Record Biz Blues as Top 50 Albums Sell Mere 600K Copies Total
January is never a fun time for any of showbiz. Broadway is quiet. The movie box office is recovering from Christmas highs. But nothing is worse than the record business. This past week the top 50 albums sold a total — a total, all together– of 600,000 units. The “Frozen” soundtrack sold a total of 84.5K copies. Beyonce did around 75K.
And then it’s all down hill. The name brands from Christmas are saturated. Both Lady Gaga and Britney Spears had major disasters. Justin Bieber didn’t even bother submitting his album for SoundScan counting.
Six hundred thousand– that’s what a debut album should be doing in its first week at number 1. With three major record conglomerates, that amount isn’t enough to sustain the lunches and the gifts to deejays. Keep in mind that the “Frozen” soundtrack comes from Disney– not even a major label. The bulk of the others come from Universal and Sony. Warner Music is barely in the game.
I don’t want to be a buzzkill. But unless there’s another surprise album coming like Beyonce in the next six weeks, winter is going to be cold and dark. Bruce Springsteen launches this week. And then it’s several weeks without a superstar release. There’s Dierks Bentley on 2/25 and Jennifer Hudson on 3/11. Otherwise, the only other story might be The Beatles box set next week.
Mariah Carey, we are waiting, my dear. Surprise us!
Julia Roberts, Forest Whitaker Lined Up for All Star Critics Choice Awards
The Critics Choice Awards air live on Thursday night, 8 pm Eastern on the CW Network. Aisha Tyler is hosting. Forest Whitaker gets a special tribute. These awards are more a precursor of the Oscars than the Globes, and voted on by actual movie critics and journalists, unlike the Globes and crazy awards like the National Board of Review.
Presenters include– because the Critics Choice covers TV as well as movies– Jensen Ackles, Christina Applegate, Kristen Bell, Jessica Chastain, Don Cheadle, Bill Hader, Jonah Hill, Sir Ben Kingsley, Nia Long, Kellan Lutz, James Marsden, Jared Padalecki, Margot Robbie, Julia Roberts, Ian Somerhalder, Isaiah Washington, and Marlon Wayans.
And it’s just a two hour show– very glamorous but also very economical. And everyone shows up. This is the first time I can think of that the Oscar nominations will be announced on the same morning. It’s going to be a long day for a lot of people, many of whom will have to keep a stoic face.
Exclusive: Jacqueline Bisset On Her Globes Win: “One Battles in this Business. It Looks Easy. It Ain’t Easy”
EXCLUSIVE: “It was only this morning I realized I won the Golden Globe.” That’s Tuesday morning, a day and a half after winning the Golden Globe, Jacqueline Bisset told me she spotted the statue in her kitchen. “I said, Wait a minute. I won the Golden Globe. I said Hang on a minute. After all this fuss…”
The fuss is that the gorgeous veteran actress Jacqueline Bisset hit the stage with a thud when she accepted her Golden Globe award on Sunday night. She was shocked and in a daze. I sat down with Bisset yesterday in her cozy Beverly Hills home to talk about her much buzzed-about acceptance speech that started with some long pauses. She rambled a bit, and included the word “shit” getting not quite bleeped. “I supposed I should have been more sophisticated,” she told me.
Bisset won for Best Actress in a Mini-Series or TV Movie for her excellent work in “Dancing on the Edge” co-starring “12 Years a Slave” star Chiwetel Ejiofor. She has not appeared on the Globes since she co-hosted the show maybe 30 years ago.She was nominated for Most Promising Newcomer in 1969. She didn’t win.Olivia Hussey was the winner. Also nominated: Sondra Locke and Leigh Taylor-Young.
A great beauty and brilliant actress, Bisset is one of Hollywood’s survivors. She’s always marched to the beat of her own drummer, and blazed a path among her peers.
Her credits include “The Deep,” “Rich and Famous,” “Sleepy Time Gal,” “Bullitt,” “Under the Volcano,” “Murder on the Orient Express,” and TV series such as “Nip/Tuck.” Bisset has worked with countless legendary directors including John Huston and Sidney Lumet.
So let’s set the record straight: she did two and a half hours of press on the red carpet before coming inside the Beverly Hilton. She was hungry and thirsty. She took a sip– a sip– of Champagne handed to her on the carpet. “I was sober as I could be. Believe me, I wasn’t drunk.”
Once inside the ballroom, she discovered dinner was over. A waiter kindly brought her a cheese and tomato sandwich. Fellow nominee Janet McTeer told Bisset that their category would not come up for a while. The actress closed her eyes and regrouped. She did not think she would win at all. And then she heard her name being called.
“I went into my own dream. I was looking at the program. I was terribly hungry, I was just really listening. I saw a camera man pointing his camera and I thought, who’s he pointing to? I thought, funny how they hang about. I saw several of them around and didn’t realize they were filming each of us before the awards were called.
“I thought Sofia Vergara would win. She was so sweet. What a wonderful person. She’s a great person. She was special.”
Once the show started, Bisset realized she had no information. “I asked Janet, when are we on? And she said, at the very end.” Then it turned out they were right at the beginning, second award. “I freaked out. The walk was very long. It was like a magic carpet. It’s almost like you go silent. I tranced out. I wanted particularly to thank [director] Stephen Poliakoff, and I forgot.
“I was shaking up there. I thought come on, Get yourself together! I was thinking of my mother. She was so instrumental in my life. I was wearing her jewelry. She used to say ‘Leave me the hell in peace! Go to hell and don’t come back.’ She had a very jaunty side.”
Bisset was really stunned. It’s the first big award she ever received after a long, heralded career. “One battles in this business. It looks easy but it ain’t easy. After 47 years…I’m not someone who cultivated fame. I think some part of me revolted…”
She sort of had an out of body experience once she reached the podium. “I felt like it was a moment of generosity for people who gave me joy, of time passing. It all went upside down! Peripherally I heard the music. I felt like it took me 47 years to get here, don’t shush me away. And people seemed to be following me. They were laughing. And then I got backstage and everyone said It’s all going viral. I’d never gone viral! I didn’t know what that means!”
photo c2014 Showbiz411. All rights reserved
Razzie Awards: Hi Ho! Lone Ranger, Adam Sandler Lead Nominations
The Razzie nominations are out, the day before the Oscar nominations are announced. The Razzie ceremony is March 1s, the day before the Oscars. The Razzies snubbed a bunch of films including We’re the Millers and White House Down. Maybe they were too awful for this list! Will Smith, Adam Sandler, and The Lone Ranger did make the final cut. Lindsay Lohan is nominated in Lead and Supporting Actress. My choice for Worst Actor this year is Johnny Depp in Ranger. Exquisite.
WORST PICTURE
After Earth
Grown Ups 2
The Lone Ranger
A Madea Christmas
Movie 43
WORST ACTOR
Johnny Depp: The Lone Ranger
Ashton Kutcher: Jobs
Adam Sandler: Grown Ups 2
Jaden Smith: After Earth
Sylvester Stallone: Bullet To The Head, Escape Plan, Grudge Match
WORST ACTRESS
Halle Berry: Movie 43, The Call
Selena Gomez: Getaway
Lindsay Lohan: The Canyons
Tyler Perry: A Madea Christmas
Naomi Watts: Diana, Movie 43
WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Lady Gaga: Machete Kills
Salma Hayek: Grown Ups 2
Katherine Heigl: The Big Wedding
Kim Kardashian: Tyler Perry’s Temptation
Lindsay Lohan: In-App-Propriate Comedy, Scary Movie 5
WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Chris Brown: Battle Of The Year
Larry the Cable Guy: A Madea Christmas
Taylor Lautner: Grown Ups 2
Will Smith: After Earth
Nick Swardson: A Haunted House, Grown Ups 2
WORST DIRECTOR
The 13 People Who Directed Movie 43
Dennis Dugan: Grown Ups 2
Tyler Perry: A Madea Christmas, Temptation
M. Night Shyamalan: After Earth
Gore Verbinski: The Lone Ranger
WORST SCREEN COMBO
The Entire Cast of Grown-Ups, Too
The Entire Cast of Movie 43
Lindsay Lohan & Charlie Sheen: Scary Movie 5
Tyler Perry & EITHER Larry the Cable Guy OR That Worn-Out Wig & Dress: A Madea Christmas
Jaden Smith & Will Smith on Planet Nepotism: After Earth
WORST SCREENPLAY
After Earth: Screenplay by Gary Whitta and M. Night Shyamalan, Story by Will Smith
Grown Ups 2: Written by Fred Wolfe & Adam Sandler & Tim Herlihy
The Lone Ranger: Screen Story & Screenplay by Ted Elliott, Justin Haythe & Terry Rosso
A Madea Christmas: Written by Tyler Perry
Movie 43: Written by 19 “Screenwriters”
WORST REMAKE, RIP-OFF or SEQUEL
Grown Ups 2
Hangover III
The Lone Ranger
Scary Movie 5
Smurfs 2
Justin Bieber: LA Sheriffs Release Statement About Vandalism Investigation
Here’s the press release. One more entry for Justin Bieber’s Journals.
Malibu/Lost Hills Station: Search Warrant Served at Calabasas Home after Estimated $20,000 Vandalism on Jan. 9
(Update) At about 8AM on Tues, Jan. 14, 2014, detectives from Lost Hills/Malibu Sheriff’s Station of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department began service of a search warrant at the Calabasas home of Suspect Justin Bieber. The purpose of the search warrant is to seek video surveillance or other possible evidence in the vandalism that occurred on January 9, 2014. The vandalism damage is estimated by the homeowner to be approximately $20,000.00. The investigation is ongoing.
ORIGINAL PRESS RELEASE:
(Jan. 9, 2014) Deputies from Lost Hills/Malibu Sheriff’s Station of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department responded to a vandalism call at 7:40PM on Thursday, January 9, 2014. The allegation is that eggs were thrown at a home on Prado De Grandioso in the city of Calabasas. The incident is under investigation
Charlie Sheen Attacks Denise Richards on Twitter Again
I know Charlie Sheen is crazy. But you’d think he’d realize by now one day his kids will see all this stuff. Maybe he took too much testosterone cream this morning:
hey denise
I own the farm.
yet
you are only pig
in the pen
to
sling mud
bile
&
shite
every inch
your evil
cloven hoofs
trample.
c
#Oink
— Charlie Sheen (@charliesheen) January 14, 2014
Madonna Gives $1 Million to Her Scandal Plagued Charity
Madonna will not give up on the folly of her involvement with the small African country of Malawi– or her passion for the cult like Kabbalah Center organization. According to the just filed Form 990 for her Ray of Light Foundation, Madonna transferred over $1 million in tax free money to Raising Malawi, the scandal plagued charity she started with Kabbalah to make in roads in Malawi.
The Ray of Light filing is interesting for a couple of reasons. In 2011, Madonna gave $750,000 to Kabbalah directly, and nothing to Raising Malawi. This time she gives nothing to Kabbalah, but the million dollars to Raising Malawi.
The organization has come under tons of criticism and has lost of millions of dollars, never fulfilling its promise to build a leadership academy in Malawi for young women a la Oprah’s school in South Africa. Two years ago several investigations were launched into Raising Malawi for financial improprieties. In 2012, Raising Malawi did help another organization, called BuildOn, construct classrooms in Malawi.
The only other donations from Ray of Light were a meager $15,000 to the TJ Martell Foundation, which funds cancer research, and pocket change– $5,000 to the Jewish Boys and Girls Club in Los Angeles. She also gave $5,000 to Ionia Inc, a rural recovery center in Arkansas that specializes in microbiotic cooking.
Madonna was named the top earning celebrity last year by Forbes.
Justin Bieber: New Clock Tattoo Sign of Career Winding Down as Movie Makes $6K Tuesday
UPDATE: TMZ now reporting that at 8:30am Pacific Time police are raiding Bieber’s house in Calabasas, California on a felony search warrant, looking for evidence in his neighbor’s house egging incident.
Justin Bieber has a new tattoo. Tabloid sites say it’s his 22nd or 23rd. This one is of an analog clock face. It may be an indication of his career winding down, or he’s keeping track of his last fifteen minutes of fame. On Tuesday, his “Believe” movie made just over $6,000 in 77 theaters. That’s about eight people max in every theatre. I hope they brought scarves and sweaters. It gets drafty in those big empty venues. “Believe” should be gone from theaters by Friday.
Beatlemania Continues: Paul, Ringo to Perform on Grammys
The CBS-Beatlemania connection continues: Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr will each perform on the Grammy Awards on January 26th. That’s in addition to what I already scooped: Beatle week on David Letterman February 3rd to the 7th. And then of course the Beatles concert special on February 9th, taped January 27th at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Plus, and let’s not forget, the January 21st release of the Beatles box set of US releases on Capitol Records. That’s the third box set of Beatles CDs after the original 2009 stereo and mono boxes.
The Grammys are shaping up as a blockbuster affair with Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, John Legend, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, and Kacey Musgraves added to the show.
Meanwhile, Beatlemania events are ever-burgeoning: Martin Lewis is interviewing a great panel at the 92nd St Y in New York including Peter Asher, Donovan, and Billy J. Kramer on February 6th. And there’s a Sid Bernstein memorial concert on February 12th at the Cutting Room to commemorate Sid’s promoting of the first Beatles concerts at Carnegie Hall on that day in 1964.