1. CORONAVIRUS CONTINUES TO PLAGUE THE CRUISE INDUSTRY: Many passengers aboard the Diamond Princess cruise, which is quarantined off the coast of Japan, have fallen ill. At least 135 people aboard the ship are sick with the virus, nearly double the amount of affected passengers reported previously. Concern over cruises is rising to a fever pitch. USA Today: “The cruise ship is one of several affected by the deadly coronavirus outbreak, which has prompted cruise lines to issue quarantines and perform screenings onboard. Meanwhile, some ports are denying at least one cruise ship entry over fears of the virus. The coronavirus, which was first identified in Wuhan, China, has spread across the globe with more than 42,763 confirmed cases and 1,013 deaths as of Monday evening.”
2. OSCARS SCORE WORST RATINGS IN THE SHOW’S HISTORY: Despite buzz around the ceremony all day on Monday, viewership for Sunday’s telecast of the 92nd annual Oscar Awards hit an all-time low. The program suffered a sharp decline from last year. The Hollywood Reporter: “The three-hour-plus kudocast averaged about 23.6 million viewers and a 5.3 rating among adults 18-49, well below the 29.56 million and 7.7 for 2019's awards ceremony—which aired two weeks later in the year. The Oscars were down 20 percent year-over-year in viewers and 31 percent in the key ad-sales demo of adults 18-49.”
3. FRANKLIN GRAHAM’S ANTI-L.G.T.B.Q. VIEWS PROMPT UK VENUES TO CANCEL APPEARANCES: A tour of the United Kingdom planned by Evangelical preacher Franklin Graham is in jeopardy after all eight venues booked for the talks have canceled the events. The locations cited Graham’s strong anti-L.G.B.T.Q. stance as the reason for the cancellations. NBC News: “Graham promised to file lawsuits against seven of the eight venues for allegedly breaching signed contracts. He also vowed to find new venues for his Graham Tour, which originally was set to start in late May ... A petition started by advocacy group Northern Pride that called for ending Graham's U.K. tour garnered nearly 6,000 signatures as of Friday.”