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Number 1 on the Charts Doesn’t Mean What It Used To: Florence & The Machine Sell Just 138K

Roger Friedman
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Number 1 on the Charts Doesn’t Mean What It Used To: Florence & The Machine Sell Just 138K

Number 1 on the charts? It means number 2, or 10, next week. It doesn’t mean what it used to. Last week, Florence and the Machine were everywhere on TV. Florence may even have thrown out the first ball at Yankee Stadium. They were like Zelig. As their new album, called How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, launched on line and in stores, Flo and co. seemed like they were going to go through the roof.

In end, How Big sold 138,000 copies– including streaming and digital sales. In fact, streaming only gave them around 10K extra copies. Last week’s number 1, by rapper Rocky A$AP, dropped 68% and fell to number 3 with around 46K sold.

The only hit album so far of 2015 in Taylor Swift’s “1989.” Why? It’s full of hit singles that are being played on the radio.

Florence? She doesn’t have a hit on the iTunes top 150. Neither does Rocky, not ASAP not later. Next week Florence will be succeeded by someone else, maybe Muse or Of Monsters and Men. That’s the way it goes nowaways. The fans have no commitment to the music after the first week of release unless it’s something extraordinary. I dare say, 20 years after Alannis Morissette’s “Jagged Pill,” another phenom, Taylor Swift and her gang are the only ones who knew what they were doing this year.

PS The Tony Awards had low ratings, but the album score of “Fun Home” has zoomed to number 9 on iTunes. Not bad.

Also, Andy Grammer has a hit song. Steve Greenberg’s S Curve Records have really worked this guy. Hard work pays off.

Apple Introduces Music Service That is Just Like Spotify and All the Others

Roger Friedman
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Apple Introduces Music Service That is Just Like Spotify and All the Others

Apple Music! It’s coming June 30th. It will cost $9.99 a month to stream music. Just like in the old days of the Columbia Music Club, you get the first three months free!

Guess what? It’s the same music you listen to now, on Spotify or Pandora. Same music, except for a kind of droney emo guy who Eddie Cue played for us and isn’t signed to a record label. The reason he isn’t signed is, he sounds very dull.

Anyway, I digress. With Apple Music, you can make playlists and share them with friends! Music will be suggested to you by…Drake!

Look, I know people love the Apple hardware. I love my iPad. But this stuff is not new. Apple is a cult. The people who love it live by it. But I don’t want to be trapped in iTunes. If you really love music, get the Sony Walkman and download high fidelity tracks from HDTracks.com. This isn’t so hard.

Seriously: what are artists going to be paid by iTunes? Will iTunes pay the record companies advances, and will those advances be paid to the artists? Did Apple pay the musicians whose music was used in their demo today? Will Aretha Franklin and Bruce Springsteen be getting checks for promotion? I doubt it.

The other news from Apple was that you can multitask programs and apps on the iPad with their new platform. But you have to buy a new iPad.

I would now turn my attention back to Tidal. The problem is, they’re a wreck. Back to Spotify. It’s just fine.

Game Changer: Brad Pitt Takes Next Movie to Netflix, with Theatrical Release as Well

Roger Friedman
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Game Changer: Brad Pitt Takes Next Movie to Netflix, with Theatrical Release as Well

Score for Netflix: Brad Pitt’s next feature will debut on the subscription service in 2016 as well as in theaters. “War Machine” comes from David Michod, director of the great “Animal Kingdom” and the lesser “The Rover.” This is big news for Netflix, which now will flex its muscle simultaneously on their own platform and in movie theaters. The latter part of this news is to mollify theater operators who feel more and more cut out of what’s happening in Hollywood. This is no longer just Adam Sandler putting his unwanted movies on Netflix. Watch and see if this isn’t a game changer. “War Machine” is based on a book called “The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America’s War in Afghanistan” by the late Michael Hastings.

Tony Awards Ratings Lowest in History of Show, Down 25% from Last Year

Roger Friedman
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Tony Awards Ratings Lowest in History of Show, Down 25% from Last Year

So all that JLO and Josh Groban stuff didn’t work. The Tony Awards were down 25% last night from last year, the lowest ratings ever for the telecast. Lack of a star host was the issue, as Alan Cumming and Kristen Chenoweth were fun, but had no pull.

http://www.showbiz411.com/2015/06/08/backstage-at-the-tony-awards-kelli-ohara-no-longer-the-susan-lucci-of-the-tony-awards

Total viewers were just over 6 million– that’s not a lot of eyes. I do remember thinking that when the ballet scene started from “An American in Paris,” a lot of people must be tuning out. They were.

NBA Finals, Game 2, had 15.65 million viewers. Next year, Hugh Jackman please come back. Neil Patrick Harris, all is forgiven.

Tony Awards: Anna Wintour Made Sure the Red Carpet Was Really “Red” This Year

Roger Friedman
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Tony Awards: Anna Wintour Made Sure the Red Carpet Was Really “Red” This Year

The Tony Awards were a class act, as usual. But there were some weird things going on that had nothing to do with Broadway.

First, Vogue editor Anna Wintour. Why in the world did she involve herself with what nominees wore? She has nothing to do with Broadway. Sometimes she turns at premieres. But otherwise, how did she become the arbiter of taste?

I heard from various sources that Queen Anna didn’t like the actual red carpet that was chosen for the red carpet walkway and press interviews. So she demanded they change it to something really red and cushiony. No one’s sure if she knows these things are thrown out later.

Josh Groban: good voice, nice guy. But what the heck was he doing singing the In Memoriam? Broadway has dozens of golden throated top stars who could have sung “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” How about Norm Lewis, a Broadway superstar? You could tell how silly Alan Cumming and Kristen Chenoweth thought this was idea was– they lampooned “coming up, Josh Groban” at every promo.

I’m sorry who is Ashley Tisdale, whose best friend is Vanessa Hudgens? Huh?

Back to Anna: seems she’s responsible for the number of beautiful, long legged creatures who did walk the red carpet last night. Kendall Jenner? The girls were attractive, but got a lot of laughs. They were just there as decoration. “The Curious Incident of the Models in the Night-time.” They couldn’t agree if Arthur Miller was a better playwright than Eugene O’Neill (just kidding).

Many reporters did point out: hard to Tweet out #tonyawards when the Wi Fi in Radio City was closed. Very poor service in there. And again, no food or drinks even for sale during a four hour show– very unpleasant.

Backstage at the Tony Awards: Kelli O’Hara No Longer the Susan Lucci of the Tony Awards

Roger Friedman
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Backstage at the Tony Awards: Kelli O’Hara No Longer the Susan Lucci of the Tony Awards

Last night’s Tony Awards put an end to Kelli O’Hara’s long run as the Susan Lucci of the show. She won for “The King and I,” beating Kristen Chenoweth (who was co hosting the show with Alan Cumming) and Chita Rivera, who’s been waiting for another Tony since “Kiss of the Spider Woman” in 1923. Kelli’s speech was the best on a night when all the speeches were pretty fun.

Alex Sharp, who’s 25, won Best Actor in a Play — his first time on Broadway, his first job out of Juilliard School. When he came off stage he looked dazed and asked to be taken back to his seat where his parents were waiting. Later, at the Plaza Hotel Food Court, where part of the official party takes place, he huddled with Best Actress in a Play winner Helen Mirren and her famous director husband Taylor Hackford for advice.

Dame Helen, you know, beats even Meryl Streep for unpretentious. She came off the red carpet before the show started and sort of wafted into the little ante room on a sidestreet that was set up before you set foot into Radio City Music Hall. She did a little jig for the security ladies, who got a kick out of seeing Helen Mirren in a a gauzy dress pretending she could fly like an angel. She asked me, “Where is my husband?” Another security guard asked if she’d like to be accompanied to her seat. “Oh heavens no,” she said, “I have my ticket right here.” She marched off into the theater, no muss, no fuss.

Here’s a little aside about Dame Helen: it turns out famed actor Richard McCabe, who won Best Supporting Actor in “The Audience” playing Harold Wilson to Helen’s QE2, is her tenant in London. He rents out the Hackfords’ basement apartment. Also: after Dame Helen won her Tony, which was early on in the show, she went around the corner to a local bar and raised a glass with “The Audience” cast and crew who weren’t in Radio City. Nice!

Around the Plaza: Nominee Sting and wife Trudie Styler, Patricia Clarkson hanging with “Elephant Man” co-star Alessandro Nivola and of all people, Monica Lewinsky. More to come…

FULL LIST OF TONY AWARD WINNERS

Best Musical:

An American in Paris

Fun Home (WINNER)

Something Rotten!

The Visit

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical

Michael Cerveris, Fun Home (WINNER)

Robert Fairchild, An American in Paris

Brian d’Arcy James, Something Rotten!

Ken Watanabe, The King and I

Tony Yazbeck, On the Town

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical

Kristin Chenoweth, On the Twentieth Century

Leanne Cope, An American in Paris

Beth Malone, Fun Home

Kelli O’Hara, The King and I (WINNER)

Chita Rivera, The Visit

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play

Steven Boyer, Hand to God

Bradley Cooper, The Elephant Man

Ben Miles, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two

Bill Nighy, Skylight

Alex Sharp, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (WINNER)

Best Revival of a Musical

The King and I (WINNER)

On the Town

On the Twentieth Century

Best Revival of a Play

The Elephant Man

Skylight (WINNER)

This Is Our Youth

You Can’t Take It with You

Best Play

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (WINNER)

Disgraced

Hand to God

Wolf Hall Parts One & Two

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical

Victoria Clark, Gigi

Judy Kuhn, Fun Home

Sydney Lucas, Fun Home

Ruthie Ann Miles, The King and I (WINNER)

Emily Skeggs, Fun Home

Best Direction of a Play

Stephen Daldry, Skylight

Marianne Elliott, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (WINNER)

Scott Ellis, You Can’t Take It with You

Jeremy Herrin, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two

Moritz von Stuelpnagel, Hand to God

Best Direction of a Musical

Sam Gold, Fun Home (WINNER)

Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!

John Rando, On the Town

Bartlett Sher, The King and I

Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

Annaleigh Ashford, You Can’t Take It with You (WINNER)

Patricia Clarkson, The Elephant Man

Lydia Leonard, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two

Sarah Stiles, Hand to God

Julie White, Airline Highway

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical

Christian Borle, Something Rotten! (WINNER)

Andy Karl, On the Twentieth Century

Brad Oscar, Something Rotten!

Brandon Uranowitz, An American in Paris

Max von Essen, An American in Paris

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play

Matthew Beard, Skylight

K. Todd Freeman, Airline Highway

Richard McCabe, The Audience (WINNER)

Alessandro Nivola, The Elephant Man

Nathaniel Parker, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two

Micah Stock, It’s Only a Play

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play

Geneva Carr, Hand to God

Helen Mirren, The Audience (WINNER)

Elisabeth Moss, The Heidi Chronicles

Carey Mulligan, Skylight

Ruth Wilson, Constellations

Best Book of a Musical

An American in Paris

Craig Lucas

Fun Home (WINNER)

Lisa Kron

Something Rotten!

Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell

The Visit

Terrence McNally

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Fun Home (WINNER)

The Last Ship

Something Rotten!

The Visit

Best Scenic Design of a Play

Bunny Christie and Finn Ross, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (WINNER)

Bob Crowley, Skylight

Christopher Oram, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two

David Rockwell, You Can’t Take It with You

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Bob Crowley and 59 Productions, An American in Paris (WINNER)

David Rockwell, On the Twentieth Century

Michael Yeargan, The King and I

David Zinn, Fun Home

Best Costume Design of a Play

Bob Crowley, The Audience

Jane Greenwood, You Can’t Take It with You

Christopher Oram, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two (WINNER)

David Zinn, Airline Highway

Best Costume Design of a Musical

Gregg Barnes, Something Rotten!

Bob Crowley, An American in Paris

William Ivey Long, On the Twentieth Century

Catherine Zuber, The King and I (WINNER)

Best Lighting Design of a Play

Paule Constable, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (WINNER)

Paule Constable and David Plater, Wolf Hall Parts One & Two

Natasha Katz, Skylight

Japhy Weideman, Airline Highway

Best Lighting Design of a Musical

Donald Holder, The King and I

Natasha Katz, An American in Paris (WINNER)

Ben Stanton, Fun Home

Japhy Weideman, The Visit

Best Choreography

Joshua Bergasse, On the Town

Christopher Gattelli, The King and I

Scott Graham & Steven Hoggett for Frantic Assembly, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Casey Nicholaw, Something Rotten!

Christopher Wheeldon, An American in Paris (WINNER)

Best Orchestrations

Christopher Austin, Don Sebesky, Bill Elliott, An American in Paris (WINNER)

John Clancy, Fun Home

Larry Hochman, Something Rotten!

Rob Mathes, The Last Ship

Recipients of Awards and Honors in Non-competitive Categories:

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre:

Tommy Tune

Special Tony Award:

John Cameron Mitchell

Regional Theatre Tony Award:

Cleveland Play House, Cleveland, Ohio

Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award:

Stephen Schwartz

Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre:

Arnold Abramson

Adrian Bryan-Brown

Gene O’Donovan

Hollywood Sex Lawsuit: Letters of Apology, Statement from Falsely Accused Exec David A. Neuman

Roger Friedman
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Hollywood Sex Lawsuit: Letters of Apology, Statement from Falsely Accused Exec David A. Neuman

Here are the letters of apology to David A. Neuman, also accused in the same suits as Garth Ancier. Again, to be a lawyer who has to pony up settlement money and letters like these…not good. All the cases were dismissed. But people’s reputations and careers were at risk. And again, there’s still a phoney baloney documentary out there, which I saw at a film festival, that uses Egan’s accusations and stories to bolster itself. I guess next we’ll see the letters of apology to Bryan Singer. The lawsuits became a lightning rod that Singer couldn’t do press for his own movie at the time, and his name was removed from promotions.

Statement from Hollywood Executive David A. Neuman
A year ago, a press conference was held announcing a lawsuit against me that was completely fraudulent and filled with whole cloth lies. The attorney who held that press conference, and then eventually dismissed the case (Jeff Herman), along with the attorney who worked alongside him in Hawaii (Mark Gallagher), have issued the following statements of apology:
Dear Mr. Neuman,
I sincerely apologize for bringing lawsuits against you on behalf of my former client Michael Egan. As you know, I withdrew from representing Mr. Egan two months after filing the complaints. Based on what I know now, I believe that I participated in making what I now know to be untrue and provably false allegations against you. Had I known what I learned after filing the lawsuits, I would never have filed these claims against you. I deeply regret the pain, suffering and damage the lawsuits and publicity have caused you, and your family, friends, and colleagues.
I sincerely regret my role in this matter and for the harm that I caused. I have resolved this matter with compensation to you. I am hopeful that you can recover fully.
Very Truly Yours,
Jeffrey M. Herman, Herman Law
And from the law office of Mark Gallagher:
I sincerely apologize to Mr. David Neuman for my part in bringing a lawsuit against him on behalf of my former client Michael Egan. Unfortunately, I now do not believe that the allegations in the lawsuit were true and accurate, I deeply regret the unjustified pain, suffering and significant damage the lawsuit and publicity has caused Mr. Neuman and his family, friends, and colleagues.
I sincerely regret my role in this matter.
Mark Gallagher
With these apologies, the truth is now clear.
I would like to thank my magnificent attorneys, Patty Glaser and Andy Baum, who lived up to their stellar reputations as my representatives, and shared the following with me:
Dear David,
This marks the first time in our firm’s history that we have filed a malicious prosecution suit, and my partner Andy Baum and I are thrilled at your vindication. Together we have achieved what we set out to do, which is to clear your good name. Mission accomplished.
All our best,
Patty Glaser Glaser Weil
Finally, I would like to thank my family, friends, and colleagues for their steadfast support through this. You have been amazing. You knew that these charges were all lies, and your support was unwavering. I thank you all with all of my heart.
David A. Neuman

Lawyers in Hollywood Sex Case Issue Apologies to Producer Garth Ancier, Pay “Seven Figures” in Damages Settlement

Roger Friedman
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Lawyers in Hollywood Sex Case Issue Apologies to Producer Garth Ancier, Pay “Seven Figures” in Damages Settlement

This just came in from the publicist representing producer Garth Ancier. He was sued by Michael Egan for sexual harassment. Egan has since dropped the case, but not before smearing Ancier. Since then, director Amy Berg has still used Egan as a main source for a documentary about producers preying on young men. Reading this, I can’t imagine how these lawyers, Herman and Egan, can go on. What a mess.

from Davidson Goldin PR:

Attorneys Jeffrey Herman and Mark Gallagher this week issued detailed apologies for filing what they now acknowledge were entirely false claims in a lawsuit against veteran television executive Garth Ancier. The apologies, which appear in their entirety below, are accompanied by an undisclosed monetary payment in the seven figures.

The allegations contained in the baseless lawsuit were fabricated by Michael Egan, who recently pled guilty in North Carolina federal court to running an unrelated Ponzi scheme where he lied to investors and forged documents. He is awaiting sentencing.

Ancier also discovered that as Egan’s Ponzi scheme fell apart, Egan had bragged to a witness that “if all else failed he could go after ‘Gay Hollywood’ and claim he was abused and they will have to settle because they cannot stand the publicity.” A federal judge also scolded Egan for lying in court.

Jeffrey Herman, an attorney for Egan, issued the following apology:
“I sincerely apologize for bringing lawsuits against you on behalf of my former client Michael Egan. As you know, I withdrew from representing Mr. Egan two months after filing the complaints. Based on what I know now, I believe that I participated in making what I now know to be untrue and proveably false allegations against you. Had I known what I learned after filing the lawsuits, I would never have filed these claims against you. I deeply regret the pain, suffering and damage the lawsuit and publicity have caused you, and your family, friends, and colleagues. I sincerely regret my role in this matter and for the harm that I caused. I have resolved this matter with compensation to you. I am hopeful that you can recover fully.”

Mark Gallagher, an attorney for Egan, issued the following apology:
“I sincerely apologize to Mr. Garth Ancier for my part in bringing a lawsuit against him on behalf of my former client Michael Egan. Unfortunately, I now do not believe that the allegations in the lawsuit were true and accurate. I deeply regret the unjustified pain, suffering and significant damage the lawsuit and publicity has caused Mr. Ancier, and his family, friends, and colleagues. I sincerely regret my role in this matter.”

Ancier stated:
“The lawyers who brought this false claim are now making a significant financial payment as part of their apology for bringing a case they acknowledge never had any merit, finally proving that a convicted scam artist’s claims about me were entirely made up. I said on day one this was all absolutely false and I’m certainly pleased that’s now been admitted by the lawyers responsible for transforming absurd fabrications into a real-life nightmare for me.”

Here’s the Free FBI File on Whitney Houston, You Don’t Need to Buy Bogus New Book

Roger Friedman
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Here’s the Free FBI File on Whitney Houston, You Don’t Need to Buy Bogus New Book

There’s a bogus new “biography” of Whitney Houston out this week, touted in today’s New York tabloids. There’s nothing new here. The big news is that someone tried extort money from Whitney. Her father may have paid it off, we don’t know. But the FBI file is old. Here it is, for free. Simon & Schuster should really be ashamed of themselves.

http://vault.fbi.gov/whitney-houston/whitney-houston-part-01-of-01/view.

Watch Trailer for “Bridge of Spies” Starring Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance, Directed by Steven Spielberg

Roger Friedman
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Watch Trailer for “Bridge of Spies” Starring Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance, Directed by Steven Spielberg

“Bridge of Spies” is directed by Steven Spielberg from a script by Joel and Ethan Coen. Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance star, with the amazing Amy Ryan and up and coming Billy Magnussen. It looks great from this trailer. Best Pic nominee? Lookin’ good so far…

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