Essential News Update: A Strawberry Moon and George Clooney

There's a rare night sky event this week. Don't miss it. You won't see it again until 2043

This week’s full moon is known as a Strawberry Moon and it will be what skywatchers call the “lowest hanging” moon since 2006, not to return for another 18 years.

Chris DeWeese of the Weather Channel explains it this way:

That’s because of a once-in-18.6-years occurrence known as the “major lunar standstill,” which lasts for around a year and is the result of the tilts of the moon and Earth being at their maximum. The next time the moon will hang this low again? 2043.

When To See It: OK, technically, the moon is full on Wednesday morning at 3:45 a.m. EDT. But to see it at its best, watch for it at dusk (Tuesday) night. Make your plans now or forever hold your peace! (Or, if not forever, at least until 2043).

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George Clooney and the Tonys

After watching the live performance of Good Night and Good Luck the other night on CNN, I have to admit I was pulling for George Clooney at last night’s Tony Awards, which, coincidentally, were held in Manhattan not far from the Winter Garden Theatre where the play’s final performance was also yesterday.

Alas, Clooney was edged out. Here’s the full list of nominees and winners courtesy of CBS, the network where Edward R. Murrow once reported on Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s Communist witch hunt, the subject of Clooney’s play.

Best Musical

• "Maybe Happy Ending" — Winner

• "The Buena Vista Social Club"

• "Dead Outlaw"

• "Death Becomes Her"

• "Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical"

Best Play

• "Purpose" — Winner

• "English"

• "The Hills of California"

• "John Proctor is the Villain"

• "Oh, Mary!"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical

• Nicole Scherzinger, "Sunset Blvd." — Winner

• Megan Hilty, "Death Becomes Her"

• Audra McDonald, "Gypsy"

• Jasmine Amy Rogers, "Boop! The Musical"

• Jennifer Simard, "Death Becomes Her"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical

• Darren Criss, "Maybe Happy Ending" — Winner

• Andrew Durand, "Dead Outlaw"

• Tom Francis, "Sunset Blvd."

• Jonathan Groff, "Just In Time"

• James Monroe Iglehart, "A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical"

• Jeremy Jordan, "Floyd Collins"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play

• Sarah Snook, "The Picture of Dorian Gray" — Winner

• Laura Donnelly, "The Hills of California"

• Mia Farrow, "The Roommate"

• LaTanya Richardson Jackson, "Purpose"

• Sadie Sink, "John Proctor is the Villain"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play

• Cole Escola, "Oh, Mary!" — Winner

• George Clooney, "Good Night and Good Luck"

• Jon Michael Hill, "Purpose"

• Daniel Dae Kim, "Yellow Face"

• Henry Lennix, "Purpose"

• Louis McCartney, "Stranger Things: The First Shadow"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play

• Francis Jue, "Yellow Face" — Winner

• Glenn Davis, "Purpose"

• Gabriel Ebert, "John Proctor is the Villain"

• Bob Odenkirk, "Glengarry Glenn Ross"

• Conrad Ricamora, "Oh, Mary!"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical

• Jak Malone, "Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical" — Winner

• Brooks Ashmankas, "Smash"

• Jeb Brown, "Dead Outlaw"

• Danny Burstein, "Gypsy"

• Taylor Trensch, "Floyd Collins"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

• Kara Young, "Purpose" — Winner

• Talia Ashe, "English"

• Jessica Hecht, "Eureka Day"

• Marjan Neshat, "English"

• Fina Strazza, "John Proctor is the Villain"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical

• Natalie Venetia Belcon, "Buena Vista Social Club" — Winner

• Julia Knitel, "Dead Outlaw"

• Gracie Lawrence, "Just In Time"

• Justina Machado, "Real Women Have Curves: The Musical'

• Joy Woods, "Gypsy"

Best Revival of a Musical

• "Sunset Blvd." — Winner

• "Floyd Collins"

• "Gypsy"

• "Pirates! The Penzance Musical"

Best Revival of a Play

• "Eureka Day" — Winner

• "Romeo + Juliet"

• "Thornton Wilder's Our Town"

• "Yellow Face"

Best Direction of a Play

• Sam Pinkleton, "Oh, Mary!" — Winner

• Knud Adams, "Enligsh"

• Sam Mendes, "The Hills of California"

• Danya Taymor, "John Proctor is the Villain"

• Kip Williams, "The Picture of Dorian Gray"

Best Direction of a Musical

• Michael Arden, "Maybe Happy Ending" — Winner

• Saheem Ali, "Buena Vista Social Club"

• David Cromer, "Dead Outlaw"

• Christopher Gattelli, "Death Becomes Her"

• Jamie Lloyd, "Sunset Blvd."

Best Choreography

• Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck, "Buena Vista Social Club" — Winner

• Joshua Bergasse, "Smash"

• Camille A. Brown, "Gypsy"

• Christopher Gattelli, "Death Becomes Her"

• Jerry Mitchell, "Boop! The Musical"

Best Book of a Musical

• Will Aronson and Hue Park, "Maybe Happy Ending" — Winner

• Marco Ramirez, "Buena Vista Social Club"

• Itamar Moses, "Dead Outlaw"

• Marco Pennette, "Death Becomes Her"

• David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts, "Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical"

Best Original Score

• Will Aronson and Hue Park, "Maybe Happy Ending" — Winner

• David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna, "Dead Outlaw"

• Julia Mattison and Noel Carey, "Death Becomes Her"

• David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts, "Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical"

• Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez, "Real Women Have Curves: The Musical"

Best Scenic Design in a Play

• Miriam Buether and 59, "Stranger Things: The First Shadow" — Winner

• Marsha Ginsberg, "English"

• Rob Howell, "The Hills of California"

• Marg Horwell and David Bergman, "The Picture of Dorian Gray"

• Scott Park, "Good Night, and Good Luck"

Best Scenic Design in a Musical

• Dane Laffrey and George Reeve, "Maybe Happy Ending" — Winner

• Rachel Hauck, "Swept Away"

• Arnulfo Maldonado, "Buena Vista Social Club"

• Derek McLane, "Death Becomes Her"

• Derek McLane, "Just In Time"

Best Costume Design in a Play

• Marg Horwell, "The Picture of Dorian Gray" — Winner

• Brenda Abbandandolo, "Good Night, and Good Luck"

• Rob Howell, "The Hills of California"

• Holly Pierson, "Oh, Mary!"

• Brigitte Reiffenstul, "Stranger Things: The First Shadow"

Best Costume Design in a Musical

• Paul Tazewell, "Death Becomes Her" — Winner

• Dede Ayite, "Buena Vista Social Club"

• Gregg Barnes, "Boop! The Musical"

• Clint Ramos, "Maybe Happy Ending"

• Catherine Zuber, "Just in Time"

Best Lighting Design in a Play

• Jon Clark, "Stranger Things: The First Shadow" — Winner

• Natasha Chivers, "The Hills of California"

• Heather Gilbert and David Bengali, "Good Night, and Good Luck"

• Natasha Katz and Hannah Wasileski, "John Proctor is the Villain"

• Nick Schlieper, "The Picture of Dorian Gray"

Best Lighting Design in a Musical

• Jack Knowles, "Sunset Blvd." — Winner

• Tyler Micoleau, "Buena Vista Social Club"

• Scott Zielinski and Ruby Horng Sun, "Floyd Collins"

• Ben Stanton, "Maybe Happy Ending"

• Justin Townsend, "Death Becomes Her"

Best Sound Design of a Musical

• Jonathan Deans, "Buena Vista Social Club" — Winner

• Adam Fisher, "Sunset Blvd."

• Peter Hylenski, "Just In Time"

• Peter Hylenski, "Maybe Happy Ending"

• Dan Moses Schreier, "Floyd Collins"

Best Sound Design of a Play

• Paul Arditti, "Stranger Things: The First Shadow" — Winner

• Palmer Hefferan, "John Proctor is the Villain"

• Daniel Kruger, "Good Night, and Good Luck"

• Nick Powell, "The Hills of California"

• Clemence Williams, "The Picture of Dorian Gray"

Best Orchestrations

• Margo Paguia, "Buena Vista Social Club" — Winner

• Andrew Resnick and Michael Thurber, "Just In Time"

• Will Aronson, "Maybe Happy Ending"

• Bruce Coughlin, "Floyd Collins"

• David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber, "Sunset Blvd."

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Eat Flexitarian

As a reminder from my monthly newsletter, today, June 9, is Eat Flexitarian Day. It’s for people who agree in principle with vegetarians but have no plans to give up their hamburgers. It’s a cool name, so tuck it away in case of emergencies. For instance, if someone asks you what religion you are, you can toss out: “Oh, I’m a Flexitarian,” and enjoy the puzzled look on their face.

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J.C. Bruce is a journalist and author of The Strange Files series of mysterious novels (available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, other online booksellers, and at selected libraries). He also writes a monthly newsletter designed to make you the smartest person in the room—or the Zoom.

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TROPIC PRESS, publisher of The Strange Files series of mysterious adventures, is pleased to also be the official publisher of J.C. Bruce’s new novella, Scribbles From Space.