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They asked celebrities to name their top 10 films of the 21st century, and compiled a list of the top 100.
Unbelievably, “Parasite” is number 1.
The list tells some kind of story about culture and the Times. Like every newspaper and magazine list, there are glaring omissions.
Can it be considered a valid survey?
There are just four Black films: “Get Out,” “Moonlight,” “Black Panther” (way down at 97), and “12 Years a Slave.”
No films made by Spike Lee — “BlacKKKlansman,” “25th Hour,” and “Inside Man” are all missing. So are “Selma,” “Training Day,” “Fruitvale Station,” and “American Fiction.”
So are all of Woody Allen’s films including three classics: “Midnight in Paris,” “Vicki Cristina Barcelona,” and “Blue Jasmine.”
There’s no mention of the Oscar winning films from Miramax and The Weinstein Company. No “The King’s Speech,” “The Artist,” or “Chicago.” However, Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” is there, along with “Amelie” and “Carol.” But great films like “Chocolat,” “The Cider House Rules,” and so on are omitted. I wonder why?
There’s one movie each from Steven Spielberg (“Minority Report”) and Pedro Almodovar (“Volver”).
Nothing with Meryl Streep is included. She’s considered our Best Actress, but “The Iron Lady” — for which she won an Oscar, “Doubt,” and “The Devil Wears Prada” — register no mentions.
And what about Oscar winning Best Pictures? Some are there. But along with “The King’s Speech,” “Chicago,” and “The Artist,” other MIA Best Pictures include “A Beautiful Mind,” “Crash,” and “American Beauty.” “Slumdog Millionaire” is absent, so are the three “Lord of the Rings” movies, “Argo,” and “Birdman.”
Just two weeks ago I wrote about him, and a terrific new documentary about his Oscar winning musical accomplishments that mixed jazz with symphonic music.
Schifrin — someone you could really call a genius — wrote what might be the most famous TV and movie theme music ever, for “Mission Impossible.”
He composed hundreds more more movie and TV themes including “Mannix,” “The Man from UNCLE,” and “Bullitt.” He wrote the music for all of Clint Eastwood’s “Dirty Harry” movies, and for the “Rush Hour” films.
Schifrin was He was a five-time Grammy Award winner; he was nominated for six Academy Awards and four Emmy Awards. In 2019, he received an Honorary Academy Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, “in recognition of his unique musical style, compositional integrity and influential contributions to the art of film scoring.”
His “Tar Sequence” became the theme music for Eyewitness News in New York on Channel 7, WABC.
What an incredible life. Condolences to his wife of 52 years, Donna, and their children.
Want to feel old? Fifty five years after his famous one off hit “Spirit in the Sky,” Norman Greenbaum makes a cameo in the first ever video for the song.
Oy vey. He finally looks like a Spirit in the Sky. (He’s 82.)
The video stars Connor Sherry and Abby Ryder Fortson.
Craft Recordings has issued a new vinyl (I may have the original). They’re streaming the song in Dolby Atmos.
The album produced no other hits in 1970, and Norman hever had another one.
Norman grew up Orthodox Jewish but was inspired by a Christian Tv show to write the song. He must have made a fortune from licensing fees over the last five decades. God bless.
This is a strange concept. It should have been a young boy with a yarmulke on his head wandering into a Baptist church and leading the choir. But no one asked me.
It seems like the Tik Tok effect has worked for two “unknown” musicians.
Adam McInnis and a singer guitarist named Daddy Jack have placed 12 different songs on the iTunes top 100. Three of them are in the top 10.
They call themselves Sons of Legion, and have about a dozen videos that the TikTok crowd are eating up.
Sons of Legion follow in the path of Teddy Swims and Jelly Roll, with gutteral voices that recall Southern blues like Lynyrd Skynyrd, and even Hootie and the Blowfish.
They have a notable lack of publicity but a lot of copy. They say they met in Nashville at a songwriters night. They have a carefully curated look of the cool old West.
In reality, McInnis, at least, is a well known quantity in music and movie circles. He’s from Manhattan (New York, not Kansas), has worked on several film soundtracks, and is an expert in music licensing. (It’s unclear who Daddy Jack is, but there’s a website for a Daddy Jack Band and a guy in a hat and sunglasses who bares a resemblance.)
The pair’s videos are very professional for a group that claims “no label, no manager, no publicist.” The whole Sons of Legion package is well curated to seem like a grassroots effort. But wait: they say their songs have garnered over 20 million streams on Spotify and featured on major platforms like ESPN, Dodge Ram commercials, Netflix, and NBC.
According to Luminate, which isn’t up to date on this week’s breakout, Sons of Legion have had 2.5 million streams so far this year, and 5 million in their career.
Which isn’t to say that Sons of Legion haven’t made good records. They do. Five of the songs on the top 10 are available for free download on their website. One of them is a cover of Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight.” All the songs are on iTunes and Spotify, and the men even have their own “record label.” There’s also three whole albums that they sell on their website for $10.99. So far none of them has charted. They also sell a coffee mug.)
Are Sons of Legion contrived? Maybe a little bit. It does seem like five years or so of work has finally paid off big time. It feels like two seasoned musicians got wise about marketing, and have found a pot of gold. Good for them! They say they’ve been approached by all the major labels, so we’ll see where this all winds up.
Barbra Streisand’s “The Secret of Life: Partners, Volume 2” is going to set records with its release Thursday night.
A stunning collection featuring more than a dozen A list stars, “Partners 2” is the kind of reassuring album we need right now.
It’s unequivocally terrific, with Barbra — never a slouch — sounding more present, excited, and committed than she has in years. It’s not like Streisand doesn’t always give 100%, but on this collection you can hear her pure enjoyment. She’s singing forcefully and taking chances. What a thrill for the 83 year old.
There are two producers. Walter Afanasieff has worked with Streisand before, although he’s best known as Mariah Carey’s collaborator on her hits. Peter Asher, producer of James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, and a classic pop star himself, is new to the fold. They turn out to be excellent partners themselves.
The arrangements of these well chosen match-ups are lush but they’re also a little more uptempo and fresher than recent albums. After all, Barbra is singing more mainstream songs, not Broadway hits or Alan and Marilyn Bergman classics. A certain stodginess that once plagued her is gone.
Some of these tracks have already been released, the ones with Paul McCartney, Hozier, and Laufey. They’re among the best, but the balance of the 11 tracks are just as good if not better. Sting turns out to be an excellent choice on his “Fragile,” as does James Taylor on his “The Secret of Life.” Each of them match Streisand with confidence and spontaneity. They’ve got the assignment down. Hozier, Sam Smith and Josh Groban bring just the needed drama to their respective songs, “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” “To Lose You Again,” and “Where Do I Go From You?”
Two of the tracks will face scrutiny and make headlines. On “The Very Thought of You,” Bob Dylan — who sometimes sings Sinatra — really acquits himself. He actually sings, full throated, you can hear the words, and he’s also committed to making the duet work, which it does.
Then there’s a trio, not a duet, of Barbra with Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande. It’s a little too much sometimes, too many cooks in the kitchen, but each lady gets her moment. One of the thrills here: We never get to hear Mariah Carey simply sing a regular song. No hip hop, or yodeling. She should use that great voice more to this effect.
Both producers bring their own talents to the game. Asher has supplied top notch musicians he knows forever in bassist Leland Sklar, guitarist Waddy Wachtel, Russ Kunkel on drums, and Lenny Castro on percussion. The famed group, who’ve played on countless hits, make a big difference to giving the music a punch.
Afanasieff’s contribution is huge: not only has he done the intricate arrangements, he also plays piano on most of the tracks. On the last two tracks, Desmond Child and Davitt Sigerson’s “Where Do I Go From You?” and Hans Zimmer’s “Love Will Survive,” it’s just the respective singers with Afanasieff on keyboards.
Of course, everyone will have their favorites. The Paul McCartney song, “My Valentine,” gets a whole life in the duet with its author. And Barbra clearly likes the song. She really digs in with a gusto I’ve missed. The album’s revelation is Icelandic jazz singer Laufey, whom Streisand joins on her “Letter To My 13 Year Old Self.” Laufey is the least well known in the group, but after this her name will be known to all. She’s a revelation.
“Partners 2” is already at the top of Amazon’s best seller list tonight, 28 hours before its release. Watch it explode on Friday morning. Streisand is guaranteed a number 1 when all the sales are counted — giving her number 1’s in each of the last 7 decades– and all on Columbia Records. And look for her to pick up some Grammys in January 2026.
The next James Bond movie will be directed by…drum roll..
Denis Villeueve! The French Canadian is the director of the “Dune” movies, “Arrival,” and many other hits.
Villeneuve won the prize over famous directors like Christopher Nolan and Alfonso Cuaron.
The next James Bond film comes from Amazon/MGM after Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson sold all the rights to Amazon for a reported $1 billion. Together, they produced a long run of hit Bond films following Barbara’s father, Albert “Cubby” Broccoli. (Wilson is her step brother).
The next question is, Who will play the famous spy? The new James Bond will have to reimagine the series since Daniel Craig’s Bond died at the end of “No Time to Die.” The new guy will be younger than Craig. Candidates include Aaron Taylor Johnson, Aaron Pierre, and Theo James.
Will the new Bond be not white? Not English? Not male? Villeneuve and producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman face a choice more difficult than playing a world leader. When Craig was announced, there was no social media to immediately pick him apart. The new actor will be immediately examined with the equivalent of an MRI.
My guess: he’s British and he’s white. And a ladies’ man. But only in the most politically correct way.
Stay tuned…
PS Let’s hope there’s no Bond Multiverse, with Craig, Pierce Brosnan, and Timothy Dalton appearing in a fever dream. And no interaction with space aliens. (Villeneuve after all, directed “Arrival.”)
What do people want at the movies? You’d think Brad Pitt and race cars would be just the thing. Think of “Ford vs. Ferrari,” a great film that tantalized audiences not that long ago.
But so far ticket sales for Apple’s “F1,” directed by Joseph Kosinski, are slow. Looking at seat maps for Thursday — preview night — there’s concerning news. The film has a $200 million budget, maybe more for marketing and promotion. (That Times Square premiere cost a bundle.)
Of course, IMAX theaters are selling out. That’s to be expected. This is the perfect IMAX movie, shot just for that purpose.
But movies can’t live by IMAX alone. Most theater complexes don’t have IMAX. And that’s where trouble is looming. There are lots of totally empty theaters still for Standard or laser screenings. For example the laser show at 7pm on Friday at AMC Empire 25 is empty so far. And that’s a great place to see this movie!
It’s not like “F1” doesn’t have great reviews. It’s at 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. There’s no doubt the exit cards will be positive. But Apple has never had a movie this big. Even though Warner Bros. is distributing “F1,” it’s Apple’s movie to market. Maybe Apple TV subscribers think they can wait to see it at home? I hope not. To quote press releases, the movie utilizes a custom-built race car and a new camera system to capture the speed and intensity of Formula 1 racing.
So we’ll wait and see what develops tomorrow night.
We had a shock in our family today. Naomi Shaanan, a remarkable person whom we’ve known since the late 70s, was killed by an Iranian missile that hit her seven story Beer Sheba apartment house, reducing it to rubble.
Naomi, who was 73, and three others died, hiding in the safe room of their apartment building. We are in shock.
A year ago, when the war was raging between Israel and Hamas, Naomi emailed me: “Hi Roger,” she wrote, “We are still here, frustrated as hell since we can’t get our dictator off our backs, devastated at the situation in Gaza, thankful for Prez. Biden’s care and hoping for improvement.”
On Tuesday morning, when the news broke that Beer Sheba was being bombed, I had a terrible feeling, especially looking at a gutted apartment house on the TV screen. I immediately emailed Naomi to make sure she was alright. When she didn’t answer, I got a terrible feeling that something was very wrong.
Naomi came from Israel to Connecticut in the late 70s as a foreign exchange student and lived with my family for some time while she attended the University of Bridgeport. I was away at college while she was in our house. My parents and younger brothers became enchanted with her, and she became the big sister. Later, as an adult, I really got to know her and came to appreciate her political commitment, bravery, and strength.
Naomi hated Netanyahu, whom she considered a warmonger. She was well known in Beer Sheba for her activism on behalf of the October 7th hostages. We’d like to think this was a random event, but it seems so focused. It doesn’t make sense. For years she was certain she was safe in Beer Sheba. But you’re not safe anywhere in a war. We are in tears. It’s really quite shocking when the distant headlines come lapping up at your own door.
We have other family and other friends in Israel, as do many. You convince yourself that nothing bad will happen to them. Naomi and my mother, who’s almost 91, spoke at least once a month. My mom was always begging her to come to America, but Israel was her home. Naomi’s friend in New York said to me tonight, “The safe room was lined with books. She always said she’d go there when something bad happened, and read, and wait.” We can only hope that’s the way her remarkable life ended. Naomi Shaanan will not be forgotten. Condolences to her brothers, friends, and comrades.
נעמי שאנן ז"ל, נרצחה הבוקר בביתה בבאר שבע במתקפה האיראנית עמדה מדי יום בנחישות למען השבת החטופים, למען הפסקת המלחמה ושמירה על ערך חיי אדם באשר הם יהי זכרה ברוך, יהי שובם מורשתה
It seems that JFK grandson Jack Schlossberg may have a way to make money, after all. He’s on Cameo.
Thousands of celebrities are on Cameo dispensing advice, good wishes, and personal observations all for a fee. The average price for these video greetings is around $100 whether you’re a movie star or influencer.
In a slow economy, Cameo is a great way to make pin money.
Well, Jack Schlossberg joined Cameo in May. He’s offering messages for $100. Or you can just ask him a question for $19.99.
He describes his account: “The People’s Princess is for the people. Whether is your GIRLFRIEND’S BIRTHDAY , your mom’s birthday, or any other day, I’m here for you !!”
One of Jack’s customers posted the video he sent her. Here’s the link. Satisfied customer @ruthyalope commented: “The video was longer than I expected and above exceeded my expectations. Jack was funny, witty, and gave insightful remarks. I was thoroughly pleased with my video and would buy again. So cool that he’s doing this! Thanks Jack!”
