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RIP Legendary Songwriter Thom Bell, 79, Wrote Dozens of Classics for Spinners, Stylistics, Dionne Warwick, Philly Soul Groups, Elton John

Roger Friedman
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RIP Legendary Songwriter Thom Bell, 79, Wrote Dozens of Classics for Spinners, Stylistics, Dionne Warwick, Philly Soul Groups, Elton John

I am really sad to report the death of Thom Bell, the Gershwin of Philly soul. Bell wrote so many hits, especially with his late partner, Linda Creed, that he was inducted a decade into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Indeed, there would have been no Philly soul without Thom Bell. He was so prolific and successful that he co-produced, mixed and wrote for a special Elton John EP called “The Thom Bell Sessions.” Bell also produced dozens of hits including The Spinners and Dionne Warwick on the monster, “Then Came You.”

Thom wrote all the hits for the Stylistics, the Spinners, the Delfonics.The titles included “Betcha By Golly Wow,” “Break Up to Make Up,” “Didn’t I Blow Your Mind This Time,” “You Are Everything,” “You Make Me Feel Brand New,” “La La Means I Love You,” “I’ll Be Around” and so on. What a run! His “People Make the World Go Round” for the Stylistics was such a transcendent hit that it was remade and covered by jazz artists.

Thom co-wrote with the great Jerry Butler (still alive in Chicago– if you know how to reach him, email me at showbiz411@gmail.com) “Brand New Me,” a hit for Dusty Springfield, for Jerry, and a song that Aretha Franklin recorded and included in her final couple of tours.

This is a HUGE loss for pop music. I hope the Grammys will do a special segment on Thom and his many hits.

Thom wrote so many songs, I could put all the videos here. But he produced The Spinners’ “Could It be I’m Falling in Love,” which may be his most classic record — and that’s saying a lot. Listen to the orchestration and the vocals. This was his genius.

And here’s La La Means I love You:

And my personal favorite, “You Are Everything”:

Oscars Telecast Could Include Performances from Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, But Nothing from “Matilda” the Musical

Roger Friedman
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Oscars Telecast Could Include Performances from Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, But Nothing from “Matilda” the Musical

The Best Song short list came out yesterday from the Motion Picture Academy.

The artists who made the list could turn the Oscars into the Grammys!

Among those who made the cut are Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, David Byrne, The Weeknd, Rita Wilson, Sofia Carson, and the gang from ‘RRR.” That’s quite a group.

But the one actual musical of the season, “Roald Dahl’s Matilda,” will be absent. “Matilda” is from Netflix, which dumped the movie into a few theaters for Oscar eligibility. But the songs aren’t eligible since they all come from a Broadway show and were not written specifically for a movie.

In fact, so far “Matilda” doesn’t even have a soundtrack album. It’s a stealth release at best.

The other pop stars, however, are in a hot race. LCD Soundsystem’s brilliant song from “White Noise,” is also a possibility. Can you imagine LCD Soundsystem on the Oscars? That alone would make the show worth watching. Ditto the “RRR” performers. Could they knock out Lady Gaga and her “Top Gun” song? Everything is up in the air, just like the planes from that movie!

Here are a couple of the videos involved. There’s nothing for “When I Grow Up,” the best song from “Matilda.” But here’s “Revolting Children.”

See the Picture: Hollywood CADS Get Together Off Screen for Some Downtime Fun at LA Hotspot Craig’s

Roger Friedman
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See the Picture: Hollywood CADS Get Together Off Screen for Some Downtime Fun at LA Hotspot Craig’s

Talk about a “roundtable” of stars at Hollywood’s most “in” restaurant.

The Hollywood CADs together at Craig’s this week to celebrate the holidays and munch on the traditional mouth watering Honey Truffle Chicken and Chocolate Pizza. That’s Bryan Cranston, Eric McCormack, Richard Kind, Noah Wyle, Jason Alexander, Steven Weber, Rob Morrow, Michael McKean, Michael Nouri, Levar Burton, Paul McCrane (of “Fame, a” and “ER” fame), and club founder Spencer Garrett, who took the picture.

Outside the frame, the great Craig Susser, the owner of this swinging establishment, on the left. Everyone in LA goes to Craig’s! The restaurant is famous for not only its food, but for paparazzi waiting outside to get pictures. Their bulbs must have been flashing like crazy!

The Character Actors Dining Society looks like a fun group. And can you imagine what they talk about with those resumes?

CADS (Character Actors Dining Society) holiday fiesta. 🌸@BryanCranston @EricMcCormack @kevinpollak @RobMorrow_ @MJMcKean @IJasonAlexander @levarburton #noahwyle #michaelnouri @RealRichardKind #stevenweber #paulmccrane thank you, @craigsla ! pic.twitter.com/EJKtC9tMgq

— Spencer Garrett (@1SpencerGarrett) December 20, 2022



Justin Bieber Youngest Pop Star to Sell Song Rights, Indicates Possible Need for Money As He Keeps Canceling Tours

Roger Friedman
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Justin Bieber Youngest Pop Star to Sell Song Rights, Indicates Possible Need for Money As He Keeps Canceling Tours

The Wall Street Journal says Justin Bieber is in a deal to sell his songwriting catalog to Hipgnosis Music, an aggressive player in this market.

If so, Bieber, at 28, would be the youngest star to cash in his chips. The usual sellers of catalog rights are legacy artists like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Sting, Fleetwood Mac, and so on. These are people all older than 60, with huge catalogs and estates to plan.

One reason this has become so popular is that records are no longer selling in huge quantities, and these older artists otherwise depend on touring to make big money. But the pandemic cut into touring. making the monetization of song publishing even more important.

Bieber has a touring problem: he keeps cancelling tours, and not because of the pandemic. In one instance he cut a tour short because he wasn’t into it. This year he cut a world tour first because he had an illness, and then because he still wasn’t feeling well.

With tens of millions of dollars on the table, Bieber may be needing a cash infusion. At 28, he lives a pretty high lifestyle. Plus he undoubtedly has a large payroll to meet that includes family, friends, and various hangers on.

The Journal says the deal is worth $200 million but that would have to be divided among all of Bieber’s collaborators. Unlike the legacy artists named above, Bieber rarely has a solo writing credit. From “Love Yourself” to “Peaches,” the songs have many co-writers. Also, these songs have not proven lucrative with the test of time. They’re too new. Until we hear “Peaches” in a Dole commercial, we won’t know where this stands.

Oscars Set Back for “Everything, Everywhere”: Fails to Make Shortlist for Visual Effects, Its Strongest Asset

Roger Friedman
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Oscars Set Back for “Everything, Everywhere”: Fails to Make Shortlist for Visual Effects, Its Strongest Asset

The Academy released several short lists yesterday including those for Best Song, Score, Documentary Feature, Foreign Film, and all the visual and sound effects.

The big surprise is nothing in Visual Effects for “Everything, Everywhere All at Once.” The film directed by “The Daniels” has been mercilessly hyped for six months. Even I will admit that this movie is 99% visual effects. If they’re not going to be in the mix for that, I don’t see how they can win Best Picture. So this may be a real stumbling block.

Almost no one I know actually thinks this is an Oscar movie. I know some people are passionate about it. But the typical Academy voter obviously does not find “EE” understandable. And while I think Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan may get nominations, I don’t think they will win.

Interesting: In visual effects one of the semi-finalists is Ron Howard’s “Thirteen Lives.” I loved this movie, it’s been overlooked by the Oscar mob so far. Maybe this will give it a push.

Among Best Songs, my choices are in bold. Documentaries, too.

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM
Fifteen films will advance in the Documentary Feature Film category for the 95th Academy Awards. One hundred forty-four films were eligible in the category.  Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

“All That Breathes”
“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed”
“Bad Axe”
“Children of the Mist”
“Descendant”
“Fire of Love”
“Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song”
“Hidden Letters”
“A House Made of Splinters”
“The Janes”
“Last Flight Home”
“Moonage Daydream”
“Navalny”
“Retrograde”
“The Territory”


DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM
Fifteen films will advance in the Documentary Short Film category for the 95th Academy Awards. Ninety-eight films qualified in the category.  Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

“American Justice on Trial: People v. Newton”
“Anastasia”
“Angola Do You Hear Us? Voices from a Plantation Prison”
“As Far as They Can Run”
“The Elephant Whisperers”
“The Flagmakers”
“Happiness Is £4 Million”
“Haulout”
“Holding Moses”
“How Do You Measure a Year?”
“The Martha Mitchell Effect”
“Nuisance Bear”
“Shut Up and Paint”
“Stranger at the Gate”
“38 at the Garden”


INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
Fifteen films will advance to the next round of voting in the International Feature Film category for the 95th Academy Awards.  Films from 92 countries and regions were eligible in the category.

Academy members from all branches were invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must have met a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.

In the nominations round, Academy members from all branches are invited to opt in to participate and must view all 15 shortlisted films to vote.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:

Argentina, “Argentina, 1985”
Austria, “Corsage”
Belgium, “Close”
Cambodia, “Return to Seoul”
Denmark, “Holy Spider”
France, “Saint Omer”
Germany, “All Quiet on the Western Front”
India, “Last Film Show”
Ireland, “The Quiet Girl”
Mexico, “Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths”
Morocco, “The Blue Caftan”
Pakistan, “Joyland”
Poland, “EO”
South Korea, “Decision to Leave”
Sweden, “Cairo Conspiracy”


MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING 
Ten films will advance in the Makeup and Hairstyling category for the 95th Academy Awards.  All members of the Academy’s Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch will be invited to view excerpts and interviews with the artists from each of the shortlisted films on Sunday, January 15, 2023. Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar® consideration.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

“All Quiet on the Western Front”
“Amsterdam”
“Babylon”
“The Batman”
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
“Blonde”
“Crimes of the Future”
“Elvis”
“Emancipation”
“The Whale”


MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
Fifteen scores will advance in the Original Score category for the 95th Academy Awards.  One hundred forty-seven scores were eligible in the category.  Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

The scores, listed in alphabetical order by film title, are:

“All Quiet on the Western Front”
“Avatar: The Way of Water”
“Babylon”
“The Banshees of Inisherin”
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
“Devotion”
“Don’t Worry Darling”
“Everything Everywhere All at Once”
“The Fabelmans”
“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”
“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”
“Nope”
“She Said”
“The Woman King”
“Women Talking”


MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
Fifteen songs will advance in the Original Song category for the 95th Academy Awards.  Eighty-one songs were eligible in the category.  Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

The original songs, along with the motion picture in which each song is featured, are listed below in alphabetical order by film title:

“Time” from “Amsterdam”
“Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)” from “Avatar: The Way of Water”
“Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
“This Is A Life” from “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
“Ciao Papa” from “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”
“Til You’re Home” from “A Man Called Otto”
“Naatu Naatu” from “RRR”
“My Mind & Me” from “Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me”
“Good Afternoon” from “Spirited”
“Applause” from “Tell It like a Woman”
“Stand Up” from “Till”
“Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick”
“Dust & Ash” from “The Voice of Dust and Ash”
“Carolina” from “Where the Crawdads Sing”
“New Body Rhumba” from “White Noise”


ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Fifteen films will advance in the Animated Short Film category for the 95th Academy Awards.  Eighty-one films qualified in the category.  Members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

“Black Slide”
“The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse”
“The Debutante”
“The Flying Sailor”
“The Garbage Man”
“Ice Merchants”
“It’s Nice in Here”
“More than I Want to Remember”
“My Year of Dicks”
“New Moon”
“An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It”
“Passenger”
“Save Ralph”
“Sierra”
“Steakhouse”


LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
Fifteen films will advance in the Live Action Short Film category for the 95th Academy Awards.  Two hundred films qualified in the category.  Members of the Short Films and Feature Animation, Directors, Producers and Writers Branches vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

“All in Favor”
“Almost Home”
“An Irish Goodbye”
“Ivalu”
“Le Pupille”
“The Lone Wolf”
“Nakam”
“Night Ride”
“Plastic Killer”
“The Red Suitcase”
“The Right Words”
“Sideral”
“The Treatment”
“Tula”
“Warsha”


SOUND
Ten films will advance in the Sound category for the 95th Academy Awards.  All eligible members of the Sound Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.  Academy members will be invited to view excerpts from each of the shortlisted films beginning Thursday, January 12, 2023, in the San Francisco Bay area, followed by New York, London and Los Angeles.  Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

“All Quiet on the Western Front”
“Avatar: The Way of Water”
“Babylon”
“The Batman”
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
“Elvis”
“Everything Everywhere All at Once”
“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”
“Moonage Daydream”
“Top Gun: Maverick”


VISUAL EFFECTS
Ten films remain in the running in the Visual Effects category for the 95th Academy Awards.  The Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee determined the shortlist.  All members of the Visual Effects Branch will be invited to view excerpts and interviews with the artists from each of the shortlisted films on Saturday, January 14, 2023.  Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

“All Quiet on the Western Front”
“Avatar: The Way of Water”
“The Batman”
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”
“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore”
“Jurassic World Dominion”
“Nope”
“Thirteen Lives”
“Top Gun: Maverick”

Happy Birthday: Two Time Oscar Winner Jane Fonda Celebrates 85 Years Young and Cancer Remission

Roger Friedman
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Happy Birthday: Two Time Oscar Winner Jane Fonda Celebrates 85 Years Young and Cancer Remission

What can you send Jane Fonda on her 85th birthday? Maybe a donation to Greenpeace, the organization that helps her with Fire Drill Fridays. Or the foundation she started in Atlanta, her very successful and important Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power and Potential.

The two time Oscar winner turns 85 today, and it’s years young, of course. This week she says that she has stood down cancer, she’s in remission after a brutal recent round of chemotherapy. And still, in that time, Fonda worked and was politically active, always standing up and doing what’s right. She’s amazing.

Indeed, Jane did make three movies in the last year as well as completing the seventh season of “Grace and Frankie,” Netflix’s longest running original show. One of the movies is “80 for Brady,” which co-stars Sally Field, Rita Moreno, and Lily Tomlin. Another dark comedy with Tomlin, “Moving On.” just got sold. And there’s also “Book Club 2” with Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen, and Diane Keaton.

Jane will celebrate her birthday and remission — what she calls “her greatest gift” — with a few pals and her kids and grandchildren. It will be an intimate gathering, full of love and appreciation. So we’re sending the same from New York, and fans will do the same from around the world.

Jane has always been a trailblazer for women’s rights, climate change, and human rights. When the country was in trouble in the 70s, she didn’t shy away from telling it like it is. Below is a great 1977 interview with Johnny Carson when Jane was promoting one of my favorite movies, “Julia.” (She received an Oscar nomination for the role.) The subjects they covered– and what she is advocating– are no different than what she’s talking about 45 years later! Fonda has always been many steps ahead of the crowd. I’m so glad we’re finally catching up to her!

“Young and the Restless” Exec Producer Ousted as Actress’s Sexual Harassment Trial Looms in March

Roger Friedman
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“Young and the Restless” Exec Producer Ousted as Actress’s Sexual Harassment Trial Looms in March

Anthony Morina, co-executive producer of CBS soap “The Young and the Restless,” has been ousted from his job after many years. For the time being, the show’s headwriter will serve as sole EP.

No reason was given for Morina’s exit, but here’s what’s going on: Last year Morina and CBS were sued by a background actress named Briana Thomas for sexual harassment. Thomas is not really known to the audience. She played a barista in the show’s coffeehouse, the kind of person you don’t notice. She said in her complaint that she appeared on the show more than 150 times between 2018 and 2019.

The audience might not have noticed her but Thomas says Morina did. Now her lawsuit is coming up for trial in March 2023. CBS either settled with her and Morina’s exit was part of the deal, or the reality of the trial has forced the network’s hand. Morina has been with the show on and off for years. His wife, Sally Sussman Morina, had been a long time writer there as well. But in 2017 she was let go.

Thomas says in her complaint that Morina offered her private acting lessons and made inappropriate comments to her about her appearance in a bikini. That sort of thing. She alleges there was touching involved, and veiled threats about her continued employment if she didn’t get with the program. Thomas says when she didn’t respond and continually brushed Morina away, he began to retaliate finally she was fired.

If Morina did that in 2018 it’s clear he could not “read a room.” The #MeToo movement started only a year earlier. Not too smart.

Also, very weirdly and presciently, the soap had a sexual harassment lawsuit story in the summer of 2017 that preceded the #MeToo revelations of late fall 2017 in real life. He must have missed those episodes.

“The Young and the Restless” has had a lot of issues with sexual harassment in the last few years. Another popular actor, Michael Muhney, was fired after rumors swirled that he’d harassed a younger actress, Hunter King. The rumors started when the husband of then head of CBS daytime, Angelica McDaniel, a comic named Brian McDaniel, repeated them on “TMZ.” No charges were ever filed, and no one else reported what McDaniel said, but Muhney was out. Maybe not so coincidentally, CBS gave King an additional job on a prime time series. She’s no longer with the network.

You can read Thomas’s complaint here in a public document that Deadline has watermarked as if it’s their own.

Tesla Stock Hits New Low Price Today as Twitter Mania Continues for Elon Musk

Roger Friedman
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Tesla Stock Hits New Low Price Today as Twitter Mania Continues for Elon Musk

I have no doubt Elon Musk knows a lot more about business things than I do. After all he paid $44 billion for Twitter and wrecked it over night.

Now the stock of his main company, Tesla, has dropped to a new low today– $137. The 52 week high was $402.67. So that means if you have a lot of Tesla stock you will be eating cat food this winter. (I recommend Science Diet, but Purina is good if you’re into fast food. Also, I’ve heard Rachael Ray’s pet food is tasty.)

Every hour of every day there’s a new outrageous post from Musk which leads to outrage on Twitter. This morning or last night he denounced Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren. A slew of celebrities have left Twitter, and everyone’s fighting over linking to the new platforms like Mastadon and Post. Plus, there’s the whole banning of critical journalists.

So if Musk is so smart, why is he doing all this? None of it makes sense. But that’s what we said about Trump and Kanye West. Maybe it doesn’t have to make sense. It’s just a disaster.

Beloved “General Hospital” Actress Sonya Eddy Passes Away at 55, Joined the Show in 2005, Read Remembrances

Roger Friedman
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Beloved “General Hospital” Actress Sonya Eddy Passes Away at 55, Joined the Show in 2005, Read Remembrances

Beloved “General Hospital” actress Sonya Eddy has died at age 55.

The show’s EP Frank Valentini said in a statement” “I am heartbroken about the loss of the incredible Sonya Eddy. I truly loved her not only as actress, but as a friend. The lights in the hub of the nurses’ station will now be a little dimmer, but her spirit and light will live on in both the show and our set.  On behalf of the entire GH cast and crew, we send our deepest sympathy to her family, friends, and fans. She will be very missed.”

Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer paid tribute to Eddy on Instagram, writing, “My friend @sonyaeddy passed away last night. The world lost another creative angel. Her legions of @generalhospitalabc fans will miss her”

Fellow cast member Jon Lindstrom wrote: “Her smile could power a reactor. I loved the few times we worked together, but I REALLY loved the times we would talk about life, meditation, acting. She was a gift & she is missed already. Condolences to her loved ones.”

Another colleague, Nancy Lee Grahn, wrote: “Her presence on set would instantly calm & at the same time light up the place. Sonya was solid. Not a false note in her warm groundedness. A hug from Sonya was a spiritual experience. Her hugs were motherly, sisterly and full of her heart, which was huge. Sonya was compassionate, generous and wickedly wry. She got it. She got me. Sonya was a fellow lib and a seeker of justice for others. But she did it quietly and with dignity, while egging me on from the sidelines. “Go get em, Nance.” she’d say.”

Eddy joined the show in 2005 as nurse Epiphany and quickly became popular. She was a veteran player who had a long resume apart from the soap. She also had a great voice and often sang on “GH.” Condolences to her family and friends.

Here’s Sonya Eddy in a hilarious clip from “Seinfeld”:

Marvel Creator Stan Lee Looks Very Animated in New Trailer for “Spider-Man: Across the Spider Verse”

Roger Friedman
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Marvel Creator Stan Lee Looks Very Animated in New Trailer for “Spider-Man: Across the Spider Verse”

Marvel creator Stan Lee hasn’t put in a lot of appearances lately since his death.

But he’s back, in “Spider-Man: Across the Spider Verse.” He’s got a comic book store in this very animated cameo. When he was alive, Stan was always making cameos in Marvel movies. Nice to see death hasn’t stopped him!

BTW, the word “verse” is changing its meaning thanks to Marvel. Now when kids sing “Second verse same as the first” on camp buses, they’ll think they’ve crossed into another world.

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