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Sinatra as a Character Name? And a Mobster? “Law & Order Organized Crime” Goes There for the First Time Ever

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In all these years of mob films and TV shows, mobsters named in dramatic pieces and so on, there has never been one named Sinatra.*

Until tonight.

“Law & Order Organized Crime” featured a mob family named Sinatra. Father Manfredi, played by Chazz Palminteri, was killed off at the end of the first episode. His son, Richard, played by Dylan McDermott, takes the name Wheatley. He will be a regular character. But the name Sinatra remains.

Until tonight, the only Sinatras were the family of Frank, the most famous popular singer of all time. During Frank’s lifetime he battled the idea that he was mobbed up or had mob associates. Time was a factor in getting rid of that notion, right or wrong, leaving just Frank’s mellifluous voice and his occasional movie roles as his legacy.

But now it seems we’re going to get a weekly dose of the Sinatra crime family on “Organized Crime,” a show very unlike other “Law & Order” installments. So far, “Organized Crime” seems like it will be about Elliot Stabler seeking justice for the killing of his wife, Kathy. There’s very little law, or order. Or ensemble opportunities, unless the focus changes. This is Elliot Stabler’s show.

Getting rid of Kathy was essential. Elliot needed something to avenge, hence her murder. Also, the sexual chemistry between Chris Meloni and Marisa Hargitay is still there. Benson and Stabler are headed to something, probably during May sweeps. In the morning we’ll see how the ratings were. My guess is they were good.

As for Sinatra, there are other Sinatras out there in the world. But the name has the same resonance as Ketchup or Kleenex. This was an odd choice for the Dick Wolf crowd. We’ll see if Nancy or Tina, Frank’s daughters, have anything to say about it.

Tonight’s Stabler-Benson Reunion on “Law & Order SVU”: A Couple of Trivia Notes for the Fans

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I don’t know how much fans already know about tonight’s Stabler-Benson reunion on “Law & Order SVU.”

But I did ask an insider with the show what they could tell me that wouldn’t be categorized as a spoiler.

For what it’s worth, here’s what I got:

Director Juan Campanella directed tonight’s show. He goes back to Season 1 in 2000 with Mariska Hargitay and Chris Meloni in the the first season, so they had a reunion, too. Campanella left the show in 2010 and didn’t return until this past fall.

The first time you’ll see Elliot Stabler in “SVU” tonight is a bar scene with Fin, aka Ice T.

In some of the previews, we’ve seen the detectives outside at night. I’m told that the roof top scene between Benson and Stabler was shot on what may have been the coldest night of the year, half a block from the Hudson River.

There’s no faking on “Law & Order.” New York is their stage set.

See you at 9pm.

Tonight “Law & Order SVU” Could Have Its Biggest Audience Ever with the Return of Elliot Stabler and Actor Christopher Meloni

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“Law & Order SVU” returns tonight with its first show since February 25th– and a big big BIG twist. Elliot Stabler is back, too, after 12 years, in the person of Christopher Meloni.

“SVU” is on NBC at 9pm with the first part of a crossover to Meloni’s new “Organized Crime,” which airs at 10pm. Meloni’s co-stars include a marquee name– Dylan McDermott — plus Tamara Taylor and Danielle Moné Truitt.

The publicity for this anticipated reunion between Mariska Hargitay’s Olivia Benson and Meloni’s Stabler is off the hook. “SVU” is in its 22nd season, Back when Meloni was a regular, the ratings were around 10 or 11 million. Last year the season average was a pretty healthy 6.5 million. This season the average has been a little under 4 million.

So Meloni’s appearance, and future crossover and guest spots back and forth on the two shows should give the ratings a much needed pop. After all, the idea is to get “SVU” to its 25th season somehow. Maybe next year we’ll see Paul Sorvino or Benjamin Bratt return to the “Law & Order” fold.

Of course, the big competition tonight is ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” where star Ellen Pompeo has been in coma all season, spending her time at the beach as Meredith. The “Grey’s” ratings have been in a steady decline, and the show could be wrapping up its 17 year run.

Charts: Justin Bieber Gets No “Justice” as New Album Displaced at Number 1 After 1 Week, Topped on Singles Chart Too

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Justin Bieber’s peaches have turned sour.

His new Justice album debuted at number 1 last week. But tomorrow, when week 2 is counted up, “Justice” will fall to the second spot.

The new number  will be Rod Wave’s “Soulfly.” Who is Rod Wave? A nobody, but the Bieber album was a weak launch, the fans are fickle, Travis Bickle.

Bieber is also vanquished on the singles chart, where his “Peaches” — in which he’s a guest star and the least important part of a trio featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon — is going rotten at the hands of Lil Nas X. “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” is a phenom no one saw coming. Lil Nas X’s provocative, controversial salute to Twerking Satan, coupled with a hot video. will be at the top of the chart.

But “Peaches” has paid off for someone: the aforementioned Giveon, whose album has jumped to number 20 out of nowhere. It’s on Not So Fast Records, distributed by Sony’s Epic. Sylvia Rhone gets the win.

Numbers are thanks to hitsdailydouble and Buzz Angle.

Wednesday: “The Conners” Drops to An All Time Low, Half The Audience from March 2020 is Gone

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Last night marked a new episode for “The Conners.” And a new low in ratings.

The show dropped to an all time low of 3.1 million viewers, down 9% from last week’s 3.4 million.

One year ago, when “The Conners” aired on Tuesdays at 8pm, they brought in 6.1 million viewers. So half their audience is gone from March 2020.

The move to Wednesdays and an hour later has been disastrous for this former powerhouse. How do they explain this at ABC?

“The Conners” has also dropped a whopping 49% in total viewers since the season began on October 21st with 4.9 million– itself a drop from the season finale of 15%.

Sara Gilbert, John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, et al must be disappointed, not to mention the writers and producers. Their ship is sinking. They still have five episodes left in this season, and then the question remains: will be they renewed for Season 4? If they fall much more, the “Roseanne” spin off that began with so much brouhaha may be looking to write yet another series finale.

(If Sara Gilbert times it right, she might be able to go back to CBS and save “The Talk,” the show she created.)

Mia Farrow is Upset Everyone Thinks Her Daughter Committed Suicide, And that Mia Erased Her from Hillary Clinton Photo

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In the last few days it was revealed by the NY Post’s Page Six that Mia Farrow erased her adopted daughter from a photo taken with Hillary Clinton. The daughter, Tam, died in 2000. Mia said it was an accidental overdose. but another adopted son, Moses, says Tam committed suicide.

Now is Mia is upset that people are discussing the deaths of 3 of her adopted children.

Mia writes on Twitter: “Few families are perfect, and any parent who has suffered the loss of a child knows that pain is merciless and ceaseless. However, some vicious rumors based on untruths have appeared online concerning the lives of three of my children. To honor their memory, their children and every family that has dealt with the death of a child, I am posting this message.”

Mia says: Tam died “from an accidental prescription overdose related to the agonizing migraines she suffered, and her heart ailment.” Moses says Tam killed herself after fighting with Mia.

Two other adopted children died, as well. Thaddeus committed suicide, he was found in his car dead from shooting himself. Adopted daughter Lark died of AIDS.

Mia blames Thaddeus’ death on a relationship gone wrong. Thaddeus, by the way, was given the middle name “Wilk” by Mia, who named him for late judge Elliot Wilk who presided over the Allen v. Farrow custody case. She was sucking up to the judge, who Woody Allen told us in his memoir last year had strange personal issues of his own.

Lark’s death was the only non suicide. That gets the most ink from Mia because it’s the least embarrassing.

Mia writes “My daughter Lark was an extraordinary woman, a wonderful daughter, sister, partner and mother to her own children. She died at 35 from complications of HIV/AIDS, which she contracted from a previous partner. Despite her illness she lived a fruitful and loving life with her children and longtime partner. She succumbed to her illness & died suddenly in the hospital on Christmas, in her partner’s arms.”

In her entire post, Mia never explains why she scrubbed Tam from a photo taken with Hillary Clinton.

In the recent “Allen v. Farrow” documentary, Mia was portrayed as mother of the year. There was no mention of the children’s deaths.

Dionne Warwick, Newly Minted Twitter Superstar, Announces First Live Stream Shows Beginning Easter Sunday

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Dionne Warwick is the Queen of Social Media.

She’s been killing it on Twitter, and featured on “Saturday Night Live” with her own parody talk show.

Now Dionne is capitalizing on all this new publicity with two sets of live streamed shows. Her first will be this Sunday, Easter, at 2pm and 8pm. She’ll do it again on Mother’s Day, May 9th.

Click here for tickets.

Dionne is essential viewing and listening for anyone interested in great music. I’m sure she’ll sing her many Bacharach-David hits, not to mention her Clive Davis era songs like “Heartbreaker” and “Deja Vu.” Plus, Dionne has a whole repertoire of Brasilian music. Her smoky voice has never been better and look at that photo! Dionne looks fantastic.

I’m in, I’ll buy my tickets. You get yours!

PS Dionne loves to sing, but if there were Performance Royalty for singers, she’d have been paid the millions of time her records were spun on radio. But there’s no such thing. She hasn’t made a penny from radio play in her sixty years of working. She turned 80 last December.

Paul Simon Sells His Amazing Song Catalog of Hits to Sony Music Publishing for More than Bob Dylan? (Probably)

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The cashing out of legacy rock stars continues apace.

Paul Simon has sold his amazing, may I say incredible, song catalog to Sony Music Publishing. For more than Bob Dylan’s $300 million? I sure hope so.

You can’t stop listing Simon’s hits, secondary hits, and so on. From “The Sound of SIlence” and “Red Rubber Ball” at the beginning of his career, through five albums of Simon & Garfunkel classics like “Bridge over Troubled Water” — a gem in the crown — to “American Tune,” “Mother and Child Reunion.” “Graceland,” and four albums of great songs from recent releases that are yet to be mined or marketed properly.

For example, there’s a song called “Father and Daughter” that should be the “Forever Young” of his later catalog. And there are many more like it.

Not to mention “Mrs. Robinson,” “Still Crazy After All These Years,” “Slip Sliding Away,” and on and on.

Simon, who will be 80 this year, has set up his family for life. They better give him a big birthday party.

Told Ya, in January 2020: “Knives Out” will Return with 2 Sequels Starring Daniel Craig, Directed by Rian Johnson

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I told you exclusively back in January 2020 that “Knives Out would return with Daniel Craig starring as Detective Benoit Blanc and Rian Johnson writing and directing.

The first film was a crazy hit from LionsGate, getting Oscar nominations and lots of kudos. Everyone loved that murder mystery. Ana de Armas became such a star she moved in with Ben Affleck for a while. Chris Evans made cable knit sweaters sell out. Don Johnson had his best role since “Miami Vice.”

Now Deadline.com is confirming our scoop. The sequels will come from bottomless money pit Netflix, not Lions Gate. Johnson has written them or is finishing them. Craig, who may wind up his James Bond run if “No Time to Die” is ever released, headlines another franchise. He’s terrific as Benoit Blanc.

The next installment films this summer in Greece. Johnson will have actors clamoring for roles, but he’s smart not to have superstars. just eclectic casts like chapter 1. Will any of the original cast return? Something tells me Ana de Armas, now free of Ben Affleck, will turn up to help Benoit solve the crime. Maybe the victim will be killed wearing a cable knit sweater !

TV: NBC May Hand Dwayne The Rock Johnson Rare Defeat as “Young Rock” Can’t Find Prime Time Audience

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Swayne “The Rock” Johnson is a big movie star, a huge draw in action films and light comedies when there is a box office.

He hasn’t had a failure in some time, but NBC may be handing him his first defeat shortly. “Young Rock,” the prime time series about The Rock growing up, is a bust in the ratings.

Last night, “Young Rock” in its six outing fell by 12.9 percent in total audience and almost 20% in the key demo, 18- 49, the audience it needs to attract.

Indeed, “Young Rock” has dropped 50% since its premiere six weeks ago.

Nothing about The Rock’s movie popularity is translating to the TV show.

And it’s a bigger problem than just The Rock. NBC put “Young Rock” in at 8pm to draw an audience at 8:30 for “SNL” star Kenan Thompson’s “Kenan” sitcom. This show is so awful, and also has no audience. Last night “Young Rock” drew 2.5 million viewers. Then “Kenan” got squashed at 1.9 million.

“Kenan” is the wrong setting for Thompson, despite a strong cast. The writing and premise are terrible. Kenan needs to host a variety show. He is so talented, and deserves to be a star. But this sitcom thing is not for him. He’s bound and constrained. Let him just be Kenan. And whoever thought Don Johnson should be in this needs to reconsider their career. Yikes.

As for The Rock, a cancellation for “Young Rock” will just be brushed off. But if the show drops below 2.5 I don’t see how or why NBC would keep it on. There are five episodes left in the original order of 11.