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The 70s Are Over: Bob Seger Ceases Night Moves, Adds Name to Tour Retirement List with Paul Simon, Neil Diamond, Elton John

Roger Friedman
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The 70s Are Over: Bob Seger Ceases Night Moves, Adds Name to Tour Retirement List with Paul Simon, Neil Diamond, Elton John

We won’t be enjoying that old time Rock and Roll live much longer. Detroit’s hometown hero, Bob Seger, is saying goodbye to the road.

Seger has announced that his upcoming tour, beginning November 21st in Grand Rapids, Michigan, will be his last. Seger turned 73 in May. No reason was given for the wind up. Seger was famous for 1971 live album which let fans experience his exciting show. That album kept fans in seats for decades. (“Katmandu” anyone?)

Seger joins a bunch of 70s rock stars who are saying goodbye soon. Paul Simon ends his touring career this Saturday in Forest Hills, Queens. Elton John is currently on a 300 date farewell journey. Neil Diamond already called touring quits. Joan Baez is also giving up the road. Tina Turner ended her touring career some time ago. Promoters already miss the likes of Aretha Franklin and Natalie Cole.

Still out there rocking in their 70s: Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Pete Townsend and Roger Daltrey. Van Morrison is out there somewhere. So are Smokey Robinson and Diana Ross. The 60s crowd includes Sting and Bruce Springsteen, Lionel Richie, and Stevie Wonder. Madonna is now just in the 60s group, too. Steven Tyler and Aerosmith are setting down in Las Vegas.

Touring is grueling, and no game for old men, no matter how good they feel. With the Music Modernization Act passing into legislation we’re probably going to see more stars hanging it up as their royalties (hopefully) increase.

Rock promoters will miss these evergreen all-stars who had big catalogs of songs and could sell out arenas.

Soap Bubble Bursts: CBS Number 1 Soap “Young and the Restless” Drops Below 4 Million Viewers For First Time

Roger Friedman
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Soap Bubble Bursts: CBS Number 1 Soap “Young and the Restless” Drops Below 4 Million Viewers For First Time

Things are getting worse at CBS’s number 1 soap, “The Young and the Restless.”

For the first time ever, the total weekly number of viewers has dropped below 4 million. Previously, the soap had flirted with just under 4 million on individual days.

The ratings for August 27-31 were 3,927,000. The show lost 223K from the previous week and 281K from the same week last year.

Last December, “Y&R” was up to 4.8 million viewers, which means almost a million fans have left the show.

The stunning drop can be pinned to audience reaction at the dismissal or departure of over a half dozen popular actors since then, as well as some weird story telling that isn’t working.

Actors gone or leaving include Eileen Davidson, Paul Davidson (not related), and Mishael Morgan. The former two have been with the program 35 and 40 years, respectively.

Insiders close to EP Mal Young offer rational defenses for the show’s changes, like actors who don’t want to appear so often, live far away, have family issues, etc. But something obviously has gone wrong. The low ratings are a wake up call, if it’s not too late.

It could be argued that it was the week leading into Labor Day, and people were traveling. The last three days were all below 4 million. So we’ll wait and see if they came back and the following week before declaring a true state of emergency.

Sesame Street Never Liked Suggestion Bert and Ernie Were Gay, Quashed Short Film Years Ago (Watch it Here)

Roger Friedman
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Sesame Street Never Liked Suggestion Bert and Ernie Were Gay, Quashed Short Film Years Ago (Watch it Here)

“Sesame Street” and Childrens Television Workshop never liked the suggestion that Bert and Ernie might be gay. A short film called “Ernest and Bertram” by Peter Spears played once at Sundance a dozen years ago. I wrote after seeing it– at 8:30 in the morning– that their lawyers were probably already on planes for Park City. Now thanks to YouTube the video lives, but pretty much in obscurity.

PS Spears went on to be a producer. Among his credits, “Call Me By Your Name.”

Cher is Not in Her New Music Video for ABBA’s “SOS”– She Shot Material But Chose to Make it a Message

Roger Friedman
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Cher is Not in Her New Music Video for ABBA’s “SOS”– She Shot Material But Chose to Make it a Message

Cher’s new video for her ABBA cover of “SOS” is out. It’s pretty nice, and a social message about suicide prevention and support among women directed by Jake Wilson. But she’s not in it.

I’m told once the video was finished, Warner Music asked to have Cher included and they shot some footage to try and include her. Somewhere out there a version like this exists. But Cher really didn’t want to appear in it, to leave the video’s message pure and not involve a celebrity.

Still, there is one celebrity in “SOS.” That’s actress and singer Rumer Willis, in blonde curls, as part of the ensemble. Rumer has a great voice, but this time she left the singing to Cher.

At Last: Music Modernization Act Passes the Senate, with Classics Act Covering Pre-1972 Recordings and Songs

Roger Friedman
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At Last: Music Modernization Act Passes the Senate, with Classics Act Covering Pre-1972 Recordings and Songs

Yesterday the Senate passed the Music Modernization Act, which includes something called the Classics Act. The House already approved it. Now the bill goes back to the House, where it should be reconfirmed, and then it must be signed by the president. Once that happens, millions of musicians whose music was made before 1972 will start getting paid.

The bill revamps Section 115 of the U.S. Copyright Act, combining three major pieces of legislation:

The Music Modernization Act, which streamlines the music licensing process to make it easier for rights holders to get paid when their music is streamed online.
The CLASSICS Act (Compensating Legacy Artists for their Songs, Service, & Important Contributions to Society Act) for pre-1972 recordings.
The AMP Act (or Allocation for Music Producers Act), which improves royalty payouts for producers and engineers from SoundExchange when their recordings are used on satellite and online radio. Notably, this is the first time producers have ever been mentioned in copyright law.

This will be a shock to Sirius XM and other online music sources, but it had to happen. The party is over. Great people like Aretha Franklin and Phil Ramone didn’t live long enough tp see this happen. But their heirs will finally see some reward, and plenty of living artists who’ve struggled financially will benefit. Good news for a change!

Emmys: “Handmaid’s Tale” Actress Kelly Jenrette and Husband Actor Melvin Jackson Jr. Make the Rounds

Leah Sydney
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Emmys: “Handmaid’s Tale” Actress Kelly Jenrette and Husband Actor Melvin Jackson Jr. Make the Rounds

The mega hit, “The Handmaid’s Tale” alas, did not win at the Emmys, but Emmy nominated Kelly Jenrette, she was nominated for guest stint on the series, extolled Elizabeth Moss at the recent Doris Bergman’s 9th Annual Style Lounge & Party at Fig & Olive in West Hollywood.   

Talented Kelly said that, “Working with Elisabeth Moss was a dream.  I didn’t feel like I needed to prove my worth.  From the moment she introduced herself, she was so kind and thanked me for being there.  That allowed me, as a newcomer coming into an already amazing show, to just breathe and relax.” 

Jenrette and her husband, Melvin Jackson Jr, who was also nominated for his original webs series, “The Eddie Murphy Role Is Mine, Not Yours,” made history as the first African American couple to earn Emmy nods in the same year. 

Other celebs at Bergman’s talked about event were Joely and Tricia Leigh Fisher, Khandi Alexander, Bonnie and Anita Pointer from the Pointer Sisters, Gelb Savchencko from DWTS, Lou Ferrigno and many more celebs and VIP’s perused this sought after event, hosted by Green Horizen and presented by Precious Vodka, featured tons of buzzy products.  Twisted Silver, always a celeb favorite, as well as the always popular My Saint, My Hero blessing bracelets, Sue Wong Couture and Fragrance, Nourish Modern Wellness Skin Care, Mobile White, Goldinger’s Print Tees, Rhonda Shear’s Aah Bras, Emmy’s Hope Dog Accessories, Rock Your Hair, Popsockets phone accessories, The Hollywood Trinity, Popcornopolis and VIP gift bags provided by Emmy’s Hope & Kam Shield.and more.  Lollies & Lace couture baby clothing, Porto Vino handbags and messenger bags, Zirconmania; Diamond Veneer, Beauty Kitchen bath products, all were crowded with VIP’s. 

Guests munched on Emporium Thai yummy appetizers, ate Let’s Cake, drank Filam Luxury Coffee, snacked on Junkless Granola Bars, sipped BeatBox Portable Party Punch, Hint water and Sunder sparkling beverages, and topped it off with wine from Buywine.com.   After that, they ate a terrific lunch at this popular hot spot.  Wednesday’s Child, which highlights LA’s foster care system, was there for a pre-holiday gift drive.  Once again, classy Doris Bergman shows Hollywood how a luxury lounge is done!

Emmy Parties: HBO Brings the A List, as Netflix Makes a Bid for After-Awards Swank

Roger Friedman
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Emmy Parties: HBO Brings the A List, as Netflix Makes a Bid for After-Awards Swank

The Emmy Awards after party game still belongs to HBO, but Netflix took a shot last night, too.

HBO still turns the soaring heights of the Pacific Design Center into the party of parties, stuffed with Emmy-clutching stars and miscellaneous people of interest like former Obama speechwriter and podcast star Jon Favreau, for instance.

Most of the “Game of Thrones” crowd came over from the Emmys, while winner Peter Dinklage had a tete-a-tete with HBO president Richard Plepler. Evan Rachel Wood of “Westworld” literally danced through the room while George RR Martin, the man who gave us “GoT,” grumpily took selfies with enraptured fans.

Certainly the center of attention was “Barry” star Henry Winkler, who won his first Emmy ever after 43 years in the business and superstardom as Fonzie on “Happy Days.” He hugged and kissed nearly everyone in the room. His on stage acceptance speech was so clever –like younger award winners, he told his sons they could “go to sleep now.” They are 38 and 35 years old. “My son said Dad, why’d you do that?” Winkler told me. “I said, I wrote it 42 years ago!”

I asked Stacey Winkler where she was going to put the golden statue, which has a lot of pointy ends. “On the dining room table, we can break the fast with it and put bagels on the end,” she said. Tomorrow is Yom Kippur.

I chatted with David Benioff, co-EP of “GoT” and winner of the Emmy last night for drama. His 2nd cousin, Marc Benioff, billionaire owner of SalesForce, has just bought Time Magazine.  They share a great grandfather but don’t really know each other, coming from different coasts. “I met him at 43,” David said. But maybe this guarantees the last season of “GoT” a Time cover.

At the Netflix party, set up handsomely in the Neuehouse on Sunset Blvd., we waited and waited for Claire Foy and “The Crown” gang. Alas, they didn’t show, while the party filled up to frightening capacities. Still, I was happy to see a great acting couple, Rosemarie DeWitt and Ron Livingston, as well as producer Dana Brunetti, who escaped the Kevin Spacey scandals and will now produce ‘the’ movie about the cave bound school soccer players in Thailand. RuPaul made the rounds, as did Dave Chapelle, and the great Ernie Hudson of “Ghostbusters” fame.

Netflix gave HBO a run for its money last night, tying them in wins. But HBO was lacking “Veep,” which would have put them over, and “Big Little Lies,” which will also be back next season. Yes, next time HBO comes at the Emmys with Meryl Streep. So, kudos to Netflix but the game is hot. (And whatever happened to Showtime?)

 

Emmy Ratings Crash as TV Academy Let’s “SNL” Run Wild, Ignores TV Audience

Roger Friedman
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Emmy Ratings Crash as TV Academy Let’s “SNL” Run Wild, Ignores TV Audience

Me? I love “Saturday Night Live,” Colin Jost and Michael Che, even Fred Armisen and Maya Rudolph. I could listen to them snark all night. But let’s not forget that “SNL” is aka the Not Ready for Prime Time Players. They are after hours comedians, for the hip and the clique-ish. They are not the mainstream audience.

And so last night, like the last several Emmy shows, was a disaster ratings wise. No one who watches TV is watching this show. TV ratings come from “The Big Bang Theory” and “NCIS.” But the Emmys have become the Cable ACE Awards. Only two shows– “Blackish” and “This is US”– were even involved in last night’s Emmys. The rest came from cable other subscription platforms.

On top of that, the whole show– which I thought was funny and clever in spots, and I was sitting there– was a diatribe. I couldn’t imagine the TV audience giving a hoot about what was going on. And they didn’t. Only 10  million watched the first hour– which was the best hour by far with comedy awards. By 11pm there 7.74 million people. That means 2.3 million gave up before the drama awards and the two big finales.

And there were some strange things. Even though I admired the Aretha Franklin tribute, she wasn’t a TV star. And John McCain? John McCain from his prisoner days? What was he doing in the In Memoriam? That particularly wreaked of Harvard Lampoon silliness– let’s sneak John McCain in to embarrass Donald Trump (again, I loathe Trump so that’s not the point).

Well, you reap what you sow. No one at the TV Academy listens. More than the Motion Picture Academy, the Emmys need a Most Popular Something. And they need to feature the actors and actresses who bring in viewers every week– from Mark Harmon to Mariska Hargitay.

How ABC Deals with Roseanne’s Character on “The Conners”: She Will Die from an Opioid Overdose

Roger Friedman
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How ABC Deals with Roseanne’s Character on “The Conners”: She Will Die from an Opioid Overdose

Roseanne Conner is getting killed off from “The Conners” in the worst way possible: she’ll die of an opioid overdose.

Roseanne Barr, her portrayer, revealed the cause of death on a YouTube interview over the weekend. “There’s nothing I can do about it,” she says. “It’s done. It’s over.”

Even though I disapproved of Roseanne’s Valerie Jarrett tweet, and her  behavior since then, this seems unnecessarily harsh. Roseanne Conner doesn’t die a hero, or bravely fighting a disease. It’s a cruel end.

Barr says in the interview that the death and the treatment of the Conner family is “insulting.”

The plan is to discuss the death for 10 episodes. By week 2, the fans should be gone. “The Conners” already feels like “AfterMASH,” a sequel that should not exist. “Archie Bunker’s Place” also felt like a nasty and caustic coda to “All in the Family.” These sequels are pointless without their central characters. Just ask Cloris Leachman about “Phyllis.”

So don’t be surprised if “The Conners” doesn’t get renewed. The first couple of weeks will be big out of curiosity. Then– sounds kind of dismal.

Emmy Awards: With “Veep” Off the Ballot, Which Comedy Will Win Tonight?

Roger Friedman
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Emmy Awards: With “Veep” Off the Ballot, Which Comedy Will Win Tonight?

The Emmy Awards are approaching within hours and there’s a big show missing from the ballot: “Veep.” This is the first time in years that Julia Louis-Dreyfus and co. are out of contention– they’ll be back next year for the last time.

So which comedy will take the place of “Veep”? In recent years, “Atlanta” has shown a lot of strength at other awards shows. Donald Glover is very hot these days, so “Atlanta” could be the successor tonight.

But there’s a lot of money riding on the other nominees, all of which are very good. They include “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Barry,” “Blackish,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Glow,” “Silicon Valley,” “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.”

Three of the choices come from HBO– “Curb,” “Barry,” and “Silicon Valley.” Larry David’s show always has a big following, so I’d think it would be the surprise– also, there’s the “Seinfeld” connection to “Veep.”

“Mrs. Maisel” was put in the comedy category. I don’t know why–it’s a drama. I’d love it to win a lot of awards. I just don’t know if the voters are thrown by the category.

If “Blackish” pulls off a win, that would be earth shaking. It’s only the show with African Americans, and the only nominee from a broadcast network.

So keep watching for this category. It’s a nailbiter!

 

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