Latest news with #Mid-CenturyModern
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Los Angeles Magazine and Hulu's 'Mid-Century Modern' Celebrate Pride 2025
Los Angeles Magazine and Hulu's 'Mid-Century Modern' Celebrate Pride 2025 originally appeared on L.A. Mag. Los Angeles magazine tapped into the festive spirit of Pride Month with a party on June 12 at The Maybourne Beverly Hills. Welcoming Matt Bomer, the jubilant Thursday corralled a stylish crop of Los Angeles talent, media and tastemakers to The Terrace below stringed lights and surrounded by pulsing tunes by gay icons like Madonna and Robyn. The festive evening commemorated Hulu sitcom Mid-Century Modern and June cover stars Matt Bomer, Nathan Lee Graham and Nathan Lane, alongside Los Angeles magazine's 50 LGBTQ+ Angelenos making an impact. From the feature, Marco Calvani of Netflix's The Four Seasons, Liv Hewson of Yellowjackets and singer Kalie Shorr were found mingling across the lush Terrace lawn. Other issue subjects Brian Crano, David Joseph Craig, Jen Cheng, Andrew Christian, Christos Garkinos, Andy Gelb, Anthony Allen Ramos, Ben Sidell, DJ Shai, chef Stuart O'Keefe and KTLA's Chris Holmstrom and Ross Palombo were also in attendance. The alfresco soirée was outfitted with 'Mid-Century Magic' and Los Angeles magazine photo moments by Brandhustle Designs, fitting for capturing memories between bites and sips. Guests enjoyed beverages by San Pellegrino, Mezcal 33, Siren's Tale Vodka, Empress Gin, Skorpios tequila and Klein Epstein Parker, while morsels (including a flavorsome taco bar) came courtesy of The Maybourne and Junior Cookies. In particular, Hulu's Mid-Century Modern lounge and libations stole the show. The portrait studio by Poltrona Frau offered the perfect setting for sipping cocktails inspired by each character. Arthur Broussard's Smoked Highball stirred Mezcal 33 with honey, fresh lemon juice and soda water, while Jerry Frank's Lavender Gimlet showcased the refreshing power of Empress Gin, lime juice and lavender simple syrup. Bunny Schneider's Starlet Sling add a touch of effervescence to the menu by combining Siren's Tale Vodka with grapefruit juice, St. Germain, sparkling water and lime juice. The party got an extra buzz upon the arrival of Bomer, who joined Los Angeles magazine publisher Chris Gianella and editor-in-chief Jasmin Rosemberg in front of the crowd to reflect on the June issue. 'I want to leave you with my favorite line that Matt said in the cover story,' Rosemberg shared. "[He said,] 'People always want to talk about the problem of what it's like to be a gay actor, but I'm so much more interested in the solution. And I think it's in giving our voices to something that people can identify with.'' View the 45 images of this gallery on the original article Read the full cover story here. This story was originally reported by L.A. Mag on Jun 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
'Mid-Century Modern' follows friends in their golden years in Palm Springs
Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer and Nathan Lee Graham star in 'Mid-Century Modern' as gay best friends of a certain age living under one roof. June 12, 2025
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Emmy experts analyze Limited Series race: Why ‘Adolescence' is ‘the one to beat' as voting begins
Is the Best Limited Series Emmy race over before it's even begun? With voting beginning Thursday, four top Emmy experts — Variety's Clayton Davis, The Hollywood Reporter's Scott Feinberg, Indiewire's Marcus Jones, Deadline's Pete Hammond — predict the race with moderator and Gold Derby editor-in-chief Debra Birnbaum in our latest slugfest (watch above). "I can start and end with Adolescence," Hammond declares as the others laugh in agreement. "The race here we're going to talk about is for nominees two, three, four, and five. But I think [the eventual winner is] Adolescence for every reason you can imagine: its global reach, what it's talking about, the extraordinary acting, directing, writing. Everything about this is once in a generation. This thing is taking off and it isn't going to stop at nominations. This is the one to beat." More from GoldDerby Making of 'Mid-Century Modern': How comedy legends created Hulu's freshest sitcom starring Nathan Lane and the late Linda Lavin Parker Posey reveals 'The White Lotus' fans are making sure she's living a comfortable life Animal skins, clothes-swapping, and those terrifying masks: How 'Yellowjackets' costume designer works with Liv Hewson and cast Feinberg notes how it's actually "twice in a generation" because something similar happened last year with Baby Reindeer, which also aired on Netflix. He then singles out Monsters for "the whole conversation" it created throughout the country. "Whether you like it or not — and I'm annoyed by how much I think it's ridiculous talking about paroling the Menendez brothers — it's in the news every day." Birnbaum mentions how Adolescence was a "binge drop" on Netflix that "nobody knew anything about," and then "built momentum" to become a global phenomenon. She notes, "And again, going back to my point about voters watching the thing that they know they have to talk about, this is it." HBO Davis refers to The Penguin as "the one to beat before Adolescence showed up," adding, "But here's the thing: I maybe would have been a little hesitant, because genre superhero doesn't do that well at Emmys. Ask WandaVision [and its stars] Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, and Kathryn Hahn, who went home empty-handed. They just don't typically go for genre superhero stuff, but I think it's undoubtedly going to get in." The pundits name-drop more limited series in the running for a nomination, including Dying for Sex, Zero Day, Black Mirror, Sirens, Apple Cider Vinegar, Disclaimer, Presumed Innocent, Dope Thief, Long Bright River, and Say Nothing. And TV movies up for some Emmy love include Rebel Ridge, Mountainhead, and Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy. "I think we're bringing up a lot of shows that we're going to see represented in the acting categories," Jones says. "Say Nothing is that prestige pick that has picked up the Scripter and the Peabody, etc. I do think it's on people's radar, but is not probably going to get acting nominations, and so people can take all that passion toward making sure the show is nominated." Which Emmy expert do you agree with the most? Be sure to make your predictions and join the Emmy discussion in our TV forum. SIGN UP for Gold Derby's free newsletter with latest predictions Best of GoldDerby TV Hall of Fame: Top 50 best choices who should be inducted next Carrie Preston on fencing with Matthew Broderick and the heart, humor, and growth of 'Elsbeth': 'She's more than just quirky' 'RuPaul's Drag Race': Onya Nurve and Jewels Sparkles dish their 'ride of a lifetime,' stolen jokes, and turning drag 'inside out' Click here to read the full article.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Making of ‘Mid-Century Modern': How comedy legends created Hulu's freshest sitcom starring Nathan Lane and the late Linda Lavin
Crafting a hit comedy is all about collaboration, and Mid-Century Modern proves just that. Hulu's multi-cam sitcom, set against the vibrant Palm Springs aesthetic, benefits from decades of combined expertise poured into every frame by its talented behind-the-scenes team. Led by co-creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan (Will & Grace), the all-star crew of this freshman series shares their insights in an in-depth discussion about the making of Mid-Century Modern. The panel features legendary director and co-executive producer James Burrows, editor Peter Chakos, cinematographer Gary Baum, and production designer Greg Grande. (Watch the full Making of Mid-Century Modern panel above.) More from GoldDerby Mike White, filming 'Survivor,' sends message to 'The White Lotus' FYC event 'St. Denis Medical' creators Eric Ledgin and Justin Spitzer discuss navigating the 'peaks and valleys of comedy' Liam Payne confirmed as judge for Netflix singing competition, 'Superman' hits hard, and today's other top stories In Mid-Century Modern, Nathan Lane plays Bunny, a successful bra designer who invites his pals Jerry (Matt Bomer) and Arthur (Nathan Lee Graham) to spend their golden years living with him in Palm Springs after a close friend dies unexpectedly. Bunny's quick-witted mother, Sybil (played by the late Linda Lavin in her final TV appearance), mixes things up as the fourth roommate. 'As younger people, we always wanted to write about older people, just because they had lived more life and had had more interesting stories to tell. And now as older people, we find ourselves wanting to write about our peer group,' Kohan says. The cocreators revisited an old script they had worked on years ago titled Senioritis, shedding its original retirement home premise but keeping the heart of telling stories about people with lives and relationships spanning decades. Mutchnick adds, 'We didn't understand why a network, in the glow of the Friends craze, didn't want to make a show about Tony Curtis, Alan Arkin, Sandy Dennis, and Elaine Stritch. But, you know, we put a pin in it, and now we get to kind of visit that world.' SEENathan Lane, Matt Bomer, Linda Lavin, Pamela Adlon: Here is every 'Mid-Century Modern' Emmy acting submission One major turning point for the series was bringing in producer Ryan Murphy, whose expertise in casting elevated the show to new heights. Mutchnick recounts, 'Ryan was very clear from the beginning, 'I don't do what you guys do, but there is a thing that I do very well, and it's casting and marketing these shows.' And he really delivered with flying colors.' Murphy had Nathan Lane on board by the end of the day, and sparked the team to rewrite the part of Jerry for Matt Bomer. The casting process wasn't just about securing big names, but finding the right chemistry. Kohan recalls seeking validation from their director, James Burrows, when considering Linda Lavin: 'Jimmy said, 'She's a heat-seeking missile with a joke. She's the best of the best.' That was basically the end of that conversation.' Mutchnick notes, 'You put these casts together and you know that when you're done, the show is either going to work or it is not going to work. One weak link on a multi-cam stage can bring an entire show down. We didn't have that here.' Editor Peter Chakos adds, "Working with [Max and David] is always great because I know the show is going to be hilarious. It goes back to Will & Grace. These are the funniest shows I've ever worked on — Will & Grace and Mid-Century Modern. They're funny shows with endearing characters. It's so important in a sitcom that you like the characters when you're watching them." Burrows, who has directed some of TV's most iconic sitcoms (Taxi, Cheers, Will & Grace), emphasizes the collaborative process as the core reason he signed on to direct Mid-Century Modern. 'For me, the most important thing is not the cast to begin with; it's the writing and the ability of the collaboration between me and the writers. A lot of times, I'll read a really good script, and I talk to the writers, and there's no flexibility. They're defensive instead of defending their material. This was different.' Burrows also reveals that the magic truly emerged during the cast table read: 'I think all of us were incredibly and pleasantly surprised when these guys interacted with one another like they had been together forever.' Production designer Greg Grande echoes the importance of harmony across the team, saying, 'It's not just the chemistry of the cast. It's the chemistry of the entire group of people. Whether it's notes from Jimmy or Max and David, it becomes a beautiful experience. You capture something only so many times in your career.' Grande also shares his vision for bringing mid-century Palm Springs architecture and design to life. 'Palm Springs is near and dear to me. I had a house out there, so I know it well. Bringing to life that flavor of layering and detail was a joy.' Both he and cinematographer Gary Baum worked to ensure the production design felt like a dynamic character in the show. Baum brought a cinematic flair to the multi-camera sitcom, saying, 'I try to bring some cinematic values into the show that you normally don't see on a sitcom. With Greg's design, I had complete support from Max, David, and Jimmy. That's the fun part—the vibrant color and the detail.' The sudden loss of Linda Lavin during production shaped the final few episodes of the season, forcing the writers to pivot with a delicate balance of grief and comedy. Kohan reflects, 'The first adjustment is — this is a big personal loss. We're all grieving. And then you go to this idea that now we have to honor her and the character. Fear hits first—what are we going to do? Then over time, with the collaborators, you come to a place where it's like, yes, this is what I would have wanted for Linda.' Mutchnick adds, 'We knew very early on that if we didn't deal with it directly, it wouldn't be truthful. So we wrote the experience we just had and infused it with the love we had for her.' With so many career Emmy nominations (and wins) among them, it's no surprise this team values what awards recognition means for a show's future. Kohan points out, 'Validation from something like an Emmy nomination is significant. It's so fear-based right now for executives, so anything that validates a show is helpful.' Mutchnick makes his case for Nathan Lane as the standout: 'There's not a performance in the comedy category that will touch male lead in a comedy any better than Nathan Lane did on Mid-Century Modern this year. It's a masterclass in male comedy.' Burrows sums up what sets Mid-Century Modern apart: 'My dad (Abe Burrows) always said it depends what they say [on a show]. We're not having this discussion if the audience doesn't buy into these characters and these actors. That's the genius that Max and David have — writing characters that are windows into this gorgeous set and incredible world. We wouldn't be talking about the cinematography or editing if these characters didn't say the right words.' In the full video above, watch the team behind Mid-Century Modern discuss in more detail their favorite episodes, most memorable moments, and biggest challenges. This article and video are presented by Disney/Hulu. Best of GoldDerby TV Hall of Fame: Top 50 best choices who should be inducted next Carrie Preston on fencing with Matthew Broderick and the heart, humor, and growth of 'Elsbeth': 'She's more than just quirky' 'RuPaul's Drag Race': Onya Nurve and Jewels Sparkles dish their 'ride of a lifetime,' stolen jokes, and turning drag 'inside out' Click here to read the full article.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘And then somebody throws a piece of sh-t at you': ‘The Diplomat' star Ato Essandoh on Stuart getting honeytrapped
One of the elements of Netflix's The Diplomat that lends itself to being an addictive drama is how the show juggles huge political turmoil alongside relationship drama and often comedic complications for the core characters. Case in point, Stuart Heyford (Ato Essandoh), the deputy chief of mission of the U.S. embassy in London. Besides his duties being the right hand for U.S. ambassador Kate Wyler (Keri Russell), Stuart had a tumultuous second season. After surviving the Season 1 finale explosion, he recovered enough to return to work and randomly met a woman (Adrienne Warren) with whom he hooked up, only to find out there was nothing random about it all. His ex-girlfriend Eidra (Ali Ahn), the CIA station chief, set it all up to ensure he was ready to come back to his job. More from GoldDerby Emmy experts analyze Limited Series race: Why 'Adolescence' is 'the one to beat' as voting begins Making of 'Mid-Century Modern': How comedy legends created Hulu's freshest sitcom starring Nathan Lane and the late Linda Lavin Parker Posey reveals 'The White Lotus' fans are making sure she's living a comfortable life Here, Essandoh tells us whether he likes to know what's coming on the hit drama, his experience meeting real-life foreign service members, and the challenges of working with crutches. Gold Derby: Outside of the politics, is just a fun show to watch. Do you feel that from the inside? Ato Essandoh: Yeah, I still remember reading that pilot script for the first time. I read it off of my phone because the casting director sent it to me and I hate reading things on computers and screens, but I couldn't put my phone down. It was so good. Stuart went through it in the second season. How was a lot of that to play? I always marvel at Debora Cahn, our show creator, and her ability to create these real people and put them in really serious circumstances and still pull out the humanity and the humor out of it. So it's one of those things where I've done enough shows where I want to read scripts and talk to the showrunner just to see what's going to happen. But with Debora, I don't want to talk to her. I just want to see what happens in the read-through when I get the script. It's always something that's really surprising. So getting Stuart set up with a honeypot and how Eidra reveals it to him was kind of amazing. That whole thing coming from a place of "I just got really lucky and I really needed it." And then chopping my legs out right from under me. I wanted to ask about that Episode 4 scene in particular because Stuart does go from having that next morning glow to just being shocked and furious in a matter of seconds. Plus, the interaction was recorded! What were the challenges for you in that scene? I keep going back to the writing because the writing gives you the highs and the lows, so it's almost not challenging. It's challenging when there's nothing there to work with, but who doesn't know that feeling of literally getting up out of bed, skipping? The sun is shining, birds are singing, and then somebody throws a piece of sh-t at you. Do you know what I mean? I just couldn't wait to get to set to try all the different takes I could have on coming from a high, high, high place and getting cut out by somebody who I really, really love and who I really, really respect, which is even worse, you know? Did you play around with how big you should go once that reveal comes out and Stuart grows immediately furious? A little bit because I'm always afraid of being too big because I'm naturally a big guy and I have a big voice and I don't want to be too theatrical. But how do you play that since, literally, your ex-girlfriend has just video-recorded your hookup and it's now a national secret? I think what I found was a good place of just shock and awe and absolutely being crushed on this whole thing. I hope I did it well, but people who have watched it have given me pretty good feedback, so I'm pretty happy with it. Also, during Season 2, we see Stuart's recovery from the explosion at the end of the first season. Were there challenges working with those crutches? Those crutches were really annoying. The first episode that I had to use them were great, but then you see that you have five more episodes. Even the little squeaky thing that they do when you use them, that just sort of got under my skin so much. Also, because of the position that I am in, I don't want it to be a big thing. I'm trying to look like I am healthy, I'm cured. And the thing that these people [in government] do is that they live these lives and they're so human, but they have to put on this mask and nothing fazes them. Every time I see a Tony Blinken [former U.S. secretary of state] on television talking very calmly about what might be going on in Ukraine or China, I know that there's much so much going on in his head. And I know that there's a ton of people behind him scrambling like little cats. Netflix So it sounds like watching some of these real political figures takes on different meaning after being in the world of Yes. Funny thing, I went to a Fourth of July party and it was filled with the foreign service. And I was talking to the person whose job I play on the show, this wonderful man named Matthew Palmer. We were just having a conversation about the show and then I think the ambassador of, let's say, Azerbaijan just walks up to him and they start talking policy. And then the ambassador looks at me and goes, "Oh, hey, aren't you in that show?" And I'm like, "yeah." And so then we just segue from Ukraine to talking about my show and then back to needing to figure out what this triad was going to be. Was that a little gratifying that they knew you and knew the show? It was wonderfully gratifying because we're big with the foreign service. If nobody else in the United States likes us, the foreign service really digs us, and that's a really good feeling. Tell me about working with Ali as Eidra. She and Stuart are broken up in Season 2, but do you play that Stuart still has feelings for her? It's hard enough to be in the same room with an ex, let alone have to work with them! That's what I play because I'm naturally a romantic and I just think Stuart loves this woman because who doesn't love somebody who's just powerful and in charge? And also it's nice, maybe from an ego standpoint, to have somebody that's so powerful who actually digs you and wants to spend time with you. He wears his heart on his sleeve in a way that I think Ali's character does not. And I think that dynamic is what is fun to love. So I play it that way, and she can just sort of shut everything off, but I know underneath that hard candy shell is a creamy nougat. SEE 'What's next?' Allison Janney on playing a 'badass' on The Diplomat and The West Wing 25 years later I know some of your scenes are on stages, but then others are on location and are just so grand and stately. How is that for you? Yeah, the offices are on a soundstage but everything that you see outside is actually real. Like, we shot at the U.S. Embassy and we shot at St. Paul's Cathedral. It's a lot of location porn, really. Like, the place that doubles as the ambassador's residence is some sort of royalty and one of the tables inside of the lobby was owned by Napoleon. And they tell us that. And I'm like, "Wait, Napoleon? That Napoleon?" And they're like, "Yeah, that Napoleon." It's the other character of the entire series. I saw a Season 1 interview where you called Debora a mad scientist due to the show's writing. Do we see some of that mad scientist work in the Season 3 scripts? Yeah, mad scientist was a great start for her, but now I think she's like a wicked sorceress at this point. She's gone metaphysical now. The depth of the characters are one of the things that I love because it is a character study and you wonder how far she can take these characters. You get it in Season 1, which is a lot of world-building. And then Season 2 comes off like a rocket. Of course, then it's, where are they going to go in Season 3? I really think she's got voodoo dolls and stuff like that. Like, she's gone away from science and now it's magic. I love it. Stuart's job involves keeping a lot of secrets because he's privy to a lot of information. How are you personally at keeping secrets? I'm pretty good. I'm actually proud of my secret-keeping ability sometimes. My girlfriend begs to differ, but I am pretty good at being a confidant. And what's interesting is that in Season 2, Stuart gets left out of all of these secrets. And that's what really gets under his skin, which is amazing. The guy just survived a bombing and I think the thing that really kills him is he's not one of the cool kids anymore and he doesn't get all these secrets. He walks into a room, they're all like, "Stuart's here',"and they walk away. So that's another little thing that Debora throws in that I love that she makes us play with. What is one word to describe Season 3? Emotional. Best of GoldDerby TV Hall of Fame: Top 50 best choices who should be inducted next Carrie Preston on fencing with Matthew Broderick and the heart, humor, and growth of 'Elsbeth': 'She's more than just quirky' 'RuPaul's Drag Race': Onya Nurve and Jewels Sparkles dish their 'ride of a lifetime,' stolen jokes, and turning drag 'inside out' Click here to read the full article.
