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The Grammy Awards ARE The Oscars of Music, Whether or Not Justin Bieber Thinks So

Roger Friedman
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The Grammy Awards ARE The Oscars of Music, Whether or Not Justin Bieber Thinks So

A very odd and kind of alarming item from TMZ migrated to Page Six last night: Justin Bieber, Kanye West, and Drake are not attending the Grammy Awards.

Drake, nominated for Album of the Year, has a good excuse: he’s on tour.

But Bieber and Kanye are cited saying they don’t think the Grammys are important, or representative of “the best in new music.” The TMZ piece says “it’s not like it’s the Oscars.”

Oh, but it is, Justin. This is the top award in commercial music. And the irony is that for the first time, Bieber received an Album of the Year nomination. Before this, no one took him seriously. After this, no one will take him seriously.

Bieber’s album of bird calls, “Purpose,” was lucky to land a spot. But this is the Bieber we’ve known since he was a pre-teen: obnoxious, self-involved, uneducated.

Kanye is a different story. Better that he doesn’t come to the show. If Beyonce doesn’t win, he’ll bounce up on the stage and declare her the winner anyway. No one needs that.

The Grammy Awards have never been perfect. I think I’ve been complaining about them for 20 years. But in the end, they are what they are, they do showcase a wide variety of music. There were some misses this year, particularly in Best New Artist. And Sturgill Simpson? He was rescued from obscurity, that’s for sure. Most people had never heard his name when he was announced an Album of the Year nominee.

The TMZ piece makes a case for Frank Ocean’s “Blond” album. I’m sorry, but that album came and went because it was not good. It had no songs. It was like a notebook of doodles. Also, Ocean pulled a fast one on his record company by giving them something else to fulfill his contract, then self-released “Blond.” You’re not going to make friends that way.

As for Kanye, his “Life of Pablo” was a mess. He released it, kind of, then re-released it. Was it ever available as a physical product? Kanye continues to want to be part of the business, then snaps at it publicly.

Album of the Year is probably a dogfight between Adele and Beyonce. But Justin Bieber, who has no respect for anyone, should be happy to be in the race. I’ll bet Sturgill Simpson is. And something tells me Drake is, too.

So far the Grammy show has a ton of great performers, and lots of interesting matchups. Those will be remembered in the end, not the absentees.

 

Melania Trump: Silence Since Inauguration, Twitter Unused, Reports Says Not Moving to DC at All

Roger Friedman
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Melania Trump: Silence Since Inauguration, Twitter Unused, Reports Says Not Moving to DC at All

Melania Trump has been silent since Inauguration Day. Her one and only Tweet on @FLOTUS was on January 21st. It was a generic “I am deeply honored to serve this wonderful country as First Lady!”

Otherwise, crickets.

Likewise, nothing on her Twitter feed @MelaniaTrump.

US Weekly is reporting that Melania may not move to Washington at all when the school year is out. Previously it was said by the Trumps that she and son Barron, 10, would come to DC at that point. Now, not so much.

What does Melania do all day? Her jewelry line at QVC was dissolved because the stuff she sold was made in China, etc and not in the US. She was going to wage a war on cyber bullying, but there was no sign of her yesterday when Donald didn’t autograph the Executive Order on cyber warfare. Indeed, it’s unclear if she even went to DC for the first weekend after the Inauguration.

Will she be the First Lady? Will she speak again? Reports are that “she’s hiring a team.” Well, the election was on November 8th. That was a long time ago. So far, she’s managed only to be on the cover of Vanity Fair Mexico, dripping in diamonds.

We wait for Melania with much anticipation!

Beloved Spanish Director Pedro Almodovar Will Head Up the 70th Anniversary Cannes Jury

Roger Friedman
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Beloved Spanish Director Pedro Almodovar Will Head Up the 70th Anniversary Cannes Jury

Such nice news: Pedro Almodovar will head up the 70th anniversary Cannes Film Festival jury.

Almodovar says in a statement: “I am very happy to be able to celebrate Cannes Film Festival 70th anniversary from such a privileged position. I am grateful, honoured and a bit overwhelmed. I am aware of the responsibility that entails being the president of the jury and I hope to be up to the job. I can only tell that I’ll devote myself, body and soul, to this task, that it is both a privilege and a pleasure.”

With Pedro running the show, it will be interesting to see who they get to join him on the jury. Almodovar has had a lot of his movies at Cannes, and he’s a festival favorite. From “Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown” to “Volver” and his recent “Julieta,” the director has an immense and winning list of films. Cannes’ 70th is already shaping up as something special!

Exclusive: Tony Bennett Will Introduce Lady Gaga at the Super Bowl, Plans New Album

Roger Friedman
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Exclusive: Tony Bennett Will Introduce Lady Gaga at the Super Bowl, Plans New Album

So much going on last night at the buzzy premiere of Taylor Hackford’s movie “The Comedian” starring Robert DeNiro and Leslie Mann:

Tony Bennett and his wife Susan were the top guests at the after party at the Friars Club. Tony tells me he’s taped an intro for Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl appearance on Sunday. Tony and Gaga are gaga about each other! They’re planning a follow up album to their hit “Cheek by Cheek,” he says, with Wynton Marsalis. “It’s going to be big band swing music, with lots of songs by Alan and Marilyn Bergman.”

When I told Tony that Bob Dylan is about to release three CDs’ worth of great American songs, he did not react. I give him credit. He’s a diplomat. He just said, “They’re amazing songs. I love them,” he said, as if all of Cole Porter, the Gershwins’ and Rodgers and Hart’s compositions were his children. I asked the 90 year old legend if he ever gets tired– he’s about to go on tour again. Susan replied: “If you sang like Tony Bennett, would you get tired of it?” Good question!

Hackford’s very funny film is written by two Friars– Jeff Ross and Lewis Friedman. Hackford is also a long time Friar. Despite recent upsets, the Friars Club prevails. When I arrived early, I was sent to the bar where none other than Dominic Chianese, Uncle Junior from The Sopranos, was hanging out, just because. What’s he up to? “Music!” he declared. Dominic is a terrific vocalist– you may recall him singing in Artie Buco’s restaurant on “The Sopranos.” So who else was in the bar? Artie Buco himself– John Ventimiglia. Now, that’s a bar.

Also on hand: Helen Mirren aka Mrs. Hackford who told me “you never know” if she’ll wind up playing Queen Elizabeth again  for Peter Morgan and Stephen Daldry on “The Crown.” She’s won the Oscar and the Tony for playing QEII. An Emmy doesn’t seem so far fetched. She told me she’s a huge fan of the Netflix series. “I love Claire Foy!” she said. “I think she’s wonderful.” Well, we all do!

Judd Apatow accompanied his wife, Leslie Mann, who plays DeNiro’s romantic foil in “The Comedian” and gives as good as she gets. Tony Gilroy also joined the group. In the main room, songwriter Valerie Simpson stopped and took a picture with Tony Bennett. DeNiro and wife Grace greeted everyone, and DeNiro reiterated for me his passionate opposition to Donald Trump– this we have most definitely in common.

“Please,” he said, “he’s not a New Yorker, no one ever thought about him before.” He’s right– other than illegally knocking down Bonwit Teller and fixing the Wollman skating rink, Trump was never a person of substance in New York. People in the Rust Belt who’ve been conned by him don’t realize this.

Helen Mirren concurred: “History will not treat him kindly. He doesn’t realize it’s not his followers who will be writing his history.”

 

Exclusive: Tribeca Film Fest Opener Is Clive Davis Doc “Soundtrack of Our Lives”

Roger Friedman
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Exclusive: Tribeca Film Fest Opener Is Clive Davis Doc “Soundtrack of Our Lives”

UPDATE Announced finally officially, my scoop that Clive Davis’s doc will open Tribeca Film Festival. The trades don’t give credit, but we scooped ’em by a day and a half. There will also be a concert at Radio City after the screening with many of Clive’s famous acts. What a night! Tribeca Film Fest will kick off with a Radio City Spectacular!

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
EXCLUSIVE
I am hearing that the Clive Davis documentary “Soundtrack of Our Lives” may be announced as early as today as the opening film of the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival.

It’s a great idea, and I hope it pans out. Davis is the most famous of all music men in the recording industry. Right now, people are fighting for a ticket to his pre-Grammy gala on February 11th in Beverly Hills. The black and gold satin box invite is a collectors’ item.

“Soundtrack” — directed by Chris Perkel– will be more officially unveiled next week in L.A. to potential distributors. Invites have also gone out for the Berlin Film Festival for international sales.

Opening Tribeca is a coup for both sides. Clive is a New York institution. By the end of April–when Tribeca opens– the film will have an American distributor. And imagine the guest list for a party! Included in the film are Whitney Houston of course. But among the living: Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel, Bruce Springsteen, Barry Manilow, Rod Stewart, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson and so on.

One clue that this is all about to work out: I’m told Clive was a special guest last night at the premiere screening of Robert DeNiro’s new movie “The Comedian.” DeNiro and Jane Rosenthal are the founders of Tribeca. I would have asked Mr. Davis but he didn’t make it to the after party at the Friars Club, where I ran into plenty of other A listers (see next item). So I will rely on good spies, and good ears!

Mariah Carey: (Listen) New Single this Friday Called “I Don’t”– We’ll See If She Does

Roger Friedman
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Mariah Carey: (Listen) New Single this Friday Called “I Don’t”– We’ll See If She Does

mariah i don'tMariah Carey will attempt to overcome her New Year’s debacle this Friday when she releases a new single called “I Don’t.”

I told you recently that Mariah’s team was battling over whether to put this single out. Epic Records and LA Reid really wanted it.

Is Mariah capable of getting a radio hit? She hasn’t had one in a long, long time. I mean a real hit, not just Adult R&B. I guess we’ll see. And the new way of measuring hit is iTunes– at midnight Thursday, we’ll either see “I Don’t” soar or wobble.

Here’s a snippet:

Ex Young and Restless Actor Michael Muhney Makes Mea Culpa to Star Eric Braeden, But False Rumors Hound Him Thanks to TMZ

Roger Friedman
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Ex Young and Restless Actor Michael Muhney Makes Mea Culpa to Star Eric Braeden, But False Rumors Hound Him Thanks to TMZ

Former “Young and the Restless” actor Michael Muhney wants him to return to the show, and his fans certainly do, too. They send me a lot of mail and Tweets. Muhney has been off the show for three years, and in that time rumors swirled about why he left.

Today he makes his mea culpa, explanation about his relationship with 30 year star Eric Braeden, and what went wrong on the show. It all comes on a podcast here, at the one hour mark:

Muhney finally talks about the rumor that he’d somehow harassed actress Hunter King on set. He says it never happened, but was a random story started by a blogger. “The rumor was started by some woman in Florida,” he says, which was proven when hired a private detective. Indeed, there were never any formal accusations, no charges at the show or through their union, nothing. Muhney was victim of a fake story. He was screwed.

But he’s got a problem. The fake story was repeated on TMZ’s syndicated TV show where Brian McDaniel, the comedian husband of CBS daytime chief Angelica McDaniel, worked as on camera commentator. TMZ was the only outlet that offered the story– and then they ran eight stories in January 2014. I reported the TMZ-McDaniel connection three years ago. So if this thing with King never occurred, the origin of repeating the story can be traced back to the person who was, essentially, his boss. And that’s a serious situation for CBS.

Back in 2014, I included the video from the TMZ TV show telling Harvey Levin this story. The video has since been removed from TMZ’s website.

Muhney says he was told to hire a lawyer, and had one call TMZ at the time. But TMZ said they weren’t accusing him of anything, just reporting rumors from a “Source.” I don’t know if Muhney made the connection between the McDaniels and TMZ, but it would be worth exploring if he doesn’t get job back and his career has been blemished by the incident.

Is there more to all this? I think so. Stay tuned…

Grammy Awards Will Feature Crazy Good Match-Ups Featuring Alicia Keys, Tribe Called Quest, The Weeknd, Daft Punk

Roger Friedman
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Grammy Awards Will Feature Crazy Good Match-Ups Featuring Alicia Keys, Tribe Called Quest, The Weeknd, Daft Punk

The Grammy Awards are coming on February 12th. Producer Ken Erhlich, following the lead of his predecessor and guru the late great Pierre Cossette, has put together a bunch of crazy good matchups for the show.

They will be: Alicia Keys and country artist Marren Morris; The Weeknd with Daft Punk; A Tribe Called Quest with Dave Grohl and unknown Anederson.Pak.

That gang joins Adele, John Legend, Bruno Mars, Metallica, Carrie Underwood, and Keith Urban. Beyonce and Drake are almost definitely going to be added to the show, as well. Plus there will be a Prince tribute and other memorial nods still to be determined.

Two days after the Grammys, Ehrlich — who should be exhausted– will pull off another coup with a live to tape TV special honoring the BeeGees in Los Angeles. Barry Gibb will be a big part of it. This follows similar tribute shows to the Beatles, Frank Sinatra and Stevie Wonder. John Legend, Celine Dion, Keith Urban, Andra Day, Nick Jonas, and Demi Lovato are featured. The show will be broadcast on CBS later this spring.

Bob Dylan, Once a Political Singer-Songwriter, to Release 3 CDs of Crooning Classic Songs

Roger Friedman
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Bob Dylan, Once a Political Singer-Songwriter, to Release 3 CDs of Crooning Classic Songs

Bob Dylan just won the Nobel Prize for his majestic songs drenched in political and social importance.

Now that the country is in flames, Dylan, 75, will release a 3CD set of…himself croaking classic American songs like “Sentimental Journey” and “Stormy Weather.”

Dylan, whose voice is now like unpaved gravel, has already released a couple of albums of this stuff, and it’s unlistenable. No one will say it, because he’s a god and revered (by this columnist as well).

Has he nothing to say? Or is he just fulfilling his contract with Columbia Records? The latter would seem like it. The three CDs only have ten songs per disc, five songs per “side.” On them, from the tracklisting, Dylan is now in a reverie of nostalgia that should land him on a Netflix reboot of “The Love Boat.”

Disc 1 – ‘ Til The Sun Goes Down Disc 2 – Devil Dolls
       Side 1:        Side 1:
  1. I Guess I’ll Have to Change My Plans
  2. September Of My Years
  3. I Could Have Told You
  4. Once Upon A Time
  5. Stormy Weather
  1. Braggin’
  2. As Time Goes By
  3. Imagination
  4. How Deep Is The Ocean
  5. P.S. I Love You
Side 2: Side 2:
  1. This Nearly Was Mine
  2. That Old Feeling
  3. It Gets Lonely Early
  4. My One and Only Love
  5. Trade Winds
  1. The Best Is Yet To Come
  2. But Beautiful
  3. Here’s That Rainy Day
  4. Where Is The One
  5. There’s A Flaw In My Flue

Disc 3 – Comin’ Home Late
       Side 1:
  1. Day In, Day Out
  2. I Couldn’t Sleep A Wink Last Night
  3. Sentimental Journey
  4. Somewhere Along The Way
  5. When The World Was Young
Side 2:
  1. These Foolish Things
  2. You Go To My Head
  3. Stardust
  4. It’s Funny To Everyone But Me
  5. Why Was I Born

Oprah Winfrey Joins “60 Minutes” as Special Correspondent and Pal Gayle King at CBS

Roger Friedman
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Oprah Winfrey Joins “60 Minutes” as Special Correspondent and Pal Gayle King at CBS

Oprah Winfrey is joining “60 Minutes” as a special correspondent this fall, which is great, because she’ll give them an injection of life and soul they always need. The relationship between Oprah and CBS has increased tremendously since good pal Gayle King became co-host with Charlie Rose of “The CBS Morning Show.”

She’s been a regular guest there over the last couple of years. Recently Oprah hosted a special interview with Michele Obama on CBS, which was a surprise since Oprah’s done most of her outside specials with ABC. It was clear then that something was up. Let’s just hope she doesn’t bring Ekhart Tolle and his new age gang onto the show! PS Sort of sad that Oprah and David Letterman didn’t get to be part of the CBS family at the same time.

Oprah’s statement:

“I’ve been a big admirer of 60 Minutes since my days as a young reporter,” Winfrey said in a statement. “I’m so excited and proud to join forces with this historic news program, which for me represents the bastion of journalistic storytelling. At a time when people are so divided, my intention is to bring relevant insight and perspective, to look at what separates us, and help facilitate real conversations between people from different backgrounds.”

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