Saturday, December 20, 2025
Donate
Home Blog Page 426

HBO’s The Idol Episode 3 Was Only 45 Minutes Long, and Most of It Was Soft Core Porn for Juveniles

Roger Friedman
-
0
HBO’s The Idol Episode 3 Was Only 45 Minutes Long, and Most of It Was Soft Core Porn for Juveniles

These days, a cable or streaming drama should run close to 60 minutes an episode. Recent HBO shows like “Succession” and “House of the Dragon” followed that formula. After all, there are no commercials. We paid for a subscription.

But tonight’s episode of “The Idol” ran just under 45 minutes. We can be grateful for that, actually. Most of it was soft core porn for juveniles.

In the first twenty minutes there were several sex acts including The Weeknd’s Tedros performing cunnilingus on Lily Rose Depp’s Jocelyn in the back seat of a moving vintage Lincoln Continental. The most offensive part of this was the defiling of a great American automobile.

The next section was a dinner scene in which Tedros got Jocelyn to admit her beloved late mother used to hit her with a hair brush so hard it broke her skin. So he orders Jocelyn to bring the hairbrush so he can hit her while they are having sex. The idea is also raised of putting the photo of Jocelyn with ejaculate on her face on the cover of her new album. Tedros is all for it.

Was there a plot? Yes: Tedros is playing a mind game with Jocelyn, taking over her life and career, getting rid of her inner circle. We know this because everyone talks about it but no one does anything about it.

The worst part of “The Idol” is not porn. It’s that someone writing this crap thinks this is the music business works. In this scenario, no one making records has a work ethic of any dignity or integrity. There are no actual musicians involved. It’s just a game, with a lot of hazy-shot sex.

I don’t know what it’s like for The Weeknd making records. Maybe this is his experience. But it’s certainly not that of any one who’s successful. Yes, there are parties and drugs, etc. But mainly it’s people trying to make music and get it released and marketed. If what happens on “The Idol” were the norm, the radio would be be just white noise.

While “The Idol” was ending, HBO was showing the last two episodes of Succession on another channel. It’s hard to believe these two two things could exist in the same realm.

Rep Says Famed Music Producer Quincy Jones, 90, Is “Fine” After Hospital Call, Still Planning Hollywood Bowl Shows This Summer

Roger Friedman
-
0
Rep Says Famed Music Producer Quincy Jones, 90, Is “Fine” After Hospital Call, Still Planning Hollywood Bowl Shows This Summer

TMZ reported with their usual alarm that Quincy Jones was taken to the hospital this morning in Los Angeles.

But his rep Arnold Robinson tells me that Q, who is 90 and feisty. is “fine.” Listen, at 90 it’s amazing if you’re not at the hospital once a week!

The famed producer of Michael Jackson landmark albums, conductor of Frank Sinatra’s orchestra, and so much more is planning two shows at the end of July at the Hollywood Bowl to commemorate his 90th birthday (which was March 14th).

Already signed up to perform are Jennifer Hudson, George Benson, Patti Austin, Angelique Kidjo, John Mayer, Ibrahim Maalouf, and Siedah Garrett. More names will be coming, I’m sure. Just to go through Quincy’s catalogue will take at least two nights! (Stevie Wonder? Chaka Khan? Where are the Brothers Johnson? We’ll see.)

So we’re sending best wishes to irascible, immortal Q, as he is called by family, friends, and admirers.

Box Office: “The Flash” Finds Little Traction with $55 Mil Three Day Weekend, Aiming for $64 Mil Outing

Roger Friedman
-
0
Box Office: “The Flash” Finds Little Traction with $55 Mil Three Day Weekend, Aiming for $64 Mil Outing

“The Flash” had a tough good weekend.

Total for three days (plus previews) is $55 million, which is lower than the hoped for $60 million.

With tomorrow, the four day weekend will be over $64 million. The $100 million mark is not coming any time soon..

Andy Muschietti’s comic book action film is fun and funny. There are lots of Easter eggs. By now you know George Clooney makes a cameo, and there are plenty of other cool clips and references to older DC Comics movie and TV stars. Warner Bros. says the audience is skewing older. But people of all ages will dig it. For someone as ancient as myself, the nods are a pleasure. Younger people will certainly like Ezra Miller and Sasha Calle.

Whatever happens next for the DC Comics universe, this chapter ends on a high note. Since tomorrow is a holiday, go see “The Flash’ and get a big bucket of popcorn!

Box Office: Asteroid City, Star Studded, Crashes To Earth with Declining Numbers All Weekend, Low Audience Score

Roger Friedman
-
0
Box Office: Asteroid City, Star Studded, Crashes To Earth with Declining Numbers All Weekend, Low Audience Score

“Asteroid City” has crashed to Earth.

The latest outing for Wes Anderson started strong on Friday with $350,000 in 6 locations.

But on Saturday that number fell to $250,000 and today they’re expecting just $190,000.

Word of mouth isn’t there, and the audience score on Rotten Tomatoes reflects that: just 50%.

Anderson’s last effort, “The French Dispatch,” made only $16 million. This one may not get there at this point.

The audience — even die hard fans of Anderson’s twee tales — may have just tired of the same thing over and over again. Long since passed are the days of his films with real stories and a few characters. Remember how charming “Bottle Rocket” and “Rushmore” were? Then came “The Royal Tennenbaums,” Anderson’s effort to bottle JD Salinger. “The Life Aquatic” made no sense, but Anderson was forgiven. He had a good then with a few films that were totally the same in style: “Darjeeling Limited,” “Grand Budapest Hotel,” and “Moonrise Kingdom.” (There was also my favorite, “The Fantastic Mr. Fox,” with Noah Baumbach.)

But enough is enough. “Isle of Dogs,” animated, never caught on. “French Dispatch” was a puzzlement.

Luckily, there’s word that Anderson’s next one may be a more slimmed down drama about a father and a daughter. There’s also a 37 minute short, though, again stuffed with stars, which will come first. (I don’t know where these “shorts” — like Pedro Almodovar’s “Brokeback Mountain” tribute- are supposed to play.)

Hope springs eternal! We’ll see when the Asteroid goes wide this Friday is there’s a bigger more enthusiastic audience.

Disney’s Pixar Has Another Box Office Dud with “Elemental,” Opens $20 Mil Lower Than Failed “Lightyear”

Roger Friedman
-
0
Disney’s Pixar Has Another Box Office Dud with “Elemental,” Opens $20 Mil Lower Than Failed “Lightyear”

Something has gone very wrong at Disney’s Pixar.

Once the gem of animation, Pixar has found itself on the wrong side of a losing cartoon war.

“Elemental.” their latest, opening Thursday and Friday to just $11.5 million, The three day weekend will come to around $30 million. (I thought Elemental was a cheese, frankly.)

This one follows on the heels of recent losers like ‘Lightyear,” and “Turning Red.” As much as everyone knocked “Lightyear,” it had a $50 million opening weekend. So that’s a drop of 50% according to my calculator.

Red is the operative word here, as these movies are losing money and not attracting audiences. Their best movie in years, “Soul,” won Oscars but had no theater life because of the pandemic.

Pixar is betting on “Inside Out 2.” to get things back to their previous level of success. But that’s not until a year from now.

Anna Wintour’s Looking for a New Assistant, Job Description Includes No Sleep, No Life, Ability to Dry Clean at Home, Must Carry Eyeglass Cleaner

Roger Friedman
-
0
Anna Wintour’s Looking for a New Assistant, Job Description Includes No Sleep, No Life, Ability to Dry Clean at Home, Must Carry Eyeglass Cleaner

Actually on the Conde Nast careers site: four days ago they posted a job opening to be :Anna Wintour’s assistant.

It’s hard to imagine after watching “The Devil Wears Prada” that anyone wants this position. Listed requirements don’t mention no sleep, no life, ability to dry clean at home, and absorb abuse. Also must always have eyeglass cloth at the ready for the shades.

Salary is $60,000 to $80.000. Sounds low to live in Manhattan, but you’re living in the office so rent is free!

Also available at Conde Nast: Editor in chief of Bon Appetit and Epicurious. Salary is between $250,000 and $350,000. Every single predecessor has been guillotined at some point. Background: Fencing.

Box Office: “The Flash” Takes $13 Mil Friday for $60 Mil 3 Day Weekend, Success for Non Sequel Movie with Controversial Star

Roger Friedman
-
0
Box Office: “The Flash” Takes $13 Mil Friday for $60 Mil 3 Day Weekend, Success for Non Sequel Movie with Controversial Star

There’s a lot of handwringing on FilmTwitter this morning about “The Flash.”

But the DC comic book action film made $13 million last night for a total so far of $24.5 million. Good word of mouth guarantees at $60 mil three weekend, and a total of $72 mil including Monday.

For a non sequel action film, totally original, introducing a bunch of characters, with a controversial and not well known lead actor– that’s pretty damn good.

“The Flash” should pick up speed during the week, too, as school lets out and again, word of mouth spreads.

Focus Features debuted “Asteroid City” in six theaters, three each in NY and LA, to hit Wes Anderson’s prime base. Of course it did well on opening night. But so did “The French Dispatch,” which ultimately made $16 million.

“Spider Man” and “Transformers” continued to do well.

Everyone’s waiting for “Indiana Jones,” which Film Twitter will also attack mercilessly.

Review: John Slattery, Steve Buscemi, Michael Shannon Get Behind Their Respective Cameras for Winning Films

Regina Weinreich
-
0
Review: John Slattery, Steve Buscemi, Michael Shannon Get Behind Their Respective Cameras for Winning Films

Among the pleasures of Tribeca this year, actors have taken the helm of movies, working well with other actors, and finding stories that reveal their strengths as directors.

Actor John Slattery, well known for his role in Mad Men, is not just another pretty face. He premiered a film at the Tribeca Film Festival as director: “Maggie Moore(s),” scripted by Paul Birnbaum, could not be funnier given that two, not one, women named Maggie Moore are murdered. Slattery’s “Mad Men” pal Jon Hamm—let’s just say he’s not the Don Draper heart throb we knew, –leads a cast of loony characters. Hamm plays a lonely widower who works as the cop on this bizarre coincidence of a case. “SNL” alum Tina Fey, nutty as a peeping tom neighbor, is divorced and their relationship grounds the dramatis personae, including a pedophile, a dumb fast-food store manager, a closeted Nazi freak, and a large, scary deaf man for hire.

Sad things happen and make you laugh but no one you really know and love gets hurt in the making of this madcap movie. Well, maybe except one.

And, big reveal, Slattery does fine work making all the comedy and poignancy land.

Steve Buscemi’s “The Listener” stars Tessa Thompson on screen, and many voices off. On the phone you hear characters calling in to a suicide prevention hotline. Buscemi has a stunning actress to occupy the visuals: Thompson in closeup or wandering her apartment chatting up depressives on a path to killing themselves and yet offered hope by Thompson’s ingenuity in a soothing voice—until a British woman comes on—the unmistakable cadences of Rebecca Hall—and you see how easily “the listener” becomes “the thinker,” pondering her own path forward.

In “Eric LaRue,” a family faces small-town tragedy. A young man shoots three of his classmates. Now the mother (Judy Greer) must face the community, the mothers of the dead boys, and find spiritual guidance. The father (Alexander Skarsgaard) is already in the throes of some deep faith with a nirvana-faced Allison Pill’s help. Never has Christianity looked so creepy.

The fast pace of blockbusters like “The Flash” may have given Shannon, who plays a supervillain, the thought to slow things down. It does take a while for “Eric LaRue” to build its power. Then again, guns and their availability may be the subtext here, if perchance, the subject of religion in the heartland bleeds into American politics.

“Billions” Is Back In August for One Last Season That Sees the Return of Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis)

Roger Friedman
-
0
“Billions” Is Back In August for One Last Season That Sees the Return of Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis)

“Billions” is coming back for one final season on August 11th. The show returns on that date on Paramount Plus and two nights later on Showtime.

Damian Lewis comes back as Bobby Axelrod. Lewis left two seasons ago when his actress wife, Helen McCrory, was ill with cancer. She eventually, sadly, passed. Since then Lewis has released an album of songs he wrote and plays guitar on.

How Bobby could be back is a good question. He fled the US rather than be prosecuted for his financial crimes. Both Lewis and Paul Giamatti should have gotten Emmys for every season but Showtime — which is about to expire — did little for this series.

Welcome back, “Billions”!

New York’s Famed (But Closed) Plaza Athenee Hotel to Become Ultra Chic, Expensive, Exclusive Nobu Hotel and Restaurant

Roger Friedman
-
0
New York’s Famed (But Closed) Plaza Athenee Hotel to Become Ultra Chic, Expensive, Exclusive Nobu Hotel and Restaurant

Nobu, the Hotel, is coming to New York.

The hotel and restaurant combo for the upscale wealthy and chic is taking over the famed but now closed Hotel Plaza Athenee on East 64th St.

Nobu, of course, is already a big hit restaurant in New York’s Tribeca and West 57th St. It’s also a mainstay of Hollywood and Malibu where there’s already a hotel. The new one will be called Plaza Athénée Nobu Hotel and Spa New York.

Now they will plant their flag on the Upper East Side in 2026. The remodel will take the once cozy hotel and turn it into something sleek and uncomfortable. There will be a rooftop terrace, a Japanese spa, and sushi for everyone starting at four hundred dollars!

I have such great memories of the Plaza Athenee. The manager, Bernard Lackner, was a superstar. We had my parents’ 50th anniversary dinner there. The hotel dining room also was home to many movie and theater premieres, press events for film after film. I took Nicole Kidman to lunch there years and years ago where she ate off my plate. (I was surprised by her appetite.) I also had lunch at the Plaza Athenee with Robert Wagner, where we talked about Natalie Wood. He was terrific. They had the best waiters and the nicest staff.

Life goes on!

1...425426427...2,324Page 426 of 2,324

Hollywood to the Hudson

Company

Trending

Categories

© Showbiz411.com