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FYI: Help Wanted Signs Posted in Windows of New York’s Hottest New Restaurant

Roger Friedman
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FYI: Help Wanted Signs Posted in Windows of New York’s Hottest New Restaurant

I’ve lived a long time but I’ve never seen anything like this.

In the windows of New York’s hottest new restaurant, Avra in Rockefeller Center, there are massively big Help Wanted signs in the windows.

This is the place that had a big gala opening a couple of weeks ago. Even Mayor Swagger, Eric Adams, stopped by for free hors d’ouevres.

It’s a sign of the economy that a glamorous eatery in the heart of midtown is desperate for help. Usually you’d see such a sign in McDonald’s or at Haagen Dazs.

When I called, the young woman who answered the phone said it was true, Avra is looking for people in all capacities.

With inflation at a 40 year high, gas prices out the window, groceries costing at least 25% more, you’d think Avra would be using waiting lists to hire new employees. Something has clearly gone wrong in this economy.

And PS you can’t work “remote” for a restaurant. You have to get up, get dressed, and go on in there.

Adele Posts Pics from Hyde Park Rehearsal, Looks Like She’s Going Ahead with Shows Friday, Saturday

Roger Friedman
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Adele Posts Pics from Hyde Park Rehearsal, Looks Like She’s Going Ahead with Shows Friday, Saturday

Go easy on her.

Adele is actually going through with her two shows in London’s Hyde Park.

The first one is tomorrow, the second one is Saturday. The audience will be 65,000 people each night.

There are five different opening acts on each night.

But Adele has posted pictures to Instagram indicating that she’s rehearsing, and going through with it. So far. Remember, last winter she cancelled 26 shows in Las Vegas without thinking twice. The ticket holders are still looking for their money,

If Adele backs out she will cause a rupture in atmosphere. She will be rolling in the deep, whatever that means. My guess is she does a 90 minute set. After five openers, that will be enough of a main course for everyone.

Beyonce Rides a Clear Horse on the Cover of Her New Album, “Renaissance” Next Month

Roger Friedman
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Beyonce Rides a Clear Horse on the Cover of Her New Album, “Renaissance” Next Month

Beyonce does not want attention. Leave her alone!

She’s just revealed the cover of her album. She rides a clear horse. And yes, she is nearly naked. With large…aspirations.

The first single from “Renaissance,” called “Break My Soul,” a cover of a 1993 disco song, is number 3 on iTunes today. It’s had 28 million streams, which equals four dollars and five cents in revenue.

PS I can’t show you the actual cover of the album because Google Adsense keeps censoring it.

“Jeopardy!” Host Competition Narrows as Mayim Bialik Having Trouble Keeping Ratings Up

Roger Friedman
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“Jeopardy!” Host Competition Narrows as Mayim Bialik Having Trouble Keeping Ratings Up

“Jeopardy!” is having in house competition right now. Who will be regular host? Ken Jennings or Mayim Bialik?

Don;t get me wrong. I have nothing against Mayim. She’s terrific. But she has had trouble keeping the ratings above 5 million. Except for one, she’s been well below 5 million.

The most recent numbers have Mayim just at 5 million fans, down by 200,000 or 4% from the previous week. Bialik’s ratings have not been close to Jennings’ from the winter and spring when there were back to back bonanza winners.

Which host will CBS Television choose? The audience seems to want Jennings more, and Bialik as a substitute and host of special episodes. There’s also a buzz for Buzzy Cohen, but I don’t see that happening. He really doesn’t have a track record in regular ratings weeks.

–>

Hannity Defeated by MSNBC with Recap of Cassidy Hutchinson January 6th Committee Hearing

Roger Friedman
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Hannity Defeated by MSNBC with Recap of Cassidy Hutchinson January 6th Committee Hearing

Cassidy Hutchinson’s blockbuster testimony on Tuesday brought big ratings to MSNBC and toppled Fox News.

At 9pm, the MSNBC recap of the January 6th hearings brought in over 3 million viewers. At the same time, over on Fox News, Sean Hannity could only come up with 2.5 million fans. I’m not sure if he was ducking the negative news about pal Donald Trump or going over Hillary Clinton’s emails from 2015.

Throughout the day MSNBC churned up big numbers, easily defeating CNN at every hour. At 1pm, MSNBC scored its highest ratings of the day — and biggest numbers of the entire day on cable — with 3.5 million.

MSNBC will be happy if the January 6th hearings go on all summer. And Hannity will go on vacation!

Frank Zappa Estate Sells Catalog, But He Only Had 2 Hit Singles, And One Big Album

Roger Friedman
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Frank Zappa Estate Sells Catalog, But He Only Had 2 Hit Singles, And One Big Album

There must be a ton of Frank Zappa fans out there. I don’t know who they are, but I’m sure they devoted.

Zappa was a bit of a genius but not a commercial hit. In his career he had two minor hits — “Valley Girl” and “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow” — and one album in the top 40.

But now comes word that his estate has sold his catalog of electronic, dissonant creations to Universal Music Publishing. The amount is undisclosed but it’s not like Dylan or Springsteen, trust me.

The value of these catalogs is in repurposing them for commercials and samples and use in films, TV, etc,

Sting recently sold his catalog for $300 million and right now we’re hearing “Every Breath You Take” and “Walking on the Moon” in ads. That’s a case of a catalog full of hits that can be monetized by the purchaser.

It’s unclear what Universal Music Publishing can do with Zappa’s creations, but I am sure they have interesting plans. If only you could monetize Zappa’s persona as well as his music. He was in the vanguard of protecting free speech in music and musicians’ rights. No amount of money can be placed on that.

R&B Singer R Kelly Going to Jail for the Rest of His Life: 30 Year Sentence for Sex Abuse of Minors

Roger Friedman
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R&B Singer R Kelly Going to Jail for the Rest of His Life: 30 Year Sentence for Sex Abuse of Minors

He believed he could fly.

Back in 1994, singer R Kelly illegally married then teenage singer Aaliyah. She was 15.

Even after Aaliyah died in a plane crash, Kelly was accused over and over again of luring teenage girls to his home or hotel rooms. In 2008, he was acquitted in Chicago on charges of child pornography.

But when the #MeToo movement became a thing in 2017, Kelly’s days were numbered. Today he was sentenced by a New York judge to 30 years in prison, Kelly, who’s 55, will spend the rest of his life in jail paying for his sins. At least 11 of his victims spoke at the sentencing today.

What really kicked open Kelly’s cases was an award winning documentary, produced by Dream Hampton, Tamra Simmons and Brie Miranda Bryant. It was shown on Netflix, and wound up reopening all the old cases. Those women must feel a great sense of accomplishment and justice today.

In addition to “I Believe I Can Fly,” Kelly had dozens of R&B hits, wrote and produced for other artists as well. He was a great talent, but a very sick guy.

Woody Allen Book Sales Jump After Alec Baldwin Interview, Director Says He Wished He Could Have Directed WC Fields, the Marx Brothers, Jerry Lewis, Bob Hope

Roger Friedman
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Woody Allen Book Sales Jump After Alec Baldwin Interview, Director Says He Wished He Could Have Directed WC Fields, the Marx Brothers, Jerry Lewis, Bob Hope

Woody Allen is not retiring, let’s get that straight. He’s making “one or two” more movies starting with one late this summer in Paris.

Woody’s interview with Alec Baldwin yesterday (see below) gave a big sales jump to his new collection of stories and essays, “Zero Gravity.” Publicity from the interview sent the book up around 4,000 notches on amazon.

In the interview, Woody does say that he’s lost the excitement of making movies because of streaming and his disappointment over people not seeing his movies in theaters. Woody tells Alec that he wrote several plays during the pandemic, and has thought about writing a novel.

Woody tells Baldwin that he wished he could have directed WC Fields, the Marx Brothers, and Bob Hope, and Jerry Lewis. Woody says Hope was very talented before he became “that Republican and Lewis did “a lot of silly movies.”

Baldwin says Woody is one few people he knows who has a wall of books in his living room, and they’ve all been read.

“No, I haven’t read them,” Woody replies, “I have them because books are warm!”

Good interview, but I’d like to have heard Woody do more talking than Alec.

Trailer for George Clooney-Julia Roberts RomCom, “Ticket to Paradise,” Offers Full Picture

Roger Friedman
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Trailer for George Clooney-Julia Roberts RomCom, “Ticket to Paradise,” Offers Full Picture

The George Clooney-Julia Roberts rom com, “Ticket to Paradise,” looks like a lot of fun.

It also feels like we’ve got the whole film from this trailer. Let’s hope there are some huge surprises. Otherwise, this could be a formula film with two big stars sniping at each other. No one does caustic better than Julia Roberts.

“Ticket to Paradise” Opens in the US on October 21, but apparently three weeks earlier abroad.

Daniel Craig “Knives Out” Sequel Set for Toronto Film Festival: Part of $400 Mil Netflix Deal

Roger Friedman
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Daniel Craig “Knives Out” Sequel Set for Toronto Film Festival: Part of $400 Mil Netflix Deal

I told you about Strawberry Fields, the place where nothing is real…

That’s the opening line from the Beatles’ “Glass Onion,” which is also the title of the first of two “Knives Out” movies coming from Netflix. “Glass Onion” is the first feature slotted for the Toronto Film Festival in September, and I’m going there even if the world has COVID! (OK?)

Director Rian Johnson made a $400 million deal with Netflix for two sequels to “Knives Out,” his huge pre-pandemic hit. He has total editorial control over the films as long as Daniel Craig is the star.

This column was first to report that Johnson would even be making sequels to “Knives Out.”

The new film also stars Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline with Kate Hudson and Dave Bautista. I would think there would be a surprise cameo from Ana de Armas, star of the first “Knives Out,” as Craig’s character, Benoit Blanc, might need her help. But that’s just supposition.

This is a real coup for TIFF, so hats off to them that they grabbed it so quickly.

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