I like everything about this trailer for Amazon’s “Being the Ricardo’s” starring Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem. The Oscar winners look and sound like Lucy and Ricky. There’s an orchestrated version of the TV show’s theme music. Aaron Sorkin explores Lucy’s dustup with the Black list. Cross fingers, this could be a winner.
Mariah Carey, Who Wouldn’t Eat Fast Food If You Paid Her, Will Now Because McDonald’s Is Paying Her
Mariah Carey has made a deal with McDonald’s. They’re offering some kind of Mariah Carey Happy Meal for Christmas tied to her annual “All I Want for Christmas is You.”
Mariah would not eat fast food, let alone McDonald’s, if you paid her. But I guess she will now since McDonald’s is paying her.
Years ago there was big all star concert in Hyde Park, London called Live 8. July 2005. I wrote:
Here’s the thing about Mariah: She is a diva, and she doesn’t even know it. While I sat with her, she sent back her spaghetti-and-meat-sauce dinner three times — because it had cheese on it.
It’s not like she’s allergic to cheese, either. It’s that she could smell that the grated parmesan came from a jar and wasn’t fresh. (“It’s a thing I’ve had since fourth grade,” she said.) It was kind of hilarious.
What I remember is a production assistant walking into this little mobile structure where Mariah was holding court. Snoop Dogg had walked in with a gold chain around his neck ornamented by a small pistol. The P.A. was a woman with a headset. She carried in a round aluminum take out container, covered in foil, and said, “Hi, this is your dinner. It’s spaghetti and meatballs.”
Mariah said, “Is that cheese I smell?”
PA: “Yes.”
“Is it from a can? I won’t eat it. I only eat fresh grated parmesan.”
The PA was gobsmacked, as she was delivering food to a lot of celebrities. Everyone else in the tents, including Paul McCartney, Bill Gates, and Sting, was eating the food they were getting. But Mariah refused, and yes, they went back and forth three times on this cheesy subject.
So Mariah eating a Happy Meal from McDonald’s? Uh, no. Not possible. (And PS I don’t blame her, it’s disgusting.)
All she wants for Christmas is a private chef, kids.
Pop Chart Prediction: ABBA First Album in 39 Years Won’t Sell More than 80K Copies, Finish at Number 2 This Week
Not many people took a chance on them.
ABBA’s first album since 1982, “Voyage,” is more or less a bust.
Hitsdailydouble.com predicts “Voyage” will sell no more than 80,000 copies. It will finish its debut week at number 2, second to Summer Walker’s album, “Still Over It.”
Walker, a jazz and R&B sensation, will sell 100,000 copies more than ABBA. She’s shooting for 185,000 streaming equivalent copies.
ABBA’s comeback so far hasn’t been a great success. The album is terrible, and the singles from it have not been hits. Their London hologram show isn’t a big ticket seller either.
Stay tuned for Friday sales finals.
Travis Scott, Drake, Sued by 68 Astroworld Victims Repped by Renowned Texas Lawyer Thomas J. Henry, Who Takes Control of Litigation
Powerhouse Texas attorney Thomas J. Henry is representing 68 victims in a lawsuit against Travis Scott, rapper Draka aka Aubrey Drake Graham, Live Nation, and NRG stadium with dozens more expected to follow suit as more victims forward to tell their stories and demands for justice.
With cases quickly mounting, Thomas J. Henry — headquarted in San Antonio, Texas — revealed that he sees potential damages for Astroworld injuries and deaths reaching billions of dollars.
“More and more injured victims are contacting my firm by the hour,” said Henry in a release. “While we are all still working to understand the full scope of the Astroworld tragedy, I believe the damages suffered by its victims could total in the billions.”
At least eight people have died as a result of the terrible injuries they suffered at Astroworld. Another 23 people were hospitalized, 11 people suffered cardiac arrest, and 300 were treated on site.
To assist in his firm’s investigation of the fatal music festival, Thomas J. Henry has brought in industry experts including Crowd Security/Crowd Control Experts Ron Martinelli and Stanley Kephart. These experts will help demonstrate how the organizers and performers of Astroworld failed to provide their attendees with a safe concert environment resulting in concert goers suffering injuries and death and will play a critical role in telling the victims’ stories.
Thomas J. Henry is offering immediate free case consultations to all Astroworld victims.
Brian Williams Leaving MSNBC and NBC Next Month, Follows Rachel Maddow Plan to Leave Daily Show
Brian Williams is leaving MSNBC and NBC next month, he says. He’s been with NBC for 27 years, and MSNBC since 2016.
The network is saying he wants to spend more time with his family which is code for “we didn’t want to pay him more and he’s taking his chances elsewhere.” But Williams will turn up somewhere else after the new year. maybe CNN Plus.
MSNBC is crumbling before our eyes. Rachel Maddow has already said she’ll leave her daily show next year and appear monthly or occasionally or something. But she’s the lead ratings getter, and she wants out, too.
All of this suggests that Rashida Jones — not the really gifted comic actress who’s the daughter of Quincy Jones — is taking a wrecking ball to an already precarious structure. Consistency is the key to success on these nighttime news networks. That’s why Fox News does so well. The only people who leave are discovered to be part of a scandal and are forced out.
Williams started his 11pm MSNBC show in 2016 after a time out from the network after he was discovered to be a prevaricator and embellisher.
NBC isn’t alone in having problems with on air talent. CBS News is a mess under new leadership that let Norah O’Donnell be kicked around in the press last week. With audiences shrinking, the news shows will soon be hosted by game show celebrities. The evening news will be retitled “Press Your Luck.”
Think I’m kidding? Just wait.
Adele Jettisons Grammy Winning Producer-Writer Paul Epworth from New Album Despite Past Hits
The full list of songwriters and producers is out for Adele’s ’30” album, and so is Paul Epworth.
The man wrote and produced “Rolling in the Deep” and “Skyfall” has no credits on the new “30” album coming next Friday.
Epworth put Adele on the map with “Rolling in the Deep.” On the “21′ album he also had “I’ll Be Waiting” and “He Won’t Go.” On the “25” album Epworth brought “I Miss You” and “Sweetest Devotion.” The pair won six Grammys together. And 1 Academy Award.
But on “30,” five of the ten songs are by Greg Kurstin including “Easy On Me,” the kick off single currently at the top of the charts, Kurstin wrote “Hello.” Adele’s big hit from the “25” album six years ago.
The other big winner songwriter on “30′ is Dean Josiah Cover, aka Inflo. Cover has three tracks on the album including “Hold On,” now being used as an Amazon commercial.
There are also songs by Max Martn and Shellback, Ludwig Goransson, and Tobias Jesso Jr. The latter wrote “When We Were Young,” from the “25” album.
But no Epworth at all on “30” is a shock. Epworth definitely gave Adele a bluesier sound. Kurstin goes for the big weepy piano ballads. There’s nothing wrong with the latter, but for me, “Rolling in the Deep” is the jewel in Adele’s crown. It took her places vocally and instrumentally that she should be revisiting now. It’s also hard to believe Epworth didn’t have a song for the cockney accented diva.
This is kind of a tradition for divas, isn’t it? Mariah Carey’s big early hits were with Ben Margulies. Then she dumped him. Norah Jones wrote “I Don’t Know Why” with Jesse Harris, and that was it. Barbra Streisand never went back to the “Stoney End.” Only Dionne Warwick stuck with a good thing when she struck gold with Burt Bacharach and Hal David, becoming the standard bearer for their songs.
(Listen) Adele Cashes in with Amazon on Holiday Video for New Song, “Hold On,” About Pandemic Anxiety and Shopping
The marketing of Adele’s “30” album took an interesting turn today. She’s licensed a new song, “Hold On,” to Amazon for a commercial video. The video is about pandemic anxiety and shopping. The song may be about that, too. I think the idea is, if you’re anxious about shopping in stores, “Hold On,” you can use Amazon. It’s very spiritual. The “30” album drops next Thursday night.
Oscars: Sublime “Belfast” Gets A List Hollywood Premiere, Jamie Dornan Whips Crowd into a Frenzy
Kids, Focus Features flew me to Hollywood for the premiere of “Belfast” last night at the new Motion Picture Academy museum. I never do this stuff, but Kenneth Branagh’s gorgeous movie is the best one I’ve seen all year and is likely to win many Oscars. How could I say no?
This was an old fashioned premiere, the kind we used to go to before the pandemic. Lots of stars, glamour, and of course, those damned masks. Masks everywhere. They didn’t hurt the experience in any way.
This was the second time I’ve seen “Belfast” after viewing it at the Hamptons Film Festival. (I still don’t understand why the New York Film Festival didn’t have it.) Branagh, famous for Shakespeare and Agatha Christie movies, has finally arrived at his moment. This is his coming of age story during “The troubles” in Northern Ireland in the 70s. It’s the most organic, completely realized film of the year, much like “Nomadland” last year. And it has Judi Dench, in a role that will earn her another Oscar nod. You cannot ask for more.
The highlight of last night’s premiere, besides the movie, was the party trick that should win Jamie Dornan a Best Supporting Actor nomination if not the award itself. The actor best known for the “50 Shades of Grey” series jumped on stage with the terrific house band and sang the R&B hit, “Everlasting Love,” just as he does in the film. It’s one of his many Oscar moments in the film, and in person, it’s a wowser. Women and men swoon equally. May I say he whipped the crowd into a frenzy? Very “Commitments” like.
Dornan told me that he knows how good the movie is, obviously. He’ll do something he’s never done before for Oscars season. “I’m moving my family out here in January,” he told me, from London. They’ll just hunker down to help with the publicity for the film. For Jamie, this is a major career change, a breakthrough that should set him on a very different path now. But this, not “50 Shades,” is what he wanted and hoped for.
“Belfast” is the Irish “Fiddler on the Roof.” It’s everyone’s immigrant story. What do you when the place where you were born is under siege and no longer possible to live in? Branagh is really telling the most relatable story of all. How do you leave people behind to make a better life for your family?
By the way, “Belfast” is studded with beautiful songs almost all by Van Morrison. This is the pre-pandemic anti-lockdown nutso Van. My advice is just forget about the current incarnation of the Irish soul and folk singer. These songs are so wonderful, and fit the mood of the film perfectly. Let’s pretend Van had a brain tumor that altered his reasoning this year. But pre-2020, Van Morrison’s records are gifts from the Gods. And the horn solos are enough to live on.
So here’s a little trivia: there’s an aside in the movie, Jamie’s character is carrying a racing form and someone asks him which horse to bet on. I didn’t hear this in the first screening, but last night I heard him reply, “Moondance.” That’s of course, the most famous Van Morrison song. It would be a good name for a winning horse. And “Belfast” is a winning movie!
Watch Jamie here.
TV: “Yellowstone” Gets Network-Like Numbers, “Succession” Has No Traction, “Curb” Collapsing
Everyone says to me, “Are you watching Yellowstone?” I am not. But someone is. Like, plenty of people.
“Yellowstone” is the Kevin Costner “Dallas” like drama on the Paramount Network channel. On Sunday night, the cable drama drew over 8 million people in its first showing, and over 7 million on its second showing an hour later. It also picked up viewers on related channels.
This shouldn’t come as a big surprise since when the last “Yellowstone” season finale ended in August 2020 the numbers set a record then with over 5 million viewers.
Sunday night’s premiere drew 8 million total viewers in Live+Same Day, a 104% increase from the Season 3 premiere (4.2 million), making it the most-watched cable series telecast since a 2018 episode of AMC’s “The Walking Dead.”
“Yellowstone” is an old fashioned soap opera like “Dallas” with cowboys and horses. It’s very American. Who doesn’t like that?
The success of “Yellowstone” is interesting because it has no “buzz,” gets no awards, doesn’t merit endless write ups and speculation and psychological theses about its characters. It’s the opposite of HBO’s “Succession,” which has all of the above and minuscule ratings by comparison. On Sunday night, “Succession” scored 480,000 viewers, a very small increase from week 3 of its third season.
Indeed, “Succession” seems like it’s very much a hit in two places, New York and Los Angeles, with maybe one or two followers elsewhere. It’s a cerebral show with the finest acting. It’s “Dallas” for the sitting crowd. Adrien Brody was the guest star Sunday night, but that didn’t do much to boost interest.
Later on HBO Sunday night, “Curb Your Enthusiasm” dropped to 370,000 viewers in its first showing, down almost 10% from last week, down 100,000 viewers in three weeks from its Season 11 premiere. “Curb” may have finally reached its end after a two decade run that included brilliant writing. This season, not so much.
Politicians beware: “Yellowstone” is a Heartland, GOP, 80s like show. “Curb” is the opposite. Look for trends here. With the chaos of the pandemic, viewers are looking for comfort food. It’s a very Reagan era response. And that could spell trouble in elections.
Trump Sign on West Side Highway Finally Removed After Years of Vandalism and Ire
We have Linda B. Rosenthal of the New York State Assembly to thank for a major development. She’s had the annoying and much vandalized Adopt a Highway sign with Donald Trump’s name on it removed from the 79th St. exit on the West Side Highway.
Rosenthal wrote to Henry Gutman, of the Department of Transportation, last July asking for the removal. She wrote, “Donald Trump’s presidency is a stain on our history.” Implicit in this is that New Yorkers, particularly on the Upper West Side, hate Trump. They had his name taken off their buildings.
Gutman wrote back this week that the contract between Trump Org and the city has expired, and the sign has been removed. The whole UWS can breathe a sigh of relief. And there will be no more back ups on the exit of drivers flipping the bird at the sign.
I say, Linda B. Rosenthal deserves a parade. Now, maybe she can bring back parking!
One yr ago Donald Trump lost his re-election bid. After I wrote to @NYC_DOT, the sign bearing his name on the West Side Highway at 79th St was carted away today.
Read my letter & the City’s response ⬇️ https://t.co/a4JRcm1ICE pic.twitter.com/qWhpG37fAg
— Linda B. Rosenthal “the #OriginalRosenthal” (@LindaBRosenthal) November 8, 2021