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Indie Upstart Rocker Sombr, 20, Drops First Album This Week After Two Left Field Hits Set the Stage: Will He Take Off?

Roger Friedman
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Indie Upstart Rocker Sombr, 20, Drops First Album This Week After Two Left Field Hits Set the Stage: Will He Take Off?

I told you about indie rocker Sombr a few months ago.

The 20 year old New Yorker, whose real name is Shane Boose, is the son of Elton John AIDS Foundation event director Andy Boose and his wife, amFAR PR director Bennah Serfaty.

His album, “I Barely Knew Her,” just turned 20 in July. But all of the last year he’s had two enormous pop hits that came out of left field. They are “Undressed,” and “Back to Friends.”

The very catchy records are streaming giants. The former has 400 million streams. The latter is at 658 million.

“Back to Friends” is number 6 on Spotify, the first record on this week’s chart that isn’t from K Pop.

“I Barely Knew Her” will be scrutinized as it launches Thursday night. Obviously, there’s a pent up demand for an album at this point. Boose has toured constantly, putting in the time also on social media building up a following.

But now the question is, Will there be a follow up hit? A more recent single, called “12 to 12,” didn’t go anywhere. The dreamy “Would Have Been You,” did only a little better. It’s not easy building off of early hits, just ask Benson Boone. He flipped all over the place but couldn’t sell the follow up to his hit inaugural album and single.

Sombr’s trademark is kind of a dreamy production in which his falsetto voice is drowned in the sonic equivalent of cotton balls and lace. You’d think he was a little guy from the sound, but he looks like he’s a very tall stringbean with Cat Stevens like rock n roll hair circa 1971.

So here we go. Will he go back to being friends with his fans this week, or will the romance stick?


MSNBC Peacock Feathers Plucked in Separation from NBC, Will Be Renamed MS NOW As Soon as They Announce It

Roger Friedman
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MSNBC Peacock Feathers Plucked in Separation from NBC, Will Be Renamed MS NOW As Soon as They Announce It

MSNBC is the only outlet so far not reporting this story.

The left leaning news org and cable channel will change its name this fall.

MSNBC is losing its peacock feathers in its separation from NBC. It will now be called MS Now for My Source for News Opinion and the World.

It looks in the logo like MS — as in MS Magazine — Now.

You can imagine all the money and time that went into thinking this up, especially the logo.

Why now MS PACMAN?

I digress.

Many MSNBC journalists who doubled at NBC are staying with the channel as it develops its own newsroom and standing as a business.

The evening shows should remain in tact at least for a while to provide continuity. At this point, all the MSNBC shows beat their CNN competitors handily every night.

Meanwhile, for some reason, instead of controlling their narrative, new parent company Versant was the last to make this announcement. Go figure.

JFK Grandson Jack Schlossberg Recites Melania’s Letter of Peace, in Her Accent, Wearing a Blonde Wig. This is Real (Watch)

Roger Friedman
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JFK Grandson Jack Schlossberg Recites Melania’s Letter of Peace, in Her Accent, Wearing a Blonde Wig. This is Real (Watch)

You can sort of feel JFK and Jackie rolling in their graves, but here we are.

Their grandson, Jack Schlossberg, now a full time, full fledged social influence, posts irreverent videos all of the day and all of the night.

Here’s one where he reads Melania Trump’s letter of peace that she sent to Vladmir Putin. Jack does it in her accent, wearing a blonde wig. Not Profiles in Courage, but definitely a sign o’ the times.

Trump Mysterious One Word Post, Not “Covfefe,” While Trolls Invade His Social Media Platform with Drawings of Putin Playing Him Like a Violin

Roger Friedman
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Trump Mysterious One Word Post, Not “Covfefe,” While Trolls Invade His Social Media Platform with Drawings of Putin Playing Him Like a Violin

Donald Trump is known for the strangest one word Tweet of all time.

“Covfefe,” he posted years ago.

Now comes a new one, this morning, still on his Truth Social.

“Bela,” he wrote.

That’s it. “Bela.”

Bela Lugosi?

Did he fall asleep intending to write “Belated apologies to the American people and the world for trying to destroy us”?

Was he bela-bering the point?

We will never know.

Meantime Truth Social has been rife with trolls today including one account that posted a picture of Trump being played like a violin by Putin. Truth Social must have a full time person — Stephen Miller, maybe — on the case all day for funny mocking posts about the orange loser.

Patti Smith Revels Cover Photo of New Memoir, Taken by Robert Mapplethorpe: “The most beautiful aspect of Surrender, surrender to Love”

Roger Friedman
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Patti Smith Revels Cover Photo of New Memoir, Taken by Robert Mapplethorpe: “The most beautiful aspect of Surrender, surrender to Love”

Patti Smith is famous for her amazing music career, of course.

But she’s also highly regarded for her first memoir, “Just Kids,” which won lots of awards. It told the story of her early days in New York with artist Robert Mapplethorpe and actor/writer/director Sam Shepherd.

Now she’s got a new memoir coming in November called “Bread of Angels.” This one covers her childhood, and later her marriage to Fred “Sonic” Smith. Random House publishes it on November 4th.

On Substack, Patti has shared a copy of the book cover, a 1979 photo taken by Mapplethorpe. On the Substack she also shares an audio reminiscence of the photo.

For some reason, vanityfair.com lifted the whole thing without credit. But the news comes from Patti, and we can’t wait to hear more!

Here’s what she wrote, and a link to the audio:

Bread of Angels by Patti Smith

An announcement.

Read on Substack

Hello everyone,

My publisher, Random House, has sent me the design for the cover of my next book. The cover image is a photograph that Robert Mapplethorpe took in 1979. It was taken at One Fifth Avenue in the penthouse apartment of his love and patron, Sam Wagstaff.

The publishing date was chosen by my publisher, not realizing it’s significance. November 4th was Robert’s birthday, and the passing day of my beloved husband Fred Sonic Smith. The audio of this post will tell more about the photograph. Let me know your thoughts. Have a good day, I will be recording the audio book all week, but will send another message soon.

Justin Bieber’s “Swag” Sales Sag with Weird Social Media Posts Like Shooting Automatic Rifles: Just 8,300 Downloads

Roger Friedman
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Justin Bieber’s “Swag” Sales Sag with Weird Social Media Posts Like Shooting Automatic Rifles: Just 8,300 Downloads

Justin Bieber’s constant social media posts are backfiring.

His “Swag” album has been a bust. So far, almost all the sales are streaming equivalent. That total comes to around 331,575.

Of those, only 8,300 are from paid downloads on iTunes mostly.

Bieber keeps issuing new videos for different tracks, but only one — “Daises” — has provoked any interest.

Meantime, Bieber’s social media pages are full of pictures of him looking a scrawny, tattooed skater kid, not a 32 year old adult who’s the father of a child.

There are also plenty of videos and pictures of Bieber at a shooting range, firing automatic rifles. Those posts are interspersed with ones espousing Christian messages that don’t really jibe with evidence he presents of daily pot use.

The whole scene is pretty unappetizing, and not exactly marketing plan.

“Swag” is currently number 53 on iTunes after a five week run.

Spike Lee’s Excellent New Movie “Highest 2 Lowest” Hidden at Theaters by Apple, A24: Thank Them for No Box Office Story Today

Roger Friedman
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Spike Lee’s Excellent New Movie “Highest 2 Lowest” Hidden at Theaters by Apple, A24: Thank Them for No Box Office Story Today

If Spike Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest” had really been in theaters today there would have been a weekend box office story today.

But Apple and A24 are hiding “H2L” in as few and as remote theaters are they can pending its arrival on Apple TV Plus in a couple of weeks.

They’ve only released this exuberant, sensational film to any theaters to qualify it for Oscars consideration — which it deserves.

But the two studios are doing Spike and the audience a great disservice. If there were one film this year that demands being on a big screen, it’s “Highest 2 Lowest.” Not just for the incredible cinematography, but for the award winning score and music mix.

“Highest 2 Lowest” also demands an audience. It’s not meant for sole viewing on a phone or laptop. The drama and laughs are too big to shove into those empty portals. When then there’s a little surprise moment with the fantastic Jeffrey Wright, you need someone next you to say, “Huh?”

“H2L” is playing in some of New York’s hardest to find theaters. The studio and streamer show their disdain by not even booking it in AMC Lincoln Square on 68th and Broadway. It’s only playing in two or three theaters in Brooklyn, where it was shot and is portrayed. Really shameful.

Apple lucked out with “CODA” a couple of years ago, even though they didn’t deserve it. Instead of thanking their lucky stars, they just went back to their old ways. I guess Tim Cook is too busy giving Trump gifts to think about how Apple will affect the history of cinema going forward.

Go see “H2L” on any screen near you, now before it’s confined to a little silver card case.

Watch Andie McDowell’s Daughter Margaret Qualley Trying to Set Up Her Mom with Former Co-Star (and Frenemy) Bill Murray

Roger Friedman
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Watch Andie McDowell’s Daughter Margaret Qualley Trying to Set Up Her Mom with Former Co-Star (and Frenemy) Bill Murray

This is an instant classic from the Tonight show.

Margaret Qualley was a guest this week with Jimmy Fallon. She admits that she encountered Bill Murray backstage and offered to set him up with her mom, the great Andie McDowell.

Turns out the former co-stars of “Groundhog Day,” who never got along, now each are living in Charleston, South Carolina. (Is there room for both of them in that sweet little town? Sounds like…”Groundhog Day”!)

Qualley side eyes Murray big time. It would have been fun to see his reaction.

Sad News: “General Hospital” Star Tristan Rogers aka Robert Scorpio, Dead at 79 After Long Battle with Cancer, Played Role with Panache

Roger Friedman
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Sad News: “General Hospital” Star Tristan Rogers aka Robert Scorpio, Dead at 79 After Long Battle with Cancer, Played Role with Panache

Very sad news: “General Hospital” star Tristan Rogers has died. He played superspy and leading man Robert Scorpio on and off for over 40 years.

Rogers made a farewell appearance recently on the long running ABC soap after leaving the show last November. For a couple of years at least it’s been clear to viewers that he was losing ground in his fight with cancer.

When Rogers arrived on “General Hospital,” he was the unique star, an Australian version of James Bond. He was integrated to the main story — as if 007 would become the police commissioner in an upstate New York backwater — but always played the part with intelligence, wit, and panache.

During the last four decades, Rogers left and had stints on other shows like “The Young the Restless” (where he played a charming con man) but he was always the debonair Scorpio.

Rogers despite his illness kept going on “General Hospital.” He had taken to sitting during scenes over the last year, and looked exhausted, but in real 007 style, he never gave or gave up.

“General Hospital” has lost a lot of actors from its heyday in the 1980s this year and last including Leslie Charleson, Denise Alexander, Jacklyn Zeman, and Chris Robinson. Recently, actor Kin Shriner, who’d also been there for four decades, was shelved without explanation. Only a couple of familiar faces remain. It’s the end of an era.

Latest Kennedy Center Shock: Exec in Charge of Theater Productions Out After Insiders Thought He’d Be Running the Show

Roger Friedman
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Latest Kennedy Center Shock: Exec in Charge of Theater Productions Out After Insiders Thought He’d Be Running the Show

I know, Putin and Trump are rolling in the hay but back in Washington, the Kennedy Center is still mired in trouble.

The New York Times reported today that Jeffrey Finn, the long time producer who brought the Broadway shows into the Kennedy Center, is out. Finn has been booking Broadway shows there since 2016. Sources told me he was the glue holding the place together.

Indeed, I was also told this week that within the Center, there was speculation that Finn might be promoted to run the Center under Trump lackey Richard Grennell. The news of Finn’s departure was a surprise.

But was it really? Yesterday’s announcement of the Kennedy Center honorees was a travesty. Trump says he will host the annual show , which will feature five completely low end choices including Sylvester Stallone, Michael Crawford of “Phantom of the Opera,” disco queen and one hit wonder Gloria Gaynor, country singer George Strait, and B list rock group KISS.

For Finn, the Crawford choice might have been his last straw. A nice man who lucked out in one role, Crawford’s career is minor compared to many Broadway and theater greats.

The lunacy at the Kennedy Center since Trump took over has become a daily undertaking of destruction. Why? The Kennedy Center is the national home to the arts, and a tribute to late president John F. Kennedy. As Kennedy’s grandson said today in a mocking video, Trump is obsessed with his grandfather. He wants to destroy his legacy, by suggesting that the theater complex be renamed for Trump or the opera house be named for wife Melania.

Finn was already backed into a corner accepting productions of non union touring shows like “Mrs. Doubtfire” and “Moulin Rouge” for the coming season. “Hamilton,” which had already been a success at the Kennedy Center, canceled its run entirely. Performers from “Les Miserables” refused to appear the night Trump was there for a fundraiser.

Everyone who worked at the Kennedy Center in a significant role is now gone. Trump has had his way in wresting control of a symbol and creating a constant distraction from his real issues like two wars, inflation, mass deportation, and Jeffrey Epstein. We can’t take our eye off the ball, even as Trump’s next move will to be, maybe, adding a batting cage to the Kennedy Center.

PS So far The Kennedy Centers has no producer for its CBS show. All the regular candidates have turned it down. “Would it ruin someone’s career to say yes?” someone who’s been involved before asked me yesterday.

Yes.

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