Entertainment NOW

Entertainment Now | December 4 - 10, 2021 By Rachel Jones TV Media T he power is in the hands of the people once more as fans and stars alike cel- ebrate the best in music, film and TV with the 47th annual People's Choice Awards, airing Tuesday, Dec. 7, on NBC and E! For audiences, it will be another star-studded night, complete with bowls of popcorn and wardrobe critique. For celebrities and icons, it's another chance to dress up and celebrate every - one's success this year. At the top of the nomination board is the NBC drama "This Is Us," which has built a dedicated following over five seasons. The heartwarming series created by Dan Fogelman ("Life Itself," 2018) follows a set of triplets and their parents as they navi - gate life struggles. "A Walk to Remember's" (2002) Mandy Moore and "Gilmore Girls'" Milo Ventimiglia are among the cast members, as are Chrissy Metz ("Breakthrough," 2019), Justin Hartley ("Injustice," 2021) and Sterling K. Brown ("Black Panther," 2018). But it isn't all emotional fami- ly drama this year; "F9: The Fast Saga" is getting a lot of love, too! There's no shortage of Vin Diesel ("Guardians of the Gal- axy," 2014) in our lifetime, and he, Michelle Rodriguez ("Lost") and the cast of "F9" are off to the races at this year's ceremo- ny. "F9" follows the Fast & Furi- ous franchise's sometimes-pro- tagonist, sometimes-antagonist lead, Dom Toretto (Diesel), as he faces another threat to his off- the-grid peace. He must face his past and fight off a global threat, though, of course, not without the help of his crew. If the diversity of the two highest nominated productions weren't enough of an indica- tion, the People's Choice cate- gories are known to showcase a wide array of media and perfor- mance. On the music side, Latinx stars Becky G, J Balvin and Dad- dy Yankee compete against the likes of Justin Bieber and Adele, while in Reality TV land, Symone from "RuPaul's Drag Race" goes head-to-head with JoJo Siwa from "Dancing With the Stars." Also to keep an eye on are athletes Naomi Osaka, Bubba Wallace and Simone Biles in the Game Changer category, and Bo Burnham ("Inside") and Ali Wong ("Birds of Prey," 2020) for Comedy Act of 2021. Social Star nominees include none other than pop culture icons Justin Bieber, Lil Nas X and the recently "free" Britney Spears, to name a few. Hosting this fun event is "Sat- urday Night Live" royal Kenan Thompson ("Home Sweet Home Alone," 2020), who is also nom- inated for two awards this year: Comedy TV Star and Male TV Star. The Emmy-nominated actor is the longest-running cast member on SNL and will also be returning for Season 2 of his self-titled NBC comedy series, "Kenan." And while the voting officially closed online and on Twitter as of midnight on Wednesday, Nov. 17, it's important to note that the "committee" in charge of selecting the winners are, of course, the fans (or, "people"). That's how it's been since the PCAs' inception — even though the voting system has evolved with the times. Until the 31st annual ceremo- ny in 2005, voting was based on a Gallup poll, which occasional- ly led to groundbreaking ties. Most famously, in 2003, both "Spider-Man" and "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" won the award for Favor- ite Motion Picture — the num- bers were just too close to de- clare a definitive winner. The PCAs have since used on- line voting, with nominees first determined by research and samples taken by Knowledge Network. By 2010, the PCAs had partnered with Visible Mea- sures, a company specializing in internet video behavior metrics (similar to Nielson). The first-ever PCAs were or- ganized by producer Bob Stivers ("Celebrity Daredevils") in 1975, awarding 1974's "The Sting" Favorite Picture, Barbara Streisand ("The Way We Were," 1973) Favorite Movie Actress, and John Wayne ("The Train Robbers," 1973) Favorite Film Actor. Ratings and viewership soared over the next two years, and the third annual ceremony achieved peak viewership as pop culture staples Farrah Faw- cett ("Charlie's Angels") and Mary Tyler Moore ("The Mary Tyler Moore Show") took home awards. The ceremony tradition- ally aired on CBS, until E! (owned by NBC) acquired the broadcasting rights in 2018. A lot has changed since the 1975 inaugural show; the cate- gories have expanded, the con- tent is more varied and technol- ogy has made voting much easi- er for fans. But despite the up- grades and changes, the PCAs continue to reflect the broad in- terests of the media-consuming public. As it's the people who decide — rather than an official academy — the PCAs are a masterful way to capture a cul- ture as if by snapshot, airing live for one night only. And this year marks the first time NBC will be simulcasting the event alongside its sister station, E! "The People's Choice Awards has always been about the fans, and this show quickly became a must-watch for audiences around the world on E!" Frances Berwick, chairman of Entertain- ment Networks at NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, said in an official statement. "With our new structure, we now have the opportunity to extend that experience to NBC, bringing to- gether the power of our portfo- lio to celebrate everyone's fa- vorite shows, artists and stars with our biggest broadcast yet." Celebrate your favorites on Tuesday, Dec. 17, when the 47th annual People's Choice Awards air on NBC and E! Vin Diesel leads the cast of eight-time nominee "F9: The Fast Saga" 'This Is' Ours: People vote NBC drama, Bieber and 'Fast Saga' among year's best 2 | Cover story A/Grindstone Charlie's B/Norris Insurance 1 x 4" Moore's Home Health 5 x 2"

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