Month: September 2021

The live music industry has looked a lot different over the past 18 months or so than it did in the years prior. Mainly, it didn’t really exist as we knew it, as the pandemic forced artists to resort to livestream events and drive-in concerts. Live music is starting to make its return, though, and while it might take fans a minute to get used to going to concerts again, the same is true for artists.

Miley Cyrus has been getting back on the road, and at an appearance at Milwaukee’s Summerfest over the weekend, she revealed that she’s not yet fully acclimated to being back on stage. In fact, she nearly had a panic attack during the show, but instead of hiding from the fact, she was transparent and addressed it with her audience.

She took time to explain that a few songs prior, she left the stage because she felt a panic attack coming on. She explained to the audience, “Like everyone else, for the last year and a half, I’ve been locked away and isolated, and it is very stunning to be back in a place that used to feel like second nature. Being on stage used to feel like being at home, and it doesn’t anymore because of how much time I spent at home locked away, and this is very drastic. So for myself, and just like each one of you, being a part of a pandemic was startling and terrifying, and coming out of it is also slightly terrifying. So I just wanted to be honest with how I’m feeling because I think by being honest about that, then it makes me less afraid.”

Check out a clip of the moment above.

Olivia Rodrigo blew up during 2021 due to the success of her initial hit single, “Drivers License.” After that, several more singles like “Deja Vu” and “Good 4 U” became hits in their own right, and her debut album Sour went on to multiple break records. Needless to say, she’s been having a good year. But one of the only things she hasn’t been able to do during this pandemic-impacted year is perform live shows, including music festivals, which are only sporadically happening due to COVID-19. That means her performance at the Las Vegas iHeartRadio Festival this weekend was a big one for her, as one of her first live sets ever.

But it became even bigger when fans on TikTok caught a fight of epic proportions breaking out during the emotional pinnacle of Olivia performing “Drivers License.” Sure, this fight scene would’ve been better soundtracked by the massive guitar sounds of “Brutal” or “Good 4 U,” but it somehow looks even more dramatic against the backdrop of her earliest single. Whether it was sparked by a discussion over mask protocol or whether “Jealousy Jealousy” is better than “Favorite Crime,” this disagreement was too, ahem, brutal for fans not to capture and upload. Check it out below.

And for those of you who are more interested in the music than the drama, check out Olivia’s full set up top.

It’s been another rough year. While there have been positive developments over the last 12 months — vaccines, a new president, plus the beginnings of a slow return to normal — one can’t forget those we’ve lost. The Emmys, like any awards show, is supposed to be about escapism, and about celebrating great work throughout the television industry. But they always take some time to honor those who’ve passed on since this time last year.

As this year’s show neared its close, In Treatment star Uzo Aduba took to the stage to present this year’s In Memoriam montage. As Leon Bridges and Jon Batiste, we were reminded of all the legends who left us in the last year.

They spanned from all parts of the vast television industry. There were news hosts, like Larry King, and morning show staples, like Willard Scott. Game shows were represented by Alex Trebek. There were comedians like Jackie Mason, Paul Mooney, and Norm Macdonald, who passed away only last week.

There were lots of old sitcom stars, like Laverne & Shirley’s David L. Lander, Ed Asner and Gavin MacLeod of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Dustin Diamond, and Markie Post and Charlie Robinson, both of Night Court. There were lots of actors whose careers intertwined both movies and TV, like Christopher Plummer, George Segal, Ned Beatty, Yaphet Kotto, Hal Holbrook, Olympia Dukakis, Jessica Walter, Clarence Williams III, and Cloris Leachman.

And there were legends who did it all, like Cecily Tyson, Charles Grodin, and another recently late personality: Michael K. Williams. Their legends will live on.

The Emmys were back to being in-person after last year’s mostly virtual show, and things couldn’t help but be a bit awkward. There was Rita Wilson rapping. There were some dicey pre-taped comedy bits. But some of the night’s highlights, like Jason Sudeikis roasting Lorne Michaels, were purely spontaneous. One of the most out-of-nowhere moments came courtesy Conan O’Brien, who decided upon a random way to greet the night’s most obscure guest.

That person was Frank Scherma, chairman and CEO of the Television Academy. He was there to sing the praises of, well, television, but before he could even get a word out he was distracted by O’Brien. As the crowd applauded him to the stage, the longtime late night host’s voice cracked through the din. He was shouting in loud celebration, and he continued to do so even as Scherma’s speech began. Eventually O’Brien quieted down, but only so he could stand firmly in place, giving Scherma a mock-salute.

It’s not entirely clear what O’Brien was doing, partly because the cameras almost didn’t show him. Was he being faux-disrespectful? Was it mere randomness? Whatever it was, people embraced the chaos.

Some were simply glad to see O’Brien back on network TV.

O’Brien had other antics that night as well.

In short, O’Brien may wind up the MVP of Emmys 2021.

Ted Lasso (along with Mare of Eastwood, The Crown, and Hacks) is sweeping the Emmys with multiple awards so far, and one of those awards was major: Jason Sudeikis for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series. Naturally, Sudeikis (as star, creator, executive producer, and writer of the endearingly optimistic show) decided to devote a precious moment of his Emmys speech to SNL‘s Lorne Michaels doing, uh, what? Allegedly taking a bathroom break during the ceremony.

“I want to thanks Lorne (Michaels), who went to go take a dump right now. Perfect.” Yes he did, and he continued. “He is going to get home, he’s going to watch… loves watching the Emmys at home. It is fine. Which home is the big question?”

Here’s some low-quality video of this high-quality moment. Kenan Thompson loved it.

Sudeikis also paid tribute to the show’s themes, saying, “This show is about mentors and teachers, this show is about teammates. And I wouldn’t be here without those three, you know things in my life.” Still, people enjoyed the whole “dump” thing.

And here’s the lingering question on everyone’s minds.

US Weekly reports that Lorne and Jason shared a hug after this speech, so all must be good, dump or not.

Two weeks ago, beloved actor Michael K. Williams died at his home in New York, leading to tributes and remembrances from all across the entertainment world and beyond.

Williams was terrific in a number of roles during his career, but there was no role he was better known for than playing Omar Little on The Wire. The way Williams brought that complex character to life made him one of the most beloved figures of the show, becoming something of a Baltimore icon despite being a native New Yorker. Many looked back on his work on The Wire and reflected on what he brought to the show and that character after his death, and on Sunday the Baltimore Ravens paid tribute in fitting fashion at their home opener on Sunday Night Football against the Chiefs.

Prior to running out on the field, the video screens went to black and Omar’s legendary whistle of “A-Hunting We Will Go” played over the speakers as the crowd grew louder and louder.

It’s a terrific tribute to Williams’ iconic character but also, just generally, a sensational entrance for a football team. A number of fans immediately called for the Ravens to keep this entrance both to continue honoring Williams and also because it fits so well for a team coming out before a game.

For the sixth year in a row, Last Week Tonight won Outstanding Variety Talk Series at the Emmys. The HBO program also won Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series… also for the sixth year in a row. There was not much drama there, but a Last Week Tonight writer used the opportunity to reignite the show’s long-running obsession with Adam Driver.

“We would like to dedicate this award to Adam Driver. He knows what he did, and we know what we’d like him to do.” The imagination runs wild.

Oliver has referred to the Star Wars actor as a “f*ckable redwood” while begging the “brooding mountain,” “pensive bison,” “nasty shed,” and “irredeemable steer” to “step on my throat.” Driver even appeared on Last Week Tonight to confront the host’s thirsty comments. “Do you realize over this past year what you’ve asked me to do to you?” Driver said. “Collapse on your chest. Tie your fingers in a square knot. Step on your throat. Shatter your knees. Pull your heart out through your ear. What’s wrong with you? You realize we’re strangers, right? I don’t know you. And now, random people on the internet stan us, claiming that you thirsting over me is a mood.”

Speaking of people on the internet stanning them:

Michael K. Williams passed away on September 6, after the end of Emmys voting, and none of that should have had any bearing on whether or not he won the Emmy for his Lovecraft Country performance. With that said, Michael K. Williams probably should have won that Emmy for his portrayal of Montrose Freeman.

The iconic The Wire and Boardwalk Empire actor put his all into that performance, even delivering the monologue of the season. He took the most powerful journey of the entire series. Through his performance, Williams tackled intergenerational trauma, alcoholism, and sexuality, all while bearing witness (again) to the Tulsa Race Massacre. He crushed the whole show, and yet, he got swept up in a The Crown sweep with Tobias Menzies taking home the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

Fortunately, Kerry Washington did pay tribute to Williams (who she praised as a “brilliantly talented actor and a generous human being”) before announcing the winner. “Michael, I know you’re here because you wouldn’t miss this,” she declared. “Your excellence, your artistry will endure. We love you.”

Williams’ fans love him, too.

The Emmys had to do things a bit differently last year. The pandemic was in full swing, vaccines were still a ways away, and everyone had to stay home, accepting awards in their basements while wearing jammies (or kimonos). The show was back to in-person this year, and right away things seemed….weird. Few could have expected, for instance, to ever see Rita Wilson rapping.

The show kicked off with a group musical number, in which they effectively reflected on how much television everyone watched in lockdown. Led by host Cedric the Entertainer and a dancer wearing a TV for a head, members of the crowd stood up to rap about loving their television sets over the beat to “Just a Friend,” the classic song by the late rapper Biz Markie. LL Cool J did a verse. So did Dave’s Lil Dicky. As did, improbably, for some reason, Rita Wilson.

It was an absurdly Mad Libs-y moment, and to some, it seemed like a bad omen.

It left others scratching their heads.

Some were worried that rap might not survive it.

A lot of people made jokes about Chet Hanks, her son, and an actual (well, kind of) rapper.

There were assorted jokes.

But Wilson actually rapped earlier, on the red carpet.

Alas, Rita Wilson rapping to Biz Markie wasn’t the only surreal at the Emmys.

Ahead of the 2021 Emmys, Cedric the Entertainer discussed the difficulty of hosting the award show. “It’s not bad if you’re the news for a couple of days, but you don’t want to be the guy that ruins the night or someone’s moment. At the same time, you’ve got to be yourself,” he told the Hollywood Reporter. “As comedians, we’re up on a tightrope trying to make sure people are entertained. But, again, we’re living in a hypersensitive society. You don’t know where that line is sometimes. It moves from day to day.”

Instead of a traditional monologue with jokes, the Emmys ignored the “line” and went with a parody of the late Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend” about “all the things we love about television.” But mostly, it was an excuse to get Rita Wilson to rap on live TV.

Following the opening, Seth Rogen came out on stage to react to whatever just happened (“That was truly insane, I was not expecting that”) before acknowledging the elephant in the room. “Let me start by saying there’s way too many of us in this little room. What are we doing? They said this was outdoors — it’s not! They lied to us,” he said, adding, “We’re in a hermetically-sealed tent right now. I would not have come to this. Why is there a roof? It’s more important that we have three chandeliers than that we make sure we don’t kill Eugene Levy tonight. That is what has been decided.”

He wasn’t finished: “This is insane. I went from wiping my groceries to having Paul Bettany sneeze in my face—so, that’s a big week! If anyone’s gonna sneeze in my face, Paul, I want it to be you.” People agreed with him.

You can find the full list of winners here.