Louis C.K., Bjork among top honorees at 16th annual competition; kudos for Pinterest, Spotify, Instagram
By Jake Coyle, Entertainment Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --When Louis C.K. released his comedy special “Live at the Beacon Theater” by himself on his website for $5, it was little more than a cautiously optimistic experiment.
Less than two weeks later, it had reaped more than $1 million. Already among the most respected stand-ups in the country, Louis C.K. was suddenly a new media trailblazer, too.
On Tuesday, the Webby Awards announced Louis C.K. is their “person of the year” for setting “a new precedent for distribution.” Comedians Aziz Ansari and Jim Gaffigan have since similarly released albums online.
The Webbys, which celebrate Internet achievement, announced the winners of its 16th annual awards on Tuesday. The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, which present the awards, shared the winners with The Associated Press shortly before they were to make an official announcement.
The awards spanned the breath of the Internet, from mobile apps like Instagram and Pinterest that have disrupted social media, to entertainers charting new digital ground, like Louis C.K. and Bjork.
Bjork was named artist of the year. Last year, the Icelandic musician released the album “Biophilia” as a multimedia presentation of music and apps.
She was among the special recognitions named by the Webbys, which also cited the photo app Instagram as breakout of the year. It was recently acquired by Facebook for $1 billion.
“It’s been a huge year of change,” said David-Michel Davies, executive director of the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences, a group of about 1,000 Web experts and Internet professionals.
Also specially honored were Juliette Lewis and Graydon Sheppard, who share the award for best actress for the viral video “S— Girls Say.” The video, which parodies common expressions, has been watched more than 16.2 million times on YouTube and spawned a viral sensation of countless similar videos. Sheppard, a male comic, appears in drag in the video.
In more than 130 regular categories, the Webbys give two winners per category: an official Webby award and a “people’s voice” pick chosen from online votes.
Ferrell, who co-founded the comedy website Funny Or Die, won best individual performance for a video in which he reprised his impression of President George W. Bush, reacting to Osama Bin Laden’s death.
The Onion won for best humor website and its video arm, the Onion Network, earned best writing in an online video for its satirical morning TV show video: “How to Get a Guy to Notice You While You’re Having Sex With Him.”
The pinboard-style website Pinterest won for best social media app, as well as a people’s voice award for best functioning visual design. Best music app went to the streaming service Spotify, which Davies said typified “the intersection we’re seeing between social and entertainment.”
HBO Connect won for best TV website. The New Yorker’s website won for best editorial writing.
One new category, people’s special achievement for social change, went to Facebook. The award, which was voted for online, honors “important Internet work that played an integral role in advancing and organizing the masses.”
The awards will be handed out in a May 21 event at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York. Patton Oswalt will host the awards, whose winners are famously restricted to five-word acceptance speeches.
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More