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Weekend Box Office Winners: A Sex Worker, a Snail, and the Pope Are Most Popular Stars

Roger Friedman
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Weekend Box Office Winners: A Sex Worker, a Snail, and the Pope Are Most Popular Stars

The weekend box office has some unusual stars: a sex worker, a snail. And the pope.

The sex worker is Anora, star of the movie of that title. “Anora,” directed by Sean Baker, is shaping up as a big indie hit for small Neon movie studio.

“Anora” made $25K per screen on 34 venues this weekend. That’s huge, as it hasn’t really been released yet even mini-wide. “Anora” is headed for a lot of awards action this winter.

The snail is from IFC’s “Memoirs of a Snail.” IFC made $69,000 on just five screens or $13,800 per location.

The pope is the subject of Edward Berger’s sensational thriller, “Conclave.” Ralph Fiennes has to round up the cardinals at the Vatican to choose a new pope, and it’s not easy. Isabella Rossellini and Stanley Tucci help him. The awards bound film made $6.5 million for its first weekend. Word of mouth should be excellent. “Conclave” gets my highest recommendation.

MAGA Descends on MSG Claiming Trump Homage to Hitler Rally is “Sold Out,” No Hollywood Stars Coming

Roger Friedman
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MAGA Descends on MSG Claiming Trump Homage to Hitler Rally is “Sold Out,” No Hollywood Stars Coming

The MAGAts are out in force in front of Madison Square Garden.

On social media, they’re crowing that the event is “sold out.” Yes, it was FREE. No one had to pay for a ticket. (Wait til they get inside and see the prices for food and drink.)

The MAGAts will claim 100,000 people came to the Garden. In reality, 19,000 people fill up the space.

The Democrats this week have had the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce, James Taylor and other superstars rallying for Kamala Harris.

Trump will have Christian shill Lee Greenwood, who’s made a bloody fortune off his song “God Bless the USA.” Greenwood’s net worth is estimated at least $12 million, and that’s a lowball figure.

The other performers on stage today — besides the usual cast of Trump misfits like Stephen Miller and Robert Kennedy Jr — you’ve never heard of. Trump didn’t even ask or couldn’t get Dennis Quaid, Jon Voight, Scott Baio, or Ted Nugent to commemorate the Nazi rally of 1939.

Yankees-Dodgers 40th Reunion Sucks All the Air Out of the Box Office: Go See “Conclave”

Roger Friedman
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Yankees-Dodgers 40th Reunion Sucks All the Air Out of the Box Office: Go See “Conclave”

If it weren’t for the World Series, “Conclave” would be a big hit at the box office.

But as someone said to me the other day, if the two biggest movie markets are home, obsessing over the New Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers, no one is going to the movie theaters. The two teams last met in the 1981 Series!

Indeed, this morning most of the box office numbers are in well before 11am, and that’s unusual. But the numbers are low for all of last night’s receipts as a huge chunk of the public was home eating wings and hot dogs to see if Aaron Judge or Shohei Ohtani would prevail. (Sadly it was not Judge, but we’ll be back tonight!)

“Conclave,” a thriller about choosing a new pope, made only $2.5 million from Thursday previews and Friday shows. It’s one of the best movies of the year, with award winning performances from Ralph Fiennes and Isabella Rossellini, among others. Go see it this afternoon if you’re watching the Game tonight. Really.

A24 added “We Live in Time,” starring Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh, to 2,000 theaters last night. They didn’t get much bang for their buck considering receipts only went up 3% from last Friday. I’m not so happy with Garfield right now. He’s defending Mel Gibson, who just announced he voted for Donald Trump and said Kamala Harris “has got the IQ of a fence post.”
Does Gibson even have a high school education? He’s also a neo-Nazi, a racist, a misogynist, a domestic abuser. Garfield has no facts, and should stop speaking until he does.

Again, see “Conclave” at the 5pm show. You’ll be home in time to hear “The Star Spangled Banner”

Beyonce, Kelly Rowland Go to Bat for Kamala Harris at Houston Rally, Cause a Frenzy (Videos)

Roger Friedman
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Beyonce, Kelly Rowland Go to Bat for Kamala Harris at Houston Rally, Cause a Frenzy (Videos)

In Houston tonight, Tina Knowles introduced her two “daughters” to a frenetic rally for Kamala Harris.

They were: Beyonce, and Kelly Rowland (who was dressed for some reason in David Byrne’s big suit).

The women sent a massive buzz through Shell Energy Stadium, setting the stage for Harris. After all, it was a Destiny’s Child mini reunion.

Watergate Stars Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein Say Washington Post Editorial Decision is “Disappointing”

Roger Friedman
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Watergate Stars Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein Say Washington Post Editorial Decision is “Disappointing”

Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein are the most famous reporters who ever worked for the Washington Post. Their fame came from investigating Richard Nixon and the Watergate scandal.

Now the pair have denounced the Washington Post over its decision to not endorse a presidential candidate. They lay the fault — as most do — at the feet of owner Jeff Bezos and publisher Will Lewis. The Post decision came after the same one from the Los Angeles Times.

Both the Post and Times have been met with intense criticism and canceled subscriptions. Billionaire owners censoring the editorial direction of a newspaper isn’t new, but it’s the single worst they could do; the editors’ acquiescence is an example of monumental cowardice In the case of the Post, the late Katherine Graham is no doubt turning in her grave.

Woodward and Bernstein wrote (and I’ve added paragraph breaks for easier reading):

“We respect the traditional independence of the editorial page, but this decision 11 days out from the 2024 presidential election ignores the Washington Post’s own overwhelming reportorial evidence on the threat Donald Trump poses to democracy.

“Under Jeff Bezos’s ownership, the Washington Post’s news operation has used its abundant resources to rigorously investigate the danger and damage a second Trump presidency could cause to the future of American democracy and that makes this decision even more surprising and disappointing, especially this late in the electoral process.”

RIP Phil Lesh, 84, Bass Player and Founding Member of the Grateful Dead

Roger Friedman
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RIP Phil Lesh, 84, Bass Player and Founding Member of the Grateful Dead

What a week for the members of the Grateful Dead.

A few days ago I announced they would receive the Musicares Person of the Year Award.

Now beloved bass player Phil Lesh, a founding member, has died at age 84.

I can tell you exclusively that Phil was on daily dialysis, and suffered from kidney disease for quite a while. I’m told that it was amazing he got this far.

Without Lesh there are only three original members of the Dead left to receive the Musicares award or the Kennedy Center induction in December. They are Bill Kreutzmann, Mickey Hart, and Bob Weir.

Phil Lesh was the center of the Grateful Dead sound. He gave those songs and performances their driving energy on stage and on the records. His playing was mesmerizing — ask the Deadheads who could listen to him for hours and hours.

What a shame. Condolences to his family, fans, and friends.

Tom Hanks, Robin Wright’s Still Unseen “Here” Relies on “Forrest Gump” Nostalgia Without the Chocolates

Roger Friedman
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Tom Hanks, Robin Wright’s Still Unseen “Here” Relies on “Forrest Gump” Nostalgia Without the Chocolates

It seems like it happened yesterday, but Robert Zemeckis’s “Forrest Gump” was massive hit in 1994. That was (sorry) thirty years ago.

Now we’re about to get a new movie from Zemeckis, along with “Gump” stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright. It’s called “Here.” But in the press, it’s also known as “Where?”

“Here” is supposed to arrive on 2,500 screens in one week. Yet no one’s seen it, there’s no buzz, and you can’t figure out from the trailer what it’s even about.

The few who have seen it have posted some reaction to Twitter X. Their comments are mostly about the technology — like Martin Scorsese used in “The Irishman” — so that Hanks and Wright can age and de-age as married couple going through a lifetime together.

Sony is depending on “Gump” nostalgia, almost making “Here” — which hasn’t been shown at a single film festival this fall — seem like the sequel to the Oscar winning film. Even the ads are similar. But that maybe where the similarities end. Will “Here” be a box of chocolates? Or something less tasty?

Stay tuned….

Broadway: “Romeo and Juliet” for Teens Makes Parting Easy With Mostly Negative Reviews

Roger Friedman
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Broadway: “Romeo and Juliet” for Teens Makes Parting Easy With Mostly Negative Reviews

“Romeo and Juliet.” How could you screw it up with hot young people in the leads?

Reviews are in from last night’s Broadway opening of the Sam Gold production. Yikes. According to didtheylikeit.com, the greatest tragic romance ever told did not go over well.

Of the main reviews, six were positive, seven were mixed, and five were out and out negative. The NY Times reviews, listed as mixed, is actually pretty damning.

The Washington Post: “Unfortunately, the production’s rave-like, nihilistic drive does little to make up for its lack of clarity or a pulse.”

The Times: “If you’re confused — and even a frequent flier might be — you can consult a program insert that visualizes the Montagues and Capulets as a mood board.”

Variety: “Although the production has a heartbeat, it’s missing a heart… When he kills Tybalt in revenge, the moment is empty of real feeling. In the moments after that — when he’s exiled and so must leave his love; when he discovers Juliet is dead; etc. — there is no heartbreak at all. There’s not a wet eye in the house.”

Kit Connor, age 20, and Rachel Zegler, 23, star in the title roles. There are no other names known to anyone over 21, if that. Yet the play — cleverly marketed — is making $1 million a week so far. Will this decidedly ambivalent reaction keep the box office going? We’ll see.

If anyone can explain to me, please do:

Exclusive: Sales of Melania Trump Souvenir Memoir Down 59% in Second Week Despite PR Push

Roger Friedman
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Exclusive: Sales of Melania Trump Souvenir Memoir Down 59% in Second Week Despite PR Push

Melania Trump’s book sales are as successful as her husband’s other businesses, like hawking steaks and suits and his Trump University.

“Melania,” a memoir with no memories, dropped 59% in its second week of sales according to Circana Book Scan.

The tome, which comes in an odd sticky cover, dropped from 85,000 to just 35,000.

The book is currently number 12 on amazon.com. On the New York Times best seller list, “Melania” plummeted from one week at number 1 to number 5.

“Melania” has been roundly criticized as a piece of campaign propaganda with no self-reflection or revelations. None of Donald Trump’s scandals or trials is addressed, and even the author’s history as a model in Slovenia reads more like a bad novel than anything remotely factual.

The current book retails for $30 but the author promises a “collector’s edition” for $250 that includes her photos of the sky while traveling aloft Air Force One.

Watergate Stars Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein Say Washington Post Editorial Decision is “Disappointing”

Lady Gaga Returns to Form, and the Dance Floor, with Very Catchy “Disease”

Roger Friedman
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Lady Gaga Returns to Form, and the Dance Floor, with Very Catchy “Disease”

Lady Gaga is back.

She’s back to form, and on the dance floor, with “Disease,” the first single from her upcoming 7th album.

And while her jazz performances on “Harlequin” were impeccable and her ballad singing is plaintive on “Die with a Smile,” Gaga knew it was time to back to her core business.

“Disease” should spread pretty quickly on the radio and in dance clubs. It’s a little bit of a throwback to her “Fame Monster” days. And we all need that right now in time of incredible stress.

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