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Sunday Ratings: Faithful Few Are Watching the End of “Walking Dead,” “Billions” At Half Viewership from 2020

Roger Friedman
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Sunday Ratings: Faithful Few Are Watching the End of “Walking Dead,” “Billions” At Half Viewership from 2020

Sunday night, 7.8 million people watched the desultory Emmy Awards. That doesn’t seem like much but things were worse on cable.

Over at AMC, “The Walking Dead” is on its last legs. Its final season began on August 22nd down 44% from the prior season, which wasn’t so great to begin with. But at least TWD started with 2.2 million fans sticking around. They’ve lost 300,000 viewers over the last five weeks. They’re not coming back.

It’s time to wrap this thing up and please, no more spin offs or specials. It’s done. Say goodbye. Sunday brought 1.9 million. This is a show that used to have 17 million on a Sunday night. They walked, they’re dead. That’s it.

On Showtime, “Billions” scored 312K viewers, down a bit from last week’s 392K.This is around half of what “Billions” was doing back in March 2020.

But at least both weeks were up from the disastrous first week of season 5.2 which is continuing from March 2020. This last episode was excellent, too, I don’t know why episode 2 viewers didn’t return. (I did think there would be more about the kidney donation, but there wasn’t. Too bad.) There was a tribute to the movie “Big Night.” Anyway, looking forward to this Sunday, as usual, even though the hybrid Tony Awards will be some kind of competition.

Showtime’s “American Rust” didn’t make the top 150 cable shows at 10pm. I watched it and really liked it. Highly recommended. A kind of “Mare of Easttown” 2.0. Jeff Daniels, Maura Tierney, and Mark Pellegrino are all excellent. Is rural Pennsylvania really so drab and depressing? I guess so.

RIP Sarah Dash, Original Member of Labelle, Dead at 76, One of the Most Glorious Singers and Human Beings Ever

Roger Friedman
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RIP Sarah Dash, Original Member of Labelle, Dead at 76, One of the Most Glorious Singers and Human Beings Ever

Sarah Dash, a literal angel, one of the great human beings of all time, has died at age 76.

A gifted vocalist, Sarah was an original member of Labelle with Patti Labelle and Nona Hendryx and always will be known that way. She also had an amazing solo career and sang with Keith Richards on his records as a featured performer.

She was a cutie patootie. She was beloved in ways I cant tell you. She was a radiant person.

Sarah joined Patti on stage at Caesar’s in Atlantic City on Saturday night. She must have been so happy. And then I’m told she died of a heart attack this morning.

Patti Labelle has just written on Facebook: “We were just on-stage together on Saturday and it was such a powerful and special moment! Sarah Dash was an awesomely talented, beautiful, and loving soul who blessed my life and the lives of so many others in more ways than I can say. And I could always count on her to have my back! That’s who Sarah was…a loyal friend and a voice for those who didn’t have one. She was a true giver…always serving, always sharing her talent and her time. I am heart broken, as I know all of her loved ones and fans are. But, I know that Sarah’s spirit and all that she has given to the world live on! And I pray that her precious memory brings us peace and comfort. Rest in power my dear sister. I love you always”

And from Nona Hendryx:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Nona Hendryx (@nonahendryx)

More info as it comes in. Keep refreshing. Sarah’s friends are gutted.

photo of Sarah courtesy of Shefik and many thanks to him.

Broadway: CBS Will Not Give Best Actors, Actresses Tony Awards on Air, Only on Streaming Special

Roger Friedman
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Broadway: CBS Will Not Give Best Actors, Actresses Tony Awards on Air, Only on Streaming Special

The belated 2020 Tony Awards are coming this Sunday, but on CBS they will be an iffy deal.

CBS is running a two hour special from 9 to 11pm on the network, but they will only give three Tony Awards — to Best Play, Best Musical, and Best Revival of a Play.

Everything else will air on Paramount Plus, a subscription service, from 7 to 9pm. This means that Adrienne Warren and Aaron Tveit, who’ve been waiting a year and a half, will not be featured on the CBS Tony celebration special. (Warren is the star of “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical.” Tveit, from “Moulin Rouge,” is the only nominee in his category!)

Audra MacDonald, who’s won six Tony Awards, will host the Paramount Plus special. Leslie Odom, Jr., Tony winner for “Hamilton,” will host the two hour CBS special.

Stars to be featured on the CBS portion include Annaleigh Ashford, Kerry Butler, Kristin Chenoweth, André De Shields, Jake Gyllenhaal, Christopher Jackson, Idina Menzel, Ruthie Ann Miles, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bebe Neuwirth, Kelli O’Hara, Ben Platt, Jeremy Pope, Chita Rivera, Daphne Rubin-Vega and BD Wong.

But none of the 2020 nominees will be seen or heard from on the CBS show, which kinda stinks. Even though the field of nominees was cut short by the pandemic, they deserved to be acknowledged like every other year. Of course, Warren is leaving “Tina: the Tina Turner Musical” later this fall, but it’s not very encouraging to send her off this way.

Broadway wants us all back, but is this way to do it?

Emmy Awards Third Least Watched of All Time with Just 7.4 Million, But Up 16% from Last Year

Roger Friedman
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Emmy Awards Third Least Watched of All Time with Just 7.4 Million, But Up 16% from Last Year

The Emmy Awards’ ratings are good news/bad news.

Last night’s show, which I thought was mostly dreadful, was the third least watched edition in history. With Cedric the Entertainer not being entertaining at all, the show had 7.4 million viewers on CBS.

The good news is, that’s up 16% from last year. But in 2017, the show had 10.2 million viewers. It’s been downhill ever since.

Last night’s show was poorly written and produced. There was no set, you could see production people running around, there was problems with the Teleprompters.

Also, despite a show full of Black presenters, mostly white people won the awards. It was embarrassing. How Sterling K. Brown does not win Best Actor in “This is Us” is beyond me. And it’s past time that Tracee Ellis Ross and Anthony Anderson won for “Blackish.”

There was also a big upset in that they saved Best Mini Series for the end instead of Best Drama, thinking “Mare of Easttown” would win. But “The Queen’s Gambit” surprised everyone.

CBS used Cedric the Entertainer to host, he’s the star of a pedestrian sitcom called “The Neighborhood,” on their network. He was subpar, and that’s a kind way of saying it. But some of the other sketches — notably the therapy session in which actors griped about not getting Emmys — was embarrassing. Jason Alexander is smarter than that. He should never have been talked into it. I winced for him.

The Emmys have a lot of problems. One of them is that allowing multiple nominees from the same show in same categories knocks out opportunities for other shows. All those nominees from “Ted Lasso,” for example, were ridiculous. There should be one nominee from each show in each category. Too many great performers are excluded because of this.

And speaking of “Ted Lasso,” did we really have to hear Jason Sudeikis say Lorne Michaels was “probably taking a dump”? Does anyone have a filter? And where was CBS? They bleeped so many other things, did they think that was appropriate?

Oh well, at least Jean Smart won. And Debbie Allen made the most beautiful speech of the night. I’m sorry her sister wasn’t there to hear it in person.

 

Star Wars Revenge of the Editor: Marcia Lucas, George Lucas’s Ex Wife, Furious Han Solo and Luke Skywalker Were Killed Off

Roger Friedman
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Star Wars Revenge of the Editor: Marcia Lucas, George Lucas’s Ex Wife, Furious Han Solo and Luke Skywalker Were Killed Off

Marcia Lucas was the editor on “Star Wars” and “Return of the Jedi.” In between she was the uncredited editor on “The Empire Strikes Back.” Before that, she was the editor on “American Graffiti.”

She was also Mrs. George Lucas from 1969 to 1983. She wasn’t only Lucas’s editor. She was the credited editor on Martin Scorsese’s “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.” When she and Lucas divorced, she received $50 million and retired.

But here’s the news: Marcia is furious about the last three “Star Wars” movies. She’s really angry Kathleen Kennedy et al killed off Han Solo in “The Force Awakens.” In an interview for a book called “Howard Kazanjian: A Producer’s Life,” by JW Rinzler, about the former head of LucasFilms, Marcia lets loose on the subject.

She told Rinzler: “I Like Kathleen. I always liked her. She was full of beans. She was really smart and really bright. Really wonderful woman. And I liked her husband, Frank {Marshall]. I liked them a lot. Now that she’s running Lucasfilm and making movies, it seems to me that Kathy Kennedy and J.J. Abrams don’t have a clue about ‘Star Wars.’ They don’t get it. And JJ Abrams is writing these stories — when I saw that movie where they kill Han Solo, I was furious. I was furious when they killed Han Solo. Absolutely, positively there was no rhyme or reason to it. I thought, You don’t get the Jedi story. You don’t get the magic of ‘Star Wars.’ You’re getting rid of Han Solo?”

Marcia wasn’t happy about what happened to Luke Skywalker, either. She said:

“They have Luke disintegrate…They killed Han Solo. They killed Luke Skywalker. And they don’t have Princess Leia anymore. And they’re spitting out movies every year. And they think it’s important to appeal to a woman’s audience, so now their main character is this female, who’s supposed to have Jedi powers, but we don’t know how she got Jedi powers, or who she is. It sucks. The storylines are terrible. Just terrible. Awful. You can quote me…JJ Abrams, Kathy Kennedy — talk to me.’”

I agree with Marcia. Having Han Solo and Princess Leia’s son kill Han seemed like a dreadful idea. It destroyed Kylo, there was no redeeming him no matter how hard they tried. But no one asked us, Marcia, did they? I think of the last six “Star Wars” movies like they’re Hudson Yards in New York or Trump’s West Side apartment fortress. I know they exist but I just don’t acknowledge them. You’re better off that way.

 

 

Chris Rock Has COVID, Pete Davison, Jon Stewart, Dave Chappelle May Be At Risk After Last Week’s MSG Show

Roger Friedman
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Chris Rock Has COVID, Pete Davison, Jon Stewart, Dave Chappelle May Be At Risk After Last Week’s MSG Show

EXCLUSIVE  Last week, Chris Rock joked about being vaxxed and not having COVID last at the A list comedians’ charity show at Madison Square Garden for 9-11 families.

Then today Rock announced he had COVID after all. He wrote on Twitter: “Hey guys I just found out I have COVID, trust me you don’t want this. Get vaccinated.”

People who went to the show have since observed that some of other comics who participated in “NYC Still Rising After 20 Years” may be in trouble after Rock’s news.

It seems that onstage, Rock shared a joint with Pete Davidson, Jon Stewart, and Dave Chappelle. So besides other people Rock came in contact with, those three would seem like targets for the coronavirus.

There are no photos or videos of the comics, unmasked, all sharing the joint because Chappelle’s company paid to have Yondr cases deployed to the whole audience, locking up all phones.

Rock was actually a surprise guest that night, appearing without billing or warning. Most of his set concerned his contentious divorce.

Davidson’s exposure would be trouble for him if he intends on returning to “SNL” soon. Chappelle is on tour. Stewart is taping a new talk show. Michael Che and Colin Jost were also backstage and on the show, and they are integral to “SNL.” Jimmy Fallon did a song on the show. He can’t afford to get sick with the “Tonight” show live every day.

Let’s hope no one else gets sick. And Chris, speedy recovery!

Emmy Upset as “Mare of Easttown” Beaten by “The Queen’s Gambit,” Other Big Winners “Ted Lasso” and “The Crown”

Roger Friedman
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Emmy Upset as “Mare of Easttown” Beaten by “The Queen’s Gambit,” Other Big Winners “Ted Lasso” and “The Crown”

An uneven and weird Emmy Awards ended with an upset. “Mare of Easttown” lost to “The Queen’s Gambit” for Best Mini Series, Limited Series or Anthology. The Emmys made this the last award thinking Kate Winslet and co., would jump up and win. They didn’t. It was a defeat also for HBO by Netflix, their upstart rival in TV awards.

Other big winners were “Ted Lasso” for Best Comedy, “The Crown” for Best Drama. Almost no Black nominees won any awards especially acting even though Blacks were the majority of presenters. Network TV also lost big time with NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” the only winner.

Even though the Emmys had no live audience and cut down their guests by hundreds, the people on the shoe did not wear masks. There were broadcasts from Hollywood, London, and New York. But the show had an eerie feeling to it.

The best speech was from Governors Award winner Debbie Allen. The worst one was from Scott Frank, from “The Queen’s Gambit,” who went too long.

Limited Series

WINNER: The Queen’s Gambit

Drama Series

WINNER: The Crown

Comedy Series

WINNER: Ted Lasso

Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded)

WINNER: Hamilton

Outstanding Variety Special (Live)

WINNER: “Stephen Colbert’s Election Night 2020: Democracy’s Last Stand Building Back America Great Again Better 2020”

Lead Actor in a Drama Series

WINNER: Josh O’Connor (The Crown)

Lead Actress in a Drama Series

WINNER: Olivia Colman (The Crown)

Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

WINNER: Ewan McGregor (Halston)

Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie

WINNER: Kate Winslet (Mare of Easttown)

Outstanding Writing For A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie

WINNER: I May Destroy You, Written by Michaela Coel

Outstanding Directing For A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie

WINNER: The Queen’s Gambit, Directed by Scott Frank

Competition Program

WINNER: RuPaul’s Drag Race

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

WINNER: Jason Sudeikis (Ted Lasso)

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

WINNER: Jean Smart (Hacks)

Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series

WINNER: Hacks, “There Is No Line (Pilot),” Directed by Lucia Aniello

Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series

WINNER: Hacks, “There Is No Line (Pilot),” Written by Lucia Aniello, Written by Paul W. Downs, Written by Jen Statsky

Variety Sketch Series

WINNER: Saturday Night Live

A Black Lady Sketch Show

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

WINNER: Tobias Menzies (The Crown)

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

WINNER: Gillian Anderson (The Crown)

Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series

WINNER: The Crown, “War,” Directed by Jessica Hobbs

Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series

WINNER: The Crown, “War,” Written by Peter Morgan

Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

WINNER: Evan Peters (Mare Of Easttown)

Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie

WINNER: Evan Peters (Mare Of Easttown)

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

WINNER: Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso)

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

WINNER: Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso)

Emmy Awards Tonight: Will Any Winners Come from Broadcast Network Shows? ABC? NBC? CBS?

Roger Friedman
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Emmy Awards Tonight: Will Any Winners Come from Broadcast Network Shows? ABC? NBC? CBS?

The Emmy Awards are on tonight, at 8pm on CBS. Cedric the Entertainer, not nominated from the CBS not nominated sitcom, “The Neighborhood,” is the host.

Will any winners come from CBS? ABC? NBC? The broadcast networks?

There aren’t that many choices. In drama, it’s NBC’s “This is Us” and Sterling K. Brown. In comedy, it’s ABC’s “Blackish” and its stars Tracee Ellis Ross and Anthony Anderson. There’s also an acting nomination in comedy for NBC’s Kenan Thompson from his sitcom, “Kenan.”

Thompson hails from NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” which has already won guest actor in a comedy nods for Dave Chappelle and Maya Rudolph. Thompson and Bowen Yang are nominated for Supporting Actor in a Comedy. Kate McKinnon, Cecily Strong, and Aidy Bryant are all nominated for Supporting Actress in a Comedy.

And that’s it for the main categories. In Variety Talk, HBO’s John Oliver will likely win for the umpteenth time against his network rivals.

Everything else will go to HBO, Netflix, Apple and Hulu. Amazon is mostly out of the race this year because “Mrs. Maisel” skipped a season because of the pandemic.

Tomorrow the story will be that the ratings are down again because the Emmys are shown on a broadcast network but ignore all the shows on those networks. The ratings will be proportionate to cable ratings. No one will mention “NCIS.” And that’s the way it is.

So stay tuned for a surprise. What if “Blackish” and its stars won? Now, that would be worth stopping the presses for!

Friday Box Office: The Fans Still Love Clint Eastwood as “Cry Macho” Scores Excellent Opening Night

Roger Friedman
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Friday Box Office: The Fans Still Love Clint Eastwood as “Cry Macho” Scores Excellent Opening Night

Long live Clint Eastwood!

“Cry Macho,” his newest film, made $1.6 million in wide release on its opening night. The saga of Clint, a rooster, and a teenage kid trying to get out of Mexico did very well considering the movie is also available on HBO Max.

And why not? You want to see this cinematography on a big screen, believe me. And Clint is endearing as ever. For so called adult movie goers, “Cry Macho” is a good reason to get out of the house this weekend. (So is “Tammy Faye.”)

Going wide was a smart idea for Warner Bros. I’ll bet the word of mouth is very strong for “Cry Macho.” Clint’s looking at a $5 million opening weekend. The budget is small, so once again, Malpaso Pictures will turn a profit.

Box Office: “Tammy Faye” Will Have to Go to VOD Soon After Slow Box Office Start

Roger Friedman
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Box Office: “Tammy Faye” Will Have to Go to VOD Soon After Slow Box Office Start

Tammy Faye is going to have to start preaching on VOD sooner rather than later.

Opening night for “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” brought in just $250,000 at 450 theaters. Weekend total of $750,000 would be on the high end, and not enthusiastic for the Jessica Chastain-Andrew Garfield starrer.

From what I can tell, with a 67 on Rotten Tomatoes, “Tammy Faye” would do great getting to a bigger audience fast on video streaming. Otherwise, it feels like it could go the way of Sean Penn’s “Flag Day” and disappear fast.

Watch for Disney Searchlight to make a decision (if they haven’t already) by the end of the second week. In the meantime, if the film is playing near you, get to a theater and check out some great acting.

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