Kelly Ripa paid tribute to her “All My Children” co-star John Callahan on “Live with Kelly and Ryan” on Monday morning. “We are so devastated.”
Who Ya Gonna Call? Not Ghostbusters–Sony Moves Its Summer Releases to 2021, Leaving Warner’s and Paramount to Decide Season’s Fate
Will there be summer 2020 movies? Sony says no.
The studio has moved its four big releases to 2021 and who knows when. That list includes “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” “Peter Rabbit 2,” “Morbius,” and “Greyhound.”
This is a blow to movie theater owners who were hopeful that when the virus quarantines end, they’ll have product to lure back customers. “Ghostbusters” would have been a colossal summer hit. Now it’s set for March 2021.
Sony’s move checks Warner’s and Paramount. Those studios were looking forward to Warner’s Christopher Nolan’s mysterious “Tenet” starring John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, and Michael Caine; and “Wonder Woman 84,” with Gal Gadot and Chris Pine. And Paramount is on deck with “Top Gun: Maverick,” which literally will save them. The other big summer movie coming in June is “Soul,” from Pixar, with Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey leading an all star cast of voices.
If one or more of those four are relocated, the summer movie season may be over. And then what? The fall season depends on film festivals– Telluride, Venice, Toronto. Venice is already looking imperiled. With so many deaths in Italy, would they really proceed? Would they be allowed to by the government? But then the fall begins overloading. “Tenet” certainly sounds like Oscar material. And this year, the studios are in the power position, with Netflix not having the hot hand they had last year.
The Amazing Joan Baez Sends John Prine — Now in Stable Condition– Her Version of “Hello in There”
The amazing Joan Baez sent ailing John Prine a lovely gift. She made a video of her singing his classic, “Hello in There.” Prine’s wife, Fiona, says he’s in stable condition, and that she, Fiona, has recovered from the virus. Thank goodness.
Interesting that first Bob Dylan has a surprise hit with his 17 minute “Murder Most Foul,” then Joan turns up with this gesture. We keep coming back to these two. They are where we started.
Joan says: “John, this song that I’ve sung of yours has been one of the most requested songs in my repertoire for over 40 years. So let me sing it to you and send along my best wishes and prayers.” Baez originally covered the song on her magical 1975 album, “Diamonds and Rust.”
Elton John Was the Highlight of His Living Room Concert on Fox, Along with Backstreet Boys, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey
The whole hour of Elton John’s “Living Room” concert on Fox last night was just great, with real singers and musicians performing ad hoc from their homes. Backstreet Boys somehow put together “I Want It That Way,” a song still no one knows what it means or what way they want it. Alicia Keys was tremendous with “Underdog,” which soared to number 2 on iTunes.
But the real cherry on the sundae was Elton himself, whose hosting was spot on. At the end, after claiming he didn’t have a piano in his house, it turned out he had a good enough keyboard, and sang a little impromptu “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me.” I clapped. It very moving.
Ratings: just fine, 4.5 million people watched. They were third in their time slot, but it’s Fox, which can’t compete with “American Idol” (they used to broadcast that show), and “NCIS: Somewhere.” But they’ll get an Emmy nomination. Joel Gallen did a terrific job.
Listen: they should do this again, with Elton and another group– Sting? Paul McCartney? Stevie Wonder? One thing they need, though, is black male artists. And I don’t mean just John Legend. Smokey Robinson? Sam Moore? Let’s get some vets in there.
amFAR Gravy Train May Be Coming to an End with No Cannes Event This Year, Revenues, Assets Drop by Millions
The gravy train may be over for amFAR. All that swanning around at the Cannes Film Festival in specially marked cars with drivers, the incredible hubris of CEO Kevin Frost and his minions, face a certain extinction.
Revenue and net assets for 2018 — the first year they operated without Harvey Weinstein and Kenneth Cole — were way way down.
On their Form 990 for 2018, under revenue, contributions and grants fell by eight million dollars from 2017.
Net assets or fund balances dropped by $7 million.
Even Frost took a hit. His income from amFAR fell from around $682,000 to $560,000. How did he survive?
Most of amFAR’s income revolves around their big Cannes fundraiser. But this year, there is no Cannes, and no fundraiser. There are no other fundraisers in exotic locales, where amFAR for 20 years has been flying celebrities to pump up their image. The parties are over.
The latest tax filing covers the period from October 1, 2017 to September 30, 2018. That lines up exactly with Weinstein’s fall from grace and the revelations of his auction scandal involving his musical, “Finding Neverland.” With Weinstein, and then Kenneth Cole, out of the picture, amFAR’s celebrity quotient collapsed. It was obvious that all their parading around Cannes, spending money, and not worrying about the consequences, would have an unhappy conclusion.
amFAR was also paying around $1.8 million for event production to two different firms. That also should be under re-evaluation.
All together, amFAR claimed a loss of $13 million for all its fundraisers, most especially the Cannes event for May 2018.
Prayers: Legendary Singer Songwriter John Prine is in ICU in Critical Condition, Had a Huge Renaissance In the Last 2 Years
Upsetting news from the family of the great singer songwriter John Prine. He has coronavirus, is in the ICU and in critical condition. His fans around the world I know are sending him prayers.
Ironically, John has had a huge Renaissance in the last couple of years. The author of staples like “Hello in There” and “Angel from Montgomery” re-emerged to accolades with his album, “The Tree of Forgiveness.” It went to number 5 on the charts, and Prine was suddenly be feted all over the world.
Two times Prine has survived cancer. We’ve got to put our money on him now. At 73, he has a lot more to do.
An update on John pic.twitter.com/fPQbv0tLyB
— John Prine (@JohnPrineMusic) March 29, 2020
Joe Diffie, 61, Country Superstar from the 90s, Hits Included “Third Rock from the Sun,” “Home,” “Pick Up Man”
This stuff is getting serious. I never thought I’d be writing so man=y obits in a short period. We must take this virus seriously.
Now it’s claimed a great country superstar, Joe Diffie, who was 61 and a country radio staple in the 80s and 90s. His 18 country hits included “Third Rock from the Sun,” “Home,” “Pick Up Man,” “If the Devil Danced (In Empty Pockets),” “Bigger Than the Beatles,” “Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox (If I Die)” and “John Deere Green.”
There are outpourings of love for Joe all over social media. “Soul Man” Sam Moore tells me: “Joe Diffie and I became buddies all the way back when I recorded “Rainy Night in Georgia” with Conway Twitty. I had the great pleasure of singing with him at the Ryman and the Opry. I even did a cameo in one of his videos. His loss is shocking from this damn virus is shocking and shaken myself, my wife and my daughter Michelle, who had done a lot of TV production with him on his specials and videos.”
Alan Merrill, Veteran Musician Who Co-Wrote Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock and Roll,” Dies from COVID-19, First Cousin of Laura Nyro
Alan Merrill, the veteran rocker who wrote Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock and Roll,” has died from the virus. He was 69 years old and died quickly. He’d been posting to social media days ago.
Merrill was long partnered musically with Rick Derringer and many other stars.
George Gilbert tells me Alan was Laura Nyro’s first cousin, and they were very close. “Alan was the second guitar player (under Bob Kulick) in Meat Loaf’s band when I started managing them in 1987–very sad– VERY NICE GUY.”
Alan’s mother, the great jazz singer Helen Merrill, is still very much alive at 89. Condolences to her and to his family.
Alan’s long time friend, Bebe Buell, wrote on Instagram:
I’m at a loss for words- it’s so shocking! I was just exchanging messages with him ten days ago and he did a gig in Harlem on March 12th. He posted on here just 6 days ago!!! I had no idea he was sick- this seems to have happened very very fast! Anyone with any details please send me a private message or leave a comment 🙏…
Alan was the genius who wrote “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” with the late Jake Hooker. Maybe you know his band The Arrows from back then. I first met Alan with my friends Liz Derringer #lizderringer and Rick @rickderringerofficial and we stayed friends over the decades.
My heart goes out to his family and loved ones… oh Alan, I’m going to miss the little video clips you posted playing fetch ball with your dog on your fabulous NYC terrace… how can this be?
Alan looked just like his mother:
Kennedy Center Dis-Honors Symphony Members, Dismisses Them with 1 Week Notice After $25 Mil Stimulus Bailout
The Kennedy Center, under David Rubenstein and Deborah Rutter, has made its worst publicity mistake ever. After receiving $25 million in the stimulus package to keep the place going, this pair dismissed the National Symphony Orchestra with one week’s notice.
Huh? This was on the same day that James Dolan, not loved in New York by any means because of the Knicks and the Rangers, announced he would keep paying staff at Madison Square Garden despite the famed complex being closed.
Rutter is paid $1.3 million a year, although she says she’s not taking a salary right now. My guess is she has some savings from making all that money. The musicians, who are paid a fraction of that million bucks, do not.
Rubenstein, head of the Carlyle Group, is very wealthy. He could afford to pay the Symphony out of his own pocket for a year and not notice it.
The Kennedy Center, which Rubenstein took over a few years ago, is well funded. According to their Form 990 tax return for 2018, they have over $400 million in net assets and funds. Including Rutter, they pay a handful of executives $4.4 million a year in salaries.
According to the Washington Post, the Center will cease paying all salary and benefits to the musicians will end on April 3 and not resume until the virus scare is over and performances resume.
“This decision, from an organization with an endowment of nearly $100 million, is not only outrageous — coming after the musicians had expressed their willingness to discuss ways to accommodate the Kennedy Center during this challenging time — it is also blatantly illegal under the parties’ collective bargaining agreement. That agreement specifically requires that the Center provide six weeks’ notice before it can stop paying musicians for economic reasons,” said Ed Malaga, president of Local 161-710 of the American Federation of Musicians, in a statement.
Rutter is simply tone deaf. But she’s also doing the bidding of Rubenstein, who became infamous for kicking out producer George Stevens, Jr., the creator of the Kennedy Center Honors, and remaking the organization in his own image. With Stevens gone, so have the fine arts, leaving the Kennedy Center Honors to mimic the Grammy Awards and give honors with an eye toward television ratings.
Rubenstein’s fabulous life was profiled last year on “CBS Sunday Morning.” But trust me, the piccolo players and the violinists aren’t living his incredibly lavish lifestyle. Malaga has the right to be outraged. I hope he prevails.
And meantime, what about the $25 million? Malaga and the Symphony should demand a full accounting of where it’s gone– and to make sure it’s not quietly paid off to the Carlyle Group.
“Hey, Judge” Jeanine Pirro Missed First Segment of Live Show Last Night, Appeared “Lit” When She Was on Air
Let’s just ask the question everyone else has on social media since last night: Was Jeanine Pirro bombed on last night’s live show?
The Fox News show host missed the first segment of her live show last night on Fox News. The reason given was “technical difficulties.” When she did appear on air, Pirro seemed more subdued than usual, a little glassy eyed. But she persevered.
It wasn’t until her third segment that Pirro really seemed “wasted,” like maybe she’d had a cocktail or two in between segments. Her hair was askew and she started to bob around. Her guest, Lisa Booth, in that segment seemed to know what was going on, and kind of yelled at the judge to get her attention. Look below when Booth greets her with “Hey Judge!”
In the fourth segment, Pirro really unwound. She seemed to be doing a parody of Cecily Strong’s “Saturday Night Live” parody of her.
Well, it was Saturday night, and we are in a crisis, and in the end Pirro didn’t say anything more outrageous than usual. Most of her small viewing audience is already in bed, dozing off, or drunk themselves.
Beyond parody. You can actually see Jeanine Pirro putting down her drink at the top of her show tonight…which was delayed due to “technical difficulties”. pic.twitter.com/5hOC11BFtM
— ElElegante101 (@skolanach) March 29, 2020
Now, TELL ME SHE AIN'T FAILED that 12-Step Program.
Who in the Pirro family is in charge of watching her and Internventions? Where'd they go? #DrunkJeaninepic.twitter.com/UkpsJ2FhD8— Covfefe Jones- King Of Shade👑 FBR 🌊🌊 (@King_Of_Shade) March 29, 2020
Judge Jeanine Pirro was clearly drunk last night during her broadcast. Hair messed up and slurred speech. So this is what we expect from Fox News now? Racism, sexism and now drunk anchors. How professional. 🙄#SundayMorning #SundayThoughts #FireJeaninePirro pic.twitter.com/aiMnkynLhA
— Mad World (@MadddWWWorld) March 29, 2020