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Broadway Star Laura Osnes Comes Out as Crazy, Won’t Get Vaccinated “Because There Is So Much That Is Still Unknown”

Roger Friedman
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Broadway Star Laura Osnes Comes Out as Crazy, Won’t Get Vaccinated “Because There Is So Much That Is Still Unknown”

Broadway star Laura Osnes came out as crazy on Instagram today. She and her husband won’t get vaccinated. They’re waiting for more research. She says she’s not alone– this is true, there is a group of idiots out there who refuse to listen to the CDC, the science, or facts. When they’re told they only people dying of COVID are those not vaccinated, they laugh.

Osnes was bounced from a show in the Hamptons because her fellow stars were uncomfortable working with her. She denies the story, which was reported in Page Six. I say, the Hamptons thing is the least of her problems. Her statement on Instagram is what’s disturbing. She won’t be allowed to work on Broadway or anywhere else unless she’s vaxxed. That’s her choice.

COVID is revealing the nuts out there. Someone at “General Hospital” wasn’t vaxxed, and now a couple of actors have it. On Colin Firth’s HBO mini-series, “The Staircase,” same thing. Will Smith’s movie, “Emancipation,” has paused twice because of COVID. Someone there obviously didn’t get the shot or lied about it.

I’m glad we learned about Laura Osnes when we did. On Broadway, there are always ten people in line to take your place.

Now Even Bob Dylan Can Feel What It’s Like to Be “Cancelled,” Presumed Guilty By Even Rolling Stone

Roger Friedman
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Now Even Bob Dylan Can Feel What It’s Like to Be “Cancelled,” Presumed Guilty By Even Rolling Stone

Yesterday, a crazy woman sued Bob Dylan, our rock poet laureate, Nobel Prize winner, for sexual molestation. She said in her suit that the incident happened exactly in April and May of 1965, at New York’s Hotel Chelsea. She said he was 24, and she was 12. (She doesn’t explain how a 12 year would be in the hotel without parents.)

No one except this column bothered to check Dylan’s whereabouts for this time period. It wasn’t difficult. Dylan was mostly on the West Coast doing concerts in April, many with Joan Baez, continuing from March.

On April 26th, two days after a show in Seattle, Dylan flew to London. He was in the UK or Europe until June 2nd. During that time, he and Baez had their famed UK shows which DA Pennebaker filmed for “Don’t Look Back,” the most famous rock documentary of all time. Dylan also went to Portugal on vacation with future wife Sara Lowndes, with whom he would have four children. (He and Sara were married in the fall.)

So the accusations leveled by an anonymous woman who calls herself “J.C.” in the lawsuit are meritless. He wasn’t in New York, or the U.S., he wasn’t staying at the Chelsea Hotel. A friend of his from that time told me Dylan couldn’t have afforded a “swanky room” there (TMZ’s description). Indeed, it wouldn’t be until July, when his watershed single “Like a Rolling Stone”: was released, that Dylan would have a hit record. So there was no big money coming in prior to July 1965.

But the press didn’t care. They just repeated the lie of the lawsuit as if it were true. Even Rolling Stone, which made its life on access to Dylan for 40 years, went with it and didn’t question the story. Nice, huh? I joke that if Jann Wenner were still alive (no one’s seen him in eons) that would not have happened.

In his great song, “Idiot Wind,” Dylan predicted all this back in 1974.

“Someone’s got it in for me
They’re planting stories in the press
Whoever it is I wish they’d cut it out quick
But when they will I can only guess”

He also said it best almost a decade earlier, succinctly: “It ain’t me, babe, it ain’t me you’re looking for.”

Shame on everyone.

 

 

Bob Dylan Hit With Bogus Lawsuit Claiming Molestation in NYC April-May 1965: Not Possible, He Wasn’t There

Roger Friedman
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Bob Dylan Hit With Bogus Lawsuit Claiming Molestation in NYC April-May 1965: Not Possible, He Wasn’t There

***EXCLUSIVE***

 

UPDATE “Swanky room at the Chelsea Hotel? Bob couldn’t afford a room at the Chelsea Hotel!” TMZ described the legal papers filed by “JC” below and said it happened in Dylan’s “swanky hotel room.” A friend of Dylan from that time was who around 24/7 laughed when he heard this. He also reminded me to look at the calendar and schedule of Dylan shows. Bob and Joan Baez, who were a couple, were on the road together for all of the time “JC” says she was with Dylan at the Chelsea. This fellow was with him the whole time.

I told JC’s lawyer, Daniel Isaacs, about the schedule and asked to respond. I’m waiting for an answer.

EARLIER On April 26, 1965 Bob Dylan arrived in London. He didn’t return to the United States until June 2nd.

In April. he was mostly on the West Coast. All of this is recorded in calendars tracking Dylan’s whereabouts because he was a young superstar.

Yet this afternoon comes news of a complaint filed by a 68 year old woman who says Dylan groomed and molested her in New York at the Chelsea Hotel in April and May 1965 when she was 12 years old.

TMZ called it his “ritzy apartment” at the Chelsea, a notably run down place even in 1965.

But the calendars speak for themselves. And in London, Dylan was filmed on tour by DA Pennebaker for the famous documentary, “Don’t Look Back.”

So the lawsuit or complaint or whatever it is is bogus.

But this is the environment we’ve created, where accusations fly and celebrities are dubbed guilty before anyone checks the facts.

Despite the travel schedule being easily available, the “victim” — who calls herself “JC” — says she was “groomed” by Dylan in April and May 1965 at the Hotel Chelsea.

The complaint states: “between April and May of 1965 the defendant, Dylan,
exploited his status as a musician by grooming J.C. to gain her
trust and to obtain control over her as part of his plan to
sexually molest and abuse J.C.”

Um, not possible if Dylan wasn’t even there. He was singing “It Ain’t Me, Babe” in London.

Stay tuned…

MGM’s Lion Sleeps Tonight as “Respect” Falters, “Flag Day” Scores Poor Reviews, But “Soggy Bottom” Story Mystery Solved (Exclusive)

Roger Friedman
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MGM’s Lion Sleeps Tonight as “Respect” Falters, “Flag Day” Scores Poor Reviews, But “Soggy Bottom” Story Mystery Solved (Exclusive)

MGM’s fabled lion sleeps tonight.

In the Hollywood jungle, the mighty jungle, MGM is waiting to be purchased  by Amazon. An announcement was made in May. In early July, the NY Times got all excited about the fabled studio becoming Amazon’s biggest purchase since Whole Foods. Amazon would be getting a bunch of cool sounding movies, too: Jennifer Hudson in “Respect,” Sean Penn’s “Flag Day,” and Paul Thomas Anderson’s mysterious “Soggy Bottom.”

Down the line, Amazon would get the James Bond movie, “No Time to Die.”

Well, nothing’s happened. There have been no announcements. I actually thought maybe I’d missed something but when I checked, I was told there was no news.

Meantime, “Respect” made $8.8 million over the weekend, not a great opening, and has a lowish 64 on Rotten Tomatoes. Jennifer Hudson will go on to the Oscars, but teh future of “Respect” is shaky.

Sean Penn’s “Flag Day” is coming Friday. Either few have seen it since Cannes, or there’s a rare post-Cannes embargo. On Rotten Tomatoes the reviews are punishing, with a 35% “fresh.” On 17 reviews it’s running 7 for and 11 against. I would go see it Thursday night  in a movie theater, but I’m taking advantage of the free streaming night for A24’s “Green Knight.”

I can tell you a little of what I know exclusively about Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Soggy Bottom.”  (Apart from what I called “Incoherent Vice” I’m a huge fan of “Phantom Thread,” “The Master,” “Boogie Nights,” “There Will Be Blood,” and so on.)

“SB” stars Cooper Hoffman, the 18 year old son of the late, famed Philip Seymour Hoffman, as a child actor in Hollywood in the early 1970s. (PHS was a frequent PTA star.)

Cooper’s character is named Gary, for a reason: his story is modeled on that of producer Gary Goetzman, Tom Hanks’s very successful producing partner. Bradley Cooper plays a producer modeled on Jon Peters, the former hairdresser turned Barbra Streisand lover and producer who was played by Warren Beatty in “Shampoo.”

Goetzman is one of the liked people in Hollywood. He’s had a string of successes with Hanks and their Playtone company. starting with “Band of Brothers” and “That Thing You Do!” But few know his story of being a child actor and working in films like “Yours Mine & Ours” with Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball; or “Divorce American Style” starring Dick van Dyke, Debbie Reynolds, and Jason Robards, written by Norman Lear and directed by Bud Yorkin three years before those two hit it big with “All in the Family.”

Gary should write a book! He was on the classy TV drama, “Family,” he was in an episode of “McHale’s Navy,” and he was BFF’s with Jonathan Demme starting with Demme’s early comedy, “Citizens Band,” in 1977.

So “Soggy Bottom” (if that’s what they really call it) sounds like a continuation in a way of Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” But no one will really know until we see it. Two people I spoke to said that early cuts were very enjoyable. Cross fingers.

Will MGM finally be subsumed into Amazon? And in enough time for the latter to shape up the former? And will the lion logo remain? (It must, no?)

This is indeed No Time to Die. Too much happening!

Madonna’s 63rd Birthday Present: Makes a Deal to Revive Her Old Record Catalog with Warner Music, Get Ready for Demo Mixes of “Like a Virgin”

Roger Friedman
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Madonna’s 63rd Birthday Present: Makes a Deal to Revive Her Old Record Catalog with Warner Music, Get Ready for Demo Mixes of “Like a Virgin”

Madonna is reeling in the years.

As her recording career turns 40 in the next couple of years, it’s time to button it all up and start releasing box sets and the like to her core fans.

As today is Madonna’s 63rd birthday, she announces a gift — to us? to her? She’s made a big overall deal with her original record company, Warner Music, for all kinds of anniversary releases. The press release says Warner Music but it comes from Rhino, which does all the company’s repackaging rather brilliantly. Madonna is becoming a Rhino artist. Good for her!

The announcement also says she’s made some kind of deal with Warner’s Warner Chappell Publishing for the few hits she co-wrote including “Like A Prayer,” “Vogue,” “Into the Groove,” “La Isla Bonita,” “Live to Tell,” “True Blue,” “Open Your Heart,” “Who’s That Girl,” “Express Yourself,” “Lucky Star,” and “Take a Bow.” But pretty much all those songs had co-writers or main writers. Publishing and writing have never been Madonna’s strong suite. Patrick Leonard, Stephen Bray, Mirwais, et al wrote the songs that made her a star.

Not mentioned in the release are the men who made Madonna possible: Seymour Stein, the head of Sire Records, which was distributed by Warners; and manager Freddie deMann. A lot of eggs were broken to make the omelette known as Madonna. But as the “Respect” movie swept away all people who contributed to her life, so too are the Madonna ingredients. Seymour Stein probably feels a lot of empathy for Ahmet Ertegun reading today’s announcement.

Will fans want all the demos and remixes of “”Material Girl” and “Like a Virgin”? God bless them, they’re coming. But demos and outtakes from the “Sex” book? Now there’s an idea!

HBO’s Satirical “White Lotus” Comes to a Surprising, Shocking Yet Satisfying Ending

Roger Friedman
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HBO’s Satirical “White Lotus” Comes to a Surprising, Shocking Yet Satisfying Ending

I will try not to give anything away but STOP reading now if you don’t want any details at all of the “White Lotus” finale.

One person from the cast did wind up in the coffin, and it wasn’t who I expected. Nor any of you who thought it would be Rachel, Shane’s unhappy wife. She lived. What her future will be remains unclear, but she didn’t end the vacation dead.

Sadly, I doubt any of the cast will be seen again in the next installment of “White Lotus,” although I’d like to see Belinda again. I’d hate to think of her just being a lifer at the Maui White Lotus, getting nowhere.

The Mosbacher family gets a happy/unhappy ending. I think Mike White copped out a little bit because one of their endings is unrealistic. It’s really a fantasy. But the fate of Kai, who stole the jewels from their safe, is the saddest part of the saga. He was used by Paula, who will just move on now with this wreckage a fading part of her history.

As for the Jennifer Coolidge-Jon Gries story, all that coughing is not a good sign. Jon Gries’s Greg is obviously not going to live long. Tanya meant well with Belinda, and thinks her big cash payout will assuage all guilt. I hope Belinda uses the money for something important, like starting her business.

And Armond: Murray Bartlett turned that character into an opera. A self destructive one, to be sure. I’m sorry Armond won’t be in the next series. But Bartlett’s stock has gone through the roof. He’s been made to do the most awful things ever seen on a TV series. The worst. Beyond. But it looks like he had a lot of fun in the process. Some viewers of the soap “Guiding Light” may recall Bartlett on that show in its last season or so. You could never have guessed he had this in him.

Mike White took a while to get the rhythm of the show right, and to put all the pieces in place. But he picked up speed in Episode 4, and kept it going to a satisfying and shocking end. He helped everyone get through a difficult summer.

Box Office UPDATE: “The Suicide Squad” Dead With $42 Mil Total, “Respect” Gets None on $8.8 Mil Opening

Roger Friedman
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Box Office UPDATE: “The Suicide Squad” Dead With $42 Mil Total, “Respect” Gets None on $8.8 Mil Opening

Two bombs, two different kinds of movies.

Box office experts will be Monday morning quarterbacking “The Suicide Squad” for  a long time to come.

Well reviewed, well made, and dead dead dead. James Gunn did a great job making a very witty, entertaining movie. Maybe it was too smart for its audience. Anyway, “The Suicide Squad” cost $200 million, and has brought in a total of $42 million. The party is over.

What the heck happened? Warner’s is having problems, certainly, even with HBO Max. “In the Heights” just failed in June, and that had high expectations.

“TSS” will be blamed for its title, its rating, and so on. But I think it will come back down the line as a cult hit. But that won’t help anyone now. What a shame. But when a movie goes cold, it’s freezing, and this one has been iced by the moviegoing audience.

And now to “Respect”: the prediction was $9.1 million, it came in under at $8.8 million. Jennifer Hudson can still get an Oscar, and she deserves a special award for throwing herself into the promotion like no other. I am in awe of how much work she put into this.

But “Respect” has middling reviews. It’s just not a great movie except for her performance. The direction is muddled, from a bad script. They should have stuck with Callie Khouri, but changed screenwriters. Tracey Scott Nelson just made up her own story and information. No one took any time understanding Aretha Franklin, except for Jennifer Hudson.

I’ve written about the various people who were left out of the movie. So key to a biography of Aretha at Atlantic Records was Ahmet Ertegun and his wife, Mica. Ahmet and his brother Nesuhi created Atlantic. Aretha loved them, and vice versa. They represented Society to Aretha, something she was keenly aware of. Whenever she needed them or they needed her, even after the Atlantic heyday, they were there for each other. Atlantic also connected Aretha and Ray Charles, and so on. There were so many missed opportunities in “Respect.” But the music lives on.

On the good news side, “Free Guy” is a HIT. Ryan Reynolds and his video gamers scooped up $28.4 million for the four days (three in trade talk). They’ve got over $50 million in the bank worldwide. For Reynolds this should wipe away the stink of “The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard,” which died a slow and painful death. So the lesson here is, all Ryan needs is an actual script and he’s good to go.

PS to United Artists Releasing, you’d better put “Respect” on streaming sooner rather than later. If no one’s coming to the theaters, don’t wait around. And maybe get a better publicist.

A Real Soap Opera: General Hospital Star Steve Burton Diagnosed with COVID, He Says After Testing Negative

Roger Friedman
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A Real Soap Opera: General Hospital Star Steve Burton Diagnosed with COVID, He Says After Testing Negative

“General Hospital” star Steve Burton, who’s played Jason for about 25y ears or more, says he’s been diagnosed with COVID.

Burton says in a video that he tested negative, but tested positive right before he was supposed to get on a plane for Boston for a promotional tour.

Coincidentally, outspoken “GH” actress Nancy Lee Grahn had recently complained on Twitter about some cast members not being vaccinated. She was not happy about that, although it’s unclear if Burton was vaccinated or who she was talking about.

The whole issue of unvaccinated actors has been a soap opera not just for daytime but also for prime time casts. Their union doesn’t require vaccinations, or at least hadn’t until recently. Many New York casts and crews were upset about this because the crews must vaccinate and didn’t want to work with actors who weren’t. I was told that the only show insisting on vaxxes for everyone was the “Sex and the City” reboot. The cast members demanded it.

Looking at the daytime soaps, it’s hard to understand how they’re even filming those shows. At first there was talk of using doubles and human dolls, and editing together actors who stood far away from each other. But now they all look they’re right up in each other’s faces. With Delta here, and Lambda coming, and who knows what’s next, these shows are creating their own cliffhangers.

Burton says he has no symptoms. Other soap actors have tested positive and took time off. I’m told Burton’s scene partner on the show, Kelly Thiebaud, also tested positive a few weeks ago. I hope they remember “General Hospital” is not a real facility. Back in the 80s, the doctors lost most of their patients!

Music News: Tony Bennett Retires at 95, Nanci Griffith Dies at 68

Roger Friedman
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Music News: Tony Bennett Retires at 95, Nanci Griffith Dies at 68

Tony Bennett has basically retired at age 95. LOL. First of all, how many people live to be 95? Then, how many performed at Radio City Music Hall on their 95th birthday, and then two nights later? Um, no one.

So really, what can you say? Tony’s devoted son and manager, Danny, says that’s it, and that’s it. Tony has Alzheimer’s, but he can still do a little singing, see friends, enjoy his life.

His album with Lady Gaga comes out on October 1st. Everyone should have the accolades of Tony Bennett. What a life! What a career! He doesn’t need to be shlepping around airports and hotels touring.

On a sadder note, folk-country performer Nanci Griffith was not that lucky. Her death at age 68 was announced yesterday, no reason was given. Griffith had a wonderful career, was incredibly talented, and beloved. She was a singer’s singer.

Nanci recorded “From a Distance” before Bette Midler, who had the hit with it. Such was her story. Here she is from the original David Letterman show. Rest in peace.


 

Friday Box Office: Ryan Reynolds’ “Free Guy” Opens Bigger than Expected, “Respect” Sings the Blues

Roger Friedman
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Friday Box Office: Ryan Reynolds’ “Free Guy” Opens Bigger than Expected, “Respect” Sings the Blues

The week’s new movies came in Friday night with baggage good and bad from Thursday previews.

Ryan Reynolds’ “Free Guy” whipped up $8.5 million on Friday, more than expected. Add that to the $2 mil it made Thursday in previews and they’ve got $10.5 million for an opening. Reynolds and crew are looking at $26 million for weekend, about $10 million over expectations.

That’s amazing considering who knows what this movie is even about? It’s a video game comedy. Top critics on Rotten Tomatoes didn’t like it, but bloggers and the NY Post did, giving it a total 81 rating. A second week success seems doubtful, but if people are bored, and it’s hot weather, who knows?

Despite Jennifer Hudson’s incredible promotional efforts, “Respect” is singing the blues. Total Friday including Thursday’s $680.00 comes to $3.6 million. Not terrible, but not great. Predictions were around $9.1 million, and that’s where it should pan out by tomorrow. Somehow United Artists Releasing has to keep this thing afloat long enough to get awards attention. I would have released it as an Oscar special in December, but no one asked me (that’s for sure!). JHud’s good will should keep her in the Oscar race.

Horror sequel “Don’t Breathe 2” came in lower than expectations maybe because it’s the same movie as the first one. Without too much oxygen, the total will be around $1 million less than predicted, at $10 million.

Basically dead but still breathing: “Stillwater,” and “Green Knight.” Amanda Knox didn’t kill her Italian roommate but she murdered the former. “Stillwater” is terrific, and Matt Damon gives one of his best performances. Go see it, and tell Amanda arrividerci!

 

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