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“Blue Bloods” ended on Friday night with a whimper, not a bang, after 14 seasons.
The total viewers for the end of the police family drama was 5.86 million. The good news was that was up by 500,000 from the previous week.
Still, “Blue Bloods” was far off its old ratings, having lost customers over the years. Tom Selleck is upset that the show ended, and the way the final episode was written it could come back. But it shouldn’t. It’s time to let this thing go. “Blue Bloods” will run in syndication for eons.
“Yellowstone” concluded on Sunday with a series or season finale. No one knows what’s going on.
Sunday’s episode was up slightly from the previous week with 7.3 million viewers.
But Season 5, which began in 2022, and ended Sunday two years later, was down 4.76% from Season 4. In the key age demo, the show was down 14.64%.
The reality is that over time, with no new shows and constant reports of Kevin Costner fighting with the show’s producers, fans lost interest, gave up and went away.
Can “Yellowstone” come back in a new form and attract its old audience? Probably not. The phenomenon is over. But Taylor Sheridan will try again, no doubt, with a new locale and a few of the characters from the original series.
What a shame. “Yellowstone” could have been like the show it mimicked, “Dallas,” which ran for years as characters came and went.
Stephen Bishop had a lot of hits in the 70s and 80s, and has composed some famous movie music as well. Art Garfunkel recorded many of his songs, and Phoebe Snow named an album after his “Never Letting Go.”
Bishop’s biggest hit was “On and On,” a record that goes on and on for radio. You can hear it all the time on soft rock stations and on Sirius.
Apparently, “American Idol” didn’t get that message. Bishop’s very astute wife and manager, Liz Kamlet, revealed in a recent post how much she was offered by the competition show to use “On and On” for their singers this season.
The number is shocking. Just $500! And that’s for all rights. A more usual offer would start at $10,000. Kamlet’s humorously asks an off camera Bishop is his answer. It’s a definite “No!
“On and On” spent 2 weeks in the Hot 100 back in 1977 and was a gold single (500,000) copies sold. This was before SoundScan. Since 1993, “On and On” has been a best seller among downloads. More recently, it streams like crazy since being included as a touchstone of “Yacht Rock.”
Is this what “Idol” pays for all of its songs? Or do they just lowball for older songs? The whole disrespect for musicians and composers just goes on and on!
Disney has had a pretty good year so far with Marvel’s “Deadpool and Wolverine,” Pixar’s “Inside Out 2,” and “Moana 2.”
But trouble is brewing.
Tomorrow night, Barry Jenkins’ “Mufasa,” an off shoot of “The Lion King,” heads to theaters with a lot of question marks.
Right now, “Mufasa” is largely panned on Rotten Tomatoes at 59. More reviews are coming but they are likely to pull down the average.
Yesterday, the score for “Mufasa,” which has a long, tangled history, failed to make the Oscars short list. This doesn’t bode well for a musical! Only one song, “Tell Me It’s You,” made the short list for songs. Written by Lin Manuel Miranda, but not sung by Beyonce — who’s in the movie. It’s a nice song by Miranda, but the recording is unremarkable.
“Mufasa” has other issues. It’s not done with regular animation and it’s not live action. It’s “photorealistically animated,” which is off putting from the looks of the trailer. Whether or not the audience — particularly children — will take to it remains to be seen.
The budget for “Mufasa,” which regurgitates the classic animated film to some degree, is a staggering $200 to $250 million. No matter how well it does this weekend and over the holidays, that number may be too much for it to succeed.
So everyone waits until the public sees “Mufasa” on Thursday night and there’s some measure of audience interest. “Wicked” and “Moana 2” have been seen by millions, so “Mufasa” could fill the hole left by them for families.
Earlier today the Motion Picture Academy released the Oscar shortlists in 10 categories.
Among them are Best Foreign Language Film, Best Song and Best Score, and Best Documentary. I’m sorry to say in the latter category, the film about Christopher Reeve called “Super/Man,” was snubbed. It deserved to at least be on the short list.
Diane Warren’s song, “The Journey,” sung by HER Music, is my pick for Best Song. It didn’t get Golden Globe or Critics Choice noms, but I think it can win the Oscar. I’ll put it below the noms here. That song is a HIT.
Walter Salles’s “I’m Still Here” is one of my favorite films this year. Fernanda Torres should be nominated for Best Actress. I’m glad to see it on the shortlist for foreign films.
97TH OSCARS® SHORTLISTS IN 10 AWARD CATEGORIES ANNOUNCED
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM
Fifteen films will advance in the Documentary Feature Film category for the 97th Academy Awards. One hundred sixty-nine films were eligible in the category. Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:
“The Bibi Files”
“Black Box Diaries”
“Dahomey”
“Daughters”
“Eno”
“Frida”
“Hollywoodgate”
“No Other Land”
“Porcelain War”
“Queendom”
“The Remarkable Life of Ibelin”
“Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat”
“Sugarcane”
“Union”
“Will & Harper”
DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM
Fifteen films will advance in the Documentary Short Film category for the 97th Academy Awards. One hundred four films qualified in the category. Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:
“Chasing Roo”
“Death by Numbers”
“Eternal Father”
“I Am Ready, Warden”
“Incident”
“Instruments of a Beating Heart”
“Keeper”
“Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World”
“Once upon a Time in Ukraine”
“The Only Girl in the Orchestra”
“Planetwalker”
“The Quilters”
“Seat 31: Zooey Zephyr”
“A Swim Lesson”
“Until He’s Back”
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
Fifteen films will advance to the next round of voting in the International Feature Film category for the 97th Academy Awards. Films from 85 countries and regions were eligible in the category.
Academy members from all branches were invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must have met a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.
In the nominations round, Academy members from all branches are invited to opt in to participate and must view all 15 shortlisted films to vote.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:
Brazil, “I’m Still Here”
Canada, “Universal Language”
Czech Republic, “Waves”
Denmark, “The Girl with the Needle”
France, “Emilia Pérez”
Germany, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”
Iceland, “Touch”
Ireland, “Kneecap”
Italy, “Vermiglio”
Latvia, “Flow”
Norway, “Armand”
Palestine, “From Ground Zero”
Senegal, “Dahomey”
Thailand, “How to Make Millions before Grandma Dies”
United Kingdom, “Santosh”
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Ten films will advance in the Makeup and Hairstyling category for the 97th Academy Awards. All members of the Academy’s Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch will be invited to view excerpts and interviews with the artists from each of the shortlisted films on Saturday, January 11, 2025. Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar® consideration.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:
“The Apprentice”
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”
“A Different Man”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Maria”
“Nosferatu”
“The Substance”
“Waltzing with Brando”
“Wicked”
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
Twenty scores will advance in the Original Score category for the 97th Academy Awards. One hundred forty-five scores were eligible in the category. Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
The scores, listed in alphabetical order by film title, are:
“Alien: Romulus”
“Babygirl”
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”
“Blink Twice”
“Blitz”
“The Brutalist”
“Challengers”
“Conclave”
“Emilia Pérez”
“The Fire Inside”
“Gladiator II”
“Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1”
“Inside Out 2”
“Nosferatu”
“The Room Next Door”
“Sing Sing”
“The Six Triple Eight”
“Wicked”
“The Wild Robot”
“Young Woman and the Sea”
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
Fifteen songs will advance in the Original Song category for the 97th Academy Awards. Eighty-nine songs were eligible in the category. Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
The original songs, along with the motion picture in which each song is featured, are listed below in alphabetical order by film title:
“Forbidden Road” from “Better Man”
“Winter Coat” from “Blitz”
“Compress/Repress” from “Challengers”
“Never Too Late” from “Elton John: Never Too Late”
“El Mal” from “Emilia Pérez”
“Mi Camino” from “Emilia Pérez”
“Sick In The Head” from “Kneecap”
“Beyond” from “Moana 2”
“Tell Me It’s You” from “Mufasa: The Lion King”
“Piece By Piece” from “Piece by Piece”
“Like A Bird” from “Sing Sing”
“The Journey” from “The Six Triple Eight”
“Out Of Oklahoma” from “Twisters”
“Kiss The Sky” from “The Wild Robot”
“Harper And Will Go West” from “Will & Harper”
ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Fifteen films will advance in the Animated Short Film category for the 97th Academy Awards. Eighty-eight films qualified in the category. Academy members from the Animation Branch and Short Films Branch were invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must have met a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.
In the nominations round, Academy members from the Animation Branch and Short Films Branch are invited to opt in to participate and must view all 15 shortlisted films to vote.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:
“Au Revoir Mon Monde”
“A Bear Named Wojtek”
“Beautiful Men”
“Bottle George”
“A Crab in the Pool”
“In the Shadow of the Cypress”
“Magic Candies”
“Maybe Elephants”
“Me”
“Origami”
“Percebes”
“The 21”
“Wander to Wonder”
“The Wild-Tempered Clavier”
“Yuck!”
LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
Fifteen films will advance in the Live Action Short Film category for the 97th Academy Awards. One hundred eighty films qualified in the category. Academy members from all branches were invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must have met a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.
In the nominations round, Academy members from all branches are invited to opt in to participate and must view all 15 shortlisted films to vote.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:
“Anuja”
“Clodagh”
“The Compatriot”
“Crust”
“Dovecote”
“Edge of Space”
“The Ice Cream Man”
“I’m Not a Robot”
“The Last Ranger”
“A Lien”
“The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent”
“The Masterpiece”
“An Orange from Jaffa”
“Paris 70”
“Room Taken”
SOUND
Ten films will advance in the Sound category for the 97th Academy Awards. All eligible members of the Sound Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees. Academy members will be invited to view excerpts from each of the shortlisted films beginning Thursday, January 9, 2025, in the San Francisco Bay area, followed by London, Los Angeles and New York on Saturday, January 11, 2025. Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:
“Alien: Romulus”
“Blitz”
“A Complete Unknown”
“Deadpool & Wolverine”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Gladiator II”
“Joker: Folie à Deux”
“Wicked”
“The Wild Robot”
VISUAL EFFECTS
Ten films remain in the running in the Visual Effects category for the 97th Academy Awards. The Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee determined the shortlist. All members of the Visual Effects Branch will be invited to view excerpts and interviews with the artists from each of the shortlisted films on Saturday, January 11, 2025. Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:
“Alien: Romulus”
“Better Man”
“Civil War”
“Deadpool & Wolverine”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Gladiator II”
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”
“Mufasa: The Lion King”
“Twisters”
“Wicked”
Nominations voting begins on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, and concludes on Sunday, January 12, 2025.
Nominations for the 97th Academy Awards will be announced on Friday, January 17, 2025.
The 97th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC, streamed live on Hulu and airs live in more than 200 territories worldwide.
Martinho de Vila thinks Adele’s 2015 song, “Million Years Ago,” sounds like his 2005 song, “Mulheres.” Adele co-wrote her song with Greg Kurstin, who also wrote “Hello” and lots of hits for many artists.
Lawyers for songwriter Toninho Geraes have convinced a Brazilian judge to pull “Million Years Ago” from streaming and all usage until the case is resolved.
They don’t have much of a case. That’s because “Mulheres” itself sounds a lot like Roy Clark’s classic, “Yesterday When I Was Young.” The Brazilians don’t have a case. Anyway, they waited almost 10 years to say something. Give me a break.
As for Kurstin, “Yesterday When I Was Young” used to be played at every wedding and bar mitzvah. It’s probably etched in millions of brains. And it probably came from another song before that. Good luck.
Comedian John Mulaney, whose hosting duties send “Saturday Night Live” into the stratosphere, loves theater, Broadway especially (He should host the Tony Awards!)
Now Mulaney and writer Simon Rich have assembled a collection of short, funny, and poignant pieces that run a total of 90 minutes called “All In: A Comedy About Love” with a cast that includes the comedian himself, Richard Kind, Renee Elise Goldsberry, and Fred Armisen.
Last night “All In” had a soft opening and gala celebration at the Hudson Theater. Lorne Michaels — who brought his family — is listed as a producer along with director JJ Abrams‘ Bad Robot Live and The New Yorker among others. So you knew it was going to be an A List night!
Through the doors came a who’s who of comedy and “SNL” royalty: Tom Hanks, Steve Martin, Martin Short, David Letterman, Jon Hamm, Jon Stewart, Cecily Strong, Pete Davidson, James Austin Johnson, Alec and Hilaria Baldwin with Alec’s lovely daughter, Ireland — a new mom —were just some of the names. When I looked around the audience, it was stuffed with something beyond A-listers including Simon Rich’s proud parents, Frank Rich and Alex Witchel.
Seated just in front of me: none other than Fran Lebowitz, who joined the crowd for a head spinning party at Carmine’s featuring amounts of food not seen since the great feasts of Rome. She didn’t talk to anyone, and came alone, but she seemed to have a good time!
And why wouldn’t she? Director Alex Timbers has the four actors seated in great chairs on the stage where they read — a la “Love Letters” — about ten different pieces written by Rich and punctuated by Mulaney’s sly humor and onstage music provided by the Magnetic Fields.
This cast goes until January 12th when they wil be succeeded by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Annaleigh Ashford, Hank Azaria, Aidy Bryant, Tim Meadows, Jimmy Fallon, and a host of others in rotation.
This combo was comedy gold, but you can only imagine what the other teams will bring to the material. Did anyone steal last night’s show? Yes. Everyone. And why not? The pieces run from sweet to tangy, with some emphasis on babies and family life thanks to Mulaney’s new status as a dad courtesy of wife Olivia Munn (who was also front and center).
By the way, all the guests got on famously. Jon Hamm and Pete Davidson joked with each other about joining the company. Davidson, who looked and sounded cold sober great, caught up with Lorne Michaels, who told me he expected every single alumna of “SNL” back for their 50th anniversary special in February. Martin Short didn’t discuss his personal status with Meryl Streep but told me she was “doing great.”
I got to be the the one to tell JJ Abrams that no less than Barbra Streisand has been heaping praise on his pop star daughter Gracie Abrams on social media. Gracie was the musical guest on “SNL” just last week.
The biggest stars in the audience, by far: Michael J. Fox with wife Tracy Pollan. Michael is a hero, refusing to back down from his war with Parkinson’s Disease. Pollan is his Gladiatress!
PS Cecily Strong is pregnant! One of the greatest “SNL” grads, Strong told me she’s due in April and is having a girl. She’s pretty much off duty until then. But when she’s back to work, Strong should be the star of her own show. She’s very gifted!
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 16: Martin Short and Jon Hamm attend the “All In: Comedy About Love By Simon Rich” Gala Performance at Hudson Theatre on December 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Glikas/WireImage)NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 16: (Exclusive Coverage) John Mulaney and Pete Davidson attend the “All In: Comedy About Love By Simon Rich” Gala Performance at Hudson Theatre on December 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Glikas/WireImage)
“The White Lotus” returns to HBO and MAX on February 16th.
This time the hotel is in Thailand. The cast includes our old pal, Scott Glenn, as well as Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, Walton Goggins, Sarah Catherine Hook, Jason Isaacs, Lalisa Manobal, Michelle Monaghan, Sam Nivola, Lek Patravadi, Parker Posey, Natasha Rothwell, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Tayme Thapthimthong, Aimee Lou Wood.
That’s a lot of guests, staff, and villains!
We’ll need “The White Lotus” by mid February, trust me!
Barbra Streisand deserves applause for more than just singing and acting: she sticks to her liberal values.
Streisand and husband James Brolin’s holiday card says they’ve donated money to two causes in the names of their friends.
One is to a Hurricane Helene relief group run by famed chef Jose Andre, World Central Kitchen and Community Housing Coalition.
The other is to Plan C and MAP, two groups that help get resources to women for states in which abortions are limited or banned. This includes telehealth calls, abortion pills, and information so incredibly needed and helpful.
The Brolins note that this year, Christmas and the first day of Hanukkah fall on the same day –” the same day Jesus was born to a Jewish family in the heart of Israel.”
They add: “This timely synchronicity underscores what brings us together. Whatever we believe, we share a common hope: Peace on Earth.”
Jamie Dutton is dead. Wes Bentley’s brilliant villain has been killed thanks to sister Beth. Kelly Reilly now positioned as the marquee star of the next season.
This column told you exclusively that “Yellowstone” would go on. Thanks to all the outlets who failed to give us credit.
But Reilly and Luke Grimes are too good in these roles as sister and brother to let them just drift away.
Bentley made his money and is probably happy to see Jamie to get his just desserts.
Now the remaining characters can morph into a sequel series, maybe called “Yellowstone Redux.” Or “Knots Landing.” But the ranch is sold, and the survivors move to Texas. Maybe they can shoot the new show at Elon Musk’s property.
Reilly wrote on Instagram today:
“Whatever the future holds this is the ending of the show we have been making for the past 7 years.
Words cannot convey how I feel about the people I got to work and create with over the seasons . I have made true life long friends.”
“When people see the ending of this season, there may be an understanding that there is a new beginning, potentially, as well. It could end perfectly where it is, or the new beginning is something that’s intrinsically part of this ending. Both would be beautiful, I have no attachment to either one of them,” Kelly Reilly told Town & Country magazine.
