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
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”
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”
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
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
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.
CBS Sitcom Actor and Noted Swinger Thomas Middleditch Cited in LA Times Story for Bad Behavior in Closed Nightclub: Does Network Have a Plan B?
About a year and a half ago, HBO’s “Silicon Valley” star Thomas Middleditch identified himself and his wife as swingers in a Playboy interview.
He said, “To be honest, swinging has saved our marriage. We have different speeds, and we argue over it constantly, but it’s better than feeling unheard and alone and that you have to scurry in the shadows. By the way, it’s now called being “part of the lifestyle.” The term swinging is old.”
Well, he was working for HBO, which used to run documentaries about orgies. So, fine, no scandal.
But then Middleditch went to CBS, aka the real world, for a sitcom called “B Positive.” He plays a guy who needs a kidney and falls for his donor (Broadway’s Annaleigh Ashford). It’s not very good, and the ratings are mediocre, but it hasn’t been canceled yet.
So CBS may really need a Plan B for “B Positive” when they see the LA Times today. Middleditch is accused of very bad behavior in a now closed L.A. Goth nightclub called Cloak and Dagger.
By the way, Middleditch’s wife did not see swinging as a way to save their marriage. She filed for divorce last May.
I don’t know if Middleditch’s character on the sitcom ever got a kidney transplant, but he might look into one for the brain as well.
Bigger than Anything: Verzuz Announces Greatest Battle of All, Earth Wind & Fire vs. The Isley Brothers
Forget everything else.
Verzuz will crack Instagram wide open on April 4th. They’ve got Earth Wind & Fire battling The Isley Brothers. This is BIG.
The two legendary R&B groups will face each other in a sing-off, perform-off, whatever you want to call it. Each has so many hits this could do on as the Duel of All Time.
EW&F will pull out “September” and the Isleys will retaliate with “Who’s That Lady.” Yikes! “Shining Star” vs. “This Old Heart of Mine.” Yowza!
Are there brackets that can deal with this? Will it go on all night? Is that the way of the world? Can they fight the power?
Don’t miss this event!
TV: “Genius: Aretha” Is Worth Watching for Cynthia Erivo and Courtney B. Vance, But Not for the Essence of Aretha Franklin
“Genius: Aretha” debuts Sunday night a two hour special at 9pm on National Geographic, and then continues on for the next three nights in two hour installments. I’ve seen all but the last hour and I’ve held off writing about it until now.
As many readers here know, Aretha Franklin was my friend. Or, I was lucky to be her friend for many, many years. She always wanted a movie to be made about her life but was nervous about it. A lot of Aretha was hidden from her closest friends and family. She was very private.
Some of that comes across in Cynthia Erivo’s performance. The Tony winning, Oscar nominated actress has a gorgeous voice, and while she doesn’t imitate Aretha, she does her best to emulate her in that regard. Unfortunately, “Genius” does not include many of Aretha’s greatest hits from the Atlantic Records era, like “Respect,” because the Jennifer Hudson movie of the same name locked them up in advance.
That leaves “Genius” to at least show who Aretha was, to somehow scale the wall Aretha kept up in real life to protect against a great deal of pain. Erivo tries very hard to get there. She has a look of hurt in her eyes that I found haunting, and conveyed so much of what Aretha hid from all of us and all the people she knew long before I met her. Between Erivo’s voice, and this one angle she invests into the character, I give her props.
But the real Aretha story is not told here. I don’t know if it will ever be told. For one thing, too many people are alive who could be hurt by a serious investigation. Why do that to them? So some things are alluded to, but no points are made in “Genius.” What we’re getting is writer Suzan Lori Parks doing her best to suggest issues in Aretha’s life while just putting together scenes from public information. What lies beneath stays there.
On the down side, a lot of “imagined” scenes I found hard to swallow. Aretha and Martin Luther King didn’t chit chat about their personal problems in real life. Aretha would never ever have handed out flyers at a public rally, nor did she make a public speech about George Jackson. That simply wasn’t her style, but Parks had to find dramatic beats, so she invented them.
Even when there were chances to delve into something deeper, Parks is at a loss. Almost an entire episode re-creates Aretha’s filmed gospel concert in Los Angeles that became the documentary “Amazing Grace.” Aretha didn’t want that film released, and did everything to block it. Then it was released last year, and now it’s been replicated in another film. I can only imagine Aretha in her after life is furious. And trust me, we discussed “Amazing Grace” a lot. She did not want it out. Period.
Back to the music: Director Anthony Hemingway and Erivo do the best they can with what they have to work with. Lacking access to the hits, “Son of a Preacher Man”– which was Dusty Springfield’s song– is now important. That’s ridiculous. The filmmakers did get “Don’t Play That Song For Me,” which was written by Ahmet Ertegun, the head of Atlantic Records. But Ertegun is entirely absent from this mini-series, which is infuriating. Producer Jerry Wexler’s relationship with Aretha (David Cross plays him) is not right at all, they were friends. Producer Tom Dowd is almost completely absent, too.
But Erivo shines no matter what she does. Courtney B. Vance is so strong that his performance as an ambivalent Reverend CL Franklin works, to a point. There’s a concocted frisson between Aretha and one of her sisters, all made up and not right–Carolyn Franklin wrote a lot of Aretha’s hits, but because they couldn’t be used, none of that is explained. Also, Cissy Houston and the Sweet Inspirations sang back up and toured with Aretha during this period; they’ve been largely brushed off.
My favorite sequence was the episode in which Barbara Franklin, CL’s wife, is banished from the household and moves to Buffalo. Antonique Smith really makes Barbara into a sympathetic character. Malcolm Barrett tries to do something with Aretha’s famously villainous husband Ted White, but I think constraints prevented the full story to be told. Ted White, unlike Ike Turner, is still alive.
The real winner in the “Genius Aretha” mini-series is 14 year old actress Sanai Victoria. She’s got a great voice, and carries a substantial part of the miniseries with grace and humor. (Erivo’s Aretha rarely smiles, by comparison.) Young Aretha lives through many ordeals, some of which are left opaque here, but Victoria does her level best to make us feel as if we are watching a Queen earn her crown.
Will the Jennifer Hudson movie be any better when it arrives in August? I hope so. Think of this miniseries as the origin story for “Respect,” watch them both, then listen to Aretha’s records. They remain, and will always stand the test of time.
PS On an administrative note, NatGeo must clean up the mess documenting this miniseries both on the IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes. On the former, all three “Genius” series are lumped together, the credits are a jumble. On Rotten Tomatoes, you cannot search for this title. It’s not there.
Duets: How Sting and Sam Moore Recorded “None of Us Are Free” After an Unknown Lady Gaga Finished Rehearsal at NYC Club
“None of Us Are Free,” the proper version, with Sam Moore and Sting is included on Sting’s new “Duets” album. It came from Moore’s “Overnight Sensational,” produced by Randy Jackson.
The two singers and Moore’s band fronted by Ivan Bodley also recorded the song live for Charlie Rose’s TV show in December 2006. The video is below.
The recording took place at the Cutting Room in NYC then on West 24th St. Lots of young singer songwriters used to use to the Cutting Room for rehearsals during the day. One of them was there that day, a girl with dark hair who could really play the piano. We met her and waited until she was finished before I watched the taping.
Her name was Stefani Germanotta. About 18 months later I saw her on TV, performing under the name Lady Gaga. I said, she looks very familiar.
True story.
“Duets” is out now.
The Cutting Room is over on East 32nd St. now and waiting to come back to life full speed ahead!