Tuesday, May 19, 2026
Donate
Home Blog Page 8

Broadway Blaze Sends “Book of Mormon” Into Time Out: End of a 15 Year Run for Irreverent Hit Musical Unless “Beaches” Closes

Roger Friedman
-
0
Broadway Blaze Sends “Book of Mormon” Into Time Out: End of a 15 Year Run for Irreverent Hit Musical Unless “Beaches” Closes

Bad news on Broadway today.

A three alarm fire has shut down the Eugene O’Neill Theater today, and for the foreseeable future.

This means no shows for “The Book of Mormon,” which has been playing there for 15 years. The fire was on the roof and knocked out the lighting and electrical systems.

“Mormon” is the irreverent, very funny musical by the guys from “South Park.” In its heyday, the musical won boatloads of awards and was always sold out.

But more recently the show has been struggling to stay afloat. Even though they had a 15th anniversary special not too long ago, receipts are way down. The cast, I’m sure, is talented, but has no names to draw audiences. The original production won Best Musical and set up the careers of Josh Gad, Andrew Rannells, and Nikki R. James.

Is this the end for “Book of Mormon”? Could be unless they can find a theater. Right now, all the houses they would want are filled. Only “Beaches,” a new musical with terrible reviews and little interest, could close soon enough to be a help.

“Beaches” is only playing at 65% capacity at the much bigger newly renovated Majestic Theater, making less than $500K a week. If it gets no Tony nominations tomorrow, they could post a notice ASAP and make way for “Mormon.”

For now, though, no more Mormons cheerfully greeting potential followers.

Dolly Parton Says Meds for Kidney Stones Make Her Dizzy, Feeling Better But Not Well Enough to Perform Live Soon or in Las Vegas

Roger Friedman
-
0
Dolly Parton Says Meds for Kidney Stones Make Her Dizzy, Feeling Better But Not Well Enough to Perform Live Soon or in Las Vegas

Dolly Parton has posted a five minute update about her life and health.

Dolly says kidney stones have caused a lot of problems for her. And the medication she’s taking can make her dizzy.

She is so charming! Dolly is trying to keep it light make everyone feel good about her situation.

I can relate, as a kidney stone sufferer. The pain can be intolerable. I hope she’s on the strong stuff!

Watch the video below.

Dolly says: “Hey everybody, it’s me, Dolly.

“Thank you for standing by me and showing me so much love and support over the past year.

“I’ve still got some healing to do, but I am on my way! See you soon…”And I am here to give you an update on a few things going on in my life. It’s been a rough year, as you all know. I lost my husband Carl, and that was the hardest thing I’ve ever been through. The grief hit me hard, and then my body kind of followed suit. I’ve had some health issues — fatigue, kidney stones, digestive problems, immune system stuff. It’s been a lot. But I’m getting better. I’ve been seeing doctors, getting treatments. Some of them make me dizzy, like I’ve been on a wild ride. And of course, I can’t be dizzy carrying around banjos, and my transmission is slipping more than the rock quarry in Rockwood, Tennessee. But I’m just trying to keep everything light and airy. I’m spending a lot of time resting, working on some projects from home — like my Broadway musical and things at Dollywood. I’m not quite ready to jump back on stage full force yet, but I’m getting there. I want to thank you all again from the bottom of my heart at how much your love and concern meant to me during that time. It really helped pull me through. When Carl passed, I told him… I said, ‘Well honey, I’ll see you on the other side, and that I will always love you.

Here she is, looking like a million bucks. Keep getting better, Dolly!

Told Ya: Demi Moore Joins Cannes Jury, But Jacob Elordi Out After Kardashian Kurse, Others Include Stellan Skarsgård, Chloe Zhao

Roger Friedman
-
0
Told Ya: Demi Moore Joins Cannes Jury, But Jacob Elordi Out After Kardashian Kurse, Others Include Stellan Skarsgård, Chloe Zhao

I told you recently that Jacob Elordi and Demi Moore would be going to Cannes.

Well, Demi is, and Jake isn’t. The latter has broken his foot. It’s part of the Kardashian Kurse. He’s dating one of them, Kendall Jenner, and, of course, his career is suffering because of it. She probably kicked him under a table. The Kurse has already damaged Timothee Chalamet, who lost a fan site last week to the ubiquitous Connor Storrie. (The latter and Hudson Williams are attending the Met Gala tonight, then opening a Schnipper’s in Queens.)

Anyway, Korean director Park Chan-wook is running the ury. He will be joined by American actress and producer Demi Moore, Irish-Ethiopian actress and producer Ruth Negga, Belgian director and screenwriter Laura Wandel, Chinese director and screenwriter Chloé Zhao, Chilean director and screenwriter Diego Céspedes, Ivorian-American actor Isaach De Bankolé, Scottish screenwriter Paul Laverty, and Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård.

I told you Julianne Moore is getting the Kering Women in Film Award, also.

Cannes is light on Hollywood celebs this year, so the spotlight will really be on Barbra Streisand when she arrives to pick up her Palme d’Or. But other famous ladies will be present as models for L’Oreal and Chopard, so not to worry.

If anyone sees Demi Moore, please make sure gets a lot of French food pronto, especially desserts.

Mick Jagger Will Hit Tonight Show Wednesday to Announce New Stones Album, “Foreign Tongues,” And Two New Singles

Roger Friedman
-
0
Mick Jagger Will Hit Tonight Show Wednesday to Announce New Stones Album, “Foreign Tongues,” And Two New Singles

Mick Jagger loves Jimmy Fallon. They have a long relationship.

It was Jimmy who helped the Rolling Stones launch “Hackney Diamonds” a couple of years ago.

On Wednesday, Mick will return to the Tonight Show to announce the new Stones album, “Foreign Tongues.”

We may get to hear a little of the two singles, “In the Stars,” and “Jealous Lover.”

“In the Stars” starts streaming Tuesday morning on all platforms.

Of course, the Stones already released a single called “Rough and Twisted” on vinyl only as the Cockroaches.

There are 14 new songs on the album, produced and co-written in some cases with Andrew Watt. Watt is everywhere these days, working also with Lady Gaga and Paul McCartney. He gets it. All these artists sound better than ever!

Madonna Has Partnered with Anna Wintour for New Album and Tonight’s Met Gala — Will She Perform with Sabrina Carpenter?

Roger Friedman
-
0
Madonna Has Partnered with Anna Wintour for New Album and Tonight’s Met Gala — Will She Perform with Sabrina Carpenter?

Meryl Streep, Zendaya and other stars are skipping the Met Ball tonight.

But Madonna will be there. I wonder if she’ll perform.

She’s just posted a video with Anna Wintour talking about her “Vogue” hit and promoting her new album, “Confessions on a Dance Floor II.”

Anna is pivoting from plugging “The Devil Wears Prada 2” to Madonna’s new release.

This is why she’s still running Conde Nast after 75 years. She could actually pivot again today!

What will Madonna wear? Will Sabrina Carpenter be involved? Will they perform their new duet?

Stay tuned…

Scientology Under Siege: Spontaneous Worldwide Movement Shuts Down Centers as Kids Stage Speed Run Assaults on Cult!

Roger Friedman
-
0
Scientology Under Siege: Spontaneous Worldwide Movement Shuts Down Centers as Kids Stage Speed Run Assaults on Cult!

How did this start? It seems viral and spontaneous.

Young people curious about the cult of Scientology started launching ambushes on their various headquarters. After decades of journalism trying to expose this dangerous group, some kids finally said, What the heck is going on in there?

CLICK HERE FOR INFO ABOUT THE BEST MOTHER’S DAY BOOK GIFT

Now Scientology is under siege. Kids dressed up in all kinds of costumes have been running into the Centers, causing mayhem. It’s in New York, Los Angeles, and all over the world. It’s so bad that the Centers have shut their down, removed door handles, put up chain locks, and hired extra security.


This is not officially condoned. Even Leah Remini, former member and critic posted a note to stop it. But the speed running has taken on a life of its own. Her video is first, followed by some reports below. See way at the bottom, where Little People have been on a raid!

The irony here, of course is that Scientology for so long has been this open secret, a cloak and dagger business represented by Tom Cruise, John Travolta, and other celebrities. Finally, a new generation finds it absurd. Maybe this will bring them down.


www.showbiz411.com/?s=scientology

Yes, Jeff Kwatinetz is Still Around: Former Britney, Kelly Manager Bemoans No Antisemites on List of Best Songwriters

Roger Friedman
-
0
Yes, Jeff Kwatinetz is Still Around: Former Britney, Kelly Manager Bemoans No Antisemites on List of Best Songwriters

You may remember Jeff Kwatinetz.

In the 00’s he managed artists like Britney Spears and Kelly Clarkson almost into oblivion. Those episodes ended in scandal and disaster.

He started Prospect Park, a streaming service for new episodes of soap operas, and the whole thing imploded into a mess that still stings.

Kwatinetz was also engaged for four months to much younger actress Brittany Murphy. And he was a partner of Steve Bannon, which should tell you everything you need to know.

I didn’t know his job now is managing the career of Ice Cube, an inveterate antisemitic rapper. Makes sense, I guess. Kwatinetz being self-loathing shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Today on Twitter he bemoans the absence of both Cube and Roger Waters from the NY Times list of best living songwriters. Waters, like Cube, is an infamous antisemite, whose attacks on Israel and Jews have made him a pariah in the music business.

Kwatinetz wrote: “NYTimes list of 30 greatest living songwriters and they leave out @icecube and @rogerwaters (perhaps the greatest lyricist of all time). That’s why these lists are jokes.”

Just from Google’s AI summary:
“2020 Social Media Controversy: Ice Cube shared an image of an antisemitic mural depicting men playing Monopoly on the backs of Black and brown people, which was previously removed in London. He also posted a Star of David with a black cube inside and images of black cubes, which critics described as references to occult worship or antisemitic, anti-Jewish conspiracy theories.Allegations of Past Behavior: Reports have pointed to a long history of controversial actions, including a 2015 incident where he was accused by a rabbi of ordering a physical attack while using antisemitic slurs, which Ice Cube has denied. Critics have also cited lyrics from his 1991 album Death Certificate.”

Nice!

Box Office: “Michael,” “Prada” Draw Huge Audiences Despite Poor Reviews Fan Service Brings Big Numbers and Audiences to Theaters

Roger Friedman
-
0
Box Office: “Michael,” “Prada” Draw Huge Audiences Despite Poor Reviews Fan Service Brings Big Numbers and Audiences to Theaters

“Michael” and “The Devil Wears Prada 2” are very big at the box office.

It doesn’t matter that they’re not great movies, and that they each have poor-to-middling reviews.

They are ‘fan service,’ movies made as comfort food. They make the audience feel good.

It’s good news for theaters, which haven’t seen this kind of action since the summer of “Barbenheimer.”

When I set foot in a suburban AMC theater on Friday night at 8:30pm it was booming. It was all young people, and they were as diverse as possible. They were seeing both movies, in no particular order.

“Michael” is now at $183 million US after 2 weeks. “Prada” made $77 million this weekend. Each film is even bigger overseas, where look and feel take precedence over plot and details.

Tomorrow, with the exception of Meryl Streep, players from “Prada” will glide along the Met Gala red carpet. “Michael” star Jafaar Jackson will do the same, maybe with some of his cohorts. Protests be damned. There are popcorn buckets to be sold! (Although, none in my cineplex.)

Does it matter that “Michael” is inaccurate? Nope. Or that “Prada” is dull and full of phantom threads? For example, what does it matter than Andie (Anne Hathaway) stained that dress after being told not to? Some plot point was dropped in the editing.

PS Lady Gaga has three songs in the iTunes top 25, all from “Prada.”

Met Gala Under Siege from Social Media: For Years I Wrote About the Greed and Stupidity, And Now It’s All Over the Internet

Roger Friedman
-
0
Met Gala Under Siege from Social Media: For Years I Wrote About the Greed and Stupidity, And Now It’s All Over the Internet

For years and years I wrote about the Met Gala aka the Met Ball, all about the greed, and stupidity.

Now it’s burst onto social media, it’s all over the internet, as if it’s a discovery. Welcome, all.

The bottom line seems to be that Jeff Bezos’ sponsorship was a bridge too far. Bezos is now more famous for paying the Trumps $40 million (plus another $35 million in promotion) for Melania’s idiotic documentary, and also for destroying the Washington Post, than for drone dropping toilet paper overnight.

Last year’s Met Ball was sold out to TikTok and the Chinese

A site called @everyonehateselon is only one of many chronicling the tsunami of negativity against the Met Gala. Instagram and TikTok are filled with it. Big celebrities are declining to attend, from Meryl Streep to Zendaya. Other reasons might be that no one can afford gas or beef, and that all other grocery items are affordable.

As reported today in AirMail, the Gala is no longer about the Metropolitan Museum of Art, it’s about The Anna Wintour Costume Institute. It’s not about Rembrandt or Egyptian artifacts, it’s about Vogue cashing in on ruffled dresses. Is that what we signed on for?

Michael Jackson Business Update: Movie Sets Music Charts Ablaze in All Formats as Singles, Albums, Sales, Streaming All Boom

Roger Friedman
-
0
Michael Jackson Business Update: Movie Sets Music Charts Ablaze in All Formats as Singles, Albums, Sales, Streaming All Boom

The Business of Michael Jackson is booming.

The “Michael” movie may not be artistic cinema, but its box office success is causing “records” to fly off the proverbial shelves.

On amazon.com, Jackson has three of the top five albums including #1, “Thriller.”

Currently, there are 12 Jackson songs on the iTunes top 100. There are about the same number on Apple’s top 100 streaming songs. Jackson also has more than half dozen albums on the iTunes top 100 albums.

All of this is what the Jackson Estate needed and wanted. Their coffers only grow, grow, grow whether or not the movie cost too much. New generations are getting hooked into the Jackson catalog.

At the movie box office, “Michael” is approaching $300 million worldwide, which ain’t bad.

1...789...2,395Page 8 of 2,395

Hollywood to the Hudson

Company

Trending

Categories

© Showbiz411.com