Arts & Entertainment
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race,’ ‘Versace’ win big for LGBT TV at Emmys
‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,’ ‘Game of Thrones’ rack up the most awards
The 70th annual Primetime Emmy Awards honored the best in television on Monday night including a few wins for LGBT TV.
The biggest night in television kicked off with an opening dance number led by “Saturday Night Live” cast membersĀ Kate McKinnon and Kenan Thompson. The bit jokingly celebrated Hollywood finally finding a solution to its diversity problem. McKinnon and Thompson were later joined on stage by other TV stars such as “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” star Tituss Burgess and RuPaul.
“Saturday Night Live” continued to represent itself as the show passed on to its hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che.
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” made herstory with its win forĀ Outstanding Reality Competition Series rounding out five total wins for the show. RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Ross Matthews and Carson Kressley all were on stage to accept the award.
“Thank you to the Academy. This is so lovely. We are so happy to present this show. I would like to thank, on behalf of the 140 drag queens we have released into the wild, I’d love to thank Dick Richards for introducing me to Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey,” RuPaul said in his speech.Ā “All of the dreamers out there, listen,” he said. “If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else? Can I get an amen up in here? Now let the music play.”
RuPaul also won his third consecutive award for Outstanding Host at the Creative Arts Emmys.
“The Assassination of Gianni Versace” also was honored with Ryan Murphy winningĀ Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special and Darren Criss winningĀ Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie. The show also won Outstanding Limited Series. Murphy used his speech to spotlight hate crimes against the LGBTQ community.
āāThe Assassination of Gianni Versaceā is about a lot of things, itās about homophobia, internalized and externalized,ā Murphy said in his acceptance speech. āOne of out of every four LGBTQ people in this country will be the victim of a hate crime. We dedicate this award to them, to awareness, to stricter hate crime laws, and mostly, this is for the memory of Jeff and David and Gianni and for all of those taken too soon. Thank you very much.ā
LGBT representation continued throughout the night with lesbian comedian Hannah Gadbys, known for her critically acclaimed Netflix special “Nanette,” who presented Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series. The cast of “Queer Eye” also took the stage to present as well as RuPaul and Leslie Jones, who recently became close after Jones’ “Drag Race” binge.
“Game of Thrones” was the big winner of the night taking home nine awards including Outstanding Drama Series.Ā “The Marvelous Mrs. Maiselā followed close behind with eight awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series, and “Saturday Night Live” also won eight awards.
Other notable moments of the night were Henry Winkler’s first Emmy win in his decades-long career forĀ Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for “Barry;” an appearance from Betty White and Glenn Weiss who used his win forĀ Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special to propose to his girlfriend on stage.
The complete list of winners is below.
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Brian Tyree Henry ā āAtlantaā (FX)
Louie Anderson ā āBasketsā (FX)
Kenan Thompson ā āSaturday Night Liveā (NBC)
Tituss Burgess ā āUnbreakable Kimmy Schmidtā (Netflix)
Henry Winkler ā āBarryā (HBO)Ā
Alec Baldwin ā āSaturday Night Liveā (NBC)
Tony Shalhoub ā āThe Marvelous Mrs. Maiselā (Amazon)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Zazie Beetz ā āAtlantaā (FX)
Laurie Metcalf ā āRoseanneā (ABC)
Leslie Jones ā āSaturday Night Liveā (NBC)
Alex Borstein ā āThe Marvelous Mrs. Maiselā (Amazon)Ā
Betty Gilpin ā āGLOWā (Netflix)
Aidy Bryant ā āSaturday Night Liveā (NBC)
Kate McKinnon ā āSaturday Night Liveā (NBC)
Megan Mullally ā āWill & Graceā (NBC)
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Donald Glover ā āAtlantaā (FX)
Stefani Robinson ā āAtlantaā (FX)
Alec Berg, Bill Hader ā āBarryā (HBO
Liz Sarnoff ā āBarryā (HBO)
Alec Berg ā āSilicon Valleyā (HBO)
Amy Sherman-Palladino ā āThe Marvelous Mrs. Maiselā (Amazon)
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
Donald Glover ā āAtlantaā (FX)
Hiro Murai ā āAtlantaā (FX)
Bill Hader ā āBarryā (HBO)
Mark Cendrowski ā āThe Big Bang Theoryā (CBS)
Jesse Peretz ā āGLOWā (Netflix)
Mike Judge ā āSilicon Valleyā (HBO)
Amy Sherman-Palladino ā āThe Marvelous Mrs. Maiselā (Amazon)Ā
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Pamela Adlon ā āBetter Thingsā (FX)
Lily Tomlin ā āGrace & Frankieā (Netflix)
Allison Janney ā āMomā (CBS)
Tracee Ellis Ross ā āBlack-ishā (ABC)
Issa Rae ā āInsecureā (HBO)
Rachel Brosnahan ā āThe Marvelous Mrs. Maiselā (Amazon)
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Anderson ā āBlack-ishā(ABC)
Ted Danson ā āThe Good Placeā (NBC)
Larry David ā āCurb Your Enthusiasmā (HBO)
Donald Glover ā āAtlantaā (FX)
Bill Hader ā āBarryā (HBO)
William H. Macy ā āShamelessā (Showtime)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Adina Porter ā āAmerican Horror Story: Cultā (FX)
Merritt Wever ā āGodlessā (Netflix)
Penelope Cruz ā āThe Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Storyā (FX)
Letitia Wright ā āBlack Museumā (āBlack Mirrorā) (Netflix)
Sara Bareilles ā āJesus Christ Superstar Live in Concertā (NBC)
Judith Light ā āThe Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Storyā (FX)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Jeff Daniels ā āGodlessā (Netflix)
Ricky Martin āĀ āThe Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Storyā (FX)
Finn Wittrock āĀ āThe Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Storyā (FX)
John Leguizamo ā āWacoā (Paramount Network)
Brandon Victor Dixon ā āJesus Christ Superstar Live in Concertā (NBC)
Edgar Ramirez āĀ āThe Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Storyā (FX)
Michael Stuhlbarg ā āThe Looming Towerā (Hulu)
Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special
Kevin McManus, Matthew McManus ā āAmerican Vandalā (Netflix)
Scott Frank ā āGodlessā (Netflix)
David Nicholls ā āPatrick Melroseā (Showtime)
Tom Rob Smith ā āThe Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Storyā (FX)
David Lynch, Mark Frost ā āTwin Peaksā (Showtime)
William Bridges, Charlie Brooker ā āUSS Callisterā (“Black Mirror”) (Netflix)Ā
Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special
Scott Frank ā āGodlessā (Netflix)
David Leveaux, Alex Rudzinski ā āJesus Christ Superstar Live in Concertā (NBC)
Barry Levinson ā āPaternoā (HBO)
Edward Berger ā āPatrick Melroseā (Showtime)
Ryan Murphy ā āThe Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Storyā (FX)Ā
Craig Zisk ā āThe Looming Towerā (Hulu)
David Lynch ā āTwin Peaksā (Showtime)
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie
Jessica Biel ā āThe Sinnerā (USA Network)
Laura Dern ā āThe Taleā (HBO)
Michelle Dockery ā āGodlessā (Netflix)
Edie Falco ā āLaw & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murdersā (NBC)
Regina King ā āSeven Secondsā (Netflix)
Sarah Paulson ā āAmerican Horror Story: Cultā (FX)
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie
Antonio Banderas ā āGenius: Picassoā (National Geographic)
Darren Criss ā āAssassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Storyā (FX)Ā
Benedict Cumberbatch ā āPatrick Melroseā (Showtime)
Jeff Daniels ā āThe Looming Towerā (Hulu)
John Legend ā āJesus Christ Superstar Live In Concertā (NBC)
Jesse Plemons ā āUSS Callisterā/āBlack Mirrorā (Netflix)
Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special
Melinda Taub, Samantha Bee ā āFull Frontal With Samantha Bee Presents: The Great American* Puerto Rico (*Itās Complicated)ā (TBS)
John Mulaney ā āJohn Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous At Radio Cityā (Netflix)
Michelle Wolf ā āMichelle Wolf: Nice Ladyā (HBO)
Patton Oswalt ā āPatton Oswalt: Annihilationā (Netflix)
Steve Martin, Martin Short ā āSteve Martin & Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget For The Rest Of Your Lifeā (Netflix)
Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special
Stan Lathan ā āDave Chappelle: Equanimityā (Netflix)
Michael Bonfiglio ā āJerry Seinfeld: Jerry Before Seinfeldā (Netflix)
Marcus Raboy ā āSteve Martin & Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget For The Rest Of Your Lifeā (Netflix)
Hamish Hamilton ā āSuper Bowl LII Halftime Show Starring Justin Timberlakeā (NBC)
Glenn Weiss ā āThe Oscarsā (ABC)Ā
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau ā āGame of Thronesā (HBO)
Mandy Patinkin ā āHomelandā (Showtime)
Matt Smith ā āThe Crownā (Netflix)
Peter Dinklage ā āGame of Thronesā (HBO)
David Harbour ā āStranger Thingsā (Netflix)
Joseph Fiennes ā āThe Handmaidās Taleā (Hulu)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Lena Headey āĀ āGame of Thronesā (HBO)
Vanessa Kirby ā āThe Crownā (Netflix)
Ann Dowd ā āThe Handmaidās Taleā (Hulu)
Thandie Newton ā āWestworldā (HBO)Ā
Millie Bobby Brown ā āStranger Thingsā (Netflix)
Alexis Bledel ā āThe Handmaidās Taleā (Hulu)
Yvonne Strahovski ā āThe Handmaidās Taleā (Hulu)
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
David Benioff, D.B. Weiss ā āGame of Thronesā (HBO)
Phoebe Waller-Bridge ā āKilling Eveā (BBC America)
The Duffer Brothers ā āStranger Thingsā (Netfix)
Joe Fields, Joe Weisberg ā āThe Americansā (FX)Ā
Peter Morgan ā āThe Crownā (Neflix)
Bruce Miller ā āThe Handmaidās Taleā (Hulu)
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
Alan Taylor ā āGame of Thronesā (HBO)
Jeremy Podeswa ā āGame of Thronesā (HBO)
Jason Bateman ā āOzarkā (Netflix)
Daniel Sackheim ā āOzarkā (Netflix)
The Duffer Brothers ā āStranger Thingsā (Netflix)
Stephen Daldry ā āThe Crownā (Netflix)Ā
Kari Skogland ā āThe Handmaidās Taleā (Hulu)
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Jason Bateman ā āOzarkā (Netflix)
Sterling K. Brown ā āThis Is Usā (NBC)
Ed Harris ā āWestworldā (HBO)
Matthew Rhys ā āThe Americansā (FX)
Milo Ventimiglia ā āThis Is Usā (NBC)
Jeffrey Wright ā āWestworldā (HBO)
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Claire Foy ā āThe Crownā (Netflix)Ā
Tatiana Maslany ā āOrphan Blackā (BBC America)
Elisabeth Moss ā āThe Handmaidās Taleā (Hulu)
Sandra Oh ā āKilling Eveā (BBC America)
Keri Russell ā āThe Americansā (FX)
Evan Rachel Wood ā āWestworldā (HBO)
Outstanding Reality Competition Program
āAmerican Ninja Warriorā (NBC)
āProject Runwayā (Lifetime)
āRuPaulās Drag Raceā (VH1)Ā
āThe Amazing Raceā (CBS)
āThe Voiceā (NBC)
āTop Chefā (Bravo)
Outstanding Variety Sketch Series
āAt Home with Amy Sedarisā (TruTV)
āDrunk Historyā (Comedy Central)
āI Love You, America with Sarah Silvermanā (Hulu)
āPortlandiaā (IFC)
āSaturday Night Liveā (NBC)
āThe Tracey Ullman Showā (HBO)
Outstanding Variety Talk Series
āThe Daily Show With Trevor Noahā (Comedy Central)
āFull Frontal With Samantha Beeā (TBS)
āJimmy Kimmel Live!ā (ABC)
āLast Week Tonight With John Oliverā (HBO)
āThe Late Late Show With James Cordenā (CBS)
āThe Late Show With Stephen Colbertā (CBS)
Outstanding Limited Series
āGenius: Picassoā (National Geographic)
āGodlessā (Netflix)
āPatrick Melroseā (Showtime)
āThe Alienistā (TNT)
āThe Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Storyā (FX)
Outstanding Comedy Series
āAtlantaā (FX)
āBarryā (HBO)
āBlack-ishā (ABC)
āCurb Your Enthusiasmā (HBO)
āGLOWā (Netflix)
āThe Marvelous Ms. Maiselā (Amazon)
āSilicon Valleyā (HBO)
āUnbreakable Kimmy Schmidtā (Netflix)
Outstanding Drama Series
āThe Americansā (FX)
āThe Crownā (Netflix)
āGame of Thronesā (HBO)Ā
āThe Handmaidās Taleā (Hulu)
āStranger Thingsā (Netflix)
āThis Is Usā (NBC)
āWestworldā (HBO)
Photos
PHOTOS: Israel at war
International News Editor Michael K. Lavers was on assignment in the country last month
TEL AVIV, Israel ā The Washington Blade was on assignment in Israel from Oct. 4-14, 2024.
The Blade covered the first anniversary of Oct. 7, and interviewed the cousin of a woman who Hamas militants killed after they kidnapped her and her sister-in-law. The Blade also interviewed the widow of a gay Israel Defense Forces soldier who spearheaded efforts to amend the countryās Bereaved Families Law to recognize LGBTQ widows and widowers of fallen servicemembers.
Activists in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Beāer Sheva also spoke with the Blade.
The Israeli government in May banned the Qatar-based network from working in the country, and shut down its bureaus in East Jerusalem and Nazareth, a predominantly Arab city in northern Israel. A judge in June extended the ban for 45 days. Israeli soldiers on Sept. 22 raided Al Jazeeraās bureau in Ramallah, the Palestinian capital, and ordered its closure for 45 days. (Washington Blade screenshot by Michael K. Lavers)
A juice stand at the intersection of Dizengoff Street and Ben-Gurion Boulevard in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Oct. 7, 2024. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)
a&e features
Queer writer reflects on assault, drug use, more in āMean Boysā
An interview with Geoffrey Mak
Queer Chinese American writer Geoffrey Mak takes the personal essay to new, and sometimes unsettling, heights, in his book āMean Boys: A Personal Historyā (Bloomsbury, 2024). Described as a āmemoir-in-essays,ā Mak, the gay son of an evangelical minister, takes readers on his volatile and visceral personal journey, which includes the techno clubs of Berlin, various illicit substances, his sexual assault, and ultimately an examination of mass-murderer Elliot Rodger. Mak generously made time for an interview in advance of his November appearance at the Miami Book Fair.
BLADE: In the authorās note for your book āMean Boys: A Personal History,ā you said, āI wrote most of these essays for the Internet,ā and that awareness of your readership extended to āwhat they wanted to hear, and what they were wearing.ā Is that still your target audience or were you looking to expand it with the book?
GEOFFREY MAK: If I could go back in time and inspire my 26-year-old self to keep writing, I would say, āBabe, in 10 years, youāll get everything youāve ever dreamed of, just online-only.ā I still see the natural habitat of the personal essay; yet the internet has a tendency for fragmentation and bubbles. When I decided to write a book at a mainstream press, I thought a lot about how a bookāunlike a paintingāis a mass-produced object, which makes it a more democratic medium, almost humble. I thought a lot about the opportunity to reach readers in Idaho or Oregon or Arkansas, and, in fact, I now get emails or Instagram DMs from readers in all those states. I wanted to explore universal themes that anyone can relate to, such as the wages of status in a high school cafeteria, or the process of forgiving oneās own father.
BLADE: You also mentioned James Baldwin and Joan Didion, as well as Ed White, Hilton Als, and Alan Hollinghurst, among others. How important are these writers to you in your work?
MAK: I love that you called him Ed, because he is Ed. Each of those writers gave me something that is a part of me. Baldwin: conviction. Didion: cadence. White: self-mythology. Als: voice. Hollinghurst: sex.
BLADE: Another writer, Wesley Yang, is featured prominently in the āIdentity Despite Itselfā essay. Do you know if heās aware of being the essayās subject? If so, has he told you how he feels about it?
MAK: Marco Roth, a friend, was one of the founding editors of n+1, and commissioned and edited Wesley Yangās remarkable essay, āThe Face of Seung-Hui Choā when it came out in 2008. After Marco read my book, he sent it to him. In Marcoās view, I had at last given Yang his due: taking him as seriously as he deserved, which is something any writer should be flattered by. And I did take him seriously, calling him into account for his internalized Asian racism and transphobia. As to what Yang actually thinks, I have no idea. Can you believe it: Not a single person I wrote about in the book has reached out to me about it?
BLADE: In āMy Father, The Minister,ā you address religion, not only as the son of a religious leader but also as a gay man. Religion continues to make headlines, whether itās the role itās playing in the 2024 election, the ongoing sexual abuse scandals in the various churches, or the war in Gaza. What role, if any, does religion play in your life at present?
MAK: I pay close attention to the religious life of this country. Two-thirds consider themselves religious. A lot of what I read disturbs me, nothing is surprising to me. I was heartened when, earlier this year, the United Methodist Church rescinded a ban on gay clergy. It was a rare victory because sexual difference remains the greatest divisive factor in American churches today. The articulation of the queer, Christian subject might be my highest priority as a writer today. (Out of all my essays, I consider āCalifornia Gothicā my greatest work.) I donāt participate in organized religion, but I still study the Bible and read queer theology, particularly the work of Marcella Althaus-Reid and Linn Tonstad, major influences of mine. I count theologians as some of my closest friends. I was actually just emailing with the writer Garth Greenwell about how 4th-century apophatic theology has parallels with queer theory today. Iām currently writing a novel about a trans-femme protagonist who finds her way to God. Iām quite serious. Sometimes, I dream that if this whole writer career doesnāt pan out, I might go to Divinity School.
BLADE: You also write honestly about your drug usage in āMean Boys.ā Thereās a line in the āCalifornia Gothicā essay that reads: āAfter psychosis, and after addiction, I knew that whether I would recover came down to a single test: Could I find grace in the ordinary?ā Where are you now on that journey?
MAK: I happen to be sober now, but I have cycled through periods of limited drug use and sobriety since I finished that essay. I belong to a harm reduction community that keeps me accountable to my self-stated goals. For several years, I have had a buddy system, which differs from a sponsor relationship because itās non-hierarchical, with a friend Iām extremely close withāwe regularly check in with cravings, take stock of our weekly stressors, talk about books. If we ever call the other, we know to drop whatever weāre doing and pick up, because itās an emergency. One night, he called me when he relapsed on meth, and I ran straight to his apartment, we flushed out the syringes, and cried in each otherās arms until the sleeping pills kicked in. Since then, heās been sober for almost two years. Recently, Iāve been talking to him about ājunk time,ā which are the late-night brain rot hours when I canāt read and crave drugs the most. I need to start finding grace in the ordinariness of junk time. Thanks for the reminder.
BLADE: What was involved in your decision to write about the aftermath of your sexual assault in the essay āIn Arcadia Ego?ā
MAK: OK, so the first section of that essay originated as a Facebook post. People reached out with caring words, although the writing partly explored my reaching a limit with caring words. The material was so raw that I put it down for at least a few years. After I had some distance from my own assault, I picked up the essay again and suddenly realized I was bored of my own pain. It wasnāt going to teach me anything, because suffering isnāt a university. I wanted to party, so I wrote about that. Nothing about this was virtuous or wholesome or dignified. I got fucked up and screamed with my gays on the dance floor like sorority girls at a bachelorette party. In a previous era, you had a party to commemorate an occasion. My friends and I partied for no reason; the party justified itself. Life is like this, too. You never need a reason.
BLADE: Was the lengthy, titular essay that closes out the book, the first essay written for the book, and therefore the inspiration?
MAK: It was the last essay I finished. In fact, we delayed the release date of the book because I couldnāt finish it. Itās my most original writing and original thinking. Itās also not for everyone.
BLADE: In the āMean Boysā essay, you write about the ultimate mean boy ā mass-murderer Elliot Rodger. Did that essay begin as being about Rodger or did that come later?
MAK: This was one of the first essays I wrote where I didnāt outline it or know where it was ending up in advance. I started with an imageāthe Lacoste polo with the popped collarāand just kept writing. Itās meandering, because thatās how I wrote it, working through the innate turbulence of each paragraph until a door appeared into the next paragraph. I eventually found my way to Rodger. There was a time I thought I could write the essay without reading the manifesto, until I realized, cāmon, I was being chicken, I had to read the manifesto. Once I finished it, I knew I had to rewrite the entire essay.
BLADE: Have you started writing or thinking about your next book project?
MAK: Iām working on a novel about degenerate ravers in Berlin. While the UK and Germany have novels about raving, America curiously doesnāt have one. So, I decided to write one.
The Blade may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via this post.
Citrine, Andromeda and Silver WareĀ Sidora celebrated their birthdays at JR.’s Bar with a drag show on Saturday, Nov. 2.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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