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Warner Music Group: No Spin Can Help Them

Roger Friedman
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6
Warner Music Group: No Spin Can Help Them

I’ve got to say, reading Peter Lauria‘s account of Fred Goodman‘s new book about Warner Music, even I thought I must have been wrong.

The book is “Fortune’s Fool,” and apparently, according to the usually astute Lauria, Edgar Bronfman, Jr. is the man who saved the record business. Lauria falls all over himself to endorse Goodman’s thesis: that Bronfman is a genius who should be apologized to now since he’s also a pioneer and seer.

As they say on the inter-web: OMG. That nothing could be farther from the truth is an understatement. That two journalists fell for it makes it all the worse.

Warner Music in its current incarnation is an industry joke. In the five and a half years that they’ve had the company, Bronfman and Lyor Cohen have developed no artists. They’ve relied solely on artists who were signed before they bought the company. The few one-off surprise hits they’ve had — no follow up. Take poor James Blunt, who will be singing “You’re Beautiful” for the rest of his life, or Gnarls Barkley, still “Crazy” after all these years.

WMG has also managed to lose Madonna, Nickelback, and Paul Simon–the latter not a bestseller anymore but a prestige act who should have been cultivated. Green Day, Linkin Park, Eric Clapton, Josh Groban, Faith Hill, and Michael Buble–all were there well before Bronfman and friends.

For five years the charts have reflected the truth about WMG: a few scattered hits from Craig Kallman at Atlantic Records. But the name Warner Records no longer appears on hits. I know this is very old school, but a successful record company is indicated by HITS-not by layoffs and cutting staff to the bone. Clive Davis and Doug Morris can turn on the radio and hear their HITS from, respectively, Arista/J and Universal Music groups. Edgar Bronfman cannot say that.

Every year for five years WMG stock price has dropped into the abyss. Each quarter, Bronfman gets on a conference call with analysts and answers questions about “possible changes in the digital market” or some such nonsense. He also promises that the “schedule is backloaded” so that the big hits are in the fourth quarter. As usual, we’re waiting:

Last week the charts were dominated by Universal/Interscope, Universal/A&M, Arista, Capitol, and Columbia. And the punchline there is that Capitol is, like, non functioning. Despite constantly teetering on the edge of EMI and Terra Firma’s collapse, Capitol and its subsidiaries are still somehow getting music out there.

Yet, Warner/Atlantic (Elektra was silenced by Bronfman) can barely get the “Twilight” soundtrack into the top 10. It’s a cult movie, but the CD has no marketing. Tom Petty returns after a long silence and isn’t in the top 10. Basically, WMG lives on a country act called the Zac Brown Band. That’s it. Oh yes, and a one off at Atlantic called B.O.B.

But Columbia, with all its faults, has the “Glee” soundtrack, and Train, a group they manage to continue exhuming. Their Epic label has Ozzy Osbourne‘s new hit. Arista has managed to make Sarah MacLachlan a hit again this summer, and kept Alicia Keys alive. UMG has Eminem, Drake, the Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga and a new Sting album in one week’s time. Disney even has Miley Cyrus.

One could say that Sony benefited from Michael Jackson’s death in unexpected album sales. But WMG owns Warner Chappel Music, publisher of Michael’s own songs. Where was the WMG artists-cover Michael Jackson album this year? No where. I never even heard anyone mention such a thing.

As for the Genius: we’re waiting. WMG stock opens this morning at $4.67, off its year high of $8.02.

PS Bronfman, Goodman and Lauria’s genius, is the same guy who lost $30 million promoting luxury concert events in the Hamptons three years ago with BullDog Entertainment and $3,000 concert tickets. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,329266,00.html#2

Ken Starr: Jailed Celeb Money Manager Gave Ex Wife $750K a Year

Roger Friedman
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2
Ken Starr: Jailed Celeb Money Manager Gave Ex Wife $750K a Year

Ken Starr sits in a downtown Manhattan jail, accused of stealing at least $60 million from his celebrity clients like Neil Simon, Carly Simon, Uma Thurman, Mike Nichols, Lauren Bacall and possibly Michael Douglas‘s ex wife, Diandra.

His fourth and current wife, Diane Passage, remains in limbo, sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission, and rendered an object of vulnerability by paparazzi and tabloids because she was once a part time stripper at Scores.

But there’s a lot we don’t know yet, and neither does Passage, according to friends.

For example, she just confirmed in the last week that she was Wife No. 4, not Number 3. When she married Starr in 2007, he told her he had just two exes–Gail, mother of his son, Ronald, 41, who also runs his companies; and Marisa Vucci, 46, mother of his two younger daughters.

I am told that Starr, 66, has recently owned up to Wife No. 2, Sheila G. Starr, a real estate agent on the Upper West Side with Prudential Douglas Elliman. They divorced in 1991. Sheila Starr, whom I spoke with, is lovely but refuses to answer questions about her marriage. When I asked her if she was surprised about her ex-husband’s arrest, she said, “Yes.”

More interesting, though, is Marisa Starr, who’s been painted as a victim in the Starr saga. Sources say that Diane Passage has only recently learned that Ken was still married to Marisa when Passage became engaged to him in 2006.

Even more interesting: Starr and Marisa only signed their divorce agreement on May 9, 2007–just two weeks before Starr’s marriage to Passage. And Marisa, mother of Starr’s two daughters, got quite a nice send off. She receives $750,000 a year for an unspecified amount of time. There’s no cap on it. In addition, sources say she was still receiving $2,500 a week from Starr and Company until Ken was arrested on May 27th.

“Plus she got a lump sum that’s not on the books,” claims a source close to Passage about the former Marisa Vucci.

Both Sheila Starr and Marisa Vucci Starr may prove to be of some interest to investigators and prosecutors. The period of time they covered with Ken Starr is simultaneous to some of his most twisted business dealings including his handling of the estate of Arthur Stanton and advising of his widow, Joan Stanton, who died last year. Earlier this year Starr settled a massive fraud lawsuit for millions brought by the Stanton family that reached back to 1987.

Additionally, I am told that Marisa Vucci and her divorce attorney, William Beslow–noted for taking high profile cases–have sought to re-open Vucci’s divorce case.

As for Passage, the mother of a 12 year old had several “straight” careers including working with SPIN, Single Parents in Need. According to her bio at the Huffington Post, Passage worked days in an ad agency and nights at Scores to support herself and her son until she met Starr.

The Starr saga continues to unravel with more mysteries. More to come, most certainly…

Bessman’s Blog: Country Music Comes to NYC, Time Jumpers & Ranger Doug Swing

Roger Friedman
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3
Bessman’s Blog: Country Music Comes to NYC, Time Jumpers & Ranger Doug Swing

It was a beautiful night to be outdoors in Manhattan Thursday, cool and comfortable–except one music fan at the third night’s installment of this year’s Midsummer Night Swing series in Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park was afraid of an inevitable confrontation.

“We missed you at the Station Inn,” said Terry Choate, owner of Nashville’s Crosswind Corporation and manager of the night’s star performers, Nashville swing band the Time Jumpers. Sure enough, Ranger Doug, guitarist/vocalist of Riders In the Sky and “Idol of American Youth,” had put me on the list for the TJs regular Monday night show at Nashville’s famed Station Inn bluegrass club. I’d palled around with the Riders–America’s premier cowboy country-and-western band–for three days last month at the Grand Ol’ Opry and the CMA Music Festival, and Ranger Doug wanted me to see the esteemed band of Nashville players who have coalesced into the Time Jumpers as a celebrated side band.

After explaining that I had lost my glasses before driving over to Allison Krauss‘s for dinner and wimped out of driving downtown to the Station at night wearing dark prescription shades, Ranger Doug gave me the rundown on this rare out-of-town Time Jumpers gig.

http://www.thetimejumpers.com/

“We’ve only done about 10 road dates, because it’s hard to get a quorum,” said Ranger Doug. “You have to be a certain number to be the Time Jumpers–eight, to be proper. Otherwise it’s just a jam band and not the Time Jumpers anymore.”

The group was originally formed 13 years ago when founding members started jamming on swing music in the Grand Ole Opry dressing rooms. It now attracts top Nashville stars like Toby Keith, Jimmy Buffett, Reba McEntire and John Rich, who come down to sit in at the Monday night gigs.

It was only the second Time Jumpers road date for Ranger Doug, who just completed Riders in the Sky performance No. 5,962. I hadn’t seen the group in New York since No. 5,354 show three years ago at the River to River Festival; Ethan Coen was there, prompting Ranger Doug to introduce “King of Country Fiddlers” Woody Paul as the star of the upcoming movie “O Brother, Where Am I”–the intro he’s used ever since.

It was a nine-piece Time Jumpers at Lincoln Center, all monster players also including former members of Mel Tillis’s Statesiders Kenny Sears (fiddle), Paul Franklin (steel) and Rich Vanaugh (drums); former Asleep At the Wheel fiddler Larry Franklin, guitarist Andy Reiss, fiddler Joe Spivey, upright bassist Dennis Crouch and vocalist Dawn Sears (Kenny’s wife).

No wonder Kenny looked familiar: I’d just seen him twice last month, too, at the Opry, as he also serves now in Cajun country star Jimmy C. Newman‘s band. With Spivey and Larry Franklin he gave the Time Jumpers a phenomenal three-fiddle front, with Larry Franklin and Reiss flanking on the right and Dawn Sears on the left; Ranger Doug sat back by Vanaugh except when he came out to sing lead on songs like Elton Britt‘s yodel showpiece “Give Me a Pinto Pal.”

Chanteuse Laura Cantrell deserves kudos for catching the Connie Smith quality in Dawn Sears‘ singing. I saw Smith in Nashville as well, at the Opry and at husband Marty Stuart‘s listening party for his fabulous forthcoming album “Ghost Train” (due Aug. 24); the Opry legend said she has a new album in the works as well.

Cantrell, meanwhile, is working on a Kitty Wells album tribute. The Nashville native will participate July 27 in a Nashville flood relief benefit concert at Le Poisson Rouge. Ranger Doug, incidentally, was one of many Grand Ole Opry stars who lost instruments when the Opry House storage lockers took in four feet of water–same with Riders accordionist/”Cowpolka King” Joey Miskulin and Jimmy C. Newman’s accordionist Bessyl Duhon.

Meanwhile, Cantrell’s husband Jeremy Tepper, programmer for Sirius Satellite Radio’s “Outlaw Country,” “Willie’s Place” and “Road Dog Trucking” channels, was raving about David Allan Coe‘s “awesome” show in Brooklyn–which I missed for being in Nashville–and visit to Sirius, where he regaled Peter Wolf and Southside Johnny.

For his part Choate—a former A&R exec at Capitol Nashville during the Garth Brooks era who now also works with Larry Gatlin (he produced his latest album “Pilgrimage”) — and Opry station WSM’s “Inside the Opry Circle” host Teea Goans (he produced her debut album, too), made note that the Time Jumpers will film a second DVD this fall, the first, “Jumpin’ Time” (2006), having garnered a Grammy nomination for “Sweet Memories.”

Of course the group performed the Mickey Newbury classic, along with others by the likes of Bob Wills, of course, Gene Autry, Ray Price, Faron Young, Vern Gosdin, George Strait and Andy Reiss, whose original instrumental “Stompin’ at the Station” left them stompin’ at the Lincoln.

Reiss and Ranger Doug, by the way, have recorded an acoustic jazz album, “Art of the Archtop.”

Old friend Robert Kenison was watching up close, being a fellow music legend. Better known as Troy Sharmel of the legendary 1970s Madison, Wis.-based rock ‘n’ roll show band Dr. Bop & The Headliners (and known to his friends as Beefy), Kenison joined me in heading north to Ashford & Simpson‘s Sugar Bar–after a 10-minute break to listen to two of the 60 Sing for Hope “Play Me, I’m Yours” pianos scattered about the city.

A young girl, maybe six and unable to reach the pedals, enchanted scores of exiting Midsummer Night Swingers and American Ballet Theater-goers from the adjacent Met Opera House at the piano situated outside Avery Fisher Hall. She remained pretty much oblivious to the crowd and its ecstatic applause and ran over to her mother and baby brothers before being coaxed into an encore.

Across the street at Alice Tully Hall, a young woman sang “Memories,” accompanied by a piano player skilled enough to switch to the “Habanera (‘L’amour est un oiseau rebelle’)” aria from “Carmen” when an older lady joined in and then requested it.

More Tuesday…

Ed Limato: Hollywood Agent Gave Legendary Oscar Parties

Roger Friedman
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2
Ed Limato: Hollywood Agent Gave Legendary Oscar Parties

Ed Limato, 73, one of the most legendary Hollywood talent agents ever, died on Saturday after a long illness. Ed, a bon vivant who lived in splendor in a Beverly Hills mansion with a massive, rolling lawn, was one of a kind.

It was in March 2001 that Ed Limato gave what was probably the best of his famous Oscar parties. I attended as a guest of the great Caroline Graham. We were working on a Talk magazine Oscar issue. Remember Talk magazine?

Anyway, I chronicled the night in two columns. They can be found here:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,1971,00.html

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,1967,00.html

This is what I remember: in the large party tent set up on Ed’s lawn, Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts came in, talked to a small group of people including me and Diana Ross, and told he was definitely running for president in 2004. I reported this in my Fox411 column, but it was Fox News, and no one took it seriously.

I also remember Diana Ross with all her kids, dancing together joyously. And David Selby, the terrific actor, telling me that Ed Limato had been his one and only agent through his whole career. Despite Limato adding Mel Gibson (then sane), Denzel Washington, Michelle Pfeiffer and other movie stars over the years, he’d remained loyal to Selby. And vice versa.

In succeeding years, the Limato party was still a big deal, but his clients were winding down. For the 2001 Talk Oscar issue, I sent writer Ross Johnson (now with PMK-BNC) to interview Ed about his Oscar party.

Ross wrote: “Limato began having friends over to his home for a pre-Oscar party in the early 1990s. It was a small group including Gere, the late Herb Ritts, and top actors who had jetted in from all over the world for Oscar weekend. The cost of the party back then was about $10,000. (Limato has always paid for the party out of his own pocket.)
“But when agent Irving “Swifty” Lazar died in December of 1993, the balance of power in Oscar party politics changed. Lazar had hosted an incredibly popular post-Oscar party for almost three decades, but now the torch was passed to Limato and Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter.
It’s hard to call a party for 400 ambitious showbiz types as “private,” and certainly the tab for Limato’s bash has risen (it now costs him $150,000). But Limato refuses to budge on one very appreciated attribute of his affair: He is dedicated to making sure his guests have fun.
“The secret of having a good party is a good mix of guests,” said Limato. “You need rich people and not so rich people, beautiful people and homely people, successful types and not so successful, and people who like to drink a little too much and people who don’t.”
Certainly, the history of Limato’s John Wolf-designed home is conducive to frivolity. It was built in 1936 as a honeymoon retreat for Dick Powell and Joan Blondell. George Raft and Betty Grable nested here during their mating days. Diana Dors, a later owner, was once tossed into the swimming pool amid a bash that got out of control.
In contrast to today’s button-downed, vertically-integrated, cross-promoted Los Angeles, the concept of things getting a little out of control behind closed doors does not frighten Limato.
Limato is asked how he would have handled one of the most notorious moments in recent Hollywood social history. Back in 1998, Arnold Rifkin was the president of the William Morris Agency, and tried to steal some of Limato’s thunder by hosting a pre-Oscar party at his home.
There was a faux paus. During the party, Michael De Luca, the then-president of New Line Films, received what is known as an indecent oral tribute [update: he was pleasured quite publicly] from a sister of a William Morris agent. The randy act was witnessed by some party goers. When host Rifkin was informed, he had a security guard march De Luca and his date from the premises.
Rifkin’s reign at William Morris, and as an agent, ended shortly thereafter. (De Luca was subsequently bounced out of New Line, but was then hired to a top position at DreamWorks. He’s since gone on to be a much more conservative producer.) According to Limato, one can’t host a Hollywood bash without being a little, er, flexible.
Limato says that, if he was presented with a similar situation as the one presented Rifkin, “I wouldn’t have batted an eyelash. You can’t have a party as successful as my parties and say ‘You can’t do this. You can’t do that.'”
Limato knows a thing or two about creative types and their ways. “I would have never thrown De Luca out of my house,” says Limato.
“I would have just said, ‘Why don’t you go upstairs and use my bedroom?”
Of such decisions Oscar legends are made.

PS Despite the glowing report, neither Ross nor I was invited to the 2002 party. Ed decided he didn’t like the press attention we’d given him.

Box Office Betting: Flashback–We Broke the Story on December 1, 2009

Roger Friedman
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1
Box Office Betting: Flashback–We Broke the Story on December 1, 2009

http://www.showbiz411.com/2009/12/01/20091201box-office-betting-cantor-index

Before December 1, 2009, no one knew that Cantor Fitzgerald was planning to launch box office betting.

This column broke the story after Howard Lutnick, the head of CF, told me about it in passing. The Drudge Report, our favorite website, picked it up and linked to us.

Since then, all hell has broken loose. Congress is now involved. There’s a bill to prevent box office betting winding its way around Capitol Hill.

Now comes word that Cantor Fitzgerald’s benign non pro site, Hollywood Stock Exchange, has laid off most of its staff. No doubt the expense of defending this very poorly thought out idea has cost Cantor too much money. What a shame.

Cantor suffered an unimaginable tragic blow when its offices were part of the World Trade Center disaster of September 11, 2001. Lutnick’s own brother died in the horror. Since then, CF has had to rebuild.

Betting on the box office was not the way to go. The chances for potential bad faith activity were just too high. I said it from the beginning on December 1st. I said to it Howard Lutnick. Fantasy betting, yes. But real betting: no. It’s not going to happen.

By the way, for what it’s worth, trading on both Mel Gibson and Tom Cruise is sharply down this week.

Ben Walker Chooses Broadway Over X Men: Final Stand

Roger Friedman
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21
Ben Walker Chooses Broadway Over X Men: Final Stand

With the uncertainty surrounding 20th Century Fox’s casting choices for “X Men First Class,” Benjamin Walker has ankled the project.

Walker is negotiating a deal instead to reprise his starring role on Broadway in “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.” The emo-pop musical was a smash hit off Broadway with Walker last season.

The whole “X Men”-“Andrew Jackson” seesaw has been going on for some time. Walker had a signed deal to play Beast in “First Class.” But lately, with the success of “Twilight,” studio execs at Fox have  been obsessed with making the “X Men” X boys.

Suddenly, Fox is nervous because they’ve had some failures at the box office. “Knight and Day,” “The A Team,” and “Marmaduke” almost reverses their success with “Avatar.” Getting “X Men: First Class” right is suddenly more important than ever, I am told.

So far, still, James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender remain with the film. They’re the “senior” cast, which is just hilarious. Look for a lot of different Taylor Lautners to assume the other roles. Fox, I’m told, even checked Lautner’s availability.

For Walker and the producers of “Andrew Jackson” this is all good news. Walker will undoubtedly get a Tony nomination next spring, and “Andrew Jackson” has the potential to become a “American Idiot” type hit.

Mel Gibson: Stick a Fork in Him, He’s Done

Roger Friedman
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8
Mel Gibson: Stick a Fork in Him, He’s Done

It’s a good thing Summit Entertainment is making so much money on the “Twilight” series.

They also have in their possession “The Beaver,” starring Mel Gibson, and directed by Jodie Foster.

After what’s happened now, “The Beaver” may not see the light of the day for a long, long time.

Gibson–already branded an anti-Semite and racist, as well as anti conventional Catholicism and the Pope–has now really finished himself off.

According to several reports, from TMZ to Radar Online, Gibson is heard on tape using the “N word” to his ex girlfriend and babymama, Oksana Grigorieva.

Not only does Gibson use the “N Word,” he’s also singularly abusive to Grigorieva, who recently bore him a child. This is the woman for whom he left his wife, Robyn, by the way.

The reports say Gibson told Oskana: “You’re an embarrassment to me.” He also says: “You look like a f***ing pig in heat, and if you get raped by a pack of n***ers, it will be your fault.”

Mel tells Oksana: “How dare you act like such a bitch when I have been so f**king nice.”  He adds:  “I am going to come and burn the f**king house down… but you will blow me first.”

OK, so that’s it. There’s more, but I’m sure one of the reliable tabloid websites will be broadcasting the whole fiasco soon. If it’s true–and it sure seems like it–Gibson is completely done in Hollywood. No amount of feigning apologies to Diane Sawyer can help him. Rehab is out of the question.

There’s simply no excuse for this behavior. But there was no excuse for him calling a female police officer, “Sugar tits,” or making his anti-Semitic observations to a Jewish cop in Malibu. Nor was there any rationale for his inappropriate behavior while promoting “Edge of Darkness” this past January.

Mel will be left to running his Holy Family Church in Malibu/Agoura Hills for Catholics who don’t recognize the pope and Holocaust deniers. If only the Academy could recall his Oscars for “Braveheart,” and offer them to Ron Howard for the real Best Picture of 1995, “Apollo 13.”

As for “The Beaver,” Gibson cannot possibly do any press now. And Foster would be left to answer embarrassing questions. That leaves the handpuppet beaver that Gibson’s character talks to in the movie. He will be available for Glenn Beck, if asked.

PS I will never forget Mel and Oksana showing up at the Hollywood Reporter pre-Oscar party this year. Mel  looked like he’d slept in his clothes; his eyes were barely in focus.

Mel was there to receive some cockamamie award from Mexico for shooting there, even though the people of the village where he was planning to make a movie didn’t want him there.

Kelsey Chooses Broadway; Andrew Garfield is Spider Man; No Overture Made

Roger Friedman
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1
Kelsey Chooses Broadway; Andrew Garfield is Spider Man; No Overture Made

Kelsey Grammer is getting a divorce from third wife, Camille. They have two children.

At first this one is a head-scratcher since Kelsey and Camille looked happy as clams the night of the Tony Awards.

But here’s the thing: Camille is now part of the scripted reality show, “The Real (Albeit Cosmetically Enhanced) Housewives of Beverly Hills.” It shoots in California, three thousand miles from Broadway. Grammer, who’s done LA and never liked it much, is a Tony nominee in the Tony award winning Best Revival Musical “La Cage Aux Folles.” He ain’t leaving New York anytime soon.

Is it just geography that’s splitting this couple? Answer: who knows? But when “Housewives” eventually airs, we may learn a lot more. The camera crews have been following the couple for weeks. Even yours truly had to sign a release on Tony night after I spoke to Kelsey about the Broadway show…

…Everyone’s fighting over whose scoop it is/was that Andrew Garfield has been cast in the new “Spider Man” movie. I don’t care. All I know is, Garfield is a spectacular choice. So good in “Boy A” and “Dr. Parnassus,” and even “Lions for Lambs,” Garfield is hot hot hot right now. I predicted after “Boy A” that he would blast off, and it’s happening. Well played…

…I told you weeks ago that Overture Films was over. Now Chris McGurk and Danny Rossett are out, and the place is cooked. This is not to be smirked at. Chris and Danny tried hard, and put out some good films like “The Visitor” and “Capitalism: A Love Story.” They are wished well in their next endeavors. No word yet on what happens to Anchor Bay, a division of Overture. They have “Solitary Man,” in release with Michael Douglas. It’s a terrific little film, with Douglas deserving an Oscar nomination. If it got lost in the abyss now, it would be a shame…

…It does feel like I just saw Elliot Kastner in Elaine‘s recently. Last night the eatery’s owner Elaine Kaufman was one of many who mourned a great friend and movie producer. Kastner died on Wednesday at age 80. He made “The Missouri Breaks,” “Harper,” “Equus,” and three films based on Raymond Chandler mystery novels: “The Long Goodbye,” a gem starring Elliot Gould; “Farewell My Lovely” and “The Big Sleep.” A fixture in Hollywood, popular and talented, he will be sorely missed….

Tom Cruise Film Falls to Number 5: Bad Signs Ahead

Roger Friedman
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4
Tom Cruise Film Falls to Number 5: Bad Signs Ahead

The Tom Cruise-Cameron Diaz film, “Knight and Day,” enters its second weekend at the box office with trouble.

That’s T for Tom trouble. “Knight and Day” has fallen now to fifth place at the box office after 8 days in release. On Wednesday night it dropped past “The Karate Kid,” which been in release longer than “K&D.”

The box office take is now about $33.5 million.

The only good news for “K&D” is that this weekend, only two new films open: “Love Ranch.” which is in limited release, and “The Last Airbender,” which has some of the worst reviews ever. So Cruise and Cameron may be holding steady at number 5 through the holiday.

But it’s likely this will be the last week in the top 10 for “Knight and Day.” Next Friday comes “Despicable Me” and “Predators.”

Meantime, Fox has pushed the UK release of “K&D” from next Friday to August 14th. I guess the idea is that by then, the “K&D” bad press roll will be done, and the stars will get a fresh start in Britain. It’s not a bad idea.

Meantime, “K&D” still has not opened in Spain, despite all the millions spent to have an international premiere in Seville instead of any premiere in the U.S. The excuse may be that the country was preocupado with the World Cup. But still, after making such a scene, and then waiting…It does seem like “K&D” may be jinxed.

The Beatles’ Apple Records: Making a Comeback

Roger Friedman
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14
The Beatles’ Apple Records: Making a Comeback

The word around Capitol Records is that they’re about to launch a re-master re-release program for the Beatles’ Apple Records catalog.

Those were the days, my friend. We thought they’d never end. We were wrong.

The last time someone cleaned up and re-released the Apple catalog was back in 1991. Since then, most of the releases have drifted out of print.

Apple Records was not a great success, but it had its shining moments. The catalog consists of James Taylor’s first album ever, plus albums by Badfinger, Billy Preston, R&B great Doris Troy, Mary Hopkin (pictured), and Jackie Lomax.

There are also early solo albums by Ringo Starr and George Harrison that have fallen by the wayside.

Apple’s shiniest moment, for my money, is Badfinger’s “Straight Up” album, produced by Harrison and Todd Rundgren. It’s just perfection–and that’s the name of one of the songs. It also contains the classic hits “Day After Day” and “Baby Blue.” It’s so good, it should be framed.

I will be particularly interested in Doris Troy‘s self titled album. Troy’s biggest hit for Atlantic in the 60s was “Just One Look.” Later she sang, quite beautifully, on Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon.”

I am also very curious about Billy Preston‘s “Encouraging Words.” It features Harrison, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Keith Richards and Doris Troy. The same line up is on his “That’s The Way God Planned It.”

And of course, the most enduring of the Apple hits, Mary Hopkin’s “Those Were the Days,” was produced by Paul McCartney, who also wrote Badfinger’s first hit, “Come and Get It.”

Let’s hope the Apple re-release is as clever and classy as the Beatles’ box set boon of last year.

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