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New York Magazine is back in the hands of a Murdoch.
From the mid 70s til 1991, Rupert Murdoch owned the weekly crown jewel of New York media. You can’t imagine how important New York was then, before the internet. Everyone in town read it.
But Rupert’s ownership was not so pleasant and there was great relief when he sold it.
Now, 35 years later, meet the new boss. Will he be the same as the old boss?
Son James Murdoch has purchased 50% of Vox Media, which owns New York. James gets the magazine, the website, and the podcast. James is like Michael Corleone trying to go legit. With his family trust, he also owns the Tribeca Film Festival.
The younger Murdoch says he’ll be “hands off” with New York, and maybe he will at first. This will be a developing story. James knows that if he starts injecting New York with the wild ravings of the NY Post or Fox News, not only will he called out on it, the remaining readers will exit. Just look at CBS News. Ratings have cratered since the right wingers have taken over.
This could be the beginning of a triumphant new era, or another slide to the exits. Let’s hope for the first!
Even the investors who were holding on to Truth Social stock seem to be getting out.
DOnald Trump’s Trump Media stock closed at another all time on Tuesday, finishing at 8 bucks.
The stock was down 3.26% for the day.
Truth Social is full of fabrications and attacks on Trump’s enemies. It’s a cesspool that no normal person reads or pays any attention to. The stock started out $17 and is now worthless.
But will investors acknowledge they’ve been had? Probably not. MAGA is ferociously compartmentalized in its approach to reality. Even as Trump personally reaps billions from various illegal deals, his followers are happy to go without gas or food — and blame it all on Joe Biden.
It had already been announced that “Moulin Rouge” would shut down at the end of August.
Then “Death Becomes Her,” based on the movie, announced an end date of June 28th. This surprised a lot of people because it doesn’t seem like the producers did much to breathe new life into the musical after its lead actress, Megan Hilty, left.
It’s no surprise that “Beaches,” the musical based on the Bette Midler- Barbara Hershey movie is also throwing in the towel. It got no Tony nominations and is playing at 44% capacity.
The next victim of slow business should be “Six.” now playing at 58% and well under $500,000 a week.
What do all these shows have in common? They are musicals, which are considered almost prohibitively expensive right now. The result is producers putting up lots of revivals, and doing much in the way of original productions.
And, of course, ticket prices have skyrocketed. For people driving into the city there are high gas prices and congestion fees weighing on ticket buyers.
This is not a death rattle by any means. There are 35 shows doing well right now. New shows are prepping for the fall. But something has to be done to make Broadway more accessible, and fast.
Billy Joel says no thanks to a long ago ex manager.
Someone named Irwin Mazur says he’s making a movie about Billy’s early years without permission. He was Billy Joel’s manager from 1966 to 1970.
But the movie is not going to include any of Joel’s music. It will actually probably never happen. Apparently Mazur teamed up with Billy’s old friend Jon Small. If you remember, Billy snatched Small’s wife away from him in the early 70s. Elizabeth Weber married Billy, bringing along the son she had with Small. Weber managed Billy and brought in her brother, who ripped Joel off for millions. Billy and Weber consequently divorced.
So it seems that these minor characters who were in Billy Joel’s life 60 years thought they could use old, rather boring stories to make a movie.
Billy’s spokesperson Claire Mercuri says: “Since 2021, the parties involved have been officially notified that they do not possess Billy Joel’s life rights and will not be able to secure the music rights required for this project. Billy Joel has not authorized or supported this project in any capacity, and any attempt to move forward without it would be both legally and professionally misguided.”
Got that? Bald faced exploitation. Not happening Irwin! You thought you were a big shot, didn’t ya?
PS The fact that the trades and even news radio — I heard this mentioned this morning — took the press release seriously means they’ve really got to a grip on reality.
Ok, so I’ve never seen “The Mandalorian” TV series. After “The Last Jedi,” I was 40 years into “Star Wars” and that seemed like enough. Really: I never understood “Baby Yoda” or other references.
If you’re like me, I have good news. You need to know nothing about the series, which ran for three years, in order to enjoy “The Mandalorian and Grogu.” Director Jon Favreau and his writers have set up such an amiable, easy to get premise that you don’t even need to know whether this story takes place during the trajectory of the 10 (counting “Rogue Nation”) original films. (I omitted “Solo” on purpose.)
Pedro Pascal, who seems to be in everything, continues his role as Din Djarin, aka The Mandalorian. He’s a bounty hunter and adventurer not unlike Han Solo although he wears a helmet most of the time. His sidekick is Grogu, who seems real but is animatronic. They reminded me of other human-non human space buddies like Ryland Grace and Rocky from “Project Hail Marty,” or even Han Solo and Chewbacca.
Din is a man of integrity, but he has a price, so Sigourney Weaver, who plays the leader of the galactic rebels, hires him for a job that could get him killed and everyone else blown up. At this point, I’m pretty cynical, so you now everything will work out ok and that there will be two sequels. So sit back, and relax.
I think people forget that “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” were all based on serials that played in theaters before TV was a thing. There was no endgame or higher purpose. Like “Flash Gordon.” They were just fun romps, diversions from reality. I felt like “The Mandalorian” movie was like that, a relief from the news. it’s totally captivating.
I guess this is also maybe the first “Star Wars” movie without John Williams as composer. But Ludwig Göransson has done a superb job with the score. It’s not just that it will get Oscar attention, but the music hums with life and character not unlike something we’d get from Williams. It illuminates the movie in all the right places and drives the story forward. It’s also full of catchy hooks that I kept looking forward to.
There are a lot of “Star Wars” Easter eggs to keep the fan boys and girls happy. The main antagonist is Rotta the Hutt, son of the late, lamented Jabba the Hutt. (Jeremy Allen White, not sounding like “The Bear,” is his voice.) Indeed, we get to meet a few members of the Hutt family, and they are not an attractive gang. Still, we know so much about Jabba at this point, it’s totally fun the meet the relatives. They would never have been invited to the Skywalkers for dinner.
Grogu is a mini-Yoda, I guess from whatever species that constitutes. He’s cute as a button, even though he never speaks. But like Yoda, he’s totally ingratiating. Because he doesn’t speak, he’s not terribly philosophical, but — even if you don’t know him from the series — he supplies ballast and humor to Din’s dour personality.
And yet, for me. Grogu was almost the scene stealer but was usurped by someone else. The voice of legendary director Martin Scorsese is used for a snappy four-armed CGI kiosk operator who knows what’s going on across the universe. Din pumps him for information and “Hugo” (named for a Scorsese movie) is a slick operator with all the answers. I hope Scorsese got a merchandise royalty.
I’ve read some carping on line that “The Mandalorian and Grogu” — which sounds to me like “Wayland Flowers and Madame” — is “just fan service” or a long episode of the series. Again, so what? To those of us who knew nothing going in, this is a real movie and nothing less. Pedro Pascal, as he was in “Fantastic Four” and other projects, is a sympathetic guide through an eccentric world that you can only find in movies. He and Grogu are quickly established in a warm relationship. You never get tired of learning more about them.
One or two more of these? Yes, probably. I do hope that The Mandalorian gets a romance — there are no women in this movie other than Weaver, who is all business. But there will never be great drama. This is called ‘fun.’
Legendary music mogul Clive Davis already has his likeness hanging at the Smithsonian Museum’s National Portrait Gallery, painted by no less than David Hockney.
Now Clive returns to the Smithsonian — this time to the National Museum of African American History and Culture — on June 1st.
Clive will show his sensational film, “Do You Remember?” which was mixed by Mark Ronson and documents his incredible number of hits that he brought to life.
Afterwards, there will be a Q&A with Grammy chief Harvey Mason, Jr., who’s coming in from Los Angeles. Harvey is a musician and a movie producer, and the son of a great musician, Harvey Sr.
The talk will be about Clive’s incredible history with Black music. When he first got to Columbia Records, he was instrumental in the careers of Miles Davis, Santana, Sly and the Family Stone and many other artists.
But in the early 70s, he brought in Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff from Philadelphia Intentional Records, and they became his Motown. From Teddy Pendergrass with Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, to the O’Jays, Billy Paul, The Three Degrees, Dee Dee Sharp, MFSB, Patti Labelle, and of course the great Lou Rawls, Philly Intil dominated the charts.
After Clive started Arista Records, his devotion to R&B was unmatched. His monster hits came from Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Alicia Keys, Dionne Warwick, Luther Vandross, Gladys Knight Jennifer Hudson, TLC, Toni Braxton, Monica, Usher, Deborah Cox, Fantasia, Ray Parker Jr., and OutKast.
This will be a historic night!
Thw event will be held in the Oprah Winfrey Theater. Doors open at 6:30 PM.
Space is limited. Advanced registration is required. For inquiries, please contact NMAAHCPubPgms@si.edu.
After weeks of irrational overnight posts by its owner, Donald Trump’s Truth Social is in the sewer.
Today, TrumpMedia, the stock that supports Truth Social, fell to an all time low price of $8.27.
That’s the lowest it’s ever been.
And this was a day when the Dow Jones was UP by almost 160 points.
The price of Trump Media doesn’t really matter anymore. Trump has already ripped off the small investors, and delivered proceeds to his pals. For most of Trump Media’s investors, this was more a matter of showing fealty to the bulbous orange clown than getting a decent return.
What goes on, on Truth Social? Trump spends hours day and night attacking his perceived rivals, spewing hate, and personal venom. He does take time out to make completely off the wall statements about foreign relations. You can only imagine officials in other countries passing this shit around every day, with LOL written on top.
You may recall that I broke the story of Jacob Elordi being chosen for the Cannes Film Festival jury.
That news became an open question. Then Elordi — who has an Oscar nomination and is on TV right now in “Euphoria” — had to withdraw from service.
The very tall actor and possible next James Bond claimed he had a foot injury and would be unable to travel to the Cote d’Azur.
Well, that’s one good way to get out of jury duty! Try it the next time you’re summoned.
So how has Jacob’s recovery gone so far?
Luckily, we have TMZ to document the healing. The tabloid news site has got pictures of Elordi on vacation with girlfriend Kendall Jenner (Kardashian), plus Kylie Jenner and Oscar nominee Timothee Chalamet.
TMZ also has a picture of the foursome in a car. Jacob is driving, so we can surmise his ailment was on his left foot. Or, he’s up for a reboot of “My Left Foot.”
As James Brown might say, Stay on the good foot!
If you’re going to back out of Cannes, maybe it’s better to lay low until it’s over. Next thing you know, we’ll see Elordi playing soccer!
One more quote, from the late Logan Roy: These are not serious people.
And PS, it does seem like these guys don’t get it about the Jenner sisters. Many think that poor Timothee’s Oscar campaign went kaput because of all this socializing. Will the James Bond team want another iteration of that debacle on her their hands?
When Blythe Danner hit the acting world years ago could she have imagined a family dynasty?
Danner gave birth (with late great husband Bruce Paltrow) to Gwyneth Paltrow, who won an Oscar for “Shakespeare in Love” in 1999 and went on to become a Marvel staple.
Now Gwyneth’s 22 year old daughter, Apple, with Chris Martin, is heading into the biz.
Apple Martin — who probably had no problem getting a SAG card as the only ‘Apple’ — wiii make her film debut in Nancy Meyers’ new rom com.
The untitled film is Meyers’ first since 2015, so it’s a big deal. Penélope Cruz, Kieran Culkin, Erin Doherty, Jude Law, and Owen Wilson were already announced as the main cast. Today they’re joined by Apple, Tony Hale, and Beverly D’Angelo. The movie will be released in December 2027.
Apple has already gotten to the core of a career with a top talent agency — CAA — and manager, Cade Hudson. She’s proven that the Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
What about paying dues and all that? That’s very pre-Nepo. As dad Chris Martin would say, Viva la vida! With those genes. why wait?
PS Gwyneth was already in movies in her late teens. This should come as no surprise.
Also: just wait til the young actress gets a project on Apple TV!
You can check what stores have it in stock easily, without having to line up in the middle of the night.
This kills the collectors market. Right now there are a lot of posts on ebay and elsewhere selling the Pop for thousands of dollars.
But that will be over by the end of the day. Swatch has plenty of these trinkets in stock.
What turned this marketing plan into an international melee? This was worse than the crazy demand for “Marty Supreme” jackets a few months ago.
Swatch was deliberately dense about giving information in advance. They purposely let the situation grow out of control to get their name back in the news, even if it meant losing sales over the weekend. Whoever devised this mischief should get a marketing award!
Anyway, the Royal Pop is not worth $400 even if Audemars name is stamped on it. I’d say wait a few months and pick it up for 100 bucks.
BTW, on Canal Street in New York they’re already got the knock off for 15 bucks. Sold!
Why does the black and white one look like an Oreo?
