By Canadian Press

Pharrell, Beastie Boys, RZA, halftime show score Emmy nods

Jul 29, 2020 | 7:38 AM

NEW YORK — Grammy-winners including Pharrell Williams, the Beastie Boys and Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor have a chance of winning their first-ever honours at the Emmy Awards, where Jennifer Lopez and Shakira’s show-stopping halftime show performance also earned multiple nominations.

“Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show Starring Jennifer Lopez And Shakira” picked up four nominations, including outstanding variety special (live). It was not clear if Lopez and Shakira were specifically nominated, though Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars have earned Emmy nominations as halftime show performers in the past.

A Television Academy spokesperson told The Associated Press on Tuesday that “the final list of eligible entrants on the program ballots won’t be determined for a few weeks. Until that time, we cannot confirm their inclusion in the nomination.”

It was also unclear if Jay-Z would earn a nomination as a producer since his Roc Nation entertainment company came onboard to produce this year’s halftime show, which also picked up nods for its direction, lighting design and musical direction.

Williams, who has 13 Grammys, is a two-time Oscar nominee and has also competed for a Golden Globe and Daytime Emmy, is nominated for outstanding original music and lyrics for “Letter to My Godfather” from “The Black Godfather,” the Netflix documentary about music executive Clarence Avant. Williams shares the nomination with his longtime Neptunes producing partner Chad Hugo.

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“It’s an honour to share the legend of Clarence Avant, a man who has never stopped fighting for social justice in entertainment, athletics and politics. His impact on culture connects us all,” Williams said in a statement.

Others battling Williams and Hugo for the Emmy include Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails (“Watchmen”), producer-singer Labrinth (“Euphoria”) and singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson (“Little Fires Everywhere”).

Reznor and Ross have both won the Oscar and Grammy. For their work on “Watchmen,” they scored a second Emmy nomination for outstanding music composition for a limited series, movie or special. In a statement, the duo thanked the Television Academy, adding: “Making Watchmen was daunting, terrifying, intimidating, ecstatic and incredibly rewarding. We emerge inspired, smarter, momentarily more confident and very proud to have been a part of it.”

Grammy-nominated Labrinth, who has produced for Beyoncé, the Weeknd and Ed Sheeran and collaborated with Sia and Diplo in the supergroup LSD, earned a second nod for outstanding music composition for a series for “Euphoria.” Actress-singer Zendaya earned a lead drama actress nod for the hit HBO series.

The Apple TV+ documentary “Beastie Boys Story” picked up five nominations, including two specific bids for band members Mike “Mike D” Diamond and Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz. They earned nominations as producers for outstanding documentary or nonfiction special and as writers for outstanding writing for a nonfiction program.

Bette Midler, a two-time Oscar nominee and an Emmy, Grammy and Tony winner, is up for outstanding guest actress in a comedy series for “The Politician.” Netflix’s “Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings: These Old Bones,” which the country music icon executive produced, is nominated for outstanding television movie.

Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA scored a nomination for outstanding original main title theme music for the Hulu series “Wu-Tang: An American Saga,” while frequent Childish Gambino collaborator Ludwig Göransson — who has won three Grammys as well as an Oscar for scoring “Black Panther” — is nominated for outstanding music composition for a series for Disney+’s “The Mandalorian.”

Sheila E. and production duo Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis picked up nominations for outstanding music direction for their work on the TV special “Let’s Go Crazy: The Grammy Salute to Prince.” The 2020 Grammy Awards earned four nominations for its direction, lighting design, sound mixing and production design.

The hit series “The Masked Singer” earned two nominations, including outstanding competition program, earning a nod for actor-rapper-TV host Nick Cannon, one of the show’s executive producers. “The Voice” picked up six nominations.

Jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington, who composed music for the Michelle Obama documentary “Becoming,” picked up a nomination for outstanding music composition for a documentary series of special.

Mesfin Fekadu, The Associated Press