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Golden Globes in Crisis Again as HFPA Members Oust Co-CEO And Put Their January 2026 CBS Awards Show in Peril

Roger Friedman
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Golden Globes in Crisis Again as HFPA Members Oust Co-CEO And Put Their January 2026 CBS Awards Show in Peril

The Golden Globes are in a crisis again.

On Thursday 59 of the 60 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association ousted CEO Helene Hoehne.

The HFPA is trying to revive itself after Todd Boehly and Jay Penske “bought” the Globes from them after scandal after scandal.

The HFPA was supposedly disbanded and members were offered salaries to stay on. But Boehly and Penske reneged after one year, setting in motion a calamity.

It turns out the takeover was never approved officially by the California State Attorney General per The Ankler. The HFPA members have jumped on that loophole to nix the deal.

The problem is Boehly and Penske also own Dick Clark Productions, which produces the Golden Globes. They also signed a deal with CBS based on the theme that the Globes were no longer run by the HFPA and all their scandals — including not having Black members, and shady business practices — were resolved.

Former Variety editor Tim Gray was put in charge by Boehly and Penske (they own Variety and the Hollywood Reporter), with Hoehne as a co-chief. She appeared on last year’s CBS show as the group’s mouthpiece.

It’s unclear if CBS will continue with the show — set for this January — or if Dick Clark Productions will be involved. It’s pure chaos.

But it’s not surprising. The HFPA bridled about going legit. They were used to creature comforts like graft and a full time gravy train, basically blackmailing studios to get what they wanted. At the same time, studios kowtowed to them to get the imprimatur of “a Golden Globe” winner in their ads.

In reality, no one cares about the validity of the Globes. It’s the brand — and the name — that’s held in high esteem.

So what now? It’s going to get ugly, a perfect summer soap opera for Hollywood.

LLCool J Cancels July 4th Show in Philly Over City Worker Strike: “I will not perform across a picket line when people are hurting”

Roger Friedman
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LLCool J Cancels July 4th Show in Philly Over City Worker Strike: “I will not perform across a picket line when people are hurting”

Superstar rapper and TV star LL Cool J is a man of principles.

This evening he told his social media followers he will not be performing after all at the Wawa July 4th “Welcome America” concert in Philadelphia on Friday.

The reason? AFSCME District Council 33 workers are on strike in Philadelphia trying to get higher pay and health care benefits.
City workers have stopped doing their jobs and are on picket lines everywhere.

“I will not perform across a picket line when people are hurting,” says the noble rapper, whose real name is James Todd Smith.

District Council 33 represents about 9,000 city workers in services handled by the Sanitation Department, Water Department, Police Dispatch, Streets Department, maintenance at the airport and so on. The union left negotiations with Mayor Cherelle Parker and her administration without a new contract in place.

LL Cool J says he will be in Philly in case things change, but if they don’t, the festival will not get to hear him.

The show’s other headliner, Jazmine Sullivan, hasn’t said if she will go on anyway.

Barbra Streisand’s Duets Album “Partners II” Finishes First Week at Number 1 on Amazon, Top 25 in Downloads

Roger Friedman
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Barbra Streisand’s Duets Album “Partners II” Finishes First Week at Number 1 on Amazon, Top 25 in Downloads

Barbra Streisand had a big first week with her “Partners II” duets album.

The collection of songs is finishing its debut week at number 1 on Amazon bestsellers of CDs and vinyl.

On hitsdailydouble.com, “Partners II” came in at number 23 with 21,000 albums and paid downloads.

The album features Barbra with Sting, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Sam Smith, Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande, Hozier, Laufey, and more.

The opening week is pretty good without any actual promotion. Streisand hasn’t committed to any TV appearances so far. I’m sure several of her duet partners would be happy to join her on “CBS Sunday Morning” or a late night show.

The album — a hit from top to bottom — no duds — is produced by Walter Afanasieff and Peter Asher. This duo got performances out of Barbra we haven’t heard in years.

Meantime, Bruce Springsteen’s “Tracks II” made about $3 million in its first week. Not bad.

Watch both albums build audience over the summer.

PS Hey Sony: release “I’m Not Sleeping” an impact track from Bruce.

Google Sets Eye on Destroying Small Publishers with AI, Changes Algorithm to Wipe Out Traffic, Causes Huge Drops

Roger Friedman
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Google Sets Eye on Destroying Small Publishers with AI, Changes Algorithm to Wipe Out Traffic, Causes Huge Drops

If you’re following the AI story, it’s a shitshow for small publishers.

I urge you to follow two Twitter accounts: @barryschwartz and @glenngabe. They keep track of the traffic on the internet.

Yesterday, G/O Media threw in the towel. All their sites are gone or sold off. They couldn’t generate web traffic anymore.

Google often institutes “core updates.” This is PR-speak “we’ve changed the algorithm so no one can find you.”

Around March 1st, as AI came in, traffic went off a cliff for most publishers. It has not and will not return. Last month, Google added an AI choice to their search engine.

The way AI affects publishers is that when you search any term — from “cancer” to “Kim Kardashian” — AI presents you with their own answer drawn from websites but lacking links.

The blue links that take you to websites like this one have been pushed all the way down on the page and made irrelevant. Some people still flip through the blue links, but mostly the AI answer seems to satisfy curiosity.

Read here how “no clicks” has grown to 69% of Google search from 56%. By the time the Google lawsuits are sorted out, it won’t matter to publishers whose businesses have been destroyed.

It’s not just Google, by the way. It all search engines. Donald Trump should be thrilled: AI will wipe out individual honest, subjective reporting and replace it with one voice. Of course, among the many problems there is that AI is wrong most of the time. And there’s no way of correcting it.

The new Google core update was announced a couple of days ago. In reality, it started around 10 days ago. Traffic to sites has been destroyed as Google has started promoting their AI function right on the page. Of course, one downside for them is that they will need fewer and fewer workers to help index sites because they’ll all be wiped out. But soon Google will be down to around 8 people sitting in a room in Mountainview, California laughing at all of us.

Every so often I email a Google exec involved with search. I met her about 8 years at a cocktail party in Los Angeles. She hasn’t returned one message in 7 years. It’s impossible to speak to anyone at Google, they are walled off from the world. One guy, named John Mueller, is supposedly their liaison via Twitter. But he’s just a cheerleader for the company.

It’s a bad time. A PEW study last week said readers who get to sites with paywalls just go away. Only 1% sign up for subscriptions. A lot of writers have Substack accounts but it’s unclear how many actual subscribers they have or what revenue they generate.

Some sites — like this one — have DONATE buttons if readers want to chip in. Without public help, even with advertising (and not Google Adsense, which also trying to shut out publishers), the party is over.

Happy fourth of July!

“Jurassic World: Rebirth” Is No Dinosaur: Newest Installment of Spielberg Classic Opens Midweek to $30 Million

Roger Friedman
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“Jurassic World: Rebirth” Is No Dinosaur: Newest Installment of Spielberg Classic Opens Midweek to $30 Million

Wowza.

“Jurassic World: Rebirth” opened last night to an astonishing $30 million.

You read that right.

Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey kissing on every red carpet really did the trick even though she’s married and he’s gay.

The movie co-stars two time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali. Bravo!

This proves Steven Spielberg’s original idea is no dinosaur.

On Monday, “Rebirth” could have banked $150 million or more.

It’s a surprise since “Rebirth” was panned by critics — 58% — has a 73 on the audience meter and a B Cinemascore.

The first “Jurassic Park” movie was released in 1993. I think this is the seventh chapter.

The most recent installment, in 2018, called “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” made $1.3 billion worldwide.

I’ll say it every day this weekend: “Dyno-mite!”

The Last of Him: Video Game Maker Out at HBO Show After 2nd Season Tanked in Ratings and with Fans, Craig Mazin Taking Over

Roger Friedman
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The Last of Him: Video Game Maker Out at HBO Show After 2nd Season Tanked in Ratings and with Fans, Craig Mazin Taking Over

Goodbye Neil Druckmann.

The creator of the video game, “The Last of Us,” is out at HBO as co-showrunner of the TV show.

Craig Mazin is now in charge.

By following Druckmann’s game to the letter, “The Last of Us” devolved into chaos in its second season. In episode 2 star Pedro Pascal’s Joel was killed violently and viciously.

Then Bella Ramsey took over as the lead, and the show went very woke and completely off the rails. The great relationship between Joel and Ellie was gone. Guest stars came and went. It was impossible to follow, and no one cared.

The rationale is that this is what happened in the video game. Come on, it’s a video game. It’s not set up to keep fans for five seasons. Suddenly we were watching “The Walking Dead,” which was canceled a long time ago.

The show needs a strong male lead. It won’t survive with just Ellie and her pals. Pascal has moved on, so he probably can’t come back. Joel is also dead, but you never know…

It’s time to write “The Last of Us” like a series HBO wants us to watch. Let’s hope this decision pushes the series in that direction.

Sean Diddy Combs Beats 3 of 5 Charges, But Still Faces 20 Years in Jail and a Ruined Career, Reputation

Roger Friedman
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Sean Diddy Combs Beats 3 of 5 Charges, But Still Faces 20 Years in Jail and a Ruined Career, Reputation

Sean Diddy Combs got a split decision today from his jury of peers.

He beat three of his five charges and was convicted of two of them. He was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering, convicted on two counts of prostitution.

Combs faces a possible but unlikely 20 years in jail. He will still spend time in jail but five years is probably the top end.

There will be no White Party or Fourth of July freak off this weekend.

Diddy’s lawyers will definitely appeal the convictions. His lawyers have already asked the judge to release him to home detention.

Meantime, Combs’s reputation and career are ruined. No liquor company or record company will ever do business with him. He’s been convicted of prostitution. So almost everything is off the table.

There’s no way Diddy will overcome the hotel video of him beating Cassie Ventura, or any of the discussion of “freak offs” with male escorts.

Now that the case has been decided, watch for insiders to try and sell their stories. Plenty of people who were not called by the prosecutors will come out of the woodwork, don’t worry.

As for Diddy who once sampled The Police song, every breath he takes, they’ll be watching him.

Is it a victory? Only if you don’t mind your entire disgusting personal life laid out for the world to see.

Stay tuned…

Travis Kelce Admits He’s “A Guy That Can’t Really Read That Well,” His “SNL” Hosting Was “A Kind of F***ed Situation”

Roger Friedman
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Travis Kelce Admits He’s “A Guy That Can’t Really Read That Well,” His “SNL” Hosting Was “A Kind of F***ed Situation”

Travis Kelce has made a stunning admission on a podcast.

On “Bussin’ with the Boys,” Kelce — NFL star, boyfriend of Taylor Swift — described his time on “Saturday Night Live.”

When asked about working with the writers, the 35 year old Kansas City Chiefs tight end says the table read was hard for a guy “that can’t really read that well.” He sums it up as a “fucked situation.”

You can see it on the video at 2:06.

Kelce is at the top of the NFL. He’s gone through back to back wins at the Super Bowl. Kelce graduated from the University of Cincinnati only in 2022 after leaving early in 2013 to go pro. Before that he graduated from Cleveland Heights High School. How did he get through all that schooling without being able to read properly?

It’s a heartbreaking admission. You can tell from his recollection of “SNL” he must have been petrified. The question is, hasn’t Taylor tried to help him? She’s super-verbal, a very sophisticated writer, almost an autodidact. Taylor Swift is the most prolific writer of songs maybe ever.

Kelce seems like a good guy. He should hire a tutor now and work on his literacy for his post-football life. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. If he hears about this post, he should contact Literacy Partners in New York. That’s why they exist.

Developing: Golden Globes More Chaos as Hollywood Foreign Press Reportedly Fighting with New Owner, May Return to Old Ways

Roger Friedman
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Developing: Golden Globes More Chaos as Hollywood Foreign Press Reportedly Fighting with New Owner, May Return to Old Ways

It’s always something with the Golden Globes.

Now Richard Rushfield of The Ankler reports that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has reared its ugly head again.

I’m so glad Richard has been reporting this story. I wrote it about for 20 years, only to get myself banned from the ceremony by the worst elements of the HFPA. Two years ago they wouldn’t invite me, but they used my picture in their promos. LOL.

You may recall that following numerous scandals, the HFPA was supposedly dissolved. The Globes were sold to Variety/Hollywood Reporter owners Jay Penske and Todd Boehly. They offered to give the remaining 60 members of the HFPA $75,000 salaries — which would encourage them to get off their various gravy trains.

Rushfield has been the case. He reported a few weeks ago that Penske and Boehly abruptly terminated the contract with those members saying they weren’t going to pay them anymore.

It turns out that whole sale of Penske/Boehly had to be approved by the California Attorney General. It was never was, and now the HFPA wants to take the Globes back and say adios to their new “owners.”

This will a lot of fun to watch. Penske and Boehly bought the Globes because they own Dick Clark Productions, which produces the show. Then they made a deal with CBS to air the show after NBC kicked it to the curb. The deal was possible because Penske and Boehly promised the past corruption had ended, there were now non-white members, and the prickly former members were gone.

But the HFPA is tenacious. Decades of swag, graft, and racism are hard to abandon. The HFPA was famous for members who had no bylines, taking studio paid trips around the world, and their own private press conferences with stars where they could get pictures and sometimes grab asses.

CBS may say that’s it if the HFPA is really back. That would eliminate networks because NBC won’t take them back and ABC has the Oscars.

Meantime, the Critics Choice Awards — 100% legit — have built up good will everywhere and air a week before the Globes on the E Channel and USA Network. The mishegos is at a minimum and all the members are professional and accounted for. Isn’t that the way to go now?

Jennifer Aniston Cast in the Unfortunately Titled — for Her — Series Adaptation of “I’m Glad My Mom Died”

Roger Friedman
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Jennifer Aniston Cast in the Unfortunately Titled — for Her — Series Adaptation of “I’m Glad My Mom Died”

This was not thought through by anyone.

Jennifer Aniston is adapting Jeannette McCurdy’s best seller, “I’m Glad My Mom Died.”

It’s for Apple TV, where Aniston has a hit with “The Morning Show.”

Aniston will play the mother — who I guess is/was dead — and has a difficult relationship with her daughter.

The title is unfortunate as Jennifer was famously estranged from her own mother, Nancy Dow, right up til her death.

Dow more or less lived in squalor and enjoyed no perks of being a famous actress’s daughter. Aniston wrote checks for medical care and that was it.

(I know another situation close to this, and it’s mind boggling. And Meg Ryan had a similar situation.)

Jennifer was angry that Dow wrote a book about her early days as “Friends” took off. But maybe Dow had to do that to survive. She’d been divorced from “Days of Our Lives” actor John Aniston a long time. Could she really have been so heinous?

Well, Jennifer is a terrific actress and must see possibilities in this material. But is it a good idea? Won’t she be asked about her own mother in every interview? You can hear the question now: Were you glad your mother died? Oy vey.

PS I just found a clip of Drew Barrymore interviewing McCurdy. That’s also unfortunate considering Drew has sequestered her mother, Jaid Barrymore, somewhere. No one’s seen or heard from her in years. She may be with Shelly Miscavige, for all we know!

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