Entertainment
Glynis Johns, ‘Mary Poppins’ Star Who First Sang Sondheim’s ‘Send In The Clowns,’ Dies At 100
NEW YORK – Glynis Johns, a Tony Award-winning stage and screen performer who played the mother opposite Julie Andrews in the iconic film “Mary Poppins” and introduced the world to the bittersweet standard-to-be “Send in the Clowns” by Stephen Sondheim, has died. She was 100 years old.
Her manager, Mitch Clem, said she died of natural causes on Thursday at a Los Angeles assisted living facility. “Today’s a sad day for Hollywood,” Clem stated. “She is the last of the last of old Hollywood.”
Johns was recognized as a perfectionist in her field – precise, analytical, and opinionated. Her functions have to be multifaceted. Anything less was less than giving her all.
“As far as I’m concerned, I’m not interested in only playing the role on one level,” she told The Associated Press in 1990. “The whole point of first-rate acting is to make it a reality.” To be honest. And to be real, I have to make meaning of it in my mind.”
Glynis Johns, ‘Mary Poppins’ Star Who First Sang Sondheim’s ‘Send In The Clowns,’ Dies At 100
Johns’ greatest success was as Desiree Armfeldt in “A Little Night Music,” for which she received a Tony Award in 1973. Sondheim penned the classic song “Send in the Clowns” for her unusual husky voice, but she lost the role in the 1977 film adaptation to Elizabeth Taylor.
“I’ve had other songs written for me, but nothing like that,” Johns explained to the Associated Press in 1990. “It’s the greatest gift I’ve ever been given in the theater.”
Others who have performed Sondheim’s most popular song after Johns include Frank Sinatra, Judy Collins, Barbra Streisand, Sarah Vaughan, and Olivia Newton-John. It was also performed by Elijah Wood in season two of “Yellowjackets” in 2023.
“A Little Night Music” had gone into rehearsal with some of the text and score incomplete, including a solo piece for Johns, when it was first conceived. Director Hal Prince proposed that she and co-star Len Cariou improvise a scene or two to spark ideas for book writer Hugh Wheeler.
“Hal said, ‘Why don’t you just say what you feel,” she recalled to the AP. “When Len and I did that, Hal got on the phone to Steve Sondheim and said, ‘I think you’d better get in a cab and get round here and watch what they’re doing because you are going to get the idea for Glynis’ solo.” ‘
Johns was the fourth generation of a theatrical family from England. Her father, Mervyn Johns, was a character actor, and her mother was a pianist. She was born in Pretoria, South Africa, because her parents were on a tour there then.
Glynis Johns, ‘Mary Poppins’ Star Who First Sang Sondheim’s ‘Send In The Clowns,’ Dies At 100
Johns began her career as a dancer at the age of 12 and as an actor in London’s West End at the age of 14. Her breakout performance was as the passionate mermaid in the 1948 blockbuster comedy “Miranda.”
“I was quite an athlete; my muscles were strong from dancing, so the tail was just fine; I swam like a porpoise,” she told Newsday then. She was nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actress in 1960’s “The Sundowners,” alongside Deborah Kerr and Robert Mitchum. (She was defeated by Shirley Jones in “Elmer Gantry.”)
Other highlights include her role as the mother in “Mary Poppins,” which introduced Julie Andrews and included her singing the rousing song “Sister Suffragette.” She also appeared in the 1989 Broadway revival of W. Somerset Maugham’s romantic comedy “The Circle,” with Rex Harrison and Stewart Granger.
“I’ve retired several times. My personal life has taken precedence over my professional life. My life includes the theatre. It most likely requires my maximum level of intelligence; thus, I must return to it to discover that I have the skill. “I’m not as good at anything else,” she told the Associated Press.
Glynis Johns, ‘Mary Poppins’ Star Who First Sang Sondheim’s ‘Send In The Clowns,’ Dies At 100
To prepare for Horton Foote’s 1998 play “A Coffin in Egypt,” about a grand dame reminiscing about her life on and off a ranch on the Texas plains, she got the Texas-born Foote to record a short audio of himself reading certain lines and used it as her coach.
In a 1991 “A Little Night Music” performance in Los Angeles, she played Madame Armfeldt, Desiree’s mother, a role she created. In 1963, she had her television sitcom, “Glynis.”
Johns had four marriages and lived all over the world. The first was her only child’s father, the late Gareth Forwood, an actor who died in 2007.
SOURCE – (AP)
(VOR News) – The “Merc with a Mouth” will return to the big screen in Deadpool & Wolverine this weekend, and his contribution to Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe extends beyond his R rating.
“Deadpool & Wolverine,” the third standalone feature film featuring Ryan Reynolds as the regenerative reprobate, is expected to gross between $160 million and $180 million in its opening weekend at the domestic box office.
The movie has already surpassed the greatest number of ticket pre-sales in 2024, according to data provided by Fandango. It is anticipated that it will break numerous records during its opening weekend.
Most noteworthy among these accomplishments is the most successful premiere for an R-rated film in history, as well as the largest domestic opening of 2024.
Disney and Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” has achieved the highest opening of the year with a total of $154.2 million, as per the data provided by Comscore.
Additionally, the first “Deadpool” film has achieved the highest début for any R-rated feature film with a total of $132.4 million.
Mike Bowers, the president and CEO of Harkins Theatres, a theatre corporation located in Arizona, stated, “I am confident that this will be the largest R-rated film to ever be released if it is released.” Furthermore, it is already one of the most successful presale films in the annals of our company.
“Deadpool & Wolverine” was initially rated R because of its trailer.
It is also the 34th Deadpool & Wolverine film to be released under the Marvel Cinematic Universe banner. The two Deadpool films that preceded it, both of which were rated R, were produced and distributed by 20th Century Fox.
The reintroduction of the X-Men and Fantastic Four into the broader Marvel catalogue was the consequence of Disney’s acquisition of the corporation in 2019.
Similar to other Marvel Cinematic Universe films, “Deadpool & Wolverine” is benefiting from the enthusiasm of its audience.
Audiences are anxious to view the film during its opening weekend in order to prevent spoilers. Disney has maintained the confidentiality of the majority of the film’s content, and only a limited number of press screenings have been conducted prior to the film’s release.
Bowers anticipates that individuals will continue to return for additional viewings in the weeks following the film’s premiere.
He made the observation that “this is a film that there is so much happening, so many jokes and funny sequences that no one is going to be able to eat just one, you know, they’re going to be back.”
Ellis Jacob, the president and chief executive officer of Cineplex, the largest cinema theatre operator in Canada, echoed Bower’s viewpoint. Jacob asserted that “Deadpool & Wolverine” is replete with Easter eggs and that viewers will revisit the film to attempt to locate them all.
Furthermore, he stated that a substantial number of moviegoers are purchasing tickets for premium screenings, such as IMAX, Dolby, and ScreenX, which are more expensive.
Additionally, Marvel has collaborated with movie theatres to grant licenses for items such as collector popcorn tubs and drink containers, which the theatre operators anticipate will be in high demand.
Historically, concessions have been the most profitable revenue source for movie theatres, and the presence of limited-edition products can result in even greater sales of food and beverages.
” Deadpool & Wolverine” is an essential Marvel release.
Shawn Robbins, Deadpool & Wolverine the inventor and owner of Box Office Theory, announced that Disney had “slowed down the pace” and had scheduled fewer films in the series that has dominated the global box office for over a decade. Box Office Theory is also associated with Robbins.
He stated that Disney is making an effort to correct the course after a series of theatrical errors and poor box office performance, as well as a flood of streaming content that overwhelmed even the most devoted fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Robbins pointed out that “in the end, despite the fact that this is a Marvel movie, it may be viewed equally as a midsummer action comedy that stars personalities and brands that are loved by both die-hard fans and casual viewers.”
The fact that Reynolds and Jackman have both made a name for themselves in Deadpool & Wolverine popular culture and have maintained a cordial relationship through interviews and social media makes them an ideal pairing.
Likewise, there is genuine curiosity regarding the first R-rated film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and whether it will retain the qualities that made the first two Deadpool films and [Jackman’s 2017 Wolverine film] Logan so successful.
SOURCE: CNBC
SEE ALSO:
Netflix Has A Plan To Keep You Paying For Your Subscription
Stormzy and Maya Jama split up ten years after becoming “madly in love.”
Britney Spears Has A Message For Ozzy Osbourne After He Called Her Dancing ‘Sad’
Turner Sports hopes to continue its long-standing relationship with the NBA.
On Monday, Warner Bros. Discovery informed the league that it will match Amazon Prime Video’s $1.8 billion annual bid. Turner has had an NBA package since 1984, and games have been broadcast on TNT since the network started in 1988.
“We studied the offers and accepted one of them. This will allow fans to continue to experience our unequaled coverage, including the greatest live game productions in the business and our legendary studio shows and talent, as we build on our proven 40-year commitment for many more years,” WBD stated. “We submitted our matching paperwork to the league today.” We are looking forward to the NBA completing our new contract.”
Warner Bros. Discovery Informs NBA It Will Match Amazon Prime Video’s Offer To Carry Games
The NBA Board of Governors approved the league’s 11-year media rights deals with Disney, NBC, and Amazon Prime Video on Tuesday at its meeting in Las Vegas. WBD received all three contracts on Wednesday, beginning the five-day clock for deciding whether to match.
The new deals, for $76 billion, will begin with the 2025-26 season and entail a game being shown or streamed nationally every night during the second half of the season.
The Prime Video package would have offered games on Thursday night after it finished carrying NFL games. The other nights were Friday and Saturday.
TNT would air games on Thursday, with the other nights being streamed on Max.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav warned at an RBC Investor Conference in November 2022 that Turner and WBD “don’t have to have the NBA.”
Warner Bros. Discovery and the league could not negotiate an agreement during their exclusive bargaining period, which ended in April. Zaslav and TNT Sports Chairman/CEO Luis Silberwasser have recently announced that they intend to match one of the agreements.
“During our four-decade collaboration with the NBA, we have consistently provided exceptional coverage for basketball fans. WBD stated that they behaved in good faith to offer strong proposals that were fair to both parties throughout exclusive and non-exclusive negotiations to maintain their long-standing collaboration. “Regrettably, the league notified us of its intention to accept other offers for the games in our current rights package, leaving us to proceed under the matching rights provision, which is an integral part of our current agreement and the rights we have paid for under it.”
NBC and WBD would alternate broadcasting one of the conference finals series. ESPN and ABC will continue to broadcast the league’s top package and will host conference finals and the NBA Finals each year.
According to people familiar with the negotiations, Amazon’s offer contained a mechanism for paying many years in advance into an escrow account, which many thought would be difficult to match. However, WBD has informed the league that it has the financial resources to do so.
“The Ringer’s” Bill Simmons originally mentioned the Amazon provision on “The Town” podcast.
People talked to the AP anonymously because they were not at liberty to discuss such serious topics.
Warner Bros. Discovery Informs NBA It Will Match Amazon Prime Video’s Offer To Carry Games
WBD pays $1.4 billion per season under the existing nine-year contract, which expires after next season.
WBD is making a large financial investment, but it is necessary. Without the NBA, it would have struggled to charge its present subscriber fees to cable and satellite companies.
Retaining the NBA would also ensure that the popular “Inside the NBA” show will continue. Charles Barkley was dismissive of WBD’s negotiation position and did not believe it would match. Barkley revealed at the end of this season that he planned to retire following the next season.
SOURCE – (AP)
Celebrity
American Who Made Social Media Threats Against Taylor Swift Detained Ahead Of German Concert
BERLIN — An American man who made threats against Taylor Swift on social media was seized before her first concert in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, and will be held in custody until her gigs there end, authorities said Thursday.
swift | AP news Image
American Who Made Social Media Threats Against Taylor Swift Detained Ahead Of German Concert
According to police, the accused stalker, a 34-year-old whose name has not been disclosed, had a ticket to Taylor’s concert at Gelsenkirchen’s Veltins-Arena on Wednesday. They stated that he was detained at event admission checks because an early assessment could not completely rule out a risk.
According to police, the man threatened Taylor and her partner on social media. They say he was detained after receiving tips from the event’s organizers.
The American superstar will perform in Gelsenkirchen on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday as part of her Eras tour. According to authorities, a local court has ordered that the suspected stalker be detained until Saturday.
They went on to say that Swift and the audience were always safe. The event drew approximately 60,000 people on Wednesday evening and went off without incident.
American Who Made Social Media Threats Against Taylor Swift Detained Ahead Of German Concert
Before the concerts, Gelsenkirchen temporarily renamed the town “Swiftkirchen” and honored the singer on a “Walk of Fame” dedicated to local luminaries.
Taylor has plans to perform in two more German cities after Gelsenkirchen: Hamburg and Munich.
SOURCE | AP
-
World2 weeks agoFormer President Trump Survives Being Shot at Pennsylvania Rally
-
Tech4 weeks ago
Huawei Launches 5G-A Pioneers Program at MWC Shanghai 2024: Paving the Way for a Connected Future
-
Tech4 weeks ago
ChatGPT Answers Undiscovered Questions and Outperforms Students.
-
Sports4 weeks ago
NBA Draft: Kyle Filipowski Withdraws Unexpectedly From The First Round
-
News4 weeks ago
US Supreme Court Rejects Drug Deal that Protects the Sackler Family
-
Health4 weeks ago
US Health Agency Issues Dengue Virus Infection Warning
