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“Jihad Friday” Puts New York, LA on Guard: SAG Calls Off Picket Lines, Real Estate Offices Advise Brokers Not to Come In

Roger Friedman
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“Jihad Friday” Puts New York, LA on Guard: SAG Calls Off Picket Lines, Real Estate Offices Advise Brokers Not to Come In

Crazy Arab terrorists are threatening “Jihad Friday” in New York.

No one knows exactly what that means, but SAG AFTRA has called off picket lines today in NY and Los Angeles.

Many real estate offices have sent notices to their brokers not to come into their offices today.

SAG’s message to members: “The safety and security of our members, supporters and staff is our priority. In light of potential safety concerns that are unrelated to our ongoing strike there will be no SAG-AFTRA pickets in New York City on Friday, Oct. 13. Stay safe and see you on the picket lines next week.”

I’m told big realtors like Douglas Elliman, Corcoran, and Coldwell Banker have instructed their staffs not to come in. Other brokerage houses are leaving the decision up to their employees’ discretion.

Certainly security will be tightened all over New York today, especially on Broadway, Lincoln Center, and Madison Square Garden.

Jihadists announced a “Day of Rage” but let’s hope that was just bravado and nothing will come of it. It’s time for some peace.

Happy 88th Birthday to the One and Only Soul Man, Sam Moore, Legendary Singer, Member of the Real Rock Hall

Roger Friedman
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Happy 88th Birthday to the One and Only Soul Man, Sam Moore, Legendary Singer, Member of the Real Rock Hall

It’s time to toast Sam Moore, the original and only Soul Man.

It’s Sam’s 88th birthday and he will be feted tonight in Miami, where he was born, by his wife of 40 years, Joyce Moore. and friends.

Sam was the guiding light behind the Grammy winning hit making duo Sam & Dave in the 60s. Their hits are played around the clock today and used in commercials and movies. They include “Soul Man,” “Hold On I’m Coming,” and “I Thank You,” among others.

Sam is the last of all the greats sung about in “Sweet Soul Music” by Arthur Conley. He’s been much imitated, especially by John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, and later Jim Belushi, as The Blues Brothers.

On his own, Sam has sung for all the living presidents, as well as George H. W. Bush. He’s performed at the Kennedy Center countless times, and was Eddie Murphy’s choice as performer at a special awards ceremony there.

Bruce Springsteen is maybe his biggest fan, asking Sam to join him recently on his “Only the Strong Survive” collection as featured vocalist. They may have more surprises in the future.

I met Sam in 1999 and featured him in the film I made with Chris Hegedus and DA Pennebaker called “Only the Strong Survive.” We traveled to Cannes and other festivals and cemented our friendship. He has the biggest heart imaginable but he loves to gossip and get in trouble! It’s been an absolute honor for me the last almost 25 years to say I’m friends with Sam Moore.

Happy birthday, Sam! And here’s to many more!

PS Last week, Sam helped the Rock Hall in Cleveland break ground on a new wing. He’s been a member since it began!

Taylor Swift Surprise Thursday Night Previews Not Selling Well as Kids Already Planned Weekend Shows

Roger Friedman
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Taylor Swift Surprise Thursday Night Previews Not Selling Well as Kids Already Planned Weekend Shows

Taylor Swift and AMC may have miscalculated adding previews tonight at the last minute for The Eras Tour movie.

According to the AMC website, most theaters are only a quarter full with advance sales — or not sold at all.

The reason is “The Eras Tour” is three hours long. Tonight is a school night. Even if kids went at 6pm, that means being at the theater by 5:30pm and staying until 9pm. In the suburbs, that means an entire evening. Homework? Sleep?

Most of these tween girls have already bought tickets for the weekend. Unless there’s a big Walk Up energy tonight, tomorrow’s numbers may not reflect that predicted $100 million weekend.

Balthazar, Pastis Hot Spot Owner Keith McNally Says He’s Lost a Chunk of Business, Had Death Threats Since Social Media Post

Roger Friedman
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Balthazar, Pastis Hot Spot Owner Keith McNally Says He’s Lost a Chunk of Business, Had Death Threats Since Social Media Post

Keith McNally, owner of hot spots like Balthazar and Pastis, says in a new post “Lies have been spread about me on Social Media causing my restaurants to lose a big chunk of their business.’

McNally reveals he’s head death threats, including one to “chop my head off.”

McNally misspoke in the heat of the moment on Saturday when he wrote on Instagram: “The more Utterly Repugnant the facts, the Greater the responsibility to Listen to the other side.”

McNally made a mistake. No one wants to listen, and he should have stayed out of it. We are in the heat of rhetoric now because the retaliation for hideous crimes is just as bad if not worse than what has already happened.

He’s right about his business. You can see it on Resy. Reservations are being cancelled at his places, particularly Morandi. Only the Minetta Tavern seems to be thriving, which is too bad– I was hoping it would be quiet for a change. You need the cone of silence to eat in there!

Seriously, McNally really stepped in it, as they say. He writes: “I did Not equate Palestine with Hamas. I was crystal clear in today’s post that my reference was to the Palestinians. “SILENCE GIVES CONSENT.” Plato.”

McNally is smart, he doesn’t need my advice. But I would make a big donation to UJA right now, and contribute supplies to organizations sending care packages to Israel. He’s got to look at the bigger picture, and fast, before the Balthazar Salad is a thing of the past!

SAG AFTRA Actors Strike Gets Worse as Studios Walk Away from Negotiations, Hollywood in Limbo

Roger Friedman
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SAG AFTRA Actors Strike Gets Worse as Studios Walk Away from Negotiations, Hollywood in Limbo

SAG AFTRA says the studios have walked away from negotiations. The word is that the studios don’t want to ante up on a percentage of streaming profits for the actors. Streaming is so unlike regular TV and movies. The content is available 24/7, not just when offered officially.

SAG is right. The streamers are learning the same lesson that has faced music streaming and downloading for years. The people who created the content want to be paid every time someone uses it.

Hollywood is in limbo. We are three months out from awards season in January. We’re two months out from a holiday break which begins around December 15th and lasts two to three weeks. The studios must come to a reasonable agreement and get Hollywood back to work — especially as all streamers are raising subscription prices as we speak.

Taylor Swift, Mistress of Manipulation: There Will Be Thursday Previews After AMC Insisted There Would Be None

Roger Friedman
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Taylor Swift, Mistress of Manipulation: There Will Be Thursday Previews After AMC Insisted There Would Be None

Taylor Swift is a mistress of manipulation, that’s for sure.

She can play her fans like a fiddle, Stradivarius style.

For weeks AMC Theaters insisted there would be no previews of Swift’s “Eras Tour” movie. They said the concert film would open on Friday only. I can show you the emails.

Then, suddenly, around 7pm Wednesday night. AMC announced the movie would start playing on Thursday night.

The Eras Tour film will launch tonight at 6pm on the east coast, everywhere in the country, and with multiple showings. This was not spur of the moment. This was a decision already known but held til now.

This is like Swift saying a piece of merchandise is only available for 48 hours. This is a concoction of the Swift marketing team to get the teenage girls frenzy buying up more and more crap.

But this whole approach may backfire for AMC and Swift. Since the fans already bought seats from Friday going forward, the Thursday tickets so far are not selling very well. I see mostly empty theaters Thursday at 6 and 7pm. Thursday preview numbers may come in lower than hoped for.

PS Swift turned up at her “premiere” in LA Wednesday night, spoke to the audience in the theater but didn’t take press questions and said nothing about the massive violence against women and children in Israel. She dare not for fear of push back from fringe wokesters.

Wag the Tail: Drake’s “For All the Dogs” Expected to Debut with 420K Copies Sold, Good News for Pet Shop Boys

Roger Friedman
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Wag the Tail: Drake’s “For All the Dogs” Expected to Debut with 420K Copies Sold, Good News for Pet Shop Boys

Good news for the Pet Shop Boys:

Drake’s new album, “For All the Dogs,” is expected to end the week with 420,000 copies sold.

That will be the only album to sell more than 100,000 copies this week as record sales are generally way down this summer and fall.

The Pet Shop Boys will be happy since their “West End Girls” is sampled in one of the Drake songs but was never cleared or paid for. The better Drake does, the more they can ask for. Or demand.

The record biz is really looking for a smash hit this fall. Next up is the Rolling Stones’ “Hackney Diamonds” on October 20th. It’s a great record. Hopefully young people who want to hear the genuine deal will scoop it up, as well as older fans.

Taylor Swift Will Skip Red Carpet Tonight to Avoid Questions about Israel, Hasn’t Said a Word to Her 274 Million Followers (UPDATED)

Roger Friedman
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Taylor Swift Will Skip Red Carpet Tonight to Avoid Questions about Israel, Hasn’t Said a Word to Her 274 Million Followers (UPDATED)

I’m told Taylor Swift will not walk a red carpet tonight at her movie premiere. She’s avoiding taking a stand on Israel.

Taylor Swift has 274,000,000 followers on Instagram and tens of millions of fans.

Tonight she’s launching her “Eras Tour” movie in 7,500 theaters around the world. Estimates say the film could earn over $100 million this weekend.

And yet she’s one of the dozen top social media celebrities who have not said a word about the horrific attack on Israel this week.

Swift is on a list that includes Kim Kardashian, Justin Bieber, Christian Ronaldo, and other “influencers” who are too cowardly to speak up lest they offend antisemites.

No one expects Bieber, who’s not a bright lightbulb, to take a political stand. And if he does, you know it will be the wrong one.

But Swift’s silence is loud. She speaks up about her own rights all the time. We all know how she’s been screwed by the music business and won’t take it.

So how about offering at least condolences for the women who’ve been murdered, raped, beheaded, and kidnapped by Hamas since Saturday? So far she’s only offered a Blank Space.

Tonight Swift is supposedly walking a red carpet in Los Angeles to promote “The Eras Tour” movie. But if she’s celebrating in the face of all this, it could be a sobering moment as well, one in which her fans might question their devotion.

(Video) Jada Pinkett Smith Says She and Will Smith Have Been Living Apart Since 2016, She Thought Slap Was a “Skit”

Roger Friedman
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(Video) Jada Pinkett Smith Says She and Will Smith Have Been Living Apart Since 2016, She Thought Slap Was a “Skit”

Jada Pinkett Smith says she and husband Will Smith have been living apart since 2016.

Pinkett Smith is publishing a book next Tuesday which she talks about in People magazine. She says she thought Will’s Oscar slap was a “skit.”

Jada is brutally honest about depression, her thoughts of suicide, too. The People story doesn’t mention her affair with her son’s friend.

You almost feel sympathetic to Will Smith after reading all of these revelations. I’m surprised he’s not on Prozac or something stronger!

The book is called “Worthy” and it sounds worthy of a best seller — which it will certainly be next Tuesday.

Curb Your Enthusiasm About a “Seinfeld” Reunion, It Happened 14 Years Ago on Larry David’s Show

Roger Friedman
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Curb Your Enthusiasm About a “Seinfeld” Reunion, It Happened 14 Years Ago on Larry David’s Show

No one I spoke to today has any idea about a “Seinfeld” reunion.

These are people who know Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David. If something’s happening, it’s a surprise.

“No one has mentioned it,” says a source.

Seinfeld brought this up at a comedy show in Boston over the weekend when asked about the much reviled actual of “Seinfeld.” All the characters went to jail for being bad people. The audience hated it.

A new ending would have to involve picking up where that left off and undoing it. But Jerry and the gang already had that chance There was a “Seinfeld” reunion back in 2009 on “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” All the main players were on including Jerry, Julia Louis Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, Michael Richards, and even Wayne Knight.

It was the 10th episode of season 7 of “Curb.” The cast got a second shot at a series finale. George was trying to get back together with his wife. Jerry donated sperm so Elaine could hae a child. George invented an iPhone app for finding public toilets.

So it’s unlikely that another reunion would occur on “Curb,” but you never know. Anything is possible.

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