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Box Office: Stain-Removing “Ammonite” and Mel Gibson’s Awful “Fatman” Find Few Takers in Theater Debuts

Roger Friedman
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Box Office: Stain-Removing “Ammonite” and Mel Gibson’s Awful “Fatman” Find Few Takers in Theater Debuts

The two new movies actually being shown in theaters this weekend didn’t find a lot of love.

“Ammonite,” starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan, took in just $85,000 at 280 screens. Audiences, like me, might have confused Ammonite for a stain remover or a substitute for Formica. Either way, there wasn’t much interest in waiting for these two fine actresses to have a sex scene, apparently. With $304 per screen, “Ammonite” looks like it’s headed the way of “Carol,” the last big serious lesbian drama. Remember how all the early reviews were sending “Carol” to the Oscars that year? And then it vanished. Here we go again.

Racist, anti-Semitic Mel Gibson’s hideously awful “Fatman” about a psychotic Santa hunted by a hit man did only a little better. It made $107K on 259 screens. Mel might as well have stayed in the chimney blowing smoke up his own you know what. Like all Mel Gibson movies, “Fatman” is headed to life on video on demand and in cut out DVD bins. By Christmas Eve, it should be a dimmed memory.

No, the big movie in theaters this weekend was the horror film, “Freaky,” from Universal Pictures and Jason Blum’s Blumhouse. Jason has found a way to make money during the pandemic, and I’m not surprised. This is 10th hit in a row in 2020. He paid his dues at Miramax/Dimension, and then went on to scare everyone silly. Vince Vaughn even got a “comeback” piece in the LA Times. How do you like that? Pigs have flown. “Freaky” made $3.7 million this weekend and finished at number 1.

Too bad Mel Gibson can’t get into Blumhouse. But my guess is, he burned that bridge a long time ago.

EXCLUSIVE: Joe and Jill Biden Started 3 Charities Over Last Four Years, Gave Away A Million Bucks, All on the Up and Up

Roger Friedman
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EXCLUSIVE: Joe and Jill Biden Started 3 Charities Over Last Four Years, Gave Away A Million Bucks, All on the Up and Up

The New York Post, in the person of one Isabel Vincent, is trying to make President-elect Joe and Dr. Jill Biden look bad this morning. Vincent purposely reported a part, hardly the whole, of a story about the Bidens’ charitable foundations. Vincent– carrying the water of right wing extremist and former Post editor in chief Col Allan— bends over backwards to make it seem like the Bidens have done something terrible. (See here for Allan’s legacy.)

It’s shoddy, one sided reporting. Surprised?

Vincent reports that the Bidens have a not for profit charity called the Biden Cancer Initiative. She’s right there. They do, and it seems like it’s for lobbying and finding ways to advance cancer cures. No one in the Biden family is paid, they get nothing, they just raise the money.

But Vincent purposely omits from her story that there are two more Biden not-for-profits. One of them is named for Joe’s late son, Beau, and in its short life has given minimal grants. But again, no Bidens make money from it.

This is unlike Donald Trump’s now closed foundation and the one that was run under his son, Eric Trump. They were shut down by the New York Attorney General for a laundry list of infractions.

The third Biden charity is called The Biden Foundation. In its two years of reporting (don’t forget, Joe Biden only established these foundations a short time ago, when he and Barack Obama left office), The Biden Foundation has given around $1 million to charitable organizations. In 2016, the Biden Foundation donated $495,000 to the Biden Cancer Foundation for future giving. In 2017, the Biden Foundation started making disbursements. They gave $375,000 to the national council of the YMCA, and $35,000 to the YWCA. The Military Child Education Foundation in Texas received $20,000; an educational group called Men Can Stop Rape was granted $16,325; and a group called Achieving the Dream in Silver Spring, Maryland — a group devoted to student success — got $20,000.

Again, the Bidens only donated or raised money. They didn’t benefit financially nor did any family members. All the salaried execs they hired were top notch. And it should be noted that the paperwork for all three charities is up to date, filed, and complete. This is, again, totally unlike what went on with all the Trump Foundations, which are now shuttered by New York State.

Keep looking for scandals, NY Post, Col Allan, Isabel Vincent. And keep making them up when you don’t find them.

 

Donald Trump Junior is Having a Fire Sale on His Book, “Liberal Privilege,” He Has Thousands Unsold, Can’t Give ‘Em Away

Roger Friedman
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Donald Trump Junior is Having a Fire Sale on His Book, “Liberal Privilege,” He Has Thousands Unsold, Can’t Give ‘Em Away

Poor Donald Trump Junior.

The party is over, even though it looks like he may still be partying from the looks of his posts.

His biggest problem is that he self-published his second book, “Liberal Privilege.” No one bought it. He has thousands of copies in his garage or wherever.

“Liberal Privilege” is currently number 6,002 on Amazon’s best seller list. Don’t tell him, but Barack Obama’s memoir, to be published Tuesday, has already been number 1 for a month. A month of pre-orders!

So Junior is having a fire sale. He’s taken to Twitter to announce that the first 1,000 people who buy the book at a 25% discount will get “upgraded” to an autographed copy. Hand signed? He doesn’t say. Probably stamped.

What can this book be used for? If you have a fireplace, the pages will make excellent kindling. If you need to raise up a computer monitor or TV, “Liberal Privilege” is stackable.

Me? I’d wait for the Christmas sale. Although the signed book might be valuable once Junior goes to jail.

Disney Exec Says Chadwick Boseman Will Not Appear Digitally in “Black Panther 2” a la Carrie Fisher in “The Last Jedi”

Roger Friedman
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Disney Exec Says Chadwick Boseman Will Not Appear Digitally in “Black Panther 2” a la Carrie Fisher in “The Last Jedi”

Good news and sad news for fans of the Marvel hit, “Black Panther.”

For the sequel, late star Chadwick Boseman will not appear digitally recreated as T’Challa, the king of Wakanda.

In a Spanish interview with Clarin.com, Marvel’s SVP of Production Victoria Alonso put that rumor to rest. Alonso told the website:

“There’s only one Chadwick, and he’s not with us. Our king, unfortunately, has died in real life, not just in fiction, and we are taking a little time to see how we return to the story and what we do to honor this chapter of what has happened to us that was so unexpected, so painful, so terrible, really. Because Chadwick was not only a marvelous human being every day that we spent together the five years we spent together, but it also seems to me that as a character what he did elevated us as a company, and has left his moment in history.”

Digital recreations became a hot topic in the last couple of years as Carrie Fisher was re-animated as General Leia for “The Last Jedi” after unexpectedly passing away (she is still much missed!) before the last chapter of “Star Wars” could be filmed. But Boseman’s passing is different, and Alonso is completely right.

Meantime, there’s speculation about how Boseman’s departure will be explained in “Black Panther 2” and what director Ryan Coogler and Marvel will do. Some say  T’Challa’s sister, played by Letitia Wright, could become the new Black Panther. My guess is that Michael B. Jordan, whose sinister Erik Killmonger, died in “Black Panther,” will be back as his good twin or something. Without Boseman, Coogler must have Jordan in the movie, and this time as a good guy. Maybe the twins can fight each other! In comics, anything can happen!

 

Paris Jackson, Willed Into Celebrity as the King of Pop’s Daughter, Releases First Album, And It Charts!

Roger Friedman
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Paris Jackson, Willed Into Celebrity as the King of Pop’s Daughter, Releases First Album, And It Charts!

Paris Jackson. To me, she’s quite a story. She lost her father, the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, when she was 11. It wasn’t too long after that she was standing down her greedy aunts and uncles after they “kidnapped” her grandmother. Remember all that? Paris was in charge at an early age.

Her Twitter feed always revealed she was bright, and a quick study. She was burning through her music education, which didn’t include R&B but focused on grunge, folk, and metal. She didn’t go to college, but you can tell the world of music was her university. She wanted it. And she wanted to be a celebrity. She didn’t know it at first, but Paris had a lot of confidence. That’s what she got from Michael Jackson.

A few months ago Paris released an EP with her boyfriend, called The Soundflowers. It wasn’t very good but she believed in it. Now she’s released today her first solo album, “Wilted,” after signing with the very hot Republic Records. Somehow she found Andy Hull and the Manchester Orchestra. I don’t think many people had heard of them. But the collaboration works, however unlikely it would seem. They’ve made a very listenable, terrific moody pop album. It’s already number 56 on iTunes. Republic should get a CD out fast. The amazon.com audience will eat it up.

“Wilted” has an Enya feel to it, but it’s more than that. Paris’s vocals– she’s got a voice– glide over a gossamer cloud of electronics and acoustic guitar. What really helps is that the songs have melodies and hooks, they’re catchy. You want to play them again. The lead single, “Let Down,” is very good. But I liked a few others, the title track and the closing one, “Another Spring,” which could be her hit. It’s got a country folk feel perfect for Adult Contemporary radio, very Cranberries. You can hear her channeling Dolores O’Riordan. Paris should do a 23 and Me and see if there’s some Irish in her.

Paris and her brother Prince (we don’t know about Bigi, formerly Blanket, yet) really inherited a lot from Michael Jackson. They’ve got his determination, his interest in charity, and in film and music. They will be his legacy far more than moonwalking and dressing up from “Thriller.”

 

Exclusive: Woody Allen’s Hilarious “Rainy Day in New York” Very Quietly Hits Streaming Services, DVD Release

Roger Friedman
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Exclusive: Woody Allen’s Hilarious “Rainy Day in New York” Very Quietly Hits Streaming Services, DVD Release

I’m here to tell you that Woody Allen’s “A Rainy Day in New York” has finally hit streaming services in the US. Not Netflix, but “Rainy Day” is on Amazon Prime, You Tube, Google Play and Vudu. It’s also available on DVD and Blu-ray.

Timothee Chalamet, Selena Gomez, and Elle Fanning form the central trio in this very funny romantic comedy. Cherry Jones and Liev Schreiber are featured as well. If people weren’t so narrow minded, they’d see that Jones should be nominated for Best Supporting Actress. The main three young actors are wonderful. It’s easily Chalamet’s best work. He’s told friends he thinks so, too.

Elle Fanning is like a young Diane Keaton in this movie. And the big surprise is how good Selena Gomez is. Not that she hasn’t turned in good work before, but she’s best known as a singer. This is her best film performance so far.

So what happened? Well, we know. Amazon Studios panicked three years ago when the MeToo movement took off. They were in the middle of releasing Woody’s “Wonder Wheel,” which wasn’t as fully formed. They pulled the plug on all things Woody, and he sued them for $68 million. The parties eventually settled. But “Rainy Day” suffered. It was released only abroad, where it made over $20 million. I reviewed it in the summer of 2019, and loved it. But people are out to get it because they want to hurt Woody. They don’t even know why, or have facts. It’s terrible.

One interesting note: so far all the customers who’ve reviewed “Rainy Day” on amazon.com really like it. They’re not being influenced by narrow minds. Watch this film. You won’t regret it.

 

 

 

Former President Barack Obama Reveals What He Really Wanted to Do When A GOP Congressman Heckled Him During a Speech

Roger Friedman
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Former President Barack Obama Reveals What He Really Wanted to Do When A GOP Congressman Heckled Him During a Speech

You wonder where the incivility in politics began, when the Republicans first started allowing rudeness and bigotry to enter their realm. It wasn’t with Donald Trump. He just saw that it was already there.

Maybe it was in September 2009, when Barack Obama addressed a joint session of Congress to explain universal health care. Obama writes about the moment in his new book, “A Promised Land,” out next Tuesday.

He recalls:

“…less than thirty minutes into the speech…as I debunked the phony claim that the bill would insure undocumented immigrants—a relatively obscure five-term Republican congressman from South Carolina named Joe Wilson leaned forward in his seat, pointed in my direction, and shouted, his face flushed with fury, “You lie!”

“For the briefest moment, a stunned silence fell over the chamber. I turned to look for the heckler (as did Speaker Pelosi and Joe Biden, Nancy aghast and Joe shaking his head). I was tempted to exit my perch, make my way down the aisle, and smack the guy in the head. Instead, I simply responded by saying, “It’s not true,” and then carried on with my speech as Democrats hurled boos in Wilson’s direction.

“As far as anyone could remember, nothing like that had ever happened before a joint-session address—at least, not in modern times. Congressional criticism was swift and bipartisan, and, by the next morning, Wilson had apologized publicly for the breach of decorum, calling Rahm and asking that his regrets get passed on to me as well. I downplayed the matter, telling a reporter that I appreciated the apology and was a big believer that we all make mistakes.

“And yet I couldn’t help noticing the news reports saying that online contributions to Wilson’s reëlection campaign spiked sharply in the week following his outburst.

“Apparently, for many Republican voters out there, he was a hero, speaking truth to power. It was an indication that the Tea Party and its media allies had accomplished more than just their goal of demonizing the health-care bill. They had demonized me and, in doing so, had delivered a message to all Republican office-holders: when it came to opposing my Administration, the old rules no longer applied.”

Here’s the video of how it went down. Now we know what Obama was thinking:

Obama’s sense of humor in the book is exceptional. You see how he was able to tolerate fools and rise above. He recalls how one of his advisers was worried about getting the health care bill passed.

The adviser, Phil Schiliro, asks, “I guess the question for you, Mr. President, is, Do you feel lucky?”

Obama remembers: “I looked at him. “Where are we, Phil?”

Phil hesitated, wondering if it was a trick question. “The Oval Office?”

“And what’s my name?”

“Barack Obama.”

I smiled. “Barack Hussein Obama. And I’m here with you in the Oval Office. Brother, I always feel lucky.”

Guilty Pleasure: U2 20th Anniversary Box Set of “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” A Gift That Keeps on Giving

Roger Friedman
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Guilty Pleasure: U2 20th Anniversary Box Set of “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” A Gift That Keeps on Giving

2000: someone tells me it was 20 years ago, so I must have been 7 or 8 when I received the U2 album, “All That You Can’t Leave Behind.” No seriously, it was October 30th of that year, and the word was this U2 album, the first since 1997’s kind of disappointing “Pop,” produced by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, was just going to be a like top 40 jukebox. Bono said in interviews that they attempted to make 12 hit singles. “Beautiful Day” was already on the radio, and so catchy it seemed impossible. But U2, then 23 years old (first album 1977) was back with a vengeance.

Now I’m awash in the 30th anniversary box set for “All That You Can’t Leave Behind.” Generally, I’m not good with box sets. I don’t need all the stuff that comes in them. But this time, I’m happy with the CD only set. The box comes with a gorgeous Anton Corbijn book of photos, a cool poster, a tri-fold package with 5CDs and another book of lyrics and credits.

U2 is my guilty pleasure. Those 5CDs are my current obsession. You get the original album remastered, two pristinely remastered concert CDs from Boston, very cool remixes of the original songs, and my favorite thing in every box set– the B sides, demos, and alternate takes. In every good box set this is what we’re after. In this case we get 9 tracks including songs that weird U2 fanatics know like “Stateless,” “Love You Like Mad,” “Big Girls Are Best,” and “Flower Child.” The whole disc could be its own freestanding album and it’s better than anything out right now. It’s going into my car CD player with the similar McCartney CD from “Flaming Pie” and the one from “Sticky Fingers” with Eric Clapton on “Brown Sugar.”

But you know, the box set rests on the original album, gorgeously remastered and sounding even more shiny and crunchy than it did 30 years ago. After “Beautiful Day” you get “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out of It,” an anthem for the ages. “Elevation” is the perfect 3rd track: it sounds like a hit single, you’re on your feet dancing to it. “Walk On,” in fourth place, became a standard and showed that Bono was connecting the dots from his previous trip down this aisle, “One.” The album proceeds from there into its all-time hood with “Kite,” and the soaring “When I Look at the World.”

What Bono, Edge, Larry, and Adam pulled off here was focus. They’re still punks, the songs still rock, the underpinnings are dizzying combinations of guitars, bass, and drums. But everything is tight, there’s no fat, and you feel like it just came to them in a flash. (That always means a lot of work went into it.) You don’t see the seams. And then the added bonus of the live Boston show, so well produced in the first place that when they do “Stay (Forever)” — one of the greats — the air in the Fleet Center crackles with anticipation.

For me U2 is the last great rock band remaining aside from the Stones. It’s because of their sonics. They are huge, all encompassing. U2 is built to reverberate. If we ever get back to stadiums, try them once. Your molecules get rearranged. And the cool thing about this box set is that they capture it. I’ll need this to get through the next 70 days.

Stupid: Central Florida’s The Villages Has 3 New COVID Deaths And 23 New Cases, But They Voted for Trump Anyway

Roger Friedman
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Stupid: Central Florida’s The Villages Has 3 New COVID Deaths And 23 New Cases, But They Voted for Trump Anyway

We’re following the Villages in Central Florida because they seem to be typical of Trump voters: older and white. Trump had a rally there at the end of October. Since then, cases and deaths from coronavirus continue to rise. They voted for Trump anyway. A team of shrinks should go in there and study these people. They are really stupid. Does no one wear a mask in this place?

The indefatigable Larry Croom writes in the local website:

“Three more local residents have died of COVID-19 as more cases of the deadly virus continue to be identified across the tri-county area.

“All three of the latest fatalities were residents of Lake County. They were identified Thursday by the Florida Department of Health as:

86-year-old woman who tested positive Oct. 12;
84-year-old man who tested positive Oct. 14; and
86-year-old man who tested positive Nov. 9.

“Twenty-three new COVID-19 cases were reported Thursday in and around The Villages. Those include:

The Villages (Sumter, Lake and Marion counties) up three for a total of 896;
Leesburg up seven for a total of 1,534;
Lady Lake up four for a total of 412;
Summerfield up four for a total of 476;
Wildwood up three for a total of 481;
Fruitland Park up one for a total of 213; and
Belleview up one for a total of 413.

“Sumter County is now reporting 3,114 cases – an increase of six from Wednesday to Thursday – among 1,766 men, 1,317 women, 14 non-residents and 17 people listed as unknown. A total of 225 cases have been reported in long-term care centers and 803 in correctional facilities. There have been 89 deaths and 301 people treated in area hospitals.

“The Villages continues to pace Sumter County with 845 cases – an increase of three in a 24-hour period. Besides those mentioned above in Wildwood, others have been identified in Coleman (716), Bushnell (360, 165 of which are at the Sumter Correctional Institution among 106 inmates and 48 staff members), Oxford (152), Webster (116), Lake Panasoffkee (87), Center Hill (60), Sumterville (58) and the Lady Lake portion of the county (47). The federal prison in Coleman also is reporting 138 cases among 32 inmates and 106 staff members.”

Seth Meyers Late Night Show Adds Star Writer to Staff: Producer Tweets “John Mulaney Likes to Work”

Roger Friedman
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Seth Meyers Late Night Show Adds Star Writer to Staff: Producer Tweets “John Mulaney Likes to Work”

This is a surprise. John Mulaney, who’s hosted “Saturday Night Live” twice this year, has joined “Late Night with Seth Meyers” as a staff writer.

Mulaney is a star in his own right, so this is unusual. But he also needs to eat and pay bills. With live performances shutdown by the pandemic, Mulaney’s options right now are limited. The late night talk shows are the only game in town.

Last night he appeared in a very funny sketch with Seth that may have been an extension of one last week. (He’s wearing the trench coat and sunglasses.) When I was watching this thing last night I was thinking, this is genius. And so I guess the producers did, too.

Mulaney still works with Nick Kroll on their hilarious “Oh Hello” podcasts and performances. Maybe they’ll appear on Late Night doing that. It’s sort of the modern day version of Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks doing the 2,000 Year Old Man.

PS Late Night has a lot of talent, that’s for sure. Amber Ruffin is their diamond in the rough. She’s got her show on Peacock, wherever that is.

 

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