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Swizz Beatz and Timbaland Make a Deal with Elon Music for Their Verzuz Business

Roger Friedman
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Swizz Beatz and Timbaland Make a Deal with Elon Music for Their Verzuz Business

Here’s the press release. Make of it what you will:

Making a monumental power move, VERZUZ—the online award-winning, multi-media platform launched by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland—has cemented an exclusive partnership with X for distribution. Swizz and Timbaland personally broke the news at an activation in Cannes, France today.

Earlier this year, Swizz and Timbaland reacquired VERZUZ from previous partner Triller, now owning 100% of the platform, while retaining their equity (along with the artists who participated in VERZUZ) in Triller. Upon resuming complete control, they sought out the perfect channel for independent distribution.

The partnership journey with X has now begun!

Together, the companies orchestrated a mutually beneficial alliance where Swizz and Timbaland maintain their full ownership and creative control, while X receives exclusive distribution rights. As a result, VERZUZ will now broadcast to an audience of over 550 million active users, exponentially expanding its viewership and international reach like never before. Since the inception of VERZUZ, the conversations around each VERZUZ naturally evolved on X from fans and enthusiasts alike. Viewers will now be able to watch for FREE exclusively on X, bringing the visual series, and viral conversation, all to one platform! Stay tuned for the announcement of the next VERZUZ matchup coming soon.

About this chapter, Swizz stated, “We are beyond thrilled to have found the best partner for Verzuz. Not only are we excited to have Verzuz on X, we’re excited to help X build the biggest entertainment company in the world. I would like to thank Elon Musk, Linda Yaccarino, Brett Weitz, Mitchell Smith and the entire X team for believing in the Verzuz vision. We can’t wait to get to work.”

Timbaland added, “We are thrilled to partner with X, the most innovative platform globally. Our goal has always been to bring Verzuz to the world which we can now do bigger than ever.”

Glenn Close Reveals She Has COVID and RSV Just as New “Knives Out” Begins Shooting

Roger Friedman
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Glenn Close Reveals She Has COVID and RSV Just as New “Knives Out” Begins Shooting

Tony and Emmy Award winner Glenn Close says she has COVID and RSV.

Unfortunately for the multiple Oscar winner, she’s shooting the new “Knives Out” movie! She was just two days into making the Rian Johnson movie “Wake Up, Dead Man” with Daniel Craig, Jeremy Renner, Josh Brolin, and Kerry Washington, and a cast of what seems like thousands.

Close says, “I was really hit hard.”

Get well, Glenn! But this is a reminder that COVID is still out there!

Exclusive: Blondie’s Chris Stein Says Robert Kennedy Jr. Hit on His Wife at Charity Event

Roger Friedman
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Exclusive: Blondie’s Chris Stein Says Robert Kennedy Jr. Hit on His Wife at Charity Event

Back in 2009, Robert Kennedy Jr. was still involved with the Riverkeeper Foundation. He was married then to his second wife, Mary Richardson, with four children.

Chris Stein, the founder with Debbie Harry of the legendary new wave group Blondie, remembers Kennedy well. He and Blondie entertained the crowd of wealthy patrons at a Riverkeeper event in 2009, playing hits like “Heart of Glass” and “One Way or Another.”

Stein tells me that it was this event that Kennedy hit on his wife.

“She got in line to meet him,” Stein says of wife, Barbara Sicuranza. (They have now been married 25 years.) “When she came she said, He shook my hands for too long. It was creepy.” That wasn’t all. It was clear to Barbara what was going on. “She said, He tickled the inside of my palm with his middle finger. She was really appalled.”

I had asked Stein, a rock and roll hero, about a Tweet he posted on June 17th. He’d written: “This jackoff made a pass at my wife at a River Keeper event in NYC. True story.”

The pass made no difference to the Steins, who shrugged it off and moved on. Kennedy and Richardson separated in 2010. She committed suicide by hanging herself in their barn in 2012.

Subsequent to all, the NY Post published Kennedy’s sex diary that listed all his affairs during the marriage.

As for Stein, he’s just published a beautifully crafted memoir called “Under a Rock.” Stein wrote it himself, and I’d say it’s up there with literary rock recollections like Sting’s “Broken Music” and Patti Smith’s “Just Kids.”

Stein writes about his upbringing in Brooklyn, his early days of rock from 1965 to 1971 or so, and then how everything changed as classic rock became bland by the mid 70s. He was present for the birth of punk. Stein’s stories about the Ramones, Talking Heads, Johnny Thunders, and son are so detailed and personal it’s hard to put the book down!

I also love the fact that he met actor Tony Sirico aka Paulie Walnuts from “The Sopranos” when he was a young gangster.

PS The story about Kennedy is not in the book. It’s just here in this column.

George R. R. Martin Has Never Finished Final Book, But He’s Got Another Westeros TV Series Coming

Roger Friedman
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George R. R. Martin Has Never Finished Final Book, But He’s Got Another Westeros TV Series Coming

Remember when George R. R. Martin was finishing the final “Game of Thrones” novel?

No? Well, he never did, and the series concluded without it.

“House of the Dragon” has subsequently become a hit HBO series from Martin and crew.

Now another Westeros TV show is filming. It’s called “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.” It’s more swords and shields, set a century before “Game of Thrones.” I think that means in between “Game” and “Dragon.”

Will there be dragons? You can count on it. Also, humans: Finn Bennett as Aerion Targaryen, Bertie Carvel as Baelor Targaryen, Tanzyn Crawford as Tanselle, Daniel Ings as Ser Lyonel Barotheon, and Sam Spruell as Maekar Targaryen. The only name we know is Bertie Carvel.

Martin is listed as executive producer. He will never finish that book at this point.

But we getting to learn how to spell Targaryen!

Sir Ian McKellen Says He’s OK After Fall off London Stage, Will Be Back to Work Soon

Roger Friedman
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Sir Ian McKellen Says He’s OK After Fall off London Stage, Will Be Back to Work Soon

Sir Ian McKellen says he’s ok after his fall off a London stage last night.

He tumbled during a performance of “Player Kings,” a Shakespeare mashup. Audience members heard McKellen shout in pain. The show was stopped and he was whisked away.

But now he writes: “I want to thank everyone for their kind messages and support. Since the accident, during a performance of Player Kings last night, my injuries have been diagnosed and treated by a series of experts, specialists and nurses working for the National Health Service. To them, of course, I am hugely indebted. They have assured me that my recovery will be complete and speedy and I am looking forward to returning to work.”

All’s well that ends well!

HBO Says 7.9 Million People Watched “House of the Dragon” Sunday Night, Caused Tonys Headache

Roger Friedman
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HBO Says 7.9 Million People Watched “House of the Dragon” Sunday Night, Caused Tonys Headache

Never bet against dragons.

HBO says 7.9 million people watched the return of “House of the Dragon” Sunday night. That was down 22% from the first season debut of around 10 million.

That’s “across all platforms” and in several viewings. The linear number on HBO was 1.9 million.

But a LOT of people watched the dragon fest, which included a really horrible kind of “Sophie’s Choice” moment at the end. It was enough to conquer the Tony Awards over on CBS. The Broadway awards really suffered the effects of the HBO hit. Plus, for some, a Yankees- Red Sox game was a diversion as well.

I thought for sure CBS would put Alicia Keys and Jay Z on during the 9pm hour and draw viewers away from HBO. But instead they shoved their big stars into the 8pm hour. What followed at 9pm was dancing from “Illinoise” — not much of a competition. Also, Jay Z was launched on the show almost by accident. There was no build up, and the pair performed in the lobby of the theater. It was bizarre.

Exclusive: Justin Timberlake “Was Not Intoxicated” When He Left for Home Last Night in the Hamptons

Roger Friedman
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Exclusive: Justin Timberlake “Was Not Intoxicated” When He Left for Home Last Night in the Hamptons

Here’s a little more on the Justin Timberlake story.

Sources at the American Hotel in Sag Harbor say Justin “was not intoxicated” when the restaurant shut down last night.

Justin had been dining with a couple — that’s it, two people, not a crowd of the guys out for a good time.

When the American Hotel shuts down the bar and dining room for the night, customers can stay on the very small terrace out front and finish their drinks.

According to my sources, JT and the couple were polishing off a pitcher of martinis. Again, Timberlake didn’t appear to be drunk at all. He told the arresting officer he’d had “one martini” and was following his friends home.

Justin listed his home address as Franklin, Tennessee. But the car he was driving, a grey BMW, was from Florida. On the police report, JT is listed as “glassy eyed.”

A few people have suggested that JT was with his pal, Jimmy Fallon, who lives in East Hampton. But Jimmy has a week of live shows in New York this week for The Tonight Show, and no one in the restaurant indicated he was there.

Justin Timberlake Has the Right Local Power Lawyer for His DWI in the Hamptons

Roger Friedman
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Justin Timberlake Has the Right Local Power Lawyer for His DWI in the Hamptons

Justin Timberlake was arrested for a DWI last night in the Hamptons.

Embarrassing as that is, JT should be fine. He’s got the right lawyer.

Edward Burke, Jr. is the local defense lawyer to the stars. When anyone famous is in trouble, he’s the go -to guy.

When Jason Kidd was arrested for driving into a tree, it was Burke who got the leaves out of his exhaust pipe.

When Lizzie Grubman backed up over 16 people in front of a nightclub, she called Burke.

Burke’s family, they say, has been in Sag Harbor since 1820. (How did they even get there? How did they get food?)

His family Edward Burke Sr. is a famous lawyer and former local judge. Both of Edward Jr’s siblings are local lawyers. Burke is considered a local celebrity himself.

So JT will be fine legally, just a little dented PR wise. But life will go on. He’ll do his shows in Chicago this weekend, and Madison Square Garden next week. The big question is Why was he driving himself? And also, why was he even in Sag Harbor?

Amy Adams, David Cronenberg Honors at TIFF, Also First 5 Films Announced Including Elton John Doc (UPDATED)

Roger Friedman
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Amy Adams, David Cronenberg Honors at TIFF, Also First 5 Films Announced Including Elton John Doc (UPDATED)

WITH UPDATES:

TIFF has announced the first five films on their roster:

R.J. Cutler and David Furnish’s Disney+ doc Elton John: Never Too Late

Woo Min-ho’s Harbin Mike Flanagan’s Stephen King adaptation The Life of Chuck

Marielle Heller’s Amy Adams-led dark comedy Nightbitch

Netflix’s Indigenous coming-of-age basketball film Rez Ball from Sydney Freeland

DreamWorks Animation’s The Wild Robot

Oscar nominated actress Amy Adams and legendary director David Cronenberg are the first two named honorees at this year’s Toronto Film Festival.

Sandra Oh will preside as honorary chair at the TIFF Tribute Awards.

Amy is featured this year at TIFF in a new film by Marielle Heller called “Nightbitch.” She is the first of two actors to be named for the Tribute Award. One more announcement is coming.

Cronenberg is getting the Norman Jewison Award for great Canadian filmmakers.

TIFF begins September 5th.

Justin Timberlake Arrested in Hamptons for DWI In Between Tour Dates: What Was He Doing There?

Roger Friedman
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0
Justin Timberlake Arrested in Hamptons for DWI In Between Tour Dates: What Was He Doing There?

Justin Timberlake spent the night in jail last night.

The NSYNC star was arrested and arraigned for driving and drinking in Sag Harbor.

According to TMZ he left the American Hotel on Main Street at 12:30am and immediately blew through the stop sign at the end of the short block. He was swerving as well. Justin refused to take a Breathalyzer test, and failed a test to stand on one leg.

Timberlake was released on bail and must return to court in Sag Harber on July 26.

The pop star’s most recent tour date was June 15th in Miami. His next one is this Friday in Chicago. So what was he doing in the Hamptons? His wife, Jessica Biel, and two sons live in Los Angeles and Montana.

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