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Broadway: Sondheim’s “Merrily” Will Roll Along Next Fall, Skipping 2023 Tony Awards

Roger Friedman
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Broadway: Sondheim’s “Merrily” Will Roll Along Next Fall, Skipping 2023 Tony Awards

There will not be a Sondheim vs. Sondheim cage match at the 2023 Tony Awards, after all.

Stephen Sondheim’s “Merry We’ll Roll Along” will come to Broadway next fall after a sold out run at the New York Theater Workshop. If it had opened this spring, it would have wound up in the same category as the acclaimed revival of “Into the Woods,” which is wrapping up its own run next month.

As it is, “Merrily” would also be up against a coming mega production of “Sweeney Todd,” with Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford, opening also in March-April.

Daniel Radcliffe of “Harry Potter” fame stars in this version along with Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez, and Reg Rogers. Maria Friedman is the director. The show has been a runaway hit, totally sold out in its downtown version. “Merrily” has always been a cult Sondheim show, and features the composer’s great song, “Not a Day Goes By,” which was made popular by Carly Simon on her “Torch” album.

Elon Musk’s Kanye Path: Expels Journalists from Twitter, Tesla Stock Plummets, Company’s Stockholders Furious, Drugs Suggested

Roger Friedman
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Elon Musk’s Kanye Path: Expels Journalists from Twitter, Tesla Stock Plummets, Company’s Stockholders Furious, Drugs Suggested

It’s another crazy day for Elon Musk and Tesla.

The world’s former richest man suspended — really expelled — a bunch of journalists from their Twitter accounts. The suspended accounts included those belonging to Ryan Mac of The New York Times, Donie O’Sullivan of CNN and Drew Harwell of The Washington Post, Ben Collins of NBC, and independent journalist Aaron Rupar. Their readers and followers are moving to Twitter competitors like Substack and Mastadon.

The result is that Tesla’s stock price has plummeted to $150. Stockholders are calling for a new CEO and reportedly may try to oust Musk. Consider that the stock price on December 2nd was $194.58.

The Drudge Report has gathered together previous claims by Musk in interviews that he pops Ambien and uses hallucinogenic drugs. That news has certainly shaken stockholder confidence.

Also, Musk has sold billions of dollars of Tesla stock. Confidence builder? Um, no.

And stay tuned. Musk is now promising that a “coup de grace” is coming shortly.

Doesn’t this sound like Kanye West when he melted down? It’s almost by the book.

New Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll Movie Will Tell True Story of Record Label That Gave Us KISS, Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder

Roger Friedman
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New Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll Movie Will Tell True Story of Record Label That Gave Us KISS, Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder

Here’s the sex, drugs, and rock and roll movie we actually need.

Neil Bogart and his Casablanca Records gave us KISS, Donna Summer, and Giorgio Moroder’s most famous hits from “Bad Girl” to “Hot Stuff” to “Last Night.”

Bogart was smart enough to rescue Gladys Knight and the Pips when the left Motown in 1971. He gave them their biggest hits starting with “Midnight Train to Georgia.”

So here comes the movie, written, directed, and produced by Bogart’s son, Timothy. It’s called “Spinning Gold.” Bogart was out of control, a real 70s records guy, so I hope they tell the whole unvarnished truth of how he made and lost a fortune.

Jeremy Jordan is playing Neil, and there’s a strong cast. Wiz Kalifa is playing Funkadelic star George Clinton. That should be good for the price of admission. And Frankie Crocker is played by Chris Redd, the very funny ex-“SNL” comedian. And all those classic Donna Summer disco hits written and produced by Giorgio Moroder–in the movie he’s played by Sebastian Maniscalco. I want to see that! I’m all in for next March!

Box Office: “Avatar 2” Opens to Disappointing $17 Mil Previews, Weather or Not

Roger Friedman
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Box Office: “Avatar 2” Opens to Disappointing $17 Mil Previews, Weather or Not

“Avatar 2” finally opened around the country last night in previews.

The box office take was $17, which was a little disappointing for a movie that cost $250 million and was 12 years in the making. That makes it number 36 on the all time preview nights.

But the weather was vicious around the country, and “Avatar: The Way of War” can only be seen in theaters, and mostly through 3D glasses.

The movie has scored only a 79% on Rotten Tomatoes but that won’t stop the audience from coming out this weekend. Disney-Fox is lowballing estimates, hoping to announce on Monday the movie “overperformed.”

Trevor Noah to Host the Grammys, Ryan Murphy Second Murphy to Get Golden Globes Award, “Fabelmans” A Hit on iTunes, Carole King Movie Will Be “Beautiful”

Roger Friedman
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Trevor Noah to Host the Grammys, Ryan Murphy Second Murphy to Get Golden Globes Award, “Fabelmans” A Hit on iTunes, Carole King Movie Will Be “Beautiful”

Here are some of the day’s deals:

THE GOLDEN GLOBES will honor not one but two Murphy’s on January 10th. Already announced is Eddie Murphy getting the Cecil B. DeMille award — that’s the Globes’ Lifetime Achievement for movies. Today they added producer Ryan Murphy for the Carol Burnett Award, aka Lifetime Achievement for movies. Murphy has given us “Glee,” as well as a ton of hits on FX including “American Horror Story” and “Feud.”

THE GRAMMY AWARDS will be hosted once again by Trevor Noah. The February 5th show will be stocked with nominees like Adele, Harry Styles, and Beyonce. Noah has done this job a few times now and is always a terrific choice. By then, too, his fans will have missed him on “The Daily Show.”

”THE FABELMANS” is still in theaters but it’s also one of a few Oscar buzzed films hitting Video on Demand. It’s already number 3 on iTunes. This film is really a tour de force for Steven Spielberg. Beautifully made, “The Fabelmans” features top notch performances by Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, and Gabriel Labelle. It’s my choice for Best Picture of the Year, and I think the Academy will feel the same. What it really has is HEART, and addresses the whole of how families survive changes and remain intact. And no one is in a multiverse, it’s real human drama.

CAROLE KING will see her Broadway musical, “Beautiful,” turned into a movie. Daisy Edgar Jones will play Carole, and Lisa Cholodenko will write and direct The movie is based on the musical written by the late great Doug McGrath and starring Jesse Mueller. Who will play Gerry Goffin, Barry Mann, and Cynthia Weil? And Don Kirschner? Still to be determined. Carole started out with Screen Gems’ Colgems label, a division of Columbia Pictures, which of course became Sony Pictures eventually. Now she’s back with the same company, basically. And the world goes round and round…

Russell Crowe Releases a New, Massive Flop Called “Poker Face” With Record 49 Producers, Popular Only in Russia

Roger Friedman
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Russell Crowe Releases a New, Massive Flop Called “Poker Face” With Record 49 Producers, Popular Only in Russia

I think when I kept seeing the title, “Poker Face,” I thought it was in reference to the Lady Gaga song. It’s not.

Turns out, “Poker Face” is a movie directed by Oscar winner (for acting in “Gladiator”) Russell Crowe. He also wrote the screenplay. And it’s a huge bust.

“Poker Face” was released to VOD on November 22nd. Today it turned up at number 10 on the home viewing chart for last week.

The film, co-starring Crowe and Liam Hemsworth, has registered a frightening 9% on Rotten Tomatoes. That’s 9, as in, NEIN. Very few critics liked it, and no one wanted it at home.

“Poker Face” did not get a theatrical release here. But abroad it did, making just $1.5 million. Most of its money was made in Russia– $1.2 million.

In the US, of the people who let this bomb into their living rooms, only 32% liked it enough to say so on Rotten Tomatoes.

What happened to Russell Crowe? He should have been a massive star after “Gladiator.” I’ve never understood his trajectory.

PS “Poker Face” has what I think maybe a record number of producer credits– forty nine! 49! Or forty-nein.

Fake New Sondheim Show for Broadway with Bernadette Peters, Nathan Lane Announced on Twitter by Hoaxer

Roger Friedman
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Fake New Sondheim Show for Broadway with Bernadette Peters, Nathan Lane Announced on Twitter by Hoaxer

Earlier today, the Broadway crowd got very excited for a few precious minutes. On Twitter came the news that an unproduced show by the late Stephen Sondheim was coming next year starring Bernadette Peters and Nathan Lane.

In the Broadway world, that’s like saying Tom Brady would be playing baseball in the NFL off-season.

Anyway, it’s not true. The show, called “Square One,” was never officially finished and doesn’t exist. It’s a hoax. But the Twitter account picked up over 500 followers instantly. The tip-off should have been that @SquareOne followed no other accounts.

The hoaxer’s video is below, followed by the announcement. If anyone knows who this person is, let me know at showbiz411@gmail.com

AARP Movie Nominees Include “Fabelmans,” “Elvis,” “Top Gun” But No “Whale” or “Emancipation”

Roger Friedman
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AARP Movie Nominees Include “Fabelmans,” “Elvis,” “Top Gun” But No “Whale” or “Emancipation”

Believe it or not the AARP Movie Awards are important. They reach a big audience. All their Best Picture nominations were similar to Critics Choice and AFI, even Golden Globes. But they eschewed “The Whale” and “Emancipation,” which should tell us everything. Good luck to everyone! (PS Some actors were excluded because they were too young, like Michelle Williams.)

The complete list of the annual Movies for Grownups Awards Nominees:

  • Best Picture/Best Movie for Grownups: Elvis, Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Fabelmans, Tár, Top Gun: Maverick, The Woman King and Women Talking.
  • Best Actress: Cate Blanchett (Tár), Viola Davis (The Woman King), Lesley Manville (Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris), Emma Thompson (Good Luck to You, Leo Grande) and Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once).
  • Best Actor: Tom Cruise (Top Gun: Maverick), Brendan Fraser (The Whale), Tom Hanks (A Man Called Otto), Bill Nighy (Living) and Adam Sandler (Hustle).
  • Best Supporting Actress: Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), Patricia Clarkson (She Said), Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Judith Ivey (Women Talking)and Gabrielle Union (The Inspection).
  • Best Supporting Actor: Andre Braugher (She Said), Brendan Gleeson (The Banshees of Inisherin), Woody Harrelson (Triangle of Sadness), Judd Hirsch(The Fabelmans) and Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once).  
  • Best Director: James Cameron (Avatar: The Way of Water), Todd Field (Tár), Baz Luhrmann (Elvis), Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Woman King) and Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans).
  • Best Screenwriter: Todd Field (Tár), Kazuo Ishiguro (Living), Tony Kushner and Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans), Rebecca Lenkiewicz (She Said) and Dana Stevens (The Woman King).
  • Best Actress (TV): Christina Applegate (Dead to Me), Toni Collette (The Staircase), Laura Linney (Ozark), Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary) and Rhea Seehorn (Better Call Saul).  
  • Best Actor (TV): Jeff Bridges (The Old Man), Steve Carell (The Patient),Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul), Gary Oldman (Slow Horses) and Wes Studi (Reservation Dogs). 
  • Best TV Series:Abbott Elementary, The Old Man, Only Murders in the Building, The White Lotus and Yellowstone.
  • Best TV Movie/Limited Series: Black Bird, The Dropout, Inventing Anna, The Staircase and The Watcher.
  • Best Ensemble: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Nope, She Said, The Woman King and Women Talking. 
  • Best Intergenerational Movie: Armageddon Time, Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Fabelmans, A Man Called Otto and Till. 
  • Best Time Capsule: Armageddon Time, Babylon, Elvis, The Fabelmans and Till.
  • Best Grownup Love Story: Empire of Light; Good Luck to You, Leo Grande; Lady Chatterley’s Lover; A Love Song; and Ticket to Paradise.
  • Best Documentary: Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down, Lucy and Desi, The Pez Outlaw, Sidney and Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off.
  • Best Foreign Film: Argentina, 1985 (Argentina), Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (Mexico), Broker (South Korea), One Fine Morning (France) and The Quiet Girl (Ireland).

Breaking: Henry Cavill OUT as Superman, James Gunn Writing New Movie Without Him

Roger Friedman
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Breaking: Henry Cavill OUT as Superman, James Gunn Writing New Movie Without Him

There will be no “Man of Steel,” Part 2. And Henry Cavill’s cameo at the end of “Black Adam” was a one off.

All this news has broken tonight on Twitter as Cavill has announced that after meeting with Warner’s DC chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran the dream is dead.

And Gunn has announced that he’s writing a new Superman movie from earlier in the super hero’s life, “so the character will not be played by Henry Cavill.” This suggests that Cavill, now an elderly 39, has aged out of the role. (Yes, a spit take is good here.)

Gunn says: }But we just had a great meeting with Henry and we’re big fans and we talked about a number of exciting possibilities to work together in the future.”

This is code for Don’t call us, we’ll call you, or Here’s your hat, what’s your hurry?

Cavill’s statement is below. He says he was told by Warner Bros, to announce his return back in October, which he did, “so this news isn’t the easiest…That’s life.”

Cavill will get over it, and so will the fans. Cavill made good money with Warner’s/DC but you’ve got to think he has bigger and better things coming. Maybe James Bond? As for Superman, it seems like Gunn is going back to reintroducing him yet again as he’s been tweeting references to the original Christopher Reeve movies. So it’s time to return to Krypton, wrap the baby up, crash in Smallville, meet Perry, Lois, and Jimmy. As we’ve learned with Spider Man, you can’t tell an origin story too many times!

Golden Globes 2023 Theme Emerges: Eddie Murphy Getting Lifetime Achievement Award, Jerrod Carmichael Hosting

Roger Friedman
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Golden Globes 2023 Theme Emerges: Eddie Murphy Getting Lifetime Achievement Award, Jerrod Carmichael Hosting

It’s starting to feel a lot like…a new Golden Globes.

Today the Hollywood Foreign Press announced that their lifetime achievement award is going to…ta da… Eddie Murphy. Eddie would be only the fourth POC to receive the award since they started giving it in 1952. (The others are Oprah, Denzel, and Morgan Freeman.)

Previously announced was the host of the show this year, Jerrod Carmichael, who’s Black and gay. So a theme is emerging for this year’s show. This is all in response to the scandal the group suffered over the last couple of years concerning diversity in its membership. They had no Black members.

The HFPA added 100 new voters this season (not actual members), most of them multicultural. Oddly, with all those new voters, it seems like no one liked “Till” or its much acclaimed star, Danielle Deadwyler. That’s an egregious omission. But they did otherwise nominate at least one Black actor in every acting category, so that’s something.

The Globes air January 10th on NBC.

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