Friday, December 19, 2025
Home Blog Page 469

Oscars Line Up More Stars for Sunday Show Including Nicole Kidman, Andrew Garfield, Salma Hayek, Antonio Banderas

The Oscars have lined up more top notch stars for Sunday’s show on ABC at 8pm.

The latest group includes:

Halle Bailey, Antonio Banderas, Elizabeth Banks, Jessica Chastain, John Cho, Andrew Garfield, Hugh Grant, Danai Gurira, Salma Hayek Pinault, Nicole Kidman, Florence Pugh and Sigourney Weaver.

Previously announced were Riz Ahmed, Emily Blunt, Glenn Close, Jennifer Connelly, Ariana DeBose, Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Michael B. Jordan, Troy Kotsur, Jonathan Majors, Melissa McCarthy, Janelle Monáe, Deepika Padukone, Questlove, Zoe Saldaña and Donnie Yen.

Rihanna, David Byrne, the people from “RRR,” and Diane Warren with Sofia Carson are all performing their nominated songs. Still to be discerned: who is singing Lady Gaga’s “Hold My Hand” if she can’t make it. She’s shooting the new “Joker” movie.

Jimmy Kimmel is hosting, and won’t allow any funny business on stage at the Dolby Theater — but the show will be funny!

HBO Comes to a Crossroads as Two Hit Series — “Succession” and “Barry” — Will End After This Season, “Euphoria” and “Hacks” Should Be Next

0

There has to be some anxiety at HBO.

The cable network is about to lose two of its biggest series this spring. Both “Succession” and “Barry” will end after four seasons apiece.

Gone are the days of dragging out a series to six or eight seasons, like “The Sopranos” or “Game of Thrones.”

Now we get announcements that the series’ creators are “done” and “saw a natural ending.”

Forget that “Law & Order SVU” and “Greys Anatomy” have been on long enough for the original viewers to be grandparents. That’s at network TV.

HBO has been through this before, when the original “Sex and the City” and the aforementioned “Sopranos” went away at the same time. It take a while for a network to get that rhythm back.

Luckily there’s always “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” now in its 23rd year (with half the number of actual seasons). Plus there are new hits like “The Last of Us” and “House of the Dragon.”

But “Hacks” — as wonderful as it is– seems like it has a limited shelf life. And no one really enjoys the “Sex and the City” reboot. HBO also needs a new drama, and it doesn’t sound like The Weeknd’s “The Idol” is going to be the winner. Plus, “Euphoria” seems like it will be next to wrap up since Zendaya is a movie star by now.

We never count HBO out, that’s for sure. They’re still the best content provider. Just wait– next year we’ll be talking about a new must-see hit.

Ratings: HBO’s Last of Us Posts 2nd Week with Over 1 Million Viewers on Main Channel, 7 Mil More Elsewhere

0

Sunday night’s installment of “The Last of Us” on HBO was another milestone.

The sci-fi post-apocalyptic Zombie show posted its second consecutive week with over 1 million viewers on the main channel at 9pm.

HBO says the total for the night was 8.1 million, meaning another 7 million watched on HBO Max or other extra terrestrial platforms. How is that measured? Only the know.

Sunday’s episode was excellent, the best I thought so far. Ellie and Joel are still on the run, and most of the people they meet along the way wind up getting killed. We never really see the zombies. It’s the humans who are more problematic. This week’s episode featured a special appearance by the actor who hosts the “Last of Us” podcast — Troy Baker– who played Joel in the original video game — as a baddie. Spoiler alert: it was a one-off shot.

This week’s episode is the last of the season. It comes in the middle of the Academy Awards over on ABC. My advice: tape the HBO show. Or watch the re-broadcast around midnight.

Surprise! Ratings Mystery as “Saturday Night Live” Numbers Jump with NFL Star Travis Kelce, Singer Kelsea Ballerini

Well, no one knows anything.

“SNL” ratings jumped this past Saturday with host Travis Kelce and musical guest Kelsea Ballerini.

The NFL star commanded a 4.5 million total viewer number, up by 400,000 viewers from the week before when “Last of Us” star Pedro Pascal hosted.

Why? Who knows? Maybe a fresh face, unexpected, did the trick. Maybe the Super Bowl win helped.

Anyway, it’s good news for the show and for Ballerini. Her appearance pushed her EP, called “Rolling Up the Welcome Mat” — to number 3 on iTunes. It’s not called “Rolling Out the Welcome Mat.” That would mean she’s welcoming people. Rolling Up means turning people away, which obviously “SNL” did not.

Any lessons here? Country music is very popular. So are football players. These two were like homecoming king and queen. Interesting.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=K2u7P5M9dbU

It’s Complicated: Nancy Meyers to Direct a $130 Mil Rom-Com with a Woody Allen Cast About Herself Based on One of Her Movies

0

Back in 1984, Charles Shyer directed a movie called “Irreconcilable Differences.” His wife, Nancy Meyers, wrote it with him. It was a romcom about a movie making couple — Ryan O’Neal playing Peter Bogdanovich and Shelley Long as his real life wife, Polly Platt — who split but have to keep working together. (The movie introduced Sharon Stone.)

Along the years, Meyers — who went on to make a movie about Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin living in a great kitchen — and Shyer split in real life. Now Meyers is going to make her first movie since 2015. It’s a rom-com about a filmmaking couple who split but must work together on a new film to save their careers. The film, revealed by the Puck newsletter yesterday, has no title. It’s just called “Paramount Paris.”

Is it is set in Paris? That would be important because Woody Allen, whose movies Meyers echo, had his biggest hit with “Midnight in Paris.” That movie starred Owen Wilson, who is one of the four main actors in Meyers’ new movie. The others are Penelope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson, and Michael Fassbender. Cruz and Johansson starred in another Allen hit, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.”

The budget for “Paramount Paris” is said to be $130 million– which I guess makes sense if it’s shot in Paris. But Woody Allen’s new movie, “Coup de Chance,” was just shot in Paris for probably a quarter of that price. And the movies he made with the same actors, ditto. It’s all a little confusing. But years from now it will make a great theme night on TCM!

Oscars: Today is Final Voting Day in Another Contentious Season, How Will Academy Go?

0

“This year is weird.”

That’s what Oscar-centric people– the press, the voters, etc — say every year. Because, let’s face it, every year is weird. There’s always too much or too little of something: actors, actresses, POC, white people. you name it. At this point, all anyone remembers about last year is the Will Smith slap when in reality, the big story was “CODA” winning Best Picture. No one saw it coming, or everyone saw it coming. Me? I didn’t see it coming exactly, but when I watched “CODA” via the virtual Sundance in January 2021, I loved it and it stayed with me.

This year, from the beginning, there was an early push for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” Why? I’m not sure. Some people swear by it. Many do not understand it. Some say that once they explain it to you, it’s terrific. I’m old school. If I don’t get it upfront, a movie hasn’t worked. Years ago a publicist came out of a screening and explained to the audience, which was puzzled, what they’d just seen. Are you going to do that every screening, I wondered? That didn’t seem feasible. The movie fizzled.

But “Everything” has not fizzled. It made $70 million at the box office. It’s won every single award this season. Actor Ke Huy Quan is the Roberto Benigni of 2023. He’s ubiquitous, but in a good way. Everyone involved in this year’s Oscars proceedings feels worn down at this point. What happened to “The Fabelmans,” a magical film that should have gotten all the attention? Why did it turn into “Quiz Show”? Why have so few people seen it, as well as “Tar,” and “Till,” and “The Banshees of Inisherin”? Why is Jamie Lee Curtis, of “Halloween” fame, the face of this season’s awards?

In the end, cinematically, the best movie of the year was Edward Berger’s breathtaking “All Quiet on the Western Front.” Problem: it’s in German. Netflix concentrated initially on another foreign language film, “Bardo,” that few people watched or liked. So “All Quiet” got pushed to the back of the pack until, finally, looking for something worthwhile this season, movie fans began to discover it. “All Quiet” was a late bloomer. But unlike “CODA,” it was hard to peddle because it was in German, it was very gritty, and there wasn’t one actor who could be nominated for anything.

And then we have the whole “commercial hits should/should not be” included in the Oscars. Those were “Top Gun Maverick” — which Steven Spielberg said saved the business — as well as “Avatar 2” and “Black Panther 2.” They were all sequels. They were all unique, too, but their ideas had long been introduced into the public consciousness. Maybe one day “The Fabelmans 2” or “Tar 2” will be big hits as well. You never know.

Today is the last day of voting. Ballots must be in by 5pm tonight. At this point I’d pick “All Quiet for Best Picture, Spielberg for Best Director, Blanchett for Actress, Butler for Actor, Bassett for Supporting Actress, Quan for Supporting Actor. My guess is Michelle Yeoh, whose spirit has risen above the whole enterprise, will win. And that’s just fine. I’ll stick with the others. And you know what? It doesn’t matter in the end who wins. We all do. And so do they.

Bring on the show!

Is K Pop Pooped Out? BTS Done? Korean Record Company Owner Says Growth is Slowing, “Not as Hot in the Market as You Might Perceive”

0

CNN’s Richard Quest has scored a scoop on his trip to Seoul interviewing Hybe chief Bang Si-Hyuk.

In a wide ranging interview, Bang tells Quest that K Pop, the Korean pop music that turned boy band BTS into a world wide phenom, is slowing down.

Bang tells Quest: “Globally, it’s not occupying much of the market. On the other hand, Latin music and Afrobeats are very rapidly growing. So being where we are, it is more urgent to increase the exposure.”

Whoops!

Asked whether he was worried about the popularity of K-pop eventually fizzling out altogether, Bang said yes.

That is my major concern. In fact, looking at our export indicators and streaming growth, the slowdown in growth is very clear,” he noted.

The executive said he hoped the lag was “temporary,” caused by the recent start of military service in South Korea for members of his marquee act, BTS.

“But I doubt that.”

Bang says he’s looking at expanding into other areas, as well as American music companies, etc. He recently merged his company with Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings based on Braun’s success with Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato, and Ariana Grande. But Bieber just cancelled yet another world tour and seems retired for the moment. Lovato’s records aren’t selling. Grande is on hiatus.

Oscars Set Lenny Kravitz for “In Memoriam” Segment, “Creed III” Stars Jonathan Majors and Michael B. Jordan to Present Along with Glenn Close, Dwayne Johnson, More

0

The Oscars are gearing up for this Sunday’s show with big names participating in the annual event.

Even before “Creed III” had its gigantic opening weekend, producers signed up star Jonathan Majors as a presenter. They’ve also got that film’s director and star Michael B. Jordan.

Others include Riz Ahmed, Emily Blunt, Glenn Close, Jennifer Connelly, Ariana DeBose, Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Troy Kotsur, Melissa McCarthy, Janelle Monáe, Deepika Padukone, Questlove, Zoe Saldaña and Donnie Yen.]

The big news this morning is that rock star Lenny Kravitz will perform with the In Memoriam segment. And no, he won’t be singing “It Ain’t Over Til It’s Over.” Kravitz is a Hollywood kid– his father was an NBC News producer, his mother was “Jeffersons” star Roxie Roker, his daughter is movie star and director Zoe Kravitz. So this will be cool. Lenny has also appeared in many movies including “The Butler.”

More announcements coming…like Lady Gaga performing along with Rihanna, David Byrne, and Diane Warren with Sofia Carson…

High Priced Scientology Paraphernalia Turns Up on ebay Including Set of Books for $5K and E-Meter for Brainwashing

0

Well, this is pretty weird.

A few very high priced items from the cult of Scientology have turned up on ebay.

They include a couple of “e-meters” for brainwashing, and a set of Scientology books (eight, in all) for $4,997.00.

I remember this anecdote from a long time ago. There was a report that Scientology targeted model Jerry Hall, mother of four of Mick Jagger’s kids. The good ol’ Texas girl gasped when they told her how much everything cost. That was the end of that.

Actor Jason Beghe once spoke of spending huge amounts of money on Scientology materials when he was in the cult. (Imagine what their merch table looks like!)

The 8 volume set of books that sells for almost five thousand dollars is called Organization Executive Set by L. Ron Hubbard. You have to have a lot of money to be in this cult. Luckily Tom Cruise has made millions and millions from “Top Gun Maverick.” Maybe he’ll pick it up. The reading looks pretty…dry. Me, I’ll wait for the paperback!

Ditto very odd those e-meters. They are pictured below. You’re supposed to hook this up to your head, I guess, and howl at the moon. P.T. Barnum famously said, “There’s a sucker born every minute.” I’m trying imagine Cruise, John Travolta, the late Kirstie Alley, and Greta van Susteren wearing those electrodes. Maybe they tell people it’s some really expensive set of headphones. You would need them — if they were headphones — to listen to the set of CDs available for $995.

I would not contact the listed sellers of this stuff. You will never hear the end of it!

Water for East Palestine: Soul Man Sam Moore Meant it When He Said Hold On, I’m Coming

0

The folks at Reach Out America Water Distribution in Ohio didn’t really get it, I think, when they got a $10,000 check from someone named “Soul Man” Sam Moore and his wife, Joyce.

They do now. Sam is the legendary R&B star, member of the Rock Hall of Fame, and Grammy winner who’s famous for songs like “Hold On, I’m Coming” and “Soul Man.” Sam and Joyce saw long it was taking for anyone to help the people of East Palestine, Ohio, so they took matters into their own hands. They sent their check to Reach Out America for water delivery immediately.

When Sam sings Hold on, I’m coming, he means it.

Reach Out America was grateful even though they didn’t realize at first the provenance of the help.

And then, a weird coincidence: Joyce Moore tells me that “a very dear friend and colleague of Sam’s and mine when he found out what we had done for East Palestine shared the fact that he grew up 10 minutes from there. A good chunk of his family, sister, aunt, nieces and nephews and long time friends are stuck there just having to live with it all and deal with what’s happened and happening because most of the town folk don’t owe mortgages but they don’t have any way to sell their properties and relocate so they were at the mercy of whatever is happening and praying to God.”

They were thirsty, too.

You send money for water for the folks in East Palestine to Feed the Children or Reach Out America. The news cycle has moved on, but the problems associated with the train derailment persist.

Here’s an UPDATE– a video thank you from Reach Out America