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John Krasinski’s “If” didn’t look so promising on Friday morning.
The family friendly, star packed comedy made just $1.75 million on Thursday in previews.
Friday’s receipts were ok, bringing the total up to $10.3 million.
It did seem like “If” was iffy, around $25 million for the weekend. Some box office prognosticators said it was supposed to do $50 million, which seemed grossly exaggerated.
In the end, $35 million is predicted, a lot better than anyone thought. Word of mouth must have been good since Saturday zoomed up to $14 million, and today is supposed to come in at $10 million.
Meanwhile, the Amy Winehouse movie “Back to Black” is dead, just $2.8 mil starting Thursday night. That film is going to “Rehab.”
Otherwise, it was Planet of the Apes at $26 million.
For some reason, Sony still has “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” in 819 theaters. It made $435,000 over three days. Total is $112 million. This series is over.
In a couple of weeks Sony is releasing the new “Bad Boys” movie with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. I’m hearing a lot of chatter about the publicity junket re Smith, and also Lawrence’s appearance. Stay tuned…
BREAKING
Sean Diddy Combs has posted a one minute, thirty second video apologizing for the video released by CNN two days ago.
In the video, Combs is seen viciously attacking his girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, in a Los Angeles hotel. The video is so frightening that the LA DA’s office had to comment on it, saying it was too old — from 2016– for them to do anything.
Now Combs says in the posting that he’s truly sorry, was “A different man,” went to therapy.
He says, “I was fucked up. I hit rock bottom My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for the actions on that video. I went to therapy, I went to rehab. I’m so sorry. I’m committed to being a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”
Ventura obviously didn’t believe him. Last year she sued him for years of torture and he settled quickly.
Diddy is in a financial free fall because of accusations and lawsuit from many others. His empire has fallen apart. The CNN video is the last straw, so this apology — which is lame by any standards — could be his final undoing. The rapper turned entrepreneur has a history of violence including a famous shootout in a NYC nightclub that involved singer Jennifer Lopez. He was acquitted at a trial but one of his underlings took the rap and went to jail.
Lynda Lopez could not be more different than her sister, Jennifer. I really enjoy listening to the hard working Lynda, a local New York broadcast on stations NewsRadio 88 and WINS.
So I’m not surprised Lynda turned up recently — as she always does — the MAG Gala here in New York. The event is produced by the Luisa Diaz Foundation, and named MAG for (Mi Amor Graciousness Gala), which is a “celebration of kindness.” This year, Lynda was joined by heavy hitters like cosmetics guru Peter Thomas Roth, designer Nicole Miller, “Sex and the City” creator Candice Bushnell and philanthropists like Jean Shafiroff and Consuelo Vanderbilt, as well as performer Pamela Morgan and DJ Chloe Jane.
These events raise money and awareness for organizations that support survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking and their families. Luisa worked directly with the survivors in coaching and helping them build their self-esteem to walk the “Runway of Hope” (Walking Towards the Light, where fashion meets compassion).
The night started with an introduction from special host Consuelo Vanderbilt, the Runway of Hope show featured the survivors as the focal point of the evening. Pamela Morgan, star of her one-woman Broadway show sang and after dinner the celebrations were put into high gear by singer and DJ Chloe Jane. Eyewitness News Kristin N. Thorne introduced the charities that were beneficiaries of this year’s Gala.
Three Kindness is Cool Awards were given to honorees Roth — presented by Candace Bushnell, Beatriz Gasca — presented by Lynda Lopez, and — Jovani Fashions presented by Juliia Faist.
This is what woke me up at the Marriott Marquis last week: to the amazing all-women Brazilian Samba Reggae drum line Fogo Azul. They were noisy but rhythmic. (See below)
The event was the annual New York Women’s Foundation Breakfast practicing “Radical Generosity” in Times Square. The organization, dedicated to creating a just and equitable future for women, girls, and gender-expansive individuals and their families, honored a diverse lineup: artist Andrea Arroyo among them. Her message: “Let’s be fierce and tender together. Art can change the world.” The recently deceased artist Faith Ringgold was acknowledged.
This Year’s the New York Women’s Foundation Celebrating Women Breakfast awards honored leading change-making organizations and individuals at a celebration in New York City. Since 1987, The Foundation has invested $125 million in 500+ organizations, creating a vibrant community of grantees, philanthropists, advocates, innovators, and change-makers.
Cynthia Nixon, one-time candidate for governor running against Andrew Cuomo, spoke about her wedding to Christine Marinoni at which famed roots singer Toshi Reagon officiated. Best known for her roles in “The Gilded Age,” and as Miranda on “Sex & the City” and its spinoff, “And Just Like That,” Nixon was a child actor on Broadway and grew up in this city.
Nixon — whose political stands are controversial, to say the least — wanted everyone to know her son, a grandchild of a Holocaust survivor, begged her to use her platform to stop war now. On the subject of protests at colleges: “We are brutally making young people pay for speaking up. Listen to young people. They are the best of us.”
And this year’s breakfast was memorable too for other speakers, women who were enabled to turn bleak and battered lives around with the help of this vital foundation that grants many other organizations to provide work, careers, counseling, inspiration. The powerhouse voice of the aforementioned Toshi Reagon ended the program singing “Freedom.”
The 2024Celebrating Women BreakfastrecognizedFondation CHANELwith theVision Awardfor the organization’s courageous efforts in creating a world where women and girls are free to shape their own destiny. The following changemakers were awarded withCelebrating Women Awards:Andrea Arroyo, an award-winning visual artist,New York Liberty, an original WNBA team who embraces its role to elevate and embrace women while building community,Cynthia Nixon, Emmy and Tony award winning actress, activist, and theater director, Toshi Reagon, a singer song-writer who knows the power of song to unite and mobilize people for justice, and S. Mona Sinha, Global Executive Director of Equality Now.
The awards were presented byJacqueline Woodson, MacArthur Fellow and National Book Award-winner for her children’s and adult books,Ana Maria Archilla, immigrant rights, worker justice, LGBTQ rights, and women’s rights advocate, andFoundation Board MembersAnne Delaney, Helene Banks, Lola C. WestandKaren Choi.
The celebration closed with a special performance byNew York Liberty’s Timeless Torches, a 40-and-over dance team, and their mascotEllie the Elephant, ending the program on the perfect high note, capturing the inspiration and motivation of the event.
Guests of note included Andrea Arroyo, S. Mona Sinha, Jacqueline Woodson, Ana Maria Archilla, Anne Delaney, Helene Banks, Lola C. West, Karen Choi, Ana L. Olivieri, and Jean Shafiroff.
The series finale hour of “Young Sheldon” on Thursday night went out with a Big Bang.
The beloved comedy had its fourth highest night since the end of season 3, scoring an average of 9.2 million viewers. The first half hour was all about the funeral of Sheldon’s father, George.
The second half hour — with 9.3 million viewers — featured Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik of “The Big Bang Theory.” We learned that the couple named their son Leonard (which is weird — if it’s in tribute to their friend, is he dead?). Also they let Penny babysit him once.
Much has been made of the final episode explaining the whole series and cleaning up all the differences between the two shows. It turns out Sheldon was reading his memoir the whole time and now he’s finished it up. It was very clever, and tearful.
Today CBS says members of the “Young Sheldon” cast will make occasional visits to the spin off show, “Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage.” Unfortunately, Sheldon himself won’t since — in their story — the two brothers don’t speak again for 10 years. But Sheldon’s mother and grandmother will. I guess Annie Potts’s laments about the series ending were heard.
Chuck Lorre had a great run with “Young Sheldon.” His final card at the end of the credits just read “grateful.”
It’s still unclear how Paramount’s “If” will do over all, but Friday night wasn’t bad. Receipts came to $8.5 million for a total including Thursday previews of $10.3 million.
The weekend total should come in around $25 million although that’s uncertain, too. Reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes were split at 50%, not exactly an overwhelming endorsement. The audience rating is 85%, or a B plus.
So there’s some interest in “If,” and if not, everyone — like John Krasinski and Ryan Reynolds — will return to their regular successes.
At the very least, “If” will not be the disaster story of the weekend. That distinction goes to Focus Features’ Amy Winehouse biopic, “Back to Black.” Total for Thurs-Fri is just $1.25 million. Reviews are terrible and there’s little interest in this film here anyway. It’s already made $23 million abroad, most of that from the UK.
Amy Winehouse died too soon. She had enormous potential to be as big as Adele, but she never got the chance. She had one hit in the US, “Rehab.” Her other sales are cult only. So if “Back to Black” makes $5 million here, Focus will be lucky. Put it on Peacock and call it a day.
More tomorrow…go to the movies, there’s plenty to see this weekend…
I am lucky to say I chatted with actor Dabney Coleman a few times back in the day, in Elaine’s. Elaine Kaufman loved him, too. He was dapper and erudite and a lot of fun. Coleman died today at age 92.
Dabney Coleman is probably best known as the terrible boss from the movie, “9 to 5.” He had about 15 years of journeyman service on TV, on every single show, until he finally hit it big on “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman” in 1976. He played Merle Jeter, the con man husband of Wanda Jeter (the also great Marion Mercer). He was mean but very acerbic. Eventually Merle became mayor of Fernwood until a TV set fell in his bath and electrocuted him. The nation mourned.
Coleman’s turn in “9 to 5” was so good that Jane Fonda had him cast in her next movie, “On Golden Pond.” Coleman was on a roll. He was in Garry Marshall’s comedy “Young Doctors in Love,” as well as “Tootsie” — he was the maniacal star of the fictitious soap — and “War Games.” When he was in the groove, Coleman was able to play greedy and self-motivated with sly humor. He was the kind of actor who, when he appeared on screen, you wanted to clap. And he was always a character, never playing himself.
He had not one but two cult TV shows in the 80s: “Buffalo Bill” and “Slap Maxwell.” They may have been too much for regular audiences, but they were memorable series. If HBO or Netflix had been around then, those series would have run for years.
As late as 2019, Coleman played Kevin Costner’s father in “Yellowstone.” He had five Emmy nomminations and 1 win. According to the imdb, he had two divorces, with four children from the first marriage.
Still, with dozens and dozens of credits, Dabney Coleman will always be clueless, egotistical, male chauvinist pig, and philanderer Franklin J. Hart in “9 to 5,” a movie more relevant today, 40 years later, than ever.
Don’t click on the link below unless you’re ready.
CNN has obtained exclusive 2016 video of Sean Puffy Combs, aka Diddy, physically assaulting girlfriend Cassie Ventura.
They’re in a hotel. Cassie has escaped Combs’s room and has headed to the elevator bank on their floor. There, the hotel security footage captures Combs emerging in a towel, knocking Cassie out, kicking her, and getting her back to the room.
Last year, Ventura sued Combs and won a sizeable settlement. It may have been his last money. Since the lawsuit, and other accusations, plus an FBI raid, Combs has lost all his businesses and sponsorships.
It’s been an extraordinary fall from success for Combs, but not entirely unexpected. His life has been marked by flashes of anger. He was famously involved in a shoot out and escape with Jennifer Lopez in a New York nightclub. One of his employees took the fall and went to jail.
Combs also attacked record exec Steve Stoute, beating him with a Champagne bottle in his office. Combs is known for flying into rages, always showing flashes of anger that are shocking. This video will be worse for him than anything else so far.
The Apocalypse is here, now, for Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis.”
The more critics file reviews from Cannes to Rotten Tomatoes, the worse it gets. The film currently sits a rotten 48%. But even that number is inflated by critics who hated the movie but don’t want to label it “rotten” out of respect for Coppola.
A couple of examples:
Financial Times: Perhaps the kindest thing one can say about Megalopolis is that it will probably remain largely unwatched and be quickly forgotten.
The Daily Beast: Perhaps the kindest thing one can say about Megalopolis is that it will probably remain largely unwatched and be quickly forgotten.
“Megalopolis” has quickly reached the status of past disasters like “Heaven’s Gate” and “Ishtar” as one of the worst films ever made by a respected director. Priced at $120 million, the film would have to make a minimum of $240 million to break even in theaters. Considering the box office in 2024, that goal would seem impossible by miles.
Who will buy it? Anyone? There’s a lot of speculation that A24 could take it. They made gold out of another totally incomprehensible movie, “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” That title might be applied to this movie, from the reviews.
Tony winner Sutton Foster, hot off “Sweeney Todd,” is coming back to Broadway immediately.
Foster will star in a summer revival of “Once Upon a Mattress,” the musical that brought Carol Burnett to fame 60 plus years ago.
The big news is that “Mattress,” never a substantial show, is now adapted by Amy Sherman-Palladino, the Emmy winning creator of “Gilmore Girls” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”
This is the production that played 9 performances this past winter at Encores City Center. Also featured were Michael Urie, Nikki Renée Daniels, J. Harrison Ghee, Harriet Sansom Harris, Cheyenne Jackson, Francis Jue, and David Patrick Kelly. No word yet on which of those top talents will return.
The show will run from August 12th to November 30th at the Hudson Theater. (Previews begin July 31st.)
Foster, known to a generation of TV fans from the show “Younger,” is one of our great Broadway stars. Before her recent turn in “Sweeney Todd,” she had a year’s run with Hugh Jackman in “The Music Man.” Her Tony Award was for “Anything Goes,” which she reprised in London two years ago.
When this production ends in November it goes directly to the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles.
