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Box Office: “Little Mermaid” Splashes to 4th Highest Disney Live Action Reimagined Film Despite Early Protests About Casting

Roger Friedman
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Box Office: “Little Mermaid” Splashes to 4th Highest Disney Live Action Reimagined Film Despite Early Protests About Casting

“The Little Mermaid” is a bigger swimmer than anyone could have predicted.

The live action remake of the popular cartoon was the fourth highest of all Disney’s double dips, coming with a $95 million weekend. That’s higher than “Aladdin” with Will Smith in 2019.

The success is extra nice because there were protests up front about casting being “different” than what some limited minded fans imagined. Reviews are positive if not overwhelming, but audience response is excellent. Also, school is getting out, so parents have to take their kids someplace, and everyone’s seen “Super Mario.”

When does Round 3 begin of re-remaking the live action films as dramas? “Cinderella” would be a good place to start.

Elsewhere the box office was not stimulated. A24 followed up their dud, “Beau is Afraid” with a really good film that few saw called “You Hurt My Feelings.” Something called “The Machine,” which no one knows a thing about (in keeping with Sony strategy) made $4.9 million, a bit more than the latest Robert De Niro side movie, “About My Father.” (Lucky for De Niro he has an Oscar nom coming with a hit in “Killers of the Flower Moon” this fall.)

“Fast X” played to the franchise’s fans and has $108K in two weeks. This is like a big TV series now. They’re never going to have new audience. But the loyals keep turning up, and everyone involved has made a ton of money.

John Fogerty Dedicates “Proud Mary” To Tina Turner in Concert: “We’ve lost the Queen of Rock and Roll” (Watch)

Roger Friedman
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John Fogerty Dedicates “Proud Mary” To Tina Turner in Concert: “We’ve lost the Queen of Rock and Roll” (Watch)

Tina and Ike Turner had their first breakthrough hit in 1971 with “Proud Mary.” The song was written by John Fogerty and performed by his group, Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Two nights ago, Fogerty performed “Proud Mary” and dedicated it to Tina after her sad passing this week. He said, “It’s the first good song I ever wrote.” He added: “We’ve lost the Queen of Rock and Roll.”

“Proud Mary” came from CCR’s second album, called “Bayou Country,”

released in 1969.

It was the third track on the second side of a short album. But Tina and Ike heard something, slowed down the beginning famously, then went wild. The rest is history.

Pop Shock: Jonas Brothers New Album Drops Off Top Spots on All Charts After 1 Week Despite Group Selling Out Yankee Stadium Twice

Roger Friedman
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Pop Shock: Jonas Brothers New Album Drops Off Top Spots on All Charts After 1 Week Despite Group Selling Out Yankee Stadium Twice

Even the worst pop album to debut at number 3 on the charts would still be in the top 50 for a second week.

But The Jonas Brothers’ “The Album” went from 3 last week to off the top 50 on iTunes and the top 100 on amazon. It’s just gone.

On Amazon.com it’s number 116. It’s not just dead, it’s most seriously dead. Luminate indicates maybe sales of 23,000 last week, about 50% off from the debut week. The current iTunes top 200 has “The Album” at 54.

Was no money put into it? Did the mob do something? I’m wracking my brain going through the lists of things that could happen to a record in the history of this shady business.

The weird thing is the exact same scenario happened to Nick Jonas’s solo album in 2021. After appearing on “Saturday Night Live,” Nick’s album was released, and died.

Now the same thing has happened with “The Album.”

Talk about Stranger Things! It’s not like the Jonas trio isn’t popular. Wherever they go, girls scream. They’ve sold out two nights at Yankee Stadium in August. That’s around 80,000 seats. Is it possible none of those fans bought the new album, or even liked one new song?

It’s a mystery, but it definitely can be solved. If anyone knows what’s going on, please email me at showbiz411@gmail.com.

Tina Turner Fans Put 16 Singles on ITunes Top 100 But the Money Goes to the Songwriters, Not Her Estate

Roger Friedman
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Tina Turner Fans Put 16 Singles on ITunes Top 100 But the Money Goes to the Songwriters, Not Her Estate

Tina Turner is getting a big send off from fans. They’ve put 16 of her singles on the iTunes Top 100 since her death. Also, eight of her albums are in the iTunes Top 100.

But Tina will not get much money from the singles sales or the radio play coming along with this resurgence. That’s because she didn’t write any of her songs.

Tina was interpreter of songs, like Celine Dion or Barbra Streisand. She was a spectacular performer, and made her real money from concerts. The money she made from record sales really came when the songs were first hits. But when sales slide away, the money in perpetuity comes from song publishing.

Tina’s enormous hits like “What’s Love Got to Do With It” and “Simply the Best” had their own authors. “Proud Mary” belongs to John Fogerty. “I Can’t Stand the Rain” is a classic written by Ann Peebles and her husband Don Bryant. Willie Mitchell and Al Green wrote “Let’s Stay Together.” And so on.

Because the National Association of Broadcasters lobby is blocking Congress from passing a performance royalty, radio stations don’t pay the singers or musicians. So singers like Tina, Linda Ronstadt, most of Motown and Stax, Gladys Knight, and so on have to keep touring to make money. This is why Diana Ross, for example, can’t just stay home eating bon bons as she approaches 80.

So by all means, give Tina her due. But she deserves far more.

Report: By the Time “Euphoria” Returns to HBO, Zendaya’s Rue May At Least Be Getting Medicare for Her Drug Addiction

Roger Friedman
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Report: By the Time “Euphoria” Returns to HBO, Zendaya’s Rue May At Least Be Getting Medicare for Her Drug Addiction

Sounds like HBO is having some trouble with programming the 2023-24 season.

In an interview with Deadline, Francesca Orsi concedes that filmed pipeline is dry. The writers strike is a big hold up, plus new episodes of old shows aren’t ready anyway.

Orsi says “Euphoria,” the hit show made by Sam Levinson and starring Zendaya won’t be back until 2025. Levinson is occupied with “The Idol” (which was widely panned in Cannes this week, especially by me). Zendaya is busy with other projects. She’s very much in demand. By the time “Euphoria” comes around again, her character, Rue, will be able to get Medicare for her drug addiction!

HBO also has no new episodes of “The House of Dragon” or “Hacks.” Their other big shows, “Succession” and “Barry” will end on Sunday night. And then what? Because of the strike, no one is writing new episodes of “The White Lotus” or “The Last of Us.”

“While everything at this moment is pencils down, I’m hopeful that we can come to terms sooner than later. Otherwise we will have to assess what is the end of the 24 schedule, what are the shows that are going to be delivered for 2025,” Orsi said. “At this point, those shows that I’m looking to air wouldn’t necessarily be ready if this strike last six to nine months. So yes, that’s a big question for us, but I think we’ll cross that road once we come to it.”

Rachel Brosnahan Bids Farewell to “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” After Final, Perfect Season Capped by Elvis Costello

Roger Friedman
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Rachel Brosnahan Bids Farewell to “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” After Final, Perfect Season Capped by Elvis Costello

The final episode of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” dropped last night. It was the perfect ending to a great season. This is the Best Comedy of 2023, without a doubt.

The series hit every high note in Season Four, ending with a gracenote of Elvis Costello’s song, “Girl Talk,” recorded by Tegan and Sara (orignally made classic by Dave Edmunds). I watched the finale weeks ago, and when the Costello song came up at the very end I contacted the famed rock star to see what he thought about it. He didn’t even know the show had commissioned a new version! (Hear the new one at the bottom here.)

On Instagram today, Rachel Brosnahan bids good bye to the show that has has made her a star. Now she’s on Broadway, and she’s lining up movie roles left and right. Alex Borstein has a comedy special out. All the “Maisel” actors will keep working, but they will always be identified with this truly Marvelous show.

PS The biggest “Mrs. Maisel” Emmy would be for directing. Each episode is a work of art. The choreography, costumes, production, and execution are way beyond most movies, forget about TV!

Britney Spears Says She’s Reunited with Mom, Lynne, After Three Years of Estrangement, Acrimony (See Post)

Roger Friedman
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Britney Spears Says She’s Reunited with Mom, Lynne, After Three Years of Estrangement, Acrimony (See Post)

Good news for Britney Spears.

The constantly in the tabs subject says she has reunited with her mom, Lynne Spears, after three years of turmoil, lawsuits, estrangement, and acrimony. I know, I couldn’t sleep worrying about this situation.

Britney blamed her mother for taking her father’s side in her conservatorship. The whole family has been at war. Britney says:

“My sweet mama showed up at my door step yesterday after 3 years … it’s been such a long time … with family there’s always things that need to be worked out … but time heals all wounds !!! And after being able to communicate what I’ve held in for an extremely long time, I feel so blessed we were able to try to make things RIGHT !!! I love 💕 you so much !!! Psss… I’m so blessed we can have coffee together after 14 years !!! Let’s go shopping afterwards !!!”

Nice to see this whole period will end in shopping. Maybe Mom can help repair Britney’s relationships with her sons.

(See Red Band Trailer) Jennifer Lawrence Squanders Her Oscar for Film Tara Reid Would Turn Down

Roger Friedman
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(See Red Band Trailer) Jennifer Lawrence Squanders Her Oscar for Film Tara Reid Would Turn Down

It’s hard to imagine how Jennifer Lawrence got here.

She received an Oscar for “Silver Linings Playbook.” She was acclaimed for movies like “Winter’s Bone,” “Joy,” and “American Hustle.” She made money from the “Hunger Games” and “X Men” series.

But now here’s the trailer for a coarse, vulgar stupid comedy she stars in next month called “No Hard Feelings.” I’ll bet even Tara Reid took a hard pass. What a shame.

Cannes: amFAR Annual Party List Includes Elon Musk’s Mother and Lots of Models: Sharon Stone Is Long Gone, Expenses Are Out of Control, CEO at $600K

Roger Friedman
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Cannes: amFAR Annual Party List Includes Elon Musk’s Mother and Lots of Models: Sharon Stone Is Long Gone, Expenses Are Out of Control, CEO at $600K

Pictures are going up from the annual amFAR dinner in Cannes. How the mighty have fallen. The sorry lot walking the red carpet feature Elon Musk’s mother and a bunch of models.

Gone are the days of Elton John, Liz Taylor, Calvin Klein, and so on. Not seen anywhere is the group’s former cheerleader, Sharon Stone. They treated her badly over and over. She’s gone.

I’m sure Mrs. Musk is a lovely person, and will donate a lot of money, but she’s not the high powered kind of celebrity amFAR boasted in the 2000s. No, those people wised up a long time ago. They saw CEO Kevin Frost’s $600,000 paycheck. They saw declining revenue while salaries sky rocketed. And they were buh bye.

One the scene as usual is elusive “global fundraiser” Milutin Gatsby. Sort of a made up person who for years was listed on amFAR’s site, and then also worked for Leonardo DiCaprio’s foundation but doesn’t anymore, “Gatsby” arrived in a crushed blue velvet suit.

Last week, I was told that there’s a group of people working on a documentary about amFAR’s shenanigans. I hope it’s true. If I get more intel, I’ll spill.

If you were silly enough to to the Eden Roc this year, keep this in mind: according to their 2020-21 Form 990 Tax Return, amFAR listed $11.3 million in salaries. Fourteen people had six figure salaries that came to $3.1 million.

They gave only $6.3 million in grants to medical programs, universities, and other charitable organizations. Their revenue less expenses came to MINUS $4 million.

Dr. Mathilde Krim is spinning in her grave.

Fundraising expenses were $5 million.

Maybe that includes bringing a big staff to Cannes and watching them swan around town delivering invites in chauffeur driven cars. I don’t know.

They paid some guy from Brooklyn named Michael Nevin — very cool, very hip, posed for the Times in a black suit, barefoot — $120,000 to do “art curation.” He told the NY Times in 2010: “When I was 17, I worked for one day as a museum docent at the Pollock Krasner house, but quit because I wanted to surf every day.”

According to the Form 990, it cost amFAR $1.2 million to rent the Eden Roc space. It also cost $2.1 million for entertainment, and $3.1 million for “other direct expenses.”

Total net income from fundraising in 2020-21: MINUS $7 million. That’s negatif in Eurotrash talk.

Desperate Low Rated CNN, Looking for Fox Audience, Books Town Halls with Mike Pence, Nikki Haley — Viewers Howl

Roger Friedman
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Desperate Low Rated CNN, Looking for Fox Audience, Books Town Halls with Mike Pence, Nikki Haley — Viewers Howl

CNN is desperate. They don’t know what to do. Not one of their metered shows scores scores more than 550,000 viewers per segment.

This means everyone from Anderson Cooper to Jake Tapper, Wolf Blitzer, all the news shows. The average on Tuesday night was less than 500,000.

Meantime, MSNBC is doing three times that number. So is Fox News, despite being hobbled.

CNN has already invited wrath from its viewers by having a Town Hall with Donald Trump. It was disgraceful, but it brought in 3 million people.

So now what? More broadcasting of lies in town halls with Mike Pence first, then Nikki Haley. Connor Roy might be next!

And while Dana Bash and Jake Tapper are like Cronkite and Murrow compared to Kaitlan Collins. the network chiefs are watching them to make sure the Republican agenda is sold. It’s shameful.

Will the Fox News audience come back for these events? Or will CNN lose more of their core audience? And will they care? (I don’t think so, it’s just 500,000 people.)

Who will be the first anchor or reporter to say “no” and just exit this mess? Integrity is never popular in TV.

You’ll notice Chris Wallace is staying away from this stuff. He’s learned his lessons the hard way.

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