It’s brutally hot and humid in New York today. But for “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” it’s the dead of winter.
Thanks to the legendary Juliet Papa of WINS Radio for putting up this video. The “Mrs Maisel” crew is shoveling fake snow in front of Carnegie Hall. It’s winter (1961?) and Midge is playing the big house.
Only in New York, kids. Only in New York.
.@MaiselTV was cooling off outside @carnegiehall pic.twitter.com/Nsp0x1hl7I
— Juliet Papa (@winsjuliet) June 28, 2021
The headline says “literally snubbing Tamron Hall” because I didn’t think I should write “screwing” up there.
But the Daytime Emmys really made huge mistakes Friday night. The result was ratings lower than s soap opera: just 2.3 million people watched the show on CBS from 8 to 10pm. A disaster.
There were memorial tributes to Larry King ad Alex Trebek, which should been enough. But then the pair, each of whom died in the last year, won Emmys. This was especially ridiculous for Larry King, who hadn’t done a proper interview on TV in a decade. His syndicated shows are infomercials. His win as Best Informative Talk Show Host should have gone to Tamron Hall, whose show is actually ON television, up to date, incredibly well produced.
But Hall lost Best Informative Talk Show to a program again, not even ON television. “Red Table Talk,” hosted by Jada Pinkett Smith, is on Facebook. It’s digital. Nonetheless it had TWO separate nominations in the category as if it were two different shows, and won! Again, Tamron Hall, not to mention the Today Show and GMA3, screwed.
What the heck was “Red Table Talk” doing in the nominations in the first place? NATAS, the TV Academy, doesn’t mix digital soaps with network soaps. So why allow digital programming among network shows? “Red Table Talk” does not have a wide audience no matter how frank and candid Pinkett Smith is about her marriage, sex life, etc. Ridiculous.
Of course, earlier reported is that the Daytime Emmys also made a huge mistake in their In Memoriam section, using the picture of a living actress in place of a dead one. Marguerite Ray, who was on The Young and the Restless years ago, had died. But the Emmys used a photo of Veronica Redd, the actress who replaced her in her role, and is still living, instead. Racist? No. Bone headed? Yes.
All awards shows are down in the ratings. But the Emmys, both prime time and daytime, continue to make a huge mistake. They IGNORE what’s popular. They celebrate marginal, off peak, off TV, way off TV, thinking the people who tune in give a damn. They don’t.
Tamron Hall should have been celebrated for being a pioneering Black woman journalist on a network– and one who survived a purge at NBC in favor of Megyn Kelly only to be vindicated. Instead, the Emmys let her be knocked out by a Hollywood celebrity with a vanity show on the internet.
And they wonder why the ratings are so miserable.
The New York Times obviously has no editors and no fact checkers.
Their big fashion feature today is about Rebecca Minkoff, who is revealed as a member of the “church” of Scientology, a dangerous cult. The Times writer, Jessica Testa, allows Minkoff to blow off any inquiries.
But Minkoff and her family have been in Scientology for more than 30 years. Her father, Dr. David Minkoff, was the ER doctor selected by the cult to pronounce the death of Lisa McPherson, a member who died infamously under their care.
The Lisa McPherson death is a watershed moment in the history of this crazy group. At 18 years old, in 1995, McPherson, a member, was in a minor car accident. At the ER, she exhibited odd behavior. A judge later concluded: “Lisa McPherson refused psychiatric observation or admission at the hospital; she expressly stated her desire to receive the religious care and assistance from her fellow congregants that she and they wanted her to have.”
From Wikipedia:
On December 5, 1995, Church staffers contacted David Minkoff, a Scientologist medical doctor who twice prescribed McPherson Valium and chloral hydrate without examining her. They requested for him to prescribe an antibiotic to McPherson because she seemed to have an infection. Minkoff refused, stating that she should be taken to a hospital and he needed to see her before prescribing anything. They objected, expressing fear that McPherson would be put under psychiatric care. Dr. Janice Johnson, a senior medical officer at the Fort Harrison Hotel who was assigned to care for McPherson, stated that she had been gasping and had labored breathing while en route. However, they passed a total of four hospitals along the way to their ultimate destination.
When they arrived at Minkoff’s hospital forty-five minutes north of Clearwater, McPherson exhibited no vital signs. Hospital staff attempted to resuscitate her for twenty minutes before declaring her dead.
In a wrongful death suit, Dr, David Minkoff had to pay $100,000 t0 Lisa McPherson’s estate. You can read about it here.
Everyone involved in this Rebecca Minkoff story at the Times should be fired. This is outrageous.
Here’s something to chew on.
Fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff is a member of a religious cult.
She reveals in today’s New York Times that she’s a practicing Scientologist. This is a smart, talented woman raised Jewish. I wouldn’t buy one more thing from her if it was on sale, discounted, or free. She’s crazy.
“I think there’s a lot of confusion when people hear the word ‘religion’ — immediately you hear that I pray to L. Ron Hubbard,” she tells the Times. “I study it, I take classes and that’s the extent of it, and it’s helped me stay centered. I don’t have all the answers. When I needed someone, it was a place for me to go get some answers.”
AND THERE’S MORE: READ THE FOLLOW UP ABOUT REBECCA MINKOFF’S FATHER
Jessica Testa wrote this piece for the Times but it doesn’t bother asking Minkoff about the hard evidence against Scientology a cult that separates families, takes their money, preys on the weak, disseminates idiotic information about the after life, the current life, etc. Testa doesn’t ask Minkoff if she’s read “Going Clear” or seen the documentary, or seen Leah Remini’s award winning TV series.
Testa, instead, give us just this:
the designer refers to what she believed to be “horrific misinformation” about the church and its belief system, which she considers “more of a self-improvement philosophy.”
But her interest in self-improvement is also one reason her book exists, with assurances like: “Fear can be overcome. You have the power to take action.”
So let’s look at Minkoff’s history. She’s listed in Truth About Scientology as a member since 1991 under the name Becky Minkoff. She is hard core, folks. Here’s a link to her page.
Mental illness is a tragedy. Yesterday I saw about three dozen kooks on West 44th St. in front of the St. James Theater protesting Bruce Springsteen as a “segregationist.” What does that mean? One nutty woman told me, “He won’t let people in his theater who aren’t vaccinated. They want to control our lives.”
I told her she needed help, and thank goodness Bruce did that. My question is, if you’re not vaccinated, and you’re angry with the person who won’t allow you into something, why do you still want to be there at all? Logically, you wouldn’t then be a fan of Bruce Springsteen. But that’s logic.
As for Rebecca Minkoff, now you know how David Miscavige funds his operation because Tom Cruise, John Travolta, and the other nutjobs who still go for this. Miscavige must have something on Minkoff big time.
Need a handbag, a skirt, whatever? Give your money to someone who’s not sending it a dangerous cult.
The box office is back, for better or worse.
For better: “F9” took $70 million for the four days, Thursday through Sunday. Universal has $363 million worldwide, they should be happy. Vin, The Rock, Michelle, Helen Mirren, and Charlize Theron are entertaining audiences around the world. Can you imagine people seeing Helen Mirren for the first time, possibly, and figuring she’s a cool white haired lady in a Vin Diesel movie? Life is weird, no?
But the box office disasters are piling faster and more furiously than the cars in a “FF” movie.
“The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard” is dead, $25 million. Either fans of the first movie didn’t want a sequel or were unamused by this one. They just didn’t care. Even people in other countries were turned off, just $6 mil total. I doubt there will be a third installment.
“In the Heights,” as I noted yesterday, couldn’t even reach $25 million. They scratched it out to $24.1 million after three frustrating weeks. Only $5.9 mil international. What went wrong? So many things. The movie was vibrant, and could have crossed over if only it hadn’t been abandoned by all its creators when there was criticism. And that was after a 99 on Rotten Tomatoes. Again, don’t ever apologize for your movie.
And then there’s the Sparks documentary. Why was this in theaters? No one’s heard of Sparks, no one cares except director Edgar Wright, god bless him, he loved them. But why not on cable or streaming? No one ever bought a Sparks record, why would they spent 10 bucks to see a two and half hour movie? And they didn’t! Total box office $500,000. Rest in peace.
Bruce Springsteen made an emotional, triumphant return to Broadway tonight at the St. James Theater. His audience included the governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy, but that didn’t stop Bruce from joking about his arrest last year at a state park.
“Two shots of tequila and I wound up in Zoom court,” he quipped. “The case was the whole United States versus Bruce Springsteen.”
The new iteration of Springsteen on Broadway had some references to the pandemic and to current topics. There was no mention of George Floyd but the song “American Skin (41 Shots)” was added as a subtle nod to race and the police. It was absolutely mesmerizing.
There were many musical highlights but my favorite was an unexpected and charming duet by Bruce and wife Patti Scialfa on the song, “Fire.” The couple has just celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary which, in rock and roll terms, is the equivalent of 100 years. Bravo! They are clearly soulmates.
This was the first post pandemic performance in a Broadway house. It was sold out, everyone was cheek by jowl. Bruce said it was a thrill to see everyone together, mask less. It sure was.
Also in the house: E Street Band impresario Little Steven van Zandt who came in just before Bruce was on stage and was ushered to a front and center seat. The audience went wild, cheering him.
Behind Little Steven by a couple of rows: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who chatted with Jujamcyn Theaters chief Jordan Roth. Elsewhere in the theater someone said they saw strange celebrity Steven Seagal. Also, MSNBCs Brian Williams sat solo with Gov. Murphy and his wife.
Otherwise the audience was a range of ages, and all big Springsteen fans of course. I met two guys my age from Santa Monica, California who told me they’d paid over $500 a ticket that morning with $300 handling fees on StubHub. They didn’t care. They’d seen the show the last time, and loved it.
I hadn’t seen the show since the night before it opened in 2018. Bruce struck me as highly emotional this time around, more relaxed and engaged. There are so many takeaways from this opening night, starting with how multi-talented Springsteen is on a deep level, alternating between piano and guitar. We don’t think him of as a pianist, not like Elton John or Billy Joel. But he is quite accomplished on the ivories.
Toward the end of the show, Bruce — who was quite philosophical about his upbringing and the arc of life, wiped away tears. He’d spoken about his mother, who is 95 and has had Alzheimer’s for ten years. His father, who died years ago, looms large for Bruce. He told us the reason he was happy to return to Broadway was to see the ghosts of his father, of Clarence Clemons, Danny Federici, and others he’s lost and misses.
At 71 — and not looking 71, mind you — he’s plumbing new depths during this run that are disarming, charming, and challenging. “Born in the USA” is a blues song now, described by Bruce as “the source of much confusion” for how it’s been misinterpreted over the years. As the show builds to its ending, songs like “The Rising,” and Land of Hope of Dreams,” and “I’ll See You in My Dreams” are so profoundly beautiful and meaningful you see the full scope of Bruce Springsteen’s artistry. It’s quite stunning.
photos: Rob DeMartin
Give the people what they want, and they will come.
And so they did last night for “F9: The Fast Saga” which made $7.1 million Thursday in previews and $23 million last night. With a potential $50 million more to come tonight and Sunday, “F9” could finish its four days with $70 million plus. That far exceeds predictions of around $55mil.
“F9” is on track for the biggest weekend opening since February 2020, and certainly the biggest post-pandemic.
Elsewhere, “Cruella” continues to proceed very well, coming up on $70 million this weekend. Lemonade from lemons! But “In the Heights” is all lemons. They won’t make the $25 mil mark this weekend after 3 weeks.
The second hour of the Daytime Emmys was fairly preposterous.
I watched it while the Yankees battled the Red Sox.
“General Hospital” won Best Soap, which was fine. Kelly Clarkson picked up her second award of the night. But Tamron Hall lost to the deceased Larry King for Best Informational Host. Really? Frankly, Tamron Hall was really snubbed by this show and these awards. Very embarrassing.
Two of the hammiest actors on soaps won Best Actor and Actress, Maurice Benard of “General Hospital” and Jacqueline Wood of “The Bold and the Beautiful.”
“Red Table Talk” won another award despite it not being on television. The Daytime Emmys really did themselves a disservice including a streaming show on the internet with actual TV productions. I don’t get that.
Because the Daytime Emmys were on CBS they shoved “Drew Barrymore” into as many slots as possible. CBS owns “Drew” and is trying to push it to anyone who will listen. It doesn’t seem to be working.
Larry King, really? It was one thing to give him a tribute, but he was long past his prime in the last few years. He was doing actual infomercials. Plus, he was never on daytime. I’d love to know what went on in the background on that one.
And so another year of Daytime Emmys comes twaddling to an end. Back to the Yankees and Red Sox!
UPDATING
Kelly Clarkson has won Best Talk Show and Best Talk Show host.
Jada Pinkett Smith’s “Red Table Talk” won Best Informational Show, which is ridiculous because it’s on Facebook. Tamron Hall was robbed.
Veteran actors Max Gail and Marla Adams each won Supporting Actor awards for respectively “General Hospital” and “The Young and the Restless.” They each played seniors who suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease, and eventually died. They also deserved their awards. Adams has been on CBS soaps for 30 or 40 years. Gail was famous from “Barney Miller.”
Cady McClain won Best Guest Performer on “Days of Our Lives.” This is her third Daytime Emmy Award. She replaced Melissa Reeves, who’d played part on and off for 35 years.
“General Hospital” won Best Directing for a soap.
“Jeopardy” won Best Game Show.
“The People’s Court” won Best Court show.
Kathie Lee Gifford gave a lovely tribute to Regis Philbin.
Justin Trudeau, PM of Canada no less, toasted Alex Trebek. So did First Lady Dr. Jill Biden.
Martha Stewart did the tribute to Larry King
The week was hard on Jon M. Chu’s musical, “In the Heights.”
Numbers released for the week indicate the adapted Lin Manuel Miranda moviea averaged just $569,000 a day Monday through Thursday.
The total take for four days was $2.2 million. For the whole week, from last Friday through yesterday, “In the Heights” came in 5th place, with just over $6 million.
The domestic box office stands at just a notch under $22 million. This weekend will show a drop in the theater count as Warner Bros. clears the way for new releases. “In the Heights” may not finish on Sunday with $25 million after three weeks.
Lesson learned: don’t apologize for your movie. And if it’s a musical, make sure it has a single that can be played on the radio. The “In the Heights” soundtrack, which started strong, has fallen off the top 50 on Hitsdailydouble.com and Buzz Angle. It’s tracking at number 19 right now on iTunes.