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We all love Cafe Carlyle on the Upper East Side. It’s the rare gem of the city, with lots of stars performing to intimate crowds.
Now a Cafe Carlyle type experience heads to the Hamptons this Sunday. The great Broadway star Norm Lewis is the opening act for “Hamptons Songbook Series.”
A beloved Broadway vet, Norm has been nominated for the Tony and for the Drama Desk Awards. His delicious baritone has starred in 18 Broadway shows. His most important one? Norm was the first black actor to star in “Phantom of the Opera,” back in 2014. His performance drew raves.
Stephen Sondheim loved Norm Lewis so much he asked him to play the lead role in the very exclusive iteration of “Sweeney Todd” that was staged downtown in a pie shop that was set up in the Barrow Street Theater. They served hot pies during the intermission! Lewis’s remarkable voice filled the Barrow with fear as he sliced a lot of throats.
He will not be giving any close shaves this Sunday, but the audience is in for a treat. For premiere ticket holders, there’s food from East Hampton Kitchen and Champagne.
The next date for the Songbook Series brings Ann Hampton Callaway on July 11th.
And so we headed to the Howard Gilman Opera House at the Brooklyn Academy of Music for the premiere of DC Comics (aka Warner Bros) for “Supergirl.”
We packed bags, got the visa and the vaccinations, pulled out the map and the compass, and we were on our way.
Seriously, even though it was a prohibitively rainy night, the voyage was not so bad. Soon we were at the beautiful old opera house on the campus of BAM, looking for celebrities in the lobby.
That wasn’t so easy because 99% of the audience was influencers, massive numbers of young people who’d been encouraged on their invites to dress “festive,” and as Superman or Supergirl. No one dressed like Perry, Lois, or Jimmy, however, because they’re not in this movie.
There was exactly one celebrity in the ornate lobby, but she was a doozy: Deborah Harry of the group Blondie. At a very youthful 81, she still has blonde-white hair and is unmistakably gorgeous. “Debbie?” I exclaimed. It was like we were back at CBGBs. Also will there was her band partner Chris Stein.
Why was Blondie at the premiere of “Supergirl”? Chris Stein explained to me later, at a very fun party in soggy Greenpoint, Brooklyn: “They used our song, Call Me, in the trailer. Also Supergirl wears a Blondie t shirt all through the movie.”
It makes sense. “Supergirl” is not a normal DC Comics movie. It’s very punk rock. It has echoes of “Mad Max” and “Harley Quinn,” grafted onto a DC Comics movie. It’s rockin’ and rowdy, but also includes clever appearances by David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman. The repartee between the Krypton cousins (Milly Alcock is Supergirl) was my favorite part of the movie.
DC Comics’ Peter Safran and James Gunn were in the house. They signed up the great indie director Craig Gillespie for his first exposure to action films. Gillespie’s hits include “I, Tonya,” “Dumb Money,” and “Lars and the Real Girl.” That means the wit is as dry as a martini in “Supergirl,” and the whole thing is cheerfully off kilter.
Back to the Greenpoint Warehouse, a snazzy venue for the “Supergirl” premiere after party. I ran into a cast member, David Krumholtz, who brought his young daughter. Eve Ridley, who plays Ruthie, was pointed out. No sign of Milly Alcock, who’s so good in the film and will return in the next “Superman” movie. Also no sign of “Superman” stars Corenswet or Rachel Brosnahan, who did the red carpet for photo ops but probably caught the last ship back to Manhattan before the screening started.
The influencers loved the movie, laughing and clapping at the right moments. They poured out into the street after the screening wearing all their regalia. Did you like the movie, I asked two of them? “Loved it!” was the reply, “And I’m not even supposed to be here!”
“Supergirl” opens Thursday in previews, and should be a big hit.
PS Harry and Stein told me they’re working on a new Blondie album. I saw them 100 years ago at CBGB’s, I told them. A new album is most welcome, but there’s nothing like “Heart of Glass,” “One Way or Another,” or “I’m Always Touched by Your Presence, Dear.”
(PS to the “Supergirl” music supervisor. You should have included XTC’s “That’s Really Super, Supergirl.” So meta!)
Tributes will be pouring in today for Clive Davis, the mega music mogul who has passed away at age 94.
Vital til the end, Clive leaves an incredible legacy in the culture of pop music from discovering Janis Joplin at the Monterey Music Festival to working with jazz greats like Miles Davis, putting Santana and Earth Wind & Fire on the map, not to mention successes with Simon & Garfunkel, Bruce Springsteen, and Bob Dylan — to name a few.
Of course, Clive will be remembered for reviving the careers of Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick at his Arista Records, where his successes also included Alicia Keys, Rod Stewart singing the classic American songbook, and his first star at that label, Barry Manilow.
My time with Clive personally goes back forty years, just before Whitney Houston took off and just as Carly Simon had her comeback with him with “Coming Around Again.” I used to pop over to his Arista office on West 57th St, where’d be sitting in his cramped office with stacks of cassettes. He played the music LOUD, and you’d have ask to him to turn it down. He would, if he could stop dancing around the room.
The same thing happened to us in 2015, when he summoned me to his offices high above Sony Music to listen to what would be Aretha Franklin’s final record, “Aretha Sings the Great Diva Classics.” We shared a mutual friendship and love of Aretha, and he wanted me to be among the first to hear what he’d made with her. Only Clive, who had the gift of golden ears, would have though to give Aretha the Adele song, “Rolling in the Deep,” which remains an unheralded gem. It was a highlight of our friendship.
Clive was a family man, almost more than my own dad or anyone I’ve ever known. He was devoted to his four children, and many grandchildren, his partner, Greg, their cocker spaniel Charlie, and beloved cousin Jo from San Francisco. He loved his friends enormously, and delighted in having big groups around for holidays, all kinds of events, and especially his Grammy parties. I’d ask, “How many people are coming to dinner tonight, Clive?” You thought he was going to say, “20, 25” but by the time you got there, there was a valet, seating cards, and 100 of his best friends.
And they were. Just since the first of this year, Clive — who was unwell — persevered. In Miami, New York, Westchester. There was the Grammy party in late January, which was itself preceded by a dinner for 120 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Then he was off to Miami, where there were stories about dinners, and so on, one with the Bee Gees’ Barry Gibb. Back in New York, he took over the private dining room at Le Bernardin, the best restaurant in America, for a 94th birthday party. And then, three weeks ago, a last hurrah seated, catered dinner for Memorial Day at which he pushed his pal, Motown great Valerie Simpson, into singing “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing.” The title meant a lot.
Clive’s last decade was lived like a grand pasha, with lots of love and fun anecdotes. But he wasn’t always a pussycat. You couldn’t be to have had that career. When he saw a fellow entrepreneur, he made a deal. Such was the case with Sean Diddy Combs, now Public Enemy number 1 but back then, just Puffy or Puff Daddy. Overnight, Puffy created a tsunami of hits, which for Clive was like catnip. He didn’t hang with him socially, or get into personal discussions. If you knew Clive, his main passion was presenting gold and platinum records to his artists. With Puffy, for a stretch, that was everything.
You have to realize the depth and range of Clive Davis. In 1974, he signed Barry Manilow — soft pop king — and Patti Smith, the edgiest ever princess of punk. Who else could see the value in each of them? And how they would last 50 years? We went to see Patti this past November at the Beacon Theater. Clive could barely walk, but he wouldn’t miss going backstage. He was overwhelmed. She was in tears. It was a crowning moment.
So much more to say, and remember, about a person who has been so important to so many people. A great life.
A24, a studio known for making independent films with auteurs and good actors, is going AI.
They’ve taken a $75 million investment from Google to start using AI tools for storyboards and eventually movies.
SAG and the other Guilds should have a proper fit when they read this in the Wall Street Journal.
The studio has started something called A24Labs. They do not mean Labrador retrievers. They means ways to make cheap, fast movies without getting people involved.
The Journal says: “The new collaborators hope their partnership will include the studio’s roster of artists. A24 works with some of the biggest names in Hollywood including Timothée Chalamet and “Backrooms” director Kane Parsons.”
Not so fast. Maybe I’m wrong about the under 30 crowd. Are they really going to make movies with fake everything? Is this where we’re headed? (Could be.)
A24 is indeed having a fluke hit right now with “Backrooms,” which has made $277 million worldwide on a $10 million budget. But they’ve also had a long list of also-rans recently, too, including the current “Death of Robin Hood,” which made just $2.6 million this weekend, and 7 other clunkers since January 1st including “How to Make a Killing,” “Pillion,” and “The Moment.” A new one, “The Invite,” could put them back on track.
Who knows? Maybe AI could help the dull, pointless movies made by Ari Aster, like “Eddington” and “Beau is Afraid.”
Madonna continues her PR tour for her “Confessions II” tour in Interview magazine this month. She goes over her life story (for the umpteenth time) with editor in chief Mel Ottenberg, who mostly sits and listens and sometimes says “Uh huh, go on.”
Anyway.
We do learn that Madonna — who dressed up for the cover as a character she invented called “Dee Dee” — had to buy back the rights to her biopic from Universal Pictures because they thought it was too expensive.
First she says: “I’ve had an extraordinary life. I’ve had a huge life, so I needed a big budget. You know what I mean?”
We do.
She continues “They couldn’t get their heads around it. I found a way to make it for less money in Serbia, but I don’t think they were into the idea of—I don’t know. Maybe they just didn’t believe in me. One of their first reactions was, “We don’t believe you’d stay in Serbia more than four days.” And I said, “Did you read the script?” My whole life has been survival. I’m not going there for a holiday. But anyway, I was in limbo when that fell apart, and then Netflix reached out to make a series. That was a whole other long process, because I couldn’t use the script I had with Universal unless I bought it from them for an extortionist’s price, even though I wrote it. Don’t ask.”
We won’t, and neither did Ottenberg, who doesn’t really interview Madonna but act as a silent sounding board.
Anything else? Plenty. She says for new album her daughter, Lourdes, “approached” her about writing a song together “to heal” their relationship. She makes it sound like Lourdes contacted her through management. And what had to be healed? No one asks.
The rest of it is Madonna recounting her OG story in case you’re very young or have just joined our story in progress. Did you know she was Catholic? She also practices Kabbalah. Who knew?
The interviewer does say: “I’m really having fun talking to you, Madonna. Does anyone call you Madonna? I just love calling you Madonna because I’m with Madonna.” Ottenberg also tells his subject: “I’m really star struck.”
Yesterday, just before noon Eastern, I reported that San Antonio, Texas was hosting a Kanye West concert on July 4th.
The antisemitic rapper was booked for America’s 250th birthday. The Alamo Stadium is owned by the city.
Listen, they knew about it for quite a while at the office of Mayor Gina Ortiz-Jones.
But it wasn’t until I reported it, that the city announced they weren’t so sure that having a Hitler loving headcase taking over their historic town. click here
So SEVERAL Hours later came news from San Antonion TV stations: the mayor she would endorse canceling the show.
She wrote on social media: “I support canceling the Ye concert. Military USA should not host someone with a record of hate speech and anti-semitic comments in a city-funded facility…” see her post below…
Will the show be canceled? Or is this just political lip service?
Why, after seven years, would a “Toy Story” movie score $40 million more than its predecessor on opening weekend?
“Toy Story 5” made a whopping $160 million this weekend. Wow. An almost equal amount was logged internationally. Where did that come from?
Well, from its invisible star, Taylor Swift. She wrote the main song, “I Knew It, I Knew You,” which has 60 million streams on Spotify and 8.2 million views on YouTube. (We don’t know the actual sales yet, but the single is in the top 3 on iTunes.)
Swift’s marketing power is unparalleled. Beginning immediately after Memorial Day she started dropping hints to her fans that she’d recorded the song. By the time “I Knew It” dropped on June 5th, her Swifties were marshalled for war. It’s likely many of them had never heard of “Toy Story,” but the presence of Swift raised the recognition level to an all time high.
How many Swifties went to the movie this weekend just to hear their favorite singer? I’m sure soon we’ll know. But nothing else would account for such a renewed interest in a shop worn brand. Without Swift, a new “Toy Story” would have come in equal to or a little under the numbers of the 2019 movie.
What does Swift get out of it? Ka-ching, baby. Now she can pay for that Madison Square Garden wedding on July 3rd. Sit down dinner for 500 people? Concert for 1,000? Easy peazy now!
Well, the mystery is solved exclusively here. Why did Donald Trump post a picture of an unidentified blonde woman in the middle of the night?
The woman turns out to be Margo Catsimitidis, wife of John, owner of the Gristedes/Red Apple supermarket chain here in New York, and owner of WABC. John and Margo are a legendary New York couple (not my politics, but I like them a lot).
John explained to me just now what’s going on.
“That picture was taken a long time ago at Camp David,” John says. “When I heard that Trump was going to Camp David — which he rarely does — I sent it to him last night.”
Around 1991, the Catsimitidises attended a get together at Camp David assembled by President George H. Bush, around 1991, with a bunch of heavy hitters. The photo was not taken then. It was taken a couple of years later, when Bill Clinton was president.
And the State of Arkansas flag seen in the photo?
“After Bill Clinton was elected, he heard we’d been there under Bush, so he invited us back. And that’s when the picture was taken.”
The Trump post was supposed to be a Father’s Day tribute to John concerning the couple’s daughter, Andrea, head of the NY State Republican party. But some wire in Trump’s head got crossed, probably from posting after midnight.
By the way, John told me that Andrea was cut off the guest list for the UFC fight at the White House last week. Someone on Trump’s staff didn’t know she was the chairman of the New York Republican party. “I had to call Trump myself to get her back on the list,” John told me.
UPDATE The woman in question seems to be Margo Catsimitidis, wife of John, the man who owns Gristedes and Red Apple Markets in New York, longtime Republican supporter and also owner of conservative WABC Radio in New York.
It’s possible that the doddering fool was replying to an mail from Margo, but posted it to social media instead. Maybe this was in response to her query about grocery prices. I don’t know.
