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Radio Makes the Oscar Star: Nominated Movie Song “Seen (Io Si)” Turning into a Surprise Hit

Roger Friedman
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Radio Makes the Oscar Star: Nominated Movie Song “Seen (Io Si)” Turning into a Surprise Hit

You do know that Diane Warren has 12 Oscar nominations now. Her latest is for “Seen (Io Si)” from the Netflix Sophia Loren movie, “The Life Ahead.”

So guess what? All of a sudden, Laura Pausini’s record, sung in Italian, is getting American airplay.

MediaBase, which tracks radio spins, puts “Seen” at number 19 this week. Eleven stations picked it up, making it the second most added new single of the week, just behind Bon Jovi. The Pausini record had more new “adds” at Adult Contemporary radio than Dua Lipa, Harry Styles, or Taylor whatsername.

And why not? It’s a great record from a talented singer, and writer of dozens of hits from Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” to Cher’s “If I Could Turn Back Time,” among others.

It’s time for Warren to get her Oscar, and a gold record as Pausini’s single takes on a life of its own!

Linda Ronstadt Sells Her “Catalog” to Irving Azoff, But She’s in A Bind as a Non-writing Performer

Roger Friedman
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Linda Ronstadt Sells Her “Catalog” to Irving Azoff, But She’s in A Bind as a Non-writing Performer

Big announcement today that music mogul Irving Azoff has bought Linda Ronstadt’s “catalog.” It’s a grand gesture on Azoff’s part. I know, because he has a fondness for Linda. We all do.

But a catalog usually means publishing, and Linda doesn’t really have any. She didn’t write any of her hits or any of her album tracks. Others did, and they get paid when her records are played.

Indeed, Linda falls under the category of non-writing performer. There is no royalty for performers. When their records are played on the radio, they get NADA. Nothing. Zip. Performers are paid for records sold. Unfortunately, records don’t sell anymore.

There have been bills in Congress to cure this situation. The Obama Administration backed such  a bill. But radio station owners refuse to pay this royalty, they want their music for free. They are stuck paying songwriters but will not compensate singers or musicians. Period.

So the legislation just sits there. Frank Sinatra never got paid, Judy Collins only if she had a writer’s credit. Dionne Warwick doesn’t get money from her Bacharach and David hits. And so on. Aretha Franklin, at least, wrote some of her hits. But all the Motown groups, for example, like the Supremes, Temptations, and Four Tops, are left high and dry. Motown writers like Smokey, Stevie, Marvin– they get paid as composers, not performers.

So back to Linda. Azoff’s company will try to market her records into commercials and movies where she can get some cash. Linda had a hit with Buddy Holly’s “It’s So Easy,” which should be in commercials. Ditto “Heat Wave” (cover of Martha Reeves’ hit), Chuck Berry’s “Back in the USA,” and so on. Why hasn’t Linda’s “You’re No Good” been in a great movie?

Guess who won’t get paid when these records are used? Producer Peter Asher. Producers are paid fees, at least they were back in the day. They usually don’t share in a record’s future success.  This is why nowadays credits for songs go to producers as writers and there are 20 of them per song. And this is why Mariah Carey and Tommy Mottola were prescient about making Mariah a “writer” from the get go, sticking her name on every song. Otherwise, she’d been in Linda’s boat.

Azoff had this to say today about Linda: ““In 1972 when I arrived in Los Angeles to pursue my dreams in the music business, as fate would have it, I soon thereafter became best friends and manager to Glenn Frey and Don Henley,” Azoff said. “Without Linda Ronstadt and John Boylan, there would have never been an Eagles [who got their start when Ronstadt and Boylan recruited Frey and Henley for her band]. We were friends and family and grew up together, and what a ride it has been. The countless tours with the Eagles and Linda and their collaborations are the backbone of the history of Southern California music.”

PS Just back to the performers: this is why there are oldies acts tours and so on. The only way to make money if you didn’t write your hits is to have live gigs. So we’ve got artists touring into their 80s. And this why the pandemic has been so devastating for the music icons who’ve lost that income stream over the last year.

Cannes Film Festival May Move Again, to October, As COVID Rises in France, Paris in Lockdown

Roger Friedman
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Cannes Film Festival May Move Again, to October, As COVID Rises in France, Paris in Lockdown

The Cannes Film Festival usually starts in the second week of May. But this year, with the pandemic, the Festival took preventative measures and made the wise decision to move to July, just between the American Independence Day and Bastille Day.

Sacre bleu!

But now Paris is in lockdown again for four weeks, COVID is rising throughout France, and there’s a problem with vaccinations.

Because of this I’m hearing there is a consideration seriously underway to move the Festival to October. This would be after Venice, Telluride, Toronto, and the New York Film Festivals.

Just hearing this, I’m thinking Thierry Fremaux must be having a nervous breakdown. The poor man. He didn’t get to have a 2020 Festival. And now this. He could show all the 2020 movies at this point in a sidebar. And no one knows what’s happened to Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch.”

Fall movies for festivals are a big question, too. Where will Steven Spielberg unveil “West Side Story”? (By now the young actors have grandchildren of their own!)

And wouldn’t October Cannes be the right place for a James Bond “No Time to Die” premiere, with a performance from Billie and Finneas?

I will go whenever they have the Festival de Cannes, in any month and I’m sure I’m not alone. It’s still the premier international film festival. We can drink to that! And anyway, it’s still over 60 degrees F in early October on the Cote d’Azur. Doesn’t sound bad to me!

Oscars New Normal: Elton John, David Furnish Selling Tickets to Public for Virtual Pre-Party AIDS Foundation Fundraiser

Roger Friedman
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Oscars New Normal: Elton John, David Furnish Selling Tickets to Public for Virtual Pre-Party AIDS Foundation Fundraiser

This is the new normal, kids.

Elton John and David Furnish are throwing an Oscar Zoom pre-party on April 25th to raise money for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

Neil Patrick Harris is hosting, Dua Lipa is performing. The price is only $19.99. I’m in!

In a normal year, EJAF has a big private dinner in Beverly Hills with lots of celebs and great entertainment. Then they throw open the doors after the Oscars for even more A listers. It’s always a great night.

But with the pandemic and no regular gatherings, this is an excellent idea.

You can buy tickets here.

“American Idol” Uses Claudia Conway Again: Kellyanne’s Daughter Advances Even Though Audition is Dreadful

Roger Friedman
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“American Idol” Uses Claudia Conway Again: Kellyanne’s Daughter Advances Even Though Audition is Dreadful

Claudia Conway is back. Kellyanne and George Conway’s teenage daughter returned to “American Idol” last night. The show gave her star treatment, her own mini-featurette, before a truly dreadful audition. This is just a come on for ratings. Kellyanne was there, the Ghost of Traumas Past. A miserable effort all the way around, and painful. As we move farther and farther away from the Nightmare of the Trump Era, the Conways become so much more irrelevant.

WalMart Discovers 60s Soul First With Aretha Franklin, Now with Wilson Pickett Song in Commercial

Roger Friedman
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WalMart Discovers 60s Soul First With Aretha Franklin, Now with Wilson Pickett Song in Commercial

WalMart really wants Black customers.

Over Christmas, they used Aretha Franklin singing “You’re All I Need to Get By” for their commercials. And the really used it. The Ashford & Simpson song really shined for weeks. You could listen to it over and over.

Now WalMart has moved to its next bit of 60s soul R&B: Wicked Wilson Pickett singing “Hello Sunshine.” Pickett wrote the song, I hope his heirs are getting some nice change for it. They deserve it. Wilson was a great songwriter: “In the Midnight Hour,” “634-5789,” “Land of 1000 Dances.” All credit to him.

Pickett and Franklin came from the Ahmet Eregun run Atlantic Records produced by Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd, and Arif Mardin. WalMart should keep going with Sam & Dave, Rufus & Carla Thomas, William Bell, and so on. (Actually they did use Sam & Dave’s “Hold On I’m Coming in a great commercial.)

 

the original:

Writers Guild Awards Go to “Borat 2,” “Promising Young Woman,” “The Crown,” “Ted Lasso,” and “Days of our Lives”

Roger Friedman
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Writers Guild Awards Go to “Borat 2,” “Promising Young Woman,” “The Crown,” “Ted Lasso,” and “Days of our Lives”

The Writers Guild Awards winners are announced. Don’t get too excited. Many of the Oscar nominees aren’t here because of eligibility issues. So these don’t predict anything necessarily. Still, the winners should all be commended. I’m really glad “The Dissident” won for Documentary. It should have been nominated for an Oscar. Such an important film. On the other end of things, Ron Carlivati and his team won for “Days of Our Lives,” the NBC soap. The show is outrageous fun, makes little sense, but never fails to entertain. We needed that this year!

Film Winners and Nominees

Adapted Screenplay

“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” Screenplay by Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Dan Swimer & Peter Baynham & Erica Rivinoja & Dan Mazer & Jena Friedman & Lee Kern, Story by Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Dan Swimer & Nina Pedrad, Based on Characters Created by Sacha Baron Cohen; Amazon Studios WINNER

“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” Screenplay by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Based on the Play Written by August Wilson; Netflix

“News of the World,” Screenplay by Paul Greengrass and Luke Davies, Based upon the Novel by Paulette Jiles; Universal Pictures

“One Night in Miami,” Screenplay by Kemp Powers, Based on the Stage Play “One Night in Miami” by Kemp Powers; Amazon Studios

“The White Tiger,” Screenplay by Ramin Bahrani, Based on the Book “The White Tiger” by Aravind Adiga; Netflix

Original Screenplay

“Judas and the Black Messiah,” Screenplay by Will Berson & Shaka King, Story by Will Berson & Shaka King and Kenny Lucas & Keith Lucas; Warner Bros.

“Palm Springs,” Screenplay by Andy Siara, Story by Andy Siara & Max Barbakow; Hulu

“Promising Young Woman,” Written by Emerald Fennell; Focus Features WINNER

“Sound of Metal,” Screenplay by Darius Marder & Abraham Marder, Story by Darius Marder & Derek Cianfrance; Amazon Studios

“The Trial of the Chicago 7,” Written by Aaron Sorkin; Netflix

Documentary Screenplay

“All In: The Fight for Democracy,” Written by Jack Youngelson; Amazon Studios

“The Dissident,” Written by Mark Monroe and Bryan Fogel; Briarcliff Entertainment WINNER

“Herb Alpert Is…,” Written by John Scheinfeld; Abramorama

“Red Penguins,” Written by Gabe Polsky; Universal Pictures

“Totally Under Control,” Written by Alex Gibney; Neon

Television, News Media, and News Winners and Nominees

Drama Series

“Better Call Saul,” Written by Ann Cherkis, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Ariel Levine, Heather Marion, Thomas Schnauz, Gordon Smith, Alison Tatlock; AMC

“The Boys,” Written by Eric Kripke, Ellie Monahan, Anslem Richardson, Craig Rosenberg, Michael Saltzman, Rebecca Sonnenshine; Amazon Studios

“The Crown,” Written by Peter Morgan, Jonathan Wilson; Netflix WINNER

“The Mandalorian,” Written by Rick Famuyiwa, Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni; Disney+

“Ozark,” Written by Laura Deeley, Bill Dubuque, Paul Kolsby, Miki Johnson, Chris Mundy, John Shiban, Ning Zhou, Martin Zimmerman; Netflix

Comedy Series

“Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Written by Larry David, Justin Hurwitz, Steve Leff, Carol Leifer, Jeff Schaffer; HBO

“The Great,” Written by Vanessa Alexander, Tony McNamara, Tess Morris, Amelia Roper, Gretel Vella, James Wood; Hulu

“PEN15,” Written by; Alyssa DiMari, Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, Josh Levine, Gabe Liedman, Rachele Lynn, Vera Santamaria, Diana Tay, Sam Zvibleman; Hulu

“Ted Lasso,” Written by Jane Becker, Leann Bowen, Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt, Joe Kelly, Bill Lawrence, Jamie Lee, Jason Sudeikis, Phoebe Walsh, Bill Wrubel; Apple TV+ WINNER

“What We Do in the Shadows,” Written by Jake Bender, Jemaine Clement, Zach Dunn, Joe Furey, Shana Gohd, Sam Johnson, Chris Marcil, William Meny, Sarah Naftalis, Stefani Robinson, Marika Sawyer, Paul Simms; FX Networks

New Series

“Dave,” Written by Dave Burd, Vanessa McGee, Saladin Patterson, Luvh Rakhe, Alex Russell, Jeff Schaffer, Max Searle, Yamara Taylor; FX Networks

“The Flight Attendant,” Written by Kara Lee Corthron, Michael Foley, Ryan Jennifer Jones, Ticona S. Joy, Meredith Lavender, Jess Meyer, Daniele Nathanson, Marcie Ulin, Ian Weinreich, Steve Yockey; HBO Max

“The Great,” Written by Vanessa Alexander, Tony McNamara, Tess Morris, Amelia Roper, Gretel Vella, James Wood; Hulu

“Lovecraft Country,” Written by Misha Green, Shannon Houston, Jonathan Kidd, Kevin Lau, Ihuoma Ofordire, Wes Taylor, Sonya Winton; HBO

“Ted Lasso,” Written by Jane Becker, Leann Bowen, Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt, Joe Kelly, Bill Lawrence, Jamie Lee, Jason Sudeikis, Phoebe Walsh, Bill Wrubel; Apple TV+ WINNER

Margo Martindale, Elizabeth Banks, and Uzo Aduba in “Mrs. America”

Sabrina Lantos / FX

Original Long Form

“Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story,” Written by Aaron Carew, Alexandra Cunningham, Lex Edness, Kevin J. Hynes, Juliet Lashinsky-Revene, Stacy A. Littlejohn, Katherine B. McKenna; USA

“Hollywood,” Written by Ian Brennan, Janet Mock, Ryan Murphy, Reilly Smith; Netflix

“Mrs. America,” Written by Tanya Barfield, Joshua Griffith, Sharon Hoffman, Boo Killebrew, Micah Schraft, April Shih, Dahvi Waller; FX Networks WINNER

“Safety,” Written by Nick Santora; Disney+

“Uncle Frank,” Written by Alan Ball; Amazon Studios

Adapted Long Form

“Bad Education,” Written by Mike Makowsky, Based on the New York Magazine article ” The Bad Superintendent” by Robert Kolker; HBO

“Clouds,” Screenplay by Kara Holden; Story by Casey La Scala & Patrick Kopka and Kara Holden, Based on the book entitled “Fly A Little Higher’ by Laura Sobiech; Disney+

“The Good Lord Bird,” Written by Jeff Augustin, Ethan Hawke, Erika L. Johnson, Mark Richard, Kristen SaBerre, Lauren Signorino, Based on the Novel by James McBride; Showtime

“Little Fires Everywhere,” Written by Harris Danow, Rosa Handelman, Shannon Houston, Attica Locke, Raamla Mohamed, Amy Talkington, Liz Tigelaar, Nancy Won, Based on the book by Celeste Ng; Hulu

“The Queen’s Gambit,” Written by Scott Frank, Allan Scott, Based on the novel by Walter Tevis; Netflix WINNER

Animation

“A Springfield Summer Christmas For Christmas” (“The Simpsons”), Written by Jessica Conrad; Fox

“Bart The Bad Guy” (“The Simpsons”), Written by Dan Vebber; Fox

“I, Carumbus” (“The Simpsons”), Written by Cesar Mazariegos; Fox

“Prank You for Being A Friend” (“Bob’s Burgers”), Written by Katie Crown; Fox

“Three Dreams Denied” (“The Simpsons”), Written by Danielle Weisberg; Fox

“Xerox of a Xerox” (“BoJack Horseman”), Written by Nick Adams; Netflix WINNER

Episodic Drama

“Bad Choice Road” (“Better Call Saul”), Written by Thomas Schnauz; AMC

“Fire Pink” (“Ozark”), Written by Miki Johnson; Netflix WINNER

“JMM” (“Better Call Saul”), Written by Alison Tatlock; AMC

“Raised by Wolves” (“Raised by Wolves”), Written by Aaron Guzikowski; HBO Max

“Something Unforgivable” (“Better Call Saul”), Written by Peter Gould & Ariel Levine; AMC

“Trouble Don’t Last Always” (“Euphoria”), Written by Sam Levinson; HBO

“The Great”

Hulu

Episodic Comedy

“Grandma & Chill” (“Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens”), Written by Kyle Lau; Comedy Central

“The Great” (“The Great”), Written by Tony McNamara; Hulu WINNER

“It’s Not You, It’s Me” (“Dead to Me”), Written by Liz Feldman & Kelly Hutchinson; Netflix

“Pilot” (“Ted Lasso”), Teleplay by Jason Sudeikis & Bill Lawrence, Story by Jason Sudeikis & Bill Lawrence & Brendan Hunt & Joe Kelly; Apple TV+

“The Tank” (“Grace & Frankie”), Written by Alex Kavallierou; Netflix

“Trick” (“High Maintenance”), Written by Isaac Oliver; HBO

Comedy/Variety Talk Series

“Desus & Mero,” Writers: Daniel “Desus Nice” Baker, Claire Friedman, Ziwe Fumudoh, Josh Gondelman, Robert Kornhauser, Joel “The Kid Mero” Martinez, Heben Nigatu, Mike Pielocik, Julia Young; Showtime WINNER

“Full Frontal with Samantha Bee,” Writers: Kristen Bartlett, Samantha Bee, Pat Cassels, Sean Crespo, Mike Drucker, Mathan Erhardt, Joe Grossman, Miles Kahn, Sahar Rizvi, Chris Thompson, Holly Walker, Alison Zeidman, Special Materials by: Michael Rhoa; TBS

“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” Writers: Johnathan Appel, Ali Barthwell, Tim Carvell, Liz Hynes, Greg Iwinski, Mark Kramer, Daniel O’Brien, John Oliver, Owen Parsons, Charlie Redd, Joanna Rothkopf, Chrissy Shackelford, Ben Silva, Seena Vali; HBO

“Late Night with Seth Meyers,” Head Writer: Alex Baze Writing Supervised by: Seth Reiss Closer Look Writing Supervised by: Sal Gentile Writers: Jermaine Affonso, Karen Chee, Bryan Donaldson, Matt Goldich, Dina Gusovsky, Jenny Hagel, Allison Hord, Mike Karnell, John Lutz, Seth Meyers, Ian Morgan, John Mulaney, Amber Ruffin, Mike Scollins, Mike Shoemaker, Ben Warheit, Jeff Wright; NBC

“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Head Writers: Ariel Dumas, Jay Katsir Writers: Delmonte Bent, Michael Brumm, River Clegg, Aaron Cohen, Nicole Conlan, Stephen T. Colbert, Paul Dinello, Glenn Eichler, Django Gold, Gabe Gronli, Barry Julien, Michael Cruz Kayne, Eliana Kwartler, Matt Lappin, Felipe Torres Medina, Opus Moreschi, Asher Perlman, Tom Purcell, Kate Sidley, Brian Stack, John Thibodeaux, Steve Waltien; CBS

Comedy/Variety Specials

“30 Rock: A One-Time Special,” Written by Tina Fey & Robert Carlock; NBC

“Father of the Bride Part 3 (ish),” Written by Nancy Meyers; YouTube

“Stephen Colbert’s Election Night 2020: Democracy’s Last Stand: Building Back America Great Again Better 2020,” Head Writers: Ariel Dumas, Jay Katsir Writers: Delmonte Bent, Michael Brumm, River Clegg, Aaron Cohen, Stephen T. Colbert, Nicole Conlan, Paul Dinello, Glenn Eichler, Django Gold, Gabe Gronli, Barry Julien, Michael Cruz Kayne, Eliana Kwartler, Matt Lappin, Felipe Torres Medina, Opus Moreschi, Asher Perlman, Tom Purcell, Kate Sidley, Brian Stack, John Thibodeaux, Steve Waltien; Showtime WINNER

“Yearly Departed,” Head Writer: Bess Kalb Writers: Karen Chee, Akilah Green, Franchesca Ramsey, Jocelyn Richard; Amazon Studios

Comedy/Variety Sketch Series

“At Home with Amy Sedaris,” Writers: Jeremy Beiler, Cole Escola, Peter Grosz, Amy Sedaris; truTV WINNER

“How To with John Wilson,” Writers: Alice Gregory, Michael Koman, John Wilson; HBO

“The Amber Ruffin Show,” Head Writer: Jenny Hagel Writers: Demi Adejuyigbe, Shantira Jackson, Dewayne Perkins, Amber Ruffin; Peacock Originals

Documentary Script – Current Events

“Agents of Chaos, Part I,” Written by Alex Gibney & Michael J. Palmer; HBO Documentary Films

“Agents of Chaos, Part II,” Written by Alex Gibney & Michael J. Palmer; HBO Documentary Films WINNER

“The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden” (“Frontline”), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS

“Whose Vote Counts” (“Frontline”), Written by Jelani Cobb, June Cross & Tom Jennings; PBS

Documentary Script – Other Than Current Events

“Opioids, Inc” (“Frontline”), Written by Tom Jennings; PBS WINNER

“The Poison Squad” (“American Experience”), Written by John Maggio; PBS

“The Violence Paradox” (“Nova”), Written by Michael Bicks and Anna Lee Strachan; PBS

News Script – Regularly Scheduled, Bulletin, or Breaking Report

News Script – Regularly Scheduled, Bulletin, or Breaking Report

“Anger in America” (“World News Tonight with David Muir”), Written by Dave Bloch, David Muir, Karen Mooney, David Schoetz; ABC News WINNER

“Critical Condition” (“60 Minutes”), Written by Katie Kerbstat Jacobson, Scott Pelley, Nicole Young; CBS News

“Gale Sayers Obit,” Written by Joe McLaughlin; WCBS-TV

“The Wild West of Covid Testing” (“60 Minutes”), Written by Sharyn Alfonsi, Oriana Zill de Granados, Emily Gordon; CBS News

News Script – Analysis, Feature, or Commentary

“Exhume the Truth” (“60 Minutes”), Written by Katie Kerbstat Jacobson, Scott Pelley, Joe Schanzer, Nicole Young; CBS News

“Juneteenth: A Celebration of Overcoming,” Written by Dave Bloch; ABC News WINNER

“The African Basketball Trail” (“60 Minutes”), Written by Oriana Zill de Granados, Emily Gordon, Jon Wertheim; CBS News

Digital News

“Pornhub Doesn’t Care,” Written by Samantha Cole and Emanuel Maiberg; Vice.com

“This Week Has Happened Before,” Written by Julia Craven; Slate.com

“The Store That Called the Cops on George Floyd,” Written by Aymann Ismail; Slate.com WINNER

“Why Did the Government Separate This Family?” Written by Jeremy Stahl; Slate.com

Review: Danish Director Thomas Vinterberg Spoiled Aaron Sorkin’s Oscars Directing Nomination with “Another Round”

Roger Friedman
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Review: Danish Director Thomas Vinterberg Spoiled Aaron Sorkin’s Oscars Directing Nomination with “Another Round”

There was a virtual gasp last week when Aaron Sorkin wasn’t nominated for Best Director for his work on “The Trial of the Chicago Seven.”

The other four nominees were expected, including Chloe Zhao, David Fincher, Emerald Fennell, and Lee Isaac Chung. Their films were among the best of the year.

But seemingly spoiling Sorkin’s shot– which he deserved– was Danish innovator Thomas Vinterberg, whose “Another Round” is the leading nominee among Best Features Made in a Foreign Language. When Vinterberg’s name, not Sorkin’s, was read, you could literally hear people falling out of bed or off breakfast stools all over the movie biz.

Vinterberg’s movie is distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films, not usually an Oscar player. Few people have seen it or know about it. Vinterberg made a splash in 1998 with “The Celebration,” but since then he’s been a favorite of foreign film festivals like Cannes and Venice.

Was there an awards specialist working on “Another Round”? Was the vote a result of many new international Academy members?

I finally got to see “Another Round” this weekend. Vinterberg deserves his nomination regardless of whose slot he took. Frankly, his lead actor, Mads Mikkelsen, as Martin, could have been nommed for Best Actor. The movie is fresh and unique and compelling, the actor is, too.

“Another Round” concerns a group of male school teachers who are disenchanted and bored with their lot in life. They come up with an idea to start drinking, which will make them more enlivened and interesting. Scandinavia is already well known for its alcohol consumption, as one man’s wife points out. But this determination to raise level of intoxication is being done for purer reasons: not to be drunk, but to improve their mid life crises.

Initially, the teachers’ effort is fun, and provides a lot of jokes. But, of course, this is Denmark. There will be a long period of darkness after the light. Martin’s pals will have to face reality at some point. One of them will really have some issues. Martin will almost lose his family. There are also some unusual turns including one in which a nervous student is encouraged to drink so he’ll relax when taking exams. (Can you imagine this in an American movie? Everyone involved would be ‘cancelled.’)

Mads Mikkselsen usually plays villains and heavies in American or British movies. So it’s nice to see him as a fleshed out well rounded leading man who must travel a story arc, change and maybe learn something. Based on this performance, Mikkelsen should find more work in the U.S. with a smart director.

And Vinterberg? He tried making a few movies with American stars. They didn’t really work. Now he’s returned to his people, and language, and made his most successful film. The gamble paid off.

 

 

Happy Birthday Russell Thompkins, Jr, the Famed Falsetto Lead Singer of The Stylistics Turns 70 Today

Roger Friedman
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Happy Birthday Russell Thompkins, Jr, the Famed Falsetto Lead Singer of The Stylistics Turns 70 Today

I may have told Russell Thompkins, Jr this once, but back in 1972 I spotted the Stylistics tour bus parked near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. Without thinking twice, I walked onto it and introduced myself. I’m sure whoever was there thought I was nuts.

I always loved the Stylistics from the moment I heard them. Today is Thompkins’ 70th birthday and I wouldn’t let it pass without a nod. That falsetto of his is its own musical instrument. In high school, the girls loved “Betcha By Golly Wow” and “You Make Me Feel Brand New.” They swooned to those songs.

I always liked “You Are Everything” and “People Make the World Go Round.” Thom Bell produced and wrote their hit songs, making them classics I still thrill to on SoulTown, Sirius XM. “Stone in Love with You” is pretty great, too. All the records depend on the Stylistics’ harmonies. But it’s Thompkins who carries the ball. He deserves all credit.

Happy birthday, Russell!

PS We all love Motown, but if I didn’t have the Stylistics, Spinners, Dramatics, O’Jays, Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes, it would be a bleak world!

 

 

 

Nick Jonas Is Having a Problem: Despite Catchy Songs and Good PR New Album “Spaceman” Is DOA

Roger Friedman
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Nick Jonas Is Having a Problem: Despite Catchy Songs and Good PR New Album “Spaceman” Is DOA

Pop fans are fickle, that’s for sure. One day you’re up, the next day…

Take Nick Jonas. Nicest guy in the world. Happily married to Priyanka Chopra. They read the Oscar nominations.

A few weeks ago, Nick was the musical guest on “Saturday Night Live.” He debuted two new songs, “Spaceman”– the title track of his new album, and “This is Heaven.” They were solid performances and the second song, I thought, was a hit.

But there was no sales bounce on iTunes. The singles just didn’t resonate. Nothing happened.

Last Monday, Nick released the “Spaceman” album. Strange to release at the beginning of the week, but there you are.

The result? Nothing. It’s very curious. The album is DOA. From Monday to Thursday, “Spaceman” sold 13,500 copies in CDs and downloads. On Friday, it sold 82 copies.

With streaming, the whole project has done 22,300 including singles, but neither of the first two singles has caught on in any way. I really did think “This is Heaven” would sound great on radio. So far, IHeartRadio hasn’t backed my idea.

A year ago, Nick was red hot with the Jonas Brothers, his family rock star band. Before that he was doing fine solo. And he has his acting career. Sometimes albums go cold. The last Coldplay album was like that, also DOA. The fans yawned and moved on. Other artists have had this happen. But for Universal Music’s Republic and Lost Highway labels, they rarely have duds.

Can this album be saved? “This is Heaven” needs a big push, so far it’s sold just 4,800 copies since March 4th, 29,000 including streaming.

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