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Exclusive: Hearst Considering Closing Seventeen Magazine as the Company Loses One More Publication to Digital Revolution

Roger Friedman
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Exclusive: Hearst Considering Closing Seventeen Magazine as the Company Loses One More Publication to Digital Revolution

The word is that Seventeen magazine may be closing, as early as this month. Calls to Hearst Publications and emails have gone unanswered. Sources tell me that it’s pretty likely Seventeen will be 86’d before the end of the year if not sooner.

Seventeen has been in trouble for a while. Last year it went from monthly to just six issues a year. The famed magazine is aimed at 13 to 19 year olds. Sylvia Plath once wrote for it.

Recently Hearst has been in an uproar, installing their digital chief Troy Young as head of all the magazines. Since then, heads have rolled on the print side as Young, with no magazine history, pulls apart what’s left of the company. He recently ousted Joanna Coles, editorial director and former editor in chief of Cosmopolitan. Redbook magazine will become digital-only in 2019.

Dozens more experienced editors have left. I’m told subscribers will be offered Women’s Health, Woman’s Day, Oprah, Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, or Marie Claire.

Seventeen launched in 1944 with Triangle Publications, the same company that also published TV Guide. Hearst bought Seventeen in 2003 from K-III Publications, which bought it from News Corp, who had bought it from Triangle.

If Seventeen is done, Cosmopolitan may be next. The few remaining titles– Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Marie Claire, Harpers Bazaar, Oprah– may be all that’s left of Hearst soon. Even though William Randolph Hearst made his fortune as a publisher, Hearst as we know it may turn into a very different company. They recently bought Fitch, a financial ratings agency. I guess that way Fitch can’t give Hearst a bad rating!

Things are no better at Hearst’s past rival, Conde Nast. Vanity Fair has cut back on the number of issues per year, many magazines are gone or are for sale as the company tries to get more into digital and video projects itself. The Conde Nast empire is long gone. Time Life doesn’t exist, as the magazines have been sold off piecemeal to people who didn’t want them. Time Magazine is now owned by a wealthy couple.

 

Alec Baldwin Arrested After Parking Space Incident in Front of NY Building– Similar to George Constanza Issue on “Seinfeld”

Roger Friedman
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Alec Baldwin Arrested After Parking Space Incident in Front of NY Building– Similar to George Constanza Issue on “Seinfeld”

Parking is a premium in New York. Back in the 90s, George Constanza had a problem on “Seinfeld.”

This morning, Alec Baldwin apparently got into a fight with some guy who’d parked in a spot he wanted on East 10th St. in front of his building. I guess from reports Alec had someone stand in the space to hold it, but the guy who arrived first didn’t care. That’s the way it goes, I’m afraid. Alec punched the guy, according to reports.

I live down the street from Alec (in less splendiferous circumstances). On the morning of Halloween, the NYPD towed my car over to his block and put in front of his house until the crazy Parade was over. I couldn’t retrieve it until midnight. I should have saved the space for Alec– I would have had I known.

Thanks to Bloomberg and the DeBlasio, parking spaces have shrunk by at least 50% in Manhattan. It’s very frustrating. The parking garages are incredibly expensive. They’re a monopoly and unregulated.

Tyler Perry Is Facing a Rare Flop with “Nobody’s Fool” and He Knew It: His Name Isn’t Even on the Poster

Roger Friedman
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Tyler Perry Is Facing a Rare Flop with “Nobody’s Fool” and He Knew It: His Name Isn’t Even on the Poster

Every Tyler Perry movie has the writer – director’s name on its poster.

Even “Acrimony,” the movie he released earlier this year with Taraji P. Henson, had it.

Of course, all the Madea movies say it right up front: “Tyler Perry’s —-“. It’s his brand, and it’s made him millions.

But not so for this weekend’s “Nobody’s Fool.” The movie stars Tiffany Haddish and Tika Sumpter, two of my favorite Perry/comic creations. Whoopi Goldberg is also in this movie– I really wanted to see it.

But Paramount had a stealth opening in New York. Reviews were held until the very last minute and they were bad. “Nobody’s Fool” has a 22 on Rotten Tomatoes. What a shame. There was a lot of potential.

And then the poster– no Tyler Perry anywhere. Can it really be that bad? Aretha Franklin loved Tika Sumpter from “The Have and Have Nots.” And you can’t do better than Tiffany Haddish. Has Whoopi even mentioned it on “The View”? Her name isn’t on the poster either! Wow! Everyone’s in hiding!

Oh well. Last night’s previews only brought in $600,000. Tomorrow morning is going to be bleak.

Life Imitates Soap Opera: Body Found in Long Island House Parallels Murder Story on “General Hospital”

Roger Friedman
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Life Imitates Soap Opera: Body Found in Long Island House Parallels Murder Story on “General Hospital”

Thanks to a clever reader who picked this up.

Police on Long Island — in real life– report that a man’s body has been found under the basement after 60 years. His adult children and grandchildren were excavating the basement and found his remains. It’s their father, and it looks like their mother– also deceased now– killed him back in 1960. The man had disappeared and no one knew his whereabouts.

On ABC’s “General Hospital” there’s almost an exact duplicate story line. A man disappeared, and was never found. The man’s daughter has always assumed mobsters did it. But in fact, her mom did it. They’ve got the remains, and the mom is about to get caught– maybe today, from what I’m told.

These things do happen– art prognosticates real life. In the 70s, on NBC’s “Another World,” a spurned woman had her whole house bugged to catch her cheating husband. Then weeks later, the Nixon tapes were revealed. The show’s rating’s went through the roof!

If only “GH” would write a storyline getting rid of Trump. And then it happens!

PS ABC was the first network to report the real life story– and “General Hospital” is on that network. Coincidence????

Watch Barbra Streisand and James Corden’s 12 Minute “Carpool Karaoke”: She’s “Driving” Because She Has to Show Her Left Profile in Every Interview

Roger Friedman
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Watch Barbra Streisand and James Corden’s 12 Minute “Carpool Karaoke”: She’s “Driving” Because She Has to Show Her Left Profile in Every Interview

You do know that no one actually drives in “Carpool Karoake”? But James Corden always sits in the driver’s seat and pretends to drive. Not with Barbra Streisand, who insists on sitting on the right in all interviews. She only wants her left profile to be seen, she thinks it’s better. She’s done it on most talk shows. When she got her AFI Award, she rearranged the set at the Beverly Hilton. So she’s done it again: ya think Babs is driving Corden? Nooooo. Except crazy, no doubt.

For Knockout Title Track “Walls,” Barbra Streisand Turned to the Best Songwriters: Marilyn & Alan Bergman, and Walter Afanasieff, Who Wrote Mariah Carey’s Greatest Hits

Roger Friedman
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For Knockout Title Track “Walls,” Barbra Streisand Turned to the Best Songwriters: Marilyn & Alan Bergman, and Walter Afanasieff, Who Wrote Mariah Carey’s Greatest Hits

 

Barbra Streisand’s going to have a big hit album now with “Walls,” released today. It’s not just a bromide against Donald Trump. It’s a terrific example of Streisand’s amazing instrument, soaring, and used as a metaphor.

The title track, “Walls,” is written by her old friends, Marilyn and Allan Bergman, who always wrote for other people but are Streisand’s favorite lyricists. The music for the “Walls” song comes from Walter Afanasieff, who wrote so many of Mariah Carey’s original hits and worked with Whitney Houston, as well.

Walter wrote “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” as well as “Hero” and “One Sweet Day,” among others. Barbra was very smart (with credit to Marty Erlichman) to get Walter, Desmond Child, and Carole Bayer Sager for the “Walls” album. It’s her strongest set of new songs in years.

Irony: “A Star is Born” is keeping Barbra from number 1 on Amazon. She’s number 3 on iTunes.

 

 

 

Walls, high and low
Thick and thin
They keep you out, they keep you in
Walls narrow and wide
Round the square with warning signs “Watch out”, “Beware”

Brick by brick they built them but it seems to me
Brick by brick they built them where they shouldn’t be
We should be building bridges to a better day
Where no walls would stand in the way

Walls here and there, everywhere
In every city, every town we would have that better day
If all the walls came tumbling down

Brick by brick at times they’re of a different kind
Brick by brick they built around the heart and mind
Sometimes lasting longer than the walls that are made of stone
Keeping us apart and alone

These are walls that we don’t see but we built between the you and me
Made of broken dreams and wounded feelings that go on
Like walls we wished to go away
Could we have ourselves that better day
If we took the chance to simply say that we forgive
And if we forget they’d be gone

 

Exclusive: Matthew Broderick Books 4 More Episodes of “The Conners” as Jackie’s Know it All Boyfriend Peter

Roger Friedman
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Exclusive: Matthew Broderick Books 4 More Episodes of “The Conners” as Jackie’s Know it All Boyfriend Peter

Two time Tony Award nominee Matthew Broderick has booked four episodes of “The Conners” as Jackie’s know-it-all and maybe insufferably funny boyfriend Peter.

Broderick had one short scene in this past Tuesday’s Halloween episode, and was offered four more on the spot. The double Tony winner (and many time nominee with lots of other theater and TV awards) has rarely appeared in prime time in a career that began when he was a teen in 1981. From “War Games” and “Ferris Bueller” to “You Can Count On Me” and “Manchester by the Sea,” Broderick has stuck mostly to top tier movies and stage work.

But there was a tantalizing offer, he told me last night at the Broadway opening of the revival of the 1983 Harvey Fierstein hit, “Torch Song.” (Broderick got his star on Broadway in the original production at 19.) The offer: “to act with Laurie Metcalf,” he said. Indeed, someone else had been scheduled to play Peter, then dropped out. Broderick got an emergency call, and when he heard Metcalf’s name he headed to the airport.

Now, no matter what happens with “The Conners,” we’ll at least see Broderick and Metcalf in four of the remaining episodes. Will there be a wedding at the end? I hope so. It sounds like a great match. Meantime, in real life, Broderick, of course, has been married to Sarah Jessica Parker for 20 — yes, 20– years and they have three kids.

Broderick is also the star of a new Netflix series called “Daybreak,” which will air next year.

 

PS I’ll have a review tomorrow noon for “Torch Song,” 35 years later better than ever.

“Bad Boys 3” Confirmed by Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, Who Hasn’t Made a Movie Since 2011

Roger Friedman
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“Bad Boys 3” Confirmed by Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, Who Hasn’t Made a Movie Since 2011

Whatcha gonna do? Make another sequel? Why not?

On Instagram and Twitter, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence have announced “Bad Boys 3” for 2020. The last “Bad Boys” movie was in 2008. Lawrence hasn’t made a whole movie since 2003. That would be 17 years between movies.

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer is really counting on fans not having Alzheimer’s. Who’s supposed to remember what happened in “Bad Boys 2”?

Actually “Bad Boys 2” came only 8 years after the original in 1998. At that rate “Bad Boys 4” will take place in Motion Picture Home in 2030. It will be called “Bad Boys: Assisted Living.” The Academy will present it with Least Leakage in a Movie.

TMZ Shills for Kanye West, Says Slumping Sales Not Reason for Politicial Backtrack– But It Is Most Certainly

Roger Friedman
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TMZ Shills for Kanye West, Says Slumping Sales Not Reason for Politicial Backtrack– But It Is Most Certainly

TMZ is shilling for Kanye West, saying his political retreat has nothing to do with slumping sneakers sales.

But of course, it is the reason. TMZ has to help Kanye out since they were the ones who instigated his downfall with the “slavery is a choice” nonsense.

Sales of Kanye’s Yeeze Mauve 700 sneakers are apparently not good. They didn’t sell out upon release this week. There are plenty of them. Everywhere.

I looked online– they are dark pink sneakers, look like New Balance or whatever, and cost at least $600. Who has the money for this?

At least Kanye’s prior designs were downright weird and ugly. These are just, sneakers.

Anyway, all sizes are available at a site called StadiumGoods.com. They’re marked down to $440. Just wait a few days. When they get to $200, I will buy a pair. I don’t want Kanye homeless in Calabasas!

TMZ, if you’re getting into retail sales reports, let’s see some numbers, not just opinions. How many TMZ pundits will be sporting free Yeezy’s on the next show?

Mariah Carey Makes “A No No” For Real in Her New Single, Uses a Controversial Bad English Non Existent Word “Irregardless”

Roger Friedman
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Mariah Carey Makes “A No No” For Real in Her New Single, Uses a Controversial Bad English Non Existent Word “Irregardless”

Oh no! Mariah Carey has made a real no no in her new single, “A No No.”

At about 1:04 she uses a non existent word, “irregardless.” There is no such word in the English language. The word you want is regardless. That’s it. No “irr.” (You can check the backlink. Some people think this is ok. It’s not. I can’t listen to it again. It’s like chalk nails on a chalkboard.)

From Merriam Webster:

Is irregardless a word?:

Irregardless was popularized in dialectal American speech in the early 20th century. Its increasingly widespread spoken use called it to the attention of usage commentators as early as 1927. The most frequently repeated remark about it is that “there is no such word.” There is such a word, however. It is still used primarily in speech, although it can be found from time to time in edited prose. Its reputation has not risen over the years, and it is still a long way from general acceptance. Use regardless instead.

The worst part of this is that “A No No” is pretty catchy, and I was grooving with it. But really, unless Mariah wants to promote illiteracy, she’s got to change it. How hard can it be? Mariah, Epic Records, pull it down and fix it. You will be forgiven.

Yes, there’s lots of bad grammar in pop music. It’s allowed sometimes to fit meter, or mood. But a totally wrong word– no no no. Unless the word is purposely twisted to make it funny. Then we all get the joke. But this is not a joke. I may not be able to sleep tonight.

Take “Caution,” Mariah. Get a copy editor, next time.

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