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Beatles News: Julian Lennon Raising Money for Ukraine with NFT Recording of “Imagine”

Roger Friedman
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Beatles News: Julian Lennon Raising Money for Ukraine with NFT Recording of “Imagine”

Julian Lennon is following in his famous father’s footsteps.

The eldest son of John Lennon is raising money for Ukraine with an NFT auction for his own recording of “Imagine.”

I’m using their press release because I really like Julian and have no idea what an NFT is even now:

YellowHeart, the NFT marketplace for music, ticketing and community tokens, which accepts both crypto and credit card payments, will release an exclusive NFT of Julian Lennon’s first recording of his father’s beloved song, “Imagine.” Along with a recording of the track, the NFT will feature audio and visual interpretations of the song, including a personal narration from Lennon and new visual artwork. Lennon’s historic interpretation of the song was performed for Stand Up for Ukraine in April 2022, which raised $10.1 billion for refugees. A portion of the proceeds will also be donated to Ukraine refugee relief through Lennon’s nonprofit, The White Feather Foundation. 

‘The War on Ukraine is an unimaginable tragedy, and as a human and an artist I have always felt that music finds a way to heal, comfort, rally and support during times of crisis,’ said Julian Lennon. ‘Performing my father’s classic “Imagine” was a very personal decision, but an obvious one given his lyrics reflect our collective desire for peace worldwide. Partnering with YellowHeart to offer NFT artwork that includes my interpretation of the song will provide an opportunity for fans to connect and unite through the song’s message of unity in a new and innovative way.’

This audio and visual NFT interpretation of ‘Imagine’ includes Lennon’s acoustic performance, accompanied by Co-Producer, Nuno Bettencourt on guitar and backing vocals. The audio recording is fused with meditative visuals featuring black and white pencil strokes of Lennon, which evolves with pockets of light throughout the song. The NFT also includes a new audio narration of Lennon describing his motivation behind performing the song for the first time to benefit Ukraine. Beginning on May 20, 2022, fans will have the opportunity to purchase the NFT for 11 days for $11, holding onto a piece of this historic moment forever. 

‘We are thrilled to be collaborating with Julian Lennon for the second time to share this momentous NFT recording of the iconic song “Imagine” with fans worldwide,’ said Josh Katz, CEO and founder of YellowHeart. ‘We are all passionate about supporting the relief efforts for Ukraine, and we are proud that Julian has enlisted YellowHeart to help support his philanthropic work and honor the inspirational messages in the song by providing a platform for fans to engage with this historic moment.’

Alec Baldwin Starts A Production Company with Partner from “Rust” Because That Movie Was Such a Hit

Roger Friedman
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Alec Baldwin Starts A Production Company with Partner from “Rust” Because That Movie Was Such a Hit

So you’re making a movie, a low budget one. With the same producer you made another one, called “Crown Vic,” which lost all its money.

On the new movie, called “Rust,” you’re handed a loaded gun, fire it, accidentally kill the cinematographer and wound the director.

The movie is cancelled. You’re sued by everyone.

So what do you do? Why not start a new production company with the very same producer?

That’s what Alec Baldwin has done. He’s gone into business with Anjul Nigam, the man behind “Crown Vic” and “Rust.” The new company is called Persona, short for Persona Non Grata. Nigam’s biggest credit is playing a recurring background character on “Grey’s Anatomy.”

By the way, “Crown Vic” cost $3.6 million and took in just $3,868 worldwide, so it’s not like something you’d point to as a success.

And “Rust”? Halyna Hutchins died. She is dead. Her child is without a mother. Her husband is a widower. No one ever wants to see that movie in any form.

Baldwin has some strange idea that if he keeps moving forward, making movies and more children, everyone will forget what happened. But they will not.

The new movie is aptly titled, “False Awakening.” T

Vanity Fair Hail Mary Pass: June Cover “Star Wars” Tribute to Old Entertainment Weekly Issues

Roger Friedman
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Vanity Fair Hail Mary Pass: June Cover “Star Wars” Tribute to Old Entertainment Weekly Issues

Who can blame Vanity Fair?

The magazine is dying. According to similarweb.com their online numbers are down 15%. Numbers declined in March when it was Oscar season. The only relevance VF still has in Hollywood for their Oscar party.

This morning they unveiled their June cover story. In a Hail Mary pass, the cover is a tribute to the “Star Wars” covers that Entertainment Weekly specialized in for 30 years. That’s no coincidence since the Hollywood staff at VF comes from the old, Time-era EW.

This wouldn’t be a bad thing except “Star Wars” is not of any interest at the moment. It’s something from a galaxy far away and long ago. It has nothing to with current TV — this is the TV issue — or movies.

Yes, “The Mandalorian” is popular, and the “Obi Wan Kenobi” series will be, too. But a TV cover story? Should have been Jean Smart, the gang from “Only Murders in the Building,” Donald Glover, and Quinta Brunson.

If only it could be 1999 again for Vanity Fair.

Ratings: “SNL” Drops More with Selena Gomez, Post Malone, No Pete Davidson and Lame Opening

Roger Friedman
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Ratings: “SNL” Drops More with Selena Gomez, Post Malone, No Pete Davidson and Lame Opening

It’s not an easy time for “Saturday Night Live.”

This weekend’s installment dropped again, to 4.4 million, below their seasonal average.

Last year at this time, the total viewers were 4.785 million. Last week was over 4.5 million.

When the show announced the combination of Gomez and Malone, my first reaction was this will be a big show. Two huge music stars, although Gomez — campaigning for an Emmy nomination for “Only Murders in the Building” — wasn’t going to sing.

And she didn’t, unfortunately, And Post Malone, especially in his first of two songs, was strangely awful.

So was the lame “Cold” opening, which was cringe-worthy.

The whole show was at best a “C.” Why has there been no announcement about Pete Davidson, who left the show weeks ago? His indie film wrapped a while ago, too. His only excuse for being gone is that the Kardashians have taken him hostage. Also, why do we never see new cast member, Aristotle Athari? Where was Andrew Dismukes? Alex Moffat? Why was Mikey Day in almost every sketch?

(To be fair, I guess Moffat and Dismukes could have COVID. New York is on high alert.)

We head to this Saturday’s season finale with trepidation. Michael Che is playing a game of public renegotiation, singing the Clash’s “Should I Stay Or Should I Go?” to anyone who’ll listen. This used to be Kate McKinnon and Alec Baldwin’s theme song before the pandemic. My guess is, Che stays. McKinnon should have her own series by now. If she doesn’t have one in the works, she needs better agents and managers.

Review: “Downton Abbey: A New Era” is the “Avengers Endgame” And “Last Jedi” for Fans of the Great Series

Roger Friedman
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Review: “Downton Abbey: A New Era” is the “Avengers Endgame” And “Last Jedi” for Fans of the Great Series

Simon Curtis has directed what may be the final chapter of “Downton Abbey” in a “A New Era,” opening on Friday.

Curtis (“My Week with Marilyn”) is also the long time husband of actress Elizabeth McGovern, who’s played Lady Cora Crawley, the American wife of Lord Robert Crawley, the 7th Earl of Grantham since the TV series debuted in 2010. In all those years, Curtis never directed an episode of the popular show, however. He was making movies. We used to joke about how he was never given inside information about what was happening on the series lest he spill the beans.

So it makes poetic sense that Curtis gets the last turn at the wheel with the second and maybe final “Downton Abbey” film written by the show’s genius creator, Julian Fellowes. Curtis is very skilled at creating empathy for characters on screen (see Marilyn Monroe, for example). “A New Era” is much warmer than the first movie with a greater sense of humor. Curtis cleverly leavens the heaviness of inevitable with a light touch. He never allows a maudlin moemnt.

There is, however. a looming tragedy. Maggie Smith’s Violet, Robert’s mother, is dying. She told us at the end of the first movie that she had cancer. This being 1928, and Violet being quite old, there aren’t many options. Indeed, since “Downton” began with the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, Violet is very likely around 96 years old! (Smith is a spry 86, by the way.)

Since “Downton” fans, not to mention her fictional family, never want to see Violet die, Fellowes has been very smart to set up her exit. He prepares everyone, so that Violet quips her way through “A New Era” until, after dealing with a final disclosure, she’s ready to close her eyes. Fans will need boxes of tissues for this movie.

But it’s a “new era” and Fellowes wisely concentrates on the younger generation. Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) welcomes a British film crew to Downton to film a silent movie. They will pay a big fee, which Mary needs to fix the imposing and leaking roof of the famed estate. But movies are in a transition. When the director (an excellent Hugh Dancy) is told to suspend production because talkies are now in vogue, Fellowes cleverly involves Lady Mary in the proceedings.

While the Crawley family and the downstairs staff deal with a movie being shot in their home, the bulk of the gang heads to the South of France. Violet has inherited a lavish villa from a man she knew when she was young. The man’s family is not happy, and Violet cannot explain why he would leave her this extravagant gift. This raises a lot of questions for Robert (Hugh Bonneville) about his paternity.

Between the movie story in the UK and the villa expedition in France, Fellowes manages to not only work in but resolve all the loose threads for the many characters. By the time “A New Era” ends, we have an idea of what the future holds for everyone, and it all seems pretty rosy.

Some notes: Jim Carter’s Mr. Carson shines as usual, reciting a passage from “King Lear” as he receives devastating news. Carter and his real life wife, Imelda Staunton, also get a little “inside joke” scene. Barrow, the gay butler who has struggled with his anger and how to live his life, finally gets to be happy. Kevin Doyle’s Mr. Moseley, famous for hilarious failures, finds a surprising direction. And of course the whole movie hinges on the first scene wedding of former chauffeur Tom Branson, once an Irish revolutionary, marrying a Crawley cousin, thus ensuring the Downton legacy will thrive. (Branson is literally the luckiest man in literary history.)

But will it ? We’ve finally arrived at the point where Wall Street will soon crash in 1929. Hitler will be on the rise. The Great Depression is ahead. Leaky roofs will become the least of Lady Mary’s problems. (Also, her husband, played by Matthew Goode at the end of the series and mostly absent from the first film is totally not present now.) The party is over. All fortunes are going to be reversed soon. And it may be best to let the Crawley’s rest now rather than explore the hard decades to come.

For fans, “A New Era” is the “Avengers Endgame” of this 12 year journey. It’s totally satisfying and incredibly entertaining. The movie is a real tribute to Fellowes, who has created beloved, rich characters who will live on in our imaginations for generations to come.

New UPDATE: Winnie Has Been Found: Clementine Ford, Daughter of Cybill Shepherd, Says Beloved Dog Been Found After Possibly Kidnapped by Woman Who Boarded Her

Roger Friedman
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New UPDATE: Winnie Has Been Found: Clementine Ford, Daughter of Cybill Shepherd, Says Beloved Dog Been Found After Possibly Kidnapped by Woman Who Boarded Her

NEW WEDNESDAY UPDATE: Clementine Ford writes:
“There truly aren’t words to express my gratitude to all of you who worked so hard to bring Winnie home. I have felt so held (totally crying now) and cared for.
@mssarahcatharinepaulson brought Winnie into our lives and started the ball rolling that brought her home again.”

TUESDAY 6:21 PM EST UPDATE Winnie has been found! Details coming, she’s ok.

FROM MONDAY: Alerting everyone in Los Angeles, near Hollywood.

Winnie, the mixed breed pup of Clementine Ford, daughter of actress Cybill Shepherd, has been kidnapped. Clementine says Winnie was boarding with Claudette Joseph on Melrose Avenue. But now Joseph has disappeared with the dog. The dog was boarded through Rover.com, which said it vetted the woman.

Clementine is the mother of two children and is battling MS. Her mother is “Moonlighting” and “Cybill Show” actress Cybill Shepherd. Her father is David Ford. A few years ago, Clementine appeared on the soap “THe Young and the Restless.” But it sounds like she’s had her hands full in recent years.

When you go to the Instagram account, click on the Stories circle for Clementine’s appeal.

Theater: Drama Desk Noms So Weird They Actually Gave One to the Star of “Diana, the Musical”

Roger Friedman
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Theater: Drama Desk Noms So Weird They Actually Gave One to the Star of “Diana, the Musical”

I really don;’t understand what the Drama Desk is, except their nominations make for a lot of drama. They kind of ignore Broadway but embrace it a little bit. They go for esoteric stuff, most of it from off Broadway, and already closed so no one can see it anyway. They actually gave three nominations to the hideous, “Diana: The Musical.” They really liked “Six” and “MJ” but of course had no love for “The Music Man” or “Funny Girl” because those are the shows the audience is going to.

2022 DRAMA DESK NOMINATIONS:
Outstanding Play
Cullud Wattah, by Erika Dickerson-Despenza, The Public Theater
English, by Sanaz Toossi, Atlantic Theater Company
Prayer for the French Republic, by Joshua Harmon, Manhattan Theatre Club
Sanctuary City, by Martyna Majok, New York Theatre Workshop
Selling Kabul, by Sylvia Khoury, Playwrights Horizons
The Chinese Lady, by Lloyd Suh, The Public Theater

Outstanding Musical
Harmony, National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene
Intimate Apparel, Lincoln Center Theater
Kimberly Akimbo, Atlantic Theater Company
Six
The Hang, HERE Arts Center

Outstanding Revival of a Play
for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf
How I Learned to Drive, Manhattan Theatre Club
Lackawanna Blues, Manhattan Theatre Club
Skeleton Crew, Manhattan Theatre Club
Trouble in Mind, Roundabout Theatre Company
Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, Signature Theatre

Outstanding Revival of a Musical
Assassins, Classic Stage Company
Baby, Out of the Box Theatrics
Caroline, or Change, Roundabout Theatre Company
Company

Outstanding Actor in a Play
Brandon J. Dirden, Skeleton Crew, Manhattan Theatre Club
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Take Me Out, Second Stage Theater
Jacob Ming-Trent, Merry Wives, The Public Theater (Free Shakespeare in the Park)
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Lackawanna Blues, Manhattan Theatre Club
John Douglas Thompson, The Merchant of Venice, Theatre for a New Audience

Outstanding Actress in a Play
Tala Ashe, English, Atlantic Theater Company
Ruth Negga, Macbeth
Andrea Patterson, Cullud Wattah, The Public Theater
Phylicia Rashad, Skeleton Crew, Manhattan Theatre Club
Shannon Tyo, The Chinese Lady, The Public Theater
Michelle Wilson, Confederates, Signature Theatre

Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Billy Crystal, Mr. Saturday Night
Myles Frost, MJ
Rob McClure, Mrs. Doubtfire
Jaquel Spivey, A Strange Loop
Chip Zien, Harmony, National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene

Outstanding Actress in a Musical
Kearstin Piper Brown, Intimate Apparel, Lincoln Center Theater
Victoria Clark, Kimberly Akimbo, Atlantic Theater Company
Sharon D. Clarke, Caroline, or Change, Roundabout Theatre Company
Jeanna de Waal, Diana
Joaquina Kalukango, Paradise Square

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Joshua Boone, Skeleton Crew, Manhattan Theatre Club
Chuck Cooper, Trouble in Mind, Roundabout Theatre Company
Daniel K. Isaac, The Chinese Lady, The Public Theater
Billy Eugene Jones, On Sugarland, New York Theatre Workshop
Ron Cephas Jones, Clyde’s, Second Stage Theater

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play
Francis Benhamou, Prayer for the French Republic, Manhattan Theatre Club
Stephanie Berry, On Sugarland, New York Theatre Workshop
Sonnie Brown, what you are now, Ensemble Studio Theatre
Page Leong, Out of Time, NAATCO and The Public Theater
Kenita R. Miller, for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf
Kara Young, Clyde’s, Second Stage Theater

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical
Justin Austin, Intimate Apparel, Lincoln Center Theater
Justin Cooley, Kimberly Akimbo, Atlantic Theater Company
Matt Doyle, Company
Jared Grimes, Funny Girl
Tavon Olds-Sample, MJ

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
Judy Kuhn, Assassins, Classic Stage Company
Tamika Lawrence, Black No More, The New Group
Patti LuPone, Company
Bonnie Milligan, Kimberly Akimbo, Atlantic Theater Company
Jennifer Simard, Company

Outstanding Director of a Play
Knud Adams, English, Atlantic Theater Company
Saheem Ali, Merry Wives, The Public Theater (Free Shakespeare in the Park)
Rebecca Frecknall, Sanctuary City, New York Theatre Workshop
Taibi Magar, Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, Signature Theatre
Whitney White, On Sugarland, New York Theatre Workshop

Outstanding Director of a Musical
John Doyle, Assassins, Classic Stage Company
Marianne Elliott, Company
Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage, Six
Bartlett Sher, Intimate Apparel, Lincoln Center Theater
Jessica Stone, Kimberly Akimbo, Atlantic Theater Company

Outstanding Choreography
Ayodele Casel (tap choreography), Funny Girl
Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, Six
Bill T. Jones, Garrett Coleman, and Jason Oremus (Irish + Hammerstep), Gelan Lambert and Chloe Davis (associates), Paradise Square
Liam Steel, Company
Christopher Wheeldon, Michael Balderrama (associate), Rich + Tone Taleuega (Michael Jackson movement), MJ

Outstanding Music
Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, Six
Jason Howland, Paradise Square
Matt Ray, The Hang, HERE Arts Center
Carrie Rodriguez, ¡Americano!
Jeanine Tesori, Kimberly Akimbo, Atlantic Theater Company

Outstanding Lyrics
Amanda Green, Mr. Saturday Night
Taylor Mac, The Hang, HERE Arts Center
Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, Six
David Lindsay-Abaire, Kimberly Akimbo, Atlantic Theater Company
Lynn Nottage, Intimate Apparel, Lincoln Center Theater
Shaina Taub, Suffs, The Public Theater

Outstanding Book of a Musical
Billy Crystal, Lowell Ganz, and Babaloo Mandel, Mr. Saturday Night
Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, Six
Lynn Nottage, Intimate Apparel, Lincoln Center Theater
Bruce Sussman, Harmony, National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene

Outstanding Orchestrations
Tom Curran, Six
Greg Jarrett, Assassins, Classic Stage Company
Mark Hartman and Yasuhiko Fukuoka, The Streets of New York, Irish Repertory Theatre
Jason Michael Webb and David Holcenberg, MJ

Outstanding Music in a Play
Te’La and Kamauu, Thoughts of a Colored Man
Bill Sims Jr., Lackawanna Blues, Manhattan Theatre Club
Michael Thurber and Farai Malianga (drum compositions), Merry Wives, The Public Theater (Free Shakespeare in the Park)

Outstanding Scenic Design for a Play
Beowulf Boritt, Merry Wives, The Public Theater (Free Shakespeare in the Park)
Wilson Chin, Pass Over
Marsha Ginsberg, English, Atlantic Theater Company
Takeshi Kata, Clyde’s, Second Stage Theater
Junghyun Georgia Lee, Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord, New York Theatre Workshop

Outstanding Scenic Design for a Musical
Emma Bailey, Six
Beowulf Boritt, Flying Over Sunset, Lincoln Center Theater
Bunny Christie, Company
David Zinn, Kimberly Akimbo, Atlantic Theater Company

Outstanding Costume Design for a Play
Linda Cho, The Chinese Lady, The Public Theater
Gregory Gale, Fairycakes
Tilly Grimes, The Alchemist, Red Bull Theater
Qween Jean, On Sugarland, New York Theatre Workshop
Jennifer Moeller, Clyde’s, Second Stage Theater

Outstanding Costume Design for a Musical
Machine Dazzle, The Hang, HERE Arts Center
Susan Hilferty, Funny Girl
Santo Loquasto, The Music Man
Gabriella Slade, Six
Catherine Zuber, Intimate Apparel, Lincoln Center Theater

Outstanding Lighting Design for a Play
Christopher Akerlind, Clyde’s, Second Stage Theater
Reza Behjat, English, Atlantic Theater Company
Isabella Byrd, Sanctuary City, New York Theatre Workshop
Amith Chandrashaker, Prayer for the French Republic, Manhattan Theatre Club
Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew, Cullud Wattah, The Public Theater

Outstanding Lighting Design for a Musical
Natasha Katz, Diana
Natasha Katz, MJ
Bradley King, Flying Over Sunset, Lincoln Center Theater
Jennifer Tipton, Intimate Apparel, Lincoln Center Theater

Outstanding Projection Design
59 Productions, Flying Over Sunset, Lincoln Center Theater
David Bengali, Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, Signature Theatre
Stephania Bulbarella and Alex Basco Koch, Space Dogs, MCC Theater
Shawn Duan, The Chinese Lady, The Public Theater
Sven Ortel, Thoughts of a Colored Man

Outstanding Sound Design for a Play
Tyler Kieffer, Seven Deadly Sins, Tectonic Theater Project and Madison Wells Live
Hidenori Nakajo and Ryan Rumery, Autumn Royal, Irish Repertory Theatre
Ben and Max Ringham, Cyrano de Bergerac, The Jamie Lloyd Company at Brooklyn Academy of Music
Mikaal Sulaiman, Sanctuary City, New York Theatre Workshop
Lee Kinney, Selling Kabul, Playwrights Horizons

Outstanding Sound Design for a Musical
Ian Dickinson for Autograph, Company
Paul Gatehouse, Six
Kai Harada, Kimberly Akimbo, Atlantic Theater Company
Gareth Owen, MJ

Outstanding Wig and Hair
Matthew B. Armentrout, Paradise Square
David Brian Brown, Mrs. Doubtfire
Paul Huntley, Diana
Charles G. LaPointe, MJ

Outstanding Solo Performance
Alex Edelman, Just for Us, Cherry Lane Theatre
Arturo Luís Soria, Ni Mi Madre, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater
Kristina Wong, Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord, New York Theatre Workshop

Unique Theatrical Experience
Seven Deadly Sins, Tectonic Theater Project & Madison Wells Live

Outstanding Adaptation
Merry Wives, by Jocelyn Bioh, The Public Theater (Free Shakespeare in the Park)
The Alchemist, by Jeffrey Hatcher, Red Bull Theater

Outstanding Puppet Design
Amanda Villalobos, Wolf Play, Soho Rep.
James Ortiz, The Skin of Our Teeth, Lincoln Center Theater
Rockefeller Productions, Winnie the Pooh, The Hundred Acre Theatre

Harold S. Prince Lifetime Achievement Award:
In four decades as playwright, novelist, actor, and director, Alice Childress (1912-1994) challenged racism with engrossing stories and memorable characters. When a New York producer demanded revisions to soften the impact of Trouble in Mind, after an initial run Off Broadway and prior to its Broadway debut, Childress withdrew the script. Sixty-five years later, the Drama Desk celebrates the long-delayed Broadway premiere of this timeless masterpiece and salutes Childress as a towering figure in contemporary theater history.

Ensemble Award:
In Six, Adrianna Hicks, Andrea Macasaet, Brittney Mack, Abby Mueller, Samantha Pauly, and Anna Uzele bring to musical life the women who married England’s King Henry VIII. The fanciful result is a buoyant dramatization of their individually purposeful and collectively empowering journeys.

Watch P Diddy’s Billboard Music Awards Intro: “I am not a human being, I am a total frequency” Also, He Drops the N Word

Roger Friedman
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Watch P Diddy’s Billboard Music Awards Intro: “I am not a human being, I am a total frequency” Also, He Drops the N Word

After watching P Diddy’s introduction on last night’s Billboard Music Awards, I can’t imagine why viewers tuned out in droves. He told the audience, “I am not a human being, I am total frequency.” Then he dropped the N Word.

Congrats to all the producers who thought this was the way to go.

(Some) Tony Nominees Do A Victory Lap: Waiting for Hugh Jackman, Though, is Time Consuming

Regina Weinreich
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(Some) Tony Nominees Do A Victory Lap: Waiting for Hugh Jackman, Though, is Time Consuming

Celebrating the Tony nominations this year held special excitement: it’s the 75th anniversary, the first in-person comeback after Covid, a year of re-emergence for shows shuttered in March 2020. Vaxxed, masked, Covid-tested, journalists met with the nominees in a return to Broadway as usual. A dozen or so sat at designated places in a room at the Sofitel Hotel in midtown, just a stone’s throw from the classic stages where many of the nominated would perform for the evening. Handlers offered stars as they worked the various outlets, as in, we have Hugh Jackman, do you want him? Duh. Who doesn’t want Hugh Jackman? Ok, you have two questions.

And so it went, as stars came in and out often yanked, and still, the event was like a master class in theater production, and a recognition of just how hard, and how special live theater is. Lessons are learned in passing. Allowed almost no time with Hugh Jackman, you may get the superficial, how he feels about being nominated. Great. But then, with “Music Man” choreographer Warren Carlyle, you find out “Hugh’s success is not an accident. He worked hard all through the pandemic, rehearsed for the Music Man revival for three years.” A quintessential Broadway vehicle, “The Music Man” is not perceived as a dance show. What changed? Two things, said Carlyle, Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster. “All the choreography is new, every step out of my head, nothing from past shows. I really went for it.”

Dance is a major part of the new show, “Paradise Square,” where a pivotal plot point is a dance off. The winner receives enough cash to buy his way out of the draft. Representing two factions residing in Manhattan’s slummy Five Points at the time of the Civil War, blacks who may or may not be runaways vs. newly arrived immigrants from Ireland, the actors Sidney Dupont and A. J. Shively vie for the money. As Owen Duignan, Shively’s accent and dance flair are so pronounced, you could easily think he’s fresh from “Riverdance.” No, he explained in flat American cadence, his moves came from training with choreographer Bill T. Jones and an Irish team. Similarly, Dupont, as runaway Washington Henry, displays African-American stylings. Garth Drabinsky came by in his wheelchair, and out of respect for this show that has many nominations and is a favorite among many viewers, no one asked this producer of “Ragtime” and “Kiss of the Spiderwoman,” the tough questions about the allegations and lawsuits he’s somehow eluded.

David Morse, Rachel Dratch, Amanda Green, Mare Winningham, Deidre O’Connell, Babaloo Mandel and Lowell Ganz made the scene. The “Mr. Saturday Night” writers attested to Billy Crystal’s writing chops.

Long awaited stars such as Patti LuPone, Sutton Foster, Ruth Negga, never made it into our little interrogation quarters, but if you wandered, seeking a rest room and such, you might get lucky. I did, finding the much praised Joaquina Kalukango of “Paradise Square” at the Sofitel exit. Then again, the real miracle is finding Broadway so vibrant.   

TV News: Reba McEntire Joining “Big Sky” with Jensen Ackles, ABC Finally Putting Money into the Show

Roger Friedman
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TV News: Reba McEntire Joining “Big Sky” with Jensen Ackles, ABC Finally Putting Money into the Show

ABC is finally putting some money into “Big Sky.”

The drama, owned by the network, was just renewed despite two seasons of low ratings and apathy among viewers.

First they added “Supernatural” star Jensen Ackles to play the new young, sheriff. He could a romantic interest for one of the two female stars.

Now they’ve announced Reba McEntire as the matriarch of a new, mysterious family. Sounds like there are more new characters coming, and maybe some of them will have marquee value. “Big Sky” is impossible to follow so far, and without much rooting interest for anyone.

Stay tuned…

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