Tuesday, December 16, 2025
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RIP: Bill Cunningham, Bernie Worrell, Wayne Jackson, Ralph Stanley, NYC Record Stores

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Death never takes a holiday.

There’s a lot of ink today about BILL CUNNINGHAM, who died yesterday at age 87. Bill was the New York Times’s indefatigable street fashion photographer. He gained international renown but he didn’t want anything, just to do his job and ride his bike. He was seen often at the corner of 57th and Park, snapping away. The results would turn up in the Style section. How did he find all those people, wearing all that stuff? He had a magic eye. Bill didn’t like people to pay attention to him. I knew him pretty well, but when we ran into each other by accident, in public where people didn’t know who he was, he would kind of shy me away– he would have cringed in horror if I’d said aloud, “Do you people know who this is?” He was a New York Living Landmark and there will never be anyone like him again. He will be sorely missed.

Three great musicians died this week– RALPH STANLEY, BERNIE WORRELL and WAYNE JACKSON. Ralph Stanley was a bluegrass legend, and much awarded for his contributions to country, blue grass and folk. Bernie Worrell was a founding member of George Clinton’s Parliament and Funkadelic, a keyboardist extraordinaire. His work on those albums is also legendary. But you may know him from the Talking Heads albums as David Byrne moved the group from New Wave to funk and African sounds. Bernie and Adrian Belew became the Talking Heads band, and you can hear them on songs like “Burning Down the House” and “This Must Be the Place.” He was amazing and beloved.

WAYNE JACKSON was the trumpeter half of the Memphis Horns with saxaphonist Andrew Love. They are now both gone. Jackson played that trumpet on every record you like and dance to on oldies radio and Sirius XM Soul Town– every Stax/Atlantic record hit that Jerry Wexler could put him on from “Hold On I’m Coming” to the “In the Midnight Hour” to “Soul Man” and both Aretha and Otis’s versions of “Respect.” It’s a stunning legacy. Click on that link you just passed. His discography will completely blow you away.

A sad note: Sam Moore, of Sam & Dave fame, lost a daughter this week. Tangela Brown was hit by a car in Miami. She was ten days shy of her 55th birthday. Also known as a “Mama Tan,” this proud mother and grandmother was so popular that her funeral yesterday brought out Miami luminaries like R&B great Betty Wright. So far no charge have been filed against the driver of the vehicle, and the Miami Herald hasn’t reported a thing.

The other deaths today are two New York record stores, Rebel Rebel and Other Music, in opposite ends of Greenwich Village. There are just a couple of record stores left in Manhattan, everything is pretty much gone (Book stores, too). This is unbelievable to me, although it’s 20 years in the making. I spent my formative years in Bleecker Bob’s, and the Golden Disc, etc.– where people had conversations and you made new friends. Nothing was “swiped” (Tinder) although maybe somethings were “swiped.” Well, you can always stand in front of a bank or a CVS and see if anyone will talk to you. (LOL.) Other Music was a cool store because it opened in the shadow of Tower Records (that building is still vacant on Broadway and West 4th) and was a pleasant alternative. I always loved the Rebel Rebel logo. There’s still Second Hand Rose Music at 48 East 12th St. Great selection and terrific people.

Adele’s “25” Hits Spotify But 7 of Her Top 10 Songs Come from Old Albums

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Such big news a few days ago! Adele’s “25” was made available on Spotify. What would happen?

The answer is: not much. The single “Hello” was already on Spotify, so that wasn’t news. But the rest of the album– surely that would take off.

Instead, as of this morning, about 48 hours in. of Adele’s top 10 streamed songs, seven come from old albums. Only “Hello,” “When We Were Young,” and “Send My Love (to Your New Lover)” come from the “25” album. “Hello” is her top streamed song with about 539 million plays.

But the second and third biggest plays are for “Rolling in the Deep” and “Someone Like You,” followed by “Make You Feel My Love,” “Set Fire to the Rain,” “Turning Tables,” “One and Only,” and “Rumour Has It.”

“Send My Love” is the number 10 track, with just 41 million streams. It’s number 21 among the top 50 tracks in the US.

Did Adele wait too long? Does it matter? She’s sold at least 10 million actual albums and downloads. Streaming may just be icing on the cake. And also, who needs to stream “25” if they’ve already got it? Not that many people, apparently.

Box Office: “Independence Day Resurgence” Worse Than Predicted at $41.6 Mil

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Box office: “Independence Day: Resurgence” did less well than predicted over the weekend. The number looks like it’s $41.6 million. Fox was hoping for at least $43 million. The settled number may be even lower when the figures come in on Monday. The movie cost $200 million. Everyone involved is praying the Chinese like it anyway!

Just to give some idea of how the sequel really crashed: twenty years ago the original film had a five day opening weekend over July 4th weekend. But just the Friday- Sunday part came to $241 million. In 2016 dollars, that’s $371,351,954.39.

So that’s a frightening statistic. Fox will be fine, with Stacey Snider taking over and a bunch of good looking films including Warren Beatty’s “Rules Don’t Apply” and Jon Hamm in “Keeping Up with the Joneses.” Plus, Fox Searchlight has a potential Oscar winner with “The Birth of A Nation” this fall.

As for “IDR,” failure doesn’t preclude Roland Emmerich from making more potential blockbuster losers. His next one is called “Moonscape,” for Universal, plus he has an “ID” 3 on his mind, a movie version of “Stargate,” and so on. The man who made the ridiculous “2012” and “The Day After Tomorrow” will just keep going, no matter what. Nothing succeeds like excess!

“Hamilton”: Hillary Clinton’s Presidential Campaign Offers $3500 Tickets-Flights-Hotel Package for Two Lucky Winners

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Want to see “Hamilton” on Broadway? You know it’s the hardest ticket since…like, ever.

Well, presumptive Democratic candidate for president Hillary Clinton is offering to pay for you and a guest to see the show. You might even meet her, besides!

The campaign is holding a free sign up contest on her website for a $3,500 package that includes the tickets, plane fare, hotel. You don’t have to contribute to the campaign to register, but if you do, it might help your chances!

It’s unclear if this is for the same July 12th matinee that will be used entirely for fundraising purposes. “Hamilton” has added that performance just for HRC and DNC. For those tickets, you have to donate to the campaign.

Here’s the pitch:

When I first saw the musical Hamilton last year, I was blown away. It’s an incredible feat of storytelling about the fight for the heart and soul of our very nation. It’s a look at history that feels immediately relevant today. It’s a beautiful piece of art with empathy to spare.

So Roger, I want you to experience a performance with me next month. Will you add your name to be entered for the chance to be my guest?

You can bring a friend — and don’t worry about the cost of tickets or flights. The campaign will cover it, so you can focus on enjoying the show!

Enter now, and I might see you at the theater!

Thank you,

Hillary

I don’t know if Donald Trump can get a whole Broadway show for himself, but he can certainly afford to treat lucky winners to tickets. The Presidency as game show! You gotta love it!

LA Theater: Abby Mueller, Sister of Broadway Star Jessie, Opens as Carole King in “Beautiful”

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Carole King’s sister is crushing it as the Pantages in Hollywood. Well sister of the stage Carole–Abby Mueller, sister of Jessie Mueller, Tony award winner for Broadway’s smash, “Beautiful.” Abby Mueller has taken over the role for the national tour. On Friday night she wowed the packed opening rapturous crowd last night. The sisters are part of a veteran Chicago theater family, actor parents Roger Mueller and Jill Shellabarger and their two actor brothers Andrew and Matt, (Abby’s twin). They are what the NY Post cheekily coined, “the closest thing we have to the Von Trapp family.”

Abby proved to be up to the task in a gargantuan way, warbling Carole’s songs with pure heart and sheer vocal talent which earned her a five minute standing ovation. The rest of the cast all were equal to her brilliance. Douglas McGrath wrote the book, which shines the light on Carole’s early marriage and creative partnership with the now late Gerry Goffin, as well as the friendly rivalry between them and the also married songwriting team of Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. The Manns, who where there last night, proclaimed Abby’s performance as “extraordinary.”

The locals had fun with Carole’s line that she was moving to LA after her divorce from Goffin, “a place called Laurel Canyon,” where she would write the classic “Tapestry” that prompted hoots from the audience which included Carole’s daughter Sherry Goffin Kondor, Cheryl Tiegs, famed director Stanley Kramer’s widow actress/producer Karen Sharpe Kramer and their daughter actress/director Kat Kramer, actresses Brooke Bundy and Carole Cook, Leeza Gibbons, “DWTS” Edyta Sliwinska, songwriter Diane Warren and more. (Speaking about the prolific and supremely sublime Warren, when are we going to have the musical of her life and her super stellar career? No brainer on that one, it would be an instant smash. Broadway theater producers… you listening?)

Back to the wonderful “Beautiful.” If you live in LA or visiting, you must see this production which runs through July 17th. And the Pantages has even more A list shows lined up; “Cabaret” is next, then “Newsies,” followed by “Hedwig And The Angry Inch” as well as performances by The Monkees, Willie Nelson and Alice Cooper and more. Next year, “The King and I,’ “Finding Neverland,” “The Bodyguard,” “The Book of Mormon,” and the smash “Hamilton.” Bravo Pantages for keeping Broadway Theater thriving in the heart of Hollywood. For now though, go see Abby/Carole and feel the earth move under your feet, (pardon the earthquake pun LA readers!)

“Independence Day: Resurgence” A Bust in the US, Studio Pins Hopes to China with Chinese Actors

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“Independence Day: Resurgence” is a bust in the US with a $16 million Friday opening and a predicted $40 mil weekend. It’s a $200 million movie, so that ain’t good.

But 21st Century Fox has hedged its bet. “IDR” opens in China this weekend, too. And even though China has no civil rights and dog meat eating festivals, it’s now the place where the big studios pin their hopes for making some dough on bad films.

To ensure that “IDR” will do well– even without Will Smith– the studio and the filmmakers were clever enough to feature several Asian and Chinese actors. A young actress who goes by Angelababy– her real name is Angela Wing– plays Rain, one of the movie’s stolid ingenues. Chin Han plays Commander Jiang. Ron Yuan, Grace Huang, Ben Wang, and Stephen Oyoung are also featured. There are extras too. Their presence will no doubt be played up as “IDR” opens in China and elsewhere in Asia. It’s a smart movie financially, and inadvertently helps play a part in diverse casting. Everybody wins!

If only “IDR” had a script and other actors who were memorable, the movie might have been a hit in the U.S.

Music Review: Sting, Peter Gabriel Rock Jones Beach In Seamless, Sold Out Show

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Want to see how real musicians age gracefully? Take Sting, 64, and Peter Gabriel, 66. Their “Rock Paper Scissors” tour– which launched this week in Columbus, Ohio– hit Jones Beach on Long Island with storm force last night. The two singer songwriter rockers, the heavier thinkers who were once on the Amnesty International tours together–held the stage for three hours literally without missing a beat.

They introduced themselves as “Peter and Gordon”– and then went on to mop the stage with alternating hits. Many times they sang or played on each others’ songs, or took secondary roles while the other lead. The fact that their song catalogs are incredibly deep didn’t hurt. Truly, they could play three more hours without trouble.

Sting and Gabriel are an interesting mix. They each come from groups– respectively the Police and Genesis– and then brilliant solo careers. Their songs are sophisticated, well constructed and beloved. That was certainly borne out by the sold out crowd at Jones Beach that knew all the words to everything they sang.

Highlights of the show– which moves to Madison square Garden on Monday and Coney Island later in the week– were many: Gabriel delivered a smoldering version of Sting’s “If You Love Somebody (Set them Free).” Sting turned “Roxanne” into an electronic jazz rave, then mixed in a smoking version of Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine.” Gabriel dedicated one song to murdered member of Parliament Jo Cox, as there were a few tossed off references to the Brexit debacle in the UK.

In this new teaming, Sting is the leading man of the movie, his butterscotch voice in better shape than ever. He can quiet a stadium down to a whisper as he sings “Fragile” and rev it up again with “Desert Rose.” Gabriel is sort of a cross between a mad monk and Dr. Evil, but he also moves with disarming agility. “Solsbury Hill,” “Shock the Monkey,” and “Sledgehammer” are still killers. Gabriel also sang Sting’s “Englishman in New York” with authority. Sting sang on “Solsbury Hill” with a big grin you could see on the video screens. He’s clearly having fun.

What makes these two guys unique in 2016 is that it’s all real, it’s as spontaneous as it can be, the honesty of the musicianship is stirring in an era when everything is prepackaged. They wrote these songs, no one else did– there are no production teams. Imagine if a current pop star had a point of view, or a story to tell, and risked that vulnerability with the audience.

Great videos and production values, too, not overdone, and excellent sound. The two bands — dubbed red (Gabriel) and blue (Sting) combine nicely. Dominic Miller is still a guitar virtuoso and Jo Lawry is one of the great singers of our time. She’s matched well with Gabriel’s house singer, Jennie Abramson.

Great night too– famed concert promoter Ron Delsener was there– he turns 80 on July 15th, and of course Trudie Styler, aka Mrs. Sting. I loved that Gabriel kept calling his counterpart “Mr. Sting” all night. If you can get into MSG on Monday night, it’s worth every penny. You’ll come out humming, of not outright singing and banging anything that sounds like a drum.

Kelly Clarkson Jumps to Atlantic Records, Finally Reunited with Her Original Producer

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Kelly Clarkson is finally off of RCA. She’s moving to Atlantic Records. And this will reunite her with the man who guided her to her biggest hit– Pete Ganbarg, who trained under Clive Davis

and is now the head of A&R at Atlantic, where he’s riding high right now with the “Hamilton” original cast album.

Clarkson has had a string of hits with RCA but fought with the people there the whole time. At one time she was taking pot shots at Clive Davis over releasing her album called “My December.” It was almost her Waterloo, but Davis & Co. put her back on track with more hits. She just had a big one with “Piece by Piece.”

Even though she is contentious, Clarkson knows her mind. And she has a great voice. The original “American Idol” winner still has a big future a la Linda Ronstadt. And Atlantic– well, the Warner Music Group always needs a star on its roster. So it’s win win.

PS Pete is more modest. He says: Wish I could take credit for this one but it was all Craig [Kallman] and Julie [Greenwald] (with John Esposito in Nashville). Obviously thrilled to have her here at Atlantic; she’s an amazing talent. Also, I only did one album with her at RCA and it was “All I Ever Wanted,” not the album with “Since U Been Gone.”

Congrats to all of them!

Broadway Exclusive: Al Pacino as Tennessee Williams in “When God Looked Away”

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EXCLUSIVE kids. And I mean it. Al Pacino will star as Tennessee Williams in a new play called “When God Looked Away.” Coming to Broadway– maybe this winter, definitely next spring in time for Tony Awards consideration.

I am thrilled to tell you that Judith Light is Pacino’s co-star. She plays a longtime female friend summoned by Williams for help toward the end of his career. Light, a Tony winner, couldn’t be more terrific.

A workshop presentation will convene for rehearsal next week in Los Angeles. When it’s all sorted out, a decision will be made on the particulars.

The play is written by Dotson Rader, adapted from his 1985 biography of Williams. Robert Allan Ackerman, of Broadway and TV fame, is the director. The great Donna Granata is doing costumes. Eric Falkenstein (this year’s “Color Purple” and “Gin Game”) is lead producer.

Pacino had a bad time on Broadway this past year in David Mamet’s “China Doll.” But he is one of our finest actors, and a new recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors. This production sounds like a total winner. I can’t wait to see it.

PS If you want a little shot of Pacino in good form, try Barry Levinson’s “The Humbling” on video. A great movie, had a terrible distributor. Worth it.

“Independence Day: Resurgence” Woeful $4Mil Opening, Actors Absent from TV Talk Promotion

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A few more reviews are trickling in, but not from any major sources. The hiding and abandoning of “Independence Day: Resurgence” may turn out to be a bigger story than the movie itself.

Right now, there are only about 68 reviews posted to Rotten Tomatoes. That’s less than a third than a movie like “X Men: Apocalypse” received. It’s sitting at a 46 rating. But each new review brings a lower ranking.

Last night, “IDR” took in $4million in its pre-opening. Compare that to $11 million for the pre-opening back in 1996.

At the theater where I saw it, fewer than 200 people total may have attended screenings at various price points (2D, 3D, blindfolded).

No members of the “IDR” cast have turned up so far on any talk shows to promote the movie. Only Bill Pullman and Sela Ward have hit CBS’s “The Talk.”  Liam Hemsworth and Jeff Goldblum have each been on “Conan,” which is the Witness Protection Program of late night.

Meantime, whoever does see the movie will spot a cameo from Robert Loggia, who died last December. Loggia played General Grey in the first movie. He’s somehow painted into a scene on a reviewing stand, not looking very well. He doesn’t have any lines. It’s not his last movie. According to the imdb, he has two more appearances in films. He was a great actor and a fine fellow. So this is a nice tribute.

Also, there’s a memorial wall (a la the Vietnam Memorial) observing those who died in the original “IDR.” It goes by fast, I think they were names of characters. There may be an Easter egg in there. Let me know (showbiz411@gmail.com) if you see it.