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Inauguration Update: Bon Jovi, Demi Lovato, Justin Timberlake Set for Tom Hanks-Hosted TV Special, Springsteen a Possibility

Roger Friedman
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Inauguration Update: Bon Jovi, Demi Lovato, Justin Timberlake Set for Tom Hanks-Hosted TV Special, Springsteen a Possibility

UPDATE

Jon Bon Jovi, Demi Lovato, Justin Timberlake will headline a TV special for the Biden-Harris inauguration on January 20th, hosted by Tom Hanks. Bruce Springsteen may join in.

It would be great if Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band could play the Lincoln Memorial, just as Bruce did in January 2009 for Barack Obama. That concert, called “We Are One,” featured Bruce, and dozens more artists live outside for huge crowds. Additionally, Sting and Stevie Wonder performed on ABC while the Obama’s took their first dance.

This 90-minute program, called “Celebrating America,” will also feature remarks from the President-elect and the Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and will celebrate “American heroes” like front line workers, teachers and health care workers, among others.
“Our first priority is safety — so while many of us will be watching safely from our homes, we are creating real moments of connection that highlight a new inclusive American era of leadership that works for and represents all Americans,” said an organizer.

 

Bill Cosby’s Wife, Camille, Condemns Capitol Rioters as Mentally Ill: “Is America a democracy? Not yet, nor has it ever been…maybe soon”

Roger Friedman
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Bill Cosby’s Wife, Camille, Condemns Capitol Rioters as Mentally Ill: “Is America a democracy? Not yet, nor has it ever been…maybe soon”

I received a statement today from Camille Cosby, wife of Bill Cosby, about the Capitol rioters from last week.

Mrs. Cosby refers in her statement to a 1999 op-ed piece in the New York Times by the esteemed Dr. Alvin F. Poussaint, that racism is a mental illness. I agree with Dr. Poussaint, a long time associate and friend of Mrs. Cosby’s currently incarcerated husband. I am giving the link here to his essay.

Mrs. Cosby takes Dr. Poussaint’s essay a little further. I’ve sent the respected educator an email asking him what he thinks of her interpretation. I’ll add it here with an update if he responds.

Here’s Mrs. Cosby’s statement. I’ve split it into sections just to make it easier to read on this page:
Hatred is a hellish emotion. In recent years, hatred has been spewed by well known, public, demonic people…and condoned, sensationalized and disseminated by varied forms of irresponsible, greedy media. Racism is in the forefront of multiple types of hatred. Racism has been and is steeped in the foundation of America’s generational histories; ever since white people’s original settlements in this country.

Openly, specific white people committed brutal and murderous seizures of the homelands of indigenous people; savagely enslaved millions of Africans; and, afterwards, legalized numerous years of apartheid within our nation’s medical, financial, corporate, law enforcement, judicial, governmental and educational institutions…all of which are still hugely, racially problematic.

Evidently, those particular white people delusively and dementedly felt and believed that their male and female whiteness gave them lifelong entitlements and supremacy. Dr. Alvin F. Poussaint’s profound and timeless article, “They Hate. They Kill. Are They Insane?”, was originally printed as an opinion piece in the New York Times on August 26, 1999.

Dr. Poussaint was not then supported by his peers in the profession of psychiatry; probably because legions of psychiatrists have professional and personal histories of racism….but, each and every word in the article should resonate to clear-minded readers, in light of the recent in-your -face acts of racism that are sadly and grossly very familiar in the USA. The convergence of crazed mobs of white people, hell-bent on destructions and murders in African-American communities, have been all too common occurrences in this country.

This is a country that has not cleaned up its act pertaining to racial hatred. That should be a primary mandate amongst diverse white people and they should not look to people of color to resolve that ongoing, sociological filth of injustice. Is America a democracy? Not yet, nor has it ever been…maybe soon.  

New James Bond Movie On the Move Again to Fall Release, Affects Aretha Franklin Biopic “Respect”

Roger Friedman
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New James Bond Movie On the Move Again to Fall Release, Affects Aretha Franklin Biopic “Respect”

Poor Barbara Broccoli. I could say she’s ‘steamed.’ But she’s too nice to make puns on her name.

Nevertheless, the beleaguered producer of the James Bond movie franchise is about to see the latest installment moved again.

“No Time to Die,” directed by Cary Fukunaga, I’ve confirmed independently is on its way from its April opening to November. Again. Is this deja vu all over again? Yes. Remember, “No Time to Die” was supposed to open in April 2020, then moved to November 2020, then to April 2021.

But theaters in New York and Los Angeles are closed, the pandemic is raging everywhere, and Billie Eilish– who recorded the title track– is a year or two older by now.

Why not stream it? MGM tried that, and offered it to the big guns, but no one wanted to pay $600 million for the rights.

Anyway, we want to see “No Time to Die” on big screens. No TVs. We can wait. Once the vaccine takes old under Biden, the theater business will come roaring back after Labor Day.

Meantime, MGM is for sale. They have no money. And this affects the Aretha Franklin biopic, “Respect,” set now for an August release. MGM has no money to promote it and launch an Oscar campaign. Warner Media should really step in now and buy the film from them. Most of Aretha’s classic catalog in the movie is on their Atlantic Records. Warner’s should just swoop and take this over, and let Jennifer Hudson get her 2022 Oscar. Please.

 

Anna Wintour’s Winter of Discontent: Insults Kamala Harris as Vogue Steers Clear of Models, Attempts Seriousness

Roger Friedman
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Anna Wintour’s Winter of Discontent: Insults Kamala Harris as Vogue Steers Clear of Models, Attempts Seriousness

Anna Wintour is having a bad winter.

She’s insulted Vice President elect Kamala Harris by using a cover photo on Vogue that the VP’s staff didn’t approve. And, of course, they hate the one she chose.

This is for February Vogue, following January Vogue with Oscar winning actress and notorious sourpuss Frances McDormand on the cover. We love McDormand existentially, but for Vogue? Maybe the New Republic, or the Atlantic. (Is the New Republic still in business?)

Harris is presented in casual clothes with sneakers on. She’s giving her million dollar smile, so that helps. But couldn’t Wintour and her minions have come up with a clever way to make her look great and on a budget?

You see AOC was on the cover of Vanity Fair wearing very expensive, albeit borrowed, clothes. And readers went wild accusing her of abandoning her working class persona. Harris certainly wouldn’t want the same blow back. But how about some lighting? How about some effort?

Of course, Harris is Black, which isn’t Wintour’s forte in the first place. So she’s really getting creamed PR wise for blowing this project. And this, after Anna was appointed or anointed head of all Conde Nast editorial. This is like being named captain of the Titanic after they hit the iceberg.

And McDormand, then Harris– this isn’t Anna’s Vogue. This is Edward Enninful’s Vogue. The editor of British Vogue can pull off these intellectual race-crossing covers. Wintour cannot. She seems to have dropped celebrities and models in favor of Being Smart like Enninful, only to make a mess of it.

On top of all this, it’s February 1st. May 1st — the time of the Met Ball– is around the corner. Either plan it or abandon it. There’s just no way it’s going to happen until at least the fall, if ever. So Wintour really has her hands full. Enninful.

 

Anna Rose King, Filmmaker, Daughter of Late Syndication Exec Roger King, Dies at 35 from Lung Cancer

Roger Friedman
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Anna Rose King, Filmmaker, Daughter of Late Syndication Exec Roger King, Dies at 35 from Lung Cancer

Three years ago this past October I was invited to a small private screening for a movie called “Good Enough,” directed by Anna Rose King. She was the daughter of Roger King, the late syndication titan who put Oprah on the map. I thought, this has to be terrible but I’ll go, it’s near my house.

“Good Enough” was wonderful, as it turned out, and so was Anna Rose King. Not cashing in on her father, she was a self-starter with lots of great ideas. And she was just lovely– funny, open, articulate. Smart. Beautiful. I thought, she could be s a star. Anna Rose made a very good movie, one that I thought should have been at Sundance and released properly. We spent the evening talking about all this, and then, life went on.

Tonight I’ve learned that Anna Rose, 35, has died of lung cancer. What??? She was married and had a 4 year old daughter.

I did lose track of her but often wondered what had happened after that screening. She must have been diagnosed not long after that night. She had a few other directing credits, and last year she was selected as a 2020 Sundance Institute FilmTwo Fellow for her screenplay about a New York woman who seeks to cure her cancer by participating in an experimental treatment in Houston.

This is heartbreaking for her family and friends, and her admirers, of which I count myself as one. What a shame. So far, 2021 isn’t much better than 2020.

Read my original piece here. I took this photo, we set it up after the screening.

PS I don’t know if “Good Enough” is on iTunes, but if it is, take a look. You won’t be disappointed.

“Nomadland” Sweeps Gotham Awards with Best Feature, Audience Award on Its Way to the Oscars

Roger Friedman
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“Nomadland” Sweeps Gotham Awards with Best Feature, Audience Award on Its Way to the Oscars

“Nomadland” directed by Chloe Zhao swept the Gotham Awards tonight, winning Best Feature and the Audience Award.

The only award Nomadland lost was Best Actress. In an upset, Nicole Beharie won Best Actress for “Miss Juneteenth.”

The late Chadwick Boseman lost Best Actor to Riz Ahmed, for “The Sound of Metal.” They will each likely get Oscar nominations.

Presented virtually in a very clever way, the Gothams ran two hours and fifteen minutes and were full of fun, surprise winners, and lots of taken aback speakers. It wasn’t as good as being there live, but they did alright.

The Gothams are usually presented on the Monday after Thanksgiving, so they were late. The juries decide the awards in early fall, so many films weren’t available to them yet. But that’s ok this year.  “Nomadland” is exceptional, and on its way to the Oscar win for Best Picture.

There were tributes to Viola Davis, Ryan Murphy, and an Ensemble Award to Aaron Sorkin’s excellent “Trial of the Chicago 7.”

Best foreign film went to “Identifying Features.”

There were two ties: for screenplay, and for documentary. The screenplay awards went to “Forty Year Old Version” and “14.”

The documentary winners were “Time,” produced by the Obamas for Netflix, and “A Thousand Cuts.”

Compete official list coming….

 

 

Nicole Kidman In, Cate Blanchett Out as Lucille Ball in “I Love Lucy” Movie Written and Directed by Aaron Sorkin

Roger Friedman
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Nicole Kidman In, Cate Blanchett Out as Lucille Ball in “I Love Lucy” Movie Written and Directed by Aaron Sorkin

Can we handle the truth? We may never know why Nicole Kidman is in and Cate Blanchett is out as Lucille Ball in Aaron Sorkin’s movie about “I Love Lucy.”

Deadline reports that Sorkin will direct Kidman and Javier Bardem as Lucy and Desi Arnaz as they shoot an episode of “I Love Lucy” in a film for Amazon Studios.

“Being the Ricardos” is set for a spring production.

The news is a little startling because Blanchett was all signed up for the project three years ago. Lucy’s actress daughter, Lucie Arnaz, was thrilled and gave her blessing. Just last year, in December 2019, Arnaz told “Good Morning America” how excited she was about Blanchett.

“The first person they mentioned they wanted to inquire about playing [my mother] said, ‘Oh my God. Yes.’ And that was Cate Blanchett,” she said.

“She totally gets where my mother was coming from, and she’s going to be magnificent in this,” Arnaz said of Blanchett.

This last minute change is strange, too, because both of these Oscar winning Australian actresses are represented by CAA, Creative Artists Agency, and are at top of the heap in getting roles they want.

Cate would have been great, Nicole will be great. The main thing is Sorkin has got to show Lucille Ball as a gifted comedian who was also a shrewd businesswoman in a tempestuous marriage.

Arnaz told “GMA” that after seeing this movie, she wanted audiences to say: ‘I understand Desi. I understand Lucy I understand why they fell in love. I understand why they couldn’t stay married. And I understand why that show worked the way it did.’

Now Sorkin and co. have to find Fred and Ethel Mertz, which could be the scene stealing roles. Michael Chiklis must be emailing Sorkin every ten minutes– he’d be a great Fred. For Ethel, I’d cast Marielle Heller in a heartbeat. But no one asked me!

(Watch) Lana del Rey Drops Title Track from Forthcoming Album, “Chemtrails Over the Country Club”

Roger Friedman
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(Watch) Lana del Rey Drops Title Track from Forthcoming Album, “Chemtrails Over the Country Club”

See? Things aren’t so bad! Lana del Rey dropped the title track to her new album, “Chemtrails over the Country Club” today.

The album is coming March 19th and includes “Let Me Love You Like a Woman,” which should be a freakin’ hit already!

Here’s the tracklist:
1. White Dress
2. Chemtrails Over The Country Club
3. Tulsa Jesus Freak
4. Let Me Love You Like A Woman
5. Wild At Heart
6. Dark But Just A Game
7. Not All Who Wander Are Lost
8. Yosemite
9. Breaking Up Slowly
10. Dance Till We Die
11. For Free

CNN’s Jim Acosta, Fox News’s John Roberts Promoted to Anchors, Rewarded for Battle Duty in White House Press Corps

Roger Friedman
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CNN’s Jim Acosta, Fox News’s John Roberts Promoted to Anchors, Rewarded for Battle Duty in White House Press Corps

War is over. Now come the Purple Hearts for the White House press corps.

The four year battle with Donald Trump and his lying, contentious press secretaries has earned a few of the journalists who had to endure that torture some nice rewards.

At CNN, the great Jim Acosta is leaving the press corps to be a weekend anchor and front and center correspondent. He deserves. Acosta stood his ground, even as he was “accosted” so to speak by the Trump White House. At one point he had to fight to get his credentials returned after they were pulled. He did a great job.

Fox News is bringing their most moderate, and literate, reporter, John Roberts, into the studio. He’ll anchor a new show at 1pm daily. Roberts hung in there day after day in a tough spot. He represented a crazy right wing network, but he managed to walk a fine line and voice his skepticism about what the hell was going on in that press room. It couldn’t have been easy.

NBC is promoting Peter Alexander and Kristen Welker to the White House. They worked hard also during the Trump four year debacle and will now have a presumably easier time with Biden and Harris. Leaving the NBC White House gig is Hallie Jackson, who also did a great job as Senior White House correspondent. She’s promoted to senior Washington correspondent, and anchors at MSNBC. I hope we see a lot of her.

Andrea Mitchell– I’m sorry, but how long has she been at NBC? Since General Sarnoff started the place? And she looks like she’s 39. Anyway, Alexander and Welker are under her now, she’s the chief White House Correspondent. I’m just joking, of course. Andrea Mitchell is amazing.

No word yet on Paula Reid at CBS or Jon Karl at ABC, both of whom did outstanding work as they tried to peel back the rotten onion of Spicer, Huckabee, McEnemy, etc. And Yamiche Alcindor should get the Medal of Freedom, frankly. Seeing her in that room, watching her jump in without fear, made the last year, especially, possible to tolerate. In the old days, if I met her, I’d hug her. Now I’d give her a very friendly elbow!

We can only hope there will be a White House correspondents dinner live in 2022. What a celebration! Without these indefatigable journalists, we would have been sunk. God bless ’em for maintaining their integrity and keeping their cool!

Kim Cattrall is to Sex and the City What Mary Wilson Is to the Supremes: Speaker of the Truth

Roger Friedman
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Kim Cattrall is to Sex and the City What Mary Wilson Is to the Supremes: Speaker of the Truth

Many years ago, the great singer Mary Wilson, founding member of the Supremes, refused to go on an anniversary tour with Diana Ross. The reason? Diana would be paid three times as much Mary. Wilson, choosing integrity, said no. She was either equal to Diana Ross or not going.

Kim Cattrall has played the Mary Wilson role in the story of “Sex and the City.” She was always paid substantially less than Sarah Jessica Parker in her role as Samantha. Presumably, Cattrall was remunerated equally to Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis. The three “SATC” back up singers were paid good money, but Parker was the star.

Cattrall stuck with Samantha for the television series and two movies. But for a third movie she balked. She wanted equal pay, otherwise she was done. Obviously it didn’t happen.

So Parker and writer Michael Patrick King, and HBO, knowing there was still gold to mine from “SATC” apparently went ahead and wrote a new series without Samantha. This couldn’t have been easy. Samantha was the Sex, in the city.

We don’t know the plot of the new 10 episode series. Presumably Charlotte and Miranda’s kids have grown up. Carrie has probably had a kid or two with Mr. Big. Have they time jumped to make all the kids teenagers? Will there be a sexy character to take Samantha’s place? We’ll have to wait and see.

On Instagram, SJP– whom I’ve known for years and like very much– disputed a fan’s claim that she and Cattrall don’t get along. “I don’t dislike her. I’ve never said that. Never would. Samantha isn’t part of the story. But she will always be part of us. No matter where we are what we do.X heart.”

That’s a very nicely worded statement. Cattrall will always be part of SATC because, look, she’s in the reruns, she’s in the movies, and she’s paid residuals. Samantha isn’t part of the story because she was written out. Soap operas do that all the time. It’s not new. Robert Duvall wouldn’t do “The Godfather III” because he wasn’t offered Al Pacino money. George Hamilton played a substitute.

As for Mary Wilson, she’s respected and loved, and has had a wonderful career without Diana Ross. She’s held her head high. Same for Kim Cattrall, who just starred in the series “Filthy Rich” and is always generating new shows. She doesn’t need “SATC.” They need her. I have a feeling the new series will be quite bland without her.

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