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UPDATE Adidas Stock Price (Real Time) Hits 52 Week Low After Kanye West Scandal

Roger Friedman
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UPDATE Adidas Stock Price (Real Time) Hits 52 Week Low After Kanye West Scandal

THURSDAY 10:12 AM: Adidas stock price is at its 52 week low, $93.63. There’s an hour left for trading in Germany.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Adidas is all laced up with no place to go.

The German sportwear company’s stock price went off the deep end around October 20th, dropping from around $115 to $103. By the time the company offoaded their deal with Kanye West over his antisemitic declarations, they’d reached $96.

Of course, Adidas finally divorced West because the stock was dropping like cement filled sneakers. They thought it would bounce back once they cut ties with the rapper. But guess what? It hasn’t.

Today, Adidas closed on the German stock market at $96.88. Six months ago, Adidas was up near $192 a share. Problems with supply chain and sales in China gradually sent the price down. But the real fall off came with Kanye’s hate filled comments. Critics suddenly started looking up Adidas’s history during World War II, calling it a Nazi company. It took too many days for the execs to separate themselves from Kanye West. And now they’re paying the price.

There’s obviously residual anger over how the company responded– considering that the Gap, Balenciaga, and even soulless Vogue magazine preceded them with quick announcements. It’s going to take longer than anyone thought to win back goodwill. No wonder Skechers kicked Kanye out of their lobby. No footwear company is going into business with West anytime soon.

Broadway Box Office Struggling as Only 2 Shows Played at 100% Capacity Last Week

Roger Friedman
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Broadway Box Office Struggling as Only 2 Shows Played at 100% Capacity Last Week

If you’re looking for signs of a recession, or even worries about Times Square, last week’s Broadway grosses may provide some answers.

Of 27 shows (not counting Mike Birbiglia’s one man show that didn’t play a full week) only 2 went over 100% capacity. They were “MJ: The Michael Jackson Musical.” And “Phantom of the Opera,” which is closing soon.

Otherwise, all attendance is down for the third or fourth week in a row. Even Hugh Jackman in “The Music Man” isn’t hitting 100%.

Also suffering are box office perennials like “Wicked,” “The Lion King,” “Harry Potter,” and “The Book of Mormon.”

Then there are newer shows like “Into the Woods,” “Leopoldstadt,” “Top Dog/Underdog,” “The Piano Lesson,” and “Death of a Salesman.” If you love Broadway, and live theater, you must see these in particular. They cannot be missed.

And let’s not forget “Hadestown,” the Best Musical from two years ago, still incredibly wonderfully entertaining.

Times Square is safe, as is all of the theater district. And this is a great time to get discount tickets online, especially at tdf.org.

Tomorrow night comes “Almost Famous,” the musical based on the beloved Cameron Crowe movie. I’ll tell you all about it Friday morning. I’m going to love it no matter what!

See the Trailer for “Avatar 2: The Way of Water,” James Cameron Dedicates Film to Bill Paxton, Unclear if There are Human Characters

Roger Friedman
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See the Trailer for “Avatar 2: The Way of Water,” James Cameron Dedicates Film to Bill Paxton, Unclear if There are Human Characters

EXCLUSIVE Here’s a lot of news for “Avatar 2: The Way of Water,” not “The Shape of Water,” by the way.

I’m told director James Cameron has dedicated the film to his late friend, actor Bill Paxton, who died in 2017. Cameron and Paxton made five films together including “Alien” and “Titanic.” The dedication should run at the end of the very long credit crawl.

Today the new trailer is out for “Water.” Between this one and previous sneak peeks, so far there is no sign of human characters. Everything is about the blue avatars. Maybe the humans appear at the beginning or end. But this would be quite unlike the original film, which mixed Sigourney Weaver and friends all the way through the film.

Here’s the trailer, which features spectacular visuals:

God Only Knows Why: Sony is Re-releasing Unwanted “Father Stu” in PG-13 for the Holidays

Roger Friedman
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God Only Knows Why: Sony is Re-releasing Unwanted “Father Stu” in PG-13 for the Holidays

You may not remember Mark Wahlberg in “Father Stu.” The execrable Christian based movie appeared earlier this year rated R and made just $20 million in the US, with an extra $1 million abroad. It was also released to video.

Now they’re bringing it back, edited for PG-13 but no better, I’m sure. It also stars the miserable antisemite and racist Mel Gibson, who is not featured in the new trailer. “Father Stu” got a lowly 42% on Rotten Tomatoes. The only positive thing to say here is that Sony hasn’t figured out a Spider Man connection.

Grammy Nominees Will Be Announced November 15th with Adele, Harry Styles, Beyonce, Bad Bunny Leading the Pack

Roger Friedman
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Grammy Nominees Will Be Announced November 15th with Adele, Harry Styles, Beyonce, Bad Bunny Leading the Pack

Grammy nominations are coming in two weeks.

The Recording Academy will unleash the 2023 nominees on the morning of November 15th via their YouTube and other social media outlets.

Expect the big artists to reap more than a few noms to be Adele, Beyonce, Harry Styles, and Bad Bunny. This year’s crop will feature a lot of women, which has nothing to do with the Academy per se, just how the 2022 releases worked out.

The strange thing is, the song of the summer was from 1985 — Kate Bush’s “Running Up that Hill.” I think it should get a special award, and Bush should perform on the show if possible.

Lady Gaga will be very much in the mix, too, for her “Top Gun” theme song, “Hold My Hand.” And Taylor Swift will make history with her “Red (Taylor’s Version)” album — it’s a re-release but all re-recorded adding new songs to an old album. How clever!

Hoping to see Elvis Costello’s “The Boy Named If” and Judy Collins’ “Spellbound” in the mix for traditional, folk, or any other category.

Stay tuned…The Grammys will be given out on February 5, 2023 on CBS.

“Friends” Star Lisa Kudrow Got a Rare Separate Copyright for Writing the Foreword to Matthew Perry’s Book, But Admits She Hasn’t Kept in Touch

Roger Friedman
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“Friends” Star Lisa Kudrow Got a Rare Separate Copyright for Writing the Foreword to Matthew Perry’s Book, But Admits She Hasn’t Kept in Touch

(EXCLUSIVE) This is weird: in most non fiction books with forewords written by celebrities, the copyright for the whole book goes to the author. Just as examples, Viola Davis wrote the foreword to Cicely Tyson‘s memoir, but got no separate copyright. This is common practice.

So I was a little surprised when I noticed Matthew Perry‘s “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing” is copyrighted not just to him. Another “Friends” star, Lisa Kudrow, wrote the foreword. And she has her own copyright listed under Perry’s.

This is very odd, although sometimes it does happen. Just, not that often.

Kudrow is a strange choice even to write a foreword for Perry’s book. You’d immediately think of Matt LeBlanc, who played Joey on the show and was in almsot every scene with Perry. Or perhaps Jennifer Aniston, whom Perry credits with being concerned about his health when he was a raging addict.

Kudrow, who played Phoebe, is not many scenes exclusively with Perry. She concedes in the foreword that they have not been in close touch over the years:

“After Friends I didn’t see Matthew every day, and I couldn’t even hazard a guess with regard to his well-being. This book is the first time I’m hearing what living with and surviving his addiction really was. Matthew has told me some things, but not in this kind of detail. He’s now letting us into Matthew’s head and heart in honest and very exposed detail. And finally, no one needs to ask me or anyone else how Matthew’s doing. He’s letting you know himself. He has survived impossible odds, but I had no idea how many times he almost didn’t make it. I’m glad you’re here, Matty. Good for you. I love you.“

Hmmm…

Kudrow is a big star, you might say, so she deserves to own her own material. And her name is on the cover, which helps sell books. (“Friends, Lovers” is the number 1 non fiction hardcover on amazon.com.) But I just looked at a memoir by film critic Jeffrey Lyons and his foreword by Liam Neeson, an Oscar nominated international movie star, has no such thing. The book is just copyrighted to Lyons.

Another example: Rolling Stone Keith Richards contributed a foreword to the reissue of his late friend Ronnie Spector‘s memoir, “Be My Baby.” No mention of him on the copyright page, and he’s Keith Freaking Richards! (Keef’s name is on the cover, too.)

So, a little strange. And maybe a little telling about the real relationships among the “Friends.”

Is “Wakanda Forever”? Or A Passing Fancy? Reviews for “Black Panther” Sequel Held til Last Minute, Disney Shields Cast from Press Questions About Shut Down

Roger Friedman
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Is “Wakanda Forever”? Or A Passing Fancy? Reviews for “Black Panther” Sequel Held til Last Minute, Disney Shields Cast from Press Questions About Shut Down

Tonight, after having a strange premiere last week in Hollywood, Disney screens “Wakanda Forever” in New York. Press is not invited, just as they were shunned last week out west.

The press screenings for “Wakanda Forever,” the sequel to Disney’s $700 million blockbuster “Black Panther,” are next week. Reviews are being held until two days before the movie opens in previews on Thursday, November 10th.

The press knows the story of “Wakanda Forever,” how director Ryan Coogler had to recover from the tragic loss of star Chadwick Boseman. Disney has already leaked that the Boseman’s T’Challa, the real Black Panther, dies in the new film. Of what? I’ve heard that it’s just announced he’s passed away from a vague illness.

Disney is heavily promoting the women of “Wakanda Forever” since the only other big male actor of the first film, Michael B. Jordan, played a villain who was killed off. (He’s said to appear somehow in the sequel, maybe in a dream or as an apparition.) Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya also opted out of “Wakanda Forever” after “Black Panther.” That leaves the most likely candidate for new Black Panther in the person of Letitia Wright. She plays Shuri, T’Challa’s sister. In the Marvel comics on which this is all based, Shuri assumes the role. So it follows that she will do the same in “Wakanda Forever.”

Wright posed a lot of problems during the filming of “Wakanda Forever.” She is a vaccine denier, rumored to have gotten COVID at one point. Shooting on the film stopped for several weeks beginning last Thanksgiving when Wright was said to have suffered an injury to her arm. But the injury happened in September, and Wright could not and did not return to the set until the following February. (I doubt her pay was docked.)

Tonight’s events include a screening for the Guilds at the DGA, another one on West 34th St.. — a theater typically used for Black films, plus a party that some of the cast will attend without being questioned about anything by rogue reporters. (This was the same in Hollywood.) Angela Bassett, who plays Queen Ramonda, will not be in attendance. Neither will Michael B. Jordan, who did attend the Los Angeles screening, but is getting ready to promote his “Creed III” coming shortly.

Disney is playing all this close to the vest, apparently, counting on “Black Panther”‘s success to cause a stampede the first weekend — predicting $175 million — before reality sets in. Will fans embrace Wright as the Black Panther? Time will tell.

Ratings: “Saturday Night Live” Gets a Halloween Bounce from Jack Harlow, Tom Hanks, Bobby Moynihan “Drunk Uncle” Returns, So Does Cecily Strong

Roger Friedman
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Ratings: “Saturday Night Live” Gets a Halloween Bounce from Jack Harlow, Tom Hanks, Bobby Moynihan “Drunk Uncle” Returns, So Does Cecily Strong

“Saturday Night Live” picked up around 400,000 viewers on Saturday from the previous week. total viewers were 4.1 million after three weeks lingering around 3.7 million.

Rapper Jack Harlow was the host and musical guest, but wiser heads prevailed. Tom Hanks was brought in as a stealth player, appearing as his popular David S. Pumpkins character.

Also, “SNL” album Bobby Moynihan turned as the Drunk Uncle and stole the show. All of this helped give the currently ailing show a Halloween bounce. (They should really get him to return full time. During Weekend Update, when he called Colin Jost “Seth,” it was a flash of brilliance. )

With all of this help, “SNL” seemed a little better than it had in recent weeks. The added return of Cecily Strong is huge. She is the show’s leading lady. But what they’re lacking is a leading man. When Hanks arrived, that was made obvious. Kenan Thompson is always brilliant comic relief. Mikey Day is also comic first. The show needs a Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, even a Beck Bennett.

Next up: Amy Schumer, who is a Star, whether you like her or not, as host. She will fill a lot of gaps.

Exclusive: See the Painting Legendary Artist David Hockey Created of Clive Davis for National Portrait Gallery

Roger Friedman
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Exclusive: See the Painting Legendary Artist David Hockey Created of Clive Davis for National Portrait Gallery

When the National Portrait Galley of the Smithsonian chose music mogul and legend Clive Davis for their Portrait of a Nation collection this year, they needed a great artist to paint the picture. Davis called upon the amazing 90 year old famed painter, David Hockney. Here’s the fabulous result. This is quite stunning. Davis spent several days at Hockney’s studio in the UK last winter. Hockney was already a fan–he’s attended Clive’s pre-Grammy galas as the guest of another mutual friend, Joni Mitchell. Bravo!

On November 12th, all the portraits will be unveiled in Washington. Other honorees, include José Andrés,  Ava DuVernay, Marian Wright Edelman   Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, Serena Williams    and
Venus Williams. The other exceptional artists included are Hugo Crosthwaite, Kenturah Davis, Kadir Nelson, Toyin Ojih Odutola, and Robert Pruitt, and the Premiere of a Newly Acquired Photograph by Ruven Afanador.

None other than the dazzling Alicia Keys will present Clive with his portrait at the Smithsonian Event. Keys’s entire career was launched by Davis at his J Records in 2000, and the pair have remained close ever since. Alicia was just the surprise opening act at that the unveiling of David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center last week.

Here’s a video from the Smithsonian about the whole project:

Revealed: Matthew Perry Says His Parents Gave Him Phenobarbital in the First Two Months of His Life to Knock Him Out

Roger Friedman
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Revealed: Matthew Perry Says His Parents Gave Him Phenobarbital in the First Two Months of His Life to Knock Him Out

So “Friends” star Matthew Perry’s book is out. We’ve heard a lot about his drug and alcohol addiction but given no reasons for it. He just had it. Diane Sawyer didn’t ask why– she was too busy talking.

Turns out, he writes, his parents gave him barbiturates to put him to sleep. As a baby. To put him to sleep. In his first month of life. Got that? Father was an actor and a model. Mother worked for Pierre Trudeau. They were not hillbillies. And yet…He makes one mistake in the first sentence following here. He didn’t take phenobarital. He was given it, by adults.

Did they create his drug addiction?

He writes:

“I’m told I took phenobarbital during the second month of my life, between the ages of thirty and sixty days. This is an important time in a baby’s development, especially when it comes to sleeping. (Fifty years later I still don’t sleep well.) Once the barbiturate was on board, I would just conk out. Apparently, I’d be crying, and the drug would hit, and I’d be knocked out, and this would cause my father to erupt in laughter. He wasn’t being cruel; stoned babies are funny.”

By the way he’s very charitable to these young parents. He says:

“I want to be very clear on this point. I do NOT blame my parents for this. Your child is crying all the time, clearly something is wrong, the doctor prescribes a drug, he’s not the only doctor who thinks it’s a good idea, you give the drug to the child, the child stops crying. It was a different time.”

Nevertheless:

“There are baby pictures of me where you can tell I’m just completely fucking zonked, nodding like an addict at the age of seven weeks. Which is oddly appropriate for a kid born the day after Woodstock ended, I guess. I was being needy; I was not the cute smiling baby everyone was hoping for. I’ll just take this and shut the fuck up. Ironically, barbiturates and I have had a very strange relationship over the years. People would be surprised to know that I have mostly been sober since 2001. Save for about sixty or seventy little mishaps over the years.

“When these mishaps occur, if you want to be sober, which I always did, you’d be given drugs to help you along. What drug may you ask? You guessed it: phenobarbital! Barbiturates calm you down as you try to get “whatever other shit is in your body out; and hey, I started taking one at thirty days old, so as an adult I just picked up where I’d left off. When I’m at a detox, I’m very needy and uncomfortable—I’m sorry to say I’m the worst patient in the world.”

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