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Kennedy Center Honoree Cher Reveals Track listing for All-ABBA Covers Album

Roger Friedman
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Kennedy Center Honoree Cher Reveals Track listing for All-ABBA Covers Album

So yes, Cher is finishing up her all ABBA covers album.

Tonight she revealed nine of the ten songs on Twitter:

 

She added:

This is kind of a strange project. On the one hand, Cher was smart to be part of “Mamma Mia” and sing “Fernando.” But a whole album of this stuff? I guess it’s a concept, a theme. According to her Twitter feed she’s still in the studio, we won’t hear this album until earliest next month. I guess it would be on Warner Bros., which really needs a hit.

The two “Mamma Mia” movie soundtracks are currently in the top 3, along with ABBA’s greatest hits. Me? If I never heard another ABBA song again in this lifetime I wouldn’t mind. But I know I’m in the minority. I’d like to hear Cher use her voice for better songs, but this is what we’re gonna get.

Coen Bros. Surprise Movie “Ballad of Buster Scruggs” Coming from Netflix, Oscar Consideration

Roger Friedman
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Coen Bros. Surprise Movie “Ballad of Buster Scruggs” Coming from Netflix, Oscar Consideration

The Coen Brothers are back.

Their multi part film, “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” is going to the Venice Film Festival. And from there maybe the New York Film Festival and so on for Oscar consideration.

The omnibus western– six stories– stars Tim Blake Nelson, a lot of people we’ve never heard of, a couple we have like Tyne Daly and James Franco. It was supposed to be a series on Netflix, but now it’s a movie– a long one– evidently narrated by the Coens.

“Buster Scruggs” is one of four or five films Netflix is taking to Venice and other festivals with an eye on the Oscars. Will it work out? We’ll see. Amazon tried this last year and failed.

Kennedy Center Guarantees No Trump in Presidential Box at Ceremony With Cher, “Hamilton” Creators Among Inductees

Roger Friedman
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Kennedy Center Guarantees No Trump in Presidential Box at Ceremony With Cher, “Hamilton” Creators Among Inductees

Like everything else, the Kennedy Center Honors has pretty much been wrecked.

Their new inductees are Cher, composer Phillip Glass, country music star Reba McEntire and jazz legend Wayne Shorter.

None of those are objectionable, but a lot of people who’ve been waiting for an award — and are aging– were snubbed including Dick van Dyke, Doris Day, and Jane Fonda.

On top of that, purely for ratings, the Kennedy Center is giving a special award to “Hamilton.” The Associated Press wrote that “Hamilton” is a gender bending musical, which should be hilarious to creator Lin Manuel Miranda.

But it’s inappropriate to reward “Hamilton,” which is just four years old, much as everyone loves it. This is purely for ratings because they want to recreate the show on their broadcast.

This breaks the whole Kennedy Center charter begun in the 1970s. But the impatience for ratings supersedes everything. It’s a cheap move.

Cher and Reba, ok, whatever. At least we know that Donald Trump won’t be there in the presidential box. All the people chosen by the KC hate Trump, but no one more than Cher. Her Twitter account is a daily diatribe against him. Wasn’t it the cast of  “Hamilton” that kicked Mike Pence’s ass?

So some good will come of this. But really: “Hamilton”? A cheap ratings move. Why not Justin Bieber, just get it over with?

 

(Watch Amazing Interview) Paul McCartney Says Sting’s “Fields of Gold” One Song He Wished He’d Written — Stevie Wonder Best Musician Other than Beatles

Roger Friedman
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(Watch Amazing Interview) Paul McCartney Says Sting’s “Fields of Gold” One Song He Wished He’d Written — Stevie Wonder Best Musician Other than Beatles

Paul McCartney is live on Facebook right now from the Liverpool Institute of the Arts talking with rocker Jarvis Cocker.

He just said the one song he wished he’d written was Sting’s “Fields of Gold.” “It’s quite good,” McCartney said. He also cited Kanye West’s “Dark Twisted Fantasy” as a very good album. “It’s the reason I wanted to work with him.”

Paul also cited Stevie Wonder as the best musician he’s worked with aside from the other Beatles.

Esther Phillips cover version of “And I Love Him” and Ray Charles’ “Eleanor Rigby” were among the cover versions of his songs that he thinks are best. (I would alert him to Aretha Franklin’s “Let it Be” and Phoebe Snow’s “Every Night.”)

He also cited Frank Sinatra’s re-working of “Yesterday.”

McCartney said his new album is a concept album. He didn’t aim for singles. “I can’t compete with a Taylor Swift thing, she has better legs than me!”

In the interview, which I hope we can embed here when it’s over, McCartney reminisces a lot about his early, early Beatles days. He remembers doing gigs with Ringo, George and John using fake names– since Ringo had one. “John’s was Long John Silver,” he said with a laugh.

More to come…the interview, in real time, is lovely…

Report: Pop Star Demi Lovato Hospitalized for Heroin Overdose at Home in Los Angeles

Roger Friedman
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Report: Pop Star Demi Lovato Hospitalized for Heroin Overdose at Home in Los Angeles

TMZ reports that pop star Demi Lovato was hospitalized in Los Angeles today. She suffered a heroin overdose at her home. Medics, they say, used Narcan to save her life.

Demi Lovato has one of the few great voices of this generation of popsters. But she’s fought substance abuse at every turn. She’s been to rehab and lived in a sober house. She even a had hit this year called “Sober.”

Luckily she survived this incident. She’ll turn 26 next month if she can get the help she needs. Let’s hope she makes it. Aren’t entertainers smart about this stuff by now? What a shame. Here’s to a speedy return to sobriety and good health.

 

One Direction Down: Zayn Malik in Career Free Fall as Second Single in a Row Fails to Sell, Chart

Roger Friedman
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One Direction Down: Zayn Malik in Career Free Fall as Second Single in a Row Fails to Sell, Chart

I don’t know what happened to Zayn Malik. The first member of One Direction to leave the group was also first to release a solo record, “Pillowtalk,” and a hit album.

But now Zayn seems to be in a career free fall. His new single, “Sour Diesel,” a terrific slice of funk, was released last Friday and is dead on arrival. According to Buzz Angle, “Sour Diesel” has sold 2,200 copies so far. It hasn’t even appeared on the iTunes top 50.

This makes no sense. A recording star with half of Zayn’s recognition level would send a new song up the charts upon release in this day of streaming.

But this isn’t Zayn’s first flop. A single called “The Entertainer,” made it to number 95 somewhere in May. “The Entertainer” has sold 36,800 copes since May 23rd.

Malik has had a pretty tough time being a celebrity and a functioning recording artist. He suffers from anxiety and depression, reportedly, and doesn’t tour. On top of that, in April his manager Sarah Stennett, dropped him. A new album was supposed to be released in June, but it’s never shown up.

“Sour Diesel” is the name of a strain of marijuana. The song is great. The only reason that it could be dead is because Malik is in a fight with RCA over the new album being late. The label clearly hasn’t backed it. It’s also unclear who Zayn’s manager is now. Irving Azoff, this SOS call is for you!

 

Watch: Paul McCartney Joyously Recreates Famous Walk Through Abbey Road Crosswalk

Roger Friedman
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Watch: Paul McCartney Joyously Recreates Famous Walk Through Abbey Road Crosswalk

A little mid summer gift from Paul McCartney as he re-creates the walk through the Abbey Road cross walk. I’ve done it. It makes you feel good. Paul looks pretty happy, too.

🎥@maryamccartney #PaulMcCartney #EgyptStation #AbbeyRoad

A post shared by Paul McCartney (@paulmccartney) on

Why did the Beatle cross the Abbey Road 🚶🏽‍♂️

A post shared by Mary McCartney (@maryamccartney) on

And PS

RIP: NY Daily News Drops “America’s Hometown Paper” Nickname, Most New York Coverage, No One Covers Yankees or Mets Game for First Time Ever

Roger Friedman
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RIP: NY Daily News Drops “America’s Hometown Paper” Nickname, Most New York Coverage, No One Covers Yankees or Mets Game for First Time Ever

The New York Daily News is dead.

99 Years after it began, “America’s Hometown Newspaper” no longer carries that subtitle under its logo.

Is it death or murder?

Last night no one from the Daily News covered the Yankees or Mets games. Tronc, the abysmal new owner, ran wire service copy instead.

A look at the front page of the Daily News website shows stories from Texas, Australia, and other far flung locales, which no one cares about. The Bronx? Canarsie? Staten Island? Mid-town Manhattan?

Yesterday Tronc gutted the paper, fired the sports, social media reporters, and even the photographers. The part of the logo they left intact is an illustration of a camera. But now the fotogs are gone.

Twenty-four reporters lost their jobs yesterday. It’s a mass murder, actually.

Is there no New York billionaire– in a city of billionaires?– who care enough to save the paper from Tronc?

Beyond sad.

Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Who is America?” Drops to Just 161K Viewers, 50 Percent Less than Last Week, Ranked 143 Out of 150

Roger Friedman
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Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Who is America?” Drops to Just 161K Viewers, 50 Percent Less than Last Week, Ranked 143 Out of 150

Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Who is America” is a bust ratings wise. On Sunday the show dropped to 161,000 viewers, about half of the prior week’s 327K. It is ranked 143 out of 150 cable shows.

Showtime insists that “Who is America” is a hit because last week ratings went up through the week thanks to delayed viewing.

But what’s happening is that no one is coming to the show at its appointed time. That’s because Showtime does not advance publicity for it. The publicity comes after the show airs. Then curiosity seekers stream it or seek it out on Showtime on Demand.

The reality is, no one’s making it appointment viewing.

Meantime, Cohen’s second episode was another half hour of duping stupid people into doing or saying idiotic things. A George State Rep– who’s obviously an idiot– was conned into such an embarrassing segment that his career is now over. He repeatedly said the N word, then cut the penis off a black life sized doll. But he was a bad guy anyway.

In Arizona, a group of small town people showed their innate racism and ugliness. I said it was like shooting fish in a barrel. But almost everyone I know disagreed and said the people deserved to be outed as horrible racists.

A “Bachelorette” contestant was revealed as an idiot, too. Who cares?

Dick Cheney– now that, I’m into. Cheney withstood a barrage of “Bush” and “Dick” jokes. Cohen’s character asked him about his infamous hunting accident. That was funny. Cheney is evil, so go for it.

Showtime says Episode 1 instigated a record number of sign ups for their service, by the way. I’m sure it did. But this is running just like “Twin Peaks” last summer– low ratings on the Sunday followed up latecomers during the week. “Twin Peaks” also had no previews.

 

 

(Watch) Tom Cruise Masters the Art of the Non-Interview on Jimmy Fallon, Says Almost Nothing, Gets Plug

Roger Friedman
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(Watch) Tom Cruise Masters the Art of the Non-Interview on Jimmy Fallon, Says Almost Nothing, Gets Plug

Last night on Jimmy Fallon’s “Tonight” Show, Tom Cruise showed how he’s mastered the art of saying nothing while plugging his movie. Cruise and Fallon have made this an art by now. Fallon talks and talks and talks, summarizes the movie, praises Cruise, and the movie star– who has much to hide and lots to reveal– just nods and smiles.

This should be studied in university public relations classes. The appearance– you can’t call it an interview– is just a pure commercial for “Mission Impossible: Fallout” so that there will never be any fallout.

Tonight Cruise tapes Stephen Colbert, which should be more of the same. Colbert, who can get a headline out of anyone, will not ask Cruise about Scientology, his children, or even where he lives. There will be no questions about politics– Colbert’s specialty– or #MeToo or anything about Hollywood. Guaranteed. But it is interesting that Colbert agreed to follow Fallon, since Colbert has the higher ratings. And you see the photo I used? Can you imagine in any other situation Colbert NOT asking about it?

Watch this, it’s amazing:

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