Tony Awards highlights: Radio City becomes the room where it happens for a 'Hamilton' reunion
NEW YORK — Even the ushers at Radio City Music Hall seemed thrilled to be in the room where it happened.
A few of them could be seen grooving, like everyone else at Sunday's Tony Awards, to the 'Hamilton' reunion performance — a medley of some of that blockbuster musical's biggest songs, performed by the original cast. The occasion was the 10th Broadway anniversary of Lin-Manuel Miranda's juggernaut that spawned multiple touring companies, a West End production and a live-capture film — and is still going strong.
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CNN
17 minutes ago
- CNN
Why these actors and ‘SmartLess' podcast hosts want to help you pay less for cell service
The latest celebrity start-up trend is no longer tequila. It's telecom. Actors Sean Hayes, Will Arnett and Jason Bateman — who host the popular 'SmartLess' podcast — are launching a wireless service as an alternative to pricier unlimited data plans from major carriers like Verizon, T-Mobile or AT&T. The decision to start the company, called SmartLess Mobile, came from a simple realization: while industry giants generally push unlimited plans, most people don't actually use that much data. Even if they're glued to their phones. 'Most Americans spend almost 90% of their time under Wi-Fi. Their mobile device very seldom actually uses the actual wireless network,' said SmartLess CEO Paul McAleese, a telecom industry veteran who co-founded the company with the actors. Research published last year by the consultancy group OpenSignal found that most mobile customers spend between 77% and 88% of their on-screen time connected to a Wi-Fi network. SmartLess Mobile offers wireless plans starting at $15 per month for 5 gigabytes of high-speed data, going up to $30 monthly for 30 gigabytes. By contrast, starter unlimited plans from the major carriers range from around $35 to $65 per month. McAleese said he and Arnett started discussing the idea after the actor bought a new phone for his teenage son and was sold an unlimited plan that cost around $70 monthly. (Arnett previously served as a spokesperson for Canadian telecom giant Shaw Communications; McAleese is the company's former president.) 'And (Arnett) goes, 'Geez, it's awfully expensive,'' McAleese said in an interview with CNN. 'And I said, 'Your boy spends almost his entire life under Wi-Fi. He's at home, he's at school … he's never going to be on the network. Why would you buy all that?'' SmartLess Mobile joins a growing slate of celebrity-backed wireless carriers, including Consumer Cellular, with longtime spokesperson Ted Danson, and Ryan Reynolds' Mint Mobile, which was acquired by T-Mobile in 2023. These providers, known as mobile virtual network operators (or MVNOs), lease access to a major telecom provider's spectrum — SmartLess plans will run on T-Mobile's 5G network — and can often charge lower prices because they don't have to manage the physical infrastructure. The services have gained popularity as cell phone technology has advanced. Most phones now have digital SIM cards, making it easier for consumers to switch carriers without having to visit a retail store. And the proliferation of Wi-Fi infrastructure everywhere from subways to restaurants means many people have lesser data needs. If their partner network goes down, MVNOs do risk being the ones customers blame for losing missing service. And limited data plans aren't necessarily for everyone — ride-share drivers and delivery couriers likely use a lot more data than people who work from home or from an office with a Wi-Fi network. But the primary 'uphill battle for any MVNO is to stand out in the space,' said Jeffrey Moore, principal at wireless industry research firm Wave7, because the industry giants have much more name recognition. Major carriers also entice customers with deals on new phones, which they practically give away for free if consumers join their network. Smaller carriers 'have to stand out either in terms of offerings or in terms of marketing,' Moore said. That's where celebrity endorsements come in. SmartLess already has a significant built-in audience; the podcast ranks among the top 20 most popular shows on Apple Podcasts. And Arnett, Hayes and the SmartLess podcast have more than 2 million combined Instagram followers. 'Whether by luck or by design, they also have a brand name that has both 'smart' and 'less' in the name,' McAleese said, 'which, if you're going to be a challenger brand in this day and age, those are two pretty good head starts.' The team plans to start discussing SmartLess Mobile on the podcast in the coming weeks, he said. And the SmartLess hosts' involvement in the new carrier goes beyond typical celebrity endorsements, McAleese said. Hayes, Arnett and Bateman had already turned down the opportunity to lend their names to other types of products, and they've been involved in everything from financing to marketing the new company. 'They rely on the category for what is now one of their primary professional pursuits, which is the podcast, this is how people consume their product,' McAleese said. 'These guys are master storytellers, and they have the brand ethos of sort of an honest broker. I think it's just a perfect marriage.'
Associated Press
22 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Bills quarterback Josh Allen shows off new ring following marriage to actor Hailee Steinfeld
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen's broad grin was familiar. The wedding band on the quarterback's ring finger was brand new. As much as Allen hoped to talk about the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday, the newlywed couldn't escape questions about his headline-grabbing marriage to actor/singer Hailee Steinfeld in Southern California on May 31. 'We're back to football,' he said, before pointing to his ring finger. 'Got some hardware now. So, good to go.' Allen was otherwise short on details as part of his longstanding bid to maintain a semblance of privacy, even though pictures from the outdoor wedding were posted on social media mere minutes after the couple exchanged 'I do's.' There were pictures of Steinfeld wearing a strapless white gown walking down the aisle, the couple sharing a kiss, and Allen, in a black tuxedo, posing with friends and Bills teammates. It wasn't until being asked about what the past four months have meant to him — in which Allen was named NFL MVP in February, signed one of the league's richest contracts in March and got married in May — that Allen finally opened up. He called Steinfeld his best friend, and said she makes everything easier. 'That was the most important decision I'll make in my life and I made the right one,' Allen said. Western New York and the NFL have a new power couple, both of whom happen to be from California and began dating two years ago. There's the 29-year-old Allen, who in seven seasons has set most of the Bills scoring and passing records. His star has continued to rise while he has transformed the Bills into an AFC power, also building his profile through various national commercials. And then there's Steinfeld, 28, who first gained fame by earning an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress for her role as Mattie Ross in the Coen brothers' 2010 remake of 'True Grit.' She has since enjoyed numerous starring roles, most recently in the movie 'Sinners,' while also branching out into music. Amid the buzz, Allen brought the focus back to football as Buffalo opened a three-day mandatory set of practices. The quarterback skipped the team's voluntary sessions last week. Aside from taking his familiar spot leading the offense on the field, Allen spent time after practice being filmed to measure his footwork and mechanics. It's something Allen does several times a year to ensure he's not picking up bad habits. 'Making sure we're staying on top of those things and if there's something that we need to tweak for the better, we are going to try to do it,' he said. The same could be said of Allen's unflinching approach to dealing with the spotlight. Coach Sean McDermott credits the quarterback for staying true to himself. 'What I've seen is this truly genuine, authentic person who, yes, is in the limelight, yes, is one of the top players in our league, and maybe the top player in the NFL,' McDermott said. 'But he is so authentic, so down-to-earth, so relatable. I think that's really the connection and the cool piece about Josh is because he is who he is.' And yes, McDermott was among those in attendance at the wedding. 'I was very grateful to be there, No. 1,' McDermott said. 'Two, it was what you would expect of a wedding. Just great to see, and two really special families coming together.' ___ AP NFL:
Gizmodo
23 minutes ago
- Gizmodo
You'll Eat Up All This Eye-Popping ‘Jaws' Art Work
The Steven Spielberg shark classic is 50 years old this year and a new art show will celebrate its brilliance. With all the awesome art you're about to see for Steven Spielberg's masterpiece Jaws, the Sheriff Brody in your life will only be thinking one thing. 'You're gonna need a bigger wallet.' Later this month, Coda, along with Universal, Amblin, and PopCore, is opening a fully licensed art exhibit celebrating the 50th anniversary of Jaws and io9 has an early look at some of the incredible work in the show. Complete with lots of original art as well as screenprinted, limited edition movie posters, the exhibit opens June 28 at the Art Alliance of Monmouth County in Red Bank, New Jersey, and will remain on display there through July 13. So, yes, there's a good chance the gallery will be open for the 4th of July. You can get more specifics here, and below we've got a bunch of images from the show. Click on each for the details. Also, in addition to those pieces, we're excited to exclusively debut this piece by io9 favorite Jason Edmiston. It'll be available as an original painting as well as a print. You can't keep this one down with three barrels. Besides the artists above, you can expect to see work by the likes of Sam Wolfe Connelly, Sachin Teng, Sonny Day, Josh Keyes, Danielle Murray, Adam Lister, Neil M Perry, Greg 'Craola' Simkins, Geoff Trapp, and Tyler Stout to name a few. And, yes, there will be much, much more Jaws on the way this summer. There's that upcoming documentary, a live concert at the Hollywood Bowl, lots of wild new merch at Universal Studios, plus Universal and Amblin have some very exciting things planned later this year, which have yet to be announced. Keep it locked here for more Jaws and over at CodaCurates for news on when any leftovers not sold at the opening will make it online.
