Donald Trump has been ranting and raving all night on social media.
He still has said barely a word about Rupert Murdoch stepping down at Fox.
Tonight he’s attacked ABC News and now NBC. The latter must have something on him to get this kind of reaction. He calls them “vicious” and “dishonest” and threatens to investigate them “when” he’s elected. (He will never be elected.)
Reports are coming fast and furious that the Writers Guild and the AMPTP have finally reached an agreement after 146 days of a strike.
The two parties met today at 10zm and finally came to an agreement about artificial intelligence and the size of writers’ rooms on TV shows. They met yesterday, then everyone thought they’d gone home. But I was told last night the parties were still hacking it out well into the wee hours.
AMPTP negotiator Carol Lombardini Tweeted tonight: “well we laughed, we cried, we fucked around, we found out, we murdered some trees and we wished a little light homelessness on certain people, but overall i think we can all agree i personally did a great job! now if you’ll excuse us we need to go atone!!!!!!”
It’s a little unclear when everyone goes back to work. The agreement has to be ratified by members of the Guild. But by the end of this week talk shows, for example, will be able to start up again.
Next is the SAG AFTRA strike, which also has to resolved and ratified. Another week for them? If the WGA contract is like the DGA, SAG will probably pick up main elements.
It’s a Yom Kippur miracle!
Sad to report that one of the great voices of 60s pop music has died.
Terry Kirkman was 83 years old. He was the songwriter and lead singer of The Association, a classy outfit of vocalist whose many hits became part of the culture for life.
Kirkman wrote the group’s signature song, “Cherish,” a haunting uptempo ballad that was a hit in the 60 s and again with David Cassidy in the 70s. His voice can be heard prominently on the Association’s other hits like “Never My Love,” “Along Comes Mary,” and “Windy.” “Cherish” had three Grammy nominations. Bones Howe was the Association’s famous producer and he brought with him most of The Wrecking Crew to play on the records. (Howe also produced all the Fifth Dimension’s hit including their hit cover “Never My Love.”)
The Association’s Greatest Hits for a decade was part of every record collection, that’s how popular they were. Kirkman had a great pop education, too. He was “associated” with all the top pop stars in LA in the mid to late 60s like Cass Elliott and David Crosby.
The voices of The Association will be heard resonating through the universe far longer than most of today’s acts. Condolences.
The delightfully stupid Marjorie Taylor Greene wishes all Jews a Happy Yom Kippur on social media.
She used a menorah for Chanukah, with a shofar, to celebrate the wrong holiday, Marj, Chanukah comes in December.
At least she didn’t use Jewish Space Lasers!
“G’Mar Chatima Tova” is what MTG meant to say on her card. Someone told her to write Gamar Chasima Tova, which means the lasers aren’t working during High Holidays.
We will send her a colorful egg come this Christmas.
Yes, it’s true.
The Miami Dolphins beat the Denver Bronxo today 70 – 20.
The last time an NFL team scored 70 points was in 1966 when the Washington Redskins beat the NY Giants 72-41.
This was the worst game in Broncos history. It might be the worst game in history period,
For Miami, there were 10 touchdowns. 10! Points scored: 700.
No matter how bad things are for the Jets, they’re not this bad.
This weekend was not for the box office.
After a booming summer this weekend was the lowest, year to date. The total came to just under $49 million. Yikes. This was the sixth weekend in a row not to hit $100 million.
The number 1 movie was a horror, literally, with just $8.3 million.
For some reason, Sony isn’t really releasing “Dumb Money,” the best film they’ll have all this year. They’ve kept it in a limited release purgatory for some reason, where it’s dying.
“Dumb Money” is terrific but has no marketing. Of course they can’t do much direct PR for it because of the strikes. But some kind of PR could be done, and some advertising. Or Sony should have waited.
This coming week we’ll get the excellent “The Creator,” which should be a massive hit — go see it if you like sci-fi, Star Wars, and Oscar winning cinematography — and the bloody “Saw X,” which I’ll skip, thanks.
It looks like Jay Z had some trouble getting anyone to play the Super Bowl.
The result is Usher, a lovely guy and a great performer but one who hasn’t had a hit in 20 years.
If Usher is just by himself, this is going to be problematic to say the least.
Jay Z couldn’t get a contemporary artist to perform at the biggest sporting event of the year: no Harry Styles, no Beyonce (she just did it), Taylor Swift, Miley, Adele, and so on. He also won’t go near a popular rock band like Maroon 5, or any country artist. What a mess.
I actually thought Jay Z could persuade Justin Timberlake and NSync to reunite for the show. And what about Diddy and all of his Off the Grid gang?
There’s a lot of pressure on Usher to pull this off with aplomb. I’m sure he can do it, but let’s hope he features some young people.
Donald Trump — the man ABC and the Washington Post says is ten points ahead of President Biden in a new poll — has posted his latest unhinged declaration about abortion.
I wonder if the pollsters asked about this phraseology. Trump says in his latest post that “without me. Roe v. Wade allowed the killing of a baby at any time, including the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th month, and even after birth.”
After birth? When? Six or seven years? Or maybe 77?
The ABC/Washington Post poll is specious at best. It’s incomprehensible that anyone would want this madman back in office.
Alright, really.
Carol Lombardini, chief negotiator for the AMPTP aka the Studios, wrote this on Twitter about an hour ago: “please WGA, just accept our last best and final offer so we’re not forced to come back again and give you the even-better last-last double-best bottomless oreo dream extreme offer-tini.”
Yes, very funny. Earlier this evening, the Studios said the offer they left with the WGA was their “best and final offer.”
Does that mean take it or leave it? Will Hollywood just cease to exist if the WGA doesn’t agree to these terms?
The two sides will congregate tomorrow again once the WGA lawyers and chiefs look every single point over. Every night there are leaks and signs the finale is coming. Everyone has a scoop and then nothing happens.
Will we wake up Monday with a resolution to this mess? Or more of the same? Monday ends the 10 days of atonement. Let’s see the studios atone for something, please.
I did dip in and out of the Global Citizen concert on You Tube.
When it started, there were 250,000 people watching. That number decreased quickly to the point when Lauryn Hill staged a surprise Fugees reunion she was at 50,000.
By the time the Red Hot Chili Peppers played, there were 31,000 people left online.
Too bad because both acts were excellent. Lauryn Hill was phenomenal. All I could think was, what if she’d had a real recording career instead of releasing one album 25 years ago?
Anyway, Hugh Jackman was a no show despite being this ridiculous group’s ambassador. The stars were mostly not super, though adequate. This wasn’t Woodstock or Live Aid. It was definitely a concert for K Pop fans.
Tomorrow night there’s a 10pm special on ABC which will have the highlights. It’s on against football, it’s a filler, and won’t have any ratings. And still the Global Citizen execs get paid those big bucks for putting on this meh event.