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Wanna see Bruce on Broadway? People are paying thousands of dollars on reseller site for the tickets to “Springsteen on Broadway.”
But you can only come into the St. James Theater if you’ve had the FDA approved vaccines and can prove it. None of that Astra Zeneca stuff from Canada and various countries around the world.
Only Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson are allowed.
This may be a harbinger for other Broadway shows coming later in the year. If it is, the tourists will either be turned off or get the shots. I think it’s a good idea. You don’t want to get sick seeing a Broadway show, and there’s no reason to.
Get the shots! See the Boss! Wear a mask, too, frankly!
Peter Jackson’s reimagining of “Let it Be” now moves to the end of November. It was supposed to be released in August, after a year’s postponement.
“Get Back” is a six hour documentary, three two hour parts, that takes all the footage from the 1970 film “Let it Be” by Michael Lindsay Hogg and tells a new story of how the band made their penultimate record.
By moving this project from August to November it now comes after Paul McCartney’s $100 memoir, set for the fall, as well as his own documentary series, dated for next month on Hulu.
The original two hour “Let it Be” film has been out of print and circulation for 50 years, although it’s easily found on the internet. Lindsay-Hogg showed a group with a lot of tensions, particularly those between Paul McCartney and George Harrison. John Lennon is mostly interested in Yoko Ono, and staying out of the way.
What Jackson’s trailer shows is a happier group, lots of kidding around, the presence of Linda McCartney and Yoko, and Billy Preston as the Fifth Beatle. Of course, the whole thing culminates in the group’s famous rooftop concert.
What isn’t clear from the original film is how the Beatles then went on to make their masterpiece, “Abbey Road.” There are hints of it in the original, but you’d be surprised to learn that “Let it Be” wasn’t the end even though it was the last official release.
The three part, two hour doc will air on Disney Plus November 25, 26, and 27. It’s unclear if the newest delay is because Jackson isn’t finished or the Beatles needed changes. But you know, Jackson is famous for making big trilogies, isn’t he?
Jackson said in a statement: “I’m very grateful to The Beatles, Apple Corps and Disney for allowing me to present this story in exactly the way it should be told. I’ve been immersed in this project for nearly three years, and I’m very excited that audiences around the world will finally be able to see it.”
Want a ticket to see Hugh Jackman in “The Music Man” this winter?
Forgetaboutit.
The Scott Rudin-produced musical has been hijacked by scalpers.
Set to begin previews in December and open in February, “The Music Man” — also starring Sutton Foster — is going to become a template for greed in the history of the Great White Way. Not even Rudin’s production of “Hello, Dolly!” with Bette Midler was this avaricious.
So far you can only buy tickets for “The Music Man” on reseller sites like StubHub or Vivid Seats or SeatGeek. There are none available from December 2020 through July 2022 on Telecharge, the site that sells most seats to most Broadway shows.
On Stubhub, a pair of tickets in Row F for January 2, 2022 are going for $8,485.05. That includes a service fee of $1,505. For that much money, I would expect Jackman and Foster to come clean my house for a week, repaint the garage, and babysit the kids every night while singing about Trouble in River City.
For that much money you could see 20 other Broadway shows including the revival of “Company” and the excellent “Girl from the North Country,” have dinner each time at the Palm, and still rent the classic movie of “The Music Man” with Robert Preston for a week.
StubHub does offer financing through Affirm, if you want to spread the payments out. But I’d rather buy a decent used car for that much money, not sit through an old show starring Wolverine. Or maybe just buy groceries for a year.
Just think of it. For eighty-five hundred dollars you could own not 76 trombones, but five really good ones. And you could donate them to music schools and get a tax deduction.
And since you’re thinking it, thirty years ago Richard Gere only paid Julia Roberts $3,000 to sleep with him and be arm candy for a weekend in “Pretty Woman.” With inflation, Gere would have to pay $6,187 now — still far less than two tickets to “The Music Man.” You still might be able to get three days of sex and two balcony seats.
The producers of “The Music Man” — Rudin has supposedly stepped away, but he’s lurking in the background — have allowed ticket scalpers to play this game, basically insulting New Yorkers and tourists who might have enjoyed this show. When Jackman reads this he should be horrified. There’s simply no excuse for it except greed.
And these prices I quoted for January are no anomaly. They’re the norm through for months on end, and at every site, not just StubHub. And the prices will go higher once the show opens on February 10, 2022. The New York Times and other outlets will be drooling all over the stars, who are very talented, raving about the production. That should send prices even higher out of reach of the one-percenters.
Will it matter at that point whether you’ve seen “The Music Man”? Probably not. Once the Tony Awards come and go in June, the original cast will exit. Like other Rudin shows, replacements will come in and prices will drop. And almost all the time that happens, you get a better show.
You know, the whole point of “The Music Man” is that Harold Hill is a con man. So maybe that’s the point here.
You can watch a production of “The Music Man” on YouTube with Matthew Broderick and Kristen Chenoweth. For free. Right here. Or just skip to the big number below with Robert Preston.
Will Smith is moving into comedy/variety. He’s booked his first ever special, with Netflix. It’s going to be a mixture of comedy and music. He’d better have Jazzy Jeff and do some of their rap hits. Maybe his kids will perform, too.
From the release:
Netflix announced a new original one-hour comedy variety special hosted by and starring Will Smith.
The special will include surprise celebrity guests, noteworthy conversation, fresh comedic sketches, huge musical performances and more.
Smith serves as an executive producer alongside Co-Head of Westbrook Studios Terence Carter, Miguel Melendez and Sahara Bushue.
The special will launch globally on Netflix later this year.
Bob Dylan is letting any moss grow on his rolling stone.
Entering his 81st year, our rock poet laureate will perform his first new show virtually on July 18th. “Shadow Kingdom” will be shown on a site called Veeps.com on July 18th and last until July 21st. Tickets are $25 and you can get them here.
According to the site: “Shadow Kingdom will showcase Bob Dylan in an intimate setting as he performs songs from his extensive body of work, created especially for this event.
“Shadow Kingdom” will mark the first concert performance since December 2019, and first performance since his universally acclaimed album, “Rough and Rowdy Ways.”
In the meantime, Bob’s grandson, Levi, whose dad is Jacob Dylan of Wallflowers fame, makes an impressive acting turn in the current film, “12 Mighty Orphans.”
The Aretha Franklin biopic has scored a coup: they got Carole King to write a new song for the film with Jennifer Hudson and Jamie Hartman.
The song is called “Here I am (Singing My Way Home)” and now it will be a big player for Oscar consideration for Best Song.
Carole wrote one of Aretha’s biggest all time hits, “You Make Feel Like a Natural Woman,” with Gerry Goffin and Jerry Wexler back in 1968.
So this will be a huge deal when the song is released on Friday. Aretha would be thrilled by this news. She performed “Natural Woman” at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2015 for Carole’s induction, and the performance became an instant classic.
So kudos to whoever set this up. Great idea.
PS The Best Song category is getting full already in June with prospective nominees including this one, Lady Gaga’s song from “Top Gun Maverick,” Billie Eilish’s James Bond song, Diane Warren’s Reba McEntire song, and so on.
The Amazon is flowing, or rather the money, it would seem.
MGM, long suffering from a lack of cash, seems suddenly flush and giddy. They just announced that they bought Sean Penn’s film “Flag Day” and will release it on August 13th.
That’s the same day they have scheduled for Jennifer Hudson playing Aretha Franklin in the biopic, “Respect.”
That’s two big releases on the same day after a long time of nothing– and also waiting to release the James Bond movie “No Time to Die” until November after a year or more of postponements. That’s very courageous!
“Flag Day” will first premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in early July. As Amazon now owns MGM, that’s the second Cannes film for the new company, and the second one with a quick opening in the US. Amazon has set August 6th for a screening of Leos Carax’s “Annette” at Lincoln Center’s Film Society. I like this! No waiting!
“Flag Day” stars Penn with his daughter, Dylan Penn, and even has a role for her brother, Hopper Penn. It’s a family affair. Josh Brolin is also featured.
Superstar screenwriters Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth have adapted the film from Jennifer Vogel’s memoir, “Flim-Flam Man: The True Story of My Father’s Counterfeit Life.” Dylan Penn plays Vogel across two decades as she comes of age while navigating a fraught relationship with her beloved, career criminal father John Vogel, played by Sean Penn.
After 11 years, the irreverent musical from the creators of “South Park” was in danger of closing. Sales were way off, there were plenty of empty seats, and the average high ticket price had dropped from around $800 to $168.
Then came the pandemic, and the more recent ouster of producer Scott Rudin over his toxic and violent behavior to employees. He’s also just not a nice guy in the most profound ways.
Rudin said he would “step back” from his productions, but basically he’s got a lot of stalking horses doing his bidding while he uses a remote control.
Now “Mormon” is returning to performances on November 5th. In a statement, authors Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Robert Lopez said, “When Broadway shut down, so many amazing and talented people were put out of work, many of whom had become family to us. As writers and as fans we are so ready for the “Great Broadway Comeback” and are so glad that our show can be a part of it. Can’t wait to be back with the entire team and our wonderful cast, crew, and orchestra.”
Since “Mormon” went on hiatus a lot of things have changed besides health regulations. Black Lives Matter rose in prominence, the cancel culture took hold, political correctness became paramount. “The Book of Mormon” might have trouble re-opening in that atmosphere. The show is very offensive in the best ways possible. Every laugh, even about “raping babies,” is such a shock that it’s a relief. I have a feeling “Mormon” may be more popular now that the audience is so exhausted by righteousness.
We’ll see what the response is when ticket sales resume on June 28th.
Bruce Springsteen, as he promised last week, has teamed up with The Killers for a new single.
“Dustland” may be the first of many different singles that Bruce is featured on this year including some tracks with John Mellencamp.
Bruce will commence his “Springsteen on Broadway” beginning June 26th, with scalpers having a field day, selling tickets for $3,000 or more and ripping off fans left and right. Fun!
So what do you get when Bruce is matched with Brandon Flowers? Um, sounds a little like Meatloaf to me. Maybe it’s a tribute to Jim Steinman.
LYRICS:
Dustland fairytale beginning
Just another white trash
County kiss
In Sixty one
Long brown hair and foolish eyes
He looks just like you want him to
Some kind of slick chrome American prince
A blue jean serenade
Moon River what’d you do to me
But I don’t believe you
Saw Cinderella in a party dress but
She was looking for a night gown
I saw the devil wrapping up his hands
He’s getting ready for the show down
I saw the minute that I turned away
I got my money on a pawn tonight
A change came in disguise of revelation
Set his soul on fire
She said she’d always knew he’d come around
And the decades disappear like sinking
Ships, but we persevere God gives us hope
But we still fear
What we don’t know
The mind is poison
Castle in the sky
Sit stranded vandalized
The drawbridge is closing
Saw Cinderella in a party dress but
She was looking for a night gown
I saw the devil wrapping up his hands
He’s getting ready for the show down
I saw the ending when they turned the page
I threw my money and I ran away
Straight to the Valley of the Great Divide
Out where the dreams all hide
And where the wind don’t blow
Out here the good girls die
And the sky don’t snow
Out here the bird don’t sing
Out here the field don’t grow
Out here the bell don’t ring
Out here the bell don’t ring
Out here the good girls die
Now Cinderella don’t you go to sleep
It’s such a bitter form of refuge
Ah don’t you know the kingdom’s under siege
And everybody needs you
Is there still magic in the midnight sun
Or did you leave it back in sixty-one
In the cadence of a young man’s eyes
Out where the dreams all hide
Numbers for Mayim Bialik’s first week of guest hosting are in, and they are bad. The “Big Bang Theory” star pulled in just 4.9 million viewers, the lowest ratings so far among the guest hosts.
Bialik tied Dr. Oz for second lowest rating, and just narrowly beat Anderson Cooper’s 4.8 million.
So far, the guest hosts have been a ratings disaster, all of them except for Ken Jennings.
Savannah Guthrie starts tonight. We still have George Stephanopolous, Robin Roberts, and LeVar Burton to look forward to.
Then presumably Jennings will get the job beginning in September.
I like Mayim Bialik in principle but what were they thinking?
