Monday, October 7, 2024
Donate
Home Blog Page 104

Comedy “Drive Away Dolls” Shunned by Audiences with a Scary 46% Audience Rating, No Preview B.O. Numbers

Roger Friedman
-
0
Comedy “Drive Away Dolls” Shunned by Audiences with a Scary 46% Audience Rating, No Preview B.O. Numbers

Well, it’s not good news for director Ethan Coen.

After one of preview shows, the movie going audience has weighed in on Rotten Tomatoes.

Even crappy movies can get an 80 or more in the audience rating. But “Drive Away Dolls” has a 46. No one is going to recommend it.

Among critics and bloggers, “DAD” has dropped to 67%. Ann Hornaday wrote in the Washington Post: “As a fast-paced, bawdy road comedy, this isn’t an inauspicious debut as much as a curiously flimsy and forgettable one. Your mileage may vary to the point of completely sputtering out.”

“DAD” must be pretty bad. I never even got a screening invitation for it. I guess I’ll see it in the fall when studios send out links.

Also, so far there are no box office numbers for “DAD.” Every other movie has posted from last night except this one. Looking at Fandango, ticket sales are sparse.

But good for Focus Features for taking ‘DAD” on. They’ve had such a good season with “The Holdovers,” this one can be an experiment.

Trump Group Final Bill in NY Fraud Case: $454 Million (Not Including Tip, But with Fines) Read Here

Roger Friedman
-
0
Trump Group Final Bill in NY Fraud Case: $454 Million (Not Including Tip, But with Fines) Read Here

The bill has been placed on the table.

The total Donald Trump and co-defendants in the NY Fraud case comes to $454 million — payable now, not next Tuesday.

Judge Arthur Engoron has broken down the bill in his filing today so the group of convicted liars can figure out who had the calamari, and who drank the most wine.

You can read it all here.

Engoron is most serious. And even if Trump appeals, the interest alone will destroy him.

Cable News: Rachel Maddow Mowed Down Sean Hannity on Monday, Beating Him by 600K Viewers

Roger Friedman
-
0
Cable News: Rachel Maddow Mowed Down Sean Hannity on Monday, Beating Him by 600K Viewers

This past Monday showed once again the power of Rachel Maddow.

At 9pm on MSNBC, Maddow mowed down a Sean Hannity special on Fox, winning the time slot by 600,000 viewers.

Or should I say, trouncing?

Maddow’s skillful win over Hannity lead to erudite Lawrence O’Donnell’s tie at 10pm with witless Greg Gutfeld.

Maddow and O’Donnell’s strong showing, plus Ari Melber in the same ballpark as Bret Baier, made MSNBC competitive with Fox News within 150,000 total viewers.

Left out in the cold was CNN, although Anderson Cooper’s nearly 800,000 was some consolation.

Monday is Maddow, that’s for sure. If only they could clone her!

Crosby, Stills, & Nash Tribute Set to Sell Out Carnegie Hall Right Now, But Judy Collins Sends Regrets

Roger Friedman
-
0
Crosby, Stills, & Nash Tribute Set to Sell Out Carnegie Hall Right Now, But Judy Collins Sends Regrets

A tribute to Crosby, Stills, and Nash is coming to Carnegie Hall in May. Already there are fans queued up to buy tickets. A sold out audience is expected.

Michael Dorf puts on these amazing tribute shows every year, and they’re always a hit. Dozens of well known musicians play the music of the honorees.

This year, I’m told, Graham Nash and Stephen Stills may take the stage themselves. Alas, David Crosby is gone and Neil Young is a curmudgeon. But Stills and Nash together are still magic. Even if they harmonize the austere home of classical music will explode. (Not literally.)

One singer who would have been more than welcome is the great Judy Collins. She was invited, but Judy’s in such demand on the concert schedule around the world that she’s got a long ago booked gig in Santa Barbara, California. She sends her regrets, explaining to me she cannot get out of it! It’s also mostly sold out — I checked!

Of course, Judy was the subject of the group’s first and most famous song, Stills’s landmark “Suite Judy Blue Eyes.” (They were a thing back in the late 60s, when Judy was topping the charts with “Both Sides Now.”) She will be hugely missed. Maybe she can tape something in advance!

Who else will perform May 13th? Dorf — who owns City Winery in every city — hasn’t revealed yet. But apparently it doesn’t matter to fans, who have clogged Carnegie Hall’s ticket system because they love love love this seminal 1970s group.

By the way, proceeds from the show will benefit music education for underserved youth, including such organizations as Grammys in the Schools, Theater Within and VH1 Save the Music.

PS Don’t call me! Call the Hall! I’m sleeping outside right now until the ticket window opens!

Song Sung Blue: Neil Diamond Broadway Musical Will Close in June After 18 Month Run

Roger Friedman
-
0
Song Sung Blue: Neil Diamond Broadway Musical Will Close in June After 18 Month Run

It’s time to say goodbye to “Beautiful Noise.”

The Neil Diamond Broadway musical will shut down on June 30th after an 18 month run. It will have played 657 performances.

The show has been running on fumes at the box office for months. Most weeks the take has been well under $750,000 although there have been some holiday peaks at over $1 million.

But “A Beautiful Noise” has soldiered on since the 2023 Tony Awards, when it didn’t garner any nominations. Other shows in that position, like the terrible production of “1776,” closed quickly. But the chance to sing “Sweet Caroline” with the audience kept “Beautiful Noise” going.

When the show opened, Will Swenson played Neil. But he left last October after a year with the production, replaced by Nick Fradiani.

“A Beautiful Noise” doesn’t end with Broadway, however. A national tour begins in September in lively downtown Providence, Rhode Island.

Apple Folds: Kanye West’s “Vultures 1” Album Returns to iTunes Complete with Antisemitic Lyric

Roger Friedman
-
0
Apple Folds: Kanye West’s “Vultures 1” Album Returns to iTunes Complete with Antisemitic Lyric

Money is more important to Apple than integrity. Got a problem? Call Tim Cook.

iTunes has restored Kanye West’s deleted album, “Vultures 1,” after pulling it off their platform last week.

At least two different artists accused West of using samples on the album without getting them cleared. Ozzy Osbourne and the estate of Donna Summer each threatened legal action.

More importantly, the title track includes antisemitic lyrics that almost no platform will censor. Spotify has had the album and single up the whole time. Amazon has been a holdout and iTunes was until tonight.

This is the lyric in case you want to chant it to Tim: How I’m antisemitic? I just f—ed a Jewish bitch/I just f—ed Scooter’s bitch,” referencing Jewish music manager (and briefly Kanye’s) Scooter Braun.

You can buy the song individually for $1.29 or the whole album of 15 songs for $7.99. It’s priced to sell.

Can you imagine a Jewish singer or any other singer using those lyrics in reference to a Black woman?

I’m disappointed in Apple. They did not stand their ground. They caved to Kanye very easily.

“Vultures 1” returns to the iTunes chart at number 1. Listeners will be trained to memorize the offending lyric and think it’s ok.

It’s not. It’s disgraceful. #boycottApple

It’s all about money.

Lady Gaga Shares Some Video and Music from Her “Fortnite” Gig for Fans: “Monsters enjoy!”

Roger Friedman
-
0
Lady Gaga Shares Some Video and Music from Her “Fortnite” Gig for Fans: “Monsters enjoy!”

Lady Gaga is loving her “Fortnite” experience. She’s headlining the Fortline Festival beginning tonight. She’ll feature songs from her album, “Chromatica.”

She writes on Instagram: “Music. Fashion. Technology. Digital rain for my skin to dance in. Best day ever. We loved combining these worlds so we could experience music on a whole other level. Feels like this was meant to be. Immersive experiences with art I think really leave an imprint on the soul and it changes the texture of how we experience pop culture. I love Fortnite*. Monsters enjoy!”

Check out her account for more images and video.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Lady Gaga (@ladygaga)

Sex Toys and Star Cameos (Matt Damon, Miley Cyrus) Featured in “Drive Away Dolls,” Currently Rated at 69 on Rotten Tomatoes

Roger Friedman
-
0
Sex Toys and Star Cameos (Matt Damon, Miley Cyrus) Featured in “Drive Away Dolls,” Currently Rated at 69 on Rotten Tomatoes

Not kidding– Ethan Coen’s “Drive Away Dolls” is rated at 69% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The lesbian-driven comedy previews tonight and opens tomorrow. It’s Ethan’s first feature without brother Joel, but he promises they will reunite soon. (Ethan has written some cool plays and short stories solo, too.)

“Drive Away Dolls” was co-written by Tricia Cooke, Coen’s wife of many years. It stars the wide eyed and wonderful Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan, and Beanie Feldstein. There a lot of cameos, from famous people like Matt Damon, Colman Domingo, Pedro Pascal, and even Grammy winner Miley Cyrus.

There also a lot of sex toys. STOP: YOU’VE NEVER SEEN THIS WORD BEFORE IN THIS COLUMN. Dildos. Lots of them. (Google often censors stories with words like ‘sex’ and ‘dildo’ so we’re walking a fine line.)

Apparently in real life, Miley has a room dedicated to this important personal appliance. She spoke about it in Architectural Digest.

“Drive Away Dolls” is no “Fargo” or “Miller’s Crossing,” Coen and Cooke promise. I believe them. But it sounds kooky enough to work. The music is from the great Carter Burwell, who’s composed all the Coen movies. And it does have that rating!

PS Here’s something few people know: I reported back in 1996 that Ethan and Cooke had built a log cabin on top of their New York apartment. This is why you have to love them.

They’re Back: “True Detective,” “Frasier 2.0” Given New Seasons Despite Ambivalent Reviews

Roger Friedman
-
0
They’re Back: “True Detective,” “Frasier 2.0” Given New Seasons Despite Ambivalent Reviews

Branding is the main thing right now for cable and streaming.

Despite ambivalent reviews, two shows have been renewed for new seasons.

“True Detective” will get a 5th season from HBO. Ratings were so-so until the final episode, when the omnibus series zoomed up to almost 1 million linear viewers. Fans weren’t crazy about how the mystery resolved, but they watched, nevertheless. HBO is counting on repeat delayed viewings to punch up the numbers.

Of course, every season has a new cast. So showrunner Issa Lopez has to come up with something great. Jodie Foster and crew are outta here. Season 4 came under some criticism from the original showrunner Nic Pizzolatto.

Maybe characters from the past seasons can come back for a lightning round!

Over at Paramount Plus, “Frasier 2.0” will come back for a 2nd season. This continuation of “Frasier” was not to my liking. The new show lacks any of the cleverness of the original run. The cast and set up are inferior to the classic “Frasier.” But Paramount Plus needs content, and it’s easier just to renew what’s familiar than start over again. So round 2 is on its way, like it or not.

Elton John Auction of Collectibles from Atlanta Estate Yields $8 Million (See Details Here), More to Come Today

Roger Friedman
-
0
Elton John Auction of Collectibles from Atlanta Estate Yields $8 Million (See Details Here), More to Come Today

Elton John auctioned off the contents of his Altanta estate yesterday and made $8 million.

You can see a report and exclusive photos here from FlowerPowerDaily. This is what’s called “downsizing” in mega celeb terms. (Sir Elton has homes in LA, London, and Cannes full of more fab stuff.)

Who wouldn’t want to be able to point to a car, a pinball machine, or watch and say it belonged to Elton John?

To say the Christie’s auction was a success is putting it mildly. A pair of tall silver leather platform boots, circa 1971, very “Bennie and the Jets” — sold for $70,000 — seven times the high estimate, and $94,500 with fees.

A Cartier “crash” model watch from 1991, sold for $220,000, above a $100,000 high estimate, or $227,200 with fees.

A conservatory grand piano, Yamaha Model C6F, circa 1992, highlighted in the house, went for $160,000, more than three times a high estimate; with fees, the stunning instrument garnered $201,600. 

The evening auction ended with the sale of John’s 1990 Bentley continental two-door convertible for $350,000 (10 times the high estimate), or $441,00 with fees, and the sale of a pinball machine, which fetched $55,000, or S$69,300 with fees. That last one I get– Elton’s cove of The Who’s “Pinball Wizard” is one of his biggest hits.

More auctions today at Christie’s and all week for the rest of Sir Elton’s collection.

1...103104105...2,131Page 104 of 2,131

Hollywood to the Hudson

Company

Trending

Categories

© Showbiz411.com