Arts & Entertainment
Emmy Awards 2016: ‘The People v. O.J. Simpson,’ ‘Game of Thrones’ win big
Jeffrey Tambor, Sarah Paulson steal T.V.’s biggest night
The 68th Primetime Emmy Awards hosted by Jimmy Kimmel honored the best in television at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday night.
Ryan Murphy’s FX limited series “The People vs. O.J. Simpson: An American Crime Story” won big for the night with five wins and plenty of nominations for the cast.
Sarah Paulson won for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series for her role as Marcia Clarke. Paulson brought along Clarke to the ceremony and had Clarke’s name engraved on the award.
“The more I learned about the real Marcia Clark, not the two-dimensional cardboard cut-out on the news, but the complicated, whip-smart, giant-hearted mother of two who woke up every day, put both feet on the floor and dedicated herself to righting an unconscionable wrong, the more I had to recognize that I — along with the rest of the world — had been superficial and careless in my judgment and I am glad to be able to stand here today in front of everyone and tell you that I am sorry,” Paulson told the crowd.
Paulson later went on to declare her love for girlfriend Holland Taylor who remained home tweeting her support.
Jeffrey Tambor wonĀ Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his role asĀ Maura Pfefferman in “Transparent.” In his speech, Tambor made a statement that Hollywood needs to include transgender performers in transgender roles.
āPlease give transgender talent a chance,ā Tambor told the audience. āGive them auditions. Give them their story. Do that. And also, one more thing, I would not be unhappy were I the last cisgender male playing a female transgender on television. We have work to do.ā
Laverne Cox later echoed the same sentiment before presenting the award forĀ Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special.
āGive trans talent a shot,ā Cox said. āI would not be here today if somebody didnāt give me a chance.ā
“Transparent” creator Jill Soloway also received an award for Outstanding Director in a Comedy Series.
ā”Itās a privilege, and creates privilege, when you take people of color, women, trans people, queer people, as the subjects of stories. You change the world, we found out,” Soloway said in her speech. “Iāve always wanted to be part of a movement. This T.V. show allows me to take my dreams about unlikable Jewish people, queer folk, trans folk, and make them heroes. Thank you to the trans community for your lived lives.”
“Game of Thrones” and “Veep” also continued their Emmy reign winning Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Comedy series respectively.
Check out the complete list of winners below.
Outstanding Drama Series ā āGame of Thronesā
Outstanding Comedy Series ā āVeepā
Outstanding Lead Actress, Drama Series ā Tatiana Maslany, āOrphan Blackā
Outstanding Lead Actor, Drama Series ā Rami Malek, āMr. Robotā
Outstanding Supporting Actress, Drama Series ā Maggie Smith, āDownton Abbeyā
Outstanding Supporting Actor, Drama Series ā Ben Mendelsohn, āBloodlineā
Outstanding Directing, Drama Series ā Miguel Sapochnik, āGame of Thronesā
Outstanding Writing, Drama Series ā David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, āGame of Thronesā
Outstanding Lead Actress, Comedy Series ā Julia Louis-Dreyfus, āVeepā
Outstanding Lead Actor, Comedy Series ā Jeffrey Tambor, āTransparentā
Outstanding Supporting Actress, Comedy Series ā Kate McKinnon, āSaturday Night Liveā
Outstanding Supporting Actor, Comedy Series ā Louie Anderson, āBasketsā
Outstanding Writing, Comedy Series ā Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang, āMaster of Noneā
Outstanding Directing, Comedy Series ā Jill Soloway, āTransparentā
Outstanding Limited Series ā āThe People v. O.J. Simpsonā
Outstanding Television Movie ā āSherlock: The Abominable Brideā
Outstanding Lead Actress, Limited Series or Movie ā Sarah Paulson, āThe People v. O.J. Simpsonā
Outstanding Lead Actor, Limited Series or Movie ā Courtney B. Vance, āThe People v. O.J. Simpsonā
Outstanding Supporting Actress, Limited Series or Movie ā Regina King, āAmerican Crimeā
Outstanding Supporting Actor, Limited Series or Movie ā Sterling K. Brown, āThe People v. O.J. Simpsonā
Outstanding Directing, Limited Series or Movie ā Susanne Bier, āThe Night Managerā
Outstanding Writing, Limited Series or Movie ā D.V. DeVincentis, āThe People v. O.J. Simpsonā
Outstanding Reality Competition Program ā āThe Voiceā
Outstanding Writing, Variety Special ā Patton Oswalt, āTalking for Clappingā
Outstanding Variety Sketch Series ā āKey and Peeleā
Outstanding Variety Talk Series ā āLast Week Tonight With John Oliverā
Outstanding Directing, Variety Special ā āGrease Liveā
Sports
Bisexual former umpire sues Major League Baseball for sexual harassment
Brandon Cooper claims female colleague sexually harassed him
A fired former umpire is suing Major League Baseball, claiming he was sexually harassed by a female umpire and discriminated against because of his gender and his sexual orientation.
Brandon Cooper worked in the minor league Arizona Complex League last year, and according to the lawsuit he filed Wednesday in federal court in Manhattan, he identifies as bisexual.
āI wanted my umpiring and ability to speak for itself and not to be labeled as āBrandon Cooper the bisexual umpire,āā he told Outsports. āI didnāt want to be labeled as something. It has been a passion of mine to simply make it to the Major Leagues.ā
But that didnāt happen. Instead of being promoted, he was fired. His suit names MLB and an affiliated entity, PDL Blue, Inc., and alleges he had endured a hostile work environment and wrongful termination and/or retaliation because of gender and sexual orientation under New York State and New York City law.
āHistorically the MLB has had a homogenous roster of umpires working in both the minor and major leagues,ā Cooper claims in his suit. āSpecifically, to date there has never been a woman who has worked in a (regular) season game played in the majors, and most umpires are still Caucasian men. To try to fix its gender and racial diversity issue, defendants have implemented an illegal diversity quota requiring that women be promoted regardless of merit.ā
Cooper claims former umpire Ed Rapuano, now an umpire evaluator, and Darren Spagnardi, an umpire development supervisor, told him in January 2023 that MLB had a hiring quota, requiring that at least two women be among 10 new hires.
According to the suit, Cooper was assigned to spring training last year and was notified by the senior manager of umpire administration, Dusty Dellinger, that even though he received a high rating in June from former big league umpire Jim Reynolds, now an umpire supervisor, that women and minority candidates had to be hired first.Ā
Cooper claims that upon learning Cooper was bisexual, fellow umpire Gina Quartararo insulted him and fellow umpire Kevin Bruno by using homophobic slurs and crude remarks. At that time, Quartararo and Cooper worked on the same umpiring crew and being evaluated for possible promotion to the big leagues.
This season, Quartararo is working as an umpire in the Florida State League, one of nine women who are working as minor league umpires.
Cooper said he notified Dellinger, but instead of taking action against Quartararo, he said MLB ordered Cooper to undergo sensitivity training. According to his lawsuit, he was also accused of violating the minor league anti-discrimination and harassment policy.
Cooperās suit says he met with MLB Senior Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Billy Bean ā who the Los Angeles BladeĀ reported in DecemberĀ is battling cancer.Ā
The lawsuit says at that meeting, Bean told the umpire that Quartararo claimed she was the victim, as the only female umpire in the ACL. Cooper said he told Bean Quartararo regularly used homophobic slurs and at one point physically shoved him. He also claims that he has video evidence, texts and emails to prove his claim.
But he said his complaints to Major League Baseball officials were ignored. His lawsuit said MLB passed him over for the playoffs and fired him in October. He said of the 26 umpires hired with Cooper, he was the only one let go.
Through a spokesperson, MLB declined to comment on pending litigation. Quartararo has also not publicly commented on the lawsuit.
a&e features
Eastern Shore chef named James Beard Finalist
Harley Peet creates inventive food in an inclusive space
In a small Eastern Shore town filled with boutiques, galleries, and the occasional cry of waterfowl from the Chesapeake, Chef Harley Peet is most at home. In his Viennese-inflected, Maryland-sourced fine-dining destination Bas Rouge, Peet draws from his Northern Michigan upbringing, Culinary Institute of America education, and identity as a gay man, for inspiration.
And recently, Peet was named a James Beard Finalist for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic – the first “Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic” finalist representing the Eastern Shore.
Peet, after graduation from the Culinary Institute of America, took a position as sous chef at Tilghman Island Inn, not far from Bas Rouge. Falling in love with the Eastern Shore, he continued his passion for racing sailboats, boating, gardening, and fishing, and living his somewhat pastoral life as he opened Bas Rouge in 2016 as head chef, a restaurant part of the Bluepoint Hospitality group, which runs more than a dozen concepts in and around Easton, Md.
Coming from a rural area and being gay, Peet knew he had his work cut out for him. He was always aware that the service and hospitality industry ācan be down and dirty and rough.ā
Now as a leader in the kitchen, he aims to āset a good example, and treat people how I want to be treated. I also want to make sure if youāre at our establishment, Iām the first to stand up and say something.ā
The Bas Rouge cuisine, he says, is Contemporary European. āIām inspired by old-world techniques of countries like Austria, Germany, and France, but I love putting a new spin on classic dishes and finding innovative ways to incorporate the bounty of local Chesapeake ingredients.ā
His proudest dish: the humble-yet-elevated Wiener Schnitzel. āIt is authentic to what one would expect to find in Vienna, down to the Lingonberries.ā From his in-house bakery, Peet dries and grinds the housemade Kaiser-Semmel bread to use as the breadcrumbs.
Peet works to support the LGBTQ community inside and outside of the kitchen. āI love that our Bluepoint Hospitality team has created welcoming spaces where our patrons feel comfortable dining at each of our establishments. Our staff have a genuine respect for one another and work together free of judgment.ā
Representing Bluepoint, Peet has participated in events like Chefs for Equality with the Human Rights Campaign, advocating for LGBTQ rights.
At Bas Rouge, Peet brings together his passion for inclusion steeped in a sustainability ethic. He sees environmental stewardship as a way of life. Peet and his husband have lived and worked on their own organic farm for several years. Through research in Europe, he learned about international marine sourcing. Witnessing the impacts of overfishing, Peet considers his own role in promoting eco-friendly practices at Bas Rouge. To that end, he ensures responsible sourcing commitments through his purveyors, relationships that have helped create significant change in how people dine in Easton.
āI have built great relationships in the community and thereās nothing better than one of our long-standing purveyors stopping in with a cooler of fresh fish from the Chesapeake Bay. This goes especially for catching and plating the invasive blue catfish species, which helps control the speciesā threat to the local ecosystem.
Through his kitchen exploits, Peet expressed a unique connection to another gay icon in a rural fine-dining restaurant: Patrick OāConnell, of three Michelin starred Inn at Little Washington. In fact, Peetās husband helped design some of OāConnellās kitchen spaces. Theyāve both been able to navigate treacherous restaurant-industry waters, and have come out triumphant and celebrated. Of OāConnell, Peet says that he āsees [his restaurants] as canvas, all artistry, he sees this as every night is a show.ā But at the same time, his ājudgment-free space makes him a role model.ā
Being in Easton itself is not without challenges. Sourcing is a challenge, having to either fly or ship in ingredients, whereas urban restaurants have the benefit of trucking, he says. The small town āis romantic and charming,ā but logistics are difficult ā one of the reasons that Peet ensures his team is diverse, building in different viewpoints, and also āmaking things a hell of a lot more fun.ā
Reflecting on challenges and finding (and creating) space on the Eastern Shore, Peet confirmed how important it was to surround himself with people who set a good example, and āif you donāt like the way something is going … move on.ā
Team DC, the umbrella organization for LGBTQ-friendly sports teams and leagues in the D.C. area, held its annual Night of Champions Awards Gala on Saturday, April 20 at the Hilton National Mall. The organization gave out scholarships to area LGBTQ student athletes as well as awards to the Different Drummers, Kelly Laczko of Duplex Diner, Stacy Smith of the Edmund Burke School, Bryan Frank of Triout, JC Adams of DCG Basketball and the DC Gay Flag Football League.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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