Thursday, December 11, 2025
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Beatlemania! Ringo TV Special Pushes Country Album to Number 2 on Amazon, Number 3 on iTunes

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Look up, everyone!

Last night’s Ringo Starr special was a hit. Ringo and Friends at the Ryman — the former Grand Ol’ Opry — has sent his country album back up the charts.

“Look Up” is number 2 on Amazon this morning and number 3 on iTunes. Two great Ringo singles, “It Don’t Come Easy” and “Photograph” — are on the iTunes top 100.

The album is written and produced by T. Bone Burnett, and features a bunch of great young country stars. All of them were featured on the special including Jack White, Sheryl Crow, Rodney Crowell, Mickey Guyton, Emmylou Harris, Sarah Jarosz, Jamey Johnson, Brenda Lee, Larkin Poe and Billy Strings.

Ringo’s fellow Beatle, Paul McCartney, even taped a bit introducing one of last night’s songs.

What a great tribute to Ringo that the whole “Look Up” project has been a rousing success. He’s destined for a lot of awards next winter. If Beyonce can win Best Country Album, so can Ringo!

Madman: Trump Announces New Massive Canada Tariffs on Steel, Aluminum, Dow Drops 500 More Points

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Donald Trump is insane. His base must be feeling the pinch. How much are they into masochism? We’re going to find out.

The Dow Jones average is down 500 points at 10:46am. Worried yet? The Dow has dropped 3,100 points in a month. Your savings are being wiped out, MAGA. Wake the f up1

All That’s Missing from this Timothee Chalamet – Kylie Jenner Video is the “Curb Your Enthusiasm” Music

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If I knew how to do it, I would add the music from “Curb Your Enthusiasm” to these videos. (Photos for now until embedding comes back.)

Here’s Timothee Chalamet with Kylie Jenner at an Indian Wells tennis match. It’s one week since he lost the Oscar. He’s with other Kardashians, too. They’ve kidnapped him.

You can tell from the look on Timmy’s face he knows she’s the reason lost to Adrien Brody. He looks away, raises an eyebrow, bites his lip. He looks like he wants to be somewhere else.

How can we rescue him? Maybe Gavin Newsom can send someone in to do it. Timmy cannot go through another movie cycle this way.

Play this behind each photo

Former Weight Loss Spokesman Suing Doctor He Says Over-Prescribed Ozempic Type Drugs, Caused Him Severe Injuries

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In the last week, both the Tamron Hall show and the New York Post featured stories about people who’d been injured in their weight loss-GLP1 treatments.

Now Brad Roberts is suing Dr. Tony Puopolo, who he alleges over-prescribed a combination of “overlapping” drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro.

Roberts has never met Puopolo in person according to a complaint filed in the Southern District of New York. Roberts found him through an outfit called LifeMD, a telehealth company he worked for at the time and then left — contentiously– when he became ill. Roberts says they never had any kind of follow up.

Roberts, who was very overweight, shed pounds quickly and became a spokesperson for the company, even making a successful commercial.

But he says in the complain that to keep the weight loss going fast between November 2022 and November 2023, Puopolo “over-tritrated” him, upping the dosage to the point where it made him extremely ill. He says he lost a whopping 143 pounds in six months, going from 300 to 157.

In the complaint, Roberts says Puopolo “did not follow the manufacturer prescribing and titration guidelines. The titration of a GLP-1 regulates the dosage to the patient. In addition to the GLP-1s, Dr. Puopolo prescribed non-FDA approved synthetic compound peptides to enhance the speed of Brad Roberts’s weight-loss. Dr. Puopolo’s combining experimental peptides and weight loss medications with GLP-1s caused debilitating injuries.”

Roberts isn’t suing LifeMD, but says he was assigned to the doctor through the telehealth service. He says in the complaint “Neither Dr. Puopolo nor anyone else affiliated with the Defendant conducted formal clinical follow-ups while prescribing GLP-1s and other weight-loss drugs to Brad Roberts.”

LifeMD trades on the NASDAQ for about $4.55. It hit a high on February 19th of $8.54. There’s an earnings call this afternoon at 4:30pm in which they’ll have to explain what’s going on.

For Roberts, his is a cautionary tale for people not in Hollywood, where these injections of weight loss medications have run rampant. (During awards season I ran into people who no longer looked like themselves! They were shrunk!)

Roberts says his injuries — especially to his inner ear — led him to six surgeries.(see below)

Patients always think the doctors they’re dealing with know what they’re doing. But Roberts says in his complaint that the “GLP-1 regimen exceeded the manufacturer recommended guidelines and conflicted and/or overlapped with other prescription drugs” prescribed by Puopolo.

Roberts’ case file is already full of affidavits backing him including one from Andrea Danielle Brown, the former HR person at LifeMD who’s since left the company and fully vouches for him. (See part of her affidavit below).

Here’s Roberts’ informercial, which I found online:

More to come…

Is Meryl Streep Ever Going Back to Work? Or is She Just Having Fun Dating Martin Short, Taking Victory Laps?

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Is Meryl Streep ever going back to work on serious movies?

The three time Oscar winner has spent the last few years appearing in TV shows like “Big Little Lies” and “Only Murder in the Building.”

Her last real meaty film role was a comedy turn in “Don’t Look Up,” in 2021 which squandered her talents. Right before that she was in HBO’s “Let Them All Talk,” and the film version of “The Prom.”

More recently, Steep has been getting headlines for dating Martin Short, star of “Only Murders.” They did the rounds on Saturday night, going backstage on Broadway for “Oh Mary” and then taking in “Saturday Night Live.”

Streep has only one project now, a sequel to the hit “The Devil Wears Prada,” which won’t be much different than the original.

Meryl doesn’t care much about awards anymore, I’m sure. She was nominated for her two TV roles but didn’t win most likely because she didn’t campaign.

But there was a time when each movie she made yielded an Oscar nomination. Her last win was in 2012 for “The Iron Lady.” But she had a run of the table for a dozen years, scoring Oscar noms every other year and twice consecutively.

Streep has nothing to prove, but we miss her headlining important films. She’s deserving of a life and victory laps, but let’s hope she comes roaring back if the material is right.

“Hacks” Star Jean Smart Will Hit Broadway This Spring But Not for Tony Awards Season

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There’s a reason that Smart is Jean Smart’s last name.

She’s coming to Broadway this spring in a new play but not to get a Tony Award.

“Call Me Izzy” will open in May, after Tony Award eligibility closes.

So many “Hollywood” stars come to Broadway looking for a Tony, only to be turned away. This way, Smart can pick up accolades without that stress. Very ‘smart’!

The former “Designing Women” star has been on Broadway twice before – in 1981, and in 2000. So, once a generation.

The play, written by Jamie Wax, is directed by Sarna Lapine, niece of famed director James Lapine. Sarna is a hot director herself having steered the 2016 revival of “Sunday in the Park with George” with Jake Gyllenhaal and Annaleigh Ashford.

“Call Me Izzy” will have a 12 week run at Studio 54, although won’t be part of the Roundabout Theater. This does mean that Smart, who’s won dozens of awards for “Hacks,” could be a featured presenter at the Tony Awards on June 8th. So it’s a win-win for everyone.

Trump’s TV Show, “The Apprentice,” Will Stream For First Time on Bezos’s Amazon, Not on Universal’s Peacock

Visits to Mar-a-Lago from Mark Burnett and Jeff Bezos have paid off.

Starting today, Donald Trump’s original TV series “The Apprentice,” produced by Burnett will stream on Amazon Prime.

Since “The Apprentice” aired on Universal’s NBC it’s notable that Peacock will not be the home for “The Apprentice.”

The series, which ran 7 seasons, has not streamed since it went off the air. It’s considered one of the key reasons Trump was able to make himself famous to a wide audience who then turned around elected him in 2016.

Trump might look like a buffoon now on The Apprentice,” not to mention his adult children who participated in it. It’s unclear if there’s been any editing of the episodes.

It was during the making of “The Apprentice” that Trump, promoting the show, was caught on tape by “Access Hollywood” making his “celebrity can grab pussy” comments. Even though the tape was leaked and widely publicized, his base supported his coarse take on life.

Of course, Trump is the only president who has made money from personal ventures during his administrations. What used to considered taboo, and illegal, is now accepted.

The first season, which drops today, comes down to a contest between Kwame Jackson, who finished second to Bill Rancic, who went on to win the season and work for Trump. He has remained a supporter all this time.

Jackson, however, had harsh words for Trump since the show. Last June, when his 20 year NDA expired, Jackson said Trump was uncomfortable with Black people and that he’d used the “N” word with him.

Trump’s flack denied it.

Season 1 also featured Omarosa Manigault, who variously feuded with him, supported him, worked for him, and then turned against him. After years of making headlines, Manigault finally retreated from the spotlight. If this brings her back, God help us. But she did endorse Kamala Harris last fall.

It’s no surprise that Trump’s show is not on Peacock. He recently railed again NBC Universal chairman Brian Roberts for allowing MNSBC correspondents to be critical of him.

Brendan Carr, Trump’s lapdog FCC chairman, said that the agency’s Enforcement Bureau was opening an investigation into MSNBC over diversity, equity and inclusion practices. Carr said he was “concerned” that Comcast and NBCU are “promoting invidious forms of DEI that do not comply with FCC regulations & civil rights laws.” Comcast, in response, said it would cooperate with the FCC probe and that, “For decades, our company has been built on a foundation of integrity and respect for all of our employees and customers.”

Bezos, meantime, has sucked up to Trump like crazy, paying visits to him at Mar-a-Lago and paying a whopping $40 million for a documentary about Trump’s mostly AWOL wife, Melania. Could this be part of that package? It’s possible.

Lady Gaga Posts 11 Songs in the iTunes Top 100 Including 2 from Last Night’s “SNL”

Last night’s “SNL” proved to be a winner for Lady Gaga.

She performed two songs, “Abracadabra” and “Killah.” The former shot to the top of iTunes today. The latter and 9 others are scattered through the iTunes top 100. Her album, “Mayhem,” is number 1, and four others are on the album chart.

Gaga performed in almost every sketch besides giving a great monologue, very funny and self-effacing about her recent movie flop, “Joker 2.”

“I promise not to do Joker 3,” she said.

We’ll see the ratings on Tuesday.

“White Lotus” Ratings Fell 26% from Episode 2 to 3, But Hang On Because Shocking Stuff is Coming

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“White Lotus” is on HBO and Max tonight for episode 4.

How’s it doing? There was a sharp drop last week from week 2, a stunning 26%. The 507,000 linear viewers was still higher than week 1. But you could tell from social media comments, there was disappointment that more didn’t happen.

Not much happened last week either, and the same can be said for Week 4. Mike White is laying out his story, peeling it like an onion. Tonight’s episode is more of the same as we learn things about each character. Jason Isaacs’ Timothy is slowly going crazy knowing he’s in massive legal trouble back home. The three women are still testing their friendships. Saxon Ratliff is looking for trouble.

Believe me, he will find it next week. Episodes 5 and 6 are going to buzz right through the internet like Elon Musk’s chainsaw. There’s also the arrival of an Oscar winning actor who kind of steals the show two ways — with their participation in a plot, and also personal revelation that should be some interest.

So watch tonight and get ready for the next two weeks after. I wish I could say more, but I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.

Also, I really love the music. I’ve read some comments about it but I think the Season 3 theme music is quite catchy. I also could watch Parker Posey reading from the phone book. So there!

Judy Collins’ Starry 85th Birthday at Town Hall A Night of Thrills with Stephen Stills, Rickie Lee Jones, Paula Cole and More

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As famed singer Judy Collins celebrates her 85th year, she’s hot stuff. But of course she has been since 1962 when she was on the forefront of the folk movement that launched her, Bob Dylan, and Joan Baez to dizzying heights.

Collins even has a feature last week in The New Yorker.

So why not celebrate 85 in fashion? Last night she filled New York’s Town Hall, the same place she played her second ever show back in ’62. She and the building have held up very well. On stage she welcomed her old boyfriend, Stephen Stills, plus Sophie B. Hawkins (who turned to be a most winning emcee), “Wicked” composer Stephen Schwartz, the astonishing Paula Cole, and Martha Redbone, Ari Heist, and many other collaborators including Fairport Convention legend, Richard Thompson.

Legendary Warner Bros. record producer Russ Titelman worked on the sound and it was probably the best show anyone’s heard in Town Hall or any theater in ages.

Collins is a full-throated smooth operator on stage, ever so comfortable telling jokes off the cuff, reading from a tight, punchy script recalling her amazing journey in music, and showing off her trained classical pianist moves. She’s also a pretty good guitar player.

But it’s The Voice. There’s a TV show called “The Voice” but nothing equals Collins’ clear as spring brook water tones even after 60 something years. The Voice sounds like what you imagine Colorado to be, and when she sings about her birthplace you feel like packing up and going there immediately.

Yes, she sang her hits like Stephen Sondheim’s “Send in the Clowns” and Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now.” Her version of the latter was the original, of course, making Joni’s recording a cover of her own song. The difference now is that Joni performs it with great drama and intensity. Collins’ take is almost a pop arrangement counterpointed by disarming phrasing that makes the clouds seem less threatening and more like the kind you see in great paintings.

Collins also delivered some acapella moments, on songs like “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” and Leonard Cohen’s “Suzanne.” (She made Cohen famous.) Her reading of “Who Knows Where the Time Goes” with Thompson was incredibly poignant. With Schwartz on piano, she sang a duet of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” with Schwartz singing and playing piano on that song for the first time ever. Considering his attachment to “The Wizard of Oz,” it was a once in lifetime moment.

The guests did not let us down. Rickie Lee Jones’s version of “Mr. Tambourine Man” turned Dylan’s Byrds hit inside out. Cole — who had big hits in the 1990s and then fought for decades with her record company — emerged as a classic talent. Beth Nielsen Chapman was outstanding. Martha Redbone — performing at the Apollo soon — is a roots revelation, an overnight sensation after 40 years. (Her emotional performance last night reminded me of Rhiannon Giddens singing years ago at Town Hall.)

Well, they filmed the whole thing last night with about 20 discreet cameras for a long needed documentary about Collins’s life as a singer, songwriter, and activist, not to mention poet. Yes, she has a book of poetry coming out next month because…why not? The night, by the way, ended with everyone on stage singing the final section of Stills’ “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes,” the song he wrote for her in 1968 that has lasted our lifetime.

One last thing: Taylor Swift and her proteges like Gracie Abrams don’t realize how influenced they are by Judy Collins. Swifties would do well go to back and listed to albums like “Bread and Roses.” They’d be mesmerized.