Hillary Clinton, Jimmy Fallon join star-studded commencement podcast for sheltering graduates

(Reuters) - Hillary Clinton, Jimmy Fallon, John Legend and Eli Manning are among more than two dozen personalities who will offer words of wisdom via podcast to high school and college graduates sheltering at home due to the coronavirus outbreak, organizers said on Tuesday.

IHeart Media Inc said it will debut the podcast called “Commencement: Speeches for the Class of 2020” on May 15. Graduations that typically take place in May and June have been canceled as Americans stay home to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Many of the podcast speakers are people who normally would appear in person at commencement ceremonies to offer inspiration to graduates. The lineup includes entertainers Tim McGraw, Kesha and Pitbull; journalist Katie Couric; college basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski; and retired General Stanley McChrystal.

“High school and college seniors are always in need of inspiration, reassurance and life advice as they head into the next chapter of their lives, and that is especially true this year,” said Conal Byrne, President of the iHeartPodcast Network.

The commencement podcast “brings together some of the most experienced and inspiring people in the country today to celebrate the resilience, strength and accomplishments of this year’s graduates,” Byrne added.

IHeart Media also has announced a “virtual prom” on May 1 with Los Angeles radio station KIIS-FM for students who will miss that annual rite of passage. It will feature celebrity appearances including DJ sets by Joe Jonas, Dillon Francis and Loud Luxury.

Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Bill Berkrot

How BTS shot a ‘top secret’ video in Grand Central Terminal

NEW YORK — The video clip of BTS, the South Korean boy band, performing at Grand Central Terminal is only 6 minutes long. But it took almost 2 months to arrange for “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” to film the K-pop group dancing beneath the celestial ceiling inside the iconic train station.

BTS is wildly popular, a singing and dancing global phenomenon with millions of fans and dozens of awards. Last year, their music video for the song “Boy with Luv” generated 74.6 million views in 24 hours, a record.

How did they manage to pull off filming inside a busy transit hub that welcomes about 750,000 visitors every day?

Timing is everything.

The “Tonight Show” production team approached Metro-North Railroad, which runs Grand Central Terminal, to schedule a time to shoot last December, said Meredith Conti, manager of special events for Metro-North Railroad.

Once the day, Feb. 8, had been agreed upon, the crew of about 180 members, including dancers, a marching band, camera operators and members of the production team arrived to set up at Grand Central Terminal at about 10 p.m.

“It’s Saturday so it’s a much quieter time,” said Catherine Rinaldi, president of Metro-North Railroad.

She added: “We are over the moon about how successful this has been.”

The terminal, home of the MTA Metro-North Railroad and a subway station serving the 4, 5, 6, 7 and S lines, was still open as usual (it closes at 2 a.m.) But it was the weekend, when traffic is not as heavy, said Conti, who has overseen hundreds of productions in her 14 years on the job and was present the day of the shooting.

“I’ve seen quite a few,” Conti said. “This was pretty cool.”

It was a “top secret” mission to keep BTS hidden.

The backup dancers and the marching band stayed in Vanderbilt Hall and the North West Balcony rooms rehearsing while the crew set up their multiple cameras, Conti said.

Then, at about 12 a.m., RM, Jin, SUGA, J-hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook — the members of BTS — got to the terminal, which remained open.

It was important that the public not catch a glimpse of the K-pop group members because their appearance on “The Tonight Show” was a surprise.

“They were not in the public areas while we were still open,” Conti said. “It was top secret.”

It wasn’t until 2 a.m., when the terminal had officially closed to the public, that BTS set foot on the main terminal floor.

They had 2 hours to nail the perfect video clip of “ON” from their new album, “Map of the Soul: 7,” before the terminal’s cleaning staff came in to wash the floors. The doors would open to the public again at 5:15 a.m.

Jimmy Fallon and BTS rode in a special subway.

The episode, which aired Monday night, also featured a #FallonAsksBTS segment in which the seven members of the group rode the subway with Fallon while answering some of the questions their fans, also known as the army, posed on Twitter.

“Can you ask BTS, when they make a song, what comes first, the melody or the lyrics?” Fallon asked the group on behalf of a fan.

The segment was filmed inside an R160 subway car two days after the Grand Central Terminal video, said Sarah Meyer, chief customer officer with the New York City Transit. Fallon’s team had contacted the agency in December, Meyer said.

But this was no regular commute: The train used for the segment is no longer operational but is rented out for special events, including TV and film productions, as well as training, Meyer said.

“It was moving while the cameras were rolling,” Meyer said.

Two train operators, one on each side of the train, were in charge of transporting Fallon and BTS back and forth along a track from a Bowery platform to a Canal Street platform.

The shoot, which was eight hours, took place on a recent weekday afternoon, Meyer said, but they managed to keep it secret, too.

“We wanted to keep the number who knew about this to a minimum,” Meyer said. “It was kept quiet.”

You, too, can shoot a video at Grand Central.

Every year, the staff of Grand Central Terminal accepts 20 to 30 large-scale production requests from TV and film companies, Conti said.

Movies with scenes filmed inside Grand Central include “Men in Black II” and “The Proposal.” The location has also been used for music videos like “Carry On” by Fun and “Legend in Your Own Time” by Carly Simon.

Productions are usually scheduled for the weekend or overnight, avoiding rush hour and aiming for times when service does not have to be disrupted, Conti said.

Small-scale productions, like wedding shoots or student films, which do not require more than one camera or additional support from her office, usually take place between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., outside rush hour.

Conti said that her staff grants about 500 of these requests per year. The Terminal does not allow any recording from late November to late December, when traffic is heavier because of the holidays, Conti added.

(If the price is right.)

“The Tonight Show” did not film inside Grand Central for free.

The Terminal charges a labor fee that includes staff used to supervise the production, electricians, on-site safety and customer service representatives, as well as a rental fee for the space, Conti said. She declined to comment how much Fallon’s show paid for the BTS shoot.

“The Tonight Show” also paid to rent the special subway.

“We were really excited about this one because we do believe that Jimmy Fallon and BTS bring diverse communities together and that’s exactly what New York City Transit does as well,” Meyer said. “There is good synergy.”

But back to the rental fee: When the MTA wrote a message to BTS and Jimmy Fallon that read, “Thanks for riding with us” on Twitter, one person replied, “Take the money they gave you and fix the damn trains.” 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

'La La Land,' 'Moonlight' lead Golden Globe nominations

LOS ANGELES -- "La La Land," an ambitious musical about two dreamers falling in love in Hollywood, and the intimate coming of age drama "Moonlight" led nominations for the Golden Globes on Monday, underscoring their front-runner status in the long road to the Oscars.

"La La Land" scored seven nominations in all, including for Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling in the comedy/musical acting categories, while writer-director Damien Chazelle received nods for best director and best screenplay.

"Making 'La La Land' was a dream come true and we're thrilled that Damien Chazelle's vision has been recognized," producers Fred Berger, Jordan Horowitz and Marc Platt said in a statement.

"Moonlight," the tale of an impoverished black boy in Miami struggling with his sexuality, scored six nods, including Barry Jenkins in the directing and screenplay categories and Naomie Harris and Mahershala Ali in the best supporting acting races.

"La La Land" is up against "20th Century Women," the story of a free-spirited mother; raunchy superhero action movie "Deadpool"; singing comedy "Florence Foster Jenkins"; and teen tale "Sing Street" for best comedy/musical film at the Golden Globes.

"Moonlight" will face war drama "Hacksaw Ridge," Western crime story "Hell or High Water," adoption tale "Lion" and "Manchester by the Sea," which is about a working-class family dealing with tragedy, in the best drama film category.

"La La Land" and "Moonlight" are very different films. But Claudia Puig, film critic at National Public Radio's FilmWeek and president of the Los Angeles Film Critics' Association, said they had a key element in common.

"Both are very emotional movies. They move you, they're poignant, they touch your emotions," Puig told Reuters.

"One maybe has a much more intellectual, sociological component while the other is escapist, but both are also about love and finding your dreams," she added.

"Manchester by the Sea" landed five nominations, including for actor Casey Affleck and screenplay and director nods for Kenneth Lonergan.

"It will actually be my first time attending the Golden Globes and I've been working for more than 20 years, so this moment isn't lost on me," Affleck said in a statement.

DIVERSITY FINDS SPOTLIGHT

After a furor that erupted earlier this year because all 20 acting Oscar nominees were white, the Golden Globes feature numerous actors of color, including Ruth Negga of "Loving," Ali and Harris of "Moonlight," and Dev Patel, who is of Indian descent, for "Lion."

"It's taken a long time to get to this point and for people who are producing content to really see the value of opening up a bit and being more inclusive," Ali told Reuters.

Notable omissions from the best drama film field included "Jackie," a character study of the widow of U.S. president John F. Kennedy in the week after his assassination. Lead Natalie Portman, however, received a best actress nomination.

Martin Scorsese's "Silence," the tale of missionaries in 17th-century Japan, and "Fences," a tense African-American family drama set in the 1950s, were also snubbed in the best drama race. "Fences" did bring nods for actors Denzel Washington and Viola Davis.

More than 90 journalists in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association choose the Golden Globes. Winners will be announced on January 8 at a televised ceremony hosted by Jimmy Fallon.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Jennifer Lopez performs in stunning Michael Cinco gown

Pop star Jennifer Lopez wore a stunning cape with a flowing train made by Dubai-based Filipino designer Michael Cinco as she performed with acclaimed writer and rapper Lin-Manuel Miranda on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" Tuesday night.

Lopez sang "Love Make the World Go Round," a tribute song to the victims of the mass shooting that took place in Orlando, Florida last month that left 49 dead and 50 injured.

Cinco, in an Instagram post, shared that the design for the hand-painted train was inspired by the beautiful stained glass windows of the iconic Sainte-Chapelle in Paris. She took off the cape when Miranda joined her midway through the song.


Proceeds from sales of "Love Make the World Go Round" will go to the Hispanic Federation's Proyecto Somos Orlando fund, which provides mental-health services.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

'Tonight Show's' Jimmy Fallon says almost lost finger in accident

Jimmy Fallon returned to host "The Tonight Show" on Monday after a two-week break and said he almost lost a finger in an accident at his New York apartment that turned out to be much more serious than first thought.

Fallon, 40, told his TV talk show audience on Monday that he needed six hours of micro-surgery on his finger after catching his wedding ring in a kitchen countertop when he tripped and fell in June.

Doctors said he had suffered "ring avulsion" that almost pulled his finger off. They took a vein from his foot and re-connected it with tissue from his finger, the comedian said.

"Apparently the odds aren’t great with these things,” said Fallon, brandishing a heavily bandaged hand. "Usually they just cut your finger off."

Fallon said he spent 10 days in intensive care and that he is not expected to get the feeing back in his finger for about two months.

Fallon thanked medical staff for his care and fans for their well-wishes. The accident, he said, made him realize how much he loved his job.

"This is the meaning of my life. I belong on TV... This is my job. I’m here to make you laugh," he said to cheers from the audience.

Comcast-owned NBC ran repeats of "The Tonight Show" during Fallon's absence.

(Reporting By Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bill Trott)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Fallon, Ferrell, Hart face off in epic lip-sync battle

Think Katy Perry's grand Super Bowl halftime performance was good? Wait until you see this epic lip-sync battle between American television host Jimmy Fallon, and "Get Hard" stars Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart.

The three comedians went head-to-head during a special Sunday episode of "The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon," miming words to hits from Beyonce, John Legend, Katy Perry, Idina Menzel and Kelly Clarkson.

The faux-singing competition even featured a special appearance from actress Drew Barrymore, joining Fallon in a performance of the "Dirty Dancing" theme, "I've Had The Time of My Life."

As of writing, the more nearly 14-minute clip has more than 10 million views, making it one of the most popular videos to come out of Super Bowl Sunday.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

WATCH: How Jimmy Fallon blew date with Nicole Kidman

MANILA - Remember that one date that made you wish you could turn back time because it was just that horrible? Well, don't bring the topic up with television host Jimmy Fallon.

On Tuesday, the 40-year-old "Tonight Show" host found out that little to his knowledge, he once dated Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman.

"Wait, what?" he asked.

Kidman appeared on the late night talk show to reveal that she once dropped by Fallon's apartment after being set-up by a mutual friend.

However, Fallon appeared to be unaware that it was a date, and thought that it was merely to discuss a possible role for a movie.

"I just remember I liked you," the now-married Kidman recalled of their first encounter.

Fallon, according to the 47-year-old "Paddington" star, then went on to serve brie cheese with saltine crackers, and ignored her to play video games.

"You wouldn't talk. You wouldn't say anything," she said. "And then you put on a video game and I'm like this is so bad. And after that I thought to myself, 'he has no interest, this is so embarrassing."

Kidman is now married to country music singer Keith Urban, while Fallon is wed to Nancy Juvonen and recently welcomed his second daughter via surrogate.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com