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Diana Ross’s Tweet Reaction to Mary Wilson’s Death is Classic and Cold, Devoid of Emotion or Feeling

Roger Friedman
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Diana Ross’s Tweet Reaction to Mary Wilson’s Death is Classic and Cold, Devoid of Emotion or Feeling

CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEADLINES AND MARY WILSON’S OBIT

 

I’ll say this for Diana Ross: she’s consistent. In life she treated Mary Wilson, her singing partner in the Supremes, pretty badly. In death, Diana was not moved. She wrote on Twitter: “I just woke up to this news , my condolences to you Mary’s family ,I am reminded that each day is a gift ,I have so many wonderful memories of our time together “The Supremes ” will live on ,in our hearts”

Impersonal as that was, at least Diana remained true to herself. She treated Mary like an employee, someone who wasn’t equal to her in the Supremes or in life. She did the same thing to Florence Ballard, who was forced out of the group in the 60s and died in poverty. She was never kind to Florence’s replacement, Cindy Birdsong.

Back in 2004, Ross wanted Mary to go out on a Supremes 40th anniversary tour — as her backup singer! Diana would have been paid $10 million, Mary just $3 million. Diana would be the star. Mary turned it down. Diana went out anyway, with singers who’d been replacement Supremes long after Diana and Mary were out of the group. The tour was a flop.

Mary was vociferous about getting legislation so that random people couldn’t be called The Supremes. That’s why Diana is calling the group “The Supremes” with quotations. I’m sure once Mary is buried, Diana will try some kind of revival again, and reduce Mary to a footnote. We won’t let that happen.

Life isn’t fair, is it?

Meanwhile, R&B legend Sam Moore told us: “Mary will be missed on many levels. Mary was always someone I could count on to help fight to get the terrestrial radio bill passed through Congress so that when all of our music – every American recording artists music played on AM and FM radio – we could get paid and we could finally collect the thousands and thousands of dollars from around the world, which would be life-changing money for so many of us – our friends – our peers – all genres. I call every fan of Mary’s to write their senators and their congressmen and say ‘get the artist paid when their music is played on AM/FM radio’. In her memory pass a bill – stop cheating them while you’re making billions.”

RIP Magnificent Mary Wilson, 76, the Greatest Supreme of All, Motown Historian, Dynamic Singer Who Made History

Roger Friedman
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RIP Magnificent Mary Wilson, 76, the Greatest Supreme of All, Motown Historian, Dynamic Singer Who Made History

I am waking up to the horrible news that my friend, Mary Wilson, original member of the Supremes, has died at age 76. The reports say it was sudden. I’m gobsmacked.

I knew Mary for years before I asked her to be in my documentary, “Only the Strong Survive,” which was released in 2002. We filmed her in 1999 at the Westbury Music Fair, where was she was stopping on tour.

Mary was so many things: a great friend, of course, to a universe of people, not just me. She was the glue in the Motown recipe even though she’d been treated pretty badly by Berry Gordy and everyone in the “inner circle” for speaking her mind, demanding to be recognized as equal to Diana Ross and the other Motown stars.

So many memories: this was sometime in the early 90s, we were at an event at what used to be the Greene Street Cafe in Soho, Stevie Wonder was way at the other side of the room. Mary and I were talking and suddenly there was a beckoning. Stevie–you must go to him if he wants to talk to you– was so excited that Mary was in the room, we were pulled almost magnetically to him. He was overwhelmed in their reunion.

One of the last times I saw Mary was at the taping of the Motown special for the Grammys in Los Angeles two Januarys ago. She sat with Otis Williams of the Temptations and a miscellany of Motown singers, far from Diana Ross and Berry Gordy on the other side of the room. Even though Mary–who had become over the years a kind of Motown historian– was in featured in pre-taped interviews for the eventual TV show, she was ignored at the live event at the Shrine Auditorium. She was used to it.

She’d spoken her mind in the 1980s in her book, “Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme,” and had never been forgiven for it. She didn’t care. So many Motown singers who weren’t superstars, from Kim Weston and Brenda Holloway to the Marvelettes and so on, had been shunted aside by the main Motown machine as history was rewritten and Diana Ross was the focus of the story. But Mary refused to take scraps. She was such a sweetheart, and everyone who knew her knew that.

Mary also had suffered great loss. n January 1994, Mary and her 14-year-old son, Rafael, were involved in an accident on Interstate 15 between Los Angeles and Las Vegas when their Jeep Cherokee veered off the highway and overturned. Rafael died. Somehow she overcame that heartbreak and kept going for the rest of her family.

At the Motown taping, Mary looked like a million bucks. I took the big picture here that night. Despite being snubbed by Berry and Diana, she was still a star that night. And she would not back away, which was one of the things I loved about her. And admired. She knew her place: she was a star of the Supremes, a founding member, who’d had more hits than the Beatles in direct competition with them in 1964. Even when Diana left the group and recorded “Someday We’ll Be Together” with fake Supremes, Mary held her head high. And she refused to do an anniversary tour with Diana when she was offered less money. She wanted parity. Instead, she did her own tours, in smaller venues, but to rabid crowds who loved her and knew what a talent she was.

I adored her, so many people did. To lose Mary at 76 is a real tragedy for her family, and friends, and fans. Mary, god bless you. I will add another piece to this later today. RIP Mary.

 

large inside photo copyright 2021 Showbiz411.com

Claudia Conway, Feisty Teen Daughter of Kellyanne Conway, Auditions on “American Idol” This Sunday

Roger Friedman
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Claudia Conway, Feisty Teen Daughter of Kellyanne Conway, Auditions on “American Idol” This Sunday

Claudia Conway is heading to “American Idol” this Sunday. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Claudia, 16, announced on TikTok tonight that she taped an audition on “Idol” back in November. She says she’s been singing and playing instruments her whole life, so jumped at the offer. “If American Idol reaches out to you, you don’t say no. That doesn’t happen.”

Conway says: “I know half the world sees me as a joke because of my parents’ bullshit, but I’m not a joke,” she says, “just a 16 year old with passions, trying to figure out her future.”

For “Idol,” this PR gold. Claudia has been in the news for months, railing against her parents who are the awful Trump lackey Kellyanne Conway and her estranged husband George Conway.

Claudia often swears off social media after getting into the national spotlight, but she always returns with something to top the last adventure. It was only two weeks ago that she was claiming abuse at the hands of her mother and asking the world for help. Claudia has willed herself into being a celebrity, and one who won’t exit the stage even though her 15 minutes are up. I give her credit. She’s her own marketing class.

“I think the story of what I said when I went on was very touching,” she concludes. It’s unclear if Claudia went with a parent to “Idol” or traveled by herself or with a team working for her. (LOL.) The “touching” story? Should be good.

Rest in Peace, Joe Allen: There’d Be No Restaurant Row without His Eponymous Eatery, and Orso, Bar Centrale

Roger Friedman
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Rest in Peace, Joe Allen: There’d Be No Restaurant Row without His Eponymous Eatery, and Orso, Bar Centrale

Joe Allen was no Elaine Kaufman. He wasn’t sitting in his eatery on West 46th St. every night, entertaining and hosting the crowd. Sometimes he was at the bar. Meanwhile, everyone in the place after 10pm was from a Broadway show. You often made it over after a show was done to find an actor from that very show entertaining guests from out of town or having a drink from another play.

Joe Allen should be on the front page of tomorrow’s New York Times. Their people certainly ate at Joe’s tables for decades beginning in 1965. There was no Restaurant Row before Joe Allen, but since then the block between Eighth and Ninth Avenue has flourished with all kinds of hotspots.But if you wanted a beer and a burger or a pot pie or a salad in a comfy setting, you tried to get a reservation at Joe’s place.

In 1983, Joe went upscale and introduced Orso just to the left of his namesake pavilion. I can tell you that Orso was so “hot” and impossible to get into people fought for the tables. That heat went on for a decade. It was one of “the” places to go at lunch time, and definitely desired after theater. Orso was the complete opposite of the mother ship. Italian, hip, expensive. Actors only went there if someone was taking them.

In that time, Joe Allen also expanded to Los Angeles and London. For a while the Hollywood crowd was all over it. I think it was just too hard for Joe to keep up at a 3,000 mile difference, but I remember in the mid 80s when I’d get to L.A. and someone would say “Let’s go to Joe Allen,” because they thought I had an in from New York. It was either Joe Allen or Spago.

Eventually Joe went above the street level of West 46th St. adding Bar Centrale. It was really for after hours, with just tapas and drinks, no coffee or dessert. and no way to get in. That’s because the Big Name actors would go up there after seeing friends backstage.

Joe was not around much, and I often saw him up at Elaine’s, a million miles away at Second Ave and 88th St. He and Elaine started their places around the same time and they were far enough away from each other to divide up the celebrities and A-listers and still enjoy each other. When Fred Rappoport and I produced Elaine’s memorial service in 2011, Joe was one of the honored speakers.

There will be a lot of tributes to Joe online tonight. The great actress Holland Taylor wrote on Twitter: “Joe Allen NYC and ORSO fed and hosted me and mine my entire career; for a long time divine in LA; always HAFH in London; and then— the total *perfection* of Bar Centrale. RIP, Joe. You were truly one of the good guys.” Chita Rivera: “There’s only one #JoeAllen… Strong, Steady, Comforting and Reliable. He certainly will be missed but we will carry him with us forever. I know I shall.”

There isn’t an actor, director, writer, or journalist, or any of the other people connected to Broadway shows who hasn’t been fed by Joe Allen. They loved looking at the decor, which consisted of framed posters of shows that closed right away. We’d come in after seeing a turkey and say, Their poster should be up here tomorrow. 

In the months right before the pandemic, the restaurants had some plumbing issues, causing a limited menu. But everything was eventually sorted out. Unlike Elaine’s, Joe Allen was set up as a business. There will be no skulduggery with the owner gone. When Broadway returns, so will the trio of eateries that are the heart of the theater district. And we will toast Joe in every one of them, and thank him profusely for giving us the sustenance to sit through six hours shows, musicals that have no songs, and the joyous successes that make us feel alive again.

Thank you, Joe Allen, for everything.

 

Critics Choice Awards Go Big for “Mank,” Put “Minari” in Best Picture and Foreign Language, Nods to “Nomadland”

Roger Friedman
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Critics Choice Awards Go Big for “Mank,” Put “Minari” in Best Picture and Foreign Language, Nods to “Nomadland”

The Critics Choice nominations are out, and everyone is in. The critics really liked “Mank,” of course, because they’re critics. The actors in SAG disagreed. So “Mank” is not going to be a big Oscar player. And even Critics Choice will have to go along with “Nomadland” as Best Picture unless there’s a last minute move to “The Trial of the Chicago 7.” Netflix is all over these nominations.

One interesting note: Netflix really couldn’t get any awards group to go for Sophia Loren in “The Life Ahead.” I’m surprised. The whole idea of celebrating this great, gorgeous veteran just didn’t fly. But the song from the movie, called “Seen,” by Diane Warren, is headed to Oscar gold I think.

What a shame we won’t have a big gala this year to give the awards. Last year’s event was terrific. We’ll be back in 2022!

FILM NOMINATIONS FOR THE 26TH ANNUAL CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS


BEST PICTURE

Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)

Mank (Netflix)

Minari (A24)

News of the World (Universal Pictures)

Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures)

One Night in Miami (Amazon Studios)

Promising Young Woman (Focus Features)

Sound of Metal (Amazon Studios)

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix)

BEST ACTOR

Ben Affleck – The Way Back (Warner Bros.)

Riz Ahmed – Sound of Metal (Amazon Studios)

Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)

Tom Hanks – News of the World (Universal Pictures)

Anthony Hopkins – The Father (Sony Pictures Classics)

Delroy Lindo – Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)

Gary Oldman – Mank (Netflix)

Steven Yeun – Minari (A24)

BEST ACTRESS

Viola Davis – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)

Andra Day – The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Hulu)

Sidney Flanigan – Never Rarely Sometimes Always (Focus Features)

Vanessa Kirby – Pieces of a Woman (Netflix)

Frances McDormand – Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures)

Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman (Focus Features)

Zendaya – Malcolm & Marie (Netflix)


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Chadwick Boseman – Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)

Sacha Baron Cohen – The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix)

Daniel Kaluuya – Judas and the Black Messiah (Warner Bros.)

Bill Murray – On the Rocks (A24/Apple TV+)

Leslie Odom, Jr. – One Night in Miami (Amazon Studios)

Paul Raci – Sound of Metal (Amazon Studios)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (Amazon Studios)

Ellen Burstyn – Pieces of a Woman (Netflix)

Glenn Close – Hillbilly Elegy (Netflix)

Olivia Colman – The Father (Sony Pictures Classics)

Amanda Seyfried – Mank (Netflix)

Yuh-Jung Youn – Minari (A24)

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS

Ryder Allen – Palmer (Apple TV+)

Ibrahima Gueye – The Life Ahead (Netflix)

Alan Kim – Minari (A24)

Talia Ryder – Never Rarely Sometimes Always (Focus Features)

Caoilinn Springall – The Midnight Sky (Netflix)

Helena Zengel – News of the World (Universal Pictures)

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE

Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)

Judas and the Black Messiah (Warner Bros.)

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)

Minari (A24)

One Night in Miami (Amazon Studios)

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix)


BEST DIRECTOR

Lee Isaac Chung – Minari (A24)

Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman (Focus Features)

David Fincher – Mank (Netflix)

Spike Lee – Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)

Regina King – One Night in Miami (Amazon Studios)

Aaron Sorkin – The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix)

Chloé Zhao – Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Lee Isaac Chung – Minari (A24)

Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman (Focus Features)

Jack Fincher – Mank (Netflix)

Eliza Hittman – Never Rarely Sometimes Always (Focus Features)

Darius Marder & Abraham Marder – Sound of Metal (Amazon Studios)

Aaron Sorkin – The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix)


BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Paul Greengrass & Luke Davies – News of the World (Universal Pictures)

Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller – The Father (Sony Pictures Classics)

Kemp Powers – One Night in Miami (Amazon Studios)

Jon Raymond & Kelly Reichardt – First Cow (A24)

Ruben Santiago-Hudson – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)

Chloé Zhao – Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Christopher Blauvelt – First Cow (A24)

Erik Messerschmidt – Mank (Netflix)

Lachlan Milne – Minari (A24)

Joshua James Richards – Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures)

Newton Thomas Sigel – Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)

Hoyte Van Hoytema – Tenet (Warner Bros.)

Dariusz Wolski – News of the World (Universal Pictures)

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Cristina Casali, Charlotte Dirickx – The Personal History of David Copperfield (Searchlight Pictures)

David Crank, Elizabeth Keenan – News of the World (Universal Pictures)

Nathan Crowley, Kathy Lucas – Tenet (Warner Bros.)

Donald Graham Burt, Jan Pascale – Mank (Netflix)

Kave Quinn, Stella Fox – Emma (Focus Features)

Mark Ricker, Karen O’Hara & Diana Stoughton – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)

BEST EDITING

Alan Baumgarten – The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix)

Kirk Baxter – Mank (Netflix)

Jennifer Lame – Tenet (Warner Bros.)

Yorgos Lamprinos – The Father (Sony Pictures Classics)

Mikkel E. G. Nielsen – Sound of Metal (Amazon Studios)

Chloé Zhao – Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures)

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Alexandra Byrne – Emma (Focus Features)

Bina Daigeler – Mulan (Disney)

Suzie Harman & Robert Worley – The Personal History of David Copperfield (Searchlight Pictures)

Ann Roth – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)

Nancy Steiner – Promising Young Woman (Focus Features)

Trish Summerville – Mank (Netflix)


BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP

Emma (Focus Features)

Hillbilly Elegy (Netflix)

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)

Mank (Netflix)

Promising Young Woman (Focus Features)

The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Hulu)


BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Greyhound (Apple TV+)

The Invisible Man (Universal Pictures)

Mank (Netflix)

The Midnight Sky (Netflix)

Mulan (Disney)

Tenet (Warner Bros.)

Wonder Woman 1984 (Warner Bros.)

BEST COMEDY

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (Amazon Studios)

The Forty-Year-Old Version (Netflix)

The King of Staten Island (Universal Pictures)

On the Rocks (A24/Apple TV+)

Palm Springs (Hulu and NEON)

The Prom (Netflix)

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Another Round (Samuel Goldwyn Films)

Collective (Magnolia Pictures)

La Llorona (Shudder)

The Life Ahead (Netflix)

Minari (A24)

Two of Us (Magnolia Pictures)

BEST SONG

Everybody Cries – The Outpost (Screen Media Films)

Fight for You – Judas and the Black Messiah (Warner Bros.)

Husavik (My Home Town) – Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (Netflix)

Io sì (Seen) – The Life Ahead (Netflix)

Speak Now – One Night in Miami (Amazon Studios)

Tigress & Tweed – The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Hulu)


BEST SCORE

Alexandre Desplat – The Midnight Sky (Netflix)

Ludwig Göransson – Tenet (Warner Bros.)

James Newton Howard – News of the World (Universal Pictures)

Emile Mosseri – Minari (A24)

Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – Mank (Netflix)

Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Jon Batiste – Soul (Disney)

TV NOMINATIONS:

SERIES NOMINATIONS FOR THE 26TH ANNUAL CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS

BEST DRAMA SERIES

Better Call Saul (AMC)

The Crown (Netflix)

The Good Fight (CBS All Access)

Lovecraft Country (HBO)

The Mandalorian (Disney+)

Ozark (Netflix)

Perry Mason (HBO)

This Is Us (NBC)

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Jason Bateman – Ozark (Netflix)

Sterling K. Brown – This Is Us (NBC)

Jonathan Majors – Lovecraft Country (HBO)

Josh O’Connor – The Crown (Netflix)

Bob Odenkirk – Better Call Saul (AMC)

Matthew Rhys – Perry Mason (HBO)

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Christine Baranski – The Good Fight (CBS All Access)

Olivia Colman – The Crown (Netflix)

Emma Corrin – The Crown (Netflix)

Claire Danes – Homeland (Showtime)

Laura Linney – Ozark (Netflix)

Jurnee Smollett – Lovecraft Country (HBO)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Jonathan Banks – Better Call Saul (AMC)

Justin Hartley – This Is Us (NBC)

John Lithgow – Perry Mason (HBO)

Tobias Menzies – The Crown (Netflix)

Tom Pelphrey – Ozark (Netflix)

Michael K. Williams – Lovecraft Country (HBO)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Gillian Anderson – The Crown (Netflix)

Cynthia Erivo – The Outsider (HBO)

Julia Garner – Ozark (Netflix)

Janet McTeer – Ozark (Netflix)

Wunmi Mosaku – Lovecraft Country (HBO)

Rhea Seehorn – Better Call Saul (AMC)

BEST COMEDY SERIES

Better Things (FX)

The Flight Attendant (HBO Max)

Mom (CBS)

PEN15 (Hulu)

Ramy (Hulu)

Schitt’s Creek (Pop)

Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)

What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Hank Azaria – Brockmire (IFC)

Matt Berry – What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Nicholas Hoult – The Great (Hulu)

Eugene Levy – Schitt’s Creek (Pop)

Jason Sudeikis – Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)

Ramy Youssef – Ramy (Hulu)

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Pamela Adlon – Better Things (FX)

Christina Applegate – Dead to Me (Netflix)

Kaley Cuoco – The Flight Attendant (HBO Max)

Natasia Demetriou – What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Catherine O’Hara – Schitt’s Creek (Pop)

Issa Rae – Insecure (HBO)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

William Fichtner – Mom (CBS)

Harvey Guillén – What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Daniel Levy – Schitt’s Creek (Pop)

Alex Newell – Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist (NBC)

Mark Proksch – What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Andrew Rannells – Black Monday (Showtime)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Lecy Goranson – The Conners (ABC)

Rita Moreno – One Day at a Time (Pop)

Annie Murphy – Schitt’s Creek (Pop)

Ashley Park – Emily in Paris (Netflix)

Jaime Pressly – Mom (CBS)

Hannah Waddingham – Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)

BEST LIMITED SERIES

I May Destroy You (HBO)

Mrs. America (FX)

Normal People (Hulu)

The Plot Against America (HBO)

The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix)

Small Axe (Amazon Studios)

The Undoing (HBO)

Unorthodox (Netflix)

BEST MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Bad Education (HBO)

Between the World and Me (HBO)

The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel (Lifetime)

Hamilton (Disney+)

Sylvie’s Love (Amazon Studios)

What the Constitution Means to Me (Amazon Studios)

BEST ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION

John Boyega – Small Axe (Amazon Studios)

Hugh Grant – The Undoing (HBO)

Paul Mescal – Normal People (Hulu)

Chris Rock – Fargo (FX)

Mark Ruffalo – I Know This Much is True (HBO)

Morgan Spector – The Plot Against America (HBO)

BEST ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Cate Blanchett – Mrs. America (FX)

Michaela Coel – I May Destroy You (HBO)

Daisy Edgar-Jones – Normal People (Hulu)

Shira Haas – Unorthodox (Netflix)

Anya Taylor-Joy – The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix)

Tessa Thompson – Sylvie’s Love (Amazon Studios)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Daveed Diggs – The Good Lord Bird (Showtime)

Joshua Caleb Johnson – The Good Lord Bird (Showtime)

Dylan McDermott – Hollywood (Netflix)

Donald Sutherland – The Undoing (HBO)

Glynn Turman – Fargo (FX)

John Turturro – The Plot Against America (HBO)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Uzo Aduba – Mrs. America (FX)

Betsy Brandt – Soulmates (AMC)

Marielle Heller – The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix)

Margo Martindale – Mrs. America (FX)

Winona Ryder – The Plot Against America (HBO)

Tracey Ullman – Mrs. America (FX)

BEST TALK SHOW

Desus & Mero (Showtime)

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TBS)

The Kelly Clarkson Show (NBC/Syndicated)

Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC)

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)

Red Table Talk (Facebook Watch)

BEST COMEDY SPECIAL

Fortune Feimster: Sweet & Salty (Netflix)

Hannah Gadsby: Douglas (Netflix)

Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours to Kill (Netflix)

Marc Maron: End Times Fun (Netflix)

Michelle Buteau: Welcome to Buteaupia (Netflix)

Patton Oswalt: I Love Everything (Netflix)

BEST SHORT FORM SERIES

The Andy Cohen Diaries (Quibi)

Better Call Saul: Ethics Training with Kim Wexler (AMC/Youtube)

Mapleworth Murders (Quibi)

Nikki Fre$h (Quibi)

Reno 911! (Quibi)

Tooning Out the News (CBS All Access)

The Weeknd’s Sensational Super Bowl Show Sends His Records Soaring to the Top of the Charts

Roger Friedman
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The Weeknd’s Sensational Super Bowl Show Sends His Records Soaring to the Top of the Charts

Tom Brady and the Buccaneers weren’t the only winners tonight.

So was The Weeknd.

The R&B pop star was already having chart success with his “After Hours” album and “Blinding Lights” single. They were the number 1 sellers of 2020.

But after The Weeknd’s sensational Super Bowl performance Sunday night, all the records are soaring.

Five of The Weeknd’s singles went into the top 10 on iTunes. He takes up eight more spots right now on iTunes top 100.

On the iTunes album chart he has four of the top 10. The Weeknd has five more spots in the top 100.

To the credit of The Weekend’s Canadian XO Records, they dropped a greatest hits package on Friday called “The Highlights.” Their star sang many of the songs on the album tonight. The marketing was nicely tied together in a package. Republic Records, the hottest label in the land, distributes XO with Universal Music. It’s going to be quite a chart week for the them and for Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd.

The Weeknd’s performance couldn’t have been better. He sang live, looked and sounded great, was largely unadorned so it was clear the was the star. He really triumphed considering he was recently snubbed by both the Grammys and the NAACP. He doesn’t need them, you see. Nicely done.

Goodbye Johnny Depp: Timothee Chalamet is Edgar Scissorhands in Super Bowl Commercial with Winona Ryder

Roger Friedman
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Goodbye Johnny Depp: Timothee Chalamet is Edgar Scissorhands in Super Bowl Commercial with Winona Ryder

And just like that, Johnny Depp is gone. He’s been replaced as Edward Scissorhands by Timothee Chalamet as his son, Edgar, in a Super Bowl commercial for Cadillac. Winona Ryder, who was in the original film, is back and narrates as Kim from the Tim Burton movie. They were smart to get Burton on their side here. He says in a quote: It’s rare when a work you’re proud of continues to live on and evolve with the times, even after 30 years. I’m glad to see Edgar coping with the new world!” (Burton’s fee or royalty was no doubt substantial.)

Depp is hereby erased. His scandals and lawsuits with ex wife Amber Heard have done him more damage than all the crappy movies he made over the last 20 years. Ironically, his “Lone Ranger” box office bust co-starred Armie Hammer, now eating his heart out that his own career is cooked.

The winner in all this is Winona, who’s had a career Renaissance with “Stranger Things.” She was canceled herself years ago, quite unfairly, and now she’s back. What a nice end to the story.

See Bruce Springsteen’s First Ever Commercial, for Jeep, A Two and a Half Minute Soliloquy, No Song

Roger Friedman
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See Bruce Springsteen’s First Ever Commercial, for Jeep, A Two and a Half Minute Soliloquy, No Song

Bruce Springsteen’s first ever commercial for a product is for Jeep. It lasts two and a half minutes and has no song. It’s called “The Middle,” and it’s shot in Kansas in the direct center of the country. The commercial is a spoken word soliloquy about everyone putting aside their differences. Interesting that Bruce didn’t wind up licensing a song but just himself. Very clever.

Thursday Ratings: Rachel Maddow Trounces Sean Hannity By More Than 1.1 Million Viewers

Roger Friedman
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Thursday Ratings: Rachel Maddow Trounces Sean Hannity By More Than 1.1 Million Viewers

Rachel Maddow made it four for four again this week. On Thursday night she once again trounced Sean Hannity at 9pm in the cable news race.

Maddow scored just over 4 million viewers on MSNBC on Thursday, a high for the week and her fourth day in a row of killing it.

Sean Hannity, literally dying on the vine, came in with 2,858,000 viewers. Hannity has literally lost 2 million viewers over the last three or four months.

Hannity more or less tied with Lawrence O’Donnell, whose 10pm show on MSNBC had 2,835,000 million. O’Donnell’s direct Fox News competition, Laura Ingraham, could only find 2,261,000.

This news comes as Fox News has fired Lou Dobbs from Fox Business (I’m happy to see David Asman is getting the spot) because of a $2.7 billion lawsuit. Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro could be next since they’re also named as defendants.

Overall Fox News ratings are in substantial decline as their main mission — to support a corrupt and criminal president — has backfired.

This coming week, with coverage of the impeachment trial, Fox should really take a beating vs. CNN and MSNBC.

 

 

Despite Scandal: Country Singer Morgan Wallen Has 20 Singles in the iTunes Top 100, Album Sales Rose 16% This Week

Roger Friedman
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Despite Scandal: Country Singer Morgan Wallen Has 20 Singles in the iTunes Top 100, Album Sales Rose 16% This Week

Country singer Morgan Wallen may have really shown us a referendum on stupidity and ignorance.

After being exposed by TMZ in a video using the “N word,” Wallen saw sales of his music rise dramatically. To his fans, it was just a tempest in a teapot.

Wallen has 20 of the top 100 singles on the iTunes charts. A fifth of the chart!

“Dangerous: The Double Album” rose 16% according to hitsdailydouble.com. The album sold 152,596, with the bulk of that — 120,493 — in streaming.

Wallen’s “If I Know Me” rose 34%, selling 21,868 copies, again most of it streaming.

The streaming part is important because it’s easy and cheap, part of a subscription, doesn’t require much effort and can be done over and over.

Wallen’s fans not only didn’t care about the N word controversy, they seem to have applauded it.

Morgan’s all white record company, Big Loud, said they “suspended” him, whatever that means. They certainly accepted the money from those sales this week.

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