Oprah to headline graduation event
Oprah Winfrey will be the commencement speaker, and Awkwafina, Jennifer Garner, Lil Nas X and Simone Biles will offer words of wisdom to the Class of 2020 in a multihour graduation streaming event on Facebook and Instagram on May 15.
The #Graduation2020 event will be broadcast on Facebook Watch, with some segments posted to the @instagram account on Instagram, along with the social media accounts of the contributors, according to the announcement Tuesday. Miley Cyrus will sing her hit, “The Climb.”
The coronavirus pandemic has upended graduation season with many schools scaling back, or in some cases canceling, traditional graduations.
If you can’t wait to hear from Oprah, tune in to the Call to Unite: Oprah Winfrey, Julia Roberts and former President George W. Bush will be among 200 star-studded participants in a 24-hour global livestream event. The Call to Unite event will kick off Friday to offer performances and conversations about overcoming the challenges of the pandemic. Event organizers hope participants can help inspire people to “emerge from this crisis better than when it began.”
Quincy Jones, Jennifer Garner, Common, Maria Shriver, Questlove, Yo-Yo
Ma, Eva Longoria, Naomi Campbell and Alanis Morissette are expected to appear.
The event will be livestreamed at unite.us.
Prince Harry records message for Thomas the Tank Engine: Prince Harry has recorded a special message to celebrate the 75th anniversary of children’s favorite Thomas the Tank Engine.
The Duke of Sussex introduces a new program called “Thomas and Friends: The Royal Engine,” which has a storyline that includes Harry’s father and grandmother, Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth II, as animated characters. Set when the Prince of Wales was a boy, the story sees the engine taking Sir Topham Hatt to Buckingham Palace to receive an honor.
In his introduction — which was recorded in January before his move overseas — Prince Harry is seen sitting in an armchair, reading from a book about the train’s adventures.
The show will be aired May 1 by Netflix in the U.S.
April 29 birthdays: Singer Duane Allen is 77. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld is 66. Actor Daniel Day-Lewis is 63. Actress Michelle Pfeiffer is 62. Actress Eve Plumb is 62. Singer Carnie Wilson is 52. Actor Paul Adelstein is 51. Actress Uma Thurman is 50. Actress Megan Boone is 37. Actress Grace Kaufman is 18.