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Joy Huerta Earns Outer Critics Circle Awards Nomination for Co-Composing “Real Women Have Curves” Score

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Joy Huerta is celebrating a Curves-aceous shout out!

The 38-year-old Mexican Grammy– and Latin Grammy-winning singer and songwriter – a vocalist of Jesse & Joy, a duo she forms with her older brother, Jesse Huerta – has earned a nomination for this year’s Outer Critics Circle Awards.

Joy HuertaHuerta is nominated in the Outstanding Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway) for co-composing the music and wrote the lyrics for the Broadway musical Real Women Have Curves alongside Benjamin Velez,

The musical is based on the play and film of the same name.

But Huerta isn’t the only Real contender this year.

Wilberth Gonzalez has earned an Outer Critics Circle Awards nod for Outstanding Ciostume Design.

The Latino costume designer and illustrator earned the nomination for his work alongside Paloma Young for Real Women Have Curves.

The winners of the 75th Anniversary Outer Critics Circle Awards will be announced on Monday, May 12, 2025, followed by an awards ceremony on Thursday, May 22, 2025.

The Outer Critics Circle is the official organization of writers on New York theater for out-of-town, national, and digital news publications. The Circle awards trophies for both Broadway and Off Broadway productions.

Here’s a look at this year’s nominees:

2025 OUTER CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD NOMINATIONS

Outstanding New Broadway Play
Cult of Love
The Hills of California
John Proctor Is the Villain
Purpose
Stranger Things: The First Shadow

Outstanding New Broadway Musical
Boop! The Musical
Death Becomes Her
Maybe Happy Ending
Operation Mincemeat
Real Women Have Curves 

Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical
The Big Gay Jamboree
Drag: The Musical
We Live in Cairo 

Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play
The Antiquities Grangeville
Here There Are Blueberries Liberation
Table 17 

John Gassner Award (new American play preferably by a new playwright)
Amy Berryman, Walden
George Clooney and Grant Heslov, Good Night, and Good Luck
Marin Ireland, Pre-Existing Condition
Lia Romeo, Still
Emil Weinstein, Becoming Eve 

Outstanding Revival of a Musical
Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Floyd Collins
Gypsy
Once Upon a Mattress
Sunset Boulevard 

Outstanding Revival of a Play
Beckett Briefs: From the Cradle to the Grave
Glengarry Glen Ross
Romeo + Juliet
Vanya
Yellow Face 

Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Play
Kit Connor, Romeo + Juliet
Laura Donnelly, The Hills of California
Mia Farrow, The Roommate
Jon Michael Hill, Purpose
Louis McCartney, Stranger Things: The First Shadow 

Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Play
Kieran Culkin, Glengarry Glen Ross
LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Purpose
Francis Jue, Yellow Face
Mare Winningham, Cult of Love
Kara Young, Purpose 

Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Musical
Darren Criss, Maybe Happy Ending
Jeremy Jordan, Floyd Collins
Audra McDonald, Gypsy
Jasmine Amy Rogers, Boop! The Musical
Nicole Scherzinger, Sunset Boulevard
Jennifer Simard, Death Becomes Her 

Outstanding Featured Performer in a Broadway Musical
Danny Burstein, Gypsy
Jak Malone, Operation Mincemeat
Michele Pawk, Just in Time
Christopher Sieber, Death Becomes Her
Michael Urie, Once Upon a Mattress 

Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical
Nick Adams, Drag: The Musical
Marla Mindelle, The Big Gay Jamboree
Nkeki Obi-Melekwe, Safety Not Guaranteed
Alaska Thunderfuck, Drag: The Musical
Taylor Trensch, Safety Not Guaranteed 

Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical
Ali Louis Bourzgui, We Live in Cairo Paris Nix, The Big Gay Jamboree Eddie Korbich, Drag: The Musical
Elaine Marcos, Drag: The Musical Andre De Shields, Cats: The Jellicle Ball Henry Stram, Three Houses

Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Play
Caroline Aaron, Conversations with Mother
Murray Abraham, Beckett Briefs: From the Cradle to the Grave
Jayne Atkinson, Still
Adam Driver, Hold On to Me Darling
Anthony Edwards, The Counter
Paul Sparks, Grangeville 

Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Play
Betsy Aidem, Liberation Sean Bell, The Beacon
Michael Rishawn, Table 17
Richard Schiff, Becoming Eve
Frank Wood, Hold On to Me Darling 

Outstanding Solo Performance
David Greenspan, I’m Assuming You Know David Greenspan
Khawla Ibraheem, A Knock on the Roof
Sam Kissajukian, 300 Paintings
Andrew Scott, Vanya
Sarah Snook, The Picture of Dorian Gray 

Outstanding Book of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Will Aronson and Hue Park, Maybe Happy Ending
David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts, Operation Mincemeat
Daniel Lazour and Patrick Lazour, We Live in Cairo
Bob Martin, Boop! The Musical
Marco Pennette, Death Becomes Her 

Outstanding Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Will Aronson and Hue Park, Maybe Happy Ending
David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts, Operation Mincemeat
David Foster and Susan Birkenhead, Boop! The Musical
Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez, Real Women Have Curves
Julia Mattison and Noel Carey, Death Becomes Her 

Outstanding Orchestrations (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
Will Aronson, Maybe Happy Ending
Doug Besterman, Death Becomes Her
Joseph Joubert and Daryl Waters, Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Daniel Lazour and Michael Starobin, We Live in Cairo
Andrew Resnick, Just in Time 

Outstanding Direction of a Musical
Michael Arden, Maybe Happy Ending
Christopher Gattelli, Death Becomes Her
Robert Hastie, Operation Mincemeat
Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Jerry Mitchell, Boop! The Musical 

Outstanding Direction of a Play
Trip Cullman, Cult of Love
Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Sam Mendes, The Hills of California
Phylicia Rashad, Purpose
Danya Taymor, John Proctor Is the Villain 

Outstanding Choreography
Jenny Arnold, Operation Mincemeat
Warren Carlyle, Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Christopher Gattelli, Death Becomes Her
Shannon Lewis, Just in Time
Jerry Mitchell, Boop! the Musical 

Outstanding Scenic Design
Miriam Buether, Jamie Harrison, and Chris Fisher, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Rachel Hauck, Swept Away
Rob Howell, The Hills of California
Dane Laffrey, Maybe Happy Ending
Derek McLane, Death Becomes Her 

Outstanding Costume Design
Gregg Barnes, Boop! The Musical
Wilberth Gonzalez and Paloma Young, Real Women Have Curves
Rob Howell, The Hills of California
Qween Jean, Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Paul Tazewell, Death Becomes Her

Outstanding Lighting Design
Kevin Adams, Swept Away
Natasha Chivers, The Hills of California
Jon Clark, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Ben Stanton, Maybe Happy Ending
Justin Townsend, Death Becomes Her 

Outstanding Sound Design
Paul Arditti, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Adam Fisher, Sunset Boulevard
Peter Hylenski, Death Becomes Her
Peter Hylenski, Maybe Happy Ending
John Shivers, Swept Away 

Outstanding Video/Projections
59, Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom, Sunset Boulevard
David Bergman, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Hana S. Kim, Redwood
Finn Ross, Boop! The Musical 

Special Awards
Patrick Hoffman, the recently retired curator of the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, in honor of over three decades of service to the theater community, during which time he ensured the preservation of over 1,200 productions.

Note on Eligibility
The following productions were considered in previous seasons, with only new elements eligible during this cycle: Buena Vista Social Club; Dead Outlaw; English; Hold On to Me Darling; Job; and Oh, Mary!. The following productions were not eligible for awards this season: All In: Comedy About Love, and Ben Platt: Live at the Palace.

Fat Joe to Face Off Against Ja Rule in All-New Verzuz Battle

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Fat Joe is ready for a hip-hop battle…

The 51-year-old Puerto Rican and Cuban American rapper will face off against Ja Rule in an all-new Verzuz battle on September 14.

Fat Joe

The friendly competition will take place in person, live from New York.

“The summer ain’t over!!” Verzuz co-creator Swizz Beatz wrote on Instagram revealing the news.

In a separate announcement post on Instagram, Ja Rule wrote, “#ICONN.” Meanwhile, Fat Joe captioned his identical post, “The price just went [up] @fatjoe @verzuz @jarule.”

This marks the first Verzuz battle since last month, when The LOX and Dipset hit the stage to deliver some fan-favorite hit songs.

Over the course of his decades-long career, Ja Rule has released eight No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 singles, including “Always On Time,” featuring Ashanti, which peaked at No. 1 in February 2002 and charted for 27 weeks. The hitmaker has released a total of 17 Hot 100 songs. His debut studio album, Venni Vetti Vecci, peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, where it charted for 31 weeks.

Fat Joe, who began his career in music as a member of hip-hop group Diggin’ in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.), released his debut solo album Represent in 1993. His single from the album, “Flow Joe,” reached No. 1 on the Hot Rap Songs chart.

Fat Joe’s “What’s Luv?” featuring Ashanti and Ja Rule, peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Ja Rule’s collaborative hit track “New York,” featuring Fat Joe and Jadakiss, was a top 30 Hot 100 song. It peaked at No. 27 on the list in 2004, where it charted for 14 weeks.

Hip-hop fans can catch the newly announced Verzuz battle between Fat Joe and Ja Rule on September 14 at 9:00 pm ET, which will be available for live streaming via the Triller app, FITE TV or on the Verzuz TV Instagram account.

Bobby Cannavale to Star Opposite Naomi Watts in Netflix’s Limited Series “The Watcher”

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Bobby Cannavale is on watch(er)…

The 51-year-old half-Cuban American actor will star opposite Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale in The Watcher, a Netflix limited series from Ryan Murphy and his frequent collaborator Ian Brennan.

Bobby Cannavale

The Watcher reportedly follows a married couple (Watts, Cannavale) whose move into their dream home is being threatened by terrifying letters from a stalker, signed “The Watcher.”

This marks a reunion for Watts and Cannavale, who star together in the upcoming movie Once Upon a Time in Staten Island.

Filming is set to begin in the fall.

The series, which evokes the first season of Murphy’s hit American Horror Story, is inspired by the infamous “Watcher” house in New Jersey.

A couple bought the 1905 Dutch colonial revival in 2014 for nearly $1.4 million. They were forced to abandon their new home over chilling letters from “The Watcher,” who claimed to have been “watching” the house for decades. “I am the Watcher. Bring me your young blood,” one of the notes read.

The family put the house back on the market. It didn’t sell, and they rented it out. In 2017, the renter also received a sinister letter from “The Watcher,” too, threatening their life. The house ultimately sold in 2019 for $959,000. The identity of “The Watcher” remains a mystery.

In December 2018, after a ferocious bidding battle that involved six studios, Netflix landed The Watcher rights package that included an article by Reeves Wiedeman published on New York magazine’s website, The Cut, and the rights of the beleaguered homeowners. The seven-figure rights deal originally was for a feature with Joost and Schulman attached to direct.

Two-time Emmy winner Cannavale co-stars in the Netflix comedy movie Thunder Force. He next will be seen in the films Jolt, Seriously Red, Blonde and Lapham Rising and the upcoming Hulu limited series Nine Perfect Strangers.

Gonçalves Earns ACE Eddie Awards Nod for His Work on HBO’s “True Detective”

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It’s an Eddie good start to the New Year for Affonso Gonçalves…

The Brazilian Emmy-nominated film and television editor has received an ACE Eddie Awards nomination from the American Cinema Editors.

Affonso Gonçalves

Gonçalves, best known for his work on the films New York, I Love You, Winter’s Bone and Beasts of the Southern Wild, earned the nod in the Best Edited One-Hour Series for Non-Commercial Television for his work on the “Who Goes There” episode of HBO’s critically acclaimed True Detective. That same episode earned him his first-ever Emmy nomination earlier this year.

It’s his second ACE Eddie Awards nomination…

Gonçalves previously earned an Eddie nod in 2012 in the Best Edited Miniseries or Motion Picture for Television category for his work on HBO’s Mildred Pierce miniseries.

The awards will be announced on January 30 at a ceremony at Los Angeles’ Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Here’s a look at his competition:

BEST EDITED ONE-HOUR SERIES FOR NON-COMMERCIAL TELEVISION
True Detective: “Who Goes There,” Affonso Goncalves
True Detective: “The Secret Fate of All Life,” Alex Hall
House of Cards: “Chapter 14, ” Byron Smith

Garcia Releases New Single “Sunnier Days” from His Upcoming Album

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Diego Garcia is making the days much sunnier this summer…

The Argentinian American musician, the former lead singer of the post-punk band Elefant, has released the single “Sunnier Days,” from his upcoming solo album Paradise, due October 8.

Diego Garcia

Garcia is best known for being part of the early-aughts New York scene that spawned the Strokes and Interpol.

His band Elefant played countless downtown gigs and even opened for the latter on tour.

In April 2011, Garcia released his first solo album Laura, which was inspired by his then-girlfriend Laura.

New York magazine once described Garcia as the “Sexiest Lead Singer.”