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Comedian Louis CK and Andre Balazs, owner of the fabled Chateau Marmont have each been accused in the New York Times of gross sexual misconduct.
On top of that, Paramount’s “Daddy’s Home 2,” featuring the vile Mel Gibson, is so bad that at 4:30 on the day before its release there are no reviews for the movie.
Plus, Ridley Scott is re-filming whole sections of his new movie, due for release in a month, so he can replaced accused and alleged molester Kevin Spacey with Christopher Plummer.
Warner Bros. has had to cut off $450 million in funding because it was coming from another accused sexual harasser, Brett Ratner.
The Weinstein Company is basically gone.
Paramount also lost $1 billion in funding from Chinese investors this week, maybe because they were unimpressed with the studio’s four-for-four fall season catastrophe.
Fox is trying to sell its movie studio to Disney, maybe because they’ve seen or read the reviews for “Murder on the Orient Express.”
The Daily Mail is reporting that someone connected to Harvey Weinstein tried to get a New York proecutor to somehow get the psychiatric files of his rape accuser Paz de la Huerta.
Is it the end of days?
The Balazs story is going to be extremely meaningful if true because he owns the Chateau, the Standard Hotels in both NY and LA. and the Mercer—all hot spots. If the hotels suddenly become shunned, that’s a huge upheaval.
The Louis CK story could bring to an end the career of a popular comedian whose backstory was dependent on his family life and his reputation as a father.
Gwyneth Paltrow is having a wellness day in New York for her Goop company. She’s charging either $650 or $2000 to get her secrets.
Paltrow has chosen January 27th in New York and then June 6th in Los Angeles for a “health defining day.” That’s also a “wealth defining day” for Gwyneth herself. She’s got a bunch of “experts” like Chelsea Handler and Drew Barrymore who will be on hand to help out. Handler’s most famous book is titled, “Is that You Vodka, It’s Me, Chelsea?”
I’m going to skip all this since it’s the day before the Grammys and my usually prep for that is a day of hard drinking.
What a year 1967 was for pop music. The number 1 songs on Cashbox included Aretha Franklin’s “Respect,” The Box Tops’ “The Letter,” “Penny Lane” and “Hello Goodbye” from the Beatles, the Rolling Stones'”Ruby Tuesday,” “Happy Together” by the Turtles, and three hits from the Monkees.
But for one week, on November 11th, Sam & Dave took the top spot with “Soul Man.” Written by Isaac HAyes and David Porter, “Soul Man” was the first time anyone ever used the expression– soul man. They invented it. Once it was a hit, everyone wanted to be a ‘soul man.’ Sam & Dave won the Grammy for “Soul Man” as Best R&B Vocal, Duo.
Still popular? Oh yes. In the last two days, “Soul Man” has been played 22 times on Sirius XM across all their channels. It’s a staple of oldies and R&B radio. Fifty years later and you can’t miss it on a 24 hour cycle. (PS Sam & Dave do not get paid for the radio play as there is no performance rights royalty.)
The late great Isaac Hayes once told NPR: “I got the idea from watching on TV the riots in Detroit. It was said that if you put ‘Soul’ on the door of your business establishment, they wouldn’t burn it. Then the word ‘Soul,’ it was a galvanizing kind of thing for African Americans, and it had an effect of unity, it was said with a lot of pride. So I thought, ‘Why not write a tune called ‘Soul Man.’ And all you had to do was write about your personal experiences, because all African Americans in this country at the time had similar experiences. But we realized that in addition to being an African American experience, it was a human experience, and therefore it crossed over and became very commercial.”
The great Sam Moore tells me the song is a little of an albatross for him, but it’s also been a great legacy. There’s nowhere he can go without people asking for it. He’s sung it for every living president. He’s sung it in movies, too, even in the weird C. Thomas Howell movie “Soul Man.” (Moore had to sue Miramax when they made a whole movie called “Soul Men.” That’s a whole other story.)
Sam Moore tells me of the original recording: “I remember walking into the studio and they were tinkling with something…there was a magazine called Sepia [kind of like a black version of Life]. David was looking through it. They put it down and starting working on it…This song has become an anthem, a legend, everything I never thought would happen to it…Can you believe it’s 50 years? I loved all of Isaac and David’s songs.”
Sam continues: “For Soul Man, everybody started using the term. I didn’t pay attention at the time. And it was the first utterance of the term. I was in England and we were performing, jumping all over the stage. I looked towards the curtain and saw Phil Walden in the wings. He put up a finger. I didn’t know if he meant ‘stretch the set’ or ‘cut.’ I ran over to the side and said What’s going on? He said Soul Man was number 1. I ran back on stage and started yelling “Soul man! Soul man!” The place went up in flames. Dave [Prater] came off and said We killed ’em!”
A strange note: on the Billboard charts, which were more susceptible to, uh, er, influence, “Soul Man” didn’t get to number 1. Lulu’s “To Sir with Love” held it off to number 2. But Cashbox was the measurement then, and that’s all that mattered.
Many years later, Sam heard Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi sang the song on “Saturday Night Live” as the Blues Brothers. “We played a place in New York called My Father’s Place on Long Island that summer. We did Soul Man and the kids are dancing, and jumping. A guy comes up after the show and says Sam, Dave, that song, you all shoulda recorded that because you sound better than the Blues Brothers! He thought it was their song. Dave said, We don’t have to record it, man. We did it! We’re the originals! The guy said, Oh come on.”
But the Blues Brothers did help bring “Soul Man” back, and Sam has a 40 year friendship with Aykroyd to show for it.
What would Sam say to Isaac now after 50 years? “Of all the people in the world, of anyone who taught me how to be a better singer, or give me the tools to be a better singer, it was Isaac. Even above [producer] Tom Dowd. He was number 1 in my book.”
In quite a bit of timing, Taylor Swift won Best Song at the CMA’s last night in Nashville. But it’s a song you won’t be hearing on her “Reputation” album when it’s released to a massive marketing campaign tonight.
“Better Man” is sung by the group Little Big Town. Taylor apparently gave it to them because she thought of them when she wrote the harmonies.
Unlike all her current songs, “Better Man” is not co-written by anyone else– no Max Martin, Jack Antonoff, not produced by Shellback, etc. It’s just a really good song not aimed at ka-ching for Taylor. It doesn’t sample “I’m too Sexy” either. And it’s a better song than all that other stuff.
Basically, it’s a song from the pre-money grab Taylor Swift era. But she can’t sing it flying around arenas or stadiums. And if it’s about an ex boyfriend, it’s not as obvious as the singles she releases now.
When she sings it live, it’s a little dull.
Imagine if this had been Taylor Swift’s career.It’s like the movie “Sliding Doors.” Instead, tonight we will get “Reputation,” the equivalent of a Happy Meal that comes with special small toys as extras. There isn’t one song on “Reputation” that’s just written by Taylor Swift without help. So which is the real Taylor? You decide.
Joe Sumner is Sting’s oldest kid, let’s get that out of the way. For a while he fronted a band I loved called “Fiction Plane.” They had a single I still hum to myself called “Hate.” (I call it “I Hate People.”) I also loved “Two Sisters.” Check them out.
All year, Joe, the married father of three, has been on tour with Sting on the massively successful 57th and 9th tour– all over the world. An accomplished guitarist, Joe made a name for himself singing a tribute to David Bowie every night with “Starman.”
Now Joe is heading out with the Celebrating David Bowie tour in 2018, where I hope he’ll do “Starman” and some other Bowie songs, as well some of his own.
Meantime he tells me: “On December 2nd I’ll be playing at Safari Nights in aid of http://www.curaorphanage.org/The orphanage is in Kenya and provides a home for children who’s parents have died from HIV related illnesses.  I have been the ambassador to the orphanage for the last year. Tom Morello will be MC that night which makes me very happy.”
But so much time away from home?
His kids say no! I love this pic from Instagram. (PS You can also hear Joe starting tomorrow on the DVD/Blu Ray of Sting’s tour “Live at the Olympia Paris.”
Everyone wants Kevin Spacey out of their projects. “House of Cards” has haled production to kill him off. Netflix has cancelled Spacey’s Gore Vidal movie. And now the weirdest twist of all: Ridley Scott is editing Spacey out of his movie about J. Paul Getty and replacing him with Christopher Plummer.
No matter that Plummer is two decades or more older than Spacey.
“All the Money in the World” was all finished and ready to be screened for Oscar consideration. Now Scott will have to move fast to reshoot Spacey’s scenes. Luckily Spacey isn’t the star of the movie. The film is about the kidnapping of J. Paul Getty III, his grandson. But it will be a major enterprise to bring Spacey’s scene partners back in, as well as match the rest of the movie. And all this has to be done quickly to make the December 22 release date. It’s unheard of.
But “All the Money” is key for Sony’s TriStar Pictures. Sony has been living all season on “Spider Man” and “Baby Driver.” They need a prestige movie for the end of the year.
Spacey, meanwhile, has been accused by Boston newscaster Heather Unruh of sexually attacking her son, then 16, two years ago in a Nantucket nightclub. It’s the latest of many charges against Spacey.
“Hello, Dolly!” is going to have a lot of trouble once Bette Midler leaves for good.
She took last week off and the box office plunged. Not just dropped, but plunged. The take for last week was just $879,369.10. The prior week, with Bette, was $2.3 million.
The drop was $1.48 million.
When I went by the box office last week I was offered seats all over the theater at prices from $99-$169. Bette’s top ticket was $206. I just can’t bring myself to pay that much. I couldn’t even stomach paying the lower price.
So I went to see Elizabeth McGovern in “Time and the Conways.” The ticket cost $79. Totally worth it, and the house was a quarter empty. I was able to move up a little in the orchestra. JB Priestley’s play is as contemporary as ever. The production is top notch. McGovern and the cast are excellent. Try and see it before the “Conways” closes.
Bruce Springsteen has never missed a year helping out Bob and Lee Woodruff with their annual Stand Up for Heroes veterans event.
But this year Bruce was other wise engaged. You know, he’s on Broadway. So the Red Hot Chili Peppers stood in for him and rocked the crowd at the Theater at Madison Square Garden.
The event is produced by Andrew Fox and Caroline Hirsch of Caroline’s Comedy Club to kick off New York Comedy Week. So there were plenty of comics on hand, from John Stewart and John Oliver to Trevor Noah. The subject, invariably, was Donald Trump. And the vets as well as the audience loved it.
Other performers included Hasan Minhaj, John Mulaney, and Conan O’Brien.
In the audience: ABC’s Martha Raddatz, Hamilton’s Leslie Odom Jr., “Baby Driver” star Ansel Elgort, and actress Kate Bosworth.
I stopped “House of Cards” actor Michael Kelley before he hit the red carpet. “So you’re on hiatus,” I said. He gave me a look that could kill, right out of Francis Underwood’s playbook. Ouch!
Look out, Broadway. The story of the Gibb brothers is coming to Broadway. The show will not be called “I Started a Joke.” No, sorry. But “Nights on Broadway” has a ring to it, no?
Universal Pictures’ live division, Universal Theater Group, has acquired the rights to the life stories of the Bee Gees, it was announced today. Barry Gibb, the surviving member of the group, will be executive producer.
The release doesn’t mention Andy Gibb, but other wise the musical– and no doubt eventual movie– will cover the lives of Barry, Maurice, and Robin.
The Bee Gees came from Australia and conquered the US, the UK and the world in the 60s with songs like “Holiday,” “Words,” “Massachusetts,” ” New York Mining Disaster,” “Lonely Days,” and “Run to Me.”
By 1972 they were sort of done, written into the history books as a pleasant pop group. But then in 1975 they hooked up with Atlantic Records records producer Arif Mardin for a massive number 1 hit called “Jive Talkin.” They put out a literally great album with Mardin called “Spirits Taking Flight.” And then we thought they were done, a last gasp since disco was in, punk was in, and so on.
But no! Then came came “Saturday Night Fever,” and well, you know what happened next. That was 40 years ago and you can’t stop humming “Stayin’ Alive.”
Sub plot: Sadly, their younger brother, Andy, became a pop star and then died of myocarditis at age 30 after shooting to fame, becoming a drug addict, going to the Betty Ford Clinic and declaring bankruptcy. Also, he dated Victoria Principal from “Dallas.”
Later, even more sadly, both Maurice and Robin would die from cancer.
But the Bees Gees musical will end not with death but a disco ball, and white pants suits.
Bill Clinton is still a rock star. So it made sense that he was seated with fellow rock stars Elton John, Sting, and Billy Joel at last night’s Enduring Vision 25th anniversary of the Elton John AIDS Foundation dinner. Aretha Franklin dedicated a song to Clinton, and all the stars clamored to be around him.
Clinton, in a beautiful speech that used Elton’s “Candle in the Wind” as a metaphor, spoke about how the Clinton Foundation and EJAF work together because Elton’s group is so on point. (It’s quite different than amFAR.)
In fact in his own moving speech, Elton noted that 99% of the money that comes in goes right to programs for AIDS research and for AIDS patients. “We pay our own overhead,” he said.
I did ask Bill Clinton about the Donna Brazile controversy this week, in which she claimed that the DNC was rigged for Hillary Clinton’s nomination.
“She did it for book sales,” Clinton said of Brazile, “but you see she changed her story almost the next day. She backed off.”
I said to Clinton, “We don’t like it when they throw our friends under the bus.” And he replied, with that sugary Southern drawl: “No, we do not.”
During the evening, Alec Baldwin came on stage and did his Clinton imitation and his Donald Trump imitation, which, of course, got huge laughs. Later when Clinton took the stage he jokingly introduced himself as “William Jefferson Donald Clinton.”
