The UK Guardian reports that the first US arrest in the Murdoch hacking scandal has happened. James Desborough, who won awards in Britain for getting amazing scoops, has been charged by Scotland Yard. He’s the 13th person arrested in the News of the World scandal, but the first in the U.S. Desborough was rewarded for all his scoops by being made head of the L.A. office of the News of the World in 2009. He was arrested in London, presumably because Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World no longer exists. He was praised for getting information so good that even the subject’s family members didn’t know about. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/aug/18/phone-hacking-news-of-the-world
Jerry’s Kids No More: How Jerry Lewis Got Pink Slipped by MDA
EXCLUSIVE: Jerry Lewis–the Hollywood legend–has been kicked to the curb by the Muscular Dystrophy Association. After 45 years, he’s out as their public face, and the host of their annual TV telethon. Indeed, the telethon itself is pretty much cooked: it’s been reduced to six hours from its traditional twenty one and a half and air just on Sunday night, not even on Labor Day itself. All the drama of staying up overnight, will Jerry make it, will they reach their goal: it’s all over.
What you don’t know is that no one ever told Jerry. And that last fall, after the Labor Day telethon was over, the MDA people made the decisions and never informed Lewis.
Lewis finished last year’s MDA telethon with a flourish. He was 84, and had done the show since 1966. He’d actually been hosting MDA telethons since 1952–fifty eight years, folks, since before he was in the Rat Pack with Dean, Frank, and Sammy!
So it was more than a surprise when in early October the MDA board issued a press release about the following year. Did you miss that press release? So did Lewis. No one told him about it beforehand. And the release didn’t mention his name. It was then that the MDA board signaled they were ditching Lewis, who made awareness of Muscular Dystrophy an international phenomenon.
Here’s the link to it: http://www.mda.org/news/101006telethon-format.html. You’ll notice that Lewis’s name is mentioned only in passing, as a reference to his on camera reunion one year with Dean Martin. Otherwise, it’s like he had nothing to do with MDA or the telethon at all.
Earlier this summer, MDA announced, tersely, that Lewis would not be appearing on this year’s Labor Day telethon. This was after a statement from Jerry in May that this year would be his last.
It’s more than a little dispiriting. Lewis worked like crazy for MDA for most of his life. Many times he had to fight accusations that he was pocketing the dough that came in. The MDA kids became known all over the globe as “Jerry’s Kids”– it was shorthand that built from grassroots efforts. Was he a high maintenance front man? Undoubtedly. But like Sharon Stone with AmFAR, Lewis gave a high profile to a disease and a cause that most people didn’t care about.
The facts: Lewis is not mentioned anywhere on the MDA’s Form 990 tax filing. No salary, no expenses. The head of MDA, a man named Gerald Weinberg, got $373,000 last year. All told, in 2009 MDA disbursed $53.5 million in grants. They claimed $75 million, however, in salaries and other compensation. The top executives earned a total of about $1.4 million. The main outside consultants reaped a total of $6 million. Again, Lewis’s name doesn’t appear at all.
The one disturbing thing about the MDA’s Form 990: sixteen cash disbursements totaling almost $3 million. There’s no indication where that money went or what it was used for other than, vaguely, “research,” in Europe and Asia. Similar unspecified cash payouts have appeared on previous tax filings.
Now the clock is ticking down to Labor Day weekend. MDA says Lewis will not be on the show, which indeed will run just from 6pm to midnight. When I spoke to him yesterday, Jerry told me: “I can’t talk about it until after Labor Day.” Will he beam himself into the broadcast, like the Green Goblin in “Spider Man”? Frankly, why bother? Jerry Lewis is bigger than MDA. He’s a legend. But it is true, no good deed goes unpunished. And in today’s culture, you’re not rewarded at the end of a great, long run. You’re kicked in the ass. But Lewis knows how many kids and families he helped. And they know it, too.
The whole real MDA Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon is over, my friends. In its place will be this sort of lame, lackluster generic show with a bunch of blond commentators who have no history with Las Vegas or entertainment. It’s another sign of the times.
Woody Allen Celebrates $50 Mil with Wide Release Again
Woody Allen is going wide again. “Midnight in Paris” will hit $50 mil domestically either tonight or tomorrow. To celebrate, on Friday Sony Pictures Classics will send the comedy out wide again. It’s currently playing in around 338 theaters. At its height it was in 1,038 locations. Now SPC will go back to a big release to capitalize on fans who want to see the comedy a second time, or are now getting around to it. “Midnight in Paris” is Woody’s biggest hit ever, and destined for many awards and nominations this winter. Go Woody!
Meantime, “The Help,” the only other Oscar worthy pic so far of 2011, is building steam. It has taken over the Number 1 slot from “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” and is building nicely. Through Tuesday its box office take was $44.1 million. That’s for an sophisticated, adult-minded film featuring African American actors. Nice going!
Black Eyed Peas Will Try Central Park One More Time
Remember the rained out fiasco of a concert that the Black Eyed Peas were supposed to do in Central Park? Well, it’s back on. The Peas will try again on September 30th. The concert is for the press-averse Robin Hood Foundation. Last time around, the Peas played a private show for really well heeled Robin Hood donors as a “dress rehearsal” the night before the rained out show, at the Apollo Theater. No word on what’s planned this time, although I have heard rumblings of a big show the next night in New York, with some attachment to Robin Hood. We’ll see what the buzz is on that soon. Anyway, the Peas were supposed to have Carole King and a few others help them out originally. No word on who might make it this time around. Maybe this time the Parks Department can sort out what was called enormous disorganization from the first night. People are still talking about how hard it was to get in and out of the park.
James Franco Art Exhibit Shut Down by “Three’s Company” Creators
There’s been a lot of speculation about why James Franco’s art installation in New York was shut down last week. His “High Low/Rob Lowe” show at the Asia Song Society in Soho (aka ASS) had a hot (literally) opening night, but then was suddenly put out of business. The show included readings from Rob Lowe’s recent autobiography on video. But it also included the “Three’s Company” installation that Franco put together last winter at Sundance. That piece was fun and a big hit. Actor Richard Kline, who played Larry on the show, even came to Sundance to check it out.
But apparently the creators of “Three’s Company” had only given permission for use at Sundance, and didn’t realize it could go on to other venues. Franco’s astute manager Miles Levy realized this too late, and decided it was best to shut down until it was all worked out. Franco had gotten the right to re-shoot the first three episodes of the 70s sitcom as a kooky drama, then show it in the installation. It was a lot fun at Sundance, and certainly should be seen. Odds are the rights situation will get worked out soon.
Meantime: Franco is taking his “Sal Mineo” movie to the Venice Film Festival. He’s also going to introduce the finished version of Nicholas Ray’s posthumous masterpiece, “We Can’t Go Home Again.” Ray, of course, directed another masterpiece, “Rebel without a Cause.” This year he would have been 100 years old. Franco of course starred in and won awards for the “Rebel” star James Dean’s biopic. So he’s also got an art project being shown in Venice called “Rebel.” It’s a collaboration Franco has with Douglas Gordon, Harmony Korine, Damon McCarthy, Paul McCarthy, Ed Ruscha and Aaron Young. Gucci and The Museum of Contemporary Art of Los Angeles (MOCA) are involved in that too.
And yes, all this while Franco shoots “Oz, the Great and Powerful” in Detroit. And his “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” is number 1 at the box office.
CBS “The Talk” Mess: Sharon Osbourne Cuts Way Back, Two More Hosts Exit
It’s a mess at CBS’s “The Talk,” the struggling replacement for “As the World Turns.” What’s going on backstage is worse than a soap opera. I am told varying things about the second season status of co host Sharon Osbourne — a source says she will come and go over the first 14 weeks, but her time will add up just to 8 weeks. Another source says she’ll do six weeks and exit completely. In any case, viewers will see a lot less of her when the new season begins on September 6th.
Other outlets have already reported that co hosts Holly Robinson Peete and Leah Remini, who were popular and brought audience from their sitcoms, are out. It’s true. Sources say feelers have gone out to Kirstie Alley, Brooke Shields, and Lauren Sanchez as possible replacements.
A lot of the blame for so much acrimony is aimed at main host Julie Chen. One reason is that host of “Big Brother” and former anchor of “The CBS Early Show” is married to Les Moonves, head of CBS, and is an easy target.
Chen has become a lightning rod for controversy backstage. It’s ironic, too, since “The Talk” is tangled in incestuous relationships: Holly Robinson married football star Rodney Peete sixteen years ago at the Brentwood, California home of Les Moonves and his first wife, Nancy. Moonves’s attorney brother, Jonathan, represents Chen, Remini, and current exec producer Jonathan Redmann.
“Julie has destroyed all the relationships,” says a source. (Full disclosure: I see Julie Chen often in social situations and have found her to be quite charming, actually. But I don’t work with her.)
On the other hand, the network is said not sorry to see Leah Remini leave. She’s described as combative and not much of a team player. “She can be fairly abusive in meetings,” says a source. Remini is said to have a loose development deal with CBS following her hit run in “King of Queens.” That will likely end, too.
Chen has her supporters. One source insists she’s been “a total pro” and the “glue that keeps everything together. She does her homework.”
But there are the naysayers, and the list of grievances is long. According to sources, Chen has not been much of a team player. She missed Robinson-Peete’s July 23-24th charity fundraiser in L.A. “Everyone else from the show came, even Ozzy Osbourne.” When CBS wouldn’t give “The Talk” a first season wrap party, Peete hosted it at her house. Everyone came and chipped in, except for Chen.
Chen, say supporters, thought Remini and Peete were too used to the star treatment and big budgets of prime time and sitcoms. “Julie didn’t care about a wrap party. She just wanted a second season renewal.”
There is also talk of a hosts-only dinner at the Polo Lounge in the Beverly Hills Hotel for exec producer Redmann. One account has Osbourne and Redmann literally going for each other’s throats.
What seems to have happened over the course of Season 1 is that Remini and Peete bonded first against Osbourne, and then with her against Chen. Chen, the only journalist on the show, tried to stay above the fray. But one source said she was miffed that Peete got exclusive interviews with Oprah Winfrey and Justin Bieber.
Then, of course, there was the constant turnover. Since “The Talk” first replaced “As the World Turns,” it’s had three executive producers. CBS’s long time head of daytime, Barbara Bloom, left the network. Numerous reports cited Chen as the reason.
Sharon Osbourne, a source claims, told the network early on that she wanted out of her six year contract. One source says terrified show creator Sara Gilbert, a cohost, just before going live one day in March, that she was announcing her departure right then and there. She was calmed down, but then told Chen she wanted a more flexible schedule. “She said she’d go on Piers Morgan and tell all,” says a source. (Osbourne’s press rep refused to respond to emails or calls.)
The result: a compromise that will let CBS can find replacements for her, Remini, and Peete. As it is, when the show reappears on September 6th, only Chen, creator Sara Gilbert and a waffling Osbourne will be in place. Guest hosts will have to be brought in. Former guests like Kathy Hilton, Paris’s mom, have already indicated they want a shot.
“We know the clock is ticking,” said an insider.
Here’s an idea: bring back “As the World Turns.” In 54 years, they never had this kind of turmoil. And it was easier to tell the heroes from the villains.
Jennifer Hudson “Winnie Mandela” Movie, plus Nics Cage and Kidman Going to Toronto
The Toronto Film Festival just announced more galas and premieres to add to the already existing, exhausting line up. Jennifer Hudson and Terrence Howard will debut their “Winnie” {Mandela) movie, directed by Darryl Roodt. Nicole Kidman and Nicolas Cage will bring Joel Schumacher’s “Trespass.” (I’m crossing my fingers on that one.) Oscar winning “Precious” screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher has “Violet and Daisy,” which he also directed. Catherine Deneuve and her talented daughter Chiara Mastroianni are in “Beloved,” by Christopher Honore. So many films, so little time.
from the press release:
GALAS AND SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS LINEUP
Toronto – The Toronto International Film Festival® announces the addition of 8 Galas and 17 Special Presentations to the high-calibre selection of crowd-pleasers premiering in September. Today’s announcement includes 14 World Premieres and reveals that Festival-goers will be treated to a programming lineup featuring world premieres from directors including Nick Murphy, Gary McKendry, Joel Schumacher, Gianni Amelio, Agnieszka Holland, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, Pankaj Kapur, Anne Fontaine, Mathieu Kassovitz and Geoffrey Fletcher.
The films unveiled today feature onscreen appearances by Jason Statham, Robert De Niro, Clive Owen, Bill Nighy, Rachel Weisz, Gerard Butler, Ralph Fiennes, Imelda Staunton, Nicolas Cage, Nicole Kidman, Catherine Deneuve, Shahid Kapur, Isabelle Huppert, Saoirse Ronan, Alexis Bledel and James Gandolfini, among others.
This announcement brings the final number of Galas to 20, and the final number of Special Presentations to 67.
GALAS
Closing Night Film
Page Eight David Hare, United Kingdom International Premiere
Johnny Worricker (Bill Nighy) is a long-serving M15 officer. His boss and best friend Benedict Baron (Michael Gambon) dies suddenly, leaving behind him an inexplicable file, threatening the stability of the organization. Meanwhile, a seemingly chance encounter with Johnny’s striking next-door neighbour and political activist Nancy Pierpan (Rachel Weisz) seems too good to be true. Set in London and Cambridge, Page Eight is a contemporary spy film which addresses intelligence issues and moral dilemmas peculiar to the new century. Also stars Ralph Fiennes and Judy Davis.
The Awakening Nick Murphy, United Kingdom World Premiere
Haunted by the death of her fiancé, Florence Cathcart is on a mission to expose all séances as exploitative shams. However, when she is called to a boys’ boarding school to investigate a case of the uncanny, she is gradually forced to confront her skepticism in the most terrifying way, shaking her scientific convictions and her sense of self to the very core. Haunting and moving in equal measure, The Awakening is a sophisticated psychological/supernatural thriller in the tradition of The Others and The Orphanage, but with its own unique and thrilling twist. Starring Rebecca Hall, Dominic West and Imelda Staunton.
Beloved Christophe Honoré, France International Premiere
From Paris in the 1960s to London’s modern days, Madeleine and her daughter Vera waltz in and out of the lives of the men they love. But love can be light and painful, cheerful and bitter. An elegy to femininity and passion with musical outbursts. Starring Chiara Mastroianni and Catherine Deneuve.
Hysteria Tanya Wexler, USA/United Kingdom World Premiere
A romantic comedy based on the surprising truth of how Mortimer Granville came up with the world’s first electro-mechanical vibrator in the name of medical science. Academy Award®-nominee Maggie Gyllenhaal and Hugh Dancy headline in this untold tale of a young Victorian doctor’s quest to figure out the key to women’s happiness. Also starring Jonathan Pryce, Rupert Everett and Felicity Jones.
Killer Elite Gary McKendry, USA/Australia World Premiere
Based on a true story, Killer Elite races across the globe from Australia to Paris, London and the Middle East in the action-packed account of an ex-special ops agent (Jason Statham) who is lured out of retirement to rescue his mentor (Robert De Niro). To make the rescue, he must complete a near-impossible mission of killing three tough-as-nails assassins with a cunning leader (Clive Owen).
Machine Gun Preacher Marc Forster, USA World Premiere
Machine Gun Preacher is an inspirational true story, about Sam Childers, a former drug-dealing criminal who undergoes an astonishing transformation and finds an unexpected calling as the saviour of hundreds of kidnapped and orphaned children. Gerard Butler (300) delivers a searing performance as Childers in Golden Globe®-nominated director Marc Forster’s (Monster’s Ball, Finding Neverland) moving story of violence and redemption. Machine Gun Preacher was previously announced as a Special Presentation.
Trespass Joel Schumacher, USA World Premiere
What happens when a man with everything – a beautiful wife, a teenage daughter and a wealthy estate – is confronted with the reality of losing it all? That is what Kyle Miller must come to terms with as he and his family become the victims of a vicious home invasion. Starring Nicolas Cage and Nicole Kidman.
Winnie Darrell J. Roodt, South Africa /Canada World Premiere
This film reveals the enigma that is Winnie Mandela. A sensitive depiction, Winnie portrays her life’s journey amidst the unwavering love between her and Nelson Mandela, and their unfaltering commitment to the struggle for democracy in South Africa. Winnie takes the audience on an epic voyage of understanding – painting a vivid portrait of one of the world’s most remarkable women. Starring Jennifer Hudson, Terrence Howard, Elias Koteas and Wendy Crewson.
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
The Cardboard Village Ermanno Olmi, Italy International Premiere
An old priest and his church are about to be demolished. A group of clandestine immigrants seeking protection find refuge in that church. In a circumstance of crisis and discouragement, together these people will be able to find the real meaning of the word “solidarity” and realize that the church is much more than a place for liturgical ceremonies and golden altars. Starring Michael Lonsdale and Rutger Hauer.
Damsels in Distress Whit Stillman, USA North American Premiere
Damsels in Distress is a comedy about a trio of beautiful girls as they set out to revolutionize life at a grungy American university – the dynamic leader Violet Wister (Greta Gerwig), principled Rose (Megalyn Echikunwoke) and sexy Heather (Carrie MacLemore). They welcome transfer student Lily (Analeigh Tipton) into their group, which seeks to help severely depressed students with a program of good hygiene and musical dance numbers. The girls become romantically entangled with a series of men – including
smooth Charlie (Adam Brody), dreamboat Xavier (Hugo Becker), the mad frat-pack of Frank (Ryan Metcalf) and Thor (Billy Magnussen) – who threaten the girls’ friendship and sanity.
Death of a Superhero Ian FitzGibbon, Germany/Ireland World Premiere
Donald is 15 and dreams of girls, sex and crazy adventures. In his fantasy world, he creates an immortal superhero who fights against all evil. And in reality? Donald is falling in love with the school rebel while fighting against a terminal illness. Starring Andy Serkis, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Aisling Loftus, Michael McElhatton, Sharon Horgan and Jessica Schwarz
The First Man Gianni Amelio, France/Algeria/Italy World Premiere
An adaptation of Albert Camus’ autobiographical last novel. Part childhood memoir, part epic narrative of Camus’ beloved Algeria and its struggle for independence from France, The First Man was left unfinished by the Nobel Prize-winner who died at age 46.
In Darkness Agnieszka Holland, Canada/Germany/Poland World Premiere
In Darkness tells the true story of Leopold Socha, a sewer worker and petty thief in Nazi-occupied Lvov, Poland. Stumbling upon a group of Jews in the sewers, he agrees to hide them for a price. What starts out as a straightforward business arrangement becomes something unexpected, as they all try to outwit certain death during 14 months of intense danger. Starring Robert Wieçkiewicz and Benno Fürmann.
Intruders Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, Spain World Premiere
Juan and Mia, two children who live in different countries, are visited every night by a faceless intruder – a terrifying being that wants to get hold of them. These presences become more powerful and start ruling their lives as well as their families’. Anxiety and tension increase when their parents also witness these apparitions. Starring Clive Owen.
Life Without Principle Johnnie To, Hong Kong North American Premiere
What do a bank teller, a small-time thug and a police inspector have in common? Nothing. Not until a bag of stolen money worth $10 million crosses their paths and forces them to make soul-searching decisions about right and wrong and everything in between on the morality scale.
Low Life Nicolas Klotz, Elisabeth Perceval, France North American Premiere
After making love, the youngsters slipped happily into dreamland… but when they opened their eyes the world appeared joyless, and stomach-wrenchingly old. And so they quickly sank back into their happy world, where all sleepers are equal. This is the place they called Low Life.
Mausam (Seasons of Love) Pankaj Kapur, India World Premiere
Mausam is a story of timeless love in the face of political hostilities and religious conflict, between a proud Punjabi air force officer and an innocent Kashmiri refugee. Set against a landscape that transcends decades and spans continents, Mausam is a classic journey that transports one into a world of indestructible bonds of love enveloped by the roulette of destiny. Starring Shahid Kapur, Sonam A Kapoor and Anupam Kher.
My Worst Nightmare Anne Fontaine, France/Belgium World Premiere
Agathe doesn’t realize to what extent her life is going to be turned upside down when she takes in Tony, the best friend of her son Adrien. Tony’s father, Patrick, leads Agathe down a merry path of existential chaos, which just may deliver her from herself. Starring Isabelle Huppert.
Rebellion Mathieu Kassovitz, France World Premiere
April 1988, Ouvea island, New Caledonia, a French colony. Thirty policemen are kidnapped by locals fighting for their independence.
Three hundred members of the French army special forces unit are immediately sent on a mission to fix the situation. An encounter of two cultures: Philippe Legorjus, head of the unit, versus Alphonse Dianou, head of the rebels. Together, they’ll fight to resolve the situation through mutual trust and dialogue over violence. Except that they’re at the heart of the most-tense presidential elections in French history – when issues at stake are purely political, rules of law and order are not exactly moral.
Sleeping Beauty Julia Leigh, Australia North American Premiere
“You will go to sleep: you will wake up. It will be as if those hours never existed.” Death-haunted, quietly reckless, Lucy is a young university student who takes a job as a Sleeping Beauty. In the Sleeping Beauty Chamber, old men seek an erotic experience that requires Lucy’s absolute submission. This unsettling task starts to bleed into Lucy’s daily life and she develops an increasing need to know what happens to her when she is asleep. Starring Emily Browning and Rachael Blake.
Terraferma Emanuele Crialese, Italy International Premiere
Terraferma is the story of an uncontaminated Sicilian island inhabited by fisherman. Still barely touched by tourism, the islanders have begun to alter their mentality and behaviour as they realize the economic potential of this new industry. At the same time, they deal with illegal aliens flooding the island and a new law requiring them to turn back undocumented peoples seeking aid.
That Summer Philippe Garrel, France/Italy/Switzerland North American Premiere
A couple living together in Paris – he’s a painter, she’s a film actress – befriends a couple of film extras who fall in love with each other. All four go to Rome where their relationships undergo profound changes as emotions shift and change.
Violet & Daisy Geoffrey Fletcher, USA World Premiere
Violet & Daisy, the whimsical story of a teenager’s surreal and violent journey through New York City, follows Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan (Hanna, Atonement, The Lovely Bones) as Daisy. With her volatile partner-in-crime Violet, played by Alexis Bledel (Sin City, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The Gilmore Girls), the two young assassins face a series of opponents, including one unusually mysterious man (James Gandolfini), in a life-altering encounter. The film, written and directed by Oscar-winning screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher (Precious), also stars Oscar nominee Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Danny Trejo.
Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale Wei Te-Sheng, Taiwan North American Premiere
Wei Te-Sheng’s epic film Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale reclaims an extraordinary episode from 20th-century history which is little-known even in Taiwan. It’s a story of the encounter between a people who believe in rainbows and a nation which believes in the sun. It takes the form of a heroic battle in defence of faith and dignity.
Wuthering Heights Andrea Arnold, United Kingdom North American Premiere
A Yorkshire hill farmer on a visit to Liverpool finds a homeless boy on the streets. He takes him home to live as part of his family on the isolated Yorkshire moors where the boy forges an obsessive relationship with the farmer’s daughter. Starring James Howson and Kaya Scodelario.
Murdochs Former Editor’s Letter: Phone Hacking Well Known in 2007
The U.K. newspaper The Guardian is reporting fresh scandal in the phone hacking business for Rupert and James Murdoch. They’ve obtained a letter written in 2007 by former News of the World reporter Clive Goodman. The letter surfaced in a batch of correspondence concerning the phone hacking. Here’s the link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/interactive/2011/aug/16/clive-goodman-letter-phone-hacking Goodman had already been fired in the hacking scandal and wrote to the head of News International in protest on March 2, 2007. He’d just finished a four month jail term for hacking phones of members of the royal family. Basically, Goodman wrote that everyone at News of the World knew about the phone hacking, that it was sanctioned, and that he’d been promised a return to his job after incarceration if he didn’t implicate the company. Some names are redacted in the letter, but its meaning is clear. “Other members of staff were carrying out the same illegal procedures. This practice was widely discussed in the daily editorial conference.” The Guardian article suggests the Murdochs will be called back before Parliament.
Kanye-Jay Z “Throne,” Full of Samples, Will Fall Short Sales-wise
- Kanye West and Jay Z‘s CD, “Watch the Throne,” isn’t the mega hit that was hoped for. Universal Music/DefJam angered record stores (what’s left of em) and download services like amazon.com because it gave ITunes a four day jump on downloads last week. The result, according to hitsdailydouble.com, was sales of 290,000. The album saturated its market quickly. Total sales are expected around 425,000– much lower than previously estimated. I know it sounds old and curmudgeonly, but why make an album if everything on it comes from somewhere else? Such is the case with Jay Z and Kanye West’s “Watch the Throne.” It’s chock full of samples musically. Lyrically, it’s everything we’ve come to expect from over-indulged rappers with little to go on about except their own lives in the material world. It’s all about Rolls Royce Corniches, Champagne, and “cocaine seats.” It’s very tired, already.
- Along the way, the late great Otis Redding and James Brown are each exploited, as is Nina Simone. It’s sad to think that the Redding family allowed “Try a Little Tenderness” to be defiled in this way. I burst out laughing when I realized that there’s actually a track called “That’s My Bitch.” It’s my favorite, and has a shout out to fancy art dealer Larry Gagosian. “That’s My Bitch” really seems to be a song sung by Brit pop singer Elly Jackson and written by Justin Vernon from Bon Iver. (So much for street cred; they’re a white indie rock group.)
- Here’s the partial list of samples, via Wikipedia. Gotta give credit to all the people who researched how to make this record by stitching it together from various scraps and remnants. PS “Interpolated from” in rap is code for “lifted from”:
- “No Church in the Wild” contains samples from “K Scope” as performed by Phil Manzanera, “Sunshine Help Me” as performed by Spooky Tooth and “Don’t Tell a Lie About Me and I Won’t Tell the Truth About You” as performed by James Brown.
- “Niggas in Paris” contains samples from the Reverend W.A. Donaldson recording “Baptizing Scene” and dialogue between Will Ferrell and Jon Heder in the film Blades of Glory.
- “Otis” contains samples from “Try a Little Tenderness” as performed by Otis Redding, “Don’t Tell a Lie About Me and I Won’t Tell the Truth About You” by James Brown. An interpolation of ‘Top Billin'” by Audio Two is also present.
- “Gotta Have It” contains samples from “Don’t Tell a Lie About Me and I Won’t Tell the Truth About You”, “People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul” and “My Thang” as performed by James Brown.
- “New Day” contains samples from “Feeling Good” as performed by Nina Simone and “My World” by Alex Gilbert.
- “That’s My Bitch” contains samples from “Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved” as performed by James Brown and “Apache” by Incredible Bongo Band.
- “Who Gon Stop Me” contains samples from “I Can’t Stop” as performed by Flux Pavilion.
- “Murder to Excellence” contains samples from “La La La” as performed by Indiggo and “Celie Shaves Mr./Scarification” as performed by Quincy Jones.
- “Why I Love You” contains samples from “I Love You So” as performed by Cassius.
- “Primetime” contains samples from “Action” as performed by Orange Krush.
- “The Joy” contains samples from “The Makings of You (Live)” as performed by Curtis Mayfield and “Different Strokes” as performed by Syl Johnson.
Mike Myers in a New Austin Powers? Say It Isn’t So
Reports in the last few days that Mike Myers may revive Austin Powers and Dr. Evil one more time. Please, Mike, say it isn’t so. Three “Austin Powers” movies were enough. The last one was in 2002. Let’s move on. Everything that could be accomplished in that series has been done. Myers has been adrift for a long time. His “Love Guru” in 2008 was much loathed. He was supposed to do a “Sprockets” movie, but it never materialized. Myers is a clever writer, certainly he can think of something better than another dredging of the “Austin Powers” well. Shagadelic seems like such a loooong time ago. And the thought of Austin and Dr. Evil going into the 70s or worse, the 80s, is not enticing at all. “Disco” Austin? Mullet “Austin”? Austin meets “Wayne’s World”? Yeesh.