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RIP Coolio, 59, Dies on 46th Anniversary of Release of Stevie Wonder Song That Made Him Famous

Roger Friedman
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RIP Coolio, 59, Dies on 46th Anniversary of Release of Stevie Wonder Song That Made Him Famous

So sad to hear about Coolio, the 90s rapper, dying at age 59. He was a really nice guy who often performed at charity events and had an affable way about him.

Reports are that Coolio, whose real name was Artis Leon Ivey Jr., died at a friend’s Los Angeles home from cardiac arrest.

In 1995, Coolio and producer singer L.V. (Larry Sanders) took Stevie Wonder’s “Pastime Paradise” and reworked it into “Gangster’s Paradise.” The song was included in the soundtrack to the Michelle Pfeiffer movie “Dangerous Minds,” and took off as a hit.

“Pastime Paradise” was released exactly 46 years ago on the album “Songs in the Key of Life.” I am not making this up.

What they did we now call an “interpolation.” It worked because the writers made it their own, and it fit in the movie. The new track hit a nerve, and Coolio lived on it for the last almost 30 years. He had a couple of other hits but Coolio- with his trademark helicopter style wings style hair cut — made a place for himself in pop history. He leaves behind six children according to Wikipedia.

More About Bruce Springsteen’s “Only the Strong Survive” Including Rumored Tracklist

Roger Friedman
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More About Bruce Springsteen’s “Only the Strong Survive” Including Rumored Tracklist

CLICK HERE FOR BIG UPDATE

Here’s the tracklist for Bruce Springsteen’s album of R&B cover songs. The album is called “Only the Strong Survive,” named for Jerry Butler’s great song. Release date is November 11th. I am more than excited. Some of these songs were big hits in their day, some are a little more obscure. Big winners here are Butler (two songs), William Bell (two songs), and Motown. Nice use of catalogs. You know these tracks will be tasty. They’ll also send fans back to the originals, which is always cool.

1. Only The Strong Survive – Jerry Butler
2. Soul Days – Dobie Gray
3. Night Shift – The Commodores
4. Do I Love You – Frank Wilson
5. The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore – The Walker Brothers
6. Turn Back The Hands of Time – Tyrone Davis
7. When She Was My Girl – The Four Tops
8. Western Union Man – Jerry Butler
9. I Wish It Would Rain – The Temptations
10. Don’t Play That Song – Aretha Franklin
11. Any Other Way – Jackie Shane
12. I Forgot To Be Your Lover – William Bell
13. Rooms of Gloom – The Four Tops
14. What Becomes of the Brokenhearted – Jimmy Ruffin
15. Someday We’ll Be Together – Diana Ross and The Supremes

Review: David O. Russell’s Star Studded “Amsterdam” with Christian Bale, Margot Robbie Gets Trounced for Good Reason, It’s a Mess

Roger Friedman
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Review: David O. Russell’s Star Studded “Amsterdam” with Christian Bale, Margot Robbie Gets Trounced for Good Reason, It’s a Mess

The review embargo for David O. Russell’s “Amsterdam” was supposed to be October 4th. Instead last night reviews began seeping out and by morning they were on Rotten Tomatoes. They are very negative. The reason? It’s a mess.

“Amsterdam” is a period piece, set in the pre-World War II era, with an all star cast: Margot Robbie, Christian Bale, and John David Washington are the main trio, but Robert DeNiro is featured and so are Chris Rock, Mike Myers, Michael Shannon, Matthias Schoenaerts, Rami Malek, Anya Taylor-Joy and what seems like dozens more well known actors.

Taylor Swift even makes a brief appearance at the start of the movie. The film looks great because Emmanuel Lubezki was the cinematographer. But after that, we’re in trouble.

The idea for “Amsterdam,” according to Russell — who’s made a lot of great movies — came from lunches he had over a five year period with Bale, who’s starred in his films “The Fighter” and “American Hustle.” I hope they ate well, they must have had a lot to drink because none of “Amsterdam” makes sense.

The movie is supposed to allude to or comment on social and political events concerning the rise of fascism in a pre-Nazi world, but without footnotes and a discussion sheet there’s no way of knowing what’s going on. Confusing is a kind of way of putting it. I do think the problem here is that Russell needs structure. He’s always worked from strong books adapted into scripts. Here there is no foundation and everything just starts to unravel.

Bale is a doctor experimenting with new pain relief treatments for soldiers, Washington is a lawyer, and Robbie an artist. They get caught up in a complicated conspiracy that leads them to DeNiro post-war, a decorated retired Marine who is supposed to anchor the mess we’ve just seen. DeNiro can do no wrong, but he also can’t undo what we’ve seen. With Malek twirling his mustache (he’s become a great movie villain but it’s time for the Peter Lorre story), “Amsterdam” propels toward an ending, of some kind.

Russell, as I said, has made many really great films. His heart is always in the right place. But here “more was more.” Somehow this massive carnival of ideas got away from him. It’s all too much, it’s wildly unfocused, and after 20 to 30 minutes “Amsterdam” becomes work no one wants to do.

Beloved Actress Lisa Banes’s Murderer Will Get Only 1-to-3 Years, Time to Recall Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg

Roger Friedman
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Beloved Actress Lisa Banes’s Murderer Will Get Only 1-to-3 Years, Time to Recall Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg

Beloved actress Lisa Banes was killed July 14, 2021 when a scooter driver maliciously and willfully cut her down on Amsterdam Avenue behind Lincoln Center. She was 65 years old. Some of us had seen her six weeks earlier at a Memorial Day party. She was booming in her career.

Today her killer pleaded guilty in a Manhattan court. He will receive 1 to 3 years sentence, much less than what the District Attorney’s office asked for — three to nine years. The killer, Brian Boyd, is 27. He will basically walk free after committing a murder and getting away with it.

A video seen by the AP last year showed after the accident that Boyd ran away from the accident and left Banes to die. “The operator of the electric scooter [rode] from the crash location to Bolt Bike Shop … where the operator is observed interacting with employees of the bike shop and waiting for repairs to the electric scooter,” Boyd’s arrest complaint says.

It’s time to recall Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. It’s obvious his office has no idea what they’re doing. This is shameful.

You will recognize Lisa Banes from many movies and TV shows including “Gone Girl” and “Madame Secretary.” She deserves better than this.

Louis CK, Cancelled or Not? Sells Out Most of His Winter Tour Including Madison Square Garden

Roger Friedman
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Louis CK, Cancelled or Not? Sells Out Most of His Winter Tour Including Madison Square Garden

Louis CK: is he cancelled? Or not?

The controversial comedian was wiped out in the #MeToo tsunami. He had one terrible movie no one saw– thank God — called “I Love You Daddy.” He released another one earlier this year.

Now Louie has booked a sold out tour through arenas around the country. It starts next week. The tour is almost all SOLD OUT. Yes, I checked. Even Madison Square Garden is mostly gone except for the upper seats. Same for DAR Constitution Hall in Washington DC.

San Francisco, Oakland, Chicago, Los Angeles, St, Louis– all sold out. Other cities selling fast.

The international part of the tour begins October 3rd in London, then goes to Glasgow and Belfast, off to Australia, and then back to the US where date after date is, if not sold out, well sold.

What does it mean? You tell me.

Bruce Springsteen Classic R&B Songs Covers Album Said to Be Coming in November, Announcement Tomorrow (Exclusive)

Roger Friedman
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Bruce Springsteen Classic R&B Songs Covers Album Said to Be Coming in November, Announcement Tomorrow (Exclusive)

The Springsteen Universe is alive and buzzing this morning.

The experts in this area tell me the new Bruce Springsteen album is a collection of cover of R&B classics and some lesser known songs. One of them, Dobie Gray’s “Soul Days.”

The title of album, experts say, is a cover of Jerry Butler’s “Only the Strong Survive.” I’d be happy to hear that since the documentary I made with Chris Hegedus and DA Pennebaker about classic R&B in 2002 had the same title.

Some other titles are said to include songs by the Four Tops, Jerry Butler, The Temptations, and Aretha Franklin. There’s said to be a cover of “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted,” as well that I can’t wait to hear. There’s also a cover of Frank Wilson’s “Do I Love You.” The only title I didn’t see was “Expressway to Your Heart,” which Bruce has famously performed many times (see below).

Bruce is a soul aficionado from day one. He loves Sam Moore of Sam & Dave, and Gary US Bonds. He’s put an R&B inflection into most of his songs, and of course the horn work by Clarence Clemons is legendary (and not too shabby by nephew Jake).

If all this pans out on November 11th it will make for a very happy holiday. What a nice gift while we wait for the big E Street Band album this winter, and the tour!

Potential track list:

Box Office: “Don’t Worry Darling” Numbers Collapse After Weekend, Legs Buckle

Roger Friedman
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Box Office: “Don’t Worry Darling” Numbers Collapse After Weekend, Legs Buckle

Unfortunately, the Harry Styles fans are all in school and doing homework. They are not using the midweek days to go see “Don’t Worry Darling.”

Yesterday’s box office was $2 million, down 20% from Monday. Monday’s numbers were worse, down 59% from Sunday to $1.66 million.

Total now is $23 million. And that isn’t bad since the movie said to have cost between $35 million and $40 million. So profit is in the cards. But not longevity.

Considering all the time spent on gossiping about “Don’t Worry Darling” before it was released, there will be a lot less as its balloon deflates.

Yes, Wolverine is Dead, But the Man Who Killed Him Doesn’t Mind Seeing Him Alive Again

Roger Friedman
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Yes, Wolverine is Dead, But the Man Who Killed Him Doesn’t Mind Seeing Him Alive Again

Yes, to answer my question from yesterday, Isn’t Wolverine dead? He is! He died in “Logan.”

But director James Mangold, who killed him, doesn’t mind that Wolverine is back and starring in “Deadpool 3” with Hugh Jackman reviving the role. He writes on Twitter:
“Oh my gosh! Everybody chill. Just kidding! I’m all good! LOGAN will always be there. Multiverse or prequel, time warp or worm hole, canon or non-canon or even without a rationale, I cannot wait to see what maddness my dear friends @VancityReynolds
and @RealHughJackman
cook up!”

The whole mashup is really brilliant. Reynolds and Jackman have this long standing funn fake feud that goes on and on. It will continue now for a year leading up to the release, on social media. By the time we get to next September, the buzz will drive the box office into the stratosphere. Great, great idea.

Broadway: It Worked, Lea Michele Saves “Funny Girl,” Box Office Up By $1 Million a Week

Roger Friedman
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Broadway: It Worked, Lea Michele Saves “Funny Girl,” Box Office Up By $1 Million a Week

Maybe the next role for Lea Michele should be Wonder Woman.

Since the “Glee” star took over as Fanny Brice in “Funny Girl” on Broadway, the box office has shot up by a million dollars a week. People, it turns out, like people who sell tickets!

In the first week of Lea Michele’s run, the numbers were $1,636,212. That was up from a long summer of between $600,000 and $700,000 a week with mostly stand by players as Beanie Feldstein jumped ship. Prior to Beanie’s exit, the show was at its highest with $1.2 million back on May 29th. But then it went into enough of a decline that most shows with this kind of budget would have closed.

Enter Lea Michele. Frist week, great. Second week, she got COVID and the excellent stand by, Julie Benko, was back to save the day.

Last week Lea Michele was back, and box office popped up again to $1.640 million. The parade is in full swing and no one is raining on it. (Having Tovah Feldshuh steal the show as Fanny’s mother didn’t hurt, either.)

This news will revive the call to let new actors taking over parts in shows be re-considered for Tony Awards. If Lea Michele and Tovah Feldshuh had been in the original launch last April they’d not only have been nominated, but they might have won!

Bruce Springsteen Keeps Dropping Hints: New Album, New Single? “It’s Good” Says Insider

Roger Friedman
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Bruce Springsteen Keeps Dropping Hints: New Album, New Single? “It’s Good” Says Insider

UPDATE: I did get a little reaction from a Springsteen insider about this post, post-posting. I got no concrete info but this observation: “It’s good.”

I’ll bet it is, whatever it is.

EARLIER Bruce Springsteen’s social media is tuned up and dropping hints.

New album? Probably in January, but maybe sooner. New single? Soon, it seems.

Bruce’s Twitter feed first posted a picture of a double yellow line down a highway. Now today there’s a steering wheel. He’s either dropping a new single with a car-road theme, or a suped-up version of “Born to Run.”

Either way, it’s something took forward to. Bruce and the mighty E Street Band begin a massive world tour in Tampa next February.

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