Now and Then a record comes out makes a sensation.
That’s the case with the Beatles’ “Now and Then.” The final song from the Fab Four, capping 60 years of music, is a smash hit.
On YouTube, the song is now circling 10 million views between the original audio release yesterday and the Peter Jackson video that came out this morning.
“Now and Then” is number 1 on every chart — iTunes, etc.
What do you for an encore after 9 seasons of playing a superhero? Why, you star in a new Broadway musical!
Grant Gustin, known as The Flash to his CW network fans, will headline “Water for Elephants,” a new musical based on the film with Robert Pattinson. The show opens next spring.
Gustin isn’t really known for singing, just rushing around to break the speed limit. But his bio says he did a season of “Glee” on TV and was in a lot of high school musicals.
Luckily, he’s got a strong veteran Broadway cast behind him including Greg Edelman, Paul Alexander Nolan, and Isabella McCalla. Gustin will play Jacob, who jumps on a train and joins the circus. “Water for Elephants” was a novel before it became a movie that wasn’t so well received. But Rick Elice wrote the book, music is by Pigpen Theater Company, and director Jessica Stone is coming off “Kimberly Akimbo.”
No word on who will play the elephant, who is said to be on Ozempic so he’s nice and svelte.
Mariah Carey was back last night on Jimmy Kimmel cheerfully promoting her annual Christmas assault.
Mariah’s song — which was written by Walter Afanasieff — something she omits from the story — is her cash cow.
This year to date, Mariah has sold just 47,410 albums and singles in CDs and downloads. Her total is up around 650,000 — but that’s almost all streaming, which doesn’t keep a girl in tiaras!
So Christmas has become a big business for Carey. She brings back her hit record, “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” and goes on a short tour where she can bounce around in a Santa suit and spread tinsel over the town.
Last night Kimmel asked her if she knew there was a new Beatles record out. She did not. He also alluded to the fact that Mariah had made the audience wait a long time before she arrived. There was a discussion about her famous lateness to all events. Kimmel said he’d gotten very friendly with the audience until Mariah finally showed up.
Mariah did the whole Diva thing, and her fans no doubt ate it up.
When she got Afanasieff to write “All I Want” that was the genius move. It will serve Mariah and her children well into the century, and then some!
PS Mariah did not sing on Kimmel, because that takes a village to put together. I was instead gripped by Allison Russell, who should have been a major star already. She was amazing. Watch below. This woman is incredibly talented!
Just a few days after “Friends” star Matthew Perry has died, his Estate has launched a charitable foundation in his name.
The Matthew Perry Foundation is up and running, taking donations on its website. It’s unclear who the officers or board of directors are, but that will come soon, I’m sure.
Perry had already started a sober house in Malibu, and spoke frequently about helping as many as he could overcome what he’d been through. He’d said: “When I die, I don’t want ‘Friends’ to be the first thing that’s mentioned — I want helping others to be the first thing that’s mentioned. And I’m going to live the rest of my life proving that.”
Separately, he’d said: “Addiction is far too powerful for anyone to defeat alone. But together, one day at a time, we can beat it down.”
How this foundation will play out remains to be seen. Will the other “Friends” get involved? This could be another Betty Ford Clinic, or devolve into a jackpot for salaries. Let’s hope it goes well.
“Priscilla” is expanding to 1400 theaters today after one week of a limited run.
But if you go, don’t expect to hear “Euphoria” star Jacob Elordi singing Elvis Presley’s hits.
Director Sofia Coppola, despite optioning Priscilla Presley’s memoir, couldn’t get the rights. They’d already gone to the Presley Estate-sanctioned “Elvis” movie with Austin Butler.
There’s no “Hound Dog,” or “All Shook Up” or “Heartbreak Hotel.”
The movie should have been called “Don’t Be Cruel.”
The soundtrack on ABKCO Records is full of other 50s and 60s inspired songs by the Ramones, Brenda Lee, the Righteous Brothers, the Soul Stirrers, Frankie Avalon, and Tommy James & the Shondells.
Otherwise, there’s a score by Coppola’s husband’s band, Phoenix.
But for Elvis songs, you’ll have to go the “Elvis” soundtrack or Presley’s original records.
Here’s the official video for “Now and Then.” The audio version on YouTube is up to around 5 million views.
The video combines old and new footage of the Beatles and will leave you in tears. It’s a brilliant ending to the most amazing modern music career of any group or single artist.
Jackson has managed to sum up the group and reunite them in a joyful and sorrowful way.
Director Peter Jackson says in a supplied interview:
“Luckily we found a collection of unseen outtakes in the vault, where The Beatles are relaxed, funny and rather candid. These become the spine of our middle section, and we wove the humour into some footage shot in 2023. The result is pretty nutty and provided the video with much needed balance between the sad and the funny.”
refresh and press play at 9am
NY Attorney General presents an eloquent summary to what went on in Donald Trump’s fraud case today.
Rather than print one of Trump’s social media rebuttals, this is important because once all the noise is removed, James knows the facts.
Today, we heard testimony from Donald Trump’s sons and co-defendants, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump.
They pretend that they were not involved in their family’s fraudulent business.
But the facts tell a very different story. ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/m5X0B8saa0
— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) November 2, 2023
Fifty years ago today, Ringo Starr released his landmark album, “Ringo!” The album, produced b Richard Perry, was the first reunion of the Beatles after their break up in 1970. George Harrison wrote the song, “Photograph.” John Lennon wrote “I’m the Greatest,” Paul McCartney gave Ringo “Six O’Clock.” They all played and participated.
Now that “Now and Then” is out today, it’s important to look back at that first coming together.
Perry writes about in his memoir, “Cloud Nine.”
Perry remembers being in the studio just as John was finishing up “I’m the Greatest,” custom written for Ringo with a reference to Billy Shears. George’s assistant and famous Beatles wrangler Mal Evans was on the phone.
from the book:
“We hear there’s a session going on,” Mal said.
“Yes Mal there is.”
“Well, is it OK if George comes down?”
I said, “Would you hold on a minute, Mal?” As I started to walk from the control
room back out to the studio, I thought to myself, “You…Richard Perry…are about to ask JOHN LENNON…if it’s okay for GEORGE HARRISON to come down, to play guitar on a record that you’re producing with RINGO STARR—TAKE ME LORD!”
When I asked John he replied, “Fuckin’ hell, tell him to get down here and help us
finish the song!”
About twenty minutes later, we were running it down for the first time with the
band. It was just Ringo on drums, John on piano, Klaus on bass, and Billy Preston
on organ. George entered through the back door, with no fanfare. He didn’t want to
interrupt the run-through. He was carrying a small amp and his guitar; he quietly
plugged them in and started to play the quintessential Beatle guitar part, even
though he had barely heard the song. His guitar not only added the final element to
the track, but it took it to another level. Now it really sounded like a track that
belonged on Abbey Road.
One of the reasons I believe that the chemistry was so
effortless, was that they felt my appreciation of their talent. I was not in awe, for I
had been through the gristmill with Barbra [Streisand], Carly [Simon], and [Harry] Nilsson, and I was very comfortable in my role as creative ringmaster (no pun intended). As I looked around the room, I realized that I was at the very epicenter of the spiritual and
musical quest I had dreamed of for so many years. With three Beatles playing
together, it was the closest to a Beatles reunion the world would ever see!”
“Ringo!” remains a desert island disc, with hits “Photograph,” “You’re Sixteen,” and “Oh My My.”
Happy anniversary!
The Beatles’ “Now and Then” just passed the 3 five million mark on You Tube after 23 hours.
The audio of their new and final single got a slow start but quickly picked up once fans figured out how to find it.
Information has been minimal on how to access the historic song.
Tomorrow comes the actual video, but this one is what everyone is listening to so far.
The song is majestic and magnificent. George Harrison’s instrumental solo is a stand out.
Stay tuned for more info, which isn’t easy to come by.
And she doesn’t sing a word of it.
Barbra Streisand’s “My Name is Barbra” drops on Tuesday. It’s 992 pages long.
So how long is the Audible audio version?
Forty eight — yes 48 hours — and 15 minutes. Binge listening would require two solid days.
As Broadway star Michael Urie quipped on Twitter, “I could have done it in 30.”
So far “My Name is Barbra” has not gotten a lot of publicity. Vanity Fair excerpted a piece about Robert Redford and “The Way We Were.” Only one tantalizing anecdote has made the rounds, about Marlon Brando propositioning Streisand when she was married to Elliot Gould.
Otherwise, I’m told the book is short on juice and long on philosophy. That doesn’t seem possible given its length. But there are no review copies so far, so we don’t know.
What I hope for is Barbra telling like it was about dealing with the movie studios, how the films she directed were developed, how the records were made, and so on.
And no she doesn’t sing on those 48 hours. But her speaking voice will be mellifluous!