Latest news with #Purpose
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Why Pulitzer Winner ‘Purpose' Had Its Tony-Nominated Cast ‘Sh—ing Bricks'
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' family drama 'Purpose' is already one of the big winners of the Broadway awards season: The play won the Pulitzer Prize for drama and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award in the same week, and it's also up for the Tony Award for best play with five of the six performers in its cast nominated for acting from Variety Why Bob Odenkirk Has Wanted to Do 'Glengarry Glen Ross' for Decades How 'Real Women Have Curves' Took the Fast Track to Broadway LaTanya Richardson Jackson, LaChanze and Khaila Wilcoxon Named Black Women on Broadway Awards Honorees (EXCLUSIVE) But for a while there, it was a real nail-biter as to whether there would even be a completed play for its cast to perform. Three of the show's Tony-nominated actors — LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Glenn Davis and Jon Michael Hill — share the backstory on the latest episode of 'Stagecraft,' Variety's theater podcast. 'It's gone into Steppenwolf lore now,' says Davis, who is also the co-artistic director of the Steppenwolf Theater, the Chicago institution where 'Purpose' premiered. Jacobs-Jenkins didn't turn in a completed draft of the play until the night before the first preview. 'I don't know if we can curse on here, but we were all shitting bricks!' Davis cracks. He continues, 'But I'll never forget this moment: We were waiting for the play, waiting, waiting, and we're all on stage during our final day of tech. We're starting previews the next day, and Branden delivers the play. We all read it onstage, and everyone starts crying. And I didn't know if everyone started crying because the end of the play was so beautiful, or because we finally got the play that we can do the next night for audiences!' 'How about both?' chimes in Richardson Jackson. On Broadway, Davis and Hill are reprising roles they originated in Chicago, playing siblings in a prominent Black family at a time of generational transition and high tension. Richardson Jackson, who joined the show for its Broadway run (along with Tony winner Kara Young, also new to the cast), stars at the family's formidable matriarch. Even on Broadway, rewrites came fast and furious. Hill, whose character acts as the story's narrator, recalls what it was like learning new material on the fly: 'You get out there in front of people and you're doing these monologues, and you're running, you're running, and then you're like: 'Oh, there's something new coming up. Am I going to remember what it is in the moment?' That is one of the more exhilarating and terrifying experiences I've had on the stage.' For her part, Richardson Jackson — who directed the 2022 Broadway revival of 'The Piano Lesson' —was not looking for an acting job. 'I absolutely was not,' she says. 'I told myself if I was going to really concentrate on directing, I had to stop being seduced by acting. And stop bugging all of my director friends by trying to tell them what to do when they were directing a play!' But when she read the complete draft of 'Purpose,' she quickly changed her mind. 'I said: I got to get up and get over to that play in New York!' she remembers. 'Because if there's any way for me to do this—if they are bold enough to do this play—I want to be a part of it.' The Broadway production is set to run through July 6, but Richardson Jackson thinks she might not be done with 'Purpose' quite yet. 'I'm looking to take this play to London,' she reveals, adding with a laugh: 'You got that, Glenn?' To hear the entire conversation, listen at the link above or download and subscribe to 'Stagecraft' on podcast platforms, including , and the . Best of Variety 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? Emmy Predictions: Apple, Netflix Lead the Pack as FYC Events Roll On Including 2,100+ Waiting List for HBO Max's Hit Series 'The Pitt' Emmy Predictions: Guest Acting (Comedy, Drama) - Scene-Stealers, Sleeper Hits and One Lucky Charm With Beau Bridges
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lena Waithe and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins on How Pulitzer Winner ‘Purpose' is in Dialogue With ‘A Raisin in the Sun'
The Emmy-winning writer-actor Lena Waithe ('The Chi,' 'Master of None') recently sat down with the playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins to discuss his Pulitzer Prize-winning new play, 'Purpose,' now up for six Tony Awards including best play. Waithe was interested in talking through all the ways that Jacobs-Jenkins' drama about a Black family in Chicago can be seen as a work in conversation with Lorraine Hansberry's landmark 1959 play 'A Raisin in the Sun.' The duo bonded over their shared reverence for Hansberry and picked apart the themes and ideas in 'Raisin' that are refracted through a contemporary lens in 'Purpose.' LENA WAITHE: The night of the Met Gala, I was home and watching the carpet and feeling such positivity, and I did something that I do every year: I revisited 'A Raisin in the Sun' — the film, but I also have the text of the play as well. The film really moves me in a lot of different ways. I had the honor of being at the opening night of 'Purpose,' and it was such a phenomenal evening. I couldn't help but feel the conversation that was happening between 'A Raisin in the Sun' and 'Purpose.' More from Variety Original 'Hamilton' Cast to Reunite for Tony Awards Performance Why Pulitzer Winner 'Purpose' Had Its Tony-Nominated Cast 'Sh-ing Bricks' Michelle Williams on Returning to Broadway With 'Death Becomes Her,' Her Tony Snub and Beyoncé's Backstage Visit As a person who has studied Miss Hansberry, who has obsessed over Miss Hansberry, I think that oftentimes we, as younger-generation artists, are descendants of these writers. What was really fascinating to me was the fact that both these plays, 'Purpose' and 'A Raisin in the Sun,' take place in a home. We never leave the house. It's also a Black family inside of a house. BRANDEN JACOBS-JENKINS: And they're both Chicago families. LW: Exactly! What I also love about 'Purpose' is the conversations that are happening between these different generations that are having a difficult time understanding each other. And there's an idea, with Black families in particular, about how we're being perceived. What will our family name say about us? Watching 'A Raisin in the Sun' again, I learned something new. I realized that the play is not just about a Black family being brave enough to move into a neighborhood and to integrate into white America. But rather, it's about Walter Lee becoming a man, and realizing that you can't put a price on dignity. You can't put a price on your family's worth. And in your play that's happening as well. The adult sons in this family are trying to understand who they're supposed to be. I say all this to ask: What does it mean to you, Brandon, to be a man? BJJ: That's just a daily question. It's one of the questions that's at stake in every generation. What are you choosing to inherit or not inherit? No one teaches you how to be anything but the people in your life. My father passed away at the beginning of this year, right before we started rehearsals. He was actually the same age as the patriarch in my play, Solomon Jasper. That was not something that was intentional, but I could feel that I was, in a quiet way, trying to talk through things with him, through the play and with the play. My father also had other kids. I have all these half-siblings in the world. When I talked to him about it, he said to me, 'You know, everybody I knew had an outside family or outside kids, and part of it was that none of us thought we were going to live past the age of 55.' He was witnessing these evolutions and social progress over the course of his life, and suddenly having to renegotiate his relationship to what he thought his future would look like. When you live like that you are making it up as you go. You don't have an idea of how to be an older man. I think about how blessed I am to have these models who've lived that long, who've survived a lot of political and social violence. I don't even know how to answer that question of what being man means to me, because I feel like I'm still receiving new models in real time. There's just so much at stake and its feels like it's particularly tricky. Black masculine life is tricky. LW: One of the things I was thinking about when I left 'Purpose' was the patriarch, and asking myself who taught him what it meant to be a man. BJJ: This is the generation where Walter Sr., the patriarch in 'Raisin' who has passed on, could have lived, right? The implication is that in that time period, when 'Raisin' was written, that man worked himself to death. Worked himself to death to become this bag of money. And Solomon is the generation after that. He was given access to a different sort of agency and political movement. He could make a living for himself in a way that Walter couldn't. Thinking about 'Raisin,' another thing I love about that play is the women and how those three female characters are a triangulation of three kinds of femininity in that era. In some ways I've also repeated that with 'Purpose.' LW: In your play, Kara Young's character, Aziza, is very close to the daughter, Beneatha, in 'Raisin.' Yes, Aziza is queer… but Beneatha is definitely exploring some shit! BJJ: There's a radicality to her. I hate when people do this to writers, but I think Lorraine sees herself in Beneatha, and in some ways Kara's character, her biography most closely hews to mine. No one is shaped more by history than women, honestly, and at least if you look at every decade of the 20th century, there's a different kind of lady for each decade, and 'Raisin' is just so incredible at capturing this pivotal moment in the culture. LW: One thing that really stood out to me when I was thinking about the three women in 'Purpose' is that Claudine, the matriarch, is very much in dialogue with 'A Raisin in the Sun' and with the matriarch in that play, Lena Younger. They are both there to uphold the husband — for Lena it's upholding her late husband's memory and inheritance. They are each responsible for their husband's legacy. I'm thinking specifically of Black women here, but it could be said of women in general: It is a woman's job to uphold the male while he becomes himself, to help him become himself. And there is no one there to do the same for women. Something I think that's really stunning and beautiful about 'Purpose' is Aziza, a queer woman, is brought into the frame in a way that it's not in 'A Raisin in the Sun,' even though we know now that Lorraine Hansberry was a queer women. Her queerness was not able to be brought into the frame, not at that time. BJJ: If you look at Lorraine's notebooks, she really struggled with that identity. She didn't have the tools to be free in that way. LW: That's why I think 'Purpose' is bringing us into a new generation, bringing us into the future. When Kara's character walks into the door, it's almost you giving Lorraine's ghost, that part of her, permission to come onto the stage. Aziza, and I say this about myself too, we do not live under the male gaze. There's a freedom. BJJ: What doesn't go directly questioned in 'Raisin' is Mama Younger's devotion. Her whole perception of herself, as an extension of loving this man, is to take care of this family. That was her whole purpose in life. That's real. That's a real person in the world, and they have a whole philosophy that backs that up. And I was interested in putting that on stage. For me, the three women in 'Purpose,' they're all different iterations of, or riffs on, or responses to that idea of: Stand by your man. There's Claudine, and then there's also Morgan, who is married to Claudine's son and going to jail for something he did. Morgan's whole thing is: Why did I stand by this man? Because now I'm literally going to jail and nobody's throwing me a party. And then Aziza, who's going to have a baby on her own, she's like: I'm gonna do this by myself. LW: I love that Aziza and Nazareth, the family's younger son, ride off together. They end up getting the same car to exit this house, which, in my opinion, is also a metaphor for a different time in our history and our culture. I was also thinking about how it takes more than just men to uphold the patriarchy. Women often have a hand in it as well. One thing I picked up on is that you don't really see the grandchildren in 'Purpose.' In 'A Raisin in the Sun' we see Walter Lee's son and we know that he is the future of this family, and we see how Lena treats him and how she wants to take care of him and help raise him. But in 'Purpose,' with the grandchildren, you're aware of them, but they're invisible. Morgan is keeping these kids away from the family. Even though we don't see them in this play, I am thinking about those sons. BJJ: They're like little princes locked in a tower. I'm always interested in gesturing towards the ways that families wind up shaping themselves inadvertently. Where do these branches start to break off? What creates the moments of renegotiating the lines of the family? A lot of the energy of this play is about these two mothers, Claudine and Morgan, who are very different, but who I also think of, honestly, as the same person who just happen to be born in the exact wrong times to be able to see each other. But they're who makes the story of the family. They're deciding: Well, this can't be part of my kids' life. To me, that's the reality of how families are negotiated, now especially. LW: I want to ask about secrets within the family. I think what resonated with me about your work is the fact that oftentimes Black families are really good at keeping secrets, and I'm curious about what that means to you, and how that clearly erodes everything in the home. BJJ: I've said that this play is attached to my play 'Appropriate,' which was on Broadway last year. 'Appropriate' and 'Purpose' are both family secret plays. For me, ultimately, it's about how shame is toxic. If there's one thing I want people to take back into their lives, it is this idea that shame is the worst thing you can encourage and introduce into your family. Because what really motivates that secret-keeping is individual shame. The best thing you could do for the generations rising up in your family is to be transparent, and think of family as the place where you can be your fullest self. Black families and Black folks in general, our emotional range and our affect is so policed — in pop culture, privately, socially. And so you do have these families that are deep in fear of somehow being in reality with each other, because they think that's going to make them lesser-than, rather than celebrating the fact that everyone's present together, that love can happen in spite of these things. That's the moral, guys. Shame should have no place in the family. Every psychologist will tell you that. Never shame your children. That's how you build monsters. LW: One thing I've thought about since seeing the play, and it's haunted me a little bit, is about male sexuality, and particularly Black male sexuality. You've depicted that with the youngest son, Nazareth. BJJ: There's so much more to conversations about sexuality and desire. We all live with desire, and it's so complicated, and yet our representation is always on a binary. I wish there was more nuanced wrestling with it. That's why I love Tennessee Williams. All that work was about: We don't even know what we're talking about when we talk about desire, yet it is the thing we all live with and wrestle with. LW: My last question is about family and the idea of it. I've come to find that I'm not a believer in blood. The people that I'm closest to are not my blood relatives, and the people I feel the most distance from are actually related to me. You write so beautifully about different kinds of families, and how those family dynamics operate. And you are one of the patriarchs of your own family. So I wanted to ask you: What is your definition of family? BJJ: For me, family is about relationships and people. It's about love and a commitment to love, in spite of everything. And I think it's about respect. Ultimately the reason families fall apart is that people lose that respect for each other. They stop seeing the humanity and they project their own traumas and psycho-battles onto each other. Life is hard enough, and family gives you the unit to get through it. It's supposed to be a place of sanity. Ideally. Often it's not. I'm gonna make a huge sweeping statement: I teach a lot, and I see kids showing up where I'm like: Oh, you don't have to find your family. There's culture-changing stuff where there are parents on TV now talking about how much they love their kids. That was not what I had growing up at all. LW: Me, either. I mean, you saw the Thanksgiving episode. BJJ: Families and found families are necessary, especially to get through social moments that are antagonistic to your being. Family is the people who show up and who keep showing up. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Best of Variety What's Coming to Netflix in June 2025 New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Sci-Fi Surges, FYC Crunch Pressure, and Comedy Category Shakeups Across 94 Races
Pink Villa
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Fat Joe Claims He Bailed Out Justin Bieber in 2014 Miami Arrest With 'Couple Hundred Dollars', Fans Hit Back
Fat Joe went raw and real while talking about Justin Bieber and how their relationship altered after the very famous Miami Beach arrest that happened with the Baby singer. The rapper revealed this on the latest episode of the Joe and Jada podcast. The rapper stated that he bailed out Bieber. He recalled getting a call from his longtime friend ans late Terror Squad member, Raul Conde, who looked after someone to bail out the singer for 'driving crazy around Miami.' Fat Joe recalls his and Justin Bieber's relationship changing Joe said in the episode, 'It wasn't no money. It was nothing," adding, 'Couple of hundred dollars, a thousand dollars.' The rapper claimed that he and the That Should be Me vocalist used to talk often, but their dynamic altered when Joe shared some advice after the arrest. Joe said that Bieber called him to thank him and said that he was a 'gangster now.' The rapper recalled responding to the Purpose artist by saying, ''Yo, Justin. Listen bro. You gotta stop. We don't want you, gangster." The Another Round vocalist reportedly admitted that he could have encouraged the singer in the hope of remaining in his good graces, but he was attempting to be a voice of change. How state that they did not want Bieber on the news and 'getting arrested.' Joe stated that they wanted him to 'succeed,' continued that his daughter worshipped him and and they all loved him. The rapper stated, 'And that kinda messed up my relationship with him at that moment.'
Time of India
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
What is Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber's net worth? A look at their wealth after model's billion-dollar beauty deal
Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber, married since 2018, have built impressive careers in music, modelling, and business, making them one of the most successful celebrity couples today. Here's a look at the couple's fortune: Justin Bieber's Fortune Justin Bieber rose to fame as a teenager and has earned hundreds of millions from music. He has released six studio albums, including Purpose and Justice, and has sold over 60 million album equivalents worldwide. In December 2022, Justin sold his catalogue of 291 songs to Hipgnosis Songs Capital for about $200 million. There were rumours that he sold the rights because he was facing financial problems after cancelling his Justice World Tour due to his Ramsay Hunt syndrome diagnosis. However, Justin's team has denied these claims, calling them 'clickbait nonsense'. Justin also co-founded the fashion brand Drew House in 2019, but in April 2025, he announced he was leaving the brand, saying it no longer reflected him or his family. He has hinted at a new fashion project called SKYLRK, but it has not launched yet. Together on the Road to the Billionaire Club Since marrying in 2018, Justin and Hailey have combined their talents to build a growing empire. Both have been featured on Forbes' 30 Under 30 list—Justin in 2017 and Hailey in 2023. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 28 Amazing Benefits Of Apple Cider Vinegar (That Will Amaze You!) Undo Their ventures in music, fashion, modelling, and beauty have brought them close to billionaire status. Despite personal challenges and rumours about financial struggles, their careers continue to thrive. In August 2024, they welcomed their first child, Jack Blues. With their family growing and businesses booming, Justin and Hailey Bieber's success story looks set to continue. Justin Bieber DEFENDS Chris Brown After SHOCK Arrest In London | $6.7M Bail Leaves Fans STUNNED Check out our list of the latest Hindi , English , Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam , and Kannada movies . Don't miss our picks for the best Hindi movies , best Tamil movies, and best Telugu films .
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Fortive Expands Buybacks, Announces Pro Rata Ralliant Stock Dividend
Fortive Corporation FTV has announced a significant expansion of its share repurchase efforts, reflecting strong confidence in its long-term growth prospects and disciplined capital allocation strategy. The company's board of directors has authorized an increase of approximately 15.63 million shares under its general share repurchase program. This brings the total number of shares available for buyback to 20 million, including the 4.37 million shares remaining from prior authorizations. The general repurchase program remains open-ended with no expiration date, allowing Fortive to repurchase shares at its discretion over time. Aligned with this, Fortive has also introduced a Special Purpose Share Repurchase Program. This program permits the company to repurchase up to $550 million of its common stock using proceeds from the anticipated $1.15 billion pre-separation dividend to be received from Ralliant Corporation, Fortive's Precision Technologies segment, which is set to spin off on June 28, 2025. The company may also use any additional cash received from Ralliant in connection with the separation. Fortive Corporation price-consensus-chart | Fortive Corporation Quote Along with this, the company announced that its board has approved the distribution of 100% of the outstanding shares of Ralliant Corporation to Fortive shareholders through a pro rata dividend. Shareholders of record, as of the close of business on June 16, 2025, will receive one share of Ralliant common stock for every three shares of Fortive common stock they own. The distribution is scheduled to occur on June 28, 2025. Shareholders entitled to fractional shares will instead receive a cash payment in lieu of those fractions. Management highlighted that Fortive has already allocated about 75% of its free cash flow toward share repurchases since first announcing the spin-off last year, and the renewed authorization underscores the company's focus on a balanced, value-driven capital deployment strategy continued focus on share buybacks is a strategic move aimed at enhancing bottom-line performance and delivering value to shareholders. In the first quarter, the company repurchased 2.5 million shares as planned, maintaining its consistent pace of buybacks. Fortive remains committed to using free cash flow for additional share repurchases as it progresses with the anticipated spin-off. Continued focus on returning cash to the company's shareholders is a positive signal, as it boosts the bottom line and supports stock price appreciation in the near term. Together, these initiatives underscore Fortive's confidence in its financial health and growth trajectory as it moves forward with transforming Ralliant into a fully independent public company. However, uncertain macro environment and tariff impacts, along with high debt and stiff competition, may hurt the company's performance. Fortive revised its 2025 guidance due to a delayed recovery in Precision Technologies and global tariff impacts. Before mitigation efforts, it estimates gross tariff costs of $190–$220 million, mainly from China, with a 60-40 split between New Fortive and Ralliant. For the second quarter, adjusted EPS is estimated to be 85-90 cents, including tariff headwinds. Tariffs are expected to weigh on second-quarter adjusted operating margins. Currently, Fortive has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). Shares of the company have lost 2.8% in the past year against no change for the Zacks Electronics - Testing Equipment industry. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Some better-ranked stocks from the broader technology space are Juniper Networks, Inc. JNPR, Ubiquiti Inc. UI and InterDigital, Inc. IDCC. JNPR presently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), whereas UI and IDCC carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. In the last reported quarter, JNPR delivered an earnings surprise of 4.88%. Juniper Networks' long-term earnings growth rate is 12.4%. Its shares have inched up 2.3% in the past year. UI's earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average surprise being 29.93%. In the last reported quarter, Ubiquiti delivered an earnings surprise of 61.29%. Its shares have surged 184.7% in the past year. IDCC earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters while missing in one, with the average surprise being 160.15%. InterDigital's long-term earnings growth rate is 15%. Its shares have jumped 87.8% in the past year. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Juniper Networks, Inc. (JNPR) : Free Stock Analysis Report InterDigital, Inc. (IDCC) : Free Stock Analysis Report Fortive Corporation (FTV) : Free Stock Analysis Report Ubiquiti Inc. (UI) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research
