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Help Quarantunes This Sunday Hit $20 Million in One Year of Charitable Giving for An All Star Event

Roger Friedman
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Help Quarantunes This Sunday Hit $20 Million in One Year of Charitable Giving for An All Star Event

I don’t say enough about the Quarantunes fundraising Zoom calls going on for the last year. They are amazing.  Hundreds of people donate and participate every week. Mind blowing!

This Sunday, super agent Richard Weitz and his 17 year old daughter, Demi, will pass the $20 million mark with another fundraiser. This is for Heartbeats, and you can donate here.

Heartbeats is a group of socially responsible 9th through 12th graders that work to bring early awareness to teens about issues surrounding child abuse and family violence.

Richard and Demi, along with plenty of people who comprise their ‘village’– as in ‘it takes a village’– have done incredible work for the last year. They’ve raised $19.8 million for a variety of charities including MusiCares and Project AngelFood, all in service of helping people during the pandemic. They deserve some kind of Purple Heart or Medal of Freedom.

That they’re hitting that $20 million mark is quite a substantial achievement. By contrast, what have we done besides bake bread and binge watch Netflix?

Join the group this Sunday. Tape Oprah’s royal special, and put the Critics Choice Awards on the background. You won’t regret it. The celebs, especially the musical guests, who show up on Quarantunes are always shockingly outstanding! (They never tell you in advance who’s going to be on, but I’m never disappointed!)

PS Shout outs to record producer and music man Kerry Brown, husband of Stacy Sher– she’s co-producing the Oscars next month– and SiriusXM’s Tracey Jordan. They’re the Weitzes secret weapons, plus Clive Davis, Jimmy Jam Harris, and Sherry Lansing, whose face on the Zooms always gives me a smile!

Rudy Giuliani’s Daughter Announces She’s Polyamorous — Relationships with Couples — In the Most Public Way Possible

Roger Friedman
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Rudy Giuliani’s Daughter Announces She’s Polyamorous — Relationships with Couples — In the Most Public Way Possible

Donna Hanover must be prostrate on a fainting couch.

Her daughter, Caroline Giuliani, has announced in the most public way possible that she’s polyamorous, i.e. threeways with couples.

This is also Rudy Giuliani’s daughter. He must be prostate on a fainting couch.

While it’s brave of Caroline to embrace her sexuality, I’m not sure why she had to do it in Vanity Fair. Except that they — I hope — paid her a lot of money to write that piece. A lot. Please, Caroline, I hope it was thousands of dollars.

I mean, no one was asking about her private life. But what is a private life anymore? Especially when you can make some coin from it.

Her article is called “A Unicorn’s Tale: Three-Way Sex With Couples Has Made Me a Better Person.”

For Rudy, who was last seen in “Borat 2” coming on to a girl who he thought was a reporter from Kazakhstan, going into a hotel bedroom and playing with his, er, pants, the Guiliani’s definitely have sexual freedom in their jeans, er, genes.

But poor Donna. How much Xanax is there?

I’m not denying Caroline her life, or criticizing her choices. She owns it. She’s very happy. But there’s no such as being circumspect anymore. Her first sentence is “I want to watch my boyfriend bend you over”. She’s not holding back.

On Instagram, she says: “Shame around sex is my nemesis, so I wrote this @vanityfair piece about my sexual liberation! Link in story to the full article. 🦄 P.S. Happy belated national threesome day, which was apparently yesterday!”

I’m trying to imagine Rudy discussing this down at Mar-a-Lago or The Breakers in Palm Beach. Or at Four Seasons Landscaping.

Look, everyone should just be happy, live long and prosper!

New Pop: Drake, Nick Jonas, Bruno Mars Drop R&B Tinged Hits, Justin Bieber Song Lands with a Thud and Sounds Very Familiar

Roger Friedman
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New Pop: Drake, Nick Jonas, Bruno Mars Drop R&B Tinged Hits, Justin Bieber Song Lands with a Thud and Sounds Very Familiar

It’s actually a big day in pop. There are a bunch of new records, mostly very good.

Drake hit number 1 with “What’s Next” and he’s got two more on the chart to go with it. This is all in service of his upcoming album,

Nick Jonas dropped “This Is Heaven,” which he sang on “Saturday Night Live” last weekend, a very catchy dance pop hit.

Bruno Mars teamede up with Anderson.Paak and SilkSonic for a throwback 70s R&B number called “Leave the Door Open” that sounds fresh and original.

The only clunker in the group is Justin Bieber’s “Hold On,” another “I’ll be there to save you” anthem that is not very compelling. His fans didn’t have a good reaction to it. “Hold On” debuts at number 10 on iTunes, behind Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” and Shaggy’s “It Wasn’t Me.” Yes, the last two are oldies. “Hold On” sounds very much like Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know.” Listen below.

Decisions: Oscar Ballots Go Out Today, Critics Choice Ballots Due Back Tonight, What to Choose?

Roger Friedman
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Decisions: Oscar Ballots Go Out Today, Critics Choice Ballots Due Back Tonight, What to Choose?

Critics Choice Ballots are being voted today and must be back Friday night. (I voted mine Thursday afternoon.) Oscar ballots for the Academy Awards nominations begin voting today. Lots of choices. What to do? Considering the Golden Globes winners and the SAG Nominees, there’s a lot to consider.

This is what I’m thinking right now.

BEST PICTURE

“Nomadland,” “Ma Rainey,” “Trial of the Chicago 7,” “Minari” are all in. “Promising Young Woman” has a lot of support. Soul should be in. I’m a big fan of One Night in Miami, and Judas the Black Messiah.” The Father” must be included. “The United States vs. Billie Holiday” would be my 10th choice.

BEST ACTRESS

Lots of upheaval here. Rosamund Pike won a Golden Globe. So did Andra Day. I think those two now join the top 3: Viola Davis, Frances McDormand, and Carey Mulligan. I’m going with Viola. It’s a staggering performance.

BEST ACTOR

Again, what to do? Chadwick Boseman can never be nominated again. His win is meaningful. Anthony Hopkins gives a masterful performance in “The Father.” I’m torn, but Sir Tony has an Oscar and many awards. He very well may be back again. Steven Yeun in “Minari” seems right. Tom Hanks in “News of the World” is underrated. Gary Oldman in “Mank” which has not caught on, could be in fifth place. Or Riz Ahmed, from “Sound of Metal.”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

So we have Sacha Baron Cohen as a foregone conclusion, what with “Chicago 7” and “Borat 2.” But Daniel Kaluuya won the Golden Globe, and he was sensation in “Judas.” I really think Mark Rylance deserves a nod for “Chicago 7.” Leslie Odom Jr. as Sam Cooke in “One Night in Miami” sings his way in, although any of those four actors could be included. My choice was Glynn Turman from “Ma Rainey.”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Jodie Foster won the Golden Globe. Even she was shocked. I’m not sure she’ll make the Oscars. So who are the best supporting actresses? Olivia Colman in “The Father” just sails through the movie with aplomb. This puts her in direct competition again with Glenn Close, for “Hillbilly Elegy.”  I would add Valerie Mahaffey from “French Exit,” Amanda Seyfried from “Mank,” and Ellen Burstyn from “Promising Young Woman.”

BEST DIRECTOR

Chloe Zhao, David Fincher, Regina King, Lee Isaac Chung, Aaron Sorkin. Zhao will win Critics Choice, at least. What a group!

A great crop of films this year. And let’s not forget the maligned “Hillbilly Elegy.” Amy Adams was GREAT. Ron Howard did a fine job. It’s too bad we lost this one to bad group buzz. I’ll bet 10 years from now we see “Hillbilly Elegy” on cable etc more often that a lot of these other films.

 

Miley Cyrus Leaves RCA Records for Corporate Cousin Columbia Records Amid Declining Record Sales

Roger Friedman
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Miley Cyrus Leaves RCA Records for Corporate Cousin Columbia Records Amid Declining Record Sales

Miley Cyrus has not left the building.

Still not 30 — she’s 28 — Miley feels like she’s lived several lifetimes. But even at this young age, her record sales are in terrible decline. She needs to be reinvented.

Her last two RCA albums, “Plastic Hearts” and “Younger Now,” were disasters. Her only real hit album was 2013’s “Bangerz.” That was eight years ago.

So Miley has left RCA and joined Sony corporate cousin label, Columbia Records. Ron Perry, who’s had a lot of success getting Columbia in order, signed her. It’s unclear what plan he has, but pointing Miley to country music with a pop edge seems like the only plan that might work. Metal, punk, and so on are offensive to her core audience. Perry will have to reason with her if she wants to make more records.

The fact is, Miley has an outstanding voice. She’s wasting it on a lot of junk. How about a Rick Rubin-produced Miley Cyrus album? How about a remake of “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden”? It’s time to turn her into a vocalist supreme. No more Joan Jett (and I love Joan Jett but that’s not for Miley Cyrus).

And no more Dead Petz. Only living ones, preferably puppies!

Jay Z Sells Tidal Streaming Service to Twitter’s Jack Dorsey: Read Our Original Tidal Scoop from 2015

Roger Friedman
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Jay Z Sells Tidal Streaming Service to Twitter’s Jack Dorsey: Read Our Original Tidal Scoop from 2015

Back in March 2015, we broke the story that Jay Z had bought a Swedish streaming service and was bringing in heavy hitters like Beyonce, Madonna and Kanye West as partners.

Jay Z called the service Tidal, and the rest is misery. Tidal has never competed with Spotify or Apple Music. And now Jay Z is cashing out. He’s sold the service to Twitter star Jack Dorsey’s Square for $297 million. Jay Z gets a seat on the board of Square, which is Dorsey’s main company, a cash app.

Dorsey said on Twitter, “Square is acquiring a majority ownership stake in TIDAL through a new joint venture, with the original artists becoming the second largest group of shareholders, and JAY-Z joining the Square board. Why would a music streaming company and a financial services company join forces?! It comes down to a simple idea: finding new ways for artists to support their work. New ideas are found at the intersections, and we believe there’s a compelling one between music and the economy. Making the economy work for artists is similar to what Square has done for sellers.”

There’s more but you get the gist of it.

According to reports, Jay Z and his musical partners will still hold forth within Square as some kind of separate entity.

Will this help Tidal in its competition with other streaming services? Probably not. But Dorsey likes being part of the celebrity music world. He’s partnered with Rihanna (who’s also in the Tidal group) in charities. A year ago he toured Clive Davis’s star studded pre-Grammy dinner with WarnerMedia inside investor Vivi Nevo. And now he can have all the hi-res music he wants on his iPhone!

 

 

Oh the Books You’ll Sell: Fake Banning Scandal Rockets Dr. Seuss’s Entire Catalog to Top of Bestseller List

Roger Friedman
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Oh the Books You’ll Sell: Fake Banning Scandal Rockets Dr. Seuss’s Entire Catalog to Top of Bestseller List

Dr. Seuss, the late children’s book author currently under fire, has gone crazy in book sales.

Nine of the top 10 books on the Amazon bestseller list right now are all by Dr. Seuss starting with “The Cat in the Hat.” Nine.

Seuss also holds about 15 spots right now between number 11 and number 50 on amazon. And none of those are the six that are going out of print after controversies concerning racist features in those volumes.

In fact, “If I Ran the Zoo,” a book I loved as a child, is number 98. “And to Think I Saw it on Mulberry Street” is number 168.

Seuss’s masterpiece, “The Sneetches,” is number 10. Read that one first. A brilliant piece of satire, that will tell Theodore Geisel was not a racist.

The overreaction to possible Seuss book burnings, to his being “canceled” by the current thought police, to Fox News losing its mind on this subject, is something no one could have anticipated.

 

The Lorax, the Grinch, Sam I Am, they’re all fine. The books with images now considered racist will be removed. Maybe they’ll modified and reintroduced. The culture is going through a watershed moment, sorting out episodes from the past that are now unacceptable. (They were unacceptable then, only no one owned up to it.)

We will adjust, the culture will adjust and we’ll move forward enlightened and chastened. In the meantime, someone is buying up every copy of every Dr. Seuss book as if they’ll be removed from publication. Except for the six withdrawn by Seuss’s family, the others will remain. And now go back to print. Cash registers are ringing.


 

 

 

Golden Globes Mess Worsens as HFPA Member Says on Australian TV: “The fact that there were no Black members we didn’t really consider a problem”

Roger Friedman
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Golden Globes Mess Worsens as HFPA Member Says on Australian TV: “The fact that there were no Black members we didn’t really consider a problem”

Jenny Cooney is one of the members of the Hollywood Foreign Press that the others fight with all the time. She’s blocked me on Twitter because I’ve told the truth about her and her cabal within the HFPA for the last two decades.

Now Cooney has gone on Australian TV and defended the group against allegations of racism and not having any Black people among their 87 cronies.

Cooney had the audacity to say “the fact that there was not a Black member was not really anything we focused on because we were accepting and welcoming everybody from around the world that was based in L.A. that wrote for foreign publications, that was just our criteria.”

LOL. Please. This is too much. She continued: “The fact that there were no Black members we didn’t really consider a problem. Now of course we realize that we should have been much more proactive about really going out of our way to recruit and work with the media, the journalists, the foreign press, everywhere.

“We’ve always considered ourselves such a culturally diverse group,” Cooney said of the HFPA. “I think 35% of our members are non-European, from everywhere from North Africa, Philippines, Bangladesh, Japan.” She added, “I always thought diversity was more about not skin color but about nationalities and where people came from.”

Cooney also essentially lies about how the HFPA picks new members and that must be approved or vetted by the MPAA.

“The MPA did not have a Black member in their international directory at all, not to throw them under the bus, but, that was the pool we were choosing from,” she said, claiming that HFPA members have to be “vetted” by the MPA before joining. “And we’ve now realized we can’t rely on the studios, we can’t rely on anybody else.”

Well. she tried to throw them under the bus– and it’s just not true. There are plenty of Black members, for one thing, in the MPAA directory of journalists. But it doesn’t matter– the MPAA has NOTHING to do with HFPA or selecting members. And to wit, the Globes have just been involved in a lawsuit with a female journalist who wasn’t approved by them for no decent reason.

The HFPA is in serious trouble. The old guard– which Cooney and a few others represent — must be removed in order for them to move forward. Look at her in this video. She must go, along with her cronies.

It’s all coming apart, thanks mostly to very good reporting in the LA Times.

Help Stop the Real Life Real Estate Brothers of “Joel Maisel” Destroy 2 Landmark NYC Buildings with a 241 Foot Eyesore Tower

Roger Friedman
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Help Stop the Real Life Real Estate Brothers of “Joel Maisel” Destroy 2 Landmark NYC Buildings with a 241 Foot Eyesore Tower

I told you months ago that the real life brothers of “Joel Maisel” were trying to do something very bad in Greenwich Village.

Madison Capital, owned by Josh and Mark Zegen, is trying to destroy two landmark buildings on lower Fifth Avenue and replace them with an unwanted 241 foot high apartment tower for the very wealthy.

The Zegens are the brothers of Michael Zegen, who plays Midge Maisel’s shlubby husband on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Imagine what Midge and Joel would say if they heard this story back in 1960.

Next Tuesday there’s an important meeting of the Landmarks Preservation Committee. Since I do not trust these people to do the right thing, read the message below from the Greenwich Village Historical Preservation Society and get into that Zoom meeting. Let the Maisels, uh, the Zegens, build their tower somewhere in New Jersey or Long Island, and not in historic Greenwich Village.

Here’s the message:

The Landmarks Preservation Commission’s public hearing on the application to demolish 14-16 Fifth Avenue in the Greenwich Village Historic District and replace it with a 241 foot tall tower will be held next Tuesday. The approximate time of the virtual hearing is still TBD, but it will be during the day. When the time becomes available (likely Friday), we will post it here, and inform all who signed up for notifications. We need a BIG turnout to show broad opposition to this dangerous plan.

Madison Realty Capital is seeking to demolish a pair of 170+ year old former townhouses between 8th and 9th Streets which are among the most historically significant of their kind in New York. Though highly altered from their original form, they are connected to some of the most important figures in New York history throughout their lifetimes, and approval of their demolition would be a devastating blow to historic preservation in New York City.

It should also be noted that this is a joint application for demolition of the existing structure and the proposed new 241 ft. tall replacement. This means we MUST comment on both elements of the application NOW, should the LPC rule that demolition is allowed. So even if you strongly oppose demolition as we do, we strongly urge also telling the LPC that the proposed new building, 75% taller than all other buildings on Fifth Avenue in the Greenwich Village Historic District and four times the height of the average building on its block, is also unacceptably tall.

TV: Cancel Culture Sinks “The Bachelor” to Lowest Ratings of This Season and Second Lowest of All Time After Racism Scandal Explodes

Roger Friedman
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TV: Cancel Culture Sinks “The Bachelor” to Lowest Ratings of This Season and Second Lowest of All Time After Racism Scandal Explodes

I didn’t see it, don’t ask me to figure out what happened.

But “The Bachelor” fell to its lowest rating of this season and second lowest of all time on Monday night with “The Women Tell All.”

This is the 12th year of “The Bachelor” and the 25th “season.” It’s also been an utter disaster on the part of the show with a racism scandal that has sunk the whole enterprise.

Matt James is the first Black Bachelor, and there’s nothing wrong with him. But his apathetic approach to the contestants was followed by his choosing of a white woman who turned out to have a racist past.

Then  host Chris Harrison was interviewed by former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay, and the results were explosive. Harrison has been replaced for the final show, which is live, by a former NFL player who is Black. Then Lindsay suffered some blowback for saying all the right things and announced she was disassociating herself with the franchise. Could things have gone any more wrong?

Monday night’s episode scored just 4.69 million viewers and dropped in the key demo, too. The show lost about 800,000 viewers from the previous week. That’s steep! ABC and the production should be concerned they’ve really wrecked their little business. I doubt Chris Harrison will come back from this.

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