Friday, December 19, 2025
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Box Office Bust of $100 Mil for Armenian Genocide Movie May Not Matter: Billionaire Backer Didn’t Care

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“The Promise” is pretty much of a box office bust. Terry George’s sweeping romance set against the Armenian genocide cost $100 million to make. It will take in around $4 million for the weekend at over 2,000 theaters. And it won’t matter one way or another.

Billionaire Kirk Kerkorian put up the money to make the film two years ago. Before production began he died at age 96. Kerkorian’s estate is valued at around $4 billion. They won’t miss $100 million. All the proceeds from “The Promise” are going to charity anyway.

At one time he owned MGM, so he knew the power of movies. He also knew that no one had made film about the Genocide, it was basically unrecorded in film history. With “The Promise,” he’s left a document for future generations. “The Promise” can be shown in schools as a teaching aide. With Christian Bale and Oscar Isaac as its stars, the film will always have a life on video. Box office failure won’t kill it.

At the premiere in New York this week, the theater and the restaurant following (Shun Lee West) were full of Armenian Americans who were very proud of the work. No one is prouder than producer Mike Medavoy, although famed art dealer Tony Shafrazi would qualify as a good ‘second.’ Shafrazi explained that “The Promise” had to exist because another film recently released and failed ($240,000 total box office), called “The Ottoman Lieutenant,” tried to white wash the Genocide. “Why would Ben Kingsley do that?” Shafrazi said, excitedly. “I can’t believe he didn’t know it.”

Indeed, as we can see now from what Erdogan is doing in Turkey, Kerkorian was a hero to get this movie made. Terry George had to film in Spain because he knew he’d never get footage out of Turkey. In fact, when I first announced the movie’s existence, I was asked to redact several points just in case George could get in and out, as he had done years before when making “Hotel Rwanda.” “The Promise” wasn’t easy to make, but it will last a long, long time.

 

Music: Kendrick Lamar Succeeds Drake as King of Streaming with The Whole Top 10

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Kendrick Lamar’s big hit right now is called “Humble.” But he can afford to shed a little of his humility right now. All 14 tracks from his new album are in the top 20 Streaming songs. He all 10 of the top 10, as well.

Kendrick’s album “Damn” is number 1 in sales and streaming, with a total of 610,417. About half of that was from streaming. Damn! This happened because  Lamar went through conventional channels, released “Damn” properly and with a plan. Kanye West could have had those numbers for “Life of Pablo,” but he went the route of crazy. Maybe he can learn from that for his next release.

“Damn” has something for everyone. It’s a straight up rap album first of all, with lots of “f” and “n” words. But it’s also got Rihanna and U2 as featured acts on two different tracks.

Meantime, on the streaming singles chart, Harry Styles’ “Sign of the Times” dropped to 33 from 12.

Otherwise, sales are up overall because of streaming. It’s all about streaming. And today is Record Store Day. In Manhattan, it’s a tall order to find a record store. In the “old” days, we had plenty of them– Bleecker Bob’s, Rocks in Your Head were in the indies. Tower was the main deal. It was Korvette’s when I was a kid.

Albums used to cost $5.98 at most. The vinyl was warped and scratched. The LPs were fun because of the covers, the booklets, etc. But when CDs came in I was thrilled. Now LPs cost between $20-$30 apiece. Are you kidding me? Really? It’s great that kids want the vinyl experience, but how could you possibly afford more than one LP? Insane. CDs are still a bargain, and they don’t skip.

PS This week Sylvia Moy died. She wrote or co-wrote most of Stevie Wonder’s hits and other Motown classics in the 60s. This was before Stevie recorded “Music of My Mind” and came into his own. Sylvia wrote “Ma Cherie Amour” and “I Was Made to Love Her,” among others. When I was in the Songwriters Hall of Fame we inducted her in 2006, and Stevie came and honored her. What a talent! Her legacy lives on.

 

 

 

Pop: Harry Styles Only Made $52K from Streaming Last Week, Better Keep the Day Job

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We can only assume Harry Styles is living on his One Direction money and his fee for being in “Dunkirk.” Why? He didn’t make much last week streaming his single, “Sign of Times.”

From streaming alone, Styles earned just $52,720. Another $130,729 was earned from downloads. All told, Harry made a little over $180,000.

“Sign of the Times” was the 12th highest earning streaming single of the last week.

Why is streaming lagging behind? Mainly because “Sign” is five minutes long. Kids can’t sit still for two minutes to listen to a streamed song. Five minutes?

“Sign of the Times” is number 14 on iTunes.

Broadway: Headline for “Hello, Dolly!” Review at The Wrap Either Anti-Semitic or Just Stupid

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red hot

The Wrap, a terrible entertainment website, gets it wrong again. The headline for their “Hello,Dolly!” review is either anti-Semitic or just stupid.

“BETTE MIDLER RETURNS AS HOT JEWISH MAMA”

Bette plays a widow named Dolly Gallagher Levi. Dolly is Irish. Her husband, Ephraim Levi, may have been Jewish. We don’t know. She is not Jewish. Barbra Streisand, who player her in the movie, is Jewish. Bette Midler is half Jewish. But that doesn’t make Dolly Jewish.

Dolly Gallagher Levi was invented by Thornton Wilder for his play “The Matchmaker,” which had two previous incarnations as well. It’s a story dating back to the 1850s in fact, about German and Irish immigrants.

In the New York Times, circa 2006, Carol Channing and Tovah Feldshuh discussed this. Tovah was playing Dolly at the Paper Mill Playhouse.

CHANNING — She’s a goy who got lucky. FELDSHUH — Right — a few stomach problems, great jewelry, no afterlife. But she didn’t convert. And now he’s died, and she sold the jewelry, and she ain’t got nothing left. Of course, she’s learned some things about Judaism, but she’s as Christian as she was 20 years ago.

Oy vey!

RIP R&B Star Cuba Gooding, Sr., Father of Oscar Winning Actor, Lead Singer of the Main Ingredient

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So devastated to hear that Cuba Gooding, Sr. has passed away at age 72. He was the lead singer of the Main Ingredient, a wonderful R&B group of the 1970s. His hits included “Everybody Plays the Fool” and “Just Don’t Want to Be Lonely.” They are mainstays of the pop and R&B canon. I knew Cuba Sr., we filmed him for “Only the Strong Survive.” He was a lovely man. What a shame. Cuba had the same effusive personality as the son (whom younger people will know better) and a lilting R&B tenor that was a staple of AM radio. Reports say he was found dead in his car in suburban Los Angeles. Condolences to our pal Cuba Jr., the famed actor, and all his friends and family.

 

Bette Midler is the Oldest Dolly Levi Ever in “Hello, Dolly!” By Several Years– Including Ethel Merman, Carol Channing, Pearl Bailey and Ruth Gordon

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Bette Midler opens tonight in “Hello, Dolly!” on Broadway. This isn’t a review because there are no press seats except for the main reviewers. A lot of regular theater press has been offered the chance to buy tickets. Midler is doing no press, either. Why bother? They have a $40 million advance. She’s being paid around $100,000 a week, plus is probably getting a cut of the net take. For that kind of dough the former Divine Miss M doesn’t have to answer a single question except “Where’s the deposit slip?”

There’s no red carpet tonight, either, in keeping with producer Scott Rudin’s pattern of eschewing opening nights. There’ll be a big party at the New York Public Library, but Bette won’t stay very long. She needs her rest!  According to reports she’s suffering from vocal problems and exhaustion.

That’s because Midler is 71 years old. Ruth Gordon was 59 in 1955 when she played Dolly in Thornton Wilder’s play “The Matchmaker” on Broadway. When Carol Channing invented the musical role in 1964, she was only 43. When she last performed the role in 1995, Channing was a little older than Midler– 74– but she knew it by heart. Channing (now 96!) still managed to make 111 performances during that last run. And no one filled in for her on matinees. (Donna Murphy is doing that for Midler.)

When Channing vacated Dolly in 1967, Pearl Bailey took over. She was only 55 when she took the role for three years until 1970.

That’s when Ethel Merman arrived. Merman, born in 1908, was just 62 when she became Dolly. That’s still 8 years younger than Midler. (I know, you’re thinking we thought these ladies were old then. They weren’t!)

Dolly Levi is not supposed to be carrying an AARP card. So the matinees may be the way to go since Donna Murphy recently turned 58. David Hyde Pierce, who’s playing Horace vanDerGelder? He’s also 58. (And let’s not forget Barbra Streisand was only 27 when she did the movie– way too young!)

When she was young, no one had more energy than Bette Midler. Her stage shows were like Broadway productions. She climbed out of clam shells and so on. But all that was in the late 1970s and early 80s– 40 years ago. Midler was just in her 30s. Time flies. The wind is beneath our wings! Still, the funniest moment ever on the Grammys was when Bette appeared wearing a 45 rpm single in her hair. Those were the days!

PS Louis Armstrong was only 63 when he had his chart topping hit (seven weeks at number 1) with “Hello, Dolly!”) in 1964.

 

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2.” Soundtrack: George Harrison, Sweet, “Brandy,” And Director’s Obscure Finds

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Everyone’s been waiting to see the run down of tracks from the 1970s for “Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2.” This time around Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) and company will rock out to some songs from the 70s, one from the 60s, and a couple of obscurities.

Plus, David Hasselhoff was commissioned to record a special novelty song.

Here’s the most obscure song I’ve heard. “Lake Shore Drive” was supposedly a regional hit in Chicago in a one square mile area:

The rest of the songs include “My Sweet Lord” by George Harrison, “Fox on the Run” by Sweet, “Mr. Blue Sky” by ELO, “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” by Looking Glass, “Southern Nights” by Glen Campbell, “Surrender” by Cheap Trick, and “Father and Son” by Cat Stevens.

Clive Davis Film Sells to Apple Music, Stars Glitter at Tribeca Fest Premiere, Tears and Standing Ovations

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Everyone is here at Radio City from New York governor Andrew Cuomo to movie stars. And rock stars.

First: the big news is that Apple Music has bought the rights to stream and download “Clive Davis: Soundtrack of Your Life.” A theatrical release plan is forthcoming.

Five thousand people packed Radio City Music Hall tonight to see the film, which is just terrific, full of fun, the history of the pop music business, and the story of Whitney Houston’s rise and fall.

Then– Whoopi Goldberg emceed an hour long show (maybe longer) that had Barry Manilow perform a medley of his hits, Jennifer Hudson slay the crowd with a medley of Whitney Houston songs and Leonard Cohen’s Hallellujah”; Dionne Warwick majestically full-throated and better than ever on hits she had from Arista Records; Carly Simon (with son Ben playing guitar) on “Coming Around Again” and “Itsy Bitsy Spider.”

Plus– Earth Wind & Fire tore through the Beatles’ “Got to Get You Into My Life,” “Shining Star,” and a whirling dervish of “September” that sent the crowd into Nirvana. They also performed a lovely collaboration with Kenny G. And then Aretha Franklin — looking spectacular in a white gown with gold embellishments– gave stunning renditions of “Freeway of Love” and “Natural Woman” like it was 20 years ago. More standing O’s.

All the acts brought their “A” games. I’m not sure if JHud knew it but while she was singing “I’m Every Woman,” Valerie Simpson– who wrote the song with her late husband Nik Ashford– was rocking out. Simpson was sitting behind Peter Fonda. And everywhere you looked there were famous people scattered through the audience. Mostly the people in Radio City were dancing and singing along, underscoring the meaning of the documentary that opened the Tribeca Film Festival.

Later at Tavern on the Green, Miss Franklin took pictures with Robert DeNiro and wife Grace (shimmering in silver) and plenty more A listers turned up including matchbox twenty’s Rob Thomas and his beautiful wife Marisol. Also on hand: Tony winner Cynthia Erivo, Anthony Mackie, Judy Collins, Lee Daniels, Denise Rich, Nikki Haskell, Beverly Johnson, and Ghostbuster himself, Ray Parker, Jr.

I dare say: best Tribeca Fest opening yet. A good omen for the 2017 festival!

More later today…

Purple Pain: Prince’s Estate Files Suit Against Producer Trying to Release Unheard Songs

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Prince’s estate has filed suit in federal court against Rogue Media Alliance and producer George Boxill, who worked with Prince from 2004-2006 and now hopes to cash in. RMA announced last night that they were releasing three to six new Prince songs on Friday. One of them, “Deliverance,” was posted to SoundCloud and is now apparently on iTunes.

According to Minneapolis station KSTP, the lawsuit states Boxill signed a confidentiality agreement, which stated that all recordings he worked on with the pop star “would remain Prince’s sole and exclusive property.”

Also:

* The agreement also stated Boxill “would not use any recordings or property in any way whatsoever,” and “he would return any such recordings or property to Prince immediately upon request.” 

* However, Boxill will not return the masters or recordings, and he has shared the tracks with third parties, which all violate his contract, according to the lawsuit.

* The confidentiality agreement echoes Prince’s concern for privacy. There was a clause in the contract that states Boxill has “no right to give interviews or write books, articles, etc.” 

The estate and Paisley Park claim a release of the so-called “Prince Recordings,” would hurt its interests “permanently and irreparably.” It would hurt business relationships , but more importantly, “it deprives Prince (and now the Estate) from choosing what is released to the public and when,” the suit states.

The suit asks for Boxill and any associates working on this to return the Prince Recordings and refrain from using anything Boxill obtained with his sessions with Prince. The estate and Paisley Park said it would like “any and all masters, copies and reproductions” returned.  The state lawsuit sought civil liability for theft. 

The Estate issued this statement:

The Estate of Prince Rogers Nelson is aware that Mr. George Ian Boxill, in conjunction with Rogue Music Alliance, has issued a press release announcing an intent to distribute previously unreleased Prince master recordings and musical compositions. The Estate has not authorized any such release and is not affiliated with either Mr. Boxill or Rogue Music Alliance. During his unparalleled career, Prince worked with many sound engineers, including Mr. Boxill. Like the other engineers that had the opportunity to work with Prince, Mr. Boxill signed an agreement, under which he agreed (1) all recordings that he worked on with Prince would remain Prince’s sole and exclusive property; (2) he would not use any recordings or property in any way whatsoever; and (3) he would return any such recordings or property to Prince immediately upon request. Mr. Boxill did not comply with his agreement. Instead, Mr. Boxill maintained copies of certain tracks, waited until after Prince’s tragic death, and is now attempting to release tracks without the authorization of the Estate and in violation of the agreement and applicable law. The Estate is taking immediate legal actions to prevent Mr. Boxill’s continuing violations of his agreement and the rights of the Estate and its partners in Prince’s recordings. Any dissemination of the recordings and underlying music compositions, or fixation of the same in any audiovisual work or otherwise, is unauthorized and in violation of the Estate’s rights to the master recordings and musical compositions.