Entertainment
20 years ago at the Emmys: A clean sweep for 'Angels in America'
![20 years ago at the Emmys: A clean sweep for 'Angels in America' 20 years ago at the Emmys: A clean sweep for 'Angels in America'](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c78fb0f/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3158x1658+0+83/resize/1200x630!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F5a%2F30%2Fa7a5217d4e049e8256a19ca394bb%2Fmike-nochols-emmys-2004.jpg)
There’s no such thing as a sure thing in awards season — but HBO’s “Angels in America,” which swept the 56th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 19, 2004, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, sure came close.
The miniseries came with every pedigree possible: Tony Kushner writing the script based on his Tony-winning play; director/executive producer Mike Nichols; and stars Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, Mary-Louise Parker and Jeffrey Wright — all of whom won that evening. “Angels” was the most-watched made-for-cable series in 2003, and it gave dramatic voice to the AIDS epidemic in a way no other TV project had before.
An ‘Angelic’ evening
And so, “Angels” had an angelic evening at the Emmys, beating the record “Roots” had held since 1977 for the most Emmys given to a miniseries in a single year (11 awards from 21 nominations). It became the first program to sweep every major category in which it was eligible, and became only the second series to that point to win all four main acting miniseries categories.
Today, there is no longer simply a miniseries category; over the decades, the “more than a single-episode fictional scripted show” label has evolved. Today, the category is for limited or anthology series.
“Angels” overcame solid competition from “American Family” (Season 1) on PBS; “Horatio Hornblower” on A&E; “Prime Suspect 6: The Last Witness” on PBS; and “Traffic” on USA.
Continuing the fight against AIDS
Nichols accepted the award from presenter Barbara Walters and promptly handed it over to Kushner, who joined him onstage along with many members of the cast and his fellow producers. After thanking HBO executives and his fellow producers (executive producer Cary Brokaw; co-EP Mike Haley and producer Celia D. Costas also were winners), Nichols added, “As you know, the fight against AIDS isn’t over yet and we must do what we can for Africa, and that is what we want to leave you as far as ‘Angels in America’ is concerned. Let’s see what we can do.”
This was Nichols’ fourth Emmy; he’d won for directing earlier in the evening, and his other two came in 2001 for “Wit,” on which he also worked with Brokaw and Haley. This was Brokaw’s second Emmy (his first came for “Wit”); and Haley’s and Costas’ first wins. Costas would go on to win a second in 2005 for “Warm Springs.”
Pioneers of heart surgery get their beat
The choice as to who would win in the television movie category was less predictable, but “Something the Lord Made” (also from HBO) earned awards for executive producers Robert W. Cort, Eric Hetzel and David Madden and producers Michael Drake and Julian Krainin.
The film about the pioneers of heart surgery brought a second Emmy to Cort (who had won in 1990 for “A Mother’s Courage: The Mary Thomas Story”); and first wins for Hetzel, Madden, Drake and Krainin (Krainin had an Oscar from 1974 for documentary short with “Princeton: A Search for Answers”).
After accepting the award from presenters Kiefer Sutherland and Joely Richardson, Cort spoke for the producers and gave a shoutout to the film’s nominated director, Joe Sargent, who was in the audience and already had four Emmys for projects spanning from 1973 to 1992. Cort noted that Sargent’s “courageous heart infuses every frame of our film.”
“Something the Lord Made” also took home awards for cinematography in a miniseries and single-camera picture editing for a miniseries, but no acting wins for nominated stars Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) and Alan Rickman.
“Something” was in competition with “Ike: Countdown to D-Day” (A&E); “And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself” (HBO); “The Lion in Winter” (Showtime); and “The Reagans” (Showtime).
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Movie Reviews
Movie Review: 'Trap' – Catholic Review
![Movie Review: 'Trap' – Catholic Review Movie Review: 'Trap' – Catholic Review](https://catholicreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/review-trap.jpg)
NEW YORK (OSV News) – Writer-director M. Night Shyamalan can be credited with a certain degree of originality in the crafting of his thriller “Trap.” And, though the film as a whole turns out to be an odd mix of interesting plot twists and yawning improbabilities, there’s little on screen that would bar older teens from reaching into this cinematic grab bag.
Can a brutal serial killer successfully double as a suburban family man? As far as seemingly devoted dad Cooper (Josh Hartnett) is concerned, the answer is yes. Among those buying into his act is his typical-teen daughter, Riley (Ariel Donoghue).
To reward Riley for an outstanding report card, Cooper brings her to a concert by her favorite pop star, Lady Raven (Saleka Night Shyamalan). As Riley enthuses over the music, Cooper notices that an unusual number of police officers seem to be present at the event.
He eventually discovers that the authorities, led by profiler Dr. Josephine Grant (Hayley Mills), had obtained a clue indicating he would be there and now have him completely surrounded. Time for some quick thinking.
Is the idea that a psychopath could carry on healthy loving relationships such as Cooper has with Riley, his wife Rachel (Alison Pill) and his young son Logan (Lochlan Miller) intriguing or merely absurd? Certainly the origin story of Cooper’s madness – he’s haunted by visions of his overbearing mother (Marcia Bennett) — is straight out of Freud’s bargain basement.
So the proceedings come across as more than a bit muddled. And the concert scenes go on too long as well. But the action is restrained, objectionable elements are few and, to the extent that any message is conveyed, it’s that decent people can be almost as resourceful as a homicidal maniac.
The film contains mature themes, brief harsh violence, a few gory images, a couple of instances each of profanity and crass talk, numerous milder oaths and a single rough term. The OSV News classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
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Movie Reviews
‘AIR FRYER SLAUGHTER’ (2024) – Movie Review – PopHorror
![‘AIR FRYER SLAUGHTER’ (2024) – Movie Review – PopHorror ‘AIR FRYER SLAUGHTER’ (2024) – Movie Review – PopHorror](https://pophorror.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/airfryerslaughterbanner.jpg)
Air Fryers are one of the most appreciated and streamlined cooking inventions in modern history. Not since the George Foreman grill have we seen so many people swear by a new kitchen trend. But what if the Air Fryer became an instrument of destruction with bad intentions? That’s the question we answer in Air Fryer Slaughter, the newest cult horror comedy by MMH Productions.
That’s about all we’ve got when it comes to plot, but there’s still plenty that will satisfy fans of Troma-style horror. Air Fryer Slaughter has an impressive array of violence on display, that results in a showcase for the SFX department. Eyes are poked out, faces melted, and body parts fly as our bulky antagonist moves impressively from place to place. Air Fryer is framed much like Freddy Krueger, with puns and quips to go with his trail of dead bodies.
But Air Fryer isn’t just a mechanical maniac, he’s also a viewer to a television reel that hosts a lot of cameos from indie horror standouts. Destruction must also be hard work, because Air Fryer goes on a few sexual quests as well, adding some nudity and laughs to our list of classic horror tropes.
![](https://pophorror.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/rsz_afs_2-2-450x600.jpg)
Air Fryer Slaughter is shot on video and seems to leave the door open for sequels and spinoffs in a shared world of schlocky cult horror. Fans of this sub-genre will certainly find this as a worthy addition. It’s available now on DVD.
Entertainment
Who is DJ Cassidy, the Californian who led that great (and strange) DNC playlist?
![Who is DJ Cassidy, the Californian who led that great (and strange) DNC playlist? Who is DJ Cassidy, the Californian who led that great (and strange) DNC playlist?](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/830a6f9/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4380x2300+0+310/resize/1200x630!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc4%2Fdf%2F3af489f24398b9166cb177d12493%2F1472058-la-pol-dnc-mjc653.jpg)
While delegates gleefully cast their ceremonial votes for Vice President Kamala Harris to be their presidential nominee at Tuesday night’s Democratic National Convention, a dancing DJ spun a fresh song for each state from the stage.
DJ Cassidy, the Californian sporting an electric blue suit, stole the show.
The 43-year-old Angeleno, whose name is Cassidy Podell, returned to the DNC stage Tuesday 12 years after he became the first disc jockey to perform at the quadrennial convention. He also deejayed the last DNC in 2020, an entirely virtual affair because of the pandemic, where Cassidy performed in his quintessential wide-brimmed hat and colorful suit jacket from home.
In a video posted earlier on Instagram, Cassidy greeted singer Patti LaBelle, who kicked off the evening’s events with a rendition of “You Are My Friend.”
Cassidy has frequently played the celebrity circuit, including deejaying at Beyoncé and Jay Z’s wedding. He also set the soundtrack for Obama family birthday parties.
With images of Cassidy spinning and dancing on the stage and Lil Jon rapping in the aisles of the convention hall, the Democratic Party tried to shake up the roll call of votes on Tuesday.
And some listeners thought it was great.
“I loved that DJ Cassidy played authentic music for every state during the DNC roll call,” Magic Johnson posted on X. “He turned it out tonight!”
The music selections created a party-like atmosphere among the thousands of delegates gathered in the United Center, and reflected interesting choices. For California, Harris’ home and the final state to cast the votes of its delegates, Cassidy played a mix of hits — “The Next Episode” by Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg; “California Love” by 2Pac and Dr. Dre; and “Alright” and “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar.
Some were natural fits, featuring musicians from their home states. Others struck odd notes because the message of the lyrics didn’t match Democratic values. Some selections struck an inspirational tone about the prospect of electing a woman of color to the nation’s highest office. Others were completely nonsensical.
Here’s a selection of the songs and artists chosen by various states and categories.
Pairings that made sense:
Arkansas — “Don’t Stop” by Fleetwood Mac, a reference to President (and former Arkansas governor) Clinton, who used this as a campaign song in 1992.
Idaho — “Private Idaho” by The B-52s. Enough said.
Minnesota — “Kiss” and “1999” by Prince, a native of the state who launched his musical career there and remained a resident even after he achieved worldwide fame.
New Mexico — “Confident” by Demi Lovato, who was born in Albuquerque.
Pennsylvania — “Motownphilly” by Boyz II Men and “Black & Yellow” by Wiz Khalifa, who hails from Pittsburgh.
Titles and/or artists that made sense but the message seemed tone-deaf:
Alabama — “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. While the title contains the state’s name, the lyrics were in response to a song by Neil Young that decried the legacy of slavery in the Jim Crow South. The song was particularly incongruous as the state’s Democratic leaders’ spoke about the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement before they announced their delegates’ votes in support of Harris.
New Jersey — “Born in the U.S.A.” by Bruce Springsteen. The Boss is a native son, but while title of this song seems like a patriotic anthem, the lyrics are about a young man sent to fight in Vietnam and his tribulations once he returns home.
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