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Norman Lear Turns 99, Sells New “Mary Hartman” to TBS with “Schitt’s Creek” Star Emily Hampshire

Roger Friedman
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Norman Lear Turns 99, Sells New “Mary Hartman” to TBS with “Schitt’s Creek” Star Emily Hampshire

Norman Lear turned 99 yesterday and started his 100th trip around the sun! Happy Birthday, Norman. He is amazing.

To celebrate his birthday, Lear sold the new version of “Mary Hartman, MaryHartman” to TBS as a  revival of the 1975 soap opera parody.

“The kick of kicks as I turn 99 today is learning that TBS is developing ‘MHMH’ and will allow us to make a new version of it starring Emily Hampshire,” Lear said in a statement. “As someone who believes his 99 years on this planet is owed to the amount of laughter he enjoyed through the years, here’s to the next 99. Bless you all!”

I think they found the right person to play poor Mary. Emily Hampshire, who played Stevie on “Schitt’s Creek,” has been tapped for the Louise Lasser role. She’s terrific and an excellent choice.

They still have to cast the rest of these iconic roles. It would be a little genius to get Mary Kay Place to play Mary’s mother. She was the original Loretta Haggers, clueless aspiring country singer. Mary Kay’s dry wit would be a perfect nod to Dody Goodman, who played the role originally.

The key casting will be Loretta herself. Mary Kay never played her as campy or stupid, just clueless and earnest. The comedy came in the writing. Another actress who seems like she should be in this show is Julie Hagerty. Maybe they can find something for her.

Will the new Mary Hartman be like the old one? You know, the novelty of surprise is gone. When the show debuted in 1975, I’m told it was addictive. (I wasn’t born yet!) But we’re always open to new things.

Lear was right on the cutting edge with “Mary Hartman” after his run of hit comedies were all over the TV, from “All in the Family” to “Maude” and “The Jeffersons” and “Good Times” and “One Day at a Time.” And all those premises remain fresh as ever.

PS This photo was take a couple of years ago up at Ross House in Laurel Canyon by Leah Sydney. I almost never have my picture taken with celebrities. But I was so honored that Norman agreed to it.

(Listen) Jimi Hendrix Recorded an Unreleased Live Joni Mitchell in 1968 On His “Excellent Tape Recorder” and Here It Is

Roger Friedman
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(Listen) Jimi Hendrix Recorded an Unreleased Live Joni Mitchell in 1968 On His “Excellent Tape Recorder” and Here It Is

“The Dawntreader” is an unreleased Joni Mitchell song performed live and recorded in 1968 by Jimi Hendrix on his tape recorder. Now we can hear it for the first time. The song will be included in Rhino’s big compilation box set coming in October called “Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol.2, 1968-71.”

A press release tells the story:
LOS ANGELES – On March 19, 1968, a 24-year-old Joni Mitchell was in the midst of a two-week residency at Le Hibou Coffee House in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, playing to rave reviews in anticipation of her debut album, Song To A Seagull, which was set for release just a few days later on Reprise. Not long before Mitchell was scheduled to take the stage, Jimi Hendrix was just finishing his second sold-out show of the night at the Capitol Theater a few blocks away. Earlier in the day, Hendrix had spoken to Mitchell and noted his plans to record her in his diary entry for that day:
“talked with Joni Mitchell on the phone. I think I’ll record her tonight with my excellent tape recorder (knock on wood) . . . hmmm . . . can’t find any wood . . . everything’s plastic”

Following his two performances on that night, Hendrix rolled in to Le Hibou with his reel-to-reel recorder as promised and kneeled in front of the stage, unnoticed by most, and recorded Mitchell’s two sets that evening. As he also noted in his diary, Hendrix, like many others at the time, was mesmerized by Mitchell: “fantastic girl with heaven words.”

Hendrix’s tape from that night was stolen a few days later, with the recording thought to be lost forever. The recording was recently discovered in a private collection that was donated to the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) and returned to Mitchell.

Mitchell reflects back on that night in her conversation with Cameron Crowe from ARCHIVES VOL. 2 liner notes: “They came and told me, ‘Jimi Hendrix is here, and he’s at the front door.’ I went to meet him. He had a large box. He said to me, ‘My name is Jimi Hendrix. I’m on the same label as you. Reprise Records.’ We were both signed about the same time. He said, ‘I’d like to record your show. Do you mind?’ I said, ‘no, not at all.’ There was a large reel-to-reel tape recorder in the box.”

“The stage was only about a foot off the ground. He knelt at edge of the stage, with a microphone, at my feet. All during the show, he kept twisting knobs. He was engineering it, I don’t know what he was controlling, volume? He was watching the needles or something, messing with knobs. He beautifully recorded this tape. Of course I played part of the show to him. He was right below me.”

Here’s a page from Jimi’s diary:

Fans Send Well-Wishes to “Better Call Saul” Star Bob Odenkirk, Hospitalized After Collapse on Set

Roger Friedman
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Fans Send Well-Wishes to “Better Call Saul” Star Bob Odenkirk, Hospitalized After Collapse on Set

Fans of actor Bob Odenkirk, — and there are legions of them — are sending well wishes to him since last night on social media.

The star of “Better Call Saul” collapsed on the set of the show in New Mexico and was rushed to a local hospital. There’s been no word on his condition since Tuesday night.

Odenkirk, age 59, has a raft of Emmy nominations for playing Jimmy McGill, the lawyer who became Saul in the series “Breaking Bad.” He more recently starred in “Little Women” as the at-war father of the family of girls.

Odenkirk won earlier fame on “Mr. Show” with David Cross. Both Cross and “Saul” co-star Michael McKean Tweeted out support for their pal last night.  He has Emmy Awards for writing on “The Ben Stiller Show” and “SNL.”

“Better Call Saul” had just started filming its sixth and final season.

 

 

 

Cher Reports She Visited With Tina Turner in Switzerland for Three Hours On Sunday

Roger Friedman
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Cher Reports She Visited With Tina Turner in Switzerland for Three Hours On Sunday

Tina Turner had a visitor on Sunday at her home in Switzerland. Her old friend, Cher. Tina, who’s being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this fall, has been ailing a bit despite having a banner year with the induction and her HBO documentary. Also, her Broadway show returns this fall with Adrienne Warren reprising her Tony nominated performance.

Tina and Cher go back a long way. Tina was a guest on Cher’s TV shows, they knew each other from Las Vegas, and so on. They crossed paths working for Phil Spector in the mid 60s when Sonny & Cher were part of Phil’s world and Tina released “River Deep Mountain High.” The two of them could record an interview that would blow our minds.

Cher is on vacation in Europe, so naturally she stopped and saw Tina. Cher responded to a fan: I AGREE….SHES “SIMPLY
THE BEST”Glowing starGlowing starGlowing starGlowing starGlowing star.
NO CHICK CAN TOUCH HER…..
& I Red heart HER”

Kanye West Treated Louise Bourgeois Painting Like a Rap Sample, And Now His Album Has a Different Cover

Roger Friedman
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Kanye West Treated Louise Bourgeois Painting Like a Rap Sample, And Now His Album Has a Different Cover

No one really knows if Kanye West’s “Donda” album will come out on August 6th. Or Ever.

But whenever or if ever “Donda” arrives, it won’t have the cover that Kanye was touting last week.

Leading up to the crazy “Donda” listening session in Atlanta at Mercedes Benz Stadium, Kanye was using the cropped photo of painting by the famed artist Louise Bourgeois. The painting is alternately described as a red woman’s bust or head, or some kind of fertility doll. Described as a “carmine red wet-on-wet gouache of a female form with the proportions of a fertility idol,” the picture was created in 2007.

The only problem is that Kanye treated the painting as if it were a hip hop sample: take it, use it on your record and wait til the copyright holder comes calling.

Unfortunately, the artist’s estate, I am told, was not pleased. And they didn’t want the painting on the cover of “Donda.” Eagle eyed “Donda” watchers have noticed the Bourgeois image has vanished from the promotion. In its place is a photograph of Kanye’s late mom, Donda West, when she was a little girl. Posters and billboards have gone up in Los Angeles with Donda’s black and white photo. Bourgeois is safe from being involved in the Donda debacle.

 

(Video) Bennifer Public Romance PR Campaign Continues As Couple Preens in Capri for the Press with Managers and Publicists

Roger Friedman
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(Video) Bennifer Public Romance PR Campaign Continues As Couple Preens in Capri for the Press with Managers and Publicists

The world is in lockdown. Why not flaunt your wealth and stupidity? Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, currently on a public romance campaign designed solely to attract the press, went on a stroll today in Capri. The press followed them, naturally. Are they going shopping? Nah. They’re just preening, getting attention the way Sally Field did in the mall in “Soapdish.”

The first time these two were together, you could understand all this. But she has two kids, he has three, it’s the summer, and where are they? Why, they’re with nannies or a custodial parent. I wonder what it’s like to be home playing vodeo games or whatever kids do and these stories pop up on the iPads.

“Hey, look, Mom/Dad is preening around in Capri. He was grabbing her butt on a yacht yesterday.”

These kids will have great books. I want to read them now!

It’s a shame about Ben Affleck, too. Meantime, Matt Damon is the subject of a terrific profile in the NY Times, accepting kudos for “Stillwater.”

PS Some romance! There are at least two American publicists with them, not to mention JLO’s manager, Benny Medina. And I love the publicist dressed in pseudo AFrican chic clothes telling the video guy, “You have enough.”

Here’s Benny and a publicist:

Netflix Takes Centerpiece at New York Film Festival with Bendedict Cumberbatch Causing Trouble for Kirsten Dunst in “Power of the Dog”

Roger Friedman
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Netflix Takes Centerpiece at New York Film Festival with Bendedict Cumberbatch Causing Trouble for Kirsten Dunst in “Power of the Dog”

Netflix has grabbed the centerpiece spot at the New York Film Festival.

They’re coming in with Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog,” starring real life couple Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons, and Benedict Cumberbatch.

Based on a cult 1967 novel set in 1920s Montana, “Dog” sounds a lot like “Days of Heaven.” Dunst and Plemons are a young, naive couple out on the Plains. Cumberbatch plays his erratic and edgy brother who you know is going to cause a lot of trouble for these nice people.

But Jane Campion is a genius, so “Dog” will have its own “Power” and won’t be barking up the wrong tree. It debuts first at the Venice Film Festival, where it will be hailed as a landmark film. All the Oscar prognosticators will lose their minds and put it at the top of their lists. Do I sound cynical? I’ve been here before.

Campion says: “I am very honored that The Power of the Dog has been selected as the Centerpiece Gala at this year’s New York Film Festival. Public screenings we long took for granted feel exceptional now, so it is going to be a very emotional and joyous experience for me and my team to be there and present the film to such a film-celebrating audience.”

The NY Film Festival is opening with A24’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth” from Joel Coen, and I know they’ve got “The French Dispatch.” It’s going to be a solid and exciting festival, and some of it will be in person! At Alice Tully Hall! Worth the ticket!

 

$2 Mil Wu Tang Album Sold by US Government at Auction, Proceeds Applied to Pharma Dude’s $7.4 Mil Debt

Roger Friedman
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$2 Mil Wu Tang Album Sold by US Government at Auction, Proceeds Applied to Pharma Dude’s $7.4 Mil Debt

Someone, somewhere bought the Wu Tang Clan’s famous one copy album at auction today from the US Government.

The album, called “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin,” was bought for $2 million in 2015 by the guy who jacked up pharma prices, Martin Shkreli. He quickly became the Most Hated Man in America. The government looked into him. He was convicted of fraud and went to jail.

Shkreli forfeited $7.4 million from his schemes. Now proceeds from the sale of “Shaolin” will go toward his debt. The Department of Justice won’t say who bought the album, how much they paid, or who they were. But you have to think they got at least $2 mil.

“Through the diligent and persistent efforts of this Office and its law enforcement partners, Shkreli has been held accountable and paid the price for lying and stealing from investors to enrich himself. With today’s sale of this one-of-a-kind album, his payment of the forfeiture is now complete,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Jacquelyn M. Kasulis.

Following a six-week trial in federal court in Brooklyn, Shkreli was convicted in August 2017 of two counts of securities fraud and one count of securities fraud conspiracy for orchestrating a series of schemes to defraud investors in the hedge funds and to manipulate the price and trading volume of Retrophin’s stock. United States District Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto sentenced Shkreli to seven years’ imprisonment, to be followed by three years’ supervised release.

 

Lorenzo Lamas Eyeing Wife Number 6, Mom Arlene Dahl (Almost 96) Had 6 Husbands, Dad Fernando Lamas Had Just 4 Wives

Roger Friedman
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Lorenzo Lamas Eyeing Wife Number 6, Mom Arlene Dahl (Almost 96) Had 6 Husbands, Dad Fernando Lamas Had Just 4 Wives

I love this story.

“Falcon Crest” star Lorenzo Lamas is getting married for the 6th time. Why not? He has the lineage. Listen to this:

His mom, Arlene Dahl, is absolutely still alive. On August 11th she turns 96! Come on! Arlene’s had 6 husbands herself. She’s been married to Marc Rosen, obviously a younger man, since 1984. And they said it wouldn’t last!

Arlene was a big star in the 50s. Her second husband was another big star, Fernando Lamas. (She was his third wife.) Lorenzo, 63, is their son. Are you following this? Fernando Lamas was a Latin star before there was Latino or Latinx. Billy Crystal lampooned him famously on “SNL” wearing an ascot and red smoking jacket, with “You look mahvelous” routine, also “It’s better to look good than to feel good.”

Fernando had just four wives. but countless lovers. He died youngish, at 67, from cancer. Lorenzo no doubt has that in the back of his head. Fernando’s final wife was the swimming movie star, Esther Williams.

Lorenzo has six children from those 5 wives, some of whom are probably older than the new fiancee. Who cares? Sean Penn’s new wife is a year younger than his daughter. Mick Jagger has children who are younger than his grandchildren. We are not dealing with reality here. It’s better to look good than to feel good! And you look mahvelous!

Review: Peter Asher Strikes 60s, 70s Gold at City Winery with Kate Taylor, Albert Lee, Leland Sklar

Roger Friedman
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Review: Peter Asher Strikes 60s, 70s Gold at City Winery with Kate Taylor, Albert Lee, Leland Sklar

Can you get to New York’s City Winery tonight?  Vaxxed? Carded? Just wear a mask.

Last night, Peter Asher– of Peter & Gordon fame, of Apple Records fame, of Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor fame — brought a crack band and an enormously satisfying, intimate pop rock folk show to the Winery’s Upstairs Loft. They’re doing it again tonight. I wish I could get back there.

Peter’s been touring for a few years now, bringing back his and Gordon’s number 1 Paul McCartney hit from 1966, “A World Without Love,” as well as Del Shannon’s “I Go to Pieces,” plus “Lady Godiva” and a lot of other top 40 gems. Even without Gordon, Asher is the king of harmony, mixing in the Everly Brothers and Buddy Holly, groups he idolized, emulated, and later had Ronstadt and Taylor cover when he produced their parade of best selling albums.

Now, with Peter (bespectaced, bedazzling in a kind of Liberty of London flowered suit, the king of harmony) on tour, he’s got some other powerhouses of the era with him: Sister Kate– James’s charming beautiful sister, who had a hit album in 1971, looked around and decided  she did not want to be Carly, Carole, Joni, or Linda. And now, at age 71. she’s amazing, full throated, probably all the better for living her own life all these years. She’s Peter’s secret weapon on this tour, turning a little known James Taylor song from 1981– “I Will Follow Love” — into an unexpected hit.

Asher’s also got the great blues and rock guitarist Albert Lee, and famed bassist Leland Sklar (he played on every Carole, James, and and Carly hit, just for starters), plus Jeff Alan Ross, the multi-talented singer musician who has a connection to Badfinger– he was in a later version, toured as them, and performs socko versions of “No Matter What” and “Baby Blue.” A delight. Also on this bill, Steve Holley, a former member of Paul and Linda’s Wings whose credits include the hit version of “Coming Up.”

Did I mention spotting actress Amy Irving in the audience? And actors Christian Hoff and Clarke Thorell. And my old pal, Lynn Volkman.

Stevie and Maureen van Zandt, who were downstairs at City Winery supporting Darlene Love, came up to catch “A World Without Love.”

 

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