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RIP Rudy Isley, 84, of the Isley Brothers, 60s Hits “This Old Heart of Mine,” “Twist and Shout” Led to Unprecedented Rock and Soul

Roger Friedman
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RIP Rudy Isley, 84, of the Isley Brothers, 60s Hits “This Old Heart of Mine,” “Twist and Shout” Led to Unprecedented Rock and Soul

Rudolph Isley died over the week. He and his brothers Ernie and Ronnie, and O’Kelly, were soul and rock pioneers in the 60s and 70s and keep going even today.

Rudy was 84 and died of natural causes, according to his brothers.

The Isley Brothers were famous first for two singles that became pop-rock-soul classics with similar titles: “Shout” and “Twist and Shout.” The former was featured 15 years after its release in the movie, “Animal House.” The latter became an even bigger hit by the Beatles, and then the Beatles’ version was a hit in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”

But the Isleys didn’t stop there. They made a brief stop at Motown and recorded “This Old Heart of Mine (Been Broke a Thousand Times)” which has been covered many times including by Rod Stewart.

The left Motown and developed a funky sound immediately with “It’s Your Thing.” But it was 1973 when they hit their stride with “Who’s That Lady”? The A side was part 1 and B side was part 2. The full length album version is masterpiece of funk, soul, and rock, with the Isleys’ searing guitars rivaling anything by Santana, Clapton, or Harrison.

Just to show their range, the Isleys covered “Summer Breeze” by Seals and Crofts, and it’s one of the great R&B records of all time.

Not long after came “Fight the Power,” in 1975, a funk record of rebellion that Public Enemy later turned into their own hit at the start of rap. But it’s based on the Isleys’ song. That album also featured one of the great slow R&B mid tempo love songs, “For the Love of You.” Whitney Houston later recorded it and had a hit.

The Isleys have had a lots of legal problems. They were scrappy, not smooth like a Motown or Stax group. I think they kind of frightened the rest of the R&B world. They were tough. But I hung out with them this past winter at the Musicares dinner, where they performed “This Old Heart of Mine,” and they were still wearing their shiny gold and silver 70s futuristic suits, and playing their hearts out. It’s their thing.

RIP Rudolph Isley.

NYC Monday October 16th: Art Scene Pops with Annual MVVO Ad Art Show at Brooklyn’s Hip Hip Hip Powerhouse Arts

Roger Friedman
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NYC Monday October 16th: Art Scene Pops with Annual MVVO Ad Art Show at Brooklyn’s Hip Hip Hip Powerhouse Arts

Since its launch at Sotheby’s in 2018, the MvVO ART/AD ART SHOW has been instrumental in acquainting art enthusiasts, collectors, curators, gallerists, and critics with the skilled fine artists hailing from the advertising sector.

Curated by a panel of contemporary art experts, participants are selected annually, with collector-driven jury panels determining prize recipients. MvVO ART continues to provide unwavering support to featured artists, offering a dedicated Artsy gallery page for art purchase.

Monday at Brooklyn’s Powerhouse, dozens of fine artists including Don Hershman — who just had a sold out show at the Salomon Gallery in Tribeca — will be exhibiting their work.

This unique showcase will take place at Powerhouse Arts (PHA), a not-for-profit organization committed to creative expression. Powerhouse is in the achingly hip Gowanus neighborhood at 322 Third Avenue. (Just give the Uber driver the address.)

Powerhouse hosts an extended network of art and fabrication professionals and educators who work together to co-create and share artistic practices vital to the well-being of artists and the communities to which they belong. As spotlighted by The New York Times, Powerhouse Arts symbolizes the rebirth of ‘Brooklyn’s Batcave’ into a modern artistic haven.

The AD ART SHOW was founded with the intention of bridging the artistic disciplines of fine art and advertising. Drawing inspiration from artists like Andy Warhol and Edward Hopper, whose roots in commercial art informed a pioneering career in the fine art market, the AD ART SHOW seeks to celebrate the practices of artists working in the commercial advertising industry, offering a new lens by which to appreciate their practice. The AD ART SHOW 2023 showcases today’s artists treading similar paths and beginning to carve their niche in the annals of art history.

Maria van Vlodrop, Founder of MvVO ART/AD ART SHOW, stated, “The bridge between art and advertising has been both historical and impactful. At AD ART SHOW 2023, we’re unveiling the next wave of artists poised to leave their mark.”

Eric Shiner, Powerhouse Arts’ President and former Director of the Andy Warhol Museum, shared, “Our collaboration with MvVO ART embodies the dynamism of the contemporary art scene and the sophistication with which artists can apply their artistic viewpoint to various audiences and markets. Powerhouse Arts is thrilled to be part of this celebration of emerging talent and the connoisseurship of broad definitions of art.”

Nicole Purcell, CEO of the Clio Awards, noted, “Our collaboration with the AD ART SHOW is both a celebration of creativity and a recognition of the artistic talent working within the world of advertising.”

The crowning moment will see a standout artist receiving the esteemed Clio Award. Beyond this honor, the top ten artists will be showcased on OUTFRONT billboards nationally, throughout the U.S., with the top three displayed in Times Square.

“We are thrilled to be partnered with MvVO ART/AD ART SHOW in celebrating and showcasing winning industry artists,” said Liz Rave, Vice President, Marketing at OUTFRONT Media. “Creative is the key ingredient in effective out-of-home, and at OUTFRONT our leadership and commitment to excellence in creative is unparalleled.”

“We’d like to express our gratitude to OUTFRONT Media for their generous contribution and support, as well as our other lead partners and sponsors including The Clio Awards, TIME, Google Pixel, Tik Tok, Grey Advertising, WPP, Omnicom and EMS Group Fine Art Services . We are proud supporters of Franklin Furnace and Artistic Dreams International” said MvVO’s Maria van Vlodrop.

For a firsthand experience of this unique art presentation, reserve tickets online in advance. At the VIP Reception on Monday, October 16th there will be a special LIVE performance by ARKAI music, along with drinks and light bites.

See Will Smith’s Reaction to Being Reduced to a Joke by Estranged Wife Jada in New Book and Constant Interviews

Roger Friedman
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See Will Smith’s Reaction to Being Reduced to a Joke by Estranged Wife Jada in New Book and Constant Interviews

Will Smith has posted his reaction to estranged wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s attempted destruction of him this weekend.

Will is somewhere cold on a boat living his best life, phone ringing unanswered. He’s smiling a Cheshire grin.

Jada has said the absolutely worst things she can think of to try and get a bestseller. She’s got it. I hope she’s happy now.

RIP Suzanne Somers, 76, One of Hollywood’s Nicest People, Trailblazer for Equal Pay for Women

Roger Friedman
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RIP Suzanne Somers, 76, One of Hollywood’s Nicest People, Trailblazer for Equal Pay for Women

So sorry to hear that Suzanne Somers has died. She was 76 and battling cancer since her 40s.

Suzanne leaves her longtime husband, Alan Hamel, and her step children and grandchildren, plus her son, Bruce Somers Jr. and three granddaughters.

Suzanne was one of Hollywood’s nicest people. But she was also smart. She burst onto the scene in the 70s in the hit sitcom, “Three’s Company.” She quickly broke out as the key star and wanted to be paid as much as John Ritter, the male lead. When ABC refused, she left. It was very rare and unprecedented. She sued, the case went to arbitration, and she got just $30,000. She was right in every way. Unfortunately, not much has changed for actresses since then.

Somers starred in other series including a hit family show called “Step by Step” with Patrick Duffy of “Dallas,” also on ABC. But she and Hamel had a good business sense. She jumped on the working out craze with the much mocked but best selling “Thighmaster.” She also wrote many diet books in which she advocated cutting all sugar. She was ahead of her time.

I used to see Suzanne and Alan at least once a year at Clive Davis’s annual Grammy party. Every once in a while they came to New York to various events and she — both of them — were not like the usual Hollywood rabble. They loved to be “normal.” And we loved them for it.

Go back and look at “Three’s Company.” It was screwball comedy, and Suzanne was the engine behind. You have to pretty smart to make being dumb look so good.

PS Before “Three’s Company,” Suzanne got her big break in George Lucas’s “American Graffiti,” playing the elusive girl in the car who Richard Dreyfus becomes obsessed with.

Jada Pinkett Smith Book Will Debut At Number 1 After Throwing Will Smith Under the Bus and Backing Over Him

Roger Friedman
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Jada Pinkett Smith Book Will Debut At Number 1 After Throwing Will Smith Under the Bus and Backing Over Him

Wherever Will Smith is he knows the sting an international slap in the face.

His estranged wife has used her book, called “Worthy,” to mock him relentlessly in the press. She’s thrown him under the bus and then backed up over him for good measure.

The result? The book will be number 1 when it’s released on Tuesday.

Pinkett has told us that Smith is basically a cuckold, someone who doesn’t mind being cheated on publicly or discussed in the most demeaning way.

She’s left nothing out among her own love life, her drug life, and she’s always wiped her feet on the grave of Tupac Shakur. She’s revealed the murdered rapper suffered from alopecia, something no knew about until now.

Then, just to kick Smith again, she’s called Tupac her “Soul mate.”

I never thought I’d feel sympathy for Will Smith after the Chris Rock episode. But I kind of do, now.

Why isn’t he divorcing this woman? Many people speculate it’s about money. If Will divorced Jada, mother of two of his children, his fortune would be divided in half. They have no prenup evidently. And after 27 years, and all his hits, Jada would walk away with a fortune of her own.

But is the money worth it to be humiliated in this way? At this point, Will should downsize, kick everyone off the payroll, and find a good shrink.

Taylor Swift “Eras” Movie Fails to Break $100 Mil For Weekend, Singer Says No Shows Again Until Thursday — Reason? Audience Has Homework

Roger Friedman
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Taylor Swift “Eras” Movie Fails to Break $100 Mil For Weekend, Singer Says No Shows Again Until Thursday — Reason? Audience Has Homework

UPDATE: “Eras” made about $30 million in its international release, so AMC can say it “broke” $100 million worldwide.

SUNDAY MORNING Taylor Swift’s fans are young, many in grade or middle school. They have to get their homework done. The result? No screenings of “The Eras Tour” this week, or next, or at all, from Monday through Thursday.

That’s right. Swift insisted in her distribution deal that theaters wouldn’t show “Eras” the first three days of the week so kids could get their homework done. Swift didn’t want her audience to lose sleep and get low grades. After all, this is a three hour event!

This weekend, “Eras” failed to crash the $100 million barrier from Thursday through today. AMC is guesstimating $95-97 million total. Predictions (including my own) had the film at around $113 million based on advance sales and Thursday previews. But the whole “$100 million advance ticket sales” thing blew up in all our faces!

Swift and AMC won’t cross that $100 mil ticket barrier now until Thursday. They’re leaving a lot of money on the table by cancelling three days’ worth of shows.

This may be one reason the big studio distributors didn’t want “Eras” in the first place. They didn’t want to miss $15 million a day this week, which is what AMC is giving up.

It’s nevertheless the highest grossing concert film of all time.

And what about adults? Have you heard the words “Taylor Swift” enough to make you want to shake it all off, create a blank space, and make you never ever want to hear her name again? Yes, indeed. Will it ever end? Are you wondering where Travis Kelce is getting his outfits, like the strange jackets and red tuxedo pants? No? I’m with you.

Madonna Leaves Out Her Original, Biggest Hits Like “Like a Virgin” and “Material Girl” from Tour — Too Expensive or Too Much Staging Needed

Roger Friedman
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Madonna Leaves Out Her Original, Biggest Hits Like “Like a Virgin” and “Material Girl” from Tour — Too Expensive or Too Much Staging Needed

As I’ve said before, Madonna did not write her biggest hits. Others did.

So if you were hoping to hear “Like a Virgin,” “Material World,” “Borderline,” “Papa Don’t Preach,” and so on, the Celebration tour is not the place for you.

Tonight at London’s O2 Arena Madonna debuted her set list and guess what’s missing? All of those songs.

That’s because she would have had to pay license fees to perform them. Believe me, the songwriters could have been thrilled. But the budget — and maybe ego — doesn’t allow it.

She does sing Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.” Why, for god’s sake? She must have gotten a good deal on it.

But “Express Yourself”? “Cherish?” “Frozen”? “Who’s That Girl?” “Beautiful Stranger”? Play ’em at home!

Here’s a link to the setlist.

Madonna Finally Opens Tour in London, Wears Knee Brace During Breathless Singing, Sits Down in a Chair During “Vogue”

Roger Friedman
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Madonna Finally Opens Tour in London, Wears Knee Brace During Breathless Singing, Sits Down in a Chair During “Vogue”

Madonna opened her Celebration tour tonight finally at London’s 02 Arena. She was 90 minutes late with her start time, but that may be the least of her issues.

Madonna is 65 and suffering physically. She’s wearing big knee brace, and looks and sounds winded from the videos fans are putting up. I give her credit for doing this at all, producing such a big show. Will she get through it? Or will there be a lot of cancellations?

Below, Madonna doesn’t dance to “Vogue.” She struts on a catwalk and sits down in a chair on an ancillary stage! Her daughter, Lourdes, joins her. This reminds me of when Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme used to carry Frank Sinatra around on the stage. She’s doing chair yoga!

God bless Madonna. She wants to do it so badly!

keep refreshing for updates!

Madonna Leaves Out Her Original, Biggest Hits Like “Like a Virgin” and “Material Girl” from Tour — Too Expensive or Too Much Staging Needed

NSync Reunion Single, “Better Place,” Was DOA in Actual Sales, Just a Total of 51,000 After All the Hoopla

Roger Friedman
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NSync Reunion Single, “Better Place,” Was DOA in Actual Sales, Just a Total of 51,000 After All the Hoopla

The excitement over the NSync reunion may have been premature.

“Better Place,” the single they released from the upcoming “Trolls Band Together” movie, has failed to launch successfully.

After a nano second at number 1 on iTunes, the song has disappeared, and radio stations haven’t played it.

“Better Place” has sold the equivalent of 51,131 copies according to Luminate.

It’s hard to think of NSync has a legacy band now, but they are indeed an oldies act. They’d make money on tour combined with Justin Timberlake’s solo act. But records-wise, they are done. This is the same problem for everyone over the age of 40 these days, even Bruce Springsteen. His new duet with wife Patti Scialfa, “Addicted to Romance,” is also MIA.

“Trolls” hits theaters November 17th. It’s possible the film will re-ignite the song, but unlikely. If the record company is smart they won’t do a whole new NSync album, just stick “Better Place” on a greatest hits collection.

Review: Penelope Cruz Gives an Oscar Worthy Performance in Michael Mann’s Intense “Ferrari” Race Car Film

Roger Friedman
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Review: Penelope Cruz Gives an Oscar Worthy Performance in Michael Mann’s Intense “Ferrari” Race Car Film

It’s hard to say what’s more intense in Michael Mann’s “Ferrari” — Penelope Cruz as Enzo Ferrari’s long suffering wife or the violent accident in the third act of the film.

Laura Ferrari in real life was thought of as a little crazy and desperate. She’s also grief stricken from the loss of their only child, a son named Dino. Initially Laura appears to be emotionally distraught and detached from reality. But Cruz is so spectacularly focused and nuanced that Laura finally gets her due as the driving force, so to speak, to guide the famous automobile company in her husband’s name.

Enzo Ferrari is played by Adam Driver, not too long after his last Italian adventure as Maurizio Gucci in “The House of Gucci.” Driver could not look more suited to the role, portraying elegant, well tailored wealth/ He is always composed and unflappable even when chaos reigns around him. There’s nothing Driver gets wrong in reproducing nobility. The only thing holding him back is his accent, which slips and slides faster than a red pepper in olive oil.

Ferrari’s big secret in this film is that he has a mistress named Lira, and a little boy, stashed away at a remote villa in Emilia Romagna district. This is all true, except in real life the mistress’s accent would also have been more realistic and she probably seemed Italian. Shailene Woodley could not look or sound more American. I had no idea what she was doing in this movie — and I’m a fan.

“Ferrari” starts slowly and builds, with Mann — who is meticulous — zeroing in on the domestic drama. Enzo is caught between the mistress and child, and the wife who he has driven crazy with cheating and poor business management. She has him over a barrel financially, too. Laura is not stupid, and the fact that Enzo has so little respect for her his what does him in.

How did Ferrari become such a famous name in beautiful cars? Not from this story, which culminates in the company’s near-catastrophic end. In real life, in May 1957, a Ferrari driver named dePortago was killed in a cross country race called the Mille Miglia. de Portago was so eager to win this high speed race through the middle of small villages that he failed to repair a tire. The rubber split, he and his Ferrari went sailing into the air, and fell to Earth killing a number of people on the ground.

Mann stages the famous crash with an authenticity that may be too much for the average viewer. de Portago’s body was cut in half — and we get to see it– in a scene that rivals the devastation of the most graphic war movie. Even the sophisticated audience in Alice Tully Hall for the closing of the New York Film Festival seemed a little shocked.

This is not “Ford v. Ferrari.” There is no happy ending, no race won with trophies handed out. Enzo would have been ruined if not for Laura’s quick thinking and Lady Macbeth instincts. After the movie ends, we don’t see the aftermath: Enzo lets Fiat buy into the company. He can’t divorce Laura because they’re Catholic. But he lives with the mistress, they raise the boy and Piero Ferrari, now in his 70s, runs the company with a 10% ownership.

A lot of times in movies the least sympathetic or interesting character is the main one. They are static while others around them move the action. That’s what happens in “Ferrari.” When Penelope Cruz is off screen, the movie sags a bit (despite tremendous production values). You’re waiting for Laura to re-enter the frame and pull a gun, or threaten someone. Cruz’s performance is Oscar worthy, and winning, in a film that will be respected but maybe not loved.

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