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Netflix Will Give Scorsese’s “The Irishman” a Shorter Run in Theaters Than Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story”

Roger Friedman
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Netflix Will Give Scorsese’s “The Irishman” a Shorter Run in Theaters Than Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story”

Netflix announced its release plans for the fall and the Oscars today. They’ve got quite a good schedule of films, from Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” to Steven Soderbergh’s “The Laundromat. Right there we have DeNiro, Pacino, Streep, Oldman. Heavy players. “Dolemite is My Name” stars Eddie Murphy. “The King” has Timothee Chalamet and Robert Pattinson. “Marriage Story,” directed by Noah Baumbach, stars Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Alan Alda, Ray Liotta. So really, a room of these people is pretty much Hollywood. Did I also mention Anthony Hopkins, Alicia Vikander, and Riley Keough?

Quality is not an issue with Netflix. They’ve got great films. We want to see them all. But theater owners don’t like them because they only play for three weeks, then move to the Netflix TV platform. Scorsese wanted more theaters, and a longer run. He didn’t get it. He just got the $150 million-plus to make his movie. Strangely, “Irishman” is going to be in theaters for a shorter time than “Marriage Story.” Go figure.

Netflix Fall Film Release Dates

Film US Theatrical UK Theatrical Global Streaming

The Laundromat Sept 27 Sept 27 Oct 18

Dolemite Is My Name Oct 4 Oct 11 Oct 25

The King Oct 11 Oct 11 Nov 1

The Irishman Nov 1 Nov 8 Nov 27

Earthquake Bird Nov 1 Nov 8 Nov 15

Marriage Story Nov 6 Nov 15 Dec 6

Klaus Nov 8 Nov 8 Nov 15

I Lose My Body (J’ai Perdu Mon Corps) Nov 15 Nov 22 Nov 29

Atlantics Nov 15 Nov 22 Nov 29

The Two Popes Nov 27 Nov 29 Dec 20
*excluding Benelux, Switzerland, Russia, France

MTV VMA Ratings Fall Substantially Again to New Lows: By 300,000 on MTV, Even More on Affiliated Channels

Roger Friedman
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MTV VMA Ratings Fall Substantially Again to New Lows: By 300,000 on MTV, Even More on Affiliated Channels

It looks like the MTV Video Music Awards on Monday night fell again to new lows, dropping substantially from last year and off a cliff from 2015.

On the main MTV channel, the show drew 1.9 million viewers, down from last year’s 2.250 million. On VH-1, the show dropped from 2018’s 1.095 million to just 887,000. The numbers for nine other MTV-related channels will be in on Wednesday, but MTV and VH-1 are the main avenues for audience.

In the key demo, the number was 0.9, falling from 1.1. That’s 200,000 “young” people. Is the population just aging? Or are teens not so interested in their generation of rock stars. Of course, there was no almost nothing you could call “rock.” The closest they came to having a “veteran” on was Missy Elliott.

The show was fine, if uneventful, that’s for sure. Everyone did what they came to do. A lot of it looked artificial, but that’s nothing new. Even Taylor Swift ran uncontested, you might say, with no outbursts or interruptions from Kanye West or any other opposing party.

Of course, these are Video Music Awards. I’m not sure when MTV plays videos, or if anyone watches them. The channel is best known now for terrible, low rent reality programming. So do music videos have fans? Or anyone who cares about them? You tell me (showbiz411@gmail.com).

I did like Miley Cyrus’s performance a lot. And it does look like she, Swift, Lizzo, and maybe the Jonas Brothers got something of a sales bounce out of the show.

Sting, Trudie Styler Speak Out on Rainforest Fires: “None of us can be complacent about the tragic dimensions of the disaster…This is criminal negligence on a global scale”

Roger Friedman
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Sting, Trudie Styler Speak Out on Rainforest Fires: “None of us can be complacent about the tragic dimensions of the disaster…This is criminal negligence on a global scale”

Sting and his wife Trudie Styler have spoken out on the catastrophic fires in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest this morning. The couple has been at the forefront of saving the Rainforest and its indigenous peoples for the last three decades through their vital Rainforest Foundation. Their visits are frequent, and the money they’ve raised has absolutely raised the profile of the region and educated the world about its importance.

Here’s their statement, issued this morning on Facebook. You can donate to the Rainforest Foundation by clicking on the link. The next Rainforest Foundation concert at Carnegie Hall should be in December, with Sting and an all star cast produced by Styler, who juggles a big family (eight kids, six grandchildren), an acting career (“Pose”) and a producing and directing career (her latest release is the excellent “Skin”).

 

Legend has it that the Emperor Nero “fiddled while Rome burned”. While obviously bristling at the dubious factoid that such a stupid man could have been a musician, none of us, including me, can be complacent about the tragic dimensions of the disaster taking place in the Amazon as I write.

Amazonia is on fire at an unprecedented rate – 80% up from last year and with 39% more deforestation – and the world is suddenly taking notice.

Populist leaders citing nationalist agendas, or claiming that climate change and its handmaidens are a hoax, are guilty of much more than standing by and doing nothing. This is criminal negligence on a global scale.

This is no place for the outdated bromides of nationalism in a world where we all breathe the same air and where we will all suffer the consequences of this wilful negligence.

Calling Amazonia the “lungs of the Earth” may not be exactly anatomically correct, but it does convey that it is a vital and irreplaceable link in the chain of well-being on our planet in the increasingly narrow band of climatic vectors where human life can survive. We simply cannot afford to let it burn.

We are fast approaching the tipping point where the fires will continue to burn and cannot be put out.

We appeal to the Brazilian government to change the policy that has opened up Amazonia for exploitation. Nationalist rhetoric has effectively ignited the flames which threaten to engulf the most important living laboratory on the planet. Countless species are in danger of immediate extinction.

The President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, has openly voiced that he is no friend to the indigenous people and now he is reneging on land treaties already signed, opening up new territories and dismantling the scientific and human rights organisations in Brazil to enable this. He has criticised the G7 countries for hypocrisy, saying that we cut down our own forests long ago, but that’s no reason not to learn from those mistakes.

We must all help to create a sustainable economic model which renders the destruction of the forests in Brazil unnecessary.

At the RF we have been working for three decades with the indigenous people of Amazonia – not only in Brazil but throughout the countries of South America to protect their land and their rights. It is their world that is in immediate danger, and their way of life that needs to be protected. Now more than ever we need to give them our support to ensure their survival .

Surely it is enlightened self-interest for Mr. Bolsonaro to understand and accept this. We urge him to rethink his policies and change his actions and his incendiary rhetoric before it is too late. This is no time for fiddling; the world is burning.

– Sting, Trudie Styler

Netflix’s Main Oscar Entry, Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman,” Will Play in Theaters for Three-and-a-half Weeks Before Hitting Pay Platform

Roger Friedman
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Netflix’s Main Oscar Entry, Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman,” Will Play in Theaters for Three-and-a-half Weeks Before Hitting Pay Platform

Netflix is looking to change the norms for movie releases once again.

The pay platform will release Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” into theaters on November 1 for just 27 days, or 3 1/2 weeks. Then it will arrive on our TV and computers.

This is Netflix’s main Oscar entry, and the hope for it to be a massive hit that scores multiple awards is carried by fans as well as executives. Reuniting Scorsese with Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, adding Al Pacino and Bobby Cannavale, “The Irishman” is our last vestige of hope in a bleak world right now.

But Netflix is toying with the Motion Picture Academy and its members. Just as with “Roma,” the platform wants the Oscars but on its own terms. “Roma” won Best Foreign Film and not Best Picture last year because of it.

Seeing movies on a big screen makes a huge difference. I loved “Roma” when I saw it on the screen at the Walter Reade Theater. But later, “civilians” who watched it on Netflix told me they found it “boring.” How could that be? “Roma” is a great piece of art. But seeing it on a small screen diminished its importance, even if the screen was 70 inches. Being at home, with life’s interruptions, killed the experience.

So Netflix will have to deal with that problem this time around. But at least “The Irishman” is in English, is action packed (we hope), and has a well known, beloved cast. No one will find it “boring.” Theater owners may not be happy with their showcase window. Scorsese may not be either. But those first 27 days will create a clamor, that’s for sure!

 

It Worked: Taylor Swift’s VMA Performances Kickstart Her Streaming Sales, Puts Her Singles on Top of Spotify, Apple Charts

Roger Friedman
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It Worked: Taylor Swift’s VMA Performances Kickstart Her Streaming Sales, Puts Her Singles on Top of Spotify, Apple Charts

Taylor Swift’s humdrum streaming numbers changed considerably over night. Like, wow.

After performing two of her new hits on MTV’s Video Music Awards last night, Swift overwhelmed the streaming charts for both Spotify and Apple Music.

On Spotify, Swift has four of the top 5, plus two more in the top 10, and of course, number 1. The latter is the title song, “Lover,” which came off very well live on the show.

The rest of the singles from her “Lover” album are scattered through the top 20 and 30.

Over on Apple Music, Swift has numbers 5, 6, 7, and 8 plus 13 and 16 and then another tranche in the 20s.

On iTunes, “Lover” is number 2, however, to Lizzo. But all of Swift’s singles are on the iTunes top 100 singles chart and the album is number 1.

The low expectations for sales– 750K– may improve now to get her the 1 million by Thursday night she craves.

Swift’s embracing of the LGBTQ community, especially for her two opening singles, “Me!” and “You Better Calm Down,” has brought her a new, supportive audience.

I wonder what her cousin Jonathan Swift would say. She’s now like Gulliver in the land of the Lilluputians.

 

Watch: Timothee Chalamet and Robert Pattinson in the Australian Take on Shakespeare’s Henry V Titled “The King” for Netflix

Roger Friedman
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Watch: Timothee Chalamet and Robert Pattinson in the Australian Take on Shakespeare’s Henry V Titled “The King” for Netflix

Well, we’re in a world of need for content. And so content has been provided via two talented Australians, Joel Edgerton and David Michod. They’ve made “The King,” which seems like it’s based on Shakespeare’s “Henry V” although there’s no mention of the Bard’s name in the press release.

The two Aussies are featuring big movie names for a young audience– Timothee Chalamet and Robert Pattinson. Also Lily Rose Depp, the daughter of Johnny, and top tier actors Ben Mendelsohn (Australia, too) and Brit Sean Harris. The latter isn’t known in the US, but wins awards in the UK. He’s very…eccentric.

“The King” is coming to Netflix sometime this fall, and a few theaters.

Madonna Delays Opening of “Madame X” Tour by Five Days, Addresses Fans in Third Person as Eye Patched Character

Roger Friedman
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Madonna Delays Opening of “Madame X” Tour by Five Days, Addresses Fans in Third Person as Eye Patched Character

Madonna’s Madame X tour will be delayed by five days. The first three performances are being moved to other dates on the schedule, which will now begin on September 17th instead of September 12th.

Madonna, addressing her fans in the third person as the character of Madame X, says in a statement:

“Madame ❌ Is a perfectionist and wants to give you the most unique, magical, and musical experience.  She underestimated the amount of time it would take to bring this kind of intimate theatrical experience to you and wants it to be perfect!!!

“Thank you so much for your understanding.”

The massive tour is being conducted in theaters, not arenas, with long sit down periods in each city. The opening is at the Howard Gilman Opera House as part of BAM in Brooklyn. One insider told me: “It’s going to be like an arena show in a theater. It’s amazing.”

Madonna’s “Madame X” hasn’t been a great sales success. Since its release in June, “Madame X” has sold about 100,000 copies. But that’s par for the course with “legacy artists.” Her fans want to hear the hits, not new songs, which makes even touring more difficult because the acts have to re-invent ways of presenting old material over and over. The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, and Elton John have found innovative ways of doing just that. Madonna will, too.

Madonna’s tour covers New York, Paris, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, and Las Vegas. She’ll play her recent hometown, Lisbon, Portugal, but so far nothing in her real hometown, Detroit, or San Francisco. They’ll probably be in the next wave.

Where’d Ya Go, Burn-a-Debt? Annapurna Pictures Settles $200 Million in Red Ink as Another Film Flops

Roger Friedman
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Where’d Ya Go, Burn-a-Debt? Annapurna Pictures Settles $200 Million in Red Ink as Another Film Flops

Where’d ya go, Burn-a-debt?

Annapurna Films took in just $1.4 million this weekend on Richard Linklater’s ill-fated “Where’d Ya Go, Bernadette?” The company also settled $200 million in debt from a string of disastrous releases. They were bailed out by Larry Ellison, founder of Oracle software, the billionaire father of Annapurna’s creator, Meghan Ellison.

“Bernadette” is Annapurna’s fifth release in 2019. The five films have made a total $110 million domestically.

In 2018, they released 8 films through the whole year, with a domestic total of $105 million. Half of that came from “Vice,” the movie about Dick Cheney. Four of the films earned less than $3.2 million including a very good one, “Destroyer,” starring Nicole Kidman. Before that, Annapurna just made films and other distributors released and marketed them. But now Annapurna does everything, and it’s not working.

What’s next? Other than a deal to work on the new James Bond movie for MGM, hard to say. And even MGM should be having second thoughts about that deal.

VMA’s: Miley Cyrus Steals Show, Lil Nas X Wins Best Song for “Old Town Road,” Taylor Swift Best Video for “You Better Calm Down”

Roger Friedman
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VMA’s: Miley Cyrus Steals Show, Lil Nas X Wins Best Song for “Old Town Road,” Taylor Swift Best Video for “You Better Calm Down”

The MTV Video Music Awards were the usual circus tonight, but kind of tame. They were like a VR of the VMAs, artificial and harmless. The only tricky moment at the podium was John Travolta, looking like Barney the Purple Whale, dropping curse words. He’s so cool. (Oy.)

Lil Nas X won Best Song for his 19 week number 1 hit, “Old Town Road.” He picked up the award in an outfit so red he could go right into “Moulin Rouge” on Broadway. He’s pretty amusing, actually, unraveling a big scroll that he claimed would be his speech. But he just said, Thank you.

Taylor Swift, on a campaign to win over everyone, won Best Video for “You Better Calm Down.” The video won two awards, and Taylor brought her Rainbow Coalition to the stage. She hugged drag queens. She’s worked this demo beautifully. Taylor will be Governor of Pennsylvania in 15 years. Bet on it.

Best performance: Miley Cyrus appeared on the VMAs for the first time since her twerking scandal in 2013. This time, she showed a new maturity and sang the hell out of “Slide Away.” It was a stellar performance, showcasing her remarkable voice.

My personal fave: HER, aka Gabi Wilson. She couldn’t have been better. Expect big things from her in the coming year.

Much of the show still looks like it’s in a strip club. Most of the performances are lip synched. Nothing about the VMAs should be taken seriously. Just fun for an end of summer Monday night. Can’t hurt you.

 

WINNERS FOR THE 2019 MTV VMAS

 

 

 

MICHAEL JACKSON VIDEO VANGUARD AWARD

Missy Elliott

 

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Taylor Swift – “You Need to Calm Down” – Republic Records

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Ariana Grande – Republic Records

SONG OF THE YEAR

Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus – “Old Town Road (Remix)” – Columbia Records

 

BEST NEW ARTIST, presented by Taco Bell ®

Billie Eilish – Darkroom/Interscope Records

BEST COLLABORATION

Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello – “Señorita” – Island Records

PUSH ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Billie Eilish – Darkroom/Interscope Records

BEST POP

Jonas Brothers – “Sucker” – Republic Records

BEST HIP HOP

Cardi B – “Money” – Atlantic Records

BEST R&B

Normani ft. 6lack – “Waves” – Keep Cool/RCA Records

BEST K-POP

BTS ft. Halsey – “Boy With Luv” – Columbia Records

BEST LATIN

ROSALÍA & J Balvin ft. El Guincho – “Con Altura” – Columbia Records

BEST DANCE

The Chainsmokers, Bebe Rexha – “Call You Mine” – Disruptor/Columbia Records

 

BEST ROCK

Panic! At The Disco – “High Hopes” – Elektra Music Group

VIDEO FOR GOOD

Taylor Swift – “You Need to Calm Down” – Republic Records

BEST DIRECTION

Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus – “Old Town Road (Remix)” – Columbia Records – Directed by Calmatic

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Taylor Swift ft. Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco – “ME!” – Republic Records – Visual Effects by Loris Paillier & Lucas Salton for BUF VFX

BEST EDITING

Billie Eilish – “bad guy” – Darkroom/Interscope Records – Editing by Billie Eilish

BEST ART DIRECTION

Ariana Grande – “7 Rings” – Republic Records – Art Direction by John Richoux

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

ROSALÍA & J Balvin ft. El Guincho – “Con Altura” – Columbia Records – Choreography by Charm La’Donna

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello – “Señorita” – Island Records – Cinematography by Scott Cunningham

BEST GROUP

BTS

 

BEST POWER ANTHEM

Megan Thee Stallion ft. Nicki Minaj & Ty Dolla $ign “Hot Girl Summer”

SONG OF THE SUMMER, presented by Samsung

Ariana Grande & Social House – “boyfriend”

 

 

“SNL” Releases Some Hosts, Music Acts for Fall: Newcomer Billie Eilish, 17, Chosen Over Taylor Swift, 29, for Season Opener

Roger Friedman
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“SNL” Releases Some Hosts, Music Acts for Fall: Newcomer Billie Eilish, 17, Chosen Over Taylor Swift, 29, for Season Opener

Taylor Swift is going to have to wait until October 5th to appear on “Saturday Night Live.”

The new season begins on September 28th. But newcomer Billie Eilish got that spot as musical guest, with Woody Harrelson as host.

For Swift, that’s probably not the best news. Her “Lover” album is out now, and an appearance on “SNL” should be ASAP. Eilish as the opener is a bit of an insult. She’s only like 17, right? But the folks at Universal Music have put everything into Eilish. They postponed Lana del Rey’s new album, I’m told, so Eilish could soar. Lana’s album comes out this Friday.

Of the three music acts announced, they’re all poplets: Eilish, Swift, and then Camilla Cabello. No men, no rock. No black people. We won’t see a black host until Eddie Murphy returns to his alma mater on December 21st. The announced hosts so far are Harrelson, Phoebe Waller Bridge, David Harbour, and Kristen Stewart. I’m a little surprised that there’s no Lil Nas X singing “Old Town Road” with Billy Ray Cyrus. Hmmm…

A looming question for “SNL”: will we see Kate McKinnon? The superstar comedian/actress planted an item in the press earlier this summer suggesting she was done. Alec Baldwin did the same thing. We certainly hope they’re both back! It’s not “SNL” without them!

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