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Singer Kesha Scores Small Victory as Sony Kicks Her Producer, Dr. Luke, to the Curb

Roger Friedman
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Singer Kesha Scores Small Victory as Sony Kicks Her Producer, Dr. Luke, to the Curb

Pop singer Kesha has finally scored a small victory against her producer, Dr. Luke, in her long running case against him. In court papers, Sony Music now says Dr. Luke is no longer head of Kemosabe Records, their label to which Kesha was signed.

The papers read: “Kemosabe Records is wholly-owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Lukasz Gottwald is no longer the CEO of Kemosabe Records and does not have authority to act on its behalf.”
And so Dr. Luke is jettisoned from Sony in one of the worst PR situations that could have occurred for the company. Kesha has accused him of many terrible things including rape, all of which he has denied. But the result has been not only the stalling of her record career, but also bestselling female artists from Taylor Swift to Adele to Lady Gaga decrying Sony’s role in this story.
Is Dr. Luke finished? Far from it. You know, if even Phil Spector had a hit record up his sleeve, he could make a comeback in the record business. Dr. Luke will have more hits. Just not at Sony. Now maybe Kesha can proceed in some way.
Stay tuned…

Unhappy Days: Erin Moran’s Husband Posts Statement About Her Rapid Throat Cancer and Untimely Death

Roger Friedman
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Unhappy Days: Erin Moran’s Husband Posts Statement About Her Rapid Throat Cancer and Untimely Death

For some reason, Erin Moran’s husband, Steve Fleischmann, has posted a statement about his wife’s death on Scott Baio’s Facebook page. This is basically after Baio said he thought someone who did drugs deserved what they got. Moran died of Stage 4 throat cancer. I wonder if Fleischmann knows what Baio said in the radio interview.

Anyway, here’s Fleischmann’s statement. What a tragedy.

Open letter from Steve. (Erin Moran’s Husband).

Erin and I met 4/22/1992 and parted ways 4/22/2017. We were planning to go to
Thunder Over Louisville to celebrate.
She was feeling fine on our anniversary
11-23-2016. Maybe four or five days after we got back Erin woke up and had about a dime size blood stain on her pillowcase. She said
I think i bit my tongue. A couple days go by and
there’s a bigger spot of blood. We get like 4 days into December, there’s more blood. I get a flashlight and say let me look.
It was not her tongue it was her tonsil on the left side. I thought it was tonsillitis.
So we went to an ENT who said they wanted to biopsy it. It came back squamous cell carcinoma. She started radiation and chemo. Five days a week radiation and chemo only on Thursdays. We did that the whole time. It got so bad so fast. By the
middle of February, Erin could no longer speak
or eat or drink. She had a feeding tube implant and i feed her 6 to 8 times a day. She was still happy, she was active, she texted people on her phone all day. On the 21st she was having trouble
breathing. She woke up on the 22nd, she was not 100%.
She needed Kleenex, so i went to the store and came
back. She was there watching T.V in bed. I
laid down next to her held her right hand in my
left. I feel asleep woke up about a hour later
still holding her hand and she was gone, she was
just gone.. Norton Cancer Institute never said how bad it was.. The coroner told me it was really really bad. It had spread to her spleen, she had alot of fluid in her lungs and part of her brain was
infected. The coroner said even if she was in the hospital being pumped full of antibiotics she still would not of made it. He said it was the best that she was with me and went in her sleep.
So that’s it.
PLEASE feel free to send the above to Any and ALL
news outlets The press has been relentless. they knock on the door constantly. Thank you Harrison County Sheriff’s I Called last night and they came out ran them off got up this morning
they were all back sheriffs ran them all off again. the last time two cop cars ran off the last ones right before it got dark. we will see what tomorrow brings….
PEACE my friends.

Tracy Morgan on His Time at “Saturday Night Live”: “I got to work with Obi-Wan Kenobi, Lorne Michaels, The Force was with me”

Paula Schwartz
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Tracy Morgan on His Time at “Saturday Night Live”: “I got to work with Obi-Wan Kenobi, Lorne Michaels, The Force was with me”

Tracy Morgan, who promised to get “a whole lot of women pregnant” at the 2015 Emmy’s, looked terrific and told me he felt great Sunday evening at the Tribeca Film Festival world premiere of his new film “The Clapper.”
The “30 Rock” comedian entertained journalists on the red carpet where he introduced his “date” as Roz and said he’d get her pregnant right after the screening at the School of Visual Arts Theater.
Among other things, he riffed, “I don’t do the PC thing. I don’t do that. It’s straight up and down 6 o’clock. That’s how I do things.”
Then, “See my lady Roz? I have to get that knocked up.”

“Roz” looked suspiciously like his wife Megan Wollover, who Morgan married after a horrific crash in 2014 that put him in a coma. They have one child.

“The Clapper” is written and directed by Dito Montiel, which he adapted from his book of the same name. The film also stars Ed Helms and Amanda Seyfried. (Adam Levine also has a role.) The film’s described by Tribeca as “a charming and original romantic comedy for our modern, meme-obsessed moment.” (I couldn’t get into the movie, which was sold out and had a long rush line of people who eventually didn’t get in).

Among other things, on the red carpet Morgan talked about Richard Pryor’s influence: “He’s the Messiah! He’s the one who walked on water for us!”

On his stint at Saturday Night Life: “I got to work with Obi-Wan Kenobi, Lorne Michaels, the force was with me.”

On what he and “Roz” do on date night:

“We watch the championship fights. We love our boxing. We talk sports all the time. Me and my lady have things in common. We just don’t do it. We talk and all that. She made some lasagna the other night, six different cheeses.”

Morgan’s worked with Montiel before, in the 2011 Al Pacino cop drama, “The Son of No One.”

What was like working with Dito again?

“He bring out the best in me. I love him. I love him. Dangerous. If a script scares me than I’ll do it. If it don’t move me than I won’t do it. If a script scares me, when I saw this (I ask), can I do this character? If it challenges me, then I’m doing it.”

I asked what he learned about himself taking on the role and if there were any surprises?

“Well you always have surprises because you don’t know what’s inside. You gotta go inside. I learned this trip what connects me to my character? I gotta create a back story. How did he get there? If he’s messed up what made him messed up? All that’s in your head.”

It’s good to see Morgan looking so good and doing what he does best, or second best if you count making women pregnant.

I told him he looked great. How does he feel?

“I feel well. I’m eating a lot of protein.” Then he pointed to his “date” Roz and said, for the hundredth time or so: “Yeah I’m probably going to get her pregnant tonight.”

Was it something about the film that inspired that?

“Yeah, it makes me horny. I’m going to take her back of that school and get her pregnant,” he told journalists before making his way into the theater.

Montiel, who directed Robin Williams in his last film, “Boulevard” and the straight-to-DVD action film “Empire State” staring the Rock and Emma Roberts, may have a winner with “The Clapper.”

(He also made a wonderful film called “A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints” which brought Channing Tatum and Shia LaBeouf to prominence. Trudie Styler, who produced “Guide,” was Montiel’s guest along with her husband rock star Sting.)

I asked Montiel, who wore a hoodie and did press long after Ed Helms and Morgan walked into the theater, if being a clapper was actually a profession.

“Now you’ll start noticing them,” he said, telling me the movie was inspired by his real-life experiences of going to L.A. from New York with his friend Eddie (Krumble) to look for jobs.

“He got a job as a clapper, a paid audience member, and he would just laugh on terrible shows and infomercials. He would get $75 a show. And then he got to answer a question on an infomercial and he got an extra $100. But because his face was exposed it screwed him up and he couldn’t get hired for two months,” he said. “The idea of fame screwing you up sounded like something that is kind of happening in the world these days as well, so it was an interesting route to go through.”

As for casting Ed Helms, who has a loopy grin and got famous with “Hangover” movies, he said, “ Ed’s a really great actor but he also brings a smile to it and we needed to have a little bit of a smile or else we can go down a dark hole.”

 

 

Broadway: Outer Critics Go For “Dolly,” “Anastasia,” Snub “Chocolate Factory,” “Bandstand”

Roger Friedman
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Broadway: Outer Critics Go For “Dolly,” “Anastasia,” Snub “Chocolate Factory,” “Bandstand”

The first Broadway nominations are here from the Outer Critics Circle. They already handled “Dear Evan Hansen” and “Natasha and Pierre” in off Broadway incarnations, so they’re not included. (I think they should change that rule, but no one asked me.) Because of that, next year’s big Broadway winner, “The Band’s Visit,” is going to get gypped when it comes to Broadway. I’ll bet that David Cromer wins Best Director of a Musical this year for its off Broadway debut.

Glenn Close already won Best Actress 23 years ago for “Sunset Boulevard,” so she’s out, too (and out of the Tonys, although she deserves to win again).

Without “Evan Hansen” the musicals are slight. But the group totally snubbed “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” which cost a fortune to mount, and “Bandstand,” which I’m kind of looking forward to. Best Actor in a Drama should go to Kevin Kline for “Present Laughter.” No awards should go to “Hello, Dolly!” for the obnoxious way they’ve treated the press.

Outstanding revival of a play should go to “Jitney.” I’d say “Othello,” which was magnificent, but few people got to see it.

Outer Critics Circle

2016-2017 Award Nominations

OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY PLAY

A Doll’s House, Part 2

Indecent

Oslo

Sweat

OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY MUSICAL

Anastasia

A Bronx Tale

Come From Away

Groundhog Day

Holiday Inn

OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY PLAY

If I Forget

Incognito

A Life

Linda

Love, Love, Love

OUTSTANDING NEW OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL

The Band’s Visit

Hadestown

Himself and Nora

Kid Victory

Spamilton

OUTSTANDING BOOK OF A MUSICAL

(Broadway or Off-Broadway)

Terrence McNally     Anastasia

Itamar Moses     The Band’s Visit

Chazz Palminteri     A Bronx Tale

Danny Rubin     Groundhog Day

Irene Sankoff & David Hein     Come From Away

 

OUTSTANDING NEW SCORE

(Broadway or Off-Broadway)

Stephen Flaherty & Lynn Ahrens     Anastasia

Alan Menken & Glenn Slater     A Bronx Tale

Tim Minchin     Groundhog Day

Irene Sankoff & David Hein     Come From Away

David Yazbek     The Band’s Visit

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY

(Broadway or Off-Broadway)

The Front Page

Jitney

The Little Foxes

Othello

The Price

OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL

(Broadway or Off-Broadway)

Finian’s Rainbow

Hello, Dolly!

Miss Saigon

Sunset Boulevard

Sweeney Todd

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A PLAY

Lila Neugebauer     The Wolves

Jack O’Brien     The Front Page

Daniel Sullivan     The Little Foxes

Rebecca Taichman     Indecent

Kate Whoriskey     Sweat

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL

Christopher Ashley     Come From Away

David Cromer     The Band’s Visit

Darko Tresnjak     Anastasia

Matthew Warchus     Groundhog Day

Jerry Zaks     Hello, Dolly!

 

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHER

Andy Blankenbuehler     Bandstand

Warren Carlyle     Hello, Dolly!

Savion Glover     Shuffle Along

Kelly Devine     Come From Away

Denis Jones     Holiday Inn

 

OUTSTANDING SET DESIGN

(Play or Musical)

Alexander Dodge     Anastasia

Nigel Hook     The Play That Goes Wrong

Mimi Lien     Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812

Scott Pask     The Little Foxes

Douglas W. Schmidt     The Front Page

 

OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN

(Play or Musical)

Linda Cho     Anastasia

Susan Hilferty     Present Laughter

Santo Loquasto     Hello, Dolly!

Ann Roth     Shuffle Along

Catherine Zuber     War Paint

OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DESIGN

(Play or Musical)
Christopher Akerlind     Indecent

Donald Holder     Anastasia

Natasha Katz     Hello, Dolly!

Bradley King     Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812

Kenneth Posner     War Paint

 

OUTSTANDING PROJECTION DESIGN

(Play or Musical)
Duncan McLean     Privacy

Jared Mezzocchi     Vietgone

Benjamin Pearcy for 59 Productions     Oslo

Aaron Rhyne     Anastasia

Tal Yarden     Indecent

OUTSTANDING SOUND DESIGN

(Play or Musical)
Gareth Fry & Pete Malkin     The Encounter

Gareth Owen     Come From Away

Nicholas Pope     Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812

Matt Stine     Sweeney Todd

Nevin Steinberg     Bandstand

 

OUTSTANDING ORCHESTRATIONS

Doug Besterman     Anastasia

Larry Blank     Holiday Inn

Bill Elliott & Greg Anthony Rassen     Bandstand

Larry Hochman     Hello, Dolly!

Jamshied Sharifi     The Band’s Visit

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A PLAY

Daniel Craig     Othello

Michael Emerson     Wakey, Wakey

Kevin Kline     Present Laughter

David Oyelowo     Othello

David Hyde Pierce     A Life

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Janie Dee     Linda

Sally Field     The Glass Menagerie

Allison Janney     Six Degrees of Separation

Laura Linney     The Little Foxes

Laurie Metcalf     A Doll’s House, Part 2

 

OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

Christian Borle     Falsettos

Nick Cordero     A Bronx Tale

Andy Karl     Groundhog Day

David Hyde Pierce     Hello, Dolly!

Tony Shalhoub     The Band’s Visit

 

OUTSTANDING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Christy Altomare     Anastasia

Christine Ebersole     War Paint

Katrina Lenk     The Band’s Visit

Patti LuPone     War Paint

Bette Midler     Hello, Dolly!

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY

Michael Aronov     Oslo

Danny DeVito     The Price

Nathan Lane     The Front Page

Richard Thomas     The Little Foxes

Richard Topol     Indecent

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Johanna Day     Sweat

Jayne Houdyshell     A Doll’s House, Part 2

Katrina Lenk     Indecent

Nana Mensah     Man From Nebraska

Cynthia Nixon     The Little Foxes    

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL

John Bolton     Anastasia

Jeffry Denman     Kid Victory

Gavin Creel     Hello, Dolly!

Shuler Hensley     Sweet Charity

Andrew Rannells     Falsettos

OUTSTANDING FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL

Kate Baldwin     Hello, Dolly!

Stephanie J. Block     Falsettos

Jenn Colella     Come From Away

Caroline O’Connor     Anastasia  

Mary Beth Peil     Anastasia

 

OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE

Ed Dixon     Georgie: My Adventures with George Rose

Marin Ireland     On the Exhale

Sarah Jones     Sell / Buy / Date    

Judith Light     All the Ways to Say I Love You

Simon McBurney     The Encounter

JOHN GASSNER AWARD

(Presented for an American play, preferably by a new playwright)

Jaclyn Backhaus     Men on Boats

Sarah DeLappe     The Wolves

Paola Lázaro     Tell Hector I Miss Him

Qui Nguyen     Vietgone

Bess Wohl     Small Mouth Sounds

“Bad Boy” Will Smith Added to Cannes Jury Along with Jessica Chastain, Jury President Pedro Almodovar

Roger Friedman
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“Bad Boy” Will Smith Added to Cannes Jury Along with Jessica Chastain, Jury President Pedro Almodovar

Cannes takes an odd turn next month. Will Smith, of all people, has been added to the main jury. Hmmm…Not exactly from the “arty” end of Hollywood, Smith should be an interesting choice. What will he make of films by Sofia Coppola or Noah Baumbach? Or, for that matter, what will he think of four films starring Nicole Kidman? That should be interesting.

More on target is the addition of Jessica Chastain, who will most definitely get “it.” Also director Paolo Sorrentino and Maren Ade, actress FanBingBing, France’s Agnes Jaoui, Park Chan-Wook, and composer Gabriel Yared.

Pedro Almodovar is the head of the jury for the 70th anniversary of Cannes. Unusual choices.

Scott Baio, Trump Celebrity Backer: Chachi Doesn’t Love Joanie, Has Little Sympathy for Erin Moran’s Death

Roger Friedman
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Scott Baio, Trump Celebrity Backer: Chachi Doesn’t Love Joanie, Has Little Sympathy for Erin Moran’s Death

Scott Baio, not a rocket scientist but co-star of Erin Moran from “Happy Days” and “Joanie Loves Chachi,” doesn’t have much sympathy for the actress who died over the weekend. Reports now are that Moran was in stage 4 of some kind of cancer. Baio, famous for being a Trump celebrity supporter, pretty much kicked Moran to the curb on a radio show.

On WABC Radio’s “The Bernie and Sid Show,” Baio said: “I’m OK, a little shocked but not completely shocked that this happened. My thing is, I feel bad because her whole life, she was troubled, could never find what made her happy and content. For me, you do drugs or drink, you’re gonna die. I’m sorry if that’s cold, but God gave you a brain, gave you the will to live and thrive and you gotta take care of yourself.”

He added: “I’m saddened by what happened. I don’t know if it was drugs that killed her, I read one report said it might have been and I hope it… I don’t know what I hope. It’s what it is. What can you do?”

Unlike Ron Howard, Henry Winkler and the other cast members from “Happy Days”– all of whom mourned their friend– Baio came to bury Moran:

“I knew Erin well, over the last many years I have not spoken with her. She was just an insecure human being and fell into this world of drugs and alcohol. Again, I don’t know if that’s what killed her, I’m sure it was a culmination of years and years of doing it that might have had something to do with it. She just never found her way.”

“How do you help somebody that doesn’t want to help themselves? You try a couple of times and if they don’t want the help, I gotta go, sorry.”

Broadway: “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” Universally Panned, Faces Few Awards, But Still Selling Tickets

Roger Friedman
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Broadway: “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” Universally Panned, Faces Few Awards, But Still Selling Tickets

“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” opened on Broadway last night to uniformly negative reviews. This is after the show was completely overhauled from its debut in London’s West End. Somehow, as an observer said, it got worse.

“CCF” probably has no shot at a Tony nomination for Best Musical, either. So far “Dear Evan Hansen” is well in the lead, followed by “Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812,” “Come from Away,” “Groundhog Day,” and then maybe “Anastasia,” which opens tonight, or “Bandstand,” which opens later this week. There will be no golden ticket for Charlie.

And yet, the show is selling tickets. The name alone seems to be enough. While numbers for this past week won’t be out until this afternoon, “CCF” is doing more than a million bucks a week so far in previews. But who knows what it’s cost at this point?

Its appeal may be that it’s a family show, and no one cares what the reviewers think. And that could carry it for a year or more. You never know.

Caitlyn Jenner: Public Interest Fades as Diane Sawyer Ratings Tank, Book Sales Slow, TV Show Cancelled

Roger Friedman
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Caitlyn Jenner: Public Interest Fades as Diane Sawyer Ratings Tank, Book Sales Slow, TV Show Cancelled

It was only a hot minute ago that everyone wanted to be in the Caitlyn Jenner phenom. She even made the cover of Vanity Fair. The former Olympic athlete Bruce Jenner was the media’s hottest commodity.

But fame is fleeting, and so are novelty acts. Public interest in Jenner seems to be evaporating faster than instant milk. First her reality show on the “E!” channel was cancelled. She was re-assigned back to the Kardashians’ circus of a show.

But things get worse: On Friday, Caitlyn’s interview on ABC with Diane Sawyer was a bust. The show was down 85% in adults 18-49 from the interview Sawyer did her in April 2015. They didn’t even finish first in the time slot on Friday night. Only 4.3 million people watched, down from 17 million two years ago exactly.

Meanwhile, Jenner’s book, “The Secrets of My Life,” is not flying off bookshelves. The book, which is officially published tomorrow, is ranked at 78 on amazon.com. In the Kindle store, it’s number 582.

Tonight, Jenner appears on Tucker Carlson’s new show on Fox News, the one replacing Bill O’Reilly. I do think the trans and LGBTQ audience has left her, considering Jenner’s backing of Donald Trump. She’s going to play to the Fox crowd, and they are certainly not forking over 20 bucks for a book by a gender-changed transsexual. The Fox crowd does not want to hear about genital re-assignment, trust me.

Happy Birthday, Barbra Streisand: Singer-Actress-Director-Activist Joins Club 75 along with Aretha Franklin, Paul McCartney, Carole King

Roger Friedman
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Happy Birthday, Barbra Streisand: Singer-Actress-Director-Activist Joins Club 75 along with Aretha Franklin, Paul McCartney, Carole King

Happy Birthday, Barbra Streisand!

The formidable singer-actress-director-activist-collector turns 75 today. She joins a group that includes Paul McCartney, Carole King, and Aretha Franklin among others.

Who could have guessed in 1942 that so many music legends would be born? And born at such a difficult time, the beginning of World War II for America?

Streisand has boatloads of awards and the devotion of a zillion fans around the world. She’s just about to embark on another tour, this time bringing her back to Brooklyn and then to Long Island for the time ever.

The Way We Were
 

and almost 40 years later…

Streisand in her best movie, What’s Up Doc?

Pharrell Helps Raise $1.4 Million for the Humane Society, Along with Rachel Platten, A List Stars

Leah Sydney
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Pharrell Helps Raise $1.4 Million for the Humane Society, Along with Rachel Platten, A List Stars

Pharrell made a lot of people “Happy” Saturday night at the The Humane Society of the United States annual “To the Rescue!” gala last night on the Paramount Lot. They had every reason to celebrate, last night’s event raised a record breaking $1.4 million due in part to Pharrell’s offer that anyone who donated $10,000 could come up and sing “Happy,” with him.  Needless to say, there were many takers.

The crowd was celebrity star-studded.  Elizabeth Banks presented Sen. Cory Booker with the Humanitarian of Year Award.  Always witty, Banks quipped, “unlike other elected officials, he uses his Twitter account (he has over three million followers,) to help actually help people and animals.”

Booker, fiercely dedicated to animal welfare, wowed the crowd inspiring in many hopes that he’ll run for President.  “I was taught by my Mom that who you are speaks so loudly I can’t hear what you say.  Our job is to get folk woke.  Unfortunately we know that with this administration we are losing some ground but I believe this story will have a happy ending.  Despair will not have the last word.” 

On videotape celebs including Morgan Freeman, Chelsea Handler, Kate Mara, Eva Longoria, Bill Maher who said, “thank you for all you do for animals so that they are treated with love and respect, even though they don’t vote,” all paid tribute.  Sarah Silverman quipped, “I’m plotzing about all you do.  I love you; you are my soul mate in vegetarianism and childhood chronic bedwetting.”

Moby, who called Booker our “Vegan God,” Diane Keaton, Alanna Stewart, Nigel Lythgoe, Black Sabbath’s Geezer Butler, Daisy Fuentes, songwriter Diane Warren, “Scandal’s” Bellamy Young, Melanie Griffith, James Caan, Jane Lynch, Ashley Olsen and many more joined this wonderful night.   Rooney Mara spoke about her and her sister Kate Mara’s longtime advocacy work and urged the audience to be “conscientious consumers.”

But there was a serious side, too:  The evening became even more poignant when the family of the late singer who was murdered, Christina Grimmie, she was devoted to the cause, accepted the Impact Award on her behalf.  Her good friend and gifted singer Rachel Platten beautifully sang a tribute. 

Kudos to USUS’s tireless CEO Wayne Pacelle, who danced with Pharrell to “Happy” at the end of the night, as well as Michelle Cho, Tara Loller, Josh Balk and so many more at HSUS and beyond for fighting this fight for our beloved animals. 

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