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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.

Fox News Fires Lou Dobbs, Cancels His Show After He’s Named Defendant in $2 Billion Lawsuit

Roger Friedman
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Fox News Fires Lou Dobbs, Cancels His Show After He’s Named Defendant in $2 Billion Lawsuit

Lou Dobbs just wheezed on and on for months about election fraud on his Fox Business show every night. The former CNN anchor had a lot of crazy, outrageous theories about how Joe Biden stole the election from Donald Trump.

Then the election technology company, Smartmatic, filed a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Corporation and Fox News. They named anchors Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo, and Jeanne Pirro. Last night, Fox fired Dobbs. His show is gone. Poof! He carried their water, encouraged by them, and they killed him.

Just like that. There’s no honor among thieves.

Could Bartiromo and Pirro be next? Cross fingers. They were also encouraged to act like lunatics on the Fox News airwaves. They did what they were told. They should be fired, too.

There are no tears for Lou Dobbs. When I knew him in the 1990s at CNN, he was loathed. He was a miserable creature who tortured everyone around him. He used to dress down the anchors on CNNfn on camera in front of the whole studio. They were talented people who wound up leaving the business.

When he brought his shoe-polished head to Fox News, it made sense. No one else would have him. After an interim job with with something no one ever figured out– Space.com– he returned to CNN and became a birther. Yes. Lou Dobbs was a proponent of the fake news that Barack Obama wasn’t born in the US. He was ousted from CNN a second time in 2009.

Don’t worry about Lou. I’m sure he’ll wind up on Newsmax or with OANN or some other crazy right wing fringe organization. He’s 75, but he’ll go down swinging. And he’ll be remembered as a footnote in the saga of how fake news tried to hoodwink the uneducated viewer.

He’ll also remain a defendant in that lawsuit. Good luck with that.

 

RIP “Midnight Train to Georgia” Songwriter Jim Weatherly, Gladys Knight Says: “We were must made for each other”

Roger Friedman
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RIP “Midnight Train to Georgia” Songwriter Jim Weatherly, Gladys Knight Says: “We were must made for each other”

Singer songwriter Jim Weatherly has died at age 77. He wrote Gladys Knight’s biggest hits of the early 70s, including the incredible songs “Neither One of Us” and “Midnight Train to Georgia.”

Weatherly also wrote “Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me,” “Where Peaceful Waters Flow,” and many other hits for Gladys and the Pips as well as many other country stars.

In 2002, Weatherly won a landmark case against Universal Music Publishing for underpaying him on royalties for “Midnight Train.”

Gladys said in an interview just this past Saturday with Clive Davis on his Zoom pre-Grammy gala that the song had originally been titled “Midnight Train to Houston.” She said, “I’m from Georgia, and that’s where that train is going!”

“Neither One of Us” was Gladys and the Pips’ exit hit from Motown. They’d already left the label and moved to Buddah Records and scored with “Midnight Train.” Someone at Motown went back and looked at their most recent album, discovered “Neither One of Us” just sitting there, and rushed it out to radio. The effect was that in 1973, Gladys Knight and the Pips — whose big Motown successes were in the late 60s — were revived big time, mostly thanks to Jim Weatherly.

Gladys wrote on Twitter: “We were just made for each other. We grew our lives together. I’m gonna miss him terribly and love him always.”

Here’s Jim and country star Lynn Anderson (“Rose Garden”) performing “Midnight Train”:

Ratings: Rachel Maddow Opens 1 Million Viewer Lead Over Sean Hannity Wednesday Night as Fox News Tumbles Again

Roger Friedman
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0
Ratings: Rachel Maddow Opens 1 Million Viewer Lead Over Sean Hannity Wednesday Night as Fox News Tumbles Again

On Wednesday night MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow beat Fox News’s Sean Hannity by 1 million viewers.

Maddow had 3,898,000 million viewers tune in to her erudite, entertaining show.

Hannity, spewing baseless theories and alternative facts, crumbled. He invited in 2,890,000 million misinformed guests.

This was the third night this week that Maddow ate Hannity’s lunch. She did it all last week, too.

Maddow’s success spilled over onto Lawrence O’Donnell’s equally insightful program at 10pm. He scored 2,835,000 million.

His Fox News competition, Laura Ingraham, had to settle for 2,096,000.

Fox News is in a free fall. Only Tucker Carlson is pulling in an audience, and it’s unclear if they’re just snoozing until someone comes to put them to bed. What’s also happening at 8pm is that Anderson Cooper on CNN and Chris Hayes on MSNBC are splitting the intelligent audience at that hour. Their audience together is over 5 million, much larger than Carlson.

Is it really that Fox News has lost its ultra right viewers? Or are thinking people just turning away as the Republicans lose their minds, endorse racism and hate, ignore the pandemic, and unemployment?

 

 

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