Winners at Sunday night's Tony Awards were quick to express support for the WGA and striking writers, but the ceremony itself, broadcast on CBS and streamed on Paramount+, might well have been at cross-purposes. The harsh truth is, the show didn’t seem to suffer much at all without writers.
No scripted banter, acceptance speeches kept to a minimum, a charming, seemingly off-the-cuff hosting performance by Ariana DeBose – all made for a terrific evening that showcased Broadway in just the right light. Even the new venue – new for the Tonys, that is – turned in a star performance: the United Palace in New York City’s Washington Heights looked absolutely gorgeous. >>>Memorable Moments & Highlights
More Tony Coverage:
Complete List Of Winners: ‘Kimberly Akimbo’ Wins Best Musical; ‘Leopoldstadt’ Takes Best Play
Is ‘Leopoldstadt’ The Last Of A Dying Breed? Producer Sonia Friedman Wonders
Alex Newell Of ‘Shucked’ And J. Harrison Ghee Of ‘Some Like It Hot’ Become First Openly Nonbinary Tony Winners
Winners Photo Gallery: Sean Hayes, J. Harrison Ghee, Jodie Comer & More |
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Beasts Dominant, Spidey Strong - This weekend, Paramount/Skydance/Hasbro’s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts won the domestic frame with a $60.5M debut ($170.5M global), edging the sophomore session of Sony Animation’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse which now counts $225.4M in North America and $390M worldwide , overtaking the previous instalment on both fronts. There’s a lot to be happy about in the theatrical marketplace when two movies which are big draws among diverse demos battle it out. >>>How Can Smaller Films Fight Through?
'Eric Larue' Review - Eric Larue is an account of the after effects of a school shooting with the focus almost entirely on the parents of that boy who shot and killed three male classmates and is now in prison. For his feature film directorial debut, Michael Shannon was most interested in looking at the effects of this life-changing incident from the point of view of the parents: those of the kids killed and, particularly, the pair of the young teen who murdered them. >>> Pete Hammond's Take
Changes At Warner Bros. Animation - As the shockwaves continue to reverberate from Tuesday’s news of the planned merger of Saudi-backed LIV Golf and the PGA Tour, it appears likely that a lot more foreign money will soon start to flow into U.S. sports. That was the consensus on a panel of sports media veterans assembled Thursday at Gabelli Funds’ 15th annual Media and Entertainment Symposium in New York, a group that included CAA Sports co-head Michael Levine, consultant Sal Galatioto and Forbes editor Michael Ozanian. >>> Latest Properties Being Developed
"Why I Admire Screenwriters" - "Writers have always been the best part of the film business," writes Deadline's Michael Cieply, "curious, vibrant, engaging, intelligent, long-suffering, unstoppable people who are, through all the ups and downs, great fun to be with. Actors make your head spin. Executives give you the run-around. Producers, a lot of them, will pick your pocket if you don’t watch out. Directors, well, direct." But writers, he says, "tend to be almost painfully human." >>> Read The Column |
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In a special edition of Deadline's video series Behind the Lens, Jessica Chastain joins Pete Hammond from our studio in New York City, where she has been performing eight times a week on stage, to talk about all of this success from movies to television to Broadway. In particular she discuss the challenges of playing someone so well known as Tammy Wynette, and that includes doing her own singing in the role — and doing it live to boot. She also talks about what the Best Actress Oscar for in The Eyes of Tammy Faye meant to her, and how she is processing her return to the stage after all this time. Another strong of aspect of her career discussed: female empowerment, and how as a producer she is making sure women are getting their due both in front of and behind the lens. >>> Watch The Video |
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Exclusive
Maddie and Bill’s precautious daughter will look a little different in the upcoming third season of Sweet Magnolias. Ella Grace Helton (Chosen Family) has joined the popular Netflix family drama, whose third season premieres July 20, in a recasting. Helton replaces Bianca Berry Tarantino, who had to exit ahead of the third season due to scheduling conflicts.
Following the release of Paramount/eOne fantasy pic Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves to over $200M at the global box office, Golden Globe winner Hugh Grant has entered talks to star in Heretic, a new horror film to be directed for A24 by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, who also penned the script. |
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More News
🦊 Fox Corp. has sent former Fox News host Tucker Carlson a cease-and-desist letter over his new show on Twitter, alleging it is a breach of his contract.
🏁 Actor Michael Fassbender, returning for a second stint as a driver in France's Le Mans 24-hour race, crashed his Porsche 911 but was unhurt, according to Eurosport.
📣 Amber Heard will make her first promotional appearance on behalf of a film in some time, backing In the Fire as it makes its world premiere at the 69th Taormina Film Festival later this month.
📺 Citadel, Amazon Studios' big-budget drama starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Richard Madden, has failed to make recent Nielsen U.S. streaming charts. In April, Amazon Studios boss Jennifer Salke said it “attracted one of the largest global audiences in the history of Prime Video." Odetta Watkins, Head of Drama Series, Amazon Studios, last weekend explained, "as the franchise grows, I feel like the numbers will grow all over, including domestically."
👫 Sarah Jessica Parker plans to make her debut on London’s West End next year, alongside husband and three time Tony-winner Matthew Broderick. They will play three different couples staying in one hotel room – Suite 719 of the Plaza hotel in New York – in a new adaptation of Neil Simon’s play Plaza Suite. The couple has previously starred in the same production on Broadway. The London show will debut at the Savoy Theatre in January 2024.
👑 The Crown will reportedly pay tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II in the hit drama’s final season by recruiting all three actresses – Claire Foy, Olivia Colman and Imelda Staunton – who have earlier starred in the role for a series of special scenes. Additionally, a new actress, Viola Prettejohn, will join the cast to play the younger Elizabeth, when still a princess, during World War II.
🐦 Twitter owner Elon Musk is courting other television news anchors to pivot to his platform like Tucker Carlson. "It’d be great to have [Rachel Maddow], Don Lemon & others on the left put their shows on this platform. No exclusivity or legal docs required!" he tweeted Thursday. Musk continued, "You will receive our full support. The digital town square is for all." |
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Trending  Save for a surprise set at the 2022 Newport Folk Festival, in the past two decades you could’t buy a ticket to a Joni Mitchell concert . That changed Saturday night, as the 79-year-old Mitchell returned to the stage at the Gorge Amphitheater in Quincy, WA. The momentous occasion was marked by guest performances from Annie Lennox, Brandi Carlile, Blake Mills, Lucius, Sarah McLachlan, Marcus Mumrod, Celisse and Taylor Goldsmith in an ensemble performance dubbed the “Joni Jam.”
🔻 There will be no second season for Walker Independence. Efforts to find a new home for the CBS Studios-produced Walker spinoff were unsuccessful following cancellation by the CW, sources have confirmed to Deadline. |
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Obituaries
🕯 Silvio Berlusconi, the controversial former Italian Prime Minister and media mogul, has died aged 86. Local press said Berlusconi died at the San Raffaele hospital in Milan. He had been in poor health and, in April, was treated for a lung infection linked to a previously undisclosed case of chronic leukaemia. 🕯 Actor and comedian Mike Batayeh, best known for his role as laundromat manager Dennis Markowski on Breaking Bad , has died. He was 52. Batayeh died June 1 in his sleep of a heart attack at his Michigan home, his family said in a statement. 🕯 Paul Geoffrey, who starred as Perceival in the film Excalibur and had many other film and TV credits, died June 3 in Santa Fe, New Mexico from cancer, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican. Excalibur was a 1981 fantasy film written and directed by John Boorman which retold the King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table legend. 🕯 ESPN director Kyle Brown died suddenly on Saturday after suffering a “medical emergency” at an NCAA baseball super regional in Winston Salem, N.C., the network announced. He was 42. 🕯 Theodore “Ted” Kaczynski, the Harvard-educated mathematician who ran a 17-year bombing campaign that killed three people and injured 23 others, died Saturday. He was 81. Kaczynski has been portrayed in multiple TV and film projects. 🕯 Hollywood & Media Deaths in 2023: A Photo Gallery |
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On the Radar
Mon - California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Hannity
Tue - Trump court date
Wed - Screenwriters Everywhere global rally
Thu - Black Mirror S6 premiere
Fri - The Flash and Elemental open |
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Starry Night - Lea Michelle wasn't nominated at this year's Tony Awards, but she brought some star power to the red carpet and during the telecast, where she performed “Don't Rain on My Parade” from Funny Girl. |
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