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RIP Joe Bologna, Star of “My Favorite Year,” Half of Hollywood’s Most Married (And Happiest) Couple

Roger Friedman
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RIP Joe Bologna, Star of “My Favorite Year,” Half of Hollywood’s Most Married (And Happiest) Couple

I am so sorry to hear that Joe Bologna has died in Hollywood at age 82. They say it was pancreatic cancer, the most unfair thing in the world. Joe was one of half of Hollywood’ most married– and happiest couple. He and Renee Taylor (you know her from “The Nanny” among other things) renewed their vows every year since 1965. They were probably one of the most popular couples ever in Hollywood.

Joe and Renee always worked, whether it was stage, TV, or film. He’s probably best known for playing King Kaiser (really Sid Caesar) in the brilliant Richard Benjamin movie, “My Favorite Year.” This is a must see if you love great comedy. He had a steady run in good movies from 1971 for two decades including “Blame it on Rio,” with Michael Caine and “Transylvania 6-5000.”

In 1971, Bologna was nominated for an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay with Taylor for “Lovers and Other Strangers.” The cast of the movie–based on their hit play– was like a Who’s Who–Cloris Leachman, Diane Keaton, Bea Arthur, Richard Castellano, Bob Dishy, Gig Young, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. The play, which premiered on Broadway in 1968 and ran for two months, was directed by Charles Grodin.

It always seemed like his movies were just filled with friends who happened to show up. In 1996, Joe co-wrote and directed another movie like that called “Love is All There Is.” It was one of the first films to showcase Angelina Jolie, daughter of one of their friends. (That’s when I met her, and she was like a scared fawn that night– no tattoos or blood in vials yet.) For some reason, when I think of the Bolognas I think of Paul Sorvino and Lainie Kazan. They’re all in that group.

What a shame– condolences to Renee Taylor and their writer-director son Gabriel. Joe Bologna was a really good guy.

 

It’s a Shonda: ABC Loses “Grey’s Anatomy” Creator Shonda Rhimes to Netflix, Which Gets Away with Murder

Roger Friedman
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It’s a Shonda: ABC Loses “Grey’s Anatomy” Creator Shonda Rhimes to Netflix, Which Gets Away with Murder

Shonda Rhimes is moving Shondaland from ABC to Netflix. This is a ‘shonda’ or shame in Yiddish, for ABC, which has lived on “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal,” and “How to Get Away with Murder” for years.

Now Netflix has gotten away with murder, luring Rhimes and partner Betsy Beers from broadcast TV to the land of whatever you call it– computer watching, Smart TV, Something. The ‘other’.

The trades are freaking out because Netflix probably spent a fortune and took one of ABC’s best providers of content. But who knows what the future is for Shondaland? “Grey’s” is a soap opera. The other two shows, no one has really understood a word of them. The acting is great, but they’re melodramas that are hard to explain.

It could be Shondaland’s biggest days are behind them. Maybe that’s why ABC-Disney didn’t pony up. For example, the Shondaland series “The Catch” — no one knew what that was about. Finally, it was put out of its misery. And there’s a legal drama called “For the People” coming to ABC next winter that seems unfocused.

IN any case, it’s a big deal for Netflix. Rhimes and Beers attract a lot of talent. For ABC it’s a blow because they are not good at doing hour long dramas, not even commercial ones (forget about Emmy level). Their dramas come and go. At least the phase of shows being like “Lost” has come to an end.

Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys, Pharrell, Jon Bon Jovi, Mavis Staples Raise Money for Harlem’s Legendary Apollo Theater

Roger Friedman
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Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys, Pharrell, Jon Bon Jovi, Mavis Staples Raise Money for Harlem’s Legendary Apollo Theater

Last night in the Hamptons: Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys, Pharrell, Jon Bon Jovi, Mavis Staples, Robert Downey Jr and Jamie Foxx performed before a very well heeled crowd to raise money for the Apollo Theater in Harlem.

Among them, probably only Mavis had ever performed at the Apollo in its heyday. Tickets were $10,000 apiece. Jennifer Lopez was there with Alex Rodriguez, but she did not sing. She socialized and dined.

Bon Jovi and Mavis did duets on Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth” and “Let’s Do it Again.” Downey and Foxx performed together, along with Alicia Keys. Timberlake and Pharrell went on together. The Roots were the backup band. Gary Clark Jr. also chimed in on guitar of course.

Other guests included Chris Rock, Howard and Beth Stern, Matt Lauer, Priyanka Chopra, Harvey Weinstein, Kyle MacLachlan, and Patriots owner/Trump supporter Robert Kraft.

Unlike in past years there was no sign of Jack Nicholson or any Clintons. Maybe they were at Authors Night in East Hampton benefiting the East Hampton Library– a more literary crowd. That’s where you could find Dick Cavett, Robert Caro, Alec Baldwin, Alan Alda, Jessica Seinfeld (and Jerry presumably), Laurie Gelman, Florence Fabricant, and the last of the elder generation Kennedys, Jean Smith.

Most of the Apollo guests, especially the non celebrities from Wall Street with big bucks, have never set foot in Harlem or at the Apollo. But the money helps keep the Apollo’s status as cornerstone of 125th St. and northern Manhattan’s most important cultural icon.

All of the Authors Night guests have been to the East Hampton Library.

Don Lemon from CNN posted a video here: https://www.facebook.com/donlemoncnn/videos/1403092459744655/

 

“General Hospital” Star William deVry Finally Gets a New Contract After Fans Raise Social Media Ruckus

Roger Friedman
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“General Hospital” Star William deVry Finally Gets a New Contract After Fans Raise Social Media Ruckus

The soap opera world has better backstage drama sometimes than the ones on screen.

This week, “General Hospital” finally re-signed actor William DeVry as bad guy Julian Jerome after a long, protracted contract negotiation.

When the show shut down for summer vacation on June 30th, DeVry was pretty sure that was it for him. He had no contract and no idea what was going to happen.

DeVry’s fans went crazy on social media, inundating ABC with demands to reinstate this guy.

ABC is sort of infamous for letting “General Hospital” actors twist in the wind during contract negotiations. They pull the actors off the air while it’s going on, too, thinking the fans won’t notice. It’s a game of chicken. Sometimes the actors call their bluff. Tyler Christopher did that last year after winning a Daytime Emmy Award. He just announced he’s joining “Days of our Lives.”

What a racket, huh? The actors can’t anything otherwise they get blackballed in their very small industry.  DeVry, by the way, is from the family that started DeVry Technical School, now DeVry University. I’ll bet there are days he wished he went into air conditioning repair instead of acting!

The Beatles Keep Rocking: “Sgt Pepper” 50th Anniversary Box Set Still in the Top 40 Albums After Almost 3 Months

Roger Friedman
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The Beatles Keep Rocking: “Sgt Pepper” 50th Anniversary Box Set Still in the Top 40 Albums After Almost 3 Months

The Beatles released their “Sgt. Pepper” 50th anniversary box set back on May 26th. It went straight to number 1 and then hung on in the top 10 for about a month. The set retails for $117.99 on amazon.

Almost three months later, “Sgt. Pepper” is still rocking! According to hitsdailydouble, the box set sold 4,749 copies last week– up 6% from the previous week, and finished 34th out of the top 50. The box set sold more copies than Harry Styles, Metallica, or SZA.

Year-to-date, Buzzangle.com says the entire “Sgt. Pepper” project– that’s all sales, downloads and streams including singles has sold 175,000 copies. Spectacular.

A lot of the continued support has to come from the Beatles channel on SiriusXM– a great idea, by the way. Once you turn it on, you’re hooked. Plus, Paul McCartney is touring and Ringo Starr will begin to shortly. The two former Beatles are getting lots of press and they’re each doing promos for Sirius.

The next Beatles 50th would be “Magical Mystery Tour” in November. No doubt the folks at Apple and Capitol are planning something. After the “Sgt. Pepper” success, why not?

 

Al Gore Finds Stormy Climate as “An Inconvenient Sequel” Fails to Heat Up at Box Office

Roger Friedman
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Al Gore Finds Stormy Climate as “An Inconvenient Sequel” Fails to Heat Up at Box Office

Remember those heady days when Al Gore won an Oscar for “An Inconvenient Truth”? The climate change movie caught the zeitgeist of the moment in 2006. I gave it a rave review which the producers used on the DVD box. The documentary made $25 million domestically and the same amount abroad.

But sequels, especially with similar titles, can be a problem. So “An Inconvenient Sequel” has been a box office dud so far. After 17 days in release, Gore’s follow up has made just $2 million at the box office. Compare that with $5 million for the original in the same time frame. The sequel has turned out to be very inconvenient at least financially.

Times have changed since the first movie. Climate change is still an urgent issue. But Gore perhaps ran into more pressing problems playing out on CNN and other real news networks– Neo Nazis, North Korea, and a crazy president who doesn’t believe in any of Gore’s — and scientists’– theories.

Not only that: while Gore’s heart is in the right place, his hyperbole can hurt him. A mild summer in the Northeast, snow in usually hot places, haven’t helped. People don’t understand that ‘climate change’ means exactly that. Instead, they relate to the term ‘global warming.’ If it’s not 100 degrees outside, the whole thing seems far away.

Climate change movies are better suited to other platforms rather than the box office– HBO, Showtime, Amazon, Netflix. Last fall, Leonardo DiCaprio’s “Before the Flood” had a very limited theatrical release, made zilch, and was released more effectively for free on line and on National Geographic Channel. At the box office, fossil fuels can’t compete with superheroes and genius apes.

Pop: Pink Knocks “Despacito” off Number 1, Kesha Clean Sells About as Well as Kesha Dirty

Roger Friedman
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Pop: Pink Knocks “Despacito” off Number 1, Kesha Clean Sells About as Well as Kesha Dirty

“Despacito” — for some reason that escapes me– has been number 1 for weeks and weeks. But no more. Pink has at least temporarily dethroned the Spanish phenom with “What About Us,” a very good, straight ahead Pink type hit. “What About Us” is already all over top 40, which means the money is there, and the determination to make it a hit.

Meanwhile, Kesha’s “Rainbow” album is number 1. But it’s also number 8 on both iTunes and amazon. The number 8 version is “clean,” meaning it’s been denuded of all f words. This is for pre-teen and tween crowd of girls who can enjoy the music and not be sending their parents into a frenzy.

It’s not like Kesha has new words replacing the bad ones. They’ve simply silenced the second part of things like “mother—–.” Will kids know the difference? Probably not. But at least the bad language won’t be engraved in their heads through earbuds. And the kids can play the CDs in their moms’ minivans (if such a thing still occurs).

Box Office Summer Horror Continues as Cheap Horror Film “Annabelle: Creation” Takes Friday

Roger Friedman
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Box Office Summer Horror Continues as Cheap Horror Film “Annabelle: Creation” Takes Friday

The very very bad summer box office continues to be a horror.

To cap it off, cheap horror film “Annabelle: Creation” opened with $15 million from Thursday previews ($4m) and Friday night tickets. It’s on its way to a $35 million opening weekend and the number 1 position.

So much for any hope of a good movie summer. Exceptions were “Wonder Woman,” “Spider Man,” and “Dunkirk.” “Baby Driver” has also done well. But the list of failures is long. “Detroit” was the biggest disappointment of the bunch. Critics loved Kathryn Bigelow’s dark account of the summer of 1967, but audiences were not interested. It was released at the wrong time of year if Annapurna Pictures wanted the serious, awards crowd. They were away in the Hamptons, etc.

Sony, which had the “Spider Man” success and “Baby Driver,” is now sitting on two lemons– “The Dark Tower” and “The Emoji Movie.” As for the latter, I direct them to the Undisputed Truth, circa 1971– “Smiling Faces, sometimes they don’t tell the truth.”

So where is everyone? “Dunkirk” drew out the only good crowd of the summer so far. But that crowd seems to be mostly at home waiting for “Game of Thrones” and worrying about Trump declaring war by accident on Lichtenstein. And maybe Roy Lichtenstein, if Fox & Friends says he’s their president.

 

Paris Jackson on Secret AIDS Mission to Africa with Elizabeth Taylor Grandchildren

Roger Friedman
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Paris Jackson on Secret AIDS Mission to Africa with Elizabeth Taylor Grandchildren

Paris Jackson is on a secret AIDS mission to Africa with Elizabeth Taylor’s grandchildren, in conjunction with the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. Africa is life changing. I’ve been lucky to go twice. Paris has already posted on Twitter an exuberant photo with the caption “one of the greatest days of my life.” Paris is there with the Wilding family. More to come…

Sweet Pop Revenge: Kesha is Number One on iTunes, Amazon with Post- Scandal Album “Rainbow”

Roger Friedman
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Sweet Pop Revenge: Kesha is Number One on iTunes, Amazon with Post- Scandal Album “Rainbow”

Kesha is back and she’s number 1. Her “Rainbow” album was released at midnight. It’s number 1 on iTunes, and the number 1 new album on Amazon. (Glen Campbell is blocking her with three old albums, may he rest in peace.)

“Rainbow” is suddenly poised to be a Grammy nominee for Album of the Year, with plenty of choices for Record and Song of the Year. Plus Kesha is on track for Best Female Vocal. Her competition will be Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus.

But as one top Sony executive told me recently, “She has a great story.” It’s a great story, but a tough one, too. Kesha has publicly battled Sony and her former producer Dr. Luke in court. Dr. Luke has denied, but she’s accused him of a litany of things including rape. The parties are still at each other’s throats in court.

Kesha’s “Rainbow” is just great. It’s not about empowerment. It’s also a damn good rock pop album. Whatever happened between her and Dr. Luke, the result is she finally born as a pop star. From the opening track that warns “don’t let the bastards get you down” to the very GoGo-ish punk “Let ‘Em Talk” to the funky F word littered “Woman” (with the Dap King horns– Sharon Jones RIP she’d be proud), Kesha asserts herself with shocking aplomb. “Rainbow” has the potential to be HUGE.

Wait– did I mention a duet with Dolly Parton? “Old Flames (Can’t Hold a Candle to You)” should push “Rainbow” into even dizzier heights. (The arrangement is sort of Beatle-esque too. Cool.) What a thrill for mid August.

PS Not just for streaming. I actually want the “Rainbow” CD for my car. I think a lot of people will!

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