Thursday, February 19, 2026
Donate
Home Blog Page 1102

Surprise: Rock Hall of Fame Chairman Jann Wenner, Who Ran It Like His Private Fiefdom, Steps Down at Age 73

Roger Friedman
-
0
Surprise: Rock Hall of Fame Chairman Jann Wenner, Who Ran It Like His Private Fiefdom, Steps Down at Age 73

Jann Wenner is stepping down as chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He invented the RRHOF with Atlantic Records chief Ahmet Ertegun and Sire Records founder Seymour Stein in the mid 80s. Wenner ran it, along with Rolling Stone magazine, as his private fiefdom for the last 30 years.

That he’s leaving his post is sort of shocking. I thought he’d stay with it until he keeled over. Wenner has wielded unprecedented power, especially since Ahmet died and Seymour has semi-retired. Wenner has been disloyal to friends, ripped up ballots he didn’t like, campaigned for his pals. It’s been quite a ride.

The good news is that his successor is John Sykes, who helps run I Heart Radio, co-invented MTV, and has worked as a rock manager. John is universally liked, he’s a great choice, and may be able to get some people into the Hall of Fame whom Wenner blocked for years.

Jann Wenner winding down is surprising. In the last couple of years he sold all his magazines including Rolling Stone. He hasn’t been seen much in public lately. His last pictures on WireImage were from October 2017, and he’s walking with a cane. There are no photos of him from this past spring’s RRHOF induction ceremony.

Jann’s withdrawal from the Hall added to his business retirement is quite a signal. He certainly loved rock and roll when Rolling Stone launched in San Francisco in 1967. But he became rock’s Napoleon, first with the magazine and then with the Hall of Fame. Power corrupts, as they say, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Jann’s heyday was the 60s and early 70s, that’s for sure. Rolling Stone was never a place for black acts (except for those Ertegun pushed in). When New Wave and punk came around in the mid 70s, Rolling Stone ignored them and doubled down on groups like Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles. Wenner was addicted to West Coast soft rock. As an east coast reader, I knew it was time to deplane for the NME and Melody Maker early on.

Those tastes influenced the Hall of Fame inductions once the true pioneers of rock were safely inducted. The Hall really eschewed the trailblazers of the mid 70s to 80s unless they were on Stein’s Sire Records, or the chorus of endorsements was too strong to avoid. And Wenner seemed to enjoy keeping certain 70s acts out as long as possible. Sykes, I hope, will fix that.

So the baton is passed. I hope Wenner’s exit isn’t a sign of ill health. He survived Joe Hagan’s book a couple of years ago.  It would be too bad if we didn’t get the Uncensored Wenner in hardcover before the game is over.

Tuesday TV Season Debut Ratings: “Empire” without Jussie Smollett Lowest Numbers Ever, “The Conners” Returns Low, But “NCIS” Pops with Ziva”

Roger Friedman
-
0
Tuesday TV Season Debut Ratings: “Empire” without Jussie Smollett Lowest Numbers Ever, “The Conners” Returns Low, But “NCIS” Pops with Ziva”

Last night was Super Tuesday on TV. It marked the return of “NCIS,” “The Conners,” “Empire,” and “This is Us.” Not all of it was successful.

“NCIS” came back strong with Cote de Pablo as Ziva, who herself returned after 6 seasons away. The show scored 12 million viewers, remaining a powerhouse. But the numbers last night were no higher than last season, and didn’t equal the highest from last season. So Ziva was good, but not super.

NBC’s “This is Us,” a confusing melodrama, garnered over 7 million fans. No one understood it, but I’m sure they wept. The show is still in the game.

But things were pretty bad for two other shows. “The Conners,” the replacement for “Roseanne,” grabbed just 5.67 million, down from its highs last season. I’m sure ABC was hoping for a 6 at least. They really pumped the birth of a Conner grandchild, but the audience brought no baby gifts.

“Empire” came back without Jussie Smollett. The audience is gone. Last night’s rating was the lowest ever: Only 3.35 million cared about Cookie and company. Not good. Last season the lowest number was 3.731 million. It’s time let “Empire” sleep with the fishes. And that’s what Fox will do. Smollett’s scandal last spring resolved with his character AWOL. The audience knows what happened and they told the network what they thought. “Empire” was beaten by ABC’s new “Emergence,” a seeming rip off of “Stranger Things” and two dozen other even stranger things.

 

“I would like you to do us a favor”: Trump Asked Ukraine President to Investigate Bidens, Speak to Giuliani and Barr

Roger Friedman
-
0
“I would like you to do us a favor”: Trump Asked Ukraine President to Investigate Bidens, Speak to Giuliani and Barr

 

 

 

 

The party is over.

The White House has released the transcript of the phone call this past July between Donald Trump and Ukraine president Zelenssky. Trump clearly asks Zelenssky to investigate Joe Biden and his son. It’s stunning. Trump tells Zelenssky over and over that he will have Attorney General William Barr call him about it. He also says that Rudy Giuliani will call. You must remember that Giuliani is Trump’s personal lawyer, not a US government employee.

Trump’s words to Zelenssky will be repeated over and over again. “I would like you to do us a favor.” Here’s the full transcript.

 

Exclusive: Do Queen, Alicia Keys, Carole King, Pharrell Know that Global Citizen Execs Got a Total $2 Million Salary Raise in 2017? CEO Hugh Evans Now Being Paid $400,000

Roger Friedman
-
0
Exclusive: Do Queen, Alicia Keys, Carole King, Pharrell Know that Global Citizen Execs Got a Total $2 Million Salary Raise in 2017? CEO Hugh Evans Now Being Paid $400,000

On Saturday, Global Citizen is putting on a big show with Queen, Alicia Keys, Carole King, Pharrell Williams, OneRepublic, HER, and a bunch of other celebrities who think they’re helping the world learn about hunger and poverty. Does anyone know where the money is going? I don’t think so. The whole enterprise, involving MSNBC, I Heart Radio, and other sponsors, is simply out of control.

Global Citizen, which started out calling itself the Global Poverty Project, is UNRATED on Charity Navigator. It has NO RATING. Why? Click here and you can read for yourself. “…the organization does not meet our criteria. A lack of a rating does not indicate a positive or negative assessment by Charity Navigator.”

One reason Global Citizen might be unrated is because on its Form 990 tax filing, the section for fundraising details for specific events, i.e. their concerts, is left BLANK.

I don’t know why no one seems to get this: Global Citizen, aka the Global Poverty Project, is not what it seems. On the eve of their annual rock concert in Central Park, the foundation’s latest tax filing shows huge salary increases for their executive and no money donated to any charity, or to solve poverty or hunger.

According to Global Citizen’s Form 990 for 2017, their top execs got a $2 million rise from the prior year. TWO MILLION DOLLARS. Total salaries now come to $9 million. NINE MILLION DOLLARS. CEO Hugh Evans is now getting $400,000 a year. COO Elizabeth Henshaw is getting almost as much. Chief Marketing Officer Richard Wolffe is, too.

They’re spending $4 million on contractors for the concert in Central Park. FOUR MILLION DOLLARS. Get it?

And despite revenue being up, and salaries being up, Global Citizen gave ZERO DOLLARS in Grants to anyone. In fact, somehow they’re saying they’re in the red. On paper, they lost money. Their revenue less expenses was MINUS $849,984. Their liabilities TRIPLED to $3.8 million. Net fund balances were down by $900,000.

 

Let’s take a look at those salaries, direct from the tax filing: :

and here’s their summary of revenue and expenses, also from the tax filing:

Demi Moore, Age 16, Dined with Roman Polanski A Few Days Before He Fled the US for Good in 1978

Roger Friedman
-
0
Demi Moore, Age 16, Dined with Roman Polanski A Few Days Before He Fled the US for Good in 1978

Demi Moore’s memoir — now a top best seller– has more takeaways than an In n Out Burger on Saturday night.

One of the top revelations is that Moore, at the age of 16, had two dinners with director Roman Polanski after his conviction for having sex with a 13 year old in 1978.

Moore, who left a rocky home life at age 15 to escape a horrifying mother, launched herself into the acting world. She became fast friends with Nastassja Kinski, who was also a teen (17) and had become Polanski’s lover in 1975 after the death of Sharon Tate in 1969.

Moore says in her book:

“I went with Nastassja to her dance classes, trying to emulate her grace, and one night she took me along to dinner with Polanski. He tracked me down to invite me to dinner a second time months later, and I went with my mom. He was a perfect gentleman on both of those evenings, but he had been convicted of having sex with a thirteen-year-old girl. (I saw this dynamic all around me. Thirteen was a little extreme, but in my world, believe it or not, relationships with underage girls was the norm.

He expected probation following his plea bargain, but the judge saw it differently. Faced with imprisonment, Polanski fled the United States just a few days after that second dinner. He ended up making “Tess” in France; the film received three Oscars, and Nastassja won a Golden Globe. I was disappointed when she moved out of the apartment building. It would be two decades before we saw each other again—unexpectedly, at Elizabeth Taylor’s regular Sunday lunch. When we embraced, it was like a homecoming. We knew each other in a way that no one else could.”

There’s plenty more in Demi’s book, and I’ll pick a few more items next. But it’s definitely worth picking up for yourself and reading. I always fear a celebrity memoir will be like something to be parodied in “Celebrity Autobiography” on stage. But Demi’s book is captivating, to say the least.

 

 

Watch Nancy Pelosi Announce the House Impeachment Inquiry Against Donald Trump: “No One is Above the Law”

Roger Friedman
-
0
Watch Nancy Pelosi Announce the House Impeachment Inquiry Against Donald Trump: “No One is Above the Law”

Nancy Pelosi waited and took her time, and extended Donald Trump all the courtesies she could in not asking for an impeachment inquiry. But Trump’s actions with Ukraine for his 2020 campaign and against Joe Biden– he asked a foreign country to investigate Biden’s son, Hunter — was the last straw. Trump, I hope, will be impeached and removed from office. Mike Pence will serve out Trump’s term and maybe we can have an actual election in 2020 unhindered by the Russians or other interference. Our long international nightmare may be over. Just seeing and hearing Trump tell the United Nations that globalism is out made me sick to my stomach. He’s got to go, and faster than ever. Bravo, Speaker Pelosi!

Exclusive: Jon Hamm Says No to “Mad Men” Movie Following “Downton Abbey” Success: “Don Draper Died in 1974”

Roger Friedman
-
0
Exclusive: Jon Hamm Says No to “Mad Men” Movie Following “Downton Abbey” Success: “Don Draper Died in 1974”

Amazon threw their own post-Emmy gala last night to celebrate their many wins. They had a lot to celebrate: “Fleabag” won Best Comedy, Phoebe Waller-Bridge won Best Actress in a comedy, Best Writing, and Best Directing.

Meanwhile, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” picked up Best Supporting Actor and Actress in a Comedy for Tony Shalhoub and Alex Borstein, respectively. In the last two weeks, “Mrs. Maisel” guest stars Luke Kirby and Jane Lynch also won Emmys. They also won for cinematography, hair styling, and music supervision. The  show won more Emmys than any other, actually, in 2019.

That set well with co-creator, writer, and director Amy Sherman-Palladino. When I saw her at the Chateau Marmont after party, she was philosophical. “There’s always next year,” she said, “but when our cinematographer won last week, that was all I needed!”

The Chateau party was jammed with stars from all over including Jon Hamm, who was chatting with Josh Radnor of “How I Met Your Mother” fame. Jon, who’d been a presenter, was wearing a full, formal tux and looked like he should have been hosting the show. (Someone should have!)

I told Jon that last week, based on the success of “Downton Abbey,” I’d suggested a “Mad Men” movie. The last time we’d seen his character, Don Draper, he was sitting on a hilltop inventing Coca Cola’s famous commercial, “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing.” It was 1971.

So how about it, I said? Hamm looked at me like I was crazy. “Can’t happen,” he said. Why not? “Because Don Draper died in 1974, and he was very unhappy.”

“Really?” I said, “who told you that?”

Hamm again looked at me quizzically. “I don’t know. Me. I just made it up. You know he’s a fictional character, right?”

So that’s that. Hamm is currently starring in “The Report” on Netflix, he’s terrific and so is the movie. He also stars as Natalie Portman’s husband in “Lucy in the Sky,” he’s featured in Clint Eastwood’s “Richard Jewell,” and in John Patrick Shanley’s “Wild Mountain Thyme” with Emily  Blunt and Jamie Dornan. So someone else will have to teach the world to sing!

HBO Takes the Most Emmys, 34, And Throws a Royal Pageant: Sansa Stark Says “The North is doing just fine now that there are no dragons”

Roger Friedman
-
0
HBO Takes the Most Emmys, 34, And Throws a Royal Pageant: Sansa Stark Says “The North is doing just fine now that there are no dragons”

HBO won a total of 34 Emmy Awards last night (and over the last two weeks), they’re still the king of the hill despite efforts by Netflix and Amazon and none by their old rival, Showtime.

The cable giant threw a pageant worthy of royals at the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles right now. I ran into Sophie Turner, aka Sansa Stark of “Game of Thrones,” amid the madness of more than a thousand guests including casts from her show, “Veep,” “Chernobyl,” “Sharp Objects,” “Succession,” and “Barry.”

Now that her character’s been ruling the north for some months, I asked her — cheekily — how it’s going. “It’s going great,” she said, with a big smiles. “The dragons are gone, it’s pretty calm. Everyone’s getting along!” Turner was without a date, she said, because newish husband Joe Jonas was just flying in that evening from the rock-pop world. There was much cheering around her in the “GoT” area, with best supporting actor winner Peter Dinklage sans epaulets and just in a T shirt accepting compliments and drinking Champagne with show creators DB Weiss and David Benioff.  When I observed to Benioff that everything had worked out like it was supposed to, he said, “It almost didn’t. For a minute there, I was scared!”

There indeed had been a lot of surprises among the winners. “Veep” and Julia Louis Dreyfus were supposed to have won, but were beaten by It girl of the night Phoebe Waller Bridges, and “Fleabag.” Was JLD disappointed? “Oh, I don’t care!” Julia said. “I love Fleabag. What can you do? We’ve won a lot of awards!”

In the swirl of actors, writers, and directors I chatted with some of the best talent in Hollywood including Vera Farmiga, Jared Harris, Patricia Clarkson, Henry Winkler, Dule Hill, and “Succession” showrunner and Emmy winner Jesse Armstrong. Just to show you where HBO goes now that “GoT” and “Veep” are gone, “Succession” is about to breakout big time. Next September, watch, that show will be all the rage, sweeping the awards (along with more “Barry,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Big Little Lies,” and so on).

 

Emmy Awards Tank in Ratings for Many Reasons: No Host, No Orchestra, No Celebration of TV, and Gwyneth Paltrow

Roger Friedman
-
0
Emmy Awards Tank in Ratings for Many Reasons: No Host, No Orchestra, No Celebration of TV, and Gwyneth Paltrow

Have you ever seen Oscar winner and entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrow on TV? Well, maybe once, on “Glee.” Oscar winner and movie star Michael Douglas? Yes, on “The Streets of San Francisco” in 1969. But they gave the two biggest awards of the night on the Emmys last night at the end of the show. And that was just one of the reasons viewers had tuned out in droves in third, grueling hour of the 2019 Emmy Awards on Fox.

The ratings last night were the lowest ever. Just 6 million people watched from 8 to 10pm, and then 400K left for the last hour. Just 5.4 million stayed to see which shows won Best Comedy and Best Drama.

Meanwhile, 17 million watched football.

The drop from last year’s 10 million viewers was 23%. And the 2018 numbers were already an 11% fall off.

The show had no host, no live orchestra, and no celebration of the thing it was awarding: television.

The biggest problem with the Emmys was that almost nothing on broadcast television– you know, the free stuff that millions watch — was acknowledged. The Emmys have become the Cable Ace Awards. Everyone who wins comes from cable or internet platforms– you’ve got to pay for it. Even serious actors on network shows– say Linda Hunt on “NCIS” — are ignored. Or really serious stars, like Paul Giamatti and Damien Lewis, from Showtime’s “Billions.”

The big winner for the night was Phoebe Waller-Bridges and her comedy, “Fleabag.” There is no measurable audience for “Fleabag.” No one knows how many people watch it, other than Emmy voters who receive screeners and Amazon subscribers. So if the Emmys are counting on ratings from those groups, good luck.

Then there’s the whole no host thing. The show seemed driven by artificial intelligence. Often, nominees’ names were read by an eerie voiceover, and the voice was neither warm nor witty. Where was the humanity? Even worse, Fox didn’t cough up money for a live orchestra in the Microsoft Theater. The music was all canned, and there were weird choices of disco and other songs that had absolutely nothing to do with the shows or winners. When the “Game of Thrones” theme music was played while two presenters — Anthony Anderson and Randall Park– ambled on stage, even they questioned what the heck was going on.

Why do the Emmys have no presenters or a host from the 90s– the decade most fetishized in nostalgia now? Why is there no one from the rerun shows so loved, and coveted by syndicators, to anchor the proceedings? I love Michael Douglas, and I know he’s on Netflix’s “Kominsky Method,” but TV fans want to see Mark Harmon, or Jerry Seinfeld, or even Carol Burnett, hand out the final statues. And with all the press going on this week, why didn’t they have a “Friends” 25th anniversary tribute? I’m sure Gunther is available.

Emmy Awards Winners Shockers as Fleabag Takes Comedy, Other Awards

Roger Friedman
-
0
Emmy Awards Winners Shockers as Fleabag Takes Comedy, Other Awards

The Emmy awards were totally nuts this year. Fleabag won Best Comedy for Amazon Studios and swept the comedy awards. Veep in its last season was snubbed.

In drama, Games Of Thrones did win best show for its final season. Peyer Dinklage won best supporting actor. HBO and Amazon were the big winners. Broadcast TV got very little save for Saturday Night Live.

1...1,1011,1021,103...2,351Page 1,102 of 2,351

Hollywood to the Hudson

Company

Trending

Categories

© Showbiz411.com