National Pet Week: "Maggie" from The River Wild

Team Experience has been celebrating pets at the movies (and in our homes) all week. We'll wrap up Sunday. Here's Ginny O'Keefe... 

The best kind of pet in any movie is a loyal one. And it doesn’t hurt if the pet is cute. Also, a sprinkle of badassery is always welcome. All that is nicely packaged in a yellow Labrador retriever named Maggie in 1994’s rafting/crime adventure film The River Wild. For those who haven’t seen this Streep vs. Bacon gem, Meryl plays rafting expert Gail who is forced to take two criminals (John C. Reilly and Kevin Bacon) down a dangerous river all the while trying to protect her son, Rourke (Joseph Mazzello), and husband Tom (David Straithairn). Along for the trip is Maggie. From the get-go, Maggie is sweet, bubbly and you can tell she loves her humans deeply. She’s also good at digging up dead bodies in the woods (spoiler). Overall, she’s a good girl. But when s**t hits the fan, then we see how great of a girl she is...

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Amazing Sondheim Celebration, 'Take Me to the World'

by Nathaniel R

Meryl will drink to that! (and she did not disappoint for Sondheim's 90th)ICYMI last night (and thousands did since it started over an hour late!) make sure to watch the Sondheim birthday celebration concert benefitting ASTEP (Artists Striving to End Poverty). While it's reductive to cite favourite moments because the concert was chalk full of life-affirming, ear-pleasuring, moving music and delicate or funny performances, we've had to share a few notes after the jump.

But honestly we loved it all. It doubled as not just a tribute to the world's greatest living musical theater composer but as a melancholy collective longing for the return of Broadway which originally housed most of those tremendous songs...

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Emmy Watch: Supporting Actress Drama Contenders

by Abe Fried-Tanzer

Can Fiona Shaw return despite heaps of competition?

Our Emmy punditry continues with Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. There’s a lot to unpack in this very crowded race. A full two-thirds of last year’s nominees won’t be back because they all starred on the now-ended Game of Thrones.

Count on defending champ Julia Garner (Ozark) to return, especially since the latest season of her show recently premiered to great acclaim (she may also be joined by costar Janet McTeer). I’m not sure the same will be true for Fiona Shaw (Killing Eve), since her role isn’t at all central and it’s not yet known if the show will be as well-received by Emmy voters as it was for its second season. Theoretically, that leaves four and maybe even five spots wide open, but that doesn’t take into account the many previously nominated actresses on shows returning from a season off the air and newly back in contention…

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All-Star Free Virtual Sondheim Concert This Sunday!

by Nathaniel R

Meryl & Bernadette both played "The Witch" in productions of Into the Woods. But which songs will they sing at this concert?

Please place this in the "silver linings" bin of the horrific coronavirus pandemic. There will be a virtual concert this Sunday April 26th at 8 PM EST celebrating Stephen Sondheim's 90th birthday. You will NOT believe the performer's list. It's jaw-dropping in its starpower...

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Frances vs Sophie

by Cláudio Alves

With Sophie's Choice new to streaming on HBO NOW and Frances available to rent from Amazon, Youtube and others, we thought it could be fun to rehash one legendary Oscar race. It's when Meryl Streep and Jessica Lange battled out for the Best Actress trophy of 1982. Come explore this clash of acting titans as we investigate two great women's legacies, the pair of competing films and nominated performances in a detailed deep dive. In the end, who'll be the chosen victor? 

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