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Ringo Starr Tweets: George Martin, the Real 5th Beatle, Has Passed Away at 90

Roger Friedman
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Ringo Starr Tweets: George Martin, the Real 5th Beatle, Has Passed Away at 90

Ringo Starr has just tweeted his condolences to the family of George Martin. The greatest record producer of all time, the actual fifth Beatle, recently celebrated his 90th birthday. He had been ill for some time. Martin was a genius. He added to the Beatles, taught them, and helped them realize their full potential. I had the great honor of meeting him several years ago when he put together the Beatles “Love” show with Cirque du Soleil. He was extraordinary.

Here’s what I wrote recently on his 90th birthday.

I will update in time tonight and tomorrow morning.

George Martin’s non Beatle hits– from Wikipedia

“You’re Driving Me Crazy”, The Temperance Seven (25 May 1961, #1)
“My Kind of Girl,” Matt Monro (31 July 1961, #5)
“My Boomerang Won’t Come Back”, Charlie Drake (5 October 1961, #14)
“Sun Arise,” Rolf Harris (25 October 1962, #3)
“Little Children,” Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas (19 March 1964, #1)
“Bad to Me,” Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas (22 August 1963, #1)
“Hello Little Girl,” The Fourmost (30 August 1963, #9)
“Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying,” Gerry & the Pacemakers (4 July 1964, #4)
“You’re My World,” Cilla Black (1 August 1964, #1)
“How Do You Do It?,” Gerry & the Pacemakers (11 April 1963, #1)
“Can’t Buy Me Love”, Ella Fitzgerald (1 May 1964, #34)
“Walk Away,” Matt Monro (4 September 1964, #4)
“I Like It,” Gerry & the Pacemakers (7 November 1964, #1)
“I’ll Be There,” Gerry & the Pacemakers (30 January 1965, #14)
“Ferry Cross the Mersey,” Gerry & the Pacemakers (20 March 1965, #6)
“Goldfinger,” Shirley Bassey (27 March 1965, #8)
“You’ll Never Walk Alone,” Gerry & the Pacemakers (3 July 1965, #48)
“Trains and Boats and Planes,” Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas (31 July 1965, #47)
“Alfie,” Cilla Black (10 September 1966,#UK6 #95)
“Girl on a Swing,” Gerry & the Pacemakers (22 October 1966, #28)
“Live and Let Die,” Paul McCartney & Wings (1 June 1973, UK#9 US#2)
“Tin Man,” America (9 November 1974, #4)
“Lonely People,” America (8 March 1975, #5)
“Sister Golden Hair,” America (14 June 1975, #1)
“Oh! Darling,” Robin Gibb (7 October 1978, #15)
“The Night Owls”, Little River Band (1981, US #6)
“Ebony and Ivory” Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder (29 March 1982 US #1)
“Say, Say, Say” Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson (10 December 1983, #1)
“No More Lonely Nights”, Paul McCartney (8 December 1984, #6)
“Morning Desire”, Kenny Rogers (10 July 1985, #1)
“The Man I Love”, Kate Bush & Larry Adler (18 July 1994, #27)
“Candle in the Wind 1997”, Elton John (11 October 1997, #1)
“Pure” 2003, Hayley Westenra (#1 UK classical charts, No. 8 UK pop charts)

“Downton Abbey” Bows Out with Biggest Finale Ratings Ever– Almost 10 Million People Watched

Roger Friedman
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“Downton Abbey” Bows Out with Biggest Finale Ratings Ever– Almost 10 Million People Watched

So, dig this. Nearly 10 million people watched the “Downton Abbey” finale on Sunday night. That’s the biggest season ender for that show ever. It was the fourth largest audience for the whole six years.

The bigger headline is that “Downton Abbey” had more viewers on Sunday night than show on network television between 9 and 11 pm.

From 8 to 9, “Madam Secretary” had 10.13 million. Basically, when that show ended, everyone turned to PBS. A few people stayed for “The Good Wife.” But that was it. And no one was disappointed. “Downton Abbey” ended with an Emmy winning episode.

Now all Julian Fellowes and Gareth Neame have to do is figure out how to do a movie that doesn’t seem like a TV show, and do it fast while the cast members still look more or less the same.

 

Dame Helen Mirren’s Philosophy About Work and Acting: “Turn up on time and don’t be an —“

Roger Friedman
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Dame Helen Mirren’s Philosophy About Work and Acting: “Turn up on time and don’t be an —“

Dame Helen Mirren, Oscar and Tony winner, one of the greats, stars in “Eye in the Sky,” a movie that may turn out be a sleeper hit when it opens Friday.

At lunch today at the four star French bistro Le Grenouille, Dame Helen was asked by Ann Curry– moderating a panel with Mirren and director Gavin Hood– what her philosophy is about work and acting.

Mirren did not hesitate: “I guess I’d say Turn up on time, and don’t be an asshole.”

And really, if we all lived by that slogan, the world would be a better place!

It was great to see Ann Curry, freed from NBC News and making documentaries. Another former Today show veteran, Katie Couric, came to the lunch, as well as famed news correspondent Bob Jamieson, the great theater and movie director Julie Taymor, and Arianna Huffington. My own lunch table was filled with newshounds including Richard Cohen and Warren Hoge, as well as Sandy Brandt and Eleanor Kennedy.

“Eye in the Sky” premieres tomorrow night with a red carpet flourish and hits screens Friday. So far it has a 100 rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Bleecker Street president Andrew Karpen, “I’ve never seen a movie where people both anti-war and pro-military thinks it speaks to them. That says a lot.”

I won’t ‘drone’ on here. but wait til Thursday for more about this extraordinary film.

MTV Movie Awards: Oscar Winner “Spotlight” Doesn’t Exist, Neither Does A Best Song from a Movie Category

Roger Friedman
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MTV Movie Awards: Oscar Winner “Spotlight” Doesn’t Exist, Neither Does A Best Song from a Movie Category

MTV barely exists at this point except as a dumping ground for really bad reality TV. The music is long gone. But they still give awards that can be understood by the remaining (and not very bright) audience that watches “Pregnant Teen Age Mom” or whatever.

In the world of the MTV Movie Awards, “Spotlight,” the new Oscar winning Best Picture, does not exist, not even in their True Story category. (“The Revenant” is considered a True Story, however.)

The MTV Movie Awards pretty much ignore “Room,” also, although Oscar winner Brie Larson gets a nomination for “Breakthrough Performance”– not ‘breakout’- which would have been so much better since she ‘breaks out’ of the shed.

Easily the hottest category is Best Fight, in which Leonardo DiCaprio and the CGI bear from “The Revenant” are nominated. Oh come on, they win. I do hope the bear has a tux.

Oddly, though MTV used to stand for “Music Television,” there doesn’t seem to be a category for Best Song from a Movie. So Lady Gaga, Sam Smith, The Weeknd, Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth– either MTV couldn’t any of them to perform or they just don’t matter anymore to Music Television.

Here are the nominees:

MOVIE OF THE YEAR

· Avengers: Age of Ultron (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

· Creed (Warner Bros.)

· Deadpool (20th Century Fox)

· Jurassic World (Universal Pictures)

· Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

· Straight Outta Compton (Universal Pictures)

TRUE STORY

· Concussion (Columbia Pictures)

· Joy (20th Century Fox)

· Steve Jobs (Universal Pictures)

· Straight Outta Compton (Universal Pictures)

· The Big Short (Paramount Pictures)

· The Revenant (20th Century Fox)

DOCUMENTARY

· Amy (A24)

· Cartel Land (The Orchard)

· He Named Me Malala (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

· The Hunting Ground (RADiUS-TWC)

· The Wolfpack (Magnolia Pictures)

· What Happened, Miss Simone? (Netflix)

BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE

· Alicia Vikander – Ex Machina (A24)

· Anna Kendrick – Pitch Perfect 2 (Universal Pictures)

· Charlize Theron – Mad Max: Fury Road (Warner Bros.)

· Daisy Ridley – Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

· Jennifer Lawrence – Joy (20th Century Fox)

· Morena Baccarin – Deadpool (20th Century Fox)

BEST MALE PERFORMANCE

· Chris Pratt – Jurassic World (Universal Pictures)

· Leonardo DiCaprio – The Revenant (20th Century Fox)

· Matt Damon – The Martian (20th Century Fox)

· Michael B. Jordan – Creed (Warner Bros.)

· Ryan Reynolds – Deadpool (20th Century Fox)

· Will Smith – Concussion (Columbia Pictures)

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE

· Amy Schumer – Trainwreck (Universal Pictures)

· Brie Larson – Room (A24)

· Daisy Ridley – Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

· Dakota Johnson – Fifty Shades of Grey (Universal Pictures)

· John Boyega – Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

· O’Shea Jackson Jr. – Straight Outta Compton (Universal Pictures)

BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE

· Amy Schumer – Trainwreck (Universal Pictures)

· Kevin Hart – Ride Along 2 (Universal Pictures)

· Melissa McCarthy – Spy (20th Century Fox)

· Rebel Wilson – Pitch Perfect 2 (Universal Pictures)

· Ryan Reynolds – Deadpool (20th Century Fox)

· Will Ferrell – Get Hard (Warner Bros.)

BEST ACTION PERFORMANCE

· Chris Pratt – Jurassic World (Universal Pictures)

· Dwayne Johnson – San Andreas (Warner Bros.)

· Jennifer Lawrence – The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (Lionsgate)

· John Boyega – Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

· Ryan Reynolds – Deadpool (20th Century Fox)

· Vin Diesel – Furious 7 (Universal Pictures)

BEST HERO

· Charlize Theron – Mad Max: Fury Road (Warner Bros.)

· Chris Evans – Avengers: Age of Ultron (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

· Daisy Ridley – Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

· Dwayne Johnson – San Andreas (Warner Bros.)

· Jennifer Lawrence – The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (Lionsgate)

· Paul Rudd – Ant-Man (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

BEST VILLAIN

· Adam Driver – Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

· Ed Skrein – Deadpool (20th Century Fox)

· Hugh Keays-Byrne – Mad Max: Fury Road (Warner Bros.)

· James Spader – Avengers: Age of Ultron (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

· Samuel L. Jackson – Kingsman: The Secret Service (20th Century Fox)

· Tom Hardy – The Revenant (20th Century Fox)

BEST VIRTUAL PERFORMANCE

· Amy Poehler – Inside Out (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

· Andy Serkis – Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

· Jack Black – Kung Fu Panda 3 (20th Century Fox)

· James Spader – Avengers: Age of Ultron (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

· Lupita Nyong’o – Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

· Seth MacFarlane – Ted 2 (Universal Pictures)

ENSEMBLE CAST

· Avengers: Age of Ultron (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

· Furious 7 (Universal Pictures)

· Pitch Perfect 2 (Universal Pictures)

· Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

· The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (Lionsgate)

· Trainwreck (Universal Pictures)

BEST KISS

· Amy Schumer & Bill Hader – Trainwreck (Universal Pictures)

· Dakota Johnson & Jamie Dornan – Fifty Shades of Grey (Universal Pictures)

· Leslie Mann & Chris Hemsworth – Vacation (Warner Bros.)

· Margot Robbie & Will Smith – Focus (Warner Bros.)

· Morena Baccarin & Ryan Reynolds – Deadpool (20th Century Fox)

· Rebel Wilson & Adam DeVine – Pitch Perfect 2 (Universal Pictures)

BEST FIGHT

· Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) vs. Ajax (Ed Skrein) – Deadpool (20th Century Fox)

· Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) vs. The Bear – The Revenant (20th Century Fox)

· Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) vs. Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy) – Mad Max: Fury Road (Warner Bros.)

· Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) vs. Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) – Avengers: Age of Ultron (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

· Rey (Daisy Ridley) vs. Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) – Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

· Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy) vs. Lia (Nargis Fakhri) – Spy (20th Century Fox)

 

 

Bob Dylan: New Album “Fallen Angels” Will Be Included in Ticket Price, Tour with Mavis Staples

Roger Friedman
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Bob Dylan: New Album “Fallen Angels” Will Be Included in Ticket Price, Tour with Mavis Staples

The poet laureate of rock and roll, Mr. Bob Dylan, is back. His new album, “Fallen Angels,” hits us on May 20th. No word yet on whether it’s original songs or covers, or what.

According to Bob’s Facebook page (does he even know he has a Facebook page?), every pair of tickets to a summer tour featuring the great Mavis Staples will get you a free “compact disk” copy of “Fallen Angels.” There’s no word on whether you will also get Mavis’s latest “disk” as well.

Well, this is the new reality since CDs by legacy artists, even Bob Dylan, do not sell. They are also not played on the radio. The fans want to hear “Mr. Tambourine Man” or “Blowin’ in the Wind.” This is sad, sad, sad. All their “hero” artists are only regarded for work from 40 years ago.

But an album of new songs by Bob Dylan? Yes, please. I’d like to hear what he has to say.

(7)_Bob_Dylan_-_Bob_Dylan_and_his_Band_are_touring_the_U.S._in_June..._-_2016-03-07_13.53.48

Take it to the Limit: Wife of Ex-Eagles Bassist Randy Meisner Dead from Gun Shot

Roger Friedman
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Take it to the Limit: Wife of Ex-Eagles Bassist Randy Meisner Dead from Gun Shot

UPDATE: Reports are that LAPD have cleared Meisner in the accidental shooting. Lana Rae was moving the rifle in its case, and the gun went off.  How completely strange.

EARLIER: RadarOnline broke the story this morning: the Lana Rae Meisner, wife of the Eagles’ founding member and bassist Randy Meisner, died from a gunshot last night at home in Los Angeles.

Earlier in the evening, the police had been called to the Meisner for a domestic dispute. An hour later, Lana Rae was dead.

Meisner helped form the Eagles in 1971 after being kicked out of Poco, another Southern Los Angeles country rock group. He wrote the hit “Take it to the Limit,” which borrowed heavily from the Gamble and Huff hit “If You Don’t Know Me By Now.” He left the group after “Hotel California” in 1977.

Meisner has a history of trouble, with suicide threats, alcohol, and erratic behavior. He told police that Lana Rae was rummaging around in a closet and a gun suddenly fell and blew her head off.

The Meisner scandal comes just a short time after the tragic death of the Eagles’ main founder, Glenn Frey, from a combination of illnesses.

#BroadwaySoBlack: “Eclipsed” Joins “Hamilton,” “The Color Purple,” “Shuffle Along” in a Historic Tony Awards Race

Roger Friedman
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#BroadwaySoBlack: “Eclipsed” Joins “Hamilton,” “The Color Purple,” “Shuffle Along” in a Historic Tony Awards Race

You never know what’s going to pan out in a Broadway season. But now the Public Theater has sent us the likely Best Play and Best Musical of this Tony season, and they are each created and acted by non white, dare we say mostly black, artists.

On Sunday night, an amazing quintet of women opened on Broadway in “Eclipsed,” a play about female warriors of the Liberian Freedom movement circa 2003. Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o stars in it, but all of the women in this remarkable play are superstars. Playwright Danai Gurira (you may know her as an actress from TV’s “The Walking Dead”) is the star of the spring season. Liesl Tommy directs with enormous imagination and sensitivity.

We know Lupita as the “overnight star” from “12 Years a Slave.” But the Yale Drama School grad was already a theater sensation when she won her Oscar. The four other actresses–Saycon Sengbloh, Akosua Busia, Zainab Jah, and (my personal favorite) Pascale Armand are absolutely sensational. These Liberian women are held hostage, raped, and treated like animals. Still their sense of humor is intact. And Gurira has woven in a witty bit about the Clintons and Monica Lewinsky to lighten the darkness.

So here we have “Eclipsed.” But the Public also gave us “Hamilton,” the presumptive winner of any award available and certainly the Tony for Best Musical. The soundtrack is a bestseller, the show was featured on the Grammy Awards, tickets are impossible. The Pulitzer Prize is looming for Lin-Manuel Miranda’s work of genius.

And lest we forget– coming shortly is “Shuffle Along,” directed by George C. Wolfe, with an all star black cast starting with Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Billy Porter. What a group!

Plus, the revival of “The Color Purple” is a knockout, with plenty of awards coming, including Best Actress in Musical for Cynthia Erivo and Supporting Actress for Jennifer Hudson– nominations if not the actual awards.

And Oscar winner Forest Whitaker may be closing in “Hughie.” But his performance will certainly be remembered in the awards mix.

#BroadwaySoBlack? or The Great Black Way. What a nice surprise that the theater can show movies the path to the future.

“Downton Abbey” Gets A Perfect Finale, and Send Off– For Now

Roger Friedman
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“Downton Abbey” Gets A Perfect Finale, and Send Off– For Now

What can you say? Julian Fellowes really deserves all kudos and accolades. The finale of “Downton Abbey” couldn’t have been better. The show gets a fitting ending–at least for now, because there will most certainly be a movie that brings it all to an end.

But everyone got a happy ending, even miserable Barrow. (I kept thinking Miss O’Brien would return at the last minute and blow it all up.) Edith married into quite a scene with Bertie, didn’t she? An actual castle trumps Downton Abbey. Even her new mother in law got with the program.

All of the “Downton” characters were so well developed over time, and never ever stepped out of their personas. Even Isobel, at the very end, gave a kind of kick to Violet. Maggie Smith and Penelope Wilton were really the super couple of the show. We could watch them bicker into the next century.

I do think my favorite story arc was that of Mr. Molesley. Remember when he was sweeping up in the village, unemployed and bereft? His life became a triumph. You can only imagine that he marries Baxter. His life wasn’t over, after all.

And while the whole cast is superb, special mention always goes to Maggie Smith. The scene two weeks ago with Lord Merton’s daughter in law, and then the conversation in her drawing room tonight with Isobel– in which she revealed that she will reveal nothing– were beyond sublime.

We’ve seen in this and in the penultimate episode the probable winner of the Emmy award for Best Drama. I don’t think there’s anything on TV or any other “platform” that could touch the production, writing, acting, etc. Just wait now til the ratings come out. What a night for PBS.

I met Julian Fellowes back around 2000, when he wrote (with Bob Balaban) Robert Altman’s movie “Gosford Park.” That movie is sort of the template for “Downton.” And just think– he wrote the book for the hit Broadway show “School of Rock” in the last couple of years while he was writing every single episode of “Downton Abbey.” He and his beautiful wife Emma two of the loveliest people you could hope to meet or write about it. All we can do is thank him for such a great addition to the culture.

And PS– we learned something: the hand held hair dryer went on sale around 1915. By 1925, it was not uncommon to have one.

Box Office: Tina Fey’s “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” Dances Paramount Into More Trouble

Roger Friedman
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Box Office: Tina Fey’s “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” Dances Paramount Into More Trouble

Yes. Disney’s “Zootopia” finished number 1 and set a record for animated movies released in March when warm weather was near.

But Tina Fey’s “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” made just $7.6 million for the entire weekend, and joined “Zoolander 2” in Paramount’s winter of discontent.

Even though “WTF” cost less than “Z2”– $35 million to $45 million — the prospect of breaking even is a dream. Foreign interest is probably nil. Everyone loves a funny Tina Fey, and she is a brilliant writer. But that kind of vehicle might have worked a little better with a movie star to pull it along. Whatever happened to Renee Zellweger?

Anyway, Paramount has “Star Trek” in the summer and strong slates coming for 2017 and 2018. But we still have to get through 2016.

Meanwhile “London Has Fallen” made $21 million, far more than it deserved. Prospects are not pleasant, however. Weird how Focus Films went from indie gay-themed minor attractions to overblown studio films. Focus needs focus.

Madonna Posts Disturbing Video, Message on Instagram Relating to Custody Case Over Son

Roger Friedman
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Madonna Posts Disturbing Video, Message on Instagram Relating to Custody Case Over Son

What is Madonna doing? She’s pouring fat onto the fire as they used to say. She’s using social media to antagonize her 15 year old son Rocco and his father Guy Ritchie.

This past week, a New York judge ruled that Rocco should stay in London and in school. The kid is happy there. Madonna, it should be pointed out, is on a worldwide tour. Maybe Rocco just wants to be in a house with people and a school with friends, and be a teenager. Maybe he doesn’t want to go from city to city with the “Rebel Heart” tour. He has that right. The tour has been going on since September and doesn’t end until March 20th in Australia. There are reports that she sang “La Vie En Rose” the other night in relation to Rocco. That’s kind of ironic since she sang it in January for ex husband Sean Penn at his Haiti fundraiser in Los Angeles.

Madonna, however, won’t stop. She posted this eerie clown video over the weekend:

Tears of a Clown. 😂❌ 🍷

A video posted by Madonna (@madonna) on

She also posted this vulgar cartoon, suggesting that she’s got some thing on Ritchie. Rocco uses social media. He can see this. But Madonna doesn’t seem to get it.

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