Jessie J is an excellent singer who doesn’t have Adele’s hype machine. Jessie must be thrilled that Adele’s’ new song is called “Easy On Me.” She had a song with that title in 2018 and it was pretty good. You can hear it here while we wait for Adele.
The Beatles’ 51 Year Old “Let It Be” Refreshed Releases Tomorrow, Already Number 1, 3, and 4 on Amazon
The Beatles’ final release, “Let it Be,” was released in May 1970.
Fifty one years later, the album will be re-released tomorrow in an anniversary edition leading up to the November Disney Plus screening of a documentary about its creation called “Get Back.”
Already three different versions of the new package are at the top of Amazon’s best seller list. The $117 super deluxe edition is number 1, the vinyl version for a similar amount is number 3, and the regular CD version is number 4. Plus the regular old “Let it Be” is number 4.
The super deluxe edition has lots of extras including a revived version of the book that was available back in 1970 that included dialogue from the movie. There are also lots of audio extras.
All the music has been remixed and remastered to go along with recent 50th anniversary editions of Sgt Pepper, the White Album, and Abbey Road.
Paul McCartney, a brilliant marketer, has given some headline making interviews in the last week to bring attention to the Beatles. He’s given a new explanation of how the group broke up, and called the Rolling Stones “a cover band” of blues songs.
In addition to all the “Let it Be”-“Get Back” hoopla, McCartney’s releasing his two volumes called “The Lyrics” on November 2nd, with stories behind 154 of his songs.
Beatlemania never goes away!
“SNL” Stars on Rotation as Kate McKinnon Shoots “Joe Exotic” in Oz While Cecily Strong Prepares for Prestigious Theater Debut
There’s no sign of Kate McKinnon returning to “Saturday Night Live” this weekend. She will likely miss her third week in a row. It’s funny that the show just doesn’t make a statement about it. McKinnon is still filming her “Tiger King” series called “Joe Exotic” for NBC’s Peacock streaming service in Australia. The two time Emmy winner is needed back on “SNL” but the cast is so big that they can soldier on without her for a little while.
Luckily, if you’re in McKinnon withdrawal, she’s a steady presence in phone commercials. She’s also in a Tostito commercial with Dan Levy of “Schitt’s Creek.”
Last year, fellow “SNL” castmates Cecily Strong and Aidy Bryant each missed the first half of the season because they were off filming their own series. They made it back after the Christmas break. This year, Strong is likely to be out from before Christmas through mid February. The reason is she has scored a very prestigious job.
Strong will be performing Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner’s “The Search for Intelligent Life in the Universe” way off Broadway in a tryout at the Shed in Hudson Yards. She’s on from December 21st through February 2nd. Tomlin and Wagner have never let another actor replace Tomlin in this award winning play that will require Strong to take on many characters. It seems like she’d be perfect for it, though. If it works, conceivably Strong would have a performance piece that could not only go to Broadway but on the road forever. It will be interesting to see if Wagner and Tomlin have updated the piece at all as it’s from the early 80s.
Told You: “Law & Order SVU” Adds Octavio Pisano, from Season Premiere Episode, as a Regular
That didn’t take long.
I told you on September 24th that “Law & Order SVU” would add Octavio Pisano as a regular And now they have done exactly that.
Pisano made a huge impact on the two hour season premiere as Joe Velasco, an undercover cop sent into SUV’s midst. The producers knew it, too. They really showcased him with a big story of his own.
“SVU” needed a leading man, especially one Benson can flirt with besides this endless sort of embarrassing high school thing with Stabler. These people are in their 50s and act like they’re in 8th grade.
So welcome, Detective Velasco.
France Enters Bizarre, Disturbing, Unpleasant “Titane” Into Oscar Race as Official Selection
Now we’ll see just how hip the Motion Picture Academy is.
France has chosen their official entry for the 2022 Oscars and it’s “Titane” directed by Julia Ducournau. This is a bizarre, unpleasant, jarring, pretentious film but it did win the Cannes Film Festival.
Sacre bleu!
So far no one has gone to see “Titane” at the US Box office.
Here’s what happens: a girl gets metal plate put in her head after being in a car crash with her father. As a teen she’s a miserable sort of punk, lots of tattoos, etc. She has sex with a Cadillac– yes, a Cadillac– and becomes pregnant. She leaves home, and disguises herself as the long lost son of a fireman who wants to believe she is his missing son. She gives birth to a metallic creature.
I had an actual nightmare after watching “Titane.” It was not fun. We’ll see how this develops. The best film in a foreign language for 2022 anyway is Pedro Almodovar’s “Parallel Mothers.” And Paolo Sorrentino’s “Hand of God” is also a big contender. So maybe the French film people understood that and said, Who cares?
So far no word from Cadillac, which will no doubt deny paternity.
Watch Trailer for Season 11 of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” with Jon Hamm, Seth Rogen, and Returning Richard Lewis
Thank god. Just in the nick of time, “Curb Your Enthusiasm” is back on October 24th with an 11th season. (20 years, but who’s counting?)
The trailer has Jon Hamm, Seth Rogen, all the regular players, and Richard Lewis, recuperated after illness. Cheryl Hines, Susie Essman, Jeff Garlin, JB Smoove are all here. And Richard Kind! And, of course, the inimitable Larry David.
“Curb” will follow “Succession” on HBO Sunday nights.
Nick Cannon’s Syndicated Talk Show Debuts with Just 400,000 Viewers, Bottom of the Pack
Nick Cannon’s talk show finally emerged with ratings. And they were not great.
Cannon, host of “The Masked Singer,” brought in 400,000 viewers a day for his first week of broadcast. His show came in at the bottom of the talk show pack.
Cannon can learn how hard it is to find an audience from Drew Barrymore. In her second season, she still can’t muster more than 500,000 viewers.
Even Wendy Williams, on the air for years, only garners 600,000. And Williams is too ill to return to her show right now. If she can’t come back, some deal may be cooked for Cannon to take her stations and time slot.
But Cannon’s recent past supporting Louis Farrakhan and making anti-semitic statements won’t find him a large audience. He can’t even get ex wife Mariah Carey to be a guest.
Meantime, “Jeopardy!” was up to 5.5 million the week of October 3rd thanks to Matt Amodio’s run of winning games. But he has just one week of shows left. Then we’ll see what happens.
Not a Shock: As Reported Here First Adele Confirms “30” Album for November 19th
I told you last week Adele’s “30” album was coming on November 19th.
Today she confirmed it.
Country Star Kacey Musgraves New Hit Album Rejected by Grammy Awards for Country Album of the Year Category
It was only three years ago that Kacey Musgraves won Album of the Year and Country Album o the Year for “Golden Hour” at the Grammy Awards. Musgraves is a country star.
But now the Recording Academy has decided that the “Golden Hour” follow up album, “star crossed,” isn’t country sounding enough. They’ve rejected her application for nomination in the Country Album of the Year category.
Ouch!
The country music selection committee just didn’t like the kind of spacey gloss over some of Kacey’s vocals. So, out she goes. You’d think after all the troubles the Grammys have had in the last couple of years they would have just said let this pass. But no, why not kick up a storm? And with a female artist, to boot!
“Star Crossed,” meantime, is a big hit. And the Grammys are letting one song from the album compete as Country Song of the Year.
I’ve listened to the album and there are enough twangy country-sounding songs. How ridiculous. She’s a country artist.
Kacey’s manager isn’t happy. She wrote a letter of complaint to the Recording Academy.
Cindy Mabe wrote: “The idea that a handful of people including competitors, who would benefit from Kacey not being in the country category, are deciding what is country only exacerbates the problem. The system is broken and sadly not just for Kacey Musgraves but for our entire genre because of how these decisions are made for music’s biggest stage. Building roadblocks for artists who dare to fight the system is so dangerous and against everything I think the Grammy’s [sic] stand for. But that’s where we are today.”
Let’s hope the Academy reconsiders, and quickly.
TV: The Final Blow for Roseanne Barr Tonight as Widower Dan Marries Louise on “The Conners”
It’s the final blow for Roseanne Barr tonight on The Conners.
Roseanne Conner, killed off at the beginning of Season 2 of the “Roseanne” spin off, really gets the ultimate diss in this new episode.
Roseanne’s widower, Dan, remarries, to Louise, played by Katy Sagal of “Married with Children” fame. Louise has become a popular character, and fully erased ol’ Roseanne once and for all.
Barr isn’t even profiting off the characters she created for the original series. She had to give that all up when she Tweeted racist comments at the end of Season 1. Then she doubled down on those comments by backing Donald Trump and basically losing her mind in public.
Roseanne was killed off at the start of the second season. This season, even more of her death was discussed, just in case we didn’t get it: she’s dead and not coming back.
Now with Louise’s ascension into the Conner household. Roseanne has been obliterated. Of course, “The Conners” ratings aren’t so great anymore since ABC moved the show from Tuesdays at 8 to Wednesdays at 9. This might be the last season of the spin off. If not, the end will come with Season 5 to be sure.