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TV Ratings: “Celebrity Apprentice” with Ahnold, Not Trump, Has Down Premiere, Swamped by “Bachelor”

Roger Friedman
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TV Ratings: “Celebrity Apprentice” with Ahnold, Not Trump, Has Down Premiere, Swamped by “Bachelor”

“The New Celebrity Apprentice” was met with a ho hum rating last night as it returned without Donald Trump. He got another job.

New host Arnold Schwarzenegger led the show’s return down by 1 point from last year and swamped by “The Bachelor.” The latter show had 6.56 million viewers. CBS, not NBC, carreied with night with “Kevin Can Wait” and “Scorpion” (a show, I have no idea what it is) scoring over 7 million viewers each.

Arnold and gang brought in a paltry total of 4.93 million viewers, making it the 7th highest rated show of the night. Even its demo was low– 1.3 million.

The shows that beat it were The Bachelor, Kevin Can Wait, Man with a Plan, 2 Broke Girls, The Odd Couple and Scorpion.

At that rate, “Celebrity Apprentice”– unless Trump quits the new job and comes back– could be cancelled before it’s over. Some consolation.

Could Schwarzenegger be a negative? Hmmm…

Megyn Kelly Jumps from Fox News to NBC for Many Duties: Including Taking on “The View” at 11AM?

Roger Friedman
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Megyn Kelly Jumps from Fox News to NBC for Many Duties: Including Taking on “The View” at 11AM?

Big media news this morning as Megyn Kelly, who had three feet out the door of Fox News anyway, is jumping to NBC. She’s leaving the House of Jackals for a real network, probably for less money but for the prestige of the Peacock, of Tom Brokaw, and a real news division.

One of Kelly’s jobs will be a daily talk show, which means that NBC News prez Andy Lack sees her as jump starting a rival to “The View” at 11am. That’s where “Access Hollywood Live,” a show that once featured Billy Bush, is seen now. But “AHL” could be sent into syndication, or closed down, or moved to the afternoon. (The noon hour is given back to local stations, and “Days of our Lives” is seen at 1pm.)

“The View” ratings have been in decline, and the hosts are almost always in some flux. The show has been whittled down to Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar, and its unclear if they want to stay another season or have the energy to ‘relaunch’ one more time hoping to regain their former glory.

Kelly would be perfect for an NBC “View” and there’s plenty of “Today” show personnel to draw from including Hoda Kotb, Kathie Lee Gifford, Natalie Morales (farmed out to “AHL”). Plus Katie Couric’s having a great return to the “Today” show this week. So who knows?

One thing’s for sure: Kelly is being paid less than Lester Holt, who anchors the nightly news, and Matt Lauer, who just re-signed for the Today show. And even though some reports say the Murdochs wanted her to stay at Fox, Kelly was gone– everyone there dislikes her, and she’s burned a lot of bridges. But who cares? She’s where all TV journalists want to be — at one of the Big Three. Ask Major Garrett, who went from Fox to CBS, or anyone else who’s escaped. You feel like the von Trapps when they get to the top of the mountain.

Who Sabotaged Mariah Carey’s NYEve Performance? She Did: She Could Have Just Sung Instead of Lip Synching.

Roger Friedman
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Who Sabotaged Mariah Carey’s NYEve Performance? She Did: She Could Have Just Sung Instead of Lip Synching.

Mariah Carey says Dick Clark Productions sabotaged her on Saturday night. That’s reason, she claims, her performance was a mess.

But Mariah sabotaged herself. She didn’t rehearse or go to sound check. And when the sound went out in her ears, she didn’t just sing the song or the songs. She says the words disappeared from the prompter- but doesn’t she know these songs by heart already? They are twenty years old or more!

And what about just singing? The problem with all these performers, but Mariah more than ever, is that they’re on remote control. Improvising? Not on your life. Everything has to sound just as it was recorded, or else.

Mariah is really out of it if she thinks Dick Clark Productions wanted things to go wrong in order to get ratings. Dick Clark (the real Dick Clark) was the first to get pop stars to lip synch on “American Bandstand.” He wanted everything to go right. No one invites failure.

But back in the time of “American Bandstand” if something went wrong, the artist could jump in save themselves. Their careers depended on it. Mariah’s reaction? “Shit happens.” If she doesn’t care, why should the fans?

10 Years Later: Katie Couric Returning to the Today Show Monday Morning for One Week Stint

Roger Friedman
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10 Years Later: Katie Couric Returning to the Today Show Monday Morning for One Week Stint

It’s been 10 years since Katie Couric left the Today show. And now she’s baaaack. On Monday morning Katie returns for a week to substitute for Savannah Guthrie, who’s on maternity leave. Next week, former co-host Meredith Vieira also comes back to fill in as well.

Katie has been tied to Yahoo for the last couple of years since leaving the “CBS Evening News,” where she anchored the news against a lot of odds. She held her own pretty well.

But her return this week with Matt and Al and the gang is a signal that all prior itchy-scratchiness is over. It doesn’t hurt that the Today show is a on a ratings roll, scoring a win last quarter against “Good Morning America” and its jackal like presentation. It would be swell to see Katie back on NBC again in some capacity.

Todd Fisher Gives Name of Charity to Donate in Memory of Mother, Debbie Reynolds, And Sends Message to Fans

Roger Friedman
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Todd Fisher Gives Name of Charity to Donate in Memory of Mother, Debbie Reynolds, And Sends Message to Fans

Debbie Reynolds’ son and Carrie Fisher’s brother, Todd, has sent a few message out on Twitter in the last half hour. He says that his mother would have chosen The Thalians as a charity for donations in her memory. “Many have asked if Debbie had a charity to donate to in lieu of flowers. She was one of the founders of this.”  Reynolds was a founder and president of the show business-based organization for 52 years.

Todd also sent this message to fans and family: “Thank you, we see and feel all of you everywhere.” He included Twitter handles for his half sisters, Joely and Tricia Lee Fisher, as well.

Todd wrote earlier: “If you want to understand my Mother and Sister’s relationship in their own words, this HBO documentary says it all. January 7th.” He also thanked Grauman’s Theater in Hollywood for dimming their lights on December 30th, presumably in memory of his mother and sister.

Mariah Carey’s Bad Karma Over “Emotions” Hit Got Her in Trouble– Stolen from The Emotions’ Hit “Best of My Love”

Roger Friedman
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Mariah Carey’s Bad Karma Over “Emotions” Hit Got Her in Trouble– Stolen from The Emotions’ Hit “Best of My Love”

Long ago in a far off galaxy, Mariah Carey had a nasty habit of lifting other people’s songs for herself. It got her in a lot of trouble and caused many lawsuits and settlements. I wrote an article about this in Spin magazine back in the day. She sampled The Tom Tom Club’s “Genius of Love” for her hit “Fantasy,” for example. That was a bad business. Mariah’s songwriting abilities have long been questionable. Even her long time co-writer Walter Afanasieff recently recalled that he laid out “All I Want For Christmas is You” before she even heard it.

But last night when Mariah’s earpieces failed her and was revealed to be lip synching, the song in question was her –ahem– ‘hit’– “Emotions.” What younger fans may not realize is that “Emotions” was copied almost note for note from a big hit called “The Best of My Love,” sung by Philly International group The Emotions. It was produced and written by Earth Wind & Fire creator Maurice White.

White died this year, and I can’t help but think that last night’s debacle was a sign from him and a reminder. Back in the 90s, when Carey and husband/manager did this, White gave me a great quote: “Some people sample, but they sampled the whole buffet!”
Here’s “Best of My Love”:

and here’s “Emotions”:

Mariah Carey New Year’s Rockin’ Nightmare: Caught Lip Synching On Live TV, Music Plays Lips Don’t Move

Roger Friedman
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Mariah Carey New Year’s Rockin’ Nightmare: Caught Lip Synching On Live TV, Music Plays Lips Don’t Move

Mariah Carey had a rockin’ New Years nightmare in Times Square. Unable to hear her vocal track through her listening devices she was revealed lip synching two of her hits. This was live on ABC with the whole watching and waiting for the ball to drop.

Instead, the other shoe dropped, as they say.

Mariah has played fast and loose with lip synching in live shows. But tonight she was seen mouthing words while songs were playing, not opening her mouth, and then just giving up and holding her mic by her side while the songs played.

Nearly all of today’s pop stars perform like this– they have a pre-recorded vocal track playing and then can dip in and sing “live” like karaoke to their own songs. I saw this at the Jingle Ball. It’s reprehensible what’s happened– but audiences now don’t seem to care. It just goes on and on.

But a glitch in the system can cost a star the reveal that they’re just going through the motions. That’s the the case with Mariah, who has not been able to hit the high notes from some time. You can see her sort of unravel while this is going on, too.

The Best Movies of 2016? Here They Are, And It Was a Pretty Good Lot from “Manchester” to “Moonlight”

Roger Friedman
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The Best Movies of 2016? Here They Are, And It Was a Pretty Good Lot from “Manchester” to “Moonlight”

These aren’t necessarily the films I think will get the 9 Best Picture nominations from the Academy. But these are the ones I enjoyed the most.

 

  1. Manchester by the Sea, directed by Kenneth Lonergan– this is without a doubt the best original screenplay. Tragic and absorbing, a work of such profound originality and depth that it resonates far after a screening. PS I was so tense during most of that when Matthew Broderick showed up– despite his character– I was happy to see a friendly face.
  2. Silence, directed by Martin Scorsese– another remarkable work of originality and thoughtfulness. A movie about ideas, not just religion. The scope of “Silence” is bigger than any other movie this year. Will it win the Oscar? Maybe not, but in 10 or 20 years this is the movie from 2016 we’ll be talking about. Andrew Garfield’s best performance ever.
  3. La La Land, directed by Damien Chazelle — the biggest dessert in the world, which we need now more than anything. Happy, innovative, a diversion of the best kind
  4. Lion, directed by Garth Davis– The story of Saroo, his adoptive parents, his mother, his brother– get out the Kleenex. So lovely. So moving. Just perfection. In 2005 this would have won Best Picture. It may get the Golden Globe for Best Drama. This was the best adapted screenplay, hands down.
  5. Hell or High Water, directed by David Mackenzie– Two people we already really like (Jeff Bridges, Ben Foster), one we’re getting to know (Chris Pine), and a director who reignited an old genre, the modern western.  The last good bank robbery movie was Barry Levinson’s “Bandits.”
  6. Fences, directed by Denzel Washington– Modern Shakespeare, or Arthur Miller, and the entire cast is so superb, not just Viola Davis. I’m thinking Stephen Henderson standing on the back of that garbage truck, Mykelti Williamson and his horn, and Denzel just dissolved into August Wilson.
  7. 20th Century Women, directed by Mike Mills– Annette Bening can do no wrong in this not-linear saga of a 15 year old coming of age with a too old mother, out of sync with time and space. Another brilliant ensemble.
  8. Moonlight, directed by Barry Jenkins– a triptych that I liked more in the first two thirds, but the final act has its moments. Naomie Harris and Mahershala Ali are unexpected treasures in what has to be the most audaciously constructed film in years.
  9. Florence Foster Jenkins, directed by Stephen Frears — a great character study, with performances by Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant and Simon Helberg that cannot be beat.
  10. Sully, directed by Clint Eastwood — economic, thrilling filmmaking by a pro, with a star (Tom Hanks) who really goes from strength to strength. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, these guys pull a new rabbit from their hats.
  11. The Birth of a Nation, directed by Nate Parker — if this film had not been destroyed by its director’s hubris, it would have gone on to great things. Five years from now, this “Nation” will have a rebirth. But Parker just did himself in, over and over again. Worst-handled scandal in years.
  12. Runners up: Arrival, Captain Fantastic, Denial, Sing Street, Cafe Society, Elle, Rogue One, Toni Erdmann, The Founder, Rules Don’t Apply

Box Office: “Rogue One” WIll Ring in New Year with $400 Mil US, Over $700 Mil Worldwide

Roger Friedman
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Box Office: “Rogue One” WIll Ring in New Year with $400 Mil US, Over $700 Mil Worldwide

Consider it a tribute to Carrie Fisher, and to George Lucas: “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” will ring in the new year tonight with $400 mil after 16 days release. Worldwide, the number is $700 million. The end is not in sight, either.

There are lots of disasters but let’s concentrate on the good news today. “Arrival” is heading t9 $100 million. “La La Land”– possibly the Best Picture– is a hit. So is “Manchester by the Sea.” “Fences” is doing very well. “Lion” and “Jackie” are making some noise now. “Silence” is biding its time, waiting for Oscar noms mid-January. So at least the big Academy contenders had nice audiences. People will know what they are when the statues are handed out in late February.

Meanwhile, “Why Him?” is starting to drop. But it didn’t cost much — $38 million– so it won’t be a total loser. And you know if Fox has the TV rights, the series is close at hand. The movie is like a big pilot anyway.

More good news: “Hacksaw Ridge” is coming to an end at $65 million. It is NOT a Best Picture nominee. And Andrew Garfield is a thousand times better in “Silence.” Academy voters take note– “Silence” is a real movie.

 

You Can Call Him “Sir Ray”: Ray Davies of the Kinks Knighted by Queen Elizabeth in New Year’s Honours

Roger Friedman
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You Can Call Him “Sir Ray”: Ray Davies of the Kinks Knighted by Queen Elizabeth in New Year’s Honours

Die hard Kinks fans around the world can rejoice today: Ray Davies has been knighted by Queen Elizabeth in her New Years Hohours. You can call him Sir Ray.

The two other honourees that jump out of a long list are the brilliant actress Helen McCrory, aka the wife of “Billions” star Damian Lewis, and Mark Rylance, winner of Best Supporting Actor last winter for “Bridge of Spies.” They each received honours.

Ray Davies has a special place in my heart because I was watching him rehearse for Clive Davis’s annual Grammy party several years ago in the Beverly Hilton at the same time Whitney Houston tragically died upstairs. We didn’t know what was going on, obviously. What a terrible night!

But the Kinks have a special place in everyone’s hearts for their off-kilter songs and beautiful melodies. After the Beatles and Stones, the next “tier” so to speak of the British Invasion were the Who and the Kinks. But because Ray and his brother Dave fought all the time, their legacy was diminished. Eventually– even after being saved by Clive Davis for a second career– the Kinks imploded. Many people may know their songs from commercials.

“You Really Got Me,” “All Day and All of the Night,” “Sunny Afternoon,” are three of the big hits. But there’s a vast, long list. The Pretenders had a hit with “Stop Your Sobbing.” Then Chrissie Hynde and Ray briefly married. Elvis Costello turned the beautiful “Days” in a haunting staple of his set. My own favorites are “Ape Man” and “Something Better Beginning.”  And then of course, there’s “Lola,” from 1970– a trans song 47 years too early.

So here’s to Sir Ray– well played!

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