Tony Awards Winners and Nominees
The prestigious Tony Awards occurred last Sunday. This celebration of theatre accomplishment is watched worldwide. It also features many famous actors, technicians, and directors well known on the theatre scene. The winner of Best Musical was Hadestown, which opened on April 17th. Hadestown received 14 nominations, the most of the night, and won 8 of them.
The Ferryman won Best Play. The Broadway run opened on October and will run until July 7th. It received 9 nominations and won 4. The best revival of a musical was Oklahoma! and the best revival of a play was The Boys in the Band. A full list of winners can be seen here.
Cuba Gooding Jr. Charged With Sexual Assault
Police charged actor Cuba Gooding Jr. for groping a woman in a bar on Thursday. Gooding faces a misdemeanor charge when a woman claimed that he touched her breasts last Sunday. However, Gooding denies the accusations. He plans to enter a not guilty plea in the courts. His attorney said, “There is not a scintilla of criminal culpability that can be attributed to Cuba Gooding Jr”.
Gooding joins the list of the celebrities that have been swept up into sexual misconduct allegations. It includes actors, politicians, and athletes. They all started after allegations around Harvey Weinstein began the #MeToo movement on Twitter. In addition to the new allegations, another woman came forward about Gooding touching her in 2009. Gooding has yet to release a statement.
Taylor Swift Releases New Song Targeting Homophobia
In order to promote her new upcoming album, Taylor Swift released a new song on Thursday. The new song, titled “You Need to Calm Down” targets her own haters but also calls out anyone who attacks the LGBTQ+ community. In addition, she released a very colorful lyric video later that day. The music video will release on Monday.
On the song, Swift references gay rights organization GLAAD. “Why are you mad when you can be GLAAD?” she questions. Recently, she described her upcoming album as “very romantic”.
Samoa Bans Rocketman Over Gay Scenes
Samoa banned the film Rocketman over gay scenes appearing in the movie. The film, which depicts the life of English singer/songwriter Elton John, deals with John’s struggle with the US music scene. However, due to its depictions of gay sex and drug taking, Samoa banned the movie. “The film was banned last week because it clashed with Samoa’s “culture and our Christian beliefs”, the country’s censor said. Nearly 97% of Samoa’s population is Christian. In addition, sodomy is a crime there.
Final Fantasy VII Remake Is Only Part Of Two Games
The long-awaited remake of Final Fantasy VII received some screentime at E3 last week. However, despite its name, it won’t be the exact same game. Reports at E3 confirmed that this game will be one of two, and it will entirely take place at Midgar.
In addition, combat has been completely overhauled for the game. Instead of the classsic ATB system, it will feature combat closer to Final Fantasy XV. Players will charge up attacks and release limit breaks and magic spells to devastate their enemies. Time will tell how successful this remake will be.
