No stopping Odom at the Tonys

L

ESLIE ODOM JR.

took home the Tony Award for best actor in a musical, adding to the accolades for the guy who grew up in East Oak Lane.

And the show he stars in, "Hamilton," continued to vacuum up awards, capping the night with best musical honors.

"Hamilton," the hip-hop stage biography of Alexander Hamilton, went into the night with 16 nominations and took 11, including best featured actor and actress statuettes for Renee Elise Goldsberry and Daveed Diggs.

The awards show at New York's Beacon Theatre unspooled with a heavy heart a night after the massacre at a gay Florida nightclub, prompting a Broadway tribute to the victims at the top of the show and a smattering of references to tolerance throughout it.

Host James Corden, his back to the audience, spoke to viewers when he dedicated the night to celebrating the diversity of Broadway. "Hate will never win. Together we have to make sure of that. Tonight's show stands as a symbol and a celebration of that principle," he said.

In response to the Orlando nightclub shooting, "Hamilton" dropped its use of muskets in its performance. The Tony show also created a silver ribbon for stars to wear in solidarity and they were seen on the suits of actor Sean Hayes and director George C. Wolfe.

* According to London's

Daily Mail

,

Selena Gomez

broke down in tears at her Saturday night concert in Miami as she dedicated a song to Marlton's

Christina Grimmie

, who had been shot to death the previous night in Orlando.

Selena had been friends with Christina for 7 years, since Christina signed to be managed by Selena's stepfather.

Selena, who canceled her own meet-and-greet with fans following Christina's murder in Orlando, spoke about Christina's faith and dedicated the song "Transfiguration," by Hillsong Worship to her friend.

E! News reported that other acts paying tribute to Christina included Fifth Harmony, Charlie Puth, Rachel Platten, Twenty One Pilots and Pentatonix.

* The recent slump of sequels at the box office finally caught a break with The Conjuring 2, a horror sequel that topped weekend theaters with an estimated $40.4 million.

The big-budget video-game adaptation Warcraft, which reportedly cost $160 million to make, came in second with $24.4 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. Though it effectively bombed in North America, Warcraft has been a hit overseas, particularly in China, where it has grossed a staggering $156 million in its first five days-more than Avengers: Age of Ultron and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Now You See Me 2, opened in third place with $23 million domestically, down from the original's $29.4 million debut.

* According to the London Sun, when Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street, Suicide Squad) partied with Prince Harry at the Christmas bash thrown by former Bradley Cooper girlfriend Suki Waterhouse, Robbie thought the prince was actually Ed Sheeran.

That was some strong egg nog.

- Howard Gensler