Five things to watch for on Emmys night
After a year off, HBO's wildly popular fantasy epic Game Of Thrones - which earned a whopping 22 nominations - is expected to make a big comeback at the 70th Emmy Awards tonight (US time), which honour the best in television.
Evergreen NBC sketch show Saturday Night Live is close behind with 21 nominations, and dystopian drama The Handmaid's Tale, last year's best drama winner, is certainly in the hunt for more statuettes, with 20 nominations.
Here are three things to watch for at this year's Emmys, which airs here tomorrow on Fox Life (StarHub TV Ch 501/Singtel TV Ch 301) at 8am and 8pm:
How will #MeToo be handled?
The #MeToo movement erupted after last year's Primetime Emmys, meaning it is likely to hover over this year's event.
The departure from CBS of its powerful CEO Les Moonves under a cloud of sexual misconduct allegations will not go unnoticed at the gala.
Female-driven programmes like The Handmaid's Tale, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel and The Crown are among the top nominees this year.
But earlier this month, the Women's Media Center released a report showing that 70 per cent of the non-acting nominations went to men - and only 6 per cent of the nominated directors were women, down from 10 per cent in 2017.
How much will Trump weigh on gala?
With SNL stars Colin Jost and Michael Che hosting the Emmys, and Alec Baldwin once again nominated for his portrayal of President Donald Trump, it is once again likely to be a political one.
Jost told Vanity Fair that he and Che hope to make the show "less political than normal", but if recent awards shows are any indication, that might be difficult in resolutely Democratic Tinseltown.
Will Netflix break through?
In July, the streaming giant finally wrested the top spot from premium cable network HBO in terms of most nominations - 112 to 108.
But will that translate into more actual trophies?
Last year, HBO took home 29 Emmys to Netflix's 20. After the recent Creative Arts Emmys - the technical awards handed out ahead of the main event - HBO had a slim lead, 17 to 16. - AFP
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
