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Last night, both Jimmy Fallon’s “Tonight Show” and Seth Meyers’ “Late Night” drew their highest ratings since Thanksgiving 2019.
Fallon had 2.7 million viewers, Meyers had 1.5 million. Each of those figures was almost double their average nightly viewership. It’s possible– we don’t know yet– that Fallon beat his competitor, Stephen Colbert.
The reason for this? The Macy’s Thanksgiving parade. Earlier in the day, NBC was riding high with 21 million viewers for the parade, the biggest rating for any entertainment show this year. That was followed by the “National Dog Show Presented by Purina” with 11.2 million viewers. Both of those shows also had high scores in the key demo age group. Obviously, viewers stuck with NBC all day after that. Nicely done!
Fallon’s guests last night included Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd, Sebastian Maniscalco, and musical guest Jenny Lewis. Meyers had members of his family celebrating the holiday. PS I love Jenny Lewis. Who doesn’t?
I’m such a fan of Fallon/Meyers, I do watch them faithfully with occasional dips into Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel. Both Fallon and Meyers are routinely snubbed by the Emmy Awards, which I don’t understand. They are top notch entertainment!
Domininque Morisseau is best known to Broadway audiences as the author of the book for the hit musical, “Ain’t Too Proud,” about the Temptations.
But she’s also playwright of non-musical plays including one called “Paradise Blue,” that’s part of a trilogy. Yesterday she announced she’s pulled “Paradise Blue” from performances at Los Angeles’s Geffen Playhouse because of an undisclosed incident backstage involving what she terms the disrepect for Black female artists on the creative side.
“Paradise Blue” is no longer listed anywhere on the Geffen website.
Morisseau doesn’t specify what happened to tank an entire production instantly. (Anyone who would like to fill us in on more details in confidence please email me at showbiz411@gmail.com)
Morisseau wrote on Facebook:
“Dear Theatre Village,
My play Paradise Blue will no longer continue its run at the Geffen Theatre.
There will be a lot of sweeping under the rug of why.
There will be a lot of institutional language. A lot of “unforeseen circumstance” type of language. A lot of “we regret to inform you”.
But the sweeping under the rug is a part of the harm. I sweep the whole damn floor. Nothing hidden under the rug. That ain’t cleaning. That’s presenting an image of clean. And that’s not what I do.”
Alas, even with a long post, which I will reproduce below, we still don’t know what happened. The playwright says: “Harm happened internally within the creative team, when fellow artists were allowed to behave disrespectfully. To not acknowledge their impact on one another. To center themselves and their personal struggles over everyone else’s.”
Morisseau continues: “When an institution has the final say on how harm will be addressed. On whose harm matters and whose doesn’t. When Black womxn are verbally abused and diminished, and this is brought to the attention of the theatre by myself and other creatives, and the theatre applauds the Black womxn for how they “take” the abuse…..
I say no more.”
It wasn’t that long ago that playwright Jeremy O. Harris said he was canceling the run of his play, “Slave Play,” from another Los Angeles theater because of what he cited as a lack of gender parity and diversity at the theater. He didn’t actually have that power but his threat was enough to elicit promises of change.
Morisseau is obviously enraged. She writes:
“I am sharing this publicly not to shame the Geffen. They have produced my work in the past. I thought of this place as one of my first west coast homes for theatre. I don’t have many.
This has gutted me.
To think of myself as a playwright who is only trying to contribute humanity and heart to the world, and to have my own humanity and heart crushed and discarded…
This has made me feel insignificant. Foolish. And hugely disrespected.
I demanded that an apology happen from a creative team member for their abuses against other members of the creative team or they do not continue to work on my play.
And instead of staunchly backing this, the Geffen continued to enable more abuse.”
The Geffen posted this statement on their website:
After a series of events, the Geffen Playhouse production of Paradise Blue has been cancelled. An incident between members of the production was brought to our attention and we did not respond decisively in addressing it. As a result of these missteps, some members of the production felt unsafe and not fully supported.
We continually examine our best practices so artists and staff feel safe and can achieve their best work. In this case, we acknowledge having fallen short of this commitment. We have apologized to everyone involved, and in learning from this experience, we commit to continuing our ongoing work to improve and evolve as artists and collaborators.
We respect Dominique Morisseau and her work enormously, and we are proud of this powerful and beautiful production.
What am I thankful for? A surprise single release from Dave Edmunds, beloved rocker, guitarist and producer. Dave lives in Wales these days and hasn’t put out a new record in some time. I’m constantly bothering people who know him asking what’s going on.
What’s going on is a very Dave-ish brilliant rave up of Jerry Lee Lewis’s 1957 rockabilly classic, “It’ll Be Me.” Dave probably knows even better the 1962 cover by UK superstars Cliff Richards and the Shadows.
Of course, I love Dave’s version. Something about his records have a glow from within. For a musician who’s not supposed to have a very sunny outlook, a Dave Edmunds record always sounds like it’s full of optimism and good cheer– even when he’s ‘crawling from the wreckage.’
If you don’t know Dave Edmunds, slip back to the early 70s when his landmark cover of “I Hear You Knocking” went up the charts. Later in the 70s he hooked with the likes of Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello. His releases on Swan Song Records remain among my favorites of all time: “Get It,” “Tracks on Wax 4,” and the masterpiece, “Repeat When Necessary” are desert island discs for sure. Edmunds and Lowe briefly formed Rockpile, and Dave jumped to Columbia Records for a big hit with Bruce Springsteen’s “From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come).”
On the production side, Edmunds is notable for giving us the Stray Cats’ two gigantic chart hits — “Rock this Town” and my favorite, “Stray Cat Strut.” He also produced the lead off track, “In Quintessence,” on Squeeze’s classic album, “East Side Story.”
So it’ll be him on this new release, and maybe this means a whole album is coming. What a total delight.
I’ve just finished the third part of Peter Jackson’s “Get Back,” which ends with the Beatles on the roof at Apple Records, 3 Savile Row after 22 days of rehearsing in January 1969, recording, praying, squabbling, and in the end, coming together.
In Part 3, the group is faced with the decision made by filmmaker Michael Lindsay Hogg, producer George Martin, and recording engineer Glyn Johns that they will indeed play a show on the roof. This is their first live performance since 1966, and, as it turns out, their last ever.
Much happens in the two hours preceding the performance. Paul McCartney, perhaps seeing his control over the situation ebbing, doesn’t want to do it. But John and Ringo do, and George comes around. Once they’re on the roof, all the tension and creative architecture of the preceding 22 days disappears. It’s really a joyous moment. If you know the “Let it Be” from 50 years ago, this much longer take on what happened is incredibly gratifying.
Some other things of note happen in this final section. Like people considering a divorce, John and Paul sneak off to see their lawyers. Paul says he’s got a “meeting” on the outside. John and Yoko have met with Allen Klein the night before Day 20 of rehearsal, then bring him to the studio to talk to the others. Glyn Johns hears Klein and immediately, wisely, distrusts him. John is completely taken in. We all know what happened next: implosion.
But the seeds of the Beatles ending soon is all there. George, emboldened by his new songs actually tells John he wants to do a solo record. He’s ready to leave the nest. John and Paul are secretly exploring ways out of the Beatles, so whoever we decide “broke them up,” it doesn’t matter. They were also each ready to helm their own armies. You can’t have three generals in the same platoon. All we worry about is who will get custody of Ringo.
And then there is Ringo. He gets my vote for most patient, and understanding human alive. Ringo’s lifelong philosophy is “Peace and love.” Truly, how he made it to the end is beyond belief. And the kicker is that once the rooftop concert is going, the camera people are asking man in the street questions downstairs. Who’s your favorite Beatle, they ask one woman? Her answer: “Ringo.”
Part 3 starts on Saturday on Disney Plus. What makes it special is the ending, which was not part of “Let it Be.” I won’t give it away. But you realize, they did go right on to make “Abbey Road” when these cameras were turned off.
My only other thought right now is, if this is what they went through with Sgt. Pepper, the White Album, Magical Mystery Tour, Hey Jude, etc, everything post- Revolver and Rubber Soul, they must have felt like they’d lived an entire lifetime by age 30. Extraordinary.
PS Note to Apple, please include the original “Let it Be” in this eventual box set.
FRIDAY AM 11/26: “Gucci” fell 19% on Thanksgiving day, bringing its three day (two day if you by the preview included) to $7.6 million. The weekend forecast is sketchy at best unless audiences simply go for it to see Gaga’s performance. We’ll know more on Saturday morning.
THURSDAY THANKSGIVING: If it weren’t for Lady Gaga fans, there would be no “House of Gucci.”
Wednesday’s box office was just $3 million in over 3,000 theaters. Combined with Tuesday previews, the total now is $4.1 million. The Ridley Scott movie will be lucky to make $20 million over the entire Thanksgiving week.
The $4 million represents, I think, Lady Gaga fans who want to see this terrific, inventive performance. Along with her rock fans and Tony Bennett followers, Lady Gaga also has the audience she brings from “A Star is Born.”
Without her, “House of Gucci” is an empty building. When she’s off screen all the air goes out of the theater.
Director Ridley Scott is not having an easy week. Last night, “The Last Duel,” which audiences have ignored, made just $6,000. It’s only playing in 130 theaters at this point, with an average take of forty-six dollars ($46). One day that film will have a revival. But it won’t be anytime soon.
The second part of Peter Jackson’s “Get Back” airs on Disney Plus tomorrow, Friday. I’ve already reviewed Part 1. Jackson cannot be more highly commended.
Part 2 is three hours long. It’s as extraordinary as Part 1, but it should have been broken into two parts.
The first half of Part 2 starts with the group broken down for a moment that will have historians running to their notes. George has walked out of the “Get Back” sessions, the others are trying to persuade him to return. Recording of Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s documentary moves from Twickenham Studios to Apple Studios in London.
George is finally brought around, but there is an audio recording of a private meeting between John and Paul. Lindsay-Hogg hid a microphone in the room and got the whole thing, it’s here for the first time. The two friends clear the air but not before John expresses his deep unhappiness with Paul for running roughshod over everyone. Up til now, John has been very quiet and removed from the drama between Paul and George. But he melts down, which seems to be cathartic.
Through this three hour segment you will wonder why Yoko is attached to John physically, never leaves, contributes nothing and seems like a living black cloud. The film does nothing to improve her historical perspective. You want to say to her, Get out of there now. What’s completely fascinating is that no one seems to care. They ignore her. They literally pretend she’s invisible.
Paul is more sanguine about Yoko than anyone else. With George MIA and John and Yoko off doing an interview, Paul says on camera with others around that he understands they love each other and want to be together all the time. He won’t take that away from them. He also won’t let it interfere with the recording. He’s far more reasonable about Yoko than I would have guessed, very diplomatic and sensible.
The Beatles finally regroup at Apple. But the arrival of Billy Preston, at George’s behest, turns everything around. At the exact midpoint of Part 2 comes Billy whom the guys knew as Little Richard’s keyboard player from 8 years earlier in Hamburg. Billy is the magic ingredient they’ve been missing. John calls him the Fifth Beatle and asks him to join the group. George is beaming with excitement. In Billy’s presence Paul is more tempered in his imperiousness. Now John and George are actually happy.
None of this to take anything away from Paul. You actually feel that he sees everything before it happens, and has somehow time traveled to the future, listened to both “Abbey Road” and “Let it Be,” and is trying to explain them to the others. He is supremely confident, and focused. He is in some “zone” of creativity that cannot be explained. It’s at once annoying and genius.
The rest of Part 2 is about the construction of the songs. “Get Back” comes together methodically thanks to Billy, and George realizes it owes its propulsive nature to the Four Tops’ “Reach Out I’ll Be There.” John sees bits of “Obla Di Obla Da” in “Two of Us.” There is now a lot of joking around, and an ease as the men start to see the fruits of their labor. When Lennon is happy, we’re happy.
An interesting aside: there is a group recollection of going to India. John and Paul in retrospect have a much less fond feeling for the Maharishi. George remains silent but doesn’t look so happy as John and Paul take the guru apart. The conversation puts a whole new spin on that part of Beatles history.
The group rehearses songs that will become part of “Abbey Road,” not “Let it Be,” but they don’t know it yet. They decide that “Get Back” will be made into a single quickly. It is now January 23rd. “Get Back” was released April 11th, 1969. Then the Beatles recorded “Abbey Road” and released it. Then “Get Back” became part of the “Let it Be” album. We know all this now. They didn’t know it on January 23rd. It’s all kind of amazing.
We do hear John over Parts 1 and 2 trying to figure out the song that becomes “Jealous Guy.” Paul is working on “Teddy Boy.” George has “All Things Must Pass” and surely more songs that he’s not aware of or sharing. His moment of genius is still a ways off although the making of “For You Blue” and “I Me Mine” each are tributes to him here.
Part 2 of what Jackson has done is exhausting and exhilarating. Like Part 1, it’s history in the making. For Beatle fans, this is it, the Holy Grail, a monumental achievement. We’ll watch it all again on Disney Plus and then treasure the DVDs. And it’s very important to have the “Get Back” book with dialogue from the original “Let it Be.” Plus, throughout you will see the heavy involvement of engineer Glyn Johns, whose contribution is essential. His version of “Let it Be,” included in the new Super Deluxe box set, is they key to everything.
Review of Part 3 coming tomorrow…
PS Thought parts 1 and 2 there are about 2 dozen unfinished and previously unheard songs. Maybe bootleg collectors etc know them. But for the average person they are all revelations and need their own audio/video disc.
The Washington Post reports that an actor who calls himself James T. Justis is really James Beeks, and he was part of the January 6th insurrection. He’s been arrested. As a member of the Oath Keepers, Beeks stood out in pictures to law enforcement because he was wearing a Michael Jackson BAD jacket, a garment unusual for insurrectionists.
To make this story even weirder, Justis has been on the national tour of “Jesus Christ Superstar” playing Judas. The last stop was San Francisco. He’s been on Broadway four times, most recently in “Kinky Boots,” but also in Elton John’s “Aida,” “Smokey Joe’s Cafe,” and “Ragtime.” And unlike most insurrectionists, Beeks is Black.
“Once inside the Capitol, Stack One entered the Rotunda and then split up. Half of Stack One, including Beeks, tried to push their way through a line of law enforcement officers Stack One that invaded the Capitol on January 6th. guarding a hallway that led to the Senate chamber. Law enforcement officers forcibly repelled their advance. The participants in this half of Stack One, including Beeks, regrouped in the Rotunda and then left the building, at approximately 3:04 p.m. The other half of Stack One headed towards the House of Representatives; according to at least one member, they were looking for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. They did not find Speaker Pelosi and ultimately left the building.”
Needless to say, this is one credit not in James T Justis’s Playbill bio.
And then there was his get-up:
“Unlike the camouflaged-combat attire of the individuals described above, Beeks was wearing a black jacket with the word “BAD” written in red on the left breast, a burgundy hooded sweatshirt, black pants, a black helmet, black boots, yellow-tinted goggles, dark tan gloves, and a patterned tan and green neck gaiter pulled up over his nose, and he was carrying what appears to be a black shield. He also wore on his neck what appears to be a commercially available body-worn camera.”
Beeks was hiding in plain sight. In an online interview published October 5th, Beeks/Justis said that he identified with Judas in “Jesus Christ Superstar” and called him a hero, not a villain. Here’s a part of the interview:
Andrews-Katz: You play the role of Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar. Would you say that Judas is a villain, hero, anti-hero, or something more? Justis: I’d say, that in this production, Judas is more of a hero. Others say, “anti-hero”, but I think there is something more to Judas. He has a perspective on what his mission was to be. Tim Rice (lyricist of Jesus Christ Superstar) gave Judas a voice. He was a human, and he had to make choices. What were the conversations going on in Judas’ mind? This production leaves us with a question about his role. Personally, I started to study the character and the archetype of what he has become. I read the Bible, as well as the Gospel of Judas (removed from the Bible), and other books taken out of the Bible. Without Judas turning Jesus into the authorities, there is no ‘salvation’. Technically, Judas should be celebrated instead of booed. I fell in love with the character and feel he has been given a bad turn.
Andrews-Katz: Part of the story of Jesus is about rebellion against authority. Since a person of color almost always plays the role of Judas, has the current social unrest added any nuances to the way you portray the character? Justis: That’s a good question. I don’t look at it as Judas being a bad guy. I think he is a hero. I am honored to be the archetype of Judas and to give him a voice. Myself, being a person of color, I cherish that. I think that we’ve been told we have to question society. I want people to look at Judas in a different light and from different perspectives. He wasn’t a bad guy, and was only doing what he had to do. However that is translated into today’s society, I hope it would be looked on as a good thing. Tim Rice asks, “What did Judas do in these times? What did Judas see?” Judas had a vision and a plan.
Seems he took Judas a little too seriously. Maybe that will be his defense.
This last weekend, Saturday Night Live took a big big hit in the ratings. The 47 year old comedy show dropped by a million viewers after two weeks at 5.7 and 5.8 million respectively for shows featuring music superstars Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift.
With “Shang Chi” star Simu Liu hosting and Saweetie as musical guest, “SNL” came in with just 4.7 million viewers. That’s not overnight, the number includes delayed viewing.
Even though “Shang Chi” was a big hit with Marvel fans, I don’t think the general audience had any idea who he was. (And he was very good on the show, too.) Saweetie is just nominated for a Grammy for Best New Artist. She isn’t a draw yet despite being talented. So the combo, especially after Sheeran and Swift, was deadly for numbers.
“SNL” is off until December 11th when they return with Billie Eilish hosting and as musical guest. That’s a lot of Billie Eilish. The following week comes Paul Rudd, from “Ghostbusters,” a little late really although maybe Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd will show up. The musical guest is Charlie XCX, who is very five years ago I think.
As for the show itself, everyone’s doing great work. Cecily Strong has really been the star of the show for weeks. James Austin Johnson is the hot newcomer with his impersonations. Isn’t Chris Redd a superstar? But when is Kate McKinnon returning? Enough already with “Joe Exotic.”
Lady Gaga appeared on Colbert last night to promote “House of Gucci” but also her Tony Bennett special airing November 28th on CBS. It’s one of the best interviews ever for both Gaga and Colbert.
Of course the best part of it is Gaga singing “Anything Goes” with Jon Batiste’s band. It’s off the cuff, full throated, and gorgeous. She is such a great jazz singer.
Gaga was also celebrating 6 Grammy nominations for her and Tony with their “Love for Sale” album. I predict they will win all of them, including Album of the Year.
Fifty one years after the group broke up, the Fab Four are everywhere. Tomorrow on Disney Plus begins the three part Peter Jackson documentary, “Get Back.” (I’ve reviewed Part 1, the Parts 2 and 3 are coming today and tomorrow.)
For Paul McCartney, 79, the moment is particularly sweet. Yesterday he was nominated for Best Rock Album and Best Rock Song, respectively, with “McCartney III” and “Find Your Way.” And it was much deserved.
I checked with NPD Book Scan this week. So far, McCartney’s two volume “The Lyrics” sold 50,000 copies in its first two weeks. The third week isn’t in yet, but it’s likely “The Lyrics” has sold 70,000 sets so far through today. That’s actually 140,000 books.
And none of this takes in the new “Let it Be” super deluxe box set or the “Get Back” book that is a must-have companion to the Jackson series.
Watching the Jackson series, you see the future McCartney already there. He’s already had much of the Beatles success and is struggling to figure out their future. Both John Lennon and George Harrison are struggling, too, with Paul’s vision, his mission, his laser focus on what he sees for “Let it Be” and for what will become “Abbey Road.”
And listen as he constructs “The Long and Winding Road” simultaneous to what will be his first solo hit, “Another Day.” The songs are just pouring out of him. It’s overwhelming as an outsider watching it now, 51 years later. Imagine being there in real time.
And here we are in 2021. In two months, on January 31, 2022, it’s possible McCartney will perform on the Grammys. And maybe even win one. I think if you’d asked Paul during the filming of “Let it Be” what he expected a half century later, this is exactly what he’d have predicted.
The Washington Post reports that an actor who calls himself James T. Justis is really James Beeks, and he was part of the January 6th insurrection. He’s been arrested. As a member of the Oath Keepers, Beeks stood out in pictures to law enforcement because he was wearing a Michael Jackson BAD jacket, a garment unusual for insurrectionists.
