Noah wins Dutch Erasmus Prize
Comedian Trevor Noah has won the prestigious Dutch Erasmus Prize, becoming the first humorist awarded the honor since Charlie Chaplin in 1965, the foundation that selects the winner announced Thursday.
The award is named for Dutch philosopher and humanist scholar Desiderius Erasmus, who lived from 1466 to 1536.
The Praemium Erasmianum Foundation said in a statement that Noah, 39, was receiving the prize “for his inspired contribution to the theme ‘In Praise of Folly,’ named after Erasmus’s most famous book, which is filled with humor, social criticism and political satire.”
The foundation added: “With his sharp-minded, mocking yet inclusive political comedy, Noah, in the eyes of the jury, upholds the ‘Erasmian Spirit.’ ”
Noah rose to prominence as a stand-up comic in his native South Africa and hosted Comedy Central’s “The Daily
Show” for seven years.
The award, which carries a cash prize, is given annually to “a person or institution that has made an exceptional contribution to the humanities, the social sciences or the arts, in Europe and beyond,” according to the foundation.
A ceremony to present Noah with the award is scheduled for the fall.
Gunn to direct upcoming Superman film:
James Gunn is directing the next Superman film. “Superman: Legacy,” which Gunn also wrote, is slated for a July 2025 release, he and his co-chair and fellow CEO of DC Studios, Peter Safran, announced Wednesday.
The film, Gunn said, deals with the superhero’s
journey to make sense of both his aristocratic Kryptonian heritage and his small-town, Midwestern upbringing as Clark Kent.
The legacy of Superman has been somewhat fraught recently. In October, Henry Cavill announced he would be returning to the role starting with a cameo in “Black Adam.” Two months later, though, Cavill was back on social media with the news that he was out.
“Superman: Legacy” will be the first film in the new iteration of the connected DC Universe.
Singer Caldwell dies:
Bobby Caldwell, a soulful R&B singer and songwriter who had a major hit in 1978 with “What You Won’t Do for Love” and a voice and musical style adored by generations of artists, has died at age 71, his wife said Wednesday. Mary Caldwell said he died Tuesday at their New Jersey home
after a long illness.
The smooth soul jam “What You Won’t Do for Love” went to No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. It became a long-term standard and career-defining hit for Bobby Caldwell, who also wrote the song.
The song was covered by artists such as Boyz II Men and Michael Bolton, and was sampled by Tupac Shakur on “Do For Love.” Other Caldwell songs were sampled by hip-hop artists such as Common, Lil Nas X and Chance the Rapper.
March 17 birthdays: Singer John Sebastian is 79. Actor Patrick Duffy is 74. Actor Kurt Russell is 72. Actor Gary Sinise is 68. Actor Christian Clemenson is
65. Actor Rob Lowe is 59. Singer Billy Corgan is 56. Singer Tamar Braxton is
46. Singer Nicky Jam is
42. TV personality Rob Kardashian is 36. Musician Hozier is 33. Actor John Boyega is 31.