Thursday, March 26, 2020

Update on Emmy predictions for 2020

In the midst of what may possibly be the most monumental worldwide event of our lifetimes, one thing that is allowed to continue is TV watching. The deadline for Emmy consideration ends on May 31, with nominations to follow on July 14.

I posted back in October some speculation about Meryl's chances. I happened to take another peek to see how things were shaking down in regard to updated predictions on Gold Derby. While Meryl is still listed in the majority of predictors of whom they expect to get nominated, I'd say she averaging about third place in predictions.

As expected, Helena Bonham Carter is leading the pack for her portrayal of Princess Margaret in Netflix's The Crown. Hot off her Oscar nomination for Harriet, Cynthia Erivo is nabbing a few mentions for her work in The Outsider. Julia Garner is very popular as well on Ozark, and several think Ann Dowd will show up nomination morning for The Handmaid's Tale. Laura Dern is still showing up on some lists as well (Big Little Lies), but I actually think she's less likely to be nominated after having just won the Oscar for Marriage Story. I expect some people will think she's had enough recognition this season.

It's kind of a slow time for Meryl news these days. Please offer any suggestions on topics you'd like to hear about or anything you'd like to see discussed!

Stay safe and healthy.

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Shoulda Coulda Wouldas #17: "Catherine the Great"

Back in December 2012, I made my first "official" Wish List entry. I had just finished Robert K. Massie's biography on Catherine the Great, and of course opined at the time how great it would be if Meryl could portray the Russian Empress in a film.

Fast forward to 2019, and the story is brought to screen as a four-part HBO limited series starring Helen Mirren.



I watched it last fall of course. While I was thrilled that the series showcased the czar's reign later in life, the story never really provided a deep sense of urgency. Yes, there were struggles and dangers, and my GOD the scenery and costumes were breathtaking. But at times it just sort of felt like it was taking too long to get somewhere.

I wouldn't have minded a little bit of a lighter tone at time in the series. In general, I thought the acting was good, particularly Mirren of course. It's kind of funny how this is the second Shoulda Coulda Woulda where she ultimately plays a role I had wanted to see Streep play (The Last Station), and also the second one where she plays a Russian woman speaking in and surrounded by a family of people who have an English accents. Obviously they weren't just going to do the whole thing in Russian or German or French, but it's a bit awkward when I think of it.

This also would've been a wonderful opportunity for Meryl to have love interests much younger than her! Mirren does a great job showcasing how a woman over sixty can still be and want to be sexy. It's so rare to see women on screen in romantic relationships at all, much less with men twenty years their junior.

Sadly, Meryl was never really up for this role. Director Philip Martin had Mirren in mind from the start, evidently having developed the project around her. Regardless, it's still fun to picture what Meryl could have done with the role, portraying a monarch with such absolute power. It's highly unlikely we're ever going to see her in this character after this production.

On to the next...

Thursday, March 12, 2020

Production on "The Prom" halted due to coronavirus concerns

Deadline is reporting that due to concerns over the coronavirus, production on The Prom has been shut down for the time being. They were apparently set to wrap shooting over the next few days, but one of the last scenes was set in a high school, which was closed for health concerns.

The good news is that 1) they were close to finishing up, so not much left to shoot, and 2) the tentative plan is to resume/finish in mid April.

The way the whole planet seems to be shutting down, however, it's anyone's guess when production will continue. Regardless, I fully expect this to be released in 2020. 

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

"Little Women" available today on digital platforms

As of today, you can stream Little Women on digital platforms. The best part of things coming to video nowadays is the the behind-the-scenes content they include. Little Women is likely to be no exception. Can't wait to check out the extras!

The film will be available on Blu-ray and DVD (what's that?) in a few weeks--April 7.


Friday, March 6, 2020

The costume parade continues on the set of "The Prom"

Newest pic of Meryl on the set of The Prom:


I've probably said this before in earlier posts, but I'm getting so many Liza Minnelli vibes from her costumes and styling. 

Additional recent pics on set including Nicole Kidman and James Corden can be found here

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

Accents mastered updated

I was thinking about what actual accent Meryl employs for her characterization of Aunt March in Little Women. A lot of people probably assume everyone is just doing a general American accent (considering all the March sisters were portrayed by non-Americans). But we know Meryl doesn't normally sound like that.

It's not specifically what we'd think of as a Boston accent, but I'm going to go with "Northeastern New England."  It seems to fit the description on Wikipedia, at least in regard some of the geography. Let me know if you think there is a better term!

The updated list is as follows:

The Seduction of Joe Tynan (1979)--Tennessean
The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981)--British (specifically Received Pronunciation)
Sophie's Choice (1982)--Polish (in English and German)
Silkwood (1983)--Texan
Plenty (1985)--British (I think it's also RP)
Out of Africa (1985)--Danish
Ironweed (1987)--Irish-American
A Cry in the Dark (1988)--New Zealand (with strong layers of Australian)
The Bridges of Madison County (1995)--Italian (Meryl calls it Iowatalian)
Dancing at Lughnasa (1998)--Northern Irish
Angels in America (2003)--Yiddish and Bronx (in separate roles)
Prime (2005)--Manhattan (specifically Upper West Side)
A Prairie Home Companion (2006)--Upper Midwestern
Doubt (2008)--Bronx
Julie & Julia (2009)--Boston Brahmin
The Iron Lady (2011)--British (again RP)
August: Osage County (2013)--Oklahoman
The Homesman (2014)--Central Plains Midwestern
Suffragette (2015)--British (Received Pronunciation)
Florence Foster Jenkins (2016)--Mid-Atlantic
Mary Poppins Returns (2018)--vaguely Russian
The Laundromat (2019)--nondescript Latin (possibly Panamanian Spanish)
Little Women (2019)--Northeastern New England