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These Are the Breaks: Rap Pioneer Kurtis Blow in LA Hospital for Aortic Heart Valve Surgery

Roger Friedman
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These Are the Breaks: Rap Pioneer Kurtis Blow in LA Hospital for Aortic Heart Valve Surgery

We are wishing pioneer rapper Kurtis Blow all the best today. He posted on Instagram that he’s in UCLA hospital for surgery on his aortic valve. Kurtis had almost the very first rap hit way back with “The Breaks,” still a great record.

Back in fall 2016, Kurtis Walker (his real name) had a previous heart incident. On October 29th, the then legendary 57-year-old rap icon went into cardiac arrest, his pulse stopping for five minutes. He almost died in front of his Woodland Hills, CA home.

He writes now: “To all my friends and family. I am in the hospital at UCLA Medical. I am preparing for an aortic artery repair procedure tomorrow morning. The procedure will stabilize the artery from further damage caused by the hematoma I contacted from my recent travels to China. Dr Kwon is an incredible surgeon with hundreds of these procedures under his belt. I trust that God will use him as a tool of success tomorrow.
Please keep me in prayer. I will see you all soon!!!! Encouraged!!! KB”

Kurtis, take care of yourself!

 

 

Sunday: “Game of Thrones” Longest Ever Episode Attracts 12 Million Viewers, Pulls Following Show, “Barry” to New Highs

Roger Friedman
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Sunday: “Game of Thrones” Longest Ever Episode Attracts 12 Million Viewers, Pulls Following Show, “Barry” to New Highs

Sunday night’s 82 minute episode of “Game of Thrones” scored a dizzying 12 million viewers for HBO. The Battle of Winterfell was a massive success because we don’t even know the full extent of its viewing across HBO platforms.

But what we do know is that the show that follows “GoT” has also gone crazy. Bill Hader’s “Barry” had 2 million viewers, even more than last week. Before “Thrones” started airing, “Barry” had 450,000 viewers. And this past week’s episode, which was psychedelic, w0uld never have been seen by so many people.

“Veep,” which was hilarious, scored 1 million fans, which is excellent. It sure seems like Jonah, revealed as the product of incest, may be elected president. That would be the proper ending for this insanely wonderful show.

Meantime, the Kardashians bounced back a little from last week, but they are still dying in the vine.

On Showtime, “Billions” hangs tough with 750K viewers in its first run. Like a lot of people, I watched it after “Thrones.” “Billions” is sheer genius and a guilty pleasure. Nina Arianda is killing it. Damian Lewis, Paul Giamatti and Maggie Siff are better than ever. Kevin Pollak has been a great guest star. Asia Kate Dillon continues to rock. I am so happy to see Samantha Mathis every week. Emmy nominations, please! If it doesn’t happen this time, something is corrupted in the system!

 

2019 Tony Nominations: Snubs for “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Network,” “Hillary and Clinton,” Glenda Jackson, King Lear

Roger Friedman
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2019 Tony Nominations: Snubs for “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Network,” “Hillary and Clinton,” Glenda Jackson, King Lear

The Tony Awards didn’t buy what producer Scott Rudin was selling this year. They snubbed his big budget productions of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “King Lear,” and “Hillary and Clinton,” giving some of the actors nominations but skipping his shows in the all important best of categories. They also skipped over Glenda Jackson as Lear, John Lithgow as Bill Clinton and dozens more.

Also not making the grade: “Network,” Paddy Chayefsky’s movie turned into a play. But star Bryan Cranston made the cut.

The worst snub: Leslie Kritzer of “Beetlejuice” deserved not only a nomination, but to win.

Two actors who also were ignored: Tracey Letts in “All My Sons” and Nathan Lane in “Gary.” The latter — see below–not a surprise. But Lane’s female co-stars Julie White and Kristine Nielsen were nommed for Featured Actress in a Play.

The Tony voters reached back to last fall and revived Janet McTeer’s exceptional performance in “Bernhardt/ Hamlet.” They also revived Elaine May’s beautiful work in “The Waverly Gallery.”

For some reason, “Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus” did make Best Play. It’s the worst thing I’ve seen in decades.

“Hadestown” led all shows with 14 nominations for a musical. It will win Best Musical and Best Score. “The Ferryman” will win Best Play, with nods to the nominated actors.

The Tony Awards air on CBS June 9th, hosted by James Corden. Full list to come.

Best Musical
Ain’t Too Proud—The Life and Times of The Temptations
Beetlejuice
Hadestown
The Prom
Tootsie

Best Play
Choir Boy by Tarell Alvin McCraney
The Ferryman by Jez Butterworth
Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus by Taylor Mac
Ink by James Graham
What the Constitution Means to Me by Heidi Schreck

Best Revival of a Musical
Kiss Me, Kate
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!

Best Revival of a Play
Arthur Miller’s All My Sons
The Boys in the Band by Mart Crowley
Burn This
Torch Song by Harvey Fierstein
The Waverly Gallery by Kenneth Lonergan

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Brooks Ashmanskas, The Prom
Derrick Baskin, Ain’t Too Proud
Alex Brightman, Beetlejuice
Damon Daunno, Oklahoma!
Santino Fontana, Tootsie

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Stephanie J. Block, The Cher Show
Caitlin Kinnunen, The Prom
Beth Leavel, The Prom
Eva Noblezada, Hadestown
Kelli O’Hara, Kiss Me, Kate

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Paddy Considine, The Ferryman
Bryan Cranston, Network
Jeff Daniels, To Kill a Mockingbird
Adam Driver, Burn This
Jeremy Pope, Choir Boy

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Annette Bening, All My Sons
Laura Donnelly, The Ferryman
Elaine May, The Waverly Gallery
Janet McTeer, Bernhardt/Hamlet
Laurie Metcalf, Hillary and Clinton
Heidi Schreck, What the Constitution Means to Me

Best Book of a Musical
Ain’t Too Proud, Dominique Morisseau
Beetlejuice, Scott Brown and Anthony King
Hadestown, Anaïs Mitchell
The Prom, Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin
Tootsie, Robert Horn

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Be More Chill, Joe Iconis
Beetlejuice, Eddie Perfect
Hadestown, Anaïs Mitchell
The Prom, Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin
To Kill a Mockingbird, Adam Guettel
Tootsie, David Yazbek

Best Direction of a Musical
Rachel Chavkin, Hadestown
Scott Ellis, Tootsie
Daniel Fish, Oklahoma!
Des McAnuff, Ain’t Too Proud
Casey Nicholaw, The Prom

Best Direction of a Play
Rupert Goold, Ink
Sam Mendes, The Ferryman
Bartlett Sher, To Kill a Mockingbird
Ivo van Hove, Network
George C. Wolfe, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Andre De Shields, Hadestown
Andy Grotelueschen, Tootsie
Patrick Page, Hadestown
Jeremy Pope, Ain’t Too Proud
Ephraim Sykes, Ain’t Too Proud

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Lilli Cooper, Tootsie
Amber Gray, Hadestown
Sarah Stiles, Tootsie
Ali Stroker, Oklahoma!
Mary Testa, Oklahoma!

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Bertie Carvel, Ink
Robin De Jesús, The Boys in the Band
Gideon Glick, To Kill a Mockingbird
Brandon Uranowitz, Burn This
Benjamin Walker, All My Sons

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Fionnula Flanagan, The Ferryman
Celia Keenan-Bolger, To Kill a Mockingbird
Kristine Nielsen, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Julie White, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Ruth Wilson, King Lear

Best Choreography
Camille A. Brown, Choir Boy
Warren Carlyle, Kiss Me, Kate
Denis Jones, Tootsie
David Neumann, Hadestown
Sergio Trujillo, Ain’t Too Proud

Best Orchestrations
Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose, Hadestown
Larry Hochman, Kiss Me, Kate
Daniel Kluger, Oklahoma!
Simon Hale, Tootsie
Harold Wheeler, Ain’t Too Proud

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Robert Brill and Peter Nigrini, Ain’t Too Proud
Peter England, King Kong
Rachel Hauck, Hadestown
Laura Jellinek, Oklahoma!
David Korins, Beetlejuice

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Miriam Buether, To Kill a Mockingbird
Bunny Christie, Ink
Rob Howell, The Ferryman
Santo Loquasto, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Jan Versweyveld, Network

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Michael Krass, Hadestown
William Ivey Long, Beetlejuice
William Ivey Long, Tootsie
Bob Mackie, The Cher Show
Paul Tazewell, Ain’t Too Proud

Best Costume Design of a Play
Rob Howell, The Ferryman
Toni-Leslie James, Bernhardt/Hamlet
Clint Ramos, Torch Song
Ann Roth, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Ann Roth, To Kill a Mockingbird

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Peter Hylenski, Beetlejuice
Peter Hylenski, King Kong
Steve Canyon Kennedy, Ain’t Too Proud
Drew Levy, Oklahoma!
Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz, Hadestown

Best Sound Design of a Play
Adam Cork, Ink
Scott Lehrer, To Kill a Mockingbird
Fitz Patton, Choir Boy
Nick Powell, The Ferryman
Eric Sleichim, Network

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Kevin Adams, The Cher Show
Howell Binkley, Ain’t Too Proud
Bradley King, Hadestown
Peter Mumford, King Kong
Kenneth Posner and Peter Nigrini, Beetlejuice

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Neil Austin, Ink
Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus
Peter Mumford, The Ferryman
Jennifer Tipton, To Kill a Mockingbird
Jan Versweyveld and Tal Yarden, Network

The final tally follows:
Hadestown – 14
Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of the Temptations – 12
Tootsie – 11
The Ferryman – 9
To Kill a Mockingbird – 9
Beetlejuice – 8
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! – 8
Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus – 7
The Prom – 7
Ink – 6
Network – 5
Choir Boy – 4
Kiss Me, Kate – 4
Arthur Miller’s All My Sons – 3
Burn This – 3
The Cher Show – 3
King Kong – 3
Bernhardt/Hamlet – 2
The Boys in the Band – 2
Torch Song – 2
The Waverly Gallery – 2
What the Constitution Means to Me – 2
Be More Chill – 1
Hillary and Clinton – 1
King Lear – 1

Madonna Wants to Spend $5 Mil on Billboard Music Awards Performance, but “Medellin” Has Only Earned $100K or Less So Far

Roger Friedman
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Madonna Wants to Spend $5 Mil on Billboard Music Awards Performance, but “Medellin” Has Only Earned $100K or Less So Far

Madonna is burning through money on her new single, “Medellin.”

According to TMZ, she’s going to spend $5 million to recreate the video she made with Colombian singer Maluma at the Billboard Music Awards.

No one knows what the video itself cost, but it looks like it cost $5 million in extras, costumes, make up and so on.

So far “Medellin” has sold just 9,600 copies according to Buzz Angle Music, from downloads. Including streaming, the number rises to 28,400. These are not good numbers.

On YouTube, “Medellin” has been viewed 12,700,000. That sounds like a lot but it isn’t. According to Quora, You Tubers make between $2,000 and $5,000 per million views. For example, at the high end, Ariana Grande streamed “7 Rings” 13 million times last week and made $109,000.

So Madonna has not cleared $100,000 for “Medellin” on everything all together. Maybe she’s earned $75,000. She spends that much at lunch.

Madonna seems to be beating a dead horse with “Medellin.” The single is not in the iTunes top 100 and hasn’t registered on the Spotify US charts.

RIP Remembering Ranking Roger, Brilliant Singer of the English Beat, General Public, Buried Today in England at Age 56

Roger Friedman
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RIP Remembering Ranking Roger, Brilliant Singer of the English Beat, General Public, Buried Today in England at Age 56

Ranking Roger, aka Roger Charlery, was one half of the brilliant groups the English Beat and General Public. He died on March 26, and was buried today in Birmingham, England at age 56. His partner was Dave Wakeling, whom I’ve seen more recently. I don’t know if I ever met Roger in person, but he gave the world so much pleasure with his songs. I’m sorry I didn’t say something sooner. Records by both groups are just glorious, and Roger’s contribution was indelible. His death sounds like it was pretty awful: two brain tumors, and lung cancer. A man who made such beautiful music doesn’t deserve that. But in heaven, he’s probably top of the pops. Thank you, Roger.

I could listen to these records all day:

Cannes 2019 Will Be Very Global and Minimally American as Announced Jury Includes Actress Elle Fanning and Director Kelly Reichardt

Roger Friedman
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Cannes 2019 Will Be Very Global and Minimally American as Announced Jury Includes Actress Elle Fanning and Director Kelly Reichardt

The Cannes Film Festival this year is not tipped toward the U.S., that’s for sure.

They’ve just announced the jury, and only two Americans are on it: Elle Fanning and director Kelly Reichardt. They will join jury president Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu  and Yorgos Lanthimos, Paweł Pawlikowski, Maimouna N’Diaye, Alice Rohrwacher, Enki Bilal, and Robin Campillo.

There are few American selections, as well, or even British ones, with stars. Jim Jarmusch’s opening night film, “The Day of the Dead,” and Elton John’s biopic, “Rocketman,” are by far the biggest attractions publicity-wise. Most of the other selections are French, Chinese, or Ukrainian.

It’s all a matter of timing, i.e. what movies are ready, which cinema-related people are available to be jurors for two weeks. The movies that are foreign to US press, I’m sure, are wonderful. But Cannes is an expensive proposition, and so far the lure to make the journey is not as enticing as usual.

If Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood” makes it, expect there to be a 24 hour news window of excitement. It will certainly help the Festival in its second week. But Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt won’t be milling about at Cannes events. They’ll be holed up at the Hotel du Cap, and then out.

Meantime, amFAR still hasn’t released any information about their fundraising gala from 2018 at the du Cap’s Eden Roc. They’ve never said how much they made or lost, and that’s on purpose. Their upcoming 2019 gala will be just as mysterious. And with few celebs around, amFAR will have to import or hold them in town–also very expensive. I’m amazed anyone is giving them money with no transparency.

John Singleton Passes Away at Age 51, Trailblazer Was Youngest Director Nominated for the Oscar, And First Black Person Nominated for Best Director

Roger Friedman
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John Singleton Passes Away at Age 51, Trailblazer Was Youngest Director Nominated for the Oscar, And First Black Person Nominated for Best Director

UPDATE Singleton died either yesterday, and the family withheld the news. Or he passed this afternoon. It’s unclear. And it doesn’t matter.

The main thing about John was that he was the youngest person ever to be nominated for Best Director, and first black person, for “Boyz in the Hood.” That we’ve lost him at age 51 is just a towering tragedy. His life has been cut short and we are the worse for it.

Samuel L. Jackson among many expressed his grief on Twitter: “Mourning the loss of a collaborator & True Friend John Singleton. He blazed the trail for many young film makers, always remaining true to who he was & where he came from!!! RIP Brother. Gone Way Too Soon!”

Everyone please take your beta blockers and blood thinners tonight!

EARLIER TODAY John Singleton’s family has announced they’re taking him off life support. He had a stroke on April 17th and never recovered. He turned 51 last January.

As I’ve said before, I so enjoyed John and the times that we spent together at many social events, especially the Oscars. He came to the show every year and loved to hang out in the bar off the stage. He’s been a great guy to talk movies with and Hollywood. He will be sorely missed for that, as well as being a ground breaking director. I hope his family can contain their infighting and figure out a way to show John some respect now.

Here’s their statement:

“We are grateful to his fans, friends and colleagues for the outpouring of love and prayers during this incredibly difficult time. We want to thank all the doctors at Cedars Sinai for the impeccable care he received,” the family said in a statement.

“Like many African Americans, Singleton quietly struggled with hypertension. More than 40% of African American men and women have high blood pressure, which also develops earlier in life and is usually more severe. His family wants to share the message with all to please recognize the symptoms by going to Heart.org.”

A Dream Deferred: Woodstock 50 is Cancelled as Major Backer, Dentsu, Exits Anniversary Weekend Celebration

Roger Friedman
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A Dream Deferred: Woodstock 50 is Cancelled as Major Backer, Dentsu, Exits Anniversary Weekend Celebration

There will not be a three day 50th anniversary celebration of Woodstock.

Dentsu, the main financial backer, has pulled out. The party set for mid August ain’t happening.

Michael Lang, the original producer of Woodstock in 1969, was trying to re-create the magic. But the logistics and money just didn’t come together.

The Dentsu statement: “It’s a dream for agencies to work with iconic brands and to be associated with meaningful movements,” Dentsu said in a statement. “We have a strong history of producing experiences that bring people together around common interests and causes which is why we chose to be a part of the Woodstock 50th Anniversary Festival.

“But despite our tremendous investment of time, effort and commitment, we don’t believe the production of the festival can be executed as an event worthy of the Woodstock Brand name while also ensuring the health and safety of the artists, partners and attendees. As a result and after careful consideration, Dentsu Aegis Network’s Amplifi Live, a partner of Woodstock 50, has decided to cancel the festival.  As difficult as it is, we believe this is the most prudent decision for all parties involved.”

Marvelous Marvel: $20 Billion Total for All Films in Comics Universe, Plus “Captain Marvel” is Number 2 for Weekend

Roger Friedman
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Marvelous Marvel: $20 Billion Total for All Films in Comics Universe, Plus “Captain Marvel” is Number 2 for Weekend

All boats rose on the super wave of “Endgame.”

As of today, the 23 movie Marvel comics universe movies have made a grand total of $19.9 million. Tomorrow they will cross the $20 billion mark. That’s quite a feat of super heroism.

Second, “Captain Marvel” was the number 2 movie this weekend, with over $8 million. Brie Larson stars as Captain Marvel, and she’s much featured in the new movie, which she actually shot first, before “Endgame.”

Imagine that Larson went from an indie movie no one saw– “Short Term 12”– to being stuck in a room with a little kid — “Room”– to this. Amazing.

“Captain Marvel” itself has made $408 million in the US. It’s moved UP the charts from 5 to 4 to 2 over the last three weeks. When does that happen after a run at number 1? Never. That’s when!

Box Office: “Avengers: Endgame” $350 Mil US, $1.2 Bil Worldwide, Smashes All Records for Opening Weekend, IMAX, International

Roger Friedman
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Box Office: “Avengers: Endgame” $350 Mil US, $1.2 Bil Worldwide, Smashes All Records for Opening Weekend, IMAX, International

The numbers are coming in for “Avengers: Endgame” and it has smashed all records.

The three hour movie from Marvel has surpassed all the old record holders for opening weekend, IMAX and international.

The mind blowing US box office for four days, Thursday-Sunday, is $350 million.

The total for the world including the US: $1.2 billion. That includes $330 million from China. And $52 million from IMAX. Those are each records of their own.

Thanks to Gitesh Pandya for compiling this list:

US/Canada $350M China $330.5M UK $53.8M Korea $47.4M Mexico $33.1M Australia $30.8M Germany $26.9M India $26.7M Brazil $26M France $24.2M Italy $19M Philippines $17.9M Thailand $14.3M Indonesia $14.1M Spain $13.3M Japan $13M GLOBAL: $1,209,000,000

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