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Rock Hall of Fame Member Darlene Love “Disappointed” that NBC Used Younger Singer to Perform Her Signature Hit on Xmas Tree Show

Roger Friedman
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Rock Hall of Fame Member Darlene Love “Disappointed” that NBC Used Younger Singer to Perform Her Signature Hit on Xmas Tree Show

Darlene Love is mad and I don’t blame her. She posted to Facebook tonight after being unable to get NBC and Brad Lachman Productions to let her sing one of her signature songs on the Rockefeller Plaza Christmas tree lighting show. Darlene is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a true veteran superstar of real rock and roll and soul.

When Paul Shaffer and his band performed on the David Letterman show, each year he’d have Darlene on to sing “Christmas Baby, Please Come Home.” Just a few years ago, Darlene starred in the Oscar winning documentary “20 Feet from Stardom.” She also had to chase Phil Spector through the court system to get any reparations for singing most of his hits in the early 60s solo and with the Crystals.

Not having Darlene Love sing that is like not having Aretha sing “Respect” or Gladys Knight sing “Midnight Train to Georgia.” You just don’t do it.

 Here’s what she posted:

“Once again I was snubbed by Brad Lachman Productions who produce the Rockefeller Christmas Tree lighting ceremony and instead they book another artist to perform my song “Christmas Baby, Please Come Home” each year!! Such an insult and let down! They book these young artists who can’t even hit the notes properly and are off key. Makes NO sense!! That’s my song and I’m still alive. Show me some respect! My publicist has been trying for over 10 years to lock this performance down for me and they keep saying that I’m not their demo or big enough and would only book me if Bette Midler or Bruce Springsteen would do it with me. I would NEVER ask my friends to do that. If you want them, go thru their team. This business can be so unfair at times. Don’t get me wrong, I’m TRULY blessed for what I have accomplished at 78 years of age but it’s still a constant struggle to stay relevant and convince those who control the industry that I’m worth it. I’m turning off the TV. Gotta rest up for my holiday tour. Thank you to all my fans and friends who do support me. You keep my spirit happy and alive. Love, DARLENE! ❤️”

PS Darlene performs “Christmas Baby Please Come Home” on December 20th on The View. Read what she also posted:

“In the meantime, PLEASE tune in to The View on 12/20 to watch me perform MY song with a very special guest. I know some of you object to me doing The View but PLEASE just put aside your political views for me this one time. The producers at ABC treat me very well and with respect. They produce my entire segment, pay my entire band, singers and me too and cover all my expenses. Most other TV shows require ME to pay them $15,000 to $20,000 to perform. I don’t have that kind of money and not signed to a label. This is all out of my pocket so I’m very grateful for Jamie Hammer and Brian Teta who by the way was a former producer at David Letterman who helped bring me over to The View. Thank you for allowing me to vent my frustrations to all of you and Thank you listening and showing me your love and support. This will help me get a good night sleep. God bless ❤️😘

American Film Institute Issues Top 10 American Films, Panders to Crowd by Giving Korean “Parasite” Special Prize

Roger Friedman
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American Film Institute Issues Top 10 American Films, Panders to Crowd by Giving Korean “Parasite” Special Prize

The AFI kind of devalued itself today. They named their 10 best films, which are supposed to be American. And then they added Korea’s “Parasite” because it’s popular and makes them look hip. The AFI is for American films, not foreign films, no matter how much we love them.

Nine of their ten choices are good. I would not have included “Jojo Rabbit.” The AFI could have included “Bombshell,” “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” or “Two Popes,” without thinking twice. “Dolemite” would have been inspired. But this way every studio has been included except for Paramount, which had a good candidate in “Rocketman.”

On the television side, the AFI made a special prize for British entry, “Fleabag.”

This is a relatively new thing, these AFI Special Awards. Last year, it was “Roma,” also a foreign film that they knew would be nominated for Best Picture. So they bent the rules. You wonder what the producers of foreign films think who don’t have the political clout to pull this off. As for the AFI, they’ve fallen away to the issues that have haunted other awards groups to appear popular and relevant.

AFI Motion Pictures of the Year

1917
Universal

THE FAREWELL
A24

THE IRISHMAN
Netflix

JOJO RABBIT
Fox Searchlight

JOKER
Warner Bros

KNIVES OUT
Lionsgate

LITTLE WOMEN
Sony

MARRIAGE STORY
Netflix

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD
Sony

RICHARD JEWELL
Warner Bros

Special Award

PARASITE
Neon

AFI Television Programs of the Year

“Chernobyl”

“The Crown”

“Fosse/Verdon”

“Game of Thrones”

“Pose”

“Succession”

“Unbelievable”

“Veep”

“Watchmen”

“When They See Us”

Special Award: “Fleabag”

Taylor Swift’s Netflix Documentary “Miss Americana” Will Open Sundance Festival, Presumably with Barred Songs

Roger Friedman
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Taylor Swift’s Netflix Documentary “Miss Americana” Will Open Sundance Festival, Presumably with Barred Songs

Remember (so long ago now) when Taylor Swift wanted use of her songs in a Netflix documentary? Well, it’s all worked out apparently.

“Miss Americana” will open the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2020. Then it will play on Netflix sometime next year.

Press release says: “Miss Americana is a raw and emotionally revealing look at one of the most iconic artists of our time during a transformational period in her life as she learns to embrace her role not only as a songwriter and performer, but as a woman harnessing the full power of her voice.”

Uh huh. On January 23rd we’ll know if Taylor is planning on performing or appearing at the Grammys, just three days later. It would seem hard to do both, what with rehearsals for the Grammys commencing the next day, but she’s young. Anything is possible.

“Miss Americana” is directed by Lana Wilson (After Tiller, The Departure) and produced by Academy Award winner Morgan Neville (20 Feet From Stardom, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?), Academy Award winner Caitrin Rogers (20 Feet From Stardom, The Music of Strangers), and Christine O’Malley.

 

NY Film Critics Honor “The Irishman,” Antonio Banderas, Lupita Nyongo’o, Joe Pesci, Laura Dern, Plus Tarantino, Safdie Brothers

Roger Friedman
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NY Film Critics Honor “The Irishman,” Antonio Banderas, Lupita Nyongo’o, Joe Pesci, Laura Dern, Plus Tarantino, Safdie Brothers

The New York Film Critics zigged today where the National Board of Review sagged yesterday. Both groups went for “The Irishman” as Best Picture and Laura Dern as Best Supporting Actress for “Marriage Story.”

But then the NYFCC went off on its own for three of the four acting prizes. They chose Antonio Banderas from “Pain and Glory,” Lupita Nyong’o for “Us,” and Joe Pesci for “The Irishman.”

Instead of validating Martin Scorsese for “The Irishman” as Best Director, they went for Josh and Benny Safdie, whose “Uncut Gems” is like from the Scorsese school.  No doubt their speeches will be praising Scorsese.

The choice of Claire Mathon as Best Cinematographer for “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” is interesting. Clearly Roger Deakins’s work on “1917” is the best of the year. But I think the theme of this year’s NYFCC is to broaden things out. Female cinematographers are not usually honored.

And so the lists continue. “The Irishman” is building a consensus. It will be instructive to see if a rival emerges somewhere. These critics and fans (NBR) prizes usually don’t reflect the Oscars. This year may be an exception because Scorsese’s film is so damn good.

Best Film: 
The Irishman

Best Director:
Benny and Josh Safdie, Uncut Gems

Best Screenplay:
Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood

Best Actress: 
Lupita Nyong’o, Us

Best Actor: 
Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory

Best Supporting Actress:
Laura Dern, Marriage Story and Little Women

Best Supporting Actor:
Joe Pesci, The Irishman

Best Foreign Language Film:
Parasite

Best Cinematography:
Claire Mathon, Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Best Nonfiction Film:
Honeyland

Best First Film:
Atlantics (Mati Diop)

Best Animated Film:
I Lost My Body

Special Awards:
IndieCollect
Randy Newman

“Mrs. Maisel” Season 3 Gets a Glamorous New York Premiere at the Plaza Hotel, and An Album of Original Songs

Roger Friedman
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“Mrs. Maisel” Season 3 Gets a Glamorous New York Premiere at the Plaza Hotel, and An Album of Original Songs

“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” is back for season 3 and Amazon Studios pulled out all the stops last night in New York for a really big deal premiere: screening at the Museum of Modern Art, with after party at the Plaza Hotel. And they dressed the Plaza main rooms for the occasion as if the whole place were a Miami hotel where Midge was performing, complete with a live band fronted by a singer who looked like Marilyn Monroe.

Everyone was there from the cast — Rachel Brosnahan, Tony Shalhoub, Kevin Pollak, Caroline Aaron etc — as well as show’s creators Amy Sherman Palladino and Daniel Palladino. Amy joked before the screening that there would be no tension at the party since she’d worked out all her budget issues with Amazon ahead of time. It sure looked like it on screen: to film the first episode of the new season, set mostly at a USO show, the Palladinos had 850 extras dressed in Army fatigues. No expense was spared!

But the big news from Season 3 is that next Friday– one week after Amazon drops 8 hour long episodes– “Mrs. Maisel” will get a soundtrack album full of original songs from the new season. You see, Midge is going on tour with Shy Baldwin (Leroy McClain), who’s a combo of Johnny Mathis, Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke, and Nat King Cole. Baldwin has a backing group of singers a la the Shirelles, and all of them are in 7 of the 8 episodes.

So the Palladinos got a songwriting team of composer Curtis Moore and lyricist Tom Mizer to pen original tunes that sound just like they’re from 1960. McClain– who’s playing Aretha Franklin’s brother Cecil in the new “Respect”movie shooting in Atlanta– doesn’t actually sing. So Shy Baldwin’s voice is supplied by gifted Broadway singer Darius de Haas. The result is magic. Plus all the girls in the Silver Belles actually do their own singing. In one great moment, all of them let loose on the Phil Spector version of “White Christmas” on the USO stage– something you don’t want to miss.

Spoilers? I can’t say. But all the cliffhangers from the end of Season 2 are addressed  including whether Susie (Alex Borstein) will manage Sophie Lennon. Jane Lynch is in one scene of Episode 1 that is so absolutely hilarious, but you do have to see it. Lynch has already secured another Emmy for guest acting. Sadly, though, her scene is with cast member Brian Tarantina, who died last month at age 60 after finishing Season 3. Much was said about his passing. The Palladinos were obviously shaken by the loss.

So how long can this all go on? Amazon TV chief Albert Chang told me last night: “As long as Amy and Dan want to do it and have ideas for the show.” Amy told me she has no idea what happens exactly in Seasons 4 and 5, but she knows what the endgame is. So “Maisel” fans can breathe a sigh of relief.

Here’s one spoiler of interest: Emmy winner Luke Kirby is back in Episode 1 as Lenny Bruce. But we only see him one more time because Kirby — who’s finally taken off after a lot of hard work– had so many other commitments including HBO’s “The Deuce.” Dan Palladino did tell me that every word Kirby speaks as Bruce is from Lenny’s actual act. The show licenses the material. And Kitty Bruce, Lenny’s daughter, now 64 years old, loves the show.

 

Watch Here’s the Trailer for James Bond “No Time to Die,” Coming April 2020, With Explosions, Gadgets, and Rami Malek as a Slithery Villain

Roger Friedman
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Watch Here’s the Trailer for James Bond “No Time to Die,” Coming April 2020, With Explosions, Gadgets, and Rami Malek as a Slithery Villain

It’s always nice to see James Bond is back. And no, it’s no time to die, especially when this is Daniel Craig’s last turn at the wheel. This time, he’s been given a partner, apparently– a young black woman who wants to be the next James Bond. And then of course there’s Rami Malek as a slithery villain who wants to Kill James and blow up the world.

Jay Z Celebrates 50th Birthday By Putting His Recording Catalog on Spotify, Is Tidal in Trouble?

Roger Friedman
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Jay Z Celebrates 50th Birthday By Putting His Recording Catalog on Spotify, Is Tidal in Trouble?

Jay Z turned 50 at midnight and celebrated by doing something unexpected: he put his whole album catalog on Spotify for streaming. He also put it on Apple Music.

Since buying the Tidal streaming service, Jay Z had taken his music from other services and put it only on Tidal. But no one uses Tidal, or not enough to make it a competitor in the streaming world.

Has Jay Z waved the white flag? Or just accepted a simple truth. To make money off streaming himself, the self proclaimed first billionaire rapper must have his music where people can hear it.

I broke the story in March 2015 that Jay Z was buying the Swedish streaming company Aspiro and turning it into his own streaming service. He organized a meeting that included Madonna, Kanye West, Daft Punk, Nikki Minaj, Chris Martin of Coldplay, Jack White and of course, wife Beyonce. “Rihanna came in at the end,” one source said. “They all kept saying, Where is Rihanna?” At least two country music stars attended as well.

In time, the so called partners drifted away as it became clear they weren’t going to make money with newly named Tidal. Exclusivity wrecked early sales of albums by Kanye, Rihanna, and Beyonce. Their record companies were freaking out, too. So eventually only Jay Z was exclusive to Tidal.

And that seemed fine for Jay, who has a lot of businesses and wasn’t really concentrating on being a recording artist. But Jay Z at 50 has probably lost a lot of audience by staying off the main streaming services. His most recent album, according to Buzz Angle Music, called “4:44,” has sold a total of just 400,000 copies split into half streaming/half CD and paid downloads. It was released in June 2017, about two years into the launch of Tidal. Before Tidal, Jay Z used to sell in the millions.

Why today? Maybe it’s because of the 50th birthday. Or maybe Jay is getting ready to drop something new, and he wants everyone to hear it. But without his music exclusive to Tidal, the service has little reason to exist. Their main lure was hi-def music downloads. But those are available in many places now.

So happy birthday, Jay Z. And welcome back to streaming.

More Choices for Best of 2019: Director, Supporting Actor and Actress, Original and Adapted Screenplay, Score, Song

Roger Friedman
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More Choices for Best of 2019: Director, Supporting Actor and Actress, Original and Adapted Screenplay, Score, Song

Here are some more lists for the Best of 2019 as I see them, this time Best Director, Supporting Actor and Actress, Original and Adapted Screenplay, Score and Song.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

1. Laura Dern– Marriage Story

2. Kathy Bates– Richard Jewell

3. Margot Robbie– Bombshell/Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

4. Nicole Kidman– Bombshell

5. Florence Pugh– Little Women

6. Zhao Shuzhen — The Farewell

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

1. Tom Hanks– Beautiful Day

2. Al Pacino– The Irishman

3. Sam Rockwell– Richard Jewell

4. Brad Pitt– Once Upon a Time

5. Joe Pesci– The Irishman

6. Sterling K. Brown– Waves

7. Anthony Hopkins– The Two Popes

BEST DIRECTOR

1. Martin Scorsese– The Irishman

2.  Quentin Tarantino — Once Upon a Time

3. Sam Mendes-1917

4. Clint Eastwood– Richard Jewell

5. Noah Baumbach– Marriage Story

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

1. The Irishman

2. Once Upon a Time

3. Marriage Story

4. The Farewell

5. Richard Jewell

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

1. The Irishman

2. Downton Abbey

3. Just Mercy

4. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

5. Two Popes

BEST SONG

1. I’m Standing with You– Diane Warren, from “Breakthrough”

2. “Beautiful Ghosts” — Taylor Swift, from “Cats”

3. “Never Too Late”– Elton John, Bernie Taupin from “The Lion King”

4. “Stand Up” — Joshua Brian Campbell & Cynthia Erivo, “Harriet”

5. “The Song Of Names (Cantor Prayer),” Howard Shore, Jeffrey Caine, “The Song of Names” (Sony Pictures Classics)

 

BEST SCORE

1. Howard Shore, “The Song of Names”

2. Arturo Sandoval, “Richard Jewell”

3. John Lunn, “Downton Abbey”

4. Alexandre Desplat, “Little Women”

5. Alberto Iglesias, “Pain and Glory”

 

 

Exclusive: Friars Club on the Brink As Union Lawsuit Heads to Arbitration This Week, Larry King Dinner in LA Yields Few Guests

Roger Friedman
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Exclusive: Friars Club on the Brink As Union Lawsuit Heads to Arbitration This Week, Larry King Dinner in LA Yields Few Guests

The venerable Friars Club is on the brink of real disaster after several years of peril.

At the end of this week, the Club and Local 6 will meet for arbitration that could cause the club to close its doors. In recent months, I’m told, the Club has violated their union contract by shutting down operations to just three days a week. The dining room is empty for lunch and dinner. Only the bar is open regularly. So employees are being told they’re only working Tuesdays through Thursdays.

Local 6, which represents the staff, has asked for a cease and desist order to stop the Friars and general manager Michael Gyure — a recently convicted tax dodger — from laying off staff. They’re also claiming the Friars owe a huge amount of back wages.  Gyure– who is still working at the club despite plunging them into scandal and disarray– has been heard saying he would close the club if they lose the arbitration.

That last part really hinges on Gyure, whose name is pronounced “jury.” It turns out the Friars — heavily in debt and flirting with bankruptcy — aren’t even using a lawyer at the arbitration. Gyure, according to sources, is representing them. The union will have proper legal representation.

Meanwhile, the Friars Los Angeles tribute to ailing Larry King was pretty much of a bust back on November 25th.For one thing, King recently admitted in an interview to having had a stroke recently. He can’t walk, doesn’t have use of one foot. The peripatetic broadcaster is mostly confined to a wheelchair.

Insiders were shocked to see King’s likeness on a poster that was plastered around Beverly Hills with the words “I’m just getting started!” emblazoned across the middle. Even more surprising was Ted Turner’s name on the poster for the dinner since the CNN founder is very much retired from public outings.

Billed as a big soiree, it was actually a very small get together. Sources say (and photos confirm) just two celebrities showed up: singer Frankie Valli and comedian David Steinberg. Otherwise, it was just about a half dozen Friars who flew out from New York (including Gyure) and some of King’s children.

The event took place at the Crescent Hotel in Beverly Hills, which sounds impressive, but it’s, uh. not. To be pleasant, let’s say it’s a modest boutique hotel on the outskirts of the Hills. It’s not the Beverly Hills or Hilton or Wilshire. Or even the Four Seasons.

The Crescent Hotel was chosen because former Friars “Scribe” Bruce Charet, according to sources, has been living there, possibly in exchange for getting them publicity. Charet doesn’t bring a lot of positive publicity, however. Last year, he caused the Friars Club to be sued for sexual harassment by their former receptionist. The Friars lost the case and settled for just under $1 million. Charet was said to have been severed by the Club, but that isn’t the cast at all. “He arranged for the whole Larry King thing,” I’m told. Charet’s name was on the poster even with Turner’s as “Executive Producer.”

The sad part of this is that the Friars Club, with so much great history, is being destroyed by the people running it. And no one seems able to stop them.

“The Irishman,” Tarantino Top Sketchy National Board of Review Along with Adam Sandler, Renee Zellweger, Brad Pitt, Kathy Bates

Roger Friedman
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“The Irishman,” Tarantino Top Sketchy National Board of Review Along with Adam Sandler, Renee Zellweger, Brad Pitt, Kathy Bates

The incredibly irrelevant National Board of Review has made its choices for this year. This is a group of fans who pay hefty membeship fees. Their leader, Annie Schulhof, makes the final decisions with a secret committee based on who they like, which studio will pay for tables at their annual gala and supply talent. Most of their choices this year are ok, but Adam Sandler as best actor is a…stretch. But that’s a long story about Schulhof’s connection to indie A24. The NBR went big time on Netflix but didn’t include “Two Popes,” one of the best movies of any year. That’s because they had to include A24’s “Uncut Gems” and “Waves” instead. Schulhof is tiresomely predictable. She even threw in “The Souvenir.” I’m surprised no “Lighthouse” or “Farewell.”

 

Best Film: THE IRISHMAN
Best Director: Quentin Tarantino, ONCE UPON A TIME…IN HOLLYWOOD
Best Actor: Adam Sandler, UNCUT GEMS
Best Actress: Renée Zellweger, JUDY
Best Supporting Actor: Brad Pitt, ONCE UPON A TIME…IN HOLLYWOOD
Best Supporting Actress: Kathy Bates, RICHARD JEWELL
Best Original Screenplay: Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie, Ronald Bronstein, UNCUT GEMS
Best Adapted Screenplay: Steven Zaillian, THE IRISHMAN
Breakthrough Performance: Paul Walter Hauser, RICHARD JEWELL
Best Directorial Debut: Melina Matsoukas, QUEEN & SLIM
Best Animated Feature: HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD
Best Foreign Language Film: PARASITE
Best Documentary: MAIDEN
Best Ensemble: KNIVES OUT
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: Roger Deakins, 1917
NBR Icon Award: Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: FOR SAMA
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: JUST MERCY

Top Films (in alphabetical order)

1917
Dolemite is My Name
Ford v Ferrari
Jojo Rabbit
Knives Out
Marriage Story
Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
Richard Jewell
Uncut Gems
Waves

Top 5 Foreign Language Films (in alphabetical order)

Atlantics
Invisible Life
Pain and Glory
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Transit

Top 5 Documentaries (in alphabetical order)

American Factory
Apollo 11
The Black Godfather
Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese
Wrestle

Top 10 Independent Films (in alphabetical order)

The Farewell
Give Me Liberty
A Hidden Life
Judy
The Last Black Man in San Francisco
Midsommar
The Nightingale
The Peanut Butter Falcon
The Souvenir
Wild Rose

 

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