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Neil Young Raising $800K On Kickstarter for iPod Killer Music Player

Roger Friedman
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0
Neil Young Raising $800K On Kickstarter for iPod Killer Music Player

Neil Young’s Pono is upon us. The great rock star is raising $800K on Kickstarter for an October 2014 launch of his Pono Music Player and website. He’s already sold out a discounted $200 player. A $400 donation gets you the Pono music player in a limited edition with lasered autographs from Patti Smith; Crosby, Stills and Nash; Arcade Fire; Foo Fighters; Pearl Jam, Beck, Norah Jones, and others.

Young’s released a couple of videos today, which you’ll see here. He takes a bunch of different rockers for a ride in his vintage car. They all come out extolling the sound of Pono. I see it this way. It can’t be worse than what Apple offers now. There are no MP3 players available from anyone else. If Young is on to something here, bravo. The shape of the thing is weird, though. It looks like something from 1996. But this is all about sound.

Lady Gaga Foundation Spends More on Lawyers, Publicity and Consultants than on Charity

Roger Friedman
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85
Lady Gaga Foundation Spends More on Lawyers, Publicity and Consultants than on Charity

EXCLUSIVE Don’t get me wrong: I like Lady Gaga and her parents. But celebrities probably shouldn’t start charitable foundations. Now the latest federal tax report is in for Lady Gaga’s Born this Way Foundation, and it’s not good news. Despite spending $348,000 in 2012 on their outreach bus tour, the Born this Way Foundation otherwise managed to fritter away around $1.5 million on legal fees, publicity, and a website.

The foundation, which lists Gaga’s lovely mom, Cynthia Germanotta, as president, had a lot of expenses in 2012 that had nothing to do with helping anyone. They spent $300,000 on “Strategic Consulting (web, digital),” $62,836 on “Stage Productions (Harvard, LA, UN),” $50,000 on “Social Media,” and another almost $50,000 on “Event Coordination.”

What?

Born this Way also spent: $808,661 on “other”; $406,552 on “Legal”; $150,000 on “Philanthropic Consulting”; $60,000 on “research”; 58,768 on “Publicity fees”; $78,000 on “travel”. They spent $72,000 on salaries– presumably for running the Born this Way bus, although that episode had its own expense line.

Under ‘grants to organizations or individuals”: $ 5000. Five thousand dollars.

They claimed net assets of $2.1 million. Donations came to $2.6 million, up from $1.4 million in 2011. But there’s no detailed listing of contributors or donations. I suspect most of the money came from Lady Gaga’s earnings.  Where it went, and why it went there, is a mystery still.

On top of that, it looks like Lady Gaga loaned Born this Way over $10,000 to pay expenses.

Meantime, it’s unclear that anyone was really helped by the Born this Way Foundation other than lawyers, consultants, publicists and travel agents.

Gaga would have been better served just writing a check to the Elton John AIDS Foundation. It would have done more good, and quickly.

 

 

 

 

Obama in Strangely Humorless “Funny or Die” Video to Promote Healthcare

Roger Friedman
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25
Obama in Strangely Humorless “Funny or Die” Video to Promote Healthcare

It’s not funny but it’s on “Funny or Die.” President Barack Obama appears in a “Funny or Die” video with Zack Galifiankis for the comedian’s “Between Two Ferns” satirical talk show. The pair strident, antagonistic trade barbs that don’t work– they come off as hostile and satirical. Then there’s a pitch for Obamacare and its impending March 31st deadline. This is supposed to appeal to young people. But basically the two just insult each other. The whole comes off as less presidential than Richard Nixon saying “Sock it to me” on “Laugh In.” Obama should not quit his day job.
Galifiankis: “What is it like to be the last black president?”
Oy vey.

 

 

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/18e820ec3f/between-two-ferns-with-zach-galifianakis-president-barack-obama

Box Office Phenom: Wes Anderson’s “Grand Budapest Hotel” Sells Out Every Show

Roger Friedman
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0
Box Office Phenom: Wes Anderson’s “Grand Budapest Hotel” Sells Out Every Show

It’s Tuesday morning. In a few hours we’ll get the box office number from last night. Since Friday, Wes Anderson’s gem of a film, “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” has made over $1 million in four theatres in two cities. Last night the fable set in Eastern Europe between the world wars was sold out at every show at the Union Square Regal in New York. I know because when I was shut out of the 8:10, my friends and I took the 9pm. And that was sold out seconds later.

What’s going on here? “GBH” opened a few days after the 2013 Oscar movies were completely spent. Most of them were gone from the theaters, and the ones that remained– people were tired of hearing about them. I left the Oscars and said “If I hear the word Gravity once more, I’ll scream.” Apparently the public felt that way, too. With no good films since January 1st, at the end of a freezing and horrible winter, “GBH” telegraphed itself to an upscale audience as something it wanted to see.

This is just in New York and L.A. so far. Just watch as Anderson’s masterful work of art rolls out to major markets. Capitalizing on the tones of  “The Fantastic Mr. Fox” and “Moonrise Kingdom,” Anderson adapts the work of forgotten Austrian Jewish writer Stefan Zweig and brings to life a little bit of himself with his own characters. Anderson, stirring the pot for color, then adds his own repertory company as bits of spice: everyone from Bill Murray to Jason Schwarzman to Owen Wilson, Bob Balaban, and Edward Norton.

But Anderson hangs the story on some new people: Adrien Brody (from Anderson’s lesser known “Darjeeling Limited”), F. Murray Abraham, Jude Law, Tom Wilkinson, Soarise Ronan, Ralph Fiennes, and astonishing 17 year old newcomer Tony Revolori as Fiennes’ trusted assistant, Zero. Revolori is essentially playing a younger version of Kumar Pallana’s Pagoda from “The Royal Tenenbaums” to Gene Hackman’s Royal Tenenbaum (Fiennes’s M. Gustave).

“GBH” is part satire of Kafka as well as a survey of Zweig. I used to say Wes Anderson wanted to be (like Dr. Tim Watley of “Seinfeld”) Jewish for the jokes. “GBH” is as much a nod to Woody Allen’s “Love and Death.” In real life Zweig left Germany and Austria for Brazil, where he and his wife committed suicide. He was rabidly anti- Nazi. Anderson has filmed “GBH” mostly in Saxony, Germany near Dresden, where there was a concentration camp in the early 1930s at Hainewald. Filming in a local castle and an original department store, Anderson makes his Grand Budapest Hotel very real, maybe too real.

Anyway. “GBH” is a brilliant fable, and one which will meet us in the fall for many awards nominations. We can just enjoy it until then as a great work that is selling tickets based on word of mouth and no other persuasive tactics.  I’ll bet a lot people are already going back to study it again.

Soap Opera: Firm that Killed All My Children, One Life to Live, Files Bankruptcy

Roger Friedman
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0
Soap Opera: Firm that Killed All My Children, One Life to Live, Files Bankruptcy

It was only a matter of time. Prospect Park, the company that licensed then killed “All My Children” and “One Life to Live,” has filed for bankruptcy protection.

This is the company run by Jeff Kwatinetz and Rich Frank. The bankruptcy doesn’t affect Kwatinetz’s music management business or his ongoing lawsuit with ABC over the soaps.

But it does speak to the fact that Kwatinetz really never had the resources to launch “All My Children” or “One Life to Live” on line in 2013. He managed to get through one season before throwing in the towel and blaming ABC for his problems.

In short order Prospect Park built an expensive studio, hired hundreds of people ran up bills in Connecticut, alienated the unions and made a mess of things.

Kwatinetz’s past issues with Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, Mike Ovitz and The Firm are well documented.

Just as a reminder: Kwatinetz himself is suing Prospect Park, claiming that a non compete clause in his contract is invalid. This would suggest that he’s trying to leave the company he co-founded. His partners say he can’t start a similar company if he does leave.

And that, my friends, is a soap opera.

 

“How I Met Your Mother” Mini-Spoilers Re Last Episode and No Deaths

Roger Friedman
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0
“How I Met Your Mother” Mini-Spoilers Re Last Episode and No Deaths

I’m not a big follower of “How I Met Your Mother.” I do know the end is near, and that there’s been a lot speculation that the Mother (Cristin Milioti) was dead all along, a la “Lost.”

Ridiculous. Milioti says so today in a posted video interview. But also, really, who would end an 8 season romantic comedy in syndication with that bummer? No one.

I ran into Josh Radnor and Milioti at the Independent Spirit Awards back on March 1st. They had just shot their final episode the night before.

“There were a lot of tears,” said Milioti, who comes from a great Broadway run in “Once” with Steve Kazee. She also appears in “The Wolf of Wall Street.”

“It was emotional,” Radnor, who’s directed two very good indie films, said.

So what about the last scene? It must have been a wedding, no? “No,” Radnor said, shaking his head. “The show jumps around in time. The end is not anyone’s wedding.”

That’s all I can add to this conversation. Except to say the idea of Greta Gerwig starring in “How I Met Your Dad” this fall is very intriguing. The show will be shot in New York. If it’s sophisticated and cool, if Noah Baumbach writes any of the scripts, “HIMYD” could be Gerwig’s “Mary Tyler Moore” show. #Hoping…

Oscar Boom: Idina Menzel Broadway Musical “If Then” Has $900K Week — Before It Even Starts

Roger Friedman
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0
Oscar Boom: Idina Menzel Broadway Musical “If Then” Has $900K Week — Before It Even Starts

Wow! “If/Then,” a Broadway musical sold $909,000 worth of tickets last week in its first week of previews– seven performances altogether. Why? The show’s star is Idina Menzel, who appeared on the Oscars last Sunday singing her hit song “Let it Go” from the movie “Frozen.” The song won Best Song, too.

The result is that “If/Then” — which is so far an unknown entity– did better than “Once” and “Phantom of the Opera” in the next seven days.

It didn’t hurt that Menzel became an overnight sensation not just for singing on the Oscars– but for John Travolta botching her name and calling her “Adele Dazeem.” That meme took off like wildfire, and caused a social network uproar.

No one knows much about “If/Then,” from the  creators of “Next to Normal.” It co-stars Anthony Rapp. A few weeks ago the cast debuted a couple of songs from the show at the Cutting Room and it seemed promising, but not overwhelmingly unusual. The show is about relationships. The music is kind of soft rock.

But Menzel is on fire. (Taye Diggs, please note all this.) A local star because of “Wicked,” Menzel has been going at this for a long time. “Let it Go” made her into a phenom. But last week’s box office must have the “If/Then” producers dancing in their offices.

Just to give you an idea: in the same week, the new musical of “The Bridges of Madison County” did $476– half the “If/Then” take.

Previews of “If/Then” continue Tuesday tonight. And it’s pretty much sold out.

Cat Stevens Still “Undecided” About Coming to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Show

Roger Friedman
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4
Cat Stevens Still “Undecided” About Coming to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Show

The clock is ticking. But Cat Stevens– actually now Yusuf Islam– is still “undecided” about coming to his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame show induction next month. I’m told by a close friend that he still doesn’t know if he’ll make the trip from England.

Of course, everyone is crossing their fingers that he will come and pick up his trophy. When he was Cat Stevens, Islam was incredibly popular and influential. His many hits are played on the radio all the time, from “Morning Has Broken” to “Peace Train.”

As Islam, he’s also made some excellent records– even if they’re not has widely distributed as in the past. Check out his latest album “Roadsinger” on www.yusufislam.com

The Rock Hall is also probably anxious to get Islam on their show. They already have problems with Nirvana, KISS, and Linda Ronstadt not performing at the Barclays Center show. Without Islam, they’ll be down to Hall & Oates, Peter Gabriel, and the E Street Band.

Justin Bieber in Deposition: “I Was Detrimental to My Own Career”

Roger Friedman
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0
Justin Bieber in Deposition: “I Was Detrimental to My Own Career”

This is the wise guy asshat celebrity invented by Scooter Braun and idolized by teens all over the world. Justin Bieber in a deposition shows exactly who he is and why his career is over. He is smarmy, obnoxious, and disrespectful. He’s also borderline illiterate. When asked if Usher was helpful to his career, Bieber looks at the camera and says, “I was detrimental to my own career.” One of his lawyers corrects him, and says “instrumental.” TMZ obtained the video deposition, no doubt thanks to someone on the inside who realized this was better than winning the case.

Neil Young Will Unveil His “iPod Killer” Pono Tomorrow, for $399

Roger Friedman
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1
Neil Young Will Unveil His “iPod Killer” Pono Tomorrow, for $399

Neil Young sang, “Rust never sleeps” and true enough, he’s never allowed himself to stop dreaming. Tomorrow he’s unveiling his possible iPod killer, called Pono, at the SouthbySouthwest festival in Austin, Texas. The MP3 player will cost $399, and comes with a website called Ponomusic.com for buying music a la iTunes.

A press release went out this morning with links to Ponomusic and to Kickstarter for ordering the product. Unfortunately, the links don’t go anywhere– that’s a bad sign. The link to Neilyoung.com brings you to an editorial by Young about pollution in Shanghai.

Also, the press release came not from Pono but from Young’s label, Warner Music Group. It’s unclear what involvement the company has or if its owner, Len Blavatnik, is an investor. The idea of Pono, with a 128 GB capacity and potential for expansion, is to bring high end audio to portable music players. (Of course, you’re still not really going to get that using earbuds or Beats headphones. But that’s another story.)

Frustrated music fans and audiophiles will wait and see what happens next. The iPod (I’ve got a refurbished one) has a miserable sound. The company that I used to like for its sound, Creative Labs, gave up. So Pono piques our interest. But from the pictures already the shape of the thing– a triangle– looks worrisome.

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