When Han Solo met Chewbacca the hairy guy was 190 years old! In the new trailer from “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” Alden Ehrenreich as Han meets Chewie, Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover), flies the Millenium Falcon, and hits it off with Qi’ra, his Daenerys Targaryen played by the the very winning, grinning Emilia Clarke. “Solo” opens at the Cannes Film Festival May 15th and everywhere else ten days later.
Judge Rules in Christina Grimmie Family vs. AEG, Orlando Philharmonic: Case May Proceed NOT Dismissed for Murdered Singer from “The Voice”
After rising pop singer Christina Grimmie– who’d competed on “The Voice” —Â was murdered on June 10, 2016 after a show at the The Plaza Live Theater in Orlando (owned by The Orlando Philharmonic), her family sued both the Phil and promoter AEG. On Friday, a judge in Orange County. Florida ruled against AEG’s motion for dismissal, giving the Grimmies a chance to move forward.
Judge Kevin B. Weiss ru led that AEG’s motion to dismiss on five counts of negligence. H e wrote: Plaintiffs have provided numerous facts that, when taken as true, support the existence of a special relationship between AEG Live and Christina, including but not limited to payments made by AEG Live to Christina. Furthermore, Plaintiffs maintain that AEG Live contractually shared the management and control of the concert, including security, with Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra.”
keep refreshing…
Grimmie was shot three times by a fan, Kevin Loibl, who stood on line to meet her after her show. Grimmie’s brother Marcus wrestled Loibl to the ground but it was too late: Christina succumbed to her injuries later at the hospital. Loibl took his own life.
The Grimmies filed suit against AEG on five counts including breach of contract, negligence, and distress. As Christina’s career had taken off, the whole family went to work for her. They relied on her for income. Marcus, who functioned as a manager, said in the suit that he couldn’t sleep or eat after witnessing the attack and fighting off Loibl. The family also sued the Philharmonic.
The decision reads: “Plaintiffs claim that AEG Live had contracts with one or more of the artists involved
in the Spring/Summer 2016 Tour. In addition, Plaintiffs maintain that these alleged contracts,
which they have yet to receive from AEG Live, provide that AEG Live would provide security for
the artists on the tour to protect them from third parties at the venues where they performed.
Because AEG Live had the right and authority to manage and control the events, Plaintiffs contend
that AEG Live had a contractual obligation to implement and coordinate security measures. Thus,
Plaintiffs have sufficiently alleged this cause of action…”
The judge in his decision wrote: …”it is not for this Court to speculate whether the asserted
allegations are true or whether the pleader has the ability to prove them. Id. Rather, the sole
question for this Court to decide is “simply whether, assuming all the allegations in the complaint
to be true, the plaintiff would be entitled to the relief requested…”
The case now goes to the discovery phase, although it would seem AEG is in a difficult position now. It would seem likely that settlement negotiations may be next. The Grimmie family is represented by Brian Caplan of Reitler Kailas & Rosenblatt.
Broadway: Tina Fey Scores a Massive Hit with the Hilarious Musical Version of “Mean Girls”
Tina Fey has already conquered movies and TV, so what next? Sunday night she brought the musical version of her 2004 comedy movie “Mean Girls” to Broadway, and this is how I knew it would be a hit: the audience coming in was over the top. Lorne Michaels produced the show, so he had to be there. But so were Steve Martin, Martin Short, Glenn Close, Jimmy Fallon with producer wife Nancy Juvonen, Jerry and Jessica Seinfeld with 17 year old daughter Sasha, Cecily Strong and Kate McKinnon from “Saturday Night Live,” Alec Baldwin and very pregnant wife Hilaria, Jane Krakowski, Ellie Kemper and Titus Burgess from “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) and so on. Diane Sawyer and Emma Thompson came as each other’s dates. (You remember, Diane’s beloved late husband Mike Nichols directed Emma in the HBO version of “Wit.)
Also there: Ron Meyer, head of Universal Pictures, Bob Greenblatt, head of NBC. You know when the audience is that stacked with A listers, no one is fooling around.
But then again, everyone is fooling around in “Mean Girls,” so light-hearted and not mean spirited, so laugh out loud funny in all the right ways, with an incredibly talented cast, catchy songs., and the highest level of choreography and direction from Casey Nicholaw.
The best part is, Tina has updated the movie so that smart phones and social media are integrated seamlessly at North Shore High School where Regina George (Taylor Louderman) is still making everyone bow and scrape to her. Hew new project is Cady Heron (Erika Henningsen) who’s come back to the US from Africa with her missionary parents. Cady also makes friends with two outsiders– Janis (Barrett Wilbert Weed, who could give Pat Benatar a run for her money vocally) and Damian (Grey Henson, a lock for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical).
The main cast is bursting with talent at every level including Regina’s two cohorts, Gretchen (Ashley Park) and Karen (Kate Rockwell), and Aaron, the local guy for whom Cady lusts but Regina has her claws in (Kyle Selig). That’s the long and short of it even though there’s a plenty big ensemble (really well cast starting with Cheech Manohar as the Dev Patel of the group) and Kerry Butler playing three funny roles and Rick Younger as the put up on high school principal.
“Mean Girls” is “Grease” and a dozen other high school musicals rolled into one except that it’s from Tina Fey, whose mordant sense of humor, quick-trigger glibness and surprise curve balls give each of these characters refreshing turns away from cliche. Add to that the songs by Jeff Richmond and Nell Benjamin are mostly huge successes that are staged so well by Nicholaw that they are bigger than the sum of their parts. And then are a couple of songs– “I’d Rather Be Me,” “Where Do You Belong,” “Here”– that jump out from the pack.
Nicholaw loves big show stopping numbers, so he’s got a couple here– one set in a high school cafeteria, another in a parents’ house turned party zone– that equal his best work. As in “Something Rotten,” his attitude is, The show’s a little thin but it’s fun so let’s put on some Busby Berkeley numbers and go for it. If you’ve got the right set up, the right actors– you can do it. And boy, does he ever.
“Mean Girls” will go up against “The Band’s Visit” and “Frozen” for Best Musical in just a few weeks. I really thought the former had it locked up. But “Mean Girls” will give them both some heavy competition. And it gives us a really fun Broadway season.
Sean Hannity’s Response to Kimmel Apology: TV Ratings Are More Important– Wait til My Show Tomorrow Night So I Can Cash In
Jimmy Kimmel apologized. So what was Sean Hannity’s response?
He says we’ll have to watch his show Monday night when he will comment. That way he gets ratings and it’s too late for Kimmel to say anything else.
Sad!
Hannity’s being killed in the ratings by Rachel Maddow. So he figures why not bleed this out? He wants the last word. Unfortunately, everyone will be watching Maddow. She should have Kimmel on live. That would be fun!
Just had this pop up. I am at a tournament with my daughter. I’ll have a full and comprehensive response tomorrow on Hannity. 9 EST FOX. pic.twitter.com/JLdZDa07BI
— Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) April 8, 2018
Jimmy Kimmel Takes the High Road, Stands Down in Twitter Feud with Sean Hannity: “The level of vitriol does nothing good for anyone and is harmful to our country”
Jimmy Kimmel has taken the high road. He’s standing down in the ridiculous feud with Sean Hannity. Things got so out of control on Friday that Hannity spent the first 20 minutes of his show denouncing Kimmel. Even Fox News didn’t like it– and cut the whole bit from the online version of Hannity’s show til it was itself just 20 minutes. Hannity got to the point where he was slamming Kimmel as a “pervert,” resurrecting years’ old clips from “The Man Show,” and referring to him as “Weinstein Jr.” which made no sense whatsoever. Kimmel egged him by saying Hannity was obsessed with him.
The root of the feud came from Kimmel making fun of the accent of First Lady Melania Trump. Hannity demanded Kimmel apologize to her– for publicity. Now Kimmel has declared the whole thing over. Let’s see how Hannity responds.
re. @seanhannity pic.twitter.com/DMtWJTMsDU
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) April 8, 2018
Box Office: “A Quiet Place” Soars with $50Mil, Spielberg’s “Ready Player One” Eyes $100 Mil After 2nd Week, “Black Panther” Now 3rd All Time
Box office numbers are coming in this morning.
Steven Spielberg’s “Ready Player One” hit $96.9 million this week, in its second week of release. The $100 mil mark is a day or so away, which is pretty impressive. The fall off from week 1 was rather small, which means “RPO” has a lot of life left in it.
“Black Panther” hit $665 million and became the number 3 movie of all time in the US. On and on it will go, maybe up to $700 million before it’s done.
But the big story of the weekend is “A Quiet Place.” Made for peanuts, the John Krasinski directed horror film made a big noise and attracted everyone’s attention. It’s number 1, coming in at $50 million. “A Quiet Place” cost just $17 million– it will be one of the most profitable movies of the year, if not the decade.
Look for the film, the director and star Emily Blunt all to get Oscar nominations. Remember I told you this.
Trump Tower Fire Victim’s Father Once Arrested by Feds for Receiving Stolen Art, Was Painted by Andy Warhol
Todd Brassner, identified as the victim of yesterday’s Trump Tower fire, was an art dealer who is said to have lived off his family’s fortune. He was mentioned in passing a few times in the Warhol Diaries.
He was the son of the art dealer Jules Brassner, who died in 2015 at the age of 99. Jules Brassner, according to a New York Times story in 1971, was arrested that year for receiving stolen art at his own art gallery on Madison Avenue.
According to the Times report, the elder Brassner, an FBI agent spotted a stolen Monet in Brassner’s gallery. Upon further inspection, $70,000 worth of stolen art was found in Brassner’s gallery and Westchester home. The art had been stolen from Parker Bernet gallery. It was part of a scheme that involved a government lawsuit over stolen Treasury bills that Mr. Brassner was involved in but not named as a defendant or co-conspirator.
Jules Brassner was a controversial figure in the 60s and 70s New York art world. He paid Andy Warhol’s Factory to make a couple of portraits of him. He was also involved in a 1968 lawsuit over a severely under priced painting by Raphael. And of course, he was photographed with Donald Trump.
A local friend in Palm Beach posted this unusual obit for Jules Brassner:
Box Office Shock: Nearly Silent Horror Film “A Quiet Place” Eyeing $50 Mil Weekend, Blows Away Spielberg, Big Studio Comedy
John Krasinski’s “A Quiet Place” has made a big noise at the box office. The smart horror film beat Steven Spielberg’s “Ready Player One” and the big studio comedy “Blockers” to win Friday night and the weekend with a trouncing.
“A Quiet Place” took in a whopping  $19 million and heads to a $50 million weekend. Like “Get Out,” Krasinski’s movie continues to blaze a trail for a new level of psychological horror.
Meanwhile, “Ready Player One” is up to $78 million with a $6.8 million Friday. It finished third. “Blockers,” at number 2, made $7.1 million Friday night.
And as I noted earlier, “Black Panther” becomes the number 3 movie of all time today.
Sean Hannity’s Rants Are Costing Him Viewers in the Race Against Rachel Maddow– He Lost Last Night by 200K
Rachel Maddow has been crowned the number 1 cable news talk show host. The MSNBC star has beaten Fox News’s Sean Hannity in head to head competitions three out of five nights for the last several weeks.
Last night, Maddow beat Hannity by a wide margin — 200,000 viewers.
The reason for Hannity’s failure may be in his latest obsession– attacking ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel. He spent the first 20 minutes of Friday night’s show going on and on about Kimmel.
To which most Hannity viewers are probably saying, “Who?” Hannity’s audience is older than Maddow’s and probably doesn’t stay up for Kimmel’s show at 11:35pm. They are most likely asleep. They also aren’t big Twitter users. But Hannity has kept up the attacks on Kimmel there, too.
Maddow, meanwhile, simply keeps going after the day’s story, which is usually about Donald Trump and his corrupt cast of characters. Before the Kimmel brouhaha, Hannity — desperate not to address Trump’s many scandals– concentrated on out of date subjects like Hillary Clinton’s emails. But he’s kind of exhausted Retro Fake News.
And just think, Monday brings the return of Laura Ingraham to the Fox lineup. Can’t wait.
“Black Panther” Passes “Titanic” This Weekend to Become 3rd Biggest Movie Ever
Disney-Marvel will be popping Champagne over the weekend. “Black Panther” becomes the 3rd biggest box office movie in US history, passing “Titanic.” That’s as far as it will get on the all time chart because number 2 — “Avatar” — is $100 million away.
Still, it’s quite a stunning achievement for director Ryan Coogler and everyone involved in “Black Panther.” It was the rare box office phenom, exceeding every expectation and tapping all kinds of demographic audiences.
Worldwide including the US, “BP” will finish north of $1.3 billion. No sequel will ever top it, although I’m sure when the next installment is released that’s all everyone will talk about. Coogler can savor this achievement.
It’s also important to point out that this week, three of the top ten movies were made by black directors. In addition to “BP,” there’s “Acrimony” from Tyler Perry and “A Wrinkle in Time” from Ava DuVernay. The world is finally changing, just slowly.
As for “BP,” it will be interesting to see how the cast is compensated for all these milestones– like, right now, not some time in the future, and what they’ll be paid going forward.