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Steve Martin, Original Cast of “SCTV” Among Dozens of Stars Set for YouTube Ukraine TV Telethon

Roger Friedman
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Steve Martin, Original Cast of “SCTV” Among Dozens of Stars Set for YouTube Ukraine TV Telethon

Ukraine meet You Tube.

Next Saturday March 26th, dozens of stars will participate in a 10 hour telethon to benefit the war torn country.

“Stars in the House for Ukraine” will air live on Saturday, March 26th from 12:00pm ET – 10:00pm ET. It can be viewed and listened to on starsinthehouse.com, Stars In The House YouTube channel, as well as SiriusXM Stars109.

Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley will host the telethon to raise money and awareness for those affected by the ongoing war in Ukraine. Donations of the event will benefit the International Rescue Committee and their humanitarian efforts for those affected by the war in Ukraine.

The star-studded lineup of guests include original SCTV cast members Martin Short, Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy and Andrea Martin, plus Steve Martin, Annette Bening, Billy Porter, Audra McDonald, Cynthia Nixon, Laurie Metcalf, Norman Lear, and a knock out list of Broadway and TV  stars including Tituss Burgess, Kristin Chenoweth, David Hyde Pierce, Kelli O’Hara, Robin de Jesús, Donna Murphy, Annaleigh Ashford, Jessie Mueller, Josh Groban, Judith Light, John Stamos, Lindsay Mendez, Laura Benanti, Norman Lear, Betty Buckley, Rosie Perez, Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody, Rachel Bloom, and Patrick Wilson.

In addition to the celebrity guests singing and reading donations, the event will also feature Ukrainian citizens who will be speaking and performing, including Ukrainian actor Oleg Karpenko, a Ukrainian theatre and film actor who co-starred with President Zelensky in “Servant of The People.”

“For almost 90 years, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has been responding to the world’s worst humanitarian crises. In Ukraine and Poland, IRC mobilized quickly to assist the vulnerable and displaced by war that privileges impunity and autocracy over accountability and self-determination,” says David Miliband, President and CEO of IRC. “We are grateful to James, Seth, and everyone who will be joining this special 10-hour Stars in the House marathon to draw attention to the needs of those affected by the war in Ukraine, and to give audiences around the world a way to help.”

Review: Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum Make “The Lost City” Not Nearly as Formulaic As It Might Have Been

Roger Friedman
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Review: Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum Make “The Lost City” Not Nearly as Formulaic As It Might Have Been

We’ve seen “The Lost City” before, unless you’re born yesterday or a shut in. It’s a lite version of “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” a cousin of “Romancing the Stone” and about a dozen others that have come before.

So let’s set the premise aside. There are so many leaps of faith and logic you have to make, you might as well. The set up is that Sandra Bullock is Loretta Sage (yikes), a romance writer but a brainy one. Her books are hits. Channing Tatum’s Alan’s whole career is, improbably, posing on her book covers like Fabio, shirtless with a long wig. Da’Vine Joy Randolph is Loretta’s patient, all knowing publisher. Loretta seems to be her only author. (Makes no sense, must be a tiny mom and pop book company like Harlequin in the early days.)

Anyway, Daniel Radcliffe is sort of Roman Roy or a dumb Murdoch billionaire kid who kidnaps Loretta. He believes material in her book is real and will lead him to a lost city on an island in the Atlantic. So off they go to the island, and Alan follows them to rescue Loretta. He brings along a kind of adventurer named Trainer played by Brad Pitt, who’s going to help him in this effort.

That’s all you need to know. Pitt leaves the scene very soon after being introduced which is too bad. There’s a little hope for something really good when he’s on screen. After he’s gone, Bullock and Tatum are sent in a formula deal where they spar and don’t get along but eventually fall for each other.

The charm of the main stars goes a long way to distract from the well traveled plot and the disarmingly bad dialogue. Four people worked on the screenplay– the sibling directors Adam and Aaron Nee, and Dana Fox and Oren Uziel. Someone obviously wanted this to be glib and “Deadpool”-like. And someone obviously didn’t. So these two tones are at war with each other. Sometimes the script is meta and inside, and sometimes it feels cut and pasted from the 1980s.

The production design is excellent, and so are the bodies of the stars, which are perfect. Sandra Bullock was born the year the Beatles came to America, and she is ravishing. She has an Oscar and can take any project, but I wish she’d get some better material (better than “Bird Box” or “The Unforgivable, her two most recent movies. She says she’s taking a break, but I hope she’s not gone too long. She needs to play an adult and not a ditzy 57 year old.

Channing Tatum has been to the gym. We get that. He’s really put in his time, I guess, because he’s got another Magic Mike movie coming. A hunk in this one, he’s really playing Lou Costello. He gets a lot of credit for this. Especially when Pitt is on the scene, Tatum has to play a lovable fool. He pulls it off with aplomb.

There are worse things than a little familiar entertainment supplied by old friends. So I’m going to look the other way with “The Lost City.” Grab the popcorn and diet soda, kick back in a theater, and enjoy it for what it is. There are previews on Saturday night and a hard opening next week.

ABC Wednesday Night Comedy Dilemma: Which Low Rated Family Is Done, the Conners or the Goldbergs?

Roger Friedman
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ABC Wednesday Night Comedy Dilemma: Which Low Rated Family Is Done, the Conners or the Goldbergs?

Wednesday night’s comedy block on ABC was the usual ratings disaster. All the shows performed miserably, and ABC finished in fourth place behind Fox.

Behind Fox!

The big question everyone is waiting to hear about is which of the low rated families will get the axe: The Conners or the Goldbergs?

My guess is, The Goldbergs. They fell well under  3 million viewers this week to 2.79 mil. Jeff Garlin is gone and all the pretending in the world hasn’t worked to make Murray Goldberg’s absence make sense.The show is not funny and not well acted or written. After 9 seasons, “The Goldbergs” are ready to say so long.

“The Conners” has one more season left to it. They finished last with 2.9 million, down 10.5% from the prior outing. At least they have stars like Laurie Metcalf and John Goodman. They also have a chance to wrap up the Conners’ saga once and for all with a fifth final season. The writers can give everyone a happy ending.

This seems like the way to go, but knowing network executives, they’ll do something else entirely. ABC also has to deal with their two other comedy half hours on Wednesday, the Black “Wonder Years” and Home Economics. Each one scores less than 2 million viewers although I am partial to “The Wonder Years.” I hope it continues.

Julia Garner Crowned Queen of Netflix as “Inventing Anna” and “Ozark” Take Over Nielsen Ratings

Roger Friedman
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Julia Garner Crowned Queen of Netflix as “Inventing Anna” and “Ozark” Take Over Nielsen Ratings

Julia Garner. She’s the Queen of Netflix. All hail Julia Garner.

According to the latest Nielsen numbers, “Inventing Anna,” in which Garner stars as Anna Delvey, was the most watched series on streaming platforms the week of February 14-22.

Then again, “Ozark,” in which Garner co-stars as Ruth, where she’s already won many awards, finished in third place of the top 10 for that week. Both shows are on Netflix.

“Inventing Anna” had more than twice the number of viewers as the number 2 show, “Love Is Blind.” The 9 episode series, about a young woman who fooled society, celebrity, and the financial world of New York into believing she was an heiress, has become the most talked about show on TV or streaming. In doing that, it’s send viewers back to look at “Ozark,” now in the middle of its fourth and final season.

The combination of “Anna” and “Ozark” has literally swamped the competition. It’s knocked Amazon’s “Mrs. Maisel” to sixth place.

Garner’s work on “Ozark” was already stunning as she held her own with the likes of Laura Linney and Janet McTeer, among others. Her portrayal of Ruth, a sort of wide eyed hillbilly in the Ozarks who quickly becomes astute in gambling and drug dealing, is stupefyingly alive. I’ve never seen an actress more present in a character. We can only imagine that Ruth is the only survivor of the last set of episodes now that everything she cares about has been destroyed.

In “Anna,” Garner slips into Delvey, whose real name is Anna Sorokin, with an odd German accent and brunette wigs, wearing thick eyeglasses. Telling a mostly true story, Garner is mesmerizing as Anna snakes her way through New York society turning everything and everyone in her path upside down by lying every time she opens her mouth or draws a breath. Garner will undoubtedly be the main focus of the Emmy Awards this season.

Dwayne Johnson, Movie Star, Still Can’t Find TV Audience with “Young Rock” as Ratings Drop on Return

Roger Friedman
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Dwayne Johnson, Movie Star, Still Can’t Find TV Audience with “Young Rock” as Ratings Drop on Return

In movies, The Old Rock is a big star.

Dwayne Johnson is a box office draw, that’s for sure, in movies like “Jungle Cruise” or a Fast and Furious.

But on TV, “Young Rock” can’t find an audience.

On Monday night, “Young Rock” returned for its second season and floundered like a fish out of water. Total viewers were just 2.5 million. That was down over 16.7% from the show’s last outing, which was a one off in December. They key demo was down just as much.

“Young Rock” was not a hit in its first season, but it’s produced and distributed by NBC and Universal Television. They own it, and by god, they’re going to make it a hit or die trying!

But 2.5 million is a very weak number for a sitcom about one of movie’s biggest stars. It’s about half the audience of CBS’s new “Ghosts” and a third of “Young Sheldon.” A full spring season of these numbers aren’t going to work. My guess, “Young Rock” will start looking pretty old to advertisers soon.

Johnson’s next movie is “Black Adam,” which features actor Uli Latukefu, who plays Young Rock in the series. “Black Adam” is now set for release on October 21st. By that time, “Young Rock” may be all rocked out.

War? Pandemic? LOL The Met Ball Returns in May with Hosts Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Regina King, and Lin-Manuel Miranda

Roger Friedman
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War? Pandemic? LOL The Met Ball Returns in May with Hosts Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Regina King, and Lin-Manuel Miranda

War in Ukraine? World War III? Refugees?

Pandemic? More variants? What? Me Worry?

Anna Wintour doesn’t care. She’s got The Met Ball  returning in May with guest hosts Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Regina King, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Anna and Instagram inventor Adam Mousseri will return as the real hosts, along with Tom Ford. Kardashians will abound.

Vogue magazine is really hosting the event, which is an annual money loser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The last one was in September, delayed from May 2021.

Masked ball? Unlikely!

Vogue is part of Conde Nast, which will also sponsor the Vanity Fair Oscar party in Hollywood on March 27th. Neither party will raise money for Ukraine relief, but they will highlight excess in a time of world suffering. And that’s always a beautiful thing.

This year’s theme of both parties will be exclusion, also timely.

Broadway League Says It Will Return to Reporting Weekly Box Office Per Show Starting Next Week

Roger Friedman
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Broadway League Says It Will Return to Reporting Weekly Box Office Per Show Starting Next Week

Broadway is back. And soon we’ll know what the heck is going on.

Starting next week, the Broadway League will return to ” the traditional reporting of weekly Broadway sales totals starting March 22, 2022. This is a return to the pre-pandemic practice of releasing individual Broadway show grosses on a weekly basis. On Tuesday, March 22, the League will post all weeks for the 2021-2022 season through March 20 on the League’s public website, where grosses have always been reported.”

“With the optimism that comes as spring approaches and as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic recedes, 16 new Broadway productions are preparing to open in March and April and audiences from across the country and around the world are returning to New York. As we move forward into this more ‘normal’ time, Broadway sales figures will be reported on a weekly basis beginning March 22, 2022,” said Charlotte St. Martin, President of The Broadway League.

And yes! Sixteen shows are opening from late March through late April including revivals of “Plaza Suite” and “Funny Girl.”

Joni Mitchell Las Vegas Musicares Tribute Will Get Stephen Stills, Herbie Hancock, Cyndi Lauper, Chaka Khan, Among Stars

Roger Friedman
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Joni Mitchell Las Vegas Musicares Tribute Will Get Stephen Stills, Herbie Hancock, Cyndi Lauper, Chaka Khan, Among Stars

Joni Mitchell‘s getting the all star treatment from Musicares.

Her big Person of the Year tribute show in Las Vegas is packed with stars.

The list includes Sara Bareilles, Beck, Leon Bridges, Brandi Carlile, Lauren Daigle, Herbie Hancock, Chaka Khan, Angélique Kidjo, Cyndi Lauper, Pentatonix, Billy Porter, Stephen Stills, and St. Vincent.
Also, Grammy Awards nominees from this year will perform including Jon Batiste, Black Pumas, Mickey Guyton, and Allison Russell.

The evening will also feature a remote performance from GRAMMY Award-winning artist Graham Nash. So that’s at least two thirds of Crosby, Stills, & Nash.

(Unfortunately, James Taylor, who was set to be part of the celebration when it was first scheduled for January, can’t be there. He’s got a show in Chicago the next night. Also notably missing is Judy Collins, who’s got a show the night before in Kentucky.)

But this a pretty impressive group. Each artist will perform a different Joni song and they should be historic. And the great new is, if you’re in Las Vegas, it’s possible to buy a ticket — see below.

“We’re excited to honor Joni together, in person, as a music community and can’t wait to bring this great event to Las Vegas,” said Laura Segura, Executive Director of MusiCares. “We will be celebrating with a purpose, toasting one of music’s greatest songwriters and musicians, while raising vital funds to address the critical health and social service needs of the music community.”

Sponsors for the 2022 MusiCares Person of the Year Tribute include Live Nation, MGM Resorts International, Vivid Seats, ELS Studio Premium Audio, Gibson Gives, Meta, United Airlines, Wasserman Foundation, GREY GOOSE Vodka, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., and FIJI Water.

“MusiCares’ amazing work providing aid to music professionals is crucial to the well-being of our community,” said Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy®. “Their ongoing support for music people is truly inspiring and we’re looking forward to celebrating the return of Person of the Year this April.”

The event will be produced by live event broadcast company Lewis & Clark. GRAMMY Award-winning producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Mike Elizondo will serve as Music Director for the 2022 Person of the Year gala. Tickets are available to purchase at https://Joni.givesmart.com. For more information about MusiCares Person of the Year, please visit www.musicares.org/person-year or email personoftheyear@musicares.org.

Aimee Mann Says Steely Dan Dropped Her from Summer Tour Because Their Fans Wouldn’t Like a Female Performer

Roger Friedman
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Aimee Mann Says Steely Dan Dropped Her from Summer Tour Because Their Fans Wouldn’t Like a Female Performer

Aimee Mann– I love — is on a solo tour right now. But this summer she was supposed to open for Steely Dan.

But Aimmee says in a cartoon posted to her social media that she’s been dropped because she was told Steely Dan fans wouldn’t like a female performer.

She’s not angry, but philosophical.

As a fan of both Aimee and Donald Fagen, I’m surprised. I would have loved seeing them on the same bill. They are each consummate musicians.

Watch Lady Gaga’s Beautiful NY Film Critics “Gucci” Speech from Club “Where We Always Tried to Sneak In”

Roger Friedman
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Watch Lady Gaga’s Beautiful NY Film Critics “Gucci” Speech from Club “Where We Always Tried to Sneak In”

Before Lady Gaga spoke last night at the New York Film Critics Awards, I got a couple of minutes to talk to her. Dressed in a very elegant black frock, her blonde hair upswept, Stefani Germanotta told me how thrilled she was to get a prestigious award from the NYFCC– for “House of Gucci.”

She was without a doubt the biggest star of the night at Tao Restaurant. She laughed recalling the original version of this hip place, uptown on East 58th St. “We were always trying to sneak into Tao. Now here I am!”

I asked her about the Grammys. She and Tony Bennett are up for several for their album, “Love for Sale.” “I’m really thrilled to be nominated with Tony for best pop duo,” she said, and did a little shimmy of excitement. She told me it’s not clear anymore if Bennett– who has Alzheimer’s — recognizes her. But, she said, at 95 and a half, “thank God we still have him!”

Not only did Gaga — who brought her mom as her date–  stay through the whole three hour ceremony, she remained afterward and took pictures with everyone, from Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard to Jane Campion, and “Drive My Car” director Ryusuke Hamaguchi. In his speech accepting Best Picture from Jim Jarmusch, Hamaguchi said — through his interpreter — how unreal the whole night seemed with Gaga sitting in front of him and Martin Scorsese in the room. (Scorsese came to give Campion Best Director for “The Power of the Dog.”)

Here’s Gaga’s speech:

If all this was surreal for Gaga and Hamaguchi, wait: Campion, receiving Best Director, was fighting back tears not altogether well after Scorsese gave her her award. She talked about how Susan Sontag took her out 30 years when her first movie, came out in 1989. She said she’d had a rough time with the critics back then. Not anymore! Campion has racked up all the directors’ awards this season and is headed to a certain Academy Award on March 27th.

Aside from Gaga, no other actor winners were present. Benedict Cumberbatch, Kodi Smit-McPhee (who sent a very nice video), and Kathryn Hunter were all no-shows because the NYFCC dinner had been moved from January because of COVID. The other biggest winners in attendance were Joachim Trier, director of “The Worst Person in the World” (Best Foreign Language Film) and Paul Thomas Anderson, whose screenplay for “Licorice Pizza” was awarded. Both young stars from that movie, Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman, were present but said nothing. (The really rude MGM publicists were there, too, not making any friends.)

One highlight of the night was an introduction speech from “Worst Person” star Renate Reinsve, who is Norwegian but showed she has no problem with English. She is not only beautiful but hilarious in her delivery. American directors should find something for her immediately.

Star veteran comedian and actor Robert Klein appeared to give a special award to film critic Marshall Fine, who made a documentary about Klein a few years ago. Robert Klein has just turned 80! He looks a lot younger, and “killed.” He was very, very funny. Later, Fine received a shout out from Hamaguchi, a fan of Fine’s book about director John Cassavetes.

Update coming– keep refreshing — with pictures and video to come…

PS A great night, thanks to Janice Roland and Falco Ink for putting it together. For most it was the first large gathering of note in two years, and it went off perfectly…

PPS A couple of people who attended the National Board of Review fans dinner two nights ago, said that conversely, the room was hot at Cipriani 42nd St. no one could breathe…sounds like fun! I guess they really packed in those $600 ticket buyers…

 

Cover photo courtesy of Star Pix/ Marion Curtis c 2022

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