#elisabeth egan

[macrolit]

By Elisabeth Egan May 18, 2024

“You’d be shocked by how many books have women chained in basements,” Reese Witherspoon said. “I know it happens in the world. I don’t want to read a book about it.”

Nor does she want to read an academic treatise, or a 700-page novel about a tree.

Sitting in her office in Nashville, occasionally dipping into a box of takeout nachos, Witherspoon talked about what she does like to read — and what she looks for in a selection for Reese’s Book Club, which she referred to in a crisp third person.

“It needs to be optimistic,” Witherspoon said. “It needs to be shareable. Do you close this book and say, ‘I know exactly who I want to give it to?’”

But, first and foremost, she wants books by women, with women at the center of the action who save themselves. “Because that’s what women do,” she said. “No one’s coming to save us.”

Witherspoon, 48, has now been a presence in the book world for a decade. Her productions of novels like “Big Little Lies,” “Little Fires Everywhere” and “The Last Thing He Told Me” are foundations of the binge-watching canon. Her book club picks reliably land on the best-seller list for weeks, months or, in the case of “Where the Crawdads Sing,” years. In 2023, print sales for the club’s selections outpaced those of Oprah’s Book Club and Read With Jenna, according to Circana Bookscan, adding up to 2.3 million copies sold.

So how did an actor who dropped out of college (fine, Stanford) become one of the most influential people in an industry known for being intractable and slightly tweedy?

It started with Witherspoon’s frustration over the film industry’s skimpy representation of women onscreen — especially seasoned, strong, smart, brave, mysterious, complicated and, yes, dangerous women.

“When I was about 34, I stopped reading interesting scripts,” she said.

Witherspoon had already made a name for herself with “Election,” “Legally Blonde” and “Walk the Line.” But, by 2010, Hollywood was in flux: Streaming services were gaining traction. DVDs were following VHS tapes to the land of forgotten technology.

“When there’s a big economic shift in the media business, it’s not the superhero movies or independent films we lose out on,” Witherspoon said. “It’s the middle, which is usually where women live. The family drama. The romantic comedy. So I decided to fund a company to make those kinds of movies.”

In 2012, she started the production company Pacific Standard with Bruna Papandrea. Its first projects were film adaptations of books: “Gone Girl” and “Wild,” which both opened in theaters in 2014.

Growing up in Nashville, Witherspoon knew the value of a library card. She caught the bug early, she said, from her grandmother, Dorothea Draper Witherspoon, who taught first grade and devoured Danielle Steel novels in a “big cozy lounger” while sipping iced tea from a glass “with a little paper towel wrapped around it.”

This attention to detail is a smoke signal of sorts: Witherspoon is a person of words.

When she was in high school, Witherspoon stayed after class to badger her English teacher — Margaret Renkl, now a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times — about books that weren’t part of the curriculum. When Witherspoon first moved to Los Angeles, books helped prepare her for the “chaos” of filmmaking; “The Making of the African Queen” by Katharine Hepburn was a particular favorite.

So it made sense that, as soon as Witherspoon joined Instagram, she started sharing book recommendations. Authors were tickled and readers shopped accordingly. In 2017, Witherspoon made it official: Reese’s Book Club became a part of her new company, Hello Sunshine.

The timing was fortuitous, according to Pamela Dorman, senior vice president and publisher of Pamela Dorman Books/Viking, who edited the club’s inaugural pick, “Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.” “The book world needed something to help boost sales in a new way,” she said.

Reese’s Book Club was that something: “Eleanor Oliphant” spent 85 weeks on the paperback best-seller list. The club’s second pick, “The Alice Network,” spent nearly four months on the weekly best-seller lists and two months on the audio list. Its third, “The Lying Game,” spent 18 weeks on the weekly lists.

“There’s nothing better than getting that phone call,” added Dorman, who has now edited two more Reese’s Book Club selections.

Kiley Reid’s debut novel, “Such a Fun Age,” got the nod in January 2020. She said, “When I was on book tour, a lot of women would tell me, ‘I haven’t read a book in four years, but I trust Reese.’” Four years later, on tour for her second novel, “Come and Get It,” Reid met women who were reading 100 books a year.

Witherspoon tapped into a sweet spot between literary and commercial fiction, with a few essay collections and memoirs sprinkled in. She turned out to be the literary equivalent of a fit model — a reliable bellwether for readers in search of intelligent, discussion-worthy fare, hold the Proust. She wanted to help narrow down the choices for busy readers, she said, “to bring the book club out of your grandma’s living room and online.”

She added: “The unexpected piece of it all was the economic impact on these authors’ lives.”

One writer became the first person in her family to own a home. “She texted me a picture of the key,” Witherspoon said. “I burst into tears.”

Witherspoon considers a handful of books each month. Submissions from publishers are culled by a small group that includes Sarah Harden, chief executive of Hello Sunshine; Gretchen Schreiber, manager of books (her original title was “bookworm”); and Jon Baker, whose team at Baker Literary Scouting scours the market for promising manuscripts.

Not only is Witherspoon focused on stories by women — “the Bechdel test writ large,” Baker said — but also, “Nothing makes her happier than getting something out in the world that you might not see otherwise.”

When transgender rights were in the headlines in 2018, the club chose “This Is How It Always Is,” Laurie Frankel’s novel about a family grappling with related issues in the petri dish of their own home. “We track the long tail of our book club picks and this one, without fail, continues to sell,” Baker said.

Witherspoon’s early readers look for a balance of voices, backgrounds and experiences. They also pay attention to the calendar. “Everyone knows December and May are the busiest months for women,” Harden said, referring to the mad rush of the holidays and the end of the school year. “You don’t want to read a literary doorstop then. What do you want to read on summer break? What do you want to read in January?”

Occasionally the group chooses a book that isn’t brand-new, as with the club’s April pick, “The Most Fun We Ever Had,” from 2019. When Claire Lombardo learned that her almost-five-year-old novel had been anointed, she thought there had been a mistake; after all, her new book, “Same As it Ever Was,” is coming out next month. “It’s wild,” Lombardo said. “It’s not something that I was expecting.”

Sales of “The Most Fun We Ever Had” increased by 10,000 percent after the announcement, according to Doubleday. Within the first two weeks, 27,000 copies were sold. The book has been optioned by Hello Sunshine.

Witherspoon preferred not to elaborate on a few subjects: competition with other top-shelf book clubs (“We try not to pick the same books”); the lone author who declined to be part of hers (“I have a lot of respect for her clarity”); and the 2025 book she’s already called dibs on (“You can’t imagine that Edith Wharton or Graham Greene didn’t write it”).

But she was eager to set the record straight on two fronts. Her team doesn’t get the rights to every book — “It’s just how the cookie crumbles,” she said — and, Reese’s Book Club doesn’t make money off sales of its picks. Earnings come from brand collaborations and affiliate revenue.

This is true of all celebrity book clubs. An endorsement from one of them is a free shot of publicity, but one might argue that Reese’s Book Club does a bit more for its books and authors than most. Not only does it promote each book from hardcover to paperback, it supports authors in subsequent phases of their careers.

Take Reid, for instance. More than three years after Reese’s Book Club picked her first novel, it hosted a cover reveal for “Come and Get It,” which came out in January. This isn’t the same as a yellow seal on the cover, but it’s still a spotlight with the potential to be seen by the club’s 2.9 million Instagram followers.

“I definitely felt like I was joining a very large community,” Reid said.

“Alum” writers tend to stay connected with one another via social media, swapping woot woots and advice. They’re also invited to participate in Hello Sunshine events and Lit Up, a mentorship program for underrepresented writers. Participants get editing and coaching from Reese’s Book Club authors, plus a marketing commitment from the club when their manuscripts are submitted to agents and editors.

“I describe publishing and where we sit in terms of being on a river,” Schreiber said. “We’re downstream; we’re looking at what they’re picking. Lit Up gave us the ability to look upstream and say, ‘We’d like to make a change here.’”

The first Lit Up-incubated novel, “Time and Time Again” by Chatham Greenfield, is coming out from Bloomsbury YA in July. Five more fellows have announced the sales of their books.

As Reese’s Book Club approaches a milestone — the 100th pick, to be announced in September — it continues to adapt to changes in the market. Print sales for club selections peaked at five million in 2020, and they’ve softened since then, according to Circana Bookscan. In 2021, Candle Media, a Blackstone-backed media company, bought Hello Sunshine for $900 million. Witherspoon is a member of Candle Media’s board. She is currently co-producing a “Legally Blonde” prequel series for Amazon Prime Video.

This month, Reese’s Book Club will unveil an exclusive audio partnership with Apple, allowing readers to find all the picks in one place on the Apple Books app. “I want people to stop saying, ‘I didn’t really read it, I just listened,’” Witherspoon said. “Stop that. If you listened, you read it. There’s no right way to absorb a book.”

She feels that Hollywood has changed over the years: “Consumers are more discerning about wanting to hear stories that are generated by a woman.”

Even as she’s looking forward, Witherspoon remembers her grandmother, the one who set her on this path.

“Somebody came up to me at the gym the other day and he said” — here she put on a gentle Southern drawl — “‘I’m going to tell you something I bet you didn’t hear today.’ And he goes, ‘Your grandma taught me how to read.’”

Another smoke signal, and a reminder of what lives on.

[thebryanandsilvergarbage]

The 23rd Annual Bryan Awards - Acting Categories

Acting and Performance

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: ABBOTT ELEMENTARY - Quinta Brunson as Janine Teagues (ABC) DEAD TO ME - Christina Applegate as Jen Harding (Netflix) MAISEL - Rachel Brosnahan as Miriam Maisel (Prime Video) ONLY MURDERS - Selena Gomez as Mabel Mora (Hulu) POKER FACE - Natasha Lyonne as Charlie (Peacock) 

Lead Actress in a Drama Series: BAD SISTERS - Sharon Horgan as Eva Garvey (Apple Plus) THE CROWN - Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II (Netflix) THE DIPLOMAT - Keri Russell as Kate Wyler (Netflix) THE HANDMAID’S TALE - Elisabeth Moss as June Osborne (Hulu) SUCCESSION - Sarah Snook as Shiv Roy (HBO) YELLOWJACKETS - Melanie Lynskey as Shauna Sadecki (Showtime) 

Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series/TV Movie: BEEF - Ali Wong as Amy Lau (Netflix) DAISY JONES & THE SIX - Riley Keough as Daisy Jones (Prime Video) FLEISHMAN IS IN TROUBLE - Lizzy Caplan as Libby Epstein (Hulu) GEORGE & TAMMY - Jessica Chastain as Tammy Wynette (Showtime) LOVE & DEATH - Elizabeth Olsen as Candy Montgomery (HBO) TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS - Kathryn Hahn as a Clare Pierce (Hulu)

Lead Actress in Daytime: THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL - Katherine Kelly Lang as Brooke Logan (CBS) THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL - Jacqueline MacInnes-Wood as Steffy Forrester (CBS) GENERAL HOSPITAL - Laura Wright as Carly Spencer (ABC) THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS - Melissa Claire Egan as Chelsea Newman (CBS) THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS - Michelle Stafford as Phyllis Summers (CBS)

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: BARRY - Bill Hader as Barry (HBO) THE BEAR - Jeremy Allen White as Carmy Berzatto (Hulu) ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING - Steve Martin as Charles-Haden Savage (Hulu) ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING - Martin Short as Oliver Putnam (Hulu)

TED LASSO - Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso (Apple Plus)

Lead Actor in a Drama Series: BETTER CALL SAUL - Bob Odenkirk as Saul Goodman/Jimmy McGill (AMC) THE LAST OF US - Pedro Pascal as Joel (HBO) THE OLD MAN - Jeff Bridges as Dan Chase (F/X) SUCCESSION - Brian Cox as Logan Roy (HBO) SUCCESSION - Kieran Culkin as Roman Roy (HBO) SUCCESSION - Jeremy Strong as Kendall Roy (HBO)

Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series/TV Movie: BEEF - Steven Yeun as Danny Cho (Netflix) BLACK BIRD - Taron Egerton as James Keene (Apple Plus) GEORGE & TAMMY - Michael Shannon as George Jones (Showtime) MONSTER - Evan Peters as Jeffrey Dahmer (Netflix) WEIRD - Daniel Radcliffe as “Weird Al” Yankovic (Roku) WELCOME TO CHIPPENDALES - Kumail Nanjiani as Somen “Steve” Banerjee (Hulu) 

Lead Actor in Daytime: THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL - Thorsten Kaye as Ridge Forrester (CBS) DAYS OF OUR LIVES - Dan Feuerriegel as E.J. DiMera (NBC & Peacock) DAYS OF OUR LIVES - Billy Flynn as Chad DiMera (NBC & Peacock) GENERAL HOSPITAL - Maurice Benard as Sonny Corinthos (ABC) THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS - Jason Thompson as Billy Abbott (CBS)

Lead Performer in a New Series: THE BEAR - Jeremy Allen White as Carmen Berzatto (Hulu) THE DIPLOMAT - Keri Russell as Kate Wyler (Netflix) THE LAST OF US - Pedro Pascal as Joel (HBO) THE OLD MAN - Jeff Bridges as Dan Chase (F/X) SHRINKING - Jason Segel as Jimmy Laird (Apple Plus) SO HELP ME TODD - Marcia Gay Harden as Margaret (CBS) WEDNESDAY - Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams (Netflix)

Younger Performer in Daytime: THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL - Henry Samiri as Douglas Forrester (CBS) DAYS OF OUR LIVES - Christopher Cary as Thomas DiMera (NBC) GENERAL HOSPITAL - William Lipton as Cameron Webber (ABC) GENERAL HOSPITAL - Eden McCoy as Josslyn Jacks (ABC) GENERAL HOSPITAL - Avery Kristen Pohl as Esme Prince (ABC) 

Younger Performer in Primetime: FLEISHMAN IS IN TROUBLE - Meara Mahoney Gross as Hannah Fleishman (Hulu) THE LAST OF US - Belle Ramsay as Ellie (HBO) THE LAST OF US - Keivonn Montreal Woodard as Sam Burrell (HBO) THAT ‘90s SHOW - Callie Haverda as Leia Forman (Netflix) WEDNESDAY - Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams (Netflix) YOUNG SHELDON - Iain Armitage as Sheldon Cooper (CBS)

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: ABBOTT ELEMENTARY - Janelle Jones as Ava Coleman (ABC) ABBOTT ELEMENTARY - Sheryl Lee Ralph as Barbara Howard (ABC) THE BEAR - Ayo Edebiri as Sydney Adamu (Hulu) MAISEL - Alex Borstein as Susie Myerson (Prime Video) THE OTHER TWO - Molly Shannon as Pat (HBO Max) SHRINKING - Jessica Williams as Gaby (Apple Plus) TED LASSO - Juno Temple as Keeley Jones (Apple Plus) TED LASSO - Hannah Waddingham as Rebecca Welton (Apple Plus)

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: BETTER CALL SAUL - Carol Burnett at Marion (AMC) BETTER CALL SAUL - Rhea Seehorn as Kim Wexler (AMC) THE CROWN - Elizabeth Debicki as Diana, Princess of Wales (Netflix) SUCCESSION - J. Smith-Cameron as Gerri Kellman (HBO) THE WHITE LOTUS - Jennifer Coolidge as Tanya McQuoid-Hunt (HBO) THE WHITE LOTUS - Meghann Fahy as Daphne Sullivan (HBO) THE WHITE LOTUS - Aubrey Plaza as Harper Spiller (HBO) THE WHITE LOTUS - Simona Tabasco as Lucia (HBO)   

Supporting Actress in a Limited/Anthology Series or TV Movie: BEEF - Maria Bello as Jordana Forster (Netflix) FLEISHMAN IS IN TROUBLE - Claire Danes as Rachel Fleishman (Hulu) LOVE & DEATH - Lily Rabe as Betty Gore (HBO) MONSTER - Niecy Nash-Betts as Glenda Cleveland (Netflix) TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS - Merritt Wever as Frankie Pierce (Hulu) WELCOME TO CHIPPENDALES - Annaleigh Ashford as Irene Banerjee (Hulu) WELCOME TO CHIPPENDALES - Juliette Lewis as Denise (Hulu)

Supporting Actress in Daytime: THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL - Krista Allen as Taylor Hayes (CBS) DAYS OF OUR LIVES - Stacy Haiduk as Kristen DiMera (NBC & Peacock) GENERAL HOSPITAL - Sonya Eddy as Epiphany Johnson (ABC) GENERAL HOSPITAL - Brook Kerr as Dr. Portia Robinson (ABC) GENERAL HOSPITAL - Kelly Thiebaud as Dr. Britt Westbourne (ABC) THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS - Susan Walters as Diane Jenkins (CBS)

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: ABBOTT ELEMENTARY - Tyler James Williams as Gregory Eddie (ABC) BARRY - Anthony Carrigan as NoHo Hank (HBO) BARRY - Henry Winkler as Gene Cousineau (HBO) THE BEAR - Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Richie Jerimovich (Hulu) JURY DUTY - James Marsden as Himself (FreeVee) SHRINKING - Harrison Ford as Dr. Paul Rhoades (Apple Plus) TED LASSO - Phil Dunster as Jamie Tartt (Apple Plus) TED LASSO - Brett Goldstein as Roy Kent (Apple Plus)

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: BETTER CALL SAUL - Giancarlo Esposito as Gustavo Fring (AMC) SUCCESSION - Nicholas Braun as Greg Hirsch (HBO) SUCCESSION - Matthew Macfadyen as Tom Wambsgans (HBO) SUCCESSION - Alan Ruck as Connor Roy (HBO) SUCCESSION - Alexander Skarsgard as Matsson (HBO) THE WHITE LOTUS - F. Murray Abraham as Bert Di Grasso (HBO) THE WHITE LOTUS - Michael Imperioli as Dominic Di Grasso (HBO) THE WHITE LOTUS - Theo James as Cameron Sullivan (HBO) 

Supporting Actor in a Limited/Anthology Series or TV Movie: BEEF - Young Mazino as Paul Cho (Netflix) BLACK BIRD - Paul Walter Hauser as Larry Hall (Apple Plus) BLACK BIRD - Ray Liotta as Big Jim Keene (Apple Plus) FLEISHMAN IS IN TROUBLE - Adam Brody as Seth Morris (Hulu) LOVE & DEATH - Jesse Plemons as Allan Gore (HBO Max) MONSTER - Richard Jenkins as Lionel Dahmer (Netflix) WELCOME TO CHIPPENDALES - Murray Bartlett as Nick DeNoia (Hulu)

Supporting Actor in Daytime: THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL - Matthew Atkinson as Thomas Forrester (CBS) BEYOND SALEM/DAYS OF OUR LIVES - Steve Burton as Harris Michaels (Peacock) GENERAL HOSPITAL - Nicholas Chavez as Spencer Cassidine (ABC) GENERAL HOSPITAL - Chad Duell as Michael Corinthos (ABC) GENERAL HOSPITAL - Robert Gossett as Marshall Ashford (ABC) THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS - Bryton James as Devon Hamilton (CBS)

Supporting Performer in a New Series: BAD SISTERS - Eva Birthistle as Ursula Flynn (Apple Plus) THE BEAR - Ayo Edebiri as Sydney Adamu (Hulu) THE BEAR - Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Richard “Richie” Jerimovich (Hulu)

JURY DUTY - James Marsden as Himself (FreeVee) THE OLD MAN - John Lithgow as Harold Harper (F/X) SHRINKING - Harrison Ford as Dr. Paul Rhoades (Apple Plus) WEDNESDAY - Gwendoline Christie as Larissa Weems (Netflix)

Guest Actress in a Comedy Series: ABBOTT ELEMENTARY - Taraji P. Henson as Vanetta (ABC) ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING - Jane Lynch as Sazz Pataki (Hulu) POKER FACE - Judith Light as Irene Smothers (Peacock) SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE - Quinta Brunson as Host/Various Characters (NBC) TED LASSO - Becky Ann Baker as Dottie Lasso (Apple Plus) TED LASSO - Harriet Walter as Deborah (Apple Plus) 

Guest Actor in a Comedy Series: ABBOTT ELEMENTARY - Leslie Odom Jr. as Draemond (ABC) THE BEAR - Jon Bernthal as Mikey Berzatto (Hulu) THE BEAR - Oliver Platt as Pops (Hulu) MAISEL - Luke Kirby as Lenny Bruce (Prime Video) SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE - Steve Martin & Martin Short as Co-Hosts/Various Characters (NBC) TED LASSO - Sam Richardson as Edwin Akufo (Apple Plus) 

Guest Actress in a Drama Series: THE LAST OF US - Melanie Lynskey as Kathleen (HBO) THE LAST OF US - Storm Reid as Riley Abel (HBO) THE LAST OF US - Anna Torv as Theresa “Tess” Servopoulos (HBO) SUCCESSION - Hope Davis as Sandi Furness (HBO) SUCCESSION - Cherry Jones as Nan Pierce (HBO) SUCCESSION - Harriet Walter as Lady Caroline Collingwood (HBO) 

Guest Actor in a Drama Series: BETTER CALL SAUL - Mark Margolis as Hector “Tio” Salamanca (AMC) THE LAST OF US - Murray Bartlett as Frank (HBO) THE LAST OF US - Lamar Johnson as Henry Burrell (HBO) THE LAST OF US - Nick Offerman as Bill (HBO) THE MANDALORIAN - Giancarlo Esposito as Moff Gideon (HBO) SUCCESSION - James Cromwell as Ewan Roy (HBO) 

Guest Performer in Daytime: GENERAL HOSPITAL - Denise Crosby as Dr. Carolyn Webber (ABC) GENERAL HOSPITAL - Alley Mills as Heather Webber (ABC) GENERAL HOSPITAL - Linda Purl as Peyton Honeycutt (ABC) THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS - Barbara Crampton as Leanna Love (CBS) THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS - James Hyde as Jeremy Stark (CBS) THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS - Robert Newman as Ashland Locke (CBS)

Guest Performer in a New Series: THE BEAR - Jon Bernthal as Mikey Berzatto (Hulu) THE BEAR - Oliver Platt as Pops (Hulu) THE LAST OF US - Murray Bartlett as Frank (HBO) THE LAST OF US - Melanie Lynskey as Kathleen (HBO) THE LAST OF US - Nick Offerman as Bill (HBO) WEDNESDAY - Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams (Netflix) 

Performance by a Cast in a Comedy Series: Abbott Elementary (ABC) Barry (HBO) The Bear (F/X) The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime Video) Saturday Night Live (NBC) Ted Lasso (Apple Plus)

Performance by a Cast in a Drama Series: Bad Sisters (Apple Plus) Better Call Saul (AMC) The Crown (Netflix) The House of the Dragon (HBO) Succession (HBO) The White Lotus (HBO)

Performance by a Cast in a Limited/Anthology Series or TV Movie: Beef (Netflix) Daisy Jones and the Six (HBO) Five Days At Memorial (Apple Plus) Fleishman in Trouble (Hulu) Welcome to Chippendales (Hulu) The White House Plumbers (HBO) 

Performance by a Cast in Daytime: The Bay (Pop TV) Beyond Salem & Days of Our Lives (Peacock) The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS) General Hospital (ABC) The Young and the Restless (CBS)

Performance by a Cast in a New Series: Bad Sisters (Apple Plus) The Bear (F/X) The House of the Dragon (HBO) Jury Duty (FreeVee) So Help Me Todd (CBS) Wednesday (Netflix)

Screen Couples

Screen Duo or Trio in a Comedy or Variety Series: THE GREAT - Nicholas Hoult and Elle Fanning (Hulu) ONLY MURDER IN THE BUILDING - Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez (Hulu) SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE - Steve Martin and Martin Short (NBC) SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE - Michael Che and Colin Jost (NBC) SCHMIGADOON - Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key (Apple Plus)

Screen Duo or Trio in a Drama Series: BETTER CALL SAUL - Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seehorn (AMC) THE CROWN - Dominic West and Elizabeth Debicki (Netflix) THE GOOD DOCTOR - Freddie Highmore and Paige Spara (ABC) THE LAST OF US - Murray Bartlett and Nick Offerman (HBO) SUCCESSION - Any two (or more) Roy Siblings (HBO) 

Screen Duo or Trio in a Limited/Anthology Series or TV Movie: BEEF - Steven Yeun and Ali Wong (Netflix) DAISY JONES AND THE SIX - Sam Claflin and Riley Keough (HBO) FLEISHMAN IS IN TROUBLE - Jesse Eisenberg, Lizzy Caplan, and Claire Danes (Hulu) GEORGE & TAMMY - Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain (Showtime) HOCUS POCUS 2 - Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy (Disney Plus) 

Screen Duo or Trio in Daytime: GENERAL HOSPITAL - Maurice Benard and Cynthia Watros (ABC) GENERAL HOSPITAL - Chad Duell and Katelyn MacMullen (ABC) GENERAL HOSPITAL - James Patrick Stuart and Finola Hughes (ABC) LIVE WITH KELLY AND MARK - Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos (ABC/Syndicated) THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS - Peter Bergman and Susan Walters (CBS)

Host Categories

Late Night Host: THE DAILY SHOW - Trevor Noah (Comedy Central) JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE - Jimmy Kimmel (ABC) LAST WEEK TONIGHT - John Oliver (HBO) THE LATE SHOW - Stephen Colbert (CBS) THE PROBLEM WITH - Jon Stewart (Apple Plus)

Daytime Talk Host: THE DREW BARRYMORE SHOW - Drew Barrymore (Syndicated) THE JENNIFER HUDSON SHOW - Jennifer Hudson (Syndicated) THE KELLY CLARKSON SHOW - Kelly Clarkson (NBC/Syndicated) LIVE WITH KELLY and MARK - Kelly Ripa & Mark Consuelos (ABC/Syndicated) THE TALK - The Hosts of The Talk (CBS)

Reality Host: BAKING IT - Amy Poehler & Maya Rudolph (Peacock) NAILED IT - Nicole Byer (Netflix) QUEER EYE - The Hosts of Queer Eye (Netflix) RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE - RuPaul Charles (VH1) SURVIVOR - Jeff Probst (CBS) TOP CHEF - Padma Lakshmi (Bravo)

Game Show Host: FAMILY FEUD - Steve Harvey (ABC/Syndicated) JEOPARDY - Mayim Bialik (ABC/Syndicated) JEOPARDY - Ken Jennings (ABC/Syndicated) LET’S MAKE A DEAL - Wayne Brady (CBS) PASSWORD - Keke Palmer (NBC) WHEEL OF FORTUNE - Pat Sajak (Syndicated)

[effortlesslysophisticated]

April Favourites

Happy May! April was such a busy month with the end of Ramadan, Eid and also my trip to Istanbul. Went by way too fast!! Lots of good memories for April that I will definitely remember forever! A Window Opens by Elisabeth Egan This book has been on my reading list for years! I remember mentioning a couple of months ago that I’ve been going to the bottom of my Amazon wishlist and finally…

[antonio-velardo]

Antonio Velardo shares: C.J. Box Isn’t Afraid to Wrangle With Issues Close to Home by Elisabeth Egan

By Elisabeth Egan The creator of two mystery series has the latitude — and the attitude — to address matters other writers wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole. Published: January 25, 2024 at 05:01AM from NYT Books https://ift.tt/US0EQlp via IFTTT

[kammartinez]

By Elisabeth Egan

The email arrives every week like clockwork. It’s a message to Jennette McCurdy from Sean Manning, her editor at Simon & Schuster, announcing that her memoir, “I’m Glad My Mom Died,” is on the best-seller list for yet another week. She has now received this congratulatory missive 51 times. McCurdy doesn’t pay close attention to where the book falls in the rankings — this week it’s at No. 4 — but, she said in a phone interview, “I’m always very excited to see Sean’s name in my inbox.”

So what has the past year looked like for the “iCarly” star, who laid bare her complicated relationship with her mother? (Several publishers declined to read the book proposal based on the title alone.) To begin with, there’s been a marked shift in McCurdy’s relationship with strangers. “Not one person has approached me for being an actor from the TV show they watched when they were little,” she said. “For the past year, it has 100 percent been being recognized as the author of this book and I am beyond grateful for that.”

McCurdy added, “I wish I could describe to you how grateful I am. It literally makes my heart pound.”

When she fills out forms at a doctor’s office, McCurdy lists “writer” as her occupation, which led to one of the year’s most memorable encounters. “The dental assistant came in with her phone while I had the whole clip in my mouth,” McCurdy said. “Literally holding my mouth open and, like, gunk falling out. She was like, ‘Oh my God, can I get a picture? I love your book!’” McCurdy obliged.

She has heard about complicated relationships from every branch of strangers’ family trees — siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, you name it. “That’s been a really connecting experience,” McCurdy said. The overwhelmingly positive response to her candor seems to have had a greater impact on McCurdy than her longevity on the best-seller list.

Of course, this wouldn’t be a story about a victory lap if we didn’t invite our subject to share some wisdom for writers on the starting line. McCurdy’s is two-pronged: “Don’t read anything you might be inclined to mimic,” she said. “And write a first draft just for yourself. If your story is something that you want to share with the world, try and separate yourself from your own experience as much as possible.”

McCurdy’s first drafts are, as she put it, “just vomit.” For the novel she’s working on now, she might keep 20 percent of the original version. “Who knows if I’ll ever write the thing if I get caught up in doubt too early,” she said. “But I do love to bring doubt in when I’m looking over the first draft, figuring out what needs a rewrite and what needs to stay. I think there’s a time and a place for the inner critic; I think there’s a place for the guy.”

She paused, then added, “The inner critic is a guy, right?”

[kamreadsandrecs]

By Elisabeth Egan

The email arrives every week like clockwork. It’s a message to Jennette McCurdy from Sean Manning, her editor at Simon & Schuster, announcing that her memoir, “I’m Glad My Mom Died,” is on the best-seller list for yet another week. She has now received this congratulatory missive 51 times. McCurdy doesn’t pay close attention to where the book falls in the rankings — this week it’s at No. 4 — but, she said in a phone interview, “I’m always very excited to see Sean’s name in my inbox.”

So what has the past year looked like for the “iCarly” star, who laid bare her complicated relationship with her mother? (Several publishers declined to read the book proposal based on the title alone.) To begin with, there’s been a marked shift in McCurdy’s relationship with strangers. “Not one person has approached me for being an actor from the TV show they watched when they were little,” she said. “For the past year, it has 100 percent been being recognized as the author of this book and I am beyond grateful for that.”

McCurdy added, “I wish I could describe to you how grateful I am. It literally makes my heart pound.”

When she fills out forms at a doctor’s office, McCurdy lists “writer” as her occupation, which led to one of the year’s most memorable encounters. “The dental assistant came in with her phone while I had the whole clip in my mouth,” McCurdy said. “Literally holding my mouth open and, like, gunk falling out. She was like, ‘Oh my God, can I get a picture? I love your book!’” McCurdy obliged.

She has heard about complicated relationships from every branch of strangers’ family trees — siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, you name it. “That’s been a really connecting experience,” McCurdy said. The overwhelmingly positive response to her candor seems to have had a greater impact on McCurdy than her longevity on the best-seller list.

Of course, this wouldn’t be a story about a victory lap if we didn’t invite our subject to share some wisdom for writers on the starting line. McCurdy’s is two-pronged: “Don’t read anything you might be inclined to mimic,” she said. “And write a first draft just for yourself. If your story is something that you want to share with the world, try and separate yourself from your own experience as much as possible.”

McCurdy’s first drafts are, as she put it, “just vomit.” For the novel she’s working on now, she might keep 20 percent of the original version. “Who knows if I’ll ever write the thing if I get caught up in doubt too early,” she said. “But I do love to bring doubt in when I’m looking over the first draft, figuring out what needs a rewrite and what needs to stay. I think there’s a time and a place for the inner critic; I think there’s a place for the guy.”

She paused, then added, “The inner critic is a guy, right?”



[fuojbe-beowgi]

"Bridget Jones Deserved Better. We All Did." by Elisabeth Egan via NYT Books https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/30/books/review/bridget-joness-diary-helen-fielding.html?partner=IFTTT

[learnphotoo]

The One Where Matthew Perry Writes an Addiction Memoir

By Elisabeth Egan In “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,” the actor gets serious about sobriety, mortality, colostomy bags and pickleball. Published: October 23, 2022 at 08:00AM from NYT Arts https://ift.tt/jKg6TQ5

[thatsbelievable]

I like Judy Blume.

[showthisbooksomelove]

A Window Opens ~Elisabeth Egan

A Window Opens ~Elisabeth Egan

Rating: 4/5 I really enjoyed this story about family and one woman’s journey to finding her way through changing family circumstances. Although nothing stellar or groundbreaking, this quiet story hit me at the right place at the right time. Alice’s life is shaken up when her husband gets fired/quits his job at a big firm and decides to hang his own shingle, requiring Alice to quit her part time…

[antonio-velardo]

Antonio Velardo shares: Like His Illustrations, Leo Lionni Contained Multitudes by Elisabeth Egan

By Elisabeth Egan The illustrator of classic children’s books like “Frederick” and “Swimmy” was also a painter, sculptor, graphic designer and more. Published: January 5, 2024 at 05:02AM from NYT Books https://ift.tt/6fuZm30 via IFTTT

[kammartinez]

By Elisabeth Egan

Consider the books that lived in the classrooms of your youth. Didn’t it seem like those stories materialized as if by magic, complete with illustrations, a title and a sturdy hardcover? There wasn’t a lot of discussion about how a book arrived in the world, or the arduous creative process behind every collection of words on a page — not just the ones lucky enough to snag an ISBN.

Dave Eggers is working to disrupt this dynamic (although he wouldn’t use the word “disrupt” in such a context). In 2017, the author of “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius,” “The Circle” and “Zeitoun” — among many others — was working on a middle grade book, “The Lifters,” when he started talking with his editor Taylor Norman and fellow author Mac Barnett about how to involve kids in the creation of books written for them.

“We had the idea to try to collapse the space between young readers and publishers and authors and give them a peek behind the curtain and let them see manuscripts in progress,” Eggers said in a phone interview. “We started cooking up this idea of showing students or classes written manuscripts and saying, ‘What do you think?’ To show them the process as it went along.”

And so the Young Editors Project was born. It works like this: The program matches an author with a classroom of students who are roughly the target audience for a particular work. The writer might pose specific questions — for instance, Eggers said, “I’d like to know if you think there’s enough foxes in this book” — and the kids provide feedback.

“Most writers that participate get all these very sweet, exclamation-filled notes from classes and students all over the world,” Eggers said. “Every so often they might say something that is very astute and might provoke a rethinking of a page or a sentence.”

Or, as Lemony Snicket put it in his endorsement on the project’s website, “At long last, writers can get free advice from strangers without approaching them in the street.”

The YEP proposes several ways for authors to thank budding reviewers for their input, including acknowledgment by name in the final product (another word Eggers wouldn’t use in relation to literature).

Lo and behold, in his new book, “The Eyes and the Impossible,” which debuted at No. 2 on the middle grade hardcover list, Eggers thanks a slew of early readers hailing from the United States, England, Australia and Canada.

Presumably, this crew learned a valuable lesson while evaluating Eggers’s drafts: Pros need help too. “We’re always telling students that every author goes through 10 or 12 drafts,” Eggers said. “It’s always a process, no matter how many books you’ve written. A lot of writers think if their first draft isn’t perfect, then they’re not a good writer.”

In fact, with enough gumption, they might see their own name on the spine of a book someday.

[kamreadsandrecs]

By Elisabeth Egan

Consider the books that lived in the classrooms of your youth. Didn’t it seem like those stories materialized as if by magic, complete with illustrations, a title and a sturdy hardcover? There wasn’t a lot of discussion about how a book arrived in the world, or the arduous creative process behind every collection of words on a page — not just the ones lucky enough to snag an ISBN.

Dave Eggers is working to disrupt this dynamic (although he wouldn’t use the word “disrupt” in such a context). In 2017, the author of “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius,” “The Circle” and “Zeitoun” — among many others — was working on a middle grade book, “The Lifters,” when he started talking with his editor Taylor Norman and fellow author Mac Barnett about how to involve kids in the creation of books written for them.

“We had the idea to try to collapse the space between young readers and publishers and authors and give them a peek behind the curtain and let them see manuscripts in progress,” Eggers said in a phone interview. “We started cooking up this idea of showing students or classes written manuscripts and saying, ‘What do you think?’ To show them the process as it went along.”

And so the Young Editors Project was born. It works like this: The program matches an author with a classroom of students who are roughly the target audience for a particular work. The writer might pose specific questions — for instance, Eggers said, “I’d like to know if you think there’s enough foxes in this book” — and the kids provide feedback.

“Most writers that participate get all these very sweet, exclamation-filled notes from classes and students all over the world,” Eggers said. “Every so often they might say something that is very astute and might provoke a rethinking of a page or a sentence.”

Or, as Lemony Snicket put it in his endorsement on the project’s website, “At long last, writers can get free advice from strangers without approaching them in the street.”

The YEP proposes several ways for authors to thank budding reviewers for their input, including acknowledgment by name in the final product (another word Eggers wouldn’t use in relation to literature).

Lo and behold, in his new book, “The Eyes and the Impossible,” which debuted at No. 2 on the middle grade hardcover list, Eggers thanks a slew of early readers hailing from the United States, England, Australia and Canada.

Presumably, this crew learned a valuable lesson while evaluating Eggers’s drafts: Pros need help too. “We’re always telling students that every author goes through 10 or 12 drafts,” Eggers said. “It’s always a process, no matter how many books you’ve written. A lot of writers think if their first draft isn’t perfect, then they’re not a good writer.”

In fact, with enough gumption, they might see their own name on the spine of a book someday.



[fuojbe-beowgi]

"‘Hi, This Is Oprah Winfrey. I Read Your Novel and Loved It So Much.’" by Elisabeth Egan via NYT Books https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/14/books/hello-beautiful-ann-napolitano.html?partner=IFTTT

[perfectdisastcr]

💗 i would like a list of all 3 million potential pairings please 🙈

my god, i would love to take the time out of my day to give that to you, and just know that we can ship literally anybody and everybody because that’s all we ever do in the first place and you know how much i love doing that with you too. my favorite writing partner everybody, bre is hands down the best partner in the whole world, and i’m lucky enough to be able to have her at all. she’s mine and i’m never going to let her go because i love her so much! she’s literally the best thing to ever happen to me and i know i wouldn’t be here through the shitty times and all without her! everybody better go follow her right now and send her all the love i swear to god, because she’s the only person on this hell site that shows me the attention that i deserve! also that list of potential pairings is below the cut, and don’t say i didn’t warn you. 👀

send 💗 if you’re open to the possibility of a romantic ship eventually happening between our muses

all these characters are up for shipping with all your characters:

alex gardiner (paul rudd) alexander hamilton (lin-manuel miranda) alex mullner (brant daughterty) alice liddell (madelyn cline) alisha khara (jameela jamil) annie abel (luna blaise/anya chalotra) antonia moreno (victoria justice) apollonia levine (anastasia karanikolaou) arthur pendragon (niall horan) ashley spinelli (ursula corbero) aspen rhodes (sofia black-d'elia) astrid porter (karlie kloss) audrey ramirez (selena gomez) august khalil (rami malek) axel turner (charlie weber/skeet ulrich) aziz hassan (riz ahmed) bailee rose (jenny boyd) bambi prince (lachlan watson) barbie roberts (kate upton) barley lightfoot (michael clifford) beatriz velasco (camila cabello/diane guerrero)  beau hester (froy gutierrez) beck collins (joe keery) bellatrix lestrange (carmela zumbado) belle dubois (margaret qualley) belle summers (candice king) berliouz bonfamille (alex fitzalan) bernard davenport (gavin leatherwood) billie groves (kiana lede/emmy raver-lampman) billy hargrove (dacre montgomery) bindi culver (meg donnelly/rachel mcadams) bo-peep ‘bo’ patterson (amanda seyfried) brady gardiner (nathaniel buzolic) brielle stewart (alexandra daddario) bronwyn pierson (madelaine petsch) buzz lightyear (paul mescal/chris pine) calliope jung (phillipa soo) camille aguilar (jeanine mason) carl fredricksen (tye sheridan) celeste quintana (rosalia/maite perroni) chandler armstrong (iwan rheon) cinderella tremaine (lily james) clementine ahn (jamie chung) cliff egan (stephen amell) colleen lowell (jodie comer) connor catrell (thomas doherty) copper slade (nick jonas) cordelia goodwin (ryan destiny/candice patton) coriander thompson (dacre montgomery/chris evans) cornelius robinson (simon baker) cruella de vil (melanie martinez) cyrus quinney (owen joyner) daisy vaughn (isabella gomez/aimee carrero) dakota atkins (amber midthunder) dale monks (keiynan lonsdale) dalton davis (harris dickinson) daniela ‘dani’ costello (becky g/eva longoria) dash parr (jaden smith) delilah diaz (camila cabello/diane guerrero) delphine washington (antonia thomas) delta montgomery (manu gavassi) denver koch (thomas elms) devon montgomery (iain de caestecker) diego hargreeves (david castaneda) dorcas meadowes (ariela barer) dory blau (julia louise-dreyfus) duke blaise (ashley graham & matthew daddario — reincarnated)  duncan traeger (zac efron) edmund whittaker (richard madden) edwin orwell (nicholas galitzine) elena flores (jenna ortega) eleonora moretti (benedetta gargari) eleven (millie bobby brown) elio montgomery (noah schnapp/brendon urie) elisabeth ‘elsa’ andersson (candice king) elliott murdoch (kj apa) eloise thompson (taylor hill/zoey deutch) elwood leith (sam claflin) emerson wheaton (beau mirchoff) emily sondheim (eve fraser) emmy silverstein (nat wolff/michiel huisman) ericka ‘ricki’ santos (danna paola) esmeralda guybertaut (priyanka chopra) everest sorenson (adam driver) ezekiel ‘zeke’ bauer (neels visser) fa mulan (awkwafina) felix dawson (lukas gage) ferris rockwell (joshua bassett) five hargreeves (aidan gallagher/rob raco/john mulaney) florence prata (barbie ferreira) flynn rider (jacob elordi/steven r mcqueen) frank castle (jon bernthal) gabrielle dupres (louriza tronco) genevieve rizzo (troian bellisario) gill moorish (harrison ford) godwin vivar (diego boneta) grainger anslow (justin hartley) grant wesley (keanu reeves) griffin price (liam hemsworth) guinevere ‘gwen’ flores (ester exposito/ana de armas) gulliver kennedy (robert sheehan) gunner mccoy (miles heizer) halston krogen (nick robinson) hamish duke (thomas elms) harper graves (sydney sweeney) harry potter (alberto rosende) harvey wolff (joaquin phoenix) hawke bradbury (brenton thwaites) helen parr (megan thee stallion/kerry washington) hendrix palmer (mark fischbach) henley howell (dylan everett/paul wesley) henrik nilsen (herman tommeraas/chris evans) hercules sabri (aubrey joseph) hermione granger (quintessa swindell) holden krogen (jack falahee) holly la stella (olivia holt) honey lemon (irene ferreiro) hudson reid (jaeden lieberher/paul mescal/james mcavoy) irving reid (matty healy) isobel evans (lily cowles) jacoba ‘cobi’ abernathy (geraldine viswanathan) jake bennett (joe jonas) jake breckenridge (landon liboiron) james potter (noah centineo) james ‘sully’ sullivan (hozier) jane porter (zoe sugg) jasmine agrabah (naomi scott) jessica jones (krysten ritter) jim hopper (david harbour) johanna ‘jo’ gardiner (carlson young) josefine olive (lili reinhart/maika monroe) joseph ‘joey’ carnegie (chris o'dowd) juliette russo (camila mendes) juno nicks (gideon adlon/linda cardellini) justin miller (michael b. jordan) keaton green (charlie plummer/austin butler/alexander skarsgard) keifer fry (nathan parsons) kennedy sutherland (florence pugh) khalid farid (mena massoud) kiernan jost (jack barakat) kiki penn (natalie alyn lind)  kim possible (karen gillan) kit dempsey (aaron taylor-johnson/michael sheen) kristoff bjorgman (ben hardy) kuzco inca (tommy martinez) lady alvarez (camila cabello/diane guerrero) lake montgomery (jace norman/casey deidrick/jeff goldblum) lazarus (sean teale/tom ellis) lennox wells (billie piper) leonardo ‘leo’ light (armie hammer) levi wesley (gerard butler) liam wheaton (lucas lynngaard tonnesen/dominic sherwood) lilac montgomery (sophia lillis/deborah ann woll) lila pitts (ritu arya) lilo pelekai (courtney eaton) lola carver (carla gugino) macy merritt (kylie jenner) madeline hawkins (rowan blanchard/kaylee bryant) madison bloomfield (gwyneth paltrow) maggie wheaton (virginia gardner) maria deluca (heather hemmens) mariana de la cruz (victoria justice/salma hayek) marianne darden (elizabeth olsen) marisol torres (alexa demie/salma hayek) marlene phan (brianne tju) matilda franks (brooke markham) matthew murdock (charlie cox) max tian (chloe bennet) mckenzie whitman (danielle rose russell) megara creon (ashley moore) melanie carter (brenna d'amico/zooey deschanel) melody burns-newman (camren bicondova) mercutio bellini (giancarlo commare) merida dunbroch (bree kish) michael ‘goob’ yagoobian (dylan o’brien/andrew scott) mickey hader (shawn mendes) miguel rivera (diego tinoco) mike wheeler (finn wolfhard) mildred ‘millie’ brantwood (stella maeve) milo martinez (itzan escamilla/tyler posey) milo thatch (jason ralph) minerva ‘minnie’ winslett (jenna coleman) mischa locklear (jenny slate) moana motunui (auli'i cravalho) molly wheaton (saoirse monica jackson/kristen bell/kristin chenoweth) monet bugg (annie murphy) mordecai ‘cai’ baird (joseph morgan) murray bauman (brett gelman) nadja (natasia demetriou) naomi phillips (hunter king) natalie fuller (krysten ritter) nate gardiner (tom holland/thomas hayes/joe keery/adam scott) nemo fisher (nick robinson) nick novak (jon bernthal) nick wilde (jake johnson) nina baxter (laura harrier) nolan van ness (louis hynes/benjamin wadsworth) nymphadora tonks (kennedy walsh) odessa barnes (inanna sarkis) osbourne russo (oliver jackson-cohen) otis richardson (finn jones) owen monroe (zachary levi) paloma katz (brittany o'grady) paxton gardiner (douglas booth) pearl turner (maia mitchell/aubrey plaza) penny proud (sarah jeffery) perdita ryan (alisha boe/zoe kravitz) perrie wheaton (ariela barer/jessica alba) peter pan (rudy pankow) peter pettigrew (alex lawther) phil mcdermot (leo howard/dylan o’brien) phineas flynn-fletcher (michael provost) piper donahue (millie bobby brown/katherine langford/felicity jones) pippa mei (amy okuda) pollux isola (camila mendes) portia sadler (hayden panettiere) prairie gallagher (lucy boynton) quaid ‘q’ wright (jake gylenhaal) quinton saunders (jamie dornan) rain montgomery (nick jonas) ramona montgomery-wallis (lana condor/ashley park) reed knightley (arthur darvill) reign fentworth (madison bailey/vanessa morgan) reno thames (joshua bassett) richie tozier (finn wolfhard/bill hader) river montgomery (jack griffo/tyler blackburn) robin buckley (maya hawke) roger holtz (ben platt) roger radcliffe (aaron tveit) romy reyes (carmela zumbado) ronald ‘mac’ mcdonald (rob mcelhenney) roosevelt banks (spence moore II) rowan burke (andy biersack) roxanne sutton (lady gaga) rush mccoy (cody fern) russell montgomery (ian harding/hugh jackman) russell montgomery II (jack dylan grazer/timothee chalamet/adam brody) sable rosales (catherine bascoy) saint fentworth (reece king) sally finklestein (marina ruy barbosa) salvador ‘sal’ mendoza (jorge blanco) samson gardiner (cole sprouse) sandy diamandis (christina hendricks) sawyer bell (penn badgley) seamus kennedy (aria shanghasemi/michael sheen) seb seif (zeeko zaki) selena hada (camila cabello/diane guerrero) severus snape (rob raco) shawn taggart (ben barnes) shay strauss (chris wood) shia zoheir (rami malek) shiloh young (devery jacobs) shiri madani (inbar lavi) simba king (john boyega) sloane shapiro (diana silvers/linda cardellini) sofia ramirez (camila cabello/camila mendes/morena baccarin/fluvia lacerda) stefani vidal (louriza tronco) stella romero (adria arjona) steve harrington (joe keery) stevie wagner (anne hathaway/jennifer garner) sutton reiser (katherine langford/kat dennings) tandy hawthorne (giorgia whigham) tanner cohen (ross lynch) tarrant ‘mad hatter’ hightopp (hale appleman) tarryn fischer (giorgia whigham/perry mattfeld) tatum barton (ben schwartz) teddy flood (james marsden) tex navarro (bad bunny) thad abraham (dylan sprouse/chris evans) the handler (kate walsh) thomas gardiner (felix mallard/paul rudd) tierney kennedy (maisie williams) timothy ‘tigger’ trigger (jeremy allen white) tinker bell (sabrina carpenter) tj lieberman (armie hammer) tommy burns (will poulter) topher larkin (alexander hogh andersen) trey turner (jonathan daviss) ursula celia (normani/lizzo) vaughn abel (max greenfield) veronica lodge (camila mendes) vidia viento (emma dumont) vivica lang (madison pettis/tessa thompson) wanda cowell (brenda song) warren wentz (robert pattinson) wendell langston (link neal) wilbur robinson (david mazouz) winnie knox (sophie turner/jessica chastain) wren green (alexander calvert) wynona winstead (sarah hyland/cristin milioti) xander talbot (g-eazy) york pemberton (heather baron-gracie) yusef barlas (zayn malik) zack abrams (alex fitzalan) ziggy (taron egerton) zoey matthews (olivia munn)

[d-criss-news]

Members of the Film & TV Music community, made up of composers, songwriters, music editors, music supervisors, studio executives and more, are contributing their talents to SOUNDTRACK OF OUR LIVES: A CELEBRATION FOR THE FILM & TV MUSIC COMMUNITY, an online benefit event for MusiCares® COVID-19 Relief Fund. This specially produced program debuts June 25th, 2020, at noon pacific on YouTube, and will honor the talented people whose scores and songs transport, inspire, uplift and entertain us by creating the "soundtrack of our lives." The fun, delightful and heartfelt hour-long special will feature leading and iconic singers, composers, songwriters, actors, celebrity guests and others while celebrating glorious Film & TV Music moments with heart and humor. Donations to MusiCares® COVID-19 Relief Fund will be encouraged throughout the show.

"Thousands of music professionals and creators are struggling during this pandemic and remain in desperate need of assistance," says Debbie Carroll, Vice President Health and Human Services MusiCares®. "The continued support from the music community during these turbulent times has been heartwarming and inspiring. The power of music unites us all and gives us hope for better days ahead."

Over 75 film and television composers and songwriters, "From A to Z, Abels to Zimmer," will appear in this program. Collectively, this prestigious group has been nominated for 273 Grammys (with 87 wins), 216 Emmys (with 51 wins) and 136 Oscars (with 34 wins).

Confirmed performers and special guests include Sting, Catherine O'Hara, Ming-Na Wen, Patti LuPone, William Shatner, Elisabeth Moss, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Marla Gibbs, Jane Levy, Mandy Moore, Richard Kind, Alex Newell, Zachary Levi, Paul Reubens, Kiernan Shipka, Harvey Fierstein, Ginnifer Goodwin, Anika Noni Rose, Kasi Lemmons, Ted Danson, Auli'i Cravalho, Darren Criss, Drew Carey, Ray Romano, Holly Hunter, Reba McEntire, Bob Saget, Ken Page, Lucy Lawless, Mary Steenburgen, Dave Coulier, Kevin Smith, Peter Gallagher, Naomi Scott, Annie Potts, Clive Davis, Jodi Benson, Harvey Mason Jr., Susan Egan, Paige O'Hara, John Stamos, Andra Day and Rita Wilson.

Composers and songwriters participating include Michael Abels, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Angelo Badalamenti, Glen Ballard, Lesley Barber, Nathan Barr, Tyler Bates, Jeff Beal, Marco Beltrami, Alan Bergman, Terence Blanchard, Jongnic Bontemps, Kathryn Bostic, Kris Bowers, Jon Brion, Nicholas Britell, Bruce Broughton, BT, Carter Burwell, Sean Callery, Joshuah Brian Campbell, Lisa Coleman, John Debney, Tan Dun, Fil Eisler, Danny Elfman, Charles Fox, Germaine Franco, Harry Gregson-Williams, Hildur Gudnadóttir, Alex Heffes, Joe Hisaishi, James Newton Howard, Justin Hurwitz, Ashley Irwin, Mark Isham, Steve Jablonsky, Amanda Jones, Laura Karpman, Christopher Lennertz, Joe LoDuca, Robert Lopez, Mark Mancina, Gabriel Mann, Clint Mansell, Dennis McCarthy, Bear McCreary, Alan Menken, Bruce Miller, John Murphy, Starr Parodi, Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, Daniel Pemberton, Michael Penn, Heitor Pereira, Rachel Portman, Mike Post, A. R. Rahman, Tim Rice, Lolita Ritmanis, Dan Romer, Anna Rose, Jeff Russo, Arturo Sandoval, Lalo Schifrin, Marc Shaiman, Teddy Shapiro, Richard M. Sherman, David Shire, Rob Simonsen, Mark Snow, Tamar-kali, Dara Taylor, Pinar Toprak, Brian Tyler, Nick Urata, Benjamin Wallfisch, Diane Warren, Mervyn Warren, Paul Williams, Austin Wintory, Alan Zachary, Geoff Zanelli, Marcelo Zarvos, David Zippel and Hans Zimmer.

Some highlights of the special include:

Members of the Film & TV Music community deliver heartfelt messages of hope, solidarity & encouragement.

"Musicians!" - a humorous musical tribute to the Film & TV Music community featuring Zachary Levi, Patti LuPone, Alex Newell, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Peter Gallagher and Harvey Fierstein.

Tony Award winner and Disney Legend Anika Noni Rose highlights the history of African American composers, songwriters and artists who have contributed to the Film & TV Music industry through the years.

Performers Danny Elfman, Catherine O'Hara, Paul Reubens and Ken Pagereunite to perform a song from the film The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Eight-time Academy Award winning composer Alan Menken performs his timeless song, "A Whole New World," alongside his daughter Anna Rose, introduced by Aladdin (2019) stars Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott.

Stars from beloved animated features step out from behind the microphone to lend their voices to inspirational messages, featuring Irene Bedard, Jodi Benson, Auli'i Cravalho, Holly Hunter, Mandy Moore, Susan Egan, Ginnifer Goodwin, Linda Larkin, Paige O'Hara, Annie Potts, Anika Noni Rose and Ming-Na Wen.

John Stamos hosts "Name That TV Tune!" with celebrity panelists including Elisabeth Moss, Drew Carey, Ray Romano, Eve Plumb, Reba McEntire, Bob Saget, Dave Coulier, Marla Gibbs, Lucy Lawless and Kevin Smith competing to identify famous TV themes.

Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist actor Jane Levy invites us into the dreamworld of her Extraordinary Soundtrack Playlist.

Various performers, including members of the original cast of La La Land, sing a parody version of "Another Day of Sun."

William Shatner explores how different scores can give the same film a different meaning as an exasperated director, played by Richard Kind, leads a composer in multiple directions for a short film starring Kiernan Shipkaand Christian Coppola.

Songwriter Paul Williams performs his classic song "The Rainbow Connection," from The Muppet Movie, joined by various special guests from the Film & TV Music community.

Tony- and Emmy-winner and seven-time Oscar® nominee Marc Shaimanperforms an original song tribute to end title sequences.

MusiCares® COVID-19 Relief Fund was created by MusiCares® to provide support to the music community during the pandemic crisis. The music industry has been essentially shut down with the cancellation of music performances, events, festivals, conferences and the many other live events that are the cornerstone of the shared music experience. Since the fund's establishment in March, over 14,000 clients have been served, with many more still needing help.

Show co-creator Peter Rotter says: "When the pandemic tragically hit our world and began to shut down our film music community, I felt that something needed to be done to help those who were in need of support and care. Through MusiCares® we have found the charitable vehicle that can come alongside our hurting musical family.

"Music has always played a role in history; reflecting both the subtle and monumental moments of our lives through its unique DNA. Music connects each of us, acting as a common thread of unification, opening the hearts of all people.

"Regardless of the color of one's skin, status or station in life, music powerfully breaks through boundaries as its message permeates deep within us; healing our human frailties and condition at our cores. Music is transformative and personal. It powerfully underscores our lives."

"Music has always helped transport, uplift and inspire us through wars, economic hardships, health crises and societal upheavals," says show co-creator, Richard Kraft. "When COVID-19 hit, it threatened the lives and livelihood of much of our Film & TV Music community. So, we decided to create an online special that both celebrates the soundtrack of our lives and benefits, via MusiCares®, the artists who create it."

Starting June 25th at noon pacific, watch the video on Youtube via Rolling Stone, Variety & GRAMMY's channels, as well as on www.soundtracklives.com. Donate at soundtracklives.com now!