Steve Pond's Blog, page 27

6 Best Moments From the 2025 VMAs

MTV’s 2025 Video Music Awards honored the biggest stars in pop, Latin and hip-hop music, bringing the heat and even some tears. 

LL Cool J hosted the VMAs at the UBS Arena in New York Sunday night, ushering the crowd through a night of dancing and fun. Lady Gaga kicked off the awards ceremony, accepting the award for Artist of the Year before busting it across town to perform live from Madison Square Garden. 

Ariana Grande took home the night’s grandest prize, Video of the Year, for her music video “Brighter Days Ahead” in which she co-starred with her dad. Busta Rhymes received the first-ever VMAs Visionary Award. And Mariah Carey wowed audiences with a medley before accepting her Video Vanguard Award.

Keep reading for the top seven moments from the 2025 VMAs:

Lady Gaga accepts her moon person trophy at the 2025 VMAs (MTV)Lady Gaga Takes MTV to MSG

Lady Gaga took MTV viewers to Madison Square Garden live during the VMAs Sunday. After accepting her award for Artist of the Year, Gaga said she needed to book it to the Garden to gear up for her sixth sold out night in New York City. MTV livestreamed Gaga’s opening number from her Mayhem Ball tour “Abracadabra” as well as her recently released song “The Dead Dance,” written for Netflix’s “Wednesday.”

Mariah Carey performs during the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards (Credit: Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for MTV)Mariah Carey Wins Her First VMA

After Ariana Grande air-kissed and bowed to the vocal icon, Mariah Carey accepted her first Moon Person for the VMA Video Vanguard Award but not before throwing some shade at MTV. “What in the Sam Hell were you waiting for?” she said. During her career-spanning medley, Carey performed iconic hits including “Heartbreaker,” “We Belong Together,” “Obsessed” and “Fantasy.”

Yungblud and Steven Tyler perform during a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for MTV)Yungblud, Steven Tyler, Joe Perry Pay Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne 

Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry and British rocker Yungblud paid tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne. The tribute began with a message from the rockstar’s son Jack Osbourne and four of his grandchildren. Then Yungblud channeled Ozzy with his opening song “Crazy Train” and the Black Sabbath ballad “Changes.” Tyler and Aerosmith’s Joe Perry joined the tribute, playing the ever relevant “Mama, I’m Coming Home.”

Sabrina Carpenter performs during the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for MTV)Sabrina Carpenter Supports Trans Rights With Tears Performance

Sabrina Carpenter debuted her lead single “Tears” at the VMAs, bringing on an ensemble of drag queens to perform the disco-inspired single with her. The popstar emerged from a pothole before singing her latest hit. Queens held up signs, reading “Protect Trans Rights,” “Dolls Dolls Dolls” and “Support Drag.” The singer finished the performance dancing in the rain as she sang the refrain to her racy song “Tears.”

Busta Rhymes accepts the Rock the Bells Visionary Award onstage during the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards (Photo by/Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for MTV)Busta Rhymes Earns VMAs Visionary Award 

The “Look at Me Now” rapper accepted the inaugural Rock the Bells Visionary Award Sunday. Busta Rhymes joked that it only took MTV 35 years to give him a VMA.

“Y’all know I usually do these long speeches, I’m not gonna do one today,” he said. “But next time y’all take 35 years to give me one of these, y’all gonna let me talk as long as I want!”

The rapper performed a medley of his biggest hits, including “Break Ya Neck,” “Here We Go” (Flipmode Squad), “Touch It”, “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See” and “Pass The Courvoisier.” He brought out GloRilla to finish out his set with him.

Ariana Grande accepts the Video of the Year Award for “Brighter Days Ahead” onstage during the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards (Photo by Manny Carabel/Getty Images for MTV)Ariana Grande Wins for Video of the Year

The star took not one but two awards at the 2025 VMAs. She first won an award for Best Pop, for which she thanked her “therapist and gay people.” The “Wicked” star took home the biggest prize of the night, Video of the Year, for her song “Brighter Days Ahead.” She thanked her fans for supporting her across all different artistic mediums, including film, music, touring and musical theater.

“Art has been such a safe space for me since I was a kid,” she said. “Thank you for growing with me and being so supportive of me as a human being.”

The post 6 Best Moments From the 2025 VMAs appeared first on TheWrap.

‘Bad Apples’ Review: Saoirse Ronan Schools Us in Daring, Darkly Funny Satirical Thriller

What will we accept for a false harmony? Why is it that we can so easily compartmentalize cruel acts, big and small, for the supposed greater good of our communities? What absurd lies will we have to tell ourselves to justify our cruelty, and what may we forever lose of our humanity as a result? 

These questions, plus so many more, are at the dark heart of Jonatan Etzler’s witheringly funny and searing satirical thriller “Bad Apples.” Inventive and incisive in equal measure, it’s a film that throws a metaphorical Molotov cocktail into its modern private school setting then meticulously observes as the flames spread and burn the facade of polite society to the ground. Further bolstered by a fiercely funny, multilayered performance from Saoirse Ronan as a kind teacher in way over her head and striking shots by cinematographer Nea Asphäll, it’s an audaciously clever experience that more than makes the grade.

At the core of this is Maria (Ronan) who is struggling as an underappreciated and overworked teacher (also known as a teacher) at a posh elementary school. When an opening field trip ends with her troubled student, Danny (Eddie Waller), causing a crisis and derailing the day, she gets blamed for the whole thing. Her subsequent pleas for more resources to give Danny the help he needs go ignored and she finds herself stuck with nowhere to turn. When Danny then lashes out violently at another student and Maria tries to take matters into her own hands, the young boy suddenly goes missing.

The precise circumstances of this are best left to discover in the film, but let’s just say that Danny is someone everyone, save for Maria, seems to largely forget about. Despite his father, Josh (Robert Emms), trying to keep his name out there and lead a search for him, he’s looking in all the wrong places. As the film delicately reveals at every turn, Danny had been lost long before he went “missing,” and many would rather it stay that way so they don’t collectively have to confront all the ways society writ large is failing him. Instead, it’s just easier to start going back to business as usual, a chilling indictment that goes from a haunting murmur in the background to, eventually, a horrifying roar. 

Inspired by the Rasmus Andersson novel “De Oönskade” with a sharp screenplay by Jess O’Kane, the film calls subtle attention to all these points of failure that can so easily become acceptable white noise in society. Maria, initially compassionate before digging herself deeper into a hole when it serves her, is driven to this moment because of how society fundamentally undervalues the integral work she does. Josh, though absent as a father, is also struggling with work delivering packages for a cold, Amazon-esque company that is constantly reminding him how he isn’t doing enough. It’s never didactic or overwrought, instead remaining narratively dynamic just as it is sociologically driven. It’s entertaining, but also incredibly effective in how it brings all its ideas together. 

There are so many darkly delightful developments I wouldn’t dare spoil here. What can be said is that it features some of the best child acting you’ll ever see, with quiet moments from the young cast providing both the best jokes and most crushing revelations. The recurring motif of apples, while it could be annoyingly on-the-nose in lesser hands, actually complicates the common usage of the title phrase — they provide an unsettling glimpse of how easily something beautiful on the outside can become rotten to the core.

The final shots of how this accumulates into a crisis of convenience for Maria and the community that they soon exploit are as hilarious as they are horrifying, resulting in a showstopping finale. Etzler wields the film’s urgent satire like a scalpel, precisely cutting away at all the lies we so easily find ourselves telling that mask the darker truths about who we are. You’d best pull up a chair to Etzler’s vision. Class is in session, and missing out could cost more than we would care to admit.  

Read all of our Toronto Film Festival coverage here.

The post ‘Bad Apples’ Review: Saoirse Ronan Schools Us in Daring, Darkly Funny Satirical Thriller  appeared first on TheWrap.

‘The Christophers’ Review: Steven Soderbergh’s Chamber Drama Is a Riveting Meditation on Art

About midway through “The Christophers,” director Steven Soderbergh’s latest film from a script by his frequent collaborator Ed Solomon, there is a scene where an artist is driven not to create something beautiful, but to destroy it in favor of something ugly.

The artist in question is the aged painter Julian Sklar, played by a witheringly good Ian McKellen, and watching on is his faux assistant Lori, played by the always magnificent Michaela Coel, who comes into his orbit when hired to steal then finish via forgery some of his most iconic yet incomplete works. However, as should be known with any recent Soderbergh film, the initial premise of a familiar caper is only the opening salvo for all that the filmmaker has on his mind about art, integrity and legacy. For Soderbergh, this again feels like a part of his longstanding fight against what he has called the “tyranny of narrative” or the conventions that can box in interesting works.  

The hook of a forgery is merely one small sliver of “The Christophers” and, in many regards, the least interesting element. It’s in scenes like the one where we see Julian going from joyously destroying his own unfinished works to realizing that he has actually made something beautiful, almost despite himself, where we feel something more thematically complex bursting free of the conventional constraints most other films collapse under. There are plenty more funny asides and banter throughout the film, though it’s when Julian falls silent that we experience something more resonant.

Shot with a great deal of restraint where we don’t see the results of the sabotage and instead rely on observing McKellen’s shifting expressions reacting to his own handiwork, it works as a thesis statement for what the film is doing. Like the artist he is focusing on, Soderbergh, no matter how scrappy he gets in this prolific stage of his career, is incapable of making an uninteresting film. 

While formally different in almost every way from the director’s two other films from this year, horror-tinged “Presence” and spy drama “Black Bag,” “The Christophers” sees him again using what could be a familiar story to get at something all his own (and again serving as his own cinematographer and editor). After beginning with Lori being hired by Julian’s estranged, self-centered heirs (Jessica Gunning and James Corden), it soon settles into being about her spending time with the lonely yet often grating man.

Defined by long takes and handheld camera work, it frequently feels as though we’re merely sitting in the room as the two go back and forth. This is often quite funny, no surprise given Solomon’s knack for comedies like the “Bill & Ted” series.

Just as she did in the all-timer of a series “I May Destroy You,” Coel is able to bring deep layers to her character in even the quietest of moments. Lori is more restrained and observant than many of her past characters, though this only makes some of the eventual insights we get into her past with Julian work that much better. 

Some other moments don’t fully work in “The Christophers” when we turn away from McKellen to Corden, a downgrade in acting talent if there ever was one, as the latter feels continually out of his depth. It doesn’t drag everything else down too much as Corden’s character is primarily meant to be a driving force in bringing Julian and Lori together, making his one-note smarminess functional if still flat.

Both Lori and Julian, even when primarily in a confined house, are fascinating characters to build a film around and their distinct dispositions ensure there is a healthy tension to the journey. It isn’t the best or most exciting work Soderbergh has made by any means (this would be a high bar to clear), but it is still one of his most unexpectedly engrossing.

The conclusion, in particular, creates some of the most curious final notes in his cinematic career. It’s a little sweet at first glance, though it also reveals something plenty somber. In the end, this film about artists becomes a work of art in its own right. The more you look at it, the more its many components reveal themselves to you. The characters may cut into the cinematic canvas with a knife, smother it with glue, and just generally wreck it, but they can’t destroy what Soderbergh has achieved. 

Read all of our Toronto Film Festival coverage here.

The post ‘The Christophers’ Review: Steven Soderbergh’s Chamber Drama Is a Riveting Meditation on Art appeared first on TheWrap.

Mariah Carey Barks ‘What in the Sam Hell Were You Waiting For?’ as She Accepts Her First VMA

Mariah Carey delivered on her signature diva attitude Sunday as she accepted her first-ever Video Music Award and performed a six-song medley of some of her greatest hits during the MTV awards show.

Ariana Grande presented Carey with the Video Vanguard Award. After the two air kissed and Grande bowed to the vocal icon, the five-time Grammy Award winner threw some shade at MTV.

“I can’t believe I’m getting my first VMA tonight,” Carey said. “I just have one question: what in the Sam Hell were you waiting for?”

During her career-spanning medley, Carey performed iconic hits like “Heartbreaker” and “We Belong Together” as well as recently viral hits “Obsessed” and “Fantasy.”

The singer also referenced her alter-ego Bianca. She appeared as the character in a 1999 MTV interview to promote her album “Rainbow.” Carey referred to several other music video characters she’s embodied throughout the performance, including her male drag performance in the “Obsessed” video and escaping the mob in her video “Honey.”

“Music videos are my way of life,” she said. “And let’s be honest sometimes there’s just an excuse to bring the drama and do things I wouldn’t do in real life.”

Carey also reminded new VMA viewers of her iconic “faux standoff” with Whitney Houston as they opened the music awards show in 1998. Before Carey’s standout performance, Grande gave a touching introduction, crediting the songtress as one of her greatest vocal inspirations.

“She’s the reason so many of us here sing,” Grande said.

The “Wicked” star later bowed to the Video Vanguard winner as she presented her with her first Moon Man.

Carey also plugged the release of her sixteenth studio album “Here For It All,” which will be available Sept. 26.

The post Mariah Carey Barks ‘What in the Sam Hell Were You Waiting For?’ as She Accepts Her First VMA appeared first on TheWrap.

‘Poetic License’: Why Maude Apatow Cast Her Mom, Leslie Mann, in Her Directorial Debut

Twenty years ago, a seven-year-old Maude Apatow started her showbiz career with an appearance in her father Judd’s famed comedy “The 40-Year-Old Virgin.” Now, she’s making her directorial debut with “Poetic License,” a comedy premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival that stars Apatow’s mother, Leslie Mann.

Mann told TheWrap that she had been looking over Raffi Donatich’s script long before she had cast anyone for the film, but the more she read it, the more she had her mom in mind.

“There’s certain parts of the script that kind of reminded me of us and our relationship as a mother and daughter. And yeah, I think my mom’s the funniest and the best at being a grounded comedic actress, so obviously I’d want to work with her,” she said.

In “Poetic License,” Mann plays Liz, a retired therapist facing both an empty nest and a mid-life crisis when she meets two college seniors facing a quarter-life crisis of their own, played by Andrew Barth Feldman and Cooper Hoffman. The new relationship serves as a balm for the anxieties of the trio for a while, but that changes when it becomes clear to Liz that the two younger men are competing for her affections and destroying their friendship in the process.

While her father may be known for shaping the comedic tastes of millions, Apatow says she needed time to figure out her own approach to comedy, and found with “Poetic License” that she wanted her laughs to come from something down-to-earth and relatable.

“I think it is a little bit quiet and strange and grounded. I was just never trying to force the comedy,” she said. “I just wanted it to feel like as natural as possible. And we did tons of improv and tons of alts, and I was writing on the go all the time.”

Mann could not hold back her excitement on getting to work on her daughter’s film, saying it was a joy to work with Feldman and Hoffman on set and to enjoy the youthful energy of the production.

“I’m just so proud. I could just burst into tears right now,” she said. “It was so fun to be around the energy of these young people. The energy is so infectious and they’re all so excited.”

“Poetic License” is currently seeking a U.S. distributor.

Catch up on all of TheWrap’s TIFF coverage here.

The post ‘Poetic License’: Why Maude Apatow Cast Her Mom, Leslie Mann, in Her Directorial Debut appeared first on TheWrap.

‘Teen Titans Go’ Voice Actor Greg Cipes Says He Was Fired After Parkinson’s Diagnosis

Greg Cipes, who worked as the voice actor for Beast Boy in the Warner Bros. series “Teen Titan Go” for 24 years, is calling on fans to help him reclaim the part. In a lengthy message shared on Instagram by DC influencer Emmanuel Devon Newsome, Cipes accused the company of firing him after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

“Hey @jamesgunn since teen titans go falls under elseworlds the fans need your help. I had the pleasure of speaking with Greg Cipes and he shared with me lots of upsetting details and information of how he was wrongfully terminated by Sam register while the other original actors get to keep their jobs,” Newsome wrote.

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A post shared by Emmanuel Devon Newsome (@gunnverse)

“He said it was after Valentine’s Day and the og titans cast begged sam that the show would not the same without Greg and the things that Sam register said and did is very inhuman!” he continued. “Greg told me he has been discriminated against because of his Parkinson’s and they are trying to steal his voice and replace him with a mimic for the new teen titans go season. Dc fans spread the #savebeastboy hashtag Greg needs your help!”

Cipes commented, “Warner Bros. literally fired me on Valentine’s Day right after I publicly shared my Parkinson’s diagnosis. It’s like a death to me that only the fans can bring back to life.”

An individual close to the situation painted the circumstances of Cipes’ exit in a different light, telling TheWrap that when producers approached Cipes about stepping down from the role due to performance issues, they offered to create a new character for him to voice and began talks with his agent on a development deal to keep him involved. This individual insisted Cipes was not fired because he has Parkinson’s Disease, but because his performance was not up to the level that producers needed for Beast Boy.

Cipes has recorded a couple of scripts featuring the new character and the development deal is still being negotiated, this individual said.

Cipes was part of the “Teen Titans” cast when it premiered in 2003, voiced Beast Boy for 9 seasons of “Teen Titans Go!” and also voiced Adonis and Private H.I.V.E.. His additional credits include “Young Justice,” “Ben 10” and “Ultimate Spider-Man.”

Adam Chitwood contributed reporting to this story.

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‘Task’ Cast and Character Guide: Who’s Who in Brad Ingelsby’s Next HBO Show?

“Mare of Easttown” creator Brad Ingelsby is back with another gritty drama set in the suburbs of Philadelphia with “Task.” But this time, the HBO series centers on two dueling protagonists in Mark Ruffalo and Tom Pelphrey.

Ruffalo stars as Tom Brandis, a priest-turned-FBI agent who is assigned to lead a task force investigating a string of violent robberies executed by trash collector Robbie Prendergrast (Pelphrey). Their cat-and-mouse game is characterized with the personal tragedies faced by each man, which only prompt both men to double down on this mission in an effort to protect what remaining family they have.

Aided by a task force filled with the likes of Fabien Frankel, Alison Oliver and Thuso Mbedu, the FBI slowly uncovers a complex web of deception and betrayal involving a local motorcycle gang.

Mark Ruffalo in “Task” (HBO)

Mark Ruffalo as Tom Brandis

Mark Ruffalo stars as Tom Brandis, a former priest turned FBI agent who has been taking a break from being in the field in the wake of a horrific family tragedy. He’s called back out to the field to lead a task force investigating a string of violent robberies associated with a local gang.

Ruffalo is best known for starring in “The Avengers,” “Spotlight,” “The Kids Are All Right,” “Poor Things,” “Mickey 17,” “All the Light We Cannot See,” “The Adam Project,” “Begin Again,” “Now You See Me,” “View from the Top” and “13 Going on 30.”

Tom Pelphrey in “Task” (HBO)

Tom Pelphrey as Robbie Prendergrast

Tom Pelphrey stars as Robbie Prendergrast, a Delaware County garbage collector who works with his co-workers to stake out and rob houses used by gangs on their runs, which quickly takes a violent turn. Like Tom, he carries some familial trauma after his wife leaves him and their kids — who are largely looked after by his niece, Mauve — and his brother was murdered.

Pelphrey is best known for starring as Ben Davis in “Ozark,” and can also be seen in “Banshee,” “Mank,” “Iron Fist,” “Outer Range,” “A Man in Full” and “Guiding Light.”

Emilia Jones in “Task” (HBO)

Emilia Jones as Maeve

Emilia Jones stars as Maeve, Robbie’s 21-year-old niece who becomes the de-facto caretaker of his kids when Robbie’s wife leaves him and her father is killed.

Jones is best known for starring in “CODA” and has also appeared in “Winner,” “Cat Person,” “Locke & Key,” “Nuclear” and “Fairyland.”

Fabien Frankel in “Task” (HBO)

Fabien Frankel as Anthony Grasso

Fabien Frankel plays Anthony Grasso, a Philadelphia native who joins Tom’s task force while holding some secrets of his own.

Frankel is best known for starring as Ser Criston Cole in “House of the Dragon.” He can also be seen in “The Serpent,” “Venice at Dawn” and “An Uncandid Portrait.”

Alison Oliver and Thuso in Mbedu in “Task” (HBO)

Alison Oliver as Lizzie

Alison Oliver plays Lizzie, a state patrol officer who comes onto the task force after not fitting in too well with her last squad. Lizzie is brash and eccentric, but also struggles with her confidence as an officer.

Oliver can be seen as Venetia in “Saltburn” and Frances in “Conversations with Friends,” and has also been featured in “Christy,” “The Order” and “Best Interests.”

Alison Oliver and Thuso Mbedu in “Task” (HBO)

Thuso Mbedu as Aleah

Thuso Mbedu plays Aleah, a federal agent who joins the task force with an unparalleled level of competence and professionalism.

Mbedu has been featured in “The Woman King,” “The Underground Railroad,” “Shuga” and has been in the voice cast for “Mufasa: The Lion King” and “Castlevania: Nocturne.”

Martha Plimpton in “Task” (HBO)

Martha Plimpton as Kathleen McGinty

Martha Plimpton plays Kathleen McGinty, the FBI bureau chief who assigns Tom to lead the task force.

Plimpton can be seen in “The Goonies,” “Beautiful Girls,” “Running on Empty,” “Prime Target,” “The Regime,” “Younger,” “The Good Wife” and “Raising Hope.”

Silvia Dionicio in “Task” (HBO)

Silvia Dionicio as Emily

Silvia Dionicio plays Emily, Tom’s adopted daughter who faces a strained relationship with her dad after the family tragedy pushes Tom down a road of excessive drinking.

Dionicio has been featured in “FBI: Most Wanted,” “Chicago P.D.” “Zodiac” and “Delusional.”

Tom Pelphrey and Raul Castillo in “Task” (HBO)

Raul Castillo as Cliff Broward

Raul Castillo plays Cliff Broward, Robbie’s co-worker who works with Robbie and their other co-workers to stake out and rob local houses on their garbage collection runs where the Dark Hearts gang are stashing cash and drugs.

Castillo can be seen in “Cassandro,” “Army of the Dead,” “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” “Smile 2,” “Push,” “Barron’s Cove” and “Breathe.”

Jamie McShane and Sam Keeley in “Task” (HBO)

Jamie McShane as Perry

Jamie McShane plays Perry, the vicious leader of the Dark Hearts gang.

McShane can be seen in “1923,” “Bloodline,” “Wednesday,” “Atropia” and “The Lincoln Lawyer.”

Sam Keeley and Jamie McShane in “Task” (HBO)

Sam Keeley as Jayson

Sam Keeley plays Jayson, Perry’s son-like figure and a prominent member of the gang.

You might recognize Keeley from “Joe vs. Carole,” “68 Whiskey,” “Kin,” “The Dry” and “William Tell.”

Mark Ruffalo, Silvia Dionicio and Phoebe Fox in “Task” (HBO)

Phoebe Fox as Sara

Phoebe Fox plays Sara, Tom’s birth daughter who also struggles to make sense of what’s left of their family after tragedy strikes.

Fox can be seen in “Eye in the Sky,” “The Aeronauts,” “The Great,” “Close to the Enemy” and “Curfew.”

The post ‘Task’ Cast and Character Guide: Who’s Who in Brad Ingelsby’s Next HBO Show? appeared first on TheWrap.

Rick Davies, Supertramp Co-Frontman and Songwriter, Dies at 81

Rick Davies, co-founder, singer, keyboardist and key songwriter for Supertramp whose voice is on several of the British band’s hits including “Bloody Well Right” and “Goodbye Stranger,” has died, the band announced Sunday. He was 81.

Davies succumbed to a long battle with cancer, the band, which recently canceled its upcoming shows, said in a statement.

“The Supertramp Partnership is very sad to announce the death of the Supertramp founder Rick Davies after a long illness,” the band statement said. “Rick passed away at his home on Long Island on September 5th. We had the privilege of knowing him, and playing with him for over 50 years. We offer our sincere condolences to Sue Davies.”

Davies continued the band after splitting in the early 1980s with co-founder Roger Hodgson, whose unmistakeable tenor and falsetto voice fronts Supertramp’s biggest hit, “The Logical Song” and other chart-toppers like “Give a Little Bit.” The ’70s super-group largely worked because of the contrast between their voices, with Davies’ bluesy baritone holding down the low-end vocals.

Formed in London in 1969, Supertramp built a reputation for blending progressive rock with pop sensibilities. With low-key success in the early goings, the band eventually broke through internationally in the 1970s.

Their sixth album “Breakfast in America” became their biggest hit in 1979, topping charts worldwide. Driven by singles like “The Logical Song” and “Take the Long Way Home,” the album went on to win two Grammys and sell more than 20 million copies globally.

Their separation in 1983 was largely due to creative and lifestyle differences, though a dispute over songwriting and other royalties continued through this year. Davies kept Supertramp going, with the most recent album, “Slow Motion,” being released in 2002.

He was diagnosed with multiple myleoma in 2015, and performed as recently as 2022.

The post Rick Davies, Supertramp Co-Frontman and Songwriter, Dies at 81 appeared first on TheWrap.

‘Task’ Release Guide: When Do New Episodes Come Out?

This week marks the long-awaited premiere of “Task,” the new HBO limited series from “Mare of Easttown” creator Brad Ingelsby.

Like his previous, Emmy-winning HBO drama, the writer’s latest series is a similarly star-studded crime thriller set in a specific region of the American Rust Belt. A contemplative riff on a familiar cops-and-robbers thriller, “Task” also promises to follow characters who, in typical Ingelsby fashion, find themselves for reasons partly outside of their own control on opposite sides of the law.

It is one of the most promising TV shows of the year. Here is how, when and where you can watch new episodes of “Task.”

When does “Task” premiere?

“Task” premieres Sunday, Sept. 7.

How can I watch “Task”?

The limited series’ episodes air on HBO and are available to stream exclusively on HBO Max.

When are new episodes released?

New episodes of “Task” premiere simultaneously on HBO and HBO Max Sunday nights at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET.

When do new episodes come out?

The series’ seven episodes are set to premiere one at a time every Sunday from Sept. 7 through Oct. 19. You can find the full release schedule for “Task” below.

Episode 1, “Crossings” — Sept. 7Episode 2, “Family Statements” — Sept. 14Episode 3, “Nobody’s Stronger Than Forgiveness” — Sept. 21Episode 4, “All Roads” — Sept. 28Episode 5, “Vagrants” — Oct. 5Episode 6, “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a river” — Oct. 12Episode 7, “A Still Small Voice” — Oct. 19What is “Task” about?

Set in and around Philadelphia, “Task” follows an FBI agent (Mark Ruffalo) who is put in charge of leading a task force assigned to investigate and bring an end to a recent string of violent robberies that have the potential to start a gang war. As a result, he unknowingly ends up on a collision course with the robbers’ leader (Tom Pelphrey), a well-intentioned but reckless single father.

Who is in the cast?

The cast of “Task” is headlined by Ruffalo (“Poor Things,” “The Avengers”) and Pelphrey, the latter of whom TV viewers will know best for his scene-stealing performance as Ben Davis on “Ozark.” The show’s stacked supporting cast, meanwhile, includes Fabien Frankel (“House of the Dragon”), Emilia Jones (“CODA”), Thuso Mbedu (“The Underground Railroad”), Alison Oliver (“Saltburn”), Raúl Castillo (“Looking”), Jamie McShane (“Wednesday”), Sam Keeley (“The English Game”), Martha Plimpton (“Raising Hope”), Mireille Enos (“The Killing”) and Owen Teague (“The Stand”). 

Watch the trailer:

The post ‘Task’ Release Guide: When Do New Episodes Come Out? appeared first on TheWrap.

‘SNL50’ Cleans Up at Creative Arts Emmys Night 2 (Complete List of Winners)

“Saturday Night Live” and the “SNL50” specials cleaned up on Night 2 of the Creative Arts Emmys, winning 11 categories, by far the most of any nominee. Considering that Lorne Michael’s half-century-old comedy institution was already the most nominated program in Primetime Emmy Awards history with 372 nods, it was expected that TV Academy voters would respond well to its milestone fiftieth season in all its various forms. The “SNL” wins on Sunday included production design for a variety series; lighting design; sound mixing; technical direction/camera work; and writing. 

Still, “SNL” wasn’t invincible. “SNL50” lost best documentary or nonfiction series to HBO Max’s “100 Foot Wave,” which also won for cinematography. Another HBO program, “Pee-wee As Himself,” scored three victories, including best documentary/nonfiction series, putting it just behind Peacock’s “The Traitors,” whose four wins included Alan Cumming’s second consecutive Emmy for reality TV host.

“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” finally ended its history of leaving the Emmys empty-handed, picking up best directing for a variety series. That won’t change the fact that CBS canceled the show in July, calling it a “financial decision” mere days after Colbert derided CBS’s $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump. Still, nice to grab a win on the way out.

In other news sure to annoy Trump: Barack Obama, already the only U.S. president to win an Emmy, added a third statuette to his trove for narrating Netflix’s “Our Oceans.” And Netflix’s “Conan O’Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor” won best pre-recorded variety special. The Kennedy Center had selected O’Brien as this year’s honoree before Forty-Seven’s hostile takeover, when he replaced longtime employees with his allies. (HBO Max’s “Conan O’Brien Must Go” also won on Sunday for hosted nonfiction series or special.)

And so concludes two evenings celebrating the best in technical and artistic achievement. Night 1 focused mainly on scripted programing, ending with “The Studio” on top with nine wins and in a comfortable position heading into the Primetime Emmys ceremony on Sept. 14, which airs live on CBS and Paramount+ at 8 p.m. EST / 5 p.m. PST. Nights 1 and 2 of the CAE will be edited into a single broadcast that will air Saturday, Sept. 13, at 8 p.m. PST on FXX.

Below is the complete list of winners.

Outstanding Casting for a Reality Program
“Love on the Spectrum,” Netflix

Outstanding Choreography for Variety or Reality Programming
The 67th Grammy Awards, CBS

Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program
“100 Foot Wave,” HBO Max

Outstanding Cinematography for a Reality Program
“The Traitors,” Peacock

Outstanding Commercial
“Brian Cox Goes To College,” Uber One for Students

Outstanding Costumes for Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Programming (Juried)
“Beyoncé Bowl,” Netflix 

Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program
Matt Wolf, “Pee-wee as Himself,” Peacock

Outstanding Directing for a Reality Program
“The Traitors,” Peacock

Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series
Jim Hoskinson, “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” CBS

Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special
Liz Patrick, “SNL 50,” NBC

Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series
“100 Foot Wave,” HBO Max

Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special
“Pee-wee As Himself,” HBO Max

Outstanding Emerging Media Program
“SNL 50th The Anniversary Special: Immersive Experience,” NBC

Outstanding Innovation in Emerging Media Programming (Juried)
“White Rabbit” Shibuya Film

Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking
“Patrice: The Movie,” Hulu

Outstanding Game Show
“Jeopardy!” ABC

Outstanding Hairstyling for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program
“SNL50: The Anniversary Special,” NBC

Outstanding Host for a Game Show
Jimmy Kimmel, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” ABC

Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program
Alan Cumming, “The Traitors,” Peacock

Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special
“Conan O’Brien Must Go,” HBO Max

Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Series
“Saturday Night Live,” NBC

Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Special
67th Annual Grammy Awards, CBS

Outstanding Makeup for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program
“SNL50: The Anniversary Special,” NBC

Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special (Original Dramatic Score)
“Chef’s Table,” Netflix

Outstanding Music Direction
The Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show Starring Kendrick Lamar, Fox

Outstanding Narrator
Barack Obama, “Our Oceans,” Netflix

Outstanding Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program
“Pee-wee as Himself,” HBO Max

Outstanding Picture Editing for a Structured Reality or Competition Program
“The Traitors,” Peacock

Outstanding Picture Editing for an Unstructured Reality Program
“Welcome to Wrexham,” FX

Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety Programming
“Cunk on Life,” Netflix

Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety Programming (Segment)
“SNL 50: The Anniversary Special,” NBC

Outstanding Production Design for a Variety Special
The Oscars, ABC

Outstanding Production Design for a Variety or Reality Series
“Saturday Night Live,” NBC

Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series
“The Daily Show” Desi Lydic Foxplains, Comedy Central

Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series
“Adolescence, The Making of Adolescence,” Netflix

Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program
“Music By John Williams,” Disney

Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction Program
“Beatles ’64,” Disney

Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Reality Program
“Welcome to Wrexham,” FX

Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety Series or Special
“SNL 50: The Anniversary Special,” NBC

Outstanding Structured Reality Program
“Queer Eye,” Netflix

Outstanding Technical Direction and Camerawork for a Series
“Saturday Night Live,” NBC

Outstanding Technical Direction and Camerawork for a Special
“SNL 50: The Anniversary Special,” NBC

Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program
“Love on the Spectrum,” Netflix

Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded)
“Conan O’Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor,” Netflix

Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Program
“The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: MAGA: The Next Generation”

Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special
“SNL50: The Anniversary Special,” NBC

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