Showbiz History: Evita, Black Widow, and Fred & Ginger
Tuesday, May 7, 2019 at 8:00AM six random things that happened on this day in showbiz history
1919 Maria Eva Duarte de Peron is born in Argentina. She will later be known globally by just one nickname "Evita." Her story will inspire a 1979 Andrew Lloyd Webber stage sensation (starring Patti LuPone) which wins 7 Tony Awards including Best Musical. Later it becomes a successful 1996 movie musical with Madonna (picture above in a promotional photoshoot for the film) in the leading role, which everyone including Michelle Pfeiffer and Meryl Streep wanted at the time. Madonna takes the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical...
1927 Oscar-winning novelist and screenwriter Ruth Prawer-Jhabvala (A Room with a View, Howards End) born in Germany
1937 Shall We Dance starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers opens in movie theaters. The film's hit song "You Can't Take That Away From Me" by George Gershwin wins him a posthumous Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.
Tyrone Power and his new wife a week before his death
1958 Golden age superstar Tyrone Power marries Deborah Ann Minardos, just four months before his sudden death at age 44 while filming Solomon and Sheba. She was pregnant with his third child and only son, Tyrone Power Jr.
2005 Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" becomes the #1 song in the country. It'll stay up top all month.
Scarlett Johansson's craziest Black Widow wig was the first
2010 Iron Man 2 opens in theaters, introducing Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, a role she'll continue to play for the next 10 years. Emily Blunt was originally cast in the role but withdrew during final negotiations.
Reader Comments (9)
Madonna killed that role! I've never been prouder of her in my life. She deserved every accolade thrown her way.
Man, the MCU had some wild swings if the number two gets the role. Blunt as Black Widow, Liam Hemsworth as Thor and John Krasinski as Captain America.
Even weirder if you think of Terrance Howard as War Machine and Edward Norton as The Hulk
What a blessing for Emily Blunt to lose that role! I'd take one Edge of Tomorrow over 1,000 Marvel movies.
Growing up, my dad always reminded us that his favorite actor was Tyrone Power. Years later when I watched my first Tyrone Power film (The Eddy Duchin Story) did I realise that my father resembled him a bit.
Always loved RP Jhabvala's novels and her screenplays for Merchant-Ivory films, particularly Howards End and The Bostonians.
Madonna was born to play Evita. I was so happy for that Globe win and so disappointed for that Oscar snub
Always wondering if ScarJo wouldn't be an Oscar nominee (or winner) these days if she didn't spend almost 10 years avenging the world (spending time in big productions and promotional events)... But at least she has become the biggest movie star of her generation. The actress is still there ("Her" and "Under the Skin" or the underrated performance in "Hitchcock"). Maybe JOJO RABBIT or Noah Baumbach's next bring her some major award recognition.
.
Blunt didn't need Black Widow. ScarJo was an unfulfilled promise by 2010 (her last big role was in 2005's MATCH POINT with an occasional very charming and underrated turn in VICKY CRISTINA ARCELONA). At least Black Widow brought her back to spotlight in 2012. Blunt did great outside MCU
Madonna is fabulous in "Evita" Johansen should have been given her own solo Marvel movie not the charisma challenged Brie Larson
Loved Madonna's performance in Evita. She brought such a lovely vulnerability to that role.
I remember being annoyed with the film version of Evita because I had seen the stage version FIVE times and was obsessed, played both the London and Broadway soundtracks on loop. But on subsequent rewatches, I think Madonna is BRILLIANT in the role, and Meryl would have been shit.