On Saturday at 6pm, Beyonce and Jay Z dropped a surprise album called “Everything is Love.” Initially it was only available on their Tidal streaming service. But because they want people to hear it, the album is now everywhere including Spotify. It’s already number 2 on iTunes, and it will be at number 1 in a couple of hours. Kanye West must be a little pissed– he’s got all these albums out that he planned for. Now, out of the blue, comes Bey and Jay.
Box Office: “Gotti” Whacked with Just $1.7 Mil Weekend, “Incredibles 2” at $180 Mil, Biggest Ever Animated Weekend Open
“Gotti” is dead with just $1,670,000 for its opening weekend. It’s Travolta’s lowest among regular openings based on theater count. But Travolta is used to low numbers– he’s had his share of disasters in his 40 year career but he always brushes himself off and keeps going.
It wasn’t like the warning signs weren’t there. “Gotti” had many false starts, producers who came and went, producers who had serious prison records, and so on. Everything pointed to this being a bad idea. James Toback had a screenplay that probably made more sense, but that was back when Barry Levinson was going to direct and the duo thought they could do another “Bugsy.”
Disney-Pixar scored $180 mil opening weekend for “The Incredibles 2.” It’s the 8th biggest opening ever, and the biggest ever open for an animated film.
Very nice news for Paramount and “Book Club,” with $62 million so far for Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Candace Bergen, et al. If they get to $65 mil or $70 mil they may get a sequel. That’s a total “Gotti” will never live to see!
Legendary Movie Producer, Marty Bregman, Dead at 92, Produced “Scarface,” “Serpico,” Other Al Pacino Movies
Marty Bregman was a regular at Elaine’s, an old friend of ours, a legend in movie producing. He was also one of the good guys, beloved by all — not just his family but also by actors like Al Pacino, whose movies he produced– Sidney Lumet’s “Serpico” and “Dog Day Afternoon,” and Brian DePalma’s “Scarface” among them.
Marty passed away Saturday evening at age 92. Condolences to his loving wife Cornelia and his whole family.
Marty’s other amazing credits include Harold Becker’s “Sea of Love,” DePalma’s “Carlito’s Way,” four great Alan Alda movies– “The Four Seasons” and “The Seduction of Joe Tynan,” plus “Betsy’s Wedding” and “Sweet Liberty.”
If you’re starting to get a theme here, Marty Bregman made classic New York movies with the most talented directors and actors. He kept most of the great New York acting community working through the 70s, 80s, and 90s.
He was also a beloved member of the regulars who came to Elaine’s from the beginning to the end. Even as his health declined in the 2000s, I admired Marty for his personal tenacity and perseverance. He was always looking forward, planning new projects. And Pacino was his loyal friend and surrogate son.
RIP Marty. You will be much missed.
Beyonce and Jay Z Drop Surprise Album, “Everything is Love,” Plus Video (Watch Here) “Apesh*t” — Shot in the Louvre?
Surprise! Beyonce and Jay Z have dropped a surprise album and single. It’s available on their Tidal service, but the single and video are here. “Ape-sh*t” is terrific. What a nice summer surprise. But why a Saturday at 6pm? Just to see who’s paying attention?
It does like the Louvre Museum in Paris let them shoot the video there. If so, that would be history making. But money talks, and even the Louvre needs surprise cash.
Here’s the tracklist:
SUMMER
APESHIT
BOSS
NICE
713
FRIENDS
HEARD ABOUT US
BLACK EFFECT
LOVEHAPPY
The album is short, in keeping with Kanye West’s new albums which are all 23 minutes. “Everything is Love” has interesting timing– designed to knock Kanye off the top of the charts instantly. So far the new album is only available on Tidal, Jay Z’s service. But my guess is on Monday it goes to Apple Music and iTunes and Spotify. They want BIG numbers here. Tidal is a private, small club.
Why a “Roseanne” Reboot without Roseanne Barr Can’t Work: She Will Always Be Hacking Away on Social Media
Reports of a “Roseanne” reboot without Roseanne Barr? It won’t work. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.
ABC can kill off Roseanne Conner and center the show on Darlene, Sara Gilbert’s character. They can pretend Roseanne is gone, but you know what? Roseanne will never be gone. She will hover over a new show like a golem, criticizing, whining, and carrying on about every line of every episode.
Barr has not gone quietly into the good night since her racist anti-Valerie Jarrett debacle. Far from it. She is approaching 1 million followers on Twitter now, and sending out messages day and night. She continues to advocate crazy right wing conspiracies, insist that her Jarrett Planet of the Apes tweet had something to do with anti-Semitism, and refer to herself as a martyr.
That will not change no matter what deal ABC makes with her to let the survivors of her wreckage live on a new island.
The best thing ABC can do is let this go. Set these people free. They will always be anchored to the weight of this nightmare.
Here’s a sampling of her latest ramblings, in which she has suddenly figured out that George Soros was only 13 during the height of the Holocaust, and that she, Roseanne, in her fevered imagination, is actually a crusader for human rights:
Michael and Janet Jackson’s Brother Randy Still Using Disbarred Attorney as Spokesman
I see Randy Jackson, Michael and Janet’s youngest brother, is back in the news this weekend.
Stacy Brown, writing in the New York Post, says Randy is trying to inveigle himself into Janet’s custody and divorce case. This is because Randy, who was not a part of the Jackson 5 and doesn’t earn money from the touring Jacksons. is always looking to cash in where he can. He was a burr on Michael’s side, inserting himself into Michael’s legal and financial situations when the King of Pop was alive. Now, I guess, he’s looking for a cut of Janet’s divorce. She’s smarter than that.
Brown, who knows the ropes in the Jackson saga, contacted Randy’s old friend, Brian Oxman for a quote. Oxman, he says, is Randy’s lawyer. WARNING Brian Oxman is no one’s lawyer. He was disbarred in 2012. He can be a spokesperson, I guess, but he can’t speak as a lawyer or dispense opinions as one. Let’s make sure everyone knows that. Oxman was famous for speaking as “Michael’s lawyer” back in the day. He was also famous for falling asleep during the 2005 child molestation and conspiracy case. Tom Mesereau fired him quite publicly.
Oh, the Jacksons. It never ends. Except that Michael’s kids seem to be doing great. Rebbie’s son, Austin Brown, is working as a musician. Randy even has a kid who graduated form Harvard. The second generation is a success. But there are some dogs still hoping old tricks work.
Disney Pixar Powers “Incredibles 2” 14 Years in the Making to Record Weekend
Fourteen years ago, “The Incredibles” was a hit animated film. And the sequel? We finally got it last night, and it’s a monster hit.
“Incredibles 2” made $71.5 million Friday night (with $18 mil from Thurs previews). The Brad Bird directed bonanza will get the biggest weekend ever for an animated film and head to the Oscars, of course. A $150 million total for three days could be a low ball estimate.
Brad Bird gave us “Ratatouille” and “The Iron Giant,” both classics. He also directed “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol,” but we won’t hold that against him. Ditto “Tomorrowland.”
Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Catherine Keener, Isabella Rossellini, and Bird himself voice the characters in “I 2.” Congrats to all.
Note to SAG-AFTRA: Jackson would also be a good choice for your Lifetime Achievement Award this year. Just sayin….
John Travolta Scores Lowest Ever Opening with “Gotti” $614K Friday Night
John Travolta’s “Gotti” scored just $614K last night by estimates, in just over 500 theaters. It’s his lowest opening, and means that “Gotti” will barely score $1.5 million on its opening weekend.
No one knows exactly what “Gotti” cost all in since it’s had many different structures, producers, investments and pay offs since its inception. But the latest iteration cost at least $10 million. It’s possible several million more were wasted before that.
The music budget alone is said to be over $1 million. Travolta’s participation equals far more than that, although he may be waiting for first dollar in once box office receipts are counted. Alas, he’s not going to see very much from this.
Travolta has a lot of duds and misfires in his career. His last two releases were basically straight to video, so we’re not counting them. His last real release was “Savages” in 2012, which made a total $47 million with a $16 million opening weekend. He also two non starters in 24 theatres apiece, in the 2000s, that died upon opening.
For a full release film you have to go back to 2000, to “Lucky Numbers,” to rival the “Gotti” performance.
“Gotti” has a zero on Rotten Tomatoes, 20 negative reviews, none positive. According to one report, this his third movie to sport a Zero. That’s quite an accomplishment.
Exclusive: amFAR Canne$ Gala Results Still Secret, But Many Designers– Including Dior and Louis Vuitton– Didn’t Purchase Tables for First Time
amFAR is still counting the receipts from its annual gala in Cannes, held a month ago. Despite every effort, I’ve been unable to ascertain how much money they collected from the event held in massive tent on the grounds of the Hotel du Cap.
But what I have learned is that several designers didn’t purchase tables this year. Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton/LVMH were among those who for the first time eschewed the pricey dinner where tables go for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Corporate sponsors are what keep dinners like amFAR or the Met Ball alive. None of the celebrities or models you see in the glamorous photos for these events actually pays for their own ticket. The tickets are underwritten by the sponsors. Celebrities are placed at their tables.
But amFAR has been in decline for some time. This year, especially, they took a big hit after fighting publicly with Sharon Stone, tossing their board — including 25 year chairman Kenneth Cole — and getting into a crazy fight with Harvey Weinstein (who wound up departing anyway after his own scandals).
amFAR is famous for its parties and paying its executives a lot of money. CEO Kevin Frost makes over $600,000, which I’ll bet no one told the volunteers who amassed at the entrance of the Hotel du Cap the day of the gala. Their cars swoop around Cannes for a week before the gala, and a big number of them hunker down in a four star hotel, all expenses paid.
And yet, there is no word about their finances from this event, their biggest of the year. amFAR has another smaller event planned for New York on June 20th, and one in Paris on July 4th. Frankly, I’d give the money to the Elton John AIDS Foundation first until amFAR has some transparency.
Roseanne Doubles Down on the Crazy, Forgets She Accused Mother of Sex Abuse, Posts More Pro Trump Tweets
I feel bad for Roseanne Barr. Her Twitter feed reads like she’s having a nervous breakdown. She’s spending time with her parents– whom she forgets she accused of sexual abuse in People magazine in the 1990s. She’s posting more pro Trump nonsense, insisting her “Planet of the Apes” reference was about anti-Semitism, and making no sense in general.
the movie Planet of The Apes (my favorite movie) has a great subtext that is an accurate representation of class-race-religion intersections & juxtapositions.
— Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) June 15, 2018
If you’re not old enough to remember, Roseanne– in the middle of her first run on TV– made wild and awful accusations about her parents, Helen and Tom Barr. In People magazine.
Today, she’s making picture frames “with my beautiful and precious mom.”
Today I am making picture frames with my beautiful precious mom, and listening to her and Johnny play music together.I'm in heaven!
— Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) June 14, 2018
This is what she told People:
My mother abused me from the time I was an infant until I was 6 or 7 years old. She did lots of lurid things. She hurt me psychologically and physically.
I remember being 2 years old and standing in my crib. I remember my mother holding a pillow over my face, pushing me down. I remember thinking, ‘Lie still, play dead.’ I did, and then Mother took the pillow away and said, “I must have hurt you honey. I was just playing.”
As soon I was able to start talking, my mother went from physical abuse to a more emotional and mental abuse. I remember when I was about 5 or 6 that I came home from school and my mother was lying on the kitchen floor with blood covering her neck and chest. I screamed and screamed for two or three minutes. Then she sat up and said, “It’s ketchup, you idiot,” and laughed. She always played horrendous mind games with me all through my life.
My father molested me until I left home at age 17. He constantly put his hands all over me. He forced me to sit on his lap, to cuddle with him, to play with his penis in the bathtub. He did grotesque and disgusting things: He used to chase me with his excrement and try to put it on my head. He’d lie on the floor playing with himself. It was the most disgusting thing you can ever imagine.
The beat goes on. “Roseanne” or its reinvention is an unlikely add to a network schedule unless the executives have really lost it.