The 2024 Tony Awards nominations were announced on Tuesday, April 30. Out of all the nominees spread across 26 categories, 23 fascinating facts, stats, trivia and achievements stand out as particularly noteworthy.
1. The following shows only received one Tony nomination: “The Great Gatsby,” “Gutenberg! The Musical!,” “Monty Python’s Spamalot,” “Patriots” “Uncle Vanya” and “The Who’s Tommy.”
2. The following Broadway productions from this past season were completely snubbed: “The Cottage,” “Harmony,” “The Heart of Rock and Roll,” “How to Dance in Ohio,” “I Need That,” “Once Upon a One More Time,” “The Shark is Broken” and “The Wiz.”
3. The following individuals nominated last year are recognized again this year: Kai Harada, Tim Hatley, Amy Herzog, Brian d’Arcy James, Natasha Katz, Bradley King, Tom Kitt, Gareth Owen, Emilio Sosa, Jessica Stone, and Kara Young.
SEETony Awards snubs: ‘Patriots,’ Steve Carell, Chip Zien …
4. Some noteworthy names who happen to be nominated for producing at least one...
1. The following shows only received one Tony nomination: “The Great Gatsby,” “Gutenberg! The Musical!,” “Monty Python’s Spamalot,” “Patriots” “Uncle Vanya” and “The Who’s Tommy.”
2. The following Broadway productions from this past season were completely snubbed: “The Cottage,” “Harmony,” “The Heart of Rock and Roll,” “How to Dance in Ohio,” “I Need That,” “Once Upon a One More Time,” “The Shark is Broken” and “The Wiz.”
3. The following individuals nominated last year are recognized again this year: Kai Harada, Tim Hatley, Amy Herzog, Brian d’Arcy James, Natasha Katz, Bradley King, Tom Kitt, Gareth Owen, Emilio Sosa, Jessica Stone, and Kara Young.
SEETony Awards snubs: ‘Patriots,’ Steve Carell, Chip Zien …
4. Some noteworthy names who happen to be nominated for producing at least one...
- 4/30/2024
- by Jeffrey Kare
- Gold Derby
The Alicia Keys musical Hell’s Kitchen and new play Stereophonic, about a fictional band in the 1970s, led the Tony nominations with 13 nominations each.
The Outsiders, a musical based on the 1967 S.E. Hinton book, followed with 12 nominations and the revival of Cabaret, starring Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin, followed with nine nods.
With its 13 noms, Stereophonic set a record for the most Tony nominations for a play, surpassing previous record holder Slave Play’s 12 noms in 2020.
Stereophonic‘s surprisingly strong performance even included a best score nomination despite it being a play.
In the best musical category, Hell’s Kitchen and The Outsiders were nominated, alongside the dance-based show Illionise, with music from Sufjan Stevens’ album and a book by Justin Peck and Jackie Sibblies Drury; Suffs, a musical about the women’s suffrage movement with a score and book by Shaina Taub; and Water for Elephants, based on the 2006 novel,...
The Outsiders, a musical based on the 1967 S.E. Hinton book, followed with 12 nominations and the revival of Cabaret, starring Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin, followed with nine nods.
With its 13 noms, Stereophonic set a record for the most Tony nominations for a play, surpassing previous record holder Slave Play’s 12 noms in 2020.
Stereophonic‘s surprisingly strong performance even included a best score nomination despite it being a play.
In the best musical category, Hell’s Kitchen and The Outsiders were nominated, alongside the dance-based show Illionise, with music from Sufjan Stevens’ album and a book by Justin Peck and Jackie Sibblies Drury; Suffs, a musical about the women’s suffrage movement with a score and book by Shaina Taub; and Water for Elephants, based on the 2006 novel,...
- 4/30/2024
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
On October 14, 1994, Pulp Fiction aired in theatres across the U.S., stunning audiences with its intertwining stories of violence and crime in LA. The film made the careers of John Travolta, Uma Thurman, and Samuel L. Jackson while catapulting Quentin Tarantino to a legendary status among directors. On April 18, the cast gathered at the 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival to celebrate Pulp Fiction‘s 30th anniversary.
The ‘Pulp Fiction’ cast 30 years later John Travolta, Maria De Medeiros, Quentin Tarentino, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, and Samuel L. Jackson at Cannes film Festival in 1994 | FocKan/WireImage
Pulp Fiction first premiered at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Palme d’Or. The movie received seven Oscar nominations at the 67th Academy Awards, including Best Original Screenplay (Tarantino and Avary), Best Picture, Best Director (Tarantino), Best Actor (Travolta), Best Supporting Actor (Jackson), Best Supporting Actress (Thurman), and Best Film Editing. Since then, the...
The ‘Pulp Fiction’ cast 30 years later John Travolta, Maria De Medeiros, Quentin Tarentino, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, and Samuel L. Jackson at Cannes film Festival in 1994 | FocKan/WireImage
Pulp Fiction first premiered at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Palme d’Or. The movie received seven Oscar nominations at the 67th Academy Awards, including Best Original Screenplay (Tarantino and Avary), Best Picture, Best Director (Tarantino), Best Actor (Travolta), Best Supporting Actor (Jackson), Best Supporting Actress (Thurman), and Best Film Editing. Since then, the...
- 4/19/2024
- by Ali Hicks
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Pulp Fiction stars John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman and Harvey Keitel reunited Thursday to celebrate the movie’s 30th Anniversary as part of this year’s TCM Classic Film Festival.
The theme of this year’s festival, which runs through April 21, Is Most Wanted: Crime and Justice in Film. Besides Pulp Fiction, other movies that are included this year are Chinatown, Dirty Harry, Dog Day Afternoon, In Cold Blood, North by Northwest, and On the Waterfront.
As is tradition with the festival, all screenings include special introductions to provide context about the films. Thursday’s screening of Pulp Fiction at the Tcl Chinese Theater included a conversation with Travolta, Thurman, Jackson and Keitel. Other film stars in attendance included Rosanna Arquette, Phil Lamarr, Burr Steers, Eric Stoltz, Julia Sweeney, and Frank Whaley.
Pulp Fiction was released in 1994 and directed by Quentin Tarantino. He and Roger Avary won an Oscar for writing the screenplay.
The theme of this year’s festival, which runs through April 21, Is Most Wanted: Crime and Justice in Film. Besides Pulp Fiction, other movies that are included this year are Chinatown, Dirty Harry, Dog Day Afternoon, In Cold Blood, North by Northwest, and On the Waterfront.
As is tradition with the festival, all screenings include special introductions to provide context about the films. Thursday’s screening of Pulp Fiction at the Tcl Chinese Theater included a conversation with Travolta, Thurman, Jackson and Keitel. Other film stars in attendance included Rosanna Arquette, Phil Lamarr, Burr Steers, Eric Stoltz, Julia Sweeney, and Frank Whaley.
Pulp Fiction was released in 1994 and directed by Quentin Tarantino. He and Roger Avary won an Oscar for writing the screenplay.
- 4/19/2024
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
You know what they say: don’t ask questions you don’t want the answers to. When Beth, a successful memoirist, writes her first novel and asks her husband, Don, for advice, he promises her he likes it. But soon, their long-standing marriage is turned upside down when she overhears him giving his honest reaction. Considered one of 2023’s best films, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tobias Menzies star in the A24 comedy-drama feature “You Hurt My Feelings,” which comes to Paramount+ this Friday, Jan. 26. You can watch with a 7-Day Free Trial of Paramount Plus.
How to Watch Julia Louis-Dreyfus Movie 'You Hurt My Feelings' When: Friday, January 26, 2024 Where: Paramount Plus Stream: Watch with a 7-Day Free Trial of Paramount Plus. Get 30 Days Free$5.99+ / month paramountplus.com
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About Julia Louis-Dreyfus Movie 'You Hurt My Feelings'
Julia Louis-Dreyfus reunites with her...
How to Watch Julia Louis-Dreyfus Movie 'You Hurt My Feelings' When: Friday, January 26, 2024 Where: Paramount Plus Stream: Watch with a 7-Day Free Trial of Paramount Plus. Get 30 Days Free$5.99+ / month paramountplus.com
For a Limited Time, Get 1-Month of Paramount+ With Code: Superbowl.
About Julia Louis-Dreyfus Movie 'You Hurt My Feelings'
Julia Louis-Dreyfus reunites with her...
- 1/26/2024
- by Ashley Steves
- The Streamable
Exclusive: With interest in the great 20th Century American writer Thornton Wilder about to get one of its periodic surges – a major Broadway revival of Our Town is coming this year, and Hello, Dolly!, the musical based on Wilder’s 1954 play The Matchmaker, will open on London’s West End this summer in a revival starring The Crown‘s Imelda Staunton – the estate guarding the author’s works has named its first non-family Literary Executor in 28 years to oversee all of its intellectual properties.
Jeremy McCarter, the former New York Magazine drama critic and co-author with Lin-Manuel Miranda of the bestselling behind-the-scenes non-fiction book Hamilton: The Revolution, has been named Literary Executor of the Wilder Family LLC. He assumes the role this month from Thornton Wilder’s nephew Tappan Wilder, who has held the post since 1995.
Tappan Wilder announced McCarter’s appointment to Deadline today. McCarter will serve as a...
Jeremy McCarter, the former New York Magazine drama critic and co-author with Lin-Manuel Miranda of the bestselling behind-the-scenes non-fiction book Hamilton: The Revolution, has been named Literary Executor of the Wilder Family LLC. He assumes the role this month from Thornton Wilder’s nephew Tappan Wilder, who has held the post since 1995.
Tappan Wilder announced McCarter’s appointment to Deadline today. McCarter will serve as a...
- 1/8/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Top 5 Titles Coming to Paramount+ in January 2024: Golden Globe Awards, 'You Hurt My Feelings,' More
The calendar will soon switch to January and Paramount+ will say goodbye to the holidays and ring in the new season: awards. The road to the Oscars is now in full force, and Paramount+ will bring glitz and glam to its Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers on Sunday, Jan. 7 with the 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards, celebrating the best of this past year’s film and television, including “Maestro,” “Barbie,” “The Color Purple,” “Succession,” “The Bear,” and more.
But if you’re starry-eyed for more than just statuettes, the streamer is adding dozens of originals and library titles alike, including the new British comedy series “Sexy Beast” and this year’s critically acclaimed “You Hurt My Feelings” starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Find out what The Streamable has for our top picks this month and check out the full list of everything coming to the platform this January!
Get 30 Days Free $5.99+ / month paramountplus.
But if you’re starry-eyed for more than just statuettes, the streamer is adding dozens of originals and library titles alike, including the new British comedy series “Sexy Beast” and this year’s critically acclaimed “You Hurt My Feelings” starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Find out what The Streamable has for our top picks this month and check out the full list of everything coming to the platform this January!
Get 30 Days Free $5.99+ / month paramountplus.
- 12/22/2023
- by Ashley Steves
- The Streamable
Exclusive: One of the longest business partnerships in Hollywood is coming to an end. Lisa Kasteler will be retiring from Wolf Kasteler after steering the agency alongside founder Annett Wolf into a PR powerhouse for the past 32 years.
Kasteler will be leaving at the end of the month, winding down a 50-year career in PR, to become Executive Director of the Matthew Perry Foundation. Perry was a client of Kasteler — and the Wolf Kasteler agency — for 28 years until his sudden death Oct. 28 at the age of 54.
Before his passing, Perry had planned to start a foundation to help others overcome drug and alcohol abuse, which he had hoped to be his legacy. His friends and loved ones are now carrying on that legacy with the recently launched Matthew Perry Foundation, which is committed to identifying addiction as a disease, addressing stigmas that prevent individuals from seeking and accessing care, and...
Kasteler will be leaving at the end of the month, winding down a 50-year career in PR, to become Executive Director of the Matthew Perry Foundation. Perry was a client of Kasteler — and the Wolf Kasteler agency — for 28 years until his sudden death Oct. 28 at the age of 54.
Before his passing, Perry had planned to start a foundation to help others overcome drug and alcohol abuse, which he had hoped to be his legacy. His friends and loved ones are now carrying on that legacy with the recently launched Matthew Perry Foundation, which is committed to identifying addiction as a disease, addressing stigmas that prevent individuals from seeking and accessing care, and...
- 12/6/2023
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Samuel Leroy Jackson is a veteran award-winning American actor. Born on December 21, 1948, Jackson is currently the highest-grossing actor of all time. Jackson is married to actress and producer Latanya Richardson. The couple met while Jackson was attending Morehouse College. The couple who have been married for 43 years have a daughter named Zoe. Jackson has been featured in several theatrical works such as Mother Courage and Her Children in 1980, The Mountaintop in 2011, and the 2022 revival of The Piano Lesson, for which he received a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play nomination. Jackson...
- 11/10/2023
- by Nkem
- TVovermind.com
Samuel L. Jackson and his wife, Latanya Richardson Jackson, have been together for more than half of their lives. The couple began dating in 1970 shortly after meeting each other in college. They tied the knot a decade later in 1980 and welcomed their daughter, Zoe Jackson, in 1982. While many celebrity pairs have come and gone over the years, Samuel and Latanya have managed to overcome the odds and become one of the longest-lasting couples in Hollywood.
In a March 2022 interview with People, Latanya said she and her husband are in it for the long haul. "In the beginning, we always said the most revolutionary thing that Black people could do was stay together, raise their children with the nucleus of having a father and a mother, since everybody likes to pretend that that's not the dynamic of the African American family. That it's just children out here being raised by women,...
In a March 2022 interview with People, Latanya said she and her husband are in it for the long haul. "In the beginning, we always said the most revolutionary thing that Black people could do was stay together, raise their children with the nucleus of having a father and a mother, since everybody likes to pretend that that's not the dynamic of the African American family. That it's just children out here being raised by women,...
- 11/7/2023
- by Michele Mendez
- Popsugar.com
Tony winner Kenny Leon will direct a new Broadway production of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town in the fall of 2024, the first revival of the classic play since the 2002 production that starred Paul Newman as the stage manager.
The production dates, cast, and venue will be announced at a later date.
Leon’s many Broadway directing credits include Ohio State Murders, Topdog/Underdog, A Soldier’s Play, American Son and the current Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch starring Leslie Odom Jr. at The Music Box Theatre. He won the 2014 Tony for Best Direction for A Raisin in the Sun starring Denzel Washington, Sophie Okonedo, Latanya Richardson Jackson and Anika Noni Rose.
“Thornton Wilder’s Our Town in my mind stands at the top of the Mount Rushmore of great American Theatre,” said Leon in a statement. “I feel blessed and fortunate to have gained the trust...
The production dates, cast, and venue will be announced at a later date.
Leon’s many Broadway directing credits include Ohio State Murders, Topdog/Underdog, A Soldier’s Play, American Son and the current Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch starring Leslie Odom Jr. at The Music Box Theatre. He won the 2014 Tony for Best Direction for A Raisin in the Sun starring Denzel Washington, Sophie Okonedo, Latanya Richardson Jackson and Anika Noni Rose.
“Thornton Wilder’s Our Town in my mind stands at the top of the Mount Rushmore of great American Theatre,” said Leon in a statement. “I feel blessed and fortunate to have gained the trust...
- 10/27/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Samuel L. Jackson and wife Latanya Richardson Jackson have a date with Women’s Guild Cedars-Sinai.
The couple will take the stage to receive a Hollywood Icon Award at the guild’s Crystal Ball, set to take place at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills on Nov. 9. Kate Flannery is set to host the event, which will also see a Humanitarian Award presented to the Litvack Family and a performance from Grammy Award winner Lisa Loeb.
The Hollywood Icon honorees established the Samuel L. and Latanya R. Jackson Foundation to carry out their commitments to a range of philanthropic causes in the United States and Africa. They were previously honored by the Children’s Defense Fund in 2016 for their work with the org and a focus on the “Leave No Child Behind” mission.
Richardson Jackson has received awards from such organizations as the United Negro College Fund and the N.
The couple will take the stage to receive a Hollywood Icon Award at the guild’s Crystal Ball, set to take place at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills on Nov. 9. Kate Flannery is set to host the event, which will also see a Humanitarian Award presented to the Litvack Family and a performance from Grammy Award winner Lisa Loeb.
The Hollywood Icon honorees established the Samuel L. and Latanya R. Jackson Foundation to carry out their commitments to a range of philanthropic causes in the United States and Africa. They were previously honored by the Children’s Defense Fund in 2016 for their work with the org and a focus on the “Leave No Child Behind” mission.
Richardson Jackson has received awards from such organizations as the United Negro College Fund and the N.
- 10/26/2023
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced the full lineup for their 2023 festival, which will run in person from Oct. 25 to Oct. 29. The festival will feature the world premiere of Rob Reiner’s “Albert Brooks: Defending My Life” and the world premiere of Matthew Brown’s “Freud’s Last Session,” starring Anthony Hopkins and Matthew Goode.
Other titles include Andrew Haigh’s “All of Us Strangers,” Cord Jefferson’s “American Fiction,” Jeff Nichols’ “The Bikeriders,” Mahalia Belo’s “The End We Start From,” Christos Nikou’s “Fingernails,” Michel Franco’s “Memory,” Jessica Yu’s “Quiz Lady” and J.A. Bayona’s “Society of the Snow.”
AFI previously announced that Sam Esmail’s “Leave the World Behind,” starring Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali and Ethan Hawke, will open the festival on Oct. 25. The Leonard Bernstein biopic “Maestro,” directed by and starring Bradley Cooper, will close the festival. “Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story” is the Centerpiece film.
Other titles include Andrew Haigh’s “All of Us Strangers,” Cord Jefferson’s “American Fiction,” Jeff Nichols’ “The Bikeriders,” Mahalia Belo’s “The End We Start From,” Christos Nikou’s “Fingernails,” Michel Franco’s “Memory,” Jessica Yu’s “Quiz Lady” and J.A. Bayona’s “Society of the Snow.”
AFI previously announced that Sam Esmail’s “Leave the World Behind,” starring Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali and Ethan Hawke, will open the festival on Oct. 25. The Leonard Bernstein biopic “Maestro,” directed by and starring Bradley Cooper, will close the festival. “Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story” is the Centerpiece film.
- 9/29/2023
- by Jazz Tangcay, McKinley Franklin, Jaden Thompson and Caroline Brew
- Variety Film + TV
Hollywood actor Samuel L. Jackson and his wife Latanya Richardson Jackson shared a sweet date night at the Elizabeth Taylor Ball to End AIDS Gala held in Beverly Hills. The longtime couple looked snazzy on the red carpet with Samuel wearing a dark navy suit and Latanya dressing in a colourful white, black and yellow printed dress, as they gathered with friends to honor Magic Johnson who received the Elizabeth Taylor Commitment to End AIDS Award, reports ‘People’ magazine.
Angela Bassett and her husband, Courtney B. Vance were hosts for the evening and presented the award to Johnson. Other stars in attendance to support the cause were ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ star Kathy Hilton and Dancing With the Stars pro Gleb Savchenko.
As per ‘People’, in June, Samuel, 74, and Latanya attended the 76th annual Tonys, at which the actor was nominated for best performance by an actor in a...
Angela Bassett and her husband, Courtney B. Vance were hosts for the evening and presented the award to Johnson. Other stars in attendance to support the cause were ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ star Kathy Hilton and Dancing With the Stars pro Gleb Savchenko.
As per ‘People’, in June, Samuel, 74, and Latanya attended the 76th annual Tonys, at which the actor was nominated for best performance by an actor in a...
- 9/23/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Hollywood actor Samuel L. Jackson and his wife Latanya Richardson Jackson shared a sweet date night at the Elizabeth Taylor Ball to End AIDS Gala held in Beverly Hills. The longtime couple looked snazzy on the red carpet with Samuel wearing a dark navy suit and Latanya dressing in a colourful white, black and yellow printed dress, as they gathered with friends to honor Magic Johnson who received the Elizabeth Taylor Commitment to End AIDS Award, reports ‘People’ magazine.
Angela Bassett and her husband, Courtney B. Vance were hosts for the evening and presented the award to Johnson. Other stars in attendance to support the cause were ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ star Kathy Hilton and Dancing With the Stars pro Gleb Savchenko.
As per ‘People’, in June, Samuel, 74, and Latanya attended the 76th annual Tonys, at which the actor was nominated for best performance by an actor in a...
Angela Bassett and her husband, Courtney B. Vance were hosts for the evening and presented the award to Johnson. Other stars in attendance to support the cause were ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ star Kathy Hilton and Dancing With the Stars pro Gleb Savchenko.
As per ‘People’, in June, Samuel, 74, and Latanya attended the 76th annual Tonys, at which the actor was nominated for best performance by an actor in a...
- 9/23/2023
- by Agency News Desk
Magic Johnson estimates that he receives somewhere between 300 and 500 requests every year from organizations all over the United States with offers to honor him or his family. He declines almost all — except the one that he received this year from the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.
The organization rolled out the red carpet for Magic and wife Cookie Johnson to receive the highest honor at the Elizabeth Taylor Ball to End AIDS, a black-tie event that took place at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Thursday evening. The pair turned up alongside their children Andre, Ej and Elisa, and mingled with close friends and celebrity couples like Samuel L. Jackson and Latanya Richardson Jackson and Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance, with the latter pair taking on the task of emceeing the event.
Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance speak onstage.
Magic added that while he agreed to take the stage, he...
The organization rolled out the red carpet for Magic and wife Cookie Johnson to receive the highest honor at the Elizabeth Taylor Ball to End AIDS, a black-tie event that took place at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Thursday evening. The pair turned up alongside their children Andre, Ej and Elisa, and mingled with close friends and celebrity couples like Samuel L. Jackson and Latanya Richardson Jackson and Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance, with the latter pair taking on the task of emceeing the event.
Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance speak onstage.
Magic added that while he agreed to take the stage, he...
- 9/22/2023
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Hollywood star Samuel L Jackson is celebrating a milestone with wife Latanya Richardson Jackson. Recently, the ‘Secret Invasion’ actor, 74, shared a series of photos and a sweet video of them dancing together on Instagram to celebrate their 43 years of marriage, reports People magazine.
In the first shot on his Instagram story, Samuel posted a black and white photo of the pair posing for the camera, with Latanya looking over at Jackson sweetly while he appeared to look down at their joined hands. “Happy Anniversary,” he wrote over the photo, adding that 43 years happened “in the blink of an eye.”
As per People, the star shared a followup shot sitting on a chair with his wife resting her arms on his shoulders. He noted, “It’s 53 really” alongside pink heart emojis. “She test drove me for 10. I passed.”
He finalised the posts with a hilarious video of him and his wife,...
In the first shot on his Instagram story, Samuel posted a black and white photo of the pair posing for the camera, with Latanya looking over at Jackson sweetly while he appeared to look down at their joined hands. “Happy Anniversary,” he wrote over the photo, adding that 43 years happened “in the blink of an eye.”
As per People, the star shared a followup shot sitting on a chair with his wife resting her arms on his shoulders. He noted, “It’s 53 really” alongside pink heart emojis. “She test drove me for 10. I passed.”
He finalised the posts with a hilarious video of him and his wife,...
- 8/20/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Samuel L. Jackson is reaching a golden height in his marriage with Latanya Richardson Jackson: their 43rd anniversary!
The “Pulp Fiction” actor, 74, took to Instagram to upload a series of sweet pics and vids, which showed the happy couple dancing together as they ring in 43 years tied at the knot.
Read More: Scarlett Johansson And Ex Ryan Reynolds Got An Unusual Wedding Gift From Samuel L. Jackson
The first photo snapped to his Story showed the long-lasting couple embracing each other with the caption: “Happy anniversary, 43 years happened in the blink of an eye.”
@samuelljackson/Instagram — Photo: @samuelljackson/Instagram
A second adorable image showed Latanya resting her arm on Jackson’s shoulders with a sweet sentiment written over the pic: “It’s 53 really. She test drove me for 10 !! I passed .”
@samuelljackson/Instagram — Photo: @samuelljackson/Instagram
The final post was the cherry on top of the romantic online celebration, sharing a...
The “Pulp Fiction” actor, 74, took to Instagram to upload a series of sweet pics and vids, which showed the happy couple dancing together as they ring in 43 years tied at the knot.
Read More: Scarlett Johansson And Ex Ryan Reynolds Got An Unusual Wedding Gift From Samuel L. Jackson
The first photo snapped to his Story showed the long-lasting couple embracing each other with the caption: “Happy anniversary, 43 years happened in the blink of an eye.”
@samuelljackson/Instagram — Photo: @samuelljackson/Instagram
A second adorable image showed Latanya resting her arm on Jackson’s shoulders with a sweet sentiment written over the pic: “It’s 53 really. She test drove me for 10 !! I passed .”
@samuelljackson/Instagram — Photo: @samuelljackson/Instagram
The final post was the cherry on top of the romantic online celebration, sharing a...
- 8/19/2023
- by Emerson Pearson
- ET Canada
Samuel L. Jackson is known for his extensive acting career and a lively onscreen persona that often features bouts of colorful dialogue filled with expletives. In addition to his lengthy romance with his work, Samuel is also a dedicated husband of more than 40 years to fellow actor Latanya Richardson Jackson. The couple first met as college students and began dating in 1970. They tied the knot 10 years later in 1980. Together, they share a daughter, reality-tv producer Zoe Jackson.
Samuel and Latanya have even collaborated professionally throughout their relationship. In 2022, the duo worked together on the Broadway play "The Piano Lesson," an adaptation of August Wilson's 1987 play of the same name, which earned Samuel a Tony nomination for best featured actor in a play.
Through thick and thin, Samuel and Latanya have remained one of Hollywood's lasting power couples. Touching on their 50-year bond, the "Shaft" actor previously revealed to People the...
Samuel and Latanya have even collaborated professionally throughout their relationship. In 2022, the duo worked together on the Broadway play "The Piano Lesson," an adaptation of August Wilson's 1987 play of the same name, which earned Samuel a Tony nomination for best featured actor in a play.
Through thick and thin, Samuel and Latanya have remained one of Hollywood's lasting power couples. Touching on their 50-year bond, the "Shaft" actor previously revealed to People the...
- 6/20/2023
- by Alicia Geigel
- Popsugar.com
Samuel L. Jackson was hitting headlines after attending the 2023 Tony Awards on Sunday.
The actor was nominated for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for his role in August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson. However, he lost out to Leopoldstadt star Brandon Uranowitz.
The Piano Lesson was Jackson’s wife Latanya Richardson’s Broadway directorial debut.
Read More: Aaron Rodgers Goes Viral For His Appearance At The 2023 Tony Awards — See The Internet’s Reaction
After failing to win the gong, Jackson was caught on camera looking unimpressed, which quickly sparked an online frenzy.
Some even said he rolled his eyes.
Samuel L. Jackson does not have good non-winner face. I’m sure his eye roll will be a meme. #TonyAwards
— Mindy Benson (@MindyBe) June 12, 2023
Read More: Tony Awards 2023: Alex Newell And J. Harrison Ghee Make History As First Non-Binary Performers To Win Featured And Lead Acting...
The actor was nominated for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for his role in August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson. However, he lost out to Leopoldstadt star Brandon Uranowitz.
The Piano Lesson was Jackson’s wife Latanya Richardson’s Broadway directorial debut.
Read More: Aaron Rodgers Goes Viral For His Appearance At The 2023 Tony Awards — See The Internet’s Reaction
After failing to win the gong, Jackson was caught on camera looking unimpressed, which quickly sparked an online frenzy.
Some even said he rolled his eyes.
Samuel L. Jackson does not have good non-winner face. I’m sure his eye roll will be a meme. #TonyAwards
— Mindy Benson (@MindyBe) June 12, 2023
Read More: Tony Awards 2023: Alex Newell And J. Harrison Ghee Make History As First Non-Binary Performers To Win Featured And Lead Acting...
- 6/12/2023
- by Becca Longmire
- ET Canada
Ariana DeBose kicked off the 2023 Tony Awards without any words, literally.
The Oscar-winning actress, who returned to host the Tony Awards for the second year in a row, began Sunday night’s telecast across CBS and Paramount+ by flipping through empty pages in a binder labeled “script” in a dressing room.
DeBose then danced through the United Palace Theater along with many other dancers in the wordless, music-forward opener, which included a piano performance and instrumental versions of “Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)” and “On Broadway,” the latter co-written by the late Cynthia Weil. DeBose and the dancers moved through the aisles, where the host tried to entice nominee Samuel L. Jackson and Latanya Richardson Jackson, whose production of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson was nominated for best play revival, to dance before she and her fellow performers finished the number onstage.
Taking the microphone, DeBose celebrated the...
The Oscar-winning actress, who returned to host the Tony Awards for the second year in a row, began Sunday night’s telecast across CBS and Paramount+ by flipping through empty pages in a binder labeled “script” in a dressing room.
DeBose then danced through the United Palace Theater along with many other dancers in the wordless, music-forward opener, which included a piano performance and instrumental versions of “Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)” and “On Broadway,” the latter co-written by the late Cynthia Weil. DeBose and the dancers moved through the aisles, where the host tried to entice nominee Samuel L. Jackson and Latanya Richardson Jackson, whose production of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson was nominated for best play revival, to dance before she and her fellow performers finished the number onstage.
Taking the microphone, DeBose celebrated the...
- 6/12/2023
- by Hilary Lewis
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Grammy winner Erykah Badu has joined the all-star ensemble for Netflix’s feature adaptation of August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson.”
The singer-songwriter (“What Men Want”) will make a cameo, delivering “her soulful sound and eclectic style” with musical performances in the film,” starring Oscar winner Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington.
Jackson and Washington reprise their roles from the highly successful Broadway revival of Wilson’s play, which recently received two Tony Award nominations (best revival of a play and best performance by an actor in a featured role in a play for Jackson).
Set in 1936 Pittsburgh during the aftermath of the Great Depression, “The Piano Lesson” follows the lives of the Charles family, a household led by Doaker Charles (Jackson), and an heirloom, the family piano, which is decorated with designs carved by an enslaved ancestor. Washington plays Boy Willie, Doaker’s nephew, a role Jackson originated in the 1987 production.
The singer-songwriter (“What Men Want”) will make a cameo, delivering “her soulful sound and eclectic style” with musical performances in the film,” starring Oscar winner Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington.
Jackson and Washington reprise their roles from the highly successful Broadway revival of Wilson’s play, which recently received two Tony Award nominations (best revival of a play and best performance by an actor in a featured role in a play for Jackson).
Set in 1936 Pittsburgh during the aftermath of the Great Depression, “The Piano Lesson” follows the lives of the Charles family, a household led by Doaker Charles (Jackson), and an heirloom, the family piano, which is decorated with designs carved by an enslaved ancestor. Washington plays Boy Willie, Doaker’s nephew, a role Jackson originated in the 1987 production.
- 5/30/2023
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Kandi Burruss can’t escape the good news — the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter is having the best week ever: She scored an Emmy nomination on Monday and earned a Tony nod on Tuesday, while the 15th season of The Real Housewives of Atlanta returns Sunday.
“I’m overjoyed right now. This is kind of unbelievable,” Burruss told The Hollywood Reporter. “You know how you’ve been speaking things into existence in your life and praying for it and doing all that. But when it actually starts happening in a major way, you’re almost like, ‘Whoa, is this happening?’”
“To have the two nominations happening back-to-back within 24 hours — it was just unbelievable,” she continued.
Burruss, a member of the platinum-selling R&b group Xscape, won the best R&b song Grammy Award in 2000 for co-writing TLC’s pop culture hit “No Scrubs.” As a producer, she’s getting closer to Egot status:...
“I’m overjoyed right now. This is kind of unbelievable,” Burruss told The Hollywood Reporter. “You know how you’ve been speaking things into existence in your life and praying for it and doing all that. But when it actually starts happening in a major way, you’re almost like, ‘Whoa, is this happening?’”
“To have the two nominations happening back-to-back within 24 hours — it was just unbelievable,” she continued.
Burruss, a member of the platinum-selling R&b group Xscape, won the best R&b song Grammy Award in 2000 for co-writing TLC’s pop culture hit “No Scrubs.” As a producer, she’s getting closer to Egot status:...
- 5/5/2023
- by Mesfin Fekadu
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 2023 Tony Awards nominations featured a number of snubs and surprises, including an unexpected six nods for Ain’t No Mo, which closed shortly before the end of 2022 despite a star-studded effort to keep it going.
It seems Tony voters well remembered this fall’s productions, handing out five nods for Cost of Living, which closed in November, and three for KPop, which closed in December.
Another surprise was the strong showing by corn-centric musical Shucked, which landed nine nods.
But Tony voters surprisingly left out a few stars in more recently opened productions: Neither Oscar Isaac nor Rachel Brosnahan were nominated for their leading roles in The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window, and neither Danielle Brooks nor John David Washington were nominated for The Piano Lesson, with director Latanya Richardson Jackson not nominated for directing.
Other well-known stars not nominated include Laura Linney, not nominated for her role in Summer,...
It seems Tony voters well remembered this fall’s productions, handing out five nods for Cost of Living, which closed in November, and three for KPop, which closed in December.
Another surprise was the strong showing by corn-centric musical Shucked, which landed nine nods.
But Tony voters surprisingly left out a few stars in more recently opened productions: Neither Oscar Isaac nor Rachel Brosnahan were nominated for their leading roles in The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window, and neither Danielle Brooks nor John David Washington were nominated for The Piano Lesson, with director Latanya Richardson Jackson not nominated for directing.
Other well-known stars not nominated include Laura Linney, not nominated for her role in Summer,...
- 5/2/2023
- by Hilary Lewis
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Some of the biggest names of Broadway (and Hollywood) won’t be receiving those phone calls of congratulations today as this morning’s Tony Awards nominations included more than a few surprising — or, in some cases, not surprising — omissions.
Aaron Sorkin, whose rewritten book for the classic musical Camelot was not beloved by critics, didn’t get any Tony approval today. His revisions were extensive enough to make him eligible in the Best Book of a Musical category, but he is not among the nominees.
As for lead actors and actresses, Oscar Isaac and Rachel Brosnahan, the bold-name stars of The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window, were overlooked, as was The Piano Lesson‘s John David Washington and Pictures From Home‘s Nathan Lane. Marcel Spears, the star of the acclaimed Fat Ham, was not nominated, nor was Olivier Award winner Hiran Abeysekera (Life of Pi). Jefferson Mays, so...
Aaron Sorkin, whose rewritten book for the classic musical Camelot was not beloved by critics, didn’t get any Tony approval today. His revisions were extensive enough to make him eligible in the Best Book of a Musical category, but he is not among the nominees.
As for lead actors and actresses, Oscar Isaac and Rachel Brosnahan, the bold-name stars of The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window, were overlooked, as was The Piano Lesson‘s John David Washington and Pictures From Home‘s Nathan Lane. Marcel Spears, the star of the acclaimed Fat Ham, was not nominated, nor was Olivier Award winner Hiran Abeysekera (Life of Pi). Jefferson Mays, so...
- 5/2/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
The Drama League today announced the nominations for the 2023 Drama League Awards. Honoring achievements on and Off-Broadway, the nominations were announced this morning by Roger Bart (“Back to the Future: The Musical”) and Justin Guarini (“Once Upon A One More Time”) at the New York Library for the Performing Arts. Winners will be revealed at the 89th Annual Drama League Awards ceremony at the Ziegfeld Ballroom on Friday, May 19, 2023.
“I don’t think I’ve experienced a theater season in New York ever like this one,” noted Artistic Director Gabriel Stelian-Shanks. “There’s been a range, a breadth, an expansion of possibility that has been truly astonishing to witness. Theater makers have inspired not only with their creativity, but also with their drive and determination to serve audiences with vision and talent. These nominees reflect the promise and greatness inherent in the work of theater folk, and I can’t help but be deeply proud.
“I don’t think I’ve experienced a theater season in New York ever like this one,” noted Artistic Director Gabriel Stelian-Shanks. “There’s been a range, a breadth, an expansion of possibility that has been truly astonishing to witness. Theater makers have inspired not only with their creativity, but also with their drive and determination to serve audiences with vision and talent. These nominees reflect the promise and greatness inherent in the work of theater folk, and I can’t help but be deeply proud.
- 4/25/2023
- by Sam Eckmann
- Gold Derby
Dr. Maggie Pierce treated her last patient at Grey Sloan Memorial Thursday, after nine seasons as a core member of the “Grey’s Anatomy” cast.
For Kelly McCreary, the actress behind the talented cardiothoracic surgeon and Meredith Grey’s (Ellen Pompeo) half-sister, the ABC medical drama’s two-hour farewell gave her the perfect vehicle to honor Maggie’s journey, and to close a major chapter in her own life and career.
“It meant a lot to me,” McCreary told TheWrap about the episodes. “When I spoke to Krista [Vernoff, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ showrunner and executive producer], after she agreed to let Maggie go, I said it’d be very nice to be able to have scenes that feel like closure with all of the characters that have meant something to Maggie … my homies, my family that I’ve been doing this with for such a long time.”
“I felt really lucky. [Maggie] is...
For Kelly McCreary, the actress behind the talented cardiothoracic surgeon and Meredith Grey’s (Ellen Pompeo) half-sister, the ABC medical drama’s two-hour farewell gave her the perfect vehicle to honor Maggie’s journey, and to close a major chapter in her own life and career.
“It meant a lot to me,” McCreary told TheWrap about the episodes. “When I spoke to Krista [Vernoff, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ showrunner and executive producer], after she agreed to let Maggie go, I said it’d be very nice to be able to have scenes that feel like closure with all of the characters that have meant something to Maggie … my homies, my family that I’ve been doing this with for such a long time.”
“I felt really lucky. [Maggie] is...
- 4/14/2023
- by Jose Alejandro Bastidas
- The Wrap
[This story contains spoilers from the April 13 episode of Grey’s Anatomy, “Shadow of Your Love/Mama Who Bore Me.”]
After nine seasons of playing Dr. Maggie Pierce, Kelly McCreary has said farewell to Grey’s Anatomy.
The April 13 episode — a double hour with “Shadow of Your Love/Mama Who Bore Me” — brought Maggie’s arc to a crossroad after weeks of marital tension with husband Winston Ndugu (Anthony Hill) as the brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon found herself in a professional crisis: Stay and work on her marriage or accept the once-in-a-lifetime offer at the Heart Center of Chicago?
To help Maggie make her decision, Grey’s Anatomy invoked Maggie’s lineage. The half-sister to Meredith Grey shares a birth mother with Ellen Pompeo’s titular character, Ellis Grey (Kate Burton). The late world-famous surgeon has always loomed large over both of her now also world-famous surgeon daughters, and McCreary says Ellis’ role in Maggie’s life has been the North Star...
After nine seasons of playing Dr. Maggie Pierce, Kelly McCreary has said farewell to Grey’s Anatomy.
The April 13 episode — a double hour with “Shadow of Your Love/Mama Who Bore Me” — brought Maggie’s arc to a crossroad after weeks of marital tension with husband Winston Ndugu (Anthony Hill) as the brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon found herself in a professional crisis: Stay and work on her marriage or accept the once-in-a-lifetime offer at the Heart Center of Chicago?
To help Maggie make her decision, Grey’s Anatomy invoked Maggie’s lineage. The half-sister to Meredith Grey shares a birth mother with Ellen Pompeo’s titular character, Ellis Grey (Kate Burton). The late world-famous surgeon has always loomed large over both of her now also world-famous surgeon daughters, and McCreary says Ellis’ role in Maggie’s life has been the North Star...
- 4/14/2023
- by Jackie Strause
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The all-star cast for Netflix’s adaptation of August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson” has been revealed.
Oscar winner Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington will star in the feature film, reprising their roles from the highly successful Broadway revival of Wilson’s play, which recently concluded its run at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.
Set in 1936 Pittsburgh during the aftermath of the Great Depression, “The Piano Lesson” follows the lives of the Charles family, a household led by Doaker Charles (Jackson), and an heirloom, the family piano, which is decorated with designs carved by an enslaved ancestor. Washington plays Boy Willie, Doaker’s nephew, a role Jackson originated in the 1987 production.
The Netflix adaptation, announced in 2021, is directed by Malcolm Washington from a screenplay he adapted with Virgil Williams. The film also stars Ray Fisher, Danielle Deadwyler, Michael Potts and Corey Hawkins.
Fisher and Potts appeared alongside Jackson and Washington in the stage production,...
Oscar winner Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington will star in the feature film, reprising their roles from the highly successful Broadway revival of Wilson’s play, which recently concluded its run at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.
Set in 1936 Pittsburgh during the aftermath of the Great Depression, “The Piano Lesson” follows the lives of the Charles family, a household led by Doaker Charles (Jackson), and an heirloom, the family piano, which is decorated with designs carved by an enslaved ancestor. Washington plays Boy Willie, Doaker’s nephew, a role Jackson originated in the 1987 production.
The Netflix adaptation, announced in 2021, is directed by Malcolm Washington from a screenplay he adapted with Virgil Williams. The film also stars Ray Fisher, Danielle Deadwyler, Michael Potts and Corey Hawkins.
Fisher and Potts appeared alongside Jackson and Washington in the stage production,...
- 4/13/2023
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning stage play The Piano Lesson is set for a film adaptation for Netflix, with Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington starring after they wrapped a successful Broadway revival co-starring Danielle Brooks.
The film will also follow Netflix’s adaptation of another August Wilson play, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which starred Viola Davis, who also appeared alongside John David Washington’s father, Denzel Washington, in a movie adaptation of another Wilson play, Fences. Denzel Washington and Davis also starred in the 2020 Netflix documentary Giving Voice, which explored the legacy of Wilson as a playwright.
Denzel’s son Malcolm Washington will direct the film adaptation of The Piano Lesson, based on a screenplay he penned with Virgil Williams. Denzel Washington will produce the film along with Todd Black.
The Piano Lesson screen adaptation follows Latanya Richardson Jackson directing her husband, Samuel L. Jackson, on Broadway...
The film will also follow Netflix’s adaptation of another August Wilson play, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which starred Viola Davis, who also appeared alongside John David Washington’s father, Denzel Washington, in a movie adaptation of another Wilson play, Fences. Denzel Washington and Davis also starred in the 2020 Netflix documentary Giving Voice, which explored the legacy of Wilson as a playwright.
Denzel’s son Malcolm Washington will direct the film adaptation of The Piano Lesson, based on a screenplay he penned with Virgil Williams. Denzel Washington will produce the film along with Todd Black.
The Piano Lesson screen adaptation follows Latanya Richardson Jackson directing her husband, Samuel L. Jackson, on Broadway...
- 4/13/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
What’s love without a little bit of lies? That’s the question in A24 and FilmNation’s final trailer for “You Hurt My Feelings.”
Written and directed by Nicole Holofcener, “You Hurt My Feelings” is a comedy drama that tells the story of a group of longtime couples who are struggling with keeping themselves honest when it comes to their partners.
The film centers on a novelist named Beth, who ends up walking in on her longtime husband expressing how he isn’t too fond of her latest book. On the other side, Don comes to the realization that he may be lacking in his profession. As each character grapples with how to deliver hard truths, the film’s trailer shows love often comes with a little bit of lies.
Also Read:
Andy Kaufman Will Be Inducted Into the WWE Hall of Fame
“He’s been lying to me this whole time,...
Written and directed by Nicole Holofcener, “You Hurt My Feelings” is a comedy drama that tells the story of a group of longtime couples who are struggling with keeping themselves honest when it comes to their partners.
The film centers on a novelist named Beth, who ends up walking in on her longtime husband expressing how he isn’t too fond of her latest book. On the other side, Don comes to the realization that he may be lacking in his profession. As each character grapples with how to deliver hard truths, the film’s trailer shows love often comes with a little bit of lies.
Also Read:
Andy Kaufman Will Be Inducted Into the WWE Hall of Fame
“He’s been lying to me this whole time,...
- 3/21/2023
- by Raquel "Rocky" Harris
- The Wrap
Attorneys for Jussie Smollett filed their appeal of his conviction on Wednesday, as they seek to keep him from having to go back to jail on hate crime hoax charges.
Smollett was released a year ago pending his appeal, after serving six days of his 150-day sentence. Attorneys for the former “Empire” actor were originally due to file his appellate brief last August, but have been granted five extensions of that deadline.
Smollett was convicted in December 2021 of lying to police when he claimed to have been assaulted by two men who shouted homophobic and racist slurs, poured a chemical substance on him, and put a rope around his neck.
After initially treating the case as a genuine hate crime, Chicago detectives ultimately concluded that Smollett had paid two men $3,500 to stage the attack.
In the appellate brief, Smollett’s attorneys argue that the trial judge, James Linn, made a series of reversible errors,...
Smollett was released a year ago pending his appeal, after serving six days of his 150-day sentence. Attorneys for the former “Empire” actor were originally due to file his appellate brief last August, but have been granted five extensions of that deadline.
Smollett was convicted in December 2021 of lying to police when he claimed to have been assaulted by two men who shouted homophobic and racist slurs, poured a chemical substance on him, and put a rope around his neck.
After initially treating the case as a genuine hate crime, Chicago detectives ultimately concluded that Smollett had paid two men $3,500 to stage the attack.
In the appellate brief, Smollett’s attorneys argue that the trial judge, James Linn, made a series of reversible errors,...
- 3/2/2023
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
In March 2005, ABC premiered a medical procedural as a midseason replacement for “Boston Legal.” It featured no huge names and wasn’t helmed by an auteur writer: “Grey’s Anatomy” came out of nowhere to become a primetime phenomenon. The series about a group of surgical interns learning their craft, falling in and out of love, and working at a hospital that is a hotbed for large-scale crises has been on the air for 19 seasons and is the longest-running drama series ABC has ever aired.
“Grey’s Anatomy” was applauded for its “blind-casting” which generated an organically diverse cast. Whether you loved Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), a hyper-competitive surgeon with no stomach for bullshit; Alex Karev (Justin Chambers), the original class bully with a soft interior; Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl), a former lingerie model who feels she has something to prove; George O’Malley (T.R. Knight), the lovable pushover with a heart of...
“Grey’s Anatomy” was applauded for its “blind-casting” which generated an organically diverse cast. Whether you loved Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), a hyper-competitive surgeon with no stomach for bullshit; Alex Karev (Justin Chambers), the original class bully with a soft interior; Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl), a former lingerie model who feels she has something to prove; George O’Malley (T.R. Knight), the lovable pushover with a heart of...
- 2/17/2023
- by Radhika Menon
- Indiewire
Statement Films – the women-led, data-driven entertainment startup – has announced that it has secured an initial three quarters of a million dollars of funding from an array of titans across Hollywood, Sports and Business, including Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Samuel L. Jackson, and Latanya Richardson Jackson.
Founded by writer, producer, and political analyst, Areej Noor, Statement Films sources, develops and presents a pipeline of African-women-led IP to international buyers, bridging the gap between African and Diaspora women filmmakers and the global market.
It showcases the growing collaboration and stewardship between Black America and Africa. A Somali-American, Noor was born in Washington D.C. to a prominent global women’s rights activist turned political strategist. The stories of powerful women from around the world were abundant in Noor’s childhood, inspiring her to build an inclusive global community of influential African women creatives.
Areej Noor comments, “I grew up exposed to incredibly creative...
Founded by writer, producer, and political analyst, Areej Noor, Statement Films sources, develops and presents a pipeline of African-women-led IP to international buyers, bridging the gap between African and Diaspora women filmmakers and the global market.
It showcases the growing collaboration and stewardship between Black America and Africa. A Somali-American, Noor was born in Washington D.C. to a prominent global women’s rights activist turned political strategist. The stories of powerful women from around the world were abundant in Noor’s childhood, inspiring her to build an inclusive global community of influential African women creatives.
Areej Noor comments, “I grew up exposed to incredibly creative...
- 2/8/2023
- Look to the Stars
NBA legend Magic Johnson, Oscar winner Samuel L. Jackson and Tony-nominated actor, director and producer Latanya Richardson Jackson are among the latest backers of Statement Films, a women-led entertainment start-up that was created to bridge the gap between African and diaspora women creators and the global marketplace. The company announced the news on Thursday during the Joburg Film Festival.
Areej Noor (Courtesy of Statement Films)
Founded by writer and producer Areej Noor, Statement Films is focused on finding and developing IP from African women creators. The company raised 750,000 in a round of funding that included the celebrities and a host of business leaders.
Born in Washington, D.C., to a prominent global women’s rights activist turned political strategist, Noor is a writer, producer, political analyst and entrepreneur whose career includes stints at MSNBC and Al Jazeera English.
“I grew up exposed to incredibly creative and powerful stories of African women,...
Areej Noor (Courtesy of Statement Films)
Founded by writer and producer Areej Noor, Statement Films is focused on finding and developing IP from African women creators. The company raised 750,000 in a round of funding that included the celebrities and a host of business leaders.
Born in Washington, D.C., to a prominent global women’s rights activist turned political strategist, Noor is a writer, producer, political analyst and entrepreneur whose career includes stints at MSNBC and Al Jazeera English.
“I grew up exposed to incredibly creative and powerful stories of African women,...
- 2/2/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
The long-running The Phantom of the Opera was once again Broadway’s highest grossing show last week, taking in a mighty 2,483,532 for the week ending Jan. 29, outpacing runners-up Funny Girl and Hamilton by a noticeable margin.
The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical at the Majestic has experienced a remarkable resurgence in interest (and box office) since announcing a closing date last year. Earlier this month, Phantom reported its 20 millionth audience member since opening in 1988.
Overall, the 23 Broadway shows on the boards last week held steady with the previous week, grossing 25,705,039, with attendance of 206,578 at about 94 of capacity. The average ticket price for all the shows was 124.43, reflecting the discount pricing of some shows during the annual NYC Broadway Week promotion (which continues through Feb. 12).
Samuel L. Jackson, Ray Fisher, ‘The Piano Lesson’
In its final week of performances, August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson,...
The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical at the Majestic has experienced a remarkable resurgence in interest (and box office) since announcing a closing date last year. Earlier this month, Phantom reported its 20 millionth audience member since opening in 1988.
Overall, the 23 Broadway shows on the boards last week held steady with the previous week, grossing 25,705,039, with attendance of 206,578 at about 94 of capacity. The average ticket price for all the shows was 124.43, reflecting the discount pricing of some shows during the annual NYC Broadway Week promotion (which continues through Feb. 12).
Samuel L. Jackson, Ray Fisher, ‘The Piano Lesson’
In its final week of performances, August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson,...
- 1/31/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ best big-screen work is hands down starring opposite James Gandolfini in Nicole Holofcener’s tender 2013 comedy drama Enough Said. It’s a pleasure to see the actress back together with the writer-director for You Hurt My Feelings, and even if the new film for A24 is more muted in its emotional resonance, it’s still a winning collaboration. Peopled with fondly observed yet credibly imperfect characters played by a well-chosen cast, this is very much a sophisticated New York City comedy of a type that’s slipped largely out of fashion, and its slight retro feel is part of its charm.
Perhaps it’s inevitable that any movie in which Louis-Dreyfus plays one of a bunch of Manhattanites all fixated to an often neurotic degree on their own mostly minor problems will evoke memories of Seinfeld. But Holofcener never slips into sitcom mode.
She deftly pulls you in...
Perhaps it’s inevitable that any movie in which Louis-Dreyfus plays one of a bunch of Manhattanites all fixated to an often neurotic degree on their own mostly minor problems will evoke memories of Seinfeld. But Holofcener never slips into sitcom mode.
She deftly pulls you in...
- 1/23/2023
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
On my way down to Tribeca to meet actor John David Washington for lunch, I had a lot of questions swirling in my head that made me nervous about our encounter. I am meeting a man who comes from a Hollywood dynasty of sorts. Washington has had so many experiences, what questions could I possibly ask that would make our conversation relatable and engaging. John David is the oldest of four children and his parents are two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington and actress/singer Pauletta Washington.
At the age of seven, he appeared as a student in a Harlem classroom in Spike Lee’s 1992 feature film Malcolm X, which starred his father in the titular role. As he grew older, his interest shifted to something a bit more physical. He started his professional football career at Morehouse College in Atlanta, and then signed on with the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent.
At the age of seven, he appeared as a student in a Harlem classroom in Spike Lee’s 1992 feature film Malcolm X, which starred his father in the titular role. As he grew older, his interest shifted to something a bit more physical. He started his professional football career at Morehouse College in Atlanta, and then signed on with the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent.
- 1/18/2023
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
“August Wilson had this amazing innate ability to capture our history, our story, our cultures, our dreams, our hopes, our fears, our wants and desires — all of it within the American Century cycle,” The Piano Lesson producer Brian Anthony Moreland tells The Hollywood Reporter over the phone in December. “But what sets The Piano Lesson apart [in the Century Cycle] is easy. It’s legacy. It has always been about legacy.”
Since opening in October, The Piano Lesson has offered theatergoers a chance to reexamine both the legacy and lessons of all of Wilson’s work through its single story — now the late writer’s highest-grossing play on Broadway and highest-grossing revival of any play this season. It’s an opportunity that has brought to the fore the unique relationship the playwright’s work frequently has not only with audiences, but the Black artists across generations who serve as the beneficiaries and guardians of...
Since opening in October, The Piano Lesson has offered theatergoers a chance to reexamine both the legacy and lessons of all of Wilson’s work through its single story — now the late writer’s highest-grossing play on Broadway and highest-grossing revival of any play this season. It’s an opportunity that has brought to the fore the unique relationship the playwright’s work frequently has not only with audiences, but the Black artists across generations who serve as the beneficiaries and guardians of...
- 1/8/2023
- by Abbey White
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Actor Samuel L Jackson’s 74th birthday was marred by controversy after fans noticed his Twitter account had “liked” a string of hardcore p*rnography sites. The actor’s favoured tweets feed was full of videos from Twitter user @blackpanda_00, which included a man involved in an intimate act and men and women having sex, as well as other explicit clips, reports aceshowbiz.com.
It is not known whether the likes are the result of his Twitter account being run by a third party or if the actor, who turned 74 on Wednesday, December 21, may have been hacked.
After Jackson’s name started trending due to the likes, they were removed – but not before his followers’ screen-grabbed them and shared them online with comments about his supposed taste in adult material.
One fan joked he had an “old freaky a**” while others leapt to the “Snakes on a Plane” veteran’s defence,...
It is not known whether the likes are the result of his Twitter account being run by a third party or if the actor, who turned 74 on Wednesday, December 21, may have been hacked.
After Jackson’s name started trending due to the likes, they were removed – but not before his followers’ screen-grabbed them and shared them online with comments about his supposed taste in adult material.
One fan joked he had an “old freaky a**” while others leapt to the “Snakes on a Plane” veteran’s defence,...
- 12/23/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
Ain’t No Mo’, the Broadway debut of author and star Jordan E. Cooper, opened at the Belasco Theatre on Dec. 1 to the sort of reviews producers and playwrights dream about. Even the few critics who weren’t completely won over couldn’t help but point out a singular brilliance at work here, not to mention a stars-in-the-making cast and more laugh-out-loud moments than most of the rest of Broadway combined. A celebrity-packed opening night, with producer Lee Daniels greeting a crowd that included Gabrielle Union, Dwayne Wade and C. J. Uzomah – who happen to be among the starry cohort of co-producers – as well as Matthew Broderick, Tamron Hall, Deborah Cox, Stephanie Mills, Latanya Richardson Jackson, Susan Kelechi Watson, Camryn Manheim, Tony Kushner, Tituss Burgess, Gayle King, Pat Williams, Christopher Sieber, Jennifer Simard, Colton Ryan, Ari’el Stachel and Timothy Olyphant suggested nothing less than the buzzy arrival of Broadway’s next big thing,...
- 12/13/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
August Wilson, widely considered one of the greatest American playwrights of the 20th Century, was the bard of the black experience. Wilson’s play The Piano Lesson, part of his American Century Cycle, with one play representing each decade of the African-American experience, is set in 1953. An engaging revival of the 1990 play, which is directed by Latanya Richardson Jackson, is now heating up Broadway, telling the tale of generational trauma through the Charles family’s fighting over a haunted piano.
Bernice (Danielle Brooks) fights with brother Willie Boy over the fate of an old family piano – Bernice wants to preserve the heirloom and all it represents while Willie Boy demands to sell it to finance his acquisition of land down south. Knockout performances by Washington and Brooks animate the production while the supporting cast, including Samuel L. Jackson (husband of the director), round out the stellar ensemble. This is one Lesson not to be missed.
Bernice (Danielle Brooks) fights with brother Willie Boy over the fate of an old family piano – Bernice wants to preserve the heirloom and all it represents while Willie Boy demands to sell it to finance his acquisition of land down south. Knockout performances by Washington and Brooks animate the production while the supporting cast, including Samuel L. Jackson (husband of the director), round out the stellar ensemble. This is one Lesson not to be missed.
- 11/29/2022
- by Erik Meers
- Uinterview
Click here to read the full article.
Latanya Richardson Jackson’s star-studded helming of August Wilson’s fourth Pittsburgh Cycle entry The Piano Lesson is extending its Broadway run.
On Thursday, the play’s producers Brian Anthony Moreland, Sonia Friedman, Tom Kirdahy, Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker announced that the revival will now close on Jan. 29 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.
The show, which opened on Oct. 13 for a 17-week engagement, stars Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington and Danielle Brooks. The ensemble also includes Ray Fisher, Trai Byers, April Matthis, Michael Potts, Nadia Daniel and Jurnee Swan.
Opening more than 30 years after its Broadway debut in 1990 at the Walter Kerr Theatre, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Piano Lesson revival has since become the highest-grossing revival of a play on Broadway. The production doubles both as Tony Award nominee Richardson Jackson’s Broadway directorial debut and as the first Wilson play staged...
Latanya Richardson Jackson’s star-studded helming of August Wilson’s fourth Pittsburgh Cycle entry The Piano Lesson is extending its Broadway run.
On Thursday, the play’s producers Brian Anthony Moreland, Sonia Friedman, Tom Kirdahy, Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker announced that the revival will now close on Jan. 29 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.
The show, which opened on Oct. 13 for a 17-week engagement, stars Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington and Danielle Brooks. The ensemble also includes Ray Fisher, Trai Byers, April Matthis, Michael Potts, Nadia Daniel and Jurnee Swan.
Opening more than 30 years after its Broadway debut in 1990 at the Walter Kerr Theatre, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Piano Lesson revival has since become the highest-grossing revival of a play on Broadway. The production doubles both as Tony Award nominee Richardson Jackson’s Broadway directorial debut and as the first Wilson play staged...
- 11/17/2022
- by Abbey White
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
As stars such as Samuel L. Jackson, Danielle Brooks, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and more come to Broadway this season, the African American Film Critics Association celebrated the pipeline of talent between Hollywood and the theater industry.
“Everything starts at Broadway,” said Gil Robertson, president of the Aafca. “It’s the original training ground.”
In the group’s inaugural event, which took place Monday at the Lamb’s Club in New York, the association honored cast and creatives from this Broadway season including Latanya Richardson Jackson, director of The Piano Lesson, Wendell Pierce, currently starring in Death of a Salesman, Jordan E. Cooper, playwright of Ain’t No Mo’, as well as the revival of Suzan-Lori Parks’ play Topdog/Underdog, which stars Abdul-Mateen and Corey Hawkins.
John Douglas Thompson, a classically trained actor who starred on Broadway in productions such as Julius Cesar and...
As stars such as Samuel L. Jackson, Danielle Brooks, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and more come to Broadway this season, the African American Film Critics Association celebrated the pipeline of talent between Hollywood and the theater industry.
“Everything starts at Broadway,” said Gil Robertson, president of the Aafca. “It’s the original training ground.”
In the group’s inaugural event, which took place Monday at the Lamb’s Club in New York, the association honored cast and creatives from this Broadway season including Latanya Richardson Jackson, director of The Piano Lesson, Wendell Pierce, currently starring in Death of a Salesman, Jordan E. Cooper, playwright of Ain’t No Mo’, as well as the revival of Suzan-Lori Parks’ play Topdog/Underdog, which stars Abdul-Mateen and Corey Hawkins.
John Douglas Thompson, a classically trained actor who starred on Broadway in productions such as Julius Cesar and...
- 10/18/2022
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
There’s abundant magic still in The Piano Lesson, August Wilson’s grand, 1987 Pulitzer Prize winning tale of a Black family torn between legacy and ambition, the past and the future, and, it’s not an overstatement to note, between life and death.
In the new beautifully performed production opening on Broadway tonight at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, first-time Broadway director Latanya Richardson Jackson unveils a great deal of that magic – and not always in the places you’d expect. Yes, there are the flashes of the supernatural visitations and omens that the playwright mined from Blues mythology and African American folklore, but the magic Jackson conjures from her cast is one of the most impressive displays currently on Broadway.
Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, and Danielle Brooks are only the most obvious names...
In the new beautifully performed production opening on Broadway tonight at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, first-time Broadway director Latanya Richardson Jackson unveils a great deal of that magic – and not always in the places you’d expect. Yes, there are the flashes of the supernatural visitations and omens that the playwright mined from Blues mythology and African American folklore, but the magic Jackson conjures from her cast is one of the most impressive displays currently on Broadway.
Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, and Danielle Brooks are only the most obvious names...
- 10/14/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
One of the most symphonic works of August Wilson’s ten-play cycle about Black experience in the 20th Century, The Piano Lesson takes place in Pittsburgh in 1936, as the Great Migration was delivering African Americans to an uncertain future in the North, even as the brutal legacy of their Southern past maintained its hold on them. That difficult reconciliation with the promise of freedom is represented through a brother and sister at odds over the family heirloom, a piano polished with the tears and blood of their late mother.
The musical instrument at the center of their standoff is among Wilson’s most powerfully loaded symbols, its woodwork adorned with ornate carvings of the siblings’ enslaved ancestors done by their great grandfather. And its history is recounted here as a mesmerizing invocation of the past by Samuel L. Jackson in a thrilling return...
One of the most symphonic works of August Wilson’s ten-play cycle about Black experience in the 20th Century, The Piano Lesson takes place in Pittsburgh in 1936, as the Great Migration was delivering African Americans to an uncertain future in the North, even as the brutal legacy of their Southern past maintained its hold on them. That difficult reconciliation with the promise of freedom is represented through a brother and sister at odds over the family heirloom, a piano polished with the tears and blood of their late mother.
The musical instrument at the center of their standoff is among Wilson’s most powerfully loaded symbols, its woodwork adorned with ornate carvings of the siblings’ enslaved ancestors done by their great grandfather. And its history is recounted here as a mesmerizing invocation of the past by Samuel L. Jackson in a thrilling return...
- 10/14/2022
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The African American Film Critics Association will present Aafca Salutes Broadway on Monday, October 17th at the Lamb’s Club in New York’s theater district.
“It’s no secret that some of our greatest actors have come from the stage or have tested their chops on it,” says Aafca co-founder, Gil Robertson IV. “Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, and Ossie Davis are just a handful of our beloved icons for which this was true, with Tony winners Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Audra McDonald, Adrienne Warren, and Myles Frost among those continuing that legacy. As a reliable pipeline for outstanding Black talent in front of the camera as well as behind it, Hollywood has benefited greatly from this esteemed training ground and Aafca Salutes Broadway celebrates that rich heritage.”
The inaugural ceremony spotlights several established actors who are best known for their work in film and TV, but who have returned to the stage this fall,...
“It’s no secret that some of our greatest actors have come from the stage or have tested their chops on it,” says Aafca co-founder, Gil Robertson IV. “Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, and Ossie Davis are just a handful of our beloved icons for which this was true, with Tony winners Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Audra McDonald, Adrienne Warren, and Myles Frost among those continuing that legacy. As a reliable pipeline for outstanding Black talent in front of the camera as well as behind it, Hollywood has benefited greatly from this esteemed training ground and Aafca Salutes Broadway celebrates that rich heritage.”
The inaugural ceremony spotlights several established actors who are best known for their work in film and TV, but who have returned to the stage this fall,...
- 10/12/2022
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
“Death of a Salesman” actor Wendell Pierce, “The Piano Lesson” director Latanya Richardson Jackson and “Till” star John Douglas Thompson are among the honorees set for the inaugural Salute to Broadway presented by the African American Film Critics Association.
The event is set for Oct. 17 at The Lambs Club in the heart of Midtown’s theater district.
“It’s no secret that some of our greatest actors have come from the stage or have tested their chops on it,” said Gil Robertson, co-founder of Aafca. “Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis are just a handful of our beloved icons for which this was true, with Tony winners Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Audra McDonald, Adrienne Warren and Myles Frost among those continuing that legacy. As a reliable pipeline for outstanding Black talent in front of the camera as well as behind it, Hollywood has benefited greatly from this esteemed training...
The event is set for Oct. 17 at The Lambs Club in the heart of Midtown’s theater district.
“It’s no secret that some of our greatest actors have come from the stage or have tested their chops on it,” said Gil Robertson, co-founder of Aafca. “Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis are just a handful of our beloved icons for which this was true, with Tony winners Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Audra McDonald, Adrienne Warren and Myles Frost among those continuing that legacy. As a reliable pipeline for outstanding Black talent in front of the camera as well as behind it, Hollywood has benefited greatly from this esteemed training...
- 10/12/2022
- by William Earl
- Variety Film + TV
James Earl Jones – one of the most distinctive voices in the history of film – appears to have made steps to step back from voicing the Star Wars character, Darth Vader, after nearly 40 years in the role.
Vanity Fair reports that the actor, aged 91, has signed over the rights to his voice to filmmakers using new AI, technology, Matthew Wood of Lucasfilm told the magazine that the actor “wished to keep Vader alive”
“He had mentioned he was looking into winding down this particular character,” Wood told Vanity Fair. “So how do we move forward?”
Jones made his debut as the legendary Star Wars villain in the 1977 film, and followed this up with voicing the same character throughout the franchise up to this point on both the big and small screen. He most recently starred as the character for the new Obi-Wan Kenobi series on Disney+.
While actor David Prowse dressed...
Vanity Fair reports that the actor, aged 91, has signed over the rights to his voice to filmmakers using new AI, technology, Matthew Wood of Lucasfilm told the magazine that the actor “wished to keep Vader alive”
“He had mentioned he was looking into winding down this particular character,” Wood told Vanity Fair. “So how do we move forward?”
Jones made his debut as the legendary Star Wars villain in the 1977 film, and followed this up with voicing the same character throughout the franchise up to this point on both the big and small screen. He most recently starred as the character for the new Obi-Wan Kenobi series on Disney+.
While actor David Prowse dressed...
- 9/24/2022
- by Caroline Frost
- Deadline Film + TV
Emma Watson shows off her fashionable side in a sheer white dress at a charity event. Pic credit: ©ImageCollect.com/Christopher Smith/AdMedia
Actress and director Emma Watson has been busy on social media after a months-long break and is showing her fashionable side.
Her latest project has been directing and starring in Prada’s Paradoxe campaign, where she used her platform to hire women creatives behind the scenes.
The reusable perfume bottle style also matches Emma’s commitment to promoting sustainable products, as the bottle remains useful after the perfume is gone.
Once again taking a stand, Emma attended the Kering Foundation’s Caring for Women Dinner on Thursday night in New York City.
The charitable event was hosted by Anderson Cooper and co-chaired by Salma Hayek and her husband, Francois-Henri Pinault, Gisele Bundchen, Latanya Richardson Jackson, Samuel L. Jackson, Julie Mehretu, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan,...
Actress and director Emma Watson has been busy on social media after a months-long break and is showing her fashionable side.
Her latest project has been directing and starring in Prada’s Paradoxe campaign, where she used her platform to hire women creatives behind the scenes.
The reusable perfume bottle style also matches Emma’s commitment to promoting sustainable products, as the bottle remains useful after the perfume is gone.
Once again taking a stand, Emma attended the Kering Foundation’s Caring for Women Dinner on Thursday night in New York City.
The charitable event was hosted by Anderson Cooper and co-chaired by Salma Hayek and her husband, Francois-Henri Pinault, Gisele Bundchen, Latanya Richardson Jackson, Samuel L. Jackson, Julie Mehretu, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan,...
- 9/16/2022
- by Devin Piel
- Monsters and Critics
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