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CBS Executive Fired in 2021 for Alleged Racist, Sexist Conduct Files Motion to Confirm $7 Million Breach of Contract Award

Roger Friedman
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CBS Executive Fired in 2021 for Alleged Racist, Sexist Conduct Files Motion to Confirm $7 Million Breach of Contract Award

In 2021, Peter Dunn, the president of CBS television stations, and David Friend, the senior vice president of news for TV stations, were fired by the network for making racist and sexist comments to and about Black and female employees.

Now Dunn has filed a motion in a New York court confirming that an Abritrator has awarded him $7 million from a lawsuit he filed against th network in 2022.

According to an LA Times report in 2021, Dunn was accused of frequently denigrating a Black news anchor at KYW, the CBS station in Philadelphia, calling him “just a jive guy” and that at least four current and former female CBS executives said they had been bullied by Mr. Dunn between 2017 and 2019.

But the motion Dunn filed this week says an Arbitrator found CBS guilty of breach of contract.

Friend was cleared of all accusations in 2022.

According to the motion, the Arbitrator wrote: CBS breached Section 7 of the Employment Agreement as a matter of New York law on October 1, 2021, when it purported to “convert” Mr. Dunn’s prior termination to “for Cause”, and thereafter ceased all severance payments and
disclaimed all accrued obligations to Mr. Dunn. While the Arbitrator
specifically determined in the February 26, 2024 Decision and Order
that CBS’s purported conversion on October 1, 2021, was
“ineffectual”, the inescapable upshot of that determination was that
CBS breached the Employment Agreement. The Arbitrator so
concludes, and so clarifies the February 26, 2024 Decision and Order.”

 

Exclusive: Barbra Streisand Enlists Bob Dylan for Historic Collaboration on New “Duets” Album

Roger Friedman
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Exclusive: Barbra Streisand Enlists Bob Dylan for Historic Collaboration on New “Duets” Album

Last May I told you about Barbra Streisand’s upcoming Duets album, set maybe for this winter.

Streisand has been getting huge stars to record with her, hoping for another number 1 album. Paul McCartney and Sting were among those confirmed.

It would give her the record for number 1 albums in seven decades.

Now I’m hearing that Streisand has recorded with the most unlikely of duet partners: Bob Dylan.

The Nobel and Pulitzer prize winning Dylan doesn’t have a lot of duets on his resume. Most of them are derived from spontaneous live performances. His collaborators in the past included Johnny Cash, George Harrison, and Eric Clapton, among the few.

Streisand and Dylan together are a historic meeting. They’re the two longest running artists on Columbia Records going back to the early 60s. (Dylan had a one off with David Geffen’s Asylum Records but then returned immediately. Streisand has never left.) It’s amazing they’ve never crossed paths in the past.

What are they singing? Maybe a Frank Sinatra song. Dylan has a penchant for Sinatra so thought would make sense. But you could also imagine Bob and Barbra singing one of Dylan’s songs like “Forever Young” or “Make You Feel My Love.”

The new Duets album is said to be coming in January or February. There’s also a multipart documentary coming, produced by Frank Marshall, which we might see this winter as well.

Al Pacino Reveals in New Book That Teleprompters Are “Greatest Thing I Have Found Late in My Acting Life”

Roger Friedman
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Al Pacino Reveals in New Book That Teleprompters Are “Greatest Thing I Have Found Late in My Acting Life”

Al Pacino’s “Sonny Boy” memoir is the most refreshing celebrity autobiography I’ve read since Keith Richards’ “Life.”

Pacino just lets loose on everything like lots of girlfriends and romances, his personal finances (always a mess), and his whole approach to acting.

The Oscar, Emmy, and Tony Award winner recounts one of his Broadway failures — acting in David Mamet’s undercooked “China Doll.” Pacino was lost, the play wasn’t really written, and he was going out on stage every night not knowing what would happen.

And then Pacino, one of my personal favorite actors of all time, delivers a startling candid revelation.

He writes:

“So I’m going to tell you a secret. This is the greatest thing that I have found late in my acting life. Teleprompters. You have teleprompters carefully placed on the stage, providing you with the text. Now it takes a while, but if you know the character and you’ve worked through it and you understand what’s inside you coming out, you start to really free up and get this sucker. In the old days, they had a guy under the stage who would shout out lines to the actor if they somehow missed a line—they were actually called prompters. It was an old-fashioned device, even in Shakespeare’s time. I’m sure even then they would get new line changes the night before. Can’t you see it? Some guy onstage up there, saying, “To be, or—” and just stalling till he hears from near the floorboards: “Not to be.” Maybe that’s how that pause got built in.”

He continues:

“So here I am in China Doll, and I had them strategically pop teleprompters all over that stage. Now I realized why Marlon had oak tags with his lines put up all around the sets of his films. This was the first time since The Indian Wants the Bronx when I really didn’t know what I was going to say each night—I would just go out there and see what came to me. Hallelujah, hallelujah, I finally got back there. And I was practically being thrown out to be eaten alive by the press. But I knew I was going somewhere with this part, and after the sixth week and the seventh week and the eighth week, I turned that corner.”

Bravo to Al, who I hope got paid a lot of money from his publisher. “Sonny Boy” is really a page turner!

“SNL” Movie RIP at Box Office, But Ariana Grande-Stevie Nicks Show Scores Huge Ratings

Roger Friedman
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“SNL” Movie RIP at Box Office, But Ariana Grande-Stevie Nicks Show Scores Huge Ratings

“Saturday Night Live” is having a crazy season.

The Jason Reitman movie about the first night of the show 50 years ago is DEAD at the box office. Even with good reviews, the movie is not catching fire. No one is going. In 3 weeks it’s not made $5 million. Oy vey.

But “SNL” the show is booming. This past weekend’s episode with Ariana Grande as host and Stevie Nicks as musical guest scored the highest numbers for the show in 3 years.

Total came in at 5.572 million, up over 800,000 the week before. I told you Lorne Michaels is pulling out all the stops. Watch what happens when Michael Keaton, star of “Beetlejuice 2,” and Billie Eilish hit the stage. That should tip things over.

Michaels is just going to book the biggest names possible for the rest of the season. I hope Stevie Nicks’s success will mean more Big Rock Stars. Will we see Bruce? Paul? Bring ’em on!

PS The show was such a hit that both of the songs Stevie Nicks sang have charted on iTunes. “The Lighthouse” is number 12, and “Edge of Seventeen” — 40 years old — is number 56!

Rufus Wainwright Furious Trump Rally Used Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” Sends Cease and Desist

Roger Friedman
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Rufus Wainwright Furious Trump Rally Used Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” Sends Cease and Desist

Yesterday’s Trump rally debacle included the use of Rufus Wainwright singing Leonard Cohen’s classic song “Hallelujah.” Trump swung and swayed for 39 incomprehensible minutes to several songs including that one. Cohen was turning in his grave.

Rufus is not amused, and says he was “mortofied” when he found out about it. He says Cohen’s publisher — Hipgnosis — is send a cease and desist letter.

Trump’s campaign has used music all through the campaign that’s caused legal trouble. Isaac Hayes III went to court to stop him from using his father’s “Hold On I’m Coming.” Others have sent cease and desist letters of their own.


Whitney Houston First Ever Live Concert Album Coming Along with Film of Legendary South Africa Show

Roger Friedman
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Whitney Houston First Ever Live Concert Album Coming Along with Film of Legendary South Africa Show

In her whole career and since her death Whitney Houston has never had a live concert film or album.

That changes soon as “The Concert for a New South Africa” film hits theaters along with a soundtrack next month.

There’s even a single to go along with it, Whitney’s recording of “Love Is.”

The movie will be shown in theaters on October 23rd and 27th. The album comes in all formats on November 8th.

The never-before released concert from Durban, South Africa, which has been beautifully remastered in 4K with remastered audio. The screenings will take place in nearly 1,000 cinemas worldwide in more than 30 countries.

In 1994, Whitney Houston performed a series of three concerts in South Africa including Durban at Kings Park Stadium on November 8, Johannesburg (November 12), and Cape Town (November 19), which made her the first major Western recording artist to perform in the newly unified, post-apartheid nation following President Nelson Mandela’s historic election win. The three performances included a combined 200,000 plus attendees and were more than concerts; they were a celebration of freedom, hope, and unity. Whitney’s powerhouse voice and emotional delivery brought joy and inspiration to a country newly liberated. Additionally, portions of the proceeds from her concerts benefited numerous local South African children’s charities through her foundation.

I am told that this show and recording are amazing, made long before Whitney’s descent into drugs. This is the Voice of a Generation at the top of her talent. Whitney’s long time mentor Clive Davis saw the film last week and tells me it’s going to blow everyone away.

Trump Admits Cholesterol is 180, Considered “High” and “Not Optimal,” In Rants About Medical Records

Roger Friedman
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Trump Admits Cholesterol is 180, Considered “High” and “Not Optimal,” In Rants About Medical Records

Donald Trump says his cholesterol level is 180 in a new rant on Truth Social.

According to every medical source on the web, 180 is considered “high” and “Not optimal.” But what do you expect from a man who eats fast food all day?

In his latest rant about medical records, Trump insists his health is better than that of Kamala Harris. He says she has a rash, and thinks that’s worse than his stomach bloated from french fries.

He screeches: “As to her completely desperate request for my Medical Statements, she is dying to see my Cholesterol (which is 180!), I have already provided them, many times, including quite recently, and they were flawless. However, I have just seen Kamala’s Report, and it is not good. According to her Doctor’s Report, she suffers from “urticaria,” defined as “a rash of round, red welts on the skin that itch intensely, sometimes with dangerous swelling.” She also has “allergic rhinitis and allergic conjunctivitis,” a very messy and dangerous situation. These are deeply serious conditions that clearly impact her functioning. Maybe that is why she can’t answer even the simplest of questions asked by 60 Minutes, and others. What is this all about? I don’t have these problems…”

He doesn’t seem to realize that Harris’s rash and a little pink eye can be solved by ointment That’s not the solution to high cholesterol. He’s a ticking bomb.

He also says: “…I’ve put out more Medical Exams than any other President in History, and aced two Cognitive Exams (the Doctor stated that my “cognitive exams were exceptional!”). I am far healthier than Clinton, Bush, Obama, Biden, but especially, Kamala. Also, I am far too busy campaigning to take time, from the 22 days left, as I am using every hour, of every day, campaigning, because we have to take back our Country from the Radical Left people that are destroying it. MAGA2024!”

He’s using every hour of every day? Last night he spent 39 minutes swaying back and forth to music at a rally and not even speaking.

Is he on a statin for cholesterol, as so many of us are? We don’t know because despite his assertion that he’s released more medical records than anyone, he’s delivered none. His last doctor, the quacky Dr. Harold Bornstein, signed a statement he admitted later he didn’t even write.

Do we really want Trump to become ill in office, and have JD Vance take over as president? That prospect is more frightening than anything else in this race.

Box Office: “Joker 2” Collapses, Posts First Day Under $1 Million, Down 54% from Sunday

Roger Friedman
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Box Office: “Joker 2” Collapses, Posts First Day Under $1 Million, Down 54% from Sunday

The tragic end of “Joker Folie a Deux” has arrived.

For Warner Bros, these days the box office is a mixed bag. They’re booming with “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” now headed to $300 million.

But “Joker 2” has been a severe disappointment. On Monday, a holiday no less, the Todd Phillips movie fell 54% from Sunday. The total take was just $930,000, the first time the box office lodged less than a million bucks.

The party is over, and “Joker 2” is headed to streaming on October 29th. With just $53 million total, the studio has no choice. The budget was at least $200 million.

Will there be more “Joker” movies? I doubt it. We may see someone play the Joker in a Batman movie. But this will be the end of Joaquin Phoenix’s days tripping the crazy light fantastic.

Al Pacino Explains His Long Relationship with Diane Keaton In New Book: “We found a tempo and temperature that was right”

Roger Friedman
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Al Pacino Explains His Long Relationship with Diane Keaton In New Book: “We found a tempo and temperature that was right”

Oscar winner and superstar Al Pacino has published his memoir today called “Sonny Boy.” T To a point he’s pretty candid about everything in his life, including his great loves.

Certainly, a major one was Diane Keaton, who he starred with in “The Godfather” movies. Their relationship was a major one although it did end in discord when Keaton discovered Pacino was having a child with a woman who worked for him.

Here’s what Pacino writes:

“I have always liked women, but from the time I was very young, I have been shy around them. I don’t woo them. I don’t pursue them. Women either respond to you or they don’t, and if they don’t make the first move toward me, I am a bit reluctant to try again. But with Diane this time things were different. We always had a connection. She understood my read on things, and it felt comforting to have someone who got me. So I went after her. We hung out together, and after a couple of months we decided to get together. We found a tempo and a temperature that was right.

“Diane was working very consistently at the time, making movies that were highly commercial. When she starred in Baby Boom, it was a big hit for her. Having a partner who was more successful than me didn’t faze me or intimidate me. I wasn’t particularly motivated to get back into the game or change my approach to my own work. I just wished Diane joy in her work, which she had. She’d go off and make a film for a few weeks; I’d stay home and do a reading of a play. I knew what an artist she was, and I admired all the different ways she applied her talents as an actor, a singer, a writer, and a photographer. She used to tease me affectionately and call me “a lazy eye-tie,”—a corny old insult for Italians—which would just make me laugh.”

“Diane had a house in California which I enjoyed. I’d go in and out as my sleepy, weepy self, and I was doing fine. Perhaps that’s what I was meant to be, a backward glance to what my life was before I was known, when I would spend it reading and thinking, walking and talking. In New York, I could stroll through Central Park as I did regularly, and I found as time went on, people looked at me less and less. That took some getting used to, but there was something about it that gave me peace.

“Being with Diane had a lot to do with my sense of peace and comfort. I had found that kind of comfort that makes you feel and think with the world. I enjoyed the ability to continue this experimental journey, free from the pressures of having to fulfill anyone’s expectations but my own, if I wanted to. But I wouldn’t have a choice in the matter for much longer.”

“Sonny Boy” is a fascinating read from one of our greatest artists!

RIP Libby Titus, 77, Writer of “Love Has No Pride,” Producer, Wife of Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen

Roger Friedman
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RIP Libby Titus, 77, Writer of “Love Has No Pride,” Producer, Wife of Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen

I am very sorry to report the death of Libby Titus.

The singer songwriter best known for her much covered hit, “Love Has No Pride,” was 77 years old. She’d been married to Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen for 31 years. She had one daughter, singer Amy Helm, with The Band’s Levon Helm, and a son, Ezra Titus, who passed away in 2009, from her first marriage.

Donald wrote on his web page, “My beautiful wife, Libby Titus Fagen, passed on October 13th surrounded by family. Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts, and for respecting our privacy at this time.”

Libby was a popular figure in the contemporary music of our time. In addition to singing, songwriting she came up with the idea for the New York Rock and Soul Revue in 1989. The group included Fagen, my late friend Phoebe Snow, Dr. John, and Bonnie Raitt. The group was incredibly popular, playing live shows in New York at the Lonestar Roadhouse, and recording a terrific album. Fagen and Walter Becker were on a break from Steely Dan but the Revue got them back together.

Carly Simon’s 1979 album, “Spy,” included “Love You By Heart”, a song Simon wrote with Titus and Jacob Brackman. That was just a couple of years after Simon wrote and recorded a brilliant song called “Libby,” dedicated to her friend.

On a personal note, I knew Libby for years. She was so engaging and fun, and a great friend when you needed her. Condolences to Donald, and to her wide network of admirers.

Here’s “Love Has No Pride,” made into hits by Linda Ronstadt and Bonnie Raitt:


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