The Biggest Night in Theater is Here: Pop Recap #3

Happy Sunday! It’s a very exciting and special Sunday for theater kids around the world. The 77th Annual Tony Awards are TONIGHT! I cannot wait to tune in but first, let’s catch up with the biggest news stories from this week….

• Apple has announced a new iOS 18 update, which includes ChatGPT integration. 

• BTS’ Jin has completed his mandatory service in the South Korean military. The KPOP star celebrated by performing and hugging 1,000 fans at BTS Festa. 

• Competitive eater Joey Chestnut announced he is not eligible to compete in this year’s Nathan Famous Fourth of July hot dog-eating contest due to his outside partnerships. Chestnut has won the competition 16 times.

• Tribeca Film Festival officially concludes in New York today, June 16, after two weeks of celeb-filled screenings. 

• Music fans are currently living it up in their camping quarters for the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Tennessee, which concludes today, June 16.

• Cody Simpson did not make the final cut for the Paris Olympics Australian swim team. Simpson says he will now return to the entertainment industry. 

• Everyone is still talking about Chappell Roan’s permanently iconic performance at Gov Ball, but the singer is speaking out on her overwhelmingly fast rise to fame. At her concert in Raleigh, NC, Roan apologized to fans after feeling like she wasn’t giving her best performance, stating “I think that my career’s just kind of gone really fast and it’s really hard to keep up.”

• After a year of speculation and rumors, it’s being reported that Taylor Swift will not be appearing in the upcoming “Deadpool and Wolverine” movie. 

• There are Minion Crocs and I am obsessed with them.

• NBA Hall of Famer Jerry West has passed away at the age of 86. West played professionally for 14 years and even inspired the official NBA logo. 

Now, let’s get into some more pop culture headlines from this week!!!!

• Sony Pictures has acquired Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, making the company the first major Hollywood studio to own a movie theater chain in 75 years.

• Disney has revealed their live-action “Moana.” Newcomer Catherine Laga’aia will play the Polynesian princess.

• Marvel Studios has lost yet another director for its “Blade” movie. Yann Demange, who initially replaced Bassam Tariq, has exited the project starring Mahershala Ali.

• Miles Teller will star in “An Officer and a Gentleman” remake at Paramount.

• Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding will star in “Heart Eyes,” a new horror romcom developed by Spyglass.

• Paul Walter Hauser has joined the cast of Bruce Springsteen biopic “Deliver Me From Nowhere.” 

• Cartoon Network Studios has announced a new movie and two spinoff series based on the “Adventure Time” series are in development.

• “Dropz,” a new movie produced by Will Ferrell and Bad Bunny is being developed by Paramount Animation. The movie has been described as “our E.T. about real kids in a super extraordinary situation.”

• Peacock has released the trailer for “Fight Night,” starring Samuel L. Jackson, Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Howard, and Kevin Hart. 

New this week: Inside Out 2 (Theaters), Brats (Hulu)

• The 77th Tony Awards will take place tonight, June 16, at Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater in New York City. Ariana DeBose is set to host the event, which will air live at 8PM on CBS and Paramount+. 

• The 68th Drama Desk Awards took place at the Skirball Center for Performing Arts in New York City on June 10. The most awarded play was Stereophonic, with seven wins. The most awarded musical was Water for Elephants, with four wins. 

• Idina Menzel has announced her return to Broadway with Redwood, a new musical that follows a grieving mother, who drives across the country to find solace in the woods of Northern California. 

• Nick Jonas and Adrienne Warren will star in The Last Five Years on Broadway for a 14-week run in Spring 2025.

• Nas is developing a musical adaption of the 1984 hip hop film “Beat Street” for Broadway.

• The 1994 Floyd Collins musical is finally making its way to Broadway, as part of Lincoln Center Theater’s 40th anniversary season this Fall. 

• Cats: The Jellicle Ball has been extended through July 28 at the Perelman Performing Arts Center.

• The Broadway League has announced the lineup for its Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth concert on June 19. Over 35 performers from 17 Broadway shows will perform in Times Square for the event. Tony-Award-winner Phylicia Rashad will receive the 2024 Juneteenth Legacy Award.

• Ben Platt’s 18 show residency at the Palace Theatre officially came to an end on June 15.

• Keke Palmer is in a brand new girl group. Diva Gurl will release their first single “S.O.B.” will be released on June 21. 

• Victoria Monet has released the music video for her single Alright. The video pays homage to a variety of musicians, including The Jacksons, TLC and Britney Spears. 

• Taylor Swift has confirmed her Eras Tour will conclude with her Canadian dates in December. Taylor will have performed 152 shows by the end of the record-breaking tour.

Tour Announcements

• Jonah Marais has announced The Young & Optimistic Tour, set to kick off in Portland, OR on August 22.

• Mason Ramsey has announced the Falls Into Place Tour, set to kick off in Oxford, MS on September 19.

• Mod Sun and lovelytheband have announced the Here’s Your Flowers Tour, set to kick off in San Francisco, CA on September 28.

New albums this week: Normani’s Dopamine, Raveena’s Where the Butterflies Go in the Rain, Ashton Irwin’s Blood on the Drums, Moneybagg Yo’s SPEAK NOW, Infinity Song’s Metamorphosis Complete, Tove Lo’s HEAT

New singles this week: The Vamps’ “Somebody To You (ReVamped), Khalid’s “Adore You”

• NBC has axed the “Late Night with Seth Meyers” 8G Band due to budgeting issues.

• Hunter Schafer has joined “Blade Runner 2099.” Schafer will star alongside Michelle Yeoh in the Amazon series.

• Tim Meadows has joined Season 2 of “Peacemaker.”

• Paul Giamatti has joined the cast of “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” as the season’s “central villain.”

• Christina Ricci and Hamish Linklater have been cast in true crime series “Chop Shop.”

• “House of the Dragon” has been renewed for Season 3.

• Taylor Tomlinson’s late night series “After Midnight” has been renewed for Season 2 at CBS.

• “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” has been renewed through 2028.

• “The Boys” on Amazon Prime will end with Season 5, Showrunner Eric Kripke announced.

• “Power Book IV: Force” has been canceled after three seasons.

New this week: House of the Dragon S2E1 (Max), Bridgerton S3Pt2 (Netflix), Presumed Innocent (Apple TV)

Make sure to stay connected with the Fan Fave community on social media. The Fan Fave podcast releases weekly on Tuesdays. Stay tuned for our next episode, where I’ll share my experiences seeing Ben Platt: Live at the Palace! For now, enjoy this clip of Platt performing “As Long As You’re Mine” from Wicked, with 2x Tony nominee, Shoshana Bean! 

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xx Katrina