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Donald Trump’s Daughter-in-Law Vanessa Trump Issues Self-Serving Statement About Mailed Pipe Bombs

Roger Friedman
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Donald Trump’s Daughter-in-Law Vanessa Trump Issues Self-Serving Statement About Mailed Pipe Bombs
Vanessa Trump, she’s getting divorced from Donald Jr., is as bad as he is, don’t make a mistake. The wives are all complicit with the husbands in that family. She gave Axios.com a statement about the mail pipe bombs.
She had a really bad time, you see, when suspicious powder was mailed to her. It’s all about Vanessa, however, and Donnie Jr. Look at her message. She expresses no empathy for the 13 different recipients of the pipe bombs. She just wants you to know she had to take Cipro for two weeks! (God knows what Don Jr. had cured by accident.)
Here’s her self-serving quote to Axios:
Let me start by applauding law enforcement for swiftly catching one of the alleged perpetrators behind these recent acts of terrorism. I hope that he and anyone else who had any involvement in these grotesque attacks are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
This is personal for me because I know firsthand what it is like to be targeted and terrorized by a coward with a vendetta. Back in February I opened an envelope intended for my husband Don, which covered my face, hands and clothing in white powder and left me terrified. 
I was rushed to the hospital, evaluated and put on Cipro for the longest two weeks of my life, and while they worked to identify whether the white powder was deadly, I spent the entire time thinking about the horrifying possibility that I would never see my 5 beautiful children again. 
It was a cowardly act against a mother. And even today, every time I open the mail, I feel the same fear in my heart as I did that day. These recent acts are the acts of a coward and nothing more than terrorism, pure and simple. No one, regardless of political party or ideology, should ever have to go through what I went through.
Yes, Vanessa, and? The words you forgot were– My heart goes out to the Clintons, the Obamas, the people at CNN, and everyone who must have been terrified when these packages arrived.
But…no…

TV: Is ABC Getting Ready to Ditch “The Conners”? Network Order For Only 1 Extra Episode Instead of Full Season Could Be For Finale

Roger Friedman
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TV: Is ABC Getting Ready to Ditch “The Conners”? Network Order For Only 1 Extra Episode Instead of Full Season Could Be For Finale

“The Conners” is already in trouble. ABC may be getting ready to ditch the “Roseanne” spin off.

The trades report without editorial comment that ABC has ordered only more episode to be added to the ten it already contracted for this season.

A full half season order is 13, which means ABC didn’t even fill that out. And they most certainly didn’t ask for a number like 22 which would take “The Conners” to the end of the current TV season next spring.

The 1 episode order makes me think it’s just a finale to the ten as a good will gesture. And then “The Conners” would go back to the mists of TV’s own walking dead.

So far, “The Conners” ratings have been less than spectacular. The first episode brought in 11 million viewers, the second week dropped to 7 million. If the drop continues, it may be too expensive to keep around, given John Goodman’s and Laurie Metcalf’s salaries.

Roseanne must be cackling from whatever hen house she’s been locked up in. She was the sizzle on the griddle on that show. Without her, “The Conners” is like a good meal without any spices. Or for you oldsters, something salt-free.

Broadway: “The Ferryman” Finally Comes from the West End And Makes A Splash Here

Regina Weinreich
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Broadway: “The Ferryman” Finally Comes from the West End And Makes A Splash Here

In Northern Ireland in 1981 The Troubles pit Irish against Irish, resulting in a great deal of anguished, epic drama. Think Martin McDonagh, and the movies of Ken Loach. In Jez Butterworth’s “The Ferryman,” at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theater on Broadway, a monumental three hours and 15 minutes zip by, beginning with the news: the body of Seamus Carney, a ten-years missing man, turned up in a bog, hands and feet bound.

Nearby his wife/widow holds the fort, living in her brother-in-law Quinn Carney’s lively household with her son, now a teen. To celebrate the harvest they are cooking goose, and just as the family learns the news about the recovered body, the once live bird– he appears on stage before his untimely death– hangs on a hook at the kitchen window, bound, emblematic of Seamus’ remains, best left to the imagination.

The running story was that Seamus had vanished, gone to Liverpool. Maybe. But Caitlin (a fine Laura Donnelly) his wife knows better; the IRA has killed him, and the family is under threat to be quiet about it by the local thug in charge..

“The Ferryman, like the plays of O’Neill, is replete with classical references to Virgil, who’s even invoked at one point if you don’t get it. As Penelope did in Virgil’s epic poem, she hangs out waiting for news, or a body, enjoying the raucous family life and attentions of her brother-in-law Quinn Carney (brilliant Paddy Considine in his Broadway debut) with whom she’s fallen in love despite his hypochondriac wife and seven children.  The references include the titular “ferryman,” cited in a reading of The Aeneid, who cannot bring the dead from life’s shore over the river Styx unless the body is buried– and in this case, until we meet the Carneys, Seamus has been in absentia for a decade.

After a recent performance we ran into the great Irish actress Fionnula Flanagan (“The Others,” “LOST”) who plays Aunt Maggie. Far off in her own reverie, Maggie is seated onstage in a wheelchair. She’s a teller of tales, and the play’s oracle, mystically far away as her name suggests. Flanagan noted that Sam Mendes’ direction was meticulous, his eye on every detail and movement of a cast of 22, the chaos and exuberance of family life cleverly orchestrated including dancing and singing. Flanagan laughs when a fan tells her she has a lovely voice: “I don’t even sing in the shower.”

Mendes is indeed meticulous. Often there are more than a dozen people on stage, members of the extended Carney family come and go. Most of them are young, and lively, and Butterworth has given every group of them their own scenes (hence the length). The ensemble is a singular standout through and through, with blonde Tom Glynn-Carney (he had the best hair in “Dunkirk”) a knockout. Some of “The Ferryman” is overwrought, and the ending is a collision, but overall this should be the Best Play of the 2017-18 season. And this is how a real play is written, folks.

 

Roger Ailes- Fox News– Gretchen Carlson Movie is Filming, LionsGate Very Quietly Acquired It from Annapurna

Roger Friedman
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Roger Ailes- Fox News– Gretchen Carlson Movie is Filming, LionsGate Very Quietly Acquired It from Annapurna

The Roger Ailes- Fox News- Gretchen Carlson movie is filming. There are spreads today of Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly in the Daily Mail.

“Fair and Balanced,” directed by Jay Roach, starring John Lithgow as Ailes, and Nicole Kidman as Gretchen Carlson, was stopped in its tracks two weeks ago when Annapurna Pictures dropped the project. It couldn’t have been money per se. The thinking is that Larry Ellison, who funds Annapurna for his daughter Megan, didn’t want it.

After Annapurna dropped it, there was some talk of Lions Gate picking it up. There has never been a formal announcement. But Lions Gate indeed is making the movie. Good for them! We want to see this!

Malcolm McDowell is playing Rupert Murdoch. I’ve heard that Richard Kind may be tapped as Rudy Giuliani. Margot Robbie is also featured.

Jay Roach directed “Game Change” for HBO and garnered many awards. He’s a terrific, smart director. Screenwriter Charles Randolph wrote “The Big Short” (a movie that featured Margot Robbie in all the right ways). So Lions Gate can expect something very good here. Can’t wait!

Johnny Depp in Dreadful, “Misguided” London Fields– Finally Released After 3 Years– Has a ZERO with Critics

Roger Friedman
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Johnny Depp in Dreadful, “Misguided” London Fields– Finally Released After 3 Years– Has a ZERO with Critics

Today, at last, comes “London Fields.” It has a zero on Rotten Tomatoes. I’ve watched it, or tried to– it’s unwatchable. Incoherent.

Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard met just before making this movie, Matthew Cullen’s adaptation of Martin Amis’s bestseller. Cullen and his financiers had such a row over how bad the movie was, they sued each other. Cullen said he had final cut. The film was pulled at the last minute from the 2015 Toronto Film Festival– that’s right, three years ago.

Then the producers also sued Heard. A settlement was reached in September.

I met Matthew Cullen at last winter’s Spirit Awards. (He was nice enough to let me sit with him when Film Independent said they had no seats in their tent. They’ve since blackballed me for finding my own seat.) He told me some of the story. But last March was a long time ago, and it seemed like “London Fields” would never be released.

Alas, now it has, only to be reviled by critics. It’s being released by tiny GVN Films.

For Depp, who’s about to appear in the second “Fantastic Beasts” movie, it’s yet another bomb. He has enough for a munitions factory. And to add insult to injury. it seems like Disney is rebooting the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise with a new cast. Depp’s days as Jack Sparrow are over.

AT&T, As Owner of Warner Media, Shutting Down Popular, Smart FilmStruck Streaming Service Next Month

Roger Friedman
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AT&T, As Owner of Warner Media, Shutting Down Popular, Smart FilmStruck Streaming Service Next Month

That didn’t take long.

Now that AT&T owns WarnerMedia, formerly Time Warner, they have to get busy shutting down things people like.

FilmStruck, a popular and smart streaming service, is first to go. This was a service that provided curated, unusual films, and programming for sophisticated film fans. But you know, there’s no place for that now, not when you could be watching a comic book movie.

The folks in charge say: “We’re incredibly proud of the creativity and innovations produced by the talented and dedicated teams who worked on FilmStruck over the past two years. While FilmStruck has a very loyal fanbase, it remains largely a niche service. We plan to take key learnings from FilmStruck to help shape future business decisions in the direct-to-consumer space and redirect this investment back into our collective portfolios.”

The service ends November 29th.

 

Hear Barbra Streisand’s New Very Patriotic Single, “Lady Liberty,” From Her Forthcoming “Walls” Album

Roger Friedman
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Hear Barbra Streisand’s New Very Patriotic Single, “Lady Liberty,” From Her Forthcoming “Walls” Album

Here’s the second single from Barbra Streisand’s new album. “Lady Liberty” comes from “Walls,” which we’ll get next month.

“Lady Liberty” is VERY patriotic, with lyrics about 9-11, and references Emma Lazarus’s famous poem “The New Colossus.” I’m very proud because Emma lived on the same block I live on now, and she has a nice plaque commemorating her. If she were alive, I’d take over to the Waverly Inn and raise a glass.

Coincidence? Former 9AM Today Show Hosts Reunite (See Photo): Tamron Hall Visits Al Roker on Broadway

Roger Friedman
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Coincidence? Former 9AM Today Show Hosts Reunite (See Photo): Tamron Hall Visits Al Roker on Broadway

Guess who went to see Al Roker on Broadway last night? His former “Today Show” co-host Tamron Hall. Al and Tamron hosted the 9am hour of “Today” before Megyn Kelly took it from them. Al and Tamron were beloved and became much missed overnight.

Now that Kelly has self-imploded, Roker is her likely successor. Tamron signed a deal with Disney syndication this fall to host her own talk show on ABC starting next year, so she probably won’t be co-hosting with Al.

But who knows? Maybe Disney will let Tamron sit in with Al when (and if, ’cause it’s not finalized) he takes over on Monday. Their ratings will skyrocket!

If Al Roker Wants Megyn Kelly’s Show He’s In Luck: He’s Off Monday from His Broadway Gig in “Waitress”

Roger Friedman
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If Al Roker Wants Megyn Kelly’s Show He’s In Luck: He’s Off Monday from His Broadway Gig in “Waitress”

Al Roker has lucked into a good schedule. If he wants his old show back, 9am on NBC as the third hour of Today. It’s free.

RadarOnline already says he’s got it. But Al has a second job– he’s appearing on Broadway in “Waitress” until November 18th. He can’t leave early– they’ve sold tickets and extended his run.

But luckily, Al is off on Monday. “Waitress” is dark. And he’s already on the “Today” from 7 to 9am. (When does he sleep?)

On Sunday he has two performances, 2pm and 7pm. The show is over at 9. He can be in bed at 10pm, wake up at 5, get to “Today.” The rest of Monday is free– that’s when he can sleep– and be back Tuesday morning. It will be a rough three weeks, but then “Today with Al Roker” is his– and he will be welcomed back. That’s for sure!

Al, to his credit, was a vocal critic of Kelly’s on the subject of blackface. He was also enthusiastic about ousting Matt Lauer and of Billy Bush. As one insider tells me: “He will want the show.”

All Eyes on Morgan Radford, Amy Holmes to Replace Megyn Kelly Starting Monday on Today

Roger Friedman
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All Eyes on Morgan Radford, Amy Holmes to Replace Megyn Kelly Starting Monday on Today

This Monday the 9am hour on the “Today” show is going to look a lot different. Megyn Kelly will be gone. So will the logo “Megyn Kelly Today.”

So what will Monday’s show look like?

I’m told that Morgan Radford and Amy Holmes, who appear on the Kelly show as contributors, are likely to take her place.

Al Roker might be part of the equation, too. His show with Tamron Hall, which preceded Kelly, was very popular.

But Tamron Hall–bad timing. She signed a deal with Disney syndication for her own talk show. So she can’t come back to NBC. Her show will launch next year.

One other possibility is bringing in Willie Geist. He’s very popular, likable, and could take the sting out of the transition back to normalcy.

Expect the 9am hour to go back to light news and entertainment, and to stop being a daily forum for abuse stories. Those topics at 9am didn’t compete with “Live with Kelly and Ryan” or “Hot Bench.” They were strident, accusatory, and often not fully developed with much thought.

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