Al Molinaro, Murray the Cop from “The Odd Couple” and Al from “Happy Days,” a beloved character actor, has died at age 96. God bless. Garry Marshall obviously loved him. So did TV fans. Here’s why:
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Lindsay Lohan Brother Arrested: Four of Six Lohans Have Now Been Arrested And or Jailed
Lindsay Lohan’s brother Michael Lohan Jr. was arrested today in New York. He forged a placard for his windshield pretending he was a New York State staffer from the executive branch. This was so he wouldn’t have to pay at a parking meter. Cops nailed him.
Michael Jr. now becomes the fourth Lohan to be arrested by the police. Lindsay, of course, has a famous record. Her mom, Dina, was caught driving drunk. Father Michael? He spent three years in jail and five on probation after being convicted for criminal contempt during an insider trading investigation. Then he spent another year in jail for jumping bail. He’s had several other brushes with the law involving incarceration.
The prison obsession isn’t confined just to the main family. Michael’s second wife, Kate, has also been cuffed by the police during a domestic dispute with Michael. And Dina’s brother Paul spent a year in jail for fraud concerning a fake 9/11 loss claim.
I may have missed one or two episodes, but you get the idea. The Lohans are a “Law and Order” episode that writes itself. It has to be genetic on both sides. Maybe a top psychiatric team can figure it out. For Long Island, Joey Buttafuoco and Amy Fisher were always the standard bearers. But they have nothing on the Lohans!
There are still two Lohans untouched by the police: Lindsay’s brother Cody and sister Ali. But the odds aren’t good for them. Maybe they should surrender now. Or get a family punch card, so on the sixth arrest someone gets out without bail.
They should really rent David Michod’s “Animal Kingdom” for fun one night.
Adele’s Old Albums Outsell New Releases from Rod Stewart, Harry Connick Jr, Others
The numbers are in, and Adele is a winner even without releasing a new album.
Her 2010 album, “21,” sold over 27,000 copies in CDs, digital downloads and streams. Her earlier recording, “19” did just over 10,000 copies.
This means she outsold new recordings from veterans like Rod Stewart and Harry Connick Jr, a new record from Joanna Newsome, and one from DJ Khaled.
If you combine Adele’s album sales, she finishes the week at about number 6, just ahead of Blake Shelton.
All of this is heat from her record breaking single “Hello,” which has stayed at number 1 for more than a week. The album “Hello” will be on, “25,” is set for sales of a million copies or more when it’s released November 20th.
What’s interesting is that even though pop rival Justin Bieber has had three hits on the charts recently, none of them has re-activated sales of his catalog albums.
But “Hello” has stirred the pot, so to speak, while Bieber has just smoked it.
I don’t know anything about Connick’s new record. Stewart’s had a lot of potential, but I would say it was dumped. Total sales are around 15,000 copies. What a shame.
Janet Jackson’s new album, “Unbreakable,” is now out of the top 50 altogether after three short weeks. Wow. The initial rush of sales petered out to zilch, leaving her at less than 150,000 for all that work. But she didn’t appear on any TV shows or do any major press. The album is now a souvenir at her concerts. Maybe that was the plan all along. If so, it worked.
Demi Lovato’s new album dropped 71% in sales from last week to this week.
Adele, One Direction Overwhelm Justin Bieber, Who Has Two Meltdowns in a Row
Pop brat Justin Bieber is having a bad bad time.
Adele and One Direction are stealing his thunder as the clock counts down to all three releasing new albums at the same time.
Adele’s “25” comes on November 20th, one week after Bieber’s “Purpose” and One Direction’s “Made in the AM” collide on the 13th.
All signs point to Bieber finishing second to One Direction on their debut. And then the next week Adele is supposedly wiping the floor with each of them. Her “25” will sell over a million copies in its debut by all accounts. It’s the top selling album by pre-orders on all services.
So Bieber, a petulant child whose monotone music is now dotted by bird sounds, isn’t reacting well. He had not one but two meltdowns abroad in the last 48 hours. He walked out of a Spanish radio interview because he didn’t understand what was going on. Then he walked off the stage in Oslo during a TV taping after someone spilled water on the stage.
The irony is that his latest single is called “Sorry.” He isn’t. He’s still the same Bieber who’s abused people, spit on fans, had a few arrests, and made fun of Anne Frank.
Adding Charlie Puth, Halsey, Nas, and a bunch of guest artists to cover his deficiencies isn’t enough. Sorry!
Michael Jackson’s Son, Prince, Clears Up Twitter Misunderstanding About “Blood” and “Water”
Prince Jackson clears up a prior Tweet which suggested that blood ties weren’t necessary for a family to be related. I agree.
Ok so I guess everyone took my last tweet and twisted it around(as usual) my dad is my dad through and through same with my siblings.
— Prince Jackson (@princemjjjaxon) October 29, 2015
The tweet was just to let the people who would like to argue otherwise that their accusations don’t phase me or my siblings
— Prince Jackson (@princemjjjaxon) October 29, 2015
“Rocky” Spin Off “Creed” with Michael B. Jordan So Good It’s Already Getting a Sequel
I am not surprised by this news at all. The “Rocky” spin off “Creed” starring Michael B. Jordan and directed by Ryan Coogler is already set for a sequel. The Irwin Winkler-produced film, which features Mr. Sylvester Stallone, doesn’t even open for four more weeks (November 25th). But the film is so good, and everyone in it is said to be so appealing, that “Creed II” is on the drawing boards, and don’t think a third part isn’t as well.
I gleaned this information from a reluctant Mr. Winkler today at Michael’s where the famed producer (and director of two Robert DeNiro movies I really like still called “Guilty by Suspicion” and “Night and the City”) was dining with powerhouse PR rep Leslee Dart. Winkler is currently producing a new film by Martin Scorsese (Leslee’s beloved client) called “Silence” which we will see next year starring Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver. I have a feeling “Creed” is going to be the surprise Oscar movie of the season. Let’s see what happens.
Meantime, Michael’s was buzzing for a Thursday, with a dizzy list of New York media types. David Denby, the best movie critic ever, was lunching with his legendary book editor from Simon & Schuster, Alice Mayhew (she’s given us every important non fiction book from S&S for the last 30 or more years). Another Hollywood movie producer, Mike Medavoy, rolled in on his way back to L.A. from Spain, where he’s overseeing Terry George’s “The Promise” with Christian Bale and Oscar Isaac.
Who else? More legends: sexy, glamorous Marisa Berenson, who lives mostly in Morocco and Paris, in town to launch her new book (more on that shortly); Nikki Haskell downloading New York’s nightlife history to Page’s Six newest addition, Carlos Greer; director Joel Schumacher, looking natty, chowing down with associates; Michael’s regulars Gerry Byrne and David Patrick Columbia each commanding their own tables; two pr gurus– Matthew Hiltzik and Steven Rubenstein, separately; and so on and so forth.
My table? I was happy to be with two beautiful ladies– pr guru-ette Norah Lawlor, and internet expert Shana Schlossberg, founder of EZBZ (www.myezbz.com). Shana is a trained and accomplished opera singer who also knows her way around a url. Her EZBZ is an on-line personal concierge service, with 350,000 users already in the U.S. They can find you whatever you need — legal things, please– in a flash, from a plumber to a party clown. Or an opera singer. Most of the Michael’s crowd will be signing right up!
Caitlyn Jenner Receiving Glamour Magazine Woman of the Year Award
My favorite Seinfeld episode is the one where Dr. Tim Watley converts to Judaism and starts making jokes that include rabbi’s. Jerry accuses Tim of becoming Jewish “for the jokes.” In the same way, I am convinced that Bruce Jenner switched sexes just to get awards. After all, he wasn’t getting any trophies any more as Bruce, but he used to get lots of them. How to get some more?
Of course, I am joking. But look at this: Caitlyn Jenner is now being honored with a Lifetime Achievement award from Glamour Magazine. She’s listed among a group that includes Victoria Beckham, Misty Copeland, Elizabeth Holmes, Cecile Richards, Reese Witherspoon, the Women of Charleston, and the U.S. women’s national soccer team. Really?
This is all happens on November 9th at Carnegie Hall. Bravo to Caitlyn. She’s made very profitable lemonade from lemons. She is the American success story!
photo via Glamour by Ben Hassert
Exclusive: Which Two NFL Senior Execs Were Loaned a Total of $2.5 Mil by Organization?
The National Football League is still registered as a not for profit foundation. That’s why we can tell you this: their incredible finances are available online.
According to the NFL’s Form 990 filed for 2014, the organization made huge personal loans to two different senior executives in 2013. One was for $2 million. The other was for $500,000, which looks like it was repaid. According to the form, a quarter of the $2 million loan has been paid back. Outstanding still is $1.5 million.
Which executives needed such big loans? And wow, by the way– what a great life these people are living. All the top NFL execs already make millions and millions in salary and bonuses, starting with Roger Goodell, who made $35 million in 2013. See the chart below. Waiting now for a response from the NFL.
The Beatles “A Day in the Life” Video Here at Last, But it’s Ringo’s Drumming That Stars
The Beatles’ “A Day in the Life” is a remarkable recording, of course. It ends “Sgt. Pepper” with a gravity from which popular music has never recovered. Now we’ve got the video coming on the Beatles “1 + 1” collection which comes November 13th. This is an actual must have box set with a CD of the Beatles’ 27 number 1 hits all remixed after all this time in new enhanced stereo– and superior even to the 2009 box set. There’s also two DVDs (plain or Blu Ray) with all recovered, enhanced, or discovered videos– including “A Day in the Life.”
On this track in particular, listen for Ringo. He is an amazing drummer. He gives these records a sophisticated personality that is too often underrated.
Carly Simon’s Hot New Memoir to Be Accompanied by Two CD Set from Rhino
EXCLUSIVE I’m happy to announce a big two CD set of Carly Simon’s great songs, set for release to accompany her memoir, “Boys in the Trees” from Flatiron Press/Macmillan. The book hits stores on November 24, just four days after the Rhino album “Songs from the Trees” makes its debut.
The album, Carly says, “serves as an additional way to look at my stories. Most of these songs are precursors to what eventually became the book. As the narrative only goes up to 1983, there are many songs to follow. If you feel like playing this puzzle, there are clues of how to cross-reference the songs with the chapters, pages and words.”
And guess what? We get two new songs– one written her son Ben Taylor (one of the two kids she has with James Taylor) and “Showdown,” a long unreleased recording from the million selling 1978 album Boys In The Trees.
If you think Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, and all of today’s hot female singers are having a wild time, I point you to Ms. Simon– she’s their hero, and the original.
SONGS FROM THE TREES (A MUSICAL MEMOIR COLLECTION)
Track Listing
Disc One
1. “Boys In The Trees”
2. “Winken’, Blinkin’ And Nod” – The Simon Sisters
3. “Orpheus”
4. “Older Sister”
5. “It Was So Easy”
6. “Embrace Me, You Child”
7. “Hello Big Man”
8. “Two Hot Girls (On A Hot Summer Night)”
9. “It Happens Everyday”
10. “His Friends Are More Than Fond Of Robin”
11. “I’m All It Takes To Make You Happy”
12. “That’s The Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be”
13. “I’ve Got To Have You”
14. “Anticipation”
15. “Legend In Your Own Time”
16. “Three Days”
Disc Two
1. “Julie Through The Glass”
2. “We Have No Secrets”
3. “You’re So Vain”
4. “Mind On My Man”
5. “Mockingbird”
6. “After The Storm”
7. “Haunting”
8. “In Times When My Head”
9. “You Belong To Me”
10. “We’re So Close”
11. “From The Heart”
12. “Come Upstairs”
13. “The Right Thing To Do”
Bonus Selections
14. “Showdown”
15. “I Can’t Thank You Enough”