Harry, Meghan royals no more
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, officially made the transition Tuesday from senior members of Britain’s royal family to — well, it’s unclear. International celebrities, charity patrons, global influencers?
The royal schism that the couple triggered in January by announcing that they would step down from official duties, give up public funding, seek financial independence and swap the U.K. for North America becomes official on March 31.
The move has been made more complicated and poignant by the global coronavirus pandemic, which finds the couple and their 10-month-old son, Archie, in California, far from Harry’s father, Prince Charles — who is recovering after testing positive for COVID-19 — and Harry’s 93-year-old grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
“As we can all feel, the world at this moment seems extraordinarily fragile,” the couple said in a final post Monday on their now-mothballed SussexRoyal Instagram account.
“What’s most important right now is the health and well-being of everyone across the globe and finding solutions for the many issues that have presented themselves as a result of this pandemic,” they added.
More movies delayed: Sony Pictures on Monday cleared out its summer calendar due to the coronavirus, postponing the releases of Jason Reitman’s “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” and the Marvel movie “Morbius” to 2021.
Hollywood’s summer season is increasingly shutting down because of the pandemic. “Ghostbuster: Afterlife,” set 30 years after “Ghostbusters II,” had been scheduled for July 10, but it will now open March 5 of next year. The Jared Leto-starring “Morbius,” slated for July 31, will now be released March 19, 2021. “Greyhound,” a World War II drama starring Tom Hanks, is now to-be-determined instead of opening June 12.
McConaughey’s message: Matthew McConaughey has gone from advertising for going out and driving to selling people on staying home, and says that successfully navigating this crisis could bring great things from Hollywood and humanity. The Academy Award winner, whose commercials for Lincoln vehicles have been a TV and YouTube staple for years, is the narrator, co-writer and co-creator of a public service announcement promoting isolation and safety amid the pandemic.
“We are at war with a virus, and health care troops and first responders are on the front line fighting it everyday,” McConaughey says over images of masked medical workers, children tending to backyard plants and empty highways. “Let’s join the fight by staying home.”
Chris Cuomo tests positive: CNN’s Chris Cuomo announced Tuesday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus but promised to continue doing his prime-time show from the basement of his home. Cuomo, who looked a little pale while doing his show remotely Monday, said he’s had a fever, chills and shortness of breath.
April 1 birthdays: Actress Ali MacGraw is 81. Reggae singer Jimmy Cliff is 72. Actress Annette O’Toole is 68. Singer Susan Boyle is 59. Actor David Oyelowo is 44. Actor Taran Killam is 38. Singer Hillary Scott is 34. Actor Asa Butterfield is 23.