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Bruce Springsteen Has a New Single Out Called “Addicted to Romance.” But His Rabid Fans Have Ignored It– Sales Only 2,377

Roger Friedman
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Bruce Springsteen Has a New Single Out Called “Addicted to Romance.” But His Rabid Fans Have Ignored It– Sales Only 2,377

Hmmmm…

I was all excited a couple of weeks ago about Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa’s single, “Addicted to Romance.”

The song is from the movie, “She Came to Me,” directed by Rebecca Miller. The movie is an indie, and barely distributed by Vertical Releasing. It’s done no business. Still, one would think “Addicted to Romance” would have its own life.

One would be wrong.

“Addicted to Romance” is DOA. It’s sold 2,377 copies, according to Luminate. Around 600 came from streaming. Not a single radio station has played it. I’m not even sure Bruce’s Sirius XM channel has done anything with it. There are fewer than 1,000 views on YouTube.

Clearly, Sony, Bruce’s label, has done nothing with it. Of course the radio problem is because Bruce and Patti are not Justin and Ariana, and Top 40 isn’t going to play it. But classic rock stations? Adult contemporary?

Give it a spin, kids. This is very disrespectful.

Remembering Stars: Piper Laurie Was Magnificent in Twin Peaks, Mark Goddard’s Six Degrees of Jack Nicholson, Lara Parker, Phyllis Coates

Roger Friedman
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Remembering Stars: Piper Laurie Was Magnificent in Twin Peaks, Mark Goddard’s Six Degrees of Jack Nicholson, Lara Parker, Phyllis Coates

Several beloved actors have passed away recently. Among them was Phyllis Coates, age 96, the original Lois Lane on “The Adventures of Superman.” For little boys of a certain age, Coates is seared into our brains. She was lovely. She appeared in the two part “Mole Men,” episodes that remain outstanding after 65 years. Everyone from “Superman” is gone now. Very disconcerting.

Piper Laurie was already a highly respected, well regarded actress when she starred in the original “Twin Peaks” back in 1988. She’d been nominated for three Oscars and nine Emmys (she won one). She starred twice on Broadway over her long career. She was memorably in the movie, “Carrie.” But it was her role as the imperious and mysterious paper mill owner Catherine Martell on “Twin Peaks” that cemented her legacy. (She also played a Japanese man when Catherine briefly “died.“) One of my most fun nights at an Academy party was in 2019, I think, when I got to hang out with Laurie and her old pal, Ed Asner. There will never be people like this again.

Mark Goddard was a star of “Lost in Space,” for three seasons in the 60s before “Star Trek.” The first season is must see until Goddard, and the other adults — June Lockhart and Guy Williams — were back-burnered for the cartoonist saga of Will, Dr. Smith, and the Robot. Goddard was the single guy who was supposed to be romancing the hot young girl on the show (Marta Kristen).

The show was over in 1968 but Goddard stayed hot enough to romance and marry Susan Anspach, herself very hot in the biz because she was in “Five Easy Pieces” with Jack Nicholson. Anspach had a child with Nicholson, but the famous actor wouldn’t acknowledge him. Anspach married Goddard, and the kid — Caleb — took his name. Nicholson has never acknowledged Caleb or a daughter who also claims paternity, (They all look just like him.)

PS June Lockhart is still alive at age 98.

I never watched “Dark Shadows” as a kid. but you knew it was on while you were doing homework. Lara Parker was a knockout on the show. Now she’s passed away at age 84. She played Angelique, a witch. David Selby, Jonathan Frid, and Kathryn Leigh Scott were among the other stars. I guess “Outlander” now is the equivalent, with time travel and parallel stories. Parker’s memorably big round eyes were very fetching, even if she was conjuring spells or hanging with vampires. RIP.

“Saturday Night Live” Comes Roaring Back Up 19% from 2022 Premiere Thanks to Pete Davidson, Ice Spice, Taylor and Travis

Roger Friedman
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“Saturday Night Live” Comes Roaring Back Up 19% from 2022 Premiere Thanks to Pete Davidson, Ice Spice, Taylor and Travis

Fans were clearly starved for some “SNL.”

Lorne Michaels kicked off his 49th season with a big success. Total viewers were 4.8 million, up 19% from last year’s premiere. In the key age demo, they were up 31% thanks to Pete Davidson and Ice Spice. It didn’t hurt to have surprise appearances from the number 1 PR people in the world, Taylor Swift and Travis Bickle, er, Kelce.

This week, host and musical guest is Bad Bunny. The following week, for Halloween, comic Nate Bergatze and Foo Fighters take over for a ratings sweep triumph!

The show was uneven, and I didn’t like Davidson’s opening monologue. But his cold open was excellent, and that set the tone for the night.

There really has to be more political material. The satire and sending up of Gaetz, Boebert, et al, now Jim Jordan is ripe for the picking!

Rust Never Sleeps: Alec Baldwin Still in Hot Seat as Prosecutors Will Present Halyna Hutchins’ Shooting Death to Grand Jury — After 2 Years

Roger Friedman
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Rust Never Sleeps: Alec Baldwin Still in Hot Seat as Prosecutors Will Present Halyna Hutchins’ Shooting Death to Grand Jury — After 2 Years

“Rust” really never sleeps.

Now the New Mexico special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis say they’ll present a case against Alec Baldwin to a grand jury for indictment.

Two years ago, Baldwin allegedly fired a prop gun that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. He says he never pulled the trigger. For a while it seemed like there would be no case. In January 2023 Baldwin was charged with involuntary manslaughter. Those charges were dropped. But over the summer evidence came in that the trigger was pulled. Somehow. By someone.

“After extensive investigation over the past several months, additional facts have come to light that we believe show Mr. Baldwin has criminal culpability in the death of Halyna Hutchins and the shooting of Joel Souza,” the prosecutors said in a statement. “We believe the appropriate course of action is to permit a panel of New Mexico citizens to determine from here whether Mr. Baldwin should be held over for criminal trial.”

Since this tragedy, which included the director of “Rust” getting wounded from a shot, Baldwin has settled civil suits including one with Hutchins’ husband. Baldwin is outspoken, and a lightning rod for controversy. But no one could believe he intended to shoot a loaded gun, let alone kill someone. I don’t think the grand jury will indict him. They will likely see this as the DA’s office trying to save face.

Movie Studio Selling Priscilla Presley Cosmetics on Website to Promote New Movie

Roger Friedman
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Movie Studio Selling Priscilla Presley Cosmetics on Website to Promote New Movie

It isn’t easy promoting movies, or paying for them.

A24 hasn’t scored a hit since foisting “Everything Everywhere All at Once” on an suspecting public. But now they’re hoping for a hit with “Priscilla.” from Sofia Coppola.

“Priscilla” played a the New York Film Festival and opens soon, I guess. Meantime, A24 sent me an email today to buy Priscilla Presley’s cosmetics.

“Priscilla” is the “Elvis” movie from last year, told in reverse. I wish Warner Bros. had sent promotions for something, like Graceland-branded track suits.

“Priscilla” opens November 3rd.

From news@A24.com:

Recreate Priscilla Presley’s iconic 60s winged eye look from Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla with the new Priscilla x Half Magic set. Includes Eyelectric Ultra-black Mascara, Magic Flik Black Liquid Eyeliner and the Wing Magician Reusable Wing Guide.

Trump Ignores Gag Order, Reprints Article on Social Media Giving NY Attorney General Letitia James’s Home Address

Roger Friedman
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Trump Ignores Gag Order, Reprints Article on Social Media Giving NY Attorney General Letitia James’s Home Address

Donald Trump is under two gag orders but he doesn’t care.

On his Truth Social he’s linked to an article written by nutjob Laura Loomer. In the article, she reprints the home address of New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Loomer’s so called reason for doing this is to show that the building has hazardous violations.

In reality, it’s a veiled way of threatening a public official.

Trump has been warned not to mess with his prosecutors any more on social media. He calls James nicknames like “Peekaboo.” He refers to Jack Smith as deranged.

Trump was prohibited in a gag order issued by New York Judge Arthur Engoron from posting about or disparaging anyone who works for the court. It will be interesting to see if Engoron considers this contempt of his order.

PS I am not linking to Loomer.

Jada Pinkett Smith Book Debuts at Number 3 on Amazon Behind Rachel Maddow, “Killers of the Flower Moon”

Roger Friedman
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Jada Pinkett Smith Book Debuts at Number 3 on Amazon Behind Rachel Maddow, “Killers of the Flower Moon”

After eviscerating Will Smith and her marriage on every media platform available, Jada Pinkett Smith did not debut at number 1 this morning.

On Amazon, Jada’s “Worthy” starts at number 3 behind Rachel Maddow’s “Prequel: An American Fight Against Facism,” and David Grann’s “Killers of the Flower Moon.”

You have to give Jada’s publicist credit. No stone has gone unturned. Even last night she appeared on Colbert, despite the host having COVID. She’s been on every talk show, made videos galore, she’s talking to people on the street.

But all the negativity may cause a backlash. So far on Amazon there are just a couple of reviews. Three of them are pans, one is positive. The overall feeling is that people want Jada to stop. She gets it, so now she’s contradicting herself, saying she’s working on her marriage. LOL. She may be drugging Will Smith at this point.

“Killers of the Flower Moon,” meantime, opens Thursday night as a Martin Scorsese movie. Last night’s premiere and screenings produced rave reviews all over social media. It’s the best movie of the year.

Stephen Colbert Has COVID, Tests 3 Times, Regrets Not Meeting Jada Pinkett Smith in Person

Roger Friedman
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Stephen Colbert Has COVID, Tests 3 Times, Regrets Not Meeting Jada Pinkett Smith in Person

Stephen Colbert is really “at home.” With COVID.

Scooped Here First: No NBC Deal for Golden Globes, Awards Show Headed to Streaming Says New Owner

Roger Friedman
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Scooped Here First: No NBC Deal for Golden Globes, Awards Show Headed to Streaming Says New Owner

I told you one week ago right here that the Golden Globes had no broadcast partner for their January 7, 2024 show. A source said, “No wants to pay for it.”

Now Todd Boehly of Eldridge Industries, owner of the Globes and Dick Clark Productions, part owner of the Hollywood Reporter, has confirmed this on CNBC’s “Closing Bell.”

He said today: “I doubt we’ll be on NBC. There’s a giant transition going on. Streaming is becoming part and parcel with where the world’s headed. The flexibility that we can do on a streaming environment is very different than what we can do on a broadcaster. I think we’re going to take advantage of that flexibility.”

After getting kicked off of CBS years ago, the Globes — then run by the Hollywood Foreign Press — moved to NBC. They were paid millions in licensing fees because they were the first awards show of the season and guaranteed big movie and TV stars.

But this site has long questioned who voted, and why, and what was going on with the HFPA finances. When Black Lives Matter became an issue four years ago, it was revealed that the group had no Black members. That, plus questions about the finances, sealed their fate. The HFPA has been disbanded, Boehly bought the name, discharged around 15 older members, and tried to shape things up.

But NBC — after taking a year off — returned in 2023 for one year to see what would happen. Ratings were the lowest, ending the long association.

If Boehly goes to YouTube, the Golden Globes will be very different. And since the much more credible Critics Choice Awards run a week later on the CW Network, that group will likely become more important to the studios.

At least Boehly can still do his show from the Beverly Hilton (despite last year’s host Jerrod Carmichael calling it “the hotel that killed Whitney Houston” on last year’s show). He’s the owner.

Sour Note: Hipgnosis Songs Stock Price Drop Continues, Quarterly Dividend Cut as Board, Company, Face Shareholder Fate, Possible Asset Sell Off in 10 Days

Roger Friedman
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Sour Note: Hipgnosis Songs Stock Price Drop Continues, Quarterly Dividend Cut as Board, Company, Face Shareholder Fate, Possible Asset Sell Off in 10 Days

TUESDAY AM: Hipgnosis Song Fund stock in the UK is at 66.70. On October 13th, it was at 74.00. On September 12, the price on the London Stock Exchange was as high as 94.00.

MONDAY: For the last few years we’ve had headline after headline about rock stars selling their song catalogs for millions. Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, members of Fleetwood Mac have all been in the mix for figures from $300 million to $500 million. Even whippersnapper Justin Bieber cashed out.

Some of the catalogs were sold to solid music publishers like Universal, Sony, or Warners. But many were sold to a fund called Hipgnosis, run by Merck Mercuriadis, and bankrolled in part by Blackstone Group.

Hipgnosis Song Fund stock is dropping quickly. This was because the company announced they would not be paying dividends this quarter. What made the stock price drop? Hipgnosis announced today that “Citrin Cooperman, the Company’s Independent Portfolio Valuer, has materially reduced its expectations of industry-wide retroactive payments.” In layman’s terms, the thousands of songs now owned by Hipgnosis are not monetizing as promised.

Last month, Hipgnosis announced that they were proposing to sell off $465 million worth of the catalogs they bought — something no artist envisioned. They thought their publishing and/or masters were going just to Hipgnosis. If stockholders approve this at a meeting on October 26th, it could mean the end of the company and maybe the end of Mercuriadis. Maybe.

The “maybe” is because Hipgnosis is really two companies. One is the publicly traded entity, the other is a management company owned by Blackstone and run by Mercuriadis. Even if stockholders decide to sell off the assets, Blackstone could buy it and put Mercuriadis in charge. And what’s not discussed is that Mercuriadis himself has the right to find other investors and buy the catalogs.

Mercuriadis is a survivor, so no one should count him out. But this is a perilous moment. Hipgnosis’s artists include all stars like Manilow, Neil Young, Carole Bayer Sager, Journey, Lindsay Buckingham, Chrissie Hynde, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dave Stewart and his Eurythmics songs. These people have all their money already, but now Hipgnosis has to make the money back.

Among the assets they’ve proposed selling, the biggest is probably Barry Manilow — who, ironically, is opening a Broadway show this Thursday. Manilow, for example, could wake up soon to find his part of songs like “Copacabana,” “Daybreak,” “Even Now,” “I Made it Through the Rain” sold off to new proprietors.

One Manilow song that’s safe: “I Write the Songs.” Manilow didn’t write it. Someone else owns it.

Stay tuned…

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