In this Feb. 17, 2016 file photo, Jennifer Hudson attends the Michael Kors 2016 show during Fashion Week in New York. Hudson and Harvey Fierstein will headline the cast of NBCโs โHairspray Live!โ (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) --
Broadway performers Ephraim Sykes and Shahadi Wright Joseph are joining the cast of NBC's "Hairspray Live!"
Sykes, an original company member with the hit musical "Hamilton," will play Seaweed J. Stubbs in "Hairspray Live!"
Wright Joseph will play Seaweed's sister, Little Inez, NBC said Wednesday. The actress' credits include the musicals "The Lion King" and "School of Rock."
Previously announced cast members for "Hairspray Live!" include Harvey Fierstein, Jennifer Hudson and Ariana Grande.
Nikki Glaser arrives at the 82nd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
An average of 10.1 million viewers tuned into the 82nd Golden Globes across CBS and Paramount+, Dick Clark Productions said Monday, roughly matching the audience for last year's broadcast.
CBS reported ratings figures from VideoAmp rather than the industry standard audience measurement service, Nielsen. Paramount Global, which owns CBS, is in a contract dispute with Nielsen.
At a time when most traditional linear telecasts are in decline, holding steady from last year's Globes' audience was sure to count as a success for the Nikki Glaser-hosted broadcast. Last year's show, the Globes' first on CBS, drew an audience of 9.4 million, though that was according to Nielsen.
Before the pandemic, though, the Globes typically drew closer to 20 million viewers. In 2020, 18.4 million watched the Globes.
But the Globes were teetering on the brink of termination as recently as two years ago. After The Los Angeles Times reported that the HFPA had no Black members, Hollywood boycotted the organization and the 2022 Globes were booted off the air. NBC aired the 2023 edition and then dropped the awards show.
The 2024 Globes had their issues, too, with many calling the Jo Koy-hosted ceremony a trainwreck. But the ratings rebounded and CBS signed up for five more years. Following the scandals, the awards were acquired by Eldridge Industries and Dick Clark Productions, which Penske Media owns, and turned into a for-profit venture.
Sunday's ceremony, which ran concurrently with NBC's broadcast of the Minnesota Viking-Detroit Lions game, drew much better reviews for Glaser. The top prizes of the night went to the Netflix musical "Emilia Perez" and the A24 postwar epic "The Brutalist." On the TV side, FX's "Shลgun" and Max's "Hacks" went home... Read More
