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NY Gov Kathy Hochul Takes the Night Off for an Off Broadway Play Opening, Admits to Having a Soft Spot for Shake Shack (Exclusive)

Roger Friedman
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NY Gov Kathy Hochul Takes the Night Off for an Off Broadway Play Opening, Admits to Having a Soft Spot for Shake Shack (Exclusive)

As you may have heard, it’s crazy in New York right now.

Our three remaining mayoral candidates participated in another televised debate tonight, and got nowhere. Manhattanites and older people who’ve seen a lot in our time want Andrew Cuomo, if no other reason than not to have Zohar Mamdani bankrupt the city with a free-for-fall.

This did not seem to bother New York Governor Kathy Hochul tonight. Surprise! I ran into her at the opening of an off Broadway play. “The Art of Leaving” had its premiere tonight at the Signature Theater after a previous run off-off Broadway. The comedy stars a group of gifted New York actors including Audrey Heffernan Meyer, wife of restaurateur Danny Meyer.

Audrey has a long list of acting credits, but her husband’s main credit is creating the mouth watering Shake Shack eateries. Turns out, Governor Hochul — looking elegant in a black cocktail dress — is a regular customer. So I had to ask her:

“Do you eat at Shake Shack in Albany?”

She laughed. On the record or off the record? I said, On. “I don’t think it’s opened there yet. But two days ago I had it here,” meaning Manhattan. “It’s pretty good!”

Governor Hochul liked the play so much she even went to the after party at The View restaurant above the Marriott Marquis hotel. This is the place that revolves or rotates while you’re eating. You can see the whole city and get dizzy at the same time.

Known as a tourist trap for eons, The View is now run by Danny Meyer’s restaurant group. Needless to say, the cuisine is exceptional. Everyone — even the cast of “The Art of Leaving” — ate too much.

The comedy — written by Ann Marilyn Lucas and directed by Matt Gehring — is sort of rebooted Neil Simon, about a New York husband of 25 years who announces to his wife that he wants a divorce. Not because he’s cheating, but because a phony self-help doctor (later revealed to have a degree in astronomy) has convinced him to break free of his marriage.

All this is done in a well appointed uptown apartment that his elegant and wise wife (Audrey Heffernan Meyer) inherited from her family. But the husband — played as a bit of a boor by the very good Jordan Lage — has summoned his parents and the couple’s son and his fiancee to be present to soften the blow. Pam Shaw is outstandingly funny as the Long Island mother, and Alan Ceppos is the smarter than you think father. The play also stars Brian Mason and Molly Chiffer.

Governor Hochul wasn’t the only celebrity in the audience. I also ran into Christine Baranski, and production designer/artist David Rockwell, among others. I also bumped into Cynthia Nixon in the lobby of the theater. Another guest was legendary composer/director/producer Richard Maltby Jr. (“Ain’t Misbehavin,” “Saigon,” and so on.) All this for a little off Broadway comedy!

As for the city: Governor Hochul seemed relieved to have a couple of hours away. She looked particularly pleased about the news that possible mayor Mamdani agreeing to keep Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch on his staff if elected. Call it The Art of Not Leaving.

“The Art of Leaving” is on at the Signature until December 14th.

“Saturday Night Live” Falls Below 4 Million Viewers with Sabrina Carpenter– But It’s Not Her Fault

Roger Friedman
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“Saturday Night Live” Falls Below 4 Million Viewers with Sabrina Carpenter– But It’s Not Her Fault

“SNL” is having ratings issues.

This past weekend numbers fell just under 4 million viewers.

The host and musical guest was Sabrina Carpenter. But don’t blame her for the poor showing.

The show was simply not good, not funny, the cold open was dreadful, avoiding politics. The audience expects Donald Trump aka James Austin Johnson..but he didn’t turn up well into the broadcast.

The new writers are also not writing for the long term cast. They’re concentrating on the newbies, who are very uncertain. The audience is looking for familiar faces.

The ratings also weren’t helped by a delayed start thanks to a football game.

The next new show is in two weeks. Bowen Yang, missing this week, will be back. Miles Teller is the host.

Brandi Carlile Defeats Taylor Swift, Places 3 New Songs at the Top of iTunes Surpassing “Ophelia”

Roger Friedman
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Brandi Carlile Defeats Taylor Swift, Places 3 New Songs at the Top of iTunes Surpassing “Ophelia”

Brandi Carlile has hit the brass ring.

The country pop star released two new singles today from new album and they’ve already topped Taylor Swift.

Carlile has posted three songs — “Church & State,”  “A War with Time,” and “Returning to Myself” to the top of iTunes.

They’ve knocked Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” to number 4.

Carlile’s first album in four years, “Returning to Myself,” drops Thursday night. She and Elton John are anticipating some Grammy nominations soon for their album, “Who Believes in Angels?”

“Ophelia” comes from Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” album, which has sold 4.4 million copies. But Swift hasn’t allowed any singles for downloading on iTunes — yet — so there’s no sign of a follow up to “Ophelia.” Yet. “Ophelia” remains the top streaming single on Spotify.

Miley Cyrus Sings the Theme Song from “Avatar: Fire and Ash” Produced by and Written with Superstars

Roger Friedman
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Miley Cyrus Sings the Theme Song from “Avatar: Fire and Ash” Produced by and Written with Superstars

Miley Cyrus is throwing her hat in the Oscar ring.

She’s got the main song from James Cameron’s “Avatar: Fire and Ash” coming. It’s written and produced by her with a couple of superstars — Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, and Simon Franglen.

The song, “Dream as One,” will play over the end credits of “Fire and Ash,” and be featured on the soundtrack.

We can’t hear it yet, but I guess that’s coming on November 14th. I’m surprised for “Avatar” they don’t sing “Blue Moon” or “Am I Blue?” or even “Love is Blue.”

Ronson and Wyatt are pop music superstars who produced “I’m Not Ken” for the “Barbie” album. Franglen wrote the score for this movie, and won the “Record of the Year” Grammy in 1997 for co-producing “My Heart Will Go On” from “Titanic.”

The Academy Award for Song of the Year wasn’t included in last year’s Oscars ceremony insofar as performance. The writers of the songs were upset, but the show moved faster. It’s unclear if the performances are coming back this time.

Here’s a little exclusive tea: Miley recorded a song for a big hit movie a few years ago but it didn’t make the final cut. The star of the film wanted someone else, and another song. Of course, in the end, Miley had a monster hit with another song, “Flowers.” So it all worked out.

ABC’s 20 Year Old “Grey’s Anatomy” Has Already Lost a Chunk of Its Remaining Audience This Season: Why Is It Still on the Air?

Roger Friedman
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ABC’s 20 Year Old “Grey’s Anatomy” Has Already Lost a Chunk of Its Remaining Audience This Season: Why Is It Still on the Air?

“Grey’s Anatomy” is still on ABC after 22 seasons.

This, despite the show having expired about a decade ago. Or more.

Why and how could this be?

Last week, “Grey’s” second episode of Season 22 dropped nearly 16% in total viewers from the opening week. They have 2.2 million viewers total. They dropped 33.33% in the key age demo.

Is Ellen Pompeo blackmailing Bob Iger? That’s the only thing I can think of.

Last Thursday, “Grey’s” at 10pm tied NBC’s “Law & Order: Organized Crime,” which is basically showing reruns from its summer run on Peacock.

Both shows were easily beaten by CBS’s “Elsbeth,” which had 3.41 million fans at the same hour. “Elsbeth” is a whimsical detective show in which charismatic star Carrie Preston is dressed as Midge Maisel meets Sarah Sherman (from SNL) in wild, expensive costumes.

“Grey’s” is a mystery at this point. Most of the original cast is gone. Even the group of actors from more than a decade ago have been demoted to partial seasons to keep costs down. And yet, there is still a weekly death or murder, a hospital explosion or kidnapping similar to the ones from the 2010s.

There’s so much quality TV on streaming and cable, it’s mind boggling that this hour is still being wasted. But I guess you could say the same of fresh food and McDonald’s. Or the pleasures of anesthesia.

Shark Tank “Mr Wonderful” Reveals He Learned Nothing About Movies or People from Being Cast in “Marty Supreme,” Thinks AI Should Replace Background Actors

Roger Friedman
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Shark Tank “Mr Wonderful” Reveals He Learned Nothing About Movies or People from Being Cast in “Marty Supreme,” Thinks AI Should Replace Background Actors

You might know Kevin O’Leary from “Shark Tank.”

He’s a lout and a boor — a right wing money guy who often comes across as deeply insensitive. The other Sharks don’t seem to like him.

Somewhow, O’Leary has wound up in acting role in a hot film. He plays basically himself in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Marty Supreme,” a movie I saw and raved about that will likely hit the awards season with a boom.

O’Leary plays the husband of Gwyneth Paltrow’s washed up movie star. He treats her like an object. He also treats Timothee Chalamet’s Marty with derision and sarcasm, hinting at violence.

So what has O’Leary gleaned from being part of a top notch movie made by a very respected filmmaker? Not much, apparently. In the interview below he suggests that Paul Thomas Anderson would have saved money by not using extras played by human beings. Instead, AI could have substituted in a lot of fake people in the background.

“Almost every scene had as many as 150 extras. Now, those people have to stay awake for 18 hours, be completely dressed in the background. [They’re] not necessarily in the movie, but they’re necessary to be there moving around. And yet, it costs millions of dollars to do that,” O’Leary said. “Why couldn’t you simply put AI agents in their place? Because they’re not the main actors. They’re only in the story visually. [You could] save millions of dollars, so more movies could be made. The same director, instead of spending $90 million or whatever he spent, could’ve spent $35 million and made two movies.”

Word to the Motion Picture Academy: this guy is not welcome at the Oscars (he might be invited with the cast). He should also never be cast in another film. He played himself too well.

O’Leary also says in the interview that he’s using AI to make a facsimile of himself. He’s also seeking full citizenship in the United Arab Emirates as the AI industry takes off. He should absolutely go to the UAE and stay there.

Britney Spears’ Ex Tell All Book Is a Sales Bust: Opens at Lowly Number 1,126 on Amazon After Kevin Federline’s Gossip Rejected

Roger Friedman
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Britney Spears’ Ex Tell All Book Is a Sales Bust: Opens at Lowly Number 1,126 on Amazon After Kevin Federline’s Gossip Rejected

LOL.

The tell all, cash in book from Britney Spears’ ex husband is sales bust.

“You Thought You Knew,” published today, opened on amazon’s best seller list number 1,126.

No one wants the book in which Federline, a sleazy bounder, yaps away and sells out Spears, a beloved pop star.

Federline accuses Britney of everything short of drowning puppies calling her a cheater and a bad mother.

The book has been discussed on every media platform and is being featured right now on “Entertainment Tonight.” (Kevin Frasier, toady host, just called him “a really good guy.” Ugh.)

And yet, the book is not selling. With all that publicity, “You Thought You Knew” should have opened in the top 20.

But it’s all crickets. Federline thought he’d make a bundle on the book, but he didn’t count on Britney’s fans just blocking him. She’s adored by the people Federline was hoping to grab some cash from.

LOL. Really. If there’s a karma in the cosmos, he’ll have to pay back his book advance.

Good for Britney. She’s been sending messages to her fans on social media to avoid the book. Looks like it worked!

Taylor Swift Fans Discover New Song “Elizabeth Taylor” is Recycled from 1997 Backstreet Boys Song Also by Max Martin (Listen)

Roger Friedman
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Taylor Swift Fans Discover New Song “Elizabeth Taylor” is Recycled from 1997 Backstreet Boys Song Also by Max Martin (Listen)

It seems like most of Taylor Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” album is recycled from old songs.

The latest example? Fans are pointing out that “Elizabeth Taylor” sounds just like the Backstreet Boys’ 1997 song, “Everybody.” It’s obviously a direct rip off.

Why? Because Swift’s collaborator Max Martin recycled his old song to make the new one.

Elizabeth Taylor, a total original in real life, is turning in her grave.

But most of the new Taylor Swift album is plagued by soundalikes from other songs.

It was previously revealed that Swift cribbed the Jonas Brothers’ “Cool” for her title song, “The Life of a Showgirl.” Like, note for note.

Fans heard it on the night the album was released.

Is this sampling? “Interpolating”? Or just laziness. In the new Woody Allen novel, “What’s With Baum?” a novelist is revealed to have plagiarized an out of print novel. He’s immediately censored and the new book is pulped.

But in the music publishing business, things aren’t so clear. So what if Taylor Swift’s music isn’t original? Some of the songs she nicked are from the same music publisher, so they’re not going to sue her. In Martin’s case, he wrote both songs. So a curtain of silence is dropped, and no one complains.

The fans know, however. And they’re quick to post all over TikTok and YouTube. How utterly embarrassing.

Swift is often compared to the holy trinity of female songwriters– Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon, and Carole King. But I can’t recall any of them being accused of recycling old songs for new material.

Meanwhile, The Backstreet Boys’ AJ McLean posted on Instagram a video of himself mouthing the words over the Swift’s song. He wrote:
“Come on now you know one of us had to! ”

Swift’s response: “OH HI AJ OH MY GOD”

Mariah Carey Chosen as Musicares Person of the Year, Will Be Honored at Gala Dinner in Los Angeles January 30th

Roger Friedman
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Mariah Carey Chosen as Musicares Person of the Year, Will Be Honored at Gala Dinner in Los Angeles January 30th

Musicares has chosen their next Person of the Year, and the winner is…

Mariah Carey.

Mariah will be honored at the January 30, 2026 gala in Los Angeles two nights before the Grammy Awards.

A bunch of performers will be asked to get up and sing Mariah’s songs as a tribute to her.

The Person of the Year is usually someone philanthropic. Mariah did have a summer camp for kids a few decades ago. I’m sure she’s been very charitable since then.

“We are honored to recognize Mariah Carey as this year’s MusiCares Person of the Year, a true creative force and once-in-a-generation talent,” said Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy and MusiCares. “Her artistry and her voice have helped shape the sound of our times. We look forward to celebrating her remarkable career on this very special night.”

Mariah insists she has no sense of time, but she better be down at the LA Convention Center by 7pm or that show will go one forever.

Mariah’s most recent album, “Here for It All,” was released by the new Gamma Records, created by Larry Jackson and funded by Apple Music. So at least deep pocketed Apple will make a big donation to this absolutely worthy cause!

PS Not hosting the evening — Nick Cannon or Tommy Mottola.

Exclusive: Jacob Elordi — Brilliant in “Frankenstein” — Confirms Run in HBO’s “Euphoria” is Done After This Season

Roger Friedman
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Exclusive: Jacob Elordi — Brilliant in “Frankenstein” — Confirms Run in HBO’s “Euphoria” is Done After This Season

I met Jacob Elordi last night at the premiere of Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein.”

He’s brilliant in the film as the Monster, and will be getting plenty of awards attention and raves.

Elordi, 28, made a splash in the movie “Saltburn” a couple of years ago. Next up is “Wuthering Heights.” He’s on the rumored shortlist for playing James Bond.

So what about “Euphoria,” the HBO show that changed his life? He’s just returned and wrapped Season Three.

Is that it? He told me: “For me it is. I don’t know what they’ll do next.”

Elordi, Zendaya, and Sydney Sweeney have all become movie stars because of “Euphoria.” They’re also all much too old to play high school students anymore.

Elordi — charming and articulate in person, and very tall — led me to believe all three are done with Sam Levinson’s Emmy winning TV series.

A reboot with new, younger cast members? Why not?

I did ask Elordi about his TV dad, played by Eric Dane. Dane — who did Emmy level work on the series — was diagnosed with ALS a few months ago and is now battling the disease bravely.

“He’s my heart,” Jacob said, seriously. We are all rooting for Eric Dane. God bless him.

When you see Elordi in “Frankenstein,” you’ll know what the fuss is all about. He’s the real deal. We’re going to be seeing him for a long time.

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