Sunday, December 21, 2025
Donate
Home Blog Page 1647

Flashback: How Tom Cruise Turned His Mom into a Scientology Nanny

Roger Friedman
-
0
Flashback: How Tom Cruise Turned His Mom into a Scientology Nanny

MARCH 2007:

It hasn’t been a great week for Tom Cruise, PR-wise.

Perhaps inspired by Cruise’s Scientology fundraiser in New York last week, both the Star and US Weekly are featuring Cruise and wife Katie Holmes on their covers. The subject of their stories: a possible divorce, brought about by Katie’s frustrations with Scientology.

While Cruise should be worrying about what’s left of his career, instead he seems to be digging his heels in deeper when it comes to his religious devotion. He doesn’t seem to realize that a whole new generation now associates Cruise with Xenu, aliens and science fiction.

On top of this, word comes to us from Marco Island, Fla., where Tom’s mom, Mary Lee Mapother, lived for nearly two decades until exactly a year ago.

As I’ve reported before, it was roughly a year ago that Tom’s mother left her Florida home for Tom’s Beverly Hills manse and never returned.

This was a shock to her longtime second husband, Jack South, who accompanied her on a trip to see new baby granddaughter Suri. After going west with Mary Lee, South went south and east. He returned to Florida alone.

Since then, with perhaps one exception, Mary Lee Mapother has not once contacted her many friends in Marco Island.

“She just vanished,” says a friend. “It’s like there was a death.”

Jack South, friends say, has been consoling himself with his children from his first marriage, and with friends who can commiserate with him.

What happened to these people sounds a lot like what happened to Holmes’ former friends — including her “Dawson’s Creek” castmates — when Holmes went out to be interviewed by Cruise in April 2005 for “Mission: Impossible 3” and never returned home.

November 20, 2006– Tom Cruise and his wedding to Katie Holmes

Opera singer Andrea Bocelli sang at Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ crazy wedding as a “gift,” but he refused to sing “Ave Maria” during the ceremony.

The reason: Bocelli, a Catholic, didn’t want to disrespect the Roman Catholic Church.

That makes him the only Catholic who actually took a stand as Cruise, who was born Catholic, orchestrated a non-Catholic Church sanctioned wedding right in the Vatican’s backyard.

Not even Holmes’ poor parents, whose other three daughters were married in the faith, could put a stop to the proceedings.

The question now is, what does the future hold for Cruise? The New York Post called him a “nut” on its front page Sunday. “Saturday Night Live” mocked him in its update section for having space aliens at the reception. He has no idea that he’s the object of worldwide ridicule for this ludicrous pageant. Cruise is clueless. In a way, he’s become the new Michael Jackson.

It didn’t help that if the wedding guests weren’t members of Scientology (John Travolta, Kelly Preston, Leah Remini, Jenna Elfman, etc.) they were otherwise people to whom Cruise is more or less a stranger: Jim Carrey, Jenny McCarthy, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Richard Gere, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith and Bruce Willis .Each and every one of them was there because they were connected to Cruise through his publicist or talent agent.

Of course, new best pal Brooke Shields, who was so offended by Cruise 18 months ago, was there (just wait ’til we hear about Brooke or producer-husband Chris Henchy doing a deal with United Artists).

You might ask: Where were the people who used to be billed by publicists back in the day as the Cruise pals? That list included Jamie Foxx, Cuba Gooding Jr., Paul Newman, Steven Spielberg and producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Indeed, they were not present, although “Jerry Maguire” director Cameron Crowe and “Mission: Impossible 3” helmer J.J. Abrams happily showed up.

Cruise’s best man, according to wire reports, was Scientology chief David Miscavige. Also close by Cruise’s side: Tom Davis, the son of actress Anne Archer, a kind of a second-in-command to Miscavige and Cruise’s steady companion.

And while Katie’s sister, Nancy, was listed as the maid of honor, Holmes’ more recent best friend, Jessica Feshbach Rodriguez — daughter of Scientology’s first family and Katie’s “minder” since she joined Cruise’s camp in April 2005 — was front and center.

Not there: Any of Katie’s friends with the exception of a couple of super-secret loyalists. But no costars from any TV shows or films were invited, including the cast of “Dawson’s Creek.”

Not invited: Jack South, who for 20 years has been the husband of Cruise’s mother, Mary Lee Mapother. He was still at home in Florida late last week watching football on TV and insisting to me during a very nice phone call that his wife had not left him forever.

I reported in this space a few weeks ago that Cruise’s mother had headed to Cruise’s Beverly Hills mansion in April when baby Suri was born.

Mapother had for years been a Eucharistic minister at the Roman Catholic Church in San Marco Island, Fla., but apparently she too has joined Scientology, along with Cruise’s sisters. Two of the sisters homeschool Cruise’s adopted children with Nicole Kidman, Connor and Isabella, in Scientology.

In the end, the wedding may be a fitting final chapter in Cruise’s career, a blissful blaze-out. He seems to have no idea that in America, at least, there are no fans left to take him seriously.

It will be all but impossible now for a new generation of film fans to see past his erratic public behavior, the Oprah couch shenanigans, the decrying of psychiatry and now the rejection of Catholicism for a religion invented by a science-fiction writer. Luckily, he has lots and lots of money.

Going Clear: Scientology Subjects That Didn’t Make Tonight’s HBO Documentary

Roger Friedman
-
0
Going Clear: Scientology Subjects That Didn’t Make Tonight’s HBO Documentary

Alex Gibney would have had to make a mini series about Scientology to cover their 60 years of scandal and crap. As it is, did a great job with “Going Clear,” which airs tonight on HBO at 9pm Eastern. Don’t miss it.

But what’s left out? Plenty. Let’s start with actress Anne Archer from “Fatal Attraction,” married to writer Terry Jastrow. They’re lifelong members. Anne’s mother was Danny Thomas’s TV wife, Marjorie Lord, who’s 96 years old. Archer and Jastrow are right in the center of Scientology’s Hollywood hook ups.

Archer’s son from her first marriage, Tommy Davis, was Scientology’s celebrity wrangler for years, and Tom Cruise’s other bff in the organization other than David Miscavige. Davis was a zealot, and knows where every body is buried (maybe literally).

But after dozens of public appearances where he threatened opponents, Davis has been ‘disappeared.’ He married Jessica Feshbach, the daughter of huge Scientology donors, and also the monitor who was glued to Katie Holmes’s side when Tom Cruise first wooed and kept her away from family and friends. Feshbach literally spoke for Holmes during this period. She and Davis are said to be back in Los Angeles but no one can say what’s happened to them.

Also not in the documentary: Jenna Miscavige Hill, niece of Scientology leader David Miscavige. She escaped from the cult, and has been a vocal critic.There’s also the story of Shelly Miscavige, David’s wife, “missing” for years from being seen in public. Last year, under pressure, the cult produced her briefly to say she was ok and not being held hostage. No one believed it.

There are other family members of ex-leaders of the cult who’ve left and turned critical including L. Ron Hubbard’s family, and Karen de la Carriere, the ex-wife of another Scientology leader Hebert Jentzsch. Her adult son died mysteriously, and she says the cult has never given her an explanation. She wasn’t allowed to see him when he was ill, or after he died.

There’s also no mention of Scientology’s 1991 lawsuits against Time Magazine and Reader’s Digest over Richard Behar’s now famous take down piece called “The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power.” It took a decade for the magazines to fully shut down Scientology’s ceaseless attempts to prove libel. The case went to the Supreme Court, which wisely decided not hear the case to reinstate the lawsuits after they’d been dismissed by lower courts.

And there’s not much mention of the many lawsuits Scientology had to settle out of court. The most infamous one was over the death of Lisa McPherson, who died under their care in 1995 from a pulmonary embolism. The death was ruled negligent homicide. The cult was indicted on two felony charges, but then the state medical examiner changed his mind and said the cause of death was “accidental.” McPherson’s family settled a civil suit with Scientology in 2004.

There’s tons more. But by the time you’ve watched “Going Clear” and read just a few adjunct articles, you’ll be so depressed and angry that you won’t want to hear anymore.

 

 

 

Going Clear About Isaac Hayes and Scientology: The Real Story

Roger Friedman
-
2
Going Clear About Isaac Hayes and Scientology: The Real Story

I wrote the following column on August 11, 2008. Isaac Hayes, who’d joined Scientology more to be part of something with celebrity, had just died a miserable death. After a severely debilitating stroke he had for some reason been on a treadmill. The loss of Isaac was incalculable for his family and friends. When you’re watching “Going Clear” on Sunday night on HBO, think of this story.

from Aug 2008

My friend, Isaac Hayes, died on Sunday, and his passing leaves many unanswered questions.

The great R&B star, actor, DJ, performer and family man, the composer of “Soul Man,” “Hold On I’m Coming” and other hits by Sam Moore and Dave Prater like “When Something Is Wrong with My Baby,” also was a member of the Church of Scientology.

Isaac was found dead by his treadmill, but conveniently missing from the wire stories was a significant fact: in January 2006, Isaac had a significant stroke. At the time, the word went out only that he had been hospitalized for exhaustion.

But the truth was, Isaac, whom I’d seen just a couple of months earlier when he headlined the Blues Ball in Memphis, was in trouble. Having lost the rights to his songs two decades earlier, he was finally making some money voicing the character of Chef on “South Park.” But “South Park” lampooned Scientology, so the leaders wanted Isaac out.

Push came to shove on Nov. 16, 2005, when “South Park” aired its hilarious “Trapped in the Closet” episode spoofing Tom Cruise and John Travolta. “South Park” creator Matt Stone told me later that Isaac had come to him in tears.

“He said he was under great pressure from Scientology, and if we didn’t stop poking at them, he’d have to leave,” Stone said.

The conversation ended there. Isaac performed Chef’s signature song at the Blues Ball a week later with great delight. Although he was devoted to Scientology, he also loved being part of “South Park.” He was proud of it. And, importantly, it gave him income he badly needed.

But then came the stroke, which was severe. His staff — consisting of Scientology monitors who rarely left him alone — tried to portray it as a minor health issue. It wasn’t. Sources in Memphis told me at the time that Isaac had significant motor control and speech issues. His talking was impaired.

In March 2006, news came that Hayes was resigning from “South Park.” On March 20, 2006, I wrote a column called “Chef’s Quitting Controversy,” explaining that Hayes was in no position to have quit anything due to his stroke. But Scientology issued the statement to the press saying Hayes had resigned, and the press just ate it up. No one spoke to Isaac directly, because he couldn’t literally speak. “Chef” was written out of the show.

Isaac’s income stream was severely impaired as a result. Suddenly there were announcements of his touring, and performing. It didn’t seem possible, but word went out that he’d be at BB King’s in New York in January 2007. I went to see him and reported on it here.

The show was abomination. Isaac was plunked down at a keyboard, where he pretended to front his band. He spoke-sang, and his words were halting. He was not the Isaac Hayes of the past.

What was worse was that he barely knew me. He had appeared in my documentary, “Only the Strong Survive,” released in 2003. We knew each other very well. I was actually surprised that his Scientology minder, Christina Kumi Kimball, with whom I had difficult encounters in the past, let me see him backstage at BB King’s. Our meeting was brief, and Isaac said quietly that he did know me. But the light was out in his eyes, and the situation was worrisome.

But the general consensus was that he needed the money. Without “Chef,” Isaac’s finances were severely curtailed. He had mouths to feed to home. Plus, Scientology requires huge amounts of money, as former member, actor Jason Beghe, has explained in this space. For Isaac to continue in the sect, he had to come up with funds. Performing was the only way.

In recent months, I’ve had conflicting reports. One mutual friend says that Isaac had looked and sounded much better lately at business meetings. But actor Samuel L. Jackson, who recently filmed scenes with Isaac and the late Bernie Mac for a new movie called “Soul Men,” told me on Saturday that Isaac really wasn’t up to the physical demands of shooting the movie. (Neither, it seems, was Bernie Mac.)

Sam Moore, who recorded those Isaac Hayes songs in the ’60s and loved the writer-performer like a brother, told me Sunday when he heard about the death: “I’m happy.” Happy, I asked? “Yes, happy he’s out of pain.” It was one of the most beautiful ideas I’d ever heard expressed on the subject of death.

But there are a lot of questions still to be raised about Isaac Hayes’ death. Why, for example, was a stroke survivor on a treadmill by himself? What was his condition? What kind of treatment had he had since the stroke? Members of Scientology are required to sign a form promising they will never seek psychiatric or mental assistance. But stroke rehabilitation involves the help of neurologists and often psychiatrists, not to mention psychotropic drugs — exactly the kind Scientology proselytizes against.

What will come next, I’m afraid, is a wild dogfight among family members for Isaac’s estate. His song catalog (with David Porter) is one of the greatest in music history. Isaac lost the rights to his big hit songs in 1977. But thanks to something called the Songwriters Act, his heirs — whoever they are determined to be — automatically get the rights back as the songs come up for copyright renewal. I guarantee this will not be pretty. Isaac Lee Hayes has over 300 original compositions listed with BMI, from the Sam & Dave songbook to Carla Thomas’ “BABY (Baby)” to his monumental instrumental “Theme from SHAFT.”

None of this should ever take away from who Isaac Hayes really was: a great friend, a warm congenial man with a big heart and a big laugh. He had married again right before his stroke, and was very happy. If he hadn’t had the stroke, I am certain he would have recorded a new album. There was talk of it after the stroke, but nothing materialized. When we made and promoted “Only the Strong Survive,” he was a masterful musician with a great mind and a wicked sense of humor. His loss at 65 is simply way too early and very tragic.

 

Miami Celebrates 100th Anniversary by Honoring Mobster Meyer Lansky

Roger Friedman
-
0
Miami Celebrates 100th Anniversary by Honoring Mobster Meyer Lansky

Miami’s 100th anniversary included a big bash on Thursday night. There was an out door concert with Barry Gibb, Sam Moore, Sheila E. and other musicians who all got proclamations from the mayor.

And guess who was honored? Famed mobster Meyer Lansky. Why should be be left out? Known through the ages for illegal gambling (the only crime was ever convicted f0r) Lansky’s pals were Bugsy Siegel and Lucky Luciano. In “The Godfather II” he was called Hyman Roth and played — for the ages– by Lee Strasberg.

 

Box Office: Dreamworks Animation Hits a “Home” Run, Beats Ferrell-Hart Comedy

Roger Friedman
-
0
Box Office: Dreamworks Animation Hits a “Home” Run, Beats Ferrell-Hart Comedy

Dreamworks Animation has had so many problems. But this weekend they’re hitting a home run with “Home.” The Tim Johnson film with voices supplied by Steve Martin, Rihanna, and Jennifer Lopez among others should do around $50 million for the three days. It will handily beat Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart’s poorly reviewed “Get Hard,” a project destined for DVD bins and airplanes.

More to come…

Oscar Winner Paul Haggis on Scientology: “Miscavige was Following L. Ron Hubbard’s Cruel Playbook”

Roger Friedman
-
3
Oscar Winner Paul Haggis on Scientology: “Miscavige was Following L. Ron Hubbard’s Cruel Playbook”

Paul Haggis posted this to Tony Ortega’s website a couple of days ago. The Oscar winning writer director of “Crash” and writer of “Million Dollar Baby” was a Scientologist for 35 years. A couple of years ago he had an epiphany after Scientology told his wife, actress, Deborah Rennard, that she, Paul, and their son could no longer speak to Rennard’s parents. They had already left Scientology. Haggis also objected to Scientology backing groups against gay marriage. Two of Haggis’s daughters are gay. After Haggis left the cult– which is described fully in “Going Clear” tomorrow night on HBO– the vindictive group went after him. Here’s an excerpt:

Despite what is being said in their rather pathetic attack pieces on me, I was very involved in Scientology for most of my adult life. While I thought the OT levels madness, I used many Scientology precepts in my daily life — so much so that it took several years after leaving to actually question the many “self-help” concepts that I had learned and used. The slow indoctrination process is as subtle as it is dangerous — largely because you truly believe that you are thinking for yourself, when in fact you are discouraged to do anything of the sort.

Paradoxically, there is great pride in belonging to a stigmatized group. It’s like being in love with a narcissist. All your friends will warn you that you are just being used. You understand why they think what they think, but you believe in your heart that they just don’t see what you see. You just tune them out. For that reason, when I did discover what many outside the church knew, I was truly shocked.

click here for more of today’s posts and headlines

While some of the information had been out there for many years, like all Scientologists, I refused to look. Yes, I was told not to, but I didn’t have to be. This was my group and I knew there to be many people in the world who were bigoted and close-minded, and when I was told that we were “under attack” in Germany or France or wherever, instead of looking for the reasons, I assumed this to be the case — and donated many thousands of dollars toward our “defense.”…

It took years after leaving to understand that these practices I railed against had always been at the core of Scientology — that Miscavige was just very faithfully, if cynically, following L. Ron Hubbard’s cruel playbook. The reason this was hard to believe is exactly because of the duplicitous nature of Hubbard’s writing. He wrote tomes on the practice and necessity of critical thought; how nothing should be accepted at face value.

Scientologists …truly believe that only Scientology can save the world, and that they are making major strides in this direction every year. They hold onto this belief despite the fact that there isn’t even a modicum of evidence that they are having even the tiniest impact on any problem in any part of the globe. ..

Without even watching [Going Clear] my former friends will condemn it as lies. You see it happening already. Understand that many of these Scientologists are damn smart people; many of them truly lovely and caring. But they are the same people who will not hesitate to cut their closest friend or family member out of their lives if they commit the ultimate crime of criticizing the church. You could do anything else and they would stand by you; commit any crime and they would be there to defend you. But not this.

[Scientologists] cannot afford or allow the smallest doubt, because if it took root, their perfect world — a world where there is an answer to every one of life’s questions — could fall apart around them…Which brings to mind something a true genius wrote: “Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack, a crack, in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” For the sake of my former friends, many of whom I loved, I hope that Going Clear is the first crack, that they will watch it, and the light will slip in.

— Paul Haggis

HBO’s Scientology Movie “Going Clear” May Pose Big Problems for Tom Cruise, John Travolta

Roger Friedman
-
8
HBO’s Scientology Movie “Going Clear” May Pose Big Problems for Tom Cruise, John Travolta

Sunday night– you must watch the HBO documentary “Going Clear” about Scientology. Even knowing what I do about this cult, I was actually frightened after watching Alex Gibney’s extraordinary movie. Two hours isn’t even enough time to cover the horrors of what has gone in what Gibney depicts as a get rich quick scheme invented by a crackpot science fiction author. What you’ll see is a lot of people testifying about blackmail, intimidation, illegal surveillance, and physical violence.

But what’s most shocking is the way both Tom Cruise and John Travolta come off in this movie. Their careers could be in big trouble after enough of the public has sat down and really watched “Going Clear.” Gibney is calling for them to come clean and finally stand up to Scientology’s diminutive leader David Miscavige.

I doubt that will happen. Both director Paul Haggis and Miscavige’s own niece have said that while they were in the cult they never read any criticism of it or listened to critics. Many others who’ve left have said the same thing, including actor Jason Beghe, who saw the light and escaped in 2007.

Gibney’s film is must watch TV. For one thing, he explains how Scientology got tax free status as a religion in 1993– by suing the IRS so often and so viciously that the then chairman, Fred Goldberg, finally gave in. Gibney says that in exchange for dropping all the suits– and blackmail of IRS agents whom Scientology followed–Scientology got their status. If Gibney is right, and I think he is, we can blame Goldberg for two decades of terror. And because of the tax free status, Scientology has been able to grow to $3 billion in assets.

The movie is based on Lawrence Wright’s excellent book of the same name. Like the book, the movie hinges a lot on the testimony of two former cult members– Marty Rathbun and Mike Rinder. In the last decade they’ve each escaped and become vociferous vocal critics. This is how much Scientology and Miscavige fear these two: I was told by a journalist, who’d obviously been co-opted by Scientology, that Rathbun and Rinder were really trying to topple Miscavige so they could take over Scientology themselves. Hah! Good try, I responded. But Scientology has money to burn, and they’ve infiltrated normal people with it.

The first hour of “Going Clear” is a fascinating look at L. Ron Hubbard, the Kilgore Trout of Scientology, the cult’s roots, and several people who knew Hubbard as a fake. The second hour more fully addresses Cruise and his complicated history with wives, children and the cult. There’s also a very developed look at Miscavige, Cruise’s doppelganger and Rasputin. It’s a jaw dropper– enough so that, as I’ve said before, I doubt Cruise will ever again do business with Warner Bros., the parent company of HBO.

“Going Clear” basically claims that both Cruise and Travolta are being blackmailed by Scientology to stay in the group. You’ll see it in the film. The two stars, among the two dozen or so who’ve stayed with Scientology, participated in hundreds of “auditing” sessions in which they were taped revealing their personal secrets. Gibney and Wright say those secrets being held over their heads. Even if you’ve heard whispers of this before, the revelations now on camera are eye opening.

What’s absolutely riveting is the story of how Scientology set Cruise up with an insta-girlfriend, actress Nazanin Boniadi, who’s now on “Homeland” after a recurring role on “General Hospital.” It’s more eery than Cruise’s selection of a wife– Holmes– during casting for “Mission Impossible 3.” The story first appeared in Vanity Fair, which savaged Cruise in a detailed take down. Now Gibney has more on what happened in what could be described as its own Mission: Impossible.

What “Going Clear” doesn’t cover– Leah Remini’s exit, the disappearance of Miscavige’s wife, and about four dozen other scandals. Kirstie Alley will probably feel bad that she’s never mentioned. Neither are the misguided actors who fell for this stuff like Jenna Elfman and Juliette Lewis. What is interesting is that Scientology has not been able to attract any more celebrities. No one else has been stupid enough to fall for their tricks. I wonder if the others who are in it will wise up when they see this film.

 

 

 

Radio City Spring Spectacular Is Finally Exactly That, Thanks to Harvey Weinstein

Roger Friedman
-
2
Radio City Spring Spectacular Is Finally Exactly That, Thanks to Harvey Weinstein

You want bang for your buck? We got it last night at the opening of Radio City’s Spring Spectacular starring Laura Benanti, Derek Hough, Lenny Wolpe, and the Rockettes. Wow. In a word, wow. This is not supposed to be Sondheim, or even a subtle Broadway musical. It’s called a “spectacular” for a reason. It’s for tourists, and it’s for families. It’s supposed to be big and brassy, outsized in every way. You were looking for “Into the Woods”? It’s not here.

The Spectacular is just that: set after set of huge pieces that fill Radio City’s block long stage. Grand Central, the Empire State Building, Central Park, Yankee Stadium, the main Library, Times Square, the Metropolitan Museum– complete with paintings and the outside fountain– all the New York icons are reproduced sort of stunningly, with 3D effects and amazing videography.

The show is purposely interactive and ornamented with references to things kid will understand while at the same time occasionally wink-winking to the parents. The story is simple and convoluted at the same time. Derek Hough (known to all from “Dancing with the Stars”) is an Angel sent to Earth to stop billionaire businesswoman Jenna– played by Broadway and “Nashville” favorite Laura Benanti– from turning the city into a digital ruin.

Also involved in this is Bernie, played lovingly by Lenny Wolpe. He’s sold his tour company to Jenna, who plans to make him into an avatar.  He’s going to convince her not to do all these terrible things by showing her the sights of New York. There’s a nod to Easter, but this show is the “Spring Spectacular,” not the Easter show. Still, the Easter segment is grand.

This is a HUGE show by all means. Many millions have spent on the technical stuff, particularly life like robotics that are kind of jaw dropping. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler voice the lions that sit outside of the 42nd St. library. They, like some others I won’t reveal, are just great.

As for the actors: Laura Benanti can do anything. She’s beautiful, smart, has the most enchanting voice, and even dances. You almost wish she were in a “real” Broadway musical, but this will do. She lights up the stage. Derek Hough is a capable dancer, with a big following. Acting is not his strong suit, but he’s not required to do a lot of that. Lenny Wolpe makes up for that as Bernie. He’s so ingratiating you almost want him to end up with Jenna. And then there’s tap dancing great Jared Grimes, who’s worth almost the whole ticket. Keep your eye on him.

Is this theater? In a way. It’s entertainment. That’s all the Radio City shows are supposed to be. In that it succeeds. Harvey Weinstein stepped into produce the show this year when Cablevision’s Jim Dolan asked for help. I think they’ve come up with a winner. And when the story arrives in Times Square, it’s pretty clever how they’ve positioned some sponsors, and Weinstein’s “Finding Neverland” on the set as product plugs. This is not, let us remember, a charity.

In the audience last night, an eclectic group: everyone from comedian Robert Klein to Gayle King, Regis and Joy Philbin, Donald Trump (who’s in the show– don’t ask), Clive Davis, actress Patricia Clarkson, Liv Tyler and “Downton Abbey” escapee Dan Stevens.

 

 

Jay Z Launches Tidal Streaming Hi Def Music Service Today

Roger Friedman
-
0
Jay Z Launches Tidal Streaming Hi Def Music Service Today

Jay Z is launching his streaming music service, called Tidal, on March 30th in the US. This is the service I told you he successfully bought from Swedish investors. Then, on the Friday before the Grammy Awards, Jay summoned a bunch of contemporary stars to a private meeting in Pasadena to discuss Tidal and how they could participate. That group included Madonna and Kanye West, Daft Punk, wife Beyonce, Chris Martin and others.

Read: http://www.showbiz411.com/2015/03/13/exclusive-jay-z-had-secret-pow-wow-with-music-superstars-including-beyonce-madonna-kanye-coldplay-to-start-renegade-streaming-service

“American Idol” Ratings Collapse Without “Empire” As Bait– Significantly Off as Contest Narrows

Roger Friedman
-
0
“American Idol” Ratings Collapse Without “Empire” As Bait– Significantly Off as Contest Narrows

You’d think that as the contest narrows and the singers are zeroing in on the end,  “American Idol” would increase its ratings. It was doing a little better for a while.

But now, with “Empire” gone as its follow up, “Idol” is in trouble. Last night they scored a mere 8.34 million total viewers, and a 1.7 in the key demo.

Just two weeks ago, with “Empire” at its zenith, “Idol” had almost 10 million viewers and a 2.7 in the key demo.

Where did everyone go? It seems like the “Idol” viewers were just waiting around for “Empire” and now that it’s gone, so are they.

And it’s too bad because there are good contestants this season. But the party may be over.

 

1...1,6461,6471,648...2,324Page 1,647 of 2,324

Hollywood to the Hudson

Company

Trending

Categories

© Showbiz411.com