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Tony Awards: Two Words That Were Avoided on Stage “Scott Rudin” Not Recognized by “Salesman” Winners or “Mormon” Tribute

Roger Friedman
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Tony Awards: Two Words That Were Avoided on Stage “Scott Rudin” Not Recognized by “Salesman” Winners or “Mormon” Tribute

The two words you didn’t hear on stage at last night’s Tony Awards.

They were “Scott Rudin.”

The producer of “The Book of Mormon” and also “Death of a Salesman” was not surprisingly omitted from every speech that could have included him.

“Salesman” won Best Revival of a Play. Star Nathan Lane did the acceptance speech, and thanked director Joe Mantello and the late famed playwright Arthur Miller.

Did anyone produce this production? Lane didn’t say.

Laurie Metcalf won Best Featured Actress in a Play for “Salesman.” She also appeared in a play Rudin produced last winter called “Little Bear Ridge Road.” Rudin’s name did not pass her lips on stage.

When “Book of Mormon” was introduced before a 15th anniversary performance, Rudin again was MIA from the activities. The musical’s creators didn’t bring him up,

Well, Rudin was ostracized from Broadway four years ago for severe misbehavior toward actors and employees, not to mention the press. He became ‘canceled,’ a pariah, someone no one wanted to see again despite having “good taste.” He was also cruel to a lot of people.

So this was his real punishment, to be denied any public credit for these successes.

Another name I didn’t hear all night was E.L. Doctorow, the famed author who wrote the book “Ragtime.”

The musical won Best Revival last night, and two of its lead performers — Josh Henry and Caissie Levy — won Tonys for acting in the show.

“Ragtime” won four Tonys last night. But everyone seemed to forget Doctorow wrote this literary bestseller which won prizes in 1976. It went on to become a popular movie directed by Alan Pakula. Without Doctorow, there were no characters, no story, no plot, nothing.

The book, like all of Doctorow’s, remains a must read classic of the late 20th century.

Otherwise, this was one of the best Tony Awards shows in years, a lot thanks to host, rock star Pink. She was a sensation, particularly when she led the performance of “Chicago.” She may never have appeared on Broadway in her life, but last night she launched her career.

Kudos to all the winners, especially Alden Ehrenreich, who won featured actor in a play for “Becky Shaw.” After many movies that didn’t stick, Ehrenreich finally hit it big — deservedly. It’s nice to see that kind of reward for good work.

Best musical

The Lost Boys
Schmigadoon! – WINNER!
Titaníque
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

Best performance by an actor in a leading role in a musical

Nicholas Christopher, Chess
Luke Evans, The Rocky Horror Show
Joshua Henry, Ragtime – WINNER!
Sam Tutty, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Brandon Uranowitz, Ragtime

Best performance by an actress in a leading role in a musical

Sara Chase, Schmigadoon!
Stephanie Hsu, The Rocky Horror Show
Caissie Levy, Ragtime – WINNER!
Marla Mindelle, Titaníque
Christiani Pitts, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

Best revival of a play

Death of a Salesman – WINNER!
Becky Shaw
Every Brilliant Thing
Fallen Angels
Oedipus

Best performance by an actor in a featured role in a play

Christopher Abbott, Death of a Salesman
Danny Burstein, Marjorie Prime
Brandon J. Dirden, Waiting for Godot
Alden Ehrenreich, Becky Shaw – WINNER!
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Richard Thomas, The Balusters

Best revival of a musical

Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Ragtime – WINNER!
The Rocky Horror Show

Best performance by an actress in a leading role in a play

Rose Byrne, Fallen Angels
Carrie Coon, Bug
Susannah Flood, Liberation
Lesley Manville, Oedipus – WINNER!
Kelli O’Hara, Fallen Angels

Best performance by an actor in a featured role in a musical

Ali Louis Bourzgui, The Lost Boys – WINNER!
André De Shields, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Bryce Pinkham, Chess
Ben Levi Ross, Ragtime
Layton Williams, Titaníque
Best play

The Balusters
Giant
Liberation – WINNER!
Little Bear Ridge Road

Best performance by an actress in a featured role in a musical

Shoshana Bean, The Lost Boys – WINNER!
Hannah Cruz, Chess
Rachel Dratch, The Rocky Horror Show
Ana Gasteyer, Schmigadoon!
Nichelle Lewis, Ragtime

Best direction of a play

Nicholas Hytner, Giant
Robert Icke, Oedipus
Kenny Leon, The Balusters
Joe Mantello, Death of a Salesman – WINNER!
Whitney White, Liberation

Best direction of a musical

Michael Arden, The Lost Boys
Lear deBessonet, Ragtime
Christopher Gattelli, Schmigadoon!
Tim Jackson, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, Cats: The Jellicle Ball – WINNER!

Best performance by an actress in a featured role in a play

Betsy Aidem, Liberation
Marylouise Burke, The Balusters
Aya Cash, Giant
Laurie Metcalf, Death of a Salesman – WINNER!
June Squibb, Marjorie Prime

Best performance by an actor in a leading role in a play

Will Harrison, Punch
Nathan Lane, Death of a Salesman
John Lithgow, Giant – WINNER!
Daniel Radcliffe, Every Brilliant Thing
Mark Strong, Oedipus

Best choreography

Christopher Gattelli, Schmigadoon!
Ellenore Scott, Ragtime
Ani Taj, The Rocky Horror Show
Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons, Cats: The Jellicle Ball – WINNER!
Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant, The Lost Boys

Best scenic design of a musical

dots, The Rocky Horror Show
Soutra Gilmour, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Rachel Hauck, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Dane Laffrey, The Lost Boys – WINNER!
Scott Pask, Schmigadoon!

Best scenic design of a play

Hildegard Bechtler, Oedipus
Takeshi Kata, Bug
Chloe Lamford, Death of a Salesman – WINNER!
David Korins, Dog Day Afternoon
David Rockwell, Fallen Angels

Best lighting design of a musical

Kevin Adams, Chess
Jane Cox, The Rocky Horror Show
Donald Holder, Schmigadoon!
Adam Honoré, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Adam Honoré and Donald Holder (Lighting Design) and 59 Studio (Projection Design), Ragtime
Jen Schriever and Michael Arden, The Lost Boys – WINNER!

Best lighting design of a play

Isabella Byrd, Dog Day Afternoon
Natasha Chivers, Oedipus
Stacey Derosier, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone
Heather Gilbert, Bug
Heather Gilbert, The Fear of 13
Jack Knowles, Death of a Salesman – WINNER!

Best sound design of a musical

Kai Harada, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Kai Harada, Ragtime – WINNER!
Adam Fisher, The Lost Boys
Brian Ronan, The Rocky Horror Show
Walter Trarbach, Schmigadoon!

Distraught Trump Walks out on “Meet the Press” Interview, Calls Host Kristen Welker “Stupid,” Plus NBC, ABC, CBS, and CNN “Crooked”

Roger Friedman
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0
Distraught Trump Walks out on “Meet the Press” Interview, Calls Host Kristen Welker “Stupid,” Plus NBC, ABC, CBS, and CNN “Crooked”

Donald Trump became distraught today during an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Live from a barn in Wisconsin, where rain outside almost drowned him out, Trump called host Kristen Welker ‘stupid.’

(He hates female journalists, as we know.)

Red faced to the point of concern, he lambasted the three major broadcast networks and CNN, labeling them “crooked.”

And then he took off his mic and walked out.

We don’t know what happened next, but you can only hope he got soaked — the same way we’re getting soaked at the gas pump and in grocery stores.

What a pathetic excuse for a human. But maybe having his name scraped off the Kennedy Center this week has got him hot under the make up stained collar.

We can only hope he got soaked — the same way we’re getting soaked at the gas pump and in grocery stores.

What a pathetic excuse for a human. But maybe having his name scraped off the Kennedy Center this week has got him hot under the make up stained collar.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/fact-checking-trump-interview-meet-press-june-2026-rcna348518

Oh, the Horror! “Scary Movie,” “Backrooms,” “Obsession” Put Fans in the Seats for a Combined $100 Mil Weekend, Universe Masters $29 Mil

Roger Friedman
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Oh, the Horror! “Scary Movie,” “Backrooms,” “Obsession” Put Fans in the Seats for a Combined $100 Mil Weekend, Universe Masters $29 Mil

You’d think people were scared enough these days.

But cheap thrills never go away.

The three horror movies in release right now made a total of almost $100 million this weekend.

“Scary Movie” came back from the dead and logged $55 million. Reviews were terrible, but the fun of seeing the Wayans and Anna Faris was a big turn on.

“Backrooms” came in at $26 mil for a second weekend, raising its total to $135 million. Another $60 million was scared up from abroad, so it’s hitting $200 million tomorrow on a $10 million budget. The director is 20 years old and can’t drink yet!

“Obsession,” with a $1 million budget, has obsessed up to almost $225 mil worldwide. That director is just learning to shave!

Meantime, comes “Masters of the Universe.” The $29 mil start is a bit of a disappointment but it’s already doing well overseas with another $25 million. Amazon MGM spent $200 million on it, so the mastering had better improve quickly!

“Power Ballad” is in over 1,200 theaters this week. In between basketball games, go see it. Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas are terrific. I don’t see much promotion, so we have to do this ourselves!

Donald Trump Wants the Knicks to Lose and Fans to Suffer While Watching Monday Night Game: His Planned Appearance Now a Nightmare

Roger Friedman
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Donald Trump Wants the Knicks to Lose and Fans to Suffer While Watching Monday Night Game: His Planned Appearance Now a Nightmare

Don’t think for a minute that Donald Trump’s planned upset of Monday’s NBA finals aren’t intentional.

Trump is coming to Madison Square Garden knowing fans hate him, and that he will be booed.

His appearance at the game will cause a severe distraction for the players. And the fans.

The security will be a nightmare, as well.

Is Trump a Knicks fan? No. The intention is take the focus off the teams — the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs — and put the spotlight on himself. Among other things, he knows that popular New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani will be in the house, and that fans will start chanting his name while booing Trump.

All of this is tremendous pressure for players who have to concentrate on the main action.

Will Trump stay til the end? Unlikely. He will definitely fall asleep. But because he’s in a luxury box, photos will be limited.

Of course, he could declare “marital law” — not martial law — and stay until Taylor Swift’s wedding.

Scott Pelley Tells the New York Times After Dismissal from “60 Minutes” for Protesting New Regime: “CBS News Is On Fire” (Watch Video, Transcript)

Roger Friedman
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Scott Pelley Tells the New York Times After Dismissal from “60 Minutes” for Protesting New Regime: “CBS News Is On Fire” (Watch Video, Transcript)

Former “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley is blunt with the New York Times in a new interview.

“CBS News,” he says, “is in fire.”

Pelley was dismissed this week after 37 years with the network for speaking his mind against the new, Trump-tilted regime.

Several of his colleagues were fired before his confrontation with new executive producer Nick Bilton including executive producer Tanya Simon and fellow correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega.

Here’s the link to the interview.

Pelley tells the Times that when he went into his final meeting with CBS News execs, Tom Cibrowski accused him of physically attacking Bilton at the prior, public dust up.

He says: “Tom accuses me of physically abusing Nick Bilton. This is a lie. I didn’t come within 10 feet of Nick Bilton. In my life, I have never put my hands on anyone in anger. And when he was caught in that lie, he said, well, OK, I take that back. And I said, great.”

Pelley says of the $16 million settlement the previous CBS regime reached with Donald Trump: “Paying the bribe broke our hearts.”

He says: “The very last thing that the previous ownership did was pay a multi-million-dollar bribe to the president to settle this frivolous, ridiculous lawsuit…No lawyer thought that was necessary, but they did it to get the sale [of Paramount CBS to David and Larry Ellison] through.”

The Beatles Find a Fall 2026 Project: Dolby Atmos Version of “A Hard Day’s Night” Being Remixed Right Now by Famed Engineer

Roger Friedman
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The Beatles Find a Fall 2026 Project: Dolby Atmos Version of “A Hard Day’s Night” Being Remixed Right Now by Famed Engineer

Every fall the Beatles aka Apple Records come up with a new project.

Little by little, though, they’re running out of records they can remix and remaster.

Last fall came the remastered Anthology series with an added Anthology 4, which some may say was unnecessary.

Now we have an idea of what could be coming this fall.

Famed music engineer (and Emmy winner) Gary C. Bourgeois says on Threads that he’s remixing the whole “A Hard Day’s Night” movie for Dolby Atmos.

Cool!

In the comments section, Bourgeois says: I”t is the whole film redone for Atmos distribution. And yes… Not easy as, the original was shot in 16 mm black-and-white and all mono.”

He adds, “This will be for both home and also theatrical Dolby Atmos formatting.”

The film, directed by Richard Lester, was originally released in 1964, when the Beatles conquered America. It’s had many upgrades since then including big one in 2000 by Harvey Weinstein and Miramax.

Now it seems the rights are at Janus Films, a very fine company that will give it a lot of love. Dolby Atmos is currently heard on Amazon and Apple Music platforms and in theaters equipped with it like AMC Lincoln Square.

Madonna PR Tour Continues: Drops 10 Min Video with New Songs, Says at Q&A She Won’t Tour, No Vegas Sphere, Wrote Song on New Album with Daughter

Roger Friedman
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Madonna PR Tour Continues: Drops 10 Min Video with New Songs, Says at Q&A She Won’t Tour, No Vegas Sphere, Wrote Song on New Album with Daughter

Madonna fans were thrilled to see her live on stage last night at the Beacon Theater.

She debuted a 10 minute film for the Tribeca Film Festival and did a Q&A with Anderson Cooper who filled in for Jimmy Fallon.

The film, tied to her upcoming “Confessions on a Dance Floor II,” showed off five songs, three of which were new to the delighted crowd.

The song that got the most love was “Danceteria,” an ode to her old stomping grounds circa 1980. There are a lot of cameos from her friends.

During the session, Madonna said she has no tour plans, and wouldn’t be interested in playing the Sphere in Las Vegas. She vacillated about the Netflix miniseries starring Julia Garner. It was unclear what was happening, although the pair will appear in “The Studio” next season as if they’re making the show.

One reveal: she wrote one of the new songs on the album with daughter Lourdes aka Lola.

This was all coming off Madonna’s Times Square launch the other day that didn’t actually stop traffic, but got a lot of attention.

Madonna is almost 68 and she’s trying to keep her hat in the ring. Why not? Like Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, and other legacy stars she wants to stay relevant. It’s not like she’s going to retire and play golf!

The video drops on YouTube Monday morning at 11am. Sabrina Carpenter is featured in their current song together. Other guests include Benedict Cumberbatch, Gwendoline Christie, Kate Moss, ARCA, Honey Dijon, Shygirl, Archie Madekwe, Odessa A’Zion, Julia Garner, Richard E. Grant, Cole Palmer, João Pedro, and Debi Mazar.

Box Office: “Scary Movie” Scares Up Almost $25 Mil Opening Despite Terrible Reviews, “Masters of the Universe” in with $12 Mil

Roger Friedman
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Box Office: “Scary Movie” Scares Up Almost $25 Mil Opening Despite Terrible Reviews, “Masters of the Universe” in with $12 Mil

The Friday box office shows that everyone loves horror, good or bad.

“Scary Movie” — the resurrected Miramax franchise — got hellacious reviews. No one cared. Total take Thursday and Friday was close to $25 million.

Why? It’s a good brand, and everyone needs a laugh at this point even if the jokes are bad.

Indie horror flick “Backrooms” continues to grow, up 52% from Thursday, now at $117 million on a $10 mil budget. “Obsession” still obsessing, with $134 million, on a $1 million budget.

Meantime, “Masters of Universe” arrived with $11.7 million over the two day opening. This one was not as badly received — 66% — but isn’t something audiences are necessarily pining for. The audience rating is 88%.

keep refreshing…

Taylor Swift Aiming for Banner High in MSG For Wedding, Per TMZ and NY Post, StubHub and Seat Geek Fighting Over Ticketing Rights LOL

Roger Friedman
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Taylor Swift Aiming for Banner High in MSG For Wedding, Per TMZ and NY Post, StubHub and Seat Geek Fighting Over Ticketing Rights LOL

The NY Post and TMZ are reporting that Taylor Swift will marry Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden.

Here’s my exclusive: I hear that Stub Hub and Seat Geek are fighting over ticketing rights.

Restaurant Via Carota will cater for 20,000 guests at food stations.

They’re replacing the Diet Coke machines with Dom Perignon dispensers.

Are you serious? Come on, were you born yesterday?

This is called a misdirect so that all eyes will be on the Garden at 34th St. and 7th Avenue.

The wedding is not taking place at MSG. If it is, I’m grabbing the merch rights for wedding T shirts.

Actually, knowing Taylor, she’s all set up for that, from t shirts and hoodies to jewelry and bobble heads.

The couple have also insisted on a new banner high inside the arena, next to Billy Joel and Elton John.

Taylor will also drop a new album on that day, written and recorded during her bridal shower. She will perform it with The National and the Bleachers and Haim after dinner.

HBO and Netflix are fighting over those rights right now, but Apple has the inside track.

Also, Tim Cook is officiating.

The wedding dress is being designed by Global Souvenirs on Eighth Avenue, with an I LUV NY theme.

Wedding cake? You know there will be several Carvel stands set up around the arena.

Only in New York, kids, only in New York.

Liz Smith’s Literacy Partners Gala on Monday Suddenly Ground Zero as Famed Lesley Stahl Hosts Dinner in the Middle of “60 Minutes” Debacle

Roger Friedman
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0
Liz Smith’s Literacy Partners Gala on Monday Suddenly Ground Zero as Famed Lesley Stahl Hosts Dinner in the Middle of “60 Minutes” Debacle

My late, much missed friend and mentor, Liz Smith, started Literacy Partners 40 years ago with Arnold Scaasi and Parker Ladd. It became a hugely important group bringing light to darkness teaching New Yorkers without resources to read.

If Liz were here — and she is in my head — she’d be beside herself right. On Monday, at the annual gala, Literacy Partners is hosted by Lesley Stahl. Given the current debacle at “60 Minutes,” whatever Lesley says that night at Chelsea Piers will be heard around the world.

Liz! You would have already had the exclusive interview with Lesley in your column, on the front page of every paper that carried it. I know you’re in heaven getting ready for a big scoop!

Lesley is not alone in getting a spotlight Monday night. The others are Patricia Cornwell, Sherrie Westin, Barbara Tober, and Sabastian Niles. Sherrie Westin is married to former ABC News chief David Westin and is the CEO of Sesame Workshop, which produces “Sesame Street.” She was once married to Reagan-Bush player Ed Rollins. Liz broke those stories, too.

So interesting that four decades later, it’s all here. Literacy Partners’ mission is to advance literacy two generations at a time, helping adults, parents and caregivers build the skills and confidence they need to create stronger futures for themselves and the children in their care.

I don’t know if there are any tickets left to this shindig, but it’s going to be a blast! To make a contribution or to purchase a table or tickets for the 2026 Literacy Partners Gala, you find all the info at www.literacypartners.org/gala. Who won’t be there? My guesses: Bari Weiss and Nick Bilton! But Liz will be having margharitas and keeping an eye on this whole bunch!

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