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Will Smith’s around the world tour paid off last night at the box office.
“Bad Boys: Ride or Die” earned around $15 million on Friday. Adding previews its total opening day comes to $21.6 million.
The buddy comedy with Martin Lawrence could take in $50 million for the weekend. That would be huge considering “Ride or Die” revives a 20 year old franchise.
It would also be a great success for Smith, who’s been persona non grata for two years after slapping Chris Rock on stage, live, at the 2022 Oscars.
There’s obviously a big “walk up” audience for this movie because advance sales don’t indicate large showings in theaters.
Reviews for “Ride or Die” are soft, at just 64% on Rotten Tomatoes. But audiences like it a lot, giving the comedy a 97%. That second number is an indicator that “Ride or Die” is looking at a hot weekend.
Will it have legs? That remains to be seen. Let’s get through this weekend first.
TV legend Dick van Dyke became the oldest Emmy winner ever tonight at age 98.
He was a slam dunk for Guest Actor on Daytime Drama in “Days of our Lives.” He’s not only the oldest Daytime Emmy winner but oldest Emmy winner.
van Dyke was coaxed over to “Days” by one of the show’s stars, Drake Hogestyn. They knew each other from the gym in Malibu. van Dyke hadn’t worked for a few years and wanted a job. He wound up playing a short time role as Hogestyn’s character’s father.
Now he has an Emmy.
“General Hospital” won Best Daytime Drama, as did its writing and directing teams. “The Kelly Clarkson Show” won for Best Talk Show, but Clarkson herself didn’t win for Best Host. Improbably, that went to husband and wife team of Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, who never come to these things. They were once soap opera stars, so maybe that helps them.
Robert Gossett, whose name you’ll see below, is/was a cousin of Oscar winner Louis Gossett, Jr. This Gossett won last year, too, and was nominated the year before despite not being on the soap very often. Kudos to him.
Who should have won? For Best Actress, Finola Hughes from “General Hospital.” But she doesn’t chew the scenery the way the rest of the nominees make it a buffet.
SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE IN A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES: ACTOR: Robert Gossett as Marshall Ashford, General Hospital
SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE IN A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES: ACTRESS: Courtney Hope as Sally Spectra, The Young and the Restless
WRITING TEAM FOR A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES: General Hospital
BEST PERFORMANCE IN A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES: Dick Van Dyke, Days of Our Lives
DIRECTING TEAM FOR A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES: General Hospital
DAYTIME TALK SERIES: The Kelly Clarkson Show
CULINARY SERIES: Be My Guest with Ina Garten, Food Network
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS SERIES: Entertainment Tonight
DAYTIME PERSONALITY – DAILY: Kevin Frazier, Nischelle Turner, Matt Cohen, Cassie DiLaura, Denny Directo, Will Marfuggi, Rachel Smith, Entertainment Tonight
DAYTIME TALK SERIES HOST: Mark Consuelos, Kelly Ripa, Live with Kelly and Mark
2024 Daytime Emmys NATAS/CBS
General Hospital was once again the big winner at the Daytime Emmys, while Dick Van Dyke was recognized for his guest work on Days of Our Lives and The Kelly Clarkson Show won its fourth consecutive trophy for Outstanding Daytime Talk Series.
For a few hours Friday, it seemed like the 51st Annual awards wouldn’t occur because IATSE threatened to picket the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles over the show’s use of a non-union crew. Fortunately, IATSE leadership met with the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Friday afternoon and were able to reach an agreement two hours before showtime.
Following a corny but cute opening number performed by The Talk hosts Amanda Kloots and Jerry O’Connell, Entertainment Tonight’s Kevin Frazier and Nichelle Turner kicked off the live show by singling out “royalty” in the house — Dick Van Dyke, who would end up winning for guest starring as Mystery Man/Timothy Robicheaux on Peacock’s Days of our Lives.
“I don’t believe this. I feel like I’m a spy from nighttime television!” the 98-year-old actor exclaimed from the stage. “I’m the oldest nominee in history.”
Soap producer Ed Scott and Melody Thomas Scott (The Young and the Restless) were given Lifetime Achievement Awards. “Daytime TV is hard work,” said a teary-eyed Thomas Scott. “I salute all of you here tonight for your contributions to our industry. Edward and I are eager to do our part to carry on the proud tradition of the great American soap opera.”
CULINARY SERIES: Be My Guest with Ina Garten, Food Network
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS SERIES: Entertainment Tonight
DAYTIME PERSONALITY – DAILY: Kevin Frazier, Nischelle Turner, Matt Cohen, Cassie DiLaura, Denny Directo, Will Marfuggi, Rachel Smith, Entertainment Tonight
DAYTIME TALK SERIES HOST: Mark Consuelos, Kelly Ripa, Live with Kelly and Mark
Howard University is rescinding the honorary degree they gave Sean Diddy Combs in 2014. They’re also giving him back his $1 million donation and killing his scholarship.
Combs has been accused now by several women of sexual harassment, rape, and other crimes. A recently found video from 2016 shows him attacking his ex girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a hotel room.
The Howard statement reads:
“The Howard University Board of Trustees voted unanimously today to accept the return by Mr. Sean Combs of the honorary degree conferred upon him in 2014. This acceptance revokes all honors and privileges associated with the degree. Accordingly, the Board has directed that his name be removed from all documents listing honorary degree recipients of Howard University.
Mr. Combs’ behavior as captured in a recently released video is so fundamentally incompatible with Howard University’s core values and beliefs that he is deemed no longer worthy to hold the institution’s highest honor.
The Board has also directed the University administration to immediately take the following actions: terminate a 2016 gift agreement with Mr. Combs, disband the scholarship program in his name, return his $1 million contribution, and terminate a 2023 pledge agreement with the Sean Combs Foundation.
No payments toward the $1 million pledge have been due or made by the Sean Combs Foundation as of this date, therefore no funds are due to be returned under the 2023 pledge agreement.”
Today, Howard University announced that the Board of Trustees has unanimously voted to accept the return of Sean Combs’ honorary degree, originally conferred in May 2014. The vote took place during a regularly scheduled board meeting.
Her “Tortured Poets Department” is number 1 for the 7th week in a row.
Total sales are now 4.1 million including streaming, 2.3 million in CDs, LPS, downloads, and whatnot.
It’s remarkable achievement with no sign of letting up. Swifties have kept Eyelashes — my name for Billie Eilish fans — at bay for two weeks. “Hit Me Hard and Soft” continues at number 2.
This week, “Poets” sold a total 146,275. Taylor has FIVE other albums in the top 50, as well.
This week’s achievement puts “Poets” at number 13 of the best selling albums of the 2020s. She already holds the number 2 and 5 spots with “Midnights” and “Folklore,” respectively.
Also in the top 50 this week: Fleetwood Mac, the Eagles, Elton John, Bob Marley, and Creedence Clearwater Revival. They are all great artists, but where is more contemporary stuff and why isn’t it selling?
His “Bad Boys Ride or Die” made $5.8 million on Thursday including dozens of Wednesday showings across the country.
Even though audience members posted a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, the referendum is unclear. If “Bad Boys Ride or Die” picks up $10 million a night this weekend, that will put it at $35 million. That’s not enough.
The figure is certainly not like those of Smith’s hit movies from halcyon days, like “Independence Day” or the other Bad Boys movies. Those days are over.
Nevertheless, Sony will push headlines saying “Ride or Die” is number 1 this weekend, because it will be. It has no competition.
Just for comparison, the last “Bad Boys” movie, in 2003, made $16.8 million on its opening day. That would be $28.6 million with inflation.
In “Ride or Die,” Smith sends up his famous Oscar slap by slapping buddy Martin Lawrence several times, and laughing. I doubt the Motion Picture Academy will enjoy the joke. Too soon? Yes.
I can’t say I’ve ever been a fan of The Black Keys. I just don’t get it.
Nevertheless, they’ve been a staple in the music world for a long time. My interest was actually piqued when they released a new album called Ohio Players. I thought it had something to do with the legendary funk group from the 70s, the Ohio Players (“Love Rollercoaster,” “Skin Tight”).
It didn’t. The title was kind of a rip off, I thought.
In the last couple of weeks, The Black Keys have made news. They abruptly cancelled a big tour with no notice. Why? They said they wanted to play more intimate venues. But it was just like Jennifer Lopez — ticket sales were very slow.
The two acts should have joined forces (which would have been funny). But headliners don’t want to tour with other headliners. There isn’t enough money in it for them.
Now comes news that The Black Keys have left the best managers in the business– Irving Azoff’s company. Who left who? My guess is the Azoff office offloaded the Keys after they set up a tour that was abandoned.
The Black Keys are not retiring, however. They’re playing at NASCAR event on July 6th. Also one of them is launching a sock collection — yes, I mean socks. They see the future of rock and roll. It’s socks.
Michael Richards is not stupid. He knows what Fox News means to “Seinfeld” fans. It’s anathema.
Yet, there he was last night on Jesse Watters’s show. Watters is one of the most hard right Fox News nighttime wingnuts. He’s only a half step to Tucker Carlson and not far behind Sean Hannity in his deranged Trump love.
Yet there was Michael Richards, not as Kramer, but doing a serious interview with someone the “Seinfeld” group — Larry David especially — would abhor.
But Watters has a big audience, and appearing with him did the trick. Overnight, Richards’s self-published book, “Entrances and Exits,” jumped to number 19 on amazon.
Good work, but I’m going to figure out a way to return my Kindle edition this morning. Richards is using his book tour to stage a little comeback, and overcome his incident 18 years ago when he snapped on stage during stand up comedy and used the N word. So he’s chosen the racist, right wing Fox News and its mouthpiece, Jesse Watters.
This speaks volumes. On Tuesday, Richards barely missed a blow up on The View when he said, telling his story, “You couldn’t say the N word then.” Joy Behar snapped back, “You can’t say it now.” Joy picked up on something that we were trying to ignore.
Before this Watters appearance, I was going to write a cute item about Richards’ book. Not anymore. And now we know why no publisher wanted this book. Got it.
JUST IN: Jesse Watters interviews Michael Richards, best known as Kramer from Seinfeld. pic.twitter.com/RpWJL5NafH
Lions Gate is starting to pump the publicity on the Michael Jackson biopic. Hyperbolic predictions are bubbling from behind the Gate.
Meantime, Michael is pulling his own weight. He’s sold over 227,000 copies of his “Thriller” album since January 1st including streaming. In solid sales, “Thriller” has done 55,316.
Michael’s total sales for 2024 so far are up over 566,000. Hard sales are almost at 100,000. Pretty impressive.
Those numbers are second pretty much to The Beatles, with 764,000 in total sales, and 124,000 in LPs, CDs, and downloads.
Nothing has hurt Jackson’s sales over time. They just keep booming. And when the Antoine Fuqua directed “Michael” movie is released next April, watch for new editions, a soundtrack, and more soaring sales, and lots of hyperbole!
Remember when Barry Keoghan was the boyish, offbeat Irish movie actor “Dunkirk” and “Belfast”?
Those days are over. He’s in LA, living The Life after dancing naked and humping a grave in “Saltburn” turned him into a Big Deal.
Pop star Sabrina Carpenter snagged him for her new video, “Please Please Please.” Sabrina sings the words “mother fucker,” handcuffs Barry and tapes over his mouth when she gets him home from prison. As you do.
It’s the follow up to her “Espresso,” and it’s going to be a hit tonight. Sabrina’s album is coming August 23rd. It’s called “Short n Sweet.”
Kevin Costner was once a golden boy when “Dances with Wolves,” a three hour movie, became a hit and raked in Oscars.
But now he’s known better for really big flops like “Waterworld” and “The Postman.” Both movies were laughably bad, and financial disasters. (Someone told me recently that “Waterworld” has become a cult movie, but it’s a cult I’m not joining!)
Now Costner is aiming for a June 27th release for “Horizon,” a three hour Civil War drama with a price tag of at least $100 million. He put $38 million of his own money into it. Compounding the release is a second film in the series, which will be released on August 16th.
So far, reports say — and I’ve confirmed — that advance tracking isn’t enthusiastic about “Horizon.” Costner is counting on his “Yellowstone” fans coming to theaters, but they may be turned off by the way he fought with the show’s producers, slowed down season 5, and ultimately tanked the whole project.
“Horizon” Part 1 may also be hampered when audiences discover Costner doesn’t appear in the first hour.
Critical reaction isn’t great either. Twenty six critics have chimed in, and the result is a 38% on Rotten Tomatoes.
So the question is, if the first installment fails, will Warner Bros put the second one on Max? And will they even take the as yet unfilmed parts three and four? Much to ponder.
