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Exclusive Grammy UPDATE Number 2: Clive Davis Gala Up in the Air, May Not Go to Vegas

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There’s some Grammy update news:

CLive Davis’s pre-Grammy dinner, which usually takes place the night before Music’s Big Night, may be up in the air.

I’m now hearing that everything is in play. Davis and the Recording Academy are said to “considering all options.”

Right now the Grammys are moving to Las Vegas on April 3rd. They will be preceded by Musicares Person of the Year dinner, also in Vegas, presumably also at the MGM Grand.

The Vegas move is mandated by the pandemic. Harvey Mason and his gang are taking all precautions. This is not the time to go into the Staples Center/LA Convention Center with thousands of people. Mason is being smart, smart, smart.

But Davis’s much smaller event could be held at the Beverly Hilton mid week before the Grammys, right after the Oscars. Indeed, Davis could field a lot of movie stars who are in town for the Oscars. And all the LA music industry people who don’t want to make the Vegas trip could have a Grammy experience. Sounds good to me.

Nothing is confirmed. Everyone waits with baited breath. So hold on, music fans! This is a very unusual year.

 

Missing “Yellowstone”? Kevin Costner Horse Opera Launches YouTube Channel with Over 800K Subscribers

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Everything is coming up “Yellowstone.”

The Paramount Channel’s horse opera, starring Kevin Costner, is on hiatus now after its 4th season. It maybe a while until the 5th season.

So to satisfy the craving for more of John Dutton and family, Paramount has come up with an alternate plan: a YouTube channel. Just launched, it has over 800K subscribers.

The YouTube channel features clips from “Yellowstone” and “1883,” as well as features like “Behind the Story” and “Stories from the Bunkhouse.”

 

Rebound: “SNL” Scored High Ratings with “West Side Story” Star Ariana DeBose and the Bleachers

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“Saturday Night Live” and NBC should be pretty happy.

Ratings for Saturday’s show with “West Side Story” star Ariana DeBose and musical guest The Bleachers were very strong. The show scored just over 5 million viewers. That’s a big rebound after a kind of desultory season.

The show just announced that movie star Willem Dafoe will host the January 28th edition, and superstar Katy Perry will perform. And that’s not even yet part of February sweeps. It’s unclear if there will be “SNL” in February because of the Olympics.

Meantime, “SNL” writer Steven Castillo has left the show to pursue other projects (See below).

Disgraceful: Anna Wintour Late to Acknowledge Andre Leon Talley’s Death as Vogue Is Last to Post Tribute

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UPDATE: Vogue finally posted a tribute at 9:45am. They were literally the last site to do so.

 

This is disgraceful: Vogue.com and Vanityfair.com are the only outlets that haven’t acknowledged the death of Andre Leon Talley.

The announcement was made last night and since then every major media outlet has done a tribute, including the New York Times, New York Magazine, and even British Vogue.

But here in the city, fashion fiefdom of Anna Wintour, silence at the two major Conde Nast publication with which Talley was associated for over 30 years. By 9:15am there was still nothing.

Wintour’s pettiness knows no bounds. She fired Talley, refused to speak to him, and then bristled when he spoke out about his shabby treatment at her hands.

Talley told the Times in February 2020:

Talley’s memoir, “The Chiffon Trenches,” and subsequent documentary (see below) chronicled his miserable experience with Wintour.

It does seem that Wintour has blocked US Vogue and Vanity Fair from writing about Talley. Why anyone would go to the Met Ball is a mystery, knowing what she has done here. Really, really in poor taste.

But kudos to British Vogue’s Edward Enninful, who’s put up at least two tributes on his website.

If things change, and either site finally deigns to do something, I’ll update here.

Sad News from the Fashion World: Flamboyant Icon Andre Leon Talley Dies at 73

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Andre Leon Talley, the flamboyant fashion icon, has reportedly died at age 73.

Talley was a gentle giant know for wearing caftans and guiding the fashion sense at Conde Nast Publications for more than 30 years. When he was summarily dumped by Anna Wintour, he sought his revenge by writing a witty erudite book about life at Vogue, among other things. He rose above his abrupt dismissal and became even more famous.

TMZ is also reporting that Andre died at White Plains Hospital. There’s no cause of death but I see that ALT hasn’t been on social media for a year.

I first met Andre with Paloma Picasso in the mid 80s. When I first saw him, I have to say, I was dazed. Who was this person? Decked out to the nines and then some, Andre acted like a Royal Prince from some amazing country– maybe Wakanda, but we didn’t know about that in 1986. Paloma, whose book I was promoting, introduced me. She was a little bit in awe of him, too, but he treated her with utter deference.

For years after that I saw him on the circuit, we’d wave or talk, nothing deep. He was first at Vanity Fair, I think, but morphed over to Vogue in time. I used to think, How can he stand her? And in time, we learned that he couldn’t. Anna, who got rid of Grace Coddington after “The September Issue” movie made Grace a star, was lining up Andre next for execution.

God bless him, he didn’t take it lying down. He went on a rampage, wrote a book, starred in a documentary. Of late he was involved in a massive and taxing eviction proceeding in Westchester. Right before the pandemic started in February 2020 Andre was at an event, he was on a panel, we had a long talk. He remembered that day with Paloma and we laughed about all the people we knew including Anna.

What a shame he didn’t get a chance to go on. He was one of a kind. His memory will outlast his enemies’.

 

Grammy UPDATE: Musicares Person of the Year for Joni Mitchell, Clive Davis Dinner Scheduled For April 1 and 2

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UPDATE Confirmed.

There’s no announcement from the Recording Academy.

But Julien’s Auction house just informed me that the date of Musicares Person of the Year dinner honoring Joni Mitchell is April 1st in Las Vegas.

Is it an April Fool’s joke? That means Clive Davis’s dinner is April 2nd, also in Vegas.

Be there, or be square.

The Musicares Auction already has great stuff in it. Take a look here.

 

Disney Makes a Huge Mistake with Mega Hit Song from “Encanto,” Which Won’t Be Getting an Oscar

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I’m hearing Lin Manuel Miranda is a little upset and very disappointed.

His mega hit song, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” will not be nominated for an Academy Award. The reason? Disney never submitted it for Best Song from the movie, “Encanto.”

Instead, the song from “Encanto” on the Best Song shortlist is “Dos Oruguitas,” which translates into “we screwed up” (not really).

To make matters worse, “Bruno” is now the biggest single ever from a Disney movie, exceeding even “Let it Go” from “Frozen.”

“Bruno” is the biggest hit from a Disney animated movie in the past 26 years.

The song was written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and is sung by “Encanto” cast members Carolina Gaitán, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero and Stephanie Beatriz.

Manuel has every reason to be angry. This year the Best Song category is tough, with tracks from Diane Warren & Reba MeEntire, U2, Beyonce, and the James Bond theme song, “No Time to Die.”

If “Bruno” had made the short list it would have definitely made the top 5 and possibly won based on its huge popularity. And there’s another problem: now “Surface Pressure” from “Encanto” has hit number 5, making it the second biggest hit from the soundtrack. The only hope for “Dos Oruguitas” is that voters think it means either “Bruno” or “Surface Pressure” and they just vote for it hoping it’s one of those!

 

CBS Takes “Bull” by the Horns, Cancels Michael Weatherly Legal Series After Six Seasons

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Say goodbye to “Bull.”

The Michael Weatherly legal show has been canceled by CBS after six seasons.

Weatherly came to “Bull” after many seasons on “NCIS.” He was a favorite of Les Moonves, who loved him on the latter show and worked to promote him to his own show.

“Bull” was problematic during its run. The show and Weatherly were sued by actress Eliza Dushku for sexual harassment after a difficult second season. She accepted a settlement of $9.5 million. It’s amazing, actually, that the series continued after that.

Weatherly could possibly return to “NCIS,” although a full time gig seems unlikely after he was paid to be the lead on “Bull.”

NBC Axes Ellen DeGeneres’s “Game of Games,” Removing Her From TV Completely After This Spring

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When “The Ellen Show” wraps production in May after 19 years, that will be it. No Ellen DeGeneres anywhere on TV.

Today NBC canceled Ellen’s “Game of Games” show after 4 seasons.

Most of Ellen’s producers from the talk show worked on the game show as well. Some of those producers are gone since the wrenching scandal in 2019 and 2020 in which DeGeneres’s staff’s treatment of each other and guests was revealed to be “toxic.”

Since the scandal, “Game of Games Show” dropped significantly in the ratings. In its final season in syndication, “The Ellen Show” is averaging 900,000 viewers per week.

Singer John Mayer: Paid for a Private Plane to Fly Bob Saget Home from Florida to California

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Singer John Mayer hasn’t always come off well in the press. But it’s clear he’s been incredibly broken up by the death of Bob Saget. Who knew they were even friends?

But sources tell me Mayer paid for a private plane to fly Saget’s body home from Florida to California last week. Mayer and comic Jeff Ross also drove out to LAX to pick up Saget’s car. If you study the video, Mayer is driving a British car with a right side steering wheel, in Los Angeles. Ah, the life of a rock star!

Mayer has also put together sales of a Bob Saget hoodie for $54.99 to benefit Saget’s cause, the Sclerderma Foundation. He writes on Instagram:
“Bob Saget worked tirelessly to raise awareness and money for the Scleroderma Research Foundation, a cause that was so close to his heart. That’s why I asked @deansnuts and @littlepatterns to help design this hoodie to keep both his memory and the enduring fight for a cure alive. It’s available now.”

Here’s the link.

 

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