Monday, December 22, 2025
Donate
Home Blog Page 1003

Bonnie Raitt Urges Fans to Keep John Prine “in Your Prayers,” Wife Fiona Says She Remains “Hopeful That He Can Continue to Fight”

Roger Friedman
-
0
Bonnie Raitt Urges Fans to Keep John Prine “in Your Prayers,” Wife Fiona Says She Remains “Hopeful That He Can Continue to Fight”

Bonnie Raitt urged fans today keep John Prine in their prayers. This was based on an earlier post from John’s wife Fiona that she “remains hopeful he can continue to fight this devastating virus.”

Both of their messages are below. Actually I do hope Bonnie well, too, after playing the same show as Jackson Browne at the Beacon Theater a couple of weeks ago. Jackson is recovering from COVID-19 as well. At bottom, a John Prine video.

This is John’s 8th day in ICU . He is receiving excellent medical care and being treated with kindness and compassion by the entire team looking after him day and night.
I cannot be with him which makes this nightmare all the more distressing for me.
As you know, John was put on a ventilator last Saturday. He still needs quite a bit of help with his breathing. Like many patients currently in ICU beds all around the world, John has pneumonia in both lungs. He has also developed some peripheral issues that are being treated with meds, including antibiotics.
He is very ill and yet I remain hopeful that he can continue to fight this devastating virus and come home where we can care for him.
I don’t have the words to adequately Thank You all for the outpouring of love and prayers that John and our family has received this last week. It means the world to us to have your love and support at this difficult time.
On behalf of me and our boys- Jody Jack and Tommy – please know that we are keeping you all in our hearts with a prayer that you stay safe and healthy. Please continue to send Love, Prayers and Positive Energy to John. He needs us now more than ever.
John loves you and I love you too.🙏🏼❤️💚

Literary Star Patricia Bosworth, 86, Passes Away from Coronavirus, Wrote Acclaimed Biographies of Diane Arbus, Montgomery Clift, Jane Fonda

Roger Friedman
-
0
Literary Star Patricia Bosworth, 86, Passes Away from Coronavirus, Wrote Acclaimed Biographies of Diane Arbus, Montgomery Clift, Jane Fonda

Famed biographer, literary star, and beloved friend of so many (myself included) included in New York. Patricia Bosworth has died at age 86. She was three weeks away from her 87th birthday.

Patti– I knew her for 30 years– was simply a force to be reckoned with, all in the best ways. She wrote bestselling biographies about Diane Arbus, Montgomery Clift, Jane Fonda. She also wrote her own amazing story- -her father was the lawyer for the Hollywood 10 screenwriters during the Blacklist. She was absolutely remarkable, and she will be sorely missed.

She was also an actress in her younger life, a successful one. She studied under Lee Strasberg at the start of the Actors Studio and they were all her pals– Monroe, Brando, Kazan, all of them. She appeared in lots of golden age TV, but her biggest job was in Fred Zinneman’s “The Nun’s Story.” She also appeared on stage with Helen Hayes in “The Glass Menagerie.”

In 1988, I’d already known Patti for a while and I asked her if she’d write a profile of Steve Martin for me in Fame magazine. He was appearing in “Waiting for Godot” directed by Mike Nichols at Lincoln Center. It was one of the best things I’d ever read, but Steve was upset, he was sure he hadn’t said things like “how can actors really do 8 performances a week?” Well, Patti had taped the whole thing, and listening to later he had said all those things. She was an excellent journalist, among her other great traits.

She wrote a lot of wonderful books but she was mesmerized by Jane Fonda, who’d already published her own book. Patti’s take was uniquely hers, and very informed by her own history in Hollywood. Everyone should read it.

They should lower the lights somewhere tonight for Patti Bosworth. They broke the mold when they made her. I was lucky to know her.

 

 

Peter Duchin, Peter Beard: Two Great New Yorkers in Trouble, Artists with a Long Friendship and History

Roger Friedman
-
0
Peter Duchin, Peter Beard: Two Great New Yorkers in Trouble, Artists with a Long Friendship and History

It’s not just a little ironic that as New York suffers, two of its great artists and luminaries are having serious problems.

Peter Duchin, the bandleader and author, and Peter Beard, the photographer and world traveler, are at literal (in the case of Beard) cliffhanger moments in their lives. The irony is that they are the same age– 81– and have known each other for 75 years, since they were six years old.

Peter Duchin is hospitalized and fighting coronavirus in Manhattan. His wife, Virginia Coleman, and his sons, Colin and Jason, are praying for him. Colin Duchin posts updates to Instagram every other day. Today he wrote: “ICU, still fighting…all of your Love and Grace is amazing.”

Duchin is a fighter. His mother died when he was five days old. His father, the bandleader Eddie Duchin, died at 40. Peter was raised by New York billionaire statesman W. Averell Harriman and his wife, Marie Norton Harriman. This put him squarely in New York society among all the most famous and powerful people of the last three quarters of a century. Despite all that wealth and power, Peter turned out to be a swell guy, a great musician, and incredibly popular personality.

Peter Beard is also a fighter. A famous photographer, rabblerouser, playboy, raconteur, Peter has traveled the world many times over. His affinity for Africa led him to be mauled by an elephant in 1996. That didn’t stop him. His wild life included three marriages, the second to Cheryl Tiegs. Beard, like Duchin, graduated from Yale. He is also from an aristocratic New York family.

Three days ago, Peter, who suffers from dementia, vanished his home in Montauk. I’m told his wife, Nejma, literally turned her back for a minute and he was gone. She immediately called the police. Since then, despite a massive manhunt, there’s been no luck finding him. The Beards’ home is isolated, and up against thick woods and a cliff that leads to the ocean. The search continues but there’s no good news. East Hampton Police Capt. Christopher Anderson told Newsday this morning that they were scaling back, however. “The harsh reality of this particular search and situation is that this property is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean,” Anderson said. “Basically, his property goes out to a sheer cliff and bluff, and that’s something that we also need to consider.”

Two towering figures of New York nightlife and history, with a shared history as well. Their friends, families, and fans are all praying for miracles.

“NCIS” Star Pauley Perrette Has Hit Debut with “Broke” Sitcom on CBS, “Law & Order SVU” Wins NBC’s Night with Most Viewers

Roger Friedman
-
0
“NCIS” Star Pauley Perrette Has Hit Debut with “Broke” Sitcom on CBS, “Law & Order SVU” Wins NBC’s Night with Most Viewers

Pauley Perrette is back! The 15 season star of “NCIS” left that show with a lot of issues (hers, about them). She had a nice gift for comedy on the procedural hour, and was determined to get her own sitcom.

Well, the debut of “Broke” last night pulled in 7 million viewers at 9:30pm. Success! Granted, “Broke” benefits from CBS’s hit lineup, but Perrette and co. held on to their lead in from “Young Sheldon” with 9 million, “Man with a Plan,” and “Mom” each with over 7 million. “Broke” already feels like a hit that will play nicely in the CBS lineup for a long to come. Good for Pauley. She deserves the success after putting up with that nonsense at “NCIS.”

Unfortunately, Pauley’s success comes at a price for NBC’s “Indebted,” Fran Drescher’s comeback vehicle. That new sitcom scored just 1.3 mil viewers against “Broke.” Fran Drescher should be in a hit. So NBC had better move it earlier and retool it a bit. But Fran v Pauley is a little too much of the same programming.

Fortunately for “Law and Order SVU,” their fans were indebted to their show. The 24 year old hit brought back 3.5 million fans at 10pm and won the night at NBC. Yes, it’s half the viewers CBS had, but it’s a better than a sharp stick in the eye. “SVU” really deserves an Emmy campaign this season. Week to week it’s high quality on every front.

 

The Great Bill Withers, Dead at 81, Singer Songwriter of “Lean on Me,” “Ain’t No Sunshine,” Winner of 4 Grammy Awards

Roger Friedman
-
0
The Great Bill Withers, Dead at 81, Singer Songwriter of “Lean on Me,” “Ain’t No Sunshine,” Winner of 4 Grammy Awards

The great R&B singer-songwriter Bill Withers has died at age 81. Literally, ain’t no sunshine when he’s gone.

Withers’ long list of classic hits includes “Lean on Me,” “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Grandma’s Hands,” “Use Me,” “Just the Two of Us,” “Lovely Day.”

Bill’s family issued a statement. He is survived by his wife Marcia Johnson and their two children, Todd and Kori. The family statement reads:

“We are devastated by the loss of our beloved, devoted husband and father. A solitary man with a heart driven to connect to the world at large, with his poetry and music, he spoke honestly to people and connected them to each other. As private a life as he lived close to intimate family and friends, his music forever belongs to the world. In this difficult time, we pray his music offers comfort and entertainment as fans hold tight to loved ones.”

Withers, who was very much a loner in the music world, was married twice. His first wife was the gorgeous Denise Nicholas, of “Room 222” fame. They had a tempestuous one year marriage when each was at the top of their fame.

Bill won 4 Grammy Awards. His last one, in 1987, was 15 years after “Lean on Me” came out. But Club Nouveau had covered the classic, and it won Best R&B song.

Daytime Soaps: Self-Quarantining is Answer to Ratings Prayers as “Young and Restless” Adds 768K Viewers, All Shows Rise

Roger Friedman
-
0
Daytime Soaps: Self-Quarantining is Answer to Ratings Prayers as “Young and Restless” Adds 768K Viewers, All Shows Rise

Corona virus is no joke, but it’s the best thing to happen to daytime TV maybe ever.

After OJ Simpson’s 1995 trial destroyed the soaps’ ratings, and the Impeachment hearings threatened to finish the job, afternoon soaps were having their own cliffhanger. Four major shows vanished in 2009-2010: “All My Children,” “One Life to Live,” “As the World Turns,” and “Guiding Light.”

Two weeks ago, “The Young and the Restless” had its run at number 1 broken for the first time since 1998.

But then, the world was sent home. Suddenly no one had anything to do. And apparently a lot of them watched TV.

For the week of March 23-27th, “Y&R” added 768,000 viewers. It returned to number 1.
“The Bold and the Beautiful” picked up 40,000. “General Hospital” was upped by 103,000. “Days of our Lives” went up 152,000.

Here is a unique moment for the remaining four soaps. As long as people are kept home from work, the soaps should rise dramatically in the ratings. If only they could react to it. But the shows tape six weeks in advance, and now they are on hiatus. “Days of our Lives” tapes six months in advance, so they’ve got shows through the fall.

To parse out what’s left of their taped shows, “General Hospital” is cutting back to 4 days a week of new episodes, and showing “classic” episodes on Fridays. “”Y&R” and “B&B” will likely do the same.

Of course, the funny part of fans returning after many years is seeing the same actors still playing those parts from 20 years ago. That actually may prove to be comforting in this unsettling time. It’s unusual, but, yes, comforting to see Deidre Hall hasn’t aged since 1985. But that’s the magic of TV.

Movie Summer is Over as Paramount Moves Tom Cruise “Top Gun: Maverick” to Christmas, “A Quiet Place II” to Labor Day

Roger Friedman
-
0
Movie Summer is Over as Paramount Moves Tom Cruise “Top Gun: Maverick” to Christmas, “A Quiet Place II” to Labor Day

Movie summer is over.

Paramount has moved Tom Cruise’s blockbuster-to-be, “Top Gun: Maverick” from June to Christmas. They’ve also sent “A Quiet Place Part 2” to Labor Day. It was supposed to have opened last month.

As well, they’ve sent “The Sponge Bob Movie: Sponge on the Run,” to the end of July.

This leaves just Warner Bros. to decide if “Wonder Woman 1984” and Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” will open this summer. But remember, they don’t have Cannes as a launching pad, and marketing general will be touchy as Memorial Day approaches.

More importantly, we have to start thinking about what’s ahead for the film world through the summer at least. The Venice, Telluride, and Toronto Film Festivals are in tremendous doubt at this point. Italy is never going to recommend thousands of VIPS arriving in Venice after what they’ve been through this year. Photo calls are the last thing they’re going to want.  As for Telluride and Toronto, things look ominous today.

 

John Mayer Goes After David Geffen with Satirical Song, “Drone Shot of My Yacht” Mocking Entertainment Mogul

Roger Friedman
-
0
John Mayer Goes After David Geffen with Satirical Song, “Drone Shot of My Yacht” Mocking Entertainment Mogul

Singer-guitarist John Mayer has gone after entertainment mogul David Geffen. He’s posted a satirical song called “Drone Shot of My Yacht”– just a snippet, but he’s threatening to release a whole record. Mayer is mocking Geffen for posting shots of his mega yacht floating in the Grenadines, far from the corona virus. It’s pretty funny. Geffen took down his Instagram account after getting a ton of criticism.

Mayer also posted about jazz great Wallace Roney, who we lost yesterday. See below. Also gone are Ellis Marsalis and Bucky Pizzarelli. Towering legends.

“I had the honor of playing with Wallace Roney in the winter of 2014, during a week-long recording session of improvised music. Wallace was a beautiful soul and a divine musician. He was Miles Davis’ only true protégé, and though he could channel (brilliantly) the spirit of his mentor, he played from his own heart, always breaking quickly through the cloud of the unknown and into deeply inspired territory. Wallace passed away due to complications from COVID-19. My wish is that every soul lost to this disease be remembered as individually as the lives they lived. I’m so lucky to have had the opportunity to make music with him. Rest in eternal peace, Wallace Roney.”

Tony Nominated Broadway Star Nick Cordero Unconscious in the ICU from Coronavirus, Wife Asks for Prayers

Roger Friedman
-
0
Tony Nominated Broadway Star Nick Cordero Unconscious in the ICU from Coronavirus, Wife Asks for Prayers

Tony nominated Broadway star Nick Cordero is fighting for his life in a Manhattan hospital. His wife, Amanda Kloots, posted to Instagram that he’s in the ICY and unconscious. Nick’s professional background is knockout performances in “Bullets over Broadway” (Tony nomination) and “A Bronx Tale.” He was most recently featured in “Waitress.” He’s one of Broadway’s brightest young stars. But I’ve also known him for a while, interviewed him and had long talks with him and his wife, and he is just the best. So is she. So we are all sending prayers for him to get well ASAP.

“My sweet husband needs your prayers please. Nick has been sick for awhile with what we were told last week was pneumonia. Unfortunately we think he was misdiagnosed and we are waiting to hear if this is in fact COVID. He is scared, in the ICU and now unconscious so his body can get enough oxygen. We are all trying to stay positive and strong knowing that he is in the best care. I miss him terribly. I’m not allowed there to visit of course and can do nothing to help him. Nick is scared too, this has gone from bad to worse. He isn’t allowed to eat or drink, he is very weak and having a hard time breathing. Elvis and I are feeling completely fine. My hubby is fighting like a champ but this is serious. Please stay home everybody. Thank you to everyone who has been helping us so far you know who are and you are all angels.”

View this post on Instagram

My sweet husband needs your prayers please. Nick has been sick for awhile with what we were told last week was pneumonia. Unfortunately we think he was misdiagnosed and we are waiting to hear if this is in fact COVID. He is scared, in the ICU and now unconscious so his body can get enough oxygen. We are all trying to stay positive and strong knowing that he is in the best care. I miss him terribly. I’m not allowed there to visit of course and can do nothing to help him. Nick is scared too, this has gone from bad to worse. He isn’t allowed to eat or drink, he is very weak and having a hard time breathing. Elvis and I are feeling completely fine. My hubby is fighting like a champ but this is serious. Please stay home everybody. Thank you to everyone who has been helping us so far you know who are and you are all angels. 🙏🏻

A post shared by AK! ⭐️ (@amandakloots) on

William Wolf, Esteemed Theater Critic, Former Head of the Drama Desk, Dies from Corona Virus

Roger Friedman
-
0
William Wolf, Esteemed Theater Critic, Former Head of the Drama Desk, Dies from Corona Virus

The great theater critic William Wolf passed away over the weekend. He was in his late 80s. He was a real presence in our lives for decades. William had a tremendous sense of humor and an engaging manner. He was also a gifted critic of both movies and theater. If coronavirus hadn’t felled him he would have been busy as ever this season. I am so sorry that this was his end. As with all the others I’ve written about in the last few days, this was a cruel finale to a great life well lived.

I’m going to reprint what the Drama Desk sent me today:

Author, critic, and educator, William was the 22nd president of the Drama Desk. He also served a term as chair of the New York Film Critics Circle.

William was part of a golden age in magazine journalism in New York. Beginning in 1964, he was film critic for Cue Magazine. When Cue was absorbed into New York Magazine, he became an editor and critic there. In the 1980s, his film criticism and features were syndicated by Gannett.

William is author of The Marx Brothers (1975), a volume of the Pyramid Illustrated History of the Movies, and, with his wife, Lillian Kramer Wolf, of Landmark Films: The Cinema and Our Century (1979). As an academic, he had a long association with New York University, teaching film-related classes in multiple departments. In recent years, he conducted a popular movie preview class at Lincoln Center, where he screened and discussed soon-to-to-be-released motion pictures and interviewed filmmakers and actors.

Throughout his career, William was a prolific interviewer. His taped conversations with actors, directors, and other film and theater artists are included in the Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound at the New York Library of the Performing Arts.

As yet, no funeral or memorial plans are being announced, and Bill’s family hasn’t designated a preferred recipient or recipients of memorial gifts.

1...1,0021,0031,004...2,325Page 1,003 of 2,325

Hollywood to the Hudson

Company

Trending

Categories

© Showbiz411.com