What’s old is new again. I told you on August 22nd that the two “Fifty Shades of Grey” sequels would shoot back to back. It was exclusive. Now today the trades just lap it up from a press release. What can you do? Click on that blue link if you don’t believe me. Variety, at least, gave credit.
Review: One Direction’s Possible Final Album “Made in the AM” Surprisingly Cohesive, Full of Hits
Tomorrow is D-Day in pop world as One Direction releases its possible final album, “Made in the AM.” At the same time, we are faced with Justin Bieber’s Skrillex album, “Purpose.” A lot of “Purpose” is already known thanks to several singles releases. Bieber seized on producer Skrillex, who gave him a hit he couldn’t explain with “Where Are U Now?” All the subsequent singles sound like this one, with bird noises and other tricks that mask Bieber’s monotone singing. The album will sell hundreds of thousands of copies.
The big news is that One Direction leaves the stage with a terrific album full of hits. Producer Julian Bunetta and the boys have really advanced in one direction — forward. “Made In the AM” is actually the album that lifts them past teeny bopper status toward something real. Let’s not get too excited– this isn’t “Abbey Road” by a long shot. But they are trying, and trying hard. If they’re smart, One Direction will give it one more go after this. It could be interesting.
“Drag Me Down,” “Perfect,” and “Infinity” are already known to 1D fans. “Perfect” is a cool pop single, and one you wouldn’t mind humming. It’s actually clever and fun.
Some other highlights: “Olivia” is Harry Styles’ big moment to shine. It’s probably the best track on the album, sophisticated and textured. It has a full orchestra and horn section, very Sgt Pepper. As the Beatles’ number 1 songs are back on the charts this week, I give a lot of credit to Styles and Bunetta for looking at them as a template.
Other possible singles include “Hey Angel,” the lead off track, and the closer, “History,” which has a nice winsome quality.
Did 1D say they were taking a break to get publicity and generate interest? If so, I say take a short break. Strike while the iron is hot. And it’s hot right now. “Made in the AM” should last them long into the PM.
Bruce Springsteen Raises $740K for Vets at Bob Woodruff’s 9th Annual “Stand Up for Heroes”
For the 9th year in a row, ABC’s Bob Woodruff, his wife Lee, and Caroline Hirsch and Andrew Fox raised money for vets and honored them at “Stand Up for Heroes.”
Superstar trumpeteer Chris Botti performed the national anthem before ABC’s Woodruff and his activist wife Lee introduced the special evening with Bob recounting his allegiance with many of the soldiers seated in the first rows of Madison Square Garden Theater.
In 2006, while embedded with American troops in Iraq, he suffered traumatic brain injury and was in a coma for 36 days after a roadside bomb exploded. He and wife Lee were inspired during Bob’s long recovery to help fellow wounded warriors.
As usual, Hirsch and Fox brought the A list of comedians. Seth Myers said he was grateful to be there for the evening, otherwise he’d be watching the Republicans debate each other again. A bearded Ray Romano was also on the bill. He joked — in front of these heroes– that perhaps his most heroic act was killing a spider who had witnessed him masturbating. Jon Stewart, bearded as well, told a story about a man masturbating on his stoop after 9/11. He took it as a sign of hope. This is what happens when you retire from your long-standing television gig: facial hair and manual manipulation. The comedy line up, always first rate, did not disappoint.
In what has become a tradition for this night of comedy is Bruce Springsteen sprinkling his performance of such hits as “For You” and “Dancing in the Dark” with jokes, often off color, like the one about the man who goes to a whorehouse looking for something he’s never had before. The door opens and a woman blows in, the winds of Hurricane Hattie. Then she pees on him, the rains of Hurricane Hattie. As he rushes out of there, the madam asks what’s wrong: I couldn’t stand the weather, he says.
Springsteen traditionally auctions off his guitars at Stand Up for Heroes, and this year he added a Harley Davidson motorcycle. He wound raising $740,000 in total. When the Harley Davidson was auctioned off, the four comedians threw in some bonuses including Bruce’s vintage leather jacket, Ray’s bottle of Purell, Seth’s necktie, Bruce’s mother’s lasagna, a round trip to Las Vegas for Ray Romano’s performance at the Mirage. Lorraine Bracco, from the audience, threw in high heels she wore in Goodfellas. Jon Stewart did an imitation of Henry Hill protesting, Those heels are expensive.
Always an event with heart, this year’s Stand Up for Heroes was no exception. Sgt. Kirstie Innis spoke about her helicopter going down in Afghanistan, her jaw and other parts of her body broken. After multiple surgeries, she has become a champion snowboarder, and now faces a leg amputation. Looking glamorous in a red gown, she stopped to speak on her way out of Madison Square Garden. When I tell her she looks great and note her enormous courage, she replies, she’s had great doctors. And then she gave me a big hug.
Broadway Notebook: A Phenom is Born in “School of Rock”
from Paula Schwartz:
I happened to be at the first preview of School of Rock. I bought my own ticket. The publicist had a photo op and I got a quick photo of the Alex Brightman, who plays Jack Black’s role of Dewey Finn. I didn’t realize until I spoke to Andrew Lloyd Webber – yes he was there and introduced the show to the audience telling them they were at the world premiere – that all the kids play their own instruments. The musical doesn’t open until Dec. 9 but it’s already very polished and could open tomorrow. The rock is loud, the kids are amazing and it should bring a lot of young fans to the theater.
Brightman has all of Jack Black’s manic energy and runs around the stage for almost the entire 2 1/2 hours of the show. I hear someone backstage say that after the first act they literally wring out his shirt and a bucket of sweat comes out. I believe it.
This is Brightman right after the show.
Webber is very invested in the show. It’s strange to think of him involved in this since he’s most associated with “Phantom of the Opera” and “Cats,” but the music has lots of electric guitar which recalls “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
Most curious of all that Julian Fellowes of “Downton Abbey” wrote the book, with lyrics by Glenn Slater.
Photo c2015 Showbiz411 by Paula Schwartz
Goodbye to a Gent, a Genius: Allen Toussaint Produced “Lady Marmalade,” Wrote “Working in a Coalmine”
Allen Toussaint’s sudden death yesterday at age 77 is a HUGE loss. HUGE. Too soon. Allen was on tour and had just finished a show in Madrid. It’s absolutely criminal that he went so soon. Allen, we didn’t get a chance to say goodbye.
The New Orleans legend produced and arranged “Lady Marmalade” for LaBelle, wrote a ton of hits from Lee Dorsey’s “Working in a Coal Mine” to Boz Scaggs’s “What Do You Want the Girl to Do.” He recorded a whole album with Elvis Costello– “The River in Reverse.” He worked with both Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr in their solo careers. He wrote the title track to Glen Campbell’s breakthrough album “Southern Nights.”
It wasn’t until Hurricane Katrina that we in New York lucked out. Allen lost his home in New Orleans– terrible for him, great for us. He moved into the Phillips Club on West 65th St. and became a regular around town. I was lucky enough to get to know this soft spoken gentleman with a capital G.
He was a genius and should have had a Kennedy Center honor. I hope President Obama does something for Allen posthumously. He was such an important American artist. What he added to our culture is incalculable.
The tragic part is that these people we write about now, these little pop tarts, are just dust in the wind by comparison.
Rest in peace, Allen.
Desperate to Chart: Justin Bieber, Janet Jackson Now Each Giving Away Albums with Taxi Rides
I told you a couple of days ago that Justin Bieber was giving away his new album with $5 cab rides on Lyft. You book a $5 Lyft ride, get “Purpose” on download, and a credit back for $5 for another ride.
What does he mean? Bieber means he is trying to pump up sales in his first week.
Now little Bieber is giving away the album in “bundles” to ticket holders at his two shows later this week at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
To wit: Tickets for “An Evening With Justin Bieber” will be nominally priced at $22.00, and each will include admission plus a copy of PURPOSE. TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW FOR 9:30 p.m. (PST). An event-only ticket can be purchased for just $18.00.
At that price, he’ll see out the Staples easily. And pick up a good 40,000 or more album “Sales.”
Janet Jackson has been bundling her album with everything she can find this season. The result is that the sales- dead CD moved up the charts this week, hidden in a T shirt. Now Janet is bundling “Unbreakable” with Uber rides.
At least it’s Uber. What’s next? The Joni Mitchell catalog? (Big yellow taxi– get it?)
More music stories: Sting. Jon Bon Jovi in Miami concert November 21st.
Universal Pictures’s Reversal of Fortune: A Record First Half Followed by Real World Problems
Universal Pictures is human after all. Their second half of the year is abysmal after setting records during the first eight months of 2015. They have seven films that made more than $100 million in 2015.
Remember “Jurassic World”? It’s made more than $1.6 billion around the world. Universal scored hit after hit from January through August with movies like “Fast and Furious 7” and “Fifty Shades of Grey.” They set a record for a major studio.
But the fall has brought…a fall. It’s not terrible but it’s certainly a come down. Danny Boyle’s “Steve Jobs” is at the center of the talk. This is a great movie by a wonderful director with a seriously terrific script by Aaron Sorkin. All the performances are spot on, starting with Michael Fassbender and Kate Winslet.
So interesting: when “Steve Jobs” first started screening, the buzz was through the roof. Early reviews were raves. Suddenly everyone you met in the business loved “Steve Jobs.”
But then it opened wide. And no one was going. They were buying iPhones but didn’t seem interested in the man who made them. Hmmmm…What happened? Suddenly people who’d previously “loved” the film turned against it. No one likes to stick around for a stinker. Rats desert a ship in Hollywood very quickly. Now it was “Sorkin’s fault.” This was after his screenplay had been praised.
Last week, “Steve Jobs” was downsized from over 2000 screens to around 400. This Friday it will shrink again. Universal will keep it in theaters, however. All the idiotic pieces I’ve read about the Boyle film–it’s not a Sorkin film– being pulled from theaters totally are ridiculous. “Steve Jobs” will rise again in awards season. It’s good a film not to.
Universal has a real turkey in “Jem and the Holograms.” To this minute I have no idea what this movie was, or what it was supposed to be. It had no marketing and no recognition. One day it will appear on an airplane and I’ll try it. Is it Josie and the Pussycats? Who knows?
This week, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt face the buzzsaw with “By the Sea.” So far it has a 40 on Rotten Tomatoes, but that will drop considerably by Friday. It’s just that it was kept from sight for as long as possible. My guess about “By the Sea” (I haven’t seen it) is that it should have been an art house release with little publicity, maybe through Universal’s Focus division. It should have been released in March as a curiosity without so much fanfare.
Universal’s lull is almost over, by the way. They’ve got “Sisters,” “Krampus,” and “Legend” imminently, with the Coen Bros.’ “Hail Caesar” in February. And “Steve Jobs” will have its day, trust me.
Uh Oh: Real Numbers on “Spectre” Were $70.2 Mil, Three Mil Less Than Reported
James Bond “Spectre” came in at $70.2 million, not $73 million as reported yesterday.
Sony’s actual totals were considerably off base. Whoops! And that’s not great news considering it’s almost $20 million less than the opening weekend for “Skyfall.”
“Spectre” is now more in line with pre-“Skyfall” Bond movies.
What didn’t help: Daniel Craig bad mouthing the movie and the process before hand. And the theme song. Both of these incidents were buzzkill. Especially that dang song– no radio play for it in the US really hurt. LOA– Lack of Adele– did them in.
Again we are reminded, there is no such thing as a cinch.
The Eagles’ Famed Manager Irving Azoff Receiving NARAS Honor at Clive Davis Dinner
Congrats to Irving Azoff. The famed manager of the Eagles and founder of Front Line Management is receiving the special NARAS award for music icons this February at Clive Davis’s pre Grammy gala.
Azoff is literally a living legend in the music business. In addition to the Eagles he’s guided everyone from Fleetwood Mac to Steely Dan to Bon Jovi. His first client was the late, beloved Dan Fogelberg.
Nowadays Azoff is chairman and CEO of Azoff MSG Entertainment, a new venture with The Madison Square Garden Company. He’s a mensch and a loyal friend to people who’ve come through the industry with him. Clive’s party is really going to swing with Azoff as honoree. Neal Portnow and Clive made an excellent choice.
PS Among the things I love about Irving Azoff is that he drove Jann Wenner crazy in the 70s and 80s!
Justin Bieber’s New “Purpose” Album Bundled for 5 Bucks with Shared Taxi Rides
OK. This is pretty sad. Justin Bieber’s “Purpose” album will be bundled for $5 with shared rides on Lyft, the sort of secondary Uber.
After Janet Jackson bundled free CDs with concert tickets this fall, why not? Anything to put numbers on the pop charts.
I can’t believe Billboard will count these sales.
from the Lyft website:
What do we mean? To get your copy of Purpose for just $5, all you have to do is slide into ‘Bieber Mode’ in the Lyft app between 9 p.m. PST 11/12 and 11:59 p.m. PST 11/19 while supplies last and tap ‘Buy & Ride.’ Then, after you finish at least a $5 ride, we’ll send you a unique download link and credit your account $5 for your next ride.
Here’s a video of Bieber in a Lyft car selling this idea.