When the Tony Award nominations dust settled “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Stereophonic” received the most nominations with 13 each, followed by “The Outsiders” with 12, followed by the revivals of “Cabaret” with nine and “Appropriate” earning eight. Oscar-winner Ariana DeBose returns as host of the third consecutive year of the Tony Awards which CBS and Pluto will telecast June 17th from Lincoln Center.
How well to you know your Tony history? Here are some fun facts about the latest crop of nominees.
The revival of Stephen Sondheim’s 1981 musical “Merrily We Roll Along” earned seven nominations including best revival of a musical, best performance by an actor in a musical for Jonathan Groff, featured actor for Daniel Radcliffe, featured actress for Lindsay Mendez and best director for Maria Friedman (her sister Sonia Friedman is nominated for outstanding play for “Stereophonic”). The troubled original production of “Merrily We Roll Along’ only received a Tony nomination for original score.
How well to you know your Tony history? Here are some fun facts about the latest crop of nominees.
The revival of Stephen Sondheim’s 1981 musical “Merrily We Roll Along” earned seven nominations including best revival of a musical, best performance by an actor in a musical for Jonathan Groff, featured actor for Daniel Radcliffe, featured actress for Lindsay Mendez and best director for Maria Friedman (her sister Sonia Friedman is nominated for outstanding play for “Stereophonic”). The troubled original production of “Merrily We Roll Along’ only received a Tony nomination for original score.
- 5/1/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
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
Daniel Radcliffe’s post-“Harry Potter” career has long been dominated by his theater work, both in New York and London. On April 30, he finally scored his first Tony nomination, for his role in the musical “Merrily We Roll Along.”
Radcliffe’s buzzy stage work began in 2007 with a run in “Equus” on both sides of the pond. He powered a delightful, blockbuster revival of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” in 2011 (Grammy nomination), and since then, he has chosen an eclectic mix of projects, work where his name alone can often get challenging — or even just serious — work funded. Think the occasionally dense “The Cripple of Inishmaan,” the provocative “Privacy,” or the genre-bending experiment “The Lifespan of a Fact.” He’s long been an asset to the NY stage scene, and this morning’s recognition long-deserved.
Radcliffe landed another perfect part playing Charley Kringas in the buzzy...
Radcliffe’s buzzy stage work began in 2007 with a run in “Equus” on both sides of the pond. He powered a delightful, blockbuster revival of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” in 2011 (Grammy nomination), and since then, he has chosen an eclectic mix of projects, work where his name alone can often get challenging — or even just serious — work funded. Think the occasionally dense “The Cripple of Inishmaan,” the provocative “Privacy,” or the genre-bending experiment “The Lifespan of a Fact.” He’s long been an asset to the NY stage scene, and this morning’s recognition long-deserved.
Radcliffe landed another perfect part playing Charley Kringas in the buzzy...
- 4/30/2024
- by Erin Strecker
- Indiewire
Broadway fans: the 2024 Tony Award nominations are finally here!
Each year, the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre (aka the Tonys), celebrates the best on Broadway. The nominations were announced by two past Tony winners: Take Me Out‘s Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Hamilton‘s Renée Elise Goldsberry.
This year, the Tonys will be held on June 16, 2024 with host Ariana DeBose returning to host for a third time. Just Jared will be live updating throughout the entire event, so stick with us that night!
Head inside to see the full list of Tony Award nominations…
Scroll down for the full list of Tony Award nominees…
Best Musical
Hell’s Kitchen
Illinoise
The Outsiders
Suffs
Water for Elephants
Best Play
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding
Mary Jane
Mother Play
Prayer for the French Republic
Stereophonic
Best Revival of a Play
Appropriate
An Enemy of the People
Purlie Victorious: A...
Each year, the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre (aka the Tonys), celebrates the best on Broadway. The nominations were announced by two past Tony winners: Take Me Out‘s Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Hamilton‘s Renée Elise Goldsberry.
This year, the Tonys will be held on June 16, 2024 with host Ariana DeBose returning to host for a third time. Just Jared will be live updating throughout the entire event, so stick with us that night!
Head inside to see the full list of Tony Award nominations…
Scroll down for the full list of Tony Award nominees…
Best Musical
Hell’s Kitchen
Illinoise
The Outsiders
Suffs
Water for Elephants
Best Play
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding
Mary Jane
Mother Play
Prayer for the French Republic
Stereophonic
Best Revival of a Play
Appropriate
An Enemy of the People
Purlie Victorious: A...
- 4/30/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
A new musical, a musical revival and a new play with music will dominate the 2024 Tony Awards nominations, according to our official odds in 17 of the 26 categories. The latest revival of the classic John Kander and Fred Ebb musical “Cabaret,” fresh off a smash run on the West End, and the new musical “Hell’s Kitchen” that is loosely based on the life of Alicia Keys and her music will both net at least seven nominations. New works “Days of Wine and Roses,” “Here Lies Love” and “Suffs” and the starry revival of Stephen Sondheim‘s notorious flop “Merrily We Roll Along” will also earn substantial nominations tallies.
Playwright David Adjmi‘s “Stereophonic” will lead this year’s crop of plays and play revivals with at least five nominations. Right behind are five other works – two new shows and three revivals – that will all tie at least four nominations apiece,...
Playwright David Adjmi‘s “Stereophonic” will lead this year’s crop of plays and play revivals with at least five nominations. Right behind are five other works – two new shows and three revivals – that will all tie at least four nominations apiece,...
- 4/28/2024
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
The 2023-2024 Broadway season that kicked off last June with the opening of “Grey House” featured 36 productions of new and revived musicals and plays. This staggeringly crowded year – especially this spring with its 19 openings in March and April alone – means that the nominations for the 77th Tony Awards will likely be as unpredictable as ever, so review our official racetrack odds in the top 17 of 26 categories. The nominations will be announced on the morning of April 30 by Tony winners Jesse Tyler Ferguson (“Take Me Out”) and Renée Elise Goldsberry (“Hamilton”).
These official odds for the 77th Tonys are derived from the predictions of our Experts, Editors, Top 24 Users, All-Star Top 24 and all our Users, who make up the largest and often savviest bloc of predictors.
Below, see our 2024 Tony Awards predictions in 17 of the 26 categories. Make or edit your predictions before the nominations are unveiled on April 30.
Musicals
Best Musical...
These official odds for the 77th Tonys are derived from the predictions of our Experts, Editors, Top 24 Users, All-Star Top 24 and all our Users, who make up the largest and often savviest bloc of predictors.
Below, see our 2024 Tony Awards predictions in 17 of the 26 categories. Make or edit your predictions before the nominations are unveiled on April 30.
Musicals
Best Musical...
- 4/28/2024
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
Welcome to Tony Talk, a weekly column in which Gold Derby contributing theater editors Sam Eckmann and David Buchanan discuss the Tony Awards race. With less than a week to go before nominations for the 77th Tonys are announced, we discuss the recently-opened and raved-about new play “Stereophonic” and consider how many of its performers might earn nominations in those challenging Featured Actor and Actress races.
David Buchanan: Hey Sam! We are officially less than a week away from the Tony nominations, and now that we have a tiny bit more clarity on the Best Musical race as shows like “Suffs” and “Hell’s Kitchen” have opened, I’m starting to really fret those pesky featured performer categories. A lot of shows this season are large ensemble pieces; last week, for example, saw the opening of the terrific play “Stereophonic,” which has an impeccable seven member ensemble. But I don...
David Buchanan: Hey Sam! We are officially less than a week away from the Tony nominations, and now that we have a tiny bit more clarity on the Best Musical race as shows like “Suffs” and “Hell’s Kitchen” have opened, I’m starting to really fret those pesky featured performer categories. A lot of shows this season are large ensemble pieces; last week, for example, saw the opening of the terrific play “Stereophonic,” which has an impeccable seven member ensemble. But I don...
- 4/25/2024
- by David Buchanan and Sam Eckmann
- Gold Derby
Nominations for the 2024 Outer Critics Circle Awards were announced on Tuesday, April 23. The stars of the hit Broadway revival of “Merrily We Roll Along,” Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez and Daniel Radcliffe, read off the nominees live from the Museum of Broadway.
Off-Broadway productions ultimately out-paced Broadway with this critics group. The new David Yazbek musical “Dead Outlaw” led the pack with nine nominations. It was followed by “The Connector,” another Off-Broadway musical, and “Stereophonic,” a lauded Broadway play, with seven nominations each.
While there are no Tony nominators in the Outer Critics Circle membership, these nominations can provide some clues as to how theater aficionados are thinking about this season’s Tony race. Of the five productions cited for Best New Broadway Musical, only “Days of Wine and Roses” and “Suffs” made the cut in the all-important Best Score category. They were joined by two Off-Broadway entries, as well as...
Off-Broadway productions ultimately out-paced Broadway with this critics group. The new David Yazbek musical “Dead Outlaw” led the pack with nine nominations. It was followed by “The Connector,” another Off-Broadway musical, and “Stereophonic,” a lauded Broadway play, with seven nominations each.
While there are no Tony nominators in the Outer Critics Circle membership, these nominations can provide some clues as to how theater aficionados are thinking about this season’s Tony race. Of the five productions cited for Best New Broadway Musical, only “Days of Wine and Roses” and “Suffs” made the cut in the all-important Best Score category. They were joined by two Off-Broadway entries, as well as...
- 4/23/2024
- by Sam Eckmann
- Gold Derby
In “We Strangers,” Rayelle (Kirby) confesses to her mother (Tina Lifford) that she doesn’t have dreams. Perhaps she doesn’t have time for them, or else she’s simply too exhausted to hang onto anything else in her head after spending her days as a cleaning lady, monitoring her every move so as not to become any part of the mess she picks up for other people. Still, this isn’t to say she can’t have fantasies in Anu Valia’s absorbing character study, except like everything else her life, they’re not for herself when her observational skills lead some to think she’s psychic.
After honing her craft directing prestige TV shows such as “The Afterparty” and “Shrill,” Valia makes an aesthetically striking feature debut that may impress even more with the clear eyes she brings to the trickle effect of privilege, envisioning the ability to...
After honing her craft directing prestige TV shows such as “The Afterparty” and “Shrill,” Valia makes an aesthetically striking feature debut that may impress even more with the clear eyes she brings to the trickle effect of privilege, envisioning the ability to...
- 3/16/2024
- by Stephen Saito
- Variety Film + TV
The Casting Society (CSA) on Wednesday announced the lineup of presenters for the 39th Annual Artios Awards, with gala celebrations taking place simultaneously on March 7 at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, the Edison Ballroom in New York City and – on the same day – at the White City House in London.
Presenters at the Los Angeles ceremony (hosted by Niecy Nash-Betts) will be Wells Adams (“The Bachelor” franchise), Kate Berlant, Tantoo Cardinal (“Killers of the Flower Moon”), Auli’i Cravalho, Stephanie Courtney, Ronald Gladden (“Jury Duty”), Sarah Hyland (“Modern Family”), Trace Lysette, James Marsden (“Jury Duty”), Kevin Miles (Jake from the State Farm commercials), Ashleigh Murray (“The Other Black Girl”), Michael Urie, Ming-Na Wen and Sofia Wylie (“High School Musical: The Musical: The Series”).
SEECasting Society announces Emmy winner Niecy Nash-Betts, Alex Edelman as dual hosts of the Artios Awards on March 7
Also at the Los Aneles ceremony, David Oweloyo will...
Presenters at the Los Angeles ceremony (hosted by Niecy Nash-Betts) will be Wells Adams (“The Bachelor” franchise), Kate Berlant, Tantoo Cardinal (“Killers of the Flower Moon”), Auli’i Cravalho, Stephanie Courtney, Ronald Gladden (“Jury Duty”), Sarah Hyland (“Modern Family”), Trace Lysette, James Marsden (“Jury Duty”), Kevin Miles (Jake from the State Farm commercials), Ashleigh Murray (“The Other Black Girl”), Michael Urie, Ming-Na Wen and Sofia Wylie (“High School Musical: The Musical: The Series”).
SEECasting Society announces Emmy winner Niecy Nash-Betts, Alex Edelman as dual hosts of the Artios Awards on March 7
Also at the Los Aneles ceremony, David Oweloyo will...
- 2/29/2024
- by Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
Emmy and BAFTA nominee Dominique Fishback is set to receive the Culture Certified award at The Creative Collective’s inaugural Creative Class celebration.
The Culture Certified award will honor both established and emerging Black talent and seeks to recognize individuals whose contributions “significantly impact, influence, and shape cultural landscapes at large.” The special award is presented by the Create Collective (Ccnyc) in partnership with Prime Video’s Culture Rated initiative, which champions Black creatives, perspectives, and community across social media, on Prime Video and with in-person events, like CultureCon.
The prize marks the latest accolade for Fishback, who experienced a breakout year in 2023. She earned her first Emmy nomination for her buzzworthy performance as Dre in the Prime Video series “Swarm.” Fishback also earned nods from the Indie Spirit Awards, Gotham Awards, the NAACP Image Awards and more for her transformative work in the psychological comic thriller from co-creators Janine Nabers and Donald Glover.
The Culture Certified award will honor both established and emerging Black talent and seeks to recognize individuals whose contributions “significantly impact, influence, and shape cultural landscapes at large.” The special award is presented by the Create Collective (Ccnyc) in partnership with Prime Video’s Culture Rated initiative, which champions Black creatives, perspectives, and community across social media, on Prime Video and with in-person events, like CultureCon.
The prize marks the latest accolade for Fishback, who experienced a breakout year in 2023. She earned her first Emmy nomination for her buzzworthy performance as Dre in the Prime Video series “Swarm.” Fishback also earned nods from the Indie Spirit Awards, Gotham Awards, the NAACP Image Awards and more for her transformative work in the psychological comic thriller from co-creators Janine Nabers and Donald Glover.
- 2/26/2024
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
The 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards are being handed out Sunday, February 25, from Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, CA in a show hosted by comedian, actress and “SNL” alumnus Aidy Bryant. On the film side, the nominations were dominated by “American Fiction,” “Past Lives” and “May December,” which picked up five nods apiece. Those three films are up for Best Feature along with “All of Us Strangers,” “Passages” and “We Grown Now.” Best Director is a contest between Andrew Haigh (“All of Us Strangers”), Todd Haynes (“May December”), William Oldroyd (“Eileen”), Ira Sachs (“Passages”) and Celine Song (“Past Lives”).
Of the nominated features, only “American Fiction” and “Past Lives” are also in the running for Best Picture at the Oscars, while none of the nominated directors are up for Academy Awards. However, on the off chance that either “American Fiction” or “Past Lives” manages to take the top prize at...
Of the nominated features, only “American Fiction” and “Past Lives” are also in the running for Best Picture at the Oscars, while none of the nominated directors are up for Academy Awards. However, on the off chance that either “American Fiction” or “Past Lives” manages to take the top prize at...
- 2/25/2024
- by Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
Gold Derby is backstage at the 39th Annual Indie Spirit Awards on the beach in Santa Monica, CA on Sunday, February 25, hosted by comedian, actress and “SNL” alumnus Aidy Bryant. We’ll bring you all of the up-to-date details on the presenters, nominees and winners. (See the complete winners list here.) Read on for the 2024 Spirits live blog.
The kudofest is streaming live on IMDb’s YouTube Channel as well as Film Independent’s YouTube and Twitter accounts starting at 2 p.m. Pst/5 p.m. Est.
On the film side, the nominations were dominated by “American Fiction,” “Past Lives” and “May December,” which picked up five nods apiece. Those three films are up for Best Feature along with “All of Us Strangers,” “Passages” and “We Grown Now.” Since 2012, Film Independent and the Spirits have forecast 7 of 12 Best Picture winners at the Academy Awards, including “The Artist” (2012), “12 Years a Slave...
The kudofest is streaming live on IMDb’s YouTube Channel as well as Film Independent’s YouTube and Twitter accounts starting at 2 p.m. Pst/5 p.m. Est.
On the film side, the nominations were dominated by “American Fiction,” “Past Lives” and “May December,” which picked up five nods apiece. Those three films are up for Best Feature along with “All of Us Strangers,” “Passages” and “We Grown Now.” Since 2012, Film Independent and the Spirits have forecast 7 of 12 Best Picture winners at the Academy Awards, including “The Artist” (2012), “12 Years a Slave...
- 2/25/2024
- by Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
Broadway said goodbye last week to two well-regarded but underperforming productions, with both Harmony and Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch posting better-than-usual weekly box office as last-chancers grabbed seats.
Harmony, the Barry Manilow-Bruce Sussman musical about the real-life 1920s German singing group the Comedian Harmonists, filled a robust 99% of seats at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, grossing $853,055 for the week ending February 4. That’s a bump of $145,978 over the previous week.
Purlie Victorious, the universally acclaimed revival of the Ossie Davis comedy starring Leslie Odom Jr. and Kara Young, grossed $706,882, a boost of $58,090 over the previous week. Still, the production filled only 81% of seats at the Music Box.
In all, the 25 Broadway productions grossed $23,493,675, a slight 5% bump over the previous week (and nearly identical to last year’s gross for the week). Total attendance was 213,281, about 2% over the previous week and 9% over last year at this time.
Harmony, the Barry Manilow-Bruce Sussman musical about the real-life 1920s German singing group the Comedian Harmonists, filled a robust 99% of seats at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, grossing $853,055 for the week ending February 4. That’s a bump of $145,978 over the previous week.
Purlie Victorious, the universally acclaimed revival of the Ossie Davis comedy starring Leslie Odom Jr. and Kara Young, grossed $706,882, a boost of $58,090 over the previous week. Still, the production filled only 81% of seats at the Music Box.
In all, the 25 Broadway productions grossed $23,493,675, a slight 5% bump over the previous week (and nearly identical to last year’s gross for the week). Total attendance was 213,281, about 2% over the previous week and 9% over last year at this time.
- 2/6/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
The Obie Awards, the venerable honors for outstanding Off Broadway and Off Off Broadway productions, is doing away with its annual ceremony and will instead use the funds to provide winners with grants ranging from $1,000-$5,000.
Heather Hitchens, the president and CEO of the American Theatre Wing, which presents the Obies, called the grants a new path forward for the awards, saying the move “genuinely reflects the ethos of the Awards as well as the Off & Off Off Broadway movements – which is to continuously evolve and meet the moment.”
Select winners of this year’s 67th Obie Awards will be announced Saturday on New York’s Spectrum News NY1 as a special presentation of the channel’s On Stage program hosted by Frank Dilella. The special airs at 7:30 p.m./Et.
“The grants and our relationship with Spectrum News NY1 will provide meaningful support, and more effective, nationwide promotion for these incredible artists,...
Heather Hitchens, the president and CEO of the American Theatre Wing, which presents the Obies, called the grants a new path forward for the awards, saying the move “genuinely reflects the ethos of the Awards as well as the Off & Off Off Broadway movements – which is to continuously evolve and meet the moment.”
Select winners of this year’s 67th Obie Awards will be announced Saturday on New York’s Spectrum News NY1 as a special presentation of the channel’s On Stage program hosted by Frank Dilella. The special airs at 7:30 p.m./Et.
“The grants and our relationship with Spectrum News NY1 will provide meaningful support, and more effective, nationwide promotion for these incredible artists,...
- 1/25/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
The 2024 SXSW Film and TV Festival has announced its lineup, with Netflix’s splashy sci-fi series 3 Body Problem opening the fest and the Ryan Gosling and Emily Bunt action comedy The Fall Guy acting as a centerpiece screening.
David Benioff and Dan Weiss are behind 3 Body Problem, based on the book of the same name. David Leitch directed the Universal feature about a Hollywood stuntman (Gosling) who is tasked with tracking down the star of the latest movie he is working on.
The Pamela Adlon movie Babes will also act as a centerpiece screening. The narrative competition features include Crystal Moselle’s latest, The Black Sea, and Barbie Ferreira starrer Bob Trevino Likes It. Elsewhere in the lineup are a Cheech and Chong doc, Tommy Dorfman’s directorial debut, Lilly Singh comedy Doin’ It, and My Dead Friend Zoe, exec produced by NFL star Travis Kelce.
The film...
David Benioff and Dan Weiss are behind 3 Body Problem, based on the book of the same name. David Leitch directed the Universal feature about a Hollywood stuntman (Gosling) who is tasked with tracking down the star of the latest movie he is working on.
The Pamela Adlon movie Babes will also act as a centerpiece screening. The narrative competition features include Crystal Moselle’s latest, The Black Sea, and Barbie Ferreira starrer Bob Trevino Likes It. Elsewhere in the lineup are a Cheech and Chong doc, Tommy Dorfman’s directorial debut, Lilly Singh comedy Doin’ It, and My Dead Friend Zoe, exec produced by NFL star Travis Kelce.
The film...
- 1/10/2024
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Perhaps no single theatrical image sums up Broadway’s 2023 more effectively than Jessica Chastain’s Nora leaving her dreary, unfulfilled doll house life to exit directly into the unlimited possibilities of an honest-to-god New York City street.
Unless maybe it’s that huge tree that sprouts up smack dab in the middle of an abandoned Southern plantation home after the Appropriate cast has left the stage, a gut-punch reminder that the sins of a nation’s past don’t just wither away because we don’t want to see them.
Or maybe it was Leslie Odom Jr. delivering that eulogy-coda in Purlie Victorious, blessing his “Africanic brothers” — and the audience — with the words “Now may the Constitution of the United States go with you; the Declaration of Independence stand by you; the Bill of Rights protect you; and the State Commission Against Discrimination keep the eyes of the law upon you,...
Unless maybe it’s that huge tree that sprouts up smack dab in the middle of an abandoned Southern plantation home after the Appropriate cast has left the stage, a gut-punch reminder that the sins of a nation’s past don’t just wither away because we don’t want to see them.
Or maybe it was Leslie Odom Jr. delivering that eulogy-coda in Purlie Victorious, blessing his “Africanic brothers” — and the audience — with the words “Now may the Constitution of the United States go with you; the Declaration of Independence stand by you; the Bill of Rights protect you; and the State Commission Against Discrimination keep the eyes of the law upon you,...
- 12/29/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Jharrel Jerome in “I’m a Virgo” may play a 13-foot tall giant, but as he receives accolades for his performance during this awards season, he says it’s important to remember the “little moments” along the way. The 26-year-old star is starting to dream both big and small.
“When you become an actor, I feel like you forget to dream of these little moments here. You dream of the big screen, you dream of the flashing lights, you dream about the big red carpets and the photos, but you forget about the intimate moments like this, when you get into a room with artists who are as passionate as you,” Jerome said upon accepting the Performance Prize at the IndieWire Honors ceremony on December 6. He added that he didn’t know what to expect stepping into NeueHouse Hollywood for the occasion. But seeing the intimate space, he said, “this is dope.
“When you become an actor, I feel like you forget to dream of these little moments here. You dream of the big screen, you dream of the flashing lights, you dream about the big red carpets and the photos, but you forget about the intimate moments like this, when you get into a room with artists who are as passionate as you,” Jerome said upon accepting the Performance Prize at the IndieWire Honors ceremony on December 6. He added that he didn’t know what to expect stepping into NeueHouse Hollywood for the occasion. But seeing the intimate space, he said, “this is dope.
- 12/7/2023
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
“American Fiction,” “May December” and “Past Lives” shared the spotlight with five nominations apiece to lead the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards announced Tuesday. The trio all landed bids for Best Feature along with “Passages,” “All of Us Strangers” and “We Grown Now.”
“American Fiction” was also cited for its screenplay (Cord Jefferson), for Jeffrey Wright’s lead performance and for Sterling K. Brown’s and Erika Alexander’s supporting work. “May December” also landed bids for Best Director (Todd Haynes) and Best First Screenplay (Sammy Burch) as well as for Natalie Portman’s lead performance and Charles Melton’s support. And “Past Lives” was singled out for Celine Song’s screenplay and direction and the lead performances of Greta Lee and Teo Yoo. See the full list of nominees here.
Next with four nominations apiece were “Passages” and the Alexander Payne-directed “The Holdovers.” Besides its Best Feature bid, “Passages...
“American Fiction” was also cited for its screenplay (Cord Jefferson), for Jeffrey Wright’s lead performance and for Sterling K. Brown’s and Erika Alexander’s supporting work. “May December” also landed bids for Best Director (Todd Haynes) and Best First Screenplay (Sammy Burch) as well as for Natalie Portman’s lead performance and Charles Melton’s support. And “Past Lives” was singled out for Celine Song’s screenplay and direction and the lead performances of Greta Lee and Teo Yoo. See the full list of nominees here.
Next with four nominations apiece were “Passages” and the Alexander Payne-directed “The Holdovers.” Besides its Best Feature bid, “Passages...
- 12/5/2023
- by Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
Nominees for the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards — the premiere awards event for the independent film and television community — were announced on Tuesday morning by actor/director/writer Natalie Morales and actor/producer/writer Joel Kim Booster, and HBO’s The Last of Us and Prime Video’s I’m a Virgo the TV pack with four nods each.
Netflix’s Beef followed closely with three noms.
More from TVLineCritics Choice Award Nominations: <em>The Morning Show</em> Scores Most Nods, Beating <em>Succession</em> — See Full ListThe Oscars Telecast Is (Pretty Much) Guaranteed to End Before Bedtime This Year — Here’s WhyTVLine Items: Michelle Williams Is Dying for Sex,...
Netflix’s Beef followed closely with three noms.
More from TVLineCritics Choice Award Nominations: <em>The Morning Show</em> Scores Most Nods, Beating <em>Succession</em> — See Full ListThe Oscars Telecast Is (Pretty Much) Guaranteed to End Before Bedtime This Year — Here’s WhyTVLine Items: Michelle Williams Is Dying for Sex,...
- 12/5/2023
- by Matt Webb Mitovich
- TVLine.com
In what is an annual tradition, A24 led all nominations at this morning’s 39th Film Independent Spirit Awards nominations with 11, while the indie studio’s Past Lives, along with Netflix’s May December and Amazon MGM’s American Fiction, each tallied five noms apiece.
The titles up for the Spirits’ marquee Best Feature include Amazon MGM’s American Fiction, Searchlight’s All of Us Strangers, A24’s Past Lives, Netflix’s May December, Sony Pictures Classics’ We Grown Now and Mubi’s Passages.
As of this post, three movies have yet to open: We Grown Now, American Fiction (which goes limited on December 15) and All of Us Strangers (December 22). Passages played the arthouse circuit over the summer, grossing around $551,000. May December is available to stream on Netflix, while Past Lives has made close to $11 million stateside and more than $20M worldwide, a very good gross for a specialty release in the post-pandemic marketplace.
The titles up for the Spirits’ marquee Best Feature include Amazon MGM’s American Fiction, Searchlight’s All of Us Strangers, A24’s Past Lives, Netflix’s May December, Sony Pictures Classics’ We Grown Now and Mubi’s Passages.
As of this post, three movies have yet to open: We Grown Now, American Fiction (which goes limited on December 15) and All of Us Strangers (December 22). Passages played the arthouse circuit over the summer, grossing around $551,000. May December is available to stream on Netflix, while Past Lives has made close to $11 million stateside and more than $20M worldwide, a very good gross for a specialty release in the post-pandemic marketplace.
- 12/5/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Ossie Davis’ play Purlie Victorious premiered on Broadway as a drama in 1961 when the vestiges of America’s Jim Crow caste system were still alive and well in the South. Even with 60-plus years of distance, it’s hard to believe how resonant the play is today with the hilarious Broadway revival that premiered last week at the Music Box Theatre.
Leslie Odom Jr. stars in the title role as a smooth-talking Georgia preacher trying to get a $500 inheritance left by his Aunt Henrietta from Ol’ Cap’n (Jay O. Sanders). Purlie comes up with a crackpot scheme to hire Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins (Kara Young) to pose as Henrietta’s daughter, Cousin Bee, to get the money from Ol’ Cap’n. Purlie wants the funds to buy Big Bethel church, where his dad once preached. High jinx ensue – but amid all the slapstick comedy, a much more profound story...
Leslie Odom Jr. stars in the title role as a smooth-talking Georgia preacher trying to get a $500 inheritance left by his Aunt Henrietta from Ol’ Cap’n (Jay O. Sanders). Purlie comes up with a crackpot scheme to hire Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins (Kara Young) to pose as Henrietta’s daughter, Cousin Bee, to get the money from Ol’ Cap’n. Purlie wants the funds to buy Big Bethel church, where his dad once preached. High jinx ensue – but amid all the slapstick comedy, a much more profound story...
- 10/2/2023
- by Erik Meers
- Uinterview
Long before Slave Play, decades before Ain’t No Mo, there was Purlie Victorious, the Ossie Davis comedy masterwork that, like those descendant plays, fused broad comedy, satirical minstrelsy, racial satire and still-relevant social commentary to create a play that is so encompassing in its views of history and legacy, so generous in its humanity and pinpoint sharp in its take on debts long owed and now demanded that Kenny Leon’s revival, opening tonight on Broadway, feels as current and bracing as a folding chair.
More about that folding chair later.
Starring a magnificent Leslie Odom, Jr., in the title role, and featuring equally fine performances by an enchanting Kara Young, Billy Eugene Jones, Vanessa Bell Calloway and more, Purlie Victorious – full title (and one of the few signifiers of its 1961-era creation): Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch – has been given an urgent – and,...
More about that folding chair later.
Starring a magnificent Leslie Odom, Jr., in the title role, and featuring equally fine performances by an enchanting Kara Young, Billy Eugene Jones, Vanessa Bell Calloway and more, Purlie Victorious – full title (and one of the few signifiers of its 1961-era creation): Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch – has been given an urgent – and,...
- 9/28/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
“Segregation is a ridiculous institution and it makes decent people do ridiculous things,” playwright, actor-director, and activist Ossie Davis told the New York Times on September 24, 1961, four days before his play Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch opened on Broadway, co-starring himself and his wife, Ruby Dee. “Maybe if they can be made to laugh at it they can see how absurd it is.”
Especially on a Great White Way where actors played predominantly to white audiences that had seen few comedies by Black playwrights, let alone satires on segregation, Purlie Victorious must have been a jolting event. Though the play, which ran for nearly eight months on Broadway, begat a film adaptation in 1963 (Gone Are the Days!) and the successful musical Purlie in 1970, Davis’s comedy about an aggrieved “self-made minister” righteously “disembezzling” a racist plantation owner has largely faded from popular memory.
Opening one day...
Especially on a Great White Way where actors played predominantly to white audiences that had seen few comedies by Black playwrights, let alone satires on segregation, Purlie Victorious must have been a jolting event. Though the play, which ran for nearly eight months on Broadway, begat a film adaptation in 1963 (Gone Are the Days!) and the successful musical Purlie in 1970, Davis’s comedy about an aggrieved “self-made minister” righteously “disembezzling” a racist plantation owner has largely faded from popular memory.
Opening one day...
- 9/28/2023
- by Dan Rubins
- Slant Magazine
Filmmaker is happy to share the official trailer for Blow Up My Life, the debut feature from co-writers, directors and producers Ryan Dickie and Abigail Horton. The duo appeared on our 25 New Faces of Film list in 2016 with their production outfit New Media Ltd. alongside their collaborator Mike Anderson. The film has screened at the Austin Film Festival, Chattanooga Film Festival, Cucalorus Film Festival and Harlem International Film Festival, where it won Best Film. The film stars Jason Selvig (of the political satire comedy duo The Good Liars) and Kara Young (I’m a Virgo). Co-starring are Davram Stiefler (Selvig’s The Good Liars […]
The post Trailer Watch: Ryan Dickie and Abigail Horton’s Blow Up My Life first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Trailer Watch: Ryan Dickie and Abigail Horton’s Blow Up My Life first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 8/22/2023
- by Natalia Keogan
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Filmmaker is happy to share the official trailer for Blow Up My Life, the debut feature from co-writers, directors and producers Ryan Dickie and Abigail Horton. The duo appeared on our 25 New Faces of Film list in 2016 with their production outfit New Media Ltd. alongside their collaborator Mike Anderson. The film has screened at the Austin Film Festival, Chattanooga Film Festival, Cucalorus Film Festival and Harlem International Film Festival, where it won Best Film. The film stars Jason Selvig (of the political satire comedy duo The Good Liars) and Kara Young (I’m a Virgo). Co-starring are Davram Stiefler (Selvig’s The Good Liars […]
The post Trailer Watch: Ryan Dickie and Abigail Horton’s Blow Up My Life first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Trailer Watch: Ryan Dickie and Abigail Horton’s Blow Up My Life first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 8/22/2023
- by Natalia Keogan
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Editor’s note: This article contains spoilers from the Season 1 finale of “I’m a Virgo.”
With its launch on Amazon Prime last month, “I’m a Virgo” brought a burst of fresh attitude to the dense streaming landscape of new shows. While its future is unclear, there’s a lot more story to tell, if Amazon decides to greenlight a second season whenever the strike gridlock ends. “There has been a writers room for the other episodes besides the first episode of the second season,” creator and co-showrunner Boots Riley told IndieWire. “I’m trying to figure that out right now.”
Riley said that around 60 percent of the original script for the season had to be cut back for budgetary reasons (Season 1 cost $53 million), and the climax ending of the final, seventh episode was initially followed by two more scenes. “That would’ve wrapped a lot of stuff up,” Riley said.
With its launch on Amazon Prime last month, “I’m a Virgo” brought a burst of fresh attitude to the dense streaming landscape of new shows. While its future is unclear, there’s a lot more story to tell, if Amazon decides to greenlight a second season whenever the strike gridlock ends. “There has been a writers room for the other episodes besides the first episode of the second season,” creator and co-showrunner Boots Riley told IndieWire. “I’m trying to figure that out right now.”
Riley said that around 60 percent of the original script for the season had to be cut back for budgetary reasons (Season 1 cost $53 million), and the climax ending of the final, seventh episode was initially followed by two more scenes. “That would’ve wrapped a lot of stuff up,” Riley said.
- 7/13/2023
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Image Source: Matt Petit/Prime Video
"First and foremost, I'm a Black woman," says Kara Young. She's the two-time Tony nominee starring in Boots Riley's "I'm a Virgo." It's a surrealist comedy about a 13-foot-tall Black man, played by Dominican-American actor Jharrel Jerome, coming of age in Oakland.
"I'm from Harlem, you know, I've always been a Black girl," Young tells Popsugar when asked about her Latinidad. Both of Young's parents emigrated from Belize. "Belize is the only English-speaking country in Central America. Yet, I have so much blood that is Indigenous [and] is Latin blood. So, it feels like a sticky conversation at times. But then also, sometimes I'm like, 'I am Afro-Latina.'"
For those not familiar with Belizean history, the small Central American country is nestled between Mexico and Guatemala. The people there were Mayan before Europeans arrived. Both Great Britain and Spain laid claim to the land,...
"First and foremost, I'm a Black woman," says Kara Young. She's the two-time Tony nominee starring in Boots Riley's "I'm a Virgo." It's a surrealist comedy about a 13-foot-tall Black man, played by Dominican-American actor Jharrel Jerome, coming of age in Oakland.
"I'm from Harlem, you know, I've always been a Black girl," Young tells Popsugar when asked about her Latinidad. Both of Young's parents emigrated from Belize. "Belize is the only English-speaking country in Central America. Yet, I have so much blood that is Indigenous [and] is Latin blood. So, it feels like a sticky conversation at times. But then also, sometimes I'm like, 'I am Afro-Latina.'"
For those not familiar with Belizean history, the small Central American country is nestled between Mexico and Guatemala. The people there were Mayan before Europeans arrived. Both Great Britain and Spain laid claim to the land,...
- 7/6/2023
- by Cristina Escobar
- Popsugar.com
There is simply nothing else on TV like “I’m a Virgo,” the new seven-episode series from creator Boots Riley for Amazon’s Prime Video. And that’s the point.
“The first time I heard of the project, Boots actually personally emailed me. And the title was ’13-foot-tall Black man in Oakland,'” series lead and executive producer Jharrel Jerome told TheWrap. “Like anybody else, when you read that you’re just immediately intrigued and curious. I just knew that this was something that was going to not only challenge me but challenge the audience.”
“I’m a Virgo” was actually the first idea for a TV series Riley pitched to Michael Elleberg, executive producer, founder and chairman of Media Res Studio. The show follows a 13-foot-tall Black man who leaves the house for the first time at the age of 19. Starring Jerome as Cootie, “I’m a Virgo” starts as an absurdist...
“The first time I heard of the project, Boots actually personally emailed me. And the title was ’13-foot-tall Black man in Oakland,'” series lead and executive producer Jharrel Jerome told TheWrap. “Like anybody else, when you read that you’re just immediately intrigued and curious. I just knew that this was something that was going to not only challenge me but challenge the audience.”
“I’m a Virgo” was actually the first idea for a TV series Riley pitched to Michael Elleberg, executive producer, founder and chairman of Media Res Studio. The show follows a 13-foot-tall Black man who leaves the house for the first time at the age of 19. Starring Jerome as Cootie, “I’m a Virgo” starts as an absurdist...
- 6/23/2023
- by Kayla Cobb
- The Wrap
This article contains spoilers for all seven episodes of I’m a Virgo.
There’s a lot going on in I’m a Virgo, Boots Riley’s seven-episode series on Prime Video. The mere premise of the show itself – that of a 13-foot tall young Black man from Oakland finding himself – is a lot to unpack. And that’s before the Sorry to Bother You filmmaker begins to introduce other elements of magical realism.
Cootie’s (Jharrel Jerome) journey to self discovery features: a cult cartoon called Parking Tickets that has the potential to drive people insane, a billionaire comic book writer who becomes his own fascist creation called The Hero (Walton Goggins), and of course: plenty of revolutionary labor politics.
All of those disparate threads come to a head in the I’m a Virgo finale in which Cootie and friends have sabotaged a power facility in a fruitless attempt at...
There’s a lot going on in I’m a Virgo, Boots Riley’s seven-episode series on Prime Video. The mere premise of the show itself – that of a 13-foot tall young Black man from Oakland finding himself – is a lot to unpack. And that’s before the Sorry to Bother You filmmaker begins to introduce other elements of magical realism.
Cootie’s (Jharrel Jerome) journey to self discovery features: a cult cartoon called Parking Tickets that has the potential to drive people insane, a billionaire comic book writer who becomes his own fascist creation called The Hero (Walton Goggins), and of course: plenty of revolutionary labor politics.
All of those disparate threads come to a head in the I’m a Virgo finale in which Cootie and friends have sabotaged a power facility in a fruitless attempt at...
- 6/23/2023
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including red carpets for No Hard Feelings, I’m a Virgo and Downey’s Dream Cars.
Downey’s Dream Cars premiere
Robert Downey Jr. made a rare red carpet appearance to debut his new Max series at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles on June 16.
Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey
No Hard Feelings premiere
Jennifer Lawrence joined director Gene Stupnitsky and co-stars Andrew Feldman, Matthew Broderick, Laura Benanti, Natalie Morales, Hasan Minhaj, Kyle Mooney, Scott MacArthur, Zach McClarnon, Jordan Mendoza, Matthew Nozska, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Amalia Yoo at the New York premiere of their new comedy on Tuesday.
John Phillips, Laura Benanti, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Gene Stupnitsky, Natalie Morales, Jennifer Lawrence, Andrew Feldman and Matthew Broderick Jennifer Lawrence and Andrew Feldman
I’m a Virgo premiere
Stars Jharrel Jerome, Brett Gray,...
Downey’s Dream Cars premiere
Robert Downey Jr. made a rare red carpet appearance to debut his new Max series at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles on June 16.
Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey
No Hard Feelings premiere
Jennifer Lawrence joined director Gene Stupnitsky and co-stars Andrew Feldman, Matthew Broderick, Laura Benanti, Natalie Morales, Hasan Minhaj, Kyle Mooney, Scott MacArthur, Zach McClarnon, Jordan Mendoza, Matthew Nozska, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Amalia Yoo at the New York premiere of their new comedy on Tuesday.
John Phillips, Laura Benanti, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Gene Stupnitsky, Natalie Morales, Jennifer Lawrence, Andrew Feldman and Matthew Broderick Jennifer Lawrence and Andrew Feldman
I’m a Virgo premiere
Stars Jharrel Jerome, Brett Gray,...
- 6/23/2023
- by Kirsten Chuba
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
At the end of Boots Riley’s 2018 debut feature, “Sorry to Bother You,” Cassius (Lakeith Stanfield) gets stretched and mutilated beyond recognition until he becomes a horse — all in service of the film’s cutting narrative about how capitalism is crushing us all. In “I’m a Virgo,” Riley’s new Amazon Prime Video series, that stretching comes before the story begins: 19-year-old Cootie (Jharrel Jerome) is 13 feet tall, and he ends up under attack when the city of Oakland learns about the giant living in its backyard — again, all in service of a cutting narrative about how capitalism is crushing us all.
“I believe that people should democratically control the wealth that we create with our labor,” says Riley, 52. The writer-director has identified as a communist since before he gained recognition for founding the political hip-hop group the Coup in 1991. “How do you get the working class to organize together?...
“I believe that people should democratically control the wealth that we create with our labor,” says Riley, 52. The writer-director has identified as a communist since before he gained recognition for founding the political hip-hop group the Coup in 1991. “How do you get the working class to organize together?...
- 6/23/2023
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
Jharrel Jerome is larger than ever - in real life and on screen. The 25-year-old actor stars in Prime Video's surreal series "I'm a Virgo" as Cootie, an overgrown, 13-foot-tall sheltered teen living in Oakland, CA. It's the first time Jerome has led a project since starring in award-winning titles like Oscar best picture "Moonlight" and Ava DuVernay's true-life-inspired series "When They See Us," making it his biggest role to date - and his biggest challenge. Really, everything about "I'm a Virgo" is big. Jerome is best known for his emotional performances in the aforementioned, the latter of which he tells Popsugar "was one of the hardest things I'll ever do." But "I'm a Virgo" - which, per Prime Video, follows Cootie as he "escapes to experience the beauty and contradictions of the real world" for the first time - was the ultimate acting test for him. The Boots...
- 6/23/2023
- by Njera Perkins
- Popsugar.com
Boots Riley's "I'm a Virgo" is his most daring and socially conscious work to date, and its ending still has our heads spinning. The "fantastical coming-of-age joyride" stars Jharrel Jerome as a 13-foot-tall awkward teen named Cootie living in Oakland, CA, who, for the first time in his sheltered life, ventures out into the city to discover everything he's ever missed out on - from young love and friendship to his obsession with Bing-Bang burgers. Most of all, though, the Prime Video series spotlights the harsh realities of being Black in America.
Over the course of seven episodes, now streaming, viewers step into Cootie's whimsical and slightly depressing world as he navigates all that his overprotective aunt and uncle (Carmen Ejogo and Mike Epps) have warned him about since he was a kid. But Cootie's curiosity is too strong to deter him from exploring his surroundings - even when they start to villainize him,...
Over the course of seven episodes, now streaming, viewers step into Cootie's whimsical and slightly depressing world as he navigates all that his overprotective aunt and uncle (Carmen Ejogo and Mike Epps) have warned him about since he was a kid. But Cootie's curiosity is too strong to deter him from exploring his surroundings - even when they start to villainize him,...
- 6/23/2023
- by Njera Perkins
- Popsugar.com
“All art is propaganda,” Cootie is told in Amazon’s new series I’m A Virgo. Cootie leans a lot about propaganda over the course of the show. His friend Jones is a Black activist trying to fight the effects of the “crisis of capitalism” that is bringing so much hurt into the world. Cootie, meanwhile, could use some consciousness-raising, since he has spent the first 19 years of his life hiding in his parents’ house because he is — apologies for not mentioning this sooner — 13 feet tall and super strong.
I’m A Virgo,...
I’m A Virgo,...
- 6/23/2023
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Rollingstone.com
It’s a coming-of-age story of epic proportions! New from Amazon Studios is the highly anticipated comedy series “I’m a Virgo,” which will be available to watch on Amazon Prime Video on Thursday, June 22. “When They See Us” and “Moonlight” star Jharrel Jerome leads the cast as Cootie, a 13-foot-tall Black man living in Oakland, California, and experiencing the world in all its guts and glory for the first time. The fantastical, absurdist series comes from “Sorry to Bother You” filmmaker Boots Riley, who directs all episodes of the comedy. All seven episodes will be released simultaneously on June 22 on Prime Video. You can watch I'm a Virgo: Season 1 with a 30-Day Free Trial of Amazon Prime Video.
How to Watch ‘I'm a Virgo’ Series Premiere When: Thursday, June 22, 2023 Where: Amazon Prime Video Stream: Watch with a 30-Day Free Trial of Amazon Prime Video. 30-Day Free Trial$8.99 / month amazon.com...
How to Watch ‘I'm a Virgo’ Series Premiere When: Thursday, June 22, 2023 Where: Amazon Prime Video Stream: Watch with a 30-Day Free Trial of Amazon Prime Video. 30-Day Free Trial$8.99 / month amazon.com...
- 6/23/2023
- by Ashley Steves
- The Streamable
Afro-surrealism has been on Hollywood’s radar for some time now. From Donald Glover’s groundbreaking series “Atlanta” to Terence Nance’s thought-provoking “Random Acts of Flyness” and Jordan Peele’s critically acclaimed films “Get Out” and “Nope,” this formerly niche genre seems to be thriving in mainstream entertainment.
Writer, producer and musician Boots Riley, whose 2018 film “Sorry to Bother You” catapulted him to prominence as a filmmaker, returns with his latest project: “I’m A Virgo” on Prime Video. This highly anticipated series solidifies his position among the pioneers of the Afro-surrealist genre.
Afrofuturism and Afro-surrealism, often seen as interchangeable, are different. Where Afrofuturism blends the African diaspora’s art, science and music to speculate on the future, Afro-surrealism is about the now. Why romanticize a dystopian future when so many working-class Black and brown bodies live in oppressive spaces at this moment?
Also Read:
The Most Anticipated TV Shows...
Writer, producer and musician Boots Riley, whose 2018 film “Sorry to Bother You” catapulted him to prominence as a filmmaker, returns with his latest project: “I’m A Virgo” on Prime Video. This highly anticipated series solidifies his position among the pioneers of the Afro-surrealist genre.
Afrofuturism and Afro-surrealism, often seen as interchangeable, are different. Where Afrofuturism blends the African diaspora’s art, science and music to speculate on the future, Afro-surrealism is about the now. Why romanticize a dystopian future when so many working-class Black and brown bodies live in oppressive spaces at this moment?
Also Read:
The Most Anticipated TV Shows...
- 6/23/2023
- by Karama Horne
- The Wrap
I’m a Virgo is a triumph of imagination and ideology.
A boomerang throwback to Amazon’s early streaming years when poignant oddballs like Transparent and Patriot dominated Jeff Bezos’ slate, the Boots Riley-created series that launches Friday on Prime Video is a revitalizing return to originality both for the platform and the franchise-heavy small screen itself.
Watch it, with both eyes open.
With dead-end basketball and branding deals, societal toxicity, fast food and a faster-moving love interest played in breakout fashion by Olivia Washington, the heart of the poetic show is 13-foot-tall Cootie, portrayed in towering fashion by Jharrel Jerome. Leading the 19-year-old Oakland native’s unsure steps to the outside world after years of being hidden, the When They See Us Emmy winner ups his already considerable game to unfurl a naturalism that grounds the magical realism all around him.
Too late for this year’s Emmys, regardless...
A boomerang throwback to Amazon’s early streaming years when poignant oddballs like Transparent and Patriot dominated Jeff Bezos’ slate, the Boots Riley-created series that launches Friday on Prime Video is a revitalizing return to originality both for the platform and the franchise-heavy small screen itself.
Watch it, with both eyes open.
With dead-end basketball and branding deals, societal toxicity, fast food and a faster-moving love interest played in breakout fashion by Olivia Washington, the heart of the poetic show is 13-foot-tall Cootie, portrayed in towering fashion by Jharrel Jerome. Leading the 19-year-old Oakland native’s unsure steps to the outside world after years of being hidden, the When They See Us Emmy winner ups his already considerable game to unfurl a naturalism that grounds the magical realism all around him.
Too late for this year’s Emmys, regardless...
- 6/23/2023
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
Broadway Revival Of ‘Purlie Victorious’ Starring Leslie Odom, Jr. Sets Preview Date, Additional Cast
The previously announced Broadway revival of the Ossie Davis comedy Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch starring Leslie Odom, Jr. will begin previews on Thursday, September 7, at The Music Box Theatre, with an opening date to be announced.
The preview date was announced today, along with complete casting details. In addition to Odom, the revival will star Vanessa Bell Calloway, Billy Eugene Jones, Noah Pyzik, Noah Robbins, Jay O. Sanders, Heather Alicia Simms, Bill Timoney, and Kara Young. Kenny Leon directs.
The play marks Odom’s return to Broadway after winning the Tony for his performance as Aaron Burr in Hamilton.mThe creative team will feature scenic design by Derek McLane, costume design by Emilio Sosa, lighting design by Adam Honoré and sound design by Peter Fitzgerald.
Purlie Victorious tells the story of a Black preacher’s machinations to reclaim his inheritance and win back his church.
The preview date was announced today, along with complete casting details. In addition to Odom, the revival will star Vanessa Bell Calloway, Billy Eugene Jones, Noah Pyzik, Noah Robbins, Jay O. Sanders, Heather Alicia Simms, Bill Timoney, and Kara Young. Kenny Leon directs.
The play marks Odom’s return to Broadway after winning the Tony for his performance as Aaron Burr in Hamilton.mThe creative team will feature scenic design by Derek McLane, costume design by Emilio Sosa, lighting design by Adam Honoré and sound design by Peter Fitzgerald.
Purlie Victorious tells the story of a Black preacher’s machinations to reclaim his inheritance and win back his church.
- 6/15/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
The pure strangeness of I’m a Virgo is apparent from its very first moments, which depict a woman holding a baby that’s roughly the size of a large dog. Named Cootie, the child grows up in Oakland, California, sheltered from the outside world by his aunt, Lafrancine (Carmen Ejogo), and uncle, Martisse (Mike Epps). By 19, the 13-foot-tall Cootie (Jharrel Jerome) has outgrown his house and now sleeps in a large ramshackle shed out back.
Like creator Boots Riley’s film Sorry to Bother You, the show’s inventiveness doesn’t stop with its premise. Cootie’s idol is the Hero (Walton Goggins), a disillusioned comic book author turned vigilante who patrols the city’s streets via jetpack, and he develops a crush on a fast food cashier, Flora (Olivia Washington), who has the gift of superhuman speed but has learned to slow down her actions and speech to better integrate into society.
Like creator Boots Riley’s film Sorry to Bother You, the show’s inventiveness doesn’t stop with its premise. Cootie’s idol is the Hero (Walton Goggins), a disillusioned comic book author turned vigilante who patrols the city’s streets via jetpack, and he develops a crush on a fast food cashier, Flora (Olivia Washington), who has the gift of superhuman speed but has learned to slow down her actions and speech to better integrate into society.
- 6/14/2023
- by Steven Scaife
- Slant Magazine
Plot: A darkly-comedic fantastical coming-of-age joyride about Cootie, a 13-foot-tall young Black man in Oakland, CA. Having grown up hidden away, passing time on a diet of comic books and TV shows, he escapes to experience the beauty and contradictions of the real world. He forms friendships, finds love, navigates awkward situations, and encounters his idol, the real life superhero named The Hero. I’m A Virgo is a mythical odyssey that questions the purpose of the mythical odyssey.
Review: Boots Riley’s feature film directional debut, Sorry To Bother You, was a festival darling when it premiered in 2018. It has taken Riley half a decade to bring his sophomore effort to the screen. I’m A Virgo is a seven-episode series premiering on Prime Video, which has given Riley three times as much space to tell an epic and surreal story that is part fairy tale, part parable, and utterly unique.
Review: Boots Riley’s feature film directional debut, Sorry To Bother You, was a festival darling when it premiered in 2018. It has taken Riley half a decade to bring his sophomore effort to the screen. I’m A Virgo is a seven-episode series premiering on Prime Video, which has given Riley three times as much space to tell an epic and surreal story that is part fairy tale, part parable, and utterly unique.
- 6/14/2023
- by Alex Maidy
- JoBlo.com
J. Harrison Ghee started their day eating a bacon, egg, and cheese McGriddle. They ended the night making history as the first non-binary performer to win a Tony Award for best leading actor in a musical for their role as Jerry/Daphne in the new musical comedy Some Like It Hot, loosely based on the 1959 film starring Marilyn Monroe.
For Ghee, Tony Awards Sunday – the Super Bowl for the Broadway industry – was relatively calm compared to what nominated actors endure most years. In the morning, they went to the Shubert...
For Ghee, Tony Awards Sunday – the Super Bowl for the Broadway industry – was relatively calm compared to what nominated actors endure most years. In the morning, they went to the Shubert...
- 6/13/2023
- by Leigh Scheps
- Rollingstone.com
On Sunday night, Broadway honored the best live theater of the year at the 76th annual Tony Awards.
At a time of the ongoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, it was a possibility that the ceremony would not happen this year, but the WGA and the Tony Awards’ organizers reached an agreement where the show would not be picketed and the writers would not work on the telecast. The previous time this occurred was in 1988 when Phantom of the Opera and Into the Woods competed for Best Musical.
The Tonys was the first major ceremony to take place amid the current writers’ strike. While other awards shows need a host and numerous presenters to say written remarks about the competitors and provide good ratings, the Tonys already have a built-in fan base that only requires around a dozen performances and winners’ speeches to succeed.
Ariana DeBose returned as the host,...
At a time of the ongoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, it was a possibility that the ceremony would not happen this year, but the WGA and the Tony Awards’ organizers reached an agreement where the show would not be picketed and the writers would not work on the telecast. The previous time this occurred was in 1988 when Phantom of the Opera and Into the Woods competed for Best Musical.
The Tonys was the first major ceremony to take place amid the current writers’ strike. While other awards shows need a host and numerous presenters to say written remarks about the competitors and provide good ratings, the Tonys already have a built-in fan base that only requires around a dozen performances and winners’ speeches to succeed.
Ariana DeBose returned as the host,...
- 6/12/2023
- by Alex Nguyen
- Uinterview
The 2023 Tony Awards just honored a fresh group of incredible talents. Trophies were handed out at the United Palace Theater in NYC on June 11. This year's big winners include "Killing Eve" star Jodie Comer for her role in "Prima Facie," the play "Leopoldstadt," and the musical "Kimberly Akimbo."
"Shucked" star Alex Newell and "Some Like It Hot" star J. Harrison Ghee also made history as they became the award show's first openly nonbinary acting winners. The Tony Awards do not have gender-neutral acting categories. Newell, an alum of "The Glee Project," took home the award for featured actor in a musical. Ghee also won in their category, best actor in a musical.
The annual theater award ceremony was hosted by Oscar winner Ariana DeBose, who is emceeing without a script amid the 2023 writers strike.
Ahead, these are the 2023 Tony winners.
Best Musical
"& Juliet"
Winner: "Kimberly Akimbo"
"New York, New York...
"Shucked" star Alex Newell and "Some Like It Hot" star J. Harrison Ghee also made history as they became the award show's first openly nonbinary acting winners. The Tony Awards do not have gender-neutral acting categories. Newell, an alum of "The Glee Project," took home the award for featured actor in a musical. Ghee also won in their category, best actor in a musical.
The annual theater award ceremony was hosted by Oscar winner Ariana DeBose, who is emceeing without a script amid the 2023 writers strike.
Ahead, these are the 2023 Tony winners.
Best Musical
"& Juliet"
Winner: "Kimberly Akimbo"
"New York, New York...
- 6/12/2023
- by Victoria Edel
- Popsugar.com
On Sunday evening, the 2023 Tony Awards will recognize the best of Broadway during the 76th annual celebration hosted by Ariana DeBose. The ceremony, which unfolded a bit differently this year after the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike with studios over fair compensation, revealed the winners of 26 categories while still providing a showcase for many of the top nominees with live musical performances.
Leading up to the big night, a total of 27 new productions were nominated, with the musical adaptation of Some Like It Hot coming out on top with a total of 13. The other top musicals were & Juliet, New York New York and Shucked with nine each and Kimberly Akimbo with eight. The most nominated revived musical, meanwhile, was Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, which also garnered eight nods.
On the play side, Ain’t No Mo’ and Leopoldstadt were the most nominated originals...
Leading up to the big night, a total of 27 new productions were nominated, with the musical adaptation of Some Like It Hot coming out on top with a total of 13. The other top musicals were & Juliet, New York New York and Shucked with nine each and Kimberly Akimbo with eight. The most nominated revived musical, meanwhile, was Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, which also garnered eight nods.
On the play side, Ain’t No Mo’ and Leopoldstadt were the most nominated originals...
- 6/12/2023
- by Melissa Romualdi
- ET Canada
On Sunday, Broadway stepped out for its biggest night as the Tony Awards celebrated the year’s best talent live from the United Palace in New York City. The ceremony was hosted by stage star-turned-Oscar winner Ariana DeBose in a three-hour ceremony that aired at 8/7c on CBS and streamed on Paramount+.
Going into the 76th annual awards, Some Like It Hot led the pack of musicals with a whopping 13 nominations, including one for Best New Musical. But Kimberly Akimbo ultimately won the top prize, in addition to other top honors for both its lead and supporting actress. As far as plays go,...
Going into the 76th annual awards, Some Like It Hot led the pack of musicals with a whopping 13 nominations, including one for Best New Musical. But Kimberly Akimbo ultimately won the top prize, in addition to other top honors for both its lead and supporting actress. As far as plays go,...
- 6/11/2023
- by Claire Franken
- TVLine.com
After an extraordinary season boasting 38 productions of musicals, plays, and revivals, Broadway will toast its nominees and crown new winners at the upcoming 76th annual Tony Awards. If predicting the winners seems overwhelming with so many terrific contenders to choose between, check out our racetrack odds below for all 26 categories.
These official odds for the Tonys are derived from the predictions of our Experts who write about theatre year-round, our in-house team of Editors, the Top 24 Users who did the best predicting last year’s ceremony, the All-Star Top 24 who have the highest scores when you combine predictions from the last two years, and all our Users who make up the largest and often savviest bloc of predictors.
On June 11, the Tonys begin with the first round of awards during a special called “Act One,” hosted by Julianna Hough and Skylar Astin, which airs at 6:30pm Et on Pluto TV...
These official odds for the Tonys are derived from the predictions of our Experts who write about theatre year-round, our in-house team of Editors, the Top 24 Users who did the best predicting last year’s ceremony, the All-Star Top 24 who have the highest scores when you combine predictions from the last two years, and all our Users who make up the largest and often savviest bloc of predictors.
On June 11, the Tonys begin with the first round of awards during a special called “Act One,” hosted by Julianna Hough and Skylar Astin, which airs at 6:30pm Et on Pluto TV...
- 6/8/2023
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
I’m a Virgo is coming to Prime Video in June, and the streaming service has now released a trailer and key art teasing the coming-of-age comedy series, which follows one giant-sized teen.
Starring Jharrel Jerome, Brett Gray, Kara Young, Allius Barnes, Olivia Washington, Mike Epps, and Carmen Ejogo, the comedy series follows a young 13-foot-tall man exploring his world for the first time.
Read More…...
Starring Jharrel Jerome, Brett Gray, Kara Young, Allius Barnes, Olivia Washington, Mike Epps, and Carmen Ejogo, the comedy series follows a young 13-foot-tall man exploring his world for the first time.
Read More…...
- 5/31/2023
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
Writer/director Boots Riley is probably best known for the offbeat, satirical Sorry To Bother You, which dealt with issues of race and class through a semi-fantastical lens. He's back in that style for his latest, a Prime Video TV series arriving later this month. Check out the trailer for I'm A Virgo below…
The show focuses on Cootie (Jharrel Jerome), a 13-foot-tall young Black man in Oakland, California. Having grown up hidden away, passing time on a diet of comic books and TV shows, he escapes to experience the beauty and contradictions of the real world.
He forms friendships, finds love, navigates awkward situations, and encounters his idol, a real-life superhero named The Hero, played by Walton Goggins. Which does not necessarily go well…
I'm A Virgo also stars Brett Gray, Kara Young, Allius Barnes, Olivia Washington, Mike Epps and Carmen Ejogo, and debuts on Prime Video on 23 June.
The show focuses on Cootie (Jharrel Jerome), a 13-foot-tall young Black man in Oakland, California. Having grown up hidden away, passing time on a diet of comic books and TV shows, he escapes to experience the beauty and contradictions of the real world.
He forms friendships, finds love, navigates awkward situations, and encounters his idol, a real-life superhero named The Hero, played by Walton Goggins. Which does not necessarily go well…
I'm A Virgo also stars Brett Gray, Kara Young, Allius Barnes, Olivia Washington, Mike Epps and Carmen Ejogo, and debuts on Prime Video on 23 June.
- 5/30/2023
- by James White
- Empire - TV
Emmy winner Jharrel Jerome looms big as a 13-foot-tall black man in Oakland, California in the official trailer for Amazon Prime Video’s coming-of-age dark comedy I’m A Virgo, which was released on Tuesday.
The absurdist series created, written and executive produced by Boots Riley has Jerome’s character, Cootie, having to navigate life as a giant after growing up hidden away, passing time on a diet of comic books and TV shows.
“You are a 13-foot tall Black man — they fear you,” Cootie is told at one point in the trailer as he nervously tries to court a young woman taking his order in a burger joint and even meets his real-life superhero from comic books, played by Walton Goggins.
The series, a follow-up of sorts to Riley’s 2018 Sundance hit Sorry to Bother You, has the filmmaker directing all seven episodes set to bow exclusively on Prime Video...
The absurdist series created, written and executive produced by Boots Riley has Jerome’s character, Cootie, having to navigate life as a giant after growing up hidden away, passing time on a diet of comic books and TV shows.
“You are a 13-foot tall Black man — they fear you,” Cootie is told at one point in the trailer as he nervously tries to court a young woman taking his order in a burger joint and even meets his real-life superhero from comic books, played by Walton Goggins.
The series, a follow-up of sorts to Riley’s 2018 Sundance hit Sorry to Bother You, has the filmmaker directing all seven episodes set to bow exclusively on Prime Video...
- 5/30/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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