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Ed Sheeran, Drama Queen, Says He’ll Quit If He Loses Suit But He’s Been Here Before with “Shape of You”– And Settled! (Listen)

Roger Friedman
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Ed Sheeran, Drama Queen, Says He’ll Quit If He Loses Suit But He’s Been Here Before with “Shape of You”– And Settled! (Listen)

Why is Ed Sheeran such a drama queen?

On the stand today he declared if he lost his lawsuit over the song, “Thinking Out Loud” he’d quit his career.

LOL. Ed, win or lose, “Thinking of You” sounds a lot like Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On.” So let’s get a grip.

Sheen played his guitar for the jury today and said “Thinking” sounded more like a Van Morrison song. So that makes it so much better!

Sheeran should have just settled with Ed Townsend and Marvin Gaye’s estates. As I wrote last week, the singer songwriter has been sued before, settled, and so on. He had to add the songwriters of TLC’s “No Scrubs” to “Shape of You” because it was too similar to ignore.

TV Shocker: Angela Bassett’s “Rescue 9-1-1” Moving to ABC from Fox for Season 7 Even Though Fox Produces the Show

Roger Friedman
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TV Shocker: Angela Bassett’s “Rescue 9-1-1” Moving to ABC from Fox for Season 7 Even Though Fox Produces the Show

Here’s a headscratcher: Angela Bassett’s “Rescue 9-1-1” is moving to ABC from Fox TV for its 7th season. Fox actually cancelled the show despite it being produced by…wait for it…Fox TV!

Bassett, Peter Krause, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Oliver Stark, Aisha Hinds, Kenneth Choi, Ryan Guzman star in this excellent if ignored series that would be a hit if it had some press.

Meantime, Fox did renew the show’s spin off, “Rescue 9-1-1: Somewhere Else.” starring Rob Lowe, will remain behind on Fox for one more year.

The irony here is that ABC is part of Disney, which owns Fox TV. But I would think going to ABC is a massive upgrade for this show, to be on a real network. Bassett should have been nominated for Best Actress in a Drama by the Emmys, Globes, Critics Choice, etc. Maybe ABC PR can pull that off.

This season, “Rescue 9-1-1” averaged 4.8 million viewers, much higher than “Greys Anatomy.” Maybe ABC can do crossovers with “Greys” or “Station 19.”

PS I watched an episode of this show this season that Bassett-centric. If it had been on HBO, everyone would be getting Emmys.

UPDATED The Met Gala Guest List Like the Grammys for Stupid People, with Few Oscar Winners — But Carla Bruni and Huma Abedin

Roger Friedman
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UPDATED The Met Gala Guest List Like the Grammys for Stupid People, with Few Oscar Winners — But Carla Bruni and Huma Abedin

UPDATED: A couple of Oscar winners, Nicole Kidman and Jessica Chastain. A couple of off beat celebrities maybe more notorious than famous — Carla Bruni and Huma Abedin. Bruni just said on the red carpet that Karl Lagerfeld didn’t believe in death. “He said a person could just go into another room and come back.” Um, hmmm. So far Karl has not returned from that room. PS Kim Kardashian looks like a living nightmare.

EARLIER The proposed guest list for tonight’s Met Ball doesn’t look that promising. It’s sort of the Grammys for stupid people.

For one thing, only one Oscar winner is on the list– Penelope Cruz, because she’s a co-host.

The bulk of the list comes from bubblegum pop. That includes Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Rihanna and Rocky A$AP, Katy Perry, and Dua Lipa — who’s the night’s performer, Harry Stiles, Lil Nas X, and Nikki Minaj. Lizzo will round out that group.

Of course, there’s the whole Kardashian posse– Kim, two sisters, and a Hadid, plus Bad Bunny. Zendaya, who straddles music, TV, and movies, is expected.

PS If you see an Oscar winner on the red carpet, let me know at showbiz411@gmail.com

Meantime, tonight is the Actors Fund hala, aka the Entertainment Community Fund, honoring among others Tyler Perry. Most of Broadway will be there including Brian Stokes Mitchell. Which event would you rather be at?

More to come…refresh for updates…

The Gruesome Met Ball is On for Tonight: Ticket Prices Are So High, Many Fashionists Have Dropped Out–So Has Blake Lively

Roger Friedman
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The Gruesome Met Ball is On for Tonight: Ticket Prices Are So High, Many Fashionists Have Dropped Out–So Has Blake Lively

Anna Wintour’s irrelevant Met Ball is on tonight.

Ticket prices are so gruesomely high — $100,000 per table or more — that I’ve heard many fashionistas have dropped out. I mean, execs at the big companies. I know their names, but I won’t embarrass them. They don’t want to cross Anna.

The 2023 Met Ball has lot of other problems, too. For the first time, many publications are running negative stories because Wintour is saluting the memory of late designer Karl Lagerfeld. Lagerfeld left a terrible legacy of meanness and bigotry. He’s the perfect honoree for people like Kim Kardashian but not so great for real celebrities like Blake Lively. She’s not coming.

Indeed, the Met Ball has been reduced to a level of celebrity lower than People magazine — forget Vogue. Co-host Penelope Cruz may be shocked to see who turns up– KPop stars, and so on. It’s not the Oscars.

And then there’s the cost: the Met Ball traditionally costs a fortune. So even if money is taken for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Ball pulls the museum’s annual fundraising activities deep in the red.

Aerosmith is Putting a Wrap on 50 Years with Final Tour, One Member Missing, and Steven Tyler’s Health, Legal Problems in Question

Roger Friedman
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Aerosmith is Putting a Wrap on 50 Years with Final Tour, One Member Missing, and Steven Tyler’s Health, Legal Problems in Question

Aerosmith is saying goodbye after 50 years.

The Boston-based band will have one final tour in the fall, starting in September and playing Beantown in Boston on New Year’s Eve and finished the touring in Montreal on January 24th.. The tour is called “Peace Out.”

But peace is not assured as all members will not be on the road. Drummer Joey Kramer is already out because of health issues and disagreements with the rest of the group.

The group’s famous leader, Steven Tyler, also has significant health issues that he’s been working on for about a year. Always troubled by substance abuse, Tyler has been recovering in Los Angeles after going to rehab. Tyler is also dealing with a lawsuit from a former lover, an underage girl who he had an affair with an aborted pregnancy in the early 1970s. (He actually wrote about it in his memoir, which doesn’t help.)

Nevertheless, Tyler is one of our great rock stars, and it would be sensational to see him and Joe Perry in action one more time. Aerosmith hasn’t recorded a a new album in over a decade. It would be swell if they could add to their enormous number of hits with one blow out collection of new songs.

Tony Nominations Are Coming on Tuesday with Some Big Names in the Races Including Sean Hayes, Wendell Pierce, Jessica Chastain, Danielle Brooks, Josh Groban, Annaleigh Ashford

Roger Friedman
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Tony Nominations Are Coming on Tuesday with Some Big Names in the Races Including Sean Hayes, Wendell Pierce, Jessica Chastain, Danielle Brooks, Josh Groban, Annaleigh Ashford

Tony Awards nominations are coming on Tuesday. There are some hot races expected among big stars. There are also the categories for plays and musicals looking pretty competitive.

For example: Best Musical Revival will pit Stephen Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd” against his own “Into the Woods.” I would choose the first one for many reasons including that it’s playing now. “Into the Woods” is long gone.

Best Musical is an issue. “Some Like it Hot” will go up against “Kimberly Akimbo.” This is another choice between accessibility and weirdness. Last year, “A Strange Loop” won — so weird — and it’s been closed for some time. I’ll go with “Some Like it Hot.”

Best Play: Tom Stoppard’s “Leopoldstadt” has to win, and should get a special prize for Best Ensemble. Why aren’t people going to see this important piece of art? Go now, right now. Runner up is “Good Night Oscar.”

Best Revival of a Play pits “Death of a Salesman” against “The Piano Lesson.” The third choice is “Top dog/Underdog.” They’ve all closed, and I wish they were still open.

Best Actor in a Play: Sean Hayes in “Good Night Oscar” will battle a bunch of top notch performers. Wendell Pierce in “Death of a Salesman” might have won if the show were still on the boards. Oscar Isaac will be in the mix, so will Stephen McKinley Henderson. Hayes has the edge.

Best Actress in a Play: Again, this group is the creme de la creme. Laura Linney, Jessica Chastain, Jodie Comer, Rachel Brosnahan, Audra McDonald. It’s a toss up. And if there were a sixth spot it would go to Jessica Hecht.

Best Actor in a Musical: It’s really a contest between Josh Groban as “Sweeney Todd,” and Ben Platt, from “Parade.” Another toss-up, although Platt has a Tony, Groban doesn’t and should.

Best Actress in a Musical: Five terrific performances, I’m partial to Annaleigh Ashford in “Sweeney Todd.” The “Kimberly Akimbo” crowd will go for Victoria Clark.

In the Featured Actor categories, Brandon Uranowitz in “Leopoldstadt” is the clear winner. Best Featured Acrtress in a Play is Danielle Brooks, who commanded “The Piano Lesson.”

Box Office: “Super Mario” Eyes $500 Mil This Week, “Beau” Goes Wide, Judy Blume Blooms, George Foreman Gets Grilled

Roger Friedman
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Box Office: “Super Mario” Eyes $500 Mil This Week, “Beau” Goes Wide, Judy Blume Blooms, George Foreman Gets Grilled

It’s a typical April at the box office. A lot of rain and hope for May flowers.

Crazy as it seems, “Super Mario Brothers” will hit $500 million domestic Monday or Tuesday. It’s already there internationally, with a worldwide total of $1 billion. I’m told Ms. Pac Man has been busy getting in shape at Canyon Ranch, and has already seen a top cosmetic surgeon. Meantime, Luigi was seen with Julia Fox dining in the same room as David Geffen and his pals last weekend.

“Beau” went wide — to 2,125 theaters– but didn’t catch the ball. Per screen average dropped precipitously, and total box office is now $5.6 million. Why did A24 expand when no one was excited to be tortured by this three hour film?

Judy Blume’s most famous title, “Are You There, God? It’s Me Margaret?” made a very nice $6.8 million. This is a movie for young girls. Reviews are extremely positive, but it’s never going to be a blockbuster. It will be a perennial, so Lions Gate is in for the long run, the big picture.

The George Foreman film was in 3,000 theaters– astonishing for a movie with no press, and no awareness, no stars, — and made $3 million. It got grilled, Sorry. I guess Sony figured they’d make their money in the first weekend and clean the grill later.

Box Office: “Beau” Is Not Only Afraid, He’s Dead With Just $4.2 Mil Reaped in 2 Desultory Weeks

Roger Friedman
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Box Office: “Beau” Is Not Only Afraid, He’s Dead With Just $4.2 Mil Reaped in 2 Desultory Weeks

Beau is dead/

Ari Aster’s three hour self indulgent horror film, “Beau is Afraid,” finally posted some box office numbers after remaining silent for days.

There are no numbers from Friday night. But through Thursday, “Beau is Afraid” made just $4.2 million over a two week period. This week, the Joaquin Phoenix move declined every day, just like last week.

This weekend, A24 cut their theater count and the number of showings per screen. In some places there are just one or two shows a day. But at three hours, this makes sense. The theaters are very empty anyway. Why keep showing it over and over?

“Beau is Afraid” has just a 73 audience rating, and a 70 from critics. Two more weeks of this could bring the grand total to $6 million. We won’t hear about this movie again until the National Board of Review puts it on a list of Best Independent Movies in December.

If A24 is brave enough to post new numbers Sunday afternoon, I’ll update accordingly.

Pop: The Go-Go’s Belinda Carlisle Has the Number 1 Song on UK’s Radio 2, “Big Big Love,” Written by Diane Warren

Roger Friedman
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Pop: The Go-Go’s Belinda Carlisle Has the Number 1 Song on UK’s Radio 2, “Big Big Love,” Written by Diane Warren

It’s been a long time since The Go-Go’s Belinda Carlisle has had a hit. It took a new song from smash hit writer Diane Warren to do the job.

Now “Big Big Love” is number 1 in the UK on Radio 2. It’s starting to crossover to the US thanks to BMG and Warren’s label there, RAF/BMG.

Duke Mason — son of Belinda and husband Morgan Mason (whose dad was the legendary Hollywood star James Mason) was the catalyst for reuniting his Mom and songwriter Diane Warren after 35 years.  The duo first worked together for the hit song “I Get Weak.”

“Big Big Love” is part of an upcoming Carlisle EP of five Warren penned songs called “Kismet” At a recent listening party for the EP Warren told us how the two reunited. “I had just written “Big Big Love” and didn’t know what I was going to do with it.  Belinda’s son, Duke, came up and introduced himself to me.  I told him to get his mother on the phone right then and there, he did, she came in and loved the song so we did it.”  Carlisle chimed in, “Kismet. Meant to be.The whole thing was such a series of coincidences. It was like we just worked together yesterday, it was so comfortable.”

Warren added that “Belinda is so talented, and so deserving.  She crushes this song, and the others.  Everything was so easy.  Belinda is better than ever right now, she’s always been great and she’s still at the top of her game.” The single is produced by Mati Gavriel.

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
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UPDATED: Media Titan Philanthropist David Geffen Dines with New Husband, Kris Kardashian, Barry Diller, Clinton Pals in Los Angeles

Roger Friedman
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UPDATED: Media Titan Philanthropist David Geffen Dines with New Husband, Kris Kardashian, Barry Diller, Clinton Pals in Los Angeles

This is a great photo posted to David Geffen‘s Instagram page.

Seems like the famed music mogul, media titan, and philanthropist (UCLA Hospital, Lincoln Center, and so much more) was celebrating his marriage to new husband, Donovan Michaels.

The gang includes another titan, Barry Diller, plus Kris Kardashian, her boyfriend Corey Gamble, and some other friends including Ben Schwerin, former senior vice president of Snapchat, and his very pregnant partner, Amélie Tremblay. (They’re expecting twins, which we know thanks to Instagram.)

The location was the hot new Beverly Hills restaurant called Funke, launched by famed chef Evan Funke, which advertises home made pastas. (I think the e is silent, but if it’s not, all the better!)

This column scooped Geffen’s wedding to Michaels, which took place over Oscars weekend. The grooms are, respectively, 80 and 30 years old. Geffen and Diller have been friends since Michaels was born. Kardashian is a reality TV star. The main thing is, they obviously like pasta and having good friends.

PS A note to Geffen: come visit us in New York to see your spectacular new Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center. It’s a beauty and the sound is amazing!

UPDATE The man sitting in the foreground has been ID’d as Mike Kives, former top talent agent at CAA who went into the crypto business. His venture firm called K5 Global received $300 million earlier this year from Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX investment arm, Alameda Research. He’s well connected, too. Elon Musk is said to crash at his Beverly Hills mansion. Bill Clinton is a pal because Kives got his start working for the former prez at the Clinton Global Initiative.

The other guy? Long time Clinton associate Doug Band.

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