Television
‘The Romanoffs’ trailer has a lot of people thinking they’re members of the Russian royal family
Amazon has released a new trailer for The Romanoffs, the upcoming drama series from Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner, which follows eight separate stories about people who believe themselves to be descendants of the Russian royal family.
“Michael, there are so many people out there with your background. And I guess they’re proud, but they’re really fucked up,” a voiceover at the beginning of the trailer says, further revealing just how many people around the world believe they are descended from the Romanoffs.
The series is based on a real epidemic of people who have come forward over the years claiming to be members of the actual Romanov family, who ruled Russia for more than 300 years before being overthrown in the late 1900s. However, all immediate members of the Romanov family are shown as having been deceased, according to DNA evidence.
Created, written, directed, and executive produced by Weiner, the series is comprised of eight standalone episodes and stars Aaron Eckhart, Diane Lane, Isabelle Huppert, Christina Hendricks, John Slattery, Amanda Peet, Jack Huston, Kathryn Hahn, Noah Wyle, Paul Reiser, Andrew Rannells, and more.
The Romanoffs will be rolled out on a weekly basis on Amazon Prime Video beginning Friday, October 12, when the first two episodes hit the streaming platform. Subsequent episodes will be released each week until the end of the season. You can check out the new trailer for the series below.
Television
Jordan Peele to host and narrate ‘The Twilight Zone’ for CBS All Access, watch the first teaser
Not only will Jordan Peele be producing The Twilight Zone when it returns to television in 2019, but he’ll also be hosting and narrating the show as well, CBS All Access announced today. The series will be a modern reimagining of the original, which first premiered in 1959 and was originally hosted by creator Rod Serling.
“Rod Serling was an uncompromising visionary who not only shed light on social issues of his time but prophesied issues of ours,” Peele said in a statement Thursday. “I’m honored to carry on his legacy to a new generation of audiences as the gatekeeper of The Twilight Zone.”
The Twilight Zone will begin production this fall and is being produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions and Simon Kinberg‘s Genre Films. Peele and Kinberg also serve as executive producers along with Win Rosenfeld, Audrey Chon, Carol Serling, Rick Berg, and Greg Yaitanes.
Serling’s original series ran for five seasons until 1964, ending with a total of 156 episodes which featured actors such as Dennis Hopper, Leonard Nimoy, Robert Redford, and William Shatner. Serling was known for using socially conscious storytelling to explore the human condition and culture of the times.
Along with today’s announcement about Peele came a quick 25-second teaser for The Twilight Zone, which you can check out below.
— Jordan Peele (@JordanPeele) September 20, 2018
Television
Bert and Ernie are a gay couple, according to former ‘Sesame Street’ staff writer Mark Saltzman
It’s official: Mark Saltzman, a former Sesame Street writer who worked on the show for more than a decade, has confirmed that everyone’s favorite puppet roommates, Bert and Ernie, are a gay couple, as many viewers have been speculating for years. The revelation comes via an interview Queerty published with Saltzman over the weekend.
“I always felt that without a huge agenda, when I was writing Bert & Ernie, they were. I didn’t have any other way to contextualize them,” Saltzman said, adding that the relationship between Bert and Ernie mirrored his real-life relationship with his longtime partner, film editor Arnold Glassman, who died in 2003.
Saltzman became a scriptwriter for Sesame Street in 1984, about 15 years after the Bernie and Ernie characters were first introduced in 1969, and continued writing for the show up until the late 1990s. In addition to his script work, Saltzman also created the Muppet character Placido Flamingo and wrote lyrics for more than 50 songs for the character.
“It was the Bert & Ernie relationship,” Saltzman said about his relationship with Glassman, adding that more than one person referred to them both as the iconic Sesame Street duo. “I was already with Arnie when I came to Sesame Street. So I don’t think I’d know how else to write them, but as a loving couple.”
Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization which produces Sesame Street, tweeted a statement Tuesday responding to Saltzman’s remarks, stressing that Bert and Ernie “are best friends” and “do not have a sexual orientation,” despite both characters identifying as male and possessing many human characteristics.
Television
2018 Emmy Awards: ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ won the night’s top prizes
The 70th Emmy Awards were well underway at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Monday evening where 27 awards recognizing excellence in primetime programming and individual achievement were presented by the likes of Claire Foy, Elisabeth Moss, Sandra Oh, Alec Baldwin, Taraji P. Henson, Constance Wu, Ben Stiller, Sarah Paulson, Benicio Del Toro, Andy Samberg, Matt Smith, Angela Bassett, Patricia Arquette, Jimmy Kimmel, Millie Bobby Brown, Kit Harington, Tina Fey, and many more.
Game of Thrones, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and The Crown were some of the most notable winners at tonight’s ceremony, which was hosted by Weekend Update co-hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che. HBO, which has picked up more awards than any other network at the Emmys for the past 16 years, tied with Netflix this year with both networks picking up 23 awards each.
You can check out the complete list of winners from the 2018 Emmy Awards below.
Outstanding Drama Series
The Americans
The Crown
Winner: Game of Thrones
The Handmaid’s Tale
Stranger Things
This Is Us
Westworld
Outstanding Comedy Series
Atlanta
Barry
Black-ish
Curb Your Enthusiasm
GLOW
Winner: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Silicon Valley
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Outstanding Limited Series
The Alienist
Winner: The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
Genius: Picasso
Godless
Patrick Melrose
Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Jason Bateman, Ozark
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Ed Harris, Westworld
Winner: Matthew Rhys, The Americans
Milo Ventimiglia, This Is Us
Jeffrey Wright, Westworld
Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Winner: Claire Foy, The Crown
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black
Elizabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale
Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
Keri Russell, The Americans
Evan Rachel Wood, Westworld
Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
Ted Danson, The Good Place
Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Donald Glover, Atlanta
Winner: Bill Hader, Barry
William H. Macy, Shameless
Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Pamela Adlon, Better Things
Winner: Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Allison Janney, Mom
Issa Rae, Insecure
Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish
Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie
Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Antonio Banderas, Genius: Picasso
Winner: Darren Criss, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
Benedict Cumberbatch, Patrick Melrose
Jeff Daniels, The Looming Tower
John Legend, Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert
Jesse Plemons, Black Mirror (“USS Callister”)
Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Jessica Biel, The Sinner
Laura Dern, The Tale
Michelle Dockery, Godless
Edie Falco, Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders
Winner: Regina King, Seven Seconds
Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story: Cult
Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Game of Thrones
Winner: Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Joseph Fiennes, The Handmaid’s Tale
David Harbour, Stranger Things
Mandy Patinkin, Homeland
Matt Smith, The Crown
Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Alexis Bledel, The Handmaid’s Tale
Millie Bobby Brown, Stranger Things
Ann Dowd, The Handmaid’s Tale
Lena Headey, Game of Thrones
Vanessa Kirby, The Crown
Winner: Thandie Newton, Westworld
Yvonne Strahovski, The Handmaid’s Tale
Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Louie Anderson, Baskets
Alec Baldwin, Saturday Night Live
Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Brian Tyree Henry, Atlanta
Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Kenan Thompson, Saturday Night Live
Winner: Henry Winkler, Barry
Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Zazie Beetz, Atlanta
Winner: Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Aidy Bryant, Saturday Night Live
Betty Gilpin, GLOW
Leslie Jones, Saturday Night Live
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
Laurie Metcalf, Roseanne
Megan Mullally, Will & Grace
Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Winner: Jeff Daniels, Godless
Brandon Victor Dixon, Jesus Christ Superstar
John Leguizamo, Waco
Ricky Martin, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
Edgar Ramirez, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
Michael Stuhlbarg, The Looming Tower
Finn Wittrock, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Sara Bareilles, Jesus Christ Superstar Live In Concert
Penelope Cruz, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
Judith Light, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
Adina Porter, American Horror Story: Cult
Winner: Merritt Wever, Godless
Letitia Wright, Black Mirror (“Black Museum”)
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
Winner: The Crown, Stephen Daldry (“Paterfamilias”)
Game of Thrones, Alan Taylor (“Beyond the Wall”)
Game of Thrones, Jeremy Podeswa (“The Dragon and the Wolf”)
The Handmaid’s Tale, Kari Skogland (“After”)
Ozark, Jason Batman (“The Toll”)
Ozark, Daniel Sackheim (“Tonight We Improvise”)
Stranger Things, the Duffer Brothers (“Chapter Nine: The Gate”)
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
Atlanta, Donald Glover (“FUBU”)
Atlanta, Hiro Murai (“Teddy Perkins”)
Barry, Bill Hader (“Chapter One: Make Your Mark”)
The Big Bang Theory, Mark Cendrowski (“The Bow Tie Asymmetry”)
GLOW, Jesse Peretz (“Pilot”)
Winner: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Amy Sherman-Palladino (“Pilot”)
Silicon Valley, Mike Judge (“Initial Coin Offering”)
Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special
Winner: The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, Ryan Murphy (“The Man Who Would Be Vogue”)
Godless, Scott Frank
Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert, David Leveaux and Alex Rudzinski
The Looming Tower, Craig Zisk (“9/11”)
Paterno, Barry Levinson
Patrick Melrose, Edward Berger
Twin Peaks, David Lynch
Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series
Dave Chappelle: Equanimity, Stan Lathan
Jerry Seinfeld: Jerry Before Seinfeld, Michael Bonfiglio
Steve Martin & Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget For The Rest Of Your Life, Marcus Raboy
Super Bowl LII Halftime Show starring Justin Timberlake, Hamish Hamilton
Winner: The Oscars, Glenn Weiss
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Winner: The Americans, Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg (“START”)
The Crown, Peter Morgan (“Mystery Man”)
Game of Thrones, David Benioff and D. B. Weiss (“The Dragon and the Wolf”)
The Handmaid’s Tale, Bruce Miller ( “June”)
Killing Eve, Phoebe Waller-Bridge (“Nice Face”)
Stranger Things, the Duffer Brothers (“Chapter Nine: The Gate”)
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Atlanta, Donald Glover (“Alligator Man”)
Atlanta, Stefani Robinson (“Barbershop”)
Barry, Alec Berg and Bill Hader (“Chapter One: Make Your Mark”)
Barry, Liz Sarnoff (“Chapter Seven: Loud, Fast and Keep Going”)
Winner: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Amy Sherman-Palladino (“Pilot”)
Silicon Valley, Alec Berg (“Fifty-One Percent”)
Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special
American Vandal, Kevin McManus and Matthew McManus (“Clean Up”)
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, Tom Rob Smith (“House by the Lake”)
Winner: Black Mirror, William Bridges and Charlie Brooker (“USS Callister”)
Godless, Scott Frank
Patrick Melrose, David Nicholls
Twin Peaks, Mark Frost and David Lynch
Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee: The Great American* Puerto Rico (*It’s Complicated)
Winner: John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous
Michelle Wolf: Nice Lady
Patton Oswalt: Annihilation
Steve Martin & Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life
Outstanding Reality Competition Program
The Amazing Race
American Ninja Warrior
Project Runway
Winner: RuPaul’s Drag Race
Top Chef
The Voice
Outstanding Variety Sketch Series
At Home With Amy Sedaris
Drunk History
I Love You, America
Portlandia
Winner: Saturday Night Live
Tracy Ullman’s Show
Outstanding Variety Talk Series
The Daily Show With Trevor Noah
Full Frontal With Samantha Bee
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Winner: Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
The Late Late Show With James Corden
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
TV Movie
Fahrenheit 451
Flint
Paterno
The Tale
Winner: “USS Callister” (Black Mirror)