Elton John to host TV, radio concert as coronavirus antidote
Global pandemic postpones this year’s glitzy Tony Awards
Elton John is hosting a “living room” concert aimed at bolstering American spirits during the coronavirus crisis and saluting those countering it, iHeartMedia and Fox said Wednesday.
Alicia Keys, Billie Eilish, Mariah Carey, the Backstreet Boys, Tim McGraw and Billie Joe Armstrong are scheduled to take part in the event airing at 9-10 pm EDT Sunday on Fox TV and on iHeartMedia radio stations.
The artists will be filmed with cell phones, cameras and audio equipment in their homes “to ensure the health and safety of all involved,” according to a statement. The event will take the time slot that was to belong to the iHeartRadio Music Awards, which became part of a wave of publicevent postponements and cancellations because of the pandemic.
Besides performances, the commercial-free concert will honor health professionals, first responders and others who are “putting their lives in harm’s way to help their neighbors and fight the spread of the virus,” the media companies said.
Viewers will be asked to support two of the charitable organizations aiding victims and first responders during the pandemic: Feeding America and First Responders Children’s Foundation. Fox’s digital platform also will carry the concert. For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it
can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
With Broadway shuttered amid the coronavirus pandemic, producers of the annual Tony Awards have postponed this year’s celebration of American theater.
The show was originally scheduled for June 7 but the virus forced all 41 Broadway theaters to go dark and caused turmoil in the Tony schedule. The awards show will be “rescheduled at a later date,” according to producers.
Broadway theaters abruptly closed on March 12, knocking out all shows on the Great White Way but also 16 that were still scheduled to open, including “Diana”, “Mrs Doubtfire” and “Company”. Already some shows scheduled to open this spring have abandoned their plans, including “Hangmen” and a revival of Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”.
Broadway producers have vowed to resume musicals and plays the week of April 13, but that would be only 10 days before the official cutoff for eligibility for the Tonys. There was no word on whether the original timetable will stay but all signs indicate the eligibility date will also have to shift. Other awards shows postponed by the virus include the 2020 iHeartRadio Music Awards and the Academy of Country Music awards.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it
can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
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Also:
Lady Gaga has shelved her forthcoming album “Chromatica” for now, saying it’s not the right time amid a global fight with the coronavirus.
Gaga said on her social media pages Tuesday that “after a lot of deliberation, I’ve made the incredibly tough decision to postpone the release of Chromatica. I will announce a new 2020 release date soon.”
The album had been scheduled for release on April 10. Gaga already had a set of Las Vegas concert dates tied to the release canceled, and said Tuesday that she had also planned a surprise set at the Coachella music festival, which was also previously postponed.
“This is such a hectic and scary time for all of us,” Gaga said. “And while I believe art is one of the strongest things we have to provide joy and healing to each other during times like this, it just doesn’t feel right to me to release this album with all that is going on during this global pandemic.”
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The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which was also pushed back from the spring over coronavirus fears, has been rescheduled for fall.
The ceremony, featuring commemorations of the late artists Whitney Houston and The Notorious B.I.G., as well as performances honoring Depeche Mode, the Doobie Brothers, Nine Inch Nails and T-Rex, was originally planned for May 2 has been reset for Nov 7. (AP)