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72nd Tony Awards: De Niro Gets Bleeped, Garfield’s Speech, The Band’s Visit Tops & Parkland Students’ Emotional Performance
Sunday night on CBS, the 72nd Annual Tony Awards were presented at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, Hosted by Josh Groban and Sarah Bareilles, there were several notable moments in the show.
The evening’s big winner took home 10 Tonys, and that was the Best Musical recipient, The Band’s Visit. Of the nominees in the category, The Band’s Visit was the critical darling with its social and political message. The musical is based on a 2007 Israeli film of the same name. It centers on members of an Egyptian police orchestra booked to play a concert at the Israeli city of Petah Tikvah, who mistakenly wind up in the wrong town. Over the next few hours, the townspeople and the musicians learn about each other and themselves.
Tony Shalhoub took home Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his work in The Band’s Visit. In his acceptance speech, he spoke to immigrants building a life in the United States: “I want to connect this moment to a moment that occurred nearly a century ago in 1920 when my father arrived on a boat from Lebanon and first set foot here on Ellis Island. He was then just a boy of 8. Disembarked on Ellis Island just a few short miles from this very spot. So tonight I celebrate him and all of those whose family journeyed before him and with him and after him.”
The most talked about moment that will be remembered, when all is said and done, was Robert De Niro coming to the stage to introduce a performance by Bruce Springsteen. When De Niro got to the mic, he shocked all and said: “First, I wanna say, ‘f**k Trump,'” He then added: “It’s no longer ‘Down with Trump,’ it’s ‘f**k Trump.'” U.S. viewers at home heard dead silence, though in other regions the f-bombs reportedly weren’t censored. The expletives sparked a huge reaction from the audience, with many of the celebrities standing up.
However, the acceptance speech of the night belonged to Andrew Garfield, who took home the Tony for Best Leading Actor in a Play for his turn as Prior Walter in the revival of Angels In America.
Garfield expressed: “At a moment in time, where maybe the most important thing we remember right now is the sanctity of the human spirit, it is the profound privilege of my life to play Prior Walter in Angels in America, because he represents the purest spirit of humanity and especially that of the LGBTQ community. It is a spirit that says ‘no’ to oppression, it is a spirit that says ‘no’ to bigotry, ‘no’ to shame, ‘no’ to exclusion. It is a spirit that says we are all made perfectly and we all belong. So, I dedicate this award to the countless LGBTQ people who have fought and died to protect that spirit, to protect that message, for the right to live and love as we are created to.”
Then the actor closed his acceptance speech with this message based off the recent Supreme Court ruling where a gay couple was denied a custom wedding cake to be made for their nuptials, because of the religious beliefs of a Colorado baker. The court ruled to absolve the baker of discrimination. Garfield shared: “We are all sacred and we all belong, so let’s just bake a cake for everyone who wants a cake to be baked. Thank you so much”
In a surprise appearance at the Tony Awards, 16 students from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School drama department took to the stage. What happened next was the most touching moment of the evening. With the iconic melody of “Seasons of Love” beginning to play, a chorus of voices began their rendition of the hit song from Rent. The performance brought the audience to its feet. Almost four month ago, the high school located in Parkland, Florida was the scene of a mass shooting leaving 17 dead and 17 injured.
Check out the complete list of Tony Winners here.
So, what was your favorite highlight of the 72nd Annual Tony Awards? Comment below. In case you missed it, watch: Robert De Niro’s f-bombs, Andrew Garfield’s acceptance speech, and the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school’s performance.
I dont care what he thinks of Trump…his disrespect with his dirty mouth is unacceptable…no class in Hollywood anymore…stars no longer shine over Hollywierd!!!…there is a time and a place for political views and not something families are wastching!!!!
Just another once-venerable event that I have crossed off my must-viewing list….so glad I did!!! This year’s show sounded particularly nasty….no sense of what was appropriate for the actual occasion, simply more one-sided, filthy-mouthed, political drivel more befitting a sewer than a Broadway venue.
From a talented actor who made so many great movies, what will kids know him from now, a grumpy old man who drops the F bomb at a major event that honored the best in theater and paid tribute to the kids at Parkland. Yeah, those scum bag actors applauded those brilliant kids but the same losers stood up for Grandpa De Niro! My list gets longer and longer of actors, musicians and sports stars!
PS: Any positive point that was expressed by Andrew Garfield and his cake comment was and will be buried because of De Niro stealing the moment for his own agenda!
Micheal, thank you for the recap of the Tony Awards on your site. It’s nice to see you recognize the New York theatre community. Especially since so many stage actors used to appear on our daytime dramas. Just some that come to mind: Eileen Fulton, ATWT, was in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf”. The same production also starred Shepperd Strudwick, the second Victor Lord On OLTL. When I was a teenager I saw the original production of “A Little Night Music” with Pat Elliot, Renee OLTL and Victoria Mallory, Y&R. So many of these fine actors would work on the soaps during the day and were on the live stage in the evenings. The golden age of daytime drama!
I soooo – wanted – David Morse to WIN ” best featured actor in a play ” @ THE ICEMAN COMETH. he lost out to Nathan Lane. does any one remember David MORse in “The Green Mile”
AT HIS BESTEST
Free speech (as of now!) is still alive (but not so “well”) apparently!
So happy the brilliant Glenda Jackson won her first Tony. She was a major force in 1970s cinema, winning two Best Actress Oscars in 1970 and 1973. I always hated that she’s been largely forgotten since joining British politics in the 80s. But she’s back with a vengeance. Maybe this win will remind fans to watch her classic performances in WOMEN IN LOVE, A TOUCH OF CLASS, HOUSE CALLS, STEVIE, and MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS, among others.
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George Cheeks, CBS President & CEO, on Timeline to Launch New Daytime Drama, ‘The Gates’: “We’re So Focused on Getting it Right”
March 2024 will be remembered in the TV and soap world when the news broke that CBS is prepping a brand new daytime drama. Many had thought a major network would never bring a new daytime soap into the world, given that the last time it was attempted was 25 years ago when the now defunct Passions bowed on NBC.
However, The Gates is definitely in development and moving forward with some major players associated with it including: Michele Val Jean as The Gates writer, showrunner and one of its executive producers, and Sheila Ducksworth from NAACP Venture
Now, for the first time since its announcement, George Cheeks, the president and CEO of CBS and chief content officer for news and sports at Paramount+, spoke on the project that will feature a Black family as its central focus who live in a wealthy gated community.
Speaking with Vulture, and when asked if The Gates is really something that truly has a chance of getting on the air, Cheeks clarified, “It’s super real. And just to give you a little bit of the backstory, when we hired Sheila Ducksworth to run the NAACP Venture, she and I had multiple meetings talking about what different genres she was going to lean into, and we talked a lot about daytime.”
Cheeks added, “One of the things that the data made very clear to both of us is that daytime soap operas over index with Black women, and yet when you look at soap operas, it’s usually sort of a white-led family with supporting characters that reflect more of our society. So we just thought, wouldn’t it be interesting to flip that and make the core anchor family a Black family, and then make the other characters reflect more the broader scope of society?”
The CEO gave props to Michele Val Jean, and how Ducksworth came to the table with the former B&B and GH writer. “She found this great writer, Michele Val Jean, who’s been in the soap opera space for 30 years. She came up with a pitch, and we loved it,” shares Cheeks. “We brought Procter & Gamble into it as well, because if there were going to be (product) integrations, we could do it more holistically and organically. All of that is to say, we did a lot of work on the front end to put this together. So while yes, it’s development, it’s accelerated development.”
When prodded on the timeline of when The Gates could come to full fruition, Gates related, “The actual timeline and when we’re going to do it is still uncertain, because we want to get this right. I mean, there hasn’t been a new soap opera launch since I can’t even begin to tell you when. But we have great success with Bold and the Beautiful and Young and the Restless, and so we think we’re the right folks to be launching a new soap. I wish I could tell you more about exact timing, but we’re so focused on getting it right, and that will dictate when we’re ready to launch it.”
The CBS exec also shared that whether The Gates will wind up an hour soap or half-hour is not yet determined, but that it is being developed as an hour show.
So, after reading what George Cheeks, the CBS President & CEO had to say about ‘The Gates’, are you even more excited for what looks to the first new network soap in 25 years? Comment below.
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Breaking News
51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards Announce Broadcast Date on CBS
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) revealed on Tuesday, that the 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be broadcast live on Friday night, June 7th (8 – 10 PM, ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network, and available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+*.
This year will mark the 18th time CBS has broadcast the Daytime Emmy Awards, which is more than any other network.
The 2024 Daytime Emmys will take place at the Westin Bonaventure in downtown Los Angeles. Back in December of 2023, the delayed 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards were also held at that venue. The June 7th date for the upcoming ceremony will be the first time in several years that the event is scheduled a few weeks earlier than normal; excluding last year’s revised date to the actors and writers strikes.
Lifetime Achievement honoree, nominations, host, and additional information will be announced in the coming weeks.
In a statement, Adam Sharp, President and CEO of NATAS noted, “We eagerly anticipate our return in June as we once again partner with CBS to recognize the exceptional and talented individuals who make daytime television great. We’re thrilled to kick off our second half-century of the Daytime Emmys.”
The Daytime Emmy Awards have recognized outstanding achievement in television programming and crafts since 1974, honoring work in a variety of categories, including daytime dramas, talk shows, instructional programming, hosting, culinary, and legal/courtroom programs. In 2021, NATAS and the Television Academy jointly announced plans to realign the Daytime and Primetime Emmy Awards to be organized by content genre, as opposed to program airtime.
The 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will once again be produced by NATAS and Associated Television International (ATI), which produced Daytime Emmy Award ceremonies on The CW in 2009 and on CBS in 2010, 2011, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. Adam Sharp and Lisa Armstrong are executive producers from NATAS, while David McKenzie is executive producer from ATI.
So, glad to know that the 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards honoring performance and shows in the 2023 calendar year, will be held in early June this year, and once again broadcast on CBS? Comment below.
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