On April 16, The Disney Family Singalong premiered on ABC, hosted by Ryan Seacrest, from the comfort of his own home in Los Angeles. Throughout the show, there were performances by celebrities of their favorite Disney songs, all from their homes. Their goal of the evening was to bring some magic to the homes during this strange time.
During a time of despair, music is able to unite people. As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to leave the world in a lockdown, people need something to keep them sane and their spirits up Music does that. The music industry has suffered greatly from this pandemic with cancellations of festivals, world tours and promotion for artists’ new music. However, artists and music companies are doing their best to maintain the industry and spread love through music.
Fifteen years after the show Supernanny made its debut, the show is now back on and available on LifeTime TV. The show first aired on ABC on July 7, 2004, and ran until March 18, 2011.
The magical thing about musicals is that they are here forever. Shows that become iconic, grasp people for decades. West Side Story, one of those well-known musicals, is making its sixth Broadway Revival.
Justin Bieber’s long awaited 10 episode documentary, Seasons, on Youtube was released Monday, January 27. The documentary shows a side of Justin that many have not seen before. During my viewing, three episodes seem monumental.
On Saturday, March 7, Nutley’s 42nd Annual Saint Patrick's Day Parade took over Franklin Avenue. The crowded sidewalk was filled with people of all cultural backgrounds, not just the Irish. The sound of bagpipes, laughing children, and horns filled the air on the beautiful, sunny afternoon.
On May 30, 2020, Nutley Music Boosters’ Association, will host Cafe Night, at Nutley High School. “It is an event that involves instrumental students from elementary through high school and showcases student talents whether it is performing in a small ensemble, performing duets or trios, or even performing a solo,” says Mr. Vicchiariello, NHS music and band teacher.
Friends of Nutley Singers, better known as FONS, held its annual Cabaret Night on January 11, 2020, in the Nutley High School Gym. This event was run by Mrs. Polynice, Mr. Gurrieri, Mr. Gaines, Ms. Alamo, Ms. Milner, and Mrs. Moscaritola, as well as Rebecca Vigna, a NHS 2019 graduate. Together, the teachers and students involved were able to raise money for the Nutley Public School District’s choir and theatre programs. Students in grades 7 through 12 auditioned to be in the show in November and began rehearsing in December and January.
The Oscars had their 92nd Annual Academy Award broadcast on Sunday, February 9, 2020.
On Thursday January 23, Deborah Dugan, former Recording Academy CEO discussed sexual harassment and the irregular voting of the Grammys in an interview with Good Morning America.
Big news came out of the United Kingdom at the start of 2020. Prince Harry, who is the grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana and brother of Prince William, and his wife Meghan Markle have decided to take a step back from royal life. According to a statement released, Queen Elizabeth said, “My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family.
On January 19, 2020, the 26th annual Screen Actor Guild Awards were held in Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium and were presented by SAG-AFSTRA. The awards aired on TBS and TNT. There were 65 nominees, but only 13 awards were distributed throughout the night to honor outstanding performances of the year in film and television. Each category focused on either individual performances or the work of the entire ensemble of a drama or comedy series or a major motion picture.
The Cherry Blossom Players (CBP), formerly known as "Belleville's own community theatre group," was created when the basement of Christ Episcopal Church in Belleville flooded. Thousands of dollars worth of equipment was destroyed. According to their Facebook page, a musical revue was to be performed as a fundraiser for the church, raising $1,200 after one night alone. The group was given the name of CBP in 2006 after the trees in Branchbrook Park, since Belleville is the cherry blossom capital of the country.
Rock of Ages is Nutley High School’s spring show for 2020. It will be directed by Mr. Michael Gurrieri. It is based off of a musical by Chris D’Arienzo. The show is scheduled to premiere next spring. The musical it is based on has been running for 14 years and has a film adaptation that was released in 2012. It has gained much praise throughout its run.
Disney+, similar to Netflix and Hulu, is a platform that streams Disney movies, and shows, and it’s getting many people excited. Disney+ contains many cartoons, movies, that are new and old, for all ages to enjoy. Some examples of the offerings include Frozen, Toy Story, and Cars. However, one of the main reasons many people are subscribing to Disney+ as soon as possible is because it also includes Marvel and Lucas Films' Star Wars.
Harry Styles, a previous member of the boy band One Direction, is set to release his sophomore album, Fine Line, on December 13. Styles released his first solo album in 2017, a year after One Direction took a hiatus. The first album was self-titled and Styles did his first solo world tour the following year. His first album had lots of success, as he, “has the best debut album performance of any male artist hailing from the UK,” according to MTV.
The CBS All Access show, Tell me a Story’s, first season starts off in New York City and tells the fiction Grimm Brothers stories of The Three Little Pigs, Little-Red Riding Hood, and Hansel and Gretel. Each of the stories is being twisted into real situations in today's society. The show is rated a 7.6 out of 10 and is a notably darker version of ABC’s counterpart Once Upon A Time. The Three Little Pigs tells the story of Eddie, Mitch, and Sam who are portrayed by the actors Paul Wesley, Michael Raymond James, and Dorian Crossmond Missick.
At 3:15 a.m. on December 8, 2019 American rapper, Juice WRLD, Jarad Higgins, passed away due to a seizure and a possible heart attack , according to Vulture. His official cause of death has not yet been confirmed. Higgins was rushed to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois where he passed. The cause of the medical emergencies are unconfirmed, though there have been rumors of the cause being drug usage.
Nutley High School offers many extracurriculars and academic achievements for the students that attend. One that many people may not know about is the International Thespian Honor Society, which is an honor society for high school and middle school theatre students. The society came to be at Nutley High School in the spring of 2018 where the first group of students were inducted. Among those was Julia Resnick, the current president of the Honor Society. The honor society’s advisor is Mr. Michael Gurrieri, an English/theatre/public speaking teacher at Nutley High School.
