Courteney Cox has now posted her tribute to Matthew Perry.
Cox’s Monica had a romance with Perry’s Chandler which led to marriage. Their first entanglement was planned as a surprise to the audience. She says it went so well, the one night stand turned into a full story line. (I didn’t know that’s how it happened.)
Now I guess Jennifer Aniston is next to post something.
As you may have heard, there will be no new “Mission Impossible” movie in 2024. After “Dead Reckoning Part 1” was a bit of a box office disappointment, Paramount et al decided to rejigger Part 2 with a different title and reshoots — some because of the strikes this year.
But surprise! The famous, thrilling “Mission Impossible” theme music, first written for the 60s TV show, can be heard almost constantly now in commercials. When I heard a little girl humming Lalo Schifrin’s legendary theme on a commercial for Etsy, a website for gifts, especially those for the holidays, I was a little surprised. Wasn’t this music used only for “Mission Impossible” movies?
So I called up Donna Schifrin, Lalo’s wife of 52 years, to see if she knew what was going on. (Lalo is 91 and has better things to do than speak with me!)
Donna says Sony Publishing can license the “Mission” theme as it pleases, they don’t have to ask permission. Apparently, they don’t ask Paramount, either. Donna says the music has been used occasionally for commercials, but she hasn’t heard it in years.
She told me: “I’m surprised. A lot of big international banks have asked for it, and they were turned down.” Nevertheless, she says, the music does surface from time to time in unexpected places, “Legally and illegally.” Donna noted that at one point Tom Cruise had asked that it not be used for anything but the movies so as not to dilute the brand. But as you’ll see below, the cow is out of the barn.
PS A couple of things about the Schifrins: ironically, Donna says they live across the street from the “James Bond” producers. How weird is that? Only in Hollywood, kids! I also brought up Lalo’s theme music from “Mannix,” which is sublime and has aged as well as “MI.” Donna said she’d pass along the kudos.
So we get to enjoy “Mission Impossible” this Christmas for Etsy, and maybe next year, too.
First, “Mannix,” then the commercials:
The Beatles are back in the top 10.
According to Luminate, “Now and Then” has sold 120,000 copies including 32,000 actual 45s or downloads. The rest is from streaming.
The result is Billboard putting “Now and Then” at number 7 on the Top 100. It’s the first time in 27 years the Beatles have been on the charts. The last time was with “Real Love” and “Free as a Bird.”
“Now and Then” is also number 1 in the UK, number 4 on iTunes. The Beatles newly remixed “red” and “blue” albums are in the top 10 on iTunes and amazon.
The official music video is up to 28 million views.
Matt LeBlanc has posted a goodbye to his friend on stage and off, Matthew Perry. On “Friends” they were roommates and best friends. On stage they were a great comic duo, often left to their own devices in the show while Rachel and Ross were taking up time, or Monica and Phoebe were involved in Lucy and Ethel type antics. LeBlanc’s message is tearful, with a funny, sarcastic ending — just like Perry would have done.
See below: Donald Trump finally posted something around 1:30pm.
Maryanne Trump Barry has been dead now for over a day. Her younger brother, Donald, hasn’t acknowledged her passing in any way.
Donald is now without siblings. His brother, Robert, died a couple of years ago. Brother Fred went long before that.
Why hasn’t Donald said anything about Maryanne? He likely has nothing good to say about her after the former judge tore him to pieces in niece Mary Trump’s book. Maryanne said of her brother on tape: “He has no principles. None.”
She also said: “His goddamned tweet and lying, oh my God. I’m talking too freely, but you know. The change of stories. The lack of preparation. The lying.”
Trump’s sister also called him “cruel” and denied he had anything to do with her law career. “I have never asked him for a favor since 1981,” she clarified.
So it’s unlikely we’re going to see Donald eulogize his sister. He reportedly was horrendous to his brother, Fred, and certainly doesn’t speak to Mary, Fred’s daughter. Now, as he stands trial for the first of four times, Donald Trump is vastly alone.
The big celebrity book drop is over, with total sales wobbling, if not outright collapsing.
Britney Spears started strong with 415,000 copies of “The Woman in Me
in her debut week. But second week sales more accurately reflect what happened: 132,000 was the number, which brings the total a still very healthy 550,000 according to Circana Bookscan.
That’s a drop of 68%. The first week sales were inflated by pre-orders, audio books, and ebooks. Literally every piece of gossip from the book has been revealed by now, and Justin Timberlake has been thoroughly trashed in service of selling copies — which was undeserved.
Now comes news that Margot Robbie wants to make an “I, Tonya” kind of movie about Britney, or “Barbie Gone Mad.” It’s not a good idea. Brad Pitt’s production company is said to be looking at a film, too. But Britney is nuts, and pathetic, and no movie about her would be pleasant to watch. And her fans don’t want to see her satirized.
Meanwhile, Jada Pinkett Smith’s negativity tour was a bust. She’s sold just 33,000 copies of “Worthy.” That’s really nothing for all the pain she inflicted on all of us, and how bad she made Will Smith look. She threw everyone under the bus, but the bus seems to have backed up over her. The great thing about this kind of gossip is that it has a short shelf life. Jada’s whining and stomping of her feet feels very old now even though it was just a month ago.
The A list opening night of Barry Manilow’s (and Bruce Sussman’s) musical, “Harmony,” was filled with celebs.
I was lucky enough to sit right in front of a bunch of them: Judd Hirsch and Marilu Henner from the classic sitcom, “Taxi,” as well as the great musical entertainer, Michael Feinstein.
During the intermission of the emotional show, I chatted with Hirsch and Henner, who told me that the entire cast of “Taxi” does a Zoom call every month. Marilu said, “It started during the pandemic and we’ve kept it up. It’s us, Christopher Lloyd, Danny DeVito, Carol Kane. Six of us. Plus Jim Brooks [who created the show]. We have a ball. We’re a family.”
The two who are missing, sadly, are Andy Kaufman and Jeff Conaway.
The pair told me there will be a “Taxi” reunion on “The View” sometime this week because Hirsch and Kane each live in New York, DeVito and Henner are in theater productions here right now, and they just like seeing each other. Is it an anniversary, I asked? “No,” said Hirsch. “Marilu put it together and we’re just doing it.”
Actually it is 40 years since the show went off the air. But it’s never stopped running in syndication.
I love these casts that still get together decades after the shows ended. The “Knots Landing” and “Dallas” casts remain close, too, and I’m sure there are other. For Jim Brooks, it must be rewarding that the “Taxi” is still around. Almost everyone connected to “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” one of his other triumphs, is sadly gone.
Some other stars in the “Harmony” audience included Broadway greats Tovah Feldshuh, Sutton Foster, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and Patrick Page. Lorna Luft flew in from Los Angeles. And people left the theater singing, which is always a good sign. (Review coming later Tuesday morning.)
Morgan Wallen was shunned by the Grammy Awards this week yet again. In 2021, he was caught on tape yelling the “n” word.
But the Billboard Music Awards is okay with it. They’re welcoming him on Sunday to their show. The BMAs are owned by Todd Boehly, owner of the Hollywood Reporter and Billboard, who also owns Dick Clark Productions. I guess all is forgiven.
The Billboard Music Awards have taken the place of the American Music Awards, which DCP and Boehly, et al retired to rebrand for Billboard Magazine. The awards show will be streamed. The firm’s next big awards show, the Golden Globes, will likely be streamed as well in January.
There’s just 6️⃣ days until you get to see a special Billboard Music Awards performance from @MorganWallen 🎸
Catch his performance SUNDAY at 5pm PST 🤠 via #BBMAs socials, @billboard and https://t.co/VIuDbj2egW! pic.twitter.com/uSllwnqBMp
— Billboard Music Awards (@BBMAs) November 13, 2023
CBS will rollout the 2024 season beginning February 11th after the Super Bowl. They missed the fall 2023 season because of the WGA and SAG strikes, but they’re back. Always good to see Marcia Gay Harden, I’m so glad “So Help Me Todd” is a hit. Do its fans know she won an Oscar?
Donald Trump’s older sister, Judge Maryann Trump Barry, died this morning. According to reports, she was found dead in her apartment at 4:30 this morning.
At around 11:30am, this is what Donald Trump posted on social media. Not a word about his dead sister. He never fails to fall lower and lower.
Here’s the link to the death of Maryanne Trump. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/maryanne-trump-barry-donald-trumps-sister-dies-86-rcna124906
