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Frozen 2: Disney Fans Can’t Let it Go as Sequel Has Boffo $120 Mil Weekend, Hanks “Mr. Rogers” Movie Opens Nicely

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It’s a Frozen day in the neighborhood. That’s because Disney’s “Frozen 2″ opened on Friday with $41.8 million, including Thursday previews. With a big surge on Saturday as kids are parked in theaters all day,”Frozen 2” should make $120 million for the weekend. It’s a franchise, not a movie, and it’s cheaper than baby sitting.

In the real world of cinema, Tom Hanks’s Mister Rogers movie, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” opened nicely with just $4.5 million on Friday. This one is a long haul release which will grow with time and awards news. Marielle Heller’s movie is excellent, and deserves a big audience. Let’s let it simmer over the Thanksgiving weekend, etc.

“Charlie’s Angels” is just not attracting any audience. It made $970,000 last night. Total so far $11.7 million. Total write off. Internationally, the total is $33 million. Even foreign audiences don’t know what’s going on.

More tomorrow…

Michael Jackson Estate Pushing Their Luck with Broadway Musical and a Big Screen Movie That Attempts to Explain King of Pop’s Later Life

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I was willing to let the Michael Jackson estate have a go at a Broadway musical that covered the King of Pop’s 20s and 30s, ending with the 1980s and his tremendous successes. Stopping there was a smart idea, since the hits from the 90s aren’t so iconic. And that way they could avoid all discussion of child molestation accusations, payoffs, and Michael’s descent into a Howard Hughes-like capriciousness.

But now comes word that producer Graham King and screenwriter John Logan are going to attempt a movie biography that encompasses Michael’s entire life. This is a mistake. This is called pushing your luck.

Now the Estate is asking for trouble. Michael’s life and behavior post 1990 is a rollercoaster ride of scandals, tabloid headlines, inexplicable marriages, uncomfortable explanations about business and personal relationships, and so on. Does the Estate really want to recount the endless managers and bad business deals, the Neverland children, the payoffs to families– even if they are shakedowns–etc?

That movie can’t be whitewashed. Critics will weigh in across the board and the movie will be a waste of money. Once Logan sketches it out he’ll see the problems. Does he really want to explain all the plastic surgery? The “marriages”?

And then, of course, there’s the ongoing litigation with Wade Robson and Jimmy Safechuck. It’s not even resolved, and the Estate is thumbing its nose at them. Wouldn’t be better to let that all subside? Jackson’s record sales are good, the musical can be fun. But a supposed serious movie that tells all truths? There’s no way that can work out.

Clint Eastwood’s “Richard Jewell” is a Jewel of a Film, a Grand Flourish for the 90 Years Young Director

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A friend of mine called this morning who’d seen Clint Eastwood’s Richard Jewell last night in Hollywood. She knew I was seeing it this morning in New York. “It’s going to upset your apple cart of an Oscar list,” she said.

She was right. Eastwood, at 90, has made a jewel of a film in “Richard Jewell,” a real masterclass in filmmaking. Eastwood will have to be nominated for Best Director. The screenplay and music (by Arturo Sandoval) will have to be nominated. And the actors, the actors now roll right into the top 5 in their respective categories. Paul Walter Hauser is the most unlikely leading man as Jewell. Sam Rockwell, now on a run, goes into Best Supporting Actor. Kathy Bates in Supporting Actress.

But I would be remiss if I left out Olivia Wilde, Jon Hamm, Ian Gomez and the great Nina Arianda, who plays the whole movie with a Russian accent as if she never left Moscow.

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Richard Jewell, dead since 2007, was falsely accused by everyone– the media, the FBI, the Atlanta Journal Constitution– of planting a bomb that blew up at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. For a month in the summer of 96 he was Public Enemy Number 1 until no case could be made besides anecdotal supposition. A year later the real bomber was found, but Jewell’s name was ruined.

There is already the outbreak of a scandal surrounding this movie because in the film an Atlanta Journal female reporter (Wilde, perfection) sleeps with the head of the local FBI office (Jon Hamm in his best work since “Mad Men”) to get Jewell’s name for a scoop. The AJC is furious, insisting this never happened. Frankly it doesn’t matter. This is the usual Oscar campaign mud thrown when a possible Best Picture appears on the scene and threatens the apple cart. Please, please ignore it.

Now keep in mind that filming began five months ago, in June of this year. And the movie is finished. Eastwood was beginning his 90th year (he actually turns 90 next May). His late career directing has been something astonishing. From highlights like  “Unforgiven” to “American Sniper,” “Mystic River,” “Million Dollar Baby,” “The Mule,” to “Gran Torino,” this is an undeniable resume of classics. Even the ones that didn’t quite work remain watchable and underrated.

Until recently, Eastwood also wrote his own scores, or worked on them with his son. For “The Mule,” he tapped Sandoval who returns here with a gorgeous soundtrack that sounds like Clint wrote it. It’s just as good.

Eastwood plays with the idea of American heroes and anti-heroes in his films. Certainly he’s humanized Jewell miraculously, just the way he made Captain Sullenberger in “Sully” into a three dimensional figure. Jewell isn’t handsome or smart, he’s not glib or literate. But with Billy Ray’s banger of a screenplay he builds Jewell into a massively sympathetic, likable hero. What’s the secret? That the people on Jewell’s side– at least in the movie– all like him. So we like him.

The movie is based on a 1997 magazine article by Marie Brenner, and another book by two reporters. Were they completely factual? I guess we’ll find out soon as every complaint will be brought forward. Is the movie factual? Again, as soon as someone says, that’s not what happened, put your fingers in your ears. This is a dramatization of the facts, it’s not a documentary. And we’re so lucky to have it, and to still have Eastwood with his economical, no- nonsense style.

 

Listen! Paul McCartney Has Dropped Two New Surprise Tracks, “Home Tonight” and “In a Hurry,” A Sequel to “She’s Leaving Home” and “Another Day”

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Paul McCartney has dropped two new surprise tracks, “Home Tonight” and “In a Hurry.” Paul, 77, is supposed to be writing a Broadway musical, has been touring, had a long new album out last year. But he never stops. And we’re lucky for that. And guess what? They’re really good, of course. He must dream melodies. Or as McCartney said to Stephen Colbert recently, “Maybe I am a genius.”

Both songs are from the “Egypt Station” sessions and produced by Greg Kurstin, the busiest producer right now and most successful. They should have been on album, frankly. “In a Hurry” is sort of a mini masterpiece, and sounds like a sequel to “She’s Leaving Home” and “Another Day.” Listen to all three together. The other piece of that song chain might be “Daytime Nighttime Suffering.”

“Home Tonight” is a concise, perfect little pop rocker, better than a lot of “Egypt Station” and a perfect single if we still had those. I’m sure the Sirius Beatles channel will be playing these, and I’d love to hear them in New York on Q104.3.

Donald Trump Jr Fake “Bestseller” Starts to Fall on Charts After Two Weeks, Reveal of Massive Purchases by Republic National Committee

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Donald Trump Jr.’s “best seller,” is falling like a rock after two weeks on the top of the book charts.

“Triggered,” which is not a reference to Roy Rogers’ horse, is number 70 today at Barnes & Noble.com It’s number 16 on amazon.com.

But for two weeks “Triggered” was unaccountably at the top of the charts. It’s number 1 on the New York Times list, which lags behind by two weeks. It’s still number 5 on USA Today.

Today the Times reports how Trump Jr. gamed amazon and their own list. On the Times best seller list there’s a little dagger sign next to “Triggered” indicating there have been large bulk sales of the book. It turns out they come from the Republican National Committee, if not other groups. The RNC, the Times says, spent $94,800 buying “Triggered” from a wholesaler called BooksaMillion.

According to BookScan, “Triggered” has sold more than 116,000 copies as of November 16th. But six days have passed since that time, and now the bulk sales purchase is wearing off. “Triggered” sales on Barnes & Noble.com are already dropping fast. On amazon, you can see that Elton John’s “Me” and Michelle Obama’s “Becoming” are now ahead of it in real time.

One chart the RNC and Trump Jr can’t manipulate as easily is the Kindle and e book one. There, “Triggered” is at number 425. Even if there was a concerted effort at the beginning to buy e book downloads of “Triggered,” that is fading as well.

Meantime, amazon has also been gamed in their review section. There are currently 321 reviews of “Triggered.” Nearly all of them are five-star and read the same way: “Best book ever written.”

 

 

 

Taylor Swift Saga: Justin Bieber Manager Scooter Braun Posts Note to Pop Star: “I’m still hopeful we can fix this”

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Scooter Braun, who made a fortune managing Justin Bieber, is the guy who bought Taylor Swift’s former record company, Big Machine. Taylor Swift’s fans have targeted him, he says, as the villain in this saga of ownership of Swift’s master recordings. He essentially became a partner with Taylor’s former boss, Scott Borchetta. With the heat on, Braun has posted a note to Swift on Instagram after receiving, he says, threats at home.

Is it a note of conciliation? It reads a little passive aggressive. It sounds like he’s blaming Taylor for the threats, for not speaking up again since them. And why isn’t this being handled by their high powered attorneys? Why is it being negotiated on social media? Very peculiar.

Taylor’s response is going to come Sunday on the American Music Awards. She’s very clever. Will she break into “Give Peace a Chance”? We’ll see…

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U2 Heads to India on Tour, Drops New Single Called “Ahimsa,” Collaboration with Slumdog Millionaire Composer

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The word ‘ahimsa” means non-violence in Sanskrit. It’s the title of U2’s new single, a collaboration with “Slumdog Millionaire” composer A.R. Rahman. The group is on a tour of Australia, New Zealand, the Phillipines, Japan, South Korea, and Mumbai, so the timing is perfect. We can look forward to a new U2 album in 2020.

Me, I approve. I love hearing new music from U2.

Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real Rock the House at Cipriani Wall Street for Cancer Research Fund

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Here’s a case where the tail wags the dog. I went down to Cipriani Wall Street last night for one of the Samuel Waxman Foundation’s many successful cancer research fundraisers. They’re an outstanding organization, and they also like to have a musical act at their events.

Last night’s act was a little unusual, not a disco band or oldies act or beloved rock star from the 70s. This time it was Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real. Lukas is the 30 year old son of Willie Nelson who is in so much demand that he and the Promise back up Neil Young on the road. And when they don’t do that, Lukas is writing songs with Lady Gaga.

The Promise consists of Anthony LoGerfo. Tato Melgar, Corey McCormick, and Logan Metz. They are a ferociously talented band. I saw them play a year ago with Neil at Port Chester’s Capitol Theater and it has become a memorable night. I saw Lukas and brother Micah play with daddy Willie last February at the Grammys Producers & Engineers Wing tribute to Willie in L.A., and again, they were beyond top notch.

The group has a new album out in 2019 called “Turn off the News (Build a Garden)” on Concord Records that should have nominated for multiple Grammys. It should be on the top of the charts. If you like the Lumineers or Mumford & Sons or the Allman Brothers or Neil Young, this is your music. It’s country blues flavored rock, but it’s more than that. Like the Allmans, the Promise can flex in any direction. They carry not only a great drummer but also a percussionist. When they broke into Paul Simon’s “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” live last night, my jaw dropped. It was spectacular.

All the musicians are virtuosos, but Lukas — with his long brown hair and cowboy hat– is the star. He is a gifted guitarist who can make that thing sing. He’s a also damn fine singer. Sometimes he sounds like a young Willie Nelson, but he’s got other timbres in that throat that produce some colors even Willie never had. Lukas has a surprising R&B falsetto, too, that Don Henley would appreciate. I wouldn’t mind hearing him take on “One of these Nights” or “Take it to the Limit” just for fun.

The band played a number of songs from the album that I really loved including one– “Bad Case”– that should be a hit if radio still wanted them. Some other songs, like “Find Yourself” and “Georgia,” I wouldn’t mind hearing on here in New York on Q104.3. They could go back and rediscover a winner like “Set Me Down Like a Cloud.”

So yes, support the Samuel Waxman Foundation this end of the year. They are helping to find cures for cancer. And the music ain’t bad. You can sing along while you write the check.

Good News for Soaps for a Change: “Days of our Lives” Renewed for 56th Year, Jane Elliot Returning to “General Hospital” for the Holidays

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Good news for soaps despite lackluster ratings and crazy rumors.

NBC, Sony TV and Corday Productions are ironing out a deal for “Days of Our Lives” to keep going. They just had their 54th anniversary, and now they’ll hit 55. (It will be the 56th season.) In the last couple of weeks, “Days” released its cast and announced an indefinite hiatus, which made a lot of people think they were cancelled. But really, what would NBC replace it with that wouldn’t irk the remaining 2 million fans? The answer: nothing. So they’re safe again, to tell stories of amnesia, paralysis, and switched babies. God bless.

At ABC, “General Hospital” ratings have been dismal, and there’s been no sign of life in a while. So somehow they got former long time star Jane Elliot to return for the holidays as Tracy Quartermaine. She’s been with the show on and off since 1978. All I remember is that when I was in college, she left her father for dead when he was having a heart attack. So a family reunion seems just about right. No word on how long she’ll stay. Eliot “retired” a couple of years ago at age 70 but she must be bored. She’ll stir things up and maybe get the ratings going.

New Twist in Taylor Swift Story: She Can Sing Even New Songs Now that Grammys Snubbed Her for Best Album

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Somehow, Taylor Swift really came out on top in this whole push pull thing with the American Music Awards.

Leading up to the Grammy Awards, it seemed like Taylor was in a bind. She couldn’t sing old songs on the AMAs because of her legal conflict. She couldn’t sing new songs from her “Lover” album because the Grammys– everyone thought– were going to restrain her from doing the same songs on both shows.

But then the Grammy nominations yesterday were a big surprise. They snubbed “Lover” except for the title track. Swift was left out of Album and Record of the Year. It was quite dumbfounding. I– and many others– expected her to get Album, Song, Record (for “Lover ” or “You Better Calm Down”). But she was left with just best song (“Lover”) and best pop solo performance.

This was akin to Justin Timberlake’s big snub a few years ago for his “20/20” album. There’s a good chance Taylor won’t even perform on the Grammys. She may have an Oscar nomination for her “Cats” song, and wait to appear on that program instead. Ouch!

So this Sunday, Swift could perform anything she likes on the AMAs. After all that sturm and drang, Swift could sing any or all of the “Lover” songs. So far, sources say, they don’t know what she’s settled on. But it’s sure to be a big deal and the cause for huge ratings.

We wait and see…