* In exciting Film Development News, James Cameron’s Avatar sequels will use underwater performance capture techniques to take the story to the next level. Oscar-winning producer Jon Landau revealed more insight into this move during a keynote conversation at the NAB Technology Summit this past weekend. The sequels are due to release in 2014 and 2015, so we’ll see then how it all turns out, below-sea level.
* Drew Barrymore is preparing to reunite with Adam Sandler, for their first movie together in 10 years, which – no surprise – is a romantic comedy. What is surprising is that they’re heading to Sun City in South Africa to film it next month, according the the Wall Street Journal, because their characters will go on a safari. Here’s hoping we are spared an Adam-in-a-lion’s-mouth skit of sorts.
* Roger Ebert, the acclaimed film critic who died late last week after a long battle with cancer, will be laid to rest on Monday, while a memorial is set for Thursday.
* Singer Miranda Lambert was crowned queen of the Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday, picking up 4 awards, while rising star Luke Bryan scored entertainer of the year.
* After almost a year, the new season of Mad Menbegan on Sunday, and with it what looks to be the start of Don Draper’s slow descent into his latest existential crisis too.
It was a night featuring a made-for-TV-with-TV stars a capella group called “The Emmytones” and an apparent white-flag moment from Charlie Not-Winning-So-Much Sheen. There were few surprises – except where Friday Night Light Fans are concerned – with Modern Family, Mad Men and Kate Winslet winning the awards we knew they would win (yes. Kate, we see don’t believe you didn’t believe it).
In case you missed the intro, in which the President of Television remarks: “But Jane, they hardly let you sing on Glee,” here you go:
And here are the winners:
— Outstanding Drama Series: Mad Men
— Outstanding Comedy Series: Modern Family
— Actress, Drama Series: Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
— Actor, Drama Series: Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights
— Supporting Actor, Drama Series: Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
— Supporting Actress, Drama Series: Margo Martindale, Justified
— Actor, Comedy Series: Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
— Actress, Comedy Series: Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly
— Supporting Actress, Comedy Series: Julie Bowen, Modern Family
— Supporting Actor, Comedy Series: Ty Burrell, Modern Family
— Reality-Competition Program: The Amazing Race
— Variety, Music or Comedy Series: The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
— Directing, Drama Series: Martin Scorsese, Boardwalk Empire
— Directing, Comedy Series: Michael Spiller, Modern Family
— Directing, Variety, Music or Comedy Series: Don Roy King, Saturday Night Live
— Writing, Comedy Series: Steven Levitan and Jeffrey Richman, Modern Family
— Writing, Variety, Music or Comedy Series: The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
— Writing, Drama Series: Jason Katims, Friday Night Lights
— Outstanding Miniseries or Movie: Downton Abbey
— Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce
— Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Barry Pepper, The Kennedys
— Supporting Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
— Supporting Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Guy Pearce, Mildred Pierce
— Directing, Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special: Brian Percival, Downton Abbey
— Writing, Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special: Julian Fellowes, Downton Abbey
For the complete list of winners (because there are, of course, way more categories than the ones listed above) click here.
Outstanding Drama Series Boardwalk Empire Dexter Friday Night Lights Game of Thrones The Good Wife Mad Men
Outstanding Comedy Series Big Bang Theory Glee Modern Family The Office Parks and Recreation 30 Rock
Outstanding Actress in a Drama
Kathy Bates, Harry’s Law
Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights
Mireille Enos, The Killing
Mariska Hargitay, Law and Order: SVU
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama
Kelly Macdonald, Boardwalk Empire
Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife
Christine Baranski, The Good Wife
Margo Martindale, Justified
Michelle Forbes, The Killing
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men
Outstanding Actor in a Drama
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
John Hamm, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie, House
Timothy Olyphant, Justified
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Josh Charles, The Good Wife
Alan Cumming, The Good Wife
Walton Goggins, Justified
John Slattery, Mad Men
Andrew Braugher, Men of a Certain Age
Outstanding Actress in a Comedy
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Laurie Linney, The Big C
Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly
Martha Plimpton, Raising Hope
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy
Jane Lynch, Glee
Betty White, Hot In Cleveland
Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live
Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock
Outstanding Actor in a Comedy
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Louis C.K., Louie
Steve Carrell, The Office
Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy
Chris Colfer, Glee
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family
Ed O’Neill, Modern Family Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Outstanding Variety, Comedy Or Musical Series The Colbert Report Conan The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Late Night With Jimmy Fallon Real Time With Bill Maher Saturday Night Live
Outstanding Reality Show The Amazing Race American Idol Dancing With the Stars Project Runway So You Think You Can Dance Top Chef
Outstanding TV Miniseries or Movie Cinema Verite Downton Abbey The Kennedys Mildred Pierce The Pillars of the Earth Too Big To Fail
Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy
Idris Elba, The Big C
Nathan Lane, Modern Family
Zach Galifianakis, Saturday Night Live
Justin Timberlake, Saturday Night Live
Matt Damon, 30 Rock
Will Arnett, 30 Rock
Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy
Kristin Chenoweth, Glee
Dot-Marie Jones, Glee
Gwyneth Paltrow, Glee
Cloris Leachman, Raising Hope
Tina Fey, Saturday Night Live
Elizabeth Banks, 30 Rock
Last year’s Best Drama, Mad Men, has 19 nominations, while 2010′s Best Comedy, Modern Family has notched up 17 nominations. Giving Mad Men a run for its money is the Prohibition-era set, Steve Buscemi-starring Boardwalk Empire, with 18 nominations. The miniseries Mildred Pierce, starring Oscar-winner Kate Winslet, has the most at 21.
