The marketing of Adele’s “30” album took an interesting turn today. She’s licensed a new song, “Hold On,” to Amazon for a commercial video. The video is about pandemic anxiety and shopping. The song may be about that, too. I think the idea is, if you’re anxious about shopping in stores, “Hold On,” you can use Amazon. It’s very spiritual. The “30” album drops next Thursday night.
Oscars: Sublime “Belfast” Gets A List Hollywood Premiere, Jamie Dornan Whips Crowd into a Frenzy
Kids, Focus Features flew me to Hollywood for the premiere of “Belfast” last night at the new Motion Picture Academy museum. I never do this stuff, but Kenneth Branagh’s gorgeous movie is the best one I’ve seen all year and is likely to win many Oscars. How could I say no?
This was an old fashioned premiere, the kind we used to go to before the pandemic. Lots of stars, glamour, and of course, those damned masks. Masks everywhere. They didn’t hurt the experience in any way.
This was the second time I’ve seen “Belfast” after viewing it at the Hamptons Film Festival. (I still don’t understand why the New York Film Festival didn’t have it.) Branagh, famous for Shakespeare and Agatha Christie movies, has finally arrived at his moment. This is his coming of age story during “The troubles” in Northern Ireland in the 70s. It’s the most organic, completely realized film of the year, much like “Nomadland” last year. And it has Judi Dench, in a role that will earn her another Oscar nod. You cannot ask for more.
The highlight of last night’s premiere, besides the movie, was the party trick that should win Jamie Dornan a Best Supporting Actor nomination if not the award itself. The actor best known for the “50 Shades of Grey” series jumped on stage with the terrific house band and sang the R&B hit, “Everlasting Love,” just as he does in the film. It’s one of his many Oscar moments in the film, and in person, it’s a wowser. Women and men swoon equally. May I say he whipped the crowd into a frenzy? Very “Commitments” like.
Dornan told me that he knows how good the movie is, obviously. He’ll do something he’s never done before for Oscars season. “I’m moving my family out here in January,” he told me, from London. They’ll just hunker down to help with the publicity for the film. For Jamie, this is a major career change, a breakthrough that should set him on a very different path now. But this, not “50 Shades,” is what he wanted and hoped for.
“Belfast” is the Irish “Fiddler on the Roof.” It’s everyone’s immigrant story. What do you when the place where you were born is under siege and no longer possible to live in? Branagh is really telling the most relatable story of all. How do you leave people behind to make a better life for your family?
By the way, “Belfast” is studded with beautiful songs almost all by Van Morrison. This is the pre-pandemic anti-lockdown nutso Van. My advice is just forget about the current incarnation of the Irish soul and folk singer. These songs are so wonderful, and fit the mood of the film perfectly. Let’s pretend Van had a brain tumor that altered his reasoning this year. But pre-2020, Van Morrison’s records are gifts from the Gods. And the horn solos are enough to live on.
So here’s a little trivia: there’s an aside in the movie, Jamie’s character is carrying a racing form and someone asks him which horse to bet on. I didn’t hear this in the first screening, but last night I heard him reply, “Moondance.” That’s of course, the most famous Van Morrison song. It would be a good name for a winning horse. And “Belfast” is a winning movie!
Watch Jamie here.
TV: “Yellowstone” Gets Network-Like Numbers, “Succession” Has No Traction, “Curb” Collapsing
Everyone says to me, “Are you watching Yellowstone?” I am not. But someone is. Like, plenty of people.
“Yellowstone” is the Kevin Costner “Dallas” like drama on the Paramount Network channel. On Sunday night, the cable drama drew over 8 million people in its first showing, and over 7 million on its second showing an hour later. It also picked up viewers on related channels.
This shouldn’t come as a big surprise since when the last “Yellowstone” season finale ended in August 2020 the numbers set a record then with over 5 million viewers.
Sunday night’s premiere drew 8 million total viewers in Live+Same Day, a 104% increase from the Season 3 premiere (4.2 million), making it the most-watched cable series telecast since a 2018 episode of AMC’s “The Walking Dead.”
“Yellowstone” is an old fashioned soap opera like “Dallas” with cowboys and horses. It’s very American. Who doesn’t like that?
The success of “Yellowstone” is interesting because it has no “buzz,” gets no awards, doesn’t merit endless write ups and speculation and psychological theses about its characters. It’s the opposite of HBO’s “Succession,” which has all of the above and minuscule ratings by comparison. On Sunday night, “Succession” scored 480,000 viewers, a very small increase from week 3 of its third season.
Indeed, “Succession” seems like it’s very much a hit in two places, New York and Los Angeles, with maybe one or two followers elsewhere. It’s a cerebral show with the finest acting. It’s “Dallas” for the sitting crowd. Adrien Brody was the guest star Sunday night, but that didn’t do much to boost interest.
Later on HBO Sunday night, “Curb Your Enthusiasm” dropped to 370,000 viewers in its first showing, down almost 10% from last week, down 100,000 viewers in three weeks from its Season 11 premiere. “Curb” may have finally reached its end after a two decade run that included brilliant writing. This season, not so much.
Politicians beware: “Yellowstone” is a Heartland, GOP, 80s like show. “Curb” is the opposite. Look for trends here. With the chaos of the pandemic, viewers are looking for comfort food. It’s a very Reagan era response. And that could spell trouble in elections.
Trump Sign on West Side Highway Finally Removed After Years of Vandalism and Ire
We have Linda B. Rosenthal of the New York State Assembly to thank for a major development. She’s had the annoying and much vandalized Adopt a Highway sign with Donald Trump’s name on it removed from the 79th St. exit on the West Side Highway.
Rosenthal wrote to Henry Gutman, of the Department of Transportation, last July asking for the removal. She wrote, “Donald Trump’s presidency is a stain on our history.” Implicit in this is that New Yorkers, particularly on the Upper West Side, hate Trump. They had his name taken off their buildings.
Gutman wrote back this week that the contract between Trump Org and the city has expired, and the sign has been removed. The whole UWS can breathe a sigh of relief. And there will be no more back ups on the exit of drivers flipping the bird at the sign.
I say, Linda B. Rosenthal deserves a parade. Now, maybe she can bring back parking!
One yr ago Donald Trump lost his re-election bid. After I wrote to @NYC_DOT, the sign bearing his name on the West Side Highway at 79th St was carted away today.
Read my letter & the City’s response ⬇️ https://t.co/a4JRcm1ICE pic.twitter.com/qWhpG37fAg
— Linda B. Rosenthal “the #OriginalRosenthal” (@LindaBRosenthal) November 8, 2021
Digging Grave Deeper, “General Hospital” Actor Apologizes for Transphobic Post, Attacks “the Left,” Says Nothing About 4 Star Admiral
“General Hospital” star is so full of himself, it’s great. He just keeps digging his grave deeper.
In this new Insta post, Rademacher sort of apologizes to actress Cassandra James for his transphobic post, attacks “the left,” but doesn’t mention that he called a four star Admiral who is a transgender woman “a dude.” He doesn’t say Admiral Rachel Levine’s name once.
Rademacher says he’s obviously not transphobic because he left his male child wear a Disney princess dress around “the property.” (Where do they live? A sanitarium?)
Rademacher has been let go from “GH” for this and for not having a vaccination. He doesn’t comment on the latter. He obviously doesn’t care.
Everything he says makes things worse. No one wants to have a debate with him on these subjects. If he just shut his mouth it would be fine. He is so up his own ass, there’s nothing to do but send his character off to Borneo where it can be eaten by a wild wooly mammoth.
The soap opera continues…
Jeff Bezos Warns Leonardo Di Caprio Away from Girlfriend After They Hit It Off at Museum Gala
Jeff Bezos, one of the world’s very richest men, didn’t like it when Leonardo DiCaprio hit it off with his girlfriend.
Bezos introduced Lauren Sanchez, the woman he broke up his marriage for, to DiCaprio at a gala for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. So Bezos has posted to Instagram a picture of him all pumped leaning over a sign that reads Danger! Steep Cliff Fatal Drop. Uh huh.
Leo, meantime, looks like his tux jacket shrunk in the wash. Better talk to his dry cleaner or valet.
Sanchez is much too old anyway at age 51. And frankly, she and Leo likely know each other since she was married to WME partner Patrick Whitesell. They all moved in the same circles. Still, Bezos is a laugh a minute.
Some Leo news: his dad, George DiCaprio, makes a cameo in Paul Thomas Anderson’s new movie, “Licorice Pizza.” He plays the owner of a 1970s waterbed store. He looks perfect for the part. Congrats to George!
Leo, come over here, I want to show you something… @LeoDiCaprio https://t.co/Gt2v9JZTNz pic.twitter.com/KqGLB839NI
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) November 8, 2021
“General Hospital” Actor of 26 Years “No Longer Part of Cast” After Calling Four Star Transgender Admiral a “Dude” on Social Media
“General Hospital” has ousted actor Ingo Rademacher, who’s played Jasper Jacks for 25 years.
The fellow actor, #IngoRademacher, is mercifully no longer a part of the #gh cast. Transphobia & misgendering are disgusting & should be unacceptable in any industry, including soaps/acting. I stand with my costar, @cassandrajames_, & the trans community. https://t.co/pjj6FzEncg
— Nancy Lee Grahn (@NancyLeeGrahn) November 8, 2021
Actress/activist Nancy Lee Grahn, also with the soap for a quarter century, confirmed the news on Twitter. She wrote:
“The fellow actor, #IngoRademacher, is mercifully no longer a part of the #gh cast. Transphobia & misgendering are disgusting & should be unacceptable in any industry, including soaps/acting. I stand with my costar, @cassandrajames, & the trans community.”
Grahn’s Tweet was in response to a first one from trans actor Cassandra James, who plays a doctor on the show. James had written: “I am aware of a transphobic post shared by a fellow General Hospital actor. Shame on you. You have some serious unlearning and education to do. I feel deeply disappointed that such a public display of ignorance could come from our GH family.“
James continued: “Misgendering trans folks is violence and if you come for one of us, you come for all of us. The cis world doesn’t get to decide which of us is valuable. I am so proud of the fans for always holding us to a high standard, for calling out transphobia and violence.”
Rademacher was already in hot water at ABC after continually posting anti-vax material, and calling his fans “bigots” and “morons” after calling for his firing. His current Instagram account is full of crazy right wing material that indicates he no longer cares what anyone thinks. But it’s unlikely Rademacher will find more acting work in the U.S. when word spreads about his behavior. I can’t see any of the other three soap operas hiring him, that’s for sure.It’s unclear why Instagram hasn’t just shut him down completely since Rademacher is passing incorrect information about the vaccines and posing a health threat to his followers.
How will “Jax” be written out of the soap? I would guess his character’s death is imminent and permanent since he could never come back to the show after what’s transpired. His “funeral” will probably be short and bitter. Good riddance to him.
PS I’ve seen Cassandra James on “General Hospital.” She’s really terrific. I doubt any of the show’s viewers care or know about anything else other than her acting talent.
But what tipped it over for ABC, I’m sure, and for James and Grahn is Rademacher’s reposting on his Instagram a vile post about four star admiral General Rachel Levine, calling her a “Dude.” Levine is openly transgender and to be much admired for her accomplishments. I’m reprinting the post here below because everyone must see this despicable behavior. Rademacher should never work in any town again.
UPDATED 11-15 : 95,000 People Have Signed a Petition to Keep James Corden Out of Movie of Broadway Hit “Wicked”
updated 11/15
The number is closing in on 95,000 now.
updated 11/8
Those change.org peeps are at it again!
Now 8,400 38,000 people have signed a petition to keep late night talk show host and erstwhile theater star James Corden from appearing in the movie version of “Wicked.”
You may have heard on Friday that Tony winner and Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo and pop star Ariana Grande have signed on stars of the “Wicked” movie. I’ve no doubt that somehow their theatrical predecessors, Kristen Chenoweth and Idina Menzel, will at least make cameos.
But there are plenty of other roles in “Wicked,” namely the Wizard of Oz. And you can only imagine that Tony winner himself, Corden, has his eye on it. Corden’s Tony wasn’t for a musical, it was for “One Man, Two Guvnors,” a hilarious theater performance piece. Still, he fancies himself a musical man and almost starred on Broadway in a revival of “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.”
Since then, he’s turned up in movie musical versions of “Into the Woods” and “Cats,” each to different outcomes. More recently he was in the screen adaptation of “The Prom.”
In the original stage production back in 2003, Joel Grey played the Wizard. So you could see maybe even Harry Styles in the film. Or maybe someone under 50 from the Broadway world. Corden is man of many talents, but maybe he’ll sit this one out.
Box Office: “Eternals” Powers Marvel to $71 Mil, “French Dispatch” Holds On, “Spencer” Shows Diana’s Power
It’s a good news story mostly this weekend at the box office. Just don’t think about “The Last Duel.”
Think instead of Marvel’s “Eternals,” which in one weekend made twice has much as Chloe Zhao’s lst movie made in its entire run.
“Eternals” clocked in at $71 million. No one cared about the bad reviews. The other Zhao movie made $35 million. That was “Nomadland,” which won the Oscar last spring. Pow! Zhao! She really can write her own ticket now. I do hope she returns to make her own brand of film, though.
“The French Dispatch” actually held up from Saturday to Sunday, had no fall off. Total now is $8.5 million. Not a blockbuster but finding its audience somewhere.
“Dune” plows along to $83.9 million. That $100 million target is taking a long time but we’ll get there.
The real story I think is “Spencer,” about Princess Diana, a tough movie with a compelling central performance, is a hit. Neon opened it in 996 theatres and took home $2.1 million. Not bad. A royal win. Kristen Stewart is certainly getting the big push for Best Actress in what will be a tight category this year with formidable competition. Watch for Penelope Cruz in “Parallel Mothers” and Lady Gaga in “House of Gucci.” Gaga has the inside track because she missed the gold with “A Star is Born.” In Oscar terms, she’s ready for her close up.
Hearing lots of talk today about the first screenings of Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Licorice Pizza.” On Twitter people are saying they thought ‘licorice pizza’ was an actual thing. For real, no kidding. I still have elevator passes for sale to my one story school. See me at recess.
Late Take: Jessica Chastain Deserves an Oscar Nod for “Tammy Faye,” A Wrongly Maligned Dramedy
I just caught up with Michael Showalter’s “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” a much maligned dramedy that was abandoned, I think, when rough winds whipped by early in its launch. Jessica Chastain worked like a dog promoting it, but it was dropped into the sea at the wrong time. I think if Searchlight had put it forth now, things would be different.
Chastain stars as Tammy Faye Bakker and produced the film, brought it to fruition. Andrew Garfield is Jim Bakker, and there are several excellent supporting players including Cherry Jones as Tammy’s mom and Vincent D’Onofrio as Jerry Falwell. Every bit of the production is top notch, from the over the top costumes to the lavish sets.
After the reviews and the poor box office, I expected something else. But “Eyes” was a lot better than I could have imagined. I read complaints that no one could tell if it was a parody or a docudrama. Apparently, there was supposed to be some kind of judgement made by the filmmaker that wasn’t communicated.
Let’s be honest. I never watched The PTL Network or Pat Robertson or The 700 Club in my life. I doubt any movie reviewers working now ever did. It was a joke, something you flipped by on the remote. When the Bakkers it the skids they became characters who were satirized, mostly on “Saturday Night Live.” That they were finally found out was no surprise. Swaggart, Falwell, most of them were tax evading hucksters with weird personal lives. Who has time for that?
Jim Bakker was one of them. Was Tammy? Showalter and Chastain make a lot out of her sympathies for AIDS patients and gay men. I don’t know if it’s true, but I’ll go along with it. It becomes Tammy Faye’s saving grace, because otherwise she’s vain and self-centered. She’s purposely clueless about Jim’s sex life and his financial misbehavior. She’s daffy, which is fine, although I think she was very ambitious, much like the character Lady Gaga plays in “House of Gucci.” It’s interesting that the two characters have emerged this Oscar season.
Don’t be fooled by Garfield. He’s very good as Jim Bakker. It’s not easy to be sleazy, but Garfield has got Bakker with a hook in his mouth. Why he isn’t being considered for Best Supporting Actor is beyond me. Sometime slyness escapes reviewers who are looking for trouble. I know this to be true. Give him another chance.
Jessica Chastain knocked me out. She could have been very campy and over the top. She is not. You can see that she found something in Tammy Faye’s heart to relate to. She’s got her physicality down, too. I love the way she stomps into a room. Was Tammy Faye also a hustler? Chastain is asking us to consider that she was full of grey areas, and in that space, the actress pulls off a little gem of a performance.
So is “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” a possible Best Picture nominee? Probably not, although this season I wouldn’t be judging so harshly. But I loved the acting. Cherry Jones gave the whole enterprise ballast. The movie deserves a calmer, more reasoned look by not just Academy voters, as well as the general audience.
Oh, PS: no one asked me to write this. I was never invited to a screening of this movie or received a press release about it. Subsequently it died at the box office. But I was curious, and I’m glad I was. Chastain should be in the crowd with Penelope Cruz, Kristen Stewart, Frances McDormand, and most definitely Jennifer Hudson. I’ve heard good things about Olivia Colman in “The Lost Daughter,” but I haven’t seen it. So far, Cruz stands out for me. (As for Gaga, we’re under court order to remain mum so far!)