“Paddington Bear” opened in the UK today to rave reviews. It opens here Christmas Day courtesy of Harvey Weinstein, who may have his biggest hit yet. The movie looks hilarious.
Check out this clip of Hugh Bonneville, aka Lord Grantham, chatting with the Bear. Maggie Smith never gave him this much trouble!
Katniss and friends are still kicking ass at number 1, but not as much as they did last year. “Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1” has a robust $168 million in the bank so far domestically. On Thanksgiving the third film in the series of four made $11 million– way more than anything else playing in a movie theater.
But by day 7 last year, “Catching Fire” was already at $222 million. The new movie is 25% off the pace of the last one, and the gap is widening. Still, no one associated with “The Hunger Games” is going hungry, or losing sleep, or worrying about their water bill. They’re just quietly preparing for next year’s finale and a hopeful return to form.
John Williams! A baby R2D2– or something like it! Let’s go! I’ll say it– biggest movie of all time.
As the Bill Cosby story continues to gather momentum, here’s an exclusive fascinating look at the person whose first-person recollection last Sunday and subsequent TV interviews on CNN, ET and Inside Edition put the story into overdrive – and inspired several other victims to come forward – Joan Tarshis.
Most media reports have described Tarshis as having been “an aspiring actress” at the time in 1969 that Cosby allegedly drugged and raped her.
But in 1969 she had already had a few years as a successful child TV star under her belt – including appearances in TV movies and a co-starring role for two seasons on the CBS Public Affairs TV series “Let’s Take A Trip” .
In her childhood years she went by her stage name – Joan Terrace.
By 1969, in addition to her acting carer she was also a budding comedy writer (for Godfrey Cambridge).
Here is a publicity photo of the 10-year-old Joan Tarshis in CBS’ acclaimed 1959 version of “Mrs Miniver” in which she starred alongside Maureen O’Hara.
This is the end, my friend. The rape allegations and stories were bad enough. Even worse was the admission by Bill Cosby’s former assistant Frank Scotti that he was the bag man/wing man for Cosby’s girlfriends in the 1980s.
Now comes word via the Boston Globe that UMass Amherst has cut all ties with Cosby. Over the years, Cosby had been given both a master’s and a doctorate in education from the college. He was notably the honorary co-chairman of the school’s ongoing $300 million fund-raising campaign. Bill and Camille Cosby had donated several hundred thousand dollars to the school.
The UMass connection was set Cosby apart from everyone else in comedy and in showbiz. Education has been the underscore of his career. I cannot emphasize this enough. Parting with UMass must be killing Cosby. I have to say I feel bad for him now.
But it’s the silence that’s really killing him. Cosby’s insistence on shutting down, rolling over, and just taking these body blows is not doing him any favors. This is a tragic end for a beautiful career. For the school to end the association seems like the crushing blow, the final straw. That Cosby didn’t defend himself is chilling.
The really great film “The Imitation Game” opens today, and now all Ognosticators are scrambling around with predictions and poses. This week we had the Independent Spirit Awards nominees. On Monday we get the Gotham Awards and the New York Film Critics Circle announcements. Soon after we’ll get the less reliable Golden Globe and National Board of Whatever nominees, awards, citations, and accolades based on a lot of things that have nothing to do with movies.
So where do we stand? No one, except some people in Australia, have seen Angelina Jolie’s “Unbroken.” That will also come on Monday. But for today, we’ll put that aside.
I do think the movies in the running for Best Picture stack up like this: Selma, Imitation Game, and Boyhood would be my top three choices. After that, you get Foxcatcher (which I just rewatched, and it’s even better than I remembered), The Grand Budapest Hotel, Into the Woods, Whiplash and The Theory of Everything. That’s 8. Birdman has a big following, but I’m not sure how it’s doing or if people outside of showbiz really care about it. American Sniper is a really well made movie, with a resounding performance by Bradley Cooper. So that’s where we are.
Best Actor– Four candidates are solid– Benedict Cumberbatch, Eddie Redmayne, David Oyelowo, and Steve Carell. After that, we’ve got two comic actors– Michael Keaton and Bill Murray. I’m a huge fan of Al Pacino in The Humbling. (All voters should get this DVD from Millennium.) Then there’s Bradley Cooper. And not to be missed is Oscar Isaac’s work in A Most Violent Year. Don’t count him out. Floating in the ether is Jack O’Connell in Unbroken. But he is really brand new to the game, and to movies. The line in front of him is long.
Best Actress– Everyone bemoans this category this year. But I have Julianne Moore up front in Still Alice; Emily Blunt knocked me out in Into the Woods. Felicity Jones is superb in Theory of Everything. Reese Witherspoon has a lot of support for Wild even if the movie is lacking. I am still hopeful that Patricia Arquette will jump to lead for Boyhood. And Gugu Mbatha-Raw is exceptional in Belle.
Best Supporting Actress– Arquette, if she stays here, leads the pack. Keira Knightley is a no-brainer for Imitation Game. Laura Dern is the heart and soul of Wild. Jessica Chastain– pick between Interstellar, and A Most Violent Year. She just has to be in the pack. Carmen Ejogo is just fine in “Selma.” And Meryl Streep looms over this crowd in Into the Woods. I mean, she needs her own category. By the way, The Humbling has Greta Gerwig and Nina Arianda, equally good.
Best Supporting Actor– Ethan Hawke in Boyhood is understated and charming. Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo are essential to Foxcatcher, but I think Ruffalo is more supporting and Tatum has a hard fight among the lead actors. James Corden is the engine in Into the Woods. Edward Norton will not go unnoticed in Birdman. JK Simmons would be an “overnight sensation” for Whiplash. Tim Roth and Tom Wilkinson are tremendous in “Selma” but maybe too good. This was the problem with James Woods in “Mississippi Burning.” You feel like you’re rewarding evil. Oh– special citation to Matt Damon in “Interstellar.” There, it’s ok to reward evil.
Best Director– Bennett Miller for Foxcatcher. Ava DuVernay for Selma. James Marsh for Theory. Morten Tyldum for Imitation Game. Richard Linklater for Boyhood. And we leave room for Angie.
One last thing about Interstellar — at the Sundance screening of Memento, I thought the Nolans were the future. Was that 14 years ago? They’ve never disappointed as far as making fascinating, lasting movies. I actually had an experience not unlike Jessica Chastain and Matthew McConaughey in the bookcase recently. I guess it can happen. I feel like Christopher Nolan is so close to victory– but in something smaller or more focused. See Spielberg, as in ‘we loved ET but had to wait for Schindler’s List.’
Sting performed in his first Macys Thanksgiving Parade this morning– showing off a big, reworked number from his Broadway musical “The Last Ship.” And wow– what a lot of work was involved to re-choreograph and re-record the very catchy “Show Some Respect” bar scene. Right now in the show, the number features Rachel Tucker and Sally Ann Triplett, with Jimmy Nail. For the parade, the number has been changed to feature Sting, who joins the Broadway show on December 9th replacing Nail. But Sting, ever loyal, made sure Jimmy Nail was prominent in the parade version as well. As soon as the clip is available, I’ll add it below. My guess is a lot of Broadway tickets were sold this morning!
Here’s the PBS version in the meantime:
Michael Brown’s parents hit the Today show this morning, and CBS Morning News. Brown’s mother, Lesley McSpadden, told Gayle King and Charlie Rose that no one– meaning the mayor, the chief of police or any official in Ferguson, has ever offered an apology or condolence for the death of their son. “No no nothing,” said McSpadden. “We’ve just been disrespected all the way around,” said Michael Brown Sr. In fairness, Police Chief Jackson did post a video apologizing to the Browns in September.
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Leon Russell did have band instruments stolen from his bus yesterday while on tour. But that’s not the worst thing that happened to the 72 year old rock legend this year.
Did you know that Russell released a new album this year? Think about it for a minute. You did not know that. That’s because Universal Music , which released “Life Journey” back on April 1st, let the collection sink like a stone without a trace. The album never charted. There are no reviews for it or mentions in the New York Times or Los Angeles Times. Rolling Stone at least reviewed it, giving the album a tiny nod with three-and-a-half stars.
To make matters more perplexing “Life’s Journey” had a star producer– Tommy LiPuma– and a star engineer– Al Schmitt. Sources say it cost around $250,000 to make, for Capitol-EMI, before that company was merged into Universal.
Originally, the album had planned for Decca (also part of Universal) after Russell’s collaboration on the excellent album “The Union” with Elton John. But the word was that David Foster, who’d come in and taken over Decca, didn’t want to do it.
So the album foundered, finally finding a home, so to speak, on Universal’s sort of miscellaneous catalog reissue area. UMe, as it’s known, is for the Beatles, Neil Diamond, and ABBA. Not only do they not release new records, they also do not list Leon Russell as a current artist. Indeed, Russell isn’t listed on the entire Universal Music Group website.
What a shame. “Life’s Journey” is beautifully executed, with trademark raspy swamp vocals, rolling piano, and an unmistakable Southern drawl. I’ve listened to it on Spotify since realizing it existed, and I will try and get a physical copy too. There are a couple of original songs (“Big Lips”) and several knockout covers like an upbeat rockin’ version of “Fever.” This is real music. How tragic that this is what’s happened to the dying record business. This record was killed on purpose, while the top 40 crap we know too much about is served up hourly.
Here’s one of my all time Leon Russell tracks:
PS Jerry Lee Lewis has a new album,out, too– called “Rock and Roll Time.” Someone’s keeping it a better secret than anything at the NSA. Also very very good.
Look at the artists on this track list. And the record companies were interested only in Iggy Hydrangea.
1. Rock & Roll Time (with Doyle Bramhall II and Jon Brion)
2. Little Queenie (with Keith Richards and Ron Wood)
3. Stepchild (with Daniel Lanois and Doyle Bramhall II)
4. Sick and Tired (with Jon Brion)
5. Bright Lights, Big City (with Neil Young and Ivan Neville)
6. Folsom City Blues (with Robbie Robertson and Nils Lofgren)
7. Keep Me In Mind (with Jon Brion)
8. Mississippi Kid (with Derek Trucks and Doyle Bramhall II)
9. Blues Like Midnight (with Robbie Robertson)
10. Here Comes that Rainbow Again (with Shelby Lynne)
11. Promised Land (with Doyle Bramhall II)
Even top popsters are having trouble selling CDs. One Direction sold 401,000 copies of their new album, called “Four.” Hey– anyone would take that number. But “Four” sold 130,000 fewer copies than last year’s “Midnight Memories.”
That’s a lot of ex-fans , despite what I thought wasn’t a bad album. But One Direction is starting to fray, as boy bands do when their fans starting aging out. his could also be the same problem for the movie franchise of “The Hunger Games,” which opened to around $30 million less in box office receipts this weekend than their last installment. It could be that this last iteration of teen pop boom is coming to an end. This is what happened to Nsync and the Backstreet Boys, and even to Britney Spears.
The new kids on the block? A group called Five Seconds of Summer, or 5SOS. They opened for One Direction this past summer on tour. Meantime, the real test for 1D will be next week and the week after. But you know what? I had WPLJ on most of yesterday, and didn’t hear One Direction at all. Just Taylor Swift, endlessly.