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Madonna Calls Herself On Instagram “a broken doll held together with tape and glue,” Asia Argento Isn’t Sympathetic

Roger Friedman
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Madonna Calls Herself On Instagram “a broken doll held together with tape and glue,” Asia Argento Isn’t Sympathetic

Madonna starts the week in Paris still not done with her injury and cancellation plagued Madame X tour. She fell during Saturday night’s show, and cancelled the Sunday show. She’s supposed to return to the stage there on Tuesday. And then she has to get through six more shows. The tour ends on March 11th in Paris. Will Madonna make it to the end? Given the 14 shows she’s cancelled since this whole started last September, it’s doubtful.

In her latest Instagram post she calls herself “a broken doll held together with tape and glue.” Here’s a sick-funny PS: actress Asia Argento responded on Instagram with this message to Madonna: “So sorry I will be in Paris anyway (my ticket’s for the 3rd) love you and send you strength. Bless you, you powerful human alien goddess” Argento — who accused Harvey Weinstein of rape and miscellaneous sexual improprieties– has been laying low since the suicide of boyfriend Anthony Bourdain and the scandals that followed. Does she mean she doesn’t care that Madonna’s in pain, she’s coming anyway on the 3rd, so get it together? Argento, who was caught making out with an Italian boyfriend by the tabloids right before Bourdain took his life, isn’t a sympathetic person.

“Here I Am——Flesh and Blood If only knees didn’t twist and cartilage didn’t tear and nothing hurt and tears never fell out of our eyes………But alas they do and Thank God for this important reminder that we are human. I Fell 2 nights ago on stage when a chair was literally pulled out from underneath me by mistake and I landed on the floor on my tail bone. I made it thru the show last night but just barely because I hate disappointing. However today even I can see that this broken doll held together with tape and glue, needs to stay in bed and rest for a few days so she can finish the tour with a smile on her face and in one piece. ❌ Thank You for your understanding Paris! #madamextheatre”

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Here I Am——Flesh and Blood If only knees didn’t twist and cartilage didn’t tear and nothing hurt and tears never fell out of our eyes………But alas they do and Thank God for this important reminder that we are human. I Fell 2 nights ago on stage when a chair was literally pulled out from underneath me by mistake and I landed on the floor on my tail bone. I made it thru the show last night but just barely because I hate disappointing. However today even I can see that this broken doll held together with tape and glue, needs to stay in bed and rest for a few days so she can finish the tour with a smile on her face and in one piece. ❌ Thank You for your understanding Paris! #madamextheatre

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Box Office Update: “Invisible Man” Was Seen! Horror Film Takes $29 Mil Weekend, “Parasite” Crosses $50 Mil

Roger Friedman
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0
Box Office Update: “Invisible Man” Was Seen! Horror Film Takes $29 Mil Weekend, “Parasite” Crosses $50 Mil

Peggy Olson has really made a name for herself since leaving Sterling Cooper Draper!

Elisabeth Moss graduated from “Mad Men” to “The Handmaid’s Tale” on television and got a lot of awards and buzz. But now she has the number 1 movie of the weekend with “The Invisible Man.”

The horror film from Universal Pictures had a $29 million opening weekend, while scooping up another $20 million internationally. Peggy can afford to move out of her leaky apartment at last. Good for her!

There has to be a sequel, no? In the next one, Moss is invisible (like the original) and wrecks havoc. Then in the last part of the trilogy, everyone is invisible!

Elsewhere at the box office: “Parasite” has crossed the $50 million line. The Oscar winner for Best Picture is the most successful foreign film, international film, subtitled film, whatever you want to call it. For Neon Pictures, it’s a capper on a great season. I’m hearing “Parasite” is so happy, it’s thinking of changing its name back to its Korean name, “Gisaengchung”!

Remembering Nick Apollo Forte, aka Lou Canova, from One of Woody Allen’s Best Movies, “Broadway Danny Rose”

Roger Friedman
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Remembering Nick Apollo Forte, aka Lou Canova, from One of Woody Allen’s Best Movies, “Broadway Danny Rose”

Earlier this week, Nick Apollo Forte passed away at age 81. A great lounge singer, particularly on cruises, Nick appeared in just one movie. He memorably played lounge singer Lou Canova in one of Woody Allen’s classic comedies, “Broadway Danny Rose.” Watch the clip below. He sang two of his own songs, “Agita,” and “Mio Bambino.” If there had been social media back then, Nick would have skyrocketed. He explains what happened here in this 2012 interview.

Nick died in Waterbury, Connecticut, surrounded by family. PS I wonder what happened to all of Danny Rose’s other “clients” from that movie? They were wonderful. Also, look for Milton Berle in the clip.

Exclusive: FDA Issued Dire Warning Letter to Major Radio Advertiser Balance of Nature Last August

Roger Friedman
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Exclusive: FDA Issued Dire Warning Letter to Major Radio Advertiser Balance of Nature Last August

If you listen to AM radio, particularly in New York, vitamin supplement Balance of Nature is a ubiquitous presence. The company blankets radio stations with short ads and really long ones, leasing time for half hour infomercials seemingly on every station.

But what you don’t know is that back on August 20th, 2019, the FDA issued a dire warning letter to Balance of Nature. Basically, this is snake oil, and it’s sold by a snake oil salesman. “Doctor” Douglas Howard is in fact not a medical doctor, but has a certificate as chiropractor. He has no actual medical training. And yet Balance of Nature is presented as a cure for many diseases and conditions.

That Balance of Nature does make outrageous claims is only part of the FDA’s warning. The other part is that the stuff doesn’t work. It doesn’t do anything. Its combination of “fruits and vegetables” is ridiculous.

Dr. Ronald Hoffman, a long time radio doctor, says on his website: “Research indicates that the benefits of whole fruits and vegetables cannot be distilled down into a pill. Many of the health effects may be mediated by the impact of substantial portions of healthy fibers and associated phytochemicals on fostering a favorable intestinal microbiome, thus affecting metabolism, immunity, and even mood.”

The FDA warns: “…the products have been prepared, packed, or held under conditions that do not meet the Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) requirements for dietary supplement…You failed to implement a system of production and process controls to ensure the quality of the dietary supplement and that the dietary supplement is packaged and labeled as specified in the master manufacturing record, as required by 21 CFR 111.55. Specifically, you have not established and implemented a system of production and process controls.”

The FDA letter to Balance of Nature states that the company makes dozens of claims about its products. They are all “misbranded.” The letter reads, in sum: “Your products are not generally recognized as safe and effective…”

Included in the FDA claims in the Warning Letter are citations from Balance of Nature’s YouTube channel. Since the letter, some of those YouTube videos– which implied that their products could cure MS, among other things– have been cleaned up. But the radio shows and ads appear not have been changed. One that I caught this morning claimed “cancer is preventable.”

You’ve been warned.

Balance of Nature products expensive, of course, averaging around $50 a bottle. An apple, orange, and banana cost around $3 at fruit vendors in Manhattan.

The FDA tells Balance of Nature: “You failed to establish and follow written procedures for the responsibilities of the quality control operations, including written procedures for conducting a material review and making a disposition decision, and for approving or rejecting any reprocessing, as required by 21 CFR 111.103 and 21 CFR 111.140(b)(1).  Specifically, you do not have written procedures for responsibilities of the quality control operations and you do not document any of the required quality control operations for the processes you perform, such as approval of contract manufacturers, approval of raw material suppliers, approval of formulations, and approval of labels.”

So far, there is no follow up, and the FDA has not posted an update.

 

 

Oh, the Horror! “Invisible Man” Aims at $30 Mil Weekend as Niche Movie is One of 10 Hits Already in 2020

Roger Friedman
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Oh, the Horror! “Invisible Man” Aims at $30 Mil Weekend as Niche Movie is One of 10 Hits Already in 2020

The only thing really selling right now in movie theaters is horror. Yes, you can say it: “Oh the horror!”

“Invisible Man” directed by Leigh Wannell and starring Elisabeth Moss, a twist on the original sci-fi movie, has made $10 million since Thursday night. The Universal feature could earn as much as $30 million by Sunday night, $25 million on the low end. This “Invisible Man” is loosely based on H.G. Wells’s classic novel. (It has nothing to do with Ralph Ellison’s much more important classic novel of the same name.)

Coming in June: “Candyman,” from the newly reconstituted MGM, a sequel to the 1992 film. Anticipation from horror fans is off the charts. It’s co-written by Jordan Peele, director of “Get Out” and “Us,” and a new horror impresario.

But get this: there have already been 10 horror films in general release this year, which is only two months’ long. They were ranked on Twitter by film writer Ed Douglas: 1. The Invisible Man 2. The Lodge 3. Underwater 4. Fantasy Island 5. Color Out of Space 6. Come to Daddy 7. Gretel and Hansel 8. The Grudge 9. Brahms: The Boy II 10. The Turning

Two of them, “Invisible Man” and “Fantasy Island” come from Blumhouse, Jason Blum’s very smart horror factory. In two weeks, on Friday the 13th, they’ll release “The Hunt.” That’s the film that was originally pulled from the schedule but is now back, barring any tragic big scale shootings in the news.

Boo? Boo hoo. Blum, Peele, and all these other producers are crying all the way to the bank!

“Les Miserables” Is Best Picture, Roman Polanski Wins Best Director, Screenplay at the Cesar Awards, with His “An Officer and a Spy”: Will We Ever See It?

Roger Friedman
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“Les Miserables” Is Best Picture, Roman Polanski Wins Best Director, Screenplay at the Cesar Awards, with His “An Officer and a Spy”: Will We Ever See It?

Roman Polanski is cleaning up at the French version of the Oscars, aka the Cesar Awards. His “An Officer and a Spy” has gotten him Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Polanski is not at the ceremony in Paris because he felt his presence would cause a “lynching.” He remains in the shadow of his 1978 US rape case, despite the “victim,” Samantha Geimer, begging everyone to let it go already. Polanski was also recently accused of sexual malfeasance by another woman who stayed quiet for 40 years.

Nevertheless, he is a great artist who has made tremendous movies.

Polanski lost Best Picture to director Ladj Li’s “Les Miserables,” one of the best films of the last year in any language.

Will we ever see “An Officer and a Spy”? I don’t know if any distributor is brave enough to show it, thinking there will be idiotic protests. Same for Woody Allen’s “A Rainy Day in New York,” a terrific comedy. We live now in an era of censorship and “cancel” if anyone goes against the new conventional wisdom. I never thought we’d go backwards like this, but we have.

Best actress went to Anaîs Demoustier, for “Alice and the Mayor.” Best actor to Roschdy Zem for “Oh Mercy!”

“Parasite,” won Best Foreign Language Film.

 

CBS Cleans Prime Time House as “Hawaii Five-O” Cancelled After 10 Years, Joins “Madame Secretary,” “Criminal Minds”

Roger Friedman
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CBS Cleans Prime Time House as “Hawaii Five-O” Cancelled After 10 Years, Joins “Madame Secretary,” “Criminal Minds”

CBS is cleaning house. Newish chief David Nevins is sweeping out the old and maybe bringing in the new. Who knows?

But for now, “Hawaii Five-O,” the reboot of the 1970s action series, is toast after 10 years. The network isn’t saying why, but it’s likely a question of costs. The star, Alex O’Loughlin, has been saying he wanted to leave for a long time, especially during pay negotiations.

This edition of “Hawaii Five-O” ran a decade, two years shorter than the original. Was it any good? I always say, these shows are like wallpaper on TV. No one talks about them. They just fill time. I’m sure it was great. I had a show like that in the 80s, “Trapper John, MD.”

Nevins has also ushered out “Madame Secretary” and “Criminal Minds.” What will replace these shows? Other things that are similar, but different. Possibly another “FBI” or “NCIS.” Or both. Whatever it is will feel familiar, won’t be edgy, or innovative, and won’t be nominated for Emmy Awards. Do I sound cynical? Can you imagine if broadcast TV tried something interesting? All the cats and dogs would go running from the living room.

“Hawaii Five O” was never as good as its theme music. Classic.

 

Exclusive: The Beatles 50th Anniversary “Let it Be” Project Will Come in the Fall, Not this May on the Actual Dates

Roger Friedman
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Exclusive: The Beatles 50th Anniversary “Let it Be” Project Will Come in the Fall, Not this May on the Actual Dates

For everyone who’s been waiting and wondering about the Beatles’ 50th anniversary of “Let it Be,” we have to let it be for now.

The actual anniversary of the album’s release is May 8th, and the Michael Lindsay-Hogg movie came out on May 13, 1970.

But I’m told the whole 50th anniversary celebration will occur in the fall, not this spring. There are two reasons.

One reason is that no work has been done yet on the mixing, remixing and so on of the original album, the original movie’s soundtrack, or the Peter Jackson documentary. The mixing sessions are set for this July. It shouldn’t take too long. At this point Giles Martin and his crew know exactly what they’re doing.

The other reason is that all these expensive packages will be aimed at a holiday release. They’re a waste of time in May for Apple Records and for retailers. If they come in October, they’ll be part of the Christmas shopping madness. It makes more sense all around.

Hey, we’ve waited this long. Another few months won’t hurt anyone!

PS If there are any abrupt changes, we’ll be on it.

 

Pamela Anderson, Freshly Unmarried from Jon Peters, Posts Julian Assange Plea: “My friend is not a terrorist. He is anti-terror”

Roger Friedman
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Pamela Anderson, Freshly Unmarried from Jon Peters, Posts Julian Assange Plea: “My friend is not a terrorist. He is anti-terror”

Pamela Anderson is back making headlines. Following her 11 day marriage to producer Jon Peters, Pam has posted a lovely portrait taken of her and Wikileaks’ Julian Assange, to Instagram. She writes:

“Why  is nobody  covering extradition trial  here in America @cnn @msnbc @foxnews
The outcome  of this trial effects all of us #julianassange is the Trojan horse … #nowar #freedom #democracy Don’t be afraid.  Don’t be controlled. Be strong. 💪
My friend is not a terrorist. He is anti terror .”

Pamela makes a point, although she uses the homonym for “effects.” She means “affects.”

Assange is on trial in London. He was indicted on 17 counts of violating the Espionage Act for his role in obtaining and publishing secret military and diplomatic documents and he could face as many as 175 years in prison if found guilty on all charges. Pamela is already in contact with local bakeries about cakes with files in them. MMMM!

 

“Law & Order” Producer Dick Wolf is the King of TV: “SVU” and Chicago Shows Renewed for Three More Seasons

Roger Friedman
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“Law & Order” Producer Dick Wolf is the King of TV: “SVU” and Chicago Shows Renewed for Three More Seasons

Well, Dick Wolf is the King of TV, there’s no disputing it.

Yesterday, NBC renewed all his shows, starting with “Law & Order: SVU,” which will now soldier on for three more years, through Season 24. Undoubtedly, they will go to the 25th season, setting all kinds of records. My old friend Warren Leight breathed new life into the show this year, and Mariska Hargitay et al have really cemented themselves into the culture. They are superstars.

NBC also renewed for three years “Chicago PD,” “Chicago Fire,” and “Chicago Med.” “Chicago PD” has already been on for 7 seasons. Jason Beghe‘s career was completely resuscitated by that show, and now look at him. It’s great news.

At CBS, Wolf has two “FBI” shows. Exclusively, sources tell me there’s a third one cooking on the back burner, and it may be announced for the fall. Wolf is going to spin out “FBI” shows like “NCIS” or “CSI,” for every city.

All of this comes after the great success of the original “Law & Order” (20 seasons), plus “Criminal Intent,” both of which can be seen in endless reruns on cable TV. Wolf has had an occasional failure, but not enough to talk about. So stay tuned.

 

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