- Kanye West and Jay Z‘s CD, “Watch the Throne,” isn’t the mega hit that was hoped for. Universal Music/DefJam angered record stores (what’s left of em) and download services like amazon.com because it gave ITunes a four day jump on downloads last week. The result, according to hitsdailydouble.com, was sales of 290,000. The album saturated its market quickly. Total sales are expected around 425,000– much lower than previously estimated. I know it sounds old and curmudgeonly, but why make an album if everything on it comes from somewhere else? Such is the case with Jay Z and Kanye West’s “Watch the Throne.” It’s chock full of samples musically. Lyrically, it’s everything we’ve come to expect from over-indulged rappers with little to go on about except their own lives in the material world. It’s all about Rolls Royce Corniches, Champagne, and “cocaine seats.” It’s very tired, already.
- Along the way, the late great Otis Redding and James Brown are each exploited, as is Nina Simone. It’s sad to think that the Redding family allowed “Try a Little Tenderness” to be defiled in this way. I burst out laughing when I realized that there’s actually a track called “That’s My Bitch.” It’s my favorite, and has a shout out to fancy art dealer Larry Gagosian. “That’s My Bitch” really seems to be a song sung by Brit pop singer Elly Jackson and written by Justin Vernon from Bon Iver. (So much for street cred; they’re a white indie rock group.)
- Here’s the partial list of samples, via Wikipedia. Gotta give credit to all the people who researched how to make this record by stitching it together from various scraps and remnants. PS “Interpolated from” in rap is code for “lifted from”:
- “No Church in the Wild” contains samples from “K Scope” as performed by Phil Manzanera, “Sunshine Help Me” as performed by Spooky Tooth and “Don’t Tell a Lie About Me and I Won’t Tell the Truth About You” as performed by James Brown.
- “Niggas in Paris” contains samples from the Reverend W.A. Donaldson recording “Baptizing Scene” and dialogue between Will Ferrell and Jon Heder in the film Blades of Glory.
- “Otis” contains samples from “Try a Little Tenderness” as performed by Otis Redding, “Don’t Tell a Lie About Me and I Won’t Tell the Truth About You” by James Brown. An interpolation of ‘Top Billin'” by Audio Two is also present.
- “Gotta Have It” contains samples from “Don’t Tell a Lie About Me and I Won’t Tell the Truth About You”, “People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul” and “My Thang” as performed by James Brown.
- “New Day” contains samples from “Feeling Good” as performed by Nina Simone and “My World” by Alex Gilbert.
- “That’s My Bitch” contains samples from “Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved” as performed by James Brown and “Apache” by Incredible Bongo Band.
- “Who Gon Stop Me” contains samples from “I Can’t Stop” as performed by Flux Pavilion.
- “Murder to Excellence” contains samples from “La La La” as performed by Indiggo and “Celie Shaves Mr./Scarification” as performed by Quincy Jones.
- “Why I Love You” contains samples from “I Love You So” as performed by Cassius.
- “Primetime” contains samples from “Action” as performed by Orange Krush.
- “The Joy” contains samples from “The Makings of You (Live)” as performed by Curtis Mayfield and “Different Strokes” as performed by Syl Johnson.
Kanye-Jay Z “Throne,” Full of Samples, Will Fall Short Sales-wise
Mike Myers in a New Austin Powers? Say It Isn’t So
Reports in the last few days that Mike Myers may revive Austin Powers and Dr. Evil one more time. Please, Mike, say it isn’t so. Three “Austin Powers” movies were enough. The last one was in 2002. Let’s move on. Everything that could be accomplished in that series has been done. Myers has been adrift for a long time. His “Love Guru” in 2008 was much loathed. He was supposed to do a “Sprockets” movie, but it never materialized. Myers is a clever writer, certainly he can think of something better than another dredging of the “Austin Powers” well. Shagadelic seems like such a loooong time ago. And the thought of Austin and Dr. Evil going into the 70s or worse, the 80s, is not enticing at all. “Disco” Austin? Mullet “Austin”? Austin meets “Wayne’s World”? Yeesh.
Broadway Spider Man Reeve Carney to Play Jeff Buckley in Film
Reeve Carney can really thank Julie Taymor now. He’s been plucked from his grueling job playing Peter Parker in “Spider Man: Turn off the Dark” to star in the official bio film about late singer Jeff Buckley. Before “Spider Man,” Carney had his own pop group but no acting credits. Now he’s an actor and acrobat as well, thanks to Taymor. The Buckley movie is called “Dream Brother” and it’s based on David Browne’s excellent book about Buckley. Jake Scott will direct. This is the only Jeff Buckley movie with the singer’s music. The rights belong to Buckley’s mother. Another movie starring Penn Badgley is being made in which the “Gossip Girl” star will play Jeff, but it takes place during a tribute concert for Buckley’s late dad, Tim. The only song to overlap in both movies could be Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” Otherwise, “Dream Brother” will have all the Jeff Buckley music and the authorized story of his untimely death. Carney will need time off to make “Dream Brother”–he deserves it after the “Spider Man” experience. His alternate, Matthew James Thomas, is ready and able.
Box Office: Woody Soars, Hanks-Roberts Fails, Apes Scores, ‘Help’ Cleans Up
It’s time to catch up with the summer box office. Woody Allen‘s “Midnight in Paris” is about to hit $50 mil domestically. This is just great. Everyone loves this movie! Watch for “Midnight” to be a huge awards mover and shaker. Meanwhile, “The Help” opened beautifully, taking in $35 million already. This exceptionally good drama will also be back for awards season, mark my words. Viola Davis, Olivia Spencer, and — yes– Bryce Dallas Howard–are all going to be names in the mix. Even with a ton of Oscar-pointed films coming in the next three months, these two films are going to stay in vogue. Meanwhile, the failure film of the summer has to be “Larry Crowne.” Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts only managed to bring in a total of $35 million. (The theatrical run is more or less over.) Of course, no one took salaries up front. If they had, wow, oh my god. But with deferred payments, “Larry Crowne” is still a bust and a half. It was a half baked movie, that’s for sure. Meanwhile, the surprise hit, both financially and artistically is “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.” James Franco and co. finish the weekend with $104 million total and lots of kudos. It’s not an awards movie, but it’s the beginning of a smart franchise.
NBC, CBS, ABC Set for MLK Memorial Special
The big Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial dedication is fast coming upon us. NBC, CBS, ABC but not Fox, I am told, are going to cover the historic concert on the Washington DC mall on August 28th.
Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and Jennifer Hudson are lined up for the show, with Brian Williams and Tom Brokaw said to be involved. (I’m sure anchors from the other nets will get into the act.) George Lucas and Jamie Foxx are also part of the proceedings. The show begins at 11am and ends around 3pm.
The August 28th concert is the culmination of several days of events in Washington for this important moment. It’s the first time a memorial has been dedicated in Washington to anyone other than a president. Frankly it’s about time.
You can see the schedule at http://washington.org/visiting/experience-dc/mlk-memorial. I’m told another concert, set for Thursday, August 25th, will be just as star studded, with names like Patti Labelle and the Isley Brothers being bandied about.
Organizers are also reaching out to Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Bono and U2, Sam Moore, Gladys Knight, and possibly Tony Bennett, who was close to Dr. King. No word yet on whether Oprah Winfrey will get involved. She’s said to be currently cruising the Mediterranean on Barry Diller’s yacht with Diane von Furstenberg, pal Gayle King and Oscar de la Renta.
Mick Jagger Super Group: News on Album Song Titles, Etc.
Mick Jagger–this column was FIRST to report that he was planning a new album without the Rolling Stones. His supergroup, called SuperHeavy, debuts its first video tomorrow on Vevo.com with a song called “Miracle Worker.” The album hits us on September 20th. All five members of the gang get writing credit on every song–Jagger, Damian Marley, Joss Stone, Dave Stewart, and composer A.R. Rahman. Will it be good? Who knows? And what about the Rolling Stones’ 50th anniversary in 2012? Jagger must be really be angry with Keith Richards over his book. Anyway, here are the song titles. And some pictures. Let’s cross our fingers. Here’s a link to the “Miracle Worker” audio: http://www.4shared.com/audio/gU5Llzqi/Super_Heavy_-_Miracle_Worker__.html
1.Superheavy (Jagger/Marley/Stone/Stewart/Rahman)
2.Unbelievable (Jagger/Marley/Stone/Stewart/Rahman)
3.Miracle Worker (Jagger/Marley/Stone/Stewart/Rahman)
4.Energy (Jagger/Marley/Stone/Stewart)
5. Satyameva Jayathe   (Rahman /Marley/Stone)
6.One Day One Night (Jagger/Marley/Stone/Stewart/Rahman)
7.Never Gonna Change (Jagger/Stewart)
8.Beautiful People (Jagger/Marley/Stone/Stewart/Rahman)
9.Rock Me Gently  (Marley/Stone/Stewart)
10.I Can’t Take It No More (Jagger)
11.I Don’t Mind (Jagger/Marley/Stone/Stewart)
12. World Keeps Turning (Stone/Marley/Jagger/Stewart)
Bonus tracks:
1. Mihaya (Rahman/Stone/Marley)
2. Warring People (Jagger/ Marley/ Stone/ Rahman)
3. Common Ground (Jagger/ Marley/ Stone/ Stewart)
4. Hey Captain (Jagger/ Marley/ Stone/ Stewart)
JLO Billionaire Benefactor New Yorker Profile Leaves Out Good Stuff
I told you last October that the single biggest donor to Jennifer Lopez’s tax free Maribel Foundation was hedge fund king Ray Dalio. The Greenwich, Connecticut based billionaire wrote a check to Maribel for $250,000 in 2008. Now I can tell you he also wrote a second check, in 2009, for $450,000. That brings his total donation to JLO’s fund  to $700,000 over two years. Lopez herself only put in $204,000 during the same period. (There’s no public filing yet for 2009 or 2010.)
This would seem like a big deal since Dalio’s business is the cult like Bridgewater hedge fund that runs $80 billion worth of investments. In a recent profile of Dalio in The New Yorker, John Cassidy offers up a puff piece on Dalio and never mentions JLO or even Dalio’s extreme interest in Transcendental Meditation. Dalio gave $1.23 million to director David Lynch’s TM Foundation in 2008 and another $2.1 million in 2009. The man clearly believes in having a mantra. He’s devoted to TM, yet this somehow escaped Cassidy.
Dalio also put $45 million into his Dalio Family Foundation in 2009– $17 million of which to charities including $2 million to the press-shy Robin Hood Foundation. None of this was in The New Yorker piece. Also left out was the tidbit that Dalio’s wife, Barbara, is reportedly a direct descendant of the old school money Vanderbilt-Whitney families. So much for his “moving to the country and starting a business out of a barn.”
Maribel Foundation, meanwhile, donated $450,000 to a Los Angeles children’s hospital last year.
Alec Baldwin May Skip Emmy Awards for Tony Bennett Tribute
(Exclusive) Alec Baldwin may be skipping the Emmy Awards again this year. Last year he was a no show, and didn’t win anyway–Jim Parsons from “The Big Bang Theory” took home a statue. Now sources tell me that Alec will likely choose to be at the big gala for Tony Bennett on September 18th at the Metropolitan Opera House instead of attending the Emmy show in Los Angeles.
I can’t blame him–the timing is terrible. And the Bennett night is a once in a lifetime event. Bennett is releasing his “Duets II” album, and many of his collaborators from Aretha Franklin to Lady Gaga to Michael Buble are rumored to be joining the show and the big dinner that accompanies the event. Baldwin won back to back Emmy Awards in 2008 and 2009. But this may be his last season on “30 Rock” anyway if his announcements prove true.
As it is, the Emmys should be giving Steve Carell his Best Actor award this year after seven seasons of great performances on “The Office.”
James Franco’s “Broken Tower” to Toronto, Plus “Idaho” Projects
I’ve confirmed that James Franco’s film, “The Broken Tower,” has been officially sold to Focus Features and will be shown at the Toronto Film Festival. But that’s not all for Franco, who has just now–not earlier–agreed to appear again on “General Hospital” this fall.
But there’s more: Franco will also bring two other projects to the Toronto Film Festival next month: a 1 hour film called “Idaho” which Franco shot on 8mm and based on van Sant’s “very early” draft of “My Own Private Idaho,” which is one of Franco’s favorite films. The Oscar nominee is also bringing his “My Own Private River” project to Toronto, which he showed in Los Angeles during Oscar week. That’s also concerning “My Own Private Idaho.”
Meantime, Franco’s Sal Mineo film, called “Sal,” concerning the last day of the legendary actor’s life, will play in the Venice Film Festival.
“The Broken Tower” stars Franco as poet Hart Crane and features a shocking moment of rather graphic oral sex performed by Crane. Mom Betsy Franco, an accomplished children’s book author, plays Crane’s mother. Franco’s brother Dave is also featured. The movie is very indie, brave, and well done. Made for no money, it looks great.
Franco plays both the indie world and studio biz very well. His “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” did over $19 mil on Friday night, got great reviews, and looks like a winner. His indie film about Sal Mineo, called “Sal,” will go to Venice and Toronto for screenings. It was shot in nine days.
Franco may next direct his adaptation of Faulkner’s “As I Lay Dying.” He’s currently shooting “Oz, the Great and Powerful” in Detroit for the next few months. The “General Hospital” gig will be done over a couple of days and used throughout the next storyline.
“The King’s Speech” Headed to Broadway in Fall 2012
I told you first, and quite a while ago, that “The King’s Speech” would head to Broadway after its run as a film. Then it won the Oscar. Now I’m told that David Seidler’s Oscar winning movie–he wrote the screenplay after he wrote it as a play–will come to Broadway in the fall of 2012. The producers had wanted it sooner, and I always thought that was too soon. Now the word is that casting has begun and that the play will have an out of town opening in the UK in the beginning of 2012. Guilford’s Yvonne Arnaud Theater will host a three to five week engagement in January. All things being equal, “The King’s Speech” will move to London’s West End in March. The Broadway move comes in the fall. Casting director Gabrielle Dawes has been hired to find actors to play King George VI and Lionel Logue, as well as the rest. Who will step into Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush’s shoes? I’ll bet a lot of name actors will be thrilled to try their hands at this story and make it their own. For the Broadway version, big names will be needed.