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Report: Pop Star Demi Lovato Hospitalized for Heroin Overdose at Home in Los Angeles

Roger Friedman
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Report: Pop Star Demi Lovato Hospitalized for Heroin Overdose at Home in Los Angeles

TMZ reports that pop star Demi Lovato was hospitalized in Los Angeles today. She suffered a heroin overdose at her home. Medics, they say, used Narcan to save her life.

Demi Lovato has one of the few great voices of this generation of popsters. But she’s fought substance abuse at every turn. She’s been to rehab and lived in a sober house. She even a had hit this year called “Sober.”

Luckily she survived this incident. She’ll turn 26 next month if she can get the help she needs. Let’s hope she makes it. Aren’t entertainers smart about this stuff by now? What a shame. Here’s to a speedy return to sobriety and good health.

 

One Direction Down: Zayn Malik in Career Free Fall as Second Single in a Row Fails to Sell, Chart

Roger Friedman
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One Direction Down: Zayn Malik in Career Free Fall as Second Single in a Row Fails to Sell, Chart

I don’t know what happened to Zayn Malik. The first member of One Direction to leave the group was also first to release a solo record, “Pillowtalk,” and a hit album.

But now Zayn seems to be in a career free fall. His new single, “Sour Diesel,” a terrific slice of funk, was released last Friday and is dead on arrival. According to Buzz Angle, “Sour Diesel” has sold 2,200 copies so far. It hasn’t even appeared on the iTunes top 50.

This makes no sense. A recording star with half of Zayn’s recognition level would send a new song up the charts upon release in this day of streaming.

But this isn’t Zayn’s first flop. A single called “The Entertainer,” made it to number 95 somewhere in May. “The Entertainer” has sold 36,800 copes since May 23rd.

Malik has had a pretty tough time being a celebrity and a functioning recording artist. He suffers from anxiety and depression, reportedly, and doesn’t tour. On top of that, in April his manager Sarah Stennett, dropped him. A new album was supposed to be released in June, but it’s never shown up.

“Sour Diesel” is the name of a strain of marijuana. The song is great. The only reason that it could be dead is because Malik is in a fight with RCA over the new album being late. The label clearly hasn’t backed it. It’s also unclear who Zayn’s manager is now. Irving Azoff, this SOS call is for you!

 

Watch: Paul McCartney Joyously Recreates Famous Walk Through Abbey Road Crosswalk

Roger Friedman
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Watch: Paul McCartney Joyously Recreates Famous Walk Through Abbey Road Crosswalk

A little mid summer gift from Paul McCartney as he re-creates the walk through the Abbey Road cross walk. I’ve done it. It makes you feel good. Paul looks pretty happy, too.

🎥@maryamccartney #PaulMcCartney #EgyptStation #AbbeyRoad

A post shared by Paul McCartney (@paulmccartney) on

Why did the Beatle cross the Abbey Road 🚶🏽‍♂️

A post shared by Mary McCartney (@maryamccartney) on

And PS

RIP: NY Daily News Drops “America’s Hometown Paper” Nickname, Most New York Coverage, No One Covers Yankees or Mets Game for First Time Ever

Roger Friedman
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RIP: NY Daily News Drops “America’s Hometown Paper” Nickname, Most New York Coverage, No One Covers Yankees or Mets Game for First Time Ever

The New York Daily News is dead.

99 Years after it began, “America’s Hometown Newspaper” no longer carries that subtitle under its logo.

Is it death or murder?

Last night no one from the Daily News covered the Yankees or Mets games. Tronc, the abysmal new owner, ran wire service copy instead.

A look at the front page of the Daily News website shows stories from Texas, Australia, and other far flung locales, which no one cares about. The Bronx? Canarsie? Staten Island? Mid-town Manhattan?

Yesterday Tronc gutted the paper, fired the sports, social media reporters, and even the photographers. The part of the logo they left intact is an illustration of a camera. But now the fotogs are gone.

Twenty-four reporters lost their jobs yesterday. It’s a mass murder, actually.

Is there no New York billionaire– in a city of billionaires?– who care enough to save the paper from Tronc?

Beyond sad.

Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Who is America?” Drops to Just 161K Viewers, 50 Percent Less than Last Week, Ranked 143 Out of 150

Roger Friedman
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Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Who is America?” Drops to Just 161K Viewers, 50 Percent Less than Last Week, Ranked 143 Out of 150

Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Who is America” is a bust ratings wise. On Sunday the show dropped to 161,000 viewers, about half of the prior week’s 327K. It is ranked 143 out of 150 cable shows.

Showtime insists that “Who is America” is a hit because last week ratings went up through the week thanks to delayed viewing.

But what’s happening is that no one is coming to the show at its appointed time. That’s because Showtime does not advance publicity for it. The publicity comes after the show airs. Then curiosity seekers stream it or seek it out on Showtime on Demand.

The reality is, no one’s making it appointment viewing.

Meantime, Cohen’s second episode was another half hour of duping stupid people into doing or saying idiotic things. A George State Rep– who’s obviously an idiot– was conned into such an embarrassing segment that his career is now over. He repeatedly said the N word, then cut the penis off a black life sized doll. But he was a bad guy anyway.

In Arizona, a group of small town people showed their innate racism and ugliness. I said it was like shooting fish in a barrel. But almost everyone I know disagreed and said the people deserved to be outed as horrible racists.

A “Bachelorette” contestant was revealed as an idiot, too. Who cares?

Dick Cheney– now that, I’m into. Cheney withstood a barrage of “Bush” and “Dick” jokes. Cohen’s character asked him about his infamous hunting accident. That was funny. Cheney is evil, so go for it.

Showtime says Episode 1 instigated a record number of sign ups for their service, by the way. I’m sure it did. But this is running just like “Twin Peaks” last summer– low ratings on the Sunday followed up latecomers during the week. “Twin Peaks” also had no previews.

 

 

(Watch) Tom Cruise Masters the Art of the Non-Interview on Jimmy Fallon, Says Almost Nothing, Gets Plug

Roger Friedman
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(Watch) Tom Cruise Masters the Art of the Non-Interview on Jimmy Fallon, Says Almost Nothing, Gets Plug

Last night on Jimmy Fallon’s “Tonight” Show, Tom Cruise showed how he’s mastered the art of saying nothing while plugging his movie. Cruise and Fallon have made this an art by now. Fallon talks and talks and talks, summarizes the movie, praises Cruise, and the movie star– who has much to hide and lots to reveal– just nods and smiles.

This should be studied in university public relations classes. The appearance– you can’t call it an interview– is just a pure commercial for “Mission Impossible: Fallout” so that there will never be any fallout.

Tonight Cruise tapes Stephen Colbert, which should be more of the same. Colbert, who can get a headline out of anyone, will not ask Cruise about Scientology, his children, or even where he lives. There will be no questions about politics– Colbert’s specialty– or #MeToo or anything about Hollywood. Guaranteed. But it is interesting that Colbert agreed to follow Fallon, since Colbert has the higher ratings. And you see the photo I used? Can you imagine in any other situation Colbert NOT asking about it?

Watch this, it’s amazing:

Kimberly Guilfoyle, Who Was Never a Journalist, Leaving Fox News to Help Trump Even More at a PAC

Roger Friedman
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Kimberly Guilfoyle, Who Was Never a Journalist, Leaving Fox News to Help Trump Even More at a PAC

Kimberly Guilfoyle was never a journalist. She was a presenter at Fox News who supported Donald Trump. Then she started dating his son shortly after his divorce. Now Guilfoyle– as I told you she had– has confirmed leaving Fox News to help support Trump Sr. even more.

She wrote on Twitter: “Today I have a bitter-sweet announcement. I’ve decided to leave Fox News Channel and dedicate myself full time to joining America First as Vice Chairwoman, campaigning across the country and firmly standing with President Trump.”

What you must understand is that no real journalist in any party would do something like this– or write something like this. I hope Kimberly marries Donnie Jr. or at least some of this works out for her. She can’t return to “journalism,” whatever she thinks that is. But my guess is that Bill Shine gives her Sarah Sanders’ job after the November elections.

Toronto Film Festival Gets All the Big Films with Stars: Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Ryan Gosling, Etc

Roger Friedman
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Toronto Film Festival Gets All the Big Films with Stars: Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Ryan Gosling, Etc

The 2018 Toronto International Film Festival will kick off with Patricia Rozema’s “Mouthpiece.” And from there it just keeps getting better. From this list you could actually see the whole rest of the awards season in one place. Films are by Claire Denis, Steve M c Queen, Alfonso Cuarón, Barry Jenkins, Nicole Holofcener,Patricia Rozema, Damien Chazelle, Elizabeth Chomko, Zhang Yimou, Bradley
Cooper, Nadine Labaki, Anurag Kashyap, Amma Asante, Matteo Garrone, Eva
Husson, Jason Reitman, Lee Chang-dong, Keith Behrman, George Tillman, Jr.,
Olivier Assayas, and Jiang Wen.

The stars include Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell, and so on. It’s everyone all in one place. Good luck to those of us trying to figure out the schedule!

 

 

GALAS 2018
Beautiful Boy Felix van Groeningen, USA
World Premiere
Everybody Knows Asghar Farhadi, Spain/France/Italy
North American Premiere

First Man Damien Chazelle, USA
Canadian Premiere
Galveston Mélanie Laurent, USA
Canadian Premiere
The Hate U Give George Tillman, Jr., USA
World Premiere
Hidden Man Jiang Wen, China
International Premiere
High Life Claire Denis, Germany/France/Poland/United Kingdom
World Premiere
Husband Material Anurag Kashyap, India
World Premiere
The Kindergarten Teacher Sara Colangelo, USA
Canadian Premiere

The Land of Steady Habits Nicole Holofcener, USA
World Premiere
Life Itself Dan Fogelman, USA
World Premiere
The Public Emilio Estevez, USA
World Premiere
Red Joan Sir Trevor Nunn, United Kingdom
World Premiere
Shadow Zhang Yimou, China
North American Premiere
A Star is Born Bradley Cooper, USA
North American Premiere
What They Had Elizabeth Chomko, USA
International Premiere

Widows Steve Mc Queen, United Kingdom/USA
World Premiere

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS 2018
Ben is Back Peter Hedges, USA
World Premiere
Burning Lee Chang-dong, South Korea
North American Premiere
Can You Ever Forgive Me? Marielle Heller, USA
International Premiere
Capernaum Nadine Labaki, Lebanon
North American Premiere

Cold War Paweł Pawlikowski, Poland/United Kingdom/France
Canadian Premiere
Colette Wash Westmoreland, United Kingdom
Canadian Premiere
Dogman Matteo Garrone, Italy/France
Canadian Premiere
The Front Runner Jason Reitman, USA
International Premiere
Giant Little Ones Keith Behrman, Canada
World Premiere
Girls of the Sun ( Les filles du soleil) Eva Husson, France
International Premiere
Hotel Mumbai Anthony Maras, Australia
World Premiere
The Hummingbird Project Kim Nguyen, Canada
World Premiere
If Beale Street Could Talk Barry Jenkins, USA
World Premiere

Manto Nandita Das, India
North American Premiere
Maya Mia Hansen-Løve, France
World Premiere
Monsters and Men Reinaldo Marcus Green, USA
Canadian Premiere
*Special Presentations Opening Film*
MOUTHPIECE Patricia Rozema, Canada
World Premiere
Non-Fiction Olivier Assayas, France
Canadian Premiere
The Old Man & The Gun David Lowery, USA
International Premiere
Papi Chulo John Butler, Ireland

World Premiere
Roma Alfonso Cuarón, Mexico/USA
Canadian Premiere
*Special Presentations Closing Film*
Shoplifters Hirokazu Kore-eda, Japan
Canadian Premiere
The Sisters Brothers Jacques Audiard, USA/France/Romania/Spain
North American Premiere
Sunset László Nemes, Hungary/France
North American Premiere
Through Black Spruce Don McKellarCanada
World Premiere
The Wedding Guest Michael Winterbottom, United Kingdom
World Premiere
The Weekend Stella Meghie, USA
World Premiere

Where Hands Touch Amma Asante, United Kingdom
World Premiere
White Boy Rick Yann Demange, USA
International Premiere
Wildlife Paul Dano, USA
Canadian Premiere

Soap Drama: Did “Young and Restless” Star Eileen Davidson Lose Two Jobs? “Days of Our Lives” Told Not to Use Her

Roger Friedman
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Soap Drama: Did “Young and Restless” Star Eileen Davidson Lose Two Jobs? “Days of Our Lives” Told Not to Use Her

Fans of CBS’s “The Young and the Restless” know that long time star Eileen Davidson is leaving the show. She won an Emmy for Best Actress this spring, asked for a raise, was denied, and took her exit. She started on the show in 1982 as Ashley Abbott.

But did Davidson lose two jobs when that happened? Both “Y&R” and “Days of our Lives” (on NBC) are produced by Sony Pictures Television. For many years, Davidson has also had a running role on “Days” as the evil Kristen DiMera. No one else has ever played Kristen, another role for which Davidson once won an Emmy.

But now sources tell me that just as “Days” was writing Kristen back into their story, the producers were told they could not use Davidson. It’s not clear if she knows what happened. But the role of Kristen was recast with a different actress three days before Davidson announced she was leaving “YR.”

Talk about having your eggs in one basket– the Sony basket. It does seem from what I’m told that Davidson — as we might say in baseball– was picked off between second and third.

What a disaster. I told you a few weeks ago that “YR” had not given raises to actors in years. That scenario is what caused actress Mishael Morgan to leave after five years. All four remaining soaps claim to have no money for anything. Some of the sets on “Days of our Lives” are 40 plus years old. But these companies are making a fortune in advertising. The idea that Sony TV can’t give raises is absurd.

Who knows what happens next? Davidson is hugely popular. Sony is making a big mistake– if they care. Davidson can always go back to “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” where’s she also made a name for herself. But it does seem like Sony shut her down from two roles at once.

Broadway: Armie Hammer Nails Broadway Debut But “Straight White Men” is a Pointless Exercise

Roger Friedman
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Broadway: Armie Hammer Nails Broadway Debut But “Straight White Men” is a Pointless Exercise

Armie Hammer made his Broadway debut tonight in Young Jean Lee’s “Straight White Men.” The good news is that Armie, known for “The Social Network” and “Call Me By Your Name,” nails it–he’s got excellent presence, great projection, and retains his star appeal on stage as Drew, the novelist among a trio of brothers. We’ll see him up there again.

The bad news is that Young Jean Lee’s play is tedious, forced, and has no dramatic tension. Lee is being billed in the PR as “the first female Asian playwright on Broadway.” The truth is, if “Straight White Men” didn’t have an all-star cast and a top notch director (Anna Shapiro), it would be way off Broadway.

Josh Charles and Paul Schneider, very accomplished actors, play Hammer’s brothers, Jake and Matt. This pair has has come home for Christmas to join Matt and their widowed father (Stephen Payne) for the first time since Mom died. There’s a lot of brothers’ horseplay, and the trio clearly care about each other. In time, though, it’s revealed that Schneider has decided to move in with dad and work at a nothing job. He has no ambition and can’t express why. The brothers, without motivation, turn on him. Out of nowhere.

But since Schneider never gives a reason– he’s a Harvard grad, after all–the play becomes a tedious exploration of white privilege. There’s a lot of filler in “Straight White Men”– rough-housing, dancing, long conversations about the boys’ being straight white men. You get the feeling that Lee thinks she’s discovered lightning. But there are no revelations, and nothing to resolve.

Let’s backtrack for a minute, though: when you enter the Hayes Theater (it used to be the Helen Hayes Theater, but that was too hard for people to remember apparently) there’s loud rap music playing. Really loud. There’s a silvery Las Vegas type curtain. Two people come out who you might think are women. They introduce themselves as “non binary.” They’re listed in the program as Person in Charge 1 and Person in Charge 2. They tell their own stories, too irrelevant to get into here, and then lead the main actors onto the stage. I am just not hip enough to understand what they are doing.

I’m guessing a lot of people will think this pretentious nonsense is very, very clever, a real comment on “straight white men” by two people who declare that they are not “straight white men.” Great! I would have liked a fully formed story of the three brothers, their father, why they feel compelled to comment endlessly on their privilege, and for someone to explain why Matt prefers not to have a life.

This is a persistent problem in new plays: no third act. No pay off. “Straight White Men” is 90 minutes without an intermission. Producers do this because no one could come back for the Second Act. When the silvery Vegas curtain falls for a minute at the 45 minute mark, you have no reason to stay– there is no peril, nothing is up for grabs, and you don’t really care what happens. But if you can grab a decently discounted ticket, I guess the upside is you see some good acting by four talented men.

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