As a mock interview show host, Zach Galifianakis is accruing awards at the rate of a “60 Minutes” correspondent.
Galifianakis led the 15th annual Webby Awards on Tuesday with four awards for his Web series “Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis.” He won best Web personality/host, best comedy short and best online variety show. He won the latter in both the voter-chosen “People’s Voice” category and the proper Webby Award category.
The Webbys, which celebrate Internet achievement, are presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a group of 750 Web experts as well as other Internet professionals.
Galifianakis’ irreverent, sporadically released show, which appears on FunnyOrDie.com, is done in the style of a cable access show. Galifianakis, who was honored last year by the Webbys as best actor, belligerently and absurdly interviews celebrity guests.
Lisa Kudrow won two awards for her “Web Therapy” series. Arcade Fire’s innovative “The Wilderness Downtown” music video also won two awards, as did the interactive “Johnny Cash Project.” Both Web-based music videos were directed by Chris Milk (of @radical.media).
Justin Bieber took the People’s Voice award for best comedy video for his April Fool’s takeover of FunnyOrDie.com as “Bieber or Die.” The site’s home page was remade with clips featuring Bieber in famous viral videos.
The comedy site, co-founded by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, earned a total of nine awards. That included the Webby for best humor site and a People’s Voice award for Jim Carrey’s performance as Ronald Reagan in the site’s star-packed “Presidential Reunion” video.
The app sensation “Angry Birds” was chosen for best game, for both the Webby and the People’s Voice award. The New Yorker’s website won the Webby for best magazine site and for best copy/writing. PBS’s iPad app was picked for best entertainment for a tablet. Conan O’Brien’s TeamCoco.com won the Webby for best celebrity or fan website.
The New York Times, which recently began charging readers for access to its site, won three awards in how-to, travel and mobile. NPR won for best news site and for best radio/podcasts. Pandora won for best music site.
A full list of winners is available here. Special recognition awards will be announced later.
The awards will be handed out in a ceremony in New York City on June 13. The Webbys are famous for their trademark brevity, with acceptance speeches limited to just five words.
“Emilia Pérez” Tops Oscar Tally With 13 Nominations, Setting Record For A Non-English Language Film
In the wake of devastating wildfires in Los Angeles that struck at the heart of the movie industry, an embattled Hollywood lined up behind the Netflix narco-musical about trans identity "Emilia Pérez" in Oscar nominations Thursday. Jacques Audiard's "Emilia Pérez," a Spanish language, French-made film, dominated the nominations with a leading 13 nominations, including best picture and best actress for Karla Sofía Gascón, making her the first openly trans actor ever nominated for an Oscar. The film also landed nominations for directing, original screenplay, two of its songs and for Zoe Saldaña. Netflix, despite its starring role in Hollywood, has never won best picture. Many of its top contenders have previously racked up large numbers of nominations (including "Mank," "The Irishman" and "Roma") but gone home with only a handful of trophies. "Emilia Pérez," though, may be its best chance yet. It became the most nominated non-English language film ever, surpassing Netflix's own "Roma," which scored 10 nominations. Only three films — "All About Eve," "Titanic" and "La La Land" — have scored more nominations in Academy Awards history. Another musical — "Wicked," the smash Broadway adaptation — came away with nearly as many nominations. Jon M. Chu's lavish "Wizard of Oz" riff scored 10 nominations, including best picture and acting nods for its stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. "The Brutalist," Brady Corbet's postwar epic filmed in VistaVision, also came away with a commanding 10 nominations, including best picture, best director and nominations for actor Adrien Brody, Guy Pearce and Felicity Jones. The A24 release The nominees for best picture are: "Anora"; "The Brutalist"; "A Complete Unknown"; "Conclave"; "Dune: Part Two"; "Emilia... Read More