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’80s Pop Redux: Debbie Gibson Has First Album in 20 Years, Richard Marx Is Right Here Writing for You

Roger Friedman
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’80s Pop Redux: Debbie Gibson Has First Album in 20 Years, Richard Marx Is Right Here Writing for You

Talkin’ about the next generation:

Debbie Gibson and Richard Marx are each pop icons from the 1980s. They weren’t from my world, but they were each each very popular and continue to be.

Now comes news from both of them. Gibson will release her long- awaited new pop album on August 20th—her first in 20 years. Her 10th studio album is called “The Body Remembers,” and  features 15 new tracks written or co-written by Gibson, along with a studio version remake of her 1989 hit power ballad “Lost in Your Eyes”—now a duet with Joey McIntyre, out today.

“I’m in the zone musically on this album like never before,” says Gibson in a statement. “There’s a flow happening and it’s very exciting. I’m excited to be releasing an album that people of my generation can relate to that also feels modern.”

Gibson and McIntyre, from New Kids on the Block, are also on tour this summer.

And then there’s Richard Marx, who made the girls swoon in his 80s MTV videos. He’s got a memoir coming on July 6th called “Stories To Tell” with a two-disc companion release featuring remastered versions of his biggest hits plus never before released demos, and live tracks. Plus he’s recorded fresh interpretations of songs he wrote for other artists including NSYNC’s “This I Promise You,” Josh Groban’s “To Where You Are” and Keith Urban’s “Better Life.”

Whew! I didn’t know this but Marx is now coupled in real life with MTV’s Daisy Fuentes. He also suffers from an undiagnosed malady. He looks pretty good nonetheless in this clip from Mother’s Day:

 

 

UPDATE: “Music Man” Tickets Go on Sale Early, Smattering of $300 Seats Still Left on Telecharge

Roger Friedman
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UPDATE: “Music Man” Tickets Go on Sale Early, Smattering of $300 Seats Still Left on Telecharge

Tickets for “The Music Man” went on sale before 10am on telecharge.com

There’s a smattering of seats left in the orchestra on most nights, some in the mezzanine. Most tickets were already sold to scalpers who are reselling them for thousands of dollars.

So get in there while you can. The whole run will be sold out before the end of the morning.

ironic element in show’s poster:

Broadway: Hugh Jackman’s “Music Man” Replaces Scott Rudin with Female Producer, Readies for Ticket Onslaught

Roger Friedman
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Broadway: Hugh Jackman’s “Music Man” Replaces Scott Rudin with Female Producer, Readies for Ticket Onslaught

Check your clocks at 10am. That’s when “The Music Man” should send Telecharge into a frenzy. The Hugh Jackman musical revival is putting “regular priced” tickets on sale at that time. Tickets are already selling on secondary sites for thousands of dollars. Telecharge should be broken within minutes.

At the same time, producers Barry Diller and David Geffen today announced the person who would replace Scott Rudin as lead producer of the show. They’ve chosen a woman, which is was the smart movie after the ousting of Rudin– not because he was a sexual harasser of women, but because it’s a new, fresh look for the company.

The new lead producer is Kate Horton, and according to a release, she heads Fictionhouse, an independent production company making work in television, film, and theatre, alongside screen and stage director Dominic Cooke. Ms. Horton is said to be responsible for numerous commercial transfers between London and New York, including “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.” I don’t know why that’s important since “The Music Man” is a New York show, but I guess it’s to say she’s very accomplished.

Replacing Rudin should be a challenging task. For a while, at least, no one will believe he’s not somehow pulling strings, if not throwing the potatoes.

“The Music Man” also announced some five star casting: Tony Award winner Jayne Houdyshell as Mrs. Shinn, Tony Award winner Jefferson Mays as Mayor Shinn, Tony Award winner Marie Mullen as Mrs. Paroo, and Tony Award winner Shuler Hensley as Marcellus Washburn. The principal cast will also include Remy Auberjonois as Charlie Cowell, Gino Cosculluela as Tommy Djilas, and Emma Crow as Zaneeta Shinn.

But with tickets selling for upwards of $5,000 a pair, will anyone get to see this show? Stay tuned…

Joni Mitchell’s “Blue” Was Released During Carole King’s Run with “Tapestry” 50 Years Ago Today

Roger Friedman
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Joni Mitchell’s “Blue” Was Released During Carole King’s Run with “Tapestry” 50 Years Ago Today

As you know, Joni Mitchell’s 1971 watershed album “Blue is number 1 today. When it was released 50 years ago, it never hit number 1.

The number 1 album at the time was Carole King’s Tapestry. It was in the middle of a long run at the top of the charts. Carole’s double A side single, “It’s Too Late” backed with ( or b/w) “I Feel the Earth Move” was on a similar run at number 1 on the Hot 100.

The era of the singer/songwriter, the female singer/songwriter, was now in motion. Also on the charts was Carly Simon’s “That’s The Way I’ve Always Heard it Should Be.” In the fall, Carly would release “Anticipation.” Carole would back with her “Music” album. The three ladies would be everywhere.

“Blue” grew over the years as a favorite, followed by Joni’s “For the Roses” album. But Joni wouldn’t have her biggest commercial success until 1974 and “Court and Spark.” The singles off that album — “Help Me” and “Free Man in Paris” — are her biggest hits ever, far bigger than “Blue.” But by then “Blue” was a must-have in every record collection, a classic.

And threaded through these albums were those by James Taylor, Neil Young, Jackson Browne, the guys from the singer/songwriter world, just as successful.

But that was all just one side of music. There was plenty of R&B. Besides Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, and James Brown, 1971 was full of great soul singles. There was a dogfight on the charts between Jean Knight’s “Mr. Big Stuff” and the Honeycone’s “Want Ads” right now. Aretha had “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “Spanish Harlem.” Marvin had the songs from “What’s Going On.”  The Jackson 5 was on top with “Never Can Say Goodbye” and the Temptations lived all summer on “Just My Imagination.”

This was an era when Black and white music shared the top 40. Al Green, the Staples Singers, the Stylistics, there was no end to it. The Dramatics’ “Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get” was just this gorgeous, rhythmic opera that I could not get enough of in the summer of 71. And it all lived together happily in my 14 year old head. That was the world “Blue” was born into 50 years ago today.

The next big anniversaries come up on July 3rd and 6th, the deaths of Jim Morrison and Louie Armstrong. Jim was 27, Louis was only 69.

 

Pop Starlet Lorde Will Follow Flop Single with New Album, Then Tour Next Year When No One Cares

Roger Friedman
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Pop Starlet Lorde Will Follow Flop Single with New Album, Then Tour Next Year When No One Cares

Pop tart Lorde has had a big flop single for the last couple of weeks called “Solar Power.” Downloads: 5,000, With streaming: 85,000.

So now what? Why, a new album, of course, named for the single. And then a tour next year when everyone’s forgotten about the album. Sounds like a plan. “Solar Power,” is produced, like everything else, by Jack Antonoff.

Plus the new album will be bio-degradable or something.

“I didn’t wanna make something that would end up in a landfill in 2 years, but more than that, I wanted to make something that symbolised my commitment to asking questions of our systems, and making stuff with intention and sensitivity,” Lorde said. “I’m calling it a music box. It’ll be the same size and shape as a CD, and you can buy it where CDs live, but this is something totally different. If you’re torn on which hold-in-your-hands, flip-through-the-pages thing to buy to best enjoy this album, honestly, I’d go for the music box.”

Whatever. The tour starts next spring in Nashville. This isn’t how things work. If the album is a bust in August– and look, even a hit album doesn’t last more than a few weeks anymore– she’ll have to have a new album in April 2022 or a hit of some kind to tour behind. Why not wait and release the album next February? Since you’ve already had a single that didn’t work?

Well, no one asked US! No word yet on whether Lorde will pick up where she left off with her anti-Israel sentiment.

Solar Power Tracklist:
1. The Path
2. Solar Power
3. California
4. Stoned in the Nail Salon
5. Fallen Fruit
6. Secrets From a Girl (Who’s Seen It All)
7. The Man with An Axe
8. Dominoes
9. Big Star
10. Leader of a New Regime
11. Mood Ring
12. Oceanic Feeling

Dan Rather’s Take on Jon Stewart’s COVID Rant: “The idea that science is the biggest threat to the planet is terribly irresponsible”

Roger Friedman
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Dan Rather’s Take on Jon Stewart’s COVID Rant: “The idea that science is the biggest threat to the planet is terribly irresponsible”

Dan Rather is unhappy with Jon Stewart. The famed journalistand former CBS News anchor is taking issue with Stewart’s rant on Colbert regarding the Wuhan virus starting in a laboratory versus somehow emanating from bats. Stewart, surprising Colbert on live TV, turned into a right wing curmudgeon and blamed the sceintists in the Wuhan lab for creating the virus.

Colbert was appalled. So is Rather. He says so on his Substack newsletter.

Stewart said on the show: “I honestly mean this: I think we owe a great debt of gratitude to science,” Stewart said. “Science has in many ways helped ease the suffering of this pandemic ― which was more than likely caused by science.” He added, “Oh my God, there’s a novel respiratory coronavirus overtaking Wuhan, China. What do we do? Oh, you know who we could ask? The Wuhan novel respiratory coronavirus lab.”

“Can I say this about scientists?” he continued. “I love them and they do such good work but they are going to kill us all.” Let that sink in. Scientists are going to “kill us all?” Rather notes on his blog today that Stewart finished up by predicting how the world would end. “The last words man utters are somewhere in a lab a guy goes, ‘Huhuh! It worked.”

Rather is incensed. He writes: They idea that scientists have done some bad things in the name of research — such as the Tuskegee experiments. Scientists have been wrong. Science and technology have been tools that supported colonialism and oppression. Science does not release us from our moral responsibilities. All of this is the case because science is a human endeavor and scientists are human, subject to the same frailties and base instincts as any member of our species. But science is also a way of thinking, where we challenge our own dogmas and beliefs, where we change our minds and approach when the data show we were wrong.

“Stewart is playing into the trope of the mad scientist at a time when we need science more than ever to solve our more pressing problems — most notably climate change. The idea that science is the biggest threat to the planet is terribly irresponsible. It gives free license to all those who say, forget what we have learned, forget knowledge, forget seeing reality. And I fear this reasoning – or should I say “unreasoning” — has not only consumed the modern Republican party but is in danger of consuming an even broader swath of the American and global public.”

Here was Stewart’s rant:

“Masked Singer” Host and Follower of Louis Farrakhan, Nick Cannon Expecting 4th Child by 3rd Woman in A Year

Roger Friedman
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“Masked Singer” Host and Follower of Louis Farrakhan, Nick Cannon Expecting 4th Child by 3rd Woman in A Year

I’m trying to think of the Wikipedia entry for Nick Cannon. “Father of Mariah Carey’s twins, avowed anti-Semite and follower of Louis Farrakhan, host of The Masked Singer.”

And man who fathered four children by three women in 2021.

Cannon is apparently expecting his fourth kid of the year and seventh in total soon with a woman named Alyssa Scott. And she’s proud of it! She announced it, albeit in code, on Instagram.

Nick is not new to the maternity ward. This month he’s already had a pair of twins with another woman, and a baby last December with yet another willing participant. The twins are named twin boys Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir, because why not? And the December baby was called  Powerful Queen. I’m not kidding. Powerful Queen has a full brother named Golden.

And then of course there are the Mariah Carey twins Moroccan and Monroe, who are 10 years old and probably losing sleep about keeping all these birthdays straight.

Nick Cannon currently hosts Fox’s’ “Masked Singer” and for a time lost his job with Viacom hosting “Wild N Out” when it was discovered he was posting anti-Semitic videos to YouTube supporting Louis Farrakhan and calling Jews names. Do you remember that? That was less than a year ago.

But then, facing financial ruin as his brood was cooking, Cannon started a mea culpa campaign. He interviewed rabbi’s and asked for forgiveness. He never renounced Farrakhan or the Nation of Islam. His employers, who were making money off of him, eventually let it all slide.

Next up for Nick is a syndicated talk show in the fall. I guess the producers, Debmar Mercury, will offer day care. They should kick off the first episode with the mothers of all the kids. Mariah could sing the theme song.

 

First Round of Peabody Awards Including Oscar-Nominated Doc, “Time,” Plus Stephen Colbert, “Ted Lasso”

Roger Friedman
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First Round of Peabody Awards Including Oscar-Nominated Doc, “Time,” Plus Stephen Colbert, “Ted Lasso”

The Peabody Awards are going to be given out all week, it seems, at 12 noon Eastern. Why is this going on for days? Who knows?

Anyway, the first round of winners includes the Oscar nominated documentary, “Time,” from Amazon Studios, which should have won the Academy Award.

Here’s the list. More tomorrow.

Entertainment
“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS) Presented by Steve Carell
“Ted Lasso” (Apple TV+) Presented by Will Ferrell
Documentary
“Asian Americans” (PBS) Presented by Sandra Oh
“Time” (Amazon Studios) Presented by D. L. Hughley
Podcast/Radio
“Floodlines” (The Atlantic) Presented by Charlamagne tha God
News
“Full Disclosure” (KNXV-TV) Presented by Brittany Packnett Cunningham
“China Undercover” FRONTLINE (PBS / GBH) Presented by Hasan Minhaj
Children’s & Youth
“The Owl House” (Disney Channel) Presented by Kristen Bell

RuPaul, John Oliver, HBO Max, “Shark Tank,” “The Voice,” Oprah Among Critics Choice Winners for Real TV Awards

Roger Friedman
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RuPaul, John Oliver, HBO Max, “Shark Tank,” “The Voice,” Oprah Among Critics Choice Winners for Real TV Awards

The Critics Choice Real TV Awards are out, and the winners are an eclectic group. Among them: Oprah, John Oliver, “Shark Tank,” “The Voice.”

There are now several iterations of Critics Choiee all flowing from the mother ship for movies and TV. Those will be given out next January 9th on the CW Network with a lot of fanfare as they’re taking the place of the Golden Globes.

Critics Choice also has Documentary awards and a celebration of Black cinema, and one of Latin Cinema.

WINNERS FOR THE THIRD ANNUAL CRITICS CHOICE REAL TV AWARDS

 

BEST COMPETITION SERIES – TIE 

**RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)

The Amazing Race (CBS)

**The Great British Baking Show (Netflix)

Top Chef (Bravo)

Tough as Nails (CBS)

 

BEST COMPETITION SERIES: TALENT/VARIETY – TIE 

American Idol (ABC)

Legendary (HBO Max)

**The Masked Singer (Fox)

**The Voice (NBC)

World of Dance (NBC)

 

BEST UNSTRUCTURED SERIES

Crikey! It’s the Irwins (discovery+)

**Deaf U (Netflix)

Lenox Hill (Netflix)

RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked (VH1)

The Real World Homecoming: New York (Paramount+)

 

BEST STRUCTURED SERIES – TIE 

A World of Calm (HBO Max)

**Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (Food Network)

History of Swear Words (Netflix)

Queer Eye (Netflix)

**The Oprah Conversation (Apple TV+)

 

BEST BUSINESS SHOW

Restaurant: Impossible (Food Network)

**Shark Tank (ABC)

Streets of Dreams with Marcus Lemonis (CNBC)

Undercover Billionaire (Discovery Channel and discovery+)

Wahl Street (HBO Max)

 

BEST SPORTS SHOW

**30 for 30 (ESPN)

Defying Gravity (YouTube Originals)

Last Chance U: Basketball (Netflix)

Peyton’s Places (ESPN+)

Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (HBO)

 

BEST CRIME/JUSTICE SHOW

**I’ll Be Gone in the Dark (HBO)

Murder Among the Mormons (Netflix)

Murder on Middle Beach (HBO)

The Ripper (Netflix)

The Vow (HBO)

Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller (National Geographic)

 

BEST ONGOING DOCUMENTARY SERIES

American Masters (PBS)

Dear … (Apple TV+)

**Frontline (PBS)

POV (PBS)

The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth (Showtime)

The Vow (HBO)

 

BEST LIMITED DOCUMENTARY SERIES

**1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything (Apple TV+)

Amend: The Fight for America (Netflix)

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark (HBO)

Love Fraud (Showtime)

Murder on Middle Beach (HBO)

Secrets of the Whales (Disney+ / National Geographic)

 

BEST SHORT FORM SERIES

First Person (Snapchat)

**Issa Rae Teaches Creating Outside the Lines (MasterClass)

Lady Parts (ellentube)

OWN Your Vote (NowThis and OWN social channels)

Ready Jet Cook (Food Network Kitchen)

 

BEST LIVE SHOW

**Dancing with the Stars (ABC)

 

BEST CULINARY SHOW

Amy Schumer Learns to Cook (Food Network)

Magnolia Table with Joanna Gaines (discovery+)

Nailed It! (Netflix)

**Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi (Hulu)

Top Chef (Bravo)

 

BEST GAME SHOW

25 Words or Less (Fox/Syndicated)

**Jeopardy! (CBS Television/Syndicated)

Supermarket Sweep (ABC)

Weakest Link (NBC)

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (ABC)

 

BEST TRAVEL/ADVENTURE SHOW

Men in Kilts (Starz)

Running Wild with Bear Grylls (National Geographic)

Somebody Feed Phil (Netflix)

**Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy (CNN)

The Great Food Truck Race (Food Network)

 

BEST ANIMAL/NATURE SHOW

**Life in Color with David Attenborough (Netflix)

Secrets of the Whales (Disney+ / National Geographic)

That Animal Rescue Show (Paramount+)

The Incredible Dr. Pol (Nat Geo WILD)

Wizard of Paws (BYUtv)

 

BEST LIFESTYLE: FASHION/BEAUTY SHOW

Haute Dog (HBO Max)

**Queer Eye (Netflix)

Shine True (Fuse)

Skin Decision: Before and After (Netflix)

Stylish with Jenna Lyons (HBO Max)

 

BEST RELATIONSHIP SHOW

90 Day Fiancé (TLC)

Couples Therapy (Showtime)

Indian Matchmaking (Netflix)

**Love on the Spectrum (Netflix)

My Love: Six Stories of True Love (Netflix)

 

BEST LIFESTYLE: HOME/GARDEN SHOW

**House Hunters International (HGTV)

Martha Knows Best (HGTV)

Property Brothers: Forever Home (HGTV)

Rock the Block (HGTV)

Selling Sunset (Netflix)

 

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN AN UNSCRIPTED SERIES

Top Chef (Bravo)

**RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)

Queer Eye (Netflix)

Crikey! It’s The Irwins (discovery+)

The Real World Homecoming: New York (Paramount+)

 

BEST SHOW HOST

RuPaul – RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)

Oprah Winfrey – The Oprah Conversation (Apple TV+)

Stanley Tucci –  Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy (CNN)

Padma Lakshmi – Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi (Hulu)

**John Oliver – Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

 

MALE STAR OF THE YEAR

Trevor Noah – The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (Comedy Central)

RuPaul – RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)

Stanley Tucci – Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy (CNN)

Guy Fieri – Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (Food Network)

**Phil Rosenthal – Somebody Feed Phil (Netflix)

 

FEMALE STAR OF THE YEAR

Nicole Byer – Nailed It! (Netflix)

**Sandra Lee – Dr. Pimple Popper (TLC)

Michelle Visage – RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)

Padma Lakshmi – Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi (Hulu)

Samantha Bee – Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TBS)

 

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NONFICTION PROGRAMMING BY A NETWORK OR STREAMING PLATFORM 

Discovery+

Disney+

**HBO Max

Hulu

National Geographic

Netflix

 

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NONFICTION PRODUCTION 

The Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC)

Jigsaw Productions

Renegade 83

**Sharp Entertainment

 

Steven Spielberg Will Make Some Movies for Netflix, But the TV Kind, Not the Blockbusters

Roger Friedman
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0
Steven Spielberg Will Make Some Movies for Netflix, But the TV Kind, Not the Blockbusters

Steven Spielberg has made a deal with Netflix. But don’t get excited, he’s still making movies for Universal Pictures.

Spielberg’s Netflix deal is so his Amblin Entertainment can release smaller films with less box office potential on the powerhouse alternative platform. Netflix needs content, and Spielberg is content to feed the beast.

But there will be no Jurassic features or that kind of thing going to Netflix. This gives Spielberg and Amblin opportunities to do smaller, more personal films and get them a wide audience on Netflix– as long as the filmmakers as okay with it.

One title in that category might “Maestro,” Bradley Cooper’s film about conductor Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia co-starring Cooper and Carey Mulligan. This would be a perfect Netflix release preceded by a theatrical awards qualifying run. Another might be “The Fabelmans,” an autobiographical picture directed by Spielberg starring Michelle Williams and Seth Rogen, written by Tony Kushner.

So nothing has changed. If there’s ever a “Ready Player Two” or “Robopocalypse,” they’ll be going to theaters through Universal or whichever studio has the rights. Still, it’s a nice look for Netflix and Ted Sarandos to have Spielberg in the tent.

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