You do know that no one actually drives in “Carpool Karoake”? But James Corden always sits in the driver’s seat and pretends to drive. Not with Barbra Streisand, who insists on sitting on the right in all interviews. She only wants her left profile to be seen, she thinks it’s better. She’s done it on most talk shows. When she got her AFI Award, she rearranged the set at the Beverly Hilton. So she’s done it again: ya think Babs is driving Corden? Nooooo. Except crazy, no doubt.
For Knockout Title Track “Walls,” Barbra Streisand Turned to the Best Songwriters: Marilyn & Alan Bergman, and Walter Afanasieff, Who Wrote Mariah Carey’s Greatest Hits
Barbra Streisand’s going to have a big hit album now with “Walls,” released today. It’s not just a bromide against Donald Trump. It’s a terrific example of Streisand’s amazing instrument, soaring, and used as a metaphor.
The title track, “Walls,” is written by her old friends, Marilyn and Allan Bergman, who always wrote for other people but are Streisand’s favorite lyricists. The music for the “Walls” song comes from Walter Afanasieff, who wrote so many of Mariah Carey’s original hits and worked with Whitney Houston, as well.
Walter wrote “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” as well as “Hero” and “One Sweet Day,” among others. Barbra was very smart (with credit to Marty Erlichman) to get Walter, Desmond Child, and Carole Bayer Sager for the “Walls” album. It’s her strongest set of new songs in years.
Irony: “A Star is Born” is keeping Barbra from number 1 on Amazon. She’s number 3 on iTunes.
Walls, high and low
Thick and thin
They keep you out, they keep you in
Walls narrow and wide
Round the square with warning signs “Watch out”, “Beware”
Brick by brick they built them but it seems to me
Brick by brick they built them where they shouldn’t be
We should be building bridges to a better day
Where no walls would stand in the way
Walls here and there, everywhere
In every city, every town we would have that better day
If all the walls came tumbling down
Brick by brick at times they’re of a different kind
Brick by brick they built around the heart and mind
Sometimes lasting longer than the walls that are made of stone
Keeping us apart and alone
These are walls that we don’t see but we built between the you and me
Made of broken dreams and wounded feelings that go on
Like walls we wished to go away
Could we have ourselves that better day
If we took the chance to simply say that we forgive
And if we forget they’d be gone
Oh walls here and there, everywhere
In every city, every town we would have that better day
If all the walls came tumbling down
In every city, every town we would have that better day
If all the walls came tumbling down
Exclusive: Matthew Broderick Books 4 More Episodes of “The Conners” as Jackie’s Know it All Boyfriend Peter
Two time Tony Award nominee Matthew Broderick has booked four episodes of “The Conners” as Jackie’s know-it-all and maybe insufferably funny boyfriend Peter.
Broderick had one short scene in this past Tuesday’s Halloween episode, and was offered four more on the spot. The double Tony winner (and many time nominee with lots of other theater and TV awards) has rarely appeared in prime time in a career that began when he was a teen in 1981. From “War Games” and “Ferris Bueller” to “You Can Count On Me” and “Manchester by the Sea,” Broderick has stuck mostly to top tier movies and stage work.
But there was a tantalizing offer, he told me last night at the Broadway opening of the revival of the 1983 Harvey Fierstein hit, “Torch Song.” (Broderick got his star on Broadway in the original production at 19.) The offer: “to act with Laurie Metcalf,” he said. Indeed, someone else had been scheduled to play Peter, then dropped out. Broderick got an emergency call, and when he heard Metcalf’s name he headed to the airport.
Now, no matter what happens with “The Conners,” we’ll at least see Broderick and Metcalf in four of the remaining episodes. Will there be a wedding at the end? I hope so. It sounds like a great match. Meantime, in real life, Broderick, of course, has been married to Sarah Jessica Parker for 20 — yes, 20– years and they have three kids.
Broderick is also the star of a new Netflix series called “Daybreak,” which will air next year.
PS I’ll have a review tomorrow noon for “Torch Song,” 35 years later better than ever.
“Bad Boys 3” Confirmed by Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, Who Hasn’t Made a Movie Since 2011
Whatcha gonna do? Make another sequel? Why not?
On Instagram and Twitter, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence have announced “Bad Boys 3” for 2020. The last “Bad Boys” movie was in 2008. Lawrence hasn’t made a whole movie since 2003. That would be 17 years between movies.
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer is really counting on fans not having Alzheimer’s. Who’s supposed to remember what happened in “Bad Boys 2”?
Actually “Bad Boys 2” came only 8 years after the original in 1998. At that rate “Bad Boys 4” will take place in Motion Picture Home in 2030. It will be called “Bad Boys: Assisted Living.” The Academy will present it with Least Leakage in a Movie.
Who’s ready for Bad Boys 3? LETS GO pic.twitter.com/sxxMBlmD0H
— REVOLT TV (@revolttv) November 1, 2018
TMZ Shills for Kanye West, Says Slumping Sales Not Reason for Politicial Backtrack– But It Is Most Certainly
TMZ is shilling for Kanye West, saying his political retreat has nothing to do with slumping sneakers sales.
But of course, it is the reason. TMZ has to help Kanye out since they were the ones who instigated his downfall with the “slavery is a choice” nonsense.
Sales of Kanye’s Yeeze Mauve 700 sneakers are apparently not good. They didn’t sell out upon release this week. There are plenty of them. Everywhere.
I looked online– they are dark pink sneakers, look like New Balance or whatever, and cost at least $600. Who has the money for this?
At least Kanye’s prior designs were downright weird and ugly. These are just, sneakers.
Anyway, all sizes are available at a site called StadiumGoods.com. They’re marked down to $440. Just wait a few days. When they get to $200, I will buy a pair. I don’t want Kanye homeless in Calabasas!
TMZ, if you’re getting into retail sales reports, let’s see some numbers, not just opinions. How many TMZ pundits will be sporting free Yeezy’s on the next show?
Mariah Carey Makes “A No No” For Real in Her New Single, Uses a Controversial Bad English Non Existent Word “Irregardless”
Oh no! Mariah Carey has made a real no no in her new single, “A No No.”
At about 1:04 she uses a non existent word, “irregardless.” There is no such word in the English language. The word you want is regardless. That’s it. No “irr.” (You can check the backlink. Some people think this is ok. It’s not. I can’t listen to it again. It’s like chalk nails on a chalkboard.)
From Merriam Webster:
The worst part of this is that “A No No” is pretty catchy, and I was grooving with it. But really, unless Mariah wants to promote illiteracy, she’s got to change it. How hard can it be? Mariah, Epic Records, pull it down and fix it. You will be forgiven.
Yes, there’s lots of bad grammar in pop music. It’s allowed sometimes to fit meter, or mood. But a totally wrong word– no no no. Unless the word is purposely twisted to make it funny. Then we all get the joke. But this is not a joke. I may not be able to sleep tonight.
Take “Caution,” Mariah. Get a copy editor, next time.
Disney’s $130 Million “Nutcracker and Four Realms” Panned by Critics, Gets a 26% from Critics, Faces Box Office Disaster
Disney’s “Nutcracker and the Four Realms” is so bad that reviews were embargoed until 8pm Wednesday night. The movie opens on Friday, and it’s apparently pretty bad.
As reviews flood into Rotten Tomatoes, the consensus is more or less “Yikes.” The two director film– it’s a messy situation with Lasse Hallstrom and Joe Johnston each getting credit–rated a lowly 26%.
As such, the only silver lining for “Nutcracker” is that another movie, Paramount’s “Nobody’s Fool,” must be much worse. There are no reviews yet and it looks like the studio won’t allow them until the last minute– meaning Thursday. So, that’s something.
“Nutcracker” was called out as a coming disaster months ago. It’s been trimmed down to 99 minutes and likely cost more than the $130 million that Disney has admitted to. But they’ve had so many hits this year, and have more coming, that it doesn’t matter. By next weekend, “Nutcracker” will just be a sore memory.
The AP: “To be frank, it rather limps to the goal line.”
Austin Chronicle: “Is it possible for a film to be entirely composed of filler? Pick up those tickets to your local ballet show instead, and dodge this bullet of mediocrity while funding the (actual) arts.”
New York Magazine: “There’s nothing grounding enough here; everything – the sets, the costumes, the performances – seems to drift off in a CGI haze.”
Broadway: Elaine May — Who Deserves a Kennedy Center Honor — Gives Hilarious, Historic Performance in “The Waverly Gallery”
Elaine May is one of our greatest resources for comedy in America, yet she has no Kennedy Center Honor.
Now you must run to see her in “The Waverly Gallery” on Broadway before the comedy closes in January. I asked Elaine, and she’s not going to stay past then. Anyway, she’s 80something. She’s doing 8 shows a week. Give her a break.
Once the partner of Mike Nichols in classic comedy sketches (on YouTube, please, you’ll binge watch them), Elaine made a career for herself as a screenwriter and director. Her most beloved (for me) was “The Heartbreak Kid,” which she directed from a Neil Simon screenplay in 1972. Her daughter, Jeannie Berlin, is one of the stars. (You’ve never seen this movie? I can’t talk to you!)
Among Elaine’s other shining credits: Writing Warren Beatty’s “Heaven Can Wait,” and Mike Nichols’ “Birdcage,” and her work on “Tootsie,” three of the most brilliant comedies in movie history. True, she had indigestion with “Ishar,” But then there’s her acting in Woody Allen’s “Small Time Crooks” and directing “Mikey and Nicky,” and basically, she’s one of the world’s great wonders.
So there she is on stage for most of Kenneth Lonergan’s autobiographical play with the hottest kid in town, Lucas Hedges (two hit movies coming, “Ben is Back” and “Boy Erased”), and the sensational Joan Allen, and director who acts sometimes David Cromer, and Lonergan’s new regular, Michael Cera. And the play revolves around Elaine, playing aging art dealer Gladys Green, with her gallery off Washington Square Park for 28 years that has fallen out of fashion.
The problem is Gladys is a) deaf and b) has onset dementia, that is dementing quickly. Lucky for Gladys, she’s charming and funny and sweet. But she is also repetitive and becoming not annoying but quickly a problem that can’t be solved. What to do with her? She and her grandson (Hedges) live down the hall from each other. and she’s ringing his bell in the middle of the night. And he’s so patient with her, to the point of absurdity.
We have all been there. I went through it with three grandparents and a great aunt. You just have to live it. And so the audience does, laughing wryly and uproariously. Elaine May brings a softer side than the legendary actress who originated the role 20 years ago, Eileen Heckart. And in tuning into Gladys with all her superpowers of perception and sensitivity, Elaine has the audience in the palm of her hand. She spends a good deal of time talking to an offstage dog, for example, and you really start to think the dog is there. You really worry it’s being overfed.
Lucas Hedges, ok, he is the real thing, he’s turning into an actor’s actor at almost 22. God bless him. He’s channeling an older generation. Joan Allen– she has a Tony Award and three Oscar nominations– just shows she is much missed (where’s she been) and had better get back to work now fast when this closes. David Cromer — a great theater director– brings a decency and grounding to the role of Gladys’s son in law. Michael Cera is a little restrained here, but he’s developed into a fine theater actor on top of his movie success.
The Waverly Gallery did exist. I used to look at it as I ran to school and wondered, What the heck is going on in there? Now I now: a lot of wonderful things.
Please, Tony nominators, don’t forget Elaine May next spring when this production is gone.
The Rolling Stones Releasing Curated Double Album of Blues Songs That Inspired Their Illustrious Career
Wanna know how the Rolling Stones came up with their original blues sound in the 60s? They’re going to tell by releasing a curated album of blues songs that influenced them. “Confessin’ the Blues” will be out next Friday, November 9th. It’s a neat idea, and I’m looking forward to it. All major ( I mean major, like the Stones, Beatles, Dylan) should do curated sets of old records. Starbucks used to have artists do this when they first began their CD label Hear Music (long gone). If anyone finds the tracklist for this, please send it to showbiz411 @gmail.com. So far there’s no press release and no info on any Stones sites. The cover is by Ronnie Wood. (It’s like digging ditches to get info around here!)
The tracklist follows. They’re going to have a slight problem as the Rolling Stones are not listed as the Artist so if you search Amazon by their name (and I presume other places) this album doesn’t come up.
Disc: 1
1. Rollin’ Stone (Muddy Waters)
2. Little Red Rooster (Howlin’ Wolf)
3. Boogie Chillen (John Lee Hooker)
4. I Hate to See You Go (Little Walter)
5. Little Queenie (Chuck Berry)
6. You Can’t Judge A Book By It’s Cover (Bo Diddley)
7. Ride ‘Em On Down (Eddie Taylor)
8. I’m A King Bee (Slim Harpo)
9. All Your Love (Magic Sam)
10. Dust My Broom (Sonny Boy Williamson)
11. Just Your Fool (Little Walter)
12. I Want to Be Loved (Muddy Waters)
13. Key to the Highway (Big Bill Broonzy)
14. Love In Vain Blues (Robert Johnson)
15. You Gotta Move (Mississippi Fred McDowell)
16. Bright Lights, Big City (Jimmy Reed)
17. Worried Life Blues (Big Maceo Merriweather)
18. Everybody Knows About My Good Thing (Pt. 1) (Little Johnny Taylor)
19. Commit a Crime (1991 Chess Box Version) (Howlin’ Wolf)
20. I Can’t Quit You Baby (Otis Rush)
21. Confessin’ the Blues (with Walter Brown) [Single Version] (Jay McShann)
Disc: 2
1. Just Like I Treat You (Howlin’ Wolf)
2. I Got to Go (Little Walter)
3. Carol (Chuck Berry)
4. Mona (Bo Diddley)
5. I Just Want to Make Love to You (Muddy Waters)
6. Blues Before Sunrise (Elmore James & The Broom Dusters)
7. Bad Boy (Eddie Taylor)
8. Boogie Children (Boy Blue)
9. Little Rain (Jimmy Reed)
10. Stop Breakin’ Down Blues (Robert Johnson)
11. The Prodigal Son (Reverend Robert Wilkins)
12. Hoodoo Blues (Lightnin’ Slim)
13. Don’t Stay Out All Night (Billy Boy Arnold)
14. Crawdad. (Bo Diddley)
15. Suzie Q (Dale Hawkins)
16. Down The Road Apiece (Amos Milburn)
17. Little Baby (Howlin’ Wolf)
18. Blue and Lonesome (Little Walter)
19. Rock Me Baby (B.B. King)
20. Damn Right I Got The Blues (Buddy Guy)
21. Mannish Boy (Muddy Waters)
The song that inspired the greatest rock’n’roll band in the world’s name! As featured on the upcoming release – Confessin’ The Blues in collaboration with the Rolling Stones. Out next Friday 9 November, available to pre-order now: https://t.co/oTzhspfHgc pic.twitter.com/JXqpGlzmlc
— The Rolling Stones (@RollingStones) October 31, 2018
Ratings: “The Conners” Beaten By Everything, Drops in Total Viewers and Demo as ABC Orders Only 1 More Episode
“The Conners” dropped in everything last night–total viewers, key demo. In the nightly ratings battle. the “Roseanne” spin off continues to trend downward.
Last night, “The Conners” was beaten by everything- “NCIS,” “The Voice,” etc. This was their first really objective run, no World Series, nothing to distract potential viewers.
But the key demo sank, which isn’t a good sign. And the total viewers were down by 180K, which is a lot, frankly. People are leaving and they’re not coming back.
ABC has ordered 1 extra episode to the original order of 10. Sounds to me like a finale. Someone wakes up and says they dreamed Roseanne died. There’s a cackle from the next room. Fade to black.
ADDENDUM Variety is reporting that John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, and Sara Gilbert are each being paid $375,000 an episode. Let’s say Lacy Goranson and Michael Fishman get $100,000 apiece, then there the kids and DJ’s ex wife. That’s a heavy load per week if the ratings keep falling. “The Conners’ has to be added to “Roseanne”‘s syndication package eventually– it will never reach 100 episodes and have its own package. So Werner TV is in trouble, with millions going out and not enough coming back. “The Conners” is doomed.