Me, You and Every Link We Click

Two Must Read Interview/Profiles
• GQ John Boyega reflects on his career and the racialized way he had to experience Star Wars. Points are made about the way the trilogy panned out for his character
• Vulture the one of a kind artist, Miranda July, has a new movie coming out (Kajillionaire). She's been artistically busy despite part-time domesticity

After the jump: Robert Pattinson tests positive for Coronavirus, Raya and the Last Dragon, Lady Gaga, Jonathan Majors, and more...

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No More Links (Enough is Enough)

• NYT a fascinating new interview with the always odd Nicolas Cage
• Cartoon Brew an indie animated short is getting a theatrical release! Hair Love will open for Angry Birds 2 in theaters. Should we watch out for it at the Oscars?
• Variety sad news for those who love Asian cinema and follow the Golden Horse Awards (which we've often covered here at TFE)... a political storm is brewing and mainland China and Hong Kong are looking to boycott the event given Chinese feeling that Taiwan (where the ceremony always takes place) is not an independent nation but part of China. Naturally Taiwan feels otherwise (as do the American Oscars which invite Taiwan to submit their own films and don't lump them in with China itself)

More after the jump including new showbiz books, odd news concerning The Little Mermaid, a Barbra Streisand and Ariane Grande duet and more...

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"The Prom" gets a starry cast for its film version.

by Nathaniel R

Two girlfriends in the midwest just want to go to their prom in "The Prom"

The Prom, running through August 11th at Broadway's Longacre Theatre, has defied expectations more than once in its short life. That starts with the plot synopsis which reads like a lecturing social justice message play (Broadway stars fight against discrimination to get a young lesbian to her prom when her school balks at the idea) but is in reality a sweet often hilarious comedy which has more targets than just homophobes in its sights. The musical began previews last October on Broadway and while it wasn't expected to be a big hit (given the sad state of Broadway where branding is all important - it came with no bankable stars, no jukebox score, wasn't based on a movie) it managed to stay open for months, snag high profile Tony nominations, and secure both touring and movie adaptation deals. (It is also a total delight, as Dan told us in his review which we co-sign.)

As you've undoubtedly heard, Netflix snapped it up some time ago. Originally we thought it was going to be a straight to streaming situation, given what Netflix is planning for the new Boys in the Band (with the all-gay Broadway cast reprising their roles for the camera), but it turns out they have an Oscar run in mind. And with that a starrier cast and some degree of a theatrical release in 2020 (so we'll have at least two musicals in the mix that year given Spielberg's West Side Story remake).

But are The Prom's days of defying expectations over?

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Would you rather?

It's our favorite Instagram pics of the week, courtesy of the celebs themselves, in reader survey form. Would you rather...

• have breakfast with Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio?
• enjoy a cocktail named after Helen Mirren with Helen Mirren?
• do Elizabeth Taylor cosplay with Gemma Chan?
• help Diane Keaton choose a hat?
• spot deals in Hollywood with Anne Hathaway?
• consider Bruce Campbell's unique face with Paddy Considine?
• give blood with Anna Kendrick?
• throw an axe with Arnold Schwarzenegger?
• hug it out with Ariana Grande & Julia Roberts?
• reminisce about your first Almodóvar movie... with two Pedros, Pascal and Almodóvar?
• hawk protein supplements with Zachary Levi? 
• wear the Tony nominations with pride on your body like Best Actress contender Caitlin Kinnunen (from The Prom)? 

Pictures are after the jump to help you decide

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Grammy Winners List. Is Anyone Closer to an EGOT?

by Nathaniel R

Lady Gaga won 3 more Grammys tonight (her total is now 9), one of which was shared by Bradley Cooper

In answer to the title question, well yes, technically. After all, any first time Grammy winner is closer to the EGOT now. But let's look at the more visible people in the mix... did anyone take a step closer than they already were? Actor/rapper/writer Donald Glover, BlacKkKlansman composer Terence Blanchard, and actress/singer Lady Gaga all won Grammys tonight but none are closer to the EGOT since they have previous Grammys at home. Glover has two Emmys (for Atlanta) and multiple Grammys (for "This is America" and the previous statue for "Redbone") but he was already halfway to the EGOT before tonight. Blanchard, nominated at the Oscars this year for the first time, now has six Grammys. Lady Gaga now has nine Grammys, but that's the only one of the four major showbiz prizes she's won. We suspect she'll get the Oscar part of the equation in just two weeks time, though.  Gaga's singing and co-starring partner in crime Bradley Cooper also picked up a Grammy, sharing the Pop/Duo prize. Yes, absurdly, he got the Grammy before the Tony (where he's been nominated once) or the Oscar (where he's been nominated 7 times across multiple categories) even though he's an A list actor and only a novice singer but showbiz can be so strange like that. One imagines he'll pick up an Emmy with ease should he ever deign to do TV again but he's steered mostly clear since Nip/Tuck. Once movie stardom hit, he was big-screen only apart from that Wet Hot American Summer sequel series.

But there are four people who did take an actual step closer to EGOT, since they added a Grammy to take another step closer...

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