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Oscars: Academy Welcomes New Governors Including Marlee Matlin, Horror Producer Jason Blum, Director Jason Reitman, and Doc Maker Chris Hegedus

Roger Friedman
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Oscars: Academy Welcomes New Governors Including Marlee Matlin, Horror Producer Jason Blum, Director Jason Reitman, and Doc Maker Chris Hegedus

Here’s the release from the Academy. Great new names have been added to the list of Governors, or board members. Including those I posted in the headline, Dion Beebe is one of the great cinematographers. And Megan Colligan is a PR trailblazer who rose to the top of the ranks at Paramount under the late Brad Grey. Chris Hegedus won the DGA Award for Best Documentary in 2000 for “Startup.com,” and made dozens of films with her late husband, the legendary DA Pennebaker including “The War Room.”

Congrats to all!

Elected to the Board for the first time:

Marlee Matlin, Actors Branch
Richard Hicks, Casting Directors Branch
Dion Beebe, Cinematographers Branch
Jason Reitman, Directors Branch
Chris Hegedus, Documentary Branch
Nancy Richardson, Film Editors Branch
Megan Colligan, Marketing and Public Relations Branch
Jason Blum, Producers Branch
Missy Parker, Production Design Branch
Marlon West, Short Films and Feature Animation Branch
Peter Devlin, Sound Branch
Paul Debevec, Visual Effects Branch 

Incumbent governors reelected to the Board:

Ruth E. Carter, Costume Designers Branch
Donna Gigliotti, Executives Branch
Howard Berger, Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch
Eric Roth, Writers Branch

Returning to the Board after a hiatus:

Charles Fox, Music Branch

They will join returning governors Pam Abdy, Kate Amend, Bonnie Arnold, Lesley Barber, Charles Bernstein, Susanne Bier, Jon Bloom, Gary C. Bourgeois, Rob Bredow, Brooke Breton, Paul Cameron, Eduardo Castro, Bill Corso, Teri E. Dorman, Tom Duffield, Ava DuVernay, Linda Flowers, DeVon Franklin, Rodrigo García, Whoopi Goldberg, Lynette Howell Taylor, Larry Karaszewski, Laura C. Kim, Christina Kounelias, David Linde, Isis Mussenden, Stephen Rivkin, Howard A. Rodman, Terilyn A. Shropshire, Kim Taylor-Coleman, Wynn P. Thomas, Jennifer Todd, Jean Tsien, Mandy Walker, Rita Wilson, Janet Yang and Debra Zane.

As a result of this election, the Board comprises 54% women and 28% belonging to an underrepresented racial or ethnic group.

The Academy’s 17 branches are each represented by three governors, who may serve up to two three-year terms (consecutive or non-consecutive), followed by a two-year hiatus, after which eligibility renews for up to two additional three-year terms, for a lifetime maximum of 12 years.  The Board of Governors sets the Academy’s strategic vision, preserves the organization’s financial health, and assures the fulfillment of its mission.

Broadway Recession: Daniel Craig’s “Macbeth” Had a Tough Week, “Paradise” Lost, “Loop” Not So Strange

Roger Friedman
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Broadway Recession: Daniel Craig’s “Macbeth” Had a Tough Week, “Paradise” Lost, “Loop” Not So Strange

Last week was tough on Broadway, even for big stars.

“Macbeth” starring Daniel Craig only filled 83% of the Longacre Theater in 8 shows. What’s going on? This is James Bond in a terrific performance. Ruth Negga was nominated for a Tony Award as Lady MacBeth. This production should be selling out.

But the peculiar voting of the Tony Awards didn’t give Craig a nomination for Best Actor in a Play. This was a mistake. The result was that Craig was not on the Tony Awards broadcast. The play didn’t get the exposure it needed, and frankly, the Tonys lost viewers not having him on.

Last week, “Macbeth” fell short of the magic million dollar mark, too. That’s good news for the theaterlovers who will can get a ticket to see the Scottish play before it closes on July 10th. But “Macbeth” with these two stars should be totally sold out.

“A Strange Loop,” on other hand, won the Tony for Best Musical even though it didn’t win Best Score. The result is that the show sold at 100% capacity last week even though receipts are low–just $845K total. But “A Strange Loop” has no stars so it’s not as expensive as, say, “The Music Man.” The fact that it won Best Musical is a coup for everyone involved. I ran into a top producer last week who observed that the very frank and graphic musical will have trouble on national tour outside of Chicago and San Francisco, and certainly can’t be performed by high schools or mainstream theater groups. But a long Broadway run should make up for that.

Finally, “Paradise Square” is certainly in jeopardy of closing. Despite Joaquina Kalukango winning Best Actress in a Musical, the show is a box office dud. Last week it played to 64% capacity and took in a measly $387K. And that was an increase of more than $100K from the previous week! But it’s not enough of an increase to keep it going very long. “Paradise” is mostly lost. How they would get through the summer with such empty houses is a puzzlement.

John Mellencamp Comes Out Swinging: “Only in America can 21 people be murdered and a week later buried and forgotten”

Roger Friedman
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John Mellencamp Comes Out Swinging: “Only in America can 21 people be murdered and a week later buried and forgotten”

Singer John Mellencamp has always been a man of the people. He was instrumental in Farm Aid and other causes. But I never saw him as a rocker who made powerful statements, like Bruce Springsteen.

But tonight Mellencamp posted a stunning statement to Twitter and social media about the continual mass shootings in this country. Mellencamp is writing to the gun lobby and to the people who support it. He says: “Politicians don’t give a f*ck about you, they don’t give a f*ck about me, they don’t give a f*ck about our children.”

This is for all the people living in little pink houses.

Bravo!

Broadway: Tony Awards Can’t Stop Acclaimed “Company” from Closing at End of July

Roger Friedman
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Broadway: Tony Awards Can’t Stop Acclaimed “Company” from Closing at End of July

The acclaimed revival of “Company” won a Tony Award for Best Musical Revival, and Tonys for its two featured actors, Patti Lupone and Matt Doyle.

Even those couldn’t stop the show from closing. Producers have set July 31st for the final performance. What a shame. This is a production people will be talking about forever.

The show also won Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Bunny Christie). Marianne Elliott also received the Tony for Best Director of a Musical, her third Tony Award, making her the most honored female director in Broadway history. It also received four Drama Desk Awards, three Outer Critics Circle Awards, four Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards, and the GLAAD Media Award.

So what went wrong? COVID took its toll on “Company” several times. It’s been an unforgiving time. Omicron was this show’s; enemy. And then what to do when the lead actors want to leave? Lupone is impossible to replace. It’s not easy getting Big Name actors on Broadway to open shows, let alone replace leads.

Producer Chris Harper said in a statement, “It remains the honor of a lifetime to bring Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s masterpiece to Broadway in Marianne Elliott’s Tony Award-winning reimagined production. It is a testament to the dedication of everyone who works on the production that we have withstood all the challenges that Broadway has faced over the last two years to share this show with our amazing audiences.

“We have six more weeks of performances to celebrate our astonishing cast, orchestra, and crew at the Jacobs Theatre and we are delighted to be planning a touring production to bring Company to audiences across North America soon.”

Diane Warren First Songwriter To Get Oscar Lifetime Achievement, Joined by Michael J. Fox, Peter Weir, Euzhan Palchy

Roger Friedman
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Diane Warren First Songwriter To Get Oscar Lifetime Achievement, Joined by Michael J. Fox, Peter Weir, Euzhan Palchy

Our long national nightmare is over: Diane Warren is getting her Oscar.

After a record 13 nominations, Warren is the first songwriter ever to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award.

She will be joined this November by Michael J. Fox, director Peter Weir and director Euzhan Palcy.

Fox will get the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for his exceptional work raising money for Parkinsons Disease research.

Weir has directed some incredible movies like “The Year of Living Dangerously,” “Witness,” “Dead Poets Society,” “The Truman Show” and “Master and Commander.” He became famous with “PIcnic at Hanging Rock.”

Euzhan Palcy’s credits include a great film everyone should see, “A Dry White Season” with Marlon Brando and Susan Sarandon. Palcy is a writer, director and producer born in Martinique in the French West Indies. Her first feature film, “Sugar Cane Alley,” won the Silver Lion at the 1983 Venice Film Festival, a first for a Black director. It went on to win a César Award for Best First Work, the first César won by a woman director and by a Black filmmaker.

For Warren, this is a sweet moment. Her movie songs include “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now,” “Because You Loved Me,” “How Do I Live,” “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing,” “Til It Happens To You” and “Stand Up for Something.” She has collaborated with such prominent music artists as Beyoncé, Cher, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Jennifer Hudson, Lady Gaga, John Legend, Reba McEntire and Carlos Santana. This statue is a long time coming and much deserved.

Great choices by the Academy. Congrats to all!

Nia Vardalos Announces She’s Directing “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3” Right Now, In Greece

Roger Friedman
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Nia Vardalos Announces She’s Directing “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3” Right Now, In Greece

Big surprise announcement today from Nia Vardalos: She’s directing the third installment of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.”

The cast and crew is in Greece right now, filming. John Corbett, Lainie Kazan and the rest of the cast from the original two movies are in the cast. Sadly, Michael Constantine, who played Nia’s father, passed away last year.

Tom Hanks, Gary Gary Goetzman, and Rita Wilson are producing again, this time for HBO and Focus. Nia is a terrific girl, and I’m so happy for her!

What is this one about? Well, there’d better be a wedding. Could it be the child of Nia and John getting hitched? Her name is Paris, and when we saw her last she was headed to college at NYU.

I’d say, check the registry.

Kate Bush Hit, “Running Up That Hill,” Closes in On 1 Million in Sales Thanks to “Stranger Things”

Roger Friedman
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Kate Bush Hit, “Running Up That Hill,” Closes in On 1 Million in Sales Thanks to “Stranger Things”

For Kate Bush, everything happening now must seem like the Upside Down.

The cult British singer’s 1985 hit, “Running Up That Hill,” is closing in on 1 million copies sold including streaming. Prior to the invention of Soundscan, Musicconnect, etc, “Hill” was a non starter.

On Spotify there are 265 million streams (which have been converted into sales equivalents for chart purposes).

Most of the people buying the single or streaming were not alive in 1985. Or maybe even 1990.

All of this is because “Hill” is the theme song for “Stranger Things Season 4” on Netflix. The series is a monster hit. The song would be hitting a nerve because it’s used as the theme for Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) who’s bullied by fellow students in junior high school. The Duffer Brothers cut the song perfectly so that the emotions of the bullying spike while the song becomes Eleven;s anthem.

One sign of the “Hill” success: there are remixes all over YouTube. The single is headed for 2 million in sales, which is extraordinary. The fact is, it’s the best song and record of 2022. The Grammys should give it a special award.

UPDATED Kellyanne Conway’s Book Sales Drop Over 100% in 3 Weeks, Below Number 600 on Amazon

Roger Friedman
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UPDATED Kellyanne Conway’s Book Sales Drop Over 100% in 3 Weeks, Below Number 600 on Amazon

THURSDAY MORNING JUNE 23 “Here’s the Plea Deal” is now lodged at 641 on Amazon.

WEDS MORNING JUNE 22 The book has fallen to number 578 on Amazon.

EARLIER: Executive liar in chief from the Trump administration, Kellyanne Conway, is losing book sales fast.

In her third, Conway’s “Here’s the Squeal,” er, “Deal,” sold just 8,071 copies according to NPD Book Scan.

That’s over a 100% drop in three weeks from the initial release of 25,000 copies.

On amazon, “Where’s the Beef?” –er, “Here’s the Deal”– is at number 370 and dropping like a rock.

Conway is still forcing herself onto TV, and some commentators are allowing it just to play with her like a kitten with a toy mouse. But I’d rather she disappeared now. The book, by the way, if you bought it, is good for propping up laptops during Zoom calls.

When the book drops out of the Amazon top 500 we’ll all meet at Bowling Green station for an Alternative Celebration.

Ratings: “Jeopardy” Post-Ken Jennings Falls Below 5 Mil For First Time in Months, Dropped 8% Last Week

Roger Friedman
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Ratings: “Jeopardy” Post-Ken Jennings Falls Below 5 Mil For First Time in Months, Dropped 8% Last Week

I’ll take Game Show Hosts for Better Ratings.

“Jeopardy” ratings fell 8% last week from the previous week, to 4.8 million. That’s the first time the show has been under 5 million viewers in months.

It’s also a trend under current host Mayim Bialik. Her previous weeks were at 5.3 million and then 5.2 million. The last of those was for the week she took over from Ken Jennings.

On social media, Jennings abruptly announced in mid May that was he leaving, and that Bialik was taking over for an undetermined amount of time. Jennings may return when Bialik goes back to shooting her Fox sitcom in August.

Jennings is far more popular with the regular “Jeopardy” crowd than Bialik. The fans may be showing their displeasure by tuning out until or if he returns.

Under Jennings, there were also several runs of big winners which propelled his ratings above 6 million last winter. His low was at 5.7 million right before his exit.

Last week’s 4.8 million was such a tumble that it permitted “Family Feud,” an insipid show, to take over the lead among game shows.

Stay tuned. New ratings will be in soon for two weeks ago, and we’ll see if the trend continues.

Also down, by the way, are the “Judge Judy” reruns on CBS. They were off by 5% last week, down to 4.2 million. I don’t understand how these reruns draw any audience since they are just on a loop. Some of them are a hundred years old. There are references on camera that give away the year, and it ain’t 2022. Or even 2021. But Man Bites Dog is always a popular story!

Twitter — Now Owned by Musk — Says Greitens Ad Advocating Killing “RINOs” Must Remain

Roger Friedman
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Twitter — Now Owned by Musk — Says Greitens Ad Advocating Killing “RINOs” Must Remain

And so it begins.

Tesla’s Elon Musk officially bought Twitter today. His first act was to keep up the posts from wanna be Missouri senate candidate Eric Greitens advocating the hunting and killing of people– “Republics In Name Only” — or RINO.s

Twitter responded to complaints from members that even though the video violated policy they thought it was in the public interest to keep it accessible.

I have to disagree. This is an ad intended to incite violence. The public’s right to know about it is guaranteed by all of us writing about it. But Twitter doesn’t need to disseminate it. Neither does YouTube or Facebook. What will happen when there’s another mass public shooting, this time following Greiten’s order? Victims’ families can sue those companies.

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