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Broadway Mourns Tony Winner Martin Charnin, 85, Co-Creator and Lyricist for “Annie,” Got His Start Acting in the Original “West Side Story”

Roger Friedman
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Broadway Mourns Tony Winner Martin Charnin, 85, Co-Creator and Lyricist for “Annie,” Got His Start Acting in the Original “West Side Story”

Martin Charnin, 85, the co-creator and lyricist for “Annie,” has died. His daughter posted a notice to Instagram over night. Charnin and Charles Strouse wrote the musical that has become a modern classic, performed all over the world many times. Charnin also directed dozens of productions and was planning a revival of the little known sequel. He got his start in the original company of “West Side Story” as an actor. His widow was former “One Life to Live” actress Shelly Burch. I knew him when she was married to his second wife, Jade Hobson, the former fashion director of New York magazine in the 1990s. (Tracee Ellis Ross was her intern!) Marty Charnin was one of those few towering Broadway greats who will never be replaced. The lights on Broadway will no doubt be dimmed in his memory on Tuesday evening.

from Instagram:

Our father passed away. Martin Charnin lived a very full life. He was watching Family Feud at the end, laughing with Shelly in bed at the hospital. He suffered a minor heart attack on the 3rd and tried to hold on for all us. His strength was astounding. He’s in a painless place, now. Probably looking for Cole Porter and Ira Gershwin. We adored Daddy and not fully accepting it yet. He loved and lived his best! He was the best father we could have ever imagined. He is survived by his wife, all of his kids and his three grandchildren, several dogs, cats and a kid with no pupils. And as loving as he was has kept all of us completely directionless. Which way do we go Daddy? Damn. But like he said and as corny as this sounds…the sun’ll will come out tomorrow. Rest In Peace, Daddy. We love you. #martincharnin

View this post on Instagram

Our father passed away. Martin Charnin lived a very full life. He was watching Family Feud at the end, laughing with Shelly in bed at the hospital. He suffered a minor heart attack on the 3rd and tried to hold on for all us. His strength was astounding. He’s in a painless place, now. Probably looking for Cole Porter and Ira Gershwin. We adored Daddy and not fully accepting it yet. He loved and lived his best! He was the best father we could have ever imagined. He is survived by his wife, all of his kids and his three grandchildren, several dogs, cats and a kid with no pupils. And as loving as he was has kept all of us completely directionless. Which way do we go Daddy? Damn. But like he said and as corny as this sounds…the sun’ll will come out tomorrow. Rest In Peace, Daddy. We love you. #martincharnin

A post shared by Sasha Charnin Morrison🖤 (@sashacharninmorrison) on

“Spider Man: Far from Home” Hits $124 Million, Aims for $175 Million Plus Week

Roger Friedman
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0
“Spider Man: Far from Home” Hits $124 Million, Aims for $175 Million Plus Week

“Spider Man: Far from Home” raked in $32 million on Friday night, bringing its US total to 124 million. Now comes Saturday and Sunday, where the Tom Holland- starrer will pick up at least $50 million. A blow out of $175 million week is expected.

You can only imagine the word of mouth this movie is engendering. The producers can count on crossing $200 million by Monday or Tuesday at the latest.

Meantime, Elton John’s “Rocketman” continues to rock on. The musical bio fantasy will reach $90 million today on track for a $100 million splashdown.

Box Office: “Spider Man: Far from Home” Crosses $100 Million Today, Heads to $170 Million Week Through Sunday

Roger Friedman
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0
Box Office: “Spider Man: Far from Home” Crosses $100 Million Today, Heads to $170 Million Week Through Sunday

The Box office continues to be all about Spider Man, and Amy Pascal.

“Far from From” grossed $25 million yesterday, bringing its US total to $91 million. Tonight it will cross the $100 million mark after four days. The weekend should bring it to $150-$170 million.

Producer Amy Pascal left Sony Pictures after the crazy Wikileaks-Korean hacking incident revealed all sorts of embarrassing emails from and to everyone at the studio. She took Spider Man with her because at that point, no one wanted it or knew what do with it. Amy did.

Pascal has now had two monster live action Spider Man movies, plus the Oscar winning “Into the Spider Verse” animated movie. You can’t do better than this in the movie business. She’s a one -woman Ziegfeld. Bravo to her, not just as a female producer, but a producer period!

 

Broadway: With No Tony Awards Action, Musical “Pretty Woman” Becomes the Latest Show to Announce Summer Closing

Roger Friedman
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Broadway: With No Tony Awards Action, Musical “Pretty Woman” Becomes the Latest Show to Announce Summer Closing

Even adding the famous song it was named for has not saved Broadway’s “Pretty Woman.” The tepidly reviewed musical will close on August 18th after a rocky year on the Great White Way. The show received no Tony nominations.

“Pretty Woman” has great stars– Andy Karl, Samantha Barks, Orfeh– but it was yet another ill conceived show based on a movie. They come, they go. The songs by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance were not memorable. It was only last week that producers got the rights to the Roy Orbison song for which it was named. But it’s too late.

“Pretty Woman” joins a raft of shows closing this summer or already closed. They include three Scott Rudin productions (“Gary,” “Hillary and Clinton,” and “King Lear”), as well as “Be More Chill,” “King Kong,” “The Cher Show,” “The Ferryman,” “The Prom,” as well as limited runs like “All My Sons” and “Burn This.”

In their place, “Moulin Rouge” has arrived in previews. New shows will start trickling in after Labor Day. But Broadway is going to be a little quiet this August, that’s for sure. The Carole King musical “Beautiful” may be the next to go based on recent receipts. Last night, Carole, star Vanessa Carlton, and some upbeat performers appeared on PBS’s “Capitol Fourth” to promote the show. Let’s hope that works.

 

No Network Coverage for Trump’s Military Fourth of July Parade as CBS. NBC, ABC Opt Out, You Tube Channel Only Has 3K Subscribers, Facebook Only 419

Roger Friedman
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No Network Coverage for Trump’s Military Fourth of July Parade as CBS. NBC, ABC Opt Out, You Tube Channel Only Has 3K Subscribers, Facebook Only 419

Who exactly is Donald Trump’s Fourth of July military parade for?

It won’t be seen on the major networks. CBS, NBC, and ABC have opted out of showing it. MSNBC won’t cut to it. CNN will probably have it on in the background. Fox News? You can watch it there.

The website for the parade directs to YouTube and Facebook, where the parade will be streamed. But so far the YouTube channel has only 3,333 subscribers.

Currently, at 1:44pm, there are only 222 people watching the Facebook feed of the afternoon activities.

Keep refreshing. Trump’s zillion dollar tribute to himself begins at 5pm.

“Spider Man: Far from Home” Picks Up $27 Mil on Second Day for $66 Mil Total, Heads to $170 Million First Week

Roger Friedman
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0
“Spider Man: Far from Home” Picks Up $27 Mil on Second Day for $66 Mil Total, Heads to $170 Million First Week

Everyone is going to see “Spider Man.” I mean, everyone.

Yesterday, “Far from Home” raked in $27 million, bringing the two day total to $66 million. The Tom Holland-starrer is on its way to $170 million through Sunday night.

If the second movie in this trilogy cracks $154 million by Sunday it will be ahead of its predecessor, “Spider Man Homecoming.”

What a web this chapter is spinning! But good reviews and strong and word of mouth will keep propelling Peter Parker forward!

keep refreshing…

“Wolf of Wall Street” Film Financier Arrested in Malaysia for 1MBD Money Laundering Scandal That Involved Leonardo DiCaprio Among Others

Roger Friedman
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“Wolf of Wall Street” Film Financier Arrested in Malaysia for 1MBD Money Laundering Scandal That Involved Leonardo DiCaprio Among Others

The step-sister of Raza Aziz posted today that the owner of Red Granite Films and movie producer of “Wolf of Wall Street” has been arrested in Malaysia in the 1MBD money laundering scheme.

Yana Najib wrote: “Today MACC decided to charge my brother. He has faced a civil lawsuit over the same subject matter in the US. As part of the settlement, Red Granite has paid a substantial amount to the DOJ. But despite the settlement in the US and the fact that alleged wrong-doings occurred entirely outside of Malaysia, MACC decides to press charges after a whole year of leaving this case in cold storage.
He is not a criminal, he’s my brother.”

The 1MBD scandal — in which Aziz was accused of using a public fund in Malaysia set up by his stepfather. the prime minister, to pay for “Wolf,” other movies like “Daddy’s Home” and the “Dumb and Dumber” sequel, expensive art work and so on — reached all the way to star Leonardo DiCaprio. Aziz gave DiCaprio pieces of art to be auctioned off at his Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation gala in St. Tropez. The art eventually had to be returned. Aziz was in business with Malaysia con man Low Taek Jho, aka Jho Lo, who became DiCaprio’s third criminal pal in the Oscar winner’s sketchy business Life. (The other two were now dead fraudster Dana Giacchetto and formerly imprisoned art dealer Helly Nahmad.)

There is still no public accounting for DiCaprio’s foundation, by the way. Most charities and private foundations file Form 990s with the IRS which are on public view. But DiCaprio’s foundation is hidden under a California trust that doesn’t break out individual numbers. So there’s no way of knowing how the Malaysian money was intermingled with Leo’s.

“Wolf of Wall Street” was based on the story of crooked Long Island stock broker Jordan Belfort. But it turns out that the story of making the Martin Scorsese movie was much more interesting as life imitated art.

More to come…

Pic taken before heading off this morning”

Reports Say Mad Magazine is Shutting Down After Nearly 70 Years, Influential Humor Magazine Was Home of Alfred E. Neuman

Roger Friedman
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Reports Say Mad Magazine is Shutting Down After Nearly 70 Years, Influential Humor Magazine Was Home of Alfred E. Neuman

It does seem like Mad Magazine, born in 1952 and signified by the fictional gap toothed Alfred E. Neuman, is coming at an end. Reports on line and Tweets from current staffers suggest that Warner Media and DC Comics, which owns Mad, is winding down operations.

“What, me worry?” is the magazine’s and Alfred’s motto, but in magazines these days worry is all that’s left. Mad was so popular in the 60s and 70s, but has faded over time. It’s known for parodies, for Spy vs. Spy, for the folding inside back page. But all that has been replaced by video games.

Cartoonist Evan Dorkin has been running a Twitter feed all night saying goodbye to the magazine. He wrote: “Today won’t end. Goodbye, MAD Magazine. As a youngster I was a huge fan of the 70’s era, as a young adult I rediscovered the 50’s comics, as an old nerd I somehow became a contributor (often working w/r) for the last decade +. Getting the e-mail today was crushing.”

He added: “I don’t feel bad for myself, we were discussing new work but nothing set or soon. We had a good run. Seeing MAD close down hurts, especially during a morbidly depressing year for cartoonists and the comics industry in general. And my heart goes out to the Usual Gang freelancers.”

Longtime MAD contributor David DeGrand confirmed the shut down in a blog post.

It’s not surprising Mad Magazine is ending, but it’s sad, especially for people of a certain age. Mad’s satire and wit got us through a lot of bad and weird times. This era could only benefit from Mad humor, but who knows what’s going on at Warner Media now that it’s owned by AT&T.

The trouble at Mad began in February when Bill Morrison was fired from his jobs as editor of Mad and of DC Comics. He became editor of MAD Magazine in June 2017, after the retirement of editor John Ficarra, who’d been there for 30 years. DC Comics moved their offices from Manhattan to Burbank, which never was– as Johnny Carson was the first to observe– a funny place.  Morrison relaunched the long-running humor magazine, but with AT&T taking over, the outlook was bleak.

Weird Al Yankovic wrote on Twitter: “I am profoundly sad to hear that after 67 years, MAD Magazine is ceasing publication. I can’t begin to describe the impact it had on me as a young kid – it’s pretty much the reason I turned out weird. Goodbye to one of the all-time greatest American institutions.”

I had all these paperbacks, too, in the late 60s and early 70s. RIP.

Madonna’s “Madame X” Album Falls off iTunes Top 150 After 3 Weeks Despite Massively Expensive PR Campaign Failure

Roger Friedman
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0
Madonna’s “Madame X” Album Falls off iTunes Top 150 After 3 Weeks Despite Massively Expensive PR Campaign Failure

UPDATE Friday July 5th: Madame X is at 174 now and looks like it may drop off the top 200 soon.

Madonna’s character Madame X was depicted on her social media accounts as many things: warrior, teacher, lover, spy, mother, and so on.

But what she also was: out of date, fusty, in tune with the Madonna of the 1990s. She was not of these times.

The result is that “Madame X” the album is now dead, or at least on life support. After two and a half weeks, she’s fallen off the iTunes top 100. She’s not coming back.

“Madame X” has sold around 100,000 copies including streaming, sales of CDs and downloads. And that’s pushing it. In “real” sales, the number is way lower.

It wasn’t for lack of trying. Remember this started in early May at the Billboard Music Awards, where Madonna was rumored to have spent $5 million on her live production. Then she went to Israel to the EuroVision Awards. Lots and lots of money was spent, even after single after single failed to make a dent in sales or any kind of radio play. Millions more were spent on “Medellin,” which had the excitement of a shuffle board game at a nursing home.

Madonna is planning a theatrical spectacle this fall for her theater tour. But she must realize that fans are not going to want a whole “Madame X” show. The failure of the album as a marketing idea complicates her situation. But Madonna can always make lemonade out of lemons. She has all summer to create a show her fans want.

“Spider Man: Far from Home” Scores Biggest Tuesday Open Ever with $39 Mil, Beats “Force Awakens,” Heads to Record Week

Roger Friedman
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0
“Spider Man: Far from Home” Scores Biggest Tuesday Open Ever with $39 Mil, Beats “Force Awakens,” Heads to Record Week

Amy Pascal must be smiling. I hope she’s lounging by a pool with waiters delivering peeled grapes.

Her “Spider Man: Far From Home” broke Tuesday records last night with $39 million. It’s the biggest Tuesday opening ever, beating “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”

“Far from Home” should have a record week through Sunday, as well. Sony is giving a low ball estimate of $125 million, but the reality is closer to $170 to $190 million. Peter Parker never had it so good. And that’s not looking at international sales.

“Far from Home” will be the whole story this week and July 4th weekend. Word of mouth will be intense too since the movie is perfectly jiggered for kids, tweens, teens, and young adults through their 30s. Older people, like yours truly, will find it very enjoyable too!

And this just the middle chapter in a trilogy. We think. Tom Holland definitely gets a third “Spider Man.” And he can keep appearing in Marvel Universe movies for quite a while because he’s so young.

Sony Pictures can breathe a sigh of relief. Between this and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” they’ve got a nice summer ahead.

 

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