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Box Office: “Spider Man” Begins the Climb to $1 Billion US, “The Odyssey” Has a Short Journey to $600 Million, “Coyote vs. Acme” Very Animated

Roger Friedman
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Box Office: “Spider Man” Begins the Climb to $1 Billion US, “The Odyssey” Has a Short Journey to $600 Million, “Coyote vs. Acme” Very Animated

The weekend box office reveals a few things.

“Spider Man: Brand New Day” is now on the move to $1 billion US. With this weekend, the total is up to $917 billion. This won’t take long now. I’m sure Sony is rushing to plan the sequel, and maybe the last of five hits with Tom Holland and Zendaya.

“The Odyssey” is on a journey to $600 million. It’s going to happen fast, because the Chris Nolan epic is already at $584 million. People are wandering around Troy, New York looking for a hollow wood horse. Ithaca College is getting more popular. It’s time for a theme park in Utica!

“Coyote vs. Acme” continues to be very animated. Now at $33 million in the US, and waiting for international release. Then home video will be off the hook as kids just play it over and over. Was Warner Bros. Looney Tunes to give it up? This will be studied at business schools.

Not so hot: “By Any Means” is said to be not bad, but the title and marketing aren’t a help. What is this movie about? I don’t know. But Diane Warren’s song is headed to awards talk.

“The Dog Stars” — we’ve run out of puns. Paws up, back to the pet shelter, a terrible tail. Jacob Elordi shouldn’t be in a movie that makes $13 million.

Onward and upward!

Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti Are the Talk of Telluride with Jesse Eisenberg’s “The Debut” Getting Rapturous Reviews Awards Talk

Roger Friedman
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Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti Are the Talk of Telluride with Jesse Eisenberg’s “The Debut” Getting Rapturous Reviews Awards Talk

From Telluride, all I’m hearing about is Julianne Moore.

Already an Oscar winner for “Still Alice,” Moore has broken out as the lead candidate for Best Actress in “The Debut.”

Coming off “A Real Pain,” Jesse Eisenberg wrote and directed this comedy about local theater in New Jersey. Paul Giamatti plays the director of a new musical who also has a reputation for being difficult. Moore, whose character has no acting experience, auditions and wins a part in the show.

So far, every review is rapturous. Eisenberg co-wrote seven original songs for the fake musical, and they’re all said to be witty and tuneful. One of them will go into contention for Best Song at the various awards shows.

“The Debut” next at the Toronto and New York film festivals. It’s from A24, and probably their best shot this year — and also one that doesn’t take much convincing to like it.

I told you about “The Debut” a few months ago. The combination of Eisenberg, Moore, and Giamatti is a no-brainer.

Ed Sheeran Has a Problem as Opening Act Macklemore, Anti-Israel Rapper, Performs “Free Free Palestine!” Song at MetLife Stadium

Roger Friedman
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Ed Sheeran Has a Problem as Opening Act Macklemore, Anti-Israel Rapper, Performs “Free Free Palestine!” Song at MetLife Stadium

Ed Sheeran has a problem.

He let rapper Macklemore, washed up for years and known widely for his hatred of Israel, to open his show at MetLife Stadium.

Macklemore — who had a short run of hits 20 years ago and no longer has a proper record lebel — thrives on anti-semitism. He chanted “Free Free Palestine!” during his set. It was part of his anti-Jewish song, “Hinds Hall,” which he performed before Sheeran hit the stage.

Does Ed Sheeran need more trouble? His sales are way off in the last few years. He decamped from Atlantic Records because they couldn’t market him anymore. He barely survived a plagiarism trial with the estate of Marvin Gaye. Does he really want the stink of Macklemore to follow him around? This suggests that Sheeran supports Macklemore’s ideas, which are abhorrent.

UPDATING Emmys Night 1: “Muppets” Beat the Oscars, Plus Kimmel, Mariska, “Jeopardy!,” Pick Up Statues, Colbert Best Writing for Variety Series

Roger Friedman
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UPDATING Emmys Night 1: “Muppets” Beat the Oscars, Plus Kimmel, Mariska, “Jeopardy!,” Pick Up Statues, Colbert Best Writing for Variety Series

Tonight marks the first part of the Creative Arts Emmys. The CA’s conclude tomorrow night.

Highlights so far:

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert picked up Best Writing for a Variety Series.

Mariska Hargitay won Best Documentary Special for her “My Mom, Jayne.” She beat shows about Martin Short, Mel Brooks, John Candy, and one by David Attenborough. Mariska is hosting the broadcast Emmys next Sunday.

“Jeopardy!” is Best Game Show.

Jimmy Kimmel won Best Game Show host for “Who Wants to be a Millionaire”

“The Muppets” won Best Writing for a variety special, beating Wanda Sykes, Nikki Glaser, Chris Fleming, and Conan O’Brien’s team at the Oscars.

Diddy sort of won an Emmy. The editors of his documentary expose, “Sean Combs: The Reckoning,” beat the films about Mel Brooks, John Candy, Martin Short, and Martin Scorsese. Weird, yes. But good for the editors!

Best Commercial went to Apple TV. (See below.)

keep refreshing…

“60 Minutes” Previews First of Three New Stories for Bari Weiss Opening Night Sep. 13th: Interview with LA Rams Coach Sean McVay

Roger Friedman
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“60 Minutes” Previews First of Three New Stories for Bari Weiss Opening Night Sep. 13th: Interview with LA Rams Coach Sean McVay

The new version of “60 Minutes” debuts September 13th.

There will be a lot of new faces replacing veterans like Scott Pelley, Sharyn Alfonsi, and Cecila Vega, who were all fired for being great journalists.

Among those who stayed is Bill Wertheim. His first report, previewed today, is about the LA Rams’ stunning success and their manager, Sean McVay. It’s not the least bit controversial, but pairs well with CBS’s NFL schedule. He could do one of those a week without getting into any trouble.

That leaves two feature spots for the 13th. One of them will probably concern the 25th anniversary of 9-11, and probably focus on the families. There will be no mention of the Saudis or George Bush, I’m sure.

The third segment is still unannounced.

Lesley Stahl and Bill Whitaker remain with the show. But a slew of new contributors will be under a microscope as the fall unfolds.

Box Office: “Spider Man” Crosses $900 Million, But Newer Entries Like “By Any Means” and “Dog Stars” Scratch to Find Customers

Roger Friedman
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Box Office: “Spider Man” Crosses $900 Million, But Newer Entries Like “By Any Means” and “Dog Stars” Scratch to Find Customers

Drum roll, please.

“Spider Man” is now at $903 million. This feat took 37 days, and the end is not in sight. Even when you think it’s slowing down, the 9th Spider Man movie just keeps going.

The rest of the Labor Day weekend box office is is a bit dreary. “By Any Means” opened to $2.6 million. Cracking $10 million will be its goal. The chief selling point is a good original song by Diane Warren. The song will outlive the movie.

Really dead is “The Dog Stars” with just $11 million. It cost $100 million and isn’t going anywhere except to video. Certainly a disappointment for newish star Jacob Elordi as he builds his career.

A24’s “Tony,” which got top reviews, is stalling out now at around $12 million. If the studio wants awards attention they’re going to have to spend many times that number to get there. Is it worth it? I don’t know. They will go hard on “The Invite,” which is running out at $25 million.

TV: Sitcom “Seinfeld” Crew Vet Observes That FX’s “Adults” Season 2 is Sampling Jokes, Memes, and Plots from Classic Ensemble Comedy

Roger Friedman
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TV: Sitcom “Seinfeld” Crew Vet Observes That FX’s “Adults” Season 2 is Sampling Jokes, Memes, and Plots from Classic Ensemble Comedy

I’ve never watched the FX/Hulu sitcom, “Adults.” I assumed it was a little like “Seinfeld” mixed with “Friends,” but I already knew the originals. Leave this show to a new generation.

But De Sousa — who runs a popular Instagram page — worked on the “Seinfeld” 2nd unit crew that shot most of the show’s exterior work in New York, like Tom’s Diner. So she really knows it when a classic “Seinfeld” bit is reiterated somewhere else.

DeSousa settled into Season 2, which debuted August 27th, and came up with 12 instances in which the show closely resembles “Seinfeld.”

So here are her catches so far. She’s starting to look back at the first season. Are these Easter eggs, or lack of originality? Also, maybe a “Friends” expert should take a closer look at “Adults.”

All of the Jokes ADULTS Season 2 on Hulu Stole from Seinfeld

1. The alternate friend group (bizarro Jerry etc)

2. Issa’s weird little guy (Elaine’s little kicks)

3. The 1800 Mattress number (Elaine says she has been giving out the same fake number to guys for years)

4. The guys all have to stop jer*ing off after the room switch (the Contest)

5. Issa pushes her way past everyone to escape when the carbon monoxide detector goes off (George pushing by everyone when there’s a fire at a birthday party)

6. Issa’s ex changed his last name to Bin Laden (Elaine dating a guy whose last name is Rifkin)

7. Anton advises a guy to open a restaurant and it fails (Jerry tells Babu to make his restaurant Pakistani)

8. The gang meets at a diner all the time

9. Little bites instead of a meal makes it inconclusive if it’s a date or not (banya and the soup)

10. Anton tells Issa to do the opposite of what she would normally to fit in in the corporate world (George does the opposite to attract a girl)

11. Issa keeps working at the company without getting paid (Kramer)

12. Paul Baker runs for president of the HOA – Jerry’s dad runs for president of the condo association

Maria Bartiromo Says She Wasn’t Fired from Fox News Even Though They Claim She’s Gone, Hires Hollywood Lawyer, Disputes Reports About Leaks

Roger Friedman
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Maria Bartiromo Says She Wasn’t Fired from Fox News Even Though They Claim She’s Gone, Hires Hollywood Lawyer, Disputes Reports About Leaks

Maria Bartiromo’s new Hollywood lawyer has something to say.

Bryan Freedman says Maria was not fired by Fox News, that she’s still an employee, and all reports to the contrary are false.

You can see his statement below.

Freedman also says there’s no truth to the reports that Bartiromo was acting as a double agent, feeding Donald Trump and Fox News with info about each other.

Believe me, I know that when Fox News breaks up with you, it isn’t pretty. It’s not their style. In the end, they will have to pay out her contract. But for now, lots of posturing on both sides.

For many years, Maria Bartiromo hosted three number one rated television shows on Fox channels. She has been, without question, one of the hardest working journalists throughout her award winning career.
The irresponsible reports that have been published stating that Maria Bartiromo was fired or is no longer an employee of Fox are absolutely and unequivocally false. Make no mistake, we have the receipts and witnesses and they will come out whether through the courthouse or otherwise. Those reporting her firing or the incredulous facts supporting that fiction have exhibited a complete and utter reckless disregard for the truth.

Bryan Freedman, Attorney for Maria Bartiromo

UPDATE: Website for Next Week’s 3 Day Republican Midterm Convention Remains Hacked for 10th Hour, Re-directs to Epstein File Search Instead

Roger Friedman
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UPDATE: Website for Next Week’s 3 Day Republican Midterm Convention Remains Hacked for 10th Hour, Re-directs to Epstein File Search Instead

FRIDAY UPDATE The GOP site is still hacked, after six hours. Whoever did this really knew what they were doing?

EARLIER: Yup, it’s true.

The website for next week’s Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas has been hacked.

When you click on it, the site goes straight to the Epstein files search engine.

LOL. Very clever.Try going to www.gopdallas2026.com and see what happens. Bravo!

Elvis Costello Readying 49th Anniversary Release of “My Aim is True,” Starts with Unheard Single “I Turn Around” (Listen)

Roger Friedman
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Elvis Costello Readying 49th Anniversary Release of “My Aim is True,” Starts with Unheard Single “I Turn Around” (Listen)

Nice treat this morning.

Believe it or not, we’re coming onto the 50th anniversary release of Elvis Costello’s “My Aim is True.”

I can still remember hearing songs like “Sneaky People,” “Alison,” and “Watching the Detectives” on WBCN in Bostob. Costello, with the funny name and glasses, standing pigeon toed on the cover, and looking like Buddy Holly — the whole thing was revolutionary.

Come October 2nd, the five CD set will be out, including lots of extras, demos, and songs we haven’t before now. They’re billing it as the 49th anniversary instead of 50th, because that’s iconoclastically Elvis.

First up is a track called “I Turn Around,” recorded in 1976. You can hear it below, and it’s a winner. Costello, aka Declan McManus, is one of two or three major forces to come out the punk/new wave era, and you can see why with this song. Music was changing in 1976, turning away from bombbastic rock and disco to a new level of songwriting.

From the press release:
“This Collection Features 104 Tracks, 52 Of Them Previously Unreleased Songs, Demos, Outtakes and Live Performances. The 2026 Remaster of Original Album Is From Pathway Studios Master Reels.”

OK! There’s also “A New 72-Page Essay With Contributions by Nick Lowe, John McFee, Gregg Geller, Bill Flanagan, Warren Zanes, Rosanne Cash, Peter Wolf and Jim James as well as recollections from Steve Nieve and Pete Thomas.”

Costello says of “I Turn Around”: “Anyone who has heard that peppy toe-tapper will be surprised to find that the entire title refrain had first served as the chorus of an entirely different story, written 19 years earlier” for a B side from his masterwork album, “Imperial Bedroom.”

All of this led me over to Spotify where I rediscovered a 40 year compilation of Costello pieces including sensational covers of Yoko Ono’s “Walking on Thin Ice,” and Smokey Robinson’s “From Head to Toe.” The album is called “Out of Our Idiot.” It’s definitely streaming, and there are probably CDs out there in the world.

Don’t call me October 2nd — I’ll be knee deep in this box set!

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