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EGOT* winner Liza Minnelli is getting an all star 80th birthday tribute in June. (*She has an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award. One of the few.)
The show at Carnegie Hall on June 2th features dozens of Broadway stars singing and dancing, as well as actors like Candice Bergen and Jim Parsons on stage.
And Liza is co-writing the script with Hannah Oren, of the Transport Group.
“Liza! at 80” will be directed by Transport Group Artistic Director Jack Cummings III, a five-time Drama Desk Award nominee and two-time Obie Award winner.
This all comes on the heels of Liza’s best selling memoir, “Kids, Wait Till You Hear This!” Tickets to the Carnegie Hall show include a copy of the book.
The cast is huge, and as follows. Strangely two of Liza’s best pals, Michael Feinstein and Billy Stritch, are absent from the list so far.
Tickets go on sale Thursday, April 23 at 11:00 a.m. and may be purchased by phoning Carnegie Hall (212) 247-7800, visiting carnegiehall.org, or at the Carnegie Hall box office on 57 Street and Seventh Avenue.
Actress Kat Graham says she was cut from “Michael,” the Michael Jackson movie.
Graham was announced long ago to play Diana Ross, Michael’s close friend and confidante.
But Graham says “legal considerations affected some of the scenes.”
She doesn’t give a reason but possibly Ross, like Janet Jackson, didn’t give her approval be included in the film.
The other reason might be that Ross was in scenes defending Michael during his 1993-96 period of accusations of child molestation from the family of Jordan Chandler. Their settlement prohibited their story from being depicted in a film — something the Estate only realized after scenes had been shot.
Actor Kevin Shinick was also cut from the movie after filming scenes playing Dick Clark.
“Michael” opens in previews today, and Lions Gate is predicting a massive weekend turnout. They want it to be record setting. This is despite very negative reviews, and no endorsement from Michael’s daughter, Paris. She’s actually criticized the movie.
Quite a bit of “Michael” was cut in the end, and left on the editing room floor (so to speak). The result is that the movie has no real third act. It just sort of ends in 1988 after the release of the “Bad” album.
As I wrote in my review this week, there are numerous factual errors in the film. Some are about the people who helped Michael with his career, from manager Frank DiLeo to choreographers and directors. The Jackson brothers don’t even have lines or actual characterizations — they’re shadows.
There are also issues of just plain facts. A note buried at the end of the credits acknowledges that the song “Never Can Say Goodbye” is performed three years before it was released — something that either happened in editing or it was a mistake.
Since they went on sale, tickets for Harry Styles’ Madison Square Garden shows were sold out.
That’s what it read on the website. If you wanted Harry Styles tickets you had to go to resellers who charged a fortune.
Now Ticketmaster — frightened after the court ruling against them and Live Nation — is stepping in.
They say they’re getting all those tickets back and will re-sell them directly at a normal price beginning April 30th.
They say on Twitter:
“We caught scalpers with tickets, took action and we are working with Harry and his team to get them back to fans at the original price.
“Fans can request tickets April 30 at 12pm EDT – May 1 at 5pm EDT. Anyone can request tickets but fans who don’t yet have tickets to the NYC shos will be prioritized. Once you’ve submitted your request, look out for an email summarizing your request details.
“If your request can be fulfilled, you’ll receive a second email by May 8 at 11:59pm EDT confirming your requested tickets.”
If none of this makes sense, go to Twitter or X.com and follow @ticketmaster or read below.
Will Forte, John Cena, and some clever Looney Tunes animation star in “Coyote v Acme,” coming at the end of this summer.
Warner Bros., the long time home of Looney Tunes, didn’t want the movie and cancelled it. Eventually it was picked up by Ketchup Entertainment, which is oozing with excitement.
Looney Tunes star Wile E. Coyote is at the center of the action in this live and animated film. Look for Bugs Bunny at the very end of the trailer. I wish they’d release this now — why do we have to wait?
“Bully” has been pummeled as reality has set in and interest peters out in the racist, antisemitic rapper.
The album has been squished despite efforts by its record label, Gamma, to try and explain why it even exists.
Total sales this week will total a shocking 826 in CD and downloads.
Counting in streaming, the total is an alarming 14,000.
Total sales including all formats is 315K. The physical number is 73,000.
Kanye should have to pay Gamma back for any advances and expenses, frankly. They’ve lost money and reputation. But it was their own fault for signing him in the first place.
The rapper has also been cut off from performing in many locations, including the UK, Australia, France, Switzerland, and Poland.
Kanye a a year ago released a song called “Heil Hitler.” He sold t shirts with swastikas. Over the years he doubled down on his love of Hitler and hatred of Jews. He called himself a Nazi. Then, when he was running out of money, he took an ad in the Wall Street Journal claiming that a 2002 head injury made him so hateful.
I’m not looking for “Michael,” the Michael Jackson movie, to be a bust at the box office.
I went into it hoping for the best despite the many strikes it had against it. But the “MJ Musical” on Broadway had managed to sidestep controversy and became an international hit. Why not the movie?
But “Michael” is a hollow movie because on the big screen, the plausibility disappears. Who was Michael? Who were all these people around him? The movie provides a mystery shrouded in an enigma and has no answers, just a lot of good music and dancing.
The reviews are terrible. A 32 rating right now on Rotten Tomatoes. A 38 on Metacritic. Will it matter? I think so. After the first flush of Michael Jackson fans rush in on Thursday night and Friday I do think reality is going to hit the box office. The only way for this movie to have legs is for raves to support it. Publicity won’t do it. Too many people have an opinion about Michael Jackson to override bad reviews.
I’ve filed my review, and given “Michael” a splat on Rotten Tomatoes. The super fans are unhappy. Michael’s devoted nephew Taj has written on Twitter: “Sorry media, u don’t get to control the narrative anymore of who Michael Jackson truly was. The public gets to watch this movie…they will decide for themselves. And you can’t handle that.”
He adds: “Can’t wait till some critics have to eat crow. And yes I will be that petty.”
He could be right. The crows are definitely circling. Where they will land over the weekend is anyone’s guess. But he should know, “Michael” is not a good movie. On its own terms, it fails.
By the way, right now at least the soundtrack CD is not selling. It’s around number 450 on amazon.com. “Thriller” is at number 2, but that’s “Thriller.” It stands on its own without the movie. Stay tuned…
Rocker Dave Mason has died just a month shy of his 80th birthday.
To many Mason is famous for his 1978 recording of “We Just Disagree,” which he didn’t write but sang and played beautifully.
He was an original member of Traffic with Stevie Winwood and Jim Capaldi, but had an up and down relationship with the group, coming and going a lot.
Mason wrote “Feelin’ Alright,” which Joe Cocker made into a classic hit. He also wrote “Only You Know and I Know,” an Eric Clapton staple and a hit for Delaney and Bonnie.
A Brit by birth, Mason lived in beautiful Ojai, California since 1969. He will be missed, but his music lives on.
Bruce Springsteen never puts on a bad show, but last night there was some kind of lightning magic in the air at the Prudential Center in Newark.
Even though Springsteen didn’t sing “I’m on Fire,” he was. All revved up and hearkening a Bruce of a decade ago even though he’s 76 and had a few health issues — all gone now — in recent years.
Donald Trump has called Springsteen “a dried up old prune” but the lardass in the White House should only look half as good.
Bruce was so catalyzed by the murders in Minneapolis by ICE of Renee Good and Alex Pretti this winter that he sat down, wrote a song, recorded and released it over a 48 hour period. That’s the incredibly tuneful and angry “Streets of Minneapolis.” The experience caused this tour, called “No Kings: Land of Hope and Dreams,” to be assembled overnight.
The first stop, naturally, was in Minneapolis, where Bruce and the E Street Band were welcomed as heroes.
Last night, the band arrived on their home turf, in New Jersey, for another heroes’ welcome. There’s nothing like seeing the E Street Band in the Garden State. The completely sold out audience in the Prudential Center was wild, not so innocent, singing loudly all the lyrics to every song, knowing every word. The Pru is smaller than Madison Square Garden, so the effect is even more intimate.
This show is three hours long, which is an hour shorter than usual. The set list is the same every night, a a digression from the four hour shows where Bruce keeps changing it up. The result is a much tighter, disciplined performance of well chosen songs, all hits in their own way. The list is so well thought out, there isn’t a dud among them.
Because of that, every single band member — there may be 15 people on stage including five spectacular horns and at least two backup singers — gets to shine. The solos — particularly insane guitar work from axe men Little Steven, Nils Lofgren, and special guest Tom Morello — are religious experiences.
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And then there’s Bruce, trim, fit, no “dried up prune” as Trump — so jealous — refers to him. Maybe because there are two or three day breaks between shows, Bruce’s voice sounds like it’s been de-aged 10 years. He’s got all his power back. He leads this massive band, with overtones of Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound, like a general in a charge.
After his first heartfelt political speech about the state of the country, the show begins with the roar of Edwin Starr’s Motown hit, “War (What Is it Good For?)” and the pulse quickening never lets up: there’s the “Nebraska” version of “Born in the USA,” followed by “My Hometown.”
And then this group of men (and women) in their 70s ramp up like a cyclone of punk rock for a cover of The Clash’s anti-establishment anthem, “Welcome to the Clampdown.” It was a frenzy. I was watching Max Weinberg pound it out, thinking ‘I hope he lives through this.’ But he does, and it’s a warm up for 25 more songs!
Everyone has favorite moments, but mine last night were Bruce and Stevie turning their old single, “Two Hearts,” into a soul stirrer (they finish it up with the Marvin Gaye-Kim Weston classic, “It Takes Two”). You think about how fresh it all sounds, not 45 years old! “Streets of Minneapolis” — very moving but also cleverly written to beb memorable and catchy, digs grooves that we hear now that the surprise release has passed.The gospel of “My City of Ruins” and “The Rising” was like going to church, the utter rock out joy of “Because the Night,” Morello’s star turn on “Badlands,” and the Curtis Mayfield slam of “Land of Hope and Dreams.”
Through it all, Little Steven, Stevie van Zandt, brings the soul on his guitar like he was 25, and Nils Lofgren is the group’s hitman. They are poetry in motion.
I read about people paying $5,000 to see Justin Bieber at Coachella. Are they joking? Do they think that’s music? Bruce and the E Street Band, 55 years in, would make Coachella audiences’ heads explode. The encore was like an H bomb, particularly the great segue from “Born to Run” into “Dancing in the Dark,” and the story of we got here in “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out.” Bruce ends the show with a song by his forerunner, Bob Dylan, “Chimes of Freedom,” which sums up the whole night.
There’s a mosh pit, of course, if you can stand for three hours. The floor section is next, behind what looks like a low metal divider. But it’s a ramp. and toward the end of the show Bruce arrives, fighting a jungle of fans down an aisle and then up onto it like a teenager or Elvis at a rock and roll show. What’s he on? Adrenalin and cornflakes. I’ll have what he’s having, please, he’s so engaged and vibrant at 76. When his back is turned, the image is like the cover of “Born in the USA.” Me? I’m ready for a nap!
It’s awards season in theater, and the annual shunning of movie stars on Broadway has begun.
The Outer Critics Circle announced their nominees this morning, and the group looks like the murderer who picked up the smoking gun.
They managed to avoid everyone, whether their work was stellar or not. That means Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson in “The Fear of 13,” each of whom was praised for their performances. Also, Don Cheadle and Ayo Edibiri in “Proof,” who were equally applauded by critics.
Also missing: Mark Strong, who was the linchpin of “Oedipus,” but is better known from his many films, and the terrific Alden Ehrenreich in “Becky Shaw.”
Of course, part of the problem is that the Outer Critics — following other groups in their wokeness – has gender free acting categories. This cuts the number of potential nominees in half.
To put it bluntly, that sucks.
The OCC also completely snubbed the musical version of “Beaches” (they may be right — who knows?), and omitted anything for Tracey Letts’ play “Bug” including star Carrie Coon (I guess they don’t like her TV success in “White Lotus” or “The Gilded Age”). Unsurprisingly, they completely avoided Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bacharach in “Dog Day Afternoon,” as well as Taraji P. Henson and Cedric the Entertainer in “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.”
Hollywood- type stars fared better in the category of solo shows, since there weren’t many other choices. Jean Smart, Daniel Radcliffe, and Sean Hayes (off Broadway) were all noted, but you can bet one of the others — Mary Kate O Flanagan or Jack Holden — will be the winner.
It’s always been this way. Broadway needs name stars to attract business. But “theater people” resent them for taking their jobs. They do want them for the Tony Awards. But look at the reaction to Pink being named host this year. She’s a great choice, but diehards are waiting for her to fail. (She won’t, sorry.)
Why should big stars put themselves through all this stress? For Brody, Thompson, Cheadle, Edibiri, Coon, Strong the answer is: they’re actors. They’re doing it for the audience, themselves, and the art. Let’s hope the Tony Awards are smarter.
Fans of Michael Jackson are chomping at the bit for a biopic.
This week, they get one with Antoine Fuqua’s “Michael.”
The problem is the die hard fans don’t accept the deceased King of Pop as a human being full of frailties and mistakes. They want an idealized survivor of the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, a misunderstood artistic genius who created himself with no help from anyone else.
Fuqua has made the movie they wanted. “Michael” is fact free and devoid of depth. But it serves a purpose: to reinforce the love and admiration of a one dimensional figure preyed upon by his father, a star who struggled for personal freedom — and to make his own kind of art. If you just want to see Michael’s videos reenacted, “Michael” can be thrilling.
Playing Michael is Jaafar Jackson, Michael’s nephew, the son of his older brother, Jermaine. Jaafar has talked about practicing Michael’s singing and dancing for years to get it right. He gets an A. When it comes to reproducing Uncle Michael, Jaafar is earnest and dedicated. He plays to Michael’s endearing softness, his whispery Marilyn Monroe voice, love of animals, and comfort with children (and toys) without irony. He and Juliano Valdi — a treasure as young Michael — dance up a storm.
All of that works. But then it doesn’t. “Michael” ideally is supposed to follow the pattern of other successful music biopics, like “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Rocket Man.” But the main characters in those — Freddie Mercury and Elton John, respectively — were fleshed out. We learned so much about their reactions to their difficult inner lives that they become sympathetic. Also, in those movies, the heroes had tremendous support characters. In “Michael,” that would have been Janet Jackson, but she refused to portrayed. With “Michael,” the main character remains an enigma. Screenwriter John Logan, who’s humanized ciphers like Howard Hughes and even James Bond, has trouble piercing the mystery.
“Michael” plays with facts as if they were alternative. Missing from the 70s is his role in Sidney Lumet’s movie of “The Wiz,” where the famed choreographer Bob Fosse helped him perfect dance moves like moonwalking. “The Wiz” was what gave Michael the idea for a solo career. It would have been a perfect dramatic beat. Also absent are Michael’s influences, like James Brown and Jackie Wilson. As far as the movie is concerned, Michael is sui generis— self-invented.
That part becomes evident when the movie, gets into what fans want to see: the creation of “Thriller” the album and its historic dance videos. Choreographers Bob Giraldi, Jeffrey Daniel, and Michael Peters are absent, as is director Martin Scorsese. Producer Quincy Jones –who gave Michael a world in which to create — gets perfunctory appearances. You’d never know he was a famous producer, composer, and conductor who made any real contribution to Michael’s unique burst of stardom.
The screenplay gives Michael a buddy and protector in Bill Bray, the bodyguard Joseph Jackson assigned to his son. Bray — played by KeiLyn Durrel Jones — is set up as a sympathetic ear for Michael since Joseph is driven (we never learn why) to make his sons stars even if that includes physical abuse. Bill Bray did his best to shield Michael (and in real life his reward years later was being ignored). Colman Domingo conveys Joseph’s sinister side, almost to the point where he plays him as Snidely Whiplash twirling a mustache.
The filmmakers gloss over Michael’s devoted manager Frank DiLeo, who’s unnamed in the film and seen briefly in two scenes (and played by an unknown actor). DiLeo, so key to Jackson’s career, is joined by Mike Myers as head of Columbia/Epic Records, Walter Yetnikoff. They appear in the Epic Records offices without being identified. Myers plays Yetnikoff closer to his “Coffee Talk” mother-in-law than the peripatetic record executive.
As far as DiLeo goes, the movie simply erases his importance to Michael in the 1980s. It was Frank — who I knew well — who masterminded the “Off the Wall”-“Thriller”-“Bad” trilogy of smashes. But the movie is comfortable giving all credit to Michael’s lawyer, John Branca, played by Miles Teller, who Jackson met around 1980 and has run his estate since he died in 2009. Much as Branca made good deals for Michael over the years, it’s amusing to see him as the singer’s confidante and conscience. (DiLeo also wrote most of Michael’s book, “Moonwalk,” edited by Jacqueline Onassis. But that’s another story.)
On a side note, there’s nothing about Jackson recording three duets with Paul McCartney, scooping up the Beatles catalog behind his back, or the purchase of Neverland.
And what about the Jackson 5? The actors who play them have almost no lines. They linger in the background as silent cheerleaders, grateful to be sidelined. Did they resent Michael’s success? (Yes.) Without him, they couldn’t earn a living. Joseph Jackson understood that. We get a little bit about the father continually attempting to lure Michael back into the fold, but it’s all surface. In real life, the father and brothers got more and more desperate as Michael’s career soared. That alone would have informed some drama.
The movie suffers from having no third act. In Fuqua and Logan’s original version, which was shot, Michael faces the scandal of being accused of molesting Jordan Chandler, paying his family off. The point was to show some kind of exoneration. But it turned out the Chandler agreement prohibited that story from ever being told in a film. So a new, unsatisfying ending was cobbled together. But I would have ended the movie by fast forwarding to the brothers reuniting at Michael’s 30th anniversary concert in 2001, relieved to finally be included in his adult success.
The filmmakers keep stoking the idea of a sequel, but that’s not a good idea. This movie ends in 1988, when Michael is on a high with the “Bad” album, which was followed by a tour. But shortly thereafter, in real life, Jackson’s story became very dark. He went from being an adult playing with toys in his room to having sleepovers with children. There are more accusations, hidden settlements, and two strange marriages that ended in divorce – and children. There was also a lot of eccentric behavior and inability to cope with suspicions about his life.
A sequel would open a Pandora’s box. Because even if Michael is innocent of every charge, there’s no way to present everything that happened without including legit factual information. The public discourse would overshadow any of Michael’s musical achievements. For example, The Estate would not allow the details that to be re-created, like Michael dangling a baby out a window. The Jackson family would be better off producing a documentary mini series that makes a case for Michael has a hounded innocent. (There are already two or three unauthorized documentaries playing in England. I’m actually in one, briefly.) But there’s nothing entertaining about what really happened after “Michael” ends.
Bottom line: “Michael” is a fanzine. If you take it at face value, you’ll leave the theater humming — and twirling.
