Sports, Concert & Theater News

By Dennis Dodd The NCAA Division I Council voted Monday to permit an additional season of competition and eligibility to all spring-sport athletes who were unable to complete the 2019-20 athletic year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The decision does not apply to athletes in winter sports like basketball where "all or much of their regular seasons were completed," per an NCAA release. The move specifically allows schools to self-apply waivers to restore an additional season of competition and an extension of eligibility for spring-sport athletes. Normally, athletes have four seasons of competition that must be exhausted in a five-year window. On March 13, the day after the NCAA Tournament was formally canceled, the NCAA Council Coordination Committee deemed it "appropriate" for athletes in spring sports to regain a year of eligibility. That stance at least shifted for some last week as schools faced a huge shortfall from lost NCAA Tournament revenue. CBS S

By TheaterMania “Naaaants ingonyamaaaaaaaa” Broadway's The Lion King celebrated its 22nd anniversary, Wednesday, November 13, at the Minskoff Theatre. This comes on the heels of other historic milestones for the show so far this year, including reaching over 100 million guests worldwide in May, and hitting 9,000 performances on Broadway in June. Based on Disney's 1994 animated musical, The Lion King opened on Broadway on November 13, 1997, at the New Amsterdam Theatre, and earned six Tony Awards. Directed by Julie Taymor, The Lion King features music by Elton John, lyrics by Tim Rice, a book by Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi, and choreography by Garth Fagan. The cast — which currently includes Bradley Gibson as Simba, Adrienne Walker as Nala, Stephen Carlile as Scar, L. Stephen Taylor as Mufasa, Tshidi Manye as Rafiki, Cameron Pow as Zazu, Ben Jeffrey as Pumbaa, and Fred Berman as Timon — recently celebrated this milestone with some cake. See a photo from the celebrat