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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 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!
Clive Davis pre-Grammy dinner, Saturday Feb 4th, Beverly Hilton ballroom, table 119. That was the table with iconic legends Joni Mitchell, Stephen Stills, Judy Collins and Peter Asher where there was much foot traffic as fellow artists, i.e.: Elvis Costello, and music peeps came to pay homage.
The poignancy of seeing these people sitting in those chairs was not lost on anyone. Elvis first started with Joni Mitchell, then went over to Judy Collins, whom he told “My love, I’ve always wanted to meet you!” Judy shouted out “Elvis Costello-I can’t believe it!”
Judy realized she hadn’t done the carpet and went through the crowd to do it. On her way she ran smack into Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson (a talented singer herself) who were both ecstatic to see her. Rita told me, “It’s always been my dream to meet her. She’s just the best!” Tom loudly exclaimed, “Judy Collins, come on!” They showered her with praise.
A heartwarming sight was to see Nancy and Paul Pelosi bopping happy watching Frankie Valli singing “Can’t Take My Eyes off of You.” Apple’s Tim Cook, and Zane Lowe at the same table, were doing the same thing,
Sharon Stone was owning the night in her pink outfit with her tutu, charming the whole room, hanging with her longtime buddy and wingman, music supervisor Bonnie Greenberg, Sharon literally sat on the stairs and greeted all who walked by. MSNBC’s Ari Melber and CNN’s Don Lemon, with his fiancé Tim Malone, were particularly charmed by sensational Sharon. Who could not be?
And to top it all off, as Joni was leaving, and Lil Wayne was playing, the great singer songwriter started to dance as she left the room, while an appreciative small crowd cheered her on.
Doesn’t get better than that.
Thank you Clive Davis!
Pictured below: Elvis, Judy, Stephen, and Peter Asher.
The marquee at the legendary Paris Theater said it all about how you celebrate the life of beloved movie producer Ed Pressman who died last month. A program featuring clips from his astounding film resume plus homages from stars, colleagues, friends and family was both heartfelt and hilarious. His wife, Annie Pressman, and son, Sam, acted as emcees to the entertaining memorial, that featured Jeremy Irons, Willem Dafoe, Christian Bale, Martin Sheen, John Lithgow, David Hare, and Sir Ben Kingsley, and others videoed in.
David Byrne was auditioning actors for his upcoming “Here Lies Love” on Broadway and could not make it, but the Paris was packed with everyone from famed filmmaker Barbara Kopple to critic David Denby to producer/casting director Bonnie Timmerman to the legendary PR flack, Peggy Siegal. Director Abel Ferrara came in videoed from Rome, and thereafter many marveled that he was still around. That became a running joke.
Ed’s brother, Jim, talked about his inheriting the family toy business and their upbringing at the Majestic playing stickball on West 70 Street. As you would imagine, the funniest testimonials came from childhood friends, classmates at Fieldston, for example, and his lawyer, Jim Janowitz, who accompanied him to Cannes only to be airlifted by helicopter to an estate in Italy to meet with a potential backer. Balking at the price, the deep-pocketed Italian responded, “I knew I was dealing with the producer of “American Psycho,” but I did not realize I was meeting with two American psychos.”
The director of that landmark film, Mary Harran, was often called out for her brilliance. Just in case you needed to be refreshed on this image: clips of a beautifully buffed Bale working out and competing for best business card were screened.
Actor and writer Eric Bogosian spoke about how they succeeded in making ‘Talk Radio.” That movie’s director, Oliver Stone, talked about the making of the two “Wall Street” movies, with Kelly McKee of Pressman films reminding everyone later on at dinner at the Harmonie Club that the memorable line, “Greed is good,” was intended to be loathed. Surprisingly, audiences ate it up, embracing the chilling speech. Will Janowitz, a young actor from “The Sopranos” and son of Jim, recounted Ed’s encouragement at the idea of making the movie “Bad Lieutenant” into a television series. On a night of impersonations, his of the director Abel Ferrara was most “godfather”-like.
Many in the film community talked about how unusual “Eddie” was, soft spoken and not your usual producer-brash and pushy, a star quarterback in high school, host of the best “Superbowl” party, often seen with a skinny rolled joint in his breast pocket. Gee, having known him mostly at his premieres, I missed that part of him. The memorial left me pondering, Why is death so final? But Ed Pressman’s legacy will live on his family, friends, and films.
UPDATE TUES MORNING: CBS says delayed viewing pushed the total to 12.4 million but it was still 40% off from pre-pandemic viewing.
MONDAY:
Early returns for the Grammys last night are good news, bad news.
18.7 million was considered a low number of total viewers for the Grammys in 2020.
Last night’s show came in at 10.7 million, up by 2 million from last year, but off by 40% or more.
That’s not a surprise since Beyonce, Adele, and Taylor Swift all declined to perform. There were outstanding moments but nothing earth shaking. The show could win an Emmy, but the totality of the music wasn’t enough to bring back the old audience.
Delayed viewing could add another 2 million. We’ll know tomorrow.
Numbers courtesy of Marc Berman Programming Insider.
On August 12, 2022, a man stabbed novelist Salman Rushdie multiple times as he was about to give a public lecture at the Chautauqua Institute in upstate New York.
Today, Rushdie — profiled in the New Yorker — posted his own self portrait photograph. It’s here below.
Salman is one of the finest people I’ve known in the world of arts and letters. The vicious attack is tragic but to see him on the rebound is very, very encouraging.
What was Ben Affleck thinking during the Grammy Awards on Sunday night? Here are some possibilities: I could be watching sports, I don’t like any of this music, Who are these people?
Ben came with his wife — yes, wife — Jennifer Lopez, who was there for what reason I do not know. JLo is not a Grammy nominee or winner. She just looks good and likes to be seen. So they were there, and she presented an award, and they stayed all night. On TV Ben looked bored, and anyone who could see him picked up on it.
As for the Grammys themselves: Harry Styles won Album of the Year for “Harry’s House,” an sophisticated record of pop tunes that sound like things you already know. That’s ok. He’s a nice guy with a good voice and the girls love him.
This means Adele lost Album of the Year, as well as Record and Song of the Year. She won Best Pop Vocal Performance for her song, “Easy on Me.” Record of the Year went to Lizzo, Song of the Year went to Bonnie Raitt, the only nominee in that category to be the sole writer of her song. I told you in December this should be the outcome, and it was — indeed, Bonnie won two more Grammys during the pre-telecast in the afternoon for the same song and the album from which it comes. Nice! At the afternoon session, Bonnie’s awards were handed to her by another legend, Judy Collins, who lost Best Folk Album to a folk singer who sounds like Judy Collins from 1968. I guess that’s a compliment.
There were some strange moments at the Grammys. Beyonce was late to the live show, so she won Best R&B Record for “Cuff It,” Nile Rodgers had to accept after someone said something so rude on camera it had to be bleeped. They also said Beyonce was stuck in traffic, which may have been technically true, or she and Jay Z just left home whenever they wanted. Everyone else managed to be in the Crypto.com Center on time.
Adele, winning one award, was also bleeped for letting loose an F bomb, We heard it loud and clear in the arena. Adele makes believe she’s in “My Fair Lady” when she’s in public. It’s her shtick.
Overall the show was produced very well, even if it was low key. With neither Adele, Beyonce, or Taylor Swift performing, producers had to rely on clever writing and some clever pairings. The best of these was Stevie Wonder and Smokey :Robinson singing a son they wrote together, “Tears of a Clown,” some 53 years ago. It was stunning. Stevie also sang Smokey’s Temptations hit, “The Way You Do The Things You Do,” and his own “Higher Ground” with Chris Stapleton on guitar. Everyone was at the peak of their talent, and it showed. Nothing else came close all night.
In the end, everyone got something and what they deserved. I think it was good Adele was knocked down a peg, she can’t just waltz in and get awards. Beyonce was satisfied with her manufactured adulation. Lizzo, who really deserved Best Record, was properly rewarded. Bonnie Raitt showed this gang that a song is not written by committees and producers, it’s the work of an actual artist. And that was pretty cool.
PS Universal Music threw an old fashioned gangbusters after party at Milk Studios in Hollywood where Stevie Wonder was nearly crushed by well wishers and fans…Concord Records hosted an indoor-outdoor soiree featuring In’n’Out Burgers. I ran into Brian D’Arcy James, star of Broadway’s “Into the Woods.” Their soundtrack recording scored a Grammy during the afternoon session.
Like all awards shows, the Grammys are having trouble re-establishing their importance. Tonight’s show, at 8pm on CBS, could be a game changer one way or the other. The show needs ratings. The question is, Will the audience be there?
Bad Bunny will open the show. His album sold millions and was very popular. But then the show will proceed without some big names on the stage. Beyonce and Taylor Swift will sit in the audience but not sing. Adele is supposed to sing, but her name has not appeared on any production sheets and she’s not at rehearsal. If she does perform, as I reported, it will be a surprise — to the audience, to the Grammys, and maybe to herself.
There’s a long tribute to the history of rap, plus a lot of other quasi-hip hop numbers. Country music will be represented by Luke Combs, Kacey Musgraves, and Brandi Carlile. Chris Stapleton is doing a segment with Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson.
Madonna is making an appearance. She has to– she’s about to embark on a huge, expensive tour. It’s unclear if she’ll be live at the Crypto.com stadium or calling it in from Mars.
But where are all the big names? Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are in town, Cher lives here. So does Elton John part time. Over the weekend we’ve seen dozens of famous, familiar, and popular music stars almost none of which are on tonight’s show. It’s very puzzling. Why isn’t Stevie Nicks, for example, part of the Christine McVie tribute?
There have been 40 years of Clive Davis pre-Grammy parties but nothing like the one last night at the Beverly Hilton. It’s been three years since the last gala because of the pandemic, and 11 years since Whitney Houston died. Because of that, Clive emailed Kevin Costner, Whitney’s co-star in “The Bodyguard,” and asked if he’d come and introduce him and talk about the great singer.
No one could have predicted that Costner would give such an emotional speech about Clive and Whitney that the whole room of celebrities and A listers would fall silent and tear up. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house including Costner as the “Yellowstone” star when he said to Clive: “Neither of us could protect our beloved Whitney. Thank you for being her bodyguard. Everyone gets a mom, Not everyone has a Clive.”
As for the culture of pop music, Costner added: “Clive is the man who changed the times we live in.”
And so the night began with stunning performances by Jennifer Hudson, Elvis Costello and Juanes, Lizzo, Sheryl Crow, Maneskin, Lauren Daigle, Latto, Lil Wayne, Lil Baby, and ended with a sensational Myles Frost performing Michael Jackson hits from “MJ The Musical.” Wow!
JHud’s rendition of Whitney’s “The Greatest Love of All” was such a tribute to Houston, all of heaven was probably paying attention. I hope there’s video of it somewhere. Hudson told me backstage that when her hit talk show goes on summer vacation she’s going to make a Christmas album and a pop one. “I haven’t given up my recording career, don’t worry!”
But the other Big Moment was Frankie Valli bringing the crowd to their feet and singing along with him loudly on “Can’t Take My Eyes off of You.” He’s 88 years old and hasn’t lost a step! His gorgeous falsetto, accompanied Rickey Minor’s swinging band, was infectious. Hundreds of people in black tie were waving their hands in the air and singing “Oh pretty baby, if it’s quite alright” at the top of their lungs!
Oh yes and Lizzo — dressed better than ever– actually shook her tail feather. Great voice!
So who was there? Tables and tables of familiar faces. One group included Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins, Stephen Stills and Peter Asher. Verdine White of Earth Wind and Fire was there, so was — and here we go — Sharon Stone, Demi Lovato, Yolanda Adams, Apple’s Tim Cook, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos with wife Nicole Avant her famous father Clarence; plus Olivia Rodridgo, Diane Warren, Michele Lee, legendary Laugh In-creator George Schlatter, Janelle Monae, Richie Sambora, Lil Nas X, Nile Rodgers, Whitney’s producer Narada Michael Walden, Olivia Harrison, Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks, famed hit songwriter Max Martin, Brandi Carlile, the OG hit songwriter Valerie Simpson. Wait — I have to take a breath!
Did I mention that Sheryl Crow sat down at the piano and sang a tribute to Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie– two songs– “Songbird” and “Say That You Love Me”?
Biggest ovation of the night: for Nancy and Paul Pelosi. Huge standing ovation, and everyone came to their table to tell Nancy she’s their hero and express concern about Paul. But he’s okay. Amazing but true. Thank goodness!
More star names: HER Music aka Gabby Wilson, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Deborah Cox, Melissa Etheridge, MirandaLambert, Denise Rich, Candy Spelling, Nikki Haskell. Somehow, Smokey Robinson and Motown’s Suzanne dePasse made it there after being up all the night before!
A fun moment: when Myles Frost took the stage singing “BIllie Jean,” Tony winner Adrienne Warren — who was so great as Tina Turner on Broadway — ran to the foot of the stage and started dancing up a storm. Very cute.
Swizz Beatz gave a wise and witty toast to the 50th anniversary of hip hop and rap. Cardi B, also very cute and very funny, toasted Atlantic Records’ Julie Greenwald and Craig Kallman on reinventing Atlantic Records. Other guests ranged from new mom Paris Hilton to Charlie Puth. There were hitmakers everywhere, as Clive pointed out, all joined by their love of music. I even met Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox. (They were very nice. She is sporting a splint on her hand from an on set accident.)
For many the night proceeded at the strike of midnight to the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel where Deborah Cox led a round table of around 20 people singing “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Sweet Caroline.” They may still be there!
You can’t say enough about Clive Davis two months shy of 91 years young. His joie de vivre puts everyone to shame. His enthusiasm for the music biz, and for life, should be taught in schools!
The Grammys are coming tomorrow night, and I’m told one live act is causing a lot of trouble already.
Sam Smith and Kim Petras, who are they together and they apart, are going to perform their massive hit, “Unholy.”
But my sources say the production of this number “is going to make a lot of people very upset, and I guarantee there will be calls to CBS from outraged Christians.”
Apparently Smith — who is six foot five and a big person — will be playing Satan, there will be a lot of devil type stuff, devil worship, and “pyrotechnics like you’ve never seen.”
My source adds: “It’s over the top and really crazy.”
I asked: “Crazy good?”
The answer: “Wait and see.”
Here’s a modest clip of their performance (their meaning Sam and their meaning Sam and Kim) at the 2022 Jingle Ball.
