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It’s a given that Donald Trump is a gas bag and a Luddite, a man who stands for the backward direction of humanity.
But his rant this morning against electric cars is simply hilarious. I don’t even think it has anything to do with Elon Musk. Trump fears progress on any level. He’d like a car fueled by Ivermectin.
And this has nothing to do with UAW workers. He could give a rat’s ass about them.
Like all his rally followers, UAW workers would never be allowed in his home for 10 seconds. He just wants to live in 1955, a simpler time when his parents were racists and treated him like crap. The good old days.
Electric cars, Trump declares, pose “certain atmospheric dangers.” He’s suddenly worried about the atmosphere? LOL. He himself is a giant pollutant.
BTW It does look like Trump wrote Electric Chairs, realized it and then crossed out part of the second word. Even better!
The good news is that next week talks will resume between the Writers Guild of America and the studios aka the AMPTP. There had been an impasse and a lot of scuttlebutt about TV showrunners trying to take over negotiations. (It wasn’t true, they were just frustrated.)
The announcement of the meeting between both sides came in the late afternoon. But I can tell you exclusively that the news was shock to 50 or so “Captains” of the WGA strike. They had been on 90 minute Zoom call just prior to the announcement and no one in the upper echelons even mentioned that talks were back on.
“They read about it on Deadline.com,” says an insider of the trade online site that broke the news.
“All through the call the captains were asking what they could tell their teams to boost them up about the strike. Was there an end in sight? And all they were told was, stay the course, you’re doing the right thing.”
It’s hoped that next week’s meeting will actually contain talks, or be the prelude to immediate talks after so much time has passed. The TV networks can’t afford to let the strikes go on much longer without jeopardizing the 2023-24 season entirely. That would mean game shows and sports specials and no episodic TV at all unless everyone returns to work in the next month, says a source.
Sean Diddy Combs’s new album, “The Love Album: Off the Grid,” should have been called “Clearances.”
I would love to be the lawyer whose billable hours went into clearing all the bits and pieces of samples and “interpolations” on this record. That alone would probably make a book,
There are approximately 30 guest stars on this album who contributed to 26 tracks. But there are maybe one or two whole songs that sound finished and not just rambling meanders at a late night cocktail party. There are certainly a lot of strings, no doubt made on a computer. (They don’t sound human.)
One way to get into “Off the Grid”: think of it as a throwback to The Ed Sullivan Show, with Diddy presenting acts draped against his own red-velvet curtain imagination.
On the album’s one true single, The Weeknd’s “Another One Like Me,” Phil Collins’ drumbeat from “In the Air Tonight” punctuates the production over and over. Let’s hope Phil was remunerated well for his time. There are versions of this song already all over YouTube that work better than this one, minus Collins and more economically cut.
Diddy does not know the meaning of “too much.” He also can’t grasp having a beginning, middle, and end to a song. Justin Bieber’s “Moments” starts strong but waffles even during its strongest moments. Still, I’d love to see the credits for the musicians on this track. It may turn out to be Bieber’s comeback if played right. (But why does it drift off? I wish it had an ending.)
There are a couple of tracks in which you might be able to make sense of what’s happening. I really like “Stay Awhile,” with vocals by a singer named Nija that sounds like its underpinning comes from Herb Alpert’s “Rise.” The track is just two minutes thirty five seconds, which makes it considerably shorter than most of the “songs” on this album. Diddy’s rap even sounds like it fits in. The same can be said for the track that immediately follows, called “Homecoming” featuring Jozzy. Teyana Taylor is lucky to get a succinct song called “Closer to God.” There’s also a nice turn from HERMusic aka Gabrielle Wilson at the end of the album, but I’d like to hear her version.
Maybe you could call “Off the Grid” cubist or mixed media. Diddy is going for a jazzy angle, that’s for sure, and a very “Quiet Storm” sort of melange. On the 7 minute tribute to Diddy’s late ex, Kim Porter, by John Legend and Babyface, the whole thing is thrown in doubt. But when he hits gold, as with Jeremih– on a lovely little song called “Boohoo– you actually feel like he’s totally in control. Diddy’s specialty is being able to hear the bits and pieces — he or someone must have listened to hundreds of hours of previously recorded music — and jigsaw them all together. For example: a track called “Intermission” is the repurposing of a more recent recording by Stax songwriter David Porter. He’s not even listed as the singer on Diddy’s album. And unless the clearance people come knocking, no one will know the difference.
I told you earlier today that one veteran actor is taking time off to battle blood cancer, so that’s first.
But now it seems that the show’s ratings are also ailing. Two weeks ago, the number of total viewers dropped to 1.8 million, the lowest ever or in anyone’s recent memory.
On May 1st, the soap had 2.1 million viewers, and that was also the case a year ago.
What’s happening here? Since the middle to end of June the show has been using scripts supplied by scabs of writers who’ve elected to be fi-core (keep writing, forfeit union benefits like voting). The new writers may have changed storylines and characters’ prominence. These things can make fans unhappy.
Disney-ABC has also had fights with various carriers resulting in their shows not being broadcast everywhere. But a lot of that is recent, and doesn’t account totally for the drop off.
Of course all three remaining broadcast soaps have had big dips this summer. A fourth show, “Days of our Lives,” airs on NBC’s Peacock and doesn’t release numbers.
“General Hospital” is starting to try stunt casting to bring back viewers. They announced today that Rena Sofer, last seen on the show 26 years ago, is returning. They’ve also been bringing back characters from now defunct ABC soaps “All My Children” and “One Life to Live.”
Something had better goose the numbers soon, or there will likely be changes when the strikes are over.
The word was the afternoon chat show was returning on Monday September 18th, same as Drew Barrymore’s show. It’s been off the air since May when the WGA strike began, as opposed to “The View” on ABC which has been live almost the whole time without writers.
Both shows are produced by CBS, but “The Talk” comes from Los Angeles while “Drew” is in New York. The latter show is now the subject of a very active protest and picket line, which is harming its PR.
So far there is no way to reserve audience tickets for “The Talk” next week. On the site for 1iota.com, there are tickets for “The View,” “Live with Kelly and Mark,” and other live shows. There is nothing for “The Talk.” One Twitter follower got a message from 1iota that the show was on hold until after the strikes are resolved.
On the CBS website there’s no mention of the new season of “The Talk.”
One person on “The Talk” who may be fighting the return is host Jerry O’Connell. He’s been photographed on the SAG picket line many times. (His Instagram page is full of supporting photos.) He’s a member and so is his wife, actress Rebecca Romijn. As glib as O’Connell is, it’s unclear if he could steer a daily hour without writers.
At “The Talk” production office in Los Angeles, someone who answered the phone said they had no idea if the show was returning next week.
PS I’m told they taped a rehearsal today, and will return on Monday without writers. The show will be ad-libbed live.
The Hamptons Film Festival schedule is up, and it’s quite exciting.
The fest secured Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro” for closing night, plus a raft of heavy hitters including George C. Wolfe’s “Rustin,” Alex Gibney’s Paul Simon doc, and Jake Sumner’s great film about concert impresario Ron Delsener. A big attraction coming is Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers” starring Paul Giamatti, which is so good there will be lines around the block!
Simon will turn up for a Q&A as well.
Netflix has a heavy hand in the proceedings. Along with “Rustin” and “Maestro,” they also have the opening night film, “Nyad,” plus Todd Haynes’ “May December” starring local actress Julianne Moore. They are all being touted for Best Picture nominations. “Nyad” is exceptional– well so is “Rustin.” (Haven’t seen the other two yet.)
I’m really excited to see “Orlando, My Political Biography,” directed by Paul B. Preciado, which tells stories of transition through unique reenactments and visual interpretations of Virginia Woolf’s “Orlando.” It’s my favorite of Woolf’s novels. Read it before the festival, it will blow your mind!
I’m also curious to see Frederick Wiseman’s “Menus-Plaisirs – Les Troigrois,” which centers on the day-to-night operations of the legendary French restaurant Troisgros, founded 93 years ago and currently being passed down to the 4th generation in a family of chefs.
There are lots of other activities including a tribute to “Past Lives” director Celine Songwho will receive the 2023 Breakthrough Artist Award.
The festival runs from October 5th to the 12th. All the info is at https://hamptonsfilmfest.org/
The forever Monkee has made a 4 track EP of REM songs, all approved by the group.
First one out is “Shiny Happy People” (below). The other tracks are excellent choices — “Radio Free Europe,” “Man on the Moon,” and “Leaving New York.” I’ve heard them and they’re terrific!
It’s a great idea. I miss REM and the Monkees. This is a perfect combination!
In a throw-back, definitely old-school, Dolenz will be hosting an in-store at Wuxtry Records in Athens, GA, for the EP’s release on November 3rd.
The store, shown on the EP sleeve it is the spot where the members of R.E.M. first met and decided to form a band.
Fully sanctioned by R.E.M., Michael Stipe of the band tweeted today: “This is the pinnacle of wow for me. I love The Monkees and I love Micky Dolenz.”
R.E.M. has praised The Monkees and wonder why they’re not in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I do, too!
PS The band is led by Christian Nesmith. son of late Monkee Mike. Back up vocals from Micky’s sister, Coco Dolenz.
Just 95 years young, she’s posted pictures from her physical therapy at RiverSpring (aka the Hebrew Home in Riverdale, the Bronx).
She says she’s recovering from an “incident” and she’s grimacing — happily — in the pictures. She says she’s being treated royally.
Dr. Ruth is a Holocaust survivor whose parents died in concentration camps. As a young woman in Israel she joined the army and was trained as a sniper. In France she became a psychologist. Moving to the US, she became famous as sexologist and author. Her Wikipedia bio is stunning. I’m surprised no one’s made a movie about her yet!
Get well soon, Dr. Ruth! You’re one of our living legends,
Actor John J. York has been playing Mac Scorpio on and off for 30 years on “General Hospital.”
Yesterday the longtime favorite star announced he’d be taking “three to four months” off the soap opera to fight blood cancers. He’s looking for a bone marrow donor as quickly as possible.
York turns 65 in December and looks like the image of good health. But his ailments are serious.
He says in the video below: “So last December of ’22, I was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndromes, or MDS, and multiple smoldering myeloma — two blood and bone marrow disorders.” He added: “Over the past many months, I’ve had three bone marrow biopsies, many chemo treatments, I have another one coming up in a couple of weeks, and I’m closing in on a blood stem cell transplant.”
As for the donor part, it’s an emergency. “If it’s possible and you would consider being a donor, joining their registry, for not just me but thousands and thousands of other people who are in need of a donor, go to bethematch.org/matchformac,” he said. (You must be between the ages of 18-40.)
PS Sorry–Junior took down the video which showed him and the kid murdering unsuspecting animals in Africa, and high-fiving each other. But the picture of Donnie III grinning over a dead zebra says it all.
So the cancerous mind of Donald Trump Sr, which we knew traveled to the mind of his idiot son, Junior has now infected Jr’s son called Donnie.
Junior has posted a disgusting 14 minute video of a hunting trip he and Donnie took to Tanzania in Africa. There they are are killing precious animals — which they call game — including zebras.
If looking at Junior in his coke-fueled videos wasn’t enough to make you vomit, this should do it.
All bets are off now on Donnie Trump, who’s 14 and is being raised to follow in the moronic and dangerous footsteps of his forebears. Every pro-animal organization in the world should condemn these asshats.
If only one of these brave animals turned around and ate this pair for lunch!
Or if only they shot each other by accident!
