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Billy Preston Finally Gets His Due as the Fifth Beatle in New Video for “Let it Be”

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The great Billy Preston finally gets his due as the Fifth Beatle in the new video for “Let it Be.”

Billy played on the “Abbey Road” and “Let it Be” albums, but got little credit for it at the time. When Michael Lindsay-Hogg put together the original “Let it Be” film, he cut Billy out entirely.

It was only when Peter Jackson made the “Get Back” miniseries from all of Lindsay-Hogg’s footage that Billy came back into the picture.

Now with the new “Let it Be” — airing on Disney Plus — we see lost footage of Billy integrated back into the title song. It’s a nice vindication. It wasn’t like the group didn’t love Billy — he’s the only artist to share a credit with them, on the single “Get Back” — but no one realized what had happened in the original film cut.

The mix on this “new” version is excellent, too. George’s guitar soars. (John and Ringo look a little bored.) There’s also a clip of George Martin on percussion. “Let it Be” is one of the greatest songs of all time. What a pleasure to see it restored.

“Let it Be” was released 54 years ago on May 13, 1970.

Billy went on to have his own massive hits with songs like “Will it Go Round in Circles” and “Nothing from Nothing.” He co-wrote “You Are So Beautiful” and “With You I’m Born Again.” His life was all about his music which, hopefully, will be reflected in a documentary coming later this year. (We’re keeping an eye on that one.)

PS Billy and Al Green recorded a duet of “You’ve Got a Friend” in the manner of Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway. One of my favorites.

White Rapper Macklemore Had Sold 643 Downloads This Year Until He Found Antisemitism

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Macklemore was a white rapper who had a couple of hits in 2012.

Since then, not so much. He’s had a lot of releases, but none of them went anywhere.

This year so far, according to Luminate, he’s had a total of 643 downloads. With streaming, he’s up to 40,000.

Suddenly, though, Macklemore has maybe a hit. His record, “Hind’s Hall,” has hit iTunes at number 7. Why the comeback? Macklemore has discovered antisemitism pays off.

“Hind’s Hall” is what Columbia students called Hamilton Hall during their illegal protests the last few weeks.

Macklemore has nothing to say about 1200 innocent Jewish fans murdered on October 7, 2023 at a music festival. He is silent on the subject of the hostages taken that day, the women who were raped, or babies that were beheaded.

What Macklemore does see is an opportunity to cash in with anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian rap. If you haven’t had a hit in 14 years, why not throw in with this gang?

It’s notable that Macklemore’s lyrics include a shout out to Ice Cube, maybe the most antisemitic rapper of all time. Ice Cube’s idiotic messages against Jews started at the beginning of his career and have continued into this decade.

This isn’t Macklemore’s first public display of antisemitism. At a 2014 Seattle concert, he wore a costume of a of a large fake nose and thick black beard that he later grudgingly apologized for.

He said it was “random,” chosen from available costumes so he could walk around unnoticed. I guess he thinks we’re really stupid. It was a lot like Prince Harry and his Hitler outfit.

Seth Rogen wrote on Twitter: “Really? Because if I told someone to put together an anti Semitic Jew costume, they’d have that exact shopping list.”

Rogen was right, and now we see the payoff. Unacceptable.

RIP George Cooper, Sr. in Long Expected Death from Heart Attack on “Young Sheldon” (Read Chuck Lorre’s Statement)

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For the last seven seasons, the death of George Cooper Sr. has lurked on “Young Sheldon.”

Fans of “The Big Bang Theory” knew the day would come on the prequel spin off series when George, played by Lance Barber, would die of a sudden heart attack. It was inevitable.

George died tonight in the penultimate episode of the series. He had just learned he was getting a promotion, too, and moving to Houston to coach football at Rice University.

Alas, it was not to be. At the end of tonight’s episode, just as the Cooper family was planning to take a group photo, George’s pals turned up and announced his death.

The reaction to the death will be played out on the final episode next week. Rest in peace, George. At least you don’t have to watch the sequel series next fall, which I think will turn out like “AfterMASH.”

Below is EP Chuck Lorre’s card at the end of the credits, which reminds us to “love the characters in our life who are real.”

Kristi Noem Killed Her Dog and Now Her Book is DOA: Out of the Top 300 in Less Than Three Days

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Kristi Noem’s book is now more dead than her dog.

“No Way Back” was published Tuesday. It came in on amazon at number 44. This morning, it’s number 341.

The book is DOA.

At Barnes & Noble, where it sells for full price at $30, “No Way Back” is in the 700s.

Noem boasted in the book that she killed her dog — shot it — because it didn’t behave. She lied about meeting Korean dictator Kim Jung Un, causing the publisher to delete that section from the book.

Noem’s big interview, with Margaret Brennan on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” was an unmitigated disaster. Brennan shredded the South Dakota governor. It was a shit show.

Noem has apirations of being Donald Trump’s vice presidential nominee. It doesn’t matter and I don’t care, but it’s not going to happen. She makes Sarah Palin seem like a genius.

Barron Trump, 18, Pushed into Spotlight He Likely Doesn’t Want: No One’s Ever Heard Him Speak

Donald Trump pushed a button last year he will never be able to take back. He’s sent his 18 year son into battle.

Last year, Trump declared on social media that Barron, then 17, was smarter than Joe Biden. That nudged open the door to the press writing about Barron.

But now Trump is sending Barron (and most of his other kids) to the Republican convention as a delegate. Barron is now 18, and the hands off policy is over.

Today there’s a barrage of planted publicity about Barron being a great guy with political ambitions. The Daily Mail has fawned all over him, so much that you’d think he’s John John Kennedy.

He’s not.

The Trumps should be more protective of Barron. For one thing, no one beyond his family and friends has ever heard Barron’s voice. There may be a two second clip on YouTube caught by a long mic. But otherwise, Barron appears in public most of the time scowling. He rarely smiles. Yes, at 6 foot 7, he towers over the family. But either he has permanent indigestion or he has not enjoyed his teen years.

Back in 2016, when Barron was in school here in New York, I was told by parents of his classmates that he had trouble speaking English. He’d spent so much time with Melania’s parents that his first language was Slovenian.

His subsequent schooling in Washington, then Palm Beach, has been closely guarded. As a high school senior he should have announced his college plans already. Alas, it’s all been crickets.

There’s some speculation he’ll go to NYU, but that seems implausible. He’s been tied to his mother’s diamond bracelets his whole life. Will he really commute down to the school everyday by limo from Trump Tower? That seems like it would be fairly disruptive for his fellow students, and their teachers.

And don’t think the paparazzi will follow Barron everywhere, every minute of the day.

Sounds: Taylor Swift Crosses 3 Million Poets, Live Nation Guru Arthur Fogel Honored by Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation

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Taylor Swift is still number 1 with “The Tortured Poets Department.”

By the end of today she’ll have sold another 285,000 copies, bringing her total to a little over 3 million. Of those, 2 million are hard sales.

The downloading of “Poets” singles has slowed, but the album keeps chugging on. Nothing can touch it, not even Dua Lipa, whose new album, “Radical Optimism,” will come in around 85,000 copies.

Last night the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation honored one of the good guys in music: Live Nation’s Arthur Fogel. If there’s one universally admired guy in the concert biz, it’s Fogel.

Fogel is responsible for some of the biggest tours in history, including Madonna’s latest (she never missed a show!), Lady Gaga, U2, and Sting. All the artists swear by him. Somehow Fogel maintains a fairly cool composure all the time, despite all the nuttiness around him.

At the Rainbow Room last night model, actress, and author Dominique Jackson was the emcee. Rosie Perez presented Arthur with the special LIFEBEAT tribute. The evening, generously supported by Presenting Sponsor Gilead Sciences, Inc., along with Associate Sponsors Live Nation Entertainment and the Wasserman Foundation, also featured a performance by Glassnote Records recording artist Talia Rae.

“I hope that tonight has delivered some meaningful financial support to the foundation + LIFEBEAT programs going forward,” Arthur said. Then everyone hit him up for backstage passes!

Congrats!

Alex Kalomparis and Arthur Fogel

JFK Grandson Masters Another Accent — Cockney, This Time — In Strange New Video Post Attacking Trump and RFK Jr

Jack Schlossberg, son of Caroline Kennedy and grandson of JFK, either wants to become an actor or he’s having Disassociative Identity Disorder.

Schlossberg has posted another video to Instagram in which he goes after his cousin, Robert Kennedy Jr, and Donald Trump. It’s about reproductive rights. But Jack calls himself Tiny Tim and uses a Cockney accent.

Does this guy have a job? From these videos it seems like’s just wandering around a California surf town. He’s 31, and maybe should present as ab adult if he wants to be taken seriously. Meantime, his mother is the US ambassador to Australia and working hard at it.

Sigourney Weaver Says: “I’ll be in my 80s” When All the “Avatar” Movies are Finished, Does Have Other Projects (Exclusive)

A little more from last night’s elegant and funny one night only performance for Lincoln Center Theater (1000 times better than that low class Met Gala).

Sigourney Weaver was deftly funnier than ever as self-centered Masha in the staged reading of “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.”

I asked her what was she working on and she replied, “Besides making three more Avatar movies???” Sigourney said she still had a little work to do on “Avatar 3,” and then James Cameron will be shooting episodes 4 and 5. “I’ll be making Avatar into my 80s.” She’s 74 and looks about 54, so I think she’ll get away with it.

Sigourney is not only working on “Avatar,” by the way. She has two other films in post production including “The Gorge” with Anya Taylor Joy and Miles Teller. PS to the Motion Picture Academy: Sigourney should be a Lifetime Achievement honoree this year.

In the first “Avatar,” Weaver was the live action character Dr. Grace Augustine. But in the sequels she plays Kiri, the 14 year old daughter of Grace’s Avatar character. It still requires acting, and being in the water all the time. “Hours,” Sigourney said, but she doesn’t mind it.

David Hyde Pierce plays Vanya, Masha’s put upon gay brother. He hadn’t taken on the role in a decade, but DHP is such an adept actor he did much of last night’s show without a script! He knew it from re-reading it and from memory. Will he ever go back to “Frasier,” I asked. The answer is no although he did say, “It was just renewed, so it has an audience.”

Candice Bergen was a guest of Lincoln Center, but she kept a very low profile with board member Linda LeRoy Janklow and CAA founder Bill Haber.

One of my favorite people in New York is famed author Steven M.L .Aronson, whose 40 year old book, “Hype,” is the template for all writing about fame and celebrity. Why is it out of print? It’s not even an ebook. Attention: publishers, get with it.

Steven who has always sported the most fashionable eyewear, told me his glasses are part of a twin set. The other copy is worn by Spike Lee! The glasses are made in different colors, but only he and Spike got these. Spike may not be aware that he has a doppelganger out there! He commissioned the glasses for the Oscars a few years ago but the designer made two pairs in case something happened to the originals. They are very cool!

The biggest takeaway of the night: the brilliance of the Christopher Durang play. It won the Tony for Best Play but has not been revived. It’s time. Durang was prescient and biting about Hollywood, celebrity, even science and climate change. A movie has to be made ASAP. “Vanya and Sonia” is the most satisfying comedy of the last decade.

Lorne Michaels Will Close out “SNL ” Season 49 on a Ratings High: Dua Lipa Was Huge

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Lorne Michaels is going to wrap up season 49 of “Saturday Night Live” on a ratings high.

This past weekend’s show, with Dua Lipa as host and musical guest, grabbed 4.74 million viewers. That was up a notch from the previous outing with Ryan Gosling and Chris Stapleton.

Both shows were vast improvements over the dreadful outing with Ramy Youssef a few weeks ago. That installment will pull down the season’s averages with its anemic 3.99.

Michaels is on a roll, booking powerhouse hosts and performers and cameo players. It’s a real comeback post-pandemic. He will enter year 50 at the top of his game, of course. No one has lasted as long as Lorne Michaels in TV history. It’s an extraordinary story. Not only has he kept the show going for five years, but the list of stars he created is stunning. Plus, he’s running all of NBC’s late night with Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers.

The next two “SNL” episodes will be hosted respectively by Maya Rudolph and Jake Gyllenhaal. Their musical guests will be Vampire Weekend and Sabrina Carpenter. You know both shows will be packed with surprise cameos, the first since Rudolph is a beloved alum (Tina, Amy?).

And then we head to the fall. Sarah Sherman and Marcello Hernandez have been big breakout stars this season, that’s for sure. So we’ll see who makes the cut for the 50th. It’s going to be a banner year. And then? Does Lorne retire? Not so fast, I don’t think. He has a lot of game left in him.

Books UPDATE: Kristi Noem Book of Lies Opens at Number 44, Drops to Number 107 on Amazon, Beaten Easily by MSNBC’s Jen Psaki

UPDATE: “No Way Back” will find no way back to the top of the amazon charts. Within a day the tome that describes the shooting of a dog has dropped to number 107.

keep refreshing to see how quickly it falls off the best seller list…

TUESDAY EVENING:

Kristi Noem’s book, “No Way Back,” has had a soft open on the amazon best seller list.

The book — filled with proven lies — has debuted on Amazon at number 44. It was easily beaten by a book written by a more respected public figure.

MSNBC’s Jen Psaki hit the chart at number 4 with “Say More: Lessons from Work, The White House, and the World.”

Somewhere in between are new memoirs from Whoopi Goldberg and Tom Selleck.

Noem’s book is doomed, I’m afraid. The publisher announced they were removing a section of the book “at the author’s request.” This was because Noem was caught in a lie about meeting North Korean dictator Kim Jung Un.

“No Way Back” is also the right title since Noem tells the story of shooting her dog when it misbehaved. She is loathed widely, even by conservatives who love their pets and cannot imagine committing such an atrocity. There is indeed No Way Back for the South Dakota governor.