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The irony is, fans in his hometown of Las Vegas won’t be able to see his show. Kimmel’s parents moved there from Brooklyn when he was nine years old.
Fans there who were betting on seeing his triumphant return tonight have lost…for the time being.
Conservative broadcaster Sinclair owns the local station and won’t allow Kimmel to be seen for fear it will offend the viewers, most of whom are connected to the casino world. Sinclair thinks they’d be scandalized or offended.
Sinclair controls 38 ABC stations across the country, and Kimmel’s show is banned by them.
Same for Nexstar, which has 28 stations and is run by similar puritans who can’t take a joke.
I wish I could say these stations are just in redneck areas, but they are also in big cities like Washington, DC and Providence, Rhode Island.
Of course, fans can still watch Kimmel on Disney Plus, and in clips on You Tube on Twitter.
If you have DirectTV, it shouldn’t be an issue.
Viewers in areas that are blocked out by censorship should contact their stations and complain that small minds are controlling their viewing preferences.
Both Nexstar and Sinclair are bowing to pressure from Donald Trump, who hates Kimmel and controls FCC decisions about the companies’ corporate mergers.
Despite their differences, Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham have found success again with their original album.
“Buckingham Nicks,” released in 1974, has been cleaned up and sent back in the world in all formats for the first time. On amazon and elsewhere, it’s selling like hotcakes. Top of the charts.
I had this record in 1974, but I’m pretty sure I sold it to Sounds on St. Marks Place. I mean, who knew?
Anyway, the former couple went on to fame with Fleetwood Mac, and then solo. They buried the hatchet long enough to get this reissue out, and it’s turning into a moneymaker. (Also it’s a very good album.)
So Stevie has published a letter she wrote her parents and brother when she and Buckingham were recording the album. You can see it below. She was 25. Now she’s 35 (or seems like it). “Rhiannon” and “Dreams” weren’t even a gleam in her eye yet.
When Jimmy Kimmel was suspended by ABC on September 17th, he gloated.
He wrote on social media: “Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible. That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!! President DJT”
Trump had instigated the suspension, threatening to pull ABC’s broadcast license. He also pressured Nexstar, which owns 200 TV stations and needed Trump’s approval to buy more from another company, to drop the show.
Initially it worked. Trump didn’t hesitate to comment and declare victory.
But since Disney and ABC stared him down and reinstated Kimmel on Monday, the normally voluble Trump has been silent.
Crickets, really. Not a word.
This is completely unlike the unrestrained poster who started his own social media platform so he spend days and nights calling people names and declaring his own fictional victories.
But now, with Disney facing financial and corporate pressures, actors protesting them and all their good will going out the window, Trump has been shamed. Everyone knows what he and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr tried to do to Kimmel.
Exposed, Trump is silent. Checkmate. Disney wins, Kimmel wins, Trump and Carr lose big time.
For once this year, it’s happy ending.
Will he ever mention what happened? And what will take place when a reporter questions him about Kimmel? In the last few days, Trump has been losing it with brave reporters, insulting them and saying nasty things totally inappropriate.
All the real comedy and drama are coming out of the Oval Office.
When I was living in Boston (in what seems like the 1920s) I came across a record album — vinyl — stacked up at Strawberries Records.
It was really 1977, and Garland Jeffreys’ “Ghost Writer” was the cult album of the year. His song, “Wild in the Streets,” was an FM staple. The other tracks all went into rotation. A&M Records did several more albums with Jeffreys and he became an East Coast favorite. He hit a new high in 1979 with a radio favorite called “Matador.”
By the time Jeffreys moved to Epic Records in the 1980s he had a big following but it was hard to get radio play. Was he R&B? Rock? Reggae? He defied categorization. Punk and new wave were way in by then, but Jeffreys — a small roundish brown man — didn’t have a mullet and wasn’t a teenager.
Nevertheless, great albums poured out of him including “Don’t Call Me Buckwheat,” “American Boy and Girl,” and “Wildlife Dictionary.”
And then for a while there was silence. When I produced a Phoebe Snow show at the original Cutting Room in 2001, there was Garland all of a sudden out of nowhere. (Phoebe had recorded a track with him in the 70s.)
Then well into the 2000s came of “The King of Inbetween.” A stunning collection, “King” was the first of three or four albums that solidified his place in rock and roll history. One of his best songs, “I’m Alive,” was thrilling declaration of survival. But what his category?
Along the way, he’d picked up admirers. Lou Reed went to college with Garland at Syracuse University and they were close til Lou left this world. Bruce Springsteen fell in love with him. Guys like Elvis Costello and Graham Parker, who’d also exploded in 1977, were ardent. None other than Petula Clark danced up the aisle at a High Line show. But they had radio niches. Garland didn’t, so he just kept gigging and building up massive loyal audiences.
A new documentary, directed and produced by his tenacious wife Claire, is now playing on Amazon and YouTube and other platforms after a nice indie film theatrical run. It’s called “The King of Inbetween” and it comes in the nick of time. About 5 years ago, Garland was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
WTF? This gregarious storyteller, with an incredible memory for details of his childhood and New York in a gritty time before Yuppies and Wall Street bros, gifted with gab and catchy melodies, was going to be silenced? Not so fast. He kept singing and gigging without telling anyone for as long as he could, eventually being swallowed by this pernicious disease.
“The King of Inbetween” is a love letter from Claire to Garland. But it’s also the story of an outsized artist who didn’t win Grammys or get on the cover of People magazine. It’s about a mixed race poet from Brooklyn with the musical chops of everyone from the Rolling Stones to Goffin and King, who couldn’t bend to any genre. He created his own. If you’re a new fan, songs like “New York Skyline” will make you cry, and “Coney Island Winter” will evoke a whole movie that has not been made.
Mostly, the movie will make you fall in love with Garland’s personal brand of rock, reggae, & R&B in ways you did not imagine possible. And what’s better than discovering great music long after you thought the ship had sailed? Stream “The King of Inbetween,” see it a film festival, get his records. He’s one of a kind, the best kind.
PS Garland is still alive. But Alzheimer’s has taken its toll. He doesn’t know how well the movie has done, and hasn’t read all the glowing reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the audience meter is at 100%. For a good reason.
Their annual Central Park show is turning into a nightmare.
Lead performer The Weeknd has dropped out at the last minute. He’ll be replaced by Cardi B.
Security must be thrilled. (Kidding.) This is now a very different night in the park.
Tickets weren’t selling in the first place. Now, on StubHub, prices are being slashed. “Citi Premium VIP” has dropped from $477 to $245.
Don’t forget, all levels of VIP tickets are for standing, just close to the stage.
I’ve written about Global Citizen for years. They spend millions on salaries for their executives, and producing rock concerts. They send very little money to poor or hungry people around the world. They’ve also ignored Ukraine and Gaza as if they don’t exist.
Now Cardi B, Shakira, and lesser lights like Tyla, Ayra Starr and Mariah the Scientist. Hugh Jackman, who still doesn’t get it, is heavily advertised as a host. Maybe he and Cardi B will do a number together.
The 501c3 no longer has a TV deal. They will stream the endless show to anyone who’s interested. It will be enlightening to see how many “world leaders” they fly in or kidnap from the UN General Assembly to promote their mostly useless ideas.
But I think maybe most people — not Hugh Jackman — have gotten the message about Global Citizen. There are no big mainstream stars, no Stevie Wonder or Coldplay, nothing really outside of hip hop.
The Weeknd? He’s out for “personal reasons.” Let’s hope it’s not something to do with his contract or the conditions, or if he asked exactly where all the money goes. He’s a smart guy, so anything is possible.
“Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country. It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive. We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.”
Jimmy Kimmel is coming back. Tomorrow.
Jimmy Kimmel is coming back. Disney is staring down Donald Trump. Protests over ABC and Disney’s suspension, and lots of bad will that could have mushroomed into real corporate disaster, have helped make Kimmel stronger than ever.
Certainly the threat of FCC licenses being removed is over. Trump was wielding that like a baseball bat. But Trump has struck out. Bob Iger, head of Disney, comes out a hero.
Kimmel’s ratings tomorrow night should be through the roof.
Earlier I wrote that 400 Hollywood stars signed a letter protesting the suspension. Many content creators said they’d never work with Disney again if Kimmel didn’t return. Disney faced a bleak future in the creative community. That has now been avoided.
I’ve confirmed that pop star Dua Lipa didn’t “fire her manager.”
For one thing, her manager is her father, Dugi Lipa. So that part can be put aside.
Lipa has agents at both CAA (domestic) and WME (International).
Years ago, David Levy — an agent — signed Dua Lipa to WME in London. He books her concerts. If she’s not on tour, he has nothing to do with her.
Lipa’s regular agents at WME London include a man named David Bradley.
Back to Levy: he did write a letter to the promoters at Glastonbury requesting they remove pro-Hamas group Kneecap from their line up. (I agree with him.)
“This is a Daily Mail story that’s become like a game of telephone,” says my source, “It’s grown out of control.”
Indeed, no one at WME has heard a word from Dua Lipa, who may very well approve of Kneecap performing at the festival but hasn’t told them or said so herself.
My source says, “Dua has a great relationship with WME, there’s nothing wrong.”
Four hundred Hollywood celebrities have a signed a letter to Disney supporting Jimmy Kimmel.
These are big names, too, including Jennifer Aniston, Tom Hanks, Billy Crystal and Jane Fonda.
What a mess!
Just waiting for Matt Damon to add his name to the list!
All these stars going on the record against Disney is one more reason they must settle with Kimmel and get him back on the air immediately.
Here’s the letter and the full list of names:
“We the people must never accept government threats to our freedom of speech. Efforts by leaders to pressure artists, journalists, and companies with retaliation for their speech strike at the heart of what it means to live in a free country.
Last week, Jimmy Kimmel was taken off the air after the government threatened a private company with retaliation, marking a dark moment for freedom of speech in our nation. In an attempt to silence its critics, our government has resorted to threatening the livelihoods of journalists, talk show hosts, artists, creatives, and entertainers across the board. This runs counter to the values our nation was built upon, and our Constitution guarantees.
We know this moment is bigger than us and our industry. Teachers, government employees, law firms, researchers, universities, students and so many more are also facing direct attacks on their freedom of expression.
Regardless of our political affiliation, or whether we engage in politics or not, we all love our country. We also share the belief that our voices should never be silenced by those in power – because if it happens to one of us, it happens to all of us.
This is the moment to defend free speech across our nation. We encourage all Americans to join us, along with the ACLU, in the fight to defend and preserve our constitutionally protected rights.”
Aasif Mandvi Abbi Jacobson Abby McEnany Adam Chanler-Berat Adam Goldberg Adam Horovitz Adam Scott Adina Porter Adrienne Warren A.J. Shively Alan Cumming Aldis Hodge Alex Serino Alfred Molina Alia Shawkat Alison Brie Allana Harkin Allie Re Allison Tolman Ally Sheedy Al Yankovic Alysia Reiner Alyssa Milano Amber Ruffin Amber Sealey Amber Tamblyn America Ferrera Amy Landecker Ana Gasteyer Andrea Savage Angie Pontani Anjali Bhimani Ann Harada Anna Baryshnikov Anna Camp Annabel Oakes Annette Bening Annette O’Toole Annie Murphy Anthony Anderson Anthony Jeselnik Aria Mia Loberti Arian Moayed Ariana DeBose Arlen Escarpeta Art Linson Ashlie Atkinson Ashly Burch Atsuko Okatsuka Auli’i Cravalho Barry Levinson Ben Platt Ben Stiller Benito Skinner Betty Gilpin Billy Crystal Billy Eichner Bitsie Tulloch Bob Martin Bonnie Milligan Brad Hall Bradley Bredeweg Brandon Uranowitz Bradley Whitford Brian Newman Brian Usifer Briana Evigan Bridget Everett Bryan Cranston Busy Philipps Camryn Manheim Carrie Coon Carrie Preston Cecily Strong Celia Keenan-Bolger Chazz Palminteri Chelsea Handler Chelsea Peretti Cherry Jones Chris Chalk Chris Henry Coffey Christian Borle Christina Applegate Christine Baranski Christine Jones Christine Lahti Christine Taylor Claire Danes Corey Hawkins Craig Johnson Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Nixon Dallas Roberts Dan Gilroy Danny Burstein Daphne Rubin-Vega D’Arcy Carden Dave Quay Daveed Diggs David Alan Basche David Arquette David Cross David Giuntoli David Harewood David Rysdahl Debbie Gibson Debra Messing Demián Bichir Denis O’Hare Derrick Eason Desi Lydic Diego Luna Donna Murphy Ebon Moss-Bachrach Eden Espinosa Edie Falco Edwin Hodge Eliot Glazer Elizabeth Banks Ellen Adair Ellen Fairey Emily Hampshire Emily Spivey Emily V. Gordon Emma Geer Eric Bogosian Eric Christian Olsen Eric Newman Erik Christopher Peterson Eunice Bae Ever Carradine Florence Pugh Frances Fisher Frances McDormand Gabe Liedman Gabriel Luna George Takei Gianmarco Soresi Gideon Glick Gina Gershon Gloria Steinem Griffin Dunne Gus Halper Hank Azaria Hannah Bos Harvey Keitel Holly Robinson Peete Ike Barinholtz Ilana Glazer Irwin Winkler Isis King J. Smith Cameron Jack Gilpin Jack Schlossberg Jacqueline Toboni Jaime King James Monroe Iglehart Jamie Lee Curtis Jane Fonda Jane Krakowski Jane Rosenthal Janet Hubert Jason Alexander Jason Bateman & Amanda Anka Jason George Jay Gonzalez Jean Smart Jeff Hiller Jen Statsky Jen Tullock Jenn Lyon Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Ehle Jennifer Hale Jennifer Mudge Jenny Slate Jeremy Pope Jesse Peretz Jesse Tyler Ferguson Jessy Hodges Jill Eikenberry Jill Kargman Jim Parsons Jim True-Frost Jodi Balfour Jodie Sweetin Joe Keery Joel Coen Joel Kim Booster John Cho John Ellison Conlee John Hamburg Jon Cryer Jon Huertas Jonathan Groff Jonathan Tropper Jordan Gelber Jordan Klepper Jose Llana Josh Hamilton Josh Radnor Josh Singer Josh Zuckerman Joshua Jackson Judd Apatow Judy Gold Judy Kuhn Julia Knitel Julia Louis-Dreyfus Julianne Nicholson Julie Halston June Squibb Justin Theroux Kate Hamill Katherine LaNasa Kathleen Chalfant Kathleen Hanna Kathryn Erbe Kathryn Gallagher Kathryn Grody Kathryn Hahn Katie Finneran Katrina Bowden Katy O’Brian Keith Cotton Keith Powell Kelley Curran Kelli O’Hara Kellie Overbey Kelly Carlin-McCall Kelly Jenrette Kenneth Lonergan Kerry Washington Kevin Bacon Kevin Cahoon Kirsten Dunst Kristen Johnston Kristin Davis Kristine Nielsen Kumail Nanjiani Kyra Sedgwick Lake Bell LaToya Tonodeo Laura Benanti Laura Dave Laura Linney Lee Rose Lena Dunham Lennon Parham Lesli Linka Glatter Lewis Black Lilah Richcreek Estrada Lilly Wachowski Linda Emond Linda Powell Lin-Manuel Miranda Lisa Guerrero Lisa Kron Lucy Freyer Luis & Luz Miranda Maddie Corman Madeline Weinstein Maggie Gyllenhaal Maia Mitchell Malachi Weir Marc Kudisch Marcia Cross Maria Dizzia Marin Ireland Marjan Neshat Mark Duplass Mark Ruffalo Martha Plimpton Martin Short Mary Beth Barone Mary Catherine Garrison Mary Elizabeth Ellis Mary-Louise Parker Matt Walsh Maude Apatow Max Silvestri Maya Rudolph Megan Byrne Melissa Benoist Melissa Fumero Melissa Gilbert Melissa Villaseñor Meredith Salenger Merrin Dungey Meryl Streep Michael Cerveris Michael Ian Black Michael Keaton Michael Kosta Michael McKean Michael Nouri Michae Shannon Michael Sucsy Michael Tucker Michaela Watkins Michelle Visage Miriam Shor Miriam Silverman Misha Collins Molly Bernard Molly Gordon Molly Ringwald Murray Hill Naomi Watts & Billy Crudup Natalie Portman Nathan Lane Neal Brennan Nia DaCosta Nicole Brydon Bloom Nicole Eggert Nicole Maines Nicolette Robinson Nimesh Patel Nnamdi Asomugha Noah Galvin Noah Wyle Olivia Rodrigo Olli Haaskivi Orfeh Padma Lakshmi Paige Hurd Pamela Adlon Parker Posey Patricia Clarkson Patton Oswalt Paul Feig Paul McCrane Paul Scheer Paul Thureen Paul W. Downs & Lucia Aniello Pauline Chalamet Pedro Pascal Pete Holmes Peter Friedman Peter Gallagher Piper Perabo Punkie Johnson Rachel Bloom Rachel Dratch Rachel Morrison Rafael Casal Rainn Wilson Ramy Youssef Raoul Peck Regina Hall Regina King Retta Richard Kind Richard Schiff Rick Barrio Dill Rita Wilson Rob Delaney Rob Morrow Robert DeNiro Robert Horn Roma Maffia Ronny Chieng Rooney Mara & Joaquin Phoenix Rosario Dawson Rosemary Harris Rosie O’Donnell Roy Wood Jr. Rufus Wainwright Ruth Negga Rutina Wesley Sally Kohn Sam Means Sam Morril Sam Pinkleton Sam Richardson Sandy Rustin Sarah Adina Smith Sarah Killough Sarah Paulson Sarah Ramos Sarah Sophie Flicker Sarah Steele Sasheer Zamata Scott Ellis Scott Silver Selena Gomez Sharon Horgan Sharon Stone Shawn Hatosy Sherri Saum Sheryl Crow Shoshana Bean Skye P. Marshall Sofia Black-D’Elia Spencer Garrett Stephen Kay Stephen Spinella T.R. Knight Tala Ashe Taylor Schilling Taylor Tomlinson Terry Kinney Tessa Thompson Tig Notaro Tim Bagley Tim Matheson Timothy Olyphant Tom Bergeron Tom Hanks Tom Morello Tony Gilroy Tony Goldwyn Tonya Pinkins Trinidad James Troian Bellisario Tzi Ma Uzo Aduba Veanne Cox Vince Nappo W. Kamau Bell Wallace Shawn Warren Adams Wil Wheaton Will Harrison Wilson Cruz Yasmeen Fletcher Yvette Nicole Brown Zazie Beetz Zoë Chao Zoë Winters Zooey Deschanel Zosia Mamet
Whoopi Goldberg finally addressed the Jimmy Kimmel fiasco this morning on The View.
Whoopi opened the show saying this: “No one silences us…we’re still here…we’re still broadcasting.”
But in the end The View didn’t really tackle the Kimmel situation with ABC. They side stepped it very carefully with nary a mention of the talk show host’s suspension.
Whoopi said the lack of comment last Thursday was because they were waiting for Kimmel to say something. “Did y’all think we weren’t going to address this?”
Notably, Joy Behar is not on today’s show. No explanation.
Whoopi says to Donald Trump: “You don’t understand how the First Amendment works.”
It looks like the gloves are off. The View used clips of Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, and other politicians decrying censorship.
This may be Disney clearing the path for Kimmel to return. It certainly shows a little backbone on the part of the network.
A full transcript and video will be available later.
In the second segment, the group discusses the FCC with almost no talk of Kimmel.
Dua Lipa. What a hit she was from around 2017-2021.
Not only did she have her own chart hits, she sang with Elton John on his “Cold Heart.”
But pop stars are like sports stars. They have an expiration date. Dua Lipa may have hit hers.
There’s a rumor that she fired her manager this week over politics. She’s pro-Palestinian. He’s Jewish. Frankly, he should have fired her.
But here’s some reality. Dua Lipa’s last album, sold only 110,000 physical albums and downloads, according to Luminate.
With streaming, it bulked up to over 700,000.
But her prior album, “Future Nostalgia,” sold over 320,000 downloads and CDs. With streaming the total was a whopping 5 million.
Get the picture? A downward trend has emerged.
Year to date, “Future Nostalgia” has sold 320,000– mostly from streaming. But “Radical Optimism” has sold about that number– mostly from streaming.
If Dua Lipa and her manager, David Levy, have split, my guess it’s more about trying to turn around a rudderless ship — bigger deal than who plays at a charity concert. (Lipa was apparently upset Levy didn’t want the dreadful pro-Hezbollah Kneecap to perform at Glastonbury this year.)
Lipa is already being called antisemitic in the British press.
