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“House of the Dragon” Week 3 Dropped At Least 500K Viewers as Woke Prequel Lacks Sex, Fun, of “Game of Thrones”

Roger Friedman
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“House of the Dragon” Week 3 Dropped At Least 500K Viewers as Woke Prequel Lacks Sex, Fun, of “Game of Thrones”

Week 3 of “House of the Dragon” — I really wish it were called “House of Dragons” — showed a ratings fall off for the HBO blockbuster.

Linear ratings on HBO Prime — the cable channel, not streaming or beaming in from other worlds — fell by at least 500,000 viewers to 1,750,000. That’s over two showings between 9 and 11 pm.

I think a lot of viewers, like me, are starting to tire of the “woke” talk, the utter lack of sex or a sense of humor. “HOD” is all plot, and a lot of violence. Blood is spurting everywhere. But none of the predecessors to the Game of Thrones gang is having any fun. What’s the point?

Fans of “GoT” will tell you that the initial seasons bordered on soft core porn. You can find the clips all over YouTube. The original Westerosians drank and screwed and were pretty hearty. Dragons were not their main concern. They also laughed a lot. Some of the episodes were so scandalous, when they were over, you were left agog. Did they really do that on a TV show?

“HOD” is very tame. It’s about royal succession, and only that as far I can tell. Epsiode 3 had a time jump so we missed the wedding of Viserys to his young bride and the birth of their first child. I thought I’d fallen asleep and missed an episode. Alicent Hightower was already pregnant with her second child! What? And they’ve written Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) as a cypher. She has no interest in the guys around her (or even the girls). It’s hard to root for her when she doesn’t seem to care one way or another about anything.

The saving grace of “HOD” is the production. It’s gorgeous to look at. The production design is subtle and stunning. So we keep watching, hoping something will happen soon.

Today Begins Last Three “Days of our Lives” After 57 Years on Broadcast Television

Roger Friedman
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Today Begins Last Three “Days of our Lives” After 57 Years on Broadcast Television

Today is first of the last three episodes of the 57 year old NBC soap opera “Days of our Lives.” It’s end of an era. On Monday. “Days of our Lives” leaves broadcast TV for Peacock and streaming.

Executive producer Ken Corday, who inherited the program from his parents, said in a recent interview the move to streaming “was baked into” the last two year contract he signed. The Peacock move signals the last part of that contract and likely a a year to wrap up the show completely.

“Days of our Lives” became a midday institution in the mid-60s thanks to that hourglass logo and the haunting theme music. The late MacDonald Carey, who had a big career in prime time (it’s fun to see him now in old black and white shows on MeTV) was the star. Even now there are about a dozen or veteran cast members including Deidre Hall (started in 1976) and Susan Seaforth Hayes (1968). They’ve got two in the cast who’ve really hung in there, too. Bill Hayes is 96 years old, John Aniston is 88. They seem to be on all the time. All of them will be missed.

When “Days” is done there will be three soaps left on TV, none on NBC. NBC always wanted to get rid of the soaps, they used to have a bunch of them. But little by little executives came in with cost-cutting ideas, like more inane talk shows and news updates, cooking segments, and so on. No one could have guessed that all of that would dovetail with the arrival of emergency TV, true life stories so violent or weird that they made soap operas look like kid stuff.

Will the fans go to Peacock? Corday has his actors shilling on social media, pitching $1.99 subscriptions. So far Peacock doesn’t have much of an audience although there’s little original material there, just reruns of old NBC shows. Soon “Days of our Lives” will just be one of those, too, I’m afraid.

The Beatles Coming with “Revolver” Box Set Remixed and Remastered Next Month

Roger Friedman
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The Beatles Coming with “Revolver” Box Set Remixed and Remastered Next Month

The Beatles are running out of 50th anniversary editions so it’s time to go backwards a little and issue special editions.

The next one is very exciting: “Revolver,” the album that preceded “Sgt. Pepper” and flipped the switch for the Fab Four has gotten the remix-remaster treatment. It’s going to sound amazing, you know. Plus we’re getting demo tracks and the additions of “Paperback Writer” and “Rain.”

I guess next up will be “Rubber Soul.”

Here’s a distillation of the press release:

“On October 28, Revolver will be released worldwide in a range of beautifully presented, newly mixed and expanded Special Edition packages by Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe. The Special Edition’s new stereo and Dolby Atmos mixes of the album’s opening track “Taxman” make their digital release debuts with today’s announcement and preorder launch.

“The Revolver album’s 14 tracks have been newly mixed by producer Giles Martin and engineer Sam Okell in stereo and Dolby Atmos, and the album’s original mono mix is sourced from its 1966 mono master tape. Revolver’s sweeping new Special Edition follows the universally acclaimed remixed and expanded Special Editions of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (2017), The BEATLES (‘White Album’) (2018), Abbey Road (2019), and Let It Be (2021).

“All the new Revolver releases feature the album’s new stereo mix, sourced directly from the original four-track master tapes. The audio is brought forth in stunning clarity with the help of cutting edge de-mixing technology developed by the award-winning sound team led by Emile de la Rey at Peter Jackson’s WingNut Films Productions Ltd. The physical and digital Super Deluxe collections also feature the album’s original mono mix, 28 early takes from the sessions and three home demos, and a four-track EP with new stereo mixes and remastered original mono mixes for “Paperback Writer” and “Rain”. The album’s new Dolby Atmos mix will be released digitally.”

REVOLVER SPECIAL EDITION

Tracklists

SUPER DELUXE [5CD + 100-page hardbound book in slipcase | digital audio collection]

CD1: Revolver (New stereo mix)

1: Taxman

2: Eleanor Rigby

3: I’m Only Sleeping

4: Love You To

5: Here, There And Everywhere

6: Yellow Submarine

7: She Said She Said

8: Good Day Sunshine

9: And Your Bird Can Sing

10: For No One

11: Doctor Robert

12: I Want To Tell You

13: Got To Get You Into My Life

14: Tomorrow Never Knows

CD2: Sessions One

1: Tomorrow Never Knows (Take 1)

2: Tomorrow Never Knows (Mono mix RM 11)

3: Got To Get You Into My Life (First version) – Take 5

4: Got To Get You Into My Life (Second version) – Unnumbered mix – mono

5: Got To Get You Into My Life (Second version) – Take 8

6: Love You To (Take 1) – mono

7: Love You To (Unnumbered rehearsal) – mono

8: Love You To (Take 7)

9: Paperback Writer (Takes 1 and 2) – Backing track – mono

10: Rain (Take 5 – Actual speed)

11: Rain (Take 5 – Slowed down for master tape)

12: Doctor Robert (Take 7)

13: And Your Bird Can Sing (First version) – Take 2

14: And Your Bird Can Sing (First version) – Take 2 (giggling)

CD3: Sessions Two

1: And Your Bird Can Sing (Second version) – Take 5

2: Taxman (Take 11)

3: I’m Only Sleeping (Rehearsal fragment) – mono

4: I’m Only Sleeping (Take 2) – mono

5: I’m Only Sleeping (Take 5) – mono

6: I’m Only Sleeping (Mono mix RM1)

7: Eleanor Rigby (Speech before Take 2)

8: Eleanor Rigby (Take 2)

9: For No One (Take 10) – Backing track

10: Yellow Submarine (Songwriting work tape – Part 1) – mono

11: Yellow Submarine (Songwriting work tape – Part 2) – mono

12: Yellow Submarine (Take 4 before sound effects)

13: Yellow Submarine (Highlighted sound effects)

14: I Want To Tell You (Speech and Take 4)

15: Here, There And Everywhere (Take 6)

16: She Said She Said (John’s demo) – mono

17: She Said She Said (Take 15) – Backing track rehearsal

CD4: Revolver (Original mono master)

Album tracklist (same as above)

CD5: Revolver EP

1: Paperback Writer (New stereo mix)

2: Rain (New stereo mix)

3: Paperback Writer (Original mono mix remastered)

4: Rain (Original mono mix remastered)

SUPER DELUXE VINYL [limited edition 4LP+7-inch EP + 100-page hardbound book in slipcase]

LP One: Revolver (New stereo mix)

Side 1

1: Taxman

2: Eleanor Rigby

3: I’m Only Sleeping

4: Love You To

5: Here, There And Everywhere

6: Yellow Submarine

7: She Said She Said

Side 2

1: Good Day Sunshine

2: And Your Bird Can Sing

3: For No One

4: Doctor Robert

5: I Want To Tell You

6: Got To Get You Into My Life

7: Tomorrow Never Knows

LP Two: Sessions One

Side 1

1: Tomorrow Never Knows (Take 1)

2: Tomorrow Never Knows (Mono mix RM 11)

3: Got To Get You Into My Life (First version) – Take 5

4: Got To Get You Into My Life (Second version) – Unnumbered mix – mono

5: Got To Get You Into My Life (Second version) – Take 8

6: Love You To (Take 1) – mono

7: Love You To (Unnumbered rehearsal) – mono

Side 2

1: Love You To (Take 7)

2: Paperback Writer (Takes 1 and 2) – Backing track – mono

3: Rain (Take 5 – Actual speed)

4: Rain (Take 5 – Slowed down for master tape)

5: Doctor Robert (Take 7)

6: And Your Bird Can Sing (First version) – Take 2

7: And Your Bird Can Sing (First version) – Take 2 (giggling)

LP Three: Sessions Two

Side 1

1: And Your Bird Can Sing (Second version) – Take 5

2: Taxman (Take 11)

3: I’m Only Sleeping (Rehearsal fragment) – mono

4: I’m Only Sleeping (Take 2) – mono

5: I’m Only Sleeping (Take 5) – mono

6: I’m Only Sleeping (Mono mix RM1)

7: Eleanor Rigby (Speech before Take 2)

8: Eleanor Rigby (Take 2)

Side 2

1: For No One (Take 10) – Backing track

2: Yellow Submarine (Songwriting work tape – Part 1) – mono

3: Yellow Submarine (Songwriting work tape – Part 2) – mono

4: Yellow Submarine (Take 4 before sound effects)

5: Yellow Submarine (Highlighted sound effects)

6: I Want To Tell You (Speech and Take 4)

7: Here, There And Everywhere (Take 6)

8: She Said She Said (John’s demo) – mono

9: She Said She Said (Take 15) – Backing track rehearsal

LP Four: Revolver (Original mono master)

Album tracklist (same as above)

Revolver EP (7-inch vinyl)

Side 1

1: Paperback Writer (New stereo mix)

2: Rain (New stereo mix)

Side 2

1: Paperback Writer (Original mono mix remastered)

2: Rain (Original mono mix remastered)

DELUXE [2CD in digipak with 40-page booklet]

CD 1: Revolver (New stereo mix)

CD 2: Sessions

1: Paperback Writer (New stereo mix)

2: Rain (New stereo mix)

3: Tomorrow Never Knows (Take 1)

4: Got To Get You Into My Life (Early mix)

5: Love You To (Take 7)

6: Doctor Robert (Take 7)

7: And Your Bird Can Sing (First version) Take 2

8: Taxman (Take 11)

9: I’m Only Sleeping (Take 2) – mono

10: Eleanor Rigby (Take 2)

11: For No One (Take 10) – Backing track

12: Yellow Submarine (Take 4 before sound effects)

13: I Want To Tell You (Speech and Take 4)

14: Here, There And Everywhere (Take 6)

15: She Said She Said (Take 15) – Backing track rehearsal

STANDARD [1CD | digital | 1LP vinyl | limited edition 1LP picture disc vinyl]

Revolver (New stereo mix)

Broadway: Can’t Get Away from “Into the Woods,” Hit Revival Extends Again Until January

Roger Friedman
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Broadway: Can’t Get Away from “Into the Woods,” Hit Revival Extends Again Until January

“Into the Woods” to get away– but you can’t get away from “Into the Woods.”

The Sondheim revival says it’s extending its initial limited run one more time — til January 8, 2023. The production has been a critical and financial hit, so why not? The only reason they may one day close is because they’re losing their theater.

New cast members came in this week including Montego Glover, Stephanie J. Block, Sebastian Arcelus Krysta Rodriguez, Katy Geraghty, Jim Stanek, and Andy Karl. Some of the original cast is still there. And who knows? They say this is the final curtain, but never say never.

Broadway Gets the Star it Wanted as Lea Michele Takes Over “Funny Girl” to Many Standing Ovations

Roger Friedman
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Broadway Gets the Star it Wanted as Lea Michele Takes Over “Funny Girl” to Many Standing Ovations

“Funny Girl” 2.0 launched tonight at the August Wilson Theater. Lea Michele, star of “Glee,” took over as Fanny Brice, with Tovah Feldshuh as Fanny’s mother.

The theater was packed, folks, to the gills. And they were primed for success. This was the first performance for these new actors, and Lea Michele’s debut on Broadway. When she appeared on stage there was a roar from the audience the kind you hear at British soccer matches. They gave Lea Michele a standing ovation before she opened her mouth. “Funny Girl” opens with Fanny sitting at her desk looking out at the audience. Lea Michele actually looked terrified for a moment as these people lost their minds.

Luckily, she came though and then some. You can’t review this new version for a couple of weeks because it has to gel. This was really a first preview. But Michele and Feldshuh have rescued a major musical that went through a lot of sturm und drang since it opened last April. That’s not to denigrate the people they replaced. But now, suddenly, “Funny Girl” has it right.

There were four standing ovations altogether, by my count. There would have been more except everyone was getting tired — three hours including intermission, and it’s very humid in New York. The air conditioning was straining to accommodate so many people jammed together.

Quite a few celebrities showed up. “Star Trek” actor Zachary Quinto was to my left. Michelle’s “Glee” creator, Ryan Murphy, was off to the right with actor Jonathon Groff, also from “Glee.” The show’s book writer, Harvey Fierstein, perched in his seat and seemed to be swooning from the all the ways the show has improved. Imagine what it will be like when critics come to pass official judgements. (There was also an unconfirmed sighting of Gov. Kathy Hochul, but that may have been part of the overheated enthusiasm).

What I liked tonight especially is that Ramin Karimloo, who’s been playing Nicky Arnstein from the start, seemed much looser and more engaged. At one point during an exchange on stage between Nicky and Fanny, Karimloo either flubbed a line or almost broke out laughing. It was nice to see him enjoying himself.

For the curtain call, Lea Michele surprised me. Well, the audience surprised her. I think the cast was in shock. But she really deferred to Felshuh, who is already note perfect, and Karimloo, in her bows and thank you’s from the stage. I think Broadway has finally gotten the star it wanted, expected and hoped for. Outside the theater, as Lea Michele exited the stage door, throngs of her fans chanted her name in unison.

You can’t ask for anything more. Bravo!

PS Note to Mayor Eric Adams: we got out at 10pm and not a single restaurant on West 52nd was still open. New York is supposed to be the city that never sleeps. But now it’s just woke but not awake. The whole theater district rolls up their carpets early, much like the rest of the city. It’s time to signal the area is safe, the pandemic is over, and let’s get back to business.

No More Justice for Justin Bieber: Pop Star Once Again Cancels World Tour Dates Citing Illness

Roger Friedman
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No More Justice for Justin Bieber: Pop Star Once Again Cancels World Tour Dates Citing Illness

Justin Bieber has once again cancelled tour dates. This time, it’s everything remaining on his world tour through 2023.

In the spring, Bieber announced he had Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, a kind of palsy that partially paralyzed his face. He cancelled all immediate dates. But then in July he resumed touring, played six shows, and Rock in Rio.

And that was it.

On Instagram, he wrote: “Earlier this year, I went public with my battle with Ramsay-Hunt Syndrome, where my face was partially paralyzed. As a result of this illness, I was not able to complete the North American leg of the Justice Tour.” But after Rock in Rio, he says: “the exhaustion overtook me and I realized that I need to make my health the priority right now. So I’m going to take a break from touring for the time being. I’m going to be OK, but I need time to rest and get better.”

Bieber, 28, is no stranger to cancelled tours. He’s done it a few times. He walked out on his last big tour, citing mental exhaustion.

No one begrudges Bieber his health, mental or physical. But each time this happens it becomes harder to get insurance for him. Insurance companies aren’t happy to keep picking up the tab for cancelled world wide tours. Promoters aren’t crazy about filling the dates. Maybe in the future, Bieber — if he wants to perform live — will scale back to mid sized theaters where he’s less taxed on stage.

Jerry Seinfeld Poses for the Most Uncomfortable, Unhappy Looking Fashion Spread Since the Puffy Shirt

Roger Friedman
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Jerry Seinfeld Poses for the Most Uncomfortable, Unhappy Looking Fashion Spread Since the Puffy Shirt

Jerry Seinfeld is not known for his fashion acumen.

The fictional Jerry is famous for maybe two gestures in that area: the Puffy Shirt which he had to wear on the Today show; and a suede bomber jacket that had a pink, striped lining that he had to wear inside out to avoid getting it wet in the rain.

Neither of these incidents went well. And neither does the real Jerry’s fashion layout for a brand called Kith. (Kith? Like kith and kin?) Jerry looks miserable in these pictures from the great Mark Seliger. Why? Because neither he nor TV Jerry would ever wear this stuff. The whole shoot looks like a set up for an episode.

Spit Take: Is All Publicity Good Publicity? Did Harry Hock Chris? How Did “Don’t Worry Darling” Go So Off Track?

Roger Friedman
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Spit Take: Is All Publicity Good Publicity? Did Harry Hock Chris? How Did “Don’t Worry Darling” Go So Off Track?

The craziness surrounding “Don’t Worry Darling,” a movie that doesn’t open until September 23rd, is off the track this morning.

The new big scandal is, Did Harry Styles, as he sat down at the Venice premiere, lean over and spit on co-star Chris Pine?

The video is being studied as if it were the Zapruder film, from many angles and in slow motion. Pine, the spit-advocates claim, flinched and then stopped clapping as Styles hocked a good one and then took his seat.

Others claim that Harry just pursed his lips as he sat down, and that Pine had momentarily misplaced his sunglasses, stopped clapping when he found them on his seat and recovered them.

And there’s more: the seating at the premiere is being discussed like it’s the Last Supper. Director Olivia Wilde is kept away from actress Florence Pugh, because they’ve been “feuding” for months. Wilder and Styles, rumored to be having an affair, are also kept apart. Pine “zoned out” at the press conference because he clearly has more interesting things on his mind, like where is socks are (he wore none all day). And then Harry rose from his seat and kissed castmate Nick Kroll on the lips.

Twitter and the internet have been set ablaze.

But does any of this matter? Is all publicity good publicity? The movie is currently at 46% on Rotten Tomatoes among critics who saw it in Venice. That’s actually bad news because they are all “top critics” and not bloggers who will add to the numbers later, many of whom may be Styles fans. Those Venice reviews are hardcore writers. Even the ones who didn’t like the movie and gave it a “fresh” are harsh on the movie overall, kind to Pugh.

Next up will be the US publicity tour, which won’t include Pugh, who is shooting “Dune Two” in Eastern Europe. Wilde, Kroll, and Pine may hit the trail. Styles is on tour, and also has his other fall movie, “My Policeman,” premiering at the Toronto Film Festival this week. Will anyone actually address all that’s occurred? Or is it best to just be coy, let silence fuel the flames, and hope it translates into big box office?

My spit take? The sunglasses scenario wins over the actual phlegm-ing, first of all. Harry was too busy worrying about his lapels to hock a louie on Captain James Kirk. And the kiss? Planned, by Kroll and Styles, who were “taking the piss,” as they say, making an ironic comment on all the rumors.

But all of that would make too much sense.

“Sweeney Todd” Officially Returning to Broadway, with Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford

Roger Friedman
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“Sweeney Todd” Officially Returning to Broadway, with Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford

Here it is, the poster for “Sweeney Todd.” My favorite musical is coming back to Broadway next spring with Josh Groban as Sweeney Todd and Annaleigh Ashford as Mrs. Lovett.

Looks like the announcement comes tomorrow at 10am. Thomas Kail is directing. (Can he get Michelle Williams to play Johanna?) Jeffrey Seller is the producer. It’s going to be something when “Sweeney” competes with “Into the Woods” for Best Revival of a Musical next year at the Tonys. Sondheim is smiling in heaven!

PS This one will cost $14 million and be worth every penny.

Harry Styles-Florence Pugh-Olivia Wilde Gossip-Plagued Thriller “Don’t Worry Darling” Panned by Venice Critics

Roger Friedman
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Harry Styles-Florence Pugh-Olivia Wilde Gossip-Plagued Thriller “Don’t Worry Darling” Panned by Venice Critics

The reviews are coming in from Venice for Olivia Wilde’s gossip-plagued “Don’t Worry Darling.” They aren’t good.

UPDATE: Rotten Tomatoes score is 39% with 18 reviews in. This whole thing has imploded.

Variety, Rolling Stone, and the Daily Beast are among the early disappointing notices. All the reviews so far cite Florence Pugh as outstanding, Harry Styles as iffy, and the movie itself for falling apart in the third act.

This is exactly what I heard from those who attended screenings in New York and Los Angeles last week.

PS Warner Bros. has known about this a long time. They’ve got “Elvis” headed to the Oscars.

Still, “Don’t Worry Darling” will open on September 23rd to a big first weekend thanks to Styles’ fans. Whether it builds an audience will depend on their word of mouth.

Rolling Stone: Olivia Wilde’s fuck you to the patriarchy isn’t quite the flaming car wreck that the film’s P.R. tour was — but it also isn’t what you’d call “good”

The Daily Beast: The musician is like a deer in headlights throughout much of the proceedings, and a scene of him crying in the car following a particularly fiery row with Pugh is littered with more crocodile tears than Charlie Sheen being hauled out of his office by the cops at the end of Wall Street (not to mention, his bastardized British accent is a distraction).

Vanity Fair: the film caves in. The intention here is to tell a pertinent story about women’s subjugation under the modern forces of anti-feminism, which has hardened online into a real-world aggressive sociopolitical ideology fueled by pseudo-intellectual public figures, red-pilled demagogues who have snaked their way into mainstream discourse—or, really, created their own mainstream. That’s certainly a salient topic for a film, but in Don’t Worry Darling’s execution, Wilde offers no new insights. There are even some contradictory elements to the grand secret premise of the film, a muddled clash of faux-empowerment and Handmaid’s Tale debasement. 

Variety: The film’s “Stepford Wives”-meets-“Handmaid’s Tale” vision of a sunny, creepy retro cult community is better than its overly telegraphed and top-heavy conspiracy plot.

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