Saturday, September 21, 2024
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Oscar Winner “Green Book” is a Box Office Hit, After Just 16 Weeks and A Lot of Patience: $200 Mil Worldwide

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“Green Book” is finally a box office hit. UPDATE 3/8: Just crossed $200 million worldwide.

It only took 16 weeks, a lot of patience.

When Peter Farrelly’s ultimate Oscar winner was first released it didn’t get a lot of traction. Despite good reviews, the movie suffered from crazy PR attacks as it was pitched into the Oscar race.

Today “Green Book” has $75 million domestically and a total of $190 million around the world. But it took winning the Oscar for Best Picture to really kick into high gear. In the last eight days since the Oscars, “Green Book” has made around $6 million, and could be headed to least $90 million. (Dare I say $100 mil?)

If “Green Book” hadn’t won the Oscar, it would have stopped right there at $69 million. This Friday would have likely been its last day in theaters. Instead, the film– which also picked up Best Supporting Actor for Mahershala Ali and Best Screenplay– should stick around for another month. Not bad.

By contrast, “The Favourite”– released around the same time– will top out at $35 million, even with a Best Actress win for Olivia Colman. And “Can You Forgive Me?”– another contender– will wrap up at less than $10 million.

 

 

“Game of Thrones” Final Season Trailer Is Here: Watch to See Who Gets to Sit on the Iron Throne

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“Game of Thrones” is back April 14th. Then all Sundays will be ruined through the end of May. Oy vey! Who will win? Who will die? What will the dragons do?

Ratings: “Leaving Neverland” Not a Ratings Smash for HBO, Beaten by “Real Housewives of Atlanta,” “Beachfront Bargain Hunt,” Survivalists Show

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After all that, “Leaving Neverland” was not a smash hit on Sunday night. Modest hit maybe is the best way of describing it.

The controversial Michael Jackson doc attracted just 1.285 million viewers at 8pm on HBO. It was beaten by “Real Housewives of Atlanta,” “Beachfront Bargain Hunt,” and the survivalists series “Naked and Afraid,” all on cable.

If it had competed with network shows, “Leaving Neverland” tied with a rerun of “Bob’s Burger’s” on Fox.

The top rated cable show of the evening was “The Walking Dead,” itself dying with just 4.7 million viewers at 9pm on AMC.

“Leaving Neverland” had more publicity than any show in 2019 on any channel. It’s possible that the ratings will rise via repeated viewings over several days including other HBO outlets. But the build up to the 8pm showing on Sunday was the target, and it wasn’t the hot button everyone anticipated.

A million more viewers– 2.3 million– tuned into a Hallmark Hall of Fame cable romcom show called “When Calls the Heart,” just to give you an idea. And that was like watching warm milk cool.

Did the Jackson supporters warn people away from “Leaving Neverland”? Possibly. Or just the shock value? But in the end it may not have been worth it for HBO ratings-wise. On Saturday night, HBO scored a better total number at 8pm with a showing of a bad movie called “Skyscraper.”

 

All Star Aretha Franklin Tribute Special This Sunday on CBS is a Rare, Historic Look at Queen of Soul’s Range and Influence

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I can’t think of any special like “Aretha: A Tribute” airing on Sunday night on CBS. This was the show taped in January, produced by Clive Davis and Ken Ehrlich, with an all star cast of the best performers singing the songs of Aretha Franklin.

The producers of the show deserve an Emmy or some kind of special honor for pulling this show off and getting it on one of the three major networks. No one’s done this kind of thing in a long time. Aretha’s tribute– she died back on August 16th– is a deep dive into real R&B, soul, and gospel in prime time following “60 Minutes” and “God Friended Me.” If you miss it, you will be the sorrier for it.

We watched a screening of the tribute Monday night with Clive Davis with a group of friends he invited personally including famed songwriter Valerie Simpson. Gayle King, legendary actress Brenda Vaccaro,  Katie Couric, Denise Rich, Sway from MTV, WOR Radio host Michael Riedel, Francine LeFrak, TLC songwriter and RHOAtlanta star Kandi Burruss. and a very pregnant, glowing Tamron Hall with baby daddy Steve Greener. The screening room was in aerie on the 80th floor above Columbus Circle with magnificent views of the city.

But the most important view was on the screen. Clive and Ken Ehrlich mixed a bunch of newer artists like SZA, HER Music, Chloe x Halle, and Alessia Cara with pop stars Jennifer Hudson, Rob Thomas, Janelle Monae, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Kelly Clarkson, Audra Day, and Fantasia, superstars Patti Labelle and Celine Dion and then added gospel greats Shirley Caesar, Yolanda Adams, and Bebe Winans. Rickey Minor was musical director.

The two hour show flies by, and while it passes it becomes cumulatively moving and poignant. Aretha spanned generations and genres, which is reflected here. I cannot remember ever seeing a big chunk of authentic black church gospel in prime time, but here it is gorgeously represented the way Aretha would have loved. Yolanda Adams is astonishing.

Besides gospel, Aretha loved nothing more than new artists. She would have been so pleased by artists like SZA and HER, two wonderful singers hidden behind initials, belting out her hits. Fantasia must be our must underrated popular singer fifteen years after her “American Idol” win. Jennifer Hudson ably shows why she will play Aretha in the official biopic.

There are lots of clips of Aretha, singing for presidents, a real rarity clip with Smokey Robinson (who appears just to speak about his “little sister”), and my favorite, her playing and singing to her great hit “Don’t Play that Song for Me,” co-written by the late legendary Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun.

The special is well written enough that you also get a sense of Aretha and what she has meant to this country and the world. Ordinarily, after a night like this I would text the Queen of Soul and tell her about the show. Something tells me she’s already gotten the message. Bravo!

Broadway: Christie Brinkley Coming Back to “Chicago,” Andrea Martin Drops Out of Nathan Lane Comedy After Breaking Ribs

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Broadway is buzzing with news this day…

CHRISTIE BRINKLEY is coming back to “Chicago” from April 18th to May 12th. She’s warming up first in Phoenix and Las Vegas. Christie first played Roxie Hart nine years ago, in 2010, and she was phenomenal. Brinkley is a force of nature who looks like she hasn’t aged at all in the last 20 years. And she hasn’t! She doesn’t need to work, she keeps flipping zillion dollar mansions in the Hamptons. But she loves the role, and the “Chicago” producers love her. I’ll go back to see her, I’ve already circled April 18th.

Famed SCTV movie and TV star ANDREA MARTIN has to drop out of her Nathan Lane comedy “Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus.” According to the show’s publicist, Martin broke four ribs during tech rehearsal. This seems a little odd considering she performed amazing high wire stunts on Broadway a few years ago in “Pippin.” It could be she was wrestling with producer Scott Rudin for a better paycheck or opening night seats for her family. We’ll never know.

Anyway, the good news is that Kristine Nielsen has taken her role in the George C. Wolfe directed play. She’s also one of my favorite Broadway performers. Julie White remains with the play, an original one by Taylor Mac, an actor/playwright. This follows Rudin’s “A Doll’s House Pt 2” in a series of sequels to famous plays but with new comedic twists. Look next for “Biff Goes to Hollywood,” the sequel to “Death of a Salesman,” starring Zac Efron. (Just kidding, I hope.)

On another note, everyone is noticing the massive amount of advertising on TV and in print for Rudin’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.” He’s bought at least a lot of local spots on CBS’s “Sunday Morning” and “60 Minutes.” Plus there are bus ads, posters, everything. It’s a little weird for a show that’s supposedly sold out all the time. He even sent Jeff Daniels onto Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight show recently to promote the show. All this despite a recent scandal reported in the New York Times about Rudin wrecking small local theaters’ plans to stage “Mockingbird” this summer as they have in the past.

 

“Beverly Hills 90210” Star Luke Perry Dead At Age 52 from a Stroke, He Was the Hottest Teen Star of the Early 90s

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Luke Perry was the rare teen idol star to make the cover of the real (the Tina Brown version) of Vanity Fair. In 1992, he was hot as a pistol.

Now Perry is dead at the way too young age of 52, from a stroke. (Hard to believe, but Roy Orbison died 52, also.)

Perry played Dylan on “Beverly Hills, 90210,” a kind of wealthy James Dean, a rebel without any cause, but all the girls loved him. He gave some edge to the bland rich kids on the show. He was a little older, wiser, and had a motorcycle.

Perry leaves two young kids after one marriage from 1993-2003. If I remember correctly, he also had a pet pig back in the day. One of his sons, Jack, is 21 and also goes by “Jungle Boy” Nate Coy while wrestling for Underground Empire Wrestling. Luke’s real name was Coy Luther “Luke” Perry.

Oddly, Perry had his stroke last week on the same day a “Beverly Hills 90210” reboot was announced for this summer. He was not included, either by choice or negotiation. Being the rebel of the group, I hope he just thought it was a crass cash in.

Oscar Winner Faye Dunaway Finally Aiming for Broadway with Boston Production of One-Woman Katharine Hepburn Play

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Faye Dunaway has tried to return to Broadway ever since her last stint in 1982. She tried and tried to mount a production of “Master Class,” and wanted to make the movie version. But it never worked out. Instead she led a successful national tour, and played Los Angeles. But never New York.

Now Faye, Oscar winner for the movie, “Network,” now on Broadway as a play, will get her chance.

Dunaway will star this summer in a production of Matthew Lombardo’s “Tea at Five,” a one woman show about Katharine Hepburn. If it goes well. Faye will bring it to Broadway in the fall, the time when movie stars try out Broadway shows far from the pressure of the Tony Awards.

Faye has been in four Broadway shows. She debuted as a replacement in the 1961 all -star production of “A Man for All Seasons.”But none of her other shows ran for more than few weeks or months. Instead, Dunaway found her success in movies like “Bonnie and Clyde,” “Three Days of the Condor,” “Chinatown,” and “Little Big Man.”

For “Tea at Five,” Dunaway has one of the great directors, John Tillinger. At age 77, she may have the elusive theater success she’s always wanted. We’re rooting for her!

Exclusive: Michael Jackson Accuser Wade Robson Is Ready for Donations with a New Non-Profit Designed to Cash In On “Leaving Neverland”

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When “Leaving Neverland” airs tonight on HBO, Michael Jackson accuser Wade Robson is ready to cash in.

He’s created a website and a not for profit called Robson Family Fund. There’s a nice donation page where you can send him money. Robson is not stupid. He’s made sure no one can see any filings for the Fund. He’s hidden it under the Hawaii Community Foundation. That way he and his wife, Amanda, don’t have to file a Form 990 with the IRS. They can accept money from anyone– the filmmakers, HBO, etc– and never have to reveal it. Amanda, by the way, native to Hawaii, has a design firm called FeastHawaii, and is getting a lot of press. She also owns  bookstore/cafe there.

Putting a charitable foundation under a Fund is quite smart, especially for celebrities. Leonardo DiCaprio has his Foundation hidden under a similar fund in California. We will never know where LDF’s money has gone– or come from. If “Leaving Neverland” director Dan Reed paid the Robsons for their home videos included in the documentary, this is where  it would have gone. A lot of people have asked Wade if he was paid to be in the documentary, and he’s said no. But no one’s asked if the filmmaker or HBO has donated money to this foundation.

The website states: “The Robson Family Fund at the Hawaii Community Foundation was established in 2019 by Wade and Amanda Robson. Wade Robson, a survivor of child sexual abuse, along with Amanda Robson, his wife, mother of their child and also a survivor of child abuse, wanted to create a powerful way to contribute towards the healing from and prevention of child abuse.”

On the page for the Fund, donations begin at $250.

I give the Robsons credit. They really embraced child sexual abuse as a cause. I’m surprised Janet Arvizo, mother of Michael’s failed 2005 accuser, didn’t think of something this good. So far, no word on whether Jimmy Safechuck or his family has gotten involved.

The whole thing reminds me of the late, great Nicole Brown Simpson Foundation, which turned out to be piggy bank for the family of OJ Simpson’s murder victim/ex-wife. Everything, you see, must be monetized.

Caution About Michael Jackson Documentary: Don’t Allow Vanity Fair, Wade Robson and Jimmy Safechuck to Drag Others Into the Mix

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Maureen Orth, who never understood the Michael Jackson saga, is at it again in Vanity Fair online in her Buzzfeedy “10 Things” column about the Michael Jackson documentary airing tomorrow night.  (I’m not linking to them. You can find it.) Orth’s ramblings are the same “Orthotics” she always invented.

The very first thing Orth and others should remember: Gavin Arvizo and his family LIED to a jury and a judge. Michael Jackson was acquitted of molesting Gavin and conspiring to kidnap his grifter family.

In “Leaving Neverland,” Wade Robson — who suddenly remember in 2013, four years after Michael’s death– that he’d been molested, keeps invoking the name “Gavin” as if he were another “victim” of Michael’s. He was not a victim. He was a liar.

I sat in a courtroom in Santa Maria, California for four and a half months in 2005. I listened to the Arvizo’s invent their story. I was there in that courtroom when a jury of 12 people declared Michael Jackson innocent of all charges. So here’s a note to Wade Robson: please stop using Gavin as one of your props. His mother told Tom Mesereau from the witness stand that she thought Michael Jackson was going to take her children away in a hot air balloon.

This was while she scamming welfare.

Number 6 on Orth’s list of things she insists you know about Michael Jackson is about pornographic material that was found at Neverland. Just for the record, something Orth cares not a bit about: Jackson was acquitted by that same jury of having pornographic material. I was also there at the Santa Maria courthouse when prosecutor Ron Zonen brought out a brown paper shopping bag full of that material and thumped it down in front of Wade Robson on the witness stand. Robson, in a very decisive defense of Jackson, went through the magazines with Zonen and found nothing amiss. Zonen, a very sharp prosecutor, was defeated in his effort.

Number 9 on Orth’s list has to do with two of the fathers in Jackson’s past who committed suicide– Evan Chandler and Dennis Robson. They had nothing to do with each other. Evan Chandler was the force behind his son, Jordan’s, case against Michael Jackson. He was the proponent. Once he realized there was money to be made from Jackson, he took custody of Jordan, separated him from his mother, and swore to cause massive harm financially and PR wise against Jackson. If there was a reason for Evan Chandler to commit suicide– and this was after Michael Jackson’s death– it might have been guilt.

As for Mr. Robson– it’s acknowledged in “Leaving Neverland” that he suffered from mental issues. His wife left him in Australia, and took her two small children to L.A. to pursue a Hollywood dream. Joy Robson even talks about her “separate relationship” with Michael. She is very much the architect of her own misery, and her husband’s. Michael had nothing to do with that. Joy Robson, I think, comes off much worse than almost anyone in “Leaving Neverland.”

One last thing: Orth, and others, have revived the spurious claims made by the former Neverland staff that was fired in 1995. They sold their stories then to the tabloids. Their testimony was thrown out. A bunch of them came back and testified in the 2005 trial. No one believed them then. I met Adrian McManus in the Santa Maria JC Penney during the trial. She was working at the jewelry counter. She was unbelievable then, but I see she’s managed to re-sell her old claims to new, gullible listeners.

More to come…

Motown’s The Temptations “Ain’t Too Proud” To Begin Broadway Run with Rosie O’Donnell, Other Pals

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There was a line from the Imperial Theater last night straight down to the corner of 8th Avenue. The people were ticket holders coming to see the first Broadway performance of “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.” a new musical about the Temptations.  Motown fans? Yes!

The musical doesn’t open until March 21st. But the producers are happy enough with their show (after runs in LA, Boston, and Chicago) to let people see it now. There had only been a short rehearsal schedule here  plus three days of recording the cast album.

I ran into Rosie O’Donnell during intermission, who loved the show but had to get home fast. “Sick kid!” she said. “I’ll see you opening night!” she said.

Every seat was taken. I think I even saw Christopher Knight aka “Peter Brady.”  The crowd roared at many numbers, and gave the cast of non-stars a standing ovation.

I can say I was very impressed for a first performance. Previews are for figuring out what works and what doesn’t. I give the show high marks for including my favorite Temptations song, “Since I Lost My Baby,” in a smart way to drive plot. (I’m going to humming all night.)

The sets, lighting, actors– dancers and singers, so talented– A plus. I really loved the guy who played bass baritone Melvin Franklin.

But I will say gently, they should omit use of a Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes song, “If You Don’t Know Me By Now.” It’s not Motown, it’s from Gamble and Huff’s Philly International label, literally Motown’s R&B enemy. It’s also from 1972 or 1973, all wrong. I say this in the nicest way.

There are so many songs from the Motown catalog and the Temps, you have a lot to choose from. When members of the Temps left the group, they had hits. David Ruffin had a monster hit with “Walk Away from Love” in 1975.  Eddie Kendricks had “Keep on Truckin.” It would be cool to hear those songs. Dennis Edwards had a monster also, “Don’t Look Any Further.” All Motown.

Also, one scene I’d love to see that wasn’t in the “Motown” musical– how Smokey Robinson wrote all those hits, and how we knew which ones went to the Temps or to his own Miracles. Maybe show how he taught the Temps “My Girl.”

Otherwise, “Ain’t Too Proud” has the feel of a hit. Much more I don’t want to say until the show is locked. But everyone’s in for a treat.