| | | | | | What's news: Sarah Paulson, Daniel Radcliffe and Jeremy Strong have all won their first Tony Awards. Zhang Yimou will direct a Three-Body Problem feature film. Billie Eilish has become the third artist to surpass 100m monthly listeners on Spotify. A Blue Beetle animated series is in the works. Kenya Moore has been suspended indefinitely from The Real Housewives of Atlanta. — Abid Rahman
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Tony Awards 2024 ►🏆 Felicitations! 🏆 The Outsiders was named best musical, while Merrily We Roll Along won best revival of a musical at the 77th Tony Awards held on Sunday. Among the other big prizes, Stereophonic was named best play, while Appropriate won the award for best revival of a play. Sarah Paulson, Daniel Radcliffe and Jeremy Strong all took home their first Tonys, and Dede Ayite became the first Black woman to win a Tony for best costume design of a play. The winners.
—Snubs, shutouts and surprises. Hell’s Kitchen had been tied with Stereophonic as the most-nominated productions this year with 13, but ended the night losing the top prize of best musical and winning only two awards. But arguably the biggest snub of the night was the best direction of a musical loss for Merrily We Roll Along's Maria Friedman, who had been the favorite to win and had been credited with transforming the 1981 flop into a hit revival. The snubs.
—Unforgettable moments. From Ariana DeBose’s opener to Alicia Keys’ performance and Daniel Radcliffe’s win, Sunday night's Tonys featured several firsts, standout performances and fashion moments. THR's has put together the highlights from the show. The moments.
—"A demonstration of the fiercely independent spirit that has long defined the Tonys." THR's executive editor of awards coverage Scott Feinberg offers his take on the 2024 Tony Awards. Scott writes that Sunday's ceremony was packed with A-list Hollywood talent, but most of the big prizes were taken home by Broadway's own. The analysis.
More from the 2024 Tony Awards...
—Angelina Jolie and daughter Vivienne, Alicia Keys and more stars walk Tonys red carpet
—Angelina Jolie and Debra Martin Chase win best musical for The Outsiders
—Daniel Radcliffe wins first Tony for Merrily We Roll Along
—Ariana DeBose tells Tony nominees “this party’s for you” with opening number
—Alicia Keys and Jay-Z perform "Empire State of Mind"
—Jeremy Strong wins first Tony, thanks theater staff
—Dede Ayite becomes first Black woman to win Tony for best costume design of a play |
Biden and Obama Rip Trump During Starry L.A. Fundraiser ►"I have to say it’s humbling to have this group of incredible artists and advocates stand beside us in this election." Joe Biden and Hollywood A-listers shared the stage inside Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater on Saturday night for what turned out to be a record-setting Democratic fundraising haul for the president's reelection campaign netted more than $30m from the one-night-only event. THR's nicest man Chris Gardner reports that George Clooney, Barack Obama, Julia Roberts and Jimmy Kimmel were among the starry names to make an appearance, although the shadow of Donald Trump loomed large. The story.
—Game over. A federal judge on Friday ordered the liquidation of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones‘ personal assets but dismissed his company’s separate bankruptcy case, leaving the immediate future of his Infowars media platform uncertain as he owes $1.5b for his false claims that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax. Judge Christopher Lopez approved converting Jones’ proposed personal bankruptcy reorganization to a liquidation. The story.
—Handed back. Sean "Diddy" Combs returned his key to New York City last week following a request from Mayor Eric Adams after the release of a 2016 video that showed the music mogul attacking his ex-girlfriend, Cassie. Adam’s office requested the key’s return on June 4, following the video’s release in May. A letter from the mayor sent to Combs’ offices in New York and Los Angeles noted he was "deeply disturbed" by the attack and added, "I strongly condemn these actions and stand in solidarity with all survivors of domestic and gender-based violence." The story. |
Bonnie Hammer Is Calling Bullsh** ► "We’ve been brought up on the myth that you can have it all, but it’s a crock of sh**." In THR's latest Table for 2, NBCUniversal vice chair and, now, bestselling author Bonnie Hammer talks to Lacey Rose and gets real about her triumphs and failures, and why the current industry panic is probably overblown. The interview.
—Brutal. Corus Entertainment has replaced president and CEO Doug Murphy with co-CEOs a week after the Canadian broadcaster lost the rights to key Warner Bros. Discovery channels to rival Rogers Sports and Media. On Monday morning, Corus said Murphy took “an early retirement,” effective immediately, and will be replaced as co-CEOs by Troy Reeb and John Gossling. The move follows Corus on June 10 being told by WBD that, starting in January, major lifestyle brands like HGTV, Food Network and OWN would go to rival Rogers as part of a new multi-year licensing deal. The story.
—💯 club. Billie Eilish has set another record! The Grammy and Oscar winner has become only the third artist to surpass 100m monthly listeners on Spotify. And she did it with just 82 songs in her music catalog. Eilish follows The Weeknd, who has 107m monthly listeners, and Taylor Swift, who has 102m. However, both artists have more than double the songs on Spotify than the “Lunch” singer. The new milestone also makes Eilish, 22, the youngest artist yet to reach the 100m monthly listeners mark. The story. |
'Inside Out 2' Opens to Massive $295M Globally ►We are so back! In a joyous comeback for Pixar, Inside Out 2 opened to a massive $155m domestically over Father’s Day weekend — well ahead of an expected $90m — to secure the second-biggest animated launch of all time for a three-day weekend, not adjusted for inflation. It also did historic business overseas, where it opened to a record $140m for a global total of $295m, the biggest opening of all time for an animated film in like-for-like markets when accounting for exchange rates.
THR's Pamela McClintock writes that Inside Out 2 is just what the doctor ordered for Pixar, which has endured several years of strife, including when the former Disney regime decided to send a trio of Pixar films straight to streaming. Inside Out 2 earned glowing reviews and boasts a Rotten Tomatoes critics score of 93 percent. It earned an A CinemaScore, while the Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 96 percent is a Pixar-best.
Heading into the weekend, the $200m sequel was tracking for a North American debut in the $90m range, in line with the first film, which went on to earn nearly $860m globally. Instead, Inside Out 2 is the first movie since Barbie almost a year ago to cross $100m in its launch, a symbol of just how beleaguered the box office has been so far in 2024 due to strike-related delays and a precipitous downturn in moviegoing. The box office report.
—Partying like it's 2016. In another huge box office boost for Disney, Marvel's wildly anticipated Deadpool & Wolverine has landed a day-and-date release in China on July 26. THR's Patrick Brzeski writes that the surprise decision from China's film regulators gives the Merc with a Mouth permission to launch simultaneously in North America and China for the very first time. Disney hasn’t said publicly whether censorship changes will be made to Deadpool 3, but anyone familiar with both the franchise and Chinese regulators’ usual M.O. will know that at least some tweaks can be expected. The story.
—Anime back on top. Japanese volleyball anime movie Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle dominated ticket weekend sales during a downbeat period for moviegoing in China. Haikyuu!! won the Friday-to-Sunday frame with a $9.8m debut. Holdover local youth comedy, Be My Friend, from Wanda Pictures, scored second place with $4m. Guan Hu’s acclaimed offbeat drama Black Dog, which won the Cannes Film Festival’s Prix Un Certain Regard, opened like a niche arthouse offering, taking in $2.4m. The China box office report. |
Zhang Yimou to Direct 'Three-Body Problem' Movie ►Auteurist take. Liu Cixin's best-selling sci-fi book The Three-Body Problem is heading home to China to get another screen adaptation. Zhang Yimou, arguably China’s most revered living filmmaker, is set to direct a Chinese-language feature film based on the novel, it was revealed Sunday during a forum at the Shanghai International Film festival. In the West, the best-known adaptation, of course, is Netflix’s big-budget take, restyled as 3 Body Problem, and helmed by Alexander Woo and Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. The story.
—🏆 Lescargot! 🏆 Adam Elliot’s oddball Aussie feature Memoir of a Snail has won the Cristal award for best feature film at the 2024 Annecy Film Festival, the world’s leading international animation fest. The dark dramedy, about a lonely, snail-obsessed hoarder — voiced by Succession star Sarah Snook — recounting her life story to one of her beloved gastropods, is Elliot’s first feature since 2009’s Mary and Max, which also won the top honor at Annecy. The story.
—🤝 Settlement 🤝 Columbia Pictures and George Gallo, who wrote the story that was developed into the 1995 action hit Bad Boys, have settled a lawsuit over the rights to the movie franchise. Both sides, in a joint court filing on Friday, notified the court of a settlement. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. Bad Boys, which marked Michael Bay’s first feature and starred Martin Lawrence and Will Smith, has spawned three sequels and a TV spinoff. A fourth installment to the franchise debuted last week to strong box office numbers. The story.
—🎭 Newcomer 🎭 Audrina Miranda is joining Universal’s new Jurassic World feature. She joins an ensemble cast that already includes Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Rupert Friend, Mahershala Ali, Luna Blaise and David Iacono. Miranda began her performing career in the dancing world, working with top choreographers and on projects with Nickelodeon, Dancing With the Stars and Lopez vs Lopez on NBC. The story.
—Scribe found. THR's Borys Kit has the scoop that Terry Matalas, the showrunner who steered the final season of Star Trek: Picard to new ratings and critical heights, has been tapped to write an update of the 1985 cult sci-fi movie Enemy Mine for 20th Century Studios. Set in a future where mankind is warring with a reptilian alien species, the original film starred Dennis Quaid has a human pilot and Louis Gossett Jr. as an alien who crash-land on a desolate planet. The story. |
Ben Winston Talks Grammys, 'Kardashians' Future and Ellen Special ►"I really try and protect my heart and not get too excited about things." THR's Mikey O'Connell spoke to ever-busy TV producer Ben Winston. The Emmy-winning Fulwell 73 partner describes the fun distraction of making the seating chart while producing the Grammys — "It's like doing the best ever wedding" — and teases something he's doing for the upcoming Paris Olympics. The interview.
—End of an era. Charles Barkley revealed on Friday that he would be retiring from his duties as a longtime TV broadcaster following the 2024-25 season. The NBA legend has served as a studio host for TNT‘s Inside the NBA since 2000. His announcement also came amid Warner Bros. Discovery’s uncertainty regarding its media rights to the NBA next year, talks in which Barkley himself has played a starring role. The story.
—No Moore. Kenya Moore has been suspended indefinitely from The Real Housewives of Atlanta, which is currently filming its 16th season. The suspension reportedly came after Moore allegedly displayed posters with explicit images of franchise newcomer Brittany Eady at the grand opening of her Kenya Moore Hair Spa in Atlanta, Georgia, last week. The story.
—Bring back Uncle Rudy! Warner Bros. Animation and DC Studios are developing an animated series based Blue Beetle. The potential show would follow on the 2023 feature film, which starred Xolo Maridueña as the title character. Miguel Puga (Nickelodeon’s The Casagrandes) is serving as showrunner and director on the animated project, with Cristian Martinez (Good Trouble) writing. The Blue Beetle film’s writer, Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, and director, Angel Manuel Soto, are on board as EPs. The story. |
'House of the Dragon' Boss on That Brutal S2 Premiere Scene ►"It was less about trying to top the book." THR's James Hibberd spoke to House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal, who breaks down the climactic scene from the first episode of season two of the HBO show. Condal discusses adapting George R.R. Martin's infamous "Blood and Cheese" sequence and also weighs in on that new Stark. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"We decided to go with radical change." House of the Dragon season two opened with a striking new credits sequence that instantly looks like an upgrade from the first season. Ryan Condal explains the new opener, which will evolve as the series progresses. The story.
—"A show divided against itself." ICYMI, here is Angie Han's review of House of the Dragon. War threatens to take over the continent as the late king's two eldest children grapple for control of the Iron Throne in the show's sophomore outing. The review. |
Film Review: 'Spermageddon' ►"Some viewers may need to wear protection." THR's Jordan Mintzer reviews Ramsus A. Silversten and Tommy Wirkola's Spermageddon. The Norwegian director behind Dead Snow teams up with animator Silversten for a sexually explicit cartoon comedy about two sperm cells vying to reach an egg. The review.
—"Ultra cute." Jordan reviews Shannon Tindle's Ultraman: Rising. The Netflix animated feature offers a new take on a classic Japanese series created in the 1960s. The review.
—"Manhattan muydah mystery." Jordan reviews Daniel Robbins' Bad Shabbos. Premiering at Tribeca, Kyra Sedgwick and Method Man lead an ensemble piece about a Shabbat dinner that flies seriously off the rails. The review.
—"A group hug with laughs and tears." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Page Hurwitz's Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution. Lily Tomlin, Margaret Cho, Eddie Izzard and Sandra Bernhard are among the queer comics sharing their experiences in this archive-rich study. The review.
In other news...
—Heading to Europe to see Taylor Swift? The best new hotels along the Eras Tour summer stops
—Beauty Bacchanal: Dior takes over The Beverly Hills Hotel Pool and Spa
—Tony Mordente, original West Side Story actor on stage and screen, dies at 88
—Angela Bofill, “I Try” and “I’m On Your Side” singer, dies at 70
—Kevin Brophy, star of Lucan and Hell Night, dies at 70
What else we're reading...
—Ben Smith looks at how French ad giant Publicis managed to sprint clear of rivals WPP, Interpublic and Omnicom [Semafor]
—Neil Shah tries to explain why pop music is so meh right now [WSJ]
—Eva Rothenberg reports on the mounting chaos at the Washington Post after two further damning stories about the executive leadership dropped over the weekend [CNN]
— Anna Bogutskaya writes that Malaysia banning the film Tiger Stripes, a coming-of-age tale about women's periods, is part of wider reluctance to show menstruation on screen [BBC]
—Eduardo Medina reports that the popularity of Bad Bunny, Daddy Yankee and other reggaeton artists has led to an explosion in people wanting to learn Puerto Rican Spanish [NYT]
Today...
...in 1987, Stanley Kubrick’s anti-war Vietnam film Full Metal Jacket premiered in Beverly Hills. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Kendrick Lamar (37), Ken Loach (88), Will Forte (54), Jodie Whittaker (42), Thomas Haden Church (64), Greg Kinnear (61), Michael Showalter (54), Louis Leterrier (51), Barry Manilow (81), Monica Barbaro (34), Odessa A'zion (24), Arthur Darvill (42), Bobby Farrelly (66), Scott Adkins (48), Marie Avgeropoulos (38), Jon Gries (67), Jason Patric (58), Staz Nair (33), John Gallagher Jr. (40), Manish Dayal (41), K.J. Apa (27), Jennifer Irwin (49), Heather Mazur (48), Mark Linn-Baker (70), Joshua Leonard (49), Kelly Curtis (68), Rebecca Breeds (37), Louise Delamere (55), Tramell Tillman (39), Lane Bradbury (86), Joe Piscopo (73), Denis Lavant (63) |
| Hiram Kasten, a comedian well-known across the New York comedy club circuit and in shows such as Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, has died. He was 71. The obituary. |
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