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There are now several reports that Paramount will win the bidding war for Warner Bros. over Netflix.
Game over. Paramount, strings pulled by Trump and the right wing, will own CNN — and CBS News. If true, we are doomed. But Warners said a little while ago the Paramount offer to buy was “superior” to Netflix’s.
Trump is already influencing CBS News through Paramount’s David Ellison. If Ellison gets his hands on CNN, which now seems likely, media chaos is about to ensue.
Ironically, the Ellisons’ takeover of CBS News — in turn jettisoning its legacy for a conservative push — has been a bust. Last week, the CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil dropped to 4.1 million from 4.5 million, and down 21% since it began last month.
Pop star Pink says she just learned from People magazine that she’s separated from husband Carey Hart.
However, she’s not separated, and People looks kinda bad right now.
Pink says in a video:
“I was just alerted to the fact that I’m separated from my husband. I didn’t know—thank you, People magazine; thank you, Us Weekly. Thank you for letting me know. I was wondering: would you also like to tell our children? My 14-year-old and 9-year-old are also unaware.
“Or, do you want to talk about some real news? Do you want to talk about the Epstein files? Do you want to talk about systemic racism, or misogyny in sports, or how classy the women’s hockey team is, or how 8 of the 12 medals won in the Olympics this year for the US were won by women? Or do you maybe want to talk about the fact that I got nominated the first year I was eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
“Do you want to talk about my accomplishments, or do you only want to talk about my supposed demise? So, ‘fake news’—not true. I fucking hate that term. I love you all. Go with God. And trash news: you can do better. Night, night.”
There will be no jokes at the White House Correspondents Dinner this year.
The annual dinner usually features a famous comedian who roasts the room and makes political asides. Then the sitting President does the same.
But since the current president will not be in attendance — nor desired by the group — a different kind of entertainer will be featured.
That’s famed mentalist Oz Pearlman, who really does make jaws drop with his magic act.
I suppose Pearlman’s accomplished his first trick by making Donald Trump disappear.
Pearlman will work the Washington Hilton ballroom with card tricks, and pulling quarters out of ears. But isn’t this kind of lame, to not have political jokes? It makes the WHCA seem like they’re acting out of fear.
“I am thrilled to be the featured entertainer at this year’s WHCA dinner and join the ranks of Frank Sinatra, Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien, among many other legends,” says Pearlman. “This is a rare opportunity to gather so many accomplished, perceptive people in one place and invite them to share moments of wonder, surprise and awe.”
Purvis Young died in 2010 at age 67 but he’s undergoing a Renaissance right now.
His painting was on the cover of David Byrne’s “American Utopia.” He’s collected by Lenny Kravitz, Damon Wayans, Dan Aykroyd, and even Jane Fonda, among others.
Young’s work hangs in The Met, the Pompidou Centre, the Whitney, LACMA, the Pérez Art Museum Miami, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
This is all from a Miami kid who served three years (1961–64) in prison at North Florida’s Raiford State Penitentiary for breaking and entering. It was there that he found his way into art. When he was released, Young moved into vibrant Overtown in Miami — where so many great talents come from — and produce thousands of small drawings, which he kept in shopping carts and later glued into discarded books and magazines that he found on the streets.
From now through the weekend, Young’s work on display (and may be sold out) here in New York at One Art Space on Warren Street in Tribeca. The exhibit is curated by MaryAnn Giella McCulloh. A-listers have been climbing over snow drifts to see Young’s work in New York.
Everyone’s asking how a Rolling Stones song wound up in the “Melania” documentary.
“Gimme Shelter,” written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, isn’t owned by them unfortunately.
Previously, the pair complained about Donald Trump using “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” at his rallies. They are not fans.
But all the Stones songs pre-1971 are not under the control of Jagger and Richards.
All those songs — like “Satisfaction,” “Get Off My Cloud,” “Under My Thumb,” etc — are owned by ABKCO Records. ABKCO was the brain child of the late Allen Klein, always considered the villain in the story of the Beatles.
When the Beatles were teetering on break up, John Lennon hired Klein — on the advice of the Stones — to take on Paul McCartney. He is generally thought to have made the break up worse than it could have been. Eventually, Lennon realized it, but it was too late.
Klein was an evil genius in the music business. Not only did he sign Jagger and Richards to a lifelong publishing deal, he also signed up the music of Sam Cooke, like “You Send Me” or “Wonderful World.” Ultimately, Jagger and Richards broke loose of Klein in 1971 and signed with Ahmet Ertegun at Atlantic Records. They went on to have dozens more hits, but said goodbye to the old ones.
As for Klein, who has long since passed, his other great contribution to rock and roll was releasing the original “96 Tears” by Question Mark and the Mysterians, one of the greatest one off singles in history.
So don’t blame Mick and Keith for “Gimme Shelter” showing up in the “Melania” infomercial. And knowing ABKCO, Amazon paid a hefty price for the rights.
The new nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame show the scarcity of real choices.
A couple of the names really deserve it. Melissa Etheridge, Black Crowes, Phil Collins, Oasis, Pink, Billy Idol would be top of my list. Really, just Melissa and Phil. Pink seems too soon, but maybe one day.
But then it gets weird. Joy Divison/New Order? Wu Tang Clan? INXS? Iron Maiden?
Jeff Buckley would be a posthumous choice. He really just released one album.
Then there are a bunch of pop/R&B acts who are lovely but not for the Rock Hall. They include Mariah Carey (again), Lauryn Hill, the late Luther Vandross, Sade, New Edition, and Shakira. They are ridiculous, plus Lauryn Hill without the Fugees? She also has just one album.
After nearly 40 years, it feels like the gas has run out of this car.
A better crowd is eligible starting in 2027: Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Imagine Dragons, and Kendrick Lamar. But really, the real Rock Hall is done.
Duff, 38, is trying to return as a pop star. Her new album, “Luck…or something,” is sitting at the top of the iTunes album chart today.
But who’s buying it, and what is the sales picture? Unclear.
Duff is drawing older fans who know her from the TV series “Lizzie McGuire” and “Younger.” Actual young people are not buying it, maybe because “Luck” sounds like it was made 18 years ago and bears little relationship to modern pop.
Right, hitsdailydouble.com is predicting sales of 80,000 and a third place finish for the week. Almost all of those sales are CDs or paid downloads. There’s almost no streaming. No “Luck” tracks have hit Spotify, a sign that young people aren’t into it.
What’s more, no breakout track has appeared on the iTunes top 100 singles chart. That’s alarming because to really be a hit, singles have to be pouring out of the album. But Duff’s crowd is very limited. And that may signal a quick fall down the charts.
I’ve listened to “Luck,” and it’s unfortunately very average. There’s no excitement and nothing new, just a straight ahead homage to 2015 the last time she released an album.
