Entertainment

Glynis Johns, ‘Mary Poppins’ Star Who First Sang Sondheim’s ‘Send In The Clowns,’ Dies At 100

Published

11 months ago

2024-01-04

Kiara Grace

NEW YORK – Glynis Johns, a Tony Award-winning stage and screen performer who played the mother opposite Julie Andrews in the iconic film “Mary Poppins” and introduced the world to the bittersweet standard-to-be “Send in the Clowns” by Stephen Sondheim, has died. She was 100 years old.

Her manager, Mitch Clem, said she died of natural causes on Thursday at a Los Angeles assisted living facility. “Today’s a sad day for Hollywood,” Clem stated. “She is the last of the last of old Hollywood.”

Johns was recognized as a perfectionist in her field – precise, analytical, and opinionated. Her functions have to be multifaceted. Anything less was less than giving her all.

“As far as I’m concerned, I’m not interested in only playing the role on one level,” she told The Associated Press in 1990. “The whole point of first-rate acting is to make it a reality.” To be honest. And to be real, I have to make meaning of it in my mind.”

Glynis Johns, ‘Mary Poppins’ Star Who First Sang Sondheim’s ‘Send In The Clowns,’ Dies At 100

Johns’ greatest success was as Desiree Armfeldt in “A Little Night Music,” for which she received a Tony Award in 1973. Sondheim penned the classic song “Send in the Clowns” for her unusual husky voice, but she lost the role in the 1977 film adaptation to Elizabeth Taylor.

“I’ve had other songs written for me, but nothing like that,” Johns explained to the Associated Press in 1990. “It’s the greatest gift I’ve ever been given in the theater.”

Others who have performed Sondheim’s most popular song after Johns include Frank Sinatra, Judy Collins, Barbra Streisand, Sarah Vaughan, and Olivia Newton-John. It was also performed by Elijah Wood in season two of “Yellowjackets” in 2023.

“A Little Night Music” had gone into rehearsal with some of the text and score incomplete, including a solo piece for Johns, when it was first conceived. Director Hal Prince proposed that she and co-star Len Cariou improvise a scene or two to spark ideas for book writer Hugh Wheeler.

“Hal said, ‘Why don’t you just say what you feel,” she recalled to the AP. “When Len and I did that, Hal got on the phone to Steve Sondheim and said, ‘I think you’d better get in a cab and get round here and watch what they’re doing because you are going to get the idea for Glynis’ solo.” ‘

Johns was the fourth generation of a theatrical family from England. Her father, Mervyn Johns, was a character actor, and her mother was a pianist. She was born in Pretoria, South Africa, because her parents were on a tour there then.

Glynis Johns, ‘Mary Poppins’ Star Who First Sang Sondheim’s ‘Send In The Clowns,’ Dies At 100

Johns began her career as a dancer at the age of 12 and as an actor in London’s West End at the age of 14. Her breakout performance was as the passionate mermaid in the 1948 blockbuster comedy “Miranda.”

“I was quite an athlete; my muscles were strong from dancing, so the tail was just fine; I swam like a porpoise,” she told Newsday then. She was nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actress in 1960’s “The Sundowners,” alongside Deborah Kerr and Robert Mitchum. (She was defeated by Shirley Jones in “Elmer Gantry.”)

Other highlights include her role as the mother in “Mary Poppins,” which introduced Julie Andrews and included her singing the rousing song “Sister Suffragette.” She also appeared in the 1989 Broadway revival of W. Somerset Maugham’s romantic comedy “The Circle,” with Rex Harrison and Stewart Granger.

“I’ve retired several times. My personal life has taken precedence over my professional life. My life includes the theatre. It most likely requires my maximum level of intelligence; thus, I must return to it to discover that I have the skill. “I’m not as good at anything else,” she told the Associated Press.

Glynis Johns, ‘Mary Poppins’ Star Who First Sang Sondheim’s ‘Send In The Clowns,’ Dies At 100

To prepare for Horton Foote’s 1998 play “A Coffin in Egypt,” about a grand dame reminiscing about her life on and off a ranch on the Texas plains, she got the Texas-born Foote to record a short audio of himself reading certain lines and used it as her coach.

In a 1991 “A Little Night Music” performance in Los Angeles, she played Madame Armfeldt, Desiree’s mother, a role she created. In 1963, she had her television sitcom, “Glynis.”

Johns had four marriages and lived all over the world. The first was her only child’s father, the late Gareth Forwood, an actor who died in 2007.

SOURCE – (AP)

Entertainment

Gladiator II Rakes in $87 Million in Weekend Debut

Published

6 days ago

2024-11-18

Geoff Brown

Despite not playing in theaters in the United States, Canada, and China until this coming Friday, Gladiator II earned $87 million over the weekend, which is the best foreign opening for a Ridley Scott film to date.

Last week, the picture premiered in 63 countries, including the UK, and grossed $11.4 million from 722 theatres. Particularly impressive was its performance in France, where it raised $10.3 million from 729 outlets.

But this one is a little weaker compared to February’s smash hit sequel, Dune: Part Two, which grossed $97 million worldwide in its opening weekend. At the same time, Deadpool & Wolverine made $233 million for Disney, while Inside Out 2 for Pixar grossed $140 million.

The Fall Guy, an action comedy starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, earned $36.7 million in its opening weekend worldwide, while Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga earned $30 million.

Last Monday, King Charles III attended a screening of Gladiator II in London, capping off a weeks-long worldwide press tour for the film’s cast and production. A Mexican biscuit brand, Rome’s public transportation system, and a German bank VR are just a few multinational brands it has teamed up with to boost its visibility.

In Australia, dessert merchant Oliver Brown offered a special edition of pistachio-heavy puds and drinks dubbed the Emperor’s Collection. The Gladiator II salted caramel latte is available at French Coffee Shop, a business in Paris.

After poor statistics for Venom: The Last Dance and The Rock’s comedy Red One, which premiered worldwide last week, fans hope that Scott’s delayed sequel can lift the global box office for the last month and a half of the year.

Some are predicting a Barbenheimer-style struggle for the top spot in the US box office when Gladiator II and the highly anticipated musical Wicked premiere on the same day, even though double-bill events are unlikely to be very popular.

Gladiator Star Russell Crowe Honored in Rome

Gladiator Star Russell Crowe Honored in Rome

Entertainment

Blizzard’s Remastered Versions Of Warcraft 1 And 2 Are Now Available On PCs.

Published

2 weeks ago

2024-11-13

Salman Ahmad

Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment

(VOR News) – It has been said by Blizzard that it does not intend to remake Warcraft 1 and 2 since the company believes that these games are “just not that fun any longer.”

When the corporation first made this declaration, it has been almost exactly eight years since it was delivered.

However, the firm has only recently made the news that it will be doing precisely that, and as part of the celebrations for Warcraft’s 30th anniversary, both of the remastered versions are now available to play. The celebrations did not start until today.

The public first played Warcraft in 1994.

This game played a significant role in Blizzard’s rise to the top of the competition. In the year that followed, Warcraft 2 was hastily created in order to suit the requirements of the burgeoning fanbase that the first Warcraft had established.

Additionally, the company has just disclosed that they will be remastering the games, and these remasters will contain a variety of additions to the traditional real-time strategic action that is included in the games.

The initial stage of these enhancements to the development process consists of a new collection of hand-drawn pictures that may be toggled on and off in real time. The artistic style of the originals has been said to be completely captured by these photos, according to the assertions made.

Specifically, Blizzard has implemented “modern controls” for Warcraft 1, which include the option to move with a right click, the ability to pick bounding boxes, and a faster progression rate.

These features are all present in the Warcraft game.

The alterations that have been made include these, however they are not the only ones. It is important to note that these changes have been introduced in addition to the user interface and user experience enhancements that have been implemented throughout both games.

Tool tips, health bars, mission decision screens, and increased unit selection are some of the enhancements that have been introduced in this version of the game. As an additional feature, the multiplayer mode that was included in the first version of Warcraft 2 is still included in the remastered version of the game.

As an additional point of interest, each and every one of the legacy custom maps is entirely compatible with the new edition and may be played in the same capacity.

Despite the fact that there is currently no information regarding whether or not Warcraft 1 Remastered and Warcraft 2 Remastered will eventually be made available on other markets, both of these remastered versions of the game are currently available for purchase on Battle.net for personal computers at prices of $9.99 and $14.99, respectively.

Both of these versions of the game are remastered versions of the original game. A Battle Chest bundle is also available for purchase, and it can be purchased for the price of $39.99. All of the titles that have been remastered are included in this bundle, in addition to Blizzard’s Warcraft 3: Reforged, which has been met with a considerable deal of criticism.

Blizzard has been making continual efforts to improve the game ever since it was first made available to the public in the year 2020.

This is despite the fact that the game was met with poor reviews practically immediately after it was released. An entirely new upgrade, version 2.0, is currently being made available to all gamers without delay.

One of the numerous enhancements to the quality of life that are included in this is “much, much more,” in addition to a wide range of options for personalizing the hockey experience within the game and a new ladder.

In addition to the high-definition versions of all of the older Warcraft assets, these upgrades also include new environments and lighting, a redesigned user interface, and a variety of other enhancements.

SOURCE: EG

Entertainment

Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 Returns Without Kevin Costner

Published

2 weeks ago

2024-11-11

Geoff Brown

Yellowstone is finally returning for the second half of its fifth season without Kevin Costner

Yellowstone will finally return for the second half of its fifth season. We have a lot to speak about, such as recalling what is going on in this program, Kevin Costner’s departure, and whether or not season 5, part 2, will truly end Yellowstone.

Season 5 Part 1 ended on a cliffhanger—we could be in for a full-fledged Dutton family civil war—and we’ve been waiting for nearly two years.

A quick recap: nothing changes from how this program usually goes, except it’s a little more intense. Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) despised Jamie Dutton. Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) despised Beth Dutton.

That has always been the case since childhood trauma, but now things have escalated. Their father, John Dutton (Kevin Costner), is now Montana’s Governor, and Jamie, who should be his top legal thinker, is played by a group of local businessmen known as Market Equities.

Anyway, Jamie and Beth are attempting to kill each other, and John appears to be leaning toward Beth’s side.

Given Kevin Costner’s public exit from the program, part 2 of season 5 will be especially noteworthy. Long story short, he departed to make his Horizon films and never returned.

So, how will Yellowstone pick up the tale without John? That much is unknown, which adds to the season’s appeal!

Of course, our other characters continue to do what they do. Rip (Cole Hauser) is doing his Rip thing. Kayce (Luke Grimes) oversees the ranch. His wife, Monica (Kelsey Asbille), is still grieving the loss of their unborn son.

But we do have some high stakes to pick up—and they will begin on Sunday, November 10th, whether Kevin Costner appears on screen or not.

Another twist: While we believed season 5 would conclude the Yellowstone story, part 2 is in the works.

There have also been suggestions that Yellowstone could return for a sixth season, starring Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly as Rip and Beth. Hmm, certainly!

Yellowstone’s fifth season, part 2, will air each episode of the truncated half-season on Sunday nights at 8:00 PM EST.

The episodes will then be shown on linear TV, Hulu with Live TV, or the Paramount Network website and app for those with a cable subscription. The premiere will also re-air on CBS at 10:00 p.m. EST.

Yellowstone season 5, part 2, will consist of six episodes, the first of which is currently accessible to watch and stream. That implies the series might end with five more episodes of Western family drama.