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Bollywood Movie “Pushpa 2” Tops “Gladiator II,” “Moana 2” Thurs Night, Almost Beats “Wicked”

Roger Friedman
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Bollywood Movie “Pushpa 2” Tops “Gladiator II,” “Moana 2” Thurs Night, Almost Beats “Wicked”

The Bollywood movie, “Pushpa 2: The Rule,” made $4.5 million on Thursday night.

It came within $200,000 of topping “Wicked,” the number 1 film. “Pushpa” outranked Hollywood hits, “Moana 2” and “Gladiator II.”

According to Wikipedia, “Pushpa 2” is a 2024 Indian Telugu-language action drama film[6] directed by Sukumar and produced by Mythri Movie Makers, in association with Sukumar Writings. The film stars Allu Arjun in the titular role, alongside Rashmika Mandanna, Fahadh Faasil, Jagapathi Babu, Dhananjaya, Rao Ramesh, Sunil and Anasuya Bharadwaj. It is the second instalment in the Pushpa film series and the sequel to the 2021 film “Pushpa: The Rise.”

Got that?

Review: HBO’s “Yacht Rock” Is Wrong About So Many Things Starting with Michael McDonald Song

Roger Friedman
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Review: HBO’s “Yacht Rock” Is Wrong About So Many Things Starting with Michael McDonald Song

I caught up with HBO’s “Yacht Rock” documentary last night.

Is it a coincidence Yacht Rock rhymes with brain rot? The movie is a celebration of everything that went wrong with popular music in the early 80s. It’s a glorification of crap.

The basic conceit here is that because Steely Dan had so many outside musicians help them, they became the fulcrum for this thing. Nothing could be further from the truth. Donald Fagen and Walter Becker’s sly enigmatic lyrics and complex jazz inventions were pure genius. And when they saw their time ending in 1981 they got out. That’s when this bland interpretation of their music crept into pop.

It’s not like there aren’t some nuggets of gold from groups characterized as Yacht Rock. Toto’s “Hold the Line” is an example. A lot of Michael McDonald’s Doobie Brothers work was very good. But then it started to get copied, with each copy getting fainter. Someone in the doc says that “What a Fool Believes” is the zenith of Yacht Rock. But it was the rip offs that made it so awful.

One thing about this doc, concerning McDonald. His hit, “I Keep Forgetting,” was a rip off of Chuck Jackson’s 1961 hit, “I Keep Forgetting,” which was written by giants Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller. McDonald had to pay them and add their names to the credits of his hit. This is not mentioned at all in “Yacht Rock,” which is disturbing. It’s also one of the many glaring mistakes in the film.

In 1981 Christopher Cross won a bunch of awards for his Yacht Rock song, “Sailing.” He may be a very nice guy but I find his music as cringey as humanly possible. In 1981, smart people were listening to Prince, Talking Heads, Blondie, The Police, Elvis Costello, early rap, the Ramones, and so on. This other stuff was to be avoided like the plague. And Cross’s Grammy? Could you really say that “Sailing” was a better Best Song than “New York, New York”? Cross’s album was more important than Pink Floyd’s “The Wall.” This is garbage.

So, I vent. But “Yacht Rock” sent me over the top. It’s as unknowing a documentary as HBO’s Stax film from earlier this year. HBO makes such a good non fiction films on balance, it’s a shame they can’t get this genre right.

(Listen) Timothee Chalamet Sings 2 Bob Dylan Songs from AFI Top 10 Choice “A Complete Unknown”

Roger Friedman
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(Listen) Timothee Chalamet Sings 2 Bob Dylan Songs from AFI Top 10 Choice “A Complete Unknown”

Timothee Chalamet is coming for his Oscar playing Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown.”

The James Mangold directed biopic is getting raves in advance of its December 18th IMAX opening. Yesterday it was named one of the 10 best movies of 2024 by the American Film Institute.

Chalamet is sensational as young Bob Dylan. He sang all the songs in the film and played guitar and harmonica. It’s a bravura performance that works much better than even fans hoped for.

The famed singer songwriter endorsed the movie this week on Twitter as well.

Sony is releasing the movie’s soundtrack on Christmas Day to streaming services. CDs and LPs will come next. In the meantime, here are two preview songs, “Girl from the North Country” and “Like a Rolling Stone.” The latter is from the big 1965 Newport Folk Music Festival scene in the movie. On Twitter yesterday, Dylan himself called the Newport episode a “debacle.” That moment in rock history — of Dylan “plugging in” and going electric — is canon. I don’t know that Dylan has ever addressed it as a debacle before.

Hold on, because “A Complete Unknown” is going to be big!

Harry and Meghan’s New Archewell Report: $10 Million in Assets, Donations Almost Tripled, Salaries Jumped

Roger Friedman
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Harry and Meghan’s New Archewell Report: $10 Million in Assets, Donations Almost Tripled, Salaries Jumped

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Archewell Foundation has filed its 2023 tax report.

Their enemies would like Archewell to fail, but it’s hanging in there despite a huge fall off in 2022.

In 2023, total assets are reported at $10 million. In 2021, their founding year, total sssets were reported at $9 million. In 2022, they fell to $8.3 million. So things are improving.

Donations to the foundation from contributors were $5.3 million, up almost triple from $2 million in 2022.

Salaries zoomed from $640,441 to almost a million dollars. Harry and Meghan do not take salaries from the foundation.

Despite donations to the charity rising, grants going out only increased a little, from $1.2 million to $1.3 million.

The largest grant paid out was to Ashley Biden’s highly rated Women’s Wellness Place of Media, Pennsylvania for $250,000. Second biggest was to the NAACP in Baltimore for $125,000. Runner up at number three was The Markup News in New York $90,000. They’re a progressive journalism site that investigates technology.

All in all, no objectionable donations. The Sussexes played it safe in their third year and reaped rewards.

Broadway: Avett Brothers Musical “Swept Away” Closing: Swept Away by Bad Reviews, No Audience

Roger Friedman
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Broadway: Avett Brothers Musical “Swept Away” Closing: Swept Away by Bad Reviews, No Audience

This has not been an easy Broadway season for new shows.

Closing on December 15th is “Swept Away,” the really strange musical that combined seafaring, folk music, and cannibalism.

Yes, I said cannibalism.

“Swept Away” was not the musical version of Lina Wertmuller’s famous movie. Instead, ittook the music of the very inventive Avett Brothers folk-Americana group and combined it with a weird, unpleasant story of sailors in the 1800s who lose their ship at sea and wind up in a row boat. Eventually, they eat one of their party.

The show was capitalized at $14 million. That money has been swept away.

“Swept Away” comes from big people. It stars John Gallagher Jr., Stark Sands, Adrian Blake Enscoe and Wayne Duvall. Michael Mayer directed from a John Logan book. They really tried to make something good out of this crazy idea. The performers were fine and so was the music but the set looked like a cheap version of “The Lash Ship” and the story was insane.

Total performances: 32. Plus 20 previews.

“Swept Away” follows Elton John’s musical, “Tammy Faye,” which closes this Saturday night.

AFI Top 10 for 2024 Includes Only 2 Box Office Hits “Wicked,” “Dune Two,” TV Special Award “Baby Reindeer”

Roger Friedman
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AFI Top 10 for 2024 Includes Only 2 Box Office Hits “Wicked,” “Dune Two,” TV Special Award “Baby Reindeer”

Here are the top 10 lists for movies and TV from the American Film Institute this year.

These are likely the Oscar movies. Only two– “Wicked” and “Dune Two” — are box office hits. The rest are indie films with small grosses, or are streaming. Dark horse: “Conclave.”

AFI MOTION PICTURES OF THE YEAR

ANORA

THE BRUTALIST

A COMPLETE UNKNOWN

CONCLAVE

DUNE: PART TWO

EMILIA PÉREZ

NICKEL BOYS

A REAL PAIN

SING SING

WICKED

AFI TELEVISION PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR

ABBOTT ELEMENTARY

THE BEAR

HACKS

A MAN ON THE INSIDE

MR. & MRS. SMITH

NOBODY WANTS THIS

THE PENGUIN

SHŌGUN

SHRINKING

TRUE DETECTIVE: NIGHT COUNTRY

AFI SPECIAL AWARD

BABY REINDEER

RIP Steve Alaimo, 84, Pop Singer, Music Man Behind Acts from Sam & Dave to KC & the Sunshine Band, George McRae

Roger Friedman
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RIP Steve Alaimo, 84, Pop Singer, Music Man Behind Acts from Sam & Dave to KC & the Sunshine Band, George McRae

Steve Alaimo, the veteran music man, died last week. Condolences to his family.

Anyone who followed Henry Stone’s TK Records in the 1970s knows Alaimo’s name from the record labels. He was the guy who made the all time classic, “Rock Your Baby” by George McRae, into a massive hit. He was also involved with Gwen McRae’s “Rockin Chair” and KC and the Sunshine Band.

Alaimo was also responsible for producing Sam & Dave’s early pre-Atlantic Records. He wrote their first hit, long before “Soul Man” and “Hold On I’m Coming.” It was called “No More Pain,” on Marlin Records. Below you can find his official obit and listen to that Sam & Dave record. Sam Moore tells me Alaimo changed his life before Ahmet Ertegun happened on the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers singing in Miami.

Another great one gone.

Official obit:

Steve Alaimo, the honey-voiced music maverick who helped create the Miami sound, passed away on November 30th, 2024 at the age of 84. Known as much for his mischievous grin as his golden ear for hits, Alaimo lived life like one of his beloved records – with perfect timing and always leaving them wanting more.

From his early days as a teen idol (with hits like “Everyday I have to cry” and “Cast Your Fate to the Wind”) He had nine singles on the Billboard Top 100 Chart and was the host of Dick Clark’s “Where the Action Is” to his later role as music industry kingpin, Alaimo’s career read like a who’s who of American music.

Alongside Howard and Ron Albert, he co-owned Audio-Vision Studios and Vision Records, where his legendary ear and irreverent wit helped shape countless hits. His earlier venture with Henry Stone, TK Records, became the launchpad for disco sensations like KC and the Sunshine Band, George McCrae, Betty Wright and Bobby Caldwell.


A man who could make even a boring industry meeting feel like a party, Alaimo approached life with a wisecrack ready and a twinkle in his eye. He split his time between making music magic and handicapping horses, often suggesting that the latter was the more reliable way to make a buck in the entertainment business.

He is survived by his daughter Lindsey and two grandchildren, Nicholas and Maximo, who were the real platinum records of his life and wife Candy. His distinctive gravelly laugh, sharp wit, and unmatched ability to spot a hit – whether on the track or at the track – will be deeply missed by all who knew him. (Stephen Charles Alaimo: December 6, 1939-November 30th, 2024)

A private celebration of life will be held on December 14th, 2024 for family and friends.”

Shock: Critics Choice TV Noms Snub “The Bear” With 1 Nod, Give Comeback to Some Broadcast Shows

Roger Friedman
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Shock: Critics Choice TV Noms Snub “The Bear” With 1 Nod, Give Comeback to Some Broadcast Shows

The Critics Choice TV Nominations are out. Surprise! The broadcast networks have made a little comeback after years of omission.

Not just “Abbott Elementary.”

“Matlock,” “St. Denis Medical,” “Young Sheldon,” and “Found” got some traction with a smattering of noms. Annie Potts from “Young Sheldon” should win after decades of perfect comedy performances. Come on CCA!

The big shocker: Only Liza Colón-Zayas was nominated from “The Bear,” for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy. The rest of “The Bear” was snubbed, even Jeremy Allen White. Well, “The Bear” is not a comedy, it’s a drama with comedy. I don’t know what happened.

CCA TV awards air on January 12th Live on the E! channel in the same action packed awards show as the CCA Movie Awards. Don’t miss them! Chelsea Handler is hosting and the telecast is packed with stars!

TELEVISION NOMINATIONS FOR THE 30TH ANNUAL CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS

BEST DRAMA SERIES

The Day of the Jackal (Peacock)

The Diplomat (Netflix)

Evil (Paramount+)

Industry (HBO | Max)

Interview with the Vampire (AMC)

The Old Man (FX)

Shōgun (FX / Hulu)

Slow Horses (Apple TV+)

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Jeff Bridges – The Old Man (FX)

Ncuti Gatwa – Doctor Who (Disney+)

Eddie Redmayne – The Day of the Jackal (Peacock)

Hiroyuki Sanada – Shōgun (FX / Hulu)

Rufus Sewell – The Diplomat (Netflix)

Antony Starr – The Boys (Prime Video)

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Caitriona Balfe – Outlander (Starz)

Kathy Bates – Matlock (CBS)

Shanola Hampton – Found (NBC)

Keira Knightley – Black Doves (Netflix)

Keri Russell – The Diplomat (Netflix)

Anna Sawai – Shōgun (FX / Hulu)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Tadanobu Asano – Shōgun (FX / Hulu)

Michael Emerson – Evil (Paramount+)

Mark-Paul Gosselaar – Found (NBC)

Takehiro Hira – Shōgun (FX / Hulu)

John Lithgow – The Old Man (FX)

Sam Reid – Interview with the Vampire (AMC)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Moeka Hoshi – Shōgun (FX / Hulu)

Allison Janney – The Diplomat (Netflix)

Nicole Kidman – Special Ops: Lioness (Paramount+)

Skye P. Marshall – Matlock (CBS)

Anna Sawai – Pachinko (Apple TV+)

Fiona Shaw – Bad Sisters (Apple TV+)

BEST COMEDY SERIES

Abbott Elementary (ABC)

English Teacher (FX)

Hacks (HBO | Max)

Nobody Wants This (Netflix)

Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)

Somebody Somewhere (HBO | Max)

St. Denis Medical (NBC)

What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Brian Jordan Alvarez – English Teacher (FX)

Adam Brody – Nobody Wants This (Netflix)

David Alan Grier – St. Denis Medical (NBC)

Steve Martin – Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)

Kayvan Novak – What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Martin Short – Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Kristen Bell – Nobody Wants This (Netflix)

Quinta Brunson – Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Natasia Demetriou – What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Bridget Everett – Somebody Somewhere (HBO | Max)

Jean Smart – Hacks (HBO | Max)

Kristen Wiig – Palm Royale (Apple TV+)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Paul W. Downs – Hacks (HBO | Max)

Asher Grodman – Ghosts (CBS)

Harvey Guillén – What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Brandon Scott Jones – Ghosts (CBS)

Michael Urie – Shrinking (Apple TV+)

Tyler James Williams – Abbott Elementary (ABC)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Liza Colón-Zayas – The Bear (FX / Hulu)

Hannah Einbinder – Hacks (HBO | Max)

Janelle James – Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Stephanie Koenig – English Teacher (FX)

Patti LuPone – Agatha All Along (Disney+)

Annie Potts – Young Sheldon (CBS)

BEST LIMITED SERIES

Baby Reindeer (Netflix)

Disclaimer (Apple TV+)

Masters of the Air (Apple TV+)

Mr Bates vs the Post Office (PBS)

The Penguin (HBO | Max)

Ripley (Netflix)

True Detective: Night Country (HBO | Max)

We Were the Lucky Ones (Hulu)

BEST MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION

The Great Lillian Hall (HBO | Max)

It’s What’s Inside (Netflix)

Música (Prime Video)

Out of My Mind (Disney+)

Rebel Ridge (Netflix)

V/H/S/Beyond (Shudder)

BEST ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Colin Farrell – The Penguin (HBO | Max)

Richard Gadd – Baby Reindeer (Netflix)

Tom Hollander – FEUD: Capote vs. The Swans (FX)

Kevin Kline – Disclaimer (Apple TV+)

Ewan McGregor – A Gentleman in Moscow (Paramount+)

Andrew Scott – Ripley (Netflix)

BEST ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Cate Blanchett – Disclaimer (Apple TV+)

Jodie Foster – True Detective: Night Country (HBO | Max)

Jessica Lange – The Great Lillian Hall (HBO | Max)

Cristin Milioti – The Penguin (HBO | Max)

Phoebe-Rae Taylor – Out of My Mind (Disney+)

Naomi Watts – FEUD: Capote vs. The Swans (FX)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Robert Downey Jr. – The Sympathizer (HBO | Max)

Hugh Grant – The Regime (HBO | Max)

Ron Cephas Jones – Genius: MLK/X (National Geographic)

Logan Lerman – We Were the Lucky Ones (Hulu)

Liev Schreiber – The Perfect Couple (Netflix)

Treat Williams – FEUD: Capote vs. The Swans (FX)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Dakota Fanning – Ripley (Netflix)

Leila George – Disclaimer (Apple TV+)

Betty Gilpin – Three Women (Starz)

Jessica Gunning – Baby Reindeer (Netflix)

Deirdre O’Connell – The Penguin (HBO | Max)

Kali Reis – True Detective: Night Country (HBO | Max)

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE SERIES

Acapulco (Apple TV+)

Citadel: Honey Bunny (Prime Video)

La Máquina (Hulu)

The Law According to Lidia Poët (Netflix)

My Brilliant Friend (HBO | Max)

Pachinko (Apple TV+)

Senna (Netflix)

Squid Game (Netflix)

BEST ANIMATED SERIES

Batman: Caped Crusader (Prime Video)

Bluey (Disney+)

Bob’s Burgers (Fox)

Invincible (Prime Video)

The Simpsons (Fox)

X-Men ’97 (Disney+)

BEST TALK SHOW

Hot Ones (YouTube)

The Daily Show (Comedy Central)

The Graham Norton Show (BBC America)

John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in L.A. (Netflix)

The Kelly Clarkson Show (NBC/Syndicated)

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)

BEST COMEDY SPECIAL

Ali Wong: Single Lady (Netflix)

Jim Gaffigan: The Skinny (Hulu)

Kevin James: Irregardless (Prime Video)

Nikki Glaser: Someday You’ll Die (HBO | Max)

Rachel Bloom: Death, Let Me Do My Special (Netflix)

Ramy Youssef: More Feelings (HBO | Max)

Ratings: “Yellowstone” Increases Audience by 3%, But Drops Twice That in Younger Viewers

Roger Friedman
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Ratings: “Yellowstone” Increases Audience by 3%, But Drops Twice That in Younger Viewers

This past Sunday’s episode of “Yellowstone” was a bit of a non starter in many ways.

Plot wise, the show was quite dull and felt padded out to fill its time slot. With only two more episodes before the finale, “Yellowstone” offered the death — by horse kicking — of a minor character.

Not much else happened, although the show pointed to Jamie (Wes Bentley) getting his own finale for all his evil deeds.

Total ratings were up 3.15% to a lackluster 6.5 million.

But in the key demo between 18 and 49, viewers tuned out in droves. That number fell 6.6% to just 850,000 of the audience.

This Sunday brings the penultimate episode before the series ends on December 15th. Then a bunch of “Yellowstone” sequels, prequels, et all will kick into place all without Kevin Costner. Fans are hoping the main show will continue but it’s unlikely since everyone is getting killed off.

How about a comedy spin off called “Beth”? Just kidding!

ABC Will Try to Shoehorn in “American Idol” Preview After Oscars End on March 2nd

Roger Friedman
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ABC Will Try to Shoehorn in “American Idol” Preview After Oscars End on March 2nd

It used to be the Oscars took up the entire night on ABC.

Not this year.

The network says it will shoehorn in a preview of “American Idol” after the Academy Awards on March 2, 2025.

They say the Oscars will run from 7pm to 10:30pm, followed by the “Idol” special introducing Carrie Underwood as the new judge replacing Katy Perry. The other judges are still Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan.

“American Idol” will pick up again a week later on Sunday, March 9th.

ABC is hedging its ratings bets by shoving “Idol” in on the same night as the Oscars. They’re hoping for a ratings boost if the Oscars don’t do well. But ratings stop at 11pm, so on the East and Central coasts it may be a moot point if the Oscars run over their allotted time — and they usually do.

Conan O’Brien is hosting the Oscars, which will likely lean hard on “Wicked” to pull in an audience — not to mention “Gladiator II,” “Moana 2,” and a couple of other blockbusters to mitigate mostly nominations of independent movies.

This is a tad strange of ABC, which you would think should concentrate its attention on the Oscars for the night. But it’s a strange year already.

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