Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Minhaj to lean into silliness at Spirits
For comedian Hasan Minhaj, the Film Independent Spirit Awards is the ideal hosting gig.
“Low pressure. Low downside. All upside,” Minhaj said. “That’s the sweet spot for me.”
Set for Saturday, it’ll be one of the last movie award stops before Oscar night for many of the top nominees, including “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” which has a leading eight Spirit nominations including best feature, best director, best lead actor for Michelle Yeoh, best supporting actors for Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis and breakthrough for Stephanie Hsu.
There are plenty of Oscar nominees in the bunch: Cate Blanchett and director Todd Field for “Tar,” Paul Mescal for “Aftersun,” Andrea Riseborough for “To Leslie,” Brian Tyree Henry for “Causeway,” and Sarah Polley for “Women Talking,” among them.
But the Spirit Awards also go beyond the typical awards season fare, recognizing great performances and work in smaller films such as “The Inspection,” “Emily the Criminal,” “Pearl” and “Palm Trees and Power Lines.” The budget cap for award eligibility is $30 million.
The show also honors television, with nominees including “The Bear,” “Severance,” and “Station Eleven,” and actors such as Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”), Melanie Lynskey (“Yellowjackets”), Mohammed Amer (“Mo”) and Aml Ameen (“The Porter”).
“I just love how fun and irreverent the show can be,” host Minhaj said. “Even the people that are attending, they’re down to do bits and that part of it is really fun and cool.”
Minhaj — known for his Peabody Awardwinning show “Patriot Act,” stand-up specials like “Homecoming King” and his work on “The Daily Show” — promises a lot of “cutaways” and “props,” and of course, a celebration of independent film and television.
“Everyone’s kind of in on the joke. We know that we’re day drinking in a tent in Santa Monica a week before the Oscars,” Minhaj said. “It’s good vibes surrounded by incredibly talented people that aren’t taking themselves too seriously. It’s a perfect cocktail for a great show.”
The 38th annual Spirit Awards will stream live on IMDb and Film Independent’s YouTube channels at 5 p.m. Eastern Saturday.
‘Funny Girl’ with Michele to close:
The Broadway revival of “Funny Girl” will play its final performance Sept. 3, the show’s producers said Thursday.
Lea Michele will continue her run as Fanny Brice, and Tony nominees Ramin Karimloo, Jared Grimes and Tovah Feldshuh will also stay in their roles until the show ends.
“Funny Girl” tells the story of Fanny Brice, who defies people’s expectations to become one of Broadway’s biggest stars.
With a gross of just over $2 million for the week ending Jan. 8, the show set a box-office record high for an eight-performance week at the August Wilson Theatre earlier this year.
March 4 birthdays:
Actor Paula Prentiss is 85. Actor Kay Lenz is 70. Musician Emilio Estefan is 70. Actor Catherine O’Hara is 69. Actor Mykelti Williamson is 66. Actor Patricia Heaton is 65. Actor Steven Weber is 62. Musician Jason Newsted is 60. Drummer Jason Marsalis is 46. TV personality Whitney Port is 38. Actor Audrey Esparza is 37.