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“The Young and the Restless” actor Bryton James was one of Michael Jackson’s child pals, kids who went into Jackson’s orbit, stayed at Neverland, and traveled with the King of Pop.
In a new video interview with “General Hospital” actor Maurice Benard, James talks about those days, that nothing untoward happened, that he and his dad were invited to sleep in Michael’s two story bedroom at Neverland.
The Jackson part starts just around 10:30 in this video. Among other things, James says he knew two of the men who later accused Jackson of malfeasance, and shakes his head to indicate they made up their stories.
If only James had spoken about all this when Jackson was alive. It seems like he’s also in touch with Macaulay Culkin, and they’re on the same page. This is valuable testimony, albeit much too late.
Jackson fans will really want to listen to James on this subject, I think.
WEDNESDAY UPDATE 8PM “The Music Man” will not return until Hugh Jackman’s vacation is over on January 6th. They just announced this after reading our story. No understudy for Hugh! And no shows Jan 2-5.
TUESDAY Here’s a little PS on Hugh Jackman, whose COVID diagnosis was the last straw in closing down “The Music Man” on Broadway.
The show says it’s returning on January 2nd. But Jackman is out through January 5th.
Ticket holders for shows on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th have received notice of this already. It’s also listed with Jackman’s vacation dates on the Telecharge website.
So Jackman’s understudy will be there if the show returns from COVID clean up on January 2nd. And forgive me, I know we love the understudies, but if you’re paying hundreds of bucks to see Hugh Jackman, and Sutton Foster, well then, understudies are not acceptable — especially when it takes voodoo, Penn & Teller, and a rabbit’s foot to get these tickets anyway.
*Yes we love understudies.
When Scott Rudin (he’s the producer whether you like it or not), had Bette Midler in “Hello, Dolly!” he at least brought in Donna Murphy for Bette’s breaks and vacations. She was great. But for Hugh? A fine performer, no doubt, will play Harold Hill. But it won’t be a Tony winner or nominee.)
Here’s the proviso on the Telecharge site. At least they expect Mr. Wolverine to still be there next fall.
John Madden has been such an institution in our lives it’s hard to imagine he could die. But he has, sadly, at age 85.
from the NFL:
Earlier today we received the sad news that the great John Madden died unexpectedly this morning.
He was 85.
“On behalf of the entire NFL family, we extend our condolences to Virginia, Mike, Joe and their
families,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “We all know him as the Hall of Fame coach of the
Oakland Raiders and broadcaster who worked for every major network, but more than anything, he
was a devoted husband, father and grandfather.
“Nobody loved football more than Coach. He was football. He was an incredible sounding board to
me and so many others. There will never be another John Madden, and we will forever be indebted to
him for all he did to make football and the NFL what it is today.”
Memorial service information will be announced when available.
It was a really big shoe. But now it’s closed temporarily. Sarah Jessica Parker has closed her signature shoe boutique in midtown Manhattan because of COVID. We know SJP loves shoes, and her character, Carrie Bradshaw, loves them on “Sex and the City.” It’s a fetish but it will have to be on hold for the time being!
Hugh Jackman has tested positive– see his video below. Of course he got it. Star Sutton Foster and at least 8 other actors in the company have really gotten hit hard by COVID. What a shame. Losing the holiday season is very rough on the Broadway economy and psyche. Wishing everyone a speedy recovery!
Friends of mine saw the show on the 26th and loved it even with Sutton out. But so many cast members being sick means they’ve got to take the time to regroup and re-set!
Just wanted you to hear it from me. I tested positive for covid. Mild symptoms and as soon as I’m cleared … looking forward to getting back to The Winter Garden! @MusicManBwaypic.twitter.com/q1oEAzXX02
All performances of Broadway’s The Music Man are canceled through January 1. All tickets can be refunded or exchanged at point of purchase. Performances will resume on Sunday, January 2. Sending you warm wishes for the New Year from the entire company of The Music Man.
Apple has closed all its stores in New York City because of COVID. There’s no date given for re-opening.
“We regularly monitor conditions and we will adjust our health measures to support the well-being of customers and employees,” the company said in a statement Monday. “We remain committed to a comprehensive approach for our teams that combines regular testing with daily health checks, employee and customer masking, deep cleaning and paid sick leave.”
Here are the stores. You can still order online or go to the suburbs. Apple sent reviewers AirPods this week, version 3. I am not much of an Apple customer, but I wanted to give these a try. I had to order for $10 a pair of white plastic ear hooks so they didn’t fall out of my ears. But even paired with a Samsung S21, the AirPods are pretty great. The sound is rich and detailed in ways I didn’t expect. So, thanks, Apple.
NYC Locations
Apple World Trade Center: 185 Greenwich Street
Apple SoHo: 103 Prince Street
Apple West 14th Street: 401 West 14th Street
Apple Williamsburg: 247 Bedford Avenue
Apple Downtown Brooklyn: 123 Flatbush Avenue
Apple Grand Central: 45 Grand Central Terminal
Apple Fifth Avenue: 767 Fifth Avenue
Apple Upper West Side: 1981 Broadway
Apple Upper East Side: 940 Madison Avenue
Apple Queens Center: 90-15 Queens Boulevard
Apple State Island: 2655 Richmond Avenue
Apple The Mall at Bay Plaza: 200 Baychester Avenue
COVID is really wrecking havoc on Broadway, as we know.
Sad news this morning that “Ain’t Too Proud,” the Temptations musical, will close on January 16th after 488 performances (pending any additional COVID cancellations) and 21 previews.
I loved this show, and will try and see it again in the next couple of weeks. The casts have been amazing. Dominique Morrisseau did such a good job with original Temptations singer Otis Williams’ book. Just hearing these songs live on stage, and seeing the original Motown dance moves, is exhilarating. we can only hope that down the line, “Ain’t Too Proud” will return once this whole COVID mess is over!
Performances resume tonight for three weeks on Broadway and in Washington at the Kennedy Center. There;s a national tour underway — don’t miss it!
The other news is that David Byrne’s “American Utopia” returns tonight, but downsized so the show can go on. That remarkable cast has been hit by COVID. So David is reconfiguring and playing some songs from his solo career that don’t require as many performers.
Byrne says: “What we are doing could be called Unplugged, or maybe Unchained. We are adding some songs by Talking Heads as well as songs from my solo catalog, that will supplement songs already in American Utopia. I know it’s going to be a ‘once in a lifetime’ experience, that will only be seen for a few performances. We are ready to have a good time!”
I’m going to see that one, too. If you’re a Byrne or Talking Heads fan, again, don’t miss this!
During New Year’s Week, “American Utopia” offers performances December 28 at 8 PM, December 29 at 8 PM, December 30 at 5 PM and 9 PM, January 1, 2022, at 5 PM, and January 2 at 3 PM.
The actors who Jean Marc Vallee directed to awards are lamenting his untimely passing on social media today.
Vallee, 58, died from a suffering a reported heart attack at his home in Canada. He directed Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto to Oscars in the “Dallas Buyers Club,” Valle also directed Nicole Kidman to an Emmy in “Big Little Lies,” a series for which there were 8 Emmy wins including Best Supporting Actor and Actress, respectively, for Alexander Skarsgaard and Laura Dern.
Reese Witherspoon, a producer on “Big Little Lies,” was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Vallee also directed her to an Oscar nomination for “Wild.” Laura Dern was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.
Vallee made several other excellent pictures including the very underrated “Demolition” with Jake Gyllenhaal. He directed Amy Adams’ Emmy nominated “Sharp Objects” for HBO as well.
Witherspoon, who produced and starred in two projects with Vallee, is devastated. Kidman, Adams, NcConaughey are all sending messages. What a shame. Condolences to Jean Marc’s family.
A filmmaking force and a true artist who changed my life with a beautiful movie called Dallas Buyers Club. Much love to everyone who knew him. Life is precious. pic.twitter.com/2DT0tu9Lbo
Some numbers are out for 2021 record sales and they are revealing a lot.
The number 1 album in 2021 was from Morgan Wallen, his “Dangerous: The Double Album” sold a total 3,091,000 copies including streaming. Wallen was ‘canceled’ after it was discovered in a home video he’d used the ‘n’ word. His fans didn’t care. Although Wallen was banned from awards shows, and dropped (not really) by his agents and managers, he was the king of popular music sales in 2021.
Adele was the big story because her “30” album was supposed to be a monster. As it turns out, it was a mini-monster. “30” sold 1.4 million copies from its release on November 19th. For comparison: her previous album, “25,” sold 3.8 million in its first week, the same week in 2015. By the end of the year it was up over 8 million copies. So while “30” has been a hit, it’s a far cry from its predecessor. “30{ sales are down 82% from “25.”
One issue might be that “30” has had just one big hit single, “Easy On Me,” and no follow up. The “25” album started with “Hello,” and had several singles subsequently including “Send My Love (to Your Lover)” and “When We Were Young.” Right now on iTunes, “Easy On Me” is number 2, and only one other track from the album, “Oh My God,” charts at 64. But a track from the “25” album, “Water Under the Bridge,” is at 72 now, six years later.
Other end of the year info: Taylor Swift has issued so many albums that she wins over all. She sold about 4 million albums in 2021. Kanye West’s “Donda” didn’t make the 1 million mark coming in at 918,000.
Among the legacy performers, Fleetwood Mac is really the success story of the year. They sold 848,000 copies including streaming of “Rumours,” an album released in 1977! Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow, indeed! Queen sold 918K copies of their greatest hits. And Elton John, the legacy winner in singles and albums, sold 687,000 copies of his “Diamonds” box set, plus he had three top 10 hits including “Cold Heart.”
The Beatles also came in hot with over 500,000 total sales. More numbers coming in the next week or so…
PS This is a great time to hunt Amazon for deals on box sets from 2021. The best ones were the Billy Joel vinyl set, the Beatles “Let it Be Super Deluxe,” the Rolling Stones “Tattoo You,” sets from Joni Mitchell, Aretha Franklin, David Bowie, Curtis Mayfield.
My own favorite record from 2021 by contemporary artists? The Weeknd and Ariana Grande singing “Save Your Tears” to what sounds like a track from an old Orchestral Manouevers in the Dark album. I love it when Ariana Grande just sings, doesn’t yodel or sing loop-de-loops. She has a knockout voice. Best song of the whole year? Sting’s “The Bridge.”
