Saturday, October 5, 2024
Donate
Home Blog Page 287

Burt Bacharach Won 2 Oscars for Best Song, But No Grammy Song of the Year for His 60s Classics

Roger Friedman
-
0
Burt Bacharach Won 2 Oscars for Best Song, But No Grammy Song of the Year for His 60s Classics

Burt Bacharach won only one Grammy Award for Song of the Year. That was “That’s What Friends Are For,” in 1987. And that’s based a lot on the deep sentiment over the AIDS crisis.

But for everyone who complains about the Grammys now, think of this: Burt Bacharach and Hal David wrote dozens of hits, all classics we hear on the radio day and night, and never got a Grammy.

“Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” and “Arthur’s Theme” each on Oscars, but no Grammys. Ditto everything from “I Say a Little Prayer” to “Close to You” to “Walk on By,” “Always Something There to Remind Me,” “What the World Needs Now,” “A House is Not a Home,” “This Guy’s in Love with You,” “Anyone Who Had a Heart,” and so on.

How is that possible?

In 2008, after having lived through this embarrassment, Burt was awarded “Greatest Living Composer” by the Grammys, which couldn’t have been so nice for Stephen Sondheim, Paul McCartney, or a dozen other people. But it was a sop to Burt who was already in his 80s.

As for his personal life, Bacharach had four wives including actress Angie Dickinson and famed songwriter Carole Bayer Sager. He has two living children with his fourth wife, Jane. An older daughter, who was autistic, committed suicide.

But what amazing life. There was never a decade when he wasn’t popular, and his music will last well beyond the half century or more when it originated.

RIP Burt Bacharach, Towering Composer of Pop Classics Was 94, Known for His Hits and His Swagger

Roger Friedman
-
0
RIP Burt Bacharach, Towering Composer of Pop Classics Was 94, Known for His Hits and His Swagger

Burt Bacharach has died at 94. The towering composer of pop classics like “Raindrops Keep Fallin on My Head,” “Close to You,” and dozens of Dionne Warwick sung hits wrote his songs with lyricist Hal David. They are truly part of the American culture.

Bacharach and David won an Oscar for “Raindrops” and dozens of other awards. And Burt was no wallflower. He saw himself as a bit of a Hollywood swinger and a raconteur. He sang — even with his froggy intonations — on variety shows all the time. He even appeared in the “Austin Powers” movies as himself. He was the epitome of 60s cool with his marriage to Angie Dickinson. Later he was married to songwriter Carole Bayer Sager and they wrote a bunch of hits together including “That’s What Friends Are For.”

Bacharach’s death comes just before the issue of a box set detailing his long collaboration with rocker Elvis Costello.

Burt dies with a lot of awards, and a massive legacy, but no award from the Kennedy Center Honors. They just didn’t get it. But the world did, and mourns a superstar of music.

Beyonce’s Grammys Problem: She Will Never Win Album of the Year Until She Makes a Record of Original Songs

Roger Friedman
-
0
Beyonce’s Grammys Problem: She Will Never Win Album of the Year Until She Makes a Record of Original Songs

On Sunday, Harry Styles won Album of the Year at the Grammys for his “Harry’s House.”

It had nothing to do with being a guy or being white. “Harry’s House” is an album of all original songs. You may not like them, but they are not sampled. They may sound like old songs, but they stand on their own.

Beyonce once again did not win Album of the Year. Everyone has a theory, but mine is this: her album, “Renaissance,” is full of samples of other music. That’s right. About 20 samples are spread over a dozen songs.

One more thing: the songs on “Renaissance” are full of expletives. The F word is dropped liberally. It’s crude and coarse.

And that’s it. Beyonce has an exceptional voice. I love hearing it. She’s got an ego, but she also has a nice smile. Yes, she shows up late for everything, even the live Grammys, but you’re happy to see her when she arrives. She now has the record for most Grammy Awards, so it’s not like she’s unloved by the Recording Academy.

No, the issue is with her albums’ lack of originality. “Harry’s House,” like Adele’s “30,” is all original material. Even Mary J Blige’s “Good Morning Gorgeous” album is almost sample-free. The rest of the Grammy nominees were largely without samples.

So really, “Renaissance” is lucky to be in the category at all. I know people will tell me that samples are the foundation for hip hop. That’s fine. But to make that final cut for Album of the Year there is a higher standard.

Last year’s winner of Album of the Year was Jon Batiste. A lot of people were surprised. But Batiste combined all new songs with clever covers. He didn’t create Frankensteins.

Add to this the story I wrote at the end of last week. Beyonce’s “Break My Soul” was nominated for Song of the Year. But it was basically a sample of a 1993 disco hit called “Show Me Love.” Beyonce and her producers added some frills and their names to the credits. But the Grammys wouldn’t nominate the original writer, Allen George, because it was a sampled work. Sampling is never going to win the main awards.

Beyonce’s best bet: make an all original record, even if it’s covers of old songs. They can be existing songs. But they can’t be songs made up of particles of other songs. Natalie Cole won for an entire album of covers with her “Unforgettable.” Beyonce can do it. It’s in her power. Everything is, according to her fans. Convene a meeting of the best songwriters and ask for their newest material. Then you’ll have Album of the Year.

Kevin Costner “Yellowstone” Departure Because “They Hate Each Other” and “He’s Impossible”

Roger Friedman
-
0
Kevin Costner “Yellowstone” Departure Because “They Hate Each Other” and “He’s Impossible”

So yes, Deadline broke the news that Kevin Costner will not make it past part of “Yellowstone,” season 5, which we should see this summer.

I’m told that there is no love lost between “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan and Costner.

“The people there hate him,” my source says. “They hate each other. He’s very demanding. He’s impossible.”

The big stumbling points aren’t just time, as described in Deadline. “It’s all about money,” my source says. “Kevin wants more of it, he’s very bad with money.”

Indeed, a posting went up in the last two weeks that Costner is renting his sprawling Aspen, Colorado ranch for — drum roll, please — $36,000 a night. Even though he’s made a lot of money from “Yellowstone,” let’s not forget Costner has seven children and who knows how many people on his payroll.

None of this, as a friend of mine used to say, makes him a bad person. But I’m told Paramount is over the whole thing. This makes sense, too, because when Costner first announced his “Horizon” project, I wrote here that Paramount would scoop it up in order to stay in business with their “Yellowstone” star.

And then, surprise! Costner made his deal with New Line/Warner Bros. “Horizon” has turned into an 11 hour massive project for him, too, ballooning in cost and scope. Sound familiar? That was the same thing with “Waterworld” and “The Postman,” which were notorious bombs.

It would be easy to write Costner aka John Dutton out of “Yellowstone” and introduce Matthew McConaughey as a new central character. There have also been clues dropped in the press that Dutton’s days are numbered. If his character met a demise, it would not affect any of the prequels about the Dutton family, either.

Meantime, Costner gave an eloquent, beautiful speech this past Saturday night honoring Clive Davis and remembering Whitney Houston at Davis’s pre-Grammy gala. As time goes by, Costner’s devotion to Houston, his “Bodyguard” co-star, has grown and grown.

Movie Audiences are Fonda “80 for Brady,” Now the Number 1 Movie in the US for Two Days in a Row and A Bona Fide Hit

Roger Friedman
-
0
Movie Audiences are Fonda “80 for Brady,” Now the Number 1 Movie in the US for Two Days in a Row and A Bona Fide Hit

First came “Otto.” Not it’s time for Brady.

The number 1 movie Monday and Tuesday was “80 for Brady,” starring a quartet of lively, sexy older movie stars including Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Sally Field, and Rita Moreno. Just retired NFL superstar Tom Brady lends his name to the title, his likeness to some scenes, and a cameo at the end.

Yesterday, “80 for Brady” made $2.5 million, bringing its total since last Friday to $16.4 million. The mildly raunchy comedy — with PG-13 jokes — is a hit. In theaters, of all places.

“80 for Brady,” released by Paramount, is proving a point. Audiences will come to theaters and see movies for adults if they look like they’re fun and they’re well marketed. This film offers four big name stars with many Oscars and other awards among them. It also has the hook of lots of football footage interspersed with the ladies’ antics. For a studio, it’s a perfect juxtaposition.

The “80 for Brady” success comes on the heels of another movie for adults with a big star pulling audiences to theaters. That’s Tom Hanks as “A Man Called Otto,” the surprise hit of dreary January, now up to $54 million. Genial is the word here. “Otto” is about a likeable curmudgeon who despite his griping has a heart of gold. Hanks has two Oscars, which doesn’t hurt. I ran into him a lot over Grammy weekend, and he’s as surprised as anyone else. He told me, “We just have people something they wanted.”

Indeed.

Current GMA Sex Scandal Doesn’t Compare to the One from 1997 Involving ABC News Chief and PR VP

Roger Friedman
-
0
Current GMA Sex Scandal Doesn’t Compare to the One from 1997 Involving ABC News Chief and PR VP

I read the story in The Cut (New York Magazine) about how everyone’s having sex at ABC. This comes from the scandal surrounding TJ Holmes and Amy Robach at “Good Morning America 3” or whatever it’s called.

The Cut is just scandalized. Like this has never happened before!

Well, it has. ABC has been a Wolf’s Dean as far back as anyone can remember.

Back in 1997, ABC News was “rocked” when it was revealed that news chief David Westin was sleeping with his executive vice president of communications, Sherrie Rollins. They were each married to other people.

Everything seems new to every generation, but it’s not. The Westin-Rollins thing went on in the gossip columns for weeks, both in New York and Washington. Here’s a link to just one story from the Washington Post. Please, kids, New York columnists Liz Smith and Cindy Adams were on it every day. Here’s a feature story in New York Magazine back when they immediately covered New York media scandals.

David Westin kept his job until 2010. Sherrie left the network. They married, and had a son.

Even before the Westin-Rollins soap opera, ABC was famous as a hotbed media Plato’s Retreat. There were constant stories in the 80s about monkey business all over the studios, even in the elevators. ABC Evening News anchor Peter Jennings, who was respected and erudite, was pretty much a well known hounddog (although his reported affairs were outside the office).

Watch the movie “Broadcast News” or even the recent TV series, “The Morning Show.” These people who work at network news — see Jeff Daniels and co in HBO’s “Newsroom” — are locked inside all day and night or traveling together 24/7. Just recently, CNN’s Jeff Zucker was taken down in a similar situation when his relationship with his PR person at the network, Alison Gollust, was revealed. And I could tell you stories about Walter Cronkite. That’s the way it is.

HBO’s Last of Us Flirts with 1 Million Viewers, But Star Pedro Pascal Didn’t Help SNL

Roger Friedman
-
0
HBO’s Last of Us Flirts with 1 Million Viewers, But Star Pedro Pascal Didn’t Help SNL

Sunday night, HBO’s “The Last of Us” pulled within a whisker of 1 million viewers at 9pm on the main channel. HBO says another 8 million watched on HBO Max and through kaleidoscopes or something. But 991,000 went to their TVs and turned on HBO.

The show is enormously popular and growing by leaps and bounds. No one’s denying that. But star Pedro Pascal didn’t help the ratings on “Saturday Night Live” when he hosted this past Saturday. Total audience was up just slightly with 4.3 million. The prior week was 4.165 million total. Pascal’s musical guest was Coldplay, which didn’t get a sales kick of their appearance. Their latest album, “Music of the Spheres,” is number 26 on iTunes.

“SNL” is skipping next Saturday, right in the middle of ratings sweeps. They’ll be back on February 25th with Woody Harrelson and Jack White, a show I feel like I’ve already seen.

Michael Jackson Catalog Sale for $900 Mil? Not So Fast: He Didn’t Write a Lot of Those Hits, Others Did

Roger Friedman
-
0
Michael Jackson Catalog Sale for $900 Mil? Not So Fast: He Didn’t Write a Lot of Those Hits, Others Did

Variety is reporting that Sony Music is negotiating to buy a 50% stake in Michael Jackson’s song catalog.

This is NOT the Beatles catalog. Sony already bought out MIchael’s partnership with them in Sony/ATV Music Publishing.

These are songs that Michael himself wrote, or his part of songs he co-wrote, plus sales of his albums going forward, a piece of his Broadway musical and upcoming movie.

While I’m sure it’s true that Sony will do this, the amount of money discussed is ludicrous. Michael Jackson songs worth more than Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen? I don’t think so.

Michael did not write a lot of his hits. He did write “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” “Wanna Be Starting Something,” and “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough.” Those are his Big Four.

But among Michael’s hits are also “Rock with You,” “Man in the Mirror,” “Human Nature,” “Pretty Young Thing,” and so on. Michael did not write these songs. He didn’t write the song, “Thriller.” Other people did, and they receive royalties. They own those songs, Michael’s estate does not. So keep that in mind. He also co-wrote several songs like “Black or White.” He splits those royalties with the other writers like Lionel Richie on “We Are the World” and Teddy Riley or Greg Phillinganes. R Kelly, now in jail, wrote “You Are Not Alone.”

Michael also didn’t write the Jackson 5 hits. Those were all from Motown writers like Clifton Davis, who wrote “Never Can Say Goodbye.” When those songs are used in the musical or the movie, their composers get paid, not Michael. Don’t forget, he co-wrote three songs with Paul McCartney, including “The Girl is Mine” and “Say Say Say.” And Paul takes his cut.

Yes, the hits Michael wrote are great, and played all the time. The Big 4, plus “Bad,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “Dirty Diana,” and “Smooth Criminal.” But those songs, even with their popularity, aren’t worth $1.8 billion. Let’s get serious.

In the Michael world, the ruling thought was every announcement is about the Biggest Deal in History. But this isn’t it. How much? Maybe $400 million tops. So Sony would cough up $200 million.

So, everyone cool down — unless you wanna be starting something.

Prince Harry’s “Spare” No Longer King at Amazon, Barnes & Noble As Sales Drop Royally

Roger Friedman
-
0
Prince Harry’s “Spare” No Longer King at Amazon, Barnes & Noble As Sales Drop Royally

Prince Harry is no longer king of the best seller lists.

His memoir, “Spare,” dropped in sales royally in week 3 to just 74,495 copies.

The week before was more than twice that number, at 195,720.

“Spare” is no longer number 1 at amazon.com, where it’s number 5 today. At Barnes & Noble, it’s 16.

Total sales are now 900,000 after three weeks. This is far less than publisher PenguinRandomHouse et al hoped for or needed to break even.

Last week’s sales will be reported on Thursday. If the trend keeps up, hitting 1 million will take some time.

These are hardcover sales according to NPD Book Scan They don’t include Kindle, ebooks, audio books. and other formats or international sales. But American book buyers seem to be over the whole Harry business, at least for now.

Barbra Streisand Memoir is More than a Thousand Pages Long, Cost $40 in Hardcover, Coming In November

Roger Friedman
-
0
Barbra Streisand Memoir is More than a Thousand Pages Long, Cost $40 in Hardcover, Coming In November

Barbra Streisand likes to make records and break records.

Her memoir, called “My Name is Barbra,” will be published in November.

It comes in at an astounding 1,040 pages. And will cost $40 in hardcover. The book was announced in 2015 by Penguin Random House etc.

Presumably for that money we’ll get the inside dope on her career, romances, and architecture, not to mention politics and her involvement with the Clintons etc.

Maybe the length of the book and its price mean a lot of photos. And I mean, a lot!

Barbra came out of the gate as a star in 1964 as a singer with an album of the same name. By 1968 she had an Oscar for “Funny Girl.” And then she never looked back. She’s an actress, writer, singer, director, and producer. She’s been advocate for women’s rights in every arena.

Just as a singer she has tons of hits, as witnessed by her concert tours that fetch thousands of dollars per ticket.

And I guess we’ll hear all about Elliott Gould, Jon Peters, Andre Agassi, Don Johnson, and her long time husband James Brolin.

Streisand is very witty, so even with a ghost writer helping her we’ll hear her voice!

She should have called the book “The Way I Was”!

1...286287288...2,130Page 287 of 2,130

Hollywood to the Hudson

Company

Trending

Categories

© Showbiz411.com