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Edward Snowden’s Ears Must Be Burning in Russia– He’s Mentioned in Two Movies Opening this Weekend

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Famed hacker and leaker of government secrets Edward Snowden’s ears must be burning. He’s mentioned in two movies opening this weekend.

Indeed, he’s only mentioned but sort of turned into a plot point in “Jason Bourne.”

You see, with China and Russia now becoming movie audiences– and sending millions of dollars back to Hollywood– those countries can no longer be our enemy in spy thrillers.

Instead, hackers have become the enemy– or people with access to malware. In “Jason Bourne” there is much discussion of Snowden as the hack in the movie is said to be much, much worse.

In “Equity,” a terrific indie film opening with Anna Gunn, a “privacy company with a social network” called Cachet is vulnerable to hacking. Again, the discussion is that “after Snowden” anything can happen.

Of course, fugitive Eddie is the subject of Oliver Stone’s film “Snowden,” in which he’s played by Joseph Gordon Levitt. “Snowden” has been selected for the Toronto Film Festival, after which it will be distributed by Open Road.

And let’s not forget that only two years ago, in 2015, “CitizenFour,” Laura Poitras’s film about Snowden, won the Oscar for Best Documentary.

DNC Answer to Scott Baio, Ex-Soap Actors: Meryl Streep, Lena Dunham, Debra Messing, America Ferrara, Alicia Keys

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It’s going to be very different tonight at the Democratic convention, as opposed to the RNC.

The RNC, you may recall, offered Z list celebrities Scott Baio, Antonio Sabato Jr., and an actress who was a villain on a soap opera.

Every artist whose music was used complained about lack of permission.

The DNC kicked off with no less than Paul Simon performing one of the great songs of all time, “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”

Tonight, Alicia Keys will perform at the end of the night. Before she takes the piano bench, there’s a steady stream of A listers.

The DNC has Meryl Streep, the Greatest Living Actor in the World. Then they’ve got a bunch of smart female actors including Debra Messing, Lena Dunham, America Ferrara and the amazing Elizabeth Banks.

They also have the mothers of Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner and Michael Brown.

And of course Bill Clinton.

Toronto Film Fest 2016: The Magnificent Seven Opening Night, Plus Birth of a Nation, Queen of Katwe, Manchester, Paterson

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The Toronto Film Festival (Sept 8th opening) is announcing its Galas and Special presentations this morning.

Nate Parker’s “Birth of a Nation” is already set for the first Friday, I’m told.

The new Mira Nair movie, “Queen of Katwe,” starring Lupita Nyong’o, will premiere on Saturday, Sept. 10th.

All together, a great selection. Should be exhausting!

Opening Night– The Magnificent Seven!

Closing Night Film– Edge of Seventeen

Keep refreshing…

Special Presentations

Arrival
Deep Water Horizon
The Headhunters Calling
The Journey is a Destination
JT and the Tennessee Kids
LBJ
Lion
Loving
A Monster Calls
Planetarium
Queen of Katwe
The Rolling Stones Ole Ole Ole
The Secret Scriptures
Snowden
Strange Weather
Their Finest
A United Kingdom

The Age of Shadows
All I see Is You
American Honey
American Pastoral
Assura
Baraka
Barry
Birth of a Nation
Birth of the Dragon
Bleed for This
Blue Jay
Brimstone
Brotherhood
Carrie Pulny
Cat Fight
City of Tiny Lights
The Commune
The Secret (Daguerrotoe)
A Death in the
Denial
Elle
Foreign Body
Frantz
The Handmaiden
Harmonium
I am Not Madame Bovary
The Journey
King of the Dance Hall
La la Land
The Limehouse Golem
Manchester by the Sea
Mascots
Maudie
Neruda
Nocturnal
The Oath
Orphan
Paris can Wait
Paterson
The Salesman
Salt and Fire
Sing
Souvenir
Things to Come
Toni Erdmann

DNC Day 1: Cory Rocks, Bernie’s a Mensch, Michelle Obama is a Rock Star

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DNC first night: Cory Booker rocked the convention hall. Bernie Sanders was a total mensch, and goes down in history a mensch whose grace is unparalleled.

But it was Michelle Obama who stole the night. What a speech! She’s been working eight years towards this speech and this night. Funny, isn’t it? The Obamas are hitting their stride in their eighth year. You kind of want them to stay four more years. I can’t wait to see what they do once they’re out of the White House.

Paul Simon performed “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” and underscored the night with elegance. No musical artists will complain this week that their songs were used without permission, that’s for sure.

Michelle Obama’s speech begins at 14:13.

Black Lives Matter Getting Concert with Broadway, Tony Award Winning Stars

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Black Lives Matter is coming to Broadway. Or rather, Broadway is putting on a show to support BLM.

The Tony-est winning star Audra McDonald leads a famed cast on August 1st at Columbia University “for a night of unity and solidarity supporting the Black Lives Matter movement through artistic expression and conversation before a public audience.”

Joining McDonald are four-time Grammy Award winner India.Arie, Tony Award winners Billy Porter (Shuffle Along, Kinky Boots), Jeanine Tesori (artistic director of New York City Center) and Tony Kushner ( Angels in America), Danielle Brooks ( The Color Purple), Rebecca Naomi Jones ( Hedwig and The Angry Inch, Passing Strange), Professor Kendall Thomas (Columbia Law School), Joshua Henry ( Shuffle Along), Camille A. Brown ( A Streetcar Named Desire), Professor Frank Roberts (Yale), Daniel Beatty, Daniel J. Watts ( Hamilton), The Broadway Inspirational Voices and New York City Center’s cast of Runaways.

In a statement, the Broadway for Black Lives Matter Collective says, “An overwhelming number of friends and colleagues in the Broadway community have expressed a deep desire to participate in an open dialogue about the social and racial justice issues that are troubling our nation. The event will bring Broadway performers together with policy reformers, educators, clergymen, public officials, and community leaders to discuss a plan of action. The evening will spark conversation and encourage people to discover their roles as active participants in a movement towards positive change.”

Free tickets can be obtained here: BroadwayBlack.com/BWAY4BLM. Also the show will be live streamed.

Sting’s First Rock Album in 13 Years Coming in November, Single Drops September 2

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Sting is back! And if you were wondering whether he could return to rock after a Broadway show and learning the lute, there’s very good news. I’ve heard the first single, called “I Can’t Stop Thinking About You,” and I can’t stop thinking about it. Radio friendly with a Police-like propulsive bass driving it, the single has a unique melody that will get stuck in your head the minute you hear it.

All those acts– Maroon 5, Bruno Mars, that other one — that routinely lift the Police sound for new songs will sit up and pay attention when they hear how it’s really done.

The single drops September 2nd. The album, called “57th and 9th”– Sting’s first rock album in 13 years–comes in early November. And there’s a big marketing commitment here from Universal Music. Sting headlines the I Heart Music Festival on September 24th in Las Vegas. By that time “I Can’t Stop Thinking About You” should be number 1 on Z100.

(U2 headlines the other night, which suggests they have new music coming, too. Considering the bleak sales in the music biz right now, Sting and U2 are really needed on the charts.)

I’m told “57th and 9th” — with ten new tracks– was recorded quickly with Sting’s regular band (Dominic Miller, et al) and his new friends, Last Bandoleros from San Antonio, Texas. I heard Sting play with Los Bandoleros at Trudie Styler’s movie company dinner recently, and they rock.

PS September 30th comes a big boxed set from Sting– “The Studio Collection” consists of all eight essential A&M Records albums across eleven LPs – The Dream Of The Blue Turtles (1985), …Nothing Like The Sun (1987) (double LP), The Soul Cages (1991), Ten Summoner’s Tales (1993), Mercury Falling (1996), Brand New Day (1999) (double LP), Sacred Love (2003) (double LP) and The Last Ship (2013) – with both Brand New Day and Sacred Love available on vinyl for the first time ever.

 

UPDATE Global Citizen Concert? Staff Salaries Are Up $1 Million, Group Finished 2014 in the Red

UPDATE Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, Usher, Selena Gomez, and Metallica have been announced this morning. None of them are asking questions.

EARLIER I’ve been asking for three or four years now, what the heck is this annual Global Citizen concert in Central Park? I’ve never gotten a good answer. Since they started their annual September concert, everyone from Alicia Keys to Stevie Wonder, John Legend and Neil Young have participated, plus dozens of actors and celebrities including Hugh Jackman.

But what is it all about and what’s happening now? Last year the sketchy Global Citizen group announced its acts for the September concert on July 9th.

Well, it’s July 25th and there’s no announcement yet for this September 24th. Maybe all those well meaning rock acts are starting to ask questions.

global citizen top pageHere’s some news. According to Global Poverty’s Form 990 (that’s what they call their foundation) for 2014, the most recent filing, their Net Assets at the end of 2014 were MINUS $205,889. That’s red ink, in the negative. They had total liabilities of ONE MILLION dollars. Apparently, global poverty starts here.

Their salaries went up by one million dollars from 2013 to 2014. In 2013, salaries were listed as $759,311. For 2014, the number increased to a whopping $1.79 million. (And actually there’s some discrepancy about the 2013 number because two different totals have been given.)

Hugh Evans, the Aussie who runs the show and loves to pose with celebrities, got a nice bump up from $94,673 to $109,861.

But who knows what’s really going on? The Global Poverty Form 990 has a lot of miscellaneous charges.

The main thing to know: 2014 total revenue was $10.5 million. Total contributions (donations from sponsors presumably since there’s no other donor breakdown) in 2014 were $8.8 million. (The difference came in investments, etc.)

All that money came in and this is where it went: they say $782,358 went to “increase awareness of Global Poverty.” This isn’t listed under Grants to poor people. The only money Global Poverty gave to any specific charitable organization was $96,896 to Rotary Clubs of America to promote polio awareness.

Some other expenses: $332,373 for Office Expenses. $376,641 for Travel Expenses.

And an astounding $7.1 million to put on the Central Park Concert in 2014 with Beyonce, Jay Z, and No Doubt. Included in that number is over $2 million paid to outside vendors.

Meanwhile, one officer and two directors of the charity loaned Global Poverty to help put on the 2014 concert. They have not been paid back.

So what is it? Is it just an ego boost to put on a mega concert and talk about the existence of poverty? At best yes. At worst, it’s something else all together. If you could raise $10 million from sponsors, wouldn’t be more worthwhile to give it to poor people instead of paying for a rock concert and all its trimmings?

 

 

 

 

 

Justin Bieber Posts Pic with Sex Offender on Instagram, Also Releases Lame New Single

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Two strikes for Justin Bieber.

First, he posted a photo taken of him and “Ferris Bueler” actor Jeffrey Jones on Instagram. Poor Justin. Since he was born yesterday he doesn’t realize that Jones was arrested and convicted in 2004 for soliciting photos of a 14 year old boy on the Internet. He is now a registered sex offender. Radar Online picked this up, and it’s unbelievable. I thought Bieber’s whole sthick now was ‘no photos.’ Only with sex offenders, I guess.

The Biebs also released a lame new single called “Cold Water.” I say, give it the cold shoulder. Want to hear a great song in the same vein? How about “You’ve Got a Friend”? Or “Lean on Me”? or “I’ll Stand by You.” Kids, go listen some of those great songs. They will move you down to your toes. This, this is just terrible. Sorry to throw cold water on this, but really…

Try this…

Box Office Resurgence for “Star Trek” ($60 Mil) and Woody Allen — “Cafe Society” is a Hit!

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Sometimes the box office will surprise you.

“Star Trek Beyond” did $59.6 million for the weekend, and you can round it up to $60 mil. That’s a huge success for a concept that’s been around since 1967. It’s also a nice tribute to the memory of Anton Yelchin. It’s also not far off the $70 million that “Star Trek into Darkness” did in 2013. The franchise lives.

Woody Allen’s “Cafe Society” is a hit for Amazon releasing through Lions Gate. Woody has just crossed the $1 million mark ($1.3 mil) in 50 locations. Amazon’s Bob Berney did it the right way. Put some thought and muscle into Woody and get a hit.

It didn’t hurt to have appealing young stars like Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg. But remember– they’ve co-starred in bad movies, too. “Cafe Society” is the best new dramedy of 2016, the best written by far, and beautifully directed by the master himself.

Alas, not so good for the latest installment of “The Ice Age.” With terrible reviews, the animated feature didn’t attract many kids. Of course, “Secret Life of Pets” and “Finding Dory” are wiping it out. A $21 million opening is half of what the previous chapters did.

“Independence Day: Resurgence” Finally Hits $100 Million After 27 Days in Release

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There should have been a fanfare on the Fox lot on Wednesday.

That’s when “Independence Day: Resurgence” crossed the $100 million mark at the US box office. It only took 27 days. Twenty seven long days.

The original “Independence Day” hit $100 million on its 6th day in 1996. On its 27th day, “ID4” was at $224 million US.

Luckily, overseas, “IDR” has made $243 million. Most of that came from China– $73 million. If the Chinese can get to the theater and get home without losing any human rights, they’re happy. They like seeing aliens get it. The plot or lack of character development is not a major concern.

So will there be another “Independence Day”? Hopefully not. Maybe just one in Chinese.