Sunday, October 6, 2024
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Grammy Awards Snubbed Lifetime Achievement Winners Again, With Roberta Flack, Iggy Pop, Chuck D, Philip Glass Ignored

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There are already plenty of articles about how the Grammys spelled Ric Ocasek’s name wrong during the In Memoriam segment, and omitted a number of important musicians who died this past year including Robert Hunter of the Grateful Dead and Mark Hollis of Talk Talk. (Also no introduction to the segment, which was really awful.) For some reason, no awards show can figure out how to do In Memoriam without forgetting someone important.

But it’s what the Grammys do to living people that’s worse. Every year the Grammys announce Lifetime Achievement Awards. They call them Special Merit Awards. For years, there was a ceremony that took place on Saturday night around 5pm, the night before the show. The Special Merit winners were highlighted. The ceremony overlapped with Clive Davis’s pre-Grammy dinner, but at least it took place.

Then three or four years ago, it was decided to scrap that event and have a special TV show at which the Merit winners would be honored. The show airs on PBS. But by doing this, there was almost no mention of the Merit Winner on the Grammy telecast. (And the PBS show gets zero promotion anywhere. It’s a sop.)

On Sunday night’s show, the Merit winners were announced in a pre-recorded video. They were not shown live. John Prine was highlighted by a short performance of his song, “Angel of Montgomery,” by Bonnie Raitt. But the others were ignored. Roberta Flack, who is using a wheelchair, came from New York. She cut her time short at Clive Davis’s dinner so she could go home and rest for the Grammys. Alas, the audience had no idea she was there at the Staples Center. Iggy Pop was present, and also not shown. I don’t think anyone came from Chicago. Philip Glass didn’t come. And you didn’t see Chuck D of Public Enemy. (He’s been rightly critical of the show.)

Last year, and I’m sure it was true this year, too, the Grammys made no effort to bring the Special Merit winners to the show. Anyone who came had to pay their own way, and were basically ignored. Because of this, Julio Iglesias and Ozzy Osbourne each skipped the TV taping in May in Los Angeles. This was the same TV taping that newly signed Grammy CEO Deborah Dugan didn’t think was important enough to attend.

The exiting Grammy producer, Ken Erhlich, saluted himself at the end of Sunday’s show with an all-star musical number worthy of Busby Berkeley. Nipsey Hustle, a dead rapper, got a salute. Prince was also saluted, even though he’s had tributes in the past. The show could have made a big deal of Roberta, whose work has influenced so many stars including Alicia Keys and HER. They could have done a segment on Public Enemy, a musical and political force. And Iggy Pop, who invented punk rock. Why even bother coming?

And Philip Glass? Don’t get me started. One of the world’s most important composers, and he was basically ignored.

If there are changes coming with the new production team including Ben Winston, this continuing oversight may be a place to begin.

(Watch) Sting Brings “The Last Ship” to Jimmy Kimmel, Says No Tigers or Magicians in Upcoming Vegas Shows: “I do the magic”

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Sting brought his brilliant musical, “The Last Ship,” to Jimmy Kimmel last night. They talked about the show, currently at the Ahmanson Theater, which will go next to San Francisco, then Washington DC and Detroit. Kimmel also asked Sting about his upcoming Las Vegas residency at Caesar’s Palace beginning May 22nd. “Will there be tigers? Magicians?” Kimmel inquired. “I do the magic,” Sting astutely replied.

I love “The Last Ship.” The songs, the sets, the performers and, of course, Sting on stage. You can’t beat it. Half the songs are stuck in my head all the time. Just gorgeous. Go see it if you can get a ticket!

Oscars Announce New Set of Presenters for February 9th Show Including Two Former “Hamilton” Cast Members

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The Oscars have announced a new set of presenters for the no host February 9th show.

This group includes Zazie Beetz, Timothée Chalamet, Will Ferrell, Gal Gadot, Mindy Kaling, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Anthony Ramos, Mark Ruffalo, Kelly Marie Tran and Kristen Wiig. Two of these are former “Hamilton” cast members: the creator Lin Manuel Miranda, and Anthony Ramos. They’re plugging Miranda’s “In the Heights” starring Ramos, coming in June– and I hear it’s wonderful, btw.

Previously announced Oscars presenters include last year’s winners Mahershala Ali, Olivia Colman, Regina King and Rami Malek.

“We’re excited to welcome these talented artists to help celebrate this year’s movies,” said this year’s producers, Lynette Howell Taylor and Stephanie Allain. “Each brings their own unique energy and appeal to our global audience.”

Final ballots for members to vote go out on Thursday, two days from now. And yes, the Oscars are two weeks early this year, just as the Grammy Awards were. Next year, we return to the normal schedule! And maybe to real food at the awards shows!

Today is the 50th Anniversary of John Lennon’s “Instant Karma,” and The Beginning of the End for the Beatles

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Today is the 50th anniversary of John Lennon’s “Instant Karma.” It was “ritten, recorded, and remixed” on January 27, 1970. It was also the beginning of the end for the Beatles. Paul McCartney was recording his first solo album, “McCartney” at the same time. It was released in April. “Let it Be” was released on May 8, 1970. And that was it. A 50th anniversary edition of “Let it Be” and the reconstituted movie, which no one has seen in five decades, are coming in May, presumably, as well as Peter Jackson’s documentary about the making of “Let it Be.” But first, Happy Anniverary, John.

 

 

 

Justin Bieber Will Donate One Dollar from Every Concert Ticket to Charity That Doesn’t Yet Exist, Also He Has a New Album Coming

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You’ll be happy to know that Justin Bieber is feeling charitable. He’s announced that he’s donating one whole dollar from every concert ticket he sells this spring to his his Bieber Foundation. This organization “is committed to supporting mental health wellness.”

Actually, there is no registered charity called the Bieber Foundation. Anywhere. There is also no mention of Bieber’s philanthropy on his website. Ticket buyers will not be able to take a charitable deduction on their taxes, because Justin will take that deduction, thank you. When he starts the Bieber Foundation. Which will support mental health wellness. On his last tour, Bieber cut it short after walking away.

Also, Justin is releasing a new album on February 14th called “Changes.” The first single, a hit for some weeks now, is called “Yummy.”

On the tour, Justin’s opening acts include Kehlani, and Jaden Smith, son of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith.

And so it all begins.

 

Sundance Record Broken as “Palm Springs” Starring Andy Samberg From First Time Director, Writer Beats Old Milestone by 69 Cents

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Content is king, and the streaming platforms want as much royalty as they can get at Sundance.

Hulu, in their partnership with Neon, has set a record by 69 cents at Sundance. They’ve bought “Palm Springs” starring Andy Samberg for $17.5 million and 69 cents.

“Palm Springs” is from a first time director, Max Barbakow, and a first time writer, Andy Siara. They’ve made short films but never a feature film. The movie also stars Oscar winner JK Simmons, Tyler Hoechlin, and Cristin Milioti.

This breaks the previous Sundance record held by Nate Parker’s “The Birth of a Nation,” which Fox Searchlight bought for $17.5 mil in 2016. After Parker’s past history came to light, that movie was a bust. Worldwide it made just under $17 million.

How much does “Palm Springs” sound like “Garden State” or “Happy, Texas” or 20 other movies that a distributor went overboard for? A lot.

The droll producers — Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone, Becky Sloviter — say: “We spent over 85 million dollars of our own money on this movie, WE ARE TAKING A BATH on this deal. We hope NEON and Hulu are happy but we definitely have a lot of explaining to do to our families.”

Neon, which has a hit with “Parasite,” will release “Palm Springs” theatrically, at least kind of. Hulu will want to get it on their platform fast. All the streamers– Hulu, Amazon, Netflix, etc — are racing around spending big bucks on movies that are not sure things. So far there have been no fistfights, but there are still a few days to go!

Exclusive: Julian Lennon Prepping First New Album Since 2011, “Exploring Options” for Signing with Record Label

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UPDATE: I’m told Julian attended Musicares on Friday night with BMG but hasn’t signed with them officially. A source says he’s still “exploring options.” Whatever label he’s on, can”t wait to hear the music!

MONDAY: Here’s some good music news: Julian Lennon is getting ready to release some new music.

Lennon’s first new album since 2011’s “Everything Changes” will come from BMG Music, which has built a strong catalog of new releases from legacy artists.

Julian, of course, had massive hits in 1984 with his debut album called “Valotte.” The title track and “Too Late for Goodbyes” are part of the classic rock canon. He’s had scattershot radio hits over the last 35 years, but concentrates mostly on his art and photography career.

Julian is the eldest son of beloved late Beatle John Lennon and wife Cynthia Lennon. When he was a child, Paul McCartney wrote “Hey Jude” for him as “Hey Jules,” but changed the title for the final version.

All Beatles fans would love to see a concert with Julian, half brother Sean Lennon, Dhani Harrison, Zac Starkey, and James McCartney. We can only dream. But their solo projects are all incredibly worthy. Julian is also one of the nicest people you could meet. I hope he puts on some shows to back the release!

Madonna Cancels 10th Show, in London: “I have injuries that have plagued me since the beginning of the tour”

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Madonna has cancelled a performance of her “Madame X” show for the 10th time, in London scheduled for tonight. As I wrote over the weekend, inside sources warn that she may just cancel the rest of the tour, which has dates set for Paris after London. She is supposed to resume performances on Wednesday.

“I am deeply sorry that I have to cancel my concert scheduled for Monday January 27th in London. Under doctors guidance I have been told to rest for a few days.
As you all know, I have injuries that have plagued me since the beginning of the tour but I must always listen to my body and put my health first.
The last thing I want to do is disappoint my fans or compromise the integrity of my show.
So I will keep going until I cannot.
As always- anyone who purchased a ticket will be refunded for tickets purchased that evening.
The show on Wednesday January 29th will go as scheduled.
Again I am deeply sorry to disappoint anyone and please know that it hurts me more than you can imagine to have to cancel any shows.
Thank you again for your understanding.”

P Diddy Speech Was Full of Errors and Omissions: The Grammys Have Always Respected Black Music, But Not Hip Hop Because of Foul Language, Sampling

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Sean P Diddy Puff Daddy Combs held forth Saturday night at Clive Davis’s dinner for 50 minutes reviewing his life and career, as well as his thoughts on the Grammys and how he says the music business has disrespected black music.

The latter isn’t true at all. The former was a Disney-fied version of a complicated life that often embraced violence.

Combs made a wild statement about Michael Jackson making “Thriller,” which won 8 Grammys, after not getting any for his previous album, “Off the Wall,” in 1979. This alone made no sense. The implication is that no black music received awards in 1979. But Donna Summer’s “Bad Girls” album was nominated for Album of the Year, and records by Summer and Earth Wind & Fire received multiple nominations in the general categories. Jackson got two nominations for his song “Don’t Stop til You Get Enough.” Why he didn’t win had nothing to do with disrespect. And four years later he became the King of Pop.

Diddy’s speech was plaintive. At one point, he was pleading “we are artists, we need awards.” But the fact is, despite his entrepreneurial success, he is not a recording artist. He can’t write or sing. His biggest hit production, “I’ll Be Missing You,” is just a reworking of Sting’s “Every Breath You Take” with a rap twist. Most of rap is based on sampling or covers. There is very little original music. Rap fans hate it when I say this, but that’s the case.

The sampling issue is important to note because those kinds of records are not going to win awards. Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings” is a good example. The whole thing is based on Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “My Favorite Things.” The little bit that’s original doesn’t constitute a whole new song.

Also, hip hip and rap tends to be full of foul language. And that’s not going to cut it. Songs themed around the f word and “bitch this, bitch that” are not going to get Grammy Awards. Hip hop awards, yes. But not mainstream accolades.

Many of the great writers of popular music were and are respected. Last night two of the very best– Alicia Keys and John Legend– were front and center. A legend, Smokey Robinson, had the Staples center audience singing along to “My Girl.” Diddy is doing them a disservice.

And then there was the sanitized version of Diddy in Wonderland. In 1999, Combs was charged with assault when he and his bodyguards walked into his office of Steve Stoute at Universal Records in midtown Manhattan on the afternoon of April 16 and severely beat him. You can click here to read Diddy’s History of Violence.

So listen, I always liked Sean Combs. He can be charming and courtly. He’s certainly been very smart in making money and marketing himself. But let’s have a major reality check. And his weird threat that the Recording Academy has 365 days to fix itself…or else? Or what? Go back to that link above.

Ratings Low: Grammys Lose Around 2 Million Viewers from Last Year, Thanks to Scandal and Kobe Bryant Death

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Even Alicia Keys’ fine hosting job  couldn’t save the Grammy Awards in the ratings.

Last night’s show drew around 16.5 million viewers, down from nearly 20 million last year and 19 million the year before. The numbers may increase in adjustment later today but they’re not good.

The key demo isn’t so hot either. Last year it was a 5.9. This year it’s starting out as a 4.7 and may inch up to around 5. But that means a million or so of the younger audience wasn’t there despite the winner of the night, Billie Eilish, being 18 years old.

The absence of Taylor Swift was felt: she made her point. Also, there were unnecessary segments like an irrelevant tribute to Prince by Usher (it was fine, but why now?) and to rapper Nipsey Hustle (the audience didn’t really know who he was).

The public scandal caused by ousted Grammy chief Deborah  Dugan no doubt turned people off. And then the tragic death of Kobe Bryant became an ABC News special at 10pm, when the Grammy numbers really nosedived.

The first hour got 18 million people. The second hour was 17 million. And the third hour dropped to 14 million. The show ran long, so many viewers on the East Coast probably didn’t wait up to see who won Best Album and Record. Of course, a lengthy musical tribute to the show’s producer, Ken Ehrlich, probably should have been cut to speed things up.