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Geraldo Rivera OUT at Fox’s The Five: He Walked a Tightwire for Years and Finally Fell Off — Roger Ailes Would Never Have Allowed This

Roger Friedman
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Geraldo Rivera OUT at Fox’s The Five: He Walked a Tightwire for Years and Finally Fell Off — Roger Ailes Would Never Have Allowed This

Roger Ailes loved Geraldo Rivera. He respected his honesty, his showmanship, and contacts. He didn’t care if Geraldo was not a hard core conservative. He helped make Fox News fair and balanced.

I knew Roger, and he’d be horrified to hear that Geraldo has been shoved off his show, “The Five.” Rivera has a year and a half left at Fox News, and my guess is he’ll be paid out and eased off the network now. It’s not the old Fox News. Whatever that was.

It was Ailes who produced Geraldo at America’s Talking, the original CNBC, and then brought him to Fox. Geraldo walked a tightwire at Fox, trying to seem conservative, often taking odd positions. He was once friendly with Donald Trump and supported him. But Rivera is no dummy. Trump can’t be defended anymore.

Back in early May, Geraldo announced that his appearances on The Five had been cancelled. He wrote: “My appearances today and tomorrow on The Five have been canceled. I’m sure there’s a good reason. Never fear, I’ll be back week after next. Stay safe and happy. Thanks.”

He’s been locked in a tug of war with Fox News class clown Greg Gutfeld. who runs The Five and has a hit late night show. Gutfeld is a joke, but like Jesse Watters he’s the new power at Fox. Geraldo, 80, is the old guard. Rivera has fought in recent times with Sean Hannity and disagreed on the air with many crazy things that have been said on the network. He told the AP today that he’d been suspended many times.

On Wednesday, Geraldo announced to his Twitter feed that his time at The Five was over and he would continue at Fox in some capacity. He wrote:

“Morning, it’s official, I’m off @TheFive. My last scheduled show appearances are Thursday and Friday June 29th and 30th. It’s been a great run and I appreciate having had the opportunity. Being odd man out isn’t always easy. For the time being, I’m still Correspondent at Large.”

“It has been a rocky ride but it has also been an exhilarating adventure that spanned quite a few years,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday. “I hope it’s not my last adventure.”

It probably won’t. Geraldo’s in great shape for 80 and can still do a lot. But it seems like his time at Fox, trying to be the level headed one, is over.

Paul McCartney Explains New Beatles Single to Worried Fans: “Nothing has been artificially or synthetically created”

Roger Friedman
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Paul McCartney Explains New Beatles Single to Worried Fans: “Nothing has been artificially or synthetically created”

Beatles fans have been a little worried about the ‘new’ single Paul McCartney kind of announced on British TV last week. He made it seem like artificial intelligence was used to resurrect John Lennon and George Harrison.

Sean Ono Lennon tried to explain it all in a Tweet, which I reported the other day. But now Sir Paul is reassuring everyone with this Tweet.

Been great to see such an exciting response to our forthcoming Beatles project. No one is more excited than us to be sharing something with you later in the year.

We’ve seen some confusion and speculation about it. Seems to be a lot of guess work out there. Can’t say too much at this stage but to be clear, nothing has been artificially or synthetically created. It’s all real and we all play on it. We cleaned up some existing recordings – a process which has gone on for years.

We hope you love it as much as we do. More news in due course – Paul

Demi Lovato Doesn’t Want a Hit Single: Drops a Foul Language Punk Single About Female Empowerment Called “Swine”

Roger Friedman
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Demi Lovato Doesn’t Want a Hit Single: Drops a Foul Language Punk Single About Female Empowerment Called “Swine”

Demi Lovato does not want hit records.

And she definitely doesn’t want to be America’s Sweetheart.

Instead, Demi;s dropped a really foul mouthed, offensive single called “Swine.” It’s a punk rock ode for female empowerment. The single came out this morning and it’s number 31 on iTunes. No one wants it. It also sounds like her last punk rock single, “Heart Attack.”

I doubt Demi takes advice from anyone. But female empowerment got more from Helen Reddy’s “I Am Woman” than anything remotely in this vein. Sorry. And this song is radio repellent.

Lovato’s last album was called “Holy F**k,” but it was spelled out.

And sold just 132,000 copies.

Musical Chairs: Tim McGraw Coming to New York for Charity Concert & Gala, Record Industry’s TJ Martell Foundation Raises $1.3 Mil for Cancer Research

Roger Friedman
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Musical Chairs: Tim McGraw Coming to New York for Charity Concert & Gala, Record Industry’s TJ Martell Foundation Raises $1.3 Mil for Cancer Research

We don’t see country superstar Tim McGraw in New York that often.

But he’ll be here September 28th for concert and gala benefiting the City Parks Foundation. The evening is also honoring I Heart Media’s Tom Poleman and Devon Eisenberg, of the Young Women’s Leadership School of the Bronx.

Even if you don’t pay — and you should — you’ll be able to hear Tim all over the park if you stand in the right spot (but it won’t be as good as hearing him up close). He’s playing at SummerStage in Central Park. McGraw will perform an exclusive set following the dinner and awards ceremony, which will be held at the flagship Central Park venue.

Tables and tickets for the evening, including the dinner and concert, are now available for purchase. For more information, visit https://cityparksfoundation.org/city-parks-foundation-gala/.

Music is in the air in New York, especially for charity.

Recently, my old friend Tom Corson, head of Warner Bros, Records, was honored by the TJ Martell Foundation here in New York. The late great Tony Martell started this cancer research foundation after his son died many years ago. Tony is gone now, too, but I can heap praise on his memory. He turned a terrible loss into something very positive and productive.

The evening featured special performances by three very hot Warner Music acts: Omar Apollo, Coco Jones and Brandy Clark, which got the audience’s juices going. Presenters included “Sweeney Todd” star Josh Groban, iconic Tony and Emmy Award-winning actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth, Oscar and Golden Globe nominee and NAACP Image Award-winning filmmaker Ryan Coogler.

Total take for the night was a stunning $1.3 million!

Tom received the Lifetime Music Industry Award, Chief Creative Officer and EVP at Def Jam Recordings Archie Davis, whoreceived the Rising Music Superstar Award, and Grammy Award-winning and Tony-nominated songwriter/producer Shane McAnally, whoreceived the Spirit of Music Award.  The event was hosted by Gala Co-Chairs and Board Chairman John Esposito, Tunji Balogun, Aaron Bay-Schuck, Robert Carlton, Steve Gawley, Laura Swanson and Julie Swidler.

Report: Warner Bros. Selling Off Parts, Zaslav Hopes to Get $500 Mil for 50% of Film Music Assets and Publishing

Roger Friedman
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Report: Warner Bros. Selling Off Parts, Zaslav Hopes to Get $500 Mil for 50% of Film Music Assets and Publishing

David Zaslav is selling off parts of Warner Bros. while fighting battles on every other front.

Hitsdailydouble.com says Zaslav has hired top music lawyer Allen Grubman to find a buyer for the music publishing assets of the Warner films.

This isn’t Warner Chappell publishing. It has nothing to do with Warner Music, a separate company.

No, these are the soundtracks to popular Warner movies including Purple Rain,” “Evita,” “Sweeney Todd,” “Rent” several “Batman” films and many more titles, as well as songs included in films such as “As Time Goes By” from “Casablanca.”

It’s actually unclear what the assets are — these are just a guess. Do they include the Clint Eastwood films, with all of the music written for them? And how will the Prince estate figure into a sale of “Purple Rain” or “Batman”?

Zaslav is said to figure the whole catalog is worth over $1 billion. So this would just be a half ownership. Currently Universal Music Publishing administers the rights to all this music. And that’s weird. Not Warner Chappell? I guess he hopes UMG, the most successful music company, will help bail out his overall debt.

What’s next? I guess we’ll see if Bugs Bunny has a price.

Box Office: “The Flash” Falls to Number 3 Behind “SpiderVerse” and the Not So Popular “Elemental”

Roger Friedman
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Box Office: “The Flash” Falls to Number 3 Behind “SpiderVerse” and the Not So Popular “Elemental”

Mid week was not good for “The Flash.” Already suffering the slings and arrows of mad fanboys and Twitter stompers, Barry Allen and pals finished at number 3 on Wednesday.

Not good: “The Flash” fell behind “Spider Man: Across the Spider Verse,” which had already racked up $300 million in 3 weeks, and PIxar’s dud cartoon, “Elemental.”

Losing to these two releases is so insulting for “The Flash.” He doesn’t deserve it. But if this repeats tonight– Thursday — “The Flash” won’t have a second week at number 1. It’s a real mess for Warner’s and DC comics. But what could it lose to this weekend? “No Hard Feelings”? “Asteroid City”? Or more “Spider Man”?

Kennedy Center Honors Become Grammy Awards, Induct 4 Music Stars…and Billy Crystal — Snubs Denzel, Liza Again

Roger Friedman
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Kennedy Center Honors Become Grammy Awards, Induct 4 Music Stars…and Billy Crystal — Snubs Denzel, Liza Again

The Kennedy Center Honors has turned into the Grammy Awards.

They’re inducting Queen Latifah, Dionne Warwick, Barry Gibb, Renee Fleming. And Billy Crystal, a former host of The Grammys.

The Center didn’t include any serious actors, skipping Hollywood and Broadway. Crystal, who everyone loves, is meant to cover both arenas.

But four singers? They’re all deserving but this shows a lack of thought and a craven yearning for ratings.

Fleming and Warwick make sense. The other two could have waited. I love Queen Latifah but she’s too young. But she’s a CBS star, so you get the idea.

No Denzel Washington?

No Francis Ford Coppola?

No Liza Minnelli?

Turner Classic Movies Turmoil: Spielberg, Scorsese, Paul Thomas Anderson Issue Joint Statement to Protect “Cultural Touchstone”

Roger Friedman
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Turner Classic Movies Turmoil: Spielberg, Scorsese, Paul Thomas Anderson Issue Joint Statement to Protect “Cultural Touchstone”

UPDATE The official statement from Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Paul Thomas Anderson:

“Turner Classic Movies has always been more than just a channel. It is truly a precious resource of cinema, open 24 hours a day seven days a week. And while it has never been a financial juggernaut, it has always been a profitable endeavor since its inception.
Earlier this week, David Zaslav, the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, got in touch to talk about the restructuring of TCM. We understand the pressures and realities of a corporation as large as WBD, of which TCM is one moving part.
We have each spent time talking to David, separately and together, and it’s clear that TCM and classic cinema are very important to him.  Our primary aim is to ensure that TCM’s programming is untouched and protected.
We are heartened and encouraged by the conversations we’ve had thus far, and we are committed to working together to ensure the continuation of this cultural touchstone that we all treasure.”

EARLIER:

Imagine being the head of a studio and attracting the wrath of directors Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Paul Thomas Anderson. And this is after having a huge problem with director Christopher Nolan.

But that’s what’s happened with Warner Bros Discovery chairman David Zaslav. After making a mess at CNN and at HBO, Zaslav sacked the main people who run Turner Classic Movies.

Gone are TCM’s senior vice president of programming and content strategy Charles Tabesh, vice president of studio production Anne Wilson, vice president of marketing and creative Dexter Fedor and TCM Enterprises vice president Genevieve McGillicuddy will all exit the company.

The latest departures follow news on Tuesday that TCM general manager Pola Chagnon is leaving the company after more than 25 years.

Zaslav is replacing them with Michael Ouweleen, the president of Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, Discovery Family and Boomerang. Ouweleen previously ran TCM, which sounds good but isn’t really a solution to the problem caused by Zaslav.

Fears that TCM is going to be dismantled, downsized, or reinvented as something terrible immediately provoked the three superstar directors. According to IndieWire they immediately put in a call to Zaslav and asked for some kind of conference call.

The irony here is that Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” is coming from Universal, not Warner Bros where he’s made movies for 20 years. Zaslav wants to win Nolan back, but doesn’t seem to realize that if he tampers with TCM, no name directors will make movies at Warner’s.

This whole debacle follows Zaslav’s’ mucking up of CNN, and turning HBO Max into Max, costing the company subscribers. On top of that, today he sent word that he’s going to license HBO series to Netflix to see what extra pennies he can squeeze from the library.

Zaslav has unerring ability to make enemies and raise ire. The weird thing is, he doesn’t seem to care. He may burn down the whole Warners-HBO-CNN enterprise on purpose. It makes no sense, His previous successes with Discovery, et al indicated he was shrewd and savvy. But this is a puzzlement.

Oscars: Motion Picture Academy Outlines New Eligibility Rules for Best Picture

Roger Friedman
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Oscars: Motion Picture Academy Outlines New Eligibility Rules for Best Picture

Oscar fans: the Motion Picture Academy has announced some more eligibility rules for Best Picture.

“As we do every year, we have been reviewing and assessing our theatrical eligibility requirements for the Oscars,” said Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang. “In support of our mission to celebrate and honor the arts and sciences of moviemaking, it is our hope that this expanded theatrical footprint will increase the visibility of films worldwide and encourage audiences to experience our artform in a theatrical setting. Based on many conversations with industry partners, we feel that this evolution benefits film artists and movie lovers alike.”

Here the rules. One rule not mentioned is “The movie must make sense.” I’d like to see that one included, too.

“Upon completion of an initial qualifying run, currently defined as a one-week theatrical release in one of the six U.S. qualifying cities, a film must meet the following additional theatrical standards for Best Picture eligibility:

Expanded theatrical run of seven days, consecutive or non-consecutive, in 10 of the top 50 U.S. markets, no later than 45 days after the initial release in 2024.

For late-in-the-year films with expansions after January 10, 2025, distributors must submit release plans to the Academy for verification.

Release plans for late-in-the-year films must include a planned expanded theatrical run, as described above, to be completed no later than January 24, 2025.

Non-U.S. territory releases can count towards two of the 10 markets.

Qualifying non-U.S. markets include the top 15 international theatrical markets plus the home territory for the film.”

Cable Wars: Bret Baier’s Revealing Trump Interview Scores High, But Rachel Maddow-Lawrence O’Donnell Edge out Hannity-Ingraham

Roger Friedman
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Cable Wars: Bret Baier’s Revealing Trump Interview Scores High, But Rachel Maddow-Lawrence O’Donnell Edge out Hannity-Ingraham

Monday night was volatile in the war between Fox News and MSNBC, and the war inside Fox News as well.

The big story was Bret Baier’s crazy interview with Donald Trump. At 6pm, Baier let Trump skewer himself in unimaginable ways. The result was 2.6 million people tuning in as Trump liked, contradicted himself, actually admitted to having classified documents at home, and conceded that everyone he’d hired — all the “best people” from his administration, now hate him. This startling experience had to have been sanctioned by Rupert Murdoch, who let Trump swing in the wind.

Baier’s ratings were actually down from the 5 pm show, “The Big Five,” which today announced they were dumping Geraldo Rivera, one of the few people at Fox who can sometimes seem reasonable.

But then the big two hour block from 9 to 11pm went to MSNBC as Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O’Donnell swept the floor with Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham. When Maddow is in her chair, Hannity is crushed, and that leads to O’Donnell doing the same to Ingraham.

Nice work at MSNBC which must get Maddow back on a regular schedule when Trump goes on trial in August.

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