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Pandering: TIME Magazine Includes Trump, Vance, Kennedy, Musk, Lutnick, Vought, Joe Rogan, Megyn Kelly as “Most Influential”

Roger Friedman
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Pandering: TIME Magazine Includes Trump, Vance, Kennedy, Musk, Lutnick, Vought, Joe Rogan, Megyn Kelly as “Most Influential”

This is pretty pathetic.

The Time 100 list is out, and it’s all pandering to Donald Trump and cronies.

Trump, JD Vance, Elon Musk, Howard Lutnick, Robert Kennedy Jr. and even Megyn Kelly are all featured in their leadership section. There isn’t one Democratic Party leader, liberal, or mainstream journalist except for the milquetoast David Muir.

Also included are right wing podcaster Joe Rogan and Snoop Dogg, who performed for Trump at his inauguration. And Russell Vought, architect of Trump’s many sinister policies.

What’s wrong? They couldn’t have included Netanyahu? Putin? Weren’t they just as awful?

Missing, very emphatically: Cory Booker, Rachel Maddow, and dozens more who actually contributed positively to society.

I don’t know how TIME editor in chief Ed Felsenthal could have okayed this group. But it’s clear TIME owner Marc Benioff has become one of the super rich who are now sucking up Trump and co.

It’s all very sad and unfortunate. How far TIME has fallen. I remember the original TIME 100, a glorious mixture of true geniuses and groundbreakers. This is miserable.

Rob Thomas, Patty Smyth, Jazz Legend Bob James, Kevin Bacon Rock Surprise A-List, Off the Hook Show for ALS

Roger Friedman
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Rob Thomas, Patty Smyth, Jazz Legend Bob James, Kevin Bacon Rock Surprise A-List, Off the Hook Show for ALS

I don’t even know if the students at SUNY Purchase know what went on on their campus last night.

A stunning three hour rock, R&B, and Jazz show went off in their concert hall that was for the ages. Luckily, it was filmed.

Musicians United for ALS featured Rob Thomas, Patty Smyth, jazz greats Bob James and Kirk Whalum,The Bacon Brothers, the amazing Lisa Fischer, Yankee great Bernie Williams with jazz star Gil Parris, and a rare appearance by the Average White Band.

“Letterman” show musician extraordinaire brought down the house with Memphis Stax legend Carla Thomas.

The occasion was a tribute to famed producer Wayne Warneke who is now wheelchair bound from ALS. His wife, Vaneese Thomas, legendary back up singer for dozens of artists including Aretha Franklin, assembled what turned out to a historic night.

Rob Mathes, the great arranger and producer himself for acts like Sting and Elvis Costello, not only produced the evening but surprised everyone by accompanying himself on piano, singing! That got everyone’s attention backstage — people who know him but didn’t realize what a great voice he has!

It was a night full of showstoppers, including Fischer’s “Walking on the Air,” a gem that seemed like it levitated the audience; James and Whalum on the former’s classic hit “Westchester Lady,” and the Average White Band — which doesn’t perform anymore — on a stampede of funk in “Pick up the Pieces” and “Work to Do.”

Of course, Rob Thomas and Patty Smyth were knockouts respectively on “Lonely No More,” “Smooth,” “Warrior,” and “Goodbye to You.”

The pinnacle? Carla Thomas (she and her sister Vaneese are the daughters of late Stax legend Rufus Thomas). Carla and Paul Shaffer brought down the house with “Little Red Rooster” and “Tramp,” Carla’s saucy 60s hit with Otis Redding.

If this is just the beginning for Musicians for ALS, they’re going to become legendary pretty quick! Click here to donate.

Billy Joel Doc Kicks Off Tribeca Festival: Mariska Hargitay Doc on Mom Jayne Mansfield, Barbara Walters Film, Stars!

Roger Friedman
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Billy Joel Doc Kicks Off Tribeca Festival: Mariska Hargitay Doc on Mom Jayne Mansfield, Barbara Walters Film, Stars!

updating…

A nearly three hour Billy Joel documentary called “So It Goes” will kick off the Tribeca (Film) Festival in June at the Beacon Theater.

It’s a festival loaded with interesting documentaries and a few narrative ones. Some of the highlights include docs about Jayne Mansfield by daughter Mariska Hargitay, films about Barbara Walters, Boy George, and Eddie Vedder.

Here’s the whole slate.

Netflix Normalizes Their Canceled “House of Cards” Star Kevin Spacey as Frank Underwood for New Comedy Special Promo

Roger Friedman
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Netflix Normalizes Their Canceled “House of Cards” Star Kevin Spacey as Frank Underwood for New Comedy Special Promo

Is Kevin Spacey back?

He is, on Netflix, where he starred as Frank Underwood on “House of Cards” until they fired him.

Now in a promo for a Tim Dillon comedy special, Spacey — older, puffier — is back as Underwood.

Weird? Yes.

Spacey was canceled by Hollywood after becoming a magnet for sexual harassment lawsuits. The “HOC” star managed to stay out of jail even thought there were settlements on the various lawsuits. He still owes “HOC” production company MRC, one million dollars in a settlement that was reduced from $31 million.

He couldn’t get work and lost most everything, he claimed.

It’s supremely odd that he would resurface in a Netflix promo considering they killed him off in the penultimate season of “HOC,” turning the show over to Robin Wright.

But maybe they want to monetize “HOC” reruns after all this time. Will the show suddenly surface again on streamer? Will Spacey be able to use this as a launching pad back to Hollywood?

It seems unlikely, but Donald Trump is president again.

Ick.

Kanye West Claims Parents Beat Him, Mother Slept with Female Babysitter, Posts Disgusting Comments About Hillary Clinton

Roger Friedman
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Kanye West Claims Parents Beat Him, Mother Slept with Female Babysitter, Posts Disgusting Comments About Hillary Clinton

Kanye West has been on a tear on social media.

In new posts, he claims his parents beat him — but not in an abusive way.

He claimed in one post that he found his mother, the late Professor Donda West, sleeping with his female babysitter. Most of West’s posts are disgusting but this one is just sad. He revered his mother and is now demeaning her by exposing her private life with no possible explanation.

West also has posted hideous things about Hillary Clinton and Taylor Swift. I’m not going to post those because they’re filthy and beyond the pale. Suffice to say, West — who says in other posts he won’t delete anything, he’s very proud of all this — is a sick, sick man.

“Sex and the City: And Just Like That” Debuts Season 3 Trailer for May 29th Release on MAX (Watch)

Roger Friedman
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“Sex and the City: And Just Like That” Debuts Season 3 Trailer for May 29th Release on MAX (Watch)

And just like that, here’s the trailer for “Sex and the City: And Just Like That” season 3.

Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, and friends are back enjoying the high life in New York. The only intrusion of reality is rats scurrying in Carrie’s backyard of her townhouse. (Good thing she married rich — and then killed off the husband!)

So far the trailer doesn’t give much away. The women are now almost in wheelchairs, but as the songs, they’ll never give up.

“And Just Like That” won’t win any awards, but it’s frothy summer entertainment, and a good pay day for all involved.

Report: Temu Pulls All Ads from Google, Ubiquitous Chinese Marketer Protests Over Trump Tariffs

Roger Friedman
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Report: Temu Pulls All Ads from Google, Ubiquitous Chinese Marketer Protests Over Trump Tariffs

Say goodbye to Temu. For now.

The ubiquitous Chinese marketer that famous sells products at cheap prices has exited Google Ads.

Temu, according to reports, fell from 3rd or 4th place to 58th place a few days ago on all of Google’s rankings.

By Sunday, Temu was gone entirely.

This is all in response to Trump’s trade war with China, and his 125% tariffs on Chinese goods. There was no carve out for Google. This is ironic, of course, since Google was one of many tech companies to grovel for help by donating money to Trump’s inaugural campaign.

The Google boycott by Temu probably won’t last long. They need to be on the internet via Google in order to survive and sell $2 polyester sweaters and gadgets that don’t always work. But they’re making a statement.

Stay tuned…

Here’s a chart supplied by SearchEngineLand.com:

Will Smith Gets Bad Rap as “Based on a True Story” Album is Sales Disaster with Only 700 Downloads

Roger Friedman
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Will Smith Gets Bad Rap as “Based on a True Story” Album is Sales Disaster with Only 700 Downloads

Will Smith had better not give up his day job in acting.

Will’s “Based on a True Story,” his first rap album in 20 years, has been a colossal sales dud.

Through today, “True Story” has sold just 699 paid downloads.

If you include streaming, the total is only 14,500. All of this includes pre-sales.

So far, there’s been little interest in “Based on a True Story” outside of its opening week on March 28th.

It’s hard to say how committed Will was to the project. He could have played Coachella and gotten a lot of attention. But he didn’t. He also hasn’t been very visible on TV.

One reason for the low profile is that still, three years later, his Oscars slap of Chris Rock is an obstacle in interviews. He still can’t explain it and hasn’t really seemed contrite. He’s also still banned for 7 more years from the Oscars.

Videos from “Based on a True Story” also haven’t been watched much. The one below, “Beautiful Scars,” has 6.6 million views over two weeks. Sounds like a lot, but it’s not. The others from the album haven’t come close to that number.

“Grey’s Anatomy” Falls to Second Lowest Showing of the Season, Now Down 30% From Last Year

Roger Friedman
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“Grey’s Anatomy” Falls to Second Lowest Showing of the Season, Now Down 30% From Last Year

Season 21 of “Grey’s Anatomy” has been so bad ratings wise, it’s amazing to think to it’s still on the air.

This past Thursday’s numbers fell to 2.015 million in total viewers. That’s down 5% from last week, the second lowest of this season.

“Grey’s” is down a whopping 30% in total viewers from last year, and 47% in the key age demo.

The only viewers left are bored pets who can’t their Roku for streaming options.

Most of those pets are turning to CBS’s “Elsbeth,” which scored 4.5 million viewers this past Thursday at 10pm. To add insult to injury, ABC’s 9pm show “Doctor Odyssey,” essentially the Love Boat meets “Hotel,” had 700,000 more viewers. That’s how many people changed the channel to avoid “Greys.”

Nevertheless, ABC has renewed the medical soap opera for a 22nd season.

Can things get worse? Yes. There are still four more episodes.

Meantime, in the field of medical TV shows, “The Pitt” is the hot show everyone’s talking about.

Broadway: Liza Minnelli Rumored to Appear with Eclectic List of Celebs for John Kander 100th Birthday Show — (Exclusive)

Roger Friedman
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Broadway: Liza Minnelli Rumored to Appear with Eclectic List of Celebs for John Kander 100th Birthday Show — (Exclusive)

Is Liza Minnelli coming to Broadway?

A source tells me that Minnelli will likely fly in for a celebration of composer John Kander’s 100th birthday on Monday, May 19th at the Stephen Sondheim Theater.

Joel Grey will undoubtedly be there, too. But I’m told both appearances are being kept under wraps for now.

Alan Cumming is the night’s emcee, which makes sense since he played the emcee in a revival of “Cabaret.”

Scott Ellis, Susan Stroman, and David Thompson, are the creators of the event, which has such an eclectic list of performers that Jennifer Lopez is included.

Others expected to perform one way or another at “Ring Them Bells: A Birthday Celebration for John Kander” include Victoria Clark, Charlotte d’Amboise, Brandon Victor Dixon, Whoopi Goldberg, Ramin Karimloo, Jessie Mueller, Bebe Neuwirth, Kelli O’Hara, David Hyde Pierce, Lillias White, Tony Yazbeck, and Karen Ziemba.

Proceeds from the show are going to the Roundabout Theater. Please visit https://roundabouttheatre.org/ringthembells for information and to purchase tickets.

Weeks ago, a source close to Liza told me she was planning something “big” for May. Let’s hope it all works out. If she sings one line from “New York, New York,” the Sondheim audience will lose its mind!

PS Will Liza be chosen for Kennedy Center Honors this year? She’s waited a long time. And if she does, will she go under the current circumstances at the theater? These questions loom.
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