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Michael Jackson “Cascio Songs” CD Offered for Auction for Millions, Then Mysteriously Removed

Roger Friedman
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Michael Jackson “Cascio Songs” CD Offered for Auction for Millions, Then Mysteriously Removed

For about a minute yesterday Michael Jackson’s unreleased songs from the “Cascio” album was up for auction for a million dollars.

Then it mysteriously disappeared.

An auction house called Gotta Have Rock and Roll announced it was selling a master tape quality CD of songs obtained from a close friend of Jackson who was his personal assistant and had traveled he world with him. The tracklist on the CD made it clear these were the songs recorded in New Jersey in the fall of 2007 by Eddie Cascio at his parents’ home. Cascio had already recorded the songs with another artist. But when Jackson, his kids, and nanny came to stay at the Cascio home– his personal friends and surrogate family for years and years– Eddie persuaded Michael to re-rec0rd the vocals and turn the whole thing into a Michael Jackson album.

I broke the story about this album in 2010, a year after Michael died.

The result was a scandal. Jackson super fans refused to believe Michael had done any of this. (It was, however, true.) The Jackson estate and Sony made a deal for the recordings. Three of them made it onto Michael’s posthumous “Michael” album. The rest drifted into obscurity.

The Cascio album was a surprise to everyone in the Jackson camp, which led to a discrediting of the material that killed the “Michael” album. Co-executor John McClain didn’t like it because he wasn’t involved in it. Jackson’s nephews, a group called 3T, was sore because they didn’t have a part in it. The Jacksons in general, post-Michael’s death, weren’t so happy about the Cascio family at all. They resented them because Michael had long ago chosen them as a surrogate family. He stayed with them, lavished gifts on them, and confided in them while excluding his actual brothers, sisters, parents, etc.

Before Michael died, I’d heard all the songs recorded with a different vocalist. They were very good. When I broke the story that Michael had stayed with the Cascios in 2007 I did not know that he’d recorded with Eddie. Indeed, everyone remained mum for a long time. When I broke the news about the recordings, the naysayers waged a campaign saying that it was a Michael Jackson imitator. This was ridiculous. Michael had left the recordings with the Cascios as a legacy.

So what happened to the for-auction CD? Even if someone had bought it for a million dollars, the winner could not have used it for anything other than personal listening pleasure. Something tells me though that the Jackson Estate and/or Sony intervened when they saw the listing.

The tracklist: 1. “Monster”
2. “Breaking News”
3. “Stay”
4. “Keep Your Head Up”
5. “Everything’s Just Fine”
6. “Black Widow”
7. “Burn Tonight”
8. “All I Need”
9. “Water”
10. “Let Me Fall in Love”
11. “Ready to Win”
12. “Soldier Boy”

Exclusive: Adam McKay-Christian Bale Dick Cheney Movie Has New Title– “Backseat”

Roger Friedman
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Exclusive: Adam McKay-Christian Bale Dick Cheney Movie Has New Title– “Backseat”

You do know that Adam McKay, who went from Will Ferrell comedies to “The Big Short,” is making a movie about Dick Cheney.

Now I’m told the movie has a title: “Backseat.” This was apparently one of Cheney’s code names with the Secret Service because he was known as a backseat driver– to George W. Bush’s presidency. Many felt Cheney told Bush what to do most of the time. Cheney, to me, was one of the more evil players in American history. He was a war monger who managed to benefit from the Gulf War through his interests in Halliburton. He was a schemer whose interests lay with corporate America.

But I digress. Christian Bale is set to play Cheney, Steve Carell is signed to be Donald Rumsfeld, and Amy Adams would play Lynn Cheney.

All of these people are talented, but this is a horror film in the end. There is literally no one to root for.

Cheney’s other Secret Service name was “Angler” because he was a fisherman. I think that’s a better title, but no one asked me.

Exclusive: Sandra Bullock Getting Apocalyptic with “Night Manager” Director Susanne Bier

Roger Friedman
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Exclusive: Sandra Bullock Getting Apocalyptic with “Night Manager” Director Susanne Bier

Where is Sandra Bullock? I feel like I haven’t heard the Oscar winner’s name in a while.

Well, the word is she’s agreed to star in “Bird Box,” directed by Susanne Bier of “The Night Manager” fame. (Funny, Bier was well known prior to the Tom Hiddleston series, but now she’s a star!)

“Bird Box” is based on an apocalyptic type thriller novel by Josh Malerman published in 2014. Bullock would play main character Malorie, mother of a pair of 4 year olds, trying to survive in the post-apocalyptic age.

The book received mixed reviews, so hopefully the screenplay by Eric Heisserer will come up with something more satisfying. Dylan Clark and Clayton Townsend are producing. Back in 2013, there were reports of a different director and producers, but the property was sold to Universal.

Oh yeah, so about Bullock: she’s been raising her kids, and making “Ocean’s Eight,” in which she plays the leader of the mostly female gang. “Bird Box” would be her first project since the disappointment of “Our Brand is Crisis,” a movie that apparently only I liked.

Dionne Warwick, Charlie Wilson, Randy Newman Help the Grammy Awards Start Their Year in NY With Over-the-Top Taping of PBS Special

Roger Friedman
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Dionne Warwick, Charlie Wilson, Randy Newman Help the Grammy Awards Start Their Year in NY With Over-the-Top Taping of PBS Special

Last night at the Beacon Theater…shhhhh… we’re not allowed to review it yet, but the Grammys taped a PBS special for airing this fall. It’s a celebration of the 2017 Special Merit recipients, aka Lifetime Achievement Award winners.

So I’m not reviewing it, but come on– with a lineup like this you can’t go wrong: Randy Newman, Dionne Warwick, Andra Day, Charlie Wilson, Valerie Simpson, Shirley Caesar, John Cale and Maureen Tucker of the Velvet Underground, Charley Pride, Katherine Russell, plus Garland Jeffreys introducing the Underground. Whoopi Goldberg did the toast to Nina Simone. I mean, really.

I won’t tell you which songs they sang, we’ll wait til the PBS special is closer. There were a lot of people from the Recording Academy present as this is the kick off for the Grammys in NY. The Grammy Awards return to Madison Square Garden on January 28th under the aegis of Neil Portnow, who got a LOL charming shout out from gospel legend Shirley Caesar.

I can’t wait til the does air because it really worked, there was chemistry in the air! The family of Jimmie Rodgers, the man who started country music 90 years ago, came to get their award. They’re terrific. Justin Timberlake should play Jimmie Rodgers in a movie directed by Taylor Hackford. It’s just begging to happen.

Also, I got to meet Le’Andria Johnson, a 34 year old gospel sensation from Atlanta who’s already won a Grammy. You are about to hear a lot about her. Her new single is called “All I Got.” The album comes out July 22nd. Once the world hears this voice, Le’Andria is going to be everywhere!

Here’s the single:

Ex Today Show – MSNBC Star Tamron Hall to Host Talk Show Produced by Harvey Weinstein

Roger Friedman
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Ex Today Show – MSNBC Star Tamron Hall to Host Talk Show Produced by Harvey Weinstein

Tamron Hall is back! She’s made a deal with the Weinstein Company to host a syndicated talk show. Harvey Weinstein has gotten former NBC President of Domestic Television Distribution, Barry Wallach, to consult. We’re off to the races!

Tamron is a lot of fun, and very smart. The talk show biz is tough but it’s ready for a new star. Hall definitely has the tools to pull it off.

Hall exited the “Today” show and MSNBC when the brass foisted Megyn Kelly on her audience. Now Kelly has terrible ratings on Sunday nights. Soon she’ll take over the third hour of “Today” where Tamron was a hit. It could be by the time Tamron’s show is on the air, Kelly will be history.

And that’s what they call irony, ladies and gents !

PS Smart idea for TWC. Lots of movie contacts — all those actors who’ve been in their films will make great guests!

Told Ya: Uma Thurman Coming to Broadway This Fall in Play by “House of Cards” Writer

Roger Friedman
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Told Ya: Uma Thurman Coming to Broadway This Fall in Play by “House of Cards” Writer

Well, this was our scoop from April: today it was announced that Uma Thurman is coming to Broadway in the fall. She’ll be in Beau Willimon’s “The Parisian Woman.” Willimon is the creator of “House of Cards.”

Thurman appeared on the Tony Awards as a presenter to warm her up for a Broadway welcome. Last January she skipped a hearing over custody of daughter Luna with Arky Busson for a play reading. It turned out to be “The Parisian Woman.”

Opening night is November 30th. Ah, the fall on Broadway. It’s a good time for movie stars to spread their wings without the pressure of Tony Awards. And you never know, often it all works out. I have a good feeling about Uma.

Murdoch’s NY Post Turns Against Donald Trump, Calls Son “An Idiot” in Editorial — While Fox News Ignores

Roger Friedman
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Murdoch’s NY Post Turns Against Donald Trump, Calls Son “An Idiot” in Editorial — While Fox News Ignores

Well, that’s it.

Rupert Murdoch’s conservative, right wing tabloid has turned on Donald Trump. In an editorial the paper calls the President’s son Donald Jr. “an idiot.” That’s the headline: “Donald Trump Jr. is an idiot.” It’s signed The Post Editorial Board.

You’re seeing the influence of James and Lachlan Murdoch, the sons and runners of the Post. Even they are cutting ties with the lying, abetting Trump family.

They call him “criminally stupid.”

To say this episode of the Trump Nightmare Presidency has gone badly is to say the least. The Post has put it most succinctly.

And Donald, if they’re not on your side, who is? Fox News will follow suit if the Murdoch sons have their way.

The days of Roger Ailes, Bill O’Reilly, Col Allan- are over. Even Sean Hannity can’t save you now.

POSTSCRIPT: Foxnews.com is simply ignoring not only the Post editorial but another piece by columnist John Podhoretz calling the Trump Jr. scandal “disgraceful.” There must be some tension on the automated elevators at 1211 Sixth Avenue! And this time it ain’t over sexual harassment!

 

Cable Ratings: “Twin Peaks” Picked Up 90,000 Viewers, Megyn Kelly Was Ignored Again

Roger Friedman
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Cable Ratings: “Twin Peaks” Picked Up 90,000 Viewers, Megyn Kelly Was Ignored Again

Sunday cable ratings are in, they’re like a parlor game at this point.

The good news: Twin Peaks picked up 90,000 viewers and was the 41st most watched cable show on Sunday night. Word of mouth and great press from two Sundays ago certainly did the trick. If only Showtime let the press see the episodes in advance, we could help. Sunday night’s showing was their best so far. Alas, the episode was back to a lot of the same stuff prior to episode 8, although it was nice to see guest stars Tim Roth and Jennifer Jason Leigh. The late Miguel Ferrer stole the show with the two best deadpan delivered lines.

The bad news: Megyn Kelly was beaten by almost anything on the air. Reruns of bowling competitions would do her in. She’s still getting sacked by “60 Minutes”–they did more than twice as much. And the rerun of Funniest Home Videos is also killing her. I’ve started to forget she’s still on the air. I think most other people feel the same way, too.

Van Morrison– Indefatigable– Records Sam Cooke’s “Bring it on Home to Me” Again, This Time with Jeff Beck

Roger Friedman
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Van Morrison– Indefatigable– Records Sam Cooke’s “Bring it on Home to Me” Again, This Time with Jeff Beck

I’ve lost count of Van Morrison’s renditions of Sam Cooke’s classic “Bring it On Home to Me.” There was a great live version back in 1974, and I see others floating around YouTube. But now Van the Man has done it again, with Jeff Beck on blistering guitar, plus a lot of other surprises as this wonderful record unfurls. Van releases a new album every year. This fall it will be “Roll with the Punches,” a collection of blues and jazz cover songs. He can’t write an album of new songs every year, for gosh sakes. Anyway, I can listen to Van sing anything, at any time. He’s the best.

  Here’s the track list for “Roll” which appears on September 22nd.
1) Roll With the Punches (Van Morrison & Don Black)
2) Transformation (Van Morrison)
3) I Can Tell (Bo Diddley & Samuel Bernard Smith)
4) Stormy Monday/Lonely Avenue (Stormy Monday–T-Bone
Walker/Lonely Avenue–Doc Pomus)
5) Goin’ To Chicago (Count Basie & Jimmy Rushing)
6) Fame (Van Morrison)
7) Too Much Trouble (Van Morrison)
8) Bring It On Home To Me (Sam Cooke)
9) Ordinary People (Van Morrison)
10) How Far From God (Sister Rosetta Tharpe)
11) Teardrops From My Eyes (Rudy Toombs)
12) Automobile Blues (Lightnin’ Hopkins)
13) Benediction (Mose Allison)
14) Mean Old World (Little Walter)
15) Ride On Josephine (Bo Diddley)

Broadway: With Bette Midler Out for a 2nd Week, “Hello, Dolly!” Does Worse Than Revivals of “Cats” and “Miss Saigon”

Roger Friedman
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Broadway: With Bette Midler Out for a 2nd Week, “Hello, Dolly!” Does Worse Than Revivals of “Cats” and “Miss Saigon”

Goodbye, Dolly.

Without Bette Midler in the title role, the musical “Hello, Dolly!” fell to unheard of lows last week. The show sold less than half the dollar amount of its capacity– $722K out of a possible $1.5 million. It was down by $214,000 from the previous week, which was way down from its prior week.

The average ticket cost $81. The regular ticket– ha ha ha– costs $748 when Midler is up on stage. But she’s taken a two week vacation, and the result is we see what’s really going on here. Donna Murphy is an award winning, wonderful performer. I’ve no doubt her performance is as good if not better than Midler’s. But when the big star is away, “Hello, Dolly!” is in dire straits.

What’s interesting about this is other musicals, who don’t have marquee names like Midler, are doing much better. But such emphasis has been put on Midler as the star that the show can’t survive without her. What a mess. And this is even with a bunch of Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical.

Think about it: “Dolly!” did less well last week than the revivals of “Cats” and “Miss Saigon.” It did only about $25,000 better than the 20 year old revival of “Chicago.” Ouch! 

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