music

February 25, 2019--Well, everyone can breath a sigh of relief that the Oscars survived intact this year. With no host, and trying to scramble up from last year's all-time low ratings, the Academy Awards hoped to pull viewers back in by nominating not just one, but several blockbuster films (Black Panther, A Star Is Born, and Bohemian Rhapsody) to appeal to a larger audience. This tactic seemed to have worked a little, with viewership apparently up 12% from 2018's lows.…

March 5, 2018--Well everyone, it's a wrap! Thank goodness for everyone (except maybe the ratings) that there wasn't another Oscar-level flub with an envelope mix-up like last year. The rather uneventful and somewhat predictable telecast still stood out for making a notable effort to acknowledge the #metoo movement and overall inclusiveness, pushing for diversity in Hollywood. Shaking it up a little allowed the event to avoid more awkward moments. For instance, last year's Best Actor winner would traditionally have presented…

The Hollywood film industry seems to be fighting a losing battle against home entertainment. Not only are the big studios running of ideas, movie-wise (the 2017 summer movie season was down almost 15%), but people are choosing to stay home in their souped-up home theaters where not only is the company better, but so are the entertainment options (streaming and cable TV shows are killing it with quality lately). So, how to bring people back to the theater? With more…

February 26, 2017--In the beginning, all that could be talked about was how many awards would La La Land end up with at the end of the evening. With an amazing 14 nominations, the love letter to Hollywood and musicals was tied only with All About Eve and Titanic for the most ever. Would it manage to break the all-time record of most wins by the end of the night? (Ben-Hur, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, and…

The nominations for the 88th Academy Awards were announced January 22nd, 2016, with a slew of nominations being thrown the direction of two burly films: the harrowing, brutal survival tale The Revenant (with 12 nominations), and the non-stop, old school action mayhem of George Miller's Mad Max: Fury Road (with 10 nominations). Probaby the biggest question: Woul this finally be Leo's year? Hosted by Chris Rock, February 28th, the night was, for a change brisk funny, and very political, with…

December 1, 2015 -- First ones out of the gate for the year-end lists, and the National Board of Review has a few surprised up their sleeves, giving their top award to the action-o-rific Mad Mad: Fury Road over other more highbrow fare.  Below is the complete list of awards: Best Film: Mad Max: Fury RoadBest Director: Ridley Scott – The MartianBest Actor: Matt Damon – The MartianBest Actress: Brie Larson – RoomBest Supporting Actor: Sylvester Stallone – CreedBest Supporting…