UPDATE Number 1: Shawn Mendes, 16, Youngest Pop Star Since Bieber, Born from Social Media
APRIL 22: Shawn Mendes’ “Handwritten” is number 1 everywhere even Billboard. He sold 117,365 copies of “Handwritten” including streaming and downloading. He’s the youngest pop star to hit number 1 in a debut since Justin Bieber. He’s also the first star born from social media.
APRIL 16: Shawn Mendes will not turn 17 until August. That means at a solid 16, he’s number 1 today on iTunes and most certainly on Billboard when the albums are counted next week. His first album, “Handwritten,” was released on Tuesday by Universal Music.
Mendes is many things including the better Bieber. He’s tall, for one thing. For another, he really plays and writes. I actually saw him at a showcase last winter in New York. His audience is, like Bieber’s, screaming teenage girls.
Any other differences? His songs are catchy and original. He can play an acoustic set for hours. Call him a junior James Taylor. The worst thing that could happen to him is being infected by song “teams” and collaborators, production groups that turn his music into the same pap churned out by everyone else. At the moment, he’s still original.
He’s also polite and self effacing. He nice parents, from Toronto. This summer, Mendes will really blow up when he goes on tour with Taylor Swift. Yes, in this case, Taylor would be a cougar! Hopefully, she’ll just be a good friend and mentor. She did that for Ed Sheeran, and look where he is now.
How did Mendes do it? Really, social media. He’s part of a vast network of Vine and YouTube stars who the teens are creating on their own. It’s a whole teen subculture. Grace Helbig, about to have a talk show on the E! channel, is one of them. And more are coming, in droves.
Cannes 2015: Woody Allen, Natalie Portman, Cate Blanchett, and No Terrence Malick
Sacre bleu! Cannes 2015 was announced this morning. There’s a strong mix of films, with directors Todd Haynes, Gus van Sant, and Jacques Audiard in competition. But of course, out of competition there are new movies from Woody Allen, and a first film by our very own Natalie Portman, formerly of Long Island. And the big talk is the movies that didn’t make it. Like, what happened to “Knight of Cups” from Terrence Malick? After “To the Wonder,” I was hoping for a good, long nap again. But there’s no sign of it! And you know, this is never the whole story. There will inevitably be a couple of additions.
COMPETITION
Dheepan (working title), dir: Jacques Audiard
A Simple Man, dir: Stephane Brize
Marguerite and Julien, dir: Valerie Donzelli
The Tale of Tales, dir: Matteo Garrone
Carol, dir: Todd Haynes
The Assassin, dir: Hou Hsiao Hsien
Mountains May Depart, dir: Jia Zhang-Ke
Our Little Sister, dir: Hirokazu Kore-Eda
Macbeth, dir: Justin Kurzel
The Lobster, dir: Yorgos Lanthimos
Mon Roi, dir: Maiwenn
Mia Madre, dir: Nanni Moretti
Son of Saul, dir: Laszlo Nemes
Youth, dir: Paolo Sorrentino
Louder Than Bombs, dir: Joachim Trier
The Sea of Trees, dir: Gus Van Sant
Sicario, dir: Denis Villeneuve
UN CERTAIN REGARD
Madonna, dir: Shin Suwon
Maryland, dir: Anna Winocour
The Fourth Direction, dir: Gurvinder Singh
Masaan (Fly Away Solo), dir: Neeraj Ghaywan
Hruter (Rams), dir: Grimur Hakonarson
Kishibe No Tabi (Journey to the Shore), dir: Kurosawa Kiyoshi
Je Suis Un Soldat (I Am a Soldier), dir: Laurent Larivere
Zvizdan (The High Sun), dir: Dalibor Matanic
The Other Side, dir: Roberto Minervini
One Floor Below, dir: Radu Muntean
Shameless, dir: Oh Seung-Uk
The Chosen Ones, dir: David Pablos
Nahid, dir: Ida Panahandeh
The Treasure, dir: Corneliu Porumboiu
OUT OF COMPETITION
Mad Max: Fury Road, dir: George Miller
Irrational Man, dir: Woody Allen
Inside Out, dir: Pete Docter and Ronaldo del Carmen
Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince), dir: Mark Osborne
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
Oka, dir: Souleymane Cisse
Sipur Al Ahava Ve Choshech (A Tale of Love and Darkness), dir: Natalie Portman
Hayored Lema’ala, dir Elad Keidan
Amnesia, dir: Barbet Schroeder
Panama, dir: Pavel Vuckovic
Asphalte, dir: Samuel Benchetrit
MIDNIGHT SCREENINGS
O Piseu (Office), Dir: Hong Won-Chan
Amy, Dir: Asif Kapadia
Mariah Carey’s Got a Hit Single Coming April 27, And It Won’t Make Nick Cannon Happy
Nick Cannon was quoted in some tabloid last week saying he wasn’t opposed to getting back together with Mariah Carey. Well, he may be when he hears her new single, “Infinity,” scheduled for release on April 27th. I heard it on Wednesday, and I can tell you that after her crazy last album on DefJam and all those singles that didn’t work like “You’re Mine” and “#beautiful,” Mariah is back in droves.
“Infinity” is at the same time old school R&B and right on the money for NOW. L.A. Reid has encouraged her back into the department of lyrics that mean something to her. Not only does “Infinity” tell a story– which most people will infer is about her and Nick–the song also has a great melody, a real hook you won’t forget, and Mariah hitting a very high, sustained note that is her and her alone.
The gist of the song is that “Infinity isn’t forever” and she wants the man who is the subject of the song out of her home and her life this minute. It’s a very witty lyric written by Mariah with a team including writer-producer Eric Hudson, who has a long resume for age 28. (Also his parents wrote Madonna’s classic hit “Holiday.”)
“Infinity” is the kind of song, in fact, where audiences will be singing along in shows. Mariah is getting ready to film a video for it this weekend with Brett Ratner. From the lyrics, I’d say there will be a lot of glass smashing, maybe doors with guest mats where the subject of the song is told to leave Mariah’s heart. She can also be heard laughing on the track, which is a hoot and a half.
So get ready. Mariah is coming back to the charts. And it’s going to be fun!
Broadway Review: “Finding Neverland” with Matthew Morrison Becomes Charming Stage Musical for the Ages
“Finding Neverland” arrives tonight on Broadway loaded for Tony nominations and overflowing with charm. It’s also Harvey Weinstein’s debut as a modern day David Merrick. Stand back.
The good news, and there’s plenty of it: Matthew Morrison is like a real life Peter Pan as he makes a Glee-ful return to Broadway with legions of fans following him. Laura Michelle Kelly is luminous as Sylvia Llewellyn Davies, and Kelsey Grammer steals the show alternating between Barrie’s theater producer and a wonderfully hilarious Captain Hook. Finding Neverland turns out to be the three hankie show of the season with a lump in its throat and a tear in the eye.
“FN” is based on the 2003 Oscar nominated movie hat starred Johnny Depp and was directed by Marc Forster. Now Diane Paulus — of “Pippin” and “Hair” fame– reimagines the story of how “Peter Pan” author James M. Barrie was energized by widow Sylvia Davies and her four young boys. Barrie was at a cross roads at his career as London playwright and stuck in an unhappy marriage. Meeting the Davies in the park awakened his inner child, and soon the story of Peter and Captain Hook, et al came to life. Paulus is expert at whimsy, and so her London shivers with confetti blasts, and delights in oversized bicycles, red balloons, and a hallucinatory clock sequence that I want to see again as soon as possible.
Gary Barlow wrote the music in a sort of Beatle-y, Elton John lite motif, with plenty of catchy songs like “When Your Feet Don’t Touch the Ground,” “Better,” “Circus of Your Mind,” and “Believe.” Morrison, Kelly and Grammer are not the only success stories of “Neverland.” Carolee Carmello is splendid as Sylvia’s haughty mother, and the Davies boys that I saw were spot on without being cloying. The boys even have their own clever number –“We’re All Made of Stars” — that proves witty and endearing.
And PS– Morrison has his huge following from “Glee,” but he’s the real thing. He has a beautiful voice with lots of range, and stage presence to spare.
Madonna’s Chart Resurgence is Short Lived as “Rebel Heart” Drops Out of iTunes Top 100
And so, it’s over. Madonna’s chart resurgence was short lived as “Rebel Heart” is now at number 105 on iTunes. The album had a big jump last week after Madonna’s great appearance on Jimmy Fallon’s “Tonight” show. But there was no follow up, except for Madonna’s kiss thing with Drake. Shock doesn’t sell albums the way it used to, I guess. The single we thought might take off, “Bitch, I’m Madonna,” is also gone from the iTunes singles chart and isn’t being played on radio.
The good news, I guess, is that last week’s chart– which comes out today– has “Rebel Heart” up to number 32 on hitsdailydouble’s combined chart. “Rebel Heart” sold 16,108 copies altogether after the Fallon show, which is better than nothing but not enough to keep the Material Girl in quarter horses at the Southampton riding academy. She could still play horseshoes, however.
And so, on to the tour this fall. We’ll always have a special place in our ‘rebel hearts’ for Madge.
Broadway: “Frasier” Reunion with Kelsey Grammer, David Hyde Pierce Back to Back
There’s a big “Frasier” reunion going on this month on Broadway. Kelsey Grammer, who played Frasier Crane in both the hit bar comedy “Cheers” and his own show for a total of 20 years, is having a blast in the new musical “Finding Neverland” with “Glee” star Matthew Morrison at the Lunt-Fontanne on West 46th St.
Down the alley a half a block, just about literally back to back, Frasier’s brother Niles Crane made his directorial debut last night with “It Shoulda Been You” at the Brooks Atkinson on West 47th St. Two of the actors in that musical, Edward Hibbert and Harriet Harris, played recurring roles on “Frasier.”
Not only that: there’s a big “Cheers” moment in “Finding Neverland” that makes the audience explode with laughter. I don’t want to give it away. Frasier Crane, as we all know, came from “Cheers” originally.
The good news is that all the “Frasier’ players are well suited for Broadway. Their show was often staged like a great stage comedy, often a French farce. And they’ve all been on Broadway a lot, only Hyde-Pierce is usually acting. “It Shoulda Been You” offers him great material for his debut as it showcases a family and their friends stuck in a fancy hotel as a wedding approaches.
Last night, Hyde-Pierce proved a draw for a lot of celebs including Rosie O’Donnell, Judith Light, Patricia Clarkson, Julianna Margulies, Neil Patrick Harris, and “Kimmy Schmidt” star Titus Burgess in the audience. An even bigger crowd is set for the “Finding Neverland” premiere tonight.
Casting Call for Lifetime “Full House” Tell-All Movie Has Nice Anti-Semitic Overtone
Bob Saget should get a kick out of this. I was sent a casting call for Lifetime’s tell-all backstage movie about the TV show “Full House.” Saget’s character, Danny Tanner, is described as “a tall, Caucasian, sarcastic, quick witted, and lanky affable actor in his early 30s, with a prominent nose and a New York type personality.”
The last part is worded oh so carefully– “a prominent nose and New York type personality” is code for Jewish. With a capital J.
Lifetime has become a moat for really bad “told to” movies about celebrities and old TV shows. In the last year they tramped all over Whitney Houston and made a sleazy business out of “Saved by the Bell.” It’s unclear who watches this stuff– bored pets?– but maybe it the stuff sells overseas.
This episode is written by Ron McGee, who also authored “The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Movie.” I doubt he wrote the description of Saget’s character, but someone associated with this did. The Olsen twins should be worried.
John Stamos’s Uncle Jessie is described as “Early-mid 20s, Caucasian, really good looking
dark, sexy male with a great head of hair…A little surprised to discover that some of his younger cast mates outshine him, he nonetheless relishes his status as one of Hollywood’s Most Eligible Bachelors. He even meets the woman of his dreams…” At least there’s no mention of Greek yogurt.
No word on who will play the Olsen twins, or any of the others including Dave Coulier.
Percy Sledge, Singer of “When a Man Loves A Woman,” Dies of Liver Cancer at 73
Percy Sledge has passed away at age 73. The great singer of “When a Man Loves a Woman” was suffering from liver cancer for some time according to sources. “When a Man Loves a Woman” was the First gold record ever earned by Atlantic Records, ushering in the era of Ahmet Ertegun, Jerry Wexler, Aretha Franklin, Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett, and so many more.
Thanks to Seymour Stein, Percy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame several years ago. Small in height Percy was large in stature, a great singer who had a lot of R&B chart hits and songs covered by others apart from “When a Man Loves A Woman.”
One of my favorite Percy Sledge songs is “True Love Travels on a Gravel Road”
Of course, Percy was not a one hit wonder. “Warm and Tender Love” rode up the charts right behind “When A Man”:
But of course he’ll always be identified with this song, which Michael Bolton has kept alive as part of his shtick. But it was Percy’s song, twice a hit in the UK and one of the greatest classics of all time. Percy Sledge was a sweet man, and a great artist.
“Avengers: Age of Ultron” Premieres in Hollywood 3 Weeks Before Actual Opening
For some reason Marvel and Disney premiered “The Avengers: Age of Ultron” last night in Hollywood, three weeks before it opens in theaters. ABC, part of the Disney empire, turned the whole thing into an extravaganza with a live Jimmy Kimmel show following the premiere, with a lot of the cast present. They even tied in ABC TV’s “Agents of SHIELD” by piping in actor Clark Gregg.
So how was the movie? Hard to say. Certainly, everyone who saw it “loved” it. And everyone who didn’t see it “loved” it. The red carpet at the Dolby Theater was live streamed. All in all, it was a jolly hype fest. But no one will see the movie again until April 21st, when there’s a press screening in New York, and then again on April 27th. Suffice to say, “Ultron” should be like printing money. The buzz is on to make it the biggest movie in Hollywood history.
One nice touch at the premiere: Lou Ferrigno, the original incredible Hulk from TV, and the nicest guy in the world. Marvel always includes him in everything.