Spider-Man’s Injury-Free Opening Night
Though The Book of Mormon had the Broadway spotlight at the 2011 Tonys on Sunday, the Great White Way’s attention shifted to Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. After weathering a spate of injuries, production troubles, cast departures and an ousted director, Broadway’s most expensive musical finally opened $70 million later to mediocre reviews at best. Nevertheless, there were some positives. Besides the star-studded premiere welcoming former President Bill Clinton, theater legend Andrew Lloyd Webber, Steve Martin and many more big names, it also ended without any injuries for the cast members or audience. Now, U2’s Bono and The Edge—the play’s songwriters—can breathe a sigh of relief.
The Green Lantern Marks the Return of Macho Men
The United States is in need of heroes these days and Americans are looking for them at the movies. “The country is very insecure about an awful lot of things. And wanting to watch guys with buffed-up egos and bodies, the toughest guys in the world—it could be a response to that,” movie historian David Thomson told Newsweek. From the blockbuster success of Fast Five with Vin Diesel to this weekend’s expected hit The Green Lantern—featuring an even beefier Ryan Reynolds— audiences appear to love guys who chug Muscle Milk. But a rivalry is brewing between the he-men and a new crop of “emo” super-dudes headed for screens next year. Spider-Man’s franchise reboot rests on the shoulders of waifish actor Andrew Garfield, and Hollywood’s reigning Sensitive Male, Mark Ruffalo, is the Incredible Hulk in Marvel’s The Avengers. For now though, the big guys seem to have the cultural zeitgeist in a headlock.
Tatum and Ryan O’Neal’s OWN Real World
The perils of child stardom have been well documented, but few celebrity bildungsromans are as heartbreaking as that which befell Tatum O’Neal. The youngest Oscar-winning actress opened up about reconnecting with her estranged father, actor Ryan O'Neal for their docuseries that premieres on Sunday on the Oprah Winfrey Network. “I sort of thought it would be fun to work with my dad again, in some weird way,” O’Neal told The Daily Beast of Ryan and Tatum: The O'Neals. “I thought perhaps he’d have that ‘aha moment’ and he’d be like, ‘You know what, I’m really sorry, Tatum. You didn’t have to have the life you had, and I’m here, and I take responsibility.’ That didn’t happen. But oh well. I think it’s interesting television.”