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LionsGate Stock: Bottom Drops Out as Price Drops $7, 28%, Reaches New Low

Roger Friedman
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LionsGate Stock: Bottom Drops Out as Price Drops $7, 28%, Reaches New Low

What the heck as happened to Lions Gate? Their sudden stock drop can’t just be because the publicists don’t return phone calls.

Today LGF dropped 28%, hitting a new low of $16.21 and then finishing at $18.18. That’s more than $7 drop since yesterday.

Three months ago, LGF was at $41.07. Again, $41.07 and now $18.18.

What’s the problem? There are no movies. The “Twilight” and “Hunger Games” phase is over. Their current films in release are actually reviled: “Dirty Grandpa,” unwatchable crap, and “Norm of the North.”

Their one prestige hit for 2015, “Sicario,” couldn’t cross the $47 million line. Amazing. It had great reviews, and some awards buzz. But you never (at least I never) heard a word from LionsGate. It’s as if they don’t exist. But look, Focus Features just fired all their top execs after “The Danish Girl” tanked. Again, they were like a ghost studio to me. But Focus has Universal to protect them.

Stay tuned for the LGF soap opera to unfold…

 

Morgan Freeman to Receive Chaplin Award from Lincoln Center Film Society

Roger Friedman
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Morgan Freeman to Receive Chaplin Award from Lincoln Center Film Society

Great news: Morgan Freeman is this year’s recipient of the Chaplin Award from the Film Society of Lincoln Center. The much awarded actor has a brilliant resume that includes The Shawshank Redemption, Unforgiven, and Driving Miss Daisy.  His Oscar was for Best Supporting Actor in Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby.  The FSLC press release says Freeman got his start on “The Electric Company,” but some may recall his stint on NBC’s “Another World” in the early 80s. Anyway, congrats, great choice. You know if Clint can be there, he will. Maybe Gene Hackman could show up. Freeman and Eastwood have three movies including “Invictus.” Certainly Tim Robbins will come. “Shawshank” has grown and grown in popularity over the years.

Pop Charts: Rihanna Takes Number 1 from Adele After Crazy Launch Interrupted

Roger Friedman
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Pop Charts: Rihanna Takes Number 1 from Adele After Crazy Launch Interrupted

Rihanna is number 1 today, having sold 125,000 copies of her “Anti” after suffering a Tidal wave last week. Second place Adele still managed to hold her own with sales of 93,000 copies. Adele’s “25” was only down 4% from last week because people on Alpha Centuri are now downloading it. (Who else would be left?)

Rihanna had another 50,000 streams. She might have had more except last week Tidal, Jay Z’s streaming system, gave away the album for free, then Rihanna gave it away on Twitter, and while everyone was pro-“Anti” being free, the whole thing went haywire.

Plus, Tidal’s delivery system via Samsung was a mess. Samsung supposedly bought 1 million copies at $5 apiece. Tidal delivered them. Last week, I tried three times to get my copy sent to my Edge 6. First it didn’t come. Then, a few days later, three copies arrived on my phone. Three. For free. I wonder how many people received multiple copies.

Almost everyone in the top 10 is performing on the Grammys February 15th. So watch for a bounce on Friday, the 19th. Should be interesting.

Meantime, on what I’d call the real time chart, this morning’s iTunes Top Albums, Earth Wind & Fire’s Greatest Hits is number 7 ($7.99) in memory of Maurice White. Adele survived three new releases and remains at number 5. Rihanna is number 3. Wiz Khalifa comes in at number 1.

As for EWF: You kids should really get the whole album, “That’s the Way of the World,” and listen to it from start to finish.

Happy Super Bowl: “Not for Profit” NFL Pays $100 Mil to Staff. Donates $1Mil to Charity

Roger Friedman
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Happy Super Bowl: “Not for Profit” NFL Pays $100 Mil to Staff. Donates $1Mil to Charity

Happy Super Bowl weekend!

It’s a good time to review the situation with the NFL, which operates still as a tax free not for profit foundation. How are they doing? Big press push in the last two days with commissioner Roger Goodell announcing that forthwith, women will have to be considered for all executive positions. Yes, it is 2016, about 40 years after this should have been mandated. Or womandated.

But Goodell has to do something. He’s paid $35 million a year. Indeed, on the 2014 (for 2013) Form 990 filing for the National Football League, salaries for staff came to $100 million. About $55 million was divided among just seven (7) executives. They’re all guys, ‘natch.

Apparently, that wasn’t enough money for one of those lucky seven because the NFL loaned two execs a total of $2.5 million. One guy still owes them $1.5 million.

The NFL Foundation did give some money away in 2013. They donated just over $1 million to a few charities.

Total net assets? $727.7 million. They keep $438.5 million on hand for litigation (i.e. lawsuit settlements, and there are more and since dead players are turning up with CTE).

So get out the hot dogs, chill the beers, and raise a glass. It’s good to be king.

Michael Moore Hospitalized in New York with Pneumonia: “Things Didn’t Look Good”

Roger Friedman
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Michael Moore Hospitalized in New York with Pneumonia: “Things Didn’t Look Good”

Here’s his message on Facebook…Keep refreshing:

I’m writing this to all of you today (Thurs) from the Intensive Care Unit at a hospital in New York City. Unfortunately, I’ve come down with pneumonia. Between running all over the place lately promoting my new movie (WHERE TO INVADE NEXT), plus going to Flint to help the people of my hometown, plus jumping in to support Senator Sanders, plus doing a dozen other things — well, I read somewhere you can’t burn it at both ends, and if u do, it’s best not to do so in the winter nor anywhere near a place full of toxic water!

The truth is, I’ve actually been in the ICU since Sunday night. Let’s just say things didn’t look good Sunday night. But thanks to a combination of good doctors, decent hospital food and 2nd-term Obamacare, I’m doing much better the last couple of days — so much so that I’m being discharged later today. I’m to return home and rest for the coming days. All appearances for the rest of this week have been canceled.

Needless to say, in addition to being a bummer health-wise (and I’m trying out a new thing this week by putting that, my health, first), this is a huge loss to my efforts in leading up to the release of my new movie next Friday. I was supposed to be in LA tonight (Thurs) to be on Conan, and tomorrow night I was making my return after two years to the Bill Maher show on HBO (and thank you, Erin Brockovich, for going on in my place to talk about the situation in Flint!).

Since I mentioned my predicament earlier today on Twitter and Facebook (or perhaps you heard about it in the media
http://detne.ws/1T1Dtjs), many of you have sent me very nice well wishes (thank you!) and have asked if there’s anything you could do to help me. Actually, there is.

I have to be honest, with my absence this week (and probably into next), I’m now worried about my film’s release. I can’t fly, I have to recover, and in one week (February 12th) this great movie I’ve put so much of my life into is going to open in theaters — with little or no assistance from me. So, would it be OK to enlist your help in a sort of quickly cobbled-together “army” of grassroots foot soldiers, wherein you could pitch in where you live (and on socila media) to let people know about my movie? I could post some ideas tomorrow of things you and your friends could do. Things like:
— share the trailer with others (https://youtube.com/watch?v=r4JJvfrkH3M);
— send around the movie’s poster (see below);
— show or place the 30-second ad wherever you can (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7wbH9Bjbyww);
— forward reviews of the film to friends and family (http://www.salon.com/…/michael_moores_gutsy_new_film_our_m…/).

I know this seems a bit unorthodox, and I’ve never seen a request like this made before by a director (then again, I could just be on the wrong drugs), but this is the age of social media and we’re all trying lots of new ways to do things, aren’t we? So why not just appoint each of you as the local PR person for WHERE TO INVADE NEXT, seeing how I can’t make it there in person? This will take a HUGE burden off me and give the movie a chance to be seen by millions.

My other problem is that the distributor hired to release the film is a new start-up company still in formation (the company doesn’t even have a name yet). So their plan all along was essentially to have me do most of the work by running back and forth across the country doing interviews and screenings. Naturally, I loved this plan, but none of us stopped to think what would happen if… I got pneumonia! So, they’re doing their best now (these are the brave people who worked on the release of the Edward Snowden documentary, “Citizen Four”). If a few thousand of you suddenly became champions and spokespeople for the film, then maybe I/we can pull this off. I would be forever in your debt.

I do need to get some sleep, so I’ll sign off for now. Check back with me tomorrow (Friday) for further updates and ideas. Thanks for offering to help. Stay warm, drink plenty of fluids, and let’s get back to our nightly walks!

Best,
Michael

Exclusive: Aretha Franklin Is Going to Get on a Plane and Fly For the First Time in 33 Years

Roger Friedman
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Exclusive: Aretha Franklin Is Going to Get on a Plane and Fly For the First Time in 33 Years

Oh me, oh my. Aretha Franklin is going to fly.

Maybe, but at least the plan has been made.

The Queen of Soul tells me that she has made a definite date to fly from Detroit to Chicago at the end of this month. I know the date, but I don’t want to cause a stampede at the airport.

She won’t be alone on her short flight. The First Lady of Gospel, Shirley Caesar, has volunteered to be Miss Aretha’s companion. Of course, there will be a couple of other friends, maybe a bodyguard or two.

“How do you like that?” Aretha said, proudly, when I spoke to her tonight. “The First Lady of Gospel.”

Now the Queen has said on other occasions that she would try this. But this time she sounds like she means it. It’s a big deal. But if Franklin could get over her fear of flying, millions of dollars await her concert bookings around the world. She hasn’t appeared in Europe or Asia in eons.

Meantime, Aretha asked me to remind everyone that she is really giving shelter, water and food to residents of Flint, about 20 miles away from Detroit. The families are screened once they come to her father’s church. It’s the New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church. 8430 Linwood Street. 8430 C. L. Franklin Blvd. Detroit, MI 48206. t. (313) 894-5788. Once they qualify (proof of I.D., lease, etc) they get a free night in the Courtyard Marriott in nearby Southfield.

Aretha is also giving a one night only Valentine’s concert across the river in Windsor, Ontario on February 13th at the Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace.

P.S. I asked her if she ever met Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire, who passed away on Thursday. “I did not really know him,” she said. “But that music! He was an innovator. Everyone loves Earth, Wind and Fire.”

Maurice White, the Great Leader of Earth, Wind & Fire, Has Died at Age 74– He’s a Shining Star Now

Roger Friedman
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Maurice White, the Great Leader of Earth, Wind & Fire, Has Died at Age 74– He’s a Shining Star Now

This was coming for a while, but Maurice White– the great, and I do mean great– leader and songwriter of Earth, Wind & Fire has died at age 74. He suffered from Parkinson’s Disease for a long time, and had dropped out of touring and appearances a while ago.

All those great EW&F songs were written and arranged by Maurice, from “Shining Star” and “That’s the Way of the World” to “Reasons,” “September,” “Let’s Groove Tonight,” and so on. He wrote the Emotions’ monster hit, “Best of My Love,” too. When Mariah Carey appropriated that song for hers called, oddly, “Emotions,” Maurice gave me one of the best quotes of all time. He said, “I’ve heard of sampling, but she took the whole buffet.”

Born in Memphis, Maurice grew up with Isaac Hayes and David Porter. There must have been something in the water there!

Maurice’s brother, the equally great Verdine White, posted this to Facebook today:

“My brother, hero and best friend Maurice White passed away peacefully last night in his sleep. While the world has lost another great musician and legend, our family asks that our privacy is respected as we start what will be a very difficult and life changing transition in our lives. Thank you for your prayers and well wishes.”

Earth, Wind & Fire will go on, but no one will forget Maurice White or his outsized contribution to our culture.

 

Grammys Add “Hamilton,” Johnny Depp-Alice Cooper Hollywood Vampires, Bonnie Raitt, Skrillex-Diplo with Justin Bieber

Roger Friedman
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Grammys Add “Hamilton,” Johnny Depp-Alice Cooper Hollywood Vampires, Bonnie Raitt, Skrillex-Diplo with Justin Bieber

The Grammy Awards line up of performers just keeps getting more and more interesting. The BB King tribute will feature Bonnie Raitt, Chris Stapleton, and Gary Clarke, Jr., which means it will be great. I just hope that it’s not at the end of the show.

The cast of “Hamilton” will appear live from Broadway as they start their show at 8pm Eastern. That’s one of producer Ken Ehrlich’s coups. “Hamilton” hasn’t yet done live TV but they’re certainly ready. For people around the country who haven’t seen this amazing show, it should blow their minds

They’ve also added the Hollywood Vampires, a group comprising Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp, and Joe Perry. (I’m told Depp likes to be called Mortdecai when he’s playing.) The Vamps released an album last September of cover songs from the 70s by Cooper, Paul McCartney and John Lennon. Maybe this appearance will launch them officially.

Justin Bieber and the people who gave him his popularity back, Skrillex and Diplo, will present “Where Are U Now” with an umlat.

Robin Thicke and Pitbull will do something. I’m just leaving it at that, no snark. Well, actually, I’m not certain what attraction is left for Robin Thicke with the audience.

Plus, Adele. Adele, Adele.

 

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Steven Soderbergh Never Retired– I Told You That Almost Two Years Ago

Roger Friedman
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Steven Soderbergh Never Retired– I Told You That Almost Two Years Ago

There was a lot of Twitter movement and squabbling among the trade reporters on Wednesday night. Seems they all went crazy because Steven Soderbergh is going to make a movie. Apparently everyone thinks he retired.

I wrote in May 2013 that Soderbergh had not retired, was simply taking a break from films and getting into TV. We were in Cannes for the premiere of “Beyond the Candelabra,” which Soderbergh made for HBO.

After that, Soderbergh produced “The Knick” and directed it, and set up “Mosaic” at HBO.

Now he’s going to make a movie, maybe with Channing Tatum and Michael Shannon. Matt Damon may be involved.

It must have been a slow news night around the campfire…

George Clooney Mugs for “Hail, Caesar!” Premiere Audience in Hollywood

Leah Sydney
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George Clooney Mugs for “Hail, Caesar!” Premiere Audience in Hollywood

At the premiere of the Joel and Ethan Coen’s “Hail, Caesar!” in Westwood this past Monday night, the low key brothers were a bit more exuberant than usual. They worked the red carpet, which included stars George Clooney (who talked football with much of the press line), the always gracious Josh Brolin and Channing Tatum.

Before the packed screening got started, Joel profusely thanked Universal, making sure to have a shout out to Ron Meyer, Donna Langley and Jeff Shell, as well as Working Title’s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner. The noted cinematographer Roger Deakins also got a special mention.

There was no mention of the film’s editor, Roderick Jaynes. But he was there in spirit. (Jaynes is actually a pseudonym for the brothers, who edit their own films.)

Ethan thanked the actors, including Jonah Hill, who he asked to stand up. (Hill does a lot of sitting the movie.) Ethan said, “This is our fourth movie with George Clooney. All of our movies are autobiographical, so the main character is always a nitwit. Hey, George Clooney is here.” To which George gamely stood up in full nitwit character, and with his best grimaced face waved to the audience.

Ethan than told the audience, “I hope you find this entertaining and funny.”

I did find it so, albeit a bit rag tag. I loved the glamour and the lush technicolor homage– the ultimate Coen brothers fan boy worship– to the period of post-war Hollywood. The actors are uniformly standouts, especially Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, Ralph Fiennes and the always divine Tilda Swinton. It’s not perfect, the parts could have been woven in a bit more cohesively, and some storylines were a tad unnecessary, but on the whole it’s another hit for the Coen devotees and movie fans in general. Always unique and out of the box. Gotta love the Coen Brothers

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