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72nd Tony Awards: De Niro Gets Bleeped, Garfield’s Speech, The Band’s Visit Tops & Parkland Students’ Emotional Performance

Courtesy/CBS

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.

Photo: Ahron R. Foster.

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.

Courtesy/CBS

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”

Courtesy/CBS

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.

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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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51st Annual Daytime Emmy Nominations Set to Be Announced

The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences revealed on Wednesday via X, that this year’s 51st annual Daytime Emmy Nominations are set to be announced in full on Friday, April 19th at 12 pm ET/9 am PT.

However, four of the top award category nominations will be revealed on Thursday, April 18th across four entertainment news programs to kick things off.

Those include this Thursday episodes of Access Hollywood, E! News, Entertainment Tonight and Extra. Over the past few years, NATAS has often let the syndicated entertainment news program handle the duties of revealing the top actor and actress in a daytime drama series, but we shall see which categories the shows unveil this year.

Photo/AP

As previously announced, the 51st annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be presented in ceremonies on Friday night, June 7th on CBS (8 – 10 PM, ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network, and available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+*.

The awards will be back at The Bonaventure hotel in downtown Los Angeles, where (the delayed due to the actors and writers strike) 50th annual Daytime Emmy Awards were held back in December of 2023.

Look for the full nominations to be posted right here at Michael Fairman TV and you can follow along on Friday on the Daytime Emmys social platforms as well.

Photo: AP

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 Daytime Emmy Nominations will honor the work and achievement from the calendar year of 2023.

So, who would you like to see in the running for gold when the Daytime Emmy nominations in the key acting and show categories are revealed? Share your thoughts below.

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CBS Orders Michele Van Jean Soap Opera ‘The Gates’ to Series; Set to Debut January 2025

Great news! Soap fans are getting the first new daytime drama in 25 years with the news today that CBS has moved Michele Van Jean’s The Gates to a series order.

In addition, the show is set to bow in January 0f 2025, which means that it appears that the new soap will replace The Talk, which was just canceled and will end after its upcoming 15th season in December of 2024.  No specific time period, or exact premiere date has been set as of yet.

In the premise of the The Gates it follows lives of a wealthy Black family who live in a luxurious gated community.

Photo: CBS

The Gates has Val Jean as its writer, showrunner and one of its executive producers. Soap fans know Val Jean’s work best for her work on the writing teams of General Hospital and The Bold and the Beautiful.  Taking to X, Michele shared: “It’s go time” citing the news on the show coming to CBS in 2025 via Deadline.

Sheila Ducksworth, Leon Russell, Derrick Johnson and Kimberly Doebereiner will serve as executive producers on The Gates production team. The soap has been in development through a the joint venture between CBS Studios and the NAACP, which was established to help elevate a diverse range of voices and increase the visibility of Black artists.

The series will be produced by the CBS Studios/NAACP venture in partnership with P&G Studios, which is a division of Procter & Gamble, who used to be very big in the soap opera game.

Are you excited to know that we are truly getting the first new soap opera in over two and a half decades added to a network TV line-up? Comment below.

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‘The Talk’ Renewed For 15th and Final Season to End in December; Does Its Cancellation Make Room for ‘The Gates’?

Things just got very interesting over at CBS daytime with the announcement today that The Talk is going to end its run on the network after its 15th season, and that season looks to be shortened as the series will come to its conclusion in December of 2024.

In a joint statement, Amy Reisenbach, President, CBS Entertainment and David Stapf, President, CBS Studio, shared, “The Talk broke new ground when it launched 14 years ago by returning daytime talk to CBS with a refreshing and award-winning format. Throughout the years, it has been a key program on CBS’ top rated daytime line-up as it brought timely, important and entertaining topics and discussions into living rooms around the globe.”

Reisenback and Stapf added, “It goes without saying that hosting and producing a year-round talk show is no easy task, and we express our sincere gratitude to our amazing hosts Akbar Gbajabiamila, Amanda Kloots, Natalie Morales, Jerry O’Connell and Sheryl Underwood, our Executive Producer/Showrunner Rob Crabbe and the hardworking producing team and crew.

Photo: CBS

Giving props to those who co-hosted or worked on the show through the years including: Sara Gilbert, Julie Chen Moonves, Carrie Ann Inaba Leah Ramimi, Marissa Janet Winokur, Holly Robinson Peete, Eve, Aisha Tyler, and Sharon Osbourne, the joint statement added, “We also want to acknowledge our former show hosts and colleagues who contributed throughout the seasons. We truly appreciate the skill, creativity, and dedication everyone involved brought to the show every day.  And of course, we thank the numerous guests who appeared, and the millions of viewers who tuned in daily. For the final season, we plan to celebrate the show and give it the proper sendoff it deserves when it concludes in December 2024.”

While no firm decision or announcement has been given at this time, it seems most likely that The Talk’s time slot could be given to the new soap opera in development The Gates from CBS Studio Ventures and from longtime soap opera writer. Michele Val Jean.  As previously reported, The Gates features the lives of a wealthy Black family who reside in a posh, gated community.

Photo: JPI

The Talk was originally the brainchild of Sara Gilbert, who had developed the show when it launched back 2010 and it replaced the beloved As the World Turns which went off the air after 54 years when CBS canceled it.

So, what do you think of The Talk being canceled? Will this make room for The Gates to begin to air in its spot beginning in 2025? Share your reactions to the news via the comment section.

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