After last month’s Making a Scene video (see previous update), Variety has posted a lengthy article from this interview with Toni Collette: Each morning as Toni Collette brushes her teeth, an owl stares back at her. The stoic bird of prey is not perched outside her window but rather ornately sitting on her countertop, contorted into the shape of a ceramic coffee mug that she places her toothbrush into before she starts her day. “It’s there looking at me daily — twice a day if I’m dentally honest,” Collette says. “Maybe I need a new receptacle.” Even if its days as her morning companion are numbered, the mug is a surreal artifact of her newly Emmy-nominated turn as Kathleen Peterson, a North Carolina woman found dead at the bottom of her stairs in 2001 — a case dramatized by HBO Max’s true crime limited series “The Staircase.” The shocking death occupied headlines for months as her husband, Michael Peterson (played by Colin Firth), was tried and convicted of her murder — all of it later chronicled in a 2004 French documentary also called “The Staircase.” The making of that doc was part of the 2022 series. The complete interview can be read over at Variety.

I guess she is always kind of there because it’s all about the fallout from the loss of her. But this telling of this story was an opportunity to give Kathleen a voice, to make her real and whole, to allow her to live beyond the notion of ‘victim.’ (Toni Collette, Variety, August 06, 2022)

Congratulations to Toni Collette for receiving a nomination for the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards as Best Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie for “The Staircase”. She shares the category with Julia Garner (Inventing Anna), Lily James (Pam & Tommy), Sarah Paulson (Impeachment: American Crime Story), Margaret Qualley (MAID) and Amanda Seyfried (The Dropout). For “The Staircase”, Colin Firth was also nominated as Best Actor in the Limited Series category. This is Toni’s fifth Emmy nomination. She was previously nominated in 2007 as Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie for “Tsunami: The Aftermath”, in 2009 and 2010 as Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series for “United States of Tara” (for which she won in 2009) and most recently in 2019 as Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Limited Series Or Movie for “Unbelievable”. The 74th Primetime Emmy Awards will be handed out during a live ceremony on Monday (for whatever reason), September 12, 2022.

Congrats to Toni for receiving the first nomination of the new awards season as Best Actress for “The Staircase” by the Hollywood Critics Association. If you’ve never heard about the HCA, it’s because this is only their second annual awards ceremony for television programming. Toni shares the category with Amanda Seyfried (The Dropout), Anne Hathaway (WeCrashed), Daisy Edgar-Jones (Fresh), Elle Fanning (The Girl from Plainville), Jessica Biel (Candy), Lily James (Pam & Tommy) and Margaret Qualley (Maid). “The Staircase” has received 4 nominations in the top categories, as listed below. The HCA will have a two-night celebration at The Beverly Hilton, with the broadcast network and cable TV awards ceremony being held on Aug. 13. The streaming awards ceremony will take place on Aug. 14.

Best Streaming Limited or Anthology Series
Best Writing in a Streaming Limited Series: Antonio Campos
Best Actor in a Streaming Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Best Actress in a Streaming Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

The final episode of “The Staircase” entitled “America’s Sweetheart or: Time Over Time” aired last Thursday, bringing closure to an otherwise ongoing real life saga that will most probably never be solved. Many thanks once again to Jess, who has been capping the entire series for us. Much appreciated.

After navigating a possible retrial, a 73-year-old Michael confronts a life-changing decision. Meanwhile, Martha and Margaret each share long-buried truths, and Sophie comes to terms with a revelation.

Screencaptures from the sixth to seventh episode of “The Staircase” have been added to the photo gallery, with many thanks to Jess for sending them in, much appreciated as always. The final episode will be airing next week.

In 2006, Sophie pursues a far-fetched new theory about the night of Kathleen’s death. Then, in 2017, Michael grapples with compromising his principles in exchange for his freedom. After a body with similar injuries to Kathleen’s turns up at the county morgue, Sophie continues her quest to uncover what really happened to Kathleen. Meanwhile, Martha decides to dig into her fraught past, despite pushback from Margaret.

Screencaptures from the second to fifth episode of “The Staircase” have been added to the photo gallery, with many thanks to Jess for sending them in, much appreciated. Episode 6 has just aired and the remaining two episodes will be shown on HBO Max until the second week of June, so if you haven’t tuned in, make sure to do so.

While working on his defense, Michael considers an opportunity to tell his story in a documentary. As the DA’s office attempts to solidify their case, shocking new details surface about Michael’s past that threaten to derail the defense. After an unexpected homecoming, a critical discovery rocks the Peterson household. Michael’s fate hangs in the balance as the trial ends. In the aftermath of the verdict, the Petersons struggle with the court’s decision, and Michael finds solace in an unlikely friendship from thousands of miles away.