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“Grey’s Anatomy” Cuts the Budget Again, Exits Long Timers Kevin McKidd and Kim Raver: At Least Their Characters Aren’t Killed

Roger Friedman
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“Grey’s Anatomy” Cuts the Budget Again, Exits Long Timers Kevin McKidd and Kim Raver: At Least Their Characters Aren’t Killed

Strangely enough, ABC has renewed “Grey’s Anatomy” for its 23rd season.

The low rated show once again evades cancellation despite having been over a long time ago.

Unfortunately, as the budget shrinks, someone to go. This time that would be Kevin McKidd and Kim Raver, who play Owen and Teddy. The former arrived in Season 5. The latter came in Season 6, took a break, and then returned.

But like Rocky Carroll in “NCIS,” their tenures put them on the chopping block.

Still, Ellen Pompeo, James Pickens Jr., and Chandra Wilson remain from the original 2005 season.

McKidd and Raver are lucky that “Grey’s” isn’t killing off their characters. They can return for guest spots, unlike many of the show’s former players. “Grey’s” has a reputation for snuffing out contract players.

How this show could still be on the air remains one of the burning questions of TV land. This year, so far, the series is up 1% in the ratings but down almost 13% in the key age demo. The average weekly viewership is 2.2 million, just a little higher than “General Hospital,” which airs during the day.

Who Asked Him? Geraldo Rivera Suddenly Endorses Loathed Trump Flack Karoline Leavitt, Famous for Lying and Obfuscating

Roger Friedman
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Who Asked Him? Geraldo Rivera Suddenly Endorses Loathed Trump Flack Karoline Leavitt, Famous for Lying and Obfuscating

Really: who asked him?

Out of nowhere Geraldo Rivera, former Fox News correspondent, ex liberal who turned conservative decades ago, has issued an endorsement of Karoline Leavitt.

Leavitt, loathed by the press (which Rivera used to be part of), lies and obfuscates, backs Trump’s and the administration’s ridiculous positions with ease.

Geraldo writes: “Karoline Leavitt is a terrific White House press secretary, and spokesperson for the president, measured, controlled, informed, competent. Whether you’re right or left, Republican or Democrat you have to appreciate competence and loyalty.”

Leavitt isn’t one of those things, actually. She’s just a canny suck up.

The only thing they have in common is marriage. Rivera’s 5th wife, Erica Levy, is 31 years his junior. (He’s 82. She’s 51.) Karoline married a man 30 years her senior. So maybe that has something to do with it.

What would make Rivera do such a sycophantic thing? Does he want to open Trump’s tomb and see where Barron is?

Sad, really.

Box Office: “Project Hail Mary” Crossing $100 Mil Today After Six Days, “The Bride” Faces Extinction

Roger Friedman
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Box Office: “Project Hail Mary” Crossing $100 Mil Today After Six Days, “The Bride” Faces Extinction

Hooray!

“Project Hail Mary” is crossing $100 million right now as you read this report.

The Phil Lord-Christopher Miller smash cost around $200-$250 million. With this kind of first week, it should have no trouble making its money back.

On the surface, I can’t imagine a sequel. But who knows? Maybe there are more adventures for Rocky and Grace in the universe. But it will be hard to top this one.

Meanwhile, “The Bride!” is on her last breath. On Friday most of the 700 theaters it’s now in, “The Bride” is about to be slashed to nothing. Total take is $12.6 million. She’ll be lucky to get to $13 million. Oh my.

Also on the way out, but with far better results: “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” wrapping up at just over $400 million. More than a billion dollars extra came in from the rest of the world. Yes, $1.4 billion worldwide! No one is blue except the characters!

Harry Potter and Gang Are Back! Watch the Trailer for the HBO Series Coming This Christmas: Back to Square One

Roger Friedman
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Harry Potter and Gang Are Back! Watch the Trailer for the HBO Series Coming This Christmas: Back to Square One

And so it begins again.

HBO’s new “Harry Potter” series starts this Christmas, with John Lithgow as Dumbledore, new kids, and a classy cast of British actors including the very great Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall. The series, based on J.K. Rowling’s beloved books, is written and executive produced by Francesca Gardiner.

Will there be Quidditch? You betcha!

Savannah Guthrie Gives Interview About Mom’s Disappearance to Hoda Kotb on Today Show (Watch Video): “We Are in Agony”

Roger Friedman
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Savannah Guthrie Gives Interview About Mom’s Disappearance to Hoda Kotb on Today Show (Watch Video): “We Are in Agony”

Savannah Guthrie speaks.

Savannah has given a two part emotional interview to the Today Show about her mom, Nancy’s, disappearance and kidnapping to Hoda Kotb.

The interview will air Thursday and Friday.

The point is, Savannah is preparing a return to work, and this paves the way when she’s ready.

Savannah says, “Someone needs to do the right thing.”

Nancy Guthrie, 84, was discovered missing on February 1st. There are no real clues to what happened. Savannah is right. It’s time for someone to step up. The kidnapping didn’t happen in a vacuum.

“I imagine her terror,” she told Hoda of her mother. “And it is unthinkable, but those thoughts demand to be thought. And I will not hide my face.”

@todayshowSavannah Guthrie is opening up for the first time about the “agony” of her mother’s abduction in an interview with Hoda Kotb on TODAY. In an excerpt of the upcoming interview that aired on TODAY on March 25, the TODAY co-anchor shared in an emotional talk with Hoda how she wakes up every night imagining her mother’s “terror” following her disappearance. Savannah’s full interview with Hoda will air in two parts on TODAY on Thursday, March 26, and Friday, March 27. The Guthrie family is offering a $1 million reward for the return of Nancy. The FBI is also offering a $100,000 reward and encouraging anyone with information to call 1-800-CALL-FBI.

♬ original sound – TODAY Show

Paul McCartney: Looks Like He’s Announcing a New Album Called “The Boys of Dungeon Lane” Before LA Club Show

Roger Friedman
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Paul McCartney: Looks Like He’s Announcing a New Album Called “The Boys of Dungeon Lane” Before LA Club Show

The word is out.

Paul McCartney’s two shows Friday and Saturday night in Los Angeles are not just frivolous affairs.

Posters have gone up in Liverpool and the UK for something called “The Boys of Dungeon Lane.”

Seems like that’s the title of a new album, not to be confused with Penny Lane.

Liverpool must have a lot of lanes. It definitely has an airport named for John Lennon, and the real Dungeon Lane is nearby. “Dungeon Lane” sounds like it might be about his childhood.

Not only that but Paul’s brother, Mike McGear McCartney, posted a tweet saying they’re posters “for r kids new album.” Mike mentions that his son, Josh, a graphic designer, created the logo (see Mike’s post below).

Former Wings member Jimmy McCulloch also kinda confirmed it on Facebook. There’s also a website set up for the album at www.theboysofdungeonlane.com.

Paul will probably debut a song and make the announcement by the time he hits the Fonda Theater in Los Angeles.

McCartney’s last album was “McCartney III,” which had some cool songs and an alternate version with covers by other musicians.

All of this comes on the heels of Paul’s Wings documentary, “Man on the Run.” Also, an edit of his Beatles song, “Two of Us,” is on the soundtrack for “Project Hail Mary.”

Paul turns 84 on June 18, by the way. He’s got a tour “coming up,” too.

Watch the Brilliant Star-Studded “Straight Outta Hormuz” Made with AI, Starring Liam Neeson, Paul Giamatti, Judi Dench, More

Roger Friedman
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Watch the Brilliant Star-Studded “Straight Outta Hormuz” Made with AI, Starring Liam Neeson, Paul Giamatti, Judi Dench, More

See if you can ID all the famous actors in the AI spoof of the Iran War subtitled “Straight Outta Hormuz.”

Paul Giamatti, Jake Gyllenhaal, Judi Dench, Liam Neeson, Ian McKellen, Zach Galifinaks, Rob Lowe and more are featured. They’re all fake, but Dame Judi as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is inspired.

“Sometimes, the best reason to start a war is no reason at all.”

We need a laugh at this point!

@intelsphere1 Iran War: The Movie – A Satirical Masterpiece IRAN WAR: THE MOVIE – For Dummies. A satirical mise-en-scène that says more than any news report ever could. Credit to @JOKAQARMY1 for this one. Sometimes the truth hits harder when it's wrapped in satire. Watch. Laugh. Then think about why it's actually not funny at all. Drop your thoughts below. And share—because the real joke is what they think you'll believe. #IranWar #Satire #PoliticalComedy #Iran ♬ Rites of War – Damien Deshayes

“NCIS” Crappy Move for 500th Episode: Kills Off 18 Year Character Unceremoniously and Without Warning (Spoiler)

Roger Friedman
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“NCIS” Crappy Move for 500th Episode: Kills Off 18 Year Character Unceremoniously and Without Warning (Spoiler)

Being a TV actor isn’t easy.

I don’t mean the stars of the shows, like Ellen Pompeo or Mariska Hargitay. I mean, the supporting cast, which is always expendable.

Rocky Carroll got that message in December, and tonight everyone found out. His character, Leon Vance, who runs the NCIS, was killed off unceremoniously.

I don’t watch “NCIS” and have no emotional investment in the long running series. Carroll has been there for 18 years playing the head of the fictional NCIS unit. He’s also the only Black male actor on the show.

Carroll says in an interview he got notice two episodes before the death that his job was over. The actor tries to put the best face on the situation but it’s disloyal and sucks. That’s what he gets for working a steady job for 18 years.

The executive producer, Steve Binder, says in interviews he wanted something “exciting” for the show’s 500th episode. So why not end a man’s employment and maybe career? Makes sense, right?

I love the way CBS publicity has spun this as an emotional plot point in the series. In fact, it’s probably a way for the series to unload a highly paid actor and at the same time lower the median age of the cast. Carroll is 62, which in TV means you’re dead. He’s 20 years older than the next two most tenured actors on the series, Sean Murray and Brian Dietzen. Gary Cole, the actor who took over when Mark Harmon was retired, is 69. I’ll bet he flips to the end of every script to see if he made it.

Carroll is being gracious, at least publicly. So hats off to him. But feh on the TV machine.

Harry Styles Old Song Gets a Boost from “Project Hail Mary” But Hurts New Single on iTunes: A Sign of the Times?

Roger Friedman
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Harry Styles Old Song Gets a Boost from “Project Hail Mary” But Hurts New Single on iTunes: A Sign of the Times?

Harry Styles is having an ironic ride on the singles chart right now.

His new hit, “American Girls,” has pooped out at number 77 after just two weeks. “American Girls,” for some reason, has never really taken off. The single appears on Harry’s “Kiss All the Time. Disco Occasionally,” which is having its own problems.

But Styles is still having a top 20 single right now. The only problem is, it’s not from his new album.

“Sign of the Times,” first released — believe it or not — NINE years ago, is number 15 on iTunes. It’s doing better than any track on “Kiss-Disco.”

The reason is that “Sign of the Times” is featured in the blockbuster movie, “Project Hail Mary.” Actress Sandra Huller sings the song, which has sent music lovers back to the old Styles hit. (On YouTube now there are all kinds of remixes. The original version was so slow it was like a doorstop.)

This is a blessing and a curse. For the “Sign” writers, no one will complain. Let’s hope they got a big licensing fee.

But Styles needs a hit from the new album. So far, “Aperture” and “American Girls” have not turned into any kind of hit. “American Girls” has barely sold 5,000 units (streaming and downloads). This week, it’s predicted that “Kiss-Disco” will only sell 65,000 copies — down 30,000 from week 2.

The good news is that “Kiss-Disco” will finally pass 600,000 (including streaming). But the album is skidding to a halt.

Is there an unreleased track or something Harry can add to the album to give it a boost? He needs a banger, and I know he’s got one in the vault. These sales numbers are disappointing. But that’s, um, a sign of the times.

Broadway Boffo: Box Office Up by Almost $5 Mil During Spring Break — “Harry Potter” and “Hamilton” Lead, with “Dog Day,” “Giant”

Roger Friedman
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Broadway Boffo: Box Office Up by Almost $5 Mil During Spring Break — “Harry Potter” and “Hamilton” Lead, with “Dog Day,” “Giant”

Last week was pretty, pretty good on Broadway.

Receipts were up almost $5 million thanks in part to school being out in a lot of places.

“Hamilton” and “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” led the way with well with $2.4 mil and $2.6 million respectively.

New plays with big stars really kicked in. “Giant” and “Dog Day Afternoon” did musical like business. John Lithgow is the draw at the former, and Ebon Moss Bachrach and Jon Bernthal are Bear-able at the latter. If you think “Harry Potter” is a hit, former star of the movies Daniel Radcliffe took in $1.3 million for his one man show, “Every Brilliant Thing.”

Of course “The Lion King” and “Wicked” pulled their weight with $2 million apiece.

Things are looking up!

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