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‘Game of Thrones’ earns a leading 19 Emmy nods

By WTOP Staff

LYNN ELBER
AP Television Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Emmy voters may need to steel themselves to sort through this year’s top nominees: a macabre, medieval-style tale; a meth kingpin and his violent downfall; a bleak mystery about detectives tracking a ritual killer, and a heartbreaking saga of the AIDS epidemic’s roots.

Small-screen fare has steadily been pushed into bolder, even brilliant territory by cable and, now, online offerings, and it’s enticing the TV academy to recognize programs that are more emotionally and dramatically complex — as well as sexually explicit and, for better or worse, much more violent.

In this widely proclaimed golden age of television-plus, the brutal fantasy saga “Game of Thrones,” based on the work of novelist George R.R. Martin, emerged Thursday as the leading nominee with 19 nods. Dramas “Breaking Bad” and “True Detective” and movie “The Normal Heart” are among the other front-runners.

That’s just for starters. The self-evidently titled “American Horror Story: Coven,” along with “Fargo,” a riff on the black comedy film of the same name, are provocative miniseries hopefuls for the awards airing on NBC in August.

The academy’s broadening embrace includes individual performers as well. They gay rights group GLAAD saluted Laverne Cox’s guest-actress nod for “Orange is the New Black” as the first for an openly transgender person.

Emmy has welcomed change before, giving a best-drama award to breakthrough 1980s police drama “Hill Street Blues” for its unprecedented grit and honesty. But it took four tries for “Breaking Bad,” one of the most lavishly praised TV series ever but with an anti-hero at its center, to capture a best drama trophy. It won last year.

Whether 21st-century voters will go far enough to crown “Game of Thrones” with the top drama award is an intriguing question. With the exception of “Lost,” shows that fall within the fantasy and sci-fi genres have fallen short, although they have reaped other awards such as Peter Dinklage’s 2011 supporting actor award for “Game of Thrones.” He’s nominated again this year.

“Voters like shows that feel more real and important in terms of today’s social or political topics,” said Tom O’Neil, author of “The Emmys” and organizer of the Gold Derby awards website.

The best drama contenders besides the nicknamed “GOT” are “Breaking Bad,” ”Downton Abbey,” ”House of Cards,” ”Mad Men” and “True Detective.”

Netflix’s political thriller “House of Cards,” which made a breakthrough last year as the first online series nominated for a major award, has the chance again at Emmy victory. The prison-set “Orange is the New Black,” also from Netflix, leaped that barrier on the flip side this time around with a bid for best comedy series, along with a nod for star Taylor Schilling.

Also competing for best comedy honors are “The Big Bang Theory,” ”Louie,” ”Silicon Valley,” ”Veep,” and “Modern Family,” a four-time winner that has the chance to tie “Frasier” as the all-time winning sitcom with one more award.

There were so many such candidates for the six best drama slots that the critically acclaimed “Masters of Sex” and “The Good Wife” were among those that failed to make the cut. For the latter, coming off a daring season in which a major character died, the snub provoked a flood of online fan dismay.

It may be time for the Emmys to follow cousin Oscar, which has expanded its best picture category to encompass up to 10 nominees.

The 66th prime-time Emmy Awards ceremony certainly will have big-screen star power to spare. This year’s Academy Awards best-actor winner Matthew McConaughey (“Dallas Buyers Club”) and nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor (“12 Years a Slave”) are both nominees for TV projects, as are past Oscar winners, including Julia Roberts, Jane Fonda and Billy Bob Thornton.

McConaughey and “True Detective” co-star Harrelson both will vie for best drama actor honors, along with four-time winner Cranston for “Breaking Bad,” Jon Hamm for “Mad Men,” Kevin Spacey for “House of Cards,” and Jeff Daniels for “The Newsroom,” who won the Emmy last year.

Nominees in the lead actress drama category are last year’s winner, “Homeland” star Claire Danes along with Lizzy Caplan for “Masters of Sex,” Michelle Dockery for “Downton Abbey,” Julianna Margulies for “The Good Wife,” Kerry Washington for “Scandal” and Robin Wright for “House of Cards.”

The 66th Primetime Emmy Awards will air Monday, Aug. 25, on NBC, with emcee Seth Meyers, the former “Saturday Night Live” player and new NBC late-night host. The ceremony, traditionally held on Sunday, was moved to avoid a conflict with NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” and with MTV’s Video Music Awards.

HBO received a leading 99 nominations, followed by CBS with 47; NBC, 46; FX Networks, 45; ABC, 37; PBS, 34; AMC, 26; Netflix, 31; Showtime, 24; Comedy Central, 21; Lifetime, 17, and Fox, 18.

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Online: http://www.emmys.com

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Lynn Elber is a national television columnist for The Associated Press. She can be reached at lelber@ap.org and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lynnelber .

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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