My fellow Texas girl Kelly Clarkson hosted The Billboard Music Awards last night, and the show’s producers asked her to open it with a moment of silence for Santa Fe. Saying that she is “so sick of moments of silence,” because it’s not working, she called for “a moment of action … a moment of change.” As one of those mothers she acknowledged in these comments, as a mother who told her children that she loved them with a heavy, worried heart as they left for school this morning, I am grateful for this small and beautiful act of defiance. It should be noted that Kelly Clarkson is a gun owner: she owns nine and sleeps with a Colt .45.
Thoughts and prayers don’t cut it. Please act. Vote, donate, march, do something to change this. We owe it to our children.
The Marjory Stoneman Douglas choir also performed at the Billboard Music Awards.
Elsewhere, 13 Reasons Why canceled their premiere event in the wake of the shooting.
On a happier note, this weekend also saw the Royal Wedding, an affair I tuned into with a certain sense of guilt as I thought it was superficial of me to be so curious about the bride’s dress that I would get out of bed on a Saturday morning at 6 a.m. (And I wasn’t alone: 30 million Americans tuned in.) But then … unexpectedly for me, at least … the wedding turned out to be a powerful and historically important moment.
Ahead of the wedding, we learned that Meghan Markle had invited the head of the American Episcopalian Church, Bishop Michael Curry, to deliver the sermon. This is interesting and symbolic for two reasons: 1. No one but Anglican priests have ever delivered a sermon at a British royal wedding before and 2. Bishop Curry is the first African-American to preside over the American Episcopalian Church. Bishop Curry went on to deliver a passionate and spirited 16-minute long sermon that referenced Martin Luther King, Jr., antebellum slaves, and the African-American spiritual, “There is a Balm in Gilead,” bringing the American Black church experience to the Church of England for the first time. This was followed by a Black gospel choir singing a gorgeous rendition of “Stand by Me” and yours truly BURSTING INTO TEARS like an idiot. Markle also invited 19-year-old cello soloist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, the first black musician to win the BBC’s Young Musician of the Year Award to perform at the wedding. And if all that wasn’t enough, when the bride and groom left the chapel and stood on the steps awaiting their carriage, the choir sang Etta James’ “Amen” and the African-American spiritual, “This Little Light of Mine,” in one of the most lovely surreal moments I’ve ever seen. On top of all this, the Queen named Prince Harry and Meghan the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, making Prince Harry only the second Duke of Sussex, and Meghan the first Duchess of Sussex. This is notable because the first Duke of Sussex was the sixth son of King George III, and not favored in the court thanks to his at the time controversial opposition to slavery and treating Jews shittily.
Taken as a whole, it was clear that Meghan Markle was leaving her African-American — and American — imprint on this wedding. I read each of these gestures as her declaration that though she was marrying into the British royal family, she was not going to be subsumed by them, she would not be abandoning her own American and African-American identity. It was momentous and it was beautiful.
As for the TV angle on all of this: her Suits co-stars were there, as were Oprah, Priyanka Chopra of Quantico and Abigail Spencer looking like she arrived from the 40s in her Timeless time machine. Amal and George Clooney, Idris Elba, Becks and Posh, Elton John and Serena Williams were also all there.
Meanwhile, Markle’s TV husband posted this:
And let us never forget that four years ago, a fake Prince Harry dated an American woman who bore AN UNCANNY resemblance to Meghan Markle.
Some more set photos from Game of Thrones that hint at King’s Landing’s fate.
Ann Dowd thinks that even Aunt Lydia wouldn’t have taken Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ job. YA BURNT, SARAH.
Also, bless RuPaul.
The KKK wrestling match in GLOW is dedicated to Donald J. Trump.
Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis talk about Once Upon a Time‘s happily ever afters.
Steven Universe fan? Here are all the clues you might have missed about that big revelation.
Cheers hasn’t been on television for 25 years now.
Samantha Bee reveals that on top of being a garbage human, Eric Schneiderman is an asshole to boot.
Maybe the Food Network’s Josh Denny can get a job with Tucker. Or at least a photo. The following tweet is what stirred up this recent hornet’s nest of a controversy, but check out the link for his much more horrific other tweets:
This is why the Peabody Awards are the most important awards and seem to always pick the best shows to honor (as opposed to the Emmys or the bullshit Golden Globes).
This is a very good piece about Atlanta and how the second season used the horror genre to explore Black identity. It’s interesting, and I hadn’t thought about it until now, but the biggest consumers of the horror genre are young women, and I wonder if it isn’t for similar reasons — that it is a cathartic way of dealing with the everyday horrors of being a woman. Speaking of …
People are not optimistic about Les Moonves surviving at CBS.
#MeToo
Asia Argento had some things to say at Cannes. This woman is a goddamned badass:
And right on cue, Luc Besson has been accused of drugging and raping a woman in Paris.
Mario Batali is being investigated by the NYPD for sexual assault. TMZ is reporting that there are at least two cases against him, one for rape.
Boyd Tinsley, the violinist for The Dave Matthews Band, has been sued for sexual misconduct.
Five more men have accused James Levine, former Metropolitan Opera conductor, of sexual misconduct.
Nicole Eggert’s sexual assault case against Scott Baio has been presented to the district attorney.
Andrea Tantaros’s lawsuit against Fox News has been dismissed.
Tig Notaro is not ready for that Louis C.K. comeback.
Retta says she didn’t “appreciate” the sexual harassment allegations against Aziz Ansari.
Here’s a piece about how Jessica Jones predated the #MeToo movement. Look, I guess that it is interesting that shows like Jessica Jones and The Handmaid’s Tale and 13 Reasons Why seemed to be prescient about this particular moment, but let’s stop being gobsmacked by this. Women have been sexually harassed and assaulted since time began. It’s just that people are finally paying attention, connecting the dots and realizing with horror how many of these stories are out there.
Marti Noxon on backing up the Matt Weiner accuser: “It’s given me a lot of insight to what women, men, human beings go through when they stand up to someone who has so much more power than them because it was terrifying for me. Terrifying.”
We love Terry Crews if that isn’t already clear.
Renewals
- The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has been renewed for a third season ahead of its second.
- The Terror has not been renewed for a second season, but if it were, here’s what you could expect.
Cancellations
- Falling Water has been canceled at USA.
In Development
- ThunderCats Roar has been ordered at Cartoon Network.
- The Royal Wedding has been set at Netflix.
- Hulu has ordered The Act.
- Netflix has ordered two more stand-up specials from Vir Das.
- Atrium TV has ordered Silo, starring Michael Douglas; The Last Amazons from Ava DuVernay; A Dry Run: The Lincolns in Spain from David Simon; an adaptation of Doctor Zhivago; One Giant Leap, a moon-landing drama; and Quasimodo produced by Peter Dinklage and Charles Dance. All of these sound fascinating. Gimme.
- A series is being developed about notorious bank robber Robert “Caspar” Brown.
Casting News
- Jennifer Anniston is going to play the President, with Tig Notaro her First Lady in First Ladies for Netflix.
- Billie Lourde will be in season eight of American Horror Story.
- Will Arnett has joined the cast of Riviera on Sky.
- Sofia Pernas is going to star in CBS’s Blood and Treasure.
- Brad Morris, Leah Harvey, Jessica Hecht and Imogen Tear are joining Search and Destroy on Hulu.
Mark Your Calendar
- Preacher returns on AMC on June 24.
- The Break with Michelle Wolf debuts on Sunday on Netflix.
- Teen Choice Awards will air on Fox on August 12.
- Just Another Immigrant debuts on Showtime on June 4 (and this trailer is delightful):
R.I.P.
Patricia Morison, Actress
Jimmy Nickerson, Stuntman
WATCH THIS
American Idol: Finale! A winner is chosen! 8 p.m., ABC
Dancing with the Stars: Finale! A winner is chosen! 7 p.m., ABC
The Terror: Finale! A loser is eaten! 8 p.m., AMC
The Final Year: A look into President Obama’s last year in office. Frankly, I don’t know that I can bring myself to watch this and be forced to remember how normal things used to be. 7 p.m., HBO
Miss USA 2018: This year it’s being held at the beautiful Hirsch Memorial Coliseum in Shreveport, Louisiana. 7 p.m., Fox
Man with a Plan: Andi suggests that she and Adam go into business together. Season finale. 7:30 p.m., CBS
Late Night: Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Emilia Clarke, Matt Bomer, a performance by the Broadway cast of “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical” Late Night with Seth Meyers: Olivia Munn, Ava DuVernay, Brothers Osborne, Steven Wolf The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: Zachary Quinto, Vanessa Bayer, Dean Baquet The Late Late Show with James Corden: Audra McDonald, Billy Eichner Jimmy Kimmel Live: Matthew McConaughey, Julian Dennison, James Bay Conan: Carol Burnett, Kiersey Clemons Watch What Happens Live: Craig Conover, Kathryn Calhoun Dennis
| MON. | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
| ABC | Dancing with the Stars (new) |
American Idol (new) |
| CBS | The Big Bang Theory (repeat) |
Man with a Plan (new) |
The Big Bang Theory (repeat) |
Mom (repeat) |
Elementary (new) |
| CW | Supergirl (new) |
iZombie (new) |
Local |
| FOX | The 2018 Miss USA Pageant (live) |
News/Local |
| NBC | The Voice (new) |
Running Wild with Bear Grylls |