Steve Pond's Blog, page 2025
January 1, 2020
David Stern, Former NBA Commissioner, Dies at 77
David Stern, the former longtime commissioner of the NBA, died Wednesday following a brain hemorrhage, according to a statement from current NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. He was 77.
“David took over the NBA in 1984 with the league at a crossroads,” Silver wrote. “But over the course of 30 years as Commissioner, he ushered in the modern global NBA. He launched groundbreaking media and marketing partnerships, digital assets and social responsibility programs that have brought the game to billions of people around the world.”
Stern suffered a sudden brain hemorrhage on Dec. 12 and underwent emergency surgery.
Stern is the longest-tenured commissioner in NBA history, serving in that role for 30 years from 1984-2014, and is considered to be the among the most important figures in the NBA. Under Stern, the NBA saw its popularity expand in the 1990s and 2000s, not only in the U.S., but around the world. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014.
Stern’s tenure with the NBA began in 1966 as an outside counsel, before joining the league full time in 1978 as General Counsel. He became league’s executive vice president in 1980, and succeeded Larry O’Brien (whose namesake is on the NBA championship trophy) as commissioner on Feb. 1, 1984. He retired exactly 30 years to the day on Feb. 1, 2014.
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Stern’s tenure began with a little bit of luck — his first draft in the summer of 1984 included the likes of Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley and John Stockton. The next 15 years would see the league’s popularity rise to the level of Major League Baseball, which had for decades been the most popular sport in the country (that distinction now belongs to the NFL). In the 1970s, the NBA Finals were often tape-delayed. The league now gets billions of dollars from ESPN, ABC and Turner for the rights to air its games — the NBA Finals on ABC ranks among the most-watched TV events of the year.
Oversees, the NBA airs games in 200 countries and territories, in more than 40 languages.
Under Stern, the NBA expanded from 23 to 30 teams, including going beyond U.S. borders to Toronto and Vancouver (though the Grizzlies moved to Memphis after only 6 years). This past spring, the Raptors became the first team outside of the U.S. to win an NBA championship. Seven teams were also relocated during his commissionership, most notably the Seattle Sonics to Oklahoma City, and the Charlotte Hornets to New Orleans (though Charlotte was eventually granted an expansion franchise in 2004).
Stern also oversaw the creation of the WNBA and NBA Development League, now called the G League. His NBA career included the implementation of drug testing, the salary cap, and the dress code. The latter was criticized for unfairly targeting the league’s African-American players.
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However, Stern also courted controversy during his long tenure. Along with the dress code, Stern was criticized for his hardball negotiation tactics and for overreaching his power. The league experienced four work stoppages while he was commissioner, including an ugly lockout in 1998-1999 that nearly cancelled the season, before a last-minute deal was reached. The 1999 season was shorted to 50 games and was beset was poor quality of play and low-scoring games. A similar lockout happened in 2011, which resulted in another shorted season of 66 games.
Then there’s the “Frozen Envelope” controversy during the 1985 draft, which saw the New York Knicks win the first-ever NBA draft lottery and the opportunity to select Patrick Ewing with the first overall pick. The Knicks did not have the league’s worst record, and their resulting good luck led to conspiracy theories that Stern purposely pulled their envelope (which had a bent corner) in order to get the best player in the draft in the league’s biggest TV market. Stern was also criticized for the move of the Sonics to Oklahoma City, which traded in the 14th biggest TV market for the 45th. He led the NBA to intervene against Howard Schultz’s attempt to keep the team in Seattle.
Stern remained active as Commissioner Emeritus after handing the reigns to Silver, taking trips overseas on the league’s behalf, doing public speaking and consulting.
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‘Friends': Where to Watch Sitcom Now That It’s No Longer on Netflix
Sorry, “Friends” fans, but it is isn’t your day, your week, your month or even your year. As of January 1, the beloved sitcom is officially off of Netflix. So where can you watch it now?
Unfortunately, the show can’t currently be streamed. You can catch reruns on television for now or consider ordering a box set of DVDs, if you want to live old-school like Rachel, Chandler and the rest of the gang. You can also download episodes for purchase or rent from Amazon or other retailers.
Those are all the options available for now, but the NBC mega-hit will stream again! When HBO Max launches in the spring of 2020, all 236 episodes of “Friends” will be streaming there for at least five years, per an exclusive licensing contract.
Also Read: Watch Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon Re-Create One of Their 'Friends' Scenes (Video)
It was expected that WarnerMedia, which licensed the Warner Bros TV-produced “Friends” to Netflix for one more year — with a hefty price tag — would eventually pull the popular sitcom for its own service. HBO Max is paying out $425 million for five years beginning in 2020, according to the Wall Street Journal. WarnerMedia did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s earlier request for comment on the price. Netflix paid close to $100 million to keep “Friends” for just one year.
Fans of NBC comedies are also bracing for the loss of “The Office,” which will depart Netflix in January 2021 and stream on their upcoming streaming service, Peacock. They have one year to watch 201 episodes of “The Office” before the staff of Dunder-Mifflin get relocated.
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US Army Bans TikTok Over ‘Cyber Threat’ Concerns
The U.S. Army, like other branches of the armed forces, is now banning soldiers from using TikTok, according to a new report from Military.com.
A representative for the military branch told the site that the Chinese video-sharing app is “considered a cyber threat” and is not allowed on government phones. TikTok is owned by Beijing company ByteDance and use has blown up in the United States over the past two years. A rep did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
New guidance for military members to uninstall the app came after a Dec. 16 Defense Department Cyber Awareness Message that identified TikTok as having potential security risks, according to Military.com.
Also Read: TikTok Under National Security Review From U.S. Government
TikTok is a social platform for making and sharing short-form videos. The app specializes in clips that are 15 seconds or less — an evolutionary step up from Vine’s 6-second maximum length. Users can style their clips with a myriad of filters, including face filters similar to Instagram and Snapchat. Like Snapchat, videos are also shot vertically on TikTok. Users lip-sync to music, participate in challenges set by other users and create memes, often going viral in the process both on TikTok and as the videos are cross-posted to other apps like Instagram and Twitter.
Brands like the Washington Post have used the app to reach out to younger consumers and, as Military.com pointed out, Army recruiters were using TikTok to appeal to Generation Z as recently as two months ago.
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Anderson Cooper Loses It Over Cheri Oteri’s Barbara Walters Impression on NYE (Video)
Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen called in some funny reinforcements to help ring in the new year, namely “Saturday Night Live” alum Cheri Oteri channeling her most famous impression: Barbara Walters.
Just as the talent at ABC did earlier in the day, Cohen and Cooper played footage of the real Walters delivering her iconic line, “This is ’20/20.'” Oteri took it from there, telling the annual holiday special’s hosts, “First, let me say what an honor it is for you to have me on your New Year’s Eve special.”
In her signature commanding voice, “Walters” admitted, “I’m afraid retirement didn’t suit me as much as people had hoped, and now that I’m trending on social media with the likes of Korean boyband BTS, climate change activist Greta Thunberg and body-positive songstress Lizzo, I’ve decided to dust off my power suit and get back in the game.”
Also Read: ABC Rings in 2020 With a Barbara Walters 'This Is 20/20' Tribute (Video)
“Walters” also pitched a new reality show that would follow her daily life and featuring other Hollywood legends including Kirk Douglas and Angela Lansbury. Topics of discussion would include: “global warming, the royals, hip surgery, who farted, and the upcoming presidential election.”
Oteri’s spot-on impression had Cooper — himself an evening news mainstay — doubled over in laughter. He ended up sitting on the floor.
Cooper is known for his uncontrollable giggle fits, which often occur during the RidcuList segment on his CNN show.
It’s probably best if you just watch the whole thing above for yourself above.
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Disney+ Moves ‘WandaVision’ From 2021 to 2020
Disney+ dropped a huge new year’s gift on Wednesday for Marvel fans, moving “WandaVision” up one year from 2021 to 2020. An exact date for the series has not been announced.
The announcement was made via the streaming service’s Twitter account, and featured concept art of popular Avengers couple Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany). The characters were last seen together on the big screen in “Avengers: Infinity War,” when Scarlet Witch protects Vision from Thanos. She fails and Vision is killed when Thanos rips the Soul Stone from his forehead (she appears in “Endgame,” while her lover does not).
The concept art shows Vision in his human form sitting on a couch with Wanda (Scarlet Witch’s real name). The couple is pictured in an idyllic 1950s setting, suggesting there could be an alternate reality in play, possibly created by Wanda herself as a result of her grief.
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Kat Dennings, Randall Park and Kathryn Hahn will also be part of the series’ cast.
“WandaVision” is just one of multiple Marvel Studios projects in development at Disney+. “Falcon and the Winter Soldier” — starring Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan — will also debut this year.
Series featuring characters Loki, Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel and She-Hulk are also in the works.
Check out the Disney+ 2020 announcement below:
Is this not what 2020 vision means? From #ToyStory 4 and Aladdin to #LizzieMcGuire and WandaVision, here’s a look into our future at the blockbusters and Originals coming to #DisneyPlus this year. pic.twitter.com/QHGMHat89n
— Disney+ (@disneyplus) January 1, 2020
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Netflix in January: Here’s Everything Coming and Going
Netflix has released its list of everything new coming to the streaming service in January, and everything that’s leaving at the end of the month.
Of all the Netflix originals to look forward to next month, “Messiah,” out Jan. 1, is not to be missed. It follows CIA officer Eva Geller (Michelle Monaghan), who uncovers information about a man (Mehdi Dehbi) who claims to be the son of God. As he gains followers who believe he is the Second Coming, Geller races find out whether he really is a divine entity — or just a con artist set on dismantling the world’s geopolitical order
Other Netflix originals to look out for include “Anne With an E: The Final Season,” a modern retelling of “Anne of Green Gables,” out Jan. 3, “Cheer,” out Jan. 8, a cheerleading documentary series from the director of “Last Chance U,” Season 6 of “Grace and Frankie,” out Jan. 15, Season 2 of “Sex Education,” out Jan. 17, “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Part 3,” out Jan. 24, and “Bojack Horseman: Season 6 (Part B),” out Jan. 31.
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January is also a fantastic month for re-watching old favorites. Netflix is blessing us with classics like “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” “Kill Bill” and its sequel, “Lord of The Rings: The Return of the King” and “Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” “Free Willy” and “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” (that’s the Gene Wilder version). And for the horror fans, “The Evil Dead” and “The Ring” are also coming.
Plus, a bunch of great movies from the first decade of the 2000s, including “Catch Me If You Can,” “Inception,” “Pan’s Labyrinth,” “True Grit,” “Julie & Julia,” “Yes Man,” “Hitch,” “Dinner For Schmucks,” “Big Fat Liar” and “American Beauty.” Alright, that last one is from 1999, but close enough.
Good ones leaving at the end of the month include “American Psycho,” “Revolutionary Road,” “Zombieland,” and “Grease.”
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Here’s the complete list of everything new to and leaving Netflix in January.
Jan. 1
Ghost Stories — NETFLIX FILM
Good Girls: Season 2
Messiah — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Nisman: Death of a Prosecutor — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
Spinning Out — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
The Circle — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
21
A Cinderella Story
American Beauty
Catch Me If You Can
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Chasing Amy
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Chloe
City of God
Dinner for Schmucks
Dragonheart
Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer
Dragonheart: A New Beginning
Drugs, Inc.: Season 6
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Free Willy
Ghost Rider
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
Hitch
Inception
Instructions Not Included
Julie & Julia
Kate & Leopold
Kill Bill: Vol. 1
Kill Bill: Vol. 2
Kingpin
Kiss the Girls
Monster-in-Law
New York Minute
Pan’s Labyrinth
Patriot Games
Saint Seiya: Season 4-5
Seal Team Six: The Raid on Osama Bin Laden
Shrek Forever After
Strictly Ballroom
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
The Original Kings of Comedy
The Ring
The Talented Mr. Ripley
Tremors
True Grit
Up in the Air
What Lies Beneath
Wild Wild West
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Wyatt Earp
Yes Man
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Jan. 2
Sex, Explained: Limited Series — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
Thieves of the Wood — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Jan. 3
Anne with an E: The Final Season — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
All the Freckles in the World — NETFLIX FILM
Jan. 4
Go! Go! Cory Carson — NETFLIX FAMILY
Jan. 8
Cheer — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
Jan. 10
AJ and the Queen — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
The Evil Dead
Giri / Haji — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Harvey Girls Forever!: Season 4 — NETFLIX FAMILY
The Inbestigators: Season 2 — NETFLIX FAMILY
Medical Police — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Scissor Seven — NETFLIX ANIME
Until Dawn — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Zumbo’s Just Desserts: Season 2 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Jan. 12
Betty White: First Lady of Television
Jan. 13
The Healing Powers of Dude — NETFLIX FAMILY
Jan. 14
Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts — NETFLIX FAMILY
The Master
Jan. 15
Big Fat Liar
Quien a hierro mata — NETFLIX FILM
Grace and Frankie: Season 6 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Jan. 16
NiNoKuni — NETFLIX ANIME
Steve Jobs
Jan. 17
Ares — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Hip-Hop Evolution: Season 4 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Sex Education: Season 2 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Tiny House Nation: Volume 2
Tyler Perry’s A Fall from Grace — NETFLIX FILM
Vivir dos veces — NETFLIX FILM
Wer kann, der kann! — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
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Jan. 18
The Bling Ring
Jan. 20
Family Reunion: Part 2 — NETFLIX FAMILY
Jan. 21
Fortune Feimster: Sweet & Salty — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Word Party: Season 4 — NETFLIX FAMILY
Jan. 22
Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
Playing with Fire: Season 1
Jan. 23
The Ghost Bride — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
October Faction — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
The Queen
SAINT SEIYA: Knights of the Zodiac: Season 1 / Part 2 — NETFLIX ANIME
Jan. 24
A Sun — NETFLIX FILM
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Part 3 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
The Ranch: The Final Season — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Rise of Empires: Ottoman — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Jan. 26
Vir Das: For India — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Jan. 27
Country Strong
We Are Your Friends
Jan. 28
Alex Fernández: El mejor comediante del mundo — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Jan. 29
Frères Ennemis — NETFLIX FILM
Next In Fashion — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Night on Earth — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
Omniscient — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Jan. 30
Ainori Love Wagon: African Journey — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Nighthawks
Raising Cain
The Stranger — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Jan. 31
37 Seconds — NETFLIX FILM
American Assassin
Bojack Horseman: Season 6 (Part B) — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Diablero: Season 2 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
I AM A KILLER: Season 2 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Luna Nera — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Ragnarok — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
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Leaving in January
Leaving Jan. 11
Becoming Jane
Leaving Jan. 12
The Fighter
Maron: Season 1-4
Leaving Jan. 15
Forks Over Knives
The Rezort
Leaving Jan. 17
Short Term 12
Leaving Jan. 31.
Æon Flux
American Psycho
Good Luck Chuck
Grease
La Reina del Sur: Season 1
Panic Room
Revolutionary Road
Something’s Gotta Give
Spartacus: Blood and Sand
Spartacus: Gods of the Arena
Spartacus: Vengeance
Spartacus: War of the Damned
Zombieland
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Can I vent?
I know I’ve written about this year’s Oscars schedule a lot, and even I’ve gotten a little tired of mentioning how crazy January is going to be. But now January is actually here, so I’m going to say it again: This month is going to be crazy.
You can blame it on the earliest Oscars ever, Feb. 9. The early date, which will not be repeated in 2021 or 2022, means that every other event — three major film festivals, 10 significant nomination announcements, 24 awards ceremonies and countless receptions and parties — has to be crammed into the limited time between now and then, two or three weeks shorter than it usually is. Basically, it’s gonna rain awards stuff for the next 40 days and 40 nights.
Golden Globes / NBC
Week 1: Jan. 1-5
You can watch a little football and a few screeners on New Year’s Day, but then it’s time to get moving. Thursday, Jan. 2 is the last day of voting for the Writers Guild, American Society of Cinematographers and Scripter Awards, and it also brings the Palm Springs International Film Festival’s Awards gala, where the locals will dress to the nines and the honorees will include Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Jennifer Lopez, Joaquin Phoenix, Renee Zellweger and lots more.
Also Read: Quentin Tarantino to Receive Director of the Year Award from Palm Springs Film Festival (Exclusive)
But don’t linger in the desert because Friday is the American Film Institute’s annual awards luncheon to honor the top 10 films and TV shows of the year, which happens at the same time that the American Society of Cinematographers throws a brunch to announce its film nominees. Saturday is the Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominees Brunch in the morning, the BAFTA Los Angeles Awards Season Tea Party in the afternoon and some pre-Golden Globes parties in the evening, with the National Society of Film Critics announcing its awards in the afternoon, as well.
Sunday is the Globes themselves, followed by parties in every nook and cranny of the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
Critics’ Choice Awards / Getty Images
Week 2: Jan 6-12
You’d better not have partied too hard during the wild Globes weekend, because Monday the 6th will bring the Writers Guild film nominations, the Directors Guild’s TV and doc noms and the Visual Effects Society’s VES Awards nominations. And in the evening in New York City, the Cinema Eye Honors ceremony will take place to honor nonfiction film.
But Monday will only be a warmup because Tuesday the 7th will start in the wee hours (or, actually, just before midnight Monday in Los Angeles) when the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) BAFTA announces its nominations. A few hours later, the two major Hollywood guilds that are the most reliable Oscar predictors, the Directors Guild and Producers Guild, will both reveal their film nominations. The last time two of the four major guilds announced film nominees on the same day was 2011, when the PGA and WGA did it. Oh, and the deadline for Oscar nomination voting will be at 5 p.m. this day, while final voting will begin for three of the four major guilds–the DGA, PGA and WGA.
The rest of the week will only include the film nominations for the ICG Publicity Awards and a two-day window for final voting for the Critics’ Choice Awards, while the weekend brings the Make-Up Artist and Hair Stylists Awards on Saturday and the Critics’ Choice Awards on Sunday.
Also Read: SAG Awards Nominations Analysis: 'Bombshell' and 'Parasite' Stand Out in a Typically Random Field
SAG Awards
Week 3: Jan. 13-19
Everybody has an early wakeup call on Monday: Oscar nominations will be announced at 5:30 a.m. PST, which means nominees will spend the rest of the day telling everyone how pleased and surprised they are, and the rest of us will try to figure out What It All Means. If we want, though, we can watch the college football championship game in the evening to see who wins that award.
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival, which usually waits until the end of January to kick off, will instead begin on Wednesday the 15th, and will include tributes to Renee Zellweger on Thursday and the “Marriage Story” team of Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson on Friday. And final voting will end for the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Producers Guild Awards, Golden Reel Awards, ACE Eddie Awards and Costume Designers Guild Awards.
On the weekend, the Santa Barbara tribute to “Virtuosos,” including Cynthia Erivo, George MacKay, Taron Egerton, Florence Pugh and Awkwafina, will happen at the same time as the Producers Guild Awards on Saturday, while the Screen Actors Guild Awards will likely overshadow the Motion Picture Sound Editors’ Golden Reel Awards on Sunday.
Directors Guild Awards / Getty Images
Week 4: Jan. 20-26
This is the week where awards season really hits the fan. Santa Barbara has tributes to Laura Dern on Tuesday and Brad Pitt on Wednesday; voting ends for the WGA, DGA and ASC; and the Sundance Film Festival kicks off on Thursday, luring a good chunk of indie Hollywood to Park City.
And while the last Saturday of January, which this year falls on the 25th, is normally a day on which one awards show takes place (the Art Directors Guild in 2018, Producers Guild in 2017 … ), this year it just might be the most crowded awards night ever. Five different shows will take place simultaneously across Los Angeles: the Directors Guild Awards at the Ritz-Carlton, the Cinema Audio Society Awards at the Intercontinental, the USC Libraries Scripter Award on the USC campus, the American Society of Cinematographers Awards at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Hollywood and the Annie Awards at Royce Hall at UCLA.
Plus, it’ll be the day before the Grammys, closing night in Santa Barbara and the first Saturday of Sundance, where premieres will include Rodrigo Garcia’s “Four Good Days” with Glenn Close and Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering’s untitled documentary about sexual misconduct in the music industry.
Also Read: 'Little Women,' 'Jojo Rabbit,' 'The Two Popes' Land Nominations for USC Scripter Awards
Oscar Nominees Luncheon
Week 5: Jan. 27-Feb. 2
The Oscar Nominees Luncheon has been held in either February or March since it began in the early 1980s, and always at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. But not this year: Instead, it’ll take place in January for the first time ever, on Monday the 27th, and it’ll move across town to the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland, because the Oscar production crew will already be installed at the Dolby Theater in that complex to meet their deadlines for a Feb. 9 show. It’ll feel really weird to many of the people in that room.
The Costume Designers Guild Awards will take place the next night and the Visual Effects Society Awards the night after. And on Thursday final Oscar voting will begin.
And then on Saturday, the Writers Guild Awards may need to hand out their big film awards in the middle of the show to give nominees time to catch the red-eye to London, because BAFTA will be holding the British Academy Film Awards on Sunday the 2nd. BBC will end up airing that show opposite the Super Bowl, an event that’s usually studiously avoided by all awards-season events. But this year, there’s no time for that.
Also Read: Graham Norton to Host 2020 BAFTA Film Awards
And then Monday arrives, and it’s Oscar week.
Good luck, everybody. We’re all gonna need it.
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How to Watch the 2020 Rose Parade Live Online on New Year’s Day
The new decade will kick off on Wednesday with the Oregon Ducks facing off against the Wisconsin Badgers in the 2020 Rose Bowl game, but before the annual college football tradition gets underway, fans can tune in to the 131st annual Tournament of Roses Parade.
Featuring the theme “The Power of Hope,” the parade will be hosted by Grand Marshals Rita Moreno, Gina Torres and Laurie Hernandez. It is set begin at 8 a.m. PT.
Those who can’t make it to Pasadena to watch the parade in person (but somehow have managed to wake up that early on New Year’s day and aren’t dying) can watch livestream broadcasts on ABC, NBC, Hallmark Channel, KTLA 5, RFD TV and Univision.
Also Read: 115 Cable Channels Ranked by 2019 Viewership - Yes, Comedy.TV Is Still Dead Last
This year, the parade will feature marching bands, equestrian units and a total of 39 floats competing for prizes based on “various criteria ranging from creative design and thematic interpretation to floral craftsmanship and artistic merit, to computerized animation and thematic interpretation.” The winner will be announced Wednesday morning prior to the parade.
The January 2020 Tournament of Roses parade will mark the 131st edition of the annual event, which kicked off Jan. 1, 1890. Since then they event has always happened on New Year’s Day, except for years that begin on Sunday, in which case the parade happens the next day.
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December 31, 2019
Hollywood’s Notable Deaths of 2019 (Photos)
Here’s a list of some of the notable celebrities and industry professionals in film, TV, music and sports who have passed away in 2019.
Carol Channing
The legendary Broadway and musical actress (“Hello Dolly,” “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”) died Jan. 15. Channing was 97.
Kevin Barnett
The comic and “Rel” co-creator, the Lil’ Rel Howery-led sitcom, died Jan. 22 due to a hemorrhage. Barnett was 32.
Joe Stapleton
The New England broadcaster who appeared in several Oscar-winning films like “Spotlight” and “Mystic River,” died Jan. 1. Stapleton was 55.
Daryl Dragon
One half of pop duo Captain and Tennille died Jan. 2 of renal failure, according to Reuters. He was 76.
Gene Okurland
The famed WWE announcer, who frequently interviewed the likes of Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant at their peak, died Jan. 2. Okurland was 76.
Bob Einstein
The “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Arrested Development” actor (and brother of actor-filmmaker Albert Brooks) died Jan. 2. Einstein was 76.
Verna Bloom
The “Animal House” and “The Last Temptation of Christ” actress died Jan. 9. A family spokesperson told USA Today that Bloom died from complications from dementia. Bloom was 80.
Mark Urman
The veteran indie film distributer, who was most recently president and CEO of New York-based Paladin Films, died Jan. 12 following a bout with cancer. He was 66.
Lorna Doom
The German bassist and founding member of the seminal Los Angeles-based punk band The Germs, died Jan. 17. She was 61.
John Coughlin
The former champion figure skater died by suicide on Jan. 18. The news came days after Coughlin was suspended from the sport over a pending grievance. He was 33.
Andy Vajna
The Hungarian producer who worked with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone on some of their most popular films, including “Rambo” and “Total Recall,” died at his home in Budapest on Jan. 20. He was 74.
Russell Baker
A two-time Pulitzer-winning writer and longtime host of PBS’ “Masterpiece Theatre,” Baker died Jan. 21 in his Lessburg, Virginia, home. Baker was 93.
James Frawley
The director of “The Muppet Movie” and the show “The Monkees,” died on Jan. 22 at his home in Indian Wells, California. He was 82.
Shelley Morrison
Shelley Morrison, a veteran character actress best known for playing sharp-tongued maid Rosario on “Will & Grace,” died on Dec. 1. She was 83.
Jack Sheldon, Jazz Trumpeter and ‘Schoolhouse Rock’ Singer, Dies at 88
Jack Sheldon, a jazz trumpeter who had a career as a TV performer in the 1960s and ’70s and sang classic “Schoolhouse Rock” tunes, died on Dec. 27 at age 88, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Long recognized for his trumpet playing, Sheldon was also a singer and TV performer. He lent his gentle voice to classic “Schoolhouse Rock” animated shorts such as “Conjunction Junction” and “I’m Just a Bill.”
For nearly two decades on “The Merv Griffin Show,” he not only performed in the band but served as an on-camera foil to the host.
He even co-starred in the mid-’60s CBS sitcom “The Cara Williams Show” and then headlined his own series, “Run, Buddy Run,” which lasted just a single season in the late ’60s.
As a trumpeter, he may be best remembered for his work on “The Shadow of Your Smile,” the theme to the 1965 Elizabeth Taylor-Richard Burton film “The Sandpiper” that won both a Grammy for Song of the Year and an Oscar for Best Original Song.
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