HOLLYWOOD—We are all united in this together. Whether you are rich or poor, a royal, a famous celebrity or just the Average Joe. You never know if you will test positive for the coronavirus. Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, has joined the growing list of world celebrities who have been hit by the novel coronavirus.
Prince Charles, eldest son and heir to Queen Elizabeth II, has tested positive and is showing mild symptoms but “otherwise remains in good health,” his office said Wednesday. Prince Albert II of Monaco tested positive, although there are “no concerns for his health” the palace said on March 19. Veteran Afro-jazz star Manu Dibango, 86, on Tuesday, March 24, became one of the first global stars to die as a result of COVID-19. Terrence McNally, a revered American playwright, also died Tuesday aged 81, following coronavirus complications. Congolese music legend Aurlus Mabele, known as the “King of Soukous,” a high-tempo modern variant of Congolese rumba, died in Paris last week, aged 67. Spanish opera star Placido Domingo said Sunday he had tested positive, adding he was “in good health.”
Fallen Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, in prison in New York state after being sentenced to 23 years for rape and sexual assault, also tested positive. Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks and his wife, actress and singer Rita Wilson, said on Monday they were doing better after nearly two weeks quarantine in Australia. Bon Jovi’s keyboard player David Bryan, an old friend of mine, who I met when he was 17, also tested positive for the coronavirus.
Since last week, the economy has basically been in hiatus, with everything being closed from hair salons to certain beaches across the country. President Trump has publicly embraced the view that the measures taken to slow the spread of the coronavirus outbreak should not come at the expense of the U.S. economy. After initially going along with the social distancing recommendations of the medical experts on his coronavirus task force, and praising the decisions of governors in states that had instituted lock downs to keep COVID-19 infections from worsening.
In the meantime, President Trump expects the economy back on it’s feet by Easter Sunday. Well, we can only hope, for that. President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, senior administration officials and lawmakers would be prohibited from getting federal aid for any of their business interests under the proposed $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus deal, according to a summary of the plan released by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
Republican and Democratic senators have reached a deal on a roughly $2 trillion stimulus package to stem the economic damage from the coronavirus outbreak. The package would be by far the largest fiscal stimulus in U.S. history and would include one-time payments of $1,200 per adult and $500 per child.
That will help pay someone’s rent for April, however, you won’t have any money left for anything else. Movie releases have been pushed back, our arts and entertainment have been shut down for almost two weeks now. Las Vegas is dark and large cities like Los Angeles and New York are basically on “Shelter in Place.” Even my boyfriend who works in Carnegie Hall, as a musician is out of work.
Yet, leave it to Elton John to host a coronavirus relief special “Fox Presents The iHeart Living Room Concert for America.” Fox and iHeartMedia are bringing out some big guns in the coronavirus relief effort. The iHeart Living Room Concert for America, an hour long special set to air commercial-free from 9-10 p.m. on Sunday, March 29 — in the slot that had been set for the iHeartRadio Music Awards.
The program comes at a time when concerts have been sidelined by the COVID-19 outbreak and many artists are giving free concerts online. It will feature performances by such stars as Billie Eilish, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, Tim McGraw, Backstreet Boys, Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong and others — all filmed from their homes using their own audio and video equipment. The special will be simulcast on iHeartMedia stations nationwide and its app. The iHeart Living Room Concert for America also will pay tribute to the front-line health professionals, first responders and local heroes who are putting themselves in harm’s way to help their neighbors and fight the spread of the coronavirus. It will also encourage viewers to support Feeding America and First Responders Children’s Foundation — two of the many charitable organizations helping victims and first responders during the pandemic.
Rose’s Scoop: Broadcasting from his garage, the British host will link up with BTS in South Korea, Dua Lipa in London, Andrea Bocelli in Italy, and Eilish, her brother Finneas O’Connell and John Legend in Los Angeles. With forebears including the post-9/11 America: A Tribute to Heroes and the six-hour 12-12-12 Concert for Sandy Relief, the new special is executive produced by John Sykes and Tom Poleman for iHeartMedia and Tenth Planet Productions’ Joel Gallen, who produced ‘A Tribute to Heroes’ and the multi-network telethons immediately following Hurricane Katrina and the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
