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“Jurassic Park: Rebirth” Stomps All Over Box Office, Takes in $147 Mil for July 4th Holiday, 2nd Biggest in Franchise

Roger Friedman
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“Jurassic Park: Rebirth” Stomps All Over Box Office, Takes in $147 Mil for July 4th Holiday, 2nd Biggest in Franchise

The dinosaurs will all be looking for raises tomorrow.

“Jurassic World: Rebirth” was just the blockbuster Hollywood needed.

The Steven Spielberg spin off took in $147 million over the holiday, from Wednesday through today.

This makes it the second biggest “Jurassic” opening, beating “Dominion,” the last iteration, by $2 million.

The biggest opening was for the 2015 entry, “Jurassic World,” which was a monster with over a $200 mil start.

“Rebirth” is the hit of the summer so far. But “Superman” is lurking, and I predict he will fly high. The James Gunn is still a day away from the critical embargo lifting on social media. But I’ll tell you now, it’s extremely entertaining. (Just an observation, not a review yet.)

Elsewhere at the box office: “The Materialists” is dematerializing as it lost over 900 screens this weekend. Heading to a $34 million take. The movie cost at least $25 million.

“F!” is still cranking along, having finally crossed the $100 mil mark this weekend. “Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning” is aiming to make $200 million by mid week.

Me? I’m finishing up “The Bear” today. It’s a drama, not a comedy. Someone tell the awards groups. It’s a great drama. But there is very little funny about it, just a chuckle here and there.

Alligator Alcatraz Merch All Over Amazon, ebay: MAGA Thinks A Dangerous US Concentration Camp Is Hilarious

Roger Friedman
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Alligator Alcatraz Merch All Over Amazon, ebay: MAGA Thinks A Dangerous US Concentration Camp Is Hilarious

MAGA thinks a dangerous concentration camp for detained immigrants is hilarious.

There are currently dozens, maybe hundreds, of listings for merchandise celebrating “Alligator Alcatraz.”

Alligator Alcatraz is an immigration detention facility erected at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport inside Big Cypress National Preserve in Ochopee, Florida.

According to reports, the hastily constructed detention camp in the Everglades that began processing immigrant detainees late this week has already flooded once, may not meet hurricane codes, and is not officially approved or funded by the federal government.

Donald Trump, the King of Cruelty, has already joked about detainees being eaten by alligators in the waters surrounding the prison.

“The risk of mosquito-borne disease at this site is significant,” said Durland Fish, a professor emeritus of epidemiology at the Yale University School of Public Health, told the Washington Post. The paper observes that  the viruses detected during a mosquitos study he conducted in the Everglades — including at Big Cypress Swamp, where the detention center is located — can cause neurological damage, including encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain. 

MAGA thinks it’s all very funny. They are such racists all they can think about is brown people being tortured or devoured.

This shameful move by Trump will be recorded in history as a horror. But in the present, Trump has created an affront to humanity.

On amazon and ebay, there are a multitude of postcards (48 sold so far) and caps and T shirts that go for up to 30 bucks apiece. There’s also a minted coin made by an ICE agent. Many shirt are emblazoned with a logo that reads: Nature’s Own Border Patrol. Jeff Bezos, owner of Amazon, must be so proud, having just held a $50 million wedding in Venice, Italy. His guests — all celebrities from Oprah and Gayle to Kardashians — must feel pretty good. 

Six Degrees of Bruce: The Connection Between Emmylou Harris’s Version of a Springsteen and “The Bear”

Roger Friedman
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Season 4, Episode of “The Bear” runs 69 minutes long and will win an Emmy one day.

Will it be this fall or next fall? Who knows? “The Bear,” like most streaming shows, runs counter to the Emmy Awards schedule. You can never tell what season the Emmys are judging.

Like all “The Bear” episodes, number is full of music. Actually, this episode — about a family wedding that doesn’t explode — has an incredible 15 songs. Fifteen! “The Bear” has some music budget. None of it comes cheap.

Episode 7 includes songs by Taylor Swift, Lou Reed, Darlene Love, Pearl Jam, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Them (Van Morrison), and Everything But the Girl. But the highlight is the final song: Bruce Springsteen’s “Tougher than the Rest.”

The hitch is that Bruce is not singing it. “The Bear” uses a lost 1990 cover version by Emmylou Harris that is so good someone should release it to iTunes as a single. Harris’s voice is just magic, and the arrangement is reminiscent of the E Street Band.

Is it pure luck that a Springsteen song is included in a TV series? Bruce never used to let his songs into movie soundtracks. Remember the whole dust up when Peter Bogdanovich wanted Bruce’s songs for “Mask”? He was turned down, and Bob Seger’s music was used instead. It was only years later that Bruce’s songs were added to the director’s cut.

But as luck would have it, “The Bear” star Jeremy Allen White plays Springsteen in the new Scott Cooper movie, “Deliver Me From Nowhere.” We’ll be seeing this movie in the fall. So it couldn’t have been too hard to clear “Tougher” for “The Bear.” It should be noted that this is the first time a Springsteen song made it into “The Bear.”

As for “The Bear”: it’s a drama, not a comedy. It has few laughs, although episode 7 has the most in some time. It’s also extraordinarily well written, acted, and directed. Christopher Storer has a way of giving every actor a defining scene. This episode guest stars Brie Larson and Josh Hartnett. But my favorite line goes to John Mulaney, whose observation about Bob Odenkirk’s character is best of all. “I’ve met him 9 times,” Mulaney says, “and I still don’t know who he is.”

Box Office: July 4th Dino-might for “Jurassic World: Rebirth” with $26 Million, Heading to $130 Mil Holiday Take

Roger Friedman
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Box Office: July 4th Dino-might for “Jurassic World: Rebirth” with $26 Million, Heading to $130 Mil Holiday Take

Everyone at Universal Pictures must be very happy.

Not only have they revived dinosaurs, but also a franchise.

Thirty two years after the original “Jurassic Park,” the film’s great grandchild is scoring box office success.

“Jurassic World: Rebirth” made another $26 million yesterday, bringing its grand total to $82 million.

Now Universal is looking at a $130 million holiday take from Wednesday through Sunday.

Dino-might!

The new edition, directed by Gareth Edwards and produced by Steven Spielberg, stars Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, and Rupert Friend.

It’s basically a rehash of the first few movies, updated with contemporary actors.

The dinosaurs are said to be related to the original ones used in “Jurassic Park,” although now they get a bigger piece of the action. Also, this time there’s more diversity in the kinds of dinosaurs, giving some that wouldn’t have had these opportunities in the 1990s.

Expect two more of these Rebirth movies in coming years. One is called “Pre-birth” and the other “Afterbirth.”


Marjorie Taylor Greene Introducing Bill to Prevent “General Hospital” Story About Weather Changing Machine: She Believes It

Roger Friedman
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Marjorie Taylor Greene Introducing Bill to Prevent “General Hospital” Story About Weather Changing Machine: She Believes It

Back in 1981, the soap “General Hospital” rose to huge ratings with a story called “The Ice Princess.”

A local villain had developed a machine that could alter the weather, and was going to implement it unless the show’s heroes, Luke and Laura, stopped him.

Marjorie Taylor Greene would have been seven years old at the time and was no doubt getting her formal education from being parked in front of the TV.

This may explain everything about her. She obviously has had that story in the back of her so called mind for 40 plus years.

She wrote this morning on Twitter X:

“I am introducing a bill that prohibits the injection, release, or dispersion of chemicals or substances into the atmosphere for the express purpose of altering weather, temperature, climate, or sunlight intensity. It will be a felony offense. I have been researching weather modification and working with the legislative counsel for months writing this bill. It will be similar to Florida’s Senate Bill 56. We must end the dangerous and deadly practice of weather modification and geoengineering.”

It’s not a shock to learn that the Florida State Senate has just created a similar weather implementation bill. The soap was so big at the time– when there were only a handful of TV channels — that they did the same thing.

It absolutely tracks that most of MTG’s actions and words come from narrative television circa the early to mid 80s. Again this explains everything.

Viva rural Georgia!

Shocker: Julian McMahon, Star of “Nip Tuck,” “FBI,” “Charmed,” “Fantastic Four” Dies at 56 from Cancer

Roger Friedman
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Shocker: Julian McMahon, Star of “Nip Tuck,” “FBI,” “Charmed,” “Fantastic Four” Dies at 56 from Cancer

“Nip Tuck” star Julian McMahon has died at age 56.

“With an open heart, I wish to share with the world that my beloved husband, Julian McMahon, died peacefully this week after a valiant effort to overcome cancer,” McMahon’s wife, Kelly McMahon, said in a statement. “Julian loved life. He loved his family. He loved his friends. He loved his work, and he loved his fans. His deepest wish was to bring joy into as many lives as possible. We ask for support during this time to allow our family to grieve in privacy. And we wish for all of those to whom Julian brought joy, to continue to find joy in life. We are grateful for the memories.”

McMahon’s career skyrocketed after he debuted on the NBC soap “Another World” in 1993.

He starred as ambitious plastic surgeon Christian Troy in “Nip/Tuck,” but he was more recently the star of “FBI.” He’s also known for “Charmed” and “Fantastic Four.”

The death — and news of the cancer — explains why McMahon suddenly dropped out of “FBI” in March 2022 when the show was booming in the ratings.

McMahon was born in Sydney, Australia, on July 27, 1968. His father, Billy McMahon, served as Prime Minister of Australia from 1971 to 1972.

McMahon oddly died at a hospital in Clearwater, Florida, the home of religious cult Scientology. “Nip/Tuck” actually addressed Scientology in at least one episode, a rarity for a Hollywood show.

July 4th Fireworks: Trump Insiders Musk, Bannon Trade Stinging Barbs as Tesla DOGE Chief Calls Ex Con: “Fat, Drunken Slob”

Roger Friedman
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July 4th Fireworks: Trump Insiders Musk, Bannon Trade Stinging Barbs as Tesla DOGE Chief Calls Ex Con: “Fat, Drunken Slob”

Here we go.

July4th fireworks as Steve Bannon and Elon Musk mix it up.

Bannon called out Musk on right wing TV for not being American and threatens to deport him.

Musk responds that Bannon is a “fat, drunken slob.” He predicts Bannon, an ex con, will go back to prison for his “lifetime of crime.”

So great! Place your bets.

Musk wins, in my book. I’m using his picture because I can’t bear to look at Bannon.

UPDATE: Wawa Fest Headliner Jazmine Sullivan Follows LL Cool J, Refuses to Perform Over Philly City Worker Strike

Roger Friedman
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UPDATE: Wawa Fest Headliner Jazmine Sullivan Follows LL Cool J, Refuses to Perform Over Philly City Worker Strike

Philadelphia’s planned holiday celebration has been severely diminished by a serious city wide strike among municipal workers.

R&B star Jazmine Sullivan has also bowed out of Philadelphia’s Fourth of July celebration.

Sullivan joins LL Cool J, the Wawa Festival’s other headliner, in declining to perform.

Both performers are joining DC33, the union currently on strike in Philly, covering most municipal workers.

DC33 is trying to get health insurance and livable wages from the city.

Read my previous story here.

Sullivan posted: “In this life we are only measured by how we uphold our morals and standards, by what we choose to fight for through participation or protest.”

Bravo to both performers!

Broadway Great Paul Libin, 94, Died This Week: Won a Lifetime Tony Award for Being a Quiet Giant in Theater History

Roger Friedman
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Broadway Great Paul Libin, 94, Died This Week: Won a Lifetime Tony Award for Being a Quiet Giant in Theater History

I’ve been waiting for the New York Times to write an obit for Paul Libin.

The Broadway great, winner of a lifetime Tony Award, was a quiet giant in American theater.

Paul’s death is one of the last notes in the greatest chapter even in Broadway. I’ve included his Playbill obit here, and his Tony Award acceptance speech.

I was lucky enough to get to know Paul and his wife, Florence, over the last couple of decades — mostly on opening nights. He was an eminence grise, a repository of so much Broadway history, and full of great insights. He was also fun, don’t worry. Paul had seen everything during his time in showbiz, and I really appreciated the time he took to talk to me.

Condolences to his family and friends. I will really miss seeing Paul, always natty and full of enthusiasm, this theater season.

Thursday Box Office: “Jurassic World: Rebirth” Stomps Out $25 Mil Blockbuster-saurus, Threatens July 4th Madness

Roger Friedman
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Thursday Box Office: “Jurassic World: Rebirth” Stomps Out $25 Mil Blockbuster-saurus, Threatens July 4th Madness

Happy July 4th!

Yesterday, “Jurassic World: Rebirth” caused more mayhem at the box office.

The Scarlett Johansson dino-thon racked up $25 million more damage, making the two day take $55 million.

Chomp, chomp. (Don’t you love all these cliches and puns?)

With $55 million to start, “Rebirth” is in the $135-$150 million zone for the weekend.

Directed by Gareth Edwards and written by David Koepp, produced by Steven Spielberg, “Rebirth” is a throwback to the original “Jurassic” excitement. Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, and Rupert Friend star in the blockbuster-saurus.

Good news for Scarlett: she can afford to buy fresh lobster this weekend in Montauk! Shazam!

With “F1” still drawing audiences, and “How to Train Your Dragon” riding high at $210 million, it’s like an old fashioned holiday weekend.

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