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Note to Rock Stars: Global Citizen Spends Millions on Salaries and Concerts, Nothing on Giving Food to the Poor and Hungry

Roger Friedman
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Note to Rock Stars: Global Citizen Spends Millions on Salaries and Concerts, Nothing on Giving Food to the Poor and Hungry

I don’t know why they don’t get it. But here we go again.

Global Citizen is gearing up for a week of activities with rock stars from September 18 to 23 including a Central Park concert with Stevie Wonder and a big ceremony downtown where they’ll give Annie Lennox an award.

But what does Global Citizen do? They do not give money to the poor or hungry. They just encourage us to think about the poor and hungry– while we’re at expensive events having nice meals and snacks.

In 2015 according to their most recent tax filing, Global Citizen’s salaries DOUBLED from $1.8 million to $3.6 million. No one at Global Citizen, which used to be known as Global Poverty, is going hungry.

In 2015, Global Citizen paid outside contractors almost $4 million to put on their concert in Central Park. The services weren’t donated. According to the filing, $2.3 million went to Consulting.

Money pours IN to Global Citizen. Donations TRIPLED in 2015 to $30 million from $10 million the year before.

On the same form 990, they list $1 million which was spent in various countries to “increase awareness of Global Poverty.” The $1 million wasn’t spent on food for the hungry. No, they just told people, there’s hunger around the world. And that took $1 million.

They claimed $25 million on total functional expenses including $887,705 in office expenses. Of that $19 million is listed as “other.” Meanwhile, there are huge famines all over the world.

Global Citizen is very attached to celebrity. Their chief celebrity speaker, named a couple of years ago, is Chris Martin of Coldplay. So you’d think Coldplay would be at the Central Park show. No. They’re playing the I Heart Music Festival in Las Vegas.

Taylor Swift’s Album is Called “Reputation” and the First Single Is Out Thursday Night

Roger Friedman
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Taylor Swift’s Album is Called “Reputation” and the First Single Is Out Thursday Night

UPDATE The new album is called “Reputation” and the first single is out Thursday night. Maybe it’s called “Snake.”

“Reputation” will arrive on November 10th, just in time for the American Music Awards. Taylor will push the album on that show. If “Reputation” is good, then it will make the Grammys in February 2019.

Taylor Swift is playing games with us. Today she posted a video of a hissing snake to Twitter and Instagram. Is her new song called “Snake”? Is it a reference to the deejay who groped her, to Calvin Harris, or Katy Perry? Do I care? Do you? I guess we’ll find out shortly.

PS Good PR campaign. Everyone’s fallen for it. Even me!

RIP: Three-Time Tony Winner Tom Meehan, Wrote “The Producers,” “Annie,” “Hairspray”

Roger Friedman
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RIP: Three-Time Tony Winner Tom Meehan, Wrote “The Producers,” “Annie,” “Hairspray”

Tom Meehan has died at age 88. My friend and neighbor, who I was lucky to know, was a Broadway superstar when it came to writing books of musicals. He co-wrote “The Producers” and “Young Frankenstein” with Mel Brooks for the stage, wrote “Annie,” “Hairspray,” “Rocky” and many other shows. He was married to Carolyn, his lovely wife, for eons. They lived down the block from me, but over in the West Village Carolyn had a very popular children’s store, Peanut Butter and Jane. An era has ended.

He won three Tony awards for writing musicals– “The Producers,” “Annie,” and “Hairspray.” And they were all massive hits. Two of them– “The Producers” and “Hairspray” — ran on Broadway at the same time.

Tom was really a gentleman in the true sense of the word– a gentle man. He looked a little like Colonel Sanders with his gleaming white hair and glasses. He was also a genius. He knew how a story worked, and why it didn’t. We had long discussions about new shows, old shows, opening nights, and so on. My friend, producer Judy Gordon, and I used to eat lunch at a place that’s gone– it was padlocked for not paying taxes– on the Upper East Side. Tom, Mel, and Anne Bancroft would inevitably be at Madame Romaine’s having omelettes and writing “The Producers.” They did the same with “Young Frankenstein.”

Mel just Tweeted that he heard Tom had died. “Stunned by the news that my friend/co-writer Tom Meehan has died. I’ll miss his sweetness & talent,” he writes. “We have all lost a giant of the theatre.” It’s true. We used to ask Tom all the time isn’t there some way to turn “Blazing Saddles” into a musical? Mel wanted to do it. Tom — who could have made a fortune, said, “I just don’t see it.” If it wasn’t right, it wasn’t going to happen.

Condolences to Carolyn, and Tom’s whole family. Our block, and the theater at large, will never be the same.

Pop Out: Miley Cyrus’s “Younger Now” Single Bombs As Singer Fails to Go G Rated

Roger Friedman
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Pop Out: Miley Cyrus’s “Younger Now” Single Bombs As Singer Fails to Go G Rated

On Friday, Miley Cyrus released the title track to her upcoming album, “Younger Now.” It was accompanied by a video. For a minute it went onto the iTunes chart, and rested around number 18.

Today, “Younger Now” is older than it went it began. It’s completely off the iTunes chart. The video has 11.8 million views, which sounds like a lot. But in the YouTube pop world, it’s not. On the iTunes music video chart, “Younger Now” is number 9.

“Younger Now,” which is totally G rated and a little obscure, has fizzed out. And fast. That’s not good since it’s the title track from an album that’s still more than a month away from being released.

“Younger Now” was supposed to be a signal that Miley had dropped her wrecking ball. She had a big hit with “We Can’t Stop” but apparently she can stop– and she has stopped– being interesting.

The 2015 Miley– sexy, provocative, outspoken — clicked with the “Hannah Montana” fans who aged along with her. But now Miley wants to go back to “Hannah Montana” and good clean living. But the mixed signal 2017 Miley has totally thrown her fan base. You can’t lick Robin Thicke and then go back to licking lollipops. Doesn’t work that way.

So now what? The message has definitely been changed. Miley is touring with her dad. She’s singing with Dolly Parton. Her website is inviting young girls to upload their pictures into a frame.

This is seems like a huge accident unfolding. The irony is Miley has a fabulous voice, and could be a great country star like Dolly or Reba or Faith Hill or Trisha Yearwood. That’s fine. If the “Younger Now” album collapses the way the single has, Miley will be lucky to find her retreat there.

Ratings: “Twin Peaks” Bounces Back with One Resolved Plot and Death of a Beloved Character, “Game of Thrones” Conquers

Roger Friedman
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Ratings: “Twin Peaks” Bounces Back with One Resolved Plot and Death of a Beloved Character, “Game of Thrones” Conquers

Somehow, don’t ask me how, “Twin Peaks” came back into the top 150 on Sunday night. They had more viewers than in any other week so far– 329,000 people tuned in. The show finished 104th for the night.

Since there are no advance previews, no one could have known that one — one– plot from 25 years ago was finally resolved: Norma (Peggy Lipton) and Big Ed (Everett McGill) finally got together. Ed’s wife Norma just walked up to him out of the blue and said she was setting him free to be with Norma. This had nothing to do with anything from this Showtime season. But older fans were rewarded for a quarter century of patience.

The other big news was that the Log Lady passed away. Actress Catherine Coulson filmed all her scenes at once in 2015 when she was dying of cancer. They were all phone calls with Deputy Hawk. In their last exchange she told him she was dying and said Goodbye. It was quite poignant and very moving. Her log, she said, was turning gold.

The rest of Episode 15 was the usual mishmash of who knows what. Dougie (that Kyle MacLachlan’s other Agent Cooper stuck in a suburban purgatory) electrocuted  himself by putting a fork in a wall outlet. We’ll see what happens next. Is he dead? We should be so lucky.  The other Cooper, who used to be menacing, is now kind of Cooper like. Sherilyn Fenn’s Audrey is locked in some kind of dream or coma with a weird little man. But she was revealed as evil Richard’s mother.

“Game of Thrones” — amazing, dragon dies, is re-born, the White Walkers did a number on Jon Snow and gang. The result was 10.2 million viewers. Jon’s sisters are fighting. That doesn’t seem like a good idea. This Sunday is the last episode for a long time. I don’t know how they do these war and battle sequences. They’re just outstanding. Kudos to the dragons.

George Clooney and Wife Amal Donate $1 Million to Help Combat Hate Groups

Roger Friedman
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George Clooney and Wife Amal Donate $1 Million to Help Combat Hate Groups

All that tequila money is going to a good cause. This morning George and Amal Clooney announced a $1 million donation to the Southern Poverty Law Center to combat hate groups. The Clooneys recently made about $250 million from the sale of George and partner Rande Gerber’s tequila company. They formed the George and Amal Clooney Foundation for Social Justice.

In a statement George said: “Amal and I wanted to add our voice (and financial assistance) to the ongoing fight for equality. There are no two sides to bigotry and hate.”

“Like George and Amal Clooney, we were shocked by the size, ugliness, and ferocity of the white supremacist gathering in Charlottesville,” said SPLC President Richard Cohen. “It was a reflection of just how much Trump’s incendiary campaign and presidency has energized the radical right. We are deeply grateful to the Clooney Foundation for standing with us at this critical moment in our country’s fight against hate.”

Clooney has also been passionate about trying to help the people of Sudan. With late producer Jerry Weintraub and pals Don Cheadle and Matt Damon he also started the Not On My Watch Foundation. I’ve written before about how Clooney and friends have invested in satellites that monitor violence and human rights violations in Sudan.

The announcement this morning comes at a perfect juxtaposition to reports about Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and his horrid wife Louise Linton. The latter is cited everywhere today for berating a writer to her Instagram page about the Mnuchins’ lavish lifestyle and sense of entitlement.

Broadway: “Chocolate Factory” Starts to Melt, “Doll’s House,” “1984” Bleeding Money

Roger Friedman
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Broadway: “Chocolate Factory” Starts to Melt, “Doll’s House,” “1984” Bleeding Money

No Tonys, no box office. That was the story for “Groundhog Day,” “Bandstand,” and “The Great Comet,” which are all saying goodbye shortly. But at least they had some nominations. “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” was almost completely ignored on Tony night. For a while, it sold tickets based on the name– the movies, the books, etc.

But last Charlie’s chocolate started to melt. The golden tickets were not selling. For the first time since its second week of previews, “Charlie” fell below $1 million– precipitously– to $880,000. There was a $134K drop from the prior week.

Directed by Jack O’Brien with new Marc Shaiman songs/ Charlie was completely overhauled from the 2013 West End version directed by Sam Mendes. No one liked that version either.

Meanwhile. Scott Rudin’s two not-“Dolly” shows are bleeding, as Donald Trump might say, from all over. “A Doll’s House, Pt. 2” sank by 18.2% from last week, down $41,500  to $192K. That must be some empty house over there since their total sales could be over $700K.

And “1984”– why in god’s name is it still playing? Down 8.2% from last week, doing 60% of capacity. The show was torture, for sure.

I keep hearing that 2017 Best Revival of a Play “Jitney” has the money and wants to return to Broadway after its limited run. They say there are no theaters. Well, clear this stuff out. Ruben Santiago Hudson’s production was A plus in entertainment and value. Come back soon!

100 Pieces of Art Remain Unsold for Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation Auction from July

Roger Friedman
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100 Pieces of Art Remain Unsold for Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation Auction from July

You do remember the highly touted $30 million raised in late July by the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation? This was at Leo’s swanky celeb gala in St. Tropez where Lenny Kravitz performed with Madonna, and Sean Penn came to cheer them on.

Well, a month later there are more than 100 pieces of art unsold from the live auction that took place that night. An email just went out informing anyone who’s interested that they can still pick up an art bargain from the auction. Bids close in two days.

There’s no public transparency for DiCaprio’s foundation, so there’s no way of knowing how much they’ve made or given away. But more than 100 pieces still to be sold– that’s a lot, kids. And all those rich people who went to St. Tropez– no one wanted them. Yikes.

Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” Zooms to Number 1 on iTunes, Several Other “Sun” Hits Chart

Roger Friedman
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Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” Zooms to Number 1 on iTunes, Several Other “Sun” Hits Chart

Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” has zoomed to number 1 on iTunes this afternoon. Tyler sang the song today live from a cruise while the Eclipse was going on in North America. There must be two versions, because “Total Eclipse” is also number 11.

Jim Steinman, author of the Meatloaf songs, wrote the hit. The record was released in 1983.

If you’re a big fan of the song, Barry Levinson’s gem of of a movie “Bandits” features the song in the plot.

Lesson: if you live long enough, everything comes back in style.

Also Eclipsing on the iTunes chart: The Beatles “Here Comes the Sun,’ CCR’s “Bad Moon Rising,” Manfred Mann’s Springsteen take on “Blinded by the Light,” Cat Stevens’ “Moonshadow,” Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine,” Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun,” “Eclipse” by Pink Floyd, and of course, “Invisible Sun” by the Police.

 

Jerry Lewis Raised Billions for MDA Over 50 Years And They Treated Him Like Dirt as a Reward

Roger Friedman
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Jerry Lewis Raised Billions for MDA Over 50 Years And They Treated Him Like Dirt as a Reward

This morning as Jerry Lewis‘s death is catching up to the news there are many stories about his philanthropy and devotion to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. With his Labor Day telethons and “Jerry’s Kids” programs, Lewis spent 50 years raising billions for the organization. He put them on the map internationally.

And then in 2010 they kicked him to the curb. Jerry was ousted, unceremoniously. His history with the group was erased from their materials and website. The Labor Day telethon became a pre-taped two hour special. MDA receipts went into a severe decline. The group moved from Phoenix to Chicago to accommodate a new CEO. Volunteers around the country complained of closed chapters. People who’d devoted decades to Lewis and MDA said they were abandoned.

Lewis was devastated but never commented publicly on what happened. MDA, seeing the self destruction they’d caused, tried to smooth things over a couple of years later, but it was too late. The damage was done. Then they were usurped by the ALS Association, which had their summer of Ice Bucket Challenge. MDA suffered, which was sad only for the kids involved, but not for the executives who’d killed their golden goose.

According to its most recent filing form 990, MDA has seen “gifts, grants and membership fees” from the public drop by $36 million since 2011. Still, their CEO makes around $600,000 a year, and their salaries for execs exceeds $2 million a year. Last year, among their expenses: $3 million for printing. And that’s in the age of digital and online.

Yesterday it took MDA three hours from the time Lewis’s death was announced to sent out a Tweet of condolence. (First they re-tweeted Lewis’s successor host for those terrible specials, Tom Bergeron.) It took them that long to put something on their website, where for years Lewis has been persona non grata. Watch them do what they can to cash in on his legacy. It’s pathetic.

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