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Here’s the holiday greeting Donald Trump posted this afternoon. Peace on Earth? No way. It’s “economy power revenge dictatorship.” I’m surprised he left out fascism. He does keep the word ‘retribution.”
Yesterday, he told prosecutor Jack Smith and all his enemies to “ROT IN HELL” in third of a series of unhinged messages.
If you point these out to Trump fans they tell you this “just politics.” They have no idea that he’s serious, that if elected he will follow through on all of these threats and take away basic civil and human rights. How could anyone look at this stuff and say they were going to vote for this maniac?
Starting on January 29, Amazon Prime says it will start inserting commercials into their movies and TV shows.
The only way out is to pony up $2.99 a month, or basically, an extra $36.
Yes, this is streaming, not TV. But that’s how the cookie crumbles. Amazon, owned by the richest person in the world, needs some revenue to keep the stream flowing.
They aren’t alone. All the streaming platforms offer commercials or commercial free viewing of their programs. Spotify does it for music. And the prices keep going up.
Some of the streamers are offering bundles. Disney grouped their Disney Plus with Hulu and ESPN. Soon, Apple will join in. But to get a deal you have to be Albert Einstein to figure it all out. Yesterday I took on BritBox to get the Cary Grant series. Add that to all the ones above and the monthly price for all this stuff is astronomical. And that doesn’t include the cable package with HBO, TCM, and Showtime/Paramount.
Meanwhile, Amazon Prime costs $139, so add $36 to that if you don’t want Nespresso commercials popping up in the middle of movies! Of course Amazon Prime includes shipping on things you buy in the store. But for movies, most cost something to rent, and that won’t change.
Hmmmm. Maybe just read a book? Or watch the fireplace for entertainment.
“The Color Purple” opened at number 1 yesterday by a wide margin.
The tremendous reimagining of the Steven Spielberg classic film scored $18.15 million on Christmas Day and won the box office. It was the biggest Christmas Day opening since 2009 and the 2nd biggest of all time.
What a triumph! I told you this film was going to be big and that its cast and director for headed for a lot of awards.
The huge box office comes from a ton of promotion helped by Oprah Winfrey, “The View” host Whoopi Goldberg (who starred in the original film), and lots of media including a big appearance on The Jennifer Hudson talk show.
Early reviews were incredibly enthusiastic, as well. Yesterday’s showings proved them right as Cinemascore gives “The Color Purple” an A from first day audiences. Warner’s says the audience was 65% African American. Atlanta led the way among urban locations, followed by New York, LA, Chicago, and Washington DC. When word spreads the film should “cross over” into other audiences, too.
The box office win also means that Warner Bros. has the numbers 1, 2, and 3 movies on Christmas Day with “Color Purple,” “Aquaman 2,” and “Wonka.”
The other new Christmas films — “The Boys in the Boat” and “Ferrari” — came in at less thrilling numbers 4 and 6. Of the two, “Boys” has a chance of capturing family audiences this week.
For “The Color Purple,” opening day is really exciting. Stars Fantasia, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, Corey Hawkins et al, led by director Blitz Bazawule now get a huge boost for the Oscars and SAG Awards. They are absolutely headed to Best Ensemble at SAG and a Best Picture nomination from the Oscars. The actors should all make it in easily.
At 2:52 am, Kanye West — proudly antisemitic — issued an apology to the Jewish community on Instagram. It’s in Hebrew, no less.
As one follower commented, he’s getting ready to release a new album, called “Vultures,” on Friday. (It’s already floated around on YouTube and other platforms.)
Another observer said, West — who has openly praised Adolf Hitler — wrote the apology in “Yewish.” This is because the rapper calls himself Ye.
The so-called apology comes from a man who once said: “I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE. The funny thing is I actually can’t be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.”
West’s statement — devoid of any personal contrition — reads like it came from Google Translate, or some kind of AI program:
“I sincerely apologize to the Jewish community for any unintended outburst caused by my words or actions. It was not my intention to hurt or disrespect, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused. I am committed to starting with myself and learning from this experience to ensure greater sensitivity and understanding in the future. Your forgiveness is important to me, and I am committed to making amends and promoting unity”
That’s nice, but it doesn’t account for years of expressed antisemitism, West’s doubling down on hate that caused him to lose all his businesses and alienate not only the Jewish community but a major portion of his following. Companies that severed ties with him include Adidas, Balenciaga, The Gap, Foot Locker, and MRC (aka the film company that shares its owner with The Hollywood Reporter, Dick Clark Productions, and the Golden Globes).
West’s talent agency, CAA, dropped him. He’s persona non grata at Universal Music.
It’s clear from the comments on Instagram that no one believes West, and that he’s done this in the most self-serving way because he needs to sell music fast. His finances are in shambles because of his outspoken, bigoted views. It was just reported that he’s having a fire sale on a Malibu mansion, for example.
It was only 10 days ago that we were outraged about lyrics from “Vultures” in which Kanye said he couldn’t be antisemitic — and then gave an antisemitic reason. Here’s a good piece on his history from the Miami Herald.
Keep the apology, Kanye. And your album, ugly sneakers, and over priced clothes. We got the message a long time ago.
“Nyad” is on Netflix right now. Four time Oscar nominee Annette Bening plays celebrity swimmer Diana Nyad who, at 64, became the only person to make it from Cuba to Key West swimming without a shark cage. Two time Oscar winner Jodie Foster is her gutsy, indefatigable coach and life partner.
Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Oscar winners for their spectacular work on the 2019 documentary “Free Solo,” made “Nyad” their directorial debut in features. Oscar winner Claudio Miranda is the cinematographer.
Yet, no one in the grinding world of FilmTwitter, or influencers, or Gold Derby, any place else where buzz is created, has shown much enthusiasm for “Nyad.” The Golden Globes did nominate Bening, but otherwise overlooked the rest of the film. The Critics Choice Association threw a bone to Foster, but nothing for the film or Bening.
All of this is ridiculous. If you haven’t seen “Nyad,” it’s easier to do than brushing your teeth. It’s playing on Netflix even as you read this. Bening and Foster do some of the best work of their heralded careers. They are sensational playing difficult roles. Diana Nyad is a great swimmer but no day at the beach. She’s abrupt, caustic, and focused on herself. Coach Bonnie is more likable, but she’s also a tough cookie. These two are not “Thelma and Louise.”
But what Best Actress has ever won, in our lifetimes, for being an overachieving athlete? One who won’t accept the word “no”? Bening finds the heart at Nyad’s core, shows a vulnerability that makes this superstar human, and makes her root for her. You can see all the blood, sweat, and tears that went into the performance. Ignoring Bening’s accomplishment would be a crime.
Bening has been nominated four times — for “The Grifters” in 1991 (Supporting), “American Beauty” in 2000 (she should have won), 2005 for “Being Julia,” and 2011 for “The Kids Are Alright.” She was overlooked for “Bugsy,” “The American President,” “20th Century Women,” and “Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool.” It’s a career of 32 years, but like Glenn Close, Bening makes it look too easy.
So put on a life preserver, and watch “Nyad” if you’re serious about great acting. Bening and Foster, and even cinematographer Miranda are at the top of their respective games. Don’t leave them treading water. They’re Olympians — even if Nyad wasnt!
Once a year or so Hollywood pariah Kevin Spacey pops up with odd video.
Today, it’s in a mock interview with disgraced ex Fox News host Tucker Carlson, king of conspiracy theories. Spacey appears as his “House of Cards” character, Frank Underwood, complete with a Southern accent. Carlson wants to know if he would run for president.
Spacey remains cancelled in Hollywood despite wiggling out of a couple of sex harassment lawsuits. He is still totally creepy, and definitely guilty of just that if nothing else.
Carlson can only be seen on Elon Musk’s Twitter X since no network will have him.
Spacey was fired from “House of Cards” and Underwood was killed off before the series ended. Underwood was a double or triple murderer, a villain of major proportions who was beyond redemption. He was a sicko. But Spacey obviously misses him, which says a lot. Carlson, who loves Donald Trump in real life, seems very comfortable with Underwood.
Tomorrow concludes a five day holiday weekend at the box office.
So far, “Aquaman 2” is all wet with just $40 million for the five days. Throw him a life preserver! Glub glub glub.
Warner Bros, however, has a hit in “Wonka,” which will clear $100 million later this week. I’m actually surprised this worked so well, but Timothee Chalamet is charming, and the sets are spectacular. This was the family film.
Not everything is booming. “The Iron Claw,” kind of the feel bad movie of Christmas, has made just $5 million over the four days. We’ll see what happens tomorrow. Even with a trio of hot leading men, the movie wrestles with the truth of the von Erich family — it’s a tragedy. Even the best made wrestling movies — think “Foxcatcher” — are not crowd pleasers.
Sony’s rom com “Anyone But You” took in $6.5 million over the four days. I’m reading that it didn’t cost much, but a fortune was spent on ads and publicity.
Big hits: “Poor Things” and “All of Us Strangers” from Searchlight have strong starts. They’re all mixed up in the awards races, too. Quality films. “Poor Things” is not to be missed.
Meanwhile, the repetitive and very grim “Zone of Interest,” which I didn’t think would have a big following in theaters when I saw it in Cannes, is already down 31% from last week and it hasn’t even gotten a middling release yet. I can’t imagine people sitting through this movie, especially at this time of year. Show it in museums! Perfect for MoMA, MOCA, etc.
Here’s what I’m hearing about Pete Davidson suddenly canceling a dozen shows over Christmas and New Year’s.
For one thing, Davidson has performed at least 55 1 man shows since June on a grueling schedule. If you’re in a city that was just canceled, keep in mind that the SNL comic has been working like a dog for months without a significant break.
On top of that: on November 10th came word that Davidson had signed with William Morris Endeavor for representation in movies and TV. He had already been a client for ages with Mike Berkowitz for touring. Pete was on tour when that announcement was made.
EXCLUSIVE: It’s unclear what happened, but very quietly in the last month — since that big announcement — Davidson exited WME and Berkowitz in matters of touring and jumped to the Gersh Agency. He did this in the middle of this wild tour schedule. (WME and Berkowitz still are his agents for film and TV.)
A source says: “He must be exhausted. He didn’t want to do this much.”
We can only imagine that after 55 stand up dates, show after show, few breaks for recharging, the idea of hitting the New York area, plus other key cities, might have seemed daunting.
During the tour, Davidson — who pays to put audiences’ cell phones in locked pouches — lost it with a fan at New York’s City Winery on November 2nd who’d somehow smuggled one in. Pete cursed the guy out — he was ejected from the show — complained about paying $10,000 for the pouches that performers are using more and more to keep their content safe, and off social media.
Davidson’s tour — which was sometimes billed as “with Friends” — but still required solo sets, was so popular dates were being added spontaneously to keep up with the demand.
On top of that, Davidson was no doubt looking forward to being in a hit comedy this fall. “Dumb Money” was, however, dumped by Sony and was a flop — partly because of the strikes but also because lawsuits were threatened from people depicted in the movie. “Dumb Money” had an 84% rating on Rotten Tomatoes among critics, and an 85% from audiences. It should have been a huge hit, and certainly in the awards talk this fall after a successful premiere in Toronto. But it all went away overnight. Poof! The total box office was $13.9 million with almost no foreign release.
So let’s cut this guy some slack, and hope he’s getting some earned rest. He deserves it.
The ex “SNL” comedian has cancelled all his comedy shows through the beginning of next year.
Davidson abruptly cancelled his show at the Beacon Theater with an email to ticket holders.
“Please be advised that the Pete Davidson performances scheduled to take place at the Beacon Theatre on Fri, Dec 22 and Sat, Dec 23 have been canceled,” the email said. Refunds are automatic.
All the rest of Davidson’s shows were cancelled as well including cities like Nashville, San Antonio, Chattanooga, Atlanta, Louisville, and Milwaukee.
Is it drugs? Crohn’s disease? Mental health? It could be one or all three. Davidson has battled with all these issues for years, periodically checking into rehab. He’s a gifted comedian with real demons, starting with the death of his father in 9-11 when Pete was very young.
The cancellations are a headache for the promoters and theaters, but worth it if it means Davidson is taking care of himself.
Ticketmaster is still selling tickets starting January 6th at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. Everything before that will be refunded.
Davidson has a Netflix schedule set for January 9th, but it’s unclear if it was already taped.
Laura Lynch, the original lead singer of the group known as the Dixie Chicks, died today in an auto accident in Texas. She was 65, and not wearing a seat belt according to reports.
Lynch made three albums with the Chicks. She was replaced by Natalie Maines when she left. The other founding members were Robin Lynn Macy, Martie Erwin and Emily Erwin in 1989. Lynch played upright bass and was the group’s vocalist.
