2019 BET Experience: Mary J. Blige, Cardi B, Migos, Meek Mill, YG, H.E.R., Yara Shahidi, Lena Waithe, among celebrity participants

May 20, 2019

The following is a press release from BET:

BET Networks announced the highly anticipated BET Fan Fest lineup as part of the BET Experience at L.A. LIVE presented by Coca-Cola® June 20 – 23, 2019. The annual festival will include the return of Genius Talks, BET Experience 3-on-3 Celebrity Basketball Tournament, Celebrity Dodgeball Game, BET X House of Fashion & Beauty, Coca-Cola Music Studio, DJ Hed presents Kicksperience sponsored by Sprite®, Casting Call along with a newly added activations, Roller-skating Party, Next Rap Star.

FRIDAY, JUNE 21 AND SATURDAY, JUNE 22

COCA-COLA MUSIC STUDIO

The BET Experience Coca-Cola Music Studio will debut some of today’s emerging acts including Elhae, Killumantii, TJ Porter, Ceraadi, Bobby Sessions, Earth Gang, Control the Sound, Happy Birthday Calvin and other special guests.

BET X HOUSE OF FASHION & BEAUTY

BET X House of Fashion & Beauty will be a destination that celebrates and highlights the best of urban hip hop culture through the lens of fashion, beauty, music and dance. Embracing the diversity of hip hop and the nuance manifestations of the international cultural experience, House of Fashion & Beauty will feature the authentic stories of the “streets” through a global perspective with music, fashion and beauty being at the center. Participating talent include

GENIUS TALKS

The always-inspirational Genius Talks returns with prominent personalities across various industries joining fans for uplifting conversation and gems of guidance based on their experiences. This year, Lena Waithe, Yara Shahidi, and Marsai Martin join the series alongside moderator, Jemele Hill, to share their knowledge and keys to success with fans. Past guests have included illustrious stars such as Snoop Dogg, Kobe Bryant, Ava DuVernay, Floyd “Money” Mayweather, DJ Khaled, Tracee Ellis Ross, Tip “T.I.” Harris and Yvonne Orji.

CELEBRITY DODGEBALL GAME

The annual BET Experience Celebrity Dodgeball Game returns, four teams of celebrity challengers will face off in the all-new Celebrity Dodgeball Game taking place on Friday, June 21.

DJ HED PRESENTS KICKSPERIENCE SPONSORED BY SPRITE®

The fresh interactive sneaker event, Kicksperience is back! DJ Hed Presents Kicksperince sponsored by Sprite® will highlight the sneaker culture phenomenon, bringing together generations of culture defining sneakers, streetwear brands, art, and music to the robust BET Fan Fest line-up. The electrifying pop-up will incorporate artists and tastemakers, authentic to sneaker culture, for the ultimate sneaker experience. The activation will host a sneaker customization space with renowned Artist, Chad Cantcolor, brands ranging from Puma to Sprayground, live taping of BET Digital’s Colorways & Toeboxes, and opportunities to purchase shoes on site. Selected by LA’s own DJ Hed performers include Rapsody,1TakeJay, AzChike, Azjah, GPerico, John Hart, Morgan Westbrook, Reason, Sneakk (SOB X RBE), Villain Park, Yhung T.O., Shoreline Mafia, Cupakke, Kamaiyah, and more!

GAMING TOURNAMENT

A dedicated gaming lounge within the BET Experience will give gamers an opportunity to play against and with celebrities and professional gamers for an opportunity to win one-of-a-kind prizes. Fans will compete with/ against our influencers in a variety of games from NBA2k to Fortnite including iPodKing Carter, The Lopes Brothers, Cheeseaholic, iDropzBodies, Bunnny MightgameU, Sunzi, Black Krystel and more

BET EXPERIENCE FOOD COURT *DUBSMASH MEETUP

A meet & greet experience featuringThe WickerTwinz, Essence and some of today’s up and coming hip-hop acts. Come hang and hit a challenge with some of your favorite dancers.

MCDONALDS STAGE PERFORMANCE

BJ The Chicago Kid to perform with other special guests.

NEXT RAP STAR

Do you have what it takes to be the next Cardi B, YG, or Drake? BET Experience is looking for the “Next Rap Star” in an once-in-a-lifetime competition to showing off your skills and charisma for a distribution deal with Island Records and the chance to perform at the 2020 BET Experience.

CASTING CALL

BET is on the search for fresh new faces to hit the airwaves. Come show off your acting chops in front of an esteemed panel of casting directors and BET Executives who will select an actor to win the opportunity to potentially join the cast of a BET Movie, TV Series or commercial.

3-on-3 CELEBRITY BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

Four star-studded teams will go head-to-head for bragging rights and for a charity at the 3-on-3 Celebrity Basketball Tournament. Download the BETX ’19 App to exclusively purchase your tickets for the Celebrity Basketball Game.

BET HER AWARDS

The empowering night honors the innovation and marked successes of women of color across various industries who have unapologetically broken barriers in the entertainment, arts and technology industries. Additionally, The BET HER Awards will include a special spotlight on two deserving nonprofit organizations dedicated to uplift and empower women of color.

BET EXPERIENCE AT L.A. LIVE PRESENTED BY COCA-COLA®

BET Networks, an entertainment powerhouse, once again brings the BET EXPERIENCE AT L.A. LIVE (BETX), June 20 – 23, 2019 presented by Coca-Cola®. This four-day event will be filled with music concerts taking place at The Novo by Microsoft and STAPLES Center; the BET Fan Fest at the Los Angeles Convention Center including seminars, celebrity basketball games, celebrity meet & greets; and other special interactive events. The weekend will be capped off with the “BET Awards” on Sunday, June 23, 2019 at Microsoft Theater.

Staples Center concerts:

June 20, 2019: Mary J. Blige. H.E.R., Summer Walker, Queen Naija, Bri Steves

June 21, 2019: Meek Mill, YG, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Blueface, Roddy Ricch

June 22, 2019: Cardi B, Migos, Lil Yachty, Lil Baby, City Girls, Trippie Redd

HOW TO ATTEND:

The BET Fan Fest wristbands return to the fan experience this year. All attendees will be required to wear their wristband upon arrival in order to enter the free BET Fan Fest. Beginning May 6, attendees will be able to register for the BET Fan Fest wristbands by downloading the BETX ’19 app or going to www.betexperience.com. The BET Fan Fest wristband grants attendees access to some of the hottest events happening during the BET Experience weekend; including the House of Fashion & Beauty, Coke Stage, DJ Hed presents Kicksperience sponsored by Sprite, and year three of the BET Casting Call. Additionally, tickets to the BETX Celebrity Basketball game will be available for purchase starting today.

VIP Packages for the BET Experience at L.A. LIVE are on sale NOW. In addition to VIP amenities throughout the weekend and incredible seats for STAPLES Center shows, four levels of BETX VIP Packages offer guests the only opportunity to purchase tickets to the highly anticipated BET Awards, broadcast live from Microsoft Theater. Full package amenities and pricing for the Diamond, Platinum, Gold Plus and Gold Packages can be found by visiting https://www.betexperience.com or by calling (877) 234-8425.

General tickets for the BET Experience at L.A. LIVE presented by Coca-Cola® are available NOW at http://www.axs.com/betexperience.

ABOUT THE BET EXPERIENCE APP:

The BET Experience App is your interactive personal guide that takes you inside every installation, performance, and celebrity pop-up during BET Awards Weekend. Custom alerts let you stay up to date on all BET FanFest show schedules in real-time, celebrity meet & greets and other surprises throughout the ultimate four-day event. Go to the Apple Store or Google Play and download the BET Experience app today! Available on iOS & Android. Download it at BETExperience.com/app.

Follow the BET Experience on Twitter @betexperience for the latest and greatest and join the hottest conversation by using #BETEXPERIENCE. Feel free to also check us out online at http://www.betexperience.com.

About BET Networks

BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ:VIA)(NASDAQ:VIA.B), is the nation’s leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel is in nearly 85 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, sub-Saharan Africa, France and South Korea. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions including BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET HER, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American woman; BET Music Networks – BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET’s growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET Networks around the globe.

2019 BET Awards: Cardi B has the most nominations

May 20, 2019

Cardi B (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for DCP via ABC/AMA2018)

The 2019  returns live from the Microsoft Theater at LA Live on June 23rd, to celebrate the brightest stars across music, television, film, sports, and philanthropy. BET Networks announces the 2019 nominees with Cardi B leading the pack.  The starlet earned an impressive seven nominations, including Best Female Hip Hop Artist, two separate nods in both the Best Collaboration’ and Video of the Year’ categories, Album of the Year and the Coca-Cola® Viewers’ Choice Award. Drake follows with five nods for Best Male Hip Hop Artist, Video of the Year, Best Collaboration and the Coca-Cola® Viewers’ Choice Award. Beyoncé, Travis Scott and J. Cole all scored four nominations each, while Bruno Mars, 21 Savage, Childish Gambino, H.E.R. and Ella Mai each received three nominations.

In its 19th year, the BET Awards continues its reign as the ultimate platform showcasing the best and most beautiful aspects of the Black experience – celebrating not only the present and future of Black music, but also elevating the culture and being a driving force for social change. BET Networks recognizes artists, entertainers, and athletes across 20 categories with the 2019 BET Awards nominations. The nominations are selected by BET’s Voting Academy, which is comprised of fans and an esteemed group of entertainment professionals in the fields of television, film, music, social media, digital marketing, sports journalism, public relations, and the creative arts. The 2019 “BET AWARDS” will simulcast LIVE at 8PM ET across seven Viacom networks in the US including BET, BET HER, MTV, MTV 2, MTV Classic, VH1, and Logo. Internationally, the show will simulcast for the first-time on BET Africa at 2am CAT on June 24, followed by international broadcasts in the UK on June 24 at 9:00pm BST, South Korea on June 25 at 9pm KST and in France on June 25 at 9pm CEST.

Internationally, BET will honor Best International Act in-show, along with the fan-voted category Best New International Act during the live red carpet pre-show.

“18 years ago we launched the BET Awards and since then we have celebrated cool in ways that can’t be duplicated elsewhere. From Michael Jackson and James Brown busting dance moves together to Monique paying homage to Beyoncé in an unforgettable dance number to BET reuniting the Fugees we have set the tone for what cool looks like. This year we are even more so committed to continuing to create the unforgettable moments that have made the BET Awards the preeminent celebration of black culture. From the entire BET family, we congratulate each nominee and look forward to celebrating their talent and contributions at the ‘2019 BET Awards’.” – Connie Orlando, Executive Vice President, Head of Programming at BET.

The complete list of nominees for the 2019 “BET AWARDS” are:

Best Female R&B/Pop Artist

Beyoncé
Ella Mai
H.E.R.
Solange
SZA
Teyana Taylor

Best Male R&B/Pop Artist

Anderson .Paak
Bruno Mars
Childish Gambino
Chris Brown
John Legend
Khalid

Best Group

Chloe x Halle
City Girls
Lil Baby & Gunna
Migos
The Carters

Best Collaboration

21 Savage featuring J. Cole, “A Lot”
Cardi B & Bruno Mars, “Please Me”
Cardi B. featuring Bad Bunny & J Balvin, “I Like It”
H.E.R. featuring Bryson Tiller, “Could’ve Been”
Travis Scott featuring Drake, “Sicko Mode”
Tyga featuring Offset, “Taste”

Best Male Hip Hop Artist

21 Savage
Drake
J. Cole
Meek Mill
Nipsey Hussle
Travis Scott

Best Female Hip Hop Artist

Cardi B
Kash Doll
Lizzo
Megan Thee Stallion
Nicki Minaj
Remy Ma

Video of the Year

21 Savage featuring J. Cole, “A Lot”
Cardi B, “Money”
Cardi B & Bruno Mars, “Please Me”
Childish Gambino, “This Is America”
Drake, “Nice for What”
The Carters, “Apes**t”

Video Director of the Year

Benny Boom
Colin Tilley
Dave Meyers
Hype Williams
Karena Evans

Best New Artist

Blueface
City Girls
Juice Wrld
Lil Baby
Queen Naija

Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award

Erica Campbell featuring Warryn Campbell, “All of MY Life”
Fred Hammond, “Tell Me Where It Hurts”
Kirk Franklin, “Love Theory”
Snoop Dogg featuring Rance Allen, “Blessing Me Again”
Tori Kelly featuring Kirk Franklin, “Never Alone”

Best International Act

AKA (South Africa)
Aya Nakamura (France)
Burna Boy (Nigeria)
Dave (UK)
Dossek (France)
Giggs (UK)
Mr. Eazi (Nigeria)

Best New International Act – (Fan Voted Category)

Headie One (UK)
Jokair (France)
Nesly (France)
Octavian (UK)
Sho Madjodzi (Africa)
Teniola Apata (Africa)

Best Actress

Issa Rae
Regina Hall
Regina King
Taraji P. Henson
Tiffany Haddish
Viola Davis

Best Actor

Anthony Anderson
Chadwick Boseman
Denzel Washington
Mahershala Ali
Michael B. Jordan
Omari Hardwick

YoungStars Award

Caleb McLaughlin
Lyric Ross
Marsai Martin
Michael Rainey Jr.
Miles Brown

Best Movie

“BlacKkKlansman”
“Creed 2”
“If Beale Street Could Talk”
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse_
“The Hate U Give”

Sportswoman of the Year

Allyson Felix
Candace Parker
Naomi Osaka
Serena Williams
Simone Biles

Sportsman of the Year

Kevin Durant
LeBron James
Odell Beckham Jr.
Stephen Curry
Tiger Woods

Album of the Year

Travis Scott, “Astroworld”
Meek Mill, “Championships”
Ella Mai, “Ella Mai”
The Carters, “Everything Is Love”
Cardi B, “Invasion of Privacy”

2019 Coca-Cola Viewers’ Choice Award

Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin, “I Like It”
Childish Gambino, “This Is No America”
Drake, “In My Feelings”
Ella Mai, “Trip”
J. Cole, “Middle Child”
Travis Scott featuring Drake, “Sicko Mode”

BET Her Award

Alicia Keys, “Raise a Man”
Ciara, “Level Up”
H.E.R., “Hard Place”
Janelle Monáe, “Pynk”
Queen Naija, “Mama’s Hand”
Teyana Taylor, “Rose in Harlem”

Connie Orlando, Executive Vice President, Head of Programming at BET will serve as Executive Producer for the 2019 BET AWARDS along with Jesse Collins, CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment.

BET Networks, an entertainment powerhouse, once again brings the BET EXPERIENCE AT L.A. LIVE (BETX), June 20 – 23, 2019 presented by Coca-Cola®. This four-day event will be filled with music concerts taking place at The Novo by Microsoft and STAPLES Center; the BET Fan Fest at the Los Angeles Convention Center including seminars, celebrity basketball games, celebrity meet & greets; and other special interactive events. The weekend will be capped off with the “BET Awards” on Sunday, June 23, 2019 at Microsoft Theater. VIP Packages are the ONLY way to get BET Awards tickets, great seats to STAPLES Center shows, and exclusive access throughout the biggest summer weekend in entertainment. More information and tickets and VIP packages available at Bet.com/bet-experience.html.

Follow the Experience on Twitter and Instagram at @betexperience.

For the latest 2019 “BET AWARDS” news and updates, please visit BET.com/Awards.

ABOUT BET NETWORKS

BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B), is the nation’s leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET HER, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American Woman; BET Music Networks – BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET’s growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET around the globe.

ABOUT JESSE COLLINS ENTERTAINMENT

Jesse Collins Entertainment (JCE) is a full service television and film production company founded by entertainment industry veteran Jesse Collins. For more than a decade, Collins has played an integral role in producing some of television’s most memorable moments in music entertainment. Collins has produced groundbreaking and award winning television programming including the BET Awards, the Grammy Awards, Soul Train Awards, BET Honors, UNCF An Evening of Stars, ABFF Awards and the BET Hip Hop Awards. Collins was an executive producer of the hit TV series, Real Husbands of Hollywood starring Kevin Hart, the critically-acclaimed The New Edition Story, a biopic on the boy band that aired as a 3-part mini-series on BET in January 2017.  He is also the executive producer of VH1 shows Dear Mama and Hip Hop Squares with Ice Cube.  Most recently JCE executive produced The Bobby Brown Story. The mini-series picked up where The New Edition Story mini-series left off and chronicled the talented but troubled singer’s exit from the popular ’80s boy band through his solo success. It debuted on BET in September 2018 and was the highest rated non-tentpole program on the network since The New Edition Story. Next for JCE is the second season of American Soul on BET and Netflix’s upcoming series Rhythm and Flow.

ABOUT “BET AWARDS”

The “BET Awards” is one of the most watched award shows on cable television according to the Nielsen Company. The “BET Awards” franchise remains as the #1 program in cable TV history among African-Americans, and it is BET’s #1 telecast every year. It recognizes the triumphs and successes of artists, entertainers, and athletes in a variety of categories.

 

2019 CMT Music Awards: Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Dan + Shay, Thomas Rhett, Maren Morris, Kane Brown, Kelsea Ballerina announced as performers

May 15, 2019

The following is a press release from CMT:

CMT will make history this year as it packs the “2019 CMT Music Awards,” with more performances than ever before, featuring superstars Carrie Underwood, Dan + Shay, Kane Brown, Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Bryan, Maren Morris, Thomas Rhett, and more to be announced. Hosted by award-winning musical talent Little Big Town, the show will air LIVE from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, June 5 at 8 pm ET / 7 pm CT.

Last week, CMT unveiled the full lineup of artists in the running for this year’s awards. Of the performers announced thus far, singer/songwriter Maren Morris leads the pack with three nominations, including “Video of the Year” and “Female Video of the Year” for “GIRL,” in addition to a nomination for “CMT Performance of the Year” for her collaboration with Brandi Carlile for “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” from the 2018 CMT Artists of the Year special.

Additionally, Carrie Underwood, the most awarded artist in CMT Music Awards history, will make an exciting return to the CMT stage to perform. Underwood is nominated for two awards this year, including “Video of the Year” for “Cry Pretty” and “Female Video of the Year” for “Love Wins.”

Fans can vote now for their favorite artists via vote.cmt.com, up until 11:59 pm ET on Tuesday, June 4 for all categories, including “Video of the Year,” “Male Video of the Year,” “Female Video of the Year,” “Duo Video of the Year,” “Group Video of the Year,” “Breakthrough Video of the Year,” “Collaborative Video of the Year” and “CMT Performance of the Year.” Tickets to the “2019 CMT Music Awards” are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com.

For more information, follow @CMT on Twitter and Instagram, use hashtag #CMTawards and like the CMT Music Awards on Facebook.

About CMT

CMT is the leading authority on country music and lifestyle, offering a mix of original series, music events and specials. CMT is everywhere its fans are including two cable channels (CMT and the 24-hour music channel, CMT Music), radio (CMT Radio), digital (CMT App, CMT.com) and social (CMT on Facebook, CMT on Instagram and CMT on Twitter). CMT is a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).

Doris Day dead at 97; actress/singer was an American icon

May 13, 2019

by Colleen McGregor

Legendary actress/singer Doris Day died on May 13, 2019, at the age of 97, at her home in Carmel Valley, California. The Associated Press reports that the Doris Day Animal Foundation confirmed her death, and the foundation noted that although Day “had been in excellent physical health for her age” she had recently contracted pneumonia, the foundation said in a statement. “She requested that no memorial services be held and no grave marker erected,” according to the Associated Press.

Day was best known for starring in movies from the 1950s and 1960s, including 1955’s “Love Me or Leave Me,” 1956’s “The Man Who Knew Too Much” (in which she famously sang “Que Sera Sera”), 1959’s “Pillow Talk,” 1960’s “Please Don’t Eat the Daisies,” 1962’s “That Touch of Mink” and the 1963 films “The Thrill of It All” and “Move Over, Darling.” Day’s last film was 1968’s “With Six You Get Eggroll.”

Her hit songs included Sentimental Journey,” “Everybody Loves a Lover,” ″Secret Love” and “It’s Magic.”  From 1968 to 1973, she starred in the “The Doris Day Show” on television, where it aired in the U.S. on CBS. In her later years, she became a well-known advocate for animals and had a longtime affiliation with the Humane Society of the United States.

Day was married four times; her first, second and fourth marriages ended in divorce. Her third marriage to movie producer Martin Melcher lasted 17 years until he died in 1968. Her only child was son Terry Melcher, a songwriter/music producer who died of melanoma in 2004 at the age of 62. Terry was the biological son of Day and her first husband Al Jorden, but Terry adopted by Martin Melcher. Day is survived by her grandson Ryan, who is Terry’s son.

 

CMT Music Awards: Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris, Brothers Osborne, Zac Brown Band are the top nominees

May 7, 2019

The following is a press release from CMT:

CMT today announced the nominations for the “2019 CMT Music Awards,” airing LIVE on Wednesday, June 5 at 8:00pm ET / 7:00pm CT. Nashville’s biggest party returns to kick off the summer with a grand celebration recognizing the most beloved names in country music. Each winner is selected by the fans, with voting open now at vote.cmt.com.

Continuing the “CMT Music Awards” tradition of embracing blended-genre collaborations among all musical formats, this year’s nominations feature a wide range of talent, from rising stars to music legends, spanning the worlds of pop, soul and R&B.

Superstars Brothers Osborne, Maren Morris, Miranda Lambert and Zac Brown Band will compete for the most accolades of the evening, each with 3 nominations. Other artists with more than one nomination include Brandi Carlile, Carrie Underwood, Cole Swindell, Dan + Shay, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Florida Georgia Line, Jason Aldean, Julia Michaels, Kacey Musgraves, Kane Brown, Keith Urban, Kelsea Ballerini, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Sugarland, and Taylor Swift.

With first-time nominations, R&B legends Boyz II Men and soul singer Leon Bridges will compete for Performance of the Year. Other artists with first-time nominations this year include “Empress of Soul” Gladys Knight and pop sensation Shawn Mendes, along with Ashley McBryde, Brandi Carlile, Jimmie Allen, Jordan Davis, Julia Michaels, Mitchell Tenpenny, Morgan Wallen, Runaway June and Tenille Towns.

This year, 14 acts are in the running for the highly coveted “Video of the Year” award, including Carrie Underwood, who reigns as the most awarded artist in CMT Music Awards history with 18 wins. The top five “Video of the Year” nominees will be announced the morning of the show, and fans will be able to vote all day and throughout the show on Twitter to determine the winner.

Fan voting begins today at vote.cmt.com and continues until 11:59 p.m. ET on Tuesday, June 4.

The nominees for the 2019 CMT MUSIC AWARDS are:

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video of the year; awarded to the artist (male, female, group/duo or collaboration) and the video director. Final nominees announced the morning of the show, with final voting held on social media during the live telecast.

●       Carrie Underwood – “Cry Pretty”

●       Chris Janson – “Drunk Girl”

●       Cole Swindell – “Break Up in the End”

●       Dan + Shay – “Speechless”

●       Dierks Bentley featuring Brothers Osborne – “Burning Man”

●       Eric Church – “Desperate Man”

●       Florida Georgia Line – “Simple”

●       Kacey Musgraves – “Rainbow”

●       Kane Brown – “Good as You”

●       Keith Urban featuring Julia Michaels – “Coming Home”

●       Kelsea Ballerini – “Miss Me More”

●       Luke Combs – “She Got the Best of Me”

●       Maren Morris – “GIRL”

●       Zac Brown Band – “Someone I Used To Know”

MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video by a male artist; awarded to the artist

●       Cole Swindell – “Break Up in the End”

●       Eric Church – “Desperate Man”

●       Jason Aldean featuring Miranda Lambert – “Drowns the Whiskey”

●       Kane Brown – “Lose It”

●       Kenny Chesney – “Get Along”

●       Luke Bryan – “Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset”

●       Thomas Rhett – “Life Changes”

FEMALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video by a female artist; awarded to the artist

●       Brandi Carlile – “The Joke”

●       Carly Pearce – “Closer to You”

●       Carrie Underwood – “Love Wins”

●       Kacey Musgraves – “Space Cowboy”

●       Kelsea Ballerini – “Miss Me More”

●       Maren Morris – “GIRL”

●       Miranda Lambert – “Keeper of the Flame”

DUO VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video by a duo; awarded to the artists

●       Brothers Osborne – “I Don’t Remember Me (Before You)”

●       Dan + Shay – “Speechless”

●       Florida Georgia Line – “Simple”

●       LOCASH – “Feels Like a Party”

●       Maddie & Tae – “Friends Don’t”

●       Sugarland featuring Taylor Swift – “Babe”

GROUP VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video by a group; awarded to the artists

●       Eli Young Band – “Love Ain’t”

●       LANCO – “Born to Love You”

●       Little Big Town – “Summer Fever”

●       Midland – “Burn Out”

●       Old Dominion – “Hotel Key”

●       Zac Brown Band – “Someone I Used To Know”

BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video from an artist’s major breakthrough album; awarded to the artist (male, female or group/duo)

●       Ashley McBryde – “Girl Goin’ Nowhere (At Marathon Music Works)”

●       Jimmie Allen – “Best Shot”

●       Jordan Davis – “Take It From Me”

●       Mitchell Tenpenny – “Drunk Me”

●       Morgan Wallen – “Whiskey Glasses”

●       Runaway June – “Buy My Own Drinks”

●       Tenille Townes – “Somebody’s Daughter”

COLLABORATIVE VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video from a collaboration; awarded to the artists

●       Brantley Gilbert and Lindsay Ell – “What Happens in a Small Town”

●       Darius Rucker featuring Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Charles Kelley – “Straight to Hell”

●       Dierks Bentley featuring Brothers Osborne – “Burning Man”

●       Jason Aldean featuring Miranda Lambert – “Drowns the Whiskey”

●       Keith Urban featuring Julia Michaels – “Coming Home”

●       Sugarland featuring Taylor Swift – “Babe”

CMT PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR

Musical performance on a television show, series or variety special on CMT; awarded to the artist (individual, group or duo)

Boyz II Men and Brett Young – “Motownphilly (From CMT Crossroads)”

Luke Combs and Leon Bridges – “Beautiful Crazy (From CMT Crossroads)”

Maren Morris and Brandi Carlile – “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman (From 2018 CMT Artists of the Year)”

Brett Eldredge and Meghan Trainor – “Let You Be Right (From CMT Crossroads)”

Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman and Gladys Knight – “I Can’t Make You Love Me” and “Help Me Make It Through the Night” (From 2018 CMT Artists of the Year)

Zac Brown Band and Shawn Mendes – “Keep Me in Mind (From CMT Crossroads)”

Returning for the second consecutive year, award-winning musical talent Little Big Town will serve as hosts for the evening when the “2019 CMT Music Awards” premieres LIVE from Nashville next month. The chart-topping group has graced the “CMT Music Awards” stage with multiple wins and performances under their belts and will introduce the next wave of winners in Nashville during one of the most highly-anticipated events in country music. As nominees, they’ll also vie for CMT Performance of the Year and Group Video of the Year.

For more information, follow @CMT on Twitter and Instagram, use hashtag #CMTawards and like the CMT Music Awards on Facebook.

To request media credentials for the 2019 CMT Music Awards, please visit cmtmusicawardspress.com.

About CMT Awards Host: Little Big Town

GRAMMY, ACM, CMA, and AMA Award-winning group, Little Big Town — consisting of members Karen Fairchild, Phillip Sweet, Kimberly Schlapman, and Jimi Westbrook — first entered the music scene over 19 years ago with hit songs “Boondocks,” “Bring It On Home,” “Good As Gone” and the GRAMMY-nominated “Little White Church.” Their breakthrough albums Tornado and Pain Killer produced multiple #1 singles, including “Pontoon,” “Tornado,” and “Day Drinking,” as well as the history-making, best-selling country single of the year (2015) “Girl Crush.” Released February 24, 2017, Little Big Town’s latest studio album, The Breaker, debuted #1 on the Billboard Country Charts and Top 10 (No.4) on the Billboard 200 to critical acclaim, marking the group’s fourth Top 10 debut on the Billboard 200 chart. The album features their GRAMMY-winning, multi-week #1 single, “Better Man,” as well as “When Someone Stops Loving You.”

Little Big Town has earned more than 40 award show nominations and in the past five years has taken home nearly 20 awards, including multiple GRAMMY, AMA, People’s Choice, CMA, ACM awards, and an Emmy award. Currently the reigning CMA and ACM Vocal Group of the Year, the Country Music Hall of Fame inductees (2014) went onto receive their star on the Nashville Walk of Fame in 2017. Also in 2017, Little Big Town hosted a sold-out, year-long artist residency at the famed Ryman Auditorium in Nashville — marking the venue’s first-ever, year-long residency in its 125-year history. The band also recently launched 4 Cellars wine, their first non-musical project as a band, with Browne Family Vineyards. For more information on Little Big Town visit LittleBigTown.com or follow them @littlebigtown.

About CMT

CMT is the leading authority on country music and lifestyle, offering a mix of original series, music events and specials. CMT is everywhere its fans are including two cable channels (CMT and the 24-hour music channel, CMT Music), radio (CMT Radio), digital (CMT App, CMT.com) and social (CMT on Facebook, CMT on Instagram and CMT on Twitter). CMT is a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB). For more information, please visit CMT Press at cmtpress.com.

2019 Tribeca Film Festival movie review: ‘The Quiet One’

May 2, 2019

by Carla Hay

Bill Wyman in "The Quiet One"
Bill Wyman in “The Quiet One” (Photo courtesy of IFC Films/Sundance Selects)

“The Quiet One”

Directed by Oliver Murray

World premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City on May 2, 2019.

Bill Wyman, who was the bass player for the Rolling Stones from 1962 until he quit the band in 1993, has been a Rolling Stones archivist for decades. He has shared his mementos and memories in various ways, including in his 1990 memoir “Stone Alone” and his 2001 photo book “Rolling With the Stones.” The documentary “The Quiet One” is essentially an updated, movie version of Wyman’s books—there’s plenty of great stuff pulled from the archives, but if you’re looking for a truly revealing tell-all, then you’ll have to look elsewhere.

The movie’s title comes from the image that Wyman had of being “the quiet one” in the band. During his time in the Rolling Stones, Wyman was also known for being the most aloof in the band, and he says he was the only member of the Rolling Stones who didn’t abuse drugs. That’s not news to die-hard Rolling Stones fans or anyone who’s read “Stone Alone,” but it might come as a surprise to those who know very little about Wyman. Sex is the only addiction that Wyman confesses that he had during his heyday with the Rolling Stones, but “The Quiet One” doesn’t have the braggadocio that Wyman had in “Stone Alone,” where he claimed that he bedded many more women on tour than all of his bandmates. Not surprisingly, Wyman’s 10-year marriage to first wife Diane ended in divorce in 1969.

Although “The Quiet One” barely mentions Wyman’s first marriage, the documentary offers a little more insight into how Wyman was as a divorced dad who had full custody of his son Stephen, who was born in 1962. Being a divorced father with full custody was rare in the 1970s, and being a rock star in that family situation was even more unusual. As he did in “Stone Alone,” Wyman hints that he got full custody because Stephen showed signs of neglect when the child had been living with Diane. Through home movies and photos, Stephen is seen as a constant companion to Wyman and his then-partner Astrid Lundstrom, who was in a relationship with Wyman from 1967 to 1983. Unfortunately, Stephen was not interviewed for this documentary. However, it’s clear that when the Rolling Stones temporarily moved to France in the early 1970s for tax reasons, the reason why Wyman said he hated it was because he was separated from Stephen, who lived with Wyman’s parents in England during this time.

Some of the movie’s content has been seen before in Wyman’s books and in Rolling Stones documentaries such as “Charlie Is My Darling,” “The Stones in the Park” and “Gimme Shelter.” Most of the material from Wyman’s archives are photos, audio recordings and brief snippets of home movies and off-stage band footage, such as the Stones frolicking at a hotel pool in the mid-1960s or flying on a private jet in the early 1970s. New interviews with fellow music stars Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Mary Wilson (formerly of the Supremes), Bob Geldof and Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts are not seen but are only heard in voiceovers. The other members of the Rolling Stones—lead singer Mick Jagger and guitarists Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood—did not give new interviews for this documentary. There are also many stylized closeups of someone pushing play or stop on an old audio cassette recorder, to add to the ambience of the retrospective footage.

During the first three-quarters of the movie, Wyman is shown mostly from behind, sitting in front of a computer in the Stones archive room of his home, with his voice heard in voiceovers. It isn’t until the last quarter of the movie that the present-day Wyman is fully shown on camera in new footage, whether it’s of him taking photos (one of his hobbies), puttering in his garden, or being interviewed with his third and current wife, Suzanne Acosta Wyman. (They’ve been married since 1992, and they have three daughters together.) The full reveal of Wyman in the latter part of the movie is a metaphor for how Wyman wasn’t able to fully open up until later in his life, when he was away from the Rolling Stones spotlight, and after he settled down with Acosta and started a new family with her. She’s the only romantic partner of Wyman’s who’s interviewed for this movie.

The best thing about “The Quiet One” is that it offers a thrilling journey through music history. Rolling Stones songs that are in the movie include “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” “Paint It Black,” “Street Fighting Man,” “Brown Sugar,” “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” “Miss You” and “Start Me Up.” There is also early footage of the Stones when they were primarily a blues covers band. Wyman’s solo career is briefly mentioned, as is his post-Stones work with the Rhythm Kings, a rotating group of musicians that play retro rock and blues. The documentary has a great selection of songs for its soundtrack, but the sound mixing is sometimes uneven. The movie also has some dramatic recreations with actors, as well as animated footage, which are production choices that sometimes annoy documentary purists.

“The Quiet One” offers a psychological explanation for Wyman’s ability to remain stoic in a mercurial, superstar band whose highs and lows have been well-documented. Wyman’s emotionally distant parents, especially his father, didn’t expect him to go beyond his financially disadvantaged working-class background. Wyman (who was born William Perks but changed his last name to Wyman after he decided to become a professional musician) says only his maternal grandmother had faith that he would become world-famous, and she was ridiculed in the family for believing in him. The combination of growing up poor and having most of his family members discouraging his dreams of being a musician led to Wyman often feeling emotionally “empty” and having lifelong insecurities over whether or not he deserved the success that came his way.

One of the most poignant moments in the movie is near the end when Wyman chokes up and tearfully remembers meeting his biggest musical hero, Ray Charles, who asked Wyman to play on his next album, but Wyman turned down the offer because he didn’t think we was “good enough” to work with Charles. Through the tears, you can feel how Wyman is reliving the experience and how he must have felt humbled, star-struck and inferior in the presence of his legendary idol. You can also sense that even though Wyman might have regretted turning down the offer, he probably would’ve had the same response if Charles were still alive and made the same offer today.

Authorized documentaries about celebrities have their pros and cons. The obvious advantage is the documentarian will have exclusive access to interviews and other footage that an unauthorized documentary might be prevented from getting. The downside is that authorized documentaries often gloss over unflattering details.

The way “The Quiet One” describes Wyman’s ill-fated marriage to second wife Mandy Smith is one such example of how the documentary doesn’t adequately address the biggest controversy of Wyman’s life. Wyman says in “The Quiet One” that he fell in love with Smith at first sight, but she wasn’t old enough to date at the time. What he doesn’t mention in the documentary is that Smith was only 13 and he was almost 47 when they met. In past interviews, Smith admitted that she and Wyman secretly dated while she was underage, and they began having sex when she was 14. They got married in 1989, when Smith was 18, and they officially divorced in 1991. In the documentary, Wyman says of the marriage: “I was stupid to think it would actually work.”

Wyman’s pre-marital relationship with Smith was not only scandalous, it was also illegal for several years. In “The Quiet One” documentary, Wyman does not explain why he was sexually attracted to a barely pubescent girl, nor does director Oliver Murray acknowledge the disturbing and inappropriate aspects of that relationship, except for a brief flash of a newspaper article that mentions Wyman’s romantic interest in Smith began when she was 13. Even though Wyman appears to be an upstanding family man now, the way he pursued Smith when she was an underage child is the very definition of what a sexual predator does. Wyman’s excuse (which he’s given in his memoir “Stone Alone” and past interviews) was that Smith looked like an adult when she was 13.

Needless to say, Wyman and Smith’s illegal relationship would have absolutely had more serious consequences for him if it had been going on today. In this #MeToo era, society has been far less likely to overlook people’s misdeeds when it comes to the abuse of power and sex. Sheffield Doc/Fest in England dropped “The Quiet One” from its 2019 lineup, and canceled a post-screening Q&A with Wyman and Murray that would have taken place on June 7, after receiving numerous complaints that the movie irresponsibly covers up the serious issue of statutory rape. In its attempt to erase or minimize unsettling aspects of Wyman’s personal life, “The Quiet One” completely ignores another bizarre twist to Wyman’s relationship with Smith: In 1993, Wyman’s son Stephen got married to Mandy Smith’s mother, Patsy Smith, but the marriage ended two years later.

Wyman’s refusal to acknowledge the scandalous mess resulting from his relationship with Mandy Smith is not the only example of how Wyman may not be the most reliable narrator of his life story that he tells in this movie. The Rolling Stones famously headlined a free concert at London’s Hyde Park on July 5, 1969. The concert, which had an estimated 250,000 to 500,000 people in attendance, took place just two days after former Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones had died in a mysterious drowning, which happened one month after Jones had left the band. It was also the first concert that the Rolling Stones performed with guitarist Mick Taylor, who had replaced Jones.

Unfortunately, it’s widely considered one of the worst high-profile concerts that the Rolling Stones ever performed. The Stones were ragged and out-of-tune, the band’s tribute to Jones was awkward (white butterflies were carted in to be released on stage, but most of the butterflies died in the boxes), and the death of Jones brought an air of sadness to the event. But the way Wyman describes it in the documentary, it was a “wonderful concert” that went so smoothly that “it was like a dream” and there were “no drugs”—a description which simply isn’t true when it’s been well-documented that Richards and several members of the band’s entourage were strung out on drugs at the time. Fortunately, there was no real violence at the Hyde Park concert.

The same can’t be said for the Altamont festival that was held in the San Francisco area on December 6, 1969, when four people died, including a man who was stabbed to death by Hell’s Angels gang members while the Rolling Stones were performing. So much has already been written, said, and revealed about the Altamont tragedy (including in the documentary “Gimme Shelter”), that “The Quiet One” offers no new insight. Wyman, who is more comfortable dealing with facts than emotions when discussing his life and the Rolling Stones, expresses the expected remorse over the concert, but he doesn’t talk about what it was really like to go through that trauma. As with many aspects of his life, Wyman will only admit that he pushed his feelings aside to get through the situation at hand.

And that’s probably why the documentary doesn’t mention two more recent things that are probably touchy subjects with Wyman: He’s been diagnosed with prostate cancer, which he announced in 2016. Wyman also reunited with the Rolling Stones as a guest performer for the band’s 50th anniversary concerts in London in 2012, but the reunion ended on a sour note when Wyman gave post-concert interviews complaining the experience was “disappointing” for him because the band didn’t give him enough time on stage. Wyman was subsequently not invited to be a guest performer on the Rolling Stones’ 50th anniversary tour, but former Stones guitarist Taylor (who was also at the 2012 London shows) was included on the tour as a guest performer.

Wyman admitted in “Stone Alone,” as he does “The Quiet One,” that because he was so different from the other members of the Rolling Stones, he often distanced himself from their behind-the-scenes antics and drama. He was in the band, but he remained somewhat of an outsider within the group. His desire to have a more “normal” life was the main reason why he retired from the band, and allowed him to lead a more content lifestyle with his current wife and family. “The Quiet One” shows that Wyman is indeed different from the rest of the Rolling Stones, who continue to tour the world for the millions in revenue and for the huge crowds. It’s the kind of money and adulation that Wyman says he doesn’t need to be happy, so he can live life and make music on his own terms.

IFC Films/Sundance Selects will release “The Quiet One” in select U.S. theaters on June 21, 2019.

2019 CMT Music Awards: Little Big Town is hosting the show

May 2, 2019

Little Big Town
Little Big Town (Photo courtesy of ABC/Image Group LA)

The following is a press release from CMT:

CMT announced that Grammy-winning country group Little Big Town will return to host the 2019 CMT Music Awards for the second consecutive year. The fan-voted award show airs LIVE from Music City’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, June 5 at 8:00pm ET/7:00pm CT and features country music’s biggest stars.

Little Big Town has graced the “CMT Music Awards” stage as both hosts and honorees, with three past wins in the “Group Video of the Year” category and multiple show-stopping performances over the years. The announcement of the chart-topping recording artists returning to host comes on the heels of the release of their critically acclaimed new song “The Daughters,” from their upcoming ninth studio album.

Chart-topping country singer-songwriter Carly Pearce will reveal the nominations for this year’s show on Tuesday, May 7 on NBC’s “Today with Hoda and Jenna,” along with along with a special performance of “Closer To You” (Big Machine Records). Fans can purchase presale tickets for the 2019 CMT Awards beginning Friday, May 10 at 11:00am ET/10:00am CT via Ticketmaster using password “BUCKLEUP”. General sale begins Saturday, May 11 at 11:00am ET/10:00am CT. Please visit: https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/1B00569BB5AA4C4B

A limited amount of Ultimate Insider VIP Experiences are available for fans seeking celebrity treatment at the 2019 CMT Music Awards. VIPs will have the opportunity to walk the red carpet and snap a professional photo in addition to watching the show from a premium seat or the standing room pit. Before the Awards show, VIP guests will get to attend select rehearsals and soundcheck, while also having guaranteed access to a taping of CMT Crossroads, CMT New Artist Showcase, the CMT Songbird Supper Club Dinner featuring high profile chefs from around the country and some of the hottest emerging artists on the Nashville scene, and more. To view Ultimate Insider VIP Experience details, please visit:www.cidentertainment.com/events/cmt-music-awards.

Follow @CMT on Twitter and Instagram, use hashtag #CMTawards and like the CMT Music Awards on Facebook.

About Little Big Town

Grammy, ACM, CMA, and AMA Award-winning group, Little Big Town — consisting of members Karen Fairchild, Phillip Sweet, Kimberly Schlapman, and Jimi Westbrook — first entered the music scene over 20 years ago with hit songs “Boondocks,” “Bring It On Home,” “Good As Gone” and the GRAMMY-nominated “Little White Church.” Their breakthrough albums Tornado and Pain Killer produced multiple #1 singles, including “Pontoon,” “Tornado,” and “Day Drinking,” as well as the history-making, best-selling country single of the year (2015) “Girl Crush.” Little Big Town’s last studio album, The Breaker, debuted #1 on the Billboard Country Charts and Top 10 (No.4) on the Billboard 200 to critical acclaim, marking the group’s fourth Top 10 debut on the Billboard 200 chart. The album features their GRAMMY-winning, multi-week #1 single, “Better Man,” as well as the 2019 GRAMMY-nominated, “When Someone Stops Loving You.” The band is currently in the studio working on a new album. New music is expected for release this year.

Little Big Town has earned more than 40 award show nominations and in the past five years has taken home nearly 20 awards, including multiple GRAMMY, AMA, People’s Choice, CMA, ACM awards, and an Emmy award. The Country Music Hall of Fame inductees (2014) went onto receive their star on the Nashville Walk of Fame in 2017. This past July, The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville launched their new, yearlong exhibit called LITTLE BIG TOWN: THE POWER OF FOUR showcasing the bands powerful and storied 20-year history within the country music community. The band recently launched 4 Cellars wine, their first non-musical project as a band, with Browne Family Vineyards.

For more information on Little Big Town visit LittleBigTown.com or follow them @littlebigtown.

About CMT

CMT is the leading authority on country music and lifestyle, offering a mix of original series, music events and specials. CMT is everywhere its fans are including two cable channels (CMT and the 24-hour music channel, CMT Music), radio (CMT Radio), digital (CMT App, CMT.com) and social (CMT on Facebook, CMT on Instagram and CMT on Twitter). CMT is a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).

2019 Billboard Music Awards: Drake is the top winner and sets record for most Billboard Music Award prizes

May 1, 2019

Drake at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards
Drake at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas (Photo by Todd Williamson/NBC)

The following is a press release from Dick Clark Productions and NBC:

Shattering the previous record of most all-time Billboard Music Awards wins, Drake took home 12 awards, including Top Artist – the most of the evening, bringing his total to 27, now the most of any artist ever! Airing this evening from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas at 8 pm ET/PT on NBC, the 2019 Billboard Music Awards opened with a spectacular world premiere performance by global superstar Taylor Swift and Brendon Urie, followed by a show-stopping medley of today’s biggest hits from show host, Kelly Clarkson. The night was full of legendary, nostalgic, and never-before-seen performances, celebrating this year’s biggest and best in music!

Cardi B followed Drake for most wins of the night, including Top Rap Female Artist, Top Hot 100 Song, Top Selling Song, Top Radio Song, Top Collaboration and Top Rap Song. Her “Girls Like You” collaborators, Maroon 5, took home four awards including Top Hot 100 Song, Top Selling Song, Top Radio Song, and Top Collaboration.

Other multi-category winners include: Ella Mai (Top R&B Artist, Top R&B Female Artist, Top R&B Song), Ozuna (Top Latin Artist, Top Latin Album, Top Latin Song), Luke Combs (Top Country Artist, Top Country Male Artist, Top Country Album), Bad Bunny (Top Rap Song, Top Latin Song), Panic! At the Disco (Top Rock Album, Top Rock Song), Beyoncé (Top R&B Tour, Top Rap Tour), Jay-Z (Top R&B Tour, Top Rap Tour), BTS (Top Duo/Group, Top Social Artist), and The Chainsmokers (Top Dance/Electronic Artist, Top Dance/Electronic Album).

Lauren Daigle was the only artist to sweep every category she was nominated for, which included Top Christian Artist, Top Christian Album and Top Christian Song.

The two fan-voted award winners were BTS for Top Social Artist and Ariana Grande for Billboard Chart Achievement Award.

The show had jaw dropping moments from beginning to end, starting with Taylor Swift and Brendon Urie’s grand opening of the show, with their new smash hit, “Me!” in an explosion of color, which included a drum line, aerialists and flying umbrellas. Returning host, Kelly Clarkson, then gave a hilarious opening monologue, filled with special surprise guests and of course a song or two.

Perhaps the most memorable was Madonna’s breathtaking performance with Maluma of their new song “Medellin,” with augmented reality technology.

ICON Award recipient Mariah Carey, showed off her pipes in a medley of her greatest hits, including “A No No,” “Always Be My Baby,” “Emotions,” “We Belong Together,” and “Hero.”

Host Kelly Clarkson took the stage later in the night again, to sing her latest song “Broken and Beautiful” from the new family movie “Ugly Dolls.”

Additional performances throughout the night included dance-inducing performances from K-Pop sensation BTS with Halsey, Ariana Grande, Ciara, and The Jonas Brothers, and soulful songs from Khalid Dan + Shay with Tori Kelly and Lauren Daigle.

Both Halsey and Panic! At the Disco took the stage twice in the night, performing solo and in collaborations with BTS and Taylor Swift, respectively.

Paula Abdul closed the show with a nostalgic performance, her first at an awards show in 29 years, of some of her biggest hits including “Straight Up,” “Way That You Love Me,” “Vibeology,” “Opposites Attract,” “Cold Hearted,” and “Forever Your Girl,” and proved she’s still got the moves 30 years after her debut album “Forever Your Girl”!

Presenters throughout the evening included Asher Angel, Becky G, Chrissy Metz & Justin Hartley, Cobie Smulders, Dave Bautista & Kumail Nanjiani, David Guetta, Erin & Sara Foster, Eva Longoria, Florida Georgia Line, Jennifer Hudson, Jesse Spencer, Julia Michaels, Julianne Hough, Kane Brown, Olivia Wilde, Beanie Feldstein & Kaitlyn Dever, Ralph Macchio, Rob Gronkowski, Ross Lynch & Kiernan Shipka, Sabrina Carpenter, Sophie Turner & Tye Sheridan, Terry Crews, and William Zabka.

See below for a full list of winners:

*Designates Winner

ARTIST AWARDS

Top Artist
Cardi B
Drake*
Ariana Grande
Post Malone
Travis Scott

Top New Artist
Bazzi
Juice WRLD*
Lil Baby
Dua Lipa
Ella Mai

Billboard Chart Achievement Award
Dan + Shay
Drake
Ariana Grande*
Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
Dua Lipa

Top Male Artist
Drake*
Post Malone
Travis Scott
Ed Sheeran
XXXTENTACION

Top Female Artist
Cardi B
Ariana Grande*
Halsey
Ella Mai
Taylor Swift

Top Duo/Group:
BTS*
Dan + Shay
Imagine Dragons
Maroon 5
Panic! At The Disco

Top Billboard 200 Artist
Drake*
Ariana Grande
Post Malone
Travis Scott
XXXTENTACION

Top Hot 100 Artist
Cardi B
Drake*
Ariana Grande
Juice WRLD
Post Malone

Top Streaming Songs Artist
Cardi B
Drake*
Ariana Grande
Post Malone
XXXTENTACION

Top Song Sales Artist
Drake*
Ariana Grande
Imagine Dragons
Lady Gaga
Post Malone

Top Radio Songs Artist
Cardi B
Drake*
Ariana Grande
Maroon 5
Post Malone

Top Social Artist
BTS*
EXO
GOT7
Ariana Grande
Louis Tomlinson

Top Touring Artist
Beyoncé & JAY-Z
Bruno Mars
Ed Sheeran*
Taylor Swift
Justin Timberlake

Top R&B Artist
H.E.R.
Khalid
Ella Mai*
The Weeknd
XXXTENTACION

Top R&B Male Artist
Khalid
The Weeknd*
XXXTENTACION

Top R&B Female Artist
H.E.R.
Ella Mai*
Queen Naija

Top R&B Tour
Beyoncé & JAY-Z*
Childish Gambino
Bruno Mars

Top Rap Artist
Cardi B
Drake*
Juice WRLD
Post Malone
Travis Scott

Top Rap Male Artist
Drake*
Post Malone
Travis Scott

Top Rap Female Artist
Cardi B*
City Girls
Nicki Minaj

Top Rap Tour
Beyoncé & JAY-Z*
Drake
Travis Scott

Top Country Artist
Jason Aldean
Kane Brown
Luke Combs*
Dan + Shay
Florida Georgia Line

Top Country Male Artist
Jason Aldean
Kane Brown
Luke Combs*

Top Country Female Artist
Maren Morris
Kacey Musgraves
Carrie Underwood*

Top Country Duo/Group Artist
Dan + Shay*
Florida Georgia Line
Old Dominion

Top Country Tour
Luke Bryan
Kenny Chesney*
Shania Twain

Top Rock Artist
Imagine Dragons*
lovelytheband
Panic! At The Disco
Queen
twenty one pilots

Top Rock Tour
Elton John*
The Rolling Stones
U2

Top Latin Artist
Anuel AA
Bad Bunny
J Balvin
Ozuna*
Romeo Santos

Top Dance/Electronic Artist
Calvin Harris
Kygo
Marshmello
ODESZA
The Chainsmokers*

Top Christian Artist
Cory Asbury
Lauren Daigle*
for KING & COUNTRY
Hillsong Worship
MercyMe

Top Gospel Artist
Kirk Franklin
Koryn Hawthorne
Tori Kelly
Tasha Cobbs Leonard*
Marvin Sapp

ALBUM AWARDS

Top Billboard 200 Album
Cardi B “Invasion of Privacy”
Drake “Scorpion”*
Post Malone “beerbongs & bentleys”
Travis Scott “ASTROWORLD”
XXXTENTACION “?”

Top Soundtrack
“13 Reasons Why: Season 2”
“A Star is Born” by Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
“Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”
“The Greatest Showman”*

Top R&B Album
Ella Mai “Ella Mai”
H.E.R. “H.E.R.”
Khalid “American Teen”
The Weeknd “My Dear Melancholy,”
XXXTENTACION “17”*

Top Rap Album
Cardi B “Invasion of Privacy”
Drake “Scorpion”*
Post Malone “beerbongs & bentleys”
Travis Scott “ASTROWORLD”
XXXTENTACION “?”

Top Country Album
Jason Aldean “Rearview Town”
Kane Brown “Kane Brown”
Luke Combs “This One’s For You”*
Dan + Shay “Dan + Shay”
Carrie Underwood “Cry Pretty”

Top Rock Album
Dave Matthews Band “Come Tomorrow”
Imagine Dragons “Origins”
Mumford & Sons “Delta”
Panic! At The Disco “Pray for the Wicked”*
twenty one pilots “Trench”

Top Latin Album
Anuel AA “Real Hasta la Muerte”
Bad Bunny “X 100PRE”
J Balvin “Vibras”
Maluma “F.A.M.E.”
Ozuna “Aura”*

Top Dance/Electronic Album
Clean Bandit “What Is Love?”
David Guetta “7”
Kygo “Kids in Love”
Major Lazer “Major Lazer Essentials”
The Chainsmokers “Sick Boy”*

Top Christian Album
Cory Asbury “Reckless Love”
Lauren Daigle “Look Up Child”*
for KING & COUNTRY “Burn The Ships”
Hillsong Worship “There Is More”
Zach Williams “Chain Breaker”

Top Gospel Album
Snoop Dogg & Various Artists “Snoop Dogg Presents Bible of Love”
Aretha Franklin “Gospel Greats”
Koryn Hawthorne “Unstoppable”
Tori Kelly “Hiding Place”*
Jonathan McReynolds “Make Room”

SONG AWARDS

Top Hot 100 Song
Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin “I Like It”
Juice WRLD “Lucid Dreams”
Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B “Girls Like You”*
Post Malone “Better Now”
Travis Scott “SICKO MODE”

Top Streaming Song (Audio):
Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin “I Like It”
Juice WRLD “Lucid Dreams”
Post Malone “Better Now”
Travis Scott “SICKO MODE”*
XXXTENTACION “SAD!”

Top Streaming Song (Video):
Drake “In My Feelings”*
Juice WRLD “Lucid Dreams”
Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B “Girls Like You”
Travis Scott “SICKO MODE”
XXXTENTACION “SAD!”

Top Selling Song
Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin “I Like It”
Drake “In My Feelings”
Halsey “Without Me”
Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper “Shallow”
Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B “Girls Like You”*

Top Radio Song
Khalid & Normani “Love Lies”
Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B “Girls Like You”*
Post Malone “Better Now”
Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line “Meant to Be”
Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey “The Middle”

Top Collaboration
Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin “I Like It”
Khalid & Normani “Love Lies”
Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B “Girls Like You”*
Marshmello & Bastille “Happier”
Post Malone ft. Ty Dolla $ign “Psycho”

Top R&B Song
DJ Khaled ft. Justin Bieber, Chance The Rapper & Quavo “No Brainer”
Ella Mai “Boo’d Up”*
Ella Mai “Trip”
Khalid “Better”
Lil Dicky ft. Chris Brown “Freaky Friday”

Top Rap Song
Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin “I Like It”*
Drake “In My Feelings”
Juice WRLD “Lucid Dreams”
Post Malone “Better Now”
Travis Scott “SICKO MODE”

Top Country Song
Kane Brown “Heaven”
Luke Combs “She Got the Best of Me”
Dan + Shay “Speechless”
Dan + Shay “Tequila”
Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line “Meant to Be”*

Top Rock Song
Foster the People “Sit Next to Me”
Imagine Dragons “Natural”
Imagine Dragons “Whatever It Takes”
lovelytheband “broken”
Panic! At The Disco “High Hopes”*

Top Latin Song
Bad Bunny ft. Drake “Mia”
Daddy Yankee “Dura”
DJ Snake ft. Selena Gomez, Ozuna & Cardi B “Taki Taki”
Nicky Jam & J Balvin “X”
Casper Magico, Nio Garcia, Darell, Nicky Jam, Bad Bunny & Ozuna “Te Bote”*

Top Dance/Electronic Song
DJ Snake ft. Selena Gomez, Ozuna & Cardi B “Taki Taki”
Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa “One Kiss”
Marshmello & Bastille “Happier”
Tiësto & Dzeko ft. Preme & Post Malone “Jackie Chan”
Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey “The Middle”*

Top Christian Song
Cory Asbury “Reckless Love”
Lauren Daigle “You Say”*
for KING & COUNTRY “joy.”
Hillsong Worship “Who You Say I Am”
Tauren Wells “Known”

Top Gospel Song
Todd Dulaney “Your Great Name”
Koryn Hawthorne “Won’t He Do It”*
Tori Kelly ft. Kirk Franklin “Never Alone”
Jason Nelson “Forever”
Brian Courtney Wilson “A Great Work”

“Billboard Music Awards” nominees and winners are based on key fan interactions with music, including album and digital song sales, streaming, radio airplay, touring and social engagement, tracked by Billboard and its data partners, including Nielsen Music and Next Big Sound. The awards are based on the chart period of March 23, 2018 through March 7, 2019. Since 1940, the Billboard charts have been the go-to guide for ranking the popularity of artists, songs and albums, and are the ultimate measure of success in music.

The “2019 Billboard Music Awards” is produced by Dick Clark Productions. Mark Bracco, Barry Adelman, Kelly Clarkson and Robert Deaton are executive producers.

The “2019 Billboard Music Awards” are sponsored by T-Mobile.

For the latest news on the Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs) visit www.billboardmusicawards.com and  www.billboard.com/bbma. For exclusive content and more, be sure to follow the BBMAs on social media and join the conversation by using the official hashtag for the show, #BBMAs. Twitter: @BBMAs  Facebook: FB.com/TheBBMAs  |  Instagram: bbmas  | Snapchat: thebbmas  | YouTube: youtube.com/bbmas

About Dick Clark Productions
Dick Clark Productions (DCP) is the world’s largest producer and proprietor of televised live event entertainment programming with the “Academy of Country Music Awards,” “American Music Awards,” “Billboard Music Awards,” “Golden Globe Awards,” “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest” and the “Streamy Awards.” Weekly television programming includes “So You Think You Can Dance” from 19 Entertainment and DCP. DCP also owns one of the world’s most unique and extensive entertainment archive libraries with over 60 years of award-winning shows, historic programs, specials, performances and legendary programming. DCP is a division of Valence Media, a diversified media company with divisions and strategic investments in premium television, wide release film, specialty film, live events and digital media. For additional information, visit www.dickclark.com.

About Billboard Media Group
Billboard is the world’s largest voice in music, built on the most complete and well-respected database of charts across all music genres. The Billboard charts define success in music. From the iconic Billboard magazine to Billboard.com, the ultimate consumer-facing destination for millions of passionate music fans, to the industry’s most elite conference series and influencer events including the Power 100 and Women in Music – the Billboard brand has unmatched authority among fans, artists and the industry alike. Billboard has a social media footprint of 25.5M+ million social followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, and creates more than 160M+ cross-platform video views per month. Billboard magazine has published major news-generating covers recently including Travis Scott, Janet Jackson, Lil Wayne, Demi Lovato, Cardi B, Christina Aguilera, Shakira, BTS, and more. In December 2018, the Billboard Women in Music ceremony, which honored Ariana Grande as Woman of the Year, was live-streamed globally on Twitter. In 2016, The Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group acquired Spin Media’s storied music assets Spin, Vibe, and Stereogum, establishing the world’s largest music brand by digital traffic, social reach, and audience share. The combined entity of music and entertainment properties now reaches 41 Million + unique visitors and more than 20% of U.S. millennials.

2019 Tony Awards: ‘Hadestown,’ ‘Ain’t Too Proud to Beg’ have the most nominations

April 30, 2019

Tony Awards logo

The following is a press release from the Tony Awards:

Nominations in 26 competitive categories for the American Theatre Wing’s 73rd Annual Antoinette Perry “Tony” Awards® were announced today by Tony Award-winning actress Bebe Neuwirth, Tony-nominated actor Brandon Victor Dixon and CBS This Morning co-host Gayle King, at the Tony Award Nominations ceremony, held at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center. The nominees were selected by an independent committee of 42 theatre professionals appointed by the Tony Awards Administration Committee. The 2019 Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. (The list of nominations follows.)

Marking 73 years of excellence on Broadway, The Tony Awards, hosted by James Corden, will be broadcast live from the Radio City Music Hall on CBS, on Sunday, June 9th, 8:00 – 11:00 p.m. (ET/PT time delay).

Legitimate theatrical productions opening in any of the 41 eligible Broadway theatres during the current season may be considered for Tony nominations. The 2018/2019 eligibility season began April 27, 2018 and ended April 25, 2019. The Tony Awards will be voted in 26 competitive categories by 831 designated Tony voters within the theatre community.

As previously announced, the 2019 Special Tony Awards for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre will be presented to Rosemary Harris, Terrence McNally and Harold Wheeler. The 2019 Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre will be presented to Broadway Inspirational Voices founded by Michael McElroy; long time Vice President of Theatre Operations for The Shubert Organization, Peter Entin; Founder and President, Scenic Art Studios, Inc. Joseph Blakely Forbes and FDNY Engine 54 / Ladder 4 / Battalion 9. The Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award will be presented to Judith Light for her advocacy work for HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+. The 2019 Special Tony Awards will be presented to Sonny Tilders and Creature Technology Company the creators of the character/puppet “Kong” for King Kong; musical director and arranger Jason Michael Webb and the late actress and advocate Marin Mazzie.

Each year, the Tony Awards Administration Committee presents a Tony Award to a regional theatre on the recommendation of the American Theatre Critics Association. The 2019 Regional Theatre Tony Award will be presented to the TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, in Palo Alto, California.

The 2018-2019 Tony Award Nominating Committee consists of Emily Altman, Bob Alwine, Milly Barranger, Suzy Benzinger, Brenda Braxton, Luis Castro, Dawn Chiang, Patricia Cruz, Eisa Davis, Jerry Dixon, Edgar Dobie, Judith Dolan, Scott Elliott, John Erman, Scott Frankel, Maija Garcia, Mason Granger, Ann Harada, Peter Hedges, JoAnn Hunter, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Michael Kantor, Anne Keefe, Michael John LaChiusa, Priscilla Lopez, Martyna Majok, John Mauceri, Tony Meola, Jessica Molaskey, Sheila Nevins Peter Parnell, Rosalba Rolón, Daphne Ruben-Vega, Paul Rudnick, Don Scardino, Kimberly Senior, Mikki Shepard, Randy Skinner, Ellen Sorrin, Jessica Stone, Mark Wendland and. Evan Yionoulis

The Antoinette Perry “Tony” Awards are bestowed annually on theatre professionals for distinguished achievement. The Tony is one of the most coveted awards in the entertainment industry and the annual telecast is considered one of the most prestigious programs on television.

The 2019 American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. At The Broadway League, Thomas Schumacher is Chairman and Charlotte St. Martin is President. At the American Theater Wing, David Henry Hwang is Chairman and Heather A. Hitchens is President & CEO.

For the CBS broadcast, Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss/White Cherry Entertainment are Executive Producers. Weiss also serves as Director.

Tickets for the 2019 Tony Awards will go on sale on April 30th at 9:00 AM ET through TonyAwards.com and TicketMaster.com.

Sponsors for the 2019 Tony Awards include: Carnegie Mellon University – the first-ever, exclusive higher education partner; City National – official bank of the Tony Awards and presenting sponsor of the Creative Arts Awards; Sofitel New York – the official hotel of the Tony Awards; Rainbow Room – official partner of the Tony Nominee Luncheon; United Airlines – the official airline of the Tony Awards for the last 19 years and People/Entertainment Weekly – official magazine partners of the Tony Awards.

Nominations for the 2019 American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards®

Presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing

Best Musical
Ain’t Too Proud—The Life and Times of The Temptations
Beetlejuice
Hadestown
The Prom
Tootsie

Best Play
Choir Boy by Tarell Alvin McCraney
The Ferryman by Jez Butterworth
Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus by Taylor Mac
Ink by James Graham
What the Constitution Means to Me by Heidi Schreck

Best Revival of a Musical
Kiss Me, Kate
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!

Best Revival of a Play
Arthur Miller’s All My Sons
The Boys in the Band by Mart Crowley
Burn This
Torch Song by Harvey Fierstein
The Waverly Gallery by Kenneth Lonergan

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Brooks Ashmanskas, The Prom
Derrick Baskin, Ain’t Too Proud
Alex Brightman, Beetlejuice
Damon Daunno, Oklahoma!
Santino Fontana, Tootsie

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Stephanie J. Block, The Cher Show
Caitlin Kinnunen, The Prom
Beth Leavel, The Prom
Eva Noblezada, Hadestown
Kelli O’Hara, Kiss Me, Kate

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Paddy Considine, The Ferryman
Bryan Cranston, Network
Jeff Daniels, To Kill a Mockingbird
Adam Driver, Burn This
Jeremy Pope, Choir Boy

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Annette Bening, Arthur Miller’s All My Sons
Laura Donnelly, The Ferryman
Elaine May, The Waverly Gallery
Janet McTeer, Bernhardt/Hamlet
Laurie Metcalf, Hillary and Clinton
Heidi Schreck, What the Constitution Means to Me

Best Book of a Musical
Ain’t Too Proud, Dominique Morisseau
Beetlejuice, Scott Brown and Anthony King
Hadestown, Anaïs Mitchell
The Prom, Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin
Tootsie, Robert Horn

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Be More Chill, Joe Iconis
Beetlejuice, Eddie Perfect
Hadestown, Anaïs Mitchell
The Prom, Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin
To Kill a Mockingbird, Adam Guettel
Tootsie, David Yazbek

Best Direction of a Musical
Rachel Chavkin, Hadestown
Scott Ellis, Tootsie
Daniel Fish, Oklahoma!
Des McAnuff, Ain’t Too Proud
Casey Nicholaw, The Prom

Best Direction of a Play
Rupert Goold, Ink
Sam Mendes, The Ferryman
Bartlett Sher, To Kill a Mockingbird
Ivo van Hove, Network
George C. Wolfe, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Andre De Shields, Hadestown
Andy Grotelueschen, Tootsie
Patrick Page, Hadestown
Jeremy Pope, Ain’t Too Proud
Ephraim Sykes, Ain’t Too Proud

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Lilli Cooper, Tootsie
Amber Gray, Hadestown
Sarah Stiles, Tootsie
Ali Stroker, Oklahoma!
Mary Testa, Oklahoma!

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Bertie Carvel, Ink
Robin De Jesús, The Boys in the Band
Gideon Glick, To Kill a Mockingbird
Brandon Uranowitz, Burn This
Benjamin Walker, Arthur Miller’s All My Sons

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Fionnula Flanagan, The Ferryman
Celia Keenan-Bolger, To Kill a Mockingbird
Kristine Nielsen, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Julie White, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Ruth Wilson, King Lear

Best Choreography
Camille A. Brown, Choir Boy
Warren Carlyle, Kiss Me, Kate
Denis Jones, Tootsie
David Neumann, Hadestown
Sergio Trujillo, Ain’t Too Proud

Best Orchestrations
Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose, Hadestown
Larry Hochman, Kiss Me, Kate
Daniel Kluger, Oklahoma!
Simon Hale, Tootsie
Harold Wheeler, Ain’t Too Proud

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Robert Brill and Peter Nigrini, Ain’t Too Proud
Peter England, King Kong
Rachel Hauck, Hadestown
Laura Jellinek, Oklahoma!
David Korins, Beetlejuice

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Miriam Buether, To Kill a Mockingbird
Bunny Christie, Ink
Rob Howell, The Ferryman
Santo Loquasto, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Jan Versweyveld, Network

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Michael Krass, Hadestown
William Ivey Long, Beetlejuice
William Ivey Long, Tootsie
Bob Mackie, The Cher Show
Paul Tazewell, Ain’t Too Proud

Best Costume Design of a Play
Rob Howell, The Ferryman
Toni-Leslie James, Bernhardt/Hamlet
Clint Ramos, Torch Song
Ann Roth, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Ann Roth, To Kill a Mockingbird

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Peter Hylenski, Beetlejuice
Peter Hylenski, King Kong
Steve Canyon Kennedy, Ain’t Too Proud
Drew Levy, Oklahoma!
Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz, Hadestown

Best Sound Design of a Play
Adam Cork, Ink
Scott Lehrer, To Kill a Mockingbird
Fitz Patton, Choir Boy
Nick Powell, The Ferryman
Eric Sleichim, Network

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Kevin Adams, The Cher Show
Howell Binkley, Ain’t Too Proud
Bradley King, Hadestown
Peter Mumford, King Kong
Kenneth Posner and Peter Nigrini, Beetlejuice

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Neil Austin, Ink
Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Peter Mumford, The Ferryman
Jennifer Tipton, To Kill a Mockingbird
Jan Versweyveld and Tal Yarden, Network

Recipients of Awards and Honors in Non-competitive Categories

Special Tony Awards for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

Rosemary Harris

Terrence McNally

Harold Wheeler

Special Tony Awards

Marin Mazzie

Sonny Tilders and Creature Technology Company

Jason Michael Webb

Regional Theatre Tony Award

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley

Palo Alto, CA

Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award

Judith Light

Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre

Broadway Inspirational Voices – Michael McElroy, Founder

Peter Entin

FDNY Engine 54, Ladder 4, Battalion 9

Joseph Blakely Forbes

Tony Nominations by Production

Hadestown – 14

Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations – 12

Tootsie – 11

The Ferryman – 9

To Kill a Mockingbird – 9

Beetlejuice – 8

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! – 8

Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus – 7

The Prom – 7

Ink – 6

Network – 5

Choir Boy – 4

Kiss Me, Kate – 4

Arthur Miller’s All My Sons – 3

Burn This – 3

The Cher Show – 3

King Kong – 3

Bernhardt/Hamlet – 2

The Boys in the Band – 2

Torch Song – 2

The Waverly Gallery – 2

What the Constitution Means to Me – 2

Be More Chill – 1

Hillary and Clinton – 1

King Lear – 1

2019 Tribeca Film Festival movie review: ‘Inna De Yard: The Soul of Jamaica’

April 29, 2019

by Carla Hay

Inna De Yard: The Soul of Jamaica
Kiddis I, Winston McAnuff and Cedric Myton in “Inna De Yard: The Soul of Jamaica”

“Inna De Yard: The Soul of Jamaica”

Directed by Peter Webber

World premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 29, 2019.

While reggae legends Bob Marley and Peter Tosh have been the subject of multiple films, the documentary “Inna De Yard: The Soul of Jamaica” shines a spotlight on lesser-own reggae artists who have influenced generations of people. The film chronicles the making of an album recorded by Ken Boothe, Winston McAnuff, Kiddus I, Judy Mowatt, Var, Jah9 and Cedric Myton, among other artists. The album is also this film’s soundtrack.

The film also takes a closer look into the lives of some the artists, who give in-depth interviews. Myton, who is best known as the lead singer of the Congos, is the elder sage of the group. He’s weathered the ups and downs of his career, including a marijuana bust that had him deported from the United States. (Almost all of the artists in the movie are Rastafarians.) His personal life is also colorful: He has 11 children, and has been married for 40 years.

The politically minded Kiddus I, who was prominently featured in the 1976 cult film “Rockers,” talks about feeling disillusioned from the music industry for several years after his career didn’t pan out the way he had hoped. On the flip side, Boothe (who is probably the most famous singer in the film) describes that he wasn’t necessarily very happy at the height of his success because his fame came at a price—namely, the constant touring prevented him from spending time with his family.

Family issues are also a source of emotional pain for McAnuff (whose nickname is Electric Dread), who tells a heartbreaking tale of his young adult son Matthew (an aspiring artist) being murdered in 2012, and how he has trouble coping with the trauma. It’s the most emotionally touching part of the movie.

Mowatt beings a Zen quality to the movie, which shows that she has remained grounded and relatively stable. Var and Jah9 represent the young generation of Jamaican music artists. Var likes to blend other music genres—such as R&B, hip-hop pop—into traditional reggae, and enjoys drawing from his rural roots in Jamaica’s Maroon lands when making music. Jah9 is an unapologetic feminist who isn’t afraid to speak out about issues that matter to her, such as sexism, poverty and legalization of marijuana. She’s also a yoga teacher with a spiritual side.

The musical performances on and off stage are compelling to watch. (It’s almost impossible not to get engrossed in the beats, even if you’re not a fan of reggae music.) The documentary has somewhat of a rambling, scattershot tone and could have benefited from tighter editing. Ultimately, the movie is solid but it won’t be considered a classic.