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There are only 16 shows eligible for the 2020 Tony Awards. The nominees come from these shows, and it’s a mediocre list at best. The shows that would have really been in the Tony mix didn’t get to open. Hence, these Tony Awards will only be given online. That’s a shame for the people here who really did deserve acclaim, like Adrienne Warren as Tina Turner.
The sadder part of this is that after this business is concluded, we won’t have a Tony Awards again until June 2022. Broadway is officially dark through May 2021, with some shows announcing theoretical openings at the end of 2021. The pandemic has caused an economic and cultural catastrophe for New York’s theater world. So VOTE on November 3rd and let’s bring in people who can fix this fast.
Who would have guessed that pop star Demi Lovato would turn out to be the Bob Dylan of the Trump resistance? Demi debuted a searing anti-Donald Trump anthem on the Billboard Awards last night, broadcast on the same NBC that tonight will host a Trump Town Hall against everyone’s wishes. Maybe Demi can sing “Commander in Chief” during the Town Hall! TMZ reports that NBC edited out the graphics around Demi during the performance that read VOTE because the network thought that implied VOTE for Biden. They’re geniuses!
Here’s the song, followed by the lyrics. Demi Lovato, you’ve got my vote!
COMMANDER IN CHIEF
If you mess with things selfishly, they’re bound to come undone?
I’m not the only one
That’s been affected and resented every story you’ve spun
And I’m a lucky one
‘Cause there are people worse off that have suffered enough
Haven’t they suffered enough?
But you can’t get enough of
Shuttin’ down systеms for personal gain
Fightin’ fires with flyers and prayin’ for rain
Do you gеt off on pain?
We’re not pawns in your game
[Chorus]
Commander in Chief, honestly
If I did the things you do
I couldn’t sleep, seriously
Do you even know the truth?
We’re in a state of crisis, people are dyin’
While you line your pockets deep
Commander in Chief, how does it feel to still
Be able to breathe?
[Verse 2]
We were taught when we were young
If we fight for what’s right, there won’t be justice for just some
Won’t give up, stand our ground
We’ll be in the streets while you’re bunkering down
Loud and proud, best believe
We’ll still take a knee while you’re
[Chorus]
Commander in Chief, honestly
If I did the things you do
I couldn’t sleep, seriously
Do you even know the truth?
We’re in a state of crisis, people are dyin’
While you line your pockets deep
Commander in Chief, how does it feel to still
Be able to breathe, breathe?
Be able to breathe
[Bridge]
Won’t give up, stand our ground
We’ll be in the streets while you’re bunkering down
Won’t give up, stand our ground
We’ll be in the streets while you’re
[Chorus]
Commander in Chief, honestly
If I did the things you do
I couldn’t sleep, seriously
Do you even know the truth?
We’re in a state of crisis, people are dyin’
While you line your pockets deep
Commander in Chief, how does it feel to still
Be able to breathe?
Able to breathe
CORRECTED: The pop stars are aligning for a fall pre-Christmas release schedule.
Ariana Grande, who’s been unusually quiet the last few months, says on Twitter today that she can’t wait to “give” us her new album this month. By give I don’t think she means free distribution. Republic Records will brace for another hit collection in a series of successes, no doubt.
Ariana follows Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Taylor Swift who’ve all had 2020 releases. They’re all very different, too. But it’s definitely the era of these singers, not to forget Demi Lovato, Kesha, Pink, and a few others.
One diva has been MIA officially for five years. Adele released her “25” album in November 20, 2015. Five years is pretty much the maximum length anyone can wait, including the “Skyfall” single that came a little later. I’m told Adele will be dropping a single soon with an eye toward a similar mid-November album. Mid-to-late November is her best shot at real Christmas sales. Sony/Columbia could use it, and frankly, so could Adele. Stay tuned…
Ironically, it really is the year of the woman in movies.
Now Glenn Close and Amy Adams are jumping into the Oscar race for best actress with Ron Howard’s “Hillbilly Elegy.” The first trailer looks pretty good. It’s unclear who will be lead or supporting, or both ladies will go in lead. With Frances McDormand currently the front runner, and Michelle Pfeiffer right behind her, and Jennifer Hudson looming over them, these two performances could round out the top 5. And you know Netflix will push this hard for other categories, too. Did someone suggest not having the Oscars this year? LOL. They are on!
Our all time favorite performer (among a few others, but still…) has dropped two new songs today. One of them is called “Where is Our Love Song” and I am thrilled to tell you this was the song Stevie played for me at Tony Bennett’s 90th birthday party 4 years ago at the Rainbow Room. A couple of celebs eyed me very jealously as Stevie put headphones on me and flipped a switch on a little recorder-player he was holding under our table. It’s very exciting to hear it now in its finished form.
Stevie will donate 100% of proceeds of “Where Is Our Love Song” to Feeding America. “To feed people,” he said, “it is my joy.” The song features Gary Clark Jr. on guitar and background vocals from five of Wonder’s children.
The second song is called “Can’t Put it in the Hands of Fate” and was written about a relationship. He rewrote it a few months ago to address current political and social situations and includes a collection of conscious rappers—Rapsody, Cordae, Chika and Busta Rhymes.
The singles will either appear on a new album or EP. I hope it’s a full length album. We’ve gone too long without a new one from Mr. Stevland Morris.
Stevie’s also started his own label through Republic/Universal called So What the Fuss Records. He’s moving in the Universal Music Group family from Motown, where he’s been since 1963. (Motown isn’t the same place anymore.) And what the fuss indeed? Stevie has a new kidney, looks trim and ready to rock. There is no one better.
Normand Latourelle was the co-creator of the Cirque du Soleil empire and took it to the top. He left to create Cavalia, a spectacular entertainment with horses, and a light show titled “Illumi” that was a huge hit last winter in Montreal. But that was before COVID.
When the pandemic hit last March, Latourelle– whose own mother dubbed him “The Merchant of Happiness” — wasn’t going to fold his tents. :Cavalia” on a hold. But “Illumi” is blazing. “Illumi” was a massive light show that people walked through — 500,000 of them, in fact. He tells me grossed $15 million. So he wasn’t going to let a virus get in his way. He says, “When I heard the restrictions last March, I said let’s be creative.”
On Wednesday night, an even bigger “Illumi” opens outside Montreal, with proper social distancing. The audience will come in cars. The show is already sold out. It plays from now through mid March with 17 different tableaux blazing millions of lights. Cars holding up to 4 or 5 people are coming every night, at $20 per person. You can order food that’s brought to the car. There are bathroom stops, of course. The whole ride through “Illumi” is supposed to take around an hour and 15 minutes.
“When someone tells me don’t do that, I use my imagination to push the limit,” Latourelle says.
Drive-thru entertainment may be the immediate solution to showbiz with social distance. Latourelle, as usual, is onto something. Instead of downsizing for the pandemic, he went big big bigger. Last year’s show covered 400,000 square feet. This year’s is on 1 million square feet of parking lots. He says there are 20 million lights and 30,000 installations. (If I lived up there, I’d rent a convertible for the evening.)
With movie theaters shut across the US, and Broadway dark in New York, Latourelle looks brilliant. I didn’t mention this to him in our conversation, but what about all the abandoned malls in America? They have huge empty parking lots just waiting for someone to lease them.
Meantime, how we do see “Illumi’? You can’t really fly into Montreal right now. But I guess we could all drive, at least from the Northeast. From the pictures and videos, “Illumi” looks like it has the production values of those amazing Cirque du Soleil shows. Of the 17 different tableaux, or light exhibits, by the way, three or four will keep changing through the winter to reflect the various holidays. So if you like it, you’ll have to go back again. Very clever, these Quebecois!
The TV syndication ratings are in, and they show a tough world if you live by numbers.
Drew Barrymore’s talk show is certainly struggling in its third week. It dropped 17% from 600,000 to 500,000 viewers last week, down from a premiere week of 800,000. To make matters worse, while Drew is trying to keep her audience from drifting away, her main time frame competitor, “Live with Kelly and Ryan,” is booming. Their ratings are actually going up! “Live” went up 13% last week and jumped over “Dr. Phil” to be the number 1 talk show in syndication. “Drew” consequently fell to number 11.
Shoving Drew in at 9am against “Live” is not going to work, obviously. The best competition for “Live” was the counter programming of “Hot Bench.” That show is pulling in 1.6 million viewers each week.
“Drew,” by the way, featured “SNL” actor Chloe Fineman yesterday. Chloe is doing a parody of Drew on “SNL.” Of course, no one mentioned that Drew’s producer is Nancy Juvonen, talented wife of Jimmy Fallon, whose own late night talk show shares a an executive producer with “SNL”– uh, Lorne Michaels.
And what about Ellen DeGeneres? Well, she’s holding steady with 1.2 million viewers. There’s no big fall out from her scandal. We keep waiting. But it ain’t happening. If “The Ellen Show” lives through this season, number 17, she’ll probably make it to 20 seasons. Every week she gets into the season, the scandal recedes. Interesting, no?
Here’s the Drew interview with Chloe Fineman. Drew is all bubbly as usual. But if you notice, there’s not much of an “SNL” clip here. I’m not so sure she loved the parody that much after all.
I am so sorry to hear of Conchata Ferrell’s passing at age 77. Apparently she had been suffering all year after a heart attack and associated medical problems.
Ferrell’s fame came with “Two and A Half Men,” the insipid TV comedy. But she was a powerhouse film and theater actress before that. I will never forget her in “Heartland” with Rip Torn, a great movie in which she was superb circa 1980.
In theater, she was an original member of the Circle Repertory Theatre. For her appearance as Gertrude Blum in Edward J. Moore’s “The Sea Horse,” she received a Drama Desk Award, a Theatre World Award, and an Obie Award for Best Actress in 1974. Her role as April Green in Lanford Wilson’s “Hot L Baltimore” led her to Los Angeles and a starring role in the Norman Lear series of the same name. Other notable productions include “Battle of Angels” in 1974 by Tennessee Williams (later known as “Orpheus Descending”), and “Picnic” by William Inge at the Ahmanson Theater.
Ferrell’s movie work besides “Heartland” included “Network,” “Mystic Pizza,” “True Romance,” “Erin Brockovich,” and “Edward Scissorhands.” She was nominated for the Emmy Award three times, twice for “Two and a Half Men,” once for “L.A. Law.”
She’s survived by her husband of 34 years, Arnie Anderson, and a daughter and two step daughters. Please, don’t remember her for that TV show but for her amazing work everywhere else. Condolences to her family.
Paramount needs money, and they can’t wait for theaters to open again.
The result is that Eddie Murphy’s much anticipated “Coming to America” sequel will move from Paramount to Amazon Prime, which will pay a reported $125 million so they can put it on their platform.
Paramount is an ailing studio, and the pandemic is killing it. They’ve postponed the Top Gun sequel to next year, and the 7th “Mission Impossible” movie is only now shooting, put it a year after that. They sold “The Trial of the Chicago 7” to Netflix, forfeiting their own shot at an Oscar campaign with some wins possible.
It’s got to be frustrating for Paramount and for the filmmakers. What remains a question is what to do with “A Quiet Place 2,” the really terrific sequel to John Krasinski’s first film of that name. We saw it in MARCH– do you hear me????– MARCH, and it’s never come out! My guess is now that Paramount will have to sell that one, too, because it needs to be seen and we don’t know when theaters will re-open.
You can’t blame any studio for going the VOD or streaming route, and of course everyone feels bad about the movie theater exhibitor business. Believe me, we want to be in theaters. I just hope they’ll be there when we’re ready. Hopefully, a Biden administration will bail out the exhibitors. But even January 21st is a long way off.
Bruce Springsteen’s Apple TV documentary, “Letter to You,” arrives next Friday along with a new album of original E Street Band recordings.
There’s a review embargo on the film until this Friday, but I can tell you one thing about it now: there’s a Marvel-like over-the-credits extra scene that will please all Springsteen fans– and shows what a good film Thom Zimny has made. (No, it doesn’t feature Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury!)
For the first time in a long while, Bruce performs an acoustic version of “Baby I,” the first single he ever had, with his group The Castiles. The Castiles are all gone now, so Bruce is accompanied by his cousin Frank, who appears in the film. Bruce credits Frank with teaching him how to play the guitar.
The Castiles record is little known, although it’s on YouTube in a couple of forms including as part of the soundtrack to Bruce’s book, “Chapter and Verse.”
Here it is, with a photo of the E Street Band forerunners.
