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Pop Charts: Hozier’s Sophomore Effort, “Wasteland, Baby!” Falls 90% in Second Week, “Star is Born” Keeps Going

Roger Friedman
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Pop Charts: Hozier’s Sophomore Effort, “Wasteland, Baby!” Falls 90% in Second Week, “Star is Born” Keeps Going

The pop charts aren’t that lively this week. Unless there’s a surprise release coming, it’s going to stay pretty quiet for a while.

The sophomore effort of Hozier, the Irish sorta soula singer, went belly up in its second. “Wasteland, Baby” fell 90% in sales from its number 1 entry last week. I saw this guy at “Love Rocks.” His old hit, “Take Me to Church,” was a great single. But he has no hits on the new album. I don’t know what he’s singing about. Nina? Power? What?

The soundtrack CD to “A Star is Born” is still in the top 5. Amazing. Plus the half dozen singles are still selling. Crazy. Lady Gaga tweeted this week that if she’s pregnant, it’s with her sixth solo album. That will be a blockbuster. And she still has the unreleased second Tony Bennett album.

There are a lot of new albums out there by legacy artists. Only no one knows about them. I’m going to do a round up soon. If you’re a publicist who has one of these, send me a note at showbiz411@gmail.com

Lori Loughlin Gets Fired by Hallmark Hall of Fame in All Their Businesses, Actress Punished for Arrest in College Admissions Scandal

Roger Friedman
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Lori Loughlin Gets Fired by Hallmark Hall of Fame in All Their Businesses, Actress Punished for Arrest in College Admissions Scandal

Lori Loughlin has been fired from Hallmark Hall of Fame and all her businesses with them. Loughlin stars in a series there called “When Calls the Heart.” She even got the judge to let her return to Vancouver to film more episodes, but it seems like that may be over. She also specials for them. That’s over, too.

Loughlin, of course, was arrested and charged with bribing college officials this week on behalf of her daughter, who didn’t want to go to college in the first place. Loughlin and her husband paid $500,000 to bribe college officials for both of their daughters. (You’ve read the whole story ad nauseum.)

Hallmark aka Crown Media said the following: “We are saddened by the recent news surrounding the college admissions allegations,” the company said. “We are no longer working with Lori Loughlin and have stopped development of all productions that air on the Crown Media Family Network channels involving Lori Loughlin, including “Garage Sale Mysteries,” an independent third party production.”

This is the first wave of many for the parents of all the kids who allegedly bribed officials and will now stand trial or plead out. For the bankers and lawyers it won’t be so public. For Loughlin and husband Massimo Gianulli, who owns the Massimo fashion line, and for actors Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy, the waves could turn very nasty.

I hope they don’t, especially for the Macys. Their share of this mess– $15,000– is paltry, and they may have more of an explanation at some point. The Macys don’t live a high life. While many actors change as they become more successful, they have remained– at least on the surface– reasonable and still human. There has to be something else to this story.

Loughlin paid half a million dollars. On top of that, her daughter Olivia seems just awful. It’s ironic. Loughlin came from nothing, working class background in Happauge, Long Island. She got a job on “Edge of Night” at age 15 and parlayed that into a huge career via “Full House.” Gianulli is very wealthy and seems self-made. They completely misunderstood the American dream. They turned it into a nightmare.

Box Office: At Least Two Disasters Open Wide This Weekend: “Captive State,” and “Wonder Park” Headed for the Bin

Roger Friedman
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Box Office: At Least Two Disasters Open Wide This Weekend: “Captive State,” and “Wonder Park” Headed for the Bin

“Captain Marvel” will remain solidly fixed this weekend at number 1.

That’s because the two wide releases of the weekend are non starters. They are DOA. They are not happening. They are kaput.

“Captive State” has live actors like John Goodman and Vera Farmiga. But Focus hasn’t screened this dour thriller directed by Rupert Wyatt. No one knows anything and they won’t until after it starts playing. There are no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. A ZERO looks forthcoming. Wyatt’s last film was the remake of “The Gambler.” Need I say more? Goodman must have jumped at the chance to re-up with “The Conners” on TV after making this one.

Over at Paramount, where we wait with crossed fingers for “Rocketman,” they have to release “Wonder Park” this weekend. It cost $100 million, may take in $10 million. It’s animated, for kids, with lots of stars’ voices. But no one wants to hear them. It has a 23 on RT. But wait: THIS MOVIE HAS NO DIRECTING CREDIT. Not on imdb or anywhere else. Just three writers. Hmmmm…. Even “Bohemian Rhapsody” had a director’s credit! Where is Alan Smithee when you need him?

Oh well.

Films to see this weekend: “Gloria Bell.” Also “Ash is Purest White.” And “Greta.”

Netflix Roils Its Members by Canceling “One Day at a Time,” Says No one Was Watching But Apparently Someone Was

Roger Friedman
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Netflix Roils Its Members by Canceling “One Day at a Time,” Says No one Was Watching But Apparently Someone Was

Here’s what happens when you don’t publish your ratings.

Netflix has canceled the updated version of “One Day at a Time” after three seasons. They say: “We’ve made the very difficult decision not to renew One Day At A Time for a fourth season. The choice did not come easily — we spent several weeks trying to find a way to make another season work but in the end simply not enough people watched to justify another season”

But apparently there were enough people, because now they are all complaining and going crazy on social media. The new “One Day” was based on the Bonnie Franklin version, and was very popular and well thought of. It was also one of the few shows among all the vast offerings on TV and related platforms that featured Latinos and LGBTQ characters prominently.

If there weren’t enough readers, Netflix could just show the numbers. They won’t, and risk the ire of subscribers who came just for that show.

“This is Spinal Tap” Will Get 35th Anniversary Showing at Tribeca, With Musical Performance by Group

Roger Friedman
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“This is Spinal Tap” Will Get 35th Anniversary Showing at Tribeca, With Musical Performance by Group

I am so there. Saturday, April 27th at the Beacon Theater– the Tribeca Film Festival will have a 35th anniversary showing of “This is Spinal Tap” followed by a performance from the group. Buy tickets now because this is the event of the week! Maybe they’ll lower a mini-Stonehenge onto the stage!

Tribeca just announced a bunch of great events to go with that one. The closing night film on May 4th is Danny Boyle’s Beatles movie, “Yesterday,” written by Richard Curtis. This is about a guy who wakes up to discover the Beatles never existed. He’s the only one who knows their songs, and starts playing them. Of course, he becomes a wild sensation. Himesh Patel from “Eastenders” is the star, and Lily James is his girlfriend. The amazing Kate McKinnon becomes his American agent. Doesn’t this sound like a big hit? I hope it is. Great use of the Beatles catalog!

There’s also a new restored cut of “Apocalypse Now,” a “Reality Bites” premiere, and a documentary about Trey Attanasio from Phish with a live performance.

Check the Tribeca website for details!

TV: “Empire” Returns to Lower Ratings After Jussie Smollett Scandal: Can it Recover or Is This the End?

Roger Friedman
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TV: “Empire” Returns to Lower Ratings After Jussie Smollett Scandal: Can it Recover or Is This the End?

“Empire” returned to TV last night after a break that started in mid December. The last two episodes each scored 5 million viewers.

But a lot has changed since then. A star of the show,  Jussie Smollett, today entered a plea of not guilty to 16 counts of disorderly conduct and lying to the police. His scandal went on for weeks, and has damged “Empire” in the process.

The result is that last night “Empire” returned to 4.4 million viewers. That’s down 12% but also their second to worst outing of this season. On Halloween, “Empire” had 4.23 million.

“Empire” was already showing signs of wear and tear, but Smollett’s saga may be the nail in the coffin. If this is the beginning of a trend, watch Fox announce a short final season for next year.

Billboard Magazine’s Top 100 Albums by Women SNUBS Aretha, Joni Mitchell, Dusty Springfield, Nina Simone, Joan Baez, Patsy Cline, Gladys Knight. Linda Ronstadt, and PINK!

Roger Friedman
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Billboard Magazine’s Top 100 Albums by Women SNUBS Aretha, Joni Mitchell, Dusty Springfield, Nina Simone, Joan Baez, Patsy Cline, Gladys Knight. Linda Ronstadt, and PINK!

Poor Billboard magazine. They don’t know what the hell they’re doing.

Their top 100 albums by women list is topped by Adele’s “21” album. That’s ridiculous but that’s not all. The list OMITS Aretha Franklin, Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone, Joan Baez and Patsy Cline, and Gladys Knight.

It’s not clear who the idiots are who made the list, but they should be fired. Immediately. They’ve got Big Brother and the Holding Company — aka Janis Joplin– at 75. And no mention of “Pearl,” Janis’s crowning achievement at all.

There’s no Linda Ronstadt, Loretta Lynn, or Tammy Wynette. Come on. Are you kidding?

NO Annie Lennox. No Annie Lennox.

And not a word about Dusty Springfield’s “Dusty in Memphis.” I mean, these people are brain dead.

They didn’t include Pink, Camilla Cabello, Sheryl Crow, or Wynonna Judd.

But there are multiple entrees from Taylor Swift, Mariah Carey, Adele, and Barbra Streisand. Did you have to pay to ge this on the list? How much? I will pay you, Billboard, to add the women who are missing. Get real.

Dinah Washington, Etta James? Nope. Billie Holiday? Nope. Jennifer Holliday? Nope.

But Paula Abdul? She’s number 10.

And no Ella, no Sarah. Wait, it just keeps getting worse. No Doris Day! And no Rosemary Clooney! No Judy or Liza either.

This is the Bible? The Music Bible? Maybe it’s “The Satanic Verses”?

Adding a PS because I was distracted by outraged emails. These lists are made by magazines to get attention and spark conversation. But this particular list just shows how stupid these people are, and their total lack of understanding of the history of popular music. “Tapestry” should be number 1 or 2, same for “Court and Spark” by Joni. The people who made the list seem like they were torn between contemporary crap and some legacy (Carole has 3 slots, Roberta Flack is there, Carly Simon’s “No Secrets” is way down the list). But basically this is a shanda. You can’t respect a publication that does this. PS Aretha could have at least 3 albums up there. Aretha!

 

 

Whoopi Goldberg Is Back! Star of “The View” Surprises Her Co-Hosts with 1st Appearance Since February 6th

Roger Friedman
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Whoopi Goldberg Is Back! Star of “The View” Surprises Her Co-Hosts with 1st Appearance Since February 6th

Whoopie! Whoopi Goldberg returned to “The View” this morning after being off the air for six weeks. Whoopi surprised her co-hosts live, and looks great. She was suffering from a bad case of pneumonia and almost died. What a pleasure to see her! Tomorrow’s show is pre-taped, so it’s hoped she’ll back in her regular chair on Monday!

Bad Media News Week as NY Magazine Lays off 32, People Editor Leaves, Vanity Fair Loses Top Online Editor

Roger Friedman
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Bad Media News Week as NY Magazine Lays off 32, People Editor Leaves, Vanity Fair Loses Top Online Editor

It’s not been a very good media week.

On Monday, New York Magazine laid off 32 people, 16 full time, 16 part time. The print edition of New York only comes out twice a month now. Editor in chief Adam Moss left after 16 years, I guess knowing the layoffs were coming. More are probably on their way. Adam did a great job until he couldn’t anymore. What a mess of a story New York has become. Bruce Wasserstein bought it, then died. His family took on his responsibilities, and we should be thankful they didn’t just sell it or close it. Once upon a time, New York was everything. No one could live without it. Everyone read it. I know, I wrote the Intelligencer column once, and was proud to be there. But times have changed.

Then comes news today that Jess Cagle has been tossed as editor of People and Entertainment Weekly. Jess and I were at EW in 1990, right after it started. His office was next to mine. (This was before I was at New York.) So he’s been there almost 30 years. Is that possible? Jess has done a great job following Larry Hackett at People, taking on the two jobs, and bridging the change from Time Inc. to Meredith Publishing. But you know, Meredith is publishing these magazines not from New York. Jess’s time with them could not have been easy. People and EW are like every other publication now. They are things of the past.

And the latest news today is that Jon Kelly is leaving The Hive website at Vanity Fair. Jon started as Graydon Carter’s assistant. He’s the son of famed writer Sheila Weller. He made the Hive buzz, launched a lot of writers, and knew what he was doing. But you see, Vanity Fair wants to get rid of anyone who was there when the magazine was successful. So many left when Graydon took flight, and I’m sure more of them will follow. No one is reading Vanity Fair. Their circulation is way down, even on line, although Vogue is doing worse online. So that’s some consolation.

Elton John Collaborating with New Lyricist Shaina Taub on “Devil Wears Prada” Musical for Broadway

Roger Friedman
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Elton John Collaborating with New Lyricist Shaina Taub on “Devil Wears Prada” Musical for Broadway

Sir Elton John rarely writes with lyricists other than Bernie Taupin. The exceptions have been Broadway musicals like “Aida” and “The Lion King,” for which he wrote songs with Tim Rice.

So it’s a little bit of a surprise that Elton has a new collaborator for the Broadway musical version of “The Devil Wears Prada.” His lyricist will be Shaina Taub, a relative newcomer who has been an actress at the Public Theater and supplied lyrics for some of their Shakespeare productions.

Anna D. Shapiro will direct the musical based on the David Frankel movie. The very hilarious Paul Rudnick will take time off from writing trenchant tweets about Jared and Ivanka to write the book.

The three main women, based on Anna Wintour and two assistants, played in the movie by Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and Emily Blunt, have not been cast yet. But you can bet there will be a massive campaign among all actresses on Broadway. Ironically, all three could star in it since they sing so well. But the budget would be a gazillion dollars.

as for Shaina Taub, she’s a find. She has an album out that you can list to on her website. She’s also got a bunch of dates at Joe’s Pub coming starting May 28th. Get your tickets now. Everyone will be talking about her.

 

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