Thursday, March 28, 2024

Taraji P. Henson, Viola Davis, ‘Empire’, ‘Bessie’ Up for TCA Awards

Nominees for Best Supporting Actress Viola Davis for "Doubt" and Taraji P. Henson (R) for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" arrive at the 81st Academy Awards in Hollywood, California February 22, 2009.
Nominees for Best Supporting Actress Viola Davis for “Doubt” and Taraji P. Henson (R) for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” arrive at the 81st Academy Awards in Hollywood, California February 22, 2009

*Taraji P. Henson and Viola Davis were nominated for Oscars in the same category in 2009. Last Sunday, they faced each other a second time at the 2015 Critics’ Choice TV Awards.

This summer, they will meet again in the same category for the third time in their careers – with Davis looking to even the score.

Actress Taraji P. Henson accepts the Best Actress in a Drama Series award for "Empire" onstage at the 5th Annual Critics' Choice Television Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on May 31, 2015 in Beverly Hills
Actress Taraji P. Henson accepts the Best Actress in a Drama Series award for “Empire” onstage at the 5th Annual Critics’ Choice Television Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on May 31, 2015 in Beverly Hills

Award season continues to be kind to “Empire” and the actress who plays its standout Cookie Lyon. Henson and the show are among the nominees for this year’s Television Critics Association awards, given annually to honor the season’s best among actors, producers and programs in a variety of categories, including news and information, youth, reality, drama and comedy.

“Empire” will face “The Americans,” “Game of Thrones,” “Mad Men” and “Transparent” for Program of the Year, while Henson competes in the Individual Achievement in Drama category against Davis of “How to Get Away With Murder,” as well as “Mad Men’s” Jon Hamm, Matthew Rhys of “The Americans” and Bob Odenkirk of the “Breaking Bad” spinoff “Better Call Saul.”

Henson took the category at Sunday’s Critics Choice TV Awards, besting Davis as well as Eva Green (Penny Dreadful), Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife), Keri Russell (The Americans) and Vera Farmiga (Bates Motel).

Ebony's February 2009 cover featuring Oscar nominees Viola Davis (L) and Taraji P. Henson
Ebony’s May 2009 cover featuring Oscar nominees Viola Davis (L) and Taraji P. Henson

Six years ago, Henson (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) and Davis (“Doubt”) faced each other in the Best Supporting Actress category at the 81st Academy Awards. Both lost to Penelope Cruz of “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.”

Of that instant when their names were not called for the Oscar, Henson told Ebony Magazine at the time that she and Davis shared a moment in the audience.

“We looked right at each other, we connected,” says Henson. “We had to have that moment, just for each other, to let each other know, ‘You know what? It’s still all good.’”

empire-season-1-finale-cookie
Taraji P. Henson in Fox’s “Empire”

“Empire” also received nods for Outstanding New Program and Outstanding Achievement in Drama.

Below, Henson tells us she is not surprised that “Empire” is getting all of this attention.

The 31st Annual TCA Awards will be presented on Saturday, August 8, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, as part of the group’s bi-annual industry conference, the summer press tour.

Also of note, HBO’s “Bessie,” starring Queen Latifah as blues legend Bessie Smith, earned a nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials

Below is the complete list of the 2015 Television Critics Association nominees.

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep,” HBO – (2014 Winner in Category)
Gina Rodriguez, “Jane The Virgin,” The CW
Amy Schumer, “Inside Amy Schumer,” Comedy Central
Jeffrey Tambor, “Transparent,” Amazon
Constance Wu, “Fresh Off the Boat,” ABC

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA

Viola Davis, “How to Get Away with Murder,” ABC
Jon Hamm, “Mad Men,” AMC
Taraji P. Henson, “Empire,” Fox
Matthew Rhys, “The Americans,” FX
Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul,” AMC

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NEWS AND INFORMATION

“CBS Sunday Morning,” CBS
“The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” Comedy Central
“Frontline,” PBS
“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” HBO
“60 Minutes,” CBS

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN REALITY PROGRAMMING

“The Amazing Race,” CBS
“The Chair,” Starz
“Dancing with the Stars,” ABC
“RuPaul’s Drag Race,” Logo – (2014 Winner in Category)
“Shark Tank,” ABC

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN YOUTH PROGRAMMING

“Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” PBS
“The Fosters,” ABC Family – (2014 Winner in Category)
“The Legend of Korra,” Nickelodeon
“Sesame Street,” PBS
“Switched at Birth,” ABC Family

OUTSTANDING NEW PROGRAM

“Better Call Saul,” AMC
“Empire,” Fox
“The Flash,” The CW
“Jane the Virgin,” The CW
“Transparent,” Amazon

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN MOVIES, MINISERIES AND SPECIALS

“Bessie,” HBO
“The Honorable Woman,” SundanceTV
“The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst,” HBO
“Olive Kitteridge,” HBO
“Wolf Hall,” PBS

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY

“The Big Bang Theory,” CBS
“Inside Amy Schumer,” Comedy Central
“Jane the Virgin,” The CW
“Transparent,” Amazon
“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” Netflix

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA

“The Americans,” FX
“Empire,” Fox
“Game of Thrones,” HBO
“Justified,” FX
“Mad Men,” AMC

HERITAGE AWARD

“Friends,” NBC
“Late Show/Late Night with David Letterman,” CBS/NBC
“The Shield,” FX
“Star Trek,” NBC
“Twin Peaks,” ABC

PROGRAM OF THE YEAR

“The Americans,” FX
“Empire,” Fox
“Game of Thrones,” HBO
“Mad Men,” AMC
“Transparent,” Amazon

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