ENTERTAINMENT SHORTS

King of Pop set for Broadway

A MUSICAL about the King of Pop is moonwalking its way to Broadway. The Michael Jackson Estate and Columbia Live Stage on Tuesday unveiled plans for a stage musical inspired by the life of Michael Jackson. They hope it will be ready for Broadway by 2020.

The story for the still-untitled musical will be written by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage, using Jackson’s vast catalogue of songs. Tony Award winner Christopher Wheeldon will direct and choreograph. The move is the latest stage project to portray pop stars onstage with their best works, a list that includes Donna Summer, Cher, Gloria Estefan, the Go-Gos and Huey Lewis and the News.

As a solo artist and with his brothers, 13-time Grammy winner Jackson sold millions of records and in 1982 became an international icon with the release of the best-selling album of all time with such hits as and Jean. He died in 2009. Nottage is the writer of Sweat, Intimate Apparel, By The Way, Meet Vera Stark and Ruined. Wheeldon, a resident choreographer of the New York City Ballet, was the directorchoreographer of An American in Paris on Broadway.

Black Panther hails true hero

THE MTV Movie & TV Awards gave

Black Panther its first taste of awards glory, with Marvel’s blockbuster taking home four honours including two awards for its star, Chadwick Boseman.

Boseman quickly handed off his best hero award to James Shaw Jr., who wrestled an assault-style rifle away from a gunman in a Tennessee Waffle House in April. “This is going to live at your house,” Boseman told Shaw, giving him the show’s golden popcorn award.

The actor said while it was an honour to be recognised for playing a superhero, it was more important to “acknowledge the heroes we have in real life”.

Boseman, who starred as T’Challa in Black Panther, also won the award for best performance in a movie. Michael B. Jordan, who played the villain Erik Killmonger, won best villain. — AP