Friday, November 15, 2024
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Kanye’s iTunes Punishment Cut Sales of His “Vultures 1” in Half from First Week, Just 1,485 Downloads

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I told you overnight that Apple/iTunes restored Kanye West’s album, “Vultures 1,” to the platform.

But the whole prior week or more, iTunes had pulled the album down over possible copyright infringement — not because the album is full of gross language and has an antisemitic lyric.

Anyway, the numbers are in for this past week. “Vultures” dropped to 2nd place and sold just 1,485 paid downloads.

All other sales were from streaming, cutting the album’s sales in half, from 159,000 to just 732,418.

Amazon dropped the album from its music service as well. But Spotify — which has the morals of frothing dog — kept it up. Most of the downloads sales would have come from them.

When “Vultures” returned last night, it shot to number 1. But with new releases today, West is down to number 5 and sinking, it is hoped.

Justin Timberlake Releases “Drown,” Second New Single Without Regular Collaborator Timbaland

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Justin Timberlake has released the follow up to his hit, “Selfish.”

It’s called “Drown,” and it debuts on iTunes at number 6, giving JT two hits in the top 20.

But it’s the second single in a row that does not include his long time collaborator, Timbaland, as a producer or writer.

Hmmmm…

Where is aka Timothy Mosley? He hasn’t disappeared. He’s all over social media with this own projects.

But on January 29th, Timba wrote on Twitter: “Don’t follow that impulsive to go back, keep going forward.”

So something looks like it may have gone wrong in this veritable partnership. It’s been Timba giving JT the beats for a lot of his hits including “Cry Me a River” and “Sexyback.”

But so far, “Drown” and “Selfish” have been mid tempo, not really for dancing. A third song, “Sanctified,” which Justin performed on “SNL,” couldn’t decide if it was gospel, dance, or whatever. Let’s hope that’s been reworked for the forth coming album, “Everything I Thought It Was.”

Palm Beach Post Endorses Joe Biden Over Trump for President Second Time in Four Years

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If Donald Trump reads his local newspaper in Palm Beach, he’s disappointed to say the least this week.

The Palm Beach Post has once again endorsed Joe Biden for president over Trump. It’s the second time in four years.

The editorial is titled, “Ignore pundits, sure, but consider the evidence piling up against Trump.”

They write:”… while some of us feel Donald Trump’s dishonesty was always obvious and his positions on issues shallow and mean, others are put off by what they see as exaggerated concerns, negativity and mocking unacceptance of a valid opposing viewpoint. So, it’s time for those who remain undecided to look with a set of fresh eyes at the evidence amassing before them.”

The editorial continues:

“Judges and juries of Trump’s peers in recent weeks have found the evidence overwhelming, to the tune of more than a half-billion dollars in fines, mounting with interest. In civil cases he’s been found to have engaged in sexual assault, defamation and corporate fraud, and the clock is winding down on criminal trials, as well. The latter will put the lie to his claims he was cheated out of reelection. They will support charges he tried to racketeer his way to a win in Georgia and nationally – just listen to that recording again. And they will spell out how, with words, actions and inaction, he sought to overthrow the will of the voters on Jan. 6, 2021.”

We do think of Palm Beach as conservative and Republican, an important part of the red Florida we’ve come to know and love. (Joking.)

Well, at least their local paper isn’t afraid to tell the truth.

Read the rest here.

https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/opinion/editorials/2024/02/21/editorial-evidence-mounts-that-trump-is-not-worthy-of-our-votes/72669652007/

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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!”

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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.

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