South Park closed out its 18th season with a slew of musical “guest stars” that have generated a lot of criticism and discussion this year. There’s a hologram of Kurt Cobain, performances from Taylor Swift and Iggy Azalea, and Stan’s dad resurfaces as Lorde, again. There are several duets throughout — Azalea performs “A Holly Jolly Christmas” alongside an Elvis hologram, and Swift is faced with the obscenely uncomfortable task of singing “Baby It’s Cold Outside” with Bill Cosby. It’s weird, it’s fucked up, it’s South Park.
JMG reader Evan tips us that NPR is streaming the cast recording of The Book Of Mormon, which garnered 14 Tony nominations last week. Today only, folks.
The Book Of Mormon led this morning's 2011 Tony Awards nominations with 14 nods across all major categories. The musical garnered a dozen Drama Desk nominations last week. Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart won nominations for Best Revival, and for cast members Joe Montello (Best Actor), John Benjamin Hickey (Best Featured Actor), and Ellen Barkin (Best Featured Actress.) Best Play nominees: War Horse, Jerusalem, Good People, The Motherfucker With The Hat. Best Musical nominees: Sister Act, Book Of Mormon, Catch Me If You Can, The Scottsboro Boys.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play Brian Bedford, The Importance of Being Earnest Bobby Cannavale, The Motherfucker with the Hat Joe Mantello, The Normal Heart Al Pacino, The Merchant of Venice Mark Rylance, Jerusalem
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play Nina Arianda, Born Yesterday Frances McDormand, Good People Lily Rabe, The Merchant of Venice Vanessa Redgrave, Driving Miss Daisy Hannah Yelland, Brief Encounter
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical Norbert Leo Butz, Catch Me If You Can Josh Gad, The Book of Mormon Joshua Henry, The Scottsboro Boys Andrew Rannells, The Book of Mormon Tony Sheldon, Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical Sutton Foster, Anything Goes Beth Leavel, Baby It's You! Patina Miller, Sister Act Donna Murphy, The People in the Picture
The Book Of Mormon led this morning's Drama Desk nominations with a dozen nods, including for Outstanding Musical. The show also received nominations for music, lyrics, choreography, and for the show's lead, Andrew Rannels. The revival of Anything Goes followed with ten nominations. Legendary playwright, actor, and drag performer Charles Busch received the Best Actor nomination for his performance in his play, The Divine Sister. Also nominated for Outstanding Musical was Priscilla: Queen Of The Desert.
VIDEO: In the clip below, Broadway Speaks OUT's Marti Gould interviews Drama Desk presenters Audra McDonald and Liev Schreiber, followed by the nomination announcements.
This is an almost classically traditional musical score, each song unique, but united and woven together in show-stopping finales. Their blend is of subversive material filtered through tradition and sincerity. There is no cynicism here. Yes there is General Butt-Fucking Naked. There is an African woman called Neosporin. There is a fantastic send-up of Bono; a lovely dig at Johnnie Cochrane; some rudely sodomized frogs; and a baptism that sounds like sex. But there are also moments of unexpected poignancy, as when an African woman discovers that she has in fact been deceived. It is the best thing they have ever done - musically, theatrically, comically
This is to all the doubters and deniers out there, the ones who say that heaven on Broadway does not exist, that it’s only some myth our ancestors dreamed up. I am here to report that a newborn, old-fashioned, pleasure-giving musical has arrived at the Eugene O’Neill Theater, the kind our grandparents told us left them walking on air if not on water. So hie thee hence, nonbelievers (and believers too), to “The Book of Mormon,” and feast upon its sweetness.
It takes no guts to bash Mormons on Broadway. Real men would rip Muslims. Real men would admit they love bashing Mormons. But the critics are also mere boys. Sullivan praises the musical for its "humaneness." The Los Angeles Times boasts of its "good intentions." AP calls it a "pro-religion musical." Newsday writes that it "seems smitten" to "do good." The reaction of homosexual reviewers is always fun to read. Sullivan justifies the Mormon bashing by saying we should judge "Mormonism by Mormons." Ben Brantley of the New York Times is hot over the scene where there are a "few choice words for the God who let them [AIDS victims] wind up this way." But if we were to judge homosexuals by what they do, we would know who caused them to wind up with AIDS. That would take real guts.
Prompted by a court order, the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority today told providers to suspend access. The order runs until 31 May. The Facebook group for "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day" has more than 43,000 supporters. The group has become a target for protest in Pakistan, and today a group of Islamic lawyers obtained a court order for a full suspension of Facebook. The government had previously blocked access to only the "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day" pages. The group's organisers say it is not designed to offend ordinary Muslims, but as a demonstration of their right to free speech and "to show the extremists... that we're not afraid of them". Islamic teaching typically forbids depictions of its prophet. After online threats of violence last month, the US cable network Comedy Central bleeped Mohammed's name in an episode of South Park that featured him hidden in a bear suit.
Cartoonist Backpedals From "Everybody Draw Mohammad Day"
Seattle-based cartoonist Molly Norris says she has nothing to do with "Everybody Draw Mohammad Day" and wishes people would leave her alone. Slight problem: Norris kickstarted the phenomenon when she emailed her original cartoon to media figures like Dan Savage, who then published it.
On Friday, Norris told a radio talk show host in Seattle that she came up with the idea because "as a cartoonist, I just felt so much passion about what had happened..." noting that "it's a cartoonist's job to be non-PC." That passion, it appears, has lessened. And fast. Her stark website today reads: ""I am NOT involved in "Everybody Draw Mohammd [sic] Day! I made a cartoon that went viral and I am not going with it. Many other folks have used my cartoon to start sites, etc. Please go to them as I am a private person who draws stuff," she writes.
It went viral, however, because she was the one who passed it around. Sending it to people like Dan Savage, a popular Seattle-based blogger and nationally syndicated sex advice columnist. Once it became a national story she reeled back, asking Savage -- in an email he provided to The Ticket -- if he would "be kind enough to switch out my poster" with another one -- a much tamer version which has no images attributed to Muhammad. "I am sort of freaked out about my name/image being all over the place," her e-mail reads. He didn't change it, nor did he post the tamer version. Besides, after Savage posted it, many other sites picked it up including The Atlantic and Reason.
Others that jumped on "Everybody Draw Mohammad Day" have also bailed. Facebook pages, gone. Cartoonist sites, gone. Molly Norris doesn't mention getting any personal threats, FWIW.
Andrew Sullivan tips us to some cartoon-to-cartoon support offered from the Simpsons to South Park, after the latter's creators received death threats for depicting Mohammed in a bear costume. The Simpsons ran the above message in the opening to last night's episode.
Dan Savage is promoting May 20th as the "First Annual Everybody Draw Mohammed Day" in reaction to the death threats made against the creators of South Park. It was nice knowing you, Mr. Savage.
After an American Islamic extremist group issued a YouTube death threat to the creators of South Park, last night Comedy Central censored a portion of a rerun of the controversial episode.
This week Muhammad was set to appear again, but was replaced by Santa Claus in a bear suit and the word "CENSORED" was plastered over parts of the episode. Every mention of Muhammad was bleeped out. It's not immediately clear whether this was intended to protect the show's creators or if it was executed by them to mock the hoopla, but what is clear is this is not the first time. During the Muhammad cartoon uproar last year, the men tried to insert a picture of the Islamic holy figure into their show, but Comedy Central said no.
When Comedy Central last censored South Park over a different depiction of Muhammad, co-creator Matt Parker complained that the network had "totally fucking pussed out."
Islamic Group Issues Death Threat To Makers Of South Park
An American Islamic extremist group has posted an internet threat to South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker for allegedly mocking Muhammed.
A U.S. Muslim group has issued a dire Internet "warning" to creators of the satirical animated TV show "South Park" over a depiction of the Prophet Muhammad in a bear outfit. "We have to warn Matt (Stone) and Trey (Parker) that what they are doing is stupid and they will probably wind up like Theo Van Gogh for airing this show," said a posting on website RevolutionMuslim.com. The website posted a graphic photo of slain Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh, who was killed in 2004 by an Islamic militant over a movie he made that accused Islam of condoning violence against women. It also posted link to a news article with details of a mansion in Colorado that Parker and Stone apparently own, suggesting the Web posters know where to find the South Park creators. The episode in question aired last week on cable channel Comedy Central of the 200th episode of "South Park", in which the Prophet Muhammad was depicted in a bear outfit.
-Daniel Radcliffe will star in the 2011 revival of How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. Radcliffe received positive notice in 2008's production of Equus, but has not yet performed in a Broadway musical. Matthew Broderick won the Tony in the same role in 1995.
-The NFL makes its first foray into Broadway as a promoter of the upcoming Lombardi, a show about legendary coach Vince Lombardi. Dan Lauria of The Wonder Years will star in the title role.
-Monday, May 3rd, Rep. Barney Frank will join the cast of The Temperamentals for a post-show chat on stage. Ugly Betty's Michael Urie co-stars in this telling of the formation of the early gay rights group, The Mattachine Society.
-South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker have announced plans for a musical Latter Day Saints spoof tentatively titled The Book Of Mormon. The show is set to open in March 2011 and OMG Cheyenne Jackson will star.
-The Ali Forney Center's annual Broadway Beauty Pageant takes place Monday, April 19th at Symphony Space on the Upper West Side. Get tickets here.
VIDEO: Here's the new ad for Come Fly Away. Dancer and actor unions are presently warring over who should administer the show. The dancers union says the show, which features the recorded vocals of Frank Sinatra, has "no narrative thread," meaning it is strictly a dance show and therefore under their purview.
Comedy Central has issued a statement in response to GLAAD's condemnation of last week's episode of South Park in which characters used the word "fag" dozens of times.
“South Park” is famous for tackling controversial subject matter in thoughtful and hilarious ways. This particular episode of the show has been both criticized and applauded within the gay and lesbian community. With all of that in mind, we will let this “South Park” episode speak for itself.
On Friday, GLAAD posted a link to South Park's fan page on Facebook.
GLAAD encourages you to contact Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park, as well as Comedy Central, to share your personal stories of the negative impact the F-word and other anti-gay slurs have had on your life. It is important that the people behind South Park realize that the F-word is not just a harmless insult; it is a hateful word with often violent consequences. South Park Studios Official Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/southpark. (You will have to become a “fan” in order to leave a message.)
After this week's South Park episode in which the characters decided to change the meaning of the word "fag," using the epithet an unbleeped hundred or so times, GLAAD has issued a condemnation of the show, saying that its creators' well-intended humor went over the heads of America's dummies.
The creators of “South Park” are right on one important point: more and more people are using the F-word as an all-purpose insult. However, it is irresponsible and wrong to suggest that it is a benign insult or that promoting its use has no consequences for those who are the targets of anti-gay bullying and violence. This is a slur whose meaning remains rooted in homophobia. And while many “South Park” viewers will understand the sophisticated satire and critique in last night’s episode, others won’t – and if even a small number of those take from this a message that using the “F-word” is OK, it worsens the hostile climate that many in our community continue to face.
South Park routinely mocks homophobes and is generally considered one of the most gay-friendly shows on the air. Still, a reader at the above-linked NYT articles asks, "If they had used the “n” word instead of the “f” word, what would the response have been?"
