)
Francoise Hardy (French Singer and Actress) [She was 80]
Ron Harper (Actor, Land of the Lost and Planet of the Apes) [He was 91]
Bill Hayes (Actor, Days of Our Lives) [He was 98]
Rickey Henderson (Hall of Fame Outfielder) [He was only 65]
Greg Hildebrandt (Famed Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings and Marvel Artist) [He was 85]
Bernard Hill (Actor, Titanic and The Lord of the Rings)
Nonny Hogrogian (Honored Illustrator of Children’s Books) [She was 92]
Rod Holcomb (Emmy-Winning TV Director, ER and Lost)
Thomas Hoepker (Photographer whose 9/11 photo of 5 people lounging on a Brooklyn waterfront as the World Trade Center burned in the background, left an indelible mark. [He was 88]
Drake Hogestyn (Actor, Days of Our Lives)
Earl Holliman (Actor, The Rainmaker and Forbidden Planet) [He was 96]
Cissy Houston (Renowned Gospel and Soul Singer, Two-Time Grammy Winner and Mother of Whitney Houston) [She was 91]
Barbara Howar (Nonconformist and Author, “Laughing All the Way) [She was 89]
Olivia Hussey (Actress, Romeo and Juliet and Black Christmas’ Star)

Doug Ingle (Founder of band Iron Butterfly, Singer and Co-Writer ‘In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida’)

Khyree Jackson (Recently Drafted by the Minnesota Vikings) [He was only 24]
Sheila Jackson Lee (Long-time Texas Congresswoman)
Tito Jackson (Founding Member of the Jackson 5)
Jill Jacobson (Actress, The New Gidget and Falcon Crest)
Tom Jarriel (ABC News Correspondent and Anchor) [He was 89]
Norman Jewison (Director, Moonstruck, Jesus Christ Superstar and In the Heat of the Night) [He was 97]
Will Jennings (Grammy and Oscar Winner and Songwriter, “My Heart Will Go On,” “Tears in Heaven” and “Wind Beneath My Wings”) [He was 80]
Glynis John (British Actress, Mary Poppins) [She was 100]
Harry Johnson (Actor, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Battlestar Galactica and Law & Order)
Dub Jones (Football Player, Cleveland Browns) [He was 99]
Jack Jones (Singer, Theme Song of The Love Boat) [He was 86]
Jacoby Jones (Super Bowl Champion and Former NFL Wide Receiver) [He was only 40]
James Earl Jones (Legendary Film and TV Actor) [He was 93]
Quincy Jones (Artist, Grammy-Winning Producer and Film Composer) [He was 91]

Daniel Kahneman (Renowned Psychologist and Nobel Prize Winner) [He was 90]
Jay Kanter (Agent to Stars Like Marilyn Monroe and Marlon Brando) [He was 97]
Aaron Kaufman (Producing Partner to Robert Rodriguez) [He was only 51]
Toby Keith (Country Singer) [He was only 62]
Jamie Kellner (TV Maverick who launched both FOX and The WB)
Ethel Kennedy (Widow of Senator Robert F. Kennedy) [She was 96]
Greg Kihn (Singer-Songwriter, Hitmaker of Songs “Jeopardy” and “Breakup Song”)
James Kottak (Former drummer for hard-rock band Scorpions) [He was only 61]
Daniel Kramer (Bob Dylan Photographer) [He was 91]
Wayne Kramer (Guitarist and Co-Found of MC5, He influenced the creation of punk rock)
Kris Kristofferson (Actor, A Star Is Born, and Country Singer) [He was 88]
Thomas Kurtz (Inventor, BASIC, the computer programming language) [He was 96]

Jon Landau (Oscar-winning producer, Titanic and Avatar) [He was only 63]
Linda Lavin (Tony Winner and Veteran Actress, Alice) [She was 87]
Rev. James Lawson Jr. (Strategist for Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Taught Protesters Painful Techniques of Nonviolence) [He was 95]
Mary Wells Lawrence (First woman to Own and Run a Major National Advertising Agency) [She was 95]
Steve Lawrence (Singer and Actor) [He was 88]
Richard Leibner (Agent who made news anchors into stars) [He was 85]
Phil Lesh (Bassist for The Grateful Dead) [He was 84]
Gerald Levin (Media Executive Behind Time Warner-AOL Merger Debacle) [He was 84]
Richard Lewis (Actor and Comedian)
Joseph Lieberman (Senator and Former Vice-Presidential Candidate) [He was 82]
David Liederman (Creator of David’s Cookies)
Rachel Lillis (Voice of Misty and Jessie in Pokémon) [She was only 46]
Robert Logan (Actor, 77 Sunset Strip and Wilderness Family) [He was 82]
Dave Loggins (Grammy nominated Hall of Fame singer/songwriter, “Please Come To Boston”)
Bill Lucy (Trailblazing Black Union Leader, Fought for Civil Rights in American South and against Apartheid in South Africa) [He was 90]

Angus MacInnes (Actor, Star Wars and Rogue One)
Robert MacNeil (Legendary PBS News Anchor and Writer) [He was 93]
Mandisa (American Idol finalist and Grammy winning Christian Artist) [She was only 47]
Bernie Marcus (Co-Founder, Home Depot) [He was 95]
Peter Marshall (Original TV Host, Hollywood Squares) [He was 98]
Mary Martin (Grammy-winning Talent Scout, Manager and Record Executive) [She was 85]
John Mayall (British Blues-Rock Legend and 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee) [He was 90]
Jane McAlevey (Fierce Labor Organizer and Scholar) [She was only 59]
Les McCann (Legendary Jazz Pianist)
Murray McCory (Founder of JanSport) [He was 80]
Chad McQueen (Son of Steve McQueen and Actor, The Karate Kid) [He was only 63]
Melanie (Singer and Songwriter, Performer at Woodstock in 1969 and wrote lyrics to “The First Time I Loved Forever,” the theme song for the 1980’s TV series Beauty and the Beast)
Hudson Meek (Actor, Baby Driver) [He was only 16]
Kent Melton (Character Sculptor, Aladdin, The Lion King and Coraline) [He was 68]
Sergio Mendes (Brazilian Pop Innovator) [He was 83]
Steve Mensch (President and General Manager, Tyler Perry Studios) [He was 62]
Sam Mercer (Hollywood Producer and M. Night Shyamalan collaborator) [He was 69]
Spencer Milligan (Actor, 70s Kids Show Land of the Lost)
Sandra Milo (Actress, Fedrico Fellini’s 8½ and Juliet of the Spirits) [She was 90]
Kenneth Mitchell (Actor, Jericho, Star Trek: Discovery and Switched at Birth) [He was only 49]
Peggy Moffitt (Actor and 1960’s Mod Icon) [She was 86]
Josette Molland (French Resistance, Nazi Forced-Labor Camp Survivor and Painter) [She was 100]
Bob Moore (Founder of Bob’s Red Mill whole-grains company) [He was 94]
Cindy Morgan (Actress, Tron and Caddyshack) [She was only 69]
Chris Mortensen (ESPN NFL Reporter)
Michael Mosley (Popular UK TV Doctor) [He was 67]
Martin Mull (Veteran Comedic Actor)
Alice Munro (Nobel Prize-Winning Canadian Author) [She was 92]
Ana Ofelia Murguia (Mexican Star and Voice of Disney’s Coco) [She was 90]
Don Murray (Actor, Bus Stop and Knot’s Landing) [He was 94]
Alec Musser (Actor, All My Children) [He was only 50]
Dikembe Mutombo (NBA Hall of Fame Player) [He was only 58]

Bette Nash (World’s Longest-Serving Flight Attendant) [She was 88]
Alexei Navalny (Russian Opposition Leader) [He was only 47 and in a Russian prison at time of death]
Tyka Nelson (Singer and Only Full Sibling of Prince) [She was only 64]
Bob Newhart (Comedy Icon and Actor) [He was 94]
Michael Newman (Real-Life Lifeguard and Firefighter and Actor, Baywatch) [He was only 67]
Annie Nightingale (Pioneering BBC Radio DJ)
Zack Norman (Comedian, Film Producer and Actor, Romancing the Stone) [He was 83]
Wayne Northrop (Actor, Days of Our Lives, Dynasty and Port Charles)

Edna O’Brien (Prolific Irish Author) [She was 93]
Dr. Thomas O’Brien and Ruth Reardon O’Brien (Parents of Late-Night Host Conan O’Brien, who passed asway within days of each other) [They were 95 and 92 respectively]
William O’Connell (Veteran Actor, Star Trek and Clint Eastwood movies) [He was 94]
Lynda Obst (Producer, Sleepless in Seattle, Flashdance and Adventures in Babysitting)
Charles Osgood (Host, CBS Sunday Morning) [He was 91]
Edwin Overland (Football and Speedway Commentator)

Ken Page (Actor and Cabaret Singer, Broadway’s Ain’t Misbehavin and Cats)
Conrad Palmisano (Veteran Hollywood Stuntman, Stunt Coordinator and Director) Weekend at Barnie’s and Sleepless in Seattle)
Larry H. Parker (Personal Injury Attorney in Southern California known for motto “We’ll fight for you”)
Francine Pascal (Author, “Sweet Valley High” Novels) [She was 92]
Liam Payne (Member of British boy band One Direction) [He was only 31]
Chance Perdomo (Actor, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Gen V) [He was only 27]
Chuck Philips (Pulitzer-Winning LA Times Journalist)
Mike Pinder (Founding Keyboardist of the Moody Blues) [He was 82]
Nicholas Pryor (Veteran Actor, Port Charles, 90210 and Risky Business) [He was 89]
Judi Pulver (Singer-Songwriter and later Sales Executive at Variety)

Alan Rachins (Actor, L.A. Law and Dharma & Greg) [He was 82]
Alvin Rakoff (Director, “A Voyage Round My Father” and “Shades of Greene”) [He was 97]
Joyce Randolph (Actress, Honeymooners) [She was 99]
Catherine “Kasha” Rigby (Big Mountain and Expedition Skier) [She was only 54]
Leonard Riggio (Founder of Barnes &Noble) [He was 83]
Chita Rivera (Two-time Tony Award winner, West Side Story, Chicago and Kiss of the Spider Woman) [She was 91]
Thomas Rockwell (Son of Artist Norman Rockwell and Children’s Book Author) [He was 91
Richard Romanus (Actor, Mean Streets and The Sopranos)
Sam Rubin (KTLA Entertainment Reporter) [He was only 64]
Barbara Rush (Actress, It Came From Outer Space and Peyton Place) [She was 97]
Marian Robinson (Mother of Former First Lady Michelle Obama) [She was 86]
Chi Chi Rodriguez (Legendary Professional Golfer) [He was 88]
Fred Roos (Oscar-Winning Producer-Casting Director, The Godfather and Godfather Part II) [He was 89]
Pete Rose (Major Little Baseball All-Time Hit King) [He was 83]
Eddie Rosenblatt (Longtime Geffen Records President) [He was 89]
Gena Rowlands (Veteran Actress, A Woman Under the Influence and The Notebook) [She was 94]
Al Ruddy (Producer, Godfather, Million Dollar Baby and Co-Creator Hogan’s Heroes) [He was 94]
William Russell (Stage and Screen Actor, Doctor Who and Father of Harry Potter actor Alfred Enoch) [He was 99]

Alan Sacks (Co-Creator, Welcome Back Kotter and TV Producer) [He was 81]
Pamela Salem (British Actress, Doctor Who and EastEnders) [She was 80]
Bengt Samuelsson (Nobel Prize-winning biochemist) [He was 90]
CJ Sansom (British Author)
John Savident (U.K. Actor, Coronation Street) [He was 86]
Alan Scarfe (Actor, One Life to Live, Double Impact and Seven Days]
George Schenck (NCIS Writer, Producer and Showrunner) [He was 82]
Marvin Schlachter (Record Executive, Launched the Careers of Dionne Warwick and the Shirelles and later created influential disco label) [He was 90]
Al Schultz (Makeup Artist, The Carol Burnett Show and Good Times) [He was 82]
Lillian Schwartz (One of the First Artists to Use the Computer to Make Films) [She was 97]
David Seidler (Oscar-winning screenwriter, The King’s Speech) [He was 86]
Tom Shales (Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post TV Critic and Author)
Marlena Shaw (Jazz Vocalist, “California Soul”)
Doug Sheehan (Actor, General Hospital and Knots Landing)
Shifty Shellshock (Frontman of Rap Rock Band Crazy Town) [He was only 49]
Richard Sherman (Songwriter of ‘Spoonfuls of Sugar’) [He was 95]
Vladimir Shklyarov (Russian Ballet Star) [He was only 39]
James B. Sikking (Actor, Hill Street Blues and Doogie Howser) [He was 90]
Steve Silberman (Journalist, Author and Grateful Dead archivist) [He was 66]
Richard Simmons (Fitness Guru)
O.J. Simpson (Former Football Star and Actor Turned Murder Suspect and Ex-Con)
McCanna “Mac” Sinise (Son of Actor Gary Sinise) [He was only 33]
Bud S. Smith (Editor, Sorcerer, The Exorcist and Flashdance) [He was 88]
Dame Maggie Smith (Legendary Actress, Harry Potter franchise and Downton Abbey) [She was 89]
Maxine Solters (Publicist, Writer, Actor and Producer) [She was only 37]
Jae-lim Song (South Korean K-drama actor, Moon Embracing the Sun) [He was only 39]
David Soul (Actor, Starsky & Hutch and Singer, “Don’t Give Up On Us, Baby”)
John David “JD” Souther (Prolific Songwriter and Musician, Collaborator with The Eagles and Linda Ronstadt)
Adele Springsteen (Bruce Springsteen’s Mom) [She was 98]
Stephanie Sparks (Host of Golf Channel’s Big Break) [She was only 50]
Dr. Werner Spitz (Famed Forensic Examiner) [He was 97]
Morgan Spurlock (Documentary Filmmaker) [He was only 53]
Alice Stewart (Long Time Political Reporter and CNN Commentator) [He was 58]
Rob Stone (Co-Founder of Cornerstone Agency, Music Marketing Company, and its magazine the Fader) [He was only 55]
Donald Sutherland (Veteran TV and Film Actor, Emmy-Winner) [He was 88]
Anthea Sylbert (Costume Designer, Chinatown, Rosemary’s Baby and Shampoo) [She was 84]

Richard Tandy (Keyboardist for ELO)
Ruth Ashton Taylor (Pioneering Radio and TV Journalist) [She was 101]
Esta TerBlanche (Actress, All My Children) [She was only 51]
Duane Thomas (Running Back for the Dallas Cowboys)
Dennis Thompson (Drummer and Last Surviving Member of Detroit Rock Band MC5)
Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball Manga Creator) [He was only 68]
Jeremy Tepper (SiriusXM’s ‘Outlaw Country’ Chief and a Leader of the Americana Movement) [He was 60]
Tony Todd (Actor, Candyman and Final Destination) [He was only 69]
Robert Towne (Oscar Winning Writer, Chinatown) [He was 89]

Yoshihiro Uchida (Judo Coach at San Jose State University) [He was 104]

Fernando Valenzuela (Los Angeles Dodgers Pitcher) [He was only 63]
Tom Van Amburg (Broadcast TV Veteran at KABC-TV) [He was 83]
Toni Vaz (One of the first Black Stuntwomen in Hollywood and Created the NACCP Image Awards) [She was 101]
Simon Verity (British Stone Carver, one of his statues adorns the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Upper Manhattan)
Michael Villella (Actor, The Slumber Party Massacre) [He was 84]
Ozzie Virgil, Sr. (Dominican-born Baseball Player, New York Giants and Detroit Tigers) [He was 92]

Johnny Wactor (Actor, General Hospital) [He was only 37]
M. Emmet Walsh (Veteran Actor, Blade Runner and Raising Arizona) [He was 88]
Bill Walton (NBA Star and ESPN Commentator)
Carl Weathers (Actor, Rocky franchise and The Mandalorian)
Paula Weinstein (Emmy-Winning Producer, The Perfect Storm and The Fabulous Baker Boys and Former Tribeca Enterprises Executive)
Mary Weiss (Lead Singer of Shanri-Las, “Leader of the Pack” and “Out in the Street”)
Jerry West (NBA Hall of Famer) [He was 86]
Ruth Westheimer (Sex Guru Dr. Ruth) [She was 96]
Mark Withers (Actor, Dynasty)
Maurice Williams (R&B Singer and Composer, Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs, “Stay”) (he was 86]
Taylor Wily (Actor, in both remakes of Hawaii Five-0 and Magnum P.I.) [He was only 56]
Robin Windsor (Professional Dancer, Strictly Come Dancing) [He was only 44]
Steven Wise (Animal Rights Activist)
Susan Wojcicki (Former YouTube CEO and Influential Google Executive) [She was only 56]
Chuck Woolery (Legendary Game Show Host) [He was 83]

Eduardo Xol (Extreme Makeover: Home Edition) [He was only 58]

Patti Yasutake (Actress, Beef and Star Trek: The Next Generation)

Lloyd Ziff (Magazine Designer and Photographer) [He was 81]

NOTE: This list, in no way, covers all the industry talent who passed away this year. Again, condolences are extended to one and all.

Out of respect, please take a moment of silence.

TOMORROW: TV Ratings

Read Full Post »

2024 Year-End Round-Up: Awards Season

Posted in Artists, Awards, Movies, Music, Television, Year End Round Up on December 26, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Every year there are lots of awards shows, some important, some just fun and numerous just plain silly or nonsensical, but the following list is just some of the top winners over the course of this year:

GOLDEN GLOBES (January)

Best TV Drama – Succession
Best TV Comedy – The Bear
Best Actress, TV Drama – Sarah Snook, Succession
Best Actress, TV Comedy – Ayo Edebiri, The Bear
Best Actress, TV Limited Series – Ali Wong, BEEF
Best Picture, Box Office Drama – Oppenheimer
Best Cinematic and Box Office Achievement – Barbie
Best Actress Box Office Drama – Emma Stone, Poor Things
Best Supporting Actress, Motion Picture – Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers
Best Support Actor, Motion Picture – Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer
Best Director, Motion Picture – Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Best Original Song, Motion Picture – “What Was I Made For?”, Barbie

CREATIVE ARTS EMMYS (January)

Guest Actress, Comedy – Judith Light, Poker Face
Host, Nonfiction Series – Stanley Tucci, Searching for Italy
Documentary Series – The 1619 Project
Music Composition for Documentary – Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
Original Main Title Theme Music – Wednesday
Period Hairstyling – Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Movie
Period Costume, Limited Series – Daisy Jones & the Six
Stunt Coordination, Drama – The Boys
Stunt Performance – The Mandalorian

GOLD LIST WINNERS (January)

Best Picture – Past Lives
Best Director – Celine Song, Past Lives
Best Performance in a Supporting Role – Charles Melton, May December
Best Adapted Screenplay – Dave Callaham, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Best Original Song – “Can’t Catch Me Now,” Olivia Rodrigo, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
Best Animated Feature – The Boy and The Heron

ASTRA TV AWARDS (formerly HCA TV Awards) (January)

Best Broadcast Network Drama Series – Will Trent
Best Actor in a Broadcast Network or Cable Drama Series – Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us
Best Broadcast Network or Cable Limited Series – A Small Light
Best TV Comedy – Abbott Elementary
Best Guest Actor, TV Drama – Nick Offerman, The Last of Us

STREAMING PROGRAM AWARDS (January):

Best Streaming Comedy – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Best Supporting Actor, Streaming Comedy – James Marsden, Jury Duty
Best Supporting Actor, Limited or Streaming – Paul Walter Hauser, Black Bird
Best Streaming Drama – The Boys
Best Actress, Streaming Series – Keri Russell, The Diplomat
Best Supporting Actor, Streaming Drama – Jensen Ackles, The Boys
Best Supporting Actress, Streaming Drama – Elizabeth Debecki, The Crown and Jeri Ryan, Star Trek: Picard
Best Period Costumes – The Crown

EMMY AWARDS (January)

Comedy Series – The Bear
Lead Actor, Drama – Kieran Culking, Succession
Lead Actress, Comedy – Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Supporting Actress, Comedy – Ayo Edebiri, The Bear
Variety Special – Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium

CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS (January)

Best Picture – Oppenheimer
Best Actor, Motion Picture – Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers
Best Actress, Motion Picture – Emma Stone, Poor Things
Best Supporting Actor, Motion Picture – Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer
Best Supporting Actress, Motion Picture – Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers
Best Original Screenplay, Motion Picture – Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, Barbie
Best Costume Design, Motion Picture – Jacqueline Durran, Barbie
Best Animated Feature, Motion Picture – Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Best Origial Song, Motion Picture – “I’m Just Ken,” Barbie
Best Supporting Actor, TV Drama – Billy Crudup, The Morning Show
Best Actor, TV Comedy – Jeremy Allen White, The Bear
Best Supporting Actress, TV Comedy – Meryl Streep, Only Murders in the Building
Best Made for TV Movie – Quiz Lady
Best Supporting Actor, Limited Series – Jonathan Bailey, Fellow Travelers

AARP MOVIES FOR GROWNUPS AWARDS (January)

Best Picture – Killers of the Flower Moon
Best Actress – Anette Bening, Nyad
Best Actor – Colman Domingo, Rustin
Best Supporting Actress – Jodie Foster, Nyad
Best Director – Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Best Ensemble – The Color Purple
Best Foreign Film – The Zone of Interest

GRAMMY AWARDS (February)

Record of the Year – Miley Cyrus, “Flowers”
Album of the Year – Taylor Swift, “Midnights”
Song of the Year – Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, “What Was I Made For?,” Barbie
Best Rock Album – Paramore, “This Is Why”
Best Rock Song – Boygenius, “Not Strong Enough”
Best R&B Song – SZA, “Snooze”
Best Country Solo Performance – Chris Stapleton, “White Horse”
Best Folk Album – Joni Mitchell, “Joni Mitchell at Newport [Live]”
Best Audio Book – Michelle Obama, “The Light We Carry: Overcoming In Uncertain Times”
Best Immersive Audio Album – Alicia Keys, “The Diary of Alicia Keys”

BAFTA (February)

Leading Actor – Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Rising Star Award – Mia McKenna -Bruce
Original Screenplay – Justine Triet and Arthur Harai, Anatomy of a Fall
Animated Film – The Boy and the Heron
Casting – The Holdovers
Costume Design – Holly Waddington, Poor Things

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS (February)

Action Movie of the Year – The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
Comedy Movie of the Year – Barbie
Male Movie Star of the Year – Ryan Gosling, Barbie
Female Movie Star of the Year – Margot Robbie, Barbie
Action Movie Star of the Year – Rachel Zegler, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
Movie Performance of the Year – America Ferrera, Barbie
TV Show of the Year – Grey’s Anatomy
Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Show of the Year – Loki
TV Drama Star of the Year – Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
Daytime Talk Show of the Year – The Kelly Clarkson Show
Male Country Singer of the Year – Jelly Rool
Male Latin Artist of the Year – Bad Bunny
Song of the Year – Olivia Rodrigo, “Vampire”

SAG AWARDS (February)

Female TV Actor, Drama – Elizabeth Debicki, The Crown
Male TV Actor, Drama – Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us
Female Film Actress – Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
Stunt Ensemble – Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Part 1

SPIRIT AWARDS (February)

Best Lead Performance – Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction
Best Director – Celine Song, Past Livers
Best Breakthrough Performance – Dominic Sessa, The Holdovers
Best First Screenplay – Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik, May December

PRODUCERS GUILD AWARDS (February)

Outstanding Producer of Episodic TV, Comedy – The Bear
Outstanding Children’s Program – Sesame Street

RAZZIE AWARDS (March)

Worst Picture – Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey
Worst Actor – Jon Voight, Mercy
Actress – Megan Fox, Johnny & Clyde
Supporting Actor – Sylvester Stallone, Expend4ables

OSCARS (March)

Best Picture – Oppenheimer
Adapted Screenplay – Cord Jefferson, American Fiction
Costume Design – Holly Waddington, Poor Things

NAACP IMAGE AWARDS (March)

Outstanding Actor, TV Comedy – Mike Epps, The Upshaws
Outstanding Supporting Actor, TV Comedy – William Stanford Davis, Abbott Elementary
Outstanding TV Drama – Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
Outstanding Actress, TV Drama – India Ria Amarteifio, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
Outstanding Supporting Actor, Limited Series – Don Cheadle, Secret Invasion
Outstanding Talk Series – The Jennifer Hudson Show
Outstanding Motion Picture – The Color Purple
Outstanding Actress, Motion Picture – Fantasia Barrino, The Color Purple
Outstanding Director, Motion Picture – Ava DuVernay, Origin
Outstanding New Artist – Victoria Monet
Outstanding Female Artist – H.E.R.
Entertainer of the Year – Usher

GLAAD AWARDS (March)

Outstanding TV Drama – Yellowjackets
Outstanding Limited Series – Fellow Travelers

CRITICS CHOICE SUPER AWARDS (April)

Best Action Movie – John Wick: Chapter 4
Superhero Movie – Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Action TV Series – Reacher
Action TV Series, Best Actress – Zoe Saldana, Special Ops: Lioness

ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS (May)

Entertainer of the Year – Lainey Wilson
Duo of the Year – Dan + Shay
Single of the Year – Luke Combs, “Fast Car”
Music Event of the Year – Jelly Roll with Lainey Wilson, “Save Me”

GOTHAM TV AWARDS (June)

Breakthrough Comedy Series – Colin From Accounts
Breakthrough Limited Series – Baby Reindeer
Outstanding Performance in TV Drama – Zine Tseng, 3 Body Problem
Outstanding Performance in Limited Seies – Andrew Scott, Ripley

TONY AWARDS (June)

Best Musical – The Outsiders
Leading Actor in a Musical – Jonathan Groff, Merrily We Roll Along
Leading Actress in a Play – Sarah Paulson, Appropriate
Featured Actor in a Musical – Daniel Radcliffe, Merrily We Roll Along

TELEVISION CRITICS ASSOCIATION AWARDS (July)

Achievement in Drama – Anna Sawai, Shogun
Achievement in Comedy – Jean Smart, Hacks
Achievement in Family Programming – Doctor Who
Career Achievement Honoree – Andre Braugher
Heritage Award – Twin Peaks

MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS (September)

Video of the Year – Taylor Swift featuring Post Malone, “Fortnight”
Best New Artist – Chappell Roan
Most Iconic Performance – Katy Perry, “Roar”
Song of the Year – Sabrina Carpenter, “Espresso”
Best Alternative – Benson Boone, “Beautiful Things”
Best Rock – Lenny Kravitz, “Human”

EMMY AWARDS (September)

Drama Series – Shogun
Comedy Series – Hacks
Lead Actor, Drama – Hiroyuki Sanada, Shogun
Lead Actress, Drama – Anna Sawai, Shogun
Lead Actress, Limited Series – Jodie Foster, True Detective: Night Country
Supporting Actress, TV Drama – Elizabeth Debicki, The Crown

CMA AWARDS (November)

Entertainer of the Year – Morgan Wallen
Song of the Year – Chris Stapelton and Dan Wilson, “White Horse”
New Artist of the Year – Megan Moroney
Female Vocalist of the Year – Lainey Wilson
Vocal Group of the Year – Old Dominion
Vocal Duo of the Year – Brooks & Bunn

GOTHAM FILM AWARDS (December)
Best Feature – A Different Man
Outstanding Lead Performance – Colman Domingo, Sing Sing
Outstanding Supporting Performance – Clarence Maclin, Sing Sing
Best International Feature – All We Imagine as Light
Best Screenplay – Azazel Jacobs, His Three Daughters
Breakthrough Director – Vera Drew, The People’s Joker
Breakthrough Performer – Brandon Wilson, Nickel Boys

NEW YORK FILM CRITICS (December)

Best Film – The Brutalist
Director – RaMell Ross, Nickel Boys
Actor – Adrien Brody, The Brutalist
Actress – Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hard Truths
Supporting Actor – Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain
Supporting Actress – Carol Kane, Between the Temples
Screenplay – Sean Baker, Anora
Animated Film – Flow

Congratulations to all of the above winners (and the countless others who won awards) this year. Are any of the above your favorites? Do you think there was an actor or actress who was overlooked this year? Please share your thoughts.

TOMORROW: Condolences

Read Full Post »

2024 Year-End Round-Up: The Rhythm Is Gonna Get You

Posted in Artists, Music, Year End Round Up on December 24, 2024| Leave a Comment »

I’ve shared for many years now how much music has played a key part in my life. As far back as I can remember, music was always playing in my childhood home. It all started when I was a little girl, listening to music while sitting in the middle of my big brothers’ shared bedroom on their old 1970’s turntable then listening to my big boom box and later the Walkman I had in the 1980’s all the way through to my iPod in the 2000’s to now with my Pandora and Spotify accounts.

I wake up to music every morning rather than a buzzing alarm; and then I go to bed with music. Music may not mean to everyone what it means to me, but it does play a crucial part in television, Broadway, theatre and the box office.

The following are just some of the top performers for 2024:

Most Moving Video (Prior to the Election) – “What Happens When a Woman Takes Power”

This song became the anthem for women all across the country during the Harris-Walz campaign with lots of different female groups recording their versions of the song. Admittedly, it was very disappointing for half of the population that we didn’t get the election result we were hoping for, but this song at least made a difference to a lot of us when we needed it most.

Best New Male Artist – Benson Boone

Benson auditioned for season 19 of American Idol in 2021 and made it into the Top 24, but he actually dropped out to consider his career. He obviously made the right decision because his first single “Beautiful Things,” which came out in January of this year, became the biggest song of the year, accurring 1.434 billion on-demand audio streams worldwide. The single topped various singles-focused charts including U.S. top digital song consumption and U.S. top song: on-demand streaming for both audio and audio plus video.

Best Song of the Year – Lady Gaga and Brun Mars, “Die With a Smile”

This soulful song was released in August of this year, featuring the singers in a duet that became an instant smash and a classic tune all at the same time. Their 70’s Nashville style video also helped launch the song into the stratosphere. It’s a tune that you simply can’t get out of your head once you’ve heard it, and the best kind of earworm.

Best New Female Artist – Chappell Roan

Chappell Roan is on a massive hot streak this year with her freshman album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” which hit number 2 on the charts just behind Taylor Swift. While the album came out in 2023, it became a sleeper hit earlier this year, showcasing Roan’s “campy” style that is heavily influenced by drag queens, 1980s synth-pop and 2000s pop songs.

Earworm Hit – Sabrina Carpenter, “Feather”

This actress-singer has been working professionally for the past 13 years between television series and movies, but it was her 6th studio album “Short n’ Sweet” – which was released this summer – that had her hitting number one on the charts and making it the summer of Sabrina Carpenter.

A Most Welcome Return – Linkin Park

This rock band has been together since 1996, and has had a successful run in the music industry that is until the sad and untimely death by suicide of its lead singer Chester Bennington in 2017, causing the band to enter an indefinite hiatus. This year the band came back with a brand new studio album and a new lead singer in the form of female rocker Emily Armstrong.

Best New Duo – Royel Otis

While this Australian duo, comprised of Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic, has been together since 2019, and they’ve released three EPs, it was their first studio alum Pratts & Pain, which was released in February of this year that put them on the map. But it’s been their covers of “Murder on the Dancefloor” and “Linger” that have placed them on the top of the charts. The former single, original done in 2001 by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, has attained nearly 50 million streams on Spotify and first went big on TikTok with over 13 million views.

TV Star Turned Music Artist – Djo, “End of Beginning”

TV viewers will recognize Djo as Joe Keery from Netflix’s Stranger Things and the box office movie Free Guy, but acting isn’t his only hustle. In 2019, Djo released his debut album and in 2022 his second album was released. From that sophomore effort, albeit two years after its release, the single “End of Beginning” hit the airwaves, gaining popularity and becoming viral on social media.

Big Musical Announcement of the Year – Oasis Reunion

After 15 years of brotherly war, Oasis members Liam and Noel Gallagher announced a reunion tour. The announcement was made two days before the 30th anniversary of their debut album. The tour will get underway on July 4, 2025 and will end on November 23, 2025. Their single “Wonderwall” was released on October 30, 1995 and while it never actually made it to number one, it is their most popular single, and you can be assured that when the brothers perform this single, and all their other songs, at the reunion tour, fans are going to go crazy.

Best Way to End 2024 – Wicked

The box office version of the immensely popular Broadway musical Wicked opened in theatres on November 22, starring Cynthia Erivo and Arianna Grande in the lead roles of Elphaba and Glinda, the earlier versions of the Wicked Witch of the West and the Good Witch of the North. The video clips above are just small snippets of the first part of this blockbuster that will have people humming these songs (and more) from the movie far beyond the holidays.

What singer or band has been your “go-to” music during the past year? Which singles were the stand-outs for you this year? What song did you get sick of hearing on the radio? What was the top album in your opinion? Please share your thoughts on the music of 2024 below.

TOMORROW: Hits (and Misses) at the Box Office

Read Full Post »

Movie of the Week Reminder: Baked With a Kiss

Posted in Music, Recommendations, Reminder, Television, Video on January 31, 2024| Leave a Comment »

On February 4, the UPtv movie Baked with a Kiss will debut at 7 PM.

Peyton Hilliard’s (Ansley Gordon) pastry shop, Peyton’s Pastries, has a reputation for making dreams come true. With names like Best Day Ever, Big Promotion, and Bun in the Oven, her desserts often deliver on what they promise. Folks say if you go to Peyton’s shop and tell her your problems or your dreams, she always has the best advice and the perfect treat to make things right. Archer Brooks (Jonathan Stoddard) is one of Peyton’s most difficult clients, but she can’t afford to offend him, because he runs one of the largest event planning companies in town.

To try and get on his good side, Peyton gives him a pie she tells him she baked “just for him.” This one is called Sweet Success, but in the craziness of the moment, Peyton accidentally gives Archer her special, souped up True Love pie instead. Peyton is totally confused when a very different Archer walks through her bakery door the next day. He’s so kind and complimentary. It’s only when Archer asks for another slice of her delicious honey lavender pie that Peyton realizes her mistake. Meanwhile, Peyton has been vying, along with several other bakeries in town, to provide pastries for the Starlight Ball, a massive gala attended by the city’s elite.

Archer is on the planning committee and tells Peyton that she’s pretty much an in for the gig. This is exactly what Peyton hoped for, but she can’t help but wonder if this great opportunity and her newfound relationship with Archer will succeed.

Here is a trailer for Baked With a Kiss:

Read Full Post »

2023 Year-End Round-Up: New Faces for 2024

Posted in Movies, Music, New Faces, Television, Year End Round Up on December 30, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Much like the Faces of 2023, there are always entertainers of note to be on the look-out for in the new year or those who made great waves throughout the current year who will, undoubtedly, be big stars in the new year.

The new faces of 2024 appear below in no particular order:

India Amarteifio — India has been acting for the past 10 years, including her breakthrough role in the streaming series Sex Education and prior to that the British series Evermoor, but it was her unenviable task to play the title role in the Netflix spin-off series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, portraying young Queen Charlotte (so deliciously portrayed by Golda Rosheuvel in Bridgerton). She is reportedly set to star alongside Andrew Garfield in the indie drama Hot Air about the British gymnastics’ world.

Lily Gladstone – Lily got her start in the 2012 French film Jimmy P: Psychotherapy of a Plains Indian that starred Benicio del Toro and has appeared in movies with the likes of Laura Dern, Kristen Stewart and Michelle Williams in 2016 and Toby Jones in 2019 as well as Showtime’s Billions and FX’s Reservation Dogs; but it was her lead role of Mollie Burkhart in Killers of the Flower Moon alongside the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. Lily’s next project is the Hulu series Under the Bridge.

Marisa Abela – This 20-something British actress made her TV debut in England in the action series COBRA and then starred in the HBO drama Industry (alongside our 2022 Face Myha’la Herrold). She also appeared in last year’s film Rogue Agent before being part of the 2023 juggernaut Barbie. However, it will be her lead role in the Back to Black biopic about the late singer Amy Winehouse that assuredly will garner her a lot of attention.

Teyana Taylor – This 30-something New Yorker is already an established musical artist (singer, songwriter, dancer and choreographer) who has BET and MTV Video Music Awards under her belt; but it was her performance as a single mother in the Sundance Grand Jury Prize winning film A Thousand and One that turned heads. Next up for her is The Book of Clarence where she will star opposite Benedict Cumberbatch and Alfre Woodard.

Yasmin Finney — This newcomer, who initially gained a following through her TikTok videos about her experiences as a Black British teenage trans woman, not only became well-known to TV audiences through her fan favorite role of Elle Argent in the Netflix series Heartstopper, and also landed the plum role of Rose Temple-Noble, the daughter of Donna Noble, in Thanksgiving weekend’s three-part 60th anniversary Doctor Who special (try saying that three times fast) that found David Tennant and Catherine Tate reprising their roles in the long-running series.

Aria Mia Loberti – The Rhode Island native, who is also legally blind due to a severe form of the genetic condition achromatopsia, landed the lead role of Marie-Laure in the highly anticipated four-part limited series All the Light We Cannot See. What’s most impressive is that she was chosen for the role from a global search, beating out thousands of submissions, despite no acting training and off her first, ever, audition. She will next narrate the audiobook for Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, the Jules Verne classic novel.

Jonah Hauer-King – He played Laurie in the PBS version of Little Women in 2017, the lead in the 2019 box office movie A Dog’s Way Home and currently plays one of the lead characters in the PBS period drama World on Fire; but it was his turn as Prince Eric in this year’s The Little Mermaid that has garnered him attention. He will next be seen in the TV series The Tattooist of Auschwitz based on the book by Heather Morris, which will air on Peacock in the States. He will play the younger version of Lale Sokolov, the lead character.

Leo Woodall – This up-and-coming British actor has only been on the scene for a few years, but he appeared in the Tom Holland-led indie film Cherry in 2021, then appeared in a couple of episodes of the short-lived TV series adaptation of Vampire Academy last year. He then appeared in two episodes of the Amazon Prime series Citadel before making a buzzy turn in season two of The White Lotus. He will next star in the TV series adaptation of One Day, based on the David Nicholls novel, which was previously made into the 2011 movie starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess. He will take on the role of Dexter Mayhew played by Sturgess in the film.

Are there any actors or actresses who you think are the faces to watch in 2024? Please share.

TOMORROW: Closing Out 2023

Read Full Post »

2023 Year-End Round Up: Faces of 2023

Posted in Familiar Faces, Movies, Music, New Faces, Pictures, Television, Year End Round Up on December 29, 2023| Leave a Comment »

The following list highlights the actors and actresses on TV and on the big screen who really caught viewers’ attention throughout this year.

They appear in no particular order:

Hong Chau – She has been honing her craft for the past 17 years, but since last year she has really taken the industry by storm, starring alongside Michelle Williams in the box office movie Showing Up that premiered at Cannes last year. Then she followed that up by playing a nurse opposite Brendan Fraser in his Oscar-winning role in the acclaimed indie film The Whale. She had a supporting role in the 2022 box office movie The Menu and then appeared in the popular Netflix series The Night Agent. She also appeared in the ensemble cast of the Wes Anderson flick Asteroid City.

Nicholas Galitzine – This British hunk first caught the attention of viewers with his role in 2020 in the box office movie The Craft: Legacy and the following year he starred opposite recording artist Camila Cabello in Amazon Prime’s Cinderella. Last year he starred alongside Sofia Carson in the Netflix film Purple Hearts and this year he hit it big in Amazon Prime’s movie Red, White & Royal Blue based on the book by Casey McQuiston. He will next be seen with Anne Hathaway in the box office movie The Idea of You and next year’s Starz limited series Mary & George alongside Julianne Moore.

Halle Bailey – I included Halle, a talented Atlanta actress and singer back in 2019 before the pandemic hit, causing her upcoming projects – specifically The Little Mermaid and the upcoming bold new take on the beloved classic The Color Purple, which will be in theatres on Christmas Day – to be put on hold, but she is finally getting the attention she deserves.

Myha’la Herrold – Going by only her first name now, Myha’la stars in the HBO series Industry that follows a group of hungry, young graduates plunged head-first into the exhilarating world of international finance. This year she has been on the big screen in the box office movie Dumb Money, which told the nearly unbelievable if it wasn’t true story about how everyday people got rich by turning GameStop (the video game store) into the world’s hottest company. And she will soon be seen alongside Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawk and Mahershala Ali in the box office Leave the World Behind.

Archie Madekwe – For three seasons, Archie appeared in the Apple TV+ series See, playing the visually-abled son of Jason Momoa’s Baba Voss. He then appeared in this year’s box office flick Gran Turismo alongside David Harbour and Orlando Bloom and with Gal Gadot in the Netflix movie Heart of Stone. He can currently be seen in the much-buzzed about movie Saltburn.

Bella Ramsey – This talented 20-something Brit first came to the attention of TV viewers through her role in Game of Thrones, but it has been her role in the acclaimed TV adaptation of The Last of Us alongside Pedro Pascal that has really garnered her attention. She was also the scene-stealing lead in the box office movie Catherine Called Birdy last year.

Sandra Huller – Sandra has been a working actress for over 20 years, but she has received acclaim from critics and reviewers all over the world for her latest roles in two very different films from this past year. First in The Zone of Interest she played the wife of the commandant of Auschwitz, who strives to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden next to the camp; and her lead role in Anatomy of a Fall, where she played a woman suspected of her husband’s murder, and their blind son faces a moral dilemma as the main witness.

Mia Goth – After appearing in the back-to-back buzzworthy, albeit horror, flicks last year – X and Pearl – Mia landed a plum role in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movie Blade that will star Oscar winner Mahershala Ali in the lead role; and her next project is another horror flick MaXXXine.

Who are some of the faces from this year who caught your attention either on television, in music or in film? Please share.

TOMORROW: New Faces of 2024

Read Full Post »

Older Posts »