Why Ricky Gervais wouldn’t host the Oscars: “The British comic has hosted the Golden Globe awards for the last three years – grabbing many headlines with his outrageous jokes and jibes at the celebrity audience – and though he enjoyed the experience, he won’t preside over the ceremony again, nor would he front the even more prestigious Academy Awards as it is a ‘thankless task.’ He said: ‘Would I present the Globes again? No, I’ve done it three times now. I enjoyed it more each time but that’s it. The Oscars? No, that’s a really thankless task. The good thing about the Globes is they let me do what I wanted.'” BANG SHOWBIZ
Are movie stars losing their edge at the Emmys? “More film actors and actresses—especially actresses, for reasons we’ll get into soon—are doing TV. The internet is tearing down whatever walls remain between TV and film. Oh, and TV is getting better. It’s all contributing to what could be the end of a longtime built-in advantage for movie stars at the Emmys. ‘TV is family—it’s in our living room. We watch it in our underwear while gobbling dinner,’ said Tom O’Neil, founder of the awards-tracking website Gold Derby. ‘It can’t be too great, we assume. By contrast, America has an absurd reverence for film as “the silver screen” and its stars benefit hugely at the Emmys as a result.'” THE WRAP
Alanis Morissette‘s performance at the 1996 Grammys is one of the great pop culture moments from Canadian stars: “Not to play down the accomplishments of Taylor Swift and Adele, but when Canadian-born Alanis Morissette enjoyed her own Grammy sweep in 1996, she did it with songs that featured thrillingly articulate lyrics, confrontational gall, and a revelatory candor — and she wrote those songs (with Glen Ballard) when she was 19 and 20 years old. For my money, ‘Jagged Little Pill’ is the greatest of the ’90s blockbuster albums, and Morissette’s poignant, slowed-down version of ‘You Oughta Know’ performed at the Grammys is one of the finest award show moments ever. Dave Coulier, you are one dubious Canadian.” AFTER ELTON
Disney and the Academy extend their deal for the Oscars telecast: “Disney Media Distribution and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have extended their agreement for DMD to distribute the annual Academy Awards telecast internationally through 2020, Tom Sherak, Academy president and Anne Sweeney, president of the Disney/ABC Television Group, announced. The previous agreement had been set to expire in 2014. ‘Disney Media Distribution has been successful in securing distribution around the world for the Academy Awards, and we’re thrilled to extend this partnership,’ said Sherak.” BROADWAY WORLD
HBO renews “True Blood” and “The Newsroom” for new seasons: “News moves quickly, but it’s got nothing on HBO: The cable network renewed ‘The Newsroom’ Monday after airing only two episodes of the show’s initial season. Additionally, the supernatural soap opera ‘True Blood’ also has been renewed for a sixth season. HBO’s speedy decision makes sense in light of recent ratings: ‘Newsroom’s’ premiere drew in 2.1 million total viewers, which was just short of ‘Game of Thrones’’ ratings for its Season 1 debut but a large improvement on True Blood’s initial outing (1.4 mil) in 2008.” TV LINE
Beyonce, “The Help” among BET Award winners: “Tony Award-winner Viola Davis received the BET Best Actress Award, and the movie, ‘The Help,’ which starred Davis, along with Allison Janney, Octavia Spencer, Jessica Chastain, Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Lowell, Ahna O’Reilly, Emma Stone, Sissy Spacek, Mary Steenburgen, Cicely Tyson, and Mike Vogel, received the prize for Best Picture. Among the other BET Award winners are Beyoncé, Chris Brown, Kevin Hart, Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Nicki Minaj.” THEATER MANIA
