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‘Severance' leads Emmy nominations with 27

‘Severance' leads Emmy nominations with 27

NZ Herald4 days ago
After last year's record-breaking 18 Emmy Awards for Japan-set historical epic Shogun, this year's drama competition looks to be more nuanced.
Severance, in which employees of biotech company Lumon have their memories surgically separated between their 'innie' work lives and their 'outie' personal lives, is clearly the early favourite, with star Adam Scott a nominee for best actor.
But he will compete with ER veteran Noah Wyle, who leads The Pitt – HBO Max's take on the travails of a Pittsburgh emergency room team during one 15-hour shift, effectively filmed in real time.
'It's ER on steroids!' Deadline awards expert Pete Hammond told AFP of the show, which earned 13 nods.
Also competing for best drama honours are Disney+'s Star Wars offshoot Andor, Netflix's The Diplomat, HBO's apocalyptic video game adaptation The Last of Us, Hulu political thriller Paradise, Apple's spy drama Slow Horses, and The White Lotus.
Scott and Wyle have stiff competition for best actor: Oscar winner Gary Oldman in Slow Horses, Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us) and Sterling K Brown (Paradise).
Scott's co-star Britt Lower is a nominee for best drama actress, alongside Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us) and Keri Russell (The Diplomat).
The White Lotus earned a slew of acting nominations in the supporting categories.
The Penguin is competing for best limited series honours against Dying for Sex (FX) and three Netflix efforts: buzzy teen murder saga Adolescence, Black Mirror and true-crime saga Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.
Adolescence breakout star Owen Cooper, who plays a 13-year-old British boy accused of murdering a female classmate, earned a nomination for supporting actor.
Monsters, the story of a pair of California brothers in prison for killing their parents after what they say was years of sexual and physical abuse, earned acting nods for Cooper Koch, Javier Bardem and Chloe Sevigny.
Comedy newcomer
In the comedy categories, new series The Studio, a satire starring Seth Rogen that eviscerates the film industry, emerged as a clear favourite.
Rogen also wrote and produced the show, which earned acting nominations for Ike Barinholtz, Kathryn Hahn, Catherine O'Hara and six guest performers.
Hacks – starring Jean Smart as a stand-up comedian who locks horns with her dysfunctional millennial assistant – won for best comedy and best actress in September last year, and is nominated again in those categories.
The Bear, a dark satire set in the Chicago restaurant world, took the top prize at the previous ceremony (held in January 2024 because of Hollywood strikes), and its star Jeremy Allen White has two trophies for best actor.
Beyond those three, other nominees for best comedy series are ABC's mockumentary-style sitcom Abbott Elementary, rom-com Nobody Wants This (Netflix), Hulu's Only Murders in the Building, Apple's Shrinking, and FX's vampire laugh riot What We Do in the Shadows.
Harvey Guillen (What We Do in the Shadows) and Brenda Song (Running Point) unveiled the key nominations in a livestreamed ceremony.
Voting members of the US-based Television Academy will then have a month to catch up on their viewing before final-round voting begins in mid-August.
The September 14 gala will be hosted by comedian Nate Bargatze.
-Agence France-Presse
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Menopause, sex and the joy of being 60: Robyn Malcolm doesn't hold back
Menopause, sex and the joy of being 60: Robyn Malcolm doesn't hold back

1News

time20 hours ago

  • 1News

Menopause, sex and the joy of being 60: Robyn Malcolm doesn't hold back

As her long career climbs to new exciting peaks, one of New Zealand's favourite actors remains politically fierce, sexually outspoken and determined not to be overlooked by her famously sexist industry. By Gill Higgins It might be a strange comparison, but I think of Robyn Malcolm like a tornado. Wherever she lands, she kicks up what's in her path and somehow leaves you feeling more alive than before. And so it was that on a mini break from filming in Perth, she swept me into a whirlwind 24 hours: a dash to Tauranga to speak at a women's business event, then straight to Wellington for dinner with old friends, then on to see her son Pete's band, American Muscle, that same night. ADVERTISEMENT And while she's at it, she's across her social media. 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That's all she'd reveal, but she couldn't hide her excitement. If filming moves to the UK, that would be a bonus – because it's home to Malcolm's long-distance partner, Scottish actor Peter Mullan. They've been together, albeit frequently oceans apart, for 15 years. 'You go, well, I love you, so we'll make it work. It doesn't have to be conventional, and we make sure we put the kids first.' (Malcolm has two, Mullan has four, all of them aged in their late teens and older.) 'I remember my mum saying, 'I like this man he puts his kids ahead of you. And that's what he should do'.' ADVERTISEMENT Mullan has also been her acting partner, twice. First in Top of the Lake, then in After the Party, where she accuses him of paedophilia on screen. Off-screen, she's far more generous. 'He's a great human being, a phenomenal father. Fierce and politically connected. And one of the greatest actors in the world.' We can't say enough about sex So, for Malcolm, unconventional works. 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Faith Ward becomes first-ever New Zealander to make Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders
Faith Ward becomes first-ever New Zealander to make Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders

NZ Herald

timea day ago

  • NZ Herald

Faith Ward becomes first-ever New Zealander to make Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders

After making it through the first trials in June, Ward told Perth Now: 'No matter the outcome, it'll be amazing to be part of the experience, and making it this far is already just incredible.' This week she shared on her fast-growing social media platforms that she had been selected, posting emotional videos showing family and friends her new uniform: 'telling people I got my dream job'. Born with double-jointed hips, Ward moved to Australia when she was 10 and began working as a professional dancer at 18, performing on cruise ships, Perth Now reported. The iconic cheerleaders in their white hot-pants, cowboy boots and dazzling blue crop top have been performing at Dallas Cowboys games since 1961. They became world famous when the Netflix docuseries America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders came out last year, shining a light on what goes on behind the scenes. The series showed the torturous toll the routines take on the women's bodies (they jump from the air and land on the ground in the splits) – with injured necks, backs, hips and surgeries not uncommon. It exposed the long hours of work for little pay – reportedly as little as US$400 ($672) a game – and the objectification of the women. However, the series also captured the pride of making the grade and the impressive physical skills required. Season 2 of the show dropped on Netflix in June. There's no word yet of season 3, which will be the one featuring Ward. The cheerleaders have just entered training camp before the NFL season. The first home pre-season game for the Cowboys is set for August 17, before their season officially kicks off at their home turf in Arlington, Texas on September 15. Ward is the first New Zealander to make the squad, but two Australians are among the esteemed alumni – Angela Nicotera Brown and Jinelle Esther. - RNZ

Netflix profits surge off ads, higher subscription prices
Netflix profits surge off ads, higher subscription prices

RNZ News

time2 days ago

  • RNZ News

Netflix profits surge off ads, higher subscription prices

A face close-up of one of the animation characters from the Netflix movie K-Pop Demon Hunters, wearing a traditional Korean gat. Photo: Netflix Netflix reported stronger than expected second-quarter results Thursday, with profit jumping 45 percent year-over-year as the streaming giant benefited from subscription price increases and a growing advertising business. Revenue climbed 16 percent to US$11.1 billion (NZ$18.3b) in the quarter ended 30 June, beating analyst estimates and the company's own guidance, while net profit surged to US$3.1b (NZ$5.1b). The company raised its full-year revenue forecast, noting that it expects revenue to be between US$44.8b (NZ$73.8b) and US$45.2b (NZ$74.5b) in 2025, up from a range of US$43.5b (NZ$71.6b) to US$44.5b (NZ$73.3b). Netflix highlighted strong performance from its content offers in the quarter, with major hits including the third season of Squid Game , which drew 122 million views. "It has already become our sixth-biggest season of any series in our history, with just a few weeks of viewing so far," the company said in a statement. Other standout titles included the third season of Ginny & Georgia with 53 million views and Sirens with 56 million views. There was also the animated film KPop Demon Hunters with 80 million views, which became "one of our biggest animated films ever" and generated a soundtrack that topped music charts globally. "Korean content continues to be popular with our audience," the company said, pointing to the continued success of international programming that has become a hallmark of Netflix's global strategy. Netflix expressed optimism about the second half of 2025, highlighting an upcoming slate that includes the highly anticipated second season of Wednesday , the final season of Stranger Things and new films from major directors including Kathryn Bigelow and Guillermo del Toro. The company has also announced plans to expand live programming with marquee boxing matches and NFL games, as it continues to diversify its content offerings beyond traditional on-demand entertainment. Netflix shares have surged more than 40 percent year-to-date as investors have responded positively to the company's shift toward profitability, which saw it crack down on password sharing and turn to ads for more revenue. The company counted over 300 million subscribers last December, at the end of a particularly successful holiday season, when it gained almost 19 million new subscriptions. But the company no longer discloses these figures, in order to focus on audience 'engagement' metrics (time spent watching content). In the quarter, Netflix continued to build out its advertising capabilities, saying that it expects to roughly double ads revenue in 2025, though it did not provide specific figures. The service is forecasting US$9b (NZ$14.8b) in revenues from its ad-based subscriptions by 2030. "With another robust earnings showing in Q2, Netflix continues a winning streak going back several quarters and cements its place as the leader among streaming services," said Emarketer analyst Paul Verna. - AFP

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