Showbiz411

“Skyfall,” the James Bond theme song from Adele, is back. You may recall that we had the Adele single first, and it debuted a couple of weeks before the movie opened in the UK. “Skyfall” went straight to number 1 on iTunes and amazon, and had a strong run before waning a bit. But now that the movie has finally opened here, “Skyfall” is back. It’s up to number 4 again on iTunes and 3 on amazon. It could easily go back to Number 1. Expect “Skyfall” to be the Oscars’ Best Song in a Motion Picture. “Skyfall” was Adele’s first release since her “21″ album, which is still selling on the charts almost 2 years and nearly 10 million copies later. Everyone is hoping to see Adele on the Academy Awards next February…

Last week, Tamara Tunie, who’s played the long time medical examiner on “Law & Order SVU,” made her singing debut at Feinstein’s at the Regency. Tunie is also well known for her 20 years on and off on “As the World Turns.” She’s currently featured prominently with Denzel Washington in “Flight.” Tunie’s husband, Gregory Generet, is a well known and beloved crooner. No one really knew Tamara was a warbler, too, but it turns out she a long history with musical theater, knew Cy Coleman, loves Sondheim, and knows her way around a jazz ensemble. Full throated with an Anita Baker-esque range, Tunie wowed the crowd for two shows. Among her fans: Diana Ross and Berry Gordy’s singer daughter Rhonda; upcoming “Motown” musical star Marva Hicks (she’s going to play Berry G’s sister Estelle); and Gretchen Cryer, mother of Jon, and the great star of the legendary “I’m Getting My Act Together and Taking it On the Road.”

Roger Friedman

Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News. Friedman previously wrote the Intelligencer column at New York Magazine, He writes for Parade magazine and has written for Details, Vogue, the New York Times, Post, and Daily News and many other publications. He is the writer and co-producer of a film about R&B Music called “Only the Strong Survive,” which was released by Miramax in 2003 and was a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals.