The September release of Charlie Kaufman’s “I’m Thinking Of Ending Things” has left audiences scratching their heads (I’m still scratching mine), but the hypnotic allegory that requires multiple watches turns out to be quite popular with awards juries this time of the year. For her supporting turn as Jesse Plemons’s more-than-strange mother, Toni Collette has received nominations as Best Supporting Actress by the Chicago Film Critics Association Awards, the Indiana Film Journalists Association and the North Carolina Film Critics Association. Actors Jessie Buckley and Plemons have both received Gotham Award nominations as Best Actor and Actress, respectively, and Kaufman’s screenplay has been named the best of the year by the Florida Film Critics Circle Awards.

The TV industry’s shiniest night of the year, a.k.a. the Primetime Emmy Awards, looked much different this year, given the never-ending pandemic. The ceremony’s host, Jimmy Kimmel, was literally fired up to emcee the festivities again, this time from the mostly vacant Staples Center in L.A., with winners accepting awards remotely, virtually, and digitally. If you tuned in just for Toni, there wasn’t much to see. She was nominated as Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for “Unbelievable” alongside Holland Taylor (Hollywood), Margo Martindale (Mrs. America), Tracey Ullman (Mrs. America) and Jean Smart (Watchmen), but “lost” to Mrs. America’s Uzo Aduba, and wasn’t featured by camera during the nominations. The category segment can be watched below and in the video archive.

Big congratulations to Toni Collette for receiving a Primetime Emmy Award nomination earlier today as Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Limited Series Or Movie for “Unbelievable”. She shares the category with Holland Taylor for “Hollywood”, Uzo Aduba for “Mrs. America”, Margo Martindale for “Mrs. America”, Tracey Ullman for “Mrs. America” and Jean Smart for “Watchmen”. The response to “Unbelievable” was a bit of a snub – it has received 4 nominations for Outstanding Limited Series, Outstanding Writing and Outstanding Casting – but it was overlooked in the Lead Actress category with nominations for either Kaitlin Dever or Merritt Wever – both would have been equally deserving – or any directing nominations. Still, 4 nominations and a spotlight on Toni’s fantastic performance is more than we should be asking for. This is Toni’s fourth Emmy nomination – she was nomiated in 2007 for “Tsuanmi: The Aftermath”, won Best Actress in a Comedy Series for “United States of Tara” in 2009 and received a consecutive nomination for the show’s second season in 2020. The Emmys will be handed out on September 20, 2020.

The Peabody Awards has named 30 programs as the most compelling and empowering stories released in broadcasting and digital media during 2019. The organization also announced “FRONTLINE” and “The Simpsons” as recipients of Institutional Awards. This distinctive honor goes to programs that have made a significant impact on media programming and the cultural landscape. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s Peabody Awards Ceremony—originally slated to take place in Los Angeles for the first time on June 18—is canceled. In lieu of the live event, many recipients recorded acceptance speeches (almost all of which were recorded prior to the protests over the George Floyd killing). You can watch the acceptance speeches recorded by Ayelet_Waldman and Michael Chabon, Kaitlyn Dever, Merritt Wever, Sarah Timberman and Susannah Grant on Dropbox.

Drawing from a true story, Susannah Grant, Ayelet Waldman and Michael Chabon expertly pen a rape investigation for the #MeToo era, showing not just what police work should look like, but what a mediated account of rape should entail. With standout performances from Toni Collette, Merritt Wever and Kaitlyn Dever, the series serves as a model for how storytellers can implore society to believe women but also how to shift the ways we talk about rape.

Timberman-Beverly Productions, Sage Lane Productions, Escapist Fare, Katie Couric Media, and CBS Television Studios for Netflix (Netflix)

The awards season has unfolded over the last 2 1/2 weeks, and while Toni Collette was a steady nominee for “Unbelievable” at all three big ceremonies, there wasn’t much for us to behold, picture-wise. She attended the Golden Globe Awards as a nominee for Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television, but lost to Patricia Arquette. At the Critics Choice Awards a week later, she won the award for Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television – but not only did she not attend the ceremony, they didn’t even present the category properly. Since the Critics Choice suffers from too many categories, the result was simply presented on a screen, among other not-so-important ones like “Best Foreign Language Film”. At Sunday’s Screen Actors Guild Awards telecast, she lost in the Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series to Michelle Williams for “Fosse/Verdon” and did, once again, not attend. So, no pictures :-( What matters is the success of “Unbelievable” and the recognition at these ceremonies, nevermind what you think of them. Video clips from all three shows have been added to the video archive.

Rian Johnson has received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay for “Knives Out”. The darkly funny whodunnit, bringing in over $250 million worldwide, was penned by Johnson is what fueled it as one of this year’s highest-rated films. It was nominated for Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards, among many others, but today it earned one of the highest honors — an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Script. A nod duly earned. Featuring an all-star ensemble cast including Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette, and Christopher Plummer, the tale of the Thrombey/Drysdale family succeeded beyond expectations. Johnson’s complicated, twisting plot guided by these superstar performers was a catalyst for greatness, and we can only hope the rumors of a sequel featuring Craig’s savvy Southern detective Benoit Blanc are true. Knives Out was a blast from its classic mystery music beginning to the iconic final shot, with the rewatches being just as delightful and amusing as you discover the trail of clues Johnson left in plain sight all along the way. You can tune in to see if Rian Johnson, and all the other nominees, bring home the gold on February 9 at 8 p.m. EST live on ABC. Check out the full list of Academy Award nominees here!