PopHampton: It’s Awards Season for East Enders
2016 is off to a great start, with last week’s Golden Globes, midseason TV series and new information on upcoming films. As usual, the East End is contributing a ton to the entertainment world.
East Enders won big during the 2016 People’s Choice Awards, which aired on Wednesday, January 6. Sagaponack resident Jimmy Fallon won Favorite Late Night Talk Show Host against Conan O’Brien, James Corden, Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert. Netflix prison dramedy Orange Is the New Black, which filmed in Riverhead in 2014, won Favorite Streaming Series, beating out House of Cards, The Mindy Project, Transparent and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic won Favorite Crime Drama TV Actor and Actress for Castle, which has had several episodes set in the Hamptons. Bridgehampton’s Madonna won Favorite Music Icon (no surprise there). Shailene Woodley beat out Scarlett Johansson for Favorite Action Movie Actress, while The Talk won Favorite Daytime TV Hosting Team against Live with Kelly and Michael (co-hosted by Hamptonite Kelly Ripa) and The View (co-hosted by Sag Harbor’s Joy Behar). And Sag Harbor’s Ellen Pompeo won Favorite Dramatic TV Actress for her long-running role as Meredith Grey on Grey’s Anatomy.
Hollywood was honored at the Golden Globes on January 10, with lots of Hamptons connections and representation. Maura Tierney won Supporting Actress in a series, Miniseries, or TV Movie for her fabulous turn as Helen on Montauk-driven The Affair. Amazon’s Mozart in the Jungle, starring frequent East End performer Bernadette Peters, won Best TV Series, Comedy or Musical. Hamptons partier Lady Gaga won Best Actress in a series, Miniseries, or TV Movie for American Horror Story: Hotel, while Hamptons fan Jennifer Lawrence won Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical, or Comedy for Joy. And Hamptons visitor Leonardo DiCaprio won Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama for his role in The Revenant.
Potential future award winners: East Hampton resident Steven Spielberg’s latest film, The BFG, will be released on July 1, 2016. The live-action adaptation of the classic children’s book by Roald Dahl is looking to be a gargantuan undertaking, being co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures, Amblin Entertainment and Walden Media. The BFG is the story of Sophie, an orphaned little girl who discovers and befriends the titular friendly giant, who blows bottled dreams into children’s bedrooms at night. When evil giants invade England, Sophie and BFG devise a plan to save the day. Mark Rylance stars as the iconic title role. Newcomer Ruby Barnhill plays Sophie, while Bill Hader plays the evil Bloodbottler.
Walt Disney Pictures will release The Jungle Book on April 15. A live-action remake of Disney’s 1967 animated film, The Jungle Book features an all-star cast including Hamptonite Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Christopher Walken, Lupita Nyong’o, Giancarlo Esposito and ScarJo. The Jungle Book, based on the book by Rudyard Kipling, tells the story of Mowgli, a little boy raised by jungle animals. Classic songs, such as “Bare Necessities,” will be included in the remake. Johansson, who plays dishonest python Kaa, sings “Trust in Me.” The original was the last film produced by Walt Disney, who died during production. Jon Favreau directs. The Jungle Book is the latest live-action Disney remake, following the success of Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella and Maleficent (inspired by Sleeping Beauty). Other remakes are in development, including Pete’s Dragon, which hits theaters on August 12, and Beauty and the Beast in 2017.