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They’re pulling out all the stops for Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards.
The line up is so good that there will be no episode of “60 Minutes.” The beleaguered news magazine gets the week off since ratings are down, and CBS News is in the doghouse with viewers.
Instead, the MTV Awards are stacking stars into the show.
Already we know Madonna — with 13 nominations — is opening the show, probably singing her “Danceteria” song with Charli XCX. Will Madonna trot out another guest, like Sabrina Carpenter?
Taylor Swift is getting a special award, and she’s nominated 11 times, and will absolutely pick up a couple of statues. She might also perform her new song, “Patient Zero.”
There’s a George Michael tribute featuring Raye, SOMBR, and Teddy Swims.
Kacey Musgraves will be on hand for a Dolly Parton tribute. (Yes, I am wondering why Miley Cyrus isn’t in on that, or on the show at all with her new album? What’s going on there?)
The surviving members of Nirvana are getting an award, which means Dave Grohl might be present.
The special will be seen on actual CBS, plus MTV, Paramount Plus, and any other channels David Ellison can find. So the ratings should be strong. It’s definitely going to be the most must-see MTV show in years.
It’s starting to look a like nothing has progressed in Hollywood.
Right now, Gold Derby — which aggregates predictions from Oscar prognosticators — is telling a dismal story for inclusion.
All of their twenty pics for possible Oscar nominations — lead actor and actress, supporting actor and actress — are white.
Not a single one of them is Black or a person of color.
One is Asian.
That’s it.
It was just a few years ago, in 2015-16 that Hollywood was accused of ignoring Black actors.
Indeed, no Black actress has won Best Actress since Halle Berry in 2002. That same year, Denzel Washington won Best Actor. There wasn’t another until this year, when Michael B. Jordan won Best Actor.
Over the years, women like Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer have picked up supporting awards. But again, no leads.
Back in 2015, the Motion Picture Academy immediately started adding hundreds of women and people of color, hoping that would bring about change. But it seems like it doesn’t matter. It all has to do with who’s making and greenlighting movies. And those decisions are not going to minorities.
Of this year’s possible directors, by the way, the only female whose name has come up is Olivia Wilde, for “The Invite.” And that’s not a sure thing by any means.
The only potential Black movie that might get a Best Picture nomination? “Michael,” about Michael Jackson. But it would be in the unofficial “second group,” numbers 6 through 10, and not a serious contender. None of the actors seems to have a shot of making it in.
Big night last night for Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese.
French president Emmanuel Macron — in town for the UN — awarded them each the Legion de Honneur for filmmaking at a ceremony at the French cultural residence.
In the crowd: Leonardo Di Caprio, who’s made several movies with Scorsese and a couple with De Niro, and both.
The pair was awarded for their their “commitment in favor of cinema and its preservation.”
Photos and video from ubiquitous French photography artist, “JR.”
She released a song from the movie, “Toy Story 5” called “I Knew It, I Knew You.” It’s a big hit and will get a push for an Oscar.
But it also has a title very close to a song by another artist — “I Knew It, I Know You” by her protege, Gracie Abrams.
Now she’s announced a new song called “Patient Zero,” coming out tomorrow night. The title got the attention of esteemed singer songwriter, Aimee Mann. She has a song with the name — a very specific title, not just “I Love You.”
Mann reposted the video of that song and wrote, dryly: “Was thinking of this song today, for no reason in particular. Aimee Mann ‘Patient Zero’.”
Is Taylor Swift running out of ideas?
She has three more new old songs left over from her “Life of a Showgirl” album coming out shortly. One of them is called “Cleveland!” The other two are “Pink Clouding” and “Babylon.”
As for songs about the state of Ohio, she’ll be hard pressed to beat Neil Young’s song about the state, or Chrissie Hynde’s “My City Was Gone.” Also, the title song for “WKRP in Cincinnatti.”
Rocker Neil Young has never shied away from politics.
He didn’t tonight in a short show of greatest hits at Bridgeport’s Hartford Health Arena.
Young was here with his band the Chrome Hearts, as a sort of warm up for Farm Aid this Saturday in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The opening act was none other than 93 year old Willie Nelson, who also played for about an hour.
At one point, Neil sat down with Willie — who does the show comfortably seated (he can walk, don’t worry) — for a master class duet.
A living legend now, Willie is surprisingly adept for a man of his years. He plays and sings like time and age mean nothing. He sang all his hits — 18 different titles like “On the Road Again,” “Georgia On My Mind,” and “You Are Always On My Mind” — with serene confidence, fronting a band that includes his son talented son Micah. Seeing him up close at this point was, frankly, magical.
The crossover came toward the end of Willie’s sweet set, when Neil joined him for an exquisite maybe once-in-a-lifetime duet cover of the Young’s “Are There Really Anymore Cowboys?” (See below)
After 18 songs by a 93 year old, you didn’t know what to expect from Young, a spry 80 year old who generally rocks the house.
But this show, truncated, was low key, offering a dozen numbers that were almost all acoustic greatest hits — “Heart of Gold,” “Old Man,” “Long May You Run,” “Comes a Time,” “After the Goldrush,” “Harvest Moon,” included. The band was battling an unforgiving sound system, but this was their plan. After sitting through 50 years of Neil Young shows, it was kind of an odd treat to hear his most popular songs presented very simply.
He also introduced two songs he’d never played live before, from his new album “Second Song.”
After “After the Goldrush,” Young — rising from the piano — looked a little dazed, took a bow, and shuffled the band off the stage. There was concern in the audience that all we were getting was 10 songs. But then Neil and the Chrome Hearts returned for an unexpected political statement.
First came “Living with War,” the 2006 song Young wrote during the George W. Bush administration about the Iraq War. He’s played it only a handful of times in 20 years. But the lyrics certainly resonate now as Trump wages a forever war in Iran: “I join the multitudes, I raise my hand in peace/ I never bow to the laws of the thought police.”
He finished the set with a twist on an angry, stompin’ rock out version of “Rockin’ in the Free World,” which felt like an eruption after 11 mostly soft songs. It was as if Young and the band awakened from a soft rock dream, particularly when he added a chant to the song: “Take America back!” he blasted over and over. From whom? Use your imagination. Like a lot of us, Neil Young has had it.
And that was it. Over and out on a landmark night in the middle of nowhere. A lot of history made unexpectedly. By the way– who’s the audience? Totally sold out, all ages, genders, races. A poll taker’s dream. The appeal is universal.
Sunday’s “60 Minutes” wasn’t a hit in the ratings, but it could have been worse.
Last year, the season’s 2nd episode clocked in at around 6.4 million viewers. It was down 35% from the previous week because their premiere had 10 million viewers.
This past Sunday, the episode was around 6.4 million, down 18% from last week’s debacle.
So it’s on a par for second week shows, but it’s not good.
The whole show hinged on Ross Douthat’s interview with Patrick Clancy, whose ex wife killed their three children. Now he’s married to a fertility expert he met in a running club, and they’re expecting a new baby. Clancy also moved from suburban Boston to Manhattan.
It was all very strange. Douthat has a face for radio and a voice for silent films. He is as aesthetically unpleasing as I am, which is why I am not on a TV show. His voice is grating. The look is certainly not “Anchorman.” The piece was uncomplicated. It seemed all Douthat wanted to ask was, Did your wife apologize for killing your kids? How do you feel about it now?
Clancy was articulate, almost a little too calm, though God knows he might have been on Xanax. He doesn’t really know what happened, except that it did, and now he lives in Manhattan with a new wife. The interview and piece were substandard “6O Minutes,” half baked. That segment got a 6.8, and then the ratings rapidly declined.
The ratings depend entirely on the NFL game that precedes the show. The audience stays for the first segment, and then decides what to do next. In this case, they moved on.
Tom Cruise likes to have his movie premieres in London. The celebration is going on right now over there.
The embargo on social media reactions for Alejandro Innaritu’s social satire lifts at 5:15 PM today.
So I can’t tell you directly about the movie here, although there will be a round up of social media reaction shortly thereafter. Actual reviews come in a week, before the October 2nd opening. I’m kind of interested to see the reaction from the premiere audience.
“Digger” refers to Tom’s character, a southern cracker oil baron drilling in the Arctic. It’s kind of a movie about the environment along the lines of “Don’t Look Up” and “Dr. Strangelove.” There is a cat involved. The loaded cast includes Riz Ahmed, Sandra Huller, and Michael Stuhlbarg.
Come on over to @showbiz411 on Twitter at 5:15 PM for more information.
In “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Brad’s Cliff Booth’s pit bull terrier, Brandy, turns out to be his secret weapon when the Manson family comes calling. Brandy didn’t get enough credit, I feel.
Now, in the heart stopping “Heart of the Beast,” Brad is partnered with a German Shepherd he brought home from war. His name is Odin, and if he’s not nominated for Best Supporting Actor something is terribly wrong. (There are actually four dogs who play Odin, and they should all be applauded.)
David Ayer directed this survivalist movie, and it’s a triumph — exciting, gorgeously shot, a real entertainment.
“Heart of the Beast” is really a two hander, or a four-pawer. Pitt’s James, a former Green Beret, crashes his plane in the Alaska wilderness.. His companion is Odin, who’s seen his own combat horrors and now sports one prosthetic leg. The two are devoted to each other, and always have their guard up. They’ll need it.
Once the plane is destroyed, and the two have survived nearly drowning in a wild down river scene, the plan is to travel on foot for fifty eight miles — calculated by James on a paper map, with a compass — to the only sign of civilization. It’s going to be a brutal trip, but the pair seem up to it even when you think it’s impossible.
The only person they meet along the way is JK Simmons, a fellow traveler with a great beard, whose presence is really so we can get a little bit of James’s history. As much as I expected Odin to start talking at any moment, the Simmons character is necessary to flesh out a little back story.
David Ayer, who directed Brad in “Fury,” and Oscar winning cinematographer Marco Fiore work from an unexpected script by Cameron Alexander with passion and detail. The whole time you’re watching James and Odin survive one battle after another. you’re thinking, they’ll be alright, this is a movie, there’s a crew we don’t see. On the other hand, they’re really filming the wild world of nature, there’s no faking it. The elements are not contrived.
Brad Pitt has his Oscar, and a bunch of hits like “Fury” and “F1.” He’s got his Cliff Booth movie coming at Thanksgiving. At 60 he didn’t have to put himself through such physical punishment. And even with stunt doubles, “Heart of the Beast” is no cake walk. But he gives James soulful eyes and a weary resignation that James could be on his last adventure, and you can’t help but be on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.
UPDATE: Taylor’s dropping a new single, “Patient Zero,” Thursday at midnight. She will most likely play it on the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night. An album will follow before the end of the year.
This is only Taylor’s second song this year, after “I Knew You” from “Toy Story 5.”
To goose things up, you can buy a collectible version of the CD single on her website for the next 24 hours.
I, however, am preparing for U2’s new single, “Silencio.”
Taylor Swift has put up a countdown clock on her website.
Something’s happening at 2pm.
A new album? A movie? A baby? A deal for something in her business?
Is she buying Universal Music? Taking over Greenland?
The waiting, to not quote Tom Petty, is the easiest part.
You know there’s a new film coming called “I Play Rocky.”
It’s the narrative version of how Sylvester Stallone created the Rocky movie and character. Everyone who’s seen it, loves it. In Toronto the film was a runner up for most popular.
So Stallone, who knows a good thing when he sees one, fantasizes getting on that Oscar stage after shout outs from the director. “We couldn’t have done it without you.”
The result is that Stallone is now publicly distancing himself from Donald Trump pronto. Call him Rocky ASAP. He’s taking a page from Trump’s Epstein playbook. “Donald Trump? Never met him.”
When Trump came into office, he named Stallone of his three Hollywood ambassadors along with Mel Gibson and Jon Voight. Stallone accepted the title. Not only that, he happily received his Kennedy Center honor last year from Trump when no other star would get near it.
What’s Stallone saying now? He told the Sunday Times of London this past weekend that he had no idea Trump would make him an ambassador, and rejects the idea. LOL.
Stallone says he told Trump the role was “impossible” because Hollywood functions like independent “feudal states” where giving orders does not work. He added that he would have refused the title if asked beforehand.
“Well, it just happened,” the Oscar nominee said. “I was watching TV one night and they go, ‘So Stallone and Mel Gibson and Jon Voight will be …’ And I went, ‘What?’ I said, ‘Excuse me? Really?’ Because if they had asked me in the beginning, I would have said, this is not possible.”
He says he told Trump: “it won’t work.”
“I said thank you and ciao, because it’s impossible. Hollywood works, and it will evolve. It’s corporate and corporate people won’t want to hear me tell them about finance.”
Well, even Hollywood has a long memory. And they won’t forget the antisemitic drawings Stallone published when he accused “Rocky” producer Irwin Winkler of not giving him the rights to the movie franchise Winkler made possible.
Back in January 2025, Trump wrote this on Truth Social. Then Stallone got his Kennedy Center Award, and never said a word about not accepting the “ambassadorship.”
“It is my honor to announce Jon Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone, to be Special Ambassadors to a great but very troubled place, Hollywood, California. They will serve as Special Envoys to me for the purpose of bringing Hollywood, which has lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries, BACK—BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE! These three very talented people will be my eyes and ears, and I will get done what they suggest. It will again be, like The United States of America itself, The Golden Age of Hollywood!”
