Entertainment News Roundup: Barry Jenkins says he feared making slavery drama; Musk boosts his brand on 'Saturday Night Live' and more


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 11-05-2021 18:42 IST | Created: 11-05-2021 18:30 IST
Entertainment News Roundup: Barry Jenkins says he feared making slavery drama; Musk boosts his brand on 'Saturday Night Live' and more

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Barry Jenkins says he feared making slavery drama 'The Underground Railroad'

"Moonlight" director Barry Jenkins switches to the small screen for an adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "The Underground Railroad", a project the Oscar winner says he feared from the start. The 41-year-old read a copy of Colson Whitehead's harrowing tale before its 2016 release, and was enamoured by its young protagonist, Black slave Cora, and her quest for freedom from a Georgia plantation.

Lady Gaga, Glenn Close join Prince Harry and Oprah for mental health TV series

Britain's Prince Harry and U.S. chat show queen Oprah Winfrey will premiere their television documentary series on mental health issues later this month, with singer Lady Gaga and actress Glenn Close among those contributing. "The Me You Can’t See" series, co-created and produced by Harry and Winfrey, will feature stories from high-profile guests and others across the world about mental health and emotional well-being issues, Apple TV+, the streaming service which will air the programmes from May 21, said on Monday.

Musk boosts his brand, and NBCUniversal's, on 'Saturday Night Live'

Billionaire Elon Musk dropped a surprise early in his hotly anticipated turn as host of "Saturday Night Live," saying in his monologue that he "is the first person with Asperger's" to host the show, before clowning through skits for the first global livestream of the NBCUniversal comedy show. Musk, one of the world's richest individuals, opened his monologue by telling an audience in more than 100 countries he is "the first person with Asperger's to host SNL. At least the first to admit it." The billionaire made light of his tendency to speak in a monotone, adding "I'm pretty good at running human in emulation mode."

How much did Marvel heroes help lift Disney+? Answer due Thursday

With Walt Disney Co theme park operations limited due to the coronavirus pandemic, investors watching the company report earnings on Thursday are expected to zero in on its fast growth into streaming TV. During the January to March quarter, the Disney+ streaming service was aided by box office heavyweight Marvel Studios. The producer of blockbuster superhero films released its first TV series, "WandaVision," in January followed by "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" in late March.

Italy's La Scala reopens to public after 7-month pandemic-led closure

Italy's La Scala opera house reopened its doors to a restricted audience on Monday, raising hopes of a gradual resumption of Milan's vivid cultural life after a nearly seven-month shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Masked members of the orchestra, conducted by in-house music director Riccardo Chailly, and of the choir performed arias by Giuseppe Verdi, Richard Wagner and other renowned composers in an empty auditorium, with about 500 masked people watching the concert from the surrounding boxes.

After virtual Berlin Film Festival, movies to be shown outdoors

The Berlin Film Festival, which took place online earlier this year, will show most of the movies that were part of the competition at outdoor cinemas across the German capital next month, taking advantage of falling COVID-19 infection numbers. The summer special offered by the festival, also known as the Berlinale, will take place from June 9 to 20 at 16 venues including a specially created open-air cinema at Museum Island in the heart of the city, organisers said on Monday.

Czech Republic's Karlovy Vary film festival plans August return

The Czech Republic's Karlovy Vary film festival, based in a spa town in the west of the country, plans to roll out the red carpet again in 2021, with organisers setting a later opening than usual on Tuesday. Launched in 1946 in what was then Czechoslovakia, the festival is now one of central and eastern Europe's leading cinema events. It took place online only in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

NBC drops 2022 Golden Globes; Tom Cruise returns trophies

U.S. television network NBC on Monday dropped its broadcast of the Golden Globes ceremony in 2022 after a Hollywood backlash over the ethics of the group that hands out the annual awards for film and television and its lack of diversity. Tom Cruise joined a revolt led by streaming platforms and studios, returning the three Golden Globe statuettes he won for his roles in "Jerry Maguire," "Magnolia" and "Born on the Fourth of July," Variety and Deadline Hollywood reported.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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