So here is Ariana Grande singing a capella and proving two things: 1) she has a great voice and 2) “Dangerous Woman” is a bad song, if it’s a song at all. It’s actually nothing. It sounds like Muhammad Ali reciting one of his free form poems. It’s awful. Get this girl some songs. Her voice is being wasted!
First Look: “Batman vs. Superman” Brings Out the A List, Unites Two Biggest Superheroes Ever
This isn’t a review and there are no spoilers. We are not allowed to say much about “Batman vs. Superman” I think until Tuesday evening. But Sunday night the movie premiered at Radio City Music Hall and that big wide screen in front of lots of interesting people.
I ran into Gayle King, John Leguizamo, Zachary Levi. I saw chef Bobby Flay. It was that kind of range. I know Al Roker was there. So was Will Smith. I actually saw his son, Jaden, wearing a dress and sporting a hair style that might pick up UHF stations. Kerri Kennedy brought her family. Joe Pantoliano brought his, as well as Marcia Gay Harden’s niece, a comic trying her luck in New York.
Most of the cast was present, too: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Jesse Eisenberg, Amy Adams and Diane Lane among them. Scoot McNairy is featured in the film and came with his wife. Scoot has taken off like a rocket in “Halt and Catch Fire” and several films. He played one of the Americans escaping from Iran in “Argo,” which was directed by Affleck and written by Chris Terrio– who co-wrote the “BvS” script as well. I met Scoot when he stole “Lawless” from Brad Pitt and a big cast. Keep your eye on him.
I finally met Michael Uslan, who told me it was he who bought the film rights to Batman from DC Comics in 1979. He’s been executive producer of all the movies since then, from Michael Keaton through the new one. He’s very thrilled that for the first time, the real creator of most of the Batman story, Bill Finger, is finally given credit. He brought many from that family with him to walk the red carpet. The Fingers finally have Batman in hand.
“BvS” is full of surprises, cameos, Easter eggs, inside winks to fervent fans and experts. My guess is people will be going back and back to it to get the ones they missed. Seeing Superman meet Batman for the first time on screen, and Clark Kent meet Bruce Wayne, and Bruce meet Lois Lane, etc. For a comic book fan from way back, that’s a treat.
On screen I liked seeing senior US Senator Patrick Leahy playing a senator in a scene with Holly Hunter. (He was also in The Dark Knight Rises.) He’s a huge Batman fan, did you know that? He was also the nicest member of the Anita Hill committee. Here’s a trivia question: who’s the junior Senator from Vermont? Hint: Larry David plays him on “SNL.”
What am I allowed to say? There are two sequels, so to speak, or continuations of “Bvs.” They are each “Justice League of America” movies. There’s a Wonder Woman movie. And there are three more Batman movies with Ben Affleck. So Warner Bros. is fairly committed to this. The idea is to step up their game a la Marvel. Time Warner stockholders will be pleased, that’s all I can say for now.
Box Office: “Allegiant” Series Drops 43% from Last Year, Beaten by “Zootopia” Cartoon Animals
There’s dysfunction in dystopia. “Allegiant,” part 3 of the “Divergent” series, dropped 43% in its opening weekend. Not good news for Lions Gate Films, which needs a hit and a blessing to go ahead with part 4– “Ascendant.” I can’t make any more jokes or puns about the title– Oh I could, really. But “Allegiant” took in an anemic $29.1 million. The prior film, “Insurgent,” had a $52 million weekend one year ago.
“Allegiant” was beated by the cartoon animals in Disney’s “Zootopia.” That film is up around $200 million domestic and almost $600 million international. It would almost be amusing now for Disney/Pixar to make their own dystopia animated film, although “Zootopia” might count as that.
Remember the story last week of “The Little Prince”? Paramount decided not to release it, even though it’s made $81 million around the world? Well, Netflix announced they’d take it. Meanwhile, the owner of the film, Canada’s EOne, quietly put “The Little Prince” into a few theatres around the country and did very well. No promotion, nothing. If they start running ads, they could have a hit.
Keep refreshing for more box office news…
Michael Jackson’s Father, Joseph, Thanks His Son’s Estate for Selling Sony-Beatles Catalog
No one asked him, but Joseph Jackson has sent a public Thank You note to Michael Jackson’s executors. The reason? They sold Michael’s part of Sony/ATV Music and the Beatles catalog back to Sony for $750 million. Joe no doubt read that there’s a $733 lump sum payout on March 31st. He’s probably hoping for a taste. I love how he adds “my wife Katherine and myself”– they haven’t lived together for years, he has an illegitimate daughter, she’s had divorce papers drawn up several times.
I missed Joseph Jackson. At 87, he’s been recuperating from strokes and a heart attack he had in Brazil on his birthday last year after taking sex drugs in the hopes of getting some action. Am I being too hard on him? Yeah, he beat those kids, particularly Michael. If Michael were alive, the catalog would still not be sold, and Joe wouldn’t be getting money from him. Remember, this is the man who brought a Michael Jackson imitator with him to the BET Awards four days after Michael died.
Here’s his statement:
On behalf of my wife Katherine and myself, I would like to personally thank the Executors of my Son’s Estate for a Job well done. Selling the Music catalog at the high end of today’s Market value of over 750 Million US Dollars, has secured many times over the financial future of Michael’s children: Prince, Paris and Blanket.
It is every fathers dream to secure the financial well being of his children. That is what drove me to work 2 jobs in my youth while struggling to make it through the Entertainment world.
Today, although my son Michael Joseph Jackson is no longer with us, I know he is looking down on his children from heaven as a proud father would, knowing he has secured a lifetime financial foundation for each of them.
Friday Box Office: “Allegiant” Weekend $20 Mil Lower than Previous Chapters of “Divergent”
Well, it all came true last night. “Allegiant” debuted with $11.9 million. The weekend projection is $30 million. If they’re lucky.
The last chapter, “Insurgent,” had a $52 million opening weekend. The original film, “Divergent,” came in at $54 million.
Keep this in mind: Last year’s “Insurgent” made $21.1 million on its Friday night. Versus $11.9 million last night. If the audience from last year didn’t come back last night, they ain’t coming back. They’ve moved on. Unless they got a group rate for tonight.
There’s actually another chapter of this stuff coming next year. It’s called “Ascendant.” I’d call it “Fuhgeddaboutit.” Why bother? Put it on Netflix. Who needs this tsuris?
More: “The Brothers Grimsby” will be at least a $100 million write down for Sony/Columbia. It’s just a total disaster. They’ll barely cross $5 million tomorrow. And then slip away into the abyss. Sacha Baron Cohen can do a lot better than this. And he will. But Sony needs a hit.
Gawker Changed Its Corporate Name Two Weeks Ago, Still Hasn’t Updated Site Since Hulk Hogan Decision
Gawker Media changed its corporate name in the UK on March 4th, very quietly. They’re now known as Greenmount Creek Ltd. The executive directors are not Nick Denton, but his sister Eva Rebecca Denton and Mr Adrian Wilhelm Weinbrecht, a London based photographer.
Additionally, as of 8:30am, 1:35pm, since last night’s jury decision of $115 million in the Hulk Hogan case, none of the Gawker sites have updated any news or posted a recap of what’s happened. Only Deadspin reported on NCAA basketball at 1am Eastern. Gawker has actually posted two dull items this morning.
In January, Gawker sold a minority stake in their company to Columbus Nova Technology Partners, a Silicon Valley and New York firm, in anticipation of a rough ride at the Hulk Hogan trial. Among the other entities owned by Columbus Nova are the Rhapsody Music Service and Guitar Hero. They are the US based affiliate of Renova Group, described on Wikipedia as “one of the largest Russian strategic investors in the metallurgical, oil, machine engineering, mining, chemical, construction, housing, utilities and financial sectors.”
Exclusive: Woody Allen’s Cannes Bound New Comedy is Called “Cafe Society”
Woody Allen’s new comedy, bound for the Cannes Film Festival, is called “Cafe Society.” The film set in the 1930s stars Steve Carell (replacing Bruce Willis), Kristen Stewart, Jesse Eisenberg, Alec Baldwin, Parker Posey and the inimitable Judy Davis.
I told you exclusively on March 11th that the Woody film was going to Cannes. I’m told there are negotiations for a coveted spot, maybe even opening night. When “Midnight in Paris” opened Cannes it went on to be Woody’s biggest film ever.
It will be tricky getting Woody to Cannes since he’s filming his Amazon TV series this Month and next. But luckily “Cafe Society” is also with Amazon. I am told by the way that Roadside Attractions is NOT distributing “Cafe Society.” Woody has been spared that drama.
More to come…
Jury Awards Hulk Hogan $115Million in Gawker Case, $5Mil More than Hogan Asked For
Hulk Hogan has prevailed against Gawker.com in his invasion of privacy case. A Jury in Florida has awarded Hogan $115 million. Hogan had only sued for $100 million. Gawker, for reasons I still can’t fathom, published a sex tape of Hogan and his girlfriend. They said it was in the public interest. I cannot for any reason understand that. The jury couldn’t either.
Gawker founder Nick Denton and his former editor in chief A.J. Daulerio testified without any contrition. They in fact exemplified not only the Gawker attitude of journalism, but one espoused by blogs for the last ten years. The jury was appalled and rightly so. They listened to people who didn’t care what damage they did to others. Everything was fair game. And now the game is over.
Gawker will appeal the decision, and part of the $115 mil may get cut back. But really, their main defense, again, was that Hulk Hogan was a celebrity so why not humiliate him for no reason? And his girlfriend as well. Readers with long memories will recall Gawker shaming Anderson Cooper until they basically outed him. It went on forever.
There were many other instances in which Gawker gleefully attacked celebrities and journalists and people who weren’t really that famous, all for fun. Not a bit of it was in the public interest. There is absolutely no reason to cry for Gawker. Or to miss them.
Country Singer Joey Feek’s Tragic Death Powers Couple’s Final Album to Top of Charts
Country and blue grass singer Joey Feek tragically died on March 4th as a result of cervical cancer. Now the final album she made with her husband Rory is number 1. Joey Feek was 40. She was diagnosed two years ago after giving birth to their daughter,Indaina, who has Down Syndrome.
The album, Hymns, sold 44,000 copies. It had an extra 500 streams, not very much.
Adele finished at number 2, although Rihanna was number 1 when hitsdailydouble added in her streaming numbers. She only 16,624 phsyical CDs and digital downloads. But streaming got her up to almost 53,000. Music fans dont’ seem to need Rihanna’s “Anti” album in their hands. But she’s getting paid less for the streams. I wonder if she gets that. Tidal, her main “streamer,” is getting the best of her. Justin Bieber is the same position.
Last week’s number 1, Kendrick Lamar, fell 84%. The 1975, a rock group that was number 1 the week prior to Kendrick, fell precipitously again. These albums come in at number 1, a flash in the pan, then drop like rocks. Only Adele remains afloat week after week.
Beatles Next Generation as James McCartney’s New Single Features Dhani Harrison
Now all they need is Zac Starkey on drums, with Julian and Sean Lennon on vocals, and it’s Beatles 2.0.
James McCartney, Paul’s son, has just released a new single featuring Dhani Harrison on guitar and vocals. “Too Hard” comes from James’s upcoming album, “The Blackberry Train,” due May 6th. I do not think Blackberry the company is involved, although they’d be smart to underwrite his tour. If only Blackberry were that smart…but that’s another discussion…
James has the genes, and he also has a nice independent sound. “Too Hard” is catchy as all heck. Good for him! I just wish he were playing closer to New York, but I’ll try and catch him as he sails by.
Now, if only his dad would come off the tour circuit long enough to finish a new album! Paul, almost 74, has a full tour going all summer.