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Broadway: Barry Manilow Original Musical “Harmony” to Close February 4th After 96 Performances

Roger Friedman
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Broadway: Barry Manilow Original Musical “Harmony” to Close February 4th After 96 Performances

It’s virtually impossible to launch an original musical on Broadway without stars.

The latest casualty is Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman’s “Harmony.” It will close February 4th after 96 performances.

“Harmony” was a valiant effort but needed a marquee name to keep it going. The show did star Chip Zien, Sierra Boggess, Julie Benko, Allison Semmes, Andrew O’Shanick and the Harmonists: Sean Bell, Danny Kornfeld, Zal Owen, Eric Peters, Blake Roman, and Steven Telsey.

But they weren’t enough, and neither was Manilow’s name. Nevertheless, it was a good try. “Harmony” could certainly be produced in summer stock and other national venues. But it was too expensive to keep it on Broadway playing to half-filled theaters.

Maria Shriver Congratulates Son Patrick Schwarzenegger on Getting Cast in New “White Lotus,” Also Plugs Brands

Roger Friedman
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Maria Shriver Congratulates Son Patrick Schwarzenegger on Getting Cast in New “White Lotus,” Also Plugs Brands

Maria Shriver hasn’t done too badly in the parenting department.

Her daughter, Katherine, is married to movie star Chris Pratt. So she’s all set — along with a career writing books.

Now son Patrick, who’s been trying to get a break in Hollywood, has been cast in third season of HBO’s “The White Lotus.” He’s playing The Good Looking Young Guy, which is not a bad way to start out. Plenty of stars have had that role.

Maria, a great broadcaster, author, and philanthropist, Tweeted her congrats to Patrick this afternoon. She also plugged a brand –Armani — and her wellness charity for Alzheimer’s research. Mother and son have a protein bar called Mosh that they sell online. Portions of the proceeds go to the charity.

Patrick joins a cast that includes Walton Goggins, Aimee Lou Wood, Sarah Catherine Hook, Sam Nivola, Carrie Coon, Leslie Bibb, Jason Isaacs, Michelle Monaghan, Natasha Rothwell, and Parker Posey. It may also include the ghost of Jennifer Coolidge’s character, Tanya, and possibly also Kieran Culkin.

Anything is possible at The White Lotus.

Emmy Awards Fed “8,000 Hungry…” People– No…”Stars” at Governor’s Ball, Depended on Sponsorships from Three Liquor Companies

Roger Friedman
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Emmy Awards Fed “8,000 Hungry…” People– No…”Stars” at Governor’s Ball, Depended on Sponsorships from Three Liquor Companies

Now that we’ve seen the 2023 Emmy Awards, here’s a look back at the strangest part of the night.

A few days ago I received an email touting the feeding of 8,000 hungry people by the Television Academy. I thought it was about Project Angel Food, the LA equivalent of NY’s God’s Love We Deliver.

No– instead it was about feeding 8,000 “hungry celebrities” over a three day period.

Los Angeles is teeming with homeless, actually hungry people, many of whom wander around LA Live looking for handouts and help. I couldn’t stop thinking about them when I got this release. Was this a parody from The Onion?

The Television Academy – which normally is more engaged in awarding the creators of tasty plot twists for hungry worldwide audiences — has assembled a massive culinary cadre of chefs, servers and event experts to stage an unprecedented series of rapturous black-tie food and drink extravaganzas for 8,000 attendees in honor of the Emmy® Awards 75th Anniversary.

Fittingly it will take a “cast of thousands,” or nearly that, to pull the event off with a staff of 750 servers, runners, management and support personnel handling every need for the guest list of 8,000 which rivals similar needs for the inauguration of a U.S. President.

Then there was the rest of it. Alcohol advertising on TV is almost nil. Sometimes you see it during sporting events, but for the most part it’s shunned during mainstream entertainment shows that would be viewed by people under 18.

Nevertheless, Fox chose three liquor companies as main sponsors — sponsors that couldn’t really advertise on the Emmys. Very weird. They were: Johnnie Walker, Franciacorta varietals, and JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery.

All of it was a little weird, but maybe just a sign of the times. All bets are off when it comes to sponsorships!

PS Where did that all the excess food go when the 8,000 stars decamped for after parties? (There’s always mounds of meals left over after these events.) Unclear.

2024 Emmy Ratings: Low Low Numbers, Down 2 Million Viewers from 2023 as NFL Games Tackle Awards Fox Show That Resembled Critics Choice a Day Earlier

Roger Friedman
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2024 Emmy Ratings: Low Low Numbers, Down 2 Million Viewers from 2023 as NFL Games Tackle Awards Fox Show That Resembled Critics Choice a Day Earlier

The fast overnight ratings for the 2024 Emmy Awards are pretty shabby.

Playing against NFL games, and a day after the Critics Choice Awards were basically the same, the Emmys were tackled long before they got to the end zone.

The highest they got was 3.99 million viewers about mid way through the show. Otherwise they were stuck around 3.85 million.

These numbers come from major markets and could get a little higher when all the ballots are counted. But football ruled the night.

The last Emmys, in September 2022, scored 5.9 million, which was down from 7.6 million the year before. The trend is down down down.

The show last night was admirable for saluting nostalgia, bringing on reunions of old shows and replicating their sets. But not all of it worked. Anthony Anderson’s mother has worn out her welcome. Also, Fox ran so many commercials that the show seemed secondary to them.

The theme of the Emmys now is Netflix vs. HBO. “Abbott Elementary” is the only broadcast show involved in the game. There’s nary a mention of network TV, not a nod to the existence of “Law & Order” or the Dick Wolf shows, or any of the other procedurals.

The funniest moment came when the cast of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” was allowed to present an award and realized the Emmys had been going on behind their backs for the last 16 seasons!

Emmy Awards Leave Tom Wilkinson, Ryan O’Neal, David Soul, Richard Moll, Ray Stevenson Out of In Memoriam Segment

Roger Friedman
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Emmy Awards Leave Tom Wilkinson, Ryan O’Neal, David Soul, Richard Moll, Ray Stevenson Out of In Memoriam Segment

UPDATED The only point these days of watching In Memoriam segment is to see who was left out.

Tonight at the Emmys fans noticed the omission of Tom Wilkinson, Ryan O’Neal, David Soul, and Ray Stevenson.

Wilkinson won an Emmy in 2008 and had three other nominations.

O’Neal was a huge TV star in the mid 60s in “Peyton Place” before moving to films in 1970.

David Soul was the co-star of a beloved series, “Starsky and Hutch,” in the 1970s.

Stevenson was just in a Star Wars TV series, and had dozens of other roles.

Also missing was Richard Moll, long time star from “Night Court,” dead a longer time than Adan Canto, whose picture kicked off the In Memoriam segment.

Comedian Shecky Greene didn’t make the cut, too. He was on every TV variety show of the 60s, especially “Ed Sullivan.” And of course all the soap actors who died were cut, especially Bill Hayes, 98, who logged 53 years on “Days of Our Lives” and Jacklyn Zeman, who spent 45 years on “General Hospital.”

Were there others? Email them to showbiz411@gmail.com

Elton John Special Wins an Emmy, Singer Becomes an EGOT — With a G and 2 T’s Still Possible

Roger Friedman
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Elton John Special Wins an Emmy, Singer Becomes an EGOT — With a G and 2 T’s Still Possible

Sir Elton John became an EGOT tonight with his Emmy win.

Elton, David Furnish, and co. won an Emmy for the Farewell Yellow Brick Road end of touring in the US special that aired on Disney Plus.

It was Elton’s first Emmy. He received Grammys in 1987, 92, 95, 98, 99, and 2001, Oscars in 1994 and 2019, and a Tony Award in 2023. Of all the rockers in history he is the most awarded across the boards.

And he’s not done yet. Sir Elton is working on a new album with Brandi Carlile that could net him more Grammys. And he has two musicals heading to Broadway — one about Tammy Fay Bakker and the other an adaptation of “The Devil Wears Prada.”

Those are the projects we know about. There may be others! There probably are!

PS When do we get the soundtrack album for this Emmy winning special?

Review: The Emmy Awards Squeeze in Nostalgia Among Endless Commercials, Empty Seats in Truncated Show

Roger Friedman
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Review: The Emmy Awards Squeeze in Nostalgia Among Endless Commercials, Empty Seats in Truncated Show

The poor Emmy Awards. They should have aired last September but didn’t because of the Writers and SAG strikes.

So the awards they gave out tonight are for a season long since over and in some cases replaced already by a new one. They were voted on last summer.

And because the Emmys had to wait so long, they were usurped by Sunday’s Critics Choice Awards and last week’s Golden Globes. Having been at the CCAs on Sunday, I felt like I was having a deja vu on Monday. The actors and audience probably felt that way, too.

The gist of the show this year was nostalgia. Popular theme songs were used between segments. Old sets were lavishly recreated of old shows. Casts were reunited, even if some of the actors had left their shows unhappily — witness two members of the “Grey’s Anatomy” who got the heave-ho unceremoniously.

Then there were the glaring absences. Woody Harrelson and Shelly Long were glaringly absent from the “Cheers” reunion. Sandra Oh and Patrick Dempsey didn’t make it back for “Greys,” and so on. It was almost more fun watching who didn’t show up than who did. The most painful constant reunion: host Anthony Anderson and his mother, who was used as a running bit. Once would have been plenty.

And then there was the constant panning around the Microsoft Theater to show swaths of empty seats. I emailed someone from the Television Academy who claimed everyone was at the bar. Didn’t the Academy pay for seat fillers? (They were certainly stingy about press seats.)

The winners (and nominees) were the same as those other shows from the last week, and from past years. “The Bear” and “Succession” led the pack, along with “Beef.” The funny part of that was a reunion of the still on the air “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” They’ve been on the air for 16 seasons and never had a single nomination. The cast mocked the Emmys when they appeared, which was refreshing. The Emmy are guilty of ignoring the same shows for years until they are dead. (Witness “Billions.” Now its unloved star, Paul Giamatti, is on track to get an Oscar.)

Stranger still, punnily enough: “Still,” the Michael J. Fox documentary, picked up four Emmys. How could it possibly be nominated for an Oscar?

Among the presenters, the oddest one was two time Oscar winner Jodie Foster. She’s rarely been on a TV show in the last 50 years. Weird.

The next Emmys will be in September, on ABC, which will provide a huge improvement to the proceedings. When this next session begins, “Succession” and “The Crown” will be gone, “The Last of Us” will up the list, and so on. Maybe they will have fewer commercials. This show felt like it was squeezed into a night of them, and they were unbearable.

Outstanding Drama Series
Succession
HBO Max • HBO in association with Project Zeus, Hyberobject Industries, Gary Sanchez Productions and Hot Seat

Outstanding Comedy Series
The Bear
FX • FX Productions

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Succession • HBO Max • HBO in association with Project Zeus, Hyberobject Industries, Gary Sanchez Productions and Hot Seat Productions
Sarah Snook as Shiv Roy

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Succession • HBO Max • HBO in association with Project Zeus, Hyberobject Industries, Gary Sanchez Productions and Hot Seat Productions
Kieran Culkin as Roman Roy

Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series
Beef
Netflix • A Netflix Series / An A24 Production

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Beef
Netflix • A Netflix Series / An A24 Production Ali Wong as Amy Lau

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Beef • Netflix • A Netflix Series / An A24 Production
Steven Yeun as Danny Cho

Outstanding Variety Special (Live)
Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium
Disney+ • Disney+ Presents in association with Rocket Entertainment / A Fulwell 73 Production

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
Succession • Connor’s Wedding • HBO Max • HBO in association with Project Zeus, Hyberobject Industries, Gary Sanchez Productions and Hot Seat Productions
Mark Mylod, Directed by

Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Beef • The Birds Don’t Sing, They Screech In Pain • Netflix • A Netflix Series / An A24 Production
Lee Sung Jin, Written by

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Succession • Connor’s Wedding • HBO Max • HBO in association with Project Zeus, Hyberobject Industries, Gary Sanchez Productions and Hot Seat Productions
Jesse Armstrong, Written by

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Black Bird • Apple TV+ • Apple Studios
Paul Walter Hauser as Larry Hall

Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Beef • Figures of Light • Netflix • A Netflix Series / An A24 Production
Lee Sung Jin, Directed by

Outstanding Talk Series
The Daily Show With Trevor Noah
Comedy Central • Central Productions, LLC

Outstanding Writing For A Variety Series
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver • HBO Max • HBO in association with Sixteen String Jack Productions and Avalon Television
Daniel O’Brien, Senior Writer Owen Parsons, Senior Writer Charlie Redd, Senior Writer Joanna Rothkopf, Senior Writer Seena Vali, Senior Writer Johnathan Appel, Writer
Ali Barthwell, Writer Tim Carvell, Writer Liz Hynes, Writer Ryan Ken, Writer Mark Kramer, Writer Sofia Manfredi, Writer John Oliver, Writer
Taylor Kay Phillips, Writer Chrissy Shackelford, Writer

Outstanding Reality Competition Program
RuPaul’s Drag Race
MTV • World of Wonder

Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series
The Bear • System • FX • FX Productions
Christopher Storer, Written by

Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series
The Bear • Review • FX • FX Productions
Christopher Storer, Directed by

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story • Netflix • Ryan Murphy Productions for Netflix
Niecy Nash-Betts as Glenda Cleveland

Outstanding Scripted Variety Series
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
HBO Max • HBO in association with Sixteen String Jack Productions and Avalon Television

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
The Bear • FX • FX Productions
Jeremy Allen White as Carmen ‘Carmy’ Berzatto

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
The Bear • FX • FX Productions
Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Richard “Richie” Jerimovich

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Succession • HBO Max • HBO in association with Project Zeus, Hyberobject Industries, Gary Sanchez Productions and Hot Seat Productions
Matthew Macfadyen as Tom Wambsgans

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
The White Lotus • HBO Max • HBO in association with Rip Cord and The District
Jennifer Coolidge as Tanya McQuoid-Hunt

Uh Oh: JLo Single Comeback “Can’t Get Enough” Collapses: Drops off iTunes Top 100 After 5 Days, Fewer Than 1 Million Streams

Roger Friedman
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Uh Oh: JLo Single Comeback “Can’t Get Enough” Collapses: Drops off iTunes Top 100 After 5 Days, Fewer Than 1 Million Streams

Uh oh.

Jennifer Lopez’s “Can’t Get Enough” is DOA.

The single, which appeared 5 days ago, is already gone from the top 100 singles on iTunes.

On Spotify, the single has streamed fewer than 1 million times (that’s not very much). On YouTube, the video has had 3.5 million views, also minimal.

By comparison, Ariana Grande’s “Yes, and?” is number 1, also takes up five other positions on the chart in different incarnations. That video has 14 million views in three days.

It’s tough out there for older artists. Lopez is not alone. Madonna and Mariah Carey would be in the same boat. So it’s not something anti-JLo. It’s just the situation. There’s no place to play her song on the radio. She’s too old for top 40, and disco. The only way to break “Can’t Get Enough” would have been via a TV show or movie.

Also: the wedding video looks like an outtake from one of her movies. So that didn’t help.

Let’s hope she and her advisers take a lesson when the album comes out next month. There’s no such thing as an automatic hit no matter how much press you get on Day 1.

Oscars: Deja Vu Manipulation All Over Again as Last Year’s Riseborough Scandal Revived for Ava Duvernay’s “Origin”

Roger Friedman
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Oscars: Deja Vu Manipulation All Over Again as Last Year’s Riseborough Scandal Revived for Ava Duvernay’s “Origin”

Here we go again.

Last year, at the very last minute, a group of actresses went into high gear and got an Oscar nomination for Andrea Riseborough in a movie called “To Leslie.” No one had ever heard of the movie. It made no money and had no distribution.

The way it worked was a last minute screening in Hollywood hosted by Gwyneth Paltrow and Demi Moore. Frances Fisher jumped in on social media. They overturned the nomination process and angered a lot of people.

Now it’s happening again. This time it’s for Ava DuVernay’s “Origin.” The film was dumped by little Neon studios, has made no money, has little distribution, and wasn’t part of the awards race.

But a few days ago, Angelina Jolie hosted a screening a la “To Leslie.” It’s the same blueprint. Deadline.com ran a whole story about the screening just as they did with the first movie. I’m not sure who’s behind it, but it’s not happening by itself. Some Oscar PR specialist has jumped into the fray. Frances Fisher is even back on the case. Can they do it again with the movie, the director, and star Aunjanue Ellis? And who would all these nominations replace?

I admired “Origin” but it’s a lecture, a history lesson, a class. Its audience is about what “To Leslie”‘s was; very niche. The resentment about Riseborough last year came from the abrupt last minute effort to overturn the hard work of the casts of the movies that were already in the mix. Ellis is a terrific actress, but it’s implausible to think she could supersede the five or six actresses already lined up for this year.

Can the Academy members be manipulated twice in the same way? You bet.

See below a Tweet with actresses Catherine Keener, Mimi Rogers, and Rosanna Arquette.

African American Film Critics Snub “Rustin” on Top 10 List on MLK Day, Also Omit Jon Batiste’s “American Symphony”

Roger Friedman
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African American Film Critics Snub “Rustin” on Top 10 List on MLK Day, Also Omit Jon Batiste’s “American Symphony”

When you have one task and you don’t do it:

The African American film critics association released its top 10 movies of the year today, Martin Luther King’s birthday.

So they snubbed “Rustin,” the movie about King’s famed associated, Bayard Rustin. They did list Colman Domingo, who plays Rustin in the film. But otherwise they ignored the film.

I mean, what can you say?

The AAFCA also snubbed Jon Batiste’s fine documentary, “American Symphony.” Picture me hitting my forehead with my palm.

Instead they just listed all the same films that all the critics groups have honored, like “Oppenheimer” or “Killers of the Flower Moon.”

The AAFCA did go big time for Ava DuVernay’s “Origin,” which apparently was manipulated, I’m told by sources. “Origin” didn’t get the number of votes required. (Head shaking.)

So what gives? And why take this group seriously?

AAFCA’S TOP 10 FILMS OF THE YEAR

  1. American Fiction
  2. Origin
  3. The Color Purple
  4. Oppenheimer
  5. Past Lives
  6. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
  7. Poor Things
  8. Anatomy of a Fall
  9. Killers of the Flower Moon
  10. Barbie

 
WINNERS | 15TH ANNUAL AAFCA AWARDS
Best Drama: Origin
Best Comedy: American Fiction
Best Musical: The Color Purple
Best Director: Ava DuVernay (Origin)
Best Screenplay: American Fiction
Best Actor: Colman Domingo (Rustin)
Best Actress: Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (Origin)
Best Supporting Actor: Sterling K. Brown (American Fiction)
Best Supporting Actress: *TIE* Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers), Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple)
Best Ensemble: The Color Purple
Breakout Performance: Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon)
Emerging Filmmaker: Cord Jefferson (American Fiction)
Best Independent Feature: A Thousand and One
Best Animated Feature: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Best Documentary: Stamped From The Beginning
Best Music: The Color Purple
Best International Film: Io Capitano
Best Short Film: The After

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