Category: Worldwide

The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow, and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.

There are many paths to revolution. On Dallas, Texas rapper Bobby Sessions’ debut album RVLTN 3: The Price Of Freedom, the route lies in self-reliance and ownership. It’s a message he hammers home over and over again across the project’s 13 tracks; thankfully, he’s skillful enough to keep the content engaging throughout. Part J. Cole-ish, regular guy rumination and Nipsey Hussle-esque proselytizing, Bobby propagates his ideal world well, even if his vision seems a little rough around the edges.

Like all revolutions, the groundwork for RVLTN 3 had to be laid long before the album itself was released and just like the massive social upheaval currently sweeping through America’s cities and social media, the first step was acknowledging the flaws of the system needing overhaul to begin with. It’s why Bobby kicked off the RVLTN series with a project titled The Divided States of AmeriKKKa. The 2018 EP was rife with blunt observations about the country’s centuries-long history of abuse of Black people, kicking off with the lynching narrative “Like Me.”

Told from the first-person perspective of the victim, the song detailed the atrocities and attitudes that form the foundation of every other injustice that has befallen Black folks since Emancipation. “Politics” covered just what those are, then RVLTN 2: The Art Of Resistance set up the response. If the projects could be compared to the stages of the literal revolution currently taking place on the streets of America’s cities today, the first EP is the one that ties most directly to the deaths of Trayvon Martin and Tamir Rice, the way those tragedies brought light to a history spanning hundreds of years.

The second EP could be likened to this past year, when Black people and allies truly began to research the history of resistance movements. Reading lists proliferated, debates spilled from online forums to real-world organizing, infographics detailing the complex systems of oppression and proposed solutions to them filled social media timelines. RVLTN 3, then, works as a vision of the future, tying in how each of the previous iterations should inform the idealized outcome, optimism beaming through, even as Sessions contrasts that vision with the dilapidated conditions that plague our society today.

The preaching begins in earnest on “Reparations.” Sessions advocates for “gentrifying our own sh*t.” In his vision, there is no fixing America’s moral compass — real-life reparations aren’t soon in coming. So, the solution, in his mind, is self-sufficiency, communalism, and support for Black businesses. He elaborates on these concepts in the raucous “Black Wall Street” featuring fellow Dallas natives, The Outfit, TX. “I ain’t trying to claim no hood, I’m trying to own the hood,” one of his co-conspirators crows over the hook. “Don’t touch my hair, shout-out to Solange / Bought my own barbershop, I own the salon,” Sessions champions, stringing together a list of businesses rife for potential.

One problem with “message music” is how quickly it can turn into talking down to the artist’s audience. Bobby narrowly avoids this trap — although he comes dangerously close to falling in several times — by couching these financial tidbits in his own “boy from the hood who made it out” narratives. “Made A Way,” with its gospel sample and perky, piano-based loop, draws on the traditions of Black religion and Southern traditions to tie him more closely to the audience, framing him as less a pulpit preacher than one of the congregation sharing his testimony. Likewise, “Raised By The Internet” is a “how do you do, fellow Millennials” moment, lamenting the intruding ubiquity of technological distractions but leavening the tongue-lashing with a light-hearted notification ping that throws him off his flow.

That flow — his cleverness with wordplay and syllable-a-second cadence — is often what saves the project when it starts to get preachy or the politics seem questionable. Though Black Capitalism is falling somewhat out of vogue with would-be revolutionaries thanks to the aforementioned proliferation of infographics stating that “Capitalism is bad” in so many words, Sessions’ vision of the future seems out-of-step with current events. Fortunately, over the last few albums he’s shown an ability, willingness, and hunger to evolve his artistic vision. The next phase of his RVLTN will evolve with his worldview and with the world that is shaping it.

RVLTN3: The Price of Freedom is out now via Def Jam. Listen to it here.

As the controversial decision to open theaters in America narrowed down to an inevitably in late August, Mulan and Tenet repeatedly changed their release dates as industry watchers waited to see which film would be the first out of the gate. But then Disney pulled a game-changing move, announcing that the live-action remake would bypass American theaters completely and go straight to Disney+ where it would be available for a $30 premium access fee. It was a huge gamble for a major blockbuster, and it appears to have paid off.

According to a new report, nearly 29% of Disney+ subscribers pulled the trigger on purchasing Mulan. While that might not sound like a lot, Disney+ has a robust user base, which translates to some serious returns when the numbers are crunched. Via Yahoo! Finance:

During the company’s last earnings report, Disney said that the streaming platform has amassed over 60 million global subscribers. Assuming that U.S. households make up 50% of that total base (Disney has not yet broken out the exact number of U.S-based subscribers), 7Park’s data suggests that roughly 9 million users purchased the “Mulan” film for $30 a pop (29% of our estimated 30 million users.)

Under that scenario, net profits would pile up to $261 million for U.S. markets alone — and that’s on the conservative side.

For the record, not unlike Netflix, the streaming numbers for Disney+ come from third party analytics and should be taken with a grain of salt. However, Disney recently made public statements that it’s “very pleased” with Mulan‘s release strategy, albeit without getting into specific numbers. But if Yahoo! Finance‘s numbers are in the ballpark of Mulan‘s haul, that currently places the film well ahead of Tenet‘s entire box office haul. Global and domestic.

We’re already starting to see the effects of these competing release strategies. Within days of Tenet‘s risky theatrical debut, Warner Bros. already pulled the trigger on changing Wonder Woman 1984‘s release date. As for Disney, no official confirmation has been made, but Variety is reporting that release date changes are coming for Marvel’s Black Widow and Pixar’s Soul. While the latter is extremely likely to make the jump to Disney+, all eyes are on Black Widow to see if it makes a similar move or continues to wait for the right time to burst into theaters. If that day ever comes.

(Via Yahoo! Finance)

A few weeks ago, Chicago rapper Vic Mensa made an inspired return to form with his V Tape EP. Eschewing trend chasing or wild experimentation, Vic got back to basics, doing the thing that first brought him to the attention of fans back in the early 2010s — rapping his ass off over beats the bang the picture frames off the living room walls. The albums revitalized fans hopes for the once-burgeoning star and displayed a rejuvenated Vic taking on the various controversies that had plagued him throughout his career.

Today, he has released an extended version of the lead single’s music video, turning “Machiavelli” into a short film illustrating the dangers of street life in his hometown. While it opens with the original video but cuts it short for a spoken word interlude from Vic over a heart pounding chase scene. The song switches to the Jay-Z-sampling “SC Freestyle” as Vic raps a menacing verse at a wake and spooky imagery of nooses flashes by on the screen. “Like fire to a match, I’m designed to react,” he intones in another interlude before the video closes with the V Tape closer “Rebirth” as the camera zooms in on a body lying in the street and is given last rites by a group of elders.

Watch Vic Mensa’s “Machiavelli” short film above.

Lady Gaga’s Chromatica is a cathartic dance-pop album, but the road to it wasn’t easy. In a new Billboard profile, Gaga describes how she dealt with the depression she felt following her Joanne tour.

Gaga said that after getting off the road, she “used to wake up every day and remember I was Lady Gaga — and then I would get depressed.” She said she was reluctant to leave the house and had not yet dealt with her fame and “idea of her every waking move being available for public consumption” on an emotional level, saying, “I was peeling all the layers of the onion in therapy, so as you dig deeper, you get closer to the core, and the core of the onion stinks.”

The feature goes on to note, “Instead of working through the discomfort, she resisted it. She’d spend hours outside chain-smoking and crying, wondering why she couldn’t flip the switch inside of her back on.” Gaga said, “My existence in and of itself was a threat to me. I thought about really dark sh*t every single day.”

She noted that when friends tried to help her out, she pulled the “Lady Gaga card”: “It’s the one where you go, ‘I’m Lady Gaga, you don’t understand what it feels like, I want to dress how I want and be who I am without people noticing, why does everybody have to notice, I’m so sad, I don’t even know why anymore, why are you making me talk about it?’”

Gaga said songwriting was helpful for her, as there would be moments when she would see her old self: “I would cry and go, ‘There it is — hi! How’s it going? Why do you got to hide?’” This process gradually helped her find her way to a better place.

“If there’s one glimmer inside you, celebrate it,” Gaga said. “When you find another one, celebrate it. One more? Call a friend: ‘I did this today. I’m winning.’”

Read the full feature here.

The third drop of Travis Scott’s McDonald’s collaboration has arrived. While previous drops included far-out items like Chicken Nugget Body Pillows and french fry-adorned house shoes, the latest collection is much more subdued and utilitarian, with useful items like a double-walled plastic cup, a variety of tote bags with surrealist designs on them, and even a cardigan sweater for the impending temperature drop we’re all hoping for this autumn (in surprisingly season-appropriate colors, considering it’s based on a 40-year-old ad campaign).

There are also two pairs of shorts touting another duo of McDonald’s promotional items, the McRib sandwich and Shamrock Shake. Like Travis’ merch, both of these items tend to fly out of stores when available, although neither has ever caused a shortage of everyday ingredients the way the Travis Scott meal (a regular Quarter Pouder with bacon on it) has. A long-sleeve shirt touts its wearer’s experience in grabbing the burger, a pair of sweatshirts read back the script from Travis’ television ad announcing the collab, and a floor rug brings an abstract version of the artist munching on a burger to your living room (or wherever you put it).

As usual, you can check out the merch at Travis Scott’s website, and be quick about it — the last two drops sold out within days, so you can expect this one to do the same.

The second round of the WNBA Playoffs tips off on Thursday night, and if round one was any indication, things are going to get crazy. Following an abbreviated 22-game season at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, the playoffs began on Tuesday in their traditional format: single elimination for the first two rounds, then best-of-five series for the semifinals and WNBA Finals.

In the first round, the Connecticut Sun eliminated the Chicago Sky in a 94-81 victory. Powered by Alyssa “Playoff A.T.” Thomas and DeWanna Bonner, the Sun took care of the Sky rather easily. For Chicago, their 2020 season came to an untimely end; the Sky entered the year with championship dreams, but they couldn’t score when it mattered and their interior presence was not strong enough against Connecticut.

Later in the night, the Phoenix Mercury looked set to go home as the Washington Mystics — who captured the eighth seed at the very end of the regular season — led the entire game with some impeccable play. But don’t ever count Diana Taurasi out in a do-or-die playoff game. Taurasi and Skylar Diggins-Smith came to life in the fourth quarter, and in the end, it was former Mystic Shey Peddy who knocked down a three-point shot at the buzzer to send Phoenix into the second round. Talk about ice cold revenge on the team that waived her earlier this season.

Here’s what we can expect to see in the second round:

Phoenix Mercury (No. 5) vs. Minnesota Lynx (No. 4): 7 p.m on ESPN2

The Mercury rose from the ashes to come back and defeat the Mystics, but the Lynx are a much bigger test for Phoenix. The two teams split their regular season series, with the Lynx winning the first game 90-80 and the Mercury winning the second 83-79. Minnesota, led by Coach of the Year candidate Cheryl Reeve, have exceeded expectations this season and looked confident on their way to collecting the No. 4 seed. The Lynx will also have three extra days of rest on the Mercury, after securing a first-round bye.

The No. 16 pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft, Crystal Dangerfield has been a joy to watch this season, as she played beyond her years to secure the starting point guard position for the Lynx. The 5’5 guard averaged 16.2 points, 3.6 assists and 2.0 rebounds per game this season and is a leading candidate for Rookie of the Year. During the regular season, Minnesota was a top-five team in offensive and defensive rating on the floor. With a healthy combination of veteran leadership from Sylvia Fowles and Renee Montgomery, an MVP candidate in Napheesa Collier and excellent role players like Damiris Dantas, Minnesota is an all-around dangerous team.

Though the Mercury will be without Brittney Griner, who left the Wubble for personal reasons, and Bria Hartley, who was a revelation this season before suffering an ACL injury, they have proved that they are still a very formidable opponent — especially in a single-elimination game. Diggins-Smith has proven that she is hungry for a title, Taurasi looks healthy again and players like Peddy, Brianna Turner and Kia Vaughn will need to keep up their solid performances if Phoenix is to get past Minnesota.

Connecticut Sun (No. 7) vs. Los Angeles Sparks (No. 3):9 p.m. on ESPN2

Connecticut had the worst start to the 2020 WNBA season, losing their first five games before roaring back to finish with an 10-12 overall record and the No. 7 seed in the playoffs. And powered by the strength and leadership of Thomas and Bonner — two bigs who have proven themselves more than capable of creating their own shot — the Sun sent the Sky packing in the first round. But the Sparks are a much tougher challenge, with a deep roster of Nneka Ogwumike, Candace Parker, Seimone Augustus, Chelsea Gray, Sydney Wiese and more. But then again, Curt Miller is a better basketball coach than Derek Fisher (yes, I said it).

Against Chicago, Connecticut was able to have their way in the paint, scoring buckets at will and easily outrebounding the Sky. The Sparks, despite their size, have not been a very good rebounding time this season — they had the fewest rebounds in the regular season — so look out for that all-important battle on the glass.

At the same time, Brittney Sykes — a 5’9 guard — and Candace Parker have been instrumental defensively for the Sparks, helping L.A. to the third-highest defensive rating in the league. In their two meetings this season, the Sparks bested the Sun both times by scores of 81-76 and 80-76, respectively. So definitely expect this to be a high-scoring affair as the Sun look to get revenge against the Sparks on Thursday night.

Before the release of his indie hit Thunder Road, one of the best reviewed films of 2018, director/writer/star Jim Cummings was asked to give one piece of advice that other filmmakers should remember. “The cavalry isn’t coming. You’ve got to do this yourself. If you’re going to make a movie, imagine that nobody is going to help you,” he responded. “As soon as you start thinking like that — as soon as you tell yourself, ‘OK, cool, I’m going to have to do everything’ — that’s the moment you’re ready to make something.” For his next “something,” Cummings is once again the director/writer/star, although this time, instead of grieving his recently-deceased mother, he’s hunting werewolves.

In The Wolf of Snow Hollow, Cummings plays a small-town sheriff who’s torn between personal life issues and solving a series of brutal murders that have been occurring on nights with a full moon. He doesn’t believe in werewolves, despite all evidence to the contrary and the insistence of his fellow officers, including the late, great Robert Forster.

Here’s the official plot synopsis.

Terror grips a small mountain town as bodies are discovered after each full moon. Losing sleep, raising a teenage daughter, and caring for his ailing father, officer Marshall struggles to remind himself there’s no such thing as werewolves.

The Wolf of Snow Hollow hits select theaters and at-home on-demand on October 9.

Alabama Shakes leader Brittany Howard dropped her debut solo album, Jaime, last year. She’s not done with that project yet, though: Howard has a collection of remixes from the album that is forthcoming. Ahead of that, she has offered an advance look at it via two remixes from Earthgang and Bon Iver.

Earthgang took on “Goat Head,” contributing new raps to the track and turning it into a psychedelic hip-hop number. Bon Iver, meanwhile, took on “Short And Sweet,” and Justin Vernon worked on the remix with Jenn Wassner and CJ Camerieri.

Earthgang said of their remix, “We’ve been big fans of Brittany and Alabama Shakes so this is a dream come true. Songs like these help us make sense of all the craziness in the world at times. Her song ‘Goat Head,’ dealing with her Black experience in America and the world, resonated the loudest at this time. Just thankful to be able to give the world our medicine and heal the people.”

Vernon also noted of his, “Brittany is a truly singular artist; so much power and musicality. This album speaks to so many people, including us. To have a chance to recreate ‘Short And Sweet’ in our own image with long-time collaborators Jenn Wassner and CJ Camerieri, was both an honor and almost too much of a privilege.”

Listen to Earthgang and Bon Iver’s remixes above.

Although part of Kanye West’s ongoing tirade against music industry practices has him temporarily banned from Twitter for violating the platforms terms of service, he’s still receiving plenty of support from fans and fellow artists. The rant has done the unthinkable and put Kanye on the same side of an issue as the Swifties, while labelmate (sorta) Logic chimed in to corroborate his claims of shady dealings on the part of Universal. Logic revealed in response to one of Kanye’s tweets that the label refused to pay a feature fee for Lil Wayne to appear on one of Logic’s remixes.

“90% of the record contracts on the planet are still on a royalty,” Kanye tweeted. “A standard record deal is a trap to NEVER have you recoup, and there’s all these hidden costs like the ‘distribution fees’ many labels put in their contracts to make even more money off our work without even trying.” Setting aside the fact that his record deal with Def Jam includes using Def Jam as a distributor for his GOOD Music label, Logic found the perfect opportunity to subtly hype his Lil Wayne feature. He quoted the Kanye tweet, adding, “I feel you, Def Jam ain’t tryin a pay @LilTunechi his fee so I guess the perfect remix aint coming out. Owe a few of my folks they money honestly.”

Kanye’s rant and the responses to it highlight a fact that’s been true for a very long; recording contracts are complicated and even people who have been in the music industry for years don’t always quite understand their terms and conditions. West’s fans found that out firsthand when he tried to tweet out his “contract” page-by-page, providing them with insight into what a legal agreement looks like and some unintentional comedy (he really dedicated one tweet to one page, apparently not knowing that each tweet can support up to four photo files) — even if what he tweeted were actually amendments to his original contract and actually show it’s kind of his own fault he can’t recoup.

It is, somehow, time for the Emmys. Seriously. The Emmys are this Sunday night, September 20. That doesn’t seem right. Does that seem right? And it’s somehow not even the weirdest part. The ceremony will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, with no audience, and the nominees will be at home Zooming in. It’s going to be a whole thing. We don’t know, either.

There is one normal aspect of it all, though: there are still awards to hand out and snubs to get angry about. Below, our TV crew — Brian Grubb, Kimberly Ricci, Josh Kurp, and Jessica Toomer — attempts to make sense of the major categories to figure out what’s what. None of this is written in stone. We could be very wrong. Which would, in a way, be the most normal part of the whole experience.

Here we go.

Drama Series

Better Call Saul (AMC)
The Crown (Netflix)
The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
Killing Eve (BBC America/AMC)
The Mandalorian (Disney Plus)
Ozark (Netflix)
Stranger Things (Netflix)
Succession (HBO)

OUR PICK: If I were a betting man, I’d toss a fiver or so on Succession. It’s not that I think Succession is that much better than the other nominees (more on this in a second), it has more to do with… well, scan through the rest of these categories. They are just littered with cast members of the show. Almost every actor who plays an important character on the show picked up a nomination, sometimes multiple actors in a single category. It’s like they’re trying to tell us something. It’s especially important because…

ANALYSIS: … Rhea Seehorn did not get a nomination for Best Actress despite turning in a performance for the ages in Better Call Saul, the show I would probably pick if they let me choose winners by myself, which is an option I have offered repeatedly and have yet to receive a response about. Still on the table. — Grubb

Comedy Series

Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Dead to Me (Netflix)
The Good Place (NBC)
Insecure (HBO)
The Kominsky Method (Netflix)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon Prime Video)
Schitt’s Creek (Pop TV)
What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

OUR PICK: Remember when Fleabag won this category last year? That was cool, and it gives me hope that the Academy will do the right thing again and give Outstanding Comedy Series to What We Do in the Shadows. “On the Run” is, I’d argue (and did!), the funniest thing to air on TV this year, but it wasn’t a one-off showcase for the vampire comedy — the entire season was great, from Colin Robinson’s “updog” jokes to Nandor checking his email for the first time since The Blind Side was in theaters. One human Emmy for What We Do in the Shadows, please!

ANALYSIS: Schitt’s Creek went from the obligatory “best show you’re not watching” to a genuine hit in its final season. The Emmys are less sentimental than you might think — previous winners 30 Rock, Modern Family, Veep, and The Office all failed to win in their final seasons — but I don’t think that will be the case on Sunday. (This could apply to The Good Place, as well.) — Kurp

Limited Series

Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu)
Mrs. America (Hulu)
Unbelievable (Netflix)
Unorthodox (Netflix)
Watchmen (HBO)

OUR PICK: Watchmen, man. This isn’t a tough call but not altogether easy, since those limited series beginning with Un- put up a good fight. Unbelievable brought us a hard-boiled Toni Colette and an empathetic Merritt Wever, along with Kaitlyn Dever, who has been crushing every role since Justified‘s Loretta. She turned her portrayal of a rape survivor who was treated like a criminal upon its head. And Unorthodox gave us the absolute vision of Shira Haas in one woman’s flight from Hasidic Judaism. Both are very important shows to showcase young women fighting against institutions; however, no one can beat the clear master of this category.

ANALYSIS: It was always gonna be Damon Lindelof’s Watchmen. He wove an ambitious tapestry, which managed to convince even non-comic-book lovers that this story’s breathtaking relevance could not be ignored. He recontextualized Alan Moore’s “unfilmable” graphic novel with all the historical resonance from the Tulsa Race Massacre. He wrote Black characters into history instead of the other way around (how history customarily does it). This show was kickass and funny and serious and full of so many pieces to dissect. We also got to meet Lube Man and witness the sheer joy of a fart-squeaking Jeremy Irons. Sold. — Ricci

Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Jason Bateman (Ozark)
Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us)
Steve Carell (The Morning Show)
Brian Cox (Succession)
Billy Porter (Pose)
Jeremy Strong (Succession)

OUR PICK: There are many good options here and I will not begin to argue with you if you want to give it to Brian Cox for his thundering performance as Logan Roy or Billy Porter for Pose or even Jeremy Strong, just for that painful rap performance (shoutout to his boy Squiggle), but I have this weird feeling bubbling inside me. Bubble bubble bubble. And as the bubbles rise and pop (I did not intend for this analogy to be gross when I started it but it’s too late to back out now) (sorry), a faint whisper escapes and floats into the air, and that whisper says “Steve Carell wins a make-up Emmy after getting snubbed for his entire run as Michael Scott on The Office.” Listen closely. Listen to the bubbles. The answer is in the air.

ANALYSIS: I really am sorry again for that bubble analogy. — Grubb

Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Jennifer Aniston (The Morning Show)
Olivia Colman (The Crown)
Jodie Comer (Killing Eve)
Laura Linney (Ozark)
Sandra Oh (Killing Eve)
Zendaya (Euphoria)

OUR PICK: We love a good underdog story and that’s what Zendaya’s road to the Emmys feels like right now. The Euphoria star could become the youngest Emmy winner in history were she to beat out the rest of the talented actresses on this list, but that headline-making scenario isn’t the only reason we’re rooting for her. Euphoria is a show that stands on the shoulders of its lead and Zendaya carries that responsibility well, playing a drug-addicted teen sorting out her demons despite the pressures and temptations of youth. She easily teeters between an innocent, compassionate young woman and an angry, misguided kid willing to sacrifice anything for her next fix. She makes a “dislikable” character relatable, empathetic even, and she does it on a show that doesn’t carry the same kind of star-powered back-up the rest of these ladies enjoy.

ANALYSIS: If you’re forcing us to acknowledge reality – which, shame on you – the truth is this is Laura Linney’s to lose. She did terrific work in the latter half of Ozark’s drama-filled third season as the Byrde family matriarch began to spiral thanks to the arrival of her estranged brother. Although we wouldn’t count out Aniston, who’s come a long way from her Friends days playing a news anchor fighting for recognition in a sexist industry. It’s a little on the nose, but academy voters like that. — Toomer

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Anthony Anderson (Black-ish)
Don Cheadle (Black Monday)
Ted Danson (The Good Place)
Michael Douglas (The Kominsky Method)
Eugene Levy (Schitt’s Creek)
Ramy Youssef (Ramy)

OUR PICK: Ramy is a great show, my favorite of the bunch, but the best episodes of Ramy are the ones where Ramy (the character) cedes the spotlight to his sister Dena, or parents Maysa and Ahmed, or his uncle Naseem. Is there a category for Outstanding “Deepest Sympathies” Cake-Eating in a Comedy Series? Because Naseem should win that. Anyway, that leaves Ted Danson as the should-be winner for his performance as a reformed demon (a fun combination of words) Michael. That would almost make up for Danson — who has more nominations in this category than any actor ever — not winning for his [evil laugh] back in season one. Almost.

ANALYSIS: Anderson, Cheadle, Danson, Douglas, and Levy were all up for Lead Actor last year, and they all lost to repeat winner Bill Hader. That tilts the scale towards Youssef, but I bet that Levy wins in an upset. Everyone loves Eugene Levy! He’s won an Emmy for his writing (Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program along with his SCTV buddies in 1983), but not for his acting. I’m sure Ramy and Ted wouldn’t mind losing to Jim’s dad. — Kurp

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Christina Applegate (Dead to Me)
Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Linda Cardellini (Dead to Me)
Catherine O’Hara (Schitt’s Creek)
Issa Rae (Insecure)
Tracee Ellis Ross (Black-ish)

OUR PICK: Christina Applegate takes this one for me. Yes, Catherine O’Hara fans are gonna throw things at me, I realize, as well those who (most deservedly) appreciate Issa Rae, but I believe that this category should come down to the two nominees from Netflix’s wildly popular showcase on female friendship. That means I’m setting myself up for even more failure because it’s almost impossible to choose between Dead To Me‘s two leads, who are both integral to the show’s success and play off each other so beautifully while rolling around in pitch-black humor. This show has mastered the fine art of captivating an audience despite an endless supply of chain-yanking cliffhangers. I adore it and want it to win things.

ANALYSIS: Yes, Linda Cardellini is often the best part of any given project, but she’s met her endearing match here. Even more amazing is that Applegate’s performance manages to be more endearing despite how she’s playing an abrasive, unlikeable character. The audience still empathizes with her and admires that scrappiness, and I also want to see Applegate get her due. For too many years, she’s been Kelly Bundy to everyone, despite all her work in Hollywood, and frankly, it’s overdue for people to finally recognize her not only for being damn funny but a fine dramatic actress as well. — Ricci

Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

Jeremy Irons (Watchmen)
Hugh Jackman (Bad Education)
Paul Mescal (Normal People)
Jeremy Pope (Hollywood)
Mark Ruffalo (I Know This Much Is True)

OUR PICK: Again, we’re going to vote against the insider crowd and crown Paul Mescal as the unofficial winner in this race. His breakout role in Hulu’s beloved Normal People elevated the story of a young couple’s doomed romance to something more than just your garden variety soap opera. Mescal played a young man tortured by anxiety and depression, forced to choose between a public persona and who he genuinely wanted to be. And his chemistry with co-star Daisy Edgar-Jones (who was robbed of recognition this year) was off the charts. Men’s mental health is a topic rarely treated well, if at all, on TV so it’d be nice to see Mescal get the credit he deserves for such a grounding, emotionally wrought performance. And for rocking the hell out of that gold chain.

ANALYSIS: Sadly, HBO knew what it was doing when it recruited Mark Ruffalo to play a pair of twin brothers – one a paranoid schizophrenic – in a drama about the effects of generational trauma. This kind of heavy-handed, exquisitely-acted tearjerker is like Emmy voter catnip. — Toomer

Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

Cate Blanchett (Mrs. America)
Shira Haas (Unorthodox)
Regina King (Watchmen)
Octavia Spencer (Self Made)
Kerry Washington (Little Fires Everywhere)

OUR PICK: Ahhhh, this is a gut-wrenching category to call, but I’m going with Regina King for her commanding performance as Sister Night. Yes, it’s entirely wrong that Kaitlyn Dever didn’t get nominated for Unbelieveable, and Shira Haas put in emotionally grueling work, while both Cate Blanchett and Octavia Spencer owned their roles with the star turns that we always expect from them. Yet Watchmen should sweep this category along with most of its other nominations.

ANALYSIS: Regina King played a badass superhero who didn’t even have superpowers and was somehow still the most powerful being on this show. Yes, I’m placing Sister Night above even Doctor Manhattan; because hey, Regina gave us both the softer side of her character and the hardened one. She authentically portrayed a woman who’s getting the job done and juggling family responsibilities that a lot of shows with female cops let slide away. She also pulled off a fine portrayal of a good cop, which is something that’s sorely needed in our current times. And Regina gave us a true hero from a marginalized community while adding in all the layers that this show’s historical context demanded. Let her walk on water, I say. — Ricci

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Giancarlo Esposito (Better Call Saul)
Bradley Whitford (The Handmaid’s Tale)
Billy Crudup (The Morning Show)
Mark Duplass (The Morning Show)
Nicholas Braun (Succession)
Kieran Culkin (Succession)
Matthew Macfadyen (Succession)
Jeffrey Wright (Westworld)

OUR PICK: Good God, what a stacked category. You could go any of about six ways here, and even the ways I probably wouldn’t go are reasonably defensible. Like, Westworld was weird and not great this season, but Jeffrey Wright is always awesome. Gus Fring wasn’t even the best villain on Better Call Saul this season (Lalooooooo), but Giancarlo Esposito rules. The Succession boys are very good and better when they are bad, and with all due respect to the masterful work Kieran Culkin has done in making Roman Roy a character I no longer want to heave into a stinky lagoon…

ANALYSIS: … let’s give it to my sweet boy Cousin Greg, as played by Nicholas Braun. There’s no big reason I have for this, no professional defensible explanation. I just like him and want to see him be happy. Sometimes that’s all it takes. — Grubb

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Laura Dern (Big Little Lies)
Meryl Streep (Big Little Lies)
Helena Bonham Carter (The Crown)
Samira Wiley (The Handmaid’s Tale)
Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve)
Julia Garner (Ozark)
Sarah Snook (Succession)
Thandie Newton (Westworld)

OUR PICK: Me trying to pick a winner:

Let’s go straight to the analysis.

ANALYSIS: Meryl Streep and Laura Dern are the biggest names, but no one liked Big Little Lies season two; since 2000, only three actresses have won this category in back-to-back years, which likely leaves out Julia Garner (maybe she’ll win an Oscar for The Assistant as a consolation prize); Thandie Newton rules, but Westworld does not; and Helena Bonham Carter, Samira Wiley, and Fiona Shaw aren’t Sarah Snook, therefore the award must (and should) go to Sarah Snook. — Kurp

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Andre Braugher (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
William Jackson Harper (The Good Place)
Alan Arkin (The Kominsky Method)
Sterling K. Brown (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Tony Shalhoub (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Mahershala Ali (Ramy)
Kenan Thompson (Saturday Night Live)
Dan Levy (Schitt’s Creek)

OUR PICK: We’re just going to say it: The 2020 Emmys belong to Dan Levy. He’s nominated for writing, producing, directing, and acting in the comedic critical darling that is Schitt’s Creek and the fact that the show’s final season is something of a Cinderella story – its brilliance was only just recognized by academy voters last year – means the Rose family will probably live on that (virtual) stage come Emmys night. Levy spent seasons crafting an iconic comedy that became both a meme-able oddball and a sort of comforting reminder that realistic, nuanced, “normal” queer characters do still exist on TV, and they have the power to change perceptions and promote more inclusiveness when given the chance. But really, David Rose’s sweater-game alone should be reason enough for Levy to walk away with some hardware this year.

ANALYSIS: Levy should (and hopefully will) win but if we’re playing devil’s advocate, David Rose didn’t feel like a supporting character in Schitt’s Creek’s final season. For that reason, we wouldn’t count out William Jackson Harper or Andre Braugher in this category. — Toomer

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Betty Gilpin (GLOW)
D’Arcy Carden (The Good Place)
Yvonne Orji (Insecure)
Alex Borstein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Marin Hinkle (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live)
Cecily Strong (Saturday Night Live)
Annie Murphy (Schitt’s Creek)

OUR PICK: Sheesh. Another Murderer’s Row. I would be very happy if the award went to D’Arcy Carden or Kate McKinnon or Annie Murphy. I would be happy if they all tied. Give everyone a trophy! Trophies for everyone!

ANALYSIS: Ugh, fine. Let’s pick one person. I’m going to eliminate McKinnon just because the other two actresses were on shows that ended their runs, so they’re out of chances for these characters. Murphy was so good as Alexis Rose. So good. The arc that character went on was incredible. But I just realized I used a picture of D’Arcy Carden as Janet at the top of this section, so it would be weird if I didn’t pick her. There you go. There’s the tiebreaker. That wasn’t so hard. — Grubb

Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

Dylan McDermott (Hollywood)
Jim Parsons (Hollywood)
Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend)
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Watchmen)
Jovan Adepo (Watchmen)
Louis Gossett Jr. (Watchmen)

OUR PICK: I, someone who has binged Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt a Billie-Eilish-watching-The-Office number of times, would love for Tituss Burgess to triumph in the same category as previous winners Marlon Brando, James Earl Jones, and the voice of Paddington. Titus Andromedon would love that, too. His acceptance speech would include a snippet of the National Anthem (the America’s Funniest Home Videos theme song). But that’s not going to happen. And honestly? It shouldn’t, because the award clearly belongs to…

ANALYSIS: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II should get two awards: one for his powerful and frequently naked acting, and one for keeping his character’s identity a secret. I would have blabbed to the first person who wondered why I had [redacted] paint on my fingernails (I don’t want to ruin it). — Kurp

Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

Holland Taylor (Hollywood)
Uzo Aduba (Mrs. America)
Margo Martindale (Mrs. America)
Tracey Ullman (Mrs. America)
Toni Collette (Unbelievable)
Jean Smart (Watchmen)

OUR PICK: Merritt Wever and Kaitlyn Dever from Unbelievable might’ve been snubbed by Emmy voters but one, if not both, of them deserve to be on this list. For that reason, we’re siding with Toni Collette, who plays a tough-as-nails detective trying to get justice for the women under her charge. Collette delivered a solid, if not unsurprising performance against Wever’s emotionally-woke victim’s advocate and Dever’s hauntingly brave rape survivor, and a win for her means a win for all three ladies in our book.

ANALYSIS: It’s likely the Mrs. America cast will cancel each other out in this category so really, Collette’s only competition is Jean Smart, who did good work on Watchmen but not enough to pull focus from castmates like Regina Kind and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and certainly not enough to challenge Collette’s amount of screen time and character growth. — Toomer