Support independent journalism, free from the trades and other publications that are part of the tinsel town machine.
For 12 years, Showbiz411.com has been covering Hollywood, Broadway, the music business and the business of celebrity. Ads are our main source of funding, but contributions (not tax exempt) from readers who enjoy the scoops, exclusives, and fact based reports are always welcome and very appreciated. To inquire about ads, email us at showbiz411@gmail.com.
I don’t understand anything about how Miley Cyrus’s career is handled.
She made a “visual album” that looks from the trailer to be incomprehensible. It will be shown at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 6th, and then get a one night only release on June 12th in theaters (June 27th international).
Then I guess it goes to streaming or YouTube.
The movie is called “Something Beautiful,” and it accomanpies an album of the same name due May 30th.
There are 13 songs on the new album, which follows up her massive hit, “Flowers.” Four of the songs have already been released, and they bombed. Too bad because two of them — “More to Lose” and “End of the World” — could have been hits. Alas, they’ve fallen to numbers 98 and 99 on iTunes.
“More to Lose” was originally promoted on Miley’s social media with just her and the piano. It was beautiful. But when it was released, the production was so horrendous that it was unlistenable. Miley’s gorgeous voice was drowned out by really loud strings. Ugh. A big disappointment!
I wish she could go back and fix this before the album comes out. But it feels like “Something Beautiful” is going to be something not so good.
Famed art dealer Larry Gagosian is about to become a bookseller.
Legendary BookHampton bookstore in East Hampton is now his according to its owner, Carolyn Brody. After a long, glorious run, Brody is retiring. Gagosian has an incredible home in East Hampton, and of course, sells art books in his galleries — along with Picasso’s, Schnabels, etc.
BookHampton survives, which is most important. It’s a mecca for the A listers in town and tony visitors who need beach reads.
By the way, there’s an independent book store in every Hampton — South, Sag Harbor, even on Shelter Island — and they are each beloved by their customers!
Here’s Carolyn’s letter to customers:
Dear Reader,
I write today with exciting news about the future of BookHampton! As many of you know, last fall, I decided it was time for me to find the next steward of the bookstore. I opened the store in May 2016, writing then in my very first Dear Reader that it had been a childhood dream to open a bookstore, to live more deeply in the world of books and reading. I felt strongly that I couldn’t live in a place without a bookstore. Indeed, I feel the same way today, perhaps more so.
I’m immensely proud of what we’ve accomplished together in the past nine years. I’ve been heartened by your support, well-wishes, and loyalty. Owning BookHampton has been one of the most satisfying and exciting experiences of my life. It has been an honor and a privilege to be part of this world.
Now with great fanfare, I’m delighted to share the good news that Larry Gagosian is the new owner of BookHampton. Larry, a longtime resident of East Hampton, is equally passionate about books and bookstores. He plans for the store to remain a general interest bookstore, although I am sure we can expect expanded offerings of art and design books! I feel confident that he will carry BookHampton into the future, while preserving and protecting its almost 50-year legacy.
In Larry, I believe I’ve found someone who will bring energy, commitment, vision, and resources to ensure that BookHampton will remain an integral part of the dynamic East Hampton retail environment. I welcome him wholeheartedly and wish him much success! I consider this a win for the Village of East Hampton and the East End. In the face of strong market pressure, an independent bookstore will remain on Main Street. Not a small feat!
Just as a book concludes with acknowledgements, I’d like to thank those who have made BookHampton such a beloved and vibrant place over the past nine years:
you, our loyal customers, whose support has meant everything to me and our booksellers our terrific staff (past and present) — some of the best booksellers any independent bookstore could wish for the many authors who have graciously given their time, words, and personalities to our sought-after events the East Hampton community partnerships whose collaboration and camaraderie have strengthened us all our operating partner, RJ Julia Booksellers, for whom I do not have enough words to express my deep and heartfelt gratitude. They got us launched and shared the journey. BookHampton would not be BookHampton without them! our landlord, the Eastman family, who has enabled us to remain in the heart of the village at 41 Main Street, recognizing the important role that bookstores play in communities, and for investing in and envisioning our little neighborhood as a lively public square. and everyone else — especially those who have provided me with wise counsel, kind words, and good wishes. You know who you are!
In closing, I usually say, “See you in the store.” This will remain true — perhaps not quite as often and not from behind the counter. I’ll miss you. But, like so many of you, I look forward to being a steady and loyal customer. How could I not? It would be nearly impossible for me to break a lifetime habit of reading and seeking out bookstores! With heartfelt thanks,
Tonight comes Abel Tesfaye’s film, “Hurry Up Tomorrow.” It debuts on Rotten Tomatoes at 17%, totally rotten.
Lionsgate had held reviews until the very last minute lest aka the Weeknd has a tsunami of bad notices.
But 30 have been registered, and they are almost all negative. The movie has a 17% rating so far. The critics have severely panned it, calling it “vapid.”
The Rotten Tomatoes Audience Meter began at 83%. But now it’s at 77% and falling.
The film — described by those who’ve seen it as a companion to his album of the same name — looks like it will be as big a loser as Tesfaye’s HBO series, “The Idol.”
The Weeknd is not a movie maker. Someone has to tell him. He wrote the film and Trey Edward Shullts directed it.
Tesfaye is a great singer, however. The “Hurry Up Tomorrow” album didn’t yield any big singles, but it has managed to sell 1 million copies, half of which came from streaming. That’s not bad. Tesfaye is also a huge concert draw.
Hot current stars Barry Keoghan and Jenna Ortega are featured in the film, which we won’t see until it streams or is on a plane.
#HurryUpTomorrow – Easily one of the worst movies of the decade, a movie that can’t even be saved by a powerhouse of a performance by Jenna Ortega. Full review soon pic.twitter.com/5UzS1Im4zj
Actually, a half hour away in Antibes, close to the Hotel du Cap, is Mamo Michelangelo.
The famous Italian restaurant is on a backstreet in Antibes, and If You Know You Know. I’ve been lucky to dine there many times in the past.
Last night the celebrity hang out hosted a dinner for Robert De Niro, Leonardo Di Caprio, and Quentin Tarantino.
Mamo — owner and chef — with his cap of blunt cut white hair — is beaming in the pictures.
And why shouldn’t he? Since his restaurant took off, he’s opened in spots in New York’s Soho, and Miami. They’re quiet gathering places for A listers. They do no publicity.
What does everyone eat? The most delicious Italian dishes. The pizzas– smoked salmon, truffles — are famous all over the Cote d’Azur.
The walls of the bar are covered in framed photos of Mamo with stars. When Clint Eastwood the sheriff in town, he ate there regularly. Al Pacino loves Mamo, who does not speak English much but has a beguiling presence, the last of a breed of chefs and hosts who are in their venue every night.
Bob, Leo, and Quentin — along with Leo’s mom and stepdad — dined together on the second night of the festival. On the first night, Leo presented Bob with his Palme d’or, and Quentin opened the festival. Hard work! They needed some R n R.
Viva Mamo!
PS People and every outlet will pick this up without credit. But remember, you read it here first!
HBO’s “The Last of Us” is having a bad time and may not recover.
This past Sunday, the zombie drama dropped by 100,000 viewers from the previous week. Total linear viewers came to 652,000.
That’s because series lead Pedro Pascal, who played Joel, was violently killed off.
Since then, the show has been turned over to Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey and her pregnant lover, Dina. They’re on a quest for revenge over Joel’s death. At the end of the episode, they beat one of their enemies to death.
This is not the series “Last of Us” fans signed up for, and this is the fallout. By following the video game the show is based on, producers chucked the male lead and put the show in the hands of the young women on horses looking for trouble. What were they thinking?
Even if Pascal asked to leave — and that’s possible considering he wants a movie career — producers should have had a plan in place. They clearly didn’t. With two more episodes left, let’s hope they think of something.
And oh yes — Joel is dead. So Pascal’s appearance in the coming attractions point to a dream. What a mess!
Bruce Springsteen kicked off the new leg of his tour in Manchester, England tonight.
Watch him rail against Donald Trump, calling him corrupt and incompetent.
Bruce says:
“The mighty E Street Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock ‘n roll in dangerous times. In my home, the America I love, the America I’ve written about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration. Tonight we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experiment to rise with us, raise your voices against authoritarianism and let freedom ring!”
You always have to say this for Tom Cruise: he’s all in on every movie he makes. He’s as devoted to movie making as he is to Scientology. You can’t question his devotion to a project.
So when “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning” was released, and was a disappointment, he and director Christopher McQuarrie had their work cut out for them. They’d already filmed a lot of the sequel, “Dead Reckoning Part II,” during the making of the first installment. They had to go back and change the title and story to fit the first but also make something grand.
The result is “Final Reckoning,” and you can sort of see bits of “Dead Reckoning Part II” floating around in the new version (particularly in Cruise’s face and hair). “FR” is almost three hours long, now encompassing lots of well edited clips from the first 7 “Mission Impossible” movies as Cruise and McQuarrie tie up all the loose ends from 35 years of story.
If you’re worried you can’t follow the story — and it is convoluted — I will allay your fears. The screenplay carefully explains everything in dialogue and flashbacks. That’s part of what makes this installment so long. If you forgot what happened to an off screen character suddenly mentioned, you’re handed the information in a neat package.
(I also liked that McQuarrie illustrates the exposition by showing what the Mission team will do before they do it, so we can try and follow along.)
As for that plot: “FR” continues the mind bending saga of “The Entity,” an artificial intelligence program gone rogue which will destroy the planet for no apparent reason unless Cruise’s Ethan Hunt can stop it. And we are continually reminded by everyone that “only Ethan” can save the world. The hero worship is anted up as high as possible. This is amazing since Ethan never eats, goes to the bathroom, or sits down. God bless him.
A lot is made of Cruise doing his own stunts, and how he faced certain death in the process. I don’t believe much of that, but it’s a great marketing line. I seriously doubt Cruise was ever in any danger of expiring. Can you imagine the blowback, the insurance costs, lawsuits? Paramount would be wrecked for all time.
Still, Cruise is remarkably agile for 62, and very determined. No matter how McQuarrie pulled off his insanely complex, dazzling set pieces they are each to be commended. “FR” cost 400 million and it looks it. You see every penny on the screen as the three hour film is really three one hour films stitched together. Ethan is high in the sky jumping from plane to plane, also 20,000 leagues beneath the sea, on an aircraft carrier, on an Indiana Jones quest, and so on. No opportunity for action is unexplored.
The underwater sequence, which has no dialogue and is almost a movie within the movie, will get the most attention. Ethan has to go to the bottom of the ocean to find an abandoned submarine that itself is in jeopardy of collapsing. There, he can insert a gold crucifix-like key that will shut down The Entity (I think, I’m not sure, it doesn’t matter).
This sequence is typical of them all. It’s simultaneously pulse pounding and ridiculous while looking stunning. If I were a kid, I’d want Ethan’s diving suit and mask. Very cool. But all reality is abandoned since no one could breathe that long under water except for Aquaman. After the successful key turn, that’s when things get out of hand. Ethan rips off the diving suit and swims, in his skivvies, from the bottom of the ocean to the top without any help. The audience I was with chuckled quite a bit.
If there’s one place where “FR” really falters it’s in the characters’ interpersonal relationships. Despite some flirtation, Ethan and Grace — the wonderful Hayley Atwell — never go beyond the eighth grade homecoming dance. Nothing. Also, no one mentions the death of Rebecca Ferguson’s much missed Ilsa Faust, from “Dead Reckoning” and previous chapters. When another major franchise character does die, there’s almost no acknowledgment of it by the other team members.
Nevetheless, the actors infuse as much as they can to make all of this seem reasonable. Angela Bassett as the president is quietly commanding. It’s a thrill to see Janet McTeer. The MI team — Atwell, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Pom Klementieff, even Esai Morales as Gabriel, the snarling villain — put their all into it. Tramell Tillman, from TV’s “Severance,” is outstanding.
As always, what drives “Mission Impossible” is the historic Lalo Schifrin theme. When the orchestra kicks, the tension doubles. Max Aruj and Alfie Godrey have added their own companion score to heighten the theme’s effect. Kudos to them.
Is the last “Mission Impossible” with Cruise? Never say never. But at 65 or 70 it might be a stretch for even him to lasso planets or do space walks (even though Cruise wants to shoot a movie in space). They’d be smart to stop here, and return to the TV show’s much more clever tricks with someone like Glen Powell.
In the 60s, “Mission Impossible,” the TV series, was a taut spy drama built to compete with the then new James Bond movies. It was never intended to be science fiction, as it has become, with vague indescribable monsters threatening the planet. But now it reeks of L. Ron Hubbard type confrontations that make it less plausible than ever. Still, “Mission: Impossible: Final Reckoning” is a fun respite from real life, and that’s really what every great action movie should be.
PS Everyone asks about the Rotten Tomatoes rating. With qualms, I’m rating it Fresh. The craftsmanship alone is worth it.
You can watch the Mission Impossible Final Reckoning red carpet in Cannes below.
It’s star studded but reports from my spies say there’s no big party after the screening. They say, “Tom has get on a plane immediately.”
Of course he does!
The New York premiere is set for Sunday night at Lincoln Center. Also, no party. Right now, a huge structure is being built on the Lincoln Center Plaza for the red carpet. It looks like a military installation. Youtube is sponsoring the opening so Paramount doesn’t have to spend millions. Picture below video
Warner Bros. is reversing course and naming its streaming service, MAX, with its old moniker.
It’s like Classic Coke.
Now HBO Max will once again stream the shows of HBO and originals.
MAX sounded like it was something to with Mad Max, or the name Woody Allen and Tony Roberts used for each other in “Annie Hall.”
David Zaslav, the quixotic owner of Warner Bros. Discovery, said in part: “The powerful growth we have seen in our global streaming service is built around the quality of our programming. Today, we are bringing back HBO, the brand that represents the highest quality in media, to further accelerate that growth in the years ahead.”
HBO is locked in battle with Netflix, Apple, Amazon, FX, Hulu, etc for subscriptions.
Meantime, HBO is headed to some nice Emmy nominations this year for “Hacks,” “The Last of Us,” and so on despite the shows’ current seasons considered ‘off’ by fans.
