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“SNL” Blockbuster Works: Ratings Jump 18% in One Week as Kristen Wiig Hosts Star-Packed Show

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Lorne Michaels is no dummy.

After the debacle of the Ramy Youssef show ended with a huge drop in ratings, “SNL” chief Michaels packed it on this past Saturday.

The result was an 18% jump to 4.5 million viewers with Kristen Wiig hosting and a raft of surprise A list guests. Martin Short, Jon Hamm, Matt Damon, Paul Rudd, Ryan Gosling, Fred Armisen, Will Forte all joined Wiig for a wild, and memorable 90 minutes.

It didn’t hurt that the musical guest, Raye, was sensational. Sales of her album, “21st Century Blues,” also kicked up, sending it to the top 20. (Of course, there’s been no follow up since then from her indie label.)

Over 1 million of the 4.75 million viewers were in the key demo, too, which I’m sure thrilled NBC.

“SNL” had been in a rut since returning from Christmas break. But the Wiig show felt like old times. She, and the stars, gave it quite a jolt.

This weekend, “Barbie” and “The Fall Guy” star Gosling will host with superstar country singer Chris Stapleton was musical guest. Expect references to both those Gosling movies, and the eclipse. Should be fun!

Welcome back, “SNL”!

Watch the Trailer: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga Turn Gotham Upside Down in “Joker: Folie a Deux” with Overtones of Dinah Washington

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You know this is not going to end well.

Joaquin Phoenix is back as Joker. Lady Gaga joins him. There will be music — trust me, including a couple of Lady Gaga songs eligible for an Oscar.

The music here is Dinah Washington’s “This Bitter Earth.” The soundtrack is going to be very interesting!

This might be the movie event of the year. “Joker: Folie a Deux” comes October 4th.

Monty Python Star John Cleese Says He’s Been Abandoned on the Road by His Concert Tour Promoter, Warns Future Clients Away

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“Monty Python” star John Cleese is on a short tour to eclectic cities, from the West Coast to Medford, Massachusetts.

The tour began just six days ago, in Portland, Oregon, but already there’s trouble.

On April 7th Cleese wrote on Twitter: “I am having a disagreement with Howard Szegeti, the promoter of my present tour He is refusing to reveal the figures for the box office receipts Why would he need to keep them secret ? I was hoping to discuss this with him, but he ran away and now won’t communicate Odd.”

Szigeti (proper spelling) has an agency in Canada called Unique Lives. I’ve left messages for him. If he answers, I’ll add whatever he has to say.

Cleese is notoriously prickly, but still, he’s a Python. He wrote again today: “Still no news from Howard Szegeti, the promoter who chose to run away rather than to discuss our contractual situation Anyone thinking of working with him should contact me via my Website to discuss precautions”

So things haven’t improved. In between there have been volleys with his readers, who’ve asked about the wording of his contract. His response to one reader was: “Thank you for this My agent should have pointed this out to me He hasn’t been very on the ball recently If you’re with an agency a long time, and they realise you’re not a squeaky wheel, they tend not to try so hard”

Can this marriage be saved? I’ve invited both Cleese and Szigeti to email me at showbiz411@gmail.com. Meantime, Cleese– who is ardently conservative — performs tonight in San Diego, and then in Anaheim. In June he comes to Massachusetts.

Something’s Wrong at “American Idol” as Monday Numbers Drop Again, Even with Vanna White

Last night’s “American Idol” from Hawaii was not a ratings hit.

Something is wrong with the venerable competition. Monday’s show was the second lowest of this season, dropping 200,000 viewers from Sunday.

Hmmmm…Total viewers in fast affiliates were 4.152 million. The number may go up a little with further counting. Vanna White’s presence did not add to the proceedings.

I wasn’t impressed with the singers so far. I think the producers know that, too. They were encouraging several acts who subpar, but trying to show enthusiasm for everyone.

Over at TVLine.com they put in the time to grade everyone, and you won’t see many A’s. Unexpectedly, I really like Kennedy Reid, a country singer with a lot of personality. She did a bravura job on Reba McEntire’s “Fancy. At least she came alive and had presence, which is more than you can say for most of this group.

Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis” Will Premiere in Cannes, Possibly Without a Distributor and In Competition Despite Bad Buzz

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There’s been a big kerfuffle the last day or so over Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis.”

Yesterday The Hollywood Reporter — with a triple play byline — declared that the movie was awful and unsale-able to a distributor. They said none of the studios wanted it, and no one who’d seen it, liked it.

Oy vey.

Coppola had said “Megalopolis” wouldn’t go to Cannes with a distributor. But, of course, it will — the film will be on the list announced early tomorrow morning. It will play in competition, a real long shot bet considering the advance buzz. It will have “a fifteen minute standing ovation”!

Coppola put up $100 million of his own money. The film costs maybe $120 million. This isn’t the first time he’s gambled the house on a film. “Apocalypse Now” went this way and was a total success. “One from the Heart” was a bust.

Adam Driver stars in a role that I reported Oscar Isaac turned down. Giancarlo Esposito, one of my favorite actors, plays his nemesis in a race to rebuild a New York-like city that has been destroyed. Other actors include Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Chloe Fineman, Kathryn Hunter, Dustin Hoffman, D.B., Sweeney, Jason Schwartzman, Baily Ives, Grace Vanderwaal and James Remar.

There have been no screenings in New York so far. The screening in LA included a lot of Coppola pals like Al Pacino and Anjelica Huston. No one who was there came out raving. Even Deadline’s Michael Fleming, who was there, has given it restrained praise. A film that’s called “experimental” with no citations for the actors is worrisome.

Coppola is in the difficult position of having at least three of the best movies of all time — “The Godfather I and II,” and “Apocalypse Now.” There are a half dozen other excellent films on his resume. But the last three were pretty dismal, including one I saw years ago at Cannes called “Tetro” that was a big mess.

So, on to the Cannes announcements tomorrow.

Amy Winehouse Movie “Back to Black” Slammed in Early Reviews by Critics a Month Ahead of Release

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I wish I knew what was going on.

Today, 18 reviews for the Amy Winehouse biopic, “Back to Black” have popped up on Rotten Tomatoes.

They are evenly divided, which is not good. A 50% rating is considered rotten.

What’s really weird is that the Focus Feature’s release date is May 17th — more than a month away. Usually studios embargo reviews for films, and certainly for those with mixed reviews.

Interestingly, both Variety and the Hollywood Reporter said it was “fresh” despite misgivings. But The Wrap critic William Bibbiani hated it, and so did a lot of British reviewers.

This seems an odd way to start a campaign. A documentary about Winehouse called “Amy,” from Asif Kapadia, won an Oscar a few years back. A lot of comments under the reviews are saying that’s the only real Amy Winehouse film.

On the positive side, reviewers seem to like Marisa Abela as Amy. It’s the screenplay they have issues with. I can’t wait to see it. Let’s keep an open mind!

Latest: “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” with $100 Mil Budget Melting at Box Office

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“Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” is melting at the box office.

The latest installment of the 1984 classic is running well behind its predecessor. That isn’t good news since “Frozen Empire” reportedly cost $100 million.

So far “FE” has made $89 million domestically and another $42 million abroad after 18 days in release.

At the same point in 2016, after 18 days “Afterlife,” its predecessor, had already banked $102 million. It wrapped its box office run at $139 million.

For “FE,” the slowdown is already here. It’s being trounced by “Godzilla x Kong The New Empire,” which made $1.8 million on Monday. “FE” took in around $500,000.

Once “FE” had its opening weekend, the novelty was gone. Dan Aykroyd must have sensed something was off: he abandoned ship during the press launch, missing an entire day of interviews and the Tonight show. “Ghostbusters” theme sing Ray Parker, Jr. was enlisted in his place.

Lately, the only press about the movie has been the shock that Ernie Hudson is a fit 78 year old. That’s probably not of interest to the younger audience.

If only Spider Man had made a cameo!

Cannes Updates: George Lucas Receiving Palme D’or at Closing Ceremony, Kevin Costner to Show Western He Left “Yellowstone” For

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The 2024 Cannes Film Festival — with a jury headed by Greta Gerwig — is ramping up with news.

While we wait for this Thursday’s announcement of the whole slate of films, here a couple of breaking bulletins:

The great director and innovator George Lucas will receive the Palme D’or at the closing ceremony on May 25th. The “Star Wars” director should have gotten this a long time ago, but it’s never too late.

“The Festival de Cannes has always held a special place in my heart. I was surprised and elated when my first film, THX-1138, was selected to be shown in a new program for first time directors called the Directors’ Fortnight. Since then, I have returned to the festival on many occasions in a variety of capacities as a writer, director and producer. I am truly honored by this special recognition which means a great deal to me.”

Also, Kevin Costner will show the first of his two part Civil War movie “Horizon” out of competition. Costner left “Yellowstone” to make this vanity project, which he will compare to “Dances with Wolves.”

Costner has bet the ranch — literally — on “Horizon,” which will be released in June. The film will get a “ten minute standing ovation!” at Cannes, which will mean very little but get some good headlines.

(Listen) Barbra Streisand’s Recording in Support of Ukraine: “I urge my country to provide all the aid they need”

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If you’re a Barbra Streisand fan, you know she stands up for all good causes.

She’s just issued a recorded statement urging support for Ukraine. She couldn’t be more right. The US Congress must approve funding for aid to Ukraine or they will fall to Russia. That would be tragic.

Call your congress person!!

NY Theater: Daryl Roth Says She’s Looking for a Theater to Stage Play with Juliana Margulies and Peter Gallagher

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Call together a top notch group from the Hamptons and you learn a lot.

That’s what happened at the Rainbow Room last week, at the annual gala for East Hampton’s cultural locus, Guild Hall.

Guild Hall Academy of the Arts President, the painter Eric Fischl got to hone his comedy chops at this year’s spring gala, fashioning a speech on a string of cliches created by AI. That set the night off in good spirits, against The Rainbow Room’s customary spectacular panoramic views of the city now fogged in, but as Board Chair Marty Cohen observed, “When it comes to Guild Hall, there’s no such thing as bad weather.”

Sure enough, we were expecting no-shows but most everyone showed: Neil de Grasse Tyson, Sunny Hostin, Fern Malis, Fischl’s poet wife April Gornik, artist Ross Bleckner, and a robust theater crowd. They were there to celebrate Daryl Roth, producer mother of Jordan Roth, head of Jujamcyn Theaters.

Jordan was clad in one of his typically elegant ensembles accessorized with his grandmother Sylvia’s matching clutch. He opened his speech with, “My mother loves gay people.” That broke the ice, as a proud, even gleeful son spoke of his mom’s collection of 13 Tony Awards and counting.

Daryl has just signed Julianne Margulies and Peter Gallagher to a show adapted from Delia Ephron’s novel, “Left on Tenth.” She’s hoping to stage it in the fall, with Tony winning director Susan Stroman — who was also present– directing. But it’s not so easy, even for Roth, who has a theater named for her in Union Square.

When I congratulated her, Roth pulled me aside with the latest update: she has yet to find a theater! Ah, the perils of producing!

Roth’s pal, Bernadette Peters, took the stage to sing two numbers from Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods.” Instead, she started with a joke about a frog who, upon getting a kiss from an elder gentleman, promised to turn into a gorgeous blonde who would make love to him every night for the rest of his life. The man took the frog home and went to bed, explaining that at this point in life he preferred to have a talking frog.

The jokes did not end there. Howard Marks, who with his wife Nancy were honored for philanthropy. Marks told one about a boy who got a part in a school play. His mother asked, what part? The Jewish husband. Her reply: Couldn’t you get a speaking role?

It was that kind of a night.