Thursday, December 18, 2025
Home Blog Page 78

Justin Bieber’s “Swag” Album Debuts at Number 2 on iTunes But So Far No Singles Have Hit the Chart — Here’s Our Choice

Justin Bieber dropped his surprise album last night.

“Swag” has about 16 songs and 5 “interviews” with comedian Druski.

The album should have been called “Whine Collection.”

Fans sent the album straight up the iTunes top 100 albums to number 2. That’s pretty good for a release no one knew was coming.

With so many songs, you’d think there was an obvious single. So far, though, none has emerged. None of the tracks has hit the iTunes singles chart. Usually an album like this also places several “singles” on iTunes until one main hit is obvious.

That’s exactly what Billie Eilish saw happen with “Birds of a Feather.”

On YouTube, most of the audio videos have picked up an average of 400,000 views – not a lot.

The biggest so far is a very catchy little song called “Go Baby,” now at around 800,000 views.

The runner up is called “All I Can Take,” which has over 500,000 views. It’s the lead single on the album so maybe they thought that would be the single.

In any case, there’s no hit like “Peaches,” on which Bieber had two collaborator singers four years ago. “Swag” may have to survive without a mega hit. Time will tell.

In other news, there are reports that Justin has settled his financial issues with former manager, Scooter Braun. Who won? Braun. Who lost? Justin. It’s a classic music industry story. Justin, says People magazine, has to pay Braun $30 million in their divorce. Braun is now worth 20 times that, all thanks to Bieber. But that’s the way it goes.

Exclusive: Morgan Neville’s Paul McCartney Doc Could Be Going to Amazon Prime, Not Apple Home of the Beatles

0

You might have heard Paul McCartney is going on tour later this fall.

McCartney’s Got Back Tour is going to Canada, Las Vegas, and other remote points. No New York this time! Drat!

The ex Beatle also has a book coming out this fall about his time with his post-Fab Four group, Wings.

“Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run” is scheduled for November 4th, and I can’t wait.

But what about Oscar winner Morgan Neville’s documentary about Wings? What happened to “Man on the Run”? The film details how Paul picked up the pieces of the Beatles falling apart and embarked on a uniquely successful second career that ran through the 1980s.

The peak of this list of hits was 1974’s “Band on the Run.” But there were also blockbusters like “Live or Let Die,” “My Love,” “Listen to What the Man Said,” “Silly Love Songs,” and so on. The main Wings group included the great Linda McCartney and Denny Laine.

Most of the Beatles’ docs have come from Apple including Peter Jackson’s extraordinary mini series, “Get Back.” The Beatles have had a long association with Apple, going back to when Steve Jobs stole their name and logo.

But now I’m told that Amazon Prime wants the Neville film. Of course, Amazon and Apple each have all the money in the world. So they can really bid this thing up.

With the book coming November 4th, it would make sense to get the movie out around the same time. Even if it doesn’t get to the Oscars shortlist (celebrity and music docs rarely make it), the one-two punch would still be rockin’.

Extra note: there’s already sort of a soundtrack for “Man on the Run.” You can buy it now. “One Hand Clapping” covers Wings rehearsals with live performances from the “Band on the Run” era. The production is sensational with some of the best versions of those songs.

“Superman” Starts With Huge Previews Despite Talk About Being “Woke” and If a Space Visitor is an Alien

0

“Superman” flew high last night in previews.

Total take was $22.5 million (I predicted $22 mil).

The weekend should come in over $100 million, maybe as much as $120 million.

This is despite Fox News and crazy people on social media carping about wokeness and whether or not Superman is an immigrant.

Superman is a space alien from Krypton. His planet exploded, he’s a refugee. He’s actually Moses, if you think about it, a baby set in swaddling clothes and instead of being sent down a river was jettisoned into space.

Still, if he were real, Stephen Miller and Tom Homan would come after him with denouncements.

We need Superman now to vanquish anyone conducting kidnappings off the street. Superman would fly to Sudan and Guatanamo and release the victims.

But I digress.

Warner Bros. is having an amazing year. A new star is born in David Corenswet, who better make a bunch of movies small and big so he’s not pigeonholed as Clark Kent. Rachel Brosnahan’s career is made.

James Gunn? He’s the king of DC Universe. They needed one!

PS I’m a little surprised Warner’s didn’t partner with Moscot or some eyeglass place for Clark Kent spectacles. There is a Superman watch I have my eye on, however. Looks cool!

Surprise! Richie Sambora Drops Clip of New “Born to Rock” Solo Single as a Birthday Gift to Us! We Need More!

0

Happy Birthday, Richie Sambora!

The great ex-Bon Jovi guitarist and underrated vocalist turns 66 today.

He’s posted a 1:12 sound clip of a new solo single called “Born to Rock.”

It’s absolutely great! We need more, like the whole song, and an album would be nice.

A Richie comeback is as welcome as can be. Bring it on! Happy Birthday to one of rock’s unsung heroes!

Who wants to hear the rest of this song?

“Superman” Previews Sell Out, Eyeing $22 Mil Thursday, Audience Rating Skyrockets to 95%, Repeat Business Ahead

0

Warner Bros.– aka DC Comics — has a massive hit in “Superman.”

The James Gunn directed reboot is looking at a $22 million Thursday in previews.

A $100 mil weekend is predicted.

Reviews are good — at 82% on Rotten Tomatoes.

But the RT audience rating is 95%. The people who saw it tonight loved it.

David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan star in what will be the first of three movies with this gang.

Back when Richard Donner directed the first two “Superman” Movies in 1978 and 1980, sequels were not a “thing.” The third and fourth installments had no quality control.

But now, all the chapters should have a pretty great consistent pedigree with Gunn and his DC Comics co-chief Peter Safran.

Kudos to Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy at Warner Bros. They’ve had a banner six months. This is the cherry on top of the sundae.

BOLD MOVE Justin Bieber Drops “Swag” First New Album in Four Years, Written By Teams of Grammy Winning Songwriters

0

Justin Bieber has dropped his first album in four years, it’s called “Swag,”

In a bold move, Bieber is singing songs written and produced by Grammy nominee Carter Lang and a group of professionals including Tobias Jesso, Eddie Benjamin, and Dylan Wiggins.

Lang won Grammys with SZA in 2024 and 2025.

Jesso has had hits with Adele.

Rather than write his own music during a time of personal upheaval, Bieber has turned to the experts.

It’s a bold move. He’s reviving his career with carefully crafted pop songs.

The only reveal of Justin’s inner life are interstitial “interviews” with a comedian named Druski. One of them is called “Therapy Session.”

Lang has written hits for Post Malone, SZA, Doja Cat, and Lil Nas X and other current pop stars. I have to say these songs are very, very good for top 40 pop. They will get a lot of airplay.

Lang is about 40 years old, and has real musical training. By morning, everyone will want to talk to him. A star is born, after two decades!

Lang’s name is listed as “writer” on all the YouTube videos released tonight by Universal Music. On the Wikipedia page, there are teams — from 8 to 12 collaborators — for each song.

Here’s the title track:

All I Can Take– written by Carter Lang

Joaquin Phoenix, A24 Walking into a Buzzsaw with Reaction to Next Week’s Two and a Half Hour “Eddington”

0

While “Superman” soars high this weekend, next weekend may bring disappointment for another film.

Ari Aster’s “Eddington” is coming from A24, and it looks like a big problem.

Despite an all star cast with Joaquin Phoenix and the ubiquitous Pedro Pascal, “Eddington” looks like it will follow Aster’s “Beau is Afraid” into the abyss.

Reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are not friendly. The score so far is 68%. The movie is also two and a half hours long.

The bad reviews are bad.

The Hollywood Reporter: If Hereditary and Midsommar got under the skin with genuinely scary storytelling and startling imagery and Beau is Afraid was equal parts squirmy and maddening, Eddington is just annoying and empty.

Vanity Fair: A better film would tightly synthesize the macro with the micro, but Aster instead lets them hang discordant next to one another, clanging in the desert wind.

Even the ‘fresh’ reviews on Rotten Tomatoes have a kick to them.

New York Magazine: “I didn’t love it — I’m honestly not sure I’d even say I liked it — but it gets at the way our shared reality fractured in ways that may be irreparable, leaving a situation ripe for grifters and opportunists to step in and take over.”

South china Morning Post: “Eddington can be a slog at times, but there’s no doubting Aster has an abundance of ideas about what to say about his nation.”

I’m told by spies that “Eddington” wastes a lot of potential, not to mention name actors, on a social satire about COVID and the lockdown.

Yikes! A24 Studios is very adept at creating cult of personality type following for its indie films even the movies themselves are not good. Ari Aster had two intellectual horror films — “Hereditary” and “Midsommar” — but “Beau is Afraid” fell flat and then some. “Eddington” seems to be going in that direction.

“Scrubs” is Back: Those Zach Braff- Donald Faison T Mobile Ads Pay Off in Revival of 2000’s Sitcom

0

Bill Lawrence’s “Scrubs” ran from 2001-2010.

The half hour sitcom about zany doctors in a hospital starred Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Sarah Chalke, Judy Reyes, and John C. McGinley.

Since then, Braff and Faison have appeared together in many T Movie commercials and promoted their friendship endlessly.

All that work pays off. ABC is reviving the show this fall. We didn’t ask for it, but there it is.

Braff, Faison, and Chalke have signed on. Most certainly, Lawrence’s actress wife Christa Miller will return as well.

All the actors are approximately 50 years old, which means there will have to a new batch of young, irreverent people who will annoy the now old formerly young whippersnappers who will find themselves suddenly forced to be mature. Yikes.

Will there jokes about Medicare and Medicaid being removed? Illegal aliens snatched from the ER waiting room? COVID deaths? Vaccine discussions?

It doesn’t seem to matter that every revival of a 2000s sitcom has failed, from “Frasier” to “Night Court” to “Murphy Brown.” The only exception I can think of is “Will and Grace,” which did marginally better.

During its run “Scrubs” won no major Emmy Awards, although it did have some nominations. It squeaked by as a show you forgot was on the air, and didn’t bother anyone.

And yet, it’s back. Maybe T Mobile is the sponsor.

Couldn’t they have come back as a similar but different show, a la “The Pitt” and “ER”?

This is why the networks are dying.

Justin Bieber: Billboards Go Up for New Album Called “Swag,” Including Song “Therapy Session” — Release Tonight?

0

Well, well.

While smoking dope until his eyes are glazed, posting messages about his depression and his belief in fake churches, Justin Bieber seems to have made a new album.

“Swag” appears to be the title. It’s his first album since “Justice” was released in March 2021. A tour following that album was cancelled before it got started, with Bieber incurring a lot of debt.

“Swag” will most certainly go to number 1 immediately on iTunes. But will it have legs? Are there hits? Does anyone care anymore? I guess we’re going to find out.

Tracks include “Therapy Session” and “All I Can Take.” One title is “405,” which may be about getting stuck on life’s highway. Or just getting traffic tickets.

Justin has also launched a merch website called skylrk.com. He’s selling really ugly sunglasses for $200, uncomfortable looking slippers for $180, and $160 hoodies — because there aren’t enough of any of those items in the world.

Keep refreshing…

Larry David Coming Back to HBO with Comedy Sketch Show Featuring “Curb” Actors: What About Cheryl Hines?

0

This sounds pretty, pretty good.

Larry David is coming back to HBO with a 30 minute comedy sketch series.

The twist? Beloved former president Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are executive producers.

The logline: President and Mrs. Obama wanted to honor America’s 250th anniversary and celebrate the unique history of our nation on this special occasion.
…But then Larry David called.

Jeff Schaffer, who ran “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” is back, too, along with many of the hit series’ actors like Jeff Garlin and Susie Essman.

Obama says, ““I’ve sat across the table from some of the world’s most difficult leaders and wrestled with some of our most intractable problems. Nothing has prepared me for working with Larry David.”

But Cheryl Hines? Now complicitly a Trumper and married to crazy Robert Kennedy Jr., it seems doubtful that Hines will be welcome by the cast and crew, let alone the audience. Of course they could do sketches about measles, or the color of M&Ms.

Larry says: “Once ‘Curb’ ended, I celebrated with a three-day foam party. After a violent allergic reaction to the suds, I yearned to return to my simple life as a beekeeper, harvesting organic honey from the wildflowers in my meadow. Alas, one day my bees mysteriously vanished. And so, it is with a heavy heart that I return to television, hoping to ease the loss of my beloved hive.”

Larry says the untitled show will just be six episodes. But that’s what he said 25 years ago when he started “Curb,” and it lasted 12 seasons.

No word yet if the show will be live on tape, live period, or on film like “Curb.” I wish he’d bring in Tracey Ullman. Then it would be perfect!