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Broadway: Michael Jackson’s Kids, Prince and Paris, Came to Opening Night of “MJ The Musical”

Roger Friedman
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Broadway: Michael Jackson’s Kids, Prince and Paris, Came to Opening Night of “MJ The Musical”

Broadway is not the same these days. You can’t go backstage after a premiere, and there are no parties. It’s all COVID related.

In the case of “MJ The Michael Jackson Musical,” they have to protect the cast.  When Omicron swept through in December, “MJ” missed holiday performances.

But last night — postponed from July 2020– the show finally opened. And a lot of interesting people turned up.

Primary among them were Michael’s eldest children, Prince and Paris. (I didn’t see Blanket aka Bigi, I’m not sure he was there.)

The Jackson Estate was there in full force, starting with John Branca and Karen Langford. They worked hard to make this happen. If I think back to the early and 2000s, this has been a long road for them.

Sony Music was well represented by Rob Stringer, the head of Sony Music, and Sylvia Rhone, president of Michael’s label, Epic. Doug Morris, formerly the head of Sony Music, and now a key investor/producer of “MJ,” was on hand as well.

Celebrity wise, the great Brenda Vaccaro was sitting next us in a beautiful, luxurious shawl/cape, loving the show. Tamron Hall was in the house, so was Fox5’s Rosanna Scotto and Rev. Sharpton. I also ran into James Bond impresaria Barbara Broccoli, who’ll be very happy Thursday morning when “No Time to Die” garners some BAFTA nominations.

Come to Broadway! Wear a mask! Bring your vaccine card! And see these shows, from “MJ” to “Company” to the forthcoming “The Hangmen,” a play I’ve been waiting for for three years!

 

Former “The View” Producer Bill Geddie: Whoopi Will Be Fine, “But there’s something bigger at play here”

Roger Friedman
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Former “The View” Producer Bill Geddie: Whoopi Will Be Fine, “But there’s something bigger at play here”

Bill Geddie was the original producer of “The View.” He was there for 17 years. Now he’s weighing on Whoopi Goldberg’s situation. She was suspended by ABC for two weeks after insisting the Holocaust wasn’t about race. Whoopi refused to apologize when literally everyone complained. On “Colbert,” on Twitter, on “The View” on Tuesday she just kept doubling down on her position while at the same time saying she appreciated hearing all sides, including the Anti-Defamation League. What was she thinking? This is unlike her. Whoopi is not anti-Semite. But she seems to have gotten caught up in her own rhetoric and won’t let go of it.

I met Bill Geddie many times. He was a straight shooter. This is what he said today on Facebook.

Now ALL of Crosby, Stills, and Nash Join Neil Young In Asking to Remove ALL Their Music from Spotify

Roger Friedman
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Now ALL of Crosby, Stills, and Nash Join Neil Young In Asking to Remove ALL Their Music from Spotify

First it was Neil Young.

Then Graham Nash joined in. David Crosby was in sympathy with them.

But now Stephen Stills has jumped on the bandwagon and they ALL want ALL their music taken off Spotify. They’re supporting Neil Young, who started this whole thing, Joni Mitchell followed, with Nils Lofgren, India Arie agreeing too.

On Crosby’s Twitter feed, he posted their shared statement. Hey, the result may be a detente and reunion for this supergroup. They’re finally on the same page.

Now I’m waiting for some others of their ilk to chime in, like Jackson Browne. No pressure, but it would be something if Browne or Bonnie Raitt or Don Henley lined up with this cause.

Jeff Zucker Ousted at CNN, Over Long Time Open Secret Affair, Katie Couric Wrote About It In Her Book

Roger Friedman
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Jeff Zucker Ousted at CNN, Over Long Time Open Secret Affair, Katie Couric Wrote About It In Her Book

Listen, there’s no one from the milk man in East Hampton to the janitors at CNN’s various headquarters who is “stunned” that Jeff Zucker was having an affair.

The CNN chief’s relationship with his publicist, Allison Gollust, is about a decade old. That’s how long I feel like I’ve been hearing about it.

Sources have been talking about Zucker and Gollust since they were at NBC together. In January 2013, Zucker came over to CNN from NBC. A short time later, Gollust joined him as head of PR. In September of that year, she was promoted to Chief Media Officer.

Do the math.

In 2018, Zucker and his wife Caryn, officially threw in the towel on their marriage of 21 years that produced four kids. But the Zucker divorce was messy and loud in the Hamptons. Even the Jack Russell terriers were barking about it.

So when Radaronline.com ran a story back on January 4th about Zucker and Gollust I was surprised. It seemed like old news to a lot of us. But the Radar story coming in this #metoo environment, on top of all the other big shot execs who’ve been toppled by various scandals, the time was ripe. Plus, the pair has built up a fairly good sized troop of enemies. That’s the formula for disaster.

Katie Couric wrote all about Zucker and Gollust in her recent memoir. It was right there in the open but no one wanted to deal with it. When Zucker set up Couric’s talk show at ABC, Couric recalls in “Going There”:

At a certain point Jeff made a huge push to bring on Allison Gollust. When we worked together at NBC, she and Jeff cooked up ever bolder ways to draw attention to TODAY and later to Jeff himself when he moved to Entertainment. They were joined at the hip. The problem was, we’d already hired a PR person for the show. There really wasn’t a role for Allison. Jeff asked me to meet with her anyway. One weekend when I was out in the Hamptons, I went over to her house and told her what I’d already told Jeff— that we had the communications piece of it covered and there just wasn’t a job there. What we needed were talented producers. ABC was paying Jeff and me a ton of money; I was also an EP of the show, and my name was on it. I felt a certain responsibility to spend the money wisely and have some real agency in the decision-making. I had to wonder why Jeff was angling so hard to bring Allison on board. She and her husband and kids had moved into the apartment right above Jeff and Caryn’s— everyone who heard about the cozy arrangement thought it was super-strange. By that point, Caryn had become a close friend and it made me really uncomfortable. “I don’t want to force myself on you,” Allison said reasonably that day in the Hamptons. She seemed disappointed, but that was the end of it.

(Sort of. Not really.)

So keep in mind, CNN has known about all this for NINE years. There are no surprises.

 

 

Rock Hall Nominees for Induction Include Carly Simon, Eminem, Lionel Richie, Eurythmics, Pat Benatar, Duran Duran

Roger Friedman
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Rock Hall Nominees for Induction Include Carly Simon, Eminem, Lionel Richie, Eurythmics, Pat Benatar, Duran Duran

The list of nominees for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class of ’22 include many who’ve been overlooked in the past.

That list starts with Carly Simon, who should’ve been in a long time ago. Simon is one of the holy trinity of female superstar singer songwriters that also includes Joni Mitchell and Carole King. Carly’s hits include “You’re So Vain,” “Nobody Does it Better,” and “Coming Around Again.” She won an Oscar for “Let the River Run” from “Working Girl.” It’s absolutely ridiculous that such an influential and successful performer isn’t in the Rock Hall. Let’s hope this year changes that.

New to the nominees list is Eminem. He’ll likely get in on the first ballot.

The Eurythmics are on the list. Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart should be a no brainer. Also up from this era, Duran Duran. It’s going to one or the other. I say Eurythmics.

Pop superstar Lionel Richie, who has nothing to do with rock and roll, may also enjoy an easy time of it. He’s very popular and has lots of hits. But rock? Doesn’t matter.

Pat Benatar, Dionne Warwick, Dolly Parton, the MC5, and the New York Dolls have all been on the list in the past but didn’t make it. Benatar is actually a rock act. Dionne is pop R&B and has influenced so many singers and performers. Dolly is beloved but she is country.

UK performer Kate Bush, devoid of US hits, is a dark horse candidate. Others on the list include Fela Kuti, Rage Against the Machine, Devo, Beck, A Tribe Called Quest, Judas Priest.

The final list of nominees comes in May. Here’s one of my Carly faves. She set the standard for cool, ironic lyrics.

Broadway: “MJ” Michael Jackson Musical Opens to 3 Standing Ovations, Happy Audiences, and Cranky Critics

Roger Friedman
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Broadway: “MJ” Michael Jackson Musical Opens to 3 Standing Ovations, Happy Audiences, and Cranky Critics

The Michael Jackson musical, “MJ,” opened on Broadway last night to standing ovations and cheering during the show, an extremely enthusiastic, and cranky critics looking for a reason to pan it.

Top to bottom, “MJ” is a high end jukebox musical with terrific songs, dancing, performers who deserve better than to be dismissed for snark.

The show covers Jackson’s life from the Jackson 5 through the 1992 rehearsals for his Dangerous tour. It stops there because after that Michael’s life became overwhelmed with accusations of child molestation, pay offs and settlements, general weirdness, and a tragic end. Do you want to see that in a musical? Or do you want to see his insanely good, still very popular hits woven into a story? This is not “Sweeney Todd” and it doesn’t have to be.

If Michael were alive, of course, he couldn’t get away with this. As a journalist who covered him, I’d be all over it. But Michael is dead.  His story is over. He was never convicted of anything. He was acquitted in 2005 of child molestation and kidnapping. So he leaves a clean record. He became incredibly eccentric, but this photo shows him working and still regimented as an artists. And the hits, and the famous dancing.

Director Christopher Wheeldon and dramatist Lynn Nottage have created a very entertaining piece of theater that hints at Michael’s problems and issues, but concentrates on the music. The cast, led by Myles Frost, is terrific. Frost has never appeared before on Broadway, but he swoops and sways like Michael at the peak of his career. He’s got the falsetto and middle range og his singing down, too. His performance I’d compare to Adrienne Warren’s Tony Award turn as Tina Turner. Frost is fully committed and it shows.

Derek McLane’s sets are superb. “MJ” is set in a rehearsal hall, but there are set pieces –like the Walking Dead of “Thriller– that are spine tingling. “Bad,” “Beat It,” “Billie Jean” are all there, as are songs like “Human Nature” that come alive on stage. And all this work leads up to a stunning finale of “Man in the Mirror.”

A few shout outs– to Quentin Earl Darlington, who plays Joseph Jackson as well as “Rob,” director of Michael’s tour, and a pretty convincing chief Zombie. And to Ayana George, who I cited in a previous column, with a spectacular voice. She plays Katherine Jackson and Tavon Olds-Sample as teenage to young 20s Michael.

“MJ” is a photograph, a moment in time. If you want a drama, with a courtroom setting, that’s a different show. If you want that, read all my old columns. I could tell you a different story, but it’s not this story. This is the story of music everyone still loves, especially well constructed. Celebrate this talent on Broadway.

 

Review: “And Just Like That” Ends with An Actually Pleasant 10th Episode, Miranda Colors Her Hair

Roger Friedman
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Review: “And Just Like That” Ends with An Actually Pleasant 10th Episode, Miranda Colors Her Hair

The 10th and final episode of “And Just Like That,” the HBO Max series extension of “Sex and the City,” is actually not unpleasant. It took 10 tries and a fictional year to get an episode that wasn’t cringe worthy or unhappy.

Kim Cattrall does not appear in the show, although Samantha Jones is mentioned. Carrie texts her in London, and there’s a thawing of their relationship. If you’re into fantasies, then this is for you.

The big news is Miranda, Cynthia Nixon, colors her hair. She restores it from the old lady grey she’s been saddled with all season. Not that grey is bad, but they went the extra mile to make her look old.

The central plot of this episode is a “They Mitzvah” for Charlotte and Harry’s transitional daughter, Rock. This includes a non binary rabbi. Kristin Davis and Evan Handler could be spun off into their own show and I wouldn’t mind. They are the most enjoyable part of the show.

No one is naked, there’s no sex act, everyone can relax. Mr. Big’s voice is heard as a whisper in Carrie’s mind. Carrie does go to Paris and, dressed like someone who dropped acid during a haute couture moment, revisits their old haunts. I mean, really, even in Paris, if you saw a woman dressed like this standing on a bridge at night, you’d called the gendarmes.

Will “And Just Like That” return? I think so. It ends on a high note this time, so there’s hope for the future.

The last episode drops on Thursday.

Critics Choice Awards Show will Give Lifetime Achievement Honor to Billy Crystal March 13th

Roger Friedman
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Critics Choice Awards Show will Give Lifetime Achievement Honor to Billy Crystal March 13th

The Critics Choice Association (CCA) announced today that legendary actor Billy Crystal will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 27th annual Critics Choice Awards.

And two weeks later Billy hits Broadway with his musical version of “Mr. Saturday Night.”

Crystal will be feted for his incredible body of work throughout the years at the star-studded Critics Choice Awards gala hosted by Taye Diggs and Nicole Byer, which will broadcast LIVE on The CW and TBS on Sunday, March 13 from 7:00 – 10:00 pm ET (delayed PT – check local listings).

Throughout its 27-year history, the Critics Choice Awards have honored just six stars with the illustrious Lifetime Achievement Award including Lauren Bacall, Kevin Costner, Clint Eastwood, Eddie Murphy, Robert Wise, and now, Billy Crystal. As previously announced, Halle Berry will receive the sixth annual SeeHer Award during the ceremony.

Tony and Emmy Award-winning comedian, actor, producer, writer, and director Billy Crystal is known to audiences around the world as the star of such films as When Harry Met Sally…, City Slickers and Analyze This, as a cast member of NBC’s Saturday Night Live, and as the acclaimed nine-time host of the Academy Awards.

Next on the horizon, Crystal returns to Broadway in his very first musical comedy Mr. Saturday Night. Written by Billy Crystal, Lowell Ganz, and Babaloo Mandel, Mr. Saturday Night is the story of an outrageous and outspoken comedian seeking one more shot at the spotlight some 40 years after his TV career flamed out. The brand-new musical comedy about one comedian’s meteoric rise to the middle arrives on Broadway this Spring, opening April 27, 2022.

 

Crystal landed his first major television role in 1977 on the comedy series Soap, playing Jodie Dallas, one of the first openly gay characters on TV. In 1984 he hosted Saturday Night Live and a few months later joined the regular cast. His best-known SNL creation was Fernando, an unctuous talk-show host whose tagline, “You look mahvelous!” entered the popular lexicon.

 

In 2015, Crystal made his return to series television opposite Josh Gad in the FX series The Comedians. Crystal portrayed a superstar veteran comedian who is reluctantly paired with Gad, an edgier up-and-coming star, in an unfiltered, behind-the-scenes look at a late-night sketch comedy show where egos and generations collide.

 

Crystal’s many feature film credits include the buddy cop comedy Running Scared (1986), Rob Reiner’s comic fairy tale The Princess Bride (1987), and Danny DeVito’s dark comedy Throw Momma from the Train (1987). But his breakthrough role came in 1989 when he starred opposite Meg Ryan in Reiner’s When Harry Met Sally…, which became a romantic touchstone for a generation of moviegoers. Other iconic titles include Mr. Saturday Night (1992) and America’s Sweethearts (2001). He also starred opposite Bette Midler and Marisa Tomei in the 2012 Christmas family comedy Parental Guidance, which he also produced. In addition, he is the voice of one-eyed Mike Wazowski in Disney•Pixar’s animated global blockbuster Monsters, Inc. (2001), its prequel Monsters University (2013), and the Disney+ television series Monsters at Work, now in production for its second season. Crystal’s latest work includes the friendship comedy Standing Up, Falling Down (2020) opposite Ben Schwartz, and his most recent feature Here Today (2021), which Crystal co wrote, directed, produced, and starred in opposite Tiffany Haddish.

 

As a director, Crystal was nominated for both an Emmy and a Directors Guild Award for his direction of the 2001 HBO movie 61*, which told the dramatic story of the 1961 race between Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris to break Babe Ruth’s single-season home-run record. 

 

In addition to hosting the Oscars nine times—most recently in 2012—Crystal has also hosted the GRAMMY Awards three times. His work as a host, writer, and producer on the televised awards shows has earned him 14 Emmy nominations and five wins. Crystal won a sixth Emmy for his 1989 HBO comedy special, Billy Crystal: Midnight Train to Moscow in which he was the first American comedian to perform in the Soviet Union. Other HBO specials include On Location, A Comic’s Line, and Don’t Get Me Started. Along with Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams, Crystal hosted HBO’s Comic Relief. These comedic telethons raised almost 75 million dollars to provide medical aid for the homeless in America.

 

The recipient of the 2007 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, Crystal has written five books, including Absolutely Mahvelous (1986), 700 Sundays (2005) and Still Foolin’ ‘Em (2014), as well as two children’s books, the New York Times best seller I Already Know I Love You (2004) and Grandpa’s Little One (2006).

 

Crystal co-wrote, produced, and starred alongside Kevin Kline and Annette Bening in Have a Nice Day, a play that was recorded live at The Minetta Lane Theatre. It was released on Audible on November 2, 2018 and became an instant best-seller. In his 2013 New York Times best-selling memoir Still Foolin’ ‘Em: Where I’ve Been, Where I’m Going, and Where the Hell Are My Keys? Crystal offers his heartfelt and humorous observations on aging. The audiobook version debuted at number one on iTunes and was nominated for a Grammy Award for the Best Spoken Word Album and won the Audiobook of the Year at the 2014 Audies Gala.

 

Crystal made his Broadway debut in 2004 with the original production of his one-man show 700 Sundays, for which he won a Tony Award. The Broadway production was taped in front of a live audience for an HBO special that aired in April of 2014, which garnered four Emmy nominations and was released on DVD that fall.

 

The Critics Choice Awards are bestowed annually to honor the finest in cinematic and television achievement. Historically, they are the most accurate predictor of Academy Award nominations.

 

The 27th annual Critics Choice Awards show will be produced by Bob Bain Productions and Berlin Entertainment. The CCA is represented by Dan Black of Greenberg Traurig.

 

Follow the 27th annual Critics Choice Awards on Twitter and Instagram @CriticsChoice and on Facebook/CriticsChoiceAwards. Join the conversation using #CriticsChoiceAwards.

“SNL” with Willem Dafoe and Katy Perry Finishes About Even with Just Under 5 Million Viewers

Roger Friedman
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“SNL” with Willem Dafoe and Katy Perry Finishes About Even with Just Under 5 Million Viewers

This past weekend’s “SNL” was the last for a month, and the show went out on good numbers.

The final tally was 4.975 million, a tad under the previous week but steady as she goes for January.

Willem Dafoe hosted and Katy Perry was musical guest. The show was uneven, but Perry brought the fire power with her strong performances– despite odd costumes and setting. Dafoe can do anything, and he was game for whatever the show threw at him.

Don Roy King has officially retired as the show’s director after 15 years. His last episode was the ill fated Christmas 2021 COVID show. There’s been no mention of his departure on the show. The new director, Liz Patrick, who’s been working with him all season, comes from Ellen DeGeneres’s talk show.

 

Adele Says She’s Performing on the Brit Awards Next Week, And Her Relationship Is Fine

Roger Friedman
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Adele Says She’s Performing on the Brit Awards Next Week, And Her Relationship Is Fine

Adele speaks: she’s posted to Twitter that she’s performing live on the Brit Awards next week. She’s also giving an interview to Graham Norton, the main TV talk show in Britain. And she allays fears that she’s in relationship angst with boyfriend Rich Paul. “Rich says hello,” she writes. That is to refute the Daily Mail.

But Adele says nothing about her canceled 26 Las Vegas dates or all the money that’s been wasted, or the fans who’ve been left high and dry. Maybe Norton will try and get a straight answer out of her.

Adele singing on the Brits is a big deal. And we can only hope she’ll be on the Grammys April 3rd live from Vegas.

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