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Box Office: Female Stars “Ocean’s 8” Steals $41.5 Mil, Highest Opening Ever for The Series (Clooney-Pitt-Damon)

Roger Friedman
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Box Office: Female Stars “Ocean’s 8” Steals $41.5 Mil, Highest Opening Ever for The Series (Clooney-Pitt-Damon)

The box office wasn’t exactly hot this weekend, but people went to the movies nonetheless.

“Ocean’s 8” opened with almost $41.5 million, which beats the three previous films with George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Brad Pitt. How do you like that? Ocean’s 11, 12, and 13 each had opening weekends under $40 million.

The women win!

“Ocean’s 8”  is the simplest heist film I’ve ever seen. All those great actresses, and money from Cartier shining like Rihanna’s diamonds, but just a straightforward heist.  Anyway, they will hit $100 million, which is no small feat. And the next one– Soderbergh? Please?

“Solo” is crawling like a snail to $200 mil domestic. Enough said. The worldwide total (US, any other place that can be counted) is just over $300 mil. Will “Solo” reach $500 mil? Unlikely. Go see it if you haven’t already. It’s a good film. The studio let naysayers decry it to death.

“Book Club” is such a nice hit. They’re going to hit $60 mil easily. They’ve got some international, not much. Australia will love this film. A sequel is a certainty. In this segment the ladies all read “50 Shades of Grey.” Next time, it should be “Valley of the Dolls,” with all of them made up in a fantasy throwback sequence– Jane Fonda as Barbarella in Dior. What a hoot.

“RBG,” the documentary about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, is at $9.3 million. Amazing! The $10 mil goal isn’t far off. Neither is an Oscar.

 

Fleetwood Mac’s Danny Kirwan Dies, Original Member Before the “Rumours” Gang Took Over

Roger Friedman
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Fleetwood Mac’s Danny Kirwan Dies, Original Member Before the “Rumours” Gang Took Over

Long before “Rumours” turned Fleetwood Mac into a brand they were a cool group grounded in the blues. Danny Kirwan was a big part of their success. Today he died at age 68. When lef the group in 1972, Mick Fleetwood retooled, as he did many times (and did recently). My Fleetwood Mac was “Bare Trees,” “Heroes Are Hard to Find,” “Hypnotized,” and the first album with Buckingham and Nicks. That was a long, long time ago.

RIP Danny Kirwan. Thanks for these great records.

Oh Well:

Bare Trees:

All Star Female “Ocean’s 8” Has Knockout Friday with $15.8 Mil, Headed to $43 Mil Weekend

Roger Friedman
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All Star Female “Ocean’s 8” Has Knockout Friday with $15.8 Mil, Headed to $43 Mil Weekend

The ladies are in the lead.

Last night, “Ocean’s 8” picked up $15.8  mil including $4 mil from Thursday night previews. The all star female heist caper is a hit. Whew!

And why wouldn’t it be? Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, and Anne Hathaway are Oscar winners. Helena Bonham Carter might as well be (Oscar nominee). Sarah Paulson are Mindy Kaling are aces. Awkwafina is lots of fun.

And, of course, there’s Rihanna. She got the biggest ovation the other night in Alice Tully Hall. And she’s delightful.

For comparison: the all female “Ghostbusters” has a $46 million opening a couple of years ago. And back in 2001, “Ocean’s 11” had a $38 million weekend premiere.

Madonna Recording a New Album with Mirwais in Lisbon, Looking for New Sounds Off Shore Portugal

Roger Friedman
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Madonna Recording a New Album with Mirwais in Lisbon, Looking for New Sounds Off Shore Portugal

Madonna is on a new cultural appropriation kick. She’s posted a video of herself dancing with local women in Cape Verde, an island off of Africa. Of course, Madonna calls it Cabo Verde.

She also seems to be making a new album with her old friend Mirwais. Madonna’s last few albums didn’t sell very well, but it gives her something to do, it’s harmless fun and will make for some good gossip when it’s done.

Summer tour 2019? Why not? Maybe she’ll bring these women with her.

Death Sells: Anthony Bourdain’s Books Zoom to Top of Best Sellers Charts, Publisher Shuts Down Imprint Within Hours of Death

Roger Friedman
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Death Sells: Anthony Bourdain’s Books Zoom to Top of Best Sellers Charts, Publisher Shuts Down Imprint Within Hours of Death

Not surprisingly, Anthony Bourdain’s books have zoomed to the top of the Amazon best sellers. Alas, death sells when these things happen.

The paperback of “Kitchen Confidential” is number 1, and the hardcover is number 6. Two of Bourdain’s other titles are at numbers 4 and 5– “Medium Raw” and “Appetites.”

“The Les Halles Cookbook” is at number 11, which reminds me of all the great meals we had there. Les Halles was a towering success on Park Avenue and 28th St.

Bourdain also has books at numbers 30 and 32.

Meanwhile, Harper Collins didn’t even wait for Bourdain’s body to be cold when they announced the closing of his book imprint with them today. They couldn’t hold off shutting it down. Here’s your coffin, what’s your hurry.

It’s a tough business.

UPDATE: Kanye’s “Ye” Went from Yeesh to Yes, Over Performed with Total 210K Streamed, Downloaded

Roger Friedman
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UPDATE: Kanye’s “Ye” Went from Yeesh to Yes, Over Performed with Total 210K Streamed, Downloaded

Kanye West’s “Ye” went from Yeesh to Yes, and over performed from its original low ball estimate.

BuzzAngle and Hitsdailydouble say it sold a total of 210,000 copies downloaded and streamed.

Of that number 80,000 were paid downloads. There are no physical CDs.

“Ye” didn’t do as well as a number of other albums this year. But 210K is a respectable place to start.

The seven track, 23 minute EP sells for $7.99 so that may have encouraged fans to download it.

And it’s good news for all the people who should have received sampling money– there are a lot of them, starting with obscure 60s pop writer Trade Martin. It’s his song “Take Me For a Little While” that forms Kanye’s “Ghost Town.”

New releases today flooded the chart and knocked “Ye” to number 5. One of those releases was Kanye’s other 23 minute EP with Kid Cudi.

 

Kanye West’s “Ye” Album Knocked to Number 5 on iTunes After 1 Week, Final Sales Debut May Be Lower than Expected

Roger Friedman
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Kanye West’s “Ye” Album Knocked to Number 5 on iTunes After 1 Week, Final Sales Debut May Be Lower than Expected

It was only last Friday night that Kanye West and Def Jam flew 150 press people to nowhere, Wyoming. They were treated to the 23 minute, 7 song “Ye” EP, which went right to the top of iTunes.

A week later, “Ye” is short for “Yeesh” as the EP drops to number 5 on iTunes. Dave Matthews’ new “Come Tomorrow” has usurped “Ye,” as have four other albums.

The final count for the week is underway, but “Ye” may not even make the earlier predictions of 70,000 downloads and 70,000 streams. Even though all 7 tracks are at the top of the streaming chart, the album as whole seems to be fading. Keep refreshing.

Meanwhile, Kanye released his Kid Cudi album over night. But it’s not on Spotify, just Tidal, where albums vanish like it’s the Bermuda Triangle.  UPDATE Now on all platforms. 2:45pm

The album has music sampled from jazz legend Louis Prima, and from Kurt Cobain. “Kids See Ghosts,” like “Ye,” is 23 minutes long. Now put together the two albums total 46 minutes.  Perfect appetizers in the ADHD world!

 

Bourdain Suicide: UK Tabs Reported Earlier This Week Girlfriend Asia Argento Flaunting New Boyfriend

Roger Friedman
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Bourdain Suicide: UK Tabs Reported Earlier This Week Girlfriend Asia Argento Flaunting New Boyfriend

Anthony Bourdain’s tragic death today may have been spurred by tabloid headlines that ran all week in Europe.

Girlfriend Asia Argento was photographed extensively with a new boyfriend, 28 year old journalist Hugo Clement. Clement had been in Cannes with her as well, and documented her unannounced speech against Harvey Weinstein at the film festival’s closing ceremony.

Bourdain had taken on Argento’s cause against Weinstein, supporting her publicly with statement defending the actress and director. Argento claimed Weinstein raped her before they entered into a four year relationship.

French papers have also suggested that Bourdain may have been financially supporting Argento’s cause as well.

But pictures in the Daily Mail, as well as French tabloids, showed Argento and Clement holding hands, hugging, and so while strolling around in Rome this week.

Bourdain’s Instagram account has several photos of him with Argento just following Cannes indicating that they were very much of a couple. He even posted a photo of Weinstein after his arrest, in solidarity.

 

Exclusive: Source Close to CNN Superstar Chef, Travel Personality Anthony Bourdain Says “No Clue” About Suicide: “He Wasn’t Depressed”

Roger Friedman
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Exclusive: Source Close to CNN Superstar Chef, Travel Personality Anthony Bourdain Says “No Clue” About Suicide: “He Wasn’t Depressed”

EXCLUSIVE I’ve just spoken with a source very close to Anthony Bourdain in Europe. She says they have “no clue” why he committed suicide this morning. “He was not depressed,” she says. More to come…

This is a terrible shock. CNN says celebrity chef and travel TV correspondent Anthony Bourdain is dead at 61 from suicide. He was found unresponsive in his Paris hotel room by chef and friend Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin restaurant. They were in Paris shooting Bourdain’s CNN show “Parts Unknown.”

Bourdain traveled the world for CNN for his show “Parts Unknown.” He was dating director actress Asia Argento, who accused Harvey Weinstein of raping her interviews and a speech in Cannes last month. Bourdain became an outspoken advocate for Argento and against sexual harassment in restaurants and commercial kitchens.

This comes on the heels of the suicide of Kate Spade this week. What is going on? People who seem to have everything and are on top of the world are suffering from demons that are unimaginable.

Bourdain, married twice, leaves an 11 year old daughter.

George Clooney AFI Gala Gone Wrong: Julia Roberts is A No Show, So is Sandra Bullock, Brad Pitt, But Brad’s Ex Jennifer Aniston Shows Up

Roger Friedman
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George Clooney AFI Gala Gone Wrong: Julia Roberts is A No Show, So is Sandra Bullock, Brad Pitt, But Brad’s Ex Jennifer Aniston Shows Up

The celeb guest list for the George Clooney AFI tribute– now underway in Hollywood– is a little odd.

First of all, where the heck is Julia Roberts? She was supposed to present the AFI Lifetime Achievement award to Clooney. Julia is nowhere to be seen. Cate Blanchett is there, supposedly she’ll do it. They co-starred in a movie no one could watch called “The Good German.”

Also, there’s no sign of Sandra Bullock. Just as there was no sign of Clooney at Bullock’s opening of “Ocean’s 8.” Indeed, the expected cameo of Clooney in “Ocean’s 8” never materialized even though her character is the sister of his character.

Bullock and Clooney became BFF’s with “Gravity,” a massive hit. But “Our Brand is Crisis,” which Clooney produced, was a massive failure. Have they fallen out? Sure seems like it.

And where are all the “Oceans 11” and so on actors? Matt Damon? Brad Pitt? Pitt’s not there, but his ex wife, Jennifer Aniston, came with Courteney Cox. A little peculiar.

Also on hand are Cate Blanchett, Julia Roberts, Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, Julianna Margulies, Anna Kendrick, Don Cheadle, Laura Dern, Richard Kind, Norman Lear, and Bill Murray. Miley Cyrus performed songs from the Coen brothers movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” which starred Clooney.

 

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