Unofficial Academy Awards Discussion Board

I believe Benioff sold the script for Stay first, even though the film itself was not released until a few years later.

Greg wrote:One piece of trivia I know about David Benioff, who shared writing and producing awards for Game Of Thrones, is that he made his big arrival on the scene when he sold his script for Stay for $1.8 million.

I always thought his big arrival on the scene was his adaptation of 25th Hour for Spike Lee.

Greg wrote:One piece of trivia I know about David Benioff, who shared writing and producing awards for Game Of Thrones, is that he made his big arrival on the scene when he sold his script for Stay for $1.8 million.

I just had to look that movie up to see what it was...the Wikipedia page contains this gem:

"Marc Forster's directorial style is artistic"

Jon Hamm at 44 is the only one of the 6 lead acting winners under the age of 50. Uzo Aduba at 34 is the only one of the 12 lead and supporting winners under the age of 40.

Which is funny because the film grossed about twice that.

One piece of trivia I know about David Benioff, who shared writing and producing awards for Game Of Thrones, is that he made his big arrival on the scene when he sold his script for Stay for $1.8 million.

Obscure trivia: Adrian Brody received his Oscar from the first black woman to win the Best Actress Oscar and, twelve years later, he presented the Emmy to the first black woman to win the Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

So sad that Parks and Recreation went out gloriously without winning a single Emmy. I realize that it wasn't hugely popular but they could've at least given it ONE major award. I love that show so much and was hugely overjoyed with its nomination for Best Comedy Series. It would definitely be my number 1 choice of the nominees for Best Comedy and probably of the year. I was also very disappointed that Amy Poehler lost yet again for her final shot at winning for Leslie Knope, but it's not too terrible because she lost to Julia Louis Dreyfus, who is equally amazing. It's also saddening that none of the other wonderful ensemble of that show were nominated: Nick Offerman especially, but also Aubrey Plaza, Adam Scott, Rob Lowe, Aziz Ansari and Chris Pratt. Farewell Parks and Recreation. You made me smile and laugh so many times.

On to things that made me very happy! Of course Jon Hamm FINALLY winning after 8 years of being neglected for playing one of the most iconic characters in TV history was the highlight of the evening. He would've been my pick for Seasons 1, 4, 6 and this last year, but thank God he took the prize for a beautifully touching final season of Mad Men. Too bad Elisabeth Moss and Christina Hendricks didn't go home with Emmys too. I didn't think it was their best season of Mad Men(there's a bit of competition for that title), but they were both their usual wonderful and beautifully-acted selves this final season. I would've awarded Elisabeth Moss for seasons 2 and 4 and Christina Hendricks for seasons 3 and 5 already. Farewell Mad Men. I loved you so much.

OscarGuy wrote:Today is Bill Murray's birthday. Perhaps instead of attending the Emmys, he was busy doing something fun for his birthday.

I think someone said in their speech that he was at his son's wedding.

Today is Bill Murray's birthday. Perhaps instead of attending the Emmys, he was busy doing something fun for his birthday.

Mister Tee wrote:It is unfortunate Bill Murray's first industry acting award in an almost 40 year career couldn't lead to a speech (his earlier win was for SNL writing in 1977, shared with a gazillion others). Olive Kitteridge's wins were all of course well deserved.

I agree with you about all the Olive Kitteridge wins last night. So richly deserved, especially Frances McDormand's whose work in that film wiped the floor with Julianne Moore's Oscar-winning Still Alice performance, frankly. But I think that Bill Murray's nomination and award should've gone to Corey Michael Smith whose performance in Kitteridge was, in my honest opinion, the best supporting male performance of the year last year in any medium. If we're looking at actual nominees though, Finn Whitrock should've beat Murray. Whitrock was scary, hilarious, sexy and repulsive, sometimes in the same episode and the best villain since Norman Bates. Clearly a case where voters just saw the name Bill Murray and checked it.

I loved Andy Samberg's Kim Davis joke.

It really never crossed my mind that Tituss Burgess wouldn't win. It seemed like such a great opportunity to reward a show they clearly liked dispite a baffling snub for Ellie Kemper. Was Tony Hale that great this year?

Maybe others were aware of this, but I didn't know till yesterday that the Emmys changed their voting system this year. Where there used to be separate blue-ribbon committees handling different categories, now all members voted in every category. The results were apparent immediately: you used to see wild disconnects/random winners, especially in writing or directing. But, here, except for comedy directing, all four main areas (drama/comedy/limited/variety) saw program/directing/writing sweeps that would have been right at home at the Oscars. (Oddly, though, as someone noted elsewhere, supporting actress was across the board exempted from what otherwise approached sweeps.)

It is unfortunate Bill Murray's first industry acting award in an almost 40 year career couldn't lead to a speech (his earlier win was for SNL writing in 1977, shared with a gazillion others). Olive Kitteridge's wins were all of course well deseved.

Had this not been the farewell season of The Daily Show, I'd guess John Oliver's show would have won -- which would have given HBO a clean sweep of the major categories. As it is, it was apparently the first time the same network won comedy & drama in over a decade. And, for some reason, I thought HBO had won a lot more best show Emmys, but I'm told The Sopranos (twice) and Sex and the City (once) were its only previous series wins.

Somehow I wasn't aware till it happened that no African American woman had every won the leading actress Emmy. Considering "don't mention his name today" Bill Cosby shattered the barrier for men almost 50 years ago, it was well past time. And Viola Davis (unlike Halle Berry at the Oscars) is an actress of the stature to deserve to be the one who did it.

I thought Samberg was fairly decent -- the Eye of the Tiger and True Detective jokes really made me laugh.

I, too, hoped the Veep sweep would have carried along Anna Chlumsky, or even that Jane Krakowski would finally win the prize after years of being overlooked for 30 Rock. (Nothing against Allison Janney in general, but watching just a few minutes of anything in the Chuck Lorre universe gives me hives.)

I think Uzo Aduba is a hoot on Orange is the New Black, and I'm glad that show was recognized somewhere. But I generally agree with you guys that one Emmy for that character seems plenty. I'm actually surprised that part is SUCH an awards magnet; given how wonderful so many of the actresses on that show are, it's strange to me that Uzo is consistently awarded as the MVP. (Though if there was an MVP this season, I absolutely concur it was Lorraine Toussaint.)

Okri wrote:Anna Chlumsky was brilliant in season four of Veep and was my personal MVP of that category.

I love that there's an actress named Uzo Aduba winning awards, honestly. And she's so genuine with her speeches and she was quite good during the second season, though that award belonged to Lorraine Toussaint who fucking devoured that screen.

I'll be the voice of Mad Men dissent and say that I couldn't get into the show and Hamm's performance in the first season was a big reason why. But without Matthew Rhys, Aden Young, Hugh Dancy/Madds Mikkleson (ineligible), I'm fine with his winning. Glad nothing else from the show won (though I agree, the writing win for GoT wasn't deserved - though if it was for "Hardhome" it would have been).

Oh god, yes. How could I forget Toussaint. Absolutely brilliant during the second season and one of the biggest Emmy snubs this year (alongside Lois Smith for The Americans).