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John Lennon and Yoko Ono Getting 12 Disc Box Set “Power to the People” with Many Unreleased Tracks from Their Anti-Vietnam War Period

Roger Friedman
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John Lennon and Yoko Ono Getting 12 Disc Box Set “Power to the People” with Many Unreleased Tracks from Their Anti-Vietnam War Period

Sean Ono Lennon is really work to cement his parents’ legacy, especially John’s post-Beatles.

He’s put together a massive box set called “Power to the People” with 12 discs covering the couple’s anti-Vietnam war period.

The central part is a whole remixed “One to One” concerts, with spanking new versions of the two main shows, and a hybrid of the two shows.

There’s a lot to unpack in this box for Lennon-Ono fanatics. “The One To One concert was our effort in Grassroots Politics,” writes Yoko Ono Lennon in the Preface to Power To The People. “It embodied what John and I strongly believed in – Rock for Peace and Enlightenment. And this one in Madison Square Garden turned out to be the last concert John and I did together. Imagine Peace. Peace is Power. Power To The People!”

(It was indeed the last concert John and Yoko did together as he left her shortly thereafter for May Pang, and recorded big hits over an infamous 18 month period.)

The package includes a 204-page deeply researched hardback book designed and edited by Simon Hilton featuring an oral history about all the included music through the words of John & Yoko and those involved sourced from both archival and new interviews. The book is illustrated with unseen photos, lyrics, drawings, tape boxes and memorabilia. Additionally, the set includes a newspaper print poster, sticker sheets and a VIP envelope containing replica concert tickets, backstage and aftershow passes that “have all been uniquely reproduced with textured, archival materials.”

OK, cool. I’m more interested in the dozens of unreleased home studio and demo tracks, especially the ones recorded at the St. Regis Hotel, and four tracks recorded with folk great Phil Ochs in Michigan.

Again, there’s a lot here, and if you’re interested in a graduate class in John & Yoko’s peace work, it sounds like the gift of a lifetime. The whole thing is outlined in painstaking detail at www.johnlennon.com.

Here’s the newly remixed, sparked up “Come Together” from the “One on One” concert.

Taylor Swift- Travis Kelce Podcast Sends 14 of Singer’s Albums Back onto the iTunes Top 100, Plus a $3K Vinyl Album on Amazon

Roger Friedman
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Taylor Swift- Travis Kelce Podcast Sends 14 of Singer’s Albums Back onto the iTunes Top 100, Plus a $3K Vinyl Album on Amazon

The Travis Kelce-Taylor Swift podcast was certainly a hit.

Over 1.3 million people viewed the initial broadcast on YouTube.

The result is that 14 Swift albums are back in the iTunes top 100 after a short lull in Taylor mania.

There’s also an orange vinyl edition of Swift’s album, “Reputation,” for sale on amazon for a stunning $2,999. I’m not making that up. According to amazon, the LP comes from Swift’s former label, Big Machine, which she left and then they, of course, sold off her masters. There are plenty of copies available. (I was able to add 14 to my basket before canceling.)

All of this is in anticipation of Swift’s new album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” for October 3rd. The album is just 12 songs, all produced (co-written) by hitmaker Max Martin. Swift has left her long time producer Jack Antonoff for a poppier, top 40 sound.

“Showgirl” is already taking advance orders on CD, cassette, and vinyl so that when it hits amazon, it will debut at number 1. But did we have any doubt of that?

And Just Like That, “Sex and the City” Sputters to an End: Actors Had Two Days Notice Show Was Ending After 27 Years

Roger Friedman
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And Just Like That, “Sex and the City” Sputters to an End: Actors Had Two Days Notice Show Was Ending After 27 Years

And just like that, “Sex and the City” sputters to an end tonight.

The HBO comedy premiered on June 6, 1998, and ended on February 22, 2004, with 94 episodes aired over six seasons.

The concept returned in two feature films, in 2008 and 2010, while a third was scuttled because everyone had had enough of it.

But never count “Sex and the City” out. In 2021, it reanimated as “And Just Like That,” minus star Kim Cattrall but with the return of Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis.

But the new show began with a downer: Chris Noth, who’d played “Big” from the beginning, was killed off. (Then Noth had his own problems.) This was followed by the real life death of actor Willie Garson, who played Stanford Blatch. (The show has never acknowledged that.)

And now, just like that, it’s all over. Tonight’s episode on HBO MAX is the last. It’s not really a series-ender, as I’m told the production had no notice that they were wrapped up. The very last scene could have been added in the last two weeks, but otherwise season 3, episode 12 is just another installment. It feels like they thought they were coming back.
There are many things we’ll never know, with lots of storylines unresolved. But that’s life. At least the last scene doesn’t cut to black.

“And Just Like That,” from the beginning, was for hate watching only. The series went extremely “woke” in its quest to add diverse characters. A few of them didn’t make it to the second or then third season. (The right ones did.) By far, the most polarizing character ever was Chi Diaz, a non binary comedian played by Sara Ramirez from “Grey’s Anatomy.” She/they scared off most of the audience. It was all too much.

Is this is the end? I think so. Everything about “And Just Like That” was about consumption, living very large in a New York fantasy. All the characters had a lot of money, and flaunted it. The add-on series was all about the Upper East Side from the 1980s, albeit without the drugs. It should have been called “The Sweet Smell of Excess.”

Some things I never understood about the series: the main characters didn’t seem to have any family, no parents or siblings or cousins. Even when Big died, Carrie was alone except for her friends. They existed in a vacuum. They lived in New York but didn’t really go to theaters or museums or bodegas or use mass transit, just occasional art shows. I know it was a comedy, but it didn’t plumb the humor of even, say, the ladies getting their senior OMNY cards. And it only got worse in “And Just Like That.”

So say goodbye tonight if you’re still watching. Hang on for a little treat during the closing credits.

Watch Taylor Swift Announce New Album for October 3rd on Kelce Podcast, Says Travis “Didn’t Know What Hamlet Was, But I Explained it To Him”

Roger Friedman
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Watch Taylor Swift Announce New Album for October 3rd on Kelce Podcast, Says Travis “Didn’t Know What Hamlet Was, But I Explained it To Him”

Taylor Swift appeared with boyfriend Travis Kelce on his podcast with brother Jason last night.

Over 1.3 million people watched it. Taylor has never revealed so much or been so honest.

She announced the release of her 12th album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” for October 3rd.

She underscored that she and Kelce are dating. She did not say engaged.

The video is below, and it’s fascinating. Taylor talks about her father’s heart scare, and there’s a lot of detail about their lives.

“Showgirl” consists of 12 songs, all produced by Max Martin and Shellback. It sounds like she’s going for big pop hits by not using her regular producer, Jack Antonoff. There’s even a song called “Elizabeth Taylor.”

Kelce says he’s listened to all the songs — “they’re bangers.” He says the album is not as esoteric as Swift’s previous work. He admits he knows the meaning now of “esoteric.”

Swift interrupts: “He didn’t know what Hamlet was, but I explained it to him.”

Eric Idle and John Cleese Are Having Trouble Communicating Over the End of Monty Python Pictures: “It’s Dead”

Roger Friedman
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Eric Idle and John Cleese Are Having Trouble Communicating Over the End of Monty Python Pictures: “It’s Dead”

Monty Python founding members Eric Idle and John Cleese seem unsure of how to unravel their movie company.

After making brilliant films like “The Life of Brian,” and “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” and “And Now for Something Completely Different,” not to mention their legendary TV series and the worldwide hit musical, “Spamalot,” the octogenarian Pythons are not communicating well.

A fan wrote to Idle on Twitter saying he’d seen a notice about the ending of Monty Python Productions. Idle responded: “Nah it’s dead. The Parrot is to blame”

Cleese responded in his own obtuse way. He wrote: “Eric Idle has been complaining again that Python communications to him have been delayed. Fans may be interested to know that this could be because he refuses to accept any communictions [sic] that are sent to him, except through his lawyers. That slows it down a bit.”

Idle and Cleese founded the comedy troupe with Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, and Graham Chapman in 1969. They became such an overnight sensation that they were compared to the Beatles, and Idle started his own fake satirical music group called The Rutles.

Chapman died in 1989, Jones in 2001. Idle, Cleese, Palin, and Gilliam have had substantial individual fame over the decades. But Idle and Cleese are probably the two most diametrically opposed philosophically. That they’re still not getting along in 2025 is kind of sad.

Maybe they can get their communications ironed out soon. By the way, Palin had a successful one man tour a year ago in Britain. This fall, Idle will have one, while Cleese tours the US.

Gilliam, the lone American, went on to make such sensational films as “Brazil,” “12 Monkeys,” “Time Bandits,” and “The Fisher King.” He’s plotting one more, “The Carnival at the End of Days,” with Jason Momoa, Jeff Bridges, Johnny Depp, and Adam Driver.

Taylor Swift Unveils Cover of “Showgirl” Album and Credits: Surprise Producer Max Martin, Not Jack Antonoff!

Roger Friedman
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Taylor Swift Unveils Cover of “Showgirl” Album and Credits: Surprise Producer Max Martin, Not Jack Antonoff!

Taylor Swift’s The Life of A Showgirl is not produced by Jack Antonoff

Taylor has changed things up with Msx Martin and his team.

She’s also unveiled the cover and track list. See below. There are 12 songs including a duet with Sabrina Carpenter.

“South Park” Kristi Noem Episode Scored 6 Mil Viewers Worldwide, Marathon Tonight

Roger Friedman
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“South Park” Kristi Noem Episode Scored 6 Mil Viewers Worldwide, Marathon Tonight

No new “South Park” tonight.

Last week’s episode was such a hit that Comedy Central is running an anniversary marathon tonight. New episode next week.

Last week’s Kristi Noem ICE blowout brought in over 6 million viewers worldwide.

Total numbers of season 27 episode 2 dwarfed episode 1, which was a hit.

The irony of this sesson’s success is that it’s due to.tje show skewering its parent company, Paramount Skydance which has otherwise kowtowed to Donald Trump.

Who Will Play KISS’s Hits at the Kennedy Center Honors? Likely Candidates are Kid Rock, Ted Nugent

Roger Friedman
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Who Will Play KISS’s Hits at the Kennedy Center Honors? Likely Candidates are Kid Rock, Ted Nugent

KISS is getting a Kennedy Center honor in December, thanks to Donald Trump.

That KISS, a B list rock band, comes ahead of dozens of other more innovative and ground breaking bands, is ridiculous.

The tradition at the Kennedy Center Honors is that other rockers would play KISS’s hits while they sit in the balcony with Trump.

Who would play KISS’s rudimentary rock cacophonies? The answers are Kid Rock and Ted Nugent, outspoken Trump fans who would know songs like “Detroit Rock City” and “I Was Made for Lovin’ You.”

Maybe Sydney Sweeney could sing the ballad, “Beth.”

The other honorees are notable right wingers Sylvester Stallone — who Jon Voight is likely to toast — and George Strait, who wouldn’t accept the award previously during Democratic administrations.

The CBS audience doesn’t know what will hit them. If they watch, that is. For right now, the show has no producer.

KISS is On Trump’s List: Iconic Rock Band Confirmed as A Kennedy Center Honoree, with Stallone, Strait, Gloria Gaynor, “Phantom” Star

Roger Friedman
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KISS is On Trump’s List: Iconic Rock Band Confirmed as A Kennedy Center Honoree, with Stallone, Strait, Gloria Gaynor, “Phantom” Star

KISS is on Trump’s list.

I’ve confirmed through several sources that the iconic New York rock band will be a Kennedy Center honoree.

Donald Trump will make his announcement today at sometime.

KISS founder Gene Simmons is a Trump, ally of course. A Republican who was born in Israel, Simmons has often supported Trump and conservative causes.

Simmons has also criticized Trump, mildly, in the past.

But to get a rock band to accept the Kennedy Center award from Trump — who may change the name to honor himself — Trump didn’t have a big group of potential nominees.

Simmons and KISS will join Sylvester Stallone, Michael Crawford, George Strait, and Gloria Gaynor.

It’s a B List for sure.

Gaynor is known for two hits, really one — “I Will Survive.” She’s Black so Trump and Richard Grenell have covered that base. Otherwise, she’s a ridiculous honoree.

Strait, Stallone, Simmons are all Trump fans. Crawford was the star of “Phantom of the Opera,” Trump’s favorite show.

Liza Minnelli? Denzel washington? Fuhgeddaboutit.

NY’s Mayor Eric Adams Courts the Broadway Crowd with “Made in NY” Awards for Live Theater After Already Saluting Movies

Roger Friedman
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NY’s Mayor Eric Adams Courts the Broadway Crowd with “Made in NY” Awards for Live Theater After Already Saluting Movies

It was just a short time ago that Gracie Mansion hosted the Made in NY Awards for the movie community.

That was before Mayor Eric Adams was on the run, so to speak, from Zohar Mamdani in the 2025 election.

But now that Mamdani is killing Adams in the polls, Adams is looking for support in the Broadway community.

So we’re getting a second Made in NY party at Gracie Mansion, this one for live theater, on September 15th.

Adams and the great Pat Swinney Kaufman, Commissioner of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, will hand out awards to a bunch of stars and theater professionals (to be named soon).

Will this help Adams’ campaign? Will it help Broadway? Will the hors d’oeuvres be good? Because even if the honorees aren’t Adams backers, everyone on Broadway loves a free party with food. They’re not stupid.

Back to Gracie Mansion we go!

PS If Adams loses the election, he can always get the role of Billy Flynn in “Chicago.” He’d be perfect!

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