For If I Had Legs I’d Kick You and Palm Royale, you both have created such singular characters. How different are they each from you in real life?
Wiig: She’s a little more delusional than I am. She’s much more ambitious than I am, also. I feel like we’re pretty different. I will say a similarity: I do have a belief that everything works out, and it is supposed to work out the way it’s supposed to work out. She doesn’t take no for an answer—and I do! Obviously, she’s just a little more scheming in a way, but she’s well intentioned, which I guess I am.
Byrne: I am pretty different. She’s very, very different from me. The character is incredibly hostile, Linda, and she comes from a place of hostility throughout the film, because she’s under such stress and trauma. Whereas my default is not hostility if I’m under stress or trauma. It is a different thing. I go overboard in another way, but not like that. So that was hard, because it’s not my natural default. It was challenging to constantly capture that hostility that she has, fighting everybody and cutting everybody off. But fun too.
Wiig: Knowing you and seeing her, I was like, “Who is this person?” Because it’s so heartbreaking. And you’re waiting the whole movie for her to just, like, run over somebody in a car. It was truly one of the most amazing performances that I’ve seen.
Byrne: I feel like it is just an opportunity. It’s a gift to see a woman act like that and lose it like that.
Wiig: Did you have moments—because this has happened to me—before you shot this where you were like, I don’t know if I can do this?
Byrne: Every day! I didn’t want to mess it up. I would be calling [writer-director] Mary Bronstein, “Did we get this?” The character’s very paranoid, and I’m not a Method person. But you do become a little bit consumed with your subject, whether you like it or not. You try to have faith, but I’m constantly wondering if this is going to come together. And particularly before you start. Once you’re in, it’s better because you’re just in it. But the anticipation before—I have that every time. It’s kind of boring. Bobby [Cannavale, Byrne’s partner] is like, “Can we be done?”
Wiig: But I think it’s good too, because then when you’re done, you’re like, Oh my gosh, I did it.
Byrne: I think if you’re not a little bit scared, then maybe reexamine what you’re doing.
Kristen, you’re always a great presenter at awards shows, like at the Globes with Will Ferrell and another year with Steve Carell. What’s your approach to doing that?
Wiig: With both of those in particular, we just met before and we’re like, “What do we want to do?” And both times it was a little like, “Well, they may either not like this or think it’s too long, but let’s just push for it.” And then they just kind of let us do it. But you never know. I remember specifically with the last one that I did with Will, it was later in the show. We were at the same table, and we would just look at each other like, “What are we doing?” I think we did a rehearsal and people were just like, “What is this?” So I think the long answer is, doing something that you think is funny while still acknowledging how great it is for the nominees and everything—not taking anything away from them, and talking about the category, and just having fun with it.
So began a decades-long friendship that entered a new phase when they were both cast in Palm Royale, which premiered in March 2024. Set in 1969 Palm Beach, the Apple TV series follows Kristen Wiig’s Maxine Dellacorte-Simmons, a spry social climber eager to infiltrate high society. Dern, an executive producer on the series, who also plays feminist activist Linda Shaw, had one person in mind for the role of Norma Dellacorte, the flask-toting matriarch who rules the area’s social scene. “I had a mission to get as close to Carol as possible,” Dern says, “and if I had to produce a show to make it happen, I was going to do it.”
The first season earned Burnett an Emmy nomination for outstanding supporting actress—and a group of new female industry friends, including her costars Allison Janney and Leslie Bibb. “What’s wonderful is, at my age now, I’ve got new young girlfriends,” Burnett laughs. “But with Laura, it’s really a deep love. I do feel that it’s kind of like a mother-daughter thing. Not even kind of like. It is a mother-daughter thing, and I’m grateful for it.”
Carol Burnett and Laura Dern pose at Burnett’s hand and footprint ceremony at TCL Chinese Theatre on June 20, 2024.Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images
It was fitting, then, that the penultimate episode of Palm Royale season two reveals that Burnett’s character is actually the birth mother of Dern’s character, and her real name is Agnes. Years ago, the real Norma Dellacorte died and Agnes, her boarding school roommate, assumed her identity for a better life. Upon realizing that she was pregnant with a married man’s baby, Agnes allowed her daughter—born Penelope, then renamed Linda—to be adopted by birth father Skeet (played in season one by Dern’s real-life Oscar-nominated dad, Bruce) and his wife, Evelyn (Janney).
“Being here in this room where I first became someone else, I can be myself again,” Norma tells Linda, explaining that she sacrificed her daughter so that her life wouldn’t be marred by the scandal of being born out of wedlock. “Losing you was the greatest pain of my entire life. I love you,” Norma tells Linda, who is happy to be found.
The show’s season two finale, premiering January 14, extends the long-awaited mother-daughter reunion. “The last moment of Carol at the end of our season is just one of the most breathtaking things, as an actor, I’ve ever witnessed,” Dern says, “looking in those eyes and seeing her love of her daughter in that seemingly simple but profound look. You realize this is a woman who did everything for her daughter.”
Carrie Hamilton and Carol Burnett in 1983.Images Press/Getty Images
Diane Ladd and Laura Dern in 1994.Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images
I ask Burnett where that moment may have originated. “Well, in a way, just from my memory about my relationship with Carrie, and how much I loved her and what she meant to me,” she says of her late daughter Carrie Hamilton, who died in 2002 at age 38 from pneumonia as a complication of lung and brain cancer. “Deep down, I might’ve been thinking about that. It finally came full circle, and I could love her and she could love me. It was easy to play.”
A third season of Palm Royale, which would presumably delve deeper into 1970s Palm Beach, has not been renewed as of press time. But what are the actors’ thoughts on the modern-day community, now the setting of a new Netflix reality series and the gated locale where Donald Trump rang in the New Year? “Let’s leave it to Shakespeare,” says Dern: “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. If we follow the money train, where there is wealth and influence, there are sometimes remarkable people doing extraordinary things, but most of the time when we’re following power and influence, there’s a lot of corruption throughout the world.”
NEW YORK (AP) — When Kristen Wiig steps out of a vintage Rolls-Royce in the opening scene of Season 2 of “Palm Royale,” she’s sporting a tall, yellow, fringed hat, gold platform sandals and sunny bell bottoms, with fabric petals that sway with every determined step. It’s the first clue that the costumes on the female-driven comedy are taking center stage.
The Apple TV show made a splash in its first season with the starry cast, high production values and ubiquitous grasshopper cocktail. Wiig’s character, Maxine, tries to break into Palm Beach high society in 1969 and bumps heads with co-stars Carol Burnett, Allison Janney, Leslie Bibb and Laura Dern. But also playing a starring role are the vintage designer frocks that reflect each character.
Kristen Wiig in “Palm Royale.” (Erica Parise/Apple TV via AP)
Kristen Wiig in “Palm Royale.” (Erica Parise/Apple TV via AP)
For Season 2, which premiered this week, Emmy-winning costume designer Alix Friedberg says she and her team coordinated “thousands” of looks that reflect the characters’ jet-setting style. She says 50-60% of the brightly colored and graphic print costumes are original vintage designer pieces, sourced by shoppers and costume designers.
“The looks are so iconic. Sometimes Kristen will walk in in something, and it brings tears to my eyes,” Kaia Gerber — who plays Mitzi — told The Associated Press in a recent interview.
The creative process entails more than shopping
If not original vintage, Friedberg’s team builds the costumes, and if a character has to wear an outfit in multiple scenes or in big dance numbers, the team may create duplicates to preserve continuity. Friedberg says she was lucky to find so many vendors with vintage designer pieces in great condition.
“(Bibb’s character) Dinah wears a few original Oscar de la Renta pieces that are really so perfect. Bill Blass was a big one, Oleg Cassini,” Friedberg says. “There’s a dress that (Janney’s character) Evelyn wears that’s this all emerald green jersey, it’s an original Halston and it’s so stunning on her and it really does sort of evoke what’s to come in the ‘70s.”
Allison Janney in “Palm Royale.” (Erica Parise/Apple TV via AP)
Allison Janney in “Palm Royale.” (Erica Parise/Apple TV via AP)
Janney calls Friedberg “brilliant” and marveled at her talent at finding pieces that are like works of art. Some of her favorites were the characters’ après-ski looks in the Swiss Alps — but she finds it hard to pick an ultimate favorite.
“All of them just make me feel divine. And the hair is just a masterpiece, and the makeup — it all goes together to just create Evelyn and I barely have to do anything,” Janney says.
Costumes can be funny
The costumes also help heighten the comedy. Friedberg says Evelyn’s stoic and deadpan character elicits laughs with some of her over-the-top getups.
“She’s delivering this dialogue, these lines with, like, seven wigs on top of her,” Friedberg says. “The absurdity comes out really in how these women present themselves time and time again. … It was just so much fun to get to laugh and wink at the audience.”
Carol Burnett in “Palm Royale.” (Erica Parise/Apple TV via AP)
Carol Burnett in “Palm Royale.” (Erica Parise/Apple TV via AP)
Burnett called costume fittings on the show “great fun” and said they helped her find her character, the scheming Norma. “I work from the outside in. I have to know what I’m going to look like,” she says.
Norma’s signature turban started as a practical idea to help Burnett save time in hair and makeup. “The first time she put it on, we were both like, ‘Oh, that’s really so fabulous,’ and every time she came out as Norma without the turban, I really missed it,” Friedberg says. “Each time we built her a dress, we always had to sort of think about what the turban would be, and then it started to switch, and we started designing the turbans before the dress!”
Season 2 of Apple TV’s “Palm Royale” features fabulous costumes and sets, lots of laughs and an undercurrent theme of feminism and female friendship. (Nov. 10)
Many looks go deeper than sparkly sequins
The costumes also help set the tone for the female empowerment theme that permeates this season. “Evelyn wore a lot more pants — which seems ridiculous to say today — but back then that was a real power move,” Friedberg says.
Leslie Bibb in “Palm Royale.” (Erica Parise/Apple TV via AP)
Leslie Bibb in “Palm Royale.” (Erica Parise/Apple TV via AP)
Bibb had ideas to show how Dinah evolves from her trophy wife persona. “I knew this season was about her finding sort of her own wealth without a man … and what that looked like. I always have been obsessed with Sharon Stone in ‘Casino,’” Bibb says — and so they “stole” a bit of that look. “We really have Dinah going into pantsuits and just a different sense of her and she’s really becoming her most modern self.”
Friedberg conveyed the privilege and simplicity of the rich men in the series through clothing as well. Josh Lucas plays Douglas, who suffers some disappointments this season, reflected in his costumes.
“What if we approach Douglas where he’s always been dressed by women in his life? He’s always been dressed by someone else. He’s never shopped,” Lucas says he posed to Friedberg (who happens to be his sister-in-law in real life). “And for the first time, (his wife’s) character is not doing that, so he only has three hole-filled Hawaiian shirts.”
He’s in fact the rare character who repeats outfits, Friedberg notes. “You can kind of see them, as the series goes along, getting a little bit more and more threadbare,” she says.
Kaia Gerber in “Palm Royale.” (Erica Parise/Apple TV via AP)
Kaia Gerber in “Palm Royale.” (Erica Parise/Apple TV via AP)
Gerber’s character gets a major makeover this season after coming into money. The actor gushed about Friedberg’s intentional designs as Mitzi finds her “womanhood and her power.”
“It was so fun to be able to be wearing these expensive gowns and jewelry and the hair and the makeup, and how that really sort of parallels Mitzi’s inner journey as well,” she says.
The costumes may be eye candy, but Friedberg says each look also carries deeper meaning.
“Maxine wears this dress that was an original Oscar de la Renta dress,” Friedberg says. “It’s very much something that Norma would wear, and it is saying to the audience without saying to the audience that she’s arrived, it’s her time, it’s time for her to rule.”
Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan re-teaming as the body-swapping mother and daughter duo in “Freakier Friday” and albums from 5 Seconds of Summer and the rapper NF are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.
Also among the streaming offerings worth your time this week, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys team up for the new limited-series thriller “The Beast in Me,” gamers get Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Apple TV’s star-studded “Palm Royale” is back.
New movies to stream from Nov. 10-16
— Richard Linklater’s love letter to the French New Wave and the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s “Breathless,” “Nouvelle Vague,” will be streaming on Netflix on Friday, Nov. 14. In his review, Associated Press Film Writer Jake Coyle writes that, “To a remarkable degree, Linklater’s film, in French and boxed into the Academy ratio, black-and-white style of ‘Breathless,’ has fully imbibed that spirit, resurrecting one of the most hallowed eras of movies to capture an iconoclast in the making. The result is something endlessly stylish and almost absurdly uncanny.”
— Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan re-team as the body-swapping mother and daughter duo in “Freakier Friday,” a sequel to their 2003 movie, streaming on Disney+ on Wednesday. In her review, Jocelyn Noveck writes, “The chief weakness of ‘Freakier Friday’ — an amiable, often joyful and certainly chaotic reunion — is that while it hews overly closely to the structure, storyline and even dialogue of the original, it tries too hard to up the ante. The comedy is thus a bit more manic, and the plot machinations more overwrought (or sometimes distractingly silly).”
— Ari Aster’s latest nightmare “Eddington” is set in a small, fictional New Mexico town during the coronavirus pandemic, which becomes a kind of microcosm for our polarized society at large with Joaquin Phoenix as the sheriff and Pedro Pascal as its mayor. In my review, I wrote that, “it is an anti-escapist symphony of masking debates, conspiracy theories, YouTube prophets, TikTok trends and third-rail topics in which no side is spared.”
— An incurable cancer diagnoses might not be the most obvious starting place for a funny and affirming film, but that is the magic of Ryan White’s documentary “Come See Me in the Good Light,” about two poets, Andrea Gibson, who died in July, and Megan Falley, facing a difficult reality together. It will be on Apple TV on Friday, Nov. 14.
— There’s nothing worse than a band without a sense of humor. Thankfully 5 Seconds of Summer are in on the joke. Their sixth studio album, “Everyone’s a Star!,” sounds like the Australian pop-rock band are having fun again, from The Prodigy-esq. “Not OK” to the self-referential and effacing “Boy Band.” Candor is their provocation now, and it sounds good — particularly after the band has spent the last few years exploring solo projects.
— The R&B and neo soul powerhouse Summer Walker has returned with her third studio album and first in four years. “Finally Over It,” out Friday, Nov. 14, is the final chapter of her “Over It” trilogy; a release centered on transformation and autonomy. That’s evident from the dreamy throwback single, “Heart of A Woman,” in which the song’s protagonist is disappointed with her partner — but with striking self-awareness. “In love with you but can’t stand your ways,” she sings. “And I try to be strong/But how much can I take?”
— Consider him one of the biggest artists on the planet that you may not be familiar with. NF, the musical moniker of Nate Feuerstein, emerged from the Christian rap world a modern answer to Eminem only to top the mainstream, all-genre Billboard 200 chart twice, with 2017’s “Perception” and 2019’s “The Search.” On Friday, Nov. 14, he’ll release “Fear,” a new six-track EP featuring mgk (formerly Machine Gun Kelly) and the English singer James Arthur.
— Apple TV’s star-studded “Palm Royale” is back just in time for a new social season. Starring Kristen Wiig, Laura Dern, Allison Janney, Leslie Bibb, Kaia Gerber, Ricky Martin AND Carol Burnett, the show is campy, colorful and fun, plus it has great costumes. Wiig plays Maxine, a woman desperate to be accepted into high society in Palm Beach, Florida, in the late 1960s. The first episode streams Wednesday and one will follow weekly into January.
— “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” cast member Heather Gay has written a book called “Bad Mormon” about how she went from a devout Mormon to leaving the church. Next, she’s fronting a new docuseries that delves into that too called “Surviving Mormonism with Heather Gay.” The reality TV star also speaks to others who have left the religion. All three episodes drop Wednesday on Peacock.
— Thanks to “Homeland” and “The Americans,” Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys helped put the prestige in the term prestige TV. They grace the screen together in a new limited-series for Netflix called “The Beast in Me.” Danes plays a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer who finds a new subject in her next door neighbor, a real estate tycoon who also may or may not have killed his first wife. Howard Gordon, who worked with Danes on “Homeland,” is also the showrunner and an executive producer of “The Beast in Me.” It premieres Thursday.
— David Duchovny and Jack Whitehall star in a new thriller on Prime Video called “Malice.” Duchovny plays Jamie, a wealthy man vacationing with his family in Greece. He hires a tutor (played by Whitehall) named Adam to work with the kids who seems likable, personable and they invite him into their world. Soon it becomes apparent that Adam’s charm is actually creepy. Something is up. As these stories go, getting rid of an interloper is never easy. All six episodes drop Friday, Nov. 14.
— “Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints” returns to Fox Nation on Sunday, Nov. 16 for a second season. The premiere details the story of Saint Patrick. The show is a passion project for Scorsese who executive produces, hosts, and narrates the episodes.
— Billy Bob Thornton has struck oil in the second season of “Landman” on Paramount+. Created by Taylor Sheridan, the show is set in modern day Texas in the world of Big Oil. Sam Elliott and Andy Garcia have joined the cast and Demi Moore also returns. The show returns Sunday, Nov. 16.
— The Call of Duty team behind the Black Ops subseries delivered a chapter last year — but they’re already back with Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. The new installment of the bestselling first-person shooter franchise moves to 2035 and a world “on the brink of chaos.” (What else is new?) Publisher Activision is promising a “reality-shattering” experience that dives into “into the deepest corners of the human psyche.” Beyond that storyline there are also 16 multiplayer maps and the ever-popular zombie mode, in which you and your friends get to blast away at relentless hordes of the undead. Lock and load Friday, Nov. 14, on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S or PC.
— Lumines Arise is the latest head trip from Enhance Games, the studio behind puzzlers like Tetris Effect, Rez Infinite and Humanity. The basic challenge is simple enough: Multicolored 2×2 blocks drift down the screen, and you need to arrange them to form single-color squares. Completed squares vanish unless you apply the “burst” mechanic, which lets you build ever-larger squares and rack up bigger scores. It’s all accompanied by hallucinatory graphics and thumping electronic music, and you can plug in a virtual reality headset if you really want to feel like you’re at a rave. Pick up the groove Tuesday on PlayStation 5 or PC.
Apple TV released the official trailer for Palm RoyaleSeason 2, the Emmy Award-nominated comedy series.
Kristen Wiig stars as Maxine Dellacorte, an underdog who attempts to enter the ruthless world of Palm Beach high society.
The official synopsis reads, “As Maxine attempts to cross that impermeable line between the haves and the have-nots, Palm Royale asks the same question that still baffles us today: How much of yourself are you willing to sacrifice to get what someone else has?”
“Palm Beach is no longer safe.” After a scandalous public breakdown, Maxine is deemed a social pariah. It will be an uphill battle to prove she belongs, but Maxine is determined to rule the town.
“Along the way, she will uncover untold truths and finally understand what this town is truly built on . . . secrets, lies, and the occasional felony,” the Season 2 logline reads.
Besides Wiig, Palm Royale Season 2 stars Laura Dern, Allison Janney, Ricky Martin, Carol Burnett, Josh Lucas, Leslie Bibb, Amber Chardae Robinson, Mindy Cohn, Julia Duffy, Kaia Gerber, Claudia Ferri, Jason Canela, Jordan Bridges, James Urbaniak, Roberto Sanchez, Rick Cosnett, and Ryan Dorsey.
John Stamos and Patti LuPone headline the list of guest stars, which also includes Vicki Lawrence and Matt Rogers.
Abe Sylvia is Palm Royale’s writer, executive producer, and showrunner. Executive producers include Wiig, Dern, Jayme Lemons, and Katie O’Connell Marsh. The series hails from Apple Studios.
Released in March 2024, Palm Royale Season 1 garnered 11 Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series and acting nods for Wiig and Burnett. The show won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music.
Palm Royale Season 2 premieres with one episode on Wednesday, November 12, 2025. One episode will stream weekly on Apple TV until January 14, 2026.
The Hollywood Reporter’s youngest critics share their opinions about the big-screen adaptation of Netflix’s popular preschool series starring Laila Lockhart Kraner as Gabby.
Gabby (Laila Lockhart Kraner) in DreamWorks Animation’s ‘Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie.’
DreamWorks Animation
The Hollywood Reporter‘s official review of Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie declared that the big-screen adaptation of Netflix’s hit preschool series is for the kids. So THR went straight to the core audience of Ryan Crego’s 98-minute cat-adventure, starring Laila Lockhart Kraner as Gabby (along with Gloria Estefan as her grandma, Gigi, and Kristen Wiig as eccentric cat lady Vera), to ask Gabby’s biggest fans what they had to say about the interactive road trip to “Cat Francisco” — and what magical lessons they picked up along the way.
Lily, 7
I WAS HOPING TO SEE… I couldn’t wait to see the dollhouse go wild on the street. I saw that in the trailer.
THE MOVIE IS ABOUT… When you get older, you can still play with your old toys.
MY FAVORITE PART… When MerCat sang her song [“Kaleidoscope”], because everything got so glimmery!
MY QUESTION FOR GABBY… How did the magic get inside the cat ears?
Savannah, 6
Image Credit: DreamWorks Animation
I WAS HOPING TO SEE… Gabby go to MerCat’s cruise ship and then go underwater and be mermaids.
THE MOVIE IS ABOUT… Missing your old friends, seeing all these new people and trying to make friends.
MY FAVORITE PART… When Gabby had the sparkles in her hands and she threw them out to save them.
MY FAVORITE CHARACTER… MerCat. Because someone [Vera] took her and put her in this cool ocean area, and the more she sang the more really cool and magical animals came.
MY FAVORITE OUTFIT… The outfit that Kitty Fairy was wearing.
MY LEAST FAVORITE PART… When [Chumsley] put too much magic [in the soup] and the dollhouse went crazy, and everybody was getting sucked in.
MY QUESTION FOR GABBY’S SISTER… They never told us that Gabby had a sister, ever! I think she is the same age as Gabby was when she got her dollhouse. What do you look like?
Ryann, 6
I WAS HOPING TO SEE… The Gabby ferris wheel, and the Gabby stuffy when you win a prize.
MY FAVORITE CHARACTER… Cakey, Gabby, Pandy, DJ Catnip and Pillow Cat — and MerCat and CatRat and everyone.
MY FAVORITE PART… When Pandy “hug attacks” Gabby.
MY FAVORITE OUTFIT… The mermaid outfit. I really liked every outfit.
I LAUGHED WHEN… The banana man played with the kids [before the dollhouse rolled away]. And when Vera sang her song!
Meadow, 5
Image Credit: DreamWorks Animation
THE MOVIE IS ABOUT…. Gabby’s dollhouse went rolling down the hill and the bad guy who loves cats took it. Gabby needed the help of her Grandma, Gigi. She has her own cat ears. They both get tiny. When Vera got Gigi’s ears, she also got tiny. Her friend had a hard name to remember [Chumsley, voiced by Jason Mantzoukas]. He reminded me of Lotso [the bear from Toy Story 2]. Chumsley didn’t want to be back in that drawer, so Chumsley was about to not like Vera, but in the end it was happily ever after and she liked him and decided not to put Chumsley in the drawer. Vera wanted to play, even though she’s a grown up.
MY LEAST FAVORITE PART…The girl [Vera] was scary in the beginning. But I did like her song. I don’t even know what she was saying, she was too funny! And I loved everything else.
MY FAVORITE PART… I loved Gabby’s outfits. I liked the queen outfit [with Kitty Fairy], the mermaid outfit and Gabby’s regular outfit.
MY FAVORITE CHARACTER… Cakey, because she has sprinkles. I liked the part when she couldn’t cry sprinkles!
MY QUESTION FOR GABBY… Can I see your sister’s room?
Liv, 5
I WAS HOPING TO SEE… Gabby, Baby Box, Cakey and Pandy Paws ride on a ferris wheel. And take a ferry to the amusement park.
THE MOVIE IS ABOUT… Somebody drives the dollhouse and then Gabby and Pandy, when they got there, CatRat loses them. The dollhouse was going down the street and Gabby was trying to get it, and then a bad guy comes out, some cat person [Vera].
MY FAVORITE PART… The mermaid part. Because Gabby had paint on her face and a beautiful tail.
MY FAVORITE CHARACTER… Gabby. She was wearing my favorite color, pink. My favorite outfit was her mermaid outfit. She also had different hair. I love the song [“Kaleidoscope”]. I just love Gabby.
MY LEAST FAVORITE PART… The bad guy [Vera], because she was mean to Gabby.
MY QUESTION FOR GABBY… What is your favorite snack, and do you like jewelry?
MY QUESTION FOR GABBY’S SISTER… Do you have curly hair?
Eden, 5
THE MOVIE IS ABOUT… Gabby’s dollhouse rolled away and Gabby had to run after it and find the dollhouse.
MY FAVORITE PART… I liked when Vera said she had to shower in a high-pitch singing voice (laughs). I am still laughing about it!
MY FAVORITE CHARACTER… Kitty Fairy because she has a flower tail and is magical.
MY QUESTION FOR GABBY… I like cats, too! Can I go on an adventure with you?
MY QUESTION FOR GABBY’S SISTER… What kind of dogs do you like?
Tyler, 4
Image Credit: DreamWorks Animation
I WAS HOPING TO SEE… Gabby’s birthday party in the movie.
THE MOVIE IS ABOUT… Someone took the dollhouse and Gabby went to go rescue it. She was driving with Gigi, her grandma.
MY FAVORITE PART… I couldn’t choose, I loved the whole movie! I was so surprised to find out Gabby has a sister!
MY FAVORITE CHARACTER… Gabby’s grandma, Gigi.
MY LEAST FAVORITE PART… When the gummy worms came out and tried to get the Gabby Cats.
MY QUESTION FOR GABBY… Could you let me borrow the dollhouse with you in it?
Zoey, 4
I WAS HOPING TO SEE… An adventure with CatRat to go see Gabby. CatRat, I’m gonna bring you something shiny!
MY FAVORITE PART… When the whole dollhouse was clean [and back to normal] in the end.
MY FAVORITE CHARACTER… CatRat and the little guy [Chumsley] who was making the soup.
MY QUESTION FOR GABBY’S SISTER… Why weren’t you in the movie?
Calvin, 4
I WAS HOPING TO SEE… How Gabby finds the dollhouse.
MY FAVORITE PART… When the baby-toppers flushed CatRat in the toilet!
MY FAVORITE CHARACTER… Kitty Fairy because the acorn friends sang about her and thought she was the queen — but she’s actually not!
MY LEAST FAVORITE PART… I didn’t like the scary parts — Vera the Cat Lady and Chumsley the Bear and the teeny-tiny pencil babies. They were acting too crazy!
MY QUESTION FOR GABBY’S SISTER… I’m surprised that Gabby made that dollhouse for her little sister. I want to know more about the doggie friends inside.
Kenzie, 3
I WAS HOPING TO SEE… All of the characters who are in the Gabby’s Dollhouse TV show, especially MerCat and Cakey.
THE MOVIE IS ABOUT… Gabby was trying to get her dollhouse back because someone took it.
MY FAVORITE PART… When Gabby and CatRat were trying to get out of the dollhouse.
MY FAVORITE CHARACTER… MerCat because she was on a boat.
MY FAVORITE OUTFIT… Gabby’s striped shirt, because she loves stripes.
MY LEAST FAVORITE PART… When CatRat was hitting people to get his coins back.
I WAS SO SURPRISED… To find out Gabby has a sister!
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Aug. 17: Actor Robert De Niro is 82. Guitarist Gary Talley of The Box Tops is 78. “Downton Abbey” creator Julian Fellowes is 76. Actor Robert Joy (“CSI: NY”) is 74. Singer Kevin Rowland of Dexy’s Midnight Runners is 72. Bassist Colin Moulding of XTC is 70. Country singer-songwriter Kevin Welch is 70. Singer Belinda Carlisle of The Go-Go’s is 67. Actor Sean Penn is 65. Jazz saxophonist Everette Harp is 64. Guitarist Gilby Clarke (Guns N’ Roses) is 63. Singer Maria McKee (Lone Justice) is 61. Drummer Steve Gorman (The Black Crowes) is 60. Singer-bassist Jill Cunniff (Luscious Jackson) is 59. Actor David Conrad (“Ghost Whisperer,” “Relativity”) is 58. Rapper Posdnuos of De La Soul is 56. Actor-singer Donnie Wahlberg (New Kids on the Block) is 56. TV personality Giuliana Rancic (“Fashion Police,” ″E! News”) is 51. Actor Bryton James (“Family Matters”) is 39. Actor Brady Corbet (“24,” “Thirteen”) is 37. Actor Austin Butler (“Dune: Part Two,” “Elvis”) is 34. Actor Taissa Farmiga (“American Horror Story”) is 31.
Aug. 18: Actor Robert Redford is 89. Actor Henry G. Sanders (“Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman”) is 83. Drummer Dennis Elliott (Foreigner) is 75. Comedian Elayne Boosler is 73. Country singer Steve Wilkinson of The Wilkinsons is 70. Comedian-actor Denis Leary is 68. Actor Madeleine Stowe is 67. TV news anchor Bob Woodruff is 64. Actor Adam Storke (“Mystic Pizza”) is 63. Actor Craig Bierko (“Sex and the City,” ″The Long Kiss Goodnight”) is 61. Singer Zac Maloy of The Nixons is 57. Musician Everlast (House of Pain) is 56. Rapper Masta Killa of Wu-Tang Clan is 56. Actor Edward Norton is 56. Actor Christian Slater is 56. Actor Kaitlin Olson (“The Mick,” ″It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) is 50. Comedian Andy Samberg (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” ″Saturday Night Live”) is 47. Guitarist Brad Tursi of Old Dominion is 46. Actor Maia Mitchell (“The Fosters”) is 32. Actor Madelaine Petsch (“Riverdale”) is 31. Actor Parker McKenna Posey (“My Wife and Kids”) is 30.
Aug. 19: Actor Debra Paget (“The Ten Commandments,” “Love Me Tender”) is 92. Actor Diana Muldaur (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”) is 87. Actor Jill St. John is 85. Singer Billy J. Kramer is 82. Country singer-songwriter Eddy Raven is 81. Singer Ian Gillan of Deep Purple is 80. Actor Gerald McRaney is 78. Actor Jim Carter (“Downton Abbey”) is 77. Singer-guitarist Elliot Lurie of Looking Glass is 77. Bassist John Deacon of Queen is 74. Actor Jonathan Frakes (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”) is 73. Actor Peter Gallagher is 70. Actor Adam Arkin is 69. Singer-songwriter Gary Chapman is 68. Actor Martin Donovan is 68. Singer Ivan Neville is 66. Actor Eric Lutes (“Caroline in the City”) is 63. Actor John Stamos is 62. Actor Kyra Sedgwick is 60. Actor Kevin Dillon (“Entourage”) is 60. Country singer Lee Ann Womack is 59. Former MTV reporter Tabitha Soren is 58. Country singer Clay Walker is 56. Rapper Fat Joe is 55. Actor Tracie Thoms (“Cold Case”) is 50. Actor Erika Christensen (“Parenthood”) is 43. Actor Melissa Fumero (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”) is 43. Actor Tammin Sursok (“Pretty Little Liars”) is 42. Singer Karli Osborn (SHeDaisy) is 41. Rapper Romeo (formerly Lil’ Romeo) is 36. Actor Ethan Cutkosky (TV’s “Shameless”) is 26.
Aug. 20: News anchor Connie Chung is 79. Trombone player Jimmy Pankow of Chicago is 78. Actor Ray Wise (“Reaper,” ″Twin Peaks”) is 78. Actor John Noble (“Lord of the Rings” films) is 77. Singer Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin) is 77. Singer Rudy Gatlin of the Gatlin Brothers is 73. Singer-songwriter John Hiatt is 73. Actor-director Peter Horton (“thirtysomething”) is 72. “Today” show weatherman Al Roker is 71. Actor Jay Acovone (“Stargate SG-1”) is 70. Actor Joan Allen is 69. Director David O. Russell (“Silver Linings Playbook,” “American Hustle”) is 67. Actor James Marsters (“Angel,” ″Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) is 63. Rapper KRS-One is 60. Actor Colin Cunningham (“Falling Skies”) is 59. Actor Billy Gardell (“Mike and Molly”) is 56. Singer Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit is 55. Actor Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All at Once,” “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”) is 55. Guitarist Brad Avery of Third Day is 54. Actor Misha Collins (“Supernatural”) is 51. Singer Monique Powell of Save Ferris is 50. Actor Ben Barnes (“Westworld,” ″Prince Caspian”) is 44. Actor Meghan Ory (“Once Upon a Time”) is 43. Actor Andrew Garfield (“The Amazing Spider-Man”) is 42. Actor Brant Daugherty (“Pretty Little Liars”) is 40. Singer-actor Demi Lovato is 33.
Aug. 21: Guitarist James Burton (with Elvis Presley) is 86. Singer Jackie DeShannon is 84. Actor Patty McCormack (“Frost/Nixon,” “The Ropers”) is 80. Singer Carl Giammarese of The Buckinghams is 78. Actor Loretta Devine (“Boston Public”) is 76. Newsman Harry Smith is 74. Singer Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath) is 73. Guitarist Nick Kane (The Mavericks) is 71. Actor Kim Cattrall (“Sex and the City”) is 69. Actor Cleo King (“Mike and Molly”) is 63. Singer Serj Tankian of System of a Down is 58. Actor Carrie-Anne Moss (“The Matrix,” ″Chocolat”) is 55. Musician Liam Howlett of Prodigy is 54. Actor Alicia Witt (“Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” ″Cybill”) is 50. Singer-chef Kelis is 46. Actor Diego Klattenhoff (“The Blacklist”) is 46. TV personality Brody Jenner (“The Hills”) is 42. Singer Melissa Schuman of Dream is 41. Comedian Brooks Wheelan (“Saturday Night Live”) is 39. Actor Cody Kasch (“Desperate Housewives”) is 38. Musician Kacey Musgraves is 37. Actor Hayden Panettiere (“Nashville,” ″Heroes”) is 36. Actor RJ Mitte (“Breaking Bad”) is 33. Actor Maxim Knight (“Falling Skies”) is 26.
Aug. 22: Newsman Morton Dean is 90. TV writer/producer David Chase (“The Sopranos”) is 80. Correspondent Steve Kroft (“60 Minutes”) is 80. Guitarist David Marks of The Beach Boys is 77. Guitarist Vernon Reid of Living Colour is 67. Country singer Collin Raye is 65. Actor Regina Taylor (“The Unit,” ″I’ll Fly Away”) is 65. Singer Roland Orzabal of Tears for Fears is 64. Drummer Debbi Peterson of The Bangles is 64. Guitarist Gary Lee Conner of Screaming Trees is 63. Singer Tori Amos is 62. Keyboardist James DeBarge of DeBarge is 62. Country singer Mila Mason is 62. Rapper GZA (Wu-Tang Clan) is 59. Actor Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (“Oz,” “Lost”) is 58. Actor Ty Burrell (“Modern Family”) is 58. Celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis is 55. Actor Melinda Page Hamilton (“Devious Maids,” ″Mad Men”) is 54. Actor Rick Yune (“Die Another Day,” “The Fast and the Furious”) is 54. Guitarist Paul Doucette of Matchbox Twenty is 53. Rapper Beenie Man is 52. Singer Howie Dorough of the Backstreet Boys is 52. Comedian Kristen Wiig (“Bridesmaids,” ″Saturday Night Live”) is 52. Actor Jenna Leigh Green (“Sabrina the Teenage Witch”) is 51. Keyboardist Bo Koster of My Morning Jacket is 51. Bassist Dean Back of Theory of a Deadman is 50. Actor and TV host James Corden is 47. Guitarist Jeff Stinco of Simple Plan is 47. Actor Brandon Adams (“The Mighty Ducks”) is 46. Actor Aya Sumika (“Numb3rs”) is 45. Actor Ari Stidham (TV’s “Scorpion”) is 33.
Aug. 23: Actor Vera Miles is 95. Actor Barbara Eden is 94. Actor Richard Sanders (“WKRP In Cincinnati”) is 85. Country singer Rex Allen Jr. is 78. Actor David Robb (“Downton Abbey”) is 78. Singer Linda Thompson is 78. Actor Shelley Long is 76. Fiddler-singer Woody Paul of Riders in the Sky is 76. Singer-actor Rick Springfield is 76. Actor-producer Mark Hudson (The Hudson Brothers) is 74. Actor Skipp Sudduth (“The Good Wife”) is 69. Guitarist Dean DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots is 64. Singer-bassist Ira Dean of Trick Pony is 56. Actor Jay Mohr is 55. Actor Ray Park (“X-Men,” ″The Phantom Menace”) is 51. Actor Scott Caan (“Hawaii Five-0”) is 49. Singer Julian Casablancas of The Strokes is 47. Actor Joanne Froggatt (“Downton Abbey”) is 45. Actor Jaime Lee Kirchner (“Bull”) is 44. Saxophonist Andy Wild of Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats is 44. Actor Annie Ilonzeh (“Chicago Fire”) is 42. Musician Sky Blu of LMFAO is 39. Actor Kimberly Matula (“The Bold and the Beautiful”) is 37.
Dan Aykroyd, one of the original Ghostbusters, is defending 2016’s all-female reboot of Ghostbusters, which was met with racist and sexist criticism from online trolls following its debut.
“I liked the movie Paul Feig made with those spectacular women,” Aykroyd said. “I was mad at them at the time because I was supposed to be a producer on there and I didn’t do my job and I didn’t argue about costs. And it cost perhaps more than it should, and they all do. All these movies do.”
“But boy, I liked that film,” the Saturday Night Live alum continued. “I thought that the villain at the end was great. I loved so much of it. And of course, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones and Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig, you’re never going to do better than that. So I go on the record as saying I’m so proud to have been able to license that movie and have a hand and have a part in it, and I’m fully supportive of it, and I don’t besmirch it at all. I think it works really great amongst all the ones that have been made.”
The cast of the 2016 reboot have previously spoken out about the hateful comments they received, including McCarthy and Jones. The latter recalled the “online abuse” in her memoir, Leslie F*cking Jones, last year, saying she “got taken through the ringer.”
“Why are people being so evil to each other? How can you sit and type ‘I want to kill you.’ Who does that?” Jones added in her memoir. “Sad keyboard warriors living in their mother’s basements hated the fact that this hallowed work of perfect art now featured — gasp! horror! — women in the lead roles. Worst of all, of course, was that one of the lead characters was a Black woman. For some men this was the final straw.”
At the time, the Coming 2 America star also slammed Jason Reitman, the director of 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife, for saying he was “not making the Juno of Ghostbusters movies” and was “trying to go back to original technique and hand the movie back to the fans.”
Though Reitman later clarified that his comments “came out wrong,” Jones wrote in her memoir that “the damage was done.”
It’s finally the night of the much-talked-about Beach Ball — and even in the midst of it, there’s still a power struggle over who exactly is hosting it. Technically, Maxine and Evelyn are co-hosting, but Norma looms. “This was supposed to be my night,” she confides in Robert, complaining to him about growing old and the humiliation of being treated like a helpless child. Despite her scheming, it’s clear that this makes him feel for her. Furious at watching her supposed family steal her fortune, she proposes a plan to Robert … literally. She tells him that after the gala, they should go to the courthouse and get married, so when she dies, her money will go to him. “This is the only thing that will protect us both,” she says.
But my big question for this finale isn’t about Norma’s money, it’s if Mary will successfully assassinate President Richard Nixon? Had you told me when this show started that that’s where it would lead, I’d have been even more excited to watch. In fact, I think the whole series should have been marketed as such. The Secret Service searches Mary’s bag upon entry, not wanting another grassy knoll situation, to which Mary responds, “Lucky for you, this is a beach.” She makes it into the event without issue, which bodes well for her eventually earning a spot in Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins in this universe. Evelyn is happy to see that Mary has seemingly left the hippies behind, but she explains that they were all taken away — which, to Evelyn, means that her former home is empty and waiting for her once more. “Good to know,” she says.
With Maxine’s astronaut MIA, she begs Robert to impersonate him by donning the space suit, insisting that nobody would be the wiser. He’s initially reluctant, but realizing that accompanying Norma in the suit could be a good way to give her back some of her shine, he agrees. But Norma doesn’t see it that way, she considers it another example of him doing Maxine’s bidding, and warns him that if they’re to get married, he’ll have to choose between the two of them. It’s a bold ultimatum for Norma to be giving because if it were to truly come down to it, I don’t know that Robert would make the choice she would want.
Nonetheless, she gets to work at the gala to set things right. Firstly, she has her sights set on a clearly distraught Mitzi, telling her, “If you’ve got something on your mind, I’m a good listener.” It gives us the chance to see her in action like an artist at work, methodically collecting gossip and tucking it away as ammunition — a skill that she’s been cultivating for decades, which has led us here. Sure, we all know about the affair, but according to Mitzi, that’s not the half of it.
Her next stop is to Evelyn, who is equally surprised to hear her talking and furious when she says that she’s not getting a cent from the gala. “You’ll get half of my money over my dead body,” she says, telling her that she will always be an outsider to this world. And at this point, who isn’t? With money off the table, Evelyn has no incentive to be there anymore, so she grabs her boy toy and storms home — or rather, to the apparently vacant mansion she used to call home. But not before telling Maxine about Norma’s ruse: “She’s been playing possum.”
When Maxine hears this, the pieces start to come together. Her spill off the boat, Ann getting poisoned with insulin … and she realizes that Norma has been trying to kill her. After confronting her, Norma tells Maxine that she’s not a part of the Dellacorte family, no matter how hard she tries. But Maxine is still the one in power as Norma’s conservator — and knowing it will destroy her, she tells her about their reinstated plans to turn the Dellacorte mansion into a club. It’s a plan that Maxine was originally against, but agreed to after Douglas guilted her into it, saying it was the childless couple’s only shot at a legacy.
A second blow to Norma’s plan comes while Ann — thankfully back on her feet — delivers a presentation on her storied life. But the real intel is being shared in the audience, when Robert sidles up to Norma’s supposed former-flame Axel to ask about their history. He shares that everything changed between them when Norma went to boarding school, where her diabetic roommate Agnes was found dead at the bottom of the stairs. It sounds like we might have a Talented Mr. Ripley situation on our hands because when “Norma” returned, it was like she was a totally different person, Axel says, in case we needed it spelled out for us.
Speaking of conspiracies, Richard Nixon has arrived. The series shows him mostly in shadow or from behind, much like the pope in Sister Act. But let’s focus less on how he’s being shot and more on if he’s being shot … by Mary. His only hope is locked away at the Rollins mansion, but luckily for Linda and Virginia, Evelyn arrives to have sex with Eddie and finds them. But let’s backtrack: why are Linda and Virginia so intent on stopping Mary? Why are they suddenly so intent on saving an evil man that they’ve been organizing against all season? And who are Virginia’s “friends in high places” that got her out of jail in the first place? We start to lose the thread here, but nonetheless, our two feminists beg Evelyn to free them so they can save Richard Nixon. Evelyn, not one to ever miss a money-making opportunity, tells them she’ll only release them if Linda pinky promises to give back the house and half of her trust fund. Who would have thought at the beginning of this show that Linda would be the one trying to save Nixon and Evelyn would be happy to let him die? Anyway, Linda agrees to Evelyn’s terms, so they’re off to save Tricky Dick.
Meanwhile, Norma’s grand flourish happens just before Maxine is set to take the stage for her big performance. She brings Mitzi to her, encouraging her to come clean to Maxine about her pregnancy. “Do you know what you’re going to do? It’s your choice,” Maxine tells her, proving yet again that she’s more of a feminist than she’d ever admit. When Mitzi says she wants to be a mother, a feeling Maxine can sadly relate to, she tells her to go demand that the baby’s father marry her — thinking that the father is Perry. But when she’s out on stage, she sees Mitzi doing just that — but to Douglas, not Perry.
Realizing what’s going on, we start to see Maxine fall apart under the lights, despite trying to keep the show together like the pageant queen she is. She sings “Is That All There Is?” through tears, and between verses, talks about her orphanage upbringing and her big dreams of making it somewhere, but then veers off script to call out all of the members of this high society she so desperately wanted to join — concluding her rant by exposing Douglas’s affair to the whole room. She thought she was destroying everybody’s secrets by burning the Rolodex, but it turns out that the only true way of robbing them of their power is airing them all out.
As Norma revels in this breakdown, Robert approaches her, and says, “I can’t believe I considered spending my life with you … Agnes.” It’s a death blow to Norma, who in one fell swoop loses Robert and has her deepest secret revealed. Even the grand dame of this high society faked her way in, just as Maxine did. At this point is there anybody who didn’t?
It’s during Maxine’s onstage breakdown that Nixon decides he’s had enough cottage cheese and starts to leave. As Maxine tries to stop him, we see Mary retrieve a gun from inside her wig, but as she fires, Linda rushes over and pushes her, diverting the bullet. Instead of Nixon, the bullet hits Robert. If you thought a NASA space suit might be bulletproof, you’re sadly mistaken — at least in this case. The bullet takes Robert down, sending Maxine into hysterics. He was her only true friend, and would have been all she had left in the aftermath of the gala. Now she has nobody, likely not even Linda, who the federal agent finds on the balcony with the gun. Presumably, she will go to jail for a shooting after all, just not the one she was actually behind. An awestruck Norma also roams into the havoc as it plays out, now in the complicated position of losing her life’s one love, but also the one person who found out her life was a lie. It’s the most complex, tangled, and interesting spot this show has been in all season — and it ends right in the thick of it. Limited series, my ass.
However, I’m not angry at it ending like this; in fact, I think it’s the most interesting choice the show has made in the whole season. This entire story was about Maxine accidentally breaking this world in her attempt to join it — like a child who plays with their favorite toy too hard. And now it’s broken. And we’re meant to look at the pieces — not to glue them back together. The glossy, perfect world that we were presented in episode one was not only deconstructed as the series played out, but now it was shattered beyond repair, and we’re left sitting in the wreckage. Plenty of questions remain, but the biggest of all: is that all there is?
There’s nothing more seductive or addictive than a story surrounding a social outsider who wants in.
Enter Palm Royale, the new 1960s-set nostalgic TV series starring Kristen Wiig. It is reportedly loosely based on Mr and Mrs American Pie, a novel by Juliet McDaniel that explores the story of a Palm Springs socialite’s meltdown after her husband leaves her for his secretary.
In the book, she pours her efforts into entering a beauty pageant, but when it comes to the TV series we are guessing the pageant is symbolised by Florida’s Palm Beach high society.
Add in a smidgen of Gossip Girl, White Lotus and The Talented Mr Ripley and you’ve got Palm Royale. Here’s what we know about the series so far.
What is Palm Royale about?
The show’s synopsis reads: “An ambitious woman named Maxine Simmons (played by Kristen Wiig) schemes to secure her seat at America’s most exclusive table: Palm Beach high society circa 1969”.
“As Maxine attempts to cross that impermeable line between the haves and the have-nots, Palm Royale asks the same question that still baffles us today: “How much of yourself are you willing to sacrifice to get what someone else has?” a further description from Apple TV+ adds. “Set during the powder keg year of 1969, Palm Royale is a testament to every outsider fighting for their chance to truly belong.”
Wiig’s character sets her eyes on the exclusive high society group after being dropped by her husband and social circle, quickly asking herself what it will be take to be accepted by this new elite community.
Who has been cast in Palm Royale?
Joining the Bridesmaids star is icon Laura Dern, Allison Janney, Bottoms star Kaia Gerber and Carol Burnett. Pop singer Ricky Martin will also appear, as well as Josh Lucas, Leslie Bibb, Amber Chardae Robinson and Mindy Cohn. Wiig is also an executive producer on Palm Royale, as is Laura Dern.
Jo Koy was an unambiguous flop as the 2024 Golden Globes host. Some of Koy’s “jokes” made no sense—why are you ranting about the length of Oppenheimer (180 minutes) when Killers of the Flower Moon (206 minutes) is right there? Others were flat out asinine—even your middle school bully could have come up with something more creative to say about Barbie then comment on the doll’s “big boobies.” In any case, it was painfully clear that the veteran comedian was simply not up for the job of emceeing one of Hollywood’s glitziest nights. Koy seemed to realize this in the middle of his monologue, grinning and bearing it while throwing his writers under the bus: “I wrote some of these, and they’re the ones you’re laughing at.” I guess we’ll have to take his word for it.
Not all of the writing featured on the telecast was bad. Perhaps it was the incredibly low bar set by Koy’s monologue, but the 2024 Golden Globes featured some of the stronger presenting bits we’ve seen in recent awards shows history. It was hard not to crack a smile when Elizabeth Banks made Dua Lipa say “vitamins” in her British accent. Who didn’t giggle when Andra Day struggled to read the word “strip mall” on the teleprompter to the amusement of Jon Batiste? And Kevin Costner paraphrasing America Ferrera’s Barbie monologue back to her when he clearly had no idea what he was talking about was the second best Costner Golden Globe moment after Regina Hall accepted an award on his behalf last year. Problems with the framing aside—why were they standing with their backs to the audience?—the presenter bits brought some of the only levity of the night to an otherwise predictable and near-train wreck of an evening.
The low of Koy’s hosting stylings mixed with the relative high of the presenter bits made one thing clear: The Golden Globes have progressed past the need for a host.
Hosting the show is a uniquely tough gig. As many people noted during their acceptance speeches last night, it’s a particularly intimidating room even in the grand scheme of awards shows. The Globes combines the biggest names in both movies and television—the Meryl Streeps with the Pedro Pascals with the Jennifer Anistons with the Martin Scorseses and Oprahs of the world (all of whom were present last night). It’s like the Emmys and the Oscars rolled into one, held in the more intimate Beverly Hilton. Sure, the SAG Awards also celebrate film and television, but the awards held by the actors union tends to have a more serious “for us, by us” feel. The Globes, meanwhile, style themselves as a televised party, a social gathering where the world gets a peek behind Hollywood’s velvet curtain for one glorious evening. Anyone not already in the Hollywood elite would understandably feel the pressure when hosting a night like this, as Koy clearly was. You could feel him wanting to both make jokes but also impress everyone in the audience, taking shots while also desperately wanting to be accepted, which flatlined the room. Taylor Swift’s withering look after a joke at her expense said it all: Koy is not one of us.
Ricky Gervais became de facto Golden Globes host for many years because he was able to play on that dynamic, skewering Hollywood’s A-list from within the gilded cage. Although he positioned himself as something of an outsider, he clearly was in the club—his Golden Globe win last night in the newly introduced best-stand-up category is proof enough. Last year, Emmy-winning comedian Jerrod Carmichael leaned into the fact that he was very much on the outside of the Hollywood inner circle, cracking jokes about how much he was paid for the gig and why he was hosting the besmirched awards show. (“I’m here ’cause I’m Black,” he quipped.) While he got middling reviews, in hindsight Carmichael’s ability to wring jokes out of cold, hard truths seems incredibly impressive given his relative newcomer status in the industry.
But we no longer need an insult-wielding insider-y comedian or a truth-telling outsider to emcee the proceedings. What we need is stars being stars.
Take Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig, whose bit while introducing the best actor in a musical or comedy was both stupid and surprisingly cutting, with Ferrell offering, “The Globes have not changed!” as the punch line of the evening. Just as they did in 2013 (“Judi Dench. Where did she come from?”), they delivered exactly what we want from the Golden Globes—megastars so comfortable and at home in their environment that they are unafraid to be their silliest selves.
Of course, the Globes would probably love it if Ferrell and Wiig volunteered to host the whole shebang. Unfortunately, a mix of declining ratings for awards shows plus diminishing returns on the host’s investment seems to have resulted in celebrities of a certain standing no longer champing at the bit to host splashy awards shows. (How we miss you, Billy Crystal.) Rather than settle for [insert comedian here], the answer to the Golden Globes telecast problem was standing right under their nose: Just get rid of a host—something the Globes have done many times before—and have celebrities present their little bits together and then get back to their seats to enjoy the rest of their evening.
The 2024 Golden Globe Awards were filled with smiles, laughter, tears and record-breaking moments as well as some awkward ones from the presenters, winners, host and Hollywood audience. From Lily Gladstone and Ali Wong making history with their wins to host Jo Koy struggling to get laughs during his monologue and Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell showing off their dance moves onstage, here are some of the night’s most memorable moments.
‘Succession’ Ties Golden Globes Record
Succession took home the Golden Globe Award for best TV drama series Sunday — tying a record for the awards in the process. The HBO series won its third Globe in the category, following its victories at the 2020 and 2022 ceremonies. Sunday’s victory ties it with The X-Files (1994, 1996 and 1997) and Mad Men (2007-09) for the most wins for best drama at the Golden Globes. Both Succession and The Crown came into the night with a chance to tie the record. Read more here. — Rick Porter
Lily Gladstone Makes Golden Globes History
It’s been exceedingly rare for Indigenous actors to play lead roles in Hollywood, even moreso for prestige, awards-contending projects. As such, it should be little surprise that Lily Gladstone’s 2024 Golden Globe win makes her the first Indigenous actor to win an award in the ceremony’s 81-year history. In taking home best actress in a motion picture, drama for their role in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, Gladstone (Blackfeet/Nimíipuu) makes history as the only Indigenous person to take home a Golden Globe. Irene Bedard is the only other actor to previously receive a nomination — for best actress in a miniseries or TV movie for 1994’s Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee — while director Taika Waititi was recognized for Jojo Rabbit’s best musical/comedy film nomination in 2020 and Reservation Dogs was nominated for best musical/comedy series in 2022. Read more here. — Rebecca Sun
… As Well As Ali Wong With Her Win
Ali Wong has struck gold in her first outing as a dramatic lead. The top stand-up comedian has won the 2024 Golden Globe for best actress in a limited series for her performance in Netflix’s Beef. Although Wong previously starred in the rom-com Always Be My Maybe and has a string of voice credits in animated comedies, Beef, with its darkly comic turns and existential meditations, was her first foray into substantive dramatic fare. As Amy Lau, a tightly-wound entrepreneur, wife and mother whose simmering self-loathing leads to an escalating battle of mutually assured destruction opposite Steven Yeun’s scammy contractor Danny (who also won a Golden Globe tonight), Wong, who executive produced the series, won widespread critical praise and is an Emmy nominee for the role. Read more here. — Rebecca Sun
Host Jo Koy Gets Defensive Amid Monologue Struggles
Well, there’s definitely been worse. First-time — and relatively last-minute — Golden Globes host Jo Koy struggled a bit to generate laughs during his monologue opening the 2024 awards show Sunday night. “I got the gig 10 days ago!” he told the Beverly Hilton’s celebrity-filled audience at one point. “You want a perfect monologue?” “Some I wrote, some other people wrote,” said Koy, who was announced as host on Dec. 21. “I wrote some of these and those are the ones you’re laughing at.” And later, after one joke got a tepid response, “That’s hilarious, I don’t care.” Read more here. — James Hibberd
‘Barbie’ Wins Award for New Golden Globes Category
More than five years after the Academy Awards introduced (and eventually pulled) a new category recognizing blockbuster films in an attempt to combat falling ratings, the Golden Globes have handed out its own award honoring high-grossing movies. Star Wars star Mark Hamill, who was at the center of one of the first blockbusters nearly 50 years ago, presented the award to Barbie, the top-grossing film of 2023. “Thank you so much for the Golden Globes for creating an award that celebrates movie fans,” said star and producer Margot Robbie, standing next to director and co-writer Greta Gerwig. Read more here. — Aaron Couch
Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell Showcase Dance Moves on Stage
Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell just couldn’t seem to get through their “serious” presentation at the 2024 Golden Globes Sunday and jokingly blamed “whoever is putting on this show.” While presenting the award for best male actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy (Paul Giamatti won for The Holdovers), the duo seemed to keep getting interrupted by a specific musical melody. “I’m not sure what that was,” Ferrell said after getting cut off mid-sentence the first time. As he continued, “Tonight we applaud the outstanding nominees, legends like Nicolas Cage, Matt Damon…” the Barbie actor got interrupted by the same song again. The pair eventually accepted their fate and just went with it, showing off their dance movies to the quite silly melody. Read more here. — Carly Thomas
